With the pain and resentment of lack of talents, time unconsciously entered April of the first year of Xingping, on the first day of the full moon of the Junzi Army, Tao Ying and the soldiers of the Junzi Army finally got the long-awaited war horses in their hands, the number of a total of 912 horses, of which more than 700 are Mongolian mares named by Tao Ying, and the rest are other horse breeds, still most of them are mares that Tao Ying likes, but some are geldings - poor General Cao Hong really can't fully satisfy the strange appetite of Tao Ergongzi, Fortunately, Tao Er Gongzi also made some concessions reasonably.

I have to admit that just from the appearance, the Mongolian horse that Tao Ying likes is indeed a bit miserable in terms of image, not much shorter than a donkey, especially compared with the small number of Dawan horses sent by Cao Hong to make up the number, it is even shorter and weaker, so except for Tao Ying himself, all the soldiers of the Gentlemen's Army focused their attention on those tall and divine horses and Western Regions horses, hoping that they could get these good horses, not to give those short donkeys to themselves, and Tao Ji simply used his identity as Tao Ying's deputy, directly pulling the tallest and most divine horse of a Dawan horse, and strongly asked Tao Ying to assign this war horse to him.

Tao Ying did not immediately agree to Tao Ji's request, but first ordered the Junzi army to assemble and line up, and then asked Tao Ji to pull the Dawan horse and a Mongolian horse to the Junzi army soldiers, and said loudly to the Junzi army soldiers: "Brothers, we have been riding logs for a month, and today our war horse is finally in hand, and you are about to ride the war horse and start the real cavalry training!" Rejoice, welcome our horses, welcome our friends! ”

There were cheers in the ranks of the soldiers of the Junzi Army, and some people raised their weapons and flags and shook them, Tao Ying nodded with a smile, first signaled the soldiers of the Junzi Army to be quiet, and then said loudly: "Brothers, before the assignment, I still have two important questions that I must tell you!" First, the war horses you are about to be assigned to are definitely not just your mounts, you must firmly remember that these war horses are not only your mounts, but also your companions on long journeys, your comrades-in-arms who charge into battle, and even your brothers who share life and death, and even your food and clothing! Treat them as you would have treated your brothers and sisters, and take care of them. Because, whether it is victory or defeat, they will always be with you in the future! Remember?! ”

"Remember!" After a month of rigorous training, more than 800 officers and men of the Junzi Army answered unusually neatly.

"Second important question!" Tao Ying said loudly again: "You must understand what kind of war horse is a good horse, and how to use such a good horse!" Nian Bin, out of the ranks! ”

"No!" Because of his outstanding performance in training, Nian Bin, who was appointed by Tao Ying as a 100-member general of the Junzi Army, strode out of the ranks and saluted Tao Ying with his fists.

"I ask you, according to your opinion." Tao Ying pointed to the Dawan horse and the Mongolian horse led by Tao Ji and asked, "These two horses, which one is a good horse?" ”

"No!" Nian Bin agreed loudly, and without hesitation, he pointed to the tall and divine horse Dawan horse, and replied: "General Hui, according to the opinion of the last general, this horse is the best!" ”

Tao Ying was noncommittal, and turned to Tao Ji next to him and asked, "Tao Ji, what do you think?" ”

"Of course, this Dawan horse is the best." Tao Ji replied without hesitation, and then pleaded with Tao Ying: "Brother, how about you please assign this Dawan horse to the younger brother?" ”

"If you like it, of course it's fine." Tao Ying smiled and said, "But I believe that after listening to my next words, you will definitely regret this choice." ”

"Brother, what do you mean by that?" Tao Ji was once again confused by Tao Ying.

Tao Ying didn't answer, but turned to the soldiers of the Junzi Army and said loudly: "Brothers, if you are also deceived by appearances, like your unlucky generals Tao Ji and Nian Bin, and think that this tall and divine horse is a good horse, and this short and thin Northern Hun war horse is an inferior horse, then you are too wrong!" Because for us, this short Northern Hun war horse is a really good horse, and this Dawan horse, which looks tall and mighty, is a second-class war horse! ”

"Huh?" There was a sound of surprise among the gentlemen, and Tao Ji even suspected that his second brother had a problem with his eyes, and he couldn't see the difference between a good horse and a bad horse.

