Wu Liang was pleasantly surprised to hear this, and he took Akomann to the newly developed horse ranch of the Tribe.
Over a hundred wild horses caught from the mountains and forests were kept here. When they were first captured, they were as wild as fire and extremely difficult to tame.
However, after Wu Liang's long-term domestication and the soothing effect of his Earths Grace skill, the first batch of warhorses had long been successfully tamed, turning into reliable steeds.
Wu Liang personally selected a Wuzhui horse, pitch-black all over with white hooves like snow.
This was a stout and tall black stallion, which was quickly equipped with a brand-new saddle and stirrups.
The brown saddle and silver stirrups gleamed brightly under the sunlight.
"Wu Liang, what is the use of these things?"
Akomann, standing nearby, asked in confusion.
"Just watch."
Wu Liang smiled, flipped himself up, and landed steadily on the horse's back.
He stepped into the stirrups, and his body instantly integrated tightly with the horse's back; with his waist and the horse as one, he felt completely stable.
"Giddy up!"
Wu Liang gave a light shout.
He clamped his legs against the horse's belly. The black horse raised its front hooves and let out a long neigh, then charged out like a bolt of black lightning!
The Female Warriors training horses nearby let out a chorus of exclamations.
They saw Wu Liang on the horse's back, his body almost motionless.
He could even easily lean down to pick up a branch from the ground, performing various high-difficulty maneuvers.
This was a world of difference compared to how they used to ride, where they could only rely on their legs to tightly grip the horse's belly, being bounced around until they were dizzy!
"Do you see?"
Wu Liang galloped back to Akomann, whose eyes were shining, his face brimming with a confident smile.
"This is the power of the saddle and stirrups! They can unite man and horse as one, freeing your hands!"
"With them, our warriors can use weapons steadily on horseback, whether it's slashing or shooting arrows!"
Akomann's breathing became a bit rapid.
"Fantastic! This way, our cavalry will be even more powerful!"
Wu Liang laughed heartily, dismounted, and handed her the reins: "Go on, feel it for yourself."
"Alright!"
Akomann couldn't wait to mount the horse.
"Put your feet into these iron rings." Wu Liang pointed to the stirrups.
Akomann stepped firmly into the stirrups and clamped her legs, galloping out.
As the wind whistled past her ears, Akomann felt a hundred times more stable than she ever had while riding before.
"Bring a composite bow!"
Wu Liang shouted to the person nearby.
A Female Warrior nearby handed a newly made composite bow from her back to Wu Liang.
"Akomann, catch!"
Wu Liang tossed it to Akomann as she galloped toward him. Understanding his intent, she leaned down and caught it in her hand.
"Aim at the target ahead! Shoot!"
On the horse's back, Akomann easily turned, drew the bow, notched an arrow, and aimed in the direction Wu Liang pointed.
Whoosh!
The arrow pierced through the air. Although it didn't hit the bullseye, it landed firmly on the target.
"Oh my God!"
"This... this is too incredible!"
The watching warriors burst into thunderous cheers.
"Very good!"
A satisfied smile appeared on Wu Liang's face.
"Akomann!"
"Present!"
Akomann immediately reined in the horse and looked at Wu Liang.
"Starting tomorrow, all cavalry and scouts of the Black Rock Army must undergo rigorous mounted combat training!"
"Our cavalry and scouts must live up to their names! I want to see an iron cavalry capable of charging and mounted archery in the shortest time possible!"
"Yes, sir!"
Akomann's voice trembled slightly with excitement.
She could almost see a flood of iron-clad cavalry galloping across the Great Desolate Mountain, invincible and unstoppable.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, winter was approaching.
The temperature in the Great Desolate Mountain dropped day by day, beginning to carry a bone-chilling cold.
The first phase of the Black Rock Tribe's construction project finally took shape just before the long winter arrived.
The tall and sturdy city walls, like a giant gray dragon, embraced the entire Tribe.
On the walls, there was an archery tower every fifty meters. Crossbowmen stood guard day and night, vigilantly observing the surroundings.
Inside the Tribe, wide stone-paved roads reached in all directions, with a complex underground drainage system beneath the surface.
Newly built stone and brick houses stood in neat rows, with bright glass embedded in every household's windows.
The entire Tribe no longer showed any signs of its past primitive state; it was now a sturdy fortress of significant scale.
The scale of the Artisan district and the Military Workshop also expanded during this time.
Dozens of kilns spewed fire and smoke day and night, providing a continuous supply of industrial goods for the entire Tribe.
