Daming: If I find a great-grandson, I will teach an emperor through the ages

Chapter 150 Give Zhu Yuanzhang a chemistry lesson
However, according to the data calculated by Cao Wei, the feasibility of this method is still very high.

The only key point is the production of this new type of artillery shell and the manufacturing process of the barrel rifling.

Compared with muskets, artillery is too big, and all parts require a lot of effort to produce.

However, no matter how difficult the road to artillery improvement is, Cao Wei must lead people to smooth this road!

After collecting enough soil salt, Cao Wei declined the invitation from the villagers of Zhengkan Village to stay and led everyone back to the western suburbs compound.

Afterwards, Cao Wei first produced the drawings of the new artillery mount and barrel and handed them over to many craftsmen for production.

And he himself found a large amount of sucrose and began to try to process white sugar.

The emergence of sugar can be traced back to the Western Zhou Dynasty in Chinese historical data. At that time, people called it "Yi". In the Tang Dynasty, sugar was produced independently. It was boiled with sugar cane juice and was also called sucrose.

In today's Ming Dynasty, the sugar people eat is still sucrose, and white sugar would not be produced until the Jiajing period.

If Cao Wei wants to get sugar, he has to make it himself.

Fortunately, the conversion process from sucrose to white sugar is not complicated. It only needs to be smelted again, separated by high-speed rotation, purified, and dried.

There are various equipment and steam engines in the manufacturing bureau. It is not difficult for Cao Wei to complete this process.

The reason why Cao Wei wanted to make sugar at this time was naturally not to satisfy his appetite, but to make cannonballs.

Most people only know that white sugar can provide energy to the human body, but in fact, after simple processing, white sugar can be made into high explosives by adding potassium nitrate!
This method of making explosives was still used by people in later generations.

During the war in Syria, the opposition began to use white sugar to make simple weapons due to a long-term shortage of weapons and ammunition.

The production method is very simple. Those weapons masters boil sugar in a pot, boil it into syrup, and then add potassium nitrate and other combustion aids according to the proportion, and then easily make grenades.

In his previous life, Cao Wei once saw a teacher doing an experiment on burning sugar and potassium nitrate in school.

At that time, Cao Wei only watched it for fun, never expecting that he would imitate those weapons masters in this life.

As for the potassium nitrate used to make explosives from sugar, in layman's terms, it is fire nitrate and soil nitrate. Potassium nitrate can be made from these nitrates, soil and plant ash.

To put it more simply, saltpeter is old mud. It is usually found at the foot of houses, along walls, on cliff edges, in caves, and even in the corners of livestock stalls.

This old mud itself contains potassium nitrate, but some means must be used to separate the potassium nitrate component.

The separation method is also very simple, which is to rinse the collected nitrate soil with water, then use gauze and plant ash to filter out impurities, and then put the filtered liquid into a vessel and heat it, and the final crystallization is potassium nitrate.

In addition, potassium nitrate can not only be used to make high explosives, but also has certain medical uses. Because potassium nitrate can inhibit bacteria, it is often used as a preservative in later generations.

Cao Wei couldn't help but think of the many alchemists who made alchemy in ancient times. The materials they refined were also diverse, including not only various metals, but also mud, sugar, salt, and even animal feces.

From time to time, there will be explosions when refining elixirs, possibly because of the unintentional preparation of strong gunpowder.

It's just that this kind of explosion has never attracted people's attention, otherwise China might have invented explosives hundreds of years ago.

What Cao Wei has to do now is to improve the artillery and make the power of the artillery shells even greater after mixing in sugar and potassium nitrate!

It's time for the Japanese to take the next step. When the new artillery is developed, it will definitely bring a big surprise to the Japanese!

Following Cao Wei's orders, the craftsmen began to make rifled artillery.

After a series of preparations, Cao Wei methodically made sugar and refined potassium nitrate...

After three days,
In the courtyard in the western suburbs, Cao Wei was performing the key steps of refining white sugar, rotating and separating.

I saw a huge closed boiler making a humming sound. Above the boiler was a connecting rod driven by a steam engine gear. One end was inserted into the boiler and was rotating at high speed.

Cao Wei and Wang Hu stood aside. Wang Hu held a booklet in his hand, which recorded the data results of several experiments.

"Om..."

The boiler connecting rod continues to rotate, and the boiler makes a stirring sound.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, the boiler can be stopped.

At this moment, out of the corner of Cao Wei's eye, he saw Zhu Xiongying walking in at the door, followed by Zhu Yuanzhang, and Jiang Wei and several Jinyi guards guarding the door.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness."

