Research On The Khitan Cavalry

Khitan established a kingdom by force.Its Cavalry successfully occupied the inland of territory of Central dynastiesby means of bows and horses,and made an immortal contribution.Khitan people lived by the livestock farming and hunting,the riding and shooting arrow,as a necessary skill,were inseparable fromtheir production and living,sacrifices and entertainments,hunting and military wars,which undoubtedly providedsa condition oftraining the cavalry,and good horses,bow vector,weapons and equipment provided a material basis for the formation of cavalry.The Khitan's Cavalry was related closely to Khitan people daily life,which affected Khitan's military,political,economic,social,cultural and other many areas.Therefore,it is of great significance to conduct a comprehensive and systematic study on many relevant problem from the perspective of the Khitan cavalry.Based on the previous research results,adhering to the predecessor's academic attitude,The author deeply investgated the historical ocumentation with the multidisciplinary theories and methods of history,archeology and ethnology,paid attention to "problem consciousness" as the guide,and discussed the relevant issues of the Khitan cavalry in depth.The author thinks main points of view are as follows:The first chapter is about the social factors of Khitan formation cavalry.The cavalrymen of the northern nomads formed earlier than the Central Plains region,its formation was marked by and based on "the taming of horses" and "the appearance of horse riding nomads",and the harness of technological innovation to promote the development and evolution of cavalry,in particular,the emergence of stirrups,Gao Qiao saddles and horse armor promoted the formation of heavy cavalry;The formation of the Khitan cavalry was greatly influenced by cavalry of the northern ethnic minorities after Xianbei and Xianbei,and had certain inheritance to them.The living environment of the Khitan people was a natural factor in the formation of cavalry.Hunting custom was to maintain the basic skills of riding and shooting skills and cavalry military literacy;leisure activities was an effective means to enhance riding and shooting skills and cavalry combat effectiveness.The second chapter is about the military system of Khitan cavalry.Before the founding of the Khitan,hunting and military operations were combined into one.Hunting and production tools are also on the battlefield of the armed forces,all the troops and soldiers are all cavalry,mainly dominated by tribal forces.A small number of infantry appeared in the late Yao Nian clan and gradually increased after the founding of the People's Republic of China,but still but still based on cavalry.During the Liao Dynasty,the central cavalry was mainly composed of Pi Shi Army and Wo Lu Duo Army.The local cavalry consists mainly of the army of the four tribes of the Liao Dynasty,the army of many tribes of the separate northern and southern prefectures,and the She Li Army.There are also Tou Xia army,Jiu army,Zhuai La army,Ke army and so on.The third chapter is about the Khitan horse weapons and equipment and other related issues.The types of bow are mainly divided according to the material,Khitan's living environment provided excellent materials for the production of the bow of the cavalry.There are 15 types of arrowheads,divided into three types according to their functions: soldiers vector,killer arrow and constant arrow.The weapons and equipment of the Khitan cavalry include not only the bow arrow,but also the hammer like flowers,the iron swords and the long and short weapons.Khitan cavalry armor mainly follow the late Tang and Five Dynasties and Song style and with the development of iron and iron cast iron technology matures and the growth of the Khitan dynasty to sophisticated so that Khitan equipment is the most popular ethnic strategic materials and gift.The fourth chapter is about the Khitan cavalry wartime Division of Labor and Strategic Thinking and Other Issues.According to the type of mission in the cavalry operations,the Khitan cavalry divided into war riding,the outpost cavalry,captives of folk forage property cavalry,riding a horse pass official documents cavalry.Khitan cavalry is conducive to fighting in the plains,mainly rely on surprise,blitz,chase,rescue,detour,encircle,retreat and rob the grain road and other means to win.Khitan's war horses,bows,bow bags,quiver bags(also known as Hu Lu or Shi Fu),and people and horse armor are more affected by the weather and may even affect the outcome of the war.The reason why the Khitan cavalry can play its part is that it can not do without the command of military commanders and wise decision-making.Its main manifestation is the strategy and tactics used by the cavalry in its external operations.The fifth chapter is about the historical status and influence of Khitan cavalry.Khitan people's geographical environment,hunting customs,military system,sophisticated arms and wartime thinking gave the Khitan cavalry a strong combat effectiveness and thus conquered the unified northern grassland tribes.Then proceed southward to the Central Plains to eliminate the Later Tang Dynasty and the Later Jin Dynasty,and seize the Youyun sixteen states,marched straight into the North China Plain,straight to the Yellow River Basin,and with the Northern Song Dynasty signed "Convanent of Tanyuan".At this point,Khitan became the counterpart of the Northern Song Dynasty.At that time,Northeast Asia had the highest status and often dealt with international disputes as a "master".Thus,the "dual" orthodox dynasty dominated by "nomadic-farming",and this is exactly what the galloping cavalry has brought to this Khitan people who is open to the world.At the same time,galloping cavalry also promoted cultural exchange between east and west of the Eurasian steppe.