“车骑之将，军马不具，鞍勒不备者诛。 ”-《六韬》
Zhenzhitang press: The reasons why the Western Zhou Dynasty was able to destroy the Shang in just a few decades have been discussed by all families. Whether it was the drunkenness of the Shang king, or the lustful nature of the Shang king, or the exhaustion of the national strength by the Shang king's conquest of Dongyi, it was a strategic reason. In the course of research, Zhenzhitang discovered that it is very likely that the Zhou people had cavalry more than 3,000 years ago! If this conclusion is true, then the history of Chinese warfare can be rewritten.
Cavalry is undoubtedly the highest-level class of troops in the era of cold weapons. The nomads of the west or north were able to abuse the Central Plains because of the cavalry. Especially in the Song Dynasty, the cavalry of the Jurchens of the Jin State was known as the "Iron Floating Massacre". The combat effectiveness is extremely fierce. People and horses are covered with iron armor all over their bodies, and swords cannot be injured, which can be called tanks in the era of cold weapons.
Zhenzhitang: The earliest cavalry in China, the middle school history books say that it began in the Warring States period - Zhao Wuling King Hufu cavalry shooting.
In 307 B.C., King Wuling of Zhao "changed his clothes and rode and shot". Zhao Guo repeatedly violated the border because of the three Hu (Lin Hu, Lou Fu, and Donghu). In addition, facing the enemy on all sides, the popular chariot warfare method of the Chinese ethnic group was extremely unsuitable for dealing with the war of the Hu people, so the Hanfu with long robes and large sleeves was changed to the short-fought Hu people's clothing, and the chariot soldiers were changed to cavalry.
In 1046 BC, King Wu of Zhou destroyed Shang. Some people can't help but ask, you say that there were cavalry before the Zhou people destroyed the Shang, more than 700 years earlier than King Zhao Wuling, what evidence is there?
Don't worry, Zhenzhitang governs history, and there is never a shortage of evidence chains.
Cavalry in China
Zhenzhitang: The earliest horseback riders were certainly not Chinese. Archaeologists have long had the answer.
About 5,500 years ago, horses were domesticated in the Eurasian steppes. However, the purpose of human beings at that time was only to raise horses for mare's milk and horse meat.
About 4,500 years ago, horses began to be used to pull chariots instead of donkeys.
The first donkey-drawn chariot was invented by the Sumerians about 5,000 years ago. The picture below shows the Sumerian donkey chariot.
Horseback riding was already quite common among the people of the Yannaya culture (3000-2500 BC) that crossed Eurasia. Archaeologists have found new evidence of early human horseback riding in the skeletal remains of human beings in Kurgan, all of which have the so-called "riding syndrome".
Archaeologist Hyde believes
"Horses after 2000 BC may have been genetically selected to breed breeds that are braver and war-ready. ”
The picture shows a gold ornament of the Scythians fighting on horseback.
Shinchido: The history of horseback riding in the civilized world began in the second millennium BC.
Ancient Egyptian reliefs from the 12th century BC show warriors on horseback fighting at Kadeshi (the battle of the Hittite king Muwatari II with an army of tens of thousands led by the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II in 1274 BC).
In China, around the twelfth century B.C., the climate of the Asian continent became drier and colder, and the northern Great Wall was no longer suitable for agriculture, and a large number of nomads appeared in Gansu, Qinghai, Shaanxi, and the Qilian Mountains, Yinshan Mountains, and Yanshan Mountains in Inner Mongolia. The ancestors of the Zhou people were not poor, and they also "abandoned the grass and did not do anything, and ran between Rong and Di".
The so-called Rong Di is the abbreviation of Xirong Beidi, which includes Caucasian races, North Asian races and other ethnic groups. Except for the Han people, there are basically all kinds of people.
Zhenzhitang: "Historical Records: The Biography of the Huns" says that "the crown brings the seven Warring States, and the Three Kingdoms are bordered by the Xiongnu." ”。 These three kingdoms are the three kingdoms of Qin, Zhao, and Yan, and these Rongdi include Xirong, Yiqu, Linhu, Loufu, and Donghu.
Why did King Zhao Wuling change his clothes and ride and shoot?
Scholar Gu Yanwu pointed out: "Rong Zhai's mixed people in the middle of the summer, most of them are between the valleys, and the military vehicles are not there, Qi Huan and Jin Wen only rush to them, and those who can't go deep into their places use cars,...... It is not conducive to the car, and it is bound to be changed to ride. "Daily Knowledge"
In fact, the appearance of cavalry was much earlier than this King Zhao Wuling.
In the era of Wu Qi (440 BC - 381 BC), there were cavalry.
"Wu Zi's Art of War": "This is not the power of the chariot and the horse, but also the strategy of the sage." It can be ridden by thousands of rides and hiked. ”
It is also known as "light car sharp riding".
