Chapter 191: He wants to be king, I will give up the throne
Ying Zheng stood up in astonishment, paced back and forth in the palace for a dozen steps, then suddenly turned around and looked at his biological mother, Zhao Ji.
He couldn't believe it and said with deep doubt:
"Is what mother said true? Sanyue's horsemanship is comparable to Li Mu's flying soldiers, and it is a siege weapon that can knock down city walls. I don't believe it. Where in the world can there be such a magical weapon?"
Zhao Ji recalled what she saw that year.
"When a horse runs thousands of miles, its hooves will be injured. Ying Chengjiao nailed iron plates on the horse's hooves and named them horseshoes. With the protection of iron, the horse can run thousands of miles without any injury to its hooves."
Ying Zheng frowned and thought carefully about the feasibility of horseshoes. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head.
"Ridiculous, ridiculous. Even if this method works, it is so difficult to nail iron into a horse's hoof. If you want a horse to not kick you despite the pain, you need a brave man who is famous among the three armies to control the horse. There are not so many brave men in this world."
“A horse’s hooves can’t feel pain.”
"Mother, you're joking again. The hoof is longer than the body, how can you not feel the pain?"
The First Emperor just shook his head.
When Zhao Ji looked at the First Emperor's current appearance, it was as if she saw herself in the past.
If she had not seen with her own eyes Ying Chengjiao nailing horseshoes on the horse's paws, she would not have believed that horses had no sense of pain from horseshoes.
"That fellow invented the horseshoe ten years ago, and you still doubt it. How can you stop him from rebelling? Give your hand, mother."
Ying Zheng handed to Zhao Ji.
Zhao Ji pointed at the nails on Ying Zheng's hand and said, "Your nails are also growing on your body. Will it hurt you if I cut them? Horse hooves are similar to nails."
"Don't your nails hurt?"
Ying Zheng pressed hard on the tip of his middle finger nail and muttered to himself.
Ying Zheng had regular palace maids trimming his nails. In the past, Ying Zheng did not pay attention to such small matters as nails and took it for granted that he had no sense of pain in his nails.
I tried it today and found that it really doesn't hurt.
I was actually a little surprised by this little thing that I took for granted.
Seeing her son acting like children, Zhao Ji seemed to see Ying Zheng sucking his fingers twenty years ago. She couldn't help but pat Ying Zheng on the head to bring him back to his senses and continued to explain to him.
"The horse's back is smooth and easy to fall over but difficult to keep steady, which is one of the main reasons that restricts the cavalry's movements. The guy made a seat out of a wooden frame covered with leather, stuffed it with soft stuff in the shape of a buttock, with bulges in front and back, called a saddle, and placed it on the horse's back for people to ride on.
"The cavalry can easily lean forward and backward on horseback, stab left and right, and perform actions that only grassland cavalry could do in the past. The cavalry sits on the horse's back, with their feet hanging in the air and no place to gain leverage.
"To sit on the horse's back, ordinary cavalrymen must hold the horse's mane with one hand, which is another major reason that restricts the cavalry's movements. The guy hung on the saddle with a special rope, and each end of the hanging rope was hung with a footrest, called a stirrup.
"In this way, when the cavalry sits on the horse, their feet have something to support them, just like stepping on the ground. Without stirrups, at least one of the cavalry's hands is tied, and to shoot arrows, they either have to slow down the horse or dismount, otherwise they will easily fall off the horse.
"With stirrups, both hands are freed, and cavalry can ride at high speeds while drawing their bows and drawing arrows without falling off their horses. Even in the vast grasslands, there are only a few thousand people who can do this.
"I have never seen the siege equipment, but I have seen the horseshoe, saddle, and stirrup with my own eyes. Zhao State wore Hu clothing and rode and shot arrows, and its cavalry was the best in the world. With these three items, Zhao State's greatest advantage became a disadvantage. It is not unfair that Zhao State fell."
Ying Zheng grew up in the State of Zhao when he was a child and was not unfamiliar with horses. His riding skills could not be said to be superb, but at least he would not fall off his horse.
As Zhao Ji dictated, he imagined the saddle and stirrups in his mind, and was amazed to find that it seemed completely feasible.
"This guy has such a treasure, why doesn't he give it to me? I can end the chaos in the Central Plains at least two years earlier!"
When talking about state affairs, Ying Zheng involuntarily changed his self-reference from "I" to "I".
"Because he has a rebellious heart."
Zhao Ji interrupted at the right time, and her words made the First Emperor pause.
"He didn't tell you because he wanted to make it so that you would be defenseless when the rebellion came and defeat you in one fell swoop."
"I have no way of knowing these things, so how did mother know them?"
"Ten years ago, when you first ascended the throne, the military and political power were controlled by Lü Buwei, and everything you knew was known only through your mother. When the Qinian Palace mutiny occurred, the only people who knew the inside story were your mother, Meng Ao, and Wang Zhi, who are all dead. All those who knew about this are gone, so how did you know?"
