Chapter 5: Flying to the Blue Sky

"The casualties are still a little bigger!" Chen Congyun got up early in the morning and just walked into the study. Li Yaoguo took the urgent telegram from the front. After reading it, Chen Congyun still said a little regretfully. There were two general attacks in a month, except for the 203 Highland, all other commanding heights were basically won. This speed was still satisfactory. However, the total casualties were close to 6,000, right? Chen Congyun didn't expect that after making so many targeted preparations, the casualties were still so amazing.

After cleaning up, Chen Congyun came to the General Staff to find Keze. After sitting down in the office, Chen Congyun said, "Keze, have you seen the call from the aftershocks? First, the casualties of the fifth two armies were close to 6,000. The General Staff will summarize the experience of this Lushun battle in the future."

Keze nodded heavily and said, "Yes, the tragic situation of the battle was beyond expectations. The Russian army was very tenacious. Last night, I sent a few telegrams with General Aftershock. He meant that there shouldn't be such a big casualty this time when attacking Lushun. The reason was that you put huge pressure on the commander ahead. Zhang Guangming and others were a little anxious, so they tried too hard and failed to maximize the advantages of our army's artillery."

Chen Congyun was stunned for a moment, and thought about it carefully. Isn’t this the reason? The root cause is still in himself. How could a president spend so much energy on a Lushun offensive and defensive battle? There is another Jilin battle that is about to begin. Why don’t he care more about it?

At this time, Keze continued: "Of course, I personally think that the main reason is that our army lacks experience in attacking fortresses and lacks in the rational use of artillery fire. After all, the Chinese army has not been in the army for a long time, and we don't want the Western powers to have a complete land war system." Keze's words were a bit suspicious of changing the subject. Chen Congyun had no reaction when he heard it, and he really smiled bitterly in his heart: "This Keze, I'm slick in China. I'm worried that I will hold a grudge and help me speak." What does the West have a complete land war system? Facts Lushun offensive and defensive warfare mean that the West has a complete land warfare system? It can be regarded as a training ground for new weapons before World War I. The German army must have done the best in this regard, and history also told Chen Congyun in this way. During World War I, the German army was the first to realize that trench warfare changed the previous model of quick battle and quick decisions, and first realized the power of howitzers in trench warfare, and then equipped a large amount of equipment. Although Germany was defeated in the result of World War I, Germany was not defeated by the failure of military power, but by the national strength being at a disadvantage in the battle with Britain and France, and the later addition of the United States who took advantage of the situation.

No matter what, Chen Congyun would not say this, and smiled faintly and said, "Zhang Guangming and others are doing well. The General Staff can draw up a suggestion to let them slow down the attack according to the actual situation and trade the smallest sacrifice for victory."

After a brief exchange, Chen Congyun listened to Keze's report on the preparations for the Jilin Battle, and stood up and hurriedly left the General Staff. The Political Training Department recently proposed to hold an event to organize some combat heroes on the battlefield to return and go to various provinces across the country to give speeches.

On the way to the Political Training Department, Chen Congyun always had a strange smile on his lips. In the past era, there were many reports in the modes of the Chinese people. This model of promoting the common hatred of the military and civilians across the country through spiritual motivation seems to have existed since the Korean War in the early 1950s? Chen Congyun was once very disgusted with the report meeting and felt that it was a bit suspicious of ignoring the people's education. Now that the Political Training Department proposed this activity, Chen Congyun realized that the Chinese people were really talented in conducting political activities such as this model. In the past, Chen Congyun was very disgusted with such activities, but now he is in charge of the country, but he finds it very necessary. The people really need to fool them appropriately.

Li Wei always looked in fear and fear in front of Shen Congyun. Anyone who started his career by doing politics probably had this problem. After a report, Chen Congyun said calmly: "When the candidates of the report group, the Political Training Department should not interfere, and the military region will be selected. There are also speeches. The scholars of the Political Training Department should not interfere. What is the true nature of the war? It is true to show them to the audience. Don't vilify the enemy at all times. This is a kind of self-deception, and it is a joke to fall into the eyes of discerning people, or spread to the international community. If we don't even respect our opponents, how can we respect ourselves?"

