Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

"Of course!" Gawain replied with an extremely certain tone: "Let's put it this way! I don't know where your drawing of the four-wheeled carriage came from, but the person who drew it is really the reincarnation of Lu Ban and the resurrection of Mo Zhai. There are many ingenuities in this drawing. If there is no written explanation at the back, otherwise the villain may not be able to understand the secrets even if he ponders for a lifetime!" At this point, he cupped his hand and said: "Master Di, please follow me!"

"Okay!" Di Renjie put down his wine glass, followed Gawain through the side door, crossed a long and narrow courtyard, and entered a spacious stone pile with a high roof. It could be seen that this house should have been used as a barn in the past, but now it has become a In a sheet metal workshop, the sound of hammers can be heard even outside the door.As soon as he walked in the door, a wave of heat hit him, making Di Renjie feel as if he was about to step into the mouth of a fire dragon.There were four blazing forges on the bluestone floor, and the air was filled with the stench of smoke and sulfur.The blacksmiths didn't pay attention to Di Renjie's appearance at all. They only had time to wipe the sweat from their foreheads, and then continued to swing their hammers and pliers, while the shirtless apprentices worked hard to stir up the wind furnace.

"All the parts are made here!" Gawain had to shout loudly to avoid being drowned by the sound of forging: "Then they are transported to the backyard for assembly. According to the requirements of the drawing, almost the entire base must be made of fine iron. It is indeed stronger, more durable, and lighter than the wooden one, but the cost of making it is also much more expensive. Really, if I hadn’t learned a lot from the drawings, I would be reluctant to make this kind of carriage. It’s too expensive. A cart costs two to three hundred guan, which is enough to make twelve or three two-wheeled carriages!"

"It's always more expensive at the beginning, right? It'll get cheaper the more you do it later!" As Di Renjie spoke, he quickened his pace. His forehead was already covered with beads of sweat the size of soybeans. The two walked through the barn and turned around again. After turning a corner, we entered a secluded side yard. There was a bamboo shed in the yard, and various parts were placed on the ground. The prototype of a four-wheeled carriage chassis could already be vaguely seen.

"Look, this is it!" Gao Wen pointed to the four-wheeled vehicle chassis on the ground: "This is the hard work of our store for more than two months!"

Di Renjie looked at the four-wheeled vehicle and felt that there was nothing special about it, so he asked: "You spent two to three hundred dollars and you only got this? Doesn't it look like anything strange to me?"

"Please take a look, Mr. Di!" Gawain laughed twice, stepped forward and lifted an iron rod in front of the chassis of the four-wheeled vehicle, and pulled it around the yard. He saw that it could turn easily, and Gawain did not. Regardless of his strength, Di Renjie saw some clues and couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"How about it? Mr. Di?" Gawain put down the iron rod and said with a smile, "Do you want to give it a try!"

"Okay!" Di Renjie took the iron rod and pulled the chassis of the car around in a circle. As expected, the car had to waste some energy at the beginning, but it became very energy-saving when it moved later, and there was no need to waste any energy when turning. He looked down. He looked at the axle below for a while: "This axle of yours is so strange, it is actually divided into two parts!"

"Xianggong Di has a good eye!" Gao Wen said with a smile: "The greatest advantage of this vehicle is the axle. Compared with ordinary ox-carts and horse-drawn carriages, this vehicle can have both its advantages and disadvantages!"

It turns out that animal-drawn vehicles in ancient China also had two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles, but they were mainly two-wheeled vehicles, especially passenger vehicles carrying people, which were almost all two-wheeled vehicles.The reason is very simple. The axles of the front and rear wheels of ancient Chinese four-wheeled animal-drawn vehicles were fixed on the frame. To successfully turn a four-wheeled vehicle, the front two wheels should turn first, and then the rear two wheels. Rear steering is an action that is not possible with a four-wheel vehicle that is fixed to the frame.If four-wheeled vehicles in ancient China wanted to turn, they could only be pulled by livestock and twisted the wheels, which was extremely inconvenient.The steering of two-wheeled vehicles is much simpler. Only the front pull steering is required, and the vehicle will turn naturally. Therefore, most of the animal-drawn vehicles in ancient China were two-wheeled vehicles, and only a few four-wheeled vehicles were used.

