Although the city of Nanjing is very lively because of the approaching New Year, it is so lively that it is impossible to see that it has just been baptized by war a few months ago. But in the conference hall of the Jiangsu Governor's Mansion, the atmosphere was very heavy, even to the point of dreary...

……… Even if Wu Tingfang was on the podium at this time, his expression was exciting...

“……… Therefore, I hope that the consuls of all countries present here can exert their influence to stop this cruel war and return China to a peaceful and stable situation..."

Although Wu Tingfang's performance was quite wonderful, except for the members of the Kuomintang, the reaction of the consuls of the following countries was quite flat. Some consuls even began to applaud lazily after the applause of the Kuomintang members had stopped. This scene naturally made many young Kuomintang members very angry, but fortunately, many old members watched from the sidelines, and nothing major happened...

However, looking at the appearance of those consuls, many people's hearts are cold, because they know very well that the consuls below will support mediation, and the possible surnames are very small...

Sure enough, not long after Wu Tingfang finished his speech, the German consul was the first to stand up.

"I very much agree with Mr. Ng Dinh Fong's view on the current situation, yes, the countries represented here really need China to maintain a stable and peaceful situation, and only in this way can the interests of other countries in China be protected to the greatest extent. However, doesn't Mr. Wu think that it is in the best interest of the nations to have a strong political axe in China? ”

Among the consuls of various countries, the German consul can be said to be the most supportive of Yan Guang. After all, the relationship between Germany and Yan Guang was quite good, and in further words, perhaps even the degree of quasi-allies could be reached―――――― Yuan Shikai had a close relationship with the British, the Kuomintang had a close relationship with Yue himself, and the British and Yue himself were now in a semi-hostile relationship with the Germans. Under these circumstances, the Germans were naturally very happy to see Yan Guang in charge of China.

Austria-Hungary and Italy had little interest in China, but as allies, they naturally stood up and supported the Germans when they saw what they said. The same is true of the Turks, whose relations with Germany are close to quasi-allies.

Americans want to remain neutral, but a stable China is ultimately in the best interests of Americans, and a country that has been divided into three major forces and many small forces is obviously not stable. So the Americans were also on the side of the Germans on this issue.

Although Faleisi and Zhu Erdian, who was far away in Yanjing, both have a strong affection for Yuan Shikai, the interests of the empire must override personal feelings after all, not to mention that Faleisi and Zhu Erdian don't know how to help Yuan Shikai mediate ――――――? Could it be that he or Zhu Erdian could stop the young warlord's actions? Especially when the crowd in Whitehall could never have done anything substantial? After all, Britain's core interests are in Europe, not in China, and as long as something is not happening in India, it is impossible for the people in Whitehall to run to China when Europe is still in chaos.

Therefore, it is not very pleasing to the eyes of the Germans, and it is also not very pleasing to the eyes of the young warlord named Yan Guang, but in the end Fales remained silent. It was a tacit acquiescence to the German consul's statement.

Britain, which has the greatest interests in China, is silent, and France and Russia naturally will not say anything―――――― saying that he wants to say it, but when other countries are silent, he cannot be too conspicuous and attract the attention of the British and Americans. You must know that it is not a day or two that the British and Americans have had an opinion about himself, and the Russians have a relationship with him with a new hatred and an old hatred.

Seeing that he had the best relationship with the Alliance, he pretended to be his grandson, and the disappointment in the hearts of Sun Yat-sen and others naturally did not need to be spoken.

Subsequently, although Wu Tingfang made many efforts on the stage, the consuls of other countries came to Nanjing only to unify their opinions, and they were not at all interested in the mediation proposed by the Kuomintang. So in the end, almost all the efforts made by Wu Tingfang were in vain.

However, Sun Yat-sen and others did not give up hope of mediation, and after the meeting, they went to meet with Consul General Yoshiaki in private, but Yoshiaki did not provide any help to the Kuomintang in this matter, after all, he himself also had to worry about the opinions of the foreign powers. (Ariyoshiaki, Consul General in Shanghai from 1909 to 1919, transferred to Minister to Switzerland in 1920, Ambassador to Brazil in 1926, Ambassador to China in July 1932 as Ambassador and Minister, diplomatic relations between the two countries were upgraded from Minister to Ambassador, and Ariyoshiaki served as the first Ambassador to China...) ）

As for other countries such as Belgium? They really don't have any say in this matter.

