The prince is more stable

Chapter 65 The Sharp Weapon Appears
Zhao Xiaoqian was very sure that as long as it was a Taoist temple, there would be gunpowder.

People only know that gunpowder is one of the four great inventions of China, but few people know that gunpowder was actually invented by Taoists, and there are clear records of it as early as the Sui Dynasty.

Why did Taoists invent gunpowder?

Of course it's related to alchemy, what else? Are they planning to use it to make fire and cook?
As we all know, Taoists pay attention to the unity of man and nature when refining elixirs, so it is difficult to say what their mental state is when refining elixirs. They are also very bold and dare to put all kinds of messy things into it.

Brass, cinnabar, mercury, sulfur, etc. In short, everything in the world is a material for alchemy. After eating it, you will either become an immortal or a ghost.

What's even more amazing is that the Taoist not only ate the pills made from random materials himself, but also dared to give them to the emperor. He was really not afraid of being executed along with his entire clan.

So Zhao Xiaoqian came to Yuqing Palace without thinking. After various threats and inducements, Taoist Qingyang ran in in an extremely obedient manner to get gunpowder.

Zhao Hao and Di Ying were almost done with their awkward chat at this point. Di Ying came over with a sheepish look on her face, while Zhao Hao looked at the two of them with a strange, aunt-like smile on his face.

"Every time I see you, you are outside the Taoist temple. Do you want to become a monk? So you come here in advance to check it out?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked curiously.

Di Ying rolled her eyes at him and said, "It's just a coincidence. My mother's birthday is coming up in a few days, and I came to Yuqing Palace to pray for her."

"Why is the prince here?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said, "I made a new gadget, but I'm still short of one ingredient. Master Qingyang got it for me."

Di Ying's eyes widened: "What's the new thing?"

Zhao Xiaoqian took out the newly made object from behind his waist. Zhao Hao next to him wanted to say something but stopped talking. Thinking that this girl might be his future daughter-in-law, she should be considered one of his own, so he stopped talking.

Di Ying's expression was the same as Zhao Hao's, one of confusion and bewilderment.

The object in Zhao Xiaoqian's hand was very strange, at least Di Ying had never seen it before.

This thing is not big in size. It is an iron pipe connected to some mechanical parts. There is a wooden support at the hand grip, and there is a round hook-like thing at the bottom, which is just big enough for a finger to fit in and turn.

"What is this?"

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at Zhao Hao and said, "It's called a 'smoothbore flintlock rifle', used for self-defense."

“Slide…slide what…” Di Ying became more and more confused and couldn’t even pronounce her name.

Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't explain that the Song army actually had relatively primitive firearms, but the power of the firearms was not enough and they were not as effective as swords and guns on the battlefield, so the firearms were not equipped in the army.

The musket made by Zhao Xiaoqian was called a "smoothbore flintlock rifle". The current industrial level was too primitive to make rifling, so it was called a "smoothbore" rifle.

This type of gun is not very advanced, but it is at least hundreds of years more advanced than the firearms of the Song Dynasty today.

During the Opium War in the late Qing Dynasty, the British army used this flintlock rifle to invade China. Western countries also used this flintlock rifle to force the Chinese people to sign various humiliating treaties.

Under today's industrial conditions, it is not easy for Zhao Xiaoqian to make this kind of flintlock rifle purely by hand.

Whenever personal safety is involved, it always inspires magical inspiration and abilities.

Taoist Qingyang quickly brought out the gunpowder. Zhao Xiaoqian took it, picked up a piece with his fingers and kneaded it, but gradually frowned.

The gunpowder of this era contained too many impurities, and the tools used by Taoists to make elixirs were mixed with cinnabar, soil and other messy things.

More importantly, the optimal ratio of gunpowder for this era had not been discovered.

Obviously, the last piece of material Zhao Xiaoqian needed would require some effort.

So Zhao Xiaoqian asked Taoist Qingyang for a yard, and asked Qingyang to find materials such as sulfur, charcoal, saltpeter, egg white, graphite, etc.

It would be better to make it by himself than to filter out the messy impurities, so Zhao Xiaoqian simply started working in Yuqing Palace.

