Chapter 109: Preparing the Gunpowder

"I have already asked Shopkeeper Zhu, who deals in minerals, and he happens to have a batch of unsold stock currently sitting in his warehouse on Beixing Street." Axin said, turning to look at another servant. "Go and prepare the carriage at once!"

The servant hesitated for a moment, looking at the torrential rain, but then gritted his teeth and dashed out into the downpour.

"Magistrate Feng, I will need some manpower..." Qi Jun said, his expression troubled as he pondered.

"You are the County Commandant now; you must adapt to your new status. You may command as many county guards as you need!" Feng Qinian paused briefly, then smiled and patted Qi Jun lightly on the shoulder.

"To be honest, I need to use saltpeter, charcoal, and other materials to concoct gunpowder. The process is extremely dangerous, so..." Qi Jun paused, then gritted his teeth and said, "I would like to requisition a group of death-row inmates from the county jail to have them do the work under supervision. Would that be permissible?"

Gunpowder has immense destructive power. If one could successfully produce explosive charges and use them appropriately, they would undoubtedly play a vital role in the defense of the city, significantly easing the pressure of the siege and perhaps even determining the outcome of the war.

However, under these conditions, the hasty production of gunpowder carried great risks. A moment of carelessness could lead to unstable chemical components, resulting in an explosion and a major industrial accident.

Furthermore, although gunpowder had already become popularized in the Western Regions, it was still neglected and not widely promoted within the Great Liang Dynasty.

Qi Jun only knew the principles of gunpowder production from his previous life and had experimented with small amounts of raw materials out of personal interest. Now that he was forced to produce it in bulk, he felt uneasy.

He certainly could not risk the lives of the county guards, which was why he thought of the death-row inmates in the county jail.

These prisoners were already guilty of heinous crimes and were awaiting execution after the autumn. While doing this might seem inhumane, it was a necessary measure. If the Qiang soldiers breached the city, it was likely that every citizen would perish.

When Qi Jun hesitantly made this request to Feng Qinian, he felt a knot in his stomach.

Even death-row inmates were entitled to legal judgment. Compared to the swift blade of an executioner, being blown to pieces by gunpowder was clearly far more brutal.

"Gunpowder?" Feng Qinian asked, stunned. He clearly had no idea that these materials could be used to make such a thing.

However, he understood Qi Jun’s intent and did not share his moral burden in the slightest. "They are people who deserve to die anyway; why not? Go to the county jail and select as many as you need. If anyone asks, I shall handle it."

After speaking, Feng Qinian turned to the desk, picked up a brush to write an official document, and stamped it with his seal.

"Take this document to the jail to retrieve the men. You may order the jailer to provide whatever you need." Feng Qinian walked over to Qi Jun and handed him the document. "Requisitioning inmates requires an official order from the magistrate’s office. I had intended to go there to exchange the seal and tokens, but since the rain started so suddenly, I had to wait a while longer."

Feng Qinian frowned and complained as he looked at the dense curtain of rain. To Qi Jun, he looked like a child who could not wait to open a package containing a beloved toy.

The magistrate’s seal was nothing more than a bronze lump slightly larger than the County Commandant’s seal, yet it fascinated Feng Qinian so much.

Qi Jun shook his head and sighed, truly unable to fathom Feng Qinian’s state of mind. He could not tell whether Feng Qinian valued the official seal more than the city itself, or if he possessed a mysterious, unshakeable confidence in defending the city.

"My lord, the carriage is ready." The servant ran from the rain to the front of the main hall and shouted over the noise of the downpour to Qi Jun and the others.

"Magistrate Feng, please send someone to request reinforcements immediately! You must not delay any longer!" Qi Jun nodded, unable to stop himself from frowning and giving one last worried instruction.

Axin quickly opened an oil-paper umbrella over Qi Jun’s head, and the two stepped out from under the eaves, hurrying toward the front gate.

As the whip cracked, the carriage sped off through the quiet, empty streets toward the warehouse where Shopkeeper Zhu kept his raw materials.

Under Axin’s guidance, the carriage soon pulled up in front of a row of tile-roofed houses. A slightly plump middle-aged man had been waiting in the rain; seeing the carriage arrive, he hurried forward, bowing to welcome them.

