"Dad, this is the ratio of black/fire/powder. I divide the gunpowder into hundredths, and then the ratio of charcoal, saltpeter, and sulfur inside is almost the same. We will do it again later." Xiao Qingxue Hand the paper to Dad.
Zhou Xu took a look and remembered that it was indeed different from the gunpowder recipe provided by the craftsman in the military workshop. He remembered that the proportion of ingredients in the gunpowder bag was more complicated than that of his daughter.
"Is this kind of granular gunpowder really that powerful?" Zhou Xu had never thought about improving the power of gunpowder before, but he never found a way. But when it came to giving up gunpowder, he really couldn't do it. His daughter just said it right. The embarrassment of gunpowder is that it is tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away.
"Dad, you have to believe me." Xiao Qingxue started talking non-stop as soon as she came into contact with the field she was familiar with: "The first reason why powdered gunpowder is less powerful is that the proportion is wrong, and the second reason is that it is not granulated. I have solved these two problems, and it is difficult for it not to show off its power."
"I also have a method for making saltpeter from the saltpeter field. I guarantee that there will be a lot of saltpeter. I will show you it later."
When Xiao Luolan came back, she saw Sect Leader Zhou and her daughter chatting harmoniously. She weighed her daughter at the side. In ancient times, one pound was sixteen taels. She had to carefully allocate the proportions. She is now using the leftover powder from yesterday. Yes, Sect Leader Zhou re-polished it himself.
Zhou Xu mixed the ground gunpowder powder together according to the proportion, then added water to mix, and suddenly smiled and said: "Why does it feel like kneading dough?"
Xiao Qingxue was so cute by her father's association that she realized that she hadn't eaten noodles for a while: "I want to eat noodles."
"I'll make mutton soup and noodles for you to eat when you go back tonight." Xiao Luolan looked at them with a smile.
"Thank you, grandma." Xiao Qingxue said happily.
"Now the gunpowder is temporarily divided into three types, mainly to see which one sticks better, and then it must be dried in the shade or at low temperature and air-dried. The current small granular gunpowder was made yesterday by my mother-in-law and I while they were soft. When you are in the sexual state, use a mesh sieve to separate small particles, but I think these particles are still a bit big." Xiao Qingxue touched a handful of granular gunpowder dried in the corner and said: "Perhaps we can separate the mushy gunpowder into Sprinkle some small particles of charcoal on the gunpowder to keep it rough, then dry it in the shade, break it up and screen it.”
You can always find the most suitable method by experimenting several times. After all, true knowledge comes from practice. Xiao Qingxue is not sure that her own method is the best, so she needs to brainstorm ideas.
Zhou Xu followed the above steps, adding egg whites and rice soup respectively, and finally made them separately using the method his daughter said.
"Okay, now let's wait for them to dry in the shade." Xiao Qingxue said: "Dad, I will take you to the mountains to see the saltpeter fields."
When they arrived at the mountain, Xiao Luolan saw her daughter introducing the saltpeter fields to Sect Leader Zhou with great interest.
"This is a good method." Zhou Xu looked around and felt that this method looked very familiar. It had many similarities with the saltpeter method recorded in the "Medicine Classic". Saltpeter is produced in all brine lands. In autumn and winter, there are white raw materials all over the place, which are made by sweeping them and refining them. If the goods are not clean, they will be unclean, so they must be boiled in water again, poured into a pot, and left to form overnight.
However, the daughter's saltpeter field is more detailed than what is mentioned in the "Medicine Classic". The accumulation of human and animal urine can be used to produce saltpeter soil on a large scale, but it still takes a long time. In the early stage, the saltpeter mine is more convenient. , but it also shows that my daughter is kind-hearted.
Zhou Xu looked at his daughter with a smile: "Having a daughter like this makes her father as powerful as a tiger."
Xiao Qingxue blushed when she was praised. She had said so much, and the final result must be awesome. Xiao Qingxue thought in her heart, she also wanted to get an official position.
After a busy day, Zhou Xu was completely taken by what he said to his daughter. He went to Shangqing Temple with his wife and daughter for two consecutive days, which made Xiaoyaozi's face glow all the time.
