Zhu Ying's understanding of history is very limited.

He didn't know that the granulation technology of gunpowder had already appeared as early as the end of the Southern Song Dynasty.

It was just because culture was more important than military, and in the Southern Song Dynasty, the use of gunpowder was mainly for burning, assisted by poison, and did not reach the concept of metal fire system.

So in terms of lethality, there is not much difference between granulated and powdered gunpowder, because it just needs to be burned.

The reason why granulated gunpowder was used was mainly because the artillery of the Southern Song Dynasty, in order to enhance its power, did not use pure gunpowder, but mixed a certain proportion of sand and gravel into it.

During the Yuan Dynasty, although copper fire systems appeared, they were relatively crude in terms of industrial technology, and powdered gunpowder was more popular.

The most important thing is that people do not understand the principle and lethality of granulated gunpowder.

Although the Mongols attached great importance to gunpowder, it was the cavalry that allowed them to conquer the world.

When it comes to Zhu Yuanzhang, he can be said to be the gunpowder emperor, but in fact Zhu Yuanzhang himself had limited knowledge of gunpowder, and he was not a gunpowder expert.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang understood the importance of gunpowder, so he established strict rules to produce gunpowder.

What Zhu Ying saw in the Gunpowder Department was like the assembly line in later generations. Every firearms craftsman was responsible for his work, including supervision.

Once a problem arises, the consequence is that you will be held accountable.

Under such circumstances, the firearms craftsmen of the Gunpowder Department were very cautious and tread carefully when making gunpowder and fire systems.

How is it possible to experiment the difference between granulated and powdered gunpowder?

However, a small number of craftsmen have some understanding of the gunpowder granulation technology, and they can make it with a little experimentation.

When Zhu Yuanzhang's edict reached the Gunpowder Bureau, it took less than two days for the granulated gunpowder to be freshly produced.

In order to better meet His Majesty's requirements, they also spent a day purifying the granulated gunpowder.

Even if it has been made, the Gunpowder Department has not yet conducted any experiments.

No one can guarantee whether this granulated gunpowder will cause damage to the ignition system or cause the barrel to explode.

Once this kind of problem occurs, someone will have to take the blame.

When Zhu Ying heard the old man say that the gunpowder had been granulated, he couldn't help but look forward to his trip to the Gunpowder Department tomorrow.

"We heard that you and the third daughter of King Zhongshan went on a night tour of Qinhuai together?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly asked with a smile.

When Zhu Ying heard this, he was stunned for a moment before he realized that the King of Zhongshan was Xu Da.

Xu Da's third daughter was Xu Miaojing.

"Yes, Gao Chi was pestered by Xu Miaojin and wanted to go out for fun, so he brought him to my place. Qinhuai has always been famous for its nightlife, so let's go over there and have some fun together."

Zhu Ying replied casually, not noticing that the old man looked a little strange.

"Oh, then what do you think of that little girl Xu Miaojin?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked again.

Zhu Ying paused. When he heard these words, he realized the meaning in the old man's tone. He was suddenly speechless and helpless.

"It's okay. You're just a little girl, only twelve years old this year." Zhu Ying emphasized the word "twelve" a little.

This is to remind the old man not to let his imagination run wild.

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile: "Twelve years old is not young anymore. In two years, she will be old enough to get married. It would be good to get acquainted with her first."

Zhu Ying rolled his eyes. He didn't want to give too much answer to this question.

It was already dusk and the sky was gradually getting dark.

In the yard, Zhu Yunxun and Zhu Mingyue were waiting while chatting.

"Sister, the food here is really too delicious. The taste is simply amazing."

"This is the first time I've tasted this kind of flavor. I originally thought that only breakfast was delicious, but I didn't expect that the meal was so delicious."

"Brother, it's really comfortable here. I also want to live outside the palace like you, so I can sleep in every day."

"When you grow up and become a vassal, that will be all."

When Zhu Mingyue heard her brother say this, she suddenly felt sad, because she was already sixteen years old and had reached the age to get married, and she didn't know where her future would be.

A few days ago, she heard Mrs. Lu say that she wanted to find a husband for her.

Zhu Mingyue couldn't say she hated Lu, but she didn't like her either. In a blind date like this, it was all up to the parents and the matchmaker. She had no right to speak.

There was always some fear in her heart.

Thinking of this, she turned to look at the room where her elder brother and Grandpa Huang were, and she felt a little relieved.

With the elder brother around, I think if she doesn't like something, the elder brother will help her.

At present, her eldest brother is her only hope and support.

In fact, her worries were unnecessary. Although Lu favored her own children a little, her moral character was not bad since she was chosen as the prince's successor.

Otherwise, there would be no possibility for her to be chosen as the Crown Prince's concubine.

The harem in the early Ming Dynasty was relatively harmonious due to the suppression by Empress Ma.

Under the intimidation of Zhu Yuanzhang, there were no bloody fights in the harem, which was completely different from the palace fights of the Qing Dynasty in later generations.

"Sister, do you think that Big Brother is really our Big Brother? Why do I still feel like I'm living in a dream?"

"Pinch me. I heard from the eunuchs in the palace that if you are in a dream, you can't feel the pain."

Zhu Yunhuan said to Zhu Mingyue hesitantly.

The next moment, Zhu Yunxun almost cried out: "It hurts!"

"Don't let your imagination run wild." Zhu Mingyue was already worried about her future, and when she heard her brother's request, she pinched him hard.

"With big brother here, no one in the palace will dare to bully us in the future. I just don't know when Grandpa Huang will allow big brother to enter the palace."

Zhu Mingyue said with some melancholy.

"Sister, why doesn't the emperor allow my brother to enter the palace?" Zhu Yunhuan asked.

