Bhruic
02-20-2003, 05:40
I relate now the origins of the glory that is Egypt. I tell the tale, as it was passed down from generation to generation among my family. It began in the year 1087. It began with ambition. With the desire to spread the word and deed of Allah. The pure version, not the corrupted teachings of our unworthy brethern.
In 1087, our glorious ruler, the mighty Sultan began a plan of conquest. He was a man of true vision, true faith. Condemning the twisted teaching of the Turkish, he made war against them. They had foolishly embarked on a war against the Byzantine to the north. The Sultan was wise, he saw that the Byzantine would prevail in this conflict. Not wishing any of the holyland to fall into the hands of infidels, the Sultan promised peace to the Byzantines and with their assistance, quickly absorbed the Turkish land. The speed with which they fell is proof they were not blessed by Allah.
Words of peace to an infidel are never binding. These dogs were quick to feel the fury of Islamic wrath. Unfortunately for the Sultan, they were unfazed by that wrath. Their infantry was better suited to the grassy terrain and drove back our warriors. Their generals were an inspiration to their followers, and alas, ours had not the training to match them. The Sultan pondered the matter, and finally gave the word to hire foreign mercenaries. Hundreds were quickly hired and thrown into the fray. They were enough to keep the Byzantines from advancing farther, but not enough to win outright.
Battlelines shifted over the passing years. Our army, stiffened by fresh levies from the south, broke through on first one, then multiple fronts. Recognizing that the seat of Byzantine power was in Constantinople, our army drove straight for it. A brutal battle was fought with the majority of casualties being Egyptian. But superior numbers won the day. Constantinople was ours - for a time. The garrison at the castle still held. The Egyptian general was dismayed to find large armies pouring into the province from Greece and Bulgaria, and had no choice but to retreat. By diverting the Byzantine attention to their capital, however, our other armies were able to make strong advances, and soon we held all the land south of the Black Sea.
Our Islamic brothers to the west had been friends and allies from the first. Make no mistake, they were not trusted. A strong force was held back in Egypt to defend against any treachery. We expected none, however. It was in both our interests to fight among the infidels. Our surprise was total, therefore, when our scouts reported a Spanish army moving into the land to the west. The Almohad fell back to their fort, and there remained. Scouts indicated the army besieging them was not numerous. Meetings were held swiftly. The Sultan listened to his advisers with a distracted air. Finally he turned to them.
"These Spanish are dogs. We shall not turn our back on our Islamic brethern. Allah demands we come to their aid."
The army marched. Our scouts were wrong. The besieging army was small, yes, but the army moving in to support them that the scouts missed was large. Our 850 men found themselves facing an army of 1400. To our dismay, the cowardly Almohad refused to sally forth from the fort, leaving us to fight for Allah alone. Bravely our warriors marched into battle. From the onset, our inexperience fighting western forces told. Losses were high, enemy casualties light. The general surveyed the field and made the risky decision to continue the fight. In a brave display worthy of high praise, he led a charge against the enemy general and struck him down. The enemy was disheartened, and many fled the field. Then our desert warriors proved their worth, and harrassing the enemy, wearing him down and destroying his reserves. We won the day.
The Spanish retreated from the province and our armies returned to Egypt, badly mauled, but victorious. The Almohad sent their thanks, but like the cowards they had proved to be, refused to venture forth from their fort. Somehow they managed to forge a peace with the Spanish. One foolish adviser denounced them for cowards, but the Sultan remained farsighted. The Spanish would not think on us kindly, but they could not reach us without going through the Almohad. If the two nations were at peace, the Almohad guarded our western borders. The Sultan could once more focus on events to the north.
The northern armies continued to receive new warriors, and soon made another push for Constantinople. So powerful had we become that they fled before us. But once again, they had vast forces ready to retake their capital. Vowing that Constantinople would produce no new foes to face us, the general ordered the city burned. The entire province was razed by our retreating forces.
