Re: [FT] (LONG) The Balance of Power -- Fighters and a Defense

--- Jaime Tiampo <fugu@spikyfishthing.com> wrote:

> > In fact, I don't know of a single time when missle
> > troops held off heavy cavalrymen unassisted until

> China, 12th century. Chinese standing army had few
> calvalry men. Average > chinese troops were armed
with crossbows and short > swords. Course they
> had the stirriped crossbow which allowed one handed
> reloading at high > rate. For quite awhile they were
able to hold off > northern excursions > into chinese
territory. 

The assorted steppe nomads north of China never had
heavy cavalry.	All light cavalry with missle weapons.
 And trying to match missle-armed infantry with
missle-armed cavalry is a loosing game.

The "knight" was outdated by > 9th century in > china.

I wasn't aware the Chinese ever had them, in the true
sense of the word.  By the 9th century knights were
just starting to come into their own in Europe.

The advent of the grenade in the 12th century > also
brought down > finally the real effectiveness of the
mounted > calvary to a tactical > instead of
overwhelming unit.

Once you get effective gunpowder weapons you've
completely changed the rules for cavalry.

John

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