Steel Dynasty - Chapter 626

[Chapter 625 Granular Smokeless Gunpowder]

The atmosphere in the government office suddenly became frenzied because of Xiao Ming’s decision.

In addition to Pang Yukun, other officials also heard the news, with happy smiles on their faces. During this time, their moods were also somewhat depressed.

After all, to them, Xiao Ming was the emperor of Great Yu, but now they were overpowered by King Zhao. Now Xiao Ming decided to restore orthodoxy, how could they be unhappy?

“Yes, Your Highness, I will prepare now.” Pang Yukun said.

“Wait, there is one more thing.” Xiao Ming’s eyes were far-reaching, “You should also prepare for the matter regarding King Huainan.”

Pang Yukun was overjoyed when he heard this, and he said, “His Highness has finally figured it out?”

Xiao Ming groaned softly. nodded.

While the two were talking, a man suddenly rushed into the government office. When he saw the visitors, Xiao Ming and Pang Yukun, he was startled. He looked at the visitor and said, “Lu Tong, what’s wrong with you?”

At this time, Lu With his eyes red and swollen, but with a nervous smile on his face, he said to Xiao Ming; “Your Highness, I have solved the passivation problem of nitrocellulose and also produced granular smokeless gunpowder.”

“Granular smokeless gunpowder?” Xiao Ming was a little shocked and said, “You replaced the camphor in smokeless gunpowder with nitroglycerin?”

“Exactly.” Lu Tong explained to Xiao Ming.

Since the last failure of smokeless gunpowder, he has led students from the School of Chemistry day and night to study the passivation problem of smokeless gunpowder. Now he has finally solved this problem by soaking smokeless gunpowder in an ether-alcohol solution.

And after studying the technical books on gunpowder, he mixed glycerol treated with concentrated nitric acid and concentrated sulfuric acid into smokeless gunpowder to obtain granular smokeless gunpowder.

These gunpowders can completely replace black powder as a new generation of musket and artillery propellants.

As for ether, he mixed alcohol and concentrated sulfuric acid and heated it at 140 degrees to prepare ether. In this method, after cooling, add water and let it stand to separate the liquids. Alcohol and sulfuric acid are soluble in water, and ether is insoluble in water. Then it can be extracted. Ether.

“Lu Tong, you have brought another surprise to me this time. The granular smokeless gunpowder will greatly increase the range of flintlock guns and artillery. Coupled with the improvement of the quality of steel, it seems that the weapons of the feudal army can be updated again. “Yes.” Xiao Ming laughed.

Lu Tong also laughed when he heard this, but he smiled, his eyes suddenly closed, his body swayed and he fell to the ground.

Xiao Ming was shocked when he saw this and immediately stepped forward to help Lu Tong. However, when he looked carefully, he found that Lu Tong was purring softly, which made him breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that for this smokeless gunpowder, This guy is so sleepy.

Pang Yukun naturally didn’t understand things like smokeless gunpowder, but seeing the looks of Xiao Ming and Lu Tong, he knew that this was a very powerful thing.

He asked; “Your Highness, what is the use of these grains of smokeless gunpowder?”

“It is very useful. Now the army of the feudal country should catch up with the West in terms of gunpowder.” Xiao Ming muttered, the grains of smokeless gunpowder are ten A product of the ninth century.

Even if this era is fifty years earlier than the present, the hope of smokeless gunpowder should not appear until a hundred years later. Before that, the hope was to use black powder.

However, although Lu Tong has produced granular smokeless gunpowder, mass production is expected to take some time, but there should be no problem with a small amount of equipment.

At least with the addition of granular smokeless gunpowder to the rifled gun, his rifled gun will truly reach the level of the Migne rifle, and the range will probably reach 900 meters.

Pang Yukun smiled when he heard this. The West was still just a concept in his eyes, but Xiao Ming said that it was always worthwhile to be happy that gunpowder had surpassed the West.

He said; “Your Highness, this Lu Tong deserves a reward. His Highness is about to hold a coronation ceremony, so he sent a heavy gift to His Highness.”

“Well, you are right. Let the officials in charge of this matter make a plan. List, all students who participate in the development of granular smokeless gunpowder will be rewarded,” Xiao Ming said.

Nowadays, a large number of incentives have made Bowen College students more and more passionate. Not only does Bowen College have public laboratories, but some students have even jointly established private laboratories to conduct related research.

Of course, these private laboratories are under the supervision of secret guards to prevent technology leakage.

Xiao Ming adopts an acquisition strategy for private laboratory technology, and will provide financial support as long as it is a mature technology or product.

In this way, Qingzhou’s enthusiasm for science and technology will further spread to the people, making people pay more and more attention to the development and application of various technologies.

After asking the guards to call a carriage to take Lu Tong back, Xiao Ming called another carriage and went to the military workshop. Now that the granular smokeless gunpowder was available, it was time for him to form an army equipped with Minie rifles.

Different from the past, what Xiao Ming heard when he arrived at the military workshop this time was the “rumbling” sound of steam engines. Since the steam engines were put into production more than half a year ago, Lin Wentao provided five more steam engines to the military workshop during the six months of the truce.

The advent of steam power greatly accelerated the production of rifled guns.

Xiao Ming arrived, and Song Changping came out of the workshop quickly, “Your Highness has not been to the military workshop for a long time.”

“I don’t want to disturb your production, but this time I came here for business. Eight months ago I asked you to stock up on rifled guns and tapered bullets. How are you preparing now?”

Seeing Xiao Ming’s serious look, Song Changping put away his smile and said, “Your Highness, it’s much easier to pull rifling now that there is a steam engine. I’m already here. There are 6,000 rifled guns in reserve, and 120,000 rounds of tapered bullets have been produced. I wonder if they are enough? “

“There are enough guns, but there are still too few bullets, so on average one gun only has 20 rounds. Bullets.” Xiao Ming said: “The rifled guns are not needed for the time being. You allocate these craftsmen to produce bullets. In addition, all six thousand rifled flintlock guns are sent to Yunzhou Camp. The war is approaching. This time, I It can be of great use.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Song Changping said.

This time the Three Kings tried to unite their forces to attack him. Behind his categorical refusal to compromise was also his confidence in his own strength, and this confidence came from these 6,000 rifled flintlock guns.

Because even without smokeless gunpowder, these guns can shoot about four hundred meters. Now with smokeless gunpowder, the range of these guns is enough to kill the opponent’s artillery.

In contemporary times, it is precisely because of the threat posed by the Minier rifle to artillery that artillery has been upgraded again to improve battlefield survival rate.

After explaining the matter about Song Changping, Xiao Ming was about to go back. At this time, Chen Qi suddenly came out of the workshop excitedly. He said to Xiao Ming: “Your Highness, the steel produced in the steel workshop can now completely replace bronze. Now The cost and production speed of field artillery will be much faster.”

(End of this chapter)