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It is God's Will! I am afraid prince Guido is still under 16, which would prevent him from taking part in the attack, but there are plenty of enemies to Christianity, so he shall probably have an opportunity to distinguish himself in battle. Prince Pietro however will join you, but will be under your command.
Dear nobles of Genoa, today I received a messenger from his majesty with great news! Under Consul Gregorio, our armies marched in the name of the Lord and dealt the enemy of the Church a crushing blow! 240 of our enemies lie dead, and another 208 have been captured and ransomed for 332 florints.
The victory came at a cost, however, as 161 of our warriors lost their lives in the name our Lord.
https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l...g?t=1176573591
In the meantime, our cowardly allies did not support our relief effort in Venice, and our general there decided to retreat instead of facing great odds. Don de Tankerville fought bravely with his few men, but after losing more than half of them was forced to retreat back into the keep. This fight was not in vain, as the Germans still need to capture Venice before they can attack us in Tuscany, and our attempt to help an ally was noticed by other monarchs, who now all have greater respect for Consul Gregorio and Genoa. Here is a glance at what remains of our army in the Provence.
https://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l...g?t=1176574220
Those of the Germans, that managed to escape behind the stockade of Marseille are currently besieged and will last only a year, as their provisions are running out. Among them is the Duke of Austria, one of the last loyal Imperial generals.
https://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l...leGarrison.jpg
It will be up to our Consul to decide whether to storm the fort or wait for its garrison to starve, which will not be long. Unfortunately, our invasion could not prevent the Emperor's governor in Marseille from finishing and launching a fleet of barques, now in the Ligurian. This fleet is menacing our trading vessels and we need to sink it as soon as we can. We have three fleets in the Ligurian, two of dromons and one of galleys. I need to give our admiral orders - should he combine his fleets into one armada and attack, or should he keep them separate and attack in turns with each one?
Here are some other matters that need to be decided. How are we to divide the ransom for the captured men, and which house should get the Provence? Here is a picture of our economic situation:
https://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l...conomy1102.jpg
We also need to think of what further steps are we to take in the war against the Empire. Do we ask for a cease-fire once we subdue all resistance in the Provence, or do we continue to build up our military and strike on Savoy? Do we send another force to relieve Venice, or do we wait for the keep there to fall in several years and then muster a force to invade the city and claim it for ourselves? We need to consider all of our options carefully as our forces are small and we can easily overextend ourselves, and at the same time we should not miss opportunities to add provinces we consider homelands to our Republic.
Whatever we decide, with God's blessing and commanders such as Consul Gregorio, we are sure to have a bright future ahead of us!
Congratulations to our brave Consul! You have managed not only to defeat our enemy, but also to preserve a very large portion of your army. I look forward to hearing the details of the battle.
Is there any chance of a couterattack by the HRE attempting to relieve the seige? If so, do you have sufficient forces on hand to defend against such an attack?
The Chancellor has raised a good question about the distribution of proceeds from ransoms. I respectfully suggest that all funds from ransoms be presented to the Consul. These funds could be used to rearm the royal bodyguards of his princes, or they could be used in any other way he sees fit.
On a similar note, I would like to suggest that proceeds generated from the looting of conquered provinces be split between the conquering general and the new ruler of the province.
As for our less than bold allies, the Venetians, my advice to this council is to continue sending the same army to their relief as we sent last year. If they wish to fight for their own survival, we will help them. If not, then let them rot away in their castle. Either way, our Consul will be seen supporting our ally by the rest of our neighbors.
There are spare militia in Tuscany and they can be transfered to Provence if need be, but they are the ones suggested to aid the Venetians.
My father Gregorio has indeed won a great victory over our foes, the Germans, and for that I congratulate him.
I suggest that the ransom money for the prisoners go straight to the army of the republic, and especially to recruit new men (retrain) for the bodyguard units of my brothers who so valiantly fought in the battle.
Moreover, I advice we let the Venetians rot all they want. We attempted to aid them, but they were obviously to cowardly to help themselves! Should the Germans ultimately capture Venice, then we might actually take it for ourselves. Consider that, gentlemen.
An excellent idea, your Highness. If the Venetians refuse to save themselves, then there is little reason for us not to rescue their city from the Imperial yoke and add its wealth to our own!Quote:
Originally Posted by Innocentius
Here are some pros and cons of further support to Venice. By sending a small force, we make sure that the Germans cannot storm the keep, and therefore we earn more time to rebuild and reposition our troops. Furthermore, Consul Gregorio earns influence. Finally, the Venetians, or maybe even the Pope or the Hungarians might decide to aid the effort as well, so our small force might tip the scales. This latter scenario I however consider unlikely - all of our allies have shown that they lack boldness, and the Pope has been unable to even muster the courage to march to Naples against the Schismatics, even though he outnumbers them significantly.
