Yang Peng replaced a helper, adjusted the stove fire more than a dozen times, wasted more than a dozen cans of concentrated sulfuric acid, and finally produced nitric acid. In a slightly hot environment, concentrated sulfuric acid turned saltpeter into nitric acid gas, a large amount of nitric acid
The gas dissolved into the water in the tank, turning the tank of cold water into concentrated nitric acid.
With concentrated nitric acid, Yang Peng can make various new types of gunpowder.
However, it is too difficult to prepare various complex gunpowders, and some of them are very dangerous to prepare. The first thing Yang Peng needs to do is simple smokeless gunpowder like nitrocellulose. To make nitrocellulose, you need to use concentrated nitric acid, concentrated sulfuric acid and cotton.
Yang Peng first prepared a 1:3.5 solution of nitric acid and sulfuric acid.
However, when Yang Peng mixed nitric acid and sulfuric acid for the first time, he didn't pay attention. He poured the nitric acid directly into the sulfuric acid. The mixture immediately boiled and splashed out. Fortunately, Yang Peng had been cautious and had quick eyesight, so he quickly took two steps back.
, so he didn’t get splashed by the thick acid.
Yang Peng breathed a long sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his head, knowing that he was in danger. If he was stained by this mixed acid, his skin would be burned immediately.
The second time, he poured sulfuric acid into nitric acid instead, and finally obtained a mixed solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid safely. The mixed liquid would still be hot, so Yang Peng used a glass rod to gently stir the acid solution in the glass bottle and cover it.
Cover the glass and wait for the acid mixture to cool.
After the mixed acid solution cooled, Yang Peng pressed the skimmed cotton into the mixed acid solution. The skimmed cotton was prepared in advance, boiled with caustic soda solution, and then rinsed with water. The fat in the cotton reacted with caustic soda to become
After washing with soap and water, these fats were completely washed away. After drying the absorbent cotton, it was placed in a large cotton bag for later use.
Yang Peng pressed the skimmed cotton into a glass filled with mixed acid solution, pressed several thick layers, and used a glass rod to press out the air between the cotton. After leaving it in the acid solution for twenty minutes, Yang Peng
Take out the nitrated absorbent cotton and rinse it with large water until the sour smell disappears. Then put the nitrocellulose into a dilute alkaline solution and boil it for 25 minutes, take it out, rinse it and dry it, and then immerse it in 2% saltpeter aqueous solution for stabilization treatment.
Although nitrocellulose has been stabilized, it is still unstable, flammable and explosive. When the temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, it can accelerate decomposition and spontaneous combustion. Therefore, about 30% alcohol must be added to nitrocellulose as a wetting agent during storage and transportation.
, to increase stability.
After a series of preparations, Yang Peng finally got a small jar of nitrocellulose smokeless gunpowder. Yang Peng lit several balls of nitrocellulose with a torch, only to see that as soon as the firelight came into contact with the cotton, the entire cotton burst into flames, exploding like fireworks.
Open it in the air. Judging from the burning rate of this nitrocellulose, it is probably much stronger than black powder.
The most critical thing is that nitrocellulose is completely burned after burning, leaving no ashes. Using nitrocellulose as ammunition, rifle shooters no longer need to use purge strips to clean the black powder residue in the barrel. On the battlefield where shooting is against time,
The few seconds saved can significantly increase the rifleman's shooting speed.
If the shooting speed could be a few percent faster, the rifleman would be able to fire a few more shots before the enemy rushed to the front of the formation, and the combat effectiveness would be improved by a few percent! Yang Peng worked hard for a day and made a sack of nitrocellulose. Then he asked
The guards kneaded, rolled, and sliced the nitrocellulose into flaky particles, and then gave up.
The next day, Yang Peng brought nitrocellulose to the shooting range and asked a guard to use this new gunpowder as ammunition to test the rifle. Zhan Jinguo, Cheng Shijie and others did not know how they found out that Yang Peng was testing the new gunpowder.
The news has arrived. Several group leaders gathered around Yang Peng's linen bag, wanting to open it but not daring to take a look.
Zhan Jinguo smiled and said: "Brother, can this new gunpowder be more powerful than granular black powder?" Yang Peng stared and asked: "How did you know that I tested the new gunpowder today?"