Chen Congyun's words meant that Li Wei was in his heart, and Li Wei was sweating profusely. He originally meant that this matter should be handled by the Political Training Department. Even the speech manuscript should be greatly polished. It is necessary to deceive him in place, right? As a result, Chen Congyun directly cut off his thoughts.

After leaving the Ministry of Political Training, Chen Congyun went straight back to the Presidential Palace and also presided over a contact meeting between the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Railways in the afternoon.

As soon as I arrived at the gate of the Presidential Palace, I saw a familiar figure standing straight at the gate, waiting for the car driving of Chen Congyun.

"Nie Zixiu? When did you come back?" Chen Congyun got out of the car and shouted in surprise.

"Salute!" Nie Zixiu showed excitement and stepped forward and replied, "The train arrived in Beijing last night. I have come to see you early this morning."

Chen Congyun shook hands with Nie Zixiu with a smile and walked in: "Why don't you go to the official residence to see me directly? Come here to wait? Besides, why don't you take a good rest for a few days when you just came back?"

Chen Congyun's care made Nie Zixiu look excited. Not to mention anything else, he could walk to the office by the president. Everyone looked at Nie Zixiu differently along the way. Fortunately, there were no female employees these days, so why wouldn't Nie Zixiu become a hot spot for beauties?

"Sir, I dare not rest. Today's technology has been developing rapidly, and Western aircraft manufacturing technology has made great progress. It is completely foreseeable that in the future, aircraft will determine a decisive role. Time is endless! I came back this time to set up an aircraft development center in China, digest some of the technologies and experiences I brought back in the United States as soon as possible, and build our own aircraft manufacturing system." Nie Zixiu said as he walked quickly. It should be said that this view is still very forward-looking. In 1904, in terms of aircraft development, he was still in a private manner. Nie Zixiu had the idea of ​​being a backer of the country. It is impossible not to say that his judgment on the future is very accurate.

Chen Congyun did not make a statement immediately, but led Nie Zixiu into the office and asked him to sit down before laughing: "Tell me honestly, should I ask me for money when I come back this time? Or do I need someone?"

Nie Zixiu was always unrestrained in front of Shen Congyun, and stood up without hesitation and said, "I want money, people, and places."

Chen Congyun looked at the young man full of enthusiasm happily and smiled: "You guy has a big appetite? When I was in the United States, didn't the United Foundation allocate you 1,000 US dollars every month? Isn't that enough money enough for you tossing?"

"Sir, you are a visionary person. When you provided me with funds and went to the United States to find the Wright brothers, you have verified that your eyes were amazingly accurate. At present, the Wright brothers have built real powered aircraft, and they are further improving and transforming. At this time, I came back to get your recognition and wanted Chinese aircraft manufacturing to be ahead of the world."

Nie Zixiu said passionately, his body straight and his eyes were filled with enthusiasm. Chen Congyun certainly knew the importance of the plane, but unfortunately, Chen Congyun was not born in an airplane, otherwise he would have opened his golden fingers and made a jet-like shape, and would have unified the whole world for three years.

Chen Congyun's silence made Nie Zixiu feel a little nervous. After sucking Nie Zixiu's appetite, Chen Congyun smiled faintly and said, "You can choose the research cost of 5,000 yuan a month, and you can find the people yourself. Go back and give me a feasibility report."

Nie Zixiu showed ecstasy and couldn't help but step forward to grab Chen Congyun's hand and said, "Thank you sir!"

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Before the General Staff's opinion was issued, Li Zhen's second division had already launched a general attack on the last few fortresses of Jiguanshan. It lost the protection of both wings. Under the suppression of machine guns and cannons, the soldiers rushed to the entrance of the fortress, and bundles of cluster grenades were poured into it. The Russian army held the entrance tightly and refused to surrender. Seeing that the attack could not be achieved, Li Zhen asked someone to find kerosene and set fire at several entrances. After a burst of smoke, the Russian army inside did not surrender, but instead threw out the grenades.

Li Zhen simply asked someone to bring sandbags, fill in the entrances he found, leaving only one entrance, and then piled firewood and poured kerosene at the last entrance. This move was so cruel that the Russian army inside could no longer hold on. In the afternoon, the surrendered white flag was finally extended from the shooting entrance. At this point, Jiguanshan was completely conquered, and the east gate of the Lushun Fortress had been kicked open brutally.

