Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

Shi Pu frowned as he looked at a report.

This report concerns gunpowder.

Several months ago, Zhu Qiyu suddenly summoned him and gave him a "magic formula".

This formula is completely different from the one that the Ministry of Works has used for decades.

After obtaining the formula, Shi Pu was busy repairing the city's defenses, so he didn't have time to study it.

I finally had time to start the experiment after the New Year.

The first attempt failed. The gunpowder they produced burned too quickly and nearly burned down the Ministry of Works' courtyard.

The second attempt failed. The gunpowder produced burned too slowly, and there was no reaction for a long time.

The third time, the fourth time, the fifth time...

I failed dozens of times in a row.

The gunpowder produced was either too powerful or too weak, and was always unstable.

Shi Pu was very depressed.

He didn't understand why it wouldn't work even though he had prepared it according to the recipe given by Zhu Qiyu.

If it weren't for the several failed experiments that also demonstrated the powerful capabilities of the new gunpowder.

He even began to doubt that Zhu Qiyu's "immortal magic" was actually wrong.

Suddenly, an old craftsman came in and reported, "Minister Shi, the matching is done!"

Shi Pu suddenly stood up: "What?"

The old craftsman exclaimed excitedly, "We've got it! We've successfully prepared the formula His Majesty gave us!"

Without saying a word, Shi Pu followed the old craftsman outside.

The Ministry of Works' testing ground was located on a spacious, flat area in the backyard.

It was surrounded by brick walls, with many burn marks on the walls, left from previous experiments.

At this moment, a wooden frame is placed in the center of the test field, and a thick bamboo tube is fixed on the frame.

The bamboo tube was filled with newly prepared gunpowder, with the fuse sticking out.

Shi Pu walked closer and examined the gunpowder carefully; its color was darker than the old formula.

The old craftsman said from the side, "Minister Shi, I added an extra step during this preparation."

First, boil saltpeter and sulfur in water, then dry them before mixing them with charcoal powder.

I thought that this method would produce more uniform gunpowder and more stable combustion.

I can't believe it actually worked!

Shi Pu's eyes lit up: "Great! Let's try lighting it!"

The old craftsman lit the fuse himself, then quickly retreated to a distance.

The fuse hissed as it burned, and sparks spread along the fuse toward the bamboo tube.

boom!

With a loud bang, the bamboo tube shattered into pieces.

Debris flew everywhere, hitting the surrounding brick walls with a clattering sound.

Shi Pu's ears were ringing from the shock.

But he didn't care about any of that and strode towards the vicinity of the explosion.

The bamboo tubes were gone; only some fragments remained on the ground.

The brick wall was covered with numerous dents, created by debris.

The old craftsman followed behind him, his face flushed with excitement: "Minister Shi, this is more than twice as powerful as the old formula!"

As Shi Pu gazed at the lingering plume of smoke, an indescribable sense of awe welled up within him.

The gunpowder in this formula is incredibly powerful.

He suddenly remembered what His Majesty had said when he gave him the formula: "This is a divine technique!"

Shi Pu turned to look at the old craftsman: "From today onwards, this recipe and this preparation method shall be classified as top secret."

I'm not allowed to tell anyone but you, understand?

The old craftsman nodded repeatedly, "I understand! I understand!"

Shi Pu then looked at the surrounding craftsmen: "No one is allowed to speak of what happened today. Anyone who does will be punished for leaking military secrets, and their entire family will be executed!"

The craftsmen all knelt down: "We wouldn't dare!"

Shi Pu nodded, then quickly walked out of the test site.

Half an hour later, at the Wenhua Hall.

Shi Pu reported the test results in detail: "Your Majesty, the new gunpowder is extremely powerful, more than twice as strong as the old formula!"

Your Majesty, I request that you personally visit the Ministry of Works on a chosen day to witness the experiments firsthand!

Zhu Qiyu was excited upon hearing the news: "Oh? The match was made so quickly? Good, I will go and see it in three days."

