The train driver in the courtyard

"Aiguo, do you think we could make a batch of small airplanes first?" Dean Chen asked Li Aiguo as he looked through the report sent by Lei Gongye.

Li Aiguo nodded: "Of course, even if the military doesn't need it, it can still be used for fire prevention in the local area."

“You misunderstood me. Right now, the military needs them, and they need to be equipped with weapons. Lao Liu has already sent experts over, and they will discuss the specific requirements with you. We hope that you can take charge of the mass production of the small aircraft.”

Dean Chen knew Li Aiguo well and went straight to the point.

Li Aiguo was also stunned. According to his original plan, even if the small planes were mass-produced, they would be handed over to aircraft factories such as Harbin Aircraft Industry Group and Shenyang Aircraft Corporation for production.

Now it's been handed over to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

Is there something I don't know about?

However, Li Aiguo also plans to manufacture transport planes and passenger planes.
It would be much more convenient to build an aircraft workshop.

Li Aiguo didn't ask any questions, stood up and said, "I'll listen to my superiors."

"Well done. In a few days, the comrades and experts from the Aviation Industry Administration will hand over the reins to you." Dean Chen stood up and shook hands with Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Sir, are you leaving Beijing?"

“Yes, the Russians are getting restless now. Li Yunlong is still in South Asia, and I’m worried about him. I have to go back to the border immediately,” Dean Chen said.

Li Aiguo instantly realized that the decision above was probably related to the situation on the Russian side.

Ever since the Mao family and the US family had their showdown, the "Corn Emperor" has not only failed to gain the expected fame, but has also been seen by outsiders as admitting defeat, putting him under immense internal pressure.

The Corn Emperor then set his sights on this area, causing a lot of trouble and selling a large amount of equipment to the Indians.

We are well aware of the nature of the "Corn Emperor," and the large-scale construction of third-tier factories that began this year is precisely to guard against this move.

The meteorological bureau also received a top-secret message from Moscow.

In a speech to his inner circle, the "Corn Emperor" mentioned that if a war were to break out here, he could use "the latest annihilation weapons."

Although the weather bureau predicts that the "Corn Emperor" will retire soon, the higher-ups still attach great importance to this news, considering the overall situation in Russia.

Even if the Corn Emperor retires, whoever takes over, even Andrei's second uncle, will not improve relations with this region.

This is not something that can be determined by personal feelings, but rather by the scale of both parties.

We cannot tolerate anyone pointing fingers, and the Russians cannot tolerate having a strong little brother by their side.

In addition, Xiaomei's family is causing trouble in the Beibu Gulf.

Therefore, the authorities decided to dig air-raid shelters in various places in the coming years to prepare for devastating weapons.

As a pilot area, the excavation in Beijing is expected to begin earlier than in other places.

Li Aiguo knew he couldn't and wasn't capable of handling these major issues.

All he can do right now is to get the mass production of the aircraft done well.

The next day, as soon as Li Aiguo entered the workshop of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, Section Chief Xing hurriedly came looking for him.

"Aiguo, we're going to build an aircraft workshop! I just received a notification from the ministry." Section Chief Xing was very excited. "They even specifically asked you to be in charge of this workshop."

“Of course, no problem.” Li Aiguo smiled.

When Section Chief Xing saw Li Aiguo's calm demeanor, he realized his oversight. With such a big matter, the higher-ups must have informed this kid first.

Amidst the turbulent situations in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the North, the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Aviation Industry, the First Ministry of Machine Building, and other ministries provided strong support.

An aircraft manufacturing workshop was soon established.

The workshop has only about two hundred workers, mainly responsible for the production of engines. Weapons are produced by the military factory, while other parts are produced by the corresponding parts factories.

Li Aiguo was appointed as the workshop director, while the position of deputy director was handed over to Chief Engineer Qi.

"Aiguo, don't worry. Even if it costs me my life, I will make the aircraft workshop a success and build more aircraft." Chief Engineer Qi was very excited. He knew very well that although the aircraft workshop was nominally a workshop, it was actually similar to the 116 Project workshop, and no different from an aircraft factory, when you add the surrounding supply workshops.

