The World of Yellow Sky

Chapter 458

Xu An held the harness of the cart and horse, closed his eyes, and recalled carefully.

He remembered one thing, that is, how to tie a horse is actually a very important thing.

It seems that it is just how the tether is tied to the horse's body, just like a man pulls a cart with a belt, and a tracker pulls a boat with a rope.

But in fact, the driving method is very important. The correct driving method can maximize the use of the pulling force of the horse, and can also protect the horse.

Although ancient Europe was a little ahead in this respect because it solved the steering problem of the four-wheeled carriage, it increased the load capacity of the carriage.

However, Westerners at that time were very backward and unscientific in how to drive horses, and even strangled the horses.

The earliest method of driving a Western ancient car was simply to fix the livestock on the scale with a neck strap.

When the livestock drags the vehicle forward, it pulls the neck strap. The neck of the livestock is the main stress-bearing part, so this driving method is called "neck strap driving method".

This driving method is neither scientific nor advanced, and has some very obvious defects.

Take a draft horse as an example, since the neck strap is directly tied to the neck of the draft horse, and the draft horse pulls the vehicle, the neck strap directly presses the draft horse's trachea.

The airway for breathing is compressed, which also makes it difficult for the horse to breathe during galloping, which not only affects the running speed and strength of the horse, but more seriously, it can even lead to the death of the horse.

Cars in Mesopotamia used only the neckband, which was slightly more advanced in the days of ancient Greece and the Roman Republic, but it was also extremely limited.

It’s just that in addition to the neck strap, a belly strap is added, but the horse must be tightly tied to the scale when driving in this way, and the neck strap will still compress the horse’s trachea, resulting in the death of the draft horse.

However, the "yoke-type driving method" adopted by China has avoided the occurrence of such problems.

It is precisely because of the backwardness of the driving method that most of the ancient Western chariots were long-distance, and there were no chariots that could fight at close range or attack as in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of China.

There are three types of tying methods for horses: the yoke type, the chest strap type, and the saddle type.

The terracotta warriors and horses in the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang in Xi'an are very famous. There is a picture that I believe many people are familiar with. It is a bronze chariot pulled by four horses.

The bronze chariots and horses unearthed from the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang adopt the exact yoke style, and the yoke placed on the shoulders of the horse bears force.

The first emperor died, the world was in chaos, and Qin was destroyed.

Qin lost its deer, and the whole world pursued it. In the end, Liu Bang ruled the world and established the Han Dynasty.

The Chinese car system has also begun to undergo changes, and the pre-Qin-style yoke-style driving method has been replaced by a new system.

That is to say, the chest belt riding method. The appearance of the chest belt lowers the load-bearing part of the horse to the chest, and the yoke becomes a simple fulcrum, which only plays the role of supporting the balance and the shaft.

The carriage drawn on the hollow bricks of the Han Dynasty in my country adopts the chest belt type, and the chest and armor are stressed, and the carriage has changed from the original single shaft to the double shaft.

However, the method of driving horse-drawn carriages began to stagnate at this time and did not continue to develop.

There is evidence that the era lasts until the Yuan Dynasty, which is about the end of the thirteenth century, more than 1200 AD.

On the figurines of the chariot unearthed at that time, the saddle-style driving method appeared.

The saddle-style riding method is more advanced and scientific than the chest-strap style, and the main force is on the shoulders and back of the horse.

Xu An tugged on the belt on the carriage, and it turned out to be the chest belt style of driving. At this time in the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the chest belt style of driving had already been popularized.

The saddle-style driving method just happened to be known to Xu An. Although he had never seen a four-wheeled carriage up close in real life, he also knew how to fasten the saddle-style driving method.

But in later generations, there are quite a lot of computer games, and one of them happened to be a game based on the western United States, called Wilderness or something, and it was very particular about reality.

The vehicle inside is a four-wheeled carriage, so Xu An is quite clear about the saddle-style driving method and the general structure of the four-wheeled carriage, but there are many details that need to be recalled.

"what is this?"

When Xu An bent down to check the carriage, he found a strange object between the bottom of the carriage and the axle, he pointed to it and asked.

"Oh, this, this is 'Fu Rabbit'."

After Xu An finished asking, it took a while for the soldier driving the car to realize that Xu An was asking him, and he also bent down to look at the place Xu An was pointing at, and explained to Xu An.

