xymnovel Chapter 19 Speed and Passion on the Qin Straight Road, and a Burning Butt
Chapter 19 Speed and Passion on the Qin Straight Road, and a Burning Butt
The newly constructed test section of the Qin Straight Road in the northern suburbs of Xianyang.
This massive concrete dragon, which had only recently solidified, gleamed with a pale gray light under the scorching sun. It was smooth, hard, and wide, a world apart from the potholed, rutted dirt roads that Daqin had previously known for.
However, the atmosphere today is somewhat strange.
There was no boisterous celebration of the road's opening; instead, a solemn atmosphere, like a farewell, permeated the air.
At the starting point of the road, there was a strangely shaped carriage.
The original heavy carriage cover was removed, leaving only the chassis and guardrails. To reduce weight, the body was made entirely of lightweight paulownia wood. The carriage was pulled by four of the most spirited and wild horses from the Shangjun military camp.
Hu Hai was dressed in a tight-fitting short hunting outfit, with a pair of windproof goggles made of cowhide and crystal on his head, and a red silk scarf around his neck. He looked like a pilot who had traveled through time, or a suicide squad member who was about to blow up a bunker.
He was carrying the "product inspection hammer" that terrified Zhao Gao, and was conducting a final inspection of the carriage.
"Teacher Zhao," Hu Hai patted the wheel, which had been reinforced and had a thick layer of lard on the rim, "Is this bearing really okay? Father is watching. If it breaks down, I'll tie you to the wheel and roll you around twice."
Standing to the side, Zhao Gao's legs trembled, and his face was even paler than the cement road.
"My lord... please rest assured," Zhao Gao said, trembling as he wiped his sweat. "I had the craftsmen grind the iron balls for seven days and forty-nine times, according to the blueprints for the 'ball bearing,' and they are absolutely round. However..."
Zhao Gao glanced at the hard, iron-like cement road surface and swallowed hard.
"But the road is too hard, the carriage will be very bumpy, so please hold on tight to the handrail, young master."
Hu Hai chuckled, revealing a set of small white teeth, then jumped onto the carriage and grabbed the reins.
"Hold on tight? The word 'steady' doesn't exist in this young master's dictionary; only 'fast' matters!"
On the high platform, Ying Zheng stood with his hands behind his back.
His gaze did not linger on Hu Hai for long, but instead turned to the north.
Military reports from Jiuyuan County arrived like snowflakes. The Xiongnu Chanyu Touman had amassed an army of 200,000 and was besieging the pass. Although Meng Tian was assured of a safe defense thanks to the Great Wall, he was struggling to launch a proactive attack due to the slow transport of supplies.
The Xiongnu were all cavalry, moving like the wind. Even if the Qin infantry ran themselves ragged, they couldn't catch up.
To win this battle, we must act quickly.
The transport of grain must be fast, and the deployment of troops must be fast.
"Little G," Ying Zheng murmured to himself, "can you guarantee this route will triple our marching speed?"
[Theoretically yes, Your Majesty.]
The rolling friction coefficient of a cement road is much lower than that of a dirt road. If a horse can run, a cart can fly.
【but……】
[System notification: There is a potential physics flaw, but I suggest you watch the demo first. After all, practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to lessons learned.]
Ying Zheng raised an eyebrow. A hidden danger?
"Let's begin," Ying Zheng ordered calmly.
Li Si stood on the command platform, took a deep breath, and waved the command flag in his hand.
"The Qin Dynasty Royal Caravan, speed test, commence!"
"drive--!!"
Hu Hai let out a strange cry, and the long whip in his hand cracked in the air.
The four spirited horses, in pain, neighed and galloped wildly across the smooth cement road.
The moment the car started moving, the immense force of the acceleration nearly threw Zhao Gao, the "car recorder," out of the car. Clinging desperately to the handrail, his face contorted by the wind, Zhao Gao let out a pig-like scream: "Slow down—ah—!"
fast.
too fast.
In the past, horse-drawn carriages would make a "clanging" sound when running on dirt roads, and the wheels had to overcome not only friction but also the resistance of the mud.
But on the concrete road, the modified wheels were practically gliding on ice.
