xymnovel Chapter 110 Eyes of the Sky: Hot Air Balloon Scouts
Chapter 110 Eyes of the Sky: Hot Air Balloon Scouts
Within three months of the "Flying Pigeon" brand bicycles entering mass production, Xianyang had been transformed. Every morning, tens of thousands of workers rode their bicycles to factories in all directions, the jingling of bells creating a spectacular scene. Meng Tian even established a "bicycle rapid reaction force" within the border troops, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day, moving like the wind. When Xiongnu scouts saw the Qin army galloping along on two wheels, they thought they had seen a ghost.
But what troubles Ying Zheng right now is not the wheels, but his eyes.
In the study of Xianyang Palace, Ying Zheng unfolded a huge map of Guanzhong, his brow furrowed. The map was densely marked with mountains, rivers, cities, and villages, but the lines were crooked and disproportionate; in some places, the mountains were drawn larger than the cities, and some rivers were drawn with varying lengths.
"Meng Tian's report says that 300 hectares of new military farmland have been established in Beidi Commandery." Ying Zheng pointed to a blurry area on the map, "But I can't even find this piece of land on this map. Li Si, is this the quality of the maps drawn by the Ministry of Works?"
Li Si bowed and said, "Your Majesty, drawing maps has always been a difficult task. Surveyors must traverse mountains and ford rivers, measuring by foot and estimating by sight. Errors are inevitable."
"Error?" Ying Zheng sneered. "Meng Tian reported three hundred qing, but you can't see thirty qing on the map. That's an error? That's blatant blindness!"
"Your Majesty, this is a matter of perspective," Little G's voice rang out. "Measuring from the ground only allows you to see a part of the scene. To create an accurate bird's-eye view, you need to—stand higher."
"Stand even higher?" Ying Zheng was taken aback. "You mean...climb to the top of the mountain?"
[The mountaintop isn't enough.] Little G Road, [What you need is—to fly.]
The hall was deathly silent. Li Si's eyes widened, and Ying Zheng was also stunned.
"Fly?" Ying Zheng repeated, "How can a person fly?"
"A hot air balloon," Little G explained. "A huge airbag is made of silk fabric, with an opening at the bottom and a brazier inside. Heated air is lighter than cold air, so the airbag floats, lifting the basket below. Standing in the basket, one can ascend hundreds of feet into the air and look down at the earth."
Ying Zheng's pupils contracted slightly. Flying into the sky... overlooking the earth... if that were truly possible, wouldn't the surveying matter be easily resolved?
"Can this hot air balloon really be built?"
The principle is simple, and the materials are readily available: silk cloth, rattan, and a brazier will suffice. The key is controlling the heat and wind direction. For the first test flight, it is recommended to choose a calm or lightly windy early morning.
Ying Zheng abruptly stood up: "Summon Wang Jianguo and Zhao Gao! Begin researching and developing it immediately!"
Inside the Shaofu workshop, Zhao Gao's lips twitched as he looked at the design drawings handed to him by Wang Jianguo.
"Mr. Wang, you mean...you put someone in a big cloth bag, light a fire underneath, and then...then they float up?"
"Exactly." Wang Jianguo adjusted his glasses. "Hot air is less dense than cold air, which creates buoyancy. As long as the airbag is large enough, the buoyancy can overcome the weight of the basket and the person."
Zhao Gao swallowed hard: "Then... what if the fire goes out?"
"It will descend slowly."
"What if the wind is too strong and it blows you away?"
"Therefore, test flights should be conducted in calm weather."
"What if..." Zhao Ya lowered his voice, "what if the cloth bag catches fire?"
Wang Jianguo paused for a moment: "Then it will... land very quickly. Very quickly."
Zhao Gao's face paled slightly. He looked up at the enormous airbag being sewn—it was a full three zhang tall, made of the finest Shu brocade, and starched with fire-retardant alum. It had taken more than a dozen embroiderers half a month to finish sewing this "flying cloth bag." But no matter how Zhao Gao looked at it, it seemed to him like a… grave mound.
"Prefect Zhao," Wang Jianguo said, "His Majesty has ordered that the maiden flight be completed within half a month. You are in charge of supervising the construction, and I am in charge of the underlying principles. We will each perform our duties."
"Mr. Wang," Zhao Gao said with a bitter face, "who's going to fly on this first flight?"
"His Majesty has called out a name," Wang Jianguo said calmly, "Xiang Yu."
Zhao Gao was taken aback, then breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a feeling of sympathy. Xiang Yu, that hothead, was brave as he was, but this matter of flying... if something went wrong, he would truly be "dying before achieving his goal."
"Fine," Zhao Gao muttered. "He's bold anyway. If it were me, I wouldn't go up there even if you killed me."
Xiang Yu stood on the open ground of the Shaofu, looking up at the enormous thing, and remained silent for a long time.
