novelhk Page 2595
Page 2595
His name was Lü Haojing, and he was one of the few members of the Lü clan who remained in Luoyang after the clan split up and migrated.
Although the government confiscated most of the real estate, shops, and land, the hidden wealth in the cellars was allowed to be retained.
The horse trader explained, "Young master, please buy as many as you like. The Jin Dynasty has been destroyed, and the grasslands have submitted to the imperial court. How could the Ming Dynasty lack warhorses?"
The horse trader patted the horse that Lü Haojing had his eye on: "This foal is a year and a half old. If it were in the previous dynasty, it could have been used as a warhorse."
Chapter 3511 Horse Market
“A few years ago, the government controlled the market so much that people couldn’t buy them even if they wanted to, but now they are being sold freely.”
“If you don’t like it, young master, I will order another horse from a foreign horse trader and have them send a better horse next time.”
"Can we buy something even better?" Lü Haojing's eyes lit up.
The horse trader said, "That will have to wait until next year. Young master, you can give me a deposit of five strings of cash."
"Then let's buy this one first. How much?" Lü Haojing asked.
The horse trader said, "Twenty strings of cash."
"That's really cheap," Lü Haojing said happily, picking out two horses in one go.
Such a fine horse used to cost at least 25 strings of cash, and sometimes even 30 strings when the border situation was tense.
Lu Haojing was extremely pleased to have his servant lead his horse home.
When the imperial court moved the capital to Luoyang, it had already selected a stadium site located northwest of the Longmen Grottoes.
It is specifically used for hosting competitions such as Cuju (ancient Chinese football) and polo, but it is also open to the public at other times; you can go in and play as long as you pay an entrance fee.
Having heard that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty loved polo, Lü Haojing had already begun practicing.
Now that he has acquired two fine horses, he is like a tiger with wings, and he plans to show off his skills to the emperor one day.
The Tian Si Horse Ranch has also been relocated here, with the new location chosen at the northern foot of Wan'an Mountain.
It was the largest horse farm in Luoyang during the Tang Dynasty, and it was right next to the largest garden in Luoyang.
The garden was restored to its ancient name, "Dongxi Garden," by Zhao Yuan. It was a royal garden during the Northern Song Dynasty.
In the future, the Ming Dynasty imperial family could move to Dongxi Garden to escape the summer heat, ride horses at the nearby Tiansi Horse Ranch, or go hunting in Wan'an Mountain in the autumn.
As for the Tiansi Horse Ranch in the northwest suburbs of Kaifeng, two-thirds of it was retained, and one-third was sold to nearby farmers.
Youzhou also has an official horse farm, which has been breeding horse breeds.
This year, many of the one-year-old foals purchased by the people of Youyan were culled from official horse farms—they were crossbred and the owners were not satisfied with the results.
It is said that the rich buy horses, while ordinary people buy donkeys.
Before Lü Haojing had gone far with his horse, many citizens and farmers came running after hearing the news.
How much is this donkey?
"Six strings of cash."
"What about that one?"
"Twelve strings of cash, a fine donkey. That one is even more expensive, fifteen strings of cash."
"How much for the mule?"
"These are horses and mules. Twenty strings of cash..."
Mules are very valuable!
From the Tang and Song dynasties until the reform and opening up, mules were always much more expensive than draft horses and pack horses in China.
Especially "horses and mules".
Because horses and mules have so many advantages for ordinary people.
It inherited its mother horse's size, agility, and running ability, as well as its father donkey's load-bearing capacity and disease resistance.
It also has a gentle temperament and is not picky about food.
There is a very outrageous record from the Southern Song Dynasty: a young mule in Huangzhou was worth 100 strings of cash—only slightly less than the price of warhorses for the border troops at that time (the Southern Song Dynasty was experiencing severe inflation, and warhorses were particularly expensive).
In other words, don't be fooled by the fact that the Ming Dynasty's mule-drawn chariots seem outdated.
In terms of military cost, it's no different from using ordinary warhorses to pull everything.
"The Emperor has left the palace! Go and see!"
The people of Luoyang who were buying donkeys and mules stopped their transactions and rushed to see the emperor.
If the people of Kaifeng knew this, they would definitely laugh at them for being country bumpkins.
But on both sides of Zhuque Street, people were already crowded together.
The nearby streets and shops were all empty; even the shopkeepers and their assistants no longer stayed at their shops, but squeezed into the crowd to stand on tiptoe and look out.
Chapter 3512 The Emperor's Inspection Tour
This was the first time the emperor had officially left the palace since the capital was moved.
"Long live!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
People waved and cheered wildly, expressing their heartfelt love for the emperor.
Pacifying the chaotic world and reducing the tax burden were only one aspect; after the imperial court moved the capital, it became easier for the people of Luoyang to make money.
Wages have risen along with housing prices, while the prices of basic consumer goods have only increased slightly.
This was well-prepared; a large amount of supplies were brought in advance, and they even met with merchants from Luoyang.
Lü Haojing had a servant lead one horse while he mounted another, allowing him to get a clear view of the royal procession.
He said to the servant whose view was blocked, "The Emperor is riding a fine horse, looking quite majestic."
"The carriages behind must have had their carriages lined with velvet, because they can reflect sunlight from a distance!"
"Back up, back up, don't push forward!"
The guards protecting the emperor were on high alert, holding their long spears horizontally on both sides, fearing that someone might take advantage of the chaos to assassinate him.
