I am Da Song

Chapter 151 Improved Gunpowder Results
The Imperial Armory still stands in the south of Taxation Street in the inner city, but the former temple building has been completely rebuilt.

A tight high wall was built around it, and new pines and cypresses were planted inside the wall.The inner courtyard was opened, obviously to facilitate the transportation of materials.

Li Yanxian followed Zhao Huan in the heavily guarded armory station. After walking only a short distance, Li Yanxian only had one feeling left, that is to be overwhelmed and dazzled!

He really saw too much armament along the way, bundles of bright armor, bundles of spears, and astronomical numbers of arrows, all piled up into mountains, and they are checking the number and transporting them outward.

With so many materials, even if I give myself [-]%, I have the confidence to form a well-organized and powerful army.

But Zhao Huan turned a blind eye to the equipment on the road, and walked to the deepest part of the armory under the guidance of the officials of the imperial armory.

The mode of operation of the Imperial Armament Institute is very similar to that of later generations. Officials are only responsible for administrative management, and the various Cao divisions below are responsible for weapon research.Each workshop is responsible for the production of equipment.

The deepest part of the imperial armory is the fire oil and gunpowder operations. The management is extremely strict. Even with the guidance of the servants, everyone has gone through strict checks again and again.

Li Yanxian asked curiously: "Officials, where is this? The control is so strict?"

Zhao Huan said with a smile: "This is where the crystallization of the military civilization of our Great Song Dynasty lies. Gunpowder production has always been strictly controlled, because this material really has the power to open up a new era. You will see it later."

After arriving at the Gunpowder Works, the chief supervisor had already greeted him in front of the workshop.The servant introduced to Zhao Huan: "Official, this person is the official who improved gunpowder, named Shen Dan. Following the official edict, he has been promoted to an official position, and now he is in charge of gunpowder production."

"Shen Tan?" Zhao Huan glanced at this simple official and asked, "But Shen Shaoqing's descendants?"

Shen Shaoqing, also known as Shen Kuo, was a famous scientist in the Northern Song Dynasty who was hailed as "the most outstanding figure in the entire history of science in Zhongxia" by later generations.

Shen Dan hurriedly cupped his hands in return, and said: "Your Majesty's eyes are as bright as a torch, and Shen Shaoqing is my uncle. My father and uncle are brothers."

This relationship is already very close. As a child of the family, Shen Dan probably learned some of Shen Kuo's scientific research methods, so he was the first to successfully improve gunpowder.

However, Zhao Huan was very interested in Shen Kuo's research results, and asked, "Is there any descendant of Shen Shaoqing?"

"Reporting to the official family, my uncle has another son named Chong. However, he is not in good health and is recuperating in the old house in Hangzhou."

Zhao Huan nodded, and ordered Wang Zongmian, who was carrying the imperial equipment beside him, "Let the Privy Council send an order to the commander of the Shenwu Youjundu. After Hangzhou is pacified, Shen Shaoqing's descendants will be taken to the capital, and the imperial doctor will be sent to recuperate his body."

Shen Chong is still in the second place. The key is that the books and achievements left by Shen Kuo may be moved to the capital together.

This matter is still too far away, Zhao Huan quickly turned his eyes back to his eyes, and said to Shen Dan: "I will introduce the research and development of gunpowder to the commander of the Shenwu Zuo Army."

Shen Dan immediately looked solemn, and replied: "Officials, gunpowder is so powerful now, please move to the school grounds."

"can."

In order to test the power of gunpowder, the Armament Institute specially set up a school field with a width of thousands of steps in the south near the river, surrounded by trees.

Shen Dan introduced: "The black powder improved by the minister is based on a catty of nitrate, two taels of sulfur, and three taels of charcoal. It should be the most in line with what the official said. The power has been increased by at least two to three times."

The power has increased by two to three times?Zhao Huan was in high spirits. The level of craftsmanship in this era is limited, and there is still room for purification and improvement of both nitrate and sulfur.As long as the technology is improved, the power of gunpowder can continue to increase.

But even so, the two to three times increase in the power of gunpowder is an extremely impressive result.

The lethality has far exceeded that of the Ming and Qing dynasties, which means that as long as gunpowder enters the battlefield, it can form a cross-era combat power.

"Show it on the school grounds." Zhao Huan ordered.

What the military inspector displayed was still the palm mine, the appearance of which hadn't changed much, but the gunpowder filled inside had changed qualitatively.

In order to demonstrate the effect of gunpowder, the military inspector deliberately set up several wooden targets around the flag, covered with iron armor and leather armor respectively.

Ten armory craftsmen stood in a row and ignited the palm mine together.The fuse sizzled and burned in the air, but without the order of the officials, none of these craftsmen dared to throw the fireball in advance.

Shen Dan explained to Zhao Huan: "In order to improve the controllability of the palm mine, the gunpowder maker will organize craftsmen to throw it together every ten days. Let them experience the feelings of the soldiers on the battlefield. In this way, the relationship between them and the soldiers Their lives are in their own hands. None of them dare to cut corners and be negligent."

Zhao Huan nodded with a smile, letting craftsmen and soldiers live and die together is indeed conducive to ensuring the quality of firearms.

While speaking, the palm mines in front were thrown out together, ten palm mines, the gunpowder weighed nearly forty catties.It exploded at the same time, and the fierce flames radiated brightly, and the air waves swept across even hundreds of steps away, blowing everyone's skirts.

Li Yanxian got up excitedly, and ran to the front with an excited expression to observe the condition of the armor.

Around the explosion crater, the leather armor has been blasted to pieces, and the wooden target under the armor has been cut to pieces. It is conceivable that if it were a human body, it would already be riddled with holes.

And the defensive effect of iron armor is not much better. The surface impact of gunpowder completely deforms the armor. This situation may cause secondary damage to the human body, which may exceed that of leather armor.

Li Yanxian was gearing up excitedly, and finally knew why the Shenwu Youjun was able to defeat the Jin Army.Two well-armed and well-trained phalanxes fought fiercely, and one side suddenly pulled out more than ten palm mines, and the battle situation was crushed immediately.

If Shenwu Zuojun also has thousands of such palm mines, he has the confidence to defeat all powerful enemies.

When Li Yanxian returned, Zhao Huan ordered: "Shenwu Zuojun, I can't give you too much help, but I can be the master of this palm thunder, and you can take away a hundred boxes, about three thousand pieces."

These [-] pieces were originally given to the Shenwu Youjun, but the Shenwu Youjun was fighting the rebellion in the south and fighting a group of weak chickens, so they didn't need this kind of artifact at all.Moreover, the humid climate in the south is not conducive to the preservation of gunpowder.So Zhao Huan took it and transferred it to Shenwu Zuojun first.

Gunpowder was improved, and the development of firearms was not left behind.After the gunpowder craftsman cleaned the school grounds, he pushed another military cart.

Zhao Huan just glanced at it and couldn't help laughing.This weapon is basically a household name for later generations.

The rapid popularization of both the East and the West proves that it is very easy to develop this kind of thing, but his technical route is very correct, and it belongs to a long-lasting unit.

(End of this chapter)