I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 357 Stirrups, Saddles, and Curved Swords
As many of Yecheng's veterans reunited in Yecheng, the atmosphere in Yecheng gradually became lively.

Several experienced craftsmen who had already "come ashore" were no longer dressed in short shirts, but in silk clothes and leather boots, and hurried over.

Seeing these people, Liu Miao also felt a sense of joy, like reuniting with old friends.

"Old Sun! Old Li! Old Zhao, isn't it?"

The veteran craftsmen's eyes widened in surprise: "Your Majesty still remembers us?"

"Can't forget!"

Liu Miao looked at the group of people, whose waists and bellies were already showing signs of extra weight, with a beaming smile: "Have you become rich?"

"Hehe, thanks to His Majesty!"

"Don't give me that! I didn't forge blacksmiths for you!"

Liu Miao walked up to several old craftsmen and pinched their round, even slightly sagging bellies: "How are you? Not forging iron anymore?"

"I play occasionally! But I don't play in Yecheng anymore! I opened a shop outside. I don't care if I make money or not, I just want some peace and quiet."

"Nonsense! What do you mean it doesn't matter whether you make money or not? I think you can make more money outside!"

The group chuckled sheepishly, and Liu Miao couldn't help but laugh as well: "Eat only what you're capable of! The fact that you're doing better out there is your own skill! What's there to be embarrassed about?"

"However, I have encountered an urgent matter, which is why I have come to ask for your help! I will reimburse you for any amount of money I have incurred!"

"Your Majesty is too kind..."

"Enough nonsense! Don't you understand that hard work pays off? Do you expect me to swallow my tongue back?"

At this moment, the young craftsman who had initially become famous in Yecheng for his urination finally brought over the most senior craftsman.

Upon seeing Liu Miao, the other person hurriedly came over and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty!"

"No need to be polite!"

Liu Miao looked at the other man and saw that although his hair and beard had turned a bit white, he could still see through his clothes that his muscles were bulging out in a ferocious manner, which meant that he had not given up his iron-forging skills.

"The main reason I've invited you all here today is to discuss the matter of equipment!"

Liu Miao briefly explained his demands—

"This arrow must be able to pierce armor!"

"This lance must be light! Yet it can still kill the enemy!"

"These cloth stirrups need to be replaced with iron ones, so they can be hung on both sides of the warhorse, allowing the cavalryman to keep a firm footing and fire arrows!"

Liu Miao unceremoniously placed the three items in front of these experienced craftsmen, which made them eager to get started!

Because everyone knows that the craftsman who forged the Su Tie sword with just a piss last time also took a full thousand gold coins!

Moreover, the news that Liu Miao had given Han Ji, who improved the water-powered winnowing machine, and Zhuge Liang, who improved the loom, a thousand pieces of gold each while in Xiangyang had already spread throughout the artisan circle!

Liu Miao, if he has money, he really will!
Han Ji and Zhuge Liang may seem too distant from everyone, but the craftsman who rose to the pinnacle of life by relying on his urine is right beside us!

The next chance to become a millionaire heiress is right in front of everyone, how could they not be excited?
The simplest and most basic one is the iron stirrup.

This was simply a matter of replacing cloth with iron and sewing with welding. In the hands of these incredibly skilled old craftsmen, a physical object was quickly created and handed over to Liu Miao.

Liu Miao placed the stirrups on the warhorse, but the horse kept kicking and making it impossible for the cavalryman to stand on them.

Is there something wrong with this horse?

"How about we rip them off and have them as an extra treat tonight?"

"Alright, alright! Your Majesty, wait for me! I'll go get the sword right away!"

Just as Liu Miao and Zhou Tai were discussing whether to put the unruly warhorse into the pot, Zhang Liao quickly stepped forward, removed the stirrups, and then showed a resentful look the wound on the horse's back...

"..."

Liu Miao clenched his right fist and slammed it heavily into the palm of his left hand.

It used to be a piece of cloth, but now it's two pieces of iron, and these two pieces of iron are tied together. Wouldn't that make the warhorse uncomfortable?

They found another saddle and placed it on the warhorse's back, then tied several ropes to the stirrups on both sides, transferring the pressure to the thick, flat back of the horse. This time, the horse finally obediently lowered its body, allowing the cavalryman to do as he pleased.

"It feels like something's missing!"

When Liu Miao saw cavalrymen on horseback, he always felt that something was amiss.

With the invention of stirrups, cavalrymen no longer had to sway from side to side, but swaying back and forth was still unavoidable.

Thinking back to the scene when he and his companions rode their warhorses all the way back to Nanyang from Hedong, Liu Miao gasped and felt a burning pain between his legs!
It was only at this point that Liu Miao noticed that the warhorses of today still had low-bridge saddles, rather than the high-bridge saddles that had become more mature in later generations.

The low-bridge saddle, despite its name, still allows the rider's body to sway back and forth due to the very low front and rear bridges, failing to provide any real stability.

Liu Miao immediately ordered the craftsmen to raise the front and rear bridges of the saddle and widen the middle saddle plate to form a perfect ergonomic curve, and then let the cavalry mount the horse and gallop.

really!

