The two young eunuchs were afraid, and the people below were also nervous. They were worried that the hot air balloon would suddenly fall from the sky. If that happened, it would not be as nervous as the death of two people, but the failure of the hot air balloon.
That was what Li Longji thought. He did not care about the life and death of the two eunuchs, but he was afraid that his hope would turn into disappointment. If that happened, he did not know when the next experiment would be. At the same time, if he wanted to go up in the future, the officials would definitely stop him because it was dangerous.
The two young eunuchs' voices were getting louder and louder. One of them said to the other, "If I fall, then you will be on top of me. Perhaps with me as a cushion, you can still survive."
"Don't say that. I don't want to fall. Besides, even if I fall, I won't be able to survive. Turn down the fire, and don't throw the sandbags. Official Gao said that the current sandbags are not used to adjust the height. As long as the fire is big enough, the hot air balloon will continue to rise. At the beginning, the bottom of the balloon is fixed by people holding on to it. The sandbags are specially used to escape.
If we suddenly fall, then throw all the sandbags down. Perhaps the falling speed will be slower. Also, don't jump out of the basket. There is a cushion specially made by the Zhang Family and the Wang Family at the bottom of the basket. It can reduce the impact of the fall. How high is it now? "
The other young eunuch did not allow the first eunuch to speak. He did not want to speak blindly before something happened above. In the end, something bad really happened.
The people below had already started to protect Li Longji to prevent anything falling from above from hitting the Emperor. The rope was not too thick, but it was very sturdy. There was still a long way to go. The hot air balloon was flying higher and higher. It was estimated that it was now 150 feet high, and it was still flying higher.
"Lishi, it seems that the hot air balloon can indeed carry people. Even if something happened this time, it does not mean that the hot air balloon is wrong."
Li Longji said to Gao Lishi. He was afraid that if it failed, others would not let him go up in the future.
Gao Lishi understood. At the same time, he was willing to listen to Li Longji's explanation. This was because if they failed, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo would not have too much responsibility. After all, if they really did fly, they could blame the failure on the people above them for not being good enough.
Thus, he replied, "Your Majesty, you can't go up immediately. Even if you succeed, you have to wait for a few more tests. Also, the manual says that if you want to go up, you have to be accompanied by someone. There are also two people from the Zhang family's Miao Unit Zero who came along with the hot air balloon. They can try their best to ensure your safety."
Li Longji nodded. He had someone bring over the Clairvoyance and looked up. He really wanted to fly up and take a look himself, but he knew that it was impossible.
While they were talking, the hot air balloon had already risen to a height of more than three hundred feet. It was impossible to measure the height directly, but the length of the rope was recorded. Every set distance, there was a number written on the rope, letting people know how long it had been.
The two little eunuchs were no longer as scared as before. Since it was already like this, they might as well accept their fate. When the balloon rose to a certain height, the two of them adjusted the size of the fire and also looked down with the Clairvoyance. They just happened to meet Li Longji's gaze.
When Li Longji saw the people above looking down, he happily waved his hand as a sign of encouragement. This made the two little eunuchs extremely excited. They took out the dragon flag from the basket, hung it properly, and waved their hands at the people below.
"Your Majesty, it seems like it's a success. As long as they come down safely and fly a few more times, Your Majesty might be able to go up and take a look. However, you have to bring along the two people sent by the Zhang family to wait outside the palace."
Gao Lishi said happily.
"Yes, there are still two people waiting outside. Let them come in and take a look." After hearing Gao Lishi's words, Li Longji realized that there were still people outside. They were the most powerful guards of the Zhang family, and they came here on behalf of the Zhang family. He couldn't be too negligent, so he hurriedly asked someone to call them.
In fact, there was no need for them to come in. At this time, the two people outside had already seen it. The hot air balloon was not small, and it was flying so high. Not only the two of them saw it, but other people who occasionally looked up at the sky also saw it. A big thing was floating above Xingxing Palace. What was it? It looked like a Kongming Lantern, but they felt it was very different.
The people in the palace were the first to know. As soon as someone said this, others immediately looked up at the sky to see what was flying above Xingqing Palace. The people outside the palace also stopped one after another, wanting to know the reason.
Soon, someone reported this matter to the ministers. The ministers also stood outside and looked in the direction of Xingqing Palace. As a result, more and more people came. The people around the palace stopped moving, and the traffic was also blocked. Some people were far away and couldn't see clearly, so they tried their best to squeeze forward. After a while, they found that the thing in the sky was still as big as before even if they squeezed forward dozens of steps.
