Raye's Journey

ppt reference:

https://gamma.app/docs/-h164hf9xsdor2t8?mode=doc

Introduction#

As I mentioned in the introduction to this book, have you noticed that whether in the Avengers or in video games, protagonists often prefer to use cold weapons?

Clearly, technology is so advanced now that a missile can solve problems from a thousand miles away, yet they still engage in chaotic melee combat.

Swords, spears, halberds, and riding horses with whips. The so-called "cold" weapons can ignite people's blood the most.

The names of Feng Wolf and Le Shi Yanran still resonate far and wide, while the strategies of An Du Chen Cang and Liu Chu Qi Shan continue to be hypothesized and discussed. The southern campaigns and northern expeditions have been repeated time and again throughout the millennia of history in this land.

I have always wanted to share a book about history, but I was afraid of getting bogged down in complicated details. Mainly, I was afraid of being challenged by the experts, always feeling that my knowledge was insufficient. Last November, I shared a novel called "The Submarine at Night" in the 1803 conference room, which I thought was particularly well-written. This year, I want to try the challenge of historical themes. I don't like the conventional way of introducing a dynasty, covering politics, economy, culture, and military.

In fact, I don't enjoy macro perspectives in storytelling; I prefer to think about history from a side angle or through a character. This is also what I want to discuss with you: how do you view history? Do you prefer macro narratives or micro narratives?

Supplement: I still remember when I was in school, my Chinese teacher asked us to take turns sharing about famous figures from the Wei and Jin dynasties. My classmates naturally introduced people like Ruan Ji, Ji Kang, and Xiang Xiu, but I didn't want to follow the same routine. So, inspired by "Shishuo Xinyu," I shared the childhood experiences of these famous figures. They say you can see a person's future at three years old and their character at seven. The prominent figures of the Wei and Jin dynasties also had many fascinating stories from their childhood, which can reveal their future personality traits.

After much thought, I chose Professor Li Shuo's book "Three Hundred Years of the Civil War," which provides a great perspective, allowing us to explore the essence of historical evolution through geography and warfare. This is exactly what I love.

About the Author#

Professor Li Shuo, if I mention his name, you might not be very familiar, but if I say "Jian Shang," many people would know. He is a PhD from the History Department of Tsinghua University. "Three Hundred Years of the Civil War" actually comes from his doctoral thesis. He initially wrote a short historical essay about Liu Yu's northern expedition, and I have shared the original link before. His unique prose style made me fall in love with his writing immediately.

https://book.douban.com/review/9236601/

Ma Boyong, Prince Ma, is also a particularly skilled historical writer. If Ma Boyong writes history by digging up scraps and adding imaginative elements, then Professor Li Shuo analyzes it from an academic perspective, meticulously peeling back layers with rigorous research and reasoning. However, thanks to his prose style, it is not dull to read, which motivates me to share.

About Me#

I won't say too much about myself, as everyone in the group has already started anticipating this sharing. You can just call me Raye. My label is that I am a typical ENFJ-A person, a level two left-handed badminton player, slightly better than the average person, and I am also a lefty. I can also work part-time as a psychological counselor, although I am not related to that field, many friends say they gain a lot from talking to me, perhaps because I am a relatively optimistic person.

Additionally, I am someone who often suffers from insomnia and tends to overthink, much like Woolf's "The Spots on the Wall." My thoughts often jump around, flowing freely, so if you look at my blog, it is filled with my random musings.

Yes, programmers seem to enjoy tinkering with blogs; I started doing it in college and have changed several platforms over time, but now it has stabilized. The domain is this one, and future manuscripts and PPTs will also be posted on the blog. Oh, if you want to discuss blogging with me, feel free to reach out.

Lastly, let me introduce my reading experience. I initially didn't want to include this, as it feels a bit anxiety-inducing, but I think it's necessary to give myself some credibility. I mainly use WeChat Reading to read books and rarely read physical books, so I have a long reading time and particularly enjoy reading history-related content. I welcome discussions about history with you.

Question Introduction#

Having introduced so much, let's look at a few questions. They shouldn't be too difficult; this is mainly to warm everyone up and familiarize you with history.

1. The order of the Chinese dynasties: Qin, Han, Three Kingdoms, Two Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing. The historical span we are covering this time mainly involves the period before the Sui and Tang dynasties, specifically the Qin, Han, Three Kingdoms, Two Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties.
2. What are some famous battles from the Pre-Qin to the Northern and Southern Dynasties?

There are quite a few, including the Battle of Maling during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Battle of Guiling, the Battle of Changping, the Battle of Guandu, the Battle of Red Cliffs, the Battle of Yiling, and so on.

3. Who are some famous generals from the Pre-Qin to the Northern and Southern Dynasties?
   The Ten Philosophers of the Martial Temple basically cover this, including Tian Rangju, the God of Killing Bai Qi, Han Xin, Zhang Liang, Zhuge Liang, and so on.

Alright, what am I going to talk about? Since there is only a week from the introduction to this sharing session, I believe many people may not have finished reading, but that's okay. My content won't necessarily follow the book completely; just listen to me.

The main topics are these few big questions:

1. The innovation and evolution of cavalry combat techniques from the Pre-Qin to the Han and then to the Three Kingdoms, Two Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties.
2. The influence of ancient Chinese geographical environments on cold weapon warfare.
3. Classic battles of the Civil War (Why is the Northern Expedition so difficult!)

And some smaller discussion points:

1. The reasons for Li Guang's difficulty in being awarded titles.
2. What a real cavalry charge looks like.
3. When was the stirrup invented?

Why Curiosity About Cold Weapons#

When it comes to cold weapon warfare, there might be a question, which is what we mentioned at the beginning: why are we curious about cold weapons? Why, even though weaponry has developed to this point, do many military enthusiasts, movies, and games still want to showcase the charm of cold weapons?

