Ranking of the top ten famous horses in ancient China

Horses were very important in ancient times. They were not only a means of transportation, but also a weapon in war and a symbol of noble status. In ancient China, horses have profound significance in culture, history and society.

First of all, in ancient military, cavalry was a very important force, and horses were the mounts of cavalry. Therefore, owning a high-quality war horse is what every military strategist longs for. In war, an excellent war horse can be the key to victory, as it allows the rider to maneuver quickly, transfer quickly, and strengthen the army's offensive power on the battlefield.

Secondly, the horse is also a symbol of noble status and status. In ancient times, only wealthy nobles could own famous horses and use them as a way to show their glory and status. Owning a good horse can show a person's status, wealth and power.

In addition, horses also play an important role in culture. In Chinese literature, horses are often used to describe heroes and the qualities of loyalty and bravery. For example, the sentence "Thousand-mile horses often exist, but Bole does not always exist" in "Red Cliff Ode" reflects the importance of horse quality to military warfare. .

Overall, horses played a very important role in ancient cultures. They were not only vehicles of transportation and war, but also symbols of noble status and had a profound influence in culture. This article reviews the various dynasties in history and summarizes a ranking list of the best horses in Chinese history. Among the ten most powerful horses in China, there are Red Rabbit Horse, De Lu, Wu Zui, Jueying, Huang Huma, and Zhaoye. Jade Lion, Yellow Claw Flying Lightning, Six Horses of Zhaoling, Seven Horses of Qin Shihuang, Eight Horses of King Mu of Zhou, etc. Let’s get to know these most famous horses in history!

1. Red Rabbit Horse

The Red Rabbit is a famous war horse during the Three Kingdoms period. According to legend, the Red Rabbit is fiery red in color and extremely powerful. It was a veritable thousand-mile horse at that time. In the novel "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", the red rabbit horse is a rare BMW that can travel thousands of miles at a time. It was originally owned by Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo sent someone to give it to Lv Bu, encouraging Lv Bu to kill his adoptive father Ding Yuan and join Dong Zhuo in 189. After that, Lv Bu was defeated in Xuzhou. , was killed by Cao Cao, and the red rabbit horse was obtained by Cao Cao. Later, Cao Cao attacked Liu Bei who had captured Xuzhou. Liu Bei was defeated and Liu Bei's general Guan Yu was captured by Cao Cao. In order to get Guan Yu to join him, Cao Cao transferred the red rabbit horse to Guan Yu and played a role in killing Yan Liang and Qianli Zao alone. Later, in 220, Guan Yu defeated Maicheng and was captured alive by Pan Zhang's general Ma Zhong. He was killed by Lu Meng. The red rabbit horse was given to Ma Zhong, who then went on a hunger strike and died.

As the saying goes, "Lu Bu is among men, and a red rabbit is among horses." A red rabbit and a horse can travel thousands of miles in a day, eight hundred miles at night, cross water and climb mountains as if they were walking on flat ground. Although the Red Rabbit Horse really exists, its magical skill was deified in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The fictional character Mrs. Zhu Rong also rides a curly-haired red rabbit.

2. Lu

Lu, the famous horse ridden by Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period, is also known as Yuyan. According to legend, it is a fierce horse. The original character of Lu is Deku, which means a horse with white spots on its forehead. "Xiangma Jing" says: "The name of a horse with white forehead and teeth is Yuyan, and the first name is Lu. If the slave passenger dies, and the owner abandons the market, it is an unlucky horse." In "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Lu appeared in the thirty-fourth chapter "Mrs. Cai listens to secret words across the screen, and Uncle Liu leaps across the Tanxi River". At that time, Liu Bei was attached to Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, and was ordered to conquer Zhang Wu and Chen Sun. Liu Bei saw Zhang Wu riding Lu's "extremely majestic horse" on the battle line. He was so impressed that he ordered Zhao Yun to kill Zhang Wu and seize the horse. This horse was obtained by Liu Bei.

Later, Cai Mao wanted to secretly murder Liu Bei at the banquet, but Liu Bei discovered it. Liu Bei avoided the banquet and fled. Lu, who was riding on his horse, rushed to the vicinity of Tanxi River, but was unable to cross to the other side because of the rapid flow of the stream. At this time, the pursuers came, Liu Bei was so anxious that he jumped into the stream, but Lu's front hooves fell into the stream. Liu Bei resentfully said a few words, "De Lu! De Lu! Today, I'm in trouble!" After that, De Lu suddenly With great power, Liu Bei jumped three feet high from the water and flew over the west bank. Only then did Liu Bei escape. This jump established its status as a famous horse in the Three Kingdoms. Although it is not as famous as the Red Rabbit Horse, it still has a certain popularity among the Three Kingdoms. Its status is further enhanced by the line in a poem by Xin Qiji, "The horse is so fast that the bow is as fast as a thunderbolt." "Xian Jing" and greatly improved.

