At about five o'clock in the afternoon, a horse-drawn carriage drove along the road out of the city to the suburbs, and went to the foot of Datun Mountain in the north of the city.

This is a newly built factory area, and busy workers are toiling near the road. Several young workers in hard hats looked curiously at the carriage, which was guarded by more than two dozen cavalrymen, and then left at the urging of the foreman.

I opened the window slightly, and a cool breeze with a faint earthy fragrance rushed in, and the characteristic smell of the pre-wind and rain suddenly blew away some of the turbid air in the carriage.

"It's going to rain, General." I turned back to Zhu Mingxia who was sitting in the car and said.

Zhu Mingxia was reading a book by the oil lamp at this time, and when he heard my words, he put down the book, opened the window on the other side, and looked closer.

The tumbling clouds were already all over the sky, and from time to time a bolt of lightning pierced through the thick dark clouds, splitting the thick darkness in an instant.

Zhu Mingxia sighed lightly and said with a smile: "It's still interesting to rain near the tropics, and it rains in Central Europe without hurry, which makes people's bones moldy." ”

"Central Europe, General? Were you there in the Holy Roman Empire before? ”

Zhu Mingxia glanced at me in some surprise: "Do you still know Shenluo?" I thought that people on this side of East Asia didn't care about Europe... Oh, I remember, you're from the National Navy. That's right, I should have taught European in college. ”

"It's the things that the religious elements of Christianity have caused. I don't know if you know the difference between Protestantism and Catholicism... It's hard to talk about that. ”

"To put it simply, the Holy Roman Empire was pro-Catholic—their empire was a very loose confederation, and the emperor didn't speak very well. And then a bunch of countries around it, France, Germany, Sweden in the north, and so on, all oppose it in the name of religion, and in the final analysis it is just a struggle for hegemony and a bourgeois revolution. ”

Speaking of which, Zhu Mingxia took out a beautiful pipe, and then asked me with his eyes if I minded.

Seeing that I quickly shook my head, he laughed, stuffed tobacco into his pipe, lit it with a match, took a puff of pleasure, and sprayed a perfect smoke ring out of the window: "The addiction to smoking is a bit big, I'm sorry." ”

"Our country's power in Europe is very weak, and we can't change the general trend of this large-scale war. But small things, we can still exert influence. ”

"Like me. In order to support, uh, the reactionary and evil Shinra, I led some officers to join the HRE army, and commanded the legion with a Bohemian nobleman surnamed Wallenstein (Note 1). A few years ago, we went to war with Denmark and broke the Danish mercenaries on the other side... And then what was the "Peace of Lübeck" was signed. ”

Speaking of this, Zhu Mingxia suddenly changed his words and brought up another topic: "Lieutenant Colonel Li, what about you?" Why did you invent the explosives of fire cotton and ammonium nitrate? ”

My heart jumped suddenly, and when I raised my head, Zhu Mingxia showed an inexplicable smile under the flickering oil lamp.

“... It was some accident. When I was in college, I joined the club of the Faculty of Chemistry and did a little experiment. Then, while I was on the boat, I accidentally soaked the cotton in nitric acid while I was working on the fibers, and when I took it out, I tried to dry it, and it burned out all at once. ”

"I think it's burning very fast, and it's like black powder... Then I loaded my rifle with this cotton, and after firing it, I found that the range and muzzle velocity of the bullet were significantly greater than when ordinary gunpowder was used. ”

"It's the same with sodium nitrate?"

"Yes, also because of coincidences and accidents."

(I was a little flustered at first, but quickly calmed down.) When I gave Wuhua the method of preparation and application of cotton wool and ammonium nitrate and asked him to help me apply for a patent, I began to prepare and practice explaining the reasons for inventing them. ）

Zhu Mingxia didn't speak, and sank most of his face in the darkness of the oil lamp. My deep eyes were hidden where I couldn't see, and I didn't know what I was thinking.

The lightning outside the window gradually intensified, and the darkening clouds were illuminated from time to time, and then they entered a deep darkness again. Workers began to hurry up, and the sound of calling for the building materials to be covered with tarpaulins was incessant.