On the other hand, by sending a small force, we force a battle upon don de Tankerville, who cannot abandon the province and needs to fight, and with each fight he loses many of his brave men. He only has 26 people left, and in one of these battles he may not be able to retreat behind Venice's walls. Also, if we send an army that constantly retreats, our commander in Tuscany may gain a reputation of hesitant or eager to retreat leader, lowering the morale of his men.
Personally, I am leaning towards consolidating our gains - let us sink the German fleet in the Ligurian, starve their garrison in Marseille and in the meantime gather an adequate army to allow us to expand our borders even further. The Venetians, in the meantime, at least according to me, need to take care of themselves - we have tried to help them already, and once the Empire is removed as a threat, they will be the only power left to challenge our hegemony in Northern Italy, so leaving them weak may not be a bad idea.
Finally, on the matter of retraining royal knights, I just want to remind everyone that in a few years Prince Guido will mature, along with 19 of his friends, and that the training and upkeep of knights is extremely expensive. Perhaps a mix of Spearmen, Genoese Sailors and Urban Militiamen would be more efficient. I also need to point out that as there were many Tuscanese, who died in the battle fighting for the Republic, their families deserve a part of the ransom as compensation - if His Majesty allocates 100 florints of the ransom to the house of Tuscany, I guarantee that my cousing Rythmic will make sure these funds find their way to the families of the fallen heroes. There are still many Tuscanese left in the Provence, and my cousin is still paying for their upkeep.
Noblemen of Genoa, once again I stand to speak. It has been a long time, yet the situation calls for discussion.
I will starve the town of Marseille. 160 men have already died because of me and I have heard continuous stories of how much more difficult and costly it is to assault the walls of a keep.
The orders sent to the admiral are to merge his fleets into one. Then he is to attack the enemy. This, at least, should be a simple victory.
On the subject of Venice, well, they were cowards. Cowards enough not to come to us, when we were offering our help. I think this alliance should be regarded as coldly as possible. Never shall we forget it, and never shall we offer assistance to them.
We should, of course, continue to build our forces. An attack from the Holy Roman Empire is always possible, and if they succeed in capturing Venice, we should retake it, lest they assault Genoa or Tuscany.
To the question "Which House shall recieve Provence?" I shall award it to the Corsicans.
The ransom shall be divided so: the Genoese shall recieve 200 Florins, and Corsica, or whoever recieves Provence will have 52 Florins. Tuscany shall have 60 and Sardinia will recieve 20 Florins. I realize it's not much, but there will be other opportunities to get rich. And, to the families of the fallen, I extend my greatest and most sincere apologies.
One final item, which concerns Genoa and the Chancellor. I understand there have been some natural disasters in recent years. I give you leave to return the province to the state it was before. I also order you to set taxes to medium, unless they already are.
Of the battle for Provence, well I shall give you a recollection of what I remember. I had set the Urban Militiamen in a straight line, behind which were the Spearmen. The archers were placed to their left, and the Royal Cavalry to the right of the battle lines.
The Germans had set themselves to the far end, which meant that the troops were fresh and ready to fight. I gave the order for the Archers to fire at whomever they saw, this they did quickly, and when I spotted the German commander, I told them to fire at him. That was the role of the archers, to do as much damage as possible.
The enemy infantry had charged our main battle line, and I, in turn, attempted a flanking maneuver with the Spearmen. My own Knights charged several times; once in a line of Archers, several against Militiamen, and twice against Spearmen.
In the end, most of the enemy troops fled the battle, and that was when we captured the 200 or so prisonners.
I believe that is all that needs to be said.
I have a few final suggestions. The first one is that we convene here again in two years, right after Marseille falls. Only then will Your Majesty be able to officialy give the province to the Corsicans. In other words, I will only need instructions for the next two years.
My next suggestion concerns taxes in Genoa - currently, they are set at the highest possible level, and Genoa's expenses surpass the income. Even with taxes from the other provicnes Genoa only makes as much as to cover all expenses. In other words, our depleted coffers are not filling up. The loyalty is now above 100%, and I only lowered the taxes during the flood, when our army was marching on the Provence. I suggest we keep taxes as high as possible, as long as loyalty is above 100% - otherwise we will soon be in the red and development will be halted. I will decrease them to medium though, if I do not receive any changes in my orders.
