The Immortal and Unbribable Last Man Standing...

I started a new High Byzantine Campaign a few days ago. Progress on it has been slow, but I have retaken all the original Byzantine lands except for, you guessed it, Constantinople. Why? Because there's a single man camping in that fortress. He can't be sieged out and he costs 2252 Florins to bribe out.

I can't give it up or the Huns or Italians will probably take it. Even if I do, I have to take it with that unit of Naptha you get in the begining or he'll just run back to his fortress to do God knows what to kill time.

I can't bribe him because I'm building Trebizond Archers and Byzantine Infantry with Merc Italians to hold the Horde. It gets annoying you have to wait for the timer to run out when you're fighting them. I have adopted a new tactic of sitting on a hill and rotating 10+ units of archers to destroy the Mongols through attrition.

I don't want to expand into French Crusader Egypt because of the Mongol threat. I don't have trade because setting up trade isn't viable with just Anatolia, Rhodes, Lesser Armenia, Trebizond, and Georgia.

I can't assassinate him because he's in the castle.

Anyone have any ideas? Right now, since I prefer bribing to save buildings, I'm trying to capture the Khan since sooner or later he'll try and take Georgia personally.

Got any high-valor spies?

Apparently they can be used to unlock the doors of an enemy castle, thus giving you victory without even having to fight a battle. I don't think I've ever seen this actually work though.

I have had it work a few times, but its not a common occurance.

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Originally Posted by antisocialmunky

I can't assassinate him because he's in the castle.

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Uh, you should be able to assassinate him. I once beseiged a castle held by just 3 men, and it would have stood indefinitely. So I sent in a couple of my guys to stalk around the castle and kill them; worked like a charm. ~:cool:

Ummm....

It's a full unit....

Only a spy can get it, without soldier casualties....

I thought that after time even garrisons which had to be attacked died of starvation. It takes about 20 years but in the end it does starve.

I dont see why you cant spare some troops to storm the fortress? even a modest force could storm such a lightly defended fortress, its worth the cost, Constantinople is worth it, you simply have to take it at all costs.

However you didnt mention Nicaea, so do you even have nicaea? if you dont then it has to be taken or troops taken around via a small fleet, without Constantinople the remnants of the high period Byzantine Empire is highly unlikely to survive.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by antisocialmunky

.... Why? Because there's a single man camping in that fortress. He can't be sieged out and he costs 2252 Florins to bribe out.

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You can use assassins on besieged units - one assassin and you get the province with all the goodies. Also, spies do work - just keep trying. Finally, 2252F doesn't sound like much for Constantanople....

Storming a fortress would be costly, it has all its defences even if there's only one man in it.

Have you loaded VI? I seem to remember before VI if you autocalced a castle assault the computer forgot about all the castle defences.

Still, look on the bright side, there is an epic legend in the making here isn't there, the lone defender of Constantinople holding out against your hordes. I think you should bribe him just to have such a famous person on your side...

Why don't you abandon the province, and send in a very small unit to kill him in battle. Or else, eventually, he'll starve.

I'm only getting about 1000 per turn because I'm keeping the Mongols out of Georgia, when they finally die, I'll get some cash from disbanding the Italian Mercs. And yes, I have Nicea. I think I'll just autocalc it with a single unit of Byzantine Infantry.

The problem with getting spies or assassins is that I don't think I have the infrastructure. I've bribed him 10+ times already, he's a lone 0 star guy with a honorable man trait. It doesn't make sense he costs 2000+.

I have a plan...

Withdraw out of your border provinces next to the mongols, leaving one insiginificant unit behind in each to hold garrison when the mongols invade and an offensive army with a good general in a province borderring all of the provinces from whence you withdrew.

Send the units you think you can spare West into Greece and Wallachia or whatever is next to constantinople (wasn't vlad the impaler from wallachia?), a proper invasion to conquer and hold the 2 provinces. Then withdraw from constantinople and attack with 1 prince. The lone man will foolishly walk out to greet him in battle and if your prince kills this lone guy then he can simply walk through the gates and be greeted by the cheers of the 35000 or so inhabitants.

I have nothing to add about Clint Eastwood there but about the Horde:

Arbelasters, about eight units, protected with Kats and Alegion. It works like a charm.

Look out - occasionally I've ended up with a loyalist rebellion when I tried the "withdraw and coax him out" move.

I don't really need any tips against the mongols as I've killed about 4000 Mongols, mostly their Heavy Calvary and Footsoldiers(they don't have any left on borders with me).

I just autocalced and lost 39 guys to 1 man.

Which type of unit is holding the fortress?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by antisocialmunky

I just autocalced and lost 39 guys to 1 man.

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Yeesh! What is he, a 6-valour huscarle or something??

A Order Foot Soldier or Chivalric Seargent.

Ive always stormed Constantinople in the high period, it costs you men yes but the revenue brought in can replace them and stabilize your economy. Use your Emperor and his princes to lead the assault and they take much of the damage.

I take Constantinople within 2 or 3 turns then move on.

:-\ I don't like to storm Constantinople since you risk losing the fortress. Which is bad... really, bad.

Can't you bring just 1 unit of HA to the field against them? or maybe just 1 unit of archers to rain on them.