Chinese Court Yard House

If you’re interested in games set in China you probably lament the lack of good model buildings to put on the table top.  Most of us end up buying fish tank ornaments and using them.

There are some good Chinese wooden puzzle buildings that are just the job. Sadly, unless you visit China the price has tended to be very high.  I recall seeing £35.00 once for the traditional Chinese Court Yard House.  It’s a great model as you can see if you visit the Wargaming For Grown Ups blog (look under Tai Ping).

By now you must be wondering if there is a point to my rambling.  There is indeed, I have just taken receipt of the traditional Chinese Court Yard House model for which I paid the princely sum of £6.99-post free.  I bought it on ebay this week, look under Chinese Wooden Puzzles if you want one.

China Restored

The photos are back in the China posts, Manchu and Tai Ping.  If you missed them first time around you could give them a click using the China label on your right.

You don't often see these armies.

The Tai Ping in 15mm

Hong Xiuquan failed the exams needed to ensure his entry into the Chinese Imperial Civil Service. He took it badly and upon going home had a series of visions. Some years later under the influence of protestant evangelical pamphlets he realised that the figures in his visions were God and Jesus and concluded that he was God's Chinese Son and the younger brother of Jesus. Significantly in one vision Confucius founder of the ethos of the Imperial Civil Service was being punished for error.  Much punishment followed.

Hong was a Hakka and so not from China's Han majority and his message proved very attractive to the then marginalised Hakka population. Hong's central message included overthrowing the Chinese State and replacing it with the Tai Ping Heavenly Kingdom, gender equality, killing landlords and the sharing of property. His followers armed and organised themselves and proved to be fearsome and disciplined soldiers who waged a truly massive war on Manchu China for about 14 years.

                   
The Tai Ping were also able to recruit the Miao another minority population as allies.  The Miao, recognised as hard fighters, were equipped with long jezzail like matchlocks and spears and swords.

Despite a persistent effort to ally with the colonial powers and to secure modern arms Tai Ping armies had to mainly rely on traditional Chinese weaponry. Some Europeans fought for them.

For cavalry the Tai Ping mostly recruited the Ni'en who lived mainly by banditry.

If you would like a Tai Ping force almost all of the figures above are from Irregular Miniatures.

A MANCHU ARMY FOR THE OPIUM AND TAI PING WARS

This is about my Manchu Ching Dynasty Army.  It has been a long time in the making and soon it will see table top action against the Tai Ping and oppose the British as part of a three side campaign. As armies go it is going to struggle to win as it lacks both firepower and high quality melee troops.  It is though an interesting army and a colourful one and will be more so once flags are added.  

There were three parts to the army the Manchu Banner Men who could turn up as cavalry or infantry, the Chinese Green Standard troops who were all infantry and the Mongol cavalry who the British called Tatars.  The Banner Men varied in quality but could on occasion put up a good fight.  The Chinese infantry were quick to run away but equally fast to rally and they would tenaciously defend fieldworks.  

The Mongols were brave and excellent horsemen but their hit and run style ran into trouble against superior fire power.

As far as armament went each unit had a mixture of melee weapons and either matchlock muskets or composite bows the latter being the exclusive preserve of the Manchu and Mongols.

Ingenious weapons like stink pots that released a choking smoke to confound the enemy were also deployed. Rockets were also used but not with much effect.

Much use was made of Jingals or Gingals a light gun carried and crewed by two men that could be very effective at close range although not at longer ranges.

Tiger Men were skilled and well-motivated skirmishers who often supported by Jingals would attempt to disrupt the enemy.

There was also effective artillery which lacking in mobility was often deployed to cover an area of the battlefield, occasionally from concealment, in anticipation of an enemy move.  These are the masked batteries much discussed by the British in the Opium Wars.