Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 401 Horse

Dongguan County.

Thousands of cavalrymen galloped along the foot of the mountain, followed by tens of thousands of warhorses.

The three prefectures of Xudong have a mild climate and abundant water and grass. The warhorses, fed with millet, beans and salt, have glossy coats, are plump and strong, and are tall and energetic when they run.

Even the donkeys and mules were very strong and could easily carry an unarmored soldier.

After the three counties of Xudong were recovered, the land was vast and sparsely populated. Liu Daogui simply used it as a pasture, employing Dingling, Wuhuan, and Xianbei slave households as herdsmen to specifically train warhorses.

"Not bad, not bad at all. These warhorses are definitely no worse than those of the Wei army!" Liu Daogui led a large chestnut horse and gently stroked its neck.

Wang Yuande complained: "Each warhorse eats five liters of fine feed such as beans and millet, ten catties of hay, and two ounces of salt a day. Twenty thousand horses consume 360,000 shi of grain and more than 70 million catties of hay a year! In order to feed these horses, I have mobilized tens of thousands of slave households to grow hay for them."

"So many?" Liu Daogui exclaimed in astonishment.

Thirty-six hundred thousand shi of grain could feed one hundred thousand infantrymen for a year.

This doesn't even include the cost of fodder and salt. No wonder Pengcheng didn't have much money or grain saved up; these warhorses consumed most of it.

Liu Yiwu, who was standing nearby, said, "Those barbarians on the grasslands can't even feed themselves, how can they feed their warhorses?"

"Their horses only eat grass and are as thin as people. They are also not as well-equipped as ours. Their warhorses have low load capacity and do not need to be raised so meticulously. If we raise them in the same way, my men could raise 100,000 inferior horses."

Given his current financial resources, Wang Yuande's ability to raise over 20,000 fine horses is already quite remarkable.

"A craftsman must first have the right tools if he wants to do his work well. Our Han cavalry is naturally different from the rabble of the grasslands. If we win this northern expedition, Yuan De will be the one to make the greatest contribution!" Liu Daogui praised.

Guanzhong is different from the Central Plains; it doesn't have as many rivers and canals. Apart from the Wei River, other waterways cannot support large warships, limiting the role of the navy.

This battle also requires consideration of the Northern Wei, as Tuoba Si will certainly not sit idly by, so everyone must have a strong cavalry force at their disposal.

"If we can recover the Central Plains, it will be worth it even if I die a thousand deaths," Wang Yuande suddenly exclaimed.

Oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet oranges, while those grown north of the Huai River are bitter oranges.

Both being members of the Wang clan of Taiyuan, their situations in Jiangzuo (southern China) and the north were worlds apart.

Compared to people like Wang Gong and Wang Guobao, Wang Yuande was the true scholar, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and possessing a strong sense of patriotism.

"We won't have to be shattered to pieces; the Northern Expedition will surely be victorious!"

Liu Daogui and his steadfastness.

Times have changed. Since his brothers came to power, China has been revitalized through foreign conquests and domestic territorial disputes, producing a great number of famous generals and ministers.

Meanwhile, the fortunes of the Hu people were generally declining.

Liu Daogui vaguely felt that this Northern Expedition was different from the past. It was the last counterattack of China. If they won, the recovery of China would no longer be an empty slogan.

If they were to lose, they might never have another chance, and the morale of the Jin people would be completely shattered.

Once a new hegemon emerges in the north, the southern kingdom will come to an end.

Therefore, Liu Yu and Liu Daogui went all out in this battle, and the various contradictions within the Jin dynasty temporarily disappeared. The court, the country, and all the armies, both inside and outside the court, focused their energy on the Northern Expedition.

Pengcheng, Guangling, Jiankang, Xiangyang, and Xuchang are all preparing for war.

The government was doing this, and so were the common people. Every day, respectable young men of sixteen or seventeen years old would block the front of the military office, asking when soldiers would be conscripted. Many slave households would also offer up grain and livestock, hoping to become civilians after the Northern Expedition succeeded.

Liu Daogui implemented a four-tiered social system, which benefited the people of Jin the most and made them the most supporters.

