The departure of the Donglin Party untied the shackles of the eunuch party.

Without the Donglin Party staring aside, under the operation of the eunuchs, the collection of commercial taxes gradually changed its taste.

The eunuchs pressed down layer by layer, layer by layer. What's even more terrifying is that once the switch of desire is turned on, it is very difficult to close.

Since the beginning of the fourth year of the Apocalypse, every time the Emperor of the Apocalypse gets a tael of silver, the grassroots level means that 10-20 taels of silver need to be levied to meet the needs of each link.

However, the eunuch party members who are doing specific things in various localities have not infringed on ordinary peasant households for the time being.

It's not that they have a crush on the farmers, it's that they don't look down on them at all.

In the eyes of the eunuch party members, ordinary peasant households do not have much money at home, and they can't get much after a few days of hard work, and the efficiency of infringing on ordinary peasant households to get money is too low.

In order to make money quickly, the eunuchs targeted small merchants and ordinary squires.

In the eyes of the eunuchs, it is better to be a squire and a businessman, and they have a lot of assets in their families.

To deal with them, the eunuchs worked hard for the same time, and their income was several times higher than that of ordinary peasant households.

The wealthy families from all over the country smelled the smell, and they also took the opportunity to open their mouths and annex a large number of them.

The eunuchs just want money, and the wealthy people are even more greedy, they want the land and the people. For a time, the two sides cooperated seamlessly.

Powerless small merchants and ordinary gentry began to go bankrupt in large numbers.

As the Ming Empire continued to enter Beijing with a large amount of taxes, various places began to become unstable.

Outside the Grange on the outskirts of Beijing, a four-wheeled carriage pulled by two horses slowed down at a gallop and finally stopped.

The carriage stopped, Zhu Youzhen got out of the car in a daze, and he laughed at himself and said to Xu Guangqi, who got off the car later: "Mr. Xu is smiling, my design doesn't seem to be of much use, and the bumps are still there?" ”

It is convenient to have your own workshop, and the carriage designed by Zhu Youzhen was quickly built. Exactly as he designed, it was a four-wheeled carriage with plate suspension.

Today, on the way to Huangzhuang, Zhu Youzhen specially invited Xu Guangqi to take a test drive of the new car together.

As soon as the carriage moved, Zhu Youzhen was a little disappointed, and the shock absorption effect of the carriage was not obvious. Even on the relatively good road surface in the capital, there is still obvious vibration in the car.

After leaving the city, under the urging of Zhu Youzhen, the carriage gradually ran up.

The speed of the four-wheeled carriage pulled by two horses was very fast, and the increased weight of the carriage did not have much effect on the speed of the carriage.

The structural shock absorption effect of the plate suspension is not great.

The wooden chassis of the carriage still faithfully transmitted the violent bumps caused by the uneven road, and Zhu Youzhen was still dizzy and dizzy.

His plate suspension, U-shaped shock absorption, and a bit of an effect when the speed is slow, and when the speed is fast, it can't be felt at all.

Xu Guangqi, who got out of the car after Zhu Youzhen, didn't seem to be greatly affected by the bumps. He looked at the carriage with shiny eyes, ignoring Zhu Youzhen's self-deprecation.

Xu Guangqi said excitedly to the driver: "You turn around and take a look." ”

In the car, Xu Guangqi felt that when the carriage turned around, it was a little unusually flexible.

The coachman was a little unclear about Xu Guangqi's order, so he stayed in place and was a little stunned.

Zhu Youzhen saw that the driver was not moving, and urged him: "Listen to Mr. Xu, turn around quickly, what a daze." ”

Only then did the driver react and quickly drove the car to make a U-turn.

Xu Guangqi watched intently as the carriage turned around.

God, unbelievable. The carriage turned around with ease in front of him.

Looking at this incredible scene, Xu Guangqi couldn't help but scream in his heart: "It's true, it's true." I didn't feel wrong. ”

There really wasn't anything wrong with his feelings, the carriage was unusually nimble.

"It's a four-wheeled carriage, so it should be hard to turn in theory. How can you make a U-turn so easily? Xu Guangqi stared blankly at the carriage.

He thought back to the sketch he had seen and muttered, "The mystery should be on the carriage chassis, right?" What structure did King Shin add? ”

"One more time." Xu Guangqi shouted at the coachman.

This time, Xu Guangqi stared at the wheels of the carriage.

As the carriage moves, the front wheels of the carriage rotate as the horses turn, and the front and rear wheels of the carriage appear at a noticeable deflection angle.

The front and rear wheels of this carriage are not even one?

This discovery shocked Xu Guangqi.

Horse-drawn carriages in China are generally two-wheeled vehicles, and there are very few four-wheeled vehicles.

Because although the weight of the traditional four-wheeled vehicle is large, it is very difficult to steer, and it can only rely on external force to force the corner. That kind of four-wheeled vehicle is okay in open places, and once the road is relatively narrow, it is difficult for the four-wheeled vehicle to turn smoothly. It is conceivable how a vehicle that can only go straight can be used.

Although the traditional Chinese two-wheeled vehicle is agile, it can not carry much load. Because the balance of the two-wheeled vehicle is very difficult to control, it is too large and prone to various rollover accidents.

The defects of vehicles greatly restricted the ability of land transportation in ancient China.

Traditionally, bulk goods in ancient China were generally transported by water.

Where there are no rivers in the north, large-scale transportation is difficult and the cost of transportation is very high. For long-distance transportation, the loss on the road often exceeds the goods themselves.

That's why there is a traditional saying that "ten miles are not firewood, and a hundred miles are not rice".

This four-wheeled vehicle designed by Zhu Youzhen, his reference object is the car of his previous life.

Although his main consideration was how to solve the problem of shock absorption with plate suspension, he instinctively designed the steering function for the car.

Joke, who has ever seen a car in a previous life that can't turn and only runs in a straight line?

Zhu Youzhen would never have thought that a four-wheeled vehicle that can turn flexibly will bring Xu Guangqi much shock?

Because, Xu Guangqi knows what this will bring!

This will be a qualitative leap forward in China's transportation industry!

With a four-wheeled vehicle that can turn flexibly, as long as there is sufficient animal power, it can travel quickly with a large load on the existing road. This has an immeasurable impact on the transportation of bulk goods in the north.

Think about it, it would have taken 10 days to travel and 10 carts to transport the goods; Now, 5 four-wheelers can be delivered in 5 days, what would it be like?

Aside from the loss of savings, this is a remarkable improvement in military terms.

Looking at the four-wheeled vehicle in front of him, Xu Guangqi's eyes lit up. He wanted to take the carriage apart on the spot and see what that epoch-making steering system was like.

Looking at Xu Guangqi's excited expression, Zhu Youzhen felt a little inexplicable.

In his eyes, the carriage was a failure, completely falling short of his requirements for improvement. He never knew that the four-wheeled vehicles of ancient China would not steer.

In Zhu Youzhen's view, it is a matter of course for the four-wheeled vehicle to turn flexibly.

This difference in mindset is caused by the great difference in cognition between him and the people of this era.