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==History== | ==History== | ||
===Early centuries=== | ===Early centuries=== | ||
{{main|Themiclesian Navy#History}} | |||
During the 1st to 3rd centuries, much of the norhtwest coast was inhabited by native societies and not under Themiclesian control. Natives used water bodies expertly to evade attack, transport warriors, and sneak up on settlements, and naval combat in Themiclesia likely arose to counter such threats. In the 4th c., the royal court ordered coastal (both the Halu'an coast and the Inland Lake coast) prefectures to maintain naval militias. Such naval forces were precedented in [[Menghe#History|Menghean]] military strategems, though their application seems concentrated on rivers and lakes. It seems plausible that some dedicated infantry units existed, since ships remained manoeuvable while they engaged; however, the distinction between crew and soldier was not clear. These coastal fleets were maintained, for the Inland Lake coast, up to the early 19th century and were part of the [[Themiclesian Army]]. | |||
The organizational ancestor of the Themiclesian Marines appeared in history together with the [[Themiclesian Navy|Themiclesian Navy]] in the early 800s. The state-operated fleet was organized to fight Hallian warriors, who raided the Columbian coast, to protect merchant ships, and to suppress piracy along the Halu'an, Columbian, and Meridian coasts. As the ships' crews were mostly {{wp|impressment|impressed}} from oceanic fleets, the merchants and non-sailing individuals in them were organized as a sort of supplementary militia apart from the crew, which at this time were also expected to engage the enemy, as in customary to the domestic naval militia. While the militia was initially meant to augment the crew in battle, they were soon expected to do most of the fighting to protect the crew and keep the ship manoeuvrable. In the [[Battle of Clarkestown]] of 892, the navy was responsible for transporting the West Expedition Army across the Halu'an against a coalition of Columbian natives. | |||
In view of the naval infantry's merchant background, the general leading the expedition ordered them to scout, which promptly compromised the whereabouts of the force and occasioned its complete extermination. The navy was barely able to escape, with only a handful of ships returning to report the devastation. | |||
===17th century=== | ===17th century=== | ||
===Maverican War=== | ===Maverican War=== | ||
{{main|Maverican Wars}} | |||
===Affair of 1766=== | ===Affair of 1766=== | ||
===Raid on Rad=== | ===Raid on Rad=== | ||
{{main|Raid on Rad}} | {{main|Raid on Rad}} | ||
===19th century=== | ===19th century=== | ||
===Early 20th century=== | ===Early 20th century=== | ||
===Prairie War=== | ===Prairie War=== | ||
At the outbreak of the [[Themiclesian invasion of Dzhungestan|Prairie War]] in 1926, the Themiclesian Army | At the outbreak of the [[Themiclesian invasion of Dzhungestan|Prairie War]] in 1926, the Themiclesian Army took [[Dzhungestan]]'s capital city, occupying it for the next five years. The [[Greater Menghean Empire]] turned against Themiclesia in 1933, pushing the front westwards. Themiclesia's occupation was almost voluntarily withdrawn in order to delegitimate Menghe's entrance, under the Foreign Office's direction, though to little effect. The Foreign Office objected to the War Office's proposal to conscript as provocative, wishing that the war remain one of limited objectives and commitment; additionally, the Federation of Unions staged two general strikes in opposition to the war, and the government was unwilling to risk introducing conscription. As a compromise, the ''Special Conscription Act, 1935'' permitted the government to conscript organized men in other government departments. In early 1935, the 1st and 2nd Regiments were conscripted this way, along with the Royal Engineers (consctruction teams in service to the monarchy), local policemen, fire brigades, and an interminable litany of others. | ||
Some Dayashinese men volunteered to join the Army, but the government was in reality also concerned about the loyalty of the newest immigrants and their willingness to take up arms against their former compatriots. In view of a conjectural naval invasion to the west coast, the Marines were ordered to recruit in 1937, which progressed very slowly as most able-bodied men were conscripted or volunteered to join the Army instead. To catalyze recruitment, they handed out pamphlets in Dayashinese and Menghean—sections of society that were still under-represented in the Army. Surprisingly, response was forthcoming. Their enlistment were not opposed because engagement with the Imperial Dayashinese Army was not expected there, so their personal allegiances were less worrysome than if they were on the front. In 1936, Dayashinese men accounted for over 80% of the entire enlistment, allowing the Marines to expand in size more than four-fold in one year. A strong push for linguistic uniformity occurred, but eventually the language spoken by the force turned into a pidgin of several languages, including [[Shinasthana]] and the languages of the OS, [[Dayashina]], and [[Menghe]]. | Some Dayashinese men volunteered to join the Army, but the government was in reality also concerned about the loyalty of the newest immigrants and their willingness to take up arms against their former compatriots. In view of a conjectural naval invasion to the west coast, the Marines were ordered to recruit in 1937, which progressed very slowly as most able-bodied men were conscripted or volunteered to join the Army instead. To catalyze recruitment, they handed out pamphlets in Dayashinese and Menghean—sections of society that were still under-represented in the Army. Surprisingly, response was forthcoming. Their enlistment were not opposed because engagement with the Imperial Dayashinese Army was not expected there, so their personal allegiances were less worrysome than if they were on the front. In 1936, Dayashinese men accounted for over 80% of the entire enlistment, allowing the Marines to expand in size more than four-fold in one year. A strong push for linguistic uniformity occurred, but eventually the language spoken by the force turned into a pidgin of several languages, including [[Shinasthana]] and the languages of the OS, [[Dayashina]], and [[Menghe]]. | ||
| Line 103: | Line 79: | ||
==Recruitment== | ==Recruitment== | ||