The slave households were even more enthusiastic about the Northern Expedition than the common households. Only through war could they rise above their station and become commoners. Although the slave households had the word "slave" in their name, their lives were not actually bad. At least they could eat every day, which was much better than under the rule of the Zhai Wei, Later Yan, and Southern Yan.

Fifteen years later, they became ordinary citizens and had no more resentment.

The only ones who suffered the most were the lowly households, who were basically military slaves and serfs, working day and night just to fill their stomachs.

Before we knew it, autumn had arrived.

Although some counties and prefectures in Puyang and Jibei suffered from drought, the Huai River basin and the Jianghan Plain had a bumper harvest.

After being dried, cartloads of rice were sent to the granary, while the straw was piled up and stored. It could be used as fuel, fodder for cattle and horses, and to help soldiers get through the winter.

While Liu Daogui was still taking inventory of the granaries, a scout rushed over and reported: "Yao Shuode has led 40,000 infantry and cavalry out of Tongguan to attack Hongnong, and Yao Xing has personally led 50,000 troops into Huayin."

"You scoundrel Yao Xing, how dare you attack me!" Liu Yiwu roared in fury, his scars trembling, revealing his vicious nature.

Wang Yuande said, "Yao Xing must have received the news and decided to strike first."

With the Jin dynasty making such a big commotion and mobilizing everywhere, Yao Xing couldn't possibly have been unaware of it.

"No need to get excited, it's just a bluff," Liu Daogui said calmly.

"How did Father know he was just bluffing?" Liu Yiwu asked curiously.

"He doesn't even dare to fight a single state like Qiuchi, how dare he come out of the pass to fight me? Don't forget that Liu Bobo is also watching us from the north. If Yao Xing dares to make a move, Liu Bobo will definitely invade Guanzhong. Yao Xing has made such a big show of force just to disrupt our rhythm. We don't need to pay attention to him."

Yao Xing was a capable administrator, but his military skills were abysmal. The Battle of Chai Bi was crucial to the fate of the Qin state, yet he chose to stand idly by and watch 40,000 elite troops be annihilated...

We dared not engage in a decisive battle back then, and we dare even less now.

Hongnong has the Zhu brothers, Lingshi and Chaoshi, and Luoyang has Mao Dezhu; there's absolutely no problem stopping them.

Sure enough, two days later, the scouts brought back news that Yao Shude had pretended to surround Hongnong City, fired a few arrows, and then obediently withdrew his troops.

But after the Qin army retreated, the Wei army came again. Changsun Fei and Daxi Jin led 30,000 cavalry to Pingyuan County, harassing Qing and Yan provinces. Their cavalry even infiltrated into the Huai and Si rivers and entered Lu County.

Judging from this action, the State of Wei certainly did not want to see the State of Qin destroyed.

Even if no agreement was reached between the two countries, a tacit understanding must have been formed.

"It is impolite not to reciprocate!" Liu Daogui disregarded the previous alliance, summoned the Tiger Guard Army, the Fubing Army, and the Yicong Army, forming six infantry and cavalry units, each with three thousand men. They boarded naval warships, entered the Yellow River through the Huan Gong Canal, entered Liyang, and marched into Hebei.

In recent years, under the rule of Tuoba Si, Hebei has also recovered some vitality, and its population has increased significantly.

Many tribes migrated south to Anping, Hejian, Qinghe, Weijun, Julu and other counties.

It was autumn, a time when horses were plump and ready to graze. Since Wei had made the first move, Liu Daogui didn't need to be polite to them.

The banks of the Yellow River were ablaze with the glint of swords.

The Han soldiers, riding their warhorses, were in no way inferior to the Hu people. Moreover, Liu Daogui's horses were fed the finest food every day, making them even stronger than the Hu horses, and they moved swiftly through Hebei.

If the Wei army comes in small numbers, they will be wiped out in one fell swoop.

Many who came had already fled.

The Wei Kingdom certainly had elite cavalry, but they were all following Tuoba Si to eat in Yunzhong County and could not catch up in a short time.

In less than a month, livestock, grain, and prisoners were transported back to Pengcheng in an endless stream by Cao Ji's cargo ships.

(End of this chapter)