Chapter 7

Facing Zhao Mang's questioning, Zhao Wuxi also broke out in a cold sweat. Indeed, Zhao Mang was a formidable hero, whose anger could make the feudal lords tremble, let alone his household ministers and subordinates. Only the two old ministers, Dong Anyu and Yin Duo, dared to challenge his authority.

Wuxi's performance was still relatively good. His deputy, Yu Xi, and Mu Xia had already dismounted and prostrated themselves on the ground.

Zhao Wuxi carefully chose his words and said, "Father, Wuxi did not have the token to command the war chariots, so I took the initiative to come alone on horseback..."

In the face of Zhao Mang's overwhelming presence, it was unwise to confront him head-on. Lowering his stance was definitely the right move.

Seeing Zhao Wuxi bow his head in acknowledgment of his mistake, the eldest legitimate son, Bo Lu, seized the opportunity to interject, "Wuxi is young and inexperienced. Please do not punish him, Father..."

Compared to Zhongxin and Shuqi, he was indeed a gentle and kind elder brother. Zhao Wuxi could only remember this in his heart and secretly be grateful.

However, he would not hesitate to take the position of heir that originally belonged to Bo Lu, not giving up even a bit!

Zhao Mang, however, was not willing to let it go: "Be silent, let him continue speaking."

At this moment, Zhao Wuxi was rapidly thinking of a strategy. The stories about Zhao Mang from his previous life flashed through his mind, and he felt that he had grasped a crucial point.

This Zhao clan patriarch, who would later be revered as "Zhao Jianzi," was not a conservative old noble.

On the contrary, Zhao Mang was very studious and truly practiced the principle of not being ashamed to ask questions from those below him. He was the first upper minister in the State of Jin to promulgate written laws in his territory and the first in China to declare that slaves who achieved military merit could also be rewarded and receive fiefs.

Sigh, with things as they are, I can only take a gamble.

He organized his thoughts and explained, "Father, I have acted out of turn and am guilty, but I do not think that riding alone is lowly or useless. On the contrary, I believe it is more suitable for hunting and warfare than war chariots."

His words caused a stir. The scholars and officials looked at their magnificent war chariots and then at the three seemingly frail single horses, finding it hard to believe.

Zhao Mang was also somewhat skeptical. It wasn't that he was conservative, but the replacement of war chariots by cavalry would take another three hundred years.

Zhao Wuxi pointed to the saddle on the horse and said, "Father, please look. When I was in the stables, I had a sudden idea and created this object, called a saddle. With it, a rider can be as stable as a rock on the horse, and even with hands free, they won't easily fall off."

The young schemer, Shuqi, felt increasingly uneasy as he listened. Things were starting to deviate from his expectations. He was calculating whether he should say something, but Zhao's second son, Zhongxin, who had been indoctrinated with the superiority of war chariots by his tutors, could no longer bear it.

Zhongxin, indignant, pointed at Wuxi and scolded, "Ridiculous! In hunting and warfare, a proper army should be arrayed, with the charioteer, the archer, and the right-hand man each performing their duties. This is a tradition from ancient times. As a nobleman, you should focus on your duties, not on researching single horse equipment. What kind of decorum is this?"

Zhao Wuxi replied calmly, "Brother Zhong, you are mistaken. If I were to neglect the care of horses and horse equipment, that would truly be forgetting our ancestors."

"What kind of twisted logic is this?"

"Brother Zhong, don't forget! What did our ancestors Boyi, Fei Chang, and Zao Fu do?"

Zhao Zhongxin was immediately silenced.

Boyi was an ancient ancestor of the Ying clan, skilled in raising horses and livestock, and was promoted by Emperor Shun, given the surname Ying, and granted a fief. Fei Chang was a brave warrior of the Shang dynasty, skilled in driving chariots, and participated in the Battle of Mingtiao to overthrow the Xia dynasty. Zao Fu was a doctor in the Western Zhou dynasty, who drove the chariot for Emperor Mu of Zhou during his journey to Kunlun Mountain to meet the Queen Mother of the West, reportedly traveling 20,000 miles in three days and nights.

