Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 217 216. Taiwei Tianshi
The divine weapon is in the hands of the Iron Official.

He bowed respectfully as he stepped into the hall, feeling that his glory in this life was about to begin.

"Greetings, Your Majesty and Queen."

The more he cooperated with Noble Lady Lanchi back then, the more anticipated the glory will be! Two attendants behind the iron official steadily held the long box, while he proudly declared:

"Your Majesty, I have not failed in my duty to Your Majesty and Queen. At the Ironworks on the banks of the Wei River in Xianyang, the blacksmiths worked tirelessly day and night, and finally, on an auspicious day, they forged a divine weapon of a hundred steel hues—"

"I have come to present this to Your Majesty and Queen!"

The iron official's words were absolutely true.

Ever since the Queen appointed the Qin state as the deputy and the Chu state as the head of the iron forging project team, and some blacksmiths who didn't know their place were excluded and gradually fell out of favor, everyone became very enthusiastic!
Moreover, the Queen proposed a method to improve the blast furnace's temperature resistance: a new water-powered bellows and coke with a temperature capable of melting iron...

With these three basic facilities, plus processes like annealing, the blacksmiths in the project team believed they had obtained unparalleled secrets and achievements, comparable to Ou Yezi back in the day!

His name will be etched in history, and his sword will be passed down through the ages—it's only a matter of time!
Therefore, they worked even harder and competed with each other.

On several occasions, the Chu ironworks official almost lost to the others. If it weren't for the Queen's foresight and the appointment of the Qin ironworks official as his deputy, this team would probably have started to cause trouble first.

But with everyone working together, they finally managed to modify the iron-forging technique again and again...

The iron official thought with no small amount of pride: If the ironware of the Qin state were brought to the present day, it would probably be sliced ​​up by the divine weapons of today as easily as mud, without any exaggeration.

If Qin Shi knew what he was thinking, he would surely chuckle softly: That's for sure.

The iron-forging method she discovered was a summary of the methods used in the Ming Dynasty.

The development of ironware in the Ming Dynasty was already very close to that of modern times. Further progress would not be a matter of craftsmanship, but rather the research and development of materials.

In the Qin state, ironware was just emerging, and the soldiers' weapons were mostly made of bronze rather than iron. The resulting technological leap could not be explained in just a few words!

But everyone involved knew that with such iron weapons, the Qin cavalry would be even more invincible.

Especially the Qin King's sword, which they painstakingly forged—

Zhou Ju personally walked down the steps and opened the long box.

The longer one is a Qin longsword crafted according to the king's habits.

Iron official also harbored ambitions.

The Tai'a sword was once a treasure of the Chu state. Now, although Your Majesty wears the Tai'a sword, how can it compare to the divine weapon forged by the artisans of the Qin state?
Therefore, the group did everything in their power, and even on the day the sword was completed, they planned to make sacrificial offerings!

Divine weapons need spirits; do these mortals need human sacrifices to make them work?

Then Xin stopped him.

The Queen said: "Your Majesty has unified the six kingdoms and is the son of Heaven. Heaven will surely be grateful for your sincerity in all that you have gained."

"If that's the case, then human sacrifice is unnecessary."

"If you wish to offer sacrifices, simply prepare a large sacrificial offering and report it to Heaven and Earth."

In this way, the craftsmen in the Ironworks were spared from throwing themselves into the furnace to prove the divine weapon!
As expected, Heaven took pity on the King and bestowed upon him a divine weapon that gleamed with a cold light and could cut through iron like mud. It was clear that it was sharper and more durable than any of the works of Master Ou Yezi, without the need for human sacrifice!

This is the glory of everyone at the Ironworks!

Zhou Ju had already picked up the heavy Qin longsword.

The scabbard was pre-made, inlaid with various gold, jade and jewels, and carved, making it extremely luxurious and imposing.

He drew a section of the sword lightly, revealing a gleaming, cold light. The steel's forging patterns were clearly visible, and two small seal characters were engraved on the blade.

