Chapter 141 Granular Black Powder

Zhiyuan actually ranked seventh?

Song Cai dropped her jaw.

When Zhao Jun came out, he said that he did not do well in the exam.

In the end, he got seventh place directly.

This is too outrageous.

You should know that those who can get in the top 20 in the Jieshi exam have a great chance of passing the Jinshi exam.

Because this means that they have a high degree of understanding of the imperial examination, so it is easier to get a high ranking in the Jinshi exam.

And generally, those who take the "Book of Filial Piety" exam are poor students, and even if they pass the exam, they are at the bottom of the list, which is why Song Cai looked at the bottom of the list directly.

Who knew that although he took the "Book of Filial Piety" exam, he got the seventh place directly, which is really surprising.

What Song Cai didn't know was that Zhao Jun's seventh place was because he did poorly in the "Book of Filial Piety" exam, and there were a few small mistakes, otherwise he might have competed for the top of the list.

The main reason is that the proportion of classics in the Song Dynasty imperial examination was indeed not high, and poetry, policy essays, and songs and fu were the main ones.

Zhao Jun's poetry, policy essays, and songs and fu were all the best. After all, Fan Zhongyan's poems, Su Shi's fu, and his own outstanding strategic vision, it was difficult not to get a ranking.

If he could recite the Analects, the Book of Rites, and the Spring and Autumn Annals, even if he was a Jinshi, as long as he didn't make more than six mistakes in the meaning of the classics, he could enter the Chuigong Hall and get the top prize.

Song Cai left the list in a daze. Although he was very happy to pass the exam, he couldn't be happy when he saw that the rankings were so different even though they were both tested on the Book of Filial Piety.

No wonder he is the head of the academy.

Even if he was tested on the Book of Filial Piety, he was ranked in the top ten.

Song Cai could only sigh in his heart.

After leaving Xingguofang where the Academy of Rites was located, the group went to the restaurant to celebrate.

Soon it was more than eleven o'clock in the morning. They almost had breakfast and lunch, and kept eating and drinking in the nearby restaurant.

At this time, a carriage slowly passed the street under the protection of a hundred guards.

Song Cai happened to be by the window and caught a glimpse of the situation below. He recognized that it was Zhao Jun's motorcade, so he quickly said, "I'm going out for a while." Then he hurried downstairs.

The rest of the people were confused, but Song Cai might have something to do, so no one paid attention.

At this moment, people were coming and going in the streets and alleys, and the carriage was crowded in the crowd and slowly moving forward. Song Cai trotted all the way and finally caught up with him at the street corner.

Seeing someone approaching, many guards went up to stop him. Fortunately, Song Cai had the waist badge given by Zhao Jun, which allowed him to meet Zhao Jun smoothly.

"Zhiyuan."

Song Cai came over and bowed respectfully.

Zhao Jun saw that it was him, so he smiled and said, "So it's Brother Song, how about it, it seems that the results will be announced today."

"Thanks to Zhiyuan, I ranked 376th."

Song Cai was a little embarrassed.

Ranked third from the bottom, it is indeed not a glorious thing.

"It's okay if I can pass the imperial examination."

Zhao Jun smiled.

Song Cai said, "Compared with Zhiyuan, it's still far behind."

"Oh?"

Zhao Jun was surprised and said, "I won't pass it too."

He really didn't pay attention to this matter.

After all, he went to take the imperial examination because Lu Yijian and others tricked him into going.

As early as when he was blind, Lü Yijian and his men had brainwashed Zhao Zhen and asked him to enter the government through the imperial examination.

Now that he has come to his senses and fought back, forcing Lü Yijian and his men to compromise, there is naturally no need to pay attention to the imperial examination.

"Yes."

Song Cai gestured and said, "The magistrate is ranked seventh."

"It's a pretty high ranking."

Zhao Jun was happy. He didn't expect that he not only passed the exam, but also ranked at the top.

