The Landed Militia
The landed militia was formed in response to the defensive needs of the Reconquest Empire and the necessity of mobilizing large forces quickly. The militia is divided into two levels: first-rate and second-rate. Return to Akaeia.
First-Rate Militia - The first-rate militia is established to provide a reserve force in the provinces to reinforce Imperial troops in action in the local area. The first-rate forces cooperate with the garrison troops in the cities and provincial governments to maintain control of the province and defend it from enemy aggression. They also are used in rare occasions in offensive actions in nearby areas. When the Imperial Government established each province, it set a quota of men to be maintained, as part of the provincial budget, at a first-rate level. The first-rates are paid half-wage when unmobilized to spend a third of each year in training. They are equipped by each province and spend two years in the standard army before returning to the province to serve. For the duration of all active service, first-rate militiamen recieve full pay.
The system has several drawbacks. Although better than the average militiamen, the first-rate militiamen are not of the same quality or strength as the standard line forces deployed by the Empire. Another drawback is that, in the recent civil warfare, the first-rate troops provided the bulk of the forces in the various rebel armies. This has left the first-rate militias vastly under strength.
Second-Rate Militia - The second-rate militia is only deployed locally and is raised as a provincial defense force in the event of invasion. Second-rates supply their own ammunition and weapon for practice and combat, though ammunitions depots exist for extended warfare. Each commune, municipality, or estate is expected to field a certain number of second-rates. These forces are trained every 10th day, and large-scale drills are incorporated into the year at regular intervals. Second-rate forces are deployed as irregular or guerilla soldiers, despite a basic training in line drill. In the event of manpower shortages, in a long coflict, these forces would be deployed on a first-rate level, and the first-rates would be conscripted. The second rates function in a way similar to the minutemen of the Revolutionary War. They are paid a small sum for each drill they attend. During active service they are paid three-quarter wages, because they equate to somewhat less that a first-rate in terms of effectiveness.
The second-rates, like the first-rates, have several drawbacks. Although regularly called up by the Empire to supplement existing forces, the second-rates tend to be insubordinate, easily broken, and tend to get in the way of the first-rates and the main army if deployed in a standard battle. They also contributed heavily to the forces of all sides in the Civil Wars, which most regular forces did not fight in. Despite these drawbacks, the second-rates provide a valuable source of manpower and an effective guerilla defense for the provinces of the Empire.
