Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

By the mid-19th century, hot air balloons were already capable of flying to altitudes of 10,000 meters.

But it was only 1816, and the hot air balloon that Solovyov brought was merely a display for Emperor Jiaqing.

This thing doesn't have a high upgrade ceiling, and its operation is quite mature.

At first, the people on the ground started to get smaller and smaller. The operator was from the Guards balloon company, and he had gotten used to this altitude.

This wasn't Solovyov's first time riding it; he was used to it from high-rise buildings and towers, and from crossing the Alps and Balkan passes.

As for An Cheng, all you need to know is that his father was the Qing Dynasty Captain, the Superman Solon, who participated in many of Qianlong's martial arts, and was able to go to the plateau, cross the Himalayas, and even go to Hailancha, who went to Gurkha to fight people.

It was his first time sitting on the throne, and he saw the emperor waving to them from the ground getting smaller and smaller until his face was no longer visible. Then his movements gradually became indistinct, making the emperor's red hat stand out even more, turning into a red dot.

And what about Lin Zexu?
If he were to leave Fujian, he would still have to travel a lot of mountain roads.

The fact that Wuyi Mountain is no longer as treacherous as it used to be, and that the Fujian Road is more difficult than the Sichuan Road, meant that he reacted normally even at high altitudes.

"General, this is a clever invention. Its principle is the same as that of the Kongming lantern. The only difference is that it is lit by human power, so it can be operated freely and can rise and fall on its own."

"That's one way to put it. If Shao Mu were to compile the Unified Gazetteer of the Qing Dynasty again, he might as well give it a try."

However, Solovyov was unaware that Lin Zexu was in charge of the personnel section.

"Since the General has this item, I wonder if it can be operated by a mechanism so that it can be moved freely?"

While on the ground, these bookworms from the Hanlin Academy seemed to have reached a consensus.

Lin Zexu and he went on a hot air balloon together, which brought this concept to fruition.

Good grief, are you guys playing with Qing Dynasty airships here?
Although the earliest airship appeared in 1784, its power source was indeed rather awkward.

Moreover, the ascent and descent at this point are only at the level of deflating the airbag, which is not even as good as a hot air balloon.

As for the power in the sky, it was always pedaled for a long time. Later, the soft airships were powered by steam, but they still could not take off and land at the designated locations.

The first stable-handled airship, after using early battery-powered electric motors, successfully made its maiden flight in 1884.

As for the Zeppelin airships, those came after 1900.

At this moment, something else was already flashing through Solovyov's mind.

Kirov reporting!

A sentence in heavily Maoist English, and then a huge airship appeared.

After dropping the bomb, they immediately started destroying the house, taking down the thing, and the ground was also damaged.

However, this idea is too advanced; it's not impossible to develop a rigid airship.

"Shao Mu has a good idea."

"As expected of a Hanlin scholar specially favored by the Emperor, if one can do this, one can see through the enemy's strengths and weaknesses at a glance."

An Cheng, on the other hand, only knew how to efficiently kill people, so he also praised the design.

However, for Solovyov, this was a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for him.

Even building a soft-bodied airship would involve dealing with the high temperatures of a steam engine, which could cause the balloon to explode when releasing hydrogen in the air.

Unless natural helium resources can be found during the development of natural gas.

This natural helium resource is found in the United States.

Moreover, there was no periodic table at that time, not even Mendeleev.

Even the discovery of helium did not begin on Earth; it was a conclusion drawn from the analysis of the sun.

Humans first learned that helium existed on Earth when they were studying uranium ore.

Hydrogen gas could already be produced and stored at this time.

The biggest problem is that it's prone to exploding.

The difficulty was there, and the wrought iron material had a lot of dead weight, so the steam engine was also very inefficient as a heat engine at that time.

Those wooden materials used to reduce dead weight, serving as a framework, are also very unreliable.

Moreover, even if the frame were made of wrought iron, its strength wouldn't be sufficient.

"In that case, why doesn't the General give it a try?"

"I'm afraid that even the materials available in the West these days aren't strong enough."

The hot air balloon took off, no problem.

If it were an airship, it would be difficult.