Finally on the fourth day.
Xiao Qingxue was finally sure that the three batches of gunpowder she and her mother had made for the first time were completely dry. When the dry black particles lay in her palm, Xiao Qingxue was undoubtedly excited.
At the moment, she and her parents are at the back of the mountain. There is a big rock next to them, where they can hide when the explosion occurs.
A thin linen soaked in oil extended into the far ball.
The iron ball is filled with granular gunpowder, and the black/fire/powder is tightly pressed and sealed in the jar!
Xiao Qingxue felt that her palms were sweating. Xiao Luolan held her daughter's hand and told her not to be too nervous. Then the two of them covered their ears. Zhou Xu used a fire to ignite the fine hemp rope. The rope was soaked in oil and burned. The speed is extremely fast, and a little open flame quickly burns to the iron ball.
There was a loud bang, like an earthquake in a dry land, thunder in a clear sky, and a deep pit was blown out of the ground. Iron pieces flew around like broken knives, and hit the boulders with the sound of gold.
Zhou Xu's ears rang, and he felt that they were still too close, but...
He looked at the gap where the boulder had been blown apart by the iron sheet, and the pit not far away. His usually cold and solemn face could not maintain his joy, let alone Xiao Qingxue beside him. She rubbed her ears and felt that her head was a little bit suffocated. Xiao Luolan was also shocked by the power. After close contact, she realized how powerful what her daughter had made was. She could predict that in this era of cold weapons, the emergence of an iconic hot weapon would What a terrible shock.
"Madam, your ears hurt?" Zhou Xu asked with concern when he saw that Madam's face turned slightly pale, suppressing the idea of taking a closer look.
"It's okay, I'll be fine after I rest for a while." Xiao Luolan came back to her senses and said.
Zhou Xu then stepped forward. He looked carefully at the deep pit on the ground. The soil was soft, covering about half of his body. The iron ball Zhou Xu chose was not thick and heavy, but this already made him look at it with admiration. After all, there was fire inside. Not much medicine.
"Okay, not bad!" Zhou Xu patted his daughter on the shoulder and laughed, "As expected of my Lin'er."
Xiao Qingxue knew that her father didn't like reading, so she blinked her eyes. In ancient times, Lin'er seemed to refer to a promising man. Her father had forgotten it, or he meant it.
"My Qilin'er is better than ten thousand sons." Zhou Xu praised with a smile, what's wrong with the girl? His girls are dozens of times stronger than the average son.
Xiao Luolan was happy, and the experimenter and her daughter hid far behind. There was another loud noise, which made Xiaoyaozi who was staying at the bottom of the mountain think that the earth dragon had turned over.
According to the results of three experiments, rice soup has the best blending effect.
Xiao Qingxue thought for a while, and finally figured it out. Rice soup is not only sticky but also contains sugar...
In fact, sucrose water is better, but it is also more dangerous. Xiao Qingxue thought about it but still did not tell her father. Sometimes it is not good to take too big a step, as it will be more dangerous, so it is better to take it one step at a time.
night.
Zhou Xu couldn't sleep, so he lit a lamp abnormally and looked at the Kanyu map hanging on the wall under the candlelight late at night.
Xiao Luolan yawned: "Zhou Lang, why aren't you sleeping yet?"
Zhou Xu stared at the geographical location of Taiyuan.
After Taiyuan is a fertile plain, a plain for cavalry to gallop.
Zhou Xu never concealed his coveting for this land in the south of the Yangtze River. He wanted to eat fuller and better.
"I was thinking about how to reward my good daughter for her great contribution this time." Zhou Xu returned to the bed and talked to his wife about what was on his mind. This was one of the questions he had just been thinking about.
When Xiao Luolan heard that it was related to her daughter, she lost half her sleep: "No matter what you do, you should choose a civil servant."
She only has a daughter, Qingxue, and she doesn't want her daughter to be involved in the war at all. This is Xiao Luolan's only selfish intention.
Zhou Xu smiled and said, "I'll ask my dear daughter what she thinks tomorrow."
