Battle for the Silk Road - a Baktrian AAR

Hello and welcome to my first-ever AAR. I'm playing as Baktria. The story will be told from the viewpoint of my faction leader (which may change) every few years or so, starting in 260BC. I'm sorry if it's too long, I tend to write too much. You can always stop reading and look at the pictures if you like! So, with no further ado...

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CHAPTER ONE - Sunrise in the East

(260BC)

Greetings traveler! Welcome to Alexandropolis! I am Theodotos Baktrios, Satrap of Baktria and the East in the mighty Arche Seleukeia. I trust you have enjoyed the hospitality so far? Good, good. My retainer tells me you are interested to know the recent history of this realm. He also assures me you are not a spy. You're not a spy, are you? Hmmm... I suppose you would not tell me if you were. Ah, well. What I am about to tell you may be one of the worst-kept secrets in the Empire.

I would be King of Baktria.

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Theodotos Baktrios, Lord of Baktria and the East

True, I have maintained my loyalty to Antiochos thus far. But his war with Egypt preoccupies him. Every year the hordes of the steppe grow stronger. Every year their raids on our lands grow bolder. We send word of our troubles to Seleukeia, but Mesopotamia is a long way from Baktria. Antiochos cannot spare us an army. So we must look to our own defenses.

So far I have united the people of Sogdiana and Ferghana under my banner. While not technically independent from the Empire, we essentially have complete autonomy. The gold of two Silk Road cities, Marakanda and Alexandreia Eschate, flows into my coffers, not those of Antiochos. And one day, we will have our freedom.

I am not alone in my ambitions. The Marakandaios clan, first family of Sogdiana, is powerful and popular, a true rival to my own Baktrios family. Twenty years ago, I married my daughter Kleophia to Patrokles, head of the Marakandaioi, and named him Satrap of Sogdiana. My daughter has given him four children, two sons and two daughters. Patrokles is a treacherous dog, but firmly entrenched in Marakand, with unparalled influence there. It would take the power of Zeus-Ahura Mazda himself to move him now. Luckily he is also a quite capable governor and keeps his tribute flowing into my treasury. About ten years ago, I married my other daughter, Melissa, to Arsakes Rhoteios. He is a Hellene, and a far more steadfast and loyal one than that dog Patroklos.

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Patroklos Marakandaios, Satrap of Sogdiana

Around the same time, I recognized the need to annex more territory, so I set my sights on Paropamisadai, land of the eagles. You have no doubt heard of the mountains there -- they reach up to the heavens themselves. I left my son and heir Diodokos to govern from Baktra, while through the passes towards Kophen I led a small force, consisting mainly of archers, but also phalangites and some Median cavalrymen who came to Baktria long ago and have been loyal since. Patroklos sent me some of his excellent mounted Dahae archers as well. It was a short battle, and in the end we were victorious. Paropamisadai became a satrapy of my future kingdom.

Kophen has been loyal since its capture, quick to see the wisdom of Hellenic ways. The wealth which rolled in allowed me to develop our other provinces and support my army. After securing Kophen with local militia and installing Arsakes as governor, I took my men north to Sogdiana to fend off raiders from the steppe. With the countryside finally pacified, I sent my troops back to their farms and took up residence in Alexandreia Eschate, Megas Alexandros' farthest settlement.

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Kophen, high in the Kaukasos Indicos

The next five years were relatively peaceful, and I sent trustworthy men to parley with other realms and, of course, gather information. We met and made agreements with many Asian peoples, including the Pahlavi, the Hai, the Sakae, and the Kingdom of Pontus. An emissary from Egypt arrived in secret, and I assured him I meant no ill will towards his masters, the Ptolemies.

Then some alarming news came to my ears. With a stalemate in the west, the armies of Antiochos began creeping eastwards. Seleucid armies occupied Gedrosia and began to threaten Arachosia, just south of my realm! Although I have not yet conquered India, I do not wish for Antiochos to do it first! I resolved to conquer Arachosia for myself, to block Antiochos' advance into India. I called up my loyal Hellenes, and with all the gold in my treasury, I hired mercenaries and levied local troops. With Arsakes as my lieutenant, my loyal Medes, a large phalanx, Persian skirmishers, and masses of archers both on foot and horseback, I traveled south. After nearly two years of marching, we arrived outside the gates of Alexandropolis in Arachosia, just in time to see a Seleucid army retreating back to Gedrosia with its tail between its legs. Although the Arachosians had beaten back Antiochos' men, they had taken heavy losses themselves and were no match for my army. Alexandropolis fell into my control far more easily than I had expected. I made Arachosia my new satrapy and sent most of my men back to their farms. And here you find me today, traveler.

I have made a home here in Arachosia for the last several years. Let me tell you briefly what has happened since my conquest. Renewed fighting with Egypt has drawn Antiochos' armies back westwards. My diplomats have also moved farther to the west, visiting the mighty Sauromatae of the steppe, the fierce Getai, and finally entering blessed Hellas herself. I have made an alliance with Epeiros, although at this distance it is little more than a formality. Pahlava has officially split from the Empire, and while they have assured me that they mean no harm to my lands, I have eyes there to make sure they keep their promises, and to learn from them as I prepare to declare my own independence. To the north, my Saka allies have been loyal so far, content to spread their dominion across the steppe instead of into the settled lands under my control, although who but the Gods can say when the barbarians will betray me?

Patrokles' sons have come of age and seem to be as capable as their father, although no doubt they hold greater loyalty to him than to me. I have installed them in Kophen and Alexandreia Eschate for now. Arsakes remains here with me. My son Diodotos is in charge of our homeland, where his skill at governance is fast becoming legendary. No doubt he will be a fine king after I am gone.

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Diodotos, heir to Baktria

My grandson Agathokles has also come of age and we have decided to blood him early. A large band of brigands -- steppe barbarians and sniveling Persians -- has been threatening Marakanda. I have sent my grandson north with some men to deal with them. We can't have Patrokles' sons outdoing their future king, now can we?

So now you know everything that I do, traveler. Well, perhaps not quite everything. But you are a busy merchant and no doubt you have business elsewhere. I too have important affairs of state which require my attention. Farewell, traveler. Safe journeys. Perhaps we shall meet again.

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Map of Europe, North Africa, and western Asia (260BC)

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Next time: A major battle is fought. Who will win? Will Baktria finally become truly independent? Find out in Chapter 2!

Nice AAR...i like the pov!

Just keep it this way :]

Indeed, nice AAR. Keep it up!
Not many Baktrian AARs around here, I believe.

Great AAR, Sheep! I love how the king actually narrates the story to the reader, and AARs on eastern powers are so rare. Baktria is quite possible my favourtie eastern faction. Keep up the good work, I look forward with impatience to the next chapter.

Thanks for the feedback. I hope I can keep it up.

I forgot to mention my house rules, I dunno if that's so important to you but I see it on other peoples' AARs so I figured I'd give mine out too.

