Military of the Great Liang Dynasty

The military of the Great Liang Dynasty is divided into 5 main armies based on 5 regions. There is a separate **Imperial Army (御林军)** which is based in the Capital, and led by the Emperor. The Imperial Army's role is primarily to defend the capital city and protect the Emperor.

During Emperor Wu's reign, its primary goal was to support expansionism, and under that policy, the Ling Shu Institute and the Black Iron Army was founded.

During the reigns of Emperor Yuan He, Long An and Tai Shi, it was primarily focused on defending its borders and maintaining peace. As a result, the military was constantly underfunded, leading several times to being under-prepared for sudden wars.

## Technology

The military of the Great Liang dynasty is heavily dependent on technology that runs on *ziliujin*, something similar to modern day oil/fuel.

The Ling Shu Institute is in charge of inventing and improving weapons for the army, however over the years, due to prolonged peace, it has focused on technology to improve the standard of living, leading to a slowdown of military inventions.

### Inventions

* **Air**: Giant Kite, Black Eagles
* **Land**: Heavy Armor, Light Armor
* **Sea**: Long *Jiao*, Short *Jiao*, Sea Cuttles
* **Weapons**: Wind Slasher , Gu Yun's bow, Baihong Arrows (can be installed on various vehicles)

## Military Structure

Prior to the coordinated attacks on Great Liang by an alliance of Westerners, Dong Ying, Northern Barbarians and the Kingdoms in the Western Region, The Military of the Great Liang dynasty was divided by its 5 main regions.

Each army is led by its commander, vice-commander and between 2-3 Generals. The late Emperor Wu had created and introduced a Black Tiger Emblem, which allows the holder to command any army within the nation upon presenting it to the relevant army. During Emperor Yuan He's reign, he sought to abolish the Black Tiger Emblem by introducing the Drumming Order policy in a bid to centralize military power.

However, it was not able to be fully implemented before the attacks on Great Liang in the 7th year of Long An, and the military of Great Liang was heavily decimated after the wars.

### Before Seventh Year of Long An

#### **Northern (塞北)**

Commanded by Tan Hongfei (谭鸿飞)

This region covers today's Inner Mongolia region as well as the North to Northeast parts of China. In the Great Liang Dynasty, the Northern Army Camp is based in Saibei, and which also serves to protect the capital city of Beijing. Beijing is surrounded on 3 sides (North. East, West) by mountain ranges, serving as natural deterrents and defense against invading armies. The South of Beijing is guarded by the Northern Army.

Due to its strategic location and the constant attacks from Northern Barbarians, this should be the most critical force of the nation. However, likely due to the main army base being the closest to the capital city and the fear of a rebellion from both Old Marquis Gu and Gu Yun, both Emperor Yuan He and Long An have elected to base the dynasty's elite Black Iron Army forces to the farther Northwest.

#### **Western Regions (西域)**

Commanded by Marshal Gu Yun (顾昀)

This region covers the entire west frontier of the Great Liang Dynasty, and a part of the Northwest. This landlocked region is protected by the Black Iron Camp, which is made up of 3 main factions - Black Eagles, Black Cavalry and Black Armor. It faces today's Taklamakan Desert.

#### **Southern (南疆)**

Commanded by General Shen Jiping (Shen Yi) / *Formerly led by Fu Zhi Cheng (傅志诚)*

The Southern Army is based in Nanjiang, roughly around modern day Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan. It's the southern border closest to today's Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos. The bandits in the region are its largest threat, rather than another Kingdom. Due to its proximity to the Southern Sea (南洋), it also faces potential threats from sea.

#### **Jiangnan (江南)**

Commanded by General Zhao Youfang (赵友方)

This region faces the Eastern Sea, and China's longtime enemies of Dong Ying (Japan) and Goguryeo (Korea). It also covers the Eastern coastal areas. The Jiangnan army consists primarily of naval forces, which have been significantly underfunded over the years. As the naval technology of Great Liang is the weakest of *Land, Air and Sea,* the Jiangnan army is the most ill-prepared to defend in the event of an attack.

#### **Central Plains (中原)**

Commanded by General Cai Fen (蔡玢)

This region covers "everything else". It's based in the middle (central). As it doesn't face any of the Great Liang's neighbors, it's primary role is keep peace, quell rebellions and to provide support to the 4 frontiers.

## References

1. ↑ The location names provided are based on the names in Ancient China and may not necessarily be the same as modern day China
2. ↑ A failed invention, as it's too difficult to be used for most soldiers
3. ↑ Based on historical information. As the story is focused on the Gu Yun's Black Iron Army primarily, we're introduced to more characters from within the Black Iron Army only
4. ↑ Today's South China Sea
5. ↑ Also translated as Cai Feng