Imperial Chinese Armies (1)After AD 304, the five 'barbarian' tribes divided north China among themselves, establishing dynasties that were often Chinese only in name. These dynasties frequently engaged in feuds with each other and with the native states, whose stronghold was now in the south. It was under this barbarian influence that the heavily armoured cavalry, which were to become the striking force of the great T'ang dynasty in the 7th and 8th centuries, first developed.