There is no doubt that the cavalry originated in the steppes, where there were a large number of high-quality horses. In the early days, the Central Plains was dominated by chariot warfare, and although there were also cavalry, they were all used as auxiliary troops. The impact ability of the chariot is very strong, but the terrain requirements are high, and a large number of foot soldiers are required, when facing the cavalry on the grassland, the chariot is almost useless, unless the Hu people are deceived, surrounded and annihilated, it is difficult to achieve substantial significance.

The turning point occurred during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In order to deal with the Huns, who came and went like the wind, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty changed his previous tactics, basically gave up the chariot, cavalry against cavalry, and even gave up the foot soldiers for a period of time, attacking with pure cavalry. In order to overcome the fact that the cavalry of the Central Plains was generally inferior to the Huns, the Han army simply gave up cavalry archery and adopted the tactics of forced assault and hand-to-hand combat.

Compared with mounted archery, hand-to-hand combat in close quarters is less demanding for knights, but more lethal. You can understand it when you think about it. It is easier to rush forward and stab with a halberd than to shoot a target dozens of paces away on the back of an undulating horse, and it is certainly worse to be pierced through the body by a halberd than an arrow. As long as it is not critical, the arrow usually does not die, for ordinary knights of the Han army equipped with iron armor, the arrow does not even affect the battle, but if it is stabbed by a spear, even if it does not die, it will be seriously injured, and it is possible to lose combat effectiveness at that time.

With these two advantages, the combat effectiveness of the Han army has made a qualitative leap.

Since this tactic is not difficult and the killing effect is good, why don't Hu people use it? The reason is simple, hand-to-hand combat is more dangerous than mounted archery. When stabbing the opponent off the horse, the knight is also easy to fall off the horse, and the close hand-to-hand combat tests the courage and skill of the warrior, which is a condition that the Hu people do not have. They are more accustomed to shooting from a distance and are not accustomed to hand-to-hand combat.

But the tactics change depending on the situation, the Han army can change, why can't the Hu people change? Under the blow of the Han army, they are already dying, why do they still stick to the tactics of mounted archery? Tai Shici was puzzled before, but this time he went to Liaodong and contacted the Hu people to know the reason.

The Han army marched on orders, controlled by military law, and if the order was violated, it would be beheaded, so no matter whether it was advantageous or not, it was necessary to move forward and forget about death when fighting. The Hu people are tribal, and the tribal leaders have limited control over their subordinate soldiers, and they cannot force their subordinates to take risks and charge like the generals of the Central Plains. The Hu people fight for profit, and if they win, they can get the spoils of war, and if they are defeated, they have nothing, and if they die in battle, they will even have their wives and children's property to others, so they will avoid casualties as much as possible, and run away once the situation is unfavorable.

After changing the tactics, the Han army took the initiative, only with enough horse support, as long as the generals under command were not stupid, almost all of them could win, the difference was only in whether it was a big victory or a small victory. If it is a genius general like Huo Quzhi, he can lead 350,000 cavalry to run rampant across the grassland. Gongsun Du is not as good as Huo Quai, but the Wuhuan people and Goguryeo people do not have heroes like Mao Dun and Yi Zhixi, so Gongsun Du saw who killed whom, and dominated Liaodong in just a few years.

So it's not Gongsun Duqiang, but the Wuhuan people and Goguryeo people are weak.

It is also the Wuhuan people, they fought under the command of the generals of the Central Plains, and they were clamped by military orders, and they were the indomitable elite horses, and the Yuyang Raid Cavalry was the famous horse that Emperor Guangwu relied on to win the world. But once they returned to the grassland and fought against the Han army, they were profit-seeking, a rabble, and their combat effectiveness was greatly reduced.

