Chapter 5, Unexpected Joy

Thank you, my lord. The commoners will go and manufacture this kind of weapon right away. About twenty craftsmen cheered together, rushing out of the tent to create firearms. However, the old craftsman's son, who had discovered the new formula for gunpowder, did not follow his companions out; instead, he timidly looked at He Kang, appearing as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. He Kang noticed that he wanted to speak and waved to him, saying: "Young man, do you have something to say?"

"This is not a good deed of mine; it is Jia Sidao. I am He Kang," He Kang muttered to himself. However, Jia Sidao had already become He Kang, and He Kang had become Jia Sidao. For the sake of his own reputation, He Kang still mustered the audacity to say: "It is not that I, the Prime Minister, do not listen to you; rather, I have kept Yuan Jie for a significant purpose—just as I have retained Ling Zhen and Wu Longqi. From now on, you are to send personnel to secretly monitor Yuan Jie, observing his every move for twenty-four hours a day... He Kang still mustered the audacity to say: "It is not that I, the Prime Minister, do not listen to you; rather, I have kept Yuan Jie for a significant purpose—just as I have retained Ling Zhen and Wu Longqi. From now on, you are to send personnel to secretly monitor Yuan Jie, observing his every move for twenty-four hours a day... every twelve hours, taking turns to monitor his every action, especially paying attention to whom he interacts with, and report to me immediately if there are any developments."

"Liao Yingzhong, where is the place in our army that manages weapons and firearms? I can no longer remember clearly due to this illness; please take me to have a look." He Kang felt that there were already many prototypes of gunpowder weapons during the Song Dynasty, which sparked his desire to visit. If modern knowledge could be used to improve these primitive firearms, he believed it would yield surprising results in the surprise attack on Huzhong. Although Liao Yingzhong found it strange that Jia Sidao, who usually fainted at the sight of blood, suddenly wanted to visit the weapons factory, he did not dare to defy Jia Sidao's orders and obediently led He Kang to the factory located in the rear camp, while Han Zhen stayed in the main tent to continue handling military affairs.

Wonderful! He Kang jumped three feet high, grabbing the young craftsman’s hand, which had only three fingers, and exclaimed excitedly: "Hurry up and make it, hurry up and make it. As long as the weapon you create can ignite the fuse without needing a flame, I will definitely reward you handsomely."

Note 1: The technology of ancient glass in our country began to emerge during the Western Zhou Dynasty, and by the Warring States period, true glass had been produced. In ancient China, glass was referred to as "liulin," "liuli," and "liuli," and from the Southern and Northern Dynasties onwards, it was also known as "poli." However, the glass produced in ancient China was only lead-barium glass, which was fragile, not heat-resistant, had poor transparency, and was not suitable for sudden temperature changes, with an extremely low production volume.

One thousand taels of silver?" Twenty craftsmen exclaimed in unison, each one dumbfounded, hardly believing their ears, completely forgetting to bow and express their gratitude to He Kang. However, influenced by the dramas he had watched, He Kang mistakenly thought he had offered too little and boldly declared, "What? Do you think it's too little? If you can produce this kind of weapon, I will reward you with three thousand taels of silver!" Liao Yingzhong and Chen Yizhong, who were also in the tent, nearly fainted upon hearing this, and together they cried out, "Your Excellency, one thousand taels of silver is already a lot! Each craftsman only earns three guan a month, and one tael of silver can be exchanged for ten guan!"

Chen Yizhong believes that there must have been Mongolian spies within the Southern Song army. Wu Longqi firmly asserts that the spy must be Yuan Jie, the former deputy governor of Jiangzhou, who mysteriously escaped from the encirclement. He Kang initially expressed skepticism about these claims, but after mentioning the matter to Jia Sidao's two trusted aides, Han Zhen and Liao Ying, both of them unanimously supported this viewpoint

"My lord, may I ask if I can take a look at this drawing?" The old craftsman, unable to see clearly from a distance, requested He Kang for a closer look at the sketch. He Kang, not being stingy, personally handed the sketch to the old craftsman and introduced to the surrounding craftsmen: "This thick iron pipe cannot be too thick, but it must be waterproof and leak-proof. The fuse must be able to burn several dozen times; otherwise, it will explode in hand." The craftsmen first whispered among themselves and then the old craftsman reported back to He Kang: "My lord, this item is not difficult to make. We have all the necessary tools and materials in abundance, and we can definitely complete it in one night."

