Chapter 43 During the Qin Dynasty, the main crop in the north was millet…

During the Qin Dynasty, millet was the main crop in the north. The Qin people did not place much importance on growing wheat or beans.

Before the Qin Dynasty, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, millet was the most important grain crop. The Analects of Confucius, in the chapter "Wei Zi", says, "Kill a chicken and cook millet for it to eat," which reflects the important status of millet.

After the Qin Dynasty, the Han Dynasty focused on cultivating the five grains, which generally refer to millet, foxtail millet, wheat, beans, and rice. After the Han Dynasty, "beans and foxtail millet" replaced millet, and the planting area of ​​millet decreased.

It wasn't until the Tang Dynasty, when wheat-based staple foods were widely adopted in the north, that wheat truly became the main food crop in the north.

This shows that Fusu has a long way to go and a heavy responsibility.

However, Fusu himself was very optimistic.

He ate a meal of a complete set of noodles at the First Emperor's palace. As he ate, he thought to himself, "Everyone says that wheat porridge is hard to swallow, perhaps it's because they don't have the right tools."

The noodles are chewy, the steamed buns are sweet, and the dumplings are fluffy...

It was indeed delicious.

Puzzled, he had a bowl of wheat porridge made for him, and specifically instructed that it should be eaten in the way a normal person would.

Although the palace maid was confused, she still did as she was told.

Soon, a bowl of authentic wheat porridge was served on Fusu's table.

Fusu examined it carefully and found that the hard seed coat and bran on the surface of the wheat had not been removed, and the whole grains were steamed.

He took a bite; the texture of the wheat porridge was like chewing sand.

Fusu frowned and swallowed the mouthful of coarse wheat porridge amidst the strange and surprised looks of the palace servants.

"Young master!" the palace maid exclaimed.

Fusu muttered to himself, "No wonder everyone is unwilling to eat wheat porridge. It's so coarse, it almost cuts my throat. Who would want to eat wheat porridge unless they had no other choice?"

Prince Fusu suddenly realized how important the matter was.

He couldn't just get the people to grow winter wheat; he also had to teach them how to make wheat taste better.

He knew that farming was hard work, and the people who toiled all year would certainly hope for a good harvest. Therefore, he couldn't simply and hastily decide to have them plant winter wheat.

Ideally, we should understand the habits of winter wheat and spread stone mills and water-powered millstones throughout the streets and alleys of Xianyang and along the Wei River.

And who knows these things best and understands them most clearly is none other than the divine messenger who presented the memorial.

However, Fusu did not go to her immediately. Instead, he first asked the Minister of Agriculture for two agricultural officials to learn about farming. He then personally visited the streets and alleys of Xianyang to find a suitable place to install the stone millstone. He added some of his own ideas on promoting winter wheat, summarized and compiled them into a book, and only after consulting with the First Emperor did he go to Mount Li to find Lin Fengzhi.

By then, Lin Fengzhi had composed herself and, surrounded by her guards, rode her horse to the mausoleum area.

With the addition of stirrups, she learned to ride a horse much faster and more steadily.

It's unclear which craftsman the guards hired, but not only were stirrups added to the sides of the saddle, but the front and back of the saddle bridges were also raised. With the stirrups and bridges, Lin Fengzhi was completely framed on the horse's back, greatly improving stability, allowing her to move more freely.

The guards were very envious of her new equipment, and hesitantly pushed one of them forward to ask her, "Divine Messenger, may we try on these stirrups and saddle?"

Lin Fengzhi laughed heartily: "Of course. The craftsman you found is really ingenious. He not only widened the stirrups but also made the saddle more suitable for riding. I will ask His Majesty to recommend him and you for credit later."

The guard leader quickly waved his hand: "This is the merit of the divine messenger, there is no need to share it with us. Protecting your safety and making you feel comfortable is also our duty."

