Baggage Train

Summary
Baggage train units are economic support units that can be used to supply armies with food while on the move. They can be constructed in any camp or city that has sufficient food available. Baggage trains can carry very large amounts of food and will share it automatically with nearby friendly units. As the food is consumed, units in the baggage train will disapear. Ox-carts from enemy supply lines can be captured and added to your baggage train.

"A slow moving group of ox-carts that can move large amounts of food along with your army. Baggage trains will automatically resupply nearby friendly units and their number of carts will shrink relative to the amount of food they are carrying. Baggage trains start with food and cannot be refilled; however, you can merge multiple smaller trains together or split larger ones into separate units. If they are disbanded within a city or fort, their food will be added to their container."

- In-game Description

History
Ancient armies were followed by large amounts of non-combatants while on the move who transported supplies, siege engines, tents or plunder, or provided services to the soldiers, such as medics. These people could be servants of the soldiers themselves, or tagged along of their own accord in hopes of making a profit. Baggage trains included large amounts of pack animals, such as horses and mules.

Some militaries placed restrictions on the composition of the baggage train. Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great are noted for placing some such restrictions on the baggage train of the Macedonian army, such as not using slower oxen and banning most carts except for those that carried essential items, since they were liable to break down and unsuited to rough terrain, thus impeding the army's speed and mobility.

Tactics
If the player is marching an army a long distance through unoccupied territory and not desiring to stop to build waypoint camps every so often and wait for supplies to come in that way, or if such camps are likely to be cut off from resupply by enemy brigades, camps or cities, baggage trains are the ideal solution for keeping such an army supplied.

However, the player must be careful to keep the baggage train safe from enemy attack, and to make sure to load the baggage train with ample food to keep the army fed for the entire duration of the operation, though this can be augmented by capturing ox carts travelling along enemy supply lines or scavenging from food-producing resource buildings.

After the conquest is completed, disbanding the baggage trains in a city is a quick way of unloading all of their food and ease city rebellion levels.