Chapter 9: Apparatus

  But he said Fu Su excitedly returned to the Lingyan Pavilion, and no one dared to ask why Fu Su was so happy. Qing Luan, who was the bravest among the four girls and still young, couldn't help but curiously ask: "Young master, what's the good news today that makes you so happy?"

  Fu Su smiled and said, "In a few days, I'll be going to train troops!" "Ah! Train troops?!" The crowd couldn't help but widen their eyes for a moment, clearly unable to associate Fu Su's young age with being a military commander. Especially the four beautiful girls, Huo Feng and the others, blinked their eyes rapidly, although they looked lovely and charming, but their faces were also filled with incredulity! Fu Su said somewhat unhappily, "What, I don't look like it?"

  The eldest, Wu Xin, who was the most well-behaved, hastily said: "No, no, no! Young Master's wisdom is unparalleled, so there's nothing impossible for him! It's just that it's too sudden, and we're a bit surprised!" Qing Luan puffed out her cheeks and pursed her lips, looking somewhat displeased, saying: "Young Master, if you go to train the troops, what about us?" Fu Su smiled and said: "Wu Xin and the others will accompany me to the military camp for training, while you four women stay in the palace!"

  Huǒ Fèng was taken aback, her beautiful eyes widening in surprise. "Young Master, how can that be?! The Elder instructed us to take good care of you before he left. You're still young and have never done any chores since childhood. How can we let you go to the army alone and take care of yourself?" As she spoke, Huǒ Fèng's charming eyes quickly glanced at Wú Xīn and the others, her expression turning sly as she smiled lightly. "You wouldn't expect us few senior sisters to take care of you, would you?! When it comes to fighting and killing, they're still capable. But when it comes to sewing, mending, grinding ink, and adding incense – these refined tasks are beyond their abilities. In the past, at headquarters, we had to rely on us few 'sisters' to take care of them!"

  Here is the translation:

  At this point, Wu Xin and others couldn't help but blush, even the normally cold and calm Wu Ya and Wu Yu had some awkward expressions on their faces. It seems that Huo Feng and others were right! Fu Su heard this and looked at Wu Xin and others, the five of them looked a bit embarrassed, and suddenly they all lowered their heads with red ears. In his heart, Fu Su thought: "It looks like relying on these few clumsy people to serve me won't work, but taking Huo Feng and others along also isn't a good arrangement!" He couldn't help but hesitate, thinking: "But in the military camp, it's all men, not easy to arrange..."

  Huofeng was slightly older, and after a few turns of her clear black-and-white eyes, she came up with an idea: "There's nothing wrong with the arrangement. We sisters will live in the general's tent with the young master, while they can live outside to protect him. Usually, we'll take care of the young master's daily life, but when he goes to practice martial arts, we just won't follow him!"

  Fu Su rubbed his nose: "It seems that this is the only way to do it, otherwise, if we don't take care of ourselves, who knows what kind of situation we'll get into? As the eldest son of the Qin state, I really can't afford to lose face! Hehe, but in this case, it's also good. I'm really reluctant to part with these beautiful women for three months! Especially since we're living together in the same tent, serving me and taking care of my daily needs, even bathing. Ha ha, aren't I having a great time?! Although he was thinking about something improper in his heart, his face remained serious as he nodded: "Alright, let's arrange it this way then! However, in the military camp, discipline is strict, you all mustn't cause trouble for me!" "Yes, young master!" The several young women immediately burst out laughing, clearly wanting to see how Fu Su would train troops. But Fu Su didn't know what these beautiful women were thinking in their hearts - whether they wanted to see his majestic and heroic appearance while training troops, or if they were planning on watching him make a fool of himself?

  The next morning, Fu Su ordered Fu to prepare the carriage and drove with Wu Xin and others to the Central Army Factory. When they arrived at the gate of the factory, Ji Xun came running, his face flattering: "It's been a long time since we met, young master, how have you been?" Fu Su nodded slightly: "Thanks, thanks. I suppose the Imperial Envoy has already conveyed the Emperor's decree to the engineers?" Ji Xun hastily nodded: "Yes, yes, the Imperial Envoy ordered someone to pass on the message yesterday afternoon that from now on, all matters should be listened to and obeyed by young master!"

