The train driver in the courtyard

Early the next morning.

Director Chen of the Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Plant was pulled into the Ministry of Railways' office by Technician Zhang.

The staff member noticed the two arriving so early and sensed something was wrong: "Director Chen, the transportation plan hasn't been sent from the dispatch center yet."

Director Chen waved his hand: "We'll wait here for now."

The staff member thought the two were in a hurry and was about to urge the dispatch center when he picked up the phone and saw Zhang, the technician, turn on the fan.

This move isn't surprising, given that it's already hot. The most crucial thing is Zhang's next move.

"Director, don't you think this fan looks a bit strange?" Zhang, the technician, chose a spot, with half his body inside the airflow area and the other half outside.

Clothes inside the wind zone were blown up, while the hems of outer garments remained motionless.

"Hey, something's really not right." This was the first time Director Chen had seen something like this. He noticed a few buttons on it and went over to fiddle with them.

"No, the wind is too strong."

"How strong can the wind be? It's just a fan."

The clerk tried to stop them, but it was too late.

Director Chen turned the fan to its highest setting, and the blades spun rapidly, instantly unleashing a gust of wind.

The books on the office desk were instantly blown away, and the teacup fell to the ground.

Director Chen's mouth was still open, as if it had been blown out of shape.

"Was there a tornado?" He touched his messy hair, looked at the mess in front of him, and asked in confusion.

Director Chen quickly turned down the speed and looked at Technician Zhang: "This fan is indeed very strong, and it's quite strange, but does this have anything to do with us?"

"Director, what if this fan were turned upside down, instead of blowing air outwards, it would suck air inwards? What do you think that would be?" Technician Zhang pointed at the fan and made an upside-down gesture with his hands.

“A turbo engine?!” Director Chen stroked his chin, his expression changing slightly.

"This is a really good thing."

"Shall we tear it down?"

"Tear it down!"

Zhang Jishu had already rolled up his sleeves. Taking it apart was very simple; once the outer cover was removed, there were eighteen fan blades inside.

When Zhang picked up the fan blade, he immediately sensed that this thing was unusual; it wasn't very heavy, but it had a very high-quality feel.

"Tsk tsk, this design is simply amazing." Zhang, the technician, did not bring any measuring tools, but as a technician who had participated in the design of the Z-5 helicopter, he had already noticed the clues from several aspects such as the curvature and angles.

Zhang's focus was not on the fan blades, but rather on the drive shaft that connected them.

"This fan even uses shaft drive," Zhang, the technician, muttered, adjusting his glasses. "If only the motor at the back were replaced with an engine..."

The office clerks were dumbfounded as they watched Director Chen and Technician Zhang disassemble the fan in no time.

They couldn't understand it even if they racked their brains, why these two leaders would go to someone else's office and take apart the fan.

"What's wrong, you two?"

"Something big has happened!" Zhang, the technician, stood up while holding the fan, his eyes fixed on the clerk: "We need to see your department's leader immediately."

The person who received the two was Chen, the leader in charge of logistics in the department.

After listening to Zhang's explanation, Director Chen rubbed his ears, looking puzzled: "Comrade Zhang, are you sure this fan uses helicopter engine technology?"

"It's the latest type. We only know that foreign countries are developing it, but there isn't one in China yet." Zhang, the engineer, has been paying close attention to engine development abroad.

The US has now started developing turboshaft engines, while we are still using the old Russian piston engines due to technical reasons.

"So this technology didn't come from your aircraft factory." Leader Chen breathed a slight sigh of relief. If the fan involved the theft of military secrets, then the matter would be much more serious.

But Zhang's next words made his heart leap into his throat again.

"We can understand the principles of turboshaft engines from this fan, and even use it as a prototype to manufacture a turbine."

Before Zhang could finish speaking, Director Chen stopped him.

"Sir, this fan involves military secrets, and we must take immediate action."

Seeing that the situation was getting urgent, Leader Chen quickly removed all the installed fans, sealed them up, and stored them away. Fortunately, the delivered fans were all in the department.

