Historical Overview Section
The Liao dynasty also known as the Khitan Empire existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü clan of the Khitan people. Founded around the time of the collapse of the Tang dynasty, at its greatest extent it ruled over Northeast China, the Mongolian Plateau, the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, southern portions of the Russian Far East, and the northern tip of the North China Plain
The Liao army was originally just picked from various tribes as the Emperors personal retinue. In time it grew and eventually contained 15,000 households, and could field up to 6,000 horsemen. The Liao nobles each had their own orda which the Liao government "borrowed" for campaign. According to the History of Liao, the Liao nobles treated the state as if it was their family. They provided private armies to assist the government during times of war. The larger ordas comprised up to a thousand or more horsemen while smaller ones several hundred horsemen. By the end of the dynasty, the ordas together constituted 81,000 Khitan households and 124,000 Balhae and Chinese households, which together could field up to 101,000 horsemen.
The Liao Army was composed of 3 sections: the Ordu, who were the elite personal cavalry of the Emperor, the tribal cavalry of Khitans and an auxiliary force of non-Khitan tribes, and militia infantry of Han Chinese and other sedentary peoples, who also provided the foot archers and catapult crews. Appanage territories were often granted to commanders. The core of the Liao army was composed of heavy armoured cavalry. In battle they arrayed light cavalry in the front and two layers of armoured cavalry in the back. Even foragers were armoured.
Units of Khitan heavy cavalry were organized in groups of 500 to 700 men. Unlike some other empires originating from nomadic tribes, the Khitans preferred to fight in dense heavy cavalry formations rather than the wide formations of horse archers
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200 Points
Britcon 2022 (V4)
951
Brilliant Included
1 Khitan Horsemen General Heavy cavalry impact Elite
3 Khitan Horsemen Heavy cavalry impact Elite
2 Tribal Auxiliaries Light cavalry bow ------
2 Chinese Troops ½ Medium spearmen ½ Crossbowmen ------
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Competent
3 Khitan Followers Heavy cavalry bow
5 Tribal Auxiliaries Light cavalry bow
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Tang & Five Dynasties Ally: Ordinary Included Unrelaible
1 Nobles General Heavy cavalry bow ------
4 Spearmen & Haldberdiers Heavy swordsmen polearm ------
1 Bowmen Bowmen Mediocre