I'm not playing with a ton of rules except:
1) No cheats (except toggle_fow to take screenshots of the map)
2) My armies must include at least two phalanx units and be led by a general.
3) My kings must come from the ruling family (Baktrios), and the crown passes from father to (preferably oldest) son. If there is no direct heir, the crown can pass to an uncle or cousin (by blood, not marriage) in the same family. If there is no heir in the family, the crown can go to a new family, but that starts a new dynasty with the same rule of succession.
4) I must disband all non-mercenary units with less than 2 bronze chevrons after a war is over, with the exception of pantopadoi or militia-type units as city garrisons. This simulates soldiers being sent back to their farms after the war ends. However, veterans would retain their experience, so highly experienced units need not be disbanded.
5) I may only use Very high tax rate when an army is actively campaigning. EXCEPT for recently conquered cities, where any tax rate may be used for 10 years after conquest to simulate tribute/plunder/etc.
6) Map info for map info only, I can't receive any money for it.
7) No hard and fast rule on this, but I must try to play slow, roleplay, and not blitzkrieg the world. I'm playing Baktria, not 1930s Germany.

Chapter 2 - Betrayal in the East

(255 BC)

Greetings once again, traveler! I trust your journey through the mountains to Kophen was uneventful? It has been quite a while since the last time we spoke! We are both a little older, although still healthy as bulls, eh? I am nearly into my seventh decade now, yet still I rule Baktria with a strong arm and a clear mind. My retainer tells me you wish to hear more of the story of our realm. I believe we left off before my grandson's northern campaigns, yes? Ah, see! This old mind has not gone foggy yet, praise be to Athena and Apollo!

Five years ago, I told you that I was allied with the Saka tribes to the north. Well, not even three seasons after you departed, the treacherous dogs betrayed me! A small group of minor Saka noblemen raided my lands around Alexandreia Eschate. Zoilos Marakandaios and a small group of locals chased them off. The Sakae, those lying snakes, promised me the leader of the raid was a rogue noble and even had him executed in front of Zoilos himself. However, it was not long before a much larger Saka horde moved in, this time from the East!

Luckily, if you remember, I had just sent my grandson Agathokles to deal with some brigands. After sending those dogs scurrying back to their mothers' teats, my grandson turned his attention towards the greater Saka threat. I was too far to the south to get there in time, so I authorized him to call up my Hellene loyalists, as well as many native men to serve in our phalanx. Agathokles also levied many foot bowmen and hired some mercenary horse archers. I sent my loyal Medes and some Arachosians, Patroklos sent a contigent of Dahae horse archers, my son Diodotos sent heavily-armoured Baktrian lancers, and of course both Agathokles and his lieutenant Mithroaxos (my granddaughter Galatea's otherwise useless husband) brought their hetairoi. A truly mighty force!

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Baktrian force - Battle of Alexandreia Eschate (257BC)

The Saka force consisted almost entirely of horse archers, including some which dismounted upon arrival on the battlefield to increase the range of their bows. They were led by a captain named Vonones, who was not a member of the royal family, but nevertheless rode to battle with a group of noblemen. They approached Alexandreia from the east and set to pillaging the countryside. Agathokles' force came from the west and met them just on the other side of the city.

When the battle was joined, the Sakae had taken a position on the side of a great hill east of the city. However, the top of the hill was not occupied. Agathokles saw his opportunity to take the high ground. He first deployed the phalanx at the bottom of the hill and slowly marched them upwards. His phalanx drew the fire of many of the Saka archers, but their long sarissae and armor knocked aside most of the storm of arrows. There were still casualties, but this was acceptable as the phalanx was merely a distraction. While the Sakae rained arrows down on our phalangitai, Agathokles' bowmen raced up the hill to the south. After they had reached a certain height, he and his entire force of cavalry rode swiftly up the hill behind them. Many of the Sakae saw this threat and raced over to cut his men off. However, they were turned away by the withering fire of my grandson's archers, and his cavalry gained the top of the hill!

He left his horse archers at the summit to send arrows down into the backs of the Sakae and arrayed his lancers so that the barbarians were surrounded! To the west was his phalanx, downhill and marching slowly upwards. His archers, many of whom also carried horse-killing spears, were to the south and moving in to bring the entire Saka horde into range. His steppe archers, Arachosians, and Baktrian lancers were at the top of the hill to the east, and Agathokles himself, along with Mithroaxos and my Medes, were to the north! Seeing their plight, several groups of barbarian dogs tested his men, but they were quickly cut down by both arrow and lance.

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Saka forces surrounded by Baktrians - Battle of Alexandreia Eschate (257BC)

Agathokles himself led the charge as the hetairoi and the Medes crashed into the Saka foot archers from the north. Mere seconds later, the Baktrian lancers hit the same formation from the east. Some of the barbarians were flung into the air and many others were simply obliterated from the impact of hundreds of armoured lancers charging downhill!

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Baktrian cavalry, led by Prince Agathokles, charging Saka ranks - Battle of Alexandreia Eschate (257BC)

To their credit, the Saka archers were very brave and held their ground, even as my grandson's cavalrymen cut them down left and right after the devastating charge. However, it was not long before his phalangitai arrived from the south and sent them fleeing. His archers had annihilated most of the enemy horse archers by this point, but with many of his men engaged, Agathokles could not prevent some of the barbarians from slipping off the field, including almost all of the cowardly Saka noblemen! Some of his light cavalry pursued them, but gave up the chase when it became clear the enemy had lost their taste for fighting. More than three-quarters of the Saka on the field were killed in this battle, including every single warrior on foot. Meanwhile, Agathokles had lost less than a tenth of his men! An exceedingly clear victory for my grandson!

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Final results - Battle of Alexandreia Eschate (257BC)

After spending the winter in Marakanda and recruiting a few more men to replace his casualties, Agathokles again set off on campaign against the Sakae. And this time, we took the offensive! His army marched north and by the end of summer, was deep into Sakae territory. A large contingent of barbarians attacked his forces there, but were beaten back without a single sword, pike, or lance being raised! His archers laid waste to the barbarians before they could even close for combat and sent them running back to the steppe. In autumn he reached a village, whose name consisted of some ridiculous barbarian babble. Bin-Kath or somesuch. It was a small village, but it held a large prize -- Lokaksema, son of the barbarian king and heir to the crown! The prince led a group of horsemen armored more heavily than any we have ever seen! Agathokles' men took to calling them kataphractoi. Skillfully using his horse archers, Agathokles managed to lure Lokaksema's men between his phalanx and his hetairoi, which made short work of them. Lokaksema was the only man to escape the trap, but he was killed in the fighting as Agathokles captured the village.

To punish the Saka for their betrayal, Agathokles put nearly the entire population to the sword, looted every last bit of wealth, and then razed the village to the ground. Normally we Baktrians are more tolerant towards the conquered, but a lesson needed to be taught! Agathokles, despite being little more than a boy, has already made quite a name for himself as a general!

