Chapter 41

Liang Xing, being pointed out like this, felt his spirits rise. He then fell back a few steps and told Zhang Chun to fetch the bird gun as soon as possible.

"Be careful with it," Zhang Chun said with a smile. "I've practiced with it too, and it hasn't broken in my hands."

"I want to practice with the Lu Mi gun as well."

Zhang Chun looked at Liang Xing and smiled, "The master is still carefully selecting people. Only trusted confidants can use the fire guns. For now, it's just the two of us. We will definitely use the Lu Mi guns. We need to learn well, and when the master selects more people, we will train them. So not only do we need to practice well, but the master also said we need to figure out how to load faster, how to shoot more accurately, what the differences are between the Lu Mi gun and the bird gun, and if there are any improvements to be made... Oh, and there's a book, I'll bring it for you to look at later."

Liang Xing had learned to read as a child and was still learning, but reading books was still difficult for him. Zhang Chun looked at Liang Xing's expression and smiled, "Don't worry, the book has few words and many pictures, so it won't be tiring to read."

"Thank you very much." Liang Xing now understood that Zhang Chun was indicating that the master considered him a confidant and was also trying to build a relationship. He then imitated the scholars and formally clasped his hands together. Zhang Chun returned the gesture and quickly caught up with a smile.

...

"Master, this is the new carriage with the added steering shaft."

This time, the person introducing it was Li Changnian, who was tall and slender like a bamboo pole, and was nicknamed Li Changgan. The craftsmen initially had no leader, but Li Changnian and Wang Debang were among the earliest to arrive, and over time, their loyalty increased, and they knew more of the rules. The dozen or so artisan households gradually saw them as leaders. Zhang Han also divided them into two groups, with Li Changnian's group specifically responsible for improving the carriage, and another group led by Yang Hegao responsible for making and repairing weapons for the guards, though their status was not as high as Wang Debang and Li Changnian's.

Usually, shoeing horses and making carriages were done together by these craftsmen, and Liang Hong and Old Cai would coordinate the work, with Li Yujing keeping the accounts and Yang Shiming recording the inventory. The organization was clear, and the materials used and the craftsmen's rewards and daily expenses were all meticulously managed. Even the government might not do as well, as the current officials were different from those of the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties. The administration was already in decline, and without the support of mathematics and other practical sciences, those who only knew the eight-part essay had no ability or talent to manage affairs, nor the willingness. The clerks and officials could only bully the people and falsify accounts, and they were clueless when it came to real management. The greatest advantage here was that everyone was a merchant, and merchants were arguably the most efficient group in the Ming Dynasty. Everything had to be planned in advance, organized, and clearly structured, which was a requirement usually found only in the military. In contemporary European countries, local grassroots forces, including the police, were often composed of retired soldiers, precisely because the military was a place that emphasized rules, planning, and efficiency. In the Ming Dynasty, the nominal rulers were the emperor and the Confucian scholars, but the actual rulers of the local areas were the gentry and the officials, who were the least rule-bound, unplanned, and inefficient group.

Developing the new carriage was an important research project. Zhang Han had gathered many craftsmen, including the best from Xinping Fort. He had been looking for more craftsmen in other forts and garrisons, but even so, the resources were still insufficient. Zhang Han personally drew the designs, and the carriage with the added steering shaft was only completed after nearly two months.

Making carriages was essential. In the northern mountainous areas, two-wheeled carriages were still used, and the roads from the counties to the towns were barely passable for two-wheeled carriages. Only the major official roads connecting the capital to the military towns could accommodate large carriages, and the conditions of these roads were slightly better. These areas were also where Zhang Han had the most strategic layout, as collecting and transporting grain required good large carriages.

Previously, all carriages were two-wheeled, clumsy, and slow, with poor design. Two mules or donkeys could pull a carriage carrying at most a dozen or so stones of grain, and even for shorter distances, it could not carry more than twenty stones, or about 3,000 pounds, usually around 2,000 pounds. The large four-wheeled carriages Zhang Han had seen were even more cumbersome, requiring six or eight horses to pull, and could carry 5,000 to 6,000 pounds, but their speed was excruciatingly slow, and they were very prone to breaking. Using such four-wheeled carriages was not as practical as two-wheeled ones.

