Chapter 137: Gunpowder
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“Your Highness, will this gunpowder really explode?”
In the dim night, only the side hall of the palace was illuminated. Lu Luo, who was naturally timid, looked on the verge of tears.
Ziyuan glared at Lu Tong. “Shame on you—handpicked by His Highness to study chemistry, yet you’re so useless. Move aside, let me do it.”
Without waiting for a response, she took over Lu Tong’s task and began carefully grinding the saltpeter.
Lu Tong’s expression turned awkward. As a man, how could he lose to a woman? Steadying himself, he silently picked up another rolling pin and resumed grinding.
Xiao Ming had summoned Lu Tong tonight for hands-on instruction. Though gunpowder wasn’t a secret in the Great Yu Empire, not everyone knew how to make it.
The formula he was using—one part sulfur, two parts saltpeter, and three parts charcoal—was the optimal ratio for black powder.
Over the past few days, Xiao Ming had researched the various gunpowder formulas used in the Great Yu Empire, only to find a chaotic mess of inconsistent ratios. Unsurprisingly, the resulting gunpowder was weak and unreliable.
Thus, from the very beginning, his gunpowder would have an advantage.
Naturally, Lu Tong was unaware of this formula. After tonight’s lesson, he would not only understand it but also oversee gunpowder production.
After all, casting cannons was one thing, but equipping them involved many other tasks—gunpowder, cannonballs, and artillery mounts were all separate challenges.