Furthermore, the Aviation Industry Bureau provides strong support to the aircraft manufacturing workshops, and the technicians in the workshops are now engineers from Harbin Aircraft Industry Group and Shenyang Aircraft Corporation.

Another group of military experts responsible for modifying small aircraft will arrive at the aircraft manufacturing workshop soon.

Most importantly, the aircraft manufacturing workshop was not subject to the same strict regulations as those other aircraft factories. It was under the name of the Ministry of Railways and could produce some of its own products.

"Old Qi, what are you saying? We're going to build big airplanes in the future." Li Aiguo had a good impression of Chief Engineer Qi; this old comrade was very conscientious in his work.

The two were chatting when they heard the voice of a self-taught repair expert coming from outside.

"Patriotism, the cafeteria serves braised pork and roast chicken tonight, remember to go early!"

The supply of materials at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot is now very abundant, and the employees' benefits have also improved. They can eat meat and vegetables every few days, and they can even take the leftovers home.

Li Aiguo focused his energy on the weapon modification of the small aircraft, first producing the blueprints and then localizing them after military experts came over.

When Chen Xueru returned to the courtyard house after get off work, she had already prepared dinner.

After dinner, Li Aiguo was about to go into his study to continue drawing when his third uncle's voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Aiguo, are you home?"

"Uncle, come in and sit down!" Chen Xueru hurriedly went out to greet him.

"No need to bother, no need to bother."

The third uncle waved his hand as he walked into the house, lowered his voice, and mysteriously pulled a cloth bag from his pocket, stuffing it into Li Aiguo's hand.

"Patriot, can you help me check if this thing is worth anything?"

Li Aiguo opened the cloth bag and saw a small incense burner, about the size of a palm, covered in dirt, looking as if it had just been dug out of the ground.

He quickly asked, "Third Uncle, you didn't go tomb raiding with that gold-toothed guy, did you?"

That big gold tooth belongs to that unlucky antique dealer from the pigeon market.

After the district public security bureau released the third uncle, they investigated for a while and found that the big gold tooth was only selling antiques sold by impoverished people. It did not involve any major cases, so he was released after a few months in prison.

Judging by the timing, they should indeed be out by now.

"That's impossible!" The third uncle was startled by his words, waving his hands repeatedly, his face turning pale.

“I’m a cultural teacher, how could I do something like tomb raiding?”
"This incense burner was dug out of the ground by the commune members when I went to the Hongxing Commune on the outskirts of Beijing to exchange for grain coupons. It's not something from an ancient tomb!"

Li Aiguo never expected that they had already started digging air-raid shelters.

It seems the timeline has changed, and Old Mao and Xiao Mei's family are now more anxious than in the original timeline.

Chen Xueru added from the side, "I heard that every household in Beijing is also sending people to participate in digging air-raid shelters."

Li Aiguo picked up the incense burner and examined it closely. The design was exquisite, but it was just like an ordinary item from the previous dynasty and not worth much money.

Those antiques that can fetch high prices were actually valuable items in ancient times.

Even if a brick is left for hundreds of years, it is still just a brick.

He said truthfully, "Uncle, luckily this thing is made of copper. If you sell it as scrap copper, you can get a little more money. If you sell it as an antique, it'll only be worth a few cents at most."

"Oh? I bought it for one dollar and fifty cents." The old man was heartbroken.

Well, Uncle San is actually willing to spend so much money. It seems his business is getting bigger and bigger.

"Uncle, luckily it's not worth much, otherwise you'd probably be in jail for a few years like that gold-toothed guy," Xu Damao said with a smile as he poked his head out from outside.

"Go away, what do you know, child? This was dug out of the ground, it's not an ancient tomb."

The third uncle stormed off, carrying the incense burner.

His words reminded Li Aiguo.

In the following years, air-raid shelters will likely be dug all over the country, and a lot of good stuff will surely be unearthed.

According to regulations, any unidentified object discovered must be reported immediately; otherwise, it could lead to serious consequences.

However, quite a few people still manage to find good items, secretly hide them, and then get caught trying to trade them at the pigeon market.

Among them are many valuable antiques, which, once they enter a pigeon market, may be transported out through various channels.

