Chapter 1 - The Dongfeng Carriage

A new-style, single-horse-drawn, two-wheeled carriage was trotting along the road from Bairen to Piye Mountain. This was the “Dongfeng,” a new product from the vehicle factory, a two-wheeled light carriage modeled after the Hansom cabs of the 1860s. It was single-harnessed and had two seats. Because of its two-wheeled structure, it did away with the front carriage section. The body structure was simple. It was equipped with a single axle, 60-inch, 16-spoke hardwood wheels, a steel axle with ball bearings, leaf spring suspension, an iron frame, and a wooden body. It came with a foldable hood, available in two configurations: a deluxe version with sheepskin or cowhide, and a standard version with oilcloth. It was also equipped with fixed carriage lamps and a foot-operated bell.

One of the main reasons for manufacturing the Dongfeng prototype was that someone wanted to market the carriage as a luxury item. Another reason was that some Elders were starting to feel that riding a bicycle to work was not stylish enough and wanted to have a carriage as an “official vehicle” to show off.

Li Chiqi knew that using a carriage as an “official vehicle” at this stage was out of the question. For the most basic element, the horse, it was impossible to get one from Nick. Horses were now the “second masters” in Lin’gao, after the Elders. Except for military and agricultural use, they were not allowed to be used for any other purpose. As for the plans of Si Kaide, Hong Huangnan, and others to sell them in the Ming Dynasty and treat Gao Ju and his ilk as suckers, it was hard to say if there would be a market. But he, who was already bored with building Zidenkais, artillery carriages, and oxcarts, pretended to be clueless and expressed his willingness to undertake this trial production task. At the very least, it could be used by Guo Yi, who was about to return to Guangzhou.

In the end, the vehicle factory, under the guidance of the former 4S shop owner and now the chief of staff of the Logistics Command of the Military Affairs General Administration, Hong Huangnan, produced a carriage. Hong Huangnan had a special fondness for carriages and had collected countless pictures and materials, especially the very rare line drawings of various models of carriages. The manufacturing of the Dongfeng mainly relied on the materials he provided.

Although Hong Huangnan insisted on calling it “Mercedes,” Li Chiqi thought it was better to save that name for the future luxury model. So, following the “Red Flag,” it was called “Dongfeng.”

“Shouldn’t ‘Dongfeng’ be used for oxcarts or heavy-duty horse-drawn carriages?” Hong Huangnan, who was confused as he looked at the handmade “Dongfeng” in the vehicle workshop, expressed his inability to understand.

“China’s first car was also called Dongfeng, and it was hand-beaten. Let’s use this name for our car to bring good luck.”

“It would be better to call it ‘Geely’,” Hong Huangnan said sullenly.

“Whatever it’s called, this car looks really good,” Li Chiqi said sincerely. “Let’s go for a ride! A test drive!”

“We need to find a horse first.”

All the horses and donkeys in Lin’gao were now at the pasture on Gaoshanling, even the army’s horses. After use and training, they had to be returned to the pasture immediately. This was Nick’s rule, to ensure that the horses received adequate care and could reproduce as much as possible. Fortunately, Hong Huangnan knew that a batch of captured horses from Qiongshan was recently being sent to Gaoshanling. He used his authority to intercept one halfway, claiming that he would deliver it to Gaoshanling himself.

This was a batch of Mongolian horses, very docile. After Li Chiqi had harnessed the horse, he found a driver to drive the carriage, and the two of them went to Piye Mountain.

The road from Bairen to Piye Mountain had already been paved and equipped with supporting facilities. The carriage ran smoothly on the cinder-paved road, not feeling bumpy at all. This made Hong Huangnan feel that mass production had great promise—he planned to use this thing to empty the pockets of the wealthy households in Guangdong.

After traveling less than 3-4 kilometers west from Bairen City, they encountered the first traffic checkpoint. There were cheval de frise in the middle of the road, a watchtower, and sentries. The entire Gaoshanling area was now designated as a green zone directly controlled by the Council of Elders. All the original native villages in this area, except for Damei Village, which was established by the Elders themselves, had been relocated. Natives and naturalized citizens were not allowed to enter this area without a specially issued “Green Zone Pass.” A company of the garrison battalion was specially responsible for guarding this area.

Their carriage passed smoothly through the first checkpoint, then the second, and the third. On the highway and on the hillsides, they could occasionally see patrolling garrison soldiers.

“The security here is really tight!” Hong Huangnan exclaimed in surprise. “Even more so than around Bairen City!” This was his first time deep into the Gaoshanling area.

“Of course, this is the lifeblood of the Council of Elders,” Li Chiqi said. He was not surprised by the tight security here because he had participated in the “Prometheus” operation. This place not only had a pasture, a weather station, and a planned Elder resort, but more importantly, it was the location of the Grand Library and the STC—the sealed repository of the original standard equipment templates.

Hong Huangnan did not understand the true meaning of the “lifeblood of the Council of Elders” and thought he was talking about the horses. He nodded and said, “Animal power is a big bottleneck—it’s needed everywhere in the military and agriculture. If we want to sell carriages to the mainland, we also have to solve the problem of providing horses for the customers. I wonder how many horses Nick has?”

