Flying!
This was probably a dream humanity had held since the very beginning of time.
In ancient tales, Jiang Ziya was said to have the face of a flying bear. One interpretation described a white tiger with two wings, and people called that a flying bear.
And during the Han dynasty, the greatest generals earned a special title: the Flying General.
Li Guang and Lu Bu both received that title. Sure, neither of them had great endings, but that was beside the point!
Anyway, one short sentence on the light screen saying "you might as well just fly" had successfully hooked the curiosity of everyone in the Shu Han camp.
Even Huang Zhong, who was well past sixty, was squinting hard, trying to burn every detail on the screen into his memory.
These past few days had been nothing short of a dream for Huang Zhong. Going from a frustrated and overlooked General of Zhonglang to a general who could witness divine omens and learn his own fate was simply too unreal.
He had heard Liu Bei say that this descendant on the screen was a young person.
So all the other voices commenting must belong to people around the same age, right? Huang Zhong's vision started to blur.
He felt like he could see a group of young scholars laughing and playing together. One of them turned around, and that face bore a striking resemblance to his own son, Huang Xu.
Fate had forced him, a white-haired man, to bury his black-haired child. But even if he managed to slay Xiahou Yuan and restore the Han dynasty, what would it matter? Who would he share such glory with? Titles and honors for a wife he no longer had and a son who was already gone. What use were any of those things to him?
"Huh, Old Huang, why are you crying?"
Zhang Fei squeezed over and threw an arm around Huang Zhong's shoulders. "Hey, Old Huang, just trust me, alright? Once we figure out how that descendant grew his wings, you can ask me for whatever kind you want! Whether it is catching a falcon or heading all the way to Liaodong to find a gyrfalcon, I will handle it personally!"
Zhuge Liang whispered a few words in Liu Bei's ear. Liu Bei nodded, gently pried Zhang Fei off, and hooked his arm through Huang Zhong's. "Old Huang must be tired. Let me walk you back to your quarters so you can rest."
Watching his big brother support Huang Zhong as they walked away, Zhang Fei scratched his head and turned back to his original question. "Second brother, what kind of wings do you actually want?"
Guan Yu grabbed Zhang Fei by the collar without a single word and started dragging him away. "Come on. We agreed earlier. The two of us are going to beat each other up in the practice yard today to warm up."
Zhuge Liang stood in place, fanning himself with a small smile.
He looked at Zhao Yun, who was still rooted to the spot with an expression shifting between excitement and worry. "Zilong, are you not going to find a blacksmith and test that new farm tool?"
Zhao Yun hesitated for a moment. "Kongming, I have something I need to ask you about."
...
Wen Mang hummed a little tune as he packed his change of clothes, then grabbed his suitcase and hailed a cab straight to the high-speed rail station. The summer heat in Luoyang was so bad that even a dog would refuse to stay here!
In the car, Wen Mang pulled out his phone and checked his channel dashboard. The view counts were not massive, but the engagement was solid. And every single video came with a fan mailing him gifts. This kind of treatment was truly something.
If the fans were willing to spend this much money, then Wen Mang was more than happy to spend his own money right back at them! For this third video, he was going all out to make a masterpiece!
His phone buzzed with an incoming call from an unknown number. Wen Mang answered and heard a pleasant female voice.
"Is this Mr. Wen Mang? I am a history professor at Sichuan University. My surname is Chang. I would love to meet with you for a chat. Would you have the time?"
"You scammers are getting really dedicated these days, huh? With this kind of effort, you could go teach in the mountains or plant trees in the northwest. Either of those would have better prospects than trying to scam a broke guy like me. My bank account balance is in the triple digits. Seriously, do not waste your time on me. Bye!"
He shook his head and tossed his phone onto the seat. Scammers these days were truly everywhere and impossible to guard against.
...
"You are saying you may have discovered something that could drastically boost cavalry combat effectiveness?"
Zhuge Liang poured a cup of tea for Zhao Yun. "Take your time, Zilong. No rush."
Liu Bei was still very far from becoming the founding Emperor Zhaolie in Chengdu. The biggest difference was a severe lack of personnel. He lacked generals, he lacked ministers, and he especially lacked soldiers. His only cavalry unit was the Baima Yicong led by Zhao Yun.
Zhao Yun sat on his knees, cradling his cup of tea, and spoke slowly. "Earlier, when I was watching the light screen, I noticed their cavalry. The cavalry of the future is completely different from ours."
"Their fighting ability seems lacking, but compared to our current cavalry, their saddles are much lower. And they have stirrups on both sides."
Zhuge Liang naturally knew what stirrups were. They were iron loops hanging from one side of the saddle, designed to help a rider mount more easily.
"The people of the future do things for a reason. I thought about it for a long time in my head. If a rider has stirrups on both sides and a lower saddle, then the rider can control the horse using only their feet without needing the reins. That frees up both hands."
Zhao Yun did not need to explain further. Zhuge Liang understood immediately.
