On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, after Li Yuan and his entourage successfully returned to Lizhou City, they immediately issued a capital governor's order. Lin Sichang, the former commander of the military capital, was transferred to the governor of Lizhou to control the military in Lizhou. Wumu Teqin, the former deputy commander of the military, took over. Zou Ping, commander of the First Army, was promoted to deputy commander.
It is worth mentioning that after Li Yuan led all his guards to return south, the new governor Lin Sichang immediately summoned all the civil and military officials in Lizhou at the governor's office. Naturally, the common people had no idea what these officials had discussed. They only knew where to go. Throughout the next month, there were constant big movements in the city. First, the governor's office issued a notice to recruit five thousand civilians, and then there were often large numbers of soldiers and horses galloping back and forth on the streets, and the money and grain in the government treasury were constantly being transported outside the north gate... ...
On the way back to Langzhou, Li Yuan specifically asked his guards to continuously feed the yellow horse a lot of boiled and purified salt water. The purpose was naturally to make sure more whether the salt was truly safe. Just because Li Yuan was worried that he might not see any difference after taking it in a trace amount, the yellow horse was indeed bouncing around right now, but if it was consumed for a long time, it might have serious consequences.
However, this yellow horse did a good job. It was full of energy along the way, and there was nothing strange about it. Li Yuan finally felt relieved.
After returning to Langzhou, the first thing Li Yuan did was to send several unknown objects obtained in Yanjing to Taoist priests such as Liu Haichan and Du Yulin for identification. He could only seek advice from professionals like them on such matters.
Soon, in the afternoon of December 15th, two real people, Liu and Du, led by Hu Gui, came to the Governor's Mansion to ask for an audience. Li Yuan immediately served tea under the shade of the trees in the atrium to welcome them.
"Two gentlemen, is there any good news? Could it be that this governor's fire-fuming recipe was made?" Li Yuan leisurely drank tea and sat on a chair, looking at the two excited-looking warlocks in front of him.
Liu Haichan and Du Yulin's faces were suddenly full of shame, and they were hesitant to speak. Li Yuan noticed something strange about them, waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's just a joke, I know you are still working hard. I wonder if Just recognize what I gave you."
Liu Haichan hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "Yes, Governor, you are lucky to live up to your mission! I and Du Zhenren stayed up for several nights, and finally figured out the identification thing that the Governor gave us. You see, it is the yellow in this bag Salt grains are a mixture of coarse salt and many strange impurities.
Lao Cao separated it by washing with water, and finally obtained salt, Glauber's salt and other unknown impurities, of which Glauber's salt accounted for the vast majority. "
Li Yuan was surprised and said: "Is it Glauber's salt? It turns out that it was Glauber's salt mixed in. I didn't expect that there was Glauber's salt in the salt well."
Du Yulin was smart, swallowed his saliva and said, "It turns out that the Grand Governor obtained this kind of thing from the salt well, so that's not surprising."
Li Yuan consciously made a mistake and revealed the truth. He originally planned not to mention this matter for the time being to avoid causing trouble. After he came back, he and Zouping's personal guards Qian Dingzhu and Wan asked him not to mention the matter, but he didn't expect that he let it slip. But it doesn't matter, for these alchemists in front of them, the only thing they pursue is immortality.
"Well, it is true that this thing was obtained from a salt well, but I didn't know that the salt well actually produced Glauber's salt. I thought it was all salt." Li Yuan said with a smile.
Liu Haichan cupped his hands and said, "The Governor doesn't know something. Salt and salt are one and the same thing. Where there is salt, there must be Glauber's salt. In the past, I heard from my senior brother that there was a salt lake in the old Uighur land in the north. The local people fished for it in summer. Salt and saltpeter are harvested in winter. It can be seen that both salt and saltpeter are dissolved in the lake water at the same time."
"I see." Li Yuan nodded and said doubtfully, "But I don't know why we fish for salt in summer and saltpeter in winter. What's the reason for this?"