  Fu Su nodded and said, "Very well, I have some things to attend to here. Where is it convenient?" Ji hurriedly said, "If the young master doesn't mind the simplicity, how about going to my humble office?" Fu Su nodded again, and Ji led the way in front, inviting Fu Su and others into the government office of Gong Shi!

  Everyone sat down in the inner room, and Fu Su nodded to Huo Feng. Huo Feng understood and took out a white silk cloth from a small box he was carrying. Fu Su opened the cloth and said: "Master Gong is very skilled in making weapons, so I'm sure you can understand what I mean. This first thing is called a stirrup, which hangs on both sides of the horse's belly to help with footwork. It has four functions: First, it makes it easier for soldiers to get on and off horses, saving energy; Second, it helps cavalry maintain balance on horseback; Third, cavalry can use their legs to control the horse's movement through the stirrup, freeing up both hands for accurate shooting and close combat with short blades; Fourth, with the help of the stirrup, cavalry can conserve energy for long-distance riding, enhancing their mobility and range. The specific design is like this... The top of the stirrup is curved... The bottom is a wide flat plate... Do you understand?"

  Fu Su raised his head and saw that the craftsman was staring blankly at the horse stirrup diagram on the silk cloth. Fu Su smiled and said, "Master Craftsman? Master Craftsman?" The craftsman suddenly came to his senses, with a look of admiration on his face, saying: "Young master is indeed a genius, able to create such ingenious things with ease, truly a divine being!" Fu Su smiled and said: "Master Craftsman, you are too kind, but with the help of this horse stirrup, the power of our Qin cavalry will surely be unmatched in the world!" The craftsman was an expert in weapon manufacturing, with rich experience, and naturally saw the great practical value of the horse stirrup at a glance, nodding his head repeatedly in agreement.

  Then, Fu Su opened another silk cloth and said: "This second one is a diagram of the horse saddle. The current horse saddles in our Great Qin can be called low-bridge saddles, which not only make it difficult for cavalry to maintain balance on the horse but also make it hard to protect their groin and abdomen. I have redesigned it, Master Craftsman, please take a look. This newly designed saddle is called high-bridge saddle, with both ends of the saddle head greatly increased in height, and a soft leather cushion will be added on top to improve the comfort of riding for cavalry... Is there anything unclear about this design?" At this time, his eyes were filled with golden stars, and he admired Fu Su so much that he was willing to prostrate himself. He hastily replied: "Understood! Understood! I have been making weapons for so many years, if I didn't understand this, it would be a dereliction of duty!"

  Fu Su smiled and said, "The rest are some clever and cunning things. Master Gong Shi, please take a look!" Fu Su then explained to Gong Shi the use of various special warfare tools such as flying claws, daggers, blowpipes, and light crossbows. As it happened, Fu Su had been interested in military affairs since his previous life and had some understanding of these things. Moreover, Gong Shi himself was an expert in manufacturing weapons with decades of experience, so he quickly grasped the manufacturing methods and uses of these special tools for warfare. By the end, Gong Shi was already speechless with admiration for Fu Su, his face filled with reverence as he said, "I have been making weapons for over 20 years and consider myself one of the top experts in Qin, but I didn't expect that compared to you, young master, my skills are like a firefly's glow compared to the bright moon!" The others present heard this and couldn't help but feel proud, after all, following a capable master made his servants look good too.

  Fu Su's face turned slightly red, after all, these things were stolen from the future, and he hastily humbly said: "Your Excellency is overthinking, Fu Su just happened to get them! By the way, when can you make a prototype of the things I want?" Ji pondered for a moment before saying: "Give me two days, and I can make a prototype!"

  Fu Su nodded and said, "Very well, I'll come again in two days. You must work hard for these two days!" Zou smiled and said, "What hardship? I'm itching to get started right now. I want you to leave quickly so I can start working on it immediately!" Fu Su laughed loudly and bid farewell to Zou, returning to the Lingyan Pavilion.

  On the road, inside the luxurious carriage, Huo Feng and others who were attending to Fu Su couldn't help but stare at him with an incredulous gaze, especially Qing Luan, who kept tilting her head, propping up her cheek, and blushing as she stole glances at Fu Su. Fu Su felt increasingly uncomfortable under their scrutiny, until he finally couldn't bear it anymore and said: "Qing Luan sister, why do you keep staring at me with such a strange expression? It's making me feel really uneasy all over! You can't have fallen for me that quickly, can you?"

