Ang Lee knew that these craftsmen didn't understand the purpose of the springs, and he didn't plan to spend time explaining. After all, an explanation would never be as convincing as an experiment.
"There's a newly constructed carriage outside. This official has a blueprint in my hand. Follow the blueprint and add the springs into the carriage. Get to work immediately."
After inspecting the springs, Ang Lee immediately ordered the craftsmen to complete the carriage. This carriage had been specially designed by Ang Lee for the spring system. If the spring system wasn't added, the carriage wouldn't be able to function normally and would fall apart.
Several dozen craftsmen followed Ang Lee's instructions and added different types of springs to different parts of the carriage. In the end, they spent more than two hours assembling all the springs, thus completing the carriage.
"Assistant Minister Li, all the springs have been assembled. Please inspect them."
The leader of the craftsmen respectfully reported.
"There's no need to inspect them. Put the horses on and have a few people sit inside. Let's go around the area a few times and see what it feels like."
Li An looked at a sturdy horse beside him and gave the order.
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li."
Several craftsmen tied the horses to the front of the carriage while ten other craftsmen climbed into the carriage and sat on the ten special seats.
"Let's begin!"
Under Ang Lee's orders, a craftsman sat at the front of the carriage and whipped the horses to gallop around the restricted area of the research and development center.
The terrain of this area was relatively flat, but in reality, there were many small potholes. For a normal carriage to travel on this kind of road would be extremely painful for the people inside. But the carriage that Ang Lee had designed was different. Not only was the carriage equipped with a spring dampening system, even the underside of each seat was equipped with a spring dampening system. The seats were made of soft sheepskin, and with this many layers of protection, the bumpiness of the carriage would be greatly reduced. The people sitting inside would also feel more comfortable.
After running three laps, the carriage slowly came to a stop.
"Assistant Minister Li, we know the purpose of the springs. I didn't think that the springs would be so powerful. The bumpiness of the carriage has been greatly reduced."
"That's right! Sitting in such a carriage is very comfortable, much better than an ordinary carriage. "
After the craftsmen jumped down from the carriage, they all expressed their opinions excitedly, praising the spring damping system.
Ang Lee was naturally very satisfied. Although he had not personally tested it, he had made many cars in the future. It was much more comfortable than the carriages of this era. At this moment, the spring damping system had been successfully invented. In the future, the people of the Tang dynasty would no longer have to worry about the bumpy roads if they wanted to go on a long journey. Especially on the roads where the railway was impassable, it was a necessary tool for traveling.
"Well, you guys take this carriage to the streets to play. Let the people of the Tang dynasty experience this carriage equipped with the damping system. In this way, it won't be long before the spring damping system is sold. The people will also feel much more comfortable when they go on a long journey. It's killing two birds with one stone!"
Ang Lee smiled gently. He had made a very wise decision. He had to let the nobles of the Tang dynasty have a good experience with such a comfortable damping carriage, so as to obtain the spring damping market in the future. In addition, there were many carriages in the countries of the Western Region. The spring damping system could also be installed on the carriages of the countries of the Western Region. Therefore, there was a possibility that the spring damping system could be sold abroad. Especially after the railway to Yumen Pass was opened, the transportation cost of the 3,000-mile journey would be greatly reduced, and the possibility of selling it abroad would be greater.
Watching the handymen driving the damping carriage to Chang 'an City, Ang Lee showed a satisfied smile at the corner of his mouth. He was looking forward to the scene of the spring damping system selling like hotcakes in the future.
"In the next month, you guys will take turns to go to Chang 'an City to show off the damping carriage. Let all the nobles and merchants of the Western Region in the city know the benefits of this carriage."
Ang Lee looked at the remaining handymen who were not very skilled and ordered loudly.
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li. We understand."
Later, Ang Lee gave a few instructions to the craftsmen to continue making springs and to find ways to improve the production process and improve the spring's performance.
After some research and development, a larger machine-driven wire making machine was born. It could press more softened iron blocks at a time. The diameter of the wire made was also getting bigger and bigger. It was even thicker than a person's finger. It could be used as a steel bar in ordinary buildings. Of course, it still needed to be straightened and hardened. Otherwise, the soft wire could not be made into a steel bar no matter how thick it was.
