Here, Lu Bu, bearing thorns, earned a good reputation.
Gan Ning and his pirate brothers gained prestige!
The Long Xiao Battalion finally found a way to improve their naval combat...
Everything unfolded with such logic and order.
Meanwhile, the deep-sea whale hunting process continued to commence. Initially, setting out for five to eight days yielded only one whale. Later, it became two, three, then four!
Clearly...
The combat effectiveness of the Long Xiao Battalion's navy continuously strengthened, and their coordination grew ever more intimate...
After encircling and capturing the ninth whale, they suddenly discovered that this so-called overlord of the seas was not as strong as they had imagined. They were practically routed at the first touch!
Perhaps...
They had become stronger!
If one were to add the new ships continuously supplied by the East Sea Shipyard, the Long Xiao Battalion's practical whale hunting at sea became increasingly frequent and smooth!
For a time, the waters around the East Sea Port became a veritable graveyard for whales!
Concurrently...
As Lu Yu's letter arrived.
Huang Xu specially established many new workshops: some for salting and sun-drying whale meat, some for dividing whale bones, some for researching whale earwax and "poop," and most importantly, the oil mills!
The entire East Sea Commandery...
Suddenly gained hundreds of oil mills overnight.
It was important to note...
While whales were treasures all over, it couldn't be denied that whale meat was not tasty. It was far inferior to large yellow croakers.
Whalebone, when roasted, could be reshaped. After cooling, its form resembled plastic, usable for making corsets, umbrella ribs, fishing rods, and other items!
However, these economic benefits were still too limited.
The greatest economic value of whales lay in oil refining...
This so-called oil refining was incredibly simple, a hundred times easier than the oil mills in Xudu City before. One only needed to prepare large pots, divide the whale blubber, and boil it into oil.
And in ancient times, whale oil was extremely long-burning for lamps and candles!
What was even more frightening was that the largest blue whales could reach two hundred tons. An average pig weighed only a hundred kilograms, so ten pigs made a ton. One blue whale was equivalent to two thousand pigs. Of course, not all whales were blue whales, but even the most common whale, at fifty tons, could equal five hundred pigs!
And...
There was absolutely no need to worry about depleting the resource.
Because considering the maritime capabilities, hunting capacity, and refrigeration capacity of ships in this era... they were far from being able to cause whale endangerment.
Was this immoral?
Not at all!
Under the Little Ice Age, the resources of the Han Dynasty, especially food resources, were already scarce!
It was simply a matter of natural selection, survival of the fittest!
The deep processing of whales had already begun in the entire East Sea Commandery.
Even though Huang Xu had made countless predictions in advance, he still overlooked one point: there weren't enough barrels to store the whale oil. The quantity was too large. Originally, when the Long Xiao Battalion navy brought one or two whales every three to five days, it was manageable.
But as more and more whales were captured...
There was truly a shortage of barrels!
Huang Xu had no choice but to send the long-term workers from the oil mills to borrow barrels from everywhere!
The people of the East Sea Commandery were not foolish.
—They wouldn't lend, they would only sell!
Instantly, the price of barrels soared by more than tenfold.
This was not even the most important thing...
What was most important was that a large number of merchants swarmed into the East Sea Commandery. This place was already bustling with merchants, all attracted by the refined salt and large yellow croakers.
Now, many more were coming for the whale oil!
As a result, the wine shops and inns throughout the East Sea Commandery in Xuzhou were almost fully packed!
A sigh...
Huang Xu naturally witnessed this scene.
But he couldn't bother with anything else. He quickly sent someone to fetch a few spoonfuls of oil, lit a candle, and the wick ignited, illuminating the completely dark room!
Furthermore, after burning for a long time, there was almost no visible consumption of the whale oil.
"As expected... Master Lu was right."
Huang Xu muttered softly.
He then ordered, "Immediately send this whale oil to Luoyang City... to the workshop!"
Looking at the barrels of solidified whale oil piled up in the courtyard, Huang Xu repeatedly instructed...
Compared to here.
In Luoyang City... wouldn't his disciple Zhuge Liang need these more?