But if you think about it carefully, it's normal. He copied the poems and songs of Fan Zhongyan and Su Shi, plus the policy essays. As long as the classics are not completely wiped out, it would be a miracle if the ranking is not high.

Song Cai complimented, "The dean is a man of natural talent, and we ordinary scholars are naturally not comparable."

Zhao Jun looked at the time and said, "Don't say too much compliment, do more practical work and less empty talk. You came to see me, is there anything else?"

Song Cai hurriedly said, "To reply to the dean, I have been close to Da Baojian Saburo during this period. I have learned a lot of news about Izumo and Iwami from him. I wrote it into a book and was about to present it to the dean."

As he said that, he took out a small booklet from his arms and handed it over respectfully.

Zhao Jun took it, flipped it open and glanced at it, then nodded with satisfaction and said, "You did a good job. The Song Dynasty needs talents like you. What are you going to do next?"

Song Cai said, "I know that I am not a good candidate for the imperial examination, so I will do my best to serve the Zhiyuan. I will not participate in the next spring examination. I plan to go to Izumo and Iwami in person with the big health care Saburo in the name of going to Japan for trade next spring."

"Well, reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. It's great that you have this ambition."

Zhao Jun pondered for a while, then said, "So, from now on you are the head of the Imperial City Division, and the waist badge is your identity. When you go to Japan in the future, you will transfer a group of people from the Imperial City Division to Japan and station them there to become the Imperial City Division's branch in Japan. When you arrive there, you must focus on understanding the situation."

"Thank you, Zhiyuan."

Song Cai knew that he had made the right bet and was immediately excited.

Although Zhao Jun gave him the waist badge last time, he did not give him an identity. Now he plans to go to Japan in person, and he is indeed taken seriously.

He knew that he was not capable enough to pass the imperial examination. Even if he got the title of Juren, he would be no different from ordinary people, and his future prospects would still be bleak.

But now that he was with Zhao Jun, things were different.

Although he was a military officer, Xia Song also switched from a military officer to a civil officer. With Zhao Jun's power, if he could do his job well, he might be able to become a civil official in the future?

Thinking of this, Song Cai bowed and said excitedly: "I will definitely not let you down."

"Yes."

Zhao Jun smiled and said: "The most important thing when you go to another country is your own safety. Everything is based on investigating information. Don't put yourself in danger."

"Yes, yes."

"Go."

"Thank you, Zhiyuan."

Song Cai stepped back happily, stood aside respectfully, and watched the carriage leave.

The carriage started slowly and headed towards the outer city.

In the car, Zhao Jun read the booklet given by Song Cai.

He had some time at noon today, so he planned to go to the former Guangbei Attack Bureau in the outer city, now the Firearms Department.

Zeng Gongliang had completed his mourning period and had been transferred back to the court. He was now the acting head of the Firearms Department, specializing in the research and development of firearms equipment.

Zhao Jun went there to point out the direction of research and development for him, and also to see the development of firearms in the Song Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, he met Song Cai again on the road and gave him a big gift.

At present, Zhao Jun has established a firm foothold in Bianliang.

Downward, he cleared a large number of evil forces such as Wuyou Cave and Guifan Tower, and upward, he swept away corrupt officials in Kaifeng Prefecture, and the court also brought down two big tigers at the level of deputy prime ministers, Han Yi and Liu Yuanyu.

Other censors, three yamen, three departments, six ministries, and the Privy Council were also arrested. The prime ministers' families such as the Han family and the Ma family were also destroyed. It can be said that he has done a lot of great things.

There are also many supporters in the officialdom. Basically, no matter how happy the opposition is, they can't do anything to him. Zhao Jun's position as the head of the court is as stable as Mount Tai.

But doing these things is just to make Bianliang better.

Now the whole Song Dynasty is still in a precarious stage, with serious land annexation in various places and the people living in poverty. If you only look at the romantic and beautiful scenery of Bianliang, you can't forget the people of the world.

So he plans to leave Beijing next year, starting from the point of seeking truth from facts, to inspect the situation in various places, investigate the grassroots, and find problems in various places in the Song Dynasty.

