Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

New muskets, loaded with old-formula gunpowder.

It was still of mediocre power; the projectile remained embedded in the target without penetrating it.

The fourth group of experiments.

The new muskets were equipped with a new formula of gunpowder.

boom!

A deafening bang, even louder than the previous explosion!

A burst of fire shot out from the muzzle of the gun.

The bullet whistled through the air and struck the target fifty paces away.

The target cracked instantly!

That one-inch-thick wooden board was shattered to pieces by the bullet!

Zhu Qiyu's eyes lit up.

Before anyone could bring the target over, he quickly stepped forward.

Wood chips were scattered all over the ground, and bullets were embedded in the earthen wall behind.

He turned back and looked at Shi Pu with surprise: "This power..."

Although Shi Pu already knew the result, he was still full of excitement: "Your Majesty, this is the power of the new gunpowder combined with the new firearm!"

Its range is nearly twice that of the old gunpowder, and its power is several times greater!

If our entire Ming army were equipped with such firearms, how could we not defeat the Oirat Mongols!

Zhu Qiyu said cheerfully, "Good, very good, continue testing the cannons."

The fifth and sixth groups were for artillery testing.

An old-fashioned cannon with old gunpowder blasted a crater the size of a washbasin into an earthen wall sixty paces away.

The new cannons, equipped with new gunpowder, blasted half of the earthen wall eighty paces away!

Zhu Qiyu was deeply moved as he read it.

If such power were used in open field battles, who could withstand it?

If used for defending a city, what kind of siege weapon can withstand it?

He was about to speak when his gaze suddenly sharpened and fell on the containers holding gunpowder.

There were several wooden barrels, and the gunpowder inside was in the form of fine powder.

Zhu Qiyu frowned slightly.

In his memory, gunpowder shouldn't be in powder form.

In his past life, he had seen the gunpowder used for blasting mountains back in his hometown; it was all in granular form!

Zhu Qiyu walked to the wooden barrel, reached out and grabbed a handful of gunpowder, then rubbed it between his palms.

It is indeed powder.

He looked at Shi Pu: "Why is this gunpowder in powder form?"

Shi Pu was taken aback, then replied, "Your Majesty, gunpowder has always been in powder form. It is crushed and sieved, and that's how it is."

Zhu Qiyu remained silent for a moment. "Has technology not advanced to that point yet?"

He then asked, "Have you ever tried making gunpowder into granules?"

Shi Pu was stunned: "Grains? Your Majesty means like grains of rice?"

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "Yes, like a grain of rice."

Shi Pu and several old craftsmen looked at each other in bewilderment.

An old craftsman cautiously said, "Your Majesty, the gunpowder is made into granules..."

I've never heard of that before.

Powdered gunpowder burns very quickly.

Won't making it into pellets result in too slow combustion?

Zhu Qiyu shook his head: "I saw this method when the immortal taught it to me; it was granular."

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Qiyu said, "The powdered gunpowder is piled up and burned."

The flames burn from the surface inwards, layer by layer.

However, if it is granular, there are gaps between the granules.

The flame can quickly penetrate the entire layer of deposits, resulting in more even and faster combustion.

This was an advantage of granular gunpowder that he came up with on the spur of the moment.

Shi Pu nodded thoughtfully: "What Your Majesty says seems to make sense. I will have someone try it out."

Zhu Qiyu said, "Very well, I will wait and see the results. If it succeeds, I will reward you handsomely."

After Zhu Qiyu left, Shi Pu immediately summoned craftsmen and began experimenting with granular gunpowder.

But they had absolutely no idea how to make granules.

A craftsman tried mixing gunpowder with water to form dough, then rolling it into small strips and cutting it into small pieces.

After drying, the granules did take shape, but they crumbled at the slightest touch and didn't hold their shape at all.

Another craftsman tried using honey water instead of plain water.

The pellets did become firm, but they produced a lot of smoke when burned and had a strange smell.

Some craftsmen tried using rice water, but the results were not good.

After three days of hard work, some granules were successfully produced.

However, it is either too loose or the combustion is unstable, so it is never ideal.

That day, Shi Pu was worrying about this matter when he suddenly remembered what Zhu Qiyu had said, and then a flash of inspiration struck him.

Flames penetrated the accumulated layers...

Exactly! The gaps between the particles are the key!

He immediately summoned the craftsmen: "Try again."

This time, gunpowder was mixed with water to form a dough, which was then sieved.

The sifted-out small particles are then dried.