"Common people see you, your majesty, and you see your majesty."

Cao Wei and Wang Hu saluted Zhu Yuanzhang.

"No need to be polite," Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand casually, and then curiously turned his gaze to the buzzing boiler beside him.

"Cao Wei, what is this?"

Zhu Xiongying couldn't help sniffing his nose, "It smells so good."

Because the boiler is not completely sealed, the aroma produced by heating and stirring the sucrose inside is very obvious.

"Your Majesty, this is a process for me to develop gunpowder for cannonballs. Because the sucrose is heated in the boiler, the aroma will escape."

"sugar?"

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyebrows, "What does the development of gunpowder have to do with sugar?"

Hearing this, Cao Wei felt a little dizzy.

When he told Zhu Xiongying about the chemical reaction of sugar and potassium nitrate, he might still be able to understand it, but when he told Zhu Yuanzhang... he was afraid it would be wasted effort.

Cao Wei's trip to develop strong gunpowder was not reported to Zhu Yuanzhang because it was difficult to explain it to Lao Zhu.

But today Zhu Yuanzhang came in person, and Cao Wei couldn't be more interested.

"This... because developing gunpowder requires refining sucrose into white sugar. When white sugar is mixed with potassium nitrate extracted from saltpeter, a reaction will occur..." Cao Wei tried to explain to Zhu Yuanzhang.

And as soon as he was halfway through speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang was also confused by what he heard, and waved his hand to stop Cao Wei.

Sugar?Saltpeter?
What is potassium nitrate?
"Okay, no need to say anything, just do it, we won't understand even if you say it."

Zhu Yuanzhang said very generously that he came out today to relax, not to listen to Cao Wei's science popularization with him.

Zhu Xiongying couldn't help but chuckle as he listened.

There are things that Grandpa Huang is not good at.

"promise!"

Cao Wei responded, then faced the boiler again. Feeling that the time was almost up, he asked Wang Hu to stop the steam engine.

Wang Hu staggered the gears of the steelmaking and steam engines and pushed them aside, and the buzzing sound of the boiler stopped.

Cao Wei stepped forward and turned on the boiler. A stream of hot steam came out, and the fragrance became stronger.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Xiongying also came up and saw the scene inside the boiler.

Around the boiler, there are dark brown objects thrown out by stirring, which are the color of boiled sucrose, while in the center area, there are white powder particles.

Looking at these white silk powder particles, Zhu Yuanzhang asked aloud,

"Is this sugar?"

Cao Wei nodded, "Your Majesty, yes, it's just that the sugar is still a little wet and needs to be baked." As he said that, Cao Wei took out the sugar from the boiler and put it in a new container bake.

After a while, after the sugar was completely dry, Cao Wei took out some on a plate.

"White sugar is extracted from sucrose. It has higher sugar content. Your Majesty can have a taste." Cao Wei said with a chuckle.

Zhu Yuanzhang had enough trust in Cao Wei, and without hesitation, he pinched a little and put it in his mouth.

White sugar melts in your mouth, is sweeter than the original sucrose, and has no trace of the odor of sucrose.

"Well, not bad, it tastes great!" Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and commented.

Cao Wei handed the plate to Zhu Xiongying, "Your Highness, please try it too."

Zhu Xiongying imitated Zhu Yuanzhang, took a little and put it into his mouth, and immediately gave a thumbs up.

"sweet!"

Cao Wei couldn't help grinning, "If your highness likes it, I will refine some more and send them to the palace."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the sugar in Cao Wei's hand, but he was thinking about the commercial value of this sugar.

Sugar is similar to salt in that it is also a condiment. Needless to say, the commercial and strategic value of salt has been strictly controlled by the imperial court along with iron since ancient times.

The same is true for sugar. Even the previous cane sugar was not allowed to be sold privately by the private sector. It was only allowed to be sold by the government on a small scale for the consumption of the people.

Nowadays, white sugar obviously has a higher commercial value than sucrose. Once it comes out, it will definitely be robbed by the upper class.

And now that Ming Dynasty has opened the sea, sugar can also be sold overseas at high prices.

Just as the Ming Dynasty smelted steel, built ships, made muskets, and produced rails, a large part of the steel used was bought by the Ming Dynasty from overseas.

The porcelain, silk and other items produced in the Ming Dynasty can also be sold at high prices in overseas countries.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't even dare to think of the high prices that novelty products like sugar could fetch if they were successfully marketed overseas!