“A hundred or two hundred, I suppose,” Li Chiqi said perfunctorily. “We’ll be at the pasture soon.”

The horse’s hooves clopped. The road network in the Piye Mountain restricted area had already been formed, with complete bridges, road signs, and drainage ditches. Roadside trees had also been planted. The carriage traveled very smoothly on it. Along the way, they rarely saw any pedestrians, but they could occasionally see various buildings on the hillsides and in the woods.

“I didn’t expect the Executive Committee to have so many things hidden here!” Hong Huangnan was greatly surprised. As the chief of staff of the logistics department, he had been to Xixingling when the battery was completed. He didn’t expect that this place would become so mysterious in just over a year.

“Hehe, you are the chief of staff of the logistics department. Don’t you know that the military has many facilities hidden here?”

“I’m considered an ‘unreliable’ person, just a mere chief of staff,” Hong Huangnan grumbled. “There are so many logistics plans that I’ve organized on my desk. Many of them are just code names. I have no idea where the projects are being carried out.”

Li Chiqi said, “I’m not very clear about the details either. But the military has indeed set up several secret facilities here.”

“They’re not hiding an atomic bomb, are they?”

“I don’t think so.”

As they were talking, the carriage had already arrived at Nick’s pasture.

The pasture was located on the southwest side of the main peak of Piye Mountain, Tutouling. There was a small hill here called Mopanling, which was composed of two overlapping circular, flat-topped hills, resembling a millstone. The mountain was gentle, with few trees. After modification, it was a good place for a mountain pasture. Now, including several valleys below the mountain, the entire area was enclosed within the pasture’s boundaries.

Li Chiqi said, “We’ve arrived at Castle Hill.” Then he reminded Hong Huangnan, “When you talk about the horses later, don’t use a contemptuous or casual tone.”

“I understand, I understand. He’s a horse fanatic,” Hong Huangnan nodded repeatedly and asked, “Is this place called Castle Hill? It does look a bit like one.”

“Hehe, this place is called Mopanling. It looks more like a blockhouse. This is what people call ‘Nick’s Castle.’ He’s the local emperor here.”

The carriage stopped in a square in front of the pasture gate. Hong Huangnan got out of the carriage and looked around. The scenery here was beautiful. The winter sun shone on Piye Mountain, and the saplings of the economic forest and windbreak forest planted last spring swayed in the gentle breeze. The white mist had just dispersed. Although it was winter, the mountains were still lush with grass and trees. On the hillside pasture, scattered horses were leisurely grazing and running. Some mares were even with their newborn foals.

The valleys were planted with fodder crops that the horses liked. The corn had just been harvested, and the fields were planted with alfalfa. Several fermentation towers for fermenting green fodder stood tall. Below the hillside were stables with high, pointed roofs. A windmill was slowly turning, and the sound of flowing water could be faintly heard. Hong Huangnan felt that the scenery here was a bit like a foreign pasture.

A young man in a farm worker’s uniform was stirring something in front of the warehouse. On the ground was a large wooden basin, which seemed to contain a mixture of herbs and water. Yang Baogui was guiding him from the side, “Stir it well! Otherwise, the horses won’t eat it!”

Beside them, there were also many wooden basins and barrels with lids, emitting a mixed smell of herbs and chemicals.

Yang Baogui was here to treat the sick horses. Horses are delicate and can easily get all kinds of illnesses. After the news that a large number of captured horses would soon arrive at the pasture, Nick had invited Yang Baogui to come and prepare various common horse medicines in advance. They were ready to start treating these spoils of war as soon as the horses arrived.

“This carriage is quite beautiful!” Yang Baogui said, looking at the Dongfeng carriage. “Where did you get your horse?”

“I borrowed it,” Hong Huangnan said. “The soldiers in Qiongshan are being repatriated, and the horses and livestock they handed over are being organized for transport to Lin’gao. I borrowed one to test the carriage first.”

The soldiers who “peacefully withdrew” from Qiongshan had handed over a large number of spoils of war before boarding the ships, as stipulated by the treaty. Organizing the transport was the job of this chief of staff of the logistics department.

“Nick is going to be rich now,” Yang Baogui said, then called out to the young man who was stirring vigorously, “Shengbao! Go and call your master!”

Shengbao hurried off and soon brought Nick over from the stables, where he was washing a horse. Nick was wearing a tattered work uniform, with a towel wrapped around his head, and his clothes and head were covered in grass stems. His sleeves were rolled up past his elbows, and his two arms were red from being soaked in water.

“What? Only one horse came?” Nick was greatly disappointed and asked again, “Where did the carriage come from?”

“They will arrive at the pasture in batches starting tomorrow,” Hong Huangnan said. “Don’t worry. Not a single one will be missing.”

“I’m very worried!” Nick said. “The people driving the horses probably have very little experience in caring for them, right?!”

“They’ve all been grooms before…”

“These grooms only know how to work the horses, they don’t know how to care for them at all!” Nick tore the towel from his head and squatted on the ground. “I should have gone myself if I had known!”