Jingzhou, city of Jiangling.
On the streets and by the docks, carriages and ships passed in an endless stream, punctuated by the cries of merchants haggling and the sharp calls of brothel madams luring customers. Yet, compared to the shouts and dice rolls within the gambling dens, these sounds seemed insignificant.
Wherever Gan Ning went with his entourage, the gambling house was always his first destination!
Win or lose, they would typically play through the entire night.
Of course, with Gan Ning’s imposing cloak and the chilling glint of his "fish fork," the gambling house proprietors would never dare to cheat him.
Even without cheating, the mere application of skill in gambling was enough for Gan Ning to lose a substantial amount.
Gambling… once one touched it, it was often nine losses out of ten.
"Roll, roll, roll…"
"Ah…"
"Damn, I've got the worst luck today!"
Gan Ning slammed his fist heavily onto the gambling table. He had lost again.
His gambling skills were far from exceptional; he was the type to be bad yet love playing.
It was said that in his earlier days, when he was a pirate in Ba Commandery, Shu, he was known as the "Brocade Sail Bandit."
Later, Gan Ning felt that being a pirate wasn't a sustainable path. He was frequently hunted by the authorities, and many of his brothers had died.
He began to ponder, deciding he needed to become an official.
Only then could he earn money while also ensuring the safety of his brothers.
Thus, he began to study…
Indeed, pirates were not as fearsome as pirates who were educated!
To his surprise, he did become an official, starting as a "Ji Yuan" and gradually rising to the position of "Jun Cheng" in Shu, holding a rank of six hundred piculs. He was a minor official, neither too significant nor too insignificant!
But in the first year of Xingping, the year Cao Cao attacked Tao Qian to avenge his father!
Liu Yan perished, and his son Liu Zhang took control of Yi Province. Liu Zhang, however, had always taken a disliking to Gan Ning.
While serving as an official, he permitted his subordinates to collect "toll fees" on the waterways. Had he been more discreet, Liu Zhang might have turned a blind eye. But no… this Gan Ning, Gan Xingba, was an ostentatious fellow!
Every outing involved luxurious carriages or grand brocade sail ships, and he wore robes of silk and satin… more lavish than Liu Zhang himself, practically parading through the streets.
Consequently, Liu Zhang ordered the encirclement of Gan Ning's water stronghold… to cut off his source of wealth!
Gan Ning could tolerate it no longer and gathered his brothers to rebel against Liu Zhang.
Alas… sea bandits! While they might have some combat effectiveness on land, in the mountainous terrain of Yi Province, he truly couldn't contend with the Yi Province soldiers. He was defeated by Liu Zhang's forces, leaving only a little over eight hundred men. Gan Ning led them to surrender to Liu Biao.
Along the way, pursued by enemy troops, fewer than half of the eight hundred brothers survived.
Upon arriving at Liu Biao's command, this habit of parading himself still didn't sit well with Liu Biao. Thus, he was assigned to Huang Zu, and these few hundred pirates joined Huang family's navy.
Just six months prior, Sun Quan and Zhou Yu led their army to attack Huang Zu. It was Gan Ning who provided rear guard, allowing Huang Zu to escape death multiple times. Even… Gan Ning shot his bow and killed Sun Quan's renowned general, Ling Cao!
But… fatefully… Huang Zu feared Gan Ning!
He still did not grant him significant positions, so… Gan Ning slipped away, returning to his life as a pirate. He began collecting tolls in the waters near Jiangling, eating meat heartily and drinking wine from large bowls!
After a successful venture, he would lead his brothers to gamble.
Simply put, he had completely resigned himself to fate, opting to "lie flat"!
And Huang Zu, having lost such a formidable general like Gan Ning, was no match for Sun Quan and was captured directly… the entire Huang family navy was left leaderless. Had the eldest son, Liu Qi, not arrived, the commandery of Jiangxia might have fallen to Jiangdong.
At this moment…
Inside the bustling, clamorous gambling house, a refined young gentleman sat in a corner, his mind reviewing everything related to Gan Ning, Gan Xingba.
He was Yang Xiu, and he had come with only one mission: to win over Gan Ning!
Of course…
This mission seemed not to be an easy one.
"Ahem…"
Clearing his throat, having considered the matter sufficiently, Yang Xiu cleared his throat. He deliberately walked to Gan Ning's side, watching him gamble, and then recited aloud, "I urge you, sir, to shun gambling, gambling is a treacherous mire. It sinks you, capsizes your boat, and scatters your family and wife!"
"I urge you, sir, not to boast of gambling prowess. Fortune from gambling is improper; win too little, steal and rob, and the empire will condemn you to prison!"
As Yang Xiu recited this.
"Clang!"
A crisp sound echoed. As the dice cup was revealed, Gan Ning's expression changed drastically.
"Lost! Damn it, what rotten luck…"
Clearly, he was enraged. He had lost heavily in this round and immediately turned around, gripping Yang Xiu by the chest and lifting him bodily.
"Are you cursing me?"
"Heh heh…" Yang Xiu seemed to have anticipated this. He merely let out a cold laugh and waved his hand. "I'm just speaking the truth. Nine out of ten bets are losses. If you continue gambling like this, all your money will be wasted!"