――――――――――

The Kuomintang wanted to use the tiger skin of the great powers to mediate for itself and Yuan Shikai in Nanjing, and Yan Guang already knew about it before the consuls of various countries arrived in Nanjing. However, Yan Guang didn't care much about this matter, after all, at this point, no one could stop it if they stood up to mediate, not to mention that Yan Guang didn't believe that the British would use military means to deal with themselves―――――― by the way, the Kuomintang wanted to ask the foreign powers to mediate, in addition to the intelligence bureau intelligence sources, the British and Germans also informed Yan Guang as soon as they received the invitation, so we can see what the attitude of the British on this matter is.

"But Dudu, I didn't expect the Russians to really have a way to sail the ship to Jingzhou..."

Standing beside Yan Guang, Yue Chang said after tightening his clothes.

Hearing Yue Chang's question, Yan Guang replied with a smile.

"Although it is wartime, it is impossible for Beiyang to intercept all ships in the entire Yangtze River basin. Otherwise, not to mention whether the entire Yangtze River basin would be paralyzed, even the British would not have been able to let Yuan Shikai go. What's more, what the Russians put on the ship is not considered an armament, and there is no need for Beiyang to do something that angers the Russians for the sake of the two planes on it. ”

Indeed, as Yan Guang said, although the Hubei region is now within the scope of the war between Guoshe and Beiyang, the loudest voice in the Yangtze River basin is, after all, the British outsiders, not Yan Guang and Yuan Shikai, the two real masters of China. If Yuan Shikai really dared to do something to block the Yangtze River, no matter how good the relationship between Zhu Erdian and Yuan Shikai was, the British would not let Yuan Shikai go. After all, almost all of the British interests in China are in the Yangtze River valley.

Of course, the necessary checks were still there, and this was also allowed by the British. So when the Russian ship arrived, the Beiyang people let it go when they boarded the ship and found that there were only two dismantled planes on it―――――― the Beiyang people didn't know whether the plane was a weapon or not, and the Russians were not easy to mess with, so in the end they turned a blind eye and forgot it.

After explaining to Yue Chang slightly, Yan Guang turned his head to look at Cai Yi on the side.

"Brother Songpa, the weather is so cold, do you want someone to add an extra piece of clothing for you?"

Although the temperature in the south has warmed up a lot in February, it is still quite cold. Yan Guang didn't care, his skin was rough and thick, and he was born in the North, but looking at Cai Yi's thin physique and thinking that he was not a very good body, Yan Guang asked with some concern.

Cai Ye was looking at a supply transport ship that had just passed by, but he immediately returned to his senses after hearing Yan Guang's words.

"This kind of temperature Songpo has long been used to, Brother Yan doesn't have to worry about Songpo."

Hearing Cai Ye say this, Yan Guang nodded, no matter what, Cai Ye is also a serious person from Hunan and Hubei, and he is always more suitable for the winter here than himself, a northerner, and he is a little worried about asking this.

However, just when Yan Guang turned his head and stopped thinking about Cai Yi's question, Cai Yi looked at him and said.

"Brother Yan, is that plane called Ilya or something, is it really as powerful as you say?"

In this era, people's perception of airplanes is usually a "scouting" prop, or a very interesting toy. Although Cai Ye once graduated from the non-commissioned officer school of the Army, it is almost a well-known fact that the concept of the Army is backward, and in this case, Cai Ye naturally has no understanding of such a new thing as an airplane. What's more, the vast majority of airplanes in this era can indeed only be called toys.

And Yan Guang didn't know how to answer Cai Ye's question.

Explain to him what carpet bombing is? What are poison gas bombs and incendiary bombs?

The former may be well explained, but the latter two, at least for now, Yan Guang has not thought of using them on the Chinese...

In the end, Yan Guang had no choice but to tell Cai Ye what he had said to Yue Chang again, and at the same time explained what carpet bombing and Ilya were? The role that the Muromets bomber can play―――――― although in a few years maybe Ilya? Muromets is less conspicuous, but at least in Ilya now? Muromets is definitely the best aircraft in the larger category, especially with a range of 540 km, which is more than twice that of the smaller aircraft of his time. (At that time, the range of airplanes was usually about 200 kilometers, and it was extremely rare to reach 250 kilometers, but it was different after the end of the European War, for example, the range of torpedo bombers after 1918 almost reached 500 kilometers, and the load also reached more than 500 kilograms, and even one ―――――― aero engine could almost top Ilya?) Muromets basic type 4 engines ... ）

By the time Yan Guang finished explaining, although Cai Ye was somewhat clear, it was still difficult to understand how powerful this kind of plane was.

Yan Guang had no choice but to wait for the plane to arrive.

Thinking of this, Yan Guang looked at Yue Chang.

"How much time will the Russians' ship have left?"

"I guess it's going to be soon." Yue Chang looked at his watch. "According to the news from Hankou, it is probably possible to do it at this time."

