BC: Armenian PBM Writeup Thread

[Zim]

1174 was an important year for the fledgling Kingdom of Armenia. The ancient Kingdom of Armenia in the Caucausus had been wiped from the map many years before, but this new one had been born of migrations south to Silicia. Although long dominated by foreign rulers, most recently the Muslim Emir Mleh, the new Silician Kingdom of Armenia had managed to win its freedom through force of arms. Even now an army under Avag Sepuh Levon was marching to Vahka to defeat finally capture Mleh, the last vestige of the Kingdom's former subordinate status.

Mleh's army was small but experienced, and he was a great leader, and while Vahka hardly deserved the name castle its walls were fortified enough to make the assault difficult.

https://img254.imageshack.us/img254/11/image007an3.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

Heavily armed mercenaries from Venice and fierce men from the nearby mountains wielding axes formed the vanguard of the assault, distracting the Muslim forces to the left of the gate. Meanwhile spearmen climbed ladders on the other side of the walls. These men distracted the enemy infantry while cavalry poured in through the gate, opened by a sympathetic Christian from the town around the castle.

https://img187.imageshack.us/img187/1786/image008to4.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

Levon and his bodyguards charged castle town's center, guarded by fast but light missile cavalry. Unable to take advantage of their mibility in the town's streets, they were easily slaughtered and Mleh himself fell to Levon's sword. Meanwhile, the enemies heavy infantry, consisting of Saracen Swordsmen in chainmail, were pinned between a unit of Armenian spearmen and Cavalry armed with javelins. Once they expended their ammo, the cavalry charged the rear of the Saracen unit. SHortly after, they routed and were captured.

https://img253.imageshack.us/img253/4205/image010ok4.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

https://img410.imageshack.us/img410/513/image011ea6.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

https://img444.imageshack.us/img444/1747/image015le3.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

The next years were peaceful. Trade was established with the Sultanate of Rum and Kingdom fo Jerusalem, and alliances with Georgia and the Eastern Roman Empire. The size of the Kingdom of Armenia would remain fairly stable for most of the decade, with only the the rebel held town of Famagusta in Cyprus added. This town would quickly become one of Armenia's main trading centers.

By 1184 Armenia had established itself as a power in the region, with five settlements and a reasonably sized army. Nothing but peace and prosperity was expected for future years, but fate would not always be kind to the small nation.

[Ramses II CP]

Launch of the Armenian Empire, 1184.

It was an auspicious year for Armenia. The Crusaders and their Kingdom of Jerusalem had been recently turned back from an attempt to capture Antioch, and the Armenian King saw a great opportunity to expand his power which should not be passed up lightly. With this in mind he ordered his diplomats to sign an alliance treaty with the Catholics and marched with an army to lay siege to Antioch before the rebel commander in that city could draw up more men for his garrison. The siege was not planned, so it would be a long time in reaching it's conclusion.

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1185 would see the passage of a substantial Turkish army through Armenian lands, without permission. The Turks took for granted that Takavor Rueben could not stop them, and so they did not bother to inform him of their intentions. With the goal of putting an end to this sort of interference the Takavor commanded forts built in the high passes west of Tarsus.

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Funding was a constant problem in Armenia, so a merchant class was founded and three new merchants were trained to attempt to bring economic prosperity to the kingdom. One of them lost his business immediately to an Islamic competitor at Aleppo, but his fellow quickly avenged him. Unfortunately an Armenian agent who was attempting to infiltrate Aleppo was lost, and the mighty rebel army outside that fort no doubt suspected the Takavor, but declined to march south to attack him in siege of Antioch.

Before the close of the year a treaty of alliance was concluded with the distant Orthodox people of Makuria. This pairing did not please the Ayyubids, who were already on poor terms with Armenia, but it was a necessary gathering of power against the inevitable future war in the Levant.

Alas, the Armenian fleet, seeking to discover what forces held Rhodes, was destroyed in battle with some rebels near that castle.

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1186 brought the dark news of an alliance between the Ayyubid Sultanate and the Abbasid Caliphate, as well as the launch of a war by the Caliph's armies against the Turks. If the Caliph were looking to extend his power west the Armenian grip on Antioch would be threatened from both sides.

