As the name suggests, cavalry is a horse-riding army. In fact, its strength lies in its strong maneuverability and impact capabilities. Our country was one of the earliest countries in the world to have cavalry. Before the Spring and Autumn Period, our country was mainly engaged in chariot warfare, and infantry only played an auxiliary role. The number of chariots became a symbol of military strength, and there was basically no cavalry. In the Spring and Autumn Period, infantry began to rise, and the army became equally important. The army of various countries had a small number of cavalry, mixed with chariot infantry, which was only an insignificant auxiliary force. In the Warring States Period, with the expansion of the scale of war, the diversification of tactics and the war needs of the nomadic peoples in the north, cavalry officially stepped on the stage of war as an independent garrison. So our cavalry talk started from the Warring States Period.

Warring States Period: (including Qin Dynasty)

History entered the Warring States Period, and war had shifted from the rigid front-line war of military and chariot tactics in the early years to a more mobile and flexible combat method. Cavalry emerged as an independent military branch. At that time, major countries established cavalry units. For example, Qin and Zhao all claimed to be "a thousand chariots and ten thousand chariots". The army's combat gradually changed from being the main body of infantry and cavalry to being equally important. The first thing that made the biggest change was Zhao State. The Zhao State, located in the north, was neighbors with ethnic minorities such as Loufan, Linhu, and Xiongnu, and suffered from their troubles. The traditional chariot and infantry of Zhao State were flexible and fast.

The Hu cavalry was very unfavorable when fighting. In order to change this situation, enrich the country and strengthen the army, King Wuling of Zhao carried out the reform of "Hu clothing, cavalry and shooting" in the country. He stated that "I will now use Hu clothing, cavalry and shooting to teach the people" to reduce the chariots and increase the cavalry; he required the traditional wide-robed and large-sleeved clothes of the Han people to be tight-fitting clothes of Hu people, which facilitates cavalry. From here on, the cavalry status in the Central Plains countries gradually improved and became a major force in the army. Because of this powerful cavalry, Zhao State also became a powerful country that could compete with Qin in the military in the late Warring States Period.

During the Warring States Period, a large number of cavalry wars began to be used. Zhao State used infantry and cavalry to attack Linhu, while Loufan "stripped a thousand miles away". Li Mu used more than 10,000 cavalry to cooperate with infantry and chariots to defeat the Huns and annihilate more than 10,000 enemies. Qin State was also known for its excellent cavalry. In the Battle of Changping, Qin general Bai Qi used 5,000 elite cavalry to cut off the Zhao army, which played a key role in the annihilation of more than 400,000 Zhao army in Changping. During the Chu-Han War, Liu Bang also used Qin surrendered general Li Bi and Luo Jia to train cavalry as the captain. Han Xin also used two thousand light cavalry to attack the enemy camp in the battle to defeat Zhao (that is, the time of the front water formation).

The cavalry in the Warring States Period and the Qin Dynasty were equipped with a complete saddle, but without stirrups, which was very unfavorable for horse fighting. Therefore, the main weapon of the cavalry at that time was bows and arrows, and the battle was mainly cavalry and archery. A small number of bronze swords and halberds were used to fight. (The sword was easily broken when chopping, and the halberds were mainly used) and a special vest appeared at this time. (Armor for protecting war horses) From the unearthed Terracotta Warriors, it can be seen that the Qin army had already used mixed formations of chariots, infantry, and cavalry. The terracotta saddles and horses were mainly held with bows, wearing small hats, tight waists, narrow sleeves, short armor, and short leather boots, and dressed for cavalry. During this period, there was also discussion on the use of cavalry. "Sun Bin's Art of War" once said that "there are many cavalry when it is dangerous."

The Han Dynasty:

Entering the Han Dynasty, welcoming the golden age of the development of Chinese cavalry. Due to the need to fight against nomadic peoples such as the Huns, the cavalry grew rapidly, and the army's combat changed from the previous equal weight of chariots and cavalry to the cavalry replacing chariots, and the cavalry became the force that decided the victory or defeat.

