Late Ming Dynasty: Conquering the world starting from riding and cutting

There is such a magical island on the Ryukyu Islands in the Western Pacific. It is the rice-producing area of ​​Ryukyu and the place with the richest aquatic plants. In the 11th century, the rice grains and military horses here were spread to the Ming Dynasty and Japan.

This is Kume Island, known as the "Sea Island". The Otake Hills area in the center is the richest and gently undulating plain hilly area on Kume Island.

Its range is approximately 55 kilometers long from northwest to southeast and 30 kilometers wide from northeast to southwest, and is oval in shape. It stands on a gentle hill with an altitude of 100-150 meters, surrounded by steep cliffs with a height of 1,100 meters. The top undulates gently from northwest to southeast, with the highest point 1,827 meters.

The average annual rainfall in the Kumejima mountainous area is 4,743 mm, making it the rainiest area in Ryukyu. The water system formed by abundant precipitation merges into the Beiyuan River and Zhongbo River and flows into the Western Pacific. Due to the abundant rainfall here, pasture is one of its specialties.

, ever since Qin Hao's trade came, Kume Island has become Qin Hao's personal property. As for the war horses of the Ryukyu King and his son, they all belong to Shuntian Camp.

The ranch that Qin Hao appointed Yan Yi to run is located here. A large number of horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and other large livestock are grazed here. Livestock farms and vegetable gardens are dotted here.

Qin Hao took a river-sea vessel like a brigantine and sailed upstream along Ryukyu's inland waterway to patrol his territory.

With a land area of ​​about 30,000 square kilometers, to the west is the distant American continent, to the north is Japan's Kyushu Island, to the east is the Ming Dynasty's Chief Secretary of Shandong, and to the south is the Ryukyu Islands. Kume Island is surrounded by such a Surrounding land.

Under the escort of the brig gunboat, Qin Hao and his party soon met Yan Yi who came to greet them.

Thanks to Yan Yi's painstaking management for more than half a year, and the Sanhe war horses sent from Keelung not long ago, the Dayue Mountain area on Kume Island has become a huge pasture.

Herds of horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs, large and small, appear in pastures. The Sanhe horses galloping on the mountain grasslands, blown by the strong wind, their long manes are as graceful as the sails of a warship on the sea.

The herdsmen swung their long whips, whistled, and roared to drive the horses, cattle and sheep to and grazing in a clump of jungle trees.

"My lord, it's windy here. You'd better go to the house at the racecourse to rest for a while before going out to watch the horses." Seeing Qin Hao's eyes unblinking, he stared at the horses that were as bright as the clouds in the sky. , Yan Yi couldn't help but feel bursts of pride.

Qin Hao's face was filled with endless smiles, and his eyebrows were filled with joy. Looking at his dark complexion, he slapped Yan Yi hard on the shoulder, "Yan Yi! Good job!"

Although it is inseparable from Keelung's great help, it is not easy for him to achieve such achievements in such a short period of time.

Nowadays, in the Otake Mountain area of ​​Kume Island, thanks to the livestock farm and the blessing of corn grass, most of the Ryukyu people and some Japanese poor people here are employed by the livestock farm and become laborers and herders here.

Thanks to the establishment of the ranch, they finally no longer have to go back to growing sugar cane and fishing!

"According to the instructions of the lord, we not only carry out animal husbandry here, but also plant a large number of cash crops, which are used in exchange for property, food, salt, cloth, ironware, etc. to make up for the lack of initial investment." Pointing to the cardamom in the distance, Regarding crops such as cocoa and tobacco, Yan Yi proudly introduced his situation to Qin Hao.

"What's the number of mules and horses?"

Qin Hao is not willing to listen to Yan Yi's approach to developing large-scale agriculture. This is the experience that Japan will need in the future, and it is not suitable here.

The purpose of his visit was simple, to see how many horses and mules he had on Kume Island that could be used to build the industrial system and military power.

"At present, there are more than 5,000 mules, more than 1,000 donkeys, and nearly 10,000 horses of various types, of which more than 3,000 can be used as military horses and for riders. The rest can only be used as draft horses and horses. workhorse....."

"Stop! Stop talking!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Hao's face suddenly became gloomy.

Obviously, this number is seriously inconsistent with the number of horses he handed over to Yan Yi.

More than 10 times more!

