The Empire of the Great Ming Factbook (EE)

[OMGeverynameistaken]

Name: The Empire of the Great Ming (Daming Diguo)

Ruler: Zhu Youtang (The Hongxi Emperor)

Imperial Family:
Empress Cheng Xiao Zhao
Noble Consort Gong Su
Prince Zhu Zhanji
Princess Qinghe
Princess Yanping

Capital: Beijing (The Forbidden City)

Population: ~7.7 billion in mainland China
47,616,000 in Chinese Africa

The Government of the Great Ming:

The Imperial Court
The Imperial court consists of those aspects of the government directly related to the Emperor and Imperial Household. They various personnel attached to it are:

The Grand Chancellor Hong Jiang
-The Assistant Chancellor Shi Kwok
-The Ministerial Council
--Chief of the Ministerial Council Huan Cheung
-The Ministerial Chancery
--Assistant Chancellor Qiang Wang

The Imperial Council
-The Cash Department
-The Medical Department
-The Imperial Archives

The Marshal of the Court
-The Court Receptions Department
-Chancery of the Empress
-Department of Imperial Rites
-The Imperial Library
-The Imperial Museums and Warehouses
-The Imperial Academy of Arts
-The Imperial Archaeological Commission
-The Imperial Theater
-The Imperial Chorus
-The Imperial Band
-The Imperial Stable and hunt
-The Imperial IT Services
-The Imperial Guard of Personal Service
-The Imperial Board of Ceremony
-The Imperial Chamberlains
-The Crown Prince's Household
-The Imperial Mausoleum
-The Department of Palace Construction and Maintenance

Identification of Rank:
All Ming government officials, save the Emperor, are classified into nine ranks of two grades each (for a total of 18 distinct ranks). Military and civilian rank trees parallel each other. There are two primary methods of telling the rank of an official.

The first is his headwear. In cool weather a round black velvet cap is worn, while in hotter climes a rattan or straw cap is worn. The center of the cap is composed of red material for higher ranking officials and black or undyed for lower ranks. The cap is topped with a ball identifying the rank of the official in question. Some caps feature peacock or pheasant feathers, although this is up to the wearer.

Nobility and the royalty employ pearls of various sizes and number.

First rank officials wear a ruby sphere.
Second rank officials wear a red coral sphere.
Third rank officials wear a sapphire sphere.
Fourth rank officials wear a lapis lazuli sphere.
Fifth rank officials wear a crystal sphere.
Sixth rank officials wear a mother of pearl sphere.
Seventh rank officials where a amethyst sphere.
Eighth rank officials wear an amber sphere.
Ninth rank officials wear a jet or obsidian sphere.

Grade is determined by tassels extending from the back of the cap. First grade officials have red tassels, while second grade are blue.

The second method of determining rank are the square patches sewn into official's surcoats. The animal thereon is used to determine rank. These vary between military officers and civilian.

Rank 1:
Military: Qilin
Civilian: Crane

Rank 2:
M: Lion
C: Golden pheasant

Rank 3:
M: Leopard
C: Peacock

Rank 4:
M: White Tiger
C: Wild goose

Rank 5:
M: Bear
C: Silver pheasant

Rank 6:
M: Panther
C: Egret

Rank 7:
M: Rhinoceros
C: Mandarin duck

Rank 8:
M: Tiger
C: Quail

Rank 9:
M: Sea horse (or, rather, a horse galloping across the sea)
C: Oriole

Duty military uniforms generally feature the character for the animal instead of the full depiction, while poorer officials may also wear this cheaper option normally, as the squares can be expensive to replace.

The wives and children of officials may also wear their symbol, but must purchase them on their own. These are typically round, rather than spherical.

