First of all, the commanders of butch riding have always been General Cao Shi, such as Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu and Cao Chun. Everyone knows that Cao Cao trusts General Cao Shi the most. Tiger and leopard riding has always been commanded by general Cao Shi, which shows its importance.
"Shu Wei" said: "The pure command of tiger and leopard riding is sharp in the world, or it can be supplemented by a hundred people."
Its elite can be seen.
Then let's take a look at the record of butch riding.
First, Yuan Tan died in the battle of Nanpi in the ninth year of Jian 'an (AD 204); Then, in the 12th year of Jian 'an (AD 207), during the northern expedition to Wuhuan, the tower pier cut off the head of Wuhuan Khan on the battlefield. In the 13th year of Jian 'an (AD 208), Liu Bei was defeated in the battle of Changbanpo. In the 16th year of Jian 'an (AD 2 1 1), the Kansai Army led by Ma Chao was defeated. In the twenty-third year of Jian 'an (AD 2 18), Zhang Fei and Wu Lan lost the next debate.
According to the Records of the Later Han Dynasty, the highest command organ of Cao Cao's army is called "Fu Ba", and the army is divided into three parts: the Central Army (let's just say it is not the Kuomintang), the local army and the wasteland army. The local army is the garrison of each county, and the wasteland army is the border guard. The Central Army is divided into internal and external armies. Foreign troops are actually stationed outside, but under the direct command of Cao Cao. China's army is called Wu, the guards of the capital and the palace, and Cao Cao's troops directly under it. Usually, there are about 6,543,800 people. Zhong Jun Zhong Jun is a tiger and leopard rider, which is the core elite. Some of them defended Cao Cao and the tyrant's mansion, while others stayed in the palace all the year round. Most of them are led by relatives of Cao Cao, known as leading generals. Both Cao Ren and Cao Chun were the leading generals of butch riding. For example, "Wei Shujiu Xiahou Cao Chuanjiu" said that Cao Chun "first joined the army to discuss with Lang, and supervised butch riding from the south". There are many other materials. This butch riding does exist, and it must be Cao Cao's strongest army.
According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao has such an elite cavalry, which is called "Tiger and Leopard Riding" because of its strong fighting capacity and fierce fighting. Although there are not many historical records, the history of the Three Kingdoms has only been recorded in the Ji of Emperor Wu and the Biography of Xiahou Cao. It is well-founded to say that he is Cao Cao's elite troops. According to Pei Songzhi's note in the "Three Kingdoms", Shu Wei said: "The pure command of the tiger and leopard riding is sharp in the world, or assisted by hundreds of people." It can be seen that the members of this army are one in a hundred. To exaggerate, the person who can be a general in an ordinary army is just an ordinary soldier in Tiger and Leopard Riding. As you can imagine, his fighting capacity is top among the three armies.
The commander-in-chief of "Tiger and Leopard Riding" has always been Cao Shi's general, and only Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu and Cao Chun are recorded in the annals of the Three Kingdoms. Cao Cao sent his most trusted general Cao Shi as the commander-in-chief of Tiger and Leopard Riding, which shows its importance in Cao Cao's mind. This is an elite of Cao Cao's own, and it can also be regarded as Cao Cao's "ace army".
Although there are not many records about "butch riding" participating in the war, we can still see the records of butch riding only through some materials. First of all, in the nine years of Jian 'an, in the battle with Yuan Tan's Nanpi, Cao Chun "commanded butch to ride around Nanpi" and "rushed to attack it, and Tan was defeated. Yuan Tan died at the hands of "butch riding" led by Cao Chun. Secondly, in the 12th year of Jian 'an, during the northern expedition to Wuhuan, it was Cao Chun who led the "butch riding" to cut off the head of Wuhuan Khan on the battlefield. Third, in the 13th year of Jian 'an, Cao Chun "levied Jingzhou, chased Liu Bei to Changban, seized his second daughter's trench, and collected his scattered troops", that is to say, "Tiger and Leopard Ride" defeated Liu Bei in the battle of Changbanpo. Fourth, in the sixteenth year of Jian 'an, Cao Cao fought Ma Chao. "First, we picked it with light soldiers, but we couldn't fight for a long time, but it was the tiger riding to attack it. It was the tiger and leopard riding through the Xiliang Ma Chao legion." Some people say that in the 23rd year of Jian 'an, Cao Hong and Cao Xiu defeated Zhang Fei and Wu Lanshi in the next debate, and they also attacked with "Tiger and Leopard Riding". Although Cao Xiu commanded "Tiger and Leopard Riding", historical records do not show that Cao Xiu attacked with "Tiger and Leopard Riding" in this battle, but I guess it is very possible.
It can be seen from the records of Tiger and Leopard Riding that in almost every battle, Cao Cao devoted himself to Tiger and Leopard Riding at the most critical moment, and almost all the battles this unit participated in were hard battles. For example, the battle of Nanpi was actually very hard, and Cao Cao wanted to give up. It was Cao Chun who insisted on fast break and won by "Tiger and Leopard Riding", which shows the ability of this unit to tackle key problems. Coupled with the Northern Expedition in Wuhuan, when Nagsaka pursued Liu Bei, this unit pursued Liu Bei for "300 Li a day and night" after a long-distance attack. It can be seen that his machine power and combat effectiveness are not comparable to those of ordinary troops, and even the troops of Xiliang Ma Chao, who are good at horse fighting for a long time, were defeated by it. So I think this unit is Cao Cao's well-deserved "ace unit".
Another thing that can prove the importance of "Tiger and Leopard Riding" is that after the death of Cao Zhi, commander-in-chief of Cao Chun, Cao Cao said, "You can't get it back! I am not alone in supervising evil? " So he no longer chose to command, but personally became the commander of butch riding. It can be seen that Cao Cao is very concerned about the command of the "Tiger and Leopard Riding" troops, because this is his elite troops.
The number of "Tiger and Leopard Riding" troops is not recorded in historical materials, but it is difficult to select because they are elite troops, and cavalry was an expensive arms in the Three Kingdoms period. The cost of forming this elite cavalry should be considerable, so the number will not be large, otherwise Cao Cao will not be so cautious when using him. But it is estimated that its number is more than that of Dian Wei's "samurai guards", because it can be used as a force to fight alone on the battlefield, so the author speculates that it should be tens of thousands, but not more than 20,000 to 30,000, otherwise it cannot be called elite.
As for the future whereabouts of the "butch riding" troops, there is no official record. I speculate that there are two possibilities. One is incorporated into the guards of Cao Cao or his son Cao Pi, that is, the "guards". The other is that after the general trend of the world is set, the number of wars will be reduced and the scale will be expanded. "Tiger and leopard riding" has few opportunities to exert its power, and its cost is huge, which may be gradually revoked or merged by other troops.
In short, "Tiger and Leopard Riding", a mysterious force rarely recorded in history, is an elite force that Cao Cao once made great achievements.