Chapter 52: The ruins of ancestors

This is a dilapidated thatched hut, which has been ruined for a long time. No one has lived in it for many years. The thatched hut is not something that surprised Chen Wanrong. What surprised Chen Wanrong was that there was a pit outside the thatched hut. This pit looked like a bullet crater and was extremely irregular. There were several pieces of iron in the pit, and there was a skeleton beside the pit.

It is correct to say that the skeleton is not complete, to be precise, it should be the wreckage, because the bones are scattered into several parts and are a little far apart from each other. If someone or animal moves it after death, it is not surprising. If no one moves it, it will be like this, which means that this person encountered something shocking here before his lifetime.

Chen Wanrong walked over and saw that yes, this is a bullet crater, definitely a bullet crater! There were no explosives in the Tang Dynasty, and there were another bullet craters here. What does this mean? Of course, Chen Wanrong has to find out.

There was a broken jar next to it, and there was something in the jar. Chen Wanrong squatted down and saw that there was sulfur and saltpeter in the jar. Chen Wanrong suddenly understood that this man was an alchemist, an alchemist who was studying gunpowder.

Look at this situation, it must be that he detonated the gunpowder and exploded such a pit, and he himself died, and he paid his life to study the gunpowder.

Gunpowder appeared in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, people did not have enough understanding of gunpowder. They only knew that gunpowder was easy to burn and they did not even use it for fireworks, let alone other uses. However, the person in front of them died because of the explosion of gunpowder, which means that the gunpowder he made was very powerful, so big that it could kill people. This was a shocking discovery!

If he hadn't died of an accident and made this research unknown, it might have been used in the military for the Tang Dynasty. Chen Wanrong felt respect in his heart, tidied up his clothes, and bowed deeply to the skeleton: "Senior, you are still glorious even if you die!"

"Catch it, grab it!" Huang Boming's excited voice sounded, crawled out of the hole, carried the yellow deer, and slapped Chen Wanrong's shoulder: "Brother Wanrong, you really have you. If you shoot an arrow on your head, you will die even if you don't die."

That was Chen Wanrong's snail and shot directly, and he was not capable of doing it, so he could only be a joke. Chen Wanrong is not concerned about this matter at the moment, but the skeleton in front of him, a respectable "scientist".

Looking at the skeleton on the ground, Huang Boming exclaimed in surprise, threw the dead yellow deer, and squatted down to look at the skeleton: "This must be that living god! It must be him!"

When Chen Wanrong heard this, he could not control himself. He hurriedly grabbed him and asked anxiously: "Mr. Huang, do you know who this ancestor is?"

Huang Boming shook his head and said, "I don't know his name, I know some of his deeds."

"Tell me quickly." If Chen Wanrong doesn't want to understand such an accomplished scientist, he has received so many years of higher education.

Although Huang Boming didn't understand why Chen Wanrong was so anxious, he still answered questions and answered: "This was something that happened decades ago. I heard from my father. About forty years ago, a Taoist priest from You Fang appeared in Xishan. He had good medical skills. When the nearby villagers got sick, he treated him and never charged a penny. Therefore, the villagers liked him and called him a living god."

Treating diseases and saving people is a great thing, and it will naturally gain people's support if you don't receive any penny. Chen Wanrong respects this scientist he has never met.

While pursuing the elixir of immortality, alchemists often find some new drugs that can cure diseases and prolong life. People with moral character often use this to save the world and benefit sentient beings. It is not surprising that this Taoist priest can cure diseases.

Huang Boming paused and sighed, "It's just that he has a strange temperament and does not want to live with others. He lives alone in the mountains. No one knows where he lives. It is said that he found a stone on the mountain that can be used to treat headaches and fevers. In addition to treating diseases, he also gave this stone to nearby villagers, and would eat a little when they asked them to have a headache. Therefore, villagers in this nearby have used this stone to treat headaches for decades."

Chen Wanrong was very excited and handed the saltpeter in front of Huang Boming: "Mr. Huang, is this? This is saltpeter, which can cure headaches."

"Saltpe?" Huang Boming patted his forehead lightly: "Yes, yes, yes, it's called saltpeter. According to this living god, there is a large saltpeter mine on this mountain, but it was buried after the landslide."

Chen Wanrong came to join the saltpeter. After hearing this, he hoped to be shattered and asked, "Mr. Huang, do you think this is serious?"

"It's true!" Huang Boming nodded and said, "I've been there to see it, it's really buried. Stay away from here, otherwise I'd take you to see it."

Since he witnessed it with his own eyes, it must be true, and Chen Wanrong's heart was cold. Huang Boming continued: "This living god is quite capable. He dig a hole on the ground, put a pot, and put saltpeter and sulfur in it to fry. By the way, he also needs to add charcoal. This is called "Fuhuo", which can reduce the toxicity of sulfur and saltpeter. The sulfur and saltpeter after the Fuhuo can cure diseases."

Chen Wanrong heard the scalp, and the mixed sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal were gunpowder. During the stir-frying process, it would mix evenly and become gunpowder. Once the temperature rises, it would ignite and then explode, and it would be normal to blow people to death. Isn’t this Taoist priest seeking death?

