Chapter 58: Both public and private

Ye Tianheng thought for a while and asked, "My friend, do you want to collect saltpeter from near Chang'an?"

Chen Wanrong made this idea: "Yes. I have this idea, but I don't know how much saltpeter is near Chang'an and whether it is enough."

Guan Yibing slapped the table and said, "Mr. Chen, this idea is good. If it is used on the battlefield, it may not be enough. It is just used for test artillery and training for the army. There are more than one million people in Chang'an and consume a lot of saltpeter every year, which is quite amazing. Of course, it is scattered in the medicine shop, but it is a bit troublesome to collect it."

Liu Huaide shook his head and said, "It's not trouble at all. If you really want to collect saltpeter from Chang'an, you just need to say something to the prince. The prince will give the order, and it will be enough for a few days."

Chen Wanrong has already worked once, and Niu Shangxin only spent three days to buy all the saltpeter in Chang'an. I believe that after this period of time, the major pharmaceutical shops in Chang'an have been added and can be swept up again. He agreed with this idea and said: "A good idea, I think this will be done."

Cao Zhixiong analyzed: "This idea is good, but there is a problem that I didn't expect. Although there are many pharmacies in Chang'an, they won't be too much. According to Lord Chen, the best thing is to boil ten kilograms per kilogram. If you encounter a bad one, it will cost more than ten or twenty kilograms or even more. The amount will not be too much. You have to think of other ways."

This is so true. Chen Wanrong has only been sluggish for dozens of kilograms and is almost used up. Even if he does it again, he will not be responsible. He has to think of another solution: "Master Cao, do you have an idea?"

Cao Zhixiong's voice raised a little, and he was a little excited: "I have an idea. Do you think it's okay? Chang'an's pharmaceutical shops have certain channels to enter saltpeter. In addition to buying saltpeter, we should ask this channel. With this channel, are you still worried that saltpeter is not enough?"

It is impossible to pick up the saltpeter used in the medicine shop and find it yourself, so it must be bought from others. Following this clue, you may be able to find a place to get saltpeter. Maybe not too many, at least much better than waiting blindly. A piece of echoed voice: "Good idea! Lord Chen, we think this idea is good."

Chen Wanrong's interest also came: "I think so too. I should tell the prince about this matter, and it would be easier to let the prince deal with it." Li Longji only needed to designate one person to be responsible, and this matter was much better than being attacked by the weapon supervisor.

The more people talked, the more interested they became. Ye Tianheng's crutch was on the ground and said, "When I talked about this, I thought of a solution. Chang'an is not far from Luoyang. In addition to buying it in Chang'an, you can also go to Luoyang. Luoyang is the eastern capital, and the transportation to Chang'an is convenient, and it is only a matter of transport to three or five."

Chang'an was the capital of the Tang Dynasty, but Luoyang was always the eastern capital of the Tang Dynasty. Especially during the Wu Zetian period, Luoyang was expanded on a large scale and some central machines were also set up in Luoyang, which greatly increased Luoyang's status and became more prosperous. Although it was not as crowded as Chang'an, it also had a population of nearly one million.

Ye Tianheng's idea was too right, and a sensation rang out.

Liu Huaide coughed and continued Ye Tianheng's idea: "Brother Ye reminded me of this. Think about it, if you want to say that transportation is convenient, except for the difficulty of Shu Road, where is the inconvenient transportation in the Tang Dynasty? But Mianzhou is in Bashu. When saltpeter is transported to Chang'an, it takes a big circle, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, so we cannot wait. So, I think in addition to buying in Luoyang, I can also buy saltpeter in Zhengzhou, Jiangning, Yangzhou and other places. Although there are not many places, it is quite impressive in total." Nanjing was called Jiangning in the Tang Dynasty.

Zhengzhou, Jiangning and Yangzhou were several metropolises with a wealth of ties in the Tang Dynasty. They were very prosperous and had a large population. If you want to buy saltpeter in these places, there will definitely be no problem. Moreover, the transportation to Chang'an is very convenient, and it is more convenient than the Shu Road, which is "hard to reach the sky".

"And Youzhou, don't forget." Cao Zhixiong reminded.

Beijing was called Youzhou in the Tang Dynasty and was the most important strategic base in the north. Because of the smooth flow of the Grand Canal and the development of water transportation, you can board a boat in Chang'an and go directly to Youzhou and then to Liaodong. When Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty conquered Goryeo, a large amount of military supplies were transferred to Liaodong through Youzhou.

