Chapter 140: Horse Appraisal

Hearing Grand Eunuch Zhou's words, everyone looked at each other in dismay.

"Good! Baiya is so lively, I would like to go and see it myself! Haha!"

Afterwards, it was Crown Prince Xie Fang who laughed heartily. A sharp glint still flashed in his eyes.

His thinking was very simple.

That Liu Zheng had caused him to lose face at the front lines, and he had to recover this loss no matter what.

Moreover, although his own fifty thousand Crown Prince Army had been wiped out just like that, Chen Ping still had a solid one hundred thousand-strong army here.

He had heard that Liu Zheng's thirty thousand Yinzhou Army was stationed outside the city, possessing quite the aura of a tiger roaring in the mountains; if his own one hundred thousand-strong army went there, wouldn't they look down upon the world?

The Third Prince also had no objections; he would certainly be very happy to go and knock Liu Zheng down a peg or two again.

But he still tentatively asked, "It's just that, Grand Eunuch Zhou, for a mere Prefect, to make us mobilize so many people, isn't that giving him a bit too much face?"

Grand Eunuch Zhou gave a cold laugh and said meaningfully, "Whether to give him face or whether he has any face, doesn't that have to wait until he arrives in Jinghua to be decided?"

Xie Ling was overjoyed to hear this and suddenly realized the truth.

It seemed that this trip to the capital for Liu Zheng was not a good thing for him at all!

This Yinzhou had indeed attracted the attention of the imperial court.

Prince Lu, meanwhile, smiled bitterly, his heart filled with vigilance.

This Grand Eunuch Zhou was ostensibly going to Baiya to issue an imperial decree, but in reality, he was likely going to investigate that Refined Salt matter.

Zheng Yuxing did not have many thoughts on this.

With this agreed upon, they would set off for Baiya together the next day.

When the wine had flowed and the guests were merry, people began to leave.

The smile on Grand Eunuch Zhou's face slowly faded away this time.

"Lord Secret Guard, it seems this Young Master Liu is in grave danger this time! If he is truly involved in the Refined Salt case, this..."

A black shadow, flickering in and out of sight, stood behind Grand Eunuch Zhou.

He did not say a word.

A strange silence ensued.

Baiya Prefecture was becoming more and more lively.

Baiya Prefecture, which already had a high standard of urban construction, was decorated with lanterns and streamers, bustling with excitement, because it was to welcome the heroes of the world.

But for some reason, Liu Zheng still felt that this city was extremely lacking in a certain vitality.

That's right, it was that kind of spirit and centripetal force of a city. In this respect, Baiya could not even compare to the once "incurable land" of Yinzhou.

Indifference, suspicion, and people coming and going in a hurry.

The public's apathy toward the Taishoufu, and their keeping the Baiya Army at a distance.

The infighting between the Taishoufu and the Baiya Army made this city, which could rival Liangzhou, full of all kinds of negative emotions everywhere.

The status of the Baiya Army in the pugilistic world was indeed extraordinary.

In just these past few days, heroes from all walks of life had arrived one after another.

The Baiya Army was naturally not stingy; as long as someone came to show support, they were treated with plenty of wine and meat.

There was singing and dancing, and revelry every night.

Whenever a wave of people came to show support, the Baiya Army would hold a banquet.

At the beginning, Yang Ke and Du Biao would drag Liu Zheng to attend the banquets, but later on, Liu Zheng couldn't be bothered to go.

Watching these people living in a drunken stupor, Liu Zheng tried his best to keep himself calm at all times.

He knew that as time went on, the people inside Baiya City were becoming increasingly mixed.

"Young Master Liu, this is the Third Leader's horse farm, how is it?" Today, the person following Liu Zheng was a middle-aged man called Lao Cui.

In Yang Ke's words, Lao Cui was a horse appraiser with very rich experience.

"Nothing travels better than a dragon on the move, nothing travels better than a horse on the ground. Horses are the foundation of military strength and a great utility for the state!"

Since he had come to Baiya, he could not help but look at horses.

The Liangzhou Iron Cavalry was the best in the world, and among them, War Horses occupied the most important position.

Liu Zheng knew that Huaxia civilization had the "Classic of Horse Appraisal" since ancient times, rumored to have been written by Bo Le.

Before him was a group of plump and sturdy horses, and Liu Zheng naturally praised, "Although I do not understand horse appraisal, I know that these colts must be horses fit for battle!"

This Baiya Army horse farm was very large, so it was divided into many parts.

At this moment, the two were in Yang Ke's horse farm; in other words, this vast horse farm had already been partitioned by these high-ranking members of the Baiya Army, and they would hire brothers from the Baiya Army or commoners to be responsible for tending to these horses.

Of course, in a feudal society, this was understandable.

"Haha, Young Master, that is where you are wrong. Not a single horse here is worth looking at!"

Who would have thought that upon hearing Liu Zheng's words, Lao Cui would immediately sneer.

