Ang Lee doted on Li Ya 'er and rolled on the soft Simmons all night. It was much more comfortable than an ordinary cotton mattress, especially the rhythmic creaking sound of the springs, which was very intoxicating. The louder the creaking sound, the happier he felt.
The next morning, Ang Lee went to the R&D center to clock in for work in a very good mood. After a night of personal experience, Ang Lee could be sure that the Simmons he designed was completely in line with the safety standards. It was a very good product, which could make the rich in the Tang dynasty live a better life.
The next step was naturally mass production. After all, the Tang dynasty now had an endless supply of rubber and iron raw materials, so it was completely ready for mass production.
In addition to the Simmons, which was an epoch-making product, all kinds of sofas and cushions had to be produced. The sofa's specifications were a little high, so only the rich could afford it, but the square rubber cushion was also affordable for ordinary people. A small square cushion could be placed on a bench, and it would be much more comfortable to sit on. Especially for office workers who had to sit on benches for a long time, this product was most needed. Otherwise, sitting on a hard bench for a long time would cause pain in one's buttocks, and it might even cause disease.
Of course, the biggest use of the foam rubber cushion was in the hot summer. Because the weather was very hot, if the skin could not breathe, it would be very uncomfortable. Moreover, in the long run, many red bumps would grow. Once the bumps appeared, it would be very painful to sit on a bench. In order to relieve the pain, some soft cotton cushions would be placed under the bench. In this way, because ordinary cotton cloth was not breathable and the hot weather was very hot, more red bumps would grow on one's buttocks, which would create a vicious cycle and make people suffer.
As for the foam rubber cushion, there were a large number of air holes inside, which allowed for good ventilation. When it was processed, there were more air holes left, which allowed for better ventilation. When sitting on it in summer, it could greatly alleviate the problem of red bumps growing on the buttocks, making people feel more comfortable.
Of course, for some people who had unspeakable difficulties, Ang Lee also made some special products for them. For example, the foam rubber cushion with a hole in the middle. When sitting on it, only the thighs and a small part of the buttocks would touch the cushion, and the middle of the buttocks would be suspended, so it would not hurt. Many people who could not sit on it could sit down and rest at ease.
Also, when traveling, it would be very uncomfortable to sit on a train, especially when one was sleepy. If one's neck was crooked, one's neck might be injured or very sore.
In order to make passengers more comfortable, Ang Lee invented a foam rubber collar that could be wrapped around the neck. In this way, ordinary people of the Tang dynasty who took long-distance trains would not have to endure the pain caused by long-term travel. Moreover, such a small guy was not very expensive. Those who were slightly better off could buy a spare one, especially those who needed to take long-distance trains.
In addition, in addition to buying, a batch of neck protectors could also be specially prepared on the train and provided to passengers who needed them in the form of rental. Of course, there was no doubt that a deposit had to be paid.
After mass production, these rubber products soon became popular on the market of Chang 'an City. All kinds of sofas and cushions became popular products that citizens competed to buy. Even if the price was relatively expensive now, many people were willing to pay a high price to buy them. After all, the capital was the gathering place of all the rich people of the Tang dynasty. There were too many rich people.
Rubber products began to be popularized in the homes of ordinary people. Of course, the imperial palace could not be less. After learning about the Simmons and sofas, Yang Yuhuan clamored for Ang Lee to make the largest and most luxurious style of the Tang dynasty. Moreover, it must be unique and could not be the same as the products on the market. It must reflect the royal style.
As for the sofas and cushions, they must all reflect the royal style and could not be the same as the ones sold on the market.
These were too simple for Ang Lee. Since he could make the Simmons, the size and specifications were not a matter of a word from Ang Lee. As long as Yang Yuhuan needed it, it was theoretically feasible to make the Simmons of any size.
As for the so-called royal style, it was too simple. It only needed to be wrapped in the outermost layer of high-quality golden cloth embroidered with dragons and phoenixes.
The inside of the Simmons mattress was similar. They were all made of spring material and were wrapped in soft rubber cushions. The outermost layer of high-quality fabric determined the final grade of the Simmons mattress.
Considering the special needs of the imperial palace, Ang Lee specially ordered a batch of wider and larger Simmons mattresses to be made. He also asked the Minister of Internal Affairs of the imperial palace to make the most luxurious Simmons jackets to meet the needs of the imperial palace.
The sofas and other rubber jackets used in the imperial palace were all made by the Minister of Internal Affairs. Only the people of the Minister of Internal Affairs fully understood the needs of the imperial family.
As the emperor of the Tang dynasty, Li Longji often did not attend the imperial court. Since Ang Lee sent the Simmons and a set of sofas and other equipment to the imperial palace, the frequency of Li Longji attending the imperial court became even lower. Obviously, he wanted to enjoy the pleasant feeling of lying on the sofa more.
Lying on the sofa or on the mattress, stroking the delicate Yang Yuhuan, this feeling was much more interesting than going to the imperial court. Going to the imperial court all day long was a very boring thing. No emperor liked going to the imperial court. It had always been like this since ancient times.
Of course, manufacturing some daily necessities was secondary. The biggest use of rubber products was to manufacture industrial materials. Among them, the production of tires, inner tubes, and outer tubes were the most common. The bicycle cylinder industry that went along with them was also developing vigorously.
There were small tires for bicycles and heavy tires for large vehicles. In order to accommodate the use of these tires, the wheels of many models were replaced. After all, there were conditions to install pneumatic tires. Not all wheels could be installed. There must be a special wheel hub.
After the major transformation of all vehicles, the performance of the vehicles had been greatly improved. Whether it was the riding comfort, the speed, or the consumption of resources, they had become less and less. Moreover, because the bumps were greatly reduced, the probability of vehicle failure was also greatly reduced.
In this way, it was possible to popularize special freight vehicles. For a distance of hundreds or thousands of miles, it was naturally necessary to take a train. For a distance of tens or nearly hundreds of miles, it was completely possible to take a steam freight vehicle. Of course, this was only possible in the most developed urban areas. If it was in a remote and poor place, it was impossible to realize this situation. If the people were poor, they would be willing to run even if it was hundreds of miles, rather than spend money to take a car.
In addition to pneumatic tires, Ang Lee also developed solid rubber tires for the armored artillery units. The effect of this kind of tire was slightly worse than that of pneumatic tires, but it had a very big advantage. It was not afraid of punctures. If a normal pneumatic tire was punctured, the vehicle would almost be unable to move. However, solid rubber tires were not afraid of punctures. No matter how many nails it encountered, it would not burst. This was extremely important for the military. Of course, the price of this kind of solid rubber tires was higher. After all, these rubber materials were transported from America. The transportation cost was naturally higher. The more materials used, the more expensive it would be.
In the military, money could not be saved. In order to be efficient in future battles, it was necessary to use the relatively expensive solid rubber tires. This would certainly greatly improve the national defense of the Tang dynasty.
For the sake of safety, the emperor's royal carriage was also made of solid rubber. Otherwise, once the tire burst and scared the emperor, it would be troublesome.
Most bicycles were made of pneumatic tires, but Ang Lee also produced a small number of solid rubber tires. Pneumatic tires were suitable for running on flat concrete roads, while solid rubber tires were suitable for running on complicated and changeable terrains. It could also be said that they were mountain bicycles.
In the Tang dynasty, ordinary people mostly used horses to travel. However, the biggest disadvantage of horses was that they needed to prepare too many accessories, such as saddles, stirrups, reins, and so on. In addition, horses were animals. They had to eat grass every day and needed to be taken good care of. It was very troublesome. On the other hand, bicycles were different. They only needed to be refueled once in a while, or even not taken care of at all.
With the current production technology, the cost of producing bicycles in the Tang dynasty was relatively low. The price of bicycles was cheaper than that of horses. As for the cost of maintenance, it was far lower than that of horses. Therefore, as long as bicycles were popularized on a large scale, horses could soon be replaced, which would better promote the development of the Tang Empire.
Naturally, the imperial court also saw the great role of bicycles. Therefore, they fully supported the popularization of bicycles on a large scale and set up a bicycle processing workshop near the capital to produce bicycles on a large scale.
In order to increase the practicality of bicycles, Ang Lee imitated the appearance of bicycles in the modern world. He set up a basket in front of the bicycle and a back seat at the back. In this way, bicycles could carry people and many things, which was more popular among the people.
For safety, Ang Lee also imitated the appearance of bicycles in the modern world. He set up mechanical parts that could be pressed by hand next to the handlebars. As long as one pressed gently, it would make a crisp sound, which would remind the people in front that there was a car coming from behind.
After the bicycles were produced, they began to be sold in the capital. Dozens of craftsmen who had learned how to ride bicycles were scattered on the streets of the capital. They rode back and forth to create the atmosphere of riding bicycles so that the people would buy them.
After personally riding a few bicycles, many people were willing to buy bicycles. After all, this kind of thing was much more affordable than riding a horse. Whether it was the price or the cost of maintenance, it was more affordable than riding a horse.
After bicycles entered the market in the capital on a large scale, tens of thousands of bicycles were sold in just over a month. Not only the people of the capital bought them, but many Hu merchants from the Western Regions also bought dozens or even hundreds of bicycles after personally experiencing the beauty of bicycles. They were ready to bring them back to their countries to sell.
Of course, the most important problem for those who bought bicycles was what to do if the bicycle broke down. After all, the price of a bicycle was not cheap. If it broke down, they couldn't just throw it away! If they threw it away after it broke down, it would be too uneconomical.
Before the bicycles were introduced to the market, Ang Lee had considered this problem. Therefore, he had trained a group of professional bicycle repair masters in advance and let them set up bicycle repair shops everywhere in the capital. Once someone's bicycle broke down, they could bring it over to be repaired at any time. The cost was absolutely fair and reasonable.
As for the problem of repairing bicycles that some Hu merchants from the Western Regions bought, Ang Lee had already considered it. He could teach them the repair technology and sell them some of the easily-damaged parts. This way, they could repair the bicycles themselves if they broke down.
As for the problem of the technology leaking, of course, it was not a problem. After all, bicycles were only so many things. Ordinary people only needed to learn for a while to master it. There was no problem of the technology leaking at all. Anyway, the various parts of bicycles could only be manufactured in the Tang Empire. These small countries could not manufacture them. That was enough. Even if they learned how to repair bicycles, they would need to go to the Tang Empire to buy repair materials and equipment.
After bicycles were gradually popularized, the atmosphere of Chang 'an also changed a lot. In the past, there were fewer horses coming and going, and more bicycles were coming and going. The streets and alleys of Chang' an were full of people riding bicycles. Many of the servants in the noble mansions liked to go out to buy things on bicycles as long as they did not have a lot of things.
That was to say, at this time, bicycles had become a fashion for the people of Chang 'an. It was a way to show off, just like driving a car in the future. Moreover, with the popularization of bicycles, new sports competitions were created in the Tang Empire.
To put it simply, it was a bicycle race. Before bicycles appeared, the noble sons of the Tang Empire liked to ride horses and compete to see whose horse could run the furthest and fastest. However, the difference between horses could not be made up by manpower. The so-called superb horsemanship must be matched with the best horse. If the horse was of poor quality, no matter how good the horsemanship was, he could not win the final victory.
Bicycle races were different. All the bicycles, as long as they were of the same model, were all assembled according to the same specifications. That was to say, their performance was exactly the same. Thus, the final victory of the race depended on the level of the cyclist. This was very fair for all the participants.
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