Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 62

Chapter 62 Airship Up in the Sky (1)
Great Ming orthodox nine years, January 13, appropriate bathing, broken house; No travel, no marriage.

It was the sun, the sky was clear, and there were no clouds in the sky. Even the north wind that had raged for several days had lessened by a lot, and it no longer scratched its face like before. It seems that with the arrival of the Spring Festival, even the climate has stepped into the spring.

At this moment, a group of soldiers were gathered around the north barracks of Guangling County. They all opened their eyes wide and looked at the strange thing on the ground with curiosity and suspicion. County Magistrate Lu actually dared to say that this thing could soar into the heavens. They felt that this was unreliable from the bottom of their hearts.

Flying Heavens, this was a wondrous idea that everyone had since they were young. The legends of all sorts of immortals were well known even in the remote countryside. Those immortals were existences high above the Heavenly Palace, overlooking the world. As mortals, how could they fly up with the immortals?

Moreover, the things on the ground were so ordinary. A large bamboo frame was suspended beneath a huge ball made of sheepskin. Such a simple and crude thing was too far away from the mysterious legend of Flying Heavens.

Therefore, when they heard this, they did not believe it. Everyone was whispering to each other, saying that it was just a lie that Lu Zhen had gone crazy to justify himself. It was impossible for this thing to ascend to the heavens.

It wasn’t until Hu Sui heard the news that the discussions between these people gradually stopped. However, their eyes and expressions could still tell that they were disdainful. Actually, not only these soldiers, but also the craftsmen who had built this airship according to Lu Zhen’s wishes and were left here by him were also skeptical of this in their hearts. They were even filled with apprehension, fearing that they would be implicated if things didn’t work out for them.

Compared to this, Lu Zhen appeared to be full of confidence at this moment. He could even drink tea leisurely in the discussions of the crowd. Only when Hu Sui arrived did he approach and greet him, “Xiaguan greets General Hu.”

However, Hu Sui did not intend to be a guest. As soon as he arrived, his eyes landed on the object on the ground. “County magistrate Lu, is this what you painted before? Is it really capable of flying into the sky?”

Lu Zhen clasped his fists and said, “Exactly. However, because this is the first test flight, there may be some problems in the middle. I hope that the main soldier won’t take offense at that time.”

Hu Sui grinned and said, “As long as it can really fly into the sky, some mistakes will naturally not be a problem. But if it can’t be as your county magistrate Lu said, then this Commander will not let you off lightly.”

“Xiaguan, save it.” Lu Zhen smiled indifferently, “Please take a closer look, Commander and everyone.” As he spoke, Lu Zhen waved his hand and gave the order to start.

It was still the craftsmen who did all this. As early as two days ago, Lu Zhen had already told them in detail how to put the airship into the sky. All they needed to do now was follow the instructions and do all the steps one by one.

Although their hearts were a little uneasy, these people began to move in an orderly manner. More than a dozen people grabbed the soft leather sphere lying flat on the ground and lifted it up. Seeing this scene, the discussion among the soldiers outside became even louder. Could it be that they felt that lifting something up like this was heaven?

With a buzzing sound, Lu Zhen had already taken out a torch and lit it in a brazier beside him. He took it and came to the bamboo basket that was currently under the sphere. He stretched out his hand and put the torch in.

Only then did Hu Sui focus his attention on the bamboo basket. Because of the influence of the blueprint, he only treated this bamboo basket as a container for carrying people. But now, it seemed that things weren’t that simple.

After taking a step forward and poking his head in, Commander Hu saw a pottery basin in the bamboo basket that took up nearly half of the contents of the box. It seemed to contain some paste-like black objects, and there was a huge wick the size of an arm inserted into it.

Lu Zhen, on the other hand, was using a torch to light the wick of the lamp. At a single point, the flames rose up, and a surge of hot air pounced towards them, causing people to subconsciously want to dodge to the side.

“This is?” Hu Sui muttered strangely.

When Lu Zhen heard this, he smiled, “Commander, this is stone grease. It is the raw material used in the army to make fierce kerosene.” Stone grease was also an ancient term for oil. Although it was not as powerful as later generations in purifying oil, the oil that could be obtained from the surface was still the best thing to ignite.

Hu Sui nodded thoughtfully, then waited to see what Lu Zhen would do next. However, the result surprised him greatly. After igniting the fire, County Magistrate Lu actually stepped on the torch and stood aside with his arms crossed. He did not do anything else.

“This … doesn’t he need to do anything else?” Commander Hu looked at Lu Zhen in confusion, and the surrounding people were even more shocked. In their minds, Lu Zhen should be busy with a lot of things now, even though they couldn’t figure out what they should be busy with. But at the very least, it wasn’t like how they were now. They didn’t do anything and were actually watching the show just like them.

