At the mention of Mike, Wu Jin came to his senses again, and said happily: "Commander, Mike is a flight instructor sent by Curtis Company, and he is also the person in charge of these foreigners, he is a retired lieutenant colonel of the British Royal Air Force, and he was a fighter squadron leader before retiring. According to their people, Mack was a great performer, having shot down eight German planes during World War I. ”

"Squadron leader of the fighter?" Song Zhewu was also surprised, knowing that the most important thing in the air force is fighter planes, and the people who can fly fighter planes are also the people with the best flying skills and the highest overall quality. Shooting down eight planes, that's not a small amount, such a person is definitely one of the most prominent people in the British Air Force.

But Song Zhewu was a little puzzled, "How could such a person be easily let by the British Army let him retire, is it because he is very old?" ”

Wu Jin shook his head and said, "It's not big, he's only 36 years old this year." Moreover, this Mike is also one of the designers of this DH-10. ”

Hearing Wu Jin say this, Song Zhewu was even more puzzled, 36 years old is the most energetic middle-aged man, there is no problem, the British army will not let him retire? What's more, if this Mike is one of the designers of the DH-10, even if he retires, he should also be engaged in design in an aircraft company. If there is nothing wrong with this Mike, then he has met a great talent, and if there is an excellent Air Force officer like Mike to train and guide his Air Force, then his Air Force will really fly. What's more, this Mike is still an aircraft designer, Wang Zhu will soon arrive in Laiyuan, and his aircraft factory will soon start preparations for construction, and it is difficult for him to find such a person with a lantern.

Seeing Song Zhewu's puzzled face, Wu Jin hurriedly added: "He was injured in his left leg before the end of World War I and had to retire. However, he himself said that his legs did not affect the piloting of the plane, only because the British Royal Air Force had a clear rule that all pilots must be able-bodied. ”

After listening to Wu Jin's words, Song Zhewu couldn't help but be overjoyed, the British Air Force has a clear regulation, 'Pilots must be in good health,' which he believes, and any country will require pilots to do so. However, he didn't believe that Mike was discharged just because of a leg problem, because the British were not very stubborn, and he believed that this Mike was jealous and hacked. He'll have to take a good look at this guy in a moment, and if he can keep this Mike, it will be great news for his air force and his aircraft factory.

"How do you feel about this Mike?" For the sake of prudence, Song Zhewu decided to ask Wu Jin more, after all, Wu Jin and Mike had been together for a while.

Wu Jin thought for a while and said: "This Mike is a little arrogant, at the beginning, it was just the instructors he brought to give lectures to our people, and Mike himself just circled his plane every day. It was only after Guo Wenyuan came that the situation changed, and it could be seen that this Mike admired Guo Wenyuan very much, Guo Wenyuan also admired Mike, and the two discussed airplanes all day long. Since then, this Mike has often come to listen to lectures with Guo Wenyuan, and even often takes the initiative to teach. My feeling is that this man is a standard military man, obsessed with airplanes and flying, has good flying skills, is very knowledgeable about airplanes, and their instructors and technicians also respect him. ”

Before World War I, Western countries did not have an aircraft factory specializing in the production of military aircraft, and the military did not have a full-time air force, and the few planes of the military were purchased and recruited by civilian flight enthusiasts with their pilots, and their planes were designed and manufactured by these flight enthusiasts themselves, and these pilots were themselves aircraft designers and engineers.

If Mike participated in the design of the DH-10, it means that he was one of the first people who designed the aircraft and was a pilot at the same time, and that he was able to stand out among these people and participate in the most advanced bomber developed by the British at that time. And his rank of lieutenant colonel shows that he has a good record and is an excellent air force officer. Because the First World War lasted only four years, it was almost impossible to be promoted to lieutenant colonel in the British army, which had always been particular about seniority, within four years.

Song has now decided that this Mike is the person most needed by his air force and his aircraft factory.

