xymnovel Chapter 148 Greek Fire and Soap
Chapter 148 Greek Fire and Soap
Chapter 148 Greek Fire and Soap (Part 4)
Finally, one evening at the end of February, the first integration test was conducted on the closed beach behind the workshop.
At this moment, Robert, having received Lyon's letter, also rushed over.
He picked up a milky-white royal experimental soap, brought it close and took a deep sniff; the lavender and faint aftertaste of wine made him raise an eyebrow.
Then, he wet his fingers and rubbed them vigorously, watching as rich, fine foam emerged.
"Your Highness, you've turned lead into gold!" Robert put down the soap, his eyes gleaming. "Do you know that in Italy, a good bar of soap is as valuable as a piece of oriental silk or a bottle of fine French wine?"
"Soap-making techniques entered Italy about four centuries ago with the influence of the Arabs, first taking root in Venice and spreading through trade networks," Robert explained to Lyon. "Now, especially with the Crusaders bringing back more sophisticated olive oil soap-making techniques, milder soaps have become popular among Italian nobles and wealthy merchants."
"However, due to the high cost of raw materials and the complexity of the process, high-quality soaps were scarce and expensive, remaining a luxury only the elite could afford. Venice, with its close ties to the East, long monopolized the technology and trade of high-end soaps, selling these so-called 'secret scents of Venice' to various city-states at astonishing profits."
"There are three wonderful aspects to your soap," Robert analyzed. "First, you used common animal fats instead of expensive olive oil as the main ingredient, drastically reducing costs—a huge advantage. But you also cleverly used fragrances and wine to remove the fishy smell of lower-grade fats, giving it an elegant scent that rivals high-end products, thus transcending the category of 'cheap goods.'"
"Secondly, the product categories are clearly defined." He pointed to the different types of soap. "The basic type can be sold in large quantities, targeting citizens, workshops, and even the military, with low profit margins and high sales volume. As for this luxury type—"
He picked up the rose and cinnamon scented bar, his smile becoming meaningful: "Wrapped in silk lining paper and embroidered with royal coats of arms, it could be anything but soap, a fragrant tribute from the holy land, sold exclusively to bankers and noble ladies in Florence and Milan who have money to burn, and the price could be more than ten times higher."
"As for sales," Robert said in a low voice, "we can't directly challenge the Venetians' territory."
I suggest we leverage existing resources. We can use the merchant networks of Genoa and Pisa to sell basic soaps as novel and practical items from the East. For high-end products, we can establish direct connections with the ruling families of those city-states or their official merchants, ostensibly as royal gifts or special supplies. In Italy, if a product is favored by a court, the wealthy throughout the city will rush to imitate it. Once we open a door, demand will naturally follow.
"Your Highness, soap is extremely profitable, and therefore often coveted by those in power, who often designate it as a monopoly. We must proceed with caution. Initially, it would be best to release small quantities under the guise of 'royal use and surplus gifts,' to test the waters." Finally, Robert turned to look at the Greek fire experiment site outside the workshop. "Are you modifying a ship? Safeguarding the trade route for this valuable soap certainly requires sufficient naval power."
"If successful, it will not only safeguard trade routes, but also give us a fighting chance against Saladin's Egyptian navy!" Lyon said proudly, pointing to the test site. "Robert, come with me to witness this process and see how big the gap is between us and the Venetian navy."
In the distance, a half-sized torsion projectile was set up on the sand at the edge of the field, and twenty paces away, a scrapped old fishing boat was towed ashore to be used as a target boat.
The prototype of the side jet was mounted on a raft and floated in shallow water.
Only a core group participated in the test: Lyon, Accord, Zahir, Robert, and three craftsmen who had signed a life-or-death contract.
"Test the projectile first," Leon ordered.
Because the real Greek fire recipe was too dangerous, the first test used a thickened vegetable oil mixed with pine resin and sulfur in a clay pot as a substitute.
The mouth of the jar was plugged with grease-soaked linen as a fuse. One craftsman skillfully lit the fuse with a torch, while another craftsman quickly placed the jar into a slingshot.
"emission!"
Zahir pulled hard on the release rope, the bronze latch snapped open, the torsion beam instantly spun back, and the launch arm whistled forward.
"Whoosh—Bang!"
