Chapter Twenty-Four: Thunderbolt

  Zheng Tai was extremely pleased, and he had already decided that Wu Ji would be the future master of mathematics. He called for Niu Yang to bring over the account book, and he read it out loud to Wu Ji, who calculated the answers. The two worked together in perfect harmony.

  Huang Fu Cong was busy sorting out the account books, while Niu Yang and Er had only miscellaneous tasks such as moving account books, serving tea and pouring water, which fell on their shoulders.

  Until nightfall, Wu Ji was exhausted and covered in sweat before he left.

  Today, Wu Ji was really tired. The next day, he didn't go to the main book room, but rested at home. Guixian County is a small county town, and there are not many accounts. It can't withstand Wu Ji's abacus ringing once. Resting for one day doesn't count as anything.

  "This body is really poor! Need to exercise well! If I were to practice qigong, it would be good to practice qigong and strengthen my body!" Wu Jie leaned on the chair, sipping tea, gazing at the high-hanging sun, feeling warm and regretful.

  "Brother Qian, are you okay? How did that bullet come about? We've prepared the saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal!" Wu Jian saw Wu Qian flipping through a book to pass the time, so he came over: "Sister said the bullets are very powerful! I really want to take a look."

  "Are you ready? What's the point of waiting anymore? Let's go!" Wu Jie had been eagerly looking forward to making bombs and earning a lot of money. As soon as he heard this, his body felt energized, and with renewed strength, he jumped up suddenly.

  "Brother Jie, are you really okay?" Wu Jian looked at Wu Jie with some surprise.

  "Do I look like I have something on my mind?" Wu Ji's spirit was lifted.

  "Hehe! The pellet can be made now." Wu Jian had heard Yang Xiuxiu mention hunting bears before, and he was the most anxious, eager to make the pellet as soon as possible.

  Two people entered the house and saw Yang Xiuxiu distributing saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal in a ratio of 3:3:3. She was preparing to make the strongest gunpowder.

  "Xiuxiu, slow down!" Wu Ji called out, knowing her thoughts at a glance.

  "Wu Lang! How did you come? Hurry up and rest." Yang Xiuxiu was both surprised and worried when she saw Wu Ji enter.

  "Not good!" Wu Ji quickly walked over and said: "This time, I can't use this formula, I have to use a less potent one."

  "What's weak?" Yang Xiuxiu was puzzled, her eyes full of doubt.

  "This is for selling money, can't use too much power, must use less power." Wu Ji said with intention.

  "Brother Jī, why don't you use the more powerful one, but instead use the less powerful one?" Wu Jian showed his humble and inquiring nature as a scholar, immediately asking this question.

  A powerful one sells well and is popular. A weak one sells, but who would want it? This is common sense. But Wu Ji is good at turning things around, which makes people very puzzled.

  "You think, if I sell the most powerful one as soon as I come, isn't it saying that there will only be this kind in the future? After a long time, who will still come to buy?" Wu Ji explained to the two: "First sell the smaller ones, when the time is almost up, then change to the more powerful ones, won't the business last longer like this?"

  "This...". This remark was also beyond the imagination of both of them.

  "You see, when a person eats, if they start with the best dishes, after a long time, they will feel that it's not tasty anymore. But if at first, you don't give them the best dishes, but rather ordinary ones, and then after some time, you give them some good food, they will think it's very delicious and won't get tired of it! It's the same principle when doing business!" Wu Jie drew an analogy.

  "This can also work?" Yang Xiuxiu was shocked by Wu Ji's business acumen, her mouth agape, unable to speak.

  Wu Jian slapped his forehead and shouted loudly: "Brother Jie, you're really cunning! You've schemed against people, and now you want people to speak well of you! My back is getting chilly, how treacherous!"

  This is indeed treacherous, Wu Ji has the potential to be a cunning merchant.

  "Ah! Doing business, no profit no early rise, which businessman is not a treacherous fellow? No commerce without treachery! ” Wu Jie, however, accepted it with a grand and natural air, as if this was how things should be.

  "Wu Lang, when will you start doing business?" Yang Xiuxiu's eyes widened as she listened to Wu Ji's words, which although a bit harsh on the ears, were absolutely authentic business maxims, and she couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

  "Haven't I said so? This illness of mine has made me understand many things! This is just one of them." Wu Ji had long been preparing to tell a lie.