The craftsmen tried it once, following his method.

First, add an appropriate amount of water to the gunpowder and knead it into a stiff dough.

Then, use a coarse sieve to press hard, squeezing the dough through the sieve holes to form thin "noodles".

Let these "noodles" dry until they are half-dry.

Then, gently rub the mixture through a sieve to break it into uniformly sized gunpowder particles.

Finally, let it dry completely.

The particles are hard and do not stick together.

Shi Pu personally tested the combustion effect.

He scattered a handful of gunpowder pellets on the ground and lit them.

boom!

The flames spread instantly, more than twice as fast as the powdered gunpowder!

Moreover, the combustion is extremely uniform.

Unlike powdered gunpowder, there is no situation where "one side burns out but the other side hasn't lit yet."

Shi Pu was overjoyed: "It's done! It's done!"

He immediately ordered his men to load new muskets and test-fire them with pellet gunpowder.

boom!

With a loud bang, the bullet whistled through the air and struck the target eighty paces away.

The one-inch-thick wooden board was blasted into pieces!

Shi Pu stared blankly at the pile of fragments.

Suddenly, he knelt down and kowtowed towards the direction of the palace: "Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty is wise!"

Half a month later, Shi Pu returned to the Wenhua Hall with samples of granular gunpowder and test records.

Zhu Qiyu smiled with satisfaction after reviewing the experiment records: "Good, very good. Minister Shi, you did a good job."

Shi Pu stood to the side and said, "I dare not take credit for this."

If it weren't for Your Majesty's guidance, we would never have imagined that gunpowder could be made into granules.

Your Majesty is wise and sagacious, while we, your humble servants, are foolish and dull.

Zhu Qiyu pointed to the sky: "This is the divine transmission of power by immortals, helping my Great Ming Dynasty to prosper for ten thousand years!"

He then picked up a gunpowder pellet and examined it in his hand: "Shouldn't this kind of pellet gunpowder be easier to preserve than powdered gunpowder?"

Shi Pu bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Powdered gunpowder has a large surface area and easily absorbs moisture."

Granular gunpowder has a smooth surface and absorbs far less moisture.

I have tested it, and it was stored for ten days in the same way.

The powdered gunpowder had clumped together, but the granular gunpowder could still be used normally.

Another point is that during transportation, the heavier saltpeter will sink to the bottom while the lighter charcoal will float to the top, which can easily lead to uneven mixing.

"And each pellet of granular gunpowder is uniformly proportioned, so it won't separate into layers even after long-term transport."

The storage and transportation of granular gunpowder was something Zhu Qiyu only remembered after returning to the palace.

Unexpectedly, the Ministry of Works itself also discovered these advantages.

Zhu Qiyu nodded in satisfaction: "Starting today, the Ministry of Works will begin large-scale production of granular gunpowder."

All muskets and cannons were converted to use pellet gunpowder.

Old-style gunpowder was used for training and was gradually phased out.

Shi Pu bowed deeply: "Your subject obeys the decree."

Zhu Qiyu added, "The production of new muskets and cannons should also be accelerated."

"I want the entire Beijing garrison to be equipped with the new firearms as soon as possible."

Shi Pu said, "I understand. However, the barrels of the new muskets are thicker, which increases the amount of iron consumed, and the Ministry of Works doesn't have much iron left."

Zhu Qiyu frowned slightly: "Iron deficiency?"

Shi Pu said, "Yes. The Ministry of Works allocates 200,000 catties of pig iron from various places every year."

However, iron is needed everywhere for making firearms, agricultural implements, and tools, and there is often not enough of it.

The shortage of iron is now even greater for the large-scale production of new muskets.

Zhu Qiyu pondered for a moment and said, "I know about this matter."

"Use the existing iron reserves for production first; I'll have the Ministry of Revenue figure out a solution for the iron shortage."

Shi Pu bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

After leaving the Wenhua Hall, Shi Pu let out a long breath.

Particle gunpowder, new-style muskets, new-style cannons...

With all these things combined, the Ming army would truly be invincible.

He suddenly remembered a saying that Zhu Qiyu once said: "Let my enemies never be able to catch up with my pace."

The enemy's muskets could only fire at a range of thirty paces.

Our army's muskets could fire at a range of eighty paces.

The enemy can never catch up with our army's pace.

Because they were blasted to smithereens before they could even get close.

Shi Pu looked up at the sky, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welling up inside him.

How many more divine powers has His Majesty received from the immortals?