Earliest Chinese Armies - Armies and Tactics DOCUMENTARY

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Kings and Generals historical animated documentary series on the historical armies and tactics continues with a video covering the ancient origins of the Chinese army with a focus on the military of the Han dynasty.
History of China Playlist: • Chinese History
Armies and Tactics: • Armies and Tactics
Support us on Patreon: / kingsandgenerals or Paypal: paypal.me/kings... or by joining the youtube membership: / @kingsandgenerals We are grateful to our patrons and sponsors, who made this video possible: docs.google.co...
The video was made by our friend András Szente-Dzsida while the script was researched and written by Matt Hollis
This video was narrated by Officially Devin ( / @offydgg & / @gameworldnarratives )
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#Documentary #China #Han

[@KingsandGenerals]

Our patron A.J. suggested this video. You can join the ranks of our patrons to learn the schedule, get early access to our videos and be part of our discord server via this link: www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals or by pressing the Join button directly under the video.

[@Gloria-victrix99857]

Will you guys cover the armies of the early medieval period?

[@SAVAGE-oe3fg]

Please cover the boers of South Africa

[@loods2215]

I'm once again asking for you to make a video about the 15th condottieri mercenary bands from Italy, I'm not gonna give up, I neeeeed this

[@grandadmiralzaarin4962]

I need to start making suggestions, I've been on the patreon for awhile now but keep forgetting I am lol

[@lalruatdikavarte7943]

Nice video and very informative and very entertaining and very satisfaction more videos.

[@azyadzuhairi]

"A drop of sweat spent in a drill is a drop of blood saved in a battle." -Chinese proverb

[@johnrockwell5834]

Corruption and weak military made China vulnerable.

[@hwasiaqhan8923]

@@johnrockwell5834 That’s why China owns tibet, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia

[@kalvinwibowo5697]

@Mister Albanian A trained troops under the right condition is always better than a rabble of peasants in the same condition

[@johnrockwell5834]

@@hwasiaqhan8923 After the Jurchen defeated the native Chinese Ming Dynasty who was militarily weak and actually managed to properly retrain Han Chinese to actually get them to fight properly again. And used Mongols and other Nomads who they got as allies with good diplomacy in combination to conquer those areas. None of those areas were conquered without overlords who were foreigners originally.

[@johnrockwell5834]

@Mister Albanian Sure but its a guarantee if the army isn't even properly disciplined and trained.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

Chinese general: defeated. The Emperor: *That’s a nice head you have on your shoulders.*

[@eggtarts286]

Han Xin, a Chinese general: Victorious Emperor Liu Bang: Your head will make a fine addition to my collection.

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

*Angry Searaider Noises* Hey! That´s our line.

[@belisarius727]

Vive la France! Vive la empereur！

[@heruwahyono4040]

most of them were demoted to commoner or slave

[@lilithshopping7904]

I have to say, King and General made a mistake about treatment of defeated Chinese generals. I've no idea where do they got this bizzare story

[@kingjotnar6448]

Ancient Chinese military is so underrated

[@wisdomleader85]

@Anal Farmer1 Well, the mongols did use Chinese engineers to build siege engines, so....

[@abrahamxiong1858]

Reason why is becuase there just a bunch of peasant and hobos moral was ass

[@geordiejones5618]

They were so isolated for so long from the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Basically everywhere Alexander and Caesar went is where the modern world came to be as an international community, with Egypt, Persia, Greece and Italy all playing key roles. India was far away enough to be known but it was vast and very very populated. China must have seemed and felt another world away. They knew of other cultures but they were all similar.

[@arthas640]

I wouldn't say its underrated. It appears alot in chinese media and in western movies and games like the Dynasty Warriors, Total War, and Crusader Kings game series as well as many kung fu and wuxia movies and even Deadliest Warrior. Romance of the Three Kingdoms does alot to spread awareness of them too. Compare them to ancient Mesopotamia, sumeria, or ancient Egypt who arent known outside of the pyramids and mummies

[@Number1Irishlad]

@Unspeakablegaming GAMING UNSPEAKABLE basically like not paid much attention to or not given as much hype as other things. Example: everyone knows Caesar. But noone in the mainstream knows about Labieunus, Caesar's right hand up through the Gallic Wars man who, up until the Roman Civil War, had had 0 defeats on the field, unlike Caesar who had lost at least a few times.

[@BoyangSun]

Fun Fact: Jiang Jun and Shogun are written exactly the same in Japanese and Chinese: 将军

[@assdaa666]

In Mongolian, janjing means military leader...

[@dabo5078]

@@assdaa666 It means general in Chinese

[@sleepyhead6468]

@Benjamin Sigouin Japanese and Chinese case is different from French and Spanish. Both French and Spanish are the same language family but Japanese and Chinese are actually different language family. They have different roots. The only commonality is that the ancient Japanese borrowed Chinese characters for advanced concepts or vocabularies that didn't exist in their native tongues.

[@sleepyhead6468]

@Benjamin Sigouin Yes. Cos I read as you saying, like French and Spanish, they both came from Latin which is evolved from Latin root language. But Chinese and Japanese come from different root language, unlike French and Spanish. Maybe you didn't mean that.

[@cart172]

@Benjamin Sigouin Yep. The Japanese didn't even have a written language until they adopted Chinese.

[@alexhess1163]

Generals weren't always executed for failure. Even the ancient Han recognized that misfortune and bad luck were a thing - perhaps even poor allocation of soldiers or supplies by a general's superiors. However, execution was always considered technically a just response to failure, so execution for failure was always on the table. This encouraged generals to at least attempt to mitigate the disaster when failure was imminent, that they might be spared by a benevolent or understanding superior.