"Brothers, you must be very strange, why do I, contrary to all of you's understanding, think that this short and thin Northern Hun war horse is a good horse?" Tao Ying walked to the side of the Dawan horse, patted the neck of the Dawan horse and said, "Let me tell you the reason, yes, this Dawan horse is tall and big, with slender legs and beautiful legs, it is indeed a rare good horse, everyone likes it when they see it!" However, it has three points, which are far inferior to the short Hun horse next to it! ”

"First, its adaptability to forage is far inferior to that of the Hun horse! Dawan horse is fast, but its requirements for forage are extremely high, you must feed it expensive concentrate bean cake every day, in order to ensure its physical strength, not to let it lose weight, but also to let it carry you charge! Brothers, you can think about it, when we go to the battlefield of swords and swords, deep into the no-man's land behind enemy lines, where no one can have enough to eat, where do we go up to find so much concentrate to feed it? In fact, not to mention in the enemy-occupied area, it is in Xuzhou, Xuzhou, which has just experienced the rebellion of Cao Bing, and even the people are difficult to eat. ”

"But what about this short, thin Hun horse? Brothers, none of you have been to the plateau of the Northern Huns, you don't know the situation there, there are four or five months of the year covered by heavy snow, the summer is pitifully short, and the forage is pitiful, these poor Hun horses in order to survive, they are born with a very strong adaptation, as long as there is no poisonous forage, they can eat, turn the worst forage into their physical strength, and even be able to dig up the snow with their own hooves, eat those dry weeds under the snow to survive! That is to say, when we ride such a war horse, no matter where we go, we don't have to worry about the forage of our war horses, let alone the burden of our logistics! Got it?! ”

"Understood!" The soldiers of the Junzi Army replied neatly, and Tao Ji couldn't help but ask after answering: "Second brother, what are the other two advantages of this kind of Hun horse?" ”

"The second advantage of Hun horses is their adaptation to the environment!" Tao Ying replied loudly: "Dawan horse runs fast, but the requirements for the road are high, only in the plain area with good roads, Dawan horse can play its speed specialty, encounter rugged mountain roads, snow-covered land, rivers and wooded wetlands, Dawan horse will have no tricks, when the time comes, not only you have no way to ride on the back of Dawan horse to march, but also can only get off the horse and lead it on foot, for its picky mouth, it is like offering it to the ancestors!" ”

"Hahahaha......." A light-hearted laugh rang out among the soldiers of the Gentleman's Army.

"Hun horses are different!" Tao Ying pulled the short Mongolian horse, caressed its back and said: "The environment in which it lives is even harsher than the most remote mountainous area in Xuzhou, the heat can bake eggs in summer, and the cold can freeze people's ears in winter. Snow-capped mountains, which can even breathe, can flow through icy rivers, and can even climb mountains and mountains, and pass through rocky and wood-lined cliffs, they are the most endurable and adaptable horses in the world! ”

"Really?" Tao Ji was as suspicious as all the gentlemen and soldiers, and he regretted choosing the Dawan horse in his heart.

"Of course it's true." Tao Ying replied with a smile: "Otherwise, how could I exchange the tall Western Regions horses for these short Hun horses?" Do you think I'm a fool? ”

There was another light laugh in the ranks of the gentlemen's army, and Tao Ji couldn't wait to ask: "Second brother, what is the third advantage of this Hun horse?" ”

"The third advantage is also the biggest advantage of the Hun horse! Stamina! Tao Ying said loudly: "Dawan horse is running fast, but unfortunately it runs the fastest time, only twenty or thirty miles before the charge, you have to rest when you run fifty or sixty miles, you have to feed, otherwise you will lose your strength, you will hurt the horse, and the speed of the war horse will also drop significantly!" If you want this kind of Dawan horse to run for a day and a night, or even a few days and nights, then I congratulate you, your war horse can be slaughtered directly for a tooth sacrifice! Because, it's completely useless! ”

"The Hun horse is different, the legs of the Hun horse are shorter than the Dawan horse, but you yourself say, is it easy to break with a long stick, or is it easy to break with a short stick? Moreover, the joints of the Hun horse are thick and strong, and the relatively short legs and strong joints can make the Hun horse march hundreds of miles a day, running for several days and nights in succession, and it is not easy to hurt the horse and lose strength! ”

"If you don't believe it, you can ride the Dawan horse and the Hun horse race now, I can bet with you, within thirty miles, the Dawan horse can indeed beat the Hun horse, but to more than fifty miles, the Dawan horse can only follow the back of the Hun horse to eat dust, and then run to a hundred miles, the Dawan horse can only lie on the ground foaming at the mouth, watching the Hun horse go away and disappear at the end of the world!"

The soldiers of the Junzi Army looked at each other, and felt suspicious of Tao Ying's words, but they didn't dare to refute it in person, and Nian Bin, who was called out by Tao Ying as a target, hesitated, clasped his fists and saluted and said: "Childe, there will be a question at the end, I don't know if I can ask it?" ”

"It doesn't hurt for General Nian to be blunt." Tao Ying nodded in reply.