"Warring States Policy: Qi Ce": "Make the light car ride to the Yongmen." ”
Zhenzhitang: The Qin State, which is also on the border of Rong Dikou, had cavalry more than 300 years ago, before the cavalry of King Wuling of Zhao Hufu.
Qin Mugong (?-621 BC): "The prince died because of his death, with 500 leather chariots, 2,000 cavalry, and 50,000 foot soldiers. "Han Feizi: Ten Mistakes"
It is clearly written here that there are 500 chariots, 2,000 cavalry, and 50,000 infantry.
The strength of the Qin cavalry, "Warring States Policy" describes it like this:
"The goodness of Qin horses, the crowd of soldiers, probing the front and the back of the glams ("Suo Yin": "It is said that the horse's front feet probe forward, and the hind feet are behind. The trend of the horse is also fast. "), the three seekers between the hooves (seven feet said to seek. The horse walked quickly, and the front and rear hooves were thrown three fathoms. Not to be counted. ”
The Qin soldiers and military horses "recruited horses of more than five feet and eight inches". It's very demanding. This is verified in the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang. The terracotta warriors and horses are 2.03 meters long and 1.72 meters high, which is much taller than the Mongolian horses of the Mongolian ethnic group.
The well-known "Art of War" says: "Win with righteousness and victory", and the first thing that strange soldiers refer to is cavalry.
Because the cavalry is several times faster than the infantry, the cavalry combat is "as infinite as the heavens and the earth, and as inexhaustible as the rivers and seas." ”
Equestrianism began with business
Zhenzhitang: During the Spring and Autumn Period, the cavalry was mainly in the Qin State, which was determined by the geographical location of the Qin State.
Qin is located in Xitui, in the early years Qin ancestors were doctors in Xitui, and they have always dealt with ethnic groups who are good at riding horses and fighting, and it is convenient to raise horses in their own territory.
The official position of Sima of the Western Zhou Dynasty was in charge of horse breeding and breeding. It is said that the Shang Dynasty had the position of Sima.
"Zuo Chuan: Twenty-five Years of Xianggong": "Chu Cang is Sima. ”
"The equipment of the chariot and the bridle. ”。 Wu Zi Governing the Soldiers
During the Western Zhou Dynasty, Sima was also added with a big character and was called "Da Sima".
The famous Qi military strategist Sima Sui Tho (year of birth and death unknown), his surname is Tian, the great Sima of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period, and later generations are called Sima Sui Tho.
Zhenzhitang: The Shang people should be the first people to use chariots.
The earliest complete chariot in China was unearthed in Yinxu in Anyang, and there is also a saying in ancient books that "Xiangtu is used as a horse".
Xiangtu was the ancestor of the merchants, earlier than Wang Hai. Xiangtu does riding horses and Wang Hai serving cattle, which are the two most famous things of the ancestors of Yin Shang.
Riding a horse is like a horse, crying blood ripples. It is the tun hexagram of "Zhou Yi".
Zhou Yi was made by King Wen of Zhou. This hexagram shows from one side that King Wen of Zhou himself has indeed ridden a horse.
It's just that at this time there were no saddles and other harnesses. That's how people ride, see picture below. This type of riding is also known as "horse riding".
Zhenzhitang: King Wen of Zhou's "Book of Changes" is the textual evidence of the Shang Dynasty people riding horses, and the "Bamboo Book Chronicle" is also textual evidence. In the "Spring and Autumn Period of the Lü Family", there is a record that "the merchant served the elephant and abused the Dongyi", indicating that the Shang people had tamed the elephant at this time. Elephants are much more difficult to tame than horses.
From this point of view, the Shang Dynasty already had horseback riding, and there should not be too many problems.
More evidence is still in the Shang Dynasty archaeological excavations unearthed physical objects and texts!
"First Horse".
During the Republic of China, the thirteenth excavation of the Anyang Yinxu Institute of History and Language of the Academia Sinica made major discoveries.
Xiaotun found a small tomb, a man, a horse and a dog buried together, and there is a Ge, a knife, a bow back ornament, a gravel, a ten, the "strategy" of the horse; the head of the horse also has the jade on the brand, the mussel ornament, and a "U" shaped horse.
Shi Zhangru said, "This phenomenon may be a war horse hound." ”
This warrior had weapons, such as bows and arrows, horses, and harnesses. I'm sure he's a knight. In the late Shang Dynasty, there was no doubt that the merchants already had knights.
However, because the Shang people were located in the Hebei Plain, this place was not very suitable for raising horses, so most of the horses of the Shang Dynasty should still be used for driving.
Yu Xingwu said: Yinxu "There is a horse in the divination, and the king is from the king" is "before riding a horse, the king is in the back and rushes from it." ”
There is also a record of "horses call to shoot, capture".
Yang Shengnan's "A Brief Discussion on the Army of the Shang Dynasty" said: The phrase "Zhenxiang to the Thirty Horses Yun Qi Xing & Zhi & Qiang" talks about "using the characteristics of fast riding to hunt down fugitive slaves." It is also the correct interpretation.
