October 1901.

Hu Chuyuan's wife, full of Ms. Pan Limei's love and hope, the small Zhihuatang milk powder factory was established, with an investment of only 300,000 yuan, which is really insignificant in this era of big investment waves everywhere.

What a small investment.

However, this is full of hope for Hu Chuyuan and Pan Limei.

From the beginning of the selection of ranches, to the search for factories, the purchase of equipment and the hiring of people, Hu Chuyuan participated in the whole process, although it was only a small milk powder factory, but it also made him re-experience the fun of entrepreneurship.

The name "Shibakado" and the entire logo design were also designed by him.

The ranch chose the vicinity of Duanzhuang, cooperated with the local Duanzhuang farmer, they introduced Holstein cows from the Netherlands, and also sent people to the Netherlands to study in advance, and selected several professional animal husbandry technicians, and the factory was also located nearby.

It is still the research period, and some milk powder production processes have been introduced from the United States, and technicians have proposed to add some powder, fructose and nutrients as special infant milk powder.

Because the factory is not far from the city, Hu Chuyuan often takes the time to take a look, and the products here are exclusively for the Yanjing market.

He discussed with Pan Limei, if the business is good, he will immediately open a real big milk powder factory in Guihua City.

During this period, the Russian-French coalition forces obviously broke through the current stalemate in the northeastern battlefield, and the railway from Manchuria to Qiqihar was also rushed to completion, and a large number of Russian and French troops began to join the battlefield.

On October 14, the Russian Far Eastern Army suddenly launched an attack from Mudan Ula to Jixi County, and on the 15th, the Russian-French Western Coalition Army began to advance towards the Harbin area.

Everything shows that Tsarist Russia is going to launch a large-scale breakthrough battle before the northeast region enters the deep winter, and in Korea, the army has captured Seoul, the Beiyang fleet has been forced to withdraw to Nampo, Duan Qirui has arrived in Pyongyang to organize defense, and the main forces of six divisions of the Jianghuai Corps are gathered in the Pyongyang area.

As the original strategic plan was changed to the capture of Korea as the first goal, Hu Chuyuan also adjusted his strategy and made the Pyongyang area a real main battlefield, and the strategic task was to prevent the main force of the Yue army from meeting with the Russian-French coalition forces in the northeast theater.

After the construction of the railway in Shenyang and Pyongyang, it will not be difficult to take advantage of the complex terrain in northern Korea to fight a counterattack war.

A full year after the start of the war, taking advantage of the strong domestic industrial production capacity and the large amount of weapons and equipment purchased from Britain, Germany, and the United States, on the front line of Pyongyang, Hu Chuyuan's six divisions all had more than two artillery regiments, and were fully equipped with light and heavy machine guns.

The main force of the Beiyang Fleet was stationed in Nanpu Port, holding the river, and then uniting with the Jianghuai Corps to follow each other.

That night, Hu Chuyuan Zhihuatang Milk Powder Factory came back, brought two boxes of newly produced milk powder, and entered the office building of the State Military Commission in Yingtai, where he beckoned Lu Han and Lu Guangquan to come over quickly, and each of them took home for the children to drink.

He didn't dare to say what the taste and nutrition were, but there were absolutely no additives, and it was still a pure natural pasture.

This one......!

It's embarrassing enough.

Everyone was embarrassed to say anything, anyway, one person shared a bag of milk powder.

After sending out the "welfare", Hu Chuyuan still has to do things, and he has to continue.

In the chairman's office, which belonged to him, Hu Chuyuan carefully read through all the new information that had arrived today, and Yang Zongli sent a telegram to the effect that Harbin could no longer hold on unless it was .......

In short, he had to withdraw to Changchun, he was fighting and withdrawing, trying not to be entangled by the Russian-French coalition forces, and gradually withdrawing the main forces to Changchun and Shenyang, and he estimated that he would eventually have to withdraw to Siping.

After reading the telegram, he asked Lu Guangquan, "What do you think?" ”

Lu Guangquan didn't quite agree and stood up, walked around Hu Chuyuan's chairman's office, lit a cigarette, and smoked for a while before saying: "No, the construction of fortifications in Harbin is much more complicated than in Changchun, and the investment is also large. If he can't hold it in Harbin, he won't be able to hold it even more if he retreats to Changchun. ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly, but he was thinking about it himself.