1187 saw the entry of Armenia's close ally, the Eastern Roman Empire, into the war against the Turks and the death of an Armenian spy who was gathering information from a Turkish city north of our border. War loomed, and more spies were ordered trained, along with what few soldiers could be afforded. Fortunately at Antioch the siege was brought to a peaceful conclusion with the surrender of the rebel commander and the occupation of the city by Takavor Rueben. Immediately the Explorer's Guild came to ask permission to establish a Guild House, which was granted.

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The slave trade near Aleppo saw incessant combat among the merchants, with our experienced man bringing home many victories, but his less skilled partners frequently falling victim. A far roaming diplomat concluded an alliance deal with the Malikate of Sindh.

In 1188 word arrived out of the east of the Muslim capture of Delhi, accounted by some the heart of fabled India. To the north our other Orthodox brethern, the Kingdom of Georgia, had entered the war against the Turkish Sultanate, which was now beset on all sides except the south, where our Kingdom lies. Mere days after word arrived of the attack of the Georgians a Roman diplomat arrived with word that his Empire would pay a prize for our own entry into the war, and agree to mutual military access. The Takavor agreed, and sent his armies on the march.

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The Turkish fort at Seleukeia was first to come under attack by our forces, where, after a brief siege, the Takavor takes personal command of the assault. After butchering half the garrison the rest surrender, and the fort is taken for Armenia without casualties!

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Relations with the Great Seljuks, allies of the Turks, fall on the news, but the Takavor considers this irrelevant. He marches north with most of the army to lay siege to Karaman, noting that the Romans hold siege at Konya and Ankara. All of western Turkey is under heavy threat.

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After consultation with his maps and economic advisors the Takavor orders Hetum Sasunitsi to hire on a collection of mercenaries and march to the bridge west of Kayseri. The Armenian general will not be able to threaten the city, but he can force any attempt to reinforce western Turkey to make a deadly bridge assault first.

1189 brings the expected war with the Ayyubids, as their fleet blockades our port at Cyprus. Fortunately the noble council had just commissioned the construction of a pair of ships and the enemy fleet was easily sent to the bottom.

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The Ayyubids have driven off the large rebel army near Aleppo, and stand ready to lay siege there. With war threatening on every side of Armenia the Takavor orders forts built north of Vakha and east of Adana to secure the Silician homelands.

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Feeling relatively certain of the security of his homelands, Takavor Rueben then proceeds with his assault against Karaman, which is defended by Sultan Kilij Arslan himself.

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On the west side of the castle archers and crossbowmen with ladders are positioned, ready to launch an attack if the enemy should expose a weakness there. At the main gate to the south javelinmen push up a ram and set to work.

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Once the gate had been battered aside the enemy withdrew his men from the gateway and attempted to retreat to the square. Takavor Rueben gave pursuit personally, and rode down the Turkish infantry.

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To the west the Armenian archers advanced on the walls and erected their ladders against no resistance. When the Sultan realized he was surrendering the walls overlooking the very square he was defending he sent more of his infantry to try to retake them. The Turkish soldiers never made it to the wall.

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The last man from the enemy infantry was pincushioned as he fled desperately for the paltry cover of the square. Only the Sultan's guard remained.

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The man was no coward, and he could see the certainty of his death. Rather than wait for it to come for him, he rode out and attacked. The Armenian spearmen, still setting their lines in no real haste, were caught completely unprepared and died by the dozens.

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Takavor Rueben, seeing the slaughter of his soldiers taking place, rushed to their aid and began seeking combat with the Sultan. The battle would not be a lengthy one, and the dispirited Sultan was soon dispatched. As soon as their leader fell the Sultan's guardsmen lost heart and surrendered their weapons.

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Karaman was occupied, and the Takavor immediately rode out to confront the small Turkish army which had sought, and failed, to reinforce the castle. The battle was of little consequence, and the prisoners were ransomed back to the Turk.

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Riding west to see if the Romans required aid at Konya the Takavor was shocked and surprised to see that they had been defeated, and the Turks were free of siege behind the Armenian lines. The Armenian army had no choice but to take what soldiers could be spared and place the city under siege themselves.

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Later in the year more bad news arrived, as the Kingdom of Georgia reported that they were under attack by the Kypchaks, and the King of Jerusalem that they were at war with the Ayyubids. Christianity itself appeared threatened in Anatolia and the Levant. There was some good news, however, as the Abbasids paid a substantial force of Turks near the city of Kayseri to give up their loyalty to the new Sultan and serve the Caliph. A second Turkish army had thrown off their vows entirely and declared themselves rebels. The Armenian army holding the bridge on the eastern edge of our new holdings would have an easier job now.

