Essence

The cavalry in the Three Kingdoms was primarily an auxiliary force, rarely used for direct charges into battle. Lü Bu personally led the charge against Zhang Yan for Yuan Shao, which must have been quite painful for him. His subordinate, Gao Shun, led the elite vanguard of seven hundred armored soldiers, who were infantry. Le Jin, with his infantry, killed Chunyu Qiong at Wuchao and was the first to strike down Yan Jing in the Battle of Nanpi, both being hard-fought assaults that were highly dangerous, allowing for quick accumulation of merit and naturally eye-catching performances. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry did not show significant performance at their inception. In the tenth year of Jian'an, the Battle of Nanpi was a siege, with Le Jin as the vanguard. Le Jin, with his infantry, killed Chunyu Qiong at Wuchao and was the first to strike down Yan Jing in the Battle of Nanpi, both being hard-fought assaults that were highly dangerous, allowing for quick accumulation of merit and naturally eye-catching performances. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry did not show significant performance at their inception. In the tenth year of Jian'an, the Battle of Nanpi was a siege, with Le Jin as the vanguard. Yuan Tan fled and was pursued and killed by the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Subsequently, they marched north to conquer three commanderies, with Zhang Liao as the vanguard, achieving the first merit, and after a great defeat of the enemy, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry captured the Xianbei chieftain. During this period, in comparison to the famous generals of Cao Wei, the promotions of Zeng Ba were numerous and well-documented, while Cao Chun, despite accumulating merit to become a Marquis of three hundred households, did not have many displays of valor. Reflecting on the subsequent rapid promotions of the Cao family descendants, it can only be said that at this time, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry did not engage in many fierce battles. During the pursuit of Liu Bei at Changban, Cao Chun participated, but the five thousand elite cavalry were personally commanded by Cao Cao, with Cao Chun following among them. The five thousand cavalry should represent the total number of cavalry under Cao Cao's direct command, or at that time, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had not yet reached five thousand. However, in the Battle of Guansai, Cao Cao used the Tiger Cavalry to flank the Guansai troops. At that time, Cao Cao boasted of having five thousand elite cavalry, or it could be said that the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had already reached five thousand. However, it seems that five thousand cavalry should not be led by an officer of the rank of Cavalry Commander or below, which raises doubts. In the Battle of Guandu, the general Wen Chou, leading five to six thousand cavalry, at least held a rank above general.