  Qing Luan's face turned red with embarrassment as she glared at Fu Su, feeling both shy and annoyed. "Young Master is teasing me again! I was just thinking that despite your young age, you're so clever and can come up with such strange and unusual things. These are things that even people in our Mo School haven't thought of!"

  Fu Su put on a regretful expression and said, "Is that so? I thought Qing Luan sister liked me! What a pity!" Qing Luan's face turned even redder, she let out a soft cry and hid behind Huo Feng. This made Huo Feng and the others unable to help but giggle.

  Two days later, Fu Su came to the Central Army again and saw Ji Zhi with a happy face welcoming him. He smiled and said: "Fortunately, I didn't disappoint you, all the equipment needed by the young master has been completed, please take a look!" Fu Su followed Ji Zhi to the public hall and saw that it was filled with various equipment needed by Fu Su. Fu Su picked them up one by one and found that they were made extremely delicately: not only were the selected materials of high quality, but also the surface processing technology was unique, and when touched, it felt very smooth and comfortable. It was clear that a lot of effort had been put into making them. However, since Fu Su himself had never used these things before, he didn't quite understand what was good or bad about them, so he asked Wu Xin to take out the stirrups and saddle and try them on the horse.

  Without hesitation, he mounted his horse with the stirrup and saddle, then galloped in front of the hall twice according to Fu Su's instructions. As expected, Wu Xin rode swiftly and steadily on the horseback, advancing and retreating with ease and agility between turns. Before long, Wu Xin urged his horse forward, dismounted with a swing of his leg, and exclaimed with joy: "Young master, this saddle and stirrup are indeed wonderful! The ride is both fast and stable, and what's more, it can be controlled effortlessly even without using both hands - it's perfect!"

  When he heard this, his eyes narrowed into a slit, and it was clear that he was very proud of his work. Then Fu Su let Wu Xin and others try the flying claw, dagger, blowpipe, and light crossbow one by one, and they all proved to be very useful. Fu Su was overjoyed and said to Zuo: "This time I really have to thank you, Master Gong. If it weren't for your hard work, I wouldn't know when I could make these instruments a reality!" Zuo hurriedly said: "Your Highness doesn't need to be so polite, I can personally forge this first batch of strange objects, and my name will already be recorded in history, thank you, Your Highness, it's not yet time to speak of hardship!"

  Fu Su nodded: "These officials of the Qin state are indeed practical people." He thought for a moment and said, "Let's settle on this design. I want you to make 4,000 sets of stirrups and saddles, and 400 sets of flying claws and other objects. As for arrows and other things, the more the better. Master craftsman, how many days will it take to complete?" The master craftsman thought for a moment: "Although these items are unusual, they don't require much labor. It's just that making uniform molds will take some time. Can you give me half a month, sir? I guarantee I can complete them on schedule!"

  Fu Su nodded: "It's fast enough, can't rush people too much!" Then smiled and said: "So it's settled then. If Fu Su succeeds in this military exercise, I will definitely report to the Emperor and heavily reward Gong Shi!" Gong Shi was overjoyed and said: "Working hard for the country is my duty, how dare I speak of merit?"

  No more words were said at the time, Fu Su and his guests exchanged a few pleasantries before setting off back to the palace. From this point on, China's first true cavalry was about to formally take the stage of history, while the historical mission of chariot troops would come to an end! And China's first formal special forces unit would be born from the foundation of the Qin army's "trapped array warriors"!

  But all these big talks are not to be said for the time being, because Fusu is about to have even more annoying things: because he wants to practice martial arts, so he has to learn how to ride a horse, and Fusu is still a complete novice! So in just a few days, Fusu was brutally trained by the ruthless riding instructor and the fierce warhorse in order to learn how to ride. Although according to Fusu's own exceptional skills and agile reflexes, there were no missing arms or legs, but small injuries like bruises and swelling were inevitable. However, with the comfortable high saddle and very convenient stirrups, Fusu was still able to control himself freely on horseback in just a few days, of course, high-difficulty movements were out of the question!

  As a result, it was also destined that in the future when Fu Su would brutally train the cavalry under his command, this small commander would also have to start training together. At first, his clumsy equestrian performance was secretly ridiculed by many soldiers under his command!

  The end of this volume.