Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

Zhao Ping'an stayed in Yunnan for three days before embarking on his journey north back home.

On the morning of the day she left, Azhuo Ayi carried the child to the gate of the hospital.

Zhao Dongliang didn't say anything, but just patted him on the shoulder. In the past few days, the two brothers had been communicating for more than twelve hours a day. In just three days, Zhao Dongliang felt that he had learned more than he had learned in the previous thirty-two years.

Over three days, Zhao Ping'an used his laptop to present relevant materials, giving Zhao Dongliang a clear understanding of joint operations and a clear plan for the new year's training program.

At the same time, Zhao Ping'an also revealed part of his plan, allowing Zhao Dongliang to understand how to cooperate with Wang Yaowu and wait for the right opportunity.

November 27st

Zhao Ping'an has been back in Beijing from Xinjiang Province for two days.

That afternoon, two telegrams were placed on his desk at the same time.

The first document was an internal notification forwarded from within China.

In the Red Empire, corn still went mad and produced a report. It wasn't long, but every word was weighty.

That evening, the leader summoned him.

I asked for their opinion.

Zhao Ping'an didn't answer much, simply stating, "This matter will cause turmoil, it will cause division, and it will affect us. After all, despite all the problems, Tiechui is still a good person. Even as an enemy, we should admire his achievements."

He paused, then continued, "Comrade Khru did this for personal reasons. He didn't just despise one person; he caused many people to lose their faith, and this damage is irreversible..."

The leader didn't ask any more questions.

As Zhao Ping'an withdrew, a night wind picked up.

Looking at the hazy night sky in the distance, Zhao Ping'an was momentarily at a loss for whether to be excited or not—Comrade Khru had indeed driven the first nail into the coffin of the Red Empire.

It's still a sad thing—that era of idealists everywhere is finally gone forever...

The second telegram came from Qian Lao's side.

The Dongbei-2 cold test was conducted on February 28th, and the result was a success.

March 1, Shenyang,

The rising sun had just illuminated the northern land.

At the end of the runway at Shenyang Aircraft Factory, a silver-gray fighter jet, domestically codenamed Project Seven, is parked.

Zhao Pingan referred to it as a Type 3 fighter jet.

This is not a prototype. The prototype flew last year, and testing began around the same time as the Red Empire.

This one is different—missiles are mounted under its wings, military insignia are painted on the fuselage, and the cockpit is equipped with a complete fire control system. This is the model prepared for delivery to the military; today is its final test. After passing the test, it can enter mass production.

There were more than a dozen people standing on the viewing platform.

Air Force Commander Liu stood at the very front, with Zhao Ping'an beside him.

Behind them were the factory's chief engineer, designers, people from the test flight station, and a few people in military uniforms; no one spoke.

The wind was light, only level three or four, blowing from the other end of the runway. The sunlight cast long shadows of the planes.

The chief engineer whispered a report from the side: "Minister, three takeoffs and landings today. The first is to check basic performance, the second is to apply afterburner, and the third is to simulate an attack. If all pass, we can proceed with the finalization process."

Zhao Ping'an nodded, signaling to begin.

The test pilot emerged from the crowd, wearing a leather jacket and carrying a flight cap.

He walked up to the plane, circled it once, squatted down to look at the landing gear, and then stood up to touch the edge of the air intake.

Then board the plane.

The hatch closed. The ground power vehicle was removed.

The sound of the engine starting went from low to high, from a sharp whistle to a muffled thunderclap, making the chests of those on the viewing platform tingle.

The plane taxied out.

Commander Liu turned his head and said to Zhao Ping'an:

"This pilot's surname is Wang. He flew the Type 2 and the prototype. He used to be an ace in the military, but your factory insisted on getting him from me."

Zhao Ping'an replied with a smile, "Commander Liu, you traded a few pilots for a whole batch of new planes; you really made a profit."

Before Commander Liu could refute, he continued speaking.

"You know, our Type 3 fighter jet is a new generation of fighter jets, a true supersonic fighter jet."

Service ceiling 20000 meters, maximum speed Mach 2.

I estimate that we are at least 5 years ahead of the United States and Chiang Kai-shek.

Commander Liu, do you still think it's a loss to have a few of your pilots?

"Haha, Comrade Ping An, you said it yourself, so we can't be evasive!" Commander Liu's eyes gleamed, clearly he immediately understood Zhao Ping An's meaning—within 5 years, air superiority will be ours.

"Of course, look!" Zhao Ping'an pointed.

The plane taxied to the end of the runway and stopped for two seconds. Then it accelerated.

The roar suddenly intensified, and the plane shot forward as if being pulled by something, faster and faster—

look up.

Off the ground.

Commander Liu took a deep breath.

The plane retracted its wheels, climbed, and flipped over in the air, its wings flashing in the sunlight.

Then it leveled out, accelerated, and flew eastward.

A muffled thud came from afar—a supersonic blast.

Commander Liu said, "It sounds crisper than Type 2."

Zhao Pingan said, "Double the speed of sound, of course it's different."

The plane circled in the air, lowered its altitude, and aligned itself with the runway.

The moment it touched down, two plumes of blue smoke rose from the main wheel. The parachute deployed, it glided, and came to a stop.

Applause erupted.

The chief engineer was looking at his watch and said something, which was then written down by the person next to him.

The test pilot didn't come down, and the engine wasn't turned off. Ground crew ran up, filled up the tank, and then came back down.

