Chapter 591: The Horse Administration

Zhao Kuangyin unbuckled his sword, straightened his attire, and let the cold gleam of his armor settle against his skin—an unpleasant sensation, yet he seemed utterly indifferent to it. The moment he stepped into the hall, warmth rushed over him, and a layer of mist immediately veiled his handsome features.

He stepped forward and paid his respects: "Your servant Zhao Kuangyin pays homage to Your Majesty!"

Liu Chengyou held a porcelain bowl in his hand, scooped up a red date, and brought it to his mouth. He looked up at Zhao Kuangyin, noting the chill radiating from his body, with a few traces of unmelted snow still dissolving on him.

"No need for ceremony! Sit first!" Liu Chengyou raised his hand, then turned to instruct: "Zhang Dejun, serve Chief Inspector Zhao a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhao Kuangyin expressed his gratitude, rose, and took his seat. Zhang Dejun, nimble in his movements, ladled out a bowl of the snow-pear and ginger soup prepared in the kitchen and handed it to Zhao Kuangyin.

After a bowl of hot soup went down, warming both body and heart, Zhao Kuangyin's complexion took on a healthier flush. Spitting out a date pit, Liu Chengyou looked at him and asked: "Those riders from Xiazhou—have they been properly settled?"

"To answer Your Majesty, they have been temporarily assigned to the Tieqi Army, placed under the left wing. Your servant has ordered men to keep them under covert surveillance!" Zhao Kuangyin replied.

"Yuanlang, you are truly capable!" Liu Chengyou said: "These Xiazhou riders likely include Li Yiyin's spies among them—this cannot be overlooked! From Yuanlang's observation, how is their combat capability?"

After returning to the capital from the southern campaign, Liu Chengyou issued an edict, selecting elite troops from the various prefectures and towns across the realm to bolster the imperial army. On the Dingnan Army's side, the Bureau of Military Affairs also issued orders for them to select and dispatch elite cavalry.

Of course, Li Yiyin paid it no heed at first. Later, Liu Chong, seeking to secure permanent control over Hedong, sent a secret letter to Xiazhou, hoping to forge a connection with him as an external ally to support his opposition to the court's policies.

That letter, deliberately allowed through, was permitted to reach Li Yiyin's hands. Yet before he could make a decision, Liu Chong was relieved of his post and recalled to the capital, where he fell ill and died in Luoyang. The swiftness of the changing situation left Li Yiyin caught completely off guard.

What truly troubled him was the major overhaul of Hedong's military and governance: Zhe Deyi commanding the Baoning Army in the east, Wang Yansheng in Yanzhou to the south—a pincer from two sides—and to the west, in Shuofang, that ruthless man Shi Hongzhao.

After much deliberation, Li Yiyin finally decided to swallow his pride and yield. Hesitantly, he selected a batch of cavalry from the Dingnan Army and dispatched them to the Eastern Capital. Of course, only a hundred riders, along with an additional two hundred war horses as tribute.

Upon being asked, Zhao Kuangyin reported: "Your servant has examined them—all are stalwart and skilled, excellent in both archery and horsemanship. Even among the elite of the Tieqi Army, their combat capability ranks among the finest; each can match five ordinary soldiers!"

"I just wonder how many such elite warriors exist in the Dingnan Army," Liu Chengyou murmured.

"Your servant spoke with the Captain leading them. According to him, the Dingnan Army has at least five thousand of such elite soldiers, and several times that number who are only slightly inferior!" Zhao Kuangyin answered, a hint of mockery in his tone.

Liu Chengyou gave a faint, derisive smile and said: "If what he says is true, then wouldn't the Dingnan Army be entirely composed of strong troops, with no weak units at all? How many soldiers does he even have in total? This Li Yiyin dares to play such tricks on me, trying to tell me his Dingnan Army is mighty and well-mounted, that I should not lightly make a move against it!"

