Video spoilers history, starting with the blitzkrieg on Poland

A new sky screen appears.

In the misty fields of medieval Europe, the muscles of sturdy horses are tense.

The chest harness around the neck rose and fell with each step, and the heavy wooden plow dragged behind him broke through the wet soil, turning up layers of black waves.

The sound also sounded synchronously.

【Hello, everyone! 】

【Today we are going to talk about a very interesting topic. 】

[As you may know, cattle were mainly used to plow the land in ancient China.]

[However, in ancient Europe during the same period, horses were used to plow the land in many places. ]

[The sturdy horses are harnessed to farm tools and are moving forward vigorously on the land. ]

[This is very different from the image we have of oxen pulling plows to till the land.]

[Why did horses appear to be used for farming in ancient Europe? 】

[What are the advantages of horse farming? 】

[Why did most areas eventually choose ox-plowing? 】

[In the early Middle Ages in Europe, farmers actually mainly used cattle to plow the land. ]

[Cattle are strong, have good endurance, and are cheap to raise, making them the mainstay of farming.]

[Although traditional ox-drawn plowing is stable, it is slow and inflexible. ]

[Especially after the Middle Ages, as the population grew, it became necessary to cultivate more land, and the requirements for farming efficiency became higher and higher. ]

[As a domestic animal with high speed and strong endurance, horses naturally came into people's attention. ]

When Tianmu talked about this.

It also gives many actual scenes of horses plowing the fields.

This also includes the huge Sharma.

See these images of horses plowing the fields.

Han Dynasty.

Liu Che said regretfully:
“Horses can indeed plow the land.”

“But it’s a shame to use horses to plow the land.”

"Especially the huge horses on the sky, if they were used as cavalry charges, how powerful would they be?"

"Are there really so many horses in Europe? So many that they can be used to plow the land?"

Liu Che continued to look at the sky curiously.

【From a physiological perspective, horses have more advantages than cows. 】

[Horses have more developed muscle fibers, stronger explosive power, and can run several times faster than cows.]

Compared with cows, horses have lighter steps and can plow more land in a day.

[According to records of French farmers in the 16th century, a horse could plow 0.5-0.6 hectares of land a day, while a cow could only plow 0.4 hectares.]

[On flat and open land, a strong horse pulling a plow can cultivate nearly one-third more area per day than a cow! ]

[And the horse's reaction is quick and its turning is flexible. ]

[On small fields or complex terrain, the direction can be adjusted quickly to avoid repeatedly crushing the land. ]

[This high efficiency was undoubtedly a huge temptation for medieval European farmers who were in urgent need of expanding their cultivated land.]

[Because it means that farmers can complete the work in a shorter time by using horses to plow the land, leaving more time for other work.]

[Horse plowing was not popular in the early days.]

[Because the horse harness is not suitable for pulling the plow for a long time. ]

[But in the mid-to-late Middle Ages, Europeans improved the horse yoke, which is a traction device fixed to the horse's shoulders, allowing the horse to exert force more effectively and reduce physical exertion. ]

[Also, the popularity of horseshoes allowed horses to work for long periods of time on hard ground.]

【Without wearing out the hooves. 】

[At the same time, horses had a special status in medieval European culture.]

[In a society dominated by the knight class, horses symbolize power and glory.]

[Nobles raised fine horses for war and competition, and the horse training techniques of the common people gradually matured.]

[When people discovered that horses could not only pull carts and fight, but also be used for agricultural production, they were naturally willing to try.]

[Some lords even encouraged farmers to use horses to plow the land. ]

[To improve the overall horse breeding level of the territory and increase the horse reserves. ]

[A good horse can not only plow the land, but also pull goods. It can also serve as a combat and transportation tool in emergencies. It is truly a multifunctional agricultural machine.]

[Since horse farming is more efficient, why didn't European farmers completely abandon cattle and use horses instead? ]

[Behind the advantages of horse farming, there are also fatal shortcomings. 】

【The first is the cost of feeding. 】

[Horses are “straightforward” and have a fast metabolism, so they consume a lot of concentrated feed every day.]

[In contrast, cattle can meet their basic needs by eating grass, and feed costs are less than one-third of horses.]

[In ancient times when food production was limited, raising horses and farming meant competing with humans for food.]

[This is an unbearable burden for ordinary farmers.]

【The second is technical difficulties. 】

[The early harness design was unreasonable. The collar-type harness was put around the horse's neck, which would compress the trachea and limit the horse's power.]

[It was not until the 8th century AD that the chest harness invented in China was introduced to Europe, which solved this problem.]

[But even so, horse plowing still requires professional training and driving techniques, which are difficult for ordinary farmers to master. ]

[Cows are gentle and easy to tame. They can work by simply putting on a plow, and the requirements for operators are much lower.] [Another key factor is the risk of injury to horses.]