Judging from the craters on the ground and the broken pots, he should have given his life like this.

There was a "fire alchemy method" in ancient Chinese alchemy, which is water-free heating, similar to modern burning. It includes several steps of calcination, refining, roasting, melting, pumping, flying, and excrement. Calcining and refining are both heating. The former takes a long time, while the latter mainly refers to the heating of dry matter. Roasting is local heating. Melting is melting, pumping is distillation, flying is sublimation, and excrement is heating to change the properties of the substance.

This is very similar to modern chemical operation methods, but it did not develop into chemistry in the end, which makes people sigh.

These methods are common techniques for alchemy, and some drugs that can cure diseases were invented. The reason why gunpowder was invented was because the ancients discovered that saltpeter and sulfur could cure diseases, but these two things were too toxic and could not be used directly and needed to be treated to cure diseases.

In order to eliminate toxicity, the ancients invented a method called "Fuhuo method". Fu means subduing, which means reducing or removing toxicity.

The famous medical scientist Sun Simiao used this method. He grind two taels of sulfur and saltpeter into powder and put them in the pot. Dig a hole on the ground, put the pot on it, and fill it with soil. Then ignite three soapy sticks that have not been passed by the worm sticks and put them in the pot to burn, and fireworks will appear. Until the fireworks disappear, put the charcoal down and fry them together until the charcoal is one-third less, even if the great work is completed.

This is a commonly used method for the alchemy family in the Tang Dynasty. There is a family of alchemy called Qingxuzi using aristolochi instead of soap beans to achieve the same effect.

In the Tang Dynasty, this was indeed a great innovation, but it was very dangerous. Because this method was too easy to cause the burning of gunpowder or even explosion. Sun Simiao was able to survive because he had not had an accident, because he didn't use it too much. Even if something happened, it would at most burn off eyebrows, beard, hair, etc., which would cause darkness and burning on his body, and it would not cost his life.

The alchemist in front of him was not so lucky. Needless to say, he must have made the amount bigger. Once the explosion exploded, he would have killed himself. Chen Wanrong, who understood the cause and effect, still couldn't understand it. The power of this gunpowder was not small, otherwise it would be impossible to blow the alchemist in front of him to pieces.

"This ancestor has a kind heart to save the world and save people. Since we meet, we can no longer let him expose his bones and bury him." Chen Wanrong respected this alchemist who devoted himself to "scientific research", so he proposed this.

Huang Boming and the others are both scholars, so they will not disagree: "Should, ought!"

Everyone started to work together, dug out a pit, put the dead bones in, filled them with soil, and built them into a pile of soil. They pulled out a few grasses and inserted them on the grave, and made a head of incense. After bowing a few times, the matter was completed.

After burying the bones, Chen Wanrong still couldn't figure out how powerful his gunpowder was. He thought that maybe he would find it in the house and step into the house.

This is a thatched hut that can only be lived in. A simple bed fell to the ground. It was vaguely a bed. There were a few clay pots on the ground, and there was nothing else. Chen Wanrong squatted down, lifted up the lid of a clay pot, and looked inside. It was sulfur.

Sulfur can be bought on the market, and it is not surprising that I see it here. Chen Wanrong covered it and then opened a clay pot. The jar was filled with white powder, and a pungent smell rushed into his nose. When Chen Wanrong smelled this pungent smell, it was ten times more fragrant than when he smelled the fragrance of flowers. This was saltpeter, which was saltpeter after boiling.

Pure saltpeter is non-toxic. The saltpeter in nature contains less than 10% of the nitrate and there are too many impurities. The reason why Sun Simiao wanted to suppress the fire and remove the poison was to remove these impurities.

The purity of saltpeter in the jar is at least 70% or 80%. This purity can only be considered a rough product in modern society, and it is definitely an amazing innovation in the Tang Dynasty! Chen Wanrong suddenly realized that no wonder this ancestor would kill gunpowder. He used the purified saltpeter to suppress the fire, causing an explosion, and the power is naturally much greater, and it is unreasonable to not die.

Chen Wanrong picked it up and found two cans of pure nitrogen and half a can of black gunpowder. These things appeared in the Tang Dynasty, which was enough to cause a sensation. Chen Wanrong was surprised. What surprised Chen Wanrong the most was that this senior was actually working as a paper media. There was a hollow gourd next to the paper media. Chen Wanrong poured a little gunpowder out of the gourd. It was very likely that this senior was studying the "bomb".

Putting gunpowder in a gourd and using paper media to detonate it is too rustic, but it is a great innovation in the Tang Dynasty. Unfortunately, this ancestor was subject to a change, otherwise once he successfully researched it, it would trigger a revolution in the Tang Dynasty!

"Look, there are words here." Just when Chen Wanrong was surprised, Qi Xianming's surprised screams rang out.

Chen Wanrong hurriedly walked to Qi Xianming's side. He was holding a dilapidated wooden box, holding a yellowed hard yellow paper in his left hand and said, "Yu Guan's gourd can break the medicine, but there is medicine in the pot that can only burn, and it cannot be broken. I have been thinking for a long time. I should fill the medicine in the pot and seal it up so that it is not breathable before it can break! I will go tomorrow!"

