Chapter Fifteen: Inferior War Horses

  (PS: Inventory is running low, and there are many things at home that cannot be delayed, so the update speed has to be slowed down. However, during the new book period, there will definitely be bursts of updates, which will be notified in advance. Please continue to support the pure wolf who is a father for the first time.)

  Out of curiosity about Tao Ying's military training, Lin Qing, who had never thought of being a soldier, hesitated again and again, but finally gave up the idea of deserting immediately. He decided to stay in the Junzi Army for a few more days, observe the situation for a while longer, and if Tao Ying continued to disappoint him, Lin Qing would not hesitate to become a deserter.

  But Lin Qing regretted it on the second day, regretting why he didn't escape last night.

  In the first year of Xingping, on March 10th, at dawn, the fourth watch, in the small drill ground outside the east gate of Pengcheng, Xu State, colorful flags were fluttering. In the center, three large blue-toothed flags with white background and black characters, the main flag had the two characters "Junzi" written on it, while the left and right deputy flags each had five large characters, which were "Ren Yi Li Zhi Xin" and "Wen Liang Gong Jian Rang Wu Zi", respectively. Under the flags, 900 Junzi Army officers and soldiers gathered in formation, with Tao Ying personally presiding over and directing the first military training of the Junzi Army.

  Whether it was out of expectation, or out of vigilance, but more often out of curiosity, they wanted to see with their own eyes how the famous bookworm Tao Yingtao's second son practiced military training. All the civil and military officials of Xuzhou came to watch, not only did the old and sickly Tao Qian lead Tao Shang and Cao Hong to come, but also Cao Bao led a large group of Xuzhou generals to come, Chen Gui and Chen Deng father and son led a group of Xuzhou local scholars to come, Zou Zhu and Zou Fang brothers also led a group of Xuzhou civil officials to come. Countless civilians and onlookers all came to the side of the small drill ground, surrounding the Junzi Army's first military training exercise.

  What made Cao Jiao and other Xu state military officers suspicious was that on the first day of building the army, Tao Ying ordered the distribution of weapons and armor to all soldiers without considering the possibility of new recruits escaping with these expensive weapons and armor. Then, Tao Ying's first order for training was to have these new recruits wear armor and carry weapons while running, and he even wanted all new recruits to run ten miles on the road. Tao Er Gongzi himself also participated in the run - carrying a whip and following behind the Junzi army soldiers, whoever dared to be lazy or fall behind would be whipped.

  The heavy-load running training has begun, and the poor gentlemen soldiers' nightmare has also officially started. Wearing heavy armor and holding heavy weapons, they shouted slogans that sweat more in peacetime and bleed less in wartime. They ran with all their might along the road chosen by Tao Yingxue, sweating profusely. If they slowed down a bit, they would be whipped on the back, with skin torn and flesh lacerated, crying out in terror, exhausted to the point of desperation. Even Lin Qing, who was looked down upon by Tao Yingxue, was whipped on the head for running two steps slower due to laziness, and he cried out in pain, tears streaming down his face.

  After running ten miles, the exhausted gentlemen soldiers returned to the small school field, only to be surprised to find that the field had been filled with over a hundred logs, all of which were supported by wooden frames and elevated more than four feet off the ground. Then, Tao Er Gongzi pointed at the logs and shouted: "All of you get on top of them, just like riding horses! Your feet must not touch the ground, your hands must hold weapons, and you cannot support each other. Get up there and rest!"

  In the midst of the crowd's guffaws and the astonished gazes of the Xu Zhou officials, the 900 gentlemen soldiers awkwardly mounted the logs, sat on them panting and resting. The logs had been stripped of their bark, were extremely slippery, and difficult to ride. Many of the gentlemen soldiers slid off the logs and fell to the ground, inviting thunderous laughter from the crowd, as well as repeated angry roars from Tao Ying: "Get up! Mount the log again! Clamp your legs tightly! Today is the first day, I'll forgive you temporarily. Next time, whoever dares to fall off again will be dealt with by military law!"

  "What is he doing?" Tao Qian was also confused by his son's comical military tactics and couldn't help but ask those around him, "What does this mean? I'm over 60 years old, how come I've never heard of such a military tactic before?"

  Xuzhou officials shook their heads in ignorance, while Cao Zhen and his brother secretly smiled. Fortunately, there were still a few discerning officials among them, and Cao Jue caught on to some clues. He stepped forward and reported: "Your Excellency, if I'm not mistaken, the young master is training the Junzi army's soldiers to ride horses. The young master plans to turn this Junzi army into a cavalry, but since the warhorses are not yet ready, he has ordered the soldiers to ride on wooden logs instead. The logs are smooth and difficult to balance on, so the soldiers can only hold tight with their legs, which is equivalent to training in horsemanship."

