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And the offensive season is officially open!
I am currently working through a set of regional recommendations for action and will have them up as soon as possible.
Fritz von Kastilien
OOC: My preference in Swabia is for her nobles to wait and try to coordinate an overall strategy. I haven't looked at the save yet, but obviously things just got a lot harder. :sweatdrop:
http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/kotr1370-1.zip
:egypt:
Regional Recommendations
Outremer:
Viceroy Matthias' army is holding the Iron Bridge while he recuperates and heals, and his position appears unthreatened.
Count von Salzgitter has returned to the mainland after securing Cyprus and will be moving north to Adana as soon as possible. This season he rests at Antioch. I will be training spies to send towards Baghdad in the hopes of locating and tracking this newest Mongol threat. Any input from my commanders on the ground is welcome.
Bavaria:
The Siclians have invaded Italy. Perhaps sensing the power gap left in the wake of Prinz Dieter and Duke Steffen's crushing destruction of the Byzantines the Sicilians have landed four well armed and experienced armies of men between Rome and Naples. I advise Duke Steffen to capture Genoa as quickly as he is able and then to march south, by ship if necessary, to attempt to organize a defense of our southern Italian holdings.
Count Erlach's planned attack on Ajaccio will have to wait (Until his player is more active at least) as his aid will undoubtedly be needed in Italy.
Kaiser Peter will trail Lothar Steffen and collect such men as I am able to send to him.
Hermann Steffen could scout the passes around the French army to his north to see if any of the terrain would offer him sufficient advantage to attempt an attack, or he could remain at Marsellies and hold the city. (I don't often fight in that region, but if you think you know a good spot, jump on it. Otherwise, hold tight)
Austria:
Lord Becker I believe you may have sufficient men, including the mercenaries I have added to your force, to attempt to reclaim Prague. Draw freely from the men at Breslau and do not be concerned if it should fall under siege again. Another Franconian, Prinz Dieter, is now in the north, and I shall be asking him to head east and take command of the advance against the Poles. Franconia's debt for your successes, such as they were, in the field will be paid in the form of Teutons from Frankfurt and men at arms from Madgeburg, as training permits. I am quite eager to hear of the fate of that doomed Bohemian mercenary.
Duke Arnold I believe you must head north. Select one of your remaining nobles from Vienna and task them to come back south. I would suggest Jan Zirn as von Hapsburg appears, to my distant eye, to be little more than a dissolute hanger on. You have my sympathies on the unexpected loss of the young Johann Zirn who had the potential to be a promising general.
Franconia:
Before my Chancellorship ends I will sail for Stockholm to crush that last Danish redoubt, no matter if Prince Stenkil finds his courage in the coming season or not.
Prinz Dieter I am training an army for you as fast as I am able, and will be drawing up men from every facility to provide you with the forces to advance in the east against the Poles. If you have specific requests make them known and I will meet them.
Duke Dieter I advise you to coordinate your attack with a sally from Tancred von Tyrolia to crush the Poles, after which I would like for you to march north to challenge the Russians and Poles situated around Stettin. Select good defensive ground and let them come at you as it will be easier than trying to chase down their horse archers.
Swabia:
The situation is complex, but I believe our best course of action is to have Sir de Cervole strike Caen as quickly as possible, and then march south to reinforce Welf von Luxemburg as he attacks the French noble outside the walls of Anger. Before Welf attacks the French outside Anger the spy from Caen should attempt an insertion at Anger and then Count Ruppel should set the siege of that citadel to prevent any of the Frenchmen from retreating within.
If all of those things can be coordinated and victory can be found against Lancelot de Bordeaux then Sir de Cervole's cannon and the two spies will offer an excellent chance for us to capture the crusade target this season. I have purchased all the regional mercenaries into Sir von Luxemburg's army, and, if the other crusaders are willing, I would authorize him to reinforce his army as he wishes from the forces of Count Ruppel and Sir de Cervole after the capture of Caen.
Of course if the three noblemen wish to sort out a different command structure among themselves this would be fine with me so long as the end result is the same, Anger taken. (Please hold off at Anger at least until Tristan can take Caen and reach the walls, then coordinate and communicate amongst yourselves)
Ludwig von Bohmen will continue to hold the bridge at Antwerp unless he has discovered a late desire to join the crusade.
May God grant you all victory! Remember Count Zirn this season men, and be careful.
Fritz von Kastilien
:egypt:
Taking the save.
Lord Chancellor,
It's good to see we are focusing on the job at hand rather than "other" less productive endeavours.
Your recommendation will be put into affect in Austria. I will select someone to head south while I lead the attack on Budapest and Bran. The combination of some professional troops and high quality militia with canon should be enough for me to achieve our objectives.
Duke Arnold
New save is here...
http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/kotr1370-2.rar
Hughes de Cervole :
Chancellier,
I did follow your orders but deviated a bit from them.
I have taken Paris on the way and found that only Captain Ehrart was infected with the plague. He has remained encamped outside the city while his whole company has garrisoned the city.
I have then marched on Caen and I'm pleased to say that King Emery of France and his Satanic followers are now dead.
