My Imperial Advisor is ChatGPT

Chapter Twenty-One: Putting Shoes on a Horse, Adding Wings to a Tiger

Xianyang, Shanglin Garden.

This was the royal hunting ground of the Qin Dynasty, and also a secret base for the Imperial Guards to practice horsemanship and archery.

The atmosphere at Shanglin Garden is somewhat eerie today.

A magnificent black horse was bound hand and foot and forced to the ground. Its eyes were wide open, and it was breathing heavily from its nostrils, clearly in a state of extreme terror.

Beside him, Zhao Gao was holding a red-hot pair of iron tongs in one hand and a hammer in the other, sweating profusely, looking just like a jailer in the Court of Justice preparing to carry out severe torture.

"Your Majesty... are you really going to nail it?" Zhao Gao asked in a trembling voice. "This is a precious horse from the Western Regions, worth a thousand pieces of gold. If it's ruined by this nail, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to pay off my debt."

Standing to the side, Ying Zheng, dressed in casual clothes, held a "Horseshoe Care and Iron Palm Installation Guide" generated by Xiao G, his expression indifferent.

"nail."

"But the horse will feel pain..."

"It's just a horse, not a person. Besides," Ying Zheng glanced at the anatomical diagram on the screen, "Little G said that the hoof layer is keratin, without nerves, just like your fingernail. Does it hurt when you cut your nails?"

Zhao Gao glanced at the thick horseshoe, then at the red-hot horseshoe, and thought to himself, "How can these be the same? Even a fingernail isn't this thick!"

But the emperor's decree was hard to disobey.

"Hold them down!" Zhao Gao roared at the strongmen holding down the horses.

"Sizzle—!"

A scorching hot horseshoe was pressed onto the trimmed hoof, emitting a wisp of smoke and accompanied by a strange smell of burnt feathers.

The black horse struggled for a moment, but then fell silent. Because it realized... it really didn't seem to hurt?

"Drive in a nail!"

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

With the hammering in of several specially made barbed nails, a U-shaped iron shoe was firmly fixed to the horse's hoof.

The black horse was released and stood up. It took two tentative steps and heard a crisp "click" sound under its feet. Seemingly puzzled, it stomped its feet again.

It doesn't hurt anymore.

The piercing, painful feeling of walking on gravel roads is gone, replaced by a solid, gripping sensation.

"Neigh—!" The black horse neighed excitedly and ran a lap around the track, its speed three points faster than usual.

Ying Zheng watched this scene, a satisfied smile curving his lips.

"This is a horseshoe."

"Little G," Ying Zheng thought to himself, "You did a good job with this 'nail art'."

[Your Majesty, this isn't called manicure; it's called 'wear control.']

A warhorse, after running on a gravel road for a month, will have its hooves worn out and become a useless horse. With this piece of iron, the warhorse's lifespan can be extended three times.

This is the economic calculation. What you're saving isn't iron, but a huge sum of money meant for buying horses.

Ying Zheng nodded. He looked at Zhao Gao: "Zhao Gao, don't just stand there. The Minister of the Imperial Household Department, stop everything else and focus all your efforts on forging these iron palms. I want all the warhorses of Qin to wear shoes."

"And that 'iron ring,' is it finished?"

Zhao Gao quickly pulled out a pair of seemingly ordinary iron rings from his pocket, with leather straps attached to them.

"It's finished. But... Your Majesty, what's the point of this thing hanging on both sides of the saddle, swaying back and forth?"

Ying Zheng took the pair of iron rings—stirrups.

This is a magical weapon that changed the history of world warfare.

"What's the use?" A glint of light flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes. "It can eliminate the distinction between cavalry and infantry in this world."

"The news is about Xiang Yu."

……

A luxurious mansion in Xianyang City.

Xiang Yu was idly lifting a stone weight in the courtyard. He had been brought to Xianyang after being "accepted amnesty".

"Ji'er".

Uncle Xiang Liang walked in, holding a Qin imperial edict that had just been delivered.

"That emperor summons you to the Shanglin Garden."

Xiang Yu threw the several-hundred-pound stone weight onto the ground, causing it to tremble. "No way! It'll probably just be another one of those Qin people practicing their fancy but ineffective moves. It's so annoying!"

"This time is different." Xiang Liang's expression was solemn. "I heard the emperor has come up with some new type of horse tack and specifically asked you to try it out. He also said..."

"What did you say?"

"Speaking of the entire Qin Dynasty, only your horsemanship, Xiang Ji's, is worthy of this set of skills."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Yu sneered, "A provocation? Hmph, an old trick."

