The cavalry indeed began to move, but it wasn't Li Fusheng's vanguard unit that initiated. Instead, two cavalry units on either side of the vanguard, totaling over 6,000 horsemen, began to accelerate.
For cavalry, battlefield distance is crucial. Horses require sufficient space to build up speed.
Cavalry unable to build up a charge are mere sitting ducks.
Ancient war films often depicted mass cavalry charges followed by soldiers fighting with swords from horseback, purely for dramatic effect.
In reality, the most effective use of cavalry lies in their speed and the terrifying impact it creates. Typically, the correct way to employ cavalry was to pull the troops back after an initial charge, allow them to briefly reorganize, and then launch a new wave of attacks. This process would be repeated several times.
It was like squeezing a tube of toothpaste, employing every method to extract the very last bit for one final brushing.