He didn't have to get up to look at the map, the topographic map of the entire Northeast had already been reflected in his mind, and after a little thought, he said to Lu Guangquan: "Let the Zhili Corps draw out sappers and transfer local labor to repair larger-scale fortifications in Changchun and Siping, and let Yang Zongli stand on top for a while." If he retreats to Changchun in November, he will almost be able to survive until the end of the year. By this time next year, we'll be almost ready. ”

Speaking of this, he paused a little and continued: "It's not a big problem to sacrifice a Changchun, it's a big deal to rebuild, and the key is to keep the main force." Let's not say it, don't be suspicious of employing people, don't use suspicious people, you tell him what I say and arrange, and let him decide for himself. ”

Lu Guangquan gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, the battle has been fought to this extent, and it is nothing to sacrifice one more Changchun." Okay, I'll go and call Yang Zongli back, so that he can last a few more days without sacrificing the main force, and I will assign manpower to him to repair fortifications in Changchun and Siping...... I can just draw a reorganized infantry division here and send it all to him. ”

Hu Chuyuan did not hesitate and said, "Send it to him and tell him...... The bottom line is that Shenyang must be kept, and let the artillery of the Franco-Russian alliance bomb the city of Shenyang, then he will not be considered a pass. ”

Lu Guangquan snorted, but said: "This guy's ability is there, I wonder, he must have some foreshadowing...... Otherwise, according to his surname, he wouldn't have given up Harbin so quickly, let's wait and see! ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly, asked Lu Guangquan to go out to send a telegram first, and by the way, he also gave him the last remaining bag of milk powder, and said casually: "Homemade, healthy and fresh, I've worked hard recently, drink a few more cups to make up for it." ”

Lu Guangquan glanced at it suspiciously, and asked a little suspiciously, "Isn't this a child's drink?" ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "You don't understand, just because it's for babies to drink, so it's nourishing...... Comparable to breast milk. ”

"This ......?"

Lu Guangquan broke out in a cold sweat, and hurriedly ran away with two bags of milk powder.

As soon as he returned to his office, as soon as he sat down, Hu Chuyuan called him again and asked him to remember to return the post-drink testimonial.

This one......!

He didn't know that Hu Chuyuan had great hopes for this milk powder, and China's Nestle was them.

When it was done later, he would also buy Nestle, and by the way, see what the formula of Nestle, which started with infant milk powder, is.

Lu Guangquan doesn't understand that war is for the next generation, and milk powder is not for the next generation.

Hu Chuyuan thought about it, he wanted every Chinese child to be able to drink domestic Zhihuatang milk powder, and everyone was not short of nutrition or calcium.

Anyway, it's so wonderful to start your own factory and participate in the life of starting and running your own business.

He seems to have returned to the days when he first founded the Jiangnan Commercial Bank, no, it is more interesting than in the Jiangnan Commercial Bank, at that time, he mainly relied on the hard work of the big shopkeepers, and now he is purely on his own.

He is now going to build a milk powder factory, just like a martial arts grandmaster participating in the primary school sports meeting, he is not martial, but he just likes it.

…… The war situation in the Northeast is indeed entangled.

Hu Chuyuan got up and opened the curtain on the wall, looked at the map of the northeast hanging on the wall, and looked at the new deployment of various armies, feeling a little apprehensive.

The reason why he was able to sit here firmly was because the two divisions of the Zhili Corps and one division of the Qingxu Corps had completed the deployment and training of mechanized equipment, and they were hidden in Liaoyang, Fushun, and Benxi, and by March next year, this scale would increase to six divisions.

The problem of personnel reserves has been largely solved, and at the moment there is a lack of sufficient armored vehicles and auxiliary vehicles.

If Yang Zongli really didn't resist, he could only launch a counterattack in advance.

That afternoon, Duan Qirui received a new piece of information from the DPRK side, saying that the army was using hot air balloons to reconnoiter the armament and fortifications in the Pyongyang area, and was in urgent need of antiaircraft guns that could fire at the air.

It's a blank slate.

Hu Chuyuan thought about it in his mind, and made a phone call to ask Huang Jianxun, who was in charge of weapons and equipment and logistics, to come over.

