A few days later, a Chinese naval delegation led by Chen Shaokuan flew to the colony of Annam on an Austro-Hungarian Airlines flight and then returned home. Austro-Hungarian Airlines flies to the Far East and the African colonies with the latest SMK35 "Afrika Star" large airliner, a large passenger aircraft capable of accommodating 76 passengers that has won widespread praise for its outstanding performance after less than 30 units have been produced.

With a length of nearly 30 meters, a wingspan of up to 42 meters, a maximum take-off weight of 27 tons, and four 1,520-horsepower Steyr ST-218F eighteen-cylinder star-shaped air-cooled engines, the "Star of Africa" has a maximum range of 5,200 kilometers.

It was dusk, sitting in the comfortable seats of the plane, and through the portholes, you could see the sun paint a red glow on the wide wings of the airliner, the engines humming, and the propellers spinning.

"If this is a bomber, it can take off on our soil and bomb Japan with a light yì." Chen Shiying said to Minister of the Navy Chen Shaokuan, who was sitting in front of him.

"I asked, and their army did order 100 heavy bombers developed from this aircraft, but each cost up to 600,000 crowns, and we couldn't afford to equip them on a large scale with our financial resources." Chen Shaokuan said, "Our industrial capacity is not yet able to make such a moving aircraft. ”

"Becoming stronger in battle, the Austro-Hungarian emperor hoped that we ourselves would be able to adjust and gradually build a strong defense industry, including shipbuilding, instead of relying on foreign aid." Chen Shiying said, "At least for now, the country is unprecedentedly united, sweeping away the past fragmented situation. From this point of view, this anti-aggression war has strengthened the cohesion of the Chinese people, and it is not completely without benefits. ”

"Well, the Japanese landed in Haizhou, and Xuzhou was lost a few days ago. However, the Japanese army also suffered heavy losses. The offensive was temporarily stopped. Chen Shaokuan frowned and said, "Based on the information I have obtained so far, I suspect that they may attack Guangdong." ”

"Really?"

"It is very likely that part of the troops of Liangguang and Guangxi have been transferred to the front line of Jiangxi and Anqing, and the troops are a little empty. It was a dream for a part of the country to expect the British to stop the Japanese invasion of Canton. I have always suspected that Britain and Japan were behind the scenes, but after the outbreak of the war, British exports to Japan from Southeast Asia increased dramatically. ”

"What is already known is that the United States has been supplying Japan with aircraft parts and even fighter jets." Chen Shiying said.

"The drunkard doesn't mean to drink. The Americans and the British wanted to drive Germany and Austria out of the Far East and the Pacific, and they took us as victims. Chen Shaokuan said, "I'm afraid that there will be a fight between the United States and Britain and Germany and Austria, so that our aid may be cut off." ”

"No wonder the Austrian Emperor advised us to buy less weapons and import more machines, it turns out that he is also worried about this."

"It's true, and our entire shipping route could be cut off." Chen Shaokuan said. "The situation in Europe is also becoming more and more complicated, in France. The Socialist Workers' Party (SWP) was actively rearmament after coming to power, and they were always resentful of the loss of large swathes of their colonies in the European war. And Soviet Russia is also becoming stronger and stronger, and there seems to be an attempt to attack Ukraine and the Caucasus. ”

"There is no defense of the sea, and the reason for our passivity is that the Japanese can land lightly from any point and attack our weak points. It's so hard to prevent. Chen Shiying said.

"The government has also realized this, and another large naval base and shipyard is being planned and built on the Wanshan Peninsula next to the port of Qinzhou, on the scale of the German North Sea shipyard, and by that time, we will have a shipbuilding capacity of 300,000 tons per year. However, there are still some problems with the supply of raw materials in China. Many important components of the two cruisers being built at the Navy's Qinzhou shipyard also need to be purchased from abroad. ”

It was late at night when the plane landed in Baghdad, and after eating the supper offered on board, they fell asleep in their chairs. When I opened my eyes again, it was already dark, and the airliner was flying over the Bay of Bengal, and the sea below the fuselage was sparkling and blue.

Advances in technology and industry have indeed shortened the distance between the earths, and in the past, it used to take a long journey of more than ten days at the earliest, so it only took about ten hours to complete.

At 10 o'clock in the morning, the plane arrived in Hanoi, and the group changed to a domestic flight and flew directly to Qinzhou.

Today's Qinzhou Bay has become a large-scale naval base with three years of large-scale construction, and it has long lost the shadow of the small fishing port of the past. In addition to a large shipyard and a naval dock, there are more than a dozen large and medium-sized affiliated factories, and several military academies affiliated to the Navy Department, including the Naval Officer School, the Naval Noncommissioned Officer School, the Naval Engineering School, the Submarine Construction and Command School, and the Naval Aviation School, have also been relocated from Fuzhou.

With the construction of these factories and schools, the port now has nearly 30,000 workers, plus family members, and cadets from the naval fleet and military academies, making it a medium-sized city of 150,000 people. After readjustment, the administrative jurisdiction of Qinzhou was transferred from Guangdong to Guangxi Province.

Vice Admiral Chen Zhaoqiang, who was in charge of the construction of the entire base, shipyard, and port, made a special trip to Maoling Airport to greet Chen Shaokuan and others.

"Is Shape shì nervous?" Chen Shaokuan asked.

"There are some, Hainan Island attacked by the Japanese fleet during the Battle of Xuzhou, however, they were repelled by the 3rd Naval Wing stationed on Hainan Island." Chen Zhaoqiang said, "This shows that the Combined Fleet has set its sights on us." ”

"Well, you must pay attention to the security of the base, the Japanese are used to using sneak attack tactics, and also to prevent sabotage activities that they send spies to carry out." Chen Shaokuan said with a stern face: This is the only hope for the Chinese Navy, and there is no room for any more mistakes and losses.

"Fortunately, due to the natural barrier of the Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan Island, it is difficult for the Japanese Navy to approach the Gulf of Tonkin . However, the Austro-Hungarian Far East Navy did detect traces of Japanese submarine activity, and we have recently stepped up anti-submarine patrols. "However, at present, there are only six destroyers left in the navy, and it is still unable to search for the middle and distant waters." ”

"Air patrols can be strengthened, and the use of aircraft by the Austro-Hungarian Navy for sea patrols and anti-submarine is still very distinctive, however, it is necessary to mount specific anti-submarine bombs, which weigh only 50 kilograms, but are enough to tear the hull of the submarine." Chen Shiying said, "You can consult with the German-Austrian advisers, even if you make this kind of anti-submarine bomb." Chen Shiying said.

"Well, I'll do my best to arrange this." Chen Zhaoqiang said, "Sa Lao, Xie Lao and other navy veterans have moved from Fuzhou, do you want to go and visit." ”

"Oh, that's nature, we'll go over together in a while." Chen Shaokuan said, "Where do they live now? ”

"Faculty quarters at the Naval Academy." Chen Zhaoqiang said. (To be continued......)