During the Rjang (472–542) and [[Meng-Rjang Dynasty|Meng]] (543–752) dynasties, before the existence of a national navy, Themiclesian laws required all merchant chartering ships to trade abroad to be armed and defend the ship should it be attacked. This practice may be older, though firm textual evidence only attest to its existence in the Rjang dynasty. There is little to explain why the merchants, rather than sailors, should be required to bear arms, but according to later literature it was thought that the merchants' goods attracts hostility, so they ought to be responsible for repulsing it. If this | During the Rjang (472–542) and [[Meng-Rjang Dynasty|Meng]] (543–752) dynasties, before the existence of a national navy, Themiclesian laws required all merchant chartering ships to trade abroad to be armed and defend the ship should it be attacked. This practice may be older, though firm textual evidence only attest to its existence in the Rjang dynasty. There is little to explain why the merchants, rather than sailors, should be required to bear arms, but according to later literature it was thought that the merchants' goods attracts hostility, so they ought to be (at least partly) responsible for repulsing it. If this was true, then the ships' crews may have insisted that the merchants protect their ships as much. A. A. Ascott believes that this was inevitable as the merchants would still be at a total loss if their transport were destroyed by hostile groups, and they were thus interested in defending the fleet as well. Some prominent trading guilds, especially those sponsored by aristocrats, had professional soldiers with the fleet. During the Rjang dynasty, aristocratic houses retained soldiers within quotas set forth by the government, but during the Meng dynasty this was suppressed, and it thus became incumbent on merchants to be armed. At any rate, most merchants were unable to afford such services and armed themselves. When the navy was founded, the government hired and sometimes impressed sailors from merchant fleets, and the merchants in them conveniently became troops. This contrasts with the prefectural militias' (lake) navies, which generally trained recruits to be naval infantrymen as much as cavalrymen and crossbowmen. | ||
Into the second half of the Dziai dynasty (762–1080), the increased frequency of conflicts with Hallian raiders along the Columbian coast began to disrupt the commercial activities of merchants. While merchants served in the navy, they were allowed to retain some goods to sell abroad. In an emergency, the admirals could confiscate these goods for military use, with or without compensation. Yet as naval voyages lengthened in duration and (in the 1000s) extended to Meridia, merchants became distraught at the thought of impressment, which would impair their ability to trade | Into the second half of the [[Dzi Dynasty|Dziai dynasty]] (762–1080), the increased frequency of conflicts with Hallian raiders along the Columbian coast began to disrupt the commercial activities of merchants. While merchants served in the navy, they were allowed to retain some goods to sell abroad. In an emergency, the admirals could confiscate these goods for military use, with or without compensation. Yet as naval voyages lengthened in duration and (in the 1000s) extended to Meridia, merchants became distraught at the thought of impressment, which would impair their ability to trade freely. To combat evasion of naval service, the court in 1004 made it illegal to trade aborad without a license. The navy was further allowed to confiscate unlicensed merchants' property. To acquire the license, an aspirant merchant had to complete a certain number of years in the naval service. This system proved popular with existing merchants, as it restricted the entry of new competitors and made impressment less likely for them. In 1004, the term of service was four years; then in 1020, adjusted to six years. This provided the government with a stable source of soldiers in the navy, as there was always a demand for new trading licenses; additionally, it also made collection of taxes more efficient. It also meant the government could pay marines a very low salary, since their primary reward was the trading license. As the coastline of Meridia was explored, naval service provided an opportunity for non-merchants to explore abroad for new commercial opportunities. While actual successes must have been few, the lure of riches from trading abroad induced a sufficient number to enter naval service that it was not reformed after the Dziai ended. | ||
==Equipment== | ==Equipment== | ||
Revision as of 14:28, 3 August 2019
| Themiclesian Marine Corps | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the Themiclesian Marine Corps | |
| Founded | 17 February 1318 |
| Country | Themiclesia |
| Type | Naval infantry |
| Size | 7672 active 4233 reserve |
| Part of | Themiclesian Ministry of Defence |
| Motto(s) | Merchant sons never fear! (賈子永振; ascribed) |
| Colors | cyan |
| March | tbd |
| Mascot(s) | penguin |
| Engagements | |
The Themiclesian Marine Corps (舫冗人, pjang-njung'-njing) is the naval infantry branch of the Themiclesian Navy (艦航, krams-gang).
Name and translation
Many Themiclesian institutions acquired their Tyrannian names when they were confronted with their counterparts, and the Themiclesian Marines are one such example. The Tyrannian Royal Marines, who fought them in 1791 during the Raid on Rad, gave them their present name. Before then, Rajian and Sylvan sources regularly called them the Exercitus Thimiensis, or in Tyrannian, the "Themiclesian Army". In non-Tyrannian communication (normally limited to diplomatic letters), the term Exercitus Thimiensis is also used by Themiclesian diplomats; the analogous term that refers to the Navy is Naviter Thimiensis. The former term is no longer widely used due to possible confusion with the similarly-named Themiclesian Army.
Though the "Themiclesian Marine Corps" is the sanctioned translation of the Shinasthana name pjang-njung-njing (舫冗人), Themiclesians do not use pjang-njung-njing to translate "marine corps" in general; rather, the term shljui-prjang (水兵, lit. "naval soldier") is used. This is because, domestically, shljui-prjang refers to the lake-based naval infantry that was part of the Themiclesian Army. This branch was abolished as an institution in the 19th century, but it remains a specialization in the consolidated Infantry branch. Conversely, since the pjang-njung-njing are one department of the Naval Ancillaries (冗人), other departments like the Corps of Physicians (醫冗人), which bear a similar title in the Themiclesian language, are translated drastically differently into Tyrannian. This creates a paradox in translation that is in fact common in Themiclesia, as translations are often made without reference to the overall structure of Themiclesian institutions.
The term pjang-njung-njing (舫冗人) can also be analyzed further. pjang (舫) is a proper name for a cabin located in the stern of a ship and constrats with stjit (室), a cabin in the bow of a ship. Both pjang and stjit are terms derived from common names of parts of terrestrial buildings. Being cabins under the exposed deck, both contrast with the dzrjung (崇), the exposed deck, and the ro (樓), the superstructure. There is currently disagreement about the proper reading of pjang: the 3rd Regiment, formed in 1810 and the oldest extant unit, reads it as pjang, while the 4th and 5th Regiments, both dating to the Pan-Septentrion War, read it as pjang’ instead. Philologically, pjang is likely the correct reading, since it is homophonous with the root word pjang (房, lit. "rear chamber"), and also since pjang’ means jib (the foremost triangular sail of a ship). Various theories have been forwarded to explain the confusion of "two very different things" by individuals who "have good reason to be familiar with the names of parts of a ship". B. Martin, maritime historian, argues that the confusion occurs because the 4th and 5th Regiments were raised after the age of sail and did not ever experience a situation where the distinction was meaningful. A. Tarrow, linguist, posits that because the 4th and 5th Regiments were mostly Dayashinese, they overlooked the difference, since their native language was non-tonal, rendering the two terms completely homophonous.
