We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

The next morning, Li Che woke up and went to Gongzheng Institute.

As the Ministry of Works in Li Che's small court, Gongzhengso is full of talented people.

Other departments are extremely short of staff, and one official has to take on multiple roles.

But the Gongzheng Institute was completely different. Li Che plundered all the professionals from the imperial capital. All the top craftsmen were gathered in this department, but some positions were not enough.

"Your humble servant, Wang Chongjian (Liu Ye), pays homage to His Highness."

As soon as Li Che dismounted, Wang Chongjian and Liu Ye came forward with a group of officials to pay their respects.

"Let's skip the formalities." Li Che waved his hand and handed the reins to Qiu Bai. "Is everyone here?"

"All thirteen colleagues from the Gongzheng Institute are here." Wang Chongjian replied.

"Okay." Li Che nodded, glanced around, frowned, and asked, "Where's your father?"

"My father is still on duty at the temple." Wang Chongjian replied.

"Let him come too."

Wang Chongjian was an astronomer and could be considered a disciple of the theory of "investigating things to gain knowledge". He should have been good at scientific inventions.

Everyone surrounded Li Che and entered the Gongzheng Office. After waiting for half an incense stick of time, Wang Xi hurried in.

After Wang Xi bowed and took his seat, Li Che spoke, "What I mentioned yesterday was a magical weapon. I wonder if you have heard of it."

"That is, firearms!"

Everyone looked at each other, and then Wang Chongjian, who came from the Ministry of Industry, stepped forward and said:

"Your Highness, the Ministry of Firearms has built one, but it's flashy and useless."

"Oh?" Li Che became interested. "Tell me, what kind of firearms did the Ministry of Industry produce?"

Wang Chongjian listed all the difficult-to-pronounce firearms as if they were his own treasures.

Fireball, Firestarter, Tribulus Fireball, Thunderbolt Fireball, Smokeball, Poison Smokeball, Iron-billed Firehawk, Bamboo Firehawk, Rocket...

It seems to be a wide variety and very fancy.

But when Li Che asked about its specific function, he realized that these so-called firearms were basically just for show.

Its main function is to burn and produce poisonous smoke, and it does not directly cause casualties by explosion. It only serves to confuse the enemy on the battlefield.

Li Che asked again: "What is the gunpowder ratio in Daqing?"

Since firearms were not taken seriously, the ratio of gunpowder was no secret, and soon officials in the Firearms Department stood up.

This man's name was Chen Gui, and his greatest achievement was the improvement of gunpowder.

"One batch of gunpowder contains 40 liang of saltpeter powder, 15 liang of sulfur, 5 liang of charcoal powder, and some rosin, tung oil, yellow ochre, and arsenic."

Li Che frowned. What the hell is this?

Anyone who has read a time-travel novel knows the formula of one nitrate, two sulfurs and three charcoals, right?

Not only was the Daqing gunpowder's proportions incorrect, but it also contained so many miscellaneous things, resulting in too many impurities and, of course, no power.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Li Che interrupted, "From now on, forget this recipe and follow my instructions."

"Forget it, there's no evidence to support this matter with just words. Do you have time to do something about it?" Li Che stood up and asked.

Gongzheng Office was assigned to the largest mansion in the city except for the Ninggu Prince's Mansion, so it naturally had a vacant yard.

Li Che brought everyone to the yard, and craftsmen behind him had already taken out a large amount of raw materials.

Li Che called Chen Gui over and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear:

"One part of gunpowder must be 75% saltpeter, 15% charcoal, and 10% sulfur. Even a little less won't do."

This is the classic black powder formula, and it is the most cost-effective and powerful gunpowder that Ninggu County can currently produce.

Chen Gui quickly took out a pen and paper, wanting to write down Li Che's words.

Li Che called out sharply, "Stop, use your brain to remember!"

The formula for gunpowder is of paramount importance. The fewer people who know it, the better, and it must never be written down on paper.

Chen Gui was frightened and realized the importance of the matter, so he quickly remembered it.

"Go ahead and make one according to the ratio I told you. Remember to be gentle."

Chen Gui hurriedly walked to the side, picked out saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal from the raw materials, and then carefully mixed them together.

Soon, a black, gray mass appeared in front of everyone.

Chen Gui came to Li Che holding black gunpowder.

Li Che's body trembled slightly.

Damn, what are you doing holding it so close? This is gunpowder!

But he still looked calm and composed, and whispered, "Well, go get some more egg whites. Remember to find them yourself, only the egg whites, not the yolks."

"Then, mix the egg white and gunpowder together and knead them into granules. Be careful."

"Remember, you must carry out these steps personally. Dismiss all the craftsmen, and no one else must know about this."

This is granular gunpowder, which is even more powerful than black powder.

If you want a stronger flavor, you can add some sugar.

But sugar is expensive and the production cost is too high, and Li Che is also afraid that the power will be out of control and he will collapse.

Chen Gui quickly accepted the order and walked hurriedly into the Gongzheng Office.

After a while, Chen Gui finished processing the granular gunpowder.

"Put the gunpowder in a clay pot and bury it under the stone." Li Che pointed to the ornamental stone in the yard.

"Remember, the longer the fuse, the better, and be extremely careful when lighting it."

Chen Gui accepted the order, but did not dare to ask his craftsmen to do it. He handled the whole process himself.

The other officials stood outside from a distance, watching Chen Gui's fierce and fierce movements, and were somewhat puzzled.

It's just gunpowder. How powerful can that thing be? Kids can use it to set off firecrackers during the Chinese New Year.

His Highness looks as if he is facing a great enemy. Isn’t that a bit exaggerated?

Li Che was too lazy to explain to them. After seeing the clay pot was buried, he turned around and said, "Come on, move away."

Everyone retreated ten meters.

Li Che frowned: "A little further away."

The crowd retreated another twenty meters.

Li Che added: "It's not enough."

Wang Chongjian said with a smile, "Your Highness, if you retreat a few steps, I'm afraid we won't be able to see clearly."

Li Che glanced at him and shook his head helplessly: "Forget it, don't blame me for not reminding you later."

After saying that, he silently ran to the back and protected everyone in front of him.

He pulled the tallest Liu Ye over and hid behind him, popping his head out and shouting, "Light the fire! Remember, once you light it, run for your life!"

Chen Gui nodded, took out a fire starter from behind him and lit the fuse.

The fuse was extremely long. After it was lit, Chen Gui ran away as Li Che instructed.

After running about fifty meters, he looked back curiously.

boom--

Fierce flames burst out, violent explosions sounded like thunder, and wind and waves mixed with dust blew in the face.

Chen Gui felt his legs go weak and heard a ringing sound in his ears.

The officials were so frightened that they stood there stunned, watching the ornamental stone shatter into pieces, with countless fragments swirling and flying out like flowers scattered by a fairy.

After a while, silence returned, and a big hole appeared on the ground where the clay pot was buried.

"Hiss..." The officials gasped.

Li Che stood up from behind Liu Ye and looked at the shocked crowd with a smile: "How about this thing?"

No one answered...

After a while, someone said in a trembling voice:

"Shit, who the hell peed in my pants?"