Chapter 519: Car Frenzy
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
As soon as he finished speaking, the cheers on the field rose.
They had succeeded and obtained the Duke’s approval.
In the future, they would have a place to shelter from the wind and rain outdoors.
Zhao Yuan’s eyes were filled with tears, and his a.s.sistants’ eyes were also red. At the same time, they also envisioned the prototypes of tractors, trucks, and other vehicles in their minds.
The idea was beautiful, but the cost of building a car was very high.
Some parts had been painstakingly developed by all their researchers.
They were unique parts.
If they wanted to ma.s.s produce it, they had to first design the machinery for production and overcome the technological difficulties.
It would take at least a few years, or even decades, to popularize cars everywhere on the road.
Bai Wutong did not expect them to be even more anxious than her. They had just learned how to walk, but they already wanted to be busy.
However, thinking about it, the fastest development period in China’s modern history had only been 50 years.
With the guidance she provided, they were already standing on the head of the giant. What was so strange about it being faster?
In order to let the people fully understand the power of technology, the wonders of the petroleum car, and the hard work of the researchers, Bai Wutong announced the first petroleum car exhibition.
Although there was only one car, they had to let the commoners bask in the joy and experience the growing power of the country.
As soon as the petroleum car exhibition was announced, all the commoners and merchants were looking forward to the event.
Any activity personally launched by the Imperial Court would definitely have a huge business opportunity hidden.
As long as they grabbed the opportunity, it would definitely not be a dream for them to soar into the sky.
Auntie Yang finally saw her unshaven second son and eldest son return together. Although they were slovenly dressed, the light in their eyes was abnormally bright. It was obvious that their research had succeeded.
Auntie Yang asked a question on behalf of the entire family, “Son, is the petroleum car exhibition related to your invention?”
Zhao Yuan nodded mysteriously. “Yes.” He insisted on hiding what the petroleum car looked like, making everyone curious.
Previously, Zhao Yuan had created a bicycle and won a Flying Sky Award. This time, the Imperial Court actually wanted to hold an exhibition separately, so his achievements must be even greater.
If he didn’t say anything, they could only wait and see the car exhibition the next day.
The next day, the car exhibition was held as promised.
Everyone appeared at the entrance of the Great Empress’ residence early in the morning.
The patrolling dark guards were mobilized in large numbers to ensure the safety of Bai Wutong and Chu Tianbao.
The moment the Great Empress’s residence door opened, everyone craned their necks to look inside.
The moment Chu Tianbao drove the petroleum four-wheeler with red and shiny paint out of the Great Empress’ residence, everyone widened their eyes in surprise and exclaimed.
Someone even asked foolishly, “They are moving without horses. Could it be that the Great Empress and His Highness are stepping on the pedal inside?”
Hearing his question, the adults and children looked under the carriage and said loudly, “There are no pedals, only four wheels!”
“Oh my G.o.d! This is amazing!”
“How cool!”
“I want one too!”
“Look, there seem to be a few more people sitting behind.”
“If only we could sit in it too.”
“It’s good-looking, but this car is slower than a horse.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the flyers about the petroleum four-wheeler were distributed by the servants.
Everyone rushed to receive the flyers. When they saw the information, everyone immediately had a new understanding of the petroleum four-wheeled vehicle.
It turned out that not only could it shelter from the wind and rain, but it could also run faster than the best horse.
Moreover, they only needed to provide fuel, unlike horses that had to be fed and rested.
Originally, the journey to Ling Kingdom would take half a month. After the highway to Ling Kingdom was built, it would take at most five days.
Only five days!
When they first arrived at the southern frontier, it took them two months to reach Baye from the border.
It was simply a speed that the locals of the southern frontier did not even dare to dream about.
It was too fast.
This made everyone yearn for the petroleum four-wheeler even more.
Chu Tianbao slowly drove around. After greeting all the citizens of Carefree City, he quickly drove towards the suburbs with Bai Wutong on the car.
His speed was like the wind, causing everyone to involuntarily chase after him, but they still could not catch up.
Peach was extremely excited. She said to Zhao Yuan, “Father, you’re amazing! You’re really amazing. Look, your name is even on the poster!”
Zhao Yuan smiled. “It’s all thanks to everyone’s hard work.”
Yan Tingting was also extremely proud of her husband. Auntie Yang asked softly, “Son, when can we buy a petroleum four-wheeler?”
Everyone was very concerned and unknowingly leaned over.
Although it seemed like they could not afford it, they could still know about the price and give up.
Zhao Yuan was caught between laughter and tears. “The entire research inst.i.tute has tried their best to build a petroleum four-wheeler. If we want to produce it in large quant.i.ties, and everyone can afford it, it will take some time.”
Yu Suisheng suddenly patted his shoulder. It was obvious that he was here to look for him. It was not convenient to talk here, so he went to Yu Suisheng’s teahouse.
Yu Suisheng went straight to the point and said that he wanted to produce the petroleum four-wheeler. He asked Zhao Yuan if it was feasible.
Zhao Yuan smiled and said, “Building a petroleum four-wheeler requires not just a little manpower and resources, but also the approval of the Great Empress. I can only tell you that it’s very difficult.”
Yu Suisheng could provide a large amount of manpower and resources. He had only come to Zhao Yuan to check the feasibility of building a factory.
If there was, he would visit Bai Wutong and see if he could invest in cooperating with the country to build a car factory.
Cars would definitely replace horses as a new mode of transportation in the future. It would be a greater profit than real estate.
Even if he funded the capital amount and the country only gave him 50% of the profit, this deal was worth a try.
Although Zhao Yuan said that it was very difficult, it did not mean that there was no hope.
Yu Suisheng decided to visit Bai Wutong.
Unexpectedly, many family heads of the 30 families of Qinghe had submitted requests to meet Bai Wutong.
It was obvious what their goal was.
However, Bai Wutong did not meet any of them.
On the contrary, the announcement of the state-run car factory completely dispelled everyone’s thoughts.
When Yu Suisheng saw the words “State-owned car factory”, he immediately wondered if it would be possible for him to build a private car factory.
For this, he even specially looked for Sheng Huaixuan, hoping that he could help him ask if he could build a private car factory if he found someone to develop the car himself.
If he developed his own car and built a private car factory, it was naturally allowed.
The Imperial Court also encouraged innovation so that they could nurture more talents in this area.
Sheng Huaixuan said, “If you get someone to research on it, it might take 10 to 20 years. I’ll help you ask if cars can be patented. If it’s possible, you can use the patent, but you have to pay a large amount of patent fees.. You know all this, right?”