Lin Fengzhi watched with his hands behind his back as the guard leader leaped onto his horse with a remarkably swift and stylish motion. Then, after cautiously testing the stirrups and finding them indeed very stable, he began to boldly attempt new maneuvers.

He first sprinted around twice, controlling the rope with one hand, then excitedly shouted, "Give me the bow and arrows!"

Someone in the crowd tossed him a bow and arrow. He loosened the reins completely, drew the bowstring, aimed at the leaves in the distance, and gently released the bow. The arrow, with a swift whooshing sound, shot down a branch.

Lin Fengzhi exclaimed in surprise.

What a sharpshooter!

Even after dismounting, the guard leader was still incredibly excited, imagining, "If I were on the battlefield, charging into battle with a long halberd..."

Lin Fengzhi glanced at it; the combination of saddle and stirrups allowed the rider and horse to be more closely connected, achieving unprecedented levels of stability, maneuverability, and power exertion.

This will undoubtedly spark a tactical revolution.

A new unit – cavalry – will be introduced to the battlefield.

Although the Qin Dynasty had cavalry, it was not used as a main force on the battlefield. Instead, it was used for reconnaissance and flanking attacks. It was not until the reign of Emperor Wu of Han that cavalry replaced infantry as the main force.

Cavalry could more effectively use long weapons for powerful charges, and it was also easier for them to stand in the stirrups and strike with force. Cavalry was the true hegemon of the era of cold weapons.

As expected of the leader of the guard, he has such keen insight into things that can change the course of the battlefield.

Lin Fengzhi said sincerely, "It will be very powerful, but it will also cost a lot of money."

Maintaining a cavalryman is extremely expensive, far exceeding the cost of infantry, making them veritable "money-devouring beasts".

First of all, warhorses themselves are very expensive, with a qualified warhorse costing several thousand to tens of thousands of coins. Nowadays, the assets of a middle-class family are worth about 100,000 coins, and a good warhorse is roughly equivalent to the entire assets of a middle-class family.

Warhorses are concentrated feed animals, requiring large amounts of high-quality hay and concentrate.

A military horse consumes far more food per day than a soldier.

Not to mention the related horse tack, weapons, and armor worn by cavalry.

It is generally believed that the overall cost of maintaining a cavalryman is at least three times that of an infantryman, or even higher.

So why did dynasties continue to maintain a cavalry force despite its exorbitant costs?

Because cavalry can move quickly and concentrate their attacks on weak points, they force the enemy to passively adjust their formation.

The ground tremors, the gleam of armor, and the sound of hooves during a cavalry charge exert immense psychological pressure on the infantry. Once a gap appears in the formation, panic spreads like a plague.

They rarely annihilate large armies independently, but they can paralyze enemy organization, create panic, and transform tactical victories into strategic annihilation. Their lethality lies not in the blade, but in the control exerted by their cavalry.

Napoleon once said, "Infantry win battles, cavalry win campaigns." This means that cavalry determines whether a victory can be turned into a decisive battle.

The military treatise "Six Secret Teachings" also describes the systematization of cavalry tactics with the phrase "Its speed is like the wind, its violence is like thunder, it is like dusk in the daytime, it changes its banners and changes its clothes frequently, and its army can be defeated." This means creating battlefield chaos through high-speed movement and strengthening psychological pressure by changing clothes and banners.

Cavalry was indeed a luxury and a symbol of power in ancient warfare.

The guard leader remained silent, clearly aware that the cavalry was extremely expensive.

But could the First Emperor really resist the urge to build such a powerful and lethal cavalry force?

He couldn't help it.

Neither the Qin state treasury nor his own private coffers were short of money. Besides, the Xiongnu to the north were watching with predatory eyes; how could he allow others to sleep soundly beside his bed?

He will surely assemble a cavalry unit to fight the Xiongnu.

