Hoover, as a 'China expert', obviously understood many things that Americans did not understand, but even if he had served as a coal mine engineer in China before the Boxer Rebellion, he returned to New York before the founding of New China.

Unlike Mr. Taylor, a management scientist who almost died of pneumonia in 1915 and was dying, Harvard psychologist Dr. Mayo often talked to him about Chinese, and "what are Chinese and what are the characteristics of Chinese" has always been the focus of their discussion.

"Doctor, China is a very large country with a large population, and although they speak the same script and a particular language, the slang is completely different from place to place, especially in the south, where it is said that the people of one county and another are completely incapable of conversing, except for those well-educated gentry." After visiting Japan, the next destination of the cruise ship is Tianjin, which is not a very long journey, "In such a big country, it is difficult to answer what kind of people are Chinese, but I can describe some characteristics of Chinese."

For example, most Chinese farmers are poor, although they are very industrious. They revered their ancestors and sacrificed pigs and cows that they could not normally eat, hoping that their ancestors would bless them; They were very submissive to officials and the local gentry, who, like parish priests in the American South, could dictate their status and ideas. But this obedience is only one side of the story, and when the volcano erupts, they become extremely cruel - cruel to those who usually oppress them. It's also cruel to those who don't oppress themselves in normal times......"

"It's like a fist fight?" Dr. Mayo could see the fear in Hoover's gaze and couldn't help but ask.

"Of course!" Faced with just a psychologist. But he was not a political opponent, not even a politician. Hoover was comfortable telling his true feelings. "The barbarism of the Chinese only breaks out when he resists, especially when there are many people. Before, they were so submissive that they could silently endure anything - they never fought for their legitimate rights. The gentry, the officials, and others will bully them, and I think the result of this bullying will be like a volcano accumulating magma, and when the volcanic magma accumulates to a certain extent, it will explode at an unexpected time and destroy everything, yes. I'm sure it can destroy everything. ”

Hoover affirmed, "Only bullets and machine guns can calm them down at this time." The former governor of Zhili, Lord Yuan, did a very good job at this point, and his army was never soft on the boxers, as long as they were caught, they would all be killed, so in the boxing chaos, Shandong was the safest place, and the expatriates of various countries were well protected.

From this, we can be sure that only guns can be used to speak to the Chinese. They don't have to use force when they are obedient, but when a volcano erupts, with enough guns and determination, it is possible to make them obey again. Arguably. These pagans are completely different from God's chosen people, and most of the American population has their own lawyers if their rights are threatened. They will defend their rights, and if the government sends the army to suppress it. Then they will take up arms and resist, just as they did against the British rulers. ”

Hoover was not so much introducing the Chinese. Rather, it was reminiscing about his experience during the fist fight, and Dr. Mayo, who was a little disappointed about it, waited until he finished his coffee before saying, "Mr. Minister, what do you think of Chinese goods?" They are cheap, sturdy, have a lot of tricks, and all those who have used them are very satisfied. In the case of cars, for example, orders for cars in China have always been tight, and it is said that orders have been scheduled until the year after next, and they are hardly affected by the economic crisis, if we do not raise tariffs. ”

"This is actually the strange thing about the Chinese, doctors, who are pagans who are beloved by God outside of God's chosen people. The real Chinese goods, I mean the Chinese goods used by decent gentlemen and the superior people, are so beautiful that you can't believe that such beautiful things come from their extremely rough hands unless you see them with your own eyes. This will make you sympathize with them from the bottom of your heart, hoping that they will live a civilized life like civilized people, and every missionary who goes to China has the mercy of the Lord and wants to save them, to lead them into the arms of the Lord, and thus to be freed from the oppression of the gentry and officials, but obviously it is in vain, the misunderstanding between the two sides is too deep, and evil Europe has messed everything up......"

"Mr. Minister, do you think that there is nothing special about Chinese goods, because they are good at making fine goods, and the reason why they are cheap is simply because they are paid one-thirtieth of that of American workers?" Dr. Mayo had to interrupt Hoover's lyricism, as he roughly guessed that Hoover's answer was very similar to Mr. Ford's.

