Once again, everyone was relieved and enjoyed the beginning of a good life.

It's finally time to leave the battlefield, and I'm finally going to Kunming that I've been thinking about. The Yunnan people, led by the old tobacco bag, all showed joy on their faces.

One by one, they ran to the deck, looking in the direction of home.

They were accompanied by a group of German instructors such as Sherman, who did not care, sitting leisurely on a new ship in camouflage uniforms, basking in the winter sun, which is rarely seen.

Yes, they were on a new ship, and Zhang Sixing was leading the way around the newly built ship in Anqing.

"Principal Zhang, the draft of this kind of boat is quite shallow, and we can walk in the navigable rivers in China now."

"Well, this ship is good, but one is that it is too little loaded, and the other is that it is too slow to build, and in the future we will build a shipyard in Luzhou, and we need a faster ship."

Listening to Zhang Sixing's ambitious plan, Tang Zhongming was unimpressed. In his mind, such a ship could be built fast enough, and he wanted to be as fast as he wanted.

So he reminded him that

"Principal Zhang, if it weren't for your design, I wouldn't have dared to imagine that the ship could be built like this and so quickly."

Strictly speaking, the ship in front of you is not new, its double hull is two flat-bottomed river boats with a load of two hundred tons. It's just that everything on the ship except for the shell has been dismantled.

Then, the woodworking board made of linen, bamboo mats, and fish maw glue is used to make the entire bilge into a number of watertight cabins, and clean water is used as the ballast water surface.

Then the whole ship became interesting, because it was a large catamaran that was rarely seen not only in China but even in the whole world at this time. Several carbon monoxide gas generators and two car engines are arranged in the rear half of the two large ships below.

The three decks, except for the one where Zhang Sixing and they lived, were completely designed by the Grand Cabin.

The reason for the speed of the construction of this ship is that all the superstructures are made of that lightweight composite panel, except for the two old wooden ships at the bottom, which are used as carrying compartments.

This is the homework that Zhang Sixing left for Tang Zhongming and the craftsmen of the logistics battalion before leaving Anqing.

"It's not fast, and the cabins on the upper floors can be made modular, so that people and goods can be replaced at any time, and there are convenient ...... for loading and unloading."

Tang Zhongming, who heard modularity now, immediately lit up his eyes, because when the first batch of catamaran river boats was built, Tang Zhongming had heard the word "modular".

Therefore, the entire superstructure is manufactured entirely as standard parts, leaving a proper mortise and tenon structure after production. It is easy to install and worry-free, even if you can't read the drawing, you can install the parts in place according to the reserved mark.

Looking at the two cabins below that were converted from old wooden ships, Zhang Sixing shook his head,

"It is expedient to use old-fashioned wooden boats, and when we arrive in Kunming, we will establish a production line to produce wooden boats with a load of about 500 tons suitable for navigation in the whole basin of the Yangtze River."

"Principal Zhang, do you still use those plywoods?"

Nodding his head, Zhang Sixing replied,

"Plywood is also used, but the glue used is produced by chemical means, and the bonding quality of fish bladder glue is okay, but it is still a little worse than chemical resin."

"Plywood shipbuilding?"

Tang Zhongming was not sure whether this way of living ships was right, he had the impression that ships needed to be produced by special wood, or simply steel, but China was a steel-poor country.

"So what, the British still make planes out of plywood, and there is no problem in building ships."

Indeed, the British Mosquito bombers were made of plywood, and because of their speed and flexibility, they were often used by the Allies as reconnaissance aircraft in the future.

Regardless of Tang Zhongming's doubts, Zhang Sixing continued to observe this vehicle that he had specially built according to the national conditions of China.

Compared to the sailing ships of this time, this kind of boat with a car engine was certainly an improvement, and plywood was used, only metal was used for the engine part, and almost no metal was used on the rest of the boats.

For example, the steel cable that controls the rudder is directly made of strong hemp and silk mixed ropes. Although I don't know what the value is, these two things are not lacking in Huaxia.

Zhang Sixing had some other equipment and machines suitable for Huaxia's production capacity at this time, and they had to wait until Kunming to start production.

In order to save metal materials, the ship was propelled by paddle wheels, using only two bearings used in automobiles, and all other than that were made of plywood or simply fiberglass.

Zhang Sixing and they took the flagship of this fleet, because Tang Zhongming presided over the production, so it was also called "Zhongming".

The last thing to look at is the power system of the Zhongming,

"In addition to the two car engines as a power source, you can also put a few parachutes to use as sails when the wind is downwind. But now the wind is not going well. ”

Zhang Sixing noticed that there was a small compressor. It can replenish the gas produced by the carbon monoxide generator into the gas cylinder made of earth fiberglass. This makes it possible to produce a certain amount of gas at berth, which can be used by two car engines.

"Mr. Tang, what restricts us now is the engine. Moreover, the car engine is still not very suitable for use, Mr. Tang, you have also spent time in the automobile factory and the aircraft factory. When it comes to Kunming, it is also important to get a suitable gas engine. ”

The gas engine is very important, Zhang Sixing said this, Tang Zhongming didn't expect it at all. He looked at Zhang Sixing with wide eyes and disbelief, not understanding how he could have such a request.

It has always been his wish to develop a special gas engine, but he also knows that if there is enough gasoline for foreign attacks, it may be time to eliminate the charcoal oil substitute.

"Principal Zhang, you really want me to engage in gas engines, then I want to ask, is it for vehicles, ships or ......?"

Tentatively asked, what Tang Zhongming wanted to figure out was that Zhang Sixing only wanted him to make a gas engine for temporary application or whether he wanted to make a special gas engine that could also be used for long-term use.

Looking at Tang Zhongming's black round-framed glasses, the burning desire in his eyes to reveal the lenses, Zhang Sixing replied,

"We must not only develop but also develop as a long-term and important cause."

Why, Tang Zhongming really wanted to ask like this. But an engineer like him thinks most about who will favor his technical route and get good development opportunities.

Of course, Zhang Sixing couldn't tell him that when low-carbon travel is needed in the future, gas engines can rely on natural gas to make green cars. Unfortunately, it has not been taken seriously, and as a result, natural gas, a truly low-carbon travel fuel, is used for cooking and heating.