Yue Rao, Qu Jun, and Song Ran are not only good at riding horses, but they all boast that they are good riders.
So when Huo Qubing asked them before, the three of them responded happily.
However, soon after setting off with the cavalry led by Huo Qubing, the three Yue and Rao people began to doubt whether they could ride a horse.
If you get on the back of a horse, control the horse to run, and you can adapt to the rhythm of the horse, follow its ups and downs, and sit for a long time without getting tired, even if you can ride, Yue Rao, Qu Jun, and Song Ran will definitely be able to ride well.
However, they are far inferior to the cavalry who fight on horseback and live and eat with the horses. It is not an exaggeration to say that they cannot ride.
As soon as Huo Qubing and the two hundred elites got on the horseback, their momentum suddenly increased, and they shot out in an instant, like a strong wind blowing to the southwest.
After this team left Chang'an, their speed became faster and faster.
Yue Rao and Song Ran followed behind, urging their horses wildly, but they could only watch as they fell behind, being pushed farther and farther behind.
It has been eighty years since the founding of the Han Dynasty. From the beginning of the founding of the country, the Han Dynasty realized that if it wanted to fight against the Xiongnu, it must have an elite cavalry that was not weaker than them. Otherwise, it would be on the defensive all the time, unable to attack, and unable to take the initiative.
In the pre-Qin Dynasty, or even earlier, the Chinese people began to compete with the nomadic tribes on the northern grasslands.
The hatred and fighting lasted for hundreds of years. By the Han Dynasty, as the country became stronger, it paid more and more attention to the training of cavalry.
After Liu Che came to the throne, he was ambitious and wanted to make all barbarians surrender. He invested a lot of energy and financial resources in the flexible cavalry, and now he has a mature cavalry team.
They climbed on the back of the horse, and their energy was connected as if they were one body, as if they had used some kind of military formation technique, and they were really galloping like lightning.
Yue Rao, Song Ran and Qu Jun looked at the team in front of them, raising a cloud of smoke and dust, and could only follow behind to eat dust.
But the three of them were willing to do so, and even felt a warm blood slowly boiling in their bodies.
Is this the Han army that defends the territory of the Han Dynasty!
It was this kind of Han army that fought bloody battles on the border, so that the people of Chang'an, China, would not be disturbed by foreigners.
"Drive!"
Qu Jun roared wildly and clamped his legs tightly on the horse's belly. Although he was pushed further and further away by the team in front, his heart was full of joy:
"I, Qu Jun, just found out today that I can't ride a horse, hahaha!"
Yue Rao and Song Ran looked at each other and smiled.
The cavalry in front gave them the feeling that the man and the horse were one. The horse seemed to be weightless carrying the human figure, so it could run faster and faster.
Of course, the equipment of this Han army is also very special.
The hoofs of all the horses are engraved with a kind of incantation from the Mohist family. Legend has it that this is a unique piece of equipment obtained from a secret pattern army in the former Qin Dynasty. It is also said that it comes from the illusory 'immortal' and contains mysterious power.<
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Carving this kind of incantation can make the horse run faster, longer, and truly travel thousands of miles a day.
Those Han troops on horseback were even more armed to the teeth. In order to reduce weight, each man only wore light armor, but he carried a powerful crossbow on his back. A long sword and a slender handle were inserted diagonally on the horseback, but the penetrating power was amazing.
The spear is equipped with a spear, and the arm also has an arm shield and a hook to twist the opponent's weapon.
Such a Han army is composed of veterans who have been on the battlefield for many years, so it can be as powerful as a tiger!
As the horses galloped, Yue Rao's undulating figure surged, extremely majestic.
At this time, she saw a cavalryman in the team ahead who had obviously slowed down and was waiting for them to approach.
Amidst the sound of horse hooves, the distance between the two sides quickly closed.
The Han soldier was only about twenty years old. He was quite handsome, but had a bronze complexion and a strong temperament. Seeing a few people approaching, the Han soldier said helplessly: "Don't you know how to ride a horse? Captain Yao asked me to stay.
I'll take you with me so you don't get lost."
Qu Jun and the three of them were surprisingly unanimous: "It is true that the three of us are not very good at riding horses."
The Han army had no choice but to say: "Follow me, let's not be in a hurry, and go slowly. Huo Shizhong and the others should stop running at night and rest, and we will catch up then."
Qu Jun asked: "Where are we going and how long will this march last?"
The Han army said angrily: "The purpose of the march is a secret, how can I tell you casually?"
Song Ran suddenly said: "Do you have a way to contact the former army? I have something important to tell Huo Shizhong."
The Han army asked in confusion: "What's the matter?"
Song Ran said: "Huo Shizhong led the army to attack, but they want to raid Zonghengdao? The new news I received is that Zonghengdao is weak on the surface, but in fact it secretly gathers people and hides in the mountains. Everyone knows how to practice, and their number is far greater than us.
Not easy to deal with.
Our two hundred cavalrymen may not be able to take advantage if we kill them.
I haven't had time to mention this to Huo Shizhong before."
The Han army said proudly: "Don't call them grass bandits. Even if they are elite soldiers, they are no match for our Han Guards. Even if there are more people, it will be the same."
