Han officials

Chapter 231 The Limitations of the Era [12]

It is said that the fighting methods of the Hu people have always been different from those of the Han people.

Their superior mobility meant that the nomadic cavalry on the grasslands had long been accustomed to seeking opportunities for battle while moving at high speed.

If it were the first time they encountered each other, the Han generals would often suffer a loss due to being caught off guard.

Fortunately, Wei Zhe was already familiar with the Hu people's tactics. After seeing that the more than 10,000 Wuhuan servant cavalry on the left wing were firmly blocked, he did not hesitate. He immediately ordered Tadun and others to ride back and forth to harass and protect the 4,000 Han cavalry in the vanguard. Because under the obstruction of the Xianbei, although Yan Rou and Liu Yi broke through the Xianbei defense line, they had great difficulty penetrating deeper.

At the same time, Kebineng sent 30,000 cavalry to flank and launch a fierce attack on the rear of the Han army.

For a time, the Han army was as if caught in a raging storm, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Seeing that his grand flanking maneuver had been successful, Kebineng, under the Xianbei wolf cavalry, finally laughed triumphantly.

"What Heavenly General? Ha, nothing special!"

However, Wei Zhe, who had been keeping a close eye on Kebineng, was not worried but rather pleased upon seeing this.

"Wu Zhong"

"exist!"

"Your five thousand cavalry can hold off the enemy for an hour? Is that even possible?"

"I will certainly not disappoint you, my lord!"

At this moment, Wu Zhong showed no fear on his face, only a surging fighting spirit.

In short, the worst that can happen is death, so what is there to fear!
After saying this, he bowed firmly with a resolute expression, accepted the order, and turned to leave.

……

Meanwhile, as time passed, Kebineng, under Wolf's command, gradually frowned.

"Wow~ Have the horsemanship skills of the Han people become so superb these days?"

He hadn't noticed it when they were far away, but as Yan Rou led the vanguard Han cavalry in a continuous charge, getting closer and closer, Kebineng realized something was wrong.

How could these Han cavalrymen maintain their balance on galloping warhorses without needing to control the reins, relying solely on their legs and waist strength?
Upon discovering this, Kebineng's eyes widened in shock.

This...this isn't right!

He remembered that when the Han Chinese in Youzhou raided the border a few years ago, their horsemanship was not this exaggerated. Could this be the elite cavalry of Liaodong?

After much deliberation, Kebineng could only conclude that this was an elite cavalry force trained by Wei Zhe in Liaodong.

Even after managing to figure out the reason, Kebineng's expression was still very unpleasant.

The Han cavalry's fighting strength and resilience far exceeded his expectations, which made him no longer confident of victory.

In fact, what caused Ke Bi to suffer a setback was just a few insignificant things.

Wei Zhe was naturally familiar with the so-called three essentials of cavalry: saddle, stirrup, and horseshoe.

However, because these things are not technically sophisticated and are too easy to imitate, they have never been released.

No, to be precise, it should be the two treasures of the cavalry.

Because the Takahashi saddle had already appeared in the Central Plains before the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Originally, the Takahashi saddle was merely an auxiliary tool for the powerful and wealthy to maintain their balance on horseback.

After all, the nobles of Luoyang were all delicate and pampered, unlike the rough and tough soldiers who could withstand falls.

To satisfy those wealthy and lazy nobles, the skilled craftsmen of Luoyang went to great lengths.

To be honest, the Takahashi saddle did make horseback riding easier.

Although galloping on horseback is still difficult, it allows distinguished guests to easily take a quick look around.

It is said that during the Former Han Dynasty, skilled craftsmen in Chang'an created the single-sided stirrup for the same reason. However, for a considerable period of time, neither the brave soldiers nor the wandering knights of the common people bothered to use the single-sided stirrup.

In their view, those were women's toys; true warriors had no need for such tools.

It is precisely because of this that the Takahashi saddle did not receive much attention in Luoyang and its spread was very slow.

However, the advantages of the Takahashi saddle are undeniable, especially when paired with double stirrups.

In the past, when riding horses, riders usually needed to grip the horse's belly tightly with both legs and use one hand to hold the horse's mane or reins in order to maintain balance at high speeds. Some Han soldiers, although they could ride horses, needed to hold onto the horse's neck with both hands to avoid falling off when galloping. Although they were called cavalry, they were actually just mounted infantry.

In comparison, the nomadic cavalry on the grasslands were slightly better, but they could only manage mounted archery.

It was the Wuhuan people, who had submitted to the Wuhuan, who truly dared to send cavalrymen charging into battle with spears.

Unfortunately, while charging into battle with spears was a specialty of the Wuhuan cavalry, it was more suited to Han China and had little advantage on the grasslands. This is why the Xianbei, rather than the Wuhuan, became the dominant force on the grasslands.

However, influenced by the Wuhuan people, the Han people of Youzhou gradually mastered the tactics of the Wuhuan cavalry.

The Wuhuan cavalry gradually became the Youzhou cavalry.

Before the advent of double stirrups and high-bridged saddles, truly elite cavalry capable of charging into battle were one in a hundred.

But now things are much better. With these two auxiliary tools, the requirements for cavalry to charge into battle have been greatly reduced.

And what's truly deadly is that Wei Zhe has finally been able to unleash another powerful weapon.

……

Meanwhile, under the banner of the Han army, Wei Zhe finally revealed a bloodthirsty smile.

He immediately said in a deep voice:

"Xuanjia Battalion, listen to my command!"

"Mount!"

"Kill the enemy!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the tiger guard who had been sitting quietly resting beside Wei Zhe immediately lit up.

In the blink of an eye, a heavily armored cavalry appeared behind Wei Zhe.

These thousand elite cavalrymen were all dressed in black robes and armor, resembling ferocious steel beasts, displaying a ferocious and terrifying aura.

It wasn't that Wei Zhe didn't want to build more armored cavalry; the truth was, he could only afford to maintain this many armored cavalry units.

However, unlike double stirrups, armored cavalry was not exactly Wei Zhe's innovation.

Because during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Wei Zhe had seen many armor parts for armored cavalry in the Dongjun Armory.

It is said to have been created by the Former Han Dynasty in imitation of the heroic figure of Xiang Yu and his twenty-eight riders during the Battle of Haixia.

However, the requirements for armored cavalry are much more difficult than those for assault cavalry, making them one in ten thousand.

Only someone with the strength of Xiang Yu's waist, arms, and legs could make this armor seem like nothing to him.

In addition to the people, the requirements for the warhorses are also extremely high.

This resulted in armored cavalry, despite their early emergence, never reaching a significant scale or playing a substantial role.

Over time, the armored cavalry eventually became nothing more than decorations in the emperor's ceremonial procession.

Furthermore, in order to lower the standards, they often use wooden armor or leather armor to deceive others, only caring about a shiny and attractive appearance.

In the eyes of veteran Han generals like Huangfu Song, armored cavalry that could not be scaled up was nothing more than a showy but impractical thing.

However, after two hundred years of silence, the armored cavalry has finally wiped away the dust and shone with dazzling light!

(End of this chapter)