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The Datong Army has initially gained a firm foothold in the Liaodong Peninsula.The land there is sparsely populated, and the land is more than enough, so it is not conducive to irrigated mountain meadows, so no one wants to reclaim wasteland for farming.After all, Jeju Island is too small, and it is necessary to find a new land for raising horses, and the Liaodong Peninsula is just right.

At the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there were many horse farms in Liaodong, but they were all swallowed up by Jiangmen during the Hongzhi period.

Only the horse farms in the Liaodong Peninsula, especially those in Gaizhou and Fuzhou, were maintained until the Wanli period.Even the "Horse City" was specially established and became the horse trading center of the entire Liaodong. Even the Jurchens also sent war horses for sale.

The supervisor of the Jeju Horse Shepherd Supervision is about to be transferred to Liaodong to open up a new horse breeding base.The vacated positions happened to be promoted by the two people in front of them.

Wang Zhen pointed to a purebred warrima and said: "Your Majesty, this is a Tianzhu horse bred in Jeju Island. The horse is already two years old, tall and powerful, and can be used for battle. A Tianzhu horse over two years old, in the Jeju Island has bred 847 horses, of which 102 male horses have been castrated as war horses."

Horses can go to the battlefield at the age of two, which probably belongs to the juvenile period, and they are considered real adults at the age of three.

The 102 male horses that were castrated should all be around three years old.If the quality is not good enough to keep for breeding, and the quality reaches the level of war horses, then all eunuchs will be eunuched and sent to serve in the army.

Zhao Han went around to the side of the horse, stroked the horse's mane and said, "It's really mighty."

Can the one specially picked to be dedicated to the emperor not be mighty?

The horse is only two years old and has a height of 1 meters at the shoulder.His fur is black and shiny, like jet black satin, except for a diamond-shaped white spot on his forehead.

It's a pity that the two ears are too cute, and they stand up high and compare their hearts to each other, destroying the majestic image in an instant.

Wang Zhen pointed to another relatively short horse and said, "Your Majesty, this horse is also two years old. His father is a Hana horse, and his mother is a Tianzhu horse. It is also a good horse that can go to the battlefield."

The Hana horse, a hybrid of Jeju Island horse and Mongolian horse, is now the mainstream war horse of the dragoons.

The Indian Mawari horse has the blood of native Indian horses, Arabian horses, and Turkmen horses.

In other words, the pedigree of this re-crossed horse in front of him is simply endlessly complicated.The shoulder height is about 1 meters, and the appearance is more like a Mongolian horse, but with a little bit of Mawari horse characteristics.

Wang Zheng pointed to the last horse and said, "This is the offspring of the Jeju native horse and the Tianzhu horse. It can... be ridden by the prince."

The real Jeju Tuma has a shoulder height of only about one meter, and the particularly majestic ones can reach more than 1 meters.

Zhao Han could imagine the scene of the breeding, a Mawari horse with a shoulder height of more than 1 meters, riding on a Jeju native horse with a shoulder height of only 5 meter... It was simply being trampled.

"Is this thing designed for children to ride?" Zhao Han asked.

Wang Zhen was a little embarrassed: "I came up on a whim and wanted to know what kind of mixed offspring the two horses with huge differences in size would look like. One type has more than ten horses, and this one is the best looking. Although it is still short Very good, but its limbs are not as stubby as the Jeju native horse. There is another one, nearly four feet high at the shoulder, taller than a dragoon horse, but its stubby limbs can only be used to pull goods. And I tried it, that horse Horse-drawn goods are easy to use, with great strength and endurance."

Is this a genetic mutation?

They are also descendants of Jeju soil horses and Mawari horses. One is only three feet tall, while the other is four feet tall. There is a difference of 30 centimeters.

In this regard, Zhao Han had to encourage him: "It's good to try more. Since the four-foot-tall rough horse is easy to pull goods, let it continue to be bred with Tianzhu horses. Let's see what the offspring can become, maybe we can do it." Make a good horse for hauling artillery."

"I must do my best!" Wang Zhen was immediately elated after being praised by the emperor.

It's just that it doesn't sound right, why are you going all out?It's not for you to breed.

After another round of admonition and encouragement, the two horse breeders Xie En left.

