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Jin Army's Iron Pagoda

Type Object Region China Time 1130–1161

The Iron Pagoda was the name for the Jin dynasty's elite heavy-armored cavalry, with men and horses both heavily armored, often rotating three horses…

Timeline

  1. 1131–1135Frontier of Huainan and the Central Plains · Huai River basinDuring Wanyan Zongbi's southern invasions, elite Jurchens were reorganized into the Iron Pagoda, with men and horses able to wear triple iron armor and each rider provided three horses for rotation, specializing in breaking enemy formations and pursuit, becoming the Jin army's core field assault force.
  2. 1140Shunchang Prefecture · Huai River basinLiu Qi defended Shunchang, using feints, poisoned arrows, and street fighting to wear down the Iron Pagoda's charges; in the intense heat the heavy cavalry could not sustain itself and the Jin offensive was checked, revealing the Iron Pagoda's limitations off plains and in high temperatures.
  3. 1140–1161Yancheng and the Central Plains battlefield · Central PlainsYue Fei shattered the Iron Pagoda and Guai Zi Ma at Yancheng, with Yue Yun leading Beiwei cavalry in a countercharge against the iron-armored formation; thereafter, with the Song-Jin peace settlement and Jin reorganization, the Iron Pagoda as an independent elite designation gradually disappeared from battle records.

Sources