There is simply one sky and one underground. Even if the horses can reproduce for a season, they will not be able to get so many.

Mules and horses are not dogs, so how can they give birth to seven or eight pups in a litter?

This doesn’t even overwhelm the mare to death, the stallion is exhausted!

Even if Yan Yi privately purchased or plundered these nearly 20,000 mules, horses and donkeys of various types, they were not so easy to obtain!

"Tell me, where do these horses and mules come from? If you dare to cheat, hum! The three-foot military law is just for you! You can do it yourself."

As soon as Qin Hao said this, a group of guards, law enforcement officers, etc. who came with Qin Hao immediately took out their swords and prepared to wait for Qin Hao's next order. Should they tie up this guy who looked like a slippery guy at first glance, and then Sent to prison to spend the rest of his life.

"Lord! Everything I say is true. If you don't believe me, you can ask anyone in this horse farm and ask them to tell you how many mules, horses and donkeys there are in this horse farm with a radius of hundreds of miles!?" Yan Yi was almost speechless with fright, and casually pulled a middle-aged man over.

The person who was pulled over tremblingly was a ranch veterinarian. With Qin Hao's permission, he also spoke for Yan Yi: "General, this place is rich in water and grass, which is indeed suitable for raising horses, and you have come from thousands of miles away to find them. The corn grass is a useful tool for raising horses. Master Yan is indeed working hard and conscientiously to raise horses here, and he does not dare to slack off at all. I hope the general will understand. "

Seeing this man wearing a white robe with a silk handkerchief wrapped around his head, Qin Hao asked, "Are you from Ryukyu?"

"To tell you, General, I am a Ryukyu native named Naglai, and I am currently the resident veterinarian at the livestock farm."

"According to what you said, what Cai Yanyi said just now is not entirely untrue?"

"Exactly, the general doesn't come here, so he doesn't know the situation here. In this Kume Island, there are not only the livestock farm run by Master Yan, but also Master Huangshan who you sent to train the horse team here.

If Mr. Yan talks nonsense, Mr. Huang may not be able to cover it up. Besides, the output has always been concealed in order to give oneself a way out. If the output is falsely reported, more harvest will be turned over. Will this be of any benefit to the ranch? "Shang Lai not only made suggestions for Qin Hao, but also cleared Yan Yi's name.

Qin Hao felt a wry smile in his heart. How did you know that we have experienced a yield of 100,000 kilograms per mu?

Falsifying high output is also a shortcut to promotion. It is said that numbers will produce cadres, and cadres will produce numbers.

"That's fine, just ask Huangshan to reply. Yan Yi, where has this Huang Daying Officer gone?"

This Huangshan was a student of the third term of the Army Academy. Qin Hao had a deep memory of the first three terms because he only led the third term of the Army.

Later, when there was no time, he handed it over to Han Xian to continue teaching, and he himself became the halo of an honorary principal.

And this Huangshan was the most dazzling guy among the three phases, and also the guy who gave him the most headaches. Huangshan was a Mongolian descendant who lived in the Ming Dynasty. He was naturally lively. After graduation, Qin Hao sent him to work at the racecourse.

It's been half a year since he came here, and I don't know what his temper is like lately, but I miss him a lot.

A rocket exploded in the air, and after a while, another one exploded.

After a while, in the forest far to the east of Dayue Mountain, a rocket also rose into the sky, followed closely by another one.

"Huang Yingguan led the cavalry to practice there. It is only a few dozen miles away from here and will be there in a moment."

As they spoke, everyone felt that the ground beneath their feet suddenly began to tremble abnormally, followed by waves of low sound of horse hooves, approaching from far away.

Suddenly, at the bend of the mountain road leading from the foot of the east mountain to the racecourse, a group of people and horses crashed out.

A rider galloped in front, followed closely by two guards on horseback. One of them held a recognition flag high in his hand. The flag was being torn by the wind, and the writing on the flag could not be clearly seen. .

Behind the three people, there were rows of riders, ten people in a row. They adjusted slightly as the width of the road changed, but as soon as the road conditions permitted, they left and returned to ten people in a row.

After about a dozen columns of riders, there was a cavalcade of less-organized horses, sweeping in like a red cloud. The horses were either wearing girdle bridles or holding harnesses.

