Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Wang Jian saw that Zhou Wenqing was just smiling and not saying anything, but just looking at him leisurely, the teasing in his eyes was almost tangible.

The old general steeled his heart, decided to go all out, and took half a step forward, clutching the salt jar, his voice filled with barely concealed urgency:

"Sir, please don't tease this old man! I'll accept the salt, and I appreciate your kindness! But that other thing... if I don't see it with my own eyes today, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep soundly when I get back!"

His eyes were wide open, and he tried his best to look serious, but the salt shaker he was holding tightly in his arms completely betrayed his little secret thought of "I want it all".

"Hahaha, General, you are indeed a man of true character!" Zhou Wenqing finally stopped teasing him, laughed loudly, put down his chopsticks, and said, "In that case, please follow Wenqing to the study for a look." With that, he calmly stood up.

"Okay, okay! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jian hurriedly got up and followed, but still held the pottery jar firmly in his arms.

This was a prize he had earned through his reputation; how could he possibly let it go?

Ying Zheng also stood up with a smile, following behind the two at a leisurely pace. Looking at the tall and composed figure in front of him and the eager and bold figure behind him, the corner of his mouth never left his lips.

The study remained exactly as Zhou Wenqing had left it, with the silk scroll lying open on the desk, the ink already dried.

At this point, Ying Zheng finally couldn't resist and quietly quickened his pace, passing Wang Jian and arriving at the table first.

If it weren't for Zhou Aiqing's illness, he would have already taken the silk scroll; how could he have waited until now?

Zhou Wenqing led the man to the table without saying much, only pointing to the white silk: "Your Majesty, General, please take a look."

The three of them didn't even bother to pull up chairs, and just stood around the table, their eyes all focused on the piece of silk.

"Takahashi saddle...this saddle..." Wang Jian's eyes were sharp, and he grasped the key point almost instantly. He suddenly slapped his thigh, making a loud "smack".

Zhou Wenqing, watching from the side, secretly gasped and subconsciously shrank his legs.

Fortunately, the old general's iron palm struck him; if it had landed on him, he would probably have been limping for a couple of days.

Wang Jian, however, was completely oblivious. He was beaming with excitement: "Ha! Brilliant! To put a seat on horseback to stabilize the waist and hips—how could I not have thought of such a clever idea! Mr. Zhou, I am truly impressed now. With this, our Qin warriors can traverse treacherous terrain as if it were flat ground, and even mountainous terrain will be like a smooth highway!"

Ying Zheng was equally delighted, but his mind was more meticulous. He lightly traced the pattern on the horseshoe beside him with his fingertips and pondered, "The ingenuity of this item lies in protecting the hooves. Wear and tear on the hooves is indeed a major problem during long-distance raids, but..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenqing smiled slightly, extended his right hand, and spread his palm in front of the two men: "I know what Your Majesty and General are worried about. Look, a hand has five fingers, and the fingertips have nails. The hoof nails of a horse are similar to this."

Both Ying Zheng and Wang Jian were taken aback, not understanding why.

Zhou Wenqing gently tapped the tip of his right thumb's nail with the tip of his left index finger: "The hard outermost layer of the hoof, like a fingernail, doesn't hurt."

"As warhorses walk and run daily, this hoof armor will naturally grow and wear down. However, over time, due to uneven wear or impacts from sharp objects like sand and gravel, it can easily crack and peel off. That's when it damages the tender flesh inside, causing the horse to limp in pain and making it difficult to gallop, resulting in the loss of the warhorse."

He picked up a pen and gestured lightly on his fingernail with the pen handle: "The so-called horseshoeing process involves first having a craftsman trim the horse's thick or uneven hooves to make them smooth, then attaching a properly forged horseshoe to the trimmed hoof, and finally, selecting iron nails of just the right toughness and thickness and driving them diagonally into the thick horn along the angle of the hoof."

"The nail tip stops precisely within the horn layer, never touching the soft flesh beneath. The horse will not feel pain; on the contrary, because the hoof is protected and the force is evenly distributed, it will walk more comfortably and steadily."

Ying Zheng and Wang Jian exchanged a glance, their doubts vanishing and replaced by a look of sudden enlightenment and amazement.

Wang Jian clapped his hands and laughed loudly, his voice shaking the roof beams: "So that's how it is! So that's how it is! I thought it was some kind of cruel method, and I was still reluctant to do it. It turns out that they cleverly used the thick armor, which is not supposed to feel pain, as a good material to reinforce it! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

He couldn't help but put his hand on Zhou Wenqing's shoulder, scrutinizing his head with a gaze that sent chills down Zhou's spine: "You kid, how did your brain develop? How are you so much smarter than everyone else?"

