Pre-modern army of Themiclesia
Organization
The organization of the pre-modern Themiclesian armies changed radically several times in history, and the loss of historical documentation means only a small part of their organization can be described in detail. Most often, only the superstructure of high-ranking military officers and civil officials concerned with war is given attention in official chronicles; however, through received and excavated literature, information regarding the detailed operations of the armies can be recovered. Some of these details remain controversial, as such literature is usually short and fragmentary; several contradictory interpretations may be forwarded to place each instance in the greater context.
Civil establishment
In the earliest period of Themiclesian statehood, prior to unification under the Tsjins Dynasty, warfare was most often conducted with a coalition of armed retainers between prominent, landed clans. These clans may have had professional military commanders that led the dozens or hundreds of retainers into battle. Being an armed retainer typically was a hereditary profession. Some such household troops were sufficiently famed as to be recorded in history and be integrated into the country's forces intact. Clan leaders, who governed their estates through management of finance and labour, rarely oversaw battles, which happened most often against raiding natives or other encroaching clans.
When the Tsjins Dynasty came to rule much of Themiclesia-proper, administrative power was concentrated in the Council of Correspondence, which consisted of a number of ministers, each of whom headed a department dealing with a policy area. The War Department was led by the Secretary of State for War (兵曹尚書 or 兵尚書). Though he had no direct control over any troops, all military decisions taken by the monarch were dispatched by him to the relevant commanders, and their submissions were read and annotated by him before reaching the monarch. He developed military policy, with reports from all military commanders and civilian officials concerned with strategic resources and recruitment of soldiers, converging to him. Thus, the Secretary of State for War controlled the maintenance and organization, and was the de facto commander, of all armed forces in the country. His power was checked by the application of the royal seal on edicts and the control on credentials, which were bamboo strips used to verify the authenticity of orders.
During the Tsjins Dynasty (226–421), the Secretary of State for War oversaw at least four Under-Secretaries—for Central Troops (中兵曹郎), for Regional Troops (外兵曹郎), and for Maps (虞曹郎). In the following Sungs (421–487) and Rjang Dynasties (487–542), his department grew to encompass at least three more subordinates, the Under-Secretaries of State for Cavalry (騎兵曹郎), Mercenaries (別兵曹郎), and Signals (都兵曹郎). The Under-Secretary of State for Mercenaries managed military policy and involvement in the affairs of native states in the northwest; these states were sometimes invited or compelled to furnish troops to the Themiclesian court for various campaigns. The Under-Secretary of State for Signals oversaw a large network of postal stations throughout on major routes, responsible for delivering urgent messages. These stations were staffed with a number of select horses and expert riders to ensure speed and secrecy; a number of them also offered food and lodge for civilian travellers.
In the Mrangs Dynasty (542–752), records become more abundant. By artificially inflating the cost of hiring armour producers, the Mrangs court was able to suppress the number of soldiers held by the landed aristocracy. This gave the Under-Secretary of State for Regional Troops much better control over the number and organization of soldiers in the prefectures, and consequentially this became the most powerful position, after the Secretary of State, in the War Department of the Council of Correspondence. In 615, an Under-Secretary of State for Naval Troops (水兵曹郎) was appointed, with jurisdiction over the inland-lake fleets that have been set up near modern-day Kraw-tju, in anticipation of campaigns against the Gramuchi people and the natives of the area, who were experienced mariners.
The Under-Secretaries of State for Central Troops, Regional Troops, Cavalry, Mercenaries, Signals, and Naval Troops make up the six traditional divisions of the War Department. After the 7th century, this arrangement largely stabilized and would remain, at least on a nomenclature level, constant until the 19th century.