Zhao Han ordered a set of riding gear to be ordered, and called his eldest son over every few days: "Ju'er, this horse is yours. Start learning riding and archery skills from today."

Zhao Kuanghuan was already seven years old, and he was fit to ride a pony. He was delighted to see it and said, "Father, hasn't it grown up yet? Why is it so short?"

"A horse dwarf can only grow so tall," Zhao Han explained.

A bodyguard who knows how to ride begins to play the role of Zhao Kuanghuan's teacher.First teach how to get on and off the horse, and then take the prince for a walk slowly. Although the shoulder height is only 1 meters, it is still a bit dangerous for a seven-year-old child.

Fortunately, this horse is very docile, or lazy, and it stops in a daze while riding.

This horse did not inherit his father's height, but he inherited his father's cute ears, which are also raised high and look inward.And the body proportion is well-proportioned, unlike ordinary pony, the four legs are often thick and short.Although this guy is short, at first glance it still has a bit of vigor, like a miniature version of a horse.

A few days later, Zhao Kuanghuan was able to trot on horseback, and he followed the whole process as the teacher's bodyguard, for fear that the prince would fall and fall somewhere.

Zhao Han also took time to practice riding, riding a few laps with his son every day.Surely it wasn't enough to fight on horseback, but it was enough to escape on horseback. He had never ridden a horse in his two lifetimes combined.

Time flies, and it is summer harvest time.

There are not many wheat planters around Nanjing, and rapeseed is mainly harvested for summer grain, which is earlier than wheat.After the rapeseeds are harvested, oil is squeezed quickly after drying, and the vacated land is irrigated with water to plant late rice.

If early rice is planted, soybean meal is used to fertilize the field. These are all ancient "chemical fertilizers".

During the oil pressing season, the city is full of fragrance, and Zhao Han can smell it.

Zhao Han, who has a little bit of riding skills, is not satisfied with riding a horse at home, and wants to take his family out hunting.

He called the concubines over, and said happily: "The fragrance of oil is overflowing, and the wheat is about to be harvested. In such a festive season, let's go out together and go hunting at Zijin Mountain."

Fei Rulan said: "But we don't know how to ride horses. Why don't you go hunting? My sisters and I just happened to be out in the wild."

"Okay, okay," Fei Rumei was quite excited, "It's been a long time since I went out to play in the wild, and I usually have guards following me around the city."

Pan Qimei was also very active: "When will I go out? I prepared to eat in advance, and recently I learned another kind of pastry."

Liu Rushi smiled and said, "Why don't you call Mrs. Tian, ​​she can ride, shoot and hunt."

Zhao Han finally remembered that there were still Chongzhen's concubines and children here, so he said, "Call those children too."

Zhu Cihong is 14 years old and is now in middle school, and she was able to get in the top [-] in the final exam.He went to a good school, with a lot of top students. It can only be said that the old Zhu's family has good genes, because Auntie Zhu's grades in the girls' school are also very good.

"Meet Your Majesty!" Zhu Cihong led his younger siblings to pay their respects.

They used to be called Uncle Zhao Han, but they changed their name to His Majesty after they became sensible. It may also be taught by Concubine Tian Gui in private.

Zhao Han nodded in approval: "I haven't seen you for more than half a year. You have grown a lot. I heard that your academic performance is good. If you study hard, you will be able to be an official in the future. Since your father has been trusted by thousands of miles, I will not treat you badly." .”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The princes and daughters of the former dynasty quickly expressed their thanks.

Zhu Cihong is really sensible. Last year, a scholar approached him quietly, and he shouted him away on the spot without waiting for the other party to explain why he came.

For the former prince to have the freedom he has now, Zhao Han is considered very generous.

Everyone went out of the city in a carriage, but Zhao Kuanghuan insisted on riding a horse.The seven-year-old child rode a pony through the streets, trembling with excitement, which made the guards nervous.

Go out from the southeast of the inner city of Nanjing and drive straight to Xiaolingwei.

It was originally the place where Zhu Yuanzhang raised horses and hunted. It was also used as Zhu Yuanzhang's military training ground. In the end, his whole family was buried in that area.

Zhu Yuanzhang, Empress Ma, and Zhu Biao, the three of them belonged to the same family, while the other concubines, princes, and princesses seemed much more distant.When Empress Ma died, Zhu Yuanzhang wailed loudly, and Zhu Biao was also deeply saddened when he died.

