"Your Majesty, I estimate that this should be used for reconnaissance or transmitting military orders. Compared with the watchtower, this one is more convenient to carry.
When marching, you can carry this hot air balloon with it and equip it with a telescope, and you can control a radius of dozens of miles. "
"Hou Shangshu, not only for reconnaissance, but also for siege. I just asked the craftsmen. The current height is two hundred meters and it can bear a load of five hundred kilograms. This means that it can carry at least thirty thunders.
If this one flies above the enemy's city wall or army and throws thunder down, it will be completely defenseless! "
"It's possible to siege a city. You can pull this rope, but how do you attack the enemy's tent in the field?"
"Then how did the Kongming Lantern fly away? As long as there is wind, can't this hot air balloon also fly away? It's just waiting for the right wind direction."
"We now have all kinds of firearms, including Hongyi cannons that can shoot five miles. But if the enemy comes up with a firearm that has a farther range than ours, we will have to be beaten passively. At this time, the role of the hot air balloon will come into play. Attack from the sky!"
…
Everyone expressed their opinions one after another and almost guessed the function of the hot air balloon.
Chongzhen looked at everyone: "Everyone has pretty much guessed the functions of hot air balloons, but there are two most important things that have not been mentioned. One is air superiority, and the other is transportation."
Seeing everyone's blank expressions, Chongzhen continued to explain: "What is air supremacy? It is the control of the air.
If the enemy also creates something similar that can be lifted into the air to throw firearms and carry out aerial reconnaissance, how should we defend against it?
At the current stage, hot air balloons and firearms cannot achieve absolute air control, but they can achieve corresponding air control.
For example, the Fuso's hug-style barrel I saw a few days ago can be used to complete the attack with the large-scale fire arrows that I asked the Firearms Research Institute to improve, or even bows and arrows, hand crossbows, etc. "
Everyone's hearts trembled and their faces became serious. The situation mentioned by the emperor was not impossible.
Before this, they had never thought that something like this could take people to heaven would appear. But now that it has appeared, they cannot deny that there are no enemies, and everything is possible in the future.
"Your Majesty, it is always right to prepare for a rainy day. I can understand this, but what do you mean by means of transportation just now?"
Xu Guangqi looked at the hot air balloon that began to slowly descend: "Whether it is the Kongming Lantern or this hot air balloon, it needs to be driven by wind.
But when the wind blows, its direction, size, and whether it lasts, these are not things we can decide humanly. We can’t wait forever! "
"Xu Aiqing, when there is no wind, why can the boat move forward in the lake? Can it also go upstream in the river?"
“Because there’s a paddle!”
"Since the ship can move forward with an oar, let's equip the hot-air balloon with an oar, an oar that can make the hot-air balloon move forward.
A fan can generate wind, but can't something else generate enough power to move a hot air balloon forward? "
"Don't ask me how to do it. I don't know. That's what your Firearms Research Institute needs to solve next! You can talk to Wang Zheng from the Industrial Research Institute."
The emperor's words made Xu Guangqi and others fall into deep thought.
Since there is no way to get over the mountain, I will go over there. Since there is no wind, I will create wind.
Can a hot air balloon fly? The answer is yes, it is nothing more than a matter of flight speed and distance.
Similar to hot air balloons, there are airships. If Chongzhen remembers correctly, there seems to be a Hindenburg airship in later generations, which can fly long distances.
It's not easy to research an airplane, so researching a flying airship isn't a big problem, right?
Although it is difficult, you still have to have a dream. What if it comes true?
Phew...bang...
While thinking about it, the hot air balloon fell down. The sound of the burner burning and the hanging basket hitting the ground made a soft sound, which woke up the meditating people and immediately attracted everyone's attention.
"Go and see it if you want!"
Seeing the hopeful looks in everyone's eyes, Chongzhen waved his hand.
Everyone ran over in a swarm, looking around and touching, as if they had never seen the world.
The hanging basket and the ball bag are not difficult for everyone, and they can basically guess the details, but they can't understand the burner.
"This smell seems to be the smell of burning fat!"
"Somewhat like, but definitely not, burning thick smoke that is not as big as stone grease."
"Yes, stone fat can burn, and it can burn so vigorously, but it cannot be ignited so quickly and the size can be adjusted at will, let alone burn so vigorously in such a closed space!"
"Fan Shangshu, is this researched by your Ministry of Industry?"
"No, the Ministry of Industry has never appeared!"
"Mr. Yuan Ge, you are well-informed, do you know?"
"Yes and no!"
Yuan Keli's response made everyone even more confused.
When he was about to ask a few more questions, he found Yuan Keli staring at the burner again and again, and twitching his nose slightly a few times, as if he was smelling something, with doubts in his eyes.
After a while, everyone returned to Chongzhen after reading. Xu Guangqi asked curiously: "Your Majesty, what is this burning thing?"
Chongzhen did not respond, but looked at Hou Xiu, the Minister of War, and Fan Jingwen, the Minister of Industry: "Hou Aiqing and Fan Aiqing, it's understandable that others can't recognize them. Can't you recognize them too?"
The two of them felt a chill in their hearts. They heard the intention of asking guilt in the emperor's words, and they immediately knelt down towards the emperor: "I don't know, please forgive me!"
"This burner is a modified version of the fierce fire oil tank. You don't know about the fierce fire oil tank?"
"Sure enough, it was modified by Menghuo Oil Tank!"
As soon as this thought arose in Yuan Keli's mind, he heard the emperor's voice: "Yuan Aiqing, please explain to everyone!"
"I obey the decree!"
After Yuan Keli responded, he looked at everyone: "Everyone, fierce fire oil cabinets and stone fat are closely related. Stone fat was discovered at the end of the Western Han Dynasty and used in war. In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, the army developed a fierce fire that can continuously spit fire. oil tank,
According to historical records, this kind of fierce fire oil tank uses fierce fire oil, that is, petroleum, as fuel, and uses hydrated copper as the original cabinet. It has four legs at the bottom and four copper tubes on the top. A pump is always placed on the tube to communicate with the oil tank. …
Its range can reach six meters, and it is mostly used to defend cities, burn war equipment, pontoons, warships, etc.
By the time of the Ming Dynasty, firearms developed rapidly, and such high-fire oil tanks were gradually eliminated, and there were even fewer historical records.
If not for the burning of corpses in the Battle of Longjingguan last year, His Majesty asked us to check the records of Shizhi, and we would not have thought of it. No wonder you don't know! "
Everyone suddenly realized that they knew why the emperor would question the Minister of War and the Ministry of Industry.
If this kind of thing is still in use, there are hundreds of them. Even if there are no red barbarian cannons, there is no need to fear the Jiannu cavalry.
