China has a long tradition of horse breeding in ancient times, and the Tang Dynasty is the peak of the history of the development of horse husbandry. Especially in the early Tang Dynasty, due to national stability and economic development, whether it was the state supervising and raising horses, or the private horse breeding, it showed an unprecedented prosperity scene. The horse husbandry industry of the Tang Dynasty was an important part of the entire social economy of the Tang Dynasty, and it was also the material basis for maintaining the strong national defense and military strength of the Tang Dynasty. The development of horse husbandry was of extremely great significance to the economic, military, and transportation development of the Tang Dynasty.
In the early Tang Dynasty, the prosperity and development of horse husbandry was first of all inseparable from the important position of horses in national defense at that time. At the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, after the conquest and chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the horse government was devastated, and there were only more than 3,000 horses, which was quite the scene of the "Tianzi" in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty who could not find four horses of the same color and could only ride on ox carts. However, conquests were still frequent at that time, and the army and the transportation of the pavilions were in urgent need of a large number of horses to serve as war horses and means of transport. The development of horse husbandry has become a top priority.
At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, after the ruling clique had basically stabilized the domestic situation, an important issue facing it that needed to be urgently resolved was how to eliminate border troubles. Beginning in the fourth year of Wude, the Turks continued to harass the Tang borders. In July of the ninth year of Wude, the Turkic Jieli Khan led more than 100,000 fine horsemen to enter the Kou martial arts and martial law in the Beijing Division.
In the face of the increasingly serious military pressure of the Turks, Li Shimin, the King of Qin, in accordance with the characteristics of the Turks who "only rode vigorously and rushed forward", advocated strengthening the construction of the army's cavalry, using the strategy of military offensive to completely defeat the Turkic army, and solving the problem of border troubles once and for all.
As soon as Li Shimin took the throne, he devoted himself to the building of the army. Because the Tang Dynasty attached great importance to military training, soon "the soldiers and soldiers were all elite." "After three years of Zhenguan, the time was ripe to counterattack the Turks, and Tang Taizong sent more than 100,000 troops, divided into six roads, and launched a large-scale attack on the Turks. After the outbreak of the war, Li Jing, the commander-in-chief of the Daizhou Dao March, personally led the elite troops to attack from Mayi and attacked the city of Dingxiang in one fell swoop, and Jieli Khan fled fiercely. Li Jing immediately dispatched 10,000 light cavalry, carrying twenty days of dry food, and pursued them deeply. "The Jing army forced its teeth to be fifteen miles away, and the first awakening was realized, and the people of Jieli were afraid of Wei to go first, and the people were scattered." In this counterattack, the cavalry played an important role.
Since the fall of the Tang Dynasty to the Eastern Turks, foreign wars have basically changed from defensive self-defense wars to offensive wars, and due to the change in military strategy, the foreign wars in the early tang dynasty have the following main characteristics:
First, the war was mainly a conflict between the Han Chinese and the Yidi. In the early Tang Dynasty, there were wars with the Turks, Tuguhuns, Xue Yantuo, Xi, Khitans, Goryeo and so on, especially between the Turks, Tubo and Goryeo, which were not only large in scale, but also lasted for a long time. To fight these nomads who are good at riding and shooting, you can't do without cavalry.
Second, the battlefield is vast and long-distance attacks. In the early period of the Tang Dynasty, it launched many large-scale military expeditions. For example, in the ninth year of Zhenguan, the Tang army expeditioned to Tuguhun", in the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, the Tang Dynasty sent troops to Gaochang and Tianbao for six years, and the Tang general Gao Xianzhi led 10,000 people to expedition to Xiao boluguo, etc., not only mainly cavalry, but also the infantry who conscripted also had their own private horses.
In the early Tang Dynasty wars, in order to shorten the marching period, improve the speed of the attack, and enhance the suddenness of the attack, the Tang army often used a large number of cavalry. In the first year of Tianbao, Tang Xuanzong was exhausted, and there were 574,000 troops in the whole country, including 490,000 soldiers in Bianzhen and more than 80,000 warhorses, which belonged to ten festival envoys. For example, Hexi Jiedushi made the former resist Tubo, and the northern resistance to the Turks, with 33,000 soldiers and 13,000 horses. Others, such as Hedong Jiedu, made the Datong army have 9,500 soldiers and 5,500 horses. The Yokono Army had 3,000 soldiers and 1,800 horses. Cavalry already accounted for a considerable proportion of the Tang dynasty army.
Third, the general use of soldiers in wars is common. When Li Yuan raised an army in Taiyuan, there were generals in the army. Emperor Taizong of Tang set a precedent for the extensive use of the generals. In the early years of Zhenguan, "since the turkic Jieli was broken, the remaining chiefs were all worship generals, zhonglang generals, the Bre imperial court, and more than 100 people with more than five pins." "For example, the Turkic people Shi Danai, Ashina Sheer, Zhi Lost Si Li, and the Tiele people Qi Xin He Li all worshiped the general and led the army to fight. By the time of Kaiyuan Tianbao, the use of the Fang generals had greater development, such as An Lushan, Ge Shuhan and other generals who were all envoys of the Festival, holding heavy troops in their hands and sitting on one side.
