"Also, have you ever heard of the alfalfa fodder that Liu Jing mentioned?
Xia Houying, you are the servant, in charge of horses, chariots and stables, and you are the best at general military horses. What do you think? "
Liu Ji looked at Xia Houying questioningly. Xia Houying had already prepared for this question.
"When I was in Pei County, I took up the post of Chief of Pei Stables and was in charge of the carriages and horses of the place. It has been nearly twenty years now.
I have to say that I followed His Majesty from Pei County to Guanzhong and then to Luoyang. Before that, I had never heard the name of alfalfa. "
After receiving the memorial from the palace yesterday, Xia Houying did not dare to neglect for a moment, fearing that he was short-sighted, and even called several senior temple ministers overnight to inquire.
As a result, everyone shook their heads and said that since horse-raising in the Central Plains, for hundreds of years, for generations, both official horses and civilian horses have been eating millet, bean, wheat and other legumes and grains as their staple food.
Xiao He said,
"Liu Jing mentioned in his memorial that according to our traditional way of raising horses, the horses only eat refined grains such as millet and wheat. The food of one horse is equivalent to the cost of an ordinary family of six, resulting in military horses directly competing for food with the people. .
Raising horses in this way will inevitably be restricted everywhere, and it will also consume a lot of money from the national treasury. "
"Huma on the grassland does not need to feed a single grain throughout its life and only eats alfalfa.
Moreover, this grass is ever-growing and can be seen everywhere. It does not need to be cultivated in the field. The one who sows it once and for all.
If Liu Jing had not seen it with his own eyes, we would have been sitting in Luoyang racking our brains and could not have imagined that the Huns raised horses effortlessly. They were born with horses, and they were inexhaustible. "
All the courtiers couldn't help but sigh, and even the tough-talking Fan Kuai gritted his teeth and admitted,
"So, when it comes to raising horses, we really have to learn from the Huns."
"I decided to add another Zuo Cao under the imperial servant, who is as high as a thousand stones and will be responsible for growing alfalfa.
Since Liu Jing said that he had brought back some alfalfa seeds, he would wait for Zhang Zifang to come to Beijing to discuss whether the main planting area should be placed in Longxi to accommodate horses. "
Liu Ji tapped the edge of the couch with the knuckle of his right index finger and said worriedly,
“Now that we have the fodder that Huma likes to eat, we still need to find Huma.
After finding Huma, we still need a good future to train a fine cavalry. "
***
Liu Jing hurried back to Luoyang and rushed into the palace to meet the emperor. Early the next morning, he led the Luoyang stable supervisor to bring out dozens of wild horses that were temporarily kept in the imperial stables and hurriedly entered the palace.
Lv Zhi was full of curiosity and led the prince to wait in the Nangong early. The officials were also impatient and refused to leave even after the court meeting was over. They gathered in groups outside the palace in twos and threes, hoping to catch a glimpse of Hu Ma.
Quite different from what everyone imagined, these horses from distant countries are not very tall, but they have solid bones, thick limbs, and long manes and tails that can be dragged to the ground. In addition, they are all tied with bronze dandelions and gilded horse masks. , looking sharp and capable.
Liu Jing read the doubts in the eyes of the onlookers, ordered the horses to be led out one by one, and introduced each one loudly,
"These horses are Uzhumuqin horses. They are white and yellow in color. They are in good health and are suitable for both long and short distances. They are also cold-resistant and resistant to all kinds of diseases. They can gallop on no matter how deep the snow is."
"These are great horses. They are fast, have strong spleens and stomachs, and can be fed roughly. Even if the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, they can still run by eating only grass roots."
"That's a Baicha horse. The herdsmen commonly call it the 'Baicha iron-hoofed horse'. As the name suggests, this horse is good at walking on mountain roads and climbing hillsides. It neither jumps nor jumps. It can walk on flat ground. Its hooves are hard and will not crack even the roughest stones. It’s like steel.”
"That is a Wu Shen horse, a type of walking horse. It has a docile temperament and is not good at frontline charges. However, it is suitable for carrying heavy loads in desert arid areas and has excellent endurance."
Amidst the exclamations of admiration, Liu Ji's words of praise were heard.
"I remember when you first came to Luoyang, you didn't even know how to ride a horse, but now you are like a treasure."
Liu Jing turned around, bowed deeply to the emperor, and explained with a smile,
"Your Majesty clearly knows that I milked goats from morning to night every day for three months in the house of a Xiongnu herdsman.
Not to mention knowing horses, I can even tell you about the breeds of sheep and yaks for Your Majesty. "
"It seems that just sitting and talking about Taoism is not enough,"
Liu Jigang wanted to talk a few words about being an official. His eyes suddenly flickered and fell on a few horses with thin limbs and fat trunks in the horse team. He wrinkled his nose and asked,
"——Hey, those horses at the end of the team, whose carriage horses got in?"
***
"I brought it from the imperial stables for comparison."
Xia Houying said angrily, his dark and red face filled with despair.
"Now it seems that there is no need to compare, it is simply a matter of judgment."
"Look at their big bellies, they're all filled with beans—"
Liu Jing muttered in a low voice. He wanted to criticize a few more words, but Xia Houying's sharp eyes swept him away, so he swallowed the rest of his words.
Liu Ying and a group of young officials saw so many powerful and novel horses, and they were all gearing up. However, the emperor, queen and court ministers were all here and they did not dare to make any mistakes. They could only look at Lu Ze, the general of the palace guard, eagerly. .
Lu Pheasant, with his sharp eyes, had already seen the thoughts of these young people. He smiled and said to his brother,
"Seeing that they are eager to try, they might as well get on their horses and ride a few laps to show His Majesty."
Lu Ze gave the order, and the young men ran over with joy and jumped on their horses to help. They all looked proud and felt that they were very majestic.
But Lu Zhi, who had a clear view of their various actions, frowned tightly, as if some important joint had been touched, and he began to think nervously——
The scene before me seems to be missing something. What is wrong?
Suddenly, her eyes suddenly opened wide and she said in surprise,
"Why, you guys don't even deserve stirrups when you're riding a horse?"
In extreme shock, her voice increased involuntarily, and everyone present could clearly hear her. The civil servants looked at each other, not knowing why, and remained silent. However, several generals turned their heads in unison and looked at the queen in confusion.
"What are stirrups?"
***
"You have never seen or used a stirrup in your life?"
Lu Zhi was extremely shocked and kept asking questions, but the confused expressions on everyone's face clearly told her the answer.
Yes, she secretly blamed herself for being negligent in the year after her rebirth. She went in and out of the military camp several times, but never really paid attention to the equipment around the war horse:
The war horses at this time were equipped with bridles (pèi), saddle bridles, leather belts, and even decorated lanyards. At first glance, they looked the same as the cavalry of the prosperous Tang Dynasty nine hundred years later, but they were unique. The stirrups hanging on both sides of the horse's belly are missing.
"No wonder! No wonder!
In this way, the Huns cavalry can be defeated! "
Lu Pheasant said as if there was no one around, raised one eyebrow, and his tone was overjoyed.
Today she is wearing an emerald phoenix gold hairpin, and in her carefully carved phoenix mouth are three strings of small white beads hanging down. As she murmurs to herself, the white beads sway slightly in the sun, shining brightly. .
Seeing Liu Jizheng looking at her, she confidently walked to a horse and said to Zhou Yafu on the horse,
"You ride it, run a lap, run faster."
Zhou Yafu's face was full of fear, but he still obeyed the queen's instructions, and with a little force of his right hand, he hit the horse's butt hard, and the horse ran straight away.