The ability of a soft-bodied airship to fly must also take into account this harsh climate.

Even relatively mature models like the Zeppelin airships often crashed due to bad weather when bombing England.

When Count Zeppelin was trying to build his own airship, it crashed during a demonstration.

Not to mention the infamous crash of the Hindenburg airship, a tragedy steeped in aviation history.

It's not something that can be accomplished with just a few words and instructions to subordinates.

Since Solovyov was in a difficult position, Lin Zexu did not insist.

It's already quite an achievement that the hot air balloon was able to take off.

As for the direction of flight, let's leave that to future generations.

Moreover, right there on Solovyov's father-in-law's estate, the Russians once tried to launch an airship, but even he, as the son-in-law, didn't quite know what it was.

The hot air balloon is now stable at an altitude of 400 meters, which is a relatively safe altitude for this launch.

"How about we drink and eat meat here?"

Ancheng was naturally happy to hear that there was food.

"I wonder where you can find good wine here, General?"

"Vasily, open the storage cabinet."

There really are braised pork, pickled cucumbers, and Liubiju pickles in this dish.

"Did the military commander even get some Liubiju pickles?"

"I asked a servant from the Prince's residence to buy it yesterday, how about that?"

"What about the wine?"

Since An Cheng was a warrior, he naturally also enjoyed drinking.

"We only have imported spirits. This is sherry, so we can have a small drink to celebrate."

Even the operator, Vasily, had a chance to have a drink. Solovyov's prized bottle of sherry was captured from Sweden during the war.

Lin Zexu never expected this turn of events.

Of the four people present, if he wanted someone to recite poetry, probably only Solovyov would have that ability.

Solovyov didn't want to cause that kind of trouble; he'd be fine if he were asked to sing along.

Drinking and eating meat in the air is also a delightful thing.

An Cheng never expected that volunteering to go to heaven would bring such good fortune.

As for the braised meat, it was marinated by Solovyov on the warship while they were en route, though it was a bit too salty. Emperor Jiaqing watched from below, as the hot air balloon remained steadily suspended in the air.

"I wonder when the two ministers and Ancheng will come down."

"Your Majesty, do not worry. The French marshal also said that they use hot air balloons in their army and often let them stay airborne for an hour."

"In that case, let's wait here."

Unbeknownst to the emperor, they were drinking and eating meat in the air, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

However, they ate quickly, and since the storage cabinet couldn't hold too much, it was quickly finished off.

"Drinking wine and eating meat here is one of the most enjoyable things in life."

With their time in the air nearly up, Solovyov instructed Vasily to begin adjusting his altitude and descending.

The people on the ground also saw the huge hot air balloon slowly descending, so smoothly that there was no need for others to worry.

Even those who were watching the spectacle outside the Old Summer Palace couldn't help but admire it.

After all, Kongming lanterns can only be released; they're so big, they can be retrieved.

The foreigners had this skill, and they presented it to the emperor without keeping it to themselves.

Unbeknownst to others, Lin Zexu also intended to develop airships.

Upon returning to the ground, An Cheng first paid his respects to Emperor Jiaqing.

"Your Majesty, this trip has broadened my horizons. If we can hang this item above the enemy lines, we will have a complete grasp of the enemy's strengths and weaknesses."

"Get up. What does Lin Qing think?"

"I believe that such ingenious objects should be deployed in key coastal defense locations. However, they need to be practiced diligently so that they can be used to observe the movements of all sides during the day."

Unfortunately, it can't be used at night, nor can it be used to combat smuggling.

As for the airship part, Lin Zexu knew it wouldn't work, but he still explained the principles of airships that he and Solovyov had discussed to Emperor Jiaqing.

In terms of structure, it is essentially no different from the bamboo frame of a Kongming lantern, but it is not strong enough.

Even a large airship wouldn't have bamboo that long.

"If that's the case, then it's a pity."

If it works, we'll probably discover some strange new tech trees.

As for this ascent to heaven, Jiaqing also intended to bestow rewards upon each of them.

Emperor Jiaqing was also somewhat curious about how hot air balloons were made.

However, he is the emperor, so he certainly won't let him go up.