At this time, Zhang Shuo was staying in the secretariat. When he heard someone report, he took out his clairvoyance and stood outside to take a look. This time, he saw clearly that it was a big thing with a basket hanging below it. There was a dragon flag flying above the basket, and two little eunuchs poked their heads out and waved back and forth.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Shuo couldn't care less about official business. He hurriedly trotted towards Xingqing Palace. Now he somewhat understood why the Emperor insisted on riding a bicycle everywhere. It was too far to walk. If he had a bicycle now, it would be much easier.
When Zhang Shuo arrived at Xingqing Palace and saw the Emperor standing there under protection, he was relieved. He was really worried that the Emperor was sitting in the basket just now.
"Minister Zhang is here? Come here, let's take a look together. "Seeing Zhang Shuo come over, Li Longji said and waved at him.
Zhang Shuo didn't look happy like the others. He nervously came to Li Longji and advised, "Your Majesty, you can't play with this thing. Who sent it? There are people on it. If it falls, both the people on it and the people on the ground will be in danger. This subject impeaches the person who sent this toy. "
Zhang Shuo made a gesture of protecting Li Longji with a sullen face. It seemed that he was ready to cause trouble.
Hearing this, Gao Lishi couldn't take it anymore. It was his son and daughter-in-law who made this thing with great difficulty. How could it be said to be so unbearable? Impeach? Well, it was possible to impeach now. The two children were officials.
But that was absolutely impossible, so he retorted, "Lord Zhang's words are wrong. How is it a toy? This thing is related to life and death. When the army is in formation, it can see the situation below clearly from above. If it can fly to the enemy's head and throw down the grenades that Cuckoo used in battle, Lord Zhang, do you know what the consequences will be? "
Zhang Shuo was stunned by Gao Lishi's question. After thinking about it carefully, he felt that Gao Lishi was right. If this thing flew to the enemy's head, not to mention throwing down a grenade, even throwing a rock could kill them. If one of them flew above the Imperial Palace and carried a big bag of explosives, it could ignite and throw it down the moment the Emperor came out of the hall.
What Gao Lishi said was what Zhang Xiaobao wrote in the letter. When something was invented, it was usually used in the military, and the hot air balloon was the same.
Li Longji really did not expect this. He was just thinking about going to a higher place to take a good look at the capital. Now that he heard Gao Lishi's words, he took a deep breath and said,
"No wonder Xiao Bao and Cuckoo wanted people to make hot air balloons. It turns out that they are useful in battle. If Cuckoo's army is equipped with dozens of hot air balloons, with grenades on top and light cavalry below, who can beat her? It is already very powerful in the past. Does Official Zhang understand? "
Zhang Shuo nodded, indicating that he understood. At the same time, he suppressed the idea of impeaching. He was too anxious just now and did not ask who sent the thing over. Only now did he realize that he had not thought it through. Other than the Zhang Family and Wang Family, no one else had the ability to make something that could fly people into the sky.
Xiao Bao and Cuckoo could not be impeached. Besides, now that it was clear that it was not for fun, but to be used in battle, it was important and could not be taken lightly.
But when he saw the rope below, he realized that something was wrong. He asked again, "Your Majesty, can it really be used in battle? But it still needs to be tied down with a rope. Once there is no rope, who knows where this thing called hot air balloon will fly to? And how will it fly above the enemy? "
Li Longji could answer him on this point. He took out the manual and handed it to Zhang Shuo, saying, "This thing is not completely finished. There is also a power system that has not been installed. Once it is installed, it will be able to move freely in the sky when the wind is not too strong."
"Yes, this subject understands." Zhang Shuo could not say anything else. Since it was something that the Zhang Family and Wang Family had researched, they should have thought of this point. Moreover, the research of the two families was done in stages, improving bit by bit. This was brought over to make the Emperor happy.
"Your Majesty, this thing is too lethal. Should we not allow the Zhang Family and Wang Family to make it in the future? Let the Ministry of War handle it. There should be people in the Military Weapons Surveillance Bureau who can cooperate. "
Zhang Shuo thought of what had just flashed through his mind. He was afraid that if there was a day when he could not control the Zhang Family and Wang Family, they would use the hot air balloon to blow up the Imperial Palace with explosives. That would be troublesome.
However, Gao Lishi was not satisfied. He said, "Lord Zhang, if we don't allow the Zhang Family and Wang Family to make hot air balloons, does that mean that in the future, even if they have better things, they won't have to take them out? If they don't do it, how can they improve it and make it better? Rely on the Ministry of War? Rely on the Military Weapons Surveillance Bureau? If they really had that ability, then today it would not be the Zhang Family and Wang Family sending hot air balloons. "
Zhang Shuo knew why Gao Lishi refuted him. It was the matter of his son's family, so of course he was not satisfied with him. However, he still persisted and asked, "Then if the two families want to harm Your Majesty …"
"Official Zhang, you can't say that. If Xiao Bao and Cuckoo wanted to harm me, they would not have taken out the hot air balloon to let me know. If you can't even trust this, then wouldn't Xiao Bao and Cuckoo's determination to kill enemies in Tubo be dampened? To be honest, I have always felt that if they want to harm me, there are many ways they can do it. "
Li Longji said to Zhang Shuo. In his heart, he really did think this way. This was because he could not guess what the Zhang Family and Wang Family would do, especially that poisonous needle on the belt. It was too hidden. If he could not trust anyone, there would be an official who would deal with him when he went to court.
