Immediately, Fang Er began to instruct the fleet to prepare.
A hemp rope, about as thick as a hen's egg, was tied to a kite at one end and to the main mast of the Zhiwan.
The entire rope was three hundred meters long.
If the kite could successfully ascend, Zhang Tian's altitude would be equivalent to that of a ninety-plus-story building in later generations!
He would be able to see far enough!
Li Tai, standing by and watching Zhang Tian being tied to the kite, was eager to try. "Mountain Master, can you let this prince have a go? I am young, light, and supple. I should be more suitable than him."
Fang Er shot him a look. "Boy, what are you thinking? Stand back, lest you get the kite into the sea later!"
Using a prince to fly a kite...
If Li Tai were actually allowed to go up, and Li Shimin found out, he would certainly not let Fang Er off the hook.
Seeing Zhang Tian, who was already securely tied, Fang Er picked up the walkie-talkie. "Zhiyuan, Zhiyuan, this is Zhenyuan. Respond, over!"
"Zhenyuan, Zhenyuan, this is Zhiyuan. Speak, over!"
"Zhiyuan, Zhiyuan, I order you to raise anchor and set sail!"
"Zhiyuan received. Repeat, raise anchor, set sail!"
After a brief exchange, the Zhiyuan began to act.
First, two large anchors were reeled in by the anchor winch with a rattling sound.
Then, the deckhands on the Zhiyuan began to add coal to the boiler and ignite it.
After a while, the pressure reached the required level for propulsion.
Beep~~~~!
The Zhiyuan set off, and the rope was slowly unspooled.
Zhang Tian was nervous, with cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Yan Shuangying stood beside him, giving final instructions. "Once you're up there, be sure to draw the coastline clearly, and all your movements must be slow and gentle! If anything goes wrong, pull this rope head immediately, and it will separate you from the kite. This is at sea, so don't panic if you fall into the water; the landing boat is ready for rescue. Don't worry, you'll be fine! When you come down, don't forget to treat me to drinks after you get your reward!"
Yan Shuangying's words gave Zhang Tian confidence. Looking at the surging sea, he figured that even if he fell, he wouldn't be killed. Besides, he had been a skilled swimmer in the Ba River since he was young, so what was there to fear? Let's do it!
With that thought, he nodded vigorously at Yan Shuangying. "Good! When I come down, we'll drink our fill!"
Yan Shuangying turned to look at the long rope connected to the Zhiyuan, which was almost taut. He patted Zhang Tian's shoulder. "Good luck!"
With that, he moved away from the kite's vicinity.
The three-hundred-meter rope was enough for the Zhiyuan to pick up speed. Furthermore, at this time of year, the sea winds were predominantly southerly, ensuring that Zhang Tian's kite was facing into the wind.
As the rope tightened, Zhang Tian and the kite were instantly lifted off the deck of the Zhenyuan. The immense drag from the giant kite was counteracted by the headwind, lifting it higher and higher, swaying.
Zhang Tian, on the kite, shouted excitedly, "Ah~~~ I'm flying~~~~!"
"Ah!! Oh!!! I'm flying!!!"
Liu Meng's eyes were red with envy. "Damn it, I thought, I thought, I thought what! Just because of a thought, I couldn't be the first to fly. Damn it!"
Li Tai's small face was full of admiration. "Mountain Master, after Commander Zhang returns, can you let this prince fly once too?"
Fang Er shook his head ruthlessly. "Want to fly? Wait until things are settled. You can forget about this kite."
Li Tai, who was barely seven years old (or eight by lunar reckoning), immediately pouted, the kind of pout that could hang a bottle.
The kite carried Zhang Tian higher and higher, until finally, the rope reached its limit. Looking at the scene below, the massive Wuya warship looked no bigger than a hen's egg from this height.
Remembering his mission, Zhang Tian took out a small piece of wood hanging around his neck and a short knife from his waist, and began carving the shape of the coastline. He used a knife instead of a pen to ensure that no matter whether Zhang Tian returned safely or not, the recorded coastline shape could be preserved completely. Zhang Tian had also been taught by Ma Tongyuan and others at the academy for over two months; while he couldn't claim to draw exactly like reality, it was passable. All his movements were as cautious as possible to avoid affecting the kite's balance.
The coastline was drawn with surprising smoothness. The Zhiyuan sailed at high speed, maintaining a distance of about five hundred meters from the shore, while the Zhenyuan and Dingyuan followed behind the kite, one on each side.
Suddenly, the sea began to churn, and feeling the wind suddenly turn wild, Fang Er's expression became grave. He took out his binoculars and looked at Zhang Tian in the sky. In the binoculars, the giant kite looked no bigger than a bird, and he couldn't see Zhang Tian's condition clearly. The kite swayed left and right, up and down in the air.
Zhang Tian's face was pale. He re-hung the wooden board for drawing the coastline around his neck and sheathed his knife. He gripped the kite's frame tightly with both hands, his throat constricted, and he vomited. He didn't even have time to call for help via the walkie-talkie.
Seeing the kite on the verge of falling, Fang Er quickly took out his walkie-talkie. "Zhiyuan, Zhiyuan, this is Zhenyuan! Slow down! Immediately!"
Upon receiving the order, the Zhiyuan began to gradually reduce its speed. It wasn't that Fang Er didn't want Zhang Tian to come down faster. Anyone who has flown a kite knows that after the line breaks, it can be blown anywhere. If the ship stopped abruptly, and the suddenly slackened rope, when tightened by the gale, might break, and whether the kite's wooden frame could withstand such an impact was unknown.
As the Zhiyuan slowed down, the kite in the sky seemed to gain more freedom. Driven by the strong winds, it spun wildly. In Fang Er's view, Zhang Tian's situation was like being stuffed into a rolling washing machine.
He couldn't wait any longer. If he waited further, even if Zhang Tian could land safely, the boy would likely suffer some lingering effects. "Zhiyuan, Zhiyuan! Immediately clear out an anchor winch and use it to reel in the rope!"
"Zhiyuan received! Repeat, clear out an anchor winch, reel in the rope!"
Then, soldiers on the Zhiyuan quickly appeared on the deck. They untied the spare anchor, freeing up the winch, and a group of soldiers transferred the kite rope, originally tied to the main mast, to the winch. Then, the machine was activated. As the winch turned, the rope wound around it, circle by circle, and was pulled in. The kite, spinning, descended bit by bit.
Seeing this, Fang Er finally breathed a sigh of relief. He handed the binoculars in his hand to Li Tai behind him. "Your Highness the Prince of Wei, take a good look. Do you still want to fly?"
Li Tai could only see a black dot in the sky with the naked eye and had no idea what was happening. When he took the binoculars and saw the wildly spinning kite, his legs went weak. If, if he were in Zhang Tian's place right now, what would be his fate? But the world was so vast, and if he didn't fly, how long would it take to see it all relying on carts and boats? "This prince must create a tool that can fly stably! At worst, I'll ask the Mountain Master; he must have a way!"