"Your Majesty, please don't embarrass me." Duke Xu Da of Wei said with a smile.
"Father, this thing is weird. My son is also very puzzled, so I ask my father to explain it," the prince said.
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "He Xi, please tell me."
"Yes." He Xi said.
He Xi stepped forward and took a closer look, and found that it was already on fire. The ropes around it were also tightened. He circled around the hot air balloon and said: "This thing is a hot air balloon. It is made using the principle of thermal expansion and contraction.
It is a balloon that can fly. It can also be regarded as a large Kongming Lantern."
"Can you fly?" the prince said in surprise.
Xu Da's eyes changed and became serious. But it was only solemn.
He Xi said: "Yes."
The prince didn't say he didn't believe it. But his eyes and body movements showed that he didn't believe it.
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Kuai Fu, can you let him fly?"
Kuai Fu said: "It has been prepared for a long time. Please give the order, Your Majesty."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "Let's get started."
"Yes." Kuai Fu immediately ordered, and a short soldier climbed over the boat-shaped hanging basket below, and then opened the stove above. This stove burned oil. It was not petroleum, but tung oil.
After a while, the balloon inflated more and more, and its eight edges became more distinct. It looked like an eight-edged sledgehammer. And the traction ropes tied to the ground were all stretched to the extreme.
At this moment, someone immediately untied the rope.
Every time a rope was untied, the entire hot air balloon jumped upwards. Finally, only one rope was left, and it was slowly let go. As the rope was let go, the hot air balloon slowly rose into the sky.
The prince was stunned.
The prince said: "This can really reach heaven, it is simply a miraculous workmanship. This -----"
Xu Da was also a little excited and said: "Your Majesty, how high can this thing rise?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "He Xi, please tell me."
He Xi said: "Your Majesty, I don't know. Theoretically, this hot air balloon can rise to more than a thousand feet. But when it comes to the specifics of each hot air balloon, it depends on the quality of each hot air balloon. Your Majesty asked me about it
.It’s better to be Lord Kuai.”
As soon as He Xi finished speaking, everyone's eyes fell on Kuai Fu.
Kuai Fu said: "Your Majesty, we have only prepared one hundred feet of hemp rope. Now it can only be raised one hundred feet. As for how far it will be in the future, we don't know."
Today's technology is limited, and Kuai Fu's hot air balloon only dares to go straight up and down. It dares not let go and lets the hot air balloon fly around.
Xu Da said: "One hundred feet is enough." Xu Da immediately saluted Zhu Yuanzhang and said: "Your Majesty, I am traveling outside the fortress. It is vast and vast. The biggest problem is if the enemy is found, especially the cavalry, which is a clutch of soldiers.
After fighting for thousands of miles, by the time it is discovered, it is already too late. If there is such a thing and is placed in the camp, with dozens of radius in sight, the enemy will not be able to break into the camp gate unless there is heavy fog, heavy rain, or darkness.
.It is also a powerful weapon of the sincere god. Please bring craftsmen who can build this thing to the front line. I hope your majesty will give you permission."
After Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he laughed and said, "Prince, have you seen it? This is the talent of a general. You, you haven't reacted for so long, what is the use of this thing? It's just shocking to fly to the sky, it's not a big deal.
.In all things in the world, if you don’t take it for granted, you will lose yourself if you take it for granted.”
Zhu Yuanzhang completely forgot that when he heard about hot air balloons from He Xi, he was surprised for a long time. It was only after he had known about this thing for a long time that he figured out the most effective use of this thing for the Ming Dynasty.
It was precisely because of this that he brought Xu Da over to see this thing before Xu Da left the capital.
However, Xu Da's military sense of smell is too sensitive. He seems to have become accustomed to it. When he sees anything, the first thing he thinks of is its military use.
The prince said: "Father, how can I compare with Uncle Xu? I must learn from Uncle Xu in the future."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Kuai Fu, take your men and follow Wei Guogong to Peking. After teaching the craftsmen in Peking, go back to Beijing. I can't do without you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Kuai Fu said with excitement on his face.
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately said to Xu Da: "Kuai Fu is my treasure, and I will lend it to you today. You must take good care of it and come back with it head and tail. The art of building spaceships is a military secret. I am determined not to let it out. Understand.
?"
Xu Da said: "I understand. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "He Xi, do you think there is anything you can point out here?"
He Xi said: "There are indeed one or two things that can be improved."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Then you have a good talk with Kuai Fu." Then, Zhu Yuanzhang turned to Xu Da and said: "Tomorrow morning, you go to Peiping, and today you and I will have a drink."
------
In the evening, He Xi and Princess Anqing came out of the palace.
The two of them left the palace, and it was during the Lantern Festival that the lanterns were put on for three days. He Xi got interested and changed clothes with Princess Anqing. They dressed up as a young couple and walked into the sea of lanterns during the Lantern Festival with a few companions.
middle.
To be honest, during the Hongwu period, everything was in ruins, and people had just recovered from the war. Even though it had been more than 20 years since Zhu Yuanzhang took over the city of Nanjing. However, in the previous ten years, wars had been fought almost every year, and the pressure from the rear was also very heavy.
big.