The rising power of Egypt had not gone unnoticed in the west. The foul, corrupt leader of the infidel church roused the western nations against Islam and Egypt. The Spanish, eager to regain their manhood, formed a mighty crusade to face us. We learned this much too late to form any defensive plans. In the space of a year, their crusade was occupying Almohad lands. The next, it invaded our homeland, destroying much of the work the Sultan had built. It proceeded east untouched by our forces which were much too weak to stop them. But when it tried to turn north, our army finally intercepted it. A mighty battle was expected, but the dogs turned out to be worse cowards than the Almohad. The refused to fight, threw down their weapons and armour and hid in the hills (OOC: They retreated, but since I took the province they came from, they had nowhere to go and disbanded).
The Sultan began rebuilding Egypt. The Spanish launched another crusade. Again, we had little warning before it was upon us. Egypt fell once more. There was much shock and worry in the empire, but the Sultan refused to bow to these infidel dogs. Our army moved back into Egypt and the crusade fled back to Cyrenacia. There they set about starving the Almohad in their fort. Once that was accomplished, they moved back towards Egypt, but were daunted by our numbers. Our rich lands and zealous people had combined to provide a large army in a short time. Confident that the west was secure, the Sultan ordered the northern army to move.
Now that the empire was well defended, the Sultan was reluctant to allow infidel soldiers to remain among his armies. The mercenaries were thrown at Constantinople. This had the desired benefit of both killing Byzantine soldiers and eliminating the mercenary problem. These harrying attacks were followed up by a massive strike from our Islamic warriors, and Constantinople was ours again. And ours it would remain. The Byzantine empire had been unable to match our growth and could no longer produce warriors to face us. The Sultan contemplated destroying them, but our best general councilled against it. Taking his life in his hands, he contradicted the Sultan, and pointed out that any army trying to attack us from the west could only come through Constantinople. A strong force was needed there to deter such attacks. If the army was used to hunt down the Byzantines, another army would find it that much easier to attack us. The Sultan frowned. The general's life hung in the balance, but finally the Sultan nodded. The man was his best general, after all.
Or perhaps it was the presence of a huge army in Cyrenacia that saved the general's life. The Spanish, ill-content to leave their weak Crusade on our border sent their largest army yet into the field. It was the last error our western scouts were to make. New scouts were sent west in newly built ships to make sure the Sultan had better warning of approaching armies. They were just in time to report back another army of equal size to the first heading east along the desert. When combined with the first, they would surely outnumber us.
It was a tactical blunder that saved Egypt from yet another occupation at that point. The haughty general in charge of the crusade refused to co-ordinate with the general in charge of the Spanish army - with the result that the army attacked alone. They still outnumbered us, but we were save from the still potent Crusaders. When our general surveyed the force against him, he felt enough confidence to not worry. They outnumbered his force, but they had large numbers of untrained peasants. It was this confidence that would cost him his life. No general in the history of the empire has commanded a battle as poorly as he. Initial losses were staggering, and only constant reinforcements kept the enemy from routing the army. He was quickly replaced, and our lines solidified (OOC: For some reason I made huge numbers of tactical blunders in this fight and had a lot of trouble keeping everyone doing something useful). The enemy brought up their own reserves, but the unarmoured peasants and archers fell quickly before our cavalry. The enemy fled.
The scene was similar three years later. The Spanish had received fresh reinforcements and launched another attack. This fight went much better for our warriors, and again the enemy was routed. That same year we heard that Allah had truly blessed our cause. A lost Almohad prince rallied Islamic warriors around him and attacked a province deep in the Spanish heartland. Half of the army on our border retreated westward to deal with this threat. Praising Allah, our warriors charged westward as well, driving the infidels before us. Our numbers swelled, and soon we had retaken all of the lands that had belonged to the Almohad. The Almohad themselves occupied Portugal with a strong force. They had been a gift from Allah, but now they were but cowards and useless to us. Our armies attacked and destroyed them.
The few remaining Spanish were also swiftly dealt with. Unfortunately, sensing the weakness of the Spanish, the French chose this time to attack down through Aragon. Their envoys promised only peace with us, but can we truly trust the word of an infidel? While these promised peace, no less than 4 other infidel nations had sent crusades against us. Our Sultan had cause to bless the general who recommended holding strong in Constantinople, for each crusade got to Bulgaria, saw the size of our army, and sat there quivering in fear.
