Chinese vs. Multinational (1900)

Tien Tsin
July 13th 1900

This is a refight of the scenario presented in the relevant section of this blog.

General Fukuyama decided to send his Japanese brigade through the marshes, supported on their left flank by the Americans, who were to advance along the causeway. The French occupied the School of Medicine in force, with Hold orders, ready for the inevitable Chinese attack at this location.

General Ma deployed two infantry brigades in the built-up zone, along with the Chinese artillery. The cavalry brigade was deployed in the centre, and the third infantry brigade dispatched down the road leading to the School of Medicine. Ma, with three battalions of Imperial Guard (FF,nbl) under his command, set up HQ at the base of the inner city wall.

The Japanese advanced with vigour, picking a bold and undeviating path across the flooded zone.

The Americans unhesitatingly moved, at double-time, down the causeway, in column. Meanwhile, the French settled into the School of Medicine, getting the better of an exchange of fire with the Chinese troops among the salt-heaps.

When the Chinese artillery opened fire from its concealed position in the built-up zone [movement base], Colonel Liscum seemed most surprised. Caught in column, his casualties were fairly heavy. Ma sent a militia-heavy brigade to "finish" the Americans. Unfortunately for them, they advanced head-on, rather than attempting to capture the cemetery and then fire upon the enemy's flank. The casualties resulting from this error were to be horrendous. Worse yet, the militia cut across the artillery's field of fire, leaving them unable to support the attack.

Proof enough that fortune favours the brave, the Japanese advance began to go astray...but brought one battalion bang onto the left flank of the Chinese militia, whilst still being protected from artillery fire by intervening units. Things began to look shaky for General Ma on this flank.

Fortunately, as soon as Ma had seen that half the allied army was defending the School of Medicine, rendering its capture by assault impossible, he had given new instructions to the infantry brigade on the river-bound flank. It was ordered to advance and then suddenly swing around to threaten the Japanese flank. The cavalry brigade was to advance closer to the School of Medicine to skirmish, and slow down all attempts by the French to come to the aid of the Rising Sun.

This movement caught the Allies completely by surprise, and would cost them many lives. The attempts by the Japanese to redeploy exposed them to cannon fire on their flank, and to the breech-loading rifles of Chinese troops already installed among the ruins. One Japanese battalion was shot to pieces, its last survivors charged by none other than Mandchou horse archers and saved only by its flight into the marshes.

Meanwhile, the French had assembled comfy armchairs in the courtyard of the School of Medicine, and settled in for a pleasant nap, disturbed only by the bark of cannon and occasional cries of pain in Japanese and American which floated across to them on the warm summer air.

Despite having managed to throw back the Americans, by 19h30 the militia brigade had been annihilated (as, it seems, is their wont...).

The causeway was momentarily free of troops, held only by the two Chinese artillery batteries, and by a battalion of infantry. The Japanese were in pretty bad shape - the Chinese were by now beginning to infiltrate the marshes - but the Americans, as Ma discovered to his dismay when he politely asked what strength they were at, were hardly scratched after all. The initial artillery burst had caused them losses, as had the push-back, but that was actually all they had suffered.

This was the moment that Ma chose to commit the Imperial Guard and his personal banner. It was a bold decision that actually sent a shiver down the spine of his enemies, but only because they are Napoleonic Wars players, where "Guard" means "decent troops" of course !

Seriously, though, this could have swung the battle, as the French were still tarting about and had only just received the order to advance (it had taken that long for de Pelacot to come and meet Fukuyama in the marshes, receive his orders and transmit them to his men).

Tragically, the Chinese guardsmen were dogged by a) bad luck and b) a stoic refusal to actually use their rifles, preferring their nice shiny bayonets instead. Japanese shooting soon threw into disarray their attempts to close, which in turn distracted Ma's attention and prevented him from changing the orders of his left flank brigade to something more appropriate for the situation.