It just so happens that Fan Zhongyan will also go to the northwest next year, and Song Cai will go to Japan, so the three lines will run in parallel.

Zhao Jun will deal with local land annexation issues in various parts of the Song Dynasty, Fan Zhongyan will deal with national defense issues in the northwest, and Song Cai will find foreign exchange issues in Japan. Working together in the three directions may bring unexpected results.

The carriage moved forward slowly, crossed the Cai River, and arrived at Xida Street. Near the west of Yanzhen Temple, there is a large courtyard with a magnificent area, surrounded by walls outside, which is larger than a market.

This is the East Workshop and Wanquan Workshop of Bianliang, which have the Armor and Armour Office, the Imperial Armour Office, the Armour Manufacturing Office and the Capital Workshop, etc. It is the place where armour is manufactured. Di Qing's later residence is near here. Opposite the West Jiaofang to the west, it was the home of Empress Wencheng Zhang in history.

After arriving at the East Workshop, the carriage was hung with a sign of the Political System Office, and we entered it unimpeded. When we arrived at the former Guangbei Attack Bureau, which has now been renamed the Firearms Department, Zeng Gongliang had already received the news and went out to greet him.

"Zeng Gongliang, your humble servant, greets the Director."

Zhao Jun got off the carriage, and Zeng Gongliang, who was wearing a red robe, came forward to salute.

Zeng Gongliang was only a seventh-rank secretary before Dingyou, but although his career was slow, he had a long career. He was a Jinshi in the second year of Tiansheng, and was in the same class as Song Xiang.

Song Xiang was already a fourth-rank Right Counselor, and had a pivotal position in the Censorate, while Zeng Gongliang, who was on the same list, was still in the seventh or eighth rank.

After Zeng Gongliang was recalled to Beijing this time, Cai Qi promoted him to be the Chief of Political System and the Director of the Firearms Department.

The Director of the Firearms Department was a dispatched official, while the Chief of Political System was a salary official, belonging to the Political System Institute, and was a fifth-rank official.

Now Zeng Gongliang also wore a scarlet robe.

Zhao Jun looked him up and down. He was a middle-aged man in his forties with a refined face, so he nodded and said, "I have always heard of Mr. Mingzhong's name. I heard that you have a wide range of knowledge and are good at military equipment."

Zeng Gongliang smiled and said, "I read a lot of miscellaneous books before. I didn't expect that because of this reason, the court would let me take charge of the Firearms Department."

At this time, it would take three years for him and Ding Du to co-author "Military Classics General Essentials", but before that, Zeng Gongliang had accumulated a lot of knowledge about military equipment, which enabled him to write the famous military work.

Zhao Jun smiled and said, "Firearms are the future direction of weapons development. In the future, the Song Dynasty must move forward in this direction. The Firearms Department must develop better firearms."

"Yes."

Zeng Gongliang nodded and stretched out his hand, saying, "Please come in and take a look."

Zhao Jun followed him into the Firearms Department.

When he entered, a strong smell of saltpeter hit him, but the yard was very clean and there was no debris.

Going through the hall and courtyard in front and arriving at the workshop in the back, you can see a large number of craftsmen making firearms in various wooden houses.

There are various medicines and minerals in it. The craftsmen get what they want through burning, hammering, distillation, etc., and then mix these things together and pack them up to make a small ball.

Zeng Gongliang introduced them one by one: "Dean, this is a fireball, this is a smokeball, this is an iron-mouthed fire kite, and this is a bamboo fire kite"

He mentioned more than a dozen types of firearms in one breath, all of which were recorded in the "Wu Jing Zong Yao", but there were no muskets and artillery, because these two things were invented in the Southern Song Dynasty, one during the Xiaozong period of the Song Dynasty and the other during the Lizong period of the Song Dynasty.

Moreover, the muskets and artillery are not very powerful, especially the muskets, which are made of bamboo and are basically disposable items. Compared with the matchlock guns of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, they are backward products.