With double stirrups and a high-bridged saddle, cavalrymen were completely as stable as a mountain on horseback!

Its rear end was firmly wedged between the front and rear axles of the saddle. Let alone shooting arrows from there, it could easily do anything unspeakable!
The craftsmen, along with Zhang Liao and Zhou Tai, looked at Liu Miao's newly designed high-bridged saddle with considerable admiration: "How come we couldn't think of something so simple?" "Isn't it because you're all thick-skinned and used to it?"

Liu Miao was still upset about the time he chafed his inner thighs raw last time!

"You all think about enduring hardship and pain, but don't you know how to use your brains to make improvements?"

Liu Miao always believed that there was no benefit to hard work and perseverance!

Only by avoiding hardship can one achieve a rapid improvement in their standard of living!
Even so, Liu Miao did not claim all the credit for himself.

A thousand taels of gold were allocated and divided equally among the craftsmen who had just made the stirrups, which made the eyes of the remaining craftsmen widen considerably!

"continue!"

The issues with the stirrups and saddle have been resolved.

Next came the horse spear.

The cumbersome nature of the lance also caused the craftsmen to frown.

These master craftsmen could only surround Zhang Liao and ask, "General, what kind of weapon do you want to forge?"

Zhang Liao hesitated and said, "I mean, a weapon that's a bit long, light, sharp, easy to use, and preferably also a bit flexible?"

"???"

The group of craftsmen looked at Zhang Liao in surprise.

A few impulsive individuals even wanted to hand the hammer to Zhang Liao: "Come on! Let's see how you forge a weapon for me that's longer, lighter, sharper, easier to use, and damn more agile!"

Zhang Liao knew that his request was putting the craftsmen in a difficult position, so he could only look longingly at Liu Miao...

"Ugh!"

Liu Miao glanced at Zhang Liao helplessly.

What kind of client would act like this? You can't just make arbitrary requests, can you?

Liu Miao stroked his chin: "Actually, there's no need to get them all done together."

Asking for a ring-pommel sword, Liu Miao took it and slashed at a red-hot furnace.

"when!"

With a soft thud, the ring-pommel sword was struck by the sturdy furnace, causing it to change direction and simultaneously dragging Liu Miao's hand aside.

"During the Spring and Autumn Period, swords were often used in warfare."

"Until the Han Dynasty, the ring-pommel sword became the mainstream weapon. The reason is that the sword blade is too long and can easily get stuck in the enemy's armor or body, causing the user to lose their weapon on the battlefield and be killed. Therefore, the ring-pommel sword is only sharpened on one side and the blade is slightly curved to avoid such incidents."

"Cavalry usually charge at high speed and attack in a straight line, which makes it easier for their weapons to get stuck in the enemy's body, resulting in the loss of weapons on the battlefield."

"Therefore, why not forge weapons into curved blades for use in battles between armies!"

If Liu Miao had made such a request a hundred years ago, he probably would have suffered the same fate as Zhang Liao just now.

However, with the improvement of iron smelting technology, especially the emergence of the steel-casting method of Su Tie, the weapons produced now have sufficient toughness to meet the forging requirements put forward by Liu Miao.

After a moment's thought, the veteran craftsmen each came up with their own ideas and immediately began casting.

Liu Miao wasn't in a hurry; he simply watched as these master craftsmen put on a sword-forging competition.

It has to be said, these master craftsmen who have been forging iron their whole lives are incredibly steady! Not a single one of them made a mistake!
The forged steel billet is placed in a furnace for calcination.

Because the improved water-flushing method developed by Han Ji had been widely adopted, the temperature of the blast furnace not only became more stable but also increased significantly compared to before, enabling the steel billets to be forged into a beautiful bright yellow color.

With these master craftsmen unleashing their chaotic hammering techniques, the original steel billet was quickly stretched and thinned, taking on the rudimentary shape of a curved blade.

Finally, the master craftsmen, all with solemn expressions, began the crucial quenching and tempering of the weapons in their hands!
If they fail at this point, not only will all their previous efforts be in vain, but it will also mean that the thousand catties of gold will once again be out of their reach.

Whatever is scary comes from it.

Even though several veteran craftsmen were extremely careful, their weapons still bent after quenching, causing them to swear without regard for Liu Miao's presence!
The craftsmen who successfully quenched the blades did not rest; instead, they quickly went to grind the blades and assemble the handles, not daring to be careless in the slightest!
at last!

Finally, several finished curved swords appeared before Liu Miao!
A cold glint flashed, its sharpness sending chills down one's spine!

"Wen Yuan, come here!"

To test this, Liu Miao had already ordered Zhou Tai to buy a dead pig.

"Try them out and see which one suits your hand best!"

Zhang Liao showed no mercy, picking up the first knife and forcefully slicing the pork!

As the blade struck the pork, a strange sensation traveled up the handle of the knife to Zhang Liao's arm.

Silky smooth!

Silky smoother than ever before!
Zhang Liao couldn't believe that there was such a smooth-feeling weapon in the world!

This is a weapon that was born for cavalry warfare!

(End of this chapter)