[@jamesdakrn]

兵家之常事 - "in the matters of military, winning and losing is normal" Generally you were considered a tyrant if you killed generals for losing battles

[@derek7762]

Yeah true, it was always a big show about respect and honor, and integral to that is the superior pardoning the lesser also

[@Mr.SpikyGoldenRod.]

Darth Vader style...

[@cookiel9950]

During Zhuge Liang's (诸葛亮) Northern Expeditions in the Three Kingdoms period, he entrusted Ma Su (马谡), a talented but inexperienced officer, with a critical task: defending Jieting, a strategic location. Zhuge Liang repeatedly warned Ma Su to prioritize holding the main road and to camp in a secure, defensible position. However, Ma Su disregarded these orders and chose to station his troops on a nearby hill, believing it to be a superior strategy. Unfortunately, Ma Su's decision backfired. The enemy, led by the brilliant general Zhang He (张郃) of Wei, surrounded the hill and cut off Ma Su's water supply. Without water and vulnerable to attack, Ma Su's forces were routed, leading to the loss of Jieting-a devastating blow to Zhuge Liang’s campaign. Zhuge Liang, known for his strict discipline and commitment to fairness, took full responsibility for the defeat but recognized that discipline in the army was paramount. Despite his personal affection for Ma Su, Zhuge Liang sentenced him to death for disobeying orders and causing the failure. The execution was a painful decision for Zhuge Liang, showing his unwavering dedication to the greater good of Shu Han. This act is often remembered as a testament to Zhuge Liang's integrity, leadership, and commitment to duty over personal feelings.

[@eatingnemo9582]

It was possible and threatened but from what ive seen most failures resulted in imprisonment and/or being stripped of wealth/position, more like career death but chances at redemption were also given.

[@ryanchiang5370]

I have to admit that as a Chinese, know more about armies of Romans and Byzantines than that of the Chinese. Thank you K&G for such interesting yet unknown information.

[@csfelfoldi]

Well don't blame yourself, Rome was the foundation of the Western culture which pretty much ruled the world for the past 500 years. If China went to America first I'd bet we would be drooling over Han armies instead of Roman legions.

[@RandomGuy-df1oy]

@@csfelfoldi Well actually Rome was not the foundation of Western Culture. Western Culture has its roots on Greek civilization which was a Mediterranean one.

[@csfelfoldi]

@@RandomGuy-df1oy The Greeks splintered off of Rome and had their own empire for another 1000 years they lived on in Russia as the Orthodox Church. Western Culture is based on the Roman Catholic teachings to this day. Greek's contribution was democracy and the early city states Rome was founded upon. You can say Greeks gave the basis but half of western Europe speaks Romance languages today, so I'd say Rome had the bigger influence.

[@RandomGuy-df1oy]

@@csfelfoldi Roman culture was almost identical to the Greek one. Its not only about religion. Russian culture has almost nothing to do with Greek one. By that logic, you can claim "Jews the ones that never left Middle East are culturally identical with Western Europeans". Roman culture had shifted in some aspects after Christianity, just like Reformation and Protestanism in Europe.

[@doopboop8359]

Like chinese born in China or Taiwan? I can see how you wouldnt know this in the ccp

[@Binary84]

I watch a lot of Chinese dramas and movies but I learnt so much in this one video. Good Job KnG. I wish CA would focus more of these historical elements in TW3K.

[@Nick-hi9gx]

This was awesome. I really want a whole lot more of this. Really deep campaign and battle analysis of Warring States, Qin, Han, 3K, and Era of Disunity videos, and their logistics. Chinese history is so little-covered in English, it is always awesome to learn more. Thanks K&G!

[@Abhishek-sr2pu]

If Chinese history is covered little than imagine indian history lol.

[@Intranetusa]

Don't pay too much attention to this video. This is one of the more poorly researched K&G videos that has a lot of inaccuracies about both the ancient Chinese armies and even inaccuracies about the ancient armies in the West/the Roman army.

[@Nick-hi9gx]

@@Intranetusa Such as?

[@Intranetusa]

@@Nick-hi9gx Furthermore, I'd like to add that this video exaggerated the Left and Right Generals dual-leadership idea and exaggerated the executions for failure. The Left and Right Generals were rarely deployed together so in the vast majority of situations, there was 1 general leading each army. Furthermore, generals were usually NOT executed for defeats because those executions were very rare (only for extreme cases of failure, desertion, treason, etc.). The far more common punishment for a defeat would be a demotion, banishment, imprisonment, or temporary disgrace. For example, Li Guangli, the general in charge of two expeditions to fight the Greco-Persian kingdom in Ferghana, lost the first expedition due to his incompetence and was not or barely punished for it.

[@tdgvoihf9767]

@@Intranetusa are ya a late medieval fan comer ?

[@aezmarvettan9294]

Fun fact about Han crossbows, They were much more effective than medieval European crossbows made in the 12th century, Even when Europe began making crossbows from steel (14th century) giving it a much heavier draw weight than a Han crossbow they still had a much lower power stroke (one third of a Han crossbow) which made them less effective despite their increased weight, Han crossbow were the early anti-material rifles.

[@m.thorton9305]

and the usually light-armored Abbasids probably taste that weapon in Talas

[@hentaioverwhelming]

@J We're not entirely sure if the repeater crossbow was developed by Zhuge Liang or not but that seems to be the generally accepted attribution.

[@qus.9617]

Another fun-fact han crossbows had lines etched on the trigger mechanism that allowed the crossbowman to estimate the angle of their target when firing. Because han crossbows had relatively light trigger weight, some crossbows had a rotatable metal pipe with a piece jutting out that cuffed the trigger. It was used to 'lock' the crossbow when not in-use.