Zhang Guangming, who walked up to Jiguan Mountain, was somewhat emotional. The two general attacks finally delivered a satisfactory answer. The only thing that was dissatisfied was that the Russian army on Jiguan Mountain had few unexpected captives. The general attack only caught more than 100 people. After interrogation, Zhang Guangming realized that the Russian command system was chaotic for a while because of the death of Kantrachenko, which gave the Second Division an opportunity to take advantage of. Zhang Guangming, who learned about this news, could not help but feel the tenacity of the Russian army. The Russian army invested more than 6,000 people on the entire Jiguan Mountain position, and only more than 100 surrendered. Most of the more than 100 people were wounded. It should be said that the Russian army did show the style of an old-fashioned power on the battlefield of Lushun.

In the Sino-Russian War, there are not many people who are optimistic about China in the international arena. From the perspective of military power, the Russian army has one million standing troops and three million reserve troops, and China has a total of 600,000. Judging from the numbers, the Russian army has an absolute advantage, but the Western powers do not understand China's military system. After Chen Congyun was in power, he would engage in local armed forces. If he really wanted to mobilize the whole country, he would have a two million army within three months, and there would be no problem with people. What we need to consider is where to find so much money to pay military salaries, and also the problem of eating and dressing. Another thing that the Western powers did not expect is that the Chinese people have the characteristics of blind obedience. As long as someone picks up, they dare to pick up the guys and fight against the Russian army. The Russian supply line in the Northeast war is based on this reason.

The Battle of Lushun came to an end for a while, and the Russian army was still standing on the 203 Highlands and Erlong Mountain positions, which were also the last two fig leafs. The destruction of the Russian Far East Fleet, the ending of only three or five warships fleeing back, shocked the Russian army in Lushun and fell into a state of panic all day long. The Russian army suffered a severe blow in morale. When the news reached the country, the Russian Command was very annoyed by this. A huge fleet with the Baltic Fleet as the main body was officially formed. On July 3, he officially set sail and headed straight to the Far East battlefield. Nicholas II threatened that the Chinese monkey navy must never appear on the sea.

In Jilin, although Alexeyev was very anxious and wanted to launch an attack immediately, the cruel reality could not help calm him down. The food, drink, defecation and slaughter of the 400,000 troops were a shocking number every day. Alexeyev once again wrote to the commander, proposing that when the railway was built and the supply problem was completely alleviated, the possibility of attack was considered. War was not just about weapons and equipment and the fighting spirit of soldiers, but only with guaranteed logistics could the victory be ensured. Now the Russian army has implemented a quantitative rationing system, and a soldier can only get half a pound of bread every day. In this state, Alexeyev had the courage to launch an attack. Not only that, he also consciously began to shrink the front line and retreated back a hundred kilometers.

Alexeyev's move made the aftershock somewhat unpredictable. In fact, the aftershock wanted the Russian army to launch an attack immediately. Several armies were waiting for their leisure to work. As long as the Russian army dared to attack on their own initiative, after a month, when the Russian soldiers were trapped, a counterattack could completely defeat the Russian army.

But the Russian army retreated, and the aftershock was a little confused.

The news soon reached Beijing. Of course, aftershocks had to be accompanied by their own analysis of the Russian army's strategy. Aftershocks' view was that the Russian army took the initiative to retreat due to supply difficulties. The intelligence collected from all aspects was necessary for our army to launch one or two small-scale tentative attacks, and did not give the Russian army time to wait for the stockpiling of supplies.

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After the propeller turned hard, the engine rumbling. Nie Zixiu was sitting on the plane, feeling a little nervous. In order to show that Chen Congyun's money has not been spent in vain over the years, Nie Zixiu did not rush to use the sword above Chen Congyun to build the research institute for the plane. Instead, he first assembled an aircraft brought back from the United States, and then found a good day, and asked Chen Congyun to come and watch the flight.

The plane in front of him seemed too simple to Shen Congyun. The canvas-covered propeller and the body structure were mainly wood. After gambled on the temporary runway for about 30 meters, the plane finally broke free from the earth's gravity and soared into the air. It flew forward ten meters above the ground and then slowly fell down.

