Chapter 450: Bicycle

Chapter 444 Bicycle

"If the Pacific Railway is completed, do you think that Texas can use this railway in the current tense situation between the North and the South?" Liang Yao said slowly.

"Once the two sides have a falling out, I think not only the railway, but also the major ports in the South will be blocked by the North's navy. By then, even if Texas has more cotton, tobacco, and sugarcane, they will only rot in the warehouse."

The falling out between the North and the South mentioned by Liang Yao is the outbreak of a civil war between the North and the South.

The Civil War between the North and the South is not a taboo topic in America.

On the contrary, at this time, both the upper classes in the North and the South like to put the civil war on the table. There is a certain threat to each other.

The North believes that they occupy the moral high ground of abolition, and their economic size and industrial level crush the South, so they can easily defeat the slave states in the South.

The South believes that the generals and soldiers in the South have been on the battlefield for a long time, are well-trained, and the people are full of martial virtues. Once the war breaks out, they can beat the Yankees to a loss.

Moreover, the South is the raw material warehouse for the British and French countries on the European continent. Take cotton for example. Both the British and French textile industries cannot do without the cheap and high-quality cotton in the South.

Once the war breaks out, the South will not be fighting alone. They can get the support of European countries. This is the view of most southerners.

In short, both the North and the South are full of confidence that they can defeat each other.

No one expected that they would face the war with the heaviest casualties and losses since the founding of the United States.

Even the two world wars that followed did not bring the United States as much damage as this civil war.

Liang Yao's words made Bell fall into deep thought. Not to mention the outbreak of civil war between the North and the South, even now, the free states in the North may not be willing to let them use the northern railways.

As for Liang Yao's words that the Northern Navy blocked the ports of the Southern States, Bell's heart trembled.

Comparing the current strength of the army in the South and the North, leaving aside the anomaly of Liang Yao's Western Brigade, the quality of the army in the South is indeed stronger than that in the North.

After all, the main force of the United States in the Mexican-American War that just ended was the army of the South.

The soldiers and officers of the Southern Army had higher practical experience and combat literacy than the Northern Army.

But in terms of the navy, the always arrogant Bell had to admit that the navy of the South was indeed not as good as the North.

And the gap was much greater than the gap between the armies of the North and the South.

After the war, as long as there was no intervention from foreign forces in Europe, the loss of sea control by the South was almost a foregone conclusion.

And the economy of the South was extremely dependent on the import of raw materials.

Bell didn't dare to think about it any further.

"But California is also in the North." Bell said suddenly.

"No, California is in the West." Liang Yao said very straightforwardly and decisively.

"California only wants to develop and earn dollars, and doesn't want to intervene in the war between the North and the South. If there is a railway between California and Texas, Texas and the South will have one more choice."

Bell's eyes were fixed on the map. Although Liang Yao couldn't control his crotch, his thinking was still very clear.

If there is a railway between California and Texas, then even if the South encounters the worst situation, that is, the coastal ports are blocked by the North, they can still maintain trade with California, and even use California as a trade transit station.

Liang Yao's words also made his position clear to Bell: at least California will not be an enemy of the South.

This is good news for Bell.

After the news of the successful expedition of the Western Brigade to Borneo was sent back to America, the voices in the country that questioned the Western Brigade and Liang Yao's ability have gradually disappeared.

Even the self-esteem of the Southern generals affirmed Liang Yao's military talent.

It is indeed a blessing for the South to have one less powerful enemy.

"This railway is indeed very tempting, but." Bell still looked embarrassed.

"Texas can't afford so much money to build a railway. As far as I know, you and Vanderbilt have already paid 15 million US dollars for the first phase of the Pacific Railway.

Moreover, part of the railway route you planned will pass through the territory of Mexico."

Ideals are beautiful, but reality is very skinny.

Texas, with a population of less than 200,000 and almost zero modern industrial base, is obviously not as wealthy as California.

The funds needed to build a railway are huge. Especially for super-large railway projects such as the Pacific Railway and the Garde Railway.

"We also know the difficulties of Texas. As long as Texas agrees to build the Garde Railway, we are happy to lend a hand in economic issues." Liang Yao said confidently.

"Part of the road will pass through the territory of Mexico. I will find a way to solve this problem."

Liang Yao's cash flow is not very abundant now, but compared with the Pacific Railway, the Garde Railway has a shorter construction period. It only needs to be completed and opened to traffic before the civil war.

As long as you grit your teeth, this railway can still be built.

"This matter is too big. I will discuss it with my old friends in Texas on a certain day." Bell said thoughtfully.

At the end of 1855, Liang Yao's powerful fleet arrived in New York.

