Chapter 1012 Wheelless Caravan
The next morning, the heavy snow that had been falling for two days finally stopped.
A red sun rose to the sky, and a faint light reflected the entire Guanzhong Plain. The mountains, rivers and earth were covered with silver, and the wax figures of the silver snake dancing in the mountains were particularly enchanting.
The snow on the road was several inches thicker than yesterday, but it began to solidify under the cold wind, and passers-by stepped on it and made a creaking sound.
Xianyang City is as always. When the officials came to court at the beginning of the Mao hour, the four gates of Xianyang City also opened slowly in the bell.
Because the snow inside and outside the city is too thick, there have been fewer people entering and leaving the city these two days, especially the East Gate, which was full of traffic in the past. In the past two days, there were few cars and horses. There were cattle and horses coming and going, and almost no carriage was seen. Even though the snow leading to the Weihe Bridge had been cleaned up by the Lieutenant's Mansion, there was a layer of ice on the cement road. Whether pedestrians or cattle and horses were careful when walking on it, most people even avoided the road and would rather walk in the snow to avoid slipping and falling.
"Go~Go~~"
On the bank of the river, a group of people rode horses along the river and ran in the snow. The horse's hooves stepped on the snow more than two feet deep, and the flying horse's hooves brought up snow mud that was more than a foot high.
"Look, what kind of carriage is that? How could it run so fast in the snow!"
Above the East Gate Tower, a group of soldiers were stunned as they watched the riders getting closer and closer. After a moment, they could see clearly that under the protection of these fierce knights, there were four carriages galloping in the snow like flat ground.
"Hey, darn, what the hell are those two?" A sharp-eyed soldier saw that there were two wild beasts in front of one of the carriages.
"Wow, it's the flower crane. Come and see, it's the flower cranes at both ends pulling a cart!" A soldier almost fell from the city tower excitedly.
"It's indeed a panda. I saw it. Qinghe Hou was sitting in the car!" Bai Jiang raised the telescope in his hand in surprise and looked at it. His mouth was wide open and he could stuff a big duck egg into it.
"Driving~"
Accompanied by shouts after shouting, a group of people were getting closer and closer. At this time, not only the soldiers on the city tower could see clearly, but the people entering and leaving the city gate had also seen it. They all became turbulent and rushed outside the city gate and stood on tiptoe to watch.
"Holding grass, flower crests and pulling carts, I finally opened my eyes!"
"Nonsense, this is the Queen of Qinghe, okay, these two flower sprouts are the fairy favorites of Queen of Qinghe!"
"This car has no wheels?"
"No wheels are the ones. It must be the Marquis who blessed the immortal arts!"
Amid the bustling noise, a group of people soon arrived at the city gate. At this time, everyone could see clearly that except for the horses riding by the guards of Qinghehou, the four strange-shaped carriages were indeed without wheels. Moreover, the carriages that Qinghehou was riding were led by two flower trunks, and there were two bamboo shoots hanging in front, running on the snow in a staggering manner.
"Get out of here, the Marquis of Qinghe enters the city!"
The guard leader who rushed in the front showed his waist sign in his hand and shouted loudly. The onlookers scattered in an uproar. The soldiers guarding the city gate quickly used long spears to stop the melon-eating crowds who were still running out, and a wide passage was empty. Four strange-shaped carriages rushed into the east gate under the escort of the guards, and immediately rushed into the city along the flat and straight cement road crushing the messy snow.
This strange combination of this team immediately set off a frenzy in the city. Countless passers-by were surprised and their eyes fell all over the ground. Many people couldn't stop talking after Chen Xu's sled car left for a long time.
The heavy snow these two days, and there are very few official documents across the country, so the court has been stopped these two days.
The emperor was used to getting up early, and he had already gotten up and exercised. After washing up, he changed into clean clothes and was sitting in Zichen Hall eating buns and drinking hot porridge and reading the newspaper he had just delivered.
"Report, Your Majesty, the Queen of Qinghe is here in a car without a wheel! " An eunuch hurried to the door of the hall with a look of surprise.
"Wheelless flower car?" The emperor was stunned with the bun holding the bun, and could not think of what the hell was such a strange car.
"Yes, Your Majesty, the car has no wheels. The one who pulls the car is two flower stalks. When they run, they are running at a speed. Qianniu Weiyan, who is guarding the palace gate, flew across the square in the blink of an eye to the palace gate!" The eunuch said excitedly and trembled.
"Let's go and see!" The First Emperor stood up and walked out with the buns. A large group of Xuanwu Guards in black clothes and black pants appeared in every corner of the garden outside the door. They wrapped the emperor in the middle and went out of the palace gate.
At the entrance of the palace, Chen Xu had already got out of the car and ordered the accompanying guards to take out a few bamboo shoots from a bamboo basket hanging behind the sled and throw them to both ends. Then he walked to the palace gate and let the guards guards go in and report to the emperor.