"Hmph! You jinx!" Gan Ning clenched his fist, and it looked as if he were about to strike.
It was no exaggeration to say that one punch would be enough to take half of Yang Xiu's life!
Yang Xiu remained unhurried…
He knew very well that Master Lu's letter mentioned, "Zhang Wenyuan in the north, Gan Xingba in the south." This man was comparable to Zhang Liao, who had swept through Wuhuan Dragon City.
He, Yang Xiu, must make an "impressionable" entrance to get acquainted with him!
For someone like this, acting like a sycophant would be utterly useless!
"You don't believe what I'm saying? Very well… let's make a bet! If I can't clean out the money in your pocket, then I'll be a jinx, and you can punch me in the face then."
Heh…
Upon hearing this, Gan Ning chuckled.
"Come on, I'll bet with you today. If you lose, I'll take your head and your money!"
Saying this, Gan Ning put Yang Xiu down.
"Ahem…"
Yang Xiu coughed a few times, but his mouth remained defiant. "I accept your challenge!"
…
…
On the outskirts of Luoyang City, in an open space.
A giant balloon was still being inflated, growing larger and larger… Black smoke billowed from the brazier beneath the hot air balloon.
The balloon also showed signs of rising.
However… the pulling sensation was still not strong enough.
"This time seems about right!"
Cao Mu observed clearly. "This is the greatest buoyancy we've achieved so far… it seems the animal hides used this time are quite effective."
That's right…
As Cao Mu stated, to make the hot air balloon ascend, the key was the airtightness of the spherical membrane, that is, to absolutely seal the hot air within.
Ancient times were different from modern times; it was impossible to add an air-supplying device inside the sphere. Therefore… the airtightness of the membrane was exceptionally crucial.
Zhuge Jun and Liu Ye, after several discussions, decided to try using animal hides.
At least, the results appeared to be good so far…
Unexpectedly… just then.
"Far from enough!"
Liu Ye and Zhuge Jun exclaimed in unison…
Indeed, the more they delved into hot air balloons, the more intuitively they could feel the level of buoyancy required to fly!
In the opinion of Liu Ye and Zhuge Jun, the current buoyancy was far from sufficient…
Even if it could forcibly lift off, it would quickly descend due to the loss of hot air…
After all, this was not child's play in the sky; even the slightest error could cost the lives of those in the wicker basket!
Hoo…
Liu Ye sighed deeply.
He was, in fact, a renowned master craftsman of the Great Wei. In the past… he could manufacture the "Thunderbolt Chariot" after just one viewing of Lu Yu's design.
But… this hot air balloon had presented a significant challenge.
"The airtightness of the animal hides is good enough, but we don't have such large animal hides…" Liu Ye lamented. "The hides need to be sewn together, and even then, there are still leaks… but…"
Liu Ye shook his head. "We can't possibly slaughter the elephant in the Imperial Academy! Perhaps only the elephant's hide is large enough to cover the entire sphere."
"We absolutely cannot kill the elephant!" Zhuge Jun immediately replied. "Firstly, the elephant was a tribute from Jiangdong. Killing it would provoke conflict between the Great Wei and the Sun clan of Jiangdong, potentially leading to a series of consequences. Secondly, there is only one elephant. We need to produce many hot air balloons, and one elephant simply won't suffice."
As soon as Zhuge Jun finished speaking.
Cao Mu pouted her lips. "I don't think the elephant's hide would be enough to cover this sphere either! The required membrane for this sphere is too large…"
"Alas…"
Zhuge Jun and Liu Ye sighed in unison.
Just then…
A childish voice came from behind them.
"Why not try 'raw lacquer'?"
Hmm…
As this voice sounded, Zhuge Jun, Liu Ye, and Cao Mu all turned their heads, following the sound…
But there was no one behind them!
At that moment, the childish voice spoke again.
"The 'Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Merchants' mentions that raw lacquer is the sap that flows from the wounds of the lacquer tree, made from the tree's resin. Laccol polymerizes into a film in damp, shaded conditions, and after drying, it is not prone to cracking… If we coat the animal hides with a layer of raw lacquer, perhaps it can solve the problem of the sphere's membrane airtightness!"
As this voice spoke…
Zhuge Jun, Liu Ye, and Cao Mu lowered their gaze and finally noticed… the speaker was a small child, only about seven or eight years old!
Zhuge Jun remembered that this child was from Maoling, Fufeng. His family had moved to the Central Plains during the great drought in Sanfu. It was precisely because of this that their family was extremely poor!
But coincidentally…
This boy possessed an almost "heaven-defying" talent in woodworking among the "hundred crafts."
Normally, a workshop would not accept such a young "craftsman," but Zhuge Jun had merely demonstrated the loading of the "Zhuge Repeating Crossbow" to him, and the boy was able to independently disassemble and reload it!
He even proposed several new methods…
That could prevent the mechanisms of the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow from jamming!
Zhuge Jun was astonished at the time. He decisively broke the rules and allowed the young boy into the workshop, offering him generous compensation.
Afterward…
Zhuge Jun began to focus on the hot air balloon and couldn't pay attention to the boy anymore!
