Defensive Armor or the Han Period 233 



commander was obliged to inaugurate again a reform of cavalry tactics. 

 In 598 a.d. the Turkish Khan Ta-t'ou, the Tardu of the Byzantine 

 historians, made an inroad into China; and Yang Su, appointed gen- 

 eralissimo against him, met with unusual success. Formerly, the Chi- 

 nese annalist tells us on this occasion, the generals in their battles with 

 the Turkish hordes were chiefly concerned about the cavalry of the en- 

 emy, and merely observed an attitude of defence by forming a carre of 

 chariots, infantry 7 and riders, the latter being posted in the centre sur- 

 rounded by the other troops, and the carre being encircled by an abatis. 1 

 Yang Su held that this means of defence was merely an act of fortifying 

 one's self, but could never lead to a victory; and he entirely abandoned 

 this old-fashioned practice. He 

 formed his troops solely into 

 squadrons of horsemen ready 

 for immediate attack. On 

 learning these tidings, the Khan 

 was overjoyed, exclaiming, // %( 



"Heaven has accorded me this & & k a '" $ 

 favor!" Dismounting from his FlG - 36 - 



, , , 1 T _ Abatis (from Huang ch'ao li k'i I'u shi). 



horse, he looked up to Heaven 



and worshipped. At the head of a hundred thousand picked equestrians 

 he advanced, and suffered a distressing defeat from the hand of Yang Su, 

 who charged him with all vehemence. Fortunately we are told also 

 some details as to the method of Yang Su's offensive procedure. He was 

 a harsh warrior, enforcing martial laws with Spartan severity: capital 

 punishment was meted out to whomever infringed the articles of war. 

 In open battle he began operations by rushing one or two hundred riders 

 against the position of the enemy. Did they succeed in breaking him, 

 it was all right; did they fail and retreat, he had all of them, irrespective 

 of their number, beheaded on the spot. Then he proceeded to send 

 forth a squadron of two to three hundred men, until the enemy was 

 beaten. Thus his officers and men were overwhelmed with awe, and 

 "possessed of a heart ready to die." From this time, Yang Su remained 

 victorious in every combat, and reaped the fame of a remarkable com- 

 mander. 2 



When I make the armament of the Iranian and Scythian cata- 



1 In Chinese lu kio ("stag horns "). Every visitor to China has seen these affairs 

 in front of Yamen and police stations. The illustration (Fig. 36) is derived from 

 Huang ch'ao li k'i t'u shi (Ch. 15, p. 26). These abatis are first mentioned in the life 

 of Su Huang (San kuo chi, Wei chi, Ch. 17, p. 6), then in the fife of Ma Lung (Tsin 

 shu, Ch. 57, p. 2 b), who made extensive use of this means of defence in open territory. 



2 Sui shu, Ch. 48, p. 3. 