"Do not worry about the cost, just prepare the gunpowder according to the formula I provided. Your military expenses can be as high as you need!" He Kang, without batting an eye, decisively waved his hand, thereby altering the historical fact that ancient China had never researched the optimal ratio of raw materials for black gunpowder. The craftsmen, seeing that He Kang was indifferent to military expenses and knowing that they would not have to pay for the silver and copper, said nothing further, but quietly noted down the gunpowder formula he mentioned. He Kang then took out a rough sketch of a grenade he had just drawn and said to the craftsmen: "Take a look at this drawing. The thick pipe on top should be made of iron and filled with one pound of gunpowder— it must be the type of gunpowder as per the formula I mentioned. The thin pipe below can be made of wood or bamboo, with a fuse in the middle. The fuse must burn for ten seconds... it should take several tens of seconds to ignite the gunpowder. Can you make such a weapon for me in one night?"

"Please rise, please be seated." He Kang was still unaccustomed to having these craftsmen, who were twice his age, kneel and bow to him. He waved his hand for the soldiers to bring over benches, allowing the craftsmen to sit and speak. However, those craftsmen of high social standing dared not sit before the current Prime Minister; they all stood there cautiously, afraid to speak or move, until He Kang insisted several times before they reluctantly sat down. Yet they only lightly touched the benches with their backsides, always ready to stand up at any moment. He Kang noticed the craftsmen's nervousness and gently said, "You need not be anxious, nor afraid. I have summoned you today merely to ask you a few questions, and I hope you can answer truthfully."

"Your Excellency, the formula for making gunpowder consists of saltpeter, sulfur, and calcined Aristolochia. " The oldest craftsman replied, "Typically, one pound of calcined Aristolochia charcoal is combined with one pound of sulfur and two pounds of saltpeter, ground into a powder and mixed together—but it is absolutely essential that the three ingredients are not ground together, otherwise it may become damp or explode. " At this point, the old craftsman noticed that He Kang's demeanor was amiable, which emboldened him somewhat. He then pointed to a young craftsman and said, "Your Excellency, my son has recently discovered that by altering the gunpowder formula to one pound of charcoal, one pound of sulfur, and three pounds of saltpeter, and then sifting the gunpowder, packing it into firearms with granules of similar size, the effect is significantly better than before, and the residue is much less. The common people are eager to report this matter to the gentlemen at the military supply office, hoping that in the future, all gunpowder can be reformulated in this manner."

"Your Excellency, the method I have is to mix copper wire with glass powder, which I obtained with two of my fingers," said the young craftsman, raising his left hand, which had only three fingers. Gathering his courage, he continued, "The story is as follows: two years ago, I was stationed with the army on the outskirts of Lin'an. One time, a workshop near Lin'an produced a batch of glass, but on the way to the city, some pieces were broken due to the bumpy road. Out of curiosity, I wanted to see what would happen if I mixed glass powder with gunpowder, so I took the broken glass back to the firearms workshop, crushed it with a copper rod, and prepared to mix it with the gunpowder to observe the effect. Unexpectedly, while I was crushing the glass with the copper rod, the gunpowder that was placed nearby suddenly ignited, resulting in the loss of two of my fingers."

En Xiang has become overly suspicious. Song Jing has been with En Xiang for about twenty years, and twice he risked his life to negotiate peace with the Tatars. How could he possibly be a Tatar spy?" Liao Yingzhong smiled and replied respectfully. He Kang was skeptical of Liao Yingzhong's words, but he did not have much knowledge of the history of the Southern Song Dynasty and was truly unable to determine whether the trusted subordinates of Jia Nongbao were loyal or treacherous. He could only take it one step at a time, temporarily setting aside his suspicions about Song Jing and shifting his focus to the improvement of weapons. He Kang was skeptical of Liao Yingzhong's words, but he did not have much knowledge of the history of the Southern Song Dynasty and was truly unable to determine whether the trusted subordinates of Jia Nongbao were loyal or treacherous. He could only take it one step at a time, temporarily setting aside his suspicions about Song Jing and shifting his focus to the improvement of weapons.

