For teacher, for father

The stirrup is an epoch-making invention in human history.White, a British historian of science and technology, once pointed out: "Few inventions are as simple as stirrups, and few inventions have such great historical significance. Stirrups apply animal power to short-handed combat, allowing cavalry and horses to become one."

And Ji Hao was moved by this thought. After drawing crookedly what he thought in his mind on the silk all night, he then told Qu Ji, the supervisor of the Qin State Arsenal, about his thoughts bit by bit. The supervisor came to realize this invention that should not have appeared in the Warring States Period.

Qu Ji was naturally very interested in this thing, not only agreed to assist Ji Hao, but also skillfully used the materials for making bronze swords into the making of stirrups.Mainly made of bronze and tin, the stirrups made in this way are not only cheap, but also very flexible and durable for use in war.

……

Ji Hao didn't really understand the detailed structure and theory of the stirrups, he only remembered the rough design and theoretical uses, so in the first four months of the army's departure, whenever he entered the palace, the young man would go straight to the palace after finishing everything. Heading north to the palace where Qu Ji was on standby, the two discussed how to produce stirrups more easily.

After a series of complicated and cumbersome design experiments, Ji Hao and Qu Ji had gradually become familiar with the production process of this little thing, and Ji Hao proposed the design, changing from the simplest hanging stirrup to a metal stirrup with narrow pedals.

Then came a large number of mass production. This time, it was Qu Ji who personally wrote to King Zhuang Xiang, arranging the status of the stirrup in the palace. to the final production process.

Not only the palace people who participated in the production, but even Qu Ji himself was extremely interested in the little invention brought by the prince and tutor.

Even though it was a bit inconspicuous, the two of them had discovered through constant experiments that although the stirrup was small, it was more important to a cavalryman than a sharp long sword.

In this way, after the [-] cavalrymen of the Qin State uniformly used such a convenient invention, the army's power will be great... Ji Hao and Qu Ji already have a little idea of ​​it.

Therefore, when the army attacked Wei this time, the conscientious director of the arsenal even enthusiastically proposed to go out with the army with Ji Hao, witnessing for himself how useful the little things they made could be.

……

It has been more than a month since the army set off. Along the way, Lu Buwei took care of all the trivial matters in the army, and Ji Hao was forced to be an assistant.As long as it is anything in the army, from the illness of an officer to the change of the marching route, it will pass through Lu Buwei's ears.

Such a rigorous military style did not distract the hearts of the Qin army during the long journey. On the contrary, when they were stationed four hundred miles away from Wei, the atmosphere in the army was extremely calm.

And Ji Hao, on the way, slowly observed Lu Buwei's iron fist, and naturally some dust settled in his heart.

Lu Buwei is very ambitious and cunning. If you say that the biggest difference between him and the treacherous officials and villains in other countries... is that this man is really making a lifelong effort for the future of Qin. The luckiest thing about the country is that Lu Buwei is in charge of the court, so the real villain and treacherous officials will not be so arrogant.

Moreover, he personally led troops to fight many times, drank blood on the battlefield, and gave the Zhou Dynasty the final blow, which completely ended the era of Emperor Zhou and made Qin State lay a solid foundation for capturing the other six countries.

As a prime minister, he is careful and calculating, cunning and restrained, and as a general, he is brave and iron-blooded, and can send and receive freely.If the problem of ambition and conceit is removed, Lu Buwei can definitely be regarded as a famous minister of the generation.

"Master Ji, the urgent secret letter sent from Xianyang for eight hundred miles - is from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Qin Bing's hurried and high-pitched voice came from outside the military tent in a hurry, breaking the young man's slow fugue.Ji Hao came back to his senses, and found that this Qin soldier who came from Xianyang Palace was dressed in white, which really violated the Qin State's virtue of advocating black—unless...

"My lord, my lord... died two weeks ago..." The officer knelt on the ground tremblingly and presented the letter in his hand to Ji Hao with tears in his voice: "The funeral report will come soon, in Xianyang City, The whole country mourns!"

The young man with black hair nodded, slightly surprised. He never thought that even if the front line is safe now, it will not change King Zhuang Xiang's three-year period...

"I see, you have worked hard on this journey. There is no problem in the front line now, let's go eat and rest for a while." Ji Hao suppressed the strangeness in his heart, just nodded, finished the letter and turned to Qin Guo who was standing by. The officer said: "Go, take him down to rest."

"...Thank you, Lord Ji! The last general is ashamed!" After saluting gratefully to the young man with a soft voice in front of him, Qin Bing, who sent the message, quietly exited the tent, leaving Ji Hao alone to watch slowly. Following the letter from Ying Zheng for him.

A country cannot be without a king for a day, and subjects cannot be without a head for a day... It has been more than two weeks since the death of King Zhuang Xiang. If he guessed correctly, right now, in this extraordinary period of war, it should be time for his own students to take the throne up.