Being able to feast his eyes on the ground was already a lenient measure granted to him by the ministers.

"Lord Suo, if there are any such exquisite items in the future, may I pay for them myself?"

"Your Majesty, hot air balloons are not particularly expensive, and they can provide a clear view when the army is positioned behind them. Warships, on the other hand, would cost a considerable amount of money."

He just couldn't forget about selling warships to the Qing Dynasty.

Moreover, it requires frequent maintenance.

But this is still much more conscientious than selling India a tempered aircraft carrier with added attributes. A well-maintained sailing warship can stay at sea for decades.

There are even sailing training ships like the "Sedov," which have been in service for a hundred years and are still at sea.

"If it is a warship, we will need to discuss it with you all. So, you don't need to worry."

Although it was said to be "next time only," it still gave some positive signals.

Whether or not to buy it was ultimately up to the Emperor's word, not something that he, as a foreign envoy coming to "pay tribute," could decide.

But other weapons can naturally be imported from Kyakhta.

This port used to be used for trade, but it may be converted into a place for selling arms in the future.

In that case, Emperor Jiaqing would have to consider what the Qing Dynasty had to sell to Russia and France.

Russia is the primary force behind facilitating arms trade.

After all, the British had no way of knowing anything about this route; Siberia was a no-go zone for them.

They wanted to explore from Central Asia, but the Emir of Bukhara and the Khan of Khiva both wanted them beheaded!
Russia is right next door, and they really can't afford to mess with them, but who do you think you are, the British?

When Solovyov learned of the attitudes of the warlords and rulers in Central Asia towards the British, he was both amused and exasperated.

Is there such a thing?
As for what the Qing Dynasty could sell to Russia, porcelain, tea, and silk were probably the three main items.

As for tea-making machines, textile machines, and silk-reeling machines, France and Russia could sell them to the Qing Dynasty, and they could even cause considerable trouble for the British.

France itself also produces silk, and India also has some local silk, but the French silk is of better quality.

Russia, on the other hand, highly values ​​high-quality Chinese goods.

It was Solovyov who knew that Katya sat in the palace every day with her big belly, but she also really wanted to get some silk fabrics.

As for what to do back there?
He didn't know that his wife's thoughts were sometimes hard to guess.

However, during the Qing Dynasty, there were actually many more goods that could be exported.

They even need to be packaged and sold directly to European courts and high society. Although they have lost their former mystique, they are still a high-end luxury item.

Expensive things are valuable in any era, and there's a reason why they're expensive.

Some things, however, are not.

Moreover, legitimate trade can also be profitable.

The British have been setting a bad precedent. In the past, when it was only the Netherlands and Portugal, and sometimes Spain, the business environment wasn't this bad.

Problems arose as soon as the British arrived.

In the past, European countries traveling between Europe and China could at least see some return on their investment, but with the British doing things this way, no one may benefit in the future.

A potentially powerful market lies in the stability of its society and the wealth available for consumption.

If opium is sold, it will only make the place poorer and poorer. In the future, even the poor will not be able to make any money, and the rich will also become poor because of addiction.

If Adam Smith knew this, I wonder if he would be devastated, roll in his grave, or laugh in a way that's even more unsightly than cry.

If the other party has no money, there's no point in you selling various goods in the end.

In fact, the French probably had an easier time making a profit selling luxury goods to the Qing Dynasty than some of the British trade methods, even though that route was quite narrow.

As for Russia, they wanted to open more ports for trade, which would inevitably lead to some conflict with the British in the future.

Therefore, Solovyov's principle is to give the market a certain ability to defend itself, given its size and scale.

Separated by the desolate Siberia, there would be no conflict of interest between the two sides, as long as no clever people with their own selfish interests come to intimidate each other with gunboats.

He even met Yishan, who had actually participated in suppressing Zhang Ge'er's rebellion. However, he was a coward who was afraid of causing trouble and ended up bringing huge problems upon himself.

Everything is going smoothly now. Solovyov is even able to move around openly in the city and visit the princes, all within the scope of Jiaqing's permission.

So, there are always people who want two good guns, and they come knocking on the door. (End of Chapter)