Chapter 317 The Big Guy Is Shocked

For human beings, the significance of circumnavigation is greater than the benefits, and it can also bring human beings a sense of pleasure in conquering the world.

The earth is so huge that every milestone circumnavigation will be recorded in the history of mankind, and the impact on human beings and the earth is also very huge.

The circumnavigation of the Australasian airship has become one of the topics of concern to people all over the world.

People are curious whether a new means of transportation such as an airship can achieve the greatest achievement in navigation, circumnavigation.

People are curious, puzzled, amazed, or disdainful. But in short, in April 1912, the eyes of the world have been focused on Australasia and on the airship that was gradually moving away over Sydney.

For this circumnavigation, the first stop was very difficult. According to the voyage plan, the first stop was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian Territory of the United States.

There was nothing special about this stop. The choice of stopping here was just for Arthur to inspect the airship on the way across the Pacific Ocean for safety.

The straight-line distance between Sydney and Hawaii is 8,200 kilometers. If you take the fastest cruise ship currently, it will take more than half a month to travel such a long distance.

But the Dawn airship took only nine days and four hours from its departure on April 10 to its arrival in Honolulu, Hawaii.

After docking in Honolulu for more than ten hours, repairing the airship, and replenishing certain daily necessities, the Dawn airship took off again, aiming directly at Los Angeles, the largest city in the western United States.

After arriving in Hawaii, it is actually very close to the mainland of the United States. Hawaii is only 4,097 kilometers away from Los Angeles, which is nearly half the distance from Sydney to Hawaii.

In order to accomplish what Arthur said, while successfully sailing around the world, it is also necessary to shorten the time of the voyage as much as possible and increase the influence of this voyage around the world.

Therefore, after departing from Hawaii, Director Theodore ordered the airship to move at a faster speed.

On the 14th day of the voyage around the world, that is, April 24, 1912, the Dawn airship finally arrived over Los Angeles and arrived at the largest city in the western United States.

Speaking of the history of Los Angeles, it can be traced back to the late 18th century, which is more than 100 years ago.

But in fact, until the mid-19th century, although the gold rush in the West attracted a large number of immigrants to Los Angeles, the population of Los Angeles at that time was only about 1,600.

The period when Los Angeles really rose rapidly and became the largest city in the West was actually the stage of the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Because of the discovery of oil, Los Angeles' economy quickly entered a period of prosperity, and the scale of the city also expanded rapidly.

Of course, the peak of this city is definitely not now, but after experiencing two world wars, because of the gradual prosperity of modern industry, commercial finance and tourism and the growth of immigrants, Los Angeles has become a megacity in the United States.

As the second and last stop of the Dawn airship in the United States, the streets of Los Angeles have already gathered a lot of American media and people.

People are still very curious about unknown things, especially such a significant action as a round-the-world voyage.

In the past, American people thought they had seen a lot of the world. Whether it was cars, airships, or airplanes, the United States had a wide variety of them.

But until the news came from Australasia that the airship was traveling around the world, and all the airship companies in the United States had no news, the Americans realized that the United States was not omnipotent in some aspects.

At some point, a black spot suddenly appeared in the distant sky, which became larger and larger, and then slowly turned white.

"It's an airship! It's the airship called Dawn!"

Someone on the street said excitedly.

"Oh, damn, this thing looks bigger than a building. How did the Australasia people make it fly?"

"It's not made of steel, is it? This is really God's masterpiece. The Australasia people are not going to use this thing to attack us, are they?"

"Damn, didn't you think it would fall? Find a place to hide quickly, you idiots!"

Seeing the airship getting closer and closer, the voices of communication on the streets of Los Angeles became more and more, and the streets even gradually stopped.

Even the vehicles coming and going couldn't help but stop to watch the big guy in the sky.

Of course, most of these are just ordinary people in Los Angeles. As for the capitalists and wealthy businessmen with a little capital, they were of course standing in the skyscrapers and watching with interest.

"John, is this the airship of the Australasians? It's really a big one." In a high-rise building in Los Angeles, a wealthy-looking American said to his partner.

"Apart from anything else, the Australasians are really capable of making such a big thing fly. Daniel, don't you plan to set up a round-the-world sailing company? Why not just use such a big thing? The Australasians have already created a gimmick for you. If you set up a round-the-world airship sailing company, I'm afraid you and the company will be famous the next day." The partner next to the rich man said to the rich man with a smile.

"This is a big guy, and I'm afraid it will cost a lot of money. John, are you interested in joining me in a big deal? We will be the new giants in the entire American airship industry!" The rich man nodded, and did not refute his partner's point of view, but looked at his partner with interest and asked.

The rich businessman named John did not rush to answer Daniel's question, but looked at the airship with admiration, and then answered slowly: "Well, I admit that such a big guy can't be rejected at all. If the Australasians succeed in this round-the-world voyage, I am willing to invest 5 million US dollars."