Listening to your explanation, it seems that the intense friction between copper and glass powder generated sparks, igniting the nearby gunpowder?" He Kang inquired tentatively. The young craftsman nodded repeatedly, "Your Excellency is truly wise, you guessed it right. Later, when I sought the cause of the fire, I discovered that rapidly pulling copper through glass powder produces sparks. For this reason, I even conducted an experiment, placing a small amount of gunpowder and glass powder in a small wooden box, then threading a curled copper wire through a small hole at the bottom of the box into the glass powder. As long as the copper wire is pulled out quickly, the gunpowder in the glass powder will ignite, and it has worked every time. However, although I understood this principle, I did not know what use this discovery could have until today when I saw your Excellency's new weapon, which reminded me that this discovery could be applied to your Excellency's new weapon.

"There are some, but not too many, mainly used for serving tea to distinguished guests and for En Xiang's enjoyment," Liao Yingzhong replied quickly. He Kang waved his hand and said, "Take all of it, I will smash it all to make weapon materials. Nonsense glass, isn't it just a few pieces of broken glass? How precious can it be? Wait a minute, was there glass during the Southern Song Dynasty? How come I didn't know?" (Note 1)

"We shall faithfully obey the command of the esteemed minister." Han Zhen and Liao Yingzhong happily accepted He Kang's order. Although this time in Ezhou, both of Jia Nongbao's confidants received gold and silver from Yuan Jie, the two sycophants realized that Yuan Jie was an even greater flatterer of Jia Sidao than they were—who knows, one day, if Yuan Jie manages to please Jia Sidao, he might take their positions in front of him. Presently, there was an opportunity to eliminate this hidden danger, so how could Han Zhen and Liao Yingzhong not cheerfully comply with the order?

"My lord, I dare to ask you a question. The kind of weapon you drew, is it ignited with a fuse lit by fire?" The young craftsman said in a low voice. Liao Yingzhong, who was beside He Kang, interjected, "Of course it is ignited with a fuse lit by fire; otherwise, how could the gunpowder be ignited?"

"My lord, the glass is too expensive, and I do not have any glass in my possession," the young craftsman replied awkwardly. Without saying a word, He Kang turned and shouted at Liao Yingzhong: "Liao Yingzhong, do we have any glass in our army?"

Since this Yuan Jie is so suspicious and has suffered a great defeat, why did you not investigate him thoroughly? Why did you allow him to continue holding an important official position? He Kang was nearly rendered unconscious by a question that almost caused Han Zhen and Liao Yingzhong to faint. The two absolute confidants of Jia Nongbao cried out, "Minister, why are you still asking us this question? Yuan Jie sent a package of jewels, and you pardoned him of all his crimes, promoting him to the position of Chief Commander. At that time, we all opposed it, but you refused to listen to us." Yuan Jie sent a package of jewels, and you pardoned him of all his crimes, promoting him to the position of Chief Commander. At that time, we all opposed it, but you refused to listen to us.

"What brings you here, sir?" Due to his dislike for Song Jing's attitude towards the Mongols, He Kang subconsciously felt some aversion towards Song Jing, who was originally a trusted confidant of Jia Nongbao. However, Song Jing was unaware that he had been placed on He Kang's blacklist of untrustworthy individuals, and shamelessly said: "In response to the envoy, I have come to inquire when the silver and silk to be offered to the four Mongolian princes will begin to be prepared? When will it be delivered to Qingshiqi?"

"Your Excellency, I have suggested this to you many times, and you have finally realized that there are spies from the Mongolian Tartars within our army," said Han Zhen, the chief aide of Jia Nongbao, with tears and snot. "When our main forces were resting in Ezhou City, just after we withdrew from the city walls, the main force of the Mongolian Tartars launched a surprise attack on Ezhou City. If it weren't for Zhang Sheng and Gao Da fighting desperately, and General Lü Wende arriving just in time from Xiangyang to provide support, Ezhou City would have already fallen to the Tartars. At that time, I suspected there were traitors in our army, but Your Excellency, you refused to believe me! When our army was redeploying to Huanggang, our planned route was unexpectedly ambushed by Tartar troops. If it hadn't been for the sudden heavy rain that destroyed the roads, and we had to change our route at the last minute, our main force would have been completely annihilated."

Damn it, could this guy also be a Mongolian spy? Why is he in such a hurry to send the Song Dynasty's silver and silk to the enemy? He Kang felt angry in his heart, but considering that he still needed to deceive the main force of the Mongolian army across the Yangtze River, he nodded and said, "You go prepare the silver and silk, and report back to me once you are ready." Song Jing was overjoyed and hurriedly went to prepare the tribute materials. Watching his cheerful figure leave, He Kang couldn't help but ask Liao Yingzhong, "Yingzhong, do you think Song Jing is so happy because he might be a Tatar spy?"

