Guzhou Marshal's Mansion. Yu Ji has been waiting for Tian Qi to lead the hungry wolf army to Guzhou. According to the descriptions of the two people sent to contact him, Tian Qi is still very Taoist. Therefore, Yu Yuji is also relieved and patient.

Waiting for the agreed period, Tian Qi should order the Hungry Wolf Army to come to Guzhou today. Scouts have been sent out three times, but there is still no news.

But Yu Ji is not anxious at all. He is waiting confidently. He believes that any discerning person will make the right choice. It is a pity that he does not know that he is wrong this time.

Tian Qi was indeed tempted at first, but later, although he agreed on the surface, he had already made his choice in his heart. The most direct reason was that he could not mobilize any soldiers at all. Although Yu Feng was no longer the leader on the surface, in fact he was the only one who was anxious.

I know that he is only responsible for some routine matters.

Military power is firmly in the hands of Niu Er, He Song, Li, Jia Zhi, and Hou Ji. Without their consent, he cannot mobilize a single soldier. Even the few personal guards around him are not his.

Confidant.

Tian Qi is a smart man. In order to avoid Yu Feng's suspicion, he has not cultivated any cronies in the army. Moreover, Tian Qi calmed down and thought about it. Since joining Ke Yufeng, Yu Feng has never been defeated. No matter how hard he fought, Yu Feng still remained in the end.

Will win. That's why Tian Qi made such a choice.

And what are the Hungry Wolf Army doing now? The station of the Hungry Wolf Army in Jinzhou is in a state of solemn killing.

That day, after Tian Qi sent away the two people sent by Yu Ji to contact him, he brought Niu Er, He Song and others over. After everyone arrived, Tian Qi said: "I just agreed to lead the hungry wolf within the specified time.

They all go to Guzhou."

Hearing Tian Qi's words, the atmosphere in the tent immediately tightened. Niu and others looked at Tian Qi with cold eyes. The impulsive Li had already pulled out his knife and looked at Tian Qi fiercely.

Tian Qi indeed said with a bitter look on his face: "Listen to what I have to say."

Niu Er winked at Li and Li retracted the knife he had just pulled out. The five of them just waited for Tian Qi to go to Tian Qi and said, "The main reason why I agreed to them is to delay time."

After hearing Tian Qi's words, the faces of the five people looked better, but they were still cold. Tian Qi was not surprised when he saw this and continued: "It will take time for Yu Qiwei to come back from Didu. It will also take time if we start a war with Yu Ji's army."

It takes time to prepare.”

Sure enough, after listening to Tian Qi's explanation, the five people's faces looked much better and their cold expression had faded a lot. However, Niu Er and Jia Zhi looked at each other and Jia Zhi said: "General Tian is also tired today, so I will rest in peace for two days."

sky."

After saying that, the five people filed out and left Tian Qi's tent. After the five people left, Tian Qi also had a wry smile on his face, as if he had already expected this outcome.

di du Yufeng's residence. Yufeng kept walking back and forth in the room. Yufeng had just talked with Li Laosi again about gunpowder and he was not worried about it, but there was no problem with how to use gunpowder.

The technology of fire control is too difficult. Relatively speaking, the technology of artillery is simpler, but there are no artillery in the world now. Yu Feng also knows little about casting artillery. He can only provide some general ideas. The most important thing is to recruit blacksmiths.

Constant experimentation.

But Yu Feng was about to leave Di Du and go to Northern Xinjiang. Then he would naturally have to face the Hu cavalry. Now that the firearms were no longer useful, Yu Feng had to find a way to deal with the Hu cavalry.

Although they were victorious in several field battles, they were miserably defeated each time. The battle with the Mongol Wang Tingzhi Army was won only by heavy rain. Yu Feng knew that not every luck would be so good.

Since firearms disappeared in a short time

As the name suggests, cavalry is an army that fights on horseback. In fact, its strength lies in its strong mobility and impact capabilities. Our country is one of the earliest countries in the world to have cavalry. In the Autumn Period, our country's infantry began to rise and became an army of all countries that placed equal emphasis on both vehicles and footwork.

With a small amount of cavalry mixed with chariots and infantry, it was only an insignificant auxiliary force. In the Warring States Period, with the expansion of the scale of the war, the diversification of tactics and the war with the nomadic people in the north, the cavalry was officially regarded as an independent unit.

On the war stage. If there was a way to put it to use, Yu Feng thought about it for a long time, but he could only use cavalry to conquer cavalry.

Warring States Period: (including Qin Dynasty)

History has entered the Warring States Period. Warfare has shifted from the rigid frontal combat of chariot tactics in the early years to a more mobile and flexible combat method. Cavalry emerged as a unique branch of arms. At that time, all major countries such as Qin, Zhao and other countries established cavalry units.