History
Early centuries
During the 1st to 3rd centuries, much of the norhtwest coast was inhabited by native societies and not under Themiclesian control. Natives used water bodies expertly to evade attack, transport warriors, and sneak up on settlements, and naval combat in Themiclesia likely arose to counter such threats. In the 4th c., the royal court ordered coastal (both the Halu'an coast and the Inland Lake coast) prefectures to maintain naval militias. Such naval forces were precedented in Menghean military strategems, though their application seems concentrated on rivers and lakes. It seems plausible that some dedicated infantry units existed, since ships remained manoeuvable while they engaged; however, the distinction between crew and soldier was not clear. These coastal fleets were maintained, for the Inland Lake coast, up to the early 19th century and were part of the Themiclesian Army.
The organizational ancestor of the Themiclesian Marines appeared in history together with the Themiclesian Navy in the early 800s. The state-operated fleet was organized to fight Hallian warriors, who raided the Columbian coast, to protect merchant ships, and to suppress piracy along the Halu'an, Columbian, and Meridian coasts. As the ships' crews were mostly impressed from oceanic fleets, the merchants and non-sailing individuals in them were organized as a sort of supplementary militia apart from the crew, which at this time were also expected to engage the enemy, as in customary to the domestic naval militia. While the militia was initially meant to augment the crew in battle, they were soon expected to do most of the fighting to protect the crew and keep the ship manoeuvrable. In the Battle of Clarkestown of 892, the navy was responsible for transporting the West Expedition Army across the Halu'an against a coalition of Columbian natives. In view of the naval infantry's merchant background, the general leading the expedition ordered them to scout, which promptly compromised the whereabouts of the force and occasioned its complete extermination. The navy was barely able to escape, with only a handful of ships returning to report the devastation.
17th century
Maverican War
Affair of 1766
Raid on Rad
19th century
Early 20th century
Prairie War
At the outbreak of the Prairie War in 1926, the Themiclesian Army took Dzhungestan's capital city, occupying it for the next five years. The Greater Menghean Empire turned against Themiclesia in 1933, pushing the front westwards. Themiclesia's occupation was almost voluntarily withdrawn in order to delegitimate Menghe's entrance, under the Foreign Office's direction, though to little effect. The Foreign Office objected to the War Office's proposal to conscript as provocative, wishing that the war remain one of limited objectives and commitment; additionally, the Federation of Unions staged two general strikes in opposition to the war, and the government was unwilling to risk introducing conscription. As a compromise, the Special Conscription Act, 1935 permitted the government to conscript organized men in other government departments. In early 1935, the 1st and 2nd Regiments were conscripted this way, along with the Royal Engineers (consctruction teams in service to the monarchy), local policemen, fire brigades, and an interminable litany of others.
Some Dayashinese men volunteered to join the Army, but the government was in reality also concerned about the loyalty of the newest immigrants and their willingness to take up arms against their former compatriots. In view of a conjectural naval invasion to the west coast, the Marines were ordered to recruit in 1937, which progressed very slowly as most able-bodied men were conscripted or volunteered to join the Army instead. To catalyze recruitment, they handed out pamphlets in Dayashinese and Menghean—sections of society that were still under-represented in the Army. Surprisingly, response was forthcoming. Their enlistment were not opposed because engagement with the Imperial Dayashinese Army was not expected there, so their personal allegiances were less worrysome than if they were on the front. In 1936, Dayashinese men accounted for over 80% of the entire enlistment, allowing the Marines to expand in size more than four-fold in one year. A strong push for linguistic uniformity occurred, but eventually the language spoken by the force turned into a pidgin of several languages, including Shinasthana and the languages of the OS, Dayashina, and Menghe.
PSW and D/ISOG infiltration
Starting when Dayashina declared war on Themiclesia, the IDA's Imperial Special Operations Group sought to infiltrate the Marines. The core object, as declassified D/ISOG papers show, is to cast doubt on the allegiances of the 100,000 or so Dayashinese immigrants to Themiclesia and to create terror in the Themiclesian public behind the front, since the Marines were used as rear-line troops in this case. The Cabinet Office had, in 1937, heavily propagandized the immigrants enlistment as proof of a "resolve that transcends ethnicity and language"; the Army had further elaborated on this, in early 1939, with fliers dropped in Dayashinese camps to attack at their national construction of the war as a struggle between races. The infiltration concentrated on the Dayashinese-majority 4th and 5th Regiments.
To engender terror and non-confidence in the public, Dayashinese operatives, mostly feigning as surrendering IDA soldiers, would announce an intention to naturalize to Themiclesia; welcoming any opportunity to discredit Dayashinese unity, the Foreign Office enthusiastically accepted them. Having settled, they would then apply to join the Navy, which preferentially placed Dayashinese recruits (identified by their names) into the Marines. Infiltration in the 4th Regiment was particularly prolific, since it was assigned to guarding the temporary capital city at Blim-tsi, which was a coastal city with some naval armaments. Infiltrators then took advantage of the Marines armouries, which contained only light weaponry, to attack civic amenities and attempt assassination on the Emperor. Ultimately, attempts on the Emperor's life narrowly failed in two instances, and attacks on infrastructure were limited in their impact on the war effort, since the Army's supply lines were diffuse. However, they did succeed in vexing the residents of Blim-tsi to the extent that a statute in 1943 was passed to ban marines from the city's limits; this law remains, curiously, in effect.
