Chapter 21: Inferior Horses and Good Horses

  With the pain and resentment of lacking talent, time unknowingly entered the fourth month of Xingping year. On the eve of Junzi Army's full moon, Tao Ying and Junzi Army's soldiers finally got their long-awaited war horses, with a total of 912 horses, more than 700 of which were Mongolian mares that Tao Ying had specifically requested. The rest were other breeds, mostly mares that Tao Ying liked, but also some geldings - poor General Cao Hong was unable to fully satisfy the eccentric tastes of Young Master Tao, fortunately Young Master Tao also made some concessions.

  It has to be admitted that, judging from appearance alone, the Mongolian horses liked by Tao Ying are indeed somewhat pitiful in shape, being only slightly larger than donkeys, especially when compared to the small number of large Wuwan horses sent over by Cao Hong. As a result, all the gentlemen and generals focused their attention on those tall and majestic Wuwan horses and Western Region horses, hoping that they could get one of these good horses and not be given those short-legged donkeys instead. Tao Ji even took advantage of his position as Tao Ying's deputy to grab hold of the tallest and most magnificent Wuwan horse and refused to let go, strongly demanding that Tao Ying allocate this warhorse to him.

  Tao Ying did not immediately respond to Tao Ji's request, but instead ordered the Junzi Army to assemble and line up. Then he had Tao Ji bring out the big Dawan horse and a Mongolian horse in front of the Junzi Army officers and men, and loudly said: "Brothers, after riding wooden horses for a month, our warhorses have finally arrived! You will soon be riding warhorses and starting real cavalry training! Cheer, welcome our warhorses, welcome our friends!"

  The sound of cheers rose from the ranks of the Junzi army, and some people raised their weapons and flags. Tao Ying smiled and nodded, first signaling the Junzi army to quiet down, then loudly said: "Brothers, before the distribution, I have two important things to tell you! First, the war horses that will be distributed to your hands are absolutely not just your mounts. You must remember that these war horses are not only your mounts but also your long-distance travel companions, your battle comrades, and even your brothers who share life and death with you. They are also your parents who provide for you! So, you should treat them like your own brothers, take care of them! Because in the future, whether it's victory or defeat, they will always be with you! Remember?"

  "Remembered!" The more than 800 gentlemen soldiers of the Junzi Army replied in unison after a month of strict training.

  "The second important question!" Tao Ying shouted again: "You must understand what kind of war horse is a good horse, and how to use such a good horse! Nian Bin, step forward!"

  "Nuo!" Because of his outstanding performance in training, Nian Bin was appointed by Tao Ying as the Hundred-Man Commander of the Junzi Army and stepped forward to salute Tao Ying with a fist.

  "I ask you, in your opinion." Tao Ying pointed to the two horses led by Tao Ji and asked: "Which of these two horses is a good horse?"

  "Nuo!" Nian Bin answered loudly, without hesitation pointing to the tall and majestic Dawan horse, saying: "General Hui, in my humble opinion, this horse is the best!"

  Tao Ying didn't comment on it and turned to Tao Ji beside him, asking: "What do you think, Tao Ji?"

  "Of course, this Dawan horse is the best." Taoki replied even more firmly, then begged Tao Ying again: "Brother, please assign this Dawan horse to me?"

  "If you like, it's no problem." Tao Ying smiled and said: "However, I believe that after hearing what I have to say next, you will regret this choice."

  "Brother, what do you mean by this?" Tao Ji was once again left bewildered by Tao Ying.

  Tao Ying did not answer, but instead turned to the gentlemen and soldiers of the army and said loudly: "Brothers, if you are also confused by appearances, like your unlucky generals Tao Ji and Nian Bin, who think that this tall and majestic Dawan horse is a good horse, and this short and weak Northern Xiongnu warhorse is an inferior horse, then you are mistaken! Because for us, this short Northern Xiongnu warhorse is the real good horse, and this seemingly tall and powerful Dawan horse is actually a secondary warhorse!"

  "Huh?" A murmur of surprise rose from the midst of the gentlemen, and Tao Ji even suspected that his second brother's eyes were diseased, unable to distinguish between good horses and inferior ones.

  "Brothers, you must be wondering why I think this short and scrawny Northern Xiongnu war horse is a good horse, contrary to everyone's opinion?" Tao Ying walked over to the side of the large Wusun horse and patted its neck, saying: "Let me tell you the reason. Indeed, this large Wusun horse is tall and big, with slender and beautiful legs, it's truly a rare good horse that anyone would like! However, it has three shortcomings that are far inferior to the short Xiongnu horse beside it!"

  "Firstly, its adaptability to fodder is far inferior to that of the Xiongnu horses! The Dawan horse can run fast, but it has extremely high requirements for fodder and must be fed expensive bean cakes every day in order to guarantee its strength and prevent it from becoming thin. This is also necessary if you want it to carry you into battle! Brothers, think about it, on the battlefield where swords are clashing, deep in enemy territory, in areas with no people, where even humans can't get enough to eat, where will we find so much fodder to feed them? In fact, don't even mention being in enemy-occupied territory, even within Xuzhou's borders, after having just experienced the chaos of Cao's army, it's hard for ordinary people to get enough to eat. Where will we find so much high-quality horse fodder to feed these Western horses every day?"