Known as "thousands of chariots and tens of thousands of horses", the army gradually changed its focus from foot and cavalry to equal emphasis on chariots and cavalry. The biggest change was first made by the Zhao State. The Zhao State, located in the north, was close to Loufanlin, Hu, Xiongnu and other ethnic minorities.

The traditional chariots and infantry of Zhao State were at a disadvantage when fighting against the flexible and fast Hu cavalry. In order to change this situation, King Wuling of Zhao, who made the country rich and powerful, carried out the reform of "Hufu cavalry" in the country.

Declaring "Today I will ride on horsemen in Hufu to teach the people", reducing the number of chariots in the army and increasing the number of cavalry; requiring that the Han nationality's traditional broad robes and large sleeves be changed into Hu people's tight-fitting clothing to facilitate riding. From here on, the Central Plains countries began

The status of the Chinese cavalry gradually improved and became a major force in the army. Because of this powerful cavalry, the Zhao State became a powerful country that could compete with Qin in the late Warring States period.

During the Warring States period, cavalry began to be used in large quantities in battles. The State of Zhao used infantry and cavalry to attack Linhu Loufan and "covered a thousand miles of territory." Li Mu used more than 10,000 cavalry to cooperate with the infantry to defeat the Huns and wipe out more than 100,000 enemies. The State of Qin was also known for its excellent cavalry.

In the Battle of Zhao Changping, Qin general Bai Qi used 5,000 cavalry to intercept the Zhao army. The Zhao army was completely annihilated in the Battle of Changping. The cavalry of the Warring States and Qin Dynasties were equipped with complete saddles but no stirrups, which was very disadvantageous for horse fighting. Therefore, the main weapon of the cavalry at that time was

In order to fight with bows and arrows, cavalry mainly used bronze swords and halberds in small quantities. (Swords are easy to break when chopping, and halberds are the main ones.) And at this time, special vests appeared. (Armor used to protect war horses) From the unearthed

The terracotta warriors and horses can be seen that the Qin army at that time had adopted a mixed formation of vehicles, infantry and cavalry. The pommel and horse warriors mainly held bows and wore small hats, tight-waisted narrow-sleeved robes, short armor and short leather boots, which were convenient for riding. In the art of war during this period,

There is also a discussion on the use of cavalry. "Sun Bin's Art of War" once said that "the more danger there is, the more cavalry". The army of more than 400,000 played a key role. During the Chu-Han War, Liu Bang also used Qin to surrender generals in order to fight against Xiang Yu's cavalry.

Li Bi and Luo Jia trained cavalry for the captains; Han Xin also used two thousand light cavalry to sneak attack the enemy camp in the battle to defeat Zhao.

Han Dynasty:

The Han Dynasty ushered in the golden age of the development of Chinese cavalry. Because of the need to fight against nomadic tribes such as the Xiongnu, the cavalry grew rapidly. Army combat changed from the previous equal emphasis on chariots and cavalry to cavalry replacing chariots and cavalry as the force that determines victory or defeat.

When it comes to the development of cavalry in the Han Dynasty, it should be said that the Xiongnu cavalry is a nomadic people in the north. All the tribes are men who are good at riding and shooting. At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu were already known as "those who control strings". There were 300,000 people who threatened the northern part of the Han Dynasty at all times.

The Huns are typical Asian light cavalry. As a nomadic people, they grew up on horseback and were better at riding. They have excellent equestrian skills and excellent physical skills. They only wear light leather armor and are very flexible.

It is said in the book that the Xiongnu has three major advantages that the Han army cannot match: the first is that they can go down the mountain and go out and go into the streams with Chinese horses; the second is that they are tired of the dangerous roads: they can gallop and ride with the Chinese horses; the third is that they can ridicule thirsty even when the weather is windy and rainy.

Those who do not trap China cannot do so. This also points out the greater advantage of cavalry over chariots. Chariots can only exert their power on plains, while cavalry can fight in narrower terrain and are more mobile than chariots.

flexible.

In the Han Dynasty, in order to change the unfavorable and passive situation in fighting the Huns, the Han Dynasty vigorously developed cavalry. By the time of Emperor Wu, it was able to use more than 100,000 cavalry to actively attack the Xiongnu. The battle lasted for decades. The famous generals of the Han Dynasty, Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and others, led tens of thousands of cavalry to adopt this method many times.

In 119 BC, Emperor Wu sent two men, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, to attack with 50,000 cavalry. They also used hundreds of thousands of infantry and more than 100,000 horses to transport the baggage. Huo Qubing's troops penetrated more than 2,000 miles into the Xiongnu and defeated them.

The enemy sealed the wolf to live in Mount Xu (in present-day Mongolia) and it became a legend.