  Under Wu Ji's guidance, Yang Xiu Xiu and Wu Jian began to mix the gunpowder. This time, the ratio of saltpeter: sulfur: charcoal was 6:2:2, no longer the original 3:3:3 proportion.

  The power of this formula is not as good as the 3:3:3 ratio, but it's also not weak. Compared to the firework of Song Dynasty, it's much better and lays a solid foundation for future upgrades.

  Wu Jian felt extremely curious and excited, busy running around, almost ignoring Yang Xiu Xiu and Wu Ji. Until he was busy to the point of being drenched in sweat, only then did he finish, with a face full of excitement, thinking that it was the most enjoyable thing in the world.

  The gunpowder is ready, and now a container is needed. Wu Ji suddenly remembered that the night before last, Zhang Daniu had asked him what he wanted to cast before going to bed, and he had told him that he wanted to cast an iron ball the size of a fist with a hollow center. He didn't know if he had done it or not.

  If it's done well, we can try out the real power of the bomb. The bear-blasting pellet is not bad, but it's not a real bomb either. Because it's wrapped in oil paper, its power isn't that strong. Moreover, if it explodes in the mouth, as long as the bear takes the bait, killing it won't be a problem.

  If it didn't explode in the mouth but on the bear's body, it may not necessarily kill the bear.

  "Wu Lang, are you going to use this as a slingshot?" Just as Wu Ji was thinking about it, Yang Xiu Xiu took out an iron ball the size of a fist and placed it in front of Wu Ji.

  Wu Jie took a look, this is cast iron, and it has been polished, very smooth. Taking another closer look, the thickness is even, although some places are still uneven, having such standards in the Song Dynasty is not bad. The shape is exactly what Wu Jie pointed out to Zhang Daniu.

  "Has Master Zhang finished it? So quickly?" Wu Ji was somewhat surprised: "It's done quite well!"

  "Last night, Master Zhang didn't rest and instead worked through the night to rush out a model. He polished it until it was smooth and finished it just last night." Yang Xiuxiu complained: "I urged him several times to take a break, but Master Zhang said this is something you entrusted to me, he can only rest after doing it well."

  "This...". Wu Ji was somewhat speechless. What he had said was correct, but it wasn't necessary to be so urgent, no need to rush like this.

  "Master Zhang said that you bought the ironwork shop, it must be useful for something big. He can do it first and then take a break later," Yang Xiuxiu sighed: "I urged him several times, but he didn't want to rest."

  "It can't be like this anymore." Wu Ji's face turned solemn.

  There is also a lid, Wu Ji tried to use it, and it matches the cast iron very well. This Zhang Daniu does things carefully, his craftsmanship is not bad, leaving him behind is the right decision.

  What remains to be done is the fuse. The bullet relies on the mutual friction between small ceramic fragments to detonate, which won't work for making bombs, and another way of detonation must be used.

  This blasting method, Wu Ji knew quite a few, but took the simplest fuse. The reason for using a fuse instead of automatic ignition was still the play of Wu Ji's merchant potential. The advantage of doing so is that it adds another chance to upgrade, and another chance to make money, which Wu Ji will not miss.

  Even with a fuse, the power of a bomb is much greater than the power of swords and spears in the Song Dynasty, so there's no need to worry about the power.

  The fuse this matter, fundamentally can't stump Wu Ji, a very simple thing.

  Doing a good job of laying the fuse, Wu Ji loaded gunpowder into the iron ball, pressed the fuse on it, and sealed it with a lid. If it were to be sold out, it would need to go through anti-moisture and waterproof treatment, but since this was just for testing purposes, Wu Ji didn't need that step, and thus a bomb was born.

  "Wu Lang, this can't be called a marble anymore, right?" Yang Xiuxiu looked at the bomb and thought it was very different from a marble. First, it had an iron shell, and second, it had a fuse. If they still called it a marble, it would indeed be inappropriate.

  "Yes! It's time to give it another name!" Wu Ji micro nodded and said: "Must take a loud, yet easy-to-remember name. Like thunder, hmm, let's call it Thunderbolt!"

  Thunderbolt, a loud name, a sharp and unmatched sharp weapon, was born like this!