By 20h30, the Chinese Imperial Guard had been shattered. The Japanese could now redeploy and, at long last, protect their exposed flank. With the French advancing, General Ma decided to withdraw his troops back to safety.

We played 6 turns and decided to end the battle there. The Allies were awarded a marginal victory. They would not have been able to take the built-up zone without French help, which was more than 2 turns away.

The Japanese lost 75% of their strength and the Americans 30%, for a total loss of 53 strength out of 127. The French, of course, suffered virtually no casualties at all. The Chinese lost just over 50% of their 262 strength, which is par for the course...

If the Chinese came close to victory, it must be remembered that the Allies had committed only half of their's, due to the error of over-garrisoning the School of Medicine. Chinese orders had been inspired, but their casualties in executing them too high, due to an excessive use of the bayonet throughout the battle (my fault !)

By shooting rather than charging, they would have had a far more decisive effect.

Ignoring the cemetery was a mistake for both sides, as its control would have been a far more effective protection or menace to the Japanese flank than the positions taken up during the refight.

The non-committal of the French forces makes the balance of the scenario hard to evaluate : our general feeling was that one less battalion in the Allied OOB would be appropriate.

Other than that, a most enjoyable battle !

Chinese vs Multinational (1900)

TIEN-TSIN
June 23rd 1900

What follows is an account of our own refight of the June 23rd Tien-tsin scenario (see the "Scenario" section of this blog).

The Allied relief column was commanded by General Sylvain Desharbes, renowned adventurer. The Chinese army was under the overall command of General Lee Wongterbone, with the defense of the hills delegated to the stoic Confucian, General Ma-ti-as.

Desharbes' brigades deployed opposite the central hill, on which Ma-ti-as had regrouped the bulk of his forces. They advanced as far as the railway line, where they regrouped and prepared their main assault, covered by the fire of the battery of mountain artillery. Advancing through a hail of bullets coming from the crest-line of the central hill, they began to take casualties within 4-500 yards of their objective.

It was at this moment that the cavalry brigade, having outflanked the defenses of the southern hill, threw itself into the mass of Chinese. Their charge panicked one Chinese battalion and distracted two others long enough for the 4th Marine Battalion to come over the crest of the hill.

Ma-ti-as having seized an opportunity to send troops to attack the Hsi-ku from the east, the Chinese defenses on the hills were weaker than they might have been, and General Wongterbone began to panic. He considered abandoning his own attack on the Hsi-ku in order to reinforce the centre. Ma-ti-as was, however, confident of holding out and refused all assistance. His resolution seemed to spread throughout his troops, who suddenly refused to cede any more ground, and remained steady in even the most morale-shaking situations.

His two artillery batteries, rather than fleeing as expected from the following cavalry charge, met it with accurate and deadly fire, throwing back the Sipahis in disarray ! The 4th Marine, finding itself suddenly isolated on the hill crest, was shot to pieces.

A Chinese victory seemed suddenly possible. Seymour was under pressure in the Hsi-ku. Wongterbone's troops had made steady progress, with the jingal muskets inflicting especially heavy casualties. To crown it all, one of Ma-ti-as' cavalry regiments, having crossed the river, had found a breach in the northern wall and was now in the very courtyard of the Arsenal !

The two Chinese generals had, unfortunately, been unable to coordinate their attacks.

A battalion of French marines lined up along the south wall was able to pivot to face the incoming cavalrymen. Despite fire on their flank, from across the river, they held and the Manchu horseman were forced to charge through a flurry of bullets. Their casualties were horrendous : but they still charged home. Ma-ti-as' charisma worked even on this side of the Pei-Ho, and Seymour began to mutter about always having believed in Chinese black magic.

Wongterbone made a last, desperate attempt to seize the westernmost buildings of the Arsenal, but was unable to make headway. The cavalrymen, isolated, charged in the flank by another French battalion, could fight no more alone, and melted away. It was at 16h30 (turn 5) that Wongterbone realised that the Hsi-ku would not be taken, and that his brigade began to pull back and filter across the river.

