"I'm still confident in completing the tasks you have delivered, and my level of writing should be okay, right?"

"Your article is not badly written." Du Hei nodded first, and then explained earnestly, "But I have to be more down-to-earth, I have heard of your deeds, jumping up and down, lest the world will not be chaotic, although the Italians and the current society are generally impetuous, but you will do great things in the future, or you must learn to be restrained and calm, but don't be as flexible and sleek as me, so that you can't achieve anything when you are old, I think it's good to learn your father's style." He is a dignified minister, and in order to solve the problem of train delays, he personally squatted at the train station, and he came for several days, and this style is still very admirable. ”

"Father said I should learn more from you."

"You don't need to put a top hat on me......" Du Hei changed his words, "Didn't you just say you had a question for me?" Now it can be said. ”

"That's right, after the publication of your book "Air Supremacy", I think it is an epoch-making masterpiece comparable to "On Sea Power", and I not only reviewed it in "Youth Daily", but also selected some chapters to publish it...... However, there are some things that I think may not be fully explained...... Of course, the current funding of this headquarters is relatively difficult, so we cannot afford to pay for the publication of the selected part for the time being......"

"Repeat what you just said."

"I said that because of the newspaper's financial difficulties, the selected part of the "Air Supremacy" will not be paid for the time being......

"I'll ask the previous question."

"Oh, I said that your book is comparable to Mr. Mahan's "Theory of Sea Power", an epoch-making ......"

"Who asked you this?" Du Hei shouted angrily, "What did you just say that you didn't fully elaborate on it?" Tell me, what's the content? If I can tell the truth, I accept it humbly, if I can't tell the truth, I only know grandstanding, see how I teach you a lesson for your father! ”

Antonio next to him smiled secretly: His Excellency the Minister was surrounded by the young master's words again, this is really, really......

Am I right...... The composition of your so-called independent air force basically refers to combat aircraft, especially bombers capable of bombing missions, precisely because their composition is different from that of other branches of the armed forces and their command is very different, so they need to form an independent air force instead of being dependent on the army and navy. ”

"Yes, that's what I said!"

"There are three small problems here: first, I think it's good that airplanes belong in the Air Force, but the Air Force is not only airplanes; Second, it is good that bombers are important, but it is suspected of one-sidedness to emphasize only bombers and ignore fighters; Third, of course, the independent air force will have to cut off from the army and navy, but this does not mean that the army and navy will not want aircraft......"

Du Hei was stunned for a moment, and then said slowly: "You three are not a small problem, but a big problem, you can tell me in detail, I happen to be free today." ”

"Then the first big question, I wonder if you have heard of electromagnetic detection devices?"

"Electromagnetic detection device?" Du Hei was stunned for a moment, "What is this?" Radio? ”

"It's almost a use of radio, but unlike what we understand now, his radio waves can return." "Physicists tell us that radio waves are reflected when they encounter objects in the air, especially metal objects, and this is the principle that they want to use the ionosphere for broadcasting. ”

Du Hei nodded: "The popular science edition of your newspaper is doing well, I think it is more interesting and valuable than the literary and political editions, and it is a kind of innovation among Italian newspapers, so I also ordered a copy to take a look." ”

"Thank you for the compliment, I will bring this compliment and greetings back to the company." "Then the question is, since a metal object can reflect telegraphs, if I invent a device of sufficient power to send radio waves into the air, if there happens to be an airplane flying by, it will reflect it because of the obstacles, then I will know the general direction, position, speed, altitude of the aircraft...... If there are several devices working continuously and connected to each other, I can know the trajectory and direction of movement of the fleet, and if there are enough of them, such as all arranged along the national border, then I can know the dynamics of enemy aircraft very well......"

This is the principle of radar that only the Travelers can understand, and it is now spoken to Duhei through the mouth of Contini.

