Ang Lee personally drove the newly developed motorcycle around the R&D Center at an extremely fast speed, kicking up clouds of dust.
After a dozen rounds, Ang Lee slowly slowed down and stopped the motorcycle. After a short test, it was enough to prove the reliability of the motorcycle. At least, it proved that the motorcycle had been developed.
The main purpose of the motorcycle was to transmit information. It was the most suitable replacement for the post horse.
"Assistant Minister Li, this motorcycle is really fast! It's much faster than the cars that were developed before. "
The craftsmen said excitedly. They were in a good mood to be able to participate in the development of such a fast motorcycle.
"The motorcycle is fast because it has a light load. It only has such a small piece. Try it out. Everyone, go around a few rounds. As long as the performance is stable, we can start mass production."
Ang Lee said.
Under Ang Lee's personal guidance, the craftsmen began to learn how to ride the motorcycle. After all, the motorcycle was very simple and there was nothing that they could not learn.
While the craftsmen were testing the reliability of the motorcycle, Ang Lee went to the palace and recommended the motorcycle to the court to replace the post horse. This way, the speed of information transmission would be greatly increased.
After testing the speed and reliability of the motorcycles, the court officials unanimously agreed to use motorcycles to replace the post horses. However, many of the officials were not used to the name of motorcycles, and Li An did not want to change the name, so he casually found a reason to fix the name of motorcycles.
The technical difficulty of the motorcycle was very low. It was not difficult to mass produce it. After the court issued the official order, Ang Lee quickly set up a motorcycle manufacturing workshop and immediately recruited craftsmen to mass produce the motorcycle.
The speed of the assembly line was very fast. In just over a month, the first batch of five hundred motorcycles was out of the factory. They were immediately sent to the most important relay stations and the relevant departments of the court that needed to transmit information quickly.
After equipping the motorcycle, whether it was the relay stations or the various departments of the court, the efficiency of their work was significantly increased. After all, sometimes, the means of transportation could determine the efficiency of work.
After the various government offices of the imperial court were equipped with motorcycles, the generals of the army could not remain calm, because the generals of the Tang dynasty had keenly discovered the great military use of motorcycles.
After the number of armored reconnaissance vehicles was popularized, the border troops were equipped with a small number of armored reconnaissance vehicles for reconnaissance purposes. However, armored reconnaissance vehicles were too big and had high requirements for the terrain. When encountering ravines and jungles, it would be difficult for them to move. This would severely restrict the reconnaissance ability of the reconnaissance soldiers.
Motorcycles, on the other hand, were different. This type of transportation was lighter and could pass through the forest. Its speed and flexibility were much better than armored reconnaissance vehicles. It was a good helper for military reconnaissance.
After the military made the request, the imperial court considered it and felt that the military's request was very reasonable. It was true that there should be a mobile reconnaissance team under the command of each regional commander, which was very important to improve the combat power of the Tang dynasty's border army.
After accepting the imperial court's request, Ang Lee immediately began to produce military-use motorcycles. There were many types of motorcycles. The so-called military-use motorcycles had better durability, and the paint had to be different from ordinary commercial motorcycles. People could tell at a glance that they were for military use.
In terms of models, they were mainly divided into ordinary two-wheeled motorcycles and three-wheeled motorcycles. Two-wheeled motorcycles were more flexible, and three-wheeled motorcycles were the best choice for officers to travel quickly. Two-wheeled motorcycles could only carry two people at most. One would drive in the front, and the other would sit in the back. Three-wheeled motorcycles could carry three people. Besides the driver and one person in the back, there was another person sitting on the side seat.
There were many border armies in the Tang dynasty, and there were also many troops in the capital. The demand for motorcycles was very high. With the current production, it was impossible to satisfy all the military's needs in a short time. They could only supply a small number of motorcycles first and slowly satisfy the military's needs.
However, everyone wanted to get enough motorcycles first. They wanted to make others wait. Therefore, since the production of the military-use motorcycles began, all kinds of important military officers often came to visit. They wanted to take away all the motorcycles produced in the workshop. During this period, Ang Lee also saw all kinds of scoundrels, big scoundrels.
