Turn One
Captain Ioannis will lead the armies of Constantinople toward the castle of Sofia, which is in open rebellion against us. I will take possession of the army in the next season, as I have important administrative duties to take care of this season.
My fair
daughter Anna will seek a treaty with the Hungarians to the north.
The army from Thessalonica arrives in Canakkale, to take possession of the castle there, led by
Captain Makarios.
General Theodosios Opsaras arrives in Smyrna with the garrison from Rhodes. There he will hire some Armenian mercenaries, led by a very knowledgeable captain who has already scouted the town.
The army from Corinth arrives in Athens, preparing to ship off for war. Meanwhile, construction of improved roads begins in all major provinces, to appease the nobles.
I commission several diplomats to aid me in securing peace and trade for Rome, among with some other, more practical matters. Like establishing embassies so that we have a legitimate channel through which we can spy upon the enemies of Rome.
Further, both myself and my son Ioannis order the construction of numerous buildings vital to our recovery. When you're royalty, people are willing to offer you a discount on the construction. They know good things will come their way.
These moves lay an important foundation upon which we shall build... the greatest empire of them all.
Turn Two
The forces marching under captain Ioannis comprise the majority of Roman arms. I will soon join them in the suppression of the rebels at Sofia.
Armies from Athens have landed to reinforce General Theodosios.
Little more than army movement takes place this turn, but now we are ready...
Turn Three
The Prince joins the siege of Canakkale and recruits some local mercenaries.
Now
General Theodosios will show the rebels what it means to be truly Greek.
A full frontal assault? We could lose too many troops that way.
Perhaps something more cunning; we will lead with our archers, to force the defenders back from the walls.
The cowards would rather huddle in the center of town than face our best archers. They will pay for their spinelessness.
Archers in place, now our ram can do its work without facing a hail of flaming arrows. Even the archers on the towers have fled.
Realizing they've made a grave error, they try to regain control of the gates. But they are greeted by Greek arrows from the sky. When it rains, it pours....
We have yet to lose a single man in this battle, and already the enemy is bloodied and in a very bad position.
Our infantry pushes the rebels back, and gives General Theodosios room to enter the settlement. Now the enemy will taste a heavy cavalry charge. And they thought the walls would shield them from that!
Several powerful charges later, even the spearmen turn and flee in horror, dropping their weapons as they run and hide. The arrows, spears, and powerful cavalry charge has broken them.
True Greeks prevailed over these impostors today!
Now our General, though naturally frail, has proved that he is not afraid to shed blood for Greece. He is not afraid to face an army of rebel spearmen, and risk his life for the glory of Greece.
His bravery inspires our men to follow in his footsteps. He protected our soldiers' lives today, with his own.
But General Theodosios isn't the only true Greek to test himself today. My eldest son Ioannis has a castle to storm.
This time, we must take the walls from enemy archers, lest we lose the experienced Greek archers we cannot easily replace.
Taking the walls from the rebels was no easy matter, but the deed was done.
The enemy have sent up reinforcements! Holding the walls is our foremost concern. Do not waver, men!
We have captured the gates. Now taste the wrath of Ioannis.
The rebels scatter under the weight of mighty Greek horsemen. These archers are ill-equipped to stand toe-to-toe with a unit of elite Bodyguards. Ioannis himself slew dozens of the traitors, reminding the survivors who their betters truly are.
We lost more men than we would have liked, today, but we preserved our archers, and we will tend to our wounds and recover our losses more easily than if we had charged in with our archers today.
Now it is my turn to show these rebels the might of the Roman Emperor. I think the cowards hiding behind the walls at Sofia deserve a more... personal touch.
Turn Four
We forge a worthy alliance with the Hungarians, and gain trade rights and maps of their territory for a very cheap price. My daughter is as valuable to the future of our Empire as she is beautiful and intelligent. We establish embassies in their cities, and take note of the size of their forces, at the very least.
The Prince's army arrives at Adrianople, but the Prince himself must make his way to Thessalonica and begin some much-needed improvements there.
Meanwhile, Captain Tamas prays his last, for our men now assault his walls.
These men are truly cowards. They dare not even try to hold their own walls. We advance with Greek spears, and take them with ladders. On the western wall, we place several Greek archers, to rain death down upon them.
Realizing that being slain from arrows from their own walls is a fool's end, they "bravely" decide to face us like men. But we shall get to the top of the walls before they do....
Fighting on top of the walls is intense, but our men stand their ground, and the rebels waver. Now they send their archers to try to take the western wall, only to find Greeks already there! We send more Greek archers to reinforce the west.
We take the gates, and now the Emperor marches his horse right into the middle of the melee. His terrifying black horse scatters the weakling peasants who no longer resemble an army.
Arrows rain down upon our victims, breaking the backs of the Bulgarian Brigands on the walls.
The Emperor and his spearmen charge the center of the castle, where some Maygars make their final, foolish stand.
There is little doubt that we managed a crushing victory here today. Some of our militia spearmen were lost, but our professional soldiers and skilled mercenaries took almost no damage whatsoever!
Truly this is a mighty victory. Now the provinces will think twice before rebelling against Emperor Aleksios. Perhaps the nobles will think twice before demanding concessions from him as well, lest they suffer the same fate.
Our Emperor gains a skilled, experienced advisor, who has fought in many campaigns. The victory here today has ensured his loyalty and service to the Crown.
The spearhead of the Greek empire is now aimed at the rebels at the castle of Scopia, a region notorious for its disloyalty.
The time has come for the traitors to fall, and true Greek men to claim what is rightfully theirs.
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