Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

As they were talking, the two horses were led to the crowd by Zhangba.

Guan Yu walked around one of the horses.

His eyes suddenly lit up with a gleam.

His affection for Huma was palpable:

"What a fine horse, what a fine horse!"

I was deeply impressed.

Liu Bei was very familiar with that feeling of exhilaration.

It's like a car-loving teenager suddenly seeing the car he's always wanted appear right in front of him.

How could I not be overjoyed?

"Look at the ears of this horse, they are pointed and erect, its hearing must be very sharp."

"Look at the eyes of this horse, they are big and bright, and its gaze is piercing."

"Look at this horse's nose. Its nostrils are large, allowing for efficient breathing. Naturally, it has strong endurance and can run for a long time."

"Look at this horse's neck again, it's long and strong, and its mane is glossy."

"Look at the body of this Hu horse. It has a broad chest and back, and strong bones."

"Look at this horse's tail, it's thin and long, and the hair is thick."

"He was truly handsome and dashing, both majestic and elegant."

"No wonder there's a saying, 'the spirit of a dragon and a horse.' That must be referring to this horse."

Guan Yu shed his aloof and arrogant demeanor and began praising the barbarian horse lavishly.

Everyone present could see that Guan Yu truly loved this horse.

Liu Bei impulsively decided to give the horse to Guan Yu directly.

But then I thought again, the time isn't right yet.

Now is not the right time to give away the horse.

So he suppressed the impulse in his heart.

He also wanted to use this horse to keep Guan Yu hooked, so that he would come to Zuo Zi's football field every day and preferably join his White Feather Club.

Having thought of this, Liu Bei said:

"The reason why these horses are so magnificent is twofold: firstly, they are of excellent breed, originating from the horse farms of the Western Regions people; and secondly, Zuo Zi takes good care of them."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Zi immediately replied:

"Originally, I didn't know how to take care of fine horses. The football field here was once rented to merchants who traded horses in Liaodong. I learned from them."

Guan Yu also said:

"These horses eat fine feed and fresh grass every day. If they weren't well cared for, they certainly wouldn't be so magnificent."

Seeing that Guan Yu's gaze had never left the barbarian horse, Liu Bei said:

"Since you like this horse so much, why not try riding it and see how it feels?"

"Really?"

Guan Yu was overjoyed.

"certainly."

Liu Bei smiled gently, "Look at this Hu horse. It has been equipped with a high saddle and double stirrups according to my requirements, making it much more comfortable to ride."

Guan Yu glanced at the high saddle on the horse's back, then turned around, looked at the stirrups, and exclaimed in admiration:

"That's a brilliant idea! I'll go up and give it a try."

As he spoke, he climbed onto the saddle and mounted the horse.

He straddled the saddle of the high-bridged horse and immediately felt exceptionally comfortable.

He gripped the horse's reins and gently squeezed his legs together.

"drive!"

A low shout.

The horse beneath him immediately began to gallop lightly.

With its four hooves strong and agile, it trots along.

As Guan Yu sat on his horse, he felt as if he were riding on clouds.

Immediately following, Guan Yu shouted:

"Giddy up!"

He suddenly squeezed his legs together.

He slapped the horse's belly with his right hand.

The horse immediately took off running and galloped across the football field, quickly reaching the end of the field.

Guan Yu hurriedly reined in his horse and turned back to the crowd, dismounting with a lingering sense of satisfaction.

Seeing the look of surprise on Guan Yu's face, Liu Bei quickly asked:

"How does it feel?"

Guan Yu couldn't help but chuckle, praising it repeatedly.

"As expected of a fine horse from the Western Regions. Riding it is so comfortable and effortless, it feels like flying through the clouds. It accelerates rapidly, going from a slow jog to a gallop in a very short time. If you want to launch a surprise attack on the enemy on the battlefield, this horse is the best choice."

Just like a good car can accelerate to incredible speeds in a few seconds.

A good horse can suddenly accelerate to a speed like flying in a short period of time.

