The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 651 Do You Know What an Airplane Is?

It was not until the airship rose to an altitude of two thousand meters, stopped rising and began to accelerate and fly level that Duan Qirui reluctantly left the observation mirror and followed Wei Jinghai into the compartment in the middle of the cabin.

In the compartment, around a long low table, Teng Yuzao, Yang Shixiang, Xu Shichang, Ye Zugui, Tang Shaoyi and others were already sitting on the sofa, drinking tea or coffee and talking.

Duan Qirui looked around the nearly 20-square-meter compartment. The four walls inside were inlaid with wooden panels, just like the outside. Duan Qirui knew that this arrangement was not only for aesthetics, but mainly for heat preservation. He even guessed that there would be asbestos or other insulation materials filling the back of the panels.

What is different from outside is that the utensils here are slightly better. Not only is there a long sofa against the wall panel, there is even a wine cabinet in the corner of the compartment, and a small wooden table with a folder on it.

Duan Qirui believed that this seemed to be a specially recorded location.

Seeing Duan Qirui and Wei Jinghai walk into the compartment, Teng Yuzhao smiled and motioned Duan Qirui and Wei Jinghai to sit in the two empty seats next to him on his right.

What surprised Duan Qirui was that there was a huge round lens inlaid on the wall panel opposite the long row of sofas.

At this time, the round mirror not only showed constantly moving mountains and rivers, but also many floating white clouds.

Duan Qirui stared blankly for a while before realizing that what was shown in the round mirror was the mountain and river scenery below the airship that he had just been observing with great interest.

Duan Qirui, who came from the artillery, quickly figured out the principle behind this. It should be a device similar to an artillery mirror, except that the light refraction path and angle were more complicated.

As soon as the two sat down, a staff officer brought them tea.

Teng Yuzao smiled at Duan Qirui and said, "Brother Zhiquan, I just said I would take you to see some good stuff. Now I won't keep you in suspense. I can tell you that the good stuff I mentioned is in Zhangbei County. We are going to fly there now, and it will probably be tonight before we get there."

Although Duan Qirui had discovered that the airship was flying north, he was still a little surprised that it flew outside the pass, and he couldn't help but ask in astonishment.

"Xingfu, what exactly is this good thing you're talking about? Why is it so mysterious and why is it placed outside the mouth?"

"I heard that the area is sparsely populated and transportation is very inconvenient."

Teng Yuzhao nodded and spread his hands helplessly.

"Brother Zhiquan is right. It is indeed sparsely populated there, and transportation is very inconvenient."

Teng Yuzao sighed and said, "I can't help it. This thing is really too important. It can only be kept secret there."

Duan Qirui was stunned by Teng Yuzao's words. In his opinion, Teng Yuzao was not afraid of breaking off relations with the court, so why would he worry about something being known to others?

Looking at everyone, he saw that Wei Jinghai was the only one who looked calm and composed. The others were all chewing over Teng Yuzao's words with curiosity. He knew that there was something good that Teng Yuzao needed to keep secret, and not only was he unaware of it, but several of Teng Yuzao's confidants and important ministers were also unaware of it, which made him even more curious.

Teng Yuzao looked around at everyone and said with an apologetic smile.

"This matter is of great importance. To put it in a bigger context, it can even be said to concern our national destiny, so I didn't tell you in advance."

"Not many people know about this. Only Qionglin and Ningbo know about it."

No matter what Teng Yuzhao said, the fact that he kept the secret from these trusted ministers always made these people feel a little uncomfortable. Ye Zugui glanced at everyone and suddenly said with a smile.

"The Marshal has kept it so secret. In my opinion, this must be another extremely powerful weapon invented by the Marshal. I wonder if it has anything to do with our navy?"

If it was a matter related to weapons and equipment, it would be normal if Yang Shixiang and Xu Shichang were not informed in time.

Knowing that Ye Zugui was doing this to break the awkwardness for him, Teng Yuzao said with a smile.

"It is indeed a very powerful weapon, and it is also closely related to your navy. Wait a few hours, and you will see it, Lord Tong."

Sure enough, when Yang Shixiang, Xu Shichang and Tang Shaoyi heard Teng Yuzhao's words, their expressions immediately became relieved.

Even after hearing what Teng Yuzhao said, Duan Qirui didn't dare to ask any more questions.

