Although the Cao family is low-key, and even the decoration of the house is quite rustic, but to be able to have such a large house on the bustling West Street, the capital will definitely not be less. What's more, the Cao family is still in the jade business, this business is not like selling vegetables and buns, there is no longer a small amount of capital that needs to be invested, and the people in contact are all high-ranking officials.

It is necessary to find a suitable way to approach Jiang Wenshan in order to find out the truth about what happened nineteen years ago.

Although what he knows now is only a few words, but Fang Ling is sensitive to a trace of conspiracy, in the past three years, he has not stayed in vain in the fiefdom, using the trade organization of the fief to form a huge intelligence network, from the mouths of merchants and officials from all over the country to obtain all kinds of information, including the king of Yizhou.

There are more than a dozen fiefs of the princes that still exist in the Chu State, and the eastern land accounts for almost half, among which the king of Yizhou is the strongest and has become the head of the kings, and the king of Yizhou is obviously quite ambitious, and he is developing military forces in a big way, and the troops in the territory are strong and strong.

In the evening, everyone sat down in the hall, the table was full of sumptuous dinner, Cao Yaode smiled: "Our eastern land, there is not much else, that is, all kinds of aquatic products are very rich, although there are rivers in the north, but the variety of fish is estimated not as many as we here." Fang Gongzi, you try this steamed redtail fish, don't look at the simple ingredients, this fish is a tribute ordered by the emperor, only in this foggy river, after a dozen salvage, it must be sent to the imperial city with the river water quickly, and the time does not exceed three days. ”

Growing up in the palace since childhood, although the food is all leftovers and cold burning, Fang Ling is no stranger to the redtail fish, and he tasted it when he picked it up, and it was really tender and fatty.

While eating, Cao Yaode said again: "I don't know what kind of horses are raised in the horse farm of Fang Gongzi's family?"

Fang Ling said with a smile: "Most of them are northern horses, but there are also southern horses, plateau horses and grassland horses. ”

Cao Yaode couldn't help but feel a little envious: "With so many kinds of horses living together, the crossbred horses must be very powerful, right?"

Fang Ling smiled lightly: "It is difficult to train horses, it is difficult to move horses, it is not as difficult as the improvement of horse breeds, different horses want to cross to produce excellent offspring, not only the procedure is very complicated, but it is not easy to gather excellent bloodlines together." ”

Cao Yaode nodded again and again: "Fang Gongzi is right, in fact, there are various types of horses in my house, and I have also crossed a lot of horses, but they are not as powerful as stallions." ”

Fang Ling smiled slightly: "Each horse has its own characteristics, and each kind of horse has different branches according to the distribution area, and there are certain differences in bloodline, to produce a good next generation, it is not a one-time thing, although the first generation of horses crossed looks worse than stallions, but perhaps the third generation of breeding horses can give full play to the advantages of the first generation." ”

Cao Yaode paused when he heard this, and cocked his thumb and said: "Gao Ming, why didn't I think of this! A bad father doesn't mean that his son will be bad, and his son is bad, it doesn't mean that his grandson will be bad, God knows if this bloodline will be fully presented in a certain generation." ”

Cao Xiande also praised: "Fang Gongzi is young, but just this sentence can be seen that he has a belly of horse breeding." ”

"I'm just learning from the people in the horse farm, but the north is different from the east, where the history of horse breeding is much longer, and in the remote places of the north, there are still nomads, and their experience in raising horses is even more sufficient. Fang Ling said modestly.

In fact, in the past three years, he has also put a lot of effort into horses, and there are many horse farms in Maling County, but most of the horses are mainly northern horses.

The northern horse has a sturdy and rough body, a heavy head, a wide forehead, thick limbs, and a strong hoof, and can walk a distance of about 60 kilometers in four hours, with tenacious vitality and can survive in difficult and harsh conditions.

However, although the staying power of the northern Malaysia is good in the long distance, the speed of the short range is not fast, and if it is a sprint on the plains, it will be insufficient.

Therefore, in order to prepare for the war in the future, Fang Ling ordered Maling County to start introducing all kinds of other horses on the land, and carried out special research on these horses to breed the most suitable war horses for war, so Fang Ling's research on horses has also grown a lot.

Cao Yaode and the two nodded yes, during the banquet, everything everyone talked about was related to horses, and whether it was horse taming, horse training or breeding, etc., Fang Ling could talk eloquently, although Cao Yaode and the two also love horses, but they are not professionals, and the history of horse breeding in the East is far less than that in the north, so all kinds of experience is not good, listening to Fang Ling talking, I can't help nodding again and again, and I have benefited a lot.

So, after a meal, Cao Yaode invited Fang Ling and the three of them to the stable to have a look.

