The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 74 What kind of ancient junk is that?
Yue Wenxuan was eavesdropping on the conversation between the father and son, and couldn't help but complain in his heart: You said not to make it public and not to let anyone hear it, but your voice was quite loud, and I overheard it clearly from the side.

After complaining, he couldn't help but laugh: He had known for a long time that pretending to be a wealthy hermit would be exposed in no time. After all, the locals were not stupid, and Cui Weihua and Wu Jialiang would visit the "Yue Mansion" sooner or later, and then the truth would be revealed.

But let it be a mistake, it doesn’t matter!
Yue Wenxuan was not afraid of being exposed. In a few months, the fourth large-scale attack of the Jin army on the Song Dynasty would begin. Even if he was not exposed, he would have to reveal his true colors.

He followed the common people to the official grain shop and immediately saw Cui Weihua and an unfamiliar official, who should be the chief clerk. The county lieutenant Wu Jialiang was also there, leading Master Ye, Bruce Lee, and a large group of archers to maintain order in front of the grain shop.

The only three officials in the county were all here. The county residents dared not make any trouble, nor did they dare to crowd or make noise. They all took their household registrations and lined up to buy grain. Every time the owner of the grain shop sold a bushel of grain, he would record it in an account book: A certain household purchased a bushel of grain at a certain time on a certain day.

Those who bought the grain were also asked to put their fingerprints behind this line of words.

Yue Wenxuan nodded secretly, turned around and went to the place where porridge was distributed. There was a group of officials who had set up a tent and were cooking porridge in a big pot. The porridge in the pot was obviously not very clean, and there was a lot of black sand mixed in it.

Anyone who has a little money to survive the hunger will look down on this stuff. There are really no ordinary people who come to take advantage of it. Those lining up in front of the soup kitchen are all truly poor people, the kind who are so hungry that they are pale and skinny and could fall down in the wind.

Yue Wenxuan peeked out from a distance. Just as he took a look, he saw a yamen runner waving at him: "Beggar, what are you peeking out for? Come and eat! We don't want any money from you."

Yue Wenxuan: "I'm not hungry yet."

Bailiff: "You're telling lies! If you're not hungry, why are you here? Is it because your family just fell into poverty not long ago and you're not used to being a beggar yet, and you can't put down your dignity?"

Yue Wenxuan: “…”

The yamen runner brought over a bowl of porridge and forced it into Yue Wenxuan's hands: "Now that it has come to this, don't worry about face. Eat for free when you should. Don't be embarrassed."

Yue Wenxuan: “…”

Damn it, should I eat this mouthful of sand or not?

Think about that for 0.32 seconds.

Yue Wenxuan decided to give it a try.

I took a small spoonful and put it in my mouth...crunch, crunch, and my mouth was full of the taste of chewing sand...

Ah! Oh my god!

Can't bear it.

After finally finishing his porridge, a group of people came from a distance and went into a building next to the county government office. Yue Wenxuan looked at them curiously. The yamen runner who handed him the porridge laughed and said, "What are you looking at? Do you want to do the same work as them? Their work is not something that ordinary people can do."

Yue Wenxuan: "What do they do?"

The yamen runner said, "They are all craftsmen from the government workshop. A few days ago, they had no money and no food, so they couldn't start work. But now we have money and food, the county magistrate has called them back to make weapons and armor for the next defense against the Jin thieves."

Yue Wenxuan nodded in his heart.

The yamen runner said, "Although you're dressed in rags, you're in good shape and not too old. Why don't you go to Wu County Magistrate and apply to be a bowman? When the Jin bandits come, you can join us in killing them." Yue Wenxuan grinned, "Archers only have to be from good families, right? A homeless beggar like me, who doesn't even have a household registration...would they accept one?"

"County Lieutenant Wu is different from the others. Previous county lieutenants only wanted archers from respectable families, but County Lieutenant Wu doesn't care. He'll take anyone. Last time, I heard him blurt out, 'The more ferocious, the better. He doesn't want those from respectable families.'"

