Steel Dynasty - Chapter 137

[Chapter 137 Gunpowder]

“Your Highness, will this gunpowder really explode?”

In the dark night, only the side hall of the palace had some light. Luluo was very timid and looked like she was about to cry.

Zi Wan glared at Lu Tong and said, “Thankfully, you are the one appointed by His Highness to study chemistry. Go, go, go, let me do it.”

After that, Zi Wan couldn’t help but took over Lu Tong’s work and carefully ground the saltpeter.

Lu Tong looked embarrassed. How could he, a man, lose to a weak woman? He calmed down, said nothing, and started grinding again with a rolling stick.

This time Xiao Ming called Lu Tong over to teach him personally. Although this gunpowder is not a secret in Dayu Kingdom, not everyone can master it.

And the ratio of monosulfide, dinitrate and three charcoal he used this time is the best ratio of black powder.

During this period, Xiao Ming inquired about the ratio of black gunpowder in the Great Chongqing Kingdom, and the conclusions he got were all kinds of strange. There were all kinds of ratios, it was a mess.

And one can imagine how powerful the gunpowder prepared according to these proportions is.

Therefore, starting from the production of gunpowder this time, his gunpowder ratio is dominant.

Naturally, Lu Tong was not clear about this ratio. Only after this teaching did he understand, and he was also responsible for the production of gunpowder.

After all, producing artillery is one thing. There are actually many equipment projects for artillery, including gunpowder, shells, and artillery bases in the future.

But tonight, Xiao Ming not only taught Lu Tong how to produce the traditional black gunpowder of the Chongqing Kingdom, but also further upgraded the black gunpowder to granular gunpowder, which was also a way to increase the power of the black gunpowder.

As for the granulation of gunpowder, it had already appeared in the West in the 15th century of his time, so technically it was not a difficult problem to get it done at this time.

After Zi Yuan and the others ground the sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal in their hands into fine powder, Lu Tong mixed the three materials according to the gunpowder ratio according to Xiao Ming’s request.

Suddenly a small pile of black powder appeared in front of the four people.

“Your Highness, is this done?” Lu Tong asked, looking excited. This process is not dangerous.

“Well, it’s done.” Xiao Ming was just scaring Lu Tong. There was no danger in grinding the three materials separately, but it was really dangerous now.

Lu Tong had only heard of gunpowder before, but had never seen it before. At this time, he said, “Your Highness, how do you use this gunpowder?”

Xiao Ming was also a little excited when Qingzhou’s first gunpowder was produced under his own hands. , he took some out of the pile of gunpowder and carried it to a farther place.

Then take a small branch and light it on the candle.

“Use it this way.” After Xiao Ming finished speaking, he touched the gunpowder lightly with a branch. With a “squeak” sound, the gunpowder on the ground suddenly made a soft sound, followed by thick blue smoke and the smell of gunpowder.

“Ah…” Luluo was not mentally prepared yet, so she screamed in fright and hid behind Xiao Ming.

Although Aster is brave, she is also a little pale.

The gunpowder burned very quickly, and disappeared after a burst of white light. They had never seen such a strange thing before, and they thought it was a witchcraft.

Lu Tong originally looked worried, but now that he has really seen gunpowder, he is not afraid anymore.

“Your Highness, this gunpowder burns really fast.” Lu Tong said, “But it’s just that, it can’t kill the barbarians.”

“Of course not, but you will know later whether it can.” Xiao Ming waved, a The servant came over at this time holding something like a cylinder.

Lu Tong saw it and asked, “Your Highness, what is this?”

Xiao Ming chuckled. This thing was actually the shell of a firecracker that he asked his servant to roll up in paper.

At this time, the bottom of the firecracker has been sealed with yellow mud, leaving a hole on it for holding gunpowder.

“You’ll know tomorrow.” Xiao Ming picked up the gunpowder and put it in, then took some yellow mud and stuffed the top of the firecracker.

At the same time, a needle was used to leave a hole in it for future lighting purposes.

After doing this, Xiao Ming took the firecracker to dry. When the yellow mud on it solidified, the firecracker was ready for use.

Xiao Ming originally wanted to teach Lu Tong how to use the cold mixing method to granulate gunpowder, but it was already too late to just make the black powder, so he planned to leave it until tomorrow.

Asking Lu Tong to come back tomorrow, Xiao Ming asked Zi Yuan to pack things up, and the gunpowder production teaching ended.

After seeing Lu Tong off, Zi Yuan and Luluo did not go back to rest, but still followed Xiao Ming.

Stretching, Xiao Ming asked strangely: “Why don’t you go back?”

“Your Highness has been working day and night on government affairs, and now he has to work hard for the barbarians going south. Luluo and I can’t help His Highness with government affairs, but we can always help him with his daily life. Please serve Your Highness well,” Zi Wan said obediently.

Xiao Ming looked at the two of them. In fact, since ancient times, people have been comparing their feelings to each other.

These days, Xiao Ming treats the servants of the palace very well, and these servants are naturally grateful to Xiao Ming.

The servants in the palace are working harder than before.

“It is said that Qin Guo does not respect his men. Who said you can’t help me with government affairs? I will need your help with something when the time comes.” Xiao Ming said suddenly.

Qingzhou now belongs to the quiet period before the war, and he must make the best use of everyone here.

Zi Yuan asked in surprise: “What does Your Highness need us to do?”

These days, the Qingzhou Army’s armor has been temporarily solved, but the Qingzhou Army can’t wear armor with bare buttocks.

And this involves issues such as military clothes and shoes.

The barbarians were right in front of them, so Xiao Ming had to temporarily switch to army-first mode during this period, all for the sake of the army.

Many soldiers of the Qingzhou Army now wear straw sandals and hemp rope shoes, which will inevitably cause problems when marching.

So Xiao Ming was thinking about how to get the soldiers to wear cloth shoes. In this era, men and women were weavers. To solve this problem, they had to organize a large number of women to participate in this work.

However, it is naturally not appropriate for a man to come forward in this matter, because women in this era basically cannot go out or go out.

It would be different if Aster and Pothos were involved.

Firstly, they are the people around Xiao Ming, and they have enough prestige that no one dares to offend them. Secondly, they are both proficient in women’s weaving and are relatively familiar with it.

It was perfect for the two of them to participate in the establishment of the first women’s textile factory and quilt factory in this era, otherwise the loom technology he mastered would not be wasted.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ming told the two of them his thoughts. Aster and Luluo laughed immediately after hearing this.

“Your Highness, we can help with this matter, but when will Your Highness know how to spin?” Aster covered her mouth and smiled.

In this era, men work and women weave, which is purely a woman’s business, and it is inevitable that Aster will laugh at it.

(End of chapter)