Xianbei Archers

Overall strategy
Many generations have passed since the Xianbei assimilated themselves into Chinese culture, yet one thing has always remained constant for them &mdash; their link to the equestrian life of their nomadic forefathers. For the Xianbei of Tuhuyun, these skills increase ever more so in importance, owing to their continued nomadic existence, even as sinicisation ever so slowly creeps in on them, owing to their exposure to the Tang.

Xianbei Archers are thus mercenary Xianbei horsemen who can be relied upon to lend their prowess with bows and horses to your armies. Yet, unlike Turkish Archers who tend to be faster and deadlier, Xianbei Archers ride slower horses, and tend to cost more. But being linked to China, the world's biggest supplier of goods, means that these units can be armed and trained more quickly, providing any player capable of recuiting them a reliable albeit weaker horse archer unit that can quite practically be summoned out of thin air, resources willing. Slower to move but faster to train thus render Xianbei Archers more as a defensive unit, ideal for attacking towns neighbouring the host city where their home Noble Residence is located.

Background
The Xianbei were a confederation of nomadic tribes that inhabited the steppe region to the north of China during the Jin Dynasty and the succeeding Northern and Southern Dynasties. The best-known and most politically successful group within the Xianbei federation were the Tuoba Xianbei, who founded the Northern Wei Dynasty, a major power in the north during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. The Xianbei who migrated into China were Sinicized (made Chinese in character or form) over time, adopting the customs and the way of life of the Han Chinese (who formed the majority of the population). Those who remained on the steppes, on the other hand, maintained their traditions and eventually developed into other ethnic groups.