- --------------3EA5BFA4F89C15BD6DEBEF68 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> Nick comments:
> >Jose writes:
> > Most regions of the Empire have a long military tradition they are
> > proud of. The Empire, in its wisdom, fosters these traditions when
> > they are used in members of the Imperial Army, while they try to
> > keep the satrapies' armies (unless they are actively involved in
> > war) small and ineffective.
>
> Nick replies
> >I would broadly agree with this. Armies inside the Empire are generally
> the
> >"private armies" of sultans, satraps and other nobles: household troops,
> >rather than standing armies. The Lunar Empire is not organised feudally:
> it
> >does not expect to have satraps and the like turning up on the front lines
> >with their household forces to fight. (Although, when this does happen --
> >Count Alehandro and the Queen's Regiment -- it's perfectly happy with the
> >results).
>
> I agree with this thought. The Lunar Empire is certainly not feudal in its
> military obligations. The Satraps do have their personal troops but these
> are honourary and guard rather than feudal levy for war and obligation.
>
> The Four Armies of DH were formed into the Four Armies of the Lunar
> Empire - Heartland Corps, Garrison Army, Imperial Bodyguard and
> Cavalry Corps. The regiments for these recruit and are based in a
> particular region usually, except for elite units who recruit across
> the whole range of units in the army below them or directly from very
> select recruits.
>
> So in each Satrapy there will be units assigned to:
>
> Heartland Corps
> Cavalry Corps
> Garrison Army
>
> These are all techically under the Satraps command while in his domain
> but in reality he has little personal control over them unless the Emperor
> is killed and there is civil war. The reason for this is simple - the
> uber-officer
> layer of Tarnils is loyal to the Emperor and their command levels first and
>
> foremost. Unlike RW Roman legates or Persian Satraps, the Tarnils corps
> is religiously bound to obey their oaths or suffer real and unpleasant
> consequences from their god.
>
> This is not to say that treachery doesn't occur, its simply less likely.
> One of
> the only ways a Satrapy based unit can side with its Satrap is if the
> officers
> are killed by the men, at which point the unit loses much effectiveness.
>
> Its an interesting point that the Garrison army is usually loyal to its
> base
> Satrapy to a high degree as they are protecting their homes and really
> don't
> _want_ to leave their region. This parochialism is intentional, to foster
> a
> desire to defend and protect. The regiments that are used in the mobile
> armies
> are recruited from those with wanderlust, with a desire for "something
> greater"
> or from those who are deeply committed to the Lunar way.
>
> The mobile armies (and thus the cream of the crop) are therefore the best
> and most loyal troops in the Empire and are highly motivated to support the
> Imperial way.
>
> > The Red Army should have, IMO, a character of its own, a worldly
> > nature and a tough Esprit de Corps, that differentiates them even
> > from local forces from its own place of origin.
>
> >I agree completely. Even if we accept the semi-Staffordian argument that
> the
> >Lunar Way is a veneer covering a Dara Happan Empire, that veneer is most
> >visible in the obvious arms of state: government, religion, and military.
>
> Agreed. The Lunar veneer is often highly visible in the arms of state.
> Glamour
> is pretty much totally Lunar too.
>
> >You can see the differences between an "old-fashioned" Dara Happan and a
> >"modern" Lunar unit immediately.
>
> Double Plus Agreed.
>
> Note, that both units are in the Lunar or "Red" army but are completely
> different
> in tradition, style and structure. The Lunar units have a great military
> tradition
> to uphold given their many wars and difficult times. The most condeming
> thing
> for many DH and other non-lunar units was their joining of Sheng during his
> rule.
>
> Though this fact is hushed up, the truth is, many DH units joined his
> array, and
> no small number fought in Kralorela or other parts of his Empire. The true
> Lunar regiments do not forget this and there is a significant amount of
> animosity
> between the traditions of the two groups. Though it is subtle, such
> tarnished
> units are watched _very_ closely and have more than their share of Tarnils
> officers from Glamour and other Lunar strongholds of belief.
>
> Think of Antonys legions or those of the Assassins, Lepidus or even Sextus
> Pompeius who were taken on by Augustus after his victory over all of the
> above.
> None were as honoured as the X Legion of Caeser or those legions who
> abandoned Anthony to support Octavian.
>
> One other thing on the "Red" army. Very few of its units are actually
> clothed in
> Crimson. The reason for this is simply - many of their units _aren't_
> Lunar in
> origin and keep their clothing traditions (DHs wear gold, Lasadags wear
> lion pelts
> etc). Most importantly though, the crimson is an honour to wear. The
> Lunar units
> wear it with pride to show their status as utterly loyal. They did not
> falter when faced
> by Sheng, they stood true to Rufelza. When the Sheng wars were at their
> peak, the
> only surviving units wore red and indeed the Lunar Army was also the Red
> Army
> because its core was all they had left. Those days of hardship are
> remembered
> and recounted with the same pride that Mao recounted the Long March etc.
>
> Martin Laurie
Powered by hypermail