Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 269, Section 268: Military Review and Demonstration
Picking mulberry leaves, she wore hemp shoes.

When she was a maid in Xianyang Palace, she wore soft, silent cloth shoes so as not to disturb the noblemen when she moved around.

When she grew old and was transferred to Shanglin Garden, she could only wear such cheap cloth shoes with coarse hemp soles, which she could weave herself by rubbing hemp at night.

The thin sole of her shoe was now pressing down on the soft wheat field, the lush green wheat seedlings beneath her feet—a feeling of guilt instantly welled up inside her.

But the queen was watching from the edge of the field.

He just smiled and watched her quietly. Seeing her standing there motionless, he even asked again, "Are you reluctant to part with her?"

The queen murmured, "If I hadn't studied it, I wouldn't have been able to bear it..."

Then she lifted her skirt and stepped across the ditch—

"queen!"

Chief Secretary Wu Zi cried out in alarm, but the Queen was already safely in the same wheat field as her. Then she lifted her foot and solemnly pressed down a few clumps of wheat seedlings.

“Don’t be afraid.” Cai Sang’s ears, which were no longer so sharp, heard her say, “If the trampling damages the wheat yield, it will be the Queen’s order to do so.”

“Of course,” she said, her face radiant with the unique glow of a young woman, “if production has increased, that’s thanks to the Queen, isn’t it?”

Cai Sang's heart suddenly felt warm.

At that moment, her slightly hunched back seemed to straighten up, and then she looked at the hemp shoes on her feet and stepped on them without hesitation.

……

Ji Heng and the others returned from their hunt as dusk deepened. He was beaming with joy, clearly pleased with himself. Such intense exercise was a perfect match for his boundless energy.

As he dismounted, he casually tossed his cloak to a nearby attendant and strode forward. The lieutenant general, a step behind, dismounted and caught up, bowing as he received the heavy bow from the lieutenant general before also retreating.

Ji Heng then glanced at Zhou Ju's expression:

"What's the matter?"

Zhou Ju quickly reported: "The Queen went to inspect the wheat fields and told the old woman that trampling the wheat seedlings before winter would be beneficial for a good wheat harvest..."

Ji Heng frowned slightly.

Although he had experience in agriculture, the agricultural affairs that a ruler of a country had experienced were almost all simple. Now, hearing such an absurd request, he really had to think about it for a while.

He slowed his pace slightly, and after a moment asked again, "Have you trampled the wheat seedlings?"

This is the key point Zhou Ju wanted to report: "They trampled it. The Queen herself led the old women of the palace to trample the wheat in the field."

Ji Heng suddenly relaxed his brows.

"In that case, let the official be solely responsible for that wheat field. When the wheat is harvested in the summer, I want to see how many bushels of wheat it will yield."

Although Zhou Ju had already guessed, he was still amazed: the Queen's favor was so great that even if all the other women in the palace were piled up together, they probably wouldn't be as much as one of her fingers.

But Ji Heng thought: the monarch eats from nine tripods and eight vessels, and the queen eats from the same vessels.

But even today, the Queen's meals are always small and of high quality.

The essence of "small" lies in the small quantity of each item, and the essence of "refined" lies in the fact that even the quantity is not that much. She even requires the palace chef to serve a certain amount, and it is absolutely forbidden to exceed it by too much. In fact, the amount she sets can be basically finished.

Even if we didn't finish eating, there wasn't much left.

He once asked Zhou Ju to remind the other party to be more open-minded, but the other party said: "Every grain of rice and every drop of water is hard-earned. It's just that there's little left, but I haven't wronged myself."

With a queen of such character, how could she possibly waste food?

There must be a reason why people now trample on wheat seedlings, and it's likely that it really does increase production.

He suddenly asked, "Isn't the estate the Queen requested, which is only a mere thousand acres, a bit too cramped?"