Speaking of the development of cavalry in the Han Dynasty, we should talk about the Huns cavalry. The Huns were nomadic people in the north. The entire tribe was a man who could ride and shoot well. At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the Huns were known as "string control men" and 300,000, which threatened the northern part of the Han Dynasty. The Huns were typical Asian light cavalry. As nomadic people, they grew up on horseback and were good at riding and shooting. They had excellent horsemanship and excellent shooting skills, and they only wore light leather armor and were very flexible. The Han Dynasty's Huangcuo was once in "Speaking about Military Affairs and Events"

》 says that the Huns have three major strengths that are beyond the Han army: First, go up and down the mountain, and go out into the stream, and do not let the Chinese horses go; second, they are tired of the dangerous roads: they are rushing and shooting, and they do not let the Chinese cavalry go; third, they are tired of the wind and rain, and they are not to let the Chinese people go. This also points out the greater advantage of cavalry over chariots. Carriages can only exert their power on the plains, and cavalry can also fight on narrower terrain, which is more mobile and flexible than chariots.

In order to change the unfavorable passive situation of fighting against the Huns, the Han Dynasty vigorously developed cavalry. By the time of Emperor Wu, he could use more than 100,000 cavalry to take the initiative. He fought against the Huns for decades. The famous Han general Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and others led tens of thousands of cavalry many times, using roundabout encirclement and deep behind enemy lines to defeat the Huns. In 119 BC, Emperor Wu brought Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to attack each with 50,000 cavalry, and used hundreds of thousands of infantry and more than 100,000 horses to transport supplies. Huo Qubing's troops went deep into the Huns for more than 2,000 miles to defeat the enemy's Fenglangjuxu Mountain (in present-day Mongolia), and returned, which was a legend (heroic achievements are really fascinating!)

An important achievement in this era was the establishment of the official and horse system. In order to fight against the Huns and develop cavalry, the Han Dynasty established a system of horse feeding. During the Wenjing period of Han Dynasty, the "Horse Re-order" was issued to encourage the people to raise horses by exemption from service. It also established a special horse political organization in the central and local governments. The central government appointed Taipu (that is, Bimawen) to manage it, and the local horse chief was responsible for the local government. These officials were responsible for raising horses for military use. From the beginning of the Han Dynasty to Emperor Wu, there were more than 400,000 stable horses. This system ensured the consumption of a large number of horses that the Han Dynasty fought against the Huns.

In the Han Dynasty, cavalry developed and grew, becoming the main force of the army and replacing the position of combat chariots. In the Han Dynasty, there was already a distinction between light cavalry and heavy cavalry in the Han Dynasty. Light cavalry basically had no armor, and its weapons were mainly bows and arrows, equipped with shorter war horses, heavy cavalry armed with armor, weapons such as halberds, spears, ring-headed swords and other melee weapons, and tall horses were used for charge and trapping. With the improvement of smelting technology in the Han Dynasty, a ring-handled iron knife was more suitable for fighting immediately, (that is, ring-headed swords). The swords were thick and the blades were sharp and suitable for chopping, and became an important weapon for cavalry. Generally speaking, the main weapons of cavalry in the Han Dynasty were: spears, knives, halberds, bows, crossbows (arms and crossbows). During this period, the cavalry as a tactic of mobile forces was also developed. The Han army adopted long-distance raids and detours in combat with the Huns.

Three Kingdoms, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties:

This was an era of war and wars were very frequent, especially in the Sixteen Kingdoms. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, a large number of northern nomadic peoples entered the Central Plains, and the use of cavalry reached a higher peak. All parties involved in the war (mainly the north) used cavalry on a large scale. Cavalry became the most important group of troops on the battlefield, and our cavalry also developed to the era of heavy cavalry.

In this period, the military strength of the north was stronger than that of the south. Most of the northern countries were ethnic minority regimes. The initial army was cavalry. After the development, the number of infantry gradually increased, but the main force of the army was still cavalry, and a considerable number of cavalry were used to participate in the war. For example, Fu Jian of the Former Qin Dynasty went south and used 270,000 cavalry; Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty invaded the Song Dynasty and crossed the Huai River with 600,000 cavalry, and headed straight to the Yangtze River; in the battle between Liang and Wei Zhongli, Liang and Wei, there were 240,000 cavalry. It can be said that the scale of cavalry warfare during this period was far greater than that of the previous generations.

A major important development during this period was the invention of stirrups. The earliest stirrups in my country were unearthed in the Western Jin Dynasty. It can be said that stirrups were found in the Jin Dynasty at the latest. (Some people say that stirrups were first invented by Europeans.) Stirups can be said to be an epoch-making invention and greatly promoted human civilization. In military terms, the emergence of stirrups made the cavalry's close combat easier, (with a place to borrow strength) and was conducive to the long-distance marching of cavalry. (Reduce fatigue) can more effectively exert the advantages of cavalry's mobility and strong impact. The invention of stirrups in the West led to the emergence of Western heavy cavalry and knights in the Middle Ages. (A big and useless