The sound of horseshoes striking the ground was so dense it formed a continuous line, and the trees on both sides rushed past, turning into green blurs.
"Awesome! That's so awesome!"
Hu Hai felt the oncoming wind, his adrenaline surging. He had never experienced such speed before; it was a hundred times more thrilling than racing those dilapidated wooden carts in the palace!
"Faster! Zhao Gao! Hand me the spare whip!"
"My lord! We can't go any faster! It's smoking! The wheels are smoking!" Zhao Gao pointed at the wheels in alarm.
Hu Hai looked down.
Sure enough, wisps of blue smoke were rising from the connection between the rapidly spinning axle and the wheel hub. That was a sign that the lard was beginning to burn under the high-temperature friction.
Moreover, what's even more terrifying is the tremor.
The wheels of the Qin Dynasty's chariots were made of wood, encased in a ring of bronze or cast iron. This was fine on soft dirt roads, as the soil absorbed the vibrations. But on hard concrete roads, the vibrations from this rigid contact were devastating.
The entire vehicle was shaking violently, making a teeth-grinding "creaking" sound. Zhao Gao felt like his bones were about to be shaken apart, and he almost threw up the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) he had for breakfast.
"Smoke is nothing! That's a whirlwind of fire!"
Hu Hai was completely out of his mind and couldn't hear Zhao Gao's screams. He only wanted to see where the chariot and the road had their limits.
"Sprint! The finish line is just ahead!"
Hu Hai gave the reins a sharp jerk, and the four spirited horses accelerated once more.
The pointer on the speedometer dial (the virtual data generated by Little G on Ying Zheng's retina) shot up instantly:
[Speed: 45 km/h...50 km/h...60 km/h!]
[WARNING! WARNING! Degraded wheel structural integrity!]
[WARNING! Wheel hub temperature exceeds ignition point!]
Just when we were less than a hundred steps from the finish line.
"Bang!"
A loud bang.
The left wheel finally succumbed to the high temperature and vibration, and the bronze pin used to secure it flew off, causing the wooden spokes to break instantly.
The wheel flew off, rolled a long way on the concrete road, and crashed into the roadside grass.
The carriage, having lost a wheel, instantly lost its balance and, with immense inertia, staged a spectacular "drifting spark show" on the most advanced highway in Qin.
The axle scraped fiercely against the cement ground, sparks flying everywhere, leaving a long trail of fire.
"Ah—! Help—!"
Zhao Gao was finally thrown out, tracing a graceful parabola in the air before crashing heavily into a sand pit by the roadside (for safety reasons, Ying Zheng had ordered sand to be piled up by the roadside).
Hu Hai displayed astonishing athletic talent. In the instant the cart overturned, he surprisingly released the reins, leaped high into the air using the shaft as a foothold, performed a somersault, and then…
He landed face down.
"Thump."
Although the pose was cool, the landing was terrible.
The carriage, trailing sparks, slid for another dozen or so feet before finally falling apart in a cloud of dust, turning into a pile of burning firewood.
The entire room fell silent.
Everyone held their breath, staring at the scene of devastation.
A moment later, Zhao Gao stirred in the sandpit, spat out a mouthful of sand, and let out a weak groan: "My...my back..."
Hu Hai, who had landed face down, stubbornly got up. His face was covered in blood (actually, it was just scrapes), and half of his goggles were broken, but the guy was still laughing.
"Cough cough... That was fucking...exciting." Hu Hai spat out a bloody tooth, pointing at the pile of rubble. "Father! This carriage is no good! The wheels are too brittle! It's not fit for this road!"
On the high platform.
Li Si turned pale with fright and was about to call for the imperial physician when Ying Zheng raised his hand to stop him.
Ying Zheng's face showed no panic, but rather a deep contemplation.
He looked at the still intact cement road, and then at the wrecked carriage.
"Little G".
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Is this the hidden danger you were talking about?"
Yes. This is the "barrel effect".
You've upgraded the roads (infrastructure), but your vehicles (logistics vehicles) are still stuck in the previous version.
While paved roads offer high speeds, the impact on vehicle wheels is ten times greater than on dirt roads. Combined with the frictional heat generated at high speeds, traditional grease lubrication and wooden structures simply cannot withstand the strain.