The Grand Secretariat:
Composed of six Grand Secretaries, this department deals with the Emperor's paperwork. Each Grand Secretary observes a particular part of the Emperor's workload.
The Secretariat also encompasses the department known as The Imperial Hand, which consists of the scribes and secretaries who handle the Emperor's personal paperwork, write decrees and draft responses for him.
The Secretariat is an Imperial body, rather than part of the state, and thus is frequently at odds with the Ministries.

The Grand Preceptor (who supervises the Secretariat):
Grand Preceptor Shui Jiang

The Grand Secratary of Tribute
Grand Secretary Huang Kwan

The Grand Secretary of Internal Affairs
Grand Secretary Jian Kuang

The Grand Secretary of the Military
Grand Secretary He Huang

The Grand Secretary of Finance and Tax
Grand Secretary Hong Ma

The Grand Secretary of Justice
Grand Secretary Qing Hou

The Grand Secretary of Education
Grand Secretary Shui Lim

The Overseer of the Imperial Hand
Overseer He Zheng

The Censorate
The Censorate is led by Shi Zheng.
The police body of the Chinese government, the Censorate responds directly to the Emperor. Censors are charged with rooting out corruption and incompetence in the government, and thus tend to be disliked.

The Six Ministries
The top level of government, below the Emperor, consists of six ministries which administer all aspects of the Chinese government.

The Ministries are:

The Ministry of Personnel: Minister Lim Kwan
-The Bureau of Appointments
-The Bureau of Merit
-The Bureau of Promotions
-The Bureau of Titles and Honors

The Ministry of Revenue: Minister Hong Xun
-The Department of The Imperial Census
-The Bureau of Taxation
-The Bureau of Finance
--The General Office of Crediting
--The Imperial Treasury
-The Imperial Mint
--The Imperial Counterfeiting Office
-The Foreign Currency Office
--The Department of Customs and Duties
-The Department of Tributary Affairs
--The Chinese Exhibition Center
--Nanjing Palace of Culture and Science
--The Received Income and Assessed Contributions Department

The Ministry of Rites and Religion: Minister Zhou Zhao
-The Bureau of Ceremony
-The Bureau of Ritual and Sacrifices
-The Bureau of Buddhist and Taoist Affairs
-The Bureau of Foreign Religions
-The Bureau of Tributary Receptions
-The Department of the Imperial Examinations

The Ministr of War: Minister Qing Xun
-The Grand Staff of the Military
-The Miltiary Council
--The Ministerial Chancellery
-The Imperial Retinue
-The Bureau of Appointments
-The Bureau of Fortifications
-The Bureau of Procurements and Production
-The Bureau of Research and Development
-The Bureau of Communications
-The Bureau of Logistics
--The Department of Military Medicine
--The Department of Military Justice
---The Committee on Codification of Military Justice
--The Committee on Military Sanitation
-The Department of the Army
--The Department of Artillery
--The Department of Engineers
-The Department of the Cavalry
-The Department of the Artillery
-The Department of Auxiliary Soldiers
-The Department of the Navy
-The Department of the Commissariat

The Ministry of Justice: Minister Min Kuang
-The Bureau of Judicial Works
-The Bureau of Prisons and Punishment

The Ministry of Public Works: Minister Wen Bai
-The Bureau of State Construction
-The Bureau of Artisans and Labor
-The Bureau of Manufacturing
--The Department of Heavy Industry
-The Bureau of Transportation
--The Department of Railway and Space Elevators
-The Bureau of Weights and Measures
-The Bureau of Farms and Mines
--The Department of Agriculture
--The Department of Smelters, Forgers and Metalworking

The Imperial Examination:
One of China's oldest traditions is the Imperial Examination. Established in 605 and popularized under the Song dynasty (960-1279AD) the system consists of several levels of tests performed at the county, province, national and imperial levels. Each level of exam grants entry into a different level of the Chinese bureaucratic system.

There are separate variations of the exam for military and civil posts, although some content overlaps in both of these. Within the civilian and military exams, there are sub-variants at the higher levels for specific posts which may be given on request instead of the general examination.

