Chapter 294: One Sulfur, Two Nitre, Three Charcoal – This is the Power of Science!
The earliest production of gunpowder can be traced back to the Qin Dynasty.
At that time, Ying Zheng was wholeheartedly seeking immortality, which gave rise to many alchemists.
Alchemists mixed some odd things together to refine pills.
Through this mixing, gunpowder was accidentally created.
Then they burned it in the alchemical furnace.
The results were predictable: explosion!
Gunpowder appeared early on but did not attract much attention.
It wasn’t until the late Sui and early Tang periods that people began to notice it.
There are records of gunpowder recipes in books from the mid-Tang Dynasty.
By the end of the Tang Dynasty, gunpowder began to be used in military applications.
During the Song and Yuan periods, gunpowder weapons were widely utilized in warfare.
Gunpowder started to shine prominently in military roles.
Li Mo received the small scale handed to him by Hong Liang and began weighing according to the proportions.
Making gunpowder is not difficult.
Sixteen ounces of sulfur.
In ancient times, sixteen ounces equaled one pound, so we take one “1.”
Two ounces of nitre is two ounces of saltpetre.
Add three or two pieces of charcoal.
This is the origin of the ratio of one sulfur, two nitrates, and three charcoals.
The most accurate formula for gunpowder derived by later generations is fifteen taels of sulfur, and sixteen taels is already very close.
If you are going to make it, you should make the most standard version.
Li Mo took fifteen taels of sulfur mixed with nitrate and charcoal, and then packed it into a jar brought by the maid.
After it was packed, he added a fuse and sealed the jar tightly.
A simple version of a bomb was completed.
Ling Ji and Hong Liang squatted in front of Li Mo with their heads tilted, watching him mix, their big eyes blinking with curiosity.
“Done!”
Li Mo made five or six in one go, and after finishing, he stood up, patting the dirt off his hands.
The master and disciple duo were coughing from the charcoal dust and sulfur on his hands, stepping back like ducks waddling, waving their hands in front of their noses in disgust.
The maid nearby brought a basin of clean water, and as Li Mo washed his hands, he instructed the two, “Take the things, we’re going to the back mountain.”
Hong Liang walked over and kicked the jar with her foot, pouting as she asked, “What can this thing do?”
She thought he would produce something enjoyable.
After messing around for half a day, all he did was shove those black pieces of charcoal and yellow stuff together?
“He said this thing can send people to the sky, you’d better be careful.”
Yan Ling Ji also looked disinterested.
How could a jar that wasn’t even the size of a head kill someone?
With this kind of jar, even if a hundred of them came flying, she wouldn’t be scared.
Li Mo also didn’t know how powerful the gunpowder he made was, but for safety’s sake, it was better to stay away from the villa.
Jing Ni was already in the late stage of her pregnancy; frightening her would be counterproductive.
The three carried two jars each to another hill.
Li Mo found a stone about one meter square, dug a hole beneath it, and placed a jar inside.
The other jars were placed at a distance.
He wanted to see the result of a single explosion first to know the actual power.
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to blow this stone apart with that jar.”
Hong Liang leaned on the large stone, gesturing.
A stone one meter wide, she couldn’t even wrap her arms around it.
Li Mo pulled her up from the stone and smiled, “Whether it can be blown apart is still uncertain; we have to test it to find out.”
“Come on, show us what you’ve learned from your master,” he said.
He pulled the fuse from the clay jar and gestured for Hong Liang to come over and light it.
“Alright, just watch closely!”
Hong Liang cheerfully rolled up her sleeves and moved closer, rubbing her hands until a small flame emerged from her fingertips.
As the flame got closer, the fuse was ignited with a puff.
Then it began to spread with a sizzle.
Hong Liang was startled at once.
“Why is it burning so fast?”
The fuse was infused with sulfur, which is flammable; once lit, it burns rapidly and is difficult to extinguish.
Without saying a word, Li Mo took hold of Yan Lingji and Hong Liang and in the blink of an eye, they flashed a hundred meters away.
Before the two women could stabilize themselves, there was a thunderous bang.
The ground beneath their feet shook slightly, and dense smoke billowed up from a hundred meters away.
Yan Lingji and Hong Liang stared wide-eyed, mouths agape, watching the white smoke.
“That sound just now, was it from that clay jar?”
How could such a small clay jar produce such a loud noise?
Even if hundreds were smashed together, it would only be a slightly louder sound.
But just now, that noise was almost like thunder!
Li Mo didn’t answer; he frowned, showing some dissatisfaction.
He could sense the situation over there without having to go.
A fist-sized stone had been blown out, leaving a large hole the size of a head, and the stone had developed several cracks.
However, overall, it hadn’t caused much damage.
It seemed the power of this black powder was not as great as he had imagined.
This was in reference to his expectations.
But for Yan Lingji and Hong Liang, who were witnessing the power of gunpowder for the first time, it was shocking enough.
Once the smoke cleared, the master and disciple gathered around the large stone with cracks and exclaimed in wonder.
“How did you do that? Why is this thing so powerful?”
The air was still thick with the pungent smell of sulfur.
Yan Lingji covered her mouth and nose, looking at Li Mo as if he were a monster.
A small ceramic jar actually has explosive power that is no less than her full-strength strike!
“It’s the power of science.”
Li Mo casually replied, extending his hand to inspect the cracks on the stone.
The cracks weren’t deep.
Starting from the bottom, they became shallower as they went up.
“What kind of study?”
Hong Liang blinked, not understanding.
She looked at Yan Lingji, hoping this good master could explain it.
“Um, it’s just… a very magical study, very complex, and even if I said it, you wouldn’t understand.”
Yan Lingji said seriously, pinching her fair and pointed chin.
In fact, she didn’t understand either.
(It’s Zhao Wang Zhao) But if she said it like that, wouldn’t it make her seem quite ignorant as a master?
“Bring the other jars over; this power is insufficient. I want to try the effect of a simultaneous explosion.”
Yan Lingji and Hong Liang widened their eyes in shock.
“This still isn’t enough?”
A huge rock was blown to pieces like this; if it exploded on a person, it would definitely blow off arms and legs!
This was taking advantage of the position, with the explosion occurring beneath the stone.
But if used for besieging a city, the city wall is flat, and the explosion’s power would at least be halved.
There were still five ceramic jars left. Li Mo found another stone and stacked all five jars together.
After igniting them, he took the two women back over a hundred meters again.
It wasn’t long before they heard a loud boom.
The sound was more than twice as loud as the last time.
Yan Lingji and Hong Liang instantly felt as if someone had punched their feet.
The power from the explosion made their feet tingle.
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