Standing up straight, Han Du clapped his hands and popped out the gunpowder residue from between his fingernails.
"How is it?" Tao Chengdao asked quickly.
Han Du was about to shake his head, but suddenly thought that he seemed to have ignored Wan Hu's words just now. He quickly asked: "Did Wanhu just say that the distance the gunpowder flies is about the same regardless of whether it is large or small?"
"Yes, it stands to reason that I have packed 40% more gunpowder than before. There is no way there is no difference." Tao Chengdao's face was full of confusion.
Han Du suddenly pondered. Logically speaking, this is impossible. The more gunpowder, the greater the thrust generated by combustion. But the flying distance is about the same, which means that the amount of gunpowder actually has nothing to do with the thrust generated?
How can this be?
Just when Tao Chengdao looked at Han Du with hope, Han Du suddenly thought of something.
Perhaps it was not that there was not enough gunpowder at all, but that there was too much gunpowder. On the contrary, what is not enough is oxygen? The combustion of gunpowder must require oxygen. If there is no oxygen, then loading more gunpowder will be nothing more than a waste.
Han Du suddenly clapped his hands, already having a guess in his mind.
Seeing Han Du's huge reaction, Tao Chengdao's face suddenly became happy and he quickly asked: "Do you know what's going on?"
Han Du also laughed, but for the sake of safety, he still did not nod directly. Instead, he said: "I have a guess, but I don't know if it's correct or not."
"Becoming an Immortal in One Step"
"Speak quickly." Tao Chengdao didn't care whether it was right or wrong, and urged Han Du to speak quickly.
The disciples of Tao Chengdao around him also turned their attention to Han Du. They thought for a long time and tried many methods but could not change the range of the fire dragon. Unexpectedly, Han Du knew the problem after just a few glances?
Some people don't believe it, but some people admire Han Du.
Han Du didn't say it was lack of oxygen. After all, Tao Chengdao didn't know what oxygen was. Instead, he said directly: "Perhaps, we can try making gunpowder into particles like sand."
"Is this enough?" Tao Chengdao felt a little confused. It was like he originally thought this was a problem that was more difficult than climbing to the sky, but now he was told by Han Du that he only needed to gently raise his hand. can do.
It was too easy to do, which made Tao Chengdao a little undecided.
Han Du smiled and nodded, "Try it."
The reason why granular gunpowder is more powerful than powdered gunpowder is because the gaps between granular gunpowder are larger and burn more fully, so they can naturally explode with greater power.
"Okay, let's try it." Tao Chengdao trusted Han Du very much. Even if he encountered such an outrageous method, he always agreed.
Tao Chengdao agreed quickly, but soon frowned. When making gunpowder, the various raw materials must be crushed into powder as much as possible, which is easy. But now it was necessary to re-make the gunpowder powder into granules, which made Tao Chengdao feel a little embarrassed.
Gunpowder cannot be exposed to water, so how to make it?
"Do you have any idea?"
Han Du smiled and said: "Add gunpowder and water..."
"Wait." Before Han Du finished speaking, Tao Chengdao reached out and interrupted him.
Looking at Han Du doubtfully, he asked: "If gunpowder meets water, won't it get damp? Can such gunpowder still be used?"
"In this way, the gunpowder can be shaped. After it is made into particles, it can be dried in the sun." Han Du explained with a smile.
Tao Chengdao's eyes suddenly lit up and he immediately sent his apprentice to do it.
Han Du directed Tao Chengdao's disciples to first make a box out of iron sheets and wood. Then use nails to make small holes in the iron sheet at the bottom of the box. Such small holes are densely packed all over the bottom of the box.
Then add water to the gunpowder and knead it into a semi-dry state like flour. The gunpowder is pressed hard into the box, and through the squeezing of the fine holes, the gunpowder is pressed into segments of particles. After drying, the gunpowder is selected and the famous granular gunpowder becomes.
As soon as the gunpowder was prepared, Tao Chengdao couldn't wait to replace it, and he also wanted to test whether such gunpowder could increase the fire dragon's range.
Still in the backyard, there was a fire dragon newly loaded with granular gunpowder on a wooden shelf.
Han Du and Tao Chengdao stood behind and watched quietly.
After just waiting for a while, Tao Chengdao was out of breath. The apprentice on the side saw this and quickly wanted him to sit down.
But Tao Chengdao was very stubborn and refused to sit down at all. "I have worked hard all my life just for this moment. What does a little fatigue mean?"
Han Du frowned as he looked at Tao Chengdao's clenched fists and trembling hands.
Soon, Tao Chengdao's disciples had everything ready. After lighting the fuse, the fire dragon suddenly spurted out a stream of flames, sending white smoke into the sky.
