A barge went up the river to the west. Zhang Yi stood on the deck of the barge and looked across the south of the Yangtze River. As he got closer and closer to his "home", he felt excited but also a little uneasy.
Although he is from Nanyang, because Zhang Xian has been an official in Jingnan for more than 20 years, as the eldest son, he has been with Zhang Xian since childhood and spent most of his life in Jingnan. Compared with Nanyang, Jingnan is the
his home.
At the end of spring this year, Linxiang City was destroyed. Zhang Jin finally managed to save his life because he led the crowd to surrender in time.
However, the death penalty can be avoided, but the living crime cannot be escaped. In the past six months, Zhang Yi has been locked up in a cage most of the time. For him, who grew up in a fine life, it can be said that he has suffered a lot. The biggest hope in his heart is to
Liu Biao, who presented himself as a kind and generous elder, could one day forgive him and let him return to his hometown in Nanyang.
However, things in the world can be so bizarre sometimes, and the person who finally saved him from prison was Liu Jing, a person he had always hated.
With help from heaven, Liu Jing wiped out one hundred thousand troops in Jingzhou in one battle, and took advantage of the momentum to sweep through the three counties of Jingnan. In order to curb Liu Jing's rise, Liu Biao had to release him from prison, and he would be released as a guest.
Changsha.
Zhang Yi knew that he had become Liu Biao's pawn to check and balance Liu Jing, but he didn't care. No matter how bad he was, he would never be worse than a dark dungeon.
What's more, returning to Changsha was something he never dared to think about before. His father had always been kind to the people of Jingnan, and he was Liu Jing's former master and successor, and he was the governor of Changsha jointly elected by the people of Changsha. Even though
Liu Jing had a prejudice against him and could not do anything to him.
Of course, Zhang Yi is not an idiot. Now that Liu Jinghu is in Jingnan and is gaining momentum, not only can he not conflict with him, but he must also be submissive to secure his position as the governor of Changsha.
While he was thinking about it, Zhang Yi suddenly saw three warships approaching from the river in the distance...
…………
Wang Qiang has been busy these days with the establishment of Baqiu County, and almost all military aspects have been left to Liu Zhu. When he received the report and learned that Zhang Yi had returned, he immediately put down what he was doing and hurried back to Baqiu Camp.
Wang Qiang strode into the camp, his face so gloomy that he was about to drip. When he saw Liu Zhu, he asked, "Where is Zhang Yi?"
Liu Zhu smiled bitterly and said: "Rest in the house."
A sharp look flashed in Wang Qiang's eyes, and he couldn't help but place his right hand on the sword ring at his waist.
Liu Zhufeng's eyes narrowed and he whispered: "Zijian, please don't act recklessly."
Wang Qiang frowned deeply and said reproachfully: "Wenxiu, why did you welcome him into the camp? You should have killed him directly outside."
Liu Zhu smiled bitterly and said: "Zhang Yi was sent by Liu Biao's warship. If we want to kill Zhang Yi, we must also kill Liu Biao's dozens or hundreds of people. Do you think there is a possibility of success?"
Wang Qiang was silent. If we were on land, we might be able to kill all these dozens or hundreds of people by relying on our numerical advantage. But on the river, it would be absolutely impossible. Someone would definitely slip through the net. Once the matter was leaked, the consequences would be disastrous.
Wang Qiang frowned and said, "Do we really want to send him back to Linxiang to cause trouble for Liu Jun? Aren't Liu Biao's people already gone? Why not escort him south and poison him on the way?"
Liu Zhu shook his head and said: "This intention is too obvious and is not advisable."
"This won't work, that won't work either," Wang Qiang said angrily, "You can't just do nothing, right?!"
Liu Zhu sighed: "This is no longer something you and I can interfere with. Forcibly intervening will only put Liu Jun in a disadvantageous situation."
Wang Qiang glanced at the camp where Zhang Yi was staying with a sinister look, and said: "In that case, I won't go see him, lest I can't suppress the fire in my heart after seeing him and chop him to death with a knife." , and walked away.
Liu Zhu was left with one head and two heads.
…………
Linxiang, Pingxiang.
"Click, click, click, click..."
Accompanied by a burst of rhythmic hoofbeats, Liu Jinglun, handsome and handsome in military uniform, rode Chi Ji and galloped along the Liushui River. Liu Liang, Gan Ning, Han Guang, and Yu Zheng also rode on good horses. Follow behind.
"Herod..."
