Chapter One: Perplexity
"What's the big deal? It's just broken, right? Nobody doesn't make mistakes when doing this. Who hasn't broken something before? Don't be afraid! We can fix it and continue working on it. Now we know how to do it anyway. No biggie! Come on, everyone! Let's clean up these broken glass pieces, melt them down, and start again!" Gao Huaiyan immediately comforted the craftsman.
With Gao Huaiyuan's attitude, several craftsmen were instantly grateful to him and quickly cleaned up and started trying again.
Hard work pays off for those who are diligent, after their efforts, they finally produced some high-transparency and nearly colorless glass plates, which were taken out of the glass kiln after annealing.
Next thing is easy, isn't it just a silver mirror reaction! Simple, with tin foil and mercury, that's enough! These things had been prepared by Gao Huaiyuan long ago. Considering the secrecy of the craft, Gao Huaiyuan still chose to dismiss everyone and do it himself. He specially found a room, put on a big mask, and started working busily.
After another day's time, Gao Huaiyuan finally took out a finished glass mirror with satisfaction and displayed it in front of everyone.
When everyone saw their own appearance being reflected in the mirror, they were shocked. It was the first time they had seen themselves so clearly since birth. Before, looking at copper mirrors was fine, but now using this glass mirror, they realized that there were still acne on their faces, haha!
Even a fool, after seeing this rare thing, knows that it's absolutely worth a lot of money. They all sighed in admiration, thinking that Gao Huaru is really a genius, able to create such an extraordinary thing, which is simply too amazing!
As for the packaging, Gao Huaiyuan didn't have to think much about it. He sent someone to the county town to find a skilled carpenter who made an exquisite frame with the most expensive golden nanmu wood according to the size of the glass mirror, and then brought it back to embed the glass mirror in, which was considered complete.
This thing cost Gao Huaiyuan over a dozen taels, but he only took out three and sent them to the Treasure Pavilion. The result was beyond his expectation: these three mirrors not only cleared all his debts with Ma Zhanggui, but also left him stunned. In Ma's eyes, this crystal mirror was absolutely priceless; selling it on the market would be a waste of its value. So after receiving the three mirrors, he immediately offered Gao Huaiyuan an astronomical price and begged him to make more of these things for the Treasure Pavilion.
Now, Gao Huaiyuan has already become a treasure pot in the eyes of Jibaozhai. One by one, crystal clear glassware is constantly being delivered from Gao Huaiyuan's hands to their Jibaozhai, making their Jibaozhai temporarily famous in many places, and they are beginning to subtly surpass Duobaozhai. At least with these glass products, they can also compete with many big households in the same industry.
For this glaze matter, the industry has been in an uproar for a long time, constantly inquiring about where so many precious items from Jibaozhai came from, wanting to compete with Jibaozhai for this source of goods. The boss of Jibaozhai is not a fool, and he realized this at the beginning, biting his teeth and insisting that these things were made by Jibaozhai, absolutely impossible to be leaked out, which made many industry peers give up on this idea.
According to the original agreement with Gao Huaiyuan, they took goods from Gao Huaiyuan's place in secret. In fact, such things were not even sold on the market in Daye County, so although glass was produced in Daye County, only a handful of people knew about it, including the owner of Jibaozhai and the boss of Daye County. This allowed Gao Huaiyuan to avoid many unnecessary troubles.
The profit of glass products was already frighteningly high, and this time, after Gao Huaiyuan took out the glass mirror, he once again multiplied the profit several times. The price was so high that even Gao Huaiyuan felt like he was dreaming when he heard it. Fortunately, his mental quality is good now, otherwise, if it were someone with a heart condition, just hearing this price would be enough to make them faint and die on the spot.
It's not surprising that when something first appears, it's always a rare commodity and the price is high, which is normal. Historically, glass mirrors were invented by Venetian craftsmen hundreds of years ago, at that time, a mediocre mirror could be sold for 150,000 francs in France, which shows how valuable this thing was!