Therefore, Youzhou was very important for the Tang Dynasty. In addition to supplying the materials stored here, it also had to supply the north. At that time, the north was unstable, and wars often occurred with the Turks on the border, so the status of Youzhou was even more important. Therefore, Youzhou was also a very prosperous city with a large population and developed trade.

"That's not too far?" Kou Yibing disagreed a little.

Chen Wanrong agreed with Cao Zhixiong's view: "It takes time to collect this saltpeter. Use it first, and use it later. If it arrives at one time, we will not have time to deal with it, and it will be time to nest."

"What Lord Chen said is extremely right, extremely right!" Kou Yibing felt a little embarrassed.

Ye Tianheng rolled his eyes and calculated: "I think these places can receive almost a thousand kilograms. If you can find a channel and come across a place of production, that's great. Even so, there are several thousand kilograms, which is enough for a while. If it is not emergency enough, you can increase your efforts and purchase them from nearby prefectures and counties in the centers of Chang'an, Luoyang and Zhengzhou."

There were cheers and no one opposed it.

Thousands of kilograms of saltpeter can also be boiled for hundreds of kilograms of potassium nitrate, and hundreds of kilograms of gunpowder can be prepared. If it really doesn't work, it can be used without the military formula. The ratio of potassium nitrate is reduced. Although its power has decreased, it can be used as a "coach bullet" and is good for military training.

Thinking of this festival, Chen Wanrong made the decision: "I would like to report this to the prince. Let's hurry up and build artillery."

Liu Huaide responded and went to the East Palace.

A seemingly difficult problem, after brainstorming, everyone, I just thought, and it was solved. Chen Wanrong was very happy, glanced at everyone, and smiled and said, "Three stinky craftsmen, if we beat Zhuge Liang, wouldn't we become Zhuge Liang?"

Ye Tianheng patted Chen Wanrong's shoulder and laughed loudly: "The stinky fart craftsman can beat Zhuge Liang, it's interesting, interesting!"

Everyone was also happy, talking and laughing for a while, and the atmosphere was particularly warm. When everyone's interest declined, Chen Wanrong said, "Everyone, the problem has been solved, everyone is happy. But, let's do the serious business."

Everyone took the order and went to work hard.

Ye Tianheng took Chen Wanrong's hand and said, "My friend, go and have a look with me."

The artillery matter has to be taken seriously, but Chen Wanrong thought of another thing: "Master Ye, I heard from Master Zhang that you are refining fine steel, don't know how it is going?"

Ye Tianheng didn't listen to this, but he was a little naughty when he heard it. He blinked at Chen Wanrong and smiled: "My friend, guess?"

When we met Zhang Deming for the first time, we mentioned steelmaking. Later, Zhang Deming said that Ye Tianheng and the others were going to test it, but later we didn’t know the result. This steel was of great significance to Chen Wanrong. Whether chemical engineering can take root in the Tang Dynasty lies here, and Chen Wanrong always cared about it.

"Master Ye, just say it, I can't guess it." Chen Wanrong pondered for a moment and shook his head helplessly.

Ye Tianheng patted Chen Wanrong's shoulder: "My friend, do you know that I should have spent my old age at home, why did I come to the military weapon surveillance again? After all, it wasn't for you. Since I heard my disciple Zhang Deming talk about the new method of steelmaking, I couldn't sit still anymore. I packed up my things and returned to Chang'an, and told Lao Kou and Liu that they were very supportive. So, I recruited a group of people and the old brother led the steelmaking. After this period of exploration, there was a lot of progress. If I hadn't built artillery, I might have been refined in another year and a half."

Although steel is important, it is not what is urgently needed at present, so it is naturally necessary to make way for the artillery. However, Chen Wanrong was still very happy when he heard this, and the gate was much higher: "Master Ye, really? Then I want to go and have a look."

Ye Tianheng shook his head and said, "It's not true now, so I'd better finish the cannon first. Brother Chen, after the cannon is finished, I will follow you to make steel. Let's work together to make this steel."

"Okay!" Chen Wanrong was very happy. This steel was something that Chen Wanrong had always dreamed of, so there was no unhappiness.

Only with steel can we have suitable equipment. With equipment, we can make sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, and even chemical fertilizers and cement. These things were too needed for the Tang Dynasty and had broad prospects.

