In fact, as early as the end of the fourth year of Jianji, the east-west first-class national highway (Liangjing Post Road) had been built to Bianzhou. However, due to factors such as war expenses, the subsequent movement was very slow. In the past two years, only westward
It passed to Mianchi County without leaving Henan Prefecture, and it passed eastward to Jingrong Town (now northeast of Lankao) without leaving Bianzhou.
In the following two or three years, the Liangjing Post Road was built intermittently. Currently, it passes through Shaanzhou City in the west and continues towards Tongguan. The cost of this section is still relatively high, and widening in many places is a bit difficult and requires a lot of manpower.
The eastward movement was a little faster, and after passing the examination, we arrived at Jiyin County in Caozhou. In other words, the Bian and Cao sections of more than 200 miles have been fully connected, and the eastward section from Caozhou to Yunzhou has also been completed.
More than thirty miles away, it's not very far from Dingtao Town.
The north-south Yunxiang Road continues to stop at Taihang Pass at its northern end. After passing through Fangcheng County, the southern end passes through Bowang Ancient City, Nanyang County, and Juiyang Ancient City, and then arrives in Xinye County, heading towards Dengcheng Ancient City and Anyang.
If we drive in the direction of the county, we will definitely be able to build it to the outside of Xiangyang City next year.
The two main roads, with Luoyang as the intersection, are actually the backbone of the empire's projects. Together with four-wheeled carriages, they can benefit all people. In addition to the two major post roads and Yunxiang Road, there are actually some small-scale projects.
Chang'an, Xijing, is building roads in both directions to Xingning and Huazhou. On the Beijing side, the section from Fucheng to Changping County has been built to make it easier for saints to soak in hot springs.
Two four-wheeled carriages entered the national highway one after another, with Xia Ruqi and Zhong Yanyou leading troops to guard them.
It was October at that time, and the work in the fields had already been finished. The farmers were repairing the canals. When they saw a large group of soldiers and two rare large carriages from a distance, they were very surprised and stopped their work.
Watch from the roadside.
Because there were soldiers blocking the view, some people even climbed up the tree to watch the strange things. The scene was very lively. "Spread out a little and let people take a look." Shao Shude said happily while blowing the wind on the carriage.
Walking on a flat first-class national highway, pulled by four draft horses, the speed was soaring - he suspected it was 20 kilometers per hour, but it was definitely not that fast when hauling goods.
Zhao Zhi rode in the same car with him and said with great emotion: "Your Majesty, if it were in the former Tang Dynasty, this car would definitely not be used by many people, but in this dynasty it is somewhat possible."
"Why?" Shao Shude asked curiously.
"Although there were many official horses and civilian horses in the former Tang Dynasty, they were still not as good as this dynasty." Zhao Zhi said: "This is all the result of His Majesty. In the former Tang Dynasty, there were many official horses but few civilian horses. This dynasty has many official horses, which is different from the former Tang Dynasty.
They are almost the same, but the people's horses are far superior to those of the previous Tang Dynasty. Therefore, horses are very cheap and many people can afford them."
Shao Shude nodded.
In fact, four-wheeled carriages appeared in the Roman era, but then experienced a long period of low ebb. Although they were used a lot, they were definitely not available everywhere. The reasons are closely related to road conditions, costs, and technology.
The return to large-scale use of four-wheeled carriages would come in the era of the first agricultural revolution in Europe.
With the promotion of the three-field system, Europeans began to plant alfalfa, turnips, oats and other crops in large quantities, which were excellent feed for horses. This greatly increased the maintenance of horses among the people, and the cost of using horses was finally lower than that of cattle.
Naturally, horse-drawn carriages began to replace ox-carts in large numbers.
As the market share of horse-drawn carriages surpassed that of ox-carts, it was natural to regain the four-wheeled horse-drawn carriages that had been marginalized due to cost issues, so the technology of this kind of horse-drawn carriages was constantly improved.
By the first half of the 17th century, that is, at the end of China's Ming Dynasty, four-wheeled taxis even appeared in London, which only served passengers in the city.
As for what to do in the areas outside the city where the traffic situation is extremely bad, of course it is to build roads, because the demand for carriage transportation is increasing day by day, and it is impossible not to build roads, so the improvement of transportation infrastructure has been promoted step by step.
It can be seen from this process that the cost issue is very important, it is the basis of everything.
The superiority of four-wheeled carriages is obviously far superior to that of oxen-carts, but because horses are scarce and the cost of use is too high, which was three times that of oxen before the 12th century, four-wheeled carriages are almost extinct.
But when the three-yard system became popular throughout northwest Europe and the number of horses exploded, everything changed.
Carriages appeared, first in the old style of the Roman era, and then with constant iterative improvements. When the production, quality, and cost of metal gears and bearings reached an acceptable level, new steering devices also appeared, and slowly replaced the old carriages.
.
The whole process does not require your manual intervention, because intervention is useless. If you get on the carriage of the 15th and 16th centuries in the 11th and 12th centuries, it will only make this kind of thing disappear, because the status of the carriage was not stable at that time, and such a high price
Cost and low output will only make people continue to use bullock carts.