Although two-wheeled vehicles are easy to turn, since only two wheels touch the ground, part of the weight of the vehicle itself and the people and goods carried must be borne by the pack animals. Unlike the four-wheeled animal-drawn vehicles, which can be completely borne by the vehicle itself, the pack animals only It only needs to bear parallel pulling force, so the carrying capacity of a two-wheeled vehicle is much lower than that of a four-wheeled carriage.The West learned from the Celts to connect the front two wheel axles of a four-wheeled carriage to the chassis of the vehicle through a hinge device, so that the front wheel axle can rotate at a large angle around this hinge. The four-wheel vehicle can turn easily. This structure is quite similar to the four-wheel trailer device of today's automobile chassis.

As a result, four-wheeled carriages with steering devices have been the main force of land logistics for Western armies for a long time. Even until World War II, except for a very few armored divisions and mechanized infantry divisions, most of the German army was on the Eastern Front battlefield. Most of the transportation supplies from railway nodes to the army are carried by horse-drawn carriages rather than cars. In the "Barbarossa" plan, Germany mobilized a total of 50-60 mechanical vehicles (a considerable part of which were motorcycles) , and there are 162.5 million mules and horses, known as the "Holy Mule and Horse Empire".

Of course, the special feature of the four-wheeled carriage sketch provided by Wang Wenzuo is not only the steering device, but also shock absorption, suspension, braking and other devices. However, Gao Wen has not fully understood what is going on with these more complex devices. , not to mention falling from the drawing to the vehicle.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" After listening to Gao Wen's explanation, Di Renjie's eyes couldn't help but shine. As an official of the water transportation agency, he certainly understood the significance of the emergence of this new four-wheeled carriage.Although this kind of carriage is expensive to build, its adaptability to roads is not as good as that of two-wheeled carriages, and the transportation cost is far more expensive than water transportation, its advantages are also obvious-four-wheeled carriages can integrate the already built Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal transportation system The radiation range has been greatly expanded, covering a wider land and a larger population. The significance of this matter is much more far-reaching than just a new tool.

"General Wang is really thoughtful!"

"General Wang?" Gawain asked in confusion.

"Yes, this blueprint was given to me by General Wang!" Di Renjie said with a smile: "Not only this four-wheeled carriage, but also the waterwheel was also made by General Wang!"

"He also made the water steamer?" Gawain was surprised: "But since he is a general, shouldn't he be good at leading troops in war? How come he still does these jobs?"

"So he is a genius!" Di Renjie said with a smile: "I didn't understand why he built a waterwheel first and then a carriage. It turns out that these are all for water transportation. With this four-wheeled carriage, everyone can The east, west, north, and south of the Tang Dynasty will be connected into one, and our transfer envoys will become the most important part of the Tang Dynasty!" At this point, he burst out laughing.

Gawain looked at the satisfied Di Renjie. It was difficult for him to understand why he was suddenly so happy, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared in his heart.

Having achieved the purpose of his trip, Di Renjie left directly without waiting for Gao Wuniang.However, he did not leave Luoyang just like that. Instead, he went to the mansion of his old boss to visit the old man who always gave him valuable advice.

"Huaiying, you're here at the right time. Come, come, come, sit down, sit down, and have two more drinks with me!"

Wang Fuyin was very happy to see Di Renjie's arrival. He asked Di Renjie to sit down and asked the maid to bring bowls, chopsticks and cups: "What's the matter, why do you have time to come to me today? I've heard a lot about your transfer envoys." News, you made the right move back then!"

"It's all your advice!" Di Renjie raised his glass, bowed to Wang Fuyin, and drank it in one gulp. He looked at his old boss with admiration: "If it weren't for you, how could I be where I am today? !”

"Hey! You can't say that!" Wang Fuyin stroked his beard: "No matter how clear I say it is, you are the one who finally decides to take the risk! If it were another person, even if I broke my lips, he might not dare Take this bet!" "My lord, you are too modest!" Di Renjie laughed and said, "Now I understand what you meant when you said that General Wang's plan to organize the canal transportation was a clever move. He really has far-reaching plans in doing things. If you inadvertently lay out a chess move, people all over the world will know its beauty after a few years, but by that time, you can only be in awe!"

"Oh? Why do you say that?" Wang Fuyin asked in confusion.

