[Reconstructed Han Dynasty clothing]

Early Western Han, unarmoured cavalry.

[Reconstructed Han Dynasty clothing]

Early Western Han, armoured officer.

[Reconstructed Han Dynasty clothing]

Early Western Han, armoured Infantry.

[Reconstructed Han Dynasty clothing]

Reconstructed by 琥璟明 (Not the guy in photo), one of the better reconstructor (is that even a word?) in China.

Early Western Han, unarmoured Infantry. Note that only the first three pics are in complete costume. Subsequent pictures are to showcase the undercloth.

Early Western Han, light armoured Infantry.

[Han Dynasty Unit Terminology and Reference]

It is too late (I think) to make a groundbreaking change but it would be worth investigating...

How about a group training mechanism like you see in Age of Empires 3 with the Chinese faction?

This means you could train those armies (border army, provincial army etc.). They would consist of a specific combination of units and would be trainable from different buildings. (the provincial army could be trainable in the farmstead and such ideas)

No worries , you can think of this thread as a naming reference, instead of a real suggestion that could affect the faction design/unit roster.

Implementing everything I listed above would amount to giving Athens six different types of hoplite , which is totally redundant.

I did suggested something similar to AOE3 at my Song Dynasty thread though. Unlike most armies which consist of mass of citizen soldiers supported by smaller number of elite champions, for Song Dynasty it is the other way around.

[Faction: The Chinese]

That could (sort of ) work. Early Ming are somewhat similar to Song Dynasty, at least appearance wise.

[Faction: The Chinese]

@wolflance

I admit. The op that I wrote ain't very accurate and a lot of this comes from the Five Dynasties & Ten Kingdoms period. Thanks for the corrections. However, if I'm correct that part 1 is to be set between 500-1000 AD would it be a good idea to just call this faction "China" and base it on the Sui-Tang and ending at the Five Dynasties & Ten Kingdoms at late game? This will allow it to incorporate some cool units that occurred not long after the fall of the Tang but would be too "outdated" to be saved for part 2, such as the "Dragon Ship" which some people reckon was the first use of the Chinese flamethrower in warfare (Battle of Lanshanjiang 919). It would also justify the firelance as they were in use by 950 AD at the latest.

On another note. Should the Chinese faction from part 2 start from the Song and end with early Ming? The Song fell by 1279, which leaves out 221 years worth of interesting potential units. Like Zheng He's treasure fleet for example (1371-1433).

I am thinking of completely overhauling this faction proposal based on this notion, with more historically accurate units.

I agree with you for Part I, which should be easier to implement (Main contribution from Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period would be the catapult-launched incendiary bombs, the fire lance, and flamethrower). I will modify my post accordingly.

Part II is...hard. That period saw the transition from Infantry-based Song dynasty to entirely cavalry-based Mongol Yuan, to (somewhat) balanced early Ming dynasty.

[[Part II] Faction: The Chinese (Song Dynasty)]

Eyecandy
Only the horseman is accurate though. Other soldiers are dressed in armour from other period.


This is a concept art for a WIP Skyrim (and Mount and Blade, I think) mod called Cangloong City, but could serves as useful reference for standard Song Dynasty soldier load out.

The left guy would be a Advanced level unit, the middle guy is a Elite level unit (or Champion), and the right guy is a Hero unit. Basic unit would be unarmored, but otherwise identical to the left guy.

Note the felt hat, scarf and waist cloth, especially that felt hat, which is one of the most distinct equipment of Song troops.

An animated feature film base on the Northern Song painted scroll 《清明上河圖》 or "Along the River During the Qingming Festival". It is a very good reference on the urban life during the Song Dynasty, and contains many reference on Song period architecture, civilian clothing, civilian boat design, city walls, and miscellaneous things like umbrellas or lanterns.

[[Part II] Faction: The Chinese (Song Dynasty)]

Scrapped Civilization Proposal

THE SONG DYNASTY (Northern Song 960-1127, Southern Song 1127-1279)

Early Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1453, Jingtai reign)

Brief history:

After a period of upheaval and unrest that was the turbulent Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Song Dynasty rose up and reunite the Chinese people once again. A period of relative peace soon followed, and Chinese cultural, economic and scientific advancements were at all time heights during the Song Dynasty. Nevertheless, the Chinese have to constantly struggle with the even more powerful Khitan Liao Dynasty, and later the Tangut Western Xia Dynasty, Jurchen Jin Dynasty, and eventually, faced their demise at the hand of the Mongols. The Chinese would not endure their Mongol overlord for long, and quickly overthrow the Yuan Dynasty to form the Ming Dynasty.

Gameplay:

Turtling and economic powerhouse.