Approaching the mat shed, Song Zhewu also saw the structure of the mat shed clearly. The design of this shed is very particular, and the shed is very tall and tall for the convenience of installing aircraft inside, and it is more than six meters high. However, the reed mats on the four walls of the mat shed are not tightly put together, and the reed mats begin to be covered by the reed mats more than one meter from the ground, leaving a gap of about half a meter above three meters, and they are empty at half a meter from the ceiling. Song Zhewu understood that this was for the purpose of ventilation, which could not only allow people outside to see the situation in the shed from a distance, but also shelter from the rain and ventilate, otherwise on this hot day, people would not suffocate to death in the shed.

When he got closer, Song Zhewu found another problem, that is, there was no door to this seating shed, and the wall facing the side of the airport runway was not one with the seating shed. Not only is the wall not integrated with the tent, but it is also divided into eight pieces, each supported by brackets underneath, as if it were eight huge screens. Even they weren't too close to each other, more than a metre apart.

Wu Jin said a little proudly: "Commander, what do you think of the design of this tent?" ”

Song Zhewu looked at the shed and nodded, "Yes, this shed is very well designed, such a design is very well ventilated, and people will not feel very hot inside." ”

Wu Jin said with a smile: "It's not hot, it's okay now, when the head rises in a while, people will be sweaty outside, but it's very cool inside." There is also this movable wall, which is to facilitate the entry and exit of the planes inside. Not only is it convenient for the plane to enter and exit normally, but it is also convenient to quickly transfer the plane out if the shed fires. ”

"The design of this temporary hangar is indeed very knowledgeable, whose idea was this?" Song Zhewu asked with interest.

Wu Jin said with emotion: "The original shed was not like this, it was all changed after Guo Wenyuan came. Change the mat shed like this, even that arrogant Mike is also straight to say good! ”

"Guo Wenyuan not only made the maintenance shop impressive in just over 20 days, but he was even able to drum up a trainer plane with Mike, and I heard the translator say that Mike said privately, 'Guo Wenyuan will definitely become a very good aircraft designer.'" Now the two of them spend all day together, like brothers, and even I am jealous. I think it would be better to let Guo Wenyuan hang the rank of deputy chief of staff in the Air Force Corps. Wu Jin smiled and said expectantly.

This Guo Wenyuan is not simple, in the Fourth Route Army, there are more than a dozen masters and doctors who have stayed abroad like him, and Guo Wenyuan is much worse in terms of fame. But since Song Zhewu talked to him in Zhengzhou, Song Zhewu has attached great importance to Guo Wenyuan.

Although Guo Wenyuan studied mechanics when he studied in the UK, he has studied aviation, vehicles, and even electronics and optics, especially mechanical design. He studied in the UK for four years, and although he did not get a master's degree or a doctorate, he got four bachelor's degrees. In Britain at that time, if someone wanted to get these four degrees, it would not have been possible to do it in eight years.

In Song Zhewu's view, Guo Wenyuan itself is the embodiment of a system engineering. Although the aircraft is still relatively simple, only involving aviation power and mechanical control, with the development of science and technology and the progress of technology, an aircraft is the integration and optimization of many advanced technologies, and a successful aircraft is the perfect embodiment of a system engineering. Even if they all use the same technology, just because the optimization of the integration is good or bad, the overall surname of the aircraft can make a huge difference. The difference can even be substantial.

If it is in Europe and the United States, it is good to say, although there is no concept of systems engineering now, but there are many talents there to solve this problem. However, Song Zhewu can't, what he lacks most is talent, this problem will haunt him for a long time and hinder the development of the Fourth Route Army. And a talent like Guo Wenyuan is exactly what he needs, and what he designs with the participation of a person who is proficient in many disciplines will definitely be a model of systems engineering.

Song Zhewu understood Wu Jin's thoughts, that is, he wanted to use this position of deputy chief of staff to tie Guo Wenyuan to his air force corps. Song Zhewu looked at Wu Jin and said with a playful smile: "My Commander Wu, you are so good at this abacus, you want to leave Wen Yuan here with you through this position, only to serve your air force?" You're wondering! ”

Wu Jin saw through Song Zhewu's thoughts, and just smiled.