Liu Haichan frowned and thought for a while, and then responded: "Well... I have done some research in this area, and specifically tested it with a mixture of salt and salt. The so-called summer is nothing more than high temperatures, high water temperatures, and higher water vapor transpiration. If there is too much, the salt dissolved in the water will be analyzed out, similar to the method of sun salt or boiling salt. However, Glauber's salt is different from salt. A bucket of water or one liter of dissolved salt, but this Glauber's salt can dissolve up to two liters.
Even if the salt is completely precipitated, the Glauber's salt is still in the water and does not precipitate. But how much Glauber's salt dissolves in water depends on the water temperature. The higher the water temperature, the more. When the water temperature is as low as freezing, even half a liter of Glauber's salt cannot be dissolved in a bucket of water, but salt does not have this property. Everything in the universe has its own characteristics,
This is the strange difference in its characteristics, which can be described as magical. "
Li Yuan immediately reacted. To put it bluntly, it was a solubility issue. The solubility of Glauber's salt fluctuates greatly with changes in water temperature, while the solubility of salt remains basically unchanged. The salt will crystallize when the water evaporates in the summer, and the Glauber's salt in the water will crystallize when the temperature drops in the winter.
Although it is a simple knowledge of junior high school chemistry in later generations, it is not easy to understand it today. Master Liu is also a qualified alchemist. If he can go out of his way to do an experiment to test it, he can be regarded as an ancient person with a strong thirst for knowledge.
Du Yulin also smiled and said: "As Master Liu said, we used the steaming method. We dissolved all the poisonous salts brought by the Governor in clean water, boiled them in the cauldron, and poured them out when the water was half dry. Boiling water. What precipitates under the copper cauldron is salt.
Take out the salt and continue to simmer the soup. When the soup is almost dry, pour out the waste water and what will precipitate out of the cauldron is Glauber's salt. A pound of poisonous salt contains 60% Glauber's salt, 30% salt, and the remaining 10% we have no way of knowing, so we can only dump it with the wastewater. "
Li Yuan secretly laughed in his heart, isn't this exactly the method he used? But he still pretended to be confused and nodded.
The words of the two real people are also very crucial. Since it is found that the poisonous salt contains Glauber's salt, it well explains the cause of death of those Chu army soldiers, because Glauber's salt is toxic, not to mention mixed with other things, the plot You don’t need a lot of poison, some can kill people with just a little bit, but that’s all in the past, so there’s no need to dwell on it.
"You two masters are really good at this. You actually have this way to separate salt and sodium salt. You don't have to wait until the seasons change in winter and summer to use the boiling method. Alas... It's a pity that these sodium salts are not only used for your elixir refining and medicinal purposes. However, it is not what the governor wanted. It is a pity that Glauber's salt cannot be used in making fire." Li Yuan said with deep regret.
Liu Haichan sighed softly: "Yeah, it's a pity that Glauber's salt is of little use in making fire remedies. It's really a pity. However, Glauber's salt can be used for medicinal purposes and for us to make elixirs, so it's also very useful." "
Li Yuan waved his hand and said with a smile: "Come on, I am not interested in alchemy. This crap is worthless in my opinion. It would be great if it were fire salt. I would not let Mr. Xu and Hu Gui be in Wuping all the time." The people were mobilized to clean the pig houses, sheep pens, and livestock sheds, and the frost boiled the ground."
Liu Haichan suddenly smiled and said, "Don't be anxious, Grand Governor, I have good news to tell you."
Li Yuan was stunned and said: "What?"
I saw Liu Haichan taking out a cloth bag with a smile and unfolding it. Inside was a large piece of colorful crystal objects collected by Li Yuan.
"Grand Governor, we recognize this thing you brought. I think the Grand Governor must have obtained this thing in the salt well."
"Yeah, what is this?" Li Yuan asked hurriedly.