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Agathokles Baktrios, Prince of Baktria, son of Crown Prince Diodoros

Not long after that, a far more insidious betrayal took place. Know that I always had an understanding with Antiochos. He was very lenient with our people as long as we sent him his proper tribute. However, Antiochos is no more. His son Theodoros is now Emperor. I spit on his name! Last year, while my people were celebrating Agathokles' triumphs against the Sakae, my son-in-law and lieutenant Arsakes was at his winter camp in Aria. There, with no provocation whatsoever, he was ambushed -- murdered -- by Theodoros' men! Clearly Theodoros meant to remind me who was the true ruler of Baktria. However, his actions have had the opposite effect! Baktria, along with the rest of my territories, is now in open rebellion! I have been declared King of Baktria and the East!

I have not wasted time in making preparations for war. I used the spoils of our victory over the Sakae to raise a new army, which I have placed under the command of my other grandson Heliokles. My diplomats quickly made visits to the capitals of Theodoros' enemies: Alexandreia in Egypt, where I allied myself to the Ptolemies, and to Nisa, where I made an alliance with the Pahlavi. I also sent agitators to Antiocheia in Margiana and to Alexandreia in Aria. The people there, who bear no more love for Theodoros than I do, quickly threw off his yoke!

Theodoros made his moves as well. A small force lay siege to Baktra itself until my son Diodotos, the crown prince, scattered them to the four winds. My new allies the Pahlavi also broke a siege of their capital around the same time. My spies reported the advance of another Seleukid army towards my holdings in Arachosia. With all my forces concentrated in the north, sadly I had no army to defend my rights in the south. I was forced to abandon Alexandropolis six months ago, destroying all I had built there save the temples. After all, gold is important, but what man can achieve glory with the Gods against him? The natives were quick to take back their territory, and I wish them luck in defending it from Theodoros.

So this is why you find me here in Kophen today. I will be back in Arachosia one day. For now, I am simply fighting for survival. Maintaining two standing armies has left me in debt deeper than Hades. To raise money, I have sent Heliokles into Margiana, and Agathokles into Aria. Perhaps the people there will see the wisdom in joining me against Theodoros. If words cannot convince them, my grandsons' armies certainly will.

You have come at an interesting time, traveler. It has pleased me to talk to you, but now I'm afraid I have many preparations to make for the coming winter, and for the spring which follows! I wish you safe journeys, and you are welcome to the hospitality of my kingdom anytime.

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Map of Europe, North Africa, and western Asia (255BC)

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Next time: Twin sieges as Baktria faces off against the Empire. Who will rule the East? Can Theodotos carve out a kingdom? Find out in Chapter 3!

This is some nice narration!:2thumbsup:

Good !

I must ask, what is your difficulty level ?
Never seen the Ptolemaïc and Pontos survived the Seleukid in Vh, and there they carve out good portions of Seleukid territories.

I am playing on VH/M. It's still early in the game, so the Seleukids haven't really had a chance to push the Pontics into the Black Sea or to conquer Egypt just yet. They have gone hog-wild in the Arabian Peninsula and southern Asia Minor though, and also have been steadily moving eastwards. They've attacked Patala on the very eastern border of the map twice already and had their asses handed to them twice as well.

Then there are those troublesome Baktrians providing an inconvenient distraction as well. ~D

Very interesting...in my own campains, Alexandria falls into Seleukid hands around 260, for the lattest.
And even when I'm sending 10 000 denaris per turn to the Ptolemaoï, those decadents bastards aren't even able to keep the Levantine coast.

I'm surprised by your Pontos, in fact, good thing :]

https://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7030/massacrevb6.png

So... I can't roleplay every battle. This is what happens when you attack an army consisting of over 50% archers with no archers of your own.

Captian Minnio, the worse general in the world.

They should make it so you can conquer the Silk Road from Rome to Seres (China).
So you can connect the silk road from east to west and get rid of the middlemen (Parthians).

btw, historically, didn't the Romans buy silk only after Crassus's defeat at Carrahe? Not sure...

"They", if you're talking about the EB staff, have already done something extraordinary, and (supposedly) have lives. What you're asking would be to go up to China, which I don't think is really possible.

As for silk buying, I believe that the Romans bought silk from the Parthians before; Crassus wanted glory, and any excuse for war served (not sure here). But before Crassus' expedition in the East, they were trading partners, and anyway, the Censors had probably forbidden silk from being worn in public. If the SPQR series (by John Maddox Roberts) is historically accurate on all points, then Rome certainly did buy silk before the Battle of Carrhae.

"they were trading partners, and anyway, the Censors had probably forbidden silk from being worn in public."

I thought silk was forbidden because it was a sign of decadence since so much money was flowing out of Rome to buy it?..Cuz Rome started to buy craploads of silk after a peace treaty with Parthia years after Carrahe.

dunno, maybe I have the timeline confused...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Warmaster Horus

"They", if you're talking about the EB staff, have already done something extraordinary, and (supposedly) have lives. What you're asking would be to go up to China, which I don't think is really possible.

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Well, they do have the Tarim Basin, which is part of China today (Xinjiang). So you're pretty much all the way there at that point. It's just next door... a few thousand miles next door anyway.

Chapter 3 - War in the East

(249 BC)

Welcome, traveler, to the heart of our kingdom. The mighty city of Baktra. Klearchos here tells me you have come to see my father. Alas, he is not well. Perhaps you may visit him later, but for now he is with the priests. I am told my father was accustomed to telling you tales of our kingdom? Well, I would not want to disappoint!

You no doubt know who I am. Diodotos Baktrios, Crown Prince of Baktria, of course. While my father is still nominally the king, he is sadly in no shape to rule our lands. It is with a heavy heart that I have relieved him of that duty.

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Diodotos Baktrios, Crown Prince of Baktria, and some of his retinue

I understand my father last received you in the year that the war with Theodoros began? Did he tell you of our opening maneuvers? He did? Perfect, I shall begin there.

After my brother-in-law Arsakes was most brutally murdered in his camp seven years ago, my father wasted no time in making preparations for war. His first action was creating a second army. He placed it under the command of my second son Heliokles. The first, you remember, was under my oldest son Agathokles. Now I am no general. I am not ashamed to admit that most of my fighting is done with merchants and diplomats. But Ares did see fit to bless me with two sons who could lead their armies across the Styx itself!

