Ming Dynasty: Traveling through the harem, Zhu Yuanzhang was dumbfounded

Chapter 193 The First Man to Fly

Under the guidance of Yang Chen, Zhu Biao soon arrived at the industrial zone.

It was only afternoon and there was still an hour before dinner, so the two took advantage of this time to talk about the future of the Ming Dynasty.

"Come, have some tea. This is the tea I personally ordered people to grow in Zhenjiang Prefecture. It may not be as good as the ones in the palace, but it is definitely not bad."

Yang Chen poured the tea from the teapot into the teacup in front of Zhu Biao.

Holding the teacup and feeling the residual warmth inside, Zhu Biao put it to his lips and took a sip.

The temperature in his body quickly rose, making him feel very comfortable.

Pouring himself a cup, Yang Chen looked at the busy workers in the distance and the test area where explosions could be heard from time to time, and then asked:
"I wonder how Your Majesty feels after taking a tour of the industrial park in Zhenjiang Prefecture?"

Zhu Biao held the teacup in his hand and remained silent for a while before saying:
"No one distributes land to farmers. They have land to cultivate and the means of production are firmly in their hands. No one annexes or oppresses them. Children are free and do not need to worry about being abducted. The elderly enjoy their old age in peace and contentment. The whole Zhenjiang Prefecture gives me the feeling that this is the legendary Peach Blossom Spring.

It is no exaggeration to say that even the Peach Blossom Spring is no more than this. The Peach Blossom Spring is full of ancient ancestors, but you have many things here that I have never seen.

The people are thriving and there are no criminals. It is like the world of great harmony that only appears in the fairyland.

I never thought that I would be able to see these things in the Ming Dynasty in this lifetime, but now it seems that Zhenjiang Prefecture can show such a brand new look under your governance, I really admire it.

I have never seen such a great event in my life. Even if something unexpected happens to me in the future, I believe that as long as you are here, there is still hope for the future of Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Biao generously affirmed Yang Chen's achievements, and could even say that he used the most complimentary words in the world to describe what he had seen and heard today.

If ordinary people heard these words, they would probably have lost their direction and felt ecstatic, but Yang Chen was different.

He still sighed:
"Yes, ordinary people would definitely have the same understanding as you when they see the things I showed you today, but everything has two sides."

Zhu Biao looked at him in confusion, not knowing what he meant by saying this.

As of now, Zhenjiang Prefecture is already very good.

Why did the other party seem to be worried about something from his previous tone?
Soon, Yang Chen sighed slowly:

"In governing Zhenjiang Prefecture, I referred to some experiences of later generations, so some bad things will appear along the way. The current prosperity is entirely dependent on the entire Ming Dynasty. Zhenjiang Prefecture is unique and can only be maintained.

Neither heavy industry nor light industry is available in other places. The scarcity caused by this makes many people curious about Zhenjiang Prefecture. What magical things are there in this place?

Under my operation, some Jiangnan merchants have begun to join state-owned enterprises, whether they are Shanxi merchants, micro-businesses, Guangdong merchants, or Zhejiang merchants. There are still some of them who are unwilling to become part of state-owned enterprises.

These people would rather migrate their entire families overseas than stay in the Ming Dynasty. I didn't expect that the shadow cast by Lan Yu on them was so deep that these people were terrified of the Ming Dynasty.

For this reason, the state-owned Chamber of Commerce has currently monopolized a large area in the south by relying on the products produced by Zhenjiang Prefecture.

The business is so booming.

This also led to the emergence of some problems, namely the embryonic form of capitalism.

This is a change in people's hearts, and it is not something I can stop.

The Ming Dynasty will continue to conquer in the future, but what will happen after the conquest?
Without external enemies, people will be content with the status quo and enjoy themselves. I am really worried that if future technological development does not reach the stage of universal enlightenment, the people in power will turn history backwards. By then, won’t all the hard work you and I have put in be in vain? "

Zhu Biao was thinking carefully about Yang Chen's question in his mind, just as the other party said.

It is difficult to prevent people's hearts from changing in the future. Therefore, Zhu Biao could only speak frankly:
“Brother Yang, I believe in you. With your ability, you will definitely be able to improve the wisdom of all.

If someone of my generation were to go backwards in history, I believe that there would be others who would stand up to stop it. Going backwards in history means denying everything.

If even the strategies of our ancestors to seek benefits for the people can be denied, the people with enlightened wisdom will surely realize it.

