Chapter 1356
New Fruits in the South: The Presidential Plane, Wheat Seeds
Before World War II, there was no concept of a presidential plane.
During the Paris Peace Conference, President John Bull used a modified Airco DH.4 bomber to cross the Channel, which can be considered an early form of official business aircraft for political figures, rather than a fixed private aircraft.
It wasn't until 1944 that President Robert E. Robinson used a Douglas C-54 "Sky King" as his presidential aircraft, nicknamed "Holy Bull," and later participated in the Yalta Conference.
The name "presidential plane" only appeared recently.
General Dai of the Gallic family is a good man in every way, except that he is extremely concerned about his image.
This can be seen from his later behavior.
He suddenly decided to visit our home, but he insisted on being the guest of honor, saying that we should send someone to invite him first.
And what happened? You waited for me, I waited for you, but in the end, the trip never happened!
President Dai also coveted the US presidential plane and wanted to get one, but his own transport planes were not up to the task.
He felt embarrassed to buy Xiaomei's C-54, as he didn't want to lose face.
This matter has been delayed indefinitely.
Until recently, when welcoming the heroes who had won a great victory against the pirates back to the airport, Commander Dai immediately took a liking to the "Eastern No. 1" transport plane parked next to him!
In that instant, he had a bold idea.
Brother Dongfang is much more trustworthy than Xiaomei's family!
Take the Dongfang-1 satellite as an example. Although secrecy measures were taken, it received all the necessary information, and its performance was by no means inferior.
Furthermore, following the habits of the French African legions, food storage compartments were added to the cabin, allowing French soldiers to store delicious canned food.
French was also indicated inside the cabin.
If we convert the transport plane into a special plane, then we can hold the next family meeting...
Commander Dai was completely smitten.
That's why Madeline made that urgent phone call.
"I have no problem with that, but such an important matter still needs to be approved by the organization," Li Aiguo replied with a smile after hearing the request over the phone.
Special planes are different from ordinary transport planes; they carry a strong political connotation.
“Okay, I’ll handle this. Wait for my news.” Madeline was also aware of the rules here.
After hanging up the phone, she immediately submitted the request to the foreign affairs department to build a special plane.
When the staff in the foreign affairs department received this application, they were also a little confused.
What? The French president wants us to build them a presidential plane?
This is a big deal!
What else can we do? Just keep reporting it to higher authorities!
And so the application was submitted at each level.
Li Aiguo was unaware of the specific details of the subsequent approval process.
But when he came to work the next morning, Section Chief Xing of the locomotive depot walked into his office with a beaming smile.
"Well done, Patriot! You've really surprised us again! Even the French president has specifically asked us to build him a special plane!"
Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo knew that the relevant procedures had been completed.
"They admire the skills of our experienced locomotive maintenance workers."
"You, you, are always so modest." Section Chief Xing looked at Li Aiguo with a sigh in his heart.
Looking back, when the locomotive depot first established its workshop, all we could make were small gadgets like hand warmers and instant noodles.
Who would have thought that, under Li Aiguo's leadership, large aircraft could be built in just a few short years!
Now, they're even going to take over building the presidential jet!
The thought of a special plane from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot appearing on the international stage excited Section Chief Xing.
"The higher-ups have given instructions: the task of building the presidential jet is an extremely important and far-reaching undertaking, and we must build it well!"
"Don't worry, Section Chief."
Li Aiguo had actually planned this for a long time.
Compared to ordinary transport planes, presidential planes need to place greater emphasis on comfort and safety.
"By the way, a large batch of tropical fruits from India arrived in Nanyu City yesterday. I'll have someone send some over for you later," Section Chief Xing said, turning back as he walked to the door.
Today, the Frontier Legion has equipped itself with more than 20 Dongfang-1 aircraft, with regular weekly "flights" running between Nanyu City and the Frontier Legion headquarters.
When it flew over, the cabin was full of weapons and medicine.
On their return, they brought back local specialties.
Li Aiguo especially loves eating those fruits, which are free of preservatives, so he feels very safe eating them.
"Get to work!" After Section Chief Xing left, Li Aiguo took the blueprints and went to the aircraft workshop.
Anna, Professor Qi, and others were very excited when they heard that a presidential plane was going to be built.
Around noon, Yan Jiecheng and the logistics staff brought over baskets of fruit.
Mangoes, bananas, jackfruits... there are quite a few varieties.
Among a pile of fruit, Li Aiguo also discovered a basket of strangely shaped things.
"Patriotism, what's this? An apple? Or a pear?" Zong Xianfeng curiously picked up a round fruit and examined it for a long time.
As he spoke, he pried open the fruit shell and took a bite.
The next second, Zong Xianfeng's expression turned strange, his features scrunched up: "Ptooey! Bitter?!"
