Chapter 139: The Cavalry Problem ()

Although in the Spring and Autumn Period, there is this record: in 636 BC, when Qin Mugong sent the son of Jin to return to China, he sent "two thousand horses".

The military combat method of "1,000 cars and 10,000 horses" announced that the tactics of the Warring States period gradually changed to pay equal attention to chariots and horses.

For this level of training, the country's military training has gradually entered the drill system of horse riding tactics:

Later generations believed that the cavalry at that time also needed to undergo comprehensive training, that is, basic training, through certain days like the infantry. For example, wrestling, also known as wrestling, is equivalent to today's wrestling, hand-to-hand fighting, also known as boxing, just like today's sanda, walking, running and jumping with weights, and routines using equipment.

However, there are many differences in the way each branch is trained. Cavalry training, along with infantry and vehicle training, has taken on obvious characteristics, and even major reforms have been made. Cavalry and chariot crews had to train horses in many disciplines. On the surface, it seems to be the same, but the substance is very different.

To use a horse, you must first train the horse. Although Ma Tong is human, he is a beast after all.

Under normal circumstances, the trainer must maintain a close, peaceful relationship with the warhorse. Even if it is a fierce horse, it is necessary to caress it, relieve its itching, provide clean drinking water, add grass and materials, and wash it frequently, so as to relieve its fear and increase the emotion between people and horses. The domestication process carries a great influence factor. The difficult action of taming a war horse is inseparable from the harness, and the three of the title, the bridle, and the bridle are interconnected to form a sensitive conduction system.

If the war horse wants to be exemplary, it can be punished appropriately. So pull one side of the rein—one horse's head is deflected—one is pressed against the corners of the gums—one is down, one is eased—the side reins—one is relieved of the pressure on the corners of the gums—praise or reward. The whole process is connected in turn and repeatedly. As a result, a consolidated store of information, known as memory, is established in the horse's central nervous system.

This kind of emotion is built over a long period of time. In particular, it is necessary for knights to love their horses with dedication, to be kind to them, and to put more work and patience into them.

Fighters were also trained to dismount and ride firmly on horseback. A good knight, the horse does not step on the stirrup, a leap and ride, dismount without stepping on the horse, - jump down, from a horse to a horse B, do not need to get off the horse first and then B horse, as long as the jump - down can complete the transfer. As everyone knows, a warrior is far less stable on a horse than on the ground.

It is not uncommon for some cavalrymen of the former agricultural nationalities who have not undergone strict training to fall off their horses because of nervousness and harm before the battle; it is not uncommon for the horses to fall off their horses due to improper balance in the rapid advance of the war horses; there are many who have only returned to Taiwan in battle, and because they cannot withstand the fierce blows, they fall off their horses. All kinds of phenomena show that his riding skills are not perfect.

The skill should be called "riding and shooting" in a broad sense. This is a necessary skill for cavalry. For this reason alone, it was much more difficult for the infantry to wield bows and fight. Because the infantry is standing on the ground, or half-kneeling, or with their feet open, the bow is drawn accurately, the foundation is stable, it is easy to use the strength of the whole body, the radiation range is long, and the degree of accuracy is higher. However, the cavalry is sitting on the horse aiming and opening the bow, the horse is walking or galloping, the base is in motion, and at the same time, the target being aimed may also be in a state of motion. This is an operation in an interactive situation, and there are two difficulties: the degree of —,— restricts the strength of the whole body, especially the strength of the arms, and second, the degree of accuracy is reduced, so practicing the technique of riding and archery to accurately and effectively hit the opponent is by no means a day's work, but the result of long-term and arduous training under strict teaching.

In the sixth year of Yuanfeng, it was also stipulated: "Those who are under 50 years old in cavalry and cannot learn martial arts can only be trained as infantry troops." These two sections illustrate from different angles that the cavalry is not qualified, and after being eliminated, it can still be used as an infantryman. It can be seen that the difficulty of training is significantly greater than that of cavalry.

......

During the Warring States period, cavalry began to be used in large quantities. Zhao attacked Lin Hu with infantry cavalry, Lou annoyed "a thousand miles", Li Mu used more than 10,000 horsemen with infantry soldiers to break the Huns and annihilate more than 100,000 enemies.

During the Chu-Han War, Liu Bang also used Qin generals Li Bi and Luo Jia as captains to train cavalry in order to fight against Xiang Yu's cavalry; Han Xin also used 2,000 light cavalry to attack the enemy's camp in the battle of Liebei Water Formation to break Zhao, which immediately reversed the situation on the battlefield.

It can be seen from the terracotta warriors and horses unearthed in later generations that the Qin army had adopted a mixed formation of chariots, infantry and cavalry, and the saddle horse warriors were mainly holding bows, wearing small hats, wearing tight waist and narrow sleeved robes, wearing short armor, and short leather boots, and the outfit was convenient for riding and shooting. The art of war also had a discussion of the use of cavalry during this period.

