Chapter 889 Chen Ergou's Prodigious Life
As the situation in Henan descended into chaos, a different scene unfolded.
On the Mongolian grasslands...
Bo'erzhijin Elinchen, the leader of the Ordos tribe, led his daughter before the Wushen tribe leader, placing her hand directly into his. "She is now your wife."
The Wushen tribe leader laughed, brimming with triumph.
Bo'erzhijin Elinchen turned to face everyone else, announcing loudly, "From this day forward, all members of the Ordos tribe shall obey my son-in-law's commands. Any who disobey will be an enemy of the entire Ordos."
The assembled chieftains roared in unison, "Wushen! Wushen!"
The Wushen tribe leader's face was alight with joy, impossible to conceal, and indeed, there was no need to. Mongols were not like the Han, who valued "humility" or any such subdued graces.
When they felt proud, they showed it; politeness was an afterthought.
Wushen raised his hands high, and below the dais, all the chieftains attending the ceremony quickly fell silent.
The chieftains chanted, "Wushen! Wushen!"
The Wushen tribe leader continued, "Our next task is to attack the Chahar tribe. They must submit to us before we can claim to be the true heirs of the Great Yuan Dynasty."
At this time, Ligdan Khan, the nominal emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, had already died of illness. The Khan's seal, passed down from Genghis Khan, remained in the hands of Ligdan Khan's wife and children, who were currently sheltering within the Chahar tribe.
Simply put, the Chahar tribe now held the legitimate claim to the Yuan Dynasty.
Although Wushen had united the Ordos tribe, unifying all of Mongolia without the Chahar tribe's submission was impossible, and it was still a long way off.
The chieftains roared, "Wushen! Wushen! Attack! Attack!"
The crowd howled like wildmen, their cheers reaching a frenzied pitch.
A rider on a swift horse galloped in, shouting, "Report! The Jurchen barbarians, Dorgon and Yue Tuo, have led ten thousand troops across the river and are preparing to force the Chahar tribe to surrender to them!"
Wushen flew into a rage. "The Jurchen barbarians dare to steal our Khan's seal!"
The chieftains were furious. "We cannot let them have it!"
"The grasslands belong to us Mongols!"
"We cannot hand the grasslands over to the Jurchen barbarians!"
"Drive them back to the mountains to hunt!"
"Chase them back to the sea to fish!"
The Wushen tribe leader bellowed, "My lords! We have been bullied by the Jin for too long! Now is the time to strike back against those Jurchen barbarians! Defeat the Jurchen barbarians, reclaim the Chahar tribe, and seize the Khan's seal!"
"Awooo! Awooo! Awooo!"
After the roaring subsided, Bo'erzhijin Elinchen emerged from behind, his face etched with worry. "My strong son-in-law, while your power is immense, it might still fall short compared to the Jurchen barbarians. Unless, that is, you once again seek assistance from the Han people. If we had those strange, massive iron carriages of the Han, we would not fear the Jurchen barbarians."
Wushen replied, "Rest assured!"
Xi'an Prefecture, Chang'an Automobile Factory.
The factory grounds were now divided into two. The front section was responsible for manufacturing "civilian" cargo trucks, while the rear section focused on producing military "armored vehicles."
After Experimental Car No. 4 proved its mettle in the battle on the Mongolian grasslands, and positive feedback poured in from the battlefield, Gao Family Village's "Senior Technical Engineers" began racking their brains to add even more features to it.
"The steam engine's volume still needs to be reduced. It's too heavy and drags down the vehicle's overall power."
"All the bearings, metal plating, and armor need to be lightweight. Since the enemy can't penetrate it anyway, there's no need for such thick iron plates."
"No, no, no, I believe it should have two types of armor: a light armor, suitable for engaging enemies with light weapons, and a heavy armor, which will be useful when fighting enemies armed with firearms in the future."
"But heavy armor adds weight! It will make it harder to maneuver."
"When assaulting fortified positions, it doesn't need to be fast."
After much discussion, the armored vehicle was divided into two versions: one named the "Light Armored Car," emphasizing speed, and the other, the "Heavy Armored Car," prioritizing assault capabilities.
"Gentlemen, you seem to have forgotten! Hauling artillery carriages has also become a burden."
"Oh, that's true! Our cannons are too rigidly specified. I suggest manufacturing a large batch of lightweight small cannons, to be towed by the lightweight armored cars."
After the senior technical engineers reached this consensus, the product line inexplicably expanded significantly. More production lines were needed, so the Chang'an Automobile Factory began an urgent recruitment drive, poaching skilled technical personnel from various factories under Gao Family Village's control.
The artisans from Gao Family Village itself went without saying, but countless "Blue Hats" and skilled "Yellow Hats" from Xi'an's Xitie No. 1, 2, and 3 Factories, the Qichuan Ferry armory, Hancheng Steel Mill, Taiyuan New Steel Plant, Puzhou General Steel Mill, Yuncheng General Steel Mill, and many others, converged on the Chang'an Factory.
Qi Cheng and Chen Ergou were also among those "conscripted" in this wave.
The two packed their belongings, carrying letters of introduction from their factory director, each stamped with a large, red official seal. Dressed in their finest cotton clothes, they boarded the train bound for the Chang'an Automobile Factory.
Just as they settled into their seats, before the train even departed, Qi Cheng excitedly said, "Ergou, this time going to the Chang'an Factory, I wonder which department we'll be in charge of. I'm so thrilled!"
Chen Ergou: "I actually heard that we're going to be in charge of the armor section. I heard that the graduate students from our village have designed two types of armor: light armor and thin armor. We'll likely be responsible for the production and assembly of the thin armor."
Qi Cheng gasped, "Whoa? Where did you hear that?"
Chen Ergou gave a mysterious smile. "Little Cuihua from the secretary's office told me."
Qi Cheng: "..."
Alright! I concede, I concede! Ergou's amazing; he even charmed Little Cuihua, the secretary from the steel transport factory. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Out of sheer envy, Qi Cheng couldn't help but jab, "You're being transferred to the Chang'an Factory; being away from Little Cuihua for so long, your feelings are bound to fade, and you'll definitely break up."
Chen Ergou, far from being angered, chuckled. "Yes, I know that. So... I discussed it with her, and she voluntarily requested a transfer to the Chang'an Factory to support the work there."
Qi Cheng: "!!!"
Just then, another person squeezed into the carriage: Little Cuihua, the secretary herself. She had a youthful, pretty face, imbued with the intellectual, artistic temperament characteristic of a graduate from Gao Family Village's Thirty-Two Middle School.
Her gaze swept around the carriage, finally landing on Chen Ergou. She waved, "Ergou-ge, I'm here too! We're off to the Chang'an Factory together!"
Chen Ergou responded with a smile.
Their eyes met, overflowing with affection.
Qi Cheng instantly felt so envious he could die. "Ergou, your life is so effortlessly smooth, you even managed to win over such a wonderful girl. Your life is truly prodigious!"
Chen Ergou burst into laughter. "Chen Ergou's prodigious life is only just beginning!"
Comments