There are so many problems that Muxi Town has to deal with recently, which makes Todd feel a little powerless.

He sorted out the information on hand and summed up the three most urgent things.

1. Find a way to improve the relationship with the Valkyrie and get the opportunity to enter the "sacred forest" to investigate the truth about the transformation of alien species into ordinary people.

2. Think of a way to find a new way to manufacture saltpeter and restore the production line of explosives.

3. Find a solution as soon as possible in response to the possible food crisis.

After considering and comparing the above three items, Todd decided to give priority to the second thing-the production of saltpeter.

The reasons are:

1. It is not something that can be done overnight if you want to improve your relationship with the Valkyrie in order to enter the "sacred place."

2. The development of Muxi Town, whether it is municipal roads or large-scale construction projects, requires a large amount of funds. Where does the money come from? Tax collection and investment income simply cannot fill these holes. The only way is to plunder the property of the surrounding aristocratic fiefs through continuous wars to make up for the development needs of the town. And to deal with the towering castles and thick walls of the nobles, explosives are indeed an indispensable helper. Therefore, looking for new ways to manufacture saltpeter should be given top priority.

3. As for the food crisis, Todd has some ideas. The North Island fleet sells seafood in the south. When returning to the voyage, entrusting it to purchase southern grain and then sell it to Muxi Town can solve the food crisis; as for the purchase of grain, war looting and trade income can completely cover expenditures.

Now that it has been decided to put the production of nitrate in the first place, the question now is, how to obtain the nitrate?

Todd recalled the traversing novels and movies he saw in his previous life. There were many works describing the flow of science and technology, and there were some introductions to the acquisition of nitrate.

First, the traversers explore and mine natural nitrate mines. After thinking about it, Todd defines this approach as nonsense. Natural sodium saltpetre and potash saltpetre are very rare in nature. Take the country that Todd traveled through as an example. On the vast land, there is only one area called Turpan, Xinjiang, which has sodium saltpeter mines. There is no trace of saltpeter mines in other areas. (In many historical novels, Glauber's salt in "Compendium of Materia Medica" is regarded as saltpeter, and saltpeter is considered to be common. In fact, Glauber's salt in ancient times refers to two substances, namely sodium sulfate and potassium nitrate)

Secondly, by collecting soil in soil walls, saline-alkali land, latrines and other places, to obtain soil nitrate. This approach is also the main way for technologically underdeveloped areas to obtain nitrate. However, this method has many problems: 1. This "sweeping nitrate" collection method has regional restrictions and is generally more suitable for dry or cold regions; 2. After collecting once, it takes a long time to generate soil nitrate again. Time; Third, the obtained nitrate soil has a lot of impurities, and the nitrate content is very low, which affects the effectiveness of gunpowder.

Denying the above two methods, as a teacher of biochemistry subjects, Todd finally intends to use microbial methods to make saltpeter.

There is a type of bacteria in nature, called nitrifying bacteria (nitrifying bacteria), which is a kind of aerobic bacteria, including two completely different genera: nitrifying bacteria and nitrifying bacteria.

Nitrite bacteria are generally called "ammonium oxidizers" because the only food source they sustain is ammonium. What is ammonium? Ammonium is a cation produced when ammonia gas is dissolved in water. It is mainly produced by decaying organic matter. Because it behaves like a metal ion chemically, it is named "ammonium". In the presence of air, ammonium can be absorbed and utilized by nitrite bacteria. They oxidize their hydrogen atoms into water and replace them with oxygen, so ammonium becomes water and nitrogen oxide dissolved in water. The latter is called "nitrous acid". The reaction formula is as follows: 2nh3＋3o2→2hno2＋2h2o＋158kcal

Nitrate bacteria are generally called "nitrous acid oxidizers", because their main food source for life is nitrous acid, and the formation of nitric acid is the end product of the nitrogen cycle. The reaction formula is as follows: hno21/2o2=hno3, -⊿ g=18kcal

Simply put, the decay produces ammonium, which is oxidized to nitrous acid by nitrite bacteria, and then the nitrous acid is oxidized to nitric acid by nitrite bacteria. This reaction is called "nitrification reaction". This reaction is carried out by two different bacteria.