Song Dynasty is even more catered for turtle player than its predecessor, the Tang Dynasty. While Tang Dynasty was militarily strong, with a fierce contingent of light cavalry backed by very competent infantry, the same cannot be said for the Song Dynasty. At this period the Chinese were constantly troubled by severe lack of horse, so their army was almost entirely infantry-based. Low social status of soldiers and the tendency to distrust or even execute capable military commander certainly did not help matters.

In stark contrast to their weak army, Chinese advanced tremendously in almost every field related to economy: Agriculture, metallurgy, as well as commerce and foreign trade. Major exports were silk, porcelain and tea. (The claim that Song Dynasty had 80% GDP share of the world is totally false, though).

Also around this time we saw large-scale use of gunpowder weapons for the first time, both by the Chinese and their enemies. Due to their maritime trade, the Song Chinese were very advanced in naval and navigation technology, inventing watertight compartment as well as utilizing paddle-wheel warships (and a blue water navy) on large scale.

Civ Feature:

Imperial Society: The Chinese did not live in a feudal society, and never developed anything like the European "castle network". They start with the usual civic center building instead of castle/fortress typical of Millennium A.D.

Civ Bonus:

* House accommodate 15 ~ 20 population from the start. Being the most populous country at the time has its perk.

* Additional farming technologies (Increase yield): steel tipped plough, foreign crops.

* Additional farming technologies (Reduce harvest interval): Agriculture treatises, multi-tube seed drill.

* Iron industry: Bonus to metal mining and cheaper blacksmith upgrades.

Civ Disadvantage:

* Only has access to one type of extremely weak Citizen Soldier unit.

* Slow expansion.

* Once promoted to Elite status, most infantry units become very slow, encumbered by their heavy armor.

* Expensive, slow to train cavalry due to chronic lack of horse.

* Horseshoe, which is quite important to the performance of cavalry, was unknown to the Chinese until Mongol Yuan dynasty. This put Chinese cavalry at a disadvantage when compared to other civilizations that have access to this technology.

Unique Tech / Upgrade:

* Odometer and South-Pointing Chariot - Increase vision range.

* Watertight Compartment - Increase Hit Point of naval unit.

* Coke fuel - Replace wood requirement on all unit/upgrade except building and mechanical unit to stone at half cost. Can be toggle on/off.

* Maritime trade - The Chinese ventured as far as Africa (Fatimid Egypt).

* Gunpowder Formula - Late game upgrade that provides different bonus depending on which reform tech is chosen.

Reform Tech 1: Undying Loyalty

Special upgrade that mobilize the Song Empire against foreign incursions, which enhance their defensive strategy. Bonus include:

*Fortresses and towers become cheaper, and build faster.

*Crossbowmen gain bonus damage and range.

*Unlock counterweight trebuchet.

*Unlock elite Bei Wei Champion units.

*Gunpowder Formula unlocks bamboo gunner and upgrade infantry archer, whirlwind trebuchet and siege crossbow with explosive ammunition.

*Access to Militia Sentry（鄉兵）Upgrade - Civic centers, barracks, docks, fortresses and defense towers gain extra arrow attack. Stacks with existing attack and other similar upgrade.

*Access to Double-Piston Flamethrower（猛火油櫃）Upgrade - Fortress and defense towers gain flamethrower attack.

*Access to late game Tower Crossbow Upgrade - Fortress and defense towers gain siege crossbow attack.

If Undying Loyalty is researched, Mandate of Heaven become unavailable.

Reform Tech 2: Mandate of Heaven

Special upgrade that advance the Chinese faction into the era of Ming Dynasty, which drastically altered their strategy and playstyle. Bonus include:

*Removal of the mostly useless Xiang Bing unit. All Xiang Bing unit already built will instantly turn into pikeman unit.

*All barrack units will be replaced with a cheaper, less armored, but much more mobile version, and turn into Citizen Soldier.

*Promotion to Elite status no longer slow down your unit.

*Siege weapons and naval units will be replaced with faster and longer ranged Ming Dynasty variant.

*Unlock Five Armies Battalion, Three Thousand Battalion, and Jinyiwei.

*Gunpowder Formula unlocks hand gunner, cluster rockets, Divine Engine Battalion and land mines.

*Access to late game Tower Cannon Upgrade - Fortress and defense towers gain cannon attack.

If Mandate of Heaven is researched, Undying Loyalty become unavailable.

Scrapped Unit Roster (Draft)

Non-Combat Unit

Woman

Healer (Taoism, Buddhism, or Neo-Confucianism)

Trader

Fishing Boat

Trading Junk

Civic Center Unit / Citizen Soldier

xiang bing （廂兵）- The only citizen soldier for this faction. Armed with a spear, this unit is extremely weak but also very cheap and train fast.

* This unit is removed if reform tech 2 is researched.