With thicker wire, Ang Lee could make thicker springs, which could be used in heavier machinery. For example, steam freight vehicles could be equipped with these thicker springs to improve transportation performance. The emergence of the spring damping system also made it possible to research and develop passenger steam vehicles.
After making the first batch of large springs, Ang Lee immediately drew a drawing and asked the craftsmen to build passenger steam vehicles. On the premise that the freight steam vehicles were already in production, there was almost no need to research and develop passenger steam vehicles. The major systems were the same. They only needed to slightly modify the auxiliary facilities. In addition, of course, the spring damping system had to be installed. Just like the carriage, the body of the carriage had to be installed with shock absorbers. At the same time, all the seats had to be installed with shock absorbers to resist the bumpy roads with double shock absorbers.
The damping carriage appeared in Chang 'an City every day. According to Ang Lee's request, the people in the capital city could experience it at will.
In the beginning, only the most ordinary people went to experience it. In the end, after discovering the benefits, many people like the butlers of aristocratic families appeared. After experiencing it, they were shocked and hurriedly told their masters, which led to a large number of orders for the spring damping system.
Money made the world go round. With enough capital, the scale of the iron wire workshop and the spring workshop quickly expanded, and these equipment could be mass produced to meet the market demand.
In addition, Hu Shang in the Western Region also found a business opportunity and ordered a large number of these spring damping systems. However, due to the shortage of iron materials, the production capacity could not keep up. Many Hu merchants in the Western Region could not buy enough goods. After all, these advanced products had to meet the market demand of the Tang dynasty first. As for export, they had to wait until the market of the Tang dynasty was saturated.
Half a month after the spring damping system was invented, all the carriages used by the Emperor in the palace were equipped with the spring damping system. This greatly reduced the degree of bumpiness when Li Longji went to the scenic spots near the capital city. This made the Emperor, who loved to enjoy himself, very happy. He immediately issued an edict praising Ang Lee and bestowing Ang Lee with a lot of money.
Ang Lee was not very greedy, but he was still very happy that the Emperor thought of rewarding him. On a whim, Ang Lee distributed the money to some of the craftsmen in the research and development, making them happy.
Encouraged by the money, the craftsmen became more enthusiastic about developing new things. They all worked day and night according to Ang Lee's drawings as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
The passenger steam car was quickly manufactured. Moreover, it was a passenger steam car with a spring damping system. The car was a one-piece, but the front of the car was completely separated from the middle of the car. There was only a small opening with tempered medicinal jade glass, which allowed the passengers in the car to see the driver at the front of the car.
The front was equipped with a power steam engine, as well as equipment to adjust the speed and direction. There were only two rows of seats equipped with the spring damping system in the car, which could seat a total of ten people. In the middle of the two rows of seats, there was a wide passage, which could be used to put things or stand people. The side of the car was made of wood, but it was equipped with many tempered medicinal jade glasses. In addition, there were curtains inside. In this way, as long as the passengers inside pulled the curtains, the people outside could not see the situation inside.
It was somewhat similar to the minibus of later generations, but the four pairs of big iron wheels at the bottom were very eye-catching. There was no other way. Rubber and pneumatic tires could not be made, so only iron wheels could be used. The destructive power of the concrete road in the future was definitely not small. Fortunately, the weight of the whole carriage was not very heavy, and it was not a heavy vehicle. The destructive power of the concrete was relatively limited.
After the steam car was built, Ang Lee immediately went to inspect it, and he took several craftsmen to sit in the car. He ordered the steam car to go to Chang 'an City.
"Boom boom boom …"
With the sound of the steam engine starting, the steam car slowly moved, and after circling around the R&D Center, it left the R&D Center and went straight to Chang 'an City.
When passing by the Black Medicine Workshop, Ang Lee saw Dragon General Chen Xuanli riding a horse to the R&D Center through the window, and he immediately ordered the car to stop.
