Yue Rao, Qu Jun, and Song Ran were not only good at riding horses, but they all prided themselves on riding well.
So when Huo Qubing asked them before, the three of them readily agreed.
However, soon after setting off with the two hundred cavalry led by Huo Qubing, Yue Rao and the others had doubts about whether they could ride a horse.
If you get on the back of a horse and control it to run, and you can adapt to the rhythm of the horse, follow its ups and downs, and don't get tired after sitting for a long time, even if you know how to ride, Yue Rao, Qu Jun, and Song Ran will all be able to ride well.
However, they were far inferior to the cavalry who fought on horseback and lived and ate with the horses. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they could not 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, blowing toward the southwest like a strong wind.
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 also 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. It seemed that 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 and 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 frontier, so that the people of Chang'an, China, would not be disturbed by foreigners.
"shelf!"
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 filled with 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, and the horse seemed to be weightless supporting the 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.
Carving this kind of incantation on the horse 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 hundred men!
As the horses galloped, Yue Rao's undulating figure surged, extremely magnificent.
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. Let's go slowly. Huo Shizhong and the others should stop running at night and rest. 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 with you?"
Song Ran said: "Huo Shizhong made a sudden attack, but he wanted 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. There is no way
Easy to deal with.
If our two hundred cavalrymen attack us, we may not be able to take advantage.
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."
"You just need to keep up."
"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 advance 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, in Lujiang County, thousands of miles southeast of Chang'an, a bird suddenly flew down in the mountains. There were actually continuous buildings built 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 fine cavalrymen came out of the Chang'an Guards camp. The direction is southeast. We are reminded to be careful."
Two voices talking were heard in the room.
Another voice sneered: "Two hundred fine knights? We are secretive. If the other party wants to find traces of my Zonghengdao, it is impossible to do so quickly. And there are only two hundred fine knights. What will happen if we come?"
"It's better to be careful. If the other party unites with the local garrison, it may not be easy to deal with it.
I will go and report to the sect master. You can send alerts to all the ministries. With the speed of the elite cavalry, if you travel quickly, you can reach Lujiang in about three days."
"Um……"
Two days flew by in a blink of an eye.
Chang'an, at noon this day, in the study on the side of the front hall.
Liu Che looked at Princess Pingyang who was sitting on the right side of the seat: "Sister, come here, but there is something wrong?"
Princess Pingyang shook her head slightly: "Nothing, I know you have some free time at noon, so I came over to sit."
While the two were talking, they heard Dong Xu report that Taichang Zhou Ping and Zhang Xiaoyuan came 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.
Before 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 Zhou Ping walked in from the door under the guidance of his chamberlain Dong Xu, followed by a person who was none other than 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 imperial censor also mentioned to me before that Zhang Xiaoyuan has real talents, and if possible he 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 troops out. If the person you recommend is available, he will stay. If Qubing leads troops to go on an expedition, it would be good to leave someone to replace him."
Zhang Xiaoyuan's heart was filled with excitement and joy.
Liu Che looked over and said, "If you want to stay with me, what do you know?"
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 me. 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."
"only!"
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 beautiful mountains and rivers. It was the territory map of the Han Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, this is the legendary Sheji Map. It is rumored that this map is an ancient immortal artifact and can see thousands of miles of mountains and rivers?" Zhou Ping said.
Liu Che said regretfully: "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 10/20 when 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 unfolded the entire scroll, and it turned out that it was seriously damaged. The fairy light was flowing on the silk scroll, but most of the scroll was left with a white mist-like scene, the breath was withered, and the specific picture could not 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 on 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 was a little blurry at first, but it could be vaguely seen that it was the Han army, the cavalry led by Huo Qubing.
The entire team gradually became clearer, like a war gun, sharp and sharp.
And at the front of the gun, on the back of a blue-colored war horse, is none other than the servant Huo Qubing!