The Unified Territories

UNIFIED TERRITORIES

Leader: Jezir Khan - The story of Summary:
 * Motivation (abstract want): Spreading his kingdom across the face of Caelum like a plague (not his words).
 * Goal (concrete want): A way to control the air travel and trade routes of the entire planet.
 * Conflict (obstacles): Harsh penalties from the Freethinkers for open hostility towards any nation, guaranteed backlash from League-allied nations.

The Unified Territories began as a militant offshoot of the original Colonials. Unwilling to believe that the other races should be considered their equals, they sought to subjugate and control them. This caused a great division among the Colonials, with ships full of warlike mobs setting sail for a new continent to conquer.

It was some time before the New Colonials (a short lived term) encountered any noticeable opposition from the pygmies living in the vast jungle covering the northern half of their continent. Initial contact was extremely bloody, as the Pygmies native to the northern jungle had been living in a warlike state for over a century, and the common enemy only proved to unite them into a formidable force. The New Colonials would be forced to retreat to their capital at Samarkand many times before they successfully hid large tanks of magically treated, explosive oil at an overgrown ruin, which gained the name of Khansport. The Khan's vision of turning the ruins into a major port was destroyed when there was an accident in the dispersion of the liquid, originally intended to create a controlled burn on the northern jungle. The resulting explosion did eventually burn much of the northern jungle, but at a great cost to the New Colonials. It took nearly 30 years for the fires to stop burning, and the area is barely beginning to grow back. During this time, the Khan took the opportunity to create a sizable army.

The New Colonials now formed one united army, organized on a decimal system, and united under the new label of the Unified Territories. It was a simple but effective system. A troop of 10, called an arban, was the smallest unit. A squadron of 100, made up of 10 arbans, is called a jagun. A regiment of 1,000, made up of 10 jaguns, is called a minghan. A division of 10,000, made up of 10 minghans, is called a tumen. Generally there are two to three tumens in the Unified Territories army. All able-bodied men between 14 and 60 years of age are liable for military service.

The decimal system facilitates giving orders. No officer has to give orders to more than 10 men and everyone is responsible only to the officer above him. Order and discipline can be effectively maintained. Not only in organization but in discipline the Unified Territories Army is superior to the armies of the other nations of Caelum.

On a campaign 200 men are sent two days' ride ahead to act as scouts, 200 more to the rear, and 200 on each flank so that the army can not be attacked by surprise. They carry no baggage with them on long campaigns. Each man carries two leather flasks to hold milk and a pignate, a small earthen pot for cooking meat. If they kill an animal and have no pot, they take out the stomach, empty it, fill it with water, and cook it over a fire. When it is done, they eat flesh, pot and all. Shelter from rain is provided by a small, felt tent. They can ride ten days without food or fire, living on blood from their horses. They slit open a vein, drink the blood and then carefully bind the wound, for horses are too important to sacrifice. Sometimes they carry dried blood with them, which they dissolved in water before drinking. They carry dried milk in a leather flask, to which they add water before drinking. While they ride ,the milk dissolves in the water and provides them with a nourishing drink. In addition to dried milk, they carry dried meat.

Unquestioned obedience to his commander, ability to endure unspeakable hardships, unbelievable mastery of the bow, excellent horsemanship, with horses obedient to their riders, make the Unified Territories warrior superior to his enemy. The horse archer can ride in, fire a deadly volley of arrows, turn and disappear, and reappear just as suddenly, to harrass and demoralize the enemy until he finally gives up. Only after the enemy and his horses are worn down by charges do the Territories warriors fight at close quarters. Each warrior carries a file for sharpening arrowheads, a small axe, a lasso, rope for pulling siege engines, needle and thread, and an awl. Some troopers carry lances with hooks on the end, used to drag a man from his saddle. The Territories horsemen carry a composite bow, their favorite, and a long bow. The long bow is used when they are fighting at long range and the composite bow is used in a charge and when fighting from the saddle at close quarters.

The horse archers carry three quivers each containing different types of arrows for different ranges and uses. One type can penetrate armor, another is used against unprotected troops, and still a third type is used for arrow grenades and flaming naptha. In addition to mounted archers, the army has both light and heavy cavalry. The light cavalry carry bows and javelins, and the heavy cavalry carry lances with hooks on the ends, and sometimes maces. They both carry sabers for hand to hand fighting. Shields are generally used when on guard duty. Their light artillery has begun using various missile-throwing machines, mangonels, catapults, ballista and trebuchets. Smaller siege engines can be taken apart, packed on animals or in carts and go anywhere, and their fire is accurate and rapid.

For protection the Territories warriors wear armor, of leather or iron, with a raw silk coat under their armor for additional protection. An arrow, when it hit its target, will carry the unpierced silk into the flesh and the arrow can be removed by pulling gently at the coat; the Territories warriors do not abandon their wounded. Their lamellar armor consists of four pieces of overlapping plates. These are lacquered to provide protection against humidity. The helmet is of iron or steel and the drop or neck protection is leather. Some Territories warriors make horse armor in five sections; one on each side from head to tail, fastened to the saddle and behind the saddle on its back and also on the neck, a third section stretched over the hindquarters and tied to the side parts, with a hole through which the tail emerges, a fourth piece covering the breast and a fifth piece, an iron plate for the forehead, is fastened on each side of the neck.