Zhan Jinguo smiled and said: "I went to the government office yesterday to have tea with you. The guard at the door said you were busy with new gunpowder, so I went back. Of course I know about the new gunpowder."
Yang Peng nodded and said: "This new type of gunpowder is amazing. Not only is it smaller in size and more powerful, it also has no residue and does not require the shooter to clean the barrel of the gun."
Zhou Dayong wowed and said: "Your Majesty, wouldn't that save a quarter of the time?" Yang Peng nodded and said: "Watch it! Watch the shooter's test shot!" The one who was selected for the test shot said
Wei was very nervous, and his hands were shaking a little during the test firing. Seeing his fear, Yang Peng smiled and said, "If you are injured by the blast, your pension will be increased by 50%."
As the overall price of goods increased in the Song Dynasty, Yang Peng increased the monthly wages of workers, and the monthly wages of soldiers in the Huben Division also increased, becoming three to seven taels of silver per month. Correspondingly, Yang Peng now gave soldiers in previous battles
The pensions for the wounded and those killed in action were also increased to 20% to 20% to 50%.
Yang Peng said that he would increase the pension by 50% for the shooter, and the pension would reach 30,000 yuan. Even if the shooter was seriously injured, he would be able to lie in bed and receive money in his next life. After hearing this, his hands stopped shaking.
The expression on his face became more determined, and the fine sweat on his head also decreased a lot.
At the beginning of the test firing, a small amount of nitrocellulose was tested. The shooter took a small amount of new smokeless gunpowder with flaky particles from a cowhide bag soaked in alcohol, pressed it into the barrel of the gun with a purge, and then loaded and fired.
Only a bang was heard, and the bullet shot out of the gun barrel and hit the Khitan double-layer armor placed 120 meters away. It failed to penetrate the armor. In the past, granular black powder could penetrate the double-layer armor, so naturally nitrocellulose could too.
Only those who meet this standard are qualified. Yang Peng asked the shooter to increase the amount of gunpowder. After hearing this, the shooter's hands began to shake again.
This shooter was also a veteran. He had used black powder to hit targets countless times. After shooting, he subconsciously used a purge to clean the barrel of the gun. However, he used the purge for a long time and did not feel any residue in the barrel.
He turned around and smiled at Yang Peng: "Your Majesty, there really is no residue."
Yang Peng nodded and asked him to shoot. The second shot increased the amount of medicine, but it still failed to penetrate the double armor 120 meters away. The third time he increased the amount of medicine, the shooter gritted his teeth and pressed the trigger.
, penetrated the double-layered iron armor one hundred and twenty meters away.
Seeing the two holes in the armor, several regiment commanders cheered. Zhan Jinguo said excitedly: "Brother, our infantry is even more powerful now!" Yang Peng took a scale and weighed it once.
After calculating the weight of the ammunition, he said: "This new type of gunpowder is not cheap. The cost of raw materials and steam engines alone is a lot. Adding in labor, the gunpowder required for this launch costs two cents of silver."
Yang Peng thought for a while and said: "Based on the amount of gunpowder used by our veterans to shoot a target once every three days and a hundred rounds a month, the gunpowder consumed for a month's target shooting is two taels of silver." After hearing Yang Peng's calculation,
All the generals were slightly moved. Two taels of silver a month is not a small number. Now the cost of raising a soldier is more than six taels. An increase of two taels of silver every month will increase the cost by one-third. In addition to the recent
Yang Peng increased the monthly salary for workers and soldiers, which put great financial pressure on them.
Fortunately, the paddy fields in Taiwan are about to be harvested. I think when the late rice is harvested in Hsinchu this year, Yang Peng can harvest a large sum of money. This money is enough to support Yang Peng in using new gunpowder.
In any case, it is more cost-effective to improve the combat effectiveness of soldiers. An increase in the ability of an individual soldier on the battlefield by one-third will sometimes increase the overall combat effectiveness of the army by half, or even more. This is because more elite soldiers are more effective when facing the enemy.
Be sure to win the battle.
For example, even ten children may not be able to defeat a strong adult. Ten children may be stronger together than one adult, but if their strength is spread out, they will be easily defeated by a strong adult individually.
