The Armored Cavalry (鉄甲騎馬隊 Tetsu Kabuto Kiba Tai Iron Clad Cavalry) is a military unit in Suikoden. The unit, led by Teo McDohl was known for being virtually unbeatable in battle.
Information
The armored cavalry was renowned through the Scarlet Moon Empire as a unit that had never known defeat during its countless battles against the City-State of Jowston. During the War of Succession, the armored cavalry was feared enough that the forces of Geil Rugner kidnapped Teo's son in an attempt to force Teo to fight without the famed unit.
The final battle of the war took place at the Fortress of Kwaba, with Teo McDohl's 500 armored cavalry and Ain Gide's 1,000 regular cavalry easily dispatching the 3,000 strong force of Generals Schmidt and Bergen.
In the Gate Rune War, the armored cavalry decisively routed the Toran Liberation Army in the First Battle with Teo, coming close to ending the war there and then. However, the Liberation Army was able to secure a supply of Fire Spears, something the heavily armored unit was susceptible to, and emerged victorious in the Second Battle with Teo, ending the legacy of the famed unit.
The cavalry was not made up of horses but gulhorses, an animal unique to the Toran region. However, gulhorses were ignored as a combat animal for a long time due to their stubbornness and resistance to handling. It was Teo McDohl who asserted the gulhorses use in combat, making them the formidable unit they became under his charge.
References
- Gensosuikoden Short Story Collection 1 (ISBN 4-8402-1494-8), pages 13-106
- Gensosuikoden Encyclopaedia (ISBN 4-575-16297-3), page 182
- Gensosuikoden Kiwami Encyclopedia, page 75