Historical Overview Section
Nanzhao, also spelled Nanchao or Nan Chao (literally 'Southern Zhao'), was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries. It was centered on present-day Yunnan in China. They had a long history of conflict around and against the Tang Chinese empire until around 880 when they fell into decline.
Nanzhao had an elite vanguard unit called the Luojuzi, which means tiger sons, that served as full-time soldiers. For every hundred soldiers, the strongest one was chosen for service in the Luojuzi. They were outfitted with red helmets, leather armour, and bronze shields, but went barefoot. Only wounds to the front were allowed and if they suffered any wounds to their back, they were executed. Their commander was called Luojuzuo. The king's personal guards, known as the Zhunuquju, were recruited from the Luojuzi.
In 902, the dynasty came to a bloody end when the chief minister, Zheng Maisi, murdered the royal family and usurped the throne, renaming it to Dachanghe (902–928). In 928, a White Mywa noble, Yang Ganzhen, aided Zhao Shanzheng in overthrowing the Zheng family, and establishing Datianxing (928–929). The new regime lasted only a year before Zhao was killed by Yang, who created Dayining (929–937). Finally Duan Siping seized power in 937 and established the Dali Kingdom.
The Dali Kingdom, also known as the Dali State, survived from 937 until 1253 when it was conquered by the Mongols. Members of the Duan clan continued to administer the area with Tusi titles granted by the Yuan dynasty until the Ming conquest of Yunnan in 1382
Using the army in ADLG
- hint 1
- hint 2
Useful Links
User-contributed links about this army. Add links in this format:
- name of link description of link
as an example
- Nan Chao & Dali Army usage statistics from the ADLG ranking site
Army Lists
Sample army lists for this army
200 Points
Ian Speeds 25mm Britcon 2022 List
2 Noble HCv Bow
2 Noble MCv Bow
1 LH Bow
2 Lf Bow
Ordinary General
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1 Elephants
1 Guard Elite Spear
1 LF Bow
4 Tribal Impetuous Infantry
2 Heavy Spearmen
2 Bowmen
Brilliant General
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1 Elephant
2 Bowmen
3 Burmese Medium Swordsmen
3 LF Bow
Ordinary
Corps 2 usually goes in the centre. The elephant/elite spearmen are interspersed between the tribal auxiliaries to ward off enemy mounted, collectively they make a credible (if fragile) attack force; the bowmen support corps 1 to try to create a strong shooting wing on the open end of the table; the spearmen go on the other end of corps 2, to support the Burmese who generally go on the rougher end of the table; the brilliant general can more or less manage all of that, though he does fall short sometimes!
28 units means that in most games the line is wider than the enemy’s and pressurises one or both enemy flanks, and in the meantime it’s OK to trade-off bases in the centre.