Biblical & Early Classical in Warfare 2016
Spring & Autumn Chinese vs Neo-Babylonian
Game 1 Spring & Autumn Chinese vs Early Aechemenid Persian
Game 2 Spring & Autumn Chinese vs Neo-Babylonian
Game 3 Spring & Autumn Chinese vs Assyrian & Sargonid
Game 4 Spring & Autumn Chinese vs Omani Gulf States
Game 5 Spring & Autumn Chinese vs Early Carthaginian
The second game came fast - but the mutual destruction had meant game 1 finishing early as well, so there was a limited amount of shopping time before the Neo Babylonians deployed before the forces of China.
The lists for the Spring & Autumn Chinese and Neo-Babylonian from this game, as well as all the other lists from the games at Warfare can be seen here in the L'Art de la Guerre Wiki.
Babylonians are a much more traditional Biblical army, with their own chariots, and some more solid mixed foot who can shoot and fight. The USP of the Babylonian foot is however that they are Heavy at the front rank, and so are more resilient against mounted opponents - if a little slower across the park, and less inclined to occupy terrain.
This table was packed with agricultural features, with plantations and fields scattered liberally around. The first question is always where do the chariots go, and in this case the wide open rubble-free plain was on the banks of a biblical river. Here both sides placed their main chariot forces, with the Chinese having the complex tactical and strategic foresight to have, erm, 'more' chariots than their opponents (for some reason many of the Biblical era armies have 4 chariots maximum)
Shaolin Spring & Autumn Period King Fu
The terrain was ideal territory for the Big Green Machine to advance across, and with 4 units of halberdiers they were quite enticed by the prospect of having a go at the mixed formation opposite them.
L'Art de la Guerre hint - Mixed Bow/Combat Foot units fight as one grade lower than their actual grading - so Ordinary troops fight in combat as Poor
The warband had a similar idea, and with no cunning hills to fox them, and a keenness to get the game the hairy Szechuan warriors quickly decided to go on the offensive. Rushing forwards, and before the Babylonians could redeploy any mounted troops to threaten their flanks, they positioned themselves in a flurry of spicy Sezchuanian abandon
In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy’s country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it.
The Babylonians had cunningly worked out how to compensate for their "1 less than the Chinese" chariotry formation, by adding some cavalry to extend their line. This attracted the immediate attention of the second set of Chinese chariotry, which had been sent on a wild goose chase across the width of the battlefield whilst the 5-pack hung back to await their arrival.
The Big Green Machine comfortably outflanked the Babylonian formation opposite it, and only a handful of skirmishing peasant bowmen, presumably surprised whilst working in their fields, stood in the way of a sweeping outflanking move.
The Babylonians had seen the oncoming extra chariots, and decided to have a go whilst they had some small advantage in numbers. The two lines clashed in a cacophony of spokes and wheels...
All Chinese History in 2 Minutes
The Sazchiuanian warband were looking to repeat their debacle of the first game, as arrows rained down on them with unerring accuracy from the serried ranks of Babylons finest bowmen and warriors
The Battle of the Chariots had proved to be a quick and decisive affair, with China coming out very much on top - two of the Babylonian chariots and one of their horsemen had been removed, and the 2-hat casualty marker on one of the remaining chariots was not a good look at all. The reserve force of Chinese chariotry may end up with nothing to do...
The Babylonians were desperate to shore up this flank, as having 7 marauding Heavy Chariots sweeping uncontested into the flank of the main body of the army was clearly not on anyone's agenda. Two generals commanded on their cavalry to try and envelop the Chinese forces, taking them in the flank to try and achieve what frontal combat had so manifestly failed to deliver.
He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
The Big Green Machine was exchanging bowfire with the Babylonians, unkeen to commit to combat until the flank attack had been more fully developed but with its 2 chariots detached to the other side of the field, their General was struggling to issue enough orders to make the redeployment actually happen.
He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious.
Running out of patience, the Big Green Machine charged home, trusting to halberd factors and some overlaps to achieve the desired outcome.