The carriage in front of him was a newly made four-wheeled one. The design was based on Zhang Han's memory, with a longer body, higher front guard and lower rear guard. The front guard had a wooden seat nailed to it, with footrests below. The driver's seat was made of two layers of boards, and below it were the front wheels. A long rod connected to the front wheels with side guards, which was the connecting rod. The two front wheels were not fixed to a wooden frame as in previous carriages but were connected to the connecting rod via a central roller. The long connecting rod was fixed to a circular front axle, and the part where the carriage shaft connected to the body was integrated with the front wheel suspension. This allowed the front wheel suspension to turn as a whole when the mules or horses turned.

As Zhang Han observed the carriage, Li Changnian and the other carriage group craftsmen were tense, with Li Changnian's hands trembling slightly. Unlike Wang Debang, the entire manufacturing process was guided by Zhang Han, and his contribution was in the craftsmanship. If he still failed, he felt he had let Zhang Han down and had no right to stay here.

Thinking of this, every member of the carriage group was sweating profusely. They considered this place a paradise, and being dismissed would be worse than death.

The surroundings were quiet, and even the children who usually played and shouted around were very sensible and stopped their play. In the eyes of the children, Zhang Han was like a celestial being. Every bowl of rice and every bite of food they ate, their parents told them it was Zhang Han's grace, and they should remember it well.

There might be people in this era who did not repay kindness or did not know gratitude, but they were a minority.

"Very good, very good indeed."

After a long look, Zhang Han finally showed a satisfied expression.

At this, all the members of the carriage group breathed a sigh of relief, and the sound was so loud it almost formed a wave of air.

The previously tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed, and the children nearby cheered.

Zhang Han turned to look at the children, and Wang Debang, seeing his eldest son among them, quickly said, "Master, I will chase them away."

"Don't chase them away," Zhang Han said with a smile. "I was thinking that these children are a waste of potential. There is a shortage of people everywhere, whether as apprentices, shopkeepers, craftsmen, warehouse managers, or accountants. These boys look smart, and whether they learn a trade or not, it's best if they can read and write... I know you are teaching them skills, but they are too young to learn them well. Letting them run wild all day is not good. I will set up a literacy class, not just for your children but also for the children of the shop assistants. The tuition will be free, and I will provide a meal at noon. What do you think?"

The children, though wild, could help their families from morning to night. The artisan households raised chickens, ducks, and geese in the courtyard, which the children took care of. Without a meal, Zhang Han knew they might not be willing, even though he had the authority to do as he pleased. Zhang Han always considered things thoroughly, and the effects of voluntary and forced actions were definitely different.

"Most of us are illiterate, and we never expected to have enough to eat, let alone for our children to read and write. How could we not be willing?"

Wang Debang knelt and kowtowed, and the other craftsmen followed, their heads thudding on the muddy ground.

People from later generations could not understand the respect and thirst for knowledge in this era. In the countryside, a scholar was almost invincible, exempt from labor service and certain land taxes. According to Zhu Yuanzhang's regulations, a scholar was exempt from 30 acres of land, and by the 46th year of the Wanli era, a scholar could be exempt from 100 to 200 acres. When someone became a scholar, people would offer land to gain the exemption. Scholars like Fan Jin were a minority, but the benefits were real, and they were respected and flattered regardless of their reasoning. The Chinese respect for scholars was deeply ingrained, but the scholars of the Ming Dynasty were not up to the task, and the nation and the people suffered as a result.

Zhang Han did not help them up. After they kowtowed, he smiled, "You kowtow to thank me, and I accept it. But if you truly want to thank me, you should also learn to read and write. There are many things in books, and if you can recognize a few hundred characters, you can read illustrated books, which will save me a lot of trouble. So, let's set up a literacy class for adults, and we'll teach some practical and quick things."

The craftsmen were not as happy with this decision. They worked hard every day and wanted to rest early in the evening. Learning to read would require a lot of effort and energy, but Zhang Han did not allow them to oppose or discuss it. After saying this, he went back to look at the carriage, and they could only keep their thoughts to themselves.

"The carriage should be harnessed with leather straps, which should be short and strong. This way, when turning or stopping, the carriage frame won't directly hit the horses, providing a buffer so the horses won't be injured."

"Yes, Master," Li Changnian said respectfully. "We will try it as you said, using cowhide."

"Any kind of leather is fine, as long as it is short and strong, and can provide a buffer between the horses and the carriage."

The carriage in front of Zhang Han was now basically complete. The most important part was the wheel axle. The original Chinese carriages had the wheels fixed to the frame, making turning difficult and the carriage clumsy and prone to breaking.

Using bearings to connect the wheels to the frame, and adding a front steering shaft, made the carriage more robust and capable of carrying more weight, and turning was easier. This was already a preliminary success.