In this group will be found some of the command elements of the Chinese army, along with their artillery, and some of the more exoticly armed troops.
Chinese Command - Here are a group and individual photos of the command group. The mounted commander, a ts'an-ling, led around 1,500 men or a regiment. Higher ranking commanders get to carry the small pennant.
He also has a parasol bearer. The parasol he is carrying is a photo of an oriental parasol I found on the internet. I cut a slit in an undecorated area to overlap and glue it back together to form its shape.
The trumpeter and gong beater are also used as command figures of individual units.
The drummer I reserve for the regimental commander
The final figure is the "firecracker commando" (I do not know what his Chinese designation is). His job is to move out to the flanks, stealthily. Then from his hidden location, set off his fireworks, in order to make his enemies believe they are being attacked on the flank, sowing confusion in their ranks.
Light Jingals - These are two man "light" jingal teams. The Chinese were very fond of oversized firearms and a large proportion of their missile-armed troops used the jingal. I have represented these troops in all three uniforms that I did for the regular infantry.
Heavy Jingals - They even had a more oversized version of the musket. The tripod mounted "Heavy" jingal is the Chinese version of a battalion gun, so is manned by an artillery crew.
Medium Cannon - At least early on, when China first started producing European style artillery of their own, they used much more metal that necessary in their barrels. This made for some really big looking guns that fired an undersized ball. It should also be noted that they did not use horses to transport their cannon. It was accomplished by gangs of men with tow ropes. This helps to explain their lack of mobility, once on the field of battle.
Light Cannon - Pictures of this gun have been seen in numerous books and articles, so it seemed a necessary inclusion for the Chinese army. Red is a typical color used for Chinese artillery carriages, though many are left in natural wood.
Heavy Cannon - In a nod to the movie "55 Days At Peking", I made this large dragon headed cannon. All of the artillery, including the heavy jingals, are 3D prints.
The "Ever Victorious Army" - The Chinese employed foreign trained and led troops during the Tai Ping rebellion. The most famous of which was the, "Ever Victorious Army". They are pictured here in the summer uniform. The officer is a conversion of one of my commissariat officers from the Zulu wars range.
Shanghai Volunteer Corps - The commercial interests in the various ports of China raised volunteer units to protect their property during the various rebellious periods of Chinas history. Shanghai Volunteer Corps was the only unit to see formal action. Note, this officer is also a commissariat officer conversion from the Zulu wars range.
That about covers the Chinese for now. I think all that is left are the Ashanti, Maori, and Abyssinians.
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