The airbag was inflated, gleaming a pale golden light in the morning glow. The basket, woven from rattan, contained a brazier, spare charcoal, and a bundle of ropes. Wang Jianguo was conducting final checks, muttering to himself, "Buoyancy calculations...self-weight...load capacity...theoretically, it can rise to two hundred zhang..."
"Mr. Wang," Xiang Yu suddenly spoke, "you said this thing can fly because... hot air is lighter than cold air?"
"Exactly." Wang Jianguo nodded. "Gas expands when heated, decreasing in density. A given volume of hot air is lighter than cold air, so it rises."
Xiang Yu stared intently at the enormous air sac, his gaze profound: "I used to think that only birds could fly because they had wings. I never imagined that by simply heating up a bag of air, humans could also ascend to the heavens."
"That's the beauty of physics," Wang Jianguo said. "Everything operates according to certain laws. Once you grasp those laws, you can turn the impossible into the possible."
Xiang Yu was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Mr. Wang, if I survive this ordeal, I will attend all the classes at the Academy of Natural Sciences."
Wang Jianguo was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "General Xiang, you flatter us. We have made thorough preparations for this test flight. It will be windless, at low altitude, and short. As long as we operate according to the procedures, there will be no danger."
"Regulations?" Xiang Yu stepped into the hanging basket. "What regulations?"
"First, maintain a moderate heat level; excessive heat can damage the airbags. Second, in case of an emergency, pull this rope to release some heat and slow the ascent. Third, do not panic; land smoothly."
Xiang Yu nodded and stood in the basket. The brazier was already lit, and hot air rushed into the airbag, causing the entire device to tremble slightly. Wang Jianguo and the craftsmen loosened the cables, and the hot air balloon slowly lifted off the ground.
One foot. Two feet. Ten feet. Twenty feet.
Xiang Yu clung to the edge of the hanging basket, looking down. The people on the ground grew smaller and smaller, the houses became squares, and the streets became thin lines. The wind whistled past his ears, carrying a slight chill. He looked up, and the sky seemed closer, the clouds almost within reach.
"This is...the feeling of flying," Xiang Yu murmured. "Without wings, yet I've ascended to the heavens. Physics...truly magnificent."
He suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the air. Wang Jianguo on the ground breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed General Xiang was adapting well.
Just then, a crosswind struck. The hot air balloon swayed slightly and began to drift eastward.
---
## IV. Uninvited Guests on the Trees of the Imperial Ancestral Temple
The wind grew stronger. Xiang Yu gripped the rope, trying to control the direction, but hot air balloons—they had no direction at all. Where they flew depended entirely on which way the wind was blowing.
"Mr. Wang!" Xiang Yu shouted down, "The wind is getting strong! I'm drifting eastward!"
Wang Jianguo ran after it on the ground, but how could human legs keep up with the wind? In the blink of an eye, the hot air balloon floated over the Shaofu, over the streets, and over most of Xianyang City.
"Quick! Send someone to follow it!" Wang Jianguo urged, "See where it landed!"
The imperial guards, palace servants, and commoners all looked up, dumbfounded, as the enormous "cloth bag" floated overhead. Some exclaimed "A miracle!", some knelt and kowtowed, and others ran to report to His Majesty.
Ying Zheng stood outside the palace, gazing at the ever-shrinking black dot on the horizon, his face expressionless: "Little G, was this something you expected?"
[...Theoretically, the wind is weaker in the early morning. However, springtime winds in Guanzhong are common, which is considered an uncontrollable factor.]
"Force majeure." Ying Zheng repeated, taking a deep breath. "Order a city-wide search. Find Xiang Yu and that hot air balloon at all costs."
---
The hot air balloon drifted and drifted until it reached the sky above the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Ancient trees and pine and cypress trees surrounded the temple. A gust of wind swept by, and the balloon suddenly sank, the bottom of the basket snapping as it got caught on the branch of a ten-zhang-tall ancient pine tree.
The airbags were still floating, but the basket was stuck. Xiang Yu was hanging in mid-air, neither touching the sky nor the ground, a full five zhang above the ground.
He glanced down. A circle of guards had already gathered under the tree, all craning their necks, unsure of what to do.
"General Xiang!" someone shouted, "Wait here! We'll go get a ladder!"
"A ladder?" Xiang Yu looked at the thick tree trunk, smooth and straight, with almost no branches to climb. "A five-zhang-high ladder? Where are we going to find one?"
"Then...then shall we climb up the tree to pick you up?"
"This tree is ten zhang tall, can you climb it?"
The guards below exchanged bewildered glances. This ancient pine was the "sacred tree" of the Imperial Ancestral Temple; its trunk was so thick that three people could barely encircle it, and its surface was as smooth as a mirror, without even a single scar. Climb it? How?