Civilian exams cover topics of military strategy, civil law, information technology, revenue and taxation, agriculture and geography, and Confucian classics. Specialized tests may cover specifics in each field or other topics, such as city infrastructure or road maintenance.

Military exams previously required marksmanship and swordsmanship tests, but these were eliminated under the Hongxi Emperor and integrated into post-test officer training. This has opened up the military tests to a much wider base and has provided many more officers to the army, although it tends to be upsetting to noble officers. Many quieted down when the Emperor said that if nobles having to salute commoners was an issue, he would simply make all officers noble.'

Current military exams cover several military classics, such as the Huolongjing ('Fire Dragon Manual') and the Ji Xiao Xin Shu ('New Book Recording Effective Techniques'), modernized versions of ancient texts from the Former Ming. Texts such as Frederick the Great's "On the Art of War" and Suvorov's "The Art of Victory" are also included, at the behest of the Hongxi Emperor.

The degrees one may achieve in exams are:
Shengyuan or 'Licentiate': Administered at the county level annually
Juren or 'Recommended': Administered at the province level every three years
Gongshi or 'Tribute personnel': Administered at the national level every three years at the Imperial Palace
Jinshi or 'Presented Scholar': Administered directly after the national-level exams.

Any free male born in China is permitted to take the exams, except for those convicted of high crimes (even if they're still alive) or who the Emperor deems untrustworthy.

Religion
Known widely as 'Heaven Worship', the Chinese faith is monotheistic, forbids idols and centers around the worship of a transcendent, omnipotent being known as 'Shangdi' or 'High Sovereign'. Shangdi is believed to be both King of Heaven and Heaven itself, while the Emperor is venerated as the Son of Heaven, blessed by Shangdi. Heaven worship is the official state religion to which all subjects of the Chinese Empire are required to subscribe to some degree.

The idea of a 'Heavenly Bureaucracy' is also present. Shangdi, it is said, does not act directly on Earth, but through a vast celestial host of bureaucrats who manage the various aspects of Earth.

Ancestor worship is also practiced. Generally it is believed that the soul persists in the afterlife and has need of money and various other goods. Paper representations of these goods are burned at small altars, while most family homes maintain a modest shrine in the memory of their forefathers.

Confucianism and Taoism are also popular in China, while Buddhism has a few strongholds in the south.

Islam is legal, but less widely practiced, being predominant only in the Sinkiang province.

List of Tributaries to China
-The Kingdom of Korea: 4 times per year (on the change of the season)
-The Kingdom of Tibet: 2 times per year
-The Mongolian Tribes: 2 times per year
-The Kingdom of Nepal: Once per two years
-The Ryukyu Principalities: Once per two years
-The Kingdom of Siam: Once per two years

Of the six listed above, Ryukyu and Siam only make a nominal payment which is returned by the Ming, as Ryukyu is currently a Japanese holding (the continuation of tribute payments was a condition of a treaty between Japan and China to prevent Chinese objections to the Japanese acquiring the islands) and Siam typically merely sends an IOU. Vietnam was formerly a tributary but, obviously, their acquisition by France halted that, much to China's annoyance.


Diplomacy with the Ming
Diplomatic Agencies
Being an ancient empire descended from generations of people who saw China as the only true state in the world, diplomacy in China evolved differently than in Europe.

Firstly, the vast majority of nations are dealt with through the Ministry of Revenue's department of tributary affairs. This stems from the old perception that China is the only 'true' nation on Earth. This particular office has evolved over the years to serve essentially the same purpose as another nation's ambassadorial department.

Certain 'recognized' nations are dealt with through the Board for Administration of Outlying Regions, also less politically correctly known as the Office of Barbarian Affairs. Since the ascendancy of the Hongxi Emperor this office has been gradually taking over the affairs of the Department of Tributary Affairs which are not actually tribute related, but it is still a fairly minor office, presently dealing only with Russia and France.