An important achievement of this era was the establishment of the official horse system. In order to develop cavalry against the Xiongnu, the Han Dynasty established a system of raising horses. During the Han Dynasty, the "Horse Restoration Order" was issued to encourage civilians to raise horses by exempting them from service. Specialized horses were established in central and local areas.

The horse administration agency in charge. Zhongyang appointed Taipu (Bi Ma Wen) to manage and have local horse ministers in charge. These officials were responsible for raising horses for military use. From the early Han Dynasty to the time of Emperor Wu, there were more than 40 stable horses.

Ten thousand horses. This system ensured the consumption of a large number of horses by the Han Dynasty to fight against the Xiongnu.

In the Han Dynasty, cavalry developed and became the main force of the army, replacing chariots. In the Han Dynasty, there were already light cavalry and heavy cavalry. The light cavalry basically had no armor, mainly bows and arrows, and was equipped with smaller war horses. The heavy cavalry had armor weapons.

Tall horses were equipped for melee weapons such as halberds, spears, and ring-headed knives to charge into battle. In the Han Dynasty, with the improvement of smelting technology, long iron knives with ring handles (called ring-headed knives) appeared that were more suitable for horse fighting. The blades had thick spines and sharp edges.

It became an important weapon for the cavalry because of chopping. Generally speaking, the main weapons of the cavalry in the Han Dynasty were: spears, knives, halberds, bows, crossbows (arm-loaded crossbows), etc. During this period, the tactics of cavalry as a mobile force also developed in the Han army.

In the battle against the Huns, a large number of long-distance raids, roundabouts and outflanking operations were used.

Three Kingdoms, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties era:

This was a war-torn era. Wars were very frequent. Especially during the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a large number of nomadic tribes from the north entered the Central Plains. The use of cavalry reached a higher peak. All warring parties (mainly the north) used cavalry on a large scale. Cavalry became the most important force on the battlefield.

Our country's cavalry, an important branch of arms, has also developed into the era of heavy cavalry.

During this period, in general, the military strength of the north was stronger than that of the south. Most of the northern countries were dominated by ethnic minority regimes. The initial armies were all cavalry. After the development, the number of infantry gradually increased, but the main force of the army was still cavalry. A considerable number of cavalry were used in battles. For example, in the former Qin Dynasty

Fu Jian of the Northern Wei Dynasty used 270,000 cavalry to go south; when Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty invaded the Song Dynasty, he used 600,000 cavalry to cross the Huaihe River and approach the Yangtze River; in the battle of Zhongli in the Liang and Wei Dynasties, there were 240,000 cavalry among the 800,000 Wei army. It can be said that this

The scale of cavalry warfare during this period far exceeded that of previous generations.

An important development during this period was the invention of the stirrup. The earliest stirrups in my country were unearthed in the Western Jin Dynasty. It can be said that my country had stirrups in the Jin Dynasty at the latest. (However, some people say that the stirrups were invented by Europeans first.) The stirrups can be said to be An epoch-making invention that greatly contributed to human civilization. The emergence of military stirrups made the cavalry's close combat easier (with leverage) and conducive to the long-distance march of the cavalry. (Reduce fatigue) can be more effective. The invention of the stirrup in the West led to the emergence of Western-style heavy cavalry knights in the Middle Ages. (A large and useless guy) The cavalry in this period was mainly heavy cavalry. The cavalrymen and horses are all wearing armor - armored riding equipment. The protection is very good and has a great impact on the infantry. At that time, the heavy cavalry had very strong protection. The cavalry weapons except bows and arrows (no matter what era, this was always the main weapon of the Eastern cavalry) Weapons.) A large number of long weapons were used. The cavalry used spears with better penetrating power, namely "spear" (also called "spear + Xiao"). The halberd was gradually eliminated and became a ceremonial decoration. The short sword also became the standard of the cavalry. Compared with the previous generation Huanshou sword, the weapon during this period had a widened blade body and a sharpened blade with a sharp front and an oblique back, making it more suitable for actual combat.

Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties eras:

During this period, the cavalry had established its position in the military. During this period, both cavalry and foot were emphasized. Although the size of the cavalry in various countries was not as large as that in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the cavalry was still an important force and received greater attention.

Li Shimin, the founder of the Tang Dynasty with martial arts, was good at using cavalry. His famous six mounts were called the Six Horses of Zhaoling. Therefore, the Tang Dynasty (especially the early Tang Dynasty) also attached great importance to the construction of cavalry. The construction of cavalry was perfect from the beginning of the Tang Dynasty.

His own horse administration was built to prepare for military use. The Tang Dynasty set up many herding supervisors in the border areas, who were subordinate to eunuchs to manage the supervisors. Five thousand horses were considered to be supervisors, and three thousand were considered to be middle supervisors.

