To Ji Huan’s surprise, Jifeng actually reached Yeyang in less time than Xin Ziqi’s horse.
Guan Shan told her that with a good horse, good roads, and flat terrain, a distance of twenty li could be covered in a little over thirty minutes.
The road from Dafeng Village to Juyong Town was mediocre and difficult to travel. But the section from Juyong Town to the city of Yeyang was different; aside from a short stretch of dirt path, the rest was a post road leading into the main official highway, which was wide and smooth.
Besides, Jifeng was a warhorse. Even though he hadn’t yet returned to his peak condition, he was still no match for an ordinary horse.
On top of that, he was deliberately trying to show off. The last time they returned from Yeyang, Xin Ziqi’s horse had been tasked with the important duty of pulling the carriage. For Jifeng, this was probably unacceptable, so he had been giving the other horse the cold shoulder for the past few days.
Fortunately, Xin Ziqi’s horse was a mare with a gentle temperament, so she didn’t stoop to his level.
‘A mare?’
An idea suddenly popped into Ji Huan’s head.
“Is Jifeng a gelding?”
She had heard that the military used geldings, which were castrated stallions.
It was a real shame, when you thought about it. Every hand-picked warhorse was brave, aggressive, and physically powerful. If used for breeding, they would produce the finest stock. But to prevent them from causing trouble when they went into heat in the spring, they had to be castrated, no matter how regrettable it felt.
Otherwise, once their mating season began, they would become irritable, fierce, aggressive, and difficult to control. They could even cause a series of unpredictable incidents, making riding one no different from sitting on a ticking time bomb.
History even had records of one warring faction using mares to lure away the other side’s warhorses. It might sound ridiculous at first, but for those involved, they’d be cursing their heads off.
But with geldings, there was no such worry.
A castrated horse would become more docile and wouldn’t be prone to biting or kicking. It would be steady to ride, and even if not tethered after dismounting, it wouldn’t wander far. When hundreds or thousands of them gathered, they wouldn’t neigh chaotically.
They possessed both the strength of a stallion and the gentleness of a mare. Quiet, calm, and stealthy, it was no surprise they had replaced stallions and mares as the mainstay of the cavalry.
Ji Huan figured it was almost certain Jifeng had already been gelded.
‘Alas, what a pity. A real pity.’
‘He runs fast, and as for his looks… although he’s a bit ugly from being so thin right now, his underlying features seem good…’
Even though Guan Shan was quite good at following her train of thought, his expression still visibly stiffened.
“He isn’t.”
After processing her question, he patiently explained the reason.
“The military does commonly use geldings, but common use doesn’t mean universal adoption. It’s true that gelded horses are docile and obedient, and can even become stronger, but it also means a reduction in their spirit and wildness. It all depends on what the rider needs.”
Clearly, what Guan Shan needed was a comrade-in-arms to fight alongside him and a highly lethal weapon, not just an obedient mount.
Ji Huan knew Guan Shan must have been a special case. Since the vast majority of military horses were geldings, it meant that the requirement for a horse’s emotional stability was still the top priority.
“Then why not use mares as mounts? Mares are mild-tempered and easy to handle. They should be quite suitable as warhorses.”
“Mares lack aggression, their combat strength is inferior to stallions, and their endurance is slightly worse. Moreover, mares have to carry and birth foals, so for several months a year, they can’t be ridden, let alone taken onto a battlefield.”
Furthermore, their reproductive function also limited the large-scale use of mares on the battlefield.
To maintain a certain number of warhorses, a large number of mares were needed for breeding. If mare losses on the battlefield were too heavy, it would be disastrous for future development.
Unless things got desperate.
What constituted “desperate”? Nothing more than a poor country, a weak state, and troubled times. In that case, there was no room to be picky. You used whatever you had. Forget stallions and mares—you’d even have to pull mules onto the battlefield.
‘In other words, while mares are important, their main uses are breeding and transporting supplies… To think that even the horse world has its own hierarchy.’
Ji Huan sighed, then quickly perked up.
