Royal Army of Kanaruca
Brief History of the Army and the State itself.
Since the days of the first invasion and anarchy in 711, the army of what is now Kanaruca has a long and varied history. The invasion itself of the SEA peoples overthrew the Kingdom of Marsovia, and threw their former lands into totally anarchy, until the rise of the first Kingdom of Kanaruca in 777.
The Prince Karthalo II, from the city of Rusadir, had managed to organize an unstoppable army made up of Marsovci Janissaries, Rusadiran Heavy Horse, and various levies waged a 5 year long war of conquest that saw him unify the lands into one Kingdom in 777 through the sword and diplomacy. Those petty Kingdoms that did not submit were conquered and those that did were made feudal vassals.
After further conquests against the Zetans, proto-Lusitanians, and Lunesians , the Kingdom grew to encompass much of what is now today part of the Second Kingdom by 821, and also included the Palatinate of Antigenia (From 846 to 963), the Duchy of Julia, and the Principality of Senia (937 to 963) in Deuxlunesia; and much of Equaseia and Insanisia (From 944 to 957) at some points. The army of this period was still focused on the winning formula of Marsovci Janissaries, Heavy Cavalry, and vast levies and irregulars, and it really did work well as the Kingdom was able to regularly raid its neighbors and take land.
The height of the First Kingdom came under the reign of Hamilkar III 'the Great' (931 to 954), who was able to conquer Equaseia and Insanisia in Lusitania, and Julia and Senia in Deuxlunesia. He also raided deeply into his neighbors, burning Ferreira to the ground and reaching as far as Olympias and Aequita in Deuxlunesia. With his death however, and the rise of his son Karthalo IV (954 to 966), the Second Kingdom rapidly collapsed, first being annihilated by the Lusitanians under their new King Afonso III, losing Hamilkar's conquests and then Antigenia, Julia and Senia in 963. Karthalo was overthrown by nobles in 966, and the First Kingdom would end with the lands being filled with many petty Kingdoms and states until the coming of Henri-Arnaud de La Rochejaquelein.
The year was 993 when Henri-Arnaud de La Rochejaquelein arrived at Hamilbokar upon the invitation of its residents. He was a charismatic Oiseau convert to Kobokism, and he brought with him 8,000 loyal followers. Henri had visited the city several times before, and was well liked by its people and had been offered the title "Prince of Hamilbokar" 2 years before, but declined. Upon his arrival, He preached of a great reform to the religion, one focused on Cunny more than Numbers, and new unified realm that would abandon the old ways of tribalism and embrace the principles of the Cunny.
After sallying forth and ending the siege on June 2nd, he sent letters across the realm speaking of his new principles, and thousands flocked to his banner. By the next year, he gathered an army of 25,000 and began his 7-year campaign of unification. His disciplined Oiseau, and Lunesian regulars and local Heavy Cavalry proved to be too much for any of the petty Kings, and he won victory after victory before his final victory in 1000. He was hailed as King of Kanaruca in 997 and appointed his loyal Marsovci Slave, Dragomir, as his equal and suffet.
These events resulted in the expulsion of all of the heathen number tribals that long had cause problems in Kanaruca to Warung Kopi but also started the shift in the Kingdom's focus from land to sea ultimately. Aside from two minor wars against Deuxlunesia in 1004 and 1021 respectively over Antigenia, the Kingdom has been largely peaceful on land, and this reflects itself in the current state of the army.
Army Overview
The Army as it is in the present consists of:
- Standing Army
- A Small Professional Citizen Corps
- Solid Mercenary Corps
- The Janissary Corps
- The Artillery Corps
- War Army
- Levies and irregulars that are raised when needed in the event of war.
- More Mercenaries that are hired in the event of war.
- Local Militia and Town Guards.