At that moment, Chen Xuanli was looking at the steam car in surprise, and he dismounted to greet it.
"General, are you here to inspect the Black Medicine Workshop?"
Li An pulled open the window of the tempered medicinal jade and asked loudly.
"Assistant Minister Li."
Chen Xuanli was surprised for a moment, and then he said, "I just finished my inspection, and I was about to return to the city, when I saw a big guy coming over. It turned out that Assistant Minister Li was inside. How did you develop something good?"
"It's a steam car, and it's much more comfortable than riding a horse. General, why don't you get on the car and follow me to the city?"
Ang Lee smiled and invited him.
"Well, then I won't be polite."
Chen Xuanli threw the reins to his entourage and strode into the steam car, sitting together with Ang Lee.
"Are these the talents under your command?"
Seeing the four people sitting in the car stand up, Chen Xuanli asked.
"Yes, this steam car was made by them. Sit down! Don't be polite with the General, he is not an old-fashioned person. "
Ang Lee introduced the four craftsmen and asked them to sit down.
As the steam car started, Ang Lee and his entourage quickly approached Chang 'an City. It was faster than riding a horse, and it was more stable, so it was more comfortable to sit inside.
"How is it, General? It's much more comfortable than riding a horse, isn't it?"
Ang Lee leaned on the seat and asked.
"Comfortable, of course it's more comfortable than riding a horse. These days, the carriages in the capital have been busy installing the spring system that you developed. I even tried it myself, and it's indeed much better than ordinary carriages. This car has also been installed with that thing!"
Chen Xuanli said rudely.
"Hahaha! It's called the spring damping system, and it's specifically used to reduce bumps. Of course, this car is also equipped with this system. Today, let's go around the capital a few more times and experience it more. "
Ang Lee explained with a smile.
"Sure! Sitting in such a comfortable steam car, of course we have to go around a few more times, hahaha! "
Chen Xuanli happily decided.
When the steam car drove to the city gate, the guards at the gate all looked at this big monster in surprise. However, when Ang Lee flashed the token, these guards obediently made way and watched this big monster enter the capital.
The commoners along the way all looked at them curiously, and some children ran behind the steam car as if they were competing with the steam car. Of course, the result was that they were left further and further behind.
For safety reasons, Ang Lee chose to drive on the widest road with the least number of pedestrians, so as to avoid crashing into pedestrians.
As the steam engine's performance had already been stabilized, the test drive went very smoothly, especially for Ang Lee and his entourage. They sat comfortably in the car and looked at the dumbfounded expressions of the pedestrians outside the window. It was a very comfortable feeling.
After circling around the capital, Ang Lee asked the driver to drive the car to Chunming Gate to experience the feeling of the steam car driving on the concrete road. After all, the main roads of the Tang dynasty would be paved with concrete in the future. He wanted to experience the feeling of the steam car driving on the concrete road first, so as to evaluate the commercial future of the steam car.
After showing the token, the steam bus smoothly drove out of Chunming Gate and onto the concrete road that had just been built some time ago.
"Not bad! It feels much more stable than in the city. "
Chen Xuanli was the first to express his feelings.
"Yes! The concrete road is smoother than the stone road in the city, so of course it will be more stable. This type of steam car still has commercial value. If rubber tires are developed in the future, the effect will be even better. "
Ang Lee was looking forward to it.
"Rubber tires? What is that?"
Chen Xuanli asked curiously.
"Uh, it's soft wheels. This way, the car will become more stable and the degree of bumps will be lower. In fact, you won't feel any bumps at all."
Ang Lee braced himself and explained.
"Rubber tires are so powerful. When will Assistant Minister Li be able to develop them?"
"This, it will probably take a few years! The first step is to build a railway from Luoyang to Lai Zhou. The second step is to build a large shipyard in the bay of Lai Zhou and use the steam engine as the power to build a large seagoing ship. After the construction is completed, it will be sent to the depths of the ocean to bring back rubber trees from far away and plant them in Yazhou. Then, rubber products can be produced in Yazhou and transported to Lai Zhou by ship. Then, it will be transported to the capital through the railway from Lai Zhou. "
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