"Is this what you call capturing the essence of heaven and earth?"
Zong Ying looked at Han Mo with a strange expression, gazing at the snow-white substance that had appeared on the straw.
This thing was indeed rare and looked valuable, but to call it capturing the essence of heaven and earth seemed a bit excessive.
"What do you know! Be careful, get this thing out, and dry it!"
After giving him a direct, blank look, Han Mo continued to instruct the artisans.
Seeing that Han Mo was ignoring him, Zong Ying felt a bit awkward.
Fortunately, the artisans worked quite quickly. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they had returned the sand-like substance to Han Mo.
"You all saw the process clearly, didn't you? Tomorrow morning, I'll find you a new place. I'll give you whatever you need. From now on, your task is to produce this thing day and night without stopping! Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Although they didn't know what Han Mo intended to do with this substance, the artisans all responded in unison.
After arranging for the artisans, Han Mo took the more than two catties of white sugar and turned to walk out of the room with Zong Ying.
"Where are we going?"
"Logically, you shouldn't have been involved in tonight's affairs. However, you understand my situation. I can only entrust these matters to you. So tonight, just use your eyes and ears. As for anything else, just watch and don't ask! I'll explain it to you in detail later!"
Seeing Zong Ying's incessant questions, Han Mo finally stopped and said.
"I understand!"
Seeing the seriousness on Han Mo's face, Zong Ying was stunned for a moment before nodding.
The night was deep, but the courtyard Han Mo had prepared for Li Zong and his men was brightly lit at this hour.
"Sir, why are you here?"
"Has your Lord Li gone to sleep yet?"
Li Zong had just lain down fully clothed, preparing to rest for a moment before continuing to tackle the unsolved problems with the artisans.
Before he could fall asleep, he suddenly heard Han Mo's voice from outside the door. Without hesitation, he stood up and opened the door.
"Sir! It's so late, why have you come?"
"I have something you need to do. It's good that you're not asleep yet. Let's go, we can talk in your room!"
Seeing his messy hair, Han Mo smiled and reached out to tidy it for him.
Just looking at the bloodshot in his eyes, Han Mo knew he had stayed up late again.
However, the situation was urgent, and Han Mo couldn't afford to dwell on it.
"Sir, please!"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Li Zong was stunned for a moment and then quickly invited Han Mo into his room.
But as soon as the three of them entered, Li Zong remembered how messy his room was, with hardly any space to move...
The few chairs in the room were densely covered with all sorts of blueprints, and the only table was piled high with various books. At one corner of the table, there was even half a chicken leg that had been gnawed.
Even the ground beside it was covered with all sorts of models. It could be said that besides the small bed, it was hard to find a place to sit in the entire room.
"Perhaps we should talk somewhere else? My, my room is indeed a bit messy..."
Li Zong was a little embarrassed as he said this.
"It's fine, a little mess is fine, as long as you find it convenient to use. It's just a place to sleep anyway. If someone were to tidy it up for you, you'd probably be searching for things all day!"
Seeing his apprehensive look, Han Mo said with a smile.
"That's right, what you said makes sense. A little mess is fine, as long as it's convenient for oneself to use!"
Although he knew Han Mo was talking nonsense, Zong Ying still played along with a few perfunctory words.
"Sir, please sit!"
After listening to Han Mo and Zong Ying, Li Zong's embarrassment lessened. He hastily cleared the messy items from two chairs onto the ground nearby, then moved the chairs in front of them.
"I know you're trying to make cannon prototypes here at this time. How far along are you?"
Han Mo said as he sat down on one of the chairs.
"Reporting to you, sir, everything is still in the experimental stage. We tried it once before, but it backfired due to processing issues. Fortunately, we made sufficient preparations, and only two artisans sustained minor abrasions. The others were not significantly affected..."
"Do you have any gunpowder on hand?"
Compared to the newly established Armament Supervision Bureau in Mingzhou City, Han Mo trusted the safety at Li Zong's place more.
After all, all the personnel here were carefully selected. From the day they were chosen, Han Mo had no intention of letting them out of his sight.
Even the soldiers guarding the perimeter were carefully selected from the veterans of the Mingzhou defense war by Han Mo!
After such a long period of operation, these people had long been bound tightly to the Zhe family and Han Mo. Their loyalty was absolutely unquestionable.
While Han Mo might not be able to make them rebel, it would not be easy for others to make them betray Han Mo.
"We still have some, but not much. Probably less than a hundred catties. If you think it's not enough, sir, I'll immediately send someone to the city to get more!"
Although he didn't know what Han Mo intended to do, Li Zong quickly replied when asked.
"That's enough. Find a few trustworthy people, choose those who are bold and meticulous, and find a secluded place. I want to see the power of this gunpowder!"
"Yes!"
Although he found Han Mo's request a bit strange, Li Zong nodded directly and turned to go outside to give instructions.
A moment later, a group of over a dozen people arrived at a very secluded testing ground.
Looking at the empty surroundings, Han Mo nodded with satisfaction. This place was truly a good spot for testing.
"Sir, is this place acceptable? I'll have them conduct a detonation here immediately. Shall we start with ten catties first?"