The carriage fell silent amid the shouts of the people, except for the sound of horses' hooves and the howling of the wind blowing into the carriage.

I lowered my head, and cold sweat gradually broke out on my forehead. Even though it was cool in the wind before the rainstorm, I could still feel my back getting soaked with sweat.

Zhu Mingxia's voice sounded suddenly, breaking the increasingly stiff silence: "Do you know what I want to talk about when I invite you to sit in the same car with me?" ”

I looked up suddenly, and there was a terrifying light in my eyes.

"The Ministry of Defense is interested in your invention." He lifted his face out of the darkness, leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands crossed and his eyes quietly looking at me, "Your invention can change the pattern of war, it's important. ”

"The ammonium nitrate explosive that you used in actual combat for the first time in Kyushu, I saw the relevant summary and feedback when I was in Kaohsiung, and I think it is very important."

Qin Xiangping was still too conservative and didn't pay enough attention to that successful experience. I have classified the relevant information as first-class secrets and sent them to Chang'an by telegram and clippers, to the Ministry of Defense, to the Parliament, and to the Senate. ”

I looked at Zhu Mingxia fixedly, suddenly reacted, and immediately retracted the light in my eyes: "Thank you for your attention to me." ”

He waved his right hand: "Don't rush to thank you just yet." Now the Ministry of Defense does not yet know about your real combat application, but they are already interested. When I was in Singapore, I met with the head of the Ministry of Defence in the Viceroyalty of the Straits and he expressed the importance he attached to your patents. ”

"A million." He held out a finger and shook it slowly, "Even now, the Department of Defense has revealed that it wants to buy your patent for a million. ”

I did a quick mental math... (In 1629, 1 Australian Song Yuan corresponded to 0.25 grams of silver, and the price of silver at that time was about 3,200 yuan (calculated at the value of RMB in 2019) one tael, that is, 1 gram of silver was worth 64 yuan)... The Ministry of Defense wants to use 250,000 grams of silver, 5,000 taels of silver, 500 catties of silver, 250 kilograms of silver, 0.25 tons of silver... To acquire my patents?

"Yes, it's an acquisition, not a purchase of the right to use it for a period of time." Zhu Mingxia turned on the brightness of the light, leaned back in the chair, and looked at me with a smile.

"That's a lot of money, Lieutenant Colonel. If you have no other income... I mean, it's legal but not every day, and you have to make at least 1,250 months (Note 2) to make that much money. ”

He added: "A million is after-tax income. ”

I couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva - I believe Zhu Mingxia should have seen the rolling of my Adam's apple.

"Your Majesty, this should still be a confidential content." I said a little dryly, "Why are you telling me what the Ministry of Defense thinks?" ”

"Because I advise you not to accept it." A gentle smile appeared on his face, "Young man, your inventions are far more important than yours and a hundred times more important than the Ministry of Defense imagined, they can change the form of warfare, and even promote a new round of technological changes in warfare, which is a revolutionary breakthrough." ”

"The fact that you can invent dynamite and cotton is a testament to your talent. You shouldn't be on the battlefield, you should be a scientist. Young man, your brain is worth more than your hands, and your wisdom can bring you unlimited wealth and respect. ”

"The reason why I tell you this news is that on the one hand, I hope that you can face up to your talent, and on the other hand, it is also for your own good, for the good of a rising scientist."

"If the Ministry of Defense consults with you, refuse them. Just one million want to buy the patent for ammonium nitrate in cotton wool, which is too cheap. ”

Note 1: Albrecht Wallenstein (1583-1654), a famous German military strategist, distinguished himself in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War, defeating the Danish army that attacked the Holy Roman Empire. Later, in early 1634, Ferdinand II ordered Wallenstein's execution. Fahrenheit secretly fled to Italy under the protection of Mr. Zhang Lingfei, the minister of the Republic of Australia and the Song Dynasty in China, and then followed the Chinese cargo ship out of Europe and arrived in Chang'an. Later, he worked as a professor at the National University of Defense Technology of the Republic of China, and died of illness at the age of 54.

Note 2: At that time, my salary was 800 Australian dollars a month - this is the salary of a lieutenant colonel.