• Units

Aizu Line Infantry

Vermilion Bird Force

The Vermilion Birds carry rifles, which give them good accuracy and a reasonable rate of fire against enemies and, thanks to the large bore used in nearly all rifles, they do a more than satisfactory amount of damage too. These troops are not suited to being thrown into close combat, and if they are carelessly positioned and left unsupported, they may well be overwhelmed by cavalry attacks. However, thanks to the martial traditions of Aizu province, these men have good morale. The unit is named after a Chinese constellation, the mythological Vermilion Bird of the South, a creature associated with the element of fire.

Even after he was declared an “enemy of the Court” by Satsuma and Choshu Imperial officials, Matsudaira Katamori, the lord of Aizu, asked for mercy and did much in his power to avoid conflict. The Imperialist generals and Court officials were having none of it, and effectively forced him into the ranks of their enemies. Although never formally part of the Northern Alliance, the “Ouetsu Reppan Domei”, Matsudaira Katamori did allow his army to integrate into their forces. Despite this, the Alliance was soon a beaten force. Katamori was spared, and finished his days as a priest at Nikko Toshogu shrine, dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the man who founded the defeated Tokugawa Shogunate. There has to be a small suspicion that, despite this being an honourable position, a point was being made by Katamori’s enemies: the past was gone.

Unit Name Vermilion Bird Force

Unit Key Boshin_Inf_Line_Vermilion_Bird_Force

Soldiers 200

Category Ranged Infantry

Class Line Infantry

Multiplayer Cost 1000

└ Multiplayer Limit 0

Recruitment Cost 990

├ Recruitment Turns 1

└ Unit Limit 0

Upkeep Cost 130

Melee Attack 8

└ Melee Weapon sabre

Charge Bonus 20

Bonus vs Cavalry 5

Range 125

├ Missile Weapon rifle

└ Projectile boshin_rifle

Accuracy 50

Reloading Skill 40

Ammunition 15

Melee Defence 6

Armour 2

Morale 12

Abilities

• Kneel Fire
  The first rank of this unit will kneel to allow the first two ranks to fire simultaneously.
• Suppression Fire
  This ability increases reload rate but lowers accuracy. Enemy units hit by suppression fire are slowed and suffer a morale penalty.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Good accuracy and reload rate.
• Average in melee.
• Weak against cavalry.
• Very good morale.