The infiltration was assisted by structural problems that existed in the Marine Corps at the time. The most important, identified by historian N. Gamble, was the lack of oversight. When the Themiclesian Navy was reformed in 1801, there was a general push to separate civil administration from the chain of command. The former was divided into six departments, but the Admiralty's growing administrative organs marginalized them. It was nominally under the Department of Fleets (航令), while the Marines were part of the Department of Ancillaries (冗人令). The Admiralty acquired administrative power over the Marines in 1905. However, it entrusted them to ship captains to ensure fitness of service, discipline, and morale. For existing regiments, this proved effective, given their permanent relationship with their respective fleets; new recruits would be immersed and conditioned serving alongside veterans. For those raised during the PSW, the Admiralty failed to muster together a training program outside of the naval context or provide adequate leadership and supervision when discharging their duties on land.
The infiltrators, characterized by eagerness to participate in training, sometimes gave themselves away becoming impatient with the Admiralty's inactivity. D/ISOG infiltrators were generally chosen from the most physically impressive soldiers and subsequently given extensive training. Yamabe Oshimaro, revealed later to be an operative, argued with his regimental commander about the lack of training activity; in reality, he worried that he would be out-of-shape, for when the opportunity to assassinate the Emperor arose. He also used this as an opportunity to court the colonel's trust by demonstrating his enthusiasm for service. While the colonel rejected his ideas, he was promoted to corporal as a reward. Certain Dayashinese recruits become suspicious, since D/ISOG training was known to be gruelling, and some infiltrators were not concealing their training with D/ISOG well. The lack of any form of military police in the Marines prevented these suspicions from being investigated promptly. In 1940, Shimonomichi Torita reported that he suspected Yamabe to be a member of D/ISOG, but the Admiralty interpreted this to mean that Yamabe voluntarily left the IDA to serve in the Themiclesian Navy, which was applauded and part of the official narrative of a defence that "transcends ethnicity and language".
Current roles
All active units are permanently on loan to the GA.
Recruitment
During the Rjang (472–542) and Meng (543–752) dynasties, before the existence of a national navy, Themiclesian laws required all merchant chartering ships to trade abroad to be armed and defend the ship should it be attacked. This practice may be older, though firm textual evidence only attest to its existence in the Rjang dynasty. There is little to explain why the merchants, rather than sailors, should be required to bear arms, but according to later literature it was thought that the merchants' goods attracts hostility, so they ought to be (at least partly) responsible for repulsing it. If this was true, then the ships' crews may have insisted that the merchants protect their ships as much. A. A. Ascott believes that this was inevitable as the merchants would still be at a total loss if their transport were destroyed by hostile groups, and they were thus interested in defending the fleet as well. Some prominent trading guilds, especially those sponsored by aristocrats, had professional soldiers with the fleet. During the Rjang dynasty, aristocratic houses retained soldiers within quotas set forth by the government, but during the Meng dynasty this was suppressed, and it thus became incumbent on merchants to be armed. At any rate, most merchants were unable to afford such services and armed themselves. When the navy was founded, the government hired and sometimes impressed sailors from merchant fleets, and the merchants in them conveniently became troops. This contrasts with the prefectural militias' (lake) navies, which generally trained recruits to be naval infantrymen as much as cavalrymen and crossbowmen.
Into the second half of the Dziai dynasty (762–1080), the increased frequency of conflicts with Hallian raiders along the Columbian coast began to disrupt the commercial activities of merchants. While merchants served in the navy, they were allowed to retain some goods to sell abroad. In an emergency, the admirals could confiscate these goods for military use, with or without compensation. Yet as naval voyages lengthened in duration and (in the 1000s) extended to Meridia, merchants became distraught at the thought of impressment, which would impair their ability to trade freely. To combat evasion of naval service, the court in 1004 made it illegal to trade aborad without a license. The navy was further allowed to confiscate unlicensed merchants' property. To acquire the license, an aspirant merchant had to complete a certain number of years in the naval service. This system proved popular with existing merchants, as it restricted the entry of new competitors and made impressment less likely for them. In 1004, the term of service was four years; then in 1020, adjusted to six years. This provided the government with a stable source of soldiers in the navy, as there was always a demand for new trading licenses; additionally, it also made collection of taxes more efficient. It also meant the government could pay marines a very low salary, since their primary reward was the trading license. As the coastline of Meridia was explored, naval service provided an opportunity for non-merchants to explore abroad for new commercial opportunities. While actual successes must have been few, the lure of riches from trading abroad induced a sufficient number to enter naval service that it was not reformed after the Dziai ended.
Equipment
Melée era
From the inception of naval infantry combat in Themiclesia, weapons and armour were modified to suit the highly restrictive geography of ships and the requirements of formations that moved upon them. While very large ships (up to 5,000 tons in displacement by most estimates) existed in the era of sail, such ships were uncommon and rarer still as warships. Armour designs therefore gave priority to mobility and survivability in water, while weapons were designed so that a soldier had sufficient variety on hand to deal with enemies at a distance and up close. The entire kit assumed minimal reliance on his line-mates, since large formations with multiple specialized components were not practical on a soldier's own ship, and even less so if boarding an enemy ship via nets or planks.
The basic weapon for ranged combat was the recurve bow before the gunpowder era; however, towards the end of the 14th century bows became rare. It appears the use of catapults have discouraged ships to stay in arrow range. In its place archaeologists have recovered slingshots and javalins. For person-to-person fighting, most Marines held either a pike or halbred; the halbred had two sides, one being the blade of an axe, and the other a blunt, hammer-like weapon that could be used to push enemy combatants off the edge of ships and planks, and the pike was longer than the halbred but had a smaller, elongated blade. Both had barbs that could be used as a reaching device if overborad. These two weapons were designed to be used jointly, and most were trained to use whichever was more convenient. Short-range combat was fulfilled with a sabre. This is the same sabre as cavalrymen used with a slightly longer grip for two-handed use, permitted swinging and slicing cuts; the blade was overall straight but had a slight inward curve for better "bite". Infantry, on the other hand, usually used swords, which were slightly longer and had two sharpened edges.