It was not until Zhao Han occupied Nanjing, Xiaolingwei, Xuanwu Lake and other areas that the ban was lifted to the people.

Now around Xuanwu Lake, a large number of residential houses and shops have been built, and there are also painted boats and fishing boats everywhere on Xuanwu Lake.As for Xiaoling Guard, there has always been an area belonging to the Datong Army’s school grounds. After the regular divisions left Nanjing, the emperor’s personal guards would take turns practicing in the school grounds, and at the same time they also worked as a horse farm.

Xiaolingwei's horse farm mainly collects southern war horses, which are fed and trained before being sent to serve in the army.

"Meet Your Majesty!"

Several eunuchs came to bow down, they had guarded the mausoleum here before.After Zhao Han ascended the throne, most of them were expelled, but a few eunuchs remained to visit the graves of Zhu Yuanzhang, Queen Ma, and Zhu Biao.

Zhao Han said, "Since you're here, let's go and say goodbye."

After another walk, we finally came to Xiaoling.

Zhao Han took his wife and children to offer incense to Zhu Yuanzhang, muttering a poem: "Ming Taizu has a spirit in the sky, and Zhao Han, the younger generation, came to worship. Your legacy will be inherited by future generations, and you can smile forever!"

After offering incense to pay his respects, Zhao Han turned around and said to Zhu Cihong, Zhu Yuxi and the others: "This is your ancestor, come and offer a stick of incense."

Several old eunuchs, looking at the orphans of the previous dynasty, who worshiped Zhu Yuanzhang there, all huddled in the corner and quietly wiped their tears.

I don't know whether they are crying for Daming, Chongzhen, or themselves.

Chapter 471 [In the picture of Jiangshan]

The war horses collected from the south are only a few hundred horses, and the height at the shoulder is less than 1 meters.

Most of them are mares, and selective breeding is also carried out here.

When everyone came to the lake, the horse breeder immediately came forward to serve them, and brought more than 20 docile mares who were not pregnant.

Zhao Han said: "Choose one horse each. If you don't know how to ride a horse, you can learn."

Fei Rulan and Fei Rumei each chose a shorter horse.The others followed suit, and they all chose the shortest horse. Only Concubine Tian Gui chose the vigorous horse.

Tian Xiuying saw that none of Zhao Han's concubines could ride horses, and the surrounding men who could ride horses were all male guards, so she immediately recommended herself and said, "Ministers, come and teach you nobles how to ride horses."

"Thank you." Fei Rulan replied with a smile.

Even the female officials who went out with Zhao Han also chose their own horses.They listened to Tian Xiuying's guidance and learned by themselves. Hunting activities instantly turned into driving school lectures.

Pan Qimei was already short, so she didn't bother to meddle, and led the maids to arrange the food.Just spread out the blanket on the grass by the lake, then take out the food box and dinner plate, and put a variety of snacks on it.

Liu Rushi's poems are full of chivalry, and he often recites gold and iron horses.

It's a pity that it was all on paper, and she climbed onto the horse carefully.Even with the guards helping to hold the reins, he still felt terrified, pulling the horse's mane tightly with both hands.

You Julian, the butcher's daughter, the imperial horse inspector, and a female official with big arms and round waists, is also riding a horse for the first time.

This heroine was happy and unafraid, she rolled over and climbed up.It might be because the weight was too heavy, the horse didn't dare to make a mistake, and after a mournful cry, it obediently obeyed You Julian's command.

"drive!"

It was the first time You Julian came into contact with war horses, she only watched Concubine Tian Gui operating it once, and then started galloping on the horse herself.

Li Xiangjun enviously said: "Sister You is really majestic!"

Li Xiangjun only had a test drive, and didn't join in the fun. He stood by and waited for orders, and occasionally went to Pan Qimei's place to help.

Brothers and sisters Zhu Cihong and Zhu Yuxi also rode horses and paced carefully.

"Brother, I'm really happy today," Aunt Zhu said with a smile, "I haven't come out to play for a long time, and I said I had fun at the girls' school, but after all, I don't feel as comfortable as going out of the city."

Zhu Cihong said: "Your Majesty said that when I am 16 years old, I can go to the official examination. If I have an errand, I can make money. When the time comes, I will move out and bring you here. Every ten-day holiday, I can go out of the city to play. , I will find you a good husband's family when the time comes."

