Later Zhao In the
Yezhongji (鄴中記) ('Record of Affairs at the
Capital of the Later Zhao Dynasty') by Lu Hui, covering the history of the
Later Zhao (319–351 AD) court in China, the text describes various mechanical devices used, including the wheeled
odometer for measuring distance and the
south-pointing chariot for indicating
cardinal direction. Two engineers in particular, the Palace Officer Xie Fei and Director of Imperial Workshops Wei Mengbian, were known for their designs and worked at the court of
Shi Hu (r. 334–349). Other mechanical figures included ten Daoists dressed in monastic robes who continually rotated around the Buddha while periodically bowing, saluting, and throwing
incense into a
censer. Xie and Wei created a similar device operated by wheel motion called the field mill, although it served a more practical purpose than the theatrical display of moving statues and water-spouting dragons. The
Yezhongji states that the two devised a "pounding cart" or "pounding wagon" which had figurine statues armed with real
tilt hammers who pounded and
hulled rice only when the cart moved. The
Italian military engineer
Pompeo Targone, who was most notably involved in the
Siege of La Rochelle (1627-1628) in western
France, invented the field mill in Europe by 1580. As shown in the Italian
Vittorio Zonca's engineering treatise of 1607, two mills mounted to a wagon are rotated by a horse whim and gearing while in a stationary position at military camp or near billets. ==See also==