"They are not grass bandits!"
Song Ran said worriedly: "Can you contact the former army and let me talk to Huo Shizhong personally."
The Han army shook its head and said: "If you are good at spreading news and hindering the advancement of the front army, you will be whipped."
"Aren't you afraid of being whipped if you delay delivering the message?"
"When the front army rests in the evening, go and talk to Huo Shizhong."
Song Ran wanted to say something more, but the Han army turned their horses around and ignored her. They went ahead and urged their horses to catch up quickly.
————
Early the next morning, far away in Lujiang County, thousands of miles southeast of Chang'an, a bird suddenly flew down in the mountains. There were actually continuous buildings in the valley between the two mountains.
One hand steadily caught the falling bird.
"There is news from Chang'an. Yesterday afternoon, a group of about 200 Chang'an Guards came out of the camp, heading to the southeast. They reminded us to be careful."
Two voices talking were heard in the room.
Another voice sneered: "Two hundred elite cavalry? How careful are we? Not to mention whether the other party can find our traces. Even if we do come, what will happen if there are only two hundred cavalry?"
"It's better to be careful. If the other party unites with the local garrison, I'm afraid it won't be easy to deal with it.
I'll go and report to the sect master. You can send alerts to all the ministries, and with the speed of the elite cavalry, if you travel quickly, you can reach Lujiang in about three days."
"Well..."
Two days go by in a blink of an eye.
Chang'an, at noon this day, in the study room in the front hall.
Liu Che looked to his right, where Princess Pingyang was sitting behind a low mat: "Sister, come here, is there something wrong?"
Princess Pingyang shook her head slightly: "Nothing, I know you have free time at noon, so I came over to sit."
While the two were talking, they heard Dong Xu report that Taichang Zhou Ping brought Zhang Xiaoyuan to see him.
"Announce him to come in."
Liu Che glanced at Princess Pingyang.
Why did Zhou Ping come? He had already greeted him in advance. It was said that he wanted to recommend someone to serve as an official.
During the Qin and Han Dynasties, there was no imperial examination system, and official appointments were mostly made through recommendation.
Taixue was founded in the Han Dynasty for the purpose of selecting talents.
In a short while, Taichang Zhouping walked in from the door under the guidance of his chamberlain Dong Xu, followed by a person, Zhang Xiaoyuan.
After Zhou and Ping greeted each other with courtesy, they came to the next seat opposite Princess Pingyang and took their seats.
Zhang Xiaoyuan knelt down and sat slightly behind Zhou Ping, not qualified to attend alone.
Zhou Ping said: "I have told your Majesty before that this is Zhang Xiaoyuan..."
"The censor also mentioned to me before that Zhang Xiaoyuan has real talents, and if you can, you would like me to keep him by my side.
It’s okay if you really have real talent.”
Liu Che said with a smile: "Qubing always wants to lead the troops out. If the people you recommend are available, he will stay. If Qubing leads the troops on an expedition, it would be good to leave someone to replace him."
Zhang Xiaoyuan's heart was filled with excitement and joy.
"What do you know if you want to stay with me?" Liu Che asked.
Facing the emperor, Zhang Xiaoyuan was filled with awe. He lowered his head and lowered his eyes. He still felt the momentum coming from the opposite side like a mountain and sea. His face could not help but turn pale, and he supported himself and said:
"Your Majesty, please feel free to test. I have studied Confucianism since I was a child, and I also know something about military affairs."
"It's just right that Qu Bing is out with his troops. Let's take a look at his marching methods. I'll take the opportunity to test your eyesight and insight."
"Wei!"
Zhang Xiaoyuan felt a little nervous. Huo Qubing led his troops out?
At this time, Liu Che took out a picture scroll from the table on one side.
The scroll instantly stirred and rose into the sky, rolling up the beautiful mountains and rivers. It was the territory of the Han Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, this is the legendary Sheji Map. It is said that this map is an ancient immortal artifact. It can see thousands of miles of mountains and rivers?" Zhou Ping said.
Liu Che regretted: "It's a pity that this picture has been destroyed. It was badly damaged when it was obtained by the previous dynasty. Its current function is not as good as one-tenth of what it was at its peak. It needs the help of a Yin-Yang mirror to see something."
Liu Che stretched out his hand and touched it, and a small bronze mirror appeared in the scroll:
"It is said that Emperor Qin had an ancient and rare bone mirror, and this mirror was made to imitate that bone mirror."
He unrolled the entire picture and found that it was seriously damaged.
The fairy light is flowing on the silk scroll, but most of the silk scroll is left with a white mist-like scene, the breath is withered, and the specific picture cannot be seen.
Liu Che held his hand emptyly, borrowing from nowhere the energy of the five elements of heaven and earth, the coexistence of yin and yang.
The purple air in the picture was faint, and the mountains and rivers suddenly magnified, matching the halo of the mirror, and actually reflected a team.
The team on the scroll is a little blurry at first, but it can be vaguely seen that it is the Han army, the cavalry led by Huo Qubing.
The whole team gradually became clear, like a war gun, radiating with sharp edges.
And at the front of the gun, on the back of a blue-colored war horse, is none other than the servant, Huo Qubing!