Barrack Unit / Champion Unit

Spearman （槍牌手） - Anti cavalry and meat shield unit. Armed with spear or halberd, as well as heavy pavise. Highly resistant to missile damage.

Heavy Axeman （劍斧手）- Shock troops that use not only axes, but also glaives. Have no shield.

Archer （弓箭手）

Crossbowman （硬弩手）

Heavy Cavalry（馬軍）- Become Cataphract on Elite status.

<Reform 1> Bamboo Gunner（突火槍）

<Reform 2> Pikeman （長槍手） - Replace spearman.

<Reform 2> Swordsman （刀牌手）- Swift anti archer unit that is highly resistant to missile damage. Replace axeman.

<Reform 2> Archer （弓箭手）- Replace original archer.

<Reform 2> Hand Gunner （铳手） - Replace crossbowman.

<Reform 2> Rocket Infantry （九龍筒）- Shoots nine rockets per salvo. Wildly inaccurate.

<Reform 2> Cavalry Lancer （驍騎） - Replace heavy cavalry

<Reform 2> Horse Archer （輕騎）

*Although considered Champion unit (thus cannot perform gathering or construction), they are only on par with Citizen Soldiers of other factions, and generally lose to 'true' Champion units. However, they are available very early in the game, and can gain promotions.

** If reform tech 2 is researched, they become Citizen Soldier.

Fortress Unit / Elite Champion Unit

<Reform 1> Bei Wei Cavalry（背嵬馬軍）*- Elite personal guard of Yue Fei. Heavy Cataphract armed with glaive and axe.

<Reform 1> Bei Wei Infantry （背嵬步軍）*- Infantry version of the Bei Wei Cavalry.

<Reform 2> Divine Engine Battalion （神機營）- Elite Hand Gunner that shoots poisoned arrow instead of bullet, with extended range.

<Reform 2> Five Armies Battalion （五軍營）- Elite Cavalry Lancer.

<Reform 2> Three Thousand Battalion （三千營） - Elite Mongolian Horse Archer

<Reform 2> Jinyiwei（錦衣衛） - Special agent specialized in espionage and assassination.

Siege Weapon

War cart （如意戰車）*- A cheaper and slightly faster "siege tower lite". Can form into special "laager formation" that encircle other ranged siege unit. Garrisonable to up to three troops. Highly resistant to arrow and cavalry attack.

Mobile Whirwind Trebuchet （旋風車砲）

Siege Crossbow （弩車）*- A carroballista. Basic unit has one bow, Advanced unit has double bows, Elite unit has triple bows. Fairly tough for a siege unit.

<Reform 1> Counterweight Trebuchet （回回炮）*- Need to deploy to shoot.

<Reform 2> Rocket Cart （火箭車）*- Replace war cart. Cannot be garrisoned anymore.

<Reform 2> Siege Tower （臨衝呂公車） - Use RoTE siege tower model.

<Reform 2> Bombard （大銃）- Replace whirlwind trebuchet.

Warship

Superheavy War Junk （尖底海船） - Giant 2000 liao (Gross tonnage 450 tons, displacement 600 tons) warship, larger than the famous Flor de la Mar.

Heavy War Junk （巡船） - Heavy warship of 1000 liao displacement.

Ironclad Rammer（鐵壁鏵嘴船）* - Heavily armored hybrid oar & paddle wheel war boat designed for ramming attack.

<Reform 2> Heavy War Junk （戰座船）- 400 liao (166 tons), similar to most carrack.

<Reform 2> War Junk （戰船）- 200 liao (83 tons) light warship.

<Reform 2> Camouflaged Fire Ship （火船）- It looked like a normal fishing junk.

* Song Dynasty had a riverine navy, a coastal navy, and a blue water navy, AND some hybrid riverine-coastal warships, so it is really hard to decide which ship to put in. I chose mainly junk-type warships to represent the Song Dynasty lineup so that it will not differ too much from the Ming-era warships. This also means the Chinese will have access to Carrack sized heavy warships armed with gunpowder weaponry (albeit without effective broadside cannons like the 16th century carracks and galleons), while everyone else are still using galleys and cogs.

Heroes

<Reform 1> Di Qing 狄青 (Horse archer/Horse flailman) - Northern Song general who always wear a bronze mask and keep his hair unkempt during battle.

<Reform 1> Yue Fei 岳飛 (Cataphract) - Famous Southern Song general and national hero of China.

<Reform 1> Yang Miao Zhen 楊妙真 (Fire lance cavalry) - Female Southern Song general famed for her fire lance.

<Reform 2> Chang Yu Chun 常遇春 (Horse Archer) - Fierce warrior from early Ming Dynasty. Closest thing we have to a Romance of Three Kingdom-esque ‘superhuman’ in real life.