It is not impossible for someone to stand up and overturn such a policy at that time. I, Zhu Biao, have never worried about the demise of the dynasty.

The only thing I worry about is how many people will be separated from their families during the turmoil and fall of the dynasty.

Compared to a corrupt and dilapidated dynasty, I would rather the people live a good life than see them cry and suffer all their lives.

Otherwise, I, Zhu Biao, will be a sinner to the people and a sinner to history!"

Zhu Biao's remarks are equivalent to criticism and self-criticism.

As long as the royal heirs can achieve this, they are all qualified to be a wise ruler without exception.

Yang Chen never thought that Zhu Biao could understand this truth so quickly.

He turned his gaze towards the explosives testing site and said:

"By the way, A Biao, if I remember correctly, you should send people to Japan to conduct investigations soon, right?

I also have some understanding of the situation in Japan. Although the strength of the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is definitely much weaker than that of the Ming Dynasty, we cannot underestimate these people.

Although these people are short in stature, they are very vicious and can use all available means to attack the enemy. I don't want the Ming Dynasty to suffer in this regard. Come with me, I will show you some things, and then you can use these things to go to Japan.

It is guaranteed to shock those who have never seen the world so much that their glasses will drop to the ground.”

After saying that, Yang Chen stood up and began to approach the explosives testing site.

Zhu Biao stood up, shook himself, and brushed off the snowflakes that had just fallen on him.

At the same time, after seeing his father and mother, Zhu Chong felt relaxed and comfortable all over. He had never felt this way before, as if he was reborn.

After leaving the building where Yang Chen lived, he suddenly remembered the task Yang Chen had assigned to him.

"Oh no! I almost forgot what Brother Yang told me to do. The hot air balloon is still short of fuel preparation. I have to hurry over to get Old Wen and the others ready!"

Zhu Chong has always been following up on the hot air balloon project. In this regard, he went from being indifferent at first to finally investing in it.

Now hot air balloons have become something known to everyone in Zhenjiang Prefecture, because in order to weave the fabric for hot air balloons, Zhu Chong personally went to lobby all the people.

I hope women with excellent craftsmanship can go there and sew them.

After Zhu Chong kept gathering manpower, and with the cooperation of the two parties on the water conservancy textile machine developed by Yang Chen, it only took five days to sew an airbag the size of a hot air balloon that could carry six people into the air.

Today is also the day when the hot air balloon takes off for the first time. Zhu Chong came to the practice field, holding a big loudspeaker in his hand and constantly giving instructions to those around him:

"Team one! Team two! The captains of the two teams quickly led their men to the two corners of the hot air balloon for a final check to ensure that there were no omissions.

Three pairs! Four teams! Hurry up and move. My elder brother and elder brother Yang will be here soon. You should know that today is the day to test your mobility. You must not make any mistakes, otherwise we will disappoint elder brother Yang!"

At the same time, Wen Huabiao was leading his chemical department to transport the sandbags and fuel needed for the hot air balloon to the burner position under the balloon.

Under Yang Chen's private instruction, Wen Huabiao has perfectly transformed from a gunpowder maker to a chemist.

After several months of development, Wen Huabiao relied on his own skills and with the help of many criminals, he finally found the most suitable thing to make hot air balloon fuel so far.

The fuel is made of wet straw and chopped wool, mixed with some coke and kerosene, which are fully burned so that the burning gas fills the entire balloon, generating enough power to make the hot air balloon rise to a height of two to three hundred meters.

This is the result obtained by Yang Chen after his own calculations.

Whether this can be truly achieved will require further experiments.

Wen Huabiao led his men on a long journey and finally arrived in front of Zhu Chong. He told him about this matter:
"Your Highness, Second Prince! I have fulfilled my mission and have finally completed the fuel for the hot air balloon to fly into the sky. Now we just need to ignite it and inflate it!"

Zhu Shuang passed by his figure and looked at the items that several big men behind him were carrying. Without thinking too much, he directly ordered:

"Okay! Big Brother and Big Brother Yang should be here soon. Let's quickly fill all the fuel into the burner. Oh, and where's Lao Tao?"

"Old Tao?"

Wen Huabiao was obviously stunned.

The person Lao Tao is talking about is Tao Chengdao. As the first person to fly in the Ming Dynasty and also the first explosives application expert in the Ming Dynasty, Tao Chengdao has been able to invent various types of explosives with ease since he received guidance from Yang Chen. So far, except for rockets.

