Arcane Legions

The Han mounted archer is a new addition to the Imperial forces, a result of years of skirmishing with the hated Xiongnu and being subjected to constant and accurate ranged fire from mounted enemies. In typical Han arrogance, the Grand Army decided that if filthy barbarians could do it, so could they, and established a corps of mounted archers to counteract the Xiongnu cavalry archers. The efforts have been successful, and if the Han archers are not the match for generations of experience, they are still quite competent.

The kit carried by the Han mounted archer is almost identical to that carried by the Han infantryman, excepting the obvious and necessary differences required by mounted operations. A shorter bow is needed on horseback than the traditional Han longbow, and so the recurve design favored by the Xiongnu was adopted, with a quiver of arrows attached at the waist (or to the saddle) for easy access. They still carry a sword in a waist scabbard to protect themselves if they are overrun, but the bow is their primary weapon.

In the cavalry regiments of the Grand Army of the Crusade, the archer formations are the newest and least-respected. Although they have proven their worth in skirmishes with the Xiongnu and other barbarians, they were nearly overwhelmed by the talented archers of the Parthan Empire when the Grand Army passed through, and so have been undergoing rigorous training. A number of captured Xiongnu have been responsible for this training, influenced by the Yamato queen Himiko into revealing their secrets to their hated enemies.