The Chinese Ground Forces or the NPCLA as they're known in short is the main branch of the Chinese military. Commanding multiple sub-branches including the Combat Engineer Corps, the National Artillery Corps, and the Motor and Armor Corps; which themselves often fall under a semi-independent classification of the Auxiliary Units. The NPCLA name is also synonymous with the entirety of the Chinese Army, though is not wholly. The NPCLA lies under the jurisdiction of the Grand Secretary and the United Liberation Commanding Body.
The NPCLA traces its origins to the military of the Chinese Republic - or Kuomintang - of Southern China. Its institution and model is loosely from which. But the clear division of the two forces emerged from ideological and political division after the Battle of Longtan. During the Revolution and among the Communist bastions in the Chinese west the army was largely organized as regional militia tasked to defend the communes from marauding forces. The large part of its combat-ready arm was composed of soldiers who defected from the front to communist Western China, including a number of experienced officers that compose its current command structure.
The army wasn't formally organized and centralized until the arrival of Hou Sai Tang and Wen Chu who used their escape from Hong Kong as a means and initiative to mobilize the Revolutionary forces eastward.
Military service is largely compulsory. However the large number of candidates often leads to individuals recruited at random, referred to as "the lottery" as the entire youth population of China entering the military would create a dangerous imbalance. All the while, individual who show willingness have been given priority over random-draftees.
History[]
At its historic beginnings in the 1920's the ground army was the considerable bulk of the Communist's military strength with it comprising of largely 80-90% of active servicemen and volunteers. This inherent imbalance in its design lead to a considerable tradition within the branch and respect out of its long existence. Its capabilities to mobilize were also constrained as difficulties in maintaining a full motorized division lead to difficult logistics challenges for the entire branch, rendering it to most often use horses and wagons to move logistics. It's inability to seriously move greatly hindered its prospects to aggressively push the revolution after their retreat west, making the Communist military then a more defensive force.
The Civil War in eastern China however changed face over the course of the next several decades with the Japanese and Republican sides wearing themselves down so that the communist ground forces could conduct more successful operations westward. The acquisition of and purchasing of black market oil to refine into crude diesel additionally allowed the communist guerrillas to mobilize a mechanized logistics and support network, which was put to effect in the campaigns of Wen Chu and Hou Sai Tang.
The battle at Luding Bridge confirmed the upper hand of the communist forces against the tired and indebted Republican Army. It also allowed them to be mobilized north against the Japanese-abandoned regime of Puyi.
While he was alive Wen Chu was appointed by Politburo the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Chinese Liberation. After his death in the mid-50's Hou was elected until the formation of the unified Chinese state when he abdicated the military title to Lou Shai Dek who still holds command of the ground forces.
Post-Revolution[]
Anti-Counter Revolutionaries[]
Following the formation of the present Chinese state, the army's priorities were turned to quelling the multitude of anti-revolutionary bodies that erupted over China. Distressed with a communist government or refusing to accept defeat in the war rebel groups harassed and attacked government institutions through the nation. Lou Shai Dek's orders from Hou Sai Tang and congress being to restore order to the nation.
The most stubborn uprisings were born from Jiangsu province around Nanking, the former seat of the Chinese Republic. For close to a decade the Army maintained a state of martial law in the province to suppress and arrest anti-Revolutionary groups.
1970's[]
Battle of Aurora
The Chinese army was involved in several campaigns throughout the seventies, involving the Invasion of Tibet, the Liberation of Taiwan, near decades long involvement with pacifying the political situation in the Philippines, War in Russia, a brief deployment to India, and the current second war in Russia. These theaters showcasing China's growing power projection potential and evolution of the army from a defensive force to a more involved international force.
In the later part of the 1970's the Chinese government in partnership with Ethiopia established a joint base on the Ethiopian island of Pemba.
1980's
The Chinese military entered the 1980's with only the continuing involvement in Russia. Though as war breaks out between Spain and Ethiopia in Africa observers point out that the ground forces may soon be deployed for the African continent to bolster and back-up the Ethiopian government.
Internal Organization[]
Regional Commands[]
With the rest of the Chinese military the ground army is broken into a series of regional divisions throughout China. These divisions cover one or several states and are given functional by command the ULCB or Congress power to manage recruitment, drills, security, base management and organization, and high-level security operations. These regional breakdowns are:
- Manchuria
- Beijing
- Central
- Canton
- Tibet
- Xinjiang
- Mongolia
Auxiliary Commands[]
- Combat Engineers
- Artillery Corps
- Motorized and Armored Corps
Equipment[]
Despite its international position the equipment of the ground forces represents an awkward and lopsided distribution of modern vs older gear. Often pitted against under-developed enemies or finding themselves fighting distant, more-advanced adversaries there has been limited incentive in the past twenty years of unification to revamp the army in whole. However with conflict in Russia the ground forces have been earning notably new equipment and upgrades to existing gear parallel to that which is being distributed to additional units or developed within China.
The standard arms in China come in two flavors. The Chinese adaptation and reproduction of the Mexican Mondragón self-loading rifle. The originals of these guns were often sold in bulk to Chinese units during the Civil War by European powers liquidating post-war assets. This practice also served to build the entire spine of the Chinese arsenal. Its ultimate availability and accessibility as a training rifle elevated it to combat use and has seen continued reproduction in China since its adoption by ground force units.
CP1960 Assault rifle
Alongside the Mondragon the Chinese developed, and manufacture their own assault rifle. The CP1960 is the main assault weapon of the Chinese forces across all units and divisions.
Chinese soldier wearing VX-resistant Hazardous Environmental Combat Protection Suit and holding a CP-1960.
Currently, a growing minority of Chinese infantry assets are being converted to mechanized or heavy infantry to allow for rapid deployment. On a large scale this is being explored upon in China with the use of all-terrain equipped brigades to navigate wilderness regions of Russia for flanking or guerrilla maneuvers and armored cars to quickly cut off or deploy soldiers at defender positions.
On a support level the ground forces deploy late-model Degtyaryov light machine guns or the heavier DShK and PM M1910 series Russian heavy machine guns. Like the Mondragon, these weapons have seen Chinese reproduction especially after China ceased seeing shipments of Russian weapons after the KMT defeat in the civil war, and then more-so after the Imperial collapse in 1970.
In the field the uniform can vary to any single-color uniform, issued depending on field of deployment. In desert or mountain environments the field uniform issued may be a slate-gray or sandy brown. In winter white-coats are issued. And anywhere else the uniform is green.
Armor[]
Current Chinese Armor comprises of the Tei Gui 1963 and its newer model the Tei Gui 1980.