After a week in Moltke's villa, Hu Xiaoyan officially signed the agreement, and when he showed his potential proof, Germany would pour into China in a steady stream of aid according to the agreement, but before that, Germany's help to Hu Xiaoyan would not stop, such as education, such as military training, such as airship assistance.

With the help of several German universities, Zeppelin was able to produce hydrogen quickly. With a foundation of one million pounds, and the nods of William II and Moltke Jr., countless manpower and material resources helped. His first 30-metre-long airship was soon built.

After a month in Germany, Hu Xiaoyan participated in the test flight of the airship.

Zeppelin installed two gasoline engines on the airship, and since it was the first test piece, the airship did not carry any weapons or superfluous equipment. The gasoline engine started smoothly, and the airship quickly and successfully flew in the sky for more than three hours. But then I also found some problems with the columns. For example, air leakage, such as insufficient power of the gasoline engine, such as the operation error of the test pilot, etc.

Three hours later, the experimental airship landed. After Hu Xiaoyan entered the airship after the hydrogen was evacuated, he found that the hydrogen airbag of the airship was actually a whole. Your sister is a whole! At this time, just one bullet can turn the entire airship into an oversized fireball in the sky!

"Why don't you build an isolated airbag?" Hu Xiaoyan found Zeppelin and asked angrily.

"Airbags?" Zeppelin was at a loss. He really didn't understand it, because according to history, his design would not be completed and finally tested until the middle of next year. Zeppelin, who had been experimenting with the airship a whole year ahead of schedule, had clearly not yet completed his design and was driven to the shelves.

"Yes, airbags. If you put hydrogen into several separate airbags, and then combine these separate airbags into one, then even if one or two of them leak or even be pierced by bullets, the airship will not immediately burn and fall. The time difference is enough for you to complete the process of extinguishing the fire and landing. Hu Xiaoyan began to explain after being surprised for a second.

"Good way." Zeppelin's eyes lit up, "But in this case, the weight of the airship will increase, and the gasoline engine may not be able to drive it." ”

Zeppelin thought about it and was still a little disappointed. Because hydrogen can only make an airship float, such an airship is only a large hot air balloon at best. The gasoline engine is the source of power for the airship. He was able to turn on the fans and let the airship fly in an orderly manner out of the wind.

"Then get on the diesel engine!" Hu Xiaoyan said categorically. The power of a diesel engine is much better than that of a gasoline engine. Everyone on this earth knows it. Go and look at large trucks and heavy trucks, which one is not diesel engine?

However, Hu Xiaoyan missed one point, that is, the diesel engine has only just been developed, and his application money is still unknown. His motivation is also not yet satisfactory. And the most important thing is that the diesel engine is much heavier than the gasoline engine.

After Zeppelin found experts in gasoline and diesel engines, he came to such a conclusion that made Hu Xiaoyan laugh and cry.

"Then step up the research on diesel engines! I'll pay! Hu Xiaoyan knows that now is not the time to save money.

Zeppelin frowned and shook his head: "The company still has money, we can send a reward to the university research institute, it should be able to solve the problem." It's just that the timing is hard to say. ”

Thanks to Wilhelm II nodded. Led Zeppelin's experiments didn't actually cost much money. The materials used on the airships are all from military supplies, and the land is from Lend-Lease. By the time the first airship went into the sky, the company had spent less than 100,000 pounds in total.

Hu Xiaoyan nodded with a bitter face: "I hope to complete it as soon as possible." Also, your design needs to be changed. You know, this airship wasn't built to be a toy! ”

Because the experiment of the first airship is still a bit dangerous. And Zeppelin himself did not have much experience and confidence, so he only gave Wilhelm II a briefing and did not invite them to come. Therefore, when the airship experiment, it was all the company's own people.

Hu Xiaoyan left disappointed. This puts a lot of pressure on Zeppelin. Because Zeppelin has spent more than 100,000 pounds so far, if you add the salaries of the personnel and pay the corresponding military expenses, then he has spent at least more than 200,000 pounds, and the thing he created is actually called a toy by Hu Xiaoyan. This made him embarrassed.

The second airship design began on the same day. The powertrain was replaced with a diesel engine, the length was also increased to 36 meters, and the airbags were replaced with a model of 16 small airbags. Two water-cooled Maxine machine guns were installed in the front and rear. Two bomb ports were also opened on the airship. In this way, the weight of the airship naturally became much heavier than the first design. The corresponding requirements for diesel engines have also become more advanced.

However, Germany is also the most technologically powerful country, and after a reward of 100,000 pounds, several researchers at the University of Berlin succeeded in improving the first generation of diesel engines in the third month. The diesel utilization rate and stability of the second-generation diesel engine are much more advanced than those of the first-generation. At least a 5 percentage point improvement in performance.