The few orders from the nobility and royal family are not enough to promote the progress of the industry, because the scale is completely insufficient. The development of other industries is also very immature, and there are no common parts to reduce costs for you. If this continues, it will only stifle new things.
"Secondly..." Zhao Zhi continued: "If this car is carrying passengers, you can choose a fast draft horse, or use four horses to pull it. If you are pulling goods, you can choose to go slower, but
It is a strong draft horse. The former Tang Dynasty did not select and breed horse breeds, so it fell short in this regard. Your Majesty has been devoted to horse administration for thirty years and has achieved many fruits. In this matter, none of the saints in the former Tang Dynasty can compare with Your Majesty."
When Shao Shude heard this, he stroked his beard proudly and smiled.
I have changed the world, and this feeling is so great.
Carefully analyze the level of productivity, respect objective laws, actively integrate into society, and leverage progress bit by bit in a realistic way. It does not make people of this era feel too abrupt, because if they feel this way, they are likely to have unexpected things
resistance.
Make changes little by little and slowly add up to more. This will have the least resistance and the best chance of success. He did it.
Of course, we have to thank the surprisingly open atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty. In another era, this may not have been successful. This is true. The carriage went all the way north. After walking for almost an hour, we saw the city wall of Changping County in the distance.
Already.
There were more people here. After seeing the shining knight with the silver saddle, and then seeing the four-wheeled carriage running very fast, two of them in succession, everyone's attention was suddenly attracted.
"Could it be a holy driver?" Someone asked. "When a holy driver goes on a tour, does he only have four wheels?"
"Not to mention four wheels, there are dozens of wheels. Yang Guang has ridden in this kind of car when he patrolled the grassland." "How do you know? How can dozens of wheels turn?"
"I heard what people said." The man said unconvinced, "As long as there are enough horses, you can turn around even if you pull them hard. Even if you are a little slow, you shouldn't be able to go so fast."
Liu Shoujing was about to enter the city when he heard the noise of the people and stopped immediately.
He is a direct descendant of the Liu family in Changping, and is fifteen years old this year. In the fourth year of Jianji's reign, he was selected to go to the palace to study with the princes and princesses. This time, because the elder in the family was seriously ill, he took a few days off and returned home.
During the visit, he didn't expect to see the Holy Emperor before he entered Changping City - he knew very well that the large group of Yin'anzhi guards could only be saints. Even if the Queen went on a tour, they would only be accompanied by palace guards, and it was impossible to send out Yin'anzhi's guards.
.
He did not delay outside and quickly entered the city.
After a while, several teenagers suddenly rushed in from outside, ran straight to a store, and asked breathlessly: "Shop, is there that one...that one...is that the one?"
Liu Shoujing was curious, stopped and listened silently.
This is a shop that mainly sells wild products, medicinal materials, and leathers from the mountains outside the Great Wall. The shop's business was slow, and he was dozing at the door. Hearing this, he glanced at the young man, sighed, and said, "It's a pity that you can't do it at such a young age.
"
"Huh?" The leading boy's face was full of questions.
"The saint is over fifty, and he can still control several girls at night, even winning princes and princesses..." The shopkeeper shook his head and said: "You are only fifteen or sixteen years old. You are young and don't know how to take care of your body. Alas, you are late.
Alas, that medicine is no longer available in the store."
"You Jia Shu! How can you accuse someone of innocence out of thin air?" The young man grabbed the shopkeeper by the collar, blushed and said angrily, "I'm here to buy a leather hat, what do you want?"
"Uh..." The store owner was stupid. It turned out that he had misunderstood, so he complained repeatedly. The young man let go of his hand and cursed to himself.
At this age, you can say that he can't do anything else, but he needs the medicine of tiger and wolf to be able to
Maintaining that would be insulting, so he was particularly angry. The store owner wiped away his cold sweat and ushered five or six teenagers into the store. They were making a lot of noise outside. People who didn't know the truth saw him and probably thought he was selling fake medicine.
"What kind of leather hat do you want? Our store has sheepskin hats, dog skin hats..." The store asked the waiter to bring a few hats and introduce them one by one. "Not these!"
"What's the use of such a hat?" "Do you have a bearskin hat?"
"It's the kind that the silver-saddled warriors wear on their heads." The teenagers asked all over the place.
When the store owner heard this, he shook his head and said, "No."
"You don't even have a bearskin hat, how can you have the nerve to sell it?" A young man knocked on the table angrily and asked.
The store owner said helplessly: "I would like to teach you all, warriors, that our store only started selling fur goods a year ago. We sell more fur clothes, but eight out of ten are sheep fur. There are fewer hats. In our Youzhou territory, except for
Who among the Tibetan people wears fur hats? Furthermore, if they wear fur hats, they make them themselves and never come to the city to buy them. If it hadn’t been for the saint to start a trend, I wouldn’t have been able to sell many fur hats this year. Bearskin
Hat, haha, who will buy it?"