Auntie Zhu blushed and said, "I'm not going to marry."

While the siblings were talking, Zhao Kuanghuan rode his pony and galloped across the grass, scaring his guards out of their wits.

Even Zhao Han didn't expect that the pony would be so fast when it really ran.

"Your Highness, slow down, don't fall!" The guard stepped forward to catch up.

Zhao Kuanghuan laughed and shouted: "I won't fall, I won't fall, riding a horse here is more fun than at home!"

Seeing this, Fei Rulan also quickly shouted: "Jun'er, come back quickly!"

"Here we come, we come." Zhao Kuanghuan slowed down his horse, and slowly rode back to his mother.

Fei Rulan ordered his son to get off the horse, then picked up the whip, and slapped his son's buttocks, and finally warned: "Children are not allowed to ride fast horses, wait until you grow up."

Zhao Kuanghuan was particularly aggrieved, pouted and said, "Oh."

It didn't hurt, Fei Rulan couldn't bear it, mainly because of being beaten in public, this kid felt very humiliated.

Zhao Kuanghuan rubbed his buttocks, got on the pony again, approached Zhu Cihuang and Zhu Yuxi slowly, and said like offering treasures: "Brother Zhu, sister Zhu, how about I teach you how to ride a horse? I have learned it for a long time, and the teachers all praised me for riding a horse." good."

Zhu Cihong couldn't help laughing: "Okay, you teach us how to ride a horse."

Fei Rulan stared at it for a while, and found that her son was no longer galloping, and finally he was relieved to do his own thing.

Fei Rumei didn't seem to have much interest in riding a horse, so she ran to the lake and sat down cross-legged: "Seventh Sister, what do you want to eat today?"

Pan Qimei picked up a piece of crisp candy and said, "I just learned peanut crisp."

Fei Rumei took a bite and nodded repeatedly: "Delicious!"

"I asked the imperial chefs to taste it, and they all said it was delicious, so I dared to make it for you." Pan Qimei sat by the side and watched, as if watching others eat what she made was very satisfying.

Fei Rumei chewed the peanut crisp and sighed: "Oh, if Ah Fang is also in Nanjing, it would be nice to come out to play together today."

Zhao Zhenfang went to Hubei with her husband Zheng Sen. Zheng Chenggong, a dignified national surname, followed his father's wishes and became a civil servant in an orderly manner.

The elders of the Zheng family seem to have a deep hatred for Haiyang.All of them are pirates themselves, but they don't want their children and grandchildren to have anything to do with the ocean. All the children of the Zheng family follow the path of civil servants.If it really doesn't work, you can go to the army to serve as a soldier, but you definitely can't serve in the navy anyway.

Today, Zheng Sen is in Qianjiang Dangzhi County.

Zhao Zhenfang wrote a letter two months ago saying that she was pregnant in early spring and asked her brother to give her a name in advance.

"The grass is so soft, I really want to lie down and sleep." Fei Rumei said while touching the grass.

"Then lie down." Pan Qimei was actually lying on the grass, raising her legs and looking at the sky, completely ignoring her own image.

Fei Rumei looked around, smiled and lay down, next to Pan Qimei: "The sky is clear and the sun is not shining. Today is the right day to go out. Oh, the sun is shining and the wind is blowing." , I’m afraid I’m going to fall asleep when I’m lying down.”

Zhao Han galloped all the way north on a fine horse. He was busy with government affairs on weekdays, so he rarely came out to relax.

This Indian Mawari horse born in Jeju Island was named "Zui Dian" by Zhao Han. According to legend, it was the name of Qin Shihuang's imperial horse.

Zhuma stood on the hill, and Zhao Han took out the binoculars, which happened to be able to see the scenery of Xuanwu Lake.

Cruise ships and fishing boats are scattered on the lake, and residential houses and shops are lined up by the lake.Further out, there are rapeseed fields after harvest, as well as large and small vegetable beds. All the vegetables grown here are supplied to the people in the city.

Near noon, smoke rose from many houses and was blown away by the lake wind.

Pulling the telescope closer to the street by the lake, several vegetable farmers returned from the city.They carried empty loads of sold vegetables, chatting and laughing all the way, pointing at the painted boat in the lake from time to time.