Armour heavily used leather, layered cloth, and bamboo. Cloth waxed to a canvas-like consistence reduced water absorbsion, which, with dozens of layers, weighed the wearer down. The last had resilient fibres that resisted traverse cuts well; the weakness of bamboo to cuts parallel to its grain was mitigated by weaving bamboo fibres and then treating it with lime, which made the fabric more pliable but retained its resistance to traverse cuts. Metal armour was present in the form of a mixture between scale and plate, but it was worn far more off ships than on them, since metal armour reduced agility. It seems the choice of armour depended on the weapons the enemy was expected to field. Metal helmets were, however, common; under the helmet was a cap made from leather and spacers, designed to make spread pressure across the head more evenly in the event of a head-on impact. In the 10th century, another helmet design from the Army's charioteers were co-opted; these had longer rims that reached the collars of neck armour, allowing impact to spread there and also protecting the neck area from both trauma and leision more effectively. These were the "Raccoon Helmets" that was themed after a raccoon's protruding facial features, with ears, eyes, and nose encouraging blows to glance off.
There is disagreement over what they wore under their armour. Recent art and film tend to depict them wearing form-fitting crimson tunics and cream pants, which is implausible because crimson was a privileged colour, not permitted on individuals without rank. Form-fitting clothing were also exceptionally rare in Themiclesia before the modern era. It is most likely that the Marines did not have a uniform colour, or even uniform garments, since armour adequately identified affiliation. Nevertheless, the suspension belt worn under the armour (it ran diagonally across both shoulders and attached to a waist belt, which held onto greaves) suggests that something similar to ordinary Themiclesian clothing could have been worn to avoid abrasion, with long, wide sleeves and loose, billowy pants. Sleeves would have been drawn back or folded under gauntlets, and pants tied at the knee, if it was more convenient; written evidence shows that billowy pants were not only common on soldiers but all walks of life. Pieces of string were prepared in pockets and used to tie pants up, making tripping less frequent, when required. All evidence points towards sailors being barefoot onboard; the same is assumed for the Marines while onboard, since clogs slipped easily on the polished-wood decks of the day.
Gunpowder era
When gunpowder spread, boarding enemy ships became progressively less frequent. Themiclesian Marines therefore receded in number and started to spend more time on land, manning naval fortifications and protecting the fleet in dock. Sources suggest their armoury had some difficulty adapting to the demands of the new era, continuing to produce armour and weapons that suited a more ship-bound lifestyle than the one they led in the late 1500s and forward. Nevertheless, they were one of the earlier adopters of firearms, almost at the same time the ships were fitted with cannons. The argument was that the short range and inaccuracy of early firearms did not matter as much when the enemy had little cover and room to maneouvre on ships' decks; compare the situation in the Themiclesian East, in which the Army relied on cavalry and longbowmen rapidly releasing arrows to deal with a much more scattered enemy.
The advent of firearms rendered most forms of armour, except the heaviest of plate, ineffective; however, that more engagements were shifting onto land allowed them to develop the medical apparatus that was only possible with territorial fortifications. Weaponry in this era generally followed Themiclesia's ability to supply them with modern firearms, though sidearms such as sabres were still retained. As interaction with both Menghe and Casaterra intensified, the Marines had their armoury merged into that of the Army, as both seemed to be evolving towards the model of the modern infantry force. Around 1650, they acquired mobile, small-scale cannons, resembling modern mortars, though their artillery was not conceptually included by the rest of the Navy's fleets; while essays were written arguing for an artillery department, the Naval strategem did not include the Marines as a permanently land-based force, and the Marines themselves could not demonstrate how artillery would help them in their increasingly confused role. With the Army in 1690 restored to self-sufficiency, money was made available for the Fleets to build new ships and update existing ones, and the Marines benefited by receiving updated firearms and plate armour. This final rendition of plate showed obvious Casaterran influence.
In various campaigns in Njit-nom (now the north of Maverica), the Marines discovered that coating shoes in rubber increased their grip. While shoes had spread to almost every unit that was not strictly guarding ships and spending most time on board, they were not issued to each member of the service; rather, they wove shoes from whatever grass fibres forthcoming, tying a mass of knots serving as a sole. Soaking these soles in rubber, common in Maverica, produced a much more resilient and comfortable sole, since the rubber set into the space between the knots, which then firmly clung onto the rubber sole; by the 1760s, most had their shoes regularly soled with rubber whenever available, and rubber was made a commodity available on ships, since they were useful for stopping minor leaks in the short term too. This fashion quickly spread into other walks of Themiclesian society. The Army's shoe shop (which produced footwear that was issued) adopted the same technique with existing leather shoes in the 1800s, and this design survives into the modern age as the M54 Army Shoe (Themiclesia). When the Marines further learned to use old canvas to shell their shoes, wax was used to provide a water-resistent outer coat, offering protection against saline environments; this technique also found its way across the entire spectrum of military personnel very soon. It has been jokingly argued that the M70, billedthe "all-weather" shoe, acquired these defences because it was a merger of foot protection from multiple services.
Currently
Culture
Origins
Historically, the Themiclesian Marines were a very closely-knit group, but only within their respective fleets. As the two fleets never sailed together, there was no interaction between the two components of the modern force. This strong affinity towards each other was noted by its own members that were literate, a number of whose essays and letters have survived into the modern day. Fraternity was indispensible as units had no choice except to spend prolonged periods of time together and in isolation, during lengthy voyages. The ships' crews were also usually unfriendly, and many captains prohibited persons not on duty (that is, anyone not participating in manning the ship itself) to move freely. These unique conditions compelled the creation of many board and word games. When lengthy voyages grew rarer and ultimately extinct by the 19th century, Themiclesian Marines came to spend more time on shore guarding their Fleets' vessels. Various other tasks, traditionally of the jurisdiction of local police, also fell to the Marines in areas where administration was unstable. Curiously, the Marines, far from resenting such tasks, preferred them to their canonical duty of guarding and boarding ships.