[@hentaioverwhelming]

@stock member From which period? Because the early Warring States was still bronze age warfare. Steel metallurgy wasn't available until Zhang Qian returned from his mission to report on the Bactrians and their Heavenly Horses.

[@aezmarvettan9294]

@@hentaioverwhelming No zhuge liang didn't invent the repeater but he did improve it, the repeater was invented during the warring state period before zhuge liang.

[@samiamrg7]

The practice of having 2 generals in an army is reminiscent of the Roman practice of having 2 Consuls. Ideally, neither could monopolize political or military power since they both held equal authority. They didn’t often command the same army, but when they did, they traditionally alternated supreme command (which didn’t always work out…)

[@thedirty530]

I'm so excited to see ancient China! All your videos are awesome but China's history has as always been elusive without great effort to digest....Thank you!

[@jessjiang7337]

The Warring States period witnessed one of the most chaotic eras in Chinese (and even world) history. Many great generals emerged, Sun Bing, Baiqi, Wangjian, Lianpo, Li Mu, etc. They have distinct personality and utilize various tactics; meanwhile, famous scholars/politicians/diplomats like Shangyang were advocating military, social, and political reforms. So interesting.

[@bulgar.slayer]

How is the Warring States period chaotic to the whole world?

[@DccAnh]

@@bulgar.slayermost chaotic, as in nowhere in the world was as chaotic as China during the Warring State period.

[@bulgar.slayer]

@@DccAnh How is the world affected by it?

[@DccAnh]

@@bulgar.slayer no where said it affect the whole world, only it is the most chaotic.

[@Thor13332]

This is my groove. I've been studying ancient China recently.

[@KuLaydMahn]

I went through a phase like that when I was in high school and a little afterward. This is nostalgic in the best way for me!

[@Mrkelllonghorn2]

The best channel on youtube. I've been watching for years and will for years to come! Keep up the good work!

[@jackinquisitor9645]

In ancient China, there is an army called 魏武卒, in this army, everyone can take an iron spear, an arch, about 20 kilos armor, take food which can eat for 3 days, finished 50 kilomethers in 10 hours. Their score is: 64 battles, 60 win, 4 draw.

[@chrisjohnson562]

You’re the only channel that actually has worthwhile ads and promotions. Oh and your content is absolutely phenomenal

[@KingsandGenerals]

Thank you!

[@petermills3814]

We need a very long extended historical video here or in parts 1 to 4 or more about the warring states period + how it came to be + Confucius with Confuciusism + Sun Tzu with his art of war + Qin Shi Huang + Rise of the Qin state/dynasty + how china united and how it became so efficient as a state and powerful military in background information throughout before its fall + during its lifespan in daily life and aftermath. The Qin great wall + it's other wars and unifications south of China + the terracotta army and first emperor's tomb... and eventful rise of the Han.

[@SS-hw1ou]

Harvard has a free course for you I think

[@weeaboomanotakutsuki8353]

"One cannot win without watching Kings and Generals" -Sun Tzu

[@dafuqmr13]

"Sun Tzu's mom feared me" -Machiavelli

[@shanedoesyoutube8001]

@@dafuqmr13 what??? XD

[@jimbofromfrance4801]

I love this channel, unlike most other popular history channels(not hating on them btw) that usually focus on one era *ahem* Western Europe/Greece/Rome *ahem* they have a broad and diverse amount of content.

[@societyofjesus5943]

@@lowersaxon youtube mostly features western content as it is an American company. There are Chinese, Indian, African equivalents...

[@6principlesforcartography61]

The military system of China varied greatly in different periods and regions. Indeed, right before the early imperial period the video mentioned, Chinese military system was more similar to medieval Europe and Feudal Japan, where regular soldiers were recruited from nobles (who could afford chariots) while most peasants did not even have the right to join the army. It was during Warring States that the noble class declined while common people began to join the military machine in mass, where they could achieve money, land and nobility through fights.

[@shortBP520]

Most notably the Qin dynasty who embraced meritocracy fully and turned into a war machine. It was part of the reason why it was strong and eventually became the victor once the warring state period ended.

[@malskim6891]

bro i been searching for this for the past 3 hours for an essay.

[@tifosi166]

Please do a video on the earlier Chu-Han Contention! A really overlooked part of Chinese history that led to the formation of the Han Dynasty with great generals and fantastic battles.

[@tifosi166]

@@rahman9749 Yes! Xiang Yu is a fascinating figure who isn’t talked about enough compared to his contemporary.

[@billh6010]

Chu-Han contention was probably one of the most poetic power struggle in human history. Liu Bang vs Xiang Yu, the uneducated hooligan vs mighty aristocratic warrior. The classical example of a leader who is loved by the people versus a leader who is feared by the people.

[@6principlesforcartography61]

If you really dive into this period, you will find that generals like Xiang Yu and Han Xin were almost the same generation of Hannibal and Scipio, while Battle of Zama happened in the same year of Battle of Gaixia.

[@ReviveHF]

Coincidentally, both Han Dynasty armies and Roman Armies mostly wore red. And both of them fought against the Greeks and Huns.

[@thil2894]

Bactria for the Han?

[@Fyrebrand18]

Crimson Fists Only greek kingdom close enough.

[@junainoakuma]

Nah, Huns came later...

[@royalewinston3811]

@@tornado4708 I think it is called the war of the heavenly horse and also called the Greco-Chinese war. It happens when the Chinese approaches the one of the Greek city state (I'm not sure if it is kingdom or city state) that the Chinese called Dayuan to survey the region and negotiate to purchase horses (I think is to be used in warfare against Xiongnu). Dayuan refuses the deal, result in the death of one of the Han ambassadors and confiscated the gold sent as payment, enraging the Han emperor who then sent 2 expeditions after them. You can find more information like why the Greek decide to refuse the deal and attack the ambassadors on wikipedia.

