The desert is solitary and the smoke is straight, the sun is setting over the long river.
In the reddish afterglow of the sunset, a cavalry suddenly galloped over, leaving sandy nests on the ground with falling stars.
"Report!"
"Come in!"
"General Qi, the Tatar bandit army retreated very quickly after robbing some people's iron pots!"
"What? Retreat?"
Qi Jing, who was sitting dangerously in the Chinese army tent, stood up suddenly when he heard this, stroking his beard and pacing, frowning and began to think deeply. The generals on both sides kept silent, for fear of making noise and interrupting his thoughts.
So everyone fell silent and thought carefully.
As far as the current matter is concerned, there is indeed something strange about it.
During the Chinese New Year, we mobilized troops and went all out, just to grab a few iron pots?
I really can’t understand it.
Just when everyone was puzzled, a man who looked like a general suddenly came out and said: "General Qi, in the eyes of the last general, the Tatar's move is very reasonable and it is not difficult to understand."
"Oh? Please ask General Zhao to clear up the confusion." Qi Jing came to his senses, sat down again and said.
"yes!"
Looking over in response, I saw that the answering general had a dark complexion, an elegant manner, and an extraordinary sense of wisdom in his movements and glances. Who could this person be if he wasn't Zhao Mingyu?
Yes, it is indeed him.
I saw him briefly thinking about it, and then said: "Let's put it this way, when the enemy and our two countries were still trading with each other, the ironware produced by our Dafeng had always been favored by the Tatars and Oaras. For this reason, they did not hesitate to The exchange of large livestock shows how scarce iron tools are in Mobei."
After a pause, he continued: "However, after the two parties turned against each other, the mutual trade at the border began to turn from prosperity to decline. In recent years, it has almost completely come to a standstill. Due to the long-term lack of goods, the demand for ironware in Mobei is bound to be It is unsustainable. It is reasonable for them to come out to rob them now. The reason why they chose the first day of the Lunar New Year may be because we Han people like to cook at home during the Chinese New Year, so they will use this as an opportunity to suddenly throw cold weather. Attack."
Unexpectedly, behind this phenomenon, Zhao Mingyu also introduced this kind of logic.
good!
It feels clear and I hear it clearly.
Qi Jing laughed and praised: "General Zhao is indeed very knowledgeable and well-versed in both internal and external affairs. In just a few words, he clarified the mystery. I admire you! I admire you!"
Zhao Mingyu quickly raised his hand and replied: "I don't dare to take it seriously. General Qi has given too much praise."
"General Zhao, there is no need to be humble. I once said that my husband would be more powerful than a tiger. Now it turns out that it is indeed true. My husband is willing to join the army to help me. It is really a blessing for the border!" Qi Jing said without hesitation in his praise.
However, as soon as these words fell, the praise started again!
The generals also followed the general's words very sensibly and even expressed their admiration for Zhao Mingyu.
Haha, when did Lao Zhao gain such prestige?
real or fake?
Don't be anxious, there are indeed some reasons for this, let's listen to them one by one.
It is said that Zhao Mingyu went on a mission to the Western Regions. He was not afraid of hardships and traveled long distances.
, finally found the approximate location of the ancient Dawan country, and then, he lived up to expectations and found the descendants of the legendary Dawan horse as he wished, and successfully brought the horse breed back.
Perfect merit!
However, on the way back, there was an episode.
One day, his horse team happened to pass by here and was met by Qi Jing and his party who were patrolling the border. After that, he was persuaded to stay by some kindness.
General Qi said that he wanted to fulfill his duty as a landlord.
Yes, Brother Zhao is an old friend of my best friend Qi Yu. Now that he has arrived suddenly, how can I not eat the pot of juice to welcome the triumphant guests?
this……
All right!
In fact, anyone with a discerning eye has noticed that from beginning to end, Qi Jing's eyes were staring at the horses from outside the territory, and his eyes were full of greedy light.
It’s self-evident what war horses, especially majestic war horses, mean to the military of border defense, right?
Does he want to keep it for himself?
Guessed it!
Any good general with a sense of responsibility would think so at this moment.
Therefore, he took advantage of Zhao Mingyu's temporary residence here and hurriedly sent an eight hundred miles to the emperor to request that these foreign horse breeds and Zhao Mingyu be given to him for the purpose of border construction needs.
For the emperor, this was not a big deal. He played it without even thinking about it.
You must know that Qi Jing is now the dignified General of Zhenbei, in charge of the military defense of the entire Great North. Although his official rank is not as high as that of the General Soldier, he can still be regarded as an important court minister with military power, and this respect must be given.