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Agathokles Baktrios, Prince and Commander of the First Army of Baktria

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Heliokles Baktrios, Prince and Commander of the Second Army of Baktria

At the same time, the neighboring satrapies of Margiana and Aria revolted from Theodoros' rule. This was our doing, of course. My father did love his spies. It was in our interest to receive them into our kingdom, both for the money it would bring in, as well as to create a buffer territory between us and the Arche Seleukeia. Sadly, they did not see it the same way. But that is why men create armies, is it not? Heliokles easily captured Antiocheia Margiane, while Agathokles met greater resistance in Alexandreia Ariana, although it too was captured. In fact, I believe both satrapies fell under our control in the same summer, five years ago. Once our supremacy was clear, father allowed both new satrapies a great deal of autonomy. Also, if you recall, my father had abandoned his holdings in Arachosia in the wake of an approaching army. However, after our control was lifted, the Arachosians themselves rose up to defend their homes and sent that army westwards in tatters!

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Fighting on the streets of Antiocheia Margiane (254BC)

Sadly, that was not Theodoros' only army. About a year after our capture of Aria, another appeared on our western border and shortly lay siege to Alexandreia Ariana. This large army, swollen with mercenaries, was led by a Hellene named Philetairos Epiphaneion Kilikes. My son Agathokles was here in Baktra at the time, re-equipping his army and recruiting more men. When word reached the capital, he immediately deployed southwards. Before left, he told me of his excitement at the opportunity to lead his men in a real Hellenic battle, phalanx against phalanx, instead of skirmishing with the disorganized barbarian rabble in the north!

Luckily, the garrison in the city held out until autumn, long enough for Agathokles' men to arrive from the north. Agathokles had sent some of his mounted archers ahead to search for and eliminate any of Philetairos' scouts. Amazingly, the barbarians were loyal and almost no word of my son's approach reached the enemy! They had less than a day to prepare, and could only set up a position in the plain below the city. My son arrived from the hills to the north.

With the upper ground already in hand, Agathokles set to marching his phalangitai down the hill towards the enemy. Philetairos had a larger phalanx and more men, it is true, but my son had the better position. Their range increased by their greater height, his archers rained arrows down on top of the enemy, concentrating on the men with bows. When their archers came forward in an attempt to return fire, my son's men sent them down to meet Hades! Most of the enemy bowmen were annihilated before they could even notch their bows!

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Baktrian forces face the Seleukid army - Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (253BC)

Most of Philetairos' men held their ground in the plain even in the face of Agathokles' archers, and the two phalanx lines grew steadily closer. Some of the enemy heavy cavalrymen were sent to attack the levy soldiers on the left flank, but Agathokles sent his own heavy cavalry charging to cut them off.

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Baktrian cavalry defends against flankers - Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (253BC)

Finally the lines met, and Agathokles tells me that the sound of those two walls of shields, armor, and sarissae crashing together was like nothing he had ever heard before. Both sides attempted to push the other back. Agathokles' men had the higher ground, but Philetairos simply had more men, so neither side gained ground.

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Seleukid (left) and Baktrian (right) lines meet - Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (253BC)

As the phalangitai struggled, Philetairos wisely sent some of his lighter troops, the thureophoroi, around our right flank. The men on the right were our best Hellene veterans, but now they were beset on three sides! Disaster awaited, but my son quickly dispatched some of his Persians to deal with the new threat. Many of his archers dropped their bows, picked up their spears, and charged to defend our right flank!

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Baktrian eransahr arshtbara defend the right flank - Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (253BC)

Meanwhile, on the left flank, Agathokles' cavalrymen, led by his lieutenant, Mithroaxos, had finished off almost all of Philetairos' own heavy cavalry. Agathokles joined them and wheeled his cavalry around the open flank to get behind the enemy lines. Philetairos' remaining archers and skirmishers fled in terror as they came charging forwards.

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Agathokles leads Baktrian heavy cavalry behind Seleukid lines - Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (253BC)

Philetairos saw that his defeat was at hand, but had the courage to lead his few remaining bodyguards at Agathokles. Despite his bravery, he was soon sent to join his ancestors. With their general dead, no cavalry support, and determined Baktrians in front and now behind as well, the enemy knew they had no chance of victory. The rout was on!

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Seleukid mercenaries routing - Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (253BC)

During the battle, very few of the enemy phalangitai had perished. But now that their formations had dissolved, the slaughter began. Baktrian heavy cavalry, horse archers and foot soldiers ran down the enemy, killing thousands of men on that plain. I am sure a few escaped into the hills, but the vast majority would never again see their homes or families. No doubt thousands of mothers were wailing back home in the West. But that is the way of war.

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Final results of the Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (253BC)

This battle will no doubt go down in history as one of the greatest Baktrian victories, or as one of the greatest disasters in the history of the Arche Seleukeia. It all depends on who is telling the tale, does it not? My son Agathokles is now renowned across the kingdom for his victories against our two greatest enemies. But he was not done yet! Fate was once more on our side.

With Philetairos temporarily in control of Aria to the north, Theodoros sent his army in Drangiana eastwards into Arachosia. As you may recall, the Arachosians had already defeated him once, but he was determined to take the region. Perhaps it was symbolic, since my father had abandoned it. However, Theodoros had not anticipated such a smashing defeat outside of Alexandreia Ariana! Now there was nothing between Agathokles and the city of Propthasia but grass and dirt! Drangiana is rich with gold mines, but we had not intended to take it, at least not so soon. But with the apple unguarded and ripe for the plucking, it would have been unthinkable not to reach for it!

Agathokles reinforced the garrison in Alexandreia Ariana and waited out the winter there. As soon as the snows began to melt, Agathokles left the city in the charge of Antialkidas Marakandaios, son of Patroklos, and marched south. Theodoros' commander in Arachosia had spent the winter seiging Alexandropolis and was reluctant to lift the siege. This spectacularly unwise decision allowed Agathokles to march directly for Prophthasia, which he reached by the end of the year. Desperate to protect the city, a minor general by the name of Dion Sittakenekos raised an army of mercenaries and attacked our men in the middle of winter, if you can believe it! Agathokles killed the fool and smashed his army in a victory so one-sided it cannot truly even be called a battle.

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Median cavalry of the Seleukid army charge through arrow fire outside Propthasia (252BC)

After the battle outside its walls, Prophthasia fell to Agathokles without a siege. Drangiana and its gold mines were ours!

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Baktrian horse archers fire on Seleukid heavy cavalry outside Propthasia (252BC)

The next year was also eventful. Unbeknownst to us, Theodoros had been making inroads into India. He captured Patala, a great city in the mouth of the River Hindus, in the spring. However, the Indikoi would have none of his rule and revolted against the weak garrison the next summer. Surprisingly, however, instead of returning to their former masters in India, who could not protect them from their enemies, they turned to my father for protection! The region of Sind is monstrously wealthy, with a thriving seaport, rich farmland in the river delta, and enormous gold mines. He had always talked of conquering territory in India, but never in his wildest dreams did he expect this! Of course my farther had no choice but to accept.

In the north, the Sakae once again became troublesome, laying siege to Marakanda. However, using our newfound wealth, my son Helioklos was able to reinforce his army and quickly sent the Sakae scurrying back to their filthy tents. Theodoros also decided to have a go at us, sending yet another of his seemingly endless supply of armies at Agathokles in Prophthasia. This army was larger than my son's but of low quality -- inexperienced boys and cowardly Persians -- and my oldest son soon had another heroic victory to his already famous name.

