Chapter 412: The Three Imperial Horse Treasures
The next day.
Huo Qubing sent Luo Wuji off and asked, "Wuji, what did I say last night?"
Luo Wuji laughed and said, "It's nothing, just some bold words that you won't get married until the Xiongnu is wiped out. I was shocked. Brother Qubing is really a role model for Chinese men.
If everyone is like you, would you still worry about not being able to wipe out the Huns?"
Huo Qubing was relieved after hearing this and laughed loudly, "A man's ambition is to go to all corners of the world, just like the great rivers rushing into the sea. How can it be delayed because of a mere love affair? It's a pity that you are the son of the Luo family, Wuji, and you have a great responsibility, so you can't do this."
Luo Wuji was the heir of Zhaogong designated by Luoling. Unlike other sons of the Luo family, he was burdened with the responsibility of continuing the family, and he could not act on his own.
The two men clasped their fists and said goodbye to each other. Luo Wuji boarded the carriage, glanced at Huo Qubing, who looked so heroic, and smiled and shook his head, "What a pity."
…
Zhaocheng.
Luo Jinxiu is learning the key points about sacrifice. She has been learning these things since she was a child. Since the Luo Kingdom period, women of the Luo family have been responsible for the task of worshiping ancestors, which is somewhat similar to the witches in the legend.
But unlike those false god sects, the worshippers of the Luo clan women can directly reach the void heaven and then be blessed and nourished, so this is not a boring job, but an activity with positive feedback, which is a benefit for the Luo clan women.
"Sister, here is a letter for you from Chang'an. It was sent by Master Wu Ji."
The girl who called Luo Jinxiu "Ajie" was a pretty girl. She was a member of the Luo family who had just lost the stigmata. She was an absolute member of the family, so she could come to take care of Luo Jinxiu.
Luo Jinxiu took the letter and opened it, and lines of majestic handwriting appeared in front of her.
"Sister, seeing your letter is like seeing you in person.
Best wishes to you.
May the light shine upon you forever.
It has been more than a year since my sister returned to Zhaocheng and I went to the grassland to fight. I miss my sister very much. The Wushuang Marquis Mansion has been basically completed. I built a villa for my sister in the mansion that is the same as the one in Zhaocheng. If my sister sees it, she will definitely be happy.
The emperor has promised his brother that he will lead a large army to conquer Hexi and head to the Western Regions in a few years. It is foreseeable that his father's last wish will be fulfilled.
But I am a little worried.
I don’t know how long this expedition will take. There are five thousand miles of vast mountains and rivers. I don’t know when you and I will be able to meet again.
I wonder when my sister will return to Chang'an?"
Luo Jinxiu read it twice and said with a smile: "This kid knows all these. Ah Jiu, bring paper and ink."
Lines of beautiful handwriting were written on it.
Luo Jinxiu could have set off for Chang'an last month, but Duke Zhao asked her to wait a little because the family's research had reached a critical stage and would be completed soon.
Once it is completed, we will bring it to Chang'an City and then we will leave together. There will be a large number of brave warriors accompanying us, which will be safer.
After all, a girl from the Luo family like Luo Jinxiu is indeed a bit conspicuous when she walks outside. There are too many people in this world with ulterior motives and all kinds of outrageous ideas. A girl from the Luo family is like Tang Monk's flesh and she still needs to be protected.
Zhao Gong brought a group of people to the testing ground, preparing to test the family's newly made military equipment - the three treasures of imperial horses, namely saddle, stirrup and horseshoe.
The manufacturing of these things is actually not that simple. Saddles and stirrups are relatively simple, but horseshoes are more difficult. Once the craftsmanship is not mature or the quality of the iron has problems, it will not protect the horse but cause great harm to the horse.
Moreover, it did not take a long time to make these things, but it took too long to test and improve them. The saddle and stirrups should make the rider feel relaxed, rather than tired after sitting for a while. This is related to ergonomics, and the horse's own load-bearing and endurance must also be considered. The saddle and stirrups must not hurt the horse while galloping.
The most troublesome thing to test is the horseshoe, because the main thing is to test whether it fits the foot, just like people have to test whether the model of shoes matches. The same is true for horses. An inappropriate horseshoe will ruin the horse's hoof. Rockwell made improvements again and again before finally creating the best horseshoe.
Luo planned to hand over this technology directly to Han Ting for use, because once the experiment of this technology was completed, there would be no technical barriers. As long as the blacksmith was capable and the quality of the iron ore was acceptable, it would be easy to imitate.
This is different from paper. High-quality paper requires core technology, and ordinary people really cannot imitate it.
Duke Zhao stood at the edge of the parade ground, watching the battlefield testing of the three imperial horses.
Of course, those who go into battle are not brave warriors. Brave warriors do not need this thing. They can move around on horseback and follow the charge. They have been able to do this since the time of Luo Wugong. This is a necessary condition to become a brave warrior.
Dozens of knights holding lances and riding tall horses charged at an extremely fast speed on the parade ground, raising a cloud of dust. Such a speed usually only occurs in a life-and-death charge, because even a knight with better skills will be unstable at such a fast speed.