The situation was then reported to Leader Teng.

"The fan at the Qianmen Maintenance Depot is related to the helicopter engine?" Leader Teng also found it strange.

"That's what Technician Zhang said: the fan was brought by Section Chief Xing. Shall we invite him over?"

"Call Section Chief Xing or not, send someone to bring him here directly, and keep it a secret," Leader Teng ordered.

Then, Section Chief Xing enjoyed the privilege of being escorted in secrecy. Not long after starting work, he was escorted onto a large off-road vehicle by two men in gray Zhongshan suits.

If Section Chief Xing hadn't been so honest, he would have definitely thought he had made a mistake.

"How many of these electric fans are there in total, and where did they come from?" Leader Teng personally asked Section Chief Xing.

"It was made by Comrade Aiguo when he had nothing else to do," Section Chief Xing confessed honestly.

Leader Teng: "."

Leader Chen: "."

"It's true, Comrade Aiguo saw that the motorcycle workshop was too hot, so he thought of installing fans for the workers. However, whether it was a ceiling fan or an oscillating fan, the wind power was too weak. Comrade Aiguo used his spare time to make this kind of fan," Section Chief Xing quickly said.

Leader Teng suddenly remembered: "Indeed, the motorcycle workshop is quite hot."

"Comrade Aiguo spent about half a month researching it on his own; no one in the department participated."

"In order to mass-produce these fans, Aiguo even built a large lathe," Section Chief Xing paused for a moment.

Leader Teng perked up and nodded to Section Chief Xing: "Continue."

"The gun barrels and steel plates that the section applied for a while ago were for making lathes." Section Chief Xing didn't know what was going on, so he could only tell the whole story. He didn't believe that Li Aiguo would make a mistake.

"That's true." After understanding the situation, Director Teng asked, "So, those fans haven't been sold yet?"

"Yes, only the workshop and motorcycle shop have it installed. Oh, and the auditorium inside the section."

Leader Teng looked at a leader next to him, who nodded and left.

A moment later, they brought in two people.

Leader Teng pointed to the two men: "These two are experts from a military industrial unit. They need to talk to Comrade Aiguo and visit his studio. Lao Xing, you can make the arrangements."

"of course can."

Section Chief Xing readily agreed, then turned to Leader Teng and asked in a low voice, "Leader, what exactly happened?"

Leader Teng did not answer him, but only instructed him to cooperate well with the two experts.

Section Chief Xing realized that something serious might have happened.

early morning.

Li Aiguo rode his motorcycle out of the courtyard early in the morning, first sending Xiao Hongsheng to primary school, and then sending Xiao Mingwei to the daycare.

Chen Xueru's belly is getting bigger and bigger, and Li Aiguo has now become a super dad.

"Aiguo, you're here?" As soon as Li Aiguo entered the studio, Section Chief Xing arrived, followed by Director Chen and Technician Zhang.

The two decided to find out what was going on before contacting the factory.

"Section Chief, who are these two?" Li Aiguo saw the two men and sensed their military industry background, so he roughly understood.

To maintain secrecy, Section Chief Xing only introduced the two as experts from a military industrial unit, and said directly, "These two are very interested in the fan you made and want to take a look. Where are the design drawings?"

“Here it is. Once the lathe is built and the problem of manufacturing the fan blades is solved, we can start mass production.” Li Aiguo handed over a stack of blueprints.

Director Chen stepped aside and gave his seat to Technician Zhang.

"This is it!" Zhang Jiye picked up a blueprint of a fan blade and asked, "Comrade Aiguo, why did you use this irregularly shaped fan blade instead of the regular fan blades of a table fan?"

“This is what I’m thinking: conventional fan blades mainly disperse air and cannot deliver air over long distances. The workshop is too high. Using this centrifugal fan, the blades in the impeller can force the gas to rotate, do work on the gas, and increase its momentum,” Li Aiguo replied.

