Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 83 Huo Qubing Forms a Cavalry Assault Team! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

In the world of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, in Wei Qing's central army camp, five hundred carefully selected soldiers formed a cavalry assault team... This was a modern-style name that Huo Qubing gave based on the operational concepts of special forces.

They wore brand-new Tang-style light armor, with Tang-style horizontal swords hanging at their waists. In the afternoon, Huo Qubing tested them and found that the Tang horizontal swords were more than one level stronger than the Han-style ring-pommel swords.

Unfortunately, there were only two hundred sets of saddles, so the assault team's combat power was not fully unleashed.

Wei Qing calculated the time it would take to arrive in Dingxiang County and said:
"There are still at least half a month until we reach Dingxiang, which is enough time to bring the remaining saddles... Qubing, during this time, you will be in charge of training these soldiers. Their rations will be twice that of ordinary soldiers, and each soldier will be given two horses. Get them into combat force as soon as possible."

Cavalrymen need training; they can't just mount their horses and fight bravely. So, the two weeks after arriving in Dingxiang were the time when Huo Qubing trained them.

The training here includes not only horsemanship, but also tactics and military orders.

Upon arriving in Dingxiang, these five hundred men followed Huo Qubing out of the Great Wall... Although the number of men was small, as long as the mobility of the light cavalry was brought into play, they could achieve immeasurable results.

Upon hearing the general's order, Huo Qubing happily bowed and saluted.

"Qubing will train rigorously and live up to the General's kindness in mentoring him!"

At this moment, there were no outsiders in the camp. Wei Qing patted his nephew on the shoulder and said earnestly:

“When training soldiers, we cannot only emphasize military discipline, but also care for them and make them share the same ideals and goals with us. Only in this way can we maximize their combat effectiveness.”

Huo Qubing asked, somewhat puzzled:

"Does my uncle want me to suck the pus and lick the sores for the soldiers?"

The phrase "sucking pus and licking sores" refers to the practice where, when a soldier was wounded and developed a sore, the general would suck out the pus with his mouth and lick the sore clean, thus earning the soldier's gratitude and vow to repay him with his life.

Historical figures such as Wu Qi, Xiang Yu (the Hegemon-King of Chu), and even Li Guang (who never received a title in his lifetime) are all known for sucking pus from soldiers' sores and licking their wounds... This serves to highlight their image of loving their soldiers like their own children.

Huo Qubing was speechless when he thought of that scene. Why did he have to use his mouth for no reason?
Cupping therapy has long been popular in the Han Dynasty. Using cupping to suction pus is much cleaner than sucking it out with the mouth.

Wei Qing said irritably:

"I want you to think more about how to benefit the soldiers. Why did you think of sucking pus and licking sores? In the past, Xiang Yu, the King of Western Chu, personally washed the feet of his soldiers. Did that prevent his generals from deserting? Li Guang ate and slept with his soldiers, but he had the most deserters in his army... On the contrary, Emperor Gaozu urinated into the hats of Confucian scholars, which was extremely humiliating, but Confucian scholars flocked to him and supported him like fish crossing a river. Why do you think that is?"

Huo Qubing had spent his childhood in the palace and was very clear about these things:

"Emperor Gaozu was generous and willing to give up anything to achieve his goals. On the eve of the Battle of Gaixia, Han Xin wanted to pretend to be the King of Qi, but Emperor Gaozu thought it was stingy and gave him the real title of King of Qi. Such magnanimity is rare in ancient and modern times, so he had the last laugh... Although Xiang Yu cared for his soldiers, he was stingy with titles and official positions, which eventually led to Ying Bu, Chen Ping and others abandoning him."

Wei Qing nodded and earnestly instructed:
“Every battle must be rewarding for the soldiers. Only then will they be willing to follow you through thick and thin. If you only show concern for their well-being in small matters, the soldiers will not get any real benefits and will eventually become disgusted and abandon you. They join the army with the expectations of their whole family and even their entire clan. If they do not win military merits, how can they have the face to go home?”

When Wei Qing first led his army to attack the Xiongnu, he was on par with Gongsun He, Gongsun Ao, and Li Guang. The four generals each led 10,000 troops and launched an attack on the grasslands from four directions: Daijun, Yunzhong, Shanggu, and Yanmen.

Gongsun He and Gongsun Ao suffered a major defeat, and Li Guang once again got lost and returned empty-handed. Meanwhile, Wei Qing, who was leading an army for the first time, marched all the way north to Longcheng, the sacred site of the Xiongnu's sacrificial ceremony, and returned in great victory.

After this battle, Gongsun He, Gongsun Ao, Li Guang, and others who were originally on par with Wei Qing became Wei Qing's subordinates.

In the subsequent battles, Su Jian, Li Xi, Li Shuo, Zhao Buyu, Li Ju, Zhang Cigong, Gongsun Rongnu, Han Shuo, Cao Xiang, Zhao Shiqi, and Li Guang's cousin Li Cai all followed Wei Qing and earned military merits, receiving the title of marquis.

