Chapter 819 of the text volume of Dao Mo Wen, the Hero of the Bright Moon in the Qin Dynasty, was completed [Please subscribe*Please vote] Jin Yao did not enter the carriage with Li Mu and the others, but followed Master Ban to the front of the carriage to monitor the data on the operation of the chariot.
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"What is the maximum speed?" Jin Yao asked, looking at Master Ban who was controlling the train.
"This is the first time it is fully loaded with people and cargo. The specific speed is still being tested!" Master Ban was not sure how fast it was. After all, although they had built it, it was still the first time it was operated.
Jin Yao nodded and looked out of the car. The people in Xianyang were also exclaiming at the start of the Fire Dragon Chariot. In their understanding, it was difficult for human power to drive this behemoth.
But now this giant thing like a fire dragon is really moving forward slowly, and its speed is getting faster and faster.
The cavalrymen on guard also rode their horses to follow on both sides of the track, always maintaining a certain speed on both sides of the chariot, but gradually they had to speed up to keep up.
It's just that the charge of the war horses can only last for a short period of time, but the train can always keep moving forward at a certain speed.
In the end, the cavalry guarding the two wings had to stop and watched the chariot disappear before their eyes, and they could no longer follow it.
"The cavalry can't keep up!" Li Mu naturally found that the cavalry was lagging behind. The endurance of the war horses could not keep up with such a mechanical behemoth.
"Let's go and try the fire dragon's defense!" Li Mu led the generals from the Guowei Mansion up to the roof of the train, wanting to try out the weapons on the roof of the train.
It was natural for Gong to lose his revenge, so he led Li Mu and a group of generals to the shooting port reserved on the roof of the car.
Each bed crossbow can also rotate 360 degrees and move 90 degrees up and down, covering almost all sight ranges. Except for the height below the train underground, there is almost no dead spot for shooting.
Li Mu also knew very well that this blind spot was actually no longer a blind spot, because there were also riflemen's bayonet holes in the train compartment.
"Any enemy who wants to get close to the Fire Dragon Chariot will be shot into a sieve within 800 steps of the chariot!" Gong Shuqiu said confidently.
Li Mu nodded, because there were not only Gongshu's overbearing machine skills on the train, but also Mohist's machine arts. Some of the strategic carriages were equipped with the kind of arrow formations used by the Mohist general academy to defend against the enemy. Once activated, they could fight with each other.
The moving speed of the chariot can instantly cover the area around the chariot with arrows.
"The only flaw is that the Fire Dragon Chariot can only drive on the established track. Once the track is destroyed, the chariot will not be able to move forward." Gong Shuqiu sighed and said.
Although the Fire Dragon Chariot is good, it has great limitations. It can only travel on tracks, and the construction of tracks is extremely difficult, and it does not allow too high ups and downs and turns.
After Li Mu briefly tested the power and practicality of the weapon, he returned to the carriage again.
"How long does it take to reach Yanmen Pass?" Ying Zheng was also surprised, but the majesty of being an emperor for eternity required him to keep his emotions and anger a secret at all times, so he asked pretending to be calm.
"This is the first full-load operation, so we are not sure what the maximum speed and optimal operating speed are. Mr. Ben and the right minister are monitoring the car at the front!" Gongshuqiu did not give a definite answer.
Ying Zheng nodded. If the cavalry could not catch up, it would prove the value of the chariot.
At least the money, manpower and material resources Da Qin invested in the early stage were not lost.
"How much does it cost to build such a fire dragon chariot?" Ying Zheng continued to ask.
Gong Shuqiu thought about it carefully, and he knew that what Ying Zheng was asking was not how much they spent on the research and development and production of this Fire Dragon Chariot, but the cost of building such a chariot in the future.
"This depends on the length and defensive capabilities of the chariot. Specific calculations need to be made." Gong Shuqiu said.
Because this is the first row, the length and defense of the tank are top-notch. If it is produced in the future, it can be upgraded or emasculated according to the use of the tank.
"Forget it, let the Prime Minister worry about these things!" Ying Zhengneng was sure that the cost would be high, but he didn't want to know the details for fear of feeling distressed!
As long as he can't see the cost, he won't feel bad, and he can just talk and let the people below him break his legs.
Jin Yao and Master Ban at the front of the car finally confirmed the optimal and maximum operating speed of the chariot.
Although it is not as fast as the three or four hundred kilometers per hour of later generations, nor as high as the hundreds of kilometers per hour of ordinary trains, it can still reach an astonishing seventy kilometers per hour.
Therefore, Jin Yao, Ying Zheng and others did not follow the train to Yanmen Pass, but got off the train at Yueyang. The rest was between Master Ban and Gong Shuqiu.
"It actually took us one day to ride from Yueyang to Xianyang, but the Fire Dragon Chariot only took an hour!" Ying Zheng couldn't help but sigh.
They took the fire dragon chariot from Xianyang to Yueyang in a short time, but it actually took an entire night to return to Xianyang from Yueyang.
"That's why I established Daqin's Supreme Academy of Sciences. Only science and technology can truly enrich a country and strengthen its military!" Jin Yao said seriously.
Ying Zheng also nodded in approval. Before this, who would have thought that those talented people could bring such a big change to the empire?
"It's a bit expensive even if you spend money!" Li Si said with emotion.
The expenditure of the entire Academy of Sciences accounted for more than half of the entire court expenditure this year. The originally wealthy treasury was half empty due to the research of the Academy of Sciences.
"If we were to lay such tracks all over the country and run chariots, how much would it cost?" Ying Zheng looked at Li Si and Jin Yao and asked.
"Don't, don't!" Jin Yao and Li Si hurriedly stopped.
Laying such a track and train would empty one-third of Daqin's treasury, and it would have to be laid across the country, so Daqin wouldn't have to do any other work!
"So much money?" Ying Zheng was also a little surprised.
"Yeah!" Jin Yao and Li Si nodded wildly like chickens pecking at rice.
"At least not now. Before Daqin Steel's output increases, we must not build another fire dragon track!" Jin Yao said hurriedly.
This track was built to verify the feasibility of the plan, so no matter how much it is spent, no matter how much it is spent, but after the verification is successful, we can no longer waste it so much, and we have to start budgeting carefully.
Moreover, Da Qin is different from later generations. People cannot run around casually, so it is impossible to use it to carry passengers and make money like later generations.
The greater significance of the existence of the Fire Dragon Chariot in this era lies in its strategic significance.
Therefore, even if it is built in the future, it will not be fully paved, but only a few roads from Xianyang to various local strategic towns will be paved.
"Look, I'm scaring you!" Ying Zheng smiled slightly, "Do you think I will be the kind of king who doesn't know how expensive food, rice, oil and salt are without being a householder?"
Li Si and Jin Yao didn't say anything, not now, but who knows in the future. People can be trusted in times of hardship, but they can easily drift away after they become successful!