...
...
Luoyang City.
Not far from the Baima Marquis's Residence, the School Affairs Office stood as usual, heavily guarded. Elite Long Xiao Battalion soldiers tightly protected the entire office.
Without announcement, not even a bird could enter.
Corresponding to the strict guards standing at the entrance...
Was the tense atmosphere and stern expressions of Lu Yu and Guo Jia in the main hall of the School Affairs Office at this moment.
Guo Jia, who usually wore a relaxed smile, now restrained his mood, his expression sharp and solemn.
"This piece of intelligence from the Espionage Military Division is extremely important. Zi Yu, you must make a swift decision!"
Upon hearing this...
Lu Yu, seated at the head of the table, showed a trace of worry on his face.
Indeed, he had some reservations.
The content of his reservations was naturally this letter from Yang Xiu!
— "For the Esteemed Master's Eyes Only, a Chicken Rib Offered!"
The content stated that Zhuge Liang had already instructed Zhao Yun to contact Lady Cai.
This was a dangerous signal. Lady Cai was currently pregnant with a "bastard child," and her mood was both nervous and sensitive. Perhaps... due to the reputation of the Cai clan, she might yield to Zhuge Liang!
Lu Yu dared not gamble...
And could not gamble!
Seeing Lu Yu remain silent, Guo Jia continued, "If that Zhuge Kongming wants to force Lady Cai to comply, he can, and so can we! Zi Yu, do not hesitate, make a swift decision!"
The repeated urging...
Clearly, in Guo Jia's opinion, the matter had reached a critical juncture.
Even though Zhuge Kongming had instructed Zhao Yun.
Yet... every day that passed, Zhao Yun bore an increased risk of exposure.
It was no exaggeration to say that placing the Dragon Candle in Jing Province was a crucial move, and no problem, big or small, could or dared to occur!
"Feng Xiao, what you say, I understand."
Finally, Lu Yu spoke...
"A confrontation is simple; it only requires a letter for 'Chicken Rib' to complete this task. But... the key issue is not the confrontation itself, but what happens after the confrontation!"
"'After the confrontation?'" Guo Jia retorted...
"Precisely," Lu Yu's tone became a bit more serious. "Feng Xiao, you understand women, and even more so, unrestrained women. Imagine, if you were Lady Cai, when you encountered such a problem, and heard the proposal from 'Chicken Rib,' or rather, the 'threat,' what would you think?"
"I would..." Guo Jia opened his mouth, but the words choked in his throat as if he had swallowed something.
He was an extremely intelligent man...
With Lu Yu's hint, how could he not understand?
"Zi Yu, you are worried that Lady Cai will not believe 'Chicken Rib' and will insist on meeting the King of Wei..."
"Exactly!" Lu Yu nodded. "If it were you, for such a significant matter, not meeting the King of Wei? How could you cooperate with us, especially when this concerns the bloodless acquisition of Jing Province!"
A sigh...
Guo Jia let out a soft breath. The problem was presented: Lady Cai wanted to meet the Prime Minister Wei.
How could this be arranged?
This was not just a matter of crossing the Jing River... there was Xinyi of Liu Bei in between!
Unless... they flew over?
Just as he thought of this, Guo Jia suddenly remembered something.
"Zi Yu? That hot air balloon..."
Heh...
Upon hearing this, Lu Yu smiled faintly. "Now, we can only place our hopes on the hot air balloon of Uncle Liu and my Zhuge disciple. The difficulty now is not just flying, but flying over Xinyi, flying over the Jing River, and reaching Xiangyang City... this is not easy!"
Uh...
Guo Jia felt as if his throat was constricted. In his view, a hot air balloon being able to fly was already astonishing, let alone... flying over Xinyi City and the Jing River. Even if... the hot air balloon dared to fly, could Lady Cai dare to ride in it?
Heh heh...
Guo Jia could only "heh heh"!
"Let's go..."
At this moment, Lu Yu called out.
"Where to?" Guo Jia was startled.
