My father is Emperor Wu of Han, how can I be different from him?

Chapter 23: The Eunuch's Tiger Skin

It may be that the eunuch's "explanation" was very intimidating, or it may be that the objects Liu Ju painted were not complicated and did not take much effort.
The equipment was completed and delivered that day.

As luck would have it, the small matter on this side was dealt with quickly, while the big matter that had been dragging on for a long time in the court on the other side also made progress.

When Huo Qubing came to teach Liu Ju horse riding again, he told him that His Majesty had decided that two armies would be sent out simultaneously in the battle of Hexi!

Along the way, led by Huo Qubing, they made a detour from the north and launched a surprise attack!
Another way.

With Langzhongling Li Guang as the main general and Heqi Hou Gongsun Ao as the deputy general, they set out from Longxi County and headed westward!
note.

The army was divided into two routes, not by splitting the troops, but by doubling the strength!
The current Hexi War is no longer the same as the original historical time and space, and the reason for the change can only be the only variable -

Liu Ju!

I don't know whether it was the support for Huo Qubing in the court, or the subsequent memorial in Chengming Hall, but in any case, the prince's words did have an impact on the emperor.

Then, the current result came about.

"From tomorrow on, I will be stationed in the military camp. If Your Highness wants to practice riding again, you must ask the Crown Prince's servant to assist you!"

On the racecourse.

Huo Qubing was jogging while talking to Liu Qing beside him.

The quarrels of many days finally came to an end, and it also satisfied the strategy of sending troops. The words of Marquis Guanjun became unusually cheerful.

"Don't worry, I know."

Liu Ju replied, and then congratulated him again: "My cousin, your wish has been fulfilled. This battle will surely be a success!"

"Haha, thank you for your help."

"Hey, my cousin said that we should thank each other as a family. How can I go to see the Queen Mother in the future?"

"Hahahaha!"

The two men smiled at each other, and there were no more empty words and politeness on the racecourse.

just.

Then again.

Even as a son with a "natural rebellious nature", Liu Ju always admired the emperor's father's style and decisiveness.

Supported by the impressions of later generations, Liu Ju could naturally believe in Huo Qubing unconditionally.

But the emperor didn’t!

He still chose to let Huo Qubing fully display his talents.

If we put ourselves in their shoes, if there was a 19-year-old Li Qubing or Zhang Qubing at that time, how many people would be able to trust them, dare to make the decision, and let them lead the army to take risks?
It’s rare for ordinary people to have such courage!
Liu Ju understood that he still had a lot to learn, such as how to recognize people, how to employ people, how to behave in society, and so on.

There is still a long way to go, let's take it one step at a time...

Thoughts gradually stopped.

Back to the present.

Liu Ju shook the reins, letting the horse under his crotch move a little further away from Huo Qubing, and asked with a smile: "Cousin, can you see what's different about my horse today?"

Huo Qubing had already noticed it and glanced at the things on both sides of Liu Ju's horse's belly. "Oh, those two little things are indeed useful."

An expert will know if there is one as soon as he takes action.

With just one glance, Champion Hou made his judgment.

I won't keep you in suspense here. What Liu Ju asked Huo Qubing to see was one of the new horse harnesses he had been tinkering with these days.

Stirrup.

"Haha!" Liu Ju stepped on the iron ring and shook his ankle.

"I noticed that there was nothing on both sides, and I had nowhere to gain leverage, so I made two new gadgets. Cousin, can you see if they are useful for cavalry combat?"

Seeing that his cousin was serious, Huo Qubing exclaimed and took another closer look.

In today's world.

Stirrups are not exactly new!

"Single-sided stirrups" made of rope loops and cloth have already appeared, but their function is not to help riding a horse, but to assist in getting on the horse.

Huo Qubing originally thought that his cousin was learning horse riding to improve his "single side", but he never thought that his cousin had a bigger intention and wanted to use it in the army...

"Hmm~"

"For soldiers with excellent riding skills, they can hold their legs close to the horse's belly without any problem in swinging their swords or drawing their bows. However, for those with poor riding skills, as Your Highness said, it is easier for them to use the horse's force."

talking.

Huo Qubing smiled and said, "These two pedals are certainly useful. I will ask my soldiers to imitate them someday!"

