The remaining diesel burned for a full half hour, during which Chai Shao and the others dangled in the sky.
As the flames grew weaker and the hot air balloon slowly drifted down from the sky, the three old men's lips had turned a bruised blue.
It was the end of October, and when Fang Er woke up that morning, he found ice on the water basin in the courtyard.
One could imagine how thrilling the experience was for the three of them now.
Dada, dadadada.
Brother, give, give me, find, find me some clothes.
Cheng Yaojin shivered as he approached Fang Er, his teeth chattering.
If it were on flat ground, he could tolerate some cold, but being two hundred meters in the air, he dared not even make large movements.
None of the three knew how to operate the diesel burner, fearing that a malfunction would smash them into a pulp.
Staying motionless up there for half an hour, Fang Er thought the experience sounded truly exhilarating.
Someone was sent to find clothes for the three of them.
Li Shimin gave Fang Er a few instructions, such as not to reveal the secret of the hot air balloon and not to launch it near Chang'an City.
After that, he left with Cheng Yaojin and Li Jing.
The hot air balloon and parachute were successful.
Zhao Gang and the others, who had been watching from the sidelines, were also very excited. To be able to fly with human power was an incredible feat.
Back at the vocational school, Fang Er asked Zhao Gang and the others to build more hot air balloons.
He himself retreated into his room to improve firearms.
The Heavenly Fire Army always faced enemies several times, even tens of times, their own number.
The Yun Yi-type was a muzzle-loading flintlock, and reloading took too long, no longer meeting the demand.
And the mainstream domestic rifles of World War II were none other than the Zhong Zheng-type.
The Zhong Zheng-type rifle-carbine was the Chinese version of the German Standard Model Mauser rifle, using 7.92mm pointed Mauser rifle cartridges.
Its official designation was the Zhong Zheng-type rifle-carbine. It was first produced by the Gongxian Arsenal in 1935 to replace the Hanyang Type 88 rifles equipped by the National Revolutionary Army, and it got its name from "Niang Xipi."
From a production standpoint, the Zhong Zheng-type rifle-carbine was China's first standardized rifle in modern times.
Therefore, it became Fang Er's first choice.
With the Big Black Star and Dragon Tooth sniper rifles already in existence, the Zhong Zheng-type was merely a matter of course for Fang Er.
The reason for not replacing the Yun Yi-type with the Zhong Zheng-type earlier was mainly due to the limited production of primers.
This time, Fang Er planned to conscript over a thousand Taoist priests under Yuan Tiangang to produce primers for him.
For these individuals dedicated to comprehending celestial texts, the "Palm Thunder" previously used by Old Master Yuan would undoubtedly be of great appeal.
As for the caliber of the Zhong Zheng-type, Fang Er set it at 8 millimeters, with bullets using a copper jacket over a steel core.
The propellant would use nitrocellulose instead of black powder, allowing for more complete combustion and greater power.
The manufacturing of the gun body posed no difficulty for Fang Er, but nitrocellulose required extreme caution.
Fang Er directly took a bag of cotton to the Taoist temple.
Well, it's better to sacrifice a fellow Taoist than a poor monk, I'm just that smart.
When he arrived at the temple, Yuan Tiangang, with a head of hair that had just started to grow out, grey and white, was explaining the production and application of "Palm Thunder" to his juniors.
As he was enthusiastically explaining, someone announced the arrival of the Marquis of Liaodong.
Old Yuan was very excited. Fang Anzhi was truly a good person.
He was willing to share such celestial texts with the Taoist sect for their comprehension, so he must be treated well.
Hahahaha, what wind blew the Marquis of Liaodong here.
Old Yuan came out from inside to greet Fang Er.
Fang Er raised the cloth bag in his hand.
This Marquis wishes to create something and requires the assistance of True Man Yuan.
Yuan Tiangang's face immediately broke into a smile. Listen, "requires assistance" – what a polite term.
Young friend, tell me, this old Taoist will do his best.
Fang Er looked at Yuan Tiangang and asked, "Has True Man Yuan completely deciphered the three acids and two alkalis in that celestial text?"
When Fang Er asked about this, Yuan Tiangang was very proud.
Hahahaha, aren't they sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and sodium carbonate? This old Taoist deciphered them all over a month ago and even produced several barrels of samples.
Quick, quick, quick, this old Taoist will take young friend to see.
Saying that, he pulled Fang Er along into the temple.
In the side room of the main hall of the temple, two young Taoist attendants were guarding. Yuan Tiangang walked up and told them to open the door.
As the door opened, Fang Er followed Yuan Tiangang inside.
The room was not large, only about fifty to sixty square meters. It contained some glass containers, which Fang Er recognized as having been shamelessly "borrowed" by Old Yuan from the previous workshop.
The containers held different liquids, each labeled and corresponding to the three acids and two alkalis, which greatly surprised Fang Er.
This old Taoist truly lived up to his reputation of walking the path of witnessing miracles every day.
"Daoist Master Yuan, this young man needs sulfuric acid and nitric acid. May I ask if Daoist Master can spare them?"
Fang Er pointed to the glass jars and said to Yuan Tiangang.
"No problem, no problem, young friend, take whatever you need."
Fang Er shook his head. "This is not enough, the more the better."
Yuan Tiangang was stunned for a moment. "Is there a significant use for them?"
Fang Er nodded. "This young man intends to use these to create a new type of gunpowder, which will allow firearms and cannons to shoot farther."
Yuan Tiangang slapped his thigh. "No problem, we will go and get them!"
Saying that, he left the room and issued orders to his disciples and grand-disciples.
Upon hearing that it was for Fang Er, Li Chunfeng and the other juniors became as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
They had been staying at Fang Family Village for a long time, comprehending the celestial texts and learning a great deal. Except for the workshop incident last time, they had not had an opportunity to repay Fang Er.
The Taoist sect emphasized cause and effect. If one had a debt of gratitude, it must be repaid, otherwise, their state of mind would be incomplete, which was not conducive to cultivation. Therefore, they were all very happy with Fang Er's主动 request this time.
ps: Fourth update.