The military strength of the Han dynasty lay in its bureaucratic structure, advanced weaponry and the speed and endurance of a new breed of horse imported from the Western reaches of the Silk Road. Tombs belonging to Han military officers often contained replica cavalry and footsoldiers fashioned from clay. As many as six hundred mounted cavalry soldiers similar to this example were excavated from the tomb of the famous Han general Chou Po in 1956 near Hsien-Yang in Shansi province.