Yang Peng nodded and said: "No matter what, we will use this new gunpowder from now on. Our firepower will be more intensive in the future." Several regiment leaders were full of excitement and looked eagerly at the gun in Yang Peng's hand.
New gunpowder. At the end of October, Yang Peng had nothing to do and slightly improved the production process of nitrocellulose.
In order to obtain continuous thrust for the bullet in the barrel, the burning rate of the ammunition needs to be controlled. In the black powder era, a satisfactory burning rate can be obtained by controlling the size of the gunpowder particles. If nitrocellulose is used as ammunition, the nitrocellulose can be changed by changing the size of the gunpowder particles.
The nitrogen content of the ammunition is used to control the burning rate of the ammunition.
In later generations, nitrocellulose with a nitrogen content of more than 12.5% was called explosives because the nitrogen content was too high and the burning speed was too fast. Nitrocellulose with a nitrogen content of less than 12.5% did not have such a violent burning speed and was called
It is a flammable solid. When the nitrogen content drops to a certain level, nitrocellulose cannot even burn in a closed gun bore.
There are many ways to control the nitrogen content of nitrocellulose. For example, it can be achieved by controlling the ratio of nitric acid and sulfuric acid. Of course, the simplest way is to change the water content in the mixed acid solution. Know that the water content in the mixed acid solution reaches 20%
At this time, the nitrogen content in nitrocellulose will drop significantly to 11%.
Nitrocellulose with a nitrogen content of 11% not only does not deflagrate, it can even be used to produce celluloid plastic. Of course, with Yang Peng's current industrial level, it is impossible to measure the content of various components in the acid solution. What Yang Peng can
What we did was to test the power of nitrocellulose produced with various concentrations of nitric acid and sulfuric acid to find a process that is most suitable for Fanjiazhuang Mini rifle.
After working for more than ten days and countless experiments, Yang Peng finally found the most suitable process. Under this process, Yang Peng's rifle can achieve considerable destructive power with the least ammunition. Yang Peng put this
This process was finalized and large-scale production of nitrocellulose began.
New gunpowder is not easy to preserve, but the actual combat effect is very good.
In November, Yang Peng's soldiers began training using new gunpowder. The veterans quickly got used to the new gunpowder after a little practice. The new gunpowder will not produce residue after burning, and there is no need to clean the gun bore, allowing the soldiers to
The shooting speed has been greatly improved. Originally, only three bullets could be fired per minute, but now the soldiers can complete four volleys per minute.
Wang Ming was a scholar and a wealthy gentleman from Qihe County, Jinan Prefecture, Shandong Province. His family had extensive property in Huadian Township, Qihe County, with 220 hectares of land alone. As for rice shops, oil shops, and cloth shops, there were countless
Count. Most of the properties in Huadian Township, Huadian Township, belong to Wang Mingquan. Wang Mingquan is a unique figure in Huadian Township.
Even in the entire Qihe County, who doesn't know Wang Mingquan? Even if the county magistrate sees him, he must be polite and call him Wang Gong. Wang Mingquan is in his fifties, has a wife and seven concubines, and has five sons and four daughters.
He lived a life of fine clothing and fine food, and originally had no worries. But over the years, the world's situation has made Wang Mingquan more and more worried.
The Khitans and bandits were what Wang Mingquan was worried about. The Khitans once attacked the city near Shandong and almost broke through the county seat of Qihe County. Wang Mingquan hid in his house in the county seat and experienced a frightening feeling.
In order to strengthen the city's defense, Wang Mingquan donated one hundred taels to the county magistrate to reward the army.
Although one hundred and twenty cents is a small amount, which is a bit embarrassing to say, everyone is like this these days. During the defense of the city, other wealthy people in Qihe County donated even less. Whoever donated more was looked at like a fool.
He. Those who are getting rich these days are the kind of people who will let the sky fall without making any effort. However, the Khitan has come and gone without any danger. On weekdays, the person who scares Wang Mingquan the most is Yang Peng from Tianjing New City.
.