Di Renjie recounted the wonderful features of the new four-wheeled carriage that he had just seen in the Gao family's workshop, and finally said: "My lord, you also know that the previous Emperor Yangdi spent all the people's energy to build canals to connect the world, which made the world angry and people resentful. In the end, the country was destroyed and the family was destroyed, but it was a great contribution to this dynasty. Therefore, this dynasty established its capital in Chang'an, which was surrounded by mountains and rivers, and connected to the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers. Therefore, its martial arts was far more prosperous than the previous dynasty. And the mainstay Due to the danger, only 20 kilograms of grain could be brought into Guanzhong every year. The general built water ships and organized the water transportation, which greatly increased the money and grain entering Guanzhong. As a result, it would take three years at most and ten years at least, and Tubo would be conquered. , can push our Tang Dynasty to its peak. And the four-wheeled carriage he built makes it possible to travel back and forth in one day even if it is two or three hundred miles away from the river. Thousands of stones of food can only be spent on a hundred stones on the way. In this way , I, the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, can march straight into places that cannot be reached by waterways, as a long-term solution!"

After hearing Di Renjie's enthusiastic words, Wang Fuyin didn't say anything. He just took a sip of the wine in the glass and was speechless for a while. When Di Renjie saw this, he thought he had said something wrong and asked carefully: "Prince , did I say something wrong?"

"No, you are right!" Wang Fuyin shook his head: "Under the command of General Wang, your knowledge has improved a lot, and you are much better than when you were here!"

"Then who are you—?" Di Renjie asked in confusion.

"I'm just a little scared!"

"Afraid? What are you afraid of? Aren't these good things?" Di Renjie asked.

"It is a good thing, but it was also a good thing that Emperor Yangdi built the canal before. But what happened later?" Wang Fuyin sighed: "Everything in this world has a limit. Even if it is a good thing, if it goes too far, I am afraid it will turn into a bad thing!"

"This -" Di Renjie was confused by Wang Fuyin's words: "My lord, I don't understand what you are saying. It was a good thing for Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty to build the canal, but it was not a good thing if he abused the people's power and made the people miserable. Wang The general is much more cautious when doing things, so he just ordered a few four-wheeled carriages to be built, what else could happen?"

"The wind rises from the green grass and the waves turn into tiny waves. Everything in the world starts from a little bit. By the time you find that it has grown bigger, it is already out of control!" Wang Fuyin sighed: "That's it. As you said, your transshipment envoys may only be transporting grain to meet the needs of the court and the military at first, but that may not be the case later, especially after he built this four-wheeled carriage, the villages that were originally far away from the river bank may not be able to transport grain. You will be involved in it, and within 20 years, the world will inevitably change drastically!"

"The big changes are true, but they are for the better, not for the worse!" Di Renjie replied firmly.

"Huaiying, you don't understand. For some people, as long as they change, they are bad. What they want is to stay the same for eternity and never change!" Wang Fuyin sighed: "That's all, that's all, after 20 years anyway I have long been a handful of dry bones in the cave, what does it have to do with me, good or bad?" At this point, he raised his glass and drank heavily. No matter what Di Renjie said, he ignored it, just like a An ordinary gourmand.

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Chang'an, Yongping Square.

Bang bang bang!
"Open the door, open the door!"

Lu Zhaolin frowned, raised his head from the page, and complained angrily: "This guy Twelve Lang is drunk again, disturbing others to review their homework. He doesn't want to make progress, but he delays other people's future. It's really hateful!"

Bang bang bang!
"Open the door quickly, Lu Zhaolin, open the door quickly, or I'll kick you!"

The shouting outside the door became louder and louder. Lu Zhaolin had no choice but to stand up and said loudly: "Stop shouting, Twelve Lang, I'm here to open the door!"

Lu Zhaolin stood up helplessly, walked to the door and opened the bolt, while complaining: "You drink and hang out all day long. If I had known this, I would have let you stay in Fanyang and not come to Chang'an!"

As soon as the door opened, a drunken man rushed in. Lu Zhaolin hurriedly got out of the way. The man was about to fall to the ground, but with a strong effort on his waist, he turned over in the air, landed in the yard, and said with a smile: "You If you ask me to stay in Fan Yang, I will stay in Fan Yang? Chang'an doesn't belong to your family, why don't you let me come!"

"I came to Chang'an to take the exam and seek a future. You don't want to be an official, so why come?" Lu Zhaolin said.

"You can't come to Chang'an if you don't become an official?" Lu Guangping said with a smile: "Besides, do you ask for this future? According to me, you are not destined to be an official of the Li family. No matter how hard you work, it will be useless. Why not learn from it?" I, at least be happy!" (End of this chapter)