Zhang Liang was confused when he received the order, and then he was silent for a long time when he saw the good medicine brought to him.
Several years later, Zhang Liang always thought of this scene. Perhaps from this day on, he truly recognized Da Qin and me, the second emperor.
That day I was reviewing the memorial at Sihai Palace, and the heat was unbearable.
It was already June, the hottest time of the year. The ice cubes used to cool down the palace melted in less than half an hour, and the fans waving by the two maids next to them had almost no effect. The beaded curtain outside the hall remained motionless, and the noisy cicadas made people even more irritated.
"Qi Wan, I can't stand it anymore, why is it so hot!"
I threw away the pen in my hand, picked up the newspaper and fanned wildly. I was wearing a thin shirt, and then I took it off completely.
Qi Wan was also sweating profusely and said helplessly: "Your Majesty, this summer is hotter than before. Even the ice stored in the cellar has begun to slowly melt."
I got up and wanted to go out to take a look. As soon as I stepped out of the palace door, a wave of heat hit me and I quickly stepped back.
"It would be great if there was an air conditioner!" I complained helplessly. For a person who is used to warm winters and cool summers, not having an air conditioner is a life-threatening situation. You can wear thicker clothes when it's cold in winter, but it's really hard to do when it's hot in summer. .
I thought about how to make ice with saltpeter for a long time, but finally gave up.
There is no need for me to spend a lot of money on my own. If it spreads all over the world, and I can get so much saltpeter in the Qin Dynasty, I might as well just make a few land mines and throw them to the Xiongnu "bang bang bang", and then I can go to Siberia to escape the summer heat. Already...
"Qi Wan, go call Li Si and Feng Jie over."
Not long after, the two came over sweating profusely.
"See Your Majesty."
I waved my hand: "No need to be polite, just sit down."
The two looked at each other and said cautiously: "Your Majesty is standing, but I dare not sit down."
"Hahaha." After I came to my senses, I couldn't help but laugh: "I'm so hot that I'm confused. Just stand. It'll be cooler if you stand."
Sitting on the couch and sweating all over, it would be better to stand.
"I have read some reports from various places. The area east of Guanzhong, which reaches directly to the East China Sea, and is close to Deshui, is better. Drought has occurred in other places. Du Shuicheng said that the water volume of Zhengguo Canal has dropped rapidly. I am afraid it will be difficult to survive this summer. ah."
Li Si nodded: "Your Majesty, I have ordered all counties and counties to organize irrigation. Although there are water trucks promoted by Your Majesty to help, the water resources are scarce and the effect is not good. If it continues to be so hot for a few months, I am afraid that the north of Deshui and Guanzhong will have to be irrigated." No more harvest."
Feng Jie agreed: "Yes, the main grain-producing areas of Daqin are now in Guanzhong and Deshui. Although the scale of rice planting in Jiangnan has greatly increased, there is still much less corn than the other. The transportation of the two is inconvenient, making it difficult to Transported to the north.”
I raised my head and sighed: "I have ordered Taishi to prepare for rain prayers. Let's see if God will give him face..."
I guess there is a high probability that I won’t give you face. After all, I have also gone through nine years of compulsory education... But as an emperor, I still have to get by in terms of face.
I suddenly remembered the saltpeter thing.
"Prime Minister Li, I have a task for you, and you must have someone trustworthy do it."
Li Si quickly handed over his hands and said, "Listen quietly."
"Have you ever seen anything white on the wall when you were using the bathroom?"
The two of them looked stunned, and after a while they came to their senses: "Your Majesty, I have seen..."
I nodded and said with a smile, "That's good. Listen carefully to the next words."
"You go and prepare five acres of fields outside Xianyang City, remove stones and other debris, then dig some cellars and pits, then bury wheat straw, fallen leaves, rags and other items in the fields, and then dig the dug cellars and pits. Lime and water are put into the hole to raise the temperature of the land and keep the temperature stable for a period of time.”
"Then, the urine of humans and animals is poured into the fields. After about 10 months, a large amount of white powdery things will appear in these fields. At this time, the soil containing white powder will be dug out and divided into three parts according to the weight of the soil. Once mixed with plant ash, soaked in water and brewed, put the filtered water in a pot and boil, you can get a kind of white particles, I want this kind of white particles."
Li Si and Li Si were stunned. Feng Jie resisted the urge to reach out and touch me to see if I was hot and confused, and asked doubtfully: "Your Majesty, why do you want such... such filthy things?"
Indecent! Too indecent!
The emperor and the three princes were talking about how to play with urine? If this spreads out, the world will laugh out loud...
I didn't realize it, and an evil smile appeared on my face: "Filth? Where is this? Someone has to taste the dug soil. The spicy ones are the best, followed by bitter ones, and then sweet and sour ones. . The method I teach you is suitable for spicy food. If it is not spicy, you need to change the proportion of plant ash. This is left to you to experiment on your own."
Li Si seemed to have smelled it, and looked like a subway grandpa looking at his mobile phone: "Your Majesty, this... this..."
I didn't know what to say for a long time.
The two of them had the same idea: Why is Your Majesty so familiar with the smell of this soil? Could it be...
I knew what they were thinking by looking at their expressions. I originally planned to show off, but I didn't expect them to misunderstand that I had tasted it... I became angry and said, "What are you two thinking! I just listened to what others said!" "
The two people quickly bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I don't dare!"
What a shameless one...
I rolled my eyes at the two of them, and then said: "I have to warn you, the white particles produced are called saltpeter, and those alchemists may have seen them. There is no need to stick fire to this thing, it will burn when the temperature is high, and the impact will be strong It will burn when mixed with copper, iron and gold, and it will burn when it comes into contact with acidic things. It will be poisonous if you smell it, inhale it, you will be injured if you touch it, and you will die if you eat it."
The two of them had gone from frowning to looking frightened.
What kind of thing is this? It’s comparable to heartbroken grass! You have to eat the gutwort to get poisoned. Good guy, even smelling it doesn't work! Not only is it impossible to even smell it, you have to serve it like you serve your ancestors. If you don't like it, just leave it! Can you bear this?
In fact, I am not just trying to scare them. Although potassium nitrate itself is colorless and odorless, and does not emit toxic gases, once the dust is inhaled, it will also cause great harm to the human body. It is normal to die if the dose is large. In addition, it is harmful to the skin and It is also highly irritating to the eyes.
"So it's best to send people who have committed serious crimes to do this, use leather or something to protect it, and keep away from irrelevant people. In addition, the saltpeter made must be kept dry and cannot come into contact with water."
Li Si said cautiously: "Your Majesty, since this thing called saltpeter is so dangerous, why do you want to make it?"
I waved my hand: "You will know when it is used. In addition, this matter must be kept strictly confidential and no one other than the people involved is allowed to know."
The two walked away confused.
I ran to the pavilion near the balcony and lay down. I really didn’t have the strength to move...
