A new model of a two-wheeled carriage pulled by a single horse was trotting on the road from Bairen to Piye Mountain. This is a two-wheeled light carriage "Dongfeng", the latest product of the vehicle factory, which is modeled after the Huntsman carriage of the 1860s. Single driver, two seats. Because it is a two-wheel structure, the front car part is omitted. The body structure is simple. It is equipped with single-axle 6o-inch 16-spoke hardwood wheels. The axle is made of steel and equipped with ball bearings. Leaf spring shock absorbers, iron frame, wooden body. Equipped with a foldable hood: there are two configurations, luxury sheepskin or cowhide, ordinary oilcloth; equipped with fixed lights and foot-operated bell.
One of the main reasons for manufacturing Dongfeng prototypes was that some people wanted to market horse-drawn carriages as luxury goods; another reason was that some senior officials began to feel that riding bicycles to work was not interesting enough, and wanted to build a horse-drawn carriage as a "official vehicle". Show off your power.
Li Chiqi knew that using a carriage as a "bus" was a no-brainer at this stage - as far as the most basic element of horses is concerned, Nick couldn't even think of getting a horse in his hands - the horse is now the most important thing except Lingao. The "second master" besides the elders. Except for military and agricultural purposes, which can be allocated, they are not allowed to be used. As for the plan that Si Kaide, Hong Huangnan and others hope to sell in the Ming Dynasty, it is difficult to say whether there will be a market for it. However, he had already faded away from making purple electric vehicles, gun carriages and ox-carts. He pretended to be confused and expressed his willingness to take on this trial production task. At worst, it could be used by Guo Yi, who was about to return to Guangzhou.
In the end, the vehicle factory produced a carriage under the guidance of Hong Huangnan, the former 4S shop owner and now the chief staff officer of the Military Affairs General Logistics Command. Hong Huangnan had a special liking for carriages and collected countless pictures and information. Especially the very rare line drawings of various types of carriages. The manufacturing of Dongfeng mainly relied on the information he provided.
Although Hong Huangnan insisted on calling it Mercedes-Benz, Li Chiqi thought that this name should be reserved for the later luxury models, so he called it "Dongfeng" after "Hongqi".
"Shouldn't Dongfeng be used for ox-carts or heavy-duty carriages?" Hong Huangnan, who felt confused looking at the hand-made "Dongfeng" in the vehicle workshop, said she couldn't understand.
"China's first car was also called Dongfeng, and it was hammered by hand. Let's use this name to bring good luck to our car."
"It's better to call it Geely." Hong Huangnan said bitterly.
"No matter what it's called, this car looks really good." Li Chiqi said sincerely, "Let's go for a spin and test drive it."
"We have to find a horse first."
Now all the horses and donkeys in Lingao are in the pastures of the mountains, including the army horses. It must be returned to the pasture immediately after use and training. This is Nick's rule, to ensure that the horses are adequately cared for and bred as much as possible. Fortunately, Hong Huangnan knew that a batch of trophy horses from Qiongshan had recently been sent to Gaoshanling, so he conveniently intercepted one halfway and declared that he would send it to Gaoshanling himself.
These were a group of ancient Mongolian horses, which were very docile. After Li Chi harnessed the horses, he found a driver to drive the cart, and the two of them took the cart to Piye Mountain.
The road from Bairen to Piye Mountain has completed road hardening and supporting projects. The carriage ran smoothly on the cinder-paved road without feeling bumpy at all. This made Hong Huangnan feel that there was great hope for mass production - he was prepared to use this thing to empty the pockets of wealthy households in Guangdong.
After walking west for less than 34 kilometers from Bairen City, we encountered the first traffic jam. In the middle of the road, there is a horse guard, a watchtower and a sentry. The entire Gaoshanling area is now classified as a green zone under the direct control of the Senate - all the original indigenous villages in this area have been relocated except for Damei Village, which was established by the senators themselves. Aboriginals and naturalized people are not allowed to enter this area without a specially signed "Green Zone Pass". A company of the garrison battalion is responsible for guarding this area.
Their carriage passed the first checkpoint smoothly, then the second and third. On the roads and hillsides, soldiers from the security battalion can be seen patrolling from time to time.
"This place is really heavily guarded," Hong Huangnan exclaimed in surprise. "It's even more guarded than around Bairen City." This was his first time going deep into the Gaoshan Ridge area.
"Of course, this is the lifeblood of the Senate." Li Chiqi had participated in the "Prometheus" operation, so he was not surprised by the tight security situation here. Not only is there a ranch, a weather observatory, and a planned resort for seniors, but more importantly: it is the location of the great library and the archive of stc, the original standard equipment template.
Hong Huangnan did not understand the true meaning of the lifeline of the Senate and thought he was talking about horses. He nodded and said: "Animal power is a big bottleneck - it is needed everywhere in the military and agriculture. If you want to sell carriages to the mainland, you have to find matching horses for customers. I don't know how many horses Nick has?"