Soldiers were also frequently recruited. On the battlefield, only by combining with the war horses can they give full play to their strengths.
In the war of the Tang Army, the cavalry units were responsible for attacking, containing, detouring, flanking and other combat tasks, so the loss of war horses was also very serious.
One of the important reasons why the foreign wars in the early Tang Dynasty were able to persist for decades and continue to win victories and promote national prestige abroad was that the Tang Dynasty had a powerful army that was dominant in the world. The unprecedentedly developed horse husbandry provides it with an endless supply of high-quality warhorses, ensuring strong combat effectiveness for the army. Due to the war's dependence on war horses, it also opened up broad prospects for the Tang Dynasty to develop large-scale state supervision and horse breeding and private horse breeding, and prosperous horse husbandry production.
The tang dynasty's developed guanyi transportation required a large number of stagecoaches
In the early Tang Dynasty, the country had a vast territory, and in order to meet the needs of domestic and foreign transportation at that time, the Tang Dynasty established a complete system of pavilions and stations. On the main transportation line from Chang'an to all parts of the country, a pavilion was set up every thirty miles to transmit official documents and welcome them to officials. At that time, the Tang Dynasty had 1,297 pavilions, 260 water stations, and 86 water and land stages, and a certain number of stagecoaches were supplied according to the importance of the pavilions in transportation. According to the regulations, the capital of the capital is equipped with seventy-five horses. Zhuzhou County Pavilion horses are divided into six grades, first class sixty horses, and second class forty-five horses. Thirty horses of the third class, eighteen horses of the fourth class, twelve horses of the fifth class, eight horses of the sixth class. At the same time, the Tang Dynasty also had a system of passing horses, which required the use of a large number of horses.
When the Tang Dynasty army went out on a campaign, the prefectures and counties they passed through had to provide delivery. The Commentary on the Zizhi Tongjian says: "Those who deliver horses, cattle, and donkeys along the way, and carry weapons and goods." Stagecoach is becoming increasingly versatile.
The Tang Dynasty attached great importance to the construction of horse administration and the large-scale development of state supervision and herding of horses
Horse husbandry was a necessary condition for ensuring the Tang Dynasty's strong national defense military strength and transportation, and it was closely related to the rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang rulers attached great importance to horse husbandry. In particular, Tang Taizong and Tang Xuanzong made great contributions to the construction of Ma Zheng in the Tang Dynasty.
In the early years of Zhenguan, the Tang Dynasty moved the 3,000 mulu horses left by the Sui Dynasty in the Chi'an Ze Ranch in the northeast of Chang'an to Longyou, and created a national pastoral base.
In order to develop the national horse husbandry industry, the Tang Dynasty established a large-scale and well-organized horse administration and a system of supervision and pastoral supervision.
The Tang Dynasty government issued laws and decrees to legally protect the development of horse husbandry.
In the early Tang Dynasty, the ruling clique carefully selected and appointed Ma Zheng officials. Sun Wuji, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, believed that "the herdsmen are important and entrusted to the chief." Therefore, from Zhenguan to Kaiyuan, there were Ma zheng officials who could be called capable officials, such as Zhang Wanzai, Wang Maozhong, and Niu Xianke. In the early Tang Dynasty, Ma Zhengxiu's work was inseparable from the fact that the rulers conscientiously selected Ma Zheng officials.
The Tang Dynasty established a medical system and institutions for horses. The Tang Dynasty Taibu Temple had four veterinary doctors, six hundred veterinarians and one hundred students. There are seventy veterinarians in the Shangcheng Bureau and twenty veterinarians in the Prince's Servant Temple. The sheer number of veterinarians was rare before the Tang Dynasty. Veterinary facilities and personnel are also available in local states and counties.
Veterinarians in the Tang Dynasty accumulated rich medical experience in practice and wrote veterinary works. The "Simu An Ji Collection" written by Li Shi of the Tang Dynasty is a masterpiece of high academic value and far-reaching influence, which is not only valued by contemporary times, but also used to be printed as an official edition in the Song and Ming dynasties, widely distributed, and even transmitted abroad. In the twenty-third year of the Ming Dynasty, the Japanese translated and published this masterpiece. Today, "SiMu An Ji Ji" is the oldest veterinary work in China, and it is still highly valued by scientific researchers.
In the early Tang Dynasty, it attached importance to improving the breeding of Chinese horses and improving the quality of horses.
The Tang Dynasty imported a large number of high-quality horses from abroad through foreign horse trade. In the early Tang Dynasty, Tang Taizong and Tang Gaozong sent people to purchase horses abroad many times. During the Kaiyuan period, the Tang Dynasty bought 3,000 to 4,000 horses from the Turks every year. Kaiyuan bought 14,000 motors in 24 years.
