Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 61

Chapter 61 The Airship
A single painting could cause Lord Commander-in-Chief’s attitude to change 180 degrees. Furthermore, it appeared to be so solemn. The surrounding soldiers unconsciously revealed expressions of surprise and disbelief.

Lin Lie also looked at Lu Zhen in a daze. He really didn’t expect that his county magistrate would actually hide such a move. He didn’t know what he had painted, but it actually had such a miraculous effect. However, he was still worried that if Lu Zhen could not give Chief Hu a satisfactory answer, their situation would still be bad.

Lu Zhen did not have the slightest doubt. He immediately nodded and said seriously, “Sir Commander, this thing is called an airship. I have already figured out a middle aperture. As long as I give Xiaguan a few days and some endurance and materials, I can make it.”

“Really?” Hu Sui narrowed his eyes and asked confirmatively.

“Xiaoguan doesn’t dare to talk nonsense about this matter.” Lu Zhen looked back at the other party’s eyes.

A smile appeared on Hu Sui’s face. He slightly lowered the painting in his hand, revealing a portion of it. Then he said, “This Commander will have to see it. Human, I’ll give you as much as you want. I can also satisfy your requirements with other materials. Tell me, how long will it take to build this airship?”

As a frontier general, Hu Sui was very knowledgeable, and he was even clearer about the laws of nature that allowed him to stand high and look far. Judging from the artistic conception in Lu Zhen’s painting, the airship was dozens of feet away from the city wall. This was much taller than ordinary watchtowers and the like.

If the Great Ming army really had such a weapon, it would be much more convenient to defend the city in the future. As long as there were a few people guarding from above and they could control the movements from dozens of miles away, it would be almost impossible for Dazi to attack quietly.

The value of this airship was simply too great. Even someone like him, who had always been calm and composed, did not feel that he was somewhat worried about the gains and losses due to this.

Lu Zhen could tell what he meant. It was obvious that he wanted to build the airship himself, but there was nothing he could do about it. He nodded and agreed, “Lower official, please accept my orders. Actually, what this airship needed wasn’t too much, it just needed …”

Just as he was about to reveal the materials, Hu Sui waved his hand and said, “Wait a moment. Follow me into the camp to discuss the details.” As he spoke, he stood up and walked into the barracks that originally belonged to Xiao Mo.

Seeing this, Lu Zhen could only follow along. At this moment, the expressions of the surrounding soldiers changed again. No one had expected that the Commander-in-Chief would actually take this matter to such an important level. This made their curiosity towards the airship mentioned by Lu Zhen even heavier.

Inside the barracks, Hu Sui had already spread the painting on several tables. Every time he looked at the ball hanging high above the city wall, his heart would beat faster. “County magistrate Lu, can this thing really hang in the air without falling?”

“This thing is called an airship. Naturally, it can fly in the sky. As for the reasoning behind it, Xiaguan is unable to explain it in detail for the time being.” Lu Zhen said confidently. Actually, what he gave him was only a simple version of the hot air balloon, and it was also a hot air balloon that could not be flown casually.

For a liberal arts student, coming to this era hundreds of years ago was really sad. Whether it was glass or perfume, Lu Zhen wouldn’t be able to earn a lot of money. Back then, he had cheated in the high school entrance exam, so how could he be able to create such a compound?

As for guns, cannons, and the like, as an ordinary citizen, he didn’t understand the mechanical principles behind them, so as a traveler, he only seemed to have a slight advantage in grasping the general direction of the future.

After searching for a long time, Lu Zhen thought of a thing that he could “invent”-a hot air balloon. It was the easiest thing to make, with almost no technical content. It was just a breakthrough in thinking.

The principle was also very simple. It relied on the gas produced by combustion to fill the ball sewn from sheepskin. As long as the ball was large enough, it could carry the basket below and the people inside the basket into the air.

Of course, just because the truth was simple did not mean that people nowadays could think of it. For people in this era of Daming, even if they had the thoughts of the heavens, they could only think of themselves as daydreaming.

Hu Sui’s face became even more delighted when Lu Zhen used the simplest words to tell him what he needed and what he was feeling. At this moment, he had forgotten about Lu Zhen breaking into the barracks, offending him, causing Xiao Mo to be caned to death, and everything else. Right now, he only cared about whether that airship could succeed or not.

“Alright, the best craftsman, the best sheepskin … I can give you anything. As long as you can create this flying thing for me within half a month, I will definitely ask the Imperial Court for merit!” In the end, Hu Sui, who was slightly dizzy from hearing this, waved his hand and said.