Zhao Kuangyin laughed along, echoing: "Your Majesty is wise—one word exposes Li Yiyin's clumsy scheming. Xia and Sui are barren lands, hard-pressed to support armies and horses! It is also because the Great Han grows ever stronger, its military might inspiring awe, that the Dingnan Army is gripped by fear and trepidation!"

Liu Chengyou nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, then said with ease: "It seems that regarding the Dingnan Army, we need to take a more measured approach! Otherwise, under Li Yiyin's suspicion and fear, he might defect to the Khitan barbarians, and the troubles in the northwest would become difficult to resolve for some time!"

"Issue the edict: the Han army along the Xia-Sui border shall not send a single man or a single horse across the border to harass, raid, or plunder, so as to avoid provoking conflict!" Liu Chengyou instructed calmly.

"What about those two hundred war horses?" Liu Chengyou asked again.

Zhao Kuangyin was clearly well-versed in all matters, including war horses. Upon the question, he answered without hesitation: "Given the winter season, they appear somewhat gaunt, but they are all fine breeds from Hexi. Once they are fattened and conditioned, they will fully suffice for military service! However, all the horses have been gelded!"

"Heh heh!" Liu Chengyou gave a faint smile, his expression slightly sobering as he said: "Horses are the foundation of arms, the sharp edge of national defense. To subjugate the southern states, elite infantry suffice; but to strike north and crush the barbarian hordes, we must rely on elite cavalry. Soldiers are no cause for worry—it is sturdy horses that trouble me! Yet the lands north of Yan remain in barbarian hands, and the northwestern border prefectures are still barely under control. I am truly hard-pressed for sources of war horses.

Previously, I had Wei Renpu conduct a thorough inventory—throughout the entire army, the number of serviceable war horses was fewer than forty thousand, and many old and wounded horses were still being kept in use. In the Huainan campaign alone, nearly three thousand were lost.

Were it not for the several thousand fine horses captured by Duke Dai in his campaign against the miscellaneous barbarians of Hexi as replenishment, I fear even the Tieqi and Longjie armies could not have been fully mounted with one horse per man!"

Hearing the Son of Heaven's lament, Zhao Kuangyin immediately rose to offer his counsel: "Your Majesty, the horse administration should be reopened. Though the northwestern prefectures are not yet fully stabilized, they can still be tentatively utilized for breeding and training military horses. In the Central Plains and Hebei, the court can also follow old precedents to encourage horse husbandry!"

"I have precisely that intention!" Liu Chengyou's eyes held a gleam of vigor as he looked at Zhao Kuangyin: "I have already instructed the Academicians to compile the horse administration policies of previous dynasties, intending to implement what is feasible based on the nation's circumstances! Within the Great Han's borders, the most suitable lands for animal husbandry are only Longyou and Hexi—yet the land is vast and sparsely populated, the borders unsettled, and constantly harassed by barbarian raids...

After spring begins, I intend to send Yuanlang to inspect the northwestern border defenses, survey the terrain, and scout out pasturelands for future selection. Along the way, take a look at the southwestern border preparations for me—the Shu army's movements, and the situation in Qinfeng!"

Hearing the Son of Heaven's instructions, Zhao Kuangyin seemed lost in thought, but his body reacted instinctively as he clasped his hands and answered: "As commanded!"

"Within five years, I want to raise enough military and campaign horses to equip a hundred thousand cavalry!" Liu Chengyou stated flatly, setting a goal that was not exactly easy to achieve, given the considerable constraints.

"Your Majesty's ambitions lie to the north!" Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but glance at Liu Chengyou, thinking to himself.

The pursuit of horse administration clearly pointed toward campaigning beyond the northern frontier. Though the Great Han's current national policy focused on the south, its aspirations toward the north had not slackened in the slightest.

At the State Finance Commission, Zhang Yisu, who had been promoted to Administrative Assistant of Expenditure, personally delivered an edict document to Chancellor Xue Juzheng.