About half an hour later, one of Tao Chengdao's apprentices ran over from a distance. Before he could reach Tao Chengdao, he shouted happily: "Master, it's done."
Tao Chengdao was suddenly shocked, stepped forward to meet him, and asked eagerly: "Is it really done? How far did it fly? How far?"
"Nine miles, a full nine miles." The apprentice ran to Tao Chengdao and replied while breathing heavily.
"Okay, okay, hahaha~" Tao Chengdao smiled very happily.
But he didn't see that Han Du frowned behind him.
It's only nine miles away, which means it's not even five kilometers away... Such things are not even comparable to those made in the handicraft workshops in the Imperial Cemetery, let alone those made by the military in later generations. .
However, after Han Du raised his head and looked around, he felt relieved. Although this is the top place for manufacturing firearms in the Ming Dynasty, it is really not as good as the handicraft workshops in the Imperial Cemetery.
The fire dragon can fly nine miles, which is an unprecedented range. No wonder Tao Chengdao is so happy.
Seeing Tao Chengdao dancing and swaying, Han Du was really afraid that he would accidentally fall.
"Wanhu, it's better to sit down. It would be bad if you fall while standing."
Tao Chengdao didn't want to sit down, and said excitedly: "I never experienced any beatings when I was young. Even if I fall, can it still kill me?"
Han Du nodded seriously, without any intention of joking, and said: "It's really possible. As this person gets older, his bones will slowly begin to become brittle. On weekdays, there's nothing wrong with it. What I'm most afraid of is a sudden fall. Fell down. Because it is very easy to break the bones, and once the bones are broken, it will inevitably cause symptoms. At this time, even Hua Tuo will not be able to save him."
Han Du's words frightened all of Tao Chengdao's disciples, and several of them quickly begged him: "Master, please sit down quickly..."
Tao Chengdao was also confused by Han Du's words. After several disciples couldn't help but explain, he had to sit on the chair.
However, he still looked up at Han Du in disbelief and asked, "Is this really what you said?"
Han Du smiled slightly and said: "If Wanhu doesn't believe it, you can send someone to check. Is there any old man Wanhu's age who can survive if he breaks his bones?"
Han Du was sure that such an old man would never survive. Not to mention in the Ming Dynasty, even in modern society, there is no way to treat the disease. People who are too old are afraid to use many drugs, because if they are used, they will only die faster.
Tao Chengdao fell silent when he saw Han Du's plausibility. He felt that Han Du would not lie to him on such a matter. Besides, what good would it do Han Du to lie to him.
He sighed helplessly, "Life and death are determined by fate and wealth. At my age, it doesn't matter whether you are alive or dead. You can't let me sit in a chair for the rest of my life and not be able to go anywhere, right?"
Han Du pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of something, and said with a smile: "Sit, of course, try to sit on a chair as much as possible. But if you can't go anywhere, that's not necessarily the case."
"Oh? What else can you do?" Tao Chengdao asked with interest.
Han Du immediately ordered several of Tao Chengdao's apprentices to make four wooden wheels one foot in diameter, drill holes in the middle and connect them in series with steel bars. Then, a groove the same size as the steel bar was cut out on the four wooden legs of the chair, lined with steel tiles, wrapped in iron sheets on the outside, and nailed in place.
A simple wheelchair was ready. In order to avoid excessive vibration, Handu also put a thick layer of rubber on the wooden wheels.
"Wanhu, come and try?"
Tao Chengdao looked at the strange-looking chair in front of him and tried to sit on it.
Han Du pushed the armrests of the chair with both hands, and easily pushed Tao Chengdao away.
"How do you feel Wanhu?"
Tao Chengdao sat on the chair, nodded happily, and kept saying: "Okay, okay, okay. From now on, I will let my apprentices push me wherever I want to go. I can wander around and save me from walking." It’s really hard to kill two birds with one stone.”
Han Du helped Tao Chengdao so much, helping him solve the problem of the fire dragon's lack of range, and making a wheelchair for him. In order to express his gratitude, Tao Chengdao held a banquet in honor of Han Du.
The two had some conversations at the banquet, especially on the improvement of the fire dragon, which benefited Tao Chengdao a lot.
After the banquet was over, Han Du said goodbye and left.
After Han Du left, the drunk Tao Chengdao suddenly remembered, "Ah! Something as important as the fire dragon should be reported to the emperor first. Why have you forgotten such an important thing? Is I really old? Already?
By the way, let’s report the matter of this chair to the Emperor as well. "
...
Early the next morning, before Handu got up at three o'clock in the morning, he was hurriedly summoned to the palace by the eunuch sent by Lao Zhu.
After meeting Lao Zhu, before Han Du could greet him, Lao Zhu cursed him. It's said that Han Du has been back for so long, but he doesn't do his job properly and just wanders around all day long.
