There are many theories about Qin Shihuang’s sword. According to historical books and later generations’ research, the most likely ones are the following three theories:
1. Ding Qin
Ding Qin, that is, the Ding Qin sword. There are two swords of Qin Shihuang: one is the Afang Ding Qin sword, and the other is the Guantai Ding Qin sword. This sword is a famous sword in ancient China. It was made by the First Emperor of Qin. It is made of northern bronze. The inscription is "Ding Qin Xiaozhuan Li Si". It is three feet and six inches. It was cast in Ding Si, the third year of the emperor's thirty-seventh year. The Ding Qin Sword is a representative work of China's outstanding sword culture during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It was also the sword of China's first emperor Shang Fang. Therefore, it was hailed as "the best sword in the world" by later generations. It has become a highly respected supreme treasure since the Han Dynasty. It is called China's unique talent.
2. Lulu Sword is the sword of the Qin kings in the past dynasties. It is a symbol of royal power. When Jing Ke stabbed the King of Qin, Jing Ke was injured by the Lulu Sword carried by the King of Qin. The first scene of Guo Moruo's "Gao Jianli": "You can transcend and cross the shallow screen, you can pull the deer and Lu Jian." It describes the scene of Jing Ke's assassination of the King of Qin. Jing Ke snatched up the dagger hidden in the map of Dukang. The King of Qin was shocked and was about to run away. Jing Ke grabbed the sleeve of the King of Qin with one hand and raised the dagger with the other hand and pointed it at the King of Qin's chest. The King of Qin tore off the sleeve with great strength and ran away. There were screens on both sides of King Qin. King Qin jumped over the screen in a panic, and the two of them chased each other around the big copper pillar. Later, King Qin was reminded by his entourage that he carried the Lulu sword on his back and broke Jing Ke's left leg, injuring eight places on Jing Ke's body
3. According to the "Historical Records: Biography of Li Si", it was the Tai'a sword that Ou Yezi used in Longquan. One of the three swords made by the King of Chu. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and the beginning of the Warring States Period, due to the introduction of advanced sword-making technology from Wu and Yue countries, the Chu State's iron swords became famous all over the world. The early King Zhao of Qin once expressed the following concerns to Qin Prime Minister Fan Ju: "I heard that the iron swords of Chu State are very sharp. The sword is sharp... The iron sword is sharp, and the country is brave... I am afraid of Chu's desire for Qin." Therefore, the King of Qin has long coveted the sword of Chu. Why did the Tai'a sword later fall into the hands of the King of Qin? Li Si said in the "Book of Remonstrance and Expulsion of Guests" that the King of Qin "submitted the sword of Tai'a" in the tenth year of the Qin King's reign (237 BC). According to historical records: In the sixth year of the Qin Dynasty (241 BC), Zhao Pang joined forces with the troops of Zhao, Chu, Yan, Wei, and Han to attack Qin, but was repulsed. Chu was afraid of Qin's pressure and moved its capital to Shouchun. Therefore, it is most likely that during this period, King Qin obtained the Tai'a sword from Chu.
Speaking of the sword of Qin Shihuang, there is also such a historical story:
In the late Warring States Period, after Qin destroyed Han and Zhao, it went north to the southern border of Yan State. The Yan State, located south of the Great Wall and north of the Yishui River, was small and weak in power, and both its rulers and ministers felt uneasy. Prince Dan of Yan was held hostage by Qin. The King of Qin was not very friendly to him, so he fled back to Yan. In order to prevent the Qin army from marching north, they planned to send the assassin Jing Ke to assassinate King Qin Yingzheng. Jing Ke broke up with Prince Dan on the bank of Yishui River, took the head of Qin Jiang general Fan Yuqi, and prepared a map to cede territory for peace, and ran westward. In the Xianyang Palace of King Qin, Jing Ke paid homage to King Qin, opened the map and showed it to King Qin. The map was completely opened, revealing a sharp dagger. King Qin panicked, and all the ministers in the court were shocked and shouted: King, draw the sword! Draw the sword! But King Qin's sword was too long and he couldn't pull it out of the sheath in a hurry. At this time, Xia Wuji, the imperial doctor, suddenly got wise and threw the medicine jar in his hand at Jing Ke. Taking advantage of this moment, the King of Qin, reminded by the ministers, pushed the scabbard behind his back, drew out the sword, and cut off Jing Ke's left leg with one strike, thus saving the day.
There is a problem here. Iron swords in the late Spring and Autumn Period and the beginning of the Warring States Period were generally only 30 to 40 centimeters long, and the longest ones were only about 50 centimeters. Therefore, when Jing Ke assassinated Qin, the King of Qin would not be worried because the sword was too long. And can't pull it out. What kind of sword was Qin Shihuang's sword at this time? In the 1970s, the bronze sword unearthed from the Qin Terracotta Warriors Pit in Xi'an solved this mystery.
Twenty-two bronze swords were discovered in the pit of Qin Terracotta Warriors. The swords were narrow and long, shaped like willow leaves, with different lengths. The longest was 95 centimeters and the shortest was 81 centimeters. As a weapon for close combat, increasing the length of the sword can improve self-defense and lethality. Therefore, with the emergence of composite sword casting technology, the length of bronze swords has greatly increased. These bronze swords are the longest known bronze swords from the Warring States Period. The craftsmanship of the swords is very regular. Some swords were still in their scabbards when they were unearthed, but the scabbards had already decayed. After being underground for more than two years, these bronze swords were still extremely bright and cold when they were unearthed. After scientific testing, it was found that the surface of the sword body had been oxidized by chromium salts, forming a dense oxide layer 10 microns thick on the surface.
This discovery shocked the world. Because the process of using chromium to prevent rust was patented by the Germans in the 1930s, and China had already used it to prevent rust on weapons more than 2,000 years ago, which is really a miracle. Qin Shihuang, as a great hero of his generation, was very happy with his achievements and had "many treasures". The sword he wore should be the most advanced at that time, which means that its length should not be shorter than 90 centimeters at least. Therefore, when Jing Ke was assassinating Qin, there was a danger that he could not draw his sword out of its sheath due to desperation. A long sword almost changed the course of Chinese history. This was probably something Qin Shihuang never expected.