KOMACHI'S TRAVEL GUIDE: The Governor's Thunder Guard are easily recognizable by their armor, naginatas and handsome plumed helmets. It would take the tails from a hundred horses and fifty gallons of dye to replicate all the crimson plumes on the Thunder Guards' helmets!
SHIGEKO'S DOSSIER: The Thunder Guard are the personal army of Shosuro Hyobu (G9, P1) and serve to keep her city peaceful and orderly.
Their leader is her son, Shosuro Jocho, a fierce and dangerous warrior. While hardly his mother's equal in matters political, he has a crude (but effective) grasp of small unit tactics and organization. This, joined with a native cunning and the numbers and training of his men, makes the Thunder Guards the single most physically dangerous force in Ryoko Owari.
The lowest level of the guards are footmen known as "kaisatsukan". They are dressed in light armor with a plumed helm, and are armed with naginata. There are over three hundred kaisatsukan in Ryoko Owari, predominantly children of minor nobility. On a usual day, fifty will be in each of the Towers of the East and West Eyes (L28), another twenty will be guarding the walls around the Noble Quarter, thirty will be guarding the walls around the rest of the city, and five will be stationed at each gate.
In addition, twenty-five are generally patrolling the Fisherman Quarter (usually by the docks, checking ships for contraband and protecting the tariff collectors), a like number are in the Merchant Quarter and a dozen are in the Temple Quarter. These guards are assigned to specific areas and do not wander from them. However, Teardrop Island is such a popular assignment that the staff there is changed weekly, and is composed of soldiers from all other districts (led by one chief who is stationed there permanently).
The duties of the Thunder Guard are to defend the city from invasion, halt crimes against the Governor (but not investigate crimes that have been committed; that's a job for one of Hyobu's magistrates (P10) or the Emerald Magistrate), check incoming barges, boats and wagons for contraband, check the papers of travellers, and generally ensure civic peace.
One of Jocho's initiatives since he took control of the Guards last year has been to offer incentives for kaisatsukan to receive elite training for two specialized units, the Samurai Squad and the Lightning Squad.
The Lightning Squad is a rapid response, mounted unit, currently consisting of fifty members. In addition to training in horsemanship, the Lightning Squad learn the meanings of a series of large banners that can be raised on a pole at the Dragon's Gate (L10). These banners represent different, tactically significant locations in the city. When the banner is raised, a great bell is rung and the Lightning Squad is expected to proceed to that location at top speed, there to rally for further orders. Each bridge, gate, and dock has its own banner, along with a number of other rallying points throughout the city. It is Jocho's boast that he can place the entire Lightning Squad at any point in the city (except the Licensed Quarter) within half an hour.This may be an exaggeration, but if it is, his frequent tests and drills are constantly bringing it closer to reality. It is a crime against the Governor to impede a galloping member of the Lightning Squad.
In addition to extra pay, the members of the Lightning Squad receive a stipend to support two horses and two grooms, so that they can always have a horse ready for action. It should be noted that admission into the Lightning Squad seems to be based solely on ability, and loyalty to Jocho - wealthy members of the Scorpion clan have been refused and impoverished Unicorns accepted, despite the political friction this has caused. Unless Jocho is weaving some elaborate basket hat (G1), his sole interest in this matter is building the finest fighting force he can.
The same cannot be said of the Samurai Squad. They are not trained on horseback; instead, they study archery and the art of the sickle and chain (kusari-gama), a weapon designed specifically to disarm sword fighters. The purpose of the Samurai Squad is to deal with rebellious, unruly or drunk samurai. Consequently, they are assigned almost exclusively to the Noble and Licensed Quarters.
Acceptance into the Samurai Squad is as much a matter of political influence and judicious application of hand gifts (G1) as it is a question of ability. Members of the Samurai Squad are generally regarded as having a better job (patrolling the more luxurious areas of town) but also a more dangerous one (since they're expected to be the first on the scene to fight rowdy samurai). The Samurai Squad is full of bushi whose first loyalty is to Jocho and Hyobu, even to the exclusion of Imperial authority. When someone angers Hyobu or Jocho, and an example is to be made, it's the Samurai Squad who do the work. There are between seventy and eighty men on this squad.
Twenty five officers (known as "koshiki") are in charge of organizing, training and disciplining the Thunder Guard. There is usually an officer on duty at a central location in each Quarter, and another at the Gate of Condescension.