Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"They were loyal to the emperor, but at the same time treated the people well."

"Therefore, the people here are very wealthy and happy, and virtuous officials do not levy heavy taxes..."

"The emperor built schools in every town and city throughout the country to train more scholars."

“Every child here can go to school, so the Great Ming Dynasty will never lack scholars.”

"The wealth of the Ming Empire allowed the emperor to have enough money to establish schools in every town..."

“Jian told me that not only the emperor was willing to build schools, but wealthy nobles, merchants and scholars would also selflessly contribute money to establish schools.”

"The emperor built schools in towns, the rich built schools in the countryside. Schools were everywhere here, and even the street vendors could read."

"Therefore, there are a lot of books here. Before I even entered the city, I saw shops selling books, paper and pens outside the city."

"I've heard that the prince of the Ming Dynasty is the most learned scholar in the entire country."

"His talent was admired by all, his poems were widely circulated, and countless great, intelligent and noble scholars surrounded him."

"This wise and learned emperor once commanded an army of 300,000 and defeated an equal number of barbarians in the north."

“Those barbarian tribes were brave and skilled in battle. They even destroyed the Peach Blossom Stone Liao Kingdom, which was as powerful as the Ming Dynasty, and established a country called the Jin Dynasty.”

"The barbarian army of the Jin Kingdom also invaded and occupied the territory of the Ming Dynasty, but they could not defeat the great prince in the end."

"It was a great battle involving 600,000 men. The emperor led his most valiant and loyal army, personally donning armor and charging on horseback."

"He defeated the enemy head-on and achieved a decisive victory."

"The barbarian tribes of the Jin Kingdom were forced to sue for peace, ceding land, offering valuables, and begging the prince to cease his pursuit..."

"Because the Ming Dynasty had countless scholars, they admired elegance, even the poorest people."

"They eat with two thin sticks. No matter what the food is, they only use the sticks called chopsticks to put it into their mouths and never touch it with their hands."

"Their chopsticks are exquisitely made; according to Jian, some are made of gold, silver, and ivory..."

"There's also a very large vehicle here, specifically used for transporting goods."

"It takes fifty mules to pull it, but it can carry away any amount of cargo at once..."

Chapter 3288 Domestic and Foreign Machinery

"The capital of the Ming Dynasty was surrounded by canals, and each canal was filled with countless merchant ships."

"Even the boatmen wore silk, and the dockworkers ate meat every day..."

……

suburbs.

The craftsmen at the armor testing grounds were still hammering and testing cotton armor, while a new type of four-wheeled vehicle had already been developed.

We weren't in a rush to build them before because the war required too many wagons, so we mainly used civilian laborers and auxiliary soldiers to push and pull them.

Now, five years after the founding of the nation, Zhao Yuan deliberately collected and bred mules.

A large number of mules and four-wheeled carts can effectively reduce the number of laborers conscripted and also improve the speed of logistical transportation—of course, on rugged and narrow sections of road, laborers and mules are still needed.

As for why mules were chosen, they are easier to raise than horses and more docile and obedient than donkeys.

"These steerable four-wheeled vehicles are much more expensive to manufacture than ordinary four-wheeled vehicles..."

"It can save laborers and speed up transportation, so it's worth it no matter how high the cost."

Zhao Yuan had the driver test drive the car, and he was very satisfied with the result.

China has had four-wheeled carriages since ancient times, but they have always lacked steering systems because... there was no practical need for them.

Large flatbed trucks used for hauling goods need four wheels for support if they exceed a certain load capacity.

Firstly, to reduce the burden on the animals pulling the cart, and secondly, because they were afraid the wheels and shafts wouldn't be able to withstand the strain.

However, transporting several tons of goods is certainly slow, and it can turn the direction without a special steering system.

As for vehicle shock absorption systems, they have existed since ancient times.

One type is called "Futu" or "Cheji".

Located between the chassis and the axle, it functions similarly to a leaf spring in a car, not only absorbing shocks but also stabilizing the axle.

Another type is called "Dangtu," which is a component connecting the shaft and axle of the cart. It also has a stabilizing and shock-absorbing effect and can effectively prevent the shaft from wearing out and breaking.

Of course, it can't compare to a spring, much less a real leaf spring.

Like ancient China, Europe had four-wheeled carriages very early on, but they never became popular due to their high cost and low demand—until the Hussite Wars!

The Hussite army used four-wheeled wagons as chariots, and then arranged these chariots into a wagon formation, with trenches dug in front of the formation.

Each chariot was equipped with approximately 20 soldiers, consisting of crossbowmen, halberdiers, swordsmen and shieldmen, flailmen, and musketeers.

After forming a wagon formation, they would provoke the enemy to attack with cannon fire, then use bows and crossbows and muskets to fire, relying on the wagon formation for defense.

After weakening and exhausting the enemy and disrupting their formation, the cavalry and infantry would then charge out of the wagon formation to finish them off.

It is very similar to the vehicle formation tactics used by China.

However, Chinese chariots were pushed by people, while Hussite chariots were pulled by horses.

Besides its logistical advantages, the four-wheeled steering carriage also serves to quickly turn within a small area when forming a battle formation.

Now, Zhao Yuan has created a combination of late Ming dynasty chariots and Hussite chariots!

Wei Xuezeng, who was dismissed from office by Zhang Juzheng, personally improved the side carriage when he served as Minister of War. The equipment of this war chariot can be described as insane.