<Reform 2> Zhu Di 朱棣 (Spear Cavalry) - The King of Yan, and later Yongle Emperor. One of the rare and fiercest martial emperor of China that fought his way to the throne, and then continue to led his army at the front line.

<Reform 2> Treasure Ship 寶船 - Gigantic Trade-Warship Hybrid. It has poor firepower relative to its size, and functions more like a fire magnet or troop transport than real warship.

Special Building

<Reform 2> Land mine （地雷）- Explode when stepped on (duh).

Proposed Wonder

<Reform 1> Su Song's Astronomical Clock Tower

OR

<Reform 2> Porcelain Tower of Nanjing

Misc

Skirmisher （標牌手）- Armed with large pavise and shield.

<Reform 2> Cluster Rocket （一窩蜂）- After checking Wu Bei Zhi, I found that Nest of Bees is in fact a wagon-mounted rocket....

Cavalry Crossbowman

Battering Ram （撞車）

Mobile Double-piston Flamethrower （猛火油櫃）

Song Dynasty horse archer and Ming Dynasty crossbowman.

[[Part II] Faction: The Chinese (Song Dynasty)]

I saw Ayakashi's great post about the Tang Dynasty and think that the Chinese faction wouldn't be complete without Song Dynasty for part II of Millennium A.D. Here's my proposal:

Song Dynasty (960 - 1279AD)

 

Brief history

After a period of upheaval and unrest that was the turbulent Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Song Dynasty rose up and reunite the Chinese people once again (to certain extent). A period of relative peace soon followed, and Chinese cultural, economic and scientific advancements were at all time heights during the Song Dynasty. Nevertheless, the Chinese have to constantly struggle with the even more powerful Khitan Liao Dynasty, the Jurchen Jin Dynasty, the Tangut Western Xia Dynasty, and eventually, faced their demise at the hand of the Mongols. The Chinese would not endure their Mongol overlord for long, and quickly overthrow the Yuan Dynasty to form the Ming Dynasty.

 

 

Gameplay

Attrition warfare: Turtling and booming.

With reform, Song player can adjust their military to focus on:

* Gigantic swarms of cheap infantry unit.

* Early access of expensive foreign elite units.

* Late game high tech units and champions.

 

Song Dynasty is even more catered for turtle player than its predecessor, the Tang Dynasty. While Tang Dynasty was militarily strong, with a fierce contingent of light cavalry backed by very competent infantry, the same cannot be said for the Song Dynasty. At this period the Chinese were constantly troubled by severe lack of horse, so their army was almost entirely infantry-based. Low social status of soldiers and the tendency to distrust or even execute capable military commander certainly did not help matters.

 

In stark contrast to their weak army, Chinese advanced tremendously in almost every field related to economy: Agriculture, metallurgy, as well as commerce and foreign trade. Major exports were silk, porcelain and tea. (The claim that Song Dynasty had 80% GDP share of the world is totally false, however).

 

Also around this time we saw large-scale use of gunpowder weapons for the first time, both by the Chinese and their enemies. Due to their maritime trade, Song Chinese were very advanced in naval and navigation technology, inventing watertight compartment as well as utilizing paddle-wheel warships (and a blue water navy) on large scale.

 

Civilization Traits

* Imperial society - The Chinese did not live in a feudal society. Song civilization start with the usual civic center building instead of castle/fortress typical of Millennium A.D.

* Forbidden army of eight hundred thousand - The Song Dynasty was able to maintain a truly mind-boggling amount of full-time professional troops, but not all of them combat worthy. Most Song infantry are cheap, train fast, and extremely tough for their price. However, they cannot perform economic task.

* Defennd oriented - The Song Dynasty defensive strategy was heavily reliant on passive defense and developed superior defensive construction as a result.

 

Civilization Bonuses

Advanced Agriculture 1

History: Chinese mastery in agriculture was unsurpassed up until early modern period (don't quote me, but they were quite far ahead of the rest of world during our time frame AFAIK). They had farming treaties, multiple-tube seed drills and curved iron crankshaft plow, to name but a few. (And these are just the inventions of the previous dynasties)

Effect: Increase farm yield.

 

Silk & Porcelain Trade

History: The main export of the Chinese since the Han Dynasty.

Effect: 15% gain to both trader and merchant ship.

 

Civilization Disadvantages

* Overpriced cavalry: Cavalry of the Song Dynasty are massively overpriced, but only of moderate quality.

* Slow infantry: Infantry of the Song Dynasty are weighted down by their extra-heavy armor.

* Slow expansion: The general slowness of the Song army means that they also cannot expand effectively. However, their overwhelmingly powerful economic technologies ensure that they stay ahead of their opponents economically without expanding territory.

