Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

"More pig iron?"

In the Beidou Building meeting room, Wang Ding put down the account book and looked at Zhang Mo suspiciously. "The money you got last time was enough for you to forge hundreds of weapons. What else do you want to do?"

Zhang Mo chuckled and said, "Isn't this just recruiting some more people..."

Although some of these new recruits brought their own weapons, the quality was very poor. Many swords had holes in them and had to be melted down and recast, and the gaps in their armor were even bigger. If they wanted to equip all the Golden Eagle Guards, even several more smuggling trips would not be enough.

"Recruiting again?"

Wang Ding was puzzled. "Why do you have so many soldiers? Are you really going to rebel like a bandit?"

Zhang Mo couldn't explain the reason to him, so she walked over and grabbed his sleeve, acting coquettishly and cutely, "Brother, just believe me, I'm not kidding. These people are really useful, you'll know in the future, so just help me... get some more... my dear brother..."

Wang Ding's eyes moved away from her bright little face, and he curled his lips secretly, "What reincarnation of a military saint? This is clearly the reincarnation of a monster, a monster..."

"Don't call me brother, you are my sister."

He pulled back his sleeve, a look of despair on his face, "My dear sister... not only did you set up a stronghold in the mountains, but you also dared to recruit so many moth thieves to join you. They are all ruthless moth thieves who kill without blinking an eye. If something goes wrong, will you let me live?"

"I wouldn't dare take on a job without the right skills. Don't worry, brother. Besides, they're not as bad as you think."

"What are these 'diamond drill' and 'porcelain work'? Why do you have so many incomprehensible words in your mouth?" Wang Ding said unhappily.

Zhang Mo chuckled again, "Are you going to help me or not? If not, I'll have to find someone myself. If the news gets out..."

Sure enough, this monster ate him alive!

Wang Ding said impatiently, "Help, help, help, how much do you need this time?"

"As long as you can afford it, the more the better. And war horses, is there a place to get them?"

There were only more than 200 horses in the village, and her goal was to have at least 2,000 horses, which was a far cry.

Although the government did not have a monopoly on horses like the salt and iron empires, most of the horses sold on the market were inferior horses that could not go to the battlefield. Even if the government purchased horses from Jinyang, it would take several years to collect more than 2,000 horses.

"You have to trade with the Hu people for this. I can only help you get a few dozen horses at most."

"so little……"

"My dear little ancestor, these are war horses. You think they are chickens and ducks? You can easily get a large group of them. In recent years, there have been constant rebellions everywhere, and the government is also trying hard to expand the army. Ordinary people are lucky to be able to buy one or two horses."

Although Bingzhou is not as short of horses as the south, this place is located on the border of the Liangzhou rebels, the Xiongnu and the Xianbei. Bingzhou Governor Zhang Yi has been vigorously building cavalry in the past two years, and most of the good horses on the market have been bought by the government. Zhang Mo actually knew this, but she thought that her brother had wide connections and could get more horses. She didn't expect that there were only dozens of horses. She was a little surprised.

"Just a few dozen horses, just help me get them first, and I'll figure out the rest myself."

"What can you do?"

"A living person can be suffocated to death by urine. There must be a way!"

Wang Ding was very upset. This girl was not a monster at all, she was just a female bandit.

Zhang Mo sat beside the desk, supporting her chin with her left hand, tapping lightly on the desk with her right index and middle fingers, thinking about where to get the war horse.

Since she couldn't buy it, the only solution she could think of was to rob. The horses of the government and the Black Mountain accomplices must not be touched, and she couldn't bring herself to rob merchants. After thinking about it, the only option left was to rob the Hu people.

However, her knowledge of the Xiongnu and Xianbei was limited to the few bits of information in history books. She had no real experience with them, so she didn't dare take any risks. She wondered if the thieves in the village had ever encountered Xiongnu cavalry in their years of activity in Bingzhou.

Thinking of this, Zhang Mo stood up, patted her butt and walked out the door, "Brother, I'm going back to the village!"

Wang Ding put down the teacup he had taken a sip of and asked, "You're leaving right after you got back?"

"Well, I suddenly remembered that there is one thing I haven't done yet. I'll come back at the beginning of the year."

…………

At Juyi Village, upon hearing that they were going to rob the horses of the Hu people, Xu Chu was the first to volunteer, "I'll go, let me go."

Zhang Mo said, "I am planning to let you lead the team, but you need to understand the enemy clearly before you go, otherwise I am afraid something might happen."

Although the saying that one Han can defeat five Barbarians was popular at that time, I could not believe it completely because I had not seen it with my own eyes. If I was not careful, it would not only waste my efforts but also ruin the Golden Eagle team.

Xu Chu shrugged, "What's there to understand? The Xiongnu were so powerful back then, but weren't they crippled by Generals Wei and Huo? I may not be as powerful as those two generals, but the Xiongnu are just old men now. Why should I be afraid?"

