Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

On February 20th, when he was on vacation, Guo Shao learned that Mrs. Gao had returned from Hebei, so he went to Dong's mansion to talk to her about the dowry, and thanked her for working so hard for the marriage.

When they arrived at Dong's mansion, Mrs. Gao asked someone to open the door to greet her. When Guo Shao saw her, he couldn't help but think of the absurd thing last time, he felt a little embarrassed, and his face blushed slightly. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Gao said with a smile: "The weather is getting warmer, isn't it airtight in the carriage, my brother's face is red." She said it naturally and kindly, as if joking.

Seeing Mrs. Gao being so generous, Guo Shao even wondered: Did she really forget all about that day?

Immediately, they stepped forward to greet each other, and the two exchanged a few pleasantries. Mrs. Gao said again: "Dong Zunxun is practicing horsemanship on the Cuju field in the back garden. I don't know his uncle is here. My brother is also a general in the army. Why don't you go to the field and compete with Zunxun?"

Guo Shao felt ashamed when he heard "his uncle", so he could only say: "Then according to Sister Yi's wishes, let's go to the Cuju field."

A group of people passed through the three courtyards, and then entered the back garden. The house is very spacious and grand, and there is actually a Cuju field in the house, which is rare in the inner city of the capital. If Guo Shao remembered correctly, Dong Zunxun was the Marquis of Yu, the capital of the left wing of the Long Jie Army, and his rank was not as high as that of Li Chuyun; but he could afford to live in such a large courtyard, and there were many servants at home. Sure enough, people from aristocratic families were different. Guo Shaoxin thought that he was a high-ranking general, and he might not be as rich as Dong Zunxun, a military capital like Yuhou.

Together with Mrs. Gao, they walked to a spacious place. I saw that the cuju field was covered with soft sand, and lawns were planted on the edge, which was very spacious; but there were no balls on the cuju field, and there were some straw figures and targets. The sound of horseshoes came from a distance, and a young man was seen galloping on horseback. It was Dong Zunxun.

The sun was shining brightly, and Mrs. Gao spread out a delicate satin fan to cover her forehead. Seeing Guo Shao looking over, she smiled and said, "I'm afraid I'll get sunburned."

When she raised her fan and walked, she showed a trace of dusty smell, but she still retained the reservedness that a woman of an aristocratic family should have. The two temperaments are integrated into one, which is very charming.

There was a stable where the group of people came in, and there was a pavilion not far from the stable. Mrs. Gao said again: "Let's go and sit in the shade of the pavilion. Dong Zunxun will definitely come to see us when he sees us."

"Alright." Guo Shao nodded.

Sure enough, not long after, Dong Zunxun rode over. He recognized Guo Shao, turned over from his horse, stepped forward and knelt down on one knee, and simply called out: "Uncle! Come over, my boy."

Guo Shao was embarrassed when he heard his name, he stepped forward to help the young man, and said kindly: "You don't need to be polite to obey the training, please get up quickly." Then he looked back at Mrs. Gao and said, "Sister Yi has only returned to Tokyo not long ago, but she has been busy running back and forth because of my affairs; I have come to disturb the family's happiness so much, and I feel very guilty."

Unexpectedly, Dong Zunxun said disapprovingly: "Although the boy is dedicated to filial piety, my mother advised me to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, and to devote myself to the affairs of the military camp. My mother is usually lonely without any company. She often mentions Uncle Guo and cares about you very much. Uncle is also my mother's life-saving benefactor. If the two families often move around, my mother will be happy, and the boy will feel less guilty. There is no need to bother me."

Mrs. Gao also said: "We just need to move around more, otherwise we will be unfamiliar."

Guo Shaodao: "It's time to come and go. It's just that I've been in trouble recently, and I can't go away for a while."

Mrs. Gao had already sat down in the pavilion, put away the fan and folded it lightly, and said disapprovingly: "What happened with the Zhao family? I heard, brother, don't worry too much. Zhao Hongyin is old, and he was obviously angered by his unfilial son. Zhao Sanlang was sought to avenge the murder of his father. What does it have to do with my brother? His Zhao family is not so overbearing. His own people did evil and took their anger on you."

Guo Shao nodded and said, "Thank you, Sister Yi, for speaking for me. Let's not ask them for now. It will only increase your troubles...Dong Zunxun was riding a horse and shooting arrows just now?"

Dong Zunxun said with a smile: "Uncle must know that if you don't practice martial arts for a long time, you will become rusty. I just practiced my hands casually. Hey, Uncle is a famous general who killed the fierce generals of the Northern Han Dynasty with one arrow. Why don't you teach me a few tricks?"

Guo Shaodao: "I know how to shoot arrows, but shooting arrows right now is very barren."

Guo Shao is a general of the imperial army, and he is famous for his personal battles against the fierce generals of the Northern Han Dynasty. Dong Zunxun naturally thought that he was very skilled in martial arts, but it was only modest to say that. Guo Shao couldn't explain it at the moment: Do you think that everyone is from a family of generals, and there is no shortage of horseback riding and archery since childhood? Even if the family is a little rich, it is not easy to practice equestrianism, and raising horses and venues are a lot of money.

Dong Zunxun invited Guo Shao to the stables and said, "Uncle picks a horse at random, and let's go to the field to compete."

