On this day, Chao Yong had just returned to the palace from Imperial College when he heard the personal eunuch He Yong said that he had been waiting for a long time as a supervisor.
Chao Yong captured Tokyo, and after gaining the air, he went to make the general a prisoner.
Gunpowder operations and fierce fire oil operations were both under the supervision of Jiang Zuo. Chao Yong naturally knew that these weapons could influence the battlefield if used properly, so he raised the level of both gunpowder operations and fierce fire oil operations, and added
The Gun and Artillery Bureau is all under the charge of Hongtianlei Lingzhen and is subordinate to the Ministry of War.
Chao Yong also took the opportunity to look at other departments of the supervisor and found some useful things. He also gave them some directions and asked them to study things that have been proven by later generations.
Chao Yong said a lot of things casually, and he didn't know which one made a breakthrough.
"Xiaguan kiln envoy Wang Jing pays homage to the prince."
The ones who supervise the work are the craftsmen, but the leaders are the officials. Whatever the craftsmen invent, it is these officials who make the biggest profit in the end.
Chao Yong looked at the two people He Yong brought in. The leader, Wang Jing, was wearing an official robe and was white and fat. The one behind him was obviously a craftsman, with a smoky face. At first glance, he looked like someone who had been dealing with fire all year round.
There are many stains on it.
When the two of them arrived in front of the prince who had made the spaceship, they were frightened and did not dare to express their anger after seeing the ceremony.
Chao Yong could no longer remember the duties of the two of them, so he smiled and said, "Have you made any breakthroughs?"
Wang Jing picked up the box in his hand and said: "The transparent glass that the prince asked for has been successfully fired, and several lenses have been made with molds. I would like to ask the prince to take a look."
He Yong took the box and brought it to Chao Yong.
Chao Yong was overjoyed when he heard it was transparent glass. He took the box from He He and opened it immediately. The box was padded with silk, and in the middle were several pieces of transparent glass, convex lenses, concave lenses, and a silver-plated mirror.
.
The kiln manager is responsible for firing bricks, tiles, ceramics and other things, and colored glaze is one of them. Chao Yong was very interested in colored glaze at the beginning, and after asking carefully for a while, he found out that transparent glass could be fired in the Northern Song Dynasty.
It is not inferior to the colored glass shipped from Dashi, but the glass fired in the Song Dynasty is not resistant to high temperatures and will burst when hot wine is poured into it. Therefore, the best-selling glassware on the market is still the glassware from Dashi.
However, people in the world don't like completely transparent vessels. They prefer to have some colors, such as blue, green, and brown.
Zhao Ji felt that the transparent glass bottles had no artistic beauty, so he asked the craftsmen to plate gold powder inside. He wanted to plate the fragile glass bottles with gold. This imperial edict immediately stumped the craftsmen in the palace. Later, a craftsman outside the palace used water
Silver solves this problem.
Of course, Zhao Ji also used some transparent glass, that is, he used some five-color colored glaze on the doors and windows of the palace.
(This is recorded in the "Chu Liao Collection" written by Wang Anzhong. The song "Inscribed on Pan'an as a Glass Window" by Shi Baotan, a monk in the Song Dynasty, proves that glass windows are no longer unique to the palace, but I secretly think that glass should still be
Only some dignitaries can afford it)
Generally speaking, the artist Zhao Ji doesn't like transparent glass very much and just uses it to replace window paper.
The emperor did not like transparent glass, which naturally restricted the development of transparent glass.
Chao Yong had no interest in those colored colored glazes, and for the few things he wanted to make, only transparent glass was the best, so he asked the craftsmen to start firing transparent glass.
Most of the time, it can be said that the thousands of craftsmen who serve as supervisors work for the enjoyment of the emperor alone. They receive money and food from the court, and they do not have to be responsible for their own profits and losses. When Chao Yong speaks, those who serve as supervisors will naturally do what Chao Yong wants.
live.
Because what Chao Yong wanted was mass production, rather than accidentally firing a piece of transparent glass. He had to find a stable firing procedure, so he wasted a few months of work.
If he only needs a small amount of glass, Chao Yong doesn't have to let the kiln workers waste the waste, he can just buy some bulk glass from the market.
Chao Yong first picked up a palm-sized piece of transparent flat glass. As expected, it was colorless and transparent, and there were no air bubbles in the middle.
"Okay. This is exactly the glass I want. From now on, this transparent glass will be called glass."
Chao Yong doesn't care about the definition of glass in later generations. It's first come first served. Whatever he says is glass will be glass in the future.
