Royal Signals Corps (Themiclesia)

Royal Signals Corps
中都兵, trjung-ta-prjang
Active	4th century – now
Country	Themiclesia
Branch	Army
Type	signal corps
Role	reconnaissance, communications
Size	approx. 4,000
Anniversaries	January 1
Commanders
Current commander	Sun Go
Colonel-general	Rar Kei

The Royal Signals Corps or Demesne Signals Corps (中都兵, trjung-ta-prjang) is the signal corps of the Consolidated Army.

Name

The name "Royal Signals Corps" emerged as an imprecise translation of Shinasthana trjung-ta-prjang. The word trjung, which corresponds semantically to "royal", has several intertwined meanings in Shinasthana, one of which is indeed "royal"; however, it is not in this sense that trjung is used in the RSC's name. Rather, it is domestically interpreted in the same way as in trjung-′judh (中尉), which is more correctly translated as "Demesne Marshal", where "demesne" means the area directly under central governance and not alienated to peers.  trjung does mean "royal" in terms like trjung-lêng, "royal courtyard". In the 5th through 12th centuries, Themiclesia established communications departments in the palatine states, which would have been prefixed with their state titles, e.g. sjing-ta-prjang (莘都兵), "Signals Corps of Sjing". All such formations would have reported to the Under-Secretary for Communications, whose title ta-prjang-rang does not include "Royal".

The Shinasthana name trjung-ta-prjang is relatively simple to explain.  ta (都) is more properly written as 褚, which means "crimson"; this refers to the crimson robes that couriers wore for visibility.

The "Royal" monicker very much stands out amongst Themiclesian forces, as no other branch has "Royal" in its name, natively or in translation. Its presence has inspired some foreign commentators to speculate on the nature of the force, some claiming the title to be a reward for some history of valour or noteworthy loyalty. This impression appears more legitimate if one considers that the RSC guarded many government and foreign dignitaries in the 19th and early 20th centuries and that its units were some of the best-trained and most selective. However, the RSC has clarified that this is not the case and pointed out that its role in guarding dignitaries is limited to their transition from place to place, and that its selectiveness and severe training arise from challenges in duties that require hardiness long-understood to be above what an ordinary soldier is expected to exhibit.

History

A communications department (都兵曹, ta-prjang-dzaw) was founded under the traditional Ministry of War during the 4th century, centrally managing conveyances throughout the Tsjinh State. The department organized a network of stage stations (驛, ljek) where couriers (郵, gwrje) could rest or change horses, which galloped day and night to deliver urgent military messages to the central government and other bodies. While the department had few duties concerning warfare directly, it has since become a fixture in Themiclesian military. The department's purview was extended to border outposts and scouting in the 5th century. Outposts were ordered to make smoke, which conveyed emergencies across long distances relatively quickly; where secrecy was necessary, signalmen on horseback conveyed messages from outpost to outpost, which behaved like stage stations in the interior.  Military bands also fell under its jurisdiction. This was probably because Themiclesians utilized musical instruments to co-ordinate large armies from a distance.

In the 6th century, the department began to take private messages for delivery, and stage stations along important routes also functioned as inns. Accredited individuals found horses and accommodation at public expense, and others could use their facilities for a fee. Travellers received entitlements according to rank, the most important exchanging eight quadriga (八乘傳, prêt-djeng-drjon; 32 horses in total) at every station; ordinary civil servants normally used two. The signalmen (傳卒, drjon-tsut) at the station were required to escort travellers if entitled to; the image of aristocrats travelling and exchanging horses and escorts became one of the most prolific in literature and art. The same occurred when important items were transferred along these routes. When foreign diplomats arrived in Themiclesia, signalmen provided fanfares and escorts to the capital city.

Signalmen adopted muskets in the 17th century in addition to their melée weapons to defend themselves in the remote or hostile landscape; those stationed in the interior followed. In 1857, the department was ordered to set up a long-distance telegraph system for both military and civilian use, much as the postal service. These lines connected less profitable but strategically-valuable locations that commercial lines did not reach. Transmission was at a considerable cost, so it existed in parallel to the ordinary postal service. Horseback courier service persisted into the 20th century and was not abolished until telephone lines reached the most remote of communities.  While the RSC was increasingly integrated into ordinary units towards the end of the century, it retained primacy in military intelligence, especially in border regions where defences were distributed amongst isolated garrisons and ethnic forces. It maintained its own foot and mounted units that defended its installations and performed scouting missions. The RSC's units were some of Themiclesia's more effective, since recruitment was voluntary and training rigourous.

Organization

Traditionally, the communications department and all its units were under the Under-Secretary for Signals (都兵郎), which is a civilian position. To strengthen its administration, the position of Colonel-general of Signals (都中尉, ta-trjung-′judh) was created during the reign of Emperor Gwidh-mjen. It was nominally open to non-aristocratic officers, though most frequently aristocrats were appointed to it. At the same time, couriers and other units belonging to the Colonel-general began to professionalize, citing the poor performance of militiamen in distant or prolonged missions. As the responsible officer over border defence and intelligence, the colonelcy-general was considered a vital appointment. In the 18th century, a war secretary said of the Colonel-general that the timely marshalling of all the forces depended on his success.