History shows that Wongterbone made his decision a little too late. Desharbes had ordered his battalions to divert to the north, and the weak defenses of this hill were quickly overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the Allies. The Sipahis having rallied and taken the undefended southern hill, the Chinese forces clinging to the last hilltop were threatened from all sides. So exhausted were they that the slightest casulties were enough to make yet another battalion flee. The arrival of Wongterbone himself, leading a fresh battalion of Imperial Guard, was now but an anecdote. Still, the southwards movement of the rest of his brigade denied all possibility of an Allied exit via the road to Tien-tsin, and the battle petered out at 17h30 (turn 7) with a marginal Allied victory.

AFTERMATH

A well-balanced and exciting battle. Thanks to Ma-ti-as' determination, the Hsi-ku Arsenal was perilously close to falling around turn 4-5, and Seymour had lost one of his three battalions in the action. East of the river, the Allied choice to alter the path of their attack towards the north was decisive but taken late in the day : the assault on the central hill had proven costly, despite a shaky moment for the Chinese.

The Allies lost 41 of their 102 strength points, and the Chinese 104 out of 166. Ma-ti-as' brigades finished the battle with less than a quarter of their starting strength.

Japanese vs. Chinese (1894)

BATTLE OF THE RIVER CHI, Korea, August 1894

This is a non-historical battle that I fought solo. Terrain was generated using the POW system, and I used variable strengths (battalion strength is known only when it first shoots / tests).

In the countryside around Seoul, elements of a Japanese landing force, striking inland, have encountered a large force of Chinese. A slow-running river, of unknown difficulty, separates the protagonists. It is knowingly fordable at only one point, just north of a farmstead. The Japanese commander intends to seize this ford and await reinforcements.

Victory conditions

The POW system generated two objectives : the ford, and a hill near the eastern edge of the table.

The Japanese player allocated 60pts to the ford, 20pts to the hill and 10pts to the Chinese supply centre where the road leaves the southern edge of the map. The Chinese allocated 30pts to the ford and 50pts to the hill.

The battlefield

Following the POW system, the only terrain difficulty known in advance to both sides was that of the three hills on the battlefield, there being no terrain in either side's deployment area. Other terrai difficulties were discovered as the game went along, but all are noted on the initial map.

The biggest surprise was the river. It turned out to be unfordable to any troops along the majority of its length, excepting a 30cm (600yd) stretch on the west wing of the engagement. The woods was also very dense, open only to infantry with no group movement allowed, which pretty much rendered it useless to the Chinese player and got in the way of his cavalry.

Deployment

Following the typical order of play for an encounter battle (see my section on POW), both sides changed their command structure within normal parameters, the Chinese set up their units (on movement bases), and then the Japanese set up their units (directly) on the table edge. Both sides then wrote their orders.

The Japanese profit from a highly flexible command structure, which allows them to adapt to the circumstances of the battle. The C-in-C detached three infantry battalions under his own command, the 1st Brigade was allocated four infantry battalions (including a battalion of native Korean auxiliaries), and the 2nd Brigade was, in an unusual (and rather unfruitful) manoeuvre, given the cavalry and the artillery.

In classic manner, the Chinese C-in-C brought the Imperial Guard (three FF,nbl) battalions under his orders, and detached both artillery batteries to the better infantry brigade, who was to be his hammer (though it didn't quite work out that way...).  The Chinese massed in the centre, with the C-in-C holding the reserve behind the woods (that he did not yet know was nigh on impassable, infantry on irregular movement bases counting as artillery in difficult terrain). The 2nd Brigade was detailed to hold the left flank. In response, the Japanese deployed across the full width of the table.

The Chinese plan was to engage heavily in the centre, making full use of extra numbers to detach flanking forces. The cavalry brigade was to strike into the plain between the Chi River and the eastern hill, to avoid Japanese reinforcements moving to or from the hill.  Given the troops deployed opposite them, the 2nd Brigade received orders to advance with brio, in an attempt to reach the river bank before the Japanese. The dummy movement base was deployed on the far right, to simulate an attack on the hill.

