"Dear boss, we unanimously agree that this idea of yours does not quite fit the logic of the current artillery design."

After some discussion, an artillery design expert pointed to the "abstract" paintings on the table and said cautiously to Chen Jianqiu.

"It looks like, uh, one, one, but, mortar, but it's very difficult for us to grasp the dosage of it."

"You have three months at most." Chen Jianqiu's answer was concise, "After three months, I hope to see the finished product that can be used, and then I will give you three months to debug and improve." ”

The experts present were stunned.

"This can't be, boss, I think you're too idealistic." Or the artillery expert who just spoke.

As the leader of the group, his brow has been twisted.

"I'll add money!" Chen Jianqiu leaned back in his chair and took out his cigar, "The salaries of everyone here have doubled." ”

"Mr. Chen, it's not about money, it's always how hard our design team is."

Chen Jianqiu picked up his cigar and compared two fingers:

"I'm going to set up $200,000 in prize money and a high royalty for this project, as long as you design a product that satisfies me."

"I think it's okay to give it a try." A German artillery designer who had worked for Rheinmetall stood up and spoke in English with a German accent.

"I also don't think there's a problem," added another mechanical engineer from Stokes in the UK.

Chen Jianqiu glanced at the artillery expert who was the leader of the group:

"If I'm not mistaken, it doesn't seem like much of a problem."

The expert nodded solemnly.

"Yes, sir, now it's fine."

In fact, after Chen Jianqiu provided the design direction, the main remaining problem was how to balance the parameters and design the shells, and try every means to ensure the range and lethality without exploding.

Chen Jianqiu didn't spend much energy paying attention to how the mortar design team tossed.

The first is in his view, Party A is only responsible for making the request for money;

If these people can't do it, then they really can't do it under the existing technical conditions.

The second is that he has more important things to do.

He had to rush to Washington to tell Theodore Roosevelt, then Deputy Secretary of the Navy, about his discovery in Cuba.

The latter must be very interested in this.

At that time, in the structure of the US government, there was no Department of Defense and no General Staff.

The War Department is subordinate to the War Department, while the Admiralty Department is an independent ministry.

The ministers of both ministries are cabinet members of the McKinley government.

One is Chen Jianqiu's friend Russell Agey in the West, who has just given Chen Jianqiu a job at the Springfield Arsenal.

The other was John Long, who was on sick leave for more than 100 of the 365 days a year, and Deputy Secretary Theodore Roosevelt was actually in charge of the specific affairs.

When Chen Jianqiu entered the building where the two departments were located, he did not encounter any obstacles.

"Mr. Chen, are you here to find Mr. Edger or Mr. Roosevelt today?" An officer who was receiving at the door asked with a smile on his face.

"I'll go down to Teddina first." Chen Jianqiu took off his hat.

It was his first time here, and he didn't have any impression of the officer in front of him.

I didn't seem to have seen him.

"We've seen you, in a photo of Deputy Secretary Roosevelt with you, and that picture is on a shelf behind his desk."

The officer said with a smile.

"In his spare time, he often tells us about his pastures in North Dako, including how you saved him several times."

"Oh~" Chen Jianqiu suddenly realized.

He did take pictures with Roosevelt in town, and it was the circus that took pictures of them.

That circus is now a special unit of the Border Detective Agency, which travels the country and is responsible for intelligence and transcontinental operations.

"Secretary Roosevelt was in a meeting with the Admiralty generals in the large conference room on the third floor. You can go there to find him. The officer said very politely.

Chen Jianqiu thanked the officer, turned around and walked up the stairs.

The staircase was narrow and crowded, and he and several army or navy personnel in military uniforms who had come down from the stairs walked sideways.

Chen Jianqiu has always pondered how unpopular the US military is now, and it does not even have a spacious office space.

This situation was not alleviated until more than 50 years later, when the Pentagon was built.

He walked to the third floor, and after passing through the narrow hallway, he came to a place that looked like a lounge.

Opposite the lounge, there is a door made of walnut.

The door is closed, and the soundproofing is so good that you can't hear what's going on inside.

Chen Jianqiu pondered that this was the conference room that the officer on the first floor was talking about.

He walked to the window of the lounge, leaned on the windowsill, and looked out the window.

Outside the window is a lawn, green, on the other side of the lawn there are passers-by driving carriages by, the sound of horse bells, a quiet and peaceful.

As he counted the number of carriages passing by with interest, a familiar smell of tobacco wafted from behind him.

Chen Jianqiu turned his head.

Teddy Roosevelt's round face with a pipe suddenly caught his eye.

When Roosevelt saw Chen Jianqiu, he was suddenly stunned for a moment, and then walked up excitedly and gave Chen Jianqiu a big hug.

"I'm still wondering why this back is so familiar, and it's really you!" Roosevelt patted Chen Jianqiu on the back enthusiastically and smiled heartily, "Why are you here?" ”

"I'm looking for something for you." Chen Jianqiu also put his arm around his old friend's shoulders and pointed to the walnut door, "They said you were in a meeting, so they planned to wait outside for a while." ”

"Oh, then you'll have to wait for me for a while, it's not over yet, I'll come out and breathe."

Roosevelt took a puff of his pipe.

He thought for a moment and said to Chen Jianqiu: "Hmm~ Why don't you come in and listen together." ”

Chen Jianqiu was stunned.

"Shall I go in? Is it appropriate? He smiled and asked, "I'm not from the Admiralty, let alone Chinese." ”

"Haha, it's out of the way, it's out of the way, it's not an internal meeting."

Roosevelt's hearty laughter echoed through the lounge again.

"I asked Professor Alfred Thayer Mahan of the Naval War College to give a lecture to the guys about his theory of sea power."

With that, Roosevelt walked back, pushed open the walnut door, and walked in.

And Chen Jianqiu followed behind.

This door is the back door of the conference room.

Officers in naval uniforms sat in rows in their seats.

Their military caps are all on their right hand, and most of them still hold notebooks in their hands, recording something.

These people were all listening very carefully to the speech of an old man on the stage who had bowed his head.

But it's more like a lecture than a lecture.

Roosevelt and Chen Jianqiu found two seats in the empty last row.

"I met Mahan in 1880, when he was a colonel in the U.S. Navy." Roosevelt lowered his voice and said to Chen Jianqiu, "But he is now the dean of the Naval Academy. ”

Chen Jianqiu nodded, and his gaze moved to Ma Han's body.

He began to listen carefully to the professor's point of view. (End of chapter)