St. Petersburg, Russia.

In spring, St. Petersburg's Palace Square is full of vibrant greenery, and some unknown flowers gently sway in the wind. The statue of the Atlas giant god at the gate of the East Palace is still mighty, and the tall colonnade makes everyone who passes by deeply feel their own humility.

Led by the court attendants, a young man dressed in an ordinary dress walked into the palace, which was famous for its rich and precious collections, with a grim expression. After passing through the halls and green and white corridors adorned with various gemstones, he was ushered to the most distinguished men of the country.

The young man took off his hat and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, your people Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky wish you a long life!"

"Excuse me! Throne! ”

The age of the superior does not seem to be much older than him, but that demeanor, temperament and tone all show the arrogance and domineering of his emperor.

The young man named Igor sat down in the chair next to him in fear, but he didn't know where to put his eyes. This is a problem that the young general sitting across from him has also encountered.

The Empress pointed at the general, "This is Admiral Sokolov, you must have seen it before!" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty! I had the privilege of meeting the esteemed admiral a few times! Igor replied respectfully, even if they had not met, who would dare not know in Russia with the fame of this young general? However, the general's heroic face, unsmiling expression and keen gaze are hardly to be associated with a "cold-blooded butcher" who slaughtered thousands of people overnight. On that bloody night, none of the people who were dissatisfied with the Empress's policies were removed, and after this bloody storm, the Russian high society rallied around the noble Empress as never before, whether it was cruel or decisive, I am afraid that it will be left to future generations to evaluate.

The young "butcher" general nodded at him, as if to say hello.

After this, the Empress continued, in her cold but very attractive tone:

"Mr. Igor, I heard that you are only 29 years old this year? Such an amazing achievement at such an age. This is a real hero out of a teenager! ”

Igor's gaze was so low that he didn't dare to make eye contact with the empress at all.

"Back to Your Majesty, it's your 29th birthday in one month! Speaking of heroes out of youth, how dare you boast in front of Her Majesty the Empress and General Sokolov? ”

"Sir, don't be modest! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I could hardly believe that a 6-ton wooden machine could take to the skies, which is a miracle of the Creator! I think you're the only one in the world whose masterpiece has ever dropped a bomb on German soil! ”

The empress was referring to the "Ilya Romets" heavy bomber made by Igor in 1913. It was a super-large biplane with 4 220 hp engines. The aircraft is 15.5-22 meters long, with a wingspan of 24.9-35.5 meters, a flight weight of 6.1-7.5 tons, a flight speed of 137 kilometers per hour, a maximum ceiling of 400 meters, a maximum range of 540 kilometers, and a crew of 4-8 people. The maximum number of machine guns installed on the aircraft reached 8, and tests were carried out to install 76-mm machine guns on the aircraft. Aerial bombs could be hung in the fuselage, and for the first time, an electric bomb dropper was used. The bomb load of the aircraft is 400 kg. It can be up to 700-800 kg when overloaded. The aircraft was equipped with pilot and pilot instruments, as well as bombing sights. Its performance in all aspects was not weaker than that of the German Owl bomber, but it was developed a year earlier than the Owl.

Although the Russians had 4 such heavy bombers at the beginning of the war, this did not in any way restore the disadvantage of the Russian ** team in ground battles. Limited by poor finances and industry. By the end of the war, only 21 Ilya Romets heavy bombers had been produced, and their only contribution was to drop more than 300 bombs on German East Prussia. In order not to cause panic among the people, the Germans tightly sealed this information, and resettled and subsidized the people killed and wounded in the bombing, coupled with the great victory of the German army on the ground, "Ilya Muromets" did not get due recognition after all, but it was the German Owl bomber that was slightly inferior in range, bomb load and firepower that shone in the war.

Igor replied humbly: "Your Majesty has won the award, and what you are doing is only to contribute to the country!" ”

At this time, a rare hint of appreciation flashed in the empress's indifferent eyes. However, this is only a fleeting look. The beautiful eyes then returned to their frozen coldness.

"Let's get down to business! There is one thing that summons you today, you should have heard of the Schneider Cup Water Race! ”

Igor replied while thinking:

"Yes, Your Majesty! It was a French tournament, which was also well-known in aviation, having been held twice before the war, and then interrupted because of the war! ”

The Empress looked at Igor intently, "Well, so you should also know the news that the 3rd Schneider Cup will be held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands!" ”

In front of this stern empress, Igor did not dare to have any reservations.

