This horse from the grassland is accustomed to the unrestrained vast grassland. It has been locked in the stable in Luoyang for two days and has nothing to do with its strength. Now that it has the opportunity, it flies into the air with all four hooves and gallops without touching the ground.
Zhou Yafu has been with his father Zhou Bo since he was a child, and has been immersed in it. He has also practiced hard at the position of Lang Guan for several months. He has long been familiar with riding a horse.
He clamped the horse's belly, adjusted his sitting position, and pulled the reins at the right time. In addition, the horse was smart, and within two or three laps, the horse behaved as if it had been trained in his hands since he was a child. He galloped wildly again and became docile.
When Lu Pheasant saw that the horse had obeyed the order, he loudly asked the palace man next to him:
“Have you brought your bows, arrows, and hemp ropes?
Give him a bow and an arrow. "
Although the people from the Beigong Palace who were usually around the Queen were all women, they were all brave, alert and well-trained. A young palace maid had already rushed to get a bow and arrow, and threw them at Zhou Yafu on horseback one after another.
The horse's galloping speed did not slow down. Zhou Yafu steadily caught the bow with his left hand and the arrow with his right hand. Avoiding the crowd, he aimed at the bare branches of the sycamore tree in the distance, opened the bow and nocked the arrow, and released it calmly.
With a "swish" sound, the white feather arrow left his hand, passed through the layers of branches, and landed in the open space a hundred steps away.
"Okay, this boy of yours, although he is still young, has really practiced well."
Liu Ji cheered and turned to Zhou Bo to praise.
Zhou Bo said hurriedly and humbly,
"I learned a little bit of the three-legged cat skills from my side. Today I am showing off my embarrassment in front of all the heroes. It is really ridiculous."
***
"Hey, who told you to be humble on behalf of your son?"
Liu Ji waved his hand and ignored Zhou Bo. He leaned closer and lowered his voice and asked Lu Pheasant,
"What are you going to do? Let the Hun horse run a few laps to show everyone?"
In front of the civil and military officials of the court, although the emperor had a warm smile on his face, there was a hint of impatience in his tone. Since becoming Dabao, his patience has become less and less and his temper has become more and more violent.
Lu Pheasant glanced at him with his peripheral vision and whispered,
"Just calm down and watch from the sidelines."
"Go faster, ride as fast as you can."
She raised her head and said to the young man on the horse, and added hastily,
"Safety comes first in all things. Be sure to sit still and be careful of falling off the saddle."
Even if the person on the horse was not the famous minister Zhou Yafu, but a commoner boy about the same age as Liu Ying, she would still say this.
The horse ran faster and faster, and the palace man threw another arrow to Zhou Yafu. He managed to catch it, but because it was too bumpy, his hands could only hold the horse's mane tightly, and he no longer had the strength to draw the bow.
Seeing this, Lu Pheasant showed a smile and asked loudly,
“When your horse speeds up, you can’t draw your bow, right?
However, the Huns have been trained since childhood, and their riding skills are better than ours. They can shoot arrows on galloping horses. This is their strength passed down from generation to generation. We will not be able to catch up for a while.
Leaving aside the bow and arrow, can you swing a halberd while riding on a horse? "
"I'm afraid not...can't."
Zhou Yafu once again tried to spread his hands away from the horse's neck, but failed. After imagining the strength required to hold the halberd in his mind, he could only answer bitterly.
"Okay, come down here and bring the horse with you.
I'm going to add something to this horse's back. "
***
Zhou Yafu got off the horse panting, and led the horse to Lu Pheasant dejectedly, unable to lift his head.
She took a closer look at the stubborn young man, then winked to the left and right, and the four maids walked to the horse carrying two long hemp ropes nearly four fingers thick.
These little palace maids were short in stature and wore dark clothes. They were constrained in their movements and could only throw the heavy hemp rope on the saddle.
Lu Pheasant was about to go to help when he suddenly saw a tall figure walking over quickly. Without any effort, he neatly placed the hemp rope on the saddle. The two ends of the hemp rope hung loosely from both sides of the horse's belly.
"What to do next will wait for the queen to make it clear."
The man turned around and asked, his handsome face full of gloom. It turned out to be Han Xin.
“Then there is King Lao Chu.
First twist the two hemp ropes together, and then make a circle around the sides of Zhou Yafu's legs according to the length of his legs. "
Han Xin hummed and said no more, but felt his heart beating like a drum, as if a person trapped in a cave for a long time suddenly saw the light of day and had a vague premonition that when the hemp rope was tied, the rest of his life would undergo earth-shaking changes.
He acted quickly, and with the help of the palace maid and Zhou Yafu, the work was completed in a moment.
Everyone who goes in and out of the battlefield regards horses as companions who share life and death. Han Xin wrapped the hemp rope in the felt blanket under the saddle with special care, and tugged it a few times to ensure that the hemp rope would not collapse when carrying a heavy load. It won't scratch the horse's back even if it's broken.
Seeing his move, Lu Zhi nodded slightly, and the corners of his red lips raised in an affirmative arc. It seemed that Han Xin had understood her intention first.
Han Xin's military genius was indeed extraordinary. She was very proud that she had seen the right person. The crest on her bun was shining with golden light, and it looked majestic and lifelike as it swayed.
***
"Okay, get on your horse."
Han Xin stretched out his big hand, pulled Zhou Yafu onto the horse's back, and stuffed his feet tightly into the traps on both sides.
"Don't be afraid, put your feet firmly in the rope loop."
As he spoke, his eyes flashed with excitement and anticipation, and he raised his hand to hit the horse's buttocks.
The vast number of horses ran out again, going around and around, getting faster and faster. Zhou Yafu was still holding on to the horse's mane at first, but suddenly he felt that his feet had stepped into the rope loop, and the soles of his feet seemed to be on flat ground. No matter how empty it is, it is actually extremely solid.
He gradually dared to loosen his hands and rely on the strength of his legs to clamp the horse's belly to control the horse's speed. He only held the rein with one hand, and his face was full of incredible surprise.
Han Xin asked him loudly: "Do you dare to draw the bow?"
"dare!"
The bow and arrow were thrown over again, and he took it, pulled the bow string, and calmly released it. The white-feathered arrow flew faster and farther, and instantly struck the ground several feet away from the previous arrow.
"good!"
Han Xin praised, and then asked loudly,
"Do you dare to use weapons?"
"I don't know, let me try!"
He gently threw a divination-shaped halberd with a copper thorn handle and said, "The halberd is here, catch it!"
Zhou Yafu stepped firmly on the rope, sat upright, stretched out his hands to catch the halberd, which was much taller than himself, and waved it vigorously, while the speed of the horse beneath him did not slow down at all.
The Huns were unable to mass-produce copper and iron weapons, and the only weapons they relied on were bows and arrows. And when drawing a bow and shooting an arrow, no matter how fast your hands are, its lethality cannot be compared to the spears, halberds and spears of the Central Plains people.
Since the skills of riding and archery cannot match those of people on horseback, then they should find another way to find tactics that are more suitable for them——
The cavalry attacked flexibly and used halberds and other combat weapons to knock the enemy off their horses.
Without stirrups, if the Han Dynasty cavalry sprinted with a long halberd, they would inevitably fall to the ground while stabbing the opponent off the horse's back;
Once equipped with stirrups, the cavalry will be able to walk on flat ground, and the advantages and disadvantages of both sides will be completely reversed.
Thinking of this, Han Xin was filled with surprise and suddenly turned his head and looked straight at the smiling queen behind him. She always seemed to have an impenetrable smile on her face, but her eyes were shining brightly in the sun, full of compassion and understanding, as well as trust and hope.
