Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 11: Wave Pressure

"Have you ever taken a boat on the Luo River?"

The Luo River is not far from the hunting ground. Su Ze looked at the river shining with stars at night and shook his head.

"When sailing on the water, besides rowing and pushing the boat, the most frightening thing is the waves."

"A fisherman who is not good at boating has to be careful when the waves come to prevent the boat from capsizing, and cannot sail at all when the waves are big. A fisherman who is good at boating can let the boat move with the waves to reduce the bumps, and can even use the power of the waves to sail the boat."

"When you're riding a horse, besides the horse's hooves moving forward, does the horse's body also rise and fall, like waves in the water?"

Su Ze nodded repeatedly.

Li Tong said: "The ups and downs of the horse's body are waves. If you want to ride faster, you have to suppress the waves. This is the 'wave suppression' method passed down in my family."

Seeing Su Ze's respectful look, Li Tong was very satisfied.

In the past, when he wanted to teach Su Ze horse riding, Su Ze never took it seriously. When he lost, he always said it was because of the bad horse. He did not take learning horse riding seriously.

The last time Su Ze had a conflict with someone in the army, Li Tong was not in Luoyang at that time. When he rushed back, Su Ze's injuries were almost healed.

What made Li Tong happy was that since he suffered a loss in the army last time, Su Ze had changed his previous high-profile and irritable character, gradually restrained his edge, and also became interested in the riding and archery martial arts that he taught.

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have protected this kid in the army.

Li Tong was not shy about his own opinion. He said, "When riding a horse, there are waves. Do you think a horse is better with big waves or small waves?"

Su Ze thought for a moment and said, "Of course Lang Xiao is better."

"Why?"

Su Ze thought of the theorem of kinetic energy and potential energy. He organized his words and said, "When a horse moves forward, it needs to use force, and when the horse's body rises and falls, it also needs force. The smaller the rise and fall of the horse's body, the more force the horse can use when moving forward."

Li Tong's eyes lit up, and he said to Su Ze: "Good boy! You are indeed your grandfather's son! You have figured out the truth that I, your grandfather, only understood ten years ago!"

"A horse with less waves can move forward with less effort, and the horse's body does not shake as much as it should, which is also good for drawing a bow and shooting an arrow on horseback."

“So the riding technique passed down in my family is to try to make the horse’s waves as small as possible.”

"One way is to train the horse's running gait and try to choose horses with smaller waves as mounts."

"But the battlefield is ever-changing, and there aren't that many good horses to choose from. So if the horse's body fluctuates too much, you have to control it."

"It's just like the fishermen sailing on the Luo River. When the weather is windy and rough, experienced fishermen will carry stones on board as ballast. The same is true when riding a horse. You have to use your body rhythm to suppress the waves so that the horse can run faster with less effort."

Su Ze had never thought that there was so much knowledge involved in riding a horse. He quickly asked, "Father, how long will it take to be like you?"

"Me? I learned riding from my grandfather since I was a kid. It took me five years to reach the state of 'following the waves', which means my body moves along the waves without interfering with the horse's running. It took me another ten years to reach the state of 'following the waves'."

Su Ze couldn't help but smack his lips. He didn't expect that riding alone was so complicated. Cavalry tactics also included archery on horseback. Su Ze had practiced horse lance combat for many years, but he was still just a basic cavalryman, not to mention the tactics of commanding cavalry combat. No wonder the Southern and Northern Dynasties were the peak of cavalry combat. It was about to stage the terrifying record of Erzhu Rong's 7,000 cavalrymen fighting against Ge Rong, and Chen Qianzhi's 7,000 white-robed cavalrymen conquering 32 cities in a row and attacking Luoyang all the way.

What if I could also train such an elite cavalry?
Su Ze suddenly thought of his own system. If the system could also produce cavalry, then could he also form an elite troupe?
Su Ze looked at Su Da again. Could a cavalry slave like Su Da be trained in cavalry combat?
If possible, then if I had an absolutely loyal cavalry unit, would I be able to protect myself in this chaotic world?

Su Ze became more interested in learning horse riding and archery skills from Li Tong. He listened to Li Tong talk about how to keep the body posture in accordance with the movement of the horse, and use the stirrups and saddle to swing up and down with the horse, so as not to interfere with the horse's running movement.

Sure enough, after using Li Tong's riding skills, Su Ze felt that the horse under him was freer. The feeling of alienation between man and horse disappeared, and the horse ran obviously faster.

Under the high moon, Li Tong watched Su Ze riding a white horse and galloping in the night. This time, the horse let go of its hooves and ran freely for a while, and the white horse let out a happy neigh.

Li Tong was surprised at Su Ze's comprehension. Is this how he got started?

Thinking back, it took me five full years to reach the realm of "following the waves", how could Su Ze realize it so quickly?
As expected, he was the son of his sworn brother. Li Tong stroked his beard and became more determined to let Su Ze participate in the selection of officials for the Qinghe Palace, and make him stand out in the officialdom.

When Su Ze came back from running, he felt that he had run very vigorously.

It is not known whether it was a change brought about by the time travel, or whether this body itself was endowed with amazing talents, but Su Ze quickly mastered the techniques that Li Tong had just described.

He couldn't wait to get off his horse and said to Li Tong:

"Father, your method really works!"

Although Li Tong was impressed by Su Ze's progress, he still said with a straight face: "You are just galloping on flat ground. It is still a long way to go before you can master the method of riding with the waves. But your horse is indeed a top-notch Huaishuo horse with a light gait. Can you give it a name?"

Su Ze said quickly: "Please give me a name, father."

Li Tong took a look and said, "I see that this horse has sharp eyes in the night and is good at night galloping, so let's name it Benxiao."

Su Ze was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Father, for the name!"

Then Su Ze asked again: "Well, one more thing?"

"If you have something to say, please say it now. Why are you acting like a little girl?"

Su Ze immediately said, "Father, your riding skills are superb. Can I pass them on to Su Da?"

Not to mention the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, even in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, a lot of knowledge was "family knowledge" that was strictly prohibited from being passed on to outsiders. If someone taught Li Tong his family knowledge without his consent, it would be a very taboo thing.

So Su Ze first asked if he could pass it on to his riding slave, but he heard Li Tong say, "I have no heir, so how can this be called family knowledge? You can pass it on to whoever you want."

"But you have to promise me that you will participate in the selection of the Qinghe Palace. How about that?"

Su Ze said without hesitation: "Don't worry, father, Su Ze will definitely perform well!"

Su Ze also figured it out at this time. If you want to gather your troops these days, you must be famous. No matter if he is the King of Qinghe or some other king, he must make a name for himself in Luoyang first!
(End of this chapter)