There was a downside to this. The forces in Constantinople could not be reduced. Indeed, periodically the Byzantine would test our resolve by feigning an attack, then withdrawing when our army moved to defend. The Sultan had planned to withdraw the forces from Spain to solidify the northern front. Word carried from traders warned of a threat far greater than any faced before coming from the east and he refused to be caught unawares again. However, despite the words of peace from the French, the fact remained that they could not be trusted. Those armies would have to remain in Spain. He met with his advisers again. His treasurer pointed out that Egypt was extremely wealthy. Equipping and training another army could be paid for. The Sultan agreed. The largest mobilization in the history of the empire commenced that very year. Scouts estimated the foreign force would arrive in 1230. That gave Egypt eight years to mobilize and deploy an army. The Sultan realized quickly that the navy would be required to transport the army to Georgia. Every costal province in the central empire was devoted to training men for the next six years. Egypt was very nearly bankrupt at this point, the once mighty coffers were emptied, but in the seventh year, the army boarded the waiting dhows and sailed north. 4500 warriors arrived in Georgia that year and took up places along the northern border. All was in readiness.
10000 men poured into Khazar. The fierce eastern warriors called themselves 'Mongols' and they were here to conquer. My children, this tale might have a different end but for the stupidity of one Polish general. Only five years previously the Polish had invaded and taken Khazar. The Polish general, too stupid to count and too proud to flee, tried to hold the fort they had built. The Mongol Khan, incensed at this resistance made the general regret it - before he died. The rest of Poland was made to regret it even more as the Mongols began systematically killing them. The Khan was kept occupied with this war for quite some time, and his 10000 men became scattered.
In the far west, all that was once Spain was ours. Knowing that the French would betray us, we had moved against them quickly, isolating and killing their men. Pleased with his empire, the Sultan ordered the armies to halt. There were only four provinces that led to our lands, all well defended. The Sultan was satisfied with this fact, but he frowned when he considered the seas. Foreign navies still sailed from port to port. If trading ships could sail, why not warships? And so the vast naval cleansing began. Within the space of ten years, every ship that flew a flag that was not Egypt's was boarded and sunk. Some of our brave captains went so far as to sail round the Spanish coast towards the lands controlled by the French. All of the South belonged to the Sultan.
Continuing the line of farsighted Sultans, the current ruler realized that the future required better armament than his warriors were use to. The smiths in the east were skilled at making armour, but the rich iron deposits in the west allowed for much better quality weapons to be made. Our beloved leader ordered construction to begin at once and it was made so. Many, many years passed with little of interest to tell. Oh, among the infidels there were wars, rebellions, betrayal and counter-betrayal, but what do you expect from them? Egypt remained strong. So strong that envy grew among those weaker nations until few didn't stand against us. But we had peace, peace enforced by the sword.
What was surprising was that the peace was not broken from the west, but from the north. The Mongols attacked Georgia. They had 2400 heavy horse against our 4500 warriors. Our general had been training in the south, and had discovered tactics that he thought would work well against the cavalry dominated mongols. Finding a suitable hill, he ringed it with spears and placed heavy arbalesters behind them. The plan worked perfectly. Their horses refused to charge the spears, and after a few abortive attempts, they fled the field leaving behind 300 corpses with bolts in them. The following year, they tried again. This time, the general unleashed the Armenian cavalry against them when they fled. They lost 600 men. They stopped coming.
And that, my children, was the pattern of the following years. Foolish Kings ordered their warriors to dash themselves against our spears. They should have been paying better attention to running their own kingdoms for our scouts noted their lands were full of rebellion and strife. Civilization was breaking down. It is proof that only the glory of Allah can save us in this world.
Our glorious Sultan performed one final task that you must hear. The false dog, the craven, the one they call the 'Pope' was brought to heel. Our best warriors attacked and captured Sicily and proceeded to work their way north. Rome fell, and the Papal States fell shortly after. The South was ours, the north left to stink of rebellions, betrayals and lies.
My children, you know that this is the year 1453. We have gathered here to praise our beloved leader. The glory of the Egyptian empire is known throughout the world. You, my children, are to bear witness to the greatest civilization the world has ever known. Go now. Spread this tale, and in the years to come, think back on this day and remember.
