Your favorite military reform

[Argeus the Paladin]

Inspired by Cornelius Plautus' thread, partially beacuse this is what I misread the thread title as.

My favorite military reform has to be the reforms by the late kingdom of Zhao in the Chinese Warring State era. From an army of chariots and infantry, they learnt from the nomads and turned themselves into somewhat of a Parthian-inspired cavalry archer army and subsequently won a good deal of victories.

The only downside was that this reform didn't last, for the reform did not outlast the intelligent king who thought of this. The rest is history.

I'd also like to call for the Roman Marian reform, if only for Rome Total war.

[bushbush]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_Yang

It made Qin kingdom a great power during the Warring State era and prepared them for the wars that would for the first time unify China.

[Argeus the Paladin]

I was about to call that, but then I realized that Shang Yang's reforms were of a more civil nature. As in, not strictly a 'military' reform.

[bushbush]

I was about to call that, but then I realized that Shang Yang's reforms were of a more civil nature. As in, not strictly a 'military' reform.

military reform was a significant part of it, and its civilian reforms were also geared to produce more recruits and food storage to prepare for war.

[cenkiss]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dev%C5%9Firme

The reform that gave us janissaries.
It created a professional army who did not worry about their homes or families.Their only job was to be soldiers or brilliant statesman.They only answered to sultan.

[diegis]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_reforms

No doubt one of the reforms who influenced the world, the ancient world and even today militaries. Profesional soldiers, constant training, from use of individual weapons to colective ones (catapults for ex.), marching with all necessary equipment on you, runnings, wrestling, boxing, battle formations, use of all kind of signals and signs to give orders to different units on the battle field even during the battle, flexibility even on lower chain of comand, engeenering, standardization of equipment and training provided by state.

[bushbush]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_reforms

No doubt one of the reforms who influenced the world, the ancient world and even today militaries. Profesional soldiers, constant training, from use of individual weapons to colective ones (catapults for ex.), marching with all necessary equipment on you, runnings, wrestling, boxing, battle formations, use of all kind of signals and signs to give orders to different units on the battle field even during the battle, flexibility even on lower chain of comand, engeenering, standardization of equipment and training provided by state.

it might have been done over many generations rather than by one person. What marius did might be just formalizing a long used practice. But more critically, this reform might have been the reason for the eventual destruction of the empire itself. The loyalty of the armies were shifted to generals, rather than the state. From that on, civil wars became part of Roman history.

[Argeus the Paladin]

Let me bring back to the issue that the Song dynasty did the exact opposite and fell as well in the same way - barbarian invasion.

[bushbush]

Let me bring back to the issue that the Song dynasty did the exact opposite and fell as well in the same way - barbarian invasion.

the lesson is : barbarians always win.

[hellheaven1987]

the lesson is : barbarians always win.

Barbarians + human wave always win.

Mongol is nothing when comparing the desperated situation of Jin Dynasty.

[Odovacar]

the lesson is : barbarians always win.

Except in cases when they not...

The chinese did adopt changes in their military successfully to fight the nomads, not so?
I think they managed to defeat nomads with their onw horse archers.

[Argeus the Paladin]

I wait for Suboatai de Bodemloze to comment.

[Farnan]

The reformation of the Burgundian Army by I think Charles the Bold. Created the first modern military structure.