3. Wu Zui

King Xiang (Xiang Yu) has a horse named Zou, which he often rides thousands of miles a day. Over the years, he has conquered the north and south and made countless achievements. During Xiang Yu's period, he was known as the best horse in the world. Wu Zui's whole body is dark, like black satin, shiny, except for the four horse hooves, which are as white as snow. Legend has it that after Xiang Yu committed suicide by the Wujiang River, Wu Zui, who was loyal to his master, also jumped into the Wujiang River and died. Xiang Yu's Wuzui should belong to the Hequ horse series, a famous Chinese horse. As the best military horse breed in our country, the Hequ horse is mainly black and cyan in color, but of course there are other colors.

4. Jueying

Jueying was Cao Cao's mount at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. When Cao Cao attacked Zhang Xiu in Wancheng, he was attacked by Zhang Xiu who surrendered and rebelled. Cao Cao was riding Jueying when he fled. The situation was critical at that time. Jueying was carrying Cao Cao on his back and was shot by a stray arrow in the chaos, injuring his cheek and foot. Cao Cao himself was also hit by an arrow in his right arm. The "Jueying" is said to be the "bloody horse". It was hit by three arrows and was still able to gallop very fast. According to legend, even the shadow cannot catch up, so it is called the "absolute" shadow. On the way to rescue Cao Cao, Jueying was hit in the eye by a stray arrow before falling down. The "Jueying" horse completed all its missions in this battle.

5. Yellow gelding

Yellow gelding means a yellow horse with white spots. The white spots on this horse are mostly located on the belly and sides. The most important thing is that the horse has white hair on its head, which is round in shape like a full moon. Therefore, it is also known as "Xiliang Yuding Hay Yellow". Even if the yellow gelding is fed enough forage, its ribs are still exposed. Therefore, it is also known as "Tooth Bone Dragon". It is a rare BMW horse. According to the Ming Dynasty's "Sui Shiyiwen" and "Sui and Tang Dynasties" records, Qin Shubao's mount was a yellow gelding. Before Qin Shubao fed the yellow gelding, the horse was as skinny as firewood, but it would gain weight in less than ten months.

6. Jade Lion at Night

The Zhaoye Jade Lion is a horse that appears in "Water Margin". It is all white from top to bottom, without any variegation. It is said to be able to travel thousands of miles in a day. It was produced in the Western Regions and is the best among horses. The prototype of the Jade Lion Zhao Ye may be the Dawan horse Zhao Yebai in a paper Chinese painting "Zhao Ye Bai Tu" created by the Tang Dynasty painter Han Gan. It is said that Duan Jingzhu, a character in "Water Margin", was originally a horse dealer in Zhuozhou and was good at stealing horses and training them. Because it has red hair, yellow beards, and is thin and thick-boned, it is known as the "Golden Retriever". Proficient in Mongolian, Xixia, and Liao dialects. He stole a good horse outside the Great Wall, named "Zhaoye Jade Lion Horse". It was all white and could travel thousands of miles in a day. Duan Jingzhu wanted to dedicate this BMW to Song Jiang. Unexpectedly, it was snatched away by the five tigers of the Zeng family and became the mount of Shi Wengong, the coach of Zengtou City, which caused Shi Wengong to shoot Chao Gai with an arrow.

This horse is as violent as a lion when it is born, but when it grows up, it will be driven out of the herd and become docile. Many characters in our country's historical novels use this "Jade Lion Horse" as mounts. For example, when Zhao Yun fell into Zhang He's trap on Changban Slope, he jumped out and was rescued by this horse. There are also Wu Yunzhao in Sui and Tang novels, Duan Jingzhu in "Water Margin", etc.

7. Claw Yellow Flying Lightning

Huang Feidian is a famous horse during the Three Kingdoms period and was Cao Cao's mount. Because of its noble temperament, Cao Cao rarely rode it on expeditions. In addition, Claw Huang Feidian is also one of the four famous horses in the Three Kingdoms, as famous as Red Rabbit, De Lu and Jueying. The claws are yellow and the body is white, with four yellow hooves. It has a noble and extraordinary temperament and is arrogant. Just hearing a name like "Zhao Huang Feidian" makes it look majestic and unique. Precisely because of this horse's extraordinary temperament, Cao Cao would generally not ride it in battle, but would ride it when returning to court in triumph to show its unique momentum. Therefore, more often than not, the claw yellow flying lightning gives people the feeling of a vase.