Warring States
The Southern Warband were also in play now, every man carrying shooting hits into combat against an enemy who dare not lose in the first round...
The swirling melee on the riverbank was getting seriously complicated now, as more and more unitc continued to arrive from all directions. The picture was confusing, but what was clear was the number of 2-hit markers on the 3-hit-capable Babylonian cavalry and remaining chariots. The Babylonians were teetering on the edge of destruction.
He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.
And when the destruction came, it was biblical in its proportions - almost all of the Babylonians were wiped out at a stroke, leaving one bemused horseman under the personal control of 2 separate generals!
L'Art de la Guerre hint - when a general is in contact with a unit that is destroyed (but has not been contributing to combat) he "jumps" to the nearest available friendly unit. If there are no units left within range he can end up being lost!
The Poor quality of the Babylonian foot was quickly exposed as the Elite Chinese Halberdier corps cut through their flimsy defences with some speed.
Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack.
Even the warband were having a reasonable day, as the Babylonian army wilted under the hammer blows of the aggressive Chinese attack.
With their mounted forces entirely eliminated and their infantry taking a hammering all along the line, the Babylonian army succumbed to defeat - a great win for China!
Click here for the report of the next game in this competition, or read on for the post match summaries from the Generals involved, as well as another episode of legendary expert analysis from Hannibal
Post Match Summary from the Spring & Autumn Chinese Commander
The Great Leader has the support of the people at all times. If what is deployed on table will benefit the people, they will act upon it and drive it forward to success. The idea of "better troops and simpler administration" was put forward by Mr. Li Tingming, who was not a Communist. He did however make a good suggestion which was of benefit to the people, and we have adopted it. If, in the interests of the people, we persist in doing what is right and correct what is wrong, our ranks will surely thrive?
The Chariots, The Warband and the Big Green Machine hail from all corners of the country and have joined together for a common revolutionary objective and in this game we found our calling, coming up against an army who's composition was expected and anticipated in this period.
Our deployment was good and we added to it by an aggressive use of redeployment and manoeuvre where it was weakest. Today, we saw that a frontal swift attack can be of use, but also that it can be combined with this new invention of tactics and strategy to create local superiority. This is a great development as to liberate the whole nation more victories such as this are needed.
In times of difficulty we must not lose sight of our achievements in games like these, must see the bright future and must pluck up our courage. The Chinese people are suffering from other rulesets where only a few of their lists are considered viable; it is our duty to save them all and prove all lists can be used in ADLG - and we must exert ourselves in this struggle.
Wherever there is struggle there is sacrifice, and death is a common occurrence. But we have the interests of the people and the sufferings of the great majority at heart, and when we die for the people it is a worthy death - perhaps we will see this in the next game?
Hannibal's Post Match Analysis
Finally you have managed to find something that is within the capabilities of your microscopic brain - although perhaps had microscopes been invented in this era I am sure someone could have found your brain and replaced it with something more effective, maybe a turnip or even any other root vegetable.
But here, going back to the game, you appear to have excelled yourself by managing to count the number of enemy chariots, and then make sure you redeployed enough of your own to outnumber them in a key area of the table. Thank the Chinese gods that your horrific childhood toe accident had not left you with just 3 digits though, as otherwise the challenge of counting to the number 4 would have been well beyond you and your mental though processes would have labelled both your 7 chariots and the enemy's 4 as "more than I have toes"
The added width of your army against the narrower enemies also helped throw up a tactical opportunity that even a dullard such as you could not fail to miss - and the benefits of your chosen 2HCW weaponry in this matchup against essentially Inferior opponents also was a bit of good fortune.
I am sure that this win will propel you towards some sort of heady height from which you will plummet spectacularly in the next game
Click here for the report of the next game in this competition
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Game 1 Spring & Autumn Chinese vs Early Aechemenid Persian
Game 2 Spring & Autumn Chinese vs Neo-Babylonian
Game 3 Spring & Autumn Chinese vs Assyrian & Sargonid
Game 4 Spring & Autumn Chinese vs Omani Gulf States
Game 5 Spring & Autumn Chinese vs Early Carthaginian
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