"Congratulations to the Governor, congratulations to the Governor. This thing is called precious saltpeter in our mouth, not only because it is colorful and looks like a gem, but also because this kind of saltpeter is very rare. I have been refining medicine for decades, and I got this thing. It’s just a few cans. This is a good thing." Liu Haichan said with a smile.
Li Yuandao: "Saltpetre? Can it be used as a fire-preservation recipe?"
Du Yulin on the side looked at it and rolled his eyes. The governor's only concern was whether it could be used as a fire suppressant, but he didn't care about the value of this thing.
"Precious saltpeter cannot be used as fire saltpeter." Liu Haichan said honestly.
Li Yuan was greatly disappointed and sighed: "What good news is that? It's not a gem, and it can only be used to make elixirs. What's the use?"
Liu Haichan said with a smile: "Don't be anxious, Grand Governor. From the old man's point of view, saltpeter is quite valuable, but what the old man said is that although it cannot be directly used as an ingredient in Fuhuo recipe, it only needs to be slightly transformed. Then you will get fire and saltpeter.”
Li Yuan was surprised and said: "Can this thing be turned into fire saltpeter? That would be great."
Liu Haichan said: "Of course, the precious saltpeter and plant ash are melted in water and boiled at high temperature. After the water dries, the result is fire saltpeter. But...it is just a waste of natural resources.
It is recorded in the ancient scriptures that if you use precious saltpeter to refine elixirs, you have a chance of getting elixirs. The body will be as light as a swallow and float like an immortal. It is the best raw material for refining elixirs. Wouldn’t the Governor consider taking the exam?
Are you considering using these saltpetres to refine elixirs? "
Li Yuan smiled awkwardly and said: "What kind of elixir should I make? I am still attached to the human world, but I don't want to become an immortal. I just need to turn into fire salt and practice the method of subduing fire. Now that's it. There is a chance of success in subduing fire. You have to work harder. Ah, there is no progress day after day, and I am very anxious."
Liu Haichan and Du Yulin looked at each other and were secretly discouraged. They came to see Li Yuan today. They originally wanted to persuade Li Yuan to use these saltpetres to make elixirs, but it was obvious that Governor Li had no interest and wasted these precious stones. of raw materials.
Li Yuan seemed to have read through the minds of the two masters, and said with a soft smile: "However, I promise you that as long as you complete the refining of the Fuhuo Fang for me, I can give you some precious saltpeter for you to refine the elixir. But if you succeed and become immortals one day, don’t forget to continue to help me, hahaha..."
Liu Haichan and Du Yulin were overjoyed and finally had some hope, but they still asked uneasily: "Grand Governor, do you have a lot of this precious saltpeter in your hands? This thing is not easy to see."
Li Yuan chuckled and said, "There is everything you need. There are so many. Just keep your heart in your stomach. It will be enough for you to refine the elixir."
What Li Yuan said was indeed not a lie. In that salt well, there were many colorful so-called saltpetres, and they looked like flowers growing on poisonous salt. The lumps are raised like cones, and the sun shines brightly during the day. If you look down along the stone wall at the mouth of the well, you can see the brilliance. These are only the dozen or so large salt wells that have been dug. If dozens more are opened in the future, the output will be astonishing.
It’s all there, and I’m not bragging.
After seeing off the two real people, Li Yuan felt very happy. To sum up, the harvest of this trip to Lizhou was something that Li Yuan had never imagined. The so-called hunting rabbits while holding grass contained not only salt, but also the raw materials of fire and saltpeter. It was an unexpected surprise and a blessing from God.
Now there are only two things left, and therefore Li Yuan also decided to return to Jinling, the capital of the country. The first is to discuss private salt cooperation with Zhou Zong. How important this matter is, it is not clear through remote letters. The second is to discuss the private salt cooperation with Zhou Zong. It is closely related to the previous rainy day preparation.
It's December, and the tribute ceremony in Southern Tang Dynasty should be suspended.
