Rattan Shield Company

"We are honored to fight alongside the Rattan Shield Company of the Great Qing Empire."

―Fuma Sukuna, 1725.^[src]^-[m]

The Rattan Shield Company was a military force in service of the Qing dynasty of China during the early 18th century. They were named after their near-impenetrable rattan shields, which featured an ornate tiger design.

History[edit | edit source]

In 1725, the Rattan Shield Company was deployed to the Philippines on the orders of the affluential businesswoman Lee Huiyin, in order to aid Fuma Sukuna and his Shimazu clan ninja in pursuing the members of the Zhang Wei Union. Meeting with Sukuna on an island near the Sultanate of Sulu, the soldiers decided to ambush the Fenghuang's crew as they loaded supplies onto their ship.^[1]

The Company's captain ordered his men to charge at the crew, expecting an easy victory, but in doing so they fell into a trap set by the Union members. As soon as they set foot on the beach, the soldiers were bombarded with cannon fire from Yun Pyeong-Gyu's five-barreled cannons hidden in the nearby forest, suffering heavy casualties.^[2]

The surviving soldiers managed to block the incoming gunfire by making a turtle formation with their shields, and continued to advance towards the Fenghuang. However, the ship sailed away, prompting the Company to turn their attention to Yun and the Union members still on the island.^[2]

As they entered the forest, the soldiers fell into another trap and were knocked down by several explosive barrels dropped from the trees, which were then ignited by a fire arrow.^[2] Surviving the blast thanks to their armor, the shieldmen relentlessly chased the Union members until they ran out of ammunition, at which point the Company retreated and allowed the Shimazu ninja to continue the pursuit.^[3]

Later, the Company again confronted the Zhang Wei Union, who had joined forces with a group of Japanese mercenaries formerly employed by Fuma Sukuna. The shieldmen engaged the enemy while Sukuna and his ninja stood and watched, much to the Company captain's annoyance. After the Union members tricked the shieldmen into charging at them, causing them to stumble and fall, they retreated and used their long-range weapons to keep the Company soldiers at bay.^[4]

Angered by the enemy outsmarting them at every step, the captain ordered Sukuna to intervene, threatening to inform Madam Lee of his incompetence. Sukuna ignored him and maintained his strategy of waiting for the shieldmen to tire the enemy out, at which point he and his ninja finally decided to attack. However, the Union members unleashed their Greek fire flamethrowers and created a wall of fire around them, trapping the ninja,^[4] who were all subsequently slain.^[5]

Witnessing this, the Company captain ordered the deployment of their Special Cavalry Unit, intending to go around the flames and ambush the enemy.^[5] However, the cavalry was wiped out by the British Assassin Edward Kenway, allowing the Union members to reach the island's shore, where the Fenghuang was waiting.^[6]

The Rattan Shield Company also arrived on the beach and tried to prevent their enemies' escape, only to be bombarded with cannon fire from the Fenghuang. This allowed the Union members to board their ship and sail away, while their mercenary allies stayed behind to deal with the shieldmen, who had survived the bombardment. After eliminating what remained of the Company, the mercenaries departed the island and joined the Zhang Wei Union on their voyage to Sulu.^[6]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

While fictional, the Rattan Shield Company appears to be loosely based on a type of Qing dynasty special forces troop nicknamed the "Tigers of War" by European missionaries. Renowned for their tiger uniforms and rattan shields, records of these elite troops first appeared in the late 18th century, making their appearance in Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple slightly anachronistic.^[7]

The rattan shield itself predates the creation of any unique military force trained in its use. The Chinese military was known to utilize this type of shield since at least the time of the Ming dynasty, as recorded in General Qi Jiguang's 16th-century military manual Jixiao Xinshu (紀效新書; "New Treatise on Military Efficiency"), and it continues to be used to this day in various cultural and religious dances, rituals, and martial arts.^[7]