Since every immortal in Journey to the West can ride clouds and mists, why does the Heavenly Court bother raising horses?
First, it’s certain that the horses kept in the Heavenly Palace are not warhorses, or at least, their primary purpose is not for major military campaigns. This is because the Imperial Stables only houses about a thousand horses. We know the number of Heavenly Soldiers is at least in the hundreds of thousands.
The Monkey King went happily with the Star Spirit of Jupiter to the stables in order to assume his duties. After the Star Spirit had returned to his own mansion, the new officer gathered together the deputy and assistant supervisors, the accountants and stewards, and other officials both great and small and made thorough investigation of all the affairs of the stables. There were about a thousand celestial horses.
— Journey to the West, Chapter 4
Furthermore, from the name “Imperial Stables,” we can deduce that the horses bred there are exclusively for royal use, not for ordinary cavalry. The original text of Journey to the West also mentions the breeds of these horses – all famous steeds recorded in Chinese history. Examples include the horse of Lu Bu (renowned general of the Three Kingdoms period), the horses of King Mu of Zhou, the horse of Emperor Wen of Han, the horse of Qin Shi Huang (First Emperor of Qin), and even mythical divine horses from legend. Clearly, these horses are symbols of status and wealth.
Finally, Sun Wukong’s position as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses (also known as Bima Wen, BanHorsePlague or Supervisor of the Imperial Stables) was chosen by the Star Lord of Military Valor (also known as Star Spirit of Wuqu, or Wuqu Xingjun) from military officer posts. This clearly indicates the position held military significance. From this, we can infer that besides their use in ceremonial processions, another purpose for the Heavenly Court raising these horses was to serve as the imperial mount or part of the ceremonial military escort for the Jade Emperor or members of the royal family whenever the Heavenly Court launched a military campaign.
The Jade Emperor then ordered the divine officials, both civil and military, to see what vacant appointment there might be for Sun Wukong to receive. From the side came the Star Spirit of Wuqu, who reported, “In every mansion and hall everywhere in the Palace of Heaven, there is no lack of ministers. Only at the imperial stables is a supervisor needed.”
— Journey to the West, Chapter 4
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