The Shang army pursued the Qiang with 30 cavalry. The Shang Dynasty already had cavalry, there is no doubt about it.
The Zhou Gong Ji calendar used cavalry to conquer Rong Di
Zhenzhitang: At this point in the article, it can be proved that there were knights in the Shang Dynasty. But the cavalry does not seem to have formed a single branch of the army. So there are not too many records in the oracle.
The Zhou people went through four generations from Gong's father to Gongjili to King Wen of Zhou to King Wu of Zhou. In the early years of the reign of King Wu Yi of Shang, his father-in-law defected to Yin Shang. Its time is also comparable to that of Yinxu Phase III-IV. We have reason to believe that the Zhou people also have knights.
Don't forget, the Zhou people have been in the Rongdi circle before they defected to Yin Shang.
The "Book of Songs" records the fact of riding a horse during the period of the father-in-law: "The ancient father-in-law came to the court to walk the horse. Rate the West Water Margin, as for Qixia. "Walking a horse is riding a horse, and it is certainly not a car.
Zhenzhitang: The key evidence of the problem lies in the Zhou Gongji calendar recorded in the history books, he is too fierce!
The Bamboo Book records:
Wu Yi "Twenty-four years, Zhou Shi Cheng, the battle in Bi, Kezhi.
For thirty years, Zhou Shi cut down the Yiqu.
Thirty-five years, the Zhou Dynasty and the West Devil Rong. Wang Ji was in the river and Wei, and was killed by a thunderstorm.
Wen Ding "In the second year, Zhou Gongji attacked Yanjing and failed.
For four years, Zhou Gongji has cut down the remnants of the Rong and conquered it. Appointed as a priest.
Seven years, Zhou Gongji began to call for Rong, and conquered it.
In the eleventh year, Zhou Gongji cut down the disciples and won his three major husbands to offer victory. ”
Xiluo Ghost Rong is the ghost side, and its ruins have been discovered in Qingjian County, Yulin, Shaanxi.
Yanjing's Rong, "Huainanzi Falling Shape Training" said: "Fen out of Yanjing." 'Gao lure Zhuyun: 'Yanjing, the name of the mountain, is in Fenyang, Taiyuan, and the water comes out. '
Zhenzhitang: Xi'an to Fenyang more than 500 kilometers, to Qingjian more than 400 kilometers. Ji Li set off from Guanzhong and went east and west. The Book of Songs says that Wang Ji "has no loss and is dying in all directions." "That's true.
In the face of these Rong people who have come and gone without a trace, Ji Li can win, and it is undoubtedly unreliable to rely on chariot soldiers. The later Zhao State is the negative textbook. Not to mention the infantry.
Shi Yi's long skills are used to control Yi, Ji Li was originally born in Rong Di, and the war method he is familiar with is Rong Di's cavalry archery and guerrilla warfare. He conquered so many Rongdi powers in such a short period of time, it is hard to imagine that he used the chariots or infantry of the Yin Shang.
Zhenzhitang believes that the national strength of Ji Li at this time cannot support the production of a large number of chariots. The Yin Shang dynasty would not have subsidized the Zhou people with expensive chariots.
For King Wu Yi: The Zhou people are Rong Di, and using the Zhou people to fight Rong Di is to use the Yi to defeat the Yi. It's better that you kill each other, kill each other to the death, and lose both. This is the original intention of the Shang Dynasty to surrender the Zhou people.
epilogue
At this point in the article, the chain of evidence is complete.
Equestrianism was brought by Rong Di from the west. Before the Zhou people defected to Yin Shang, they belonged to Rong Di. This is one of them.
The tombs of knights unearthed in the Yin Ruins of Anyang prove that the Shang Dynasty already had warriors who fought on horses. This point was also verified by the Yinxu Oracle. This is the second one.
King Wen of Zhou wrote the Book of Changes, self-described riding a horse, and the Zhou people wrote an epic of his father-in-law, self-described walking a horse. According to the Book of Bamboo, King Wending gave ten horses (not ten chariots) to Ji Li. Thirdly.
The Zhou people were able to conquer Shaanxi and Rongdi in Shanxi in just a few decades. These all undoubtedly point to one thing:
In the Jili era, the Zhou people's combat methods were mainly cavalry! Only cavalry could defeat the cavalry of Rongdi!
Zhenzhitang: King Wu of Zhou destroyed Shang, and the cavalry must have played a big role. The Shang Dynasty, on the other hand, lacked cavalry as a type of troops, and gradually became passive in the war, and eventually lost its dominance on the battlefield. This may be the tactical factor for the success of Zhou Renjianshang.
The conclusion of this study is that Zhenzhitang was exclusively published on the Toutiao platform on January 10, 2024, and was written in Changsha Shuzhai. Welcome to reprint, please do not plagiarize. Friends who think that what Zhenzhitang said makes sense, use your little hands to share it. Sharing is the highest virtue, thank you.