How much role did chariots and war horses play?

How much role did chariots and war horses play?

The war instruction of Shang dynasty: Shang dynasty is a samurai elite culture, which requires participants to accept the vigorous lifestyle and military values of a huge, developing emirate that is still based on clan.

The inscriptions on bronzes such as Chen Xiaoyu Zun show that the king gave generous rewards to military achievements, including a large amount of land, and cancelled the failed "fief".

This is not a glittering cultural expression described later, but an era of cruelty and bloodthirsty. Wars of aggression often occur, and people are killed, enslaved and sacrificed without guilt.

In addition, contrary to the pure moral efforts characterized by overwhelming civilian orientation described later, morality and civilization were interrupted by an unruly and evil war, and the Shang Dynasty was established through decades of fighting and short-term sudden conquest.

The Shang Dynasty not only changed their apparent goal of "one man" into a simple crusade, but also eliminated the Xia family in an organized way throughout the kingdom.

Tradition has a great influence on the shaping of values and the decision of mentality.

Once the spirit of war is released, it will not necessarily weaken, which explains why Sima Fa emphasized the performance of ceremonies, aiming at reintegrating soldiers tired of fighting into civilian life.

The joy of victory and admiration for military strength obviously pervaded the early Shang Dynasty, which profoundly affected the establishment and monopoly of power status. Don't forget that even the last emperor Xin, who is said to be dissolute and extravagant, is famous for his great strength and military talent.

Survival is the most important thing. Although the function of "civil servant" is necessary to ensure the country's financial and material prosperity, it is definitely derived. In this highly tense military environment, many people undoubtedly think that administrative tasks are a kind of interference and trouble.

Due to the lack of pre-Anyang characters, it is impossible to describe the exact nature of the early Shang Dynasty's rule, but this dynamic seems to indicate the gradual transition from chiefs to monarchs after the defeat of the Xia Dynasty.

Despite internal problems and intrigues, commercial rulers gained the autocratic power of description and became the final arbiter of military affairs.

Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Anyang has shown that in the 2nd/kloc-0th century, the king performed all the duties between the commander-in-chief and the defense minister, and often served as the battlefield commander.

The Regent after Wu Ding decided whether to take military action, which enemies should be attacked, the target of the campaign, the number of recruits or appointees, the allies to be summoned, the appointed commanders, the attack methods or tactics, the settlement of conflicts, the treatment of the conquered, and the disposal of land.

Allies may also be ordered to take offensive or defensive actions alone, unite with other countries, or unite with the Shang Dynasty. The battle appointment is entirely decided by the monarch, and all battlefield powers are derived.

With a few exceptions, such as women and children, the king initiated divination procedures to inquire about the appropriateness of these military actions and seek the approval of his ancestors.

It is not clear whether the warriors of the Shang Dynasty were as unwilling to take military action without auspicious signs as the early Greeks, but it seems possible from the perspective of the importance attached by the Shang Dynasty to religion and ceremonies.

Prediction is a powerful psychological tool. The king's inquiry may be to intimidate or convince others, or it may be to attract the spirit and reduce the responsibility of decision-making.

Although the king could lead himself, he chose to appoint others to command the Coalition forces and their separate task forces in recorded conflicts.

Members of the royal family, important members of other prominent families, and trusted officials such as "chief subordinates" are often entrusted with important tasks, and those who have proved successful will be repeatedly employed.

Although shouldering other responsibilities, such as supervising hunting and guiding economic projects such as land reclamation, many people have developed into de facto military experts who can plan, organize and lead battles.

The rulers of allied countries and subordinate countries were also sent on expeditionary missions, usually led by their own military forces. If the pre-match prediction is good, the winner will often be re-appointed.

"What" in Shang Dynasty: As early as Wu Ding's time, the army was already an identifiable combat force. Although the title "general" is usually translated as "general" according to western practice, it did not appear in Shang Dynasty, and some commanders were called by the word "division". The usual format is to add the surname Pan, so it is basically "General Pan".

In addition, Shi Yechang or "Shia leader" mentioned in Shangshu, instead of Oracle Bone Inscriptions, may be a functional title, especially in the late dynasty, which is consistent with the increasingly prominent and standardized organization of the army.

Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Shang Dynasty showed that every time the king appointed someone to command the battle, he would follow the formal ritual procedure. Although it can be traced back to 1000 years later.

However, a ceremony similar to that described by Taigong when he advised King Wu how to correctly authorize his field commander and hand over the necessary power obviously took place in the ancestral hall.