“This is called a wood apple. Although it has the word ‘apple’ in its name, it has absolutely nothing to do with apples. Its real name is quince, and in India, it is mainly used to worship Shiva,” Li Aiguo explained with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Zong Xianfeng and the others immediately lost interest in the wooden apple.
Li Aiguo picked one up with great interest, his eyes narrowing slightly.
This type of apple is mainly distributed in the central region of India.
It seems that Li Yunlong has made significant progress over there!
However, although the taste of this wood apple is hard to describe, it is indeed a good thing.
It is rich in dietary fiber and vitamin C, and can also be used as medicine in traditional Chinese medicine, with the effect of strengthening the stomach and aiding digestion.
As it happens, Chen Xueru has been experiencing some stomach discomfort lately.
At noon, Li Aiguo came to the Zhengyangmen Subdistrict Office and gave several wooden apples to Chen Xueru, asking her to distribute them to her colleagues at the Subdistrict Office.
Chen Xueru has now adapted to her leadership position in the subdistrict office and is quite efficient in her work.
After having a quick meal at the neighborhood office, Li Aiguo arrived at the supercomputing center, where construction had already begun.
In the future, supercomputing will become the foundation of industry, so it definitely needs to be developed well.
In addition, maintaining confidentiality is of paramount importance.
The Old Cat faction's weatherman has already made the necessary arrangements.
Young people dressed in railway worker uniforms were scattered throughout the construction site.
Considering that the meteorological station will also be responsible for the subsequent confidentiality work of the supercomputing center, these meteorologists have been temporarily assigned by Zhou Ke.
Zhou Ke was thus appointed as a leader at the weather station.
Over here, the construction site of the supercomputing center at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot is bustling with activity.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, inside the Capitol Hill in America's home country, the atmosphere was very tense.
"You bunch of idiots! Useless trash! You should all be sent to Alaska to cut down trees!"
A congressman, his face flushed, waved a document in his hand and shouted: "Every year we allocate so much investment to you, taking taxpayers' hard-earned money, and what is the result?"
You can't even handle a decent large transport plane!
Open your eyes and see for yourselves how many families are interested in the Easterners' "Vostok 1" transport plane!
Then, the document was sent out.
Seated below were representatives from several small aircraft manufacturing plants.
Furthermore, there are industry giants such as Boeing, Douglas, Lockheed, and Rockwell Automation, which manufacture large aircraft.
Everyone was looking at the document.
This is a classified document. Although the source has been redacted, everyone knows it came from Langley.
The document states this.
Currently, four or five families, including John Bull, Kangaroo Family, and Dajia Family, have shown great interest in the "Vostok 1" transport plane and have even begun to plan their purchase in private.
"Furthermore, I have some despairing news to tell you: President Dai has placed an order with Hextech for a presidential jet. Somewhere in the east, those Easterners are building a private jet for our traditional ally!"
This congressman is at it again, spouting nonsense.
This congressman's outburst was actually driven by self-interest.
The US Congress has always been like this; the members are often hostile to each other, and as long as they find a mistake by the opposing camp, they will launch a full-scale attack without reservation.
Coincidentally, this congressman had long been dissatisfied with the huge investments allocated to aircraft factories every year, and this time he finally had the opportunity to make trouble.
The congressional chamber erupted in uproar, and the aviation officials and business tycoons sitting below were completely bewildered.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
They understand the pride of the French; how could they possibly buy those cheap goods from the East?!
Only the manufacturers of the small aircraft exchanged glances; they had witnessed Hextech's expertise in aircraft manufacturing.
Then, the newspapers started reporting on it like crazy.
Although the French government kept the order for the presidential jet confidential.
But everyone knows that trying to keep the French secret is tantamount to not keeping it secret at all.
The news got out only a month or so after the order was placed.
The matter has escalated, causing a global uproar.
What's going on? Hextech's planes are this awesome?!
If the previous "Dongfang No. 1" was merely a military transport aircraft, and most ordinary people and business tycoons weren't particularly interested in it...
So, building a presidential jet is a completely different concept!
This means that Hextech has fully acquired the capability to manufacture large commercial airliners!
Most households now use Boeing 707, Boeing 747, L-100, DC-8 and DC-9 aircraft, which are not only expensive but also have ridiculously high maintenance costs.
If Hextech were to manufacture passenger planes, could they bring down the unit price?
Yang Jizong was dumbfounded.
His office phone has been ringing off the hook these past few days.
Distributors and airline representatives from all over the world have been calling, subtly inquiring about commercial airliners.
Yang Jizong felt bitter inside, because there was absolutely no plan to manufacture commercial airliners at the moment!
However, his keen business sense prevented him from denying it outright.
He dodged the question on the phone, saying that the civil aviation passenger aircraft project was "currently in the planning stage" and that he would definitely notify these partners as soon as there was substantial progress.