China presently maintains no embassies with other states.

Meetings
Most Chinese officials, and indeed Chinese people, are extremely reluctant to use the word 'no'. Or any variation of that word. They will offer excuses, make counter-offers, suggest alternatives and so forth until there is no other option. This can be a somewhat frustrating experience to those not versed in this particular aspect of the culture, as it often makes it seem that there are doors open where there are, in fact, no doors at all.

Persons who come to the Imperial City to meet the Emperor will be expected to bring 'tribute'. This might more accurately be rendered as 'presents'. Typically, in order to demonstrate the generosity and superiority of the Chinese state, any gift given will be reciprocated on the departure of the person who brought the tribute. Persons meeting the Emperor will also be expected to bow three times (although more is acceptable if one wishes to be particularly respectful), or to kowtow. Kowtowing is only required for official tributaries or emissaries of conquered states, however.

Important Places:
The Imperial City:
The city within Beijing which houses all of the various buildings which manage the Empire. Because of the highly centralized nature of the Chinese bureaucracy, all of the ministerial, department and bureau heads are located within the walls of the city. Access to the city is strictly controlled.

The Forbidden City:
A city within a city within a city, the Forbidden City is the home of the Emperor and houses those who the Emperor chooses to invite in. Only a small portion (the outer court) is open to visitors, whom the Emperor summons. The remainder (the inner court) is only accessible to the Emperor, his wife/concubines and the imperial eunuchs. Every event which occurs in the Forbidden City is recorded and the record stored within the Imperial Archive, which contains texts dating back to the creation of the city in the 1400's.

[OMGeverynameistaken]

The Military
The military is headed by five Chief Military Commissions, they are:

The General of the Army:
General Yi Pan

The General of the Cavalry:
General Zhi Tang

The Admiral of the Navy:
Admiral Zhi Tang

The General of Reserve and Auxilliary Troops:
General Qiang Sung

The General of Supply:
General Zhong Liao

Army Totals:

Total Available Manpower:
465,900,000

Total Standing Force:
10,650,000

Total Reserve Force:
44,120,000

Military Ranks:
Military rankings are based on the nine ranks employed in civilian service. Each rank is equivalent to the civilian rank. Ranks are divided into two grades, although grade is typically only mentioned if it is required to decide who is in command. The formal means of address adds grade as either 'Upper' or 'Lower'

Rank 1: General/Admiral (shang jiang)
Rank 2: Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral (t'i-tu)
Rank 3: Major General/Rear Admiral (chen-t'ai)
Rank 4: Colonel/Captain (fu-chiang)
Rank 5: Lieutenant Colonel/Commander (ts'an-chiang)
Rank 6: Major/Lieutenant Commander (tu-ssu)
Rank 7: Captain/Lieutenant (shao-pei)
Rank 8: 1st Lieutenant/Lieutenant Junior Grade (ch'ien-tsung)
Rank 9: 2nd Lieutenant/Ensign (shaowei)

Below the officerial ranks there are nine further of non-officer units.

Sergeant Major/Master Chief Petty Officer
Master Sergeant/Senior Chief Petty Officer
Sergeant First Class/Chief Petty Officer
Staff Sergeant/Petty Officer 1st Class
Sergeant/Petty Officer 2nd Class
Corporal/Petty Officer 3rd Class
Private First Class/Seaman First Class
Private/Seaman
Trainee/Seaman Apprentice

Army Units:

The Imperial Guard:
-The Forbidden Guard: 2,500 men
The Forbidden Guard are the soldiers who's duty is to protect the Forbidden City and the person of the Emperor. These men are highly trained and, as of late, equipped with the latest in European technology. They are loyal to the Emperor only, and take their orders from his person alone.
They are known by their ornate golden armor and fierce, demon masks which are worn while guarding the inner gates of the Forbidden City.