The pottery jar traced a low, flat arc and struck the target ship's hull precisely.
The can shattered with a crack, splattering the grease inside. The fuse ignited the splashed oil, and flames roared up, quickly spreading to the sails and wooden gunwales.
"It's done!" Accord cheered and raised his arm to hug Leon.
Zahir stared silently at the hourglass.
"From ignition to launch, a quarter of the hourglass has been wasted," he said in a low voice. "Too slow. And the fuse burning time is hard to control. Another breath later, and the canister might have burned out in mid-air."
Lyon nodded: "We need an impact-triggered ignition method. The internal mechanism will ignite the Greek fire the instant the jar shatters."
"We could try white phosphorus," Zahir suddenly said.
Seeing Lyon looking at him in surprise, Zahir grinned. "Your Highness, when I was a pirate, I hijacked an Egyptian merchant ship. On board were some materials used by alchemists. There were small, wax-sealed spheres containing powder that ignites upon contact with air. If you put a few of these spheres in a jar, the jar breaks, the wax breaks, and the powder ignites itself upon contact with air."
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Lyon's eyes lit up: "Can you find this material?"
Zahir looked troubled: "There's a lot of black market in Alexandria, and it's not cheap. I don't know about other places."
"I'll figure something out," Robert said calmly, but his heart was far from calm.
If his guess is correct, this is the legendary Greek fire, the Greek fire that cannot be extinguished by water!
Moreover, the Greek fire launcher in front of us is different from the jet that was rumored to be installed on the bow of the Dromon ship. It is using a very new launcher.
If His Highness Lyon were better able to tame this hellfire, the navy of the Kingdom of Jerusalem might be able to dominate the Mediterranean!
Robert continued watching as the craftsmen prepared to test the side jets.
The raft was towed closer to simulate boarding an enemy ship. The operator cranked the pump rod at the "deck" position on the raft, controlling the nozzles in the iron box hanging on the side of the raft via a long transmission rod.
"Breath in fire!"
The nozzle sprayed out a viscous jet of oil, which flew about five steps away and was ignited in mid-air by the ignition tube, turning into a roaring fire dragon that rushed towards the already burning wreckage of the target ship.
The flames writhed in the sea breeze, and waves of heat swept over us.
"The range is still too short," Lyon remarked.
"But it has a wide coverage area," Zahir commented. "It's better than a bow and arrow for dealing with enemies trying to board the ship by climbing ropes. And the flames can burn continuously, hindering boarding."
Just then, a gust of wind blew, carrying some of the scattered flames back towards the raft and igniting the protective cover of the transmission cable.
"Back off!" Zahir roared. Jacob, who had been watching the show silently, reacted quickly and pulled Leon behind him.
The operator quickly cut the transmission cable, and the flames went out of control, but the fireproof coating on the iron box worked.
The main structure remains intact, but the external accessories are burned, and the edges of the raft are charred black.
"Holy Mary—" Jacob patted his chest and advised Leon, "Kid, maybe we shouldn't get involved with this thing, it's too dangerous."
Leon looked at the burning wreckage and the smoking raft, and shook his head.
"The transmission cable needs to be replaced with fire-resistant material," he quickly summarized. "The nozzle needs to be fitted with an adjustable wind deflector to reduce the risk of backwind. The loading speed of the projectile must be doubled. And the white phosphorus fuse—"
"Your Highness, these things—as the priest said—are indeed very dangerous, but if successful, they will completely change the rules of naval warfare," Zahir exclaimed. "In the past, boarding action relied on courage and swords. In the future, flames and shards of pottery might rain down from thirty paces away."
Leon turned to look at him: "Are you scared?"
"Scared?" Zahir laughed heartily. "I'm a pirate by trade, I've seen it all. New weapons just mean new opportunities. I'm just thinking—"
He looked westward, "I wonder how interesting the expressions on the faces of those Italian merchants will be once our ships are loaded with these things."
"Italian merchants?" Lyon shook his head. "We won't be making enemies of the Italian city-states for the time being."
"Of course I know, what else would I say, that Saladin's Saracens?" Zahir rolled his eyes at Lyon. "Although I'm a mercenary who only cares about money, asking me to admit that I'm going to roast my fellow Saracens with Greek fire is just too hellish."