Guy) The cavalry during this period was mainly heavy cavalry. The heavy cavalry at that time were all wearing armor and armored cavalry. The protective power was very good and had a great impact on infantry. At that time, heavy cavalry had strong protection. In addition to bows and arrows, cavalry weapons (no matter what era, this was always the main weapon of Eastern cavalry.) Long weapons used a large number of cavalry with better penetration. Cavalry with spears, namely "spikes" (also called "spear + figure"), and the halberd was gradually eliminated and became a ritual decoration. Short swords also became a standard weapon for cavalry. Compared with the ring-headed swords of the previous generation, the swords of this period were widened, and the head of the knife was changed from oblique square to sharp in front and oblique back, which was more suitable for actual combat.

Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties:

During this period, cavalry had established its position in the army. In this era, cavalry and infantry were equally important. Although the cavalry of various countries was not as large as that of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, cavalry was still an important force and received great attention.

The Tang Dynasty founded the country with martial arts. Emperor Taizong Li Shimin himself was good at using cavalry. His famous six mounts were called the Six Horses of Zhaoling. Therefore, the Tang (especially in the early Tang Dynasty) also attached great importance to the construction of cavalry. The Tang Dynasty built and improved its own horse government construction for military purposes since the onset of the army. The Tang Dynasty set up many supervisors in the border areas, which were under the management of Taipu. The supervisors of the horse were more than 5,000 horses, and the supervisors of the horses were the upper supervisors, and the subordinates were the lower supervisors, and the supervisors were appointed as the governors of the pastors. The supervisors of each supervisor had to take exams every year. From the forty years of Zhenguan to Linde in the Tang Dynasty, the officials had more than 700,000 motors were kept, and the eight yards and forty-eight supervisors were placed, covering more than 1,000 hectares of land.

During this period, the development of cavalry equipment tactics was not great, but it no longer focused on heavy armored cavalry like the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Although there were still armored cavalry in the army, they were basically light cavalry. They mainly used cavalry as the advantage of mobile forces, and their frontal offense and defense were more lazy than infantry.

Song, Liao, Western Xia, Jin Dynasty.

During this period, a large number of northern nomadic peoples emerged and became a threat to the Han dynasty. The elite of these ethnic minority armies were mainly cavalry, and the development of cavalry once again reached a climax.

First of all, the Song Dynasty was a dynasty in my country's history when martial arts was extremely low. Because in the Later Tang and Five Dynasties, the horse-producing areas in the northwest of the ethnic minorities that rose in the Later Tang and Five Dynasties periods were basically lost, so the Song Dynasty could not meet the needs by buying horses, changing horses, (using materials) or setting up herding supervision, so there was never a powerful cavalry. In the Southern Song Dynasty, even one-fifth of the cavalry in the front office of the Palace (i.e., the Emperor's Imperial Army) had no horses available. (It's so pitiful) The Song Dynasty liked to set up formations, so most of the cavalry were arranged in

In the formation, cavalry are basically arranged around large-scale infantry formations to support or cover the flanks. For example, Emperor Taizong of Song Dynasty's "Pingrong Wanquan Formation" combines the main infantry with combat chariots, and arranges them in the middle into dense formations, and the counter-cavalry behind them are arranged front, back and left and right as warning and cover to defend against enemy cavalry formations. Personally, I think this is similar to the cavalry used in early Europe, that is, use infantry phalanx as the main force and use cavalry to consolidate the two wings. In fact, this formation, cavalry has become the auxiliary force of infantry, and the core infantry formations are used to defeat the enemy and win.

The ethnic minority regimes established in the north have relatively strong military power. The army is mainly engaged in cavalry combat. The army of Liao and Jin pays great attention to the mobile combat of cavalry. Generally, the main soldiers in the army are equipped with several war horses. (One main army of Liao army has three horses) are very powerful. For example, in the Battle of Youzhou in Liao and Song dynasties, the Liao army defeated Song generals Cao Bin and Pan Mei one after another with the flat terrain of the local area and the maneuver power of cavalry. The Jin army was also good at cavalry and was good at field battles. It is said in history that "the world's strength is this". The Jin Kingdom had a famous guillotine horse. During the battle, the infantry was the guillotine horse and used guillotine horses to attack on both wings, which had a great advantage in fighting against the Song army on the plains.