Let’s not talk about Yang Peng’s collection of business taxes and exploitation of the gentry in Tianjing New City. The key point is that Yang Peng collected land taxes from the gentry in Cangzhou, which cut off the lifeblood of the gentry. Without free empowerment, which farmer would
The land was donated to the gentry's name? After Yang Peng collected taxes from the gentry in Cangzhou, Wang Mingquan heard that the gentry in Cangzhou had reduced the land rent to a level similar to the land tax in order to retain their land, and their incomes plummeted. I heard that not
As a result, the young gentry could not support a large family, so he dismissed all the servants and maids. What was even more exaggerated, he could not even support his concubines, so he gave them away.
What Yang Thief cut off was the lifeblood of the gentry in the world. Not only that, Yang Peng also took in refugees in Shandong and competed with the gentry for control of public opinion.
Let’s talk about things in Huadian Township. In Huadian Township, only Wang Mingquan has the right to speak. What Wang Mingquan says is the law! Which of the scholars in Huadian Township was not trained by Wang Mingquan’s ethnic studies?
People either work as accountants in the Wang family's shop, or work as rent collectors in the Wang family. Which one doesn't rely on Wang Mingquan's business to make a living? Which one doesn't rely on Wang Mingquan as his boss?
What these people say and discuss is the public opinion of Huadian Township. After all, the public opinion of Huadian Township is not based on the change in Wang Mingquan’s face. If Wang Mingquan scolds one person, the whole township will be scolding him the next day.
.Those farmers have never left Huadian Township in their lives and have no knowledge. Are they just following the public opinion of scholars?
It is this kind of control of public opinion that allows Wang Mingquan to live a comfortable life, while small farmers have to pay heavy taxes and eat chaff. But what Wang Mingquan did not expect was that Yang Peng actually asked for an imperial edict and came to Shandong to take him in.
The refugees and tenant farmers have all run away with Yang Peng's gang. Are they still squires if there is no one left to farm?
Is the sky going to turn upside down? "Old man Zhang, if you hire someone to talk about Tianjing New City again, I will tear down your tea shop!" But what happened next took the direction that Wang Mingquan feared the most.
The direction has developed. Yang Peng of Tianjing New City actually transferred more than 10,000 soldiers to Shandong, saying that they were "ordered" to take in the refugees. Yang Peng stationed a hundred soldiers in each county.
Yang Peng's soldiers were like wolves and tigers, and even the Khitans were afraid of them. A hundred soldiers came to the small Qihe County, wouldn't they cost the lives of the gentry in Qihe County? On December 17,
The three Yang thieves' soldiers took two copies of the news about Tianjing New City and personally handed the newspaper to the tea shop owner, Old Man Zhang, and asked Old Man Zhang to read the newspaper boldly.
Old man Zhang didn't know what he had eaten to make him so bold that he went into battle on his own and read the news about Tianjing New City in front of the farmers in Huadian Township. When Wang Mingquan came to the door with a hundred servants, the tea shop
The office was already full of people. Old man Zhang was reading an editorial article "Why are the people in Tianjing New City so rich?" Wang Mingquan heard the sentence "In the final analysis, the reason why the people in Tianjing New City do not eat chaff and drink water is because of the gentry."
We collected taxes and reduced the taxes for small farmers." He was so angry that his hair almost stood on end.
He waved his hand, and a hundred servants rushed forward, knocked Old Man Zhang to the ground, and surrounded three Yang Peng soldiers. At that time, a Yang Peng soldier pulled out a steel knife and rushed out of the encirclement, riding a horse towards
They fled from the county town. The remaining two Yang Peng soldiers were captured by Wang Mingquan and tied up.
Wang Mingquan tied Old Man Zhang and two soldiers to the flagpole in the middle of the market, and in front of all the farmers in the township, he wanted to whip Old Man Zhang and two Yang Peng soldiers to death. He sent his servants to each village.
Call people and let all the farmers come and see what happened to old man Zhang who took refuge with outsiders and studied in Tianjing New Town in Huadian Township.
As the Wang family's servants called from door to door, more and more farmers gathered in the market. The ragged farmers looked at Mr. Wang in fear and at Old Man Zhang who was tied to the flagpole. No one dared to speak loudly.
Wang Mingquan stood in the middle of the crowd and said loudly: "I asked everyone to come to the market today just to bear witness. Let everyone see if there is still Wang Fa in Shandong and see if there is a place for Yang Peng in Shandong.
