Chapter 2495
If we judge it by Haihan's past standards for selecting overseas colonial sites, the conditions of these two candidate locations are actually not ideal. One has no natural harbor, making it difficult to station a naval fleet. Although the other has a harbor, the population density in the nearby area is too low, making it difficult to obtain enough labor in the early stage, making development more difficult.
But since the opinion of the Executive Committee is to use this colony as a bridgehead for the future westward expansion of the sphere of influence, Roger believes that this means that it will be used for military purposes, so he still chose a natural harbor. Gulf of Galle. In this way, at least an overseas military base can be established first, and then developed into the colonial area expected by the Executive Committee.
To establish a new colony far away from the existing sphere of influence, relying solely on the power of the Star Island Colonial District is obviously not enough. Roger must also rely on the funds and personnel allocated by the Executive Committee to organize preparations.
However, the main focus of the Executive Committee is on the East Asian continent. The westward expansion plan to the Indian Ocean is mainly promoted by the military. Therefore, the funds and personnel currently allocated to this plan are very limited. To some extent, it is even limited. Star Island Colony needs to complete some preparatory tasks on its own.
The Sing Tao Colony has invested most of its working capital in the development of the Dumai Oil Field project, and there is little left to afford another more expensive project. Therefore, after nearly half a year of operation, the plan to expand westward to the Indian Ocean was still temporarily shelved due to the failure of all parties to coordinate the investment of resources.
In the autumn of 1652, the Haihan Aviation Research Institute, which had been established for five years, finally made a major breakthrough. The first fixed-wing propeller aircraft developed and built by it successfully completed its first flight.
Many people in Sanya City that day witnessed the plane circling in the air about several hundred meters above the ground. The aircraft was specially painted in a conspicuous red and blue color scheme to avoid causing panic among the public during the flight.
However, the officials still underestimated the people's ability to accept new things. The appearance of the plane in the sky did not cause chaos, but it quickly attracted people to watch and cheer.
Of course, most diplomats from various countries in Sanya were lucky enough to witness this scene that is destined to be recorded in history. For those foreigners who have been paying attention to the development of Haihan all the time, the appearance of the plane may have shocked them even more than the people of Haihan.
The Haihan people can already build manned machines that can fly in the sky. What else can they not do?
The next day, "Haihan Times" published a special issue, giving a comprehensive report on the successful test flight of the first aircraft. Naturally, this special issue was snapped up by the public, and the word "airplane" quickly became the hottest topic on the streets of Sanya. This aircraft, named "Dongfeng", is also regarded as Haihan's greatest industrial achievement in recent years.
News of the successful first flight of "Dongfeng" was quickly transmitted to various overseas colonial areas via telegraph. This is of great significance to Haihan's current territorial distribution. If the time for transporting people and materials between various places can be greatly shortened through aviation, even in the face of extremely limited transportation capacity and high costs, it will play a significant role in consolidating the long-term stability of the country's political situation.
Of course, the span between the current simple test flight model and the establishment of a reliable air transportation system is still quite large, and it is still impossible to achieve it overnight with Haihan's existing industrial capabilities.
The only good news to be thankful for is that the technological knowledge mastered by the time-travelers can save the aviation industry from taking many detours in the development process, and there is no need to explore and design various future aircraft models on their own, as all ready-made solutions are available.
The more difficult part lies in the training of professionals. Whether it is a mechanic responsible for building and maintaining aircraft or a pilot mastering flying skills, the training process will be quite long.
As for military uses, although the military is very interested in this, it also has to wait patiently for the gradual construction of the aviation industry system. Fortunately, there are currently few armed forces in East Asia that can compete head-on with the Haihan Army, so the need for aircraft to be used in combat is not urgent. Chen Yixin, who was far away in Shandong, took action quickly after receiving the telegram. He convened a meeting with his civil and military officials and informed them of the successful first flight of "Dongfeng".
Even though most of these officials have been working around Chen Yixin all year round and have been influenced by it, they still have difficulty imagining what kind of special equipment an airplane is.
Chen Yixin had no choice but to take a pen and paper and draw a rough drawing of a propeller aircraft for everyone to see. The officials all looked at each other in confusion, thinking that such a thing could carry people flying in the sky?
"Don't believe it. Maybe in three to five to seven years, there will be planes flying to Shandong."
When Chen Yixin said this, he felt a little emotional. The technology of this world seemed to be rapidly approaching the time and space before he traveled. I just don’t know if I can see the aviation industry system reappearing on the land of China in my lifetime.
"Sir, do we need to make any special preparations for this?"
The questioner was Zeng Xiaowen, Chen Yixin's former secretary and now the civil affairs officer of the Liaolu Colonial Region.
"Of course we have to prepare." Chen Yixin nodded affirmatively and said: "The takeoff and landing of airplanes require special airport facilities. In Dengzhou and Jinzhou, airports must be built in advance. As for the specific construction plan, I will send a telegram to the Ministry of Construction and you will be responsible for the relevant projects.”
"You will definitely live up to your humble position!" Zeng Xiaowen quickly agreed.
The construction of two airstrips is of course no longer a big project for the current Liaolu Colonial Region. It is nothing more than demarcating a piece of land in a suitable area, then leveling the ground, and building the most basic runway and hangar. , oil depots and other facilities.
But if these basic conditions are prepared in advance, routes can be opened as soon as planes can fly to this area. Chen Yixin actually doesn't care whether he can fly back to Hainan Island in one go. What he cares more about is achieving rapid communication between the Liaodong Peninsula and Shandong Peninsula in this way, which will help consolidate his rule over the colonial region. .
If the purchase rights can be opened by then, Chen Yixin will be happy to spend a sum of money to buy himself an aerial vehicle. Even if he knows that this thing will definitely cost a lot of money, he will not mind.
(End of chapter)