Both the convex lens and the concave lens seemed to have no problem. Chao Yong finally picked up the silver mirror, and he clearly appeared in the mirror.
With the silver mirror, any bronze mirror polished by the master craftsmen in the palace can be thrown away.
Chao Yong nodded with satisfaction and said: "Okay, very good, you have worked hard. Those with official status will be promoted to one level, and everyone will be rewarded with hundreds of dollars. All the glass-firing people in the kiln will be transferred out to form another glass
Bureau, subordinate to the Ministry of War."
When Wang Jing heard this, he couldn't help but was stunned. He knew that gunpowder craftsmanship and fierce kerosene craftsmanship were mentioned in the same category, and they were both subordinated to the Ministry of War. However, gunpowder and raging kerosene craftsmen are both sharp weapons in the military, but glass seems to have nothing to do with military affairs.
.However, he did not dare to ask the prince, so he could only bow his head and obey the order.
Chao Yong looked at the craftsmen behind him and asked, "Are you a glass craftsman?"
The craftsman behind saw the prince asking and hurriedly bowed and said: "Exactly."
Wang Jing added: "He is a master craftsman in making colored glaze, and it was he who came up with the idea of making lens molds. In the past, glass was polished, but polishing glass was time-consuming and labor-intensive, and it was difficult to succeed. But with the mold, it is much easier."
Wang Jing did not want to bring this craftsman to share the work, but he was in charge of the kiln affairs, and there were many departments below him. He knew the most about ceramics, but he knew nothing about glass. He was afraid that the prince would ask, so he brought this craftsman here.
Chao Yong smiled and said, "What's your name?"
When the craftsman heard the prince asking for his name, he excitedly said, "How skillful is this little man?"
When Chao Yong heard this name, he was stunned for a moment and then said: "Is your family a craftsman for generations?"
"My ancestor was a maker of colored glaze in the Tang Dynasty."
Chao Yong nodded and said: "No wonder you have such skills, do you have an official status?"
When He Qiaoshou heard the prince ask about his official status, his voice trembled a little, and he replied: "No, I am just a craftsman."
Chao Yong thought for a while and said: "You have made great achievements in making glass and have made great contributions to the court. I will make you a school captain, but you can't lead troops. You only have the salary of a school captain. You will be responsible for the glass bureau. I will report to the emperor later.
Get you a baron."
When He Qiaoshou heard the prince ask about his official status, he thought that the prince might give him an official status, but he never expected that it would be a school lieutenant and a baron. Although nominally the military officer of Daliang has an ordinary status, under the prince's
After siding with the military attache, the military attache's status became more prominent than that of the military officer. Moreover, it was difficult for military attaches to be promoted if they were above the head. It was impossible to be promoted to the rank of captain without military merit. This had been spread throughout the capital.
It is also difficult to obtain a title. Only a few people with great merit can obtain a title. The prince sold several barons in Xixia, and a baron cost one hundred thousand guan. Many big businessmen in the Central Plains wanted to buy a baron with 100,000 guan, but the court refused
He did not sell the title anymore. Although he obtained the baron, he could not resell it for 100,000 yuan, but it also showed the nobility of the baron.
He Qiao knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said: "This villain has no great achievements, and he will never be able to deserve such a generous reward from the prince."
Chao Yong saw that Wang Jing's mouth was open enough to swallow a fist, and he smiled and said: "Your contribution is enough to offset the city's contribution. Soon you will know what contribution you have made. Get up, I will return it."
I have something to ask you."
He Qiao kowtowed to his head again, and then stood up. He said: "The villain must tell you everything he knows, and he must tell you everything he knows."
Chao Yong said: "How can I give you enough manpower to bake many lenses in a day?"
He Qiaoshou said: "Firing lenses is much more difficult than glass, and only skilled craftsmen can do it. If the success rate is not concerned, you may be able to make more, but you have to experiment to know how much you can make in a day."
Chao Yong smiled and said: "Apart from stone, is this fired lens anything else?"
Wang Jing interrupted: "The biggest cost of making glass is charcoal."
Chao Yong shook his head and said: "These lenses are much more valuable than charcoal. Don't worry about it, you can just burn them on a large scale. It's fine if one of a hundred is useful."
Wang Jing said cautiously: "The prince wants to sell these lenses?"
Chao Yong really had this idea and asked curiously: "Do you know what these lenses are used for?"
Wang Jing said: "There are craftsmen who use crystal to grind lenses and wear them on the eyes so that people with poor eyesight can read."
Chao Yong asked strangely: "Do you have glasses now?"