The C-in-Cs command was to be the pivot of the Japanese plan. The three battalions were intended not only to hold the ford, but to deploy in such a fashion as to command a large field of fire, which they were to do with success. The 1st Brigade were to advance as quickly as possible to the river. Although the enemy forces opposite them were of unknown strength (as hidden on a movement base), there was only one base and it seemed probable that the Japanese could carry the day. They were therefore given orders to slowly cross the river and, after destroying opposing forces, to swing to their left and crush any Chinese attempt to take the ford in a pincer movement.  The combined cavalry-artillery brigade, facing totally unknown odds, was simply to hold the area between the eastern hill and the river, where it would be supported by at least one battalion of the C-in-Cs command.

With everything set, the battle began.

Turns 1-2 : the western flank

The Japanese got off to a sultry start, and the Chinese 2nd Brigade managed to reach the riverbank before them - only to discover that much of it was unfordable. This worked to the Japanese advantage, as it allowed them to advance and profit from the cover of the opposite bank. Unfortunately for the Chinese their militia units - more use in a charge than in a firefight - were on the wrong side of the brigade and had to cross behind it in order to reach the fordable zone. This took a lot of time, and was not completed before a Japanese battalion had gotten across the river.

Turns 1-2 : the Centre

The Chinese advance was held up by the orchards and fields, which proved to be unusually dense, reducing infantry movement to speed 2. The Japanese C-in-C had deployed his troops rapidly, and the Jap breech-loaders (remember, we are in 1894, not 1900) began to inflict casualties. The nbl-equipped troops of the 1st Brigade were ready to fight (average rolls for start strength), but brittle (a lot of failed morale tests !).

Turns 1-2 : the eastern flank

With three Chinese movement bases still unrevealed (those of the C-in-Cs and 3rd Brigades, and the dummy), the Japanese were uncertain what might be waiting for them. They therefore remained static, deploying their artillery, and allowing the Chinese cavalry to deploy in leisurely fashion opposite them.

Turns 3-4

Turn 3 was fairly uneventful. In the west, the Japanese battalion finished crossing the river and lined up on the Chinese flank, causing some consternation. In the east, a long and exhausting cavalry battle begun, which would see the two protagonists reduced to exhaustion. By turn 4, the Japanese cavalry was getting the worst of it, with their accompanying artillery unable to get in a shot worth speaking of against the mobile Mandchou horse archers.

During turn 4, however, the Chinese C-in-C, noting that his troops were having a hard time in the centre, ordered the 1st Brigade to Attack towards the river and relieve the pressure on the right flank of the 2nd Brigade. This was to prove an excellent choice, despite the flanking fire that the advancing troops would take from the Japanese C-in-C.

Turn 5

On the eastern part of the battlefield, things are looking grim for the Japanese. If the cavalry of both sides is in tatters, the nomad horse have nonetheless managed to charge the Japanese artillery in the flank.

The Japanese centre is holding firm. The Chinese 3rd Brigade has revealed itself to be but a handful of militia units, from whom the C-in-Cs troops in the rough ground beyond the river risk little. The Japanese right is looking less certain. The battalion deployed beyond the river now has its flanks menaced by a horde of Chinese - one of whom, a unit of militia, rolled a start strength of 14 ! The Japanese here are also taking artillery fire from a battery that has been (slowly, slowly...) brought up in support.

Turn 6

The Japanese artillery is in disarray, one battery having retired shaken, the other forced, to protect its flank, to turn on the nomad horsemen who are scarcely the most essential target on the battlefield. The cavalry of both sides are by now out of service, the best unit among them being at strength 4. The Japanese battalion defending the rough terrain in the centre-east chooses to withdraw to avoid being charged, which turns out to be a mistake (as it renders them incapable of firing on the advancing Chinese for several turns), though not a crucial one.

