Kaifeng Mansion, when the sky will be dusk.

A group of horsemen entered the Lijing Gate in the southeast corner of the inner city, walked all the way along Bianhe Street, and went straight to the Daxiangguo Temple in the south of the city. The group was led by three people, all of whom were between 20 and 30 years old. Riding on a horse with his head held high, although they were all dressed as merchants and scribes, they still couldn't hide the murderous appearance. Behind him, a group of people in green clothes and small hats, followed on foot, and at a glance they knew that they were the servants of these people. is also a strong man, obviously not an ordinary person.

Looking at the horses under the crotches of the first three people, they are all rare tall horses, which are the war horses in the four armies of the forbidden army, and it is difficult to compare with them.

The legend of the lack of horses in the Great Song Dynasty was also quite popular more than 900 years later. However, in the Yuan Fu period, few people felt that the Great Song Dynasty was very short of horses. In fact, in the city of Kaifeng Prefecture, you can see short and docile walking horses and pack horses and pulling carts everywhere.

What the Great Song Dynasty really lacked was actually a war horse used for battle, rather than an ordinary horse for production and transportation.

And the reason for the lack of war horses is not necessarily the loss of a large area of grassland. The famous horses of later generations were not bred on the prairie. The so-called argument that a farming country cannot raise horses is simply nonsense.

Otherwise, where did the European knights and Arabs come from, who also had no steppes to use?

In fact, the main reason for the lack of war horses in the Great Song Dynasty was the lack of men to conquer immediately. If there is no market, there is no supply!

Otherwise, those "tall vases" of the four armies of the forbidden army can be raised, why can't the tall horses be raised?

This is more difficult to "breed" people than to breed horses, right?

Just because the official family likes tall soldiers to fill the façade, they have opened a military camp that was still quite considerable in the early years, and the market has spent more than 100 years to "raise" tall military men. How could it not be replaced by a horse?

Therefore, the reason for the lack of war horses, in the final analysis, is that there is still no real and effective demand to mobilize the enthusiasm of the people to domesticate war horses.

As for the herd supervisors of the imperial court, it has always been a place to "raise people", and raising horses is just a name for "raising people......

However, in today's Great Song Dynasty, those who really want good horses and are willing to pay the price can still get the horses they want.

For example, these three men who are now riding on horses have not known how to get such a strong and majestic horse. And looking at their leisurely appearance on horseback, you know that they are heroes who have the ability to boil on horseback in Changzhou.

First, a short man with a dark face looked around vigilantly, and then glanced at a nearby military patrol shop, and saw that several shop soldiers were gathering on the side to play money, so he said in a low voice: "When this son of heaven is at the foot of the tiger's den, it is not Erer, it is not as good as Yunzhou City." ”

Next to him, a man with clear eyebrows, a long white beard, and a scribe also replied in a low voice: "Brother, no matter how lax this Kaifeng Mansion is, it is also the residence of the Son of Heaven, if there is trouble here, there will be no place to go in the whole world." ”

At first, the black man also laughed: "There are a number of people in a certain family, and there are elites of the Western Army in the hands of the officials, and it is difficult to fight the Western thieves these days." If anyone does a big case in Kaifeng Mansion, hundreds of Western troops will not be able to defeat it.

Even if you can beat it, it's not very good. When I wait for my brothers to be together, I just want to be happy, so why bother to provoke such right and wrong? ”

Listening to his words, you will know that he is not a very good person...... Most of them are Jiangyang thieves who kill people and oversell goods!

However, in the Great Song Dynasty, it was Jiangyang's thieves, and most of them were unwilling to commit crimes in Kaifeng Mansion. Kaifeng Mansion is the face of the official family, and if a big crime is committed here, it is a slap in the face of the official family. In this way, not to mention that the way to Zhao'an is blocked, it is not good that there will be an elite transfer of the Western Army to chase and suppress it.

When the time comes, it will be too late to hide from the officers and soldiers every day, where will there be a good day to eat a large piece of meat, drink a large bowl of wine, and divide gold and silver?

Behind the black man who was called "Brother" on horseback was also a black man, stout and dark, with a messy beard.