Shifts in defence arrangments in the 19th century further empowered the colonel-general. A number of nomadic polities withdraw their pledged forces or merged them into the RSC forces for ease of administration. By 1850, much of the northeastern frontier was under RSC control, both for defence and erecting telegraph cables. Two regiments of infantrymen were raised there and remained under the Colonel-general's control. Combined with an already-vast presence through couriers and telegraph service, the RCS nearly became a peer to the Capital Defence Force and South Army. In 1878, a new regiment was raised for the desert and placed under the colonel-general. The South Army opposed this arrangement, believing that the RCS should be confined to communications, at least in the southeast. In the 1890s, several mountain units in the northwest were further assigned to the RSC on account of their position.

The importance of the RSC peaked and began to wane after 1900. At this point, it was responsible for defences across much of Themiclesia's borders with Dzhungestan, Polvokia, and Nukkumaa, internal communications, the national postal service, and other matters. Its personnel numbered some 9,000 and spanned electrical and civil engineers, catrographers, couriers, infantry, and cavalry. However, Liberal politicians under the Lord of Mik started to advocate for re-organizing Themiclesia's forces. By the Army Acts of 1921, the combat units of the RSC, Capital Defence Force, and South Army were merged to form the Consolidated Army. The RSC became one of its support branch in the course of the Pan-Septentrion War.

Uniforms

The Royal Signals Corps adopted Casaterran-style uniforms in the 1830s. Officers were required to wear a grey tailcoat and white trousers on duty, while enlisted men wore a frock coat and trousers made of the same material; a white shirt and black cravat were worn underneath. In the navy's tradition, the waistcoat was peculiar, meaning each regiment (or similar unit) possessed a unique design. When the RSC expanded, couriers wore white waistcoats, engineers blue, telegraphists pale yellow, infantry black, and cavalry green; however, decorative work on the waistcoats was still regimental. The Kien-k'ang Telegraph Network, for exmaple, had white stripes on their pale yellow waistcoats. Like much of the other forces, the colour of the overcoat and trousers gradually darkened; by 1880, most coats were solid black. In contrast, the waistcoat grew more colourful and ornamental to compensate for its absence on the frock coat. By sheer chance, the uniforms of RSC cavalry and Marines both consisted of a black frock coat, dark green waistcoat, and checked grey trousers; as neither were willing to alter their designs, the government ruled in 1885 that the RSC should have geometric and the Marines floral patterns. In practice, this was not a significant problem, as the two encountered each other very infrequently.

In 1901, RSC officers started to wear blazers to attend inter-service sports competitions. The blazer was made from the same fabric as the RSC's earlier uniforms and had two pockets in which to keep tickets and small effects. A thick piping replaced the waistcoat to indicate branch affiliation. The shirt collar was turned down, unlike the upstanding one mandatory with the frock coat. Between 1901 and 1920, the blazer gradually replaced the frock coat for ordinary duty, which gradually faded in the civilian world and was replaced by the business suit. Photography reveals that officers wore both, while enlisted men kept to the more conservative frock coat, indicating that the blazer may have been seen as a privilege of informality for officers. In 1927, a khaki cotton uniform replaced the woolen coats for field work. In 1935, the RSC's units were re-assigned to the Consolidated Army but retained their distinctive uniforms. The RSC, as a support branch, experienced enormous expansion under the conscription of 1936; new units were given the kakhi uniforms but not the grey ones due to cost. Across the entire force, the "khaki army" greatly outnumbered and did not always adopt the uniforms of their pre-war counterparts, who also wished to remain distinct from the units raised during the war. Thus, while the grey uniforms are iconic of the RSC, not all RSC units possess them; conversely, infantry and cavalry units formerly part of the RSC continue to issue the grey uniforms, even though they are no longer part of the RSC.

Today, the RSC, like many other branches that were once independent, recognizes three levels of formality. Full-dress occasions require the tailcoat, half-dress the frock coat, and undress the blazer or khaki working uniform (with a shirt and tie added). Full-dress and half-dress occasions are now limited to royal events and official engagement. Inter-service sporting events generally call for the blazer as it was introduced for this purpose in the early 20th century. For its colour, the RSC's team in such events are often called Team Grey.

Colonel-general of Signals

The ceremonial commander of the RSC is the Colonel-general of Signals (中都尉, trjung-ta-judh). Created in the 17th century, it was originally ranked at 1,000-bushels and placed under the supervision of the Privy Treasurer. In 1758, the office of Colonel-general was raised one rate to 2,000-bushels along several other military officers, including the Fourth and Fifth Admirals, the Captain-general of Marines (冗人尉), the Lieutenant-General of the Colonial Army (阜嬖將軍). While the importance of the Principal Counsels has waned, the rate of 2,000-bushels was the highest one in the civil service and carried cultural importance to Themiclesian elites. It also enabled the Colonel-general to negotiate with prefectural magistrates and marshals as peers. In terms of class, which determined the elective qualifications to hold office, the Colonel-general was re-assigned to Fifth-class (五品, nga-pr′jem), which conferred aristocracy on the holder; this contrasts with the movement of the other offices. The Fifth Admiral and Captain-general of Marines were re-assigned to the Sixth-class, which did not confer aristocracy. This preference indicates that the Colonel-general (and by extension the RSC itself) was growing in esteem amongst aristocrats.

However, since the Colonel-general was now aristocratic, it was also gradually distanced from the quotidian running of the RSC. As a result, the positions of Lieutenant-Colonel of Signals (中都司馬) and Secretary of Signals (中都丞) came to prominence as the chief assistants to the Colonel-general.

Current roles

• Continuity of government
• Communications infrastructure

See also

• Themiclesia