Gao Huaiyuan is now after wealth, if he were after official position at this moment, just this mirror alone, as long as it was given to the right person, would absolutely be able to secure an official position with this mirror. However, he didn't have such thoughts of becoming some crappy Song Dynasty official. Now his only thought is to quickly build up a power that belongs to him and then talk about other things.
After finishing the glass mirror, Gao Huaiyuan quickly used another batch of soap to block the Wang family's debt. After a period of operation and production, the quality and craftsmanship of the soap workshop also gradually stabilized, and the output was steadily increasing. As long as these things are grasped, it can be said that as long as there is sufficient raw material, he can produce as much as he wants.
To meet the production needs of the soap workshop, Gao Huaiyuan specially let Xue Yan choose several special suppliers in nearby counties to supply various raw materials for Wohu Village, and never purchased all raw materials from one business, through this means, to ensure that his raw material formula secrets are not leaked.
When the weather turned cold, another winter arrived, and the production of the two major workshops in Wohu Village officially got on track. All kinds of finished products were constantly delivered to Jibao Zhai and Wangjia, the two cooperative partners, making them overjoyed and earning a fortune with these two products.
Not to mention the glass products, just this soap, anyone who has used it has not said anything bad about it. As a result, it quickly became popular in the upper class of the Song Dynasty. Not only did young girls and daughters-in-law use it, but even old men liked it after using it. Although the royal family set a high price for this product, with one bar costing almost two taels of silver, it didn't stop wealthy families from enthusiastically pursuing it. You know that this is a tribute product specifically requested by the palace, and ordinary people can use it not only because it's good or bad, but also because using it makes them feel dignified!
So this thing, since its listing, has become a very popular item. The royal family, apart from keeping enough stock for the palace, usually sells out as soon as it's released, and many wealthy people even pre-order and buy up all the soap they can get, to the point where it's become a luxury gift item among high society. It's safe to say that people are worried about not being able to find a place to buy it, but not worried about not being able to find a place to sell it.
So Gao Huaiyuan only considered the problem of expanding production, and didn't bother to ask about sales at all. Anyway, whoever wants to buy it will buy as much as they want, what's the point of managing that?!
In order to expand production, Gao Huairen decided to move into Wohu Village thoroughly and handed over all the affairs of the old house on the side of the Gao family to Xue Yan for management. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to the affairs of Wohu Village.
After surveying the terrain around Wohu Village, Gao Huaiyuan decided to expand the village again, extending the workshop area in the backyard further into the mountains, in preparation for future expansion of the workshops. In addition, he added a new task to the daily training of the young people: logging. Starting from Wohu Village, they gradually cleared a path deep into the copper mine area, making preparations for future development of the copper mine. To conceal their activities from prying eyes, they also burned and cleared land on both sides of the road, opening up new fields to be used by the families of miners who would arrive later, thus advancing the logistical work first.
This copper mine thing, Gao Huaiyuan didn't tell anyone, he just let everyone follow his orders to do it, as for why, he didn't say, the people of Wohu Village also formed a habit of not asking, anyway, his words in Wohu Village were like imperial decrees, they had to be completed without any discount.
Such a busy and fulfilling life, everyone is too busy to think about anything else, although very tired, but compared to the previous wandering life, this kind of life can be considered as heaven!
At this time, the situation in the Northern Jin Dynasty was further deteriorating. The emperor who had the worst days under heaven at this moment was probably the current Emperor Xizong of Jin, Wanyan Dan.
Wanyan Xun was the grandson of Emperor Xizong of Jin and the elder brother of Emperor Zhangzong of Jin. After Emperor Zhangzong died, Wei Shaowang usurped power and became the emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty. As the elder brother of Emperor Zhangzong, Wanyan Xun lived in constant fear until Hu Shahou rebelled and killed Wei Shaowang, then enthroned him as emperor in 1213, the first year of the Zhenning era.
To be honest, when he first became the Emperor of Jin, he felt pretty good, but after really doing this emperor thing, he found out that this job was absolutely not a good one. Not to mention how much power he had in his hands, just dealing with all these rotten things at home and abroad was enough to drive him crazy.
