Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 57 Willing to Die for the General
In the evening, Su Wu appeared on the parade ground again, with two horses and two sets of armor. Luan Tingyu and Su Wu put on their armor.

Luan Tingyu began to teach again: "General, if you really fight in a battle, you must remember one thing, killing is not the purpose, disrupting the enemy's formation is the main thing. So, when charging, you must keep the formation tight. No matter what happens, you must not stop riding. As long as you keep riding and break through the enemy's formation, you will win a great victory. Once the horse and infantry are trapped in the formation and stop, the game is over..."

"If we meet on a narrow road, or if we fight head-on, that's what we're going to teach you today. We'll start by teaching you how to fight two horses head-on, and then we'll teach you how to fight left and right, and even how to fight side by side, and how to fight front and back... The so-called fight means there's only one way, and the two horses will cross in an instant, so you have to be steady, accurate, and ruthless. I'll just practice more with the general on this matter..."

Su Wu listened very seriously and nodded repeatedly, but he also asked: "Is there a big difference between fighting with a spear on foot and fighting with a spear on horseback?"

Luan Tingyu nodded: "General, you really learned from this. I think you have already had some thoughts. Why don't you speak them out?"

Su Wu continued, "Two horses charging at each other with spears is steady, accurate and ruthless, but fighting on foot allows for many dodging and maneuvers, and also allows for many tricks and even ways to deceive the enemy."

Luan Tingyu was pleased: "General, you are right, that's exactly the truth."

Su Wu thought of Dong Ping in the city gate that day, and said, "I think a good horse that suits the master's heart is also very important. If there is such a horse, it may increase the master's combat power by at least 20%."

Luan Tingyu was a little surprised, but he nodded: "The general really understands it."

horse!
When Su Wu thought of this, he also had some thoughts, but he didn't think too much about it. He just said to Luan Tingyu: "Master Luan, let's try the feeling of two horses rushing against each other first."

"I'll get the wooden pole." Luan Tingyu turned his horse and went to get the wooden pole from the weapon rack beside him, even though he didn't have a spear to fight back.

This kind of confrontation tests one's senses extremely, including one's own horse speed, the opponent's horse speed, the prediction of the opponent's spear attack, and the timing of one's own spear attack.

This is something that requires a lot of experimentation and practice. Fortunately, there is a top figure like Luan Tingyu to practice with Su Wu, which is really a blessing.

Just look at the two men riding their horses, charging back and forth on the parade ground.

From time to time, Luan Tingyu would shout, "General, you are too slow to draw your gun."

"General, it's too early again..."

"It's still a little early. General, you are nervous. You need to be calm and composed. This kind of confrontation is extremely dangerous. Life and death depend on a split second..."

Just look at Su Wu taking a few deep breaths on horseback, and then the horse starts galloping, and Luan Tingyu also comes over from the opposite side.

Looking at the two horses galloping and staggering, a moment later, Luan Tingyu looked down at his breastplate and shouted, "Just right! The general is truly gifted."

"Master Luan asked me to..."

"I'm not asking you to do this, but I'm letting you feel the timing first. Later, I'll use my own skills and teach you how to crack them one by one..."

Su Wu nodded, thinking that Luan Tingyu was a really good teacher with rich teaching experience.

The two of them rode their horses back and forth on the parade ground, and an hour passed quickly.

After the two of them had packed up, Su Wu took Luan Tingyu out to eat and also to look for someone.

The person we are looking for is Yu Baosi, the carriage and horse traveler. This guy is honest now and has passed a small test, so he can be basically trusted.

After finding Yu Baosi, the three of them found a tavern on the street and sat down.

Yu Baosi was busy pouring tea and wine, and when the dishes were ready, Su Wu raised his glass and said, "Please!"

Luan Tingyu drank it in one gulp, while Yu Baosi was still a little hesitant, but of course he also drank it all in one gulp.

Su Wu saw Yu Baosi's anxiety, so he didn't wait any longer and asked directly, "How is your horse business?"

Yu Baosi immediately replied: "General, it's not bad."

"How many horses come from the north in a year?" Su Wu asked again.

"Well, when the going is good, there are at least seventy to eighty horses a year. When the going is bad, thirty to fifty horses is not a small number." Yu Baosi answered honestly.

Su Wu was somewhat disappointed.

What is a horse? In the military, it is an extremely important strategic material. An army without horses, even if it is very elite, may suffer fewer defeats, but it will never win a great victory.

Horses represent an army's mobility, its ability to control tactical vision, and even the upper limit of a unit's success.

The Northern Song Dynasty was nearing its end at this time, and there was an extreme shortage of horses. For example, among the 5,000 soldiers registered in Dongping Prefecture, there were only 100 or 200 truly usable war horses.