"
"This old man Zhang, together with Thief Yang, read the heinous news about Tianjing New City, and he should be executed for his crime. Today I will have someone use a whip to whip him to death!" "I will also whip these two thieves of Thief Yang to death, let Yang
The thief knows that Shandong is not unmanned!"
How do the farmers know why these three people died? Anyway, Mr. Wang said that these three people would be beaten to death, so these three people would definitely have no chance of survival. The farmers looked numbly at the execution ground in the middle of the market, and no one spoke.
, just waiting to see Mr. Wang’s servant executed.
Wang Mingquan waved his hand, and a strong servant walked up with a whip and whipped Old Man Zhang hard. Old Man Zhang let out a scream, which was very sad. The people who were watching looked at the waving whip, and their faces changed.
Everyone showed a look of fear. Everyone secretly said that they must listen to Mr. Wang's words, so that one day they would not be arrested and beaten to death by Mr. Wang like this.
Everyone was scared there, but suddenly they heard a rolling sound of horse hooves coming from the east. The sound of rolling hooves did not sound like it was coming from one or two horses. It would have been made by at least dozens of horses galloping at the same time.
The sound of horse hoofs like this is like stepping on everyone's heart, making people panic. It is also like thunder in spring, as if it wants to break the dull and sinking sky.
I don't know who it was, but suddenly shouted in the crowd: "Prince Yan's soldiers are coming!" The servant who was beating old man Zhang with a whip was so frightened that his hands trembled, and the whip fell on the ground with a thud.
The people who were watching were like sea water at ebbing tide. They all dispersed with a bang and ran home. In the end, only the servants of the Wang family were left in the market. More than a hundred servants stood beside Wang Mingquan, their faces pale.
, but did not dare to leave Mr. Wang and escape alone.
Wang Mingquan was also very scared. He had heard about the attack by King Yan's soldiers on Taishi Pang's son. But this time, the whole Shandong was burned and smashed, and he had never heard of Yang Peng killing people. Because of Yang Peng's silence some time ago,
Only then did Wang Mingquan become brave enough to kidnap Yang Peng's soldiers. Wang Mingquan guessed that Yang Peng was unable to fight against the entire Shandong Shilin army for some reason.
Maybe, Yang Peng's power is limited to controlling a few cities and cannot reach the countryside? Controlling a city is simple. A few thousand people can occupy the city and kill. But to control the vast countryside, how many people are needed?
Wang Mingquan wants to fight Yang Peng, because this fight is his lifeblood. If Yang Peng's power gradually penetrates into Shandong and collects taxes from the gentry in Shandong, Wang Mingquan's huge industry may fall apart. If Wang Mingquan, like the gentry in Cangzhou, only collects taxes
If the land rent is higher than the land tax, what will he use to support his servants, accountants, servants, wives and concubines? Wang Mingquan's sons have many wives and concubines. If the common people who donated the land are gone, how will Wang Mingquan's sons live?
Moreover, this Huadian Township has always been what Wang Mingquan has said for decades. Wang Mingquan is really not used to a voice that contradicts him in Huadian Township. Wang Mingquan has a hundred reasons to fight with Li Zhi. But he did not expect Yang Peng's reaction
So fast. Fifty big horses carrying fifty soldiers of the Tiger Division, wearing full steel armor, rushed toward the market in Huadian Township. The crowd watching the excitement in the market dispersed in the blink of an eye.
Only a hundred servants were left around Wang Mingquan. A hundred servants surrounded Mr. Wang, and kept moving back out of fear.
But what they were eating was the servants, and because of their own personal interests, they were unwilling to put down the swords and sticks in their hands. Wang Mingquan's face was pale, but he forced himself to be calm. He thought that with so many people protecting him, Yang Peng's soldiers would not dare to
Should he kill all his one hundred servants? The tea shop owner who was tied to the flagpole looked at the soldiers of the Huben Division in surprise, his face flushed with excitement. Sure enough, what he read about Tianjing New City was correct. Your Majesty
Now that we have decided to take in the refugees in Shandong, we have the means to protect them. The head of the Wang family thought that he could run rampant in Huadian Township with the help of a hundred servants, but in fact he was just flying moths to the flames.
The servant who broke out from the encirclement pointed his hand on his horse and said, "Platoon leader, these are the Wang family members who want to kill us." The platoon leader waved his hand and said, "Kill all those who resist with arms. Every one of them will be killed."