After galloping along for an unknown amount of time, Liu Jing's interest faded slightly and he tightened the reins hurriedly. Chi Ji couldn't help but chirp, flipped his front hooves, and almost stood upright.
In the past, Liu Jing would not have dared to be so reckless, but now he not only did it, but he and the horse became one, as stable as a mountain, like a veteran who had been on horseback since childhood.
This is naturally not a sudden improvement in his riding skills in a short period of time. The reason is that the high bridge saddle under his crotch provides enough stability.
When Liu Liang, Han Guang, and Yu Zheng saw Liu Jing stopped, they all reined in their horses.
Liu Liang also came with a man and a horse, and his movements were even more relaxed and graceful than Liu Jing's. He pulled the reins with his ape-like arms, turned the horse's head, and said to Liu Jing: "Brother Cong, this Gaoqiao saddle is really a powerful weapon on the horse. In my opinion, it is a powerful weapon." The effect on the horse is no less than the action of the rod on the water."
"That's right..." Han Guang nodded in agreement. He was from Longxi, Liangzhou. Horses in his hometown were as common as boats in Jingnan, so he felt more deeply.
The Han cavalry in the border areas have always liked to recruit Qiang and Hu Yicong. The reason is very simple. The number of Han people who have been proficient in riding skills since childhood is limited, and the cost of cultivating a qualified Han cavalry from scratch is astonishingly high, at least. It is much easier to recruit Qiang and Hu Yicong on a yearly basis, just give them enough rewards. With the Gaoqiao saddle, the training cost is greatly reduced, and it will be easier to train qualified cavalry.
In fact, the prototype of the high-bridge saddle has already appeared in the north. Of course, it is only a prototype. It is completely different from the mature high-bridge saddle designed by Liu Jing.
Han Guang jumped off the horse nimbly, raised his horse's hind hoof, revealing the black U-shaped shoe, and said: "Not only the high bridge saddle, the horse shoe is also a sharp weapon for the horse. Liu Jun thought ingeniously, until Like a god!"
The nails of horse hooves are just like human nails. They are prone to wear and tear over time and must be taken care of. As early as hundreds of years ago, the Han people began to trim and carve hooves for horses. However, this is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause, Liu Jing was ingenious and put iron shoes on the horse, solving a problem that had troubled people for thousands of years.
At this moment, Han Guang admired Liu Jing so much that just like pole-racing revolutionized water warfare, high-bridge saddles and horseshoes would also have a profound impact on the cavalry.
Listening to the compliments of several people, Liu Jing smiled and shook his head. This was just a high bridge saddle and horseshoes. If stirrups were invented again, they would probably be even more flattering.
Jingzhou has always been short of good horses. Liu Biao spent a full ten years plundering the refugees in Guanzhong and wiping out the generals in Liangzhou. The 1,300 horses he collected were all now in the hands of Liu Jing. In addition, he had originally There were more than a hundred war horses, totaling more than 1,400 horses. Liu Jing was divided into two battalions on the left and right, and his brothers Liu Liang and Han Guang each led one battalion.
Although thanks to Liu Biao, Liu Jing had a full-fledged cavalry effort without any effort, Jingnan is located in a remote area, and there is no land rich in good horses around it. Every time a horse dies, one horse will be lost, and there is no way to replace it.
.
Therefore, in order to reduce the loss of horses as much as possible, Liu Jing invented the horseshoe. At the same time, in order to enhance the combat effectiveness of his own cavalry, he also invented the high bridge saddle.
However, the stirrup cannot be invented in a hurry. At least the origin of the war horse must be mastered, and the cavalry must have a certain scale before it can be invented. Otherwise, it will just be a wedding dress for others.
Liu Jing received a serious report from Liu Zong of Ling County yesterday. Currently, Zhang Jin has led his troops towards Quanling. According to Chu Fang and Cai Sheng's estimates, the opponent's strength should not exceed 20,000.
When Liu Jing heard that Zhang Jin's troops were only ten thousand men, his heart was completely relieved. Now Chu Fang, Cai Sheng, and Xi Zhen led 3,000 people to garrison in Quanling, together with more than 2,000 Lingling County soldiers, the total force reached 5,000
With Zhang Jin's strength, it will be impossible for the remaining people to capture Quanling in the short term.
Liu Jing decided to continue to let him go, and when the time was right, he would personally lead his elite troops south to deliver a fatal blow to Zhang Jin. The cavalry would then play a vital role and would definitely give Zhang Jin a huge surprise.