Huang Jianxun's office was on the second floor, and he came quickly, but he hurried to the door of Hu Chuyuan's office in a few minutes, and he walked in quickly and gave Hu Chuyuan a military salute.

"My lord, are you looking for me?" He asked.

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly, asked him to sit opposite him, and handed him the telegram sent by Duan Qirui.

Huang Jianxun took a general look and said: "The General Intelligence Bureau has informed the General Assembly Office in advance that we have developed an anti-aircraft machine gun with an ultimate range of about 2,000m on the basis of the 47mm caliber revolver, and the difficulty is not very great, and it will take about a month to get results." ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded and said: "That's good, you can arrange within the General Bureau of Ordnance Industry to let Shandong and the Yangtze River make a new model change, and strive to realize mechanized modification of the cannon." In addition, I have given us a demonstration, and we are also going to do similar work in the reconnaissance of enemy intelligence, and you can arrange it now, one is the study of high-altitude hot air balloons, and the other is the study of airships. ”

Huang Jianxun said: "We haven't studied too much hot air balloons, and the airship project is following the Germans, originally using hydrogen as filling gas, and recently considering helium. Helium purification is a derivative found in Wanqi's asphalt refining technology, and the related technology and equipment have been transferred to Zibo Chemical General Plant. If you consider the situation when the opponent also has anti-aircraft guns...... Helium is the best, and although it is a bit heavier than hydrogen, it is chemically more stable and less likely to explode. ”

Hu Chuyuan pondered this series of questions in his mind.

Zibo Chemical Plant is currently the largest petrochemical and coal chemical base in China, and the National Research Institute of Chemical Industry is located there. Zibo is also a R&D and production base for the aluminum industry, considering this, the current domestic aircraft and airship research projects are also concentrated in Zibo.

The airplane project was established in 1893 and in 1897, and the airship was established in 1898.

Compared with the armored car project, Hu Chuyuan did not pay much attention to these two projects.

At this time, he realized that these two projects are also very important, and the airplane does not have much role and significance at the moment, and the airship is different.

He immediately asked Huang Jianxun to send someone to submit all the information and reports of the airship project, and he wanted to see it in person.

These materials were all in Huang Jianxun's safe, and Huang Jianxun had to pick them up in person, but they came and went quickly, and after a while, as many as two cartons of research reports and technical reports were sent to Hu Chuyuan.

Hu Chuyuan opened the main report to examine it in detail, Germany had already completed the construction of the Zeppelin last year, and the Qingzhou airship and the Zeppelin at the Zibo Aircraft Factory were almost identical in design.

Although the project was established late, thanks to the domestic perfect aluminum industry and the foundation of aircraft research, Qingzhou Flying now has similar capabilities to Zeppelin, because the military has not paid much attention to it, it has not yet received more scientific research units and arsenal support.

Judging from the design drawings of the Qingzhou airship, Hu Chuyuan was not very satisfied.

He pulled a pencil out of the pen holder, took out a new drawing and ruler, and redrew a new design.

After drawing the new design, Hu Chuyuancai and Huang Jianxun asked, "Who is the person in charge of the 9813 project?" ”

Huang Jianxun said: "Zhou Wanpeng, a native of Shanghai, is also the chief engineer of the 9710 project...... There is no way, there are too few technical personnel engaged in aircraft projects in China, and he takes care of both aircraft engineering and airship engineering alone. He studied mechanical power in Germany, with a focus on shipbuilding and internal combustion engines. After returning to China, because the number of chief shipbuilders was relatively abundant, after consulting him, he was asked to lead a team to engage in aircraft engineering in Shandong. His group of people at the Zibo Aircraft Factory can be said to be the only technical engineering team in the world that focuses on aircraft. ”

Hu Chuyuan hummed slightly.

Speaking of Zhou Wanpeng, Hu Chuyuan has an impression.

He thought about it for a while, and told Huang Jianxun: "Starting this year, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Engineering and the Ministry of War will invest more funds in the two projects of the aircraft...... I will also increase my investment personally. In terms of talent, you should pay close attention to the deployment and give priority to ensuring the deployment of aircraft projects. Now it is necessary to increase training, let them conduct more experimental research, and accumulate enough experimental data in the special power engine and aerodynamics of aircraft. ”

Huang Jianxun even claimed that it was, and then asked: "Is there a big change in the airship project?" ”

"Huh?"

