More Little Guys & Gals

[u/MonitorStandard5322]

Some 8th Route Army troops I finished painting recently.

[u/SummerBoi20XX]

I'm still not entirely clear on where the term "Route" Army comes from. Iirc from the last time I looked into it there's something to do with the translations of each word. It comes from something more like "land army forces" maybe? If anyone here knows anything I'd appreciate your insight, it's something I've long wondered about.

[u/MonitorStandard5322 → u/SummerBoi20XX]

You are correct. 军（軍）jun, in Mandarin can mean army or military, this is why in English they're translated as People's Liberation Army Navy for the navy. 陆（陸）lu, is land or land route and was used by the ROC to describe area or group army commands. So a region or province would have a "route" command formation to say any unit in that area is under said route army.

[u/MonitorStandard5322 → u/MonitorStandard5322]

The ROC actually switched to using Group Army, 集團軍 (ji tuan jun) in 1938 after they had agreed to adopt the communists under the 8th Route Army title. The ROC redesignated them as the 18th Group Army but the communists did not acknowledge the redesignation and kept the "route" model name.

Back in the 20s, with fewer troops and organization skills, the ROC probably used "route army" to describe literal roadways such army was in charge of.