"General Guo, our Dragon Martial Army is responsible for protecting the capital and His Majesty. The military-use motorcycles must come first. You can only wait."
This was the voice of Dragon Martial Army General Chen Xuanli. He came to see the production of the motorcycles and wanted to take the lead in getting the motorcycles for his troops.
When Guo Ziyi heard this, he was very unhappy. He said, "General, it is true that your troops are protecting the capital. However, our Shuofang Army is stationed at the border to protect the entire Tang dynasty. Our deployment at the border is the priority. If the border is lost, the capital will be in danger."
Lao Guo's meaning was very clear. He was belittling the Dragon Martial Army and saying that they had no real ability. Once the border was lost, the Dragon Martial Army in the capital would not be able to protect the capital at all.
"General Guo, how dare you look down on the Dragon Martial Army?"
Chen Xuanli was very angry.
"I dare not, I dare not. What I mean is that as long as our border army can defend the border, General, you can sit back and relax. The troops in the capital will not have a chance to fight, so they naturally do not need to be deployed first."
Guo Ziyi began to play tricks again. He only had one purpose, and that was that his border army was the most suitable to be deployed first. After all, the border army was the first line of national defense. The troops in the capital would not have a chance to fight at all.
"General Guo, I don't think so. We are all working for the imperial court. My Dragon Martial Army bears the responsibility of protecting the capital. How can we fall behind the border army? Besides, even without the motorcycles, the Huihe army in the north can't do anything to your Shuofang Army. It is more important to deploy the Dragon Martial Army first."
"No, no, no …"
Ang Lee could hear the quarrel between Guo Ziyi and Chen Xuanli in his office. It made Ang Lee very annoyed.
These two guys were the most difficult to deal with. Of course, the generals of the other armies were not easy to deal with either. In short, human nature was selfish. Everyone wanted the best equipment as soon as possible. This was for sure. The production of motorcycles was constant. When there were too many monks and too little meat, there would naturally be competition.
"Stop quarreling. What is yours will not run away. We will not give you anything more."
Ang Lee said.
"Assistant Minister Li, Old Guo came all the way here. You can't let me come here for nothing! No matter what, you have to let me bring back a few hundred motorcycles. "
Guo Ziyi begged.
"Assistant Minister Li, we are old friends. If you give Guo Ziyi a few hundred motorcycles, I can't give less than that."
Chen Xuanli said.
Ang Lee suddenly felt that he was in a dilemma. The production of motorcycles could not be increased quickly. The production was almost stable. Moreover, every army needed equipment. Favoring one over the other would definitely cause dissatisfaction. However, these two guys in front of him had never thought about Ang Lee. They only wanted to satisfy their own needs as soon as possible. They were simply scoundrels.
"You two are famous generals of the Tang dynasty. Why are you acting like scoundrels? If all the generals were like you, I wouldn't be able to do it."
Ang Lee was quite familiar with them. Naturally, he dared to say anything and was not afraid of offending them.
"Assistant Minister Li, I can't help you with your difficulties. If I can't get the motorcycles, I will stay here and not go back."
Guo Ziyi said with a smile. Ang Lee said that he was a scoundrel, and he really did. Of course, Chen Xuanli was not any better. He was also unwilling to leave.
"How about this? I will give each of you ten motorcycles. Only ten motorcycles. Take it or leave it. If you don't want it, then there are no more motorcycles. We have to wait for the distribution later. "
Ang Lee made some concessions and satisfied their request a little. After all, they were already acting like scoundrels. Ang Lee had to give them some face. They were old friends, so he could not be too heartless.
Although they were somewhat regretful, seeing Ang Lee's firm attitude, they could only accept the fact and each took ten motorcycles and left.
With the gradual popularization of motorcycles in the army, the strength of the Tang dynasty's army increased greatly. The armies of the surrounding small countries could only look on in the dust and did not dare to challenge the authority of the Tang Empire.
Soon after, good news came from the west. The strategic railway from Jade Gate Pass to Shu-lik Town had been completely connected. The various resources of the Tang dynasty could be quickly transported to the border towns of Anxi in large quantities. This greatly reduced the difficulty of raising the army of Anxi. The cost of raising an army in Anxi was not much different than the cost of raising an army in the capital. This made it very easy to increase the number of soldiers in Anxi and control the surrounding countries.
