Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 101, Section 100: The Deer Chariot and the Stone Rebirth
Mo was very nervous.

He was born smaller than average, but God was fortunate enough to let him live. Even when he turned 17 and became an adult, he was still small and thin.

But unlike others, the laborers who could enter the ironworks were all convicts.

He is the descendant of a sinner and will never be able to leave this place, so he has no need to worry about leaking secrets.

Xin was different; he was sent here because he committed a crime.

He was literate and could understand Mandarin. The uncle and aunt who had raised him would scold him for his delusional thoughts. They protected him, but they were also deeply afraid that he would be punished, or that he would be punished along with his family.

Only Xin would have a gleam in his eyes, praising his great talent and doing his best to cover for him.

Xin was like a pillar during Mo's childhood.

He was illiterate and had no energy to study principles; all he thought about each day was that, in the eyes of those who had lived through the previous one, Xin was leading Mo to his death.

But only Mo knew that it wasn't like that.

not like this.

He was happy after eating his fill.

He was happy when the day's work was over.

But all this joy paled in comparison to Sina's enthusiastic praise and encouragement when they tried to build the waterwheel.

Those words seemed to make his soul shine, setting him apart from everyone else.

At this moment, he looked at Qin Shi cautiously, his eyes large and bright, but his expression was even more ashamed: "I am a lowly person, I don't know how to bring people along."

"Nobody listens to me."

In the past, none of my uncles and aunts would listen to me.

Qin Shi smiled: "Throughout history, geniuses have always had shortcomings in interpersonal relationships. Those who are all-rounders are invariably exceptionally talented."

She placed high hopes on Mo—he hadn't received a proper education, was barely literate, and had never even seen the vast world. Yet, simply by imagining things, he was able to create a waterwheel that was 400 years ahead of its time.

Therefore, she also gave two options:

"You can select a team that belongs solely to you, and they must obey your orders. If they disobey, kill them."

"Or, you may choose someone—someone who will meet the king on your behalf, manage your subordinates, and arrange your life."

"But at the same time, your life is also in his hands."

Qin Shi could certainly arrange things for this person, and she could also intimidate the enemy with her team. But she wanted to hear Mo's choice.

Mo looked at her blankly and said, "I don't understand."

Why choose someone to arrange everything for you, only to have your life controlled by that person?

But he remained defiant: "I choose Xin! My life is in Xin's hands."

Xin saved his life. If one day he dies because of Xin, he will just consider himself dead anyway. He is willing to accept it!
Qin Shi sighed: "Human hearts are fickle."

But Mo's choice was not at all unexpected.

She only asked, "And what about Xin? What can Xin do?"

Mo became excited: "He can write! He can say amazing things! He can even draw lines on the ground and on the wood! Very straight lines!"

"I only need to say something, and Xin will draw it! And he'll draw it exactly as I imagine it!"

Oh?
Qin Shi became interested.

If that's the case, then she wouldn't be willing to assign Xin to Mo as his assistant!

The Red Maiden served tea to Qin Shi, and seeing him sit up straight, she couldn't help but smile and say, "Congratulations, Lord Qin, on finding your ideal servant."

Simple painters could naturally be found in the Imperial Household Department. But Qin Jun only tried two before shaking his head repeatedly. Now that the other party could paint for craftsmen, surely he could also paint Qin Jun's strange and unusual things?

So it all depends on how capable Xin is and how much power he can wield.

Qin Shi looked at Mo and asked, "Besides this water-tumbling cart, do you have anything else?" Mo stammered, "I also made a wheelbarrow, which could move with just one wheel. It was a little bigger than this, but I couldn't hide it and it was trampled to pieces by the soldiers..."

The wheelbarrow may sound like a simple device, but it was actually used until the Ming and Qing dynasties, when it was already capable of carrying a load of 200 kilograms.

Its first appearance, named "Deer Cart," occurred in the late Western Han Dynasty.

Another well-known example is Zhuge Liang's invention of the chariot—a simple vehicle that became a tool for countless ordinary people to survive and improve their survival skills.

During the Song Dynasty, the economy began to emerge and was fully developed.

And this unassuming little thing, even in the history she knew, predated Europe by about 1,500 years.

Qin Shi's gaze was very complicated.

She didn't know if Xin would have survived today if she hadn't come, or if Mo would have risked his life to break through, or if they would have faded into obscurity and become just another ordinary person.

She often flattered Ji Heng, saying that it was the will of Heaven, but now, aren't Mo and Xin before her also the will of Heaven?

"Red Maiden," Qin Shi instructed, "Reward the Iron Official with five gold coins, praising his meritorious management and the two talented individuals he has found for me."

The woman agreed, knowing it was to appease the other party and prevent them from getting stuck on their own ideas and venting their anger by fighting and killing each other at the Ironworks.

"A gold ingot will be awarded to Gao Ye and Tie Yan."

No other meaning intended, just a bit of encouragement.

"I will reward you with grains, beans, chicken, and pork, so that all the slaves and laborers in the ironworks can be well-fed, and so that you may be diligent and attentive."

She was now eager to know what skills the others who had made mistakes possessed.

……

Despite having a thousand thoughts in his mind and countless things to do, the most important thing at the moment was to meet the King of Qin.

When we returned to Xianyang Palace, it was already brightly lit, and the entire palace shimmered with a dim yellow glow from afar, making it magnificent and spectacular.

As they approach from afar, they exude an indescribable sense of awe.

As Qin Shi followed the crowd slowly up the steps, looking at the towering, dark red palace, he recalled Qin Wuyang from history, who had once attempted to assassinate the First Emperor with Jing Ke, but was too terrified to move even at the foot of the steps outside the palace.

At this moment, I can actually understand that feeling of trembling.

In Zhangtai Palace, Ji Heng was still working hard.

This powerful sense of responsibility, driven by his country and its people, led him to work tirelessly day and night, devoting himself wholeheartedly to his country.

The reason why so many incompetent rulers sit on this throne is precisely because of this kind of monotonous, day-and-night vigil, which is something ordinary people cannot match.

"Your Majesty."

She smiled and replied, "I have brought back two talented individuals today, who will be presented as gifts in the future. Please do not be too surprised, Your Majesty."

Ji Heng became interested. He put down his brush, raised an eyebrow, and ordered the palace servants to bring him honey water and food, all the while expressing his surprise:
"What a talent you are, worthy of such treatment."

Qin Shi, however, only smiled and refused to speak, instead bringing up another matter:

"Your Majesty, iron smelting requires coal mines—also known as the stone ore mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas."

Ji Heng pondered for a moment: "Stone dust is not rare. It can be found in Neishi County and Beidi near Xianyang City. It is readily available. However, large-scale collection would require a lot of extra manpower, and the smoke and fumes are very toxic. Why not use trees or charcoal?"

Qin Shi knew that he was referring to open-pit coal mines in Shaanxi, and even high-quality bituminous coal. There were several such open-pit coal mines in the Qin state today, with enormous reserves.

However, apart from the occasional collection of these coarse coal stones by locals, no better use for them has been found so far.

On the contrary, the toxicity of tobacco was far greater than that of firewood and charcoal, so no one explored or mined it.

After all, when it comes to heating and starting a fire, the poor use firewood and manure, while the rich use charcoal. Isn't that better than this stone ash that turns everything black once it's burned?

Chapter 100! I was originally hoping for a 100-point reward, but I didn't expect that a reader had already given one...

Haha! Satisfied! Wishing everyone a long and healthy life of 200 years (I bet I'll get the gene serum when I'm 70, right?)!