Chapter 573: The State Preceptor is indeed the State Preceptor!

Soon, Meng Tian also noticed something unusual.

That was, when these people nailed the iron pieces onto his mount’s feet, his mount didn't make any movement, as if it didn't feel any pain at all.

Does it really not hurt?

Meng Tian was stunned. One must know that in the past, if a horse’s feet were worn down, the horse was basically considered useless.

He never expected that when these people nailed the iron pieces into the horse’s hooves, the horse would be perfectly fine.

Even when they did some things and let the horse stand up again, except for being a little unaccustomed for the first few steps, the horse soon adapted.

Meng Tian didn't say a word and quickly rushed to his mount to check carefully. He didn't see any sign of pain on his mount.

"How can this be? Is it really okay?"

Meng Tian was incredulous.

One must know that those were iron blocks, and those nails were so long, yet nailing them into the feet caused no issues; this was simply too incredible.

Ge Nie watched Meng Tian check the horse in every way, never expecting that the famous General Meng would care so much about his mount.

This made him find it interesting.

Li Mu witnessed all this from the side and was also somewhat surprised.

If the saddle and stirrups could be understood as ingenuity, then nailing iron blocks onto the horse’s hooves was truly hard for him to understand.

He couldn't help but look at Ge Nie on the side: "Mr. Ge, what is going on?"

Ge Nie knew before he came that this old man was Li Mu, the famous general of the Zhao State in the past, but he did not intend to deliberately expose Li Mu’s identity.

Hearing Li Mu’s question, he recalled the full story he had learned from His Majesty the Emperor and from Su Xuan, and immediately said, "After you saw the horseshoes being nailed into the horses' hooves, you thought it was harming the horses and that they would be in pain, right?"

"Isn't that the case?"

Hearing the conversation between Gai Nie and Li Mu, Meng Tian also turned his attention toward them and asked in return.

"Actually, that is not the case!" Gai Nie shook his head and continued to explain: "According to the State Preceptor, there is a layer of hard keratin on the surface of a horse's hoof, much like a human's fingernail. When a human's fingernail breaks, it does not cause any pain, and the same is true for horses. The layer of keratin on their hooves is quite thick, about two fingers wide. As long as the nail is not driven in too deep, it will not cause them any pain."

"At the same time, it is precisely because of this layer of keratin that the hooves are protected, allowing them to run on the ground. However, when all is said and done, it is merely a substance similar to a fingernail. After prolonged contact with the ground, constant friction against gravel, and corrosion from stagnant water, it will wear down and eventually fall off."

"Once a horse's hoof is damaged, its lifespan has basically reached its end!"

"The two of you must surely know this!"

Gai Nie looked at Li Mu and Meng Tian.

Both men nodded at the same time.

Li Mu was a clever man and immediately understood the purpose of nailing iron plates onto the horses' hooves.

"So, because horses have a thick layer of nail on their hooves, nailing them in won't make them feel pain? The role of the iron plate is just like a human wearing boots, used to replace the wear on the horse's original nail?"

Hearing Li Mu's words, Meng Tian also understood the intention behind it.

This left him in a state of shock. After regaining his composure, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Inconceivable, truly inconceivable!"

Gai Nie's words confirmed Li Mu's conjecture.

"That is exactly it!"

Upon receiving a definitive answer, Li Mu was also surprised. "This was also that State Preceptor's idea?"

Gai Nie nodded.

Li Mu took a deep breath and spent a long time calming himself down.

"No wonder your Emperor values these few items so much; they are indeed of extraordinary significance."

"Although the saddle and stirrups are simple in construction, with their help, we can bridge the gap between our cavalry and the Xiongnu cavalry, and the existence of those iron plates can reduce the wear and tear on our warhorses."

"The wear on a horse's own hooves is irreversible. Once worn down completely, the horse's life will come to an end. But if you put 'boots' on them, it's a different story. The iron plate itself is sturdier than the horse's hoof; it's not easy to wear them down, and even if they are damaged, they can be replaced..."

"State Preceptor, he is truly the State Preceptor!"

Although Li Mu always referred to Ying Zheng as "that Emperor of yours," and in his heart, he still considered himself a man of Zhao Guo, at this moment, upon seeing this three-piece cavalry set, he still sincerely praised Su Xuan.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of lament in his heart.

Why didn't anyone in the Zhao Guo of the past think of these things?

If the Zhao Guo of yesteryear had these things, he would have wiped out the Xiongnu long ago. Even for the Qin State, wanting to destroy Zhao Guo would not have been such an easy task.

Withdrawing from his inner reflections.

Li Mu turned his attention back to the war.

With these three items, he was confident he could wipe out the Xiongnu in one battle.

And he had to wipe out the Xiongnu in one battle.

After all, these items had no real technical complexity. If they couldn't succeed in one strike, they would soon be imitated by the Xiongnu.

……

In Jiuyuan City, at the Commandery Governor's mansion.

Zhao Gao held a cup of tea but did not drink it immediately; thick mist rose slowly from the cup.

Before him, a person knelt on one knee with their head bowed.

"Did you find anything out?"

"From the very beginning, Meng Tian and Gai Nie did not allow outsiders to get close. We have no idea what they did or what they talked about!" the person kneeling before Zhao Gao said softly.

"Useless!"

Zhao Gao appeared somewhat angry.

In that letter from Ying Zheng, it was mentioned that Gai Nie had brought some items to overcome the enemy and secure victory to Jiuyuan Commandery, but it didn't say what they were. This made Zhao Gao very curious, as he feared those items would disrupt his plans.

Therefore, after Gai Nie, Meng Tian, and the others met in private, he immediately sent people out, wanting to catch a glimpse.

As it turned out, he hadn't expected his subordinates to be so useless.

But after thinking about it, it seemed understandable; after all, Gai Nie's strength was immense, and his people would likely be discovered if they approached rashly.

Thus, Zhao Gao changed his approach.

"Gai Nie brought many things this time, and these items are being strictly guarded by his people. Find a way to steal some; I want to know exactly what they are!"

"Yes!"