Entering the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, ushered in the golden age of the development of the national cavalry, because of the need for the Xiongnu and other nomadic peoples to fight, the cavalry grew rapidly, and the army combat changed from the previous chariot and cavalry to the cavalry to replace the chariot soldiers, and the cavalry became the decisive force.

Huang Cuo once said in "Words and Soldiers" that the Xiongnu had three major advantages that the Han army could not reach: first, down the mountain and Han, in and out of the stream, the country's Ma Fu and also; second, the dangerous road is disgusted: and gallop and shoot, the country's riding Fu and also; third, the wind and rain are tired, thirsty and not sleepy, and the people of the country are also Fu and also. This also pointed out the great advantage of cavalry over chariots, which could only exert their might in the plains, while cavalry could also fight in narrower terrain, and chariots were more mobile and flexible.

The minister also heard about the use of soldiers, and the urgency of the battle was three: one was to get the terrain, the second was to serve and practice, and the third was to use the weapon. The Art of War says:

The minister also heard that the small and big aliens, the strength and weakness of the situation, the danger and the danger. The husband is humble and strong, and the form of a small country is also; the form of a small country is also the form of an enemy country; and the form of a country is also attacked by barbarians. Today's Xiongnu topography and skills are different from the country. Go down the mountain and Han, enter and exit the stream, the country's Ma Fu and also; the dangerous road is poured, and gallop and shoot, the country's riding Fu and also; wind and rain fatigue, hunger and thirst are not sleepy, the people of the country are also Fu and also, the long skills of the Huns. If the plain of the Fu is changed places, the light chariot suddenly rides, then the Huns are easy to scratch and mess up; the crossbow and long halberd shoot far away, then the Huns' bow is also Funengge; the strong armor and sharp blades, the long and short are mixed, the crossbow comes and goes, and the soldiers of the Huns are in front of the army; the soldiers of the Huns can be used as well; if the material officials are sent and the arrows are the same, then the Huns' leather and wood are recommended to be able to support them; dismount and fight, the swords and halberds are connected, and they are thin, then the feet of the Huns can be given, and the long skills of this country are also. From this point of view, the Huns' long skills are three, and the country's long skills are five. His Majesty raised hundreds of thousands of people, in order to punish tens of thousands of Huns, the outnumbered many, and the technique of ten strikes and one. Although, soldiers, murder weapons, wars, and dangerous situations. Take the big as the small, the strong as the weak, and the ears between the prostrates. The husband fights for victory with the death of a man, and if he falls and does not recover, he will regret it. The way of the emperor is out of everything. Now descend to Hu Yiqu barbarians to return to the friend, its number of thousands, food and drink skills and the same as the Huns, can be given strong armor and clothing, strong bows and arrows, benefit to the border county of the good horse. Ling Ming will be able to know his customs and his heart. It will be made by His Majesty's express covenant. That is, there are dangers and obstacles, so it is deserved, and the flat passage is made of light vehicle materials. The two armies are on the outside, each using its own skills, and adding up to the crowd, this perfect technique is also.

After the siege of Baishan Mountain, in order to change the unfavorable passive situation of the Xiongnu operation, the Han Dynasty vigorously developed the cavalry, to Emperor Wu has been able to use more than 100,000 cavalry to take the initiative to attack, the battle against the Xiongnu lasted for decades, the famous general of the Han Dynasty Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and so on repeatedly led tens of thousands of cavalry, using roundabout outflanking, deep behind the enemy and other tactics to break the Xiongnu. In 119 B.C., Emperor Wu took Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to attack with 50,000 horsemen, hundreds of thousands of foot soldiers, and more than 100,000 horses to transfer baggage. Huo Qu's sick department went deep into the Xiongnu for more than 2,000 miles, and broke the enemy's wolf Juxu Mountain and returned, which is a good story for the ages.

In the Han Dynasty, the cavalry developed and became the main branch of the army, replacing the position of chariots. In the Han Dynasty, there was already a distinction between light cavalry and heavy cavalry. The light cavalry was basically unarmoured, and its weapons were mainly bows and arrows, equipped with shorter horses, and the heavy cavalry was armoured, and its weapons were melee weapons such as halberds, spears, and ring-headed knives, and they were equipped with tall horses for charging into battle. In the Han Dynasty, with the improvement of smelting technology, there was a long iron knife with a ring handle that was more suitable for horse combat, and this kind of knife was the famous ring head knife.

When the cavalry technology and the number of horses in the Han Dynasty reached the level of the Xiongnu, the end of the Xiongnu came. When the Han army was generally equipped with iron armor and steel knives, the Xiongnu did not produce iron, and most of their arrows were cut from cow and horse bones or fish bones, and the disparity in national strength caused the Xiongnu to gradually split, and then officially disappeared from the historical stage after hundreds of years.