Du Hei's expression was very complicated, he fell into meditation for a while, frowned and analyzed for a while, and finally said, "Your idea is very interesting and challenging!" ”

"I wrote the idea to Monsieur Marconi in a letter, and he wrote back to me that he thought it was theoretically possible, that he would do an experiment to confirm the specifics, that he would inform me as soon as he had a conclusion, and that he would write a paper on the discovery if it was of great significance. However, the academic hypothesis is very clear - if the reflected radio waves of a stationary object can be received and confirmed and the position can be displayed, then theoretically the reflection of the radio waves of a moving object can also be confirmed, because the current fastest object has a negligible propagation speed relative to electromagnetic waves, and can be treated as stationary. ”

As soon as he heard the other party mention Marconi, Du Hei's face became solemn: he not only knew and knew the name of Marconi, who not only won the Nobel Prize in 1909, but also served in the Italian army during the Great War, although Du Hei was in the army and served in the navy, but this name was not unfamiliar to him.

In his view, if Marconi really said this, it would be possible for most likely this device, but once such a device is invented, the strategic and tactical use of the air force will be greatly limited, and the so-called suddenness and concentration will become contrary to the characteristics of scientific development.

"So what you mean?"

"If this device exists, it will become a powerful weapon for the combat defense of the Air Force, just as the appearance of tanks has changed the tactics of the infantry, this radio device will definitely change the tactics of the Air Force, so that the overwhelming superiority of the offensive over the defense will be seriously weakened, so I think this device, together with the command and communication system, will become the core component of the Air Force; In addition, although anti-aircraft guns are artillery, I think they should also be a basic consideration of air power. ”

"Anti-aircraft guns?" Du Hei frowned, "You're talking about balloon cannons, right?" But this thing also worked for attack balloons, against airplanes, IMHO, with little constructive results. ”

"It's just because the development of artillery is not perfect enough, Uncle Duhei, do you believe that in the future, there will be self-loading, anti-aircraft guns with a rate of fire of hundreds of rounds per minute, and the caliber can be expanded from 20mm to more than 100mm, if I combine dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of anti-aircraft guns to protect cities or strategic points, can your bombing mission be easily completed?"

Du Hei was stunned, but he had to admit that what Contini said made sense, if thousands of anti-aircraft guns attacked together, the scene would be too spectacular.

"In addition to anti-aircraft guns, there is a third weapon, do you remember the science fiction article published by Youth last Wednesday."

"Which one?"

"The article on rockets by the American scholar, Mr. Robert Goddard."

In 1919, Robert Goddard, the father of American rocketry, published a paper entitled "Methods for Reaching Extreme Altitudes", discussing the basic mathematical principles of rocket motion, and also proposed a plan to send rockets to the moon: "To build a rocket weighing 598.2 kilograms, 0.9 kilograms of magnesium can be sent to the moon." The rocket ignites magnesium when it hits the moon, and the bright flash of burning lasts for a few seconds, and it can be seen with a telescope on Earth. The paper, which would later be recognized as a classic of space science, became a big joke at the time. Some newspapers mocked maliciously: "Modern Jules Verne invented the lunar rocket." ”

But Contini knew that he was right, not only right, but that the future world aerospace achievements far exceeded Goddard's vision, but unfortunately this pioneer was not taken seriously in the United States, and was even repeatedly sidelined, and Contini planned to poach this gentleman to Italy when he had money. If you want to build a rocket, you can! I'll pay! Build whatever rocket you want. The German von Braun, who was recognized as an authority on rocketry, is still a 10-year-old schoolboy, and when he sees Goddard in the future, he can only call his predecessor respectfully.

"Rockets? I remembered......" Duhei asked confusedly, "what does a rocket have to do with a bomber?" ”

"Don't underestimate rockets, I think rockets can become a new military weapon in the future, if they carry bombs, they can fly faster and farther than bombers without worrying about the safety of people; If he carries anti-aircraft weapons, it can pose a lethal threat to the aircraft...... In your opinion, should the weapons of the future with such capabilities be in the hands of the Air Force or free? ”

"This ......" Duhé hesitated: he didn't know what a rocket was, he only saw this article as a science fantasy when he first read it, but if it really had such an important military value as Contini portrayed, it was indeed more suitable for the Air Force than for other branches of the military - after all, rockets also fly in the air!