But now it was terrifyingly steady. The knights chopped the scarecrow's body heavily with their lances. The high speed and sharp blades instantly cut off the scarecrow's head.
These knights were shaken by the recoil force and swayed on their horses. In the past, only the best knights, such as Luo Wuji and Huo Qubing, and the best of the Han army's imperial guards could keep their balance.
But now all the soldiers in the parade ground sat firmly on their horses after a brief sway. Although they had expected this, everyone was still shocked when they saw this scene.
"Master, the horse's hoof is not damaged at all, and the horseshoe is almost not worn out. The quality is very good, there are no loose nails, and no cracks."
The Luo family's master craftsman checked the horseshoes of the horses that had just galloped violently, and then excitedly reported to Duke Zhao.
Seeing this scene, even the dumbest person would know that these things would change the situation of the war. Cavalry would no longer be a force that could only shoot arrows and chase, but would also be able to take on the task of charging into battle.
"color!"
Duke Zhao cheered loudly, and then everyone on the sidelines of the parade ground began to cheer, proud of their family. This is our Luo family, always at the forefront of everything.
“Master, should this technology be handed over to Han Ting immediately?
What if it gets leaked to the Huns?
After all, most of the cavalry are with the Xiongnu now, which is a great reinforcement for the Xiongnu. "
Duke Zhao shook his hand and said with a smile: "Although the Xiongnu now have a lot of cavalry, in this world, the offensive and defensive situations are constantly changing. The Han court has seized Henan and has horses. With the addition of the three treasures of imperial horses, we can form cavalry.
The Han court wanted to fight a major war with the Xiongnu and open up a road from Hexi to the Western Regions, and most needed these magical weapons that could equip cavalry on a large scale.
As for the worry that the Huns might strengthen, it is nonsense. As long as we defeat them completely before they can react, will the corpses crawl up from the ground and fight on horseback? "
Duke Zhao wanted to take advantage of this time difference and completely defeat the Huns in a short period of time when the Han court was equipped with horseshoes but the Huns had not yet learned how to make them.
Moreover, Luo was very clear about one thing, that is, the Han court had to attack the Western Regions first. As long as this strategic goal was achieved, it would be useless even if the Huns learned how to manufacture the three treasures of imperial horses, because the Huns could not connect the Western Regions and the Central Plains, and they themselves did not have such advanced iron smelting technology and high-quality iron ore.
Everyone was convinced after hearing this, and then stared intently at the three sets of equipment hanging on the horses. With these things, the Han court's sphere of influence will reach even further.
"We must immediately organize an envoy and go to Chang'an. We cannot wait until the time of tribute. We must immediately present these things to the emperor. This is the best gift that the Luo family can give him. We must let the emperor in Chang'an know that the Luo family always supports his war against the Xiongnu and is willing to make sacrifices and contributions for this.
It’s not just the family members, but also the technical support.”
Duke Zhao spoke loudly to the crowd, and everyone said in unison: "Long live the Xia people!"
In Luo Jinxiu's courtyard, a maid walked in and said with a smile: "Sister, the master of the family said that he will organize an envoy to go to Chang'an soon. You can go back to Chang'an. Young Master Wuji will definitely be very happy to know."
Luo Jinxiu was pleasantly surprised when she heard this and said, "We should pack our luggage immediately."
————
The longer I study history, the more I believe that Emperor Suwang really is protecting the civilizations of the Xia Dynasty. At the critical moment of the Han-Xiongnu War, the artifact that changed the ancient war, the Three Imperial Horse Treasures, came into being. It was just like paper. It was Luo's workshop that produced this artifact that completely changed the balance of power between the Han and the Xiongnu.
Many laymen may think that the emergence of the three treasures of imperial horses further enhanced the power of the cavalry, and thus greatly enhanced the power of the nomadic peoples. This is actually a very biased idea.
The greatest function of the three imperial horse treasures is to reduce the cost of becoming a cavalryman. With the help of these three pieces of equipment, the mounted infantrymen of the Central Plains Dynasty became excellent cavalrymen overnight.
Taking the Han Empire as an example, before the appearance of the three treasures for horse riding, the number of soldiers who could fight on horseback did not exceed 30,000. What hindered the Han Empire from forming a large-scale cavalry was not only the number of horses, but also the soldiers who could ride horses.
However, after the appearance of the three imperial horses, the number of people who could fight on horseback suddenly increased to the level of 150,000. The only condition preventing the Han Empire from forming cavalry was the insufficient number of horses. But for the Han Dynasty, which had seized Henan, the number of horses was already a problem that could be easily solved.
Another point that is most easily overlooked is that the emergence of horseshoes greatly reduced the loss of war horses in the Han Empire, which effectively reduced the cost of war in the Han Empire.
It is hard for me to imagine that if horseshoes had not been invented, the Han Empire would have lost hundreds of thousands of war horses in every battle. That would have been a huge military expenditure, and it is possible that the empire would have been destroyed.
It is no exaggeration to say that a horseshoe saved the empire's finances. - History of the Rise and Fall of the Han Dynasty
(End of this chapter)
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