This is actually the difference between the top and the bottom in looking at the problem. When the bottom people looked at the airship in surprise, the capable people may have been thinking about the role behind the airship and the value it brings.

In Los Angeles, there are many capitalists who pay attention to this airship. Many capitalists who can't come to Los Angeles have also sent subordinates, or are also paying attention to news about the airship.

Once the airship's round-the-world voyage is truly successful, that will be the golden age of airships, and airship companies will flourish everywhere, entering the golden age of airship business.

After this day, a photo taken from the tallest building in Los Angeles became popular all over the United States, and even spread to most parts of Europe.

This photo is actually very simple, because the city has not yet been polluted by industry, and the sky is blue.

In the upper center of the entire photo, an airship with the flag of Australasia and the royal emblem pattern soars above the blue sky, and below is the city of Los Angeles.

The city buildings that usually look huge appear so small in front of this huge airship. The airship is like covering the sky and the sun, bringing a huge shock to the entire city.

People in the city raised their heads and looked at the Dawn in the sky, while the people on the airship stood at different angles and watched the not-so-prosperous city of Los Angeles below.

"Is this an American city? It doesn't look very good."

Looking at the seemingly small city in front of them, someone couldn't help but say with a little disappointment.

"You are standing too high, man."

The words of the person next to him woke people up from a dream. It was not that the city was not huge or prosperous, but that they were standing too high, making the city look a little small.

With the scenery outside the airship window, looking at the tiny city below, imagining the admiring eyes of those people in the city, the people on the airship could not help but feel proud and enjoy it very much.

Fortunately, the airship did not stay in the sky of Los Angeles for a long time. Such a big guy was destined to land in the suburbs.

In the suburbs of Los Angeles, after discussing with the US government, a flat airship parking lot has been prepared here. At this time, there are already many Americans and media watching.

Even the mayor of Los Angeles, the governor of California, and US military officials are watching near the parking lot.

Those capitalists are measuring the value and role that airships can bring, and so are these politicians and the military.

And most of the civilians are just watching the excitement. After all, the parking lot is the best place to watch the airship up close. After all, the airship will stop here for a period of time to inspect and replenish supplies.

Because of the agreement with the US government, six passengers will take the airship to experience the round-the-world voyage in the US.

Director Theodore did not know that the six airship tickets in the US had been sold at a high price of tens of thousands of dollars, but they were still out of stock in the US.

Although it was not known who had obtained the six airship tickets, it was certain that anyone who obtained any of the airship tickets must be either rich or noble.

Unlike ordinary people, politicians and the military were silently recording something in their hearts while watching the airship.

Especially the US military officials, when they saw the airship, they were already recording something in detail, and they were even more anxious to write, and the eagerness in their eyes was obvious.

After the visit, the US military officials got on the military car and left in a hurry.

After getting in the car, the American major said to his subordinates urgently with some doubts and concerns: "Report to the general immediately. The Australasian ocean-going airship has become a weapon with sufficient threat. If such airships are fully equipped with weapons, they can cross any terrain restrictions and reach any place in the world in an incredible way. This will be a great enhancement of military strength. It can not only be used to transport strategic materials, but also for long-distance bombing and assassination."

As he said, the American major also smiled bitterly and said self-deprecatingly: "If the Australasians want to bomb Los Angeles, as long as they are in the sky, I am afraid none of us can stop them."

The subordinates also understood the importance of the matter, so they quickly reported to the general mentioned by the major.

"Tell the general that the United States must establish an airship force. This is urgent and must be done immediately. Previously, the United States had the advantage of two oceans and did not have to worry about the threat to its homeland. But after having such an ocean-going airship, the United States' homeland is no longer safe unless we have an airship force with sufficient strength." Fearing that his report would not impress his superiors, the major thought for a while and continued to add.

He firmly believed that as long as European countries saw this airship that could travel around the world with their own eyes, they would definitely continue to promote the research and development of airships.

If the airship is designed as a weapon capable of bombing, it will become the world's first terrible weapon with a bombing range covering the entire world.

More importantly, if the bombed country does not have an airship force of sufficient size, then even if it faces the danger of being bombed, it can only watch with its own eyes but can do nothing.

Thanks to the trend of researching airships led by Arthur before, European countries generally have a large airship industry.

But the research and development of airships has always been in a tepid state. Even the German Empire, which has made rapid progress, does not have an airship that can travel around the world.

As long as the airships of European countries cannot cross the ocean, then even if the United States does not have an airship force, it does not have to worry about the safety of its homeland.

But from this moment, when the Dawn arrived in Los Angeles, everything before changed completely.

If the United States cannot have an airship force, Australasia, which is on the Pacific coast with the United States, will sooner or later become one of the United States' competitors.

At least for now, the United States has no countermeasures against this kind of airship flying at high altitudes.

If the other party drops a large number of bombs at high altitudes, do Americans have to catch them with their hands?