In the 40 years from Zhenguan to Linde in the Tang Dynasty, it raised more than 700,000 official horses, built eight workshops and 48 prisons, and occupied more than 1,000 hectares of land.

During this period, the development of cavalry equipment and tactics was not great, but it no longer focused on heavy armor as it did in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Although there were still armored cavalry in the army, it was basically light cavalry. It mainly used the advantages of cavalry as a mobile force and relied more on frontal attack and defense.

Lazy than infantry.

Song, Liao, Xixia, and Jin eras:

During this period, a large number of northern nomadic peoples rose up and became a threat to the Han Dynasty. The elites of these ethnic minority armies were mainly cavalry. The development of cavalry also shifted to the Han Dynasty again.

First of all, let’s talk about the Song Dynasty, which was a dynasty with extremely weak martial arts in the history of our country. Because the horse-producing areas in the northwest were basically lost to the ethnic minorities that emerged in the late Tang and Five Dynasties periods, the Song Dynasty either bought horses in exchange for horses (with materials) or set up supervisors in the border areas.

The other methods were never able to meet the needs, so there was never a strong cavalry. In the Southern Song Dynasty, it was even worse. Even one-fifth of the cavalry in the Palace Front Division (i.e. the emperor's forbidden army) had no horses to use. (It's so pitiful) The Song Dynasty

They like to set up formations, so most of the cavalry are arranged in the formation. Basically, the cavalry is arranged around a large-scale infantry formation to provide support or cover the flanks. For example, Song Taizong's "Pingrong and Ten Thousand Whole Formation" is to combine the main infantry with chariots in the middle.

The cavalry is arranged in a dense formation at the front, rear, left and right to serve as guard and cover. It defends the enemy's cavalry. The infantry square is the main force and the cavalry is used to consolidate the two wings. In fact, the cavalry in this formation has become an auxiliary force for the infantry to defeat the enemy and win.

.

Song, Liao, Xixia, and Jin eras:

During this period, a large number of northern nomadic peoples rose up and became a threat to the Han Dynasty. The elites of these ethnic minority armies were mainly cavalry. The development of cavalry also shifted to the Han Dynasty again.

First of all, let’s talk about the Song Dynasty, which was a dynasty with extremely weak martial arts in the history of our country. Because the horse-producing areas in the northwest were basically lost to the ethnic minorities that emerged in the late Tang and Five Dynasties periods, the Song Dynasty either bought horses in exchange for horses (with materials) or set up supervisors in the border areas.

The other methods were never able to meet the needs, so there was never a strong cavalry. In the Southern Song Dynasty, it was even worse. Even one-fifth of the cavalry in the Palace Front Division (i.e. the emperor's forbidden army) had no horses to use. (It's so pitiful) The Song Dynasty

They like to set up formations, so most of the cavalry are arranged in the formation. Basically, the cavalry is arranged around a large-scale infantry formation to provide support or cover the flanks. For example, Song Taizong's "Pingrong and Ten Thousand Whole Formation" is to combine the main infantry with chariots in the middle.

The cavalry is arranged in a dense formation at the front, rear, left and right to serve as guard and cover. It defends the enemy's cavalry. The infantry square is the main force and the cavalry is used to consolidate the two wings. In fact, the cavalry in this formation has become an auxiliary force for the infantry to defeat the enemy and win.

is the core infantry formation.

The ethnic minority regimes established successively in the north all had relatively strong armed forces. The main force of the army was cavalry. The armies of Liao and Jin Dynasties paid great attention to the maneuverability of cavalry.

Generally, regular soldiers in the army are equipped with several war horses (one regular soldier in the Liao Army has three horses) and they are very mobile. For example, in the Battle of Youzhou in the Liao and Song Dynasties, the Liao Army relied on the local flat terrain and the mobility of the cavalry.

They defeated Song generals Cao Bin and Pan Mei one by one. Jin soldiers were also better than cavalry and were good at field battles. History said that "from the beginning of the Jin Dynasty, there was no one stronger than this in the world." The Jin state had the famous kidnapper horse. During the battle, the infantry was the main soldier and the kidnap horse served as two wings.

Assault has great advantages in fighting the Song army on the plains.

The cavalry of this era was dominated by the northern ethnic minority cavalry. Their main weapons for fighting were bows and arrows, sabers, and they were also equipped with special weapons such as maces. (The people of the Jin Dynasty seemed to like this kind of weapon. There was a folk song at that time: It has the power of Jin Wushu)

I have Marshal Yue; he has a kidnapping horse and I have a mazha knife; he has a mace and I have Tianling Gai.) The cavalry at that time began to prefer light armor with a small amount of armor to gain greater mobility. However, all countries still had heavy armored troops such as Xixia's
To be continued...