"To the Long Xiao Battalion's encampment. Now that the whale skin has been delivered and the whale oil refined, let's see what stage the hot air balloon has reached!"
...
...
An encampment not far from the Long Xiao Battalion's military fort.
Countless artisans were inflating a balloon whose skin had been replaced with whale skin. This was the first "whale skin" transported from the East Sea Commandery of Xuzhou half a month ago, and it had now become the envelope of the hot air balloon.
Once enough air was in, they opened the valve of the fire oil tank.
Immediately, a fierce fire burned.
When Lu Yu and Guo Jia arrived, they saw exactly this scene. The rushing hot air made the balloon fill even more. Someone had already driven a wooden stake into the ground, and a mooring rope was tied to the stake!
The fully inflated hot air balloon had begun to slowly rise.
Lu Yu and Guo Jia stared in astonishment at the hot air balloon before them. Due to the pull of the mooring rope, the balloon was steadily suspended half a zhang above the ground.
"It can fly?"
Lu Yu was somewhat surprised...
Things had been hectic during this period, and he had paid little attention to Zhuge Jun and Liu Ye. Of course... in his opinion, there was no need to pay much attention. If it succeeded, Zhuge Jun would definitely send someone to inform him!
Zhuge Jun had always been an obedient child!
As if hearing their voices, Zhuge Jun and Cao Mu turned their heads simultaneously, seeing Lu Yu and Guo Jia.
"Master!"
"Lu Zi Yu!"
Completely different addresses...
Lu Yu couldn't spare time for pleasantries and asked again, "Can it fly?"
Zhuge Jun nodded, his voice filled with excitement and fervor. "Using whale skin to make the envelope, the effect of retaining heat is better, and the burning effect of whale oil is excellent. The current hot air balloon is already capable of flight!"
"However, the operation is still somewhat cumbersome... Therefore, your disciple did not report to Master!"
A sigh...
Upon hearing this, Lu Yu's eyes shone.
It was a success, and quite unexpectedly!
It was important to note... that the invention of the hot air balloon in later generations occurred in 1783, by the French paper merchant brothers, Montgolfier brothers!
However, the hot air balloons they built could only fly to the rooftops!
After a full year of improvements, the following year... King Louis XVI of France and the French Academy invited them to perform at the Palace of Versailles. They hung a cage under the balloon, with chickens, ducks, and sheep inside!
This hot air balloon flew to a height of 450 meters and drifted in the air for eight minutes, landing in a forest three thousand meters away.
It was important to note...
That was a scientific achievement of later generations!
In ancient times, even with blueprints, realizing the ascent, let alone the flight, of a hot air balloon was still a tremendous challenge.
But...
Listening to Zhuge Jun's words, it seemed the hot air balloon was already capable of flight?
Hiss...
Lu Yu let out a soft breath. "Has anyone operated this hot air balloon to fly?"
As the words left his mouth...
Zhuge Jun and Cao Mu's eyes simultaneously looked up at the sky.
Lu Yu also followed their gaze upwards, only to see a hot air balloon drifting in the air... In the twilight sky, this hot air balloon was very hidden!
Besides, who would be so idle as to look up at the sky normally?
And yet... the appearance of a hot air balloon capable of flight, when it truly appeared, still astonished Guo Jia, Feng Xiao, beside Lu Yu.
"Is it real?"
Guo Jia quickly rubbed his eyes... He felt a bit dizzy, as if he hadn't woken up!
Lu Yu's question was more practical: "How did it fly up?"
He pondered, how could it fly up without anyone operating it?
Unexpectedly, as the words left his mouth.
Cao Mu directly replied, "How did it fly up? Naturally, someone operated it to fly up!"
"Lu Zi Yu? Didn't you see that Uncle Liu is gone?"
Hmm...
As expected!
Lu Yu looked around and indeed could not find Liu Ye's whereabouts? Could it be...
He suddenly looked up and asked in astonishment, "Is he in the sky?"
"More than just in the sky..." Cao Mu immediately explained. "Uncle Liu has already flown from Luoyang to Hulao Pass, and then back from Hulao Pass to Luoyang. He has flown back and forth many times!"