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Seleukid levy spearmen completely surrounded - Battle of Prophthasia (251BC)

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Final results of the Battle of Prophthasia (251BC)

The last two years have been tremendously peaceful, without a single battle being fought on our territory. I am not naive enough to believe that Theodoros has forgotten about us, but it has been a welcome respite. The emperor has been making gains in other areas though. He has finally subdued Arachosia, cutting us off from our territory in India. My agents among the Indikoi tell me that his armies are moving through Sattygidia to attack Opiana as we speak. My men in Egypt also tell me that he has the Ptolemies back on their heels, and aside from Rhodos and Krete, he has already taken all of their territory outside of Africa. They say that the locals are fleeing across the Nile before Theodoros' armies as they march on Memphis. It is not looking good for our allies, but there is not much we can do. Our other allies, the Pahlavi, fight back and forth across Theodoros' territory and their own, but so far to no avail. However, with peace in our lands, and a great deal of gold being deposited in our treasury from our southern conquests, great building projects have commenced across the kingdom.

Eighteen months ago, I received terrible news from Kophen. The messenger told me that my father had taken ill and was on his way back to the capital. When he arrived, he asked me to run the kingdom in his stead. Grieving for my father's illness, I nevertheless accepted his offer.

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The elderly King Theodotos of Baktria in 249BC

I have already made many changes. Whereas my father was content to allow some of our satrapies to run themselves, I have asserted greater control. Margiana and Ariana are now full satrapies, run by Baktrian men. With the treacherous Patroklos Marakandaios still entrenched in Marakanda, I dare not attempt to convert Sogdiana into a full satrapy, for fear he will rise up in revolt. However, I have sent his son Zoilos, who formerly governed Alexandreia Eschate, down to oversee Sind, which I have allowed to remain as an allied kingdom, rather than as a satrapy. Moving Zoilos serves a dual purpose. He is an able administrator and will no doubt govern Sind effectively once he gets there, but he is now on the way towards the opposite end of the kingdom from his father, which should keep them both on their best behavior. With Zoilos out of Alexandreia Eschate, I wasted no time converting that region into a full satrapy as well. I have placed my son Heliokles there as satrap. His army has been disbanded, but can be called up at a moment's notice should the Sakae again emerge to trouble us.

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Zoilos Marakandaios, Satrap of Sind

Although things have changed under my rule, many things remain the same. Like my father, I have trained many agents to infiltrate the cities of my enemies. I'll not name names, of course, but know that spy networks have already been established in several regions that border our kingdom. In fact, my agents in Astauene have already incited a revolt and Asaak is no longer under Theodoros' control! I do not wish to conquer it myself, but I hope that my friends the Pahlavi will. I trust you will keep this between us, yes?

So that is where we stand today. My father is still Basileos, but the true power lies with me. When he passes on, I will give him a funeral worthy of his majesty. But the greatest honor I can do my father will be to live up to his name, to defend and improve our kingdom, to finally conquer India, and to become the greatest power in the East!

So go, traveler, and tell the world of my blessed father's glories, but tell them also that his son will build an even greater legacy.

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Map of Europe, North Africa, and western Asia (249BC)

----

Next time: The crown passes to Diodotos. Can he defend the kingdom from its enemies? Will he live up to his father's name? Find out in Chapter 4!

Captivating and Fascinating is all I can say. You've got me drooling for the next chapter. Good Work:2thumbsup:

Quite entertaining. :2thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Teleklos Archelaou

Quite entertaining. :2thumbsup:

---

Well it is no The Wasteland but I do what I can. ~D

Oh man, I can't believe I missed this one. Very cool, Sheep! :2thumbsup: I love being the traveler hearing of these fine tales. Do go on.

I've been playing for a couple hours a day for the last 4 days and I've only gotten ahead 4 years because the damned Seleucids insist on flooding my territory with these useless three-unit armies. I kill each and every one without losing a man because they NEVER SEND ANY ARCHERS. But if I don't go around killing every single one of them, they start laying siege to my cities, which they have no hope of capturing, 'cause my garrisons of archers will lay waste to them if they attack, so they just try to starve me out for turn after turn which costs me money I don't have. I'd love to go and capture something, but my armies are tied up at home with all these spam armies, ARGH! I had four out of 7 cities under siege at once!! Seems like I haven't even fought a real battle in ages, but it's only been a few years.

Anyway, I should be able to write something in the next few days (Chapter Four: Whack-A-Mole in the East).

If Bush was writing this AAR: Whack-a-Mole in the Middleeast. :wall:

Anyhoo, you should use the forced win command when you have to fight those lame small groups. You don't lose anyone anyway, it's not cheating, it's just saving time and patience.

You don't lose any men that way?

How do you activate this cheat ?
Seems that " aut-win " alone doesn't work.

I'm really interested, for the same reasons, thoses infinite armies of three pantopadoi...

Great AAR, Sheep! Can't wait for the next chapter!
About the auto win cheat, it works like this:
-press the tilde key (directly under "escape" and left of "1")
-type in auto_win
-add at the end: attacker(if you're attacking) OR defender (if you're defending). Generally you put in attacker during your turn, and defender when it's not.
-however for AMBUSHES, it's the reverse. If you're ambushed (your turn, logically), the enemy is attacking, and to win the battle the cheat is: auto_win defender
If you ambush(the AI's turn, supposedly), the enemy is defending, the cheat is: auto_win attacker.

Especially don't forget the "underline"(_).
Also, you can use it pretty much without cheating, for when navies clash (you're forced to auto calc it, which may give some rather absurd results) or when you've got a force of 10 units, and the other has 3, just use auto win, especially for EB (long loading times... GAH!)

Also, Sheep, the losses of your troops are those you would normally have when having a "clear victory" from the auto_calc (I think...)

Thanks for the tip.
I wouldn't use this to win battle I can't win, only for the same problem that Sheep as, especially with the Seleukids and those stinking armies of three levies who came every year at your walls, that a human player could beat without a single loss but the AI get hundreds of casualties when auto-calculating...boring :]

Of course, that's why I use it. I don't think it should be considered that much of a cheat. Neither is toggle_fow, unless you look all over the map.
Others though... create_unit, give_trait, add_money... that's purely cheating.

I use toggle_fow to take screenshots of the map for this AAR, but you'll notice the red trapezoid is usually off in the ocean somewhere, so I can't see anyone's armies.

Chapter 4 - Invasions in the East

(242 BC)

So, you've come to spend another winter in Baktra, have you? How long has it been? Seven years? Quite a while then. Sit, traveler, and break bread with me. I shall tell you what has happened in our kingdom since we last met.

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Diodotos Baktrios, King of Baktria and the East

It has been a very trying seven years. When last we spoke, I told you of my vision for Baktria's future. Sadly, a lot of those plans have gone by the wayside. If anything, we have less territory than when I took the crown.