Tao Chengdao also successfully replicated other types of explosives such as naval mines, land mines, flash bombs, smoke bombs, etc.

The existence of these weapons allowed the Ming border troops to eliminate or capture all enemies with absolute crushing power.

Otherwise, how could the Ming border troops defeat these highly mobile opponents relying solely on cannons?

At that time, the pirates in the Jiangnan region and Fujian and other regions had never seen such mines. When they were chased by the Ming Navy, they simply fled in the direction set in advance by the Ming Navy, and finally their ships hit mines.

With a loud bang, a big hole appeared under the boat, and everyone had to dive into the water to escape.

It’s a pity that no matter how good a diver is, he can’t compare to those on the shore.

Seeing Wen Huabiao in a daze, Zhu Chong immediately knew that Tao Chengdao was missing!

"Hey! What are you standing there for? Let's go find him! Without Lao Tao, who would be the first person to fly?"

Zhu Chong, looking anxious, didn't care about Wen Huabiao's age and ran out to find someone.

Just when he was so anxious, he walked up to his children in Tao Chengdao's house.

"Dad! You are already so old, why do you have to go through all this trouble? Isn't there anyone in this world who can do the hot air balloon experiment for you?"

"That's right, Dad. Anyway, there are so many Taoist priests who have committed crimes. It costs a lot to test them with weapons. Why can't we let them go now that the hot air balloon is ready? What should we do if something happens to you? My daughter still wants you to name my unborn grandchild in the future."

"Dad, my elder brother and second sister have said this, why are you so stubborn? Cui'er and I will be married soon. If something happens to you, Cui'er will not even have anyone to serve tea to?
How will the folks back home view us?"

Facing the dissuasion from his two sons and one daughter, the firmness on Tao Chengdao's old face remained unchanged.

It seemed that no one could persuade him.

Tao Chengdao met the gazes of several people, and finally looked at his eldest son and said:
"Xuan'er, Dad knows that you are the eldest brother. If Dad leaves and there is no turning back, then you will have to watch Dad die. According to the books you read, this is disloyal and unfilial.

But you have to know that after death, people are either heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather. Some people come to this world, and they are gone when they come, and they are gone when they die. No one in this world will record them, and no one will remember what great deeds they have done before and after their death.

Now my father has gained fame and fortune during his lifetime, and has been favored by His Majesty. His name has been registered among the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty, and he can also hold important positions in the six ministries, which can be regarded as a glory to the family.

As my children, as long as you do not do evil and live a life of extravagance and debauchery in the future, I believe that the descendants of the Tao family will be able to live a better life than others.

As a father, I am now almost sixty years old. The ancients said that at fifty, one knows the will of heaven. Now is the time for me to face my will.

The hot air balloon is about to take off. As the chief designer of this event, Dad cannot let a criminal do it. If anyone were to ask who is the first person in the world to fly, Dad believes that only he can be the one.

Dad hopes that he can leave his name in history, and let the history books of later generations record that "Wanhu Hou is the first person in the world to fly."

Besides, Dad is old now. If I don’t do something, I don’t know when I can go see your mother.”

Marquis Wanhu patted his son, Tao Sunxuan, on the shoulder.

Tao Chengdao's eldest son was already crying and trembling in his heart.

He knew his father's dream very well, and thought he was prepared to face a situation like today.

But Tao Sunxuan still felt unhappy when he had to watch his father go to heaven.

"Okay, come with dad to pay respect to your mother. It's time for me to leave, otherwise Lord Yang and the Second Prince will have to wait for a long time."

Under the leadership of Tao Chengdao, his three descendants followed him to pay homage to the plaque of his deceased wife that was placed inside the house.

After it was over, the three of them watched Tao Chengdao leave the room.

The eldest son Tao Sunxuan thought about it, then took a step forward to catch up, and the rest of his brothers and sisters did the same.

They didn't want to miss out on seeing their father's last great feat.

On the way to the testing ground, Zhu Chong stood in front of Tao Chengdao, panting.

"Oh my god! Lao Tao! I was wondering where the hell you were going, and it turns out you're right here. Hurry up and change your clothes and follow me!"

Zhu Chong took Tao Chengdao to the place where he could change clothes without saying a word.

The chance of danger appearing when a hot air balloon is launched is actually quite high, not to mention that this is the first time a hot air balloon has been launched in the Ming Dynasty, so no one can be sure it is 100% safe.

(End of this chapter)