Chapter 780

The solemn atmosphere in the council hall relaxed due to the progress made by Lu Tong.

While industry and commerce developed in the Great Yu Empire, officials in Qingzhou Province also gradually began to accept the reforms that were taking place. Moreover, to keep up with Xiao Ming’s pace, many officials would regularly go to Bowen Academy to study and learn about the various new things appearing in Qingzhou Province.

This subtle change pleased Xiao Ming, but it was not yet entirely satisfactory, because the Great Yu Empire still had a force that was preventing the wheel of history from rolling forward: Confucianism.

Therefore, after the reform decrees were perfected, he was contemplating how to transform this stagnant force of Confucianism into a driving force for the Great Yu Empire’s progress.

This thought flashed through Xiao Ming’s mind. He still focused his attention on the current chemical industry.

He said to his ministers, “Since Lu Tong has finally built the Great Yu Empire’s first sulfuric acid workshop, why don’t all of us go and see it with me?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The ministers bowed in response. They were already accustomed to this. Now, with any technological breakthrough in the Great Yu Empire, their Emperor would lead them to observe it.

“Lead the way!” Xiao Ming said to Lu Tong.

With that, he and Qian Dafu rose and walked out. The ministers followed him in a grand procession out of the council hall.

Under Lu Tong’s guidance, they left Qingzhou City and headed towards the industrial zone. In the chemical area of the industrial zone, they saw the completed sulfuric acid workshop.

Along the way, Lu Tong did not forget to explain to the officials what sulfuric acid was and its uses.

In contemporary times, many people knew that sulfuric acid had a disfiguring effect, but they did not know that sulfuric acid had very wide industrial applications.

Firstly, sulfuric acid could be used to produce chemical fertilizers. The ammonium sulfate in chemical fertilizers required sulfuric acid to react, and phosphate rock reacting with sulfuric acid could also produce a fertilizer called calcium superphosphate, but producing both these types of fertilizers required consuming a large amount of sulfuric acid.

Precisely because of this, Xiao Ming had no choice but to use indigenous fertilizers. Now that sulfuric acid was industrialized, he could try industrial fertilizers.

Besides producing chemical fertilizers, sulfuric acid played a huge role in the metallurgical industry. Many metals needed sulfuric acid for refining and dissolution. Especially before cold rolling, cold drawing, and stamping processes in industry, sulfuric acid was needed to clean rust from the steel surface.

Furthermore, sulfuric acid was also used in the rubber production industry. Now, Lu Tong industrializing sulfuric acid was tantamount to opening the doors to many industries, enabling their realization.

The ministers were only half-understanding, but they were quite shocked, because from Lu Tong’s animated explanation, they could tell the importance of this matter.

While the ministers listened to Lu Tong’s explanation, Xiao Ming had already toured the lead chamber.

Overall, the lead chamber process involved passing a mixed gas containing sulfur dioxide, oxygen, and water vapor through several lead chambers at a temperature of three hundred to five hundred degrees Celsius, where the sulfur dioxide would be fully oxidized into sulfuric acid.

The reason lead chambers were used was because diluted sulfuric acid was highly corrosive, so the equipment needed to be made of lead.

The source of sulfur dioxide, meanwhile, was the calcination of pyrite ore, or the direct use of sulfur.

Xiao Ming came not just to observe, but also to check if Lu Tong was doing it correctly. Now it seemed Lu Tong had successfully mastered the lead chamber process.

He said to Lu Tong, “Since sulfuric acid can be industrialized, then industrial nitric acid should also follow suit, correct?”

“Your Majesty, that is what I plan to do next,” Lu Tong said. In five or six years of study, Lu Tong had become increasingly proficient in chemistry, integrating much knowledge.

Now that sulfuric acid was industrialized, he could use sulfuric acid and saltpeter to industrialize the production of nitric acid.

Xiao Ming nodded. Everything he experienced was actually the process of a national industrial system emerging from nothing. Once the industrial foundation was firmly established, technology could advance rapidly.

Otherwise, all knowledge and theories would be useless, even if laid out before them.

Now, the breakthrough in the chemical industry would further boost the Great Yu Empire’s industry, especially in the rubber industry. After all, according to the agreed time, Branden should also be transporting rubber to the Great Yu Empire.

Once he had rubber, he could produce some incredible things.

After observing the sulfuric acid workshop with the ministers, Xiao Ming commended the students who participated in the construction of the sulfuric acid workshop.

The current prosperity of the Great Yu Empire’s industry was often related to his initial incentive policies. Now, more and more scholars were entering Bowen Academy, hoping to gain titles and land by achieving success in science.

Of course, the ministers had also worried that it would eventually lead to the Great Yu Empire running out of land to grant, but this was precisely Xiao Ming’s purpose.

Because he could logically grant them conquered land, allowing them to build colonies.

For example, the land of the Golden Tent Khanate now was even vaster than the Great Yu Empire’s territory. In the far north, there was also the Siberian snowfield.

Through the Bering Strait, one could even enter Alaska, and then the fertile lands of North America. So, he wasn’t worried about running out of land to grant, only worried about not having enough people to grant it to.

“You must not relax. I am waiting for you to establish a complete chemical industry system!”

Xiao Ming patted Lu Tong’s shoulder. As the saying goes, “the revolution has not yet succeeded; comrades still need to work hard.”

Lu Tong’s eyes gleamed with excitement. The success of the sulfuric acid industry gave him immense confidence. He said, “I will certainly not fail Your Majesty’s trust.”

Nodding, Xiao Ming and the ministers left the industrial zone. They still had many things to do.

The Golden Tent Khanate, household registration system, encouraging childbirth, population migration—each of these four policies was no easy task.

Returning to Qingzhou City, Xiao Ming and the officials dispersed.

Upon returning to the temporary palace, he specifically summoned Wang Xuan. Some matters were inconvenient to discuss in the council hall, so he needed to talk to Wang Xuan privately.

“Your Majesty, with the Prince of Chu acting this way, why does Your Majesty not lead an army south? Is this not ‘raising a tiger to cause trouble,’ as the saying goes, ‘to resist foreign aggression, one must first pacify internal strife’?” Wang Xuan asked, somewhat perplexed.

Xiao Ming chuckled upon hearing this. “Even if France gives him all its knowledge, the Prince of Chu cannot catch up with the development of Qingzhou province. Moreover, as time passes, the gap between them will only widen. And according to the account books provided by Li Kaiyuan, eighty percent of Qingzhou Province’s goods were sold to the south this year.”

“Eighty percent!” Wang Xuan was surprised.

Xiao Ming nodded, “I was also a bit incredulous, but it’s true. The north has been devastated, and the common people’s livelihoods have not yet recovered. If the south is also devastated, where will these goods be sold? Goryeo is a market, but how can it compare to the wealthy south?”

“So that’s how it is. No wonder Your Majesty has tolerated the Prince of Chu all this time,” Wang Xuan sighed.

The novel has already been fully translated up to the final chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/caleredhair