In the west, the battle has really heated up. Losses are heavy enough that units are better off charging than taking fire and risking morale tests, and men fix bayonets and plunge into the sluggish water. In the centre, the Chinese have managed to advance to the farmstead, but pose little threat to the defenders of the ford.

Turn 7

The Chinese militiamen on the western flank of the battle turn out to be of very poor quality indeed (incredibly, all three units are at a starting strength of 5, which requires 3 rolls of '1' on a D10...). This is of great help to the Japanese, who are really getting the worst of it here. The Korean auxiliaries, having charged across the river, are taken in the flank, and a Japanese battalion thrown back by enemy fire.

Turn 8

With the cavalry battle petering out, the Japanese can finally turn their artillery on the Chinese 3rd Brigade. The centre holds as steady as a rock; but the Japanese 1st Brigade has caved in and the Chinese can begin to cross the river.

With the plains to the east now empty, and the Japanese beyond all hope of sending reinforcements to the hill, due to the weakening but still present 3rd Brigade, the Chinese C-in-C leads the Imperial Guard, majestically, to take the objective, arriving there by forced march on the 10th turn. In this respect, the Chinese plan has worked very well indeed, and the decision to not reinforce the centre with the C-in-Cs brigade has paid off.

Turns 9 and 10

The game ends on turn 10, with the first Chinese forces having crossed the river, delayed by the last survivors of the Japanese right. The hill is firmly in the hands of the Imperial Guard.

Victory

The Chinese have 61% of their starting strength remaining (+61 pts). They have captured the hill (+50pts) but the ford is in enemy hands (-30pts). Total : 71

The Japanese have only 44% of their starting strength left (+44). They firmly control the ford (+60) but have lost the hill (-20). They failed to damage the Chinese supply lines, an over-ambitious objective which costs them -10. Total : 74

The battle is thus a draw (I consider that a 20% difference is needed for a victory).

Casualties

The Japanese C-in-C lost only 5 of the 39 strength points he commanded. The 1st Brigade lost a massive 39 out of 49. The 2nd Brigade lost 22 out of 33, mostly cavalry.

The Chinese 2nd Brigade was, as might be expected, badly mauled and to boot had a weak initial force. They lost 43 out of 56 (normally, this brigade would have 70) strength. The cavalry losses were near-total, with three regiments out of four evaporated, and only 3 out of 31 strength points left in action. Elsewhere, Chinese losses were relatively light. The 1st Brigade took only 24 out of 91, despite having made but little headway in the centre, and the 3rd Brigade only 9 out of 38, due to the time taken for the Japanese artillery to swing into action.

If I could turn back time...

Grouping the artillery with the cavalry to create a mobile and hard-hitting force for the Japs was a good idea, but not against enemy cavalry. The artillery spent most of the game changing its fire arc to get a shot or to protect itself against a charge.

Other than that, things seem to have worked well. I didn't succomb to my usual impetuous need to make the Chinese charge rather than fire, and they consequently dished out serious casualties on the Japanese right flank. Having the Chinese C-in-C detached from the battle is a must, as it allows the all-important orders changes (well, change) that helps the Chinese use their advantage in numbers.

Things are, however, made easier on the Chinese in 1894-1895 since their opponents do not yet have the deadly repeating rifles.

On the Japanese side, the essential is not to panic before the sheer numbers of Chinese coming towards you. I was tempted to change Jap orders on several occasions in the centre, but it is just as well that I did not. The one battalion that withdrew from its position to avoid being charged ended up in the same situation tw turns later, having lost its fire in the meantime.

I think that, in general, the Japanese need to manoeuvre quickly and efficiently into position - profiting from the fact they have the first move to do this - and then simply stand and pour fire into the oncoming enemy. As few units as possible should be tarting about. Cavalry could better fill this role. Next time out, I will use the three officers to form three infantry brigades, and attach the cavalry regiments directly to them rather than considering them as an independent formation...