The desert is solitary and the smoke is straight, and the sun is setting over the long river.
In the reddish afterglow of the sunset, a cavalry suddenly galloped over, shooting stars and leaving sand holes on the ground.
"Report!"
"Come in!"
"General Qi, the Tatar bandit army retreated very quickly after robbing some people's iron pots!"
"What? Retreat?"
Qi Jing, who was sitting in the central military tent, suddenly stood up after hearing this, stroking his beard and pacing, frowning and starting to think deeply. The generals on both sides kept silent, for fear of making noise that would interrupt his thoughts.
So, everyone fell silent and thought carefully.
As far as the current matter is concerned, there is indeed something strange about it.
During the Chinese New Year, we mobilized all our troops and went all over the place, just to grab a few iron pots?
I really can't understand it.
Just when everyone was puzzled, a man who looked like a general suddenly came out and said: "General Qi, in the eyes of the last general, the Tatar's move is very reasonable and it is not difficult to understand."
"Oh? Please ask General Zhao to clear up the confusion." Qi Jing came to his senses, sat down again and said.
"yes!"
Looking over in response, I saw that the answering general had a dark complexion, an elegant demeanor, and an extraordinary sense of wisdom in his movements and glances. Who could this person be if he wasn't Zhao Mingyu?
Yes, it's indeed him.
I saw him briefly thinking about it, and then said: "Let's put it this way, when the enemy and our two countries were still trading with each other, the ironware produced by our Dafeng had always been favored by the Tatars and Oaras. For this reason, they did not hesitate to
The exchange of large livestock shows how scarce iron tools are in Mobei."
After a pause, he continued: "However, after the two parties turned against each other, the mutual trade at the border began to turn from prosperity to decline. In recent years, it has almost completely come to a standstill. Due to the long-term lack of goods, the demand for ironware in Mobei is bound to be
It is unsustainable. It is reasonable for them to come out to rob them now. The reason why they chose the first day of the Lunar New Year may be because we Han people like to cook at home during the Chinese New Year, so they will use this as an opportunity to suddenly throw cold weather.
Attack."
Unexpectedly, behind this phenomenon, Zhao Mingyu also introduced this kind of logic.
good!
I feel very clear and I hear clearly.
Qi Jing laughed and praised: "General Zhao is indeed very knowledgeable and well-versed in both internal and external affairs. With just a few words, he clarified the mystery. I admire you! I admire you!"
Zhao Mingyu quickly handed over his hand and replied: "I don't dare to accept it, General Qi has given too much praise."
"General Zhao, there is no need to be self-effacing. I once said that my husband would make me more powerful than a tiger. Now it turns out that it is indeed true. My husband is willing to join the army to help me. It is really a blessing for the border!" Qi Jing still did not hesitate to praise, saying.
However, as soon as these words fell, the praise started again!
The generals also followed the commander's words very sensibly and even expressed their admiration for Zhao Mingyu.
Haha, when did Lao Zhao gain such prestige?
real or fake?
Don't be anxious, don't be anxious, there are indeed some reasons for this, let me explain them one by one.
It is said that Zhao Mingyu went on a mission to the Western Regions. He was not afraid of hardships and traveled long distances to finally find the approximate location of the ancient country of Dawan. Then, he lived up to expectations and found the descendants of the legendary Dawan horse as he wished, and successfully brought the horse breed with him.
return.
Perfect merit!
However, on the way back, there was an episode.
One day, his horse team passed by this place by chance and was met by Qi Jing and his party who were patrolling the border. After that, he was persuaded to stay by some kindness.
General Qi said that he wanted to fulfill his duty as a landlord.
Yes, Brother Zhao is an old friend of my dear friend Qi Yu. Now that he has arrived suddenly, how can I not eat the pot of juice to welcome the triumphant guests?
this……
All right!
In fact, anyone with a discerning eye has noticed that from beginning to end, Qi Jing's eyes were staring at the foreign horse species, his eyes full of greedy light.
It’s self-evident what war horses, especially majestic war horses, mean to the military of border defense, right?
Does he want to keep it for himself?
Guessed it!
Any good general with a sense of responsibility will think so at this moment.
Therefore, he took advantage of Zhao Mingyu's temporary residence here and hurriedly made an eight hundred-mile trip to the emperor to request that these foreign horse breeds and Zhao Mingyu be given to him for the purpose of border construction needs.
For the emperor, this was not a big deal. He played it without even thinking about it.
You must know that Qi Jing is now the dignified General of Zhenbei, in charge of the military defense of the entire Great North. Although his official rank is not as high as that of the General Soldier, he can still be regarded as an important court minister with military power, and this respect must be given.