Song Zhewu sighed and said to Wu Jin: "Our technical talents are still too few!" Guo Wenyuan is definitely an outstanding design talent, it would be a pity to only serve your Air Force, and when we gain a firm foothold in Shanxi, I will set up a special equipment research institute, and the chief engineer of the research institute will be done by him, and your selfishness should be put away as soon as possible. ”

After speaking, Song Zhewu took the lead in walking into the tent.

As soon as he entered the shed, Song Zhewu was excited. In this shed, six DH-10 bombers were parked in two rows, and these behemoths with a height of 4.42 meters, a fuselage length of 12.08 meters, and a wingspan of 19.97 meters were parked there in rows, which stimulated people's senses.

The wooden guards on the wings and upper part of the fuselage of these DH-10 planes were painted with shiny tung oil, the fuselage made of thin steel plates in the belly part of the fuselage shone with a black and bright cold light, and the muzzle of a 7.7 mm caliber machine gun for anti-defense fire in the cockpit behind it was raised high and pointed at the sky. Song Zhewu knew that the DH-10 still had a rear-firing machine gun in the tail.

This big guy with a maximum take-off weight of 4,100 kg has an astonishing bomb load, and can carry 25 bombs up to 100 pounds. And its range, flight distance, flight altitude and other indicators, among bombers, were absolutely second to none ten years ago, and even now, some of its indicators are not inferior to similar bombers. Under the bombardment of dozens of such formidable planes, there is no team that has no air supremacy and can calmly advance and retreat. It would be great if these planes could be of use in a year's time.

Wu Jinqing coughed, interrupting Song Zhewu's thoughts. Wu Jin knew that his commander had a soft spot for these planes and had high hopes for them and his air force. Being able to hand over the Air Force to him Wu Jin is a trust in him, and for Song Zhewu's trust, he Wu Jin can only repay it with his efforts and loyalty.

Wu Jin said to Song Zhewu: "Commander, look. ”

Looking in the direction of Wu Jin's finger, in the open space on Song Zhewu's side, there are still two planes being installed, and the people who install the planes are really as Wu Jin said, they are all members of the Fourth Route Army, and they are busy nervously under the leadership of two engineer-like people, while the foreign technicians are watching from the side very leisurely, only occasionally stepping forward and giving a few words of guidance accompanied by the translator. The two engineers, Song Zhewu, knew that they had been abducted from the Hanyang Arsenal this time, and although they were still a little resistant at first, they were all right now, and they were even very happy to work here.

Song Zhewu said with a happy face: "Yes, well done." ”

Although they only installed it under the guidance of foreign technicians, this was of great significance to Song Zhewu. The mechanics and students he had worked so hard to recruit had never seen an airplane before, let alone installed it. Through this practice, the experience accumulated for them in the future repair and maintenance of these DH-10s is by no means something that can be learned from books, and future flight technicians, including the technical personnel needed by the planned aircraft factory, will be produced among these people.

Seeing that Song Zhewu was happy, Wu Jin said with a smile: "There are still our people in several other sheds who are installing the aircraft. ”

"Good! Good! Good! Song Zhewu said a few good words and said to Wu Jin: "I can finally rest assured about the affairs of the Air Force Corps, our Air Force is a start-up, and many things need to be done from scratch, which is very difficult." You, the commander of the Air Force, are not only the military commander, but also the head of logistics; It is not only necessary to urge your pilots to step up their studies, but also to create conditions for these technicians to familiarize them with the aircraft and improve their technical skills. You're doing all this well! I'm on the right track to hand over the Air Force to you. ”

Wu Jin, who was affirmed by Song Zhewu, was full of joy, and saluted Song Zhewu and said: "Please rest assured, Commander, Wu Jin will never live up to the commander's trust, and I will definitely train the Air Force as soon as possible." ”

Song Zhewu looked around and asked Wu Jin: "Why didn't you see the Mike that Guo Wenyuan told you?" ”

"He and Mike were debugging their trainer in it, and the plans and drawings were all made by Wen Yuan. For this, Mike almost raised his thumb to the sky. ”