The difference between officials and craftsmen was immediately apparent. Wang Jinggong said: "Glasses can make the eyes as clear as mirrors. The prince got a good name. I don't know when they came into existence, but lenses ground with crystal are very expensive, and there are only a few of them."
Dignitaries and dignitaries can afford it."
The earliest glasses really came from China, and Marco Polo’s travels recorded Chinese glasses.
Large oval shape, lenses made of crystal stone, quartz, topaz, and amethyst are ground and set in tortoise shells to make frames. The first temple is made of copper and is stuck on the temples. Two thin ropes are tied to the ears.
The temples are fixed on the hat. They are expensive to make and are a symbol of status. A squire once exchanged a horse for a pair of glasses.
It was the Yuan Dynasty when Marco Polo came to China, but there are records of using crystal lenses for reading in the Song Dynasty.
The personal eunuch He Yongye said: "There are glasses in the palace. I saw that the prince's eyesight is very good, so I didn't take them out."
Chao Yong naturally knew that a pair of glasses was not suitable for everyone, and if they were not suitable, their eyesight would be worse. However, he was still very interested in the glasses of this era and said with a smile: "Go and get them for me, and I will take a look.
"
"yes"
He Yong responded and went down to find it himself.
Soon, He Yong found it. Apparently Zhao Ji also placed this thing in the palace as a rare thing, otherwise he would not have found it so quickly.
He Yong opened the box and met Chao Yong.
The box was wrapped in bright yellow silk, with two transparent lenses placed in the middle. The frame connecting the two lenses was made of gold and engraved with exquisite patterns. It was obviously specially dedicated to the emperor. However, there were no temples.
, I can only hold the glasses in front of my eyes.
The two lenses are smooth and transparent, obviously polished by master craftsmen.
Chao Yong looked at his glasses and motioned to put them away.
"How much are these glasses worth?"
Wang Jing said: "The prince is probably very hard to find. The worse glasses on the market cost hundreds of dollars each. The same lenses are difficult to grind. Most of the high-ranking officials only use one lens."
Chao Yong said in surprise: "A few hundred piercings each? Are you not mistaken?"
Wang Jing hurriedly said: "It's absolutely true, I have carefully researched it before. Crystal itself is expensive, and only a few master craftsmen can grind the lenses, and it takes a lot of time. But even if it sells for a few hundred pieces,
High-ranking officials and dignitaries also flock to him."
Chao Yong smiled and said: "How about I sell one hundred guans each?"
Wang Jing thought for a while and said: "A hundred guan is already much cheaper. If it is sold, it will definitely be popular. However, glass lenses can be mass-produced and can be supplied in large quantities. Many people have poor eyesight, but they can all use it.
Wearing glasses. But the price of 100 guan is still a bit expensive for them. If one sells for 10 guan, most people can buy it. 100 guan may sell a thousand, but if 10 guan each is sold,
, we can definitely sell 100,000 of them.”
Small profits but quick turnover. Chao Yong looked at Wang Jing who looked like a profiteer and said with a smile: "You will definitely have a better future as a businessman than as an official. Are you interested in selling these glasses for the imperial court?"
Wang Jing made a fortune. In the past, he wanted to make a lot of money by grinding glass lenses, so he went to inquire about the price of glasses. However, the glass was opaque and fragile. Only a few masters could grind it. And these masters were not able to make it.
After finishing the errand, I didn’t have time to do private work for him, so I gave up the idea. Moreover, the job of kiln steward is also a dangerous job. If there is even the slightest mistake in the ceramics fired for the emperor, he may be accused.
Even though the kiln envoy had many benefits, he did not dare to say no to the god-like prince, and immediately said: "I am willing."
Chao Yong asked He Yong to get a pen and paper. He drew a picture of the spectacle frame of later generations, handed it to Wang Jing and said: "This is what the spectacle frame should look like. You can assign some craftsmen to make the spectacle frames. You can use inferior ones for the ten-piece frames."
Materials can also be made of gold, silver, etc. to make frames. In short, they must be graded. If you have to do business with ten guan, you have to do business with 100 guan."
Wang Jing still couldn't see the merits of the glasses frame painted by Chao Yong, so he said respectfully: "I will remember the prince's teachings."
Chao Yong thought for a while and then said: "If I make a telescope, it can make people see things in the distance clearly. How much is it worth?"
"Can you see thousands of miles?"
Wang Jing immediately became excited when he heard that the prince made the telescope himself.
Chao Yong was stunned for a moment. He shook his head and said, "Do you think it's clairvoyance?"
Wang Jing was really thinking about clairvoyance. When he thought about it, the prince had even built a spaceship. It would not be surprising if he could achieve clairvoyance again.
