Chapter 20: The Peerless Sword

Riding on the back of blue and white porcelain, it was extremely stable. The smoothness was not bad at all compared to driving on the expressway in a car. This feeling was so wonderful and a kind of enjoyment. Chen Wanrong couldn't help but feel a little happy. It was worth saving blue and white porcelain for a moment. However, Chen Wanrong's thoughts had not yet been completed, and he heard blue and white porcelain screaming and running wildly.

Chen Wanrong originally planned to ride to the town and go to He San to get things home, but unexpectedly, Blue and White turned around and pulled the reins quickly and shouted, "Let's go back, turn around!" No matter how much Chen Wanrong roared, Blue and White didn't listen at all. He was so anxious that he even made a few leaps, and almost pushed Chen Wanrong off the horse's back.

Chen Wanrong can only say that he can ride, and he will not fall off the horse's back. When Blue and White Flowers do not listen to the greeting, Chen Wanrong couldn't help but panic. In a hurry, he clamped the horse's belly with both legs and grabbed the horse's hair with both hands.

The blue and white horses ran so hard that they ran faster and faster. Chen Wanrong felt the wind whistling in his ears. In this case, Chen Wanrong was not good at equestrianism and could do nothing except "stick" to the horse's back, so he had to let the blue and white horses run wildly.

I don’t know how long I had been running, but Chen Wanrong felt weak in all limbs and his legs were weak. If he ran down, he might fall down if he was exhausted. At this moment, Blue and White neighed, slowed down and started jogging. Chen Wanrong seized the opportunity, pulled the reins and shouted: "Stop!" Blue and White stopped responding, very obedient.

Chen Wanrong was exhausted and sweating heavily, and was very angry. He slapped his right hand heavily on the horse's head and scolded, "Where are you crazy?" He felt his right hand was wet and slippery. He lifted it up and saw a lot of sweat stained on his palm. He looked at it carefully in surprise and saw sweat oozing from blue and white bodies. It turned out that blue and white were getting enough to get Mercedes-Benz and then stopped.

There is no doubt that blue and white horses are a rare good horse. They are just kept in the stables. They have a rare opportunity to run. With this opportunity, they will naturally run wildly. Chen Wanrong felt relieved. He pulled the horse's head, blue and white horses turned around and drove towards Luojiadian.

Although he was in a hurry to go to Luojiadian, Chen Wanrong didn't dare to hurry too fast when he was tired, and let the blue and white flowers trot slowly. Chen Wanrong controlled the reins and looked at them from time to time, but he didn't know where this place was. It was very desolate. Not only did he say that there were few pedestrians on the road, but even this road was not as flat as the official road, with bumpy pits, and occasionally muddy.

During the days when we arrived in the Tang Dynasty, Chen Wanrong had been to Ning County and Chang'an except Luojiadian, and had never been to other places. If he had time, Chen Wanrong would definitely ride on the blue and white porcelain to check it out. It was getting late now and he had to rush back. He had to give up this idea. If there was no chance to check, he could not have no impression. If that was the case, it would be too much. Chen Wanrong looked at it carefully. There was a mountain in front of him, with trees standing in front, which looked quite large.

Soon he arrived at the foot of the mountain. Chen Wanrong rode his horse and looked around from time to time. There were several white stones as big as fists three or five meters away from the roadside. Chen Wanrong browed and hurriedly pulled back the horse. The blue and white stopped. Chen Wanrong jumped down and rushed towards the stone. The blue and white trotted behind Chen Wanrong.

Chen Wanrong picked up the stone and took a look. He said that the white stone was wrong and slightly gray. He clenched the stone with his right index finger a few times and put it in his mouth to taste it. It was bitter, yes, it was saltpeter.

Others don’t know the use of saltpeter, but Chen Wanrong doesn’t know it? It is one of the three major components of gunpowder. The texture of this saltpeter is not very good, and it can only be obtained after treatment. There was sulfur in the Tang Dynasty, so I won’t talk about charcoal. The three components are combined in a certain proportion, which is one of the four major inventions of China.