The antique case that Captain Zhou of the district public security bureau investigated before was like this: the antiques were sold off and then disappeared, and the case has not been solved to this day.

Li Aiguo pondered that perhaps he could have Wang Daikui keep an eye on the pigeon market more, and if he came across any valuable old items, he could buy them first.

He doesn't lack that little bit of money now.

When conditions are right in the future, we can open a museum.

Thinking this way, after dinner, Li Aiguo hummed a little tune and went to the scrap metal shop.

Wang Daikui was leading the scrap metal shop employees in taking stock of the items received that day when he saw Li Aiguo coming over and opened the office door.

Now the scrap metal shop has grown into a large and successful business. Thanks to its good reputation, people are willing to bring their scrap metal from far away.

Just look at this office; it has a mahogany table and two rosewood chairs—quite luxurious.

"The Second Artillery Corps sent me a letter not long ago," Wang Daikui said happily as soon as he sat down.

"This guy met a nurse at the field hospital, and they started dating!"

A field hospital? Could it be the one where Zhang Erpao was injured last year?

Li Aiguo feigned surprise: "That's great news! When can we get married?"

"Don't even mention it. This kid said he won't get married until he's won over South Asia. Look at this kid, what does he think he is, some kind of great general?" Wang Daikui said jokingly, but his face was beaming with joy.

"Marriage is a matter of personal freedom. The Second Artillery Corps is not an immature child. He has his own ideas, so let him do things at his own pace."

Li Aiguo smiled, then changed the subject, bringing up the matter of acquiring antiques.

“I’ve noticed that recently a lot of people from the suburbs have been bringing scrap metal they’ve dug up from the ground here, but there’s nothing of value in it. There are also people keeping an eye on it at the pigeon market.”

Wang Daikui knew that Li Aiguo was very interested in antiques and ancient books.

"No rush, just collect them slowly."

Li Aiguo chatted with him for a few minutes and learned that he was going to deliver a batch of waste to a recycling company in Beijing later, so he got up to say goodbye.

Back home, Uncle Er, Xu Damao, Qin Huairu, Nan Yi, and several other families sat by the pond in the courtyard chatting. They were still talking about digging air-raid shelters.

"The newspaper said that it's just a pilot program in the suburbs now. Later, it will be piloted in workplaces and neighborhoods. Once it's finalized, not only workplaces will be dug, but every household will be dug. Those with the means will dig large ones, and those without will dig small ones. It will be a comprehensive effort, combining large and small projects," said Uncle Er.

"Then we'll have to dig in our compound too!"

"Of course! If we don't dig, what will happen when the Russians and the American family's mushroom eggs come over?"

Qin Huairu asked in a low voice, "Is this air-raid shelter similar to a cellar?"

Her family currently lacks able-bodied men, making it difficult for them to provide assistance.

“That’s huge! I heard it’s taller than a person and can go over a car,” Xu Damao said first.

"Oh? It's that big? How long will it take to dig it..." Qin Huairu's face looked even more worried.

Li Aiguo listened for a few minutes, didn't interrupt, and turned back into the house.

The wave of digging air-raid shelters is bound to sweep across the entire capital city eventually.

The night was quiet.

On Monday, Li Aiguo attended the section's routine meeting as usual.

Chief Engineer Qi is now fully responsible for the operation of the aircraft workshop and, as a core member, also attended the meeting.

The work at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot is getting busier and busier. Section Chief Xing is overwhelmed and has had to delegate the management of several old workshops to several deputy section chiefs.

Li Aiguo sat there listening as always, without saying a word.

As the meeting was drawing to a close, Section Chief Xing tapped on the table: "I received news from the ministries that our Qianmen Locomotive Depot also needs to dig air-raid shelter tunnels."

The air defense office staff are currently on-site planning. Once the plan is finalized, the section will organize manpower to begin construction.

The leaders in the section all nodded in support. Now that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot is well-equipped, they are not worried about digging air-raid shelters.

Just as the meeting was drawing to a close, news suddenly came from the studio that a team of experts in the military industry had arrived.