This is somewhat like steampunk; people are always fascinated by things they can understand and see. A missile hitting from a thousand miles away is indeed thrilling, but you can't see it or perceive it; the process is too fast. Cold weapons are different. A friend once told me that it's easier to create special effects with cold weapons because they are slower, allowing for more elements to be integrated and many special effects to be created.

Speaking of cold weapon warfare, there are many records in ancient poetry. I wonder how many you can think of; here are a few examples:

• "Fighting across three thousand miles, a single sword once faced a million troops."
• "The general's golden armor does not come off at night; at midnight, the troops march with spears clashing. The Xiongnu's grass is yellow, and the horses are fat; smoke and dust rise in the west of the golden mountain."
• "In those years, with golden spears and iron horses, we swallowed the land like a tiger."
• "In my dreams, I light a lamp to look at my sword, dreaming back to the bugle calls of the camp. Eight hundred miles of my command, fifty strings echoing the sounds beyond the pass, autumn on the battlefield points to the soldiers."

So far, the most accurate restoration of cold weapon warfare scenes is still the Total War series, particularly "Total War: Three Kingdoms," which I will reference multiple times later.

Understanding Ancient China#

Alright, since we are going to fight on this land, we must understand it. China's geography is actually very complex; it is one of the countries with the richest geographical diversity on Earth, if not the richest.

When we studied geography, we all knew that China has four major plateaus, four major basins, and three major plains, but for the ancient Chinese, their understanding was far less profound.

Before the Sui and Tang dynasties, our core territory was basically limited to the following areas: to the north, it reached the Yanshan Mountains, namely the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun; to the south, it reached the South China Sea, namely the ancient Jiaozhou, which is now Guangzhou. However, due to its remoteness, it did not participate in the struggles of the Central Plains, so our southernmost point actually only reached the Nanling Mountains, which is the junction of present-day Hunan and Guangzhou.

As a side note, Prince Ma Boyong's new book "The Food South" tells the story that took place in the Han Dynasty in this land of Guangzhou.

In the eyes of ancient people, China could actually form a grid-like structure, why do I say it's a grid? Because each section just happens to occupy a grid.

This is my own understanding, haha, but it's easy to grasp.

We know that China can be divided into north and south along the Qinling Mountains and the Huai River. On the dividing line between north and south, there are exactly three geographical units, and then the north and south can be further divided into three geographical units each.

Let's look at it sequentially, starting from the left side of the grid:
Top left: Guanzhong + Jinzhong, which were the Qin and Jin states during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, corresponding to the central and northern parts of present-day Shaanxi Province.
Middle left: Hanzhong Basin, historically known as the throat of Shu, often serving as a buffer zone between Guanzhong and the Sichuan Basin. Whoever controls Hanzhong controls the frontline for military operations (hence Liu Bei fought hard to capture Hanzhong).
Bottom left: Sichuan Basin, a self-contained unit.

Top middle: North China Plain, ancient Jizhou, which was occupied by Yuan Shao during the Three Kingdoms.
Middle middle: Nanyang Basin, also a frontline for both the north and south, with Xiangyang being the throat of the world. In Jin Yong's novel "The Return of the Condor Heroes," Guo Jing and Huang Rong defended Xiangyang against the Mongolian invasion.
Bottom middle: Jianghan Plain, the ancient rear area of the Chu state.

Top right: Shandong Peninsula, the ancient land of Qi and Lu.
Middle right: Jianghuai Plain, ancient Xuzhou, the Huai River basin, where Sun Quan's happy city is located, so now you know why Sun Quan had to fight hard for Hefei, right? Why must he guard the Yangtze River and the Huai River!
Bottom right: The two plains of the lower Yangtze River, Poyang Lake Plain and Taihu Plain, ancient Yangzhou.

If you can't digest this all at once, that's fine; the main thing is to leave a preliminary impression, as we will relate this to actual wars later.

Understanding Horses#

After understanding the geographical environment of ancient China, let's get to know an animal that lived on this land: the horse.

Horses are quite interesting creatures. I remember watching "Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit: The Seven Heroes" when I was a child, where everyone could ride horses, even the undercover Ma Sanniang, who herself was a horse and could ride a horse, haha.

The characteristics of horses are well-known:

• Strong build
• Great endurance
• Fast speed
• High adaptability

However, horses also have many drawbacks, one of which is the high cost of raising them. They consume a lot and produce waste, which can pollute the soil, unlike cattle, which can plow and fertilize.

Agricultural societies have a strong dislike for horses.

When it comes to horses, we naturally can't avoid discussing cavalry, but we must understand that horses can't run indefinitely. When a horse runs, there are several forms of movement based on the horse's hoof's lift-off.

In modern equestrianism, horse movements are mainly divided into several different forms:

1. Walk: This is the slowest gait, with all four feet touching the ground in succession, with three hooves on the ground at any time. The walk is stable and smooth.

2. Trot: The trot is a faster gait, where the horse moves in a "two beats per set" rhythm, with two diagonal legs lifting and landing together. This gait requires a certain balance and rhythm.

3. Canter or Lope: The canter is a fast and smooth gait, with three hooves touching the ground in succession and a noticeable suspension phase. This gait is usually used in equestrian competitions, requiring good coordination and strength from the horse.

4. Gallop: The gallop is the fastest gait of the horse, with all four hooves touching the ground in succession and a noticeable suspension phase. Galloping is used for maximum speed, typically seen in horse racing and some speed-demanding equestrian competitions.

But horses are different; they are always eating and defecating, never resting!

There is a saying, "A horse does not gain weight without eating night grass," meaning that horses must continuously eat to gain weight.

If you can eat, that's fine, but what's worse is that horse manure is highly acidic, which not only doesn't serve as good fertilizer but also harms the land! They can defecate anywhere at any time!

In short, their energy conversion level is extremely low, and they ruin the land!

The pasture that can support one horse can support dozens of sheep; just look at how adorable the sheep are!

Moreover, if you want to ride a horse, it needs to be castrated (gelded); otherwise, the horse's temperament won't allow you to ride it, and it could easily kick you to death.

Castration must be performed around the early spring when the horse is about two years old, followed by a series of professional training and recovery methods.

This means that to allow you to ride, I have to assign a laborer to take care of you. What about my land?

Besides, the paths in the fields are only a few steps wide; who would ride a horse to work in the fields?

So it's not that the Central Plains couldn't raise horses on a large scale, but rather that no one would be foolish enough to waste good land and manpower on raising such a wasteful creature!

The same reasoning applies to nomadic peoples; they also don't want to raise horses but have no choice due to the rigid requirements of wolf hunting, migration, and grazing.

When nomadic peoples raise horse herds, horse herders also drive the herds to less favorable pastures for separate management.

Understanding Warfare#

What exactly is warfare? Is it really like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms describes, where two generals duel for three hundred rounds? Then the victorious side leads the troops to charge and wins?

Not at all; warfare is about the morale of the soldiers. When morale collapses, the hearts of the people scatter, and the troops become difficult to lead.

Don't think that if I fight to the last breath, I can win; in fact, most of the time, many soldiers are reluctant to go to battle, as they have families at home. So if they can run, they will run. The saying "fifty steps laugh at a hundred steps" is not a joke; even our outstanding politician Guan Zhong fled many times, didn't he?

That's why history often sees battles where the few defeat the many.

Of course, losing doesn't mean everyone dies; it just means your troops have scattered, and many soldiers have gone their separate ways. Therefore, it is common for the main general to regroup the remnants and continue fighting.

However, cold weapon warfare is indeed quite brutal. I once saw a question on Zhihu, and one answer said, "Spring swallows return, nesting in the woods."

This sentence is quite shocking; at first glance, it seems to describe a scene, like spring has come, and swallows are building nests in the woods.

But upon deeper reflection, you realize something is wrong. Swallows tend to build nests under eaves, so why are they in the woods? It's because all the people are dead, and the houses have been burned down.

This is still a relatively literary record; more often, it involves cannibalism.

Chariot Warfare in the Spring and Autumn Period#

If warfare is an art, it can only be said to have begun in the Spring and Autumn period. We know that "ritual, music, archery, charioteering, and writing" are the six arts of a gentleman.

Charioteering, riding, and driving war chariots to charge are essential skills for a gentleman to master.

Thus, wars during the Spring and Autumn period were more about everyone agreeing on a location to settle a dispute; the winning side would not pursue the defeated to the end.

Let's feel the charm of cavalry charges:
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1a3411T72v/?spm_id_from=333.337.search-card.all.click&vd_source=15a2dc392ee5cfd2402320bee219d8e3

Evolution of Cavalry Combat Techniques#

Early Cavalry: Archery Techniques#

The Xiongnu were the best at mounted archery; they grew up on horseback.

Sima Qian recorded:
"A child can ride sheep, draw bows to shoot birds and mice; as they grow, they shoot foxes and rabbits for food. The strong warriors can shoot bows, all become armored cavalry."

The Xiongnu's tactics are also interesting:
"When they fight, everyone seeks their own advantage, adept at luring the enemy to ambush. When they see the enemy, they pursue advantage like birds gathering; when they are trapped or defeated, they scatter like clouds."

This means that Xiongnu warriors are fierce in individual combat; when attacking, they act like a flock of birds, and when retreating, they scatter quickly like clouds.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the main troop types were infantry and cavalry, along with charioteers.

If we trace the origins of cavalry, many history enthusiasts might immediately mention Zhao Wuling Wang's adoption of Hu clothing and mounted archery!

In the "Records of the Grand Historian: Zhao Family," it is recorded:
"Now I will adopt Hu clothing and mounted archery to teach the people; how can I avoid being criticized?"

Zhao Wuling Wang faced immense pressure and promoted Hu clothing and mounted archery within Zhao, leading by example.

During the Warring States period, Zhao was located in what is now parts of Shanxi and Hebei. On one hand, it had to defend against the Xiongnu, and on the other, it had to help the six states of Shandong resist the Qin state, so the pressure was immense.

At this time, cavalry essentially consisted of mounted archers, meaning they shot arrows while riding. Some might ask, why shoot arrows while riding?

Let's first watch a video to see how infantry face mounted archers:
【The correct way for cavalry to engage infantry formations; finally, we see formations and professional engagements. After watching so many ancient war scenes, most of them are just chaotic battles.】 https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1dz4y1k7NF/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=eb74eb1e105cb306ab17818712e795b8

The comments in this video summarize it well; here we see Zhao cavalry facing Qin infantry:

1. The Qin infantry is in a defensive formation, with shield bearers in front, spearmen behind, and crossbowmen at the rear. The arc-shaped distribution of the line is to avoid the cavalry's side attacks as much as possible, protecting the crossbowmen and spearmen in the formation.

2. The Zhao cavalry, having adopted Hu clothing and mounted archery since the reforms of Wuling Wang, excelled in mounted archery and flanking tactics. With short bows and fast horses, the Qin soldiers couldn't catch up or defend effectively, so they were essentially in a position of being beaten, and in professional warfare, even if they couldn't win, they knew they couldn't escape. Thus, fighting to the last soldier was just to buy time for a chance to escape, and ultimately, with effective reinforcements, some Qin soldiers managed to survive.

3. The Qin infantry's defensive formation was also adjusted to respond to the Zhao cavalry's full deployment, transforming from a cohesive formation into smaller units for multi-directional defense. The main goal, as mentioned above, was to die slowly, prolonging time to find a moment of survival.

4. The best strategy for cavalry skirmishing is to surround the target formation, constantly maneuvering around to use the advantages of bows and crossbows from all directions to exhaust the enemy's manpower, ultimately breaking the enemy's formation. When the enemy shows signs of fatigue and disarray, a decisive charge can be made to split and annihilate them.

The power of mounted archery can be likened to heroes in "Honor of Kings," such as Hou Yi and Lu Ban, who can kite enemies, making it difficult for melee attackers, like ordinary soldiers, to approach.

However, at the beginning of the Qin Dynasty, the Xiongnu tribes had not yet unified, and there was no strong regime to lead the various tribes. Therefore, Meng Tian could "drive the Xiongnu back over seven hundred miles, and the Hu people did not dare to graze their horses south."

Interestingly, the unification of the Qin Dynasty actually promoted the unification of the Xiongnu tribes. Why? During the Warring States period, the northern border was occupied by Qin, Zhao, and Yan. The Xiongnu could trade among these three states, and the market was not unified, so if one price was unfavorable, they could switch to another.

However, with the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, the Xiongnu suddenly found that prices were suddenly the same everywhere, and the Great Wall was now connected.

"Driving the Xiongnu back over seven hundred miles, the Hu people did not dare to graze their horses south."

How Effective is the Great Wall?#

Before discussing the Han-Xiongnu confrontations, we need to understand the Great Wall. "Thus, Meng Tian built the Great Wall in the north to serve as a barrier, driving the Xiongnu back over seven hundred miles."

When we mention the Great Wall, we often think of this:

But in reality, most of the Great Wall looked like this; it was essentially a dirt wall.

This short dirt wall cannot stop people, but it can stop horses, as the nomadic peoples relied on their highly mobile horses.

The first function of the Great Wall is to block the Xiongnu's horses. If you come in without horses, you will face organized infantry from the Central Plains, and there is no way to win.

However, nomadic peoples can still destroy this wall. If an invasion involves a hundred thousand people, of course, they can easily dismantle it.

At this point, the second function of the Great Wall comes into play: it delays your invasion.

While the Xiongnu were busy tearing down this dirt wall, the news of the invasion had already been relayed through a warning system to the Central Plains and along the Great Wall. They could calmly prepare defenses and set up ambushes to thwart your efforts. The famous general Li Mu of Zhao during the Warring States period used this method to prevent the Xiongnu from seizing anything.

Thus, during the Warring States period, since the Great Walls of Qin, Zhao, and Yan were not fully connected, the Xiongnu still had gaps to exploit.

Additionally, they could also battle among the three states of Qin, Zhao, and Yan, engaging in border trade.

However, with the unification of the Qin Dynasty, the third and most far-reaching impact of the Great Wall emerged: it was connected.

Once connected, the Xiongnu would suddenly realize that this Great Wall of ten thousand miles had no gaps to exploit? Moreover, the three states that were once separate had suddenly become one? They no longer had the qualifications to negotiate, and instead, the Qin Dynasty monopolized the situation, leading to a terrifying economic blockade.

This is akin to the United States uniting all countries in the world to sanction China and Russia, forcing China and Russia to unite back-to-back.

Thus, the nomadic peoples had no choice but to band together for survival, as without unity, they could not survive.

Therefore, in a certain sense, the unification of the Qin Dynasty also facilitated the unification of the Xiongnu, which is why the Han Empire and the Xiongnu Empire on the grasslands were established almost simultaneously.

The Earliest Cavalry Charges#

We know that Zhao Wuling Wang's adoption of Hu clothing and mounted archery was merely learning from the Xiongnu's mounted archery. The large-scale application of shock cavalry would have to wait for Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, which we will discuss later.

However, during the Chu-Han contention, Xiang Yu can be said to be the first general to use cavalry on a large scale in frontal battles, surpassing even Han Xin. In his famous battle, the "Battle of the Water," the cavalry he led only served to harass and ambush.

It is said that Liu Bang, under Han Xin's command, openly repaired the road while secretly crossing Chen Cang, regaining territory in Guanzhong, and then marched east through Hangu Pass, bringing an army of supposedly 600,000 to attack Xiang Yu's old base, Pengcheng.

At this time, Xiang Yu was busy suppressing a rebellion in Qi. When he heard that his stronghold was being attacked, he was stunned. Wasn't Liu Bang kicked to Sichuan by me? How could he come out so quickly?

If you were Xiang Yu, you would also be in a dilemma. If you save your base, you won't have enough troops to quell the rebellion, but if you don't save it, your stronghold will be lost.

While Xiang Yu was in a daze, Liu Bang had already captured Pengcheng and started a party.

Xiang Yu ultimately decided to leave a general behind to continue suppressing the rebellion in Qi while personally leading 30,000 cavalry to circle around, not taking the shortest route through the Yishui River, and directly breaking through Liu Bang's defenses led by Fan Kuai, charging straight for Liu Bang.

At this moment, Liu Bang's mood was like that of Chiang Kai-shek, "What have you all been doing?" (Although the instructor's four crossings of the Red River were to push the general's car, Xiang Yu's attack on Liu Bang was almost a one-step kill.)

The subsequent events need not be elaborated; in short, Liu Bang abandoned his wife and children and ultimately stabilized his defenses in Xingyang, leading to a stalemate between Chu and Han.

The "Records of the Grand Historian" states:

"Xiang Wang then moved west to Xiao, attacking the Han army and eastward to Pengcheng, where he defeated the Han army at noon."

