Diqin Designer

Chapter 446 The Athletes and Steam Carts of the Great Qin Dynasty
The stone lock, which looked incredibly heavy, was lifted by Zhang Shi with both hands and then held high above his head.

The stone lock was almost half the size of Zhang Shiyi, yet Zhang Shiyi lifted it up, creating a visually striking effect. The other contestants around him looked at Zhang Shiyi in surprise; this small guy was quite strong. Although he was short, he was indeed very strong.

The Qin official in charge of recording quickly glanced at the stone lock that Zhang Shi had raised, noted it down, and then said to Zhang Shi, "That's enough, put it down!"

Zhang Shiyi put down the stone weight, scratched his head, and asked sheepishly, "Can we choose another stone weight? I feel like I can lift something heavier."

The official from Qin said, "Alright, if you feel that the stone weights you chose are too light, you can choose heavier ones. The score will be based on the heaviest stone weight you lift. However, I must remind you to act according to your abilities."

After lifting the stone weight once, Zhang Shiyi had a rough idea of ​​the weight of the stone weights on the field. He directly challenged the largest stone weight on the field, feeling that he could lift it with his strength.

Amidst the astonished and curious gazes of the crowd, Zhang Shiyi walked towards the largest stone lock. He lifted it in the same way as before, but when he grasped the lock spring with both hands and lifted it upwards, he could feel the weight of the stone lock was far greater than before.

This is several times heavier than the stone lock from before, but he believes it is still within his strength!

Veins bulged on Zhang Shi's face as he clenched his teeth. The other candidates around him stared intently at him, even forgetting that they were also candidates, wanting to see if this small man could lift the heavy stone lock.

This stone lock was much larger than the previous one, yet Zhang Shiyi lifted it up, making it appear even more visually striking and powerful.

Can this short guy lift it?
The Qin official in charge of recording did not remind Zhang Shiyi to act within his capabilities. At this time, reminding him would only make it easier for Zhang Shiyi to get hurt.

Zhang Shiyi steadied himself, channeling all his strength into his legs, waist, and arms. With his legs firmly planted on the ground, he used his waist to thrust upwards, gripped the stone lock tightly with both hands, and lifted himself up with all his might.

Finally, Zhang Shiyi lifted the stone lock. It was clear that he was struggling, and it was much slower than when he lifted the other stone lock, but he managed to lift it eventually.

With a muffled groan, Zhang Shi gritted his teeth and exerted more force. He first bent his legs downwards, then burst out with energy, kicking his legs upwards and lifting the stone lock over his head in one go.

After Zhang Shiyi had lifted the stone lock for a moment, the Qin official in charge of recording said, "That's enough, that's enough, put it down quickly!"

After putting down the stone lock, Zhang Shi gasped for breath. Although he hadn't been exercising for long, he was covered in sweat, but his face was full of smiles. He had lifted the biggest and heaviest stone lock here. Surely he could pass the preliminary selection now?
If only I could pass the final selection smoothly, I could represent Great Qin and His Majesty in the Games and compete against the strongest athletes from other countries. That would be a great honor and a source of pride for my ancestors.

After Zhang Shiyi put the stone lock down, other candidates tried to lift it, but they could only lift it with all their might. They were far from lifting it above their heads. I really don't know how that short guy managed to lift it. Is it because he is short that he can concentrate his strength more?
Seeing this, Zhang Shi felt much more relieved. Only if he could lift it and others couldn't would he have a better chance of passing the selection.

The Qin official in charge of recording said to Zhang Shiyi, "Your score has been recorded. Go back and wait for the results to be announced. The list will be published in ten days. Keep your wooden plaque safe!"

Ten days later, Zhang Shiyi and his family made a special trip to Xianyang. His home was not in Xianyang city, but in a village not far from Xianyang.

On the day that the Qin Dynasty announced it would hold a Games of Nations and an Expo of Nations, he happened to be shopping in Xianyang when he received the news and decided to sign up to participate.

When Zhang Shiyi and his two brothers arrived in Xianyang, they found that there were more people in Xianyang than usual. In fact, it was not that there were more people, but that the preliminary results were being released today, which caused many people to come and watch the excitement.

The large number of people gathered in a short period of time made Xianyang seem crowded, especially Xuanzhengtai, which was packed with people, and more and more people kept arriving.

Fortunately, people have become accustomed to and experienced this over the past two years. Despite the crowds, order was maintained, and a passageway was specially left open.

Zhang Shiyi and his two brothers arrived not late, but they only managed to get seats at the back. He was listening to people chatting in the crowd: "When will the results be released?", "I wonder who will pass?", "May the Black Bird protect us, we must pass!"