Li Aiguo immediately explained the situation to Section Chief Xing, left the meeting early, and hurriedly returned to the studio with Chief Engineer Qi.

The expert team, led by Lao Mao, has entered the studio courtyard.

Zong Xianfeng, who was in charge of receiving guests on site, hurriedly went up to him: "Dear leaders, I am so sorry, Comrade Li Aiguo is in a meeting. He has received the news and is on his way back. He will be there soon."

The middle-aged expert leading the group didn't seem to care; instead, he looked around the fitness equipment in the yard with great interest.

The young men from the neighboring fire station were exercising, creating a lively atmosphere that added a touch of vibrancy to the otherwise serious studio.

However, a few younger experts expressed their dissatisfaction.

"This is a place for aerospace research; how can we let just anyone come and go?"

"Yeah, the security level is way too low. What if the technology gets leaked?"

Old Cat's expression changed slightly.

The studio is outwardly relaxed but inwardly tightly controlled. There are several sentry posts nearby, and there are also weather station staff on duty 24 hours a day inside the studio.

Let alone Dieter, even if a fly flew in, you'd have to pull down your underwear to check if it's male or female.

Just as Lao Mao was about to speak, the leader reprimanded the experts, saying, "We're here to support the Qianmen Locomotive Depot's workshop, not to nitpick."

“Professor, our research has reached a critical moment, but now we have to travel all this way here. I don’t know what the higher-ups are thinking,” a young expert said, somewhat frustrated.

"Xiao Chen, you..."

Before the words had even finished,

Upon receiving the news, Li Aiguo left the meeting early and returned with Chief Engineer Qi.

Li Aiguo was stunned when he saw the leading expert.

"Chief Engineer He!"

"Patriotic comrade!"

Their hands were clasped tightly together.

Li Aiguo met Chief Engineer He at a conference on aerospace. He was one of the few senior engineers in China who was proficient in both aircraft and missiles.

He not only participated in the development of the J-6 and J-8 missiles, but also presided over the design of the first generation of shore-to-ship missiles.

Most importantly, he had previously been in charge of fighter jet repair work in the northern theater, possessing front-line combat experience and understanding of front-line needs, which is quite important.

Chief Engineer Qi and Chief Engineer He were old acquaintances, having worked together before, so Qi was naturally aware of Chief Engineer He's identity and was somewhat surprised.

After chatting for a few minutes, the group went into the office.

"Comrade Aiguo, have you already designed the weapons to be mounted?" Chief Engineer He was a workaholic. He couldn't wait to get started as soon as he entered the office, and asked while picking up the blueprints.

"This is just a preliminary design idea, it's not mature yet, and we'll need you, the chief engineer, to review it." Li Aiguo smiled and handed over the blueprints.

"No, no, no, your idea makes a lot of sense." Chief Engineer He was an expert and understood Li Aiguo's design concept after just one glance.

"The advantages of small aircraft are low cost, the ability to take off in simple environments, and the ability to evade enemy radar at low altitudes, so the weapons you designed are all focused on surprise attacks."

Suppressive fire with heavy machine guns at close range, penetrate enemy defenses with rockets at medium range, and then finish with bombs to maximize casualties—this perfectly aligns with the tactical requirements of guerrilla warfare.

At this point, one expert frowned: "Isn't this just unorthodox methods?!"

Chief Engineer He immediately became furious, turning to his team of experts and saying, "Comrade Aiguo, despite being an unorthodox individual, was able to develop such a practical and low-cost small aircraft. What about you?!"

The expert was still unconvinced and said, "The design concept is fine, but it's prone to failure in actual combat. The recoil of a single 12.7mm heavy machine gun is tens of kilograms. With two guns firing in parallel, can your small aircraft's fuselage, which is made of aluminum alloy, withstand the impact of continuous fire? This simply does not comply with the standards in the 'Complete Compendium of Aviation Industry'!"

"Complete Works on the Aviation Industry" is a book on the aviation industry compiled by Mikoyan-Gurevich, a famous fighter jet designer from the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in Russia.

In addition to the design principles of fighter jets, it also includes many aviation industry standards.

This book was an internal confidential document and was not published publicly. After it was introduced, it became the core textbook for major aviation research institutes in China.