The things that the Zhang Family and Wang Family did were all out in the open. There was no need to hide it. Furthermore, Wang Qiaoer's father had protected him in the past. It was impossible for him to do anything to him. In addition, there were people watching over there. If he took too many precautions, who would trust him?
The leader of the Jinwu Guards? Ge Fushun of the Ten Thousand Cavalry? And Gao Lishi by his side? If they could not trust him, could it be that he had to do everything by himself?
Thinking of this, Li Longji said to Zhang Shuo, "When Official Zhang came in just now, no one searched him. If Official Zhang had something on him, wouldn't I also be worried?"
"This official does not dare. This official is loyal to Your Majesty and will definitely not do such a thing. If Your Majesty does not trust this official, this official will die in front of Your Majesty."
Zhang Shuo was frightened. These words could not be said casually. Sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.
After saying this, he did not say anything else. He stood to the side and looked at the hot air balloon that was still flying in the sky. He knew that if he said anything else, it would mean that the Zhang Family and Wang Family were not trustworthy. He was loyal to the Emperor, but did that mean that everyone else was not loyal?
Gao Lishi also did not say anything at the side. In his heart, he was very dissatisfied with Zhang Shuo. Their relationship was not bad, but he actually slandered his son and daughter-in-law.
Everyone fell silent. After that, the rope that was pulling the hot air balloon was blown by the wind. The two eunuchs on the balloon had already risen to a height of fifty zhang. Even if they used the All-Seeing Eye to look down, they could not see as clearly as before.
The two of them discussed for a while and took out a bigger dragon flag from the basket. They unfolded it and hung it by the side of the basket. When the flag was blown by the wind, it opened with a whoosh and fluttered in the wind.
When the flag was taken out, cheers immediately sounded in the palace. Those outside the palace who could see the pattern on the flag were also very excited. The Great Tang's dragon flag was fluttering high in the sky. Other than the Great Tang, which other country could do this?
When the people from other countries saw such a big flag fluttering in the sky, they did not know what to feel. This was especially so for the spies that Tubo had left in the Great Tang. When they saw the flag and the thing that could fly in the sky, they felt that it would be impossible for their country to catch up to the Great Tang in a short time.
They were not fools. When they saw the flag that was suddenly hung up, they knew that there was someone on it. However, they could not see the rope and thought that the thing was floating in the sky and could even put people on it.
From the information they received from Tubo, it said that Devilish Cuckoo had a weapon that was much more powerful than fireworks and could kill people. If they could throw that kind of weapon down from the sky, how could they fight a war?
Li Longji heard the cheers. Even though he was very far away, he could still hear it. He raised his head and looked at the hot air balloon flying in the sky. He sighed and said, "From now on, my Great Tang has no worries."
Zhang Shuo and Gao Lishi both understood the meaning of this sentence. It did not mean that there would be no worries as long as there was a hot air balloon. It meant that with the existence of the Zhang Family and Wang Family, the thing was made by them. Ever since they were in Sanshui County, the Zhang Family and Wang Family had been constantly making things and taking them out. There were things that could be used in the water, things that could be used on weapons, and now there were even things that could fly in the sky.
In addition, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo, who had learned many of the skills of the experts, were still young and could live for a long time. As long as they were around, there was no need to worry about anything that could not be dealt with.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty." Gao Lishi was also thinking for the country. He was also loyal to Li Longji. After hearing Li Longji's words, he softly congratulated him.
Zhang Shuo also followed suit. Although he was very uncomfortable in his heart, it was not easy for him to reach the position of Prime Minister. He had suppressed all the people that he should suppress and gathered all the power in his hands. However, with the appearance of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, he realized that he could not use all the power he had.
At least for Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, it was impossible. Others had to listen to his orders, but the two of them dared to not listen. There was nothing he could do about them. When it came to military orders, once Wang Juan went out, it could be said that she was a general on the outside and would not listen to orders.
He could not say that he was better than Wang Juan because of his experience in the border army. She had used corpses and blood to prove it.
When it came to administrative orders, Zhang Xiaobao could also not listen because he was very proficient in economic matters. He could find ten thousand reasons to refute Zhang Shuo. His power was obviously limited.