"'Fu Rabbit'?"

"Back to the great virtuous teacher, this is an item on the carriage. Its main function is to keep the carriage from bumping."

Xu An raised his head, glanced at the coachman in surprise, and blurted out: "Shock absorber?"

The coachman nodded, then suddenly remembered something, and pointed inside.

"There is also an object called Dangtu', which is in the center of the two Futus, and it can also absorb shock."

The driver saw that Xu An seemed to be very interested in the shock-absorbing objects of the car, so he mentioned an object that had the same function as "Futu".

Xu An is a little surprised now. He has always thought that in ancient times there seemed to be no shock absorption measures for carriages. Otherwise, the shock absorption of carriages could be done well, and it is basically impossible for sedan chairs to appear on a large scale. Those dignitaries would naturally think about it. Ways to decorate your own carriage.

However, Xu An had a bad idea. In ancient times, it was just that the shock absorption effect of the carriage was not good, not that there was no shock absorption.

The "Futu" thing is the object connecting the bottom of the car and the axle, and it is also the shock absorption system of the carriage. It is named because its shape is very similar to that of a lying rabbit, and it is usually called "clogs".

The V rabbit is flat on the top and concave on the bottom, which can just be stuck on the car pump, not only for shock absorption, but also for stabilizing the axle.

According to the explanation in "Illustration of Vehicle System", it is precisely because of this device placed longitudinally on the axle that the vehicle can maintain the stability of the vehicle body when it is traveling at high speed.

"Shi Ming" even described this device as "like a human clog".Putting "Fu Rabbit" on the vehicle is like walking with shoes on.

"Dangtu" is located between two Futus, and the name "Dangtu" comes from this.

"Dangtu" is an object that connects the carriage and the axle. If you directly make a hole in the carriage and put it in the axle, it will easily cause the wear and tear of the carriage. Adding a "Dangtu" will not only make it more stable, but also further strengthen the to the damping effect.

In ancient times, there were no rubber tires, but for shock absorption, the wheels of the carriage were also covered with leather, etc., by increasing the softness to enhance the cushioning and reduce the bumpiness of the carriage.

"Hanshu" once recorded: In order to allow older people to ride in vehicles and reduce bumps, the wheels were wrapped with cattail, called Anche Pulun.

Other measures are taken in the car to reduce bumps on the road, and some cushions and the like will be placed in the car.

Generally, a thicker mattress is laid in the car, and a thicker cushion is placed, and the people in the car will not feel hard when driving slowly.

Xu An frowned slightly as he listened to the coachman's narration.

Since ancient China had shock-absorbing technology, Rome at the same time should also have corresponding shock-absorbing technology. After all, Rome now has four-wheeled carriages.

He remembered reading a book, and it seemed that Roman chariots did have a shock-absorbing system, which was realized with cow leather, but he didn't know the specific principles and methods.

But knowing the general direction, it can be regarded as a breakthrough.

Xu An stood up straight and had some plans in mind.

Yan Zhong also came over at this time. He saw a smile on Xu An's face, and knew that Xu An had probably figured out a solution, so he asked, "Ming Gong seems to have a plan in mind."

"Military division, you know what I mean."

Now Xu An is in a good mood. He has already thought of the general method of making the new four-wheeled carriage, and the method of shock absorption has also been developed.

With a population of one million in Bingzhou, there is no need to worry about the labor and wood used to make the four-wheeled carriage.

Speaking of labor, there may even be spare labor for so many people with a million people, so how can there be shortages.

As for wood, no matter whether it is Taihang Mountain or Shangdang County, there is no need to worry about it, let alone Luliang Mountain, Taiyue, and Wangwu, there is no shortage of usable wood.

Even to build a sea-going ship, the wood is still usable, but it is only a four-wheeled carriage, so how can the requirements for wood be higher than that of a sea-going ship.

"Bring a pen and paper."

Xu An walked to the side of the road and said something to Xu Da. He finally remembered it, and he was really afraid that he would forget it after a while, or miss the details.

When the two yellow angels with bags heard Xu An's voice, they immediately stepped forward to untie the bags on their backs, and took out a pen and paper.

Then there was a yellow angel who brought in a smaller desk for one person.

This table was usually used by Xu An when he was fighting in the field to check the map, and now it happened to be used for writing.

