The Imperial Army is a group of characters from the 1998 Disney animated feature film, Mulan. They are a group of men serving under command of Li Shang fighting for the Emperor of China.
Background[]
The Imperial Army consists of a group of soldiers who serve the Emperor of China who fights to defend the Imperial City. They are an army comprised mostly of men who fight for the Emperor while fighting against Shan Yu and his Hun Army. When the Huns invaded China, Chi-Fu enforces a proclamation to send every family in the province to recruit every man of a family to contribute to the army. When Mulan notices that her father Fa Zhou must contribute to the army, she disguises herself as a man to take her father's place, much to her father's worry.
Just as Mulan arrives at the training camp, she encounters various newly-recruited soldiers who train hard to fight against the Huns under command by Li Shang, serving as their captain who trains them to win the battle against the Huns. After the Imperial Army trains hard, they then proceed to march for battle while facing the Huns at a ruined village, leading the Huns to take part in battle. In the aftermath after the Huns were engulfed by a massive avalanche, Shang and Chi-Fu found that that "Ping" is Mulan in disguise, excluding her from the Imperial Army. Mulan later arrived to alert Shang that some of the Elite Hun Soldiers that they have survived the avalanche which Shang refuses to at first. However, after gaining trust and faith that Mulan is explaining to them, they later agreed to help fight Shan Yu and the Huns after they figured out that Mulan was right all along.
Appearances[]
Mulan[]
After Shan Yu and his Hun Army raid the Great Wall of China about to be protected by guards igniting cauldrons, General Li and his two fellow troops approach the Emperor, alerting him that the Huns have invaded China under command by Shan Yu, planning to send in troops to fight off the Huns to protect the Imperial City just as he tells Chi-Fu to deliver conscription notices throughout the Imperial Army to recruit every man of a family to contribute to the Imperial Army just as General Li tells him that his troops can stop Shan Yu, which the Emperor replies to him that one man may be the difference between victory and defeat. Later after Fa Zhou discusses with Mulan about the flower taking time to bloom to be the most beautiful of them all, the two hear a drummer witnessing Chi-Fu's arrival just as two horsemen arrive while Chi-Fu brings a proclamation to the citizens of the Imperial City, warning them about the Huns who have invaded China. He tells the citizens that one man from every family must contribute to the army by order of the Emperor, recruiting men from several families to contribute, including the Fa family, which Mulan fears about her father being recruited. Mulan tries to stop her father Fa Zhou from joining the army to serve the Emperor, fearing that he might not return after war, which Fa Zhou tells her that he must leave to serve the Emperor just as Chi-Fu tells Fa Zhou to report to the Wu Zhong camp, followed by Chi-Fu planning to recruit more men from other families to contribute to the war. During a discussion at home, Fa Zhou tells his daughter that he must leave for war while telling her to stay home; Mulan then decides to disguise herself as "Ping" to take over her father's place.
Mulan travels far from the Imperial City and approaches the training camp where she encounters men part of the Imperial Army with Mushu and Cri-Kee on her side which as Mulan encounters Yao, Ling, and Chien Po in the camp who begin quarreling with each other and later various other recruits training to be in the Imperial Army while General Li devises a strategy plan telling his son Li Shang that he will send in the main troops up to the Tung Shao Pass in a plan to stop Shan Yu before he destroys the village while telling Shang to stay in the camp and train the recruits as part of his strategy as Li believes that his son will do an excellent job in training the recruits just as General Li leaves for war hoping for the Imperial City to win the battle which Li and the other troops ride on their horses to help defeat Shan Yu as Shang wishes his father good luck. Later as Shang approaches the quarreling recruits, he silences the commotion while approaching Mulan which she tells him that she is "Ping" (which Mushu whispered to Mulan's ear for her to say the name), just as Mulan shows Shang the prescription from Fa Zhou. Shang then commands the recruits to clean up the mess they made at the first place earlier.
The next day, Shang approaches the recruits, telling them to assemble swiftly and silently every morning and anyone who acts otherwise will answer to him. Shang then gives Yao a challenge to retrieve the arrow from the top of the pole using the weights of strength and discipline, which neither Yao, Ling, Chien Po, or Mulan were able to retrieve the arrow. Shang then instructs the soldiers and Mulan to begin training during the musical number "I'll Make a Man Out of You" throughout a training montage while overcoming various lessons, which the troops are having a hard time mastering the lessons. That night, Mulan manages to use the weights of strength and discipline to retrieve the arrow which the next day, the soldiers of the Imperial Army cheer for Mulan's success, just as the other soldiers train hard to fight against the Huns, completing their training.
Meanwhile, Shan Yu discusses with a group of Elite Hun Soldiers upon finding a doll that came from the Tung Shao Pass where the Imperial Army is preparing arrive at the spot where Shang's army would arrive, planning to attack. Meanwhile, Shang discusses with Chi-Fu, telling him that his soldiers have completed their training which Chi-Fu replies that once the General reads his report, he warns Shang that his soldiers will never see battle just as Mushu overhears, which he thinks that Chi-Fu is messing with his plans which Mushu and Cri-Kee disguise themselves as the General giving a report to Chi-Fu urgent news in bringing the Imperial Army to to get ready for battle.