Li Longji did not know what Zhang Shuo was thinking. What he was thinking the most was why he did not leave Xiao Bao and Cuckoo in the capital to do things. That way, he could see them at any time. Looking at the hot air balloons sent by the two people, eating the food cooked by the two people, and listening to the two people talk, it would definitely feel very good.
With regret in his heart, Li Longji did not want to continue watching the hot air balloons fly like that. He said to the people beside him, "Let them come down. Don't use force on the rope first. Let's see if the hot air balloons can slowly descend on their own."
The people below immediately began to pass orders to the two eunuchs above. They used a large flag and waved it back and forth so that the two people above could see.
At this time, the two eunuchs really did not want to go down immediately. After they found that there was no danger, they enjoyed the feeling of flying in the sky. Using the Thousand Li Vision to see the scenery of the capital and feeling the cool breeze, it was very comfortable.
Seeing the flag below, they could only suppress this thought in their hearts. They looked at each other and sighed at the same time. They did not know if they would have a chance to come up in the future. Perhaps this was the only chance in their lives.
They lowered the fire bit by bit and felt the slow descent speed. The two eunuchs did their best to look at the surrounding scenery below, so that when they returned to the ground, they could tell others. They could not be ignorant.
The overall time used to descend was much less than when they went up. After about a quarter of an hour, the hot air balloons slowly descended. The cloth on top of the hot air balloons directly covered the two eunuchs.
"How was it up there?" After getting the two eunuchs out, Li Longji urgently asked.
"Replying to Your Majesty, the wind was a little strong up there, but we were happy, especially when the flag was flying. We all felt that this was the happiest moment. Also, it was a little shaky up there, but that was all. At the beginning, the two of us were scared to death, but when we really stayed in the sky for a long time, we found that it was just like that.
It was fine, "the little eunuch quickly replied. He was so excited that his little face was flushed. After they left, he could tell others.
At this time, the two members of No. 0's protection team walked in from outside. The two of them were dressed in tight clothes and carried three big bags in their hands. When they wanted to come in just now, the people outside insisted on seeing what was in the bags. The two of them did not allow anyone to open the bags no matter what. If they opened the bags, it would be difficult to restore them to their original appearance. The bags contained parachutes that were personally sealed by the young master and young lady.
After a series of inquiries, and with the assurance of the two of them, as well as Gao Lishi secretly arranging for someone to inform them, the two of them came in.
"Are the two of you from No. 0's protection team?" Li Longji asked despite knowing the answer. His eyes also looked at the bags in the two of them.
"Replying to Your Majesty, we are from No. 0's protection team of the Zhang family. These three bags contain parachutes that were personally made and sealed by the young master and young lady. Basically, there is not much of a problem. If Your Majesty wants to go up to the sky, the two of us can follow Your Majesty, but Your Majesty must carry these parachutes on your back first."
This time, it was Huzi who came with another person, so Huzi was in charge of handling the matter. When he heard Li Longji's basic question, he answered respectfully.
"Oh, why didn't you give it to others just now?" When Li Longji heard that it was specially made by Xiao Bao and Cuckoo, he knew that it was prepared for him. However, he was a little dissatisfied.
"Your Majesty, you need to train to use this thing. Otherwise, it might not be useful at a critical moment. The two of us didn't come in just now. Otherwise, one of us can carry the other up. The two of us have already tried it in places with water. It's very useful. We have also gone up in the hot air balloon many times."
Huzi continued to answer. He was stopped just now, so he had no choice. In fact, when he came, he had already received the young master's letter and brought five parachutes. However, he didn't need them. This time, only the Emperor could use them, so he brought three of them in.
Li Longji was already hungry, but he was still anxious to go up, so he could only let the two of them carry a parachute each and take a look at the sky while the hot air balloon had not yet deflated.
Huzi and Li Longji were not afraid at all. They had done this many times. They entered the basket skillfully. As the hot air balloon rose, they threw down the sandbags one by one. When there was not a single sandbag left, they rose very quickly. Soon, the rope was not long enough, and the two of them reached a height of 120 feet.
After covering up for a while, the two of them came down again. This time, Li Longji couldn't bear it and insisted on going up himself. He had already carried the parachute.
Gao Lishi also wanted to go up. He asked someone to run a few steps and bring back the two parachutes that the two of them didn't bring in. He said that he would go first, and if there was nothing else, the Emperor would go first.
However, Zhang Shuo didn't agree no matter what Li Longji said. He found all kinds of reasons to persuade Li Longji.
Li Longji was annoyed. As long as he ordered Zhang Shuo to go up, he would eat a simple meal below. Gao Lishi also followed.
After going back and forth, Gao Shuo felt that there really wasn't any danger. He was just a little scared when he was on top earlier, but after a while, he got used to it. He thought of another method, which was to get a lot of bedding and blankets to cover a large area below. After a few more useless words of persuasion, he let Li Longji sit in the basket.
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