If the good news from the front line can come when Yingzheng ascends the throne...then Lu Buwei is not in the capital just now, and Yingzheng's throne can also sit a little more securely, and won't be more passive because of the defeat of the army.

After thinking about it, Ji Hao burned Ying Zheng's letter to keep him safe with a candle, and hurriedly got up and walked out of the tent.Joining forces at the front today, Lu Buwei and Meng Ao have already followed the army to face the Allied Forces of the Five Nations led by Lord Xinling.And he stayed at the station.

It should not be long before there will be news!

……

"Master Ji."

As soon as Ji Hao lifted the curtain, he was about to sneak out of his tent when he was caught by Xu Fu who was waiting outside.

The man was expressionless and dressed in commoner clothes. He spoke calmly to stop the other party's pace, and gently raised his hand to bring the prepared soup: "The frost is cold and the dew is heavy. If it is for the front line, there will be a sergeant to report it in a while. Ji Adults, why not drink the medicine first, this is ginger water for warming up."

"...It's this again, it's terrible." The young man muttered softly, looking at Xu Fu in front of him unwillingly.

Not long after the army set off, a pharmacist in a border village that the army passed by insisted on going with the army and serving the country. Regardless of Ji Hao's persuasion and Lu Buwei's opposition, he followed the Qin army silently until Ji Hao After accidentally discovering his amazing medical skills, he stayed in the army as a little doctor, taking care of Ji Hao's daily life.

This person was the young man watching quietly in front of him, Xu Fu who reluctantly drank the ginger water.

Of course, Ji Hao also thought a little about whether this Xu Fu was the court pharmacist who would find the elixir for Qin Shihuang in the future, so he simply let Xu Fu follow him day by day.

"I will send someone to inform you immediately if there is any news about the front line. You don't have to worry about it. The condition of the station is not good. You should pay attention to your health and go to rest first."

Xu Fu took back the pottery bowl in Ji Hao's hand, and saluted respectfully, with a gentle and sincere tone. His quiet black eyes just stared at Ji Hao openly, until the other party had no choice but to retract into the tent.

The man turned around and stood quietly outside the other party's tent, looking up at the dark cloudy sky, and began to think about what he was going to do next.

He was different from Ji Hao. He followed the Qin army and showed himself. What Xu Fu wanted was to enter the officialdom and show off his ambitions, while the people in the tent... the purpose of being an official seemed a bit too simple.

He is easy-going, yet leisurely and magnanimous... There was a silent gleam in the man's black eyes.This is also the reason why Prime Minister Lu, who is famous and powerful, always defends him inadvertently - who doesn't want the good qualities that they don't have?

At the same time, in Xianyang City thousands of miles away, the young Yingzheng has begun to gradually transform.After worshiping the ancestors and meeting all the officials today, the ceremony of ascension to the throne was officially held to inherit the throne from his father, King Zhuangxiang.

The young man is wearing a dark and strict palace robe, with gilt and dark orange as decorative outlines, and exquisite black dragons are embroidered on the robe during the period.The cuffs, collar, and hem of the clothes are all inlaid with luxurious and noble dragon patterns, which already shows the dignity of Yingzheng's status.

The long black hair has been tied with a black crown. This is the big ceremony crown that must be worn during today's sacrificial ceremony. The back is high and the front is low, leaning slightly forward. The small ribbon, with the two pins made of gold wire, is just like the left and right ears, extremely majestic and noble.

Ying Zheng straightened his back and looked indifferent. Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of Qin officials and the current Queen Mother Zhao and the Queen Mother Huayang, he quietly walked into the high hall used to worship ancestors, surrounded by white smoke from the incense burner, surrounded by a dark Around the young man, his stature became more obvious.

Before the ancestors and emperors were enthroned, Ying Zheng quietly listened to the prayers of the ceremony officials, and after giving the gift in person, he turned to face the officials and everyone in the palace.

The young man's voice is not loud, but every word is sonorous and powerful——

"Today the widow is the king, but in the future my Great Qin will be king in the world, leading the princes to fear, and the world bows their heads! You...are you willing to help the widow to rule the world?!"

This young emperor has such a big tone!

After all the officials were stunned for a moment, the Queen Mother of Huayang was the first to break the silence: "Zheng'er, this future country belongs to you, and this Great Qin belongs to you too! Can you get it? It depends on your ability! Don't let me down, the people of Daqin, don't let me down!"

"Your servants—swear allegiance to the king to the death! Dedicate yourself to the prosperity of my Great Qin!"

……

Hundreds of officials made a pilgrimage, everyone knelt down and worshiped, and the young man stood alone in the long wind, and was officially crowned king.Ying Zheng's expression was cold and stern, and his whole body exuded a superior and calm aura.

The helplessness and panic of three years ago have long since disappeared.Today's Yingzheng, with long-opened eyebrows and early beauty, sharp black pupils and restrained, is dressed in a jet-black gilt dragon-pattern royal robe, shedding a cocoon in the past, and becoming a butterfly today.

