Not long after Li Shousheng left, Deng She had just returned to the backyard, and when Sanqian came to report again, Cui Yu asked to see him.

Cui Yu is a rare guest, since he took up the post of governor of the Yidu Ordnance Lifting Division, in the past few months, Deng She has seen him only three or five times in total. Moreover, most of the time, it was Deng She who remembered him and sent someone to summon him, and he was willing to come. In normal times, it is rare to see him take the initiative to come and ask for a meeting.

However, Cui Yu has a characteristic, he does not take the initiative to come to see, as long as he takes the initiative to come to see, he must have made new achievements and inventions in the research of gunpowder or firearms. Therefore, when Deng She heard this, he was overjoyed when he heard this, and said in a loud voice: "Invite him in, invite him in." "I circled around the room twice, couldn't wait, put on my clothes, and stepped outside. Standing in the courtyard, waiting for it.

It's not that Deng She doesn't have a city government, why is he so excited?

But more than half a month ago, he went to the Ordnance Lifting Division in person and saw Cui Yu once. Listening to Cui Yu's report on his recent work, listening to him talk about it, there has been a lot of progress in the research of gunpowder. When the results of this research come out, we will probably be able to make a new formula. Compared with the gunpowder recipes handed down from the former Song Dynasty and the existing ones of Meng Yuan, the power may be a little greater.

"If you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools." There is a strong enemy outside Yidu, Chahan's elite soldiers are fierce generals, and in the face of Chahan's threat, Deng She is under great pressure. If Cui Yu can really make some improvements in the formula of gunpowder, it will be equivalent to strengthening Haidong's military strength, and of course he can't ask for it.

Cui Yu does research all day long, and it stands to reason that he should be a pedant and should not pay too much attention to dressing up. It is true that he does not pay much attention to dressing up, but no matter when Dunshe sees him, he can always clean up his own body. He buried himself in the Ordnance Department day and night, dealing with gunpowder and firearms every day. Being in the middle of it all day, it should be dirty and not smack, but more or less, it should always be a little smoky, right? But he just doesn't, no matter when and where, when and where I see him, he is always spotless. At most, just like Li Shousheng just now, his eyes are dark and bloodshot to show that he often stays up late.

Coming to the hospital, Deng Shena looked at him. Sure enough, although he seemed to be a little floating when he walked, and he looked overworked, his face, hands, and body were all clean.

Cui Yu, like Hong Jixun, prefers white in the choice of color of clothes. He is a native of Dongning, Liaodong, and is also a native of Liaodong, and grew up in Liaodong since childhood. Liaodong is adjacent to Goryeo and Jurchen, and there are many Mongols in its territory. Most of the time, there is not much contact with Kannai. Therefore, even the Han Chinese, if they lived in it for a long time, they would inevitably be influenced by some Koreans, Jurchens and Mongols to a greater or lesser extent. And the Mongols and Jurchens are still white. Koreans also like to wear white. Cui Yu and Hong Jixun's preferences probably come from this.

Not only the two of them, but also many high-ranking eunuchs in Haidong Province, all of whom are from Liaodong, such as Tong Shengyang, Luo Lilang, Yang Xingjian, Liu Shimin, etc., they are naturally about the same in terms of clothing color preferences. The eunuchs and high-ranking officials, especially the civilian officials, liked to wear white clothes, which can also be regarded as a place that distinguishes Haidong Province from other separatist forces, and can be regarded as a different scenery.

Just a few days ago, Deng She also heard a sentence from Tong Shengyang's mouth, which was widely spread in Yidu. It was said like this: "Immediately the short clothes are more than Qi Zhao, and the city is a half-Liao person with a high hair." ”

"Immediately short clothes" refers to the heavy generals in the Haidong Army, most of whom are horse thieves or Red Turbans of the Northern Expedition, and come from the Guannei. "Qi Zhao", during the Warring States Period, two countries in the Yellow River Basin. "High bun in the city" refers to the civil officials, and more than half of the high-ranking officials in the city are from Liaodong.

"Short clothes right away", let's not talk about it. From this, it can also be seen that the power of the Liao people in Haidong. Going deeper, this actually indirectly shows that Deng She's policy in Liaodong is good. Otherwise, it would not have been possible to get the support of the scholars of Liaodong and gather so many talents.