Oh yes, I am truly Basileios now. My father died the year after you last departed. But what a life he lived! And when he finally passed, it was as a free man, under the thumb of absolutely nobody.

I cannot say if it was a coincidence, but at around the time of my father's death, our kingdom began to come under increased pressure from the Arche Seleukeia. Whereas the previous three years had been a time of peace and building, all of a sudden Theodoros' armies were everywhere! Not a season went by without a minor skirmish, and my sons were kept very busy rushing from one end of the realm to the other. Our kingdom was a horse being tortured by uncountable little biting flies!

Our satrapies of Margiana, Aria, and Drangiana were in a constant state of hostilities. However, it was not long before a much greater threat emerged.

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Menekrates Assou Troikou, Seleukid general

Menekrates Assou Troikou, as you know, is one of the greatest generals in the entire Empire. He led an army into Drangiana only a few months after my father's death. It was not a large army by the Empire's standards, but dangerous enough. My son Agathokles skirmished with this army, but did not kill too many of the enemy, although he did drive them from the field. His hetairoi fought briefly with Menekrates' men, but sadly did not finish the job. Menekrates escaped back to the west.

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Baktrian (right) and Seleukid heavy bodyguards battle in Drangiana (248BC)

Two years later, he returned with an even larger army and headed into Aria this time. He attacked Agathokles' army in the field. Apparently a few volleys from my son's Dahae mounted archers convinced Menekrates to sound the retreat and sent his men running back to Persia once again. We heard that our Egyptian allies recaptured Memphis from the Empire around the same time, so perhaps he was called back into service in the west. In any case, we have not seen him since.

As an aside, I believe I neglected to mention the arrangement I have made with the Dahae tribes that live on the border of our lands and those of the Pahlavi. We have been recruiting them in Margiana for a number of years now. Their mounted bowmen are superb and have become an indispensible feature of our armies. And they have remained extremely loyal, unlike the steppe mercenaries we had been recruiting before! I truly cannot say enough about my Dahae archers. My hetaira here is no doubt getting quite tired of hearing about them. I'm sure you have noticed her. Exceedingly beautiful, is she not?

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Dahae horse archers in the Baktrian army fire on Seleukid troops in Aria (246BC)

Although Theodoros was not successful in capturing any of our satrapies or defeating any of our armies, we saw the effect that his constant invasions were having on our kingdom. One winter evening my middle son Heliokles proposed a new strategy. Instead of using his army to swat Theodoros' flies, he proposed to bring the fight to the enemy and take his army into the Empire itself!

It was a radical plan but I saw its merit. By raiding the Empire's lands, we drew their forces out of our kingdom. And perhaps Heliokles could even sack one of their cities and bring the treasure home to Baktria! After a few days of consideration with my advisors, I agreed to my son's plan. With my youngest son Demetrios as his lieutenant, he left the following spring and headed west into the mountains of Astauene. His force was small, as he planned to move quickly and avoid major battles. He had only his hetairoi and those of his brother, a single troop of heavy hippeis, two companies of native phalangitai, about the same number of archers, and a sizable contigent of Dahae horsemen.

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Heliokles Baktrios, Prince and Commander of the Second Army of Baktria

Again, it may have been a coincidence, but it was only a short time later that disaster struck. A horde of Saka barbarians appeared on our northern border, heading directly for Alexandreia Eschate. We were caught completely off guard! After my son's smashing victories against the barbarians thirteen years before, we had not seen so much as a single horseman on our lands, and the threat from the west seemed much greater. With Heliokles in Astauene and Agathokles far to the south, the barbarians moved unimpeded towards the city and made camp outside its walls.

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Last stand of Pantaleon Peukalaios against the Saka horde in Alexandreia Eschate (244BC)

No doubt my sons would have wiped them off the map, but it was left to the husband of my niece, Pantaleon Peukelaios, and his garrison to defend the city. They held out until the snows began, when the barbarians decided they would rather winter inside the city than outside its walls. The Sakae, though unused to siege warfare, managed to construct a crude ram and break into the city. Pantaleon's men made their last stand before the shattered gates, but the barbarians' numbers were overwhelming. Though they fought to the last, Pantaleon and every single man in his garrison were slaughtered. The barbarians now controlled one of our cities!

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Saka horde celebrating the capture of Alexandreia Eschate from the Baktrians (244BC)

When the news of the defeat reached the capital, I immediately sent for Agathokles, who was all the way south in Drangiana. He marched northwards as soon as the snows ended, leaving some of his men behind to guard the southern satrapies. Meanwhile, I was busy recruiting more men in our northern lands to augment his forces when he got here. By the summer, he had reached Alexandreia Ariana and hoped to be in Sogdiana by the end of the year. However, it was not to be.

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Agathokles Baktrios, Crown Prince and Commander of the First Army of Baktria

As Agathokles moved through Aria, he received word of a huge army, this time from the west! It was the largest single army led into Aria since the time of Megas Alexandros himself, and was led by Theodoros' own son, Gennaios Syriakos! We had no choice but to delay our recapture of Alexandreia Eschate and fight them then and there. If my son kept moving, we might gain back Alexandreia Eschate, but we would lose Alexandreia Ariana! And from there it was only a short ride to Baktra itself. There was no time or money to raise another army, and no other experienced general nearby to lead it. No, there would have to be a battle if we wanted to keep our kingdom, that much was certain.

I sent my recruits south to join my son's army. With the reinforcements, my son's army was quite large, with a great many phalangitai. These men were approximately two-fifths Hellene, with the others being local landowners from around the kingdom. There were also about half that number of our versatile archer-spearmen to protect the flanks of the main battle line. About the same number of Persian archers and slingers provided missile support. Agathokles himself rode to battle at the front of a troop of hetairoi, as did his longtime lieutenant, Mithroaxos Argeion Baktron, and Kleander, a grandson of Patroklos Marakandaios. His cavalry also included a troop of heavy Baktrian hippeis and a great many Dahae.

Antialkidas Marakandaios, second son of Patroklos and garrison commander in Alexandreia Ariana, met my son with his garrison of archers and spearmen, but even with their numbers added to his, Agathokles' army was still outnumbered by Gennaios' forces. It was not the best situation, but my son knew that he was our only hope. If he lost this battle, he lost our kingdom!

But the story of the battle will have to wait until next time. My hetaira is getting bored and I must attend to her. You understand. Perhaps tomorrow we can talk again, traveler.

----

Next time: The Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana. Will Baktria prevail? Will Diodotos' exceedingly beautiful prostitute be able to sit through the whole story? Find out in Chapter Five!

May Athena Guide you in battle and Ares drive your enemies before you.
This AAR Is one of the best I've read. Keep it up Sheep.

