Chapter 585 [Three Updates]

In fact, this transformation is not difficult. The difficulty lies in whether this idea is feasible.

We have to give it a try to see if it works. The so-called wind energy conversion is actually just a matter of adding three fans.

Because the direction of the wind is unknown, there is an upright fan on each side, and then these two fans will be linked to a gear. Once they start to rotate, the gear behind them will also rotate. A horizontal gear will be added under the two gears. When this gear rotates, it will drive the fan below to rotate, and then provide wind power for the flame.

Of course, the idea is very good, and it is not difficult to implement. There is no need for Mohist or Gongshujia to take action, his subordinates can handle these things.

It just took a little time to calculate the proportions. The fan can't be too big. After all, it is made of wood, and the bigger it is, the heavier it is.

After Liu Tan installed the fan on the hot air balloon, he tested it and felt it worked fine, so he asked someone to ignite the fuel and prepare for the test.

Then... a very important problem arose. When the hot air balloon flew to a height of more than one person, it stopped again - there was actually no wind at this height, unless there was a windy day.

So the question is, if we choose a windy day, then the wind might be even stronger in the sky. By then, Liu Che would be blown all over the place by the wind. What's the point of playing?

So if you want to make the hot air balloon fly, you have to use human power on the surface to turn the fan. Liu Tan pondered for a moment and realized that this was not difficult. Because it was impossible for only him and Liu Che to go up, the hot air balloon had to be able to carry the weight of at least four people - the two of them plus two eunuchs.

Whether it was Miao Rui or Bigo beside him or the eunuchs around Liu Che, they were all actually quite strong. Those thin, small and androgynous ones shown on TV would never be transferred to serve the emperor.

In this case, all we need to do is ask those two people to turn the fan.

Liu Tan simply added a rotating handle to the fan for this purpose.

Then he looked at the rotating handle and thought for a while before saying, "I feel... this thing can actually be used alone."

Isn't this just a manual fan?

Even though he figured out how to make ice with saltpeter, there was always a period of time when it wasn't hot, but it was definitely not cool either. It would be cold without ice, but a little hot without it.

At this time, fans are usually used, and people in the palace also have people fanning them.

But if there is a fan, it will be less labor-intensive than a fan, right? And the effect is better than a fan, and most importantly, it looks novel.

Liu Tan thought about it and decided to go back and get a drawing and then make a sample. Anyway, it was still early for spring and summer, so there was no need to rush.

As for producing by-products, Liu Tan felt that this was already his basic skill and there was no problem. Don't worry, he can do it.

As for the hot air balloon, after it had a handle and had been tested by human power, the fan began to rotate on its own after it rose to a certain level, and the hot air balloon flew higher and higher, and finally maintained a height of about twenty feet, which is more than six meters. It doesn't sound very high, but in this era, if you find a higher place to fly it, you can overlook the entire Chang'an City.

And it's not that it can't fly higher. Liu Tan had it tied up with ropes for fear that it would be seen by others if it flew too high. The place where they were conducting the experiment was originally low in terrain, and there were mountains around it. His palace was not low either, and this hot air balloon was a scaled-down experimental product, so it would be ignored if it was a little far away.

There are no other manors within a radius of twenty miles, so this height should be just right.

In order to reach a higher altitude, he planned to conduct experiments inside the Qinling Mountains to avoid being seen.

Next, he asked someone to make a real-size hot air balloon, while he went back to drawing the fan.

A real fan certainly cannot be as simple as the one on a hot air balloon. The handle needs to be longer, and it needs a stand, and the fan blades also need to be wrapped with something.

Liu Tan remembered that in fact, there were pictures of fans on some Han Dynasty painted bricks unearthed in later generations, but the specific time when fans appeared was not certain, and it was too general to just say it was in the Han Dynasty. At least Liu Tan had not enjoyed it since he came here.

Because ancient fans were not powered by electricity, there were many types of driving forces. The most common ones were probably hand-cranked and foot-operated. The foot-operated type was more suitable for civilians, while the hand-cranked type was needed by families with servants.

Liu Tan simply designed both models and put them on sale later, making a special edition for the aristocratic royal family with a hand-cranked design.

As for what the special edition looks like, it will definitely be better looking and more gorgeous.

Liu Tan even thought about whether it was possible to paint a picture on each fan blade, so that when they rotated, they would form a picture.

However, he remembered that the fans that he had seen before that could form patterns all rotated very fast and had to be driven by motors. Now he didn't know if it would work if it was only driven by manpower.

Liu Tan was somewhat unwilling to give up, but he finally decided to give it a try. He then discovered that as long as there were enough fan blades and the pattern on the fan blades was complete to a certain degree, a certain pattern could actually be formed when the fan was shaken manually.