Deng She looked at Cui Yu and said with a smile: "Governor Cui, why did you come to see me today?" You're a big rarity, and I can't see you a few times a month. It's rare to see you come on your own initiative. ......, isn't it your gunpowder recipe that has made new progress and made new research discoveries? ”

Cui Yu replied: "The lord is like a god. As the lord said, the gunpowder prescription made by the minister, because of the guidance of the lord last time, did achieve a little success. Therefore, I have come to see the lord and ask him to see the results. ”

"'A little bit of success?' Listening to Cui Yu's meaning, it is clear that it has been successfully developed. Deng She was overjoyed and said in a loud voice: "Good! Very good! Can I see the results? Did you bring the finished product with you? Take it out quickly. "Tell your entourage," quickly clear the courtyard. Governor Choi will be invited to show his skills. ”

There weren't too many things in the courtyard, and more than a dozen entourages worked together to quickly clear out a large open space. Before Cui Yu entered the mansion, he had handed over all the things he brought with him to Shi Sanqian. Shi Sanqian took it out and returned it to Cui Yu. At a glance, Deng She saw not only a few packets of gunpowder, but also two things that looked like mines. It is expected that Cui Yu used it for trial release in order to better express the power of the new gunpowder. didn't ask much, just urged Cui Yu to hurry up and start performing.

This landmine was a thing a long time ago, when he was still in Haidong, because of Deng She's suggestion, Cui Yu was able to invent and create it. Not long ago, Chahan attacked, and Yidu fought a battle, although because of the production, most of the battlefields have not had the opportunity to use it. However, in order to make up for the lack of the army, and to test the power, Deng She also specially transferred a part of it from the Ordnance Lifting Division and handed it over to Gao Yanshi and Li Zifan for use.

At the foot of Mount Tai, the mine won the first battle and played a great role, but at the same time, it also exposed a lot of problems.

Li Zifan recorded it and handed it over to Cui Yu. In view of its shortcomings, the Ordnance Lifting Division has also worked overtime to make some improvements to it. Now that the improvement has been successful, and a new type of gunpowder has just been developed, which has become more powerful, just as Deng Shezhi expected, Cui Yu simply took it over and asked him to take a look by the way.

Cui Yu picked up the gunpowder packets first, opened them one by one, put them in front of Deng She, pointed them out, and introduced: "These are the first two in line, that is, the new gunpowder that the minister has successfully improved. It's all thanks to the lord's advice. The minister increased the composition of nitrate, reduced the composition of sulfur and charcoal, and removed all other sundries. After many explorations and experiments, I have found a relatively stable ratio.

"This one can be used for artillery firing. The proportioning method is one catty of nitrate, two taels of sulfur, and three taels of charcoal. This one can be used for firing firearms. The proportioning method is one pound of nitrate, two or four dollars of sulfur, and two two or seven dollars of charcoal. With these two new proportioning methods, the power of gunpowder has indeed been greatly improved! ”

Deng She had heard the name "*" and knew that the so-called "*" was composed entirely of the ratio of nitrate, sulfur and charcoal. I also know that among them, the composition of nitrate should be the most, about seven or eight percent. But I don't remember the exact number of proportions for a long time.

Hearing Cui Yu say this, he asked, "Why is the amount of nitrate used in the cannon and the gun different in these two recipes?" ”

"The nitrate is mainly straight, and the sulfonal is mainly horizontal. The one who is straight in sex is the main striker; The one who is sexually aggressive, the main crit. Artillery needs to be fired from a distance, and the longer the range, the better, so in the recipe of its gunpowder, the content of nitrate should be a little more. As for the firebolt, the distance that needs to be fired is far less than that of the artillery, a little less nitrate, a little more sulfur, but it is conducive to expanding the range that it can reach after the iron is fired. Yes, the two formulations are different. ”

"Oh." The nitrate is mainly straight, and the sulfonal is mainly horizontal. 'What about the charcoal?' "Interlaced like a mountain, Deng She really didn't know anything about it, and he didn't feel interested, so he rarely opened his mouth once, and asked Cui Yu about some gunpowder and firearms professional questions.

