Men At Arms Late Imperial Chinese Armies (1) 590-1260AD Osprey Books

By AD 589, when Yang Chien established himself at the head of a newly reformed Chinese empire, nearly four centuries had elapsed since the fall of the last great imperial dynasty: the Han. Although Yang's new Sui regime consciously modelled itself on its great predecessor, both China and the world outside had changed. While the Han, like their own ancestors, the Chou, had with some justification regarded their empire as an island of civilisation surrounded by uncouth 'barbarians', by Sui and T'ang times this concept no longer bore any relation to the real world. Huge Turkish and Tibetan empires had imposed a measure of central control over Central Asia, through which flowed trade and pilgrimage routes extending from Korea to the Mediterranean. Literacy, city life and centralised governments were no longer restricted to a few privileged enclaves, but were rapidly spreading across the whole Eurasian continent - a process largely complete by the end of the 8th century. The problem for the Sui and their successors was no longer simply to 'overawe the barbarians', but to deal as equals with other cultures that were just as proud and self-confident as their own. Accompanied by plenty of museum photographs and diagrams, this readable text by Chris Peers examines the various imperial dynasties and armies of China from 590-1260 AD, covering their history, organisation and tactics. This volume also contains eight fine full page colour plates by Michael Perry, together with two and a half pages of commentaries.