Diqin Designer

Chapter 102: The Taoist Priest, Disaster is Coming (Additional Chapter for Boss Nuan Yang)
The two groups of horses ran at about the same speed, so what is this measurement being done and where is the advantage of horseshoes?

Wang Ben waved his hand, and the Qin general in the parade ground immediately trotted over. Wang Ben pointed at the horse that had reached the other side of the parade ground and asked, "Who are we testing?"

General Qin said, "General, we are testing which of these horses can run faster or slower!"

Wang Ben looked at General Qin with a look that said, "Is this the general asking you?"

General Qin hurriedly said, "General, this group of horses is different from the other group of horses. There is something extra on their hooves. General, follow me!"

Wang Jian and his son followed the Qin general to the other side of the parade ground. The Qin general asked a knight to lift the right front hoof of a horse. The father and son immediately saw something nailed to the horse's front hoof. When they got closer, they found that it was a piece of iron.

Is this what the so-called "horseshoe" is?

Nailed on the horse's hoof, it is equivalent to putting a shoe on the horse.

The father and son also realized that they were really competing in speed, to see which one was faster, the one with shoes or the one without.

But the purpose of the comparison test is obviously not to prove that horses with horseshoes run faster, but to show that horseshoes will not greatly affect the running speed of horses.

Wang Jian carefully observed the horseshoe. As a veteran who had fought on the battlefield for many years, he had already thought of the function of the horseshoe, which was to protect the horse's hooves from damage, allowing the horse to run farther and longer, and allowing the horse to walk in more complex terrains.

Improves the horse's running ability and reduces horse losses.

Originally, in a fierce battle, a war horse might run hundreds of miles before its hoof was injured and could no longer be used. Now, with the horseshoe nailed on, the iron plate will be worn instead of the horse's hoof. As long as the iron plate is not worn out, the horse's hoof will not be damaged, and the war horse can run farther.

In this way, a war horse can be used for a longer time and does not need to be replenished frequently. Doesn't this mean reducing the consumption of the horse?
Wang Ben also thought of this. The father and son looked at each other and thought that if this was true, the role of the horseshoe was no less than that of the stirrup, and it could enhance the combat capability of the cavalry to a higher level.

General Qin said, "Generals, according to the king's order, we will have to conduct a long-distance running test. The horses with and without horseshoes will run for 200 miles, and then the wear and tear of their hooves will be checked. Generals, are you willing to wait?"

Wang Jian said: "No need, give me a horse with the horseshoe nailed on it, and I will ride it myself!"

He wouldn't wait, he wanted to verify the result himself.

Wang Jian now understood the purpose of Ying Zheng asking them father and son to come: it was to let them watch the comparison of stirrups and horseshoes to arouse their interest, and also to let them, who had fought on the battlefield for many years, evaluate the practicality of stirrups and horseshoes on the battlefield.

Not to mention Wang Ben, Wang Jian, as the strongest general of the Qin Dynasty, has a unique and experienced vision that is unmatched by anyone else. If anyone can correctly evaluate the role of stirrups and horseshoes, it must be him.

Seeing that his father Wang Jian had chosen a warhorse with horseshoes, Wang Ben asked for a warhorse without horseshoes. The father and son led two groups of warhorses respectively and galloped out of the military camp according to the route planned in advance.

Before they reached their destination, which was two hundred miles away, the result was already out: on the way, some of the unshoed war horses led by Wang Ben had to withdraw from the long-distance competition due to injured hooves, while none of the war horses led by Wang Jian withdrew.

As soon as they arrived at their destination, which was 200 miles away, the father and son immediately had the horses checked and personally inspected the hooves of each horse. The conclusion they came to was the same as they had thought before: the horseshoes on the war horses were only worn out by the iron plates, and the hooves themselves were intact, so the horses could continue to run.

The hooves of those war horses that were not shoveled had more or less wear and tear. If they continued to run, some of the horses would have their hooves damaged and could no longer be used.

Wang Jian patted a horse's neck and said to Wang Ben, "Although the horseshoe is small, it has great effects. It must not be spread, especially to the Hu people in the north and west."

Wang Ben continued his father's words and said, "The Hu people in the north and west are good at raising horses. The number of horses they raise is several times that of the Qin Dynasty. If they know about stirrups and horse shoes, it will be a disaster for the Qin Dynasty. We must report this to the king, but not to the public and let the Hu people know!"

Wang Jian shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, you should know how heavy the stirrup and horse sole are, and these two items must have been made by Li Nian."

The father and son did not talk much about Li Nian's topic and avoided it tacitly.

Although the king had already informed them of the existence of Li Nian, he did not say much. As his subjects, they should not say much, otherwise they might bring disaster upon themselves.

Wang Jian said: "If Your Majesty intends to use military force against the Hu people, you may be able to use stirrups and horse soles to strike them by surprise. However, this method can only be used once, and it is not easy to use it a second time. After the first use, the Hu people will surely learn it."

Wang Ben said: "So we must make good use of this first opportunity and deal a heavy blow to the Hu people! Unfortunately, the Hu people are a threat that can never be eradicated. Even if we kill one group, another will spawn."

Wang Jian also nodded. He thought to himself that if he were to lead the troops, he would be able to defeat the Hu people, but as for eliminating the threat of the Hu people forever, he couldn't do it.

While Wang Jian and his son were competing in stirrups and horseshoes, Ying Zheng was standing high on the steps in front of a palace, looking down coldly at the people kneeling on the ground below.

There were more than a hundred people kneeling on the ground, and except for a few, almost all of them were trembling.

Because there were dozens of cages in front of them, containing chickens, rats and other animals. These animals now had one thing in common: they were all dead. The deaths of some chickens and rats were very abnormal, and some had even been dead for a long time, emitting a foul odor.

According to the King of Qin standing on the steps, these chickens and rats turned into this appearance after eating the elixir they refined, which means that it was the elixir they refined that killed these chickens and rats.

But the problem is not that the chickens and rats died, but that the elixir they refined was supposed to be taken by the King of Qin. Now that the chickens and rats are dying from the elixir, doesn't that mean that their elixir will also kill the King of Qin?

This is the crime of poisoning the king, and the person poisoned is the King of Qin. Who wouldn't be afraid?
Glancing at the alchemists kneeling on the ground, Ying Zheng said, "Read it to them, so that they can see what kind of elixir they have refined, so that they won't say that I have wronged them."

A eunuch stepped out, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand and began to read aloud. The slips recorded that something strange had happened to a certain chicken or rat on a certain day and time. All the chickens and rats, from taking the elixir to developing symptoms of illness to death, were recorded in detail.

Listening to the eunuchs reading out the symptoms of each chicken and rat's illness and how they died, the kneeling alchemists were all horrified. Even those who looked calm on the outside had huge waves in their hearts.

Ying Zheng looked at those people, with a hint of cold mockery in his eyes: "Pretending to be calm, these people probably want to continue to deceive me, right? I want to see what other tricks you can use!"

(End of this chapter)