And as we know, Sima Qian recorded Xiang Yu's final moments at Gaixia:

"Today, I am determined to die, originally to fight for you all, to achieve three victories, to break the encirclement for you all, to behead generals, and to cut flags, so that you all know that heaven has abandoned me, and it is not my fault for not fighting." He then divided his cavalry into four teams, charging in four directions, calling out loudly as he charged down, scattering the Han army.

The Predicament of the Early Han Dynasty#

The early Han Dynasty can be said to be a time of rebuilding. Coincidentally, due to Qin Shi Huang's Great Wall project, the Xiongnu formed their own grassland empire almost simultaneously with the establishment of the Han Dynasty.

At this time, Han Gaozu Liu Bang wanted to test this future enemy's strength, and sure enough, he personally led an expedition and was surrounded at Baideng Mountain, an event known as the Baideng Encirclement.

From then until Emperor Wu of Han, the Han Dynasty endured, as there were not enough horses. By the time the infantry arrived, the Xiongnu had already raided and fled. How could they fight?

In fact, during the reign of Emperor Jing of Han, the Han Dynasty was already wealthy enough, but they still couldn't defeat the Xiongnu. Why? This leads us to discuss why mounted archery was so difficult.

Why is Mounted Archery Difficult?#

During one expedition against the Xiongnu, Li Guang only took about a hundred cavalry and suddenly encountered a large Xiongnu army. At this moment, Li Guang said:
"My hundred cavalry are all terrified and want to flee. I said, 'If I run away with just a hundred cavalry after traveling several dozen miles from the main army, the Xiongnu will pursue and shoot us down.'"

Because the Xiongnu grew up on horseback, their mounted archery skills were innate, and mounted archers relied on agility.

In the early Han Dynasty, the number of horses was limited, and they could only ride ox carts, let alone shoot arrows while on horseback.

So is it really that difficult to shoot arrows from horseback? Yes, it is indeed very difficult, especially before the invention of the stirrup (which we will discuss later).

Where does the difficulty lie? Here are a few points:

1. Getting on the horse.
2. Sitting steadily.
3. Drawing the bow and aiming.
4. Maintaining balance.

If it weren't for the Xiongnu, who were naturally skilled at riding, the Han Dynasty also had its own experts, such as Li Guang, who was praised by Sima Qian as a master of mounted archery. However, his troops were just as disorganized as the Xiongnu.

The Han-Xiongnu Wars: The Birth of Shock Cavalry#

The Limitations of Sima Qian#

Although Sima Qian is great, "A man must die; some die heavier than Mount Tai, while others lighter than a feather." Sima Qian's death was heavier than Mount Tai.

However, everyone has their limitations. Sima Qian's records of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing are few, and even our middle school history textbooks only briefly mention their contributions.

Wei Qing and Huo Qubing#

Let's introduce Wei Qing. His sister is Wei Zifu, who was favored by Emperor Wu of Han, making Wei Qing the emperor's brother-in-law.

Wei Qing, in fact, was a bastard. Yes, Huo Qubing was also a bastard.

Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, these two strongest external relatives in Chinese history, applied infantry formations to cavalry, pioneering the concept of shock cavalry.

How Emperor Wu Solved the Problem#

Now, if you were Emperor Wu of Han, facing the problem of the Xiongnu, with two SSR-level generals, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, and an explorer, Zhang Qian, helping you map out the situation, how would you solve this problem?

Let's first look at the Han Dynasty's border defense line:

At this time, the Hetao region (the Yellow River is harmful, but the Hetao is rich) was once recovered by Meng Tian under Qin Shi Huang, but later during the Chu-Han contention, this territory was again controlled by the Xiongnu.

As mentioned earlier, every time the Xiongnu attacked, the Han Dynasty would send troops to defend, but by the time the troops arrived, the Xiongnu had long since vanished.

Emperor Wu wanted to change this situation.

Control Experiments#

Since he had a bunch of generals, he decided to launch an attack and test the waters.

This was also an experiment. After several generations of accumulation, by his time, they had money.

Emperor Wu carefully selected these four individuals, including the experienced and battle-hardened Li Guang, as well as the young Wei Qing.

In the first attack, he sent out four generals: Wei Qing to Shanggu, Gongsun He to Yunzhong, Gongsun Ao to Dai County, and Li Guang to Yanmen, each leading ten thousand cavalry.

The final result of this round of controlled experiments was that Wei Qing emerged victorious, and at this time, he had already explored and invented the shock cavalry tactics.

Supplement: The Physics of Shock Cavalry

This mainly involves two physical laws:

1. E=1/2mv², meaning the faster the speed, the greater the kinetic energy.
2. v relative = v1 - v2, meaning relative speed.

Do you remember the Xiongnu's tactics?
If it benefits, they advance; if it doesn't, they retreat, and they are not ashamed to flee.
Everyone seeks their own advantage, adept at luring the enemy to ambush.
When they see the enemy, they pursue advantage like birds gathering; when they are trapped or defeated, they scatter like clouds.

When they see something is wrong, their first reaction is to run! They want to protect their own lives! They do not have the discipline to hold the infantry formation together like the Central Plains!

And this discipline, under the guidance of the Central Plains' military training methods over the years, is not a big deal at all.

Recapturing the Hetao Region#

Sure enough, the Xiongnu retaliated, sending a large army to invade Shanggu, Yuyang, and other areas.

If you were in charge, would you send Wei Qing to defend?

This time, Emperor Wu could no longer hold back. "Alright, since you are attacking here, I will attack your Baiyang tribe."

Why not let Wei Qing lead the army directly north from Chang'an? Instead, he had to take a detour through Yanmen County and then head west?