While Yan Guang was talking to Yue Chang, a cargo ship with a displacement of about 3,000 tons and flying the Russian flag suddenly drove slowly from a distance.

"It seems that it's here...", Yan Guang glanced at Cai Ye as he spoke. Brother Matsuha, soon you will be able to see how powerful this aircraft is. ”

For those two Ilya of the Russians? Muromets bomber, this time Yan Guang made a special trip from the Sichuan Aviation School to bring several teachers and students over. Preparing to wait until the Russians assemble the plane, let the instructors and students learn how to make this kind of aircraft―――――― in fact, Yan Guang also wanted to see how powerful this kind of aircraft was, so he also brought more than a dozen 100-kilogram bombs and 500-kilogram bombs just produced by the Sichuan Arsenal, as well as 4 very special incendiary bombs, or can also be called napalm...

Under the guidance, the Russian freighter soon docked at the dock in Jingzhou County.

Then the Russians on the ship, with the help of the Guards Division, took the two Ilya on board? The Muromets bombers were all carried out. About Ilya? The drawings of the Muromets bomber were also handed over to Yan Guang by Sikorsky's assistants.

"It's a pleasure to work with."

After handing over the drawings in the suitcase to a German instructor at the aviation school, Yan Guang shook hands with Sikorsky's assistant. Behind Yan Guang, the German instructor was checking the design drawings in the suitcase for any gaps, and only after the inspection was over, the instructor closed the suitcase again.

After seeing the instructor's indication that there was no problem, Yan Guang nodded at Sikorsky's assistant.

"I've prepared a place for you to rest..."

"Is there a hot bath?"

Hearing the assistant's words, Yan Guang was stunned, in his impression, this group of Russians rarely took a bath, but in the end, Yan Guang nodded.

"Of course, when the time comes, you just have to command your subordinates."

"That's good." Sikorsky's assistant exhaled. "You may not know it, but after more than a month of sailing, I am almost suffocating..."

"I can understand how you feel..."

Of course, it can be understood that when he first came to this world, Yan Guang often ran around in a boat, and at that time, Yan Guang himself also had a feeling that life was worse than death.

By the time Sikorsky's assistant and others left, led by several guards soldiers, Yan Guang would be armed with Ilya? The suitcase of the Muromets bomber drawings was handed over to one of the Guards officers at his side.

"You take some people, take a boat to bring the drawings in the suitcase back to the arsenal, and then let Liu Huixue use the parts of the arsenal to grope for a one according to the drawings, understand?"

After taking the suitcase, the officer replied loudly with both legs together.

"Understood!"

Although the complete production equipment of Fokker aircraft purchased from Germany has not yet arrived, Yan Guang cannot waste precious time all the time. So after purchasing a batch of parts through various channels, the people in the arsenal also cobbled together a few planes with the surname Neng under the guidance of German engineers and aviation school instructors.

Of course, even if the surname can not be very good, it is better than the Feng Ru No. 1 and Feng Ru No. 2 made by Feng Ru, China's first aviator. After all, the engineers in the arsenal could choose much more equipment and materials than Feng Ru had used at the beginning, such as the 150-horsepower Yuguang engine, which even Sikorsky had replaced his V-type Ilya in 1915. Muromets changes his clothes.

And Yan Guang is already negotiating with the British to purchase 200 horsepower Espino. Drawings and production equipment for Siza's water-cooled engines and engines, which were quite good on the eve of the European War, and could also be used for fighter aircraft. And if for Ilya? If Muromets is equipped with such an engine, then Ilya? Muromets' bomb load can definitely be increased from 400 kilograms today to 800 kilograms in 1917. (However, there were no other modifications after that, because at that time there were →_→ in the Soviet Union)

Happily, the early airplanes did not have as many aerodynamic layouts as later airplanes, and the slightest modification required 18,000 blows in the wind tunnel. Otherwise, Yan Guang will have a headache for a long time.

In fact, the engineers of the arsenal are also building their own engines, just like Feng Ru made his own planes, but after all, it was too late to start, not to mention that in the arsenal, except for a few German engineers who were slightly involved in this aspect, the rest were all at the level of laymen. Therefore, even if there is guidance from experts, the surname of the engine produced is quite low, basically only better than the engine used by Feng Ru back then.

And if these engines were installed in Ilya? Muromets, don't say 400 kg of load, Ilya? Whether Muromets can fly or not is a difficult thing to say. After all, there were still 8 machine guns on the plane ...

Of course, this is not to say that the Sichuan Arsenal does not have its own unique skills.

"Machine-gun fire coordinator."