Meanwhile, local newspapers in the port city also began to report on the matter extensively.
In the first few years, some people felt uncomfortable because Hextech had a mainland Chinese background.
In recent years, with the rise of Hextech, it has become the pride of the port city.
Inside the tea restaurant, many people were chatting.
"Did you know Hextech is famous again?" "I know, I watched it on TV too."
"Tsk tsk, even President Dai has Hextech build airplanes."
"You idiot, that's a presidential plane! Don't you even know that?!"
"Wow, this is unprecedented, isn't it? Our Chinese companies can actually receive such top-level orders."
"Hextech's factory is hiring again, did you go?"
"I applied a long time ago! But I heard they're giving priority to applicants with mainland backgrounds now, so the competition is fierce..."
On one hand, there was extensive media coverage in the port city and around the world.
On the other hand, the US Congress seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack on the aviation sector.
Even Smith, the commissioner in charge of arms sales, was dragged out and severely criticized, accused of being too ruthless and incompetent.
It was later discovered that the purchase price of a single coffee cup was several thousand US dollars!
The other people stood by, watching the spectacle with amusement, some even wishing they could add fuel to the fire.
There was no way around it; they had long been dissatisfied with Commissioner Smith.
Every time I buy equipment from Xiao Mei's house, I not only get ripped off and Smith takes a huge kickback, but I also have to thank them profusely and act like a grandson afterward.
Hextech has also become a prestigious company in the eyes of outsiders, known for its fair dealings.
See? Even the large aircraft factories owned by Xiaomei's family have been outdone.
As the fire grew stronger, the official John Bull administration finally couldn't sit still and stepped forward to take sides.
After all, the port city is still nominally John Bull's territory.
John Bull believes that Hextech's great success is also due to their wise leadership.
To show his support, the Governor of Hong Kong even personally held a ceremony to confer upon Yang Jizong the title of Justice of the Peace!
Now the signal is very clear.
Hextech is under our protection, John Bull!
Seeing the Bull family step in, the congressmen from the American family who had harbored wicked intentions also gave up.
Now that the French are about to become traitors, we absolutely cannot push the British into further trouble.
Otherwise, he, the eldest brother, would soon be left all alone.
Hextech gained substance, the Bull family gained prestige, and everyone was happy.
There has been no report about the presidential plane in mainland China.
However, the higher-ups already knew about this and, seeing the situation, also considered having the Qianmen Locomotive Depot manufacture commercial airliners.
However, one must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time.
There was no rush to issue instructions or urge them to hurry up.
Xing, the section chief of the locomotive depot, got a few newspapers from the port city through Yang Jizong's connections. Only then did he realize that the matter had already caused such a big stir outside!
Seeing the overwhelming praise in the newspaper, Section Chief Xing admired Li Aiguo even more.
The leaders of the Ministry of Railways even called Section Chief Xing over specifically: "Old Xing, the newspapers outside were right this time."
This presidential plane is of great importance; it's not just a business deal, but also a calling card for us on the international stage.
Your locomotive depot must pay special attention to this and have Comrade Aiguo put more effort into it.
Upon hearing this, Section Chief Xing immediately disliked it.
He is extremely protective of his own, especially of Li Aiguo.
"Sir, what are you saying? When has Comrade Aiguo ever been anything but serious?"
But this presidential plane is different from a regular military transport plane!
They don't require you to haul a lot of goods, but the internal processes are extremely complex!
"Oh? From what you're saying, there's a shortage of people?" The leaders of the Ministry of Railways could easily understand Section Chief Xing's subtle intentions, and immediately smiled.
"That's right!" Xing Duanzhang readily agreed and poured out his grievances.
"People from France are very particular about how they do things; they like that so-called 'aristocratic style.'"
Our locomotive depot has plenty of experienced workers who can do the heavy lifting, but what we really lack are skilled craftsmen who can handle the finer tasks!
“That’s easy, I’ll help you make the contact.”
Section Chief Xing breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile returned to his face: "That's good, that's good, thank you for your support, leader!"
"In addition, the supercomputer center also needs to be expedited; Leader Teng has inquired about it several times."
"No problem, no problem, Aiguo has been keeping an eye on things." Section Chief Xing nodded repeatedly.
"We also need to expedite the manufacturing of electric trains, as the subway renovation is currently underway."
"Boss, please try your best."
Section Chief Xing left the ministry leader's office with a long sigh.
He felt that the burden on Li Aiguo's shoulders was getting heavier and heavier.
This kid probably needs three heads and six arms to be useful!
At the studio, Li Aiguo was of course unaware that Section Chief Xing had just gone to the ministry for help.
He was instructing Zong Xianfeng and several other experienced craftsmen on how to modify the presidential plane.