Use it and then throw it away. Does that turn a gentleman into a doll?

Zhou Wenqing's shoulders slumped from his sudden restraint, and he was momentarily at a loss for words, only able to force a smile.

Ying Zheng smiled broadly, all doubts vanished, and his eyes burned with fervent anticipation for the immense changes that were about to unfold: "Iron hooves—if this is completed, our Qin warhorses will be able to roam freely for thousands of miles, their hooves never weary!"

"Your Majesty, please don't be surprised," Zhou Wenqing shook his head slightly, a mysterious smile on his lips, "Wenqing has something else."

Ying Zheng was taken aback, and he and Wang Jian looked at him simultaneously: "Hmm?"

Zhou Wenqing walked to the other side of the desk, spread out a new piece of plain silk, picked up a brush, and began to draw and talk.

"The mere presence of the Takahashi saddle, providing support for the rider's back and waist, is already a significant improvement. However, to truly achieve unity between rider and horse, with power originating from the ground and generated from the waist and hips, allowing for effortless slashing and hacking, and even..."

His pen continued to move, sketching a diagram of a knight's feet in the stirrups: "...standing on the stirrups, drawing a powerful bow, borrowing the horse's strength, then..."

He put down his pen, looked up at Wang Jian, his eyes clear: "We still need this—stirrups."

Wang Jian held his breath when he saw the pair of rings.

When the words "standing on horseback and drawing a strong bow" clearly reached his ears, he was frozen in place, his eyes widening as he stared intently at the simple diagram, as if trying to imprint it into his heart.

A soft clanging sound.

The salt shaker he was holding tightly slipped off his arm unconsciously, but luckily he reacted quickly and pulled it back, then casually placed it on the bookshelf next to him.

But he couldn't care less about that at the moment.

The old general's fingertips trembled slightly as he gently touched the stirrup pattern. When he looked up at Zhou Wenqing, his eyes held not just shock, but also the sight of some rare treasure.

"With these three things, sir, the Qin cavalry will no longer be just cavalry..."

He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Instead, they are heavily armored elite warriors on horseback, an impregnable wall of iron and bronze, moving like the wind!"

"Who in the world can stop me?!"

King Ying Zheng of Qin and the veteran general Wang Jian exchanged a glance, both seeing a burning brilliance in each other's eyes—an infinite yearning for a future iron cavalry that would sweep across the six kingdoms and be invincible.

Zhou Wenqing waited quietly until their emotions had calmed down before speaking again, his voice clear and calm.

"Your Majesty, General, please suppress your joy for now. Wenqing has something to say that we must consider."

Their eyes immediately focused on him.

"These three items," Zhou Wenqing said, lightly touching the patterns of the saddle, stirrups, and horseshoes with his fingertips in turn.

"Its principle is extremely simple, and its effect is immense. However, precisely because it is simple, once it appears on the battlefield, it is very easy for the enemy to discover and imitate it, and I'm afraid..."

He raised his eyes, his expression solemn: "Therefore, how to grasp it and keep it in my hands for as long as possible, the degree of control, and even the laws and regulations for its manufacture, distribution, training, and use, all depend on Your Majesty's wise judgment and the general's brilliant strategy."

Upon hearing this, the flush on Ying Zheng and Wang Jian's faces subsided, and their expressions almost simultaneously turned solemn and thoughtful.

This matter is no longer my concern. Seeing that he had successfully thrown away this sweet yet thorny problem, and watching the two big shots deep in thought, Zhou Wenqing decided to make a graceful exit and quietly slip out of the study, leaving them the space to plan.

He had already stepped out of the room when he suddenly remembered something, abruptly stopped, turned back, gripped the doorframe, and shouted into the study:

"Your Majesty! Don't forget the ten-day deadline! Whether I can save face in front of your young master depends entirely on you!"

This call, which carried a hint of reminder and a touch of playfulness, startled Ying Zheng, who was engrossed in his strategic thinking. He looked up abruptly, paused for a moment, then chuckled and responded loudly:

"Rest assured, my dear minister, I will deliver it properly within three days!"

Once Zhou Wenqing received confirmation, he was satisfied and turned to stroll briskly back to his small courtyard.

He nestled comfortably into his personal rocking chair, gazing at the setting sun and the magnificent evening glow on the horizon. The chair beneath him creaked gently and rhythmically, a sound that soothed him. He brewed himself a pot of tea and sipped it slowly.

This is what life is all about...

After swaying for a while, Zhou Wenqing suddenly felt that something was not quite right.

Is it a little too quiet around you?

He frowned and pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized.

Where are Fusu and Azhu? I haven't seen the two little ones.