[@cossacktwofive4974]

Red is a color associated with might, glory and power.

[@thecrackshow9402]

I have been craving warring states content after reading Kingdom, great video!

[@axb6061]

oh my god.. I studied a year in China and the background music around 12:30 is a song that makes me feel like I have ptsd. We sung the same classic Chinese song for a whole semester, only using DO RE MI sounds

[@vilhelm2718]

Hahaha. Do you remember the name by any chance? It sounds beautiful.

[@axb6061]

@@vilhelm2718 yeah it is 茉莉花 mo li hua Jasmine flower I think it means

[@vilhelm2718]

@@axb6061 Awesome, thanks :)

[@stephenschan]

Good job introducing early Chinese armies and how they and their tactics evolved over the course of the Han dynasty. You can tell a lot of research and detail went into the production. Controlling for treachery and corruption with mutual oversight, division of duties, and limiting mission scopes are principles which the modern West has also incorporated into military and civilian administrative doctrine. I look forward to seeing more videos about Chinese kings and generals.

[@Galland780]

Damn I love the artwork. So cool

[@user-cw7yi1ew1z]

yeah makes easy to watch

[@KuLaydMahn]

Yeah, the artwork is beautiful

[@22vx]

Han history is packed with unique exploits and distinguished accomplishments... along with its fair share of treachery and intrigue. Fascinating topic K&G! Sincere thanks for continuing to make the good stuff happen!

[@eggtarts286]

兵不厌诈

[@jacobsouther8361]

Loves the Civilization VI music at the beginning; great video as always

[@badcule]

Dropping this video when I Just started Reading Kingdom manga.. k&g are truly god greatest gift on youtube.

[@endless_tragedy7662]

If love the three kingdom period, the manhua " the ravages of time (火凤燎原) is a must read

[@simulify8726]

There was a Chinese general named Ah Chu who when sneezed on the battlefield made the enemy sick and unable to fight.

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

Was one of his officers Han So Lo?

[@simulify8726]

@@Taistelukalkkuna Yes, he came straight through the stars

[@balonkita185]

I see we're entering on Biggus Dickus and Naughtius Maximus territory

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

@@simulify8726 With his wife, Lei Ah?

[@hawk49er23]

What a strange coincidence this was. Always been a fan of ancient Chinese military and The Three Kingdoms, decided to search for some videos today about ancient Chinese military formation and... what do you know. Hope to see more videos about ancient China's military, formations, and strategies! So much good stuff there.

[@rpm381]

Dynasty Warriors fan?

[@HNCS2006]

really interesting sponsor this time around. will check it out. though I personally don't like the simplisitc 'right-left' divide we constantly use.

[@M15-c9c]

Always a great episode. Thanks K&G

[@sizzla123]

Nice “The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.” - Sun Tzu, The Art of War

[@alexzandermorgan9356]

Thank you for all your hard work. I watch all your videos as soon as they come out.

[@abcdef27669]

Other people: "Cool! A video about ancient chinese armies!" Me: Let's get down to business To defeat the huns! Did they send me daughters When I asked for sons? You're the saddest bunch I ever met But you can bet before we're through Mister, I'll make a man out of you! Tranquil as a forest But on fire within Once you find your center You are sure to win You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot And you haven't got a clue Somehow I'll make a man out of you I'm never gonna catch my breath Say goodbye to those who knew me Boy, was I a fool in school for cutting gym This guys got 'em scared to death Hope he doesn't see right through me Now I really wish that I knew how to swim Be a man We must be swift as a coursing river (be a man) With all the force of a great typhoon (be a man) With all the strength of a raging fire Mysterious as the dark side of the Moon Time is racing toward us Till the huns arrive Heed my every order And you might survive You're unsuited for the rage of war So pack up, go home, you're through How could I make a man out of you? Be a man We must be swift as a coursing river (be a man) With all the force of a great typhoon (be a man) With all the strength of a raging fire Mysterious as the dark side of the Moon Be a man!

[@hamdaanchalky7724]

Is this a song reference?

[@abcdef27669]

@@hamdaanchalky7724 Mulan training song.

[@hamdaanchalky7724]

@@abcdef27669 oh right yh I’ve not watched that.

[@Maledzzz]

And it ends in Russell Peters voice...

[@penguasakucing8136]

@@hamdaanchalky7724 *snickers* AHEM No, not Song, Northern Wei

[@mrcopycat2355]

For anyone interested, background music is Civilization 5 China's War Theme

[@chrishan5340]

Hopefully The Thai, Burmese, Khmer, Lao and Vietnam get their own army cover during their golden ages

[@Gongolongo]

They weren't nearly as sophisticated as the Chinese which is very similar in terms of technology level as the Romans. But still would be interesting once China is covered more.

[@yangyigao8158]

When did Lao have a golden age?

[@chrishan5340]

@@yangyigao8158 the Lan Xang kingdom was pretty large compared to its neighbours but then got broken up into Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Champasak

[@yangyigao8158]

@@chrishan5340 Thanks man, I didn't know about that

[@simonst7645]

Or the Nanzhao and Tibetan which both threatened Tang China which is considered a golden age Like Han Dynasty. Nanzhao was firstly a Buffer state between both Tibet and Tang but evolved into a similar sophisticated Military state

[@helloworld0609]

I read "Art of War". It was an eye opener.

[@skatetrooper5285]

Art of War is pretty good & I like Sun Tzu, also recommend reading other people and there works too: Niccolò Machiavelli, Cicero, Otto Von Bismarck, Marcus Aurelius, Trajan, Otto the Great, and others. Niccolò Machiavelli has amazing works.

