Can you do me a favour and post this to the digest for me - with a header like POST FROM MARTIN LAURIE - Lunar Army.
See you tonight.
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
End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #279
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