After another spoonful, the First Emperor closed his mouth, feeling the subtle sensation of the smoothie slowly melting in his mouth, and leaned back slightly.
On a hot day, there's nothing more appetizing than a refreshing smoothie.
The stomach, which had been without appetite for a long time, seemed to gradually begin to wriggle under the stimulation of coolness.
The First Emperor took a sip, as if this turtle jelly was some kind of unparalleled delicacy in the world.
"Tell me, where did the ice come from?" asked the First Emperor, leaning on the table while eating turtle paste.
"Made!" Zhao Si smiled.
"Ice? Made of it?" For the ancients, the first reaction was absurd.
How can people make ice out of thin air in this dizzyingly hot weather?
But if it's Zhao Si, it's not impossible. Zhao Si always has some weird skills.
Obviously, the First Emperor was waiting for Zhao Si's explanation.
"Ice is made of saltpeter. Your Majesty can take a look later." Zhao Si smiled.
The First Emperor nodded and continued to taste the Guiling paste in the bowl.
After a bowl of Guiling paste, and ice cubes next to it to cool down, the sultry heat was gone, and the First Emperor couldn't help but have an appetite.
Due to the weather these days, Emperor Shi Huang ate less.
Seeing this, Zhao Si went to work in person again. While the convoy was still making rice, he stir-fried some side dishes, made a soup, and cooked a bowl of white rice for the First Emperor.
The First Emperor ate more comfortably this time. Zhao Si hadn't eaten yet, so he happened to eat with the First Emperor.
No food was wasted, and after eating all the small dishes, the First Emperor enjoyed the comfort of the air-conditioning and felt very comfortable in his heart.
"Tsk! This Guiling Paste will have another history in the future... When the First Emperor was on a tour of the world, the weather was hot, and Zhao Shilang made smoothie Guiling Paste..."
After drinking and eating, the First Emperor rested for a long time, then reluctantly gave up the coolness of the ice cream and followed Zhao Si to watch the saltpeter ice making.
Fortunately, it was completely dark now, and although the air was still muggy, it was not as unbearable as during the day.
"Your Majesty, please take a look..."
Zhao Si rolled up his sleeves and started his performance.
"When this nitrate dissolves in water, it will absorb heat."
…
Zhao Si was busy working on it. There was nothing complicated. You could do it at a glance.
"Where did this saltpeter come from?" The First Emperor was very curious.
The First Emperor had never seen this saltpeter before. At least it would not grow in the toilet of the First Emperor.
As for natural saltpeter ore, the golden elixir eaten by the First Emperor may have contained it, but the appearance of saltpeter ore and soil saltpeter is not closely related.
"Hmm... Most of this soil saltpeter is born in latrines..." Zhao Si scratched his head.
The First Emperor had an old face.
In other words, the saltpeter used to make ice was obtained from the latrine? Isn’t it the ice cubes that I eat?
The First Emperor had some bad associations.
"Your Majesty, this was scraped from the wall, and you see, the water used to make ice is completely separated from the saltpeter."
The First Emperor looked at the ice crystals gradually condensing in the bucket, and there was some deep thought between his brows.
"And this saltpeter can not only make ice. Your Majesty, wait and see."
Zhao Si took out a handful of saltpeter and lit it.
Saltpeter is very interesting. Perhaps due to purity issues, it does not explode but burns slowly. However, anyone who has played with saltpeter knows that it is not easy to extinguish and will bubble when it burns.
"Can it be used for burning?" The first emperor's thought was that it could be used as firewood.
Fuel was really not that cheap in ancient times.
"It's not that it's used as firewood. I searched Sanxiang and only collected more than a hundred kilograms. How can it be used as firewood..." Zhao Si smiled bitterly.
"I want to study it privately. Your Majesty is going to patrol the world. Along the way, you can collect saltpeter from various places to make ice. If there is any excess, I..."
The technology tree for gunpowder is definitely important, and Zhao Si still hasn’t forgotten the recipe for monosulfur, dinitrate, and charcoal.
The specific ratio is definitely not like this, and Zhao Si also vaguely remembers that this one-two-three ratio is not one-to-two-to-three.
However, these are the raw materials. At most, it will be artificial proportioning and trial and error. Try each ratio one by one. Daqin has plenty of time, manpower and room for trial and error.
Even Zhao Si's own financial resources are enough to support black powder research.
Da Qin's bronze craftsmanship can also meet the conditions for cannon casting.
All this won't take long. There is a general direction. It only takes ten or eight years to break through the sky. The most time-consuming thing is the production line and mass production.
The most time-consuming thing is from the invention to the establishment of the production line and the deployment of the entire army.
In fact, the development of science and technology has never been gradual.
Technology and basic industry are completely different things, and they cannot be discussed in the same breath.
"Accurate!" The First Emperor didn't think much about it.
If Zhao Si wants it, then go for it.
At least, for now, the saltpeter collected from toilets is not a precious thing. It is small in quantity and not that useful. It can only be used to make ice.
Instead, leave it to Zhao Si. Maybe Zhao Si can come up with some unexpected surprises.
Isn’t this kid Zhao Si always like this?
Zhao Si was overjoyed and bowed to express his thanks.
