Fusang

Biodata

Background / History

Fusang is a land marked by persistent warfare among its lords. The resulting hardship drives many commoners, warriors, and ronin to sell their service for money, while maintaining a reputation for honoring agreements and enduring hardship in battle. 6

After failing to establish themselves elsewhere, dwarves settled in Fusang. Their martial strength impressed the local population, who came to revere them as thunder gods. 6

Fusang's military culture drew heavily from Great Xia. The Takeda Eight Formations were developed from Great Xia's Marquis Wu's Eight Formations and became renowned in conflicts among Fusang daimyos. Fusang nobles also regularly crossed the sea to study Great Xia's culture, economy, and military knowledge. 30

Geography and Trade

• Hirado Domain lies northwest of Nagasaki. Its castle town, Jokamachi, is the westernmost town in Fusang and the principal departure point for travel to Great Xia. 9
• Jokamachi serves as a major trade port connecting Fusang, Great Xia, Goryeo, and other states. Ronin, pirates, and merchants conduct business there under the appearance of lawful commerce. 9
• The Black Current approaches Fusang before splitting near the continent; its main branch follows Fusang's eastern shore to Edo, making it a faster maritime route from Great Xia. 15
• Qin Mo's fleet reached Edo Bay on the tenth day after following the current from Dayuan. 15

Society

Warriors and ronin

Fusang warriors are regarded as loyal, fierce, and unusually disciplined compared with refugees. Economic hardship makes military employment abroad highly desirable, and recruitment for Qin Mo's force attracted crowds of applicants in Edo. 6 12 15

• Warriors and ronin could register for Qin Mo's mercenary force if their martial skill met the required standard. 11
• Fusang soldiers possessed familiarity with the Takeda Eight Formations and could fill specialized positions within them. 30
• Fusang culture places high value on warhorses and cavalry status; horses are scarce enough that only elite warriors commonly qualify as cavalrymen. 46

Women warriors

Fusang's prolonged wars forced women onto the battlefield as hime warriors. Despite fighting alongside men, many were expected to serve their masters sexually and faced severe consequences after defeat. 16

Kaihime organized and trained women in martial arts to improve their standing, but many of her warriors were taken away to become hime warriors. She ultimately brought her remaining twenty-odd fighters to Edo to seek employment under Great Xia. 16

Military

Fusang forces are accustomed to formation warfare as well as individual martial combat. During the contest against the Wang Family Private Army, Kaihime rapidly organized fifty Fusang recruits into a Crane-Wing Formation, demonstrating their familiarity with formation roles and commands. 30

Qin Mo equipped his Fusang mercenaries with iron armor, iron masks, and heavy horse-chopping sabers. Under Kaihime's command, they held the Crane-Wing Formation against the Wang Family's repeated assaults and defeated the opposing private army. 30

Later, Qin Mo assigned roughly seven thousand Fusang warriors among Dayuan's local brigades, retaining one force of about a thousand men composed entirely of Fusang soldiers. 46

Relations with Great Xia

Great Xia's wealth, equipment, and military scale deeply impressed Fusang recruits. Harukami Jiro noted that even a Great Xia general could command tens of thousands of armored soldiers, far exceeding the forces available to most Fusang daimyos. 12

Fusang mercenaries received supplies unavailable to most of them at home, including fine-steel spears, uniforms, boots, winter clothing, leather armor, and—in the case of officers—full iron armor. 29

• Qin Mo — Recruited Fusang warriors and ronin for his campaign, later integrating thousands into Dayuan's army. 11 46
• Lin Yongqian — Managed recruitment in Fusang, using Songjiang Cloth as settlement money to draw large numbers of applicants. 12
• Kaihime — Fusang noblewoman and commander of female warriors; led Fusang troops to victory in the contest with the Wang Family Private Army. 16 30
• Harukami Jiro — Fusang recruit who rose through Qin Mo's force and was eventually promoted to brigade commander. 12 46