Li Gui had been active in Bingzhou for many years and had seen Xiongnu and Xianbei cavalry several times. "The rest is nothing special, but the Hu people are good at riding and shooting, and their horsemanship is particularly superb. Among us, except for the Golden Eagle Guards who can ride, most of the others have never even touched a horse. If we were to compete in horseback riding, I'm afraid we would be no match."

Li Gui hit the nail on the head. Although the Golden Eagle Guards are powerful, most of them can only ride horses, not be proficient in them. If you really meet them on the road, they will not dismount and fight with you.

Although Zhang Mo knew that the high-bridge saddle and double-sided stirrups could improve knights' combat capabilities on horseback, if the Hu people learned this technology, it would definitely be a boon to the enemy!

The Hu people have a large number of horses. Once they are equipped with these, coupled with their riding skills which are already superior to those of the Han people, their combat effectiveness will be greatly improved. By then, I am afraid that the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China will be staged ahead of schedule.

There are only about 200 horses that can be ridden in the village now, plus the ones promised by Wang Ding, there are only more than 300 horses. Everyone takes turns to practice, and it will take at least ten days for 3,000 people to get a turn. How long will it take to master the riding skills?

This was a vicious cycle, and Zhang Mo couldn't help but feel a headache. Without a horse, would she have to run to Luoyang to fight Dong Zhuo in the future? Moreover, if she couldn't win, she wouldn't be able to escape without a horse.

Just when he was worried, Du Fei suddenly said, "Actually, if you are not good at riding, you don't have to compete with riding skills."

"No riding skills? How can you say that?"

Du Fei smiled and said, "Have you forgotten the longbowmen?"

Of course Zhang Mo did not forget the longbowmen, but among these people, only more than a hundred were Li Gui's old subordinates who had been trained for several months. The others were just newly selected people who could shoot arrows, and it was not known whether they could be used.

"Can they?"

Du Fei said, "The over one hundred of my former subordinates are accurate two out of ten within a hundred and fifty paces, and four out of ten within a hundred paces. The others are also quite accurate with shortbows. What they lack now is familiarity with the longbow. They can barely use it after a month or two of practice."

The advantage of the longbow is that it can shoot far, but its accuracy is too poor. This is why only those who are good at archery can reach this level. If a novice is trained, it will take two or three years of diligent practice to reach this level. The biggest advantage of the longbow is the use of dense arrow formations for long-distance shooting. Three hundred longbowmen are still a bit too few.

Xu Chu followed up, "Although our cavalry may not be as skilled as the Hu people, our swords are far sharper than theirs, so we have a chance of winning."

Zhang Mo asked again, "How many men and horses do the Hu people usually have when they go south to plunder?"

Li Gui said, "The Xiongnu were nominally vassal states of the Han Dynasty, and the royal court didn't dare to openly rebel. Most of the time, it was the tribal leaders who acted on their own. Large tribes had around a thousand people, while smaller ones often had only two or three hundred. Zhang Feiyan once annihilated a large Xiongnu force. As for the Xianbei, they were mostly active in Yunzhong and northern Yanmen."

Black eats black!

Xu Chu shouted excitedly, "Amo, let me go, let me go. Not only do I want to steal their horses, but I also want to teach these Hu people who dared to invade my Han territory a lesson."

"Don't worry, this matter still needs long-term consideration."

Xu Chu said, "What's there to discuss? I'll take my men for a stroll north, and kill any barbarians we meet."

Zhang Mo was really worried about Xu Chu's attitude of not taking the Hu people seriously. This guy was skilled in martial arts and had read some military strategies, but he had no experience in actual combat. What's more, he was arrogant. If he was not careful, he might not only fail to seize the horses but also lose his own people to the Hu people.

"This isn't as simple as you think. Do you know how longbowmen should coordinate with cavalry? How should we take advantage of favorable terrain and even weather conditions to deploy our troops? Do you understand the topography of Wuyuan, Yunzhong, Dingxiang, and Yanmen counties? What's the route? What are the climatic conditions like? Do we need to pay attention to the soldiers' diet?"

Xu Chu scratched his head and smiled innocently, "I don't know..."

It turns out that all the military books were read in vain!

Zhang Mo sighed inwardly and said, "So I'll make a detailed plan before taking action."

"How long will it take?"

"It's winter now, and the further north you go, the colder it gets. Even if you want to go, you'll have to wait until spring. In the meantime, you should intensify the training of the Golden Eagle Guard, especially the archers and cavalry, and have Master Guo melt down some of the inferior weapons and reforge them. Gather the young men in the valley and rush to make some sabers. I'll go back to the palace and see if there are any maps of the northern counties."

"Then how should we arrange the formation you just mentioned? And how should we coordinate?" Xu Chu asked.