"Try to spare your third brother's life. After all, he is your brother and your dearest friend."
"Zhao Kai followed Wang Fu and his gang and was flattered to the point of being completely insane. He truly believed that just having a bit of talent was enough to rule the country. If talent truly could rule a country, the Southern Tang emperor wouldn't have perished, and your father wouldn't have fallen to this point today."
"Dad, don't worry. Look at how I treat you. How could I treat my third brother any worse? Once I've dealt with Wang Fu, I'll let my third brother go with you. He's fought all his life, so it's time to enjoy himself."
"I feel relieved with your words."
"Then I'll be leaving first. Remember to perform your true self in the Daqing Hall on New Year's Eve."
"Don't worry, our acting skills are also top-notch. We, father and son, will work together to show them off."
On December 28th, two days before the court officials' year-end summary meeting on New Year's Eve, Zhao Huan was going to do something big.
Wang Zongchu, the commander of the Palace Front Department, drove a horse-drawn carriage and quietly sent Zhao Huan to the Firearms Bureau.
Zhao Huan was looking around at the finished products in the Firearms Bureau when an old man wearing a Confucian robe, with a goatee and carrying a medicine box on his back ran over, surrounded by several strong men.
"I, Sun Dahong, the Chief of the Firearms Administration, greet your majesty!"
"Huh? Doctor Sun! Are you the Director of the Firearms Bureau? You're crossing a line of business quite a bit."
"Your Majesty, this is unprofessional."
As Sun Dahong spoke, he began to search in the medicine box he carried with him.
Zhao Huan shuddered subconsciously. He was really frightened by these strong men and the long needle of Doctor Sun.
"Your Majesty, what do you think is the most important thing about this firearm?"
"The most important thing about firearms is of course gunpowder!"
As someone who came from the 21st century, how could I not know the power of gunpowder? That would be a joke. I came here just to show off and see if you can prepare black powder.
"Haha, I treat patients in the Imperial Medical Bureau and prescribe medicine. Gunpowder is also medicine, so it's basically the same business."
“…”
"I have a bad temper. Is soy sauce oil? Is beer wine?"
"Your Majesty, there is something you don't know. Let me explain it to you today."
"Gunpowder was originally an accidental invention by alchemists. To make elixirs, they had to have something bright red, so they always emphasized the use of mercury and sulfur."
Why are you telling me this? I can still be confused by the periodic table.
Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon. Sodium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, argon, potassium, calcium.
Monovalent hydrogen, chlorine, potassium, sodium, silver; divalent oxygen, calcium, barium, magnesium, zinc.
Trialuminum, tetrasilicon, pentavalent phosphorus; di-tri-iron, di-tetra-carbon.
2,4,6 sulfur are all available; divalent copper mercury is the most common.
Chlorine 1,570 is common, and its zero valence as an element never changes.
Isn’t it just a chemical reaction? Mercury and sulfur can produce mercury sulfide, commonly known as cinnabar, which is bright red in color.
Seeing that His Majesty looked normal, Sun Dahong continued, "Sulfur can also combine with other metals. Therefore, alchemists believe that sulfur is a unique substance that can subdue metals."
"Sulfur is highly active and flammable. To control it, alchemists heat it with other substances to form compounds that reduce its flammability. This is called the Fuhuo method."
"What do you want to say? Tell me how to make the elixir?"
"I mean to say that gunpowder was discovered accidentally during this kind of experimentation. When sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter are heated together, they easily ignite or explode."
"Saltpeter and sulfur are both medicinal herbs, so the mixture of them and charcoal is called gunpowder, meaning something that catches fire. The person who invented the formula for gunpowder was none other than my ancestor, Sun Simiao, the King of Medicine during the Tang Dynasty."
You said so much just to show off?
You are more pretentious than the failed author.
"Doctor Sun, I'll give you a chance to show your prowess in front of a group of people. The fireworks you made last time were truly impressive. Now, please bring out the gunpowder formula and powerful firearms from the Firearms Bureau and share them with us."
"If you can be of use in the fight against the Jin, I will reward you handsomely."
"I've been waiting for your words, Your Majesty. Please come this way."
"The gunpowder formulas used by the Firearms Administration are primarily the following three types: poison smoke balls, which are primarily used to release poison and create smoke; flame balls, which are used for combustion; and caltrop fire balls, which are used for explosion."
"Is it so fancy? Bring me the recipe."
Zhao Huan just wanted to see the gunpowder formula of the Song Dynasty. One pound of potassium nitrate, two ounces of sulfur, and three ounces of charcoal can be used to make a powerful black powder.
Zhao Huan took the recipe and saw that it said:
To make poisonous smoke balls: use 30 liang of saltpeter, 15 liang of sulfur, 5 liang of charcoal, plus croton, arsenic, wolfsbane, aconite, yellow wax, bamboo shavings, hemp shavings, linseed oil, tung oil, asphalt, etc.
To make a fireball: use 40 liang of saltpeter, 14 liang of sulfur, 14 liang of charcoal, plus bamboo shavings, green oil, tung oil, yellow wax, dry lacquer, arsenic yellow, yellow ochre, starch, thick oil, etc.
To make a caltrop fireball: use 40 liang of saltpeter, 20 liang of sulfur, 5 liang of charcoal, thorny caltrops, bamboo leaves, green oil, tung oil, yellow wax, dry lacquer, etc.
Zhao Huan thought about it and decided not to easily change the formula of these fancy products, as the effect might not be better.
"Doctor Sun, sometimes the simpler the better. Try mixing gunpowder with one pound of potassium nitrate, two ounces of sulfur, and three ounces of charcoal."
"Also, the potassium nitrate from the Firearms Administration isn't purified very well. I'll teach you a few formulas later, so you can think about them first."
The sturdy man took the order and left. Not long after, he came back with a bomb wrapped in yellow paper.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
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