Then Liu Tan drew many pictures in one breath, all of which were relatively simple. Liu Che drew the beautiful buildings and some mythical beasts flying in the clouds. After turning them, one could even feel those mythical beasts calling the wind and rain above.

The style of later generations seems a bit too realistic nowadays, and may not be the style that people like nowadays, but it doesn’t matter... As long as it is related to the fairy world, Liu Che likes it.

As for Chen Ajiao, Liu Tan drew some cute little animals for her, which she liked quite a bit anyway.

As for Liu Ju... Liu Tan thought for a long time and finally chose the scene of thousands of horses galloping on the snowy plain. I think he should like it too.

It took him a long time to polish these paintings. When he finished the paintings and the hot air balloon was almost done, Liu Tan took his men into the deep mountains and forests to test fly it. After confirming that there were no problems, they happily prepared to go back.

Just at this moment, he calculated with his fingers that there was only half a month left before the New Year. When the Lantern Festival came on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Liu Tan could let Liu Ju go to heaven to watch the lanterns.

Participating in a lantern festival is all about experiencing the vibrant world, but if you really want to see the most beautiful thing, it’s definitely the aerial angle.

So in the middle of winter, Liu Tan went straight back to Chang'an with the fan he made.

After returning to Chang'an, he knew that he should go to see Liu Che first, but he couldn't help but secretly go back to the palace first.

At this time, Lu Xuan's injuries had almost healed. Although the scars were still there, they no longer affected his activities, and he didn't even need to avoid certain foods.

After seeing Liu Tan, Lu Xuan walked over and picked him up, spinning him around a few times. Liu Tan was caught off guard and almost fainted. He quickly punched his shoulder and said, "What are you crazy about!"

Lu Xuan put him down and said with a smile, "Why didn't you send someone to tell me in advance? I could have come pick you up."

Liu Tan hugged him, rubbed his cheek and said, "It's not that far away, it's not that serious."

Lu Xuan actually had a lot to say, but at this moment he didn't want to say anything at all. He simply held Liu Tan's face and kissed him.

Liu Tan put his arms around his neck and responded enthusiastically.

This time, it was Lu Xuan who stopped first. While steadying her heartbeat, she reluctantly let him go and said, "Do you want to go back to the palace first?"

Lu Xuan had become accustomed to Liu Tan's schedule. After all, he was back, and since the New Year was approaching, all the government offices were closed. Liu Tan probably didn't have anything else to deal with, so there would always be time for them to get together. He had always been very patient, and after waiting for such a long time, he didn't mind a day or two.

However, this time it was Liu Tan who was a little hesitant. Indulgence is not good, but he is obviously a married man, so abstaining from sex all year round is not good either.

Liu Tan then turned to Miao Rui and said, "Go back to the palace and tell my father, the emperor, and my mother, the empress, that I just came back from outside. It's already late, and I'm dusty. I'll stay in the palace for the night and come back tomorrow to pay my respects."

Lu Xuan's eyes widened in surprise after hearing this. Liu Tan played with the cloak straps around his neck, pulling them inside while saying with a smile, "I'm going to take a shower."

Lu Xuan understood and immediately followed.

Although taking a bath together may seem like a waste of energy, Liu Tan hasn't been so indulgent for a long time and doesn't care about those things anymore. After all, he has money.

However, he soon regretted staying tonight - Lu Xuan's health seemed to be really better, so good that he tossed and turned until the second half of the night. If Liu Tan hadn't gotten so angry, he probably still had the energy to continue.

However, Liu Tan didn't want to be discovered by others when he entered the palace tomorrow. In fact, Lu Xuan had restrained himself before, and finally took a cold shower to calm himself down. He then slept peacefully with Liu Tan in his arms.

The next morning, Liu Tan had just gotten up when he heard someone say that someone was visiting. Upon asking, he found out that it was an envoy from a foreign country, seemingly from a small country in the Western Regions - the kind that Liu Tan had never heard of before.

Liu Tan asked with some confusion: "What's going on? Who is this?"

Lu Xuan helped him adjust his accessories while casually saying, "You haven't been in the Northern Territory for a year, so you might not know. It's a bit chaotic over there right now, with several small nations forming. Don't worry, though; they're not very powerful and might be destroyed at any moment."

Liu Tan said, "That's not necessarily true. When your father led his people out, there weren't many of them. Now, hasn't the Wusun Kingdom become the hegemon of the Western Regions?"

Lu Xuan laughed after hearing this and said, "That's true. However, those who came today all have the Xiongnu's influence behind them. It can be said... they are all supported by Xili Lake."