Gunpowder first appeared in 682 AD, in the first year of Yongchun of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty, called the Sulfur Fire Conquering Method, which was made of saltpeter, sulfur and soap horns. Chen Wanrong lived in 711 AD, twenty-nine years away from this great invention. The Tang people's understanding of gunpowder was extremely limited and they did not even use it on fireworks. This was not used in fireworks in the Song Dynasty, and then military.

The reason for using soap horns is that horns contain carbon, and charcoal was used later, which formally established the three major components of gunpowder: saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal.

It is not difficult to make gunpowder at all. Among the three ingredients, saltpeter is relatively difficult. Only by boiling can you get suitable saltpeter. Chen Wanrong can solve this problem. With saltpeter, gunpowder can be made, and with gunpowder can be used to make fireworks, and also to make weapons. The future is unlimited.

Chen Wanrong only felt dizzy and didn't care about anything else. He put the saltpeter in his arms and ran up the mountain, hoping to find more saltpeter. However, things in the world are often not satisfactory. Chen Wanrong's plan failed and ran to a large area, but no second saltpeter was found again.

Now that I gave up, that's not Chen Wanrong. I searched in the mountains for a while and wanted to ask about it. There were no one on the mountain, so I had to go down to the foot of the mountain. There were several families at the foot of the mountain. Chen Wanrong rushed over with blue and white flowers. He saw an old man leaning on the door frame and dozing off. Chen Wanrong coughed and said softly: "Old man, please wake up."

The old man opened his eyes and was confused, and asked, "Brother, are you calling me?"

"Yes, old man." Chen Wanrong nodded and said, "Old man, I'm lost. What is this place?"

The old man looked at Chen Wanrong and then said after a while: "This is the West Mountain, and going east is Luojiadian."

Chen Wanrong remembered that Zhang Deming said there was anthracite on the Xishan Mountain, and it turned out to be here. He smiled and said, "Thank you, old man. Old man, I just picked up a stone on the side of the road. Please help me identify it. Where did it come from?" He took out the saltpeter and handed it to the old man. He is a local, so he should know where the saltpeter is produced.

The old man looked at the saltpeter for a while, shook his head and said, "Brother, what's the use of this stone?"

Of course, Chen Wanrong would not say that this could make gunpowder: "Old man, I think this stone is different from other stones. I want to find more and see what the difference is."

"Brother, you are really good. Why are you doing this if you have something to do?" The old man scolded gently, and then said: "This stone is very bitter and can cure diseases. If you have a headache and fever, just drink a little."

Chen Wanrong knew the function of saltpeter than him. In addition to making gunpowder, he could also cure diseases. He didn't need to talk too much and just talked about irrelevant things. Chen Wanrong had to remind him: "Old man, where can I find it?"

"On the mountain! As long as you go to the mountain to look for it, you will find it occasionally." The old man's answer was equivalent to not saying anything. Chen Wanrong was asking where to concentrate, not sporadic.

The emergence of gunpowder is of epoch-making significance. Chen Wanrong was too eager to find the saltpeter mine, so he had to resist his displeasure: "Old man, where can I find more? It's not one or two, nor one hundred, but thousands."

"So many, why do you find so many to make? You can't eat it." The old man was so shady. After nagging, he said: "This stone is only occasionally picked up on the mountain. As for where it is the most, I haven't picked up a few pieces at this age."

Chen Wanrong came with hope, and after hearing this, he felt a little disappointed. This mountain is not small, so it is not easy to find a seat in the saltpeter mine. Chen Wanrong missed the geological team. It would be great if there was a geological team. It was a grievance, and I had to face the reality. This matter was only delayed. I would say it later when I had the chance, and I would say goodbye to the old man and ride a horse.

