Chapter 33: Warhorse Physical Control
"You are wrong, sir. My five hundred elite cavalrymen from Feng'an will surely defeat the invading enemy. Please allow me to pursue them."

Ashina Fuwen asked Lu Yu for help.

Their tribe has been loyal to the Tang Dynasty for more than a hundred years and will not be merciful just because they are all Turks.

Like the Xianbei, their final destination is to completely integrate into the Han people.

Lu Yu was hesitant and didn't speak for a long time.

"Generals, please do something for the common people! Cows and sheep are livestock, so just abandon them. But every household has relatives who have been abducted by the barbarians. They are living people, and in the eyes of the barbarians, they are worse than animals..."

The old man knelt on the ground and begged the Feng'an army to send troops.

As the head of the village, he was bound to find a glimmer of hope for his fellow villagers, and his children and grandchildren were also abducted.

"Please stand up, elder. It's not that our army is unwilling, but we are powerless to do anything."

Liu Xi quickly helped the old man up.

This is how it is on the border. It was very common for the Hu people to plunder the Han people throughout the dynasties.

"General, the enemy's light cavalry can penetrate deep into the Yellow River and plunder our Tang people right under the noses of the Feng'an Army. It is our Feng'an Army's responsibility. When the enemy left, they carried a large number of cattle and sheep, so they must not be able to move quickly. Moreover, the enemy has come a long way and is a tired army. I request to lead the cavalry to pursue them."

Li Xuan suddenly stood up and bowed to Lu Yu.

The nearest Turkic tribe to Feng'an Army was hundreds of miles away in the west of Helan Mountain.

If we raise an army now, we will definitely be able to catch up.

Although the Turkic light cavalry are numerous, Li Xuan is confident of victory due to various factors.

If all else fails, we can rely on the mobility of the light cavalry to drive away the Turkic cavalry and rescue the captured Tang people.

"This elder only estimated that the Turkic cavalry was over a thousand, but the exact number is still unknown. If you rashly send troops, you will be in danger of losing your virginity."

Lu Yu glanced at Li Xuan and spoke slowly.

"The duty of the border troops is to protect the people and the people. To serve the people and die for the country, this is what men of our generation pursue."

No matter what Li Xuan thought in his heart, the words he spoke were bold and heroic.

After hearing what Li Xuan said, all the generals and military officers stood in awe.

"General, please allow me to ride on the warhorse and chase the enemy with General Li to rescue the people."

Gao Kai, with his blood boiling, stood up and said.

Li Xuan was able to do such a brave thing with his noble body. How could he not follow his example since he was born in a humble family?

"The opportunity for battle is fleeting. There are no cowards in Feng'an Army. Please give orders, General."

Ashina Fuwen was just about to go to war. He admired Li Xuan very much, and with Li Xuan taking the lead, he felt more confident.

"General Li's words are not without reason. The enemy has come a long way and their troops are exhausted. Our army can take them by surprise."

"Go to the battle, General. I would also like to join the cavalry and be with General Lee."

"The Turks returned from looting the Yellow River in Feng'an. This is a shame for our Feng'an Army..."

A group of yamen officers came to Lu Yu for orders.

This made Lu Yu's eyes change slightly. He was a civilian general, newly in charge of Feng'an Army, and had no time to win over the generals.

Now, because of Li Xuan's words, he has to get closer to Li Xuan, which is very detrimental to his power.

But now that things have come to this, he cannot afford to anger the crowd, so he can only say: "General Li will lead 500 cavalrymen to pursue the Turks. I will immediately write to the king to request support."

If Li Xuan could defeat the invading Turkic cavalry, the greatest credit would go to the commander.

If not...

"As ordered!"

Li Xuan took the order.

As soon as he left the military envoy's residence, Li Xuan asked Ashina Fuwen to quickly gather the cavalry and bring dry food and water. They set off on time half an hour later.

Gao Kai asked to take him along.

But Li Xuan politely declined, saying that he was a general of the Tiaodang Army and there was no such rule.