Yang Shixiang, Xu Shichang, and Ye Zugui were all figures who could be regarded as Teng Yuzao's right-hand men. Even Tang Shaoyi was almost the same. Teng Yuzao had kept these people a secret, so it was natural that they needed to be kept absolutely confidential. But now Teng Yuzao was actually going to let an outsider like him know about it.
Duan Qirui sighed. He already knew that Teng Yuzhao was determined to recruit him. In that case, he still had to ask some questions and make them clear in advance.

Duan Qirui thought for a moment and then changed the subject.

"Xingfu, I still want to ask you something first, is that ok?"

Although Duan Qirui meant to consult Teng Yuzao, his tone did not sound inquiring at all.

Duan Qirui's attitude made Tang Shaoyi frown slightly.

However, Teng Yuzao didn't care at all and nodded with a smile.

"Brother Zhiquan, please feel free to speak up."

Duan Qirui didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly.

"Xingfu, from what I've seen from your actions these past few days, you're determined to become the first prime minister, right?"

Without waiting for Teng Yuzhao to answer, Yang Shixiang asked Duan Qirui with a smile.

"Brother Zhiquan, do you think the first prime minister should be the Marshal? Or should Yixin be the first prime minister?"

Xu Shichang sighed and added, "Brother Zhiquan, we have accurate information. Due to the overwhelming public opinion in the court and the opposition, constitutionalism is imminent. The Queen Mother has already decided that the first prime minister will not be selected through constitutionalism. The first prime minister will be directly appointed by the court and Yixin will be appointed."

Duan Qirui was not at all surprised that Cixi wanted her most trusted Yixin to be the first prime minister of the cabinet.

He nodded to Xu Shichang and turned to Yang Shixiang.

"Of course Xingfu is the best person to do it. He is also the most suitable person at the moment. I even think that there is no one more suitable than Xingfu in the whole country."

Duan Qirui added, "The current situation in Zhishan Province has proved that Xingfu is the people's hope if he becomes the first prime minister."

As soon as Duan Qirui said this, he could clearly feel that the others seemed to be relieved.

Teng Yuzao put away his smile and said, "Brother Zhiquan, what you said just now is right. The situation in Zhishan Province has proved that only if I become the first prime minister, it will be a good thing for the people of the country. If Yixin is allowed to do it."

Teng Yuzhao didn't finish his words, but just shook his head and looked at Teng Yuzhao.

Duan Qirui suddenly asked, "Xingfu, I still have one thing I don't understand. Since you also think that you are the best person to be the Prime Minister, why do you have hundreds of thousands of soldiers under your command, but still swallow your anger?"

"Instead of sending troops to the capital, why not learn from Cao Cao? Wouldn't that be more efficient and effective?"

Duan Qirui's words surprised and delighted everyone. Although Duan Qirui was not sure whether he could serve under Teng Yuzao as he wished, he had at least made his attitude clear. Teng Yuzao also smiled happily, but still sighed.

"Brother Zhiquan, the people of Lianfu and Juren don't want me to be Cao Aman, they would rather I be Wang Mang and Zhao Kuangyin."

"I agree with what they mean."

Teng Yuzao shook his head helplessly and said, "Brother Zhiquan, since you have already met Zhao Bingjun, you must have known that Yuan Xiangcheng and Liangbi have led their troops to Guangdong and Guangxi and Huguang, and that the Queen Mother has also left Beijing with them, right?"

Without waiting for Duan Qirui to answer, Teng Yuzhao spoke again lightly.

"Moreover, as far as I know, almost all the important officials of the court have been forced to leave the capital this time, and these people left in plain clothes mixed with the Shuntian Army. Currently, only Tieliang is in charge of the capital."

Duan Qirui was not surprised that Teng Yuzhao knew that Zhao Bingjun had met him, but Teng Yuzhao's subsequent words made Duan Qirui at a loss for a moment.

Teng Yuzao continued, "To be honest with Brother Zhiquan, the news I received is that they will be stationed in Jingmen permanently. Once the new troops in the nearby provinces are reorganized, they will then officially issue an order to appoint Yixin as the first prime minister."

Teng Yuzhao's words shocked Duan Qirui, and he spoke hurriedly.

"Since Xingfu already knew about it, did he send troops to intercept it?"

Teng Yuzao smiled bitterly and said, "If I send troops to intercept them, I will really become Cao Cao!"

"And if that happens, the country will be in chaos."

"Great things can be accomplished without being fussy about small details. Why should Xingfu be so pedantic?"

Duan Qirui slammed the table and said hatefully.

Teng Yuzhao let out a long breath without saying anything, but Wei Jinghai said with a wry smile.