In fact, not only the Holy Emperor, but also the veterans of the cabinet were wise enough not to say anything more.
Aren't they just a bunch of beasts from outside Tibet and a person who has nothing to do with his body? Even if they are forced to stay, what good will they do? In this case, it is better to give him a favor and give face to the newly rich General Qi.
However, they were also a little confused. It was understandable that Qi Jing wanted to blackmail the war horses. After all, it was beneficial to the military, but why did he ask the emperor for a civil servant like Zhao Mingyu?
Yes, this guy can neither charge into battle nor maintain military discipline. Isn't it just a matter of keeping him here to earn a living?
Ahem, of course not.
In Qi Jing's eyes, Zhao Mingyu is worth thousands of gold.
Oh? Why do you say that?
Do you remember that Lao Zhao had written a little-known book before, called "Horse Theory", in which he conducted in-depth research and explanations on the breeding, raising, and domestication of war horses. Qi Jing
After reading this book, I was immediately impressed by the content.
However, what is even more rare is that Zhao Mingyu also served as a deacon in Xingtaipu Temple and has very rich practical experience in the practical operation of raising horses. He is indeed a rare practical talent.
If such a great talent does not serve in the army, wouldn't it be a waste of resources?
In this way, under Qi Jing's careful operation, Zhao Mingyu transformed directly and became a border military attache. This result can be regarded as his applying what he learned and fulfilling his ambition.
As the saying goes, there are three things a new official needs to do when taking office.
Zhao Mingyu, who had always been unappreciated for his talent, had just put on his military uniform and couldn't wait to give his good advice.
He believes that war horses are an important part of the military, and we cannot rely too much on Xingtaipu Temple and Yuanma Temple, otherwise we may repeat the same mistakes and waste all our previous efforts. If we weigh the pros and cons, it is better to raise horses by ourselves as a long-term plan for the army.
In fact, Qi Jing had thought this way for a long time, so they hit it off immediately.
From this point of view, the two of them are indeed like-minded!
In the dark, Qi Jing had a strong vision in his heart. He felt that as long as these foreign horse breeds were properly raised and multiplied continuously for less than ten years, he could be like the famous Western Han Dynasty general Huo Qubing.
Go deep into the enemy's heartland and defeat the two strongest enemies.
Although your dream is grand, you still have to start from the first step.
To raise horses, you must first have a horse farm as a base. Only in this way can our Chinese cavalry take root and grow stronger step by step.
Qi Jing believes that this is not difficult.
As early as the prosperous Tang Dynasty, a large horse breeding farm was opened in the Guanlong area. Later, it was slowly abandoned because of the change of direction.
Now, why not follow the example of the forefathers and build again according to the gourd painting?
Yes! Just do it!
The idea is good, but the local officials there are not very cooperative!
I bother!
Who is so ignorant?
After Qi Jing's wife Fang Ruojiao learned of the incident, she immediately led a group of troops and took the newly trained young general Hong Tao with them to 'kill' the local official's home.
Others advocate convincing people with reason, but this strange woman likes to reason with people with a small whip.
In short, the construction of the racecourse was started smoothly and no one had any objections.
Let’s talk about the present.
The incoming enemy attack has been retreated, the crisis has been eliminated, and the generals can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, so I have to relax a little, otherwise would it still be called the Chinese New Year?
Qi Jing thought about it for a while and thought: Why not have a drink to enjoy yourself?
Well, very good!
So, he ordered the old cook in the army to set up a fire to roast the sheep in the tent, and then invited Zhao Mingyu to have a drink with him. However, this was a secret drinking, and his wife must not let Fang Ruojiao know about it.
"Oh, I'm afraid our horseshoe plan is going to come to nothing..." Qi Jing sighed with disappointment after pouring the wine.
Zhao Mingyu was startled when he heard this and said, "Oh? Why did the general say this?"
"The Ministry of Industry wrote back and said that they are currently busy building the Kunpeng Navy and have no time to take care of small military needs like ours. Although they did not explicitly refuse, they also hinted that they were helpless." Qi Jing explained.
It is not difficult to see that due to the pressure of national policy, the Ministry of Industry chose to lose the small and protect the big.
However, horseshoes are very important to war horses, just like human shoes, which are indispensable. Zhao Mingyu is deeply obsessed with raising horses, how could he allow this to happen?
He pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said: "General Qi, why don't you ask Mr. Qi Yuqi from Qiongzhou for help? In my opinion, he will definitely help."
"Go and beg him?" Qi Jing was startled at first, and then suddenly laughed.