Suddenly, a gong sounded, and everyone immediately stopped chatting and looked towards the source of the sound. They saw several Qin officials approaching under the protection of a group of Qin soldiers, each carrying several rolled-up pieces of bright red paper.

Upon seeing the bright red paper, everyone's spirits lifted. The paper must contain the names of those who had passed the preliminary selection, but whose name would be on it?
Following the path specially cleared by the crowd, several Qin officials walked up to the Xuanzheng Platform. Seeing so many people waiting to post the results, they immediately began to post the notices.

Seeing the Qin officials lined up, everyone in the crowd stood on tiptoe and craned their necks to look ahead, all wanting to see if they were on the list as soon as possible.

This was somewhat unfriendly to Zhang Shiyi. He was at the back of the crowd and not very tall, so he couldn't see what was in front of him at all. Even when he stood on tiptoe, he was still far behind. He was extremely anxious, but fortunately, his two brothers lifted him up.

Several Qin officials posted a list that happened to be the "Weightlifting Preliminary Selection List". Zhang Shiyi didn't know many characters, but he had his name engraved on the wooden plaque. He had been taking it out to look at it every day recently and had become very familiar with it. He didn't know any other characters, but he could still find his name by looking at the wooden plaque.

While Zhang Shiyi was still searching for his name on several lists, someone in the crowd cheered happily: "I passed! I passed! I made it through the preliminary round!"

This made Zhang Shiyi even more anxious. He hadn't found his name yet. Could it be that he had failed to be selected? He even lifted the heaviest stone lock!

Finally, Zhang Shi saw his name on a large red list. At first, he was not sure, so he looked at it carefully again, then took out a wooden plaque from his pocket, looked at the name on the wooden plaque, and then looked at the name on the red list. He was sure that the name on the list was his.

Zhang Shiyi cheered excitedly, "Eldest brother, third brother, we passed! We passed too!"

The two brothers were also happy. Only by passing the preliminary selection would they have the opportunity to pass the second round and finally be selected to represent Great Qin in the Nashizi Games.

If it really comes to the end, it will not only be a great joy for Zhang Shiyi, but also for his family and even the entire village.

After the results were posted, the Qin official in charge stepped forward and said, "Silence!" The noisy crowd immediately quieted down and all looked at the Qin official.

The Qin official said, "Congratulations to everyone who has been selected! But this is only the preliminary selection. Only by passing the second and final selections will you be qualified to represent Great Qin. The second selection will be held in five days, still at the Northern Army camp. You can enter by presenting the wooden tokens that were previously issued to you."

"The second round of selection will take place from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. If you miss the designated time, you will be considered to have forfeited your right to continue participating in the selection. Please remember the time and location and be sure to arrive on time. Although only those who are ultimately selected can represent Great Qin, we still wish you all the best in the selection process and hope you will bring glory to Great Qin!"

Hearing the words "Bring glory to Qin!" stirred the blood of the crowd, who couldn't help but shout along, "Bring glory to Qin!" This was one of the main reasons why Li Nian and the First Emperor wanted to hold the Games and Expo of the Nations: to enhance the national self-confidence of the people of Qin and to inspire their patriotism.

Five days later, Zhang Shiyi successfully passed the second round of testing and represented the weightlifting experts selected from Xianyang and other counties in the final selection. He once again stood out from the crowd and became one of the four people representing Qin in the weightlifting competition of the various states.

Zhang Shiyi stood with a group of candidates who had passed the selection process, listening to a young Qin general speak. This general was clearly someone of great importance, and was very likely one of the legendary "Meng brothers".

They were right; the general was indeed Meng Yi.

Meng Yi glanced at everyone and said, "First of all, congratulations on passing the final selection and having the opportunity to represent Great Qin in the Games of Nations. However, whether you will ultimately be able to represent Great Qin in the Games is still uncertain."

Hearing this, everyone was puzzled. Wasn't it said that passing the preliminary selection meant they could participate? Why did things suddenly change?

Meng Yi continued, "Whether you can ultimately represent Great Qin in the competition depends on Young Master Li Nian's permission. I am here today to escort you all to the Six Heroes Palace to meet Young Master Li Nian."

Upon hearing that Meng Yi was going to take them to see the legendary Young Master Li Nian, everyone, including Zhang Shiyi, had their eyes light up. Even if they weren't ultimately allowed to participate, just seeing Young Master Li Nian would be more than enough.

In the present Qin Dynasty, the most prestigious person is naturally His Majesty, followed by Prince Li Nian, whose name is known throughout the Qin Dynasty and is almost universally recognized.

Many of the things that Young Master Li Nian made benefited them. For example, the new plow made farming easier for them, allowing them to cultivate more land, which meant producing more food and enabling them to eat more than before.

