Daqin Engineering Corps

Shen Bing has also inquired that the mountains near Qilian Mountains are usually not short of water... The melting snow on the top of Qilian Mountains will form rivers on both sides.

On the north side of the Hexi Corridor are Datong River, Shiyang River, Heihe River, etc., and on the south side are streams formed between valleys.

With dry food and water, it is not a big problem to survive through the mountains for seven or eight days.

However, a new problem soon arises...

After a few days of training, Xiang Liqing reported to Shen Bing:

"Our army is marching too slowly."

"At the beginning, I only thought it was the reason why the Shenwu Army didn't often march in the mountains."

"Now it looks like armor..."

Shen Bing asked suspiciously:

"The rattan armor of the Shenwu Army is not heavy, why does it affect the march?"

Xiang Liqing explained:

"It's not because of the weight, but because the rattan armor is large and has many gaps. When entering the mountainous area, it is often caught by branches and vines!"

After saying this, Shen Bing understood.

Thinking about it, it is also true. During this period, the mountainous areas were not destroyed because of the inaccessibility of people, and most of them had deep forests and many trees. If you walk through them wearing armor, your speed will definitely be affected.

But armor must be carried.

So Shen Bing asked:

"Can you take off your armor and carry it on your back?"

Xiang Liqing shook his head and said:

"The subordinates have tried it, but the rattan armor is inconvenient to fold, and it is still too big and difficult to take off the burden."

This is one of the disadvantages of the rattan armor. The bronze back armor used by the Qin army is easier to fold when worn together with bronze sheets, while the rattan armor is made of old rattan. If it is forcibly folded, it may be deformed and damaged.

Shen Bing didn't say much, but ordered:

"You wait to continue training, and I will settle this matter."

Xiang Liqing answered and left.

Wang Ben, who was standing aside, asked curiously:

"General, if we can't bring horses into the mountains, how can we solve the problem of carrying armor?"

"According to my subordinates, we may simplify the rattan armor, that is, only wear the helmet and breastplate, so as to reduce the size and weight."

What Wang Ben said may be reasonable, but Shen Bing does not think this method is feasible.

The advantage of the rattan armor is that the area covered by the armor is so comprehensive that the enemy archers can hardly find any flaws, so they can exert a strong combat effectiveness when dealing with nomads.

If you only wear a helmet and breastplate, what is the difference from Qin Jun's bronze armor?

The 2000-man team was originally insufficient in strength and needed to strengthen its combat effectiveness. If the armor protection was further reduced... it would probably fall short because of this deficiency.

Shen Bing didn't dare to take the risk.

Because the lives of tens of thousands of Qin troops in the Hexi Corridor, including Shen Bing, were entrusted to these two thousand martial arts troops.

Therefore, Shen Bing did not adopt Wang Ben's suggestion and could only think of other ways.

Is there any way to increase the transportation capacity?

Shen Bing frowned, took out the sheepskin and drew a sketch.

Then he handed it to Wang Ben:

"Can this thing be made?"

Wang Ben looked at it and replied:

"It shouldn't be difficult, my subordinates call a few people to try it!"

Shen Bing didn't bring God with him on this trip... All of them are busy in Hetao, either smelting iron or carpentry or taking apprentices.

But it doesn't seem to matter.

Because the soldiers of the Shenwu Army have all learned woodcraft... When they were training in Daliang, they made boats while training, so it was not difficult to make something.

Sure enough, it was finished in just an hour.

This time surprised Shen Bing, mainly because the wooden wheel took a long time, he thought it would take at least a few days.

It was only later that Shen Bing found out that Wang Ben directly removed the wooden wheels of a carriage for speed.

Wang Ben reported to Shen Bing:

"General, we have finished the work, please inspect it."

"only……"

Shen Bing asked:

"Just what?"

Wang Ben replied:

"I'm wondering why this thing only takes one round?"

"If there is only one round, how do you drive?"

"Did the general make a mistake?"

Shen Bing didn't say anything, and led Wang Ben out of the tent, only to see a few soldiers holding a wheelbarrow looking at Shen Bing in panic, as if they were worried that they would be punished by Shen Bing for doing something wrong.

It wasn't until Shen Bing nodded that they breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Bing explained to Wang Ben:

"This thing is called a unicycle."

"Since it is a unicycle, of course it has only one round."

Wang Ben was stunned:

"But if there is only one round..."

