Chapter 90

"Minister Wei, please allow me to keep you in suspense; everything will be clear within a month!" Li You was about to take out three items that could greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of cavalry: the high-bridged saddle, stirrups, and horseshoes!

The horseshoe was invented by the Romans in the 1st century BC, and it appeared in China between the Sui and Tang dynasties to the Yuan dynasty. From the Yuan dynasty onwards, this tool began to be widely used. However, in the northern grasslands inhabited by the Mongols and the northwest deserts inhabited by the Uighurs and Qiang people, horseshoes had already been widely used, perhaps learned from the West.

The horse saddles used by the Han people at that time were extremely simple, more like saddle pads. This saddle pad could be folded, and when not in use, it could be folded up. When in use, it was unfolded and placed on both sides of the horse's back. This saddle was fixed with three straps: one called the girth, which fixed the saddle from the belly and tightened it with a buckle. The other two were the breast strap, which passed through the front chest and fixed both sides of the saddle to prevent it from sliding forward and backward; and the crupper, which passed through the horse's buttocks and fixed the saddle by circling around the horse's buttocks. This way, the saddle was relatively fixed on the horse's back, making it more stable and easier to control for the rider.

However, it could not prevent the rider from sliding forward and backward on the horse's back during intense movement. The rider had to keep their legs tightly clamped to maintain balance, which naturally caused great fatigue over time. If they needed to use weapons in battle, it became even more difficult. By the Han dynasty, there were front and rear saddle bridges, with the front bridge preventing the rider from sliding forward and the rear bridge preventing them from sliding backward. This made riding much more convenient, but there were still many inconveniences.

After the Sui and Tang dynasties, the shape of the saddle bridges changed again, with the front bridge being high and straight and the rear bridge sloping downward. This adjusted saddle better suited human physiology, not only increasing the rider's comfort but also making it easier to mount and dismount. By the Yuan dynasty, saddle technology had matured and spread to Europe with the Mongol western campaigns.

Stirrups appeared during the Eastern Han dynasty, initially as single stirrups, mainly to help riders mount. By the end of the Western Jin dynasty and the beginning of the Eastern Jin dynasty, single stirrups gradually evolved into double stirrups and matured during the Northern and Southern dynasties.

As a famous cavalry general of the Northern and Southern dynasties, Chen Qingzhi was familiar with stirrups and high-bridged saddles. It was no problem for him to guide the craftsmen from the Imperial Stables and the Lesser Supervisors to make them. However, the horseshoes required Li You to guide the craftsmen based on the military network information he had seen in his later life, gradually exploring and adjusting.

A month later, in a certain horse field in the Shanglin Park, Li You and Chen Qingzhi were pointing out the details of the new horses to the craftsmen. At this moment, Xu Yannian ran over from a distance and said, "Sir, the Weiwei of Weiyang Palace, Li Guang, has arrived at the estate."

"Oh, perfect! I was just looking for a general skilled in cavalry combat to test the new horse equipment!" Chen Qingzhi was also qualified, but he was not known for his martial arts. Now that Li Guang had arrived, it was just right! "Quickly invite General Li over here!"

Shortly after, the sound of hooves was heard, and the Flying General Li Guang arrived at the horse field, shouting from a distance, "What important matter does Doctor Zhang have for me?"

"Ha ha! General Li, you came just in time! Take a look at this set of horse equipment!" Li Guang and Wei Qing, Gong Sun Ao, and others took turns guarding the estate and consulted him on Western Region affairs. They had become quite familiar over the days, so there was no need for formalities. Li You directly led him to the horse.

"This set of horse equipment is quite unusual!" Li Guang walked around the horse twice, even reaching out to touch the saddle bridge. His excellent riding skills allowed him to see the potential immediately, and he nodded in approval, "With this, sitting on the horse is much more stable!"

"General Li, take a closer look! There are many more secrets to this set of horse equipment! Every part has its use. If our Han cavalry were equipped with such horse equipment, their combat effectiveness would far surpass the Xiongnu!" Li You did not directly explain the functions of the high-bridged saddle, stirrups, and horseshoes but let Li Guang guess.

"Is this for mounting the horse?" Li Guang pointed to the stirrup and then shook his head with a smile, "I don't need this!" He then placed one hand on the horse's back and easily leaped onto the saddle.

"Of course, General, but how many in the Han army have skills like yours?" Seeing Li Guang nod in agreement, Li You continued, "Why don't you try placing your feet in the stirrups and see if it helps with archery?"

In the era without stirrups and high-bridged saddles, horse archery was a highly demanding skill. The rider needed to firmly clamp the horse with their legs to complete this difficult maneuver. Li Guang was one of the best in the Han army at this skill, able to hit targets even on an unbridled horse.

He placed his feet in the stirrups and tried to stand up, immediately showing a look of surprise. He took his longbow and quiver from a subordinate and drew the bow three times, "Doctor Zhang, this saves a lot of effort! I used to need seven-tenths of my strength to draw this bow on horseback, but now it only takes five-tenths!"

"General Li, why don't you try your accuracy and see if it's as stable on horseback as on the ground?" Li You pointed to the distant target.

"I never shoot at inanimate objects!" Li Guang showed a look of disdain again. He rode a few steps, looked around, and saw a few birds perched on a tree branch a hundred paces away. He immediately spurred his horse to a gallop!

On the galloping horse, Li Guang sat straight, maintaining a straight center of gravity without any up and down movement. Before the crowd could praise his horsemanship, he smoothly drew three arrows from his quiver, holding them with his left hand and drawing the bow with his right. With a few twangs of the bowstring, the three arrows flew almost simultaneously toward the tree branch a hundred paces away.

"Ha ha ha ha! This is truly a good thing!" The three birds fell to the ground, and Li Guang couldn't help but laugh. Based on his experience, this set of horse equipment allowed him to perform at eighty percent of his ground archery skills on horseback.

Li Guang, who had never used this set of horse equipment before, immediately became addicted, constantly galloping around the horse field. Nearby birds and beasts suffered, as any that showed their heads would be shot down by his arrows! Fortunately, this area was outside the jurisdiction of the Shanglin Park, or Li Guang would have been arrested by the court!

In his excitement, Li Guang drew a full bow and shot at a large stone in the distance. With a crisp "ding," the arrowhead penetrated the stone by a third!

This scene stunned the onlookers, and the tiger talisman on Li You's chest heated up again!

...

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends