With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 58, The Use of Horseshoes

Liu Xie laughed and said, "Lord Cao can find any horse to try it out."

Practice is the criterion for testing truth.

Cao Cao had Cao Chun find a horse.

They even brought in several soldiers to lay the warhorses down on the spot.

Liu Xie waved his hand, "Lord Cao, there's no need for such trouble. Just tie the horse to the pillar."

If several people forcibly pin the horse down, it will backfire. The horse will definitely struggle and resist, thinking that humans are going to do something unfriendly to it.

After the horse was tethered, Liu Xie nodded to Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun stepped forward and gently patted the horse twice to calm it down.

Then, reaching out, he lifted one of its hooves and took out a horseshoe he had made beforehand, comparing it to the one he had prepared.

Cao Cao, puzzled, asked, "What is Your Majesty doing?"

Liu Xie explained, "Horseshoes come in different sizes, just like shoes for people. So I had the blacksmith make several more horseshoe samples."

After comparing samples for a while, I was lucky enough to find a suitable one.

Liu Xie then gestured to everyone to introduce horseshoes, saying, "Although I have never been on the battlefield, I enjoy riding horses in my daily life, so please don't be curious. I have observed that although horseshoes are sturdy, they wear out quite a bit because they are often used on various surfaces. After horseshoeing them, it is like reinforcing them, just like wearing armor."

A horse needs four horseshoes, so Liu Xie immediately handed the sample to Cao Cao, saying, "Cao Gong can have someone make three more to match this one, and then you can shoe the horse."

Cao Cao handed the item to Cao Chun, saying, "Zihe, do as His Majesty instructs immediately, the sooner the better."

Next, Liu Xie had Zhao Yun polish and trim the horseshoes.

Zhao Yun was agile and quickly became very proficient following Liu Xie's instructions.

Liu Xie continued to explain, "Horse shoes are just like nail trimming. Horse shoes are very thick, so even if you hammer nails into them, the horse won't feel pain or discomfort. On the contrary, after being reinforced, the horse shoes are protected, making it run more powerfully and faster."

"In mountainous or rugged terrain, horseshoes are easily injured. Once injured, even a fine warhorse may become unrideable. Horseshoes can prevent these problems."

Cao Cao smiled and said, "I was wondering just now if nailing an iron thing on it would hurt the horse so much that it wouldn't be able to run anymore. Now that Your Majesty has mentioned it, it seems that this thing has quite a few uses."

Cao Chun finished the job in no time and brought some iron nails with him.

"But how do we nail this thing up?" Xun Yu was also very curious.

"Won't the warhorse be frightened, run wild, and become hostile?"

Zhao Yun smiled and said, "His Majesty has said that shoeing a horse is the same as trimming a person's nails; it won't be unhappy about it."

Zhao Yun turned his body close to the back of his warhorse, then nimbly picked up one of the horse's front hooves and sandwiched it between his legs.

Liu Xie then guided Zhao Yun as he polished and trimmed the horseshoes. After comparing them, he found that the horseshoes were the right size, so Liu Xie helped Zhao Yun nail the horseshoes in one by one.

While nailing the horseshoes, Liu Xie said with a smile, "Everyone is eager to see today, so we won't be too meticulous this time. Ideally, horseshoes should be carefully polished, and it's best to heat the horseshoes with fire before nailing them, and then brand them with the horseshoe first, so that they fit better and are more secure."

By omitting some steps to save time, Liu Xie and Zhao Yun quickly nailed on all four horseshoes. Liu Xie then carefully checked them to make sure the horse wouldn't feel any discomfort.

The horse kept trying, sometimes lifting its foot, sometimes putting it down, as if it was curious about what they were doing to it.

Soon, the horse began to snort happily, becoming increasingly excited, its hooves thrashing about like it was doing a tap dance, seemingly unable to stop.

Liu Xie then had Zhao Yun lead the horse around the courtyard for a while, and only after the horse gradually got used to it did he hand the reins to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao hesitated to mount it directly, feeling somewhat uneasy, and said to Cao Chun, "Zihe, why don't you try?"

Cao Chun nodded, took the reins, mounted the horse, and rode around the yard.

"Not bad, I don't feel any discomfort. It seems quite excited and runs pretty fast."

Cao Cao also became interested and rode it around for a while, and felt it was quite good.

"Your Majesty, is this thing really so miraculous?"

Cao Cao's question represented the common concern in everyone's mind. Liu Xie smiled and said, "This is just the beginning. If the horseshoes are nailed more carefully, the horses will be able to perform better once they are adapted."

"With horseshoes, horses are protected and can run freely. It knows better than anyone whether this thing is useful or not."

Liu Xie chuckled and patted the horse's neck, half-jokingly asking, "My dear horse, does it feel good?"

Cao Cao nodded repeatedly, and soon he said excitedly, "According to Your Majesty, could we proceed with the large-scale sizing of all warhorses and make it a standard practice in the army?"

Liu Xie nodded: "I came here for this very reason. We are fighting on the plains. Horseshoeing will maximize the power of the warhorses, making them run faster and with more strength. Correspondingly, the soldiers on horseback will be more adept at their duties, and their combat effectiveness will be significantly improved."

“However…” After a pause, Liu Xie sighed again.

Cao Cao hurriedly asked, "But what? Your Majesty, please speak frankly."

"Cao Cao also saw this. It is very simple to make. The simpler something is, the easier it is for others to imitate. Before we have a certain number of cavalry, it will be disadvantageous for us if others discover and imitate it."

Cao Cao pondered for a moment, then nodded heavily. "Your Majesty is right. Once we engage in battle, casualties are inevitable, and it is indeed easy for the enemy to discover and imitate us."

Xun Yu thought for a moment and said, "How about this, first equip the warhorses of the officers and soldiers with this, and then we can equip the ordinary soldiers with it for the time being. When we have enough cavalry, we can equip them with it."

Cao Cao nodded. "Wenruo is right. I need to test it a few more times. If it really works very well, then it won't be too late to equip it with more ingredients."

Liu Xie agreed, "That's right. Also, I have something else to discuss with Cao Cao."

"Your Majesty, please speak freely."

Cao Cao found Liu Xie increasingly pleasing to the eye, and even when someone told him last night that Princess Qinghe had seen Liu Xie on the street, Cao Cao didn't take it to heart.

Such an obedient and sensible emperor, Cao Cao would have no objection even if he had just chatted with his daughter for a few minutes, let alone if she had become his son-in-law.

Liu Xie frowned and said with displeasure, "It's like this, Kong Rong has been coming to the palace to see me frequently these past few days. As you all know, Kong Rong talks a lot and always likes to lecture. I plan to find him a job so that I can have some peace and quiet."

(End of this chapter)