"General Manager Duan doesn't know that Japan and Russia are currently fighting outside the Great Wall. Once the Japanese win and gain a foothold outside the Great Wall, the Marshal is worried that if we start a chaos ourselves, we may not be able to recover the land outside the Great Wall in a short period of time!"

As he spoke, Wei Jinghai couldn't help but sigh.

Wei Jinghai's words made Duan Qirui stand up for a moment and said to Wei Jinghai.

"Didn't the Russians and the Restoration Army defeat the Japanese at Gongchangling? How could they still win?"

Xu Shichang, with a melancholy face, interrupted, "Brother Zhiquan, it is true that the Japanese were defeated at Gongchangling, but it was not the Russians who defeated the Japanese, nor was it the Restoration Army, but the genuine Zhili Army that defeated the Japanese at Gongchangling."

Xu Shichang's words surprised and delighted Duan Qirui. He grabbed Teng Yuzhao's hand and spoke excitedly.

"Xingfu, you finally took action. That's good. With your help, we won't lose the land outside the Great Wall!"

Teng Yuzao smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Brother Zhiquan, you don't know that the Russians had no choice but to join forces with us. They just wanted to take a breath."

"Now they are still increasing their troops. Although their troops in Europe cannot be moved due to the Germans, they have recruited a lot of new soldiers. Now they are sending 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers to the border areas every day. The total number of troops is close to 350,000. They will not give up the border areas easily."

"The Japanese are determined to win, and they have tried their best to increase their troops. Now, several Japanese divisions outside the Great Wall are not only fully staffed, but have also reached the level of their so-called Type A divisions, with each division having more than 24,000 troops."

"Now, the Japanese troops outside the Great Wall have exceeded 250,000."

"Right now, I am fully preparing for war. Once they are exhausted, I can drive them all out of the Great Wall in one fell swoop, and even beat the Japanese so hard that they can no longer fight. It is not impossible for us to take back Taiwan."

"But if a war breaks out in the country, the Zhi army will be stretched to its limits."

Teng Yuzao sighed helplessly and said, "Then I will probably regret it for the rest of my life!"

At Teng Yuzao's signal, Wei Jinghai called a staff officer to fetch a map, spread it on a low table, and began to introduce the war outside the Great Wall to Duan Qirui in detail.
When the airship landed in Zhangbei, it was already past ten o'clock in the evening.

The airship landed in a large, clean, flat area that was obviously in the Gobi Desert, where a group of soldiers were already waiting for them.

What surprised Duan Qirui was that the soldier who came to greet them, led by a lieutenant colonel, was pulled in front of him by Teng Yuzhao.

"Brother Zhiquan, this is my second brother Teng Yubin, currently serving as the captain of the Zhili Army Aviation Squadron."

Following Teng Yuzao's introduction, Teng Yubin saluted Duan Qirui with a standard military salute.

Duan Qirui was not surprised that Teng Yuzhao's younger brother served in the Zhi army. As long as his relatives had talents, the provincial governor would definitely promote them.

Then, they got on a Hummer and arrived at a brightly lit three-story building a few hundred meters away.

In a large and luxuriously decorated restaurant in the building, they met a dozen people who greeted them.

However, these people surprised almost everyone except Teng Yuzao and Wei Jinghai.

Because among these people, there are not only Chinese people, but also a few blond-haired and blue-eyed foreigners.

Teng Yuzao paid attention to greeting these people warmly, and then Teng Yuzao spoke to Duan Qirui, Yang Shixiang, Xu Shichang, Ye Zugui, Tang Shaoyi and others with great interest.

"I wonder if you have heard about the plane?"

They knew about airships, but no one knew much about airplanes.

Teng Yuzhao did not wait for everyone's answer, but pointed at the Chinese and foreigners and spoke.

"Let me introduce you, this is Mr. Whitehead, a German-American."

“This is Alberto Santos Dumont, a Brazilian.”

"This is Feng Ru, also known by his courtesy name Dingsan, from Enping, Guangdong."

"Li Ruyan, from Dinghai, Zhejiang, courtesy name Yizhi."

Then Teng Yuzao introduced the remaining foreigners and Chinese people to everyone, but I was confused by all of them and had no idea what Teng Yuzao was going to do in the end.

Teng Yuzao was not as unhappy as No. 4. On the contrary, he was even more excited. In Duan Qirui's opinion, Teng Yuzao could even be said to be excited to some extent.

Teng Yuzao continued, "Do you know what an airplane is?"

What is an airplane? Naturally, no one knew, but they knew about airships. However, what Teng Yuzao was talking about was obviously not an airship.
(End of this chapter)