 

Team Bonuses

Tribute Mission

History: The Chinese were no longer the dominant superpower of the Far East that could automatically attract tribute from the so-called 'lesser' countries. Tribute mission of this period was useful to put up the facade that Song Dynasty was still powerful and, more importantly, to maintain foreign relationship as (more or less) equals. Although Song Dynasty was the one that was receiving tribute, they tend to give more than they receive.

Effect: Allied traders and merchant ships gain +60% trade profit when trading with the Song civilization. Not applicable to Song civilization itself.

 

Researched Unique Technologies

Odometer and South-Pointing Chariot

History: The combination of odometer and compass makes charting map much easier.

Effect: All Song building and land unit gain +25% vision range.

 

Advanced Agriculture 2

History: During the Northern Song, introduction of foreign crop from Champa (modern day Vietnam), Korea, India and Middle East greatly improved food producton, while the invention of Yang Ma (秧馬) or 'Seedling Horse' made planting and harvesting crops faster and easier.

Effect: Increase farm yield even more and reduce harvest intervals. Stack with Advanced Agriculture 1.

 

Tea-Horse Trade

History: The Chinese traded tea for horses.

Effect: Reduce training cost of cavalry. (To other civilizations, this could be a borderline OP upgrade. To the Chinese, this only makes their cavalry somewhat more viable.)

 

Gunpowder Formula

History: The first detailed formula of gunpowder was recorded in the Northern Song military encyclopedia Wujing Zongyao.

Effect: Song Dynasty siege weapons gain explosive ammunition.

 

Double-piston Flamethrower

History: The Chinese invented a variant of the Greek Fire that can spill out continuous flame.

Effect: Song Dynasty defensive tower gains a devastating flame attack.

 

Reform Technologies

<Reform 1> New Policies/Wang Anshi Reform (王安石變法)

History: A massive centralization project conducted by Northern Song minister Wang Anshi.

Effect:

* Reduce cost of farm plot.

* Increase house capacity.

* Increase trade efficiency.

* Reduce cost of all military unit.

* Reduce cost of military research.

* Civic center, house and defensive tower gain additional arrow attack.

 

<Reform 2> Alliance of the Sea (海上之盟)

History: Northern Song Dynasty formed an alliance with the Jin Dynasty in order to destroy the Liao.

Effect: Access to powerful but expensive Jin Dynasty units. (Ironically, this has nothing to do with navy)

 

<Reform 3> Jian Yan Exodus (建炎南渡)

History: Northern Song Dynasty was destroyed, only to be replaced by Southern Song Dynasty.

Effect: Drastic restructuring of the entire army and access to many new weapon, technologies and upgrades.

Unlock technology: Advanced Agriculture 3

Unlock technology: Coke Fuel

Unlock technology: Watertight Compartment

 

Proposed Unit Roster

Support Unit

Female Citizen

Military Laborer (廂兵) - Only unit in the entire civilization that can build military building.

Trader

Merchant Ship

Fishing Boat

Healer - (Personally I oppose to the "religious personnel as healer" approach. While this is somewhat true for Christian faith, Chinese medicine for the most part was very secularized.)

 

Forbidden Army (禁軍)

* Forbidden Army units cannot gather resource or construct building.

Spearman (槍手) - General purpose infantry. Counter cavalry.

Glaiveman (刀斧手) - Fragile (by Chinese standard, they are still heavily armored infantry) anti-everything heavy hitter. Vulnerable to ranged unit.

Javelin Pavisier (鏢牌手) - Very tough meatshield/tarpit infanty. Counter ranged unit.

Archer (弓手)

Crossbowman (弩手)

Cavalry (馬軍)

 

Siege Weapon

Whirlwind Trebuchet (旋風車砲)

Siege Crossbow (床子弩)

Warship

Paddle Wheel Tower Ship

 

Hero Unit

Di Qing (狄青)

Yue Fei (岳飛)

*Third Hero TBD

 

<Reform 2 Unit>

Jurchen "Iron Pagoda" Superheavy Cataphract (鐵浮屠)

Jurchen Dismounted "Iron Pagoda" Cataphract

Jurchen Medium Cavalry (拐子馬)

 

<Reform 3 Unit>

Bamboo Gunner (突火槍)

War Wagon (如意戰車)

Counterweight Trebuchet (回回砲)

Heavy War Junk (尖底海船)

Ironclad Rammer Warship (鐵壁鏵嘴船)

[Han Dynasty Unit Terminology and Reference]

Dig up from Han Dynasty ancient text.

