Pastoral Steppe Army

This list covers those Turco-Mongolian federations prior to any conquest of their major sedentary neighbours. Hence, it includes the Ghuzz and Qipchak tribes, early Mongols, Khirgiz, Uighurs and other Central Asian Turks.

Sedentary areas include the Orkhon River area of Mongolia (centre for the Uighurs) and the Tarim basin, including the Transoxanian states of Sughd and Ferghana.

Only a Khirgiz army can use troops classed as Kirghiz.

Army List

0-1 Khan’s Division of

1 ‘Guard Horse Archers’

1 ‘Horse Archers’

Many rulers (Khans) maintained a personal guard regiment, often described as 1000 men strong

2-3 Horse Archer Divisions of

0-1 ‘Khirgiz’

2-3 Horse Archers

0-2 Allied Division of

0-1 ‘Veterans’

2-3 ‘Horse Archers’

Larger federations often required the participation of less loyal neighbours to make up numbers.

0-2 Green Divisions

2 ‘Raw Horse Archers’

0-1 Foot Division

2-3 ‘Foot’

1-2 ‘Archers

Optional Units

0-1 ‘Mercenaries’

0-2 ‘Foot’ (n1)

0-2 ‘Archers’ (n1)

Note 1 Optional Foot and Archers cannot be taken if a Foot division is used.

Units

If two unit strengths are listed, a player may choose which sized unit to field.

Guard Horse Archers

Heavy Horse Archers- Initiative 7

Bases (points)

4 (87)

6 (125)

Veterans

Expert Medium Horse Archers- Initiative 6

Bases (points)

4 (64)

6 (90)

Veterans are units with a high of experienced warriors. Such troops may have acquired more defensive armour through looting, or simply as a consequence their wealth.

Mercenaries or Khirgiz

Medium or Heavy Horse Archers- Initiative 7

Bases (points)

4 (72 +15 pts if Heavy)

Some warriors, ‘men of the lance and bow’, were employed as mercenaries. Khirgiz cavalry was alleged by the Chinese to ride larger horses than their Steppe counterparts.

Horse Archers

Light Horse Archers- Initiative 6

Bases (points)

4 (60)

6 (84)

Raw Horse Archers

Brittle Light Horse Archers- Initiative 5

Bases (points)

4 (42)

6 (57)

As a temporary expedient, poor quality troops (often very young) might be drawn upon. Such troops would normally be given a support role on the rear.

Foot

Light Irregulars- Initiative 5

Bases (points)

4 (17)

6 (22)

Such foot may be drawn from non-Turkish hillsmen.

Archers

Light or Medium Archers- Initiative 5

Bases (points)

4 (23)

6 (31)

References