Hu Chuyuan handed over the new design to Huang Jianxun and said: "You ask Zhou Wanpeng to pay attention, there are several foundations that must be paid attention to, the first is the payload, the second is the flight speed, altitude and surname, and the third is the armor defense." The payload should not be less than 3 tons, the rated flight speed should reach 50 kilometers per hour, the stabilization altitude should be between six hundred meters and one thousand meters, and the key is that the defense capability should also be high. ”

Huang Jianxun thought for a while and said, "This is more difficult...... However, we can use the design of multi-layer compartments, similar to the watertight compartment on a ship, even if several compartments are penetrated, the airship will not fall. ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "It's okay for you to design like this, but my requirements must be realized, otherwise don't take it to the battlefield to take risks." ”

Huang Jianxun said: "Then it has to be built very big...... It is very expensive, especially the use of some special aluminum alloys is very important. ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "The key is here, we can build a thicker underneath the airship and a thinner top." At present, the weapon that can really threaten the airship is the anti-aircraft cannon. If you really can't do it, add a layer of harder steel plate. ”

Huang Jianxun scratched his head, feeling that it was very difficult, but he could only nod his head and said, "Okay, I will personally go to Zibo tomorrow and let them redesign." ”

Hu Chuyuan added: "Note that this new model is not only used for reconnaissance, but also for bombing and even airdropping...... Yes, airdrops. According to the different functions of different design, the bombing of the air boat must ensure the safety of the surname. It's cheaper to use for airdrops and scouting. ”

"Airdrop?"

Huang Jianxun only felt that one head was two big, and he became more and more puzzled.

"Yes, it's an airdrop!"

Hu Chuyuan became more resolute on the contrary, and he carefully expounded the significance of the role of airdropping, which can airdrop ammunition to supply the encircled troops, and can also airdrop a part of the troops behind the enemy to attack from behind.

At this time, Hu Chuyuan did not pin his hopes on this sudden idea.

He knew that there was no point in fantasizing, even if such weapons were successfully developed...... It also lacks a sufficiently large scale, its cost determines the scale, and the scale determines the combat value.

One of the key problems with airships is that if they fly too low, they can easily be attacked by anti-aircraft guns, and if they are too high and too big, they can easily be destroyed by the unpredictable rapid air currents and storms in the air.

Therefore, he wanted to concentrate on building twenty airships that could be used for bombing, and gather the number to deliver a sudden and critical attack on the enemy.

Come to think of it, the best targets are ships, especially giant warships.

No matter what class of battleships they have, there are two common shortcomings, that is, underwater and deck, the armor defense of these two areas must be relatively weak, otherwise, it is a real steel armored pillbox on the water, the speed is amazingly slow, and the stability is also poor.

After finalizing this issue with Huang Jianxun, he asked Huang Jianxun not to wait until tomorrow, but to arrange a special train to Zibo in the afternoon.

As for the question of funding, for the time being, he will borrow the money, and the specific cost can be calculated after the end of the war...... This is the main reason why China can go to war with the three Entente countries at the same time, and no matter how much money is spent this year, Hu Chuyuan can spread the accounts and let the political axe gradually repay it over a period of several years.

As long as he can win, Hu Chuyuan will definitely do whatever it takes.

It doesn't matter if he scatters his wealth, with his ability and status, as long as China wins, it will only take ten years for him to start from scratch and become the richest man in the world again.

The richest man in the world.

After Huang Jianxun left, Hu Chuyuan silently continued to sit in the office, thinking about those complicated data and calculating how long the Northeast Front could last.

The total strength of the domestic army has expanded to 1.74 million men, with 14 divisions concentrated in the northeast, totaling 443,000 men.

This number seems very high, but compared with the Russian-French coalition army, it is almost half less, not to mention that there are six divisions that have not yet rushed to the battlefield and are secretly training in Shenyang and Jinzhou.

The situation in the Korean and Northwestern battlefields was much the same.

Fortunately, the northwestern battlefield was completely defended, the Korean battlefield had its own army fighting the fringe battlefield, and the northeastern battlefield had a large number of militia and regimental training troops.

Hu Chuyuan's heart is anxious, as long as he lasts a few more months...... As long as he boils it again, consumes it again, and holds it for a few more months, he can survive for another year until winter, and he can fight back in March next spring.

(To be continued)