Because heading directly north would only serve to drive them away; the Xiongnu could retreat north, making it impossible to annihilate the enemy's living forces in one go.

This battle allowed Wei Qing to recapture the Hetao region, becoming the frontline against the Xiongnu.

Opening Up to Find Allies#

I won't go into detail here; it was essentially sending Zhang Qian to the Western Regions to see if the Dayue people were willing to join forces against the Xiongnu.

Of course, the Dayue people had already fled, but Emperor Wu learned that there were actually thirty-six states in the vast west continuously supplying the Xiongnu.

This was alarming, so the next step was naturally to open up the Hexi Corridor and unite with the states of the Western Regions.

The Four Commanderies of Hexi#

The illustration of the battle to recapture the Hexi Corridor is as follows. In this battle, Huo Qubing was only 19 years old... making a name for himself in the desert.

To prevent the Left Xian King from joining the battle while attacking the Hexi Corridor, Emperor Wu sent Li Guang and Zhang Qian to attack first, but Zhang Qian got lost... Fortunately, Li Guang, being the Flying General, managed to hold his ground against four times his numbers.

The Chanyu's main force was far in the northern desert, but he also received news and descended south to harass, but was repelled by the Han army.

The left flank's Gongsun Ao also got lost... Huo Qubing, however, made a rapid advance, crossing the Helan Mountains and traversing the great desert, finally reaching the end of the Hexi Corridor without getting lost. This is impressive.

Thus, he turned back and beheaded thirty thousand Xiongnu, completely recapturing the Hexi Corridor. Emperor Wu established the four commanderies of Jiuquan, Wuwei, Dunhuang, and Zhangye, known as the Four Commanderies of Hexi (I must say, Emperor Wu's naming is truly beautiful).

Analyzing Temporal Patterns#

In addition to the major battles mentioned above, there were several small-scale invasions and counter-invasions. Here are some records:

• The following autumn, twenty thousand Xiongnu cavalry entered Han territory, killing the governor of Liaoxi and plundering over two thousand people.
• In the autumn, the Xiongnu again entered Yanmen, killing and plundering over a thousand people.
• In the autumn, ten thousand Xiongnu cavalry entered and killed the commander of Dai County, Zhu Ying, plundering over a thousand people.
• In the autumn, the Xiongnu invaded Dingxiang and Yunzhong, killing and plundering several thousand people, defeating over two thousand stone soldiers and then retreating.

From the records above, have you noticed a problem? Why do the Xiongnu always come to attack in the autumn?

This is just the surface; upon deeper analysis, you will find that spring and summer are the times when the Xiongnu are busy with their herds.

Now, let's look at the times when Emperor Wu sent generals to attack the Xiongnu:

• In the following spring, Han sent Wei Qing as the Grand General, leading over ten thousand troops to attack the Hu.
• In the following spring, Han again sent Grand General Wei Qing with over ten thousand cavalry to attack the Xiongnu several hundred miles from Dingxiang.
• In the following spring, Han sent the cavalry general Huo Qubing with ten thousand cavalry from Longxi, crossing over a thousand miles to attack the Xiongnu.
• In the following spring, the Grand General Qing and Cavalry General Qubing divided their forces, with the Grand General attacking Dingxiang and the Cavalry General attacking Dai.

"Sealing the Wolf at Juyuxu! No Royal Court in the Southern Desert!"#

There is nothing much to say about this last battle; in short, the Xiongnu were completely overwhelmed, and from then on, there was no royal court in the southern desert!

But it was also in this last battle that Li Guang committed suicide, and the Flying General fell!

This is how Emperor Wu solved the problem of the Xiongnu.

History evolves; it is not achieved overnight. Many issues that seem easy to solve in hindsight were not apparent in the context of that time.

However, facing the Xiongnu is not so simple. They advance when it benefits them and retreat when it does not. By the time you gather your troops, they have long since vanished. Thus, from the Pre-Qin to the early Western Han, the strategy relied on two methods. One was the Great Wall, which served as a warning system and delayed enemy attacks. The second was marriage alliances; if you are my son-in-law, then there is no need for conflict.

But this was not enough. After years of hiding and nurturing strength, Liu Che, the most capable emperor, emerged. The term "doing" here has both positive and negative connotations.

The Tragedy of Li Guang's Lack of Titles#

I don't know if Sima Qian did this on purpose, but in the "Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of General Li," Sima Qian wrote:

It feels like Sima Qian is shaping a novel-like character, planting foreshadowing from the beginning, which later becomes prophetic, as General Li never received a title in his lifetime.

Emperor Wen said, "What a pity, you were not born at the right time! If you had been born during the time of the High Emperor, how could you have been just a marquis?"

Li Guang's fame stems from his mastery of mounted archery, but his tragedy lies in being a master of mounted archery. He is like a traditional craftsman, persisting in traditional craftsmanship in an era of mechanization and industrialization (I don't know if this analogy is appropriate), but I think Sima Qian might want to express this idea.

In that era, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing had already explored the tactics of shock cavalry, but Li Guang still adhered to the old ways. We can say he was stubborn, but this was his proudest skill, recognized even by his enemies, the Xiongnu.

Thus, when Li Guang led expeditions against the Xiongnu, he would certainly be given special attention. The Xiongnu often surrounded him with several times their numbers, leading to repeated defeats.

The Chanyu had long heard of Guang's reputation and ordered, "Capture Li Guang alive!"

"Youth at fifteen or twenty, walking to seize Hu horses," actually refers to an incident where Li Guang was captured after a complete defeat. However, Li Guang was so famous that the Xiongnu, like the typical anime villains, wanted to capture him alive...

When Li Guang was captured by the Xiongnu, he pretended to be dead, deceiving their attention. With a leap, he seized a horse from the Xiongnu and galloped back to camp, shooting down several Xiongnu who attempted to pursue him.

