Chapter 9: Chapter 8: Stirrups

When Qin Yang and Zhao Yun emerged from the horse market, it was already the beginning of the *Wei* hour (around 2:00 PM). In the sweltering heat, some were dining while others sought shade, and the pedestrians on the road grew increasingly sparse. Feeling a pang of hunger and worrying that Qing Yao might be waiting long at home, Qin Yang decided to ride back without giving another thought to the stalkers. He estimated that the ten-odd *li* journey would take no more than the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

Just as he was about to call Zhao Yun to mount up, he froze. He realized that the horses had neither saddles nor stirrups. Qin Yang couldn't help but shake his head with a bitter smile, thinking to himself, "It looks like I'll have to stay in this city for a while; I can't leave until I've equipped them with saddles and stirrups."

Qin Yang asked Zhao Yun if there were any tack shops in the city. As it turned out, Zhao Yun was quite the "know-it-all"; he told Qin Yang there was one right by the West Gate. The two of them arrived at the tack shop on empty stomachs. Upon inquiry, they found that saddles were readily available and could be chosen freely. However, when Qin Yang asked about stirrups, the shop assistant stared at him with wide, astonished eyes and asked in utter confusion, "What? What did you say? Stirrups? What manner of thing is that?" Beside him, Zhao Yun also wore a look of bewilderment, asking, "Yang, what is a stirrup, and what is its use?"

Qin Yang was equally stunned. "No stirrups? They don't know what stirrups are?" He searched his memory desperately for historical information regarding stirrups. After a long moment of thought, he finally remembered: stirrups wouldn't appear until the end of the Eastern Han to the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period, around 0 AD. Since it was currently 210 BC, stirrups certainly did not exist.

In truth, stirrups were quite simple: a flat-bottomed ring-shaped object fixed with leather straps, hanging from both sides of a saddle on a riding animal (primarily horses, but also including equines like mules). They provided a place for the rider to place their feet and assisted in mounting and dismounting. With stirrups, a rider could sit more securely in the saddle and control the horse more easily, thereby freeing their hands to perform various maneuvers while mounted. This allowed riding animals to play an even more vital role in transportation, communication, and warfare.

Before the invention of stirrups, riding a horse in ancient times was a grueling task. When a horse galloped or leaped, the rider sat in the saddle with their feet dangling in the air, forced to grip the horse's flanks tightly with their legs while clutching the mane with their hands to prevent falling off. With stirrups firmly attached to the saddle, a knight could sit much more steadily. Not only could they raise a precious sword to strike downward, but they could also parry incoming spears, move and dodge within the saddle, and utilize the momentum generated by the horse's high-speed charge (the impact force being multiplied by the combined weight of the horse and rider) to increase lethality. Thus, stirrups undoubtedly played a crucial role in the evolution of military forces from infantry to cavalry during the Middle Ages. Qin Yang had effectively advanced the invention of the stirrup by four hundred years; the significant role they would play in his mission was a matter for another time.

For a moment, Qin Yang stood speechless, inwardly cursing himself for overlooking such a major detail. If he had known, he would have brought a pair from his original time—it would have been so much easier. Now, he had no choice but to have two pairs custom-made. Although Qin Yang knew how to ride in his original time, his skills were not exquisite; he had never even considered riding without stirrups.

Fortunately, the shop assistant was quite clever. Although he had no idea what a stirrup was, after Qin Yang's descriptions and gestures, it took less than half an hour to understand its purpose. The assistant even found a piece of cloth, used charcoal to draw a diagram of a stirrup, and marked the dimensions for various parts. Seeing that it looked somewhat accurate, Qin Yang let it be. He casually tipped the assistant ten *banliang* coins. The assistant gave instructions to another worker in the shop and then hurried off, overjoyed, to find a blacksmith elsewhere.

Taking advantage of the time spent waiting for the stirrups, Qin Yang and Zhao Yun found a tavern near the tack shop. They ordered a few dishes and asked a waiter to feed the horses before they began to enjoy a light drink. During the meal, Qin Yang noticed several suspicious individuals loitering outside the tavern. He knew these people were still eyeing his three-plus catties of gold, merely hesitating to act because of the crowd in the city. Qin Yang grew weary of them and began calculating how to teach them a lesson.

