Chapter 7: War Horses and Equestrianism

"Brother, do you want to be with your sister so much?"

Xiu didn't speak.

Kalian looked at Xiu's submissive appearance, and suddenly felt very helpless.

It was still early, and the sun was shining obliquely, adding a bit of brightness to the castle. Karene raised her head and let the white light shine on her face, and her crystal skin reflected the sunlight more brightly in Xiu's eyes. Karen stretched out her finger and poked Xiu's head, "You're too easy to be bullied. ”

Karian ignored him either.

Xiu silently followed Ka Lian's footsteps, stepping step by step, just stepping on Ka Lian's footprints.

At this moment, a gust of wind blew in the face, bringing with it the strong smell of horses in the stable, and two drifting wheat straws.

The stables always have this strong smell of horses. It doesn't smell choking, but it does stink.

The stable is clearly a bit old, the old wooden stakes are a heavy brown color, and the segregating planks have long since been polished by the horses to a round and shiny finish. The ground paved with wheat straw remains dry. Kaslana's stables are very clean, but after all, they are a place to keep horses, and the smell cannot be removed.

Xiu covered his nose and entered the stable, but it was useless. Kalian has a natural face. Looking at Xiu's embarrassment, Kalian couldn't help but laugh a little.

It seems that my reaction to the first time I entered the stable was normal.

"Xiu, you have to get used to the taste. When you enter the Order, you will have to take care of your own horses. There's no one there to take care of your horse. ”

"Hmm...... Xiu really doesn't know how to take care of the horse.

"Brother, in fact, the horses here were originally chosen by themselves, and they were all horses trained for combat at home. Very obedient, but also fierce.

"Remember, generally choose a horse with a large body, a shiny coat, thick legs and large hooves, and that kind of horse is the most suitable for fighting. Such a horse can even crash directly into the smaller Honkaimon! If it's me...... I'll choose these horses. Karen pointed to a few horses.

Xiu looked at Karen's point. The horses were indeed handsome, and their tall stature stood out from the crowd of stables. Xiu doesn't look at the horse, but that doesn't stop him from feeling. At first glance, it looks majestic and majestic, the eyes are focused, the muscles in the legs can feel a strong explosive force, and even the mane on the neck and tail is shiny and soft. Xiu also noticed that the horses were fed wheat.

What a good horse.

"But can I handle it......" Xiu said silently.

Karlian was stunned. She found herself seemingly forgetting that.

"Yes, you can......" Karen said to Xiu with an encouraging smile, "the better the horse, the bigger the temper, but after all, the family has been training for so long...... It should be fine. ”

"Sister......

"Okay, okay, let's see if you can get closer, if you can touch the horse's face, you won't resist......"

Xiu tried to walk over, but ...... Every horse did not hesitate to refuse repair. Xiu couldn't touch the horse's face, and a red god even snorted at Xiu to show his impatience.

"Horses must be tamed to be controlled, if you have time, my sister can teach you, but you have to leave tomorrow......" Karene was very angry. These horses actually dare to look down on my brother, "But this horse is my father's mount." Only the father is recognized. ”

"Sister, don't be angry, it's just a horse, I don't care. There's always something I can use. ”

At this moment, Xiu suddenly heard a violent noise, and Xiu couldn't help but stop when he came to a stable that was much larger than the others.

The horses inside are fighting, and the three horses are working together against a thin black horse. The three horses kept their bodies bumping, their heads on top of them, gnawing with their teeth, and even kicking them with their hooves.

They all looked like foals, and they would be half the size if they were put together with the horses.

But Xiu had a feeling that this black horse had something in common with the horses of those divine horses. As for what, he couldn't tell.

"This is the place to pick and eliminate the horses. Four horses were kept in one compartment, but only one horse's fodder was put so that the horses had to fight. If you don't fight, you're bound to go hungry. One of the four horses is selected as a reserve horse and then further trained. ”

"Sister, will the eliminated horse die?"

"Of course not. The eliminated horses are fed once before the next round of selection, or sold to the kingdom of ordinary people. Because even the eliminated horses are very good horses, and they are also very valuable combat power for ordinary soldiers. ”

After snatching a stick and driving the three horses aside, he went into the stable and went to see the black horses.

The little black horse saw Xiu approaching and kept snorting, his hooves rubbing on the ground.

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous, I'm here to see if you're hurt."

Xiu said this as he cautiously approached. Little by little, he got closer. Finally, his fingers touched a soft hair.

Touched! Xiu thought excitedly.

There are no external injuries on the black horse's body, but the fat loss caused by not having enough forage for a long time is a bit bad, and the ribs can be seen.

"Then, sister, the dark horse should be eliminated, right?"

"Hmm...... Xiu, you wouldn't want to use this horse, would you? ”

"I'd like to try, sister." Xiu said firmly, "I can't control a better horse now, besides, this horse is the same as me, it hasn't grown up yet, in the future, I'll train it, I'll raise it!" ”

"Brother, the horses that have not been selected are not enough to face the Honkai! And ponies aren't that easy to raise! ”

"Sister, I don't have time." Xiu said with some frustration, "I also want a good horse, but I can't tame, and I don't have time to learn, so I can only try my best not to fall off today......"

