Chu Fan thought of the emperor Wang Mang, who was the most time-traveling emperor in Blue Star's history. In order to consolidate his power, he even sacrificed his own son, not to mention the emperor of a country.
Although Wang Mang showed great ambition and talent when he was still a minister of the Han Dynasty, he was not foolish enough to directly challenge the imperial power. Instead, he cleverly used various means to gradually expand his influence. Finally, after he gained absolute power, he also had someone forge the will of Emperor Gaozu of Han: "Let Wang Mang be emperor."
Later, Wang Mang used various reasonable and conventional means to obtain the throne. After obtaining the position of emperor, Wang Mang began to carry out large-scale reforms and implement new policies.
Therefore, before obtaining absolute power, the first thing to do is to be patient and make plans, as well as to have awe of the imperial power.
Of course, Chu Fan was overthinking all this. As the Emperor of Wei, he had no such worries at all. In Wei, only other people were afraid of him, and he had no need to fear anyone else.
After standing up, Tang Hongwen once again took the glass mirror handed to him by Chu Fan. After knowing that it was a glass mirror, Tang Hongwen was no longer afraid. Instead, he studied the glass mirror very carefully.
Tang Hongwen looked at the glass mirror in his hand. Even his wrinkles were clearly visible in it, which was completely incomparable to a bronze mirror. Tang Hongwen couldn't help but think to himself: I don't know how His Majesty could come up with the idea of using sand to make such an exquisite mirror. You know, no matter how you look at it, sand and glass, which are as beautiful as glass, have nothing to do with each other.
Tang Hongwen said, "It's amazing that sand can be used to make such clear and bright glass mirrors."
Chu Fan was very satisfied when he saw Tang Hongwen's expression. After all, he had spent a lot of effort to make this glass mirror. Now that he could get the recognition of Tang Hongwen, the Minister of Works, Chu Fan was also very happy.
Chu Fan said, "Lord Tang, I will give these cut glass mirrors to you. Please design some exquisite wooden frames for me according to the size and shape of these glass mirrors. Also, the edges of the glass are very sharp, so be careful not to get cut by the glass when transporting and installing it.
There are also some burrs on the edge of the glass that need to be polished off by Tang Aiqing to prevent the craftsmen’s hands from being pricked by these burrs during installation and use.”
Tang Hongwen took the glass fragments and the cut glass mirror and replied respectfully, "I obey your order. I will do my best to design some exquisite wooden frames for your majesty to match these glass mirrors."
After Tang Hongwen finished speaking, he immediately led the craftsmen to design the wooden frame according to the shape of the glass mirror cut by Chu Fan, and Chu Fan continued to cut the next piece of glass.
After half a day of hard work, more than 20 glass mirrors of different sizes were completed. Chu Fan looked at Tang Hongwen and the craftsmen who installed the glass mirrors in wooden frames, and a sense of accomplishment surged in his heart.
Tang Hongwen looked at the glass mirror on the workbench. Although he also wanted one, he had already broken one of His Majesty's glass mirrors before. It would be inappropriate to ask for a reward at this time.
Liu Ruyan picked up a glass mirror and said, "Your Majesty, even if we don't sell the glass, we can sell these mirrors. Not only are these mirrors as crystal clear as glass, but just because they can clearly reflect a person's face, I believe the women of the aristocratic and powerful families will rush to buy them. After all, who wouldn't like a mirror that can clearly reflect themselves?"
Tang Hongwen then remembered the purpose of his visit and said, "Your Majesty, could you please teach the manufacturing process of this glass mirror to the Ministry of Industry? If they could mass-produce this kind of mirror and sell it to the public, it would surely be in great demand. This would bring in a considerable amount of income for Your Majesty and also increase tax revenue for the court."
Chu Fan shook his head after listening to Liu Ruyan and Tang Hongwen's suggestions. After a moment's thought, he said, "I can teach the Ministry of Industry the craftsmanship of making glass mirrors. However, for now, the Ministry of Industry will focus on making weapons and steam locomotives. These mirrors will be sold along with the glass after Wei completely conquers Japan."
Tang Hongwen was puzzled after hearing Chu Fan's words and asked, "Your Majesty, why is this? Could it be that the craftsmanship required to make glass is extremely complex, and the Ministry of Industry's tools are unable to produce such a delicate glass mirror?"
Chu Fan shook his head and said, "Although the production process of glass mirrors is not complicated, as long as you know the raw materials and proportions, you can make similar finished products. The key is that now is not the best time to sell glass mirrors."
Tang Hongwen asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, if we make a large number of glass mirrors and sell them now, it will definitely increase the income of your inner treasury and the tax revenue of the imperial treasury. This way, the imperial court will have more money to recruit soldiers and purchase food and fodder.
The imperial court will no longer have to worry about financial strain after launching a war. There will be no need to issue so-called war funds, and the wealth plundered from wars will no longer need to be distributed among the aristocratic families and the common people. It can be used directly to enrich the national treasury and strengthen the country.
As the Minister of Works, Tang Hongwen did not know much about political schemes. He knew that if such a glass mirror was sold on the market, it would definitely cause a sensation and he would be able to make a lot of money, which would make His Majesty and the court even richer.
Chu Fan said, "The court has already drawn up a specific implementation plan for the war fund, and it will be sold to the public soon. It would be inappropriate to stop it now. Moreover, issuing the war fund is not only to raise funds, but also to stabilize the people's hearts."
You must know that when Qin was on Blue Star, it was able to destroy the six kingdoms and unify the world. This was largely because several emperors of the Qin Dynasty showed the Qin people that war could bring them huge benefits, so the Qin people were willing to fight to the death.
The military merit system during the Qin Dynasty showed all the Qin people that they could be rewarded and promoted as long as they killed enemies on the battlefield. Therefore, the Qin people were not afraid of dying on the battlefield. If they could survive on the battlefield, they might be awarded a title. How could this not make the Qin people excited?
Seeing that Tang Hongwen still didn't understand, Chu Fan explained, "Not everyone in this world wants war. Most people prefer to live a stable life. If the Wei court doesn't tie the war to the interests of the aristocratic families and the people, then the people will not support the war and may even resist it."
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