But obviously he was wrong, and Hoover shook his head and said, "Doctor, you can't judge the Chinese so simply." They are very complex, and in my experience in the Kaiping coal mines, there is a very rare solidarity and cooperation among the Chinese miners, they seem to be natural unions, and all the workers are subordinate to one or two leaders. If it offends their interests, I mean it is deeply offended, such as deducting everyone's wages, and they become very united. This strength comes from the friendship of hometown and the ...... of the Chinese family"

"The Chinese family?" Dr. Mayo's interest was raised again, and he pronounced the word 'Chinese.kin', "May I ask you, Mr. Secretary, what is the difference between the Chinese family and the American family?" ”

"What......'s the difference," Hoover said with a smile as he thought of the Chinese families with deep ancestral halls, "It can be said that it is a barbaric relic, like the African colonial tribes, but the African tribes will resist the invasion of the colonists, and the only role of the Chinese family is to resist the priests who lead the suffering people to the arms of the Lord." In addition, if they can, they will oppose local governments, and local officials sometimes find it difficult to order them, especially when the empire is weak, and the tax collectors cannot receive enough taxes from them, so they can only collect double taxes from those who do not belong to the family, and then the empire will fall.

It is said that this is how the last empire collapsed - the Qing Dynasty was a foreign ruler. And because the Ming Dynasty could not collect enough taxes, the army eventually became a rebel army......"

"It's completely unimaginable!" Dr. Mayo shook his head vigorously. I don't understand this. "These families should rebel against alien rulers, why don't they?"

"Why?" Hoover laughed. "Because they have no power, or because their power is rigidly limited - the emperor fears that these families will become so powerful that they will eventually affect their position, so they are not allowed to hold weapons, they are not allowed to interfere in local affairs, they are just big farmers in the American West, no, no, they are not even as good as farmers, and the horses have revolvers. The farmer may have a submachine gun or a machine gun.

This is the Asiatic tyranny, the Doctor, in which the ruler has to do everything to contain the power of the people, to make them weak and submissive, otherwise his rule and that of his descendants will not be sustainable. There used to be a famous emperor in China who said: The people are water, and he is the ship, the best result is that the boat floats on the water, and the worst result is the boat sinking to the bottom ......, so. For thousands of years, rulers have done everything they can to keep the waters calm and immobile, lest they overthrow their ships......"

Under the introduction of Hoover, a pseudo-China expert, Dr. Mayo and his colleagues became very disappointed, and they even regretted crossing the ocean to China. Because it's doomed to nothing. Then Mr. Taylor, a management scientist, did not see it that way, and he once communicated with the Chinese premier who visited Washington, D.C., and believed that behind the Chinese goods was by no means so simple.

Mr. Taylor's words gave Mayo and the others some hope. But then that hope seemed to be extinguished by Hoover – when the cruise ship was chartered into the Haihe River in Tianjin, Hoover pointed to the cloth signs of the shops on both sides of the Haihe River and said, "Doctor." Every sign reads: 'I don't even deceive the elderly and children; Once I find out that there is a fake, I will compensate the guest for ten times the loss', but these are lies. A country that writes lies on signboards......"

What Hoover is talking about is just the usual reproach of all foreigners in this era who came to China and boasted that they had absolutely obeyed Chinese their faith and contracts. What he said was actually the one that was written on the signboard of each shop, 'Tong Su is not bullied, and one fake will be punished by ten' -- Dr. Koo Hongming, who is said to have always regarded Chinese culture as superior and speaks to all foreigners in a speechless manner, is also silent about this. Since then, these eight characters have become the best example of how Chinese never abide by contracts, and whenever a new expatriate comes ashore, the old birds will point to these signs and solemnly warn the newcomer - please note that Chinese never keep their word!

In the sound of the salute, the new prime minister, Song Jiaoren, who came to greet him, did not know Hoover's secret accusations, and even if he did, he would laugh it off. At this time, because of the Eurasian Canal created by Yang Zengxin, China is being dissatisfied and suspicious by European and American countries, and the visit of the US delegation to China will be an excellent opportunity to eliminate misunderstandings.

In the music of the Stars and Stripes, Song Jiaoren smiled and saw the vice president of the United States, Charles. Curtis walked up to him, and he did something that shocked all Chinese, and shocked all foreigners—he extended his right hand and shook hands with Vice President Curtis.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, China has completely followed the old etiquette, no matter who receives foreign guests, no matter who comes to foreign guests, they are always making a gesture and never shaking hands, and this is also stipulated in the civil service handbook, but at this time, Song Jiaoren shook hands with the members of the US delegation in front of the public for the first time, and was immediately amazed. Under the spotlight, Song Jiaoren, who was holding Vice President Curtis's hand tightly, smiled and left enough time for the reporters to take pictures, and when the pictures were finished, he shook hands with Commerce Secretary Hoover and others one by one. After that, he gave a short welcome speech:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased that Mr. Curtis, Mr. Hoover, and other gentlemen of the delegation have visited China, and I am confident that this visit will enhance the understanding between the two governments and deepen the friendship between the two peoples......"

After a brief welcome speech, Vice President Curtis expressed his gratitude, and then everyone took a short break before taking a car to Beijing. The roads in Beijing and Tianjin are extremely wide and flat, and more than 120 kilometers are less than two hours away by car, while it takes four hours by train. Important members of the delegation travelled in yellow flag foreign passenger buses, while others travelled in large buses.

