Historical Overview Section
The Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), founded by the peasant rebel leader Liu Bang (known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu), was the second imperial dynasty of China. It followed the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE), which had unified the Warring States of China by conquest. Interrupted briefly by the Xin dynasty (9–23 CE) of Wang Mang, the Han dynasty is divided into two periods: the Western Han (206 BCE – 9 CE) and the Eastern Han (25–220 CE). These appellations are derived from the locations of the capital cities Chang'an and Luoyang, respectively. The third and final capital of the dynasty was Xuchang, where the court moved in 196 CE during a period of political turmoil and civil war.
There was unprecedented territorial expansion and exploration initiated by struggles with non-Chinese peoples, especially the nomadic Xiongnu of the Eurasian Steppe. The Han emperors were initially forced to acknowledge the rival Xiongnu Chanyus as their equals, yet in reality the Han was an inferior partner in a tributary and royal marriage alliance known as heqin. This agreement was broken when Emperor Wu of Han (r. 141–87 BCE) launched a series of military campaigns which eventually caused the fissure of the Xiongnu Federation and redefined the borders of China.
The Han realm was expanded into the Hexi Corridor of modern Gansu province, the Tarim Basin of modern Xinjiang, modern Yunnan and Hainan, modern northern Vietnam, modern North Korea, and southern Outer Mongolia. The Han court established trade and tributary relations with rulers as far west as the Arsacids, to whose court at Ctesiphon in Mesopotamia the Han monarchs sent envoys. Buddhism first entered China during the Han, spread by missionaries from Parthia and the Kushan Empire of northern India and Central Asia.
Using the army in ADLG
- Lots of options for everything in this army - makes it a very good list
- Massed crossbow shooting as part of mixed units gives it a lot of ablity to project its power at long range
- Crossbow armed cavalry are no slouches either at shooting knights, cataphracts or HI
- The elite MF foot can go succesfully into enemy Pikes and Spears as part of a wider formation
- The levy are fabulous value, they count for no losses and can hold up large parts of an enemy army for ages.
Useful Links
User-contributed links about this army. Add links in this format:
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Army Lists
Sample army lists for this army
Codgers 2024
116 Han Dave Roberts
Brilliant
2 Chinese Cavalry Heavy cavalry crossbow ------
1 Mounted Guardsmen Heavy cavalry crossbow Elite
1 Horse Archers Light cavalry bow ------
1 Guardsmen on Foot Heavy swordsmen polearm Elite
3 Halberdiers Heavy swordsmen polearm ----
1 Crossbows Crossbowmen ------
1 Halberdiers Medium swordsmen polearm ----
==
Brilliant
2 Horse Archers Medium cavalry bow ------
1 Horse Archers Light cavalry bow ------
1 Halberdiers Medium swordsmen polearm ------
3 Halberdiers Heavy swordsmen polearm ------
1 Guardsmen on Foot Heavy swordsmen polearm Elite
1 Crossbows Crossbowmen ----
==
Ordinary, Included, Unreliable
1 Chinese Cavalry Heavy cavalry crossbow
1 Horse Archers Light cavalry bow
4 War Prisoners Levy expendable
German Open 2022
4 Expendable Horde
Brilliant Geenral
2 LH Bow
2 Cv Xbow
4 Mixed XBow Sword
==
3 HI Polearm
2 LH Bow
2 MCv (1 Bow, 1 XBow)
1 LI XBow
3 MF Impetuous
1 Med Sw Polearm
Brilliant General
==
1 HCh Full Fat
2 LH Bow
Ordinary Included General
117 Han Chinese Saunders
Strategist
4 Chinese halberdiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW ------