Clearly, the history of the Zhao clan was closely tied to horses. Even the ancestors of the Qin people, who were related to the Zhao clan, rose to prominence through Qin Feizi's horse breeding for King Xiao of Zhou.

If the Zhao clan descendants looked down on their ancestors' skills, wouldn't that be "forgetting their roots"?

Zhao Zhongxin, who was usually good at citing Zhao clan traditions, was now left speechless and humiliated by Wuxi, whom he had always looked down upon.

Wuxi, however, was clear that the real challenge today was to pass Zhao Mang's test. He remounted his horse, held a bow, and demonstrated several high-difficulty maneuvers.

"Father, please look. If we have a cavalry unit in the hunt, they can cross ditches, climb hills, traverse obstacles, ford rivers, and chase prey. Why not?"

As he spoke, Wuxi sneakily glanced at Zhao Mang's expression, noticing that his beautiful beard no longer trembled, indicating that his anger had subsided. He was now looking at the saddle and Wuxi on the horse with interest.

Initially, Zhao Mang had intended to come and give this out-of-turn illegitimate son a good lesson, even considering pulling him off the horse and tying him to a war chariot to drag him around.

However, the young Wuxi then delivered a passionate and resounding speech. The people of the Spring and Autumn period loved to express their aspirations, and when Wuxi compared himself to Duke Wen of Jin and Zhao Xuanzi, Zhao Mang began to look at this "illegitimate son" with new eyes.

He had never paid any attention to Zhao Wuxi and even felt some disgust and distance. But now, the strong and healthy young man, though still with a childish face, exuded a vigorous and upward spirit, clearly destined to be a brave warrior in the future.

Isn't he a bit like me when I was young?

Fortunately, he had paid little attention to Zhao Wuxi over the past decade, so he was unaware of his temperament and speech, otherwise, he would have been suspicious of the dramatic change in his son's character.

At this moment, Zhao Mang's love for talent was aroused, but he still had some doubts about Wuxi's words. He lowered his head and asked his charioteer, "Ziliang, this illegitimate son of mine speaks convincingly. What do you think? Can a single horse equipment change have such an effect?"

Although the Zhao clan had a long tradition of horse breeding, after several hundred years of living as privileged nobles, their ancestral skills had become somewhat rusty.

However, You Wuzheng, a lower official and a horse expert, known as a reincarnation of Boyi, was more familiar with horses than his own wives and concubines.

The bearded You Wuzheng had been watching with narrowed eyes and now commented, "Lord, the young master is right. The chariot formation is slow and cumbersome, which is a disadvantage, while single horses are fast and agile, which is an advantage. I believe that cavalry can serve as the eyes of the main force, used for reconnaissance, tracking, and pursuing targets, and attacking scattered and fleeing prey or enemies."

Seeing that the horse expert You Wuzheng did not refute Zhao Wuxi, Zhao Mang made his decision.

"Since that's the case, you have made this saddle, which is a small achievement. I will temporarily forgive you for your out-of-turn actions!"

This time, it was Zhao Zhongxin and his charioteer, Cheng He, who were dumbfounded. Was it really going to be let go just like that?

Wuxi breathed a sigh of relief, having successfully convinced his adoptive father.

But the still不服气 (unconvinced) Zhao Zhongxin was not about to give up so easily.

He immediately asked Zhao Mang, "Father, words are empty; the hunting ground will reveal the truth! Can we have a competition to see which is better, chariots or cavalry?"

This suggestion suited Zhao Mang's intentions. If there was to be a competition, all four sons should participate! He then held the bronze halberd and began to command the chariots.

"Household司马 (Macao), listen to my orders, re-form the formation. Bo Lu, you lead the center, Zhongxin and Shuqi the right flank, and Wuxi the left flank."