But the arrogance in his eyes was stirred up.

"Fine! I'll go take a look! If that thing is a piece of junk, I'll tear it apart in front of the entire court! Let's see where that old emperor's face will be then!"

……

Shanglin Garden, drill ground.

Today, the bigwigs of the Qin military have gathered here: Wang Ben, Meng Yi, and Han Xin, who just returned from "delivering goods" on the Straight Road.

Everyone gathered around a horse, pointing and commenting.

That saddle was different from the usual ones. The front and rear bridges were raised high (high-bridge saddle), and two iron rings hung down on both sides (stirrups).

"What is this thing?" Wang Ben, an old-fashioned general, frowned. "The saddle is so high, are they trying to make the rider dismount? And these two rings, are they for hooking your feet? Riding a horse relies on squeezing your legs tightly against the horse's belly; your feet should be suspended in the air. How can you generate power by stepping on something?"

Han Xin squatted to one side, staring at the two iron rings, his eyes growing brighter and brighter. He held a twig in his hand and quickly drew a force analysis diagram on the ground.

"Brilliant..." Han Xin murmured to himself, "A fulcrum. This gives people two fulcrums."

"General Wang, think about it. In the past, when we were fighting on horseback, we relied entirely on the strength of our waist and abdomen. If we exerted too much force, we would fall off. But if we had a firm footing, then we would become one with the horse."

"This strike..." Han Xin made a chopping motion, "is not using the strength of my waist, but the momentum of the horse, plus the reaction force of the earth!"

Wang Ben snorted: "Armchair strategist. If a real fight breaks out, and those two rings get caught on something, they'll fall and die."

Just then, a series of heavy footsteps sounded.

Dressed in a sleek outfit, Xiang Yu strode into the training ground. Without even glancing at the generals around him, he walked straight to Ying Zheng and casually cupped his hands in greeting.

"Xiang Ji greets Your Majesty. I heard Your Majesty has something good for me to try?"

Ying Zheng sat in the stands, ignoring Xiang Yu's rudeness.

"That horse," Ying Zheng pointed to the center of the arena, "go up and give it a try."

Xiang Yu glanced at the warhorse equipped with the full "three-piece set" and smiled contemptuously.

"That's it? A few iron rings?"

He walked to the front of the horse, and without even stepping on the stirrups, he pressed down on the horse's back with one hand, and his whole body soared into the air like a lark, landing steadily on the horse's back.

This skillful maneuver of mounting the horse earned him a round of applause from the surrounding crowd.

"Remove the stirrups! I, Xiang Yu, ride a horse; I don't need such a burden!" Xiang Yu said proudly.

"Don't rush into things," Ying Zheng said calmly. "Step on it first. Run two laps. Then..."

Ying Zheng pointed to a row of wooden stakes at the other end of the training ground, with a pottery jar hanging on each stake.

"Use this knife to chop all those pottery jars to pieces. Don't slow down."

The guard handed Xiang Yu a brand-new ring-pommel sword. This sword was longer and heavier than ordinary Qin swords, with a thick back and thin blade, and a forward-positioned center of gravity, designed specifically for slashing.

Xiang Yu weighed the sword in his hand: "It's got some weight to it. Fine, I'll play with you."

He casually slipped his feet into the stirrups and gave the reins a flick.

"drive!"

The warhorses galloped out.

At first, Xiang Yu didn't think the iron rings were of any use. He was a skilled rider, his legs gripping the horse's belly like iron clamps.

But when the horse reached its maximum speed and was about to swing its sword, something changed.

Previously, with such high-speed chopping, the body would lean backward due to inertia, requiring seven-tenths of the strength to maintain balance, leaving only three-tenths of the strength to chop.

But today...

When his feet were firmly planted in the stirrups and his buttocks were supported by the high saddle, he felt an unprecedented sense of stability.

He's like he was born on a horse!

"kill!"

With a roar, Xiang Yu used the stirrups for support and stood upright on his horse!

He gripped the sword with both hands, simultaneously exerting force from his waist, abdomen, thighs, and ankles, channeling all his strength, along with the momentum of his warhorse, into this single strike.

"Bang!"

The first pottery jar wasn't chopped into pieces; it was blasted apart by the terrifying gust of wind from the blade!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The warhorse swept past like a black lightning bolt, and in the blink of an eye, all the pottery jars on the row of wooden stakes shattered into dust. Two stakes were even severed in half by Xiang Yu!

