Observation before cooperation took a long time, but in the face of shared interests, reaching an agreement was very quick—like wolves that had sorted out rank and gone hunting together. On the second day after Aohala and Maha Aguda met at the ovoo, the Hebian Tribe began its preparations for battle.
The hundred and sixty warhorses began to be fed large amounts of grass seed and hay, eating almost from morning till night. This was to strengthen the horses. Whether for a raid or a pursuit, the faster and more enduring the warhorses were, the better. And to achieve that, the most crucial factor was "food." Only when the horses were fed full and fattened up could they be faster than the enemy's horses! On the battlefield, even the slightest advantage in speed and stamina often decided whether the enemy escaped or was captured.
"Eternal Heaven above! We Hebian Tribe aren't some rich great tribe. The best horse fodder in the tribe is only these grass seeds we gathered with so much difficulty. If it were those great tribes in the south, with beans traded from the Han in their hands... those would be the finest horse feed! One meal of that is worth a whole day of grass. When you chase an enemy, even if the other side runs its horses to death, they still won't get away!..."
Aohala watched the busy camp. Facing the killing that was soon to come, he did not seem all that calm. He was silent for a moment, then looked toward the composed Maha Aguda.
"Brother Aguda, you only asked for sixty horses, so that makes ninety riders? Ninety close-combat cavalry wearing Iron Armor and carrying iron weapons?..."
"Mm. Ninety riders is enough. As for the rest of the armored men, they can