The cavalry of this era was mainly northern ethnic minority cavalry. The main weapons they fought were bows, arrows, sabers, and special weapons such as maces. (The Jin people seemed to like this weapon. There were folk songs at that time: it had Jinwushu, I had Marshal Yue; it had crutches, I had a mace, I had a Tianlinggu.) The cavalry at that time began to tend to be light-fit, wearing a small amount of armor, and gaining greater power. However, all countries still had heavy armor troops, such as the Western Xia cavalry "Pingxia Iron Harrier" (its infantry is called "Hengshan Bubazi") which is known for its strong combat effectiveness of "riding a good horse and wearing heavy armor".

Mongolian era:

In this era, Mongolian cavalry became a symbol of terror in the eyes of the enemy, and the Mongolians pushed cavalry tactics to the peak of the cold weapon era. The advantages of cavalry such as long-distance raids, roundabouts, and encirclement were put to their limits.

The Mongols implemented a hundred households, and the whole nation was soldier. The officers were hereditary. They "prepare for battle when they set up horses, and gathered for herding horses when they were dismounted." They brought their own weapons and equipment to fight during wartime, and were ordinary herders in peacetime. In order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the army, the Mongols often trained their troops through large-scale hunting, and children also trained their ability to ride horses and shoot archers from an early age. In addition, they were commanded by outstanding tacticians such as Genghis Khan, Mu Huali, Subutai, and Tolei. The Mongols became the most powerful army in the world at that time and conquered an unprecedented vast territory. They destroyed the Song, Jin, and Xixia in the east, defeated the Huatsmo in the west, conquered the Russian grasslands, and defeated the Western coalition forces, and fought to the Danube. (If the Mongol Khan had not died at this time! I don't know where to fight!)

The Mongolian army was basically cavalry in the early stage, and its field strength was also cavalry in the later stage. Mongolian cavalry had super powerful power. A soldier often had more than six war horses and was used in rotation, and could often advance nearly a hundred kilometers a day. The main weapon of Mongolian cavalry was bows and arrows. The Mongolians who had been riding and shooting for many years could pull strong bows. The Mongolian bows were made of mixed wood and bones, which had strong penetration and long range. They could be maneuvered in high-speed (even

The Mongols who shoot accurately can give the enemy great damage before short battles. Because Mongolians often bring their own weapons, in addition to arrows and sabers, soldiers also carry their favorite weapons such as spears, maces, rope covers (for horse-drawns, they can also cover people on the battlefield.) etc. In terms of armor, the Mongols mainly use leather armor, which is light and strong. Although it does not have the protection of iron armor, it has won more

Great motor power. Also worth mentioning is Mongolian horses. Although Mongolian horses are small in size, not as fast as Arabian, and Arian horses are tall, they are adaptable, resistant to rough feed, easy to gain weight, and have a long life. They are very suitable for long-distance marching and combat without logistics support. These horses can find food everywhere, and can march fifty to one hundred kilometers a day in grassland terrain and can be used for all year round. And an important point is that Mongolian horses can produce 3 to four hundred kilograms of milk during the mare feeding period, which has become an important food source for the Mongolian army that has been fighting abroad for a long time without logistical support. (In addition, it is plundered) The Mongolians are nomadic peoples, and their people grow in bitter and cold places. They have strong tolerance for harsh climates, very low material requirements, and have combat power that ordinary farming people cannot match. (It's just that they need to go to humid and hot places, such as in the Southeast Asian rainforest.)

Ming and Qing dynasties and later:

After the Ming and Qing dynasties, firearms developed vigorously. With the emergence of special firearm troops and artillery, the status of cavalry gradually declined. After the Ming Dynasty, there were few cavalry as the main strategic force, so I won’t say more.

The cavalry in the Ming Dynasty mainly cooperated with other troops and was equipped with firearms. (Cabinet?) The famous general Qi Jiguang set up a chariot camp, which is a way of combating in the chariots, chariots and chariots. This tactic was further studied in the "Chabinet Knocks" by Sun Chengzong of the Ming Dynasty. He also developed a tactic of bombardment with firearms (firepower preparation?) and followed by cavalry attacking infantry. (Is it the same as the tactics in the Napoleon era?)

In the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty thought that it was founded by bows and horses. When it was founded, the Jurchens and Mongolian cavalry were traditional cavalry, and there was no development. In addition, the lack of attention to firearms made our country eventually ended up being arbitrarily bullied by the great powers. At that time, it was the era of firearms, and the cavalry status was even lower. Until the emergence of position wars composed of machine guns and trenches, it basically lost its position in the army and gradually withdrew from the military stage. Only by the emergence of its successor, the armored mechanized troops, cavalry became a kind of history and was only used in certain ceremonial occasions.

In the era of cold weapons, those who win cavalry win the world
Chapter completed!