"Mr. Marquis, what kind of car are you?" Qianniuwei, who was guarding the gate, had already become familiar with Chen Xu, and also knew that this Marquis had a gentle temper on weekdays. A leader walked forward with a smile on his face and walked around the sled car and asked carefully.
"This is called a sled car, which is specially run on the snow. Go and report to your Majesty. I am going to visit the palace!" Chen Xu said with a smile.
"Wait for a moment, the eunuch has already entered the palace to report, and an order will be sent later!" The leader of Qianniu Guard said quickly.
So Chen Xu could only stand in the snow and ice and wait. After seven or eight minutes, the informed palace servants did not come out, but with a burst of dense footsteps, a group of black-clothed Xuanwu Guards came out one after another in the palace gate.
"Your Majesty comes out of the palace, everyone retreats!" With a loud roar of a Xuanwu Guard, the Qianniu Guard at the entrance of the palace instantly dispersed. Chen Xu waved his hand a moment ago, and a group of guards behind him quickly retreated more than ten feet, and respectfully knelt on one knee in the snow to greet him.
"Where is the young master? Where is the wheelless flower car?" The emperor walked out from behind a group of Xuanwu Guards, wiping his mouth while asking loudly.
Chen Xu greeted him with laughter and cry, but the emperor couldn't wait to hold Chen Xu's hand and said repeatedly: "I heard that my dear came by a wheelless flower car. Where is the car?"
"Your Majesty, the car is outside the palace gate!" Chen Xu turned around, and a group of Xuanwu Guards dispersed, and then the emperor saw that a strange-style car was parked in the snow, with round giant pandas sitting in the snow gnawing bamboo shoots.
"Is this car I came here?" The emperor walked in surprise and walked two feet away from the sled car and watched carefully.
The sled car is very simple, with two raised snowboards below, a frame on top, two rows of seats in front and back, and a ceiling covered with sheepskin on it, which looks extremely simple.
"Your Majesty, this car is called a sled car. It has no wheels. It depends on the two skateboards below to walk on the ice and snow. It can be pulled by cattle, horse, mule, donkey and other animals. On a whim, I used two flower stalks to pull and play with..."
Chen Xu knew that his cool sports car had aroused the emperor's interest today, so he explained it specifically.
"It's indeed a wonderful thing. I just heard that the eunuch was lying to me, but I didn't expect it to be true. Can you show me how to pull a cart with this flower bud?" The emperor was amazed and naturally did not want to miss the opportunity to see it.
"I obey the order!" Chen Xu shrugged and soon sat on the sled cart, then ordered a few guards to grab the bamboo shoots in their hands.
"Aoao~~" The two ends ran for half an hour and were so tired that they were suddenly stolen. They suddenly lost their temper and stood up and shouted. Chen Xu put down the bamboo pole hanging with bamboo shoots, and a bamboo shoot swayed and hung one foot away from the two ends.
"Haven~" Chen Xu shook the reins lightly, and rolled on both ends and crawled forward to chase the bamboo shoots swaying in front of him. The sled car rushed to the open space in front of the palace gate like lightning.
"Qinghe Hou is really a god. He can actually come up with such an incredible snowmobile. In this way, the northwest can drive goods in ice and snow!" A gray eunuch stood beside the emperor and exclaimed loudly.
"However, the young master got three volumes of heavenly books, and all of them were all beneficial to the country and the people. With this car, the northwest areas will benefit greatly!" Qin Shihuang nodded in surprise.
Chen Xu drove a panda sled and walked around the open space for a while. He soon stopped at the gate of the palace again. Several guards threw bamboo shoots on the snow. They happily sat on the snow and began to enjoy the food.
"Your Majesty, this sled carriage is the same as a carriage. The Ministry of Works can draw the following pictures and publish them in the northwest and Liaodong areas. This will solve the problems of cargo transportation and personnel exchanges in the cold winter!" Chen Xu walked to the emperor and bowed with a smile.
"Not bad, my dear and I have a perfect idea. This car is indeed a good thing for the country and the people. Could it be that I entered the palace today to show this sled car?"
"This is one of them. I went to the palace to pay homage to Your Majesty today, and there is another thing?" Chen Xu nodded.
"It's cold outside, let's go to the palace to have tea!" The emperor smiled and turned back into the palace with Chen Xu's hand in his arms.
A few minutes later, the monarch and minister sat down in Zichen Hall. The palace maid brought hot tea and stepped back. Then the emperor asked Chen Xu about his visit to the palace.
"Your Majesty, please see this thing!" Chen Xu took out a copper screw from his pocket and turned it off the nut and handed it to the emperor.
"Hey, this thing is extremely exquisitely made!"
The emperor took the screw and the nut and observed it carefully, and then under Chen Xu's guidance, he easily screwed the nut onto the screw, and nodded in surprise.