[@EricChien95]

@@skatetrooper5285 If you like Niccolò Machiavelli then I would recommend Prince Han Fei. He is a fellow apprentice of Li Si (advisor of King Zheng and later chancellor of the Qin Empire) by their mentor Xuncius.

[@thienhaobui3978]

@@skatetrooper5285 Niccolo Machiavelli can't hold a candle to Han Fei.

[@ericzhou3684]

Emperors would not execute generals who didn’t complete their mission that often. Except for military pledges.

[@hilee7390]

@Ahri Ayumei ERROR: The aristocratic class(士族) in Ancient China was responsible for military command and ruling each province. They couldn't be executed by the emperor order even when defeat at war. Because Ancient Han territory wasn't one nation and consists it hundreds of feudal lords(諸侯) and several kings(王爵), and have a few thousand personal soldiers or tens of thousands of soldiers. Mostly emperor power was very limited, except for a few emperors(Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han), and that they had work like ritual-work(祭祀) or approval official documents by stamp(玉碎). Since of Song dynasty(宋朝) was built, and finally, Military control centralizes into emperors.

[@sydneyfong]

@@hilee7390 The whole of Han dynasty's territory was basically under the central government's (not necessarily emperor personally I'd grant you that) command since 武帝 Wudi up until close to the 3 kingdom period with some coups in between. What feudal lords are you talking about...

[@hilee7390]

@@sydneyfong Most peoples misunderstood as one nation about watching Ancient Chinese dynasty territory. Of course, uploaded territory image on the internet transfers for all people to understand wrongly. Ancient Han- dynasty was a consist type with Central nobilities(士族) and Local nobilities(士族) and several Wu-house kings and that empire rule system extremely loose in comparing Ming or Qing dynasty. Furthermore, the Later Han- dynasty adopted a more loose ruling system, and hand over local to rule and military command to each County-magistrate(縣令). Also, each regime in the three-kingdom age(well known to people) was maintained due to the cooperation of Local nobilities(士族). Especially, Cao-Cao and his regime were frequently threatened by central nobilities(士族), because it was extremely low legitimacy.

[@sydneyfong]

@@hilee7390 "County-magistrates" (縣令) and "Feudal-lords" (諸侯) seem to be pretty different things...

[@Intranetusa]

@@sydneyfong The earlier Han Dynasty was a decentralized feudal empire of the central government + semi-autonomous states and kingdoms. This led to the Rebellion of the 7 States when the central government tried to take away the power of the regional rulers. Eventually by the time of Han Wudi, power was centralized into more of a centralized empire.

[@srujaniam9762]

Real cool artwork my friend. Love your videos

[@frankwu4747]

I wish than you used other Chinese music than just the “Jasmine flower” song

[@laiyuzeng8195]

Yea, try some guqin music. Like 卧龙吟(Hymm of Zhugeliang)，or 长安十二时辰(The Longest Day in Chang'an)

[@canadiancrafter5100]

I could be wrong, but i think it's China's industrial theme from civ 6

[@zhu_zi4533]

-In ancient China, there is no such thing as staff notation that can accurately record the music and melody, so in fact, most of the music is lost or only the lyrics are left as poems-

[@kontarius]

if the subject of the video is a civ in civ 6 K&G always uses their civ 6 theme lol

[@andyying1770]

True. Mo Li Hua is pretty overused.

[@carlosnevarez4003]

Keep up the damn good work, Team!

[@KingsandGenerals]

Will do!

[@ajithsidhu7183]

@@KingsandGenerals pls do one on ancient india

[@122005peachie]

Posted this video an hour ago but this comment was from 12 hours ago. Hmmmm.. 🤔

[@carlosnevarez4003]

@@122005peachie Patreon supporter's get early access to new content before being seen by thr rest of the viewer's. You should check out the Patreon page and find out more information ^.^

[@122005peachie]

@@carlosnevarez4003 I see.. Thanks for the heads up! Appreciated! 🙂👍

[@grimkupid8478]

Can't wait for more in this series. It's one of my personal favourites

[@duxbellorum2772]

I love the ad for this video. That is a much-needed product.

[@peiqisui30]

K&G: mentions ancient China And then plays a song written in the 18th century

[@weirdofromhalo]

Because we have no records of anything older.

[@in4ser]

@@weirdofromhalo No we do. For examples there's Liu Shui - Bo Ya which happens to be on Voyger's Golden Record.

[@weirdofromhalo]

@@in4ser You're right, I was too focused on chamber/orchestral pieces and forgot about solo/virtuosic pieces.

[@radeedrad5458]

They were other rare video about the subject. This one is the best. Thanx much appreciate it

[@Barwasser]

Well - that video ended abruptly like an ancient Chinese generals career after a defeat.

[@dongf2618]

the military law of Han states if the general refused to fight as in an act of cowardice, he will be executed. If the general fled in the face of enemy, he will be executed. If he lost and too many soldiers died, he will be executed. However, all of these didnt apply to the nobles with a certain status. In that case, the case will be escalated to the central government. Since all generals had already achieved noble status, it means the emperor will be the decision maker, which mwans sometimes they r not executed. The law also allows nobles paying fines in exchange to lesser penalties such as reducing their noble ranks; therefore, in reality, the generals who lost battles often lived after the defeat, and sometimes even lead armies afterwards. It all depends on the situation.

[@billhsu6349]

​@@dongf2618 In Spring and Autumn period and Warring period there do exists something like "honorable suicide" after a defeat. Take Chu, for instance, by then it was describes as "fu jun sha jiang(a general should suicide if he losses his army)", but that trandition exists no more in the Han empire.