Besides, all the generals in the yamen have requested to fight. What will it mean if we only bring Gao Kai with us?
Li Xuan told Gao Kai that there would be a big war sooner or later and asked him not to be impatient.

Luo Xing has returned, and Li Xuan asked Si Zhou to equip Luo Xing with a set of Ming Guang armor.

He also took out a long spear suitable for fighting on horseback from the armory. The horse lance was used when facing an enemy wearing iron armor. Most of the Turkic cavalry not directly under the royal court were unarmored, and few wore leather armor, let alone iron armor.

Half an hour passed quickly, and Lu Yu came to the training ground and told Li Xuan: "If you can succeed, then succeed. If you can't, I won't blame you."

"I will rescue the captured people and return victoriously."

Li Xuan's tone was firm.

In order to demonstrate his status as the commander-in-chief, Lu Yu boosted the morale of the cavalry after they assembled.

"Dong dong!"

"set off!"

As the war drums sounded, Li Xuan mounted his warhorse and gave an order, and teams of cavalry rushed out from the north gate of the military city.

Li Xuan selected dozens of scouts who were familiar with the terrain from the scout army.

They all rode two horses and were the first to investigate the movements of the Turkic cavalry.

An hour later, Li Xuan led the cavalry to the pasture that had been looted by the Turkic cavalry.

The area was filled with thick smoke as the Turks, after looting, set fire to the herdsmen's houses.

Some herdsmen escaped during the chaos or swam across the Yellow River and thus survived.

There were also more than a dozen civilians who resisted the Turks and were ruthlessly killed, their bodies left exposed in the wilderness.

The surviving herdsmen returned to their ruined homes, all weeping.

"The head of the village has called the officers and soldiers over!"

After Li Xuan arrived with his cavalry, a herdsman shouted excitedly.

"Please General, rescue my relatives."

When the people saw Li Xuan leading the charge, they all begged for mercy.

"The dead are gone, and the living remain. If the Turks invade us, they will pay with blood."

Li Xuan was furious when he saw that the people's houses were burned down.

He comforted the herdsmen and promised them that he would rescue their loved ones.

The herdsmen knelt down in gratitude and placed their hopes on the Tang army.

At this time, the scouts ahead had already discovered traces left by the retreating Turkic cavalry.

"General, I'm afraid the horses will lose their strength and miss the opportunity to fight."

It took less than an hour to reach the ranch.

This was already overdrawing the warhorse's physical strength. Ashina Fuwen thought Li Xuan didn't understand this, so he gritted his teeth and reminded Li Xuan.

"I have thought of staying at the ranch for an hour to cut grass and feed the horses. Then I will march at a speed of two miles per hour and two miles per hour."

Li Xuan knew this clearly. He came from the future and had a more scientific cavalry marching speed.

He came to the ranch first because they had gone out to battle suddenly and the horses only needed a quick feed.

Rest in the pasture, let the horses reach their peak condition, and then start the continuous pursuit.

"I don't understand, what is fast and slow?"

Ashina Fuwen didn't understand the two words Li Xuan said.

How fast is a quick walk? How slow is a slow walk?
"Just follow my horse and control its speed."

It is now difficult for Li Xuan to explain to Ashina Fuwen and others how to save more horsepower.

In the future, when training cavalry, Li Xuan would accurately calculate the average endurance of the Tang Dynasty's war horses, unify the fast step, slow step, running and charging step, so as to facilitate the command of the cavalry.

Slow walking is the basic way of walking for war horses. Generally, when marching slowly, they cover about ten miles every half hour.

When marching at a fast pace, they could cover fifteen to twenty-five miles every half hour.

When running and marching, they could cover thirty to forty miles every half hour.

The charge step is the step that consumes the most physical strength of the warhorse when it is making a surprise attack, and is usually used for the final sprint.

The best way of marching is to combine fast and slow movements and march continuously. Once you encounter the enemy, you can let the horses gallop or even launch a surprise attack at any time.

(End of this chapter)