Bring your aunt to eat big meat, the scumbag father's family is furious

Fang Hong stared at the masked figure for a few seconds before recognizing him as Qiao Lianer.

He dismounted.

"Miss Qiao, I didn't know you were in the county."

"Well, I'm here to buy some things. Uncle Fang, where are you going?"

"I'm going back to the capital—Lianzhou. The two young masters are waiting for me to come back."

"Uncle Fang, can you please excuse me for a moment?"

It was just a word that Fang Hong blurted out subconsciously, and Qiao Jianer was sure that Pei Zhujin and Pei Shijiu were from the capital.

Since he is from there, he must have more useful information.

Fang Hong was a little hesitant, but still nodded.

After finding a teahouse and tying the horse in the back shed, Qiao Jianer chose a relatively secluded location.

"Uncle Fang, I'll treat you to this meal."

"Hey, girl, I'm such a grown-up, how can I let you treat me? Just order your favorite tea and snacks, and leave it to me." Fang Hong said generously.

"Okay, then I won't be polite to Uncle Fang." Qiao Jianer really let go and ordered a few things.

People like this are not short of money and won't care about these things, but it will be easier to obtain information if you get to know them better.

Seeing that she didn't treat her as an outsider, Fang Hong couldn't help but feel a little more favorable towards her.

"Little girl, I'm in a hurry and don't want to beat around the bush. If you have anything to say, just say it directly."

"Uncle Fang, I hope you won't come back after you leave this time." Qiao Lian'er saw Fang Hong carrying a bag on his horse.

"Well, if there is nothing special to tell me, I basically won't come here. I have completed the task assigned to me by the young master."

The last time he went to Datian Village, he stayed in the county town for some time just to see the progress of the grain inspection bureau's statistics.

The statistics of each village and shop have been almost completed, and after August 20th, we will continue to follow the prescribed procedures.

"I've read the letter. Uncle Fang probably knows what's in it."

"Yes, I know everything. I know it without reading it. The eldest master wrote a letter to remind Miss Qiao, but he can only save Miss Qiao. In the face of the overall situation, the two masters are powerless." Fang Hong sighed.

He didn't want to see the suffering of the people, and the two young masters didn't want to see it even more, but what could they do?

But under such a torrent, everyone, whether noble or common people, is just a grain of sand being carried away.

"I know you two are kind-hearted. I am deeply grateful for writing to me."

"I want to ask Uncle Fang, the court is so poor that they are actually asking for a 5% tax. This is one of the heaviest taxes in history."

This is something Qiao Jianer couldn't understand. No matter how big the deficit was, it shouldn't be this serious. A tax of 5% out of 10 is simply forcing a rebellion. Doesn't the imperial court have this concern at all?

Fang Hong hesitated for a moment and smiled: "It's not a secret anyway."

He took a sip of tea and said, "The reason why the imperial court is seriously in deficit is not only because of corrupt officials, but also because of the large number of horses raised."

"Raising horses?"

"Yes, raising horses. You know, infantry is vulnerable to cavalry in both offense and defense. Wherever the cavalry's iron hooves go, they are unstoppable, and infantry can hardly resist them at all."

Qiao Jianer said, "Due to the terrain, Daze State relies mainly on infantry, but whenever a battle breaks out, Daze State always wins."

"But every victory was a pyrrhic one, requiring a force several times greater than the enemy's, and expending a vast amount of financial and material resources. Every victory would severely damage the Daze Kingdom's vitality."

"Unless you can encounter a resourceful and resourceful general, one that is rare in decades, you can defeat the enemy with fewer troops and achieve a draw with equal force, but such a good general is hard to come by."

"Of course, after the war, the defeated northern tribes also need to recuperate. Twenty years have passed since the last war, and the northern tribes are now strong and powerful. A new group of men have grown up, and they are forming tribal alliances, which will form an even more powerful offensive than before."

"But after suffering losses several times during the invasion, the Great Ze State was already preparing. Just ten years ago, the Great Ze State began raising horses in the plains, continuously purchasing horses from neighboring countries. To date, the number of horses in official horse farms has exceeded 500,000. Horses are expensive, and to keep them strong, they need not only grass from the plains, but also bean cakes, barley, and other special feeds, as well as medical treatment if they fall ill. This has placed a heavy burden on the Great Ze State's treasury."

"Because of the expenses of raising horses, the national treasury is constantly in deficit, and even needs additional tributes from the localities to supplement it. Now twenty alliances are tentatively moving south. The emperor feels that there are not enough horses, and he needs to continue purchasing good horses. At least 200,000 horses are needed."

"So you know why we're so short of food and money. Not to mention the silver, the food isn't just for the soldiers, it's also for the horses."

Qiao Jianer was shocked when he heard this.

In the Middle-earth region controlled by the Daze Kingdom, raising 200,000 horses is already an extremely rare large number, because the terrain does not have the conditions for raising a large number of horses. Now the number is approaching an astonishing 700,000. It is autumn again, and I am afraid that the grass on the grassland is not enough to eat. Silver and food are needed.

The burden of raising horses is borne by ordinary people across the country.

"Since we have so many horses, it's time to train the cavalry. This time, we should be able to win the battle quickly."

Fang Hong was somewhat worried: "The Emperor also holds the same idea. The Emperor decided to raise horses, isn't it because he wants to win the war quickly? After all, wars in the past would take at least half a year, and sometimes even three to five years."

"It's just that the northern tribes knew that the Great Marsh Kingdom was raising horses, so they also raised a large number of horses and trained stronger cavalry. To resist the Great Marsh Kingdom's cavalry and infantry, they even formed an alliance of twenty tribes. I'm afraid this time, the battle will be difficult."

Qiao Jianer was also silent for a long time.

She carefully integrated the history books she had read in her mind and read them out to herself.

"To deal with cavalry, you can rely on crossbow formations, chariot formations, and infantry phalanxes, coupled with various tools such as grappling spears, tripwires, sabers, and axes. If you coordinate them properly, even the Iron Hoof Army will be wary."

Fang Hong looked at Qiao Jianer in disbelief. He didn't expect that this girl knew all this.

"They do have these phalanxes, and they have dozens of different tools. The Daze State relies primarily on infantry, and they have been exploring this aspect of attack and defense for thousands of years, so they have a wealth of experience."

"The Lord's intention is that with a larger number of cavalry, we can win more quickly and avoid the prolonged attrition that we experienced before."

"But the problem is that this time the twenty northern tribes have an alliance with no less than 800,000 troops, and they are mainly cavalry. No one can predict when this will end."

Qiao Jianer had an idea: "Uncle Fang, let me write a few formations for you."