He Kang and Liao Yingzhong were in the large tent, and Chen Yizhong, who had recently been promoted by He Kang as a trusted aide, had been waiting outside for a long time. Another trusted aide of Jia Nongbao, Song Jing, was also anxiously waiting outside the tent. Upon seeing He Kang, he bowed and said: "Your Excellency, I came to see you just now, but was stopped outside by your personal guards. I wonder what has happened?"

Is that so? That's wonderful! He Kang was overjoyed and casually promised, "As long as you can produce such a weapon overnight, I will reward you with one thousand taels of silver."

"Master En, the artisans are the lowly commoners of the lower classes, not of the same kind as the gentlemen. Is it not detrimental to Master En's status to personally meet with them?" Weng Yinglong did not follow He Kang's instructions to arrange personnel; instead, he cautiously expressed his objections to He Kang. He Kang was also aware that craftsmen held a low status in ancient times, but having grown up under the red banner, He Kang did not concern himself with such matters. He waved his hand and shouted, "Stop the nonsense; you will do as I arrange."

"Minister, isn't the blunderbuss only used to intimidate the enemy? On the battlefield, firing a shot would already bring the enemy's cavalry charging at us. We won't use much gunpowder, so what is there to fear about consumption?" Weng Yinglong, more confused than He Kang, asked in a puzzled tone. Greatly disappointed, He Kang slapped his forehead, knowing that he could no longer expect this primitive firearm to play a role in his ambush. Weng Yinglong reassured He Kang, saying: "Minister, do not be anxious. This blunderbuss is merely for intimidating the enemy and their horses. However, we have several types of hand-thrown firearms. Although their power is not great on the battlefield, they are quite effective for burning the enemy's tents and ships." Greatly disappointed, He Kang slapped his forehead, knowing that he could no longer expect this primitive firearm to play a role in his ambush. Weng Yinglong reassured He Kang, saying: "Minister, do not be anxious. This blunderbuss is merely for intimidating the enemy and their horses. However, we have several types of hand-thrown firearms. Although their power is not great on the battlefield, they are quite effective for burning the enemy's tents and ships."

Isn't the ratio of 1 part charcoal, 1.5 parts sulfur, and 7.5 parts saltpeter already very close to that of black powder? It seems that there are indeed talented individuals in the Southern Song dynasty. He Kang silently approved, as he had previously put in considerable effort studying gunpowder formulas due to his fondness for using explosives to catch fish. Having had the opportunity to 'borrow' materials from the chemistry laboratory, he was well-versed in the composition of black powder. He Kang then commanded: "No need to modify it so much; just change the gunpowder formula to 1 pound of charcoal, 1.5 pounds of sulfur, and 7.5 pounds of saltpeter. From now on, prepare the gunpowder according to this formula for me."

While speaking, Weng Yinglong ordered someone to bring a pile of black spherical bombs with fuses. These black spheres were coated with a water-resistant combustible resin, and contained low-nitrate, high-performance black gunpowder in the center. Some were also filled with smoke-producing substances and poison. When ignited and thrown, they could produce flames and thick smoke, which could indeed be somewhat effective in burning down the enemy's fixed camps and warships. As for injuring or killing the enemy, it would be more effective to pray for the heavens to strike them down with meteorites. Seeing this situation, He Kang couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, thinking to himself that it would be better for him to create one or two new weapons. With this in mind, He Kang instructed, "Prepare a tent and call over a dozen or twenty skilled craftsmen from the army who manufacture firearms; I will personally meet with them."

"En Xiang, if this stone hits the enemy in the face, he will either die or be severely injured. Even if it doesn't hit them, it can still scare them half to death," Weng Yinglong proudly introduced to He Kang. He Kang, wide-eyed, was stunned for a while by the extremely low power, high danger, and terrifying consumption ratio of that sudden firearm. After a moment, He Kang stammered, "Weng Yinglong, is this our most powerful firearm? Using a bamboo tube to load gunpowder for firing, isn't it prone to bursting? Why do we need to load four to five pounds of gunpowder to launch a stone weighing one pound? Can we afford such consumption?"