Throughout the musical number "A Girl Worth Fighting For", the Imperial Army sings while marching on their way to battle just as they march across the landscape whom they think Mulan will contribute well to the army. Just as the soldiers continue marching and singing, they suddenly approach a village that was destroyed by the Huns (also causing the song to end abruptly). As the soldiers explore the ruins of the village, Shang tells his troops to search for survivors in the village to which as they explore, Mulan finds a doll which once belonged to a little girl, followed by Chi-Fu reporting to Shang to the spot where General Li was last seen just as Chien Po shows Shang the helmet of his father as it is shown that Shang's father was killed during battle, just as Shang places the helmet of his father on his sword in honor of his father's death, showing that there are no survivors in this area. Shang then tells his army that they are the only hope for the Emperor just as the army continues along, followed by Mulan placing the girl's doll by the helmet of Shang's deceased father just as she catches up. Just as the Imperial Army continues marching, the Huns suddenly start an ambush firing flaming arrows just as the Imperial Army takes part during battle. Throughout the battle, Shang commands the other soldiers to use cannons to launch fireworks to repel the Huns. As the Huns approach closer, the soldiers arm themselves with swords to fight back while Shang commands Yao to fire the cannon at Shan Yu; Mulan notices a snow-capped peak above her which Mulan takes the last cannon from Yao which she uses to fire at the snowy peak to cause an avalanche to engulf the Huns. Soon as the avalanche approaches, the Imperial Army retreats from the incoming avalanche to avoid getting caught in the snow.
After the avalanche, the Imperial Army cheers for "Ping" for defeating the Huns; however, just as "Ping" receives an injury, the Imperial Army then notices that "Ping" is actually Mulan in disguise, causing Mulan to be banished from the Imperial Army. Mulan tries to explain to Chi-Fu and Shang that she was trying to save her father; however, Shang thinks Mulan brought dishonor, which she fears about this. Later, the Imperial Army returns to the Imperial City where they are congratulated as the heroes who saved China while Mulan noticed earlier that a group of elite Huns survived the avalanche, planning to take revenge against the Imperial Army. Mulan tries to convince Shang there there are surviving Huns attempting to invade the city, but he refuses to believe in her, just as Mulan convinces him to listen to her advice.
Suddenly when the elite Huns start an ambush, the Imperial Army realizes that Mulan was right all along, leading Shang and his troops to fight against the Huns and Shan Yu, which Shang, Yao, Ling, Chien Po, and other soldiers use a giant shishi statue to to barge through the large doors in a plan to fight off the Huns. Mulan gives an idea to Yao, Ling, and Chien Po to disguise themselves as concubines just as Shang follows alongside Mulan to get inside the door in a plan to save the Emperor. All of a sudden, Mushu foils Hayabusa the Falcon, burning off his feathers and leaving him unable to fly while Shang, and Yao, Ling, Chien Po, and Mulan take on the Huns and Shan Hu in a plan to protect the Emperor. With Shan Yu killed upon being hit by a firecracker which hits a pile of fireworks and the Huns defeated, the Emperor honors Mulan and the Imperial Army for their heroic deeds in saving China from the Huns, just as the Emperor praises Mulan for bringing honor to her family, thanks to her heroic deeds, just as the Imperial City celebrates their victory against the Huns army.
Mulan (2020)[]
The Imperial Army appears in the 2020 live-action reimagining of the classic film. Unlike in the original 1998 film where the army was led by Li Shang, this army was led by Commander Tung (who takes over Shang's role in the remake) as a result of the removal of Shang in the film. In addition to Yao, Ling, and Chien Po (who is simply referred to as "Po") appearing in the remake, the army also includes other recruits who do not appear in the original film such as Cricket (a human-inspired Cri-Kee albeit a human instead of a cricket), Sergeant Qiang (the second in command of the army), and Chen Honghui (another recruit who takes over Shang's role).
As the Rourans ransack the marketplace at the Silk Road as well as attacking a fort being patrolled by guards, the Chancellor reports to the Emperor who devises a plan to build a mighty army to destroy the Rourans and their witch Xianniang. When a guard approaches the Emperor and tells him about Böri Khan alongside Xianniang using her chi, the Chancellor warns him that using the power of chi in a destructive way is forbidden just as the Emperor brings a decree to build a mighty army to defeat Böri Khan by bringing every man of a family to join the army, planning to send in the Imperial Army to save the Imperial City. The Chancellor then arrives at the Imperial Village, alerting the citizens that they are under attack by the Rourans, telling them that every family must contribute one man to help win the battle which he sends in the Hua family to join the battle. Hua Zhou plans to join the battle, much to Mulan's worry fearing that he might not return after the war. During a discussion at home, Hua Zhou tells his daughter that he must leave for war while telling her to stay home; Mulan then decides to disguise herself as "Hua Jun" to take over her father's place.