[High-intensity farming work accelerates joint wear, and once a horse is injured, it is difficult for it to recover.]

[Cows have long-lasting endurance and can adapt to long-term, low-intensity work.]

[Horses are much more delicate than cows. If they don’t wipe off the sweat during winter running, they may fall ill the next day.]

[European farmers would even tie a monkey to their stables, which was said to prevent the horses from getting sick - this may be the origin of the official position of "Bimawen".]

【For farmers who depend on the weather for their livelihood, stability and reliability are more important than efficiency. 】

[Even when cows get old, they can still be sold for meat, but for a long time in Europe, horses were banned from being slaughtered and could only be sold for their skins, which greatly reduced their economic value.]

[When farmers raise cattle, it is equivalent to saving a current account. ]

[Horse breeding is more like a one-time investment.]

[After reading this, some viewers may ask: Since horse plowing was popular in Europe, why didn’t ancient China learn it? ]

[In ancient China, the main use of horses was in war, not in farming.]

[Since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Central Plains dynasties have faced threats from nomadic tribes in the north, and war horses are a necessity for national defense.]

[The government even set up a horse policy to strictly control horse breeding among the people to ensure that there would be enough cavalry in wartime.]

[Rice is widely grown in southern China, and the paddy fields are muddy and slippery.]

[The horse's hooves tend to sink into it.]

[The cow's broad hooves are better suited to this environment.]

【The most important thing is cost.】

[In the Han Dynasty, the price of a horse was equivalent to three cows, and in the Ming Dynasty it was twice as much. ]

[Ordinary farmers simply cannot afford it.]

[The rumination ability of cattle allows them to digest roughage efficiently, and the cost of feeding them is much lower. ]

[In the 18th century, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, steam engines and tractors gradually replaced animal power.]

[But even in the mechanized era, the advantages of ox-drawn plowing are still evident. ]

[In some mountainous areas with complex terrain that are not suitable for mechanical operations, cattle are still a good helper for farmers. ]

[Horses, on the other hand, have turned more to areas such as transportation and athletics, returning to the roles they are better at.]

The video ends here, and comments begin to appear.

"My niece asked me this question when I watched the movie War Horse before, and I didn't have an answer at the time... embarrassing. "

"Horses plow the fields really fast, running fast, but the problem is the cost."

"No wonder cows are usually accompanied by horses."

《The horse has a weird statistic, but it costs a lot.》

"The Asian buffalo's numbers are not low either."

"In China, the impression of cattle is that they are strong, mainly because of the Asian buffalo, a BUG creature that has amazing pulling power and low breeding costs. Apart from being slow, it is pretty perfect."

"Horses should be fed refined food and pooped while eating."

"Isn't it good to eat and poop at the same time? It also fertilizes the land."

"Horse manure is acidic and harmful to the soil."

"Horses must eat high-quality grass, otherwise they will eat for more than ten hours a day."

"My horse is 1.6 meters tall and is used for plowing the land."

"In Western Europe, the temperate oceanic climate is suitable for growing pasture, so it is suitable for raising horses and farming. "

《Four characters: adapt to local conditions.》

Outside the sky.

Three Kingdoms.

Zhuge Liang held a feather fan in his hand and quietly watched the video of horses plowing the fields playing on the sky curtain.

"The Europeans use horses to plow the land, and they do have some tricks."

"This usage is indeed unique. The speed and strength of horses can improve efficiency if they can be used properly in farming."

“But while there are benefits, there are more difficulties.”

"Raising horses requires a lot of food and grass, and the requirements for horse equipment are quite high. These conditions are not affordable for ordinary people."

"After reading the whole article, I find that although horse plowing has its advantages, it also has too many limitations."

And in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who started out as a farmer, felt very close to the things he was doing when he was farming.

"This foreigner is interesting. He actually uses horses to plow the land."

"This horse seems to be plowing the field quickly."

"But it is not suitable for promotion in Ming Dynasty."

"Think about our Ming Dynasty. When the country was first founded, the people were poor and oxen were scarce. We tried every means to encourage the people to raise cattle."

"This horse is very expensive to raise. How can ordinary people afford it?"

"We don't want to think too much."

"As long as the people have cattle to use, can work the land in peace, and have enough food to eat, they will be content."

"As for the horse plowing the land, just take a look."

"After all, even in Western Europe, horse plowing has not completely replaced ox plowing."

"In the Ming Dynasty, which has water buffaloes, it is better to continue using cattle to plow the land, which is more in line with the situation of the Ming Dynasty."

"It is more appropriate to combine them together." (End of this chapter)