But who would have thought… that this little boy would once again offer a viable suggestion!
Raw lacquer?
Raw lacquer could indeed reinforce the hides. How… how could he, Zhuge Jun, have not thought of it?
"This little fellow is…"
Evidently… Liu Ye was also incredibly surprised that such a practical method as using raw lacquer came from the mouth of a child.
"Uncle Liu, his name is Ma Jun. He is from Maoling, Fufeng, and is the youngest craftsman recruited by our workshop."
Zhuge Jun quickly introduced him…
Oh… Liu Ye patted the young Ma Jun's head, marveling. "Perhaps the primary credit for the hot air balloon's ascent will go to this young craftsman – Ma Jun!"
Gently stroking his forehead, Liu Ye crouched down. "Little fellow, would you dare to help us figure out how to make this balloon fly?"
Upon hearing this…
Ma Jun's eyes flickered. "It's actually not difficult. Since fire can make an egg fly, then… as long as the brazier has sufficient fuel, and the balloon's membrane is sealed, it will surely fly!"
Heh…
Everyone looked at this young genius with a mixture of surprise and joy.
"May your words prove true…" Liu Ye instinctively recited, and for some inexplicable reason, because of this young Ma Jun's words, he suddenly felt boundless confidence!
Raw lacquer?
Was "raw lacquer" the final piece of the puzzle for the hot air balloon's ascent?
…
…
"Clatter, clatter, clatter…"
The sound of dice rolling continued unabated in the gambling house.
"It's your turn to bet." Yang Xiu gestured with his hand…
Gan Ning poured all the money from his pouch onto the table. "I have plenty of money, just don't fall behind!"
Heh heh…
Hearing this, Yang Xiu chuckled. He felt… Gan Ning had no idea how much money Master Lu possessed, nor the unlimited military funds supported by the Directorate of Military Affairs.
"Coincidentally, I also have plenty of money!"
"Here…"
Yang Xiu reached out, and immediately, several trusted intelligence officers handed him a large sack of gold.
Yang Xiu generously tossed the gold onto the gambling table.
It was pure gold, gleaming brightly, not like brass alloys. Even a single piece was enough for a family of five to live on for a year.
And this single sack of gold was likely equivalent to all the chips on the entire table.
Even Gan Ning felt a pinch in his pocket…
He muttered to himself, "I've encountered a 'young lord' today!"
Of course… he harbored some suspicion, what was this kid's intention? He said, "I urge you, sir, to shun gambling," but then he gambled so heavily! Damn it!
"Don't dilly-dally, are you gambling or not!"
Yang Xiu arrogantly crossed his legs…
Of course, this sitting posture was considered very impolite, as the standard sitting posture in the Han Dynasty was kneeling. This was because… men and women in the Han Dynasty did not wear underwear.
And… the Confucian robes and ru skirts of the Han Dynasty did not fully cover the inner thighs, hence… an uninhibited leg-crossing like Yang Xiu's made his crotch almost entirely visible!
Of course…
The gambling house was filled with men, and this could also be interpreted as his disdain for Gan Ning!
He intended to attract Gan Ning's attention in this manner!
"By the way…"
Seeing Gan Ning ponder, Yang Xiu placed his hand on his chin. "You don't have that much money? Can't keep up?"
As these words were spoken…
Gan Ning became somewhat angry, and the younger brothers beside him became even angrier.
"Who can't keep up!"
"Here, brother, use mine!"
"I have some too…"
"I just won quite a bit, give it all to brother!"
Pooling their resources, they managed to gather chips almost equivalent to both sides.
"Hmph…"
Gan Ning pushed all the chips onto the gambling table. "Kid, gambling this big, you must have some skills! Since you have skills, let's not rely on luck, but on skill, how about it?"
Gan Ning held the dice cup and placed six dice inside. His intention was clear: it was a game of comparing numbers, one hand to decide the winner!
It was said…
Gan Ning rarely played like this; he preferred the pure gamble of luck.
And now… they were gambling on skill, ability, and dice-throwing technique… One must know that there are many techniques in shaking dice; experienced players can always shake large numbers!
Of course, this was not cheating… it was pure gambling skill!
"Compare numbers?"
Yang Xiu's expression was calm, his eyes as placid as a tranquil lake, undisturbed.
"What? Scared?" Gan Ning's eyes narrowed into slits. "If you're scared, you set the rules, and I'll play along!"
"As you wish, compare numbers!" Yang Xiu said with a smile. "I don't believe that with six dice? You want to defeat me instantly?"
"Bold and straightforward…"
With Gan Ning's declaration.
"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang…"
He began to shake the dice cup, his robust fingers pressing down firmly on the cup as the dice rattled within, making a sound that was both subtle and intense.
Indeed, this sound carried a sense of pressure!
Thud…
As the dice cup was placed down, Gan Ning was filled with confidence. He felt great!
He might not be skilled in other areas, but the Brocade Sail Bandit had never lost to anyone in the art of shaking dice!
"Your turn!"
A proud and cold voice emanated from Gan Ning's lips.
The pressure was now on Yang Xiu's side…
…
…