To really talk about it, in the days of peace, which was five years after Hongwu, and about ten years now, there were not many wars and taxes were exempted.
But it is still not enough to recover from the trauma left by many years of war in the late Yuan Dynasty.
To be honest, during the Lantern Festival in Nanjing today, although every house lights up lights, the only real prosperity is in the markets along both sides of the Qinhuai River, and other places are just mediocre. Compared to the various light shows in later generations.
I don't know how much difference it is.
Then there is something that will not be found in later generations.
Even though there are lanterns hanging on both sides of the road, the lanterns of this era are also hazy. If you don't look carefully, you may not be able to see who it is from a foot away. If the person is wearing a veil, even if he looks familiar
, and may not dare to step forward to confirm.
This hazy and blurred light and shadow effect adds to the romantic atmosphere of the Lantern Festival.
He Xi also heard the distinct female voice beside her. These birds and birds added to the festive atmosphere. This kind of atmosphere was not found in all traditional Chinese festivals in later generations.
He Xi and Princess Anqing walked side by side on the bluestone road, and the two of them watched mesmerized.
Princess Anqing lived deep in the palace and never had this kind of freedom. Even if the Lantern Festival allowed women to go out on the streets, they were ordinary women, not princesses. Although the name of the Lantern Festival in later generations is the same as that of this era, the mode of expression is basically the same.
It's no longer a holiday.
In just a moment, the two of them were already carrying several lanterns of various kinds. Lotus lanterns, revolving lanterns, these were relatively small lanterns. There were also some dignitaries who piled up lanterns in front of the door, which were wooden lanterns that had been built in advance.
A shelf with a row or several rows of lanterns hanging on it, in different forms, finally forming a grand image.
Like a big light.
Although it cannot be compared with many modern lights, it is interesting in its own way.
Princess Anqing said: "Actually, I have also seen the lanterns, the Aoshan lanterns in front of the palace, which happened when I was a child. It is said to be left by the former Song Dynasty, the Dengshan Mountain of more than ten feet. It is extremely beautiful. Only the emperor
He said that at the beginning of the founding of the country, all wastes were waiting to be renovated, so we should not be so extravagant. So we stopped this lamp and said that it would not be too late to enjoy the peace with the people in the future after the world is peaceful."
"However, we conquered Yunnan last year and will invade Mongolia this year. The treasury expenditure is very tight. I guess there will be no Aoshan lanterns."
"It's a pity."
He Xi said: "What a pity. I will build a big lamp for you in the future, and it will definitely be the first in the capital."
Princess Anqing suddenly smiled and said: "That's right. Forget it this year, we will also have lanterns next year. By then, it doesn't matter whether we come first or not, but we can't make people laugh." Princess Anqing seemed to have thought of it and said: "
There are a lot of things to talk about. Spring plowing is about to begin. My father has allocated a lot of official land, and I have to take care of it. There are also various human relationships, the birthdays of sisters and brothers in the palace, the birthdays of my father, the emperor, and the queen, Uncle Xu
, Brother Li, Brother Mu, there are so many things at home, oh, so many things. If I had known it was so troublesome, I wouldn’t have married you, it’s all a bunch of things. It’s so annoying.”
Although Princess Anqing said so, the smoke flowing under the light had a different style.
Yes, it is very hard for the young couple to manage the life of a family. But the hard work is limited. I don’t know whether Zhu Yuanzhang loves He Xi or Princess Anqing. In short, the He family has a very strong family background. It is not about money.
If you don't worry about it, you will have less worries.
More importantly, Princess Anqing has the freedom to do what she values. If she were still in the palace, she would never have the freedom to speak out.
He Xi said: "Then I'll trouble my wife."
Although He Xi didn't feel that he was eating soft food. What he brought to Ming Dynasty was much more important than just money. But the family expenses could not just rely on the wife's dowry. He Xi also had to think about buying a house.
"Your Majesty has put down the lights." I don't know who shouted. But I saw a huge thing floating in the air, with countless lights hanging, swaying in the air. The sky was clear and the moonlight was clear. Such a big thing, under the illumination of the lights, seemed to be blurry.
It's like there's another month. Lowering the lights, it's like a goddess scattering flowers. It's so beautiful for a moment.
He Xi raised his head and marveled at the craftsmanship of Ming craftsmen. He just figured out the principle of a hot air balloon and built this big lantern in the sky. Even He Xi didn't know how the craftsmen handled many details. For example, how to set fire,
After all, if the sky lanterns are not good these days, putting them on becomes like setting a fire.
Some people say that the Chinese used gunpowder to set off firecrackers, but foreigners had gunpowder as weapons and defeated the Chinese.
But at this moment, He Xi suddenly felt that his ancestors used gunpowder as weapons. Weapons are just weapons, and fireworks are life. The only thing wrong is that future generations did not preserve the flourishing age that was as gorgeous as fireworks.
Nowadays, hot air balloons have not only become weapons, but also become the brightest objects during the Lantern Festival.
All he had to do was to preserve and open up this prosperous age so that future generations would not laugh at them, saying that the Chinese invented thermal weapons, but used them to make sky lanterns, while foreigners used them to calibrate cannons. This chapter has been completed!