"The carbonaceous main combustion, burning helps eruption. If this nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal are compared, then nitrate will be like a king, and sulfur and charcoal will be like a minister. The Elixir of Fire, one monarch and two ministers. Fierce and charcoal. If it is good to use sulfur, it will be as good as the lord and the military ministers are good, and it can be used to relieve diseases; If you use charcoal well, you will use it well, just like the lord and the minister, and you can collect the miracle of bombing. Although there are two ways of civil and military, they lose to the sovereign. ”

The gunpowder formula is very boring to outsiders. But when Cui Yu said this, it was full of fun. Deng She laughed, nodded at him, and said, "'There is a specialization in the art industry. 'Governor Cui, explain it to me clearly in a few words. You've got a lot of flavors. The 'thunder shock' of the true self is also. ”

"The prescription of gunpowder, this is just a small way and a small technique. The lord praised it, but the minister didn't dare to be it. ”

"How can it be said to be a trail? How can it be said to be a small technique? Nearly, your gunpowder can establish merit for me before the army; Far from it, if it is written, it can be passed on to future generations and learned and used by future generations. Since there is no 'order' in the Tao, how can there be 'big and small'? The country is the road! ”

No matter how good gunpowder is done, no matter how many inventions and creations there are, in their eyes, they are just "a skill", and if they hate it, they are more likely to be denounced as "strange and skillful". I don't say "the great way", I am afraid that even the "right way" will be difficult to enter. Deng She said something and praised Cui Yu. Cui Yu was very excited, knelt down to thank him, and said: "The lord's excessive praise is not daring to be a minister." However, if the minister's learning, he can really 'benefit the country', which is what the minister wants. ”

"Haha!" Dunshe waved him up, looked at the gunpowder again, and asked, "......, there are quite a few gunpowder packets you have brought with you." There are as many as six ,......, one, two, and three. You said that the two just now were new gunpowder, but what are the next ones? ”

"These two are gunpowder recipes that can be used during fire attacks. These two are the poisonous gunpowder formulas that the minister has recently developed. ”

The formula of gunpowder, in terms of firing power alone, is, of course, the purer the better, and it is best to use only nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal. However, depending on the application, it does not mean that other ingredients cannot be added at all. For example, when it is not used for fire guns and artillery, when it is used for fire attack, it will flame in the wind and burn people's clothes and armor. Compared with the explosive power of gunpowder, it is necessary to focus more on its "burning" side.

"Shooting gunpowder" is not the same as "burning gunpowder". It is obviously not possible to add impurities to the "firing gunpowder", which is not conducive to "long-range and close shots", and will reduce the power of the launch. However, in the "burning gunpowder", if light coal, black bean straw ash and other combustible and flammable substances can be added according to a certain proportion, not only will it not be less powerful, but it will be more effective, and the purpose of burning the enemy, burning the enemy's camp and baggage can be achieved to a greater extent.

This is the case with the two "fire attack" formulas that Cui Yu researched. Deng She didn't understand this, only that he added a certain amount of black bean straw ash and the like to one of them; The other added light coal, etc. After the introduction, the two packets of poisoned gunpowder were introduced.

As the name suggests, "poison powder", poison added to the formula. The two packets of gunpowder are both poisonous gunpowder, but they are different. One is more focused on "poison" and the other is more focused on "explosion".

"Explosion", that is, "explosive gunpowder". It is also different from "firing gunpowder" and "burning gunpowder", when gunpowder is burned, it can be used to "shoot fire on the ground, spit out smoke and smoke all over the village", and it is specially used to "rush into battle and rob the village".

The one that focuses on "poison" is added with Nanxingzi, finless porpoise oil, croton, *, etc. According to Cui Yu's introduction, after the application is released, it can have the effect of "the enemy smells its breath, faints and lies down, and burns the skin and flesh". The toxicity is very strong. The one that focuses on the "explosion" not only adds poison, but also adds more things that help the explosion momentum, such as stone yellow, realgar, borax and the like.

These two "poisonous gunpowders" obviously can't be tested in front of Deng She. Deng She left it behind, handed it to Shi Sanqian, and told him to go back and find an open place to get some chickens and ducks, which could be regarded as an experiment.

Cui Yu introduced the category of gunpowder and took the two mine-style things. Then they introduced each other, and said, "So that the lord may know." The one on the left is an improved mine, and the one on the right is a modified grenade. A new type of gunpowder for all uses. Not only has the power of the mine increased greatly, but even this grenade is not small, and it seems that it is enough to be used for military purposes. ”

Although Deng She mentioned it to Cui Yu, limited to the power of gunpowder, Cui Yu has never been able to research out the officially usable grenade.

Of course, mines can also be converted into grenades, which are burned with fuses anyway. Gao Yanshi and Li Zifan, including Deng She, did use this when they were guarding Yidu City. However, the mines were too large to be thrown, and they had to be thrown either with a trebuchet or with a strong man. However, if you simply pursue small size, but because of the lack of gunpowder filling, the power is insufficient.

Tracing the history of grenades, as early as the Song Dynasty, there were "fireballs", which were pasted with multiple layers of paper, cloth, etc., and then thrown by manpower after ignition, and the spheres exploded and generated flames to kill and injure enemy soldiers. Later, the Song people developed the "earth-shaking thunder". The shell is wrapped with pig iron, and the fuse is installed, and the length of the lead is determined according to the distance of the target when used. It can be fired with a trebuchet or thrown by hand. When detonated, it can blast the pig iron shell to pieces and pierce the iron armor. This is equivalent to the concept of "grenade" that Deng She knew in later generations, but it depends on the composition of gunpowder at that time, and it may not be too powerful.

And now Cui Yu has succeeded in improving gunpowder, and the power of gunpowder has been improved, and the research on the mine has made a big breakthrough because of this, and it has gradually changed from experimental nature to military use. Deng She liked it even more, and said, "And light the fire, throw it out for me to see, see the power." ”

Cui Yu wanted to test the landmine for Deng She first, "sugar cane is sweet", and put the good things behind. At this time, seeing Deng She say this, he changed the order and tried to let go of the grenade first.

Compared with the previous bulky style, this newly developed grenade is indeed much smaller and lighter. Even a scholar like Cui Yu can pick it up and throw it.

The guards brought out a suit of armor and placed it with sticks. Cui Yu opened the fire fold, dotted the lead of the grenade, aimed at the armor, and threw it far away. Just under it. After three or two breaths, the grenade exploded. The sound is not small. The courtyard was surrounded by a wall, and the vibration of it continued to echo, mixed with the sound of the explosion, adding a little momentum. Deng She rubbed his ears and said with great interest, "And bring the armor and the grenade that exploded." So I can watch it carefully. ”

Two retinues ran over, one carrying armor and the other with a grenade. Dunshe took a closer look. There was a piece of iron in the grenade, and when it exploded, the piece of iron flew out and embedded in the armor. However, perhaps because the gunpowder was not powerful enough, the depth of the iron piece embedded in the armor was not too deep. Although two or three cracks were blown up, in general, there was not much damage to the armor.

Cui Yu said: "On the battlefield, how many soldiers have no armor to wear. Chen has experimented on cotton armor and other materials, and the destructive power of grenades on cotton armor will be a little greater. ”

Deng She didn't have any hope, using the existing gunpowder, he could make a grenade, throw it out, and blow it up. He was already very satisfied with such an effect, and asked with a smile: "Can the gunpowder used in this grenade also use 'poisonous gunpowder'?" ”

This can certainly be used. Cui Yu replied: "The same can be used." Among the grenades that the minister tried to make, there was a formula for using poisonous gunpowder, but he didn't use it. Deng She was even more satisfied, and said: "I don't need it to explode the armor, as long as it can release poisonous smoke and explode loudly enough, it is enough!" ”

The explosion is loud enough to be thrown, and even if it doesn't hurt enough, it can at least frighten the enemy. It's even better if you run into an enemy cavalry. People can be restrained when they are frightened, but war horses can be restrained when they are frightened? In addition, it can release poisonous smoke, disperse with the wind, and diffuse it in a large area, which can also greatly reduce the combat effectiveness of the enemy's soldiers.

"What about mines? I took it aside and lit it up. ”

Mines are large and powerful. After the explosion, the ground was full of debris, iron pieces and stone bullets. The walls of the courtyard were affected, and small holes were smashed one by one. The courtyard was filled with smoke. The guards and entourage, all of them were as white as earth. After a while, my ears were still ringing.

Shi Sanqian praised: "What a big reputation." It's almost time for the thunder. What a thunderbolt! ”

Cui Yu was modest, gave in a few words, and said: "This mine, the lord knows, and it can also be used for poisonous gunpowder." It's just that there is one more thing about grenades, which needs to be played to the lord. ”

Seeing that the new gunpowder was used, and the power of the mines had indeed been greatly improved, Deng She was in a good mood and asked, "What's the matter?" ”

Cui Yu said: "This grenade brought by the minister today is made with special precision. It was made by the ministers themselves. Therefore, after exploding, the iron pieces are scattered, and the power is not small. However, if it is made in large quantities, it is still because of gunpowder, but not every one of them will have such an effect. The minister has tried, but there are also cases where although they are blown up, they are only blown in two, and the iron pieces placed inside the grenade cannot be better dispersed because of this. ”

