Chapter 220: Caused by a Tornado?

"1: The Gunpowder Explosion Theory."

Jiang Zhe contemplated and explained, "The explosion theory, just like the name of the Tianqi Explosion implies, posits that it was an explosion caused by gunpowder."

"But!"

He raised his index finger and shook it gently, "The explosion theory is not entirely correct!"

"After the explosion at the Armory, some people said: 'The Armory ignited without warning, causing chaos in the capital.'"

"According to the historical records of that time: every five days, the Three Great Camps would receive a total of over 3,000 catties of gunpowder."

"If such a large amount of gunpowder were to ignite and explode, it could instantly form a high-temperature, high-pressure airflow, rapidly spreading outwards. It could blast downwards to create craters in the ground and cause obstacles in the surrounding area to collapse."

"It could lift objects into the air, cause constant thunderous sounds from the ground, and even produce 'a massive tremor' that 'cracked louder than sudden thunder.'"

"But everyone must understand, could ordinary black powder from the Ming Dynasty have such immense power—'sending a thousand-catty stone lion flying out onto the street; creating a giant pit over two zhang deep in flat ground; stripping clothes away, leaving men and women completely naked, without a thread of silk'?"

"The phenomena I've described certainly cannot be explained by the gunpowder explosion theory!"

"Furthermore, as for the precursors before the explosion, the ground tremors and fireballs that appeared, it seems difficult for gunpowder alone to have orchestrated them."

"Also, if the gunpowder explosion were true, why would one person's head be blown off while others in the same location remained completely unharmed? It doesn't make sense!"

After speaking, he smiled slightly, giving the audience and experts time to react.

"I thought the same way before; the gunpowder explosion theory definitely cannot explain it."

"That's right, because a shockwave spreads outwards at a constant speed—it must be very fast at first, then gradually slow down. Unless it encounters buildings to block it, but even then, it wouldn't weaken the shockwave much. Residents closest to the center should all have died, while most of those further away should have survived, but in reality, that was not the case."

"Yes, exactly. Some were safe while others died; it's very bizarre. It's as if the explosion specifically chose some people to die, some to live, and some to be left in a state between life and death."

"..."

Jiang Zhe's explanations directly refuted the Armory gunpowder explosion theory.

The viewers who had originally agreed with the gunpowder explosion theory quickly shook their heads, rejecting it as the cause of the Tianqi Explosion.

At this moment, in the lecture hall.

Professor Hua Yunfeng and Old Feng asked the historians in the audience one after another.

"What do you all think, colleagues?"

"I have looked up information online, and there are records of Jiang Zhe's exact words there; but it seems unable to explain the appearance of the ground tremors and fireballs. The key point is that some people had severed limbs while others remained unscathed, all in the same location. If it were a gunpowder explosion, everyone should have been treated equally—severed limbs for all, rather than some being safe while others died!"

Once these words were spoken, the historians in the audience looked embarrassed.

They had previously believed it was caused by gunpowder, regarding the subsequent strange signs,

but after what Jiang Zhe said, it seemed that was indeed the case.

If the gunpowder explosion could explain it, it still couldn't explain the phenomena of the ground tremors and fireballs.

The key is that these phenomena were facts that occurred within the few minutes or tens of minutes before the explosion on that day.

Suddenly, a young historian in a suit said, "Could it have been a meteorite?"

As soon as these words were spoken, many scholars frowned. An explosion caused by a meteorite?

How could this be explained?

Not only Professor Hua Yunfeng and Professor Feng Zhiyuan, but all the professors of various disciplines present felt it was somewhat inconceivable.

Just then, on the big screen, Jiang Zhe began to explain.

"I have seen the bullet comments you all sent. Yes, it was indeed not caused by the Armory explosion."

"It can only be said that this Armory explosion was merely a subsequent chain reaction stage, not the beginning."

"Because it cannot explain the signs of ground tremors and fireballs shooting into the sky."

"Therefore, the gunpowder explosion theory collapses on its own!"

The experts and viewers nodded repeatedly.

"However, what else could have caused it?"

This question caused a massive number of viewers to ponder.

The next moment, Jiang Zhe provided a new explanation:

"2: The Meteorite Theory."

"When a meteorite rushes into the Earth's atmosphere, the air in front of it is subjected to intense pressure, and the temperature rises sharply to several thousand or even ten thousand degrees."

"This high temperature causes the material on the surface of the meteorite to melt and vaporize, and then it collides with atmospheric molecules to emit light, forming sparks and fireballs."

"When the sparks and fireballs disintegrate and disappear, people might hear thunderous sounds, rumbling, and explosions."

"When a meteorite lands, it forms a crater."

"When a meteorite impacts the ground, it emits vibrations and sounds."

"In this regard, it matches some of the historical records from that time: 'There was a sound like a roar,' 'A flash of light was seen, with a great light inside,' 'Suddenly, a massive tremor occurred, cracking louder than sudden thunder,' 'Deep pits several zhang deep,' 'Smoke and clouds rose straight up,' 'Giant stones flew in the air like rain,' 'Smoke and dust blocked the sky, making daylight as dark as night.'"

"'Iron slag fell all over the Xi'an Gate area, like bran or rice,' and other such phenomena."

Speaking to this point, Jiang Zhe smiled:

"Such historical records match the meteorite theory completely and align with it perfectly."

"After a meteorite falls, it is also entirely possible for it to cause houses to 'collapse suddenly' and 'uproot large trees.'"

"As well as 'large trees flying to Miyun,' and the disaster area for several li 'turning into powder.'"

Hearing this, the audience suddenly realized.

"Wait, could it really be a meteorite?"

"Damn, could it actually be a meteorite?"

"That's not right. If it were a meteorite, ancient people called meteorites: 'falling stars,' 'raining stones,' 'mysterious stones,' or 'Nüwa stones.' If it really were a meteorite, then there must have been educated people among the eyewitnesses, and educated people would certainly have recorded the relevant terms. The key point is that there were tens of thousands of people in the capital at that time; if a meteorite had really fallen, most of them would have seen it. It wouldn't be like this today."

"That's right, educated people couldn't have missed such an event; there would definitely be written records. But they simply didn't record anything like a 'falling star'; they only recorded the phenomena after the disaster. It's just that these post-disaster phenomena resembled a 'meteorite' fall. As far as I know, an explosion can produce these signs similar to a meteorite; therefore, it definitely wasn't a meteorite."

"Yes, yes, yes, I raise both hands in agreement!"

"..."

At this time, Jiang Zhe, listening to the bullet comment broadcast from Producer Xiao Qian, nodded quickly:

"Yes, as you viewers have guessed, it certainly wasn't a meteorite!"

"If there were records of a meteorite falling, there would definitely be historical documentation; after all, the ancients weren't fools."

"It's just that the meteorite theory can explain the on-site signs after the massive explosion, but the key is that the 'meteorite theory' cannot explain the various earthquake precursors before and after the disaster at all."

Speaking to this point, Jiang Zhe suddenly grinned, "Then is there a possibility that it was: a tornado?"

A tornado?

The experts and viewers pondered silently.

It seems there were indeed meteorologists who said that the Tianqi Explosion was caused by a tornado, which subsequently triggered the Armory explosion.

But thinking carefully, this theory still doesn't quite hold water.

"There is such a theory, but it doesn't seem to be very popular."

"Yes, but it seems there's something strange about it."

"It is very strange, because it wasn't a tornado at all."

"..."

The viewers were discussing it in a hubbub, and there weren't many who supported this theory.