In the textile workshop, over a hundred looms clattered incessantly, producing a steady stream of fabric.
The women hummed songs Wu Liang had taught them while spinning and weaving.
"We workers have the strength, hey! We workers have the strength! Busy working every day, hey! Busy working every day..."
The work of the literacy classes had also shown results. Now, Wu Liang had basically handed over the daytime classes to Eliza.
Wei Xian's belly had grown startlingly large.
According to Eliza's calculations, Chief Wei Xian's delivery date was at most a week away.
This once brave and battle-hardened tribal chief now spent every day with her large belly, pestering Wu Liang to support her as she walked and to tell her stories.
At night, after Wu Liang finished tutoring Eliza and Akomann, he would be dragged to her room to be thoroughly exhausted.
By telling stories, of course.
Proper prenatal education.
From the Monkey Fishing for the Moon to Great Yu Taming the Floods.
From the Seven Princesses and a Dwarf to Lu Ti-xia's Great Battle with Pan Jinlian... Wu Liang's language was vivid, his hands were busy, and his imitations were lifelike.
These novel and interesting stories left Wei Xian mesmerized.
"Wow! This Lu Ti-xia is really amazing. Pan Jinlian was beaten so hard by him she couldn't even get up?"
Lying in Wu Liang's arms, Wei Xian looked up with a face full of disbelief.
"No matter how amazing he is, can he be more amazing than me?"
Wu Liang chuckled.
"Hmph, you only know how to bully people. You know my current situation, yet you still tell me those kinds of stories."
Wei Xian spoke with quite a bit of resentment.
"Haha, it's coming soon. Eliza said it's only a matter of days. Just bear with it a bit longer..."
Over at the Black Rock Army, the effect was immediate once the first batch of saddles and stirrups was equipped to the Cavalry Battalion.
The cavalry warriors could now stand on the stirrups and use their weapons with ease, even during a high-speed charge!
"Cavalry Battalion! Charge with me!"
"Giddy up!"
On the training ground, Akomann wore specially made black leather armor and led the charge.
Her feet were firmly planted in the stirrups, her body moving in rhythm with the horse's undulations, and the spear in her hand was as steady as Mount Tai.
"Ha!"
A hundred female cavalrymen simultaneously tapped the horses' bellies with their heels.
A hundred warhorses shot out like arrows from a bow, like a black torrent, kicking up clouds of dust as they galloped across the training field.
The sound of hooves was like thunder, and the momentum was terrifying!
Under Akomann's leadership, they performed various complex formation changes.
Even while galloping at high speed, they could pull out newly modified light rapid-fire repeating crossbows from their waists to shoot at distant targets!
"Kill!"
With Akomann's roar, the cavalry put away their repeating crossbows and simultaneously drew the spears from their backs, leveling them forward.
"Puff! Puff! Puff!"
Two hundred spears, almost at the same time, accurately pierced through the 'enemy formation' made of straw men. The massive impact tore the straw men to shreds!
After one round of charging, the entire straw man position had turned into a mess.
"Whoa—"
Akomann pulled the reins, and the horse reared up, letting out a long neigh.
She looked back at the cavalry she had personally trained, her eyes full of pride and fanaticism.
Too strong!
The power of such a massed charge was simply irresistible!
Any defensive line made of flesh and blood would be ruthlessly crushed before this iron torrent!
"Black Rock Army! Victory!"
Akomann raised her spear and shouted with her arm raised.
"Victory! Victory! Victory!"
Two hundred cavalrymen shouted in unison, the sound shaking the fields.
"Akomann is truly a natural-born commander."
Eliza stood beside Wu Liang and sighed with sincere admiration.
"Yes, I just sharpened this blade a bit more."
Wu Liang smiled and reached out to wrap his arm around Eliza's slender waist.
"However, I still prefer the way you look when we're 'tutoring' in bed."
Two red clouds instantly flew onto Eliza's cheeks. She gave him an annoyed look, but her body unconsciously softened, leaning into his embrace.
"You're so bad, you only know how to bully us..."
After all, peaceful days are short.
"Summer, summer, quietly passing by, leaving behind a little secret..."
This evening, Wu Liang was whistling leisurely with his hands in his pockets as he patrolled the streets.
"Make way!"
Suddenly, the sound of hooves approached from afar.
A warrior from the Scout Battalion responsible for long-distance reconnaissance charged into the Tribe on a fast horse.
"Report—! Lord Wu Liang! Urgent military situation!"