Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 414
Just as the battles outside the pass started one after another, the Gyeonggi area inside the pass was still peaceful and stable.

In early spring and February, the turning green winter wheat brought vitality to the slightly barren northern wilderness. Farmers can be seen everywhere in the fields. Farmers are weeding, watering and fertilizing their crops in order to ensure that the summer grain can have a healthy harvest. good harvest.

Spring plowing refuses to be busy, and after autumn, my face turns yellow from hunger.

The ancient proverbs handed down from the ancestors all reveal a deep understanding of life.

At this time, the carriage that Zhu Youjian was riding in was on its way to the Military Weapons Supervision. Wang Chengen bent over and stood in the corner of the swaying carriage, not to take a peek at the emperor who was resting with his eyes closed.

Since receiving the news that the four-wheeled carriage has been successfully trial-produced yesterday, Zhu Youjian couldn't wait to witness the true appearance of this epoch-making vehicle.

Although horse-drawn carriages were born in China a long time ago and soon became the main means of transportation, due to various reasons and constraints, two-wheeled horse-drawn carriages have always been running on this vast land.

The four-wheeled carriage was not introduced into China from the West until the end of the Qing Dynasty, but it was soon eliminated with the birth of the car before the Chinese people used it for a long time.

Compared with four-wheeled carriages, two-wheeled carriages have several obvious disadvantages and disadvantages.

First of all, the load capacity of the two-wheeled carriage is very small.

Since there are only two wheels in contact with the ground, too much weight on the carriage will increase the pressure, resulting in deeper ruts on the road surface. Once the carriage sinks into the deep rut, it will take a lot of time and effort to drag the carriage out.

Secondly, the load part of the carriage is all pressed on the livestock, which increases the burden on the livestock, making it impossible for the cattle, horses and other livestock pulling the cart to pull the cart with all their strength.

Its three, vehicle driving is extremely unstable.

Owing to can't require the height of livestock and wheel to be on the same plane, so car is tilted all the time, causes the people and goods in the compartment to put also tilted.

When cattle, horses and other livestock pulling the cart are running vigorously, their four legs swing back and forth, and their backs are always in a state of vibration up and down, so the carriage is also forced to move together, causing the goods in the carriage to be unstable.

Its [-]th, when needing to stop and have a rest in the middle of the road, must take something and put on the front and carry the shaft, so that the animals are unloaded to rest.

In normal times, it may also be to put more supports such as wooden frames on the car. These bulky and heavy things will definitely take up a lot of space, thus greatly reducing the number of people and goods loaded.

The biggest problem with two-wheeled carriages is the steering of the carriage.

This unparalleled difficulty has never been properly resolved in China's thousands of years of history.

After thinking of improving the two-wheeled carriage, Zhu Youjian tried his best to think about the knowledge he had learned in later generations, and finally remembered an article he had read in the middle of a sleepless night.

This short article mentions the most critical issue of the four-wheeled carriage and the two-wheeled carriage: the steering system.

Although the article does not give the specific object and production process, it mentions the idea of ​​solving this problem.

The front two wheels of the four-wheeled vehicle are mounted on one frame, and the rear two wheels are mounted on another frame. The rear frame is mounted on the front frame, and the middle is connected by a vertical shaft.

The so-called four-wheeled vehicle is actually a combination of two two-wheeled vehicles.

This is the well-known four-wheel steering problem.

Daming does not lack skilled craftsmen, what they lack is only a kind of thinking and creativity.

As long as someone speaks out their ideas and ideas, these ingenious craftsmen will transform your ideas into actual objects, even better than your imagination.

Just as Zhu Youjian was contemplating, the carriage stopped and the Military Weapons Supervisor arrived.

Fan Jingwen, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, who was notified in advance, and the two assistants on the left and right, Bi Maokang who was in the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, Zhang Jimeng, a disciple of Bi Maokang who had been promoted to the supervisor of military weapons, and his two nephews Bi Dengfu and Bi Denghan who were obsessed with research and development but had no intention of taking the imperial examination They all stood at the gate of the Military Weapons Supervision to welcome Zhu Youjian's arrival.