Currently, only under close inspection are traces of the original values and spirit of the pre-PSW organization visible. As the Themiclesian forces transformed towards an expeditionary one, frome one that was defensive, the Themiclesian Marines were assigned a more generalist role based on the Casaterran model. Though similar in purport to their original purpose, they also faced new challenges. The ability to operate beyond the shore was acquired in the 20th century, early in the PSW, at great effort, breaching one of the their most established boundaries. Experiencing new attention and unprecedented levels recruitment, the hierarchy has promoted creativity to maximize the potential in each member of the service. Proportionally, the Marines have the highest number of strategists and tacticians in any arm of the Themiclesian forces except the Air Force, and invested the most in personnel training assessed by the branch-unique unit of "instructor/pupil/hour" or IPH. In 2004, they also announced they were experimenting with the "parallel unit" which sees two or more tasks assigned to each troop, to be executed under different circumstances; as a result, new multifunctory equipment was developed. "Parallel functionalism is a most desirable concept in the new millennium, because we are not well-endowed in terms of numbers. We shall throw challenges at people, but we shall not throw people at challenges," the Captain-General opined in 2000.
Honours
Laureate of the Stars
In his monograph A Force for All Seasons (1881), Captain Terrence G. Gah of the 10th Regiment of the Marines wrote:
Rjim [in 707] saved his comrades-in-arms, all four thousand six hundred and fifty of them, from certain doom by his shrewd interpretation of the stars in the night sky, over hostile terrain laiden with cannibalistic savages, leading a ten-day march to the welcome embrace of the South Sea Fleet. [...] The Sovereign was pleased [...] to dignify him as the Laureate of the Stars. In the centuries following, we bestow this title to the one who has salvaged all and none whomsoever lesser.
The title Laureate of the Stars has subsequently been generalized to honour any member of the Marine Corps who, through an act of "unsurpassed fortitude or aptitude" has averted the destruction of the whole force. For several centuries this dignity was not awarded to anyone, until again in 1202, to Captain (translatus) P'ljum, who, again, correctly judged the stars in an overcast night to lead an ambush that broke a siege on the entire naval infantry complement trapped in modern-day Khalistan. In 1257, the same title was bestowed on another officer who predicted a future earthquake and decisively led his troops away from a basin, where they set up camp; the enemy took up the camp the Marines had built for themselves. The earthquak caused a nearby reservoir to breach, which eradicated the camp with the enemy within, while the Marines suffered no casualty. This battle was later named the "Infinitely Glorious Battle".
Because the title "Laureate of the Stars" is actually a civilian office, only a formal edict, passed by the Protonotaries and the Meridians and then the Sovereign, could confer this dignity. In the modern period, this dignity is granted solely by act of parliament. Similar titles existed to recognize extraordinary achievements in the Themiclesian Army. A recipient of the title was said to be "a fish that jumped into the Celestial Gate". Themiclesian society before the 19th century honoured the Civil Service as its highest echelon and debased the military forces, hence for a member of the latter to join the former was deemed an immesurable honour and moreover carried the acknowledgement of the entire government with it. The prize of being created a gentle house, to participate in electing peers to parliament, and being treated to a salary several dozen times the one they received for service was a pragmatic token of gratitude.
At the same time, the Marines also discharged the canonical duty of "guarding" stars onboard during nights. The Themiclesian Navy's captains believed the stars needed watching, or else new stars may appear, old ones vanish, or stationary ones move. If such a thing happens, it was interpreted as a disastrous omen that severely limited the fleet's ability to navigate home, especially over the dangerous waters of the Strait of Portcullia. While crossing, each ship's captain arranged the Marines in shifts of ten, to "keep watch" on the stars. At dusk, the ship's astronomer delivered his expectations of the rising and falling of asterisms with reference to the ship's alignment; the Marines would lie on the open deck, eyes fixed to the skies, four on each end of the ship, and a fifth to make sure none fell asleep. The rising of each asterism would be announced, and the identity and magnitude of each star clearly recorded. These were delivered to the ship's navigator at dawn. If the ship sailed sound, the Marines responsible would be rewarded; if the ship went off course, they would be thrown overboard.
Unit names
The Themiclesian Marines have a very whimsical unit-naming tradition. This is in stark contrast with the constellation-driven naming scheme that the Themiclesian Navy has obeyed. Names can be acquired by voting within the formation, usually by voice rather than ballot, or by appelation from another group of people, whenever it is accepted by the unit itself.
Current units
- 3rd → 203rd Regiment—Star Chasers (追星), acquired by voice vote in 1948, in reference to the ancient traditions of nocturnal navigation that the Marines performed.
- 4th → 204th Regiment—Glory Seekers (榮益). Orignally "Problem Solvers" (永蔽), but in the 4th Regiment's dialect, the nickname was homophonous with "executioner" (刑辟), which was accepted via voice vote, as a pun, in 1949. Though the Navy leadership welcomed the pun, the connection with the Maracaibean 1st Marines was deemed an evil omen of the highest degree; as a result, it was changed to the current one.
- 5th → 205th Regiment—Sharpshooters (循射, ljul-smljas). However, members of the Regiment have pointed out that "sharpshooter" was homophonous with "missed by a long shot" (夷射, lir-smljas) in the dialect of the 4th Regiment. This has become the bane of their existence while training with them.
Former units
- 1st Regiment—Wobbly Light (搖光, a kind of auspicious celestial body), conscripted by the Themiclesian Army in 1935.
- 2nd Regiment—Circular Rainbow (繞虹, a kind of auspicious metereological phenomenon), as above.
Music
The song most anciently associated with the Marines is the Celestial Amble (步天歌, boh-t'in-kar), which is an abridgement of a song passed down by Imperial Astronomers in stringent secrecy. Legend has it this song was written as early as 584, but the earliest surviving version dates to 890. The version in use at the Imperial Observatory includes clues to the astrological meanings of the relative positions of the stars, supernovae, and a variety of abnormal phenomena. The Celestial Amble is a first-person narrated, rhyming lyrical poem that describes the magnitude, colour, and relative position of the 283 Themiclesian asterisms and, composing them, 1,464 stars. The number of stars swelled gradually, from that figure in the 900s to well over 3,000 by 1700, new stars being named, and the celestial bodies of the southern hemisphere added.