The entire presidential plane can be summed up in one word: solemn.
Since he represents the French president, the cards he plays must be of high quality.
The fuselage features a dark blue and silver-gray color scheme, just like the French flag.
The sides of the fuselage bear the French coat of arms, while the tail features a personal badge bearing the President's personal emblem.
What do you think will happen after President Dai steps down?
Then the French will just spend more money to buy a new one!
Anyway, France is a wealthy country that doesn't lack money, so they can afford to pay for a private jet.
The interior of the aircraft is decorated in the most luxurious way.
The interior is mostly furnished with mahogany, lambskin sofas, and wool carpets... in short, it's all about extravagance.
The kitchen is fully equipped with all kinds of modern cooking equipment.
The separate bathroom features a wet and dry separation design and even includes a small shower room.
There were no ashtrays on the plane because President Dai himself did not smoke and did not allow others to smoke.
Most importantly, there is a small honors exhibition room in the compartment on the side of the fuselage.
It's empty inside now, but once it's delivered, we can display some handicrafts and medals.
Li Aiguo also installed the newly developed communication equipment.
Although limited by the technology of our time, we are not yet able to realize satellite communication as we will in the future.
However, the power and sensitivity of this equipment are far superior to most of the communication equipment currently in use in the world, which is sufficient to ensure that the President can maintain communication with the ground from the air.
Of course, as the presidential aircraft, no matter how luxurious the interior, safety must always be the top priority.
Li Aiguo not only reinforced the fuselage structure, but also specially designed a concealed emergency parachute exit.
The cabin is equipped with the latest life rafts and advanced parachutes.
Considering that the president himself is most likely not a parachutist, Li Aiguo designed a tandem parachute jump mode.
Even if the president can't jump, he can be led to jump by a dedicated security detail.
Of course, everyone knows in their hearts that this kind of escape equipment is useless.
"Tsk tsk."
"Tsk tsk tsk."
As soon as Section Chief Xing entered the workshop, he looked at the presidential plane, which was beginning to take shape, and couldn't help but circle around it several times, clicking his tongue in amazement.
However, he also knew that he could only ever admire this thing from afar in his lifetime.
"This plane has been modified really beautifully!" Section Chief Xing exclaimed sincerely.
"This is only a semi-finished product; it's not fully completed yet."
"I plan to take a few photos after it's mostly finished and send them to the French consulate here so they can take a look and see if they like the style."
Although Li Aiguo is confident in his designs, he also respects the client's choices.
In particular, customers are very picky.
Section Chief Xing nodded, his meaning clear: once the presidential plane is built, it will be very difficult to make changes later.
After all, no one would allow someone else to use the presidential plane again.
If someone secretly puts a listening device or a tracking device inside during maintenance, that would cause a huge mess.
After finishing up with matters concerning the private jet, Li Aiguo took some time to visit Weizhuang Commune.
Weizhuang Commune is thriving now. In addition to growing grains, it also grows melons, fruits, and vegetables, harvests mountain products, and hunts wild game to send to the capital.
In addition, a large amount of food has now been transported in, and relief food has been distributed.
The commune began constructing water conservancy facilities for drinking water and irrigation, and started planting wheat.
Li Aiguo went to Weizhuang Commune this time.
The main purpose was to check whether the improved wheat seeds he and Professor Wu from the agricultural breeding base had been successfully sown.
After wandering around the fields for a long time and confirming the planting area, I had lunch with Professor Wu at Weizhuang Commune.
Professor Wu is now a top breeding expert in China, and he received an award from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences this year.
"Patriotism, I'm going to the South in a while."
"Hmm?" Li Aiguo took a bite of his steamed bun.
"I heard there's an agricultural instructor over there who's quite knowledgeable about rice. Rice is the main crop, and the breeding base has been planning to develop it, but they lack the necessary personnel."
An agricultural instructor? Could it be that big shot?!
Li Aiguo was taken aback for a moment, then immediately nodded in support.
Currently, the breeding base mainly focuses on cultivating corn seeds, but it should expand its operations further.
"Don't worry about Aiguo. From now on, this experimental field will be taken care of by our Weizhuang Commune. There will be absolutely no problems."
When Li Aiguo left, Village Chief Wei and the militia captain escorted him to the village entrance.
Last time, because he successfully cultivated corn seeds, Village Chief Wei was given a big red flower at the county meeting.
Weizhuang Commune also became an advanced commune.
"Then I'll trouble you." Li Aiguo nodded with a smile and got into the large off-road vehicle.
Li Aiguo returned from Weizhuang Commune at around 3 p.m.
I had just entered the office and hadn't even had a sip of water when I heard Zhou Ke's voice from outside.
"Brother Aiguo, Junwei just hung up the phone and wants you to go over there right away."
(End of this chapter)