After talking about the principles of microorganisms and chemical reactions, the next thing Todd has to do is to formulate the specific process of microbial nitrate production.

The first step is to prepare a test field as a petri dish to multiply the nitrous bacteria and nitrate bacteria.

The second step is to prepare the raw materials for microbial nitrate production, and prepare a large amount of human and animal manure or rotten fish and shrimp rich in nitrogen. The reaction will generate a large amount of ammonium.

The third step is to build a nitrate tank, and the bottom layer is sealed with cement. The inside of the pool is paved with a mixture of bulky clay and fine sand, and some weakly alkaline ash is appropriately mixed. (Because nitrifying bacteria cannot survive in an acidic environment), then transplant the bacterial culture soil in the test field, and loosen the soil regularly to ensure the air permeability of the soil.

The fourth step is to build a roof and not transmit light. Nitrous bacteria are very sensitive to ultraviolet visible light, and the ultraviolet rays in the sun can cause fatal damage to bacteria.

The fifth step is to adjust the temperature in the pool in a timely manner according to the temperature of the external environment to ensure that the normal temperature is about 25 degrees. Because the temperature is too high or too low, it will affect the cell division and reproduction of the nitrifying bacteria population.

In the sixth step, the raw materials (rotted fish and shrimp, human and animal manure, etc.) are diluted with water and sprayed into the loose clay fine sand through a special pipeline.

The seventh step is to regularly sprinkle some plant ash (mainly potassium carbonate, with a small amount of potassium sulfate) on the bentonite, so that potassium nitrate can be obtained directly after scraping the nitrate.

Finally, the potassium nitrate obtained uses the difference in the solubility of various salts, and then controls the temperature and concentration, so that the potassium nitrate crystallizes from the mixed solution, and the high-quality saltpeter for making gunpowder is obtained.

After nearly a month of busy work, the first batch of microbial nitrate production products were sent to Rachel's biochemical plant, the explosive production line was reopened, and a steady stream of explosive packages were delivered to Cumberland's troops.

Armed with explosives and alien species, the Musi Knights swept across the entire eastern region of the Silver Ring Kingdom. The castles of more than 70 nobles, large and small, were battered. The defenders and mercenaries were in front of alien soldiers. Young children are generally weak, and countless treasures have been transported into Muxi Town.

Heavenly Father’s Church, Holy Acropolis, Silver Ring City and Barbarians, these four forces have gradually shifted their sights to this newly emerging Knight Order~lightnovelpub.net~ One day in early July 1171, Terry Stan stepped into the headquarters of the Knights and knocked on the door of Todd's room with a letter.

"Commander, I am here to bid farewell, and I will rush back to the capital of the Papal State tomorrow."

Todd raised his head from the pile of papers, looked at the church deacon who had lived in Muxi Town for more than half a year, and asked, "Tomorrow? Why is it so urgent?"

Tristan said solemnly: "There are two things. First, the First Heretic Inquisition has just announced the verdict of "The Disaster of Truth" just a week ago. The teachers and students of the Royal Academy were found guilty. Starting next month, They will be sent to the torture frame in batches. Second, the church has sent an official document to the Knights of Muxi..."

The deacon put the letter paper in his hand on Todd's desk, and the latter opened it and looked at it again, his brows frowning more tightly.

In the official document, the church requested the Knights of Muxi to seize the North Quarry, a heavily guarded military site of the Silver Ring Kingdom, before the end of September. If the task is completed, in return, the church will recognize Todd's ownership of the conquered land and agree to the establishment of a secular kingdom by the Knights of Twilight. (https://)