Fighting Techniques of the Oriental World describes combat in the Far East, from the time of the Mongol ascendancy to the defeat of Chinese forces in the Anglo-Chinese Opium Wars of the mid-nineteenth century. The book explores the tactics and strategy required to win battles with the technology available, and points out how the development of such weapons changed the face of the battlefield.
Divided into five sections, the text first examines the individual components of the Oriental army, the footsoldier and the mounted soldier, the equipment they wore and used, and how they fought together as a unit. Fighting Techniques of the Oriental World describes why certain types of unit – such as the cavalry horse archer – were more effective than others, and why heavy cavalry of the type dominant in Western Europe never became a feature of Asian armies. The third section discusses how these units were used together on the battlefield, and the importance of a general correctly disposing his troops before the battle began. The fourth part of the book looks at the specialist techniques and equipment developed for siege warfare – a common event in this era of fortification. Finally the last section covers naval warfare, from the ships in which the men fought to the weapons they carried and the major battles of the period.
Using more than 100 specially commissioned colour maps and black-and-white artworks to illustrate the battles, equipment and tactics of the era, Fighting Techniques of the Oriental World is a fascinating examination of combat in the Far East.