> To get back on topic I think there is an analogy here with the
Lunars in
> Sartar and Prax whose Heartland Corps units sit tight in the
fortified
> cities (although somehow I can't see traditional Dara Happan
hoplites doing
> much digging and fortifying themselves as they have whole castes
of people
> to do that for them back in DH - modern Lunar units are probably
more Roman
> in this respect) while the running about in the hills is done by
local and
> other auxilaries and special units like the vexilla in BA.
>
> This is of course also pretty much how the Red Army behaved for
most of
> their time in Afghanistan...
Actually, the last is a bit of a myth. With the exception of some of the Sarandoy security troops and a coupld of relatively elite regiments, the pro-Soviet Afghan army was not of a quality to do more than sit in barracks or guard convoys and lines of communications. The Soviets regularly had about a tenth of their deployment in the filed (which is actually quite a respectable proportion), a mix of special forces, scouts and the better motorrifle elements.
Similarly, I wouldn't present the Imperial Army as quite so reactive. Sure, a phalanx isn't going to be much use in the Quivini mountains, but there are many elements within the regular orbat which are either trained for lower-intensity warfare (Silver Shields while they were there, Lasadag Lions, even such cavalry as the Uplands) or else from homelands with rough terrain. That said, Tarshites - who are not really 'auxiliaries' - certainly have a key role in taking the battles into Sartari fastnesses.
All the best
Mark
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