He listened to the conversation between the two in front of him, and said loudly: "Brother, since you don't plan to do things in Kaifeng Mansion, why do you want to come here?" ”

The black man in the lead and the white-faced and long-bearded scribe were both startled at this shout, and the two of them hurriedly looked around, and found that the people coming and going on the street did not react much, so they exhaled.

The leading black man made a face and said sharply: "You black guy can't control your mouth again, and if you talk nonsense, I will sew your stinky mouth with a needle and thread." ”

The black guy who was reprimanded was not annoyed, but said with a smile: "Brother, don't be angry, Tie Niu knows that he is wrong, Tie Niu doesn't speak, and don't say that my brother wants to do it, Tie Niu himself found a needle and thread to sew his mouth." ”

The white-faced scholar just shook his head, didn't pay attention to the black guy who called himself "Iron Bull", but continued to lower his voice and said to the leading black man: "Brother, if you don't work in Kaifeng Mansion, why did you come all the way with your brothers?" ”

The leading black man raised his horsewhip and pointed to a three- or four-story high, luxurious pavilion not far ahead: "That is the famous gold cave in Kaifeng Mansion to open my eyes." ”

"What? Traveled thousands of miles from Yunzhou to visit the kiln? "The black guy who said he was going to sew his mouth just now is shouting again.

"You guy spoke again?" The white-faced and long-bearded scholar shook his head and said, "Do you really want to sew your mouth?" ”

"Don't, don't say it, don't say it again."

The group had already arrived in front of the Fanglou, and the leading black man jumped off his horse, threw the reins to the little guy who greeted him with a smile on his face, and threw over a few copper plates, and then said to the white-faced and long-bearded scholar: "Xiucai, you take the black guy and the other brothers to eat wine first, just call for good wine and good food, and someone will invite us to eat."

I'm going to meet you, and I'm going to come back to you when I'm done. ”

On the third floor of the Cuifang Building, in a room next to Bianhe Street, Zhao Tieniu had been standing by an open window for an afternoon. It wasn't until he saw the two black men and a white-faced and long-bearded scholar who came on horseback that he breathed a sigh of relief, and said to Chen Youwen, who was sitting at the Zhang Fang table drinking stuffy wine: "General, they are here!" ”

When Chen Youwen heard this, he put down his wine glass and asked, "How many are here?" ”

"Three leaders, more than a dozen minions." Zhao Tieniu lowered his voice and said.

"Just a dozen people?" Chen Youwen frowned, "Wu Hao Gu is also looking for guards, right?" ”

"Don't worry," Zhao Tieniu said with a smile, "The leader of the heroes invited by a certain family is the leader of the heroes who are rampant in the three prefectures of Yun, Ji, and Pu, Xiaoyi Hei Saburo Song Jiang, and he and Chao Gai, the big leader of Liangshan, have more than 30 leaders under his hands, all of them are strong in martial arts, how can they be compared with those red guys who can eat but not fight in the forbidden army?" ”

It turns out that Song Jiang in "Water Margin" is also a real person in history!

However, he is also the same as Lin Chong, who can't afford to buy a house and marry a wife, and his mix is worse than in "Water Margin", and he has never been a charge in Yuncheng County, nor is he from a rich background. If you are a rich man and a priest, what will you do?

In the Song Dynasty, this charge was not for everyone. The so-called officials have no feudalism and officials have feudalism, such as the fat shortage of the priest, almost all of them are hereditary from generation to generation, and they are all supported by big clans behind them.

Wouldn't such a person fall into the grass and become a coward, and not the entire family will be implicated? If Song Jiang is tired, can he still be called "filial piety Hei Saburo"?

"Is this person reliable?" Chen Youwen took a breath and asked again.

Although he has been rampant on Panlou Street for many years, he has bullied calligraphy, painting, literature and entertainment merchants with little background, and he has relied on the power in his hands, and he has never done anything to collude with Jiangyang thieves.

This time, Zhao Tieniu was asked to invite the "hero" to the other party, Wu Haogu, who also had an impulsive factor, and now that the matter is approaching, he is always a little apprehensive.

Zhao Tieniu smiled when he heard this: "If it is not reliable, how can it be called 'filial piety Hei Saburo'?"

The generals can rest assured that as long as Xiaoyi Saburo collects the money, he will definitely get things done, and he will never be tired of the generals. ”