But sweet potatoes and corn stalks were new foods after all. Even if Changsun Pinting came home and said that corn stalks could be used to feed war horses, Changsun Dechong and others would have to see it with their own eyes before they could believe it.
After all, corn is so productive. If not only the fruit can be eaten by humans, but the corn stalks can also be used to feed horses and cattle, then famine will basically never occur in the Wei Kingdom.
Changsun Dechong sent someone to the royal farm that night to pull a cart to the city guard's stables. Although the Kaifeng City Guards did not have a formal cavalry unit, they still had a large number of war horses for the generals and for carrying orders and other communications.
Changsun Dechong, Cao Mengde and others also went directly from their homes to the city guards' stables to check the situation on the spot.
The city guards guarding the stables were terrified when they saw Changsun Dechong's men arrive at the stables late at night. They didn't know what was going on and wondered if they had done something wrong to have these big men come to them in the middle of the night.
Chang Sun Dechong called the adjutant of the city guards and announced his purpose loudly. He also told the officers that he and his men had brought a cart of novel feed—corn stalks. He wanted to see if the war horses would eat corn stalks, and more importantly, to see how the horses reacted after eating them, to see if they could provide sufficient nutrition for the horses.
The soldiers guarding the stables looked at each other in a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. They had never heard of feeding horses corn stalks; it seemed like a fantasy to them. They had never even seen corn stalks. Although they had eaten a lot of corn recently, they didn't believe that corn stalks could be used to feed horses.
Chang Sun Dechong personally led his men to carefully chop the corn stalks and mix them with hay and bean cakes to make a special feed. He was convinced that His Majesty Chu Fan would not lie, and he had absolute trust in Chu Fan.
It was late at night, the lights in the stables ablaze. Chang Sun Dechong personally observed the horses' reactions to the new feed. When Chang Sun Dechong poured the feed in front of one horse, it began to chew it vigorously, and the other horses also began to get agitated.
Originally, these war horses had been eating a small amount of feed to maintain their lives during this period. Now that there was such a delicious food in front of them, the hateful humans only gave it to the white horse and not to themselves.
Seeing the warhorse about to overturn the stable, Chang Sun Dechong and the others did not wait for the test results of the first warhorse. After they filled the troughs of all the warhorses with the remaining feed, all the warhorses calmed down and began to chew the feed in their troughs.
As time went by, when the war horses had eaten their fill, their eyes gradually became brighter and they seemed to be more energetic.
However, Changsun Dechong and his companions were wary of being careless. War horses were far more precious to the Wei State than human lives. The death of any war horse was a loss to the Wei State. Therefore, Changsun Dechong and his companions needed to observe for a while to determine whether corn stalks were harmful to war horses.
Chang Sun Dechong and others slept in the soldiers' quarters in the city guard's stables.
The next morning, Chang Sun Dechong returned to the stables and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw. Far from showing any signs of discomfort, the horses appeared even stronger and more robust than usual.
He immediately summoned the generals of the city guards and informed them of the good news.
The generals were all amazed. They realized that if this new type of feed could be widely adopted, the Wei state would no longer have to worry about feeding its war horses. More importantly, it would greatly save food resources and provide strong support for the country's long-term development.
Chang Sun Dechong also sent someone to tell Mu Yunfeng the result. After all, border defense is not a trivial matter. As a minister of Wei, he should strongly support anything that is beneficial to the border.
Even though Mu Yunfeng knew that Mu Xi would learn about the use of corn stalks, as a general, he would actually take better care of the war horses in his army. Without verification, Mu Yunfeng would not directly make corn stalks into feed for the war horses.
After Mu Yunfeng received the information from Chang Sun Dechong, he could directly use Chang Sun Dechong's method to conduct experiments instead of preparing the feed himself.
Cao Mengde looked at the horses in the stable. They had looked lifeless when he and his companions arrived last night, but today, after a full meal, they were clearly in better spirits. Cao Mengde ordered the horses to be let out for some fresh air, letting them run around the field.
Changsun Dechong led the city guards to open the stables. As the horses galloped freely in the morning light, displaying unprecedented vitality and strength, Changsun Dechong's heart was filled with boundless admiration and gratitude for His Majesty. He knew that all these changes were inseparable from His Majesty's profound wisdom and heartfelt dedication to the country and the people.
Cao Mengde once again expressed his admiration for Chu Fan as a good king. If Wei could survive these difficult times, it would become stronger under Chu Fan's leadership.
"I'll leave the affairs here to you, boy from the Changsun family. I'm going back to rest. I'm too old to work hard anymore. From now on, Wei will be ruled by young people like you." After Cao Mengde finished speaking, he left with a smile.
He had originally intended to retire and return home, no longer interfering in the affairs of the court. If it weren't for the recent turmoil in the Wei Kingdom, he wouldn't have gotten involved in these matters. Now that the Wei Kingdom is gradually improving under Chu Fan's leadership, he will return home and live a leisurely life as an old man. However, Cao Mengde still felt a sense of loss in his heart.
After watching Cao Mengde leave, Chang Sun Dechong immediately summoned the generals of the city defense army and informed them one by one of the miraculous effects of this gift from His Majesty - the new type of feed.
Upon hearing this, the generals were all stunned, then filled with deep admiration for His Majesty. They realized His Majesty possessed not only far-sightedness but also a sincere heart dedicated to serving his country and its people. The emergence of this new feed not only solved the long-standing problem plaguing Wei's warhorses but also laid a solid foundation for the nation's long-term development.
In their gratitude, the generals expressed their resolve to follow His Majesty's lead even more resolutely, pledging to defend the nation and its people to the bitter end. They understand that every decision His Majesty makes is based on careful consideration for the nation and deep concern for its people. Therefore, they are willing to translate this trust and gratitude into concrete action, contributing to the nation's prosperity and strength.
Changsun Dechong looked at these loyal generals with a heart filled with joy and pride. He knew that with His Majesty's wise leadership and the strong support of his generals, the State of Wei would surely usher in an even more glorious future. He would continue to contribute his utmost to this great cause.
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