Equipment that allows the on-board machine gun to coordinate with the propeller when firing, avoiding bullets from hitting the propeller blades and causing the bullets to shoot through the gaps in the rotating blades. This is the unique job of the Sichuan Arsenal, of course, this equipment is still in top secret.

After a day of rest, because of the help of Sikorsky's assistants, the two disassembled Ilya? The Muromets bombers were quickly reassembled together. After a series of debugging, Ilya? Muromets 1 took to the skies with several pilots in tow.

"Now that we've successfully ascended to the sky, the next step is the bomb experiment..."

――――――――――

"Governor Liu, this is what the Governor wants me to give to you."

In the Sichuan Arsenal, after more than two days of turbulence, the Guards officer, who had returned to Chongqing, handed over the suitcase containing the drawings of the aircraft to Liu Huixue.

"The Governor really likes to make trouble for me..."

After taking the suitcase from the hands of the guards officer, Liu Huixue said with a wry smile.

Prototype an Ilya? Muromets's request, Yan Guang had already radioed the task to Liu Huixue while the Guards officers were still on board.

Merely...

"I had just finished working on the bombs and incendiary bombs, and the Governor asked me to get a bomber..."

Although the technical content of aerial bombs and incendiary bombs is very low, Liu Huixue and the others have worked hard for a long time to develop them in one or two months. Now that the aerial bomb and the incendiary bomb have just been handed over, and the design drawings of the incendiary bomb have just been put into the safe, not long after Liu Huixue and several other designers can breathe a sigh of relief, Yan Guang has issued a new task, how can this not make Liu Huixue full of resentment.

Fortunately, Liu Huixue himself is also a type of scientific madman, although he is a little more sleek because of his management of the arsenal, but the surname of that scientific madman has never changed. In addition, after trial-producing a few aircraft, Liu Huixue was a little obsessed with this new type of flying machine, so after receiving the task, Liu Huixue felt a sense of enjoying it.

After the guards officer was sent away, Liu Huixue ran to the other engineers who had not yet recovered his breath with his suitcase and relayed the order that Yan Guang had just given.

After all, not everyone is as perverted as Yoo Huixue, so after learning that there is a new job, almost everyone except a few people lamented. Several engineers hired by Germany even shouted for an increase in wages, and Liu Huixue agreed for Yan Guang...

It didn't take long for the engineers, who had just taken a short break, to get back to work.

And at this time on the front line of Wuhan, two Ilya aircraft that have been assembled? Muromets bombers were also gaining momentum at the airfield.

"Brother Songpa, this distance should be enough, right?"

After hearing Yan Guang's question, Cai Ye nodded.

"See it clearly."

Yan Guang and Cai Ye didn't look at the two Ilya at the airport? Muromets took off, but on the pier in Hankow, because this distance can be clearly observed with a telescope...

Some time ago, Cai Ye once asked Yan Guang, Ilya? How powerful are the Muromets bombers, and is it worth paying so much to buy them? Today, Yan Guang wants Cai Ye to meet Ilya? What is the power of the Muromets bomber.

For this reason, Yan Guang has asked the ground crew to provide each Ilya ? Muromets bombers were hung with 5 aerial bombs weighing 100 kg. As for napalm? If this kind of weapon is used on his own people, it is too cruel, so Yan Guang specially prepared him on himself.

Just when Yan Guang and Cai Yi were standing on the dock, the two Ilya on the airport? Muromets had already started eight engines and was sprinting ahead of the runway under the command of the tower.

Soon, two Ilya? Muromets took to the skies with 10 100-kilogram bombs.

On the dock, after hearing the unique roar of the plane's engine, Yan Guang pulled Cai Ye's sleeve and pointed to the sky.

"Brother Songpa, look."

In the sky, two Ilya? Muromets bombers were flying side by side towards the city of Wuchang under the escort of several French Gaudelons. When flying over the Hankou wharf, several planes in the sky even waved their wings to signal to Yan Guang and the others on the wharf.

Although the Yangtze River is not narrow, it is only a matter of twenty or thirty seconds for an airplane to fly over the Yangtze River. So after twenty or thirty seconds, two Ilya? Muromets bombers had already flown over the city of Wuchang under the escort of six Gaudron planes.

"Damn, these birdmen are here again."

Looking at the eight planes overhead, a Beiyang officer cursed loudly.

However, after the curse, the officer didn't pay much attention to it, after all, the power of the cluster grenade is only equivalent to a blasting canister, and the bomb load of the aircraft is not large, so the damage that can be caused by each bombing is limited.

This time, though, the officer seems to have gotten it wrong...

(To be continued)