Chapter Ten: The Crown Prince Takes His Beautiful Companion on a Hunt in the Eastern Suburbs

  Huang Feihu took a look and found that the prince had a leather pad under his seat. He didn't think that this "decoration" he thought was for decoration would have such an effect. The prince's feet were also wearing a pair of small bronze objects, which combined with the leather pad, could undoubtedly make the knight more firmly and freely control the horse.

  The original saddle was invented by the Assyrians, but it was relatively simple and only a soft pad. The wooden high-bridge saddle, which was improved and practical, was first invented by the nomadic people of Central Asia. Without a saddle, shooting arrows while riding a horse at full gallop was extremely difficult, as the rider had to use both legs to hold onto the horse's belly and maintain balance, while also using both arms to pull open the bow and aim for the target. Even for nomadic tribes who lived on horseback from childhood, this method of warfare was very inefficient and difficult to implement. At that time, the best solution was to stop the horse and shoot arrows or simply dismount and fire; when the high-bridge saddle was put into use, it provided a vertical stabilizing effect for the rider, allowing them to shoot arrows forward while galloping, but since there was no effective support in the horizontal direction, shooting arrows to the left or right, or even turning around to shoot backwards, was still easy to fall off and very dangerous. It wasn't until the invention of stirrups that this situation changed.

  Stirrup, a device for stepping on when riding a horse, suspended from the belt on both sides of the saddle. With it, cavalry can free their hands and perform various actions more easily on horseback, and human warfare history has truly ushered in the era of invincible cavalry. According to textual research, the earliest stirrup was found in our country's Northern Wei period in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, and the saddle in our country can be verified to the late Eastern Han dynasty. For the Shang Dynasty, the saddle and stirrup are absolutely an "invention" that transcends the times. When Zhang Zixing made the saddle and stirrup at that time, it was also a temporary excitement, but bringing it out to show Huang Feihu today is intentional.

  Huang Feihu was a military family, and from a young age, he joined the army. He was well-versed in military affairs. After a brief explanation, he immediately understood the principle and function of the stirrup. His face suddenly showed an expression of surprise and delight. He flipped over the five-colored divine cow and knelt down: "If the treasure made by Your Highness is spread throughout our Great Shang Army, it can increase the combat effectiveness of our cavalry by more than double. In the future, when we encounter the Quanrong army, which excels at riding and guerrilla warfare, we will have a great advantage. Please grant us your permission."

  Zhang Zixing originally had the intention of winning over Huang Feihu, and he hastily dismounted to help him up, gladly agreeing. Looking at Huang Feihu's delighted expression, he secretly smiled to himself: Eldest maternal uncle, there are still many more "treasures" that will surprise you!

  After this, Zhang Zixing and Huang Feihu's relationship became even closer. The two remounted their horses, riding slowly while chatting happily, when suddenly someone from Huang Feihu's entourage interrupted, "Your Highness is unmatched in bravery and strength, but I wonder how your archery skills are? Today is a great opportunity to witness Your Highness' divine technique!"

  "How dare you! Don't be rude!" Huang Feihu was shocked, and hastily shouted back. When he saw the person clearly, his face changed even more: "You... don't you quickly retreat for me?"

  Zhang Zixing's sharp eyes saw that the one who spoke was a white-faced young general wearing full armor, with a slender and tall figure, red lips and white teeth, and a very handsome appearance. Between his eyebrows and eyes, there was even a hint of femininity that men should not have. Zhang Zixing's gaze swept down and found that there was indeed no Adam's apple, and he knew that she must be a woman disguised as a man. Looking at the woman's expression, which was completely unafraid of Huang Feihu's strange accusations, he secretly guessed her identity.

  At this time, one of the scouts in front galloped back to report: "Your Highness, a herd of deer has been spotted ahead!"

  Before long, the hunting dogs released by the family drove a group of deer over. The woman urged the prince to show off his shooting skills. Zhang Zixing knew that his archery skills were mediocre and couldn't be shown in front of General Huang Feihu, so he pretended to be profound and smiled: "I don't understand anything about shooting techniques. I've long heard that General Huang's archery skills are unparalleled, and it's a good opportunity to open my eyes!"

  Huang Feihu yielded a few words, seeing that he couldn't decline, so he took out his bow and pulled it to its fullest extent. He shot an arrow, and a deer let out a mournful cry as it fell to the ground. The young woman dressed in men's clothing was not weak either; she shot two arrows in quick succession, both hitting their mark. Zhang Zixing watched with great enthusiasm, loudly cheering: "Miss, your archery skills are excellent!"

  As soon as these words came out, the woman suddenly knew that her identity had been seen through by the prince, and she turned bright red with shame, retreating to the back of Huang Feihu's horse.

  In this era, women were not allowed to meet their husbands before marriage and could not casually go out in public. Miss Huang's behavior was extremely bold. Of course, even if she was bold, under the moral constraints of this era, she couldn't help but feel ashamed. Huang Feihu secretly scolded his sister for disgracing their family, but now he can only ask the prince to forgive her.

  If it were someone else, the impression of Miss Huang would have been greatly reduced, but Zhang Zixing came from thousands of years later and wouldn't care about these things. He stopped Huang Feihu who was about to apologize and bowed to the woman saying: "I've long heard that you're a heroine among women, today I got to see your divine archery skills, it's truly impressive and makes one admire."

