At the end of May of the twenty-seventh year of Qin Shi Huang, with the endless chirping, the gate of the Great Wall of Desperation slowly opened, and more than 1,000 Qin troops slowly left the fortress.

At the forefront of the ride was Li Xin, the lieutenant of Longxi County, and not far from him was the Heifu who was appointed by Qin Shi Huang as the messenger of the prayer river, which was also the main purpose of their trip: as the opening ceremony of the "Western Extension", the "White Horse and Black Dog" prayed for the emperor to go to the upper reaches of the river.

Their destination is probably the area of Lanzhou in the future, which is not far away, but not close, and the traffic situation is not optimistic.

There is no place for chariots that can only be used on flat ground, so this team, which is purely composed of foot cavalry, is difficult to supply outside the side fortress, and the nearest outpost is also a hundred miles away, so there are not many people with it.

Originally, Heifu wanted to step on the high-headed horse given by the emperor, but he was persuaded by Li Xinyi to dispel the idea: "Believe me, out of the fortress to inspect, the mountains and ravines are vertical and horizontal, and there is no way to go in many places, sometimes we have to explore the way in the low trees, and when it rains, the horse's hooves are also easy to slip, and it is not suitable for riding a war horse." ”

War horses are impatient, they always like to gallop wildly, and they are used to walk mountain roads, but they are not as reliable as old pack horses. In the middle of the battle, they will be replaced by war horses, so a cavalryman must have at least two horses.

"When there was a shortage of horses in the army during the southern expedition to Yuzhang, I took the soldiers and walked together in the dense forest, so I didn't know."

Heifu thanked Li Xin for his reminder, and Li Xin's subordinates also subconsciously felt that this black guy from Nanjun probably didn't know anything about cavalry operations outside the Saiwai.

"I think he can't even ride a horse?"

Before leaving, Qiang Huang, a cavalry general commanding two hundred horsemen, whispered with several lieutenants and officials, in the eyes of these natives of Longxi and Beidi, the southerners were only good at swimming and rowing, and when they arrived on the horse, Hugh said that it would be good to shoot the bow and arrow, and it would be good not to fall down.

"When I got to the bumps, I wanted to see if he would hold the horse's neck."

As he spoke, Qiang Huang also put his saddle on the horse's back.

Qin already had a saddle, which was rectangular in shape, made of leather on the surface, with a thick wool cushion stuffed in the middle, and sewn with very fine leather thread around the perimeter, shaped like two pillows. The horse's abdomen, chest, and hips are tied with three straps to fasten it to the horse's back.

It is said that this object was used by the northern Rongdi, who rode horses all year round and found it more comfortable to put something on the back of the horse. Later, King Wuling of Zhao "Hufu Cavalry Shooting", improved it, and spread it to the Qin State, and after having this thing, tens of thousands of large-scale cavalry appeared in Qin, Zhao, and Yan. There is also a military law in the Qin State: "The general of the chariot and horse, the military horse is not equipped and the saddle is not prepared, the punishment will be punished." ”

Therefore, preparing a saddle is a must-do for the cavalry before marching.

But in Hef's view, it was not so much a saddle as a saddle for riding, or a "low saddle". The low saddle can be folded, folded when not in use, and it is lightweight, but it is still not advanced enough.

In the past, Heifu fought mainly in the south, traveling in chariots, and not much on horseback. But this time with the emperor's western tour, since he had put forward the strategy of opening up the northwest, during the stay in Shangtai County, he asked people to make a new thing in advance, and he counted on the fact that the expulsion would come in handy......

So, when preparing the horses, the horseman Qiang Huang and others, who were waiting to see Heifu's jokes, found that Heifu asked his royal Sangmu to add an object to the horseback of the two. It seems to be made of wood, covered with leather, high and convex in the front and back, and low in the middle. It is pressed against the horse's sheath and is also firmly fastened to the horse's back by three straps: the chest strap, the belly strap, and the 鞧 (qiū) belt.

On both sides of this object, two iron rings with flat bottoms hang from each belt......

But he saw Hefu holding the horse, stepping on the iron ring, easily stepping on the horse's back, and sitting firmly on the object.

In the subsequent ride, Heifu was also as steady as Mount Tai on horseback, and when he encountered danger, the Longxi rider himself had to clamp the horse's body with his legs and hold the horse's mane tightly with his hands to prevent him from falling off the horse.

But Heifu behaved relaxedly, as if he was walking on the ground, and he also looked around to see the scenery outside the Saiwai, and his riding skills looked no less than Rong Di, a native of Longxi......

"It must be because of the object on horseback."

The horsemen whispered, but for the sake of face, no one went over to ask Heifu, and it was not until after crossing the Tao River in the morning that Li Xin took the initiative to ask Heifu when he was resting by the water.

"This is also a saddle, so let's call it a high saddle! This allows you to sit more securely. Heifu didn't hide his selfishness, and told Li Xin generously.

"And this thing is called stirrups, so that there is a place for the feet to step on when riding, and there is no need to clamp the horse's belly, and the legs are sore and weak when you get off the horse."