The stables in the backyard are built in a grand manner, each of the dozen or so horses has a special stable, and the trough in front of the stable is placed with high-quality forage, and on the side of the stable, there is also a field that can be used to train horses.

At this time, several subordinates were repairing the railing of the racecourse, which was damaged by the wild horse tamed by Lubei in the afternoon, and when they saw Cao Yaode and his party coming, the subordinates hurriedly bowed and saluted.

Cao Yaode waved his hand and motioned for his subordinates to go down, then pointed to the horses in the stable and smiled: "Young Master Fang, you come to see the horse I chose." ”

Fang Ling bowed slightly, and his gaze fell on the horse.

The art of the horse is based on the observation of the appearance of the horse to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the body structure of a horse, so as to determine the ability of the horse, the ancients subdivided the physiognomy into 32 phases, the so-called eye first, the second look at the head, the ears and neck, the teeth and the tongue, each part of the phase, there are various detailed divisions.

However, the art of Soma is not simply to observe the parts, but more importantly, to combine the whole, and to judge the horse as a whole based on the experience of the Soma people, which is by no means a simple matter.

It's just that because Fang Ling attaches great importance to horses, he has handled countless horses in the past three years, and he has discussed these things with experienced people for a long time, and he has unique insights into the art of horses.

Fang Ling didn't approach the stable to watch, but his eyes swept over the horses, and then he smiled slightly: "Among Uncle Cao's thirteen horses, six are northern horses, five of which are wild horses, three are plateau Datong horses, two are wild horses in the southern plains, and two are southwest mountain horses. ”

Cao Yaode couldn't help but be surprised: "Fang Gongzi's eyesight is really extraordinary, and after a few glances like this, he is all right." ”

You know, although most of the northern horses are tall, and the southern horses are short, but this is only a general description, the northern horses are also short, and the southern horses are also tall, and the same kind of horses, even if they grow in the same area, their physique, "hair" hair, ears, eyes, teeth, etc. are all the same, so different horse breeds are mixed together, and inexperienced people may also be confused.

Cao Xiande said with a smile: "Young Master Fang, if you don't let Brother Lu help tame these wild horses now, maybe you can use them in time for the Jockey Club of Lord County Shou the day after tomorrow." ”

"Jockey Club?" Fang Ling's heart moved when he heard this, as early as on the way to Yizhou, he had already made a decision, if he wanted to get the truth of what happened back then from Jiang Wenshan, he was afraid that he would have to secretly spy on intelligence, unless Jiang Wenshan was the mastermind.

And in this million-level county, the guards of the county government must be heavily guarded, and there is no shortage of masters, if you sneak in rashly, I am afraid that you will be startled, so he sent Meng Zhiyuan and others to collect information in the county, especially the county government.

However, if you can get in touch with Jiang Wenshan earlier through other means, it is also a way to achieve your goal.

Cao Yaode said: "Fang Gongzi is a foreigner, and he may not know much about the Jockey Club. Every year, the king held a horse race in the royal capital, and all the horses were carefully selected from each county. If you want to go to the royal capital to participate in the competition, you must first stand out in the county, so the horse race held in the county warden's mansion every year is a grand event in each county, and it is all "operated" by the county keeper himself. ”

Cao Zhigong said with a smile on the side: "Yes, although Lord Jiang is busy with affairs, only this Jockey Club is never absent. ”

As soon as he heard that the Jockey Club was held in the county mansion, Fang Ling couldn't help but secretly rejoice, this was a good time to enter the mansion and contact Jiang Wenshan, so he immediately asked, "Then what kind of race is this Jockey Club?"

"The people who participate in the Jockey Club are all the wealthy businessmen in the county, and each person has three horses, three races, each of which is three laps along the track, and only two wins are considered a win," Cao explained. ”

Fang Ling smiled when he heard this: "It turns out that Uncle Cao bought these northern horses for this year's Jockey Club." ”

Cao Yaode snorted and said: "I used to use these three plateau chase horses to race, always losing, only to find out later that although this kind of horse endurance is long-lasting, the speed is also very stable, but there is no explosive power at all, so I thought of buying a wild horse in the north, full of strength, although the speed is not fast in a short time, but the staying power is very strong." ”

Fang Ling nodded and said: "Uncle Cao's idea is very correct, the plateau Datong horse grows in the cold plateau area in the west, and its physique is stronger than that of the northern horse, but this kind of horse is heavy and calm, if it is used for farming and the like, it is good, but if it is used for events, I am afraid it can only be regarded as medium." The northern horses will also be explosive, as Uncle Cao said, but in addition to the wild horse that Brother Lu tamed today, the other horses are not suitable for competition. ”