“Xiaoguan, accept my orders.” Lu Zhen exhaled. He had made the right bet.

Actually, he knew that breaking into the barracks was risky. After all, Xiao Mo was Hu Sui’s subordinate. In terms of familiarity, he was far inferior. That was why, just in case, he had drawn such a thing a few days ago, in order to use it as his last amulet.

Now, this amulet had indeed worked, and it had allowed General Hu to make such a promise, so it didn’t waste any of his effort.

However, this matter was not entirely within the control of his county magistrate Lu. After that, Hu Sui ordered him to stay in the barracks and specially opened up an area to accommodate him and the craftsmen who had been selected. There were even a circle of soldiers outside.

As a result, Lu Zhen was placed under house arrest. Not only could he not return to the yamen, he could not even leave the barracks. Moreover, he was clear that Commander Hu could satisfy all his requirements only because he could build an airship. If he failed to build something in the end, or if he failed to build something like the one in the painting, then his Lu Zhen’s fate would be extremely miserable.

@ @ @ @

But no matter what, it was done quickly. Coincidentally, it was the Lunar New Year, and the leather craftsmen in the county were still idle. With the order of the barracks, these people were quickly recruited in, and then these people began to work according to Lu Zhen’s instructions.

Lu Zhen was not good at making moves, so when he was making and preparing these materials, he was more of a leader and a guide, and more of a craftsman.

Such as nitrating sheep and cattle hides to make them more flexible; For example, what kind of cattle and sheep hide was the toughest to use, after all, it needed to be filled with gas; Another example was how to sew these sheep and cattle hides, so that they would be completely integrated and impermeable to the wind …

If Lu Zhen were to personally do all of this, he wouldn’t be able to kill him. However, with the collective wisdom and participation of these people, the manufacturing process of this hot air balloon seemed to be very smooth.

Hu Sui gave him half a month’s time, but in less than three days, the huge round leather ball with a radius of more than ten feet had gradually taken shape. There was also a large bamboo basket connected with hemp ropes below.

However, as things took shape, Lin Lie, who was accompanying Lu Zhen, became even more uneasy. There was nothing he could do. As an ordinary person from hundreds of years ago, he couldn’t believe that there was such a thing that could fly into the sky.

To people at this time, the idea of flying into the sky only existed in their fantasies. That was something that only gods and immortals could do. They were just ordinary people, how could they do it?

Therefore, the more he could see the result, the more uneasy Lin Lie became. Finally, he took time out and pulled Lu Zhen aside. With a serious expression, he said, “Your Excellency, is this really a good idea?”

Lu Zhen only smiled as he looked at the other party’s confused expression. “What, do you think I’m lying and fooling around?”

“But, this guy really can ascend to heaven? Isn’t this too unbelievable?” As Lin Lie said that, he swallowed his saliva and said boldly, “If Sir is really not confident, this lowly position is willing to escort Sir out of the barracks at night. As long as we return to the county government, General Hu will not dare to act recklessly.”

Looking at Lin Lie’s concerned gaze, Lu Zhen felt his heart warm. The other party was truly worried about his own safety. Moreover, he knew that what he said was correct. Even if he gave Hu Sui a few courage, he did not dare to lead troops to attack the county government. That would be tantamount to rebellion.

But even so, he did not agree to the proposal: “We do not need to flee to the county government. Don’t worry, this airship will definitely go to heaven!”

Looking at his confident appearance, Lin Lie was also in a daze. Could it be that what His Excellency said is true? Does this look like an extremely crude ball made of leather really fly into the sky? However, regardless of whether he looked left or right or up or down, he really couldn’t see that such a flat and collapsed thing could possess the ability of the heavens.

Seeing that his eyes were still filled with suspicion, Lu Zhen only smiled and patted his shoulder, “Just watch. In a few days, you will know that what I said is true!”

“Yes!” At this time, regardless of how confident he was, Lin Lie could only choose to believe Lord Lu’s words.

Time passed quickly, and the movements of the craftsmen’s hands weren’t slow either. By the thirteenth day of the first month in the sky, everything had been completely created.

In a corner of the barracks where Lu Zhen was, a large bamboo basket that could hold five people was lying on the ground, and in front of it was a giant leather ball tied with a dozen or so arm-thick hemp ropes. However, the sphere was still completely flat and could not be seen to be of any use.

When the news arrived at Hu Sui’s place, he immediately threw aside everything else in his hand and rushed over with his trusted aides full of hope. At the same time, this news spread throughout the barracks. Countless people were looking up at the sky, wanting to see what this airship was …