Chief Engineer He also turned his attention to Li Aiguo. Although he felt that Xiao Chen's attitude was problematic, he had to consider this concern.

"Chief Engineer He, although our small aircraft is relatively light, it has great thrust. The aluminum alloy is forged, so there is no problem with its strength." Li Aiguo smiled.

"At the same time, we also added a simple muzzle brake to the front of the pod and equipped the two machine guns with synchronized gas-operated devices to slightly offset the rate of fire and offset some of the recoil."

As he spoke, Li Aiguo made a few strokes on the sketch.

Chief Engineer He nodded: "This design not only perfectly solves the recoil problem, but also makes shooting more accurate."

After saying that, he turned around and continued to berate his own people: "Listen to them, you're just stuck in your books, you don't even have the broad thinking of someone from another profession. I've told you so many times, those of us who are developing fighter jets really do need to adapt to local conditions at the beginning, and find ways to improve the aircraft's combat effectiveness within a safe range."

After scolding the person, Chief Engineer He picked up the materials again and looked at them, then asked, "Isn't this missing a sight? A mechanical one?"

Li Aiguo said, "I plan to dismantle the optical sights of several scrapped anti-aircraft guns, remove the complicated mechanisms inside, and replace them with simple optical sights that magnify 2x, and install them in front of the cockpit."

Additionally, a small mirror is mounted on the left side of the fuselage to reflect the aiming point of the rocket launcher, in conjunction with an optical sight.

After listening, Chief Engineer He turned to the expert and said, "Listen to this. His approach to designing fighter jet weapons is both problem-solving and practical. That's what a true fighter jet designer is. And look at you guys, all of you are glued to your books."

The expert shrank back and didn't dare to say a word.

Li Aiguo realized that Chief Engineer He wasn't angry with the expert, but rather trying to teach his students.

In those days, domestic aviation research followed the path of the older brother, but now that path is no longer viable, we have to forge our own way.

However, some people still have a mentality of relying on others and always want to continue down the old path, resulting in something that is neither fish nor fowl.

After finishing his tirade, Chief Engineer He turned to Li Aiguo and said, "Aiguo, I think your bomb-throwing device design is quite interesting. What is it?"

Li Aiguo: "."

He felt like he had become Chief Engineer He's teaching tool.

However, Li Aiguo did not refuse and explained the design of his small plane and the weapons it carried.

After being scolded several times, the group of experts exchanged glances.

"This young man is truly talented; he deserves to be called a qualified fighter jet designer!"

Chief Engineer He has a habit of swearing, but he is also extremely capable at work.

Those experts are all top-notch.

Li Aiguo's work became relatively easy afterward; he was only responsible for providing design ideas, while the specific weapon installation and testing were all handled by Chief Engineer He and the experts.

Time passes day by day.

As the days went by, the weapon mounting work on the small aircraft progressed smoothly, and the mass production plan was also steadily advancing.

At the same time, the excavation of air-raid shelters at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot also officially began.

It hasn't started nationwide yet, but Beijing will definitely be the first to take action.

The air-raid shelters were dug by the militiamen in the section, with the help of the railway soldiers, so the workshop didn't need to send anyone.

Li Aiguo stood to the side and looked around. The digging was quite deep and high. Although an electric pick was used, it was still too slow because it was soil.

Li Aiguo had also considered using a tunnel boring machine, but the machine was too large and too expensive, making it unsuitable.

"Brother Aiguo, let's hurry back. They're going to dig air-raid shelters in the streets too." Yan Jiecheng saw Li Aiguo joining in the fun and came over to call him.

Nantongluo Lane was selected as one of the first pilot streets for digging air-raid shelters due to its positive performance in various tasks over the past few years.

Every household had to send someone to participate. Since Yan Jiecheng hadn't separated from his third uncle yet, he naturally had to go back to help.

Li Aiguo followed Yan Jiecheng back to the courtyard house, and as soon as he entered the house, he picked up a shovel and a basket.

Xu Damao rushed in anxiously: "Something terrible has happened! The air-raid shelter has collapsed, and Qin Huairu is buried inside!"

(End of this chapter)