After Zhao Jun saw these firearms, he asked as he walked: "What is the gunpowder ratio of this fireball?"

Zeng Gongliang said: "There are 14 liang of sulfur, 7 liang of wohuang, 40 liang of saltpetre, 14 liang of rosin, as well as arsenic, fixed powder, yellow pill, dry lacquer, bamboo root, maru, yellow wax, tung oil, thick oil, clear oil, etc. Several.”

"It's too complicated and affects the power."

Zhao Jun shook his head and said: "What I want is pure gunpowder. When producing gunpowder in the future, one pound of gunpowder must contain 12 taels of saltpeter, 1.6 taels of sulfur, and 2.4 taels of charcoal. Do you understand?"

This ratio was the optimal ratio of black gunpowder in later generations, that is, 75% saltpeter, 10% sulfur, and 15% charcoal.

After hearing his words, Zeng Gongliang thought for a while and called a craftsman to give instructions.

The craftsman then got into the shed, carefully took out the corresponding amounts of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal using a scale, and then mixed them together to form a dark black ash.

"Chiji!"

The craftsman came over holding the black ash.

Zeng Gongliang asked Zhao Jun: "Zhiyuan, is this pure gunpowder?"

"Um."

Zhao Jun looked over, thought for a moment and said, "Get some more egg white."

"yes."

Zeng Gongliang asked people to find eggs.

After a while, someone brought a bowl with egg whites in it.

Zhao Jun ordered: "Pour in the egg whites, mix them together, and knead them into granules."

Granular?

The craftsman didn't understand, but he knew what mixing meant, so he simply put the handful of gunpowder into the bowl and stirred it.

After a while, a large amount of granular black powder appeared.

"Zhiyuan, it's done."

Zeng Gongliang looked at the gunpowder particles in the bowl and said.

"Use it to make fireballs and test its power. Remember not to put any messy things, just put some iron pieces."

"good."

Zeng Gongliang responded.

The processes in the workshop are all ready-made. The craftsmen directly used the thunder and fireball method to create a small clay pot with leads on it.

"Wu Jing Zong Yao" records that this thing was put on a catapult, ignited, thrown into the city and then exploded. The power mainly came from the broken clay pot outside and the fragments hurting people.

Soon the thunderbolt fireball was ready, and there was the school field in front of it. Zhao Jun asked someone to bring a few scarecrows and put them in the middle of the clay pot, and then asked someone to light the clay pot and leave quickly.

The experimenter did so.

At this moment, the afternoon winter wind was blowing on the school grounds, and the sky was gloomy. Zhao Jun, Zeng Gongliang and others were standing in the distance, and the other officials accompanying them were also watching the excitement.

A craftsman placed the clay pots on the school field in the distance, surrounded by several scarecrows, and the leads were stretched extremely long - Zhao Jun specifically ordered them.

After everything was placed, he lit the fuse with a fire stick and ran away immediately.

Fortunately, the lead wire was long and the craftsman ran a hundred meters away.

He looked back.

Almost as soon as he turned around, the thunderbolt fireball exploded!

"boom!"

As an explosion sounded that was several times louder than the usual thunderbolt fireballs, countless dust exploded on the spot in an instant.

Even if the craftsman is a hundred meters away, he can feel a wave of wind mixed with dust coming towards his face.

"What's going on? Has Earth Dragon turned over?"

"The sound sounds like it's from the school grounds."

"What happened? Go and have a look."

Many craftsmen in the rear workshop were startled when they heard the loud noise, and they all put down their work and ran over to watch.

At this time, the straw men around the school field had been blown to pieces.

The ceramic fragments were even embedded half a foot into the ground!

Zeng Gongliang and others opened their mouths and looked at all this in disbelief.

Only Zhao Jun showed a satisfied smile.

I believe that pure gunpowder granular grenades will definitely give Xixia and Liao a big surprise.

The last chapter is indeed a bit watery, but the important plot advancement of this chapter cannot be watered down. I just came back from the hospital and my condition was not good. I won’t be hydrated anymore.