[@Fordo007]

@@billhsu6349 Wasn't there a general in the Qin dynasty who was ordered to march his army somewhere but a flood made the order to march within the allotted time impossible and the penalty for failing a task was failure so he just pre-emptively declared rebellion against the emperor as he knew he'd be executed otherwise? I feel the strictness of the Qin may have hung over in Han memory. They were most likely not going to be executed... but they could be so why risk finding out for yourself?

[@billhsu6349]

@@Fordo007 According to Qin dynasty's law it is not death penalty, but by then people just had enough of Qin dynasty's stupid second emperor Hu Hai while many of them still bear the pain from the unification war lead by the first emperor, so basically anything could be an excuse to start a uprise. Many of the historian believe that the second Emperor Hu Hai is personally responsible for this short lived dynasty, he didn't just refuse to ease the people's suffering even when country needs him to, he also single handedly wiped out almost the whole Qin dynasty's royal house out of fear that his kinsmen may take his power. Basically he lost the people and the noble's support, and is stupid and cruel, so he died and the dynasty followed him soon after.

[@alexduong4604]

Started playing Three Kingdoms recently so this upload is an awesome coincidence

[@papercat2599]

So happy people is interested in Han military. Although Chinese military is peak during Tang Dynasty. But Han is undoubtedly top tier during its era.

[@billh6010]

Tang at its peak power was the absolute world boss at the time. 58% of global GDP. That alone is a warning sign to not fuck with the Tang toe-on-toe. Tang at early medieval age was like US in the 1950-2000AD.

[@juandiegoavilajara6301]

The best youtube channel. Is gold pure

[@JonasR001]

You should also cover the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties

[@day2148]

Do wish you covered the Qin army a bit before diving into the Han, as most of Han's more martial traditions were based on the Qin. Militaristically speaking, the Han dynasty never achieved the same level of efficiency and performance as the Qin military, which due to its extreme application of meritocracy and social mobility through battle honors (plus some draconian laws), instilled a discipline and morale could match even that of the Mongols. Also while you touched upon it, the use of combined arms is a major factor in ancient Chinese wars often not seen elsewhere. For example Wei Qing's use of mobile wagon rings (and not just wagon forts) where infantry, crossbows, and cavalry reserves fought in close coordination was instrumental to the Han victory over the nomaid Xiongnu. The widespread deployment of 'battle wagons' among infantry units also gave early field artillery a bigger role than Greco-Roman or Persian militaries.

[@eggtarts286]

Yes, and as they engaged frequently at the border, they were on the level of professional troops. Didn't stop them from getting thrashed four times by Xiang You, though.

[@wotanwanderer9539]

Chinese general defeated. Emperor: So you have chosen death

[@grubert3535]

@Hoàng Nguyên Đậu well they said specifically that the execution of generals was an ancient practice

[@goosequillian]

OK, zommer.

[@barbiquearea]

This is probably why Japanese commanders would rather fall on their swords than face the shame of defeat.

[@Intranetusa]

This video is extremely inaccurate. Executions of generals after defeat was actually quite rare.

[@皇甫鹤]

@Hoàng Nguyên Đậu in Han dynasty ，vietnam was just a province of China，invasion word is not proper

[@bensonfang1868]

I love how a video about the military opens with the tune of a song about beautiful roses

[@loneakmoperator507]

So sad that Chinese military history rarely get cover in the West.

[@TheTerranscout]

Look up the podcast by Chris Stewart, the history of china

[@thekingsamar5781]

Very good video. Keep it up

[@furioussherman7265]

Fun fact: The Three Kingdoms period would be on record as the deadliest conflict in history until the Second World War.

[@turin2488]

that cant be true. only from Chinese history u can find so much more deadlier conflict period. let alone from other nation

[@tdgvoihf9767]

Fake medieval fan

[@12823matthewkao]

nope.

[@fullmetalalchemist9126]

What about WW1 , Napoleonic wars , 30 years war , Mongolic wars??

[@christopherheselton9421]

Not correct. Even in Chinese history, the An Lushan Civil War surpassed the Three Kingdoms period, and the Taiping Civil War was even deadlier. Not to mention, the three kingdoms PERIOD was not a single conflict, but a contentious militarized period in history that lasted several generations with periods of peace and war (but mostly war). That is to say, it wasn't a single conflict really. Similarly, that's why adding up all the Mongolian wars is also a bit problematic since it was multiple conflicts over generations.

[@zxlee8566]

The army of Han dynasty was organized into "Wu 伍" (Five men) a five men squad, "Shi 什" (10 Men) a ten men section, "Dui 队" a 50 men platoon, "Tun 屯" a 100 men company, "Qu 曲" a 500 men battalion and "Bu 部" a 1000 men regiment, A regiment is led by a Xiao Wei (Colonel).

[@animeyahallo3887]

Watch Military videos in YT to get better in your Total War games. - Sun Tzu ..... probably.

[@DarthTrae]

I watched a ww2 squad tactics video and got better at xcom 😂

[@ChickSage]

@@DarthTrae I logged many an hour, on that old game. Great game!

[@laiyuzeng8195]

Yea, Total War Three Kingdoms :D

[@ChickSage]

@@laiyuzeng8195 I've never played that one, but I hear good things. A long time ago, I used to play a game called Romance of the Three Kingdoms and it was a blast.

[@shanedoesyoutube8001]

"Sun Tzu said that" - Rick May (F to pay respect)

[@kevin91836]

High quality video as always. Would be a lot better if you could just use anything, anything else other than Mo Li Hua/Jasmine Flower as BGM, so that many viewers (myself as a Chinese included) would not want to kill themselves because the usage of that track is just hopelessly saturated and out of sync with basically everything

[@googlia9751]

When I boot up Three Kingdoms total war this video shows up on que. How timely. I'm always more interested in learning about Chinese warfare since it's not often covered in other channels.

