Based on his knowledge of chemistry, Zhu Yunwen made a rough assessment of the situation inside the alchemy furnace.

Then, when he felt it was appropriate, he added water and some gas into the alchemy furnace.

Of course, Zhu Yunwen is currently unable to directly produce oxygen, so he can only add gas, since gas contains oxygen, which will have some effect.

After water and oxygen-containing gas were added, the saltpeter in the sealed furnace quickly dissolved and became liquid.

In theory, this should have produced nitric acid.

Zhu Yunwen then removed the alchemy furnace and, after it cooled down, slowly opened it.

The moment the furnace was opened, a wisp of reddish-brown gas emerged, which was likely highly irritating carbon dioxide.

Then Zhu Yunwen held his breath and slowly poured out the somewhat transparent liquid from the alchemy furnace.

That is the liquid produced when saltpeter is heated to high temperature and turns into carbon dioxide, and then water and oxygen are added, resulting in a chemical reaction.

Zhu Yunwen felt that he had succeeded.

After all, he smelled a very pungent odor, so he poured the nitric acid into the prepared glass bottle and small porcelain bottle.

Because nitric acid is highly corrosive and irritating, it needs to be stored in glass.

Although glass did not exist in the Ming Dynasty, glazed glass was similar to glass.

Furthermore, porcelain can also be used to store nitric acid.

After loading the large amount of nitric acid, Zhu Yunwen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course, that wasn't the end of it; he had only obtained one of the materials needed to make mercuric chlorate.

Next, he mixed mercury, alcohol, and the nitric acid he had just made in a certain proportion according to his knowledge, and put them into a glass container.

Glassware is corrosion-resistant and relatively transparent, making it easy for Zhu Yunwen to observe.

After mixing these ingredients and letting it sit quietly, some grayish-brown sediment quickly appeared at the bottom.

Upon seeing the color and the sediment, Zhu Yunwen clenched his fist excitedly and immediately said:

"It's a success."

Zhang Shan, standing to the side, was completely bewildered, having no idea what Zhu Yunwen was doing.

From the very beginning, they burned stones in the alchemy furnace, then added water and air to create a liquid.

Now they're mixing liquids, mercury, and high-concentration alcohol together—what are they doing?

However, he believed that what His Highness the Crown Prince was making was definitely extraordinary.

Indeed, it was extraordinary. Based on the chemical knowledge he had learned before his transmigration, Zhu Yunwen not only successfully produced nitric acid, but also successfully produced mercuric fulminate.

You should know that once this mercuric fulminate is successfully produced, Zhu Yunwen will be considered an absolute powerhouse in this world.

Previously, Zhu Yuanzhang was worried that Zhu Yunwen lacked military capabilities, wasn't he?

Now there's no need to worry at all, as Zhu Yuntong used chemical theory to produce mercuric fulminate.

This means it can be used not only in bullet primers, but also in the production of grenades and other types of bombs.

Imagine if this thing were mass-produced, Zhu Yunwen would have his army carrying boxes of grenades.

In this day and age, attacking any country is as easy as playing a game.

Of course, Zhu Yunwen didn't have time to think about all that right now.

When the sediment in the vessel had settled sufficiently, he slowly poured out the alcohol and excess mercury.

Only grayish-brown sediment remained inside.

Throughout the process, he was very careful because he knew that mercuric fulminate was extremely volatile.

If you're not careful, it can explode very easily.

This is why it can be used in bullet primers and grenade detonators.

It's because it's so easy for it to explode. It will explode if the temperature is too high, it will explode if there is a little friction, and it will even explode if there is a slight impact.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen was very careful throughout the process, fearing that he might accidentally detonate the mercuric fulminate he had obtained with great difficulty.

It wouldn't be worth it if I ended up getting injured in the explosion.

After carefully storing the obtained mercuric fulminate, Zhu Yunwen took out the bullet casings and bullets that the craftsmen had made according to his requirements.

In addition, Zhang Shan was asked to fetch some gunpowder.

During this period of the Ming Dynasty, gunpowder technology was already very advanced. Although Zhu Yunwen had the means to produce more powerful gunpowder, there was no need for him to do so for the time being.

He put the bullet into the cartridge case, filled it with gunpowder, and then placed a small piece of cloth behind the gunpowder to act as a barrier.

Then, he used a small spoon to scoop a tiny bit of mercuric fulminate and placed it at the bottom of the bullet.

Next, the steel plate at the rear of the bullet was tightly fastened to the back of the bullet casing, making the entire bullet a single unit.

Due to the manufacturing process, sealing the rear of the bullet is more complex, requiring a separate steel sheet for wrapping.

But this isn't a big problem; it just increases costs a little.

In any case, the bullets have been successfully manufactured.

Next, Zhu Yunwen waited for Zhang Shan to have the craftsmen make the gun barrel to his complete satisfaction, according to his requirements.

With everything ready, Zhu Yunwen began assembling the revolver and loading it with the first and only bullet he had made.

The principle of a pistol is much simpler; the most important aspects are the sealing of the chamber and the regularity of the rifling inside.

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