Legion Tactics

The tactics of the Imperial Legions are dominated by the maxims found in the Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier, held up as the perfect manual of warfare. The Correct Actions contains instructions and advice on all manner of tactical situations and approaches, some of which are detailed below:

On the Choice of Ground

“The choice of ground is of great importance. There is an advantage to having height over the enemy. It is best to fight from a high position and force the enemy to ascend a slope to reach you. If you are pitting infantry against cavalry, the more rough the ground the more perfect the field, to slow and incapacitate charging steeds. The sun should be behind you to dazzle the enemy and render his archers blind. If there is strong wind it should blow away from you, giving advantage to your missiles and blinding the enemy with dust.”

On the Role of Cavalry

“The normal arrangement of an army is to place the infantry in the centre and any cavalry on the wings. The function of the latter is to serve as support, to prevent the centre from being outflanked and once the battle turned and the enemy started to retreat to move forward and cut them down as they flee. Horsemen must always be recognized as secondary force, the main fighting being done by the infantry. To eschew this wisdom is to doom an army to defeat by logistics and ill-discipline. If your cavalry is weak it is to be stiffened with lightly armed foot soldiers drawn from auxiliary forces. These will keep the cavalry from taking flight as is their nature when met by stiff assault.”

On the Need for Reserves

“The need for adequate reserves must be stressed. These can prevent an enemy from trying to envelope one's own forces, or can fend off enemy cavalry attacking the rear of the infantry. Alternatively, they can themselves move to the sides and perform an enveloping maneuver against an opponent. “

On Allowing the Foe a Route of Escape

“Once the enemy cracked they are not to be surrounded, but an easy escape route is to be left open. The reasons for this are that trapped soldiers fight to the death but if they can see an escape, they will scatter in that direction and be exposed to the cavalry waiting on the flanks.”

On Withdrawal from the Field

“Withdrawal in the face of the enemy is the most difficult of maneuvers, and requires great skill and judgment. Both your own men and those of the enemy need to be deceived. It is suggested that your troops be informed that their retirement is to draw the enemy into a trap and the movement can be screened from the enemy with the use of cavalry across the front. Then the units are drawn off in a regular manner, but these tactics can only be employed if the troops have not yet been engaged. During a retreat units are detached and left behind to ambush the enemy if there is a hasty or incautious advance, and in this way tables can often be turned.”

On Ravaging

“When a campaign is being conducted in the face of a hostile populace, Ravaging must be employed to deny the opponents the means of sustained warfare. Crops are to be destroyed or carried off to supply the army, animals taken away or simply slaughtered, people massacred or enslaved to cover the expense of the campaign, valuables looted to provide bolstered morale to the troops. In this way will today’s enemy be broken and unable to fight a lengthy war, and tomorrow’s enemy will see the price and be deterred. This is the key to victory.”

On Training the Army

“Any army split up by stragglers at the back or soldiers trundling along at differing speeds is vulnerable to attack and destruction. It is thus the first duty of every soldier to march, and the first goal in training one that he be able to do so in formation and at speed. When a recruit can march twenty miles in five hours, then he shall be ready to learn the arts of war.”

“Training in the handling of weapons is of prime importance. Soldiers must not employ true weapons when they first begin, lest they disembowel themselves through ignorance. Wickerwork shields and wooden swords are to be produced for soldiers undergoing training, made to be twice the weight of those weapons they are built to emulate. A soldier who can wield such a weighty weapon will prove twice as effective when that weight is halved by carrying the original. as the original weapons.

These dummy weapons are at first to be employed against heavy wooden stakes, six feet high, rather than against fellow soldiers. Against these wooden stakes the soldier trains the various moves, strikes and counter-strikes with the sword and spear. Only once a recruit is deemed able enough in fighting against stakes are they to be assigned in pairs to train in individual combat, with practice weapons of original weights.”

On Siege Warfare

“Assaulting the walls of a fortification successfully is key to taking a fortified position by means of open battle. It is however always best to isolate and starve an entrenched foe. Their food and water ought be targeted so they are cut off, fortifications raised to encircle them and intercept their sallies and supply expeditions. When they are weak and desperate, surrender is to be offered and victory secured.