The song itself is about thirty minutes in length, singing at a brisk pace. Those who mastered this song and were able to apply it while on voyage or expedition were called "Star-chasers" in Marine parlance, receiving quadruple or quintuple pay than one who could not. The Celestial Amble remains the unit march of the 201st, who are named in honour of these Star-chasers", who records represent some of the earliest geographies of West Hemithea and North Meridia. The position of "star-chaser" was a much-honoured one; despite the low status of the military, civil aristocrats are required to call the Star-chaser "your honour" (明公 mrjang-kung, 明君 mrjang-kljul) in the second person and "well-esteemed" in the third in respect of their critical duty.
Public image
The modern, foundational image of the Themiclesian Marines is very much based on two popular sources, according to historian Andrew Ember. Due to the Themiclesian government's restrictive policy on the identity of the military, the forces have usually not been permitted to shape their public image actively through advertisements or other efforts. Until the 19th century, the military has been variously perceived as backwards, inhumane, savage, corrupt, incompetent, or simply undesirable in many ways; during the 19th century, the armed forces entering a phase of steady and continual reform and re-alignment, the Army and Navy gradually took to modern organizational shape. That century, also characterized as a period of progress and openness, required the Navy to establish itself as a paragon of advancing technology and a guarantor of Themiclesia's maritime tranquility. In the total absence of warfare (except in 1857, there was not a single point where war was deemed likely), the Navy sought to shape its past in light of its present, emphasizing previous activities to achieve public sympathy. As it progressed from wooden ships-of-the-line at the commencement of the century to steel battleships by the end of the same, its technocratic departments grew and predominated, implicitly casting itself along the towering smokestacks and steam-powered factories, publicly appreciated as emblems of modernity.
For the Marines, however, the same was difficult to assay. At the end of the 19th century, the Admiralty conceded that changes in naval warfare and progress in that branch had, "more or less rendered them indistinguishable from infantry". Ships had become large enough that normal infrantry tactics could see use, and weapons advanced enough that, in the progressively-implausible case of a boarding operation, infantrymen would suffice just as well. The consequences of such an analysis were considerable. Rationalism in the late 19th century demanded that a problem identified in the early 19th be addressed, namely, per Sngrian Gwang MP (1754–1823), "that a miniature navy exists in the army, and a miniature army exists in the navy". The Army's "miniature navy" was the Riverine Fleet that sailed the Inland Sea which now is a frontier between Maverica and Themiclesia, and it was handed over to the Navy in 1837. The government, perinially under the Liberals since 1851, had expected the Navy to hand over the Marines to the Army, which possessed a better supply chain and a more accountable training system. The Navy, however, was reluctant to part with the power to train and field its own soldiers; to this end, they pushed for a series of statutes that integrated more and more functions of the Department of Ancillaries into the Admiralty, culminating in their total integration into the Navy, except in the issuance of salaries.
The direct product of the Navy's desire to distinguish the Marines from ordinary infantry is the Stories of the South Sea, a 1867 publication of the Naval Press on behalf of the Marines. It was a 20,000-line ballad, in lyric form, edited from a larger anthology of poetry that marines of previous centuries composed as a pastime during lengthy voyages on ships. The poetry was a joint effort between all marines onboard a single ship and focused on their experiences in foreign lands; while the subject matter was varied, warfare was not narrated. A. Ember believes this aversion is customary to Themiclesians, who regarded speaking of the dead and the circumstances that occasioned it, especially in a casual or prideful fashion, distasteful and irreverent. In context of the Navy's heavy superstition around spirits and their injurious tendencies, it is not surprising that early marines wrote nothing mentioning battle aboard. These poems were committed to paper and submitted to the Royal Archives, where it was preserved.
The Stories of the South Sea was received enthusiastically by the general public and literary critics. More importantly, in a century of Casaterran dominance, it led to a degree of re-appraisal of Themiclesia's historical contribution to the world system. Inasmuch it is taught in public schools Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe, the book encouraged Themiclesians to read the Navy's history as one of discovery, in both the geographical and intellectual realms. While the Marines did not sail (geographical discovery), their interactions with diverse cultures (intellectual discovery) contributed to Themiclesia's current contact with modern states, especially in the pursuit of commerce. The book emphasized that the Navy usually followed Themiclesian merchant ships through unknown waters and dubious coasts, and the Marines sometimes protected trading parties on land, until the vicinity was known to be peaceful. This agreed eerily well with the Liberal government's desire to expand trade volume with the world and implied that the foundation of equitable, uninterrupted trade with Casaterra and Meridia was partly the result of the Navy's activities.
Stories of the South Sea' has not been without criticism. As early as 1868, a review called the book "the Navy's romance" (in the sense of a fanciful story). Modern historian H. Miller wrote that it was a "subtle advertisement" and a "proliferation of pathos". U. Keller opined that the pre-occupation of the ballad, per the Navy's edition, was "to equate Themiclesia with other Casaterran powers, to insinuate that there are no compulsory differences between Themiclesians and Casaterrans". Politicial analysts treat this work with much care. S. Peterson considers, "[the book] is not a call to battle, but it is an affirmation of the positive effects of that which is not written—battle." However, M. Auberg contends that "[there] is no affirmation of warfare of Peterson's assertion; what is affirmed is the Navy's belief that the Marines are a key component of their ecosystem and achievements, and what is denied, with not much hard evidence in relation to the present, is that they are a 'miniature army', as some parliamentarians have described." It is also, according to Auberb, "implied that the Navy's unity comes through the passing of long hours, their survival dependent on the same hull, together, and the putative transferral of the Marines to the Army, either in training or in operation, would only undermine the unity which is slated as the precondition of its successes."
Additionally, some historians have also identified that the book was "demonstrably, and probably intentionally, incorrect" in several respects. Firstly, the Navy was organized into six departments, and the editors skillfully elide the differences between the several departments that the Admiralty annexed to itself in the 18th and 19th centuries. This made the Navy, in the historical background of the 13th to 17th centuries, appear much more corporeal and unified, as though it had a singular leadership during the ages when it did not. Secondly, the engravers who prepared the some 600 illustrations in the book chose to identify Themiclesian marines with a broad, red, chequered scarf—a piece of gear that has no historical basis. In scenes where individuals are small, scarfs added identity, but the scarf is also present on portraits showing the armour worn and weapons used, where identity is provided through the captions. It is not known why a scarf represents them, but it has since become an inseparable part of their image. In inter-service sporting events, the supporters of the Marines appear in red scarfs. This is not an unusual practice in general, since the Army has come to be associated with blue shoes, and the Air Force with berets, but these items have actually been sanctioned by their respective referents, while the red scarf has never been worn in combat. The Navy decided to use mittens to represent itself, probably to allow all four paraphernalia to be worn simultaneously.