"The villain is talking nonsense, please forgive me, Prince."
Chao Yong smiled and said: "The effect depends on the lens, but if it is worse, it should be no problem to see the faces of people inside and outside. Larger things will naturally be seen further."
It turned out that it wasn't that the prince couldn't achieve clairvoyance, but that he didn't have the materials.
Wang Jing continued to add brilliance to Chao Yong's tall image, thought for a while, and said: "Compared to glasses, telescopes are just playthings, but many wealthy people like to collect these playthings, and if they are more expensive, someone will definitely buy them."
Chao Yong shook his head and said: "This is not a plaything. Telescopes have many uses. When sailing on the sea, you can detect pirates in advance. They can also be used to observe the enemy when marching and fighting."
Only then did He Qiaoshou realize what military exploits he had accomplished.
Wang Jing also immediately realized why the prince wanted to make these lenses, and said hurriedly: "I am stupid, I didn't expect that telescopes are a weapon in the military. But if we sell such sharp weapons, Liao and Jin Xizhuo can buy them. Use them."
I'm afraid it won't be long before he appears in the Liao and Jin armies."
Chao Yong smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, these are all applications of physics. As long as I teach physics, the telescope will no longer be a secret. Moreover, the distance of the telescope is limited, and it is not enough to affect the battle situation."
He Qiaoshou listened to Chao Yong and Wang Jing discussing how to sell the glass he fired with sand and stone for a sky-high price, and the god in his heart also shone with light, but it was just golden light, greedy golden light.
The two discussed for a while, and then they set up a new business called Mirror Shop. The only things they sold for the time being were glasses, silver mirrors, telescopes, and magnifying glasses. Although they were all made of sand and stone, there was no one.
Prepare to sell cheaply.
After agreeing on a business name, Chao Yongcai asked He Qiaoshou: "Is the glass easy to burn?"
He Qiaoshou hurriedly said: "The villain has already summarized the steps of burning glass. As long as there are enough people, burning glass is easy."
Chao Yong smiled and said: "What about the large piece of glass?"
"Small ones are easy to burn, while big ones are easy to explode and bubbles appear."
"What about one foot or so?"
"About one foot is fine."
Chao Yong nodded and said: "Then we will burn a batch of about one foot long and replace all the windows of the Prince's Palace with glass ones. But there is no rush. You can bake the lenses first. I will use them for this expedition, and then supply them first."
The needs of the mirror industry.”
Chao Yong also asked people to take two gold vessels from the palace and reward them with them, and then asked them to retreat.
With the lens, making a telescope was not difficult. Soon Chao Yong asked a silversmith to make a silver monocular telescope.
After the telescope was ready, Chao Yong immediately went to the rockery in the palace to test it. People on the street outside the palace were clearly visible.
He Qiaoshou didn't know whether what he made would suit the prince's liking, and he didn't dare to make more convex and concave lenses. However, he made dozens of mirrors, some large and some small, and they were all fitted with frames.
The big one is two feet long and can be placed on the dressing table.
The largest mirror was sent to the queen of the palace, and the rest was distributed to the concubines in the palace.
Chao Yong was just thinking about where to spend the night when he saw Xiaoqing suddenly opened the door and ran in. The eunuch behind looked like he wanted to stop him, but didn't.
Before he could stand still, he asked: "Prince, where did that mirror come from?"
Chao Yong waved his hand to the eunuchs behind him to retreat, shook his head and said, "He broke into my Yanfu Hall again. If you don't inform me again, please be careful and serve me well."
Xiao Qing came over and hugged Chao Yong's arm, and said with a smile: "The prince gave the slave family the heavenly things. The slave family is very excited."
Chao Yong smiled and said: "What heavenly creatures will soon be all over the streets."
Xiaoqing rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "Is this thing easy to make?"
Chao Yong nodded and said: "It is not difficult to say, but it is not easy to say it is easy. A store will be sold soon, and you can buy it if you have money."
Xiaoqing lost interest after hearing that he could buy it soon. He complained and ran away without mentioning the meal.
Chao Yong didn't know whether Xiao Qing knew etiquette or not. After thinking about it, he came to Hu Sanniang's Ruizhu Palace. His dinner was usually served at the place where he spent the night, so the concubines did not dare to invite him there.
Eat to avoid the suspicion of competing for favor.
After he beat several talkative eunuchs and palace maids to death, his harem has been peaceful.
ps: (Recommend a good book, A Different Kind of Ming Dynasty, A Different Kind of Time Travel, "The Tiger Ministers of the Ming Dynasty")