As for Yuan Jie, there must be a problem! Liao Yingzhong, the dog-headed military advisor of Jia Nongbao, also kept a close watch on Yuan Jie and said angrily: At that time, Huhuangzhou was completely surrounded, and Zhang Sheng's several reinforcements were repelled, making it utterly impenetrable. In the end, the defending army of Huhuangzhou was annihilated, and only he, Yuan Jie, managed to break out with a few people. How did he manage to fight his way out of the encirclement?

"But on the battlefield, holding a weapon in one hand and a fire starter in the other, isn't that too cumbersome?" said the young craftsman, gathering his courage. He Kangxian stopped Liao Yingzhong, who was about to scold him, and asked the young craftsman, "Are you suggesting that you have a more convenient way to ignite the fuse?"

When He Kang spoke these words, he was filled with anger. The first requirement for an official under Jia Nongbao was to be able to read the room, so Weng Yinglong dared not say anything further and hurried down to arrange things according to He Kang's instructions. Before long, twenty of the best firearms craftsmen from the army were summoned before He Kang. These craftsmen, with their dark faces and calloused hands, were seeing a high-ranking official of Jia Sidao's level for the first time, and they all knelt down tremblingly on both knees to bow to He Kang, saying, "Commoners have met the Prime Minister." Before long, twenty of the best firearms craftsmen from the army were summoned before He Kang. These craftsmen, with their dark faces and calloused hands, were seeing a high-ranking official of Jia Sidao's level for the first time, and they all knelt down tremblingly on both knees to bow to He Kang, saying, "Commoners have met the Prime Minister."

"Yes. Your Excellency... you are truly wise." The young craftsman's heart was accurately guessed by He Kang, and his words were inevitably filled with great excitement. However, He Kang appeared even more excited than him, repeatedly asking, "Do you have any solutions? Quickly tell me, as long as you have a way to improve my weapons, I will certainly reward you handsomely."

"One pound of charcoal plus one and a half pounds of sulfur? Then add seven and a half pounds of saltpeter? Isn't that too much saltpeter?" The craftsmen were in an uproar, and the old craftsman timidly asked He Kang, "Sir, saltpeter is expensive and in short supply; won't this formulation be too costly?"

The officer in charge of the armory and arsenal for the army of Jia Nongbao is named Weng Yinglong, who is also one of Jia Nongbao's old confidants. With this connection, He Kang was able to smoothly observe all the weapons of the Song army. In addition to various strange and unusual cold weapons, the Southern Song army indeed possessed some primitive firearms, although the types and quantities were quite limited. However, the three raw materials for gunpowder—saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal—were sufficiently available, which provided He Kang, a somewhat knowledgeable university student with some chemistry knowledge, an opportunity to apply his skills. In addition to various strange and unusual cold weapons, the Southern Song army indeed possessed some primitive firearms, although the types and quantities were quite limited. However, the three raw materials for gunpowder—saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal—were sufficiently available, which provided He Kang, a somewhat knowledgeable university student with some chemistry knowledge, an opportunity to apply his skills

"Esteemed Minister, this is the most powerful weapon in our land warfare—the fire lance." At He Kang's request, Weng Yinglong summoned two soldiers to demonstrate the most formidable land warfare weapon of the Southern Song army. The two soldiers brought forth a thick bamboo tube approximately two meters in length. They first loaded it with a substantial amount of coarse black powder, followed by stones, and inserted a paper fuse coated with nitrate into a small hole in the bamboo tube. They ignited the fuse, which then ignited the powder inside the tube. With a loud "bang," smoke filled the air, and a burst of flames along with the pre-loaded stones erupted from the mouth of the bamboo tube. Unfortunately, the stones, weighing less than one pound, flew less than one hundred paces before falling to the ground, barely stirring up any dust.

"Your Excellency, please ask, and we commoners will certainly answer truthfully," replied the oldest craftsman. He Kang inquired, "I ask you, what ingredients do you use to make the gunpowder for your firearms, and how much of each ingredient is used in the formula?"

"So the silver during the Song Dynasty was so valuable?" He Kang was also taken aback, but since the words had already been spoken, he felt embarrassed to take them back. He forced himself to suppress the pain and waved his hand, saying, "Three thousand taels of silver is a considerable amount, but if you can produce this kind of weapon, I will reward you with three thousand taels of silver! Now go, and as soon as you have made the weapon, inform me immediately."