America 1881: They Call Me Legend

"Dear boss, we agree that your idea is not in line with the logic of the current artillery design."

After some discussions, an artillery design expert pointed to the "abstract" paintings on the table and said to Chen Jianqiu cautiously.

"It looks like, uh, a, uh, a mortar, but we're having a hard time keeping track of how much it's used for"

"You have three months at most." Chen Jianqiu's answer was concise and to the point, "After three months, I hope to see the finished product that can be used, and then I will give you three months to debug and improve."

The experts present were stunned.

"This is impossible, boss, I think you are too idealistic." It was still the artillery expert who spoke just now.

As the team leader, his brows were already twisted into twists.

"I'll pay more!" Chen Jianqiu leaned against the back of the chair and took out his cigar, "Everyone sitting here will double their salary."

"Mr. Chen, it's not a question of money. Our design team has always worked hard, this one."

Chen Jianqiu picked up the cigar and compared two fingers:

"I set a bonus of 20 US dollars and a high patent share for this project, as long as you design a product that satisfies me."

"I think you can try it." A German artillery designer who used to work for Rheinmetall stood up and said in English with a German accent.

"I don't think there's a problem either," added another mechanical engineer from Stokes, UK.

Chen Jianqiu glanced at the artillery expert who was the team leader:

"If I understand correctly, it doesn't seem to be a big problem."

The expert nodded solemnly.

"Yes, sir, it's all right now."

In fact, after Chen Jianqiu provided the design direction, the main remaining problem is how to balance the parameters and design the shells, and do everything possible to ensure the range and lethality without exploding the chamber.

Chen Jianqiu didn't pay too much attention to how the mortar design team worked.

First, in his point of view, Party A is only responsible for asking for money;

If this group of people can't figure it out, it must be because they really can't figure it out under the existing technical conditions.

The second is that he has more important things to do.

He had to go to Washington to tell Theodore Roosevelt, then Undersecretary of the Navy, about his discovery in Cuba.

The latter must be very interested in this.

At that time, in the structure of the US government, there was no Department of Defense and no General Staff.

The Department of War is part of the Department of War, while the Department of the Navy is a separate department.

Both ministers were cabinet members of the McKinley government.

One is Chen Jianqiu's good friend in the west, Russell Aijie, who has just offered Chen Jianqiu a job at the Springfield Armory.

The other is John Long, who takes more than 360 sick days out of 100 and five days a year. The actual person in charge of specific affairs is Deputy Secretary Theodore Roosevelt.

When Chen Jianqiu entered the building where the two departments were located, he encountered no obstacles.

"Mr. Chen, may I ask whether you are here today to see Mr. Ajie or Mr. Roosevelt?" An officer who received at the door asked with a smile on his face.

"I'll go to Teddy's first." Chen Jianqiu took off his hat.

This was his first time here, and he didn't have any impression of the officer in front of him.

It seems that I have never seen him.

"We've seen you, in a photo of Deputy Secretary Roosevelt with you, on a shelf behind his desk."

The officer said with a smile.

"In his spare time, he often tells us about the past of his ranch in North Dakota, including how you saved him several times."

"Oh~" Chen Jianqiu suddenly realized.

He did have a photo with Roosevelt in town, and it was a circus photo of them.

That circus is now a special formation of the Border Detective Agency, traveling across the country, responsible for intelligence and transcontinental business.

"Secretary Roosevelt is having a meeting with the generals of the Admiralty in the large conference room on the third floor. You can find him there." The officer said very politely.

Chen Jianqiu thanked the officer, turned and walked up the stairs.

The stairs were narrow and crowded, and he passed sideways with several army or navy personnel in uniform who came down from the stairs.

Chen Jianqiu has been thinking about how unpopular the American military is now, and they don't even have a spacious office space.

This situation did not ease until the Pentagon was built more than 50 years later.

He walked to the third floor, walked through a narrow corridor, and came to a place that looked like a lounge.

Opposite the lounge is a door made of walnut.

The door is closed, and the sound insulation is very good, so I can't hear what is being said inside.

Chen Jianqiu thought this was the conference room that the officer on the first floor was talking about.

He walked to the window of the lounge, leaned on the window sill, and looked out the window.

Outside the window is a green lawn, and on the other side of the lawn, there are passers-by driving horse-drawn carriages, and the sound of horse bells is heard, making it peaceful and peaceful.

Just as he was counting the number of passing carriages with great interest, a familiar smell of tobacco wafted from behind him.

Chen Jianqiu turned his head.

Teddy Roosevelt's round pipe-smoking face suddenly came into view.

When Roosevelt saw Chen Jianqiu, he was also taken aback for a moment, then walked up excitedly and gave Chen Jianqiu a big hug.

"I'm still wondering why this figure is so familiar, it really is you!" Roosevelt patted Chen Jianqiu's back enthusiastically, and said with a hearty smile, "Why are you here?"

"I have something to ask for you." Chen Jianqiu also put his arms around the shoulders of his old friend, and pointed to the walnut door, "They said that you are in a meeting, so they plan to wait outside for a while."

"Oh, then you have to wait for me for a while, it's not over yet, I'll come out to get some air."

Roosevelt took a puff on his pipe.

He thought for a while, and said to Chen Jianqiu: "Well, why don't you come in and listen together."

Chen Jianqiu was taken aback.

"I go in? Is it suitable?" He asked with a smile, "I'm not from the Admiralty, let alone a Chinese."

"Haha, don't get in the way, don't get in the way, it's not an internal meeting."

Roosevelt's hearty laughter echoed in the lounge again.

"I found Professor Alfred Thayer Mahan of the Naval War College to give a class to everyone and talk about his theory of sea power."

After speaking, Roosevelt walked back, pushed open the walnut door, and walked in.

And Chen Jianqiu followed behind.

This door is the back door of the conference room.

Rows of officers in naval uniforms sat in their seats.

Their military caps are all on their right ends, and most of them are still holding notebooks, recording something.

These people were all listening very carefully to the speech of a bereaved old man on the stage.

But it's more like a lecture than a speech.

Roosevelt and Chen Jianqiu found two seats in the empty last row and sat down.

"I met Ma Han in 1880, when he was a colonel in the U.S. Navy." Roosevelt said to Chen Jianqiu in a low voice, "but now he is the dean of the Naval Academy."

Chen Jianqiu nodded, and his eyes moved to Ma Han.

He began to listen carefully to the professor's point of view. (end of this chapter)