Whoa! Siege Battles has Great Potential! Wow!

I just fought my best siege battle so far! woot!! Yesterday, I posted about my griped being kicked out of the town by Rebellion and Riots. Here's a little background first:

I have two armies besieging Campus Getae and Campus Scythii. I decided to storm Campus Getae with my main forces since I have overwhelming numbers (or so I thought). After a bloody battle with tenacious defenders (6 star general, with pikemen and 2 archers and a falxmen all veterans and murderous archer towers, I lost 500+ soldiers. I tried to hold on to the province after enslaving the population, but all I could muster even with 750 soldiers and low taxes is 10% public order. Next turn, I was unceremoniously swept out of the city.

Mildl ticked off, I posted here Akka's post
I then picked up where I left off and started the siege again with fresh rebels an 8 turn buffer for them. I waited two turns for my reinforcements and I build two sap points and a ladder. I walls still aren't fixed so there are holes there from the previous siege.

I attacked with the main force with my reinforcement coming from the side. There are two old breach and two new sap points and I have a ladder. I knew I have advantage in numbers but I knew the siege towers were a killer. Thus, I deviced a plan to divide is forces by dividing my forces between the four sap points. I positioned the ladder near the one rampart apart from the left most sap point.

The battle starts and he had a hoplite militia, a falxmen and an archer atop the walls while his general, a pikemen and a dacian falxmen guard the 2 old breach points. I lost 20 Principes to the towers just by climbing the wall. The Ai notices this and send the hoplite to confront. Meanwhile my sappers are hard at work and my reinforcements was trying to run as fast it can to join the fray.

My Principes and Hoplites start fighting as 2 wall sections crumble, one cutting off the archers and the other cutting the falxmen from aiding the hoplites militia from defeat. So far so good!! A couple of archers actually fell to their death when the walls crumbled, an encouraging sight no doubt.

Now, knowing there are no defenders in the new breaches, I rushed my 4 Legionaires quickly and summoned my cavalry from the old breach point as well an early-legionaire (the reinforcement will replace them in the positions). Meanwhile my Principes was beating the hoplites and about to win. The enemy general sees my Legionaires flowing in the hole and he foolishly tried to charge but was easily surrounded and killed! Under fire from archers and tower missiles, I guided them towards the streets away from danger. Seeing advantage, I ordered my generals, the principes atop the wall, the triaarii sapper, and the early-legionaires to follow them from behind! I the falxmen and archers couldn't take it any longer and followed suit

Inside near the huge city square were a missile cavalry and a tough pikemen unit. however, I got the numbers! Back at the breach, another pikemen and falxmen seek to try to help out the soon to be overwhelmed defenders. I charged cavalry vs cavalry and my general joined the attack too. Meanwhile my Legionaires surround the thracian pikemen who are brave and feisty. Back near the courtyard, the falxmen overtook my triarii; I charged and soon they are battling it out. To their left was the other falxmen and archers (the other pikemen was slow to come somehow). I quickly routed the archers with my early cohort and decided to retreat my unit to the alleyway and hold it off.

Outside the alleyway, my other cavalry routed while my general kills off the last of the cavalry. The pikemen fought hard but was eventually overwhelmed! The timer starts ticking. I ordered my cohorts to helpout the early cohort and they did plugged in the alleyway and preventing the falxmen to reach the center square. The pikemen was now behind his back and moved to push my legionaires. At that moment, my Triaarii routed the falxmen (due to their numbers advantage). I ordered them to turn the corner and sandwich the pikemen from behind their back. The enemy routs to the center square, and the timer went off but I slaughtered each and everyone that did. Victory!!!

I recaptured the city!! it's population is now down to ~7000. With the tax break, I was able to push public order to 70%. Now comes the wait if another revolt comes. Whew!! (I got two useless quinquireme from the senate for the mission. Another 420 denari upkeep).

(The siege battles needs to be tinkered a bit:
1) Lose the battletimer.
2) Downgrade the arrow tower killing rate or at least have them disabled if the walls are breached. But wow, imagine the possibilities of a prolonged city fight!!!)

Anyway, I thought I'd share that exhilirating siege. :charge: Woo!!