Daming: Dad, you are really not good at governing the country

Chapter 465: Li Huanwen, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, talks about raising horses and training horsemen
Li Huanwen, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of War, stood in front of the crowd, talking excitedly and gesticulating with his hands.

It was as if he was not in the court at the moment, but in the courtyard of the post station, personally directing a group of postmen to check the horses.

His every gesture and movement showed the decisive and swift action style of the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Ming Dynasty, making people know at first glance that he is a man of practical actions.

Prince of Jin, Zhu Gang, stood quietly not far away, his posture as straight as a pine tree. His gorgeous clothes could not conceal his restrained yet majestic temperament.

Zhu Gang narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze was deep and sharp, as if he could see through everyone's thoughts.

He grew up in this turbulent palace since he was young and has witnessed many changes in the court.

He had a clear understanding of the disputes and conflicts among the ministers.

Li Huanwen and the Minister of Rites Zhu Mengyan have always been at odds with each other in the court.

The former focused on practical military operations and internal management. In Li Huanwen's eyes, as long as the military affairs could be managed in an orderly manner, everything would be fine.

When the latter consider things, they usually start from diplomatic and foreign factors.

Zhu Mengyan always felt that the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and the surrounding ethnic groups was so complex that it could not be taken lightly.

Because of this different starting point, the two of them often argued over their different political views and refused to give in to each other.

Now that the matter of the war horse was brought up, the hidden differences between the two were revealed.

Just like a reef under the water, it suddenly emerged again, clearly displayed in front of everyone.

Zhu Gang smacked his lips secretly, thinking: This court is where all forces gather.

Different people look at the same thing from different standpoints, so their perspectives will naturally vary greatly.

I don’t know what the final outcome of today’s debate will be.

However, he also knew that the issue of war horses was related to the military foundation of the Ming Dynasty and should not be underestimated.

No matter whose advice Dad takes in the end, he has to be extremely careful.

In fact, Zhu Gang had already had his own thoughts in mind. He secretly thought: This post station has been set up with great difficulty, and the staff have also been properly arranged.

But what if someone does something bad and secretly spreads false information?

Then this so-called supervision has become a deaf ear - just a decoration.

But Zhu Gang didn't intend to say this out loud at the moment. After all, there was no certainty about the matter yet.

He should be more cautious and wait and see what happens next.

Moreover, in this court, every word may affect the interests of all parties.

As the King of Jin, although he holds a high position, he still has to be careful about the timing and propriety of his actions.

Don't act rashly to avoid giving people a chance to criticize you.

Li Huanwen was still talking incessantly, explaining the plan he had come up with.

He cleared his throat and raised his voice a bit, looking extremely serious and anxious.

“Secondly, we need to conduct unified emergency training for the groom team.

As for the training venue, I think the training ground would be the most suitable one.

That place is open and very convenient for training.

Your Majesty, just imagine that you can set up your positions on the parade grounds and simulate various real-life scenarios.

It's just like our daily military training. It's more effective to let the grooms learn by being in the situation."

Having said this, Li Huanwen paused slightly.

He looked at everyone with his sharp eyes, as if he wanted everyone to deeply understand the importance of this.

Li Huanwen continued, "As for the content of this training, all aspects must be taken into consideration.

Like the daily care of horses, how to brush the horse's hair and feed water on weekdays.

There are certain rules for when to let horses rest. Take brushing for example. The intensity and frequency of brushing are different for horses of different seasons and physiques.

When horses shed their fur in spring, they need to be brushed frequently to help them shed the old fur as quickly as possible.

But in winter, the bristles need to be brushed more gently.

So as not to damage the horses' fur and affect their ability to keep warm.

As for feeding water, you can't just give it randomly.

When the weather is hot, you need to let your horse drink more water.

But if the weather is cold and the water is too cold, you have to add some warm water to it.

Otherwise, the horse will have diarrhea after drinking it, so how can it have the energy to work?"

As he spoke, he imitated the actions of brushing and feeding water to the horse.

The description was so vivid that everyone seemed to be able to see the scene.

“Another thing is the identification of common diseases and simple treatments. If a horse gets sick and the groom is clueless, it will be a disaster.

Let’s talk about the most common laminitis in horses. At the beginning, the horse’s hooves may feel slightly warm and the horse may walk with a limp.

If the groom can discover this in time, he can quickly cool down the horse's hooves.

Applying some simple herbal compresses may be able to curb the disease.

But if you don’t understand, just let it develop.

The horse might become lame later and wouldn't be able to go to the battlefield anymore.

There is also the reasonable combination of fodder. Fodder cannot be fed randomly to different horses and in different seasons.

War horses have to undertake high-intensity labor on a daily basis, so they need to be fed more concentrated feed, such as beans and wheat bran.

However, if horses are only fed concentrated feed without hay, they will easily suffer from indigestion.

So, hay also needs to be mixed in proportion, there is a lot of knowledge involved.”

Everyone listened to Li Huanwen's words. Some nodded slightly, while others frowned, each with their own thoughts.

Li Huanwen ignored other people's reactions. His voice became louder and louder, revealing an unquestionable firmness.

“This training will last for one month, and the daily training time must not be less than four hours. These grooms must learn it thoroughly.

After the training is completed, extremely rigorous assessment will be conducted.

Only those who score in the top 80% of the assessment are qualified to continue working in the horse transport job.

Your Majesty, please don't think my request is too harsh.

The transportation of war horses is a key link in the war on the front line.

If the grooms don’t have real skills and something goes wrong, it will affect the country of Ming Dynasty.”

As Li Huanwen spoke, he paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back.

His expression became more serious and his emotions became more agitated, as if he had already seen the serious consequences that might result from the groom's negligence.

“At the same time, the court must also establish a reward and punishment system with heavy rewards and heavy punishments. If the groom can ensure that the horse is unharmed during the transportation process, then he will look very energetic.

Just reward them with fifty taels of silver to let them know that working hard will bring great benefits.

Your Majesty, just think about it, fifty taels of silver!
For these ordinary grooms, that was a considerable sum of money, enough for their family to live a comfortable life for a long time.

With such benefits dangling ahead of them, how could they not work hard?

But what if a groom is careless and something happens to the horse?

That cannot be forgiven lightly, and the punishment must be based on the severity of the case."

(End of this chapter)