  It was mentioned earlier that during the Three Kingdoms period, stirrups had not yet been invented. When cavalrymen rode horses to maintain balance, they could only hold on by gripping the horse's back with their legs, which wasn't much different from riding a slippery log. After hearing Cao Jie's explanation, all the officials from Xuzhou who had ridden horses before quickly came to a realization and praised Tao Ying for his ingenuity in devising such a cavalry training method despite the lack of horses. Tao Qian also nodded in agreement, stroking his white beard as he smiled and instructed Cao Hong, "Kaiping, quickly think of a way to resolve the issue of the warhorses needed by General Ying's army. Don't let them make do with logs. What would that look like? The soldiers are working hard too."

  "I will obey the order." Cao Hong answered with a fist, and then said with a worried face: "But please forgive me, my lord. The military supplies that the second young master wants are really too many, and I have difficulty gathering them all at once. Especially the war horses that the second young master wants, it is even more difficult for me to gather."

  "Why can't you just buy them from merchants all over the place?" Tao Qian asked in puzzlement: "A mere eight or nine hundred warhorses, can't you even buy that many?"

  "Return to the master, it's not that I, the subordinate general, can't buy them." Cao Hong cried with a sad face and replied: "It's the second young master who specifically wants war horses from Hu Jia, Jian Kun, and Ding Ling (all in the Mongolian Plateau) and other northern Xiongnu areas. He also insists on mares. I, the subordinate general, was rushed to buy so many war horses that meet the second young master's conditions, where can I go to purchase them?"

  "Are the war horses produced in the northern Xiongnu region? And are they only mares?" Cao Jiao and Fu Sheng, who came from a wealthy merchant family, were both taken aback. Then, Mi Fang almost burst out laughing, thinking to himself that country bumpkins are indeed country bumpkins - they don't even know what kind of horses the northern Xiongnu have, yet they still want to train cavalry?

  "What's so special about the warhorses from that region?" Cao Jiao asked in puzzlement: "Does the Second Master really understand warhorses? The warhorses from that region are short and small, not much bigger than a donkey, and they're not very fast either. They've always been considered inferior horses. Why did the Second Master specifically ask for these warhorses?"

  "I'm afraid I don't know." Cao Jiao shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "If the young master doesn't pick out the horse breeds himself, then I can prepare a thousand war horses for him within a month. But if he insists on these inferior horses, then I really have no way to do it."

  "Ying'er doesn't understand horses." Tao Qian sighed and instructed, "Cao Hong, don't listen to Ying'er anymore. He specifically asked for warhorses, you try your best to prepare them for him. If you really can't find that kind of warhorse, just use other warhorses to make up the number. When Ying'er asks you, let him come and ask me, I'll answer for you."

  "Thank you, sir. You are wise." Cao Hong happily replied and secretly let out a sigh of relief, thinking that he had finally gotten past the most troublesome part.

  Taoyue nodded, then turned to the side and smiled at the brothers of Mi Zhu: "Mi Bie, the troops are in urgent need of war horses, you also saw the situation. I heard that Bie bought hundreds of fine Western horses for Lord Xian a few days ago, don't know if you can spare some to sell to me?"

  "Old sly head, even this is known, indeed old and cunning." Mu Zong cursed in his heart, then smiled and said: "The master doesn't ask, Mu Zong was just about to report to the master. The two hundred fine horses from the Western Regions that Mu Zong purchased the other day were specifically bought for the second young master. They are now ready to be presented to the young master to help him build his army. Since the young master is not here, Mu Zong will naturally send them over as soon as possible."

  "I see, I'll thank you on behalf of my son then." Tao Qian nodded in satisfaction, venting some of his anger.

  "Brother, slow down." Mei Fang's heart was burning with anger, but she smiled hypocritically and said to Mei Zhu: "Brother, since the second young master has specifically asked for a mare from Northern Xiongnu, he must have his reasons. In that case, why don't you select some 'excellent' war horses from our stables and present them to the second young master?"

  Mi Zuo understood immediately, so he deliberately mentioned that the inferior horses should be offered to Tao Ying - the price of the superior Western horse and the inferior Northern Xiongnu horse is not a little different. So Mi Zuo nodded quickly and said: "My brother's words are extremely correct, since the second master has named the Northern Xiongnu mare, we brothers should also do our best to assist the second master."

