Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 402 396. Axle System
Along the way, the people looked at Feng Xi with sidelong glances. Some curious people recognized that he was the Grand Commander, but they just thought that the Grand Commander had come up with some strange and lewd trick.

After all, as a Jiangling native, it is not possible to not have a big heart that can quickly accept new things.

Life in Jiangling can be said to be changing with each passing day. In just two years, countless things have appeared, which have subtly changed the living habits of many people.

Merchants, furniture, food, clothing, life, entertainment... every aspect of Jiangling has changed dramatically. Although many people are not used to it, they have to admit that most of the changes have indeed directly changed their daily lives and made them live more comfortably.

"Silver screen, look, what is this!"

Feng Xi returned to his General Zhengdong's Mansion excitedly, like a big boy who had found a toy, and couldn't wait to show it off to his wife.

"What is this? It has wheels, could it be a car? Can such a small car move?"

Guan Yinping had just finished a set of sword skills and was very excited to see her husband carrying an iron frame into the backyard. Although Guan Yinping had never seen this thing before, she could roughly guess what it was from its appearance.

"Yes, this thing is a bicycle. I asked Fu Zixun to research it. Just from the perspective of traveling, it can replace today's means of transportation. Our advanced bicycles have completely surpassed the old cows and horses!"

Feng Xi was very proud when he talked about this.

"Really? How should this thing move?"

Guan Yinping was a little skeptical. It didn't look like such a slender thing could carry a person like a horse, let alone move the person.

Feng Xi sat on the seat which was wrapped in soft cloth and filled with animal hair in the middle. He pedaled twice casually and the bicycle started moving in the yard under Feng Xi's control.

"Huh? It's so magical. Please teach me. I want to try it too."

When Guan Yinping saw that this thing could actually move, she quickly grabbed Feng Xi and wanted him to teach her how to ride a bike.

Feng Xi smiled dotingly, just like when Feng Tunan's father taught him how to ride a bicycle. He held his wife's waist to help her stabilize her center of gravity, and taught his wife how to pedal and maintain her center of gravity.

The two rode for the entire afternoon until the sun set in the west. Guan Yinping then remembered that she seemed to have forgotten about Feng Zhen and Feng Yuan. Fortunately, the wet nurse took good care of them and did not let the two children go hungry.

"Husband, do you think this thing can replace war horses in the future? Although I don't understand it very well, I think this thing needs to be controlled by both hands to operate. It is definitely not as good as a war horse, which can wield weapons freely."

At the dinner table, Guan Yinping was different from other women. She first thought of the possibility of using bicycles on the battlefield. However, she thought that this thing was OK for traveling, but it was a bit funny to use it as a mount.

"Of course not. This thing is for transportation and cannot be used as a mount on the battlefield."

Feng Xi shrugged his shoulders. Even in the future famous German Tour de France and Malay Cycling Race, the infantry used bicycles to travel and fought as ordinary infantry after getting off the bicycles.

There were archers and lancers, but there were no so-called bicycle cavalry. The reason was just as Guan Yinping said, with two hands steering, how could there be extra hands to operate weapons?
"Then my lord, your invention is not..."

Guan Yinping reacted and felt that her words seemed to have hit Feng Xi a bit. It was probably very difficult for Feng Xi to come up with this thing, and it would not be good for her to say that this thing was not very useful. "What are you thinking? This is a civilian version. Even if it is for military use, it is for scouts and messengers. Unless it can be mass-produced in the future, it can be equipped to the infantry to facilitate travel.

As for fighting, there is something else.”

Feng Xi smiled mysteriously when he said this. Guan Yinping was naturally not an ordinary woman. She had participated in some battles, big and small, and was relatively familiar with the battlefield.

"Could it be that my husband has thought of other siege weapons?"

"Of course. Think about it, if we can expand this method of using wheels as a power source, then our Han army can develop various weapons that are powered by manpower, right? For example, something similar to a well trap, but with increased protection and the ability to move on its own."

Feng Xi was just giving an example casually, but he actually had a new idea in mind.

In the dark ages of the future, there were "earth tanks" that once appeared. Facing the enemy's blockade, they used wooden frames to build a frame, and then covered the surface with several layers of thick quilts. When they drove under the artillery tower, the people inside threw explosive packs at the tower.

Although this tactic only lasted for a period of time before being countered by the enemy, this idea can still be used as a reference.

In Feng Xi's opinion, if the wheel and axle principle could be used in combat, it would mean that the amount of gunpowder that could be carried on the battlefield would increase at a terrifying exponential rate.

After all, if you think about it, you know how many bottles and cans a person can carry, but it’s hard to say how much a car can carry.

In Feng Xi's idea, it would be entirely possible to make a vehicle similar to a square box, install some protection on it, and then have a few soldiers ride to the enemy's city gate, ignite the gunpowder inside and then evacuate.

In some senses, this tactic is quite similar to the "suicide truck" in a future game.

In this day and age, it is almost impossible for anyone to defend against this.

In addition, this wheel and axle system can also be used on boats, using pedals and paddle wheels to replace the current traditional oars.

Paddle wheels have always been criticized in the future Age of Exploration. One of the reasons is that paddle wheels, as a power source, are very easy to be attacked by artillery, and will lose power immediately if attacked. In addition, this thing will block the gun line of the ship when placed on the left and right sides, resulting in reduced firepower, so it is a situation that no one likes.

But Feng Xi was not that worried. Now, let alone Cao Wei, there were no artillery guns on the entire earth. Whose artillery line would this paddle wheel block?
Secondly, his main opponent now is Cao Wei. Cao Wei doesn't even know how to use its navy, let alone its naval forces. Their paddle steamers are mainly used to transport large numbers of soldiers and supplies.

This is also the advantage of paddle wheel power mixed with traditional paddling. It is cheap and full of energy, and is most suitable for transportation.

It's not that Feng Xi doesn't know how to make a propeller, he just uses the Archimedean screw as a basis and designs it. But on the one hand, the materials, on the other hand, the shipbuilding technology and the navy also need to gradually improve.

Today, the Han Dynasty is still slowly transitioning to seagoing vessels. Although there are already some finished small seagoing vessels, the hydrology of the Yangtze River is completely different from that of the sea, and the navy still needs to slowly train and adapt.

"Speaking of which, then those things can be put on the agenda."

(End of this chapter)