Instead of using chains to connect the carriages, it erected long spears on wooden frames.

This wooden frame can be disassembled and used to hold twelve long spears, which can be placed in the gaps between chariots to act as barricades.

Each tank is equipped with twenty-five soldiers and two breech-loading cannons that fire directly from inside the tank.

Chapter 3289 New Weapon Demonstration

There were also Thunder Flying Cannons on the ground, which were small cannons similar to Tiger Crouching Cannons.

There were also six musketeers, all equipped with rapid-fire muskets.

In addition, there were soldiers equipped with traditional weapons.

It's practically a mobile fortress, but its downside is that it's too bulky.

Unable to conduct long-range operations across regions.

"Get them all ready, let's practice!"

Only two four-wheeled chariots were made. At Zhao Yuan's command, the soldiers carried sandbags onto the chariots and also put various military equipment on them.

Sandbags were used to imitate baggage, but were replaced with food bags during marches.

Four mules pull a cart, the driver cracks his whip to start it, and the soldiers follow closely behind.

They simulated a marching formation, with puddles and small slopes in the field.

If the four-wheeled chariot could not cross the road, the soldiers would come over to help push it.

"Enemy troops spotted several miles away! Form ranks!"

Upon receiving the order, the driver quickly spurred the mules to turn, and the two chariots stopped four or five meters apart.

The driver first secured the wheels, then untied the shafts, led the mules away, and pulled them back into the wagon formation to avoid them.

The soldiers carried the iron chains off the cart. Zhao Yuan did not use chevaux-de-frise, but continued to use the iron chains.

However, the two vehicles were connected by four iron chains, which made it easy for our soldiers to remove them while making it difficult for the enemy to completely separate them.

After hanging the iron chains, the soldiers went to spread caltrops.

Meanwhile, the soldiers were also on the move; when they had just "marched," all their armor had been left on the vehicles.

Now they help each other put on their armor and then pick up various weapons.

The fixed four-wheeled carriage was very stable, and the soldiers fought directly on the carriage.

The side panels of the carriage were transformed into arrow defenses, and even had specially designed firing holes.

The archers and musketeers quickly took their firing positions.

The spearmen, equipped with waist knives, were responsible for protecting them and preventing the enemy from getting close.

The artillerymen also took out small cannons from the vehicles and set them up on the iron chains between the two vehicles, so that the iron chains would not obstruct the small cannons.

"The enemy is already a hundred paces away!" Zhao Yuan shouted.

Ranged units immediately perked up their ears and listened attentively; if this were actual combat, larger caliber artillery would have already been fired.

Large-caliber field guns also had wheeled carriages and underwent a series of modifications.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Boom boom boom!"

"Shhhhhh!"

The flintlock muskets fired, the cannons fired volleys, and the crossbowmen shot arrows.

Moreover, the firing was alternating, with all sorts of shells and arrows covering the area within dozens of meters in front.

The flintlock rifles that began mass production last year have a completely standardized caliber and paper-cased ammunition.

Although there are slight size differences, they do not affect combat, and soldiers no longer need to control the bullets themselves.

Elite flintlock musketeers can now fire four shots per minute!

Yang Zhi clicked his tongue and muttered, "If I were the enemy general, I would have no idea how to deal with this improved chariot formation."

Zhang Tang said, "The chariots are large and heavy, making it difficult to cross the Yanshan and Taihang Mountains."

"If we fight the Jurchens again, Shanxi and Youzhou should focus on defense, while our main force should take the coastal route to directly attack Jinzhou."

"Take Jinzhou first, then attack Liaoyang. Do not launch a direct assault on the formidable passes of Yanshan and Taihang Mountains."

Wang Yuan nodded: "We should take Liaodong directly."

The officials of the Privy Council were already reluctant to foolishly march north, and now that the tanks had been improved, their opinions became even more aligned.

What nonsense about completely recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun?

That's a fixed mindset!

Chapter 3290 Yanmen Pass

Even with artillery, a formidable pass like Yanmen Pass is difficult to breach.

A full-scale attack would be protracted, consume countless supplies, and result in numerous casualties.

Choosing a suitable season and avoiding muddy roads, the army advanced eastward along the coastal route.

Then, naval ships will be used to transport troops across the sea in coordination.

With one conventional and one unconventional strategy, Jinzhou could be easily captured.

Next, Liaoyang, the heartland of the Jin state, was exposed to the Ming army's advance.

The capture of Liaoyang crippled half of the Jin dynasty, as it was the Jin's most important grain-producing region.

Zhao Yuan said, "Order the Ministry of Works to build 10,000 four-wheeled war chariots within two years."

This order could drive the Ministry of Works crazy.

According to tradition, the Ministry of Works would issue orders to various regions to summon registered artisans to serve in the military.

The government only needs to provide materials and food. If the service period is long, they will also pay some wages as appropriate.

Now, the laborers are employed in a semi-mandatory manner by using the poll tax they pay regularly.

If there is a funding shortfall, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works will allocate funds to make up the difference.

Timber that was usually stockpiled for collecting commercial taxes was also to be brought out at this time and centrally allocated by officials of the Ministry of Works.

An official from the Court of State Ceremonial arrived at the testing ground at a trot.

"Your Highness, the envoy from the Kingdom of Sedu has arrived in the capital."