A picture appeared in front of Chen Wanrong. A Taoist priest with fairy spirit and Taoist priest sat here to record the research results, determined to imitate the method of putting gunpowder into the gourd to detonate, and then put gunpowder in the pot, and then raise the fire. The Taoist priest held a cup of tea, sat cross-legged and observed, and drank tea while observing. Time was lost in the hope of hope. Suddenly, a fireball appeared from the pot, followed by a loud noise. The Taoist priest fell in a pool of blood, with incomplete limbs.

This is a scientist who is not afraid of hardships and dares to take risks, but he is too risky and eventually dies with his own life. This makes Chen Wanrong think of sweet mercury in the history of chemistry. In order to know the taste of sweet mercury, scientists tried it himself, but died of poisoning. Although he died, he lets future generations know that the taste of sweet mercury is sweet and highly poisonous, which is enough to alert future generations.

But this ancestor brought knowledge about gunpowder into the ground. If I hadn't discovered his bones and knew that he was conducting a great study, others would have regarded him as an ordinary person.

Ancient Chinese alchemists lived in seclusion in deep mountains and dense forests, studied behind closed doors, and used cryptic words, which made many discoveries unknown in the end, and this was just a microcosm.

Chen Wanrong knew about the actions of ancient Chinese alchemists. After witnessing them personally, the feelings were completely different. He was very moved. If they could get together and communicate openly and honestly without using implicit words, chemistry might be the invention of the Chinese.

When filling medicine in a pot and raising the heat after being closed is tantamount to a bomb, it is normal for him to blow it to death. As for how this senior used to seal the pot, it is unknown. It is an innovation and perhaps a great invention to maintain good sealing.

"Mr. Qi, do you have a name?" Chen Wanrong wanted to know the name of this senior the most. If he knew, he could pass on his name to future generations. The solution was very simple. Chen Wanrong planned to make gunpowder, and he just needed to name gunpowder with his name.

Qi Xianming shook his head and felt very sorry: "No! There is nothing except this little word. If this paper is placed at the bottom, otherwise it would have been broken." He handed it to Chen Wanrong.

Chen Wanrong took it and saw that the handwriting on the paper was blurred and could be recognized by carefully identifying it. He also gave it to Qi Xianming. Qi Xianming took it and put it back into the box, and then put the wooden box back in the original position.

I wanted to take away two cans of pure salt, but Chen Wanrong couldn't bear to touch the relics of this ancestor, so he let saltpeter accompany the ancestor, and then gave up. Everyone left the house and looked at each other and sighed, very regretful.

What Huang Boming and others regret is the heart of this ancestor, who saved the world but did not leave their name. What Chen Wanrong regrets is that he is enough to keep his reputation in history. He is qualified to be one of the greatest scientists in Chinese history, but he did not leave his name, which is regrettable.

Although this was an unexpected discovery, Chen Wanrong was extremely excited. We repeatedly said that our ancestors created a brilliant civilization. Chen Wanrong witnessed this fact with his own eyes today, witnessed the wisdom of this ancestor and his spirit of dedication to science, and was extremely excited. When he left, he turned around one step and three times, as if there was infinite attraction here.

Everyone returned to the camp with their prey. The camp is very different from when they left. The students raised piles of fires and put the meat on the fire to barbecue. They smelled an attractive fragrance from afar.

There are so many scholars who pay attention to it. They didn’t forget to ask for a table in the wild. They picked up some branches and set up a simple “table” with clean dishes, cups and cups on it. There were several jars of fine wine next to the table. It seemed that this was the dining table.

The students went up from afar and were very happy to see Chen Wanrong and the others gained a good harvest. The students took the pheasant and wild ducks and wanted to pluck their hair and clean them. Chen Wanrong witnessed the wisdom of our ancestors today, and was happy from the bottom of his heart. He thought about celebrating it well, and stopped him with a smile: "No need to pluck your hair, let's have some new tricks."

"Brother Wanrong, how do you eat it?" Huang Boming hadn't seen the way to eat it without plucking hair, so he couldn't help but be very curious.

His question was exactly what Qi Xianming wanted to say, staring at Chen Wanrong tightly.

Chen Wanrong smiled and said, "It's actually nothing. It's okay to open a hole, take off the internal organs, put some seasonings inside, and sew the holes up, and stuff them with things. Then dilute the mud evenly, wrap it up, and put it on the fire and burn it."

This way of eating is a bit novel. Huang Boming has never seen anyone with extensive knowledge and has increased his interest and praised him: "Okay, just do it like this. Quickly, go with the dilute."

Even if he didn't say it, the students knew what to do, clear the internal organs and the mud. When the internal organs were cleared and the mud was reconciled, wrap the game with the mud and throw it into the fire to burn.

Huang Boming is not only a good hunter, but also a good barbecue player. He took a few freshmen to pull out the skins of the yellow deer and rabbits and clean them. Then he applied the seasoning evenly, wore it with an iron fork, and put it on the fire to burn.
Chapter completed!