---
Obviously a win by glorius achievement. The closest faction to me was the HRE, at about 3/4th my score. Other than their crusades, I never really fought them, they seemed to be the strongest of the remaining factions - possibly excepting the Mongols. But this game did have the distinction of being the first one I actually finished. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Bh
In 1087, our glorious ruler, the mighty Sultan began a plan of conquest. He was a man of true vision, true faith. Condemning the twisted teaching of the Turkish, he made war against them. They had foolishly embarked on a war against the Byzantine to the north. The Sultan was wise, he saw that the Byzantine would prevail in this conflict. Not wishing any of the holyland to fall into the hands of infidels, the Sultan promised peace to the Byzantines and with their assistance, quickly absorbed the Turkish land. The speed with which they fell is proof they were not blessed by Allah.
Words of peace to an infidel are never binding. These dogs were quick to feel the fury of Islamic wrath. Unfortunately for the Sultan, they were unfazed by that wrath. Their infantry was better suited to the grassy terrain and drove back our warriors. Their generals were an inspiration to their followers, and alas, ours had not the training to match them. The Sultan pondered the matter, and finally gave the word to hire foreign mercenaries. Hundreds were quickly hired and thrown into the fray. They were enough to keep the Byzantines from advancing farther, but not enough to win outright.
Battlelines shifted over the passing years. Our army, stiffened by fresh levies from the south, broke through on first one, then multiple fronts. Recognizing that the seat of Byzantine power was in Constantinople, our army drove straight for it. A brutal battle was fought with the majority of casualties being Egyptian. But superior numbers won the day. Constantinople was ours - for a time. The garrison at the castle still held. The Egyptian general was dismayed to find large armies pouring into the province from Greece and Bulgaria, and had no choice but to retreat. By diverting the Byzantine attention to their capital, however, our other armies were able to make strong advances, and soon we held all the land south of the Black Sea.
Our Islamic brothers to the west had been friends and allies from the first. Make no mistake, they were not trusted. A strong force was held back in Egypt to defend against any treachery. We expected none, however. It was in both our interests to fight among the infidels. Our surprise was total, therefore, when our scouts reported a Spanish army moving into the land to the west. The Almohad fell back to their fort, and there remained. Scouts indicated the army besieging them was not numerous. Meetings were held swiftly. The Sultan listened to his advisers with a distracted air. Finally he turned to them.
"These Spanish are dogs. We shall not turn our back on our Islamic brethern. Allah demands we come to their aid."
The army marched. Our scouts were wrong. The besieging army was small, yes, but the army moving in to support them that the scouts missed was large. Our 850 men found themselves facing an army of 1400. To our dismay, the cowardly Almohad refused to sally forth from the fort, leaving us to fight for Allah alone. Bravely our warriors marched into battle. From the onset, our inexperience fighting western forces told. Losses were high, enemy casualties light. The general surveyed the field and made the risky decision to continue the fight. In a brave display worthy of high praise, he led a charge against the enemy general and struck him down. The enemy was disheartened, and many fled the field. Then our desert warriors proved their worth, and harrassing the enemy, wearing him down and destroying his reserves. We won the day.
The Spanish retreated from the province and our armies returned to Egypt, badly mauled, but victorious. The Almohad sent their thanks, but like the cowards they had proved to be, refused to venture forth from their fort. Somehow they managed to forge a peace with the Spanish. One foolish adviser denounced them for cowards, but the Sultan remained farsighted. The Spanish would not think on us kindly, but they could not reach us without going through the Almohad. If the two nations were at peace, the Almohad guarded our western borders. The Sultan could once more focus on events to the north.
The northern armies continued to receive new warriors, and soon made another push for Constantinople. So powerful had we become that they fled before us. But once again, they had vast forces ready to retake their capital. Vowing that Constantinople would produce no new foes to face us, the general ordered the city burned. The entire province was razed by our retreating forces.
The rising power of Egypt had not gone unnoticed in the west. The foul, corrupt leader of the infidel church roused the western nations against Islam and Egypt. The Spanish, eager to regain their manhood, formed a mighty crusade to face us. We learned this much too late to form any defensive plans. In the space of a year, their crusade was occupying Almohad lands. The next, it invaded our homeland, destroying much of the work the Sultan had built. It proceeded east untouched by our forces which were much too weak to stop them. But when it tried to turn north, our army finally intercepted it. A mighty battle was expected, but the dogs turned out to be worse cowards than the Almohad. The refused to fight, threw down their weapons and armour and hid in the hills (OOC: They retreated, but since I took the province they came from, they had nowhere to go and disbanded).