In fact, not only the Holy Emperor, but also the veterans of the cabinet were wise enough not to say anything more.
Aren't they just a bunch of beasts from abroad and a person who lives on a corpse? Even if they are forced to stay, what use will they do? In this case, it would be better to give him a favor and give the upstart General Qi some face.
However, they were also a little confused. It was understandable that Qi Jing wanted to blackmail the war horses. After all, it was beneficial to the military, but why did he ask the emperor for a civil servant like Zhao Mingyu?
Yes, this guy can neither charge into battle nor maintain military discipline. Isn't it just a matter of keeping him here to earn a living?
Ahem, of course not.
In Qi Jing's eyes, Zhao Mingyu is worth thousands of gold.
oh? Why do you say that?
Do you remember that Lao Zhao had written a little-known book before, called "Horse Theory", in which he conducted in-depth research and explanations on the breeding, raising, and domestication of war horses. After Qi Jing read this book, he was immediately impressed by its contents.
However, what is even more rare is that Zhao Mingyu also served as a deacon in Xingtaipu Temple and has very rich practical experience in the practical operation of raising horses. He is indeed a rare practical talent.
Wouldn't it be a waste of resources for such a great talent not to serve in the army?
In this way, under Qi Jing's careful operation, Zhao Mingyu transformed directly into a border military attache. This result can be regarded as his applying what he learned and fulfilling his ambition.
As the saying goes, there are three things a new official needs to do when taking office.
Zhao Ming, who has always had unappreciated talents
As soon as Yucai put on his military uniform, he couldn't wait to give his good advice.
He believes that war horses are an important part of the military and cannot be overly relied on Xingtaipu Temple and Yuanma Temple, otherwise they may repeat the same mistakes and lose all their previous achievements. If we weigh the pros and cons, it would be better for the army to raise its own horses as a long-term plan.
In fact, Qi Jing had thought this way for a long time, so they hit it off immediately.
From this point of view, the two of them are indeed like-minded!
In the dark, Qi Jing had a strong vision in his heart. He felt that as long as these foreign horse breeds were properly raised and multiplied continuously for less than ten years, he could be like the famous Western Han Dynasty general Huo Qubing. Go deep into the enemy's heartland and defeat the two strongest enemies.
Although your dream is grand, you still have to start from the first step.
To raise horses, you must first have a horse farm as a base. Only in this way can our Chinese cavalry take root and grow stronger step by step.
Qi Jing believes that this is not difficult.
As early as the Tang Dynasty, a large horse breeding farm was opened in the Guanlong area. Later, it was slowly abandoned because of the change of direction.
Now, why not follow the example of the forefathers and build again according to the gourd painting?
right! Just do it!
The idea is good, but the local officials there are not very cooperative!
I bother!
Who is so ignorant?
After Qi Jing's wife Fang Ruojiao learned about the incident, she immediately led a group of troops and took the newly trained young general Hong Tao with them to 'kill' the local official's home.
Others advocate convincing people with reason, but this strange woman likes to reason with people with a small whip.
In short, later, the construction of the racecourse was started smoothly, and no one had any objections.
Let’s talk about the present.
The incoming enemy attack has been retreated, the crisis has been eliminated, and the generals can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, so I have to relax a little, otherwise would it still be called the Chinese New Year?
Qi Jing thought about it for a moment and thought: Why not have a drink and enjoy yourself?
Well, very good!
So, he ordered the old cook in the army to set up a fire to roast the sheep in the tent, and then invited Zhao Mingyu to have a drink with him alone. However, what he did was a secret drinking, and his wife must not let Fang Ruojiao know about it.
"Oh, I'm afraid our horseshoe plan will come to nothing..." Qi Jing sighed with disappointment after pouring the wine.
Zhao Mingyu was startled when he heard this and said, "Oh? Why did the general say this?"
"The Ministry of Industry wrote back and said that they are currently busy building the Kunpeng Navy and have no time to take care of small military needs like ours. Although they did not explicitly refuse, they also imply that they are powerless." Qi Jing explained.
It is not difficult to see that due to the pressure of national policy, the Ministry of Industry chose to lose the small and protect the big.
However, horseshoes are very important to war horses, just like human shoes, indispensable. Zhao Mingyu is deeply obsessed with raising horses, so how could he allow this to happen?
He pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said: "General Qi, why don't you ask Lord Qi Yuqi of Qiongzhou for help? In my opinion, he will definitely help."
"Go and beg him?" Qi Jing was startled at first, and then he suddenly laughed.