Section Chief Xing nodded and added, "Our motorcycle workshop is very tall and very large."

Zhang, the technical expert, pulled out the design drawings for the vortex shell again: "Did you come up with this too?"

“Yes, I saw an article about aircraft turbine engines in a foreign military journal. I thought that since these things can be pressurized, I borrowed that idea.” Li Aiguo casually took a few journals out of the drawer.

The studio is now a special unit, involved in technical research, and receives a large number of foreign journals every month.

Zhang Jishu looked at the journals, his feelings were somewhat complicated.

There are indeed articles about turbine engines in journals, but they are still just ideas.

The experts who wrote the article would never have imagined that someone thousands of miles away would actually create a vortex shell based on it.

Zhang, the technician, flipped through the design drawings of the vortex shell and casually asked, "Did you come up with all these designs yourself? How did you calculate them?"

"Adjust it. Build it first, test it, and if it doesn't work, adjust the structure to maximize wind power."

"This can be considered solving the problem in practice."

Li Aiguo handed over another blueprint: "This fan is already too loud, and there are problems with the internal airflow. If we add an anti-turbine module, it can greatly reduce the noise, improve the efficiency of the shaft drive, and also achieve the purpose of speed regulation."

There was also a fan next to it. Li Aiguo took it apart, removed the fan blades, and pointed to the anti-turbine module, giving a detailed explanation.

This module features a dual-axis independent design, making it look like a bearing with multiple layers of fan blades.

Zhang, the technical expert, was dumbfounded. Could this really be designed?

"Hmm, hmm, very good." Zhang, the technician, handed the blueprints back and glanced at Director Chen.

Director Chen took his leave.

The two left without saying a word.

"Section Chief, what are these two here for?" Li Aiguo saw the two out of the studio and turned to look at Section Chief Xing.

"I don't know either. Leader Teng personally received the two of them just now," Section Chief Xing explained the seriousness of the matter indirectly.

Although the two did not leave a single word, secret service personnel from the ministry arrived, sealed all the blueprints, and temporarily removed the fan. The official pretext was that the fan had a design flaw and needed to be modified.

Wild car experts and Zong Xianfeng, among others, also sensed something was wrong and came to inquire about the situation.

Li Aiguo told them to continue working, and that nothing serious would happen.

In fact, Li Aiguo was also unsure about the current attitude of the domestic government towards turboshaft engines.

After all, helicopter technology follows the old Russian path, and not everyone has the courage to make changes.

As for whether the turbine + anti-turbine module technology works, Li Aiguo is just a fan researcher; he doesn't know that much, and it's none of his business.

After Director Chen and Technician Zhang reported the situation to the aircraft factory, the factory dispatched several experts to Beijing to examine the turbine fan samples.

“I think we can use this as a model to study turbine shaft technology,” Professor Qi, who was in charge, suggested.

The airport initially wanted to contact the railway department directly, but felt that it was not at a high enough level, so it reported the situation to the Aviation Industry Bureau of the Second Ministry of Machine Building.

The Aviation Industry Bureau communicated with the Ministry of Railways, but the results were not good.

Professor Qi personally led Director Chen and Technician Zhang to the Ministry of Railways.

"Sir, Comrade Aiguo is an outstanding talent, and we would like to temporarily transfer him there," Professor Qi explained his purpose.

"Don't even think about it. This is Director Teng's precious son." The director had attended a meeting with Professor Qi and knew his status in the aerospace manufacturing field, so he still refused outright.

"Boss, this might be related to the development of a new type of helicopter. You're wasting talent." Professor Qi was anxious. He had thought that transferring people from the aircraft factory would be a simple matter.

The leader tapped the table: "It's not that we're disregarding the overall situation, but Comrade Aiguo is currently undertaking several important research tasks, and what we lack now is more than just helicopters."

"Old Qi, stop thinking about taking them away. I think you two can cooperate here."

Another leader offered a compromise: "Comrade Aiguo is an outsider, but the fact that he can develop technology that none of you can shows that there is a problem with your thinking."