Don't let them go!" Fifty soldiers roared, drew the sabers on their backs, and rushed towards a hundred servants. The horses' hooves hit the ground, making the ground of the market tremble slightly.
One hundred servants looked at the fifty big horses charging towards them, and finally they couldn't hold it any longer and ran away. Those big horses weighing six or seven hundred kilograms could kill someone alive if they collided with them. One hundred of them
The servants grabbed their knives and sticks, abandoned the head of the Wang family, and ran around in the market like a herd of panicked elk.
The soldiers of Huben Division were not prepared to let them go. The sharp crucible steel saber was pulled out, and the horse quickly caught up with the fleeing Wang family servants. The infantrymen on horseback gently held the steel saber in their hands.
Without using any force at all, the horse's momentum could press the steel knife into the flesh of the fleeing servant, inflicting a fatal wound. The servant whose body was cut open by the steel knife only felt a coldness on his body, and blood surged out like a fountain.
They screamed and fell to the ground. They covered their huge wounds and kept rolling on the ground.
The soldiers of the Huben Division on horseback cut down one of them and chased the next one without hesitation. These servants were very vicious and somewhat brute when they bullied the common people, but in front of the elite soldiers of the Huben Division, these one hundred
The servants are like a group of children, with no power to fight back.
Only then did the servants who fled in panic realized that their lives were gone. Yang Peng's God of Killing could not only control the city, but could also rush into the countryside and kill people. They threw away their swords and sticks and moved forward desperately.
Fang fled. But how can human legs outrun horse legs? Screams kept ringing from every corner of the market, and fewer and fewer Wang family servants were still alive. Some servants who fled in a panic fell into the market beside the market.
In the courtyard of the residence, soldiers from the Huben Division broke into the house, rushed in, captured the fleeing servants, and chopped them to death in the market.
Wang Mingquan stood next to the flagpole of the market, watching more than a hundred servants being slaughtered by the soldiers of the Huben Division like chickens and dogs. His face was pale and his whole body was trembling. The soldiers of the Huben Division seemed to deliberately spare Wang Mingquan's life.
As if to let Wang Mingquan see clearly the consequences of going against Xing Guobo, he never took action on this scholar.
But Wang Mingquan knew that it would soon be his turn. In Cangzhou, Yang Peng resisted the pressure of scholars all over the country to attack the gentry and treat the poor well. In Yang Peng's eyes, the landlord was not more valuable than the life of a servant. Since Yang Peng
Peng started to kill all his servants, will he definitely do it to himself later?
Wang Mingquan's legs went weak, and he bent down a little, and finally knelt on the ground. He turned his head and looked at the flagpole, and saw the red-faced old man Zhang, and the two Tiger Soldiers who were looking at him coldly. Wang Mingquan knelt down
He moved over on the ground and untied the two soldiers of Huben Division. He kowtowed to the ground desperately and shouted loudly: "Grandpa Da Bing, spare your life. Wang Mingquan has now seen the power of King Yan, and from now on he only dares to be of the same mind as King Yan. Grandpa Da Bing
Spare my life! It’s also a meritorious deed!”
The two untied soldiers let go of the ropes and breathed a sigh of relief. They moved their bodies that were tied stiffly by the ropes and said coldly: "You are the first one who dares to tie up our soldiers from the Huben Division and even says that they will beat us to death."
Wang Mingquan was so frightened by these words that he was trembling and speechless. The platoon leader on horseback came over and raised his gun and pointed it at Wang Mingquan on the ground. Wang Mingquan waved his hand and said: "No! Don't kill me!"
Master, don't kill me! I'll give you all my family's property!" The platoon leader sneered and pressed the trigger.
Only a clear snap was heard, and the bullet entered Wang Mingquan's left chest. A blood arrow emerged from Wang Mingquan's chest. Wang Mingquan looked at his body in disbelief, and fell to the ground with a plop. Others
The soldiers had finished the killing and gradually gathered back. The platoon leader leading the team waved his hand and said: "The Wang family's house was ransacked! The bodies of Wang Mingquan and his servants were hung at the county gate for public display!"
What happened after all? Let’s look at the breakdown next time.