Top-notch Little Horseman

"What did you say?!"

Cao Bucun's face was full of anger, and he was furious.

"Of the more than 30,000 warhorses in the northern border, a large number have suddenly fallen ill, and no fewer than 2,000 have already died."

"The army doctors were at a loss, saying... they were afraid it was a plague!"

Upon hearing the soldier's words, everyone became restless.

"If the Northern Barbarian cavalry were to break through the pass at this time, it would be a real problem!" General Yunheqiao said to Cao Bucun.

Jin Qiaohui looked at Cao Bucun with urgency and said, "Governor, the warhorses must not be damaged. Quickly request reinforcements from Beiping City and ask the Beiping Prefecture to send a better veterinarian. The sooner the better."

"If we delay any longer, the cavalry will become infantry."

Yunheqiao nodded repeatedly and said, "That's right! Your Excellency, I also have five hundred warhorses under my command. They are all fine steeds that I bought from beyond the Great Wall at a high price. Each one is worth ten others."

"If these warhorses are lost, then half of the elite troops at Yanmen Pass will be rendered useless."

He said it very bluntly.

Everyone present understood that Yunheqiao was not referring to the border army's warhorses, but rather his own family's warhorses.

During the late Qin Dynasty, military commanders embezzled government funds to maintain their private armies, which were well-equipped and well-fed, while ordinary soldiers went months without receiving their pay and suffered from food and clothing shortages.

Yunhe Bridge was anxious for his own private soldiers, not for the border troops who were eating thin porridge.

Cao Bucun slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Enough! I'll figure out a way to deal with the warhorses!"

"Our warhorses are suffering from an epidemic, and we don't have enough military doctors. We request that Beiping (Beijing) send more military doctors!"

"The warhorses absolutely cannot have any problems. The Beiping government naturally knows this, and will definitely send good military doctors over."

In a corner of the border army camp stood a man, none other than the centurion, Chen Baiquan.

He was ordered to go out of the country to patrol, and after the patrol, he came to the camp to report the situation, so he was also in the camp.

Upon hearing that the warhorse had fallen ill, he thought of someone, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Your Excellency, I know someone who might have a solution regarding the horse's condition."

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes fell on him.

"Who is it? Tell me," Cao Bucun said, looking at Chen Baiquan.

"When I was leading the warhorses out of the camp, the warhorses of the Third Horse Battalion suddenly fell ill."

"At that time, a young horse herder stepped in and treated the horse, pulling it back from the brink of death."

"I saw with my own eyes that those warhorses, which were originally foaming at the mouth and unable to stand steadily, were able to stand up and eat again in less than an hour after I administered the medicine to them."

"Judging from his technique, it is far from ordinary!"

Yunheqiao and Jinqiaohui exchanged a glance, and Yunheqiao frowned slightly: "A stable boy?"

"Commander Chen, you actually suggested letting a stable boy tend the warhorses? What if they die? Can you bear the responsibility?"

Jin Qiaohui stared intently at Chen Baiquan, his intelligent eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

"The army's veterinarians all have family traditions, and they've been treating horses for decades but they're still at a loss. What skills could a horse herder possibly have?"

"These are warhorses in the army; if something happens to them, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Chen Baiquan cupped his hands and said, "This humble general is merely reporting the facts. As for whether he truly has the ability to heal the soldiers and horses, this humble general dares not make any rash judgments."

Cao Bucun frowned, slammed his hand on the table, and said, "Alright, stop arguing here!"

"The warhorse absolutely cannot be harmed. Chen Baiquan has provided a candidate; since he has the ability to treat the warhorse, let him give it a try!"

"The army's veterinarians are no good these days. I don't know if the stable boy is any good, but this is an opportunity!"

"Of course, whether it can be cured depends on whether he dares to take on the case, but I still have to tell you, this might be our only chance of survival!"

After hearing Cao Bucun's words, everyone fell silent. If the cavalry were all turned into infantry, then there would be no need to guard the border; they could just open the gates and close them!

It seems that only by retreating can they find a way to survive.

However, if the border territories are lost, the imperial court will surely blame them, and those in charge will certainly be held accountable, and in the end, many people will likely die.

"Alright! General Yunheqiao, I'm entrusting the matter of the warhorses to you. I trust you can handle this matter well."

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, "Disperse."

Everyone got up and left, with Chen Baiquan being the last to depart.

He stood under the eaves and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The wind blew in from Anyuan County, carrying with it a mixture of horse manure, gunpowder smoke, and the smell of dried grain.

No one knew that a lowly horseman had inadvertently caught the eye of a great man.

……

The outline of Huangchen Pass drew ever closer in the setting sun.

Ye Chen led the group along the official road, and because they were riding warhorses, they were not very tired.

The area around Huangchen Pass is filled with abandoned terraced fields, like dried-up scars. There is nothing in the fields, not even a few sparse weeds.

After crossing another earthen ridge, you'll reach the Desolate Dust Pass.

Upon seeing the Desolate Dust Pass, Ye Chen frowned; it was even more dilapidated than he had imagined.

Huangchen Pass is a small city, located on the hillside beside the official road, backed by a steep earthen cliff and facing the official road.

It was described as a small city, but it was actually just a building enclosed by earthen walls, with a larger courtyard behind the walls.

The gate tower was built of stone blocks, and most of the yellow mud plaster on the outside had peeled off.

The top of the wall was covered with withered grass, and a gap had collapsed in the southwest corner of the courtyard wall, where rubble and yellow soil had piled up.

One of the gates at the checkpoint was leaning to one side, and the other was lying on the ground.

The yard was overgrown with weeds, some of which were taller than a person.

Artemisia, foxtail grass, and cocklebur huddled together, with a broken pottery jar and a rusty stirrup peeking out from the grass.

It's clear that no one has been here for a long time.

It is evident that the trampled earthen wall was breached by the Northern Barbarian cavalry.

Fortunately, the house is still there, with a main room in front and a row of side rooms on the left and right.

With enough room for fifty people, these conditions were not enough to stop the Northern Barbarians from breaching the pass.

The door to the main room was ajar, and almost all the windows in the side rooms were broken.

Ye Chen rode up, stopped in front of the gate, handed the reins to the monkey behind him, and walked straight ahead.

He walked into the courtyard, swung his sickle, and cut through the weeds in front of him, clearing a path leading to the main gate.

He pushed open the door to the main room, and a musty smell hit him.

The earthen bed was cracked, the three-legged table was leaning against the corner, and the floor was covered with a thick layer of dust.

"Captain! There's water here!" came the monkey's excited shout from the yard.

Outside the east wall of the courtyard, a spring seeps out from a crack in the stone, forming a puddle the size of a washbasin.

The water in the puddle was clear, and moss grew along its edges.

Ye Chen turned and walked out, came to the monkey's side, squatted down, scooped up a handful, and tasted it.

It's a bit chilly and slightly astringent, but still drinkable.

Qin Mengyao stood in front of the courtyard, her gaze sweeping over the dilapidated house before finally settling on the broken pottery jar lying askew on the ground.

She bent down and lifted the earthenware jar.