What kind of means of transportation can be better than a well-trained war horse?

The car, and only the car can have such a charm, although its off-road ability is far less than the worst bantam horse, but in any case, it is an industrial product made by human wisdom and hands, in the cold and sparkling paint body, there are too many human dreams, but also show the almost infinite creativity of human beings.

In 1796, the first year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty, in the year when the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty played the trick of "Zen Concession" in the flattery of a group of ministers, the Italian Walz invented the storage battery.

In 1858, the eighth year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty, when the Qing army and the Taiping army were engaged in a fierce tug-of-war in the Yangtze River Valley, the Frenchman Lorna invented the electric ignition spark plug, and in 1859, the lead-acid battery appeared in France.

In 1860, the year that the Old Summer Palace, built by the Qing Dynasty emperor, was reduced to ashes in the fire lit by the British and French forces, the Frenchman Leno built the world's first electric ignition gas engine, and two years later made the first two-stroke internal combustion engine.

In 1867, in the sixth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty, when the civil and military ministers of the dynasty were kneeling to a little emperor and shouting long live, the German Otto made the world's first reciprocating piston four-stroke gas engine.

In 1883, in the ninth year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, when the Qing Dynasty France was entangled in the issue of suzerainty in Vietnam, on the basis of the Otto gas engine, the German, baker Terry Bummler made a lighter internal combustion engine, because it used liquid fuel gasoline, it can be easily loaded on a bicycle, so the world's first motorcycle appeared in Germany, three years later, Daimler built a four-wheeled diesel locomotive, the same year, another German, Kartz, a fitter-turned-turner, also built a three-wheeled diesel locomotive and applied for a patent, and like Daimler, he immediately founded his own car company, named "Mercedes......

It was in these dazzling inventions that mankind ushered in the age of automobiles.

If 1909 A.D., from 1883, when the motorcycle was invented, mankind has entered the automobile age for 26 years, as a member of the "global village", as a weak country that was colonized in the colonial era, China was inevitably pulled into the automobile age by foreigners.

As early as 19011, Yuan Shikai, the power of the Qing Dynasty, imported a Mercedes-Benz sedan from Germany and sent it into the Forbidden City as a gift to please the Empress Dowager Cixi.

It's a pity. Yuan Shikai worked hard and played a big role. In the high wall, locked and forbidden underground palace, the car represented the most advanced productive forces of this era, and the industrial products were only started once. Then he was permanently locked in the warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs because it was very simple. Because the driver of this sedan could not drive on his knees while ensuring the safety of the Empress Dowager Cixi. In order to avoid summoning the disaster of killing, a driver took the Queen Mother for a test drive. Say goodbye immediately. Fled. There are no drivers. The sedan could no longer move. And after learning the reason why the driver fled. The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty also closed their mouths in amusement. Even Yuan Shikai didn't dare to mention the car matter anymore.

The machine is a Chinese with braids. He is one of the 40,000 ruled people in this country. His fear was understandable. Because all it takes is a word or even a look. The fate of him and his family could be easily changed. This ancient land in the East has been ruled by the "Son of Heaven" since ancient times. There has never been such a thing as "rule of law". The monarch can decide the fate of a grass people based on his personal moods and moods. "Grass People". The people of the mustard. It was just a code name. "Son of Heaven". Walk for the heavens. Whether it's killing a few grass people or changing the direction of the country. It's all justifiable.

As the de facto monarch who ruled the Qing Dynasty. The Empress Dowager Cixi rightly ordered the driver to drive on his knees. She didn't even need to speak herself. Naturally, there are close servants around to do it for you. As she sat high up in the leather seat and watched the man kneeling in front of her and driving with trepidation. But he is still angry in his heart: the kingless and supreme foreigners just don't understand the rules. How can the driver sit in front of the emperor? This is a great rebellion.

