When the seaplane is moored on the water, the buoyancy generated by the wide hull will make the aircraft float on the water and will not sink. But when it needs to take off, the pull generated by the propeller engine drags it along the water at a fairly fast speed. As the speed increases, the lift generated on the wings slowly overcomes the gravity of the aircraft, thus gradually lifting the aircraft from the water and becoming a ship flying in the air. And after it completes its aerial mission, it will naturally return to the surface of the water, so that it can become a ship that can glide on the water. Therefore, many people abroad call it a seaplane or an aircraft cruiser according to the characteristics of the seaplane.

If the Jiangnan area wants to build a cement airstrip, it must be enclosed land, and Jiangnan and the two lakes have been the land of fish and rice since ancient times, in the 1920s, grain was the most precious thing, and in some places even the silver dollar could not replace its role. In order to build an airport, a large-scale enclosure will certainly encounter great resistance.

The investment in cement will also affect some of Zhao Yun's previous plans. But if he can take off and land on the dense waterway of Jiangnan without occupying the precious land in Jiangnan, then there is no doubt that the local resistance will be much smaller, and Zhao Yun can also leave a large amount of money for this.

Moreover, in the future, the planes that Zhao Yun needs to send to other places do not need to have an airport on the other party's territory, as long as there is a lake, it is very

good.

Moreover, since the beginning of World War I, most warships above the cruiser level will carry one or more seaplanes for long-range reconnaissance, target search, and error correction during artillery fire. These planes are usually parked on warships, some of them are ejected from the take-off slides above the turrets, and some of the larger ships have their own slides or hangars to house these observation seaplanes. When the plane lands, it first lands on the sea near the warship, and then the crane on the warship hoists the plane back to the ship and places it properly for the next mission. Seaplanes of this type can also take off directly from the water. Of course, this type of seaplane is mostly pontoon, which is different from the bulky hull seaplane.

By the end of World War I, seaplanes were serving as reconnaissance and assistance in naval gun firing, as well as anti-submarine, convoy escort, coastal patrol, and bombing. It can be said that technically, there is no problem with seaplanes at all. Previously, Zhao Yun had already started the acquisition of engine factories in Europe, intentionally or unintentionally, and some of the parts needed for the aircraft could also be easily purchased in the European market.

In later generations, before the outbreak of the First and Second World Wars, the development of the civil aviation industry gradually emerged, although many large aircraft could reach areas that could not be reached in the past, but the lack of airports or the poor condition of the runways made seaplanes the best candidates for these routes. Routes to countries such as the UK to India or Australia were established during this time. Even if a large aircraft has a long enough range to fly over certain ocean areas, in the absence of an airport on the route, it can be a serious problem if the land plane breaks down or needs to make an emergency landing, and seaplanes happen to meet these needs.

Even in the relatively backward China, on August 9, 1919, the first water plane - "A Type 1" was successfully trial-produced. This is a 100 horsepower, tow-in twin-boom biplane water training aircraft, 3.8 meters high, 9.32 meters long, 13.70 meters long, maximum speed of 126 kilometers per hour, empty weight of 836 kilograms, load of 1063 kilograms, fuel capacity of 114 liters, flight altitude of 3690 meters, can sail for 3 hours, flight distance of 340 kilometers, crew of 2 people, can carry 4 bombs. The performance and quality of the aircraft are no worse than the planes built by Ba Yu and others in front of the Meikoutisi, Nengyong, and Boeing No. 3 factories.

Later, the "Jiangfeng" manufactured by these pioneers of the Chinese aviation industry is also a good aircraft, and there is a lot of room for improvement. Therefore, while providing European aircraft technology, Zhao Yun also strengthened investment, so that new models of "Jiangfeng" appeared one after another, and they could be mass-produced on a large scale.

Of course, a very important reason why Zhao Yun is so fond of this aircraft is that it is wooden, and the camp has always charged a low fee for wooden weapons.

However, the seaplane was built, and it was still in batches, which inevitably occupied part of Zhao Yun's funds.

So, how to get money has become a problem that Zhao Yun needs to think about. At present, the trade routes in the south of the Yangtze River are basically opened, and the goods sold have become a key issue for Zhao Yun to think about. Although some civilian items have begun to be sold, the amount is still a little small, but Zhao Yun no longer dares to expand the quantity. So Zhao Yun sold the military quartermaster again.

What is a quartermaster? In ancient times, the siege of the city lasted for several years, and if the wind and rain were not adjusted in these years, the grain harvest would fail, and the supply of military rations would be poor. Therefore, although "military needs" are related to wars, the word "need" is not from rain.

In the Republic of China, military quartermaster can generally refer to the army's ration materials, including military rations, military uniforms, ordnance, military vehicles, etc.

This time, Zhao Yun is ready to sell helmets, yes, helmets!

