Chapter 218: My Ordnance Bureau Director is Too Cautious
The road leading from Gao Family Village to the Ordnance Bureau was already bustling with workers laying down cement. The last time, Li Daoxuan had casually scraped out a flat dirt path with a metal spatula, and immediately, Thirty-Two had arranged for a large crew of temporary laborers to begin transforming it into a proper paved road.
Currently, half of the road was being cemented, while the other half remained in its original state.
Gao Yiye and the blacksmiths walked along the unpaved section.
The road workers waved to them, calling out, "Master blacksmiths! Where are you off to?"
Gao Yiyi smiled and replied, "We're taking a trip to the Ordnance Bureau. We have work commissioned by the Heavenly Lord to do."
The road workers cast envious glances. "I really want to get into the Craftsman Well! Once I finish this job, save up some money to buy a few pieces of furniture for my family, I'm going to become an apprentice at the Craftsman Well! After learning a skill, I can be promoted to a skilled artisan!"
Newcomers from Qingjian County didn't understand. "Aren't artisans of low social status? Why would you, as commoners, want to become artisans?"
"Hey! You're new, you wouldn't know. Artisans get the best treatment in our Gao Family Village."
"That's right! The Heavenly Lord favors artisans most. Artisans have the highest wages, and if they make any important technological invention, they can get rich instantly!"
"'Fu Ping Tao Bai'!"
"Ah, right, right, right! What did that phrase mean again?"
"Don't know, but it means getting rich."
Only then did the people from Qingjian County understand the situation with the artisans, and they couldn't help but think to themselves: I've just arrived, penniless. I'll do some temporary work, save a bit of money, and once my life is stable, I'll learn a skill. Since there's no farmland left anyway, learning a skill might come in handy someday.
The blacksmiths continued their journey. The two *li* of road passed in a flash, and ahead lay the small valley where the Ordnance Bureau was located. A massive, smooth stone cylinder was inverted in the valley, resembling a colossal military fortress from a later era.
A plaque hung above the main entrance, inscribed with: "Gao Family Village Ordnance Bureau."
This was the hottest new department in Gao Family Village. Because of the high wages, many people wanted to become apprentices here. However, Director Xu Dafu was extremely strict in selecting people. Anyone even slightly mischievous was instantly rejected; only those who were cautious, who thought through everything thoroughly before acting, were recruited as apprentices.
Consequently, within that enormous, colossal building, there were currently only Xu Dafu and a dozen or so apprentices.
Every apprentice who joined had to listen to Xu Dafu tell the story, specifically the "Beijing Great Explosion" story. They had to listen to it ten times repeatedly, and only when they could recite it was allowed to join the Ordnance Bureau.
Xu Dafu had specifically used stones to section off one room to store the materials provided by the Heavenly Lord and another room to store the finished gunpowder.
He didn't allow any apprentices into those two rooms. He personally managed them, and whenever materials or gunpowder were needed, he would retrieve and use them himself.
The apprentices themselves had been chosen for their caution, and having heard the "Beijing Great Explosion" story before joining, each was meticulous, and no one dared to casually touch the gunpowder.
As Gao Yiyi reached the entrance of the Ordnance Bureau, he shouted loudly, "Xu Dafu! Director Xu, I've come to collect gunpowder!"
Xu Dafu poked his head out from the door, waving his hand at the group. "Step back, all of you! Move back further!"
Gao Yiyi was greatly surprised. "Why?"
Xu Dafu explained, "This place of mine is full of explosive stuff; one spark could set it off. You've all come in such a large group. Have your belongings been checked? Does anyone have a fire starter or anything? I don't know! I can't let you get close."
Gao Yiyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Fine, let's retreat.
The group backed away a good distance.
Seeing them retreat to a safe distance, Xu Dafu then asked, "To collect
gunpowder, has it been approved by the Heavenly Lord? Gunpowder isn't something just anyone can take to play with. Without the Heavenly Lord's word, no one will get a single *qian* of gunpowder from me."
"Of course, it has the Heavenly Lord's approval," Gao Yiyi said. "Look, Lady Saintess came with us."
Xu Dafu turned to look at Gao Yiye.
Gao Yiye smiled. "It's been approved by the Heavenly Lord, don't worry. Look, that low cloud in the sky? The Heavenly Lord is riding it, coming to watch with us. You can rest assured."
Xu Dafu looked up at the sky, saw the low cloud, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. He bowed deeply towards the sky. "Since the Heavenly Lord is also present, it seems you have indeed received permission. I'll give you some gunpowder then."
He glanced at the Three-Eyed Arquebus in Gao Yiyi's hand. "Three portions should be enough for you, right?"
Gao Yiyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Hey, are you really only giving us gunpowder for one test firing? Give us more! We want to test them more thoroughly, to see how sturdy these firearms are, whether they'll explode or fall apart!"
Xu Dafu replied, "I can give you a few more portions, but I have to supervise your use. If I give you ten portions, I must hear the arquebus fire ten times. Not one less! Otherwise, you might intentionally fire fewer shots and hide the extra gunpowder. If something goes wrong, Gao Family Village could be blown sky-high!"
Li Daoxuan, witnessing his extreme caution, couldn't help but be amused. My Ordnance Bureau Director is truly *too* cautious.
Gao Yiyi, too, was exasperated by Xu Dafu's antics, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, alright, alright! You can watch the whole time. However many portions of gunpowder there are, that's how many bangs you'll hear. If there's one less bang, I'll return one portion to you. Is that acceptable?"
"Now that's more like it," Xu Dafu said, retreating. After a moment, he re-emerged, this time holding a small clay pot. Inside, it contained fine, black gunpowder, like sand.
This was the "Ming Dynasty black powder" he had re-compounded, using the "firecracker gunpowder" Li Daoxuan had provided.
The proportions for Li Daoxuan's "firecracker gunpowder" were indeed different from those for actual combat-grade black powder. But when placed in the box, it transformed into large spheres of raw materials.
Xu Dafu could easily pick out the saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, re-grind them into fine powder, and then, following the modern formula provided by Li Daoxuan, re-adjusted the proportions, turning it into true black powder.
The explosive power of this stuff was far greater than firecrackers, making it extremely dangerous.
He cautiously handed the pot to Gao Yiyi. "Here are ten portions; I expect to hear ten bangs." After speaking, he opened a small packet, counted out ten fuses, and handed them to Gao Yiyi.
Gao Yiyi couldn't help but complain. "Not even one extra fuse?"
Xu Dafu shook his head with a stern expression. "Not one more! Not one less!"
"Gunpowder must be used this way. A little too much or too little, and something could go wrong."
"Fine, fine, you're the boss."
Gao Yiyi hugged the pot, led the blacksmiths, and walked to an open space on the side of the valley. Xu Dafu eagerly tagged along, standing by to watch the commotion.
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