Empire Spearmen

Empire Swordsmen are one of the most common basic line-infantry fielded by the Empire. Equipped with a cheaply manufactured spear, a formation of spearmen makes an excellent defensive unit. Those who charge a well-formed unit of spears are faced with an impassable wall of sharp steel points, providing an "Anvil" for the Imperial Army whilst the "Hammer" strikes the killing blow. With their long reach, each rank of Spearmen are able to strike at their enemy, even when they themselves are not within the front ranks.

Spearmen are more common in the northern provinces due to the cheapness of the spear's manufacture and the lack of large-scale industry to field and maintain comparatively more expensive troops like Empire halberdiers and handgunners. In the southern provinces, the longer and heavier pikes are preferred for being ideal in defensive and offensive situations, due to the influence of distant Tilea and their preference for pikes. Nevertheless, Spearmen regiments are still a common sight amongst the battlefields of the Empire, especially campaigns situated within the north.

Source

 * Warhammer Armies: The Empire (4th Edition) -- pg 51, 61
 * Warhammer Armies: The Empire (5th Edition) -- pg 28
 * Warhammer Armies: The Empire (8th Edition) -- pg 38