V1-V3 Lao Che Fans
Lao Che Khanate
I will start out with the noble and glorious Lao Che Khanate:
Everything changed for the Lao Che with the „Great Torment” – people died, the herds suffered and the crops simply didn’t grow as before.
Not only the Lao Che were hard hit by this drama; all people of the Steppe had to contend with that. So after the headman of the Che tribe had bested all the other tribes’ champions in single combat, Lao Che – after whom the confederation of tribes was now named – began to steer his people through those difficult times.
The traditional weapons of the Steppe are the bow and the horse. The tribes relied mostly on horse archers or foot archers. While fighting on the plains, this was sufficient. But as the current leader of the Lao Che has grander designs about the future, archers are not enough.
Archers come in different forms in the Khanate’s armies: the most basic form is the Fu Yen (peasant archer), these farmers need to stuff themselves and are therefore badly equipped and trained, they are forced to take arms during emergencies. Only slightly better equipped and trained (and motivated) are the Sung Yen (peasant horse archers), who can at least afford to muster a horse to ride to battle – and stay out of harm’s way a bit. While those two units should not be relied on by a clever commander, the professional armies of the Khanate can stand up to most of their counterparts on Thera.
The Fu Li (light archers) are an important part of any Lao Che army. As all other professional Lao Che soldiers, their equipment is cared for by the Khan, which makes them much better prepared for battle than the Fu Yen. The Fu Li are the backbone of the Khan’s army, but don’t be mistaken, it is vitally important to keep the Fu Li out of harm’s way, because in melee, they will perish. Even better archers and much more suited to entering melees are the Fu Han (heavy archers). Better trained, better equipped and more heavily armoured, they can – after firing their deadly volleys – withstand some infighting. But that is not their job; you will want to use your infantry for that. Two elite units of archers deserve to be mentioned: the Fu Fang are pretty fine archers which fire incendiary arrows – with deadly accuracy those can break even the mightiest foe. The Fu Gan (guards archers) are the elite of the Lao Che bowmen; only the best archers can stand a chance of entering their ranks.
Before the “Great Torment” the tribes relied more heavily on cavalry. The Zhang Li (light lancers) are all pretty fine horsemen, equipped from the Khan’s coffers. But being just lightly armoured, they are very effective against unprotected infantry or cavalry or for hunting down fleeing enemies, but against heavier armoured foes, they are in trouble. The Sung Han (heavy horse archers) were the backbone of the tribes’ armies in days long gone. Against well protected enemies, just raining down arrows and retreating before showering them with arrows again proved not enough. The Zhang Han (heavy lancers) are part of the solution. Those heavily armed and armoured horsemen love to enter the fray and they can and do stay in the middle of trouble! But equipping them is a costly enterprise and a lot of training is necessary to form a unit of Zhang Han. While the Zhang Han are rightly feared, there is no more fearsome weapon than the dreaded elephants the Lao Che employ. Wild, ferocious animals, they are like a battle tank – destroying everything in their path, no matter if friend or foe. The elephants are sometimes equipped with artillery or rockets, making them even mightier. But beware, elephants are dangerous for our own units, too!
For holding a battle line, the Lao Che use their spear units; the Jiang Li and Jiang Han (light and heavy spearmen); basic, reliable infantry units which are well able to do their job. For advancing and offensive action on the battlefield you have the Qin Yashima (noble swordsmen) and the Qin Han (heavy swordsmen). These are well suited for attacking and slowly advancing on the field. The same is true for the Naginata Yashima, Lao Che nobles armed with wicked naginatas, the elite infantry unit of the Lao Che. A special note on the Ninj Shu (silent assassins): they are able to sneak onto the enemy or to even hide on the battlefield; a capacity that is seen by many conservative Lao Che as cowardly. (And they are too vulnerable to be employed as regular infantry.) The Qin Shu (silent swordsmen) can also be used to sneak onto the enemy, but they are armoured well enough to withstand some infighting. In times of emergency, citizens are required to serve as impromptu infantry in the form of Halberd Militia, a mixture of army units and inner city police force.