"This car Ford can also be manufactured, it must be cheaper than the Chinese!" Henry sitting on the bus. Ford groped inside the cabin and muttered disdainfully when Heskel, the head of the GM delegation, was amazed when the bus started.

"Nope. Mr. Ford. It is impossible for Ford to produce diesel engines......" In the GM delegation, Caitlin, the head of the technical department of General Motors, spoke out against it. Although I don't know what methods the Chinese used to reduce the noise of diesel engines. From the vibration of the body and the roar of the engine, he still found that the car was powered by a diesel engine.

Caitlin's words about the diesel engine immediately shut up the old stubborn Ford. It is well known that the Chinese have a monopoly on the world's automotive diesel engine market. And then in large and medium-sized trucks, construction machinery and other high-horsepower vehicles have an absolute advantage -- there must be a mine before the road to the mountain, and there must be a mine in front of the mine, which is the best portrayal of Chinese cars.

"It's really a diesel engine......," Heskel, the head of the delegation, said in surprise after listening carefully, "but why is the sound so quiet?" ”

"Sir, they've got the diesel engine in the back of the car," Technologist Caitlyn thought about the layout of the bus, "If the shifter is also at the rear, then the driveshaft under the car should be eliminated......" Caitlin stared at the carpeted cabin floor, tempting to flip it open. Looking at the internal structure, "In addition, the steering wheel should use afterburner, otherwise the driver would not be able to maneuver the direction so flexibly." ”

All cars are engines, transmission devices in front, relying on the bottom of the drive shaft to drive the rear wheels forward, do not want the Chinese but the engine and variable device rear, think this should be the most effective way to reduce the noise of diesel engines. Caitlin so speculated about the intentions of this Chinese, while constantly observing the state of the car in motion, to judge the performance of the whole car, and then alas. The Beijing-Tianjin Highway was built in the style of the later highways, and he didn't get any useful information along the way, except for the toll booths at both ends of the highway.

Caitlin gets nothing, but Hoover in the Yellow Flag welcome car is intrigued by the highway toll model. He said to the Chinese official in the car: "What a brilliant idea!" How much does it cost to pass each pass? ”

"How much?!" Hu Ying, a merchant waiter who was in the same car with Hoover, was a little embarrassed, and in his opinion, the so-called compensation for the landlord's land price. In fact, it is the egregious behavior of some people who take the lead in privately dividing state property. Previously, there was no toll for the Jinjing Kilometer. But as soon as the privatization was completed, the Zhili gentry, who held the shares of the Beijing-Tianjin Highway, quickly obtained a set of ready-made operating specifications from the Ministry of Transportation. Then put on the crossbar and start sitting on the ground to collect money. "Mr. Hoover, this is just a form of compensation for some of the landowners who have lost their arable land. When they finish collecting their money, the road will no longer be tolled. ”

"Yes, it's a matter of defending justice." Seeing that Hu Ying's answer was off-topic, Hoover had to say something according to his meaning, although he didn't know Hu Ying's attitude towards this matter at all. "But I'm curious about this toll model, and I'm curious to know how much money will be charged each time so that the investment cost of the road can come back. Can you tell me? ”

Seeing that foreigners were indeed curious about the highway toll model, Hu Ying asked and said: "A car like ours costs two cents per kilometer, and one hundred and twenty kilometers is two dollars and four." It is said that if you can pass a hundred cars a day, you will be able to recover all the costs after fifty years, including interest. ”

"Oh......, fifty years? Oh, God! Hoover thought it was a good way to pull a sluggish economy into a recession, but the payback period of 50 years was too long, but he instead thought that the United States had many more cars than China, and that maybe the United States would pay for itself in 30 or 20 years.

The members of the US delegation had different thoughts, but the Chinese side was very sensational because of Soong Jiaoren's handshake with the delegation at the Haihe River wharf. As soon as the photo of Song Jiaoren and Curtis shaking hands came out the next day, the gentry shook their heads, shouting that the difference between Yixia and Xia should be guarded against, and the fiercer ones pointed to the newspaper photos and scolded, saying that this Song Jiaoren must be a Westernized element like Cai Xiaomin, thinking of changing Xia Yunyun with Yiyi.

When the news reached Yang Rui's ears a few days later, he just laughed at it. The decision to push the Kuomintang up at the beginning was not only to repay their support for the privatization policy of the Renaissance Society, but also because Yang Rui felt that the Renaissance Society was used to being strong with himself, and it was better for Song Jiaoren's Kuomintang to come forward after the economic crisis and the subsequent renewal of the Washington Naval Treaty. Because he is considered to be China's soft side and pro-Western side, if the Americans do not give him face, then the Chinese premier is not the president of the United States, and the Inspectorate can let him step down at any time, and then change Du Yaquan, but at that time it is to prepare for war.