When cavalry could only serve as an auxiliary force, he dispatched Meng Tian to garrison Beijun, and Meng Tian still managed to drive the Xiongnu more than 700 li away, so that the Hu people dared not move south to graze their horses and the soldiers dared not draw their bows and complain.

Who would have thought that with stirrups and an improved saddle, he could fight his way up to the top?

Lin Fengzhi patted the guard leader on the shoulder and said, "Steel is easier to obtain now than before, and His Majesty will definitely press his advantage. Don't worry, no matter what, His Majesty will definitely need a cavalry force that can go to the battlefield."

The Qin people were warlike because military merit meant abundant rewards and a relatively fair and transparent path to advancement. Hearing this, the guard leader felt reassured: "Thank you for the divine messenger's auspicious words. I wonder if it would be possible to have the craftsmen make more saddles and stirrups? If we practice diligently, we will be able to fight when we select cavalry in the future."

“Of course, it would be even better if the craftsman could make stirrups and saddles that fit the warhorse.” Lin Fengzhi nodded repeatedly. As she spoke, she bent down to look at the hooves of the Hequ horse: “Are its hooves worn down? I think it runs a little slower than it did a few days ago.”

The guard leader naturally squatted down as well. He picked up one of the horseshoes of the Hequ horse and examined it carefully: "It really is. It is usually trimmed regularly. It's nothing to worry about. I will take it to get its hooves trimmed when we return from the mausoleum area."

Lin Fengzhi was curious about how horseshoes were cared for in the days before horseshoes, so she asked.

The guard leader, who had dealt with horses for many years and participated in numerous wars, knew them very well: "When there's no war, it's not so bad; the wear and tear on the hooves isn't as severe. When I participated in the conquest of the six states, there were several long marches, covering a hundred li a day. Many warhorses couldn't withstand it, their hooves thinned, and the hoof walls cracked—and that was only mild. If the wear and tear were severe, the warhorse might be crippled or die."

“There are people in the military camp who specialize in repairing horses’ hooves. In addition, they also wrap the hooves with hemp rope and leather. However, these hoof covers are not very effective and cannot prevent wear and tear for a long time. In winter, the hoof covers can only keep the horses warm.”

"Didn't you think of using something else to wrap the horseshoes? Like iron plates?" Lin Fengzhi asked.

If the Qin Dynasty hadn't lacked the expression "Why not eat meat porridge?", the guard leader would have said that too.

The guard leader chuckled, then quickly composed himself and dutifully explained, "You may not know, Divine Envoy, but the rammed earth official road has soft soil. Unless it's a long-distance raid, regular hoof maintenance is sufficient. Moreover, the laws of the Great Qin stipulate that horses should be changed every thirty li. As for wrapping them with iron plates, it's hard to imagine that it wouldn't injure their hooves, is it?"

Lin Fengzhi raised her eyebrows; she had found the reason why Qin had no horseshoes.

First, the geographical environment and tactical requirements did not create sufficient pressure. Most battlefields were on dirt roads, and the natural growth rate of horses' hooves was sufficient to cope with wear and tear. Cavalry, as an auxiliary force, rarely engaged in long-distance raids.

Secondly, the Qin people did not understand the biological characteristics of the horn layer of horseshoes, nor did they know the technique of nailing hooves without harming them. Even an officer who frequently dealt with horses was afraid of injuring them while nailing hooves.

Third, there are now hoof trimming techniques to replace horseshoes, and the military has specialists who systematically maintain the horses.

"Really?" Lin Fengzhi then asked him, "So how do you usually trim your nails? Do you ever cut your skin?"

The guard leader said, “Divine messenger, I am a rough man. When my nails grow long, I just bite them off or grind them down on bricks and stones. Only nobles and high-ranking officials have the time to trim their nails. I have heard that His Majesty has eunuchs who trim his nails with bronze-inlaid gold knives and jade whetstones. We rough men don’t even hurt ourselves, let alone those nobles with their golden branches and jade leaves.”