Zhu Mingyue glanced at his brother and explained, "Because many people will not believe that he is the real big brother. The ministers in the court will oppose it, and the generals in the world will oppose it."

"But, but he is obviously the eldest brother. He looks so much like father. Who else could it be but the eldest brother?" Zhu Yunheng argued.

"Not everyone has seen our father. You are still young and don't know how terrible rumors are. Don't think too much. The emperor will arrange these things." Zhu Mingyue said.

"Okay." Zhu Yunhuan nodded and said no more.

Not long after, Zhu Yuanzhang left with Zhu Yunhuan and Zhu Mingyue.

When leaving, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to say to his eldest grandson, "Come back to the palace with us to sleep."

The words came to my lips, but I didn't say them.

Now is not the best time to expose the identity of the eldest grandson. The matter of Xiaoling needs some time to ferment.

The arrangement of military generals also takes a certain amount of time.

Jianchang, where Lan Yu was located, belongs to Sichuan. From Sichuan to Nanjing, it is more than 3,000 miles, and it would take at least a month to arrive at the fastest speed.

The reason why the post station was able to deliver Zhu Yuanzhang's edict within seven days was that the postmen took turns to deliver the edict day and night.

After seeing the old man off at the gate, Zhu Ying walked towards the study.

Zhang Bo was a little excited and surprised, and followed Zhu Ying and asked, "Boss, the old man, he, he, he..."

After talking for a long time, Uncle Zhang still didn't dare to say the last words.

"Some things are just good to know," Zhu Ying said casually.

"Yes, Boss."

Zhang Bo's body was trembling a little, and there was a change in his eyes when he looked at Zhu Ying.

After watching the boss enter the study.

Then he murmured, "I had guessed before that the Dong family's background would not be simple. Sure enough, I was right."

As soon as he finished speaking, Uncle Zhang immediately covered his mouth and looked around subconsciously.

Zhu Ying returned to the room, thought for a while, prepared the four treasures of the study, spread a piece of white paper on the desk, ground it, and then began to paint.

He had to rely on his vague memories of his previous life to sketch out the general idea of ​​a matchlock gun.

Although firearms are now widely used, they have not fundamentally changed the pattern of warfare in terms of actual damage.

Among them, the use of fire system, first of all, is the powderization and purification of gunpowder, which results in limited damage.

Then there's the question of aiming.

If the fire control is done by a single person, he or she needs to hold the fire control in one hand and the incense in the other to light it, or use a rack to fix it. You can imagine how difficult it is to aim.

But when it comes to matchlock guns and granulated gunpowder, the concept is completely different.

Strictly speaking, it was the emergence of the matchlock gun that changed the war mode from ancient times to the present.

Granulated gunpowder eliminates the problems of powdered gunpowder such as inconvenient transportation, uneven burning rate, and susceptibility to moisture.

Although granulated gunpowder will be stratified after bumpy transportation, with the largest particles going to the bottom of the gunpowder barrel and the smallest particles going to the surface of the gunpowder barrel, this will not affect the quality and use of the gunpowder.

Secondly, the moisture absorption of granular gunpowder is much lower than that of powdered gunpowder because the surface area to volume ratio of granular gunpowder is smaller, so it absorbs less moisture from the air.

Because granular gunpowder is granular, even when compressed, they do not fit tightly together and will not form a whole like powdered black powder.

The gaps left between the gunpowder particles allow oxygen to assist the combustion of the gunpowder, making the burning rate more uniform and improving the efficiency of the gunpowder combustion.

Unlike powder gunpowder, a considerable portion of the unignited gunpowder is sprayed out of the barrel during shooting, so its power is greatly increased.

The increase in the power of granular gunpowder means a reduction in gunpowder consumption under the same power, which further reduces the cost and method of using firearms.

It can be equipped in the military on a larger scale.

The reason why Zhu Ying was confident that he could conquer the surrounding areas of the Ming Dynasty was that his confidence came from the matchlock gun.

The biggest problem in manufacturing matchlock guns is the granulation of gunpowder.

The first matchlock gun only began to become popular in the early 15th century, and later in the great maritime colonies of Spain and Portugal.

The key reason why it is so powerful is the emergence of muskets.

Otherwise, how could such a tiny population colonize such a large area?

A small team of a few hundred people can defeat an army of thousands.

If we can occupy a better position and have sufficient ammunition, it doesn't matter if there are tens of thousands of troops.

In ancient times, if an army had a death rate of more than 30% but had not yet collapsed, it would be considered a first-class strong army.

In most cases, when the death toll reaches 10%, the military morale has begun to deteriorate.

In other words, if two or three thousand people died out of an army of tens of thousands, it could be said that the war was a failure.

Under the charge of the musketeers, wave after wave, the line-up shooting method was simply a nightmare for the ancient army.

The only ones who could resist were the heavy cavalry.

The kind of heavily armored cavalry that was covered in full armor, even the horse's flattery.

But the cost of building such cavalry is simply too high.

Each of the heavy cavalrymen is built entirely of silver, and it is not an exaggeration to call them moving mountains of silver.

It is very easy to train a musketeer, and the cost is much lower than that of a crossbowman.

Ordinary recruits only need one month of training to form an army.

To train your courage in March, you just need to not panic too much or escape from the battlefield when facing the attack of a large army.

Coupled with the range of the musket, especially in small-scale battles, it is too easy to fight.

After some more in-depth training, we had a 180-man musketeer cavalry.

With high mobility and a matchlock gun, it can move around the Western Regions at will and is invincible in field battles.

With excitement in his heart, Zhu Ying worked hard for a while and finally drew the entire outline of the matchlock gun on a piece of white paper.

However, when Zhu Ying finished painting and looked at his painting.

What the hell is this.