In this respect, the horses from the Western Regions are indeed superior to those from the Central Plains.

Liu Bei was also very aware of this.

He looked at Guan Yu:

"It seems you've practiced horseback riding for a long time before."

Guan Yu made no secret of it:

"I did practice horseback riding with a friend. However, it wasn't for very long."

Liu Bei nodded:

"I see you're quite a good rider. You've reached this level in a very short time. It seems you have a real talent for riding. I just wonder how good you are with your lance? — Higashino, give him a lance."

"it is good."

Dongye Ban handed Guan Yu a ten-foot-long spear.

Guan Yu readily accepted it, looked up at the spearhead, and saw that it was wrapped in a wad of cloth, knowing that it was used for training.

"A spear that's eighteen feet long, exactly twice my height. It's easy for me to handle. But you're also carrying an eighteen-foot spear, and you're riding a horse. Can you manage it?"

Liu Bei knew that Guan Yu was mocking him.

Without making a sound, he simply took another eighteen-foot-long spear from Dongye Ban's hand, then climbed onto the saddle and leaped onto his horse.

With his left hand he held the horse's reins firmly, and with his right hand he tucked the eighteen-foot-long spear under his arm.

"drive!"

A low shout.

He squeezed his legs together against the horse's belly.

Liu Bei rode his horse lightly to the other end of the Cuju field.

From afar, he shouted loudly to Guan Yu:

"Prepare your spears! Come on."

Upon seeing this, Guan Yu tucked his eighteen-foot spear under his arm and leaped onto his horse.

Once he was settled, Guan Yu put down the reins and gripped the eighteen-foot spear with both hands.

He held the spear tightly with his right hand in front and his left hand behind.

Liu Bei knew that only those with superb horsemanship dared to abandon the reins and control the horse solely by using their legs to squeeze its belly.

This frees up both hands, allowing you to hold the spear with both hands and use it more flexibly.

And Liu Bei was naturally capable of doing the same.

On the training ground where his cousin Liu Buyi trained his troops, he practiced controlling his horse with only his legs and holding a spear with both hands. After several years, he had mastered this skill and achieved a state of "unity of man, horse, and spear."

However, this time when facing Guan Yu, he was prepared to charge with his spear.

In this way, Liu Bei would have to tuck the spear halfway under his armpit, leaving only nine feet of its tip for thrusting at the enemy.

Guan Yu freed his hands, holding only the back of the spear, with its eighteen-foot length extended in front to engage the enemy.

In weapon combat, an inch longer means an inch stronger.

Liu Bei used half of his eighteen-foot spear to fight against Guan Yu's entire eighteen-foot spear, which was actually quite risky.

But if he didn't do it this way, his abilities wouldn't be apparent.

Liu Bei intended to defeat Guan Yu by charging with a spear, showing him true martial prowess.

Seeing Liu Bei's arrogance, Guan Yu couldn't help but sneer.

He immediately shouted angrily:

"drive!"

He suddenly squeezed his legs together and mounted his warhorse.

The Hu horse immediately took off like a whirlwind, charging swiftly towards Liu Bei on the opposite side.

at the same time.

Liu Bei also let out a low shout:

"drive!"

Clamp your legs together.

His horse galloped off, charging fiercely towards Guan Yu.

Two plumes of dust rose from the football field.

The two horses collided almost head-on!

After estimating the distance, Guan Yu saw clearly and quickly thrust his eighteen-foot-long spear towards Liu Bei's left side.

As Liu Bei was running wildly, he saw Guan Yu's spear thrusting towards him, and calmly used the spear under his arm to block it.

Two eighteen-foot-long spears clashed.

Liu Bei gripped his spear tightly with his right hand and arm, parrying fiercely. Then, using the momentum of his horse's charge, he pressed his spear down along the shaft of Guan Yu's spear and thrust it towards Guan Yu's chest.

……

A spear eighteen feet long is called a "shuo," which is carried on horseback, implying that the "shuo" can kill.

—Liu Xi, *Shiming* (释名), section on military strategy.