Top-notch Little Horseman

Ye Chen understood.

Chen Baiquan wanted him to stay at the Right Guard Post, but he was afraid that the General would try to take him away.

"General Chen, rest assured, I will keep it in mind."

Luo Kai led Lin Chen into the camp, where they saw two people sitting inside.

One of them was General Yunhe Bridge, and the other was Governor-General Cao Bucun.

Cao Bucun sat to the side, seemingly oblivious to Ye Chen, slowly blowing away the foam from his teacup and taking a small sip.

When Yunheqiao saw Ye Chen walk in, his gaze narrowed and swept over Ye Chen.

"Your Excellency Governor, Your Excellency Commander, this man is Ye Chen, a horseman from the Third Cavalry Battalion of the Right Guard." Luo Kai stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting to the two officials.

Cao Bu put down his teacup and his gaze fell on Ye Chen.

He looked the man up and down. He was wearing a short, coarse blue cloth and thick-soled cloth shoes with yellow dirt on the surface. The left side of the shoe was worn through.

His face was clean, with thick, dark eyebrows, bright eyes, and a mole on the right corner of his eyebrow.

People stand upright, without bending over, bowing their heads, or looking around.

It looks pretty good overall, but I don't know if it really has the ability to manage horses.

"You are Ye Chen?" Yun Heqiao asked, raising his eyes slightly.

"Your Excellency, I am Ye Chen!" Ye Chen bowed respectfully, neither humble nor arrogant.

"General Chen said you can manage horses?" Yunheqiao asked again.

"I know a little," Ye Chen replied.

"Hehe, all five hundred of my military horses are fine steeds that I bought. Now more than half of them are sick, and even the army's veterinarians are helpless. Are you really confident?" Yunheqiao said in a somewhat serious tone.

Ye Chen paused for a moment before speaking, "Reporting to the General, the art of horse medicine emphasizes observation, listening, questioning, and palpation."

"Observe his spirit, smell his breath, inquire about his symptoms, and feel his pulse."

"I need to see the military horses in person before I can make a conclusion about their illness."

"I know a little bit about horses, and I will do my best to manage them this time."

Ye Chen spoke with perfect discretion. He neither patted his chest and said that he could definitely cure it, nor did he hesitate and say that it could not be treated. Instead, he said that he would need to examine the patient before he could make a judgment.

Yun Qiaohe nodded slightly. He had seen too many people in front of him who were either too nervous to speak or who boasted and made promises they couldn't keep. They were all unreliable.

Young people like Ye Chen, who are neither arrogant nor humble and whose words are appropriate, are rare.

He looked at Chen Baiquan and nodded slightly, saying, "If he can truly cure the warhorse, I, the general, will award you a great merit!"

He looked at Ye Chen again and continued, "Warhorses are the lifeblood of our border army camp. Of the five hundred warhorses, more than fifty have died so far."

"I'm warning you, if you kill the remaining warhorses, it won't be as simple as just being driven away."

"Whether you dare to treat it or not, you need to think it through. Rewards aren't so easily earned."

We should try to be courteous first, then resort to force. If Ye Chen can't cure the illness, he'll be held accountable.

Ye Chen cupped his hands and said, "Warhorses are the lifeblood of cavalry. General Yun's concerns are understandable. Whether or not they can be cured, we need to take a look at Ma Peng first before we can draw a conclusion."

Hearing Ye Chen's words, Yun Qiaohe nodded slightly: "That's right, we still need to see the warhorse before we can talk about anything else."

At least Ye Chen hasn't made any boastful claims yet, which has given Yunqiaohe hope.

The military camp at Yunhe Bridge was located on a plateau five miles south of the main camp of the border army. The gray-yellow camp walls undulated along the terrain, and a faded cloud-character flag hung on the flagpole in the camp, fluttering in the northwest wind.

As the commander-in-chief of the border army camp, he commanded 30,000 men and was a true general with real power.

The total military strength in the northern border is about 500,000, of which 300,000 are stationed in the border army camp. Of course, this 300,000 does not refer to the troops stationed in the border army camp, but to the troops along the entire border defense line, including the Yannan Pass Right Guard where Ye Chen is stationed.

There were 100,000 troops stationed in the border army camp, including three generals, and Yunheqiao was one of them.

According to modern military organization, Yunheqiao would definitely be considered a commander-in-chief, a commander of three armies in one region!

Ye Chen was just a horse herder, not even an ordinary soldier, yet he had the opportunity to talk to a commander of the three armies, which was quite extraordinary.

Outside the camp wall was a horse pasture, empty and desolate, with clumps of dried horse manure scattered on the ground, and withered grass trampled beyond recognition.

There was an arrow tower on each side of the camp gate. When the soldiers stationed on it saw the flag of Yunhe Bridge, they blew their horns from afar, and the camp gate creaked open.

The Yunheqiao horse farm is larger than the entire Third Horse Camp; indeed, there's no comparison between different levels.

The Right Guard Post at Yanmen Pass is far superior to the main border army camp, as can be seen from this horse ranch.

Yunheqiao rode his horse at the front, Luo Kai followed half a horse length behind him, and Ye Chen walked beside Luo Kai.

Ye Chen was riding a fine horse selected from the Third Horse Camp, but compared to the warhorses of Yunhe Bridge, it was far inferior, appearing short and thin.

Chen Baiquan also came along.

He was initially worried that Ye Chen, who had never seen a big stage, would be intimidated, but now it seems that this young man is not only not intimidated, but also knows how to read people and treat them accordingly.

Luo Kai deliberately slowed down his horse to ride alongside Ye Chen before leaning close to Ye Chen and whispering, "Brother Ye, be careful when we get to the stables."

"Those warhorses were seriously ill. Several old veterinarians in the army tried countless remedies, but they couldn't save a single one."

Ye Chen glanced at Luo Kai and could tell that the other man was genuinely worried about him.

"Don't worry, Luo Liangkun!" Ye Chen said softly, "Thank you for reminding me. I'll check the symptoms once we get to the stable!"

The ground in the military camp was yellow earth that had been trampled countless times and was harder than stone, but it still stirred up dust when the wind blew.

The archery target by the training ground had several holes that no one had patched, and half of the straw on the scarecrow had been blown away by the wind, revealing the bare wooden frame inside.

A row of barracks stretched along the camp wall, with sparse tiles on the roofs and in some places just dry grass laid down with stones.

Several soldiers squatted at the entrance of the barracks, wiping their knives. Their armor was tattered and rusty, and their leather straps were spliced ​​together with hemp rope.

Everyone was pale and emaciated, with high cheekbones and lifeless eyes, like walking corpses.

Their knife-wiping movements were sluggish, as if they were so hungry they couldn't even lift their arms.

Seeing Yunheqiao ride over on horseback, they all hurriedly stood up and bowed, then continued to squat down to wipe their knives.

On the other side of the training ground, Yunhe Bridge's personal guards and his private bodyguards presented a completely different picture.

There were only about a hundred of them, all dressed in bright armor, their metal plates gleaming, and their leather boots clattering on the ground.

He was tall and strong, with broad shoulders. The sword he carried at his waist was longer than that of an ordinary soldier, and the copper band on the scabbard gleamed in the sunlight.

They were practicing with swords and shields, their steps synchronized as they advanced and retreated, their shouts loud and clear.

Seeing them, Ye Chen recalled the words Liang Biao had said that night at Huangchen Pass.