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Takavor Rueben commands that an emissary be sent to the Ayyubids to offer them a ceasefire, now that their fleet has been sunk, including the promise of a small prize of coin. The offer is rejected, rudely, and will not be repeated. A fresh Armenian spy makes his way into the castle at Aleppo, and reports that he will likely be able to open the gates in the event of an attack. At Konya King Rueben leads an assault against the freshly crowned Turkish Sultan.

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Armenian soldiers take up positions on three sides of the city, pushing forward rams on two and several ladder teams on the third. Both rams make it to the gates.

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Meanwhile the ladder teams isolate a company of Turkish bowmen and climb the walls on both sides of them. Those men are quickly surrounded and routed, leaving the walls in Armenian hands.

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The main gate is thrown down in ruin, and axemen rush into the city, pinning a company of enemy spearmen who can do little to resist them. Takavor Rueben then rides into the city past the floundering spearmen, and strikes directly for the nearest company of Turkish heavy infantry.

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This draws the Turkish Sultan out of the square, where he had been cowering. A long, uncompromising melee breaks out between the gathered might of Armenia and Turkey, while the square is captured behind the battle. Many of the King's own men are killed fighting their way to the Sultan, but the battle comes to an end with the enemy leader bleeding out his life into the dust.

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After the battle Takavor Rueben rides through the streets of the city, inspecting the populace, and the Armenians get many angry, hateful looks from the fierce Turkish peasants. Nearly nine of every ten men are Muslims, and they will not look kindly on Orthodox control of their city. Meanwhile the enemy's armies may advance out of the east, force the bridge, and roll back every advantage we have won. There is no choice but to sack the city to enforce discipline and create a proper understanding of the peasant's place in the new order. (Note the red face. I would've had to keep a large garrison, which I couldn't afford.)

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(Busy year, continued soon)

:egypt:

[Ramses II CP]

The Growth of Greater Armenia, 1189

If the Ayybids will not have peace, they will have a true war. The Takavor sends our ships south to blockade their ports at Gaza and Damyut. He also sent Gosdantin, commander of the garrison of Antioch, to claim Aleppo and secure our eastern border with a castle. The spy was able to open the gates, and so Gosdantin assaulted immediately.

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While the rebels faced Godsdantin's personal guard and most of his army he slipped some of the mercenary cavalry into the castle via the west gate.

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Those men rode immediately to the square and invited the enemy to attack them. While the rebels were attempting to withdraw from the walls by the south gate Gosdantin rode forward quickly, and pinned the enemy commander at the gate. His infantry slowly struggled their way, under constant fire, back to the square and set about trying to fight their way through the mercenaries there.

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The slaughter was very great, as the experienced rebel soldiers were simply outmanueverd and never stood a chance. They were able to inflict heavy losses on some of the mercenary companies but eventually the castle was occupied in the name of Armenia.

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Near Ankara our Roman allies call some of our men to aid them in battle, and though our support is hardly needed, we provide it graciously.

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1190 is a year of disaster and reversal in the east, as the Ayyubids and Abbasids combine to attack our quickly growing holdings in the northern Levant. Aleppo is besieged by the Abbasids, and Antioch by the Ayyubids. The Ayyubids have also besieged the easternmost fort which guards the approaches into Silicia.

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It is a dark day when the Takavor hears of this, and he spends many hours in council with his wisest advisors seeking a course to victory. In the end he decides there is no choice but to surrender Aleppo to the Abbasids in exchange for a peace treaty, which will allow Gosdantin to use the men from Aleppo's garrison to pin the Ayyubid forces at Antioch.

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With any luck the Ayyubids will consider it a betrayal on the part of the Abbasids and their alliance will come to an end. In any case the siege of Antioch must first be lifted. Captain Minas comes against the Ayyubid rear, which they believed to be secured by their siege of our fort.

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The Muslims are shocked, but not stupid. They can see that if Captain Minas is overwhelmed before Gosdantin can get his men out of Antioch and into the field that they will, at worst, be able to retreat and link back up with the Ayyubid armies near Aleppo and Silicia. They launch a desperate, full fledged attack at the Armenians holding the end of the bridge.

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Under heavy fire they fight like devils and are moments from shattering the encircling forces of Captain Minas, who was forced to add his crossbowmen and horse archers to the melee, when Gosdantin arrives to makes his attack against the Ayyubid rear.

