"Captain, why did you give the gunpowder recipe to those spies?" Dong Yongnian's tone was serious, and his expression was also very serious.

A day ago, Dong Yongnian got the recipe to give to the spy. The ratio of one sulfur, two nitro and two charcoal, these ingredients are crushed, mixed with buckwheat juice and kneaded into pieces, dried in the shade, and then cut into cubes. The main part of the recipe that Dong Yongnian got was actually the correct way to make granular gunpowder. Although there are other parts that may not be quite right. For example, charcoal is made from oily wood, but not too oily wood.

After reading this part, Dong Yongnian said at that time that he would not agree to give this to the spy. Unless someone from above gives him a clear explanation. Dong Yongnian, Ding Fei and others, who had a firm attitude, were sent to Zhao Jiaren. Zhao Jiaren admitted as soon as he opened his mouth, "I decided to give them this formula." ”

Even if it was confirmed that it was Zhao Jiaren's order, Dong Yongnian did not relax in the slightest, and he asked solemnly: "Taiwei, why did you give the gunpowder formula to those spies?"

Zhao Jiaren was not angry because he was questioned, the young man was so responsible, he liked it very much. So Zhao Jiaren explained: "There are many reasons. For example, this gunpowder cannot be kept secret forever. So it's good for us to be selective to the Mongols. For example, we want to close the net, but we have to have a reason. If the theft of gunpowder had been confirmed, the Mongols would not have been suspicious. They will think that we are chasing after the fact, rather than knowing it in the first place. Anyway, it's a combination of things. ”

"But if this thing is sent to the battlefield, will we have more deaths?" Dong Yongnian asked.

This question made Zhao Jiaren unhappy, and he replied coldly. "If you think that the battlefield is a place where people never die, you are only saying that it is your delusion. No matter how bad the gunpowder of the Mongols was, it was not that they did not understand gunpowder. We can't go without dying. ”

Dong Yongnian heard Zhao Jiaren's unhappiness, and he hurriedly changed his words: "Tai Lieutenant." Mongolia got the gunpowder formula, will it be equipped with artillery on a large scale? ”

This question is quite reliable, Zhao Jiaren nodded, and replied slowly: "Weapons and equipment are always the most expensive. But this is not necessarily the case with the military industry. If the Mongols dared to build artillery on a large scale, it would only make the Mongols' consumption more and more large. I think it's very likely that the Mongols will fall under this kind of reckless militarism. As for the extra bit of artillery they produced, it couldn't change the tide of the war at all. ”

“…… Please also make it clear to the Captain. Dong Yongnian didn't understand, but he felt that he didn't seem to understand.

Zhao Jiaren didn't want to talk about it anymore. In order to be able to convince senior cadres, he has wasted a lot of tongues. For doing useless work, Zhao Jiaren felt that he had had enough. was about to let these young boys hurry up and do what they should do, but Zhao Jiaren was inexplicably moved. "Every link, every piece of equipment, every product that we use to produce artillery and gunpowder is a part of what our other producers can produce. For the Mongols, however, each of them was responsible for the entire artisan. So our cost is 30% or 10% or less than in Mongolia. If the Mongols want to maintain the same production as we do, their consumption will have to increase indefinitely. ”

Although this rhetoric cannot be called highly condensed, it was also summed up by Zhao Jiaren when he talked with senior cadres. After finishing speaking, Zhao Jiaren looked at several young cadres in the room. He didn't know if it was his own delusion, the young man was thinking hard, but he didn't have a feeling of being completely unclear. This made Zhao Jiaren have to ask, "What do you think of this?" ”

"Because we have engineers, right?" Dong Yongnian replied hesitantly.

Zhao Jiaren leaned back in his chair. This answer is not correct, but it points to an important point.

Following Dong Yongnian, Ding Fei also spoke, "Tai Lieutenant." The Mongols have only experience, not theory. They can't do it if they don't. ”

As soon as I heard this, I learned it from Ding Yu's side, and it was the standard answer that Ding Yu heard from Zhao Jiaren's side. Zhao Jiaren was not disappointed by this, and before becoming an intellectual, he had to go through the process of knowing the element. In this day and age, a person who knows the right thing is also precious.

In the face of the intellectuals, Zhao Jiaren decided to end the conversation, "Compared with us, the Mongols can only produce products with inferior quality and high price. With the culture and attitude of the Mongols, they will only use manpower savagely, which will cause more waste. So I'm not worried about the Mongols competing with us for productivity. If there's anything to worry about, I'm just worried that the Mongols won't be able to compete with us. If you understand this, let's arrange it. ”

Coming out of Zhao Jiaren's side, Dong Yongnian was quite moved at first. But after he accepted the specific task, he thought about it carefully, and felt that there seemed to be something wrong with Zhao Jiaren's words. The low efficiency of Mongolia does not mean that Mongolia cannot increase the production and power of Mongolian artillery after obtaining inferior gunpowder formulas. Dong Yongnian's question of 'increasing casualties for his own people' that Dong Yongnian cared about the most was actually not clearly answered.

However, Dong Yongnian didn't dare to go back and ask. If you dwell on this matter again, it will be to accuse Zhao Jiaren of ignoring the lives and deaths of soldiers. That's a disrespectful attitude.

The delivery process was very smooth, and after reading the paper that had neatly written the production process, Wang Tongxiang folded the paper and put it in his arms. Then he said to Dong Yongnian: "Brother Dong, I got the things." That's all for today. ”

Dong Yongnian hurriedly asked about the 'reward'. Wang Tongxiang smiled, "I don't know if this recipe works, how can I give you money." Rest assured, if it really works, you will definitely get the money. ”

Hearing this, Dong Yongnian had an expression of gain and loss. When this meeting was over, when Dong Yongnian went against the same path as this fellow spy, he sighed slightly. If he hadn't joined the Anti-Traitor Committee, he would have been bluffed by his fellow spies. After joining, everyone analyzed how the Mongols had the ability to effectively manipulate the intelligence network thousands of miles apart. As for the control of Dong Yongnian's parents, it is also quite implausible, how long the Mongols controlled the Great Song Dynasty, and it is impossible to grasp the detailed household registration information of the Great Song Dynasty. Moreover, with the number of people in Mongolia's hands who can read, they do not have the ability to make detailed inquiries.

Based on these, Dong Yongnian also understands that the hundreds of yuan promised by the spy fellow are simply empty words. Thinking that he was actually intimidated by such a bastard who was full of nonsense before, Dong Yongnian felt quite ashamed.

In the days that followed, Mongolia's intelligence networks in Fuzhou and Quanzhou began to be devastated. Listening to the report, Handsome Boyan looked at the gunpowder formula in his hand and said nothing from beginning to end. There were not many Southern Song Dynasty ministers who really spies for the Mongols, and the big cannibals even took the initiative to come up and say that they would cooperate with the Mongols and provide intelligence transmission services. They were killed by Zhao Jiaren, and the boss of Boyan was neither distressed nor the slightest self-blame.

If he knew that the Great Cannibal was convinced that the Southern Song Dynasty would be defeated and expected to occupy the second rank in the fourth-class system that was about to be built, he would have been destroyed by the Great Song Dynasty. He's probably going to say, 'You're thinking that, it's making me desperate.'"

Of course, with Boyan's handsome character, he is more likely to continue to remain silent. Because the value of the gunpowder formula in his hand is more important to Mongolia than those who eat the Great Song and drink the Great Song and betray the Great Song Dynasty.

Ordered someone to call Zhang Hongfan, and Boyan handed him the gunpowder formula, "Let those craftsmen prepare it immediately." ”

Zhang Hongfan looked at the formula, and his brows were already slightly wrinkled. He didn't take the order immediately, but said, "Dashuai, this saltpeter is not easy to find. ”

Saltpeter was originally written as "eliminating stone" and was used as medicine during the Warring States period. Its chemical composition is potassium nitrate. Saltpeter in nature is often formed by the decomposition of nitrogen-containing organic matter in the soil under the action of bacteria, oxidized into nitric acid, and then combined with potassium in the soil. In the crisp autumn season, it usually precipitates out in the form of a crust or salt flower, covering the ground and the foot of the wall, which is called frost. Especially in the corners near pigsties, stables, and toilets.

The nitrate people sweep this kind of soil containing nitrate, put it in a bucket, and soak it in water. After filtration, the filtrate is boiled or dried to obtain saltpeter crystals. Zhao Jiaren has always done this, especially after having a microscope, the selection of strain culture is more powerful. In addition to the effective production of saltpeter, sodium nitrite can be produced more effectively for food preservation.

For more than a year, saltpeter has been transported mainly from the dry areas of southern Fusozhou. Although the cost of mining and transporting saltpeter in Fusozhou is not low, it is still much lower than the cost of biological production. Even so, Zhao Jiaren's side is just enough. Mongolia, which does not have saltpeter mines and no production theory, is even more difficult to obtain saltpeter on a large scale.

Zhang Hongfan came into contact with artillery relatively early, and he also paid more attention to the configuration of gunpowder, and knew that the amount of saltpeter was very large when he looked at the formula, so he immediately put forward his own opinions.

Boyan asked, "The saltpeter from all over the south of the Yangtze River has been collected?" ”

"Saltpeter is all in the pharmacy. Now there is nothing left in the pharmacy. Zhang Hongfan replied very decisively. The Mongol soldiers under his command had robbed everything they could get their hands on. There are no hairs left in places like pharmacies for a long time, and now the only ones who have not started large-scale looting are the population of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Boyan never talked nonsense about clear things, and he gave instructions, "Now it's a trial to make it, and it won't take much saltpeter." I'll get the north to ship it to us as soon as possible. You also send someone to ask the Song people who makes saltpeter, and when you find it, ask them to make tribute saltpeter. ”

Even though he knew that it was difficult, Zhang Hongfan understood that he couldn't find a better way, and he bowed his head and replied, "Obey." "So I went out to run errands.

A few days later, the granular gunpowder made according to the recipe was taken out and used on the captured Song artillery, and the test firing effect was much stronger than that of the gunpowder made by the Mongols. Marshal Zhang Hongfan and Marshal Boyan were both overjoyed by this. As for the gap between their own gunpowder and Zhao Jiaren, both of them think that there must be some secret in this. It's okay to think about it slowly.

In the Ninety-Nine Double Yang, Marshal Ashu launched an attack on Yangzhou again.