Mounted Lancer Militia (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

Shock cavalry is ideal for attacking flanks and the rear of enemies

Mounted Lancer Militia is an early game shock cavalry unit in Total War: Three Kingdoms. They are a Fire class retinue unit that should preferably be recruited by Vanguard heroes (also Fire class) due to the bonuses provided.

• Type: Light Halberd (Ji) Cavalry
• Base cost to recruit: 1100
• Base unit upkeep: 145

Description

In game (vanilla units)

With ji polearms thrust ahead, these cavalry troops break enemy lines with a headlong charge. While the best armour is reserved for the most skilled warriors, these highly mobile conscripts are competent enough with the powerful ji to scare the wits out of enemy militia troops when charging from the flanks and rear.

General Information

Mounted lancer militia are the earliest shock cavalry (red units) available. In contrast with their infantry counterparts, mounted lancer militias are very deadly despite their weak defenses, and they can remain relevant even in late-game armies. Not only are they excellent against all enemies that are not anti-cavalry, they also deal heavy damage to all generals that they are able to catch off-guard.

While mounted lancer militias may be recruited by any characters, Vanguard characters always provide higher standard recruiting discounts and boost melee damage more than other hero types because they have the highest Instinct Attributes of all hero types. They also have access to a Skill Tree that greatly benefits their own retinues of cavalry units. Key skills include Intensity, Fury and Passion which increase charge speed, charge damage, and melee damage for cavalry, respectively. These are the principle incentives to recruit these Fire class units in Vanguard Retinues whenever possible.

Shock cavalry can turn the tide of any tightly contested battle when used well. They are capable of routing units with a single well-timed charge on an exposed flank or rear and are especially effective at "hammer & anvil" attacks. (If you're not familiar, view @22:24 in the video linked for a TW3K in-game demonstration by an excellent player.)

In the campaign it is inevitable (especially on high difficulty levels) that you will engage in battles where you are either outnumbered or outgunned overall. This is when you have to have powerful units to attack or counterattack at key points in the battle. Shock cavalry is a potentially excellent retinue type to have around in such cases, considering it is possible to rout 3 enemy units in 3 consecutive charges in the span a minute or two. Cycle-charging (@22:24 again) is the optimal use for most cavalry, especially this type since they have not only low melee stats but also very little armor.

It is always best to avoid frontal charges on enemy spear units as they will decimate these mounted units. In addition, archer fire will take a heavy toll on these lightly armored, unshielded units. Finally, keep in mind that cavalry units are much fewer in number than infantry units, so once their charge bonus has been used, they should not be left in prolonged melee. Keep them moving, or they will be badly damaged or routed by sheer numbers of enemy infantry nearby.