Finally, I have a plea to my cousin Rythmic. Dear cousin, when Provence goes to the Corsicans, they will need an army to wipe out any Imeprial loyalists and appease the province, and also to defend it against the Germans and possibly the French. I appeal to your generous nature to assign whatever is left of our militiamen currently in the Provence to Wasp of Ajaccio, to provide him with a starting army.
Your Majesty will probably also find it necessary to leave Prince Pietro in the Provence so that the troops there have a good general, for even the bravest soldier's morale tends to waver if there is not a leader, around whom to rally.
With this I will now wait for my final instructions for the next two years. I know what Wasp wants to get build in Corsica, but I still have had no messenger from Sardinia and Tuscany. I also need some more details regarding our foreign policy when it comes to alliances from Your Majesty. I also have no orders to train any troops in genoa, and I just want to confirm that this is the case.
I agree - let's reconvene in two years.
About the taxes, well, the income of Genoa needs to be higher than its expenses, so naturally raise the taxes as high as necessary (OOC: not very high if high will cover the expenses).
The foreign policy remains the same: ally with Catholics and enemies of the Holy Roman Empire. In the last case, their religion is unimportant. But, their geographical position is. If they are Muslims and far from Europe, then the proposal is to be refused.
Train one unit of Spearmen, if it is possible.
The Prince Pietro will remain in Provence, should he agree.
Much as I hate for Sardinia's shipyards and work crews to lie idle, we may have to do exactly that for the time being -- our books are still in a bit of disarray from our extensive building program and the construction of the fleet. I will consult with my cousin Lord Gunslinger first, however, and find out whether or not he agrees with my assessment.
I will send all but one unit of Militiamen to Provence, that is as long as Loyalty stays above 100% in Tuscany.
Perhaps I was not clear enough. I meant the Militiamen already in Provence, once they finish their duty in the Republican army - that is, once Marseille falls. Further military help is up to you and Wasp, but we should not neglect Tuscany.
Your Highness, I thank you for giving me the honour of governing Provence. I'll personally see to it that the province will truly be a part of our land as quick as possible.
Chancellor, how many men would there be in Provence, and how many would you need in Tuscany?
I do not understand the question. First, I have no idea how many Militiamen will survive the siege, as there will be some casualties. Then, it is up to my cousin Rythmic to decide how many of them he will leave in Provence. As for the rest of the army, it is under the command of Consul Gregorio, so apart from Prince Pietri with his few knights, I am not sure if he will leave any other troops back in Provence. All these decision are not up to me to make - I just humbly follow orders.
Speaking of orders, I still need them for Tuscany and Sardinia.
It appears my noble cousin is being treated at the local abbey for an unspecified illness and cannot be reached for the time being. Thus, it falls upon me to to take care of our family's affairs while he is convalescing.
That said, I've reluctantly decided we have no choice but to hold off on further construction and shipbuilding, at least for the moment. Until I've managed to get our books in some semblance of order again and can verify what funds are aviailable to us, I dare not begin any new projects.
An addendum:
I was actually able to secure (over the good abbot's objections) a brief meeting with Lord Gunslinger. In addition to agreeing with me that we ought to put a hold on building projects for a short period, he also wished me to convey a message to the rest of you. He said to make clear that the offer of the use of our training facilities still stands -- while they are modest (I believe simple militiamen is the most our barracks our capable of housing right now), they are available to whoever may have need of them. :bow:
Ahhh. As many as Wasp may require (and survive) from their ranks may be at his disposal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kavhan Isbul
Just before the Marseille garrison starved, the Germans sallied and sent some troops from Burgundy in an attempt to lift the siege. They ournumber us two to one. It will be up to His Majesty to fight or retreat.
In the previous year, the Bohemians attacked the Germans and pushed them out of Austria. Our admiral combined our fleet in the Ligurian and attacked, but this slowed him down and the German pirates managed to escape. May they never return again!
I also had a message that the Almohads have managed to destroy the Kingdom of Portugal. This is the second Christian kingdom to fall against the infidel hordes, after the Armenians could not stand against the Saracens in the East. The enemies of God are everywhere, but we shall prevail.
A unit of spearmen was trained in Genoa and a slat mine was open in Sardinia. Yet another princess was born in our Consul's family, just as her second oldes sister matured. Our two eligible princesses are courting potential husbands within the Spanish and Aragonese noblemen. Pietro Corsini is trying to find the Danish king to offer alliance.