  When they heard Cao Hong and Cao Bao's singing, the loyal officials of the Tao family all changed color on their faces. Tao Qian was also extremely dissatisfied, but those inferior horses were indeed what Tao Ying had asked for by name, so Tao Qian couldn't say much either. He just smiled slightly and nodded his head slightly, indicating that he was very satisfied. Then he turned his gaze to the ridiculously funny Tao Ying riding on a wooden log in the distance, wondering in his heart: "My son, do you really understand military affairs?"

  The poor gentleman soldiers were forced by Tao Ying to ride on the wooden logs for a whole hour, and after finally getting permission to line up on the ground, the dry and irritating standing military training began. Tao Ying personally inspected with a whip in hand, forcing all the gentleman soldiers to stand upright with their chests out and abdomens in, eyes fixed forward, and anyone who didn't meet the requirements would be scolded and whipped, until every single one of them stood according to Tao Ying's demands.

  Seeing Tao Ying waste time and energy on such useless trivial matters as the military supplies, not to mention that Tao Ji and Lin Qing in the Junzi Army couldn't understand it, even Tao Qian and Cao Bao, who were loyal to Tao Ying, among the Xu state's civil and military officials, couldn't bear it anymore. Tao Qian was speechless, Cao Bao was at a loss for words, Cao Hong was helpless, secretly sighing that their lord was unlucky to have given birth to such an unlucky child, and the huge amount of money spent on building the Junzi Army was all in vain. Chen Gui and Chen Deng, among other neutral Xu state officials, didn't make any noise, but only regretted getting involved in this commotion, purely wasting time.

  Some people showed joy, such as Mò Fāng who almost laughed out loud, and leaned in close to Mò Zhù's ear, saying in a low voice: "Brother, in my humble opinion, we don't need to waste any more time and energy on Táo Yìng Xiǎo ér. He's just an idiot, and even Zhào Kuò is hundreds of times stronger than him. What's there to fear? We don't need to waste so many people monitoring Táo Yìng Xiǎo ér anymore."

  Mi Zong nodded slowly and whispered in Mi Fang's ear: "Secretly report the situation to Lord Xuan De, and ask Lord Xuan De for help. Take out all the inferior Northern Xiongnu mares from Lord Xuan De's team and replace them with our newly purchased high-quality Western Regions horses. Send the inferior horses over to Tao Ying Xiao Er!" Mi Fang smiled slyly and immediately raised his hands in agreement.

  After waiting for a long time, Tao Kui still focused all his energy on the useless standing posture of training the Junzi Army. Tao Qian finally left with a sigh, and the officials and soldiers in Xuzhou also dispersed like they had been granted amnesty. In the blink of an eye, everyone was gone, leaving only Cao Hong, who had been appointed by Tao Qian as the logistics officer, to wait for Tao Kui to finish his training because he still had official duties to attend to. However, Cao Hong also lost interest in watching and found a shady spot to sit down, yawning and dozing off into a dreamless sleep.

  Because it was the first day of formal training, Tao Ying didn't cram too much into the minds of the new recruits of the Junzi Army. He had them practice the most basic standing posture in military stance for a whole morning, and only dismissed them at noon. Then he let the new recruits disperse to eat and rest, before starting the afternoon's foot drill training.

  The disbandment order was given, and the lazy gentleman soldiers who had been standing still suddenly erupted in cheers, with countless people sitting on the ground with a thud, while even more people rushed towards the cafeteria. Tao Ji, who had participated in the training with the new recruits, walked up to Tao Ying with a belly full of anger, just as he was about to unleash his thunder, Cao Hong rushed over from the other side, still holding two feathered arrows in his hand, and handed them over to Tao Ying first, saying: "Second Master, according to your orders, the two types of arrows you asked for have been made, please take a look."

  Taoki's curious gaze shifted to the two feathered arrows, seeing that they were inconsistent. One arrow had a very thin shaft and a small, pointed iron head, while the other arrow had a thicker shaft and a wider, larger head. Taoki couldn't help but wonder: "Why are there two different kinds of arrows? What's the use?"

  "It's very useful." Tao Ying also knew that he had to give Tao Ji some reassurance, so he picked up two arrows and explained: "This thin and light arrow is used for long-range shooting, it can maximize the range of fire, and kill enemies in places where they can't shoot back at us. This thick and heavy arrow is used for close combat, although its range is short, but its impact force is very strong, it can pierce armor."

  "Really? Let me see." Taoki was both delighted and curious, hastily taking over the two different bows and arrows to examine them carefully, even weighing them in his hands.

