RPAGF Chapter 803 Gunpowder
Chapter 803 Gunpowder
Cao Bin started to collect materials and built a simple furnace in an open space in the village. The villagers thought he was crazy. Could he make treasures with sand and stone? But Cao Bin ignored these doubts and stayed by the furnace day and night, adjusting the temperature and controlling the proportion of raw materials. After countless failures, finally, one morning, when the first ray of sunlight fell, crystal clear glass appeared in the furnace! The news quickly spread throughout the area of 100 miles, and even the officials in the county were alarmed. The local county magistrate came to Qinghe Village in person, and when he saw the glass, he was shocked. He immediately reported the matter to the court, and soon after, Cao Bin was summoned to the capital to meet the emperor. In the Golden Palace, Cao Bin looked at the emperor who was high above, feeling a little nervous, but more expectant. He presented the glass products he had made, including exquisite vases, transparent mirrors, and small glass beads. The emperor and the civil and military officials in the court were attracted by this magical thing and were amazed. "Cao Qing, what on earth is this? It's so magical!" The emperor was delighted and asked. Cao Bin respectfully replied: "Your Majesty, this is glass. It is not only beautiful, but also can be made into windows to make the room brighter; it can be made into mirrors to reflect people clearly; it can also be used to make utensils, which are sturdy and durable." After hearing this, the emperor was overjoyed and immediately appointed Cao Bin as a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Works and ordered him to set up a workshop in the capital to produce a large amount of glass. Cao Bin finally had a stage to display his talents. He devoted himself to the construction of the glass workshop, trained craftsmen, improved the process, and gradually made glass products enter the homes of nobles and wealthy businessmen. However, Cao Bin's ambitions did not stop there. He knew very well that in ancient times, mastering gunpowder was equivalent to mastering powerful power. So he began to secretly collect the raw materials for making gunpowder. Sulfur, saltpeter, charcoal, these things that are easy to obtain in modern times, but in ancient times, you need to spend a lot of effort to find them. After some twists and turns, Cao Bin finally gathered all the materials. In a secret place, he carefully mixed the raw materials in proportion and made gunpowder. In order to test the power of gunpowder, he conducted experiments in the suburbs. With a loud bang, flames shot up into the sky, and a big pit was blown out of the ground. This experiment caused a sensation again, and the news soon reached the emperor. The emperor urgently summoned Cao Bin to ask for details. Cao Bin explained in detail to the emperor the use of gunpowder, which can not only be used in military affairs to enhance the country's combat effectiveness, but also be used for quarrying and promoting engineering construction. After hearing this, the emperor's eyes flashed with a trace of worry, but more of excitement. He realized that the emergence of gunpowder would change the pattern of the entire country. Therefore, the emperor ordered Cao Bin to secretly set up a gunpowder workshop, which was strictly guarded by the army, and at the same time asked him to strictly control the spread of gunpowder to prevent it from falling into the hands of the enemy. Cao Bin lived up to the emperor's order and carefully developed gunpowder weapons. He made cannons and muskets. Although they were very simple compared with modern weapons, they were already powerful killing weapons at the time. During a frontier rebellion, the imperial army used the artillery invented by Cao Bin to defeat the rebels in one fell swoop and stabilize the situation. The emperor relied more and more on Cao Bin and kept promoting him. Cao Bin's status became higher and higher, but it also attracted the jealousy and envy of many people. Some conservative ministers in the court believed that Cao Bin's invention violated the ancestral way and would bring disaster, and they wrote to impeach him. Faced with these obstacles, Cao Bin did not back down. He demonstrated the power of science and technology in front of the emperor again and again, and proved his value with practical results. At the same time, he also actively cultivated talents, established schools in the Ministry of Industry, and taught scientific knowledge in the hope of changing people's concepts. With Cao Bin's efforts, the scientific and technological level of the Daqian Dynasty has been significantly improved. Glass products make people's lives more convenient, and gunpowder weapons make the country's military power stronger. The emperor trusted him more and more and handed over many important matters to him. However, a big tree attracts the wind. Cao Bin's success attracted the attention of neighboring countries, who tried every means to obtain the production technology of glass and gunpowder. An undercurrent of spy war quietly unfolded. Cao Bin not only had to deal with the open and secret struggles in the court, but also had to protect the country's technical secrets. In a crisis, spies from neighboring countries sneaked into the gunpowder workshop in an attempt to steal the production method. Cao Bin was well prepared and led his soldiers to set up an ambush and catch all the spies. But this incident also made him realize that defense alone was not enough. He needed to make the technology of the Daqian Dynasty far ahead in order to be invincible. So Cao Bin continued to study and constantly improved the production process of glass and gunpowder. He also tried to apply other modern knowledge to this world, invented simple printing technology to make books more widely spread; improved textile technology, and improved the quality and output of fabrics. As time went on, the Daqian Dynasty became more and more powerful under the promotion of Cao Bin. The people lived a rich life and the country was strong in military power, becoming an existence that neighboring countries dared not underestimate. Cao Bin also went from an unknown traverser to a legendary figure in history, deeply respected by the emperor and the people. On a quiet night, Cao Bin stood on the wall of the palace, looking at the brightly lit capital. He was filled with emotion. From the confusion when he first arrived to his current success, the journey was full of hardships and challenges. But he never regretted it, because he used his knowledge and wisdom to change the world and create his own legend. He knew that there were more unknowns waiting for him in the future, but he was ready to continue writing a new chapter on this journey of travel. This story depicts the struggle of the traveler in ancient times. If you have other ideas about the story rhythm, plot development or character portrayal, please feel free to tell me and I can modify and improve it.
He always wanted to use his expertise to change everything here. One day, while strolling by the river, he looked at the river sand and stones, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind - there were raw materials for making glass here! In modern times, he is a top student of materials science and knows the glass making process like the back of his hand.
Hongwu Anti-Corruption Storm
On an autumn night in the ninth year of Hongwu, the palace walls of Yingtian Prefecture glowed a cold, hard blue-gray color under the moonlight. Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his sore temples after reviewing the last memorial. The secret reports on his desk were piled up like a small mountain, and between the lines were the people's tearful accusations against the corruption of local officials - taxes in eastern Zhejiang were extorted layer by layer, and the people sold their children but still could not pay the grain and wages; the river engineering funds in the south of the Yangtze River were withheld, and the embankments fell into disrepair, and when the floods came, they swallowed up countless villages. "Come here!"