This is the chain reaction of the Industrial Revolution: progress in one link forces all links to upgrade. Otherwise, it will lead to disaster and loss of life.
Ying Zheng nodded and slowly walked down from the high platform.
He came before Hu Hai.
The imperial physician was frantically bandaging Hu Hai's wounds. Hu Hai grimaced in pain, but as soon as he saw his father approaching, he straightened his back, trying to appear nonchalant.
"Father, your son...your son has messed up the carriage." Hu Hai lowered his head, bracing himself for a scolding.
Looking at his son, whose face was covered in graffiti, Ying Zheng suddenly reached out and straightened his crooked hair ornament.
"No." Ying Zheng's voice was unusually gentle. "You didn't mess it up."
"You've uncovered a major problem for me."
Ying Zheng turned around and looked at the Shaofu craftsmen and Zhao Gao who had rushed over.
"Do you see that?" Ying Zheng pointed to the pile of ruins. "This is the current predicament of the Qin Dynasty."
"We have the best road, but we don't have a car that matches it."
"If Meng Tian's grain transport carts were like this, with wheels flying off halfway through and the grain burning, how could they possibly fight the battle?"
Zhao Gao, clutching his aching back, was helped to kneel down: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! It is this servant's incompetence that prevented me from making a good wheel..."
"It's not that you're incompetent, it's that the materials are subpar."
Ying Zheng picked up a piece of charred wood from the ground.
"Wood is too brittle, bronze is too soft. To run fast and steadily on this concrete road, I need something better."
He looked at the light screen.
"Little G, I remember you mentioned something called 'rubber'?"
[Your Majesty, rubber trees mainly grow in South America and Southeast Asia. There may be some in the Baiyue region, but that's too far to solve our immediate needs. Furthermore, the rubber vulcanization process is very complex.]
However, you can choose the "mechanical flow" approach.
Although you don't have pneumatic tires, you can make them:
Multi-spoke tension wheel (like a bicycle wheel, tightened with wire for better elasticity).
Leaf springs (shock absorbers). Multiple layers of elastic steel plates are stacked and installed between the axle and the vehicle body to absorb vibrations.
Double row ball bearings (sealed to prevent lubricating oil from drying out).
As Ying Zheng heard these terms, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.
He threw the piece of wood to Zhao Gao.
"Zhao Gao, stop howling."
"The fall Hu Hai just made gave me a new idea."
"I don't care what method you use, the Imperial Household Department must build me a new carriage within half a month that is 'smokeless, doesn't fall apart, and doesn't hurt your buttocks when you sit on it'."
"I'll show you a way: Go to a blacksmith, have the iron forged into thin sheets, stack them together, and place them under the cart. That's called a 'spring'."
"Also, don't use wood for that wheel. Try weaving one out of iron strips. Cover the outer rim with several layers of thick cowhide and glue it in place."
Zhao Gao was stunned. Stacked iron sheets could absorb shock? Iron bars woven into wheels?
Although I don't understand it, since His Majesty has spoken, it is an imperial edict.
"This servant...this servant obeys the decree! Even if we have to smash all the iron in the Imperial Household Department, we must create that so-called 'spring'!"
……
This horrific "car accident" did not halt the infrastructure development of Daqin; instead, it sparked a "vehicle revolution."
The lights in the Shaofu (Imperial Residence) burned all night long.
Although Hu Hai was injured, he was a restless fellow. With his head wrapped in bandages, he still went to the Shaofu (Imperial Household Department) every day, sitting in his wheelchair (Zhao Gao special edition) and directing the craftsmen.
"No! This sheet of iron is too hard! It'll break if you press it! Try a different heat!"
"That bead! Polish it rounder! Make it as round as the glass ball my father gave me!"
"Wrap it in several layers of leather! My buttocks are precious!"
Under the "torture" of Hu Hai and the "coercion" of Ying Zheng, the artisans of Qin Dynasty unleashed astonishing creativity.
Although they didn't understand Young's modulus or metal lattices, they had countless trials and errors.
Finally, the first "Qin-style heavy truck" was born.
