"Where is Master Ou from? How many people are there in your family? Although our Zhejiang Army does not allow families to enter the camp, Master Ou can settle his family in the nearby town. For the master, the camp will allocate 30 taels of silver as resettlement allowance, and for the apprentice, 15 taels of silver as resettlement allowance."
"This is a mountainous area. We can add a brazier inside the tent. We can use it to boil water and heat food, and we can also keep warm. We just need to leave a vent for ventilation to avoid coal poisoning."
Zhu Ping'an was in Ou Zhige's tent, chatting with Ou Zhige about family matters with a gentle face and asking about his well-being.
"I am from Yangzhou, and my family has five members. I will send a message to my family in a few days. Thank you for your concern."
Ou Zhige was very touched, but he was obviously not good at talking and was a little reserved, so he just answered dryly.
"I heard from my wife that Master Ou has been devoted to the study of firearms and has made great achievements. Firearms are the most important thing for our Zhejiang Army. Master Ou will definitely be able to display his talents in our Zhejiang Army. No matter how many hours a day, as long as Master Ou wants to study firearms, he can study firearms."
Zhu Ping'an said that giving Ou Zhige full autonomy in firearms research is the most basic treatment for a scientist.
When firearms were mentioned, Ou Zhige raised his head, his eyes began to light up, and his whole person changed from being reserved and restrained to being radiant and talkative. He was completely different from the taciturn person just now.
"Sir, I think firearms are a weapon from heaven, and their power is ten or a hundred times greater than that of swords, bows and crossbows. For example, the firearm Thunderbolt, which has been handed down from the Song Dynasty to the present day, explodes with a thunderous sound that can be heard ten miles away and can penetrate an area of half an acre. People and cowhide are all broken, and armor and iron are all penetrated. Firearms are not used enough now, just because they are not satisfactory and have many shortcomings. For example, in order to achieve sufficient lethality, Thunderbolts need to be loaded with at least three pounds of gunpowder, and iron nails, porcelain pieces, etc. must be added. In addition, the outer iron sheet means that a Thunderbolt must be at least ten pounds, which is too heavy, so it needs to be thrown by a catapult, or it can only be used to defend the city. In addition, the distance of the fuse burning to ignite the Thunderbolt must be calculated, and there are many restrictions on its use. I just want to study and improve firearms, so that they can be satisfactory, easy to use, and can exert combat power far beyond the sword, crossbow and other weapons..."
As soon as Ou Zhige started talking about firearms, he became nonstop, and his whole body seemed to be glowing.
Zhu Pingan listened patiently and asked curiously, "It's not just Master Ou who has studied and improved firearms. It's as loud as thunder."
It seems that Ou Zhige is a person who is obsessed with the study of firearms. According to his crazy research level, he should be able to achieve some results in the field of firearms. How come he is still unknown
So, Zhu Pingan was very curious about his research direction.
If the direction is wrong and he is going in the opposite direction, then no matter how serious or obsessed he is, it will be in vain.
"Sir, in order to address the shortcomings of Morning Thunder, which is heavy and inconvenient to use, I improved the gunpowder ratio and improved the fillings such as iron nails and porcelain pieces. Now I have successfully reduced the weight of Morning Thunder by half, and its power is not reduced at all. If a machine gun or a catapult is used, its throwing distance can be doubled." Ou Zhige said proudly.
"Master Ou, how can we improve the ratio of gunpowder?" Zhu Ping'an asked again. This is the most critical issue of firearms.
"I studied the gunpowder formulas recorded in books such as "Fire Dragon Artifact Formation" and "Gunpowder Records". There are more than 90 gunpowder formulas recorded in them. I tested their power one by one and found that five of them were the most powerful. I carefully studied the five gunpowder formulas and conducted multiple tests. Finally, I determined the gunpowder formula to be 80% saltpeter, 10% sulfur, and 10% charcoal. In order to increase the burning speed of gunpowder, I also learned from the ancients to add fuel to help combustion. After hundreds of tests, I determined that adding clear oil is the best. In order to increase the lethality of the thunder, I also added aconite poisonous smoke..."
Master Ou replied in detail.
Then, he said with a look of gratitude and confidence, "Thank you, Madam, for giving me the Fire Dragon Sutra. I believe that if I am given some more time, I will be able to improve and perfect the Sky-shaking Thunder."
After listening to Ou Zhige's words, Zhu Ping'an felt both admiration and sigh in his heart. He admired that his gunpowder ratio was already close to that of black gunpowder, but sighed that his research direction was still off. A slight mistake can lead to a huge loss. No wonder he failed to achieve fame and success.
The gunpowder formula developed by Master Ou is saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal in a ratio of 8:1:1, which is actually quite close to the black gunpowder's saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal ratio of 7.5:1:1.5. For the feudal Ming Dynasty, which did not pay attention to science and theoretical research, it was already very good. However, there were still some deviations from the powerful black gunpowder, especially after the addition of combustion-aiding clear oil and lethal poisonous smoke, the gunpowder ratio became complicated and impure, which was far from the development of black gunpowder, and its power was naturally discounted.
In fact, as long as the gunpowder ratio is adjusted to that of black powder, the combustibility will be completely sufficient.
There is absolutely no need to add clear oil. If added, it will add impurities to the gunpowder and affect its performance.
As for adding poisonous smoke to gunpowder, it is even more wrong. You should know that the explosive performance of gunpowder is the most essential advantage of gunpowder and also the greatest lethality of gunpowder. How can poisonous smoke be compared with explosive performance? Moreover, how powerful could poisonous smoke be in ancient times? In the open wilderness, the air is highly mobile.
Gunpowder is gunpowder. If you want to use poisonous smoke to kill people, you should change direction and develop poison gas bombs.
If you are too greedy and want to have everything, you will end up with nothing.
"Master Ou, after I passed the imperial examination in the capital, I was granted the grace of the emperor and became a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, managing the Hanlin Academy Library. The Hanlin Academy Library has three floors, and contains a vast number of books, including all kinds of rare and unique books, including a large number of books on firearms. I am quite interested in military affairs, and I believe that future wars will be an era of firearms, so during my time on duty in the library, I read a large number of books on military affairs and firearms."
Zhu Ping'an found the most appropriate source for his insights into firearms that were ahead of his time.
The royal collection of books must be authoritative, leading, and beyond doubt. Moreover, they have no way to verify it by going to the Hanlin Academy Library.
Upon hearing that Zhu Ping'an had read a large number of books on firearms in the Royal Library of the Hanlin Academy, Ou Zhige's breathing became rapid and he looked at Zhu Ping'an as if he were looking at a peerless treasure.
The fact that he sold himself to Li Shu for a copy of "Fire Dragon Sutra" shows how obsessed he is with the study of firearms.
In terms of the richness and value of the collection, the entire Ming Dynasty could not compare to the royal collection. The Hanlin Academy Library was the best among the royal collections, and the firearms books in it were thousands of times more valuable than the Fire Dragon Sutra.
One can imagine how excited Ou Zhige is now.
If selling all his ancestors and future descendants could get him a chance to enter the Hanlin Academy library to read books on firearms, Ou Zhige would sell them all without blinking an eye.