Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 38: Native Chickens and Dogs
April, Changge Camp.

"Grab the horse's legs!"

Zhang Yu grabbed the horse's hoof and shouted, "Don't let the horse move. I'll scrape it off!"

Zhang Maoshan and Qiu Dunqiwu held down the black-maned horse to prevent its hooves from moving around and injuring others.

"almost!"

Zhang Yu skillfully used a hoof knife to scrape off the growth along the perimeter of the horseshoe. After scraping the left hoof, he repaired the right hoof.

The hoof trimming operation attracted many people to watch. Everyone gathered in front of Zhang Yu and watched the hoof trimming quietly.

"Get off the horse!"

Zhang Yu quickly repaired the hoof of his own horse and asked Zhang Maoshan to bring over the white horse with the damaged hoof.

The two men fixed the white horse with ropes. Zhang Yu lifted the right front hoof of the white horse, but saw that the hoof was seriously damaged. The hoof box had been worn smooth due to long-distance running. The side of the hoof box was scratched by something, and blood and flesh were visible.

"How about it?"

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "The hoof is badly damaged, and blood and flesh are visible. It needs to be trimmed and then covered with herbs."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu cleaned the wound on the horse's hoof with clean water, cleaned away the fine sand and gravel, and then used a hoof knife to trim the hoof box and try his best to smooth the wound.

“Herbs!”

Zhang Yu applied the crushed herbs to the wound of the horse's hoof, then wrapped it with a clean cloth and squeezed it hard. The white horse was stimulated and subconsciously twitched its hoof, but fortunately it was tied up with a rope and did not escape.

"All right!"

Zhang Yu put the horse's hoof down and said, "Let it rest for a month, and don't ride it."

"promise!"

Seeing Zhang Yu repair the horse's hoof, the crowd dispersed with a sense of satisfaction. Apparently, from ancient times to the present, men have always loved watching hoof repairs.

"Ji'an actually knows how to train horses?"

When the crowd dispersed, Wang Yun unexpectedly appeared in the crowd, with a strange middle-aged man beside him. He was burly with a square face as hard as a steel, and he quietly looked at Zhang Yu who was washing his hands.

"Envoy Wang!"

Zhang Yu quickly wiped his hands with a cloth and said, "I often herd sheep at the frontier, so I have to learn it. I am sorry to have embarrassed Wang Yuzhou today!"

"nothing!"

Wang Yun looked calm and said with a smile: "Horse training is ultimately a minor skill. From now on, Ji'an can be handed over to my subordinates."

Hearing the hidden meaning, Zhang Yu cupped his hands and said, "To be honest, sir, the importance of a good horse lies in its hooves. If the hooves are damaged, the horse is useless. None of my subordinates are good at repairing horse hooves, so I can only do it reluctantly. Your words of instruction will be remembered by me now!"

"Ok!"

Wang Yun smiled and nodded. He had a good impression of Zhang Yu, but he really looked down upon some of his behaviors. For example, today he trimmed the horse's hooves himself, which he really couldn't stand. It was really unbecoming of a scholar and was full of the wildness of a frontiersman.

"This is Sun Wentai, the assistant military commander under Zhu Zhonglang. He has just arrived at the camp with his troops," Wang Yun introduced.

"I am Sun Jian, Sun Wentai greets Zhang Congshi!"

"Zhang Yu, Zhang Ji'an, meet Sima Sun!"

While Zhang Yu was paying his respects, he looked at Sun Jian, who was later dubbed the "Fierce Tiger of Jiangdong". Just from his appearance, he could feel Sun Jian's fierceness.

Sun Jian seemed very interested in the horseshoes and asked, "Why does the black horse have iron on its hoof?"

Zhang Yu did not hide anything and said, "This is called a horseshoe. Horse hooves are easily damaged when they run around for a long time. Now we nail iron plates on the hooves, just like shoes for people. Horse hooves are not easily damaged by small stones when they travel long distances."

Sun Jian praised: "A horse with horseshoes can travel a thousand miles without hurting its hooves. If every military horse can be equipped with horseshoes, the loss of horses in the army can be reduced a lot!"

"This thing is really ingenious. I wonder where Zhang Congshi got it from?"

Compared with Wang Yun, who was a layman, Sun Jian quickly grasped the key to horseshoeing. The greatest loss of war horses in war is not during combat, but due to hoof damage caused by marching, which results in a large number of scrapped horses.

It can be said that the emergence of horseshoes has greatly reduced the damage to horse hooves, will greatly preserve war horses, and indirectly improve the combat effectiveness of the army.

Zhang Yu said vaguely: "The Xianbei people often use grass and wood to wrap their hooves. I improved it and used iron nails on the hooves."

Wang Yun's servant was a little curious and asked, "Does the horse feel pain when the iron plate is nailed to the hoof?"

"Hooves to horses are like nails to humans. People don't feel anything when their nails are trimmed, so how can there be any pain when horseshoes are nailed to hooves?" said Zhang Yu.

Wang Yun nodded slightly and said with a smile: "The horseshoe is exquisite. It will be beneficial if it is widely used in the army."

After that, Wang Yun pointed in the direction of the big tent and said, "General Zhu is gathering the various departments to discuss matters. You can go there quickly now."

"promise!"

Without wasting any more time, everyone headed for the army's tent. On the way to the tent, Wang Yun said, "Yesterday, General Zhu recruited many warriors to sneak into Changsha and contact General Huangfu. But the Yellow Turbans were heavily guarded, and it was difficult for letters to get in or out."