The Sultan began rebuilding Egypt. The Spanish launched another crusade. Again, we had little warning before it was upon us. Egypt fell once more. There was much shock and worry in the empire, but the Sultan refused to bow to these infidel dogs. Our army moved back into Egypt and the crusade fled back to Cyrenacia. There they set about starving the Almohad in their fort. Once that was accomplished, they moved back towards Egypt, but were daunted by our numbers. Our rich lands and zealous people had combined to provide a large army in a short time. Confident that the west was secure, the Sultan ordered the northern army to move.
Now that the empire was well defended, the Sultan was reluctant to allow infidel soldiers to remain among his armies. The mercenaries were thrown at Constantinople. This had the desired benefit of both killing Byzantine soldiers and eliminating the mercenary problem. These harrying attacks were followed up by a massive strike from our Islamic warriors, and Constantinople was ours again. And ours it would remain. The Byzantine empire had been unable to match our growth and could no longer produce warriors to face us. The Sultan contemplated destroying them, but our best general councilled against it. Taking his life in his hands, he contradicted the Sultan, and pointed out that any army trying to attack us from the west could only come through Constantinople. A strong force was needed there to deter such attacks. If the army was used to hunt down the Byzantines, another army would find it that much easier to attack us. The Sultan frowned. The general's life hung in the balance, but finally the Sultan nodded. The man was his best general, after all.
Or perhaps it was the presence of a huge army in Cyrenacia that saved the general's life. The Spanish, ill-content to leave their weak Crusade on our border sent their largest army yet into the field. It was the last error our western scouts were to make. New scouts were sent west in newly built ships to make sure the Sultan had better warning of approaching armies. They were just in time to report back another army of equal size to the first heading east along the desert. When combined with the first, they would surely outnumber us.
It was a tactical blunder that saved Egypt from yet another occupation at that point. The haughty general in charge of the crusade refused to co-ordinate with the general in charge of the Spanish army - with the result that the army attacked alone. They still outnumbered us, but we were save from the still potent Crusaders. When our general surveyed the force against him, he felt enough confidence to not worry. They outnumbered his force, but they had large numbers of untrained peasants. It was this confidence that would cost him his life. No general in the history of the empire has commanded a battle as poorly as he. Initial losses were staggering, and only constant reinforcements kept the enemy from routing the army. He was quickly replaced, and our lines solidified (OOC: For some reason I made huge numbers of tactical blunders in this fight and had a lot of trouble keeping everyone doing something useful). The enemy brought up their own reserves, but the unarmoured peasants and archers fell quickly before our cavalry. The enemy fled.
The scene was similar three years later. The Spanish had received fresh reinforcements and launched another attack. This fight went much better for our warriors, and again the enemy was routed. That same year we heard that Allah had truly blessed our cause. A lost Almohad prince rallied Islamic warriors around him and attacked a province deep in the Spanish heartland. Half of the army on our border retreated westward to deal with this threat. Praising Allah, our warriors charged westward as well, driving the infidels before us. Our numbers swelled, and soon we had retaken all of the lands that had belonged to the Almohad. The Almohad themselves occupied Portugal with a strong force. They had been a gift from Allah, but now they were but cowards and useless to us. Our armies attacked and destroyed them.
The few remaining Spanish were also swiftly dealt with. Unfortunately, sensing the weakness of the Spanish, the French chose this time to attack down through Aragon. Their envoys promised only peace with us, but can we truly trust the word of an infidel? While these promised peace, no less than 4 other infidel nations had sent crusades against us. Our Sultan had cause to bless the general who recommended holding strong in Constantinople, for each crusade got to Bulgaria, saw the size of our army, and sat there quivering in fear.
