Xianren People's Ground Forces¶
The Xianren People's Ground Forces (XPGF) — Renmin Lujun — are the Federation's principal ground service and the largest single military force on Europa. At approximately 780,000 active personnel plus ~640,000 trained reserves, the XPGF exceeds the FSA Army in active-service strength by a substantial margin and reflects the Federation's continental-power orientation. Ground Forces are the traditional cultural home of the Federal military — the XPVP's founding wartime formations were ground-force units — and the service holds a certain doctrinal seniority within the Federal Armed Forces even where its material weight has shifted toward the Rocket Force and Naval Forces over the past two decades.
Organisation¶
The XPGF is organised as six field armies distributed across the Federation's theatre command structure, plus a substantial pool of independent brigades and specialised formations under direct CMC control.
The six field armies¶
| Field Army | Home theatre | Composition (heavy/mech/light/motorised) |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Federal Field Army — Diyi Yezhan Jun | Eastern Coastal Theatre | Heavy — armoured schwerpunkt formation. Signature unit: 1st Guards Armoured Division. |
| 2nd Federal Field Army | Eastern Coastal Theatre | Mechanised — coastal defence + rapid reinforcement. |
| 3rd Federal Field Army | Northern Theatre | Heavy — Choktovakian-frontier reserve. |
| 4th Federal Field Army | Interior Theatre | Motorised — strategic mobile reserve; the "queen's guard" of the modern XPGF. |
| 5th Federal Field Army | Southern Coastal Theatre | Light + mechanised mix — southern approaches and Pelawan-Sea coastal support. |
| 6th Federal Field Army | Southwestern Theatre | Light + mountain + airborne — Nanjun autonomous-region internal security + strategic mobile reserve. |
Each field army fields three to four corps, each corps fields two to four divisions, and each division fields three to four brigades. Field armies are commanded by a three-star officer; corps by a two-star officer; divisions by a one-star.
Independent brigades under CMC direction¶
The XPGF holds a substantial pool of independent brigades at the CMC level — dedicated formations that can be attached to any field army or theatre command as circumstances require:
- Airborne brigades (5) — the XPGF's principal rapid-response formation. Home-based at Airborne Corps HQ in the Interior Theatre.
- Special operations brigades (8) — Federation SOF equivalent. Distinct from the Marine Infantry reconnaissance component; distinct from the Rocket Force. Reports through the Federal Special Operations Command.
- Cyberspace brigade (1) — computer network exploitation, computer network attack, information warfare. A large brigade with substantial civil-military-fusion personnel and infrastructure.
- Reconnaissance brigades (4) — strategic-collection ground reconnaissance; long-range patrol and ISR support to strategic operations.
- Engineering brigades (12) — heavy engineering, bridging, obstacle-reduction, and combat-engineer support. XPGF engineering is a distinguishing capability; the Federation's engineering force is disproportionately large relative to peer militaries.
- Signal brigades (8) — theatre-level and strategic-level signals; national command-and-control connectivity.
- Sustainment brigades (16) — theatre and strategic logistics.
Division types¶
The XPGF fields five principal division types:
| Type | Count | Signature equipment | Principal role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Armoured Division | 6 | Type-99C main battle tank; Type-04A IFV; Type-05 self-propelled howitzer | Continental armoured manoeuvre; schwerpunkt |
| Mechanised Infantry Division | 10 | Type-08 wheeled IFV; Type-05 SPH; Type-99B tank battalion | Combined-arms manoeuvre; theatre defence |
| Motorised Infantry Division | 12 | Type-08 wheeled variants; PLL-05 SPH; tank battalion | Strategic reserve; interior deployment; rapid-transit theatre reinforcement |
| Light Infantry Division | 6 | Foot-mobile infantry with vehicle augmentation; light-artillery battalions | Mountain, jungle, and autonomous-region operations |
| Airborne Division | 3 | Air-transportable armour + towed and light artillery | Strategic vertical envelopment; rapid response |
Total division count: 37, plus the airborne + special-operations independent brigades and the theatre-command-level supporting brigades.
Equipment¶
Armour¶
The Federation's principal main battle tank is the Type-99C — a heavy MBT of approximately 55 tonnes with a 125mm smoothbore main gun, autoloader, and active protection system. Approximately 3,800 Type-99C are in service, weighted heavily to the heavy armoured divisions and to the 1st Federal Field Army. Older Type-99B variants remain in second-line and reserve service; the Federation is producing new Type-99C at approximately 400/year and phasing out Type-99B on a matching schedule.
The Federation's principal infantry fighting vehicle is the Type-04A — a tracked IFV with a 100mm gun-launcher and coaxial 30mm cannon. Approximately 6,500 Type-04A in service.
The Federation's principal wheeled combat vehicle is the Type-08 family — a modular 8x8 wheeled platform in APC, IFV, mortar-carrier, ATGM-carrier, air-defence, and self-propelled-howitzer variants. Approximately 12,000 Type-08 platforms across all variants; the Type-08 IFV is the workhorse of the mechanised and motorised infantry divisions.
