Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 263 The Zhen Family Takes Action
Liu He sat down again and looked at Cui Jun.

"Military Advisor, how many usable war horses did our army capture this time?"

Cui Jun said firmly: "My lord, in this battle, our army captured 23,476 Xianbei war horses, of which 12,434 were intact and met the requirements of our cavalry war horses."

"Yes, that's right. In this way, according to the principle of two horses for each man in our army, we can expand our cavalry by more than 6,000 people. With the 10,000 horses that the old general and others won for us in the court this time, it will be another 5,000 people."

Guan Yu shook his head.

"Brother, if it is a battle like usual, one man and two horses would be fine, but after several battles, I found that the Xianbei cavalry basically have one man and three horses. If we want to compete with them on the vast grassland, we must have such a configuration. In this way, the number of cavalry can only be developed to more than 10,000 people."

Zhang Yong also seconded the idea: "Second brother is right. If we don't have enough war horses, our army will be at a disadvantage if we encounter a long-distance pursuit battle."

Liu He had not thought of this before, but now that Guan Yu and Zhang Yong mentioned it, he quickly understood it.

"More than 10,000 cavalrymen are still far from enough."

At this time, Zhang Ding and Su Shuang, who had been in awkward silence for a long time, seemed to have finally waited for a topic they could interrupt, and they couldn't wait to stand up.

"Haha, has Lord Liu forgotten about the two of us?"

When Liu He saw them, he was a little happy for a moment, but soon fell silent again.

"Alas, I caused the two of you to have your property confiscated, and the warhorse business can no longer be done. Although the two uncles can make a comeback, it is just a drop in the ocean that cannot quench thirst."

Su Shuang smiled and said, "Master Liu is over-worrying. Master secretly sent people to protect us, so we were able to get the news in advance and make preparations early, so the loss of our property was not much. In addition, we brought with us a batch of war horses that we had just purchased from the north of Youzhou not long ago, totaling more than 8,000 horses. Although the matter was urgent, we temporarily sold some of them for convenience, but we still brought nearly 4,000 horses to Yanmen."

Cheng Liang shouted, "Oh, father-in-law, why are you making so much noise? I thought there were many more, but it turns out there are only 4,000 horses. What can that do?"

Su Shuang said unhappily, "You guy, I always tell you to read more, but you never listen. Otherwise, you wouldn't say such a thing."

He turned around and looked at Liu He again, saying, "Sir, do you still remember the Moda that Brother Zhang and I presented to you?"

Liu He said, "Of course I remember. Back when we were in Langtiao County, this young man stayed in our army with Chiyan Jueying and Qilinhou. He has been taking care of the war horses all these years and has been loyal to us."

Su Shuang smiled and said, "Before, there were not many war horses in the army, so this man's ability could not be fully utilized. But now that he has tens of thousands of war horses, his ability is different. This man is not only proficient in the art of horse selection, but also has a lot of experience in horse breeding. If you hand these war horses over to him to take good care of them, it won't be long before a large number of new foals are born."

Liu He's eyes lit up.

"Yes, how could I not have thought of this! Horses can give birth, and you can't just buy them. Send out an order to officially appoint Moda as the Horse Commander of our army. If you gain anything, you will be rewarded."

"Don't worry, sir. I still have something to say."

"Uncle, please speak."

Su Shuang smiled and said, "Brother Shiping and I, although it seems that we have suffered a great disaster, we are actually still alive. Most of our property has been preserved, and we have not lost the channels for purchasing war horses. As long as we have the channels, there is no need to worry about the supply of war horses."

Cheng Liang shouted happily: "Haha, father-in-law, you are the one who has the solution. I am convinced. I will ask my wife to cook a few dishes to reward you tonight."

"You guy, if I don't think of this solution, you won't let her cook for me?"

"Hahaha……"

Ye Xiang frowned again.

"But if our army is cut off from the imperial court's food and wages, I'm afraid that money and food will be much tighter than before. Purchasing war horses is extremely expensive, which is also a big problem."

Zhang Ding said nonchalantly, "What's the difficulty? Brother Wen Zhong and I are not as rich as a country, but if we give up all our family property and directly purchase war horses from some small tribes of Wuhuan and Xianbei with food and cloth, we can get 70,000 to 80,000 horses in exchange!"