Xu An took the pen and paper, and there was no ink marks, so he started to draw directly on the picture.

The first is the saddle-style fastening method. Fortunately, Xing Xing’s game is indeed very sophisticated in certain aspects, and the details are also done to the end. It only took Xu An half a quarter of an hour to draw the fastening method. out.

Yan Zhong looked at Xu An's new series of driving hair, and couldn't help but his eyes lit up. Although he is not a coachman, he is in charge of logistics and has a certain understanding of carriages.
"This method of fastening the car is quite novel."

Yan Zhong pondered in his mind for a while, looked at the draft horse at the side, and then imagined it, and immediately felt that this new style of driving was much better.

"This kind of riding method is called the saddle-style riding method. It is different from the chest belt type. The saddle-type driving method is mainly stressed by the shoulder blades and back of the horse, and will not cause damage to the horse. It can use force, that is to say, it can make the horse pull heavier goods than the original chest belt, and this kind of harness can just be used on a four-wheeled carriage."

Xu An smiled, then quickly lowered his head again, while talking, he began to draw on the yellow paper.

"As for the four-wheeled carriage, it is easier to handle. The four wheels are fixed on the carriage, so it is naturally difficult to steer, and it needs to be pulled hard."

"But if the previous two rounds are separated, this problem will be easily solved."

With just a few strokes, Xu An drew a simple bogie, and then Xu An added a pair of wheels, Yan Zhong's pupils shrank involuntarily, as if he had opened up some key.

"This……"

Yan Zhong suddenly squatted on the ground, pressed the desk with one hand, stared at the steering gear on the yellow paper on the desk, and was stunned for a moment.

This steering gear is not complicated, on the contrary, it is a bit too simple, and it is just a simple axle.

The steering gear drawn by Xu An is to change the suspension of the front wheel into a large disc.

The joint part of the shaft and the body is combined with the front wheel suspension, so that when the horse turns, the suspension of the front wheel of the carriage dragged behind can also follow the overall steering.

But although it is simple, no one has been able to think of it, and it has not been cleared.

Yan Zhong's expression slowly changed from surprise to joy.

The "wheelbarrow" invented by Xu An had already greatly enhanced the logistics transportation capacity of the Yellow Turban Army. Now that there are four-wheeled carriages, the transportation capacity of the Yellow Turban Army will undoubtedly increase by several chips.

Although it is still inconvenient to use four-wheeled vehicles in places that are too rough, most of the official roads in Bingzhou are relatively flat.

Youzhou, Liangzhou, Jizhou, and the southern part of Hanoi County, which is now occupied by the Han army, are all flat lands. If there are four-wheeled carriages, then the Yellow Turban Army will not need to worry too much about logistics when they attack.

Like this time when Xu An led the Bingzhou Yellow Turban Army to attack, Wuhuan and Xiongnu Yicong only dispatched less than [-] people, largely because of the problem of logistics supplies.

War horses cannot maintain their combat effectiveness by eating only ordinary grass. If it is true that they can maintain their combat effectiveness only by eating ordinary grass, then cavalry will not become an expensive unit.

"The four-wheeled carriage..."

Yan Zhong's eyes brightened slightly, and suddenly remembered something.

Because of its structure, the two-wheeled carriage will be inclined, and the load is not large, and it is not convenient to dock, but the four-wheeled carriage has no such problems and defects.

"It seems that the military division has also thought of it."

After Xu An finished the last stroke, he put down the pen and paper, but seeing Yan Zhong's increasingly widening smile, he immediately knew that Yan Zhong was probably thinking of going with him.

"Not bad, not bad, hahahaha, really wonderful!"

There was a light in Yan Zhong's eyes.

"If the supply team is equipped with a large number of four-wheeled carriages, the combat power will inevitably increase. The carriages are square and people hide in them, isn't it like a city wall?"

Yan Zhong said excitedly: "Not only is the supply team available, but our army's soldiers can also use four-wheeled carriages!"

Xu An's eyelids twitched. He only thought that in modern times, when facing bandits and thieves, some convoys would form a circle around the carriages to protect the goods and fight back at the same time.

If the four-wheeled carriage is well damped, people can even sit on it, hide in the carriage, and shoot crossbow arrows towards the outside of the carriage.

But Xu An did not expect that Yan Zhong actually thought of the car camp tactics that were popular in later generations.

(End of this chapter)