"The worst thing you can do is work in isolation."

"Alright then." After careful consideration, Professor Qi realized that this method was indeed feasible.

The security level of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot's workshop is already very high.

It is said that they are still manufacturing large lathes, which are not available in aircraft factories and will have to be borrowed.

Professor Qi also knew that the railway department would not release the people. If it were a regular local factory, they could transfer people directly under the guise of military industry, but that wouldn't work here.

Even if there is cooperation, it still needs the support of those above.

Not to mention that within the Aviation Industry Bureau, there were still some people who insisted on continuing to study the Russian technology.

After arriving at the Aviation Industry Bureau located in the Regent's Palace, Professor Qi reported to the leader, Duan.

"Old Teng will never release him. This matter is of great importance. Come with me to the lake."

Duan was the first director of the Industrial Bureau.

Before liberation, he served as the section chief of the Third Bureau and the director of the communications equipment factory. He also worked in the border region and carried out important missions with Leader Teng. They had a very good relationship.

After listening to the report from the section chief, the superior was unusually stunned: "You mean this electric fan design can be used in the turboshaft engine of a helicopter?"

"Yes, sir, it is theoretically entirely feasible, and not just for helicopters, but also for fighter jets and large aircraft. Foreign countries are currently investing huge amounts of manpower and resources in researching turbine engines."

After explaining for a moment, the leader added, "The piston engines currently used in China are learned from our big brother. They are indeed cheaper, but the thrust is too low."

"If you find yourself in a dead end, you have to change your route; you can't just stick to one path." The higher-ups had also received reports and were aware of the internal disputes within the Aviation Industry Bureau.

"That's what I think too. If the turboshaft engine is indeed feasible, our aviation industry can seize the initiative." Leader Duan breathed a sigh of relief. With this statement from the higher-ups, the debate within the Industrial Bureau could be quelled.

“You and Lao Teng are old friends, why don’t you two work together on this?”

The conversation was about to end.

When Director Duan and Professor Qi were about to stand up and leave, their superiors waved them back to sit down.

"How are the preparations for scrapping the aircraft going?"

"We have twelve aircraft ready, and they can be transported to the Northwest at any time." The leader paused, then asked in a low voice, "Are the mushrooms in the Northwest ripe? When will the formal trials begin?"

"It will be within the next few months. Get the plane ready and wait for further instructions."

"do not worry."

"Keep this confidential, Farmer reports. Recently, many unfamiliar faces have appeared in the Northwest."

"Will the big brother have any objections? What if the reaction is too strong?" Leader Duan was a little worried.

"No problem. They've set their sights on the sugar family, probably planning something."

The weather station did send a message from Moscow, but there were some details that couldn't be disclosed.

The superior paused for a moment and then continued, "The premise of keeping a low profile is having something that others are wary of."

Upon hearing this, the leader understood that sometimes, simply showing weakness only encourages others to take advantage of you.

"The giant mushrooms matured two years earlier than expected, which gave us a full two years. Other departments also need to catch up," the superior continued.

"Don't worry, we will definitely come up with a plan for the new helicopter as soon as possible." The leader felt the pressure.

When Section Chief Xing received the order to establish a joint laboratory with the aircraft factory, he was somewhat bewildered.

"Boss, no, we tinker with trains, it has nothing to do with building airplanes, does it?"

"Old Xing, this is what the higher-ups agreed on, mainly because of that fan." Leader Teng didn't continue, but Section Chief Xing, recalling what had happened a couple of days ago, understood.

"This kid just casually made a fan and somehow managed to connect it to helicopters." Section Chief Xing didn't know how to express his feelings for a moment.

"That's the decision. Building civilian equipment is important, but building helicopters is even more important. As the leader, you have to shoulder the heavy responsibility."

Section Chief Xing was having a bit of a headache.

There's too much work at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot now. Besides the collective factories, the motorcycle assembly plant, the research projects in the workshop, and the excavators.