After a lot of trouble, we finally got out of the city safely.
Then, turning east, about seven or eight miles north of the Longmen Grottoes, we crossed the Yi River via a stone bridge and headed straight for Dongxi Garden.
As early as the Tang Dynasty, this was the largest garden in Luoyang, and it became a royal garden during the Northern Song Dynasty.
Now that it has become a summer retreat for the Ming Dynasty's imperial family, Zhao Yuan plans to bring his whole family here to get acquainted with it.
By the way, take a look at the fine horses that were just delivered there a few days ago.
After spending some time in the garden with his wives, concubines, and children, Zhao Yuan rode his horse to the nearby Tian Si Jian New Horse Ranch.
Upon learning that the emperor was coming to inspect the city, Xu Fu, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, left the city yesterday to make preparations.
Xu Fu was Huang Tingjian's nephew. Historically, when Zhang Bangchang usurped the throne and declared himself emperor, Xu Fu refused to serve the false dynasty and resigned from his official post.
Hearing that some officials had changed their names to avoid using the name Zhang Bangchang, Xu Fu directly renamed his maid "Changnu".
Whenever guests came to visit his home, he would shout "Changnu" to greet them.
Zhang Bangchang, upon learning of this, dared not do anything...
“Your Majesty, these are all foals born since last summer,” Xu Fu said, pointing to several foals.
Zhao Yuan fought in Liaodong last year and has been busy since returning at the beginning of this year, so he hasn't had time to visit the Imperial Stables.
Xu Fu didn't actually know anything about raising horses, so the horse-raising official came to explain it to him.
“Your Majesty, this foal is only eight months old, but its shoulder height is already over four feet,” said Li Gui, the horse groom.
Zhao Yuan's eyes lit up: "A descendant of the Akhal-Teke horse?"
Li Gui cupped his hands in greeting: "That's right."
The Ferghana horses mentioned here are the Ferghana horses from the Fergana Basin.
Today, most of the Fergana Basin is occupied by the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate, with only a small portion belonging to the Western Karakhanid Khanate.
The last time the Seljuk envoy came from the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate, he presented many Ferghana horses as gifts.
Unfortunately, all the stallions were castrated, and only two mares were suitable for breeding.
Li Gui took out his notebook: "This colt is numbered A1A1A2."
"Its ancestor was the divine steed Treasure Bowl, and its ancestor was a Khitan horse captured from Heza Meng'an."
"My grandfather was a Wusun horse from Gaochang, and my mother was a Ferghana horse brought by a Seljuk envoy."
That's quite a complicated bloodline.
Both the Wusun horse and the Ferghana horse were known as celestial horses in the Han Dynasty.
As for the Khitan horse, it is one of the ancestors of the Mongolian horse.
But since it was captured from Hezameng'an, it is clearly one of the best Khitan horses, otherwise how could it have been used as a warhorse for heavy cavalry?
Three generations of my ancestors were all top-quality horses!
This horse is agile, with long legs, all black in color, and its coat is shiny. It has a diamond-shaped white spot on its forehead.
Li Gui continued reading from the record: "Tall stature, excellent endurance, excellent speed... It is currently unknown whether it can tolerate roughage."
It is currently unknown whether it is cold-resistant, heat-resistant, or drought-resistant... It has a volatile temperament and is prone to mood swings...
When feeding in the same trough, they will kick and bite other foals until they drive the competitors away...
It is intelligent and only recognizes its long-term owners; strangers find it difficult to approach..
Before he could finish reading, Zhao Yuan had already walked over.
The foal immediately became nervous, snorting and backing away.
It retreats to a certain distance, paws with its hind legs, and arches its back as if to leap up, seemingly wanting to rush up and kick or bite.
The official leading the horse quickly calmed it down, fearing that the colt might bump into the emperor.
"What a fine horse!" Zhao Yuan exclaimed.
Another Ferghana horse sent by a Seljuk envoy also gave birth to a foal, and the third ancestor was also a treasure trove.
However, there seem to be signs of a failed improvement; it is noticeably shorter than this one.
The proportions of its four legs to its body are somewhat short and stocky, perhaps making it more powerful for carrying loads.
With the zookeeper's reassurance, Zhao Yuan tried brushing the magnificent steed's coat.
At first, I was restless and uneasy, but gradually my emotions stabilized.
In the end, he even gave the emperor face and ate the fine food that the emperor personally sent him.
Zhao Yuan was very happy, so he named the foal "Coal Ball".
Black Steed and such, how old-fashioned!
Only coal briquettes seem cute.
While brushing and feeding the horses, Zhao Yuan listened to the report from Xu Fu, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud: "The Imperial Stud in Luoyang has only moved eighty-four horses here so far, all of them are the best of the best..."
Chapter 3513 The New Horse Farm
"Well, this horse with short, thick legs was brought here because of my mother."
"It is very powerful and has great endurance, but it is a little slow to run."
"More than 1,500 horses were left at the Kaifeng Imperial Stables."
"The Youzhou official horse farm already has more than two thousand horses."
"The Liaodong official horse farm had more than 4,000 horses, all of which were captured from the Jin army."
"As for the three major protectorates, there are no official horse ranches yet, but they will be demarcated and set up within this year."
“Every year, a batch of fine horses are sent from major official horse farms to the Tian Si Supervisor for crossbreeding and breeding.”