  "Master, and here is the silk fabric you wanted." Cao Hong once again magically produced a piece of silk fabric and handed it to Tao Ying, "As per your instructions, Master, it's made entirely from raw silk threads. I found the best weaver to weave it very tightly."

  "Second brother, what do you want with women's silk clothes?" Tao Ji asked in puzzlement.

  "Arrow-proof." Tao explained while tearing and checking the density of the silk fabric: "If the raw silk is woven tightly enough, the arrowhead cannot penetrate. Wearing this silk fabric on the body, even if the arrow penetrates the flesh, as long as you pull out the silk fabric, you can pull out the arrowhead. This way, treating the wound will be much easier and can minimize soldier casualties to the greatest extent."

  "Is it? There's such a good thing?" Taoki snatched the silk clothes and examined them carefully again.

  "Things are fine, but they're too expensive." Cao Hong said with a sorrowful face: "Second Master, do you know that if you want 900 pieces of such silk clothes, how much money will be spent?"

  "I don't want to know, but I've decided on the 900 bolts of silk fabric. General Cao, please think of a way for me." Tao Yigong played the rogue again and picked up the light arrow, laughing: "General Cao, returning favors with kindness, you won't get these 900 expensive bolts of silk for nothing. Let me tell you a cost-saving method - this light arrow's iron head can be split in half, which will save a lot of iron used to make arrows."

  "Can it be made even smaller?" Cao Hong was overjoyed and said, "I was worried that the young master would think the arrowhead is too small. Since you're still dissatisfied with its size, I'll immediately order the craftsmen to make another one."

  "Thanks for your trouble, General Cao." Tao Ying smiled and asked again: "General Cao, the ten carpenters I asked you to recruit, and the hardwood materials that were prepared...?"

  "Everything is ready, this afternoon the wood will be delivered and ten carpenters will come to pay their respects to the young master." Cao Hong replied hastily. Seeing Tao Ying nod in satisfaction, Cao Hong continued with a flattering smile: "Second Master, regarding the war horses, I still need to report to you, the master has already said..."

  Cao Hong recounted the events that had just transpired and Tao Qian's instructions, so that Tao Ying would have a clear understanding of the situation beforehand. This was to avoid Cao Hong bringing an unsuitable warhorse, which might offend Tao Ying, who was likely to succeed Tao Qian as his future lord. However, what Cao Hong did not expect was that after listening to him, Tao Ying slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "How could I have forgotten this method? Thanks to Brother Mi's reminder, we now have a solution to the problem of warhorses."

  "How is this resolved?" Cao Hong asked in surprise.

  "Exchange!" Tao Hua replied succinctly, "General Cao, don't you have some fine war horses in your hands? I'll take these fine war horses to General Cao Jiao's troops and exchange them for the Northern Xiongnu war horses in his troops. General Cao Jiao will definitely agree."

  "Ah!" Cao Hong and Tao Ji exclaimed in unison, then Cao Hong couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. Tao Ji said with a bad tone: "Exchanging a high-quality horse for an inferior one, Second Brother, you are really good at doing business! I don't understand, why did you specifically ask for that inferior horse which is only slightly better than a donkey?"

  "Third brother, you'll know in the future that so-called inferior horses are just those that haven't met their Bo Le yet." Tao Ying said calmly: "When third brother personally experiences the advantages of so-called inferior horses, I'm afraid that by then even if someone gives you a fine horse, you won't appreciate it."

  Tao Ji sneered secretly, while Cao Hong rolled his eyes in secret, neither of them understood what kind of fool Tao Ying was, to insist on trading for such an inferior horse, even doing a loss-making business by exchanging high-quality Western horses for someone else's inferior warhorses. However, what Tao Ji and Cao Hong didn't know was that a thousand years later, a rogue would use this inferior horse as his exclusive warhorse, forming a small but famous cavalry unit, winning several small victories, and even conquering a small piece of land.

  Tao Qi and Cao Hong could not have known that the name of this rogue was Temujin, and that the cavalry he created would be recognized as the world's number one cavalry - Genghis Khan Cavalry!

  "In short, it's settled then." Tao Ying was afraid that Tao Ji would oppose again and cause trouble, so he directly made a decision. Then, Tao Ying turned to Cao Hong and instructed: "General Cao Hong, when you send the carpenter over, please also bring 50 soldiers from your troops. I want them to carry out confidential tasks, so it's necessary to dispatch the most reliable soldiers, preferably the Danyang soldiers from my hometown."