And then there's the new salt and tofu, which made their food less bitter and more palatable; and honeycomb briquettes, which made it easier for them to start a fire for warmth in the winter, reducing the number of people who freeze to death in the cold winter each year...

It is said that the changes to the laws of the Great Qin Dynasty and the reduction of corvée labor and taxes by His Majesty are also related to Prince Li Nian. It was he who advised His Majesty that led to these changes.

Li Nian had an excellent reputation among the people of Da Qin, and some places even erected a memorial tablet for him and offered incense.

When Li Nian heard the news, he couldn't help but smile wryly. He was already honored with a memorial tablet while he was still alive, so he would definitely become some kind of god after death. Perhaps in the mythology of this world and future generations, he, Li Nian, would have three eyes and wield a three-pointed, double-edged sword as his weapon...

That's why Zhang Shiyi and the others were so excited when Meng Yi said he would take them to see Li Nian. He was going to take them to see their benefactor, the living sage in their hearts.

Meng Yi continued, "After you go to the Six Heroes Palace, you may have to stay there for a while and will not be able to contact your families until the end of the Games. However, you don't need to worry, your families will be notified. If you don't want to go, you don't have to. Does anyone want to withdraw?"

No one stepped forward. If they withdrew, it would not only mean losing the opportunity to represent Great Qin in the Games and bring glory to their ancestors, but also the chance to meet Young Master Li Nian.

Zhang Shi asked in confusion, "General, why does Young Master Li Nian want to see us?"

Meng Yi glanced at Zhang Shiyi; he had a strong impression of this short man.

During the selection process, this man, though short in stature, was incredibly strong, outshining even those candidates who appeared taller and more robust than him.

Meng Yi said, "You don't actually think you're representing Great Qin in the competition like this, do you? Young Master Li Nian met with you to have you receive his guidance at the Six Heroes Palace!"

Is Young Master Li Nian going to personally instruct them? Could it be that Young Master Li Nian is not only extremely knowledgeable, but also fast, jumps far, and is incredibly strong?
Zhang Shiyi and the others thought about it and felt it was only natural. People like Young Master Li Nian were different from ordinary people like them, so how could they be judged by common sense?

Meng Yi didn't explain further to everyone. After giving a few more instructions, he asked everyone to follow him to the Six Heroes Palace. In fact, the place arranged for these people was not the main palace of the Six Heroes Palace, but within the jurisdiction of the Six Heroes Palace.

The Six Heroes Palace is no longer the small area it once was; it can now be called the "Six Heroes Palace District," a district that integrates the politics, industry, and culture of the Great Qin Dynasty. The industry is where Li Nian set up many factories and laboratories; the culture is where the Six Heroes Academy, the Hundred Schools Academy, and the offices of the Great Qin Ministry of Education are all located; and the politics goes without saying.

Today, some factories and laboratories have been relocated. After all, some factories are quite polluting, and the conditions in the palace are not conducive to building factories. For example, the paper mill has been moved out, and the First Emperor found another place in Xianyang to build several paper mills.

Upon entering the Six Kingdoms Palace area, Zhang Shiyi and his group discovered that this place was nothing like the imperial palace they had imagined. It lacked the solemn and magnificent atmosphere and instead seemed quite strange.

They saw a group of people fiddling with a strange vehicle, or rather, a vehicle with wheels that could run, but the wheels were different from those of a horse-drawn carriage. They seemed to be made of copper and iron, and the road it traveled on was also peculiar, consisting of two copper and iron rods laid out on the ground.

The strangest thing was that the vehicle had no horses or people pulling it; it spewed smoke from a pipe as it drove along that weird road.

But the car stopped after a short while, and the group of people immediately surrounded it, some outside and some inside, seemingly checking for problems.

Some people saw the smoke coming out of the strange vehicle and felt it looked familiar, somewhat like those strange objects in Xianyang City that could draw water by themselves by burning coal.

Those strange objects, known as "steam water dispensers," have become a major attraction in Xianyang and one of the "Nine Scenic Spots" that visitors to Xianyang must see.

This strange vehicle might be similar to a steam-powered water pump, and its name might even be "Steam Locomotive".

The vehicle they saw was, of course, a steam train, still in the research and development stage.

Although it is still a long way off for Daqin to build a railway network connecting the north and south of the country, for example, laying railway tracks requires a large amount of steel, and Daqin's steel production is far from sufficient, even compared to the late Qing Dynasty, some things can be done first.

In Li Nian's words, "The Qin Dynasty is currently lacking in many aspects, but we can prepare for certain things in advance, accumulate technical experience, and then things will fall into place naturally when the conditions are right."

(End of this chapter)