Karen sighed secretly.

"Well, I'll beg Grandpa Arthur to help you get another one later. Your current clothes are not suitable for horseback riding, now you go back and change into an equestrian suit. ”

Xiu was stunned for a while, "I...... I don't have an equestrian suit. ”

"Yes, my father has prepared it for you. You should already have several more hangers in your room, and you can have everything you need. ”

When Xiu returned to the room, he saw a few more hangers with all kinds of clothes on them.

When did my father prepare the clothes for me? If you don't have enough time in a day, you shouldn't be able to make clothes......

One by one, they changed into clothes, whether it was clothes, pants, and shoes, they all fit incomparably.

Why does my father know my clothes so well?

After returning from repairing the equestrian costume, Karene had already asked the maids to feed the black horses, briefly brushed them and put on the harness.

"Let's get started!" Karene did not change into an equestrian suit, but changed into a pair of riding boots, turned over and said, "Get on the horse and follow me." ”

Xiu also tried to get on the horse.

But his horse may indeed be small and very thin, and when he got on the horse, the horse could not stand steadily, and he shook for a while, and Xiu was also a little unstable.

"Balance with the forefoot in the stirrups. Keep your upper body straight and hold the reins in your hands. Karene patiently taught the most basic knowledge little by little, and learned the clumsy little by little.

Francis watched from the top terrace of the castle at the two small figures in the stables.

This is the highest point of the castle and there is an open-air terrace. Maybe it's so high that the wind doesn't blow too much, but it never stops, and it just changes direction with the seasons.

Arthur sat in a chair beside him, the never-ending wind blowing his stiff white hair.

"Are you still not at ease with repair?"

Francis did not speak.

"Why don't you just want to feel your care and love for your son in front of others?"

Francis was silent for a moment.

"I still don't know how to deal with it...... But I'll try to make amends. But...... As soon as I saw his eyes, the purple eyes like Vera's, I couldn't muster any courage to face him. ”

"But at least you're acting, aren't you?" Arthur fiddled with his handcuffs.

This handcuff is not the same as a normal handcuff, its muzzle is almost twice the size of a normal handcuff, and the barrel has a silver carving, and the pattern is faintly visible as Kaslana's family crest. The wooden hilt of the gun had a pair of wings scalded with gold.

The Mandate of Heaven has a conventional rule that those who have made a feat in war can imprint a little gold thread on their weapons.

The gold threads on this gun are so fine that they form the veins of each feather on the wings.

"Xiu is a very obedient and sensible well-behaved child. He is as mature as an adult compared to children his age. He may not understand you, but he still doesn't blame you or resent you. ”

"It's because he's so sensible that it's even harder for me to face him." Francis scratched his hair hard, "Forget it, I'll report to the Knights first." At least I'm going to make up for something in the battle against Honkai. ”

"Go ahead. I'm going to Camp 1 too. Karen will also leave with Xiu tomorrow, but Karen is going to the first brigade of the Knights. ”

"Has Karene reached this point?" Francis smiled with relief.

"My son, you've been with Xiu for the past few years, and you haven't seen Karen for a long time. This time, you can also go to say goodbye to the two children. ”

Francis answered. Turn away.

It was nearly dusk.

Xiu only felt that his whole body was trembling.

The original soreness in his body did not dissipate, and this time the equestrian practice exacerbated the pain in his body...... The harvest is possible to ride away.

The horse beneath him seemed to tremble, too. But he stubbornly made himself stand straighter.

"Sister...... That's not enough at all......" Xiu said dejectedly.

"Isn't that enough? You can ride a horse on your own in just one day, and you can still control the direction, and you are not satisfied?" Karene said, "I used it for days! ”

"That's what I said...... But tomorrow Mr. David is going to run on horseback, and I can't hold it ...... way," Karen, and just as she was about to say something, she suddenly saw Francis coming over with four of Caslana's knights on horseback.

"Father." Karian greets Francis.

Xiu is nervous all over his body.

He looked at Francis apprehensively and bowed his head, "Father." ”

Francis didn't speak. He nodded softly as he walked past him with four of Kaslana's knights.

Xiu was stunned for a moment, then continued to keep his head down.

"Feel the footsteps of a good horse, the steps of walking and running are different, you have to master it well. When running, you should step on the stirrups with the forefoot and use even force. Straighten but don't stiffen. Don't be shaken out of the saddle, and work hard to stabilize yourself. The center of gravity changes with the ups and downs of the horse. Master these, and you will not fall. When Francis finished speaking, his legs were clamped, his mouth roared, and he galloped wildly. Four knights of the Caslana family followed.

At this time, it was almost dusk, the cool evening breeze was quietly blowing, and the horse's hooves rolled up puffs of smoke and dust in the wind.

Xiu sat on his horse in a daze, and after a while he shouted loudly into Francis's back, "Thank you, father!" ”