Obviously, these horses were used to replace the riders in front, or they were used as draft horses in the camp to pull carts and artillery.

Behind them are more horses, all of which have neither girdle nor harness on their backs, and even less bridles.

Groups of them, one on top of another, spread along the road like floods breaking through embankments.

There are riders at the front, back and left of the horse herd, waving their long whips, and driving the horses that have strayed away from the group from time to time back into the herd. The sound of shouts, the neighing of the horses, and the sound of horse hooves can be heard continuously. The thunderous sound of hoofs can be seen from time to time. to the grass clippings and dirt picked up by the shoes.

After the large group of horses, dozens of columns of knights came side by side. In the middle of their ranks, there were more than a dozen baggage carts and seven or eight eight-pound and ten-pound steel cannons.

"What a good man!"

Seeing such a majestic scene, Qin Hao couldn't help but express his feelings. This was more thirst-quenching than looking at any beauty.

This is how a man should be when he is born in heaven and earth!

"I've seen it, my lord!"

Huangshan, who commanded two cavalry battalions, had only more than a thousand men under his command, but he seemed to be the leader of a new unit in Qin Hao's hands.

At this moment, he was introducing his experience of horse team training and horse selection to Qin Hao in high spirits: "Horses are divided into four categories: war horses, riding horses, pack horses, and draft horses."

"What you mentioned about the soybeans for various types of war horses. Based on the physical exertion of the four types of horses mentioned above, make a statistics. How many soybeans does each horse need to consume every day? Write a statement and I will ask you to do so. Zhuge Xuan's Husi will still be allocated to you. Now that the water channel to the north has been opened, the transportation of all kinds of personnel and materials is very convenient. As long as you can train the cavalry well, I will give you as much food as you need!"

Thanks to corn grass, horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and fish all receive the best main feed. On this basis, the pressure to increase nutrition for military horses is much less. Just add some more soybeans.

"Now can you tell me how the numbers of these mules and horses came about?" Seeing that the number of horses and soldiers in the camp was not fabricated, Qin Hao couldn't help but feel happy. He felt better and his expression and demeanor naturally relaxed a lot. , asked everyone with a smile on his face.

"My lord, speaking of the Otake Mountain District of Kume Island, it is indeed a good place to raise horses, cattle and pigs. It has rich water and grass, and there are no other wild animals. However, the number of military horses has increased so sharply. In addition to the favorable time and place, It also depends on everyone’s efforts.”

"Who?!" Qin Hao couldn't help but be a little curious that there was such a special person under his command.

"Go and invite Lao Guan." In the shed of the livestock farm, Yan Yi, as the leader of the field, naturally had the duty to invite his subordinates to bring in the secret book in their hands - a certain expert. .

After a while, there was a burst of pushing and shoving outside the door, and a man appeared at the door tremblingly under the push and pull of everyone.

"Laoguan, please tell the general about your unique skills." Yan Yi encouraged the old horseman who had just entered.

The old man who was called Lao Guan looked up with a trembling heart, and murmured a few words in his mouth, "It looks nothing like the man-eating devil that people say! He is actually a white-faced scholar. He looks soft and frail, but he is General."

Just when Lao Guan was puzzled, Yan Yi stepped forward and kicked him again, "Why don't you tell me quickly!".

"Ouch! I said, I said, please stop beating me." Lao Guan touched his buttocks and begged for mercy.

"This old guy is a scalper. If you don't beat him, he's not honest."

Yan Yi looked at Qin Hao and explained that he was afraid that his master would blame him for not caring about his subordinates, but Qin Hao didn't say anything.

"Since the adults are interested, if you don't think this matter is dirty and dirty, I can tell you one by one."

The Laoguan family has been raising horses for generations, and they have an exclusive secret of matching horses to breeders. He relied on this secret to make a lot of extra money for himself using the resources at hand. Later, Kumejima Ranch was established, and he was naturally "recruited" To do the work of the horses.

"This kind of horse enjoys noble treatment. I have to feed it an egg, three pounds of wheat germ, one pound of wolfberry, and three or two ginseng every day."

This is more valuable than human food!

"The next thing is critical! I built a wooden frame with wood, led the docile mare into the wooden frame, wrapped the base of the tail with a bandage, and tied it to the left side of the horse's body with a rope to expose the secret door. , wash the horse's outer door and buttocks with clean warm water. If the mare is prone to kicking, a foothold should be installed to prevent the stallion from being kicked.

