Chapter 218: My Chief of the Firearms Bureau is Too Cautious
The road from Gao Village to the Firearms Bureau was now swarming with workers spreading cement. After Li Daoxuan had once used a metal scraper to level a stretch of dirt path, San Shier had promptly hired a large crew of short-term laborers to pave the entire thing with cement.
Now, half the road was freshly paved, while the other half remained in its original state.
Gao Yiye and the blacksmiths walked along the unfinished side.
Road workers waved at them. "Master Blacksmiths! Where are you off to?"
Gao Yiyi smiled back. "Heading to the Firearms Bureau. We have work ordered by the Tianzun."
The road workers looked on with envy. "I really want to apprentice in a workshop. Once I finish this job and save up enough to buy some furniture for my family, I'll go become a workshop apprentice! Once I learn the skills, I can graduate from apprentice to full craftsman."
The newcomers from Qingjian County were confused. "Isn't a craftsman's status considered low? Why would you give up your commoner standing to enter a workshop?"
"Hey, you're new, you don't understand. Craftsmen get the best treatment in Gao Village."
"That's right. The Tianzun favors craftsmen the most. They get the highest wages, and if they make any important technological breakthrough, they get rich immediately… rich as… what was that phrase Steward San used last time?"
"As rich as Tao and Bai!"
"Yes, yes, that's it! What does it even mean?"
"No idea. It just means filthy rich."
Only then did the Qingjian people understand the situation with craftsmen here. They couldn't help but think: I'm new here and penniless. Once I work some short-term jobs, save a bit of money, and settle down, I'll learn a skill too. There's no farmland anymore anyway. Having a skill might come in handy someday.
The blacksmiths continued onward. A distance of two li passed in a blink, and soon they arrived at the small valley housing the Firearms Bureau. A massive, smooth stone structure lay nestled within, resembling a gigantic military fortress from a later age.
Above the main entrance hung a plaque that read: "Gao Village Firearms Bureau."
This was the hottest new department in Gao Village, offering the highest wages, and many longed to become apprentices here. However, the bureau chief, Xu Dafu, was extremely strict in his selection. He rejected anyone with even a hint of recklessness, accepting only those who were cautious and deliberate, thinking carefully before acting.
Thus, inside that enormous building, there were only Xu Dafu and a dozen or so apprentices.
Every new apprentice had to listen to Xu Dafu tell a story—the story of the "Great Beijing Explosion"—ten times over. Only after they could recite it were they allowed to join the bureau.
Xu Dafu had specially sectioned off a room with stones to store the materials provided by the Tianzun, and another room for the finished gunpowder.
He forbade any apprentice from entering those two rooms, managing them personally. Every time materials or gunpowder were needed, he retrieved them himself.
The apprentices, already selected for their caution and having heard the "Great Beijing Explosion" story repeatedly before joining, were all exceedingly careful. No one dared to mess with the gunpowder.
Arriving at the bureau entrance, Gao Yiyi called out loudly, "Xu Dafu! Chief Xu, I've come to collect some gunpowder."
Xu Dafu poked his head out the door, waving at the group. "Step back. Back up. Get farther away."
Gao Yiyi was baffled. "Why?"
Xu Dafu explained, "This place is full of things that can explode. A single spark is enough. You're a large group. Have you checked everything you're carrying? Does anyone have a firestarter or something? I don't know! Can't let you get close."
Gao Yiyi was both amused and exasperated. Fine, they'd retreat.
The whole group backed away a good distance.
Seeing them at a safe distance, Xu Dafu asked, "Do you have the Tianzun's approval to collect gunpowder? Gunpowder isn't a toy for just anyone. Without the Tianzun's word, no one gets even a qian of gunpowder from me."
"Of course we have approval," Gao Yiyi said. "Look, the Saintess is with us."
Xu Dafu turned to look at Gao Yiye.
Gao Yiye smiled. "It's approved by the Tianzun. See that low-hanging cloud in the sky? The Tianzun is riding the cloud, following along to watch. You can rest easy."
Xu Dafu looked up, saw the low cloud, and finally relaxed. He performed a deep bow toward the sky. "Since the Tianzun is also present, it seems you are authorized. I'll give you some gunpowder."
He glanced at the three-eyed gun in Gao Yiyi's hand. "Three portions should be enough, right?"
Gao Yiyi was speechless. "Hey, you're only giving us enough for one volley? Give us more. We need to test-fire it several times to see if the musket is sturdy or if it'll blow apart."
Xu Dafu relented slightly. "A few more portions is possible, but I have to watch you use them. If I give you ten portions, I must hear ten shots. Not one less. Otherwise, you might intentionally fire fewer shots and hide the extra gunpowder. One mishap, and Gao Village could be blown sky-high."
Watching his extreme caution, Li Daoxuan couldn't help but chuckle. My Chief of the Firearms Bureau is just too careful.
Gao Yiyi was also worn down by Xu Dafu's attitude, feeling both amused and helpless. "Alright, alright. You watch the whole time. We'll fire exactly as many shots as there are portions. If we're short one shot, we'll return one portion. Deal?"
"That's more like it." Xu Dafu retreated inside. A moment later, he reappeared, this time holding a small clay jar containing a black, sand-like powder.
This was the "Ming-style black powder" he had reprocessed from the "firecracker powder" Li Daoxuan had provided.
The "firecracker powder" Li Daoxuan supplied had a different mixture ratio from the black powder used for combat, but it arrived inside the crate as "large spheres."
Xu Dafu could easily separate the saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, grind them into fine powder again, and then remix them according to the modern formula Li Daoxuan provided, creating true black powder.
This stuff was far more explosive and dangerous than firecracker powder.
He carefully handed the jar to Gao Yiyi. "There are ten portions here. I expect to hear ten shots." Then he opened a small pouch, took out a pack of fuses, counted ten, and handed them over.
Gao Yiyi couldn't resist grumbling, "Not even one extra fuse?"
Xu Dafu shook his head with absolute seriousness. "No more! No less! Gunpowder must be used precisely. More or less can lead to disaster."
"Fine, fine. You're the boss."
Gao Yiyi took the jar, and the blacksmiths walked to a clearing at the side of the valley. Xu Dafu also hurried over, positioning himself to the side to watch.
(Historical note: Xu Dafu's extreme caution, while comical, was tragically well-founded. The "Great Beijing Explosion" he referenced was the Wanggongchang Armory explosion of 1626—a catastrophic gunpowder depot blast in Beijing that killed thousands. Such disasters were seared into Ming military memory, making veteran artillerists like Xu Dafu paranoid by necessity. His method of rationing powder "by the portion" mirrors actual Ming artillery drills, where pre-measured silk bags of powder prevented both waste and catastrophic overcharging.)