"General Xiang!" someone shouted again, "Why don't you jump down? We'll catch you below!"
Xiang Yu glanced at the five-zhang height, then at the guards below with their arms outstretched, and sneered, "Can you catch a man weighing two hundred jin like me? If not, we'll all break our arms and legs."
The guards fell silent.
Xiang Yu sighed and sat down in the hanging basket. The charcoal in the brazier was almost burned out, and the air bladder was slowly deflating, but the basket was stuck on a tree branch and wouldn't come down. He tried to shake it, and the branch creaked, startling him so much that he stopped immediately—if the branch broke and the basket fell, it would be all over.
"That's enough." Xiang Yu looked up at the sky. "Let's wait."
---
When the news reached Xianyang Palace, Ying Zheng rubbed his temples after hearing the report.
"It's hanging on a tree in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?"
"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. That ancient pine is ten zhang tall, with a smooth trunk that no one can climb. General Xiang is trapped in a hanging basket five zhang above the ground, unable to go up or down."
"Where's the brazier?"
"The charcoal is almost depleted, and the airbag is gradually deflating. However, the basket is securely anchored, and there is no immediate risk of it falling."
Ying Zheng was silent for a moment, then said, "Summon Wang Jianguo. Tell him to find a way to bring the man down."
"Your Majesty," the eunuch said cautiously, "Mr. Wang said... we need to wait until dawn tomorrow to build a long ladder, or use ropes to lower it from the top of the tree..."
"Tomorrow?" Ying Zheng raised an eyebrow. "Xiang Yu wants to spend the night in a tree?"
"……yes."
Ying Zheng thought for a moment, then suddenly a slight smile appeared on his lips: "Issue an order to send some food and bedding up to Xiang Yu. Use a long pole to carry it up. Also, send men to guard under the tree, just in case."
"only."
"Your Majesty, are you not angry?" Little G asked.
"What's the use of getting angry?" Ying Zheng said calmly. "It's normal for something to go wrong on the first time you fly. Besides, the tree Xiang Yu hung himself on was in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The Imperial Ancestral Temple is a very important place for the imperial family. By hanging himself there, he was essentially 'standing guard' for the ancestors all night. It will become a good story."
"Your Majesty, your mindset is truly magnanimous."
"I wouldn't call it magnanimity," Ying Zheng said. "It's just that I find it amusing that Xiang Yu, who's usually fearless, is hanging from a tree and too scared to come down. I'll go see him myself first thing tomorrow morning."
---
Night fell. Torches were lit around the ancestral temple, illuminating the ancient pine tree. Xiang Yu sat in a hanging basket, wrapped in a thin blanket carried up by his guards on a long pole, holding a pottery jar containing hot soup and flatbread.
He took a bite of the pancake and gazed at the distant city of Xianyang. Countless lights twinkled, presenting a completely different scene from his vantage point five zhang high. The direction of the streets, the layout of the markets, the location of the palaces… all were clearly visible.
Suddenly, Xiang Yu had an idea. He took out a piece of charcoal from his pocket—which he had picked up from the brazier—and tore off a piece of his clothing. By the moonlight, he began to sketch. Where was the East Market? Where was the West Market? Where was the palace? Where was the ancestral temple? He meticulously drew everything he saw onto the cloth.
As he drew, he suddenly smiled. Hanging it on this tree wasn't entirely useless. At least, it offered a perspective that could never be obtained from the ground. If he flew over it several times, looking down from different angles, and pieced it together, wouldn't he be able to get a true "bird's-eye view"?
Nothing was said that night. Xiang Yu painted for half the night and slept for the other half. The next morning, Wang Jianguo and his craftsmen erected a long ladder and finally brought the man down.
When Xiang Yu landed, his legs were numb, but he clutched the piece of cloth tightly in his hand. He unfolded it and showed it to Wang Jianguo: "Mr. Wang, look. This is what I saw from the tree last night. If we fly a few more times, once from each of the four cardinal directions, and piece these images together..."
Wang Jianguo took the piece of cloth, his eyes lighting up: "General Xiang, this is... a measured aerial view?"
"Exactly," Xiang Yu said. "We can't let it go to waste after hanging it all night. Although this map is crude, its orientation and proportions are far superior to what we draw on the ground."
Wang Jianguo's hands trembled with excitement: "His Majesty would be overjoyed if he knew! General Xiang, you've turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise!"
---
When Ying Zheng personally visited the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Xiang Yu was squatting under a tree, drinking a bowl of hot porridge. Upon seeing His Majesty's arrival, he quickly rose and bowed.
"No need," Ying Zheng waved his hand. "How was your sleep in the tree?"
Xiang Yu grinned: "Your Majesty, it's alright. It's just that the wind is strong at night, and it's a bit cold."
"Cold?" Ying Zheng smiled faintly. "I heard you hung there all night, too afraid to come down?"