2 mixed units ½ Heavy swordsmen ½ Crossbowmen ------
4 Prisoners of war Levy expendable ------
1 Light foot crossbow Light infantry crossbow ----
2 crossbowmen Crossbowmen Mediocre
2 javelinmen javelinmen ----
==
Competent Included
2 heavy chariots heavy chariot impact Elite
2 cavalry crossbow heavy cavalry crossbow ------
2 Horse archers Light cavalry bow ----
1 chinese horsemen light cavalry impact ------
==
Brilliant
1 light foot crossbow light infantry crossbow ------
1 Crossbowmen Crossbowmen Mediocre
2 Chinese halberdiers Medium swordsmen 2HW elite
117 Han Chinese Young
Brilliant
2 Chinese halberdiers Medium swordsmen 2HW elite
1 Chinese halberdiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW ------
2 mixed units ½ Heavy swordsmen ½ Crossbowmen ------
2 mixed units ½ Medium swordsmen ½ Crossbowmen ------
1 Light foot bow Light infantry bow ---
==
Brilliant
2 heavy chariots heavy chariot impact Elite
2 Medium cavalry crossbow Medium cavalry crossbow ------
1 Horse archers Light cavalry bow ----
2 mixed units ½ Medium swordsmen ½ Crossbowmen ------
2 Halberdiers Medium Swordsmen 2HW
==
Ordinary Unreliable
2 Medium cavalry crossbow Medium cavalry crossbow ------
2 Horse archers Light cavalry bow ----
1 chinese horsemen light cavalry impact ------
==
Competent
1 light foot crossbow light infantry crossbow ------
1 Crossbowmen Crossbowmen Mediocre
Marc Crotteau's Worlds 2019 list
Strategist
4 Horsemen Medium cavalry crossbow ----
2 Replace some halberdiers ½ Heavy swordsmen ½ Crossbowmen ----
2 Guardsmen on foot Heavy swordsmen 2HW Elite
1 Horse archers Light cavalry bow ----
==
Ordinary Included
1 Chariots (included general) Heavy chariot impact Elite
1 Chariots Heavy chariot impact Elite
2 Light infantry crossbow Light infantry crossbow ----
==
Brilliant
4 Horsemen Medium cavalry crossbow
3 Replace some crossbows ½ Medium swordsmen ½ Crossbowmen
1 Horse archers Light cavalry bow
V2
Strategist
2 Guardsmen on foot Medium swordsmen 2HW Elite
4 Replace some halberdiers ½ Medium swordsmen ½ Crossbowmen ----
2 Chariots with 4 horses Heavy chariot impact Elite
2 Light infantry crossbow Light infantry crossbow ----
1 Horse archers Light cavalry bow ----
==
Ordinary
4 Replace some crossbowmen ½ Heavy swordsmen ½ Crossbowmen
2 Chinese halberdiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW
==
Ordinary Included
1 Horsemen (included general) Heavy cavalry crossbow
2 Horsemen Heavy cavalry crossbow
1 Horse archers Light cavalry bow
200 AP from Patras 2019 - winning list!
2 Cv XBow - included ordinary general
2 Lh Bow
==
1 HI Halberdier
2 HI Elite Halberdiers
2 Mixed HI Sw/Xbow
2 Mixed MI Sw/Xbow
Brilliant General
==
Strategist
2 Heavy Chariots impact elite
2 Medium Cv bow
1 LH bow
2 Medium Swd-Cbow
2 Medium Swd 2HY
Mike Bennetts Britcon 2018 2nd place list
Brilliant
1 HCh
1 HCv XBow
1 LH Bow
2 2HCW Guardsmen Elite
1 Mixed foot crossbow
1 Javelinman
1 LI Bow
==
Strategist
1 HCh
1 Medium Cav
6 Halberdiers Mediums
1 Javelinman
1 LI Bow
==
Ordinary Included
1 HCv XBow
1 LH Bow
1 Crossbowman
4 Levy
Britcon 2018
117 Han
Brilliant
5 Chinese halberdiers Heavy swordsmen 2HW
1 mixed units ½ Medium swordsmen ½ Crossbowmen
4 Prisoners of war Levy expendable
1 Light foot crossbow Light infantry crossbow
1 crossbowmen Crossbowmen
==
Competent Included
2 heavy chariots heavy chariot impact Elite
2 cavalry crossbow heavy cavalry crossbow ------
2 Horse archers Light cavalry bow ----
1 chinese horsemen light cavalry impact ------
==
Competent
2 javelinmen javelinmen ------
1 Light infantry crossbow light infantry crossbow ------
2 Crossbowmen Crossbowmen ----
2 Chinese halberdiers Guardsmen Medium swordsmen 2HW elite
Conclave 2018 200 points
