Chu/Strategic Overview

Faction Overview	Strategic Overview	History

• Strengths: Expansionist faction dedicated to both rushing and booming, good mercenary selection.
• Weakness: No heavy infantry or cavalry, severe technological penalty.

In life, the ancient kingdom of Chu was famed as one of the five hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period, and in Bronze Dawn, the Chu faction is no less impressive nor terrifying. One of the major perks that Chu enjoys is her access to cheaper Peasants. Being able to spawn more Peasants in a shorter time allows Chu to save on Food that can be invested in more Peasants to accelerate resource growth, or expansion through Administration research, thus allowing for faster expansion and infrastructure development. This grants Chu an early head start in the game, which could well be the strongest possible bonus in the very first few minutes of your game.

Unlike the other so-called "Seven Warring States" of China, Chu is fairly backward as far as Chinese-style armies are concerned but looks can be deceiving. While Chu can't raise cavalry units or Heavy Spearmen, or the Nobles' Court units such as Guardsmen and Heavy Axe Infantry for that matter, Chu has several other nastier surprises up her sleeve. The most notable trait that Chu has is her navy. Like many other factions such as Jin, Yue, or Bach Viet, Chu is capable of raising fleets that even Qin will have trouble fighting against.

Land-wise Chu suffers production penalties for her infantry, and is very much dependent on tribal units as those used by the Nanman, but these units, while being slow on foot and being less armoured, are far more deadly, especially if properly supported. The Chu land army consists of a melange of all sorts of units — Bronze Swordsmen, Hoaha-Chianki, War Elephants, as well as Chu's signature unit, her fearsome heavy crossbow unit, the Tiong'n'lo-P'openg. Even so all of these units belie Chu's lack of proper heavy infantry, meaning that in battles against factions with good cavalry like Qin or the Xianyun, Chu is at a very severe disadvantage, which is further compounded by her inability to build a Senate to obtain Policies to streamline your gameplay style. Thus Chu is best used for early rushes using infantry as the spearhead, and chariot cavalry a secondary role, yet how such a play style can fare against factions with better access to cavalry such as the northern barbarian factions (or a more developed faction such as Choson) remains to be seen. Swift, decisive battles are Chu's forte — long, drawn-out wars into which Chu's underdeveloped infantry are drawn into the meat grinder of technological warfare are not, unless vast bodies of ocean separate you from your foes.