Caen is ours and manned by the Pavise crossbowmen that surrounded the castle at my arrival.
I'm now ready to march wherever I will be needed. (OOC : I have just taken Hugo and his men out of Caen and they'll be able to be at Angers walls but couldn't reach Ruppel).
The only problem with this is that the bombard that gained us access to Paris cannot reach Angers this season. It has been incorporated into Welf's army but will have to be left behind in order for Welf to advance to Angers.
My force is still in fighting order having lost less than 30 men in all in the two sieges.
According to orders, the places were occupied not looted (though we could have gained 16000 in Paris and 11000 in Caen... I was almost on the brink of doing it, Hugo having the "Looter" trait...)
Battle reports to follow.
[EDIT] The spy Merowinger is also free to join his colleague in Angers to facilitate our entry and would make the bombard unneeded.
Congratulations Sir de Cervole, though I do hope you spoke with your fellow crusaders first? Sir von Luxemburg and Count Ruppel may have substantial difficulty capturing Anger without the men of your command, especially the bombard. (I was still really hoping the French would repair Paris for us before we took it, I left it out of the recommendations and put Erhart's plague men in a nuisance siege on purpose to get the AI's attention. They would've driven off the siege with no trouble.)
Welf von Luxemburg I would like to hear from you if you believe you can defeat the men of Lancelot de Bordeaux near Anger. If you do not believe so hold your ground and I will be able to modestly reinforce you next season.
:egypt:
My men and I are available to join Welf in fighting the French as reinforcements
Alternatively, I think we may be able to take Angers in a joint assault once our spies have opened its gates. The castle garrison is nothing to be afraid of and it would provide a strong point from which to defend against Lancelot's army...
If placed correctly, I think my men may be able to provide to both Ruppel and Welf.
If Ruppel attacked from the western side of the castle, I'm not sure it would drag Lancelot into the fight...
Or Ruppel might go and retrain his men in Caen while Welf lured the French to attack him if he thought he could take them in the field... Thus gaining himself the use of the bombard... and the English crusaders' assistance.
I hope this helps...
Angers will still be there next season and we should be in a better position to take it...
Herrmann Steffen:
As discussed in the Bavarian chambers, I am going to drop the cross and depart Marseille with most forces, save for a skeleton garrison, and assist my fellow Bavarians in the defense of Italy against Sicily.
OOC: Haven't woken up enough to check the save yet, but it's no big deal. The problem with leaving Lancelot there is that he'll go smash against Paris or Caen instead of trying to take Anger from the army we can put in it. I'd prefer that we defeat him while we're still on crusade, but it's all up to the commanders on the ground. I'm really not as bad a micromanager as the recommendation make it sound. :laugh4:
IC: As long as your fellow crusaders are working in coordination with you, Sir de Cervole, I will not attempt to command the situation from afar. You nobles are the generals on the ground and so long as you bring about victory I will not second guess you.
Fritz von Kastilien
:egypt:
I understand your purpose in so doing, Hermann Steffen, although it will cause the disbandment of no few soldiers if the crusade does not complete quickly. My recommendation is that we, to some extent, take advantage of the Pope's distance and graciousness to hire you a crusader cog and sail you, along with one of your companies of men, directly to Rome this very season. Pope Pierus cannot too heavily protest using his resources to save the Holy City, surely. I will train you soldiers to your liking at Palermo and all the southern cities, shipping them to you as possible.
Let me know if this meets with your approval.
Fritz von Kastilien
OOC: It won't happen until the end of the season anyway. TC is welcome to bring any of the crusade units left behind for the siege of Genoa since they'll be evaporating anyway unless we complete the crusade.
:egypt:
Herrmann Steffen:
I have no problem with that.
Welf von Luxemburg:
My Lord Chancellor,
I am afraid coordination is one thing this crusade has so far singularly lacked. The absence of the bombards makes it a matter of chance whether we can take Angers this year. And I confess I do not know if the Pope will still sanction a crusade next year when a new French King is crowned and presumably the faction reconciled.
I would ask Count Ruppel not to take Angers without consulting me first, as I would very much desire to be present at the end. I likewise promise not to move without consulting him first (and to include him in the assault if that is what we decide).
Your humble servant
Welf von Luxemburg
Hughes de Cervole :
Be assured, Welf that I would not have acted so if I did not know the deviousness our spy Merowinger can put to good use to afford you easy access in Angers.
Artillery should be unnecessary unless for taking on Lancelot's army.
The main problem in my opinion is the fact that you are coming from the east, Ruppel from the west and I from the north and I don't know if we could all join in the siege this very season.
Having cut out one head of the chimera has not rooted out all evil and I know for sure that Angers is the main place of the devil-worshippers (OOC : The Crusade is target-locked... I've made a few tests in SP and even killing the Faction Leader and its Heir doesn't reconcile the country, unless you kill the Pope and even then reconciliation is not a given fact...)
So I propose the following plan, here
It will enable all of us to fight under the best conditions though you will surely ahve the main battle to fight.
