Chapter 802: Cement Road II (1/2)
Chapter 802: Cement Road (II)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Rumble!
As the crowd looked on in astonishment, this massive carriage mounted the road and came to a stop.
Zhao Jingdian suddenly turned his head and asked, ”Elder Xie, I would like to ask you, how much weight can an ordinary carriage bear?”
”This… normally seven to eight hundred jin, with twelve hundred jin being the maximum.”
Although Xie Gufeng didn't know why this question was being asked, he still gave his honest reply.
”Why twelve hundred jin?” Zhao Jingdian asked with a smile.
”This is quite simple. Once it's too heavy, two horses won't be enough to pull the carriage. One might need three, four, or even five horses, but this is a whole new problem. Not just any horse can work with four other horses to pull a carriage, and no normal driver can control them. Moreover, one also has to consider the ability for the surface of the road to bear the weight. If it's too heavy, the wheels will sink into the earth and will either get stuck or greatly hinder any movement. In long journeys, this will lead to a substantial delay that goes against the purpose of using carriages in the first place,” Xie Gufeng explained.
The answers to Zhao Jingdian's questions were basically common sense. Any member of a great clan who had worked with carriages a little understood these things. A merchant wouldn't get up early if they didn't stand to make a profit, and if they could transport more on carriages, why wouldn't they?
Xie Gufeng paused a moment before adding, ”In addition, twelve hundred jin added to the weight of the carriage itself is already very heavy, around seventeen or eighteen hundred jin, maybe even two thousand. This weight is already quite frightening.”
”Haha, Elder Xie, I understand.”
Zhao Jingdian began to point at the Wang Clan guards.
”You, you, you… all of you, get on the carriage.”
With a sweep of his hand, Zhao Jingdian ordered ten-some agile warriors to get onto the carriage. This strange action immediately drew the focus of the crowd, the clan experts avidly watching this scene.
Although they didn't know what Zhao Jingdian was doing, all of them understood that he must have a particular purpose behind his actions.
”Elder Xie, this should be about twelve hundred jin, right?” Zhao Jingdian asked with a smile.
”This– yes, indeed.”
Xie Gufeng's eyes went wide. All of these guards were tall and muscular, and ten-some of them all together was far more than twelve hundred. It was at least seventeen hundred jin.
Zhao Jingdian smiled and picked out another batch of Wang Clan guards. ”You, you, you, all of you go up as well!”
”Yes, Milord.”
All the guards chuckled as they climbed onto the carriage with practiced movements. There were now twenty-some Wang Clan guards in the carriage compartment, all of them squeezed together. It was at this time that the rest of the crowd finally understood why Zhao Jingdian had brought such a large container.
”Lord Zhao…”
Xie Gufeng could no longer hold back his surprise. Twenty-some bulky men packed together… such a method of transportation had never been tried before. After all, this was a weight of two to three thousand jin.
”You, you, you… all of you go up as well.”
Zhao Jingdian appeared to think that this still wasn't enough weight, ordering yet another batch of chuckling guards onto the carriage. Some of them stood on the edge of the carriage while others hung from the protruding sides. In short, the entire carriage was completely packed.
Everyone was flabbergasted by this sight. There were now thirty people on this one carriage, when an ordinary carriage would usually hold only three or four people. This was ten times the normal weight, an absolutely absurd number.
Xie Gufeng suddenly took a few steps forward and said, ”Milord, please forgive me if I misspeak. If you put so many people onboard, two horses will find it very difficult to pull the carriage.”
Zhao Jingdian was putting too many people on this carriage, and even though Xie Gufeng sensed that he was trying to prove something, this method was clearly implausible.
”Haha, we can only know if it will move once we try.”
Zhao Jingdian gave a careless laugh.
”Elder Liang, begin.”
Zhao Jingdian gestured to the old driver on the carriage. ”Hyah!” A whip snapped in the air before cracking onto the horses.
Neigh!
The carriage began to roll, its wheels rumbling as the two horses pulled the carriage holding thirty people forward.
At the start, it was obvious that the horses were using a great deal of energy to pull the carriage forward at a very slow speed. But then they began to speed up, the carriage and its load of thirty people zooming forward.