"Hey! Let's just count it as an airplane." Chen Congyun sighed softly in his heart. Just these years, a few years ago, people recognized a consensus that it was absolutely impossible for an aircraft to rely on its own power. Now this consensus has been overturned, and humans have taken a huge step in relying on machinery to get rid of the earth's gravity. Of course, the plane that appears in front of Shen Congyun now cannot satisfy Chen Congyun. The development of the aircraft in the 20th century may not be too much.

When Nie Zixiu got off the plane excitedly, Chen Congyun's face showed a faint smile. Although the plane that Chen Congyun had seen was countless times more advanced than the monster in front of him, it could not dampen the enthusiasm of young people. China's aircraft manufacturing industry must not fall behind the world, and the stupid things that are behind and beaten must not be repeated.

Compared to Chen Congyun's calmness, Liu Ting could hardly close her mouth. The Minister of Industry Zhang Jian, who came to watch with him, showed an excited expression. Not to mention ordinary guards, they were all stunned.

Chen Congyun's calmness made Nie Zixiu feel a little uneasy, thinking to himself whether he was dissatisfied with the achievements we have achieved? When the Wright brothers successfully tested the flight in the United States, all the people watching were crazy. How could adults be so calm? Maybe this is the reserve of the high-ranking people? Nie Zixiu could only understand this way, otherwise how could he explain it? The plane! This was a serious flight based on engine power. Although it can only fly 500 meters now, since it has taken the key first step, can its future development be slow?

"Sir, what do you think? Do you have any instructions?" When Nie Zixiu spoke, Zhang Jian next to him couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

"Flying freely like a bird is a dream that mankind has had since ancient times. Now we have taken the first step. What are your plans for the next step? Should we set up a private aircraft company or incorporate aircraft manufacturing into the national system?" Chen Congyun thought further away. In the budding state of the aircraft, we have to consider a system issue.

"Everything is still very simple now. I also know that the monthly fund of 5,000 yuan is your private pocket. I can't let you do a loss-making business, right? The funds and enterprises you invest in in the United States have made a lot of money. My idea is to further improve existing aircraft and maintain close ties with the United States. As far as I know, during the research and manufacturing of Wright Brothers aircraft, the funding mainly comes from the joint funds. There should be no problem in terms of technology sharing, right?" Nie Zixiu has considered this issue. It seems a good thing to be included in the national system now, but with more mother-in-law, there are more people who are pointing fingers. Nie Zixiu is unwilling to see such a situation happen.

Zhang Jian didn't expect Nie Zi to say this when he was about to go to bed, and couldn't help but be stunned. Once aircraft manufacturing is included in the national industrial system, it is better to do it by financial appropriation than to spend money on private money? Because Chen Congyun was in front of him, Zhang Jian did not make further statements.

Chen Congyun looked at Nie Zixiu meaningfully, as if he had seen through the real thoughts of the boy. After some thought, he whispered: "Just do what you said. Go back and make a plan, go to Stephen for money, or do it according to the model in the United States. Joint Fund will pay money, you will give technology, and the fund will get 49% of the shares. The control is in your hands, so you can be satisfied now, right?"

Chen Congyun's decision made Nie Zixiu feel indescribable, and at the same time, he also had the mentality of a soldier dying for his confidant.

"Sir, please rest assured that I will definitely create the most advanced aircraft today. I have inquired before I came back. The country spent a lot of money on the development of engines. Now the engines we produce are no worse than those made by any country in the world. With this foundation, I have the confidence to make a fortune in your investment."

"Mainland!" Chen Congyun said softly, slowly walked to the plane, touching this simple plane that could not fly for a long time, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. God sent himself to this world and allowed himself to face the process of human conquering the blue sky again. This is a wonderful experience.

"Since you decide to treat aircraft as an industry, you must have a long-term vision. The key to aircraft manufacturing at this stage is engines, and the fields involved will be wider in the future. You must do a good job in talent reserves." Chen Congyun pointed out lightly, and many words were really hard to say, so I can't tell Nie Zixiu that aircraft will take the path of jet development, and humans will fly into space. That's horrifying.
Chapter completed!