-The Imperial Bodyguard: 3,000 men
This corps consists of the Emperor's personal bodyguards when outside of the Imperial City. They are chiefly a bodyguard unit, rather than a combat one, but are formed from experienced veterans of other units with several years of combat experience. They act as both cavalry and infantry, depending on the situation, either wearing imported cuirassier armor or moving on foot when the Emperor is in a building.

-The Imperial Guard Light Regiment: 4,000 men
A corps of light infantry organized and trained in the Western manner. They wield light-pattern muskets and usually fight in open formation. They have a rather large rivalry with the older and more traditionalist Phoenix Guard as to who's methods are most effective.

-The Imperial Guard Line Infantry, 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion: 18,000 men
The first unit of European-style infantry trained in China, these men are personally loyal to the Emperor and are all combat veterans. They are equipped and trained in the European style and are fanatically loyal to the Emperor.

-The Ten Thousand Riders: 10,000 men
The Ten Thousand Riders are the elite cavalry of the Ming. Until recently, they were equipped with battle tanks. The Hongxi Emperor, however, saw fit to reequip them with custom-made cuirassier-styled armor. While not as advanced as top-of-the-line European models, the Ten Thousand Rider's armor is custom-fitted to each man so as to overcome this disadvantage. They are a match for any man on the field of battle.

-The Feathered Forest: 25,000 men
Organized into 5 regiments, the Feathered Forest are armed with unique magnetically assisted bows. These project a field in front of the weapon which accelerates the arrows fired by the bow as they pass through it, achieving speeds which, while not as fast as those of a linear musket, are sufficient that the arrows may be employed as anti-tank weapons even without explosive tips, which these men make frequent use of.

-The Dragon Martial: 5,000 men
The Dragon Martial leads the men who guard the eastern gate of the Forbidden City. They are elite musketeers now equipped with modern weapons at the behest of the Emperor. Organized into five regiments, one of these regiments is always present at the East Magnificent Gate. The Dragon Guard is known for being particularly adept and cunning, relying on tactics and maneuver, rather than brute strength.
Their uniforms and dragoon-style armor are traditionally blue. The Dragon Guard has a strong rivalry with the Tiger Guard.

-The Tiger Martial: 5,000 men
The Tiger Guard protects the West Magnificent Gate, and, as with the other units of the Imperial Gate Guard, they are organized into five regiments. The Tiger Guard employ shock tactics and are known as being aggressive, relying on brute strength and shock to make their mark.
The Tiger Guard wears white, and while equipped similarly, have a rivalry with the Dragon Guard.

-The Phoenix Martial: 5,000 men
The Phoenix Guard protects the Meridian Gate. They are known for the speed and fluidity of tactics, striking in one place and then moving on to the next attack with blinding speed.
They wear hussar-patterned armor equipped with jump-jets which allow them to move a great distance in a short amount of time.
The Phoenix Guard wears red.

-The Tortoise Martial: 5,000 men
The men of the Tortoise Guard protect the Gate of Divine Prowess, and are known for their stolidity in battle. It is said that once they are in place, they will never be moved unless they choose to do so. The men of this branch of the guard wear heavy armor which would be classed as 'cuirassier' armor by Westerners, although it is a good deal heavier and slower.
The Tortoise Guard's color is black.

-The Divine Martial: 5,000 men
Wearing golden armor and equipped in the manner of cuirassiers, the Divine Martial are responsible for the walls of the Forbidden City. They patrol said walls and man the four great watchtowers. The Emperor has recently added the protection of the lower portion of the Beijing space elevator to their duties.


Notable Units:
-The Kansu Braves
A former militia unit from the area of outer Mongolia, this unit obtained modern arms through dealings with German businessmen in the area. They are known for wearing bright red and yellow uniforms with various prayers and 'protection spells' written on them, as well as for their ferocity in battle.

-The Beijing Infantry of Foot
The first unit of Chinese soldiers to be trained and armed in the European fashion, they take great pride in this tradition and are known as one of the bravest and most stubborn Chinese units, being unwilling to give even an inch of ground without orders to do so.

