"Did you find the problem? Let's hear it. Wang Yuan was pleasantly surprised.

Zhang Zhengyi said solemnly: "The old decay is not completely sure, but it is also eight or nine. Hundreds of failures also made the old decay seem to see the crux of some problems. Lao Yu believes that the reason for repeated failures should be due to the raw materials used. ”

Wang Yuan frowned and said, "How do you say this?" ”

Zhang Zhengyi: "Dashuai mentioned before that the fire recipe needed for refining should be the main three raw materials. There are three types: saltpeter, sulfur or realgar, and charcoal. The old decay thinks so. Dozens of notes on the Dan Sutra written by the predecessors of the alchemy alchemists all record that these three kinds of mixing together will have a drastic effect. Therefore, the direction we follow is also in the direction that the commander said. Although the two refined drugs that Dashuai had just seen were not effective, they were both refined with formulas based on these three raw materials. ”

Wang Yuan said: "Needless to say, these three raw materials are mixed with other raw materials to refine into the Fuhuo Fang, this is certain. What I'm concerned about is, what do you mean by the raw material? ”

Zhang Zhengyi: "I was about to explain to Dashuai." Sometimes the raw materials are exactly the same, but the elixirs refined are completely different, which is also doubted by many alchemists. As far as raw materials are concerned, alchemy raw materials are commonly used in saltpeter and sulfur, which have their own unique names in the mouths of our scholars. The saltpeter is called 'Yinjun', and the sulfur is called 'Yanghou'. When the two things meet in the furnace, it is a game of yin and yang that help each other. As for the occurrence of fried tripods recorded in the Dan book, most of them are caused by the addition of other raw materials, or the quality is not pure. ”

Wang Yuan was confused when he listened, and looked at the flowers in the fog.

"What does Zhang Zhenren mean is that saltpeter sulfur is still of good quality?" Wang Yuandao.

"Exactly, please look, the old man will make a comparison for you. Part of the saltpeter in this bowl arrived from the capital, and part of it was purchased from the nitrate people in Jiannan. But these two saltpeters are very different. ”

Zhang Zhengyi scooped a small spoonful of crushed saltpeter powder with a small medicine spoon, and ordered the boy to take a piece of firewood to sprinkle the powder in the medicine spoon on the red charcoal, and after a while, he saw that the saltpeter powder burned violently, emitting a bright flame, and the fire was fleeting, and the air was filled with a pungent smell.

"See?" Zhang Zhengyi.

Wang Yuan wondered, could this show anything?

Liu Xun was upright and asked directly: "Zhang Zhenren, what are you looking at?" ”

"Haven't you noticed the color of the flame?" Zhang Zhengyi frowned and said, with a bit of helplessness in his expression for Niu playing the piano.

"I don't see it clearly." Liu Xun straightened. Zhang Zheng looked at Wang Yuan, and Wang Yuan also shook his head.

Zhang Zhengyi: "Okay, then try again." Then he scooped a pinch of powder with a small spoon, put it on top of the sparkling charcoal, and said, "Look at it." With that, he sprinkled the powder gently.

The charcoal once again emitted a bright flame, and the flame was fleeting, and then died down in an instant.

"See?" Zhang Zhenren asked.

"This flame is like yellow with purple in the middle of it...... It's a little different. Wang Yuan said in surprise.

"It's still handsome and has good eyesight, that's exactly the case. This shows that the quality of this saltpeter powder is not pure, the real saltpeter is purple when it burns when it is burned, and the flame in this saltpeter powder is purple and yellow, and the old man suspects that this saltpeter is mixed with a large amount of miscanthus salt. The miscanthus salts are yellow and flame when they are fired, and there is white powder after burning. Lo and behold, the charcoal was covered with white powder, which must have been caused by miscanthus. "Zhang Zhengyi.

Wang Yuan suddenly recalled some of the vague effects of chemistry experiments in middle school, purple was the color of potassium ions, and yellow was the color of sodium ions. The composition of real saltpeter is potassium nitrate, so it is purple flame when it encounters fire, and miscanthus nitrate is sodium nitrate, which is yellow when exposed to fire, which is also the method used by middle school chemistry teachers to distinguish potassium ions and sodium ions. What really surprised Wang Yuan was that in the Tang Dynasty many years ago, there were Fang Shi who used this way to identify two substances in front of him, if he didn't see it with his own eyes, it would be really incredible.

"In terms of old decay, this is the problem that has always plagued the alchemy effectiveness of the monks. Alchemy is used for saltpeter, and if it is mixed with miscanthus salt, it cannot play the effect of yin and yang of the prince and the marquis, so why some monks can practice the golden pill, and some can't practice, it must be because of the confusion between the two things. Zhang Zhengyi said eloquently.

A surprised shout came from outside the house: "Oh, it turned out to be this reason, but it solved the confusion in my heart, Zhang Zhenren really has some doorways." ”

Everyone was stunned and looked at the door, but saw a thin old man in a long robe and a square scarf walking into the door, his beard and eyebrows tangled together, and he was very sloppy.