There are few records of Huang Feidian in historical facts and novels. It can only be seen in the 20th chapter of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" "Cao A concealed Xu Tian's siege, and Dong Guojiu's cabinet received the edict": "Cao Cao rode the Huang Feidian horse, which cited ten Ten thousand people hunted with the emperor in Xutian. The soldiers lined up in the paddock, covering a circumference of more than 200 miles. Cao and the emperor rode together, fighting for one horse's head."

8. Six Horses of Zhaoling

The Six Horses of Zhaoling refer to the six bluestone relief carvings of horses on the east and west sides of the Zhaoling North Altar in the tomb of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty in Liquan, Shaanxi. Each stone carving is about 205 cm wide, 170 cm high, 30 cm thick and weighs about 2.5 tons. The "Six Horses of Zhaoling" have beautiful shapes, smooth carving lines, and fine and round knife work. They are precious ancient stone carving art treasures. The six horses are the war horses that Li Shimin rode before the establishment of the Tang Dynasty. They are named Quanmaoqi, Shifachi, Baitiwu, Tellerqiao, Qingzhui and Saluzi. In order to commemorate these six war horses, Li Shimin ordered the craftsman Yan Lide and the painter Yan Liben (Yan Lide's younger brother) to use reliefs depicting the six war horses and place them in front of the mausoleum.

According to records, Li Shimin’s personal tributes to Liu Jun are as follows:

Teller Piao: respond to the policy and fly into the air, inherit the voice of half the Han people; destroy the enemy due to natural dangers, take advantage of danger to help others.

Qingzhao: Ashigaru movies, divine secrets, quick training, determined my military uniform.

Shifachi: The stream is not quiet yet, the ax and ax show its power, Zhu Khan is full of feet, and Qingjing returns in triumph.

Sa Lu Zi: The purple swallow leaps super high, the bones are soaring and the horse is powerful, the energy is three rivers, and the eight formations are powerful.

Quan Maojun: The moon spirit presses the bridle, and the heavenly horse moves wildly. The lonely arrow carries the war, and the atmosphere is clear.

White-hoofed Crow: Relying on the sky with a long sword, chasing the wind with galloping feet; raising the bridle to level the Long, returning to the saddle to settle Shu.

9. Qin Shihuang’s Seven Horses

Cui Bao of Jin Dynasty "Annotations on Birds and Beasts in Ancient and Modern Times"It is recorded in the book: "Qin Shihuang had seven famous horses: Zhuifeng, White Rabbit, Jijing, Bendian, Feihe, Tongjue, and Shenfu." These seven horses can be ranked among the ten most powerful horses in China. Horses are as fast as chasing wind and lightning, extremely fast. The most famous of the seven horses is the Shenfu. When Qin Shihuang made his eastward tour, he would ride the Shenfu horse and go wherever there was good scenery. This horse jumps over mountains and streams as if it were walking on flat ground. However, Qin Shihuang had such amazing horses, but in the end he failed to find the elixir of life and died on the road.

10. Eight Horses of Zhou Mu Wang

The Eight Horses of King Mu are the legendary eight horses owned by King Mu of Zhou Dynasty. They are named "Jedi", "Fanyu", "Chaoying", "Benxiao", "Yuhui", "Chaoguang", "Tengwu" and "Zhiyi". Able to travel thousands of miles in a day, King Mu often rode these eight horses to patrol the territory of the Zhou Dynasty.

According to "The Biography of Emperor Mu", they are: Chiji, Taoli, Baiyi, Yuolun, Shanzi, Quhuang, Hualiu and Luer. Among them, Chiji is a fiery red horse, Pirates are pure black, Baiyi is pure white, Yulun is green-purple, Shanzi is gray-white, Quhuang is goose yellow, Hualiu is black mane and black tail, and Green Ear is green-yellow. . Among these eight horses, the Stealing Li horse is the most famous.

The list of the top ten famous horses in ancient times is summarized based on their public popularity, owners, pedigree, specialties and other relevant information, and with comprehensive reference to relevant Internet rankings. The list is for reference only. If you have any questions, please comment/communicate at the end.

animal tags：