Zhao Hao and Di Ying were observing curiously. Looking at Zhao Xiaoqian who was busy and sweating profusely, Di Ying's almond-shaped eyes flashed with light.

The shadow of Zhao Xiaoqian was reflected in her eyes, but it was not so much that she liked him. She was more curious about him.

It was hard to imagine that the serious-looking young man before her was the same person as the shameless bully who had forced the dandies to line up and pay. The two images were so completely different that it was difficult for Di Ying to reconcile the two images in her mind.

Unlike the shy and timid girls from a small family, Di Ying was a lady from a noble family with a graceful and elegant temperament. At this moment, she stared at Zhao Xiaoqian directly, her eyes full of inquiry, as if she was wondering what kind of person he was.

Zhao Xiaoqian was completely unaware that he was being stared at. He had already ground various materials into powder, then mixed them in the best proportion, adding egg white and graphite to make the gunpowder granular.

With a long sigh of relief, Zhao Xiaoqian nodded with satisfaction: "Finally, it's done."

Zhao Hao perked up: "Is it done?"

Zhao Xiaoqian rubbed the granular gunpowder in his hands, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.

This is an incredible invention. Hundreds of years later, because of this thing, the world has completely entered the era of hot weapons. Its appearance is unclear whether it is progress or regression for human civilization.

Now, this thing that was supposed to appear hundreds of years later has appeared in Zhao Xiaoqian's hands ahead of time, and he is really a little scared.

I wonder how strong the wind created by this pair of butterfly wings is...

Zhao Hao and Di Ying watched stupidly from the side. They still didn't understand what Zhao Xiaoqian had invented.

A strangely shaped iron lump and a bunch of black granular things. Can they be combined to protect oneself and attack the enemy?

After looking at the newly prepared gunpowder for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian finally smiled.

"Try somewhere secluded."

"How to try it?" Zhao Hao became excited, but he himself didn't know what he was excited about.

"Please ask Master Qingyang to come over and cooperate. There's a grape on his head. Whether he can hit it depends on his luck. What do you think, father?"

Zhao Hao's face changed. Although he didn't know why there was a grape on his head, his son's expression at the moment looked malicious...

It doesn't seem very cost-effective. Zhao Hao just donated all his family wealth to the incense money, and the money hasn't even warmed Qingyang Zhenren's pocket, but it was killed by his own son without any hesitation. I guess it's not appropriate, right?

The three of them left the courtyard of Yuqing Palace and walked towards the back garden of the Taoist temple. They walked all the way to a deserted hill, and then Zhao Xiaoqian took out his flintlock rifle.

The weapon used for self-defense is not big in size, slightly larger than the pistol in the previous life, and can be easily inserted into the belt.

He found a blue brick and placed it not far away. Zhao Xiaoqian retreated twenty steps away, loaded the gunpowder, inserted the iron balls, and aimed the gun.

There was a sudden loud bang.

Di Ying, who was watching the fun, screamed in fright and subconsciously covered her ears and squatted down.

Zhao Hao's fat body was trembling, and he stared at the flintlock rifle in Zhao Xiaoqian's hand with a pale face.

The flintlock was still emitting white smoke, but the blue bricks twenty steps away had already shattered into a pile of fragments.

Zhao Xiaoqian stared at the pile of debris with an expression of uncertainty.

Twenty steps is a normal distance. Judging from the amount of gunpowder loaded, it should be able to shoot farther.

Ignoring the shock of Zhao Hao and Di Ying, Zhao Xiaoqian found another blue brick, then retreated thirty steps, loaded the gunpowder, filled the ball, and fired.

There was another loud bang, and the blue bricks shattered again. Very good, thirty steps is also the effective range.

Just as he was about to retreat fifty steps to try again, Zhao Hao finally came to his senses and grabbed him with a look of fear and excitement.

"Qian'er, what is it? What on earth is it?!"

Zhao Xiaoqian looked puzzled: "Didn't I tell you it's for self-defense?"

"Self-defense? It's just self-defense?!" Zhao Hao was so excited that his whole body was shaking.

(End of this chapter)