"It turned out to be Jiang Zhenren. What are you doing here. Zhang Zhengyi said with a smile.

That Jiang Zhenren was also one of the monks invited by the Fangshi, and he strode in and said loudly: "I heard that the handsome man is coming, and the old man came to join in the fun." Handsome, the old Jiang Wuji is polite. ”

Wang Yuan also knew this alchemist, and his sloppy appearance was actually very impressive. So he arched his hand and said: "Jiang Zhenren is polite." ”

Jiang Zhenren leaned over to Zhang Zhengyi and praised him: "You still have real skills, and I also suspect that saltpeter is impure." What you just said woke me up. Do you remember the one ten days ago in the evening? A small part of the potion burned violently, but most of it did not react, and I suspected that the raw material was impure. Now that you're saying that, I kind of get it. It turned out that we had been busy for more than a month, and we were all pitted by this impure saltpeter. ”

Zhang Zhengyi: "Jiang Zhenren, you can't be completely so arbitrary, I'm just speculating." ”

"What's there to speculate about? That's because of this saltpeter. The ones shipped from the capital are all defective products, and these cans collected by the willow steward are the real saltpeter. Let's mix it up, but it's counterproductive. I thought that all the goods shipped from the capital were good, but in fact, most of them were miscanthus salt. Jiang Zhenren said loudly.

Wang Yuan frowned and said, "What's the matter?" ”

Liu Xun hurriedly said: "When the scholars came from the capital, Mrs. Guo purchased a batch of saltpeter sulfur and other raw materials to bring them over. Didn't the marshal ask Mrs. Guo to purchase these things from the capital? I'm afraid we don't have these things in Jiannan. ”

Wang Yuan said: "Yes, could it be that Mrs. Guo bought the wrong one?" ”

"It's not that Mrs. Guo bought it wrong, it's that no one can tell the truth of saltpeter. It's exactly the same in your hand, who can tell the difference? so that I can't make out the discernment. I just heard Zhang Zhenren say this. I was enlightened. It's no wonder that several furnaces with good results are all locally purchased saltpeter, and the saltpeter from the capital used in front of it has been refined into a big black lump of unknown things. Jiang Zhenren smacked his lips.

Wang Yuan still didn't understand, and Liu Xunzhi further explained: "That's the case, Dashuai." Saltpeter and sulfur were consumed very quickly, so I bought some from the private sector. From this point of view, the saltpeter of the common people is the real saltpeter. ”

Wang Yuan said: "Then what are you waiting for?" All the saltpeter bought from the people, it is better to ask them where they mined it, but you can order someone to mine it directly. ”

Liu Xunzhi smiled awkwardly: "My handsome, is that easy?" There are only two saltpeter mining places that I know of in Datang. One is in the salty soil mountain north of Danchang, and there is a saltpeter cave on the west peak of Zhongnan Mountain. Now it seems that the saltpeter in Zhongnan Mountain is unusable, and Danchang is far away in Anxi, how can it be mined? ”

Wang Yuan frowned and said, "Didn't you just say that the private sector can buy it?" Where did the people come from? ”

Zhang Zhengyi interjected with a smile: "Dashuai doesn't know that the saltpeter of the people is the nitrate that grows around the pig barn and horse stables and even the thatched house where the animal is used in the corner of the house. Folks call it frost. Exactly why frost grows in such a place, the old decay does not understand. The people swept the frosty soil, put it in a wooden barrel, added water, filtered out the dust, and then boiled or dried the water to obtain saltpeter powder. The quantity is pitiful, but the price is very high, and it will not work by relying on this method alone. ”

Wang Yuan can be regarded as a long knowledge, it turns out that saltpeter can be obtained by the toilet of the pigsty, which has never been heard of. However, this kind of saltpeter should be the purest saltpeter, which is the raw material needed, although the quantity is not much, but there is no good way for a while, and can only use this stupid method to get the ratio of gunpowder first. After the refining is successful, the second step of large-scale refining can be considered, and the source of pure saltpeter can only be slowly figured out in the future.

"Steward Liu, continue to buy frost, mobilize the people to sweep the frost soil to boil saltpeter, such a big Jiannan, should be able to get a lot. In addition, in order to save raw materials, the ten furnaces should not be burned together, headed by Zhang Zhenren and Jiang Zhenren, each leading several Fangshi to open a furnace, and they must refine the fire party. Whoever is the first to refine it, I will build him the largest Dan furnace in Jiannan for him to refine the elixir. I have covered everything so that he can concentrate on alchemy, and it is best to practice the golden pill of immortality. Wang Yuan ordered in a deep voice.

"Ha, that must have been my success. Zhang Zhenren, I won't let you do this. Jiang Zhenren said excitedly.

Zhang Zhengyi said lightly: "That's not necessarily you." The old decay will also be the case. ”