Generic Term

fù nǚ （妇女） Woman

shāng rén （商人） Trader

rú shēng （儒生） Confucian Scholar

dào shi （道士） Taoist

(I will exclude Buddhists atm because they spread to China during Eastern Han)

bù zú （步卒） Infantry

qīng qí （轻骑） Light Cavalry

tū qí （突骑） Shock Cavalry

jiàn shì （剑士）Swordsman. The term shì '士' might implies these are not your run-of-the-mill everyday sword infantry though.

jiá shì (甲士) generic term for 'armored infantryman'

jiá qí (甲骑) generic term for 'armored cavalryman'

Border Army

tún tián bīng （屯田兵）frontier guard - settler. Think Late Roman Limitanei.

shù zú （戍卒）generic term for 'border guard'

tíng zú （亭卒）generic term for 'watchtower sentry'

biān qí (边骑) generic term for 'border cavalry'

Provincial Army

jùn guó bīng （郡国兵）Provincial Army under a system of mandatory service.

cái guān （材官）Provincial army infantry or infantry officer. The meaning isn't very clear.

qí shì （骑士）Provincial army cavalry or cavalry officer. Meaning isn't clear either.

qīng chē （轻车）Provincial army chariot/charioteer.

lóu chuán shì （楼船士）Provincial army navy/naval officer.

jī shè shì （积/迹射士）Infantry archer/ranger

The combined strength of the Border and Provincial Army are 250000 (high estimates), during the Reign of Wu Di this can be as high as 800000 (also high estimates).

Imperial Northern Army / Standing Army

běi jūn （北军）Northen Army guarding the Capital city of Chang'an, also Han Dynasty's standing army. Divided into seven or eight divisions. They numbered around 5000 ~ 30000.

qí shì （骑士）also found among the ranks of the Northern Army. They are under the leadership of tún qí xiào wèi（屯骑校尉）.

shàng lín yuàn mén tún bīng （上林苑门屯兵）infantry garrison of the royal forest gate. Under the leadership of bù bīng xiào wèi（步兵校尉）.

hú jì（胡骑）literally "Northen Barbarian Cavalry". It is unclear whether they are subjugated Xiongnu people under Han employment, or people with mixed Chinese and Hú descent, or simply elite cavalry riding foreign horses (received as tribute). They are under the leadership of cháng shuǐ xiào wèi （长水校尉） and hú jì xiào wèi （胡骑校尉）, depending on the area of garrison.

yuè qí （越骑）literally "Southern Barbarian Cavalry". Also disputed, because the Yuè barbarians from Southern China had the reputation of being terrible horsemen. Some Jin Dynasty historians suggested that it could means something like "Strong Cavalry". They are under the leadership of yuè qí xiào wèi （越骑校尉）

shè shēng shì （射声士）Elite archer. Unclear whether bow or crossbow, or mounted or on foot. They are under the leadership of shè shēng xiào wèi（射声校尉）

qīng chē （轻车）Chariots. They are under the leadership of hǔ bēn xiào wèi（虎贲校尉）. This is an 'in name only' unit, as chariots were phased out.

All divisions are under the command of a commander, called zhōng lěi xiào wèi （中垒校尉）

Imperial Southern Army / Palace Guard

nán jūn （南军）Southern Army guarding the palace. The most elite but least numerous of the bunch, only numbered around 2000.

qī mén （期门） The Qi Men Guard. Later renamed to hǔ bēn （虎贲）

yǔ lín （羽林）The Yu Lin Guard, or Feather Forest Guard.

yǔ lín gū ér （羽林孤儿） Orphans of deceased military officers that were absorbed/recruited into the Yu Lin Guard.

*It seems that both divisions of the Imperial Palace Guard were renowned horse archers. It is logical to assume that they were trained in other weapons though.

Volunteer Army

yǒng gǎn shì （勇敢士） meaning 'brave man'.

cì fēi （佽飞）named after one famous swordsman during Spring and Autumn period. Details unknown.

bēn mìng （奔命）

kàng jiàn （伉健）Meaning "Strong (Physically fit) man". The text implies these are horse archers.

**Although many different fancy names, these are basically volunteer (likely paid) army raised for a large campaign or during emergency. Most likely drawn from ex-Provincial army personnel currently not on active service.

Penal Military Unit

chí xíng （弛刑）- criminals.

qī kē zhé （七科谪）- criminals of the seven (type of) laws. These are generally petty crimes like "being a merchant".

è shào nián （恶少年）- literally "Bad Youngster"

yìng mù zuì rén （应募罪人） - Criminal 'Volunteer' . More often they are pressed into service.

***Also many fancy names, but in essence no much difference. These are not specific term, but generic ones.

Auxiliary

qiāng qí （羌骑）- Auxiliary cavalry of the subjugated qiāng tribes. Unlike the confusing hú and yuè cavalry, these are auxiliary instead of standing army.

****There are other auxiliary unit(s), so this list is incomplete.

Misc.

juě zhāng shì （厥张士）- Han Dynasty term for 'Crossbowman' but implying elite ones. No other context are given though.

