(Thanks to Dameng, Xiaopang, Tongle Village, ysl1234, Don't Fly de Bird, Mo Jin'an, Machine 1 Translation, thank you for your support)

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At the end of March of the third year of Jianzhao, the wind rose to Wulei. A "multinational force" of about 40,000 horses, composed of Wulei Tuntian officials, the commander of the Cheshi Jiaohebi, and the Yanqi Kingdom, the Qiuzi Kingdom, the front and rear parts of the Cheshi, the front and rear of the Pu Division, the east and west and Mi, the front and rear of the Beilu, the Wudan Branch, the Weisu, the Yuli, the Wulei and many other states, marched westward from Wulei City. And more states and tribes that have not been able to converge for a while because of the distance are converging from all directions of the vast land from Mobei to the Western Regions.

At the end of April, when this multinational force arrived in Wensu Guogumocheng, in order to reduce the logistical pressure and speed up the march, Gan Yanshou and Chen Tang decided to divide their troops.

The two divided the army into six schools and marched along the north and south routes. General Guo Xi, the captain of Wuji, led three of them to the south, along the Green Ridge River through Shache and Shule, and finally crossed the Green Ridge from the trail to Dawan, and then transferred to Wusun. The other three schools, led by Gan Yanshou and Chen Tang, set out from Wensu Country, crossed the Yili River valley and grassland, and entered Wusun.

The meeting place of the two armies was Wusun Akiti Castle.

Although Wensu is a small country, it is connected to Qiuzi in the east, Wusun in the north, Shule and Shache in the south, and is an important hub of the North Silk Road, and it is also the only way to pass. With such a small country, it is difficult to supply a large army of tens of thousands of people to eat horses, so the army of the Western Expedition cannot stay here for a long time, and must march as soon as possible.

At night, the Han army camp patrolled in all directions, on high alert. According to the practice of the grassland, the people and horses of all countries set up a top felt tent, encircled cattle and sheep, and sat around the bonfire. Throughout the river valley, the fires are everywhere, as if a grand bonfire dinner is being held.

In the main tent of the Chinese army, Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou were holding candles and lying on the desk, studying the next march plan with a simple topographic map.

At this time, a notice came from outside the tent: "Zhang Yicao sent the history of the door, saying that he invited the capital guard and the school captain to go to the tent together to discuss something." ”

Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou glanced at each other, put down the copper candle in their hands, raised their eyebrows, and said: "The subordinates have something to say, don't come to report it, but let Shangguan go, I'm afraid it's the first time in Dahan." ”

Gan Yanshou spread his hands and said with a wry smile: "People are big, what can I do?" Zigong, ignore this Laoshizi subordinate Cao, he is the prince of Fuping Hou - as long as you think like this, your heart will be balanced. ”

Well, that's right, Zhang Yicao, it's Zhang Fang, this is his new position: the subordinate Yicao Shi.

Cao Shi, a subordinate of the Dahan County Government, is a subordinate official of the Dahan County Government, and the main adviser is similar to the role of a staff officer, and it is a deputy position, and the main position is Cao Peng. Zhang Fang went out with the army, went in and out of the barracks, and participated in the military aircraft, so he always had to have a name. And the Western Regions all have the right to open the government and conquer it, which means that they can recruit their own staff. So Gan Yanshou exercised his authority and gave Zhang Fang this position -- not to mention, it was quite suitable for his position in the army.

In order to facilitate the work of the new subordinate Cao Shi, Gan Yanshou simply gave people a full set, and also arranged for Zhang Fang to carry out the identities of several subordinates such as the Han brothers, Qu Liang, Shi Niu, etc. This subordinate Peng and Shi are actually errands, similar to the miscellaneous staff of the agency, fighting and eating small officials. But Qingxi Zhonghu thinks how happy they are, no matter how chores they do, they are also in the "organs", even if they are "temporary workers", they are still members of the Han government.

As Zhang Fang, inviting Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou to come to the door is not a big support, but during the march, everything is based on military positions, and his attitude towards Cao Shi as a subordinate inevitably makes Chen Tang a little dissatisfied. Therefore, Chen Tang did not open the tent, but sat down and said lightly: "Did you say what happened?" ”

"I didn't elaborate, but it was about speeding up the march."

"Speed up the march?"

"Yes, it was Zhang Yicao who came up with a strategy that could speed up the march."