Others include mules, donkeys, and even cows. The same is true for Suo Chao's subordinates.

On the northwest side, the Western Army had slightly more war horses, but not much more.

What is the speed of information transmission?

What is a horse to ordinary people? A luxury, a symbol of status, a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Su Wu thought that Yu Baosi was doing a big business in this business, but he only bought a few dozen horses a year, so he asked again: "What is the price of the horses coming from the north now?"

Yu Baosi just said honestly: "A poor horse costs about 60 to 70 strings of cash, and a decent and healthy horse costs about 100 strings of cash."

Su Wu nodded. This was the price, the price of a Ferrari. The horses sold by Yu Baosi were mainly from the Liao Kingdom.

The Liao Kingdom now has a very large sphere of influence. From the white mountains and black waters in the northeast to the vast grasslands, all are considered to be within the Liao Kingdom's sphere of influence. The Liao Kingdom really has no shortage of horses.

It’s just that smuggling is a high-risk business, with many checkpoints and a long chain of interests, so the price should naturally be that way.

As for the local horses in the Song Dynasty, firstly, there is a lack of real horse-raising land, and secondly, the horse management has been a mess after several successive changes, so there is basically no hope.

"I want a lot of horses!" Su Wu said directly.

Yu Baosi was not surprised, he just asked: "How much does the general want?"

"Now, there are at least one thousand horses, and the more the better in the future." Su Wu was sure of one thing. If he had more than five hundred truly elite cavalrymen under his command, he could really march sideways between these provinces.

So, one thousand horses was the starting price, and it was the first step Su Wu took towards achieving great things.

Yu Baosi was suddenly shocked: "One thousand horses? That's one hundred thousand strings of cash..."

Su Wu also scratched his head. A thousand horses cost 100,000 strings of cash, and that was just the price of the horses, not including the cost of feeding and maintenance. Healthy horses and war horses needed to eat very well, and the cost was several times more than that of human food.

"You don't have to think too much about the money. The only question is whether you can get it." Su Wu thought of this as the way.

Yu Baosi shook his head repeatedly: "I really... don't have such great ability. If I can only produce 100 horses a year, I may be able to do it for the general even if I use all my strength. But for 1,000 horses, I..."

Yu Baosi's face was full of embarrassment and a bit of flattering, begging for mercy.

Su Wu was even more disappointed, but he also knew that this was a very troublesome matter, after all, it was smuggling. But Su Wu asked again: "Do you know anyone around you who can afford such a large amount? It cannot be delayed for too long, it must be available within three months at most."

Yu Baosi shook his head directly: "No one can accomplish this!"

This makes sense. The number is really too large, and if it is delayed for several years, it will not make much sense.

Su Wu suddenly thought of someone and asked, "Does Lu Junyi of Daming Prefecture also have this ability?"

Yu Baosi hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "Hebei Yu Qilin is well-known and has a big business. If you give him two years to slowly take his time, maybe he can succeed. But in three months, it will definitely not work."

"What if I add money?" This was the last solution Su Wu could think of.

"It's not necessarily a matter of adding money. If it requires people to take risks... I wonder if the general knows the Hebei Jade Unicorn?" Yu Baosi asked cleverly.

Su Wu then understood that perhaps the matter of adding money was not that important, and favors were more important.

Lu Junyi has a channel for trading horses, but this channel must have a safety factor. If it exceeds this safety factor and something goes wrong, the loss will be small but the entire channel will be ruined.

So...it seems that it won't work.

Unless there is this favor! Lu Junyi had to repay the favor and risked his life.

Su Wu nodded and said something else: "Yu Baosi..."

"I'm here." Yu Baosi said respectfully.

"From now on, you can continue to do the horse trading business. I will take whatever you bring in, and I will settle with you for 10% of the market price. But you also have to help me with some things. You have a lot of manpower under your command. From now on, the feeding of the horses in the army, as well as the prevention and control of diseases and horse breeding, will all be in your hands. This is also a business, and this business is yours."

Su Wu knew that talent was the most important thing, and Yu Baosi was a talent in the horse business. Doing livestock business, especially with precious livestock like horses, was actually extremely risky.

There is an old saying that a family with hair does not count if it is rich. Yu Baosi can make a living in this field. He must be an expert in everything from horse selection to maintenance and feeding to disease prevention.

Cavalry is also more important. No matter who you are fighting with, if you have an elite cavalry, you will laugh even in your dreams.

Now, cavalry is Su Wu's dream.

This dream has to come true.

Yu Baosi stood up and bowed, saying, "I am willing to die for you, General!"

"Have a drink, have a drink..." Su Wu was quite polite.

(End of this chapter)