In the second experiment, the airship with a diesel engine was very successful, and the flight speed and safety were basically satisfactory. Although the starting speed of the diesel engine is not as fast as that of the gasoline engine, it is very perfect when put on the airship. Airships themselves are not won by speed. His stagnant air, ultra-high flight altitude and large full load capacity are his greatest characteristics, even later large cargo planes are not comparable to air ships in this regard.

Because of the importance of this experiment, the airship did not fly for long, and was still about to be dropped after three hours. Afterwards, a number of specialists and Zeppelin employees came to the airship for overhaul and maintenance.

The conclusions drawn are very encouraging, although there are still some minor problems from the diesel engine. But the whole flight was considered a success. When Zeppelin announced his success, he let go of that worry in his own heart. The experiment cost at least 30,000 pounds, plus the cost of modifications and experts, and Zeppelin paid at least another 100,000 pounds for this flight.

Therefore, scientific research is actually burning money.

When Hu Xiaoyan heard the news of the successful flight, he was finally relieved in the safe house. The safe house was purposely built to prevent airship crashes from causing more damage to people on the ground.

After the airship was overhauled, the experts counted the data and fine-tuned the design. These Hu Xiaoyan did not participate.

He again asked Zeppelin to continue the experiments with the airship. Flying at night can be considered the biggest difficulty of flying in the air in this era. But he didn't have time to wait for the airship to continue his research.

The Gengzi Incident is about to happen next year. And it's almost June.

Zeppelin disagreed, though. But Hu Xiaoyan gave him 51% of the shares, and although he strongly opposed it, he had no intention of insisting. In this regard, the Germans also have the consciousness that China "collects money from others and eliminates disasters with others". Otherwise, the 51% stake is so easy to get?

It's not that Hu Xiaoyan doesn't want 51% of the shares, it's just that the weapon of the airship is too perverted, once the power of the airship roars in the Manchu Dynasty, even if Wilhelm II values Hu Xiaoyan again, he will definitely not allow this kind of perverted weapon company to not belong to Germany.

Hu Xiaoyan is still self-aware at this point. He is a native of the Qing Dynasty, and he is a yellow-skinned Chinese. He was not an authentic white-skinned British.

At the beginning of the flight that night, Hu Xiaoyan slept in the safe house, waiting in fear for the news that might have disappointed him.

God may be at home tonight. So the airship completed the flight tests intact. But the tragedy is that the airship is lost. They were supposed to fly south, but the result was that the airship was off course due to the wind. The employees of the Zeppelin Company, who were picking up all the way in front, did not wait for the airship. The airship was eventually spotted in the southwest. At that time, almost all of the diesel engines on the airship were in trouble, and the power of the airship was not enough to return to base after repairs.

It was only a week later that the airship returned to the base with the help of the military. After the army drove away the inhabitants of the airship's location, it landed the airship, repaired it, and released it again. Under the guidance of the Red Banner cavalry on the ground, the airship successfully returned.

After the final transformation, in mid-July, Wilhelm II, accompanied by Moltke the Younger, came to Zeppelin to see the final experiments of the airship.

This time the diesel engine on the airship has been strengthened three times, and the airship has been modified twice.

This time, the experiment was no longer based on whether it could fly safely, but on the air strike of the airship.

The air strike of the airship was divided into machine guns and bomb dropping.

Hu Xiaoyan proudly accompanied Wilhelm II to stand in the safe house. Several people all held binoculars to check the attack power of the airship.

The attack power experiments were flawed, but overall perfect.

Scarecrows, cattle and sheep, chickens and ducks hiding under concrete fortresses, etc., were all blown into lumps by the airship.

Flaws are very acceptable. The airship's initial attack did not hit the target outside the fortress, and his aiming system was too devastating. However, the observation post on the airship finally provided the machine-gun coordinates, and the bombing point, with the help of the observation post, finally destroyed the target fortress. Although the wasted bullets and shells really frightened Hu Xiaoyan. But the experiment ended perfectly.

Hu Xiaoyan could see Wilhelm II and Moltke Jr. twitching their faces and shaking fingers.

"This weapon is perfect!" Wilhelm II finally closed the coffin.

"Of course! Your Majesty, you see it. The shells of the airship still have to be redesigned. You see, we're using naval artillery shells. The bombardment of the fortress with the shells of the capital ship is still satisfying, but it is too wasteful to use him to bomb infantry targets. Hu Xiaoyan proposed solemnly.

"We need a small artillery shell, loaded with a large number of steel balls, in order to kill a large number of inexpensive steel ball shells, mainly for local ground forces. And for the fortress target, I think that the penetration of shells from the naval guns is still not good enough. We also needed a better armor-piercing projectile. ”

"You're right! This matter will be left to the Krupp Arsenal. They never let me down. Wilhelm II said with a smile and a nod.

Perfect！ Hu Xiaoyan secretly extended a thumbs up to himself. With armor-piercing shells, there are small shells with steel balls. So will the whole of Asia, including Japan and Russia, still be their own adversaries?

Before the 20th century, whoever dominated the sea would have control over the world. But after the 20th century, whoever controls the sky will own the whole world!