Ordinary General included in HCh Impact Elite
HCh Impact Elite
Cavalry Ordinary
LH with Bow
==
Ordinary General
2 HI 2HCW
1 HI Elite Guard with 2HCW
1 Javelinman
2 LF Crossbow
2 Mixed HI/X-Bow foot
==
2 Cavalry X-bow
1 LH Bow
3 Mixed MF X-bow/Sword
1 Elite Medium Foot 2HCW
1 Foot 2HCW
2 LF Bow
Brilliant General
USTT 2018 200ap
Brilliant
2, HV Cav, Heavy cavalry crossbow, ------
2, HV Chariot, Heavy chariot impact, Elite
3, Horse Archers, Light cavalry bow, ------
==
Competent
1, Medium Cavalry, Medium cavalry crossbow
2, Mixed Medium, ½ Medium swordsmen ½ Crossbowmen
2, Med Sword , Medium swordsmen 2HW
2, Horse Archers, Light cavalry bow
1, LI Bow, Light infantry bow
1, Tribal Auxiliaries, Javelinmen
==
Competent
3, Heavy Sword, Heavy swordsmen 2HW
2, Mixed Heavy, ½ Heavy swordsmen ½ Crossbowmen
2, LI Bowmen, Light infantry bow
200AP from The Worlds 2016
Brilliant, Included
1 Cavalerie de la garde Cavalerie lourde arbalète Elite
2 Cavaleries Cavalerie lourde arbalète ------
2 Archers à cheval Cavalerie légère arc ------
2 Formations mixtes ½ Fantassin moyen ½ Arbalétrier ------
===
Strategist
3 Cavaleries Cavalerie lourde arbalète
2 Archers à cheval Cavalerie légère arc
2 Formations mixtes ½ Fantassin moyen ½ Arbalétrier
4 Prisonniers de guerre Levée sacrifiable
2 Infanterie légére Infanterie légère arc
===
Ordinary, Included, Unreliable
1 Cavalerie de la garde Cavalerie lourde arbalète
2 Cavaleries Cavalerie lourde arbalète
2 Archers à cheval Cavalerie légère arc
''In fact I built this list (Han Chinese ) in order to play in an open tournament and probably against medieval lists. My idea was to oppose very good command (initiative 5) move (9 HC and 6 LC) and crossbow (decrease protection to 1 in any case) against strength and protection .
It was (according to me) quite sure that a great number of armies in the event would be medieval ones. In this eventuality ,taking heavy infantry against foot knights and pikes was not a very good choice .
So I choose an army with no compulsory heavy infantry (replaced by medium mixed infantry as medium infantry doesn't appear frequently in médieval lists) and HC with crossbow (I knew that bows shall not be strong enough to fire at Knights foot and mounted with a realistic chance to hurt them)
Just in the opposite if my army would have to play against traditional armies of the antiquity I knew that it will be more difficult for me .
In fact the first opponent I played was an Italian player with Roman Lates Empire (and it was really the most difficult victory I got 20 on 21 )
my crossbows didn't serve any where and I was in inferiority with my medium infantry (in number and quality) I had a lot of work with the movement of the cavalry to equalise and perform in killing the opponent army .
The other 2 victories where easier to obtain (Condotta with Swiss ally 12 for me and Ottoman with Serb ally 11 for me )
one of the draw against medieval German due to the time I performed to destroy Knights and take the flank of the heavy infantry but little to late (6 points more to kill the army at the end of the game ( only 10 points for me)
The other draw against an army as mobile as my one but with a lot of medium Cavalry and a lesser command (at the end of the game 4 points to achieve these 4 points where on the table , a shoot and 3 good fights for me at + 2 and +3 but only 2 on the 4 where performed )
In each game I had to play the entire time because my army need a lot of work and move .
I think that this army in its period will not be competitive in this composition but I give it to you with great pleasure!
I hope that you will be able to understand my English sorry for the mistakes
Patrick Papaschultz''