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Wang Ben's mouth gaped open, his beard trembling. He had fought countless battles and had never witnessed such terrifying cavalry charge. In that brief moment, Xiang Yu hadn't displayed cavalry, but a flying heavy chariot!

The warhorse finished running a lap and slowly came to a stop.

Xiang Yu sat on his horse, looking down at the iron rings at his feet, then at the trembling long sword in his hand.

His eyes changed.

From contempt to shock, and finally to fanaticism.

As a top-tier military commander, he understood better than anyone what this meant.

This means that cavalry are no longer mere harassers on the battlefield, but rather the masters. With this, he could lead his cavalry to directly crush infantry formations!

"What...what is this called?" Xiang Yu raised his head, and for the first time, his gaze towards Ying Zheng was less arrogant and more complicated.

"Stirrups".

Ying Zheng stood up and walked to the railing.

"Xiang Ji. It's just an inanimate object. To a mediocre person, it's a burden. But to a hegemon, it's wings."

"I intend to assemble an 'Iron Pagoda' force. Three thousand men and horses, clad in armor, adorned with this divine gear."

"The commander of this army..." Ying Zheng stared at Xiang Yu, "Do you dare to take the position?"

Xiang Yu was startled.

Ironclad Cavalry? Three thousand heavy cavalry?

Just imagining that scene made his blood boil. It was every warrior's ultimate dream.

But he hesitated. He was a man of Chu, the grandson of Xiang Yan. To lead an army for Qin Shi Huang?

"What? Scared?" Ying Zheng sneered. "Afraid of losing control of this army in the future? Or afraid that I'll discard you after you've served your purpose?"

"Let me tell you. If I give you this knife, I won't be afraid that you'll turn around and cut me."

"Because I believe you'd be even more eager to slaughter the Xiongnu. Didn't that brat Modu escape right under your uncle's nose? Don't you want to capture him and prove you're stronger than him?"

Xiang Yu's eyes reddened. His competitive spirit instantly overwhelmed his political stance.

"Who says I'm afraid!"

Xiang Yu dismounted, his movements even more swift than before.

"Give me the best horse and the best armor, and I'll take the command!"

"But!" Xiang Yu raised his head, "If one day I feel you are no longer fit to be emperor, I will still rebel!"

The surrounding generals gasped. Only Xiang Yu would dare to say such a thing.

Ying Zheng laughed heartily: "Good! I'll be waiting for that day. But before that, you must first pacify the north for me."

"Wang Ben!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Bring out all the refined iron in the stockpile. The Imperial Household Department will fully cooperate with Xiang Yu to forge heavy cavalry equipment."

"Han Xin!"

"Your subject is here." Han Xin quickly crawled out from the corner.

"You will be Xiang Yu's deputy."

Han Xin's face fell: "Huh? Your Majesty, am I also supposed to ride a horse and kill people?"

"No." Ying Zheng pointed at Han Xin's head. "You're in charge of teaching him how not to get lost, how to manage supplies, and how... to prevent him from killing his own people in a bloodthirsty frenzy."

"This is 'brains' paired with 'muscles.' I hope that the two of you can lead me to an invincible army."

Xiang Yu glanced at the thin Han Xin and sneered, "Bookworm."

Han Xin glanced at Xiang Yu and rolled his eyes: "You brute."

Ying Zheng looked at this pair of future rivals and felt secretly pleased.

This is the strongest combination.

……

The Liu family's shop in the West Market of Xianyang (which has now been expanded into a trading company).

"Breaking news! Breaking news!"

Fan Kuai rushed in like a whirlwind, waving a newly printed copy of the "Da Qin Daily" (the official newspaper printed by Zhao Gao).

"Brother! Look! His Majesty is going to build some kind of 'heavy cavalry'! He's buying up large quantities of refined iron and... beans!"

Liu Bang, who was lying on a couch counting money, perked up his ears when he heard the word "beans".

"beans?"

"Yes! The newspaper says that warhorses carry a heavier load after being armored, so they can't just eat grass; they need concentrated feed! Black beans, soybeans—collect as many as you can!"

Xiao He, who was checking accounts nearby, put down his pen upon hearing this, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Liu Ji, your chance has come."

"We used to make a living by dealing in cars. But these beans... are consumables."

"Three thousand heavy cavalry, plus the supply horses, that's at least ten thousand horses. How many beans would they eat in a day?"

Liu Bang scrambled to his feet and tucked the money bag into his waistband.

"Xiao He, calculate the current price of soybeans in Guanzhong."