It must be said that Li Guang's mounted archery skills were indeed superb, but warfare has never been something one person can handle alone.

Thus, this is also Li Guang's tragedy; he was born at the wrong time. If he had been born during the Chu-Han contention, he would likely have been another Xiang Yu.

What do you think of Li Guang? If you were Emperor Wu of Han, would you be willing to reuse Li Guang?

The Three Kingdoms and Two Jin: Stirrups and Sinicization#

Let's Talk About Stirrups#

During the era of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, the Central Plains regime finally explored the tactics of shock cavalry, transplanting the frontal charge tactics of infantry to cavalry.

The so-called shock cavalry essentially consists of one person, one horse, and a long spear held under the arm, charging at the enemy formation.

This presents a clear problem:

1. How to maintain stability.
2. What to do if the weapon cannot be drawn.

In the era of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, it was feasible without stirrups. Why? Because the enemy was the Xiongnu, who would run away, so the Han army just needed to charge forward madly. The innate nature of the nomadic peoples is to fight as loose individuals, so how could they possibly compete with the full-speed cavalry?

Thus, whether stirrups were needed was irrelevant; as long as they could charge, the Han army would be unstoppable, and the tactics the Xiongnu once prided themselves on would be rendered ineffective against the relentless charges of the Han army.

However, history evolves. Starting from the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the targets of cavalry warfare were no longer just the fleeing Xiongnu but began to confront infantry directly.

For example, in the following scenario, would you dare to charge as cavalry? Charging in would be seeking death (in this scenario, as long as the spear formation stabs the front rows of horses, the rear cavalry would either be tripped or slowed down).

Cavalry can charge against infantry, but not head-on!

However, even if it is a flank attack, now the target you are charging at is a stationary object, with a speed of zero. Even if you charge in, you must withstand the reaction force from the impact.

To counteract this reaction force, the earliest idea was to raise the saddle height.

However, raising the saddle height, while reducing the likelihood of being pushed off, made it more challenging for cavalry to mount.

Mounting a horse has always been a technical skill; even the old general Lian Po would show off his skills.

Lian Po could mount a horse while carrying a meal of rice and ten pounds of meat, demonstrating that it was still possible.

Of course, another reason is that generals from southern China began to take the front lines, the most famous being Sun Jian, Sun Ce, and Sun Quan.

Southerners might not be as tall as northerners (not a regional bias), and there are jokes circulating that stirrups were initially invented to help comrades like Sun Quan, who had short legs, mount horses.

Naturally, stirrups began to appear as single stirrups. Archaeological evidence suggests that at this time, stirrups were only used to assist riders in mounting, and once mounted, they were no longer needed.

However, when riders implemented shock tactics, once they discovered that stepping on a single stirrup allowed them to sit more steadily on the horse and gain some support, the invention of double stirrups was not far off!

Now Let's Talk About Sinicization#

Earlier, we mentioned that even if the Xiongnu unified, their internal centralization was far inferior to that of the Central Plains peoples. The Chanyu could not force his subordinates to charge, but the Han people were different.

One of my favorite content creators, Bo Hai Xiao Li, once wrote a passage that I quite like. He said that compared to the Xiongnu's mounted archery, we will never be able to match them.

However, when it comes to discipline, unity, and the ability to concentrate energy, they have lagged behind us for thousands of years!

We are a people who control the Yellow River!

We are a nation of infrastructure builders who constructed the Great Wall!

We are a nation that has fought wars involving over a million troops!

We are a people who can mobilize all able-bodied men at a moment's notice to support the battlefield at Changping!

In this land, the most terrifying military power of this nation has never been the individual talents!

But rather the terrifying power that erupts from hundreds or thousands of people rallying together under a clear banner!

This passage clearly states that the existence of centralized power on this land is inevitable.

In fact, hidden behind the Civil War is a thread of Sinicization. For minority ethnic groups to dominate the Central Plains, whoever can thoroughly Sinicize and understand the importance of organized governance will be able to draw blood continuously.

You must Sinicize the military system and establish discipline before you can talk about top-tier combat effectiveness.

After the Two Jin dynasties, during the chaos of the Five Barbarians, the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Qiang, Di, and Qiang peoples officially entered the Central Plains by continuously familiarizing themselves with shock cavalry tactics and gradually Sinicizing their political organizations.

Northern and Southern Dynasties: Large-Scale Cavalry Battles#

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the tactics of shock cavalry in the north had already taken shape. Due to the vast and complex history of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, we will look at a few battles to see how the north and south fought.

If you want to understand the history of the Northern and Southern Dynasties in detail, you can first watch the Bilibili creator Anzhou Mu's "A Quick Overview of 170 Years of Chaos in the Northern and Southern Dynasties."

Classic Northern and Southern Battles
Let's first review the nine-grid map of China:

With golden spears and iron horses, we swallow the land like a tiger.

In 409 AD, General Liu Yu, who would soon replace the Eastern Jin Dynasty and establish the Liu Song Dynasty, submitted a request for a northern expedition.

The target of the northern expedition was the Southern Yan regime established by Murong De in the Shandong Peninsula at that time.

Liu Yu's marching route is shown in the following map: He first traveled by water to reach Xiapi. Based on previous experiences of northern expeditions, Liu Yu should have continued by water from Xiapi.

• One route goes north from Xiapi, entering Shandong via the Yishui River (the rightmost black line in the map).
• One route goes from Sishui to Wenshui, then enters Lujun and takes the Taishan route into Shandong (the middle black line in the map).
• One route goes from Sishui to Huan Gongdu, then enters Jishui and subsequently enters Shandong from the north (the leftmost black line in the map).

