Fly two hundred meters into the air.
For today's society, it is far from possible.
But now it is really done.
On the hanging basket two hundred meters above the ground, Tao Dayong looked at the mountains in the distance, at the clouds that seemed to be pickable with one hand, and at the blue sky. At this moment, he felt that his life was worth it.
This is different from the feeling of mountain climbing. Mountain climbing is just because you are born in this mountain, and you can only appreciate the scenery in one place. But at an altitude of two hundred meters, there are no blind spots in all directions.
It's a pity that he is uneducated, otherwise he would have written a poem no matter what, and it will be passed down through the ages.
An hour later, the hot-air balloon slowly landed on the ground. The craftsmen suppressed their excitement and quickly inspected each component of the hot-air balloon.
The craftsmen in the inner dyeing and weaving layout inspected the balloon to see if the tung oil cloth was damaged, the paint was melted, and the hanging basket rope was broken;
The needlework bureau checked whether the stitches were broken...
Everyone checked in an orderly manner according to the prior requirements, while Tao Dayong knelt on the ground and told Chongzhen the entire ascending and descending process, as well as some problems discovered and ideas for improvement, etc.
Why are you sitting on your knees? Your legs are really weak.
It took a full quarter of an hour for the report to be completed, and the craftsmen also checked all parts of the entire hot air balloon, and they were all normal.
"Everyone, since the experiment, I can responsibly tell you that the hot air balloon is a success!"
"Congratulations to my Ming Dynasty for adding another artifact!"
"Long live the Ming Dynasty!"
"Long live your Majesty!"
…
As soon as Chongzhen finished his announcement, the craftsmen, led by Wang Chengen, began to cheer.
This not only means that they will receive generous rewards, but also have a name in history, which is something they never dared to imagine with their humble status.
After a while, the cheers quieted down: "I will fulfill my previous promises, but hot air balloons are of great use. I will give you two choices.
First, you hand over your skills to the craftsmen of the Firearms Research Institute, and then go back to each supervisory bureau to reward those who deserve rewards and promote those who deserve promotions;
The second is that you all transfer to the Firearms Research Institute and establish a flying equipment department to specialize in the development of hot air balloons and other flying equipment.
For example, you can study one that has a larger load capacity, can fly farther, transport supplies, etc. You can choose one by yourself! "
"The common people choose to go to the Firearms Research Institute!"
Everyone just thought about it for a moment, and then they all chose to go to the Firearms Research Institute.
If you know such a big secret and go back to the original prison, if you leak it, you will be dead.
But the Firearms Research Institute is different. There are countless secrets hidden there, and no one will ask.
Moreover, the treatment there is very good, and you stay in the 24th Supervision Bureau, and all the things you make are used by the royal family. If something goes wrong, you will be dead, and you have to stay for 24 hours, how can it be as comfortable as the Firearms Research Institute? .
"Now that you have a choice, just pack up and wait for my notice to report to the Firearms Research Institute!"
After Chongzhen finished speaking, he turned around and headed out of the valley.
He also wanted to take a ride in a hot air balloon, but seeing Cao Bianjiao being as wary of him as he was of thieves, Chongzhen gave up the idea, out of sight and out of mind.
Two days later, Sun Yuanhua arrived at Dongnuan Pavilion.
"Your Majesty, the dean has asked you to move to the Firearms Research Institute to watch the experiment of flying thunder cannons (heartless cannons)."
"You are on time!"
Chongzhen chuckled lightly and shouted towards the door: "Fang family, arrange for someone to notify the hot air balloon people and bring all the necessary tools.
Then arrange people to inform the six ministers of the cabinet and the commander of the four guards, and ask them to go with them. "
"My slave obeys the order!"
After the Fang family at the door responded, Chongzhen quickly changed into casual clothes under Wang Chengen's service.
Two quarters of an hour later, at the noon gate, several carriages, escorted by more than a hundred warrior battalion sergeants, headed out of the city. Behind them were three or four carriages pulling goods, followed by more than thirty people. People wearing common clothes,
Everyone's face was full of excitement, and the Sixth Cabinet Department and Sun Yuanhua were extremely curious.
When they arrived at the Firearms Research Institute, Xu Guangqi, Bi Maokang and other senior officials from the Firearms Research Institute were waiting at the gate.
After saluting, Xu Guangqi looked at the thirty or so people: "Your Majesty, what is this?"
Chongzhen looked at the thirty people and carriages, and then at the six cabinet ministries, with a mysterious smile on his face: "Aren't you curious about what I have been researching in this short period of time? This is the result of my research."
"This is also a great gift from me to the Firearms Research Institute!"
When the emperor said this, everyone's curiosity increased infinitely again.
Especially Xu Guangqi, Bi Maokang and others, they have seen the emperor's understanding of firearms, and if the emperor can study them personally, it is definitely a good thing.
They couldn't wait to step forward and open the carriage immediately to find out.
"Okay, after watching the Thunder Cannon, I will open your eyes again. I guarantee that it will be unforgettable for you in this life!"
After Chongzhen finished speaking, he walked inside.
The more the emperor said this, the more curious they became, but the emperor had already left, and they could only follow him.
It's still the valley where the experiment was conducted. Everything is ready and the valley is blocked.
"Your Majesty, please come this way!"
A moment later, they arrived at the flying thunder cannon experiment site. Xu Guangqi pointed to the flying thunder cannon on the ground: "Your Majesty, this is the flying thunder cannon made according to your drawings."
Everyone looked in the direction Xu Guangqi pointed, and instantly took a breath, their eyes full of astonishment.
You must know that the largest caliber of the Ming Dynasty artillery is the Hongyi cannon, with a caliber of only 11 to 15 centimeters, and some can reach 18 centimeters.
But the diameter of the barrel of the flying thunder cannon in front of me is 30 centimeters, twice that of the Hongyi cannon. No wonder the emperor said some time ago that Fuso's hugging barrel is not qualified for the flying thunder cannon.
Everyone knows a little about firearms and knows that the larger the caliber, the greater the power, but what kind of shells are used for such a large-caliber artillery?
"Dean Xu, what kind of shells are used for such a large-caliber flying thunder cannon?"
"Hangtianlei weighing fifteen kilograms (ten kilograms of gunpowder)!"
"Thunder?"
Everyone gasped again. They had seen the power of the thunderous thunder. There was no one alive within a radius of three feet, and there were missing arms and legs and internal injuries within a radius of five feet.
Cao Bianjiao of Longjing Pass used a trebuchet to launch a missile, which exploded above the heads of the Jiannu cavalry, directly killing and wounding more than a hundred people.
Regardless of their shock, Xu Guangqi continued to introduce: "Your Majesty, because the caliber of the flying thunder cannon is relatively large, but the barrel length is short, we adopted a three-layer composite method.
The outermost layer is a barrel made of mud film, and then it is filled with wood in the middle. The innermost layer is forged, with a thickness of about half a centimeter.
The purpose of this is because the innermost part is in direct contact with the gunpowder and is forged to have good toughness and low brittleness.
The middle layer is made of wood and other materials, which can slow down the pressure of gunpowder ignition, and the outermost layer is fixed.
The three-layer composite greatly reduces the possibility of chamber explosion.
The most important thing is that any layer that is broken can be replaced. You might be able to piece together a broken thunder cannon into a good one on the battlefield.
But the disadvantage is that this flying thunder cannon weighs about 150 kilograms, which is about twice as heavy as His Majesty expected. "