The standing army is rather small, consisting of perhaps 150,000 men at most across the vastness of the Kingdom, but largely concentrated at designated bases such as Hamilbokar, Sardica, Hannasa, Didomit, and Bomilica. It has been called on of the greatest wastes of money in the whole Kingdom since they do absolutely nothing it seems by some Senators, but the King has remained firm in keeping it at this minimum in the event of something absolutely disastrous attacking the Kingdom.
In the event regardless, hundreds of thousands of levies and irregulars are expected to join the standing army in some form and more mercenaries would be hired as well.
Local Militia and Town Guards are important forces just for keeping the peace on a local level, stopping bandits, and with the help of VII, crushing potential rebellions before they happen.
Units
The diversity of the Army is seen as a strength by the Kingdom, and the many different types of units and men who serve in them are one of the striking features of the Army.
Infantry
While Cavalry and Artillery are without a doubt the most prestigious and well-funded branches of the army, the Infantry still remains as a backbone regardless.
Mercenary Infantry
Along with Janissaries, the foreign mercenaries are the cornerstone of the Kingdom's Infantry. They mostly are line infantry, trained and equipped as such, and hail from many different countries, including Oiseau, Lusitania, Inanisland, Deuxlunesia, Pomerania, Dråkenland, and the Serene Republic.
Special Mercenary units include:
- Lustianian Caçadores
- Dråken Jägers
- Pomeranian Grenadiers
Janissaries
Janissaries are soldiers taken from Marsovci at a young age and trained to be loyal servants and excellent fighters. They are well known for their discipline, valour and zeal in combat. They are trained in the ways of Line warfare and represent the most elite infantry that the Kingdom can put to battle arguably aside from the Royal and Senatorial Guards,
Royal and Senatorial Guards
A rare sight on the battlefield, these men are drawn from the cream of the aristocracy and serve as the protectors of the King and other branches of Government. Two Regiments exist, but they have never actually fought in battle before, but they are trained to be absolute elite units.
Levies and Irregulars
Though it hasn't been done in a century, the Kingdom can call upon a vast amount of untrained levies and irregular troops, which are of dubious quality. The Irregulars are usually made up of hillmen from the Zetan Mountains, and would be used as light infantry while the levies are peasants that are given old muskets, clubs, pikes, swords, and would have almost no training.
Cavalry
Cavalry is the most prestigious branch of the army, and the second most well-funded after artillery. The peoples who live in the Kingdom as a whole have equestrian roots, and it shows in the quality of the citizen cavalry and even the irregulars.
Citizen Cavalry
From the landowners, city dwellers, and elites of the Kingdom comes what is known as the Citizen Cavalry. They are well trained, and well-motivated men that can be relied by any commander as shock and heavy cavalry. In particular, the Sacred Band is the most famous and prestigious cavalry unit in the realm, with a near spotless record dating back to the First Kingdom.
Mercenary Cavalry
Mercenary Cavalry serves largely the role of more professional light cavalry and augmented heavy cavalry for the Kingdom. Men from Oiseau, Fantasma, Lusitania, and Deuxlunesia serve with pride in these roles.
Irregular Cavalry
The nomadic tribes that inhabit the wastelands of the Kingdom, while perhaps unreliable, provide the Kingdom with excellent light cavalry.
Artillery
The Artillery Corps is the most well-funded and underappreciated part of the army. Beyond it's important part in defending coastal fortifications, it also is seen as the ultimate weapon of war by the army in any case. It's cannons are of high quality all field pieces are standardized to particular calibers by dictate of the state, and the crews that man them are well trained and lead by men who graduated with expertise in engineering.
Other parts of the Artillery Corps include the excellent Engineers, Bombardiers (men armed with Grenade launchers), and sappers. They all serve important roles in any case.
Doctrine and Strategy
Without a major land war or threat by land, the army is largely focused on defense. Great amounts of gold have been invested into the construction of coastal fortifications, and island fortifications over the years. However, in the event of a land war, it is expected that the army will attempt to use the nation's terrain to its advantage, and weaken the enemy force before launching a counterattack that will crush them.