-Hu Ben (Tigers)
The Empire's shock troops, the Hu Ben are equipped with greatswords and heavier shields than most other infantry units. Their purpose is to charge in and disrupt enemy infantry formations. Currently they are something of a prototype unit, composed only of two regiments.

-The Divine Engine Division
Officially the Imperial Division for Training with Western Arms, this unit took on its more fanciful name shortly after its inception. While theoretically a training unit, the Divine Engine Division often takes training to practical levels as they are currently one of few

-New Model Troops
The result of a decade of research and development by the Emperor, the ten regiments of New Model Troops are the core of China's army. Equipped, trained and dressed in the European fashion, they are most likely the best non-Imperial troops in the country in terms of discipline. They are all equipped with muskets produced in China which, being essentially hand-made, are high maintenance but of good quality.

-Green Turban Soldiers
Until the advent of the New Model Troops, these Muslim soldiers were the best of the Ming forces. They go into battle with religious fervor, believing that if they are slain in battle that they will instantly ascend to heaven. For this reason they often took the forefront of assaults and took the points of heaviest fire in the line of attack.
They were never entirely trusted by the Ming, however, but many of their officers have ascended fairly high in the military.

The Imperial Army:
In its current incarnation, the Imperial Army is little more than a rabble of poorly disciplined soldiers led by corrupt officers and wielding outdated weapons. As a field force, it was previously organized into banners under generals. Due to corruption, each banner was horribly understrength, in one case an officer reported having 920,000 troops on his roll, when only 120,000 were actually present. He had been pocketing the extra pay.
Currently the army is undergoing massive reforms, many retired European officers are being brought in to train the next generation of soldiers and officers, while the army is reorganized into a more modern command structure.

Tuanlian:
The Tuanlin is a localized militia force separate from the formal military. It is raised and maintained by local authorities, varying from province to province, but usually it is managed at the village/city level. The state does not equip these troops, so they tend to have very poor equipment.
Towns usually have a senior unit of semi-standing militia called the thou-ping, varying in size based on the town or city. This unit practices throughout the year and is on standby constantly in case of local threats.

Yong:
Or 'Braves', are essentially Imperial-level militia volunteers called up in times of crises. They are usually funded by local authorities or gentry, and thus their equipment varies greatly. They typically organize in units of a few hundred, although sometimes they can grow to over a thousand. Often they will be commanded by civilian officials (in theory, de facto leaders inevitably arise from their ranks)
The Yong-Ying, or Brave Battalion, is the provincial level organization of these units. Being semi-official, the Yong-Ying receives better training and equipment than regular Yong units and is often significantly larger.

Youxia:
Meaning 'Wandering Force', the Youxia are China's adventurers and knights-errant. They are usually fairly well equipped, brave and typically highly principled. This is essential since they are traditionally heavily persecuted by the Imperial government and thus must rely on the kindness of the peasantry. As of late, the Hongxi Emperor has been softening the Empire's approach to these men and many say that he is attempting to woo them into liaising with the Imperial Army. Until such time, they often assist the local militia units in defending their property against bandits.


Organization:
The Ming army is organized into regiments of 3,000 men. Each regiment carries two flags, one of the province it originates in and a second flag of black silk bearing its number and regimental device. The second flag is regarded as sacred to the regiment as it is considered the property of the army commander, while the first flag is important to the regiment in that it represents their home, it is considered lesser than the second flag.
Regiments are grouped into battalions of five. Each battalion is granted an imperial banner to take into battle. These devices are of the utmost importance to all regiments and will be defended to the death in most cases.