After acquiring the helicopter, the security level of the Qianmen Maintenance Depot will be raised another level; there will be work to be done both inside and outside the depot.

"If your front gate locomotive depot's security department is understaffed, we'll send you some people and equip you with new weapons." Leader Teng understood this.

"Understood." Section Chief Xing nodded emphatically. If they really managed to develop a helicopter, it would be an honor for the Qianmen Maintenance Section.

"Alright, hurry up and get it done. The aircraft factory will send someone over on Monday. Our railway big brother should show his style," Leader Teng added as a final instruction.

"Yes."

After returning to the locomotive depot, Section Chief Xing went to the workshop to convey the leader's instructions, but he couldn't find Li Aiguo.

"What about patriotism?" Section Chief Xing grabbed Zong Xianfeng.

"He went to the secure phone room to make a call; it seems quite important." Zong Xianfeng poured tea for Section Chief Xing, then, without further ado, went into the adjacent center to get busy.

Section Chief Xing was already used to this kind of behavior that didn't treat his superiors like leaders.

I just have some questions. Who was Li Aiguo calling when he went to the secure telephone room?
Yang Jizong?
Is the port city about to place another order for scooter motorcycles?
This time, Section Chief Xing was wrong.

The person who answered the phone in Gangcheng was Lou Xiao'e, or more accurately, several key leaders of Red Star Entertainment.

After shooting numerous commercials and helping Hextech win the motorcycle sales war, Red Star Entertainment hasn't had much work to do lately.

The situation at Disney has stabilized. Red Star Entertainment has sent more than a dozen senior executives to the site, and the veteran animators are very supportive. New cartoons can now be produced.

Disney's screenwriters sent over dozens of scripts, but it's impossible to film them all; we need to select a few.

Lou Xiao'e decided to ask Li Aiguo for his thoughts.

Li Aiguo actually has some opinions on this.

In later years, Disney did indeed produce quite a few animated films, some of which were box office hits and others that lost money.

All he had to do was pick out the ones that would make money.

"101 Dalmatians, Flying Cars, Toyland Adventure." Li Aiguo was a little envious of Disney's resources. As the world's largest cartoon film company, it has no shortage of excellent scripts, and almost every film is a masterpiece.

"The Sword in the Stone? What is that?" Li Aiguo heard an unfamiliar name.

Lou Xiao'e's voice came through the phone: "This is an animated feature film that tells the story of King Arthur's childhood, during which he was taught by the magician Merlin, and ultimately pulled the legendary sword from the stone, becoming the King of England."

Li Aiguo had a vague recollection of it.

The animated film failed to make a splash; only the music won an award, resulting in Disney losing a large sum of money.

Actually, losing money isn't a big deal.

Like "Sleeping Beauty," although it lost money, it became a major IP in later generations and was able to recoup its investment.

"The Sword in the Stone" doesn't even have an IP.

"Let's change this one. I have a script here, a long animated film about trains. Let's shoot this one first." Li Aiguo thought of his Train Hero comic, which was basically finished and could be released at this time.

They filmed "Train Hero" first, and then released the corresponding toys.

Just like the Transformers franchise, they made an animated series to sell toys, and the animation became a hit, which also boosted toy sales.

Or perhaps they could also make a movie about Transformers while they're at it.

Li Aiguo increasingly felt that acquiring Disney was a good idea.

"Okay." What could Lou Xiao'e say to her boss's request? She agreed to arrange for Disney to start filming as soon as she received the script.

“We’ve already started planning a new version of Snow White, Aiguo-ge, what’s your opinion?” Lou Xiao’e remembered something else.

Big IPs like Snow White require large investments and often take several years to prepare.

"If it's a cartoon movie, you can make it however you want, it won't lose money. But if it's a live-action movie, I only have one requirement."

"what?"

"Snow White must be white."

Lou Xiao'e fell silent, holding the phone. Could there be a black Snow White?

Shouldn't it be called Black Snow Princess?

(End of this chapter)