…
After that, while the First Emperor was patrolling the world, he also began to send soldiers to nearby places to collect soil salt for making ice.
There was no way, the weather was a problem, and there was no ice, so we were walking too slowly.
The First Emperor needed ice, and if the driver wanted to maintain his speed under the scorching sun, he also needed ice to relieve the heat.
The skill of using soil salt to make ice has been mastered by Da Qin. However, the current soil salt is trying its best to meet the needs of the team, and there is no balance for the time being.
I hope I can scrape out a lot from the toilet, but fortunately, the saltpeter in the toilet can be harvested sustainably.
…
Jia Zhu resumed his usual traveling speed, and the Emperor's problem of loss of appetite was also resolved.
Zhao Si had ice cubes, so he had nothing to do and made some iced delicacies for the First Emperor.
Burnt grass jelly, fruit harvest, and iced milk tea...
Of course, the First Emperor didn't eat much every day. After all, he was still in the fitness stage. In fact, most of it ended up in Zhao Si's stomach.
Driving ricketyly, he walked out of the boundary of Dongjun and arrived at Yangcheng.
Yangcheng is still the old place of the Wei Kingdom. Going back further, during the Xia Dynasty, Yangcheng was once the capital of the Xia Dynasty.
And this... is also Chen Sheng's hometown.
Yangcheng was developed relatively early and is considered a transportation hub in the surrounding areas, connecting the entire Central Plains region.
Therefore, the palace of the First Emperor is also located here.
Because the First Emperor's birthday was coming soon, Jia Zhu stopped at Yangcheng Palace.
Tomorrow is the birthday of the First Emperor. According to custom, the First Emperor would entertain all the ministers and worship Peng Zu to celebrate the occasion.
As for the accompanying civil and military officials, they also followed the First Emperor to guard the vicinity of the palace.
Zhao Si is special. He and Wang Li are responsible for guarding the palace, and together they form the second general of Humph.
Because of Yangcheng's special geographical location and important historical significance, the First Emperor's troops would stay here for a few days to review the army, check government affairs, and patrol the area.
Coincidentally, we also spent our birthday together in Yangcheng.
"Yangcheng is too big..."
Inside the house, Zhao Si looked at the map in front of him and fell into deep thought.
Yangcheng is a county with a total population of tens of thousands...
As for the territory covered, it is also very vast. If you want to find someone here, even if you know their life, it is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Fortunately, Da Qin has a complete household registration system.
Chen Sheng has served in the military, which means that his biography must have been officially registered in Daqin.
The Emperor of the First Emperor will always have to stay here for a while. The population information of thousands of households can be read in a few days by spending some time with snacks.
However, unless there are special circumstances or non-special persons, they are not eligible to access local household registration information.
The government under the First Emperor was still very strict in protecting data, especially statistical data involving local ecology.
"Your Majesty, I would like to review Yangcheng's government affairs with Prime Minister Li."
Li Si was responsible for checking the government affairs situation in Yangcheng with his subordinates.
Land, population, tax payment, military service, Xing Prison... are all items that Li Si wants to take people to check.
"allow!"
The First Emperor agreed as expected.
There is no reason to disagree.
Anyway, Zhao Si is a Langguan. In addition to being close to the king, Langguan has always used things wherever he is useful.
As long as there is a formal appointment, Lang Guan can even hold multiple positions.
Zhao Si took the initiative to find a job, and it was rare that he did something serious. How could the First Emperor disagree?
Of course, the most important thing was that Zhao Si lacked practical experience, and the First Emperor was happy to see Zhao Si make up for his shortcomings.
Even if Zhao Si didn't mention it, the First Emperor would probably let Li Si take Zhao Si to level up.
If you want to develop practical experience, nothing is easier than going down to the local level to review government affairs.
Zhao Si's unconstrained mind could always give the First Emperor all kinds of surprises, but now Zhao Si is only in his early twenties, what about the future? Do you have to use his imaginative thinking to make up for his shortcomings in government affairs?
If you want to be a good person, you must also have a thorough understanding of the local ecology.
If you don’t experience these things now, you will have to experience them in the future. It is impossible for the First Emperor to let Zhao Si watch the door all the time, and it is impossible for Zhao Si to live a lifetime relying on his closeness.
This kid always has to get in front of people.
What pleased the First Emperor was that Zhao Si was motivated and not indulging in the current favor...
Zhao Si bowed and thanked...
Understanding the actual politics is secondary. His main purpose is to attract more people to join him and divide him into pieces.
Of course, at this time, only one thing matters.
Birthday of the First Emperor.
Tomorrow is the birthday of the First Emperor.
Although the pre-Qin period did not attach as much importance to birthdays as later generations, and the emperor did not celebrate his birthday and all the officials competed to flatter him, it was still an important day.
After finalizing the plan to arrest Chen Sheng, Zhao Si hurriedly checked the birthday gift he had prepared for the First Emperor.
In the Qin Dynasty, there was no rule for officials to offer birthday gifts, and the First Emperor refused such a meaningless form.
Zhao Si also did not want to have a bad impact on Da Qin because of his personal behavior.
Therefore, he would not take out these gifts in public.
Mind!
Well, Zhao Si always felt that the First Emperor should have some decent birthday gifts.
(End of chapter)