  "But what about this short and weak Xiongnu horse? Brothers, none of you have been to the highlands of Northern Xiongnu, you don't know the situation there. There are four or five months a year where it's covered in heavy snow, summer is extremely short, and there's very little grass. These poor Xiongnu horses, in order to survive, were born with an extremely strong adaptability. As long as it's not poisonous, they can eat any kind of grass, turning the worst quality grass into their strength. They can even use their hooves to dig through snow and eat the dry wild grass underneath to stay alive! This means that if we ride these warhorses, no matter where we go, we don't have to worry about food for our horses, nor do we have to worry about the burden on our logistics!"

  "Understood!" The gentlemen soldiers replied in unison, and Tao Ji followed with a reply, then couldn't help but ask: "Second Brother, what are the other two advantages of this Xiongnu horse?"

  "The second advantage of the Huns' horses is their adaptability to the environment!" Tao Ying replied loudly: "The Dawan horse runs fast, but it has high requirements for the road. Only on flat plains with good roads can the Dawan horse exert its speed, but when it encounters rugged mountain roads, snowy land, rivers and dense forests, the Dawan horse is helpless. At that time, you will not only be unable to ride on the back of the Dawan horse to march, but also have to get off the horse and lead it on foot, worrying about its temper, treating it like an ancestor!"

  "Hahaha......" A wave of relaxed laughter echoed among the gentlemen soldiers.

  "Huns' horses are different!" Tao Ying pulled over the short Mongolian horse, stroking its back and said: "Their living environment is more harsh than our Xuzhou's most remote mountainous areas. In summer, it can roast eggs, in winter, it can freeze people's ears off. Everywhere is mountains, deserts, rivers, lakes, and cliffs. Yet they survived strongly, cultivating the endurance to survive for several days and nights without eating or drinking. They have the military skills to climb mountains and cross rivers. They can climb snow-capped mountains where breathing is difficult, wade through icy rivers that chill to the bone, and even traverse rugged cliffs and steep slopes overgrown with trees and rocks. They are the most enduring and adaptable good horses in the world!"

  "Really?" Taoki and all the Junzi army generals were equally skeptical, and also had some regrets about choosing that big horse.

  "Of course it's true." Tao Ying smiled and replied, "If not, why would I exchange the tall Western horses for these short and small Xiongnu horses? Do you think I'm a fool?"

  The sound of relaxed laughter rose again in the ranks of the Junzi army, and Tao Ji asked eagerly: "Second brother, what is the third advantage of this Xiongnu horse?"

  "The third advantage, and also the greatest advantage of Xiongnu horses! Endurance!" Tao Ying said loudly: "The Dawan horse can run fast, but unfortunately, it can only run at its fastest speed for 20-30 miles before a charge. After running 50-60 miles, it needs to rest and be fed, otherwise it will lose strength and get injured. The speed of war horses will also decrease significantly! If you want to make this Dawan horse run for a whole day and night, or even several days and nights, then I congratulate you, your warhorse can be slaughtered and cooked immediately! Because it has been completely exhausted!"

  "The Xiongnu horse is different, the legs of the Xiongnu horse are shorter than those of the Dawan horse, but as you say, is a long stick easy to break or a short stick easy to break? Moreover, the joints of the Xiongnu horse are thick and sturdy, with relatively short legs and sturdy joints, allowing the Xiongnu horse to march over 100 miles in one day, running continuously for several days and nights without easily injuring the horse or losing strength!"

  "If you don't believe me, we can have a horse racing competition right now with the Dawan horse and the Xiongnu horse. I bet that within thirty miles, the Dawan horse will surely win over the Xiongnu horse. However, when it reaches fifty miles or more, the Dawan horse can only follow behind the Xiongnu horse, eating dust. When it runs to a hundred miles, the Dawan horse can only lie on the ground with its mouth foaming, watching the Xiongnu horse gallop away and disappear into the distance!"

  The gentlemen soldiers looked at each other, feeling half-believing and half-doubting about Tao Ying's words, but they didn't dare to refute him face-to-face. Nian Bin, who was called out by Tao Ying as a target, hesitated for a moment, then bowed his fist and said: "Young master, I have a question, may I ask?"

  "General Year has spoken straightforwardly." Tao Ying nodded and replied.

  "Gentlemen, although I have been farming at home and have never been on the battlefield before." Nian Bin hesitated to ask: "But before General Cao assigned me to you, sir, I heard in General Cao's army that for cavalry to ride steadily on war horses, both hands must tightly grasp the reins, and both feet must be tightly clamped on the horse's belly. In this way, even if these Xiongnu horses can run for several days and nights, our cavalry cannot hold out for so long?"