Of course, the driver of the place where he fled with his family for fear of committing a "reverse case" did not know. Whether the driver is in front or behind is not a matter at all. For the Empress Dowager Cixi. The key issue is also the "rules". That rule is called the "Three Principles and Five Constants". It not only stipulates the status of the monarch and the subject. At the same time, it also stipulates the status of China and foreign countries. Although the Qing Dynasty has actually become a foreigner-land tax collection machine. But the court is decent, and the shelves still can't be put down. Yuan Shikai wants to engage in a new deal. It is necessary to establish a constitutional monarchy. Of course you can. But it must wait until after the Empress Dowager Cixi. Because the Queen Mother could not tolerate seeing anything above the imperial power while she was alive.

This thing that can override the imperial power is called the "Constitution". With this thing. The grass people no longer have to fear the cruelty of the "Son of Heaven" or the monarchy. With this thing. Even His Majesty the Emperor has to behave in a proper manner. And this thing. It is also the rope that foreigners say that "can bind the supreme imperial power".

Can you control the imperial power with a constitution? For this. The Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't figure it out. The flag man couldn't figure it out. They only know. As long as the new army is run well. Done a good job of foreign affairs. This world is still the world of flag people!

Of course, these bigwigs will not understand that the constitution is just a rule that can be seen and touched, but the rule that cannot be seen and touched is the people's heart, and when the people's hearts are imperceptibly gathered together, it is the awakening of the grass people and the violence of the grass people.

The constitution is a contract, all people must abide by this contract, and this contract is based on the violence of the grass people, who does not abide by the contract, who will be violent, whether it is the British Revolution or the French Revolution, have proved this with iron and blood, about this, the princes and nobles of the Qing Dynasty did not see, but those "rebellious ministers and thieves" saw that when they found that the road to constitutional monarchy did not work, they once again sacrificed this iron-blooded banner.

So there was the Anqing Horse Artillery Battalion Uprising, the "Xushen Revolution", the Republican Army in Zhaobei, and the "New Year's Electrification" of Yuan Shikai...... Everything seems so violent, and this violence is indispensable, perhaps this is one of the manifestations of human inferiority? If you don't show your own violence, the other side will not take the initiative to compromise.

The dynasty is a violent group, and the revolutionary army is also a violent group, and the two violent struggles will ultimately determine the fate of the country and the nationAlthough the Manchu dynasty, which blocked the progress of history, has fallen, at least for now, the future of the country is not in sight, and perhaps the force will continue until the country finds the right way forward.

Of course, the current "violent group" has no mind to discuss the future and destiny of the country, and their minds are all focused on the four brand-new cars.

This is where the IRA's flying team is stationed, and it is currently the only flying base, and the four cars are in a hangar at the flying base.

Four cars and four models, with different shapes, a Ford A-type car, a Ford T-type car, and the other two are Buick Type B cars and Buick Type C cars, except for the Ford A-type car that left the factory earlier, the other cars are newly manufactured new sedans with wheels to canopies, from the engine to the battery, it is not a new cluster, which makes people fascinated and don't know where to touch, just like a group of hillbillies―――――― but none of these hillbillies are white!

Zhao Bei should be the most educated in this group of hillbillies, before the crossing he was an upright undergraduate student, four years of undergraduate education is enough to make him proud of this group of hillbillies; Although Lan Tianwei has not studied in college, after all, he has stayed in the West, has been gilded, and is a dignified "returnee" with extensive knowledge; Although Zhang Jiyang is neither an international student nor a college student, he is a graduate of the Military Academy and the secretary general of the Republican Army's Current Affairs Propaganda Committee, so his knowledge is not bad; As for Tian Jinfu, although he is only a small head of the guards in front of the commander-in-chief, after all, he is the person next to the commander-in-chief......

But it's these people, these four cars in front of them make a look that they have never seen the world, which makes people look a little gimmicked.

"Good boy! These four vehicles are really Dong, in the 21st century, how can they be exchanged for a few main battle tanks, or with a main gun stabilizer. ”

Zhao Bei sighed in his heart while holding the car, as a traverser in the 21st century, the car is not a rare object for him, but these four antique cars are very different, not to mention that they are all famous brands, if they are preserved to future generations, they are cultural relics, cultural relics of the industrial age.