Conservative Lao Che also view the new technology of gunpowder as detracting from honourable battle in favour of cowardly behaviour. But eventually, the new technology will have to be adopted, because progress cannot be denied. The Lao Che even have a special branch of the Ninj Shu equipped with primitive firearms, the Jiang Fang (fire spears). And of course they also employ Naffatun, grenade-throwing, lightly armoured infantry.
The Lao Che’s reliance on cavalry and speed made them adopt artillery rather late on. Nowadays, artillery is a part of the Lao Che’s military machine, but some commanders, whether because of a conservative notion or because of the increased movement choose to ignore artillery as best as they can. The Lao Che feature Catapults, Ballistas and Trebuchet as well as Rocket Launchers, Cannons, Bombards, Grand Bombards and Monster Bombards.
Location:
The Lao Che make their home on the southern continent of Huang-Chuan, whose native population, the Sumari, they sometimes use as mercenaries. They are surrounded by mostly rebel settlements, which they should under all circumstances subdue. Especially the cities will prove very valuable for their tax revenues; considering that they start out with just one city, Kara Korum. As they already have three castles (Bor Jin, Sung Han and Lao Meso), there is no urgent need for more, and one might consider converting one of the newly conquered (that is: still to conquer) castles into a city.
Their main rival on the southern continent is the Uruk Dominion. This faction features vicious units, especially Uruks and Ly Kans. It is wise to try to steer a peaceful path with them – in case you choose to talk to those…animals. But be warned of two things, always, really always keep an eye on them, and don’t conquer the isle of Ganghwa unless you’re prepared for full scale war. The Dominion wants that island really badly and will do everything to get it, keep it or retake it. (And the damn island isn’t worth the trouble; but it is a good staging ground for your enemies to attack Kara Korum, so make sure to protect this very important city well!)
The Dominion can be held in checks by force and by force only. If you manage to stay clear of them, do so and try to channel their aggression towards their other neighbours, the League of Privateers and the Romuli Empire. As soon as the Dominion attacks one or both, start a celebration, because they won’t have the power to attack you now. And do try to prolong this war as long as possible (without getting involved).
Things are a lot more complicated on your northern front, though. The settlement of Lao Meso on the continent of Mesocala is a blessing and a curse. The foothold on Mesocala is valuable, but nevertheless dangerous. It will – sooner or later – get you into conflict with either the Aztecs, the Kukulcan, the Tahar, the Valiente, the Faustian Empire or a combination thereof. If you feel strong enough, take Hunahu, the settlement straight to Lao Meso’s north. Recruit spearmen and cavalry from Lao Meso, you are going to need it; the Aztecs to your west or the Tahar to your east will come rather sooner than later.
Your strategy should be to drive the Tahar away from Mesocala, conquering their bridgehead/castle and blocking the seaways to keep them from shipping reinforcements. But beware, they might try to do the same to you! And if you lose your foothold you will most probably never regain it. What might work in your favour is the Valiente’s rivalry with the Tahar, which might lead to a crusade declared against the Tahar, robbing them of any chance to withstand your attacks.
In the long run, the same strategy works against the Valiente and the Fausts; but that is a long way in the future and depends on how strong each of them is.
The most difficult to tackle are the indigenous factions, especially the Aztecs and the Kukulcan. The best for you would be if they started to war on each other (what they sometimes do), but you cannot rely on this. If you go to war against one of them, at least make sure that it is just one, not both. They do not feature the best of units mostly, but lots of them; so cleverness and a willingness to sacrifice a lot of your men are necessary here. But it is worth your while, the gains are enormous.
To sum it up: first take care of your backyard, stay clear of the Dominion and head north to tackle the Tahar, Aztecs and Kukulcan.
A word on building: roads are very important, because wandering through the steppe without roads takes a lot of time. Remember to build temples to keep your people happy, harbours for troop transports to the northern continents, to block the Tahar and the Dominion and, of course, military constructions in your castles!
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Marcus Septim IV
] it's time that we get a discussion about the Lao Che going.
...