Guo Shao was inconvenient to postpone too much, he also wanted to practice riding and shooting more, and it happened that he was free today. He looked around the stables, and saw seven or eight good horses in it... except for one, compared to the other good horses, it was shorter and had rough brown hair, and it was chewing grass slowly.

"Mongolian horse?" Guo Shao blurted out.

Dong Zunxun said: "A Mongolian horse? This dwarf horse is a Datar horse, which is also a breed of Khitan horse. It is a native horse breed in Shiwei. Compared with other horses in the Western Regions, a Datar horse is a bit shorter and doesn't run that fast. But horses should not be underestimated. This horse has special advantages. It has rough skin, thick meat, eats poorly, is resistant to cold and heat, and has good endurance. fight."

After hearing this, Guo Shao said casually: "Patience is good, you have to be patient in war..." Suddenly seeing Mrs. Gao avoiding her face with a face of shame, he suddenly felt that it was not good for a woman to swear. He changed his tune and said: "Cavalry is too expensive, and easy-to-raise horses can reduce the logistical burden."

"Exactly." Dong Zunxun said.

Guo Shao paid the most attention to the Tatar horse, and felt that it was different from the Mongolian horses seen in later generations... It is said that the later Mongolian horse breeds have degenerated and are not as strong as the original horse breeds. In short, it was this kind of Mongolian horse, which carried the cavalry of the Yuan Dynasty from Asia to Europe, and ransacked the world for tens of thousands of miles. No matter how powerful the Mongols were, if they hadn't had such horses to support them in long-distance combat, and they had no means of transportation and delivery, they would not have been able to accomplish the great cause that shocked the world.

If he didn't choose those tall and beautiful famous horses, he would ride this grass-chewing, gray horse.

The two rushed to the Cuju field immediately, Guo Shao took the bow and arrow, aimed at a target, ran sideways, opened the bow and set the arrow, and there was a sound of "pa", the arrow missed the target without any accident.

Dong Zunxun was stunned and said, "Uncle Guo is really immodest, your riding posture is wrong."

Guo Shao didn't try to be brave, and said: "I used to be in the Xiaodi Army Battalion. I was very proficient in archery, but I couldn't figure out the way to do it on horseback. Why don't you teach me?"

After hearing this, Dong Zunxun murmured, "Since my uncle is proficient in archery, horseback riding is not difficult. As long as you find the right posture and be more proficient, there will be no difference in peaceful archery... But you have to get the posture right first, it's up to you."

"Drive!" Dong Zunxun kicked his horse and galloped across an archery target. He stretched his upper body and sat up straight after twenty or thirty steps away.

Seeing this, Guo Shao praised: "Good! Good shot!"

Not only was he eager to learn that martial art, but Guo Shao seldom went to battle himself now, and his martial arts level was the same. The big deal was that he could not be called a general in battle... But as a general, a person who takes leading troops into battle as his career, instinctively wants to learn more advanced skills. Most importantly, Dong Zunxun's elegant and powerful posture of riding and archery attracted Guo Shao.

In the sprinting of the horse, the stretched body lines, the leisurely movements... full of a sense of strength and beauty different from the soft beauty of women, it is more beautiful than dancing.

Guo Shao looked like he was about to try. Dong Zunxun rode his horse back and let him learn the coherent posture first. Guo Shao changed from an "elder" to a humble and good student in a short time, studying with concentration. When Dong Zunxun made a movement, he followed it, and then connected these movements together.

The two of them messed around on the sand for a long time, Guo Shao got so carried away, he forgot what he was doing at Dong's house today.

Moreover, Guo Shao felt that he already had a good foundation in archery, and firmly believed that it was not too late to learn riding and archery, so his enthusiasm was even greater.

Dong Zunxun taught him the movements and some skills, and said: "At the beginning, shooting from the side was too difficult, and I couldn't seize the opportunity. Try it from the front first." After saying that, he rode his horse and rushed straight to a pair of archery targets. After thirty or forty steps, he released the arrow and hit the target with one blow. Guo Shao followed among them and also fired an arrow, which floated away without hitting anything.

"Damn it!" Guo Shao cursed.

The hideous fur mount under the seat actually sneezed twice, as if laughing, Guo Shao couldn't help but patted the horse's face lightly: "Even you laugh at me?"

After Dong Zunxun heard this, he "haha laughed". When Guo Shao looked back at him, he saw Mrs. Gao covering her mouth and smiling prettily in the pavilion not far away.

Dong Zunxun stopped laughing, and suddenly asked: "Can uncle stab with a lance?"

Guo Shao shook his head and said, "I am not proficient in any of the 18 weapons for immediate combat. I have tried with a saber, but not with a spear."

"So that's how it is." Dong Zunxun said, "You try to use the cherry gun to charge the grass man first, and then treat the arrow as a cherry gun, from near to far, getting farther and farther... In this way, you can hit the target."

Guo Shao said, "I'll try."

Dong Zunxun still demonstrated in front, Guo Shao was behind, and the two riders rushed back and forth to a row of scarecrows on the other side. Dong Zunxun rode his horse and charged close, raised his cherry gun, shouted "Drink!", and stabbed the straw man down with one shot. Guo Shao did the same thing, and he was right in the close combat, but he didn't stab the other scarecrow down with one shot.

The two practiced on the sand while talking about their skills. Unknowingly, the sky gradually dimmed, and Guo Shao realized that he had spent half a day in Dong's Mansion.