Fires¶
The XPGF fires establishment is extensive:
- Type-05 155mm self-propelled howitzer (~2,200 in service) — divisional artillery workhorse. Modern digital fire-control, 40 km range with base-bleed rounds.
- PLL-05 122mm self-propelled howitzer (~1,400 in service) — brigade fires.
- Type-16 155mm truck-mounted howitzer (~800 in service) — rapid-deployment fires, primarily motorised divisions.
- PHL-16 multiple-launch rocket system (~450 launchers) — divisional and corps rocket artillery. Modern precision-guided rounds; range 70–150 km depending on round.
- PHL-11 multiple-launch rocket system (~600 launchers) — older brigade-level rocket artillery.
- PCL-181 155mm self-propelled howitzer (~350 in service, growing) — new-generation truck-mounted 155mm; will replace older Type-05 over the next decade.
Air defence¶
Divisional air defence is provided by:
- HQ-16B medium-range SAM (~800 launchers) — divisional and corps air defence
- HQ-17 short-range SAM (~1,200 launchers) — brigade air defence
- PGZ-95 self-propelled AAA (~600 units) — brigade point air defence
Strategic and theatre air defence is provided by the Air Defense Forces — see the Air Force page.
Anti-tank¶
Federation anti-tank inventory:
- HJ-10 ATGM (~2,400 launchers, all platforms) — top-attack ATGM, roughly equivalent to Sierran-Western Javelin-class systems
- HJ-11 ATGM — lightweight-shoulder-fired ATGM
- HJ-12 ATGM — vehicle-mounted long-range ATGM
Small arms¶
The Federation's standard infantry rifle is the QBZ-95A, chambered in 5.8×42mm (a Federation-standardised intermediate cartridge). The Federation is currently transitioning to the QBZ-192 — a new-generation 5.8×42mm rifle with improved ergonomics and a modular optics rail. Approximately 45% of the frontline infantry force has transitioned as of Turn 3.
Standard machine gun: QJY-201 in 5.8×42mm (squad automatic) and QJZ-171 in 12.7×108mm (heavy machine gun).
Doctrine¶
XPGF doctrine at Turn 3 is organised around three principal operational concepts:
Combined-arms manoeuvre¶
The XPGF's baseline operational-level doctrine is integrated joint operations — the coordinated employment of ground manoeuvre, fires, air defence, and joint-force enablers (air, cyber, space) to overwhelm an opposing formation's decision cycle and force operational collapse. Federation combined-arms doctrine is influenced by the Sierran-Western manoeuvre-warfare tradition and by the Federation's own extensive study of the Continuation War.
System-of-systems destruction¶
At the operational and strategic level, the XPGF operates within the Federation's broader system-of-systems destruction doctrine — the proposition that modern warfare is fought between opposing networks of C4ISR-enabled forces, and that the decisive move is to disrupt or destroy the opposing side's C4ISR system rather than to attrit its combat formations.
Continental defence in depth¶
The XPGF's underlying strategic-level operational role is continental defence in depth — the proposition that Federation continental territory is a strategic asset that cannot be defended at the border but must be defended in depth through:
- Deep prepared positions and dispersed forces
- Interior lines of communication that permit rapid theatre reinforcement
- The strategic mobile reserve (4th Federal Field Army) as a national counterstroke force
- The integrated air-defence network as the national protective envelope
The Guards designation¶
The Federation uses the Guards (Jinwei) designation for units that have received it through demonstrated combat performance or through founding-era historical association. Six divisions currently hold Guards status:
- 1st Guards Armoured Division (1st Federal Field Army) — the Federation's flagship heavy-armoured formation; direct lineage from the Founding-era Vanguard forces
- 7th Guards Mechanised Division (2nd Federal Field Army) — 1945–1949 civil-war Vanguard-League lineage
- 12th Guards Motorised Division (4th Federal Field Army) — 1949 civil-war lineage
- 15th Guards Airborne Division (Airborne Corps) — founding-era paratroop formation
- 23rd Guards Light Division (6th Federal Field Army) — Nanjun-tradition formation; distinctive dress uniforms
- 27th Guards Special Operations Brigade — the Federation's most-decorated SOF formation
Guards designation confers no operational-command difference but does carry substantial prestige, retention advantages, and equipment-modernisation priority.
The internal-security dimension¶
The XPGF's continental-defence role is complemented by an internal-security role that Federation defence writing treats as one of the XPGF's core missions. The 6th Federal Field Army in the Southwestern Theatre carries direct responsibility for internal-stability operations in the Nanjun Autonomous Region; the 3rd Federal Field Army in the Northern Theatre carries backstop responsibility for Beikai; XPGF formations elsewhere maintain readiness to support internal-stability operations in the Longshan Autonomous Region on notice.
Federation internal-security doctrine treats large-scale internal-instability as a national-security threat of the same category as external military threat. XPGF training programmes include substantial internal-security-operations content, and the officer corps is expected to be professionally competent in both external combat operations and internal-stability operations.
The People's Armed Police — a separate paramilitary force under the Ministry of Public Security — bears primary responsibility for peacetime internal security. The XPGF supports the People's Armed Police under prescribed conditions; the People's Armed Police is not treated as part of the Federal Armed Forces and is not organised under this bible page.