"Also, I want to change my daughter's gunpowder to another name."
"Replace it with what?" Xiao Luolan asked curiously. This person had been standing for so long, so he couldn't be thinking about his name.
Zhou Xu smiled slightly, and under the bright candlelight, his teeth were as white as the fangs of a beast sticking out, which made Xiao Luolan feel frightened.
"How about divine punishment?"
Chapter 168
I don’t know if it’s because the angel guard of honor is coming tomorrow, but the sky on the ninth day of the lunar month is particularly gloomy, with a cold wind blowing against my face. Although the New Year is over, the coldness in Youzhou’s winter has not decreased much, and it is still bone-chilling.
Xiao Luolan wore gloves, a brown cloak, and a small hand stove tucked into the cuffs, and walked out of Mingxintang against the cold wind.
Sect leader Zhou is going to Langge's military workshop today.
Originally, he wanted to take his daughter there. After all, her daughter knew a lot about gunpowder recipes. The on-site inspection might be able to give a lot of advice or exchange experiences with the craftsmen in the military workshop, but Xiao Luolan couldn't rest assured. , forget about ordinary places, even if her daughter goes to the military workshop, she can’t meditate even while sitting at home.
Even when Wan Niang sent someone to invite her to the teahouse to listen to books in recent days, Xiao Luolan declined. She was still worried, so she still wanted to go and have a look for peace of mind.
Now that the carriage is ready, Xiao Luolan is going to go to her daughter's Luming Garden first. It's getting cold, and Qingxue sometimes eats by herself in her small courtyard. After all, from Luming Garden to Mingxintang is not close either. If you get lazy, you will stay in bed.
As soon as I left Mingxintang and turned along the Jinghu Bridge to the stone path to my daughter's residence, I saw Shen Zhi and Qing He coming together.
The tall young man has strong and steady steps. Zhou Shen took over the arrangements for Prince Bao's Mansion from his father a few days ago, and sent people to monitor the angel honor guard along the way. Last night, the angel honor guard fleet had arrived at a lower town in Langge.
After some repairs, we set off to Langge this morning. If nothing unexpected happened, the angel honor guard should arrive at noon or afternoon. It was almost as expected by my father. Within ten days, Peng Hui and Qi Nanhua would arrive.
Xiao Qinghe saluted his aunt, and the young man was followed by his senior brother Chen Fu.
The two children had already paid their respects in the morning, so why did they suddenly come back? Xiao Luolan had been focusing on his daughter's gunpowder these days, and naturally paid less attention to the two children. Just when he was about to speak, he heard Shen Zhi the sound of.
"Mother, the angel honor guard is almost at Langge. Let me tell you first." Zhou Shenzhi said.
Xiao Luolan was startled for a moment, then he couldn't go today. Then he thought about it and realized that the angel should have arrived. After all, the distance was so long.
"I understand, your father is in the study." Xiao Luolan saw Shen Zhi walking towards Mingxintang, and knew that he was either looking for her or Sect Leader Zhou.
"Then I'll go to my father's place now." Zhou Shenzhi said, saying something to his cousin Qinghe and then went to his father's Deyan study.
Xiao Qinghe looked at his aunt. The sky was dark, dark clouds were pressing over the city, and there were hints of wind and snow. Everything looked gloomy. His aunt was not wearing any bright clothes, but Xiao Qinghe still felt that her aunt was too beautiful. There was a saying. The temperament that does not come out is as gentle as water.
"Aunt, I will receive the imperial edict with you then." Xiao Qinghe said. In fact, the Xiao family has not received the imperial edict for a long, long time. In the end, only he and his great-grandfather are left in a down-and-out literary family. The world is unpredictable, but since his aunt is now a member of the Xiao family, when his great-grandfather is not around, as the last male of the Xiao family, it is his duty to stand up for his aunt.
Even if the malice in the imperial edict cannot be resolved...it is good to be by your aunt's side. Xiao Qinghe recalled the title of aunt, and his bright and beautiful face suddenly turned red. He felt both the shame of being unable to protect his aunt and the humiliation and powerlessness of feeling the same title. What's more, there is anger hidden deep in my heart.
