The internal combustion engine has an unrivaled advantage over the steam engine in the field of land vehicles – even if it is still immature and requires pre-heating of the fuel lines to run smoothly when starting. However, this still does not affect the internal combustion engine vehicle to completely crane the steam engine in the field environment.

Yes, the steam engine has high torque, mature technology, and can also have quite good flexibility when paired with a gearbox. However, it could not withstand the high "thirst" of the steam engine for fuel and heating medium. The steam locomotives that run in the Newsal region run sixty miles and consume about thirty to fifty tons of water, and at least five tons of coal.

Carrying at least thirty-five tons of water and fuel on its back, even the most elaborate design of the vehicle would be reduced to a turtle lying on the ground and unable to move. As a result, the Navy is not equipped with land vehicles other than Steam Horses. The Imperial Army, on the other hand, equipped the Steam Knights with heavy, high-pressure cylinders that could be replaced as a power source. On average, a heavy cylinder is capable of keeping the Steamrider running at low intensity for three quarters of an hour and at high intensity for a quarter of an hour.

The three-meter-tall steam knight is equipped with three heavy-duty high-pressure gas cylinders, and the humanoid steam knight takes into account the mobility and combat needs of the complex terrain in the city. In the wilderness outside the city, the Imperial Army's main Steam Knight is a full six meters tall. If the Steam Knight were to haul an unpowered wagon that could store high-pressure gas cylinders, the main Steam Knight could theoretically fight for two hours in the wilderness. Then through a quarter of an hour of cylinder replacement, a battery life of about two hours is again obtained.

To have such combat capabilities, the Imperial Army needed to set up a large number of forward positions on the front line. In other words, you have to prepare a lot of boiler rooms to fill the steam riders with pressurized gas cylinders.

And the large number of boilers that burn in large quantities, the coal and water required are an extremely terrifying number - which is why the army is so despised by the navy.

In the eyes of the Naval Staff, the steam knights, who are heavily equipped but have never been combat-tested, are waste. So many pressurized positions, so many black smoke reaching into the sky, it is simply the perfect artillery bombardment to indicate the target.

In the event of a war, as long as two waves of artillery fire are covered, the army's steam knights will be reduced to a pile of scrap metal.

It is precisely because of this realization that the current Royal Navy commandos are not equipped with even a single steam knight. It can even be said that the Royal Navy commandos today are the purest traditional ground forces in the entire empire.

Imperial commandos fought with bolt-action rifles with magazines, as well as small-caliber mortars and portable field guns. And their main "mobile vehicles" ...... It's real horses and mules.

Horses were expensive animals, and the aristocracy would buy and raise them for social purposes. Some freedmen who lived in remote locations would buy mules to get around. And these expensive animals, in the eyes of the Royal Navy commandos, who value reliability and all-terrain combat capabilities, are the best mobile solution.

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"Are you sure...... Can this thing achieve the same maneuvering effect as a mule and horse? Duchamp, who had been called home again by a letter, appeared on the hillside outside the workshop. He frowned as he looked at the strange-looking metal machine in front of him.

Dusand and Polina looked at each other, then nodded vigorously. "Father, the capabilities of this vehicle are definitely not comparable to animal power - it is only the earliest experimental product, but the results are already fantastic. ”

Polina's compression-ignition gas engine was not small, and according to her calculations, the power of this engine was about twelve horsepower. Although it is not as powerful as the Ford Model T, it is more than enough to drive the vehicle to achieve low-speed off-road and relatively high-speed flat road driving.

Of course, Dussaint wouldn't be stupid enough to let the world's first car be fitted with a bunch of luxury equipment and leather seats. Since the target is military equipment, it has to look like military equipment - the closest thing to a finished structure on this car is the open cargo compartment in the rear, and the cockpit is simply a fully open design.

The lone steering wheel and three pedals are directly exposed to the air, and a metal stick of the seat shifter is protruding next to the driver's seat. The driver's seat itself is simply made of wood shelves and iron sheets, and it looks like a product of wasteland survival.

The tires of the vehicles are outright off-the-shelf. Polina removed four relatively intact steel wheels from an abandoned steam wagon, while Dussander instructed Polina to widen the wheels with thin steel plates, and then welded a bunch of herringbone steel plates about three centimeters high to the widened wheels.

Wheels of pure steel, of course, are deadly heavy, and it is necessary to drive fast on stone roads with such "tires...... This is even more impossible.

But such tires are perfect for demonstrating their off-road performance on the dirt outside the workshop.

Dussander insisted that it was anything but stealing. Rather, it is to demonstrate the characteristics of the equipment that can be flexibly changed for different terrains.

With Duchamp watching, Dussander jumped into the driver's seat and began to show his father. At the place of Seven or Eight York, next to Dussand, Todd drove a flatbed cart towed by two mules, ready to assist in the experiment as a reference group.

Both cars were stacked with metal ingots weighing about a ton. As a few snowflakes begin to fall, the experiment officially begins.

From the moment the first "accelerator" was stepped on, the "Experimental Car No. 1" driven by Dussander began to twist. Four steel off-road tires with a diameter of one jol rotated together, and after a little digging through the ground, the car drove forward with green smoke.

Todd also waved the whip in his hand at the same time, urging the two mules forward. The carriage itself has a strong load capacity, and it is also suitable for the towing capacity of two mules. But...... The mule still seemed a little laborious at first, but it was much easier to walk up.

The starting advantage gained by the experimental car No. 1 was soon equalized by two sturdy mules, and Duchamp frowned a little. This is not quite in line with Dusander's boasting of Haikou.

But soon, the speed of the two mules slowed down - and then there was an uphill climb, which, though not very large, still caused a considerable burden on the two poor animals.

Dussand's speed was barely affected, and the four massive metal wheels gnawed two deep marks on the ground before roaring and dragging themselves up the hill. From the beginning of the ascent to the summit, Dussand's experimental vehicle directly abandoned the mule cart and was at least forty yols ahead.

Nimbly turned around at the top of the mountain, and the experimental vehicle began to drive down the mountain. By the time the vehicle came to a stop in front of Duchamp, the mule cart had just finished turning around and was ready to start descending the mountain.

After stopping the car, Dusand reversed into storage, pulled up next to Polina, and jumped out of the driver's seat to help replace the gas cylinders. After the cylinders were replaced, the mule cart reached the finish line.

"It's pretty good." The serious expression on Duchamp's face finally changed somewhat, and he looked at the experimental vehicle that Dusand and Polina tossed out with some surprise, and then praised, "If it can be faster, the naval commandos will definitely be interested." ”

"You haven't seen the most potential for this invention." Dussand, apparently dissatisfied with this assessment, stood in front of his father and exclaimed, "Our test is a machine, and after a certain distance it can be refueled and it can continue to drive at the same speed - as long as there is fuel, it can drive to the end of the world!" But the animal-powered vehicles can't, they only get slower and slower, and eventually they have to stop and rest. ”

Dussander patted the metal monster behind him and proudly said, "If you improve it a little more, if you use a 33-pound high-pressure gas tank to store gas, it can last 60 miles of fuel!" ”

"The same speed?" Duchamp's expression completely turned into shock, "At this speed just now, 60 miles at a time?" ”

"If you drive on a dry and smooth road with ordinary carriage wheels, the distance can be at least doubled." Dussander nodded solemnly, "Father, Teacher Polina's invention is indeed the most important invention of this era, and its role is far more than just such a scene!" ”