"It's a small thing. I didn't want to use it to kill the enemy, but as long as it was loud enough to release poisonous smoke. ”

"Although the minister buried himself in ordnance and gunpowder, he also knew that the lord had recently taken measures to 'rank system' and 'rebuild morale'. The minister is not talented, a little ugly, and wants to invite the lord to play. ”

Deng She turned his eyes to look at Cui Yu and couldn't help but feel strange. Unexpectedly, he buried himself in gunpowder and firearms all day long, seemingly "ignoring what was going on outside the window", and he also cared about the national policy. Laughing: "What's the best idea?" Let's just talk about it. Cui Yu replied: "All firearms manufactured by the Ordnance Lifting Division, according to the instructions of the lord, whether it is artillery or firearms, are engraved with inscriptions such as the manufacturing organization, the manufacturer, the supervisor, the manufacturing time, the number, the charge, and the amount of ammunition. This is indeed good governance. The quality of firearms is well ensured. ”

The provincial and provincial ordnance lifting divisions have a number of firearms factories under their jurisdiction. The firearms used in the Haidong Army were all made from them.

Makers, i.e., craftsmen involved in manufacturing; The superintendent, i.e. the steward of the firearms factory. Haidong military law stipulates that if a firearm made by a craftsman has made meritorious contributions on the battlefield, after the war, the craftsman and the supervisor will be rewarded. On the battlefield, if an inferior firearm is found in the process of use, the maker and the supervisor will also be punished accordingly.

Deng She nodded, not knowing why he turned the topic to the manufacture of firearms again, and did not speak, but listened to him continue: "The lord has promulgated the 'military rank system', and I heard that there is a plan to introduce the 'civil rank system'. Whoever offers a certain amount of corn, or a certain amount of money, or a certain amount of land, which is useful to the state, is also intended to be given a 'people's title.' Why not add an item to the inscription of the firearm, and add a 'donor' note? In this way, if there are officials and gentry who are willing to donate money to help us make firearms in Haidong, won't they also be able to show their names and show honor? ”

Engrave the name of a donor to encourage the gentry and the common people to donate actively. If the law is properly implemented, it will be enough to reduce the financial pressure on the province. Deng She smiled: "This proposal is very good! After a moment's silence, he added, "If you want to add it, you can simply add one." 'Inventor', or 'Recommender'. ”

Whoever invents a firearm will also have the name of the person inscribed on it. Highlight their abilities and praise their merits. Deng She also said just now, "The country is a great road", and this idea came to mind this measure, which can be regarded as exactly what it means. Yin smiled again: "At present, I, Haidong Lei Zhenzi, are still the only one with you, Cui Yu." All kinds of new firearms and gunpowder are mostly developed for you. With this strategy, your name will spread throughout the army and Haidong with thousands of firearms. ”

Who doesn't like to be famous?

When Cui Yu heard this, although he was frightened, he couldn't help but be proud, and he was proud, and said: "The minister came to Haidong by himself, that is, he won the lord's reuse." Daily needs, and as long as the minister has a request, the lord will respond. If there is no trust of the lord, even if the minister likes this way, he will disappear into oblivion. The merits of the ministers are really because of the lord. If you really want to engrave 'recommend the creator' on the firearm, the minister really does not dare to claim his credit. ”

Deng She smiled, that is, the will was dictated, and the entourage polished the text, and sent the envoy to the provincial privy council. The Provincial Privy Council then sends it to the Provincial Privy Council, which in turn transfers it to the Ordnance Divisions of each Province. As the saying goes: the last word of the Lord, the wind and clouds are moving below.

Let's talk about it, and before you know it, it's dusk. Deng She left Cui Yu to eat. During the banquet, he explained that it was necessary to communicate with the provincial Privy Council as soon as possible, and it was necessary to quickly put it into large-scale production, and deliver it to the military as soon as possible for training and use. In order to strive for the formation of combat effectiveness before the next Chahan comes.

Cui Yu took the order awe-inspiringly. After the meal, he said goodbye.

——

1, immediately most of them are Qi Zhaoke, white-clothed semi-Liao people in the city.

Under Zhu Yuanzhang's command, most of the civil and military officials were Huai people. Therefore, Liu Ji wrote such a poem: "Immediately there are many Chukes in short clothes, and there are people with high hair and half Huai in the city." "Chu Ke", the Huaisi area was the state of Chu during the Warring States period.