Chapter 5 - Savagery in the East

(242 BC)

Ah, welcome back, traveler. I apologize for the delay yesterday. Some things cannot be helped. I am free to talk now, if you have the time? Of course you do. If you remember, I had left off just before the battle had begun. Every battle is critical, of course, but this one was truly a turning point in our history. And it was only a year and a half ago...

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Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

Agathokles attacked Gennaios Syriakos outside the city walls of Alexandreia Ariana, less than an hour south of where he had defeated Philetairon a decade earlier! It was a hot summer day, with gusty winds occasionally blowing clouds of dust across the battlefield.

The opening stage of the battle was marked by a race to gain the summit of the largest hill nearby. Gennaios' army moved as a group up the hill on the west side, while Agathokles' army ran up the east slope. Seeing Gennaios keep his army together and therefore moving slowly, my son sent his fast-moving archers and some cavalry up the hill to beat the enemy there and hold it until his infantry could arrive. This tactic worked well, as our men easily arrived at the top before the enemy and were able to start raining down arrows, forcing the enemy to retreat back into the plain. We were also helped by a timely dust storm that made it difficult for Gennaios to judge our numbers.

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Baktrian archers defend a hill from the Seleukid army - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

With the hill secured, Agathokles took his time marching his infantry to the top, while ordering his archers to target Gennaios' own bowmen. However, the enemy general wisely hid his archers behind his phalanx, where they were largely protected from arrows by the sarissae of his men. Agathokles was forced to settle for attacking other enemy skirmishers, including Gennaios' Persian javelineers and his Hellenic mercenary peltastai and thureophoroi. My son also dispatched his slingers off to our left flank to target the unshielded sides of the enemy phalangitai, as the sling bullets would do a better job of penetrating armor than arrows. His orders to them were to strafe the entire enemy battle line, to cause casualties everywhere, but to linger on the kleruchoi as they were the most fearsome fighters. He sent Antialkidas and all of our heavy hippeis to guard the vulnerable slingers while they worked.

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Baktrian heavy cavalry guards the slingers - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

Once our army was at the top of the hill, we were able to survey the enemy and judge his army, at least in between dust storms. Gennaios had vastly more infantry, but we actually had more cavalry and archers. It would take some careful strategy to take advantage of the imbalance.

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Baktrian (right) and Seleukid forces face off in a dust storm - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

When most of Gennaios' skirmishers had either perished in the storm of arrows or retreated behind the battle line, Agathokles had his phalanx advance down the hill towards the enemy. It was at this time that Gennaios' phalangitai lowered their pikes, and the enemy archers began to fire, causing numerous casualties on our lines, especially among our unarmoured archer-spearmen guarding the flanks. Most of our arrows had already been spent, meaning that we could not adequately return fire to cover our troops. This was one of the few mistakes that my son has ever made in battle.

Seeing that we had very few arrows left in our quivers, Gennaios began to attempt flanking manuevers. He had a great many lightly armoured Persian spearmen in his army, which are sometimes called nizag gund. These he used to guard the flanks of his battle line. Leaving enough to prevent our cavalry from charging around the end, he sent some of these men around our right flank, and my son had some of his archer-spearmen intercept the flankers.

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Baktrian archer-spearmen defend the right flank from Seleukid soldiers - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

Gennaios also sent a troop of Median cavalry around the right flank, but my son had wisely kept his Dahae archers in reserve, and these now began to fire on the Medes. The enemy cavalry quickly switched targets and began to chase the Dahae, who they had absolutely no hope of capturing. Our mounted archers led the Medes off the battlefield entirely, killing most of them and causing the rest to rout.

On our left flank, our archers had already killed off most of his spearmen, so Gennaios used some of his extra pantopadoi phalangitai as flankers on that side. Knowing that his spearmen could never defeat an organized phalanx, and unwilling to charge his cavalry into the forest of pikes, Agathokles was forced to commit some of his own native phalangitai to hold off these flankers.

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Baktrian phalangites hold off an attack on the left flank - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

With the flankers occupied, my son's battle line marched right past them, with the heavy cavalry just behind.

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Baktrian (right) and Seleukid phalanx lines just before impact - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

The battle lines met with a ferocious crash which was heard inside the city itself, or so I am told. The outside world disappeared as man struggled against man simply to protect himself and the man next to him.

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Baktrian soldiers (right) battle Seleukid mercenary phalangites - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

Although the two armies were meeting on level ground, it was littered with the bodies of Gennaios' skirmishers, and in some places these proved to be obstacles making it difficult to keep the phalanx in good order. One of these places was just to the left of center, as our loyal pezhetairoi battled Gennaios' mercenary phalangitai. This section of the line degenerated from proper phalanx combat into chaotic hand-to-hand fighting as men from both sides dropped their sarissae and unsheathed their swords. It was this part of our line which would prove to suffer the most casualties at the end of the battle -- not surprising since they had been fighting in the barbaric style, not as true Hellenes.

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Swordfighting between Baktrian soldiers (right) and Seleukid mercenaries - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

Although our men fought bravely, there were simply more of the enemy, and we began to suffer casualties. Agathokles needed to turn the tide, and quickly. Looking to his left, he saw that there was now a large gap on the left flank between the main battle line, which had moved downhill, and the side battle being fought to guard the flank. To guard this gap were only a small number of Gennaios' Persian spearmen. Although he normally would have kept them in reserve for defense, Agathokles instead sent some of his archer-spearmen to attack the enemy. When our greater numbers pushed the enemy back, my son saw his opportunity to get his cavalry involved. He charged almost all of his heavy cavalry through the gap!

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Baktrian heavy cavalry charges through a gap in the line - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

With the enemy spearmen occupied, Agathokles led the charge around the corner and headed behind the enemy line!

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Agathokles of Baktria leads heavy cavalry around the left flank - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

The cavalry now had a clear path towards Gennaios' archers, which saw the threat and began to run instead of firing. However, amongst the crowd of panicked archers appeared Gennaios himself, at the head of his hetairoi. All his other cavalry had already been destroyed or routed, but still he stood his ground. My son was impressed but nonetheless the numbers were in his favor and he brought the charge home.

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Baktrian heavy cavalry charges behind the Seleukid lines - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

The cavalry smashed into Gennaios' men, including many of his archers which had stayed behind in a desperate attempt to hold off our cavalry. In support, Gennaios called all of his reserve spearmen, as well as the ones guarding the far flank, into the melee, which quickly began to turn against Agathokles.

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Baktrian companion cavalry (right) faces off against Seleukid bodyguards - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

Fortunately, it was at this time that our veterans on the right side of our line proved their worth, gaining the upper hand and routing the enemy. Their captain faced a choice. He could send his men back into the line to help out his fellow pezhetairoi, or move behind the line to rescue his general and crown prince. He wisely chose the latter, bringing his men into the fray against the enemy spearmen. For this decision, I later gave the man -- whose name is Captain Teleas -- a large tract of land in Drangiana. A tremendous gift, to be sure, but completely deserved. There are not many whose actions can be credited with saving a kingdom!