“These hooves are like human fingernails; as long as they don’t cut the flesh, it’s fine.” Lin Fengzhi stood up and continued, “If we nail iron plates to the hooves, even the rugged terrain of the Xiongnu region can reduce the wear and tear on the hooves.”

In that case, the warhorses' mobility, endurance, and carrying capacity far exceeded those of the Xiongnu, allowing the Qin army to launch longer-distance and faster raids.

Why worry about not achieving military exploits in the north?

The group looked at Lin Fengzhi with shining eyes, their desire for military merit evident in their gazes. They were practically pleading with her to hurry up and finish making the horseshoes.

Lin Fengzhi found it amusing.

"In that case, I'll draw up a design and have the craftsmen who made stirrups study it. There are blast furnaces producing steel on both sides of Mount Li." Then, she could also help them claim credit.

After saying that, she mounted her horse again and once again felt the stability of the stirrups.

"drive--"

The crowd followed closely behind.

As soon as Lin Fengzhi arrived at the mausoleum area, she went straight to the area where the terracotta figurines were made and spoke with a young man who was making terracotta figurines.

She still stubbornly believes that the way back is hidden in the completion of the Terracotta Army.

Once she's more skilled at horseback riding, she'll consider riding around the Lishan Mausoleum area seventy or eighty times.

She came almost every day, and the laborers and convicts in the terracotta warrior area all recognized her. They knew that she was no ordinary person, and dared not refuse to speak to her.

She now has a basic understanding of the terracotta warriors' production process.

First, carefully selected clay from near Mount Li was washed to remove sand and gravel impurities. Quartz sand was then added to enhance its fire resistance, and the clay was repeatedly pounded to improve its plasticity. The torso of the terracotta figurine was made into an oval-shaped hollow base using a molding method to reduce the risk of cracking, while the head and limbs were pressed into their initial shapes using separate molds.

Subsequently, a fine layer of clay is covered on the surface of the rough blank, and armor plates and clothing folds are hand-carved. The beard and hair bun are made using the "applied and carved" technique. The eyes, lips and other facial features need to be carved individually to achieve "a thousand faces for a thousand people".

The finished figurine blanks are air-dried until they have a low moisture content to prevent them from cracking during firing. Then, the figurines are placed upside down in the kiln, with their heads down and feet up, to prevent them from collapsing by utilizing the principle of center of gravity for stability.

After firing, the parts are joined together with clay, and bamboo or iron nails are embedded in the joints between the torso and arms for reinforcement. The joints are then covered with clay for finishing.

Finally, apply raw lacquer as a base, then use mineral pigments such as cinnabar, malachite green, and lead white to paint the armor and clothing in layers.

A perfect, colorful terracotta warrior was thus created.

Therefore, the terracotta warriors that Lin Fengzhi saw in the terracotta warrior area were not the earthy yellow and gray of later generations, but vivid and brightly colored.

The young man she spoke to was doing basic work.

He was repairing a small crack left by an adult craftsman after he had carved the texture of the armor.

"Your father was also a craftsman, so that's why you came to Lishan to become a craftsman?"

After Qin unified China, it recruited artisans from all over the six states. The boy was originally from the state of Han, and he moved to Xianyang with his father and brothers. His father and brothers also made terracotta figures in the terracotta figurine area, and their work was more exquisite than his.

The young man nodded silently. Just as Lin Fengzhi was about to say something, a guard stepped forward and whispered in her ear, "Divine Envoy, Young Master Fusu has arrived."

Upon hearing this, she looked over and saw the famous eldest prince of the Great Qin Dynasty wearing a black robe with narrow sleeves and a right-fastening front, adorned with jade ornaments at his waist.

It's like a touch of gentle elegance in the bleak autumn.

The visitor smiled slightly and called out, "Divine messenger."

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Author's Note: *A Study of Ancient Chinese Stone Millstones - Zeng Huifang