There was a downside to this. The forces in Constantinople could not be reduced. Indeed, periodically the Byzantine would test our resolve by feigning an attack, then withdrawing when our army moved to defend. The Sultan had planned to withdraw the forces from Spain to solidify the northern front. Word carried from traders warned of a threat far greater than any faced before coming from the east and he refused to be caught unawares again. However, despite the words of peace from the French, the fact remained that they could not be trusted. Those armies would have to remain in Spain. He met with his advisers again. His treasurer pointed out that Egypt was extremely wealthy. Equipping and training another army could be paid for. The Sultan agreed. The largest mobilization in the history of the empire commenced that very year. Scouts estimated the foreign force would arrive in 1230. That gave Egypt eight years to mobilize and deploy an army. The Sultan realized quickly that the navy would be required to transport the army to Georgia. Every costal province in the central empire was devoted to training men for the next six years. Egypt was very nearly bankrupt at this point, the once mighty coffers were emptied, but in the seventh year, the army boarded the waiting dhows and sailed north. 4500 warriors arrived in Georgia that year and took up places along the northern border. All was in readiness.
10000 men poured into Khazar. The fierce eastern warriors called themselves 'Mongols' and they were here to conquer. My children, this tale might have a different end but for the stupidity of one Polish general. Only five years previously the Polish had invaded and taken Khazar. The Polish general, too stupid to count and too proud to flee, tried to hold the fort they had built. The Mongol Khan, incensed at this resistance made the general regret it - before he died. The rest of Poland was made to regret it even more as the Mongols began systematically killing them. The Khan was kept occupied with this war for quite some time, and his 10000 men became scattered.
In the far west, all that was once Spain was ours. Knowing that the French would betray us, we had moved against them quickly, isolating and killing their men. Pleased with his empire, the Sultan ordered the armies to halt. There were only four provinces that led to our lands, all well defended. The Sultan was satisfied with this fact, but he frowned when he considered the seas. Foreign navies still sailed from port to port. If trading ships could sail, why not warships? And so the vast naval cleansing began. Within the space of ten years, every ship that flew a flag that was not Egypt's was boarded and sunk. Some of our brave captains went so far as to sail round the Spanish coast towards the lands controlled by the French. All of the South belonged to the Sultan.
Continuing the line of farsighted Sultans, the current ruler realized that the future required better armament than his warriors were use to. The smiths in the east were skilled at making armour, but the rich iron deposits in the west allowed for much better quality weapons to be made. Our beloved leader ordered construction to begin at once and it was made so. Many, many years passed with little of interest to tell. Oh, among the infidels there were wars, rebellions, betrayal and counter-betrayal, but what do you expect from them? Egypt remained strong. So strong that envy grew among those weaker nations until few didn't stand against us. But we had peace, peace enforced by the sword.
What was surprising was that the peace was not broken from the west, but from the north. The Mongols attacked Georgia. They had 2400 heavy horse against our 4500 warriors. Our general had been training in the south, and had discovered tactics that he thought would work well against the cavalry dominated mongols. Finding a suitable hill, he ringed it with spears and placed heavy arbalesters behind them. The plan worked perfectly. Their horses refused to charge the spears, and after a few abortive attempts, they fled the field leaving behind 300 corpses with bolts in them. The following year, they tried again. This time, the general unleashed the Armenian cavalry against them when they fled. They lost 600 men. They stopped coming.
And that, my children, was the pattern of the following years. Foolish Kings ordered their warriors to dash themselves against our spears. They should have been paying better attention to running their own kingdoms for our scouts noted their lands were full of rebellion and strife. Civilization was breaking down. It is proof that only the glory of Allah can save us in this world.
Our glorious Sultan performed one final task that you must hear. The false dog, the craven, the one they call the 'Pope' was brought to heel. Our best warriors attacked and captured Sicily and proceeded to work their way north. Rome fell, and the Papal States fell shortly after. The South was ours, the north left to stink of rebellions, betrayals and lies.
My children, you know that this is the year 1453. We have gathered here to praise our beloved leader. The glory of the Egyptian empire is known throughout the world. You, my children, are to bear witness to the greatest civilization the world has ever known. Go now. Spread this tale, and in the years to come, think back on this day and remember.
---
Obviously a win by glorius achievement. The closest faction to me was the HRE, at about 3/4th my score. Other than their crusades, I never really fought them, they seemed to be the strongest of the remaining factions - possibly excepting the Mongols. But this game did have the distinction of being the first one I actually finished. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Bh