"The ministers are waiting to see the Holy Majesty!"

Fan Jingwen and others cupped their hands and bowed in salute.

But Zhang Jimeng and others knelt down.

Some time ago, Zhu Youjian had decreed that, except for important occasions such as offering sacrifices to the Great Dynasty, officials of the fourth rank and above do not need to bow down to the emperor when they see the emperor, and they will all use salute instead.

This enlightened move was well received by all senior officials.

The emperor's move was obviously out of respect, and what the literati most yearned for was the way the ministers and the emperor "stand" and discuss the Tao in the Tang and Song Dynasties.

"My lords, no courtesy! Today I came to see the four-wheeled carriage, but I don't know if the real thing is consistent with what I thought?"

Zhu Youjian, who was dressed in casual clothes, smiled and waved his hands before saying.

"Revelation to the Holy Majesty, the real thing has been built a few days ago, and several craftsmen have made some modifications before declaring the completion! As for whether it has entered the eyes of the Holy Majesty, I don't know, but this thing is better than the previous two-wheeled vehicles. There is indeed a world of difference!"

Fan Jingwen smiled and clapped his hands back.

Since the emperor sent someone to inform the Ministry of Industry of the idea of ​​the four-wheeled carriage, Fan Jingwen paid great attention to it.

As a rare technical high-ranking official in Ming Dynasty, Fan Jingwen had a deep understanding of the importance of the four-wheeled carriage. As long as the road conditions were good, the huge transportation capacity of the four-wheeled carriage would allow more goods to circulate throughout Daming.

Because Fan Jingwen knew that under the emperor's behest, a sharp tool to harden the road had already been made. If it was equipped with a four-wheeled carriage, the main road in the Ming Dynasty would become a busy and smooth road.

The cement firing process presided over by Song Yingxing has been completed and has been approved by Zhu Youjian.

However, due to the lack of kilns, the current daily output of cement is not very high. The two kilns can only produce about a few hundred catties of cement per day.

The cement that has been produced has now been stored in the warehouse and has been treated with moisture-proof treatment. After reaching a certain amount, according to Zhu Youjian's instructions, the road surface from the Tongzhou Wharf to the capital of the canal should be first hardened to speed up the north-south movement. The speed of cargo transportation reduces transportation costs.

Now several new large kilns are being built near Mentougou. When these larger kilns are built and put into use, the output of cement will have a huge increase in the future.

"Bi Qing, what kind of thing is used for the vertical shaft between the front and rear frames of the four-wheeled carriage?"

Zhu Youjian strolled towards the military inspector with his hands behind his back, Fan Jingwen and Bi Maokang followed closely behind by half a body, Wang Chengen fell behind them, and the others followed far behind.

There were school lieutenants in plain clothes carrying sharp weapons at the front, back, left, and left of the group of people watching the surroundings, and the figure of a crossbowman loomed on the high wall in the distance.

Zhu Youjian is not worried that the craftsmen will not be able to make this kind of thing that breaks like window paper. What he is most curious about is what replaces the bearings in the vertical shaft.

At present, Daming's lathes can't make iron or steel balls, so what kind of materials do the craftsmen use?

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the things your Majesty asked are indeed extremely important. Without this, even though the carriage was built, it would not be able to run. In order to stimulate the ingenuity and enthusiasm of the craftsmen, the old minister offered a reward of 500 taels of silver in the prison. Finally, a craftsman named Sun Kuan came up with a method: use an extremely hard iron wooden cart to form a ball to make it run, and it worked after trial! This can be said to solve the most difficult problem of the four-wheeled cart. Difficult!"

　Thank you book friend This account is no longer in use.Book friend Blazing Angel's tip.Recommend a new work by newcomers, "Wufu of the Prosperous Tang Dynasty", the writing and plot are good, everyone who likes Tang Dynasty can go to support it. . . . .

　　
　
(End of this chapter)