Xiang Yu blushed: "It's not that I dare not, but that I cannot. The branches are smooth, offering no foothold. If I were to force my way up, and were to slip, wouldn't that be even more dangerous?"
"That makes sense." Ying Zheng nodded, then suddenly said, "Where's that piece of cloth? Let me see it."
Xiang Yu presented the cloth piece drawn the previous night. Ying Zheng unfolded it and examined it closely. He saw that the outline of Xianyang City was drawn on it with charcoal sticks—streets, markets, palaces, and the ancestral temple, all clearly positioned and roughly proportioned. Although crude, it was far superior to the "blind" drawings produced by the Ministry of Works.
"Excellent," Ying Zheng praised. "Hanging upside down on the tree all night, it has revealed its secrets. Xiang Yu, I will accept your map. I will have Wang Jianguo fly it several times, taking views from all directions, to piece together a complete bird's-eye view of Guanzhong."
"I obey your orders."
Ying Zheng looked at the ancient pine tree again; the marks from the hanging basket still lingered on its trunk. He suddenly said, "From now on, let's call this tree 'General Xiang's Basket-Hanging Pine.' It'll be a keepsake."
Xiang Yu: "...Your Majesty, this name..."
"What's wrong? Is that not appropriate?"
"Alright, alright," Xiang Yuqian laughed, "It just sounds... a bit like he's scolding me."
Ying Zheng's lips curled slightly: "Of all the officials in the court, only you could draw a picture after hanging it on a tree all night. This is a commendation."
"Your Majesty, Xiang Yu's actions have unintentionally pioneered aerial surveying," Little G said. "I suggest establishing a dedicated 'hot air balloon surveying team' to regularly take to the skies and update maps. This will benefit military, urban construction, and agricultural planning."
"Approved," Ying Zheng said. "Let Wang Jianguo be in charge of the formation. Xiang Yu will be the captain—he's experienced and resourceful. He could still think about drawing plans after hanging them on a tree all night; that kind of dedication is rare."
Upon hearing this, Xiang Yu was unsure whether to be pleased or worried. He was pleased to receive the Emperor's praise, but worried... wouldn't this "hot air balloon surveying team" leader be frequently up in the air? What if he got caught in a tree again...?
"Your Majesty," Xiang Yu said cautiously, "I have a request that I cannot make."
"speak."
"For the next test flight, could you... choose a spot without trees?"
Ying Zheng laughed heartily. Li Si and the guards around him couldn't help but chuckle as well. In the morning light, this "condolence" in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple ended amidst laughter.
Half a month later, Wang Jianguo's improved hot air balloon took to the sky again. This time, he chose the open fields west of the city, where there wasn't a single tall tree for miles around. Xiang Yu stood in the basket, with charcoal sticks and cloth in his arms, a safety rope tied around his waist, his face showing a look of resignation to his fate.
"General Xiang, don't worry," Wang Jianguo shouted from below. "This time we'll use ropes to secure it, raising it only fifty zhang (approximately 150 meters) at a time, so it won't drift with the wind!"
The hot air balloon's cables were firmly held by dozens of craftsmen, and it slowly rose. Fifty zhang, eighty zhang, one hundred zhang... Xianyang City grew smaller and smaller beneath their feet, the Wei River like a ribbon, and Mount Li like a hill. Xiang Yu took a deep breath and began to sketch.
They flew east once, west once, south once, and north once. Four flights, four sketches. Wang Jianguo, along with students from the Institute of Natural Sciences, pieced together, corrected, and refined the four sketches, and after a month, finally completed the "Bird's-eye View of Guanzhong in the Qin Dynasty".
When Ying Zheng unfolded the map, he remained silent for a long time. On the map, the outline of Xianyang City was clearly discernible, the course of the Wei and Jing Rivers was accurate, and the locations of Mount Li and Zhongnan were precisely correct. This was the most accurate map ever created in the history of the Qin Dynasty.
"Very well," Ying Zheng said slowly, "With this map in hand, my eyes have truly reached the heavens."
"Your Majesty, the value of hot air balloons extends far beyond surveying," Little G said. "In the future, they can be used for military reconnaissance, meteorological observation, and even... sightseeing. Of course, that's a story for another time."
"Military reconnaissance..." Ying Zheng mused. "If this device were deployed at the border, wouldn't the movements of the Xiongnu be completely transparent?"
[Exactly. From this vantage point, the view is expansive. The enemy's deployment and movements are clearly visible. As the ancients said, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." This hot air balloon is precisely the weapon for 'knowing the enemy.']
Ying Zheng nodded and slowly rolled up the map: "Order Meng Tian to send him two hot air balloons. Equip his 'bicycle rapid reaction force' with 'eyes in the sky.' If the Xiongnu dare to invade again, I will make sure they have nowhere to hide."
"only."