"You're a shabby shop, just close it."
"I'm going to burn this bird shop of yours tonight, so you don't have a bearskin hat." "It's too much, so I'll pour dung on it."
"Forget it, this store doesn't sell bearskin hats. It sells fake medicine all day long and will go out of business sooner or later."
"There is someone in our village who is over 60 years old. He bought fake medicine here and died that night after taking it. I haven't even settled the account with him yet."
The veins on the shopkeeper's forehead were exposed. He flicked his sleeves and ignored these people.
Liu Shoujing listened outside the door for a long time, and also burst into laughter.
At the same time, I also felt a little surprised. When I was studying and practicing martial arts in the palace, I didn't feel that. When I walked outside today, I found that the world was changing so fast.
The prestige of the saint is really nothing to say. The young men in Youzhou must have often heard the stories of the saint's battles in recent years, right? He defeated the Khitan and conquered the Bohai Sea, and his illustrious martial arts, how can we not be fascinated by it?
Middle-aged people may not be so young, but passionate young men admire this kind of king with unparalleled martial arts. If it were an emperor with little achievements, would the bearskin hat still be so sought after?
Yin'anzhi, that is the personal army of the saint, represents the first-class strong soldiers of Daxia, and is the most desired place for all the young men who are skilled in bow and horse in Youzhou. The world has changed, and people's hearts have gradually changed.
The quarrel in the store was over, and the teenagers slammed the door and left one after another. Liu Shoujing noticed that the last person walked deliberately slowed down, turned back secretly, bought a package of medicine like a thief, hid it and trotted away.
.
"You also want to buy medicine?" The store owner looked Liu Shoujing up and down and advised: "I think you are full of energy and healthy. You are not like the person just now who was deficient in energy and blood. It is better not to use the medicine of tiger and wolf.
, the more you use it, the more it becomes useless. It’s important to take care of your body.”
Liu Shoujing was not angry and said with a smile: "I don't want to buy medicine, I just want to ask something."
"Tell me." The shopkeeper was also bored, so he brought two horses over, gave one to Liu Shoujing, sat down and asked, "Is it easy to sell leather goods and herbs outside the wall?" Liu Shoujing thanked him and asked.
"This store was passed down from my ancestors. To be honest, it was not easy to sell in the past, but since last year, business has suddenly improved." The store owner said: "It is true that leather goods are the best sellers, but it's a pity that I can't buy good goods."
"Why is it suddenly so popular?" Liu Shoujing asked.
"I just heard those young men clamoring. What new thing did the saint come up with?" The store owner asked without answering. "Yes." Liu Shoujing nodded and said, "The four-wheeled carriage is very big, can turn easily, and can run very fast.
.”
"I saw a four-wheeled carriage when I was young." The shopkeeper sighed: "There is a stone road in the northwest of Changping. Over time, the stone surface is full of deep ruts. At that time, the shogunate built a four-wheeled carriage and went to the army.
Duxing transported grain by turning on rutted wheels. Later he disappeared, and I don’t know why.”
Rutted turns? It's a good idea. Liu Shoujing secretly admired it, it was a bit like the "rail car" mentioned by the sage.
"The Saint of Daxia is amazing." The shopkeeper continued: "Every time he comes up with something, it can create a trend. Going back to what Xiao Langjun asked, it is actually very simple. The Saint opened a business in Peiping.
When running a martial arts school, fur coats are given to those who enter the school. Those who have made meritorious deeds in the imperial army are also rewarded with fur coats, furs, and gloves. These soldiers are wandering around, and as time goes by, more and more people are envious. Maybe the young man didn't notice,
In our Changping County alone, there were two more leather goods shops within a year. Alas, they made more money than I did."
"Why do I earn more than you?" Liu Shoujing asked curiously.
Although he hadn't paid much attention to the store in front of him, he had a vague impression that it must be a time-honored brand.
"People in Kansai all speak with a Lingzhou accent." The shop owner said bitterly, "They can get the goods from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On the first day of this year, the queen summoned foreign women to the palace for a banquet. I heard that they were all wearing furs, so she was also rewarded
A lot of furs. Then, as you know, anyone with a little money is pestered by his mother-in-law to buy fur clothes. It's already October, and it's the time when fur clothes start to sell easily. I hate it. I can only watch.
Making money for others."
They can only sell fur clothes, but you can also sell medicine...
Liu Shoujing smiled and said, "That's it. The saint rode in a four-wheeled carriage today, and the news spread far and wide. After a while, I'm afraid there will be a lot of talk in the streets and alleys. This is another good deal."
"Who says it's not the case!" The shopkeeper sighed: "The things used by the saint are naturally excellent. With such a high prestige, people will naturally imitate him. It's a pity that the saint doesn't come to buy medicine from me. It's a pity, it's a pity!"
This time it was Liu Shoujing's turn to sweat on his forehead.
"Listening to what you have to say is better than ten years of reading. Let's buy some medicine... No, I'm leaving!" Liu Shoujing finished speaking in a hurry and ran away.