Basic Unit Statistics (can be modified by difficulty level, arts, skills, traits and retainers)
| Recruitment Cost | 1000 | |
| Upkeep Cost | 130 | |
| Melee Attack | 8 | 22% |
| Charge Bonus | 20 | 40% |
| Bonus vs Cavalry | 5 | 16% |
| Range | 125 | 19% |
| Accuracy | 50 | 50% |
| Reloading Skill | 40 | 40% |
| Ammunition | 7 | 8% |
| Melee Defence | 6 | 17% |
| Armour | 2 | 13% |
| Morale | 12 | 24% |
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Good accuracy and reload rate.
- Average in melee.
- Weak against cavalry.
- Very good morale.
Description
Vermilion Bird Force troops are trained to fight line infantry, overcoming foes with disciplined fire.
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.