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

In the deep winter, the cold wind raged through the grand and solemn royal gardens like a knife.

The white snow covered everything in the garden, and the stables were dimly visible in the snow, like a giant beast lurking in the snow.

Ma Wenjian, the head groom in charge of the breeding and management of horses in the park, was patrolling the stables in the snow.

He was wrapped in a thick sheepskin coat, which was covered with snowflakes.

If you are not careful, the snow water will seep into your collar and make you freezing cold.

At this time, the young Lin Zhengyuan, along with several officials from the Yuanma Temple, walked out of the wind and snow with a confused look on their faces and stepped into the stable.

Lin Zhengyuan rarely comes into contact with horse breeding on a daily basis, and knows even less about the operation of the park.

The severe cold of late winter did not seem to teach Lin Zhengyuan a lesson.

He was still wearing a new but not warm silk suit, and his behavior was casual like a young man, totally ignoring the harsh environment of ice and snow.

At this time, Lin Zhengyuan stomped his feet that were numb from the cold, glanced around the stable, and asked a question that sounded ridiculous to an outsider.

"1000 mares gave birth to 2400 foals in three years. In other words, there are only 800 foals that can be used as war horses for people to choose from, right?"

When Ma Wenjian heard this, his face, which had been reddened by the cold wind, was slightly stunned.

His eyebrows were instantly twisted into knots, and a hint of surprise flashed across his face.

Then a helpless look covered Ma Wenjian's face like a dark cloud.

He shook his head slowly, his movements were slow and heavy, and each shake seemed to carry with it a deep sense of helplessness and a dilemma about the questions asked by Lin Zhengyuan, an amateur.

He thought to himself: This young man really knows nothing about garden affairs, but he didn't know how to explain it.

The howling cold wind rushed in through the cracks in the stable, blowing the snowflakes off Ma Wenjian's body, adding a bit of helplessness and vicissitudes.

Before Ma Wenjian could speak, the horse breeder, Old Man Li, explained on his behalf: “Although young horses have been receiving affinity training since birth, such as wearing a bridle, being led, patting the head, and getting on and off the carriage, they actually need to wait until they are 5 to 6 years old before they can be ridden by people.

Because no matter how old a good horse is, you should never ride a horse whose knees are not completely closed.

After all, if a horse's knees are not fully developed, they can easily suffer permanent damage from the extreme stress on the joints, which can affect their health throughout their life.

Of course, if a good horse is well developed, there is basically no problem starting ground training at the age of 2 to 3 years old.”

Lin Zhengyuan frowned and said, "The imperial edict had clearly stated that these selected war horses should not only be supplied to the palace, but also be used in the cavalry's armaments.

The fighting on the Yunnan front is now at a stalemate, and there is not much time left for the cavalry to use for ground training.

If I need you to provide a batch of war horses now, how many good horses can our Yuanma Temple provide at most?"

Ma Wenjian sighed, "Sir, the reason why Your Majesty established the Yuanma Temple to provide horses for the palace while the Taifu Temple can still play a role is because he took into account the difference between the two.

The Taipu Temple could select good horses from all over the country, which was fully capable of meeting the needs of cavalry armaments.

In comparison, although Yuanma Temple was established quite a while ago, its real development still relied on the thousands of war horses sent to the capital three years ago.

Even my parents, who work as farmers in the countryside, know that crops cannot be planted by slowing down the seedlings, so why should our Yuanma Temple compete with the Taipu Temple for a moment? "

When Lin Zhengyuan saw Ma Wenjian shaking his head helplessly, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning, and then he suddenly reacted.

Ma Wenjian was just a ninth-rank gardener, and his daily duties were just to focus on the feeding and management of the horses in the garden.

Ma Wenjian, with his lowly position, had no way of knowing about the urgent and serious situations that had occurred in Datong Prefecture and Yansui Town Horse Farm. After realizing this, Lin Zhengyuan couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at his negligence just now.

He moved quickly, raised his hand, and put his frozen and stiff fingers into his sleeves.

The sleeves were wide, and Lin Zhengyuan fumbled for a while before he accurately grasped the imperial edict hidden inside.

Then he quickly pulled out the imperial edict, turned his body, and walked towards Ma Wenjian eagerly.

Then Lin Zhengyuan handed the imperial edict to Ma Wenjian with both hands, his movements were solemn and apologetic.

It was as if he wanted to use this action to make up for the embarrassing situation caused by his own lack of consideration.

At this time, snowflakes fluttered down on the two of them, as if this holy edict carried a different mission and weight in the ice and snow.

"As the saying goes, it is hard to disobey the emperor's order. I believe Lord Ma will understand such a simple truth.

If there is no other way, I would not want to do something that would only help the problem grow!"

After Lin Zhengyuan finished speaking, Ma Wenjian unfolded the imperial edict with slightly trembling hands.

He glanced at the yellowed silk word by word. The biting cold wind seemed to have stopped at this moment, leaving only the sound of rapid breathing.

As his gaze moved, Ma Wenjian's expression became more and more solemn.

At this moment, he seemed to be pressed down by a heavy stone, with his brows tightly locked into the shape of the Chinese character "川".

His eyes were filled with complex emotions, including shock, worry, and a hint of helplessness.

After reading the imperial edict, Ma Wenjian slowly raised his head and looked straight at Lin Zhengyuan.

His lips moved, but seemed to be choked by something and no sound came out.

The cold wind of late winter made Ma Wenjian's cheeks red, and a few strands of hair danced wildly in the wind.

Now he seemed to be experiencing a fierce struggle in his heart. On the one hand, there was the difficulty and heavy responsibility of the task conveyed by the imperial edict; on the other hand, there were the limitations of his own abilities in the position.

But after a struggle in his heart, Ma Wenjian finally gritted his teeth and nodded heavily.

It seems like a promise to oneself, and also like a silent oath to the difficult task that is about to be faced.

Snowflakes fell on Ma Wenjian's resolute face and melted away in an instant.

"Since your majesty has given the order, I will naturally obey it.

Taking into account the requirements mentioned in the imperial edict, now our Yuanma Temple can only select some suitable war horses from the one thousand stallions.

However, this will inevitably affect the future development of Yuanma Temple, which is tantamount to killing the goose that lays the eggs!"

Lin Zhengyuan, who was standing not far away, heard the words and quickly said to comfort him: "Sir Ma, don't worry too much about this.

Now, His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin has led his army to Datong Prefecture. I believe that in more than a month, the "Shanxi Military Horse Case" will be resolved.

By then, the shortage of war horses that has plagued the Ming Dynasty for a long time will surely be alleviated to a certain extent."

When Ma Wenjian heard Lin Zhengyuan mention that the "Shanxi Military Horse Case" that everyone was afraid of would be solved, he was stunned at first, and then a trace of disbelief flashed in his eyes. (End of this chapter)