Song Jiaoren and the American delegation saluted Western, which was the proper meaning, and as for those gentry who were uneasy or scolded about it, Yang Rui was happy to see it. It's like more than twenty years ago, whether the revolutionary party just looks at the braids; And the current situation is: loyalty or disloyalty is greater than that of China. Just look at the way you dress - those who wear suits and salute are all swingers, and vice versa.

wars and political struggles. No matter how ridiculous your claims may be, being clear and distinguishing between friend and foe is the first priority to maintain the survival of your group (you must be as different as possible from others). so that the members' positions do not waver; At the same time, you must be as much as possible with your own people, so that the members of the organization can be united). People all over the country wear Western-style clothes, and whoever can tell who is who. However, during the anti-Qing Revolution, the people of later generations generally wore military civilian clothes, but it was the best means to distinguish between the enemy and the enemy and draw the line, and only by distinguishing the enemy and the enemy and demarcating the line, can the eyes of the people be truly bright. This is actually the same as brand positioning, there is no market without positioning.

When Yang Rui sneered at Song Jiaoren's handshake. Delegation of Henry. Ford, General Motors' Heskeil and others arrived at Dalian Motors with the warm accompaniment of the official. Looking at the empty and clean streets, Americans are all looking at each other, what is the situation? Detroit is now full of workers who can't find jobs, and even after the start time, they are stranded outside the factory.

"Mr. Factory Director, has the factory been shut down?" Ford coughed and asked first.

"Of course not! Mr. Ford. Wei Ru, the general manager of the factory, didn't understand why, he didn't understand why the Americans would ask such a question.

"But why can't you see the workers?" Henry. Ford heard that the plant was still open. Even more bizarre. "Were the workers who were not chosen by the foreman driven away in the morning?"

Wei then understood why the Americans were like this, and he laughed: "Mr. Ford, we, or almost all Chinese factories, do not have a temporary labor system, and managers don't need to pick the workers they need at the gate every morning. The Prime Minister has taught that workers are the most important asset of a company. They are not toilet paper that can be thrown away when they are used up. ”

"Oh......" Wei Ru is a native of Zhuji, Zhejiang, with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Tongji University and a master's degree in business administration from the School of Economics and Management. His answer made Americans murmur, and at this time throughout the United States. Except for managers, workers are paid daily. Go to the factory gate in the morning and wait for the selection, and get paid before leaving work in the afternoon. Chinese auto factories don't do this, which shows that Chinese workers are already cheap, regardless of the cost.

The Americans were expecting to see countless workers in the workshop surrounding a car, but as soon as they got out of the car, they were stunned by the entire factory - a steel-framed factory building larger than Ford and General Motors towered over a park, and if it weren't for the uniformed workers in the distance and some finished cars being transported, they would have thought they were in the wrong place. In addition to greenery, the untouched environment also puzzles Americans, is this really a car factory?

Wei Ru knew the surprise of the Americans, because every foreigner who came to visit the automobile factory had such a reaction, but he did not say anything, he pointed to the workshop not far away and said: "Gentlemen, there is an assembly workshop, let's start from there." ”

"Of course." Henry, who takes pride in assembling a Model T every ten seconds. Ford walked briskly to the assembly shop, holding a stopwatch in his hand — he wanted to see how many hours it would take Chinese to assemble a car. However, when he stepped into the extremely clean and tidy workshop, he suddenly forgot about the timing - not exactly like Ford's assembly line, an Audi was followed by four Volkswagen, then two Toyotas, and then there was still a long queue of cars in between......

“Impossible！ Impossible！ Impossible...... "Henry. Ford suddenly took a few steps towards the assembly line, looking at the car on the assembly line in a daze, the pocket watch in his hand had already been put down by him, and the civilization stick was waved fiercely by him. After repeating "impossible" loudly with a blushing face, he turned and pointed to the assembly line behind him, like a helpless child looking at his entourage, and then turned to General Motors' Heskeel - in the process of discontinuing the production of the Model T and switching to the production of the Model A, half of the more than 32,000 production equipment on the production line of the Ford factory was scrapped, the other half was completely revised, and most of the five million dollar worth of fixtures and molds were scrapped. Of course, these are not the most important, the most important thing is that Ford lost time, and the original market was eroded by General Motors.

Is it because Chinese auto factories can mix different lines to produce different cars, while Ford factories have to scrap the entire production line when they want to change models? (To be continued.) )