Jiehan kept kowtowing behind him, saying, "Thank you so much for saving my life, sir!"
Liu Hong followed Lü Tu out of the house and whispered a reminder: "Sir, what Jie Han said may not be credible."
Lu Tu nodded: "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. No matter how eloquently he speaks, I will not believe his one-sided story. After all, if this map is wrong, then it will be our brothers who die. I will not take the risk."
Liu Hong bowed in deep agreement: "Brother, you're right. Why don't I take a few clever lads and go out of the Great Wall again to check the accuracy of the topographical map?"
After thinking for a moment, Lü Tu waved his hand and said, "No need. If we get discovered, it will only alert them. We don't have enough manpower right now. Let's talk about it in a few days."
"Yes, ma'am."
Lu Tu took the map scroll and returned home, where he opened the Wuchuan and Huai Shuo topographic maps he had previously obtained.
These two maps were left behind by the White Lotus Sect and sent by Deng Lang, respectively. They are basically the same, and the resources recorded on them have been confirmed.
Nangong Huiyu walked over curiously: "Husband, what are you looking for?"
Lu Tu said in a deep voice, "Xiao Yu, did you use gunpowder when you were with the White Lotus Sect?"
Gunpowder? I've never seen it before.
Lu Tu nodded: "It seems that Xu Jing has been on guard against you for a long time. Last time when he led his assassins to attack the village, he used gunpowder to escape and caused an explosion."
Song Yuxi stood up: "I've seen that before! When my father was still alive, I heard him and my brother mention it, saying that the Ministry of Works found something called gunpowder among the people, and that it was incredibly powerful!"
Lu Tu snapped his fingers: "That's right, that's exactly what I'm looking for."
Nangong Huiyu asked curiously, "Husband, do we have this in Wuchuan too?"
Lu Tu laughed and said, "Actually, it's very simple to make gunpowder. The materials are readily available everywhere. I just wanted to see if we in Wuchuan have any. If we do, it will be much easier to kill the Wuhuan cavalry in the future."
"One part saltpeter, two parts sulfur, three parts charcoal, add a little sugar and the Ivan IV," this is a familiar rhyme from Lu Tu's previous life, and a formula known to young and old alike. Moreover, as the king of soldiers in the Dragon Kingdom, Lu Tu could make landmines for you, let alone gunpowder, given enough time.
Saltpeter and charcoal are easy to find, but the only problem is sulfur. The bad news is that there are none in Wuchuan, but the good news is that there is a sulfur mine in the neighboring Huaishuo Town.
This was something Deng Lang specifically mentioned. In Huai Shuo, there were already craftsmen who had started adding sulfur to iron smelting to increase the strength of the material. This was a great advancement.
It must be said that the working people of China are truly capable, constantly summarizing and improving their skills in daily life.
In contrast, the continent of Black Africa, also one of the cradles of humankind, would still be stuck under the baobab trees, a bunch of useless people, even if given another 1,000 years to develop.
Because the hand-drawn map was very inaccurate, Lü Tu could only roughly estimate that the sulfur mines within Huai Shuo were still 80 li away from the border with Wu Chuan.
The distance itself isn't a big deal, but the problem is that this kind of mineral requires long-term mining. However, we can't be thinking about long-term things right now. We need to go and make a quick buck and put the black powder to use.
At that time, whether dealing with the Wuhuan cavalry or Zhao Wuyou of Huai Shuo, we will have more confidence and will no longer have to worry about insufficient troops.
As for white sugar? The sugarcane of the Great Yu Dynasty was all in the southern region, so there was no need to think about it in the north.
Even without sugarcane and sugar beets, Lü Tu can still make maltose from grains and then purify it to extract sucrose.
As he pondered, Lü Tu scribbled on the paper with a charcoal pencil. He was still more used to this tool; he simply wasn't used to using a brush.
Looking at the notes that Lü Tu had been writing down at lightning speed, Song Yuxi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Husband, what kind of handwriting is this? I've never seen it before, but it seems familiar."
Lu Tu chuckled: "These are simplified characters. My father taught me this."
Nangong Huiyu muttered curiously, "Isn't our father-in-law a hunter? How does he know so much?"
Song Yuxi was about to give him a look to signal him not to talk nonsense, but Lu Tu chuckled and said, "I'm just like my dad. I like to ponder things on a whim. That's what I suffer from because I'm uneducated. I don't know any complicated characters, so I can only write half of them."
The two looked at the paper and, sure enough, there were many words on it. They believed most of what Lu Tu had said.
Song Yuxi couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Actually, our father-in-law is quite amazing. If he can create this kind of font systematically, it can greatly reduce the difficulty of writing. For example, it can save a lot of time when keeping accounts."
Upon hearing this, Lü Tu was overjoyed. He stood up and kissed Song Yuxi twice on the cheek, praising, "Wife, you are truly a self-taught genius! If there were more people like you, what would the world not prosper?"
Even though Song Yuxi was the daughter of a great general, she had never heard such exaggerated praise coming from a woman before. Instantly, her pretty face flushed red: "Husband, I'm not as amazing as you say."
"My sister is amazing; she's both beautiful and intelligent."
"Xiaoyu, you're making fun of me too." The two women were playfully fighting, filling the room with a cheerful atmosphere.
Lu Tu put what he had written into his pocket and went out. It was getting late, so he could only go and collect some saltpeter first.
I'd made this stuff before when I was making soap. It's everywhere in the village. Lu Tu just got a few kids to do it.
He summoned Nie Yun and Sun Kuang and instructed them, "Get ready. Tomorrow, bring those 300 Kunlun slaves and 100 brothers with you to accompany me to Huai Shuo."
Nie Yun exclaimed with delight, "Big brother, are we finally going to teach those bastards Huai Shuo a lesson?"
Lu Tu glanced at him sideways: "Why would I bring Kunlun slaves if we're going to fight? It's obvious we're going to find something. I think you've been thinking strangely lately, are you really eager to make a name for yourself?"
Nie Yun scratched his head: "Who doesn't want to make a contribution..."
Lu Tu nodded: "Let's put aside the matter of making meritorious contributions for now. Haven't you caused me enough trouble already?"
Upon hearing this, Nie Yun immediately fell silent. The Sun brothers exchanged a glance and quickly advised, "Forget it, forget it, Nie Yun, quickly apologize to your elder brother!"
Lü Tu has been getting angrier and angrier the more he looks at Nie Yun lately. This kid has always been very aggressive. Although Lü Tu understands that he comes from a poor background and is a bit ambitious, this can sometimes lead to trouble. Lü Tu must remind him properly.
Nie Yun, blushing with embarrassment, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lü Tu and said, "Brother, I'm sorry, I dare not talk back."
Lu Tu, unlike his usual amiable self, kicked him in the butt: "Remember this: the more arrogant a person is, the more likely they are to fall! I see you've won a few battles recently, and you think you can take anyone for granted."
Upon hearing this, Nie Yun panicked and knelt down on the ground with a thud: "Big brother, I dare not!"
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