Zhou Ju: Huh? He was completely caught off guard by the king's abrupt change of thought, and could only subconsciously answer:
"Although it has a thousand acres of farmland, it also has ponds, river sections, and forests. I heard that the Queen only ordered the Minister of Agriculture to find some good farmers from the nearby capital. I think that this one farm should be enough for the first year."

"If Your Majesty feels this is not enough, why not bestow some more upon your servants and concubines?"

Ji Heng nodded: "Instruct the Minister of Agriculture to follow the Queen's orders."

"Here."

Meanwhile, in Jianzhang Palace, Qin Shi, having already soaked in a medicinal bath, washed and dried his hair, and then received a full-body massage and perfumed treatment: ...

She hadn't even told the king that she was in charge of that wheat field, so how come the reward came down again?
……

However, Ji Heng is right.

Even though he had taken all sorts of care and massages on the first day, Qin Shi still felt that the flesh on his arms, thighs, and even his stomach was a little out of control when he got up on the second morning. His abdominal muscles even ached slightly when he got up.

She was being moved stiffly by the maids, but fortunately Ji Heng had gotten up at dawn and hadn't seen this scene, so he still saved her some face.

The Red Maiden comforted her, saying, "The Queen doesn't need to move around too much today. Just sit there and watch the military drills in Shanglin Garden. This will allow the Queen to relax a bit more."

Was it a grand military parade like the Qin Dynasty?

This sense of novelty somewhat compensated for Qin Shi's slight discomfort.

As she washed up, ate, and moved around, the discomfort gradually dissipated, allowing her to remain composed while sitting on the high platform.

I’m really looking forward to it!

Her eyes were filled with joy.

……

The military exercises of the Qin Dynasty were divided into two categories: on land, they were divided into officers and knights, namely infantry and cavalry.

On water, there are two types of sailors: those who sail at sea and those who sail on rivers.

The two types of soldiers operate warships, and there are many differences in the details. The soldiers also have subtle differences in the direction of their drills, so they are divided into two different branches of the military.

However, Shanglin Garden is quite far from the sea, and currently only the Jianghelou Ship Warriors are practicing martial arts here.

Ji Heng watched Qin Shi intently, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He hadn't expected the Queen to enjoy such martial arts demonstrations, and he couldn't help but think of the images projected onto her divine artifact...

He lowered his eyes and focused his mind: "In the latter part of the month, when I make my eastern tour to the Bohai Sea, I can take the Queen to meet the soldiers of my Great Qin's maritime fleet. I will then use my heavy crossbow to capture a giant whale for the Queen."

Qin Shi laughed: "Then I'll wait to witness Your Majesty's heroic bearing."

She then looked at the vast square in front of Jianzhang Palace. In just one night, various scenes had been set up here, so she asked curiously:
"What kind of soldiers will be the first to demonstrate their martial arts skills during this review?"

Ji Heng rose and stood before the steps, his expression equally serious and solemn:

"Those who excel at proofreading are truly talented officials."

Those infantrymen should demonstrate their skills in three main aspects: formation drills, weapon usage, and physical endurance.

In order to make good use of time, some of the soldiers and officers in the government should already be moving about fifty miles away from Jianzhang Palace.

They marched with heavy loads and made long-distance raids.

Although Qin soldiers did not have the ability to raid hundreds of miles like the Wei elite troops, the Wei elite troops required a large amount of extra money to support them, while Qin soldiers could be recruited from anywhere in the army.

Fifty li (approximately 25 kilometers)—it all depends on whether they can reach their destination before the end of today's inspection.

In the Qin Dynasty, the entire population is a soldier, and even strong women can charge into battle. Those who excel in this review will naturally be richly rewarded and promoted.

　【隶臣妾】is a term for slaves. These slaves were generally prisoners of war, criminals and their families, or debtors who had pledged their debts. They could do any kind of work and were also used as funerary sacrifices (although in many parts of history, slaves were not counted in the official population for funerary purposes).
　　(End of this chapter)