Since his accession, the Mongol Empire in the north under Genghis Khan had been constantly sending troops to nibble at the Jin territory. The Jin army was almost defeated every time it faced the Mongolian army, losing nearly the entire northern territory. However, Genghis Khan's greedy desire was not satisfied, and he repeatedly sent envoys to force him to surrender to Mongolia. As for how long ago Mongolia was a subordinate of the Jin dynasty, now in such a short period of time, it has become so powerful that it almost makes the Jin people feel like they are in a dream!
Xuanzong of Jin looked at his own Great Jin Dynasty and knew they couldn't defeat Genghis Khan's Mongol cavalry, so he had no choice but to send an envoy in the second year of his reign, which was also the second year of Zhenyuan, to agree to Genghis Khan's harsh terms. He sent Wei Zhao Wang's daughter, Princess Qi, along with 500 more boys and girls, as a tribute to Genghis Khan, and paid three thousand pieces of embroidered clothing, three thousand horses, and countless gold, silver, and jewels to Mongolia. Only then did Genghis Khan temporarily withdraw his troops from Juyong Pass, allowing Xuanzong to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The capital of Jin Dynasty (now Beijing) is too close to Mongolia, and the Emperor Xuanzong of Jin did not want to be attacked by the Mongolian army every now and then, living in fear. So he adopted the suggestion of some timid courtiers, ignoring the opposition of many ministers, and decided to move the capital to Bianjing (now Kaifeng), the old capital of Northern Song Dynasty on the banks of the Yellow River.
But he had just moved from Zhongdu to Bianliang, and then he angered Genghis Khan again. Genghis Khan's reason was that he sought peace on one hand, but moved the capital to Bianliang on the other, clearly showing no sincerity in seeking peace. So he immediately sent troops again to attack the Jin Dynasty, soon capturing Zhongdu and cutting off the Jin Dynasty's connection between Central Plains and Liaodong. The damned Pu Xian Wunu immediately declared himself emperor in Liaodong, and poor Jin Dynasty lost nearly half of its territory overnight!
However, no matter what, he is now staying in Bianjing City, which is a bit far from the Mongolian country. This time he can finally relax a little, but he doesn't know that his two actions will push the Jin Dynasty to the brink of destruction. To know that once Zhongdu is lost, the Hebei Plain will be flat, and with the Mongolian army's iron cavalry, they can come and go freely in the Jin Dynasty's Hebei region. In fact, he is doing this, which is equivalent to putting the Jin Dynasty back in the same situation as the Northern Song Dynasty 100 years ago, completely forgetting how the Jin Dynasty destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty and occupied the land north of the Huai River!
Moreover, abandoning the Jurchen-led Northern Han also completely lost the control of the Liao Dynasty over the northern Liaodong region. This can be said to be one of the stupidest things he did in his life.
When he moved the capital to Bianliang, he thought of the things that Western Xia had done when the Jin Dynasty was being destroyed by the Mongols. He got angry and last year summoned his ministers to discuss punishing Western Xia, but this led to opposition from the Shaanxi Pacification Commission, so it was abandoned. However, he couldn't swallow this anger, so at the beginning of the year, he adopted some ministers' suggestions and decided to launch a war against Western Xia.
He originally wanted to use this war against Western Xia to properly deal with the small country of Western Xia, which had once been subordinate to their great Jin. However, after the battle began, they discovered that their great Jin was no longer the powerful Jin that had just destroyed Liao. The Jin army was also not what it used to be. In dealing with a small Western Xia, they were stumped from July until now and hadn't gained much land. On the contrary, they suffered heavy casualties. After the war report was sent back to Bianjing, it could be said that the situation was dire.