When he arrived at the He family's seal shop, He San had printed it. Chen Wanrong paid the money and left the seal shop with his things. It was getting late for the blue and white tossing. Chen Wanrong was in a hurry to go home and rushed to beat the horse. In just a short while, he was about to leave the town. Someone heard someone shouting urgently: "Master Wanrong, Master Wanrong, please wait a moment, please wait a moment!"

The voice was very familiar, and Chen Wanrong couldn't help but turn his head and see that it was no one else, but Zhang Deming rushed over. Since last farewell, Chen Wanrong has been to Luojiadian for many times. Zhang Deming's blacksmith shop has been guarding the door. Chen Wanrong was disappointed again and again, so he didn't go to see if he opened the door.

Chen Wanrong was particularly concerned about steel. When he saw that it was him, he jumped off the horse and went up to him: "Master Zhang, why did you come back! I have been waiting for you."

Zhang Deming smiled and grabbed Chen Wanrong: "Master Wanrong, don't talk long, don't talk long, let's go inside and talk."

Chen Wanrong tied the horse and followed Zhang De into the blacksmith shop. As soon as he entered the house, Chen Wanrong couldn't help but be surprised and asked, "Master Zhang, what are you doing? Why are you packing up?"

Zhang Deming happily poured Chen Wanrong a cup of tea and smiled before he could say something: "You don't know anything. I don't need to make iron again in the future. I'll go to the Weapons Supervisor to make weapons."

Chen Wanrong was puzzled and Zhang Deming hurriedly explained: "Master Wanrong, this is all thanks to you. If it weren't for you, how could I go to the weapon supervision? Master Wanrong, since I heard your high theory, I went to tell the master, guess what the master said? Master high-fives and praised, "It's not impossible to use molten steel, we have studied it before, but it's too difficult and there's no way."

"I've told me all the methods you taught me. The master's eyes were lit up, brighter than the stars in the sky. The master said that the Weapon Prison had spent a lot of manpower and material resources on the iron and steel, and there was no progress in a few years, so he gave up. Your method made the master see hope again. The master immediately packed his luggage and rushed to the Weapon Prison with me."

Tangren actually studied it, and Chen Wanrong was shocked. Although he did not succeed, at least they worked hard. Hard work is also part of innovation. Chen Wanrong admired Tangren's wisdom and courage from the bottom of his heart.

"What happened later?" Chen Wanrong also wanted to know the result, so he hurriedly asked.

Zhang Deming was not in a hurry and said slowly: "Don't be in a hurry, I'll tell you now. We arrived at the Weapons Supervisor. After discussing, my master and his former colleagues and the masters of the Weapons Supervisor discussed and agreed that your method was feasible. So, the Weapons Supervisor paid and tried some steel according to your method. It took more than ten days to find some tricks and made dozens of kilograms of high-quality steel.

"These steels are amazing. They are even better than iron. They sound very nice when knocked. They are easy to use. The knife they hit is very sharp. Master Wanrong, please wait, I will show you something."

Ye Tianheng's colleagues must be great scientists, at least they are extremely experienced weapons masters. Ye Tianheng can actually mobilize them. The people in the weapons supervision have no prestige.

Zhang Deming didn't wait for Chen Wanrong to speak, and stood up and went into the inner room. When he came out, he had a slender sword in his hand, a high-quality shark leather scabbard, and the bright red silk squid was particularly conspicuous.

Ma Dao was Chen Wanrong's idea, but they didn't expect that they actually created it. Chen Wanrong admired their high efficiency.

When patting the saber, Zhang Deming said proudly: "This knife is made of this batch of steel. This saber was specially made for you by the master. He was sitting in the formation, I swung the hammer, and my brothers helped me. It took three days to build it. It was extremely sharp. The master said that you had such a good idea and you have no respect. I would like to give you a good knife to express your respect."

What an honor to have a master knife craftsman like Ye Tianheng personally make a knife. Chen Wanrong is so excited: "Thank you really, Master Ye!"

