Josef Ressel had specifically brought in three heavy guns for a comparative test.
Soldiers and draft horses could pull heavy guns as well, but only with great difficulty, and they could not keep it up for long.
Over a distance of two hundred meters, by the time that tricycle reached the finish line, the draft horses and soldiers had only covered half the distance.
There was no doubt that the greater the distance, the wider the gap would become. The six draft horses were still holding up well, but the soldiers were already panting for breath.
It could not be helped. Twenty soldiers found it difficult to stay in sync, and they simply could not bring their full strength to bear.
But Franz could hardly train soldiers specifically to pull carts because of this. That would be putting the cart before the horse.
At that moment, Franz noticed something unusual: the tricycle's undercarriage seemed to have been modified again.
There was a single wheel at the front, while the rear had been replaced with tracks.
"Mr. Ressel, this vehicle's tires are quite unusual."
Josef Ressel immediately said with a smile.
"Your Majesty, your insight is truly astonishing! Even my colleagues and those generals would not have discovered the mystery so quickly.
"In fact, based on the actual state of our roads, as well as the conditions most likely to be encountered on the battlefield, we specially developed this half-track vehicle.
"Wheels truly are a great invention, and the tires you invented have made them even greater.
"But they still have one fatal weakness: their contact area with the ground is too small.
"When a vehicle is very heavy, its tires exert tremendous pressure on the ground. That is not a problem if the surface is hard enough, like city streets.