Chapter 43 Crisis

  Returning to the Liuchun Garden, Yin-zhen's good mood was immediately ruined by Kangxi's secret letter. The letter didn't say much, but merely relayed the rumors circulating in the capital.

  Yin Zhen immediately realized the danger, if Hai Shang wanted to deal with himself, what would they do? Wood, they could only card themselves on wood, once the wood was carded, their own ocean-going fleet would face the dilemma of having no rice to cook.

  Jiangsu province is not without timber, the Jiangning Zhongshan area has an abundance of tung oil trees and palm trees, but what needs to be built is a fleet of warships, as well as a large fleet of ocean-going trade ships. The timber from just the Jiangsu region alone, whether in terms of quantity or variety, is far from sufficient.

  Who is behind the scenes? Nine out of ten it's the Tai Zi Party, and this trick of draining the water from the cauldron is really endless. As for wood, Yongzheng is completely ignorant, he only knows that there are many in the Northeast, but what kind of wood is generally used to build ships, he has no idea at all. He isn't someone who hasn't paid attention to this aspect of talent, but in the capital, where there are many officials, merchants, and scholars, there are almost no one who understands shipbuilding. When passing through Jiangning, he did recruit some shipbuilders, but they won't arrive until after the New Year. After thinking for a moment, he called Hai Feng over, "Take my name card and go to the Zhang family to invite Miss Zhang Mengjiao."

  Hai Feng suddenly felt inexplicable, wasn't it just a breakup? Why bother asking again? He didn't dare ask more questions and hastily agreed.

  Hai Feng hadn't left the house yet when Da Chun reported from outside the door, "Master, there's a scholar outside who wants to see you. He says he was recommended by Old Xu."

  As soon as he heard it, he knew that it was the firework talent recommended by Xu Zuolong, and he casually instructed, "Please ask him to come in."

  Sun Changhao was now wandering around the gate of Liuchun Garden with a complicated mood. He was the fifth grandson of Sun Yuanhua, whose courtesy name was Zian. Sun Yuanhua was a high-ranking official in the late Ming dynasty and had served as the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief and the Governor of Dengzhou Prefecture. He was also a student of Xu Guangqi and a well-known expert on Western artillery during the late Ming period. In the fifth year of Chongzhen, he was wrongly executed by Emperor Chongzhen, which led to the downfall of the Sun family. After the Qing dynasty unified China, the Sun family moved out of Kuansha County for fear of revenge, but returned after the country became peaceful again.

  Sun Changhao had been diligently studying books since childhood, and after becoming a scholar, he no longer participated in the imperial examination. He devoted himself to reading various books passed down from his ancestors. Later, due to financial difficulties, he entered a firework workshop to research gunpowder to make a living. Now that he is at an age of maturity, after receiving a letter from the head of the Xu family, he didn't feel much fear, but rather excitement. Being able to openly and honestly play with firearms was his greatest dream in life. Although his family had several types of firelocks hidden away, the imperial court's control was too strict, and he didn't dare take them out easily. This recommendation was truly a rare opportunity for him.

  Sun Changhao walked into Yongzheng's study with a hint of tension and nervousness. After exchanging greetings, Yongzheng warmly invited him to sit down and ordered someone to serve tea while carefully sizing him up. This man was dressed in simple attire, his body slightly thin, with a square face, bright and spirited eyes that didn't match the weariness on his face, rough hands that looked like they had been through hard labor, although he seemed a bit constrained, but not uncomfortable. Yongzheng couldn't help but feel secretly pleased, thinking to himself that this guy might have some substance, probably exceling in practical matters. He then asked with a smile: "Mr. Sun, where did you originally hold office?"

  When Yun Zhen asked questions, Sun Changhao became calm instead, "Working on the proportion of gunpowder in a firecracker workshop."

  He was originally a technician, and suddenly became interested, "Sir, what do you think is the right ratio of gunpowder for artillery?"