It was also the first time that Xiao Luolan wanted to receive the imperial edict. In fact, she didn't know how to receive it. When she heard Qinghe say this, she thought he wanted to see the imperial edict, so she said, "If you want to receive it, just come with me."
"But now let's go see your cousin first." Xiao Luolan smiled.
Xiao Qinghe followed his aunt, his face slightly red. He listened to her aunt's concerned questions about how he was living in the house recently, whether he was eating well, and whether there were enough books in the study to read. He also said that he must tell her if there was anything he wanted. , like a family member, the little boy immediately answered seriously and steadily.
Chen carried his sword and looked at the pretty woman not far ahead who had been talking to his junior brother in a gentle voice. The junior brother had no parents since he was a child and had been growing up with his teacher. He was surrounded by senior brothers and classmates. Although he is young, he has a stubborn and cold temperament. Now that he is so attached to Jiedushi's wife, does he regard her as his mother?
Chen Fu thought about it carefully, his junior brother was only thirteen years old after the Chinese New Year.
He couldn't help but raise his eyes and take a closer look at Jieduzhi's wife. Maybe God always favors beauty.
When Xiao Qingxue arrived at Lumingyuan, she learned that the dead eunuch was coming today, and her fighting spirit instantly ignited.
"Hurry up and eat." Xiao Luolan served a bowl of porridge to her daughter.
Xiao Qingxue ate the egg pancake, pushed the milk tea to her cousin, and took a big bite: "I'm going to receive the order too."
"Okay, okay, take it all." Xiao Luolan has always been clueless about her daughter.
"I don't know how Peng Hui can read the imperial edict without a tongue." Xiao Qingxue got angry thinking about it. During the Chinese New Year, this person would bring bad luck to them.
"It should be Qi Nanhua, the Minister of Rites, who announces the edict." Xiao Qinghe took a sip of milk tea, and the sweetness went straight to his heart. He replied: "After all, he is the second person in the angel guard of honor."
These words were echoed again in Deyan's study.
Zhou Xu was not surprised when he heard the news, but he still had to deal with the matter first.
He thought for a while and asked, "How is Prince Bao doing?"
"Prince Bao personally handled a group of court spies according to the list he had in mind a few days ago, which also included several of his concubines. The number of slaves and guards implicated reached as many as five hundred. I asked Qin Feng to monitor Prince Bao's palace all the time. When he discovered that the housekeeper of the Prince's Mansion was escaping with several guards, he asked him to shoot him." Zhou Shenzhi replied.
Zhou Xu hummed. The court's eyes and ears had always been hidden in Prince Bao's palace. In the past, he could turn a blind eye or close one eye. Now it was their time to die. He had to deal with the matter of returning the bow/crossbow. The handle was firmly in his hand. As soon as Peng Hui arrived, the court's suspicious eyes and ears would definitely come into contact with him, so he would strike first.
Prince Bao, an old thief, probably knew well that the court's eyes and ears were dead, and he might feel relaxed at the moment. After all, the court's eyes and ears not only monitored the Jiedushi outside, but also monitored him.
"The outside of the city is deserted. When the angel guard of honor arrives, I have ordered the city gate guards to search carefully to prevent them from having any sharp weapons." Zhou Shenzhi said.
Zhou Xu nodded: "Before, I asked Nanning County Sheriff to have all three thousand soldiers disarm and disarm. However, accidents cannot be prevented. It is good to check them a few times."
"In addition, father, I found out that the general leading the team this time is General Song Deyu." When Zhou Shenzhi said this, he glanced at his father. General Song had fought with his father before and fought against the Turks together. General Song was transferred to Chang'an.
"That's it. What do you want to ask?" Zhou Xu thought it was nothing.
"I heard that General Song had a good relationship with you before." Zhou Shenzhi was a little unsure of how to deal with General Song.
Zhou Xu smiled: "Do you think we have fought together, dealt with things together, and were good friends before, so I will show mercy to him?"
"In this case, the imperial court will find some old generals and soldiers to do misfortune to me, and I should abdicate."