“If the foe rests behind walls, then there are Three Noble Attacks to destroy the obstacle and render him vulnerable: battering through, scaling, and sapping.”

“There is no more glorious weapon to accomplish the First Noble Attack of a Siege than the Warstrider. But do not rely on glory when a heavy log capped with an iron head can accomplish the same task.”

On Army Formations

In the battle line, each soldier should have three feet of space, while the distance between the ranks should be six feet. Thus ten thousand soldiers can be placed in a rectangle about 1,500 yards by twelve yards, and it is advised not to extend the line beyond that lest it become unmanageable.

The position to be taken up by the commander ought be on the right wing, the place of honour. The strongest unit of the infantry ought be placed on the right wing. The army ought wheel upon its left flank and strike hard with its right, for this is the path to victory.

The Basic Formation

An army taking to the field on relatively open ground is to adopt the basic formation as a default. In this formation, cavalry take up either flank, with the main line of infantry in the center. These infantry are backed by reserve units, with light troops scattered about the rear to warn of attacks from behind in time for formations to be shifted.

The Marching Formation

An army on the march must adopt a very different arrangement. A force of cavalry takes up the vanguard, followed by most of the infantry in a long ordered column, followed by the baggage train and prisoners. The best units of the army are to take up the honoured post at the rear, where they can defend against attacks from that direction while the army reforms for battle. Light skirmishers are scattered about the force acting as scouts.

On Unit Formations

The Tortoise Shell Formation

The Tortoise Shell Formation is a essentially defensive formation by which the soldiers hold their shields overhead, except for the front and side ranks, thereby creating a shell-like armour shielding them against missiles. It is to be used when advancing in close formation under barrage from slings or arrows.

The Dragon Scale Formation

The Dragon Scale Formation, or wedge, is commonly used by attacking soldiers, who form up in a triangle, the front 'tip' being one man and pointing toward the enemy, - this enables small groups to be thrust well into the enemy and, when these formations expand, the enemy troops are pushed into restricted positions, making hand-to-hand fighting difficult. This is a tactic to use against infantry making use of a Shield Wall.

The Saw Formation

The saw is the opposite tactic to the wedge. It is a detached unit, immediately behind the font line, capable of fast sideways movement down the length of the line to block any holes which might appear to develop a thrust where there might be a sign of weakness. In the case of two armies fighting according to the Correct Actions, one might say that the 'saw' is the correct response to a 'wedge' by the other side.

Crane’s Wing Formation

The Crane's Wing Formation is an inverted wedge, with two wings extending forward from a central point. This formation allows a force to more easily encircle an enemy unit, the wings securing the enemy glank as the center closes for the kill.

The Fragrant Rice Formation

The Fragrant Rice Formation, or skirmish formation, is a widely spaced line of troops, as opposed to the tighter packed battle ranks of standard infantry tactics. It allows for greater mobility and is of particular use when advancing under artillery fire. It also permits units to move through each other on the battlefield when an army is changing formation.

The Shield Wall Formation

The order to form the Shield Wall Formation brings about the following formation. The first rank forms a firm wall with their shields, only their spears protruding, forming a vicious line of glistening spearheads ahead of the wall of shields. A horse, however well trained, can hardly be brought to break through such a barrier. The most likely occurrence is that it will come to a halt of its own will ahead of the spearheads. It is at this moment that horse and rider are at their most vulnerable against the ranks behind the first line of infantry, which would then stab their spears and hurl javelins at them. Given the short distance, such halted cavalry, frantically trying to turn their horses around to retreat, whilst colliding with horses following in the charge, prove very easy targets.

The Unassailable Orb Formation

The Unassailable Orb Formation is a defensive position in the shape of a circle taken by a unit in desperate straits. Troops form a ring with spears and shields facing outwards, any archers or officers in the center. The orb allows for a reasonably effective defense even if parts of an army have been divided in battle, though it demands a very high level discipline by the individual soldier as breaking rank will doom the whole unit. It can be seen as a formation representing a desperate 'last stand' by units of a collapsing army, but also as a disciplined holding position by a unit which has been divided from the army's main body in battle and which is waiting for the main force to rejoin them.