Oath
Due to the disruptions resulting from merger with the Loyalist Colonial Army in 1780, the marines were required by law to take an oath before the ship on which they served, before they were allowed to board the ship. The oath, originally established in 1784 for former members of the Orange League (a derogatory name for the the Cambrian Loyalists), was made mandatory for all members of the force in 1785, under a consideration of fairness.
ＯＯＯ誓不惟橘黨人，不為厲，不說人以不法，若有違震死，孫子不藩。
[name] djiais pje-gljui kwljit dang’ njing, pje gwjar rjais, pja sljuis njing le’ pje pjap, njak gwrje’ ghwjei tjins sjii’, sun tsje’ pje pjal.
[name] zheih pjui kjut dang’ nzin, pjut wji ljai, pjut shui nzin ji’ pjut pjap, nzak ’ju ’jui chin si’, sun tsji’ pjut pjan.[I, A.B.] swear [I am] not an Orangist, [that] I shall not be a disagreeable [person], [and] I shall not advocate to others illegal [things]. If there is deviation [then I shall] be struck dead [by lightning], [and my] posterity will not thrive.
In 1957, it was briefly considered in Parliament to abolish this oath, since the Cambrian Loyalists were no longer an active militia or political force demanding military action against Cambria, but an early prorogation killed the proposal. Then, in 1968, the Human Rights Council found the oath in violation of the freedom of conscience, due process of the law, and nulla poena sine lege; two years later, the oath was rewritten to be politically neutral.
ＯＯＯ誓不惟黨人，不為厲，不說人以不法，若有違，論如法／免官暨論如法／廢。
[name] djiais pje-gljui dang’ njing, pje gwjar rjais, pja sljuis njing le’ pje pjap, njak gwrje’ ghwjei, rjuns njak pjap / mrjan kwal kjik rjuns njak pjap / pjaps.
[name] zheih pjui dang’ nzin, pjut wji ljai, pjut shui nzin ji’ pjut pjap, nzak ’ju ’jui, lun nzak pjap / miaen kwan kjit lun nzak pjap / pjoi.[I, A.B.] swear [I am] not in any fraternity of preceding dedication, [that] I shall not be a disagreeable [person], [and] I shall not advocate to others illegal [things]. If there is deviation [then I shall] be punished according to statute / [NCO] dismissed and punished according to statute / [officers] cashiered.
Motto
Themiclesian public bodies do not usually have mottos; however, individuals can. The Marines' motto is not an officially sanctioned one, though it was independently attested in history at least twice to be merchant sons never fear or merchant sons always well-spirited. Hallian and Sylvan sources record that the phrase was shouted as part of pre-battle rally, making it perhaps more a warcry than a motto in sensu stricto. An exhaustive search into the Marines' archives for this phrase returned only one result, written in 1434, describing the reason why seafaring merchants should be required to submit their "younger sons" for naval service:
賈於外，百難不懼，為持家計，茲以振其心乎久長。農子輾於內，粟乃蘖，賈子征於外，物乃通，利家之孝也。家齊，國乃興。國興，天下平。
kra gwrja ngwais, priak nal pje gwrjah, gwjars drje kra klips, dzje le tjins gje sjem ga kwje drjang. nong tsje' nrjan gwrja nups, sjok ne ngrjat, kra tsje' tjiang gwrja ngwais, mjet ne hlong, rjit kra tje hruh lar. kra dzi, kwek ne hjeng. kwek hjeng, t'in gra brjiang.
To trade overseas, not fearing a hundred challenges, is to support the family, and for that cause their hearts are always well-spirited. When a farmer's son wets seeds at home, so that it may sprout, and a merchant's son adventures beyond, so that merchandise may freely pass, it is piety to the family's interest. Only when the family is united, the state will prosper; when the state prospers, the world will be in tranquility.
What should be noted is the used of the word tjeng, here translated as "adventure", is multifunctional. On one hand, it can refer to any journey with a set destination, for virtually any purpose; on the other hand, it is also used to mean "expedition" in the military sense. When Themiclesia invaded Dzhungestan in 1926, the headquarters was called the East Expedition Headquarters (征東府, tjeng-tong-pja). In either case, lexical emphasis lies on the travelling, not the destination or the traveller's purport there. In the cited passage, some scholars believe that, while the commercial function of the (elder) "merchant sons" was explained, a pun was meant for the militarization of their younger siblings.
Daily rituals
3rd Regiment, 1920s, in garrison
- 4:30 — wake up
- 4:45 — write letters, read newspaper
- 6:00 — formation, row call
- 6:30 — breakfast
- 7:00 — garrison hygiene and maintenance
- 9:00 — tactical rehearsal
- 10:30 — baths
- 11:00 — row-call
- 11:10 — cut cheques and prepare other instruments for the navy
- 12:00 — lunch
- 13:00 — personal exercise time: golf, tennis, jogging, hiking, and walking are options
- 18:00 — row-call, dinner
- 19:00 — free time
- 20:00 — bed
1960s
- 6:30 — ship horn, wake up
- 7:00 — daily comb of the ship, saying, "Visitors, please identify yourselves!" (賓客其自名!)
- 8:00 — breakfast
- 10:00 — row-call
- 10:10 — cut cheques for the navy
- 10:30 — free time
- 12:00 — lunch at the lower mess
- 14:00 — designated exercise time, spend as required: walk around the deck, push the ship around, stretch, or use the officers' squash courts if not in use
- 16:00 — baths available, row call
- 18:00 — dinner at the lower mess
- 20:00 — free time
- 22:00 — bed