Jin Xuanzong is now in a state of depression! Moreover, this is not all. Since the Mongols' southern invasion began, they have repeatedly slaughtered and looted in Hebei, Shandong and other places. The Jin Dynasty's finances are difficult, and they cannot help but increase their exploitation of the people in various places. As a result, the Han people in Shandong and other places rose up in revolt one after another. First, Yang An'er from Yizhou started a rebellion, wearing red jackets and calling themselves the Red Jacket Army. Then Li Fu and Li Quan, two brothers, also started a rebellion because their mother and brother were killed by the chaotic army. Liu Erzu also started a rebellion, forming three branches of the Red Jacket Army with the strongest combat effectiveness. Apart from these three branches of troops...
After the Mongols withdrew to the north, Jin Xuanzong sent out his most elite army, the Flower Hat Army, led by Pu Shougeng, to suppress the Red Jacket Army in Shandong Province. They achieved some victories, defeating Yang Ang'er's righteous army several times and killing Yang Ang'er himself after he was betrayed by a traitor.
At the same time, not long after, they also killed the leader of the righteous army Liu Erzu, and almost got rid of Li Quan as well. The battle seemed to be turning around a bit, but it didn't manage to extinguish the Han people's righteous army in Shandong area. After this year, although Yang An'er had died, his troops hadn't been completely dispersed. His sister Yang Miaozhen continued to lead the troops and fought against Abaoji's great army. Liu Erzu's subordinates Huo Yi and Peng Yibin also continued to lead Liu Erzu's remaining forces and fought against the Jin army. Li Quan led his troops and joined forces with Yang Miaozhen, becoming husband and wife, and retreated to Donghai where they once again gained momentum.
After the Mongol army captured Zhongdu (now Beijing), in the autumn of the fourth year of Zhenyou, they again sent Soduobutulu to lead cavalry through Western Xia to attack Guanzhong and Shaanxi, making a probing attack on the Jin dynasty's new capital Bianjing. In August, the Mongol army entered Bin (now Fuxian, Shaanxi) and Yan (now Yan'an, Shaanxi), attacking Fangzhou (now Huangling, Shaanxi). In October, they took Tongguan, and the Jin dynasty's Anxi jiedushi Niepangugutulu died in battle. The Mongol army advanced east to Shan Prefecture (now Shanzhou, Henan).
Jin Xuanzong began to panic again, originally thinking that after moving the capital to Bianliang, he could stabilize a bit, but he didn't expect that even here, he still couldn't live in peace, and the Mongols actually chased his butt, pursuing him all the way to the outskirts of Bianjing City.
Under the circumstances, he had to hastily order Pu San'an, who was suppressing bandits in Shandong, to lead the elite Huamao Army back to Bianliang for reinforcement. At the same time, he issued an edict ordering Xu Ding, Vice Envoy of the Bureau of Military Affairs, to also rush to Bianjing with his troops to provide relief.
Fortunately, Pu Xian An's army retreated quickly and finally intercepted the Mongolian army at Xinghua Camp in western Bianjing City when they were about to arrive. They defeated the Mongolian army, and Xi Ding's army also returned to Bianjing City. Seeing that the Jin army was prepared, San Muzhe Batur led the Mongolian army back north. Pu Xian An led his troops to recover Tongguan, thus saving the Great Jin Dynasty once again.
Emperor Jin Xuanzong is really a poor emperor! He's been surrounded by these annoying things every day, it's hard to have two quiet days. Looking at the situation of the great Jin Dynasty, Mongolia can't be defeated. If this continues, it will eventually be destroyed by Mongolia. So Emperor Jin Xuanzong's brain started to work again.
"Your Majesty, the Right Vice-Minister of Works, Shi Hu Gao Qi, requests an audience with Your Sacred Majesty!" Just as Jin Xuanzong was getting a headache, an imperial attendant rushed into the palace to report to him.
(This passage may seem a bit depressing, but it's also something that can't be avoided. After all, readers aren't very familiar with this period of history, and in order to continue writing, I have no choice but to do some setup so that everyone can understand the historical context of the Jin state, which will help them understand the causes of the Song-Jin war later on. Otherwise, it would be hard to follow along without feeling confused or abrupt! So please don't give up reading just because of this - thank you for your support!)