The second rise and fall.

This time the climb was faster and the afterburner time was longer. The plane drew a large circle in the sky, then plunged down, making a low-altitude flyby—whizzing past overhead, the sound so loud it hurt people's eardrums.

Some people instinctively shrank their necks.

The third rise and fall.

The plane carried two simulated bombs. After takeoff, it didn't climb higher but instead flew low, skimming over the mountains—there were hills in the distance, and it flew close to the ridges, sometimes high, sometimes low, like a knife cutting through them. Then it pulled up, rolled, aimed at the simulated target, dived, pulled up, and dived again.

Bombing attack - hit the target squarely

When it landed, the tires emitted more smoke than the previous two times.

The plane came to a stop, and the canopy opened. The test pilot leaned out, took off his hat, and waved towards the viewing platform.

The applause was louder than the previous two times.

The chief engineer was looking at the watch very carefully this time, and several people next to him crowded around to look at the data.

Then the chief engineer walked over, stood in front of Zhao Ping'an and Commander Liu, and said:

"Commander Liu, Minister, all three takeoffs and landings have been successfully completed. The data is better than expected. We can proceed with the finalization process."

Commander Liu turned to look at Zhao Ping'an.

Zhao Pingan said, "Then let's define it and start mass production."

The test flight was a success, and the crowd dispersed.

Zhao Pingan and Commander Liu then entered the conference room.

The meeting room was small, with a long table and a few chairs.

The two people went in and sat down first. After a few minutes, the door opened and two young people came in.

It was Comrade Gu, the father of Master Ba, and Comrade Song, the father of the printer.

They were among the first batch of people transferred to Shenyang Aircraft Corporation by Zhao Ping'an, and they followed the entire process from the beginning of the J-7 reverse engineering, learning everything they were supposed to learn.

Zhao Ping'an didn't exchange pleasantries, but took two file folders from the side and placed them on the table.

The first one was given to Comrade Gu: "Project No. 8. It's a comprehensive verification model that we designed ourselves. We'll use it to practice, gain experience, and train our team. This is the project catalog; other materials will be sent over later."

Comrade Gu, your task is very important! The pulse Doppler radar and the corresponding avionics and flight control systems are currently a gap in China's domestic capabilities. You need to organize a large number of people to learn and complete the research and development work. Not only do you need to build them, but you also need to train talents.

Comrade Gu took it, opened it, and glanced at it. Inside was a thick stack of blueprints, the edges neatly pressed flat. He flipped through a couple of pages, looked up at Zhao Ping'an, and nodded emphatically.

The second one was recommended to Comrade Song: "The Mi-25 is an evolution of the Mi-3 fighter jet. It can reach high altitude and high speed, up to Mach 3."

Comrade Song's eyes lit up. He didn't say anything, but instead looked down and opened the drawing. The drawing was thicker than the first one, covered with densely packed data.

Zhao Pingan said, "This aircraft is all about 'powerful brick-making' – 80% stainless steel welding, which isn't technically difficult. The most difficult part is the engine material."

He paused.

"I've taken care of the materials; the data is all at the aero-engine factory, which is sufficient. This engine shares many technical similarities with the missiles from Northwest China. If there are any unclear issues, we can conduct joint research with them."

Comrade Song raised his head,

"Yes"

Finally, Zhao Ping'an summarized: "I'll give you five years. Replicate it, build it, and establish the team."

Commander Liu, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up: "Five years from now, the Air Force will be waiting to receive new types of aircraft."

The two young men glanced at him, then at Zhao Ping'an.

"Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!"

Zhao Ping'an stood up and shook hands with the two men in turn. "Go ahead, and report to me anytime you encounter any difficulties."

The following afternoon, Zhao Ping'an hurriedly returned from Shenyang and went to the Navy Headquarters.

Commander Xiao's office

Without exchanging pleasantries, Zhao Ping'an immediately spread several blueprints on the table.

"The Marines survived, so we need equipment for beach landings."

Commander Xiao looked down at the blueprints.

Zhao Pingan checked each dish one by one:

"One helicopter carrier." (Blueprints for the Iwo Jima-class carrier)

"One supply ship." (Sacramento-class).

"Landing ships, two." (Austin-class).

"Ten catamaran frigates. The first batch will be launched." (Type 022)

Commander Xiao raised his head.

"Comrade Ping An, isn't the navy already building a large number of warships?"

Zhao Pingan then took out a map and answered while pointing: "Large aircraft carriers are already under construction; they are for naval aircraft."

These are for the Marines.

Zhao Pingan first took the map of the Type 022, then pointed to a certain location on the map.

"This ship is small and can be built quickly. The first batch can be launched in less than a year, which is enough for use in the strait."

They primarily employ wolfpack tactics to seize control of the strait.

Meanwhile, the Air Force has already begun production of its new generation of fighter jets.

Preliminary estimates suggest we can maintain air superiority for five years. At that time, we will have air and sea control in the strait…

Then he pointed to the supply ship, "Take these with you on the C28A frigate and head out to the open sea to intercept the American fleet."

"Then..." Zhao Ping'an punched a spot on the map.

Commander Xiao looked at him for a while, then nodded.

"When do you expect it to be around?"

"I'm not sure, but I can prepare in advance so that I can act immediately when the time is right!" Zhao Ping'an replied decisively.

"Okay, let's do it!"

The next day, the naval shipbuilding order was officially issued.

Dalian Shipyard is undergoing another expansion.