Welf:
General der Cervole,
Forgive me, but you seem to have proposed several plans - I am unclear as to the one strategy you ultimately favour. I have not yet studied the maps, but if you would indulge me by clarifying your proposal, I would be in your debt.
Yours
Welf
OOC: sorry for being dense. Maybe a screenshot would help? I'll get to the game tonight.
Hughes de Cervole :
Sorry if came unclear but it all depends on what you intend to do and what does Ruppel want to do.
I don't think you should rush to Angers but rather try to gather some more men or retrain yours at Caen or Angers, with the same option for Count Ruppel before we strike together next year.
Now that France has been beheaded, it should give much less of a fight.
If you want to drive Lancelot out of Angers suburbs, then my men and I could serve as reinforcements if you prefer to engage them this very year.
(OOC : I'm going to try and take a screenshot... back shortly)
Hughes de Cervole :
Here are my maps with the positions of the French and how far our Crusading armies will be able to march
Welf :
https://i231.photobucket.com/albums/...Crusade--1.jpg
Hugo
https://i231.photobucket.com/albums/...Crusade--2.jpg
Ehrhart :
https://i231.photobucket.com/albums/...Crusade--3.jpg
OOC: I'll see whether the spy will open the gates of Angers this turn or not. Hopefully he/they will. If that is so, I will then check if Lancelot has the night attack ability, if he does not, Welf and Ruppel can join stacks and attack Angers together. Hugo seems too far to join.
OOC FYI: Hugo and his mercenary cavalry could join the stack, just the rest of his troops couldn't.
:egypt:
Taking the save to see if I want to fight the battle.
Welf:
My Lord Chancellor,
I am grateful to General der Cervole for supplying maps of the situation. I have also had the time to become acquainted with the scene around Angers at first hand. Count Ruppel and I have liased privately about our strategy.
It is our opinion that my force would likely be insufficient to defeat the large French army screening Angers. My army has scarcely any knights, whereas by reports, the French army has scarcely anything else.
Count Ruppel proposes that I skirt round Lancelot's army and join him in a night time assault on the Citadel. I am a little concerned that this plan will lead to a repeat of Dijon, with Swabia's generals trapped in a settlement. However, the defences of the citadel should all us to even the odds a little when the French do press the issue. They would also buy us time to train the heavy infantry and heavy cavalry from Caen that we desperately need to fight the French on something approaching an even footing.
On those grounds, I authorise Count Ruppel to detach any units from my force that he thinks necessary to join him in taking the walls. I will personally accompany those units and serve under him in the attack. I recommend that General der Cervole also be included in the assault, as I infer from his comments that he would desire to be present when the crusade comes to a successful conclusion.
I fear taking Angers will be the easy part, but one step at a time...
Your humble servant,
Welf
Taking the save then.
Crusade is successful.
Save: http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/kotr1370-3.zip
Images:
Congratulations on the successful conclusion of the crusade gentlemen! I don't suppose you sent Hermann on his trip first? :oops:
Fritz von Kastilien
:egypt:
Taking the save to assault Genoa. Hermann will not be able to make it.
Didn't move any unit except Swabian ones. Was I supposed to?Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramses II CP
OOC: Nah, if I'd been paying attention I would've asked one of you guys to do it, but I was asleep at the wheel. :laugh4:
:egypt:
Genoa has been reclaimed for Bavaria. Count Erlach was with me when the city fell and I know he is overjoyed to be one of the first inside its walls. I fear that I must report that these Frenchmen have made a deal with the devil. My strategy and tactical deployment were perfect, yet they simply refused to fall or break. I have never seen a foe fight so fiercely, despite being completely outmaneuvered. If there is any doubt as to Beelzebub's intervention on their behalf, one need only refer to the the Bavarian casualty report:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/kotr1370-4.zip
My men were greatly cheered by the victory and in the celebrations afterwards there was some discussion about giving me yet another nickname. At first, Lothar the Infantryman seemed to get passed around. However, some drunken lout must have decided a more humorous sobriquet was in order. Apparently I am now known as Lothar the Honorable. I am sure my old friend Arnold will be greatly amused to hear that.
Chancellor, having analysed the situation in Prague I must say that it is impossible to take the city with the forces at my disposal. I cannot achieve superiority in a ranged confrontation, and if I were to attempt to decide the battle in a melee my men would have an extremely difficult time defeating. I request reinforcements in the form of Spear Militia from Nuremburg or Breslau. Regardless, I shall besiege my beloved with all the forces in my theater with the hopes of whittling down the enemy within.
Lord Becker draw every man from Nuremburg that could aid you if you can thus proceed with your attack this season. If there are men at Breslau that can reach the walls use them as well. Also there is one more company of mercenary spearmen available near Prague if they would be of use.
I greatly fear for how the Poles may have treated our citizens.
Fritz von Kastilien
:egypt:
I know how the Poles treat their new subjects. Upon my previous defeat, I knew what fate awaited my city. I only hope I was able to steel myself well enough to withstand seeing Prague in it's current state.
By your leave, I go now to reclaim Prague.