At the same time, in order to prevent the male horse from biting the female horse's neck, a sack must be placed on the nape of the female horse's neck. In this way, even if the male horse bites, it will not cause harm to the female horse.

Before mating, lead the male horse around the mare once or twice to see how he likes it, and then lead him to the rear of the mare. When the stallion climbs, if you find that the direction, position, or angle of the horse's head is wrong, you should gently correct the horse's head with your hands and introduce it into the mare's body. If the male horse is larger than the female horse, the standing position of the female horse should be raised to prevent the stallion's rectal rupture and death from direct penetration. "

"In addition, you can also dilute the raw materials collected from male horses with water and then distribute them to mares. After the diluted liquid is diluted, you can give it to several or even a dozen mares! Let them conceive ponies!

A stallion can be mated to many mares by spraying it once, but it must be mated within a day or two, otherwise it will be ineffective.

Therefore, in one breeding season, one stallion can impregnate at least one hundred or even thousands of mares, which is several to dozens of times larger than natural mating. "

Artificial infusion! Unexpectedly, this is Laoguan’s unique secret recipe!

Qin Hao closed the account with satisfaction, looked at the people around him, and admired in his heart: This old guy is really powerful!

"In our army, meritorious service must be rewarded. If you carry forward the family skills and work diligently and meritoriously in the livestock farm, I will reward you with a thousand silver dollars. In addition, are you willing to be the pastoral officer of our general's mansion? Specializing in horses, cattle, and pigs, etc. Breeding thing?”

"I am willing! I, Lao Guan, will also become an official!" He jumped up and down happily, like an old monkey, making Qin Hao and others laugh.

Several other people couldn't help but be sincerely happy for him, and came forward to congratulate him.

"My lord, you are here to inspect Kume Island, and you have found out that Laoguan has been promoted recently. It is a double happiness. I plan to greet you and congratulate you at night. I wonder what my lord thinks?" Yan Yi took the opportunity to greet Qin Hao. , to build relationships, he doesn’t want to stay in Ryukyu for the rest of his life.

"This is a good thing, everyone at the racecourse should be celebrated!"

Qin Hao turned his head and faced Lao Guan, who had already put on his cloth robe. "Lao Guan, can you bring more students out? So that I can share the work with you? Don't worry, your technology can be patented, and every time a child is born in the future, Horse or mule, both are good for you."

"Subordinate, I must do my best and break my body to pieces in order to repay my master in case something happens."

Lao Guan became a little arrogant because of his excitement.

"Stop talking nonsense, you are broken into pieces. Where can I go to find someone to breed horses? It's settled. When I get back, I will send a message to the school and send two hundred students to be your apprentices here and breed horses. Perfect your technique.”

"You can also draw up a rule when you go back and figure out how much food is needed and what conditions are needed to better develop this technology of yours, so that you can meet the ancestors of your Guan family in the future. I am very proud to tell them that people are grateful for your benefits.”

Qin Hao very passionately related the broad prospects of this undertaking to people's filial piety, which made Lao Guan very proud that he could promote the meager craftsmanship left by his ancestors so openly and openly. Of.

“Can we breed 100,000 horses within five years?”

After being given a carrot and describing a broad prospect, Qin Hao was about to start doing quantitative assessment.

"Five years, 100,000? The number of mares and stallions seems to be insufficient right now. It's a bit difficult to handle."

Although one stallion or breeding donkey can sow seeds for many mares, the number of mares is also limited. Moreover, the gestation period of a mare is as long as ten months, and there is also a long lactation period. In order to carry out the next pregnancy, how can you explain this to the Lord?

It’s true that experts look at the door and laymen look at the results.

Headache!

While people were watching the tough herdsmen selecting the fattest beef cattle from the herd in the open space of the livestock farm and driving them aside to prepare for the evening feast, a cloud of smoke quickly moved from the mountain road in the distance. Come.

"My lord! Urgent military information from the Northern Front has been sent!"

The military report on the northern front was sent by Li Yi to Ryukyu by speedboat, and the officials there sent people to deliver the urgent military report to Qin Hao. It was only two days before Li Yi sent the military report.

"The shogunate's army has moved, I hope my lord will respond as soon as possible!"

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