  "Alas, my younger sister Fei Yan, since childhood has been doted on by Father and doesn't understand etiquette, making Your Highness laugh." Huang Fei Hu sighed, he had no prior knowledge of his sister sneaking into the team, fortunately the Crown Prince was very open-minded and didn't blame her.

  "No harm, this is true nature! How could I see it as strange?" Zhang Zixing said while secretly glancing at his fiancée Huang Feiyan's appearance. Huang Feiyan, dressed in men's clothing, had an air of elegance that ordinary women didn't have, with a tall and slender figure, delicate facial features, and a rosy complexion that added to her charm. In terms of beauty, she surpassed both Jiang and Yang, completely contrary to his previous worry about "a fierce and violent woman". It's really unknown how the tyrant king could bear to throw her off the Star-Picking Tower later on, what an idiot who doesn't know how to cherish a treasure!

  Actually, Zhang Zixing didn't know that before he returned to the Shang Dynasty, the "former" King Shou had met Huang Feiyan with Wei Zigong and both were shocked by her beauty, thus starting a fierce competition. Unfortunately, Huang Feiyan was not interested in either of the two princes and refused to see them again until now when she was betrothed to the Crown Prince by the Emperor. Knowing that she couldn't escape, she felt depressed and took advantage of her brother's invitation to the Crown Prince to go hunting, sneaking into the group to make the Crown Prince lose face and vent her anger.

  Huang Feiyan found Zhang Zixing stealing glances at her beauty, feeling embarrassed and ashamed in her heart, her face turned even redder, but she still refused to relax: "Please, Your Highness, show off your divine archery skills, Flying Swallow will watch with bated breath."

  This little girl, hasn't forgotten this matter yet…… Fortunately, I had already made preparations! Zhang Zixing smiled slightly, intentionally showing off in front of the beauty, and ordered his servants to release the hunting dogs again to drive the deer towards them. Then he took out a strange object.

  He folded the long, rectangular object in his hand several times and unfolded it to reveal a huge and strange bow. This bronze-made "bow" had a handle, with five long grooves in the middle.

  Huang Feiyan looked at the prince in surprise as he took out three specially made arrows, loaded them into the slot, and then pulled back a mechanism, holding the "bow" in a strange aiming posture that was completely different from ordinary shooting poses, and her curiosity was greatly aroused.

  The deer were driven to this side again, and Zhang Zixing's bow slightly trembled. With three soft whooshes, three deer in the distance fell down simultaneously. The crowd cheered loudly. Huang Feiyan had never seen such swift and accurate archery before, and was shocked. Huang Feihu noticed that the three arrows had all pierced through the bodies of the deer and were stuck deep into the ground, and his expression changed: "Your Highness actually has such marksmanship! Feihu pays his respects!"

  "It must be that strange bow of yours..." Huang Feiyan muttered, her eyes fixed on the "bow" in Zhang Zixing's hand.

  "Miss is indeed clever, only because Little King's shooting skills are average, so she deliberately created this three consecutive draw to cover up his shortcomings." Zixing readily admitted.

  "This is also made by Your Highness? Your Highness indeed has a talent that is beyond the understanding of gods and ghosts!" Huang Feihu exclaimed: "I, the inferior general, dare to ask, may I borrow the divine bow in Your Highness' hand for a look?"

  Zhang Zixing nodded, handing over the crossbow in his hand. This was originally one of the "treasures" he wanted to show Huang Feihu today. Although there were also simple trigger mechanisms during the Shang Dynasty, their structure was crude and their range and power were not satisfactory, at most they could only be used for hunting, let alone being equipped with troops.

  Actually, Zhang Zixing originally wanted to create a more powerful ten-shot crossbow, but due to the complexity of the drawings, which were previously stored in his superbrain as entertainment materials, he couldn't recall them all now. With the limitations of materials and craftsmanship, he could only manufacture the most common three-shot crossbow of the Warring States period to the Jin Dynasty. Of course, this three-shot crossbow also incorporates some principles of firearms, allowing for single or continuous firing, with a more scientific design and aiming system than the cold weapons era's repeating crossbows, and greater lethality. Although he had boasted about creating modernized firearms, due to limitations in materials, craftsmanship, and technology, he couldn't achieve it all at once, and could only make gradual progress.

  Huang Feihu reverently received the bow from Zhang Zixing with both hands on the back of the five-colored divine cow, and felt that it was much heavier than a normal bow. Zhang Zixing explained to Huang Feihu in detail the method of aiming and shooting, while Huang Feiyan listened carefully beside them. Following Zhang Zixing's "three points one line" aiming method, Huang Feihu pulled the trigger and shot at a large tree on the side. Three arrows were fired simultaneously, all deeply embedded in the trunk, with incredible strength and speed that left Huang Feihu amazed.

  Huang Feihu suddenly thought of something, his eyes lit up: "The Di people are skilled at riding, the Dongyi people are good at shooting. Although my great Shang soldiers are brave and unmatched in the world, they have always been unable to surpass them in these two aspects. In the past battles, even if we won, we had to pay a considerable price in casualties. The two precious objects that Your Highness has created, the saddle stirrups and the quiver, are indeed the greatest treasures of my great army. From now on, both east and west borders can rest easy."

  Huang Feiyan heard this and looked at Zhang Zixing with a strange gaze - it was said that after the Crown Prince's strange illness recovered, his temperament changed greatly, he became diligent and studious, humble and courteous. Now it seems that he is indeed very different from before. Could it be that the wise ancestors have blessed him, turning the frivolous and hot-headed Shou Wang into the erudite and mature Crown Prince?

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