Of course, as the commander-in-chief of the Republican Army and the leader of this group of hillbillies, Zhao Bei quickly restrained his thoughts, straightened his waist, and glanced at the subordinates who were pointing around the car seriously, coughed twice, and finally restored everyone's calm.

"It's a good car, and everyone likes it."

Zhao Bei made a summary, so as not to embarrass everyone, after all, there was still a group of workers and soldiers standing next to him, and he couldn't let people look at the commander's joke, although the performance of the group just now was not necessarily calmer than them.

"It's good to like it, when I bought a car, I was always worried about being accused of 'abuse of public funds'."

Xie Tai smiled and glanced at Feng Ru, who was directing the workers to tow a plane into the hangar, but Feng Ru didn't seem to be worried about the car, after all, there was nothing in his mind that fascinated him more than an airplane.

These four cars were purchased from Hong Kong by Xie Tai and Feng Ru on their own initiative, and Xie Tai's idea is also very sufficient: first, the commander-in-chief has never had a special carriage, Li Yuanhong is just a provincial speaker, and he has a luxury carriage sent by the British consul to decorate the façade, how can Zhao Bei also be the highest military and political governor in Hubei, how can he not have his own special vehicle? Second, there has not been any concept of 'special aviation engine' in these years, almost all aircraft use automobile engines, and the best automobile engine technology is the United States except for Germany, so the introduction of a few American cars, and then buy some spare engines, you can also study the car engine by the way, and lay the foundation for the next step of imitation.

Driven by these two reasons, the two finally used public funds to squeeze out a part of the public money allocated to them by Zhao Bei to hire technicians, and bought four of the latest cars in one go, the two Ford cars were given to the commander-in-chief for transportation, and the other two Buicks were left for the flight team to study, because the speed of their engines was much higher than that of the Ford cars.

Of course, the faster the engine of the plane, the better.

"It's a good car, it's just a bit expensive."

Zhao Bei smacked his lips, the cheapest of the four cars are the Ford Type A car and the Model T car, each of which is 850 US dollars, as for the two Buick sedans, each of them is sold for more than 1,000 US dollars, and the total of the four cars is 4,000 US dollars, which is more than 20,000 taels of Guan Ping silver, which is nearly 30,000 yuan when converted into silver yuan, and you can basically buy one or two more planes.

It can also be inferred from this price that Ford Motor Company has obviously not adopted the assembly line operation method, and if it is fully adopted, the unit price of the car can be reduced by at least half.

"However, your decision is still very discerning, the key technology of the aircraft is the engine technology, and if this technology is not solved well, it is useless to design the aircraft well. However, there is a difference between a car engine and a dedicated aero engine, and it is not that the higher the speed, the more reliable. ”

Zhao Bei's words turned around, and then pulled to the plane, after all, this is the main reason why he sent two people on a business trip, this time to buy the plane, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the United States purchased a total of six planes, five twin engines, one single engine, plus the original two, the Republican Army currently has eight aircraft, its air strength can not only be called China's first, but even proud of the Far East, even the Far East No. 1 power, its army has aircraft that are not as advanced as the Republican Army.

"The commander-in-chief has a good reputation, and it is our long-cherished wish to contribute to China's prosperity and strength, and we are trusted by the commander-in-chief and entrusted with important tasks, how dare we neglect?"

Xie Tai hurriedly humbled himself, but he was quite useful in his heart, if the establishment of the aircraft factory went smoothly this time, "aviation to save the country" may no longer be a distant dream.

"Commander-in-Chief, can you test the car?"

Feng Ru walked up to Zhao Bei and wiped the oil stains on his hands with a towel while beckoning several workers to his side. These four American cars were dismantled into pieces and packed and shipped back to China, and after they arrived in Hankou on a British gunboat this morning, they transported the planes and equipment brought back to China back to the base of the flight team in the shortest possible time, and assembled an airplane and four cars at the first time, and then Feng Ru took an assistant to pilot the plane for a test flight, and after he landed, Zhao Bei had already rushed to the base with his men, and saw the four cars that had just been assembled, and was attracted by the car for a while. So much so that he didn't pay attention to when Feng Ru landed.