The two of them walked while talking and soon arrived at the place where Ye Tianheng built artillery. Zhang Deming was taking people as a model. The Tang Dynasty did not have the conditions to make seamless gun barrels, so they could only cast them into two parts first and then cast them together, so the model was divided into two parts. It was almost done, and they all had their own prototypes.

Before Chen Wanrong could speak, Ye Tianheng explained: "My friend, I can make one today and another tomorrow. I will prepare it the day after tomorrow and it will be almost ready to cast it. When the casting is done, it needs to be cleaned. After cleaning, I will make some parts and install them. Ten days will pass. In ten days, we can test the fire."

It is indeed fast enough to make a cannon in ten days. The main reason is that this is a mature technology, and there is no need to study it from scratch, it only needs to be verified. Furthermore, the three giants Ruizong, Princess and Princess Taiping support it with full support and are in priority. If you don’t want to be fast, you won’t be able to do it.

Even so, Ye Tianheng's contribution was made. Chen Wanrong smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Master Ye."

"I'm so serious, this is what I should do." Ye Tianheng said humbly, walking around with a cane, and pointing out.

Chen Wanrong only knew something about casting, but he only had to look at it. He was busy until lunch, and then he rested and had lunch.

The food in the military stewardship was very rich, with all meat and vegetables, and everyone was still full of food. One by one, the masters came over, sat together in groups of three or five to eat, and chatted a few times, which was similar to dining in a modern cafeteria.

Chen Wanrong, Ye Tianheng, Zhang Deming, Kou Yibing, Cao Zhixiong and others sat together, and chatted about the vast sky while eating. Zhang Deming was the happiest: "Brother Chen, brother, I never thought that we would work together in the military weapon supervisor. I never thought that I could not think of it!"

Chen Wanrong could not have imagined this, and he was still a little confused. He nodded and said, "Yes. Life is like this, no place to meet. Maybe, this is called fate."

Ye Tianheng smiled and said, "Deming, what you said is wrong. There is a saying that "a gentleman transforms into a leopard" and fish can also leap into the dragon gate. Although my friend is a farmer, his ideas are novel and ingenious, and it is difficult for people to reach it. He should have been in the military prison for a long time."

These days, Kou Yibing has been with Chen Wanrong. After seeing Chen Wanrong's power, he was convinced from the bottom of his heart and said with a smile: "Brother Ye's words make sense, very reasonable!"

Chen Wanrong smiled and said, "Everyone, I have something for you later, do you want it?" Promoting perfume today is also a task for Chen Wanrong. Of course, this kind of private matter cannot be done when everyone is busy. After lunch, everyone has to take a break and take this opportunity to promote perfume. No one speaks. It is quite appropriate.

"Okay! What kind of treasure is it?" Kou Yibing was the first to agree.

His words were exactly what Ye Tianheng and the others were asking, and they all stared at Chen Wanrong and waited for his answer.

Chen Wanrong became familiar with them, and kept silent and said, "The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed!"

"Oh!" A sigh sounded. Ye Tianheng patted Chen Wanrong on his shoulder, and was particularly intimate: "My friend, just reveal a little bit and give your old brother a face."

Chen Wanrong was really not worthy of his face, so he had to say, "Okay, this thing is very fragrant."

"It's very fragrant? Is it a spice? I can match it!" Ye Tianheng's brow frowned into the character "Sichuan". Spices are very simple for Ye Tianheng and the others. Perhaps they are not as proficient as professional spice masters, and the spices they match will not be much worse.

Chen Wanrong smiled and said, "Of course not." He put down the bowls and chopsticks, rinsed his mouth with water, stood up and said, "You wait a moment." He turned around and left the house. Ye Tianheng and the others didn't understand, looking at Chen Wanrong's back.

When Chen Wanrong turned around, there was a wooden box in his hand. Chen Wanrong put the wooden box on the table. Ye Tianheng and the others surrounded him, surrounded Chen Wanrong in the middle, and said in a lingering manner: "What is this? Let's show us."

"Perfume, have you heard of it?" Chen Wanrong looked around everyone, only to see each other with a confused look on his face.

"Perfume?" Cao Zhixiong kept shook his head: "What does perfume look like? It's not like sprinkling spices in the water, right? Then I will do it."

