The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 474 One small step, one big step
On August 1629th of the first year of the Taichu reign (), at three o'clock in the afternoon, Mao Yuanyi personally ignited a hanging basket filled with coal and oil on the parade ground north of Shenyang. Amid the inhuman screams of the former Qing Emperor Du Du and Grand Secretary Fan Wencai, thick smoke rushed into the giant air bag woven from whale skin and silk on the Kunpeng.

The soft airbag gradually expanded due to the heat, and the Kunpeng hot air balloon was like a stranded sperm whale, struggling to get rid of the land.

Eight strong soldiers held on tightly to the rope at the tail end of the balloon. The huge upward force dragged the soldiers to stagger, and they almost flew away with the wind several times.

More soldiers came forward to reinforce and join in this tug-of-war game between man and nature. Fifteen soldiers tried their best and finally subdued the hot air balloon, ensuring that it would not leave the earth prematurely.

Liu Zhaosun smiled as he looked at the hot air balloon that was trying to break free from gravity. Standing on the parade ground, he waved and said goodbye loudly to Du Du in the hanging basket.

"Goodbye, Aisin-Gioro!"

"Goodbye, my Qing Dynasty."

When the stranded whale's body swelled to its maximum, the rope was loosened, and the whale left the shore and gradually swam towards the horizon.

The onlookers cheered like spring thunder. Under the guidance of the instructors and the high priest, everyone believed that this was a miracle of Emperor Wu Ding. People kept coming from the four gates of Shenyang, pointing at the rising hot air balloon and marveling at it.

The hot air balloon was still slowly rising. At first it was a huge black hill, then it turned into a black shadow the size of a washbasin, and finally turned into a small black dot.

The high priest Francisco looked at the black spot at the other end of the rope and prayed devoutly to the gods, hoping that the God of Zhenwu would bless Dudu and his most loyal servant Fan Wencai, and allow the two Tatars to survive in the extremely cold altitude.

Because the emperor also wanted to use Dudu to make terracotta warriors, or mummies.

~~~~
The oil piled up on the cathedral grounds was ignited, the fire burned fiercely, billowing black smoke rose into the sky, and the people danced around the fire.

Sen Ti trotted to the throne of Emperor Wuding, and showed no fear at all under the cold gaze of Zhang Dong, Pei Dahu and others.

Dongguanzi has had a rough life over the years, but fortunately he has escaped danger and is alive today. He is thin and looks about the same as when he first went to the capital with Yuan Chonghuan in the 47th year of Wanli.

Emperor Wu Ding had built a Loyalty Shrine in Liaodong for Yuan Chonghuan and the deceased soldiers of the Eastern Expedition, and assigned special personnel to guard it. Yuan Chonghuan's ashes were placed in the Taimiao, and his spirit tablet was enshrined in a side hall of the Taimiao of the Great Qi, so that he could "share the joys of the people."

After the imperial army pacifies Lingnan, Yuan Chonghuan's clothes and hat will return to Dongguan Town along with his heroic spirit, returning to his roots.

"Later, please accompany me to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. I want to talk to Yuan Dudu."

Liu Zhaosun looked at Jin Yuji, and a rare hint of tenderness appeared in the cold expression of the retired emperor.

He nodded to Sen Ti and motioned for him to continue.

The instructor immediately raised the exaggerated wooden trumpet, stood on the battlements of the city wall, and announced to the people gathered around, saying that the emperor, out of his grace, had decreed that Liaodong's taxes would be exempted this year, and before the army entered the pass, the sugar and liquor in Shenyang would be adequately guaranteed.

The people cheered, shouting "Long live the army!" Under the New Economic Policy, supplies were extremely limited. Ordinary civilians only received enough food each month to get by, with the rest going to the army. Food and supplies were always prioritized for the army, which was one of the reasons so many civilians rushed to join the army.

What is worrying is not the lack of wealth but the inequality. After countless purges and adjustments, there is no wealth gap among the people under the rule of the empire. Everyone has nothing, and everyone has everything.

Here, there is no political fairy tale of the rich helping the poor. Everyone is the same. They bear the responsibility of the empire and enjoy the protection of the empire.

In these troubled times, being able to survive with dignity is already a rare treasure for many people.

In any case, the haze has passed and people's lives have a direction.

The future of the Great Qi Empire is like the giant whale painted with black paint above everyone's head, soaring in the sky, splashing three thousand miles in the water, and soaring up ninety thousand miles.

The hot air balloon flew for half an hour and finally landed in the southern suburbs of Tieling, fifty or sixty miles away from Shenyang.

Ye Bushou, a general of the Tenth Corps stationed in the southern part of Tieling, discovered the hot air balloon but was afraid to act rashly, so he reported it to the emperor immediately.

Two hours later, Emperor Wu Ding and his entourage rushed to the crash site of the hot air balloon. Fortunately, Du Du was still alive.

The Kunpeng hot air balloon developed under the leadership of Mao Yuanyi was about 800 years later than the ancient resin lamp and did not have any breakthrough in principle. However, Mao Yuanyi tried to develop the hot air balloon into a larger one from the very beginning.

His experiment was a successful step towards manned flight.

Liu Zhaosun personally climbed onto the damaged hot air balloon basket, slashed the chains and ropes on Du Du's body with a knife, and slowly carried the Qing emperor (or to be more precise, the Tatar) back to land.

When Du Du's limp legs stepped off the sampan and touched the land of Liaodong, Emperor Wu Ding smiled and said to everyone:
"That's one small step for Dudu, one giant leap for mankind."

Old Song immediately came forward with a group of imperial doctors to diagnose the body of a passenger who had returned from Yunxiao (Fan Wencai had been frightened to death). After a thorough examination, Old Song reported to the emperor:
"Your Majesty, the Tartar is not seriously injured, it's just here."

The imperial physician pointed at Du Du's head as he spoke.

Liu Zhaosun knew without his reminder that Du Du had been scared into a fool, because when the Qing emperor came down from the hanging basket, there were still coffee-colored ice chips between his legs, emitting a faint fishy smell. This was the thin ice formed by urine condensing at high altitude.

While Old Song and the others were busy, Francisco shrugged his shoulders, came to the side of Emperor Wuding, and said expectantly:
"Your Majesty, since the Tatar is still alive, can you please hand him over to me so I can begin the mummification experiment? I'm worried he might go mad or die inexplicably."

Liu Zhaosun mounted his horse and prepared to return to Shenyang to participate in the sacrificial ceremony for Yuan Chonghuan. He rode on horseback, with his back to the high priest, and ordered in an unquestionable tone:
"The workshop still has several experimental projects waiting for the Great Qing Emperor. I have said that I will make him die, and it must be a glorious death. But before that, he must continue to demonstrate his value."

(End of this chapter)