  Gunpowder is his strong point, Sun Changhao replied confidently, "According to 'Ji Xiao Xin Shu', the ratio is 1 liang (75.75%) of saltpeter, 1 qian 4 fen (10.6%) of sulfur, and 1 qian 8 fen (13.65%) of willow charcoal. I have experimented many times, and this ratio is already the best. In fact, gunpowder made with the same ratio can also be vastly different, I think the root cause lies in the purity of the raw materials, the purer the raw materials, the better the effect of the gunpowder."

  "Will you refine the raw materials?" Yinzhen was slightly surprised.

  Sun Changhao said calmly, "It's all recorded in books, and I've tried it countless times with great results."

  This is a personal talent, the proportion of gunpowder is basically the best ratio (this should be known, nitrate 75%, sulfur 10%, carbon 15%), what's rare is that he has a view on the purity of raw materials in this era known for its ambiguity, and can even purify it, worthy of being a professional technician, it wasn't until then that Yi Zhen realized his own oversight, his ocean-going fleet couldn't do without its own specialized gunpowder workshop.

  Yuan Zhen couldn't remember clearly whether gunpowder had appeared at that time, so he asked vaguely, "Is the gunpowder your workshop is making now in powder form?"

  "Not all are, firecrackers use powder, fireworks use grains."

  There were already grains, and he secretly thought that it was good that he didn't show off. He continued to ask, "As for firearms, do you have any insights?"

  Sun Changhao looked embarrassed, "It's all just book knowledge, I've never actually handled the real thing, so I really don't have any insights to share."

  "Yongzhen was somewhat curious, 'What books are you looking at?'"

  "Shen Qi Pu", "Xi Fa Shen Ji", "Huo Gong Shou Yao", "Jun Qi Tu Shuo", "Huo Long Shen Qi Zhen Fa", "Wu Bei Zhi". Sun Changhao reported them one by one, like a treasured family heirloom.

  He felt a bit depressed and asked, "Passed down from ancestors?"

  "Yes." As soon as he said it, Sun Changhao felt that something was off and his face suddenly looked a bit unnatural.

  What kind of person is this, accustomed to interrogation, seeing this situation, suddenly feeling strange, what's going on here? Ancestor, could his ancestor be a famous anti-Qing figure? Surnamed Sun, Sun Yuanhua? The master of Western artillery, Sun Yuanhua. Yes, Sun Yuanhua was Xu Guangqi's student, and "Western Methods for Spiritual Machines" seemed to have been written by him. He became excited, "I didn't expect you to be a descendant of Sun Yuanhua, great."

  Sun Changhao heard him report his grandfather's name in one breath, and immediately felt a little uneasy. Yin Zhen saw it and comforted him, "You don't have to be afraid, Sun is good at Western learning, loyal to the country, but was wrongly killed by Chongzhen, which is really regrettable. Forget it, let's not talk about these sad things. You just do your job conscientiously, no need to think too much."

  Jian Yin Zhen highly respected his grandfather. Sun Changhao immediately felt at ease and knelt down, saying, "Thank you, Fourteenth Master, for your praise."

  "Get up." Yin Zhen thought to himself, this person's family background is profound, cautious and practical, not fond of empty talk, and is actually a useful talent. Looking at his simple attire, it seems that his family has long since declined, but still, even if it's just for the sake of Sun Yuanhua, this great ancestor, he should take good care of his descendants. "Just having book knowledge is not enough, from now on, you need to interact with real objects more, think carefully, and don't tarnish your grandfather's reputation. However, for now, you need to help me build a gunpowder workshop, about 2,000 large cannons and 20,000 firelocks' worth of gunpowder workshop. You're also in charge of procuring the raw materials, I only want the best gunpowder. Additionally, go back and try testing the ratio of saltpeter 1 liang 5 qian, sulfur 2 qian, willow charcoal 3 qian, see whose is better?"