Gunpowder is the foundation of all firearms.

With high-powered gunpowder, the power of other firearms could be significantly increased.

Killing the enemy from a kilometer away is no longer a myth.

Three days later, Zhu Qiyu, accompanied by his personal eunuchs Xing'an, Chen Jing, and Wang Xian, arrived at the Ministry of Works incognito.

These two eunuchs were originally from the Prince of Cheng's mansion.

When Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne, he arranged for them to be placed in the Directorate of Ceremonial.

They were responsible for the daily lives of Empress Wang and her entourage.

Cheng Jing has now been sent to Gansu by Zhu Qiyu.

Zhu Qiyu then summoned several former servants from the Prince of Cheng's residence to his side, and Xing'an led them to become familiar with the affairs.

Shi Pu was already waiting at the door. Upon seeing Zhu Qiyu arrive, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him: "Welcome, Your Majesty."

Zhu Qiyu then arrived at the testing ground in the backyard, led by Shi Pu.

Two rows of wooden frames were set up in the field, with three old-fashioned muskets fixed on one of them.

Three newly made muskets were fixed in the other row.

Each musket had a fixed amount of gunpowder placed next to it.

There are old formulas and new formulas.

Shi Pu explained from the side, "Your Majesty, I have prepared six sets of experiments today."

The first group used the old formula of gunpowder with old firearms.

The second group used the new gunpowder formula with the old muskets.

The third group used the old formula of gunpowder with new firearms.

The fourth group used the new gunpowder formula to equip the new muskets.

The fifth and sixth groups were comparative tests of artillery.

Zhu Qiyu nodded slightly in surprise. The control group had both; their scientific literacy was quite good.

"Okay, let's begin."

The first group of experiments begins.

An old craftsman skillfully loaded the old formula gunpowder into the old musket, compacted it, put in the bullet, and lit the fuse.

boom!

With a muffled thud, the bullet was fired and hit the target thirty paces away.

The target wobbled slightly, and the bullet embedded itself in the wooden board, but did not penetrate.

Zhu Qiyu ordered someone to bring the target over for inspection: "The power of the old gunpowder is indeed mediocre."

The second group of experiments.

It was the same old musket, but it was loaded with a new formula of gunpowder.

The old craftsman carefully filled the fuse and lit it.

boom!

With a loud bang, the barrel of the old musket exploded!

Debris flew everywhere, and the wooden frame shook violently.

However, the old craftsman was prepared; after lighting the fuse, he hid behind the barrier and was unharmed.

Zhu Qiyu frowned: "It exploded?"

Shi Pu quickly stepped forward to explain, "Your Majesty, this is precisely what I wanted to report to you."

The new gunpowder formula was too powerful; the barrels of the old muskets couldn't withstand it, and forcing them to be used would cause them to explode.

Therefore, I ordered the manufacture of a new batch of firearms, with thickened barrels, specifically for the use of the new gunpowder.

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "I see. Continue the experiment."

This was something Zhu Qiyu hadn't expected.

He only knew that the black powder used in later generations should theoretically be more powerful than the gunpowder used today.

But I didn't expect that there would be a problem with the material.

Thinking about this, Zhu Qiyu suddenly felt lost about the direction of improvement he should propose to the Ministry of Works next.

He originally wanted the Ministry of Works to create rifling inside the gun barrel.

They created the kind of firearms that use bullets that we see in later generations.

It seems that the iron of this era cannot withstand such great power.

Therefore, another industrial revolution is needed to improve the quality of steel and increase productivity.

However, Zhu Qiyu was completely ignorant about this.

His only knowledge came from the principles of steam engines and internal combustion engines in high school physics.

There are also some scattered science popularization videos after graduation.

With this limited knowledge, you think you can complete the Industrial Revolution...?

This is difficult...

While Zhu Qiyu was lost in thought, the third group of experiments began.