"Haha! All Aiqing, please get up! I heard from Wei Qing today that Zhang Aiqing was going to test a new harness at the racecourse, so I came uninvited! Zhang Aiqing won't blame me, right? Liu Che's face showed a sense of exhaustion, he is not yet in power, and the power of the government is still in the hands of the Empress Dowager Dou! And Empress Dowager Dou believed in Huang Lao's learning, paid attention to the rule of inaction, and did not agree with his plan to attack the Xiongnu, it took Liu Che a lot of effort to convince her!

"Your Majesty, these harnesses have just been made! It's hard to say whether it can be used together, and the minister wanted to wait until it was done before inviting His Majesty to come and watch! Li You hurriedly explained.

"Everything can be done once!" Liu Che waved his hand absently, walked to the horse in a few steps, looked at the Takahashi saddle and stirrups, and asked curiously, "Zhang Aiqing, what are the benefits of this kind of horse?" ”

Li You looked around, glanced at Li Guang and replied to Liu Che, "Your Majesty, Li Weiwei has just tried these horse harnesses, why don't you let him explain them to Your Majesty?" ”

After receiving permission, Li Guang cast a grateful glance at Li You, this is a good opportunity to add an impression in front of His Majesty! He got up and walked to the horse and explained to Liu Che the benefits of the new harness one by one, "Your Majesty, please see, the stirrups on both sides of the horse not only make it more convenient for people to get on the horse, but also allow people to sit very firmly on the horse's back without clamping the horse's body, whether it is shooting a bow or wielding a knife and gun, it can be trusted!" If you look at this saddle again, you don't have to worry about sliding back and forth when you get on the horse."

Liu Che couldn't help but nod when he heard it, "Doesn't that mean that there are these things!" Our Han people can also compete with the Huns in riding? ”

"Yes! Compared with the Huns and the Han Dynasty, Li Zai has superb riding skills! And with this saddle and stirrups, this advantage of theirs no longer exists! Li Guangmei said with a fluttering eyebrow, "And my big Hanli is sharp in armor, whether it is a bow or an arrow, a knife and a gun are far superior to the Huns!" And the Huns craftsmen are scarce and lack iron tools, so they can't make such harnesses on a large scale! Since then, the Huns can no longer rely on cavalry and archery to unscrupulously harass our Han border passes! ”

Liu Che was happy to hear it, he even got on the horse and ran a few laps in the racecourse to feel the benefits of the Takahashi saddle and stirrups, and when he came back, he was full of praise, "Zhang Aiqing has really made a great contribution to the Han!" I arranged for Shaofu and the servants to gather the craftsmen of Chang'an to start large-scale production! It's just that the sound of the horse's hooves seems to be something wrong when the horse is just riding, what is the reason for this? ”

"Your Majesty, please look!" Li You ordered someone to lift a horse's hoof and show the farrier on the horse's hoof, "It is with this thing that the sound of the horse's hooves is much clearer!" Your Majesty's meticulous observation is really admirable to the ministers! ”

"Oh? It's like putting iron shoes on horses, so what's the use? Liu Che asked curiously.

"Your Majesty! If you walk barefoot without shoes, you will bruise the soles of your feet! It's the same with horses! Li You ordered someone to lift a horse's hooves without a horseshoe nailed to show the cuticle to make a comparison with Liu Che, "There is a thick layer of hard shell on the outside of the horse's hooves, and it is with this layer of hard shell that horses are not afraid of gravel and other things, but if they walk for a long time, this layer of hard shell will fall off!" At this time, if you have to continue on the road, the horse will be injured! And with this layer of horseshoes, you can delay the wear and tear of the horseshoe! ”

"Even if the horseshoe is worn out by then! Just change into a new horseshoe like a change of shoes! And the horseshoe also makes the horse's hooves grip the ground more firmly, making it a smoother ride! Li You concluded, "With the horseshoe, the war horse can run farther and more steadily!" It can greatly reduce the loss of horses! ”

"Is the doctor telling the truth?" Before Liu Che could react, the official on the side asked excitedly! Although the Han Dynasty did not lack horse-producing land like the later Great Song Dynasty, horses were also very valuable assets; Nowadays, the price of a war horse is more than 100,000 yuan, and it takes twenty families to pay taxes to be able to feed a war horse!

And one of the biggest reasons for the loss of war horses is the wear and tear of the horse's hooves, and the horseshoe that Li You took out can actually slow down the wear and tear of the horse's hooves, how can this not make them overjoyed!

"Yes! Although the horseshoe is a new system, it can be inferred by the subordinates who are good at raising horses among the servants, which can be said to be very useful! Li You replied confidently, this is the result of historical testing, "In addition, twenty horses were also selected by hand, ten of which were nailed to horseshoes, and the other ten were not nailed!" Follow the same process every day and test it against each other! Judging from the current few days, it is true that the horseshoes of the war horses nailed to the horseshoe are worn more slightly! ”

"Good! Zhang Aiqing has made a great contribution to my Han again! Liu Che high-fived and praised, he understood that the Gaoqiao saddle, stirrups and horseshoes could not only greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of the Han army, but also save a lot of money for the imperial court! What a surprise he was! "If the war can be won next year, Zhang Aiqing should be the first to take the lead! When the time comes, I will not hesitate to reward the marquis! ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li You thanked him again, Li Guangtou on the side with a hot look, Li Guang once traveled with the emperor, and there was a charge to resist the enemy and fight with fierce beasts, so Emperor Wen of Han said, "It's a pity, you didn't meet the opportunity, if you were born in the era of Gaozu, it would be okay to seal a marquis!" ”

Since then, meritorious service has become Li Guang's lifelong belief, but it is a pity that Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing had to recuperate when the imperial court wanted to recuperate, and he was unable to fight back against the Xiongnu, he could only hide this dream in his heart, and now that the war is imminent, he seems to see hope again! It seems that I have to ask Dr. Zhang for advice in the past half a year, if this Lord Zhang is with the army during the western expedition and guides the way for the army, Li will definitely be able to make great contributions, right? Li Guang thought secretly.

"Zhang Aiqing! What else do you have in store for these harnesses? Why don't we open my eyes together today? Liu Che knew that this set of harness must have come from the handiwork of the Taifu and Shaofu, and the subordinates of the Great Agricultural Order opened up land in Shanglin Yuan to plant alfalfa, grapes and other crops brought back by Li You, so what was he doing when he asked himself what the subordinate officials who would be masters were doing?

"Yes! Please move to the manor! Li You took Liu Che back to the manor in Shanglin Garden, and walked into a heavily guarded room with him!

This room is very open, and there is nothing in it except for a thing in the center that is long and wide, covered by a cloth, Li You walked to the middle, stretched out his hand and lifted the cloth, "Your Majesty, please look!" This is the sand table from Hexi to the Western Regions created by His Majesty! ”

"Ahh Liu Che was suddenly shocked, such a thing was completely beyond his expectations!