It had wheels with densely packed iron spokes, the outer rim of which was covered with thick cowhide soaked in tung oil. Most importantly, between the axle and the carriage, several sets of curved steel plates were installed—these were primitive "leaf spring shock absorbers."
When the cart, loaded with two thousand catties of grain, sped smoothly along the cement road without falling apart, Meng Tian was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.
"A divine car! This is a divine car!"
"With this vehicle, and the support of a straight paved road, the provisions for an army of 300,000 can reach Jiuyuan in half a month!"
……
Meanwhile, in Xianyang West Market.
Liu Bang was sitting in his "city magistrate's office," listening to Xiao He's report.
"Liu Ji, do you know? That Prince Hu Hai is simply a god." Xiao He said with a sigh.
"That spendthrift son?" Liu Bang asked, cracking sunflower seeds. "What did he do this time? Burned down the palace?"
"No, he smashed the carriage to pieces. Then he forced the Imperial Household Department to build a new kind of carriage." Xiao He's eyes gleamed. "I just went to the Imperial Household Department and took a look at that new carriage. The wheels, the bearings... it's simply ingenious."
"Moreover, the Imperial Household Department urgently needs a large quantity of cowhide and pig iron."
Liu Bang's eyes lit up, and he stopped eating the melon seeds.
"Cowhide? Pig iron?"
"This is a big deal!"
Liu Bang suddenly stood up and walked around the room twice.
"Xiao He, we have quite a bit of money now, don't we?"
"That's quite a lot. By reselling toilet paper and glass, we've become one of the major powers in Xianyang."
"Then let's change direction!" Liu Bang slammed his fist on the table. "Forget about making that little money from toilet paper. Let's go collect hides! Collect iron!"
"Isn't Hu Hai going to build cars? Let's supply them to him!"
Xiao He hesitated for a moment: "This is military supplies. Unauthorized resale of military supplies is a capital offense."
"Who said it was done privately?" Liu Bang chuckled, pulling out the plaque bearing the inscription "Magnates of Xianyang" from his robes. "We're 'assisting the court in procuring supplies.' I'll go talk to that old bastard Zhao Gao. He's probably frantic right now. We'll deliver the supplies to his doorstep; how could he possibly deny it?"
"Besides," Liu Bang lowered his voice, "I heard there's going to be war in the north. Once these carts are built, they'll definitely be transported north. If we could get a job as 'military supplies transporters'..."
"We can travel around half of the Qin Dynasty."
Xiao He looked into Liu Bang's ambitious eyes and was secretly alarmed.
This former village head now has a vision that extends beyond a single city or region. He has begun to observe the dynamics of the entire world.
"Alright." Xiao He closed the ledger. "I'll do as you say. Let's bet on this 'new car'."
……
half a month later.
On the Qin Straight Road, a large convoy is gathering.
The wagons, all equipped with leaf spring-shock-absorbing leather wheels, were loaded with mountains of grain and military equipment. The convoy stretched for miles, its banners obscuring the sun.
Ying Zheng stood on the city wall, watching the steel torrent that was about to head north.
Beside him stood Meng Tian, fully prepared for battle.
"Meng Tian".
"Your subject is here."
"We've built the carts for you, and paved the roads. We've provided plenty of provisions and arrows."
Ying Zheng turned around and pulled out a "ring-pommel sword" (although called a sword, it was actually a straight blade, which was more suitable for slashing) that had just been forged by the Shaofu using a new steelmaking method from his sleeve.
"This is a gift I prepared for the Xiongnu people."
"Take this with you. Go and tell Touman Chanyu."
"I do not want to build the Great Wall anymore. Because the Great Wall is for defense."
"From this day forward, wherever my roads extend, my territory will follow."
"Go. Turn his royal court into my palace."
"Yes, sir!!" Meng Tian took the sword, turned around, and strode away.
With a long blast of a horn, the war machines of the Great Qin Dynasty roared deafeningly, amplified by the concrete road.
Speed comes at a high price, but the power it brings is devastating.
At the very end of the procession, on an inconspicuous supply wagon, Han Xin sat amidst a pile of grain and fodder, holding the ever-growing account book in his hand, watching the scenery rushing past the window, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"Such a fast road, such a fast car..."
"Old man Touman, can you outrun four wheels?"