"Yes. Your Majesty! And it is said that ...... It is said that this time the prize money is very generous! ”

"100,000 Euromarks!" The Empress said the number coldly.

"Yes, Your Majesty! The last prize money was only £1,000, and only three successive victories could earn an additional 75,000 francs.100,000 euromarks, which was the ...... before"

While Igor was still calculating in his mind, the Empress gently reported the number he wanted to say: "40 times!" ”

Igor lowered his head in fear, "Your Majesty is wise! I feel that this prize money is only one aspect of attracting participants, this competition allows individuals to sign up, instead of having to take the country as the team as the previous two editions and only allow 3 participants and 3 substitutes for a team, plus the participation can also be land-based aircraft, so I think there will be a lot of people participating in this competition! ”

"Is Mr. Igor ready to compete for this great prize?" The Empress asked softly.

Igor lowered his head and thought for a moment, then replied cautiously:

"Back to Your Majesty, if you are going to participate on behalf of Russia, it will naturally be disrespectful; If you are going to participate in the competition as an individual, then you will not be interested in the next one! ”

The Empress glanced at Sokolov, then moved her gaze back to Igor, her eyes calm.

"Not only do we want you to participate as an individual, but we will also fund you a sum of money!"

"Your Majesty, this ......" Igor was surprised.

The Empress looked at him meaningfully. "If your plane wins, you'll soon receive an invitation from the German government to serve as their technical advisor!"

Igor was silent, his eyes full of bewilderment.

"As far as we know, the original sponsor of the Schneider Cup seaplane race was Jacques Schneider, former Air France undersecretary, who was both an aviation enthusiast and a wealthy man. But now, even his enthusiasm remains. His fortunes did not allow him to do so either - the franc and the pound depreciated rapidly after the war, and the banknotes and bonds in the hands of the French turned into a pile of waste paper overnight, and this Mr. Jacques Schneider was no exception! Although the tournament was held in the Netherlands, it is not difficult to guess that this was an attempt by the Germans to recruit the best aircraft designers and pilots in the world, so that their already huge advantage in aviation could continue to lead the country! ”

Igor was still a little puzzled at first, and lowered his head and thought for a while before asking tentatively: "Your Majesty means that I should obtain confidential information from the Germans?" ”

"Sir is indeed a smart man!" An elusive smile appeared on the Empress's face.

Where to go, Igor fell into deep thought.

Four months later, the third Schneider Cup seaplane race was held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

This time, the competition has changed the rules that must be entered by national teams and that only seaplanes are allowed to participate. The prize money has also been increased to an impressive 100,000 marks. As a result, there are 17 countries that have signed up for the competition, far more than the previous 5, and the number of individuals who have signed up for the competition has reached a staggering 432. A total of 522 aircraft and more than 600 pilots arrived in Rotterdam, and many aircraft designers, aircraft manufacturers and people from all walks of life gathered in this famous harbour.

On August 2, the Schneider Cup officially opened with the presence of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and officials from the International Air and Air Federation (founded in 1905) announced a set of rules for the tournament and will oversee the tournament throughout the competition.

The competition was divided into two areas, seaplane and land-based aircraft, with the seaplane competition continuing the rules of the previous two editions, i.e. competitors had to fly the aircraft to taxi 2.5 nautical miles on the water before taking off to complete the 150 nautical mile race, while land-based aircraft had to take off and land at the same airport. 150 miles of non-stop flight. Ultimately, of course, the rule is that the fastest plane wins. Due to the large number of aircraft participating, the first round is expected to take four days, and according to the predetermined rules, land-based aircraft and seaplanes in the top 20 flight speed will be shortlisted for the second round.

In April 1914, when the second competition was dominated by monoplanes, the biplane was the main part of the competition, with more than 70 percent of the participating aircraft being biplane designs. The 17 national teams Germany, the United States, Japan, Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Portugal and Greece each sent three aircraft and six pilots. But even the aircraft of these national teams vary greatly due to the different levels of aviation technology in each country. As for shaving the individual contestants, almost all types of aircraft except gliders are used.

In this case, the first round of the competition is far more entertaining and ornamental than the competition, the first day failed to complete the content of the rules of the aircraft there were 27, the second day of another 19, plus three or four days of competition, a few days because of the rules automatically withdrawn from the competition site there are nearly 100 aircraft, but also emerged a number of applauded contestants and aircraft. The German national team, which has the advantage of aviation technology, broke the previous record set by the British at 139.66 kilometers per hour on its first flight, and the German "Exocet DV" military aircraft easily set a new record of 189.23 kilometers.