When the country is in danger, the ruler should vacate the hall, summon the general and charge him with the following charges. "The safety or danger of the national altar depends on the commander of the army.

At present, the behavior of a country is not very obedient. I hope you will lead the army to deal with it. "

After receiving the order, the general ordered the great scribe to hold the sacred tortoise shell to predict the auspicious day. Later, in order to prepare for the selected day, a three-day vegetarian diet was implemented, and then the Fulu axe was handed over to the ancestral hall.

After entering the temple gate, face the west station. The general walked into the temple gate and stood facing the north. You personally took Yue's axe, held its head, handed the handle to the general, and said, "From here to heaven, the general will command the army."

Said, "from here to the depths below, it will be controlled by the army general." When you see the enemy's emptiness, you must move forward, and when you see the essence, you must stop. Don't think that the three armed forces are huge and underestimate the enemy. "

Don't give up on yourself because you have taken on a heavy responsibility. Don't look down on others just because you are a hero. "There is no tag. Don't rely on yourself and don't contradict the masses.

Don't take verbal convenience as a definite sign. Don't sit down when the officer is not sitting. Don't eat until the officer has eaten. You should share the joys and sorrows with them. If you do this, officers and the masses will certainly exhaust their fighting capacity. "

After receiving the order, the general should bow to the ruler: "I heard that a country can't obey the orders of another government, and an army can't obey the control of the central government on the battlefield."

People with two ideas can't serve the rulers correctly, and people with doubts can't deal with the enemies. I have accepted my orders and completely controlled the terrible power of Foy's axe. I dare not come back alive.

I'd like you to condescend to direct me. If you don't allow me, I dare not accept the position of general. Then you should approve, and the general should officially leave. "

This excerpt was taken at the end of the Warring States Period, reflecting the thoughts of the late Spring and Autumn Period and the early Warring States Period, and expressing the necessary independence of commanders on the battlefield for the first time in Sun Tzu's Art of War.

However, generals must be appointed before their ancestors and get proper recognition through proper prediction. Their appointments were recorded on the board, as Oracle Bone Inscriptions showed.

It is said that even Zhou Wenwang was appointed as Xibo (Duke) and was given a bow, an arrow, an axe and a yuezhou, all of which symbolized the granting of power.

Horses on chariots in Shang Dynasty: Not only a single chariot was found, but also many vehicles and mounds composed only of chariots and horses, which clearly proved that their existence was enough to be used for prestige transportation not only occasionally.

However, they are expensive, fragile and complicated to manufacture, and may be mainly used as scattered archery platforms and infantry units under close command. Oracle Bone Inscriptions rarely mentioned the use on the battlefield, and there were only 300 at most.

In the latter case, they may be composed of scattered chariot troops. If used together, they can be used as infiltration units or flank units, or just highly mobile archery platforms.

Because horses provide vital power, horses or horse officials seem to be endowed with correspondingly greater power. The word "horse" can be used interchangeably to mean "horse" and the soldiers or officers who use them, whether they are carriage drivers or cavalry.

Horse-centered military, the horse is knowledgeable, and may also be experienced. Under normal circumstances, horses are horses entrusted to raise, train and assess the country, including horses sent as tributes.

Thomas literally means "many horses", but it is obviously the functional equivalent of "Commander Ma" or "Chief Ma".

To some extent, chariots constitute the core component of the army. Camels seem to control the task force of the standing army, play a commanding role on the battlefield, are assigned to participate in the battle against enemy countries, are given defensive responsibilities that extend to the rulers, and sometimes command hunting.

Sometimes, the inscription even records Tomaya, or "Toma's supervisor or commander".

However, people respected Sima as "Ma Jian", but later in the feudal hierarchy of the Zhou Dynasty, his function was "Minister of War". Although it may be equivalent to "camel horse teeth", it has not yet evolved.

"Dog officials" may have originated from the dog owners of the king's dogs, but with the increase in the number of dogs protecting, hunting and even on the battlefield, their power is also expanding, and they obviously perform the function of collecting intelligence.

"Chief dog officer" (general) also appears in the inscription, but most of the entries refer to supervising hunting and assembling "new" archers, directing attacks on enemy countries, and providing ancestors in the early Shang Dynasty, which is a very rare privilege.

The word "Anmou" also appears in some examples, apparently referring to a dog official named Anmou or an official entrusted with planning work.