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and asked, "Does the envoy want to order me to sneak into Changsha with the letter?"

Wang Yun shook his head and said, "There are more than 100,000 Yellow Turban bandits surrounding Changsha from all sides. How difficult it would be to sneak into Changsha!"

Zhang Yu was interested in making a contribution, so he said thoughtfully, "Although there are many Yellow Turban bandits, it is not impossible for them to sneak into Changsha!"

Wang Yun was tempted, but considering that Zhang Yu was his nephew's son-in-law, he said, "Ji'an should act within his capabilities and not rely on his bravery. If General Zhu talks about this matter, Ji'an is not his subordinate, so there is no need to be brave and step forward."

After a pause, Wang Yun said, "However, Ji'an is willing to go and deliver the message. When the army defeats the Yellow Turbans, Ji'an will be able to share the military merit."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu understood what Wang Yun meant, and said in a low voice, "Yu will remember your uncle's teachings!"

"good!"

Wang Yun still knew how to take care of Zhang Yu. When the scouts found it difficult to enter the city, he did not ask Zhang Yu to go, but took the opportunity to remind Zhang Yu that it was a chance to achieve great success with small things.

When everyone arrived at the big tent, Zhu Jun was already waiting inside.

Wang Yun sat in the second seat, while Zhang Yu stood behind Wang Yun with his sword in hand, watching the military discussion in the tent with cold eyes.

Zhu Jun put down the letter and said, "According to the scouts, Cavalry Commander Cao Cao has led several thousand cavalry to set up camp thirty miles away. He wrote that he wants to join forces with our army to defeat the Yellow Turbans at Changsha. What do you think?"

Zhang Chao pondered for a moment and said, "Combining the troops of Sun Sima and Cao Duwei, our army has nearly 30,000 soldiers. If we can cooperate with General Huangfu in Changsha City and attack from both inside and outside, we should be able to defeat the moth bandits."

"But we have not been able to contact General Huangfu. Three of the five warriors died yesterday, and two escaped back to the barracks." Zhu Jun put down the letter, feeling a headache, and said, "The bandit leader Bo Cai is well versed in military tactics. Prevent our army from contacting General Huangfu!"

"The two armies cannot respond, it's like losing an arm!"

Sun Jian stood up from his seat and said in a deep voice, "General, the Yellow Turban bandits are a motley crowd. I am willing to lead my troops to give them a try!"

Zhu Jun shook his head and said, "Most of Wentai's subordinates are infantrymen, and they are newly recruited soldiers. They have just arrived and should not go lightly."

"This~"

Sun Jian hesitated for a moment and asked, "How does General Zhu want to contact General Huangfu?"

Zhu Jun stroked his beard and thought, then said, "I want to lead the troops to feign victory, secretly order the cavalry to take advantage of the opportunity to go outside the city, shoot the letter with arrows and get in."

Watching the military discussion in the tent, Zhang Yu put his hand on the hilt of his sword and an idea came to his mind.

Under everyone's surprised gaze, Zhang Yu stepped out and said confidently: "General Zhu, the moth bandits seem to be well-defended, but in my opinion, they are just chickens and dogs. If General Zhu believes me, I am willing to break into the camp and bring the letter into the city."

Hearing Zhang Yu's heroic words, Zhu Jun was immediately attracted.

Staring at Zhang Yu, Zhu Jun asked, "Who are you and how dare you say such big words?"

"I am Zhang Yu from Yunzhong, also known as Zhang Ji'an. I am currently a military officer under the jurisdiction of Wang Yuzhou!" Zhang Yu introduced himself.

"Master Zi?" Zhu Jun turned and looked at Wang Yun.

Wang Yun nodded slightly and said, "General Zhu, Ji'an once defeated the Hu tribe with a hundred cavalrymen. His bravery and martial arts are beyond description. Now that he is willing to sneak into Changsha, why not let Ji'an have a try?"

"it is good!"

Seeing Wang Yun's recommendation, Zhu Jun decisively slammed the table and asked, "I wonder what Ji'an wants?"

"May the general support us with his flags and drums!"

"allow!"

Zhu Jun admired Zhang Yu and said, "You dare to come out and ask for a fight, which shows how brave Ji'an is. If it is difficult to enter the city, Ji'an does not need to force it. I will not punish you."

"But if Ji'an succeeds in delivering the letter, I will ask for credit for him."

"Thank you, General!"

Zhu Jun didn't trust Zhang Yu because of the failures in the previous attempts to deliver the letter. But out of a trial mentality, he still wanted Zhang Yu to try to deliver the letter.

However, considering that Zhang Yu was Wang Yun's man and Zhang Yu's courage to volunteer, Zhu Jun did not intend to use strict military orders.

"If there is nothing important, Yu will retreat and prepare for battle!"

"allow!"

Zhu Jun said: "I will personally give you the military order later."

"promise!"

Before leaving, Zhang Yu bowed to Wang Yun, and Wang Yun looked at Zhang Yu with admiration in his eyes.

Wang Yun had let Zhang Yu decide whether to send the letter, and it was obvious that he wanted Zhang Yu to stand up and make contributions to the Han Dynasty. The reason why he did not make it clear was that he considered that Zhang Yu was the son-in-law of his brother Wang Hong, and he could not force Zhang Yu to go.

(End of this chapter)