Title: "Tiger and Leopard Riding" made great achievements in the era of Cao Cao, why did Cao Pi claim the empress dowager but disappeared?
As early as the Three Kingdoms period, there were special forces. Gongsun Zhan's White Horse Yicong, Gao Shun's Trapped Camp, Liu Bei's Bai Yi Soldiers, Zhang Fei's Eighteen Mounted Yan Generals, and Shu Han's Wudang Fei Army were among the best of them. Of course, the most famous is Cao Cao's "Tiger and Leopard Ride".
"Tiger and leopard riding" has made countless meritorious contributions for Cao Cao, but after Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi was proclaimed emperor, and "tiger and leopard riding" gradually disappeared into history. What kind of army was the "Tiger and Panther Rider", and why did it suddenly disappear?
Cao Cao's most elite troops
Fierce as a tiger, swift as a leopard, this is called "tiger and leopard riding". The Romance of the Three Kingdoms says:
"Pure overseers of the tiger and leopard ride, all the world is sharp, or from a hundred people will make up for it."
From this sentence, we can see that Cao Chun once served as the military commander of the "Tiger and Leopard Riding", which was mainly composed of "hundred generals".
The "hundred generals" here are not generals who can kill a hundred people, but generals who once commanded a hundred people or hundreds of people, and although the official position is low, the strength cannot be underestimated. The "Hundred Generals" go up to the next level, that is, the "Tooth Gatekeeper".
The term "Tooth Gate" originated from the ancient defense fortification "Tooth Gate", and the general responsible for commanding soldiers in the Tooth Gate was called "Tooth Gate General". The "Tooth Gatekeeper" often undertakes the task of fighting and killing, so the person who serves as the "Tooth Gatekeeper" not only needs courage, but also a certain command ability. The famous generals of the Shu and Han dynasties, such as Wang Ping, Zhang Ling, and Xiang Yu, all held this position.
The "Tooth Gatekeeper" is mainly selected from the "Hundred Generals". It can be seen that the "hundred people will" still have a certain strength, and even have many potential stocks. As the "Hundred Generals" who are supplemented by the "Tooth Gatekeeper", in the "Tiger and Panther Riding", he is just a small soldier.
From this, we can basically conclude that the "Tiger and Leopard Horse" is the most elite unit under Cao Cao, and the strength of the entire Three Kingdoms Special Forces force is also at the top.
The merit of "Tiger and Leopard Riding"
Although the "Tiger and Panther Rider" is powerful, it has fewer personnel, so it is not the main force of Cao Cao. Most of Cao Cao's main forces were still mainly infantry, and the "tiger and leopard horses" who were cavalry generally only participated in field operations and pursuit battles.
In the ninth year of Jian'an (204 AD), the Battle of Nanpi. After Cao's army attacked Nanpi, Yuan Shao's son Yuan Tan fled in defeat and was chased and killed by the "Tiger and Leopard Horse" led by Cao Chun, and finally the head landed on the ground.
In the twelfth year of Jian'an (207 AD), the Battle of White Wolf Mountain. Cao Cao's northern expedition against Wuhuan, and met the Leader of Wuhuan, Jiandun, at the White Wolf Mountain, at the suggestion of Zhang Liao, Cao Cao ordered a cavalry raid and defeated Wuhuan, and Cao Dun was captured and beheaded by the "Tiger and Leopard Rider" led by Cao Chun.
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Biography of Cao Chun": and the Northern Expedition to the Three Counties, Chunbu rode to get Shan Yu Yu.
Thirteen years after Jian'an (208 AD), the Battle of Changshanpo. Cao Chun led the "Tiger and Leopard Horse" to pursue Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang was helpless in the face of such a powerful cavalry, Liu Bei fled in a daze, and although his son Ah Dou was saved by Zhao Yun, his two daughters were captured by the "Tiger and Leopard Horse". According to some records, Cao Chun's son was called Cao Yan, and his wife Liu Shi, presumably Cao Chun married Liu Bei's daughters to his own sons after he obtained them!
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Biography of Cao Chun": From Zheng jingzhou, he pursued Liu Bei to Nagasaka, received his second daughter's weight, and collected his scattered pawns.
Sixteen years after Jian'an, the Battle of Weishui. The "Tiger and Leopard Horse" led by Cao Chun fought bravely under the personal command of Cao Cao and defeated Ma Chao's Western Liang cavalry. In front of the "Tiger and Panther Horse", the Western Liang cavalry was turned into slag by the second, which showed its combat effectiveness.
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, And Wu Emperor": First pick it with light troops, fight for a long time, but the tiger rides and attacks, and breaks it.
Why did the "Tiger and Leopard Ride" suddenly disappear?
The "Tiger and Panther Rider" did not participate in many battles, but most of them came as a strange soldier, which played a crucial role in ending the war. However, such a strange army suddenly disappeared after Cao Cao's death, where did they go?
The "Tiger and Panther Riders" were Cao Cao's most elite troops, but they were also Cao Cao's guards. The commander of the "Tiger and Panther Ride" was generally held by Cao Cao's most trusted Cao clan relatives. In addition to Cao Chun, Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu both served as the commanders of the "Tiger and Panther Rider".
According to the Book of Wei, after Cao Chun's death, Cao Cao directly served as the commander of the "Tiger and Leopard Rider" himself. With the pacification of the world, the nature of "tiger and leopard riding" gradually changed from external conquest to internal guard. The soldiers who were once brave and good at war in the "Tiger and Panther Rider" were merged into the Chinese army and the forbidden army.
When Cao Pi became emperor, the title of "Tiger and Panther Rider" was almost no longer mentioned, and Cao Wei's most powerful special forces quietly withdrew from the stage of history.
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