Post by diades on Apr 1, 2021 21:02:07 GMT
In 400, while Gwanggaeto (later, the Great) of the Goguryeo was occupied with Baekje, Gaya, and Wa troops in Silla, my Xianbei state of Later Yan, founded by the Murong clan (in present-day Liaoning), attacked Goguryeo. Eventually Gwanggaeto returned and forced a decisive battle...
His chosen battlefield has an edifice (a pillared shrine above cobbles, next to an ornamental pond), in the right of his deployment and a small wood ahead of his left. A large wood occupies his rear right, whilst my Xienbei must approach him around rocky terrain. The main Goguryeo line anchors double ranked long spearmen and militia (all 3Pk) against the edifice, with armoured swordsmen (3Bd) on their left and armoured archers (4Bw) to their right. Militia archers (3Bw) occupy the edifice. Malgal archers (Ps) lurk further left of the main line, ready to advance into the woods. Gwanggaeto (4Kn), cataphracts (4Kn) and horse archers (LH) wait behind the main line.
I have deployed my main line off to the enemy left opposite the wood and ahead of the rocky terrain. The left has Chinese-trained close-fighting infantry (4Bd) and archers (4Cb), to their right, archers (Ps) and double ranked horse archers (LH). My unit and two more units of nobles (all 4Kn) are in reserve. Off to the right of the rocks are two units of chained cavalry (6Cv).
Gwanggaeto advances his central foot, his Malgal archers into the wood and his militia archers to the forward edge of the edifice. I wheel my line left.
Half of the enemy phalanx peels right to join the militia archers emerging from the edifice advancing on the chained cavalry. My line advances and the nobles and I move to support.
Gwanggaeto sends his swordsmen and re-united phalanx into combat against my main left and advances with his cataphracts in support. A unit of my Chinese-trained archers are destroyed (0-1) and my heavy infantry are pushed back.
I send two units of nobles in against the enemy swordsmen, destroying them (1-1) and send my archers into the woods to tackle the enemy Malgal, who recoil them. One unit of chained cavalry hits the enemy phalanx in the flank, helping destroy half of it (3-1), whilst the other moves out left to avoid enemy militia archery.
Now the enemy heavy horse advance to plug the gaps and the armoured archers advance to trade arrows with my remaining crossbows. Chained cavalry are hit in the flank, turn and are recoiled into the rocks, whilst Gwanggaeto’s unit destroys some of my heavy infantry (3-2).
Time to commit. The chained cavalry return from the rocks to the fray and I personally charge Gwanggaeto. Enemy militia archers join the right hand end of their line whilst my lone chained cavalry out left races to fall short of hitting their flank. The rest of my nobles charge towards the enemy armoured archers.
Much fierce fighting and no units are destroyed.
The result: a staggered line of combats: on the right and most advanced, nobles are engaged by Goguryeo horse archers, to their left and rear, double ranked militia engage my Chinese-trained infantry, further back and left I am still locked in combat with Gwanggaeto, whilst to my rear and left, enemy cataphracts tackle chained cavalry with the aid of militia archers in the chained cavalry’s flank. Meanwhile, the remaining enemy militia archers fire upon the remaining chained cavalry.
Ultimately it is the militia archers and enemy cataphracts who prevail, destroying chained cavalry handing me a 3-4 defeat. Goguryeo’s golden age is here.
A close and aesthetically pleasing engagement.
His chosen battlefield has an edifice (a pillared shrine above cobbles, next to an ornamental pond), in the right of his deployment and a small wood ahead of his left. A large wood occupies his rear right, whilst my Xienbei must approach him around rocky terrain. The main Goguryeo line anchors double ranked long spearmen and militia (all 3Pk) against the edifice, with armoured swordsmen (3Bd) on their left and armoured archers (4Bw) to their right. Militia archers (3Bw) occupy the edifice. Malgal archers (Ps) lurk further left of the main line, ready to advance into the woods. Gwanggaeto (4Kn), cataphracts (4Kn) and horse archers (LH) wait behind the main line.
I have deployed my main line off to the enemy left opposite the wood and ahead of the rocky terrain. The left has Chinese-trained close-fighting infantry (4Bd) and archers (4Cb), to their right, archers (Ps) and double ranked horse archers (LH). My unit and two more units of nobles (all 4Kn) are in reserve. Off to the right of the rocks are two units of chained cavalry (6Cv).
Gwanggaeto advances his central foot, his Malgal archers into the wood and his militia archers to the forward edge of the edifice. I wheel my line left.
Half of the enemy phalanx peels right to join the militia archers emerging from the edifice advancing on the chained cavalry. My line advances and the nobles and I move to support.
Gwanggaeto sends his swordsmen and re-united phalanx into combat against my main left and advances with his cataphracts in support. A unit of my Chinese-trained archers are destroyed (0-1) and my heavy infantry are pushed back.
I send two units of nobles in against the enemy swordsmen, destroying them (1-1) and send my archers into the woods to tackle the enemy Malgal, who recoil them. One unit of chained cavalry hits the enemy phalanx in the flank, helping destroy half of it (3-1), whilst the other moves out left to avoid enemy militia archery.
Now the enemy heavy horse advance to plug the gaps and the armoured archers advance to trade arrows with my remaining crossbows. Chained cavalry are hit in the flank, turn and are recoiled into the rocks, whilst Gwanggaeto’s unit destroys some of my heavy infantry (3-2).
Time to commit. The chained cavalry return from the rocks to the fray and I personally charge Gwanggaeto. Enemy militia archers join the right hand end of their line whilst my lone chained cavalry out left races to fall short of hitting their flank. The rest of my nobles charge towards the enemy armoured archers.
Much fierce fighting and no units are destroyed.
The result: a staggered line of combats: on the right and most advanced, nobles are engaged by Goguryeo horse archers, to their left and rear, double ranked militia engage my Chinese-trained infantry, further back and left I am still locked in combat with Gwanggaeto, whilst to my rear and left, enemy cataphracts tackle chained cavalry with the aid of militia archers in the chained cavalry’s flank. Meanwhile, the remaining enemy militia archers fire upon the remaining chained cavalry.
Ultimately it is the militia archers and enemy cataphracts who prevail, destroying chained cavalry handing me a 3-4 defeat. Goguryeo’s golden age is here.
A close and aesthetically pleasing engagement.