"Five qian per shi. Because everyone grows wheat, few people grow beans, mainly for feeding pigs."

"Good!" Liu Bang slapped his thigh. "Pass down the order! Sell all the remaining glass beads and toilet paper we have! Turn them into money!"

"Go to Northeast China! Go and collect all the beans from Shandong and Hebei!"

"And another thing!" Liu Bang's eyes lit up. "We not only want to sell beans, but also to engage in deep processing."

"Further processing?" Xiao He asked, puzzled.

"Even beans are bad for horses, they get bloated easily. Let's grind the beans, mix them with hay, and make... 'Royal Special Horse Biscuits'!"

"This thing is easy to transport and store. Let's print the character 'Qin' on it, and double the price!"

Xiao He looked at Liu Bang and smiled helplessly.

"With a brain like yours, it's a real shame you're not prime minister."

"Hehe, being a prime minister is so tiring, getting scolded by His Majesty every day." Liu Bang crossed his legs. "It's much more comfortable to be a shrewd merchant... oh no, a royal merchant."

……

Shaofu (少府), workshops.

Hu Hai was looking at a blueprint with a headache.

That was a "Design Drawing of Heavy Cavalry Armor" sent by Zhao Gao.

"It's so ugly! So ugly!" Hu Hai crumpled the blueprints into a ball and threw them at Zhao Gao's face. "This is the armor you designed? It looks like an iron bucket! There's not a shred of aesthetic appeal!"

"If I wore this out, I'd be more of a laughingstock than a frighten the enemy!"

Zhao Gao looked aggrieved: "My lord, this is for actual combat. It needs to be thick and resistant to arrows. Aesthetics... aren't important, are they?"

"Bullshit! Strength is temporary, but handsomeness is for life!"

Hu Hai picked up a pen and quickly drew a few strokes on the drawing.

"Here! Add a beast-head shoulder piece! Make it ferocious! A tiger or a dragon!"

"Add two long, red feathers to the helmet! It should make you run like a flame!"

"And a cape! It absolutely has to be a cape! Black, with gold trim!"

Looking at the elaborately altered design drawing, Zhao Gao thought to himself, "This isn't a war, it's more like going to a theatrical performance!"

"Young master, adding so many decorations will increase the weight."

"Then let Xiang Yu train in weightlifting!" Hu Hai declared confidently. "Isn't he strong? What's an extra ten or eight pounds?"

"It's settled then! I'm going to try it on as soon as it's made! I'm going to wear it to the West Market and cause a ruckus!"

Zhao Gao sighed.

"promise……"

……

A month later.

Shanglin Garden.

Three thousand strong men, handpicked from the Qin army, clad in heavily armor designed by Hu Hai (which was indeed very cool, but also very heavy), rode warhorses equipped with stirrups and horseshoes, forming a mountain-like formation.

Xiang Yu rode his prized horse, Wuran (although there was no Wuzhui yet, Ying Zheng found him the blackest one), clad in black chainmail with beast heads, and red feathers fluttering in the wind on his head, making him look like a demon god.

He raised the long sword in his hand (a specially made version weighing eighty pounds).

"All troops—charge!"

"Boom—!"

The earth was trembling.

Three thousand heavy cavalrymen started moving at the same time. With the help of the stirrups, they got off to a very fast start.

Ahead was a row of wooden targets simulating Xiongnu light cavalry.

A torrent of steel roared past.

There was no fancy mounted archery, nor any flanking maneuvers.

It's a collision.

Just run straight at it!

"Snap! Crash!"

The wooden targets were instantly reduced to dust by the heavy cavalry charge.

Ying Zheng stood on the high platform, feeling the tremors beneath his feet and watching the black torrent sweep across everything with overwhelming force.

"Little G".

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I will give this army a name."

[What should they be called? Ironclad Cavalry? Cavalry with hooves? Or the Qin Armored Division?]

"No."

Ying Zheng's gaze was deep and unfathomable.

"Call him 'Wall Breaker'."

"They will break down the boundaries of the Great Wall, and the boundaries between agriculture and nomadism."

"From today onwards, the roles of offense and defense have reversed."

The wind carried Xiang Yu's wild laughter and Han Xin's furious roar from behind: "Maintain formation! Don't charge too fast! The supplies are running out!"

The fangs of the Qin army have been sharpened to an unparalleled edge.

Modu, who was licking his wounds on the grassland, probably never dreamed that the next time he met Modu, he would be facing a group of heavily armed monsters.