"Don't worry, cousin."

"Shut up!"

He thought that was the end, but Liu Ju suddenly turned over and dismounted, and in front of Huo Qubing's puzzled eyes, signaled him to lift the horse's hoof to have a look.

"Horse hoof?" Although Huo Qubing was puzzled, he still did it.

next moment.

When he saw the thing inlaid on the hoof, Guan Junhou frowned at first, then rubbed it with his hands, and his expression became visibly serious.

“This thing… is iron?”

"Yes." Liu Ju explained, "Didn't my cousin say before that the hoof of a horse is the most vulnerable part, so I nailed a circle of iron to protect it."

What he said was just an excuse.

But there was no way. Could Liu Ju tell Huo Qubing that he knew everything about the past five hundred years and the future two thousand years, and that it was easy for him to invent the horseshoe?
Fortunately.

Huo Qubing didn't pay attention to these and was still stroking the horseshoe carefully.

"Is this useful?" Liu Ju asked while he was examining it.

"it works!"

Huo Qubing nodded heavily, "It will be of great use!"

The biggest difference between wild horses and domesticated horses is that wild horses do not need to carry weight, while domesticated draft horses and war horses have to carry extra weight, which causes severe wear and tear on their hooves.

Among them, war horses are even worse!

Explosive acceleration, sudden stops, long-distance raids, and day and night marches all cause great damage to horse hooves.

Huo Qubing once heard from his uncle Wei Qing that in the surprise attack on the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu, more than half of the Han army's war horses were killed, most of them due to the horses' hooves.

Observe for a while.

He frowned and asked, "The forging process of this iron palm doesn't seem to be very complicated?"

"Yes, the horseshoe-shaped iron ring can be made with a few more holes, but it is not resistant to wear and corrosion, so it may need to be replaced more often."

The prince was still worried about the Han Dynasty's iron smelting technology, but the Champion Marquis had already stood up, took a deep breath, and said solemnly:

"nice one!"

If the process is complicated, it can only be used on a small number of horses, which may not be good. But if it can be popularized on a large scale, it is really good!

"Your Highness has created a great item that will be very useful for cavalry combat. Report it to His Majesty as soon as possible and have the Shaofu create it!"

"ASAP?"

"The sooner the better! It's best to go now and try to equip the entire army before the beginning of next spring!"

Because after the spring, Huo Qubing would have a long-distance raid, crossing the desert and Gobi, which would put higher demands on horseshoes, so how could he not be enthusiastic?

"it is good!"

Liu Ju had originally made the horse harness for next year's war, otherwise he would not have asked Su Wu to keep an eye on it beforehand.

Huo Qubing's eagerness was exactly what he wanted!

For others, meeting the emperor is not something that can be achieved just by saying so.

But for the combination of Liu Ju and Huo Qubing, they just turned a few corners in the Weiyang Palace and reported a few words, and in less than a quarter of an hour they saw the emperor himself.

Outside the Xuanshi Hall.

Liu Che looked at the tall black horse and asked Huo Qubing a question: "Are you sure it will work?"

"Sure!"

And then, it was done.

Without any unnecessary nonsense, the emperor gave a direct order to the Shaofu, ordering him to imitate and produce it as soon as possible. If the effect was verified to be significant, it should be implemented throughout the army as soon as possible.

Is the whole process a joke?
No.

First, the emperor had already asked the Marquis of Guanjun, whom he trusted very much, what else he wanted? Should he call together the civil and military ministers to hold a seminar?

This is a feudal society where the king is supreme, everyone!

both.

Don't overestimate the importance of new things.

If it is useless for power, or is not a super invention that can drive the country's leap forward, then no matter how good the invention is, it is nothing more than that in the eyes of the emperor.

The combination of the two created the super high efficiency outside the Xuanshi Hall.

An object is just an object after all, and the emperor quickly passed by it.

but.

The emperor did not neglect the people who invented things.

"The Crown Prince is diligent in state affairs, which makes me very happy. If you want to build something in the future, just go to the Shaofu and ask for instructions. My son does not need to use eunuchs' skin to do things!"

"besides."

"Go to the Shaofu and withdraw three thousand gold coins. Don't take your mother's own money anymore. If you need it, come to me. How can I let my son be so poor!?"

(End of this chapter)