Yue Wenxuan laughed in his heart: Of course, this Wu County Magistrate is a bandit, and he is not an ordinary official. Of course, he is not as particular as an ordinary official.

After returning the bowl of porridge to the yamen runner and thanking him, Yue Wenxuan walked into the alley and gave his figurine one last order: to be a beggar in Jimo County, a very promising career.

He planned to leave Su Qi'er here to wander around. The situation in the county was better than he had imagined, and productivity was recovering. Every few days, he could switch his consciousness to Su Qi'er, go on incognito visits at any time, and grasp the living conditions of the people in the county.

My consciousness switched back to the outside of the sandbox...

As soon as I came back, I found that in Dongmiaozi Village, a "fairy craftsman" was talking to Qian Zhuoqun.

This "immortal craftsman" is a gunpowder craftsman, also called a gunpowder maker. He is a Ming Dynasty craftsman who was placed in the sandbox by Yue Wenxuan last night. His order is of course to make gunpowder. If he needs any materials, he can ask Qian Zhuoqun.

The gunpowder maker spent an entire night looking for a rocky hillside far away from the village outside Dongmiaozi Village, which was considered a good site for building a gunpowder workshop, and then he consulted Qian Zhuoqun.

When Yue Wenxuan turned his attention to the other side, he just heard the gunpowder man say to Qian Zhuoqun, "I need to build a workshop on the rocky slope outside the village. I also need saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal."

A workshop is a small matter, and any team of laborers can set it up. As for the three things at the end, they are not unfamiliar to businessmen like Qian Zhuoqun. He understood immediately: "Brother Xianjiang wants to make gunpowder?"

Gunpowder Maker: "Yes, make gunpowder."

Qian Zhuoqun couldn't help but ask, "Are you going to make rockets and fireballs?"

The Northern Song Dynasty had already begun to use gunpowder in military affairs, but the scope of its application was very small. It was usually used to wrap around arrows to make rockets, or to pack gunpowder into a gunpowder bag and throw it into the enemy's formation with a catapult to burn it.

This use of gunpowder was due to the relatively low saltpeter content of Northern Song gunpowder, around 60%. Due to a lack of understanding of the principles of gunpowder combustion and explosion, the formula was relatively crude and contained many impurities. Consequently, Northern Song gunpowder was weak, essentially burning briefly and limited to rockets and fireballs.

But the Ming Dynasty was different. The Southern Song Dynasty began to delve deeper into gunpowder research, and by the Ming Dynasty, the formula had undergone significant refinement. The proportion of saltpeter was significantly increased, typically reaching around 75%-80%, significantly enhancing the power of the gunpowder. Furthermore, the Ming Dynasty also added other auxiliary ingredients, such as tung oil and rosin. These ingredients could modify the gunpowder's properties, such as making it easier to adhere to weapon surfaces or ensuring a longer, more stable combustion.

Starting in the Southern Song Dynasty, gunpowder naturally led to even more impressive applications, such as the "fire lance." For example, the "Tuhuoqiang" (a fire lance) appeared during the Kaiyuan period of the Southern Song Dynasty (1259). Of course, its widespread use was still a long way off.

The gunpowder maker couldn't help but show disdain when he heard the words "rocket" and "fireball." "What kind of ancient junk is this? The gunpowder I want to make won't be used for such junk."

Qian Zhuoqun: "Ah? What will it be used for?"

The gunpowder maker had little cultural background and was not good at expressing himself, so he said, "It's hard to explain. You'll understand once you make it."

Qian Zhuoqun thought: Is he going to make some immortal weapon again? Never mind! Anyway, cooperating with the immortal craftsman won't go wrong.

"Brother Xianjiang, don't worry. The three things you want are not difficult to find. Saltpeter and sulfur can be obtained at the Chengyang Coal Mine, and we can also easily make charcoal. I will arrange for someone to build a workshop for you. When the workshop is completed, these three materials will be in place."

(End of this chapter)