"Oh?!" Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou looked at each other in surprise, thinking of the various military weapons flowing out of the young man's hand, and suddenly couldn't sit still, "Let's go, go and have a look." ”

However, when Chen and Gan came to Zhang Fang's tent with Han Chong, Han Jun, who was guarding in front of the tent, came over and saluted the two respectfully: "Gongzi knows that the two of them are busy with military affairs, so I didn't expect to come so quickly. Please wait, Childe is admonishing, and it will be fine soon. ”

Admonition? Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou looked at each other, what kind of fame is this mysterious son doing?

After a while, I saw that the curtain of the tent was lifted, and a group of people walked out one after another, first bowing to the tent, and then bowing to Gan and Chen, and then retreating. Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou both knew that these people were all Zhang Gongzi's subordinates, so Han Jun was not wrong, it was really a reprimand.

Zhang Fang's slightly tired voice came from the tent: "The subordinates are discussing Cao Shi Zhang Fang, and welcome Gan Duhu and Captain Chen." ”

said that it was a greeting, but Gan Yanshou and Chen Tang didn't see Zhang Fang really come out to greet them until they walked into the felt tent. Gan Yanshou had already positioned himself in his heart, and he didn't care, and Chen Tang didn't move. But when they saw Zhang Fang in the tent, they realized that there was a reason for this.

The felt tent is as big as a room, the two butter lights are still bright, and the face is a little pale after the short case, and the eyes occasionally have a flash of fine light, but it is fleeting. The kneeling posture that has always been straight and sits also looks a little weak, showing a kind of fatigue.

How long does this admonition take? Or is it tired from the march? Before Gan and Chen could open their mouths, their eyes were attracted by the two things on the short case.

One is an iron ring in the shape of a "several", which looks ordinary; The other, a severed horse's hoof. If these two things are thrown out of the tent, Gan and Chen will not even take a second look, but they must have their meaning when they are placed on the table so solemnly.

Zhang Fang showed a smile: "The two of you are busy people who have a lot of opportunities, so I won't sell it and get straight to the point." As you can see, this is what speeds up the march. ”

Seeing the confusion on the faces of the two, Zhang Fang took the iron ring in one hand and the horse's hooves in the other, then pressed the iron ring to the horse's hooves, then lifted the horse's hooves, smashed them on the case a few times, and confirmed that they were smashed, so he smiled and handed it to the two.

Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou didn't know what they meant at first, but when they held it in their hands and looked at it carefully, they suddenly became enlightened.

Since the self-defense army, in terms of logistics, in addition to the grain and straw, the most nerve-wracking thing for the two commanders is the non-combat wear and tear of war horses. One of the most important injuries is damage to the horse's hooves. The terrain of the Western Regions is complex, with rocky difficulties, Gobi Deserts, canyons, and grasslands. Horses' hooves are most susceptible to damage when navigating harder terrain. And a good horse, once lame, is considered useless. Since the march of the past month, more than 2,000 horses have been "scrapped" because of injured hooves. Fortunately, this is in the Western Regions, and there are many state tribes along the way that can purchase supplements, and it will not affect the march and battle, if it is in the Han realm, I really dare not imagine.

It is precisely because the two commanders have been entangled in this problem for some time now, so when they see this thing, they understand its purpose.

Gan Yanshou pulled out hard, separating the iron ring from the horse's hooves, only to find that the horse's hooves had been treated, the horse's shoes were thinned, and the holes were drilled in advance, which corresponded to the protruding nails on the iron rings, no wonder it could fit so tightly with a knock.

Chen Tang's eyes flashed: "This thing may be useful." ”

Zhang Fang said quietly: "It's useful." I had the blacksmith build several sets beforehand, and the old groom tried to sharpen the horseshoe and nail the shoe, and for several days I tried it, injuring a few horses, and the end result was satisfactory. With this, we can speed up the march, and without having to change horses, it will be possible to go on long runs. ”

"If that's the case, that's great!" Gan Yanshou was so happy that his mouth almost reached the root of his ears, "With this thing, we are more sure of this long-distance attack." ”

Chen Tang pressed the excitement in his heart: "What's the name of this thing?" ”

Zhang Fang shrugged: "Horseshoe." ”

Saddle, stirrups, horseshoe, this is a true knight's three-piece set. With these three things, there will be the birth of archers, rangers, and even heavy cavalry in the true sense. Didn't the Huns rely on cavalry to dominate for a while? Then let's take a look at the cavalry of the Great Han.