Chapter 160 Confrontation

Roland has long conceived the bullets of the revolver firearms. Round lead bullets and bulk gunpowder are too backward. Considering Anna's processing ability, it is technically feasible to directly manufacture copper-cased fixed ammunition. The key lies in how to ignite the black powder loaded in the cartridge case without a reliable primer.

The primer of early metal-cased fixed-load ammunition is generally mercury fulminate, which is extremely sensitive to impact. Pulling the trigger triggers the firing pin, which stimulates the mercury fulminate at the bottom of the bullet to ignite, thereby igniting the propellant and ejecting the bullet out of the barrel.

It's a pity that he couldn't remember what kinds of raw materials are needed to make mercury fulminate. Literally, there must be nitric acid and mercury, but the handwritten reaction formula shows that the reaction of these two substances will only This produces mercury nitrate*.

Moreover, just knowing the raw materials does not mean that the finished product can be produced smoothly. Whether the solution has concentration and temperature requirements during the reaction process, and whether a catalyst needs to be added are also key factors affecting the production of the finished product. What's more, due to its sensitive characteristics, mercury fulminate can easily trigger an explosion when it is produced, and if you don't pay attention, you will lose two fingers, so he has been afraid to try it himself.

Therefore, Roland had no choice but to settle for the next best thing. In the case of using a metal shell case, he still used the flintlock ignition method, which required sparks to enter the shell case and ignite the gunpowder. Therefore, first of all, holes must be left at the bottom of the cartridge case, and at the same time, it is necessary to prevent the gunpowder from leaking out.

Obviously, there is an irreconcilable contradiction between these two points: the larger the opening, the faster the gunpowder will leak. If the opening is too small, it will be difficult for the sparks from the flint to ignite the gunpowder inside.

He needs something that can be ignited by sparks smoothly, and at the same time block the opening to prevent the gunpowder from leaking.

The first thing Roland thought of was nitrocellulose, also known as gun cotton.

This is also one of the few chemicals he remembers that can be used in weapons because its preparation material is very simple: cotton is soaked in a mixture of two strong acids. The acids are the most commonly used sulfuric and nitric acids, which are not dangerous to prepare. He originally wanted to wait until he recruited an alchemist before proceeding with the trial production of gun cotton, but now that he had made a seven-day agreement, he decided to roll up his sleeves and end in person.

Picking up the quill, he wrote down the long-awaited idea on the draft paper.

First of all, cotton, preferably spun and undyed muslin, which has been brought back from the Duke's mansion a lot, and is now piled up in the castle warehouse. Cotton yarn needs to be degreased, otherwise the grease attached to the surface will hinder the progress of nitrification. The thing that removes grease is familiar to most traversers, it is sodium hydroxide, also commonly known as caustic soda. At the same time, it is also the raw material for making soap: add sodium hydroxide solution to the oil, stir it evenly, put it into a mold and solidify, and then you can get soap for washing. It's just that Roland has been busy developing industry and agriculture and fighting against foreign enemies, so he has no time to develop such daily necessities.

As for how to prepare sodium hydroxide, the simplest method is probably the electrolysis of salt water. So the prince found that in order to create a new bullet, he had to start with a DC generator first.

*******************

Ashes walked by the Chishui River, feeling slightly depressed.

Ever since those witches knew that her purpose of coming here was to persuade the sisters from the Freedom Society to leave Border Town, their attitude towards her had also cooled down, no longer the enthusiasm they had when they first met last night.

Moreover, she noticed that most of the witches would practice their abilities in the backyard of the castle, which meant that Roland had also discovered a way to avoid being subjected to magic phagocytosis. The original plan to use this crucial piece of information in exchange for the favor of the witches has been shattered. Apart from explaining the pros and cons to them individually and persuading them to leave, there is almost nothing I can do.

What surprised Ashes the most was that Roland Wimbledon didn't change much in appearance, but there was an indescribable aura in his gestures, which was incompatible with the previous image of a playboy.

why? He was obviously an incompetent person in the past, and the first thing he thought of when encountering a situation was to escape, not to mention standing up for others, even he was afraid of taking responsibility for what he did. Thinking of that harassment, just a look of hatred made him fall to the ground in panic. Tilly came over after hearing the sound, but he lied that he accidentally fell down, and blamed the fifth princess, why did he hire such an ugly woman as a bodyguard.

From then on, Ashes' feelings for the fourth prince dropped to the lowest point.

She thought that such a person would be easy to deal with, but she failed to gain the upper hand in today's negotiation, especially after the other party said that she would have a one-on-one competition, she found that she could not even use force because the other party did not evade Instead of asking questions, he intends to answer his own doubts head-on in the form of a competition. Threatening him personally at this time has no other purpose than reducing the witch's favor.

Ashes sighed, if only she was as smart as Tilly, any problem would be easily solved in front of her, if she encountered such a situation, she would definitely be able to come up with a solution, right? The ease and anticipation of coming here have disappeared. If Ashes hadn't wanted to help Tilly as much as possible, Ashes really wanted to take the boat to Clear Water Port immediately and leave Ashcastle as soon as possible.

Unknowingly, she found that she had stepped out of the town, and the other side of the river was no longer a lush wheat field, but an uncultivated woodland.

Just when Ashes was about to turn around, there was a sudden wave of magic power behind her, she subconsciously turned her head, a dagger stabbed out from the side of the cheek, and then slashed horizontally. The surging magic power had turned into a huge wave, Ashes felt that half of his cheek was stabbed with pain, and the opponent's coherent moves were obviously not something ordinary people could do. She didn't hesitate anymore, let her body fall completely, avoided the dagger that swept past her eyes, and ejected herself with force with one foot.

However, the opponent disappeared out of thin air, and reappeared behind her in the blink of an eye, Ashes didn't even see how the opponent moved.

She drew out the giant sword, and her body spun around, driving the blade to make a dull whistling. The speed was so fast that a large cloud of dust was raised on the ground. The attack method without dead angle can eliminate any threat within the attack range of the sword body, but this move is ineffective in front of the opponent's strange movement.

Oops, she thought to herself, the muscles all over her body were tense, and when she was about to take the opponent's next attack, the black shadow disappeared from her face. The dust fell slowly, and the man was standing not far from her, playing with the dagger in his hand.

It was Nightingale.

"Is this a warning?" Ashes frowned.

"Of course not," she put the dagger in her waist, "I just want to see the strength of the extraordinary."

"Really? I thought you were going to say"

"Tell you to leave Border Town as soon as possible, otherwise I will be rude to you?" Nightingale interrupted, "In that case, what is the difference between me and Hakara."

Hakala? Why did she mention the former head of the Freedom? Ashes thought puzzledly.

"You can safely persuade every sister that if someone is willing to leave with you, I don't think His Highness will stop you, and of course I won't either. But..." Nightingale paused, "Don't try to hurt or threaten His Highness Roland, otherwise Next time I won't deliberately miss it." She grinned and disappeared into the air, "Enjoy your life in Border Town."

Sure enough, he still came to warn himself, Ashes shook his head. (To be continued.)