[@alexblablabla5632]

First let me applaud your effort in making this video. As a Chinese person who also love Greek, Roman and medieval warfare, I really appreciate videos showcasing the military history of my people. I do have to point out a couple of, shall we say, issues about some details in the video. First is the “pop-up” Chinese characters. I believe they are not actually for ppl like me who read Chinese, otherwise some of the mistranslation are pretty laughable. For instance，法院 in modern Chinese means a “court of law”. Hence these “court officials” would not come from a 法院, rather a 朝廷/宫廷, either word is appropriate as a modern Chinese word, or as a possible colloquial word in-period. Indeed these pop-up Chinese words do tend to be in modern Chinese. The parallel would be using modern Greek or Italian in your Ancient Greek/Roman videos. The only reason I can think of, is that your Chinese translator doesn’t not understand the language sufficiently.

[@alexblablabla5632]

Also general of the left/right are never intended to co-lead a single army a-la-Roman-republic style. They are just titles which may or may not be ad-hoc.

[@alexblablabla5632]

Annnnd 退伍军人 means “retired veterans”, or maybe just veterans as used in modern times. Hence obviously generals would not come from retired veterans. I can see the Chinese translator is only mechanically translating modern English into modern Chinese.

[@weirdofromhalo]

@@alexblablabla5632 General of the Left is superior to the General of the Right. They were not ad hoc.

[@ineshvaladolenc6559]

You're right, but please contact the official staff to suggest better translations.

[@rakinclaw123]

Really cool vids bro! best on youtube in this area

[@micahminor4764]

I love these far east documentaries. Thank you for putting this together.

[@YourBrotherAbdul911]

Please do an "Ottoman Army - Armies and Tactics". And especially focusing on the Janisarries! Its history is so rich and im sure many of your viewers will be interested.

[@jsmwh]

make it urself

[@averyrandomllama6516]

@king yami Dude what's your problem?

[@jsmwh]

@@averyrandomllama6516 u

[@YourBrotherAbdul911]

@@jsmwh lol

[@ryanchiang5370]

6:18 Military Veteran is translated as 退伍老兵. While that's technically correct, a more fitting translation would be 久战老兵 or someting similar since 退伍老兵 usually means "retired veteran".

[@GKS225]

Hey man, any idea what is the Chinese word for sui, hou, hou-kuan at 9:57?

[@ryanchiang5370]

@@GKS225 IDK. I can read literary Chinese but I'm not familiar with military history of ancient China.

[@weirdofromhalo]

宿将 is the most appropriate. They were almost all governor-generals in the truest sense.

[@dongf2618]

@@GKS225 i have no idea what those r even though ive read a lot of books regarding chinese military structure of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period

[@peiqisui30]

The Chinese in this video seems to be autotranslated

[@losgar73]

Hey, great work ! I hope you will make video focus on the warring states period, it will be legendary (like some important battle , or the Games of coalition, etc...). Anyway, you gain a follower for life ahah, so cool !

[@camrendavis6650]

OMG I'm currently writing a novel based in early China and this is exactly the source I was looking for. THANK YOU!!!!!♥️👍

[@蘭巴拉爾]

Thank you for putting this awesome video. The bgm is spot on.

[@LECityLECLEC]

@3:04 Jiang Jun (將軍) is the same word for Shogun in Japanese (將軍). Although it just means “General” in both languages...in Japan things took a slightly different turn :D.

[@pypy1986820]

It originally meant the same thing until Minamoto and Taira got overly ambitious...

[@shanedoesyoutube8001]

@@pypy1986820 as ambitious as ya boi Julius

[@liyawei]

Jiangjun was pronounced as ziang gun in old Chinese

[@Sarpedomn]

Please do a Three Kingdoms series!

[@fumiao]

Please do us a favour and use the official Pinyin system which is used in China instead of the old systems. It is even confusing and hard to understand for the Chinese themselves sometimes. For example instead of Tientsin (a city in northern China), nowadays this city's name is Tianjin (天津), which is much easier to identify and understand. This name is not used in the video itself so it is just an example as mentioned before. But there are many words where old systems are used, for example "Chueh Chang" (which is what in Pinyin?). Thank you.

[@jameslippincott7440]

Fantastic vid! Will install ground news.

[@hiimryan2388]

As a chinese thank you for not forgetting us..

[@heloo7773]

@Mister Albanian tbf their written record is extremly lacking and for much of their history it is hard to separate myth from history

[@banditmc12]

@Mister Albanian yes but how, with what and who is rather unknown

[@heloo7773]

@Mister Albanian Sure some of it is know but almost everything we know about those places come from China since those regions werent good at maintaning records

[@jyetwh7917]

can u do more on automatic crossbow cuz thats rlly cool

[@Blalack77]

I get hungry every time I hear traditional Chinese music.

[@hiimryan2388]

Yes yes sir, but do you want shrimp fried rice or pork fried rice.

[@jincolin7545]

In a western way to cook?

[@buu678]

Pavlovian response.

[@majortom4922]

I usually watch this kind of video while having a meal.

[@Blalack77]

@@hiimryan2388 I want the house fried rice that has shrimp, pork, beef and chicken.

[@ziqianye7120]

Actually in the most time, one general command one troop, there may be other officer send by emperor to ensure the loyalty of the general, but this kind of man usually known as "JianJun"（supervisor of the army）, general of left and right is more like to be the assistance of the commander.