"Master Wanrong, don't say that. This saber has a very good shape and my master is very satisfied. In order to create a more convenient weapon for the army, the master has put a lot of effort into it and has not succeeded. With your idea, the master has fulfilled a wish." Zhang Deming drew his sword and was unsheathed, his blade was shining with a cold light.

Chen Wanrong took it, and Zhang Deming reminded: "You can't touch it. Never touch it with your hands. It will be too sharp, and it will be cut." As long as there is no problem with your eyes, you can see that the knife is very sharp, and only a fool will touch it.

"Put the knife flat, with the blade facing up, don't move." Zhang Deming ordered. Although Chen Wanrong didn't know why he was doing this, he would do it as he did. Zhang Deming picked up a piece of cloth, held it one foot away from the blade, spread the cloth, and let go, the cloth slowly floated down, landed on the blade, and then divided it into two pieces and floated to the ground.

Chen Wanrong blurted out: "What a good knife!" This knife was accomplished by Master Ye Tianheng's disciple's efforts, and it would not work well.

Zhang Deming enjoyed this sentence very much and said with a smile: "This is the first saber of the Tang Dynasty, please accept it."

Although Chen Wanrong did not practice martial arts, he was not as obsessed with weapons as Chen Zairong, and he also loved this knife very much. He smiled and said, "Then I'm not polite." He also sheathed the knife and looked at the handle of the knife. The three words "Ye Tianheng" were engraved on it, and a gem was also inlaid. What a beautiful thing it would be to get a knife given by a master knife craftsman like Ye Tianheng. Chen Wanrong happily carried the saber around his waist.

Zhang Deming helped Chen Wanrong with his knife. Zhang Deming then said, "I went to the Weapons Supervisor to make weapons for a few days, and it's still okay. My master introduced me to the Weapons Supervisor. This time I came back to pack up my things and took my wife and children to Chang'an. This is all thanks to Master Wanrong. Please accept my greeting."

Just as he was about to kowtow, Chen Wanrong hurriedly held him: "Master Zhang, you are so good to Zairong. I want to thank you even if you say that. These are all your blessings, and you have a good master like Master Ye."

Ye Tianheng was nice to Zhang Deming. Zhang Deming smiled gratefully and said, "Master, he is kind to me as much as a mountain. Originally, this time, the master wanted to visit you in person, but he just felt the cold and needed to rest, so he asked me to bring you a knife. I helped me to go to your house tomorrow, but I didn't expect to meet you, so I saved a lot of trouble." He came back this time to move, and he had a lot of things to save. It was best to save money, and it was very easy to say things.

"Master Ye is tired and sick in order to do this knife?" Chen Wanrong was quick-minded and immediately thought about the reason why Ye Tianheng fell ill.

Zhang Deming did not deny it and said with a smile: "Master Wanrong, don't take it to heart. Master Wanrong is old and his body is not as good as before. It is reasonable to get infected with wind and cold."

For this knife, Chen Wanrong was so embarrassed that he was tired and ill: "It was all I made Master Ye suffer."

Zhang Deming knew that Chen Wanrong was sincere and kind-hearted, and this was the truth, so he hurriedly comforted him: "Master Wanrong, although he is a little tired, he is very happy. The initial trial production of steel is successful, and the Weapons Supervisor is ready to invest more manpower, material resources and financial resources to study the future."

The weapons supervisor mobilized so much, and steel had great hope. Chen Wanrong was very excited. The purpose of promoting steel research through Ye Tianheng had achieved his goal. He breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great!"

"Master Wanrong, Master Wanrong, he has another gift for you." Zhang De said as he moved the box on the table.

Ye Tianheng is a respectable scientist. It is a great honor to receive gifts from him. It must be a powerful weapon such as a sword and a famous sword. Chen Wanrong said happily: "Then I will thank Master Ye, but I am disrespectful!"
Chapter completed!