Anshan Armaments factory, underground warehouse.
This was Zhang Xueming's Secret Base, and the heart of the entire Fengtian clique's military industry.
The air was thick with the mingled smells of Machine Oil and cold steel.
Zhang Xueming rubbed his hands together and breathed out a puff of white mist.
Before him hung a vast blue screen that only he could see, its dazzling array of product icons shimmering.
Strong Army Hegemony System.
This was his greatest asset, the very thing that would keep him on his feet.
"Eighty million Silver Dollars in startup funds, plus what I got from the earlier confiscations. All told, I've got a little over ninety million in liquid cash I can use."
Zhang Xueming stroked his chin, his eyes sweeping rapidly across the screen.
He had money.
Feng Yong's would be back soon, too.
Now, all he needed was the hardware.
His gaze finally settled on the Fighter Jet category.
An Air Force without planes was just flying kites.
He needed a signature weapon of his own.
Rows of Fighter Jet icons stretched across the screen from left to right, each representing a different generation of technology.
On the far right, several sleek, futuristic jets, brimming with brutal beauty, seemed to beckon to him.
"ME262 production line? Holy shit, if I got this thing up and running, wouldn't I be able to lord it over everyone?"
Zhang Xueming felt an itch of excitement.
Jump straight into the jet age. Just imagining it was enough to get his blood pumping.
He opened the details and glanced at the price.
"Points required for exchange: 5,000,000. Includes complete engine manufacturing technology, materials smelting processes..."
"Yikes..."
Zhang Xueming drew in a sharp breath.
Expensive!
Way too expensive!
Even if he threw every last cent he had into it, he wouldn't have enough for a fraction of the cost.
And the points weren't even the biggest problem.
The real issue was that the industry of this era simply couldn't handle something like this.
Never mind anything else. Just the heat-resistant alloys needed for a single engine blade would be enough to leave scientists all over the world scratching their heads.
Without a supporting industrial system, even the blueprints would be useless.
If he forced the exchange, all he'd get was a pile of expensive iron junk that couldn't even take off.
"No, no. Take too big a step, and you'll pull a muscle."
Zhang Xueming decisively abandoned the idea.
Meals had to be eaten one bite at a time, and the road had to be walked one step at a time.
He could exploit a technological gap, but he couldn't go too far, or he'd be the first to collapse.
His gaze slowly worked its way back from right to left.
At last, his finger came to rest on the icon of a biplane Fighter Jet.
['Fighter' Mk I Fighter Jet production line, Ying Country]
[Description: The pinnacle of the final generation of biplane Fighter Jets. Excellent maneuverability and rate of climb, balanced armament, and stable, reliable performance.]
[Points required for exchange: 50,000]
The price was quite reasonable.
A smile curled the corners of Zhang Xueming's mouth.
He hadn't chosen this plane just because it was cheap.
He lightly swiped his finger across the icon.
A clear technology tree immediately unfolded behind it.
[Next upgrade path 1: 'Gale' Fighter Jet. Monoplane design, all-metal stressed-skin construction, Rolls-Royce 'Merlin' engine... One of the strongest piston-engine Fighter Jets of its era!]
[Next upgrade path 2: Carrier-based Fighter Jet 'East Wind'. Modified from the 'Gale' Fighter Jet, with folding wings and reinforced landing gear. Born to rule the Silver Dollars!]
This was Zhang Xueming's real goal!
He didn't just want a single plane.
He wanted a complete technological path that could be continually upgraded and refined!
From biplane to monoplane, from land-based to carrier-based.
This technology tree fit perfectly with his plans for the future Air Force and Navy.
"That's the one!"
"System, exchange for the 'Fighter' Mk I production line, along with the complete technical blueprints for the later 'Gale' and 'East Wind'!"
[Exchange successful. A total of 150,000 points deducted. The related technical documents and production equipment lists have been sent to the warehouse. Please check them, host.]
As the system notification sounded, a mountain of wooden crates and thick technical files appeared out of thin air in a corner of the warehouse.
Zhang Xueming clapped his hands in satisfaction.
The framework of the Air Force was finally in place.
Next came the Navy.
He left the cold underground warehouse, walked down a long corridor, and entered a reception room.
The moment he pushed open the door, a mixture of tobacco smoke and a faint air of dejection washed over him.
Seven or eight men in suits and glasses sat in the reception room.
Every one of them looked haggard, their eyes dull. Their suits were rumpled, and they looked nothing like the polished elites who had returned from studying abroad.
The middle-aged man at their head looked to be around forty. A little gray had already appeared at his temples, and the ashtray in front of him was packed with cigarette butts.
When he saw Zhang Xueming enter, he stubbed out his cigarette and stood, forcing a smile more painful than a grimace.
"Young Marshal."
"Mr. Chen, gentlemen, sorry to have kept you waiting."
Zhang Xueming hurried forward and warmly clasped his hand.
"You've had a long journey!"
This was the brilliant man Zhang Xueming had gone to great lengths to invite from among the delegates attending the Paris Peace Conference.
Chen Houpu.
The man later hailed as the father of China's modern Navy!
The men behind him had also studied in Britain and America. They were all highly accomplished specialists in shipbuilding, navigation, marine engineering, and related fields.
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