Alien Knights

There are so many problems to be dealt with in Muxi Town recently that Todd feels a little powerless.

He sorted out the information at 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 aliens into ordinary people.

Second, find a way to find a new way to manufacture saltpeter and restore the production line of explosives.

3. To find a solution to the possible food crisis as soon as possible.

After thinking about and comparing the above three items, Todd decided to give priority to the second matter - the production of saltpeter.

The reason is that:

1. Wanting to improve the relationship with the Valkyries to enter the "Holy Land" is not something that can be done overnight, it can only be promoted step by step.

2. The development of Muxi Town, whether it is municipal roads or large-scale construction projects, requires a large amount of funds. Where did the money come from? Tax collection and investment income simply cannot fill these holes. The only way is to plunder the properties of the surrounding aristocratic fiefs through continuous wars to supplement 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, finding a new way to manufacture saltpeter should be placed at the top of the list.

3. As for the food crisis, Todd has some ideas. The Beidao fleet went south to sell seafood. When returning to the voyage, entrust it to purchase grain from the south, and then sell it to Muxi Town to solve the food crisis; as for the money to buy grain, war plunder and trade income can fully cover expenses.

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

Todd recalled the time-traveling 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 Nitrogen.

First, the traversers explore and mine natural nitrate mines. After a little thought, Todd defines this approach as nonsense. Natural sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate are very rare in nature. Take the country that Todd traveled through as an example. On the vast land, there is only one area named XJTLF that has sodium saltpeter mines, and there is no trace of saltpeter mines in other areas. (There are many historical novels that regard the thenardite in "Compendium of Materia Medica" as saltpeter, and think that saltpeter mines are common. In fact, in ancient times, thenardite refers to two substances, namely sodium sulfate and potassium nitrate)

Secondly, soil nitrate is obtained by collecting soil from earth walls, saline-alkali land, latrines and other places. This practice is also the main way to obtain nitrate in areas with backward technology. However, there are many problems with this method: 1. The collection method of "sweeping nitrate" has regional restrictions, and is generally more suitable for dry or cold areas; 2. After collecting once, it takes a long time to regenerate soil nitrate; 3. The nitrate obtained has many impurities and low nitrate content, which affects the effectiveness of gunpowder.

Negating the above two methods, as a teacher of biochemistry, Todd finally planned to use microbial methods to produce saltpeter.

There is a kind of bacteria in nature, called Nitrifying bacteria, which is a kind of aerobic bacteria, including two completely different genera: nitrosomonas and nitrobacter.

Nitrite bacteria are commonly referred to as "ammonium oxidizers" because the only food source on which they live is ammonium. What is ammonium? Ammonium is a cation (NH4+) formed by dissolving ammonia gas (NH3) in water. It is mainly produced by decaying organic matter. Because it behaves chemically like a metal ion, it is named "ammonium". In the presence of air, ammonium can be absorbed by nitrous bacteria. They oxidize their hydrogen atoms into water and replace them with oxygen, so ammonium becomes water and nitrogen oxides dissolved in water. The latter is called "nitrous acid". The reaction formula is as follows: 2NH3+3O2→2HNO2+2H2O+158kcal

Nitric acid bacteria are generally called "oxidizers of nitrous acid", because the main food source for their survival is nitrous acid, and nitric acid is produced as the end product of the nitrogen cycle. The reaction formula is as follows: HNO2 + 1/2 O2 = HNO3, -⊿G = 18kcal

To put it simply, the rotting matter produces ammonium, which is oxidized by nitrous acid bacteria to nitrous acid, and the resulting nitrous acid is oxidized to nitric acid by nitrate bacteria, and 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 needs to do is to formulate the specific process of microbial nitrate production.

The first step is to prepare an experimental field as a petri dish to propagate nitrous bacteria and nitric acid bacteria.

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

The third step is to build a nitrification pond, and the bottom layer is sealed with cement. The inside of the pool is bottomed with a mixture of bulky clay and fine sand, and some weakly alkaline ash is properly mixed in. (Because nitrifying bacteria cannot survive in an acidic environment), the bacterial culture soil in the experimental field was transplanted, and the soil was loosened regularly to ensure the soil's air permeability.

The fourth step is to build a roof and prevent light transmission. Nitrite bacteria are very sensitive to ultraviolet visible light, and ultraviolet rays in sunlight 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, which will affect the cell division and reproduction of the nitrifying bacteria population.

The sixth step is to dilute the raw materials (rotten fish and shrimp, human and animal excrement, etc.) with water and spray them on the loose clay fine sand through a special pipeline.

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

The finally obtained potassium nitrate, using the difference in solubility of various salts, and then controlling the temperature and concentration, makes potassium nitrate crystallize out of the mixed solution, and then obtains high-quality saltpeter for making gunpowder.

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

With explosives and alien species, the Muxi Knights swept across the entire eastern region of the Silver Ring Kingdom. The castles of more than 70 nobles, large and small, were bombed and riddled with holes. The defenders and mercenaries were as weak as children in front of the alien soldiers. Countless treasures were transported into Muxi Town.

The four forces, the Church of the Heavenly Father, the Holy Acropolis, the Silver Ring City, and the barbarians, gradually shifted their attention to this newly rising knight order.

One day in early July of 1171, Tristan walked into the headquarters of the Knights Order, and knocked on the door of Todd's room with a letter.

"Chief, I'm here to say goodbye. I'm going back to the capital of the Papal State tomorrow."

Todd raised his head from the pile of paperwork, looked at the church deacon who had lived in Muxi Town for more than half a year, and asked, "Tomorrow? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Tristan Surong said: "There are two things. First, the First Inquisition just announced the verdict of "Truth Calamity" a week ago, and the teachers and students of the Royal Academy were found guilty. Starting next month, they will be sent to the stake in batches. Second, the church sent an official document to the Muxi Knights..."

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

In the official document, the church asked the Muxi Knights to capture the heavily guarded military site of the Silver Ring Kingdom - the North Stone Mine before the end of September. If this task is completed, in return, the Church will recognize Todd's ownership of the captured lands and allow the Knights of the Mussey to establish a secular kingdom.