After a moment of thought, Qin Yang asked Zhao Yun, "Grandfather, is there a small path to get home from the city?"

"There is one, and it is much closer. However, I haven't traveled it in a long time; the path is rugged and uneven, making it quite difficult to traverse. Why do you ask, grandson?" Zhao Yun replied.

"Can horses pass through it?" Qin Yang asked again.

"They can."

"That's good. Grandfather, please do not make a scene. Just quietly observe those people outside." Qin Yang gestured for Zhao Yun to look outside the tavern.

"Oh, you mean those people are acting strangely? They've targeted us?" Zhao Yun realized the situation as if waking from a dream.

"Yes. It started with one, and now there are several more."

"That is a bit troublesome. They have the advantage of numbers. Should we report this to the officials?" Zhao Yun felt they were severely outnumbered.

"Report to the officials? Don't you know that Qin law is based on preemptive action against those who intend harm? They will not act on accusations without proof of a crime. Since we have no evidence of their guilt, how can we report them?" Qin Yang said unhurriedly.

"Then what should we do? Yang, you tell me." Seeing Qin Yang's composed demeanor, Zhao Yun calmed down.

"Grandfather, we only need to do this..." Qin Yang leaned close to Zhao Yun's ear and whispered his instructions.

"Good, good. That is exactly right. But can you handle it alone?" Zhao Yun beamed with understanding, yet still worried for Qin Yang.

"Do not worry, Grandfather. I have my own way to escape," Qin Yang comforted him.

After a while, the two finished their meal but did not leave. Instead, they feigned sleep at the table, waiting for the assistant to return from the blacksmith. Outside the tavern, the group of stalkers grew restless as they waited for Qin Yang and Zhao Yun to emerge.

It wasn't until the beginning of the *You* hour (around 5:00 PM) that the two saw the assistant return to the shop. Only then did they unhurriedly exit the tavern and stroll toward the tack shop.

Once the assistant had finished fitting the saddles and stirrups for Qin Yang and Zhao Yun, Qin Yang settled the bill and helped Zhao Yun onto the yellow horse, instructing him to place his feet in the stirrups. He said with a smile, "Grandfather, try this thing and see if it's useful. You can even stand up."

Following his instructions, Zhao Yun stood in the stirrups and spurred the horse forward a few steps. Feeling incredibly stable, he exclaimed in amazement, "Yang, from where did you learn of such a clever device? If I had possessed such a thing when I was riding into battle, perhaps I might not have lost my hand." After speaking, Zhao Yun let out a long sigh of reminiscence.

Qin Yang could not spare the time to comfort him and whispered, "Grandfather, follow the plan. Let's go."

Upon hearing Qin Yang's words, Zhao Yun immediately understood and gave an apologetic smile. He gripped the reins with his right hand and rode off alone.

In the distance, the stalkers were momentarily at a loss when they saw Zhao Yun depart alone, and they all turned their gazes toward Qin Yang. Seeing that Qin Yang was still leisurely tidying his coin pouch, they stopped paying attention to Zhao Yun and instead sent one man back to the merchant house to report.

Qin Yang continued to pack his pouch at a snail's pace before slowly mounting the scrawny black horse. He patted the horse's neck and said, "Let's walk slowly." Strangely enough, according to the white-haired old man who sold the horse, this black horse had never allowed anyone to approach it, let alone ride it. Yet, with Qin Yang, the horse seemed quite docile, allowing him to ride. Although the black horse did not want to walk slowly, it obeyed its new master's command and set off toward the outskirts of the city with reluctant, small steps.

Meanwhile, Lin Ye, having received the news, was fuming with rage, cursing Qin Yang: "What trick is this brat playing? He's been messing around in this city for three whole hours. Now he's inexplicably letting old Zhao Yun leave first while he's still dawdling. Does he have some other scheme up his sleeve?"

"Don't be anxious, Boss. If that old man ran off, he ran off. As long as the goods are still with this kid, it's fine. We have over a dozen men lying in ambush in that mountain hollow. They've waited long enough, but even if this kid had three heads and six arms, he won't escape. Rest assured!" The manager, Lin Chen, had a distinctly thieving look on his face.

"Good. Go and make the arrangements immediately. Ensure there is no room for error." Lin Ye felt as if he could see that glittering gold smiling directly at him.