After all, Heifu also has many years of experience in fighting horses, has the foundation of the past, plus a saddle under his buttocks, and also steps on stirrups, and has a bottom under his feet, of course, riding a horse can be a lot easier.

"I'm not as skilled as my second or third son, for fear of falling off the horse and making a fool of myself."

He glanced at the Longxi cavalry generals who were following Li Xin and probed their brains, and said with a smile: "So it can only be faked." ”

The rider Qiang Huang was only eighteen or nineteen years old, and he was the grandson of the Great Qiang (lěi), and he was a little unconvinced, and coaxed: "We still think that the right chief has superb riding skills, but it turns out that he relies on foreign objects." ”

Before Heifu could speak, Li Xin had already glared at Qiang Huang fiercely: "The soldier is treacherous, on the battlefield, it is a victory to be able to knock the enemy off the horse, whether it is with a bow and arrow or a stumbling horse, and pay attention to whether you rely on your own skills?" If that's the case, why should we pay attention to thick armor and sharp blades, strong bows and crossbows? Isn't it okay to just get naked and fight the enemy with your fists clenched? Don't make amends to the right chief! ”

Qiang Huang was reprimanded, and he could only make amends to Heifu, but Ne didn't dare to say anything more, and Heifu felt that he was really going to be impressed with Li Xin.

Li Xin, who only knew how to be reckless and reckless, had died in the land of Jingchu, and the one in front of him was General Li, who was not only brave and sharp, but also a little more calm and wise......

Heifu knew the character of these Longxi men, and he didn't think it was wrong, and said with a smile: "General Li is right. Those who fake horses are not profitable, but thousands of miles; Those who fake boats are not able to water, and the rivers are not different, and the gentleman is not different, and he is good at fake things. With a high saddle and stirrups, I, a southerner, can control a horse, no less than a northerner and Rong Di, who have been with horses since childhood! ”

He looked at Li Xin: "And if it is a person who is already skilled in riding, with these two things, it will be like a tiger with wings!" ”

"It's worthy of the Shaofu Cheng who made hemp paper, no wonder Your Majesty said that you often come up with wonderful ideas."

As a general of the chariot and cavalry who has been fighting at the border for many years, Li Xin has realized the benefits of high saddles and stirrups, and now he is no longer the arrogant young man who has no one in his eyes.

Li Xin asked people to lead his beloved white horse, fixed the high saddle firmly on the horse's back, and slid his fingers over the horse's mane, the silver horse's mane, which matched his silver hair, had a sad beauty.

I saw him stepping on the stirrup and jumping up! His feet didn't even exert his strength, and the reins in his hands didn't even shake, and the white horse immediately responded, neighing and trotting according to his master's wishes.

On both sides of the Taoshui River, there is a large open grassland, which is very convenient for horses to gallop. It was May, the green grass was everywhere, and it spread to the high hill in the distance, and the small yellow flowers bloomed on the hill, shaking desperately when the dry wind blew, and there were quite some fox rabbits between the dense grass and stones.

The silver horse, carrying the white-haired general, crossed the meadow and stepped onto the high post. The horses were strong and swift, and the general's appearance and temperament were extraordinary, and with a high saddle and stirrups, his hands were completely free.

Li Xin picked up the bow behind his back, drew the arrow, galloped and shot, almost every time he pulled the bow and opened the string, a fox rabbit died under the arrow, which attracted more than 1,000 people to shout and cheer.

Still not satisfied, he drew his sword and began to do some difficult horse movements, back and forth, left and right, and in a circle, extremely flexible, making people dizzy.

When the speed reaches the fastest, the people and horses are like one, and they can no longer see the reality clearly, and the silver saddle shines on the white horse, like a meteor!

Only the vermilion big scarlet raised high behind Li Xin seemed to be a pair of burning wings! Take a man and a horse, spread your wings and fly!

"Sure enough, it's like a tiger with wings......" Qiang Huang was fascinated by it.

This is the charm of a horseman, even Heifu does not admire it, a word also popped up in his mind, and blurted out!

"General Zhenfei!"

"Yes! Flying General! ”

Qiang Huang and other horsemen who revered Li Xin also echoed loudly, and confirmed this name, Heifu thought about it carefully, Li Xin was the ancestor of Li in Longxi, Li Guang was still his descendant, and there was nothing wrong with the great-ancestor who robbed the name of his great-grandson.

Some of Li Xin's former friends have burst into tears, and they have not seen Li Xin gallop like this for a long time......

At this moment, the young general who pursued Prince Dan with light cavalry, crossed the trenches, climbed the hills, risked blocking, and cut off the strong enemy, seemed to be back again!

After a long while, Li Xin galloped back from the high post, followed by several horsemen who were ordered to stand guard on the post, all of whom had a bunch of prey, which was Li Xin's capture in just a moment.

Just as Heifu was about to go over with the horsemen and listen to how Li Xin praised the stirrup, he was full of seriousness and shouted:

"The whole army is on alert, people are on horseback! Crossbow winding! Protect the right captain and baggage behind! ”

Li Xin swept in front of the army and shouted a warning: "There is a Qiang Rong approaching us!" It's ten miles away! ”