Liu Zheng was puzzled: "Although I do not understand, I know that when looking at animals, one must first look at their build and coordination. These horses are tall and mighty, why do they not catch your eye?"

Lao Cui laughed: "A high-spirited posture and extraordinary temperament are certainly important, but besides that, when looking at a horse, one must first look at the head, then the ears, next the nose, and finally the eyes!"

Liu Zheng exclaimed in wonder: "Master Cui, please teach me!"

Lao Cui looked embarrassed: "Young Master has great talent, how would Lao Cui dare to speak of teaching?"

"In my opinion, one can enter the door of horse appraisal by avoiding a few misconceptions!"

"First, being tall and burly is not the top priority; a compact structure is the King's Way!"

Liu Zheng agreed deeply.

It was actually very easy for a horse to put on fat, so whether it was sturdy or not only indicated whether the horse was healthy; it could not distinguish whether it was a top-grade horse. What truly determined a top-grade horse was its structure! For example, whether the shoulder blades and movement joints were well-developed.

"Second, the flesh need not be thick, but the coat must be smooth!"

"Third, a small face, small ears, large nose, and large eyes—only then is it a top-grade horse!"

After hearing this, Liu Zheng was even more impressed.

It was clear that these experiences were all summarized by Lao Cui himself. For an ancient person, this was quite remarkable.

They did not know, but Liu Zheng knew: horses with small ears have small livers, and horses with small livers are adept at understanding human intentions. A large nose means large lungs, and lung capacity is naturally large; this needs no further explanation.

Large eyes mean a large heart; horses with large hearts are not only enduring but also not easily startled.

It could be said that these few words from Lao Cui were worth an entire "Classic of Horse Judging"!

Liu Zheng cupped his hands: "I have learned much!"

Lao Cui laughed heartily: "Young Master Liu is too polite."

A young man nearby chimed in: "Young Master Liu, if it weren't for Master Cui these years, how could the Third Leader's horse farm have become the largest in Baiya?"

Lao Cui was annoyed: "You talk too much!"

The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart; Liu Zheng was slightly stunned and was just about to speak.

The young man nearby couldn't help but say: "Young Master Liu probably doesn't know, but every year at the horse fair, several horse farms compete with each other; the winner can win more and more fertile horse farms!"

He looked proud: "Master Cui has helped the Third Leader win the championship for five consecutive years! It seems this year will be no different!"

Lao Cui hurriedly said he wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare, but he could not hide the pride in the corners of his eyes.

Just at this moment, there was suddenly the sound of galloping War Horses behind them.

The three of them turned to look and saw a group of people reeking of alcohol, each riding a horse and holding a horse whip, charging over recklessly.

"Eldest Young Master?"

"What are you..."

The man in the lead was none other than Wei Rong from a few days ago, this Eldest Young Master of the Baiya Army, who now had a gloomy, cold sneer on his face.

He first looked at Liu Zheng, then at Lao Cui, and then laughed loudly: "I heard that Lao Cuitou here has a rabbit-headed Sweat-Blood Horse; could you let us have a look?"

Lao Cui's expression changed.

That young stable hand was also furious, but he dared to be angry but dared not speak.

Wei Rong sneered: "What, am I still the Eldest Young Master of this Baiya Army?"

"What, is this Yang Ke really not putting my father in his eyes anymore?"

These two sentences made the expressions of Lao Cui and the young stable hand change drastically.

How could they answer?

Over the years, Yang Ke's popularity within the Baiya Army had been very high, with a momentum that faintly overshadowed the Great Leader Wei Shao. They knew even better that ever since Yang Ke was young, he had not received few lashes during the growth process of the Eldest Young Master Wei Rong before them. This Wei Rong held a grudge, and ever since he grew up, he had made things difficult for Yang Ke at every turn. All of this was to one day substantiate the charge that Yang Ke wanted to "rebel."

As subordinates, how could they dare to casually pick up such a topic?

Wei Rong sneered arrogantly: "Bring me that rabbit-headed foal!"

The lackeys responded with a roar.

Lao Cui was anxious: "Eldest Young Master, absolutely not!"

Everyone knew the art of horse judging: a rabbit-headed horse was a sign of a top-grade animal. Back then, Guan Erye's Red Hare was just like that. It perfectly matched Lao Cui's way of judging horses: a small, tight face with large eyes and a large nose.

This entire horse farm had only managed to breed such a rabbit-headed foal after many years; it was a true top-grade specimen.

Originally, Lao Cui intended to win the championship in one fell swoop at the horse fair this time, so how could he easily let it go?

He went to block them without a word.

Wei Rong's face turned livid: "It seems the Second Leader's people really don't put me in their eyes!"

"Break one of his legs for me!"

"Yes!"

Liu Zheng's expression changed slightly.

Those people had already started to move!

【Author's Note】

I'm hospitalized...

Acute pancreatitis.

I will escape as soon as possible.