The First Emperor nodded, and the look of shock on his face had almost disappeared.
The emperor regained control of his expression and said with a smile: "Based on what my mother said, I can conclude that these three artifacts are not difficult to make. I ordered Gongshujia and Mojia to make horseshoes, saddles, and stirrups during the day, and the Shaofu can deliver them to me before night.
"I have been to Yongdi a few times in recent years, but not too many either. I go there at least three or four times a year. How come mother never told me about it? Could it be that mother also has some rebellious intentions?"
Zhao Ji became angry and was about to speak.
The First Emperor took Zhao Ji's hand and said with a smile, "It was all a joke, mother, don't take it to heart."
Zhao Ji shook off the First Emperor's hand, but failed to shake it off after two attempts, so she let the First Emperor hold it.
With a cold voice, he said, "That brat wouldn't let me talk to you."
The First Emperor acted surprised and said with a smile, "This is strange. My mother has always wanted to kill Cheng Jiao, so why did she listen to him? Did you two make another bet?"
There was no smile on Zhao Ji's
The First Emperor's smile froze and he retracted it.
"I won't laugh."
"That boy said, if I dare to tell you these things, he will rebel."
This... does sound like something Cheng Jiao would say.
The First Emperor chuckled in his heart.
But he was afraid that if he laughed, Zhao Ji would get angry again, so he had to hide his true emotions.
Holding Zhao Ji's hands tightly, which began to cool, the First Emperor also asked with fear on his face: "Then why did my mother tell me this today?"
"Mother is afraid that if she doesn't tell you now, she will never have the chance to tell you again. Mother is afraid that you will die in obscurity."
Zhao Ji looked at the First Emperor carefully, as if she wanted to keep him firmly in her heart.
"The assassin sent by that young man must have entered the Xianyang Palace by now. Since the Sword of Yue Girl cannot kill him, he will kill me."
"Cheng Jiao wouldn't do that."
The First Emperor was very serious.
He was serious in his heart and his face was serious.
He tried his best to let his biological mother know that what he said was true and reliable.
"My mother often tried to assassinate Cheng Jiao, but Cheng Jiao never tried to assassinate my mother."
"That's because he knows I can't kill him!"
Zhao Ji stood up suddenly and used her arms to throw the teapot, teacups, phoenix crown and old sword on the table to the ground.
Crackling~
Dinglang taro
The ceramic teapot and teacup were broken into pieces and scattered everywhere.
The tortoise shell, jadeite and colored glaze inlaid on the phoenix crown were falling to pieces.
Only the old sword remained intact, and the weathered scabbard was merely covered in dust.
Zhao Ji's emotions suddenly went out of control without any warning, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"When the previous king was alive, he had the previous king's protection. When the previous king was gone, he had the Queen Mother Huayang's protection. When the Queen Mother Huayang was gone, he had Lü Buwei's protection. At that time, everyone in the Qin State, from top to bottom, protected him!
"How can I assassinate him? It's harder to assassinate him than to assassinate the king! If I could kill him, why would I have to gamble with him? How could he still let me live to this day? Do you really think he did it for your sake?
"What a joke! There is no love in the royal family! He just wants to see what tricks I can play, just like he has been pretending to be a little boy for fun in the past ten years. He is using me for fun!"
With her elbows resting on the table, Zhao Ji held her head with both hands and buried it between her arms.
"But this time is different. This time it was Yue Nu who took action and he almost died. He will not let me live anymore. He will definitely come to kill me.
"He will definitely kill me! What legend, what sword protecting Yue girl, it's all rubbish! It's just rubbish! It's all rubbish!"
The First Emperor silently hugged Zhao Ji's back.
"Don't be afraid, mother."
"If you want your mother to be at ease, then mobilize all the troops in Xianyang and go to the palace of Lord Chang'an to bring Ying Chengjiao's body to your mother."
"I can't do that."
The First Emperor said softly.
"I can't do that either."
Whether as a brother or as an emperor, Ying Zheng would not kill Ying Chengjiao.
"Then you will just watch your mother die! "
Zhao Ji's voice came out from between her arms, a little dull and hoarse.
"None of you will die."
The First Emperor straightened Zhao Ji's body, looked at her pale face, and said, "Mother, after this matter is over, can you please not kill Cheng Jiao?"
"I have told you so much! Why do you still trust that brat so much! I am your mother! Would I harm you? Would I lie to you?"
Zhao Ji shouted in a sharp voice.
"Mother!"
Ying Zheng grabbed Zhao Ji's arms on both sides and shook them vigorously twice, trying to calm her down. He shouted, "Now that this matter has been exposed, will you still assassinate Cheng Jiao?"
Zhao Ji's face was pale, but her words were still firm and powerful.
"Yes! Of course I will! As long as he survives! When he wants to experience being a king one day, he will cut you off from the throne!"
Ying Zheng was in a bad mood and said anxiously: "If he wants to be king, I will give up the throne. Why should we go to war..."
Bang~
The slap sounded loud and crisp.