"The general should be careful of Yuan Shao. I heard that Yuan Shao had a very good relationship with the Huns and the Wuhuan people, and as early as Yuan An, the Yuan family advocated being friendly to the Hu people, and the Hu people had a very good impression of the Yuan family. However, Gongsun Zhan insisted on being strong, and the Huns and Wuhuan people hated him, rebelling and obeying, and the resentment was very deep. It is difficult for these Hu horses to exert their real power in the hands of Gongsun Zhan, once they are in the hands of Yuan Shao, more than 10,000 elite horses gallop through the Central Plains, and no one can be their front. ”

Sun Ce suddenly realized. This can be regarded as meeting someone who understands, it turns out that the difference between the Central Plains cavalry and the Hu cavalry is here, and it is really political that determines the military. Ma Chao's martial arts are on par with Tai Shici, and his knowledge is too far behind. People really still have to read, not only to know a few sentences of poetry, but more importantly, to broaden their horizons and develop the habit of thinking. As a general, it is not enough to have bravery, but also to have an overall situation and a sense of strategy, otherwise it is just the courage of a man and a fighting general.

The more Sun Ce listened, the more interested Tai Shici became, and took the initiative to talk about topics related to the current situation. "Ziyi has been in Tongguan Mountain for a few months, so Zulang can be helpless, and he must have his own opinions on mountain warfare, can you explain it to me?"

Tai Shi Ci bowed and bowed. "Dare to disobey. Ci was in Liaodong, had no savings, and in order to make a living, he often went into the mountains to hunt, and originally had some understanding of mountain warfare. The biggest difference between mountain warfare and flat land lies in the terrain, which seems to be close but really far away, within reach but difficult to reach. There are no more than three or five percent of bows and crossbows in flat warfare, and six or seven percent in mountain warfare, and there should be more strong crossbows that can shoot far. Even if it is a short soldier, it should be a heavy sword and shield and a light spear. Why? The trees are tall and deep, and the spears and halberds are not as agile as the swords and shields. It is the same mountainous area, but the north and the south are different. The northern forest is sparse and you can ride a horse, and the southern forest is dense, only on foot. The north is dry and cold, you can wear a robe and armor, and the south is hot and humid, so you should take light as a priority......"

Tai Shi Ci talked eloquently. Sun Ce was fascinated by what he heard and nodded again and again. Tai Shici had spent a few years in Liaodong, and he knew that it was understandable that the mountainous warfare in the north was excusable, but he was able to have such insight in just a few months after he arrived in Yangzhou, and he was able to tie with Zulang, a thief, which was inseparable from his good thinking. It can be seen that the adventure is worth it. Give him a little more time to really integrate into the perspective of the bandits, and it is not impossible to have Zulang as a sparring partner for him to realize the essence of guerrilla warfare. At that point, he's in big trouble.

Tai Shici is in the same story as Liu Xuan and Shixie, and is similar to Lu Bu and Gongsun Zhan, and can be regarded as a pavilion hero of the separating side. But he is actually different from those people, after he returned to Sun Ce, he made great contributions to the Sun family's possession of Jiangdong. It's just that his credits were all made in Sun Ce's era, and when Sun Quan succeeded to the throne, Tai Shici was silent. said that it was a matter of the south, but in fact it was idle, and he did not have the opportunity to participate in several major battles after Sun Quan ascended the throne, or he participated in the soy sauce fight, watching Lu Meng, Dong Xi and others make meritorious contributions. Death in the prime of life may have something to do with it.

Whether Sun Quan is not optimistic about Tai Shici, or because Tai Shici does not have the support of the township party, it is unclear. Now that he has become Sun Ce, of course, he can't let Tai Shici bury the star anymore.

"Ziyi, you have the ability of both the north and the south, the southern expedition should be Ma Fubo, and the northern expedition should be Wei Huo, you are a rare all-rounder. However, Qingzhou is near the north, you may not be able to adapt to the climate of the south, it is better to work hard in the north. In the future, if there is a chance, he will lead 10,000 horsemen to run rampant across the grassland, expel Hu Lu, and seal the wolf Juxu. Sun Ce raised his glass and greeted Tai Shici.

Tai Shici was stunned for a moment, and then raised his glass to return the salute. Sun Ce's words are a promise, a future that can be seen.