It was already late at night when the news of the defeat of the front-line coalition forces and the victory of the Qin State was received.Ji Hao didn't know that his student had already been crowned king. Wearing an ordinary thin singlet, Ji Hao huddled in the thick white fox fur, quietly listening to the battle report of the kneeling officer below.

He had indeed expected this victory.It's just that if you say "great victory"... the young man frowned, even if the stirrups are more powerful, won't it be too mysterious to achieve a great victory with 50 to overcome [-]?

……

"My lord, my Great Qin's [-] cavalry broke through the Allied Forces of the Five Kingdoms, and achieved a great victory on the front line. I am really gratified! Here is the battle report presented by General Meng!"

"General Meng gave it to me?" Ji Hao was a little surprised, he had very little contact with this aged and wise old general, why is it Meng Ao instead of Lu Buwei at this moment?

"You put it here, go to rest."

"Please take a look." The officer stood up respectfully and presented the silk scroll in his hand, but the moment Ji Hao was about to take over, he suddenly withdrew his hand, tore his clothes violently, and pulled out a handful of shining fine silk scrolls from his body The dagger suddenly stabbed at Ji Hao!

"—Old thief Lu Buwei! Today is the day of your death!" The officer's shirt was stained red with blood. It turned out that in order to hide the dagger, the other party did not hesitate to use his own body as a medium. It can be seen that this time stabbing him must be holding him to death. determined.

Ji Hao was shocked, and subconsciously dodged backwards. The opponent's eyes were red and he was waving a dagger at him indiscriminately. Seeing the young man dodging in a panic, the assassin moved faster, and his moves were ruthless to take Ji Hao's life: "You With the heart of a tiger and a wolf, Qin is trying to annex the five kingdoms! I want to see how many ministers Qin still has after Lu Buwei dies!"

... I am not Lu Buwei!

Ji Hao yelled from the bottom of his heart, he pulled out the bronze sword hanging on the wall and blocked the opponent's attack with all his strength, there must be something wrong in this matter.Warring States intelligence is backward and underdeveloped, or is there someone who wants to kill him, deliberately making these Five Kingdoms assassins mistakenly believe that Lu Buwei is staying at the station? !

For such a long time, with such a loud noise, no one came in to save him!What is going on! ...

When Ji Hao's mind was in turmoil, the tent was torn apart by sharp blades, and more black-clothed assassins rushed in nimbly, also hiding the daggers in their bodies, about ten of them... so desperate to die, look It was Qin's victory, and the final tool for venting hatred sent by the five countries!

The young man held the long sword fiercely, separated the dagger from the opponent, and moved forward vigorously—the blood splashed, the assassin's body stiffened, and the blood from the abdomen pierced by the bronze sword splashed wildly on Ji Hao The white clothes were dyed red on his body, but more assassins rushed up like wolves like tigers.

……

"Wait, stop! ——He's not Lu Buwei!"

A familiar voice came from among the assassins, and they subconsciously stopped, giving Ji Hao a chance to catch his breath. The young man frowned, and in a daze, he saw Qi Yi tear off the black scarf that covered his face, and roared to make everyone The man stopped, and walked towards him quickly with red eyes.

Qi Yi is here? ... This idiot, who risked his death to assassinate Lu Buwei, was manipulated by whom?Ji Hao panted, clutching his hot wound. There had been several stab wounds on his shoulders and arms, and even his vision was blurred.

The young man was worried about Ji Hao's safety, but also realized that they were caught in a conspiracy, so he explained eagerly to his companions loudly, his voice trembling: "We made a mistake, Lu Buwei is not here... There are two supervisors in Qin State !"

"Who cares about them! Kill them first and then make plans—Qi Yi, is it possible that you want everyone to die for nothing? When Qin Jun returns, we will die!"

"Get out of the way!—or die here with you!"

……

The sound of fighting struck Ji Hao's blurred thoughts in his ears, and when warm liquid splashed on his cheek, he was followed by a moment of raw and cold pain.

"gentlemen……"

Ji Hao opened his eyes with difficulty, his whole body was cold, and he was being hugged tightly by Qi Yi.And that gleaming sharp blade penetrated from Qi Yi's back into his left abdomen.

The young man's voice was hoarse, and his eyes were full of tears. He tightly hugged Ji Hao's shoulders, his young and heroic face was already stained with tears and blood.

"Sir, sir... Ah Zheng really hates me..."

The young man shook his head, sighed softly, and held Qi Yi's cold and stiff hand with great difficulty.

He really didn't expect that at the last moment, it was this young man who had been separated for many years...protecting him in such a way that he was sentenced to the country.Even if it ends up being abandoned by their companions, the two die together.

"gentlemen……"

Qi Yi was still muttering something, accompanied by the sound of clanking footsteps and Lu Buwei's roar, he gradually sent Ji Hao into the endless darkness.

Before the senses completely disappeared, the young man even had time to think about the majesty of his own student in the royal robe... A poor scholar who doesn't know martial arts, he really died so fucking aggrieved.