The fifth year of Qianyou was drawing to a close, and all matters required summarization. The State Finance Commission was perhaps the most tedious and busiest institution among all the court departments. Looking at the piles of accounting documents stacked high on his desk, Xue Juzheng couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

He now understood why Wang Zhang had aged so quickly back then, his body deteriorating to such a degree within a few years—it was all in these endless stacks of official documents. Of course, the difficult financial situation at the founding of the state, Wang Zhang's heavy authority, and his habit of handling everything personally were also contributing factors.

By comparison, Xue Juzheng's days were somewhat better—but only relatively so. Still, feeling the nation's taxes, farmland, and grain revenues gradually passing through his hands, being organized and tallied, that sense of accomplishment was quite intoxicating.

"What is it?" Xue Juzheng looked at Zhang Yisu and asked.

Zhang Yisu placed the edict on the desk and explained: "A new edict from Chongzheng Hall—His Majesty wishes to reopen the horse administration and has ordered the State Finance Commission to calculate and prepare the initial investment of funds and grain!"

Nodding, Xue Juzheng looked at Zhang Yisu and noticed his pallid complexion, tinged with an unusual color that seemed like illness. A flush of red surged up, he suppressed it for a moment, but finally couldn't hold back a few heavy coughs. He quickly took out a silk handkerchief and wiped his mouth.

"Your subordinate has been rude—please forgive me, Chancellor!" Once he recovered, Zhang Yisu apologized.

"No matter!" Xue Juzheng looked at his sickly appearance and said with concern: "Zhengfang, your health is not good; you should not overexert yourself. If you cannot hold on, you may request leave and return home to recuperate!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Chancellor! It is nothing serious—just an old ailment! A chronic condition from years past; every winter it is like this, nothing unusual!" Zhang Yisu shook his head, gave a light cough, and said: "The commission is currently in a busy period; how could I dare avoid hard work because of illness!"

Xue Juzheng couldn't help but sigh, thinking to himself that with such a fine son-in-law, Duke Wang's legacy had a worthy successor—only this sickly body was a pity.

Returning to his senses, he skimmed through the edict, then looked up and said with a wry smile: "Reopening the horse administration will be another major expenditure! If not for the supplementary tax revenues from Huainan, His Majesty's successive policies would be difficult to sustain!"

"His Majesty is a ruler of great ambition; spurred on by him, your servant can only exert every effort and follow in his footsteps!" Zhang Yisu had served as a close minister beside Liu Chengyou for some time, so he did not look surprised.

"Since last year, the court has pursued major policies without cease—the southern campaign, the attack on Shu, institutional reforms—the expenditures have been enormous. City repairs, winter disaster relief, all consuming funds and grain. Spring is about to arrive: salaries for all ranks, replacement spring clothing for the soldiers... the Lantern Festival celebration will surely not be spared either. The autumn tax revenues will likely be scattered to the winds again..." Xue Juzheng listed item by item, as if venting his grievances: "And now, the horse administration on top of it all—ah, I can finally appreciate the difficulties Duke Wang faced back then!"

Seeing this, Zhang Yisu said with a light smile: "Chancellor need not worry overmuch. His Majesty is not seeking quick results; the horse administration is not something accomplished overnight. There is ample time to make preparations!"

Nodding, Xue Juzheng pondered briefly, then instructed Zhang Yisu: "For this matter, I'll trouble you, Zhengfang, to lead your subordinates in discussing it first and drafting a proposal. Since His Majesty has directly issued the edict, we must give it our full effort!"

Zhang Yisu replied: "Yes!"

With a slight sigh, exhaling a puff of white vapor, Xue Juzheng picked up another memorial—this one concerning the preliminary rectification of Guanzhong's finances—and his furrowed brow eased somewhat. Since the mid-Tang, Guanzhong had given people the impression of warfare, ruin, and poverty.

But in fact, after several years of recuperation since the Great Han's founding, its population, farmland, and tax revenues had all seen substantial recovery and development. Especially the prefectures and counties on the Wei River plain, which were already showing signs of resurgence.