Chapter 108 Luxurious open-top oxcart (please add to collection and recommend)
After everyone agreed to plant rice, Luo Chong went to inspect the rice fields again, straightened those that were not properly planted, and then started to do other things.
The men were assigned to cut wood, catch chickens, hunt, smelt copper, make pottery, and do carpentry.
The women fired brick kilns, fished, herded, and refined salt mines.
The method of refining salt mines is similar to boiling saltpeter before. First, smash the mineral salt, then dilute and dissolve it with clean water, and then filter it several times to remove impurities. Finally, boil the filtrate, evaporate and crystallize it. The white salt produced is not only for the use of his own tribe, but also can be used for trading with others.
Luo Chong attaches great importance to the Spring Festival. Of course, he is not looking for women, but wants to trade with those unfamiliar tribes. The most prepared commodities are white salt and pottery. These are necessities for every tribe, and there is no worry about not being able to sell them.
Another thing that needs to be prepared is a large cart, otherwise how can so many commodities be brought to such a far place.
"Wooden Pig, how are the four wheels I asked you to make?" Luo Chong walked to where they were doing the carpentry and asked.
"Chief, the wheels are done, two big ones and two small ones, the wood is thicker, there are no tree scars on them, they are all made according to your requirements, each wheel has 28 thick springs." Wooden Pig pointed at the four wheels and introduced them.
"Well, not bad, it's an improvement over the carts we made before." Luo Chong praised affirmatively.
"Chief, why did you ask us to make wheels of different sizes? Are these wheels for two cars?" Wooden Barrel beside him asked in confusion.
"Haha, these are wheels for a car. Didn't I say it's a four-wheeled car?" Luo Chong explained with a smile.
"Then why are they different sizes? If such wheels are installed on a car, wouldn't the car be crooked?" Wooden Barrel continued to ask.
"No, these two sets of wheels are not arranged left and right, but front and back. The two large ones form a group and are installed at the back, mainly for bearing weight; the two small ones form a group and are placed in front of the car body. They are lower than the car body and are not fixed wheels on the car body, but live wheels for steering."
The wooden barrel and wooden pig were surprised after hearing Luo Chong's explanation, "Can it be like this?"
"Of course, in this world, there is nothing we dare not build except what you dare not think of. In fact, the car I am talking about is more like a trailer. This four-wheel trailer has a large load capacity and is very flexible in steering. It can also save the animals pulling the car to the maximum extent. It is very easy to use. In the future, we will mainly use this type of car to transport goods. You must study hard this time and strive to build a better car in the future." Luo Chong encouraged them.
"Yes, leader." Everyone in the carpentry group answered in unison.
There are now more than a dozen members in the carpentry group, and there are only a few main or master-level ones, all of whom were brought up by Luo Chong. Although they can't make anything by themselves, they are the first batch of people who have learned to read a ruler and can understand Luo Chong's requirements.
The others are teenagers selected from all the tribesmen later. Their main job now is to help, help a few masters to play ink lines, saw wood, and learn dimensions and arithmetic by the way, and accumulate experience.
Because the structure of the cart is complex, it is also equipped with many bronze parts to increase the structural strength and service life.
The axle of the wheel, the head of the axle, and the connection parts of the frame are all fixed with bronze parts, especially the drag steering structure of the front wheel and the connection part with the rear body main frame. Not only bronze is used here, but also grease is applied for lubrication when using it.
The sturdy front frame has a slightly narrower wheelbase than the distance between the rear wheels. There is a small platform on the frame with a towing hook on it, which can be used to hang the rear frame together. The front of the front frame is a thick T-shaped wooden stick that bends upward, just in the middle of the entire body. When in use, a cow is tied to each side of the stick to provide power for the vehicle.
On the main frame of the rear body is a truck bed with bridles on all four sides, just like the rear bed of a modern pickup truck. There is a relatively high driving position in front of the body, which can easily accommodate two people side by side.
And the view is better when sitting high, because the cows pulling the cart are more than two meters high. If the driving position is too low, the view in front will be blocked by the two cows, which is very disadvantageous for the driver.
With Luo Chong's command and coordination from all sides, the cart was made in three days. The axles and wheels were made of hard oak, the main frame was made of relatively soft red pine, which was stable and shock-absorbing, the bucket was made of fir, and there was a wooden frame on it. The sunshade covered with animal skins was also waterproof to prevent the transported white salt from dissolving in water.
Two strong black oxen were put in front of the cart. It was luxurious and beautiful. Luo Chong was proud to say that this wooden wheeled ox cart was no weaker than the Lamborghini with a bull's head on the front of the car in this primitive era. Rolls-Royce and Maserati were all weak. It was useless to put them in a place without roads and gasoline.
"The chief is really amazing. He can actually make such an amazing thing. What's it called?"
"It's called a cart, an ox cart, a four-wheeled cart."
"This cart can pull a lot of things, and there's also a hide tent on it to provide shade and shelter from the rain. It's really beautiful."
"Look, just sit on the front of the cart, hold a long whip in your hand, shout a few times, and wave the whip a few times. You don't even have to use any strength, and you can pull so many things away. This is a magical tool."
"Hey, how come the chief is so amazing? He's smarter than our witch and has made so many great things. He must have become the chief because of his intelligence. Otherwise, how amazing can a kid like him be?"
"Don't say that. I heard that our chief is also very good at fighting. Even Dali, the tallest man in the tribe, couldn't beat the chief. The chief knocked him down in one go."
"Is this true? Is the chief as good at fighting as he is smart?"
"Shh, I'm going to tell you something, don't tell me."
"Yeah, tell me quickly."
"I once heard our witch say that the chief is a god."
"God, is this true?"
"Do you remember the time a few days ago when the leader led us to dig salt in the mountains? Is such a powerful force something that ordinary people can do? I also heard that the big tree dug the leader out of the soil at that time. The leader is a god who can control the earth. Otherwise, how would he know that food can grow in the soil and copper can be burned out of stones."
"Hmm - what you said makes some sense. I almost believed it."
(End of this chapter)
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