  "This question is well asked." Tao Ying nodded again, smiling: "General Nian can think like this, I'm very pleased. No matter how good the endurance of the Xiongnu horse is, if the cavalry's endurance is not enough, it's also in vain, and the advantages of the Xiongnu horse cannot be brought into play. However, this question has already become a non-issue."

  Smiling, Tao Ying turned to Tao Ji who was already beaming with joy and asked with a smile: "Third brother, what do you think?"

  "Yes!" Tao Qi nodded and loudly said to the Junzi army officers: "Brothers, my second brother is absolutely right, this problem is no longer a problem. Very soon, you will find that riding on horseback will not be so tiring, and you can definitely hold on for several days and nights!"

  For now, Ta Ji, who is quite capable, is indeed more reliable than Tao Ying in the eyes of the Junzi army officers. Hearing Ta Ji's confident promise, the Junzi army officers mostly chose to believe him. Nian Bin also cupped his hands and said: "I see, I was rude, please forgive me, sir."

  "It doesn't matter, I just like that you can think with your brains." Tao Ying's magnanimous wave of his hand, and then said to the Junzi army officers: "Brothers, actually this Xiongnu horse has another advantage that people in the Central Plains don't know about. This advantage is that when it comes to a critical moment, these Xiongnu mares can solve our food problem, so even if we are in a place without any grain or hay, we won't starve!"

  "Second brother, what does this mean?" Tao Ji asked in confusion: "You can't be saying to kill the horse and eat its meat, are you?"

  "Nonsense! War horses are our brothers, how can we eat their meat?" Tao Ying scolded with a smile, and then said: "This advantage, I'll tell you in detail later. Now, I ask you again, do you want the Ferghana horse or the Xiongnu horse?"

  "Who wants to have the Huns' horses!" Most of the gentlemanly army officers, who had been fooled by Tao Ying's words, answered in unison, but a small number of them still had doubts in their hearts. "The Second Master wouldn't be fooling us, would he? These Huns' horses are almost as big as donkeys, can they really be that good?"

  "Alright, now disperse." Tao Ying loudly commanded: "Number all the war horses and then distribute them by drawing lots. Whoever draws which horse is which, including me, no one has the right to choose freely! But remember, prioritize distributing the Xiongnu horses, other war horses will be used as reserve horses and will not be distributed for now!"

  The gentlemen's army answered, dispersing the troops to number the war horses. Tao Ji came up again and asked Tao Ying in a respectful tone: "Second brother, can Xiaomeng ask you another question?"

  "Third brother, isn't he wondering that the Xiongnu horses' charge is not as good as the Western Regions horses and the Dayuan horses. What to do when facing each other head-on on the battlefield?" Tao Ying asked back instead of answering.

  Taoyi was taken aback and hastily nodded vigorously, saying: "Second brother is indeed perceptive, younger brother wanted to ask this very question. Younger brother remembers when he was under General Cao Jiao's command, General Cao Jiao once taught younger brother that when two armies form up in battle array, the distance between them is about two arrow lengths apart. This means that one archer from each side would shoot an arrow from the center of the battlefield with their backs to each other, and where the arrowheads fall would be where the vanguard of both armies are positioned. At such a short distance, if the Western Regions' cavalry were to launch a charge, our Xiongnu horses would be at a disadvantage! We wouldn't even be able to utilize the endurance advantage of our warhorses!"

  "Third brother has made progress, finally knowing that whatever needs to be thought about and asked, rather than just complaining. Tao Ying smiled and said: "Third brother, actually you are missing an important question, which is when the cavalry engages in close combat, we ride on horses that are not much bigger than donkeys, while the enemy rides on tall Western horses, looking down on us, how can we deal with this?"

  "Right, right, this is also an important issue." Tao Ji nodded as if pecking at rice.

  "In fact, these are not problems." Tao Yingxiao said with a smile: "As far as I know, there is an extraordinary military genius who uses his tactics to make up for all the shortcomings of the Huns' horses and at the same time brings out all their advantages. We don't need much, just learn 50% of this tactic's essence, and we can conquer the world without any rivals!"

  "A military genius of the century, who?" Tao Ji asked curiously: "And what tactics did he create?"

  "What tactics? You're still learning to crawl and you want to learn how to fly?" Tao Yingxiao scolded: "Let me take charge of distributing the war horses first, and later I'll slowly tell you the details, and slowly teach you these tactics. By then, you'll find that the cavalry tactics you learned from General Cao Jue are simply nonsense!"

  Tao Qi walked away with a mixture of trust and doubt, while Tao Ying raised his head to gaze at the blue sky and white clouds. He muttered to himself, "Genghis Khan, I've copied your Mongolian Iron Cavalry thousands of years in advance. You won't have any objections, will you? If you do, you can come here and ask for royalties. I respect intellectual property rights, so I'll definitely give them to you... but if you don't come in person to ask for them, then there's nothing I can do."