The Three Spirit Stones

On the ninth day of the second month of the eighth year of Xiangfu, the Northern Song Dynasty held a spring examination held every three years. It was hosted by the Ministry of Rites, and those who passed the examination were generally called "Gongshi".

Those who pass the examination can take part in the palace examination in April. The palace examination is held in the main hall of the imperial palace and the examiner is the emperor. Therefore, those who pass the examination can be called disciples of the emperor.

However, the students who took the Spring Examination had a very hard time. During the examination, each student had his own examination room.

An examination room can only accommodate one table, and the space is similar to the size of a squat toilet in today's toilet. Candidates have to take the exam in this cramped space for nine days and seven nights.

If you are unlucky enough to get a seat next to the kitchen or toilet, it will be even more uncomfortable. The seat next to the kitchen is called the "fire seat" and the seat next to the toilet is called the "stinky seat". One stinks and the other is smoky.

The exams will begin in a few days, and the students in Yingtianfu Academy are preparing intensively.

It was still very cold in early February. Zhu said that after they finished their work, they drank a cup of steaming sugar water in the school building and felt warm all over.

This sugar was sent by Cheng Yu a few days ago.

Sugar is now a hot-selling commodity in Bianjing City, and its price has been raised several times. Cheng Yu and Zhu Shuo get along very well. When he learned that Zhu Shuo would take part in the Spring Examination, he specially gave him more than ten kilograms of sugar so that he could quickly replenish his strength during the exam.

At the end of the month, the second batch of sugar was delivered to Beijing. As the sugar inventory was sufficient, the previously inflated prices immediately fell back.

In a valley about ten miles away from the ironworks, a row of brick houses were built on the hillside. One of the houses was filled with bottles and jars.

Cheng Yu and A Cai are studying... sugar explosives inside.

There is a saying that one sulfur, two nitrates, three charcoals, add a little sugar and Ivan.

The composition of black powder is composed of three ingredients: sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal. When added with white sugar to produce a sugar-nitre reaction, the power of the explosive will be greatly enhanced.

However, the process of making black powder is not that simple. It is not something that can be made by simply mixing potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal in a certain mass ratio. Gunpowder with the wrong formula can only be used for entertainment.

To make good gunpowder, there are tricks in every step.

Sulfur must be pure sulfur. If the sulfur is impure, it must be evaporated and then recrystallized. Impure saltpeter must also be dissolved and processed to extract pure crystals. It is best to use alder or paulownia charcoal powder, which must be simmered at the right temperature and for the right time to obtain the most suitable charcoal for making gunpowder.

What Ah Cai is doing now is to boil the white sugar until it melts and then mix it into the prepared black gunpowder. There are no precise measuring instruments here, so everything depends on her experience.

She chatted with Cheng Yu while doing it.

"Honey, this sugar-nitrogen reaction is very powerful. With the right formula, it can be used as rocket fuel..."

"When I was in college, I heard that two students violated the operating manual and an accident occurred. The explosives blew them apart and the entire lab was razed to the ground. Only some body parts were found, and the head was missing. It's disgusting to talk about it."

"……ah!!"

"Aren't we in danger now?"

Cheng Yu said in surprise,

"Don't be afraid, how can they compare with me? I am a genius."

"……Oh!"

"I am not only talented in art, but also in making explosives!"

You?? Artistic talent??

It would have been fine if this sentence hadn't been said, but once it was said, Cheng Yu was so frightened that cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.

He couldn't imagine what would happen if Ah Cai was blown to pieces.

He grabbed her hand and said nervously, "Caibao, how about you write down the formula and I'll find someone to make it? Let's not take this risk."

"No, this is different from the others. The ratio must be very precise. They have no experience and it's easy to mess it up."

"But I'm even more worried about you doing it, it's too dangerous,"

"Don't be afraid, I've done this many times before."

"But……"

"No buts, I'm going to pour the syrup now, and I'll fry it now..."

"ah?!!"

Fortunately, Acai's talent for making explosives was much better than her artistic talent. Despite Cheng Yu's careful consideration, no explosion occurred during the entire experiment.

……

……

In the military camp of Qinzhou City in the northwest, the prefect Cao Wei and his generals were inspecting the supplies that had just been delivered, including weapons, sugar and chili peppers sent by Cheng Yu.

Cao Wei picked up a hand knife at random. The blade of the knife looked quite thin. He signaled his men to bring over the previous knife.

The two swords clashed with each other, and with a clang, the old sword broke, but the thin blade of the new sword did not break at all.

"Good knife,"

Everyone couldn't help but cheer!

Some of the other subordinates picked up the Moon-Yan Sword, and some picked up the Pen Knife and started to perform skills. They found that although the blades of these weapons were thin, they were very tough and hard, and were very flexible to wield.

For a moment, everyone was busy choosing the right knives.

Weapons are like companions to soldiers and generals. It goes without saying how important a good sword is on the battlefield.

Looking at this large number of sharp knives, the generals were extremely excited!

Also sent along with the army were two telescopes made by Cheng Yu for Cao Wei.

Since transparent glass was invented, craftsmen have been upgrading their craftsmanship.

In Cheng's Industry, the craftsmen are paid very well. As long as they have inventions or innovations, they will receive generous bonuses, so they are very motivated.

Moreover, there are hidden masters behind them. If you have any questions, just write them down and give them to the Marquis. You will receive replies from time to time.

It is important to have someone to guide them so that they don't take too many detours in the innovation process.

Cao Wei felt like he had found a treasure when he got these two telescopes, and he took them with him wherever he went.

He liked to stand on the hill near the barracks and look down. He could see clearly whether the soldiers were slacking off, standing straight, or making small movements.

Over time, everyone knew that Magistrate Cao had the ability to see far away.

There is also white sugar of extremely high purity. When you go out on a mission, you can bring a can with you. If you don’t have time to make a fire to cook, just pour some into your mouth and chew it to quickly replenish your energy. If there is hot water, it will be so happy to drink a big bowl of steaming white sugar water in the bitter cold of the northwest.

White sugar also has another function, which is that it can reduce inflammation when used on wounds.

Sprinkling white sugar on wounds can treat fat liquefaction or secondary inflammation of local soft tissue, which is very important for soldiers. In ancient times, there were no antibiotics and wound inflammation was often fatal.

And those bright red peppers, many people couldn't stand them at first, but once you get addicted, you can never go back.

The spiciness of chili peppers is much purer than that of dogwood. Eating chili peppers will make you sweat all over. They taste great when cooked with fish, meat, and noodles. Many soldiers love this feeling!

Soon the peppers became a hot commodity!

Some local farmers tried to sow pepper seeds in June and July. They were pleasantly surprised to find that the pepper seeds could actually germinate and grow locally, and the growth was gratifying. By October, they could even harvest the fruits.

Farmers who planted the first batch of peppers soon tasted the sweetness. The picked peppers were sold out as soon as they were put on the market, so more and more people began to plant them.

Cao Wei wrote a letter to tell Cheng Yu about this matter. He then remembered that the northwest region of later generations seemed to be a pepper-producing area. Not only peppers, but also potatoes and corn could be grown. Potatoes had been successfully grown in the Liao Dynasty, and the northwest was even more suitable for growing them.

He planned to send people to transport some corn seeds and potatoes to Qinzhou after the New Year so that local farmers could start planting in April or May.