To this end, Zhao Yun also discussed with the Jiangnan Shipyard, borrowing two steam forging hammers made around 1880 in the factory, and then returned to the shipyard in Yixing to build it himself.

That's right, the technical level of the steam forging hammer is indeed not high, but the effect is good, the two machines were used until the 90s of the 20th century, the base was broken, and the Jiangnan plant was reluctant to dismantle, and the tinkering continued to be used. Even medieval things can be used, so why can't this 1880 thing be used?

Zhao Yun built three units in one go, and with these giants, the forging of many large workpieces became much easier. The entire steam hammer is made of all-steel with a reinforced concrete base, and a steam-driven sliding valve is used to drive the hammer weighing up to 1 tonne at the top.

Soon the forging workshop was set up with these three giants as the main body, which was used to press the steel plate for the shipyard at first, and then cast a helmet mold with iron, and then put the steel plate up, and as soon as the forging hammer fell, a helmet was 80% complete. The remaining 20% is given to local women to make a lining with bamboo strips.

And all the production, Zhao Yun was always sold to the descendants of various warlords at a high price. But some warlords don't pay much attention to steel helmets, they pay attention to how to produce.

Since the forging workshop was put into operation, it has attracted countless onlookers, and many people and businessmen are very surprised that such an iron lump has been made in a small town in the south of the Yangtze River. This is something that only exists in a big city like Shanghai!

However, discerning people also see the shortcomings of this place, there is no steel plate of its own, and now it is imported from Europe.

In addition to one-time die-casting helmets, the steam forging hammer also has a side business of smashing stones. A steam forging hammer was also set up in Dingshu, but unlike the forging workshop, it was set up specifically for smashing stones.

The seaplane has been launched, but the plane still cannot be lost on the road, so Zhao Yun still expanded the current airport. Everyone knows what the airport stands for! That's right, that's one word, flat! The stones mined on the mountain are large and small, and if they are used to pave the airfield, they will be uneven. The use of manual stone smashing is time-consuming and labor-intensive. The stone crusher can crush 50 tons of stone every day, and if these crushing tasks are done by manpower, there are no three or four hundred strong men who can't do it. So this steam hammer becomes a stone crusher. The stones carried down from the mountain were smashed into the size of a teacup, with some gravel and powder, and lifted by crane to the river, and a piece of it was loaded onto a ship to burn cement or pull to pave the airfield.

As for the extra manpower, what is it for?

Is there more than that? The hydrological situation in the county has been explored to some extent, so it is naturally transferred to clean up the silt in the river. Although Zhao Yun had prepared some tools and personnel for dredging before this, the more manpower the better.

The construction of the river has always been a matter for the government, but this is a matter of local concern, and the gentry in the townships and towns, under the leadership of Zhao Yun, also took out some grain to provide food. Zhao Yun gave them even more meat at the food standard.

That's right, the local tyrants and evil gentry describe these squires, but the role of the squires is not only to run rampant in the countryside on weekdays, oppress the people, but also treat these towns as their own territory, and many times they have to come forward to deal with the government and other squires, while safeguarding their own interests, they also protect the interests of the township.

In the late Qing Dynasty and the early years of the Republic of China, the power of these squires was very large, and it cannot be said that they were all like Pan Datou in the evil township, and there were still many people who benefited the villagers.

With the squire taking the lead and Zhao Yun's food subsidy, although Zhao Yun didn't say anything about wages, people from all over the country also participated, and people who were not very interested in cleaning up the river also came to do odd jobs. Even the landlords and squires sent long-term workers, tenants, or nephews of the family to work - this food was even better than the New Year's Eve at home. If it weren't for the fact that these squires couldn't pull off this face, they would have gone into battle in person.

In fact, Zhao Yun didn't forget to say it, but there is gold to dig in the river! What Yixing has a gold mine?

Of course not, but there are treasures in many rivers in Yixing, for example, copper coins have been dug up in the rivers north of the county, as well as silver ingots, copper mirrors and the like. Yes, Jiangnan was rarely affected by military disasters, but don't forget the peasant uprising at the end of the Qing Dynasty, Jiangnan was the main area of activity of the Taiping army.

In order to escape, many people threw valuable things into the river in the hope that they would be able to find them when they returned in the future.

What? You say this is nonsense? How can there be such a thing, but what about the Taiping Heavenly King's Mansion in the county? Think of a county town with a palace! That's pretty remarkable.

With these copper coins and other treasures as wages, more and more people have joined, and even people from neighboring counties have come to Taobao! This is really Taobao!

There is a lot of strength in numbers, and the progress of the project is also fast. Zhao Yun's hand did not give money, but there were also people to help with the work, which made everyone sigh again for this "strange county magistrate", and admired the five-body throw.