Chapter 51: Horsemanship
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That day, Li Po took Li Chun and Yuan Lang out to exercise the horses.
Behind the stables was a dedicated training ground, and it was quite spacious.
Exercising a horse was itself a careful business. To achieve the best results, one first let the horse walk at its own pace, though it could not be allowed to stop. Usually, a long rope was enough to have it trot slowly in circles.
Once it had warmed up, the rider mounted and took it around a few more times, with the groom controlling the speed. A properly trained warhorse also had to practice such exercises as clearing obstacles.
It could be said that producing a reliable warhorse required an astonishing amount of work.
Li Jing’s mount naturally needed far less effort. Both horses had been trained and drilled for years.
Though the two animals were docile and ran with an unhurried, remarkably steady gait, they were unquestionably among the finest of warhorses—great beasts bold enough to fight tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves.
In truth, the only difference between such warhorses and savage beasts was that they did not eat meat.
Li Po and the others were merely required to loosen their muscles and bones and familiarize them with the rhythm of running.
It was rather like the athletes of later generations: they had to train every day. Miss a day, and they would become rusty for a day.
The sound of hooves gradually quickened, accompanied by the shouts and cries of Li Chun and Yuan Lang.
Clearly, this was the happiest time of their day. To mount fine steeds and race freely back and forth was exhilarating beyond words.
Holding Li Chun in front of him, Li Po urged his horse into a gallop. In one hand he carried a rough stick, which he repeatedly struck against Yuan Lang’s as the boy rode alongside him, producing the clash of metal. Their mouths, meanwhile, rang with long, wild cries.
This was not merely for amusement. The most distinctive quality of a first-rate warhorse was precisely this: it had to become accustomed to such noise and remain calm while galloping at full speed. In other words, this was simply part of its daily training.
Li Chun and Yuan Lang merely treated it as a rather enjoyable game.
Li Po had lost count of how many times he had mounted this magnificent Hexi-bred horse, yet he still found the ride exceptionally comfortable.
Sitting in front of him, Li Chun also cried out in short and long bursts, imitating the others. Perhaps it would not be long before she could handle a warhorse on her own.
Children always learned quickly, and the power of example mattered greatly.
At Li Po’s side, she worked with remarkable diligence. She could already clean out a stall, remain safely at ease around the warhorses, feed them, and brush them down—each task performed with such order and precision that she was beginning to look like a proper groom.
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She was simply too young to do anything heavy.
Feeling the warhorse beneath him grow slightly warm and damp, its strength still ample but its breathing growing heavier, Li Po and Yuan Lang slowed their mounts in unspoken accord. They both knew that the horses had been exercised enough.
A flash of yellow appeared at the corner of Li Po’s eye, and he pulled on the reins.
A yellow dog stood not far away, growling a warning. It looked fierce enough.
“How did Lord Li Yuan-gong’s yellow dog get here?”
The dog did not know Yuan Lang, but Yuan Lang had seen it before.
The moment Li Po saw the dog, his eyes lit up. He seized Li Chun by the collar, lifted her effortlessly from the saddle, and set her on the ground.
Then he clamped his heels against the horse’s sides and drew the long saber at his waist.
The weapon he now carried was no longer the short blade he had used during the incident in the market. It was the standard saber of the Sui army, a ring-pommel saber.
It was nearly as straight as a sword, but had a single sharpened edge, a thick spine, and a narrow body. Its name came from the iron ring attached to the hilt.
This kind of long saber had already existed for several centuries. It was also the weapon that had comprehensively replaced the sword in military service. Light yet forceful, with a strong blade and keen edge, it was suited to both hewing and thrusting—these were its greatest virtues.
The saber had been sent by the carriage office. As a groom in the governor’s private stables, Li Po was already considered part of the military register; moreover, he belonged to the personal retinue serving Governor Li Jing.
To put it simply, should war break out, Li Po’s role would be little more than leading Li Jing’s horse.
The saber was nothing extraordinary, but Li Chun had honed it to an exceptional sharpness, and polished it until it gleamed like snow. Its appearance was undeniably impressive.
Before either Yuan Lang or Li Chun could recover, Li Po had already spurred his horse forward.
The yellow dog appeared much loved by its master. Its coat shone and its body was sleek, and it was a full size larger than the one at the city gate, giving it a distinctly imposing air.
It neither feared people nor barked. That could only mean the dog was truly fierce.
Li Po charged toward it on horseback, nearly drooling with anticipation. The dog evidently sensed the danger. Cleverly, it turned and fled.
With practiced ease, Li Po gave the reins a light tug, controlling the direction of the charging horse. He leaned far to one side, raised the saber, and let its blade flash.
The yellow dog gave a mournful cry and tumbled to the ground.
Li Po drew the saber back, tightened his abdomen, straightened himself in the saddle, gathered the reins, and turned his horse around.
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The sequence of movements flowed as smoothly as water and clouds, displaying his superb skill in mounted combat without the slightest concealment.
Yuan Lang watched, dazzled. Unlike Li Chun, who clapped her hands, cheered, and bounced up and down, he understood perfectly how difficult those seemingly simple yet extraordinarily precise movements had been to perform on a horse at full gallop.
He had known that Li Po’s horsemanship was excellent, but he had never imagined it could reach such a level. Yuan Lang had grown up among warhorses, yet even now he could not properly drag his stirrup and deliver a slashing blow at speed. One careless movement could throw the horse off course or bring it crashing down.
Such a maneuver required both the horse’s cooperation and an extremely precise application of force.
He stood there in a daze for a long while. Only when Li Po leaped from his horse and cheerfully lifted the yellow dog—its throat severed, its life already gone—did Yuan Lang manage to force out a sentence.
“That was Lord Li Yuan-gong’s yellow dog.”
Li Po cast him a sidelong glance. The boy clearly had no idea how many marvelous things could be done with stewed dog meat.
He immediately composed his expression and declared righteously, “This is an important place for keeping horses. If a dog appears and startles the animals, whom are we supposed to hold accountable?”
With that, he beckoned Li Chun over and instructed her, “Hurry. Wipe away the blood. If anyone comes asking, say that you have never seen Lord Li Yuan-gong’s yellow dog.”
“Ha! We’ll have something delicious to eat tonight.”
As he spoke, he drove the horses away, muttering, “Just look at you. You smell blood and suddenly get all excited. You eat grass, so move along, move along. What are you joining in for?”
His delight had made his speech increasingly incoherent.
He led the horse straight back to the stable, leaving Yuan Lang and Li Chun to creep about like thieves and erase every trace.
By noon, someone truly did come looking. But the old man’s reputation was well known, and no one dared enter the stable to make inquiries.
That afternoon, Li Po sent Yuan Lang and Li Chun off to work while he hid inside the house. He skinned and butchered the dog, laboring for more than half an hour before finally setting a pot over the fire.
Before long, the old man came storming over, but he never left the house again. By the time the sun had begun to slant westward, the old man and the three children had all gathered inside. As the rich fragrance gradually filled the room, they swallowed repeatedly, their mouths watering.
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