Why did fierce generals like Lu Bu, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei always say they were invincible on horseback? Because they were physically massive and strong. They could grip the horse's body with their powerful legs alone and steer it effortlessly, leaving both hands free to wield long weapons or draw a bow.
But why could ordinary cavalry not do the same? It was not that they did not want to.
They simply could not.
Most soldiers struggled just to get enough food. Where would they get such powerful physiques? In fact, many cavalry units among the warlords were just infantry on horseback. They rode to travel and dismounted to fight, because staying on the horse actually reduced their combat effectiveness.
For a regular cavalryman, being able to hold the reins in one hand and a long spear in the other already qualified as an elite!
"If that is the case, this truly is an excellent way to boost cavalry effectiveness. But then why are you so torn about it?"
Zhao Yun looked up with a bitter expression. "Kongming, do you still not see it? Someone with dull talent like me only needed to glance at it a few times and think for a while to understand the principle. If we equip the entire Baima Yicong with double-sided stirrups, then the moment we hit the battlefield, Cao Cao's generals will only need one look to figure it out. Then within a single month, Cao Cao will have every one of his cavalrymen fitted with the exact same setup..."
There was no need to say more. Zhuge Liang pictured that scenario and felt a chill run straight down from the top of his head. Cao Cao already controlled the horse-breeding regions. With this addition, he would truly become a tiger with wings.
If they adopted these double-sided stirrups, Zilong could win a single battle, but he would practically guarantee losing the entire war.
Zhuge Liang gave Zhao Yun a deep look. "Pick one or two absolutely trusted men from the cavalry to test whether the double stirrups really have this miraculous effect. If they do, have your personal guards practice first. Choose a remote area with no population."
No more words were needed. The two of them reached a mutual understanding without speaking further. They needed to test and refine the design, but they could not deploy it widely. Cavalry equipped with double stirrups could only be used once. That one time had to be important enough and necessary enough to completely change the tide of a battle in a single stroke!
"Our main focus for the next two years will still be agricultural colonies," Zhuge Liang instructed. "After Red Cliffs, Cao Cao is severely weakened and unable to launch an invasion. Our next goals are to develop Jingzhou, seize Yizhou, and keep an eye on Jiaozhou."
"All of those plans require sufficient military rations as a foundation. So your work with our lord on improving farm tools is equally critical!"
Zhuge Liang's eyes were shining with renewed energy. "If the double stirrups can be this useful, then I imagine the farm tools will be just as impactful. Please put your heart into it during your spare time from training."
Zhao Yun bowed deeply to accept the order, then walked away with heavy thoughts on his mind.
Zhuge Liang stood by the window, fanning himself with the feather fan he carried all year round. The weather was cold, but because they were in Jingzhou, the trees and roads outside still looked green and lush.
The scenery was the same as it had always been, but Zhuge Liang's state of mind had completely transformed. He stretched his back, then turned around and walked back to his desk. Time to get back to work!
A servant who had come in to tidy up smiled and said. "Master, you really should knock off early today. Otherwise Lady Huang will come looking for you again, just like yesterday."
Before the servant could finish, a crisp voice drifted in from outside. "I have told him time and again to work less, but when has he ever listened to me even once!"
---
Fun Fact: The Stirrup That Changed Everything
Let's clear up a common misconception: the stirrup was not invented because ancient riders were clueless and kept falling off horses like beginners in a riding lesson. In fact, many of the most terrifying cavalry in history, especially the steppe nomads, were absolute monsters in the saddle without stirrups. They could shoot arrows, turn, stand, and fight on horseback with a level of balance that would make modern riders question their life choices.
Early proto-stirrups were basically the training wheels of horse gear. Think simple toe loops or foot rests made of rope or wood, mostly useful for getting on the horse rather than staying on it. And yes, some required you to ride barefoot, which sounds cool until you remember horses are large, fast, and not known for caring about your toes.
The real upgrade came with the true stirrup: paired, iron, and strong enough to support your full weight. This was not just a convenience. It required serious tech. You needed good ironworking and a solid saddle frame, otherwise your fancy new stirrup would snap mid-battle and turn you into a tragic anecdote.
The earliest solid evidence shows up in China around 322 CE, but historians are still arguing like it is an ancient group chat:
Was it Chinese innovation?
Steppe invention?
Borrowed tech?
No one has dropped the final answer yet.
Here is the twist that makes this even more interesting: the stirrup might not have been invented to make great riders better, but to make average riders usable.
Imagine you are running a massive empire and suddenly need thousands of cavalry. Problem: not everyone is a horseback prodigy raised on the open steppe. Solution: give them stirrups so they can at least stay on the horse and not embarrass the unit.
In other words, stirrups democratized cavalry.
Elite riders did not need them. Armies did.
And once this little piece of iron proved its value, it spread across Eurasia like the ancient version of viral tech, reaching from East Asia to Western Europe in just a few centuries.
So yes, the stirrup is small. But it turned horseback riding from an elite skill into a scalable military system.
Not bad for something that is basically a metal foot loop.