Xie Yuan's heart pounded wildly as he overheard Helian Jue and Xie Zhen's conversation.
The historical origins that Helian Jue thought of could also be thought of by Xie Yuan, who was well-versed in obscure historical facts.
The Marquis of Champion was a relative of the emperor, a war god raised by the emperor himself.
Does Helian Jue's promise to groom Xie Zhen into the Marquis of Champion of the Great Zhou Dynasty indicate that he intends to become emperor?
Of course, from the very beginning, Xie Yuan knew that Helian Jue had ambitions to seize the throne.
However, Helian Jue has never revealed it.
There seems to be a tacit understanding between the couple—
Xie Yuan knew Helian Jue's ambitious aspirations, and Helian Jue also knew that Xie Yuan was no ordinary noblewoman.
They all knew it in their hearts, but no one said it out loud.
Today, Helian Jue spoke for the first time.
Although it's still rather euphemistic, those who understand will get it.
Is Helian Jue finally confident enough to show his true colors?
Xie Yuan secretly guessed that Helian Jue was trying to "deceive" Xie Zhen again: "If you want to become the Marquis of Champion, you can't just talk the talk."
"I've come to ask you, how are you doing with your studies? Besides the Four Books and Five Classics, you should also study military strategy."
"By the way, what about horseback archery? Have you been studying it properly?"
Helian Jue bombarded Xie Zhen with a series of questions, but Xie Zhen was not overwhelmed.
He tilted his head, thought seriously for a moment, and replied, "Brother, I have already finished reading the Analects and the Book of Rites. I will learn the other books as soon as possible."
“I practice archery every day, but I haven’t started learning to ride a horse yet.”
At this point, Xie Zhen subconsciously glanced at Xie Yuan.
Xie Yuan had already composed himself and noticed Xie Zhen's subtle movements. She smiled and said, "I'm not preventing you from practicing horseback riding, but I want you to grow up a bit more so that I can find you a fine steed."
Lingnan is mostly hilly and wetland, and there are no horse ranches at all.
Some of the horses in the Prince's mansion were obtained by Xie Yuan in the suburbs of Beijing by exchanging them with General Dugu Xiong of the Northwest Circuit using the method of stir-frying vegetables.
The other part was obtained by Helian Jue from who-knows-where.
Of course, there are also some local miniature horses.
However, such horses are more suitable for transporting goods and not for rapid marches and battles.
Xie Yuan truly loves his younger brother Xie Zhen and wants to nurture him, and will prepare better things for him.
Xie Yuan already had an idea about the best warhorses.
Now that Helian Jue has returned, and Xie Zhen has brought up horses again in front of Helian Jue, Xie Yuan simply follows the conversation and reveals his plan—
"Your Highness, it is springtime now, and the southeast winds are at their strongest."
"We can now produce salt at the salt fields by the sea."
"Once the sea salt is dried, we can use it to exchange for the supplies we need."
For example, warhorses, and fine iron.
These were all strategic materials that Helian Jue needed to establish his regime in Lingnan.
"Alright! You'll be in charge of the saltworks!"
"However, while salt is good, it is not unique."
"You don't need to worry too much about the warhorses. I plan to use my secret recipe for alcohol to exchange for some fine Ferghana horses."
Seeing that Xie Yuan was speaking seriously, Helian Jue also got down to business.
When "alcohol" was mentioned, a hint of reluctance flashed in Helian Jue's eyes.
After months of marching and fighting, Helian Jue's army was well-trained, well-equipped, and mostly launched surprise attacks.
Therefore, the number of casualties among the soldiers was not high.
However, some people were still injured.
Alcohol played a significant role in treating the wounded.
If he could, Helian Jue would love to keep the alcohol formula to himself.
Unfortunately, reality doesn't allow it—
"Ah Yuan, our army has expanded to 30,000 men, but we are severely lacking in warhorses."
"In addition, the loss of warhorses is also a major problem."
"During the campaigns in Huangzhou and Jiaozhou, the horses' hooves were severely damaged during the long march."
Warhorses run on four legs, and once their hooves are worn out, the entire horse is ruined.
The thought of those ruined warhorses made Helian Jue's heart bleed with pain.
"Horse hoof injury?"
Upon hearing these words, Xie Yuan suddenly realized something.
However, she needs to verify this first.
"Your Highness, may I go and see those warhorses?"
Xie Yuan grabbed Helian Jue's wrist and asked anxiously.
Helian Jue kept his eyes on Xie Yuan, so he didn't miss any of the subtle expressions on her face.
The fleeting glint in Xie Yuan's eyes was naturally caught precisely by Helian Jue.
A thought struck him. "Ah Yuan, do you perhaps have a way?"
My little princess is like a treasure trove.
It seemed there was nothing in this world that she didn't understand.
Helian Jue prided himself on being well-read and knowledgeable, but compared to Xie Yuan, he was always somewhat lacking.
In some respects, Xie Yuan seemed to know everything!
Her eyes would light up whenever Xie Yuan came up with a new idea or a solution.
Just like before!
"I do have an idea, but I don't know if it will work. I want to go and see the warhorses first to test it out."
Xie Yuan didn't make any definitive statements, leaving himself room to maneuver.
Helian Jue, however, had an inexplicable trust in Xie Yuan.
However, Helian Jue would not force Xie Yuan too much and put him in shackles.
He nodded in agreement with Xie Yuan's words, "Alright, then I'll take you to the cavalry camp to have a look!"
The cavalry battalion consisted entirely of cavalrymen and had over two thousand warhorses.
Since it concerned warhorses, Helian Jue did not delay and immediately took Xie Yuan to the cavalry camp.
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