Chapter Seventy-Three: The Cavalry

Seeing that Xu Kang had sworn such a fierce oath, Zhu Yi said nothing more. He exchanged a few casual words with Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, then took his leave.

After Zhu Yi left, Lu Zhi could only sigh at Xu Kang with a look of helplessness.

“Alas, I do believe you can borrow the wind by virtue, but that oath you swore just now was too much… I hardly know what to say to you!”

“Heh heh, it's nothing!”

Seeing Lu Zhi’s worried expression, Xu Kang just grinned and waved his hand.

“I know what I’m doing, Master. You don’t need to worry. Let’s return to our earlier discussion. I want to form a heavy cavalry as a trump card against the Yellow Turbans, and for that, I need a large amount of iron. Master, can you think of a way to help me?”

“How much do you need?” Lu Zhi asked. “There’s some in the treasury.”

“No less than a hundred thousand jin!” Xu Kang replied. “Of course, the more the better. Money is not a problem!”

At these words, Lu Zhi frowned and shook his head.

“It’s not a matter of money. Changshe simply doesn’t have that much iron. Unless we announce a collection from the people’s farming tools. But if we do that, when the farming season begins, the people will have no tools to work the fields.”

“Ha, that won’t happen!”

Hearing Lu Zhi’s concern, Xu Kang laughed and waved his hand.

“That scenario won’t occur. The Yellow Turbans are peasants themselves. Once we defeat them, we will have plenty of prisoners and farming tools.”

“Well… that’s true.”

Convinced by Xu Kang’s reasoning, Lu Zhi nodded, then turned to Huangfu Song. “Yizhen, what do you think?”

“I agree with Xu Kang,” Huangfu Song nodded. “Let’s proceed as he suggests.”

With both men in agreement, Xu Kang thanked them and immediately drafted a notice for the purchase of iron.

In the notice, he first explained that the iron was being collected to defend Changshe against the Yellow Turbans, then stated the purchase price—twenty coins per jin. After Lu Zhi reviewed and confirmed the content, Xu Kang stamped it with the official seal of the County Magistrate of Changshe.

He wrote four such notices and had them posted at the city gates in all four directions early the next morning, openly purchasing pig iron and ironware from the people.

To keep things efficient, he also had blacksmiths set up open-air forges at the city gates to smelt the collected iron on site, forging full suits of armor for the heavy cavalry with all their might.

The blacksmiths toiled in full swing, and the military camp was no less busy.

When word spread that Xu Kang was forming an elite cavalry, and that each suit of heavy cavalry gear would cost at least ten thousand coins, the cavalrymen were instantly abuzz.

In this era, whether soldier or general, three things were most prized—weapon, steed, and armor. These three things were the foundation of their survival.

Now, the heavy cavalry Xu Kang was creating, along with the armor being forged, encompassed all three. How could the cavalrymen not be excited?

Even Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng came to Xu Kang, earnestly asking to join the heavy cavalry.

But Xu Kang did not agree. Instead, he explained to them, “Zhao Hong, Zhang Cheng, I know your loyalty. But if you join the heavy cavalry, who will lead the regular cavalry? Victory in battle is never achieved by relying on a single type of force. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my lord!” With Xu Kang putting it thus, the two could only accept.

Seeing their spirits flag, Xu Kang, to encourage them, told them that when the time was right, he would form a heavy cavalry brigade of five thousand men. When that time came, the command would go to whoever performed best.

At these words, Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng regained their enthusiasm, happily returning to the camp to help Xu Kang select candidates for the heavy cavalry.

Due to time and productivity constraints, Xu Kang needed only five hundred heavy cavalrymen this time, out of a total cavalry force of over three thousand—about one in six.

As for the selection criteria, Xu Kang had two requirements: short stature and light weight.

This was to reduce the burden on the warhorses as much as possible. The human armor alone weighed more than thirty jin, and the horse armor sixty or more. With the rider’s weight, the total exceeded two hundred jin.

Since the weight of the armor could not be reduced, the only solution was to select lighter riders.

Apart from the men, the horses were also critical, and here Xu Kang’s requirements were the opposite: tall and heavy.

The warhorse is the core and essence of the heavy cavalry, determining much of its power—just as the engine and main gun are to a tank.

Once both cavalrymen and horses were chosen, Xu Kang spared no expense:

Each cavalryman would receive two magic loaves of bread daily, and each warhorse ten—a full ration.

Xu Kang had long since discovered that magic bread was even more effective than modern protein supplements. Consumed daily, it strengthened the body and increased power.

When he first arrived in this world, he couldn’t even drag a money chest, but now, he could wield a one-hundred-jin Flame Demon Hammer in one hand. The transformation owed much to magic bread.

He was not the only one to notice; nearly all officers and soldiers who had eaten the magic bread noticed as well. They affectionately called it “immortal grain.”

Unfortunately, due to “production” constraints, Xu Kang could not meet the demand for all soldiers and had to distribute it by rank.

Zhao Hong, Zhang Cheng, and Niu Sheng were in the first tier, receiving ten loaves daily; company commanders were the second, receiving five; squad leaders, the third, one per day; ordinary soldiers, one every three days.

But now, the soldiers chosen as probationary heavy cavalry enjoyed two loaves daily—enough to make everyone envious.

This envy peaked when the first batch of forged armor was delivered to the camp.

Gazing at the cold gleam of the iron, and their former comrades now encased in full armor, both man and horse, the other soldiers were almost beside themselves with envy.

Not only Xu Kang’s own men, but even Huangfu Song’s cavalry came to ask if they could join, but Xu Kang refused them all.

After all, without the experience of training with the artillery regiment, those cavalrymen would never be able to meet Xu Kang’s operational standards.

The disappointed cavalrymen left, while those who had become heavy cavalry continued to train hard, getting used to their new equipment and striving to bring out its full potential.

Thus, time passed day by day, and a month flew by in a flash. Midsummer arrived.

Though midsummer had come, there was no sign of the wind. Xu Kang began to grow anxious.

He very much wanted to ask Zhu Yi—having sworn such a deadly oath, was it still possible to go back on it?

The Famous Scholar of the Three Kingdoms