Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 233, Section 232: Danpu Lijiu
Such a grand event, and with the Queen herself coming to Zhangtai Palace to invite him, Ji Heng naturally could not go alone, so he also led all the officials to the martial arts arena.

The area had been cleaned and purified before the Queen, and now two more people were leading horses there.

One of them is the docile horse that is common in the Qin state today, which is being displayed by Danpu.

On the other side was Yu Renjiu, who had been transferred from the Imperial Household Department. Beside him was a tall and handsome Hequ horse, and he himself was also dignified and tall.

The two men stood to one side, leading their horses, and exchanged a glance, both with strong confidence in their eyes.

Xin slowly stepped forward and finally instructed the two of them: "You are both dispatched from the Queen's palace. If you fail to receive a reward in front of the King and the officials today, it will be a waste of the Queen's good intentions."

The two immediately lowered their heads: "Rest assured, Lord Zhongshuzi."

They are completely unfamiliar with the skills, yet they are risking their lives to showcase them.

One was skilled in riding and archery and was about to demonstrate his abilities to the nobleman.

After much planning, all for this day, how can simply presenting stirrups and horseshoes compare to a personal demonstration like this?
Li Jiu glanced at Dan Pu, knowing that the focus of today's discussion was on this person who was not good at riding.

Danpu's back tensed—the two of them were appearing before the king, and he was the one who would be valued; what if the other harbored resentment...?

However, the next moment, Li Jiu quickly looked away and went to check the longbow again.

The next moment, the king, accompanied by the queen and all the officials, arrived.

At the viewing platform on one side of the training ground, attendants surrounded the nobles and settled them in one by one. Below, the General personally inspected the arrows in the quiver held by Li Jiu.

For this martial arts demonstration for the King, the arrowheads must not be sharpened; therefore, each arrowhead is blunt and wrapped in linen.

Now that everything was in place, Ji Heng's eyes swept over the two horses. He recalled the report he had received earlier, saying that the Queen had promoted a convict to be in charge of several matters at the Imperial Stud. His heart stirred.

His palms were placed in front of his knees, the heat penetrating the fabric and reaching his knees. However, the queen, sitting beside him, slowly reached out and grasped his palm.

Ji Heng turned to look and felt the other person grip his hand even tighter. Then he smiled and said, "What Your Majesty desires, I will strive to achieve as well."

"I hope this gift will bring His Majesty joy before the New Year arrives."

Ji Heng turned his head away and said nothing more, but at the same time he flipped his palm, completely covering the Queen's soft fingers in his palm.

Extremely hard.

Zhou Ju lowered his eyelashes, his presence as inconspicuous as a bronze pillar, his mind racing with thoughts—

What treasures does the King possess in his private treasury that he could bestow upon the Queen?
……

Below, the officials sat scattered about, whispering among themselves.

This is because in this martial arts arena, it is clear that only two palace servants, one strong and one thin, are about to be displayed, and there are no divine weapons or sharp swords to be seen.

Previously, the King and Queen possessed the Taiwei Heavenly Market Sword, which was said to be able to cut through iron like mud, and it would be used for a New Year's sacrifice.

The ministers were quite looking forward to it.

The two people who are about to perform martial arts are quite different. One of them is carrying a bow, while the other is unarmed and thin, unlike someone skilled in horsemanship.

Only Prime Minister Wang Fu remembered that the other party had casually offered treasures, which were treasures and elixirs that had never appeared in the Qin state before. Now that he had the opportunity to temporarily put aside political affairs, he couldn't help but be full of anticipation.

He stood tall, and although he was old, he was full of energy.

Xin, standing in the training ground, spoke loudly:

"By order of the Queen, we present to our Great Qin the weapons of war!"

The role of stirrups and horseshoes was certainly not limited to the battlefield, but he knew that only by saying it this way could he make everyone pay special attention.

As he explained, Danpu and Lijiu on either side led their horses forward.

Ji Heng's gaze swept over Li Jiu, who easily leaped onto his horse with his feet in the stirrups, his body upright and his face handsome.

He had never seen the beautiful woman selected by the Minister of the Imperial Household for the then-Noble Lady Lanchi, and raised his eyebrows: "Is she a palace guard?" Qin Shi laughed: "Not yet."

Not yet?
Ji Heng looked back at the arena.

The robust young man was slowly driving his horse across the training ground, the hooves clattering loudly, their blades gleaming coldly.

These are the horseshoes that the Queen had previously reported!
It is said that once these horseshoes are fitted, the horses can travel a thousand miles without damage!
With this amazing weapon, the service life of Qin's horses will be greatly increased. It is indeed a powerful tool for strengthening the army!
And Li Jiu, true to his good looks, gently spurred the horse's belly, urging the tall and strong Hequ horse forward.

Amidst the clatter of hooves, he leaned over on the horse's back, bent low, hung sideways, and even bravely wrapped his arms around its neck, placing his feet in the stirrups to suspend himself beneath the horse's belly!
What's most remarkable is that, in all these equestrian demonstrations, he even had the ability to hold a longbow with the bowstring fully drawn!

As the horse galloped, the arrowhead, covered in white ash, struck the target with remarkable accuracy!
"Excellent archery! Excellent horsemanship!"

Ji Heng praised.

This not only tests the rider, but also makes it clearer to everyone that the stirrup, though small, is an extremely important tool for maintaining balance!

Ji Heng had personally been on the battlefield and practiced martial arts every day. Just by looking at it, he could tell that the stirrups were no less important than horseshoes.

If cavalry on the battlefield all had this ability, launching surprise attacks and charging forward, wouldn't they be invincible?
On the other side, Danpu, who was only now taking action, looked particularly clumsy and embarrassed in comparison.

He was still not skilled in horsemanship. Even with the previous martial arts demonstration, it took him quite a bit of effort to mount the horse in stirrups, and he even made a fool of himself quite a bit.

With his thin frame riding the horse, he struggled to hold the bow, let alone the short sword, amidst the swaying and jolting. He could only awkwardly grab the horse's neck and skillfully lower his body to lie down as they galloped.

After completing one lap, he slowly straightened up, gradually gaining confidence as he rode the wind.

After two laps, he was finally able to keep his balance on the horse.

For Danpu, the constant jolting on the ride meant his life was in danger at all times.

But compared to Li Jiu, this is even less significant.

This……

The crowd began to discuss it.

But no one's gaze ever left him, and Ji Heng quickly noticed it—

"Has he truly never ridden a horse before?"

Qin Shi nodded, then said in a low voice, "This is the eunuch who served in the Dao Palace before. He is thin and frail."

Let alone riding a horse, even wielding a knife empty-handed is quite difficult.

But this is precisely the state of most people when the Qin state conscripts soldiers.

They were malnourished, starving, thin, illiterate, and certainly not skilled in horsemanship.

Such recruit training, unless it costs a considerable amount of money and tolerates loss of life, can only produce a qualified cavalry.

But now, with stirrups and horseshoes, there's no fear of horseshoes getting damaged during repeated training.

Secondly, it allows newly recruited soldiers to charge into battle on horseback in times of crisis!

Ji Heng gripped her hand even tighter.

The sound of his heartbeat grew stronger in his chest.

The Queen's prediction of a golden age had indeed come true.

From this day forward, the might of his Qin cavalry will resound throughout the land and the four corners of the world.

　Ah, the intense passion seems to have subsided...

　　(End of this chapter)