But what you can think of, the enemy can think of too. Southern Yan had already set up defenses waiting for you. Moreover, the seemingly shortest route via the Yishui River had not been traveled for a long time and needed dredging. If they delayed too long going north, it would be problematic.

At this political juncture, Liu Yu had to achieve a quick victory.

Thus, Liu Yu abandoned the water route after reaching Xiapi, marching on foot to Langya, then to Dongguan, and finally directly entering the Dajian Mountain.

Why take the mountain route? Because the steep and densely wooded mountains were unsuitable for the Yan army's cavalry charges, and once out of Dajian Mountain, they would be very close to the capital of Southern Yan, Guanggu, where they might be able to win the war (and indeed, it turned out this way).

However, this was a very risky move, as he had to pray that the exit of Dajian Mountain was not blocked by the enemy and that once he emerged from the mountain, the enemy had not fortified the area. He needed supplies (transporting grain from Dajian Mountain would be a nightmare).

But sometimes history unfolds this way; fortune favors the bold, and Liu Yu's situation exemplifies this.

Because Southern Yan did nothing, just watching Liu Yu emerge from Dajian Mountain. When Liu Yu came out, he knew he had made the right bet; this battle was bound to be won.

Upon emerging from the mountain, Southern Yan's Murong Chao personally led 40,000 infantry and cavalry to confront Liu Yu's forces, who were not to be underestimated.

The armies met at Linqu, competing for water. Longfu single-handedly clashed with the enemy, breaking through and seizing the water source, causing the enemy to retreat.

Subsequently, Liu Yu deployed the Queyue formation, which is similar to a mobile reinforced shield formation. The weight of the chariots could stop cavalry charges, while infantry could stab from behind the chariots, and archers could shoot from behind the formation, successfully repelling the cavalry charge of Southern Yan.

Yuanjia's Hasty Campaign, Yet Winning the Frantic Northern Retreat#

In 450 AD, Liu Yilong's northern expedition is illustrated here:
From this map, it can be seen that at this time, the Southern Liu Song regime held a significant advantage, occupying at least six grids in the nine-grid map.

What was the problem with the northern expedition?
The front line was too long, making it difficult for various armies to coordinate. Moreover, one must realize that the Earth is a sphere; the south is at a lower latitude, meaning that at the same latitude, the distance is longer. It’s like rock-paper-scissors; the south played paper first.

As a result, the eastern advancing Wang Xuanmo suffered a defeat at Shitai, losing the elite of the Song army, and the Northern Wei pushed back to the gates of Jiankang. However, ultimately, due to the rapid advance of the northern army, many cities along the way had not been captured, and Tuoba Tao did not dare to truly cross the river, leading to a hasty retreat.

Discussion Questions#

1. Why was Wei Qing able to improve cavalry combat techniques?

   • Personally: Wei Qing was a young general who dared to innovate.
   • Enemy: The Xiongnu's combat characteristic is to advance when it benefits them and retreat when it does not, so when faced with a group charging at them, their instinctive reaction is to run.
   • Country: After the Wenjing period, there were sufficient warhorses, allowing them to win through attrition against the Xiongnu by turning unfavorable conditions into favorable ones.

2. What is the necessity of the invention of stirrups?

   • Essentially, it was due to a change in the combat target.

3. Why do minority ethnic groups need to Sinicize, and what is the essence of Sinicization?

4. "Records of the Grand Historian" is filled with personal biases; what do you think of Sima Qian's writing style?

   • "Records of the Grand Historian" is filled with personal biases, but what is the point of living a life without any personal biases? — You might say that official histories shouldn't have biases, but "Records of the Grand Historian" is a personal creation. It was later recognized as the premier historical record, and the personal biases in "Records of the Grand Historian" added glory to the sequence of official histories. Regardless of whether it is an official history, it does not diminish the value of "Records of the Grand Historian."

5. Do you prefer grand historical narratives or individual narratives?

   • This reminds me of a saying: when a page of history is turned, behind it lies the lives of countless individuals.

History is sometimes about the victors and the vanquished, deducing causes from results. For example, we all know that Yuan Shao was defeated by Cao Cao, but we shouldn't think Yuan Shao was foolish. A Bilibili creator named Bo Hai Xiao Li analyzed every detail of the Battle of Guandu, showing us that history has causality and details.

I once read a book called "Mustard Seed," which contrasts with the concept of "Mount Meru," both of which are Buddhist terms. "Mount Meru" represents the infinite, while "mustard seed" signifies the infinitesimal. Thus, "Mustard Seed" tells the stories of historical minor characters. For instance, "When the tune is off, Zhuge Liang looks back." This book does not talk about Zhuge Liang but rather the life of the maid who played the zither, her emotions, and her mischievous thoughts while playing. This is the kind of historical story I enjoy.

I also read "Those Things About the Ming Dynasty," and I think the two best-written stories in it are also the two most touching ones: one is Li Shizhen, and the other is Xu Xiake.

"Whether Xu Jie defeated Yan Song or whether Zhang Juzheng was an outstanding reformer has nothing to do with Li Shizhen; he is just a doctor. He knows that life is precious and fragile, and as a doctor, he has the responsibility and obligation to maintain the existence of life."

"I am just a commoner, without a mandate, wearing coarse clothes and carrying a cane, wandering the world on my own. So even if I die, I have no regrets."

Xu Xiake's original words were, "With a hoe in hand, where can I not be buried?" This means that I carry my hoe and travel the world; where can I not be buried? This was taught to us by my language teacher, and I can feel her fondness for Xu Xiake. Coincidentally, the author Mingyue also placed him at the end, using this story to conclude the over two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty. This is also what the author wants to express: success is about living our lives in our own way.