Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 152
"Glass used to be an important export industry in Rome. It's just that Rome is in decline, and even this advantage no longer exists. In our hands, we must revitalize it." Guo Kang encouraged everyone: "The East lacks suitable glass raw materials, So their early technology started very slowly. If we want to maintain the balance of import and export, we can only rely on these technologies.”

Everyone nodded, expressing their agreement with him.

"I used the output here to make some souvenirs and gave them to important sponsors and famous people. From the feedback I got, the effect is very good." Guo Kang said: "I believe that these technologies are not only beneficial to theology, It also works in reality.”

"If our theology is correct, it should indeed have a positive effect on reality." Dmitry agreed: "This is also the will of the Father."

"Yes." Guo Kang felt a little emotional, and joked himself: "Researching these, at least let me have something to sell. When I gave the coated mirror to my sister who always had a bad face, She couldn't help but start saying nice things about me."

Everyone laughed.

"You are a gifted philosopher, Mr. Guo." Dmitry tried to comfort him kindly: "We who study philosophy should not pay too much attention to women's attitudes."

"Family, friendship, love... how wonderful these emotions are, they are beautiful gifts from the heavenly father to mankind. It is also reasonable to hope for family affection."

"But we philosophers should remain rational. Aristotle said that women are failed men, and their souls are incomplete. If this is the case, then they cannot give others complete love like men."

"It is of course reasonable to seek family support from female relatives, but we don't have to be too entangled with this. Even if there is no such thing, it will not hinder the philosopher's search for truth-after all, as the sages have already discussed That way, real affection can only exist between men and men," he concluded.

The monks once again agreed.

Guo Kang understands that he wants to express good intentions, but this conclusion sounds strange... But the Greeks have been discussing it this way for 2000 years, and it is probably useless for him to say it, so he had to try to change the topic.

"Let's take a look here." He led everyone out of the building and came to another small building.

As before, they climbed to the top floor and found that there were large and small plate glass piled up here.On a table, there is a piece of glass, and a group of Slavic slaves push the machine to make the wheel above the glass spin rapidly.Next to it, a monk adjusted the height of the table and carefully moved the glass close to the wheel.

After the wheel and the glass were close together, another priest began to sprinkle water on the glass.Upon closer inspection, it turns out that the runner is used for grinding glass plates.

And outside this house, under a shed, polished glass was continuously shipped out.Two people who also wore beak masks and clothes of the original color of linen were carefully placing the glass on the table.Another person dressed in the same way but in a black robe picked up a brush, dipped it in the liquid in the pottery bowl next to it, and began to brush on the glass.

"This is used to coat glass with metal plating." Guo Kang said: "When gray tin powder is mixed with mercury, this liquid called 'mercury tin aerosol' can be formed. Brush it on the back of the mirror, heat and evaporate it. dry, and the mercury evaporates, leaving only a layer of tin."

"So..." Dmitry nodded habitually, and then suddenly realized: "Wait a minute, this..."

"What's wrong?" Guo Kang asked.

"You just told other people about this formula?" Dmitry asked in surprise, "Shouldn't this be a secret?"

"In order to study light, I also learned about the manufacture of glass." Seeing that Guo Kang did not answer, he added: "The technology in Europe today is not as good as that in the Roman classical period. But the Venetians have restored some ancient technology, not only in the Selling plate glass, but also peddling glasses and lenses of all kinds."

"The Venetians attach great importance to these secrets. Hundreds of years ago, they gathered all the technicians on Murano Island, so no one knew the specific technical details. They took the opportunity to ask for prices. Our congregation couldn't afford them, so we had to give up. .” He talked about the previous thing: “If we can also manufacture it, we should be able to hold down a lot of prices.”

"In fact, there is no need to consider the price reduction." Guo Kang said: "The workshop is still small now, but it will definitely expand its output in the future. We can solve this demand by ourselves."

"Wait a minute, you mean, the current output is enough for so many places?" Dmitry was even more surprised.

Guo Kang and Tuo Huan looked at each other.

"I only know that this thing should be quite valuable." In the end, Guo Kang replied, "Didn't the Venetians already make this kind of thing?"

"I don't know craftsmanship, and the Venetians won't teach me. But what they made is definitely not as simple as yours, and the effect is not as good."

"Look." He pointed to the man who brushed the mercury.

While speaking, he had finished painting, and put the glass together with the fixed iron ore in an iron box next to it, and then closed the lid.

A fire was lit under the iron box, but the fire was not too hot.After the box was closed, a group of Slavic slaves outside the shed got the order, and under the discipline of the monks, began to push a large gear with a belt attached.

After a while, the priest ordered the slaves to stop.The gears gradually slowed down.The priest opened the cover, and carefully picked up the mirror, which was already very bright, with a clip, and put it in a wooden box next to it.

"Oh, the other end of the belt is a fan." Guo Kang explained the covered part: "The belt enters through two small openings, let it rotate, so that the air can be sucked away and enter the ventilation pipe."

"At the end of the ventilation pipe is a small pool—it's there." He pointed to the pool dug out of the ground not far away: "The gas flows into the pool, and the mercury is cooled. We recover the mercury from there."

"I understand, so I am even more convinced that this is not a Venetian technique." Brother Demetrius said affirmatively: "Their mirrors that sell well all over the world are not as good as ours."

"Huh?" Guo Kang also realized the problem.

He only knew that the Venetians had made glass mirrors very early, but he couldn't remember the exact year.After I came here, I saw a few mirrors that were said to be made by the Venetians, but I didn’t think about it. They actually have other, older crafts, but the later method is more famous.

As a result, Guo Kang always thought that this was a method that others had already used, and he didn't even think about deliberately keeping it secret.He thought that if it was leaked, at most the Venetians would be uncomfortable...

(End of this chapter)