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Captain Mahmoud is killed by Gosdantin's guards before his army fully comes to grips with their situation. Chaos overtakes the Ayyubids, as some of them flee, a few of them continue to press Captain Minas, and most of them turn to pursue Gosdantin as he withdraws back across the bridge.

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Gosdantin's infantry and archers are all in position now, so the bridge is capped at both ends. The majority of the Ayyubid cavalry is dead, and over half of their infantry are charging back across the bridge they just crossed, once again under a heavy barrage of fire. When they reach the far end and find it held by braced spearmen they begin to break and surrender.

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Few prisoners would be taken. Gosdantin's order was to give them a tale to take back to their homelands, and so most of the work was left to the archers. At either end of the bridge the dead were piled high, and nearly all of them wore Ayyubid uniforms.

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Captain Minas and all of fellow Turkopole mercenaries were dead, but the Italian mercenary crossbowmen had stood up to the bloody melee astonishingly well. Gosdantin gave them a commendation and a pay bonus for their valor.

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To the north, at the fort, Avag Sepuh Levon left the fort at Vakha with three companies of axemen and rode to drive back the Ayyubids at the borders of Silicia.

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The Ayyubids, having recently gotten word of the horrific defeat of their fellows at Antioch, routed almost on contact.

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Few would escape, and the battle was quickly won. Ransom on the prisoners was rejected.

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On the Turkish front Takavor Rueben had delayed his attack until he was certain of the good news at Antioch. In exchange for our previous aid the Roman Prince, Theophilos, had agreed to assist us with the assault on Ankara.

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Inside the castle Ekmel al Zahiri's forces were in disarray. They surely had not expected so quick an assault with so little siege equipment prepared, and the arrival of the Romans had forced al Zahiri to spread his men out thinly along the walls. As a result a lightning ladder attack was able to reach the walls nearly unopposed.

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Very quickly those men captured the gatehouse, and threw wide the gates.

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Armenian cavalry poured into the castle, causing further chaos among the Turkish soldiers. Their infantry scattered hither and thither, effectively doing nothing, while their cavalry engaged in a losing battle with the larger quantity of Armenian mounted men.

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The arrival of the Romans ended the effective resistance of the Turks except for al Zahiri and his guards. They would not surrender until they were completely surrounded, and the square was captured.

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Anakara was occupied, and all of western Turkey was now in Armenian hands. The Romans, despite perfect relations and aid in the field of battle, must be scorchingly envious of the Takavor's success.

Unfortunately the Kingdom of Georgia, our dear allies, were forced to conclude a peace treaty with the Turks due to heavy pressure on their north and east by the Kypchaks and Seljuks respectively. The Georgians were closed mouted, but merchants and emissaries reported them hard hit and barely hanging on.

A small force is sent out under an ambitious captain to the Ayyubid city east of Antioch, Hama, and sets a siege.

1191 starts with Takavor Rueben laying siege to the small Turkish town of Kirsehir. In the east Avag Sepuh Levon marches out to take command of the army at Hama, and assaults the overmatched local garrison quickly.

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The city is put to the sword to as a reprisal for the Ayyubid attacks, but no attempt is made to hold it.

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On the Turkish front the Sultanate at last clears away the rebels and Abbasid turncoats from the region of Kayseri. They are now prepared to assault Hetum Sasuntsi at the bridge west of Kayseri. He is the lynchpin preserving the entire weakly held zone of Armenian conquest to his west, and he is facing an army more than twice the size of his own. If he falls the Turkish tide may lap all the way west to Konya, and all these years of war may have been for naught.

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The Turkish assault is unsubtle. Their cavalry and infantry march straight forward through the hail of arrows into the massed spears of the Armenian formation.

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The Armenians bend, but a weak company of Turkish infantry is the first to break.

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Still the Turks press on, inflicting great losses on the Armenian cap at the bridge. Mercenary archers are sent into melee to reinforce the left flank of the Armenians.

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It isn't enough. The Turkish general devotes his efforts to breaking the Armenian's left flank. Hetum calls forward his cavalry, and launches his own guardsmen into the fight to try to hold his left.

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The captain of the Turk's reinforcements falls to Hetum's guard, which dismays the enemy, but they still do not flee. Hetum's infantry are all weary, and their lines have flexed as far as they can without snapping.

