Cavalry, is the era of human cold weapons, a more important branch of the army, compared to the infantry on foot, their mobility, and strategy are relatively strong.
Historically, cavalry was the main combat force of the army, such as frontal assault, flanking encirclement, pursuit, rushing attack, etc., all of which required faster cavalry to complete.
When it comes to cavalry, most people think of riding horses, of course, in ancient times horses were not the only option, but in the end it was the horses that stood out, and in addition to horse knights, there were three other kinds of knights!
Versatile and extensive horse cavalry
Horse cavalry, in ancient times, is the most widely used mount, but also the most important means of transportation, whether it is the mainland, or abroad, the role of horses is extremely important.
In the era of cold weapons, the importance of horse cavalry can be seen from various historical dramas, most of the ancient armies are the most powerful with iron horses, and under the charge of iron horses, the enemy is easily overwhelmed.
Of course, using a horse as a mount also has various advantages.
1, the horse has a gentle personality and is relatively easy to tame.
Some beasts are carnivores, and most of these beasts are more difficult to tame, but horses are not, horses are herbivores, at least not easy to hurt people.
2, the horse is strong and powerful, the speed of galloping up is also very fast, is the best choice as a means of transportation.
3, the horse is very loyal, and there are many allusions to the savior of the horse in history.
Huge giant elephants
Elephant soldiers are also common in human history, and countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Myanmar in Africa and Southeast Asia are rich in elephants, and are known as the homeland of elephants. Tropical jungle areas such as Yunnan on the mainland are also popular for elephants.
Elephants have large bodies, the largest land creatures in the world today, but they are not clumsy, but they are very intelligent, although slow, but climb mountains and wade like flat ground.
Especially the elephants that launched the frenzy, any beast that saw it, must be afraid of three points.
It is said that in 600 BC, the ancient Indian Emperor Yabog sent more than 300 "elephant soldiers" to attack the enemy's 8,000 heavily fortified Fortress of Hitoan.
A group of elephant soldiers, charging forward, not only has a visual impact, but also the fear of facing the giant also makes the enemy afraid.
Under the sweep of the elephant's nose and the trampling of the giant elephant, soon the eight thousand defenders became a pile of mud.
Elephant soldiers are not like cavalry, cavalry are one person and one horse, elephants are like chariots, and an elephant can ride about ten people at the same time. "The Kingdom of Qiantuo (present-day Kabul, Afghanistan) was belligerent, with seven hundred fighting elephants and ten elephants, all holding scepters and carrying swords on their trunks."
However, elephants also have shortcomings, and after being frightened, they are often enemies and enemies, so elephants are not as widely used as horses.
Camel cavalry
Camels are sacred beasts in the desert, but the living environment of camels is not limited to the desert.
As the saying goes, the skinny camel is bigger than the horse, the camel is large, the body is stronger, more powerful than the horse, can carry a lot of things, and the speed of 65-70 kilometers per hour during the estrus period. At a speed of 5 kilometers per hour, you can walk 5,000 kilometers without eating or drinking at a time, and walk from Xinjiang to Guangdong in one go.
However, in the use of combat, camels are still inferior to horses, first of all, camels are very timid, easy to be frightened, after the fright of the camels to launch a frenzy, then how to fight.
Secondly, there is no stable horse, and after the storm, the camel, the person sitting on it, will be repeatedly bumped.
Therefore, camel cavalry is also rare.
Nordic deer cavalry
Deer cavalry is even rarer than all of the above, they did exist, in some countries and tribes in Scandinavia, Northern Europe, but also in small groups, deer breeding reindeer or moose.
Moose is the largest deer species in the world, generally 1.6 to 2.4 meters, taller than rhinoceros, continental moose small spots also have 400-600 kg, North American moose can reach 700 kg, 3 meters long, there are recorded maximum 1085 kg.
Although the size is not small, the deer is still too timid, often see the enemy's charge, will be frightened to flee in all directions, even if it is no matter how much training.
In addition to these, some European countries have even trained zebras, ostriches, etc., but in the end most of them have not died.
After all, any large animal can be trained as a mount, but for various reasons, it is the horse that is the most practical, so only the horse stands out!
The image comes from the Internet, and the copyright belongs to the original author!