"You must be Shopkeeper Zhu, I presume? Let’s skip the pleasantries. Open the warehouse door and let me see the goods!" Seeing the sycophantic smile on the shopkeeper’s face, Qi Jun knew the man was brimming with flattery. Annoyed by such hypocrisy, he cut him off and ordered him to open the warehouse.

Seeing the urgency and worry on Qi Jun’s face, Shopkeeper Zhu swallowed his prepared flattery, quickly agreed, and pushed open the door himself. He then gestured inside and said, "My lord, please! Everything I have is right here..."

As Qi Jun walked into the warehouse, a musty odor rushed to meet him. He covered his nose, frowned, and walked toward a pile of items covered by tarpaulins, reaching out to pull back the dirty, heavy cloth.

"This saltpeter was brought over from the Qiang territory last month. No one here wanted to take it off my hands, so it’s been sitting here. It’s not worth much, so if you find it useful, my lord, I’ll give it all to you..." Seeing Qi Jun standing before the pile of saltpeter, Shopkeeper Zhu hurried over, bowing respectfully.

"You are too kind, Shopkeeper Zhu, but I cannot take your goods for nothing. Name a price; I’ll take it all." Although saltpeter was not expensive, transporting it from the Qiang lands had been no small feat.

Originally, this saltpeter had been urgently needed by a Western Region merchant. Somehow, Shopkeeper Zhu had gotten wind of it and bought it up at a low price, hoping to resell it to the merchant at a steep profit.

However, the Western Region merchant had flatly refused the moment he heard the shopkeeper’s asking price. After several failed negotiations, the saltpeter had become dead stock in the shopkeeper’s hands.

Shopkeeper Zhu had been worrying about it for some time, so Qi Jun’s arrival had essentially solved a headache for him.

"For you to want these stones is the greatest honor you could grant me, my lord. How could I..." Shopkeeper Zhu tried to use the opportunity to build a connection and offer a favor, but Qi Jun waved him off, cutting him short.

"Have these and the saltpeter moved to the county jail. I will not shortchange you on the price." After inspecting the charcoal and the iron ore, Qi Jun nodded in satisfaction, gave the order, and walked out of the warehouse to return to the carriage and head for the county jail.

"Safe travels, my lord! I shall arrange for them to be delivered to you immediately!" Shopkeeper Zhu’s face beamed with joy as he bowed repeatedly to the departing carriage.

When the carriage stopped at the gates of the county jail, the guards on duty recognized the carriage of the County Commandant’s office. Thinking it was Feng Qinian, they rushed forward with enthusiasm, only to pause in confusion when they saw Qi Jun instead.

"This... where is Magistrate Feng?" The guard glanced at the carriage instinctively, frowned at Qi Jun, and then asked Axin with a respectful tone.

The guard did not recognize Qi Jun, but he knew Axin was Feng Qinian’s right-hand man and dared not show any disrespect.

"Look closely! This is the new County Commandant of Anqiang! Show some respect to Lord Qi!" Axin, sensing Qi Jun’s embarrassment, spoke in a low, stern voice.

"Ah? This... Lord Qi? I haven't heard of any such person..." The guard seemed to be a thick-headed man. Even after Axin’s warning, he continued to stare at Qi Jun with a skeptical expression.

Qi Jun, long accustomed to such looks and such scenes, pulled the handwritten document from Feng Qinian out of his robe and slapped it against the guard’s chest. With a cold face, he pushed past the man and headed into the jail.

The guard sheepishly looked at the document, and only after seeing Feng Qinian’s private seal did he realize his mistake. Axin glared at him, and the guard slapped his own face before rushing after Qi Jun.

"County Commandant Qi, I truly did not know. Please, my lord, forgive me. I will go notify the warden at once..." After reprimanding himself, the guard said to the others, "This is the new County Commandant! Look alive and serve him well!"

Qi Jun could not be bothered to haggle with a lowly guard and strode deeper into the jail.

Because Li Hua had departed in such a hurry, the official announcement process had not yet been completed, and the guards were unaware of the change. Though they were still confused, seeing the respectful way Axin treated Qi Jun, they dared not harbor any further doubts and followed carefully behind.