[@catomeowgarius4399]

"They had a unique and eastern way of leading armies. 2 generals would lead the army." *consuls of Rome that often lead armies together in the early roman days to the late Republic* Am i a joke to you?

[@hentaioverwhelming]

I honestly think that part is a misinterpretation from K&G. The Left and Right Generals are rarely deployed together. They are often a last resort when you need a general to take command in the field so one of them gets deployed as the field marshal while the other literally holds down the fort. The only times they are both deployed together is when the ruling monarch personally takes to the field. Most of the time, a general whose title corresponds to one of the cardinal directions is enough to settle the matter because the army they field typically isn't all that different in size. The other thing is that the Left and Right Generals are typically based at the capital as Central Command (or Joint Chiefs of Staff), briefing the monarch on the current security situation (troop disposition, supplies, reserve forces, military intelligence, defensive projects, and certain public infrastructures).

[@dxq3647]

I'm glad you mentioned it. It is kind of to really frustrating to see western sources pull this kind of narrative to Chinese history. Also I have never heard of generals being executed as a common theme in Chinese history. If fact, there is a saying in Chinese "胜败乃兵家常事“ or "triumph and defeat are both common for those dedicated to war ".

[@hentaioverwhelming]

@@dxq3647 Executing a general is actually pretty rare. I believe the execution depends on a mix of the size of the failure and how much the general has pissed off the emperor or one of the ranking Left/Right generals.

[@hellothere4858]

@@hentaioverwhelming Yeah I think its the uncertain threat of execution that induces performance

[@barnalisamadder7609]

Ha man . Like in battle of Cannae. Against Hannibal

[@frodo_banggin]

Fun fact, Han Chinese dressing code is "右衽", meaning the right brim of their gown should be underneath the left brim. 2:40, the right brim is exposed and the left is tucked under, which is inaccurate.

[@sujaykrishnanath82]

History channel posts anything History meme makers:memecentre goes bruuuuah

[@zaid-zh3rn]

I love your videos keep it up ❤️

[@jiahaowang736]

Just a very light commentary, but it seems your videos on Chinese history switches between the Pinyin system, and then in this one to the old Wade-Giles system of pronunciation. Just curious what the reason behind it is? Otherwise, great video, thank you!

[@jsoth2675]

As always, just fantastic!

[@WaterShowsProd]

Today we had the first group of tourists enter Thailand after 7 months of closed borders to tourists. The group is from Shanghai. More tourists from China will be arriving Monday. By coincidence I had a desire to wear a Chinese T-shirt this morning. Now this video. Very interesting, indeed.

[@runaway6949]

Great video!

[@FlashBangz888]

Do a vid on Tang armies as they were the most powerful in ancient Chinese history.

[@dongf2618]

I think the early Qing was the most powerful.

[@FlashBangz888]

@@dongf2618 during their time yes the Qin were most powerful or we'll say better organized and more motivated but the Tang had way better tech...so better weapons and warfare had become more advanced so the Tang would certainly be tactically better.

[@dongf2618]

@@FlashBangz888 early Qing had better weapons and tech... They even had firearms such as cannons.

[@FlashBangz888]

@@dongf2618 yea but they're not considered ancient anymore they're more proto modern and the won mostly because they had better horsemen and tactics/leadership...ming leadership was absolute trash.

[@Intranetusa]

There are so many mistakes and inaccuracies in this video (about both ancient China and ancient Rome) that I'd prefer they don't do any more videos about Chinese history until they improve their quality of research.

[@jsmwh]

Thank you for this video u have made youtube much more interesting for me

[@kingmouse9789]

Just watching a video for the earliest Chinese army and meanwhile getting a No for a date just a normal afternoon

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , K&G .

[@horticulturist2338]

A general who has contempt for Sun Tzu? Well, I guess we already know which side history is on. :)

[@F22onblockland]

Everybody's gangster til' the naked fanatic with a sword reaches your position.

[@xlben10]

Learning about my ancestors is interesting

[@silverblack25]

You guys are awesome

[@keechunglow4272]

Why did they use wade-giles romanization. Took me some time to know that Huo-Chuping is Huo Qubing 霍去病

[@hentaioverwhelming]

The pinyin system itself isn't perfect as well because you lose connotation in some instances which leads to some confusion with people's names.

[@Intranetusa]

@@hentaioverwhelming This is a poorly researched video full of inaccuracies and glaring mistakes. This video actually used both Pinyin and Wade Giles spelling and improperly mixed them together. For example, they used "Xiongnu" in the subtitles, which is the Pinyin spelling.

[@Intranetusa]

This is a poorly researched video full of inaccuracies and glaring mistakes. This video actually used both Pinyin and Wade Giles spelling and improperly mixed them together. For example, they used "Xiongnu" in the subtitles, which is the Pinyin spelling.

[@christopherheselton9421]

@@hentaioverwhelming pinyin isn't perfect, but it is better than wade-giles, which uses "ch" to represent four distinct phonemes and has some inconsistencies. Not to mention, wade-giles has fallen out of favour in the last three decades because of those issues. The issue for me, however, is they inconsistently mixed the pinyin and wade-giles. Pick one and stick to it. I can handle both, but not both at the same time.

[@vmerkwurdigliebe3751]

Isn't your name also wade-giles romanization?

[@herletimotei3625]

Can't wait for the next video(love ur Chanel)

[@serumcell7216]

Its impossible to find any info in English on early Han tactics, I've been craving this video

[@eggtarts286]

If you get a chance, get a fellow Chinese friend to walk you through a few military manuals. Those are extremely (some would say pointlessly) detailed on tactical minutiae. I remember coming across a text that detailed exactly how far a chariot charge will penetrate beyond a river with shallow water.

[@richardcharay7788]

Another excellent video, thanks!