"Since you have praised single horse riding so much, let me see how many prey you can catch. If you catch fewer than your brothers, don't blame me for punishing you. The three of you must not hold back; if you lose to a twelve-year-old boy, you will go home hungry today!"

Everyone responded solemnly, "Yes!"

Only Zhao Wuxi muttered to himself, "Actually, I turned thirteen in August..."

...

From a distance, Le Qi, the Grand Minister of Song, watched this scene. He turned to his charioteer and important minister, Chen Yin, and asked, "Zi Hu, what do you think of the Zhao clan's army?"

Chen Yin, whose courtesy name was Zi Hu, looked at the Zhao clan's chariots, which had quickly reformed from disorder, and replied, "I believe that as long as Zhao Mang or his minister Dong Anyu is present, the Zhao clan's army is like tigers and wolves. But if Zhao Mang is not present and there is no good patriarch to lead, the Zhao clan is just a scattered group!"

"Therefore, although Fan Mang is greedy and despicable, if our lord wants to ally with the Zhao clan, it is still too early, in my opinion..."

Le Qi sighed. On this mission, he deeply understood that the government of Jin was divided, and the royal house was weak, unable to protect the envoy of Song. Once on Jin soil, they would become the targets of the six ministers, forcing them to choose sides. This would be like entering a rain of arrows and a forest of blades, where a single misstep could lead to irreparable consequences.

Therefore, after his advisor, Gubuzi Qing, divined an inauspicious omen for the journey, he resolutely designated his eldest son as the heir to the family, so that if anything happened to him, there would be someone to take care of the family.

Another minister, Chen Yin, suggested that they might as well choose a strong one among the six ministers to support, even if it meant holding their noses.

But among the six ministers, who was the strongest? The Fan clan was currently in power, but their leader was old and might not live much longer. The Zhao clan, led by the young and strong Zhao Mang, was also formidable, but even if Fan Mang died tomorrow, the next leader of Jin would be the Zhi clan, not Zhao Mang. The other clans, the Zhonghang, Han, and Wei, were also not easy to deal with. The situation in Jin was so complex that it was like being shrouded in heavy curtains, making it impossible to see the true picture.

Moreover, Song was at least a descendant of the Duke of Wei, the only remaining ducal state in the world, and the Zhou emperor still treated them as honored guests. Now, they had to serve the ministers of a foreign state? Before coming, Le Qi had hoped to form an alliance with the Duke of Jin and bring the alliance document back to the capital of Song, Shangqiu, with dignity.

However, upon arriving in Jin, the Fan and Zhao clans were already in open conflict, involving the envoy of Song. After Fan Mang lost his diplomatic authority, he vented his anger on them, refusing to let the Duke of Jin meet the envoy. To complete his mission and return home safely, Le Qi had to rely on the help of the Zhao clan.

At this moment, Zhao Mang's chariot had returned, and he apologized, "My sons were being unruly, causing you, Le Bo, to see a spectacle."

Le Qi shook his head slightly at Chen Yin, indicating that he had no other choice. He and Zhao Mang exchanged a few modest words, and the two ministers entered the hunting ground side by side.

Zhao Mang ordered the gamekeepers to sacrifice oxen, sheep, and pigs to the local mountain and water deities, then blew the deer horn to begin the hunt.

He also instructed someone to check the area around Jie Zitui's tomb to see if Le Bo's advisor, Gubuzi Qing, was still there, and if so, to invite him to the banquet.

The gamekeepers agreed and then approached Zhao Mang, saying, "Lord, you have come at the right time. The deer are fat this autumn, and recently, I saw a white deer enter the hunting ground. Unfortunately, it is very alert, and we have not been able to capture it after several attempts."

A white deer? Even Zhao Mang and Le Qi, who had seen much, were moved. This was a rare auspicious beast!

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