0p0 Chapter 1078 No, this time it's different!
Chapter 1078 No, this time it's different!
Because Jiangxia plunged headfirst into the bottomless pit of gas turbines when he arrived at the naval training base, the hull mapping of this flying wing boat was directly handed over to the engineers at the Darian Shipyard.
Thus, even Jiang Xia was unaware that this dismantled Bald Eagle experimental flying wing boat, though not meeting mass production standards, possessed design highlights far exceeding those of ordinary speedboats at the time. It was remarkably similar to the Pegasus-class missile speedboat subsequently developed by Bald Eagle (which was only formally initiated in 1967 and was at the early stage of technological exploration at that time), and could even be considered a "predecessor experimental version" of the Pegasus-class.
In addition to its obvious flying wing hull design, the shipyard's engineers also discovered a unique performance characteristic.
That means it has a shallow draft!
With a draft of only about 1.2 meters, shallower than the domestic Type 02 patrol boat at the time, it can navigate smoothly in the open sea and maneuver flexibly in the shallow waters near the shore, making it extremely stealthy.
Meanwhile, thanks to the fully submerged self-controlled hydrofoil system, the hull is completely out of the water during high-speed navigation, and the speed can reach more than 40 knots, making it more seaworthy than conventional planing boats.
This results in ships with this type of hull not swaying as much when they are sailing!
Stealth!
Comfort!
Isn't this exactly what the gentle elderly man needed for his trip?
This report brought a sudden clarity to Jiang Xia, who had been frowning all along, and a bold plan slowly took shape in his mind.
"Comrade Ruilin!"
Jiang Xia waved the report in his hand: "The 'shell' of this 'Sea Wing' is readily available, and... it's excellent! A near-perfect platform designed for high speed and stealth!"
We can't repair its original 'heart,' nor can we reinstall its original 'brain,' but..."
"Would you mind using our own 'hearts' and 'brains,' and even our own 'fists,' to stuff into this secondhand 'shell'? Using the best we have, the best we can offer, to do a... 'transplantation'? A complete, all-out, extreme 'system assembly'?"
Comrade Ruilin was taken aback at first, then his eyes narrowed: "Transplantation...using our own 'heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys' to stuff into this foreign devil's 'skin'? Hey, this approach...sounds a bit familiar."
As he spoke, Comrade Ruilin finally gave up on the idea of turning Old Wang into Buddha, and looked sharply at Jiang Xia: "Back when we were fighting the Japanese, we were short of guns and cannons, what should we do?"
"If we capture a Type 98 light machine gun or a Type 38 rifle, and it's damaged, our experienced mechanics at the arsenal can sometimes repair or modify it using parts from Hanyang rifles, Type 24 rifles, or even old-fashioned rifles, so it can keep firing! As long as it fires well and accurately, we don't care what it was originally called; now it's our gun!"
He snorted loudly, a look of disdain and self-righteousness on his face: "As for using this ship hull? Bah! What we captured is our spoils of war!"
It's perfectly justified to use it! It's perfectly legitimate to use it!
No matter how well it's designed, it's just a useless metal shell now. Let's revitalize it with our own resources and get it to work for us—that's its destiny! It's better than it rotting in the dock!
Comrade Ruilin was clearly touched by Jiangxia's bold idea of "transplanting old ideas and putting new wine in old bottles," and even felt a sense of familiarity with it.
Isn't it friendly?
Calling Jiangxia a "garbage dumper" is actually somewhat of an understatement.
The true pioneers, those who embodied the principles of "defeating the enemy by adapting to their own circumstances, utilizing local resources, and turning waste into treasure," were our forefathers. They were those who, under the most arduous and extraordinary conditions in the history of human warfare, still stood tall and used incredible wisdom and perseverance to create one miracle after another in war.
Millet plus rifles?
That's the high-end version!
More often than not, what is it?
Countless young men who went to Sichuan to fight against the Japanese wore thin straw sandals and light clothing that offered little protection from the cold. In their hands were old-fashioned rifles and Hanyang rifles with worn-out rifling, and bullets were so precious that they had to count them on their fingers.
Heavy machine guns were rare, and artillery was an even more coveted treasure.
But this did not stop them from charging at the heavily armed invaders with their own flesh and blood.
Without guns or cannons, the enemy "made" them for us—this was not just a slogan, but a guide to action soaked in blood and tears.
Captured Japanese rifles lacked firing pins, so experienced arsenal workers cleverly replaced them with quenched sewing needles; grenade launchers lacked bases, so they were propped up with solid stones and fired by estimating the angle based on experience; empty gasoline drums filled with explosives became fearsome "flying thunder cannons"; and simple wooden frames with grenades strapped to them, pulled the pins and launched, became decisive "homemade grenade throwers."
Facing the roaring steel behemoth, the figure, clutching a cluster of grenades and carrying a charge of explosives, rolled toward the tracks without hesitation.
Back then, who cared about uniformity?
Who demands a perfect interface?
Captured enemy canned food, paired with wild vegetables from the fields, became the sustenance to sustain life; ill-fitting captured leather shoes, padded with rags and tied tightly with ropes, allowed them to continue trekking through mountains and rivers.
It is this deeply ingrained spirit of "using whatever we find, figuring out what we lack, and creating conditions even when none exist" that has enabled them to stand tall time and time again in dire straits, using the most unremarkable "junk" to fight the most respectable and tenacious battles, turning the impossible into the possible bit by bit.
Wu Ruilin's fingers, rough and strong, bearing calluses from years of holding guns and commanding, were now heavily poking at the simple diagram drawn by Jiang Xia. The force penetrated the paper and almost left an imprint on the leather seat below.
He no longer looked at Jiangxia; his gaze seemed to pierce through the carriage wall, seeing those years of war and turmoil, seeing those familiar or unfamiliar figures who created infinite possibilities amidst scarcity.
That surge of emotion, drawing from the depths of history and imbued with a mixture of iron will, resourcefulness, and an indomitable will to survive, welled up within him, almost bursting forth as a resolute cry.
"Dry"!
but,
Just as this surge of passion was about to burst forth, an even heavier sense of clarity sent a chill down his spine.
Do not……
This time, it's different.
This wasn't a desperate gamble like using cluster grenades to blow up tanks when guns and ammunition were scarce. Nor was it a helpless act of modifying firearms using makeshift methods in a poorly equipped arsenal. The central figure in this mission was that gentle old man.
His safety is of paramount importance.
He can't stand any "maybe," "possibly," or "let's try."
"Young man, everyone says you have a good tongue. That's true. Just a few words from you have made me reminisce about my glorious past."
"Tell me your plan. This old man may not be very knowledgeable, but I do have some expertise when it comes to warships!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia not only felt no shame or anger, but instead enthusiastically laid out several blank sheets of paper.
"Look... let's do it this way!"