Shen Bing took the wheelbarrow from the soldier, and then pushed it around under the surprised eyes of Wang Ben and the soldier.

A unicycle can of course drive.

The reason why it can run on one wheel is because from the perspective of force, the wheels and the two legs of a person constitute three relatively stable points.

When pushing, use a little ingenuity to make the protection balance.

Wang Ben said "oh" when he saw it:

"It was pushed by human power."

Shen Bing raised his head towards Wang Ben and said:

"How about you try it?"

Wang Ben excitedly stepped forward to take the handle. At first, he walked crookedly, but it became very smooth after a while.

"Great general!" Wang Ben, a childlike innocence, called while pushing: "This wheelbarrow is very interesting. Is it used for carrying things?"

Shen Bing replied:

"Why don't I try it?"

As he spoke, he asked the soldiers to carry a few bags of grain.

A small wooden frame protrudes from each side of the wheelbarrow, and the main point of loading is to balance the load on both sides.

Shen Bing asked the soldiers to put two bags of food on each side, and Wang Ben shuffled and said:

"It's a good thing, and I don't feel tired pushing four bags of food."

Shen Bing then asked someone to find a hemp rope, tied it to the left and right handles of the wheelbarrow, and then hung the middle on Wang Ben's shoulder and neck...

Wang Ben cheered:

"General, it saves more effort."

"But when I have a carriage to transport, why do I need this thing?"

Shen Bing didn't answer but instead asked:

"How about if this thing is used for the Shenwu army to transport in the mountains?"

Wang Ben suddenly realized, and after thinking about it, he nodded and replied:

"Although this object requires manpower, the most important thing is that it is light and flexible, and the body is low so that it will not be caught by the branches."

"Even if the cliff is not feasible, it can be hoisted with ropes and pulleys."

"In this way, we don't need to worry about the armor being unable to carry it."

"The general's method is excellent, and the subordinates admire it!"

Chapter 394 Suzhou

It is said that this unicycle was invented by Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period.

It is also the "wooden ox and flowing horse" in the annals of the Three Kingdoms.

This "wooden cow and horse" is said to be like a myth that it can transport grain by itself without human and animal power, which is definitely wrong.

According to the analysis of historians, it is very likely that it is a unicycle.

The reason is that the road to Shu is difficult, not only narrow and steep, but also extremely dangerous. There is an inevitable problem with the transportation of cattle, horses and other animals: if you don’t pay attention, or the cattle and horses are frightened, they will fall under the cliff and lose food, grass and livestock.

At this time, it is more efficient and safer to use manpower to transport grain with a flexible, light, and small wheelbarrow.

Seeing that the modification was suitable, Shen Bing didn't hesitate any longer, and immediately ordered the Shenwu Army to build a large number of wheelbarrows.

In fact, there is no need for many unicycles. In terms of every unicycle, the Shenwu Army of 2000 people only needs [-] unicycles.

Another hundred were added to carry more arrows, thunderbolts, and bags of provisions and water, so that only three hundred were needed.

The Shenwu Army did not have time to make wheels on the marching road... In fact, the main difficulty in making a unicycle is the wheels.

Shen Bing copied Wang Ben's method and changed the carriage into a wheelbarrow.

These carriages were originally used to transport military supplies, and the empty carriages could be refitted after eating.

In addition, Shen Bing ordered Kuaima to hurry to Suzhou, and ordered Li Yan to make wheels or prepare carriages, so the insufficient wheelbarrows rushed to Suzhou in time for remanufacturing.

After more than ten days, Shen Bing and his party finally arrived in Suzhou.

Li Yan brought his personal guards to meet him ten miles away in the morning. When he saw Shen Bing and his party from a distance, he rode up to meet him. Then he bowed his hands to Shen Bing with relief and said:

"The subordinates are waiting to welcome the general!"

"With the general in charge of the overall situation, the subordinates can rest assured."

Shen Bing asked:

"How is the situation in Suzhou?"

Li Yan replied:

"My lord, everything is normal."

"It's just that there are spies from the Xiongnu and Yuezhi outside the city from time to time."

Shen Bing wondered:

"Have the Yuezhi and the Huns come to Suzhou?"

Li Yan replied:

"Back to the general, it's just a small army."

"And most of them are Yuezhi cavalry."

"The Yuezhi army stationed on the Sanwei Mountain line and built fortifications."

Shen Bing was even more surprised when he heard this.