Ming Dynasty has another huge source of income!

The white sugar refined by Cao Wei is good...

Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang who was lost in thought, although Cao Wei could not guess what he was really thinking, he guessed that it must have something to do with sugar.

Then, Cao Wei ordered Wang Hu:
"Wang Hu, please make a copy of the process for making white sugar and give it to your Majesty to take back."

Wang Hu responded and turned around to do it.

After a while, Wang Hu returned and handed the copied process of making sugar to Zhu Yuanzhang.

At this time, Zhu Xiongying asked again,
"Mr. Zhong Guo, what is the potassium nitrate you mentioned just now? It is obtained from nitrate soil. It must not be a condiment."

"Hahahaha," Cao Wei laughed.

"Your Highness is absolutely right. Please wait for me for a moment."

Later, Cao Wei took out the saltpeter collected three days ago.

Prepare a large basin of water, gauze, and plant ash, then pour the saltpeter into the water, add the plant ash, stir to absorb impurities, and finally use gauze to filter out the impurities. At this time, the water has become basically clear.

Then put the filtered water on the fire and boil it. As the water in the iron basin becomes less and less, some small crystals gradually appear in it.

When the water in the basin is completely dry, the bottom of the basin will be covered with a layer of white powder that looks like sugar.

Cao Wei's series of operations stunned Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Xiongying.

After processing the original basin of muddy water a few times, you got this pile of white powder?
What is this powder used for?

Cao Wei cupped his hands towards Zhu Yuanzhang,

"Your Majesty, this is the potassium nitrate I just mentioned."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and thought for a while, then said,
"Just now you said that you can make gunpowder using sugar and potassium nitrate?"

No matter how he thought about it, Zhu Yuanzhang felt it was impossible. The sugar was obviously eaten, so why did it turn into gunpowder?

Cao Wei chuckled, Your Majesty, wait and see.

As he spoke, Cao Wei mixed some sugar and potassium nitrate powder together.

"Your Majesty, please step back."

Zhu Yuanzhang pulled Zhu Xiongying back a few steps as instructed.

Cao Wei took out the huozhezi and ignited the mixture of sugar and potassium nitrate.

"laugh--!"

A violent burning sound sounded. In the astonished eyes of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Xiongying, the mixture of sugar and potassium nitrate burned rapidly and released thick white smoke in the firelight.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

The reaction between potassium nitrate and sugar was too fast, and several small popping sounds were heard.

Cao Wei shook his hand to shake off the mixture splashed by the explosion, and then looked at Zhu Yuanzhang.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened, his mouth opened wide, and he stared blankly at the burning powder, leaving only a piece of burnt black powder.

Can sugar really burn?
"Your Majesty," Cao Wei said aloud,
"This is the new type of gunpowder developed by Chen. As long as it is mixed into normal gunpowder, the burning and explosive power of the artillery can be greatly improved! And the improved artillery will be even more lethal!"

Zhu Yuanzhang no longer knows how to evaluate it. This is beyond his understanding.

He looked at Cao Wei and stared at Cao Wei's head. For a moment, he felt an urge to cut Cao Wei's head open and take a look. Was Cao Wei's head different from other people's?
He really couldn't figure it out, how could this kid Cao Wei know so much?

White sugar is refined from sucrose, and potassium nitrate is refined from muddy water.

These two things are completely unrelated to each other, but Cao Wei can combine them to make this kind of powerful gunpowder!
Is he really a genius?
Zhu Xiongying was also shocked by Cao Wei's vast magical powers. In his opinion, his former adoptive father was omnipotent and omnipotent!
Every time Cao Wei's invention brings a big shock to people, this time is no exception.

It seems that as long as Cao Wei is given enough time, he will continue to invent unprecedented things and shock everyone again and again.

"Hmm...Okay, very good!"

In the end, Zhu Yuanzhang could only say this symbolically.

We must get Ming'er married as soon as possible... Zhu Yuanzhang thought in his mind.

Next, Cao Wei will conduct preliminary experiments on mixing sugar, potassium nitrate and gunpowder.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Xiongying have been out of the palace for some time, and it is time to go back.

"Take good care of your Lord Cao, and don't let him do dangerous things. If something happens to him, we will ask you for an explanation." Zhu Yuanzhang said to Wang Hu before leaving.

Wang Hu had never seen such a formation before. He immediately knelt down and worshiped on the ground.
"Your Majesty, don't worry, the common people are sworn to protect Master Cao's safety to the death!"

(End of this chapter)