Italeri 6123 Chinese Cavalry XIIIth Century

The reign of the Song dynasty in China dates back to 960-1278, of course, AD. Chronologically speaking, the reign of the Song dynasty is divided into two periods. The first is the time of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) and the time of the Southern Song Dynasty, i.e. 1127-1279. It is worth adding that the China of the Song period, especially in the years 1127-1279, waged frequent and often large-scale wars with the Jin dynasty, and later with the Mongols. This, of course, stimulated the development of the art of war and of the military as such. For example, it is assumed that it was during the Song Period that Chinese troops first used gunpowder on the battlefield. It is worth adding that while in the tenth and early eleventh centuries the armed forces of the Song dynasty were efficient and highly effective, with time the combat value began to decline. Perhaps it resulted from the perception of the military craft and the "officer corps" as standing very low in the social hierarchy. It cannot be ruled out that the maintenance of sizeable armies by some emperors of the Song Dynasty could be regarded as a means of ensuring social stability! Interestingly, one of the weakest elements of the armed forces of the Song dynasty in the 12th-13th centuries was cavalry. At that time, there were considerable problems with recruiting to her, as well as it was difficult to find a sufficient number of suitable horses. For this reason, it was not uncommon for horsemen to be recruited in Manchuria or Mongolia, or for service as mercenary soldiers. It is assumed that at the end of the Song Dynasty, the Chinese cavalry used various types of armor, especially lamellar armor. It happened that horses also received armor. The primary weapon was a relatively long spear, a one-handed sword, and in the case of light cavalry units recruited in the north - primarily a reflex bow.