These are administrative divisions. During wartimes the army will be organized based on numbers, and honorable titles will be given to whoever in charge.

[Article about siege war under Han dynasty]

Iron battering ram heads (left), Three Kingdom period. The lump of iron on the right is some sort of nail used to reinforce / increase the weight of the (battering ram's ) log.

Repost here - Fragment of a Han Dynasty zhuan she ji 转射机 (revolving shooting machine), basically moveable arrowslit.

[0 A.D. Rise of the East Mod]

Western Han-period fragment found in a Han border fort at Mongolia, believed to be the zhuan she ji （转射机）"revolving shooting machine" recorded in Mozi.

This is basically a movable arrowslit . A (siege) crossbow mounted behind it will have a 120 degree field of fire left to right, according to the Museum that displays it.

EDIT: I should post this in the siege weapon section Lol.

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msg-12287-0-27330500-1405884707.png

Here are all the new swords. They are iron nown except the two on the left. But it's more to showcase the shape.

Nice one!

Two single-edged Huanshou Daos on the right side seems to lack a hilt color though, and the shorter one in the middle is missing a ring-pommel. Ring pommel could be larger.

Those double-edged swords (jian) seems to me closer to Warring States-Qin Dynasty design. Note that by Han period Jian was usually only reserved as officer or ceremonial weapon.

Replica Han-period Jian with Jade pommel and (smallish) sword guard.

(I bet it won't be noticeable in-game though )

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I found some interesting stuff - Chinese roof design.

(From left to right) Only the top first, top second, top third, bottom first, bottom second, bottom fourth were developed during Han Dynasty.

I will type it out in Chinese for easier googling:

硬山顶

歇山顶

庑殿顶

悬山顶

重檐庑殿顶

四角攒尖

EDIT: My mistake. Double-roof have not yet appeared during Han Dynasty.

[Article about siege war under Han dynasty]

Darn, I seems to have overlooked the Shoufa Shouling Shi San Pian , posted by Lion.Kanzen in his first paragraph.

Now we definitely have something concrete about the Western Han Dynasty stone thrower . The jí chē （耤車）. The Chinese character jí "耤" is synonymous with "藉" , although pronounced differently. The jiè chē 藉车 is mentioned in Mozi as a defensive weapon, which throws buckets of burning charcoal. Although named "车 (cart)", it is an immobile weapon.

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Looking forward to try on the newest version!

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So you did download the release of RotE? (That means you haven't seen the best of our mod yet)

Nope, I download the Rise of the East Yánxù 16 version, so the buildings are still green-roofed.(Instead of the blue ones I found in the screenshot)

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Ming sword ? If you mean pre han its intended ie liu bang.

For spears can you tell me whi should be used and which shouldn't ? (Pictures if possible)

I think there are three or four variants of in game swordsman weapon model. The narrow, straight one is okay, the broader one and the curved one not so much.

This is a Han Dynasty sword (replica).

Ming or Qing Dynasty saber, which is way too advanced for that period.

Han Dynasty Ji Halberd. Han Army mainstay weapon, aside from spear.

Other polearms existed but not as common. See my post at #116.

This is a Song to Qing Dynasty Ji Halberd, which also did not exist back then.

@niektb

The Chinese text actually read "生牛革" , which is "uncured ox-hide". Nothing indicates that rhino was involved

I am using Alpha 16.

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@Wolflance, would you mind downloading the mod and find all things that are not like you think they should ?

I play-test the mod just now and so far, so good! You guys really did a great job at bringing Han Dynasty to life!

There's still room for improvement a.k.a. 'things that are not like you think they should' though:

1) The swordsman is holding a Ming Dynasty sword. Han period sword is straight, narrow and single-edged, with a ring-pommel.

2) The spearman is holding a Song-Ming Dynasty halberd.

3) The spearman starts with armor...which is a little bit weird considering even Hoplite doesn't start with any armor (unless promoted).

4) The cavalry spearman is sometime holding a Song-Ming Dynasty halberd as well.

5) I am a little concerned about the paper lantern(s) found on Chinese building. Han Chinese JUST invented papermaking, which tend to be very coarse stuff. I can't imagine them suddenly be able to produce sophisticated thin paper for lantern right away.

(Then again I am not very familiar with Chinese architecture and lantern stuffs, so I can't really comment on it)

Gosh, extreme lag after I build my first (fishing) ship.

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That Covered Swooper is likely indeed no Han version. A Chinese Historian told my that there is only pictorial evidence of Song version which however do not match the descriptions provided The Han Covered Swooper is said to be covered with hides:

Some texts like these are talking about a rhinoceros hide but not everyone agrees at that.

Earliest description I could find that mentions ox-hide/rhinoceros hide is from Tang Dynasty. Song Dynasty description found in Wu Jing Zong Yao （武经总要） also mentioned hide though.