Battalion (ying) = 15,000 men
Brigade (piao) = 2 regiments and three specialist companies (usually 2 anti-tank (equivalent to grenadiers) and one artillery or heavy weapons unit)
Regiment (hsieh) = 3,000 men
Company (shao) = 500 men
Platoon (ssu) = 50 men
Squad (p'eng) = 10 men


Ming Tactics:
Previously, due to the low quality of training available, Ming commanders main tactic was to launch a massed frontal assault on the enemy rather than try to maneuver with their badly trained and unreliable units. This was usually accomplished using a core of bodyguard units, usually about 1,000 men, who were very well trained and equipped, being brave to an extreme measure. This led to heavy casualties.

More recently, the Hongxi Emperor has raised the standard of training a great degree, saying that units should focus on teamwork and cooperation above personal weapon's skills. As such, Ming strategy and tactics are gradually shifting to a more in-depth approach.

Much store is placed in morale and its effects on both one's own soldiers and the enemy. For this reason, the Ming go into battle with many flags, trumpets, banners and a great deal of shouting.

Ming musketry tends to be extremely acrobatic in nature. The first rank will fire and then move behind the second, allowing them to fire while the third moves forward. Many of the more flamboyant officers previously expended a great deal of time training soldiers to backflip over the second rank, often with heavy casualties when such maneuvers were attempted with bayonets fixed.

Equipment:

The Jingall:
Jingall are outsized muskets (or light cannons) with a crew of two. They could be considered as man-portable versions of European 'Dragon' style muskets. They fire extremely high-powered rounds and are quite deadly, albeit fairly slow weapons. They typically equip Chinese anti-armor units.
They are normally fired from a tripod, but in a pinch can be mounted on the back of the second crewmember, who holds the barrel down with a strip of cloth while plugging his ears so as to avoid having his eardrums ruptured.

Hand Rockets:
Employed by the Chinese equivalent of bombardiers, these packs of 8-24 rockets (depending on the size of the rockets) are fired point-blank into enemy infantry and armor formations, or used as short-range howitzer artillery. They may also be rigged as booby-traps if the need arises. The rockets are fairly small, and are either fragmentation warheads or anti-armor rounds.

Small Arms:
As yet, the Ming army has no standard musket for its regular troops.

Artillery:
Chinese artillery features rockets heavily. Even to this day, the Chinese are regarded as the masters of rocketry. As a result, Chinese direct-fire artillery usually outranges European models, at the cost of accuracy. Rocket artillery is quick to set up and can be fired very fast in comparison to muzzle-loading pieces.

The traditional Chinese method of bombardment is quantity over any sort of aim. Generally the person in charge will simply designate an area to be bombarded and it will be filled with rockets.

Rockets come in two main types, air-bursting fragmentation rockets, which are designed to fall through shields much as European howitzer shells, and armor-piercing direct-fire rockets used by the Chinese equivalent of bombardiers, as previously mentioned.

Chinese-made traditional artillery is regarded as inferior due to its high weight and production costs, since each peace is made individually, rather than mass-produced, and all are highly ornate. Still, they are powerful enough to compete with European pieces in that particular aspect. However, the Hongxi Emperor has acquired many Western pieces recently in order to equip a larger portion of the army.

Uniforms:
A standard Ming imperial infantryman wears a blue shirt and trousers of the typical baggy style with a vest or surcoat in blue, trimmed in red. The surcoat usually has a large white circle on which the man's unit and rank are displayed (except for officers, who's rank is displayed in shoulder patches). Ming soldiers wear rounded hats of similar design to those worn by officials, but have an iron sphere as a finial.

Provincial troops wear similar uniforms, with black shirts and vests and red trousers.

Muslim units wear a green turban, as previous noted, but otherwise dress as provincial soldiers.

There is no particular regulation for officer uniforms, but they are encouraged to match the color scheme of their troops to some degree.

Ming heavy cavalry armor is predominantly gold or yellow in color, with blue or red highlights. It often features red or gold studs on the thigh and shoulder armor.

Mongol units do not have uniforms, but as they provide all their own equipment, the central military authority does not object to this.