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With the battle hanging desperately in the balance Janbulat al-Abbas shifts his efforts and breaks through the center of the Armenian line. One company of Armenian infantry turns to flee, and al-Abbas gives chase, pursued himself by the remaining Armenian heavy cavalry contingent.

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It is a horrific mistake. The now leaderless Turks at the bridge see their general riding away from their desperate battle for survival. Within minutes they rout under the constant pressure from Hetum's guardsmen. Hetum sends his remaining mercenary horse archers in pursuit and turns to deal with al-Abbas personally.

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Looking around for the rest of his soldiers, whom he expects to be following him in pursuit of the fleeing Armenians, al-Abbas is shocked to discover Hetum Sasuntsi bearing down on him. A sword takes him in the gut before he can even raise his own in defense, and the general of the mightiest western Turkish army remaining falls in a heap.

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Very few of the hundreds who fled the bridge escape. The prisoners are offered for ransom, and for once the Turkish Sultan accepts. Perhaps he realized that without those demoralized, beaten men he would have no significant forces remaining in all the west of his lands. In any case the Takavor is pleased to have the two thousand florins from the Turks, and is even more pleased with the knowledge that their western army has been destroyed.

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:egypt:

[Ramses II CP]

The Two Front War, 1191

After our raid on Hama left it damaged and without a garrison the Ayyubids quickly sent a force to reclaim the city and began rebuilding. Takavor Rueben was pleased with this result, it meant that in another year or two the city could be raided again for wealth. Meanwhile, on the Turkish front, the Takavor moved forward with his attack at Kirsehir, where another freshly crowned Sultan was in command.

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As the Armenian rams approached the thin wooden palisade fanatical Ghazis rushed out to attack them. Two of the rams proceeded with their attack, but the third stopped to pin the Ghazis. Mounted archers then made a crushing charge against their rear, breaking them.

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The remnants were pursued back to the town square, where the new Sultan awaited. Here Takavor Rueben's reputation as an honorable ruler benefitted his men greatly, as the Sultan agreed to meet and negotiate with our King. While the soldiers stood by with weapons drawn, outnumbering the Sultan's guard by several hundred, the Sultan himself conducted a haughty negotiation with Takavor Rueben. It seemed the Sultan had grown up in this region, and greatly desired to preserve his home town from the fate suffered by Konya. Takavor Rueben could see the wisdom in this course. In the end the man, no longer a Sultan, knelt before the Takavor and swore to go into exile and trouble Armenia no more. Takavor Rueben let him go and peacefully occupied the town. Only after the talks were over did the Takavor reveal that he had been badly injured in the fighting, and was clinging to conciousness the whole time.

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Despite this his army then marched directly to the walls of the Turkish capital at Kayseri. The city had been reinforced so that the two forces were nearly equal in number, but the Armenian men were more experienced. An Armenian agent in northern Turkey reported that an entire army of Romans had rebelled against their ruler and were holed up in the hills. Takavor Rueben sent for fresh nobles from Armenia to relieve him of command and allow him time to recuperate in his old age.

In 1192 the Turks inside Kayseri drew up every man capable of holding a sword and placed him on the walls, almost doubling the effective size of their force, though greatly diluting it's experience. The Takavor decided to hold them under siege for a time rather than to attempt an assault against such numbers. (Garrison script accounted for the last 8 companies of men.)

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Hama was besieged again, and a young commander from Vakha named Yeranors Tzopats attempted to run the gamut of Turkish armies through their remaining territories to reach Kayseri and aid the King. Though he was attacked twice both times he managed to escape through expert riding.

The winter brought black news out of the north, as the Abbasids entered the seemingly hopeless war against our Georgian allies. Still they would accept no aid and refused to exchange maps with our own Kingdom, so we stayed out of their affairs. Hama is sacked again, against minimal resistance, and once again it is not held. A small battle takes place near there, resulting in the death of an over anxious Ayyubid general.

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At the start of 1193 the city of Tarsus accepts an offer from the Theives' Guild. In exchange for the construction of a guild house they will police their own and reduce corruption, an offer which can hardly be refused. In northern Turkey the Romans ask the aid of a small Armenian army as they make their attack on the city of Amasia, and we agree.

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Little help was needed, but the Turks do agree to pay a small sum as ransom for the men captured in the attack. As winter comes the Takavor decides that the city of Hama is unlikely to be retaken by the Ayyubids, and instead offers to let the Roman Empire garrison it. His hope is that the Romans will be drawn into the war against the Ayyubids. Their emissary accepts the gift, and sends a small force to garrison the town.