"This thing is called a bolt, it is an extremely useful riveting object. It is a tool developed by craftsmen from the Academy of Sciences. It has a wide range of applications and can be used on various vehicles and objects. With this thing, the Academy of Sciences can develop various machines with simpler assembly and more precise assembly..."
Chen Xu briefly explained the screw and nut.
For the emperor, he didn't need to know the origin of something, he just needed to know that this thing was useful, and he wouldn't care about the production process. Therefore, after hearing this, the emperor nodded slightly, played with the copper screw for a moment, and then spoke: "Did you encounter some problems in making this thing?"
"Your Majesty is as wise as a torch. He has indeed encountered some difficulties at present. Now I, Daqin steel smelting is very extensive, and the steel output is much larger than copper. Therefore, the production of this screw and nut should be made of steel, but to cut such fine threads on the steel, it is necessary to use metal harder than steel as a cutting knife. I haven't found this hard material yet, so I have to use a steel knife to cut it on copper materials. Although the screws and nuts made can also meet the application standards, copper is far less durable than steel. In addition, there will be a lot of demand in the future. There will be no supply of copper, and it may be taken away by someone to privately minted coins, so it is not the best choice!"
"Your beloved is right. I thought of this just now. It turns out that it is because steel is not easy to process!" Qin Shihuang nodded slightly and looked at Chen Xu, "Then what I need you to do, just speak up. As long as it is something you think is useful, I can arrange for someone to come!"
"With Your Majesty supporting me so much, why worry about the prosperity of the Qin Dynasty!" Chen Xu was very grateful and flattered, and then his face became slightly solemn, "To cut steel, I now think that there is only one kind, which is a God-given thing, and this thing is called Xuan Iron!"
Qin Shihuang paused and nodded slightly: "Yes, the hardest thing between heaven and earth is the black iron. The black iron is said to be the residue of the gods refining weapons in the sky and abandoned to the world. Therefore, it is also called the divine weapon iron. It is actually the best material for making weapons. Since I have sought this thing, I will naturally not be stingy. Now there are a few pieces in the Shaofu treasury, the largest is nine pounds and nine pounds, and the smallest is seven or eight pounds. The nine pounds and nine pounds of black iron was presented by a priest of Yan State more than ten years ago. I had already summoned craftsmen to try to create a black iron sword, but it could not be melted successfully. In the end, I had to take it into the dust of the treasury. Since my beloved is useful, I will ask Zhao Wei to take it to my beloved later!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Chen Xu was overjoyed and stood up respectfully and greeted the emperor with a deep respectful and deep gift.
The value of meteorite in this era is equivalent to treasures of heaven and earth. It is something closely related to gods and immortals. It is much higher than gold and silver jewelry in terms of attributes and value, because gold and silver can still be refined, and jewelry can still be born. Only this meteorite can only be obtained by luck and opportunity. Moreover, the landing of meteorites will inevitably lead to the arrival of heavenly fire or even thunderstorms. This kind of power of the god is no less than thunder and lightning.
Even in later generations, meteorite iron is much more valuable than gold, and it can be sold for tens of thousands of yuan a little bit in size.
Therefore, before Chen Xu could officially speak, the emperor took out the few pieces of meteorite collected in the palace. This spirit was beyond the possession of ordinary emperors.
"Don't thank me for thanking me, but I should thank you. I actually have a few large pieces of this mysterious iron, but it has been included in the Lishan Shou Palace. If you think it is not enough, I can arrange someone to get it together."
"Ah, don't use it, it's enough for Xuan Tie in the Shaofu treasury. Later, I can ask the newspaper to publish advertisements for collecting Xuan Tie in the newspaper and collect and purchase them from the people of the world. How dare you use the treasures in Your Majesty's tomb!" Chen Xu was stunned for a moment and waved his hand.
"Your dear, you don't need to do this. I have talked with you several times in detail. Now I am slowly thinking about it. Collecting rare treasures from all over the world and building such a large-scale underground palace is indeed a bit exhausting and financially damaged. It is actually useless to the people for the people. Since ordinary people cannot live forever, what's the use of me to build this underground palace? Alas..." Emperor Shihuang looked a little sad.
"Your Majesty does not need to be moved. The alternation of yin and yang, the cycle of life and death, and all things in the world have their own laws. If you cannot force them, even gods will still have a great disaster of life and death. When the heavenly disaster comes, you will be even more frightened than us ordinary people. What you are in this world should seek freedom and freedom, benevolence, benevolence, and righteousness. What Your Majesty asks is forever China. As long as Your Majesty's heart is unbound and let the people of our Great Qin live and work in peace and prosperity, it will be recorded in history forever. Your Majesty's name is like China forever!"
"Your dear words are reasonable and you want to get the matter of Xuan Tie. When you come to court tomorrow, I will issue an order to buy it among the people. You are so worried!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Chapter completed!