We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

"Nonsense!" Li Che scolded with a dark face, "You know better than me what gunpowder is and how dangerous it is."

"No wonder your wife couldn't stand it. You're taking the lives of our entire family lightly!"

"Your Highness is right. I have already dismantled the laboratory at home and invited my wife back."

Chen Gui responded with a few words, then his eyes lit up:

"I already have an idea about the smokeless gunpowder you mentioned earlier."

"The main problem with nitrocellulose is its instability when mixed with nitric and sulfuric acid, but if it's dissolved in ethanol, the situation becomes much better."

This time it was Li Che's turn to be speechless.

He only had a superficial understanding of smokeless gunpowder, knowing only that its explosion power was much greater than that of black powder.

Smokeless powder can significantly increase the range of the projectile, improve the trajectory straightness and shooting accuracy.

Moreover, it produces no residue after burning and only a small amount of smoke, making it an ideal propellant for guns.

But he was not a chemistry major, so he had to figure out how to make it on his own.

"Not bad, very energetic." Li Che could only pat Chen Gui on the shoulder and praise him, "Keep up the good work."

Chen Gui curled his lips, knowing that he could not get any substantial help from his own prince, so he fell into deep thought again.

The group passed through several heavy doors and finally stepped into the open experimental field inside the campus.

As soon as he entered the experimental site, the scene in front of him made Yang Zhongsi lose his composure instantly.

In the center of the venue, a huge silk sphere was slowly expanding, with a wicker hanging basket connected to it.

Several researchers in work clothes were surrounding the hanging basket, busy adjusting something.

With a 'puff' sound from the nozzle below the sphere, blazing flames gushed out violently.

In front of Yang Zhongsi's incredulous gaze, the huge sphere actually left the ground and rose into the sky with the two researchers in the hanging basket!

"Your Highness! He, they... flew?!"

Yang Zhongsi tilted his head back, opened his mouth slightly, pointed his fingers towards the sky subconsciously, and his voice trembled.

He had been a soldier all his life and had seen thousands of horses galloping and blood and flesh flying everywhere, but he had never seen anyone fly into the sky.

This is simply...almost a miracle. What's the difference between this and becoming an immortal?

Li Che also stopped to watch with great interest. Seeing Yang Zhongsi's surprise, he smiled and explained:

"Uncle Yang, don't be alarmed. This thing is called a 'hot air balloon'. The principle behind it is actually very simple. It uses heated air as the buoyancy."

"Hot air is lighter than cold air. When it gathers inside the balloon, it generates lift and can lift heavy objects."

Yang Zhongsi tried hard to digest Li Che's words. Words like "hot air" were like incomprehensible scriptures to him.

But he was a top military commander after all. After a brief shock, his professional instinct overwhelmed his astonishment.

Yang Zhongsi's eyes suddenly became sharp. Looking at the balloon that was flying higher and higher and gradually becoming stable, he blurted out a series of questions:

"How far can this thing fly? How high? Is it safe and stable? How do you control it in strong winds?"

Wang Chongjian, who was standing by, immediately stepped forward and replied, "General Yang, this is the Tengyun No. 1 hot air balloon, and it's still in the experimental stage."

"Currently, conventional free flight altitudes can reach 100 meters, at which the ground scene can be clearly seen."

"The flight radius is limited by fuel and wind speed, usually no more than forty miles."

"The basket has four built-in high-pressure fuel tanks, using refined kerosene as fuel. Under full power, it can fly continuously for about an hour."

"In terms of stability, the controllability is acceptable when there is no strong wind, but it becomes difficult to control in strong winds and is prone to drifting off the planned route."

After hearing Wang Chongjian's words, Yang Zhongsi's breathing became heavy.

He slapped his thigh excitedly, his eyes gleaming, "Brilliant! With this magical object hanging high in the sky, wouldn't it be possible to see the enemy's movements clearly?"

"Our army can take advantage of this height to attack downwards with firearms and bows and crossbows. The enemy cannot attack from above and can only passively take the beating. This makes us invincible!"

Li Che heard this and slowly shook his head: "Uncle Yang's idea is good, but it is extremely difficult to implement it."

He pointed at the shrinking speck in the sky and said, "This object has a limited payload. Tengyun No. 1 can only carry two or three people, plus the necessary fuel and observation equipment. That's already the limit."

"It's absolutely impossible to carry artillery. Even if we wanted to carry a few more soldiers armed with muskets, the amount of ammunition they can carry is extremely limited."

"At an altitude of 300 meters, whether you're shooting a musket or throwing a bow and arrow, the wind and accuracy will affect the chances of hitting the enemy."

The excitement in Yang Zhongsi's eyes faded slightly, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Li Che changed the subject: "However, it is feasible to carry some lightweight explosives, such as explosive packs and cluster grenades, and carry out targeted bombing."

"But accuracy is difficult to guarantee, and the risk of exposure is extremely high."

"The greatest value of this item at present, as Uncle Yang originally thought, is high-altitude reconnaissance."

Wang Chongjian nodded beside him. "At three hundred meters high, the view is incredibly broad. The enemy's troop deployment, camp structure, movement direction, and baggage location are all clearly visible."

"No matter how small the movement, it will not escape the observation of the eyes of heaven."

Li Che added: "Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you fight a hundred battles without danger. With this item in hand, Uncle Yang, you will have a pair of clairvoyant eyes and sharp ears out of thin air."

"That white army, no matter what they want to do, will be under your watchful eyes and will be exposed."

Yang Zhongsi suddenly realized, and the regret he had just felt disappeared in an instant, and an expression of ecstasy appeared on his face again.

Your Highness is right, information is priceless.

On the battlefield, information is life and victory!

"Good! Good! Good!"

Yang Zhongsi said "good" three times in a row, his excitement beyond words.

He looked at Li Che with a burning gaze: "Your Highness! Could you please allocate these divine weapons to a few of my generals first?"

Li Che laughed heartily: "Uncle Yang, don't worry. I asked you to come here this time just for this matter!"

"Although Tengyun No. 1 is still in the experimental stage, it is already ready for actual combat testing. The Ministry of Industry has secretly produced five of them and will allocate them to you along with trained operators and supporting observation equipment."

"How to deploy the hidden forces and coordinate with the ground forces depends on you, the old commander, adapting to local conditions and gaining experience in actual combat. I await your good news!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Yang Zhongsi clasped his fists excitedly.

"This hot air balloon is just an appetizer." Li Che smiled mysteriously, "Wang Chongjian, lead the way, let our Zhenbei Marshal see the real 'feast'!"

Wang Chongjian bowed and accepted the order: "As you command! Your Highness, General Yang, please come this way."

The group left the experimental site, walked through the heavily guarded corridors, and headed towards the gray fortress-like building deeper in the campus.