Wu Jin sighed again and said: "Wen Yuan has been tired these days, some time ago he has been busy leading people to survey and map various parts of the aircraft, just finished being busy, and he and Mike were obsessed with the training aircraft, and they had to give lectures to our technicians at night." ”

Because of the obstruction of other aircraft, Song Zhewu could only see the nose of the plane in the distance, and when he walked in, he saw that the guard plate on the belly of the plane had been opened, revealing the mechanical transmission structure inside. There were more than a dozen people standing under the plane, including foreign technicians and members of the Fourth Route Army, with many tools at their feet. In the front and rear cabins of the plane stood Guo Wenyuan and a foreigner in his thirties with high nose and blue eyes, and the two of them were arching their bodies and fiddling with something, while talking non-stop in English.

Song Zhewu, who is fluent in several Chinese, including English, could hear the two of them checking and adjusting the linkage mechanism for piloting the aircraft in the front and rear cockpits. Seeing that Wu Jin was about to call the two of them down, Song Zhewu hurriedly stopped Wu Jin and signaled him not to make a sound. Then Song Zhewu was next to him and quietly watched the two people who were busy on the plane.

Guo Wenyuan and Mike were very attentive, and it took more than half an hour for them to finish their work. Only then did Guo Wenyuan look up and see Song Zhewu, and hurriedly whispered a few words to Mike, who shrugged his shoulders and looked indifferent.

The two got down the plane along the ladder for boarding, and Guo Wenyuan walked quickly towards Song Zhewu while taking off the oil-stained gloves on his hands and throwing them to the ground. Song Zhewu noticed that Mike's left leg fell slightly when he walked, which did not affect his walking, and he was not even slower than Guo Wenyuan's walking.

In front of Song Zhewu, Guo Wenyuan gave Song Zhewu a military salute very non-standardly. After Song Zhewu returned the salute, he looked at Guo Wenyuan's oil-stained military uniform, frowned and asked Wu Jin: "Commander Wu, didn't you assign service soldiers to Wenyuan?" ”

Wu Jin also saw that Song Zhewu was looking at Guo Wenyuan's military uniform, and knew what Song Zhewu meant by this, Song Zhewu had extremely strict requirements for military appearance. He replied with a wry smile: "Yes, Wen Yuan is a major, and according to the regulations of our Fourth Route Army, there is a orderly, but Wen Yuan's clothes are dirty too quickly, and he just changed and washed them this morning." ”

Guo Wenyuan said a little embarrassed: "Commander, there is no way, the mechanical industry is inevitably dealing with oil." ”

Song Zhewu didn't answer Guo Wenyuan's words, but said to Wu Jin: "You assign Wen Yuan another orderly, tell logistics, give Wen Yuan a few more sets of military uniforms, and change them when they are dirty." ”

Only then did he smile and say to Guo Wenyuan: "Wenyuan, you have worked hard these days!" I've been back to Laiyuan for a few days, and I should have come to see you a long time ago, but there were too many delays. ”

Guo Wenyuan was very grateful to Song Zhewu for giving him more service soldiers and more military uniforms, although this is a small matter, but after all, he has the privilege of being different from others, and in the Air Force Corps, even Wu Jin has only one service soldier. This shows that Song Zhewu, the supreme leader of the Fourth Route Army, attaches great importance to himself.

Guo Wenyuan hurriedly said: "Wenyuan Xie Commander-in-Chief cares!" ”

Guo Wenyuan never forgot Mike who was following him, knowing that Mike was arrogant, he didn't want Song Zhewu to snub him, so he hurriedly pulled Mike over and said to Song Zhewu: "Commander-in-chief, this is the instructor captain Mike sent by Curtis Company. Mr. Harris. Then he said to Mike in English, "This is our commander-in-chief Song Zhewu." You English gentleman have to be gracious and don't embarrass your friends. ”

Guo Wenyuan thought that Song Zhewu didn't understand English, and he was afraid that Mike would not give Song Zhewu face, so he reminded Mike.

Mike stepped forward and saluted the British military very casually, his face was expressionless, and he said loudly in a slightly arrogant tone: "Former British Royal Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Mike. Harris greeted the Honorable Commander-in-Chief. ”

(To be continued)