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Two more cooperative battles take place near Amasia to clear off the Turks near that now Roman city, and relations with the ERE are perfect as the Turks retreat time and time again.

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A pair of Abbasid assassins are spotted creeping into Turkish lands. The Takavor orders more spies trained to keep watch for such agents of darkness. At Homs, beyond Hama, the army of Antioch marches south again to attack the Ayyubids.

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On the Turkish front Takavor Rueben holds a ceremony to declare Yeranors Tzopats the new Master of Horse for Armenia, and then the Takavor retires to a quiet life behind the lines. His wounds would not actually prevent him from commanding men, but considering his advanced age it was time to pass the torch to the next generation. Yeranors, having been substantially reinforced, immediately orders the assault on Kayseri to go forward against yet another freshly crowned Turkish Sultan.

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All three sides of the city are under attack, with a smaller force including a ram and two ladder teams to the south, a medium sized force of two siege towers and a ram at the main, western gate, and a large army with many ladder teams and a ram moving against the north gate.

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In the north the ladder teams isolate two small companies of Turks to overcome, and scale the ladder to attack while the ram moves into position.

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In the south the ladder teams are only a distraction to prevent the long range Turkish bowmen from burning the ram in use there. The teams are not expected to capture the walls, but have orders to tie up the defenders as long as possible. At the western gate the siege towers and ram reach their positions simultaneously, a testament to young Yeranors' skill as a commander.

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The fighting on the north walls is favorable, and soon the two smaller Turkish forces are in flight, but several larger groups of Turks have arrived to reinforce them. The Armenian mercenaries now own the walls and must fight to defend them. To the south the enemy has sallied Ghazis to attack the crew of the ram. Yeranors rides hard to reinforce them, and is met by a company of mounted Turks. the fight is fierce, and the infantry on both sides sustains heavy casualties.

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The siege towers take the walls at the western gate against no opposition, but rather than attack immediately they wait for the gate to fall before marching down. At the south gate Yeranors has called up his reserve, two companies of axemen, and is pressing hard against the Turkish reinforcements, more Ghazis.

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Fighting on the north walls is uncompromising. Weary Armenians hirelings are holding back the tide of Turkish spearmen and light infantry, but their grip is increasingly tenuous. They need the gates to fall so that the pressure against them can be lifted before more substantial enemy reinforcements attack them on the other side.

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At last the Turks are cleared away from the south gate as a single Muslim cavalryman rides away to carry news of the fall of the southern walls. Yeranors rides into the city triumphantly, bringing his axemen behind him.

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Unfortunately the spearmen who held the attention of the Turkish bowmen long enough to allow the south gate to fall have now been driven off, and Armenian soldiers flee the field in shame. The southeastern stretch of the city is ours from the gate down, but the southwest quadrant is still held against us.

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The north gate falls at last! The axemen who crewed the ram rush into the city to reinforce the hardy mercenaries who are still holding their ground on the northerwestern walls. Taking the Turkish light infantry from behind, they begin to carve a bloody path to their allies.

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The main gate has been thrown down as well, and the two companies of axemen rush down on the Sultan's guard, aided by Yeranors' second in command and a company of horse archers. The Sultan can see that he is losing his grip on the city, and he orders desperate measures. His ballista fires into the melee directly in front of the Sultan himself, striking one of his own guards and doing no harm to our men.

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On the south side of the city the Turkish infantry have poured down from the walls and are fighting a desperate battle against Yeranors and his axemen. They are joined by the final Turkish reserve, more Ghazis, who block the streets to the square. The enemy there is starting to waver, however, as the superior numbers of Armenian axemen inflict heavy losses. At the western gate the Sultan's guard has been driven back several yards, and few of them remain ahorse. Their infantry is lost, and the Sultan is surrounded. At last a mercenary's sword takes him in the throat, and another Turkish King falls to an Armenian blade.

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Now the enemy breaks, their will sapped by the loss of their commander. In the south and the north the few foot Turks who still struggled to resist our advance throw down their swords and attempt to flee to the square.

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None of them would make it. Every Turk in the city was put to death, and the city itself was put to the sword, earning almost twelve thousand in coin for the Empire of Armenia.

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(Quite an impressive defense by the AI. It managed to hold on at all three sides long enough to inflict almost equal losses on my army. A very fun battle!)

(The end of my reign)

:egypt: