1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3948

Perhaps to capitalize on the publicity momentum of the Haihan Times, the hot air balloon did not remain in the airspace of Baoshi Mountain, but slowly flew eastward over West Lake and towards the sky above Hangzhou, allowing local residents to witness the latest achievements of Haihan Military Technology.

Of course, the actual situation is not so simple. The main purpose of this flight was to show the students of the National Defense University the approximate flight data of the hot air balloon, such as speed, altitude, and flight time. Seeing it with one's own eyes is definitely more intuitive than data on paper.

As the hot air balloon arrived, the city and surrounding areas of Hangzhou erupted in jubilation, with people flocking outdoors to gaze at the spectacular sight in the sky.

This was probably the largest outdoor gathering in Hangzhou since the relocation ceremony during the National Day celebrations a few years ago, with at least hundreds of thousands of people witnessing the hot air balloon flight.

Many people, perhaps like Meng Jinfeng, didn't entirely believe the battle reports in the newspapers, even thinking they were exaggerated. But when the legendary hot air balloons actually flew over them, no one doubted the achievements on the Jiangxi front.

Many people simply shouted "Long live the Executive Committee!" at the hot air balloons in the sky, as if only in this way could they fully release their excitement.

Ambassadors from several countries stationed in Hangzhou also witnessed this scene. Most of them, like Meng Jinfeng, were shocked that Haihan possessed such unimaginable equipment.

However, the envoys from vassal states such as Annam and Korea were quite pleased with this. "If our leader has it, it's the same as us having it," had become the ingrained mindset of these vassal states over the past thirty years. Based on past experience, they believed that these advanced military equipment would inevitably flow into their own armies in various forms; it was only a matter of time.

On a merchant ship that had just arrived at the Qiantang River, everyone, including passengers and sailors, was staring in astonishment at the hot air balloon floating in the sky. It had been quite a while since they had docked, but no one had bothered to set up the gangplank connecting to the pier.

They hadn't had a chance to see the latest edition of the Haihan Times, so they had no idea what the thing flying in the sky was.

The boat captain scratched his head for a while, then turned to the man beside him and asked, "Manager Li, what... what exactly is this thing? It's not some kind of monster, is it?"

The young man he called "Manager Li" laughed and said, "Don't talk nonsense, what monster! Didn't you see that thing was painted with the red and blue of the national flag? It's clearly some new equipment that the government just made and is test-flying in the sky. You don't need to panic."

The boat captain suddenly realized what was going on, and quickly nodded in agreement, praising the other party for being knowledgeable and worldly-wise. He then hurriedly urged his men to set up the gangplank so as not to delay the important person from disembarking.

The man surnamed Li was Li Yuande, who had just returned from overseas. His original destination was Guangzhou, where he was to recruit and send more immigrants to the special forces division and to arrange a new flight route to skip the Xingdao Island stop.

However, upon arriving in Guangzhou, Li Yuande received new instructions from Qian Tiandun, requiring him to go to Hangzhou to discuss another important cooperation matter.

After learning the details, Li Yuande dared not delay. After finishing his business in Guangzhou, he immediately took a boat north to Hangzhou. Unexpectedly, upon arriving in Hangzhou, he happened to witness a hot air balloon test flight over the city.

Although Li Yuande appeared very calm, the scene still stirred up quite a bit of emotion within him.

At the dock, carriages from the Furuifeng Trading Company and the manager of its Hangzhou branch were already waiting. After boarding, Li Yuande's first question was about the flying object in the sky. Upon receiving the manager's answer, Li Yuande's immediate thought wasn't that it was a weapon for siege warfare, but rather that it would be incredibly effective if used in the Strait of Hormuz, where Fubo Port was located.

The Strait of Hormuz is less than 100 miles wide at its narrowest point, but the field of vision at sea level is generally only ten or twenty miles. Even if a lookout climbs to the top of the mast, the increased field of vision is very limited.

However, if a lookout can go to a height of several hundred feet, the field of vision he can observe will be quite large, and may even cover the entire width of the strait.

To achieve the same effect using current maritime patrol methods, it would require deploying at least eight or ten ships at a time. Wouldn't using hot air balloons for strait patrols greatly increase efficiency?
Li Yuande wanted to inquire further about the flight performance of this thing, but the information the manager knew was all from snippets in the newspaper, so he couldn't answer Li Yuande's questions.

The only certainty is that this thing is already in use in the military, which reassured Li Yuande.

Special operations divisions have always been among the first to be equipped with various advanced weapons and equipment. As long as hot air balloons have already been put into use, it shouldn't be too far off before special operations divisions also acquire this equipment.

However, Li Yuande decided to find out more accurate information first before telling Qian Tiandun the good news.

Although Li Yuande had only been to Hangzhou a few times, he was not without connections there, so it was not difficult for him to find out some inside information.

Fu Rui Feng, run by the Li family, is one of the most powerful trading companies in Guangdong, but it is only one of the major shareholders of the large commercial group Qiong Lian Fa. The head of Qiong Lian Fa's Hangzhou office is Li Fa, the eldest son of Li Jifeng, the big boss of Fu Rui Feng, and the father of Li Yuande.

Five years ago, shortly after the Executive Committee made the decision to relocate the capital to Hangzhou, Li Fa arrived in Hangzhou ahead of schedule and established the Qionglianfa office. In other words, he had actually been established in Hangzhou for more than two years before the Executive Committee was formed.

Five years is enough time for Li Fa to cultivate relationships in all aspects, and he has long since become one of the leading figures in Hangzhou's business community.

For Li Yuande, going to Hangzhou was no different from going home. In addition to basic living conditions such as transportation and accommodation, Li Fa also promised him that he could arrange for him to meet with various high-ranking officials and dignitaries in Hangzhou, even high-ranking officials of the Executive Committee.

As for inquiring about hot air balloons, Li Yuande thought that would be a piece of cake. With his father Li Fa's connections in Hangzhou, it shouldn't be difficult to reach the relevant people, and he might even be able to contact the technicians who designed and manufactured these things.

Li Yuande arrived at Qionglianfa's office by car, only to be told that his father had gone out on business and it was unknown when he would return.

However, the topic of hot air balloons was also being hotly debated at the office, with everyone discussing the various possible uses of these balloons.

Of course, whatever the design, it cannot be separated from the most important function of carrying people. Unsurprisingly, someone soon suggested that if this thing could be built as big as the Gem Mountain by West Lake, wouldn't it be able to take thousands of people into the sky?