To the west of Anxi, there was a relatively powerful empire called the Abbasid Caliphate, later known as the Arabian Empire. This empire had always been relatively powerful and dominated the west.
Although the Abbasid Caliphate had already realized that its strength was no match for the Tang Empire, the Tang Empire was far to the east. The distance was too great, so the Tang dynasty's strength would not be able to reach the Abbasid Caliphate. Thus, the Abbasid Caliphate felt that while the Tang dynasty was strong, it could not effectively affect the surrounding countries in the west. Moreover, the surrounding countries of the Tang dynasty were all relatively wealthy. If they took them for themselves, they would be able to greatly increase their strength.
Under the influence of this line of thought, the Abbasid Caliphate threatened many of the small countries that had submitted to the Tang dynasty with military force. At the same time, they would also pay tribute to the Abbasid Caliphate. Otherwise, they would use military force to attack them.
Of course, these small countries were extremely unwilling. Thus, they expressed their desire to the Tang dynasty's Imperial Court, hoping that the Tang dynasty would send troops to eliminate the Abbasid Caliphate that threatened them.
When the Emperor of the Tang dynasty learned that the Abbasid Caliphate wanted to pay tribute to the vassal countries of the Tang dynasty, he was furious. At that time, he wanted to send troops to attack the Abbasid Caliphate and make the decision for the vassal countries. However, many courtiers objected to this, including Ang Lee.
After all, the Abbasid Caliphate was far to the west while the Tang dynasty was far to the east. An expedition would severely deplete the national strength of the Tang Empire. Even if they won, the losses would be enormous. This was the reason why all the courtiers objected.
But now, the situation had changed. The strategic railway had already been built to Shu-lik, which was very close to the small countries in the west. A large number of troops and strategic resources of the Tang dynasty could be quickly transported to Shu-lik, thus making the expedition much easier. The losses to the Tang Empire would also be much lower.
Many of the vassal countries in the west also saw this point. After Shu-lik was officially opened to traffic, they immediately requested the Tang dynasty's Imperial Court to build the railway to their countries. This way, whether it was in terms of economy, trade, or safety, they could obtain great benefits.
The merchants of the western countries were the most supportive of the construction of the railway. After all, as long as the railway was built, it would be of great benefit to their trade. It would allow them to earn more and faster money, and it would also be safer. Once the influence of the Tang dynasty completely penetrated into the west, they would not need to pay protection fees on both sides.
The development of trade would be of great benefit to the countries along the way. Naturally, it was the same for the Tang dynasty. Therefore, after the railway was built to Shu-lik, the Imperial Court of the Tang dynasty immediately began to study the plan to build the railway to the western countries.
In recent years, the vassal countries in the west had all sent various numbers of technicians to the Tang dynasty to learn. The content of their learning was nothing more than building roads and bridges, as well as some simple mechanical maintenance knowledge. The core content would not be taught to outsiders.
The training of these road and bridge paving talents would allow the small countries to instruct themselves to carry out the infrastructure construction within their borders, thus reducing the burden of the Tang Empire.
When the railway was decided to be built to the western countries, the Imperial Court ordered most of the road and bridge paving talents from the various countries to return to their own countries to cooperate with the Tang dynasty's technicians in the construction of the railway.
The materials and technology of the railway came from the Tang dynasty, but the land belonged to the various countries. During the construction, the Tang dynasty and all the other countries had to contribute. Therefore, the distribution of the railway's benefits must be negotiated first. Otherwise, it would be easy to cause trouble.
Compared with the Tang Empire, the vassal countries did not have much bargaining power. After all, whether it was the railway, the train, or all kinds of distribution systems, only the Tang Empire had them. These small countries had no bargaining chips at all. Moreover, the powerful military force of the Tang dynasty was a huge deterrent, so they had no choice but to obey.
As the inventor of the railway system, Ang Lee certainly had to participate in the next step of the railway construction plan, as well as the problem of how to distribute the benefits with the small countries in the west. The matter was so big that the Emperor of the Tang dynasty could not ignore it. This matter was related to the prosperity of the Tang dynasty, so it could not be ignored.
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