"There must be one or two hundred horses." Li Chiqi said casually, "We will be at the ranch in a while."
Horseshoe Dede, the road network in the restricted area of Viya Mountain has been formed, and various bridges, road signs and drainage ditches are fully equipped. Street trees were also planted. The carriage is very comfortable to drive on. Along the way, we rarely saw pedestrians on the roadside, but from time to time we could see various buildings on the hillsides and among the trees.
"I didn't expect the Executive Committee to hide so many things here," Hong Huangnan was surprised. As the chief logistics officer, he had been to Xihangling when the Xihangling Fort was completed. He did not expect that it would become so mysterious in more than a year.
"Haha, you are the chief logistics officer. Don't you know there are many military facilities hidden here?"
"I am an 'unreliable' person. I am just the chief staff officer." Hong Huangnan said with confidence, "There are so many logistics plans organized by me on my desk, many of which are just code names. I don't know how to do it." I don’t know where the project will start.”
Li Chiqi said: "I don't know the details very well. But the army did set up several secret facilities here."
"It's not like he's hiding something."
"That's not the case."
As he spoke, the carriage arrived at Nick's ranch.
This ranch is just southwest of Tutou Ridge, the main peak of Piye Mountain: there is a small ridge here called Mopan Ridge. Mopan Ridge is composed of two layers of overlapping circular flat-topped ridges, shaped like a Mopan. The mountains here are gentle and there are not many trees. After reconstruction, it is a good place for mountain pasture. Now, including several valleys at the foot of the mountain, they are all enclosed within the scope of the pasture.
Li Chiqi said, "We are at Castle Mountain." Then he reminded Hong Huangnan, "When you talk about horses later, you must not use contempt or casual language."
"I understand, he is a madman." Hong Huangnan nodded repeatedly and asked, "This place is called Castle Mountain? It seems a bit like it."
"Haha, this is called Mopanling. It's more like a bunker. This is the place known as 'Nick's Castle'. Here he is the local emperor."
The carriage stopped in a square in front of the ranch gate. Hong Huangnan got out of the car and looked around. The scenery here is beautiful. The winter sunshine shines on Piye Mountain, and the saplings of the economic forest and windbreak forest newly planted last year are swaying in the breeze. The white mist has just dispersed. Although it is winter, the mountains are still lush with vegetation. On the pasture on the hillside, horses are scattered in twos and threes, grazing and running leisurely. Some mares are still carrying their newly delivered foals.
Feed crops that horses like to eat are grown in the valley, the yù rice has just been harvested, and alfalfa is planted in the fields. Several fermentation towers used for fermenting green fodder stand. At the bottom of the hillside are stables with tall pointed roofs. A windmill was turning slowly, and the sound of water flowing could be faintly heard. Hong Huangnan feels that the scenery here is a bit like a foreign ranch.
A young man in a farmer's uniform was stirring something in front of the warehouse. On the ground was a large wooden basin, which seemed to be a mixture of grass and water. Yang Guogui was guiding beside him: "Mix it well or the horse won't eat it."
Beside them, there were many covered wooden basins and wooden barrels, emitting the smell of grass and chemicals.
Yang Guogui came here to treat horse diseases. Horses are very delicate and prone to various cat diseases. After immediately notifying the ranch of the arrival of a large number of seized horses, Nick invited Yang Guogui and asked him to prepare various common horses in advance. Prepare your horses to begin treating these trophies as soon as they arrive.
"This carriage is beautiful enough." Yang Guoguo looked at the Dongfeng carriage. "Where did you get your horses?"
"You can borrow it," Hong Huangnan said, "Qiongshan is repatriating officers and soldiers, and the horses and livestock they surrendered are being organized to be transported to Lingao. I will borrow one to try out the carriage first."
Before the officers and soldiers who "peacefully evacuated" from Qiongshan boarded the ship, they handed over a large amount of loot in accordance with the provisions of the treaty. It was his job as the logistics chief staff officer to organize the transfer.
"Nick is going to get rich now." Yang Baoguo said and called out to the boy who was stirring hard, "Sheng Bao, go and call your master."
Sheng Bao hurried over and soon called Nick over from the stables who was washing the horses. Nick was wearing torn work clothes, holding a towel on his head, with grass stems hanging on his head. The sleeves were rolled up past the elbows, and both arms were red with water.
"What? Just a horse?" Nick was disappointed and asked, "Where did the carriage come from?"
"We will rush to the ranch one by one starting tomorrow." Hong Huangnan said, "Don't worry. Not a single horse will be missing."
"I'm very worried," Nick said. "I'm afraid the people driving the horses rarely have experience in taking care of horses, right?"
"They were all groomsmen in the past..."
"These grooms only know how to use horses, but they don't know how to care for the horses." Nick pulled off the horse towel on his head and squatted on the ground, "If I had known better, I should have gone there myself."