【Taiwei】

Because the king possesses immense strength, this sword is heavier than ordinary ones. It is about 1 meter long, and the pillar-shaped hilt is carved with soaring dragons, black birds, and cloud patterns, inlaid with black jade and gold thread, just like the magnificent Xianyang Palace, solemn and noble.

Zhou Ju carefully returned the sword to its sheath.

Looking at the other long box, this sword is much shorter than the Qin longsword, and the blade is about 10 to 20 centimeters shorter than the Qin King's sword.

However, the scabbard is equally magnificent, with cloud patterns and black birds intertwined, inlaid with pearls and precious gems, and carved to resemble a flying apsara.

Similarly, when the sword was drawn, the two characters "Tian Shi" were clearly visible on the cold and sharp forging patterns.

Zhou Ju, carrying the sword box, stepped forward respectfully with two attendants, then carefully bowed and raised his arms high, presenting it to Ji Heng and Qin Shi.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty and Queen, on acquiring this divine weapon!"

Ji Heng first took out the Tian Shi Sword and turned to hand it to Qin Shi.

When Qin Shi held the heavy, refined steel in his hand, he felt its weight was substantial.

When she carefully pulled it out again, she saw that the blade was extremely thin, incredibly sharp, and gleaming with a cold light. It was a completely different feeling from the unsharpened handicraft she had bought for nearly ten thousand yuan.

The two small seal characters at the top, 【天市】, are incredibly beautiful no matter how you look at them.

She drew her sword.

With a sharp clang, ignoring Zhou Ju's suddenly widened eyes and the tense expressions of the ministers, he simply watched with delight.

Ji Heng, standing beside her, merely tensed slightly, but did not stop her.

She watched carefully under the bright candlelight of Zhangtai Palace, her joy clearly visible:
"Your Majesty, is the Queen's Heavenly Market Sword a suitable match for Your Majesty's Taiwei Sword?"

Her eyes sparkled, and her anticipation and joy were particularly evident.

Ji Heng did not speak, but slowly grasped the long sword as well and drew it out.

The long, sharp blade pointed forward, and the officials below immediately bowed down.

At this moment, as he looked at this divine weapon representing the invincible Qin cavalry, Ji Heng's eyes also shone brightly.

He proclaimed loudly, "From this day forward, the Taiwei Sword shall be the sword of the kingly way, and all the rulers of the Qin Kingdom shall submit to this sword!"

Then the sword hilt was turned upside down and placed horizontally in front of the queen, alongside the Heavenly Market Sword. The coldness and ambition transformed into relief and acceptance.

He said slowly, "This is the result of the Queen's painstaking efforts. The Great Qin Divine Weapon shall remember the Queen's merits!"

"The Taiwei Heavenly Market shall reside within my Purple Palace Enclosure, serving as the authority of my Qin royal family!"

"Your Majesty, you shall submit to this sword!"

The crowd below bowed in unison: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Our mighty Qin Dynasty will last for ten thousand generations and will never be defeated."

After returning from Zhangtai Palace, Qin Shi stroked his own longsword, unwilling to let go at this moment.

He even considered, "Should I learn swordsmanship?"

The Red Maiden smiled and said, "The Queen may learn whatever she wishes. She once wanted to learn to ride a horse, which is a way to strengthen her body. Your Majesty will surely grant her request."

However, while strengthening the body, it also poses great danger. If Your Majesty is to learn, you will probably need to do your best to select reliable people to protect the Queen.

Qin Shi recalled his past boastful words and silently put down his sword:
She would never risk learning to ride a horse until stirrups and horseshoes were made.

A wise person does not stand under a crumbling wall!

　I'm writing so slowly! There's so much information... I've looked up a lot but haven't written it all down yet, I'm so anxious. I'll stop here for tonight, I need to go write something I'm more comfortable with to clear my head.

(End of this chapter)