Heh...
As these words left his mouth.
Lu Yu's heart immediately conjured a thought: This Liu Ye is truly a genius!
When their gazes met again, Lu Yu and Guo Jia exchanged glances and simultaneously let out faint smiles.
"Heh heh..."
"Heh heh..."
— Now, with "Uncle Liu," is "Lady Cai" also secured?
...
...
Jing Province, Xiangyang City.
Yang Xiu arrived at a private room in a wine shop. Zhao Yun stepped forward and eagerly asked, "How is it? Has Commander Lu sent any news!"
Yang Xiu let out a soft breath, his gaze lowered, and he remained silent for a long time.
Zhao Yun, unable to wait, urged, "Speak up. Today, Zhuge Kongming sent people to urge us again. If we delay any further... I'm worried!"
"Hahaha!"
At this moment, Yang Xiu burst into hearty laughter.
He took a brush and wrote the character "后" (Hòu, meaning "after" or "later") on Zhao Yun's hand, and the character "先" (Xiān, meaning "first" or "before") on his own palm, the meaning being crystal clear.
Since it was a confrontation...
Then, there was a matter of who went first or last!
And precisely this order of precedence, Yang Xiu and Zhao Yun, or rather, Chicken Rib and Dragon Candle, could decide for themselves!
...
...
The sun cast its rays upon the nine ridges. Within the majestic Xiangyang official residence with its double eaves, Lady Cai, her face etched with worry, opened a letter from an unknown sender.
Originally, being annoyed, she would have definitely not opened this inexplicable letter.
But... this time, she had to open it because the back of the letter bore a small inscription—If you don't want anyone to know, you shouldn't do it yourself!
This...
And when she unfolded the letter, it was not until she looked that Lady Cai felt her stomach churning violently.
This... this...
She frowned, falling into a haze of confusion.
The letter mentioned a meeting place for two people: a pavilion outside Jing Province, by the Jing River, but it was at night?
Could she... could he choose not to go?
"Someone..."
Lady Cai murmured...
"Madam." Her trusted maid entered the courtyard.
With a gentle exhale, Lady Cai's brows furrowed. She slightly waved her sleeve, "Prepare the carriage, and we are leaving the city!"
Ah...
The maid was startled. "Madam, it's so late!"
— "I told you to prepare the carriage and leave the city!"
Suddenly, a cold voice rang out...
Indeed, Lady Cai was not only annoyed at this moment, but she was also furious—furious to the point of almost affecting her pregnancy!
...
...
The sun was already setting, and the clouds were glowing.
Yang Xiu stood pacing in a pavilion by the Jing River, waiting. He was certain that the woman would come!
He was even more certain that the woman would not act rashly!
Because he had clearly stated in the letter that he was backed by the Long Xiao Battalion, by Lu Zi Yu... With this alone, Lady Cai would not dare to harm him.
Finally...
After waiting for an hour, Yang Xiu's eyes lit up.
A very discreet carriage stopped a hundred meters away from the pavilion. Following closely behind was a lady, wearing a bamboo hat, slowly approaching.
She had dismissed her attendants...
Coming alone to the appointment.
Yang Xiu stepped forward.
Upon seeing the person arrive, he cupped his hands slightly.
Then, the person took off the bamboo hat...
Yang Xiu's gaze swept over the perfectly formed figure, even though she was pregnant, and finally settled on that beautiful face.
His heart couldn't help but tremble fiercely.
Seeing this woman up close, in her natural appearance, Yang Xiu felt only two words: "stunning" and "fierce"!
Yet, beneath that seductive charm, there was a noble and dignified aura like that of an empress!
"Ahem..."
Clearing his throat lightly, Yang Xiu spoke first. "Lady Cai, long time no see!"
On the other hand, Lady Cai clearly trembled, and then exclaimed in surprise.
"It... it's you!"
That's right, the person before her... was it not the handsome young man she had met once and who had saved her?
So... he was from the north...
So, he was one of Marquis Baima Lu Zi Yu's men!
...
...