After Li Cai finished the Battle of Shuofang, which was led by Wei Qing, he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Le'an. From then on, he abandoned his military career and became a civil official. He was appointed as the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty by Emperor Wu of Han and ranked among the Three Dukes. The enfeoffment of a marquis and the appointment of a chancellor are a concrete manifestation of this.

From Li Cai's perspective, the claim that Emperor Wu of Han persecuted Li Guang's family is completely unfounded. His cousin, who joined the army in the same year, was ennobled and appointed prime minister, while Li Cai remained mediocre. Isn't that just being a nobody?

After listening to his uncle's teachings, Huo Qubing chuckled and pulled out a packet of spiced peanuts from his pocket:

"This was given to me by Miss Gongsun. She said that eating a little bit every day is good for the brain. My uncle uses his brain a lot, so he should eat more of it."

Wei Qing took it and looked at the plastic packaging of the peanuts, asking:
"What is this?"

"It's for packaging. It's very common in later generations. Many things are wrapped in this, especially food. It's clean and hygienic, and won't upset your stomach," Wei Qing said to Huo Qubing, stuffing the peanuts into his robes.

"The assault team will be independent. Tonight you will move out of the central camp and, early tomorrow morning, lead your men to scout ahead."

The army had vanguard officers who could clear roads through mountains and build bridges over rivers. Wei Qing sent Huo Qubing's men to scout the way, with the aim of facilitating Huo Qubing's integration and training.

Huo Qubing agreed and went to pack his personal belongings.

Early the next morning, the assault team rode out of the camp and headed north along the Fen River.

On the way, Huo Qubing first taught everyone to get used to double stirrups. For soldiers who did not have high-bridged saddles, straw ropes and other materials were used as a temporary measure. In short, they had to get used to the stability of double stirrups first.

Once their hands are freed up, the cavalry will be able to do many more things.

Huo Qubing even planned to have Wu Meiniang or Gongsun Da Niang bring two cavalry crossbows and bows, send them to Chang'an, and have the Imperial Household Department disassemble and replicate them.

The light cavalry of the Tang Dynasty employed a complete set of tactics, which needed to be integrated and adapted to the characteristics of the Han Dynasty in order to further enhance their combat effectiveness.

After traveling several dozen miles north, Huo Qubing saw a county town on the west bank of the Fen River. That was Pingyang County, the fiefdom of Princess Pingyang, where his biological father, Huo Zhongru, served as a minor official.

Huo Qubing glanced around and continued north.

Once we win this battle and achieve fame, I will come to Pingyang County to recognize my relatives and bring my half-brother to Chang'an. I will give him the best life and the best education, and arrange all the special exam papers from Huanggang. I will express my love for my brother through my actions.

Dozens of miles behind him, the central army was dismantling their camp. Wei Qing held a map of the Western Han Dynasty's territory and carefully planned the marching route.

This later map already marked the approximate location where Su Jian and Zhao Xin encountered the Xiongnu Chanyu Yizhixie. Wei Qing planned to personally lead the team in that direction and arranged for Li Guang to be the rear guard.

As for Zhao Xin, who surrendered to the Xiongnu in history, Wei Qing planned to personally guard him. If Zhao Xin showed any signs of rebellion, he would behead him immediately and use the Xiongnu man's head to boost morale.

In fact, Wei Qing was a general who did not like to use punishment. In history, Su Jian committed such a big mistake that the whole army called for his execution, but Wei Qing still did not agree. Instead, he escorted Su Jian back to await Liu Che's judgment.

However, traitors are not within the scope of Wei Qing's pardon. If Zhao Xin dares to act recklessly, Wei Qing will order his execution and public display of his head.

While Huo Qubing was leading his assault team on a training exercise, inside the Hunyuan Palace, Wu Zetian, carrying large and small bags of supplies, reluctantly bid farewell to Zhou Yi.
"Immortal Master, I will return in five days. Please be careful and guard against any sneak attacks from those scoundrels."

Zhou Yi said with a smile:

"You've told me this four or five times since this morning... Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Wu Zetian nodded, and just as she was about to step over the threshold, she suddenly turned her head and said:

"Immortal Master, a voice echoed in my mind, asking, 'Do you wish to take the supplies within the teleportation range?' Indeed, I don't need to carry anything. Thank you for your care, Immortal Master."

After saying that, she stepped over the threshold, and she and the two bags of flour next to her disappeared.

With nothing else to do, Zhou Yi continued to move flour, treating it as a form of exercise.

On the other side, following Xie Yukun's instructions, Fan Chengye drove to the Xiuchuan County Tax Bureau and immediately started yelling at the staff upon entering:

"Who is responsible for tax evasion? There are people evading taxes in our county. Are you going to take it into account? If you are, then investigate immediately. You'll find out the truth every time!"

----------

Second update delivered, please vote with monthly tickets, brothers!

(End of this chapter)