The kinetic energy formula in physics tells us: To increase the kinetic energy of an object, we must work hard on speed and mass.
For heavy cavalry, the speed of the war horse is relatively stable, so if you want to increase the impact by increasing the kinetic energy, you can only work on the quality. For the individual cavalry, the way to increase their quality is to add armor, which can not only increase the impact but also improve the defense. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone, and the heavy cavalry has also been developed according to this idea.
But compared to the cavalry as a whole, the way to increase the quality is to increase the number of cavalry. The impact of a huge heavy cavalry formation is no less than that of a modern armored cluster!
Therefore, whether in the East or the West, the means of attack by heavy cavalry groups are surprisingly similar. China's "armored cavalry equipment" and "iron pagoda" all pursue the use of powerful impact to defeat opponents. In the Song Dynasty, the Jin Kingdom's heavy cavalry unit "Kaizi Ma" even increased the impact of the heavy cavalry group. Connect the heavy cavalry with iron ropes;
In the West, because the impact of cavalry is far more important than its mobility, the biggest feature of heavy cavalry tactics is the concentration of force. Cavalry combat is the same as that of infantry. The neat formations of both sides impact each other. In order to reflect this simple combat method, it is very important for heavy cavalry to maintain the orderliness of a wide formation. This is extremely rare in light cavalry tactics.
Heavy cavalry group assault tactics are the key to an army forming a powerful first assault force. Usually, the attacking side directly tears apart the opponent's first and second defensive formations through the attack of a heavy cavalry group, providing conditions for subsequent troops to join the battle.
As early as the eighth century AD, the heavy cavalry troops of the Carolingian Dynasty began to use the tactics of cavalry group attack. Since the fall of the Roman Empire, Charlemagne formed a Carolingian army with heavy cavalry as its core, which has performed well in all battles. The Carolingian cavalry were the earliest troops to use heavy cavalry for impact in recorded history. Their classic attack action was to hold the javelin flat and use the speed of the war horse to give the javelin a strong impact, causing great damage to the opponent.
Therefore, strong shoulder strength and arm strength are absolutely essential for heavy cavalry! Of course, in addition to this, heavy cavalry must also possess certain close combat skills, because when the impact tactics tear apart the enemy's defense line, the heavy cavalry sergeants are needed to fight in close combat with the scattered enemies. Regarding this point, in In the history of Western heavy cavalry, they were particularly ruthless:
According to records, in the Middle Ages, in France, where heavy cavalry tactics were prevalent, one of the conditions for a knight to pass the exam was to fight a wild boar with bare hands without any armor on his body. If he could kill the wild boar, he would be considered a pass. This is the basic reason why the Arbor cavalry at that time tried their best to avoid close combat with the Crusaders. Due to the almost crazy pursuit of individual combat skills, Western heavy cavalry maintained their combat skills through a large number of competitions when there was no war. This competition later developed into an important social activity, which was used to strive for honors, resolve disputes and even attract the opposite sex. important means.
Li Zexuan referred to the impact tactics of Western heavy cavalry armies in the Middle Ages, combined with the current national conditions of the Tang Dynasty, and formulated such a set of training drills for the Xuanjia Army. It cannot be said to be the best, but it is definitely the most suitable for the current Xuanjia Army!
"Join the Army is right. Although the Xuanjia Army is a heavy cavalry, its melee combat ability is still indispensable!"
After listening to Li Zexuan's long speech, the camp was quiet for a moment, and then Zhang Shigui suddenly spoke.
As a veteran who has experienced many battles, Zhang Shigui can certainly understand what Li Zexuan said. Regardless of his personal position, he couldn't help but be impressed by some of the training methods Li Zexuan proposed.
The other four people were mostly silent.
Li Zexuan smiled and said: "I have said everything that needs to be said. Now tell me, are you willing to accept this new training code?"
As soon as these words came out, the big tent fell into silence again.
"Although the training methods just proposed by the army are somewhat reasonable, I, Old Sun, do not agree. If the soldiers fail in training, I will be blamed by the Holy One. I cannot afford to bear the blame. I will not be able to obey the orders of the general!"
Seeing that no one spoke, Sun Tao gritted his teeth, stood up and cupped his fists at Li Zexuan.
Just now, he was almost convinced by Li Zexuan, but he did not forget which side he was on. If he agreed to Li Zexuan now, Qiu Xinggong would definitely not give him any good advice when he returned!
"The national war is about to begin, and the Xuanjia Army has just expanded. Is it too hasty to change the training method like this? Besides, the Xuanjia Army has always been the most elite cavalry in the Tang Dynasty. Let's train the soldiers directly according to the previous training methods. Isn’t that a bad idea?”
Seeing Sun Tao step up to be the "pioneer", Zhang Kangnian also quickly stepped out to "relay".
This guy didn't dare to openly offend Li Zexuan, so he could only express his attitude tactfully, and also try to persuade the other captains not to join Li Zexuan's team!
Lu Da, the captain of Dingzi Camp, who had not said a word from beginning to end, had a trace of hesitation on his face. It is true that Li Zexuan's new heavy cavalry drills really impressed him, but what Zhang Kangnian said is not unreasonable. ! The Xuanjia Army used to be the most powerful heavy cavalry in the Tang Dynasty. Although many recruits have been recruited now, as long as they follow the previous training methods, they will definitely be able to build an army with the most powerful combat force. Why take the risk? What about the new code of conduct
"Brother Kangnian, what you said is wrong!"
At the critical moment, Sun Zhiping finally stood up. He looked at Zhang Kangnian and said: "Today is different from the past. The Xuanjia Army is now equipped with new types of armor, and the horses are also wearing horse armor. This is very different from the previous Xuanjia Army. How can we use the same training methods? Furthermore, although Sun was on duty in the Forbidden Army before, he had also heard that the Xuanjia Army went through long and hard training from its formation to its final invincibility. ! But now the national war between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks is about to begin, and the Xuanjia Army has just expanded. If they still train according to the previous drills, I am afraid that it will be difficult for the Xuanjia Army to contribute to the country in this war!"
Hearing this, Zhang Kangnian's face suddenly darkened, but before he could refute, Sun Zhiping turned around, bowed to Li Zexuan and clasped his fists, saying: "Obviously, for the current plan, the Xuanjia Army can only seek innovation and change in order to survive. Combat strength was quickly formed in just two months, and the last general, Sun Zhiping, represents all the soldiers of Wuzi Battalion and is willing to accept the new training code!"
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