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The turmoil in Jingzhou quickly subsided due to the bloody suppression of Liu Pan and Ma Zhong and the gentle policies of Pang Tong and Ma Liang. It was like a few grains of sand thrown into the sea, without even a trace of aftermath.
In troubled times, strength is what counts. Because at this time, Cao Cao and Sun Quan, the two largest princes in the north and south of the Han Dynasty, were actively preparing for war, and they had no time to take into account the problems of Liu Cong and Liu Qi. The other princes also focused their attention there.
Liu Cong was not idle either. As the time for Xiangyang's martial arts test and literary test approached, the city's sergeants gathered and the inns were filled. Several military camps were built outside the city to accommodate young people taking part in martial arts examinations.
Although there are no celebrities among these people, Liu Cong believes that they are still capable of serving as officials in various counties and some centurions in the army, so he is not disappointed.
The selection was completely left to Ma Liang, Pang Tong, Wang Can, Cui Zhouping, Meng Jian, Huang Zhong and others, but Liu Cong was busy with another thing.
Ma Teng and Han Sui were very moved after receiving the food and grass sent by Liu Cong. They immediately wrote back to Liu Cong, saying that they were willing to guard the western border for the Han Dynasty and would never allow foreigners to pass through Yumen Pass. At the same time, 300 war horses were sent to Liu Cong.
Through some merchants in Youzhou and Bingzhou, Liu Cong also obtained seven or eight hundred war horses, so he prepared to form a cavalry battalion.
All the war horses were gathered together, totaling 1,200, and the cavalry battalion had a total of 1,000 soldiers.
The cavalry of this era usually consisted of one man and two horses. Outside the northern fortress, when fighting against foreigners such as the Hu people, they sometimes had three men. During long-distance running, the horses' hooves stepped on sharp gravel and could easily be injured.
"However, Liu Cong used 1,200 horses to form 1,000 cavalry. This was not a blind expansion, but he had his own plan.
Now fighting in the south, there is no need for cavalry for the time being, just training. In addition, it is to use the knowledge of later generations to update the equipment of the cavalry.
The war horses of this period were equipped with high-bridge saddles, which could prevent the horses from falling forward and backward when running at high speeds. However, the stirrup only has one side, which is used to help the rider get on the horse. Therefore, during combat, soldiers often fall left and right.
There are no horseshoes, and the hooves of war horses are easily injured.
There was no suitable candidate for the cavalry commander, so Liu Cong could only hand it over to Liu Pan first. His ability may not be strong, but he is definitely worthy of trust.
The technical content of stirrups and horseshoes is very low. Liu Cong drew a few pictures, found several skilled blacksmiths, and quickly produced some samples.
With the double stirrups, riding on the horse is indeed much more stable. Liu Cong tried it and found that he could fire his bow and arrow stably while his horse was running at high speed.
But as for the horseshoe, those craftsmen didn¡¯t know its use at all.
When Liu Cong said he would nail it to the horse¡¯s hoof, everyone¡¯s eyes widened.
In their view, horse hooves are inherently fragile and easily cracked when encountering stones. How can they still drive nails?
There was no other way, so Liu Cong had to demonstrate first.
When Liu Cong nailed four horseshoes to the hoofs of his horse, and the horse showed no pain at all, the craftsmen were so shocked that they could put an egg in their mouths.
Liu Cong ignored everyone, got on his horse, and gave it a light whip with his whip. The horse's hooves were flying, and gravel splashed on both sides.
"Cavalry! This is the real cavalry!"
"Your Excellency is truly a man of God!"
"Thisthis is so incredible!"
Facts speak louder than words!
When Liu Cong stopped after riding a horse for a few laps and ordered the craftsmen to continue shoeing other horses, they had no objection.
Liu Cong sent an order for Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, Liu Pan, Ma Zhong and others to come to the school grounds.
Half an hour later, Huang Zhong and others arrived at the school grounds, and several craftsmen had already nailed the horseshoes of more than a dozen war horses.
"See my lord!" The four of them saluted Liu Cong.
"No gifts!"
"My lord asked me to come here, but there's going to be a war?" Huang Zhong was full of fighting spirit.
"The general's sword has not drank blood for a long time!" Wei Yan also looked excited.
"Ha" Liu Cong smiled, "Han Sheng, Wen Chang, now we are surrounded by enemies on all sides, and you are indispensable in the battle. Today, I am giving you a gift!"
"What kind of gift is it?"
"Han Sheng, you try this horse first!"
The soldier immediately brought over a war horse that had just been shoed and had stirrups on both sides.
"Promise!" Huang ZhongHe got on his horse, clamped his legs under the horse's belly, and the horse started galloping around the school grounds.
The horse's hooves stepped on some stones in the school grounds, making a "dong-dong" sound and sparks flying, but the speed of the war horse was not affected at all. This not only surprised Wei Yan, Liu Pan, and Ma Zhong, but also Huang Zhong who was on the horse felt terrible. Think strangely.
"Han Sheng, try your bow and arrow!" Liu Cong said loudly.
Huang Zhong immediately picked up his bow and arrow, sat on the galloping horse, and drew the string fully.
Three arrows were fired in succession, all of which hit the target. During the whole process, the speed of the war horse did not slow down at all. Huang Zhong on the horse was as steady as a mountain.
"Good archery skills!" Wei Yan, Liu Pan, and Ma Zhong praised at the same time.
Wei Yan knows best about Huang Zhong¡¯s archery skills. He can pierce a poplar with a hundred steps! But he couldn't believe how Huang Zhong could still be so accurate with his arrows on a galloping horse! Even if you don¡¯t stop, you have to slow down!
"My lord, this war horse" After Huang Zhong jumped off the horse, he did not appear excited because of other people's praise. Instead, he looked confused, "This war horse is different from the others!"
After Wei Yan and Liu Pan heard this, they immediately went over and circled around the horse twice.
"Han Sheng, what's different about this war horse?" They didn't find any clues.
"There are stirrups on both sides. No matter how fast the speed is, it is very stable and will not sway from side to side!"
"So that's it!" Wei Yan suddenly realized. He then discovered that there were stirrups on both sides of the saddle. Although this was just a small change, it had a great impact on the equestrians. "My lord is so wise. Why are we waiting for you?" Can¡¯t you think of it?¡±
"It's not that you haven't thought of it, it's that you haven't thought about it at all!" Liu Cong said with a smile.
Military generals all think about how to improve their martial arts and how to find a good horse, but they don't think about improving the equipment of their horses. Don't say it's them. For such a simple issue, it will take more than a hundred years for the real change in history to occur during the Five Husbands' period of chaos in China.
"My lord, this horse's hooves are also different! They seem to be much harder than before!"
"Hayou will understand after just looking at it!"
Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, Liu Pan and the other three gently lifted one leg of the war horse and looked at its hoof.
"Iron?"
"It's nailed in!"
"How can this be?"
"The hoofs of war horses are the most vulnerable to injury. Nailing iron horseshoes on the hoofs is equivalent to wearing a pair of iron shoes on the war horse, which can protect the hoofs very well. In this way, the speed of the war horse will not only be accelerated, but also it will not be injured. This This is the gift I want to give you today!" (Remember the website address: www.hlnovel.com