"Childe, although the last general has been farming at home before, he has never been on the battlefield." Nian Bin hesitated and asked: "Before General Cao was assigned to Gongzi, I had heard in General Cao's team that if a cavalry wants to ride steadily on a war horse, it must hold the reins of the horse with both hands and hold the horse's belly tightly with both feet. ”

"That's a good question." Tao Ying nodded again and said with a smile: "General Nian can think with his brain like this, I am very pleased, yes, no matter how good the endurance of the Hun horse is, and the endurance of the cavalry is not enough, it is also in vain, and it will not give full play to the advantages of the Hun horse." However, this problem is no longer a problem. ”

Smiling, Tao Ying turned to Tao Ji, who was already full of joy, and asked with a smile: "Third brother, did you say?" ”

"Yes!" Tao Ji nodded, and said loudly to the soldiers of the gentleman's army: "Brothers, my second brother is right, this problem is no longer a problem, soon, you will be able to find that you will not be so tired on the back of a war horse, and you can definitely do it for a few days and nights!" ”

For now, Tao Ji, who has a good skill, is indeed more reliable than Tao Ying in the minds of the soldiers of the Junzi Army, hearing Tao Ji make a promise so confidently, most of the soldiers of the Junzi Army also chose to believe it, and Nian Bin also arched his hand and said: "I see, the last general is rude, please forgive the son." ”

"It's okay, I just like that you can think with your brain." Tao Ying waved his hand generously, and said to the soldiers of the Junzi Army: "Brothers, in fact, this kind of Hun horse has an advantage that the Central Plains people do not know, and this advantage is that this kind of Hun mare can solve our grain and grass problem at a critical moment, so that we will not starve to death in a place where there is no grain and grass!" ”

"Second brother, what do you mean by that?" Tao Ji asked suspiciously: "You don't mean to say, kill horses and eat meat, right?" ”

"Nonsense, war horses are our brothers, how can we eat their meat?" Tao Ying scolded with a smile, and said: "This advantage, I'll tell you more about it in the future." Now, let me ask you again, would you rather have a Dawan horse or a Hun horse? ”

"Willing to ask for Hun horses!" Most of the soldiers of the Gentleman's Army who were fooled by Tao Ying replied neatly, but there were also a small number of Gentlemen's soldiers who still had doubts in their hearts, "The second prince won't be fooling us, right?" This kind of Hun horse, which is about the same size as a donkey, is it really that good? ”

"Okay, disbanded now." Tao Ying ordered loudly: "Number all the war horses, and then divide the horses by lot, and the horse drawn is the one, including me, no one has the right to choose at will!" But remember, priority is given to the distribution of Hun horses, and other war horses, as rotation horses, will not be allocated for the time being! ”

The soldiers of the Junzi Army agreed to disband the team and go to number the war horses, but Tao Ji came up again and asked Tao Ying in a respectful tone: "Second brother, can the younger brother ask you another question?" ”

"Does the third brother want to ask, the sprint of the Hun horse is not as good as the Western Regions horse and the Dawan horse, what should I do when I get to the battlefield and face off head-on?" Tao Ying did not answer the rhetorical question.

Tao Ji was taken aback, nodded vigorously, and said: "The second brother is really clear, the younger brother wants to ask this question, when the younger brother was under the command of General Cao Bao before, General Cao Bao once taught the younger brother that the two armies fought in formation, and the distance was two arrows, that is, one archer from each side of the enemy, and the arrows were placed back to back in the middle of the battlefield, and the position where the arrows fell, that is, where the two armies were in the front, such a short distance, once the horses of the Western Regions launched a charge, our Hun horses suffered a lot?" Can't give full play to the endurance advantage of the war horse? ”

"The third brother has grown, and finally knows that he should think more and ask more questions, instead of complaining." Tao Ying smiled and said: "Third brother, in fact, you still have an important problem missing, that is, when the cavalry fights hand-to-hand, we ride a Hun horse that is not much bigger than a donkey, and the enemy rides a tall Western Regions horse condescendingly, we suffer a lot, what should we do?" ”

"Yes, yes, that's an important question." Tao Ji nodded like a chicken pecking rice.

"Actually, none of this is a problem." Tao Ying said with a smile: "As far as Brother Fool knows, there is a peerless military genius who uses the tactics he created to make up for all the shortcomings of the Hun horse, and at the same time give full play to all the advantages of the Hun horse. We don't need more, as long as we learn the essence of this tactic, we will be able to run rampant and invincible! ”

"Peerless military genius, who?" Tao Ji asked curiously, "Also, what tactics did he create?" ”

"What tactics? Still learning to climb and want to learn to fly? Tao Ying scolded with a smile: "Give me the command of the war horse distribution, and I will slowly tell you the details later, and slowly teach you these tactics." At that time, you will find that the cavalry tactics you learned from General Cao Bao before are simply bullshit! ”

Tao Ji left suspiciously, Tao Ying raised his head, looked at the blue sky and white clouds in the sky, and muttered in his heart, "Temujin, you will not have an opinion on copying your Mongolian iron horse thousands of years in advance, right?" If you object, you can come to me and ask for a royalty, and I, a person who respects intellectual property rights, will definitely give it - if you don't come and ask for it in person, then I can't do anything. ”