Even if the enemy's bombing was not accurate, the panic caused by the large-scale bombing was enough to cause the United States to fall into a certain chaos.

Arthur may not know how great the changes that his planned airship around the world would bring to the US military.

Of course, if Arthur knew, he might be more fortunate.

After all, no matter how fast the airship is developing now, as long as the development of the airship does not surpass the times, there is no ability to resist in front of the aircraft.

The main reason is that European and American countries have not paid too much attention to the research and development of aircraft, and their aircraft performance is not too strong.

This also led to them not discovering that the military role of aircraft is far greater than that of airships, otherwise, I am afraid that the aircraft of various countries have been updated many times.

The report of the major in the United States was widely disseminated and supported by the US military. Among the American people, the photo of the airship and the news of the airship also became the front-page headlines of the United States.

Even the six Americans who boarded the airship in a photo were exaggeratedly called "God's favored ones who are about to approach God" by American newspapers and the American people.

In the era without airplanes and airships, the sky was a fantasy place that everyone could only imagine.

Being able to go up to the sky is dreamy and exaggerated enough for Americans who have never experienced such an event before.

Perhaps it is because of people's fear of the sky and their dream of the sky that the price of airship tickets has risen sharply.

Of course, it is not ruled out that Americans are rich. You know, the cost of a Dawn airship is only more than 40,000 pounds, which is only about 200,000 US dollars.

According to the value of airship tickets in the United States, the profit of a flight with 58 Americans is as high as more than 580,000 US dollars, which is enough to build three airships.

Although this price is a little bit high because of the hype of the first round-the-world voyage.

But it can also be seen from this that the value and significance of the airship's round-the-world voyage, which is why those capitalists value airships and this round-the-world voyage.

The Dawn airship stayed in Los Angeles for a whole day, not only for a long time to overhaul, to ensure that there would be no problems in the next trip.

At the same time, a large amount of daily necessities were replenished, and six Americans were also carried, and then the journey to London began.

So far, this round-the-world voyage has taken 15 days. The time consumed was not long or short, and for Director Theodore who had a preliminary plan, this time was acceptable.

The next day, under the watchful eyes of the media and Americans, the Dawn airship set sail again. This time, the purpose was to cross the entire United States and the Atlantic Ocean and head to London, England in Europe.

On a spacious seat of the Dawn airship, John and Daniel, who had been laughing and chatting on a high-rise building in Los Angeles, sat.

The two had actually been interested in airships for a long time. When airship tickets were sold publicly in the United States, they spent a lot of money to buy two tickets.

Now sitting on the airship, looking at the clouds floating outside the window from time to time, Daniel finally understood how shocking the airship was.

"Daniel, don't say anything. When you return to Los Angeles, start the establishment of an airline immediately!" John, who was beside Daniel, looked at the scenery outside the window and said impatiently.

For rich people like Daniel and John, the tens of thousands of dollars spent on an airship ticket is nothing.

Sitting by the window of the airship, watching the clouds flashing outside the window, the two suddenly felt that the ticket price was worth it.

Moreover, the time that the airship can save is sometimes more valuable than the ticket price.

"You are right, John. But I think there will be many people coveting the big pie of aviation. It seems that we have to attract some partners." Daniel nodded in agreement and said with a smile.

The two originally thought that with their tens of millions of dollars in assets, they would be able to start an airline that monopolized the entire American aviation industry.

But now it seems far from being possible. Only by attracting more partners can we have a bigger share of the big pie of aviation.

"We should be thankful that the Australasians chose Los Angeles as the docking place for the airship instead of New York in the east. If it was in New York, I'm afraid we would have more competitors, and then our advantage would be gone." John looked at his friend with a firm face and said with a little relief.

Although Los Angeles is the largest city in the western United States, its current development is still a little behind compared to the core eastern part of the United States.

As the most prosperous and developed city in the United States, New York not only gathers a large number of top American capitalists and enterprises, but also a large number of various dignitaries.

Families with prominent status, consortiums with huge assets, deep-rooted capital, and various new nobles in the political arena, none of these forces can be shaken by John and Daniel.

If Australasian chose New York as the docking place, I'm afraid that Daniel and John would only be able to eat leftovers no matter how interested they are in the aviation industry.

"You reminded me, man. Why don't we look for Australasia first? Anyway, only Australasia can manufacture airships that can travel around the world. If we monopolize the sale of airships in the United States, isn't it equivalent to monopolizing the American aviation industry?" Hearing his friend's words, Daniel woke up instantly as if he had been poured with water, and said to John.

The two of them looked at each other instantly, and they understood each other's intentions instantly, but considering that there were many Americans around, they just nodded tacitly.

"You're right, Daniel. I have a suggestion. Anyway, the destination of this voyage is Sydney, so we won't go back first. If we can negotiate a cooperation with Australasia on the sale of airships, it will be much more valuable than being the first to start an airline." John said to Daniel in a low voice with excitement.

Let's write a single chapter of 5,400 words today, and take a break.