Chapter 73: The Shandan Stud Farm

This time, the public trial in Zhangye Commandery proceeded extremely smoothly. Thanks to the experience gained from the trial in Wuwei Commandery, much unnecessary chaos was avoided. After subduing the local unrest with decisive force, Li Wenyuan, accompanied by the regional officials, arrived at the Shandan Military Stud Farm.

“Overseer, this is the Shandan Military Stud Farm,” the stable supervisor pointed toward the distant grassland. “Since the second year of the Yuan Shou era under the Han Dynasty, when General Huo Qubing drove the Xiongnu north and defeated their tribes entrenched at Mount Yanzhi and the Dama Camp Prairie, the military stud farm was established here. Not long ago, in the fifth year of the Great Enterprise era, His Majesty personally toured the western regions and set up the Stable Supervision here, dedicated to raising government horses. I have held this position since then.”

Li Wenyuan gazed at the vast grasslands ahead and the great herds of Shandan military horses grazing peacefully. His heart stirred with excitement. He once possessed a military steed—Shandan horses were well-proportioned, sturdy and powerful, robust and untamed, able to endure rough feed, highly adaptable, swift and enduring. They were excellent for carrying loads and riding, making them ideal for forming large cavalry units. Now, faced with such an expansive stud farm, Li Wenyuan was more determined than ever to manage it to its fullest potential. He turned to the supervisor and asked:

“Tell me first, what livestock does the entire stud farm currently have, and in what numbers?”

“Excluding the horses already supplied to the frontier armies and the imperial family, the farm is currently breeding twenty thousand Shandan horses, ten thousand camels, and over fifty thousand cattle and sheep,” the supervisor reported, listing the numbers with pride.

“Where do the current Shandan horses come from?” Li Wenyuan asked abruptly.

“The present Shandan horses are bred from local stock dating back to the Western Han, and over time, many fine breeds from the Western Regions have been introduced for crossbreeding. That is how we have achieved today’s Shandan horse,” the supervisor replied, briefly startled by the sudden question, but recovering quickly.

“Are there any difficulties with horse breeding at present?” Li Wenyuan frowned. He clearly remembered records from later times stating that this stud farm once bred over seventy thousand military horses at its peak. The current number seemed rather low.

As expected, upon hearing this, the supervisor replied urgently, “Overseer, in the fifth year of the Great Enterprise era, His Majesty established the stud farm and appointed me as supervisor to breed horses for the Sui. At that time, I gathered a group of experienced horse handlers and reported them to the court. We all draw the court’s stipend. However, in the past two years, banditry has run rampant in the northwest. We have not received the court’s stipends for a long time. I and a few others have been using our own savings to keep the farm operating, but our resources are running dry, and this cannot continue indefinitely. We horsemen can barely get by on coarse grains, but even the hardiest military horses will fall ill if fed only roughage for too long.”

“Have the farm’s expenditures in recent years been recorded in ledgers?” Li Wenyuan asked.

“Yes, yes, we have records,” the supervisor replied, hurriedly rummaging through a chest carried by his attendant and handing a ledger to Li Wenyuan.

Li Wenyuan leafed through the book, glanced at the entries, and asked, “Were the horse stables and fences really just renovated the year before last? They don’t look as if they’ve been recently refurbished.”

“In truth, Overseer, a few of us pooled some money to hire craftsmen to patch up the worst damage to the stables and fences. There was no large-scale renovation,” the supervisor explained, noticing Li Wenyuan’s skeptical look. “We have grown fond of these military horses over the years and could not bear to see them freezing in the wind and rain, so we each contributed a little to make some repairs.”

“Does the government handle all the buying and selling of horses?” Li Wenyuan asked.

“Yes, under normal circumstances, the government is responsible. But since the ninth year of the Great Enterprise era, when the Emperor launched another eastern campaign against Goguryeo, no officials have come to buy or sell horses.”

“I have a proposal for you. From today onward, I will personally cover all expenses of the Shandan Military Stud Farm. In return, all livestock transactions must go through me. What do you think?” Li Wenyuan finally revealed the real reason for his inspection.

“Since His Majesty has appointed you Chief Overseer of the Western Regions, there is no issue with you taking over the stud farm. In the future, we will rely on you for all our needs,” the supervisor replied with a smile, bowing respectfully.

“Very well. Once I return, I’ll send funds and craftsmen to assist you with a full renovation of the stud farm. In the meantime, select five thousand camels for me—I have urgent need of them.”

Let us leave aside the busy work of the supervisor, who, after seeing Li Wenyuan off, began the task of selecting camels. As for Li Wenyuan, upon returning to Zhangye Commandery, he found that the public trial had concluded. The entire process had unfolded in an orderly fashion under Qian Wentong’s command, and with the dual scrutiny of the officials and the Night Owls, very few miscarriages of justice had occurred. The few wrongful cases were quickly rectified by Qian Wentong himself, sparing the innocent from undue harm.

Li Wenyuan was thoroughly satisfied with both the results and the efficiency. He summoned his aides and distributed the prearranged appointment letters to officials at all levels within the commandery. Thus, a new administration was formed, with Qian Wentong as prefect and staffed by Li Wenyuan’s loyalists.

As for how to pacify the long-exploited common people, that was now Qian Wentong’s responsibility—Li Wenyuan would no longer intervene. Led by the officials, he made his way to the vast warehouse containing the confiscated wealth of corrupt officials. Standing before the trove, Li Wenyuan could only marvel. Compared to the ill-gotten gains seized during the trial in Wuwei Commandery, this warehouse of gold, silver, and jewels could easily cover a year’s taxes for all of Zhangye Commandery.

To avoid any temptation to abscond with this fortune, Li Wenyuan ordered the warehouse doors sealed and placed under strict guard. Without delay, he hurried to Zhang Juntao’s military camp, studying the sand table before him as he waited.

Before long, Zhang Juntao entered. Li Wenyuan eagerly took his hand and led him to the sand table, his face alight with anticipation. “Juntao, I’m giving you five thousand camels. Train me a division of camel cavalry—I have great use for them.”