The surrounding countries and regions of the Tang Dynasty often paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty, and the gifts they contributed often included a large number of horses. For example, during the reign of Gao Zu, Kang Guo sacrificed 4,000 horses. After four years of Zhenguan, Guizi offered his name to the horse. In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, Xue Yantuo sacrificed 50,000 horses. In the second year of Chang'an, Tubo sent envoys to sacrifice thousands of horses. Contributed horses. Many are precious breeds of famous horses, such as the Kangguo horse, which is particularly tall and strong.
The prosperity of the private horse breeding industry promoted the comprehensive development of the horse breeding industry in the Tang Dynasty
The prosperity and development of horse husbandry in the early Tang Dynasty was inseparable from the prevailing private horse breeding and social martial arts at that time. Since the Yongjia Rebellion of the Jin Dynasty in ancient China, nomadic peoples began to enter the Central Plains, forming a mixed han and Yi residence. During this period, there were one hundred and thirty-six years during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Subsequently, the Yuan Wei unified the Yellow River Valley, through the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, continued to the end of the Sui and early Tang Dynasties, and then for more than three hundred years, so the living customs of the northern society were deeply influenced by Hu customs, and compared with the Qin and Han dynasties, there were great changes. Due to the social atmosphere, the Noble nobles of the Tang Dynasty became popular and loved horseback riding, which opened up broad prospects for private horse breeding. In the Tang Dynasty, women's horseback riding was also popular.
Aristocratic bureaucrats raised a large number of private horses. In order to set up private pastures, the aristocratic bureaucracy wantonly encroached on the land of the state and the peasants. In order to curb land annexation, Emperor Xuanzong of Tianbao issued an order in the eleventh year: "The two capitals will not buy pastoral land within five hundred miles of the city, and the mature fields in the land shall not exceed five hectares or less than ten hectares, and those who have the remainder shall rely on officials and pastors." "The Tang Dynasty stipulated that each stagecoach state should allocate twenty mu of pasture land, and according to this standard, private individuals within five hundred miles of the two capitals could occupy the cooked land for fifty horses.
In the Tang Dynasty, the rich folk also raised a large number of private horses. Tang Dynasty farmers also raised private horses. In the early Tang Dynasty, the prefectural military system was implemented, and peasants were generally required to perform military service, and the Tang Dynasty stipulated that when the prefectural soldiers were conscripted into service, the required weapons, pack horses, pots, and curtains must be prepared by themselves. Therefore, farmers in the Tang Dynasty also generally raised private horses.
The unprecedented prosperity of the tang dynasty's social economy provided a solid material foundation for the development of the private horse breeding industry. Without a developed and prosperous social economy, it would have been impossible to produce such a grand horse breeding industry.
In order to develop the social horse husbandry industry, the Tang Dynasty government formulated a number of policies to encourage private horse breeding. In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, Wei Yuanzhong asked the imperial court to support the development of private horses. Wei Yuanzhong's sparse performance was valued by Emperor Gaozong of Tang. After Tang Xuanzong ascended the throne, while actively developing state supervision and horse breeding, he also attached importance to the development of private horse breeding, and eliminated some maladministration that hindered private horse breeding. The reform measures proposed by Tang Xuanzong reduced the economic burden of private horse farmers, mobilized the enthusiasm of peasants for horse breeding, and promoted the development of horse husbandry in the Tang Dynasty. In the fifteenth year of Tianbao, an Shi rebel army invaded Chang'an. Li Heng, the crown prince of Tang, went to Pengyuan, recruited four hundred soldiers, and led a private army to help the army. To Pingliang County, he was able to supervise the herding of public and private horses, obtaining tens of thousands of horses, and the officers and soldiers were yizhen. In the first year of the construction, Tang Dezong, after the war, only in the Guanfu area once had more than 30,000 horses. It can be seen from this that the private horse breeding industry in the early Tang Dynasty was very prosperous.
In summary, the reasons for the unprecedented prosperity and development of horse husbandry in the early Tang Dynasty can be summarized into two aspects: subjective and objective. Subjectively speaking, it was because of the important position of horses in national defense, military, transportation, and social life that the Tang rulers attached great importance to horse husbandry production, organized and formulated a systematic and complete horse administration system and system, established a large-scale supervision and pastoral base, vigorously carried out foreign horse trade, and adopted measures and policies to encourage the raising of private horses; objectively speaking, since the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, a large number of nomadic peoples have migrated to the interior, bringing with them the experience and skills of foreign customs and animal husbandry production, and spreading them among the Han people in the north. In the early tang dynasty, the country was stable and the social economy was unprecedentedly prosperous, which provided a solid material foundation for the development of horse animal husbandry production, so that the horse animal husbandry industry of the Tang Dynasty reached the most prosperous historical period in China since the Qin and Han Dynasties.