"My goodness! Father-in-law, you and Uncle Zhang are really rich!"

Cheng Liang couldn't help but yelled. Guan Yu also said happily: "Father-in-law and Uncle Su, if this is possible, our cavalry will have a scale of nearly 40,000 people. Such cavalry is enough to sweep across Mobei!"

Liu He said, "No, no, no, my two uncles have a large family with so many people to feed. How can they exchange all their property for war horses for my army? Although my uncles have a selfless heart, I, Liu He, cannot be so shameless."

"Aiya, Master Liu, you and I are family, why do you have to..."

Liu He waved his hand to interrupt Zhang Ding's words.

"Okay, I'll let Liu take a long look at this matter."

Zhang Ding and Su Shuang looked at each other and realized that they could not persuade Liu He.

"Then let's do this. In addition to the 4,000 war horses we mentioned earlier, we will provide another 20,000 war horses. This is to repay Lord Liu for saving our entire family. The other is to show our sincerity in serving the country. Lord Liu, please don't refuse."

The two men looked sincere, so Liu He had no choice but to retreat.

"Well... well, I thank you two uncles. After the affairs here are settled, I will write a letter to recommend my two brothers Dexing and Yuansheng to serve as county magistrates of two of the six counties under my jurisdiction."

Zhang Su and the others were extremely surprised and hurriedly thanked Liu He.

Although they took the initiative to donate their warhorse property this time, it was not out of selfishness or to exchange for anything, but Liu He's statement also made them deeply moved and happy.

Zhen Yi, who was watching this scene, seemed to be touched.

"Brother, with 15,000 to 16,000 cavalry, my second brother's ability to lead troops is enough to handle it for a while. But there is another problem at hand, which is more urgent than the war horses."

Liu He looked at Zhang Yong and asked, "What does Fourth Brother mean?"

Zhang Yong said: "Although the imperial court has always provided us with little food and wages, once this income is cut off, it will still be a headache for us. Now we have nearly 100,000 troops, and I am afraid that the number will continue to increase in the future. Relying solely on the grain output of these counties, I am afraid that it will be stretched to the limit. If we want to go north to recover our homeland and open up wasteland, it will take more than a year and a half to get some harvest."

"Yes!" Guan Yu said, "What Mingwei said is indeed a big deal. Our army has a high intensity of training, and the soldiers consume 30% to 40% more food than ordinary armies. If we don't have enough food, how can we capture cities?"

"This is really a big trouble..." Liu He also fell silent.

"These eunuchs from aristocratic families in the court are truly a threat to the country. Sooner or later, I, Liu He, will rule the capital. Even if I don't do the rebellious act of deposing the emperor and establishing myself, I will never let these guys hinder me from behind!"

Liu He secretly made a vow in his heart.

While everyone was frowning, Zhen Yi seemed to be in high spirits.

"Don't worry, generals. I have a solution for this matter!"

Everyone looked over. Although everyone knew that Zhen Yi had an extraordinary identity after Zhang Ding and Su Shuang's introduction, no one took him seriously when discussing important matters. Now that he suddenly said that he could solve the food and grass problem of the Anmin Army, everyone was skeptical.

Instead, Su Shuang burst into laughter.

"Yes, yes, yes, how could I forget Brother Bo'an. When it comes to the trade of warhorse pig iron, Brother Shiping and I are second to none, but when it comes to the business of food, furs, lacquerware, and ceramics, the Zhen family is the leader. Brother Zhen is willing to help us out of this difficult situation, so it's no problem for us to help the Anmin Army!"

"Oh?" Liu He and others' eyes suddenly lit up.

Zhen Yi smiled and said, "Brother Wen Zhong, you are too kind. My Zhen family is just taking advantage of the benefits brought by our ancestors to do some business to support our family. Today, I am very impressed by Lord Liu's broad mind. I should help him both publicly and privately."

Liu He was overjoyed: "Sir, I am very grateful for your generous help!"

Zhang Ding asked, "I wonder how Brother Bo'an is going to help Lord Liu?"

(End of this chapter)