The news of the marriage between the two richest men in America was the biggest news of the year except for the civil unrest in Kansas, and it attracted widespread attention very early on.

Before Liang Yao got off the ship, the busy New York Harbor was already crowded with onlookers and reporters from major newspapers.

These New York citizens and reporters thought that Liang Yao would ride a tall horse and parade through the streets after getting off the ship.

However, the next scene was beyond the expectations of New York citizens.

Liang Yao rode a bicycle and paraded through the streets.

Bicycles are not new things. They have existed since the end of the 18th century.

New Yorkers are also familiar with this new thing from Europe.

However, the bicycles at that time were made of wood. The structure was also relatively simple. There was neither a drive device nor a steering device. The rider relied on his feet to push the ground hard to move forward. When changing direction, he could only get off the bike and move the bike.

Obviously, this simple bicycle is more entertaining than practical.

However, with the development of industry and the advancement of technology, bicycles have been continuously improved. In the first half of the 19th century, more practical bicycles appeared.

In 1801, Russians invented a bicycle that could be pedaled and people could drive with their feet off the ground.

In 1817, the Germans installed a steering wheel that could change direction on the bicycle, so that the bicycle could change the direction of travel.

This bicycle that can change the direction of travel is called a pony.

However, the pony was just a toy for the upper class at that time and was not popular.

In 1839, the Scotsman Macmillan made a bicycle with wooden solid rubber tires, a small front wheel, a large rear wheel, a low seat, and pedals and a crank connecting rod device.

In 1842, the English blacksmith Macmillan made improvements on the basis of the "pony".

He installed a crank on the axle of the front wheel, and then connected the crank and the front pedal with a connecting rod, and the front and rear wheels were made of iron. In this way, a person's feet really left the ground, and the alternating pedaling of the feet turned into the rolling of the wheels.

At that time, Macmillan rode this kind of car and ran nearly 20 kilometers a day, shocking the whole of England.

Although the efficiency of bicycles as a means of transportation was still very low at that time, it had already shown its practical side.

By the end of the 1860s, Stuttgart, Germany, had already seen the emergence of rear-wheel drive bicycles with hinged flywheels, brake springs and other components.

Its shape was essentially the same as later bicycles.

Liang Yao's arrival brought the appearance of modern bicycles forward to the mid-1850s.

The bicycle Liang Yao rode was called Puma.

It was developed by Walter and his research team, referring to the design drawings provided by Liang Yao, and took a year to develop.

The Puma bicycle revolutionized the use of solid rubber tires with steel spokes and iron rims. The body was connected with hollow steel pipes, and the hinges were driven by pedaling, which then drove the rear wheel.

There was a spring under the seat to reduce vibration.

The weight of the whole vehicle was much lighter than that of a bicycle made entirely of solid wood.

In terms of shape, the Puma bicycle was not much different from the modern bicycles of later generations. Unfortunately, with the current level of technology, Liang Yao could not unlock the technology of hollow pneumatic rubber tires, and could only use solid rubber tires.

Since Liang Yao came to New York to get married, he tied a red ribbon on the storage basket in front of the bicycle for decoration, and he also wore a red suit, which was rare.

However, compared with later bicycles, Puma is not coordinated and stable enough. In addition, the road surface in New York is uneven, not as smooth as the asphalt road in California. After a while, Liang Yao's buttocks were numb from the shock.

The comfort level of riding a bicycle is not as good as riding a horse.

But in the mid-19th century, there was a bicycle that could reach a speed of 15 or 16 kilometers per hour on a flat road. What else do you need a bicycle for?

Liang Yao rode a Puma bicycle and led a team of up to 100 bicycles behind him to speed through the streets of New York. For a time, he became the most handsome guy in New York.

The sensible New York citizens obediently made way for Liang Yao to ride, and they looked at the bicycle under Liang Yao's crotch curiously on both sides of the road.

The well-informed New York citizens have seen bicycles, but it is the first time that New York citizens have seen a bicycle that runs so smoothly and at such a high speed.

They are full of curiosity about this brand-new bicycle.

As Liang Yao's cycling team rode, they grabbed the silver coins and cents in the bicycle storage baskets and threw them to the crowd.

The team behind threw candies wrapped in red paper to the crowd on both sides, and even threw more in places with many children.

New York citizens scrambled for silver coins and candies, cheered Liang Yao, and sent sincere blessings.

Reporters hurriedly set up their cameras to capture this wonderful moment.

After more than three hours of bumpy ride, Liang Yao finally arrived at Vanderbilt's estate.

Liang Yao got off the car, patted his sore and numb butt, and parked the bike aside.