Mulan travels far from the Imperial City and approaches the battlefield where she encounters men part of the Imperial Army. As she enters, she encounters an archer named "Cricket" who introduces himself to her while Mulan (disguised as Hua Jun) approaches Chen Honghui which Mulan mistakes him for an enemy. Commander Tung notices the commotion, stopping the argument between Honghui and Mulan which Tung warns the two that fighting will not be tolerated. As Mulan tells him that she is "Hua Jun, son of Hua Zhou", she shows Tung the sword that Hua Zhou used during battle which Tung tells the soldiers of the Imperial Army to fall in line up to clean themselves to help them get ready for battle where they get themselves cleaned to get ready for training tomorrow while Mulan volunteers for night guard duty as part of Commander Tung's orders.
The next day, Sergeant Qiang gives out a warning to the soldiers of the Imperial Army that any of the soldiers who face penalty can result in death, saying that soldiers who face their penalties result in dishonesty to their family and country, planning to make soldiers out of every single one of them. Throughout the montage, the soldiers train to master the training showcasing sword movements, archery, and bringing buckets of water to the top of the summit. After a long training, Qiang banishes Longwei from the army, telling him to report to the barracks immediately.
The next day, the Imperial Army trains themselves wielding spears to train themselves while Mulan trains with Chen Honghui in combat which Mulan uses her chi during training, which the other soldiers react to her chi. After a tough training, the Imperial Army takes a break for their next lesson; Sergeant Qiang approaches Mulan, telling her to report to Commander Tung.
The next day when Tung commands the Imperial Army, telling them that the Rourans are attacking them, Sergeant Qiang plans to lead the army to protect the Mountain-Steppe Garrison from the Rourans, telling his army to take the oath of the warrior pledging fidelity to the three pillars of virtue, devising a strategy to fight against the Rourans by telling the soldiers to raise their swords as the soldiers chant the virtues of being loyal, brave, and true. Later, the Imperial Army travels far into a territory passing by the remains of the Fourth Battalion, a disbanded army of fallen soldiers who were killed by Böri Khan during battle.
Later, the Imperial Army arrives at the Mountain-Steppe Garrison where Tung's army was recruited as the Fifth Battalion of the Emperor's Imperial Army just as Tung consults with the troops after the Imperial Army was that Böri Khan has greatly outnumbered the battalion, planning to go fight Böri Khan and his army. The next day, the Imperial Army gets ready for battle against Böri Khan and his army. As Böri Khan leads the Rouran army to fight back, the Imperial Army clashes with the Rourans throughout a massive battle; Sergeant Qiang commands the warriors to raise their spears and the archers to raise their bows and arrows to get ready to fight back just as the Imperial Army clashes with the Rourans throughout the battle. As Xianniang transforms into thousands of blackbirds to attacks the Imperial Army, the Rourans fire flaming boulders using a catapult just as Mulan tricks the Rourans into firing a flaming boulder into a snowy mountain, causing an avalanche to engulf the Rourans, followed by several members of the Imperial Army surviving the avalanche. When Commander Tung and the other soldiers find out that "Hua Jun" is actually Mulan in disguise, this resulted in a penalty for Mulan, banishing her from the army.
After Mulan learns of Xianniang warning her that the Imperial City is under attack by the Rourans, Mulan approaches Tung at the Mountain-Steppe Garrison where she warns him that the Rourans have invaded the city even though she was banished from the army, which Tung refuses to believe at first, but after Mulan tells her that they must believe in her, Yao, Ling, Po, Cricket, and the other warriors accept while Tung tells Qiang to hand him his sword and after listening to what Mulan is saying, he gains faith in her and agrees to help Mulan save the Imperial City by fighting off Böri Khan and his army where they fight against the Rourans at the Imperial City while Mulan plans to protect the Emperor. Meanwhile the Emperor sends a group of imperial guards for reinforcement to protect the Imperial City from falling under the hands of Böri Khan as part of the Emperor planning to kill Böri Khan in the way he killed his father. The battle ends after Mulan kills Böri Khan throwing his own arrow at him, resulting in victory for the Imperial Army.
After Mulan returns home from war, Commander Tung, Sergeant Qiang, and the Imperial Army arrive home to congratulate Mulan for bringing honor to her family which Tung and Qiang present Mulan a new sword replacing her father's original sword where the writing now reads, "Loyal, brave, true, and devotion" just as Mulan is praised for her heroic deeds in bringing honor to her family.
Disney Parks and other live appearances[]
The Golden Mickeys[]
The soldiers of the Imperial Army appear during the "I'll Make a Man Out of You" sequence where they sing along with Li Shang throughout the song. Throughout the sequence, they take part in an instrumental verse performing a martial arts action sequence just before the song ends.
Fantasmic![]
In the post-2022 revamp in the Disney's Hollywood Studios version of the nighttime show during the Mulan sequence where the "I'll Make a Man Out of You" song plays during a medley of Disney heroes and heroines, the Imperial Army appears through animated projections just as the song plays throughout the sequence just before looping into the "One Jump Ahead" sequence.