‘Since Jifeng is still a healthy stallion, then maybe…’
She raised her eyebrows at Guan Shan. “How about we find Jifeng a wife and have him sire a foal?”
When Guan Shan eventually left, Jifeng would surely go with him. She needed to find a successor horse in advance.
Guan Shan said, “…Ask Jifeng.”
Jifeng, of course, couldn’t talk. He just twitched his long ears and silently began to run even faster.
Ji Huan laughed. “Jifeng definitely has no objections. Look at his energy the moment I mentioned finding him a wife…”
The words had barely left her mouth when Jifeng came to an abrupt halt.
If Guan Shan hadn’t quickly put a hand out to cushion the carriage frame, Ji Huan would have nearly hit her head.
Guan Shan turned his head and shot Jifeng a subtle glance. The horse immediately drooped its head, dejected.
But then, realizing there was still another horse nearby waiting to steal his job, he lifted his head high again.
“We’re here.”
Guan Shan took the sleeping Dabao and lifted him out of the carriage, then turned back to help Ji Huan down.
Having heard the sound of the carriage wheels, Ping’an was already waiting at the entrance of Yide Hall.
The carriage was handed over to an attendant to be taken care of. After glancing at the still soundly asleep Dabao, Ping’an pointed to the second floor and asked if they wanted to take him up to rest.
Hearing that the house they were going to see was nearby and it wouldn’t take long, Ji Huan nodded.
Only a few short days had passed since her last visit, yet Yide Hall was no longer deserted.
There weren’t many customers, but there weren’t few either—enough to keep Xin Ziqi and Liu Xinglin busy.
Ji Huan didn’t want to disturb them, so she followed Guan Shan directly upstairs and quietly asked Ping’an what was going on.
Ping’an smiled. “It’s all thanks to County Magistrate Pan.”
Ji Huan paused at the turn of the wooden staircase and observed the clothing of the patients in the main hall. They were either dressed in brocade and embroidery or were servants from wealthy households. Understanding dawned on her.
She had heard that when Pan Jiadao first arrived in Yeyang, he hadn’t been very popular. Many people didn’t think he would last, but against all odds, he had steadily established a firm foothold.
After a series of events, such as opening the Changping Granary to aid the army and loaning grain for disaster relief, Pan Jiadao’s influence in Yeyang was growing.
Anyone with a bit of sense knew what a major crime it was to privately open the Changping Granary. Even if it was for a meritorious cause, the best one could hope for was to keep their head; their official post was surely lost.
Yet not only did Pan Jiadao emerge unscathed, he even received a commendation from the court. At this point, who would believe he didn’t have powerful backing?
There were even rumors that he was due for a promotion next year.
Given this, there were plenty of people trying all sorts of methods to get close to him. Pan Jiadao’s every move had inevitably become a bellwether for the city of Yeyang.
Unfortunately, his nickname, Pan Tie Mian, wasn’t for show. Nine out of ten visitors would have the door shut in their faces.
Even so, the number of eyes watching the county government office daily only grew.
In truth, there wasn’t much to watch.
The man was dreadfully dull. All year round, like clockwork, it was nothing but work. He didn’t socialize with anyone, nor did he have any obvious hobbies.
So, everyone’s attention turned to Xin Ziqi, who had recently been a frequent visitor to the rear residence of the county government. A doctor treated as an honored guest by County Magistrate Pan must have outstanding medical skills.
How could Xin Ziqi not know that these people had ulterior motives? He just pretended he didn’t.
Seeing patients? Fine.
House calls? Also fine.
Chatting about other things? No comment.
Their initial motives may not have been pure, but they were soon genuinely won over by the medical skills of Xin Ziqi and his senior.
‘A Scholar has a celebrity effect, and a County Magistrate has a celebrity effect,’ Ji Huan mused. ‘They’re both walking advertisements.’
Right now, they were only attracting a small group of people, but more would likely follow the trend in the future.
Upstairs, next to the reception room, was where Xin Ziqi usually rested. However, according to Ping’an, it had practically become his living quarters.
After placing Dabao on the bed and covering him with a blanket, Ping’an instructed an attendant to watch over him. The three of them then left Yide Hall together.