Eastern Han Dynasty text (when this type of warship first appeared) only describe the ship as "long and narrow, used to assault enemy ship.". It did not mention any hide coverings (although the Chinese character meng （蒙）might indicate that it is indeed covered).

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Engraving of a Tower ship found on a Han period bronze mirror.

Artist's rendition of a Eastern Han tower ship. This design is closer to the engraving above.

Variant design for the Tower Ship.

Artist's rendition of a Eastern Han Dou Jian （斗舰）.

Covered swooper (蒙冲), probably based on Song Dynasty drawings.

Western Han warship classification:

lóu chuán （楼船, large tower ship）

gē chuán （戈船, medium warship, brimmed with various polearms）

xià lài （下濑, small, flat-bottomed ship for shallow water）

Eastern Han warship classification:

lóu chuán （楼船, large tower ship）

mào tū （冒突, assault ship）

lù ráo （露桡, ship which only exposed oars are visible, all crews were completely covered）

Late Eastern Han - Three Kingdoms period warship classification:

lóu chuán （楼船, large tower ship）

dòu jiàn （斗舰, medium warship ）

zǒu gě （走舸, fast warship）

méng chōng （蒙冲, covered swooper）

*The fire ship is said to be a converted méng chōng.

Obviously, no one knows what these ships look like.

The Chinese never developed naval ram AFAIK, so with the possible exception of méng chōng, did not use their warship in ramming attack. Chinese ships were likely slower too, lacking multiple levels of oars. They compensate for this shortcoming by building their ship much higher (as in, "Tower" ship) so more combatants can be crammed in. Most Chinese warships had crew numbered in the hundreds, sometimes thousands, and only very few of these crew are rowers. Higher ship also made boarding harder (but not impossible).

Liberal use of crossbows gave the Chinese some slight advantage in naval warfare too, as it is much easier to use a crossbow behind covers, even completely enclosed bunker, compared to bow and arrow.

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Some bronze implement excavated from a Nanyue tomb (A contemporary of Western Han, later conquered.), said to have some engraving of warships. I have zero idea what is that suppose to represent, make that of what you will.

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Some info on Han dynasty boat:

Scale model of a Western Han ship found in the GuangZhou.

Eastern Han period, civilian boat model

[Article about siege war under Han dynasty]

Just quoting from the same link:

But then again, Wu Gang Che would be a more proper name for our Arcuballista/Siege Crossbow.

Agreed. But I imagine Wu Gang Che as something similar to a Carroballista though. It is described as 'covered and roofted' (whatever that mean).

Quoted from wikipedia:

Wei's army unexpectedly encountered Chanyu Yizhixie's main forces, who was waiting in anticipation of ambushing the Han army. Despite being significantly outnumbered and fatigued after the long journey, Wei was able to counter Xiongnu's cavalry charge with archery defense created by heavy-armored chariots arranged in ring formations, which was reinforced with cavalry counteroffensives.

One of the earliest examples of using conjoined wagons as fortification is described in the Chinese historical record Book of Han. During the 119 BC Battle of Mobei of the Han–Xiongnu War, the famous Han general Wei Qing used armored wagons known as "Wu Gang Wagon" (武剛車) in ring formations to neutralise the Xiongnu's cavalry charges, before launching a counteroffensive which overran the nomads.

The "heavy-armored chariots/wagon" in question refers to Wu Gang Che.

Another instance of Wagon fort and repeating crossbow:

Li Ling's troops encountered the Chanyu's main forces upon arrival at Altay Mountains, and was quickly encircled by 30,000 cavalry between two mountains. With no supply and reinforcement (Li thought there was no need), Li ordered his troops to use the wagons as cover and form up for battle. With a large advantage in numbers, the Xiongnu rashly attacked Li Ling's forces front-on, only to suffer heavy casualties under Han troop's crossbow barrage and the subsequent pursuit. The Chanyu then summoned 80,000 reinforcement troops, forcing Li Ling to battle hard while retreating into a valley, suffering significant casualties. Li Ling then found that his troopers were low in both morale and energy, leading him to search and kill many women secretly hidden in the wagons, who were serving as prostitutes for his soldiers. Li's forces then battled Xiongnu for another day, killing 3,000 enemies. He then retreated southeast for the next 4 to 5 days into a large reed swamp, where they managed to survive a fire attack. The Chanyu then sent his own son to command the pursuit, only to suffer further casualties when Li Ling's forces took refuge in a forest and repelled the attack with their repeating crossbows and melee combat. Up to this point, the Chanyu began to suspect that Li Ling was planning to draw them into an ambush close to the Han border, but decided to intensify the attacks as he considered it humiliating not able to defeat such as small forces.

This time Wu Gan Che was not explicitly mentioned.