However, very quickly, everyone’s attention was attracted by the changes in the things in front of them, and they no longer had time to observe County Magistrate Lu’s leisurely appearance.

At this moment, the flattened, soft leather ball had undergone a miraculous change that could be seen with the naked eye. The sphere that originally required more than ten craftsmen to open was actually slowly swelling up, and there were signs that it was getting bigger and bigger. Just this scene caused everyone to be dumbfounded.

What was going on? Why would that thing swell if it was easy to live? This was in broad daylight, could there be any other demonic techniques? Even Hu Sui had a surprised expression as his gaze towards Lu Zhen changed once again.

As time passed, the sphere grew larger and larger, and its entire image became completely clear. It was a round object the size of a room, and the gap beneath it seemed a little small at this moment, but it was aimed at the center of the bamboo basket.

Amidst everyone’s astonishment and praise, Lu Zhen gave the order, “All of you, let go.”

The craftsmen were already trembling with fear because of this change. Hearing this, they felt as if they were granted an amnesty. They quickly let go and retreated to the side. Some of their faces turned slightly pale. This clearly showed how nervous and fearful they were in their hearts. After all, the changes in this thing were too far beyond their common sense. Even if it was created by them, they couldn’t help but feel scared.

Actually, they didn’t know that it was Lu Zhen. Although he looked calm on the surface, he was actually more nervous than them. It wasn’t that he was also afraid of this change, but that he was worried that things wouldn’t succeed. But now, seeing that the balloon had finally been blown up, his calculations were completely settled.

Amidst everyone’s exclamations, even though the balloon no longer had the support of the people below, it was still floating in the air. This scene that exceeded common sense was enough to make everyone dumbfounded. When Lu Zhen saw this, he only curled his lips and said, “The good show is still ahead!”

Sure enough, in a short while, the balloon became even more plentiful, and then it raised a few points. Amidst the cries of alarm, even the bamboo basket below suddenly moved.

At this time, Hu Sui’s eyes were filled with peculiar light, “What this fellow said is indeed true!” Although it was only the beginning, he was certain that what Lu Zhen said was true. This thing could really ascend to heaven.

At this time, Lu Zhen greeted the people beside him, “Go, tie the ropes to the wooden stakes.”

Immediately, several craftsmen rushed out, grabbed several hemp ropes as thick as arms from the ground, and firmly tied them to the thick wooden stakes on the ground.

Previously, because everyone was attracted by the balloon, they didn’t pay attention to these two ordinary things at all. Only now did they realize that this was not something from the barracks, but something Lu Zhen had specially arranged. After a while, everyone understood the intention behind this move.

The balloon grew larger and larger, and the rising power also increased. Under the gazes of astonishment and reverence from everyone, it finally rose completely. Immediately after, the bamboo basket beneath was taken away from the ground.

Even though the bamboo basket was only a foot away from the ground, the uproar and screams were still like the waves of the sea.

Then the thing that was placed on the ground really flew up! There was no support under it! This miracle that far surpassed everyone’s knowledge was truly not enough for everyone’s brains. They could only stare blankly at this miracle scene in front of them.

Lin Lie grinned as he stared blankly at the scene in front of him. “How did he do this? How could he have such formidable abilities, my lord?”

The balloon completely expanded, and the upward force it produced became enormous. It also carried the bamboo basket upward. If someone hadn’t tied it firmly to a few wooden stakes on the ground with ropes just now, they would have flown into the sky.

But even so, this was enough to cause a sensation, enough to cause everyone to fall to the ground.

Such an inconspicuous thing actually possessed the power of the heavens. This was simply too mysterious. Ruo Fei had personally witnessed it, how could these people believe that there would be such a strange thing in this world?

At this moment, the bamboo basket had already risen to a height of one person, and the balloon had even risen to a height of several zhang, floating above everyone’s heads like a strange cloud.

At this time, Lu Zhen walked forward and pulled under the bamboo basket. He untied a rope ladder tied to it and said, “Commander Hu, now it’s time to lose.” After that, the length of the rope was controlled to adjust the height of the airship. As long as the flames in the rope remained unextinguished, it could remain floating in the air. As he spoke, Lu Zhen’s gaze swiftly swept towards the group of soldiers around him. “Who dares to board this airship with me and experience a different scenery?”

@ @ @ @ @

Ladies and gentlemen, how much did everyone spend on this day when everyone was chopping off their hands? ? ?

Also, today is the last day of this book on the new book list, so I beg for your support and let us come down! ! ! !