He was really good at guessing. Chen Wanrong held back the funny thing, took out a bottle of perfume, and said, "This is perfume. You guys smell it." He pulled out the plug and slowly shook it in front of everyone's noses. A scent of fragrance filled the air, and a sound of twitching the nose sounded.

Immediately afterwards, a sound of praise sounded: "It smells so good!" Ye Tianheng and the others twitched their noses, looking intoxicated, as if they were drinking mellow wine.

"How did this be done?" Cao Zhixiong was a little quick-talking and immediately found out the secret recipe.

Of course, Chen Wanrong would not tell him: "This is my secret, I will not tell you."

Knowing that this was a taboo thing, Cao Zhixiong was still a little disappointed and sighed: "I have no other meaning, I just want to know. Master Chen, I don't want to know too much, you just need to say a little bit of fur." ​​He is a technical expert and is interested in technology in nature.

Ye Tianheng and the others looked at Chen Wanrong. Although they didn't say it clearly, they thought it was just like him.

Chen Wanrong was just in love, thinking that they could not make it even if they told them something. After all, Chen Wanrong didn't know whether this recipe was just like Chen Wanrong, and smiled and said, "Okay. I'm made of flowers."

"Can the flower make this thing?" Everyone didn't believe it, and looked dissatisfied.

Chen Wanrong nodded and said, "There is no need to lie to you. It is indeed made of flowers. Of course, I will not tell you about this process."

Ye Tianheng and the others were satisfied to get Chen Wanrong’s reply and said with a smile: “Okay, we won’t ask.”

"My friend, are you giving this thing to someone? Is it my brother?" Ye Tianheng and Chen Wanrong had a different relationship. He took a bottle first and then talked, opened the lid, and sniffed it, and then became energetic: "What a good thing! It makes me want to be out of the world! Choosing a place where no one is, and then smelling this perfume is a kind of enjoyment, a life like a god."

He accidentally got Sima Chengzhen's recipe, which led to this idea.

Chen Wanrong took the perfume one bottle at a time, and everyone held the perfume and couldn't help but smell it. The perfume formulas and fragrances were different, so they exchanged smells with each other.

"Everyone: Let me remind you that perfume is not for smelling, it is used, and it must be applied to your body." Chen Wanrong introduced the method of using it.

Cao Zhixiong poured a drop on his palm, rubbed it on his face, and said, "I'll use it now."

Others were going to imitate him, and Chen Wanrong hurriedly stopped him: "Don't apply it on your face, it will be bad for you. Besides, perfume is not used like this, there is an explanation on it. If you don't look at it, don't blame me. Also, perfume is mainly for women, what perfume do you use."

Everyone then looked at the instructions. Ye Tianheng made fun of Cao Zhixiong: "Brother Cao, you were wrong. You didn't use it like that. If you want to use it like this, you have to pour it on your wrist." Regardless of it, pour it on your wrist, then apply it behind your ears and on your hairline. Finally, apply it on your clothes.

Cao Zhixiong made fun of Ye Tianheng: "Brother Ye, this perfume is for women. It's not bad to take it back for your sister-in-law's wife. What do you use?"

Ye Tianheng didn't care and laughed: "My fragrance is different from yours. My smell makes people feel like they are floating and out of the world. When others smell it, they will only admire me. Your smell is close to the smell of roses. If you apply it on your body, others will treat you as a flower. A woman is a flower! Haha!" The more you talk, the more excited you become, and you laugh so happily.

Although it was his first time using perfume, his words made sense and no one could refute them. Kou Yibing smelled it on Cao Zhixiong and made fun of it: "Master Cao, when did you become a woman and grow roses on your body?"

As soon as the words finished, a burst of laughter sounded, and everyone pointed at Cao Zhixiong: "Cao Meigui!"

Cao Zhixiong blushed and surpassed his second brother, and said angrily: "I'll go wash." He ran away with big strides.

"You are also Cao Meigui after washing you!" Zhang Deming joked at his back.

Chen Wanrong shook his head and said, "Don't worry, he can't wash it off. Only after waiting for a day will the taste be gone will it lose its flavor."

Kou Yibing laughed: "Miaomiaomiao! What would Mrs. Cao think when Master Cao returns home?" This sentence is a bit bleak, and everyone understands the meaning, and another burst of laughter sounds.

Smelling Ye Tianheng, Guan Yibing's eyes shone: "Brother Ye, you smell good, apply some to me."
Chapter completed!