After finishing breakfast, Zhu Ping’an called Liu Daodao, who was practicing endurance by carrying a tiger crouching cannon, into the commander’s tent and handed him a stack of banknotes.
“Young master, what is this?” Liu Daodao asked, holding the stack of banknotes, looking confused.
Zhu Shouren, who was lounging in the commander’s tent reading books to prepare for the imperial exams, turned red with envy. His eyes, like a rabbit injected with adrenaline, were practically burning with the desire to snatch the banknotes from Liu Daodao’s hands.
“Daodao, this is three thousand taels of silver. Take some men and go into the city to buy horses. Buy as many as you can. If there are good horses, prioritize buying them. If there are no good horses, buy ordinary ones. If even ordinary horses are scarce, buy mules. Remember, whether it’s horses or mules, we need them immediately. We don’t have time to wait for them to bring horses from other regions,” Zhu Ping’an instructed Liu Daodao, ordering him to go to Suzhou City to buy horses and mules—the more, the better.
This three thousand taels of silver came from the sale of the secret formula for wound medicine.
Zhu Ping’an was well aware of the current market prices. A good horse cost about thirty taels of silver, while an ordinary horse was half that price, around fifteen taels. Mules were even cheaper, about six to ten taels each.
With the imminent attack of the Japanese pirates on Suzhou City, a major battle was about to erupt. Given the cruel and greedy nature of the pirates, Suzhou City and the surrounding towns and villages would all be under threat.
As the commander of the Zhejiang Army stationed in Suzhou City, Zhu Ping’an had the responsibility and duty to protect Suzhou and its surrounding areas.
Therefore, forming a mobile cavalry unit was of utmost importance.
Cavalry was far more agile than infantry. With a cavalry unit, troops could be quickly deployed to where they were needed.
Moreover, during the transition period between cold and hot weapons, cavalry was a crucial military branch, excelling in reconnaissance, harassment, pursuit, covering supply lines, and breaking enemy formations. Examples from history include the famous dragoons, carabineers, cuirassiers, and hussars of Napoleon’s era.
The Zhejiang Army currently had seven hundred mules and horses, which was far from sufficient to handle the current situation. Hence, Zhu Ping’an sent Liu Daodao to Suzhou City to buy more horses.
However, Zhu Ping’an also knew that Suzhou, located in the south of the Yangtze River, was not a horse-breeding region.
Even though Emperor Hongwu had encouraged the people of Jiangnan to raise horses by offering special subsidies and tax incentives, the practice of raising horses took up time and land that could otherwise be used for farming. The input-output ratio was not favorable, so the people of Jiangnan did not raise many horses.
Even though Suzhou City was the wealthiest city in the world, the number of horses available in the city’s markets would not be substantial.
Of course, given enough time to procure horses, acquiring several hundred or even a thousand good horses would not be a problem.
But time was precisely what they lacked.
Therefore, as a second-best option, if there were no good horses, they would buy ordinary ones. If even ordinary horses were insufficient, they would buy mules.
In truth, mules were not ideal for use as warhorses. Compared to horses, mules were smaller in size, slower, more timid, and had less strength—about a quarter to a third less.
However, in critical moments, mules could still serve as warhorses.
Despite being smaller than horses, mules had far greater endurance and resilience. They could carry heavy loads and travel over forty miles in one go, whether on good roads, bad roads, or even mountain paths.
Additionally, mules were less prone to illness, were hardy, and had no special dietary requirements. Unlike warhorses, which needed careful maintenance and fine fodder during critical times, mules could thrive on coarse feed.
Historically, Li Xilie, due to a lack of warhorses, had formed a unit of mule cavalry, which turned out to be quite formidable in combat.
Perhaps Li Xilie is not a familiar name, but the famous calligrapher Yan Zhenqing, who was killed by Li Xilie, is surely well-known.
“Dear nephew, why not leave this task to us? We guarantee to bring back good horses for you,” Zhu Shouren said, his eyes still fixed on the three thousand taels of silver in Liu Daodao’s hands. He stood up, patting his chest as he volunteered.
“Uncle, you’ve just arrived and are not yet familiar with Suzhou. It’s better to let Daodao handle this. You should focus on your studies and exam preparations,” Zhu Ping’an said with a smile, firmly rejecting his uncle’s offer.
*Haha, joking aside, if I handed this money to you, it would be like throwing meat buns to a dog—gone forever. If I gave you these three thousand taels, you’d probably head straight to the brothels to buy skinny horses. I know you too well…*
“Alright, time is tight, and the task is urgent. Daodao, you should get going,” Zhu Ping’an waved his hand, urging Liu Daodao and his men