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Baktrian veterans rush in to save Agathokles - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

With the whole right side of the battle line blown open and all of the enemy cavalry occupied, many of our missile troops saw their chance to take vengeance on Gennaios' own archers for the many casualties they had inflicted. Our archer-spearmen were especially violent in this regard, wiping out entire companies of bowmen. One exception were Gennaios' Syrian archers. Syrians are not your typical cowardly archers. They come to battle armored in scale and armed with a short sword, and they do not fear to fight. Many of our men stepped up to battle with the Syrians that day and were later buried there on that plain.

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Syrian archers fight amidst the corpses of their Baktrian foes - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

However, the Syrians were an exception. As more and more of our men flooded behind their lines and began to attack their flanks and even in the rear, Gennaios' men began to break and run. And of course, even when brave men see so many of their comrades running for their lives, it is hard not to follow. The Syrians took flight, and all of the enemy soldiers were shortly heading for the hills, our men right on their heels. The only real fighting left was with Gennaios and his bodyguard, who knew they were fighting to the death. His bodyguard was killed to a man as they defended their leader, yet somehow in their deaths they managed to open a hole for Gennaios to escape, and he urged his horse to a gallop as he fled the battlefield.

https://img406.imageshack.us/img406/...s243ku2.th.png
Baktrian cavalrymen pursue Gennaios Syriakos - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

His horse was faithful but simply not fast enough, and my son's Dahae warriors soon caught up to Gennaios. An arrow took him in the back, knocking him off his horse, which also tumbled to the ground. A Dahae archer whose name I do not know put another arrow in the man's throat and that was the end of Gennaios Syriakos.

https://img216.imageshack.us/img216/...d243et5.th.png
Seleukid general Gennaios Syriakos lies dead next to his horse - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

With the enemy general killed, our men gave up pursuit of the few enemy survivors and filtered back onto the battleground, to clap each other on the back and tell tall tales of their bravery, as soldiers are known to do after a victory. Many others came to reflect on the day's violence, or simply to relax. By all accounts, Agathokles gave a rousing victory oration and then marched his men back to Alexandreia Ariana.

https://img214.imageshack.us/img214/...s243jb7.th.png
Baktrian soldiers survey a corpse-strewn battlefield - Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

The battle was yet another completely smashing victory for my son Agathokles. As usual, casualties during the actual clash were about even, and most of the enemy casualties came after the rout began. Cheering throngs greeted Agathokles and his men as they entered the city. He is very popular among the masses for his victories. Men in taverns throughout the kingdom debate which of his Arian victories was greater and have taken to calling them "First Ariana" and "Second Ariana". In my more cynical moments I almost worry that they may declare him king instead of me! After all, what do I do for them besides raise their taxes and send their sons off to war?

https://img204.imageshack.us/img204/8558/aria243lp5.png
Final results of the Second Battle of Alexandreia Ariana (243BC)

Before reports of Agathokles' victory had even reached the palace, I received equally good news from my other son. Heliokles had crept through the mountains and the forests towards Asaak and captured it with only a minor skirmish! Not long after that, caravans began to arrive carrying plunder from the city. I sent word to Agathokles not to attempt to hold the city, but to move on. He had already considered this and in a stroke of diplomatic genius, handed the province over to our allies the Pahlavi!

This move both strengthened our alliance and hurt our enemies, as well as cutting off a major corridor that Theodoros had used to send raiders into our northern satrapies. A large Pahlav garrison took over the town, while Heliokles and his men moved back into hiding. The forests in this area of the Empire are particularly thick, and the people there bear little to no loyalty to Theodoros. A little coin in their pockets is enough to cause memories of our passing to slip from their minds.

Heliokles had considered returning to our kingdom to deal with the Sakae, but with Agathokles freed from pressure in the south, he decided to stay in enemy territory and raid further. The most obvious target was the city of Hekatompylos in Parthava to the south, and Heliokles originally meant to travel in that direction, but shortly after the fall of Astauene, the Parthavans also revolted from the Empire. My son's spies told him that much of the garrison of Zadrakata, a much larger and richer city in Hyrkania, had gone to take back Parthava, so he quickly changed course and headed west. Once again creeping through the forest with his small force, Heliokles soon arrived in Hyrkania, where he ambushed a small army heading into Astauene, possibly looking for him! This ambush was so successful and so deadly that Heliokles erected a monument to Ares on the site before heading on.

He arrived outside Zadrakata less than a year ago, managing to slip his spies in ahead of his army's arrival. They gave him some amazing news. Emperor Theodoros himself, lord of the entire Arche Seleukeia, was using the city as a base to oversee his operations in the east! And we had the city surrounded!

It was not an easy task, but our infiltrators managed to open the gates of the city, and our men laid waste to the garrison. All that was left was to kill or capture Theodoros himself! We knew that it would not be so easy, though. His bodyguards are the best in the entire Hellenic world and fought to the last man to protect their emperor. Many more of our men died than theirs, but in the end it was worth it. Theodoros, to his credit, died a warrior's death, struck down in battle by Heliokles himself.

https://img204.imageshack.us/img204/...oros242ei0.png
Heliokles Baktrios (left) in combat with Theodoros, Seleukid emperor, in Zadrakata (242BC)

Once again, Heliokles looted the city, leaving the cooperative citizens with only their temples and their lives, as he had in Asaak. Those who resisted he took as slaves. His messengers have told me that he also turned this city over to the Pahlavi, and is even now returning to Baktria with mountains of treasure looted from the rich city, and driving thousands of slaves before him. Since he killed the emperor, the Empire has been in disarray and its armies have left us alone for the time being. However, the beast is already awoken under new leadership, and has taken Hyrkania back from the Pahlavi and recaptured Parthava as well. We steel ourselves for new hostilities.

Agathokles is wintering here in Baktra with his men, and will head north to recapture Alexandreia Eschate as soon as the snows melt. Have you had a chance to meet him? You should, he will be king in this land in the not-too-distant future. Although you are older than I am, so maybe you will not be around to see that? Hmmm... in any case, come, I will introduce you and your son to the crown prince. He is extremely suspicious around outsiders, but I have no doubt he will meet with you if I tell him to. Guards! Tell my son we are coming to meet him!

https://img216.imageshack.us/img216/...ria1242rq7.png
Map of Europe, North Africa, and western Asia (242BC)

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Next time: Agathokles heads north to recapture Alexandreia Eschate. Will he be able to fend off the barbarian horde? Will Baktria have to fend off new waves of Seleukid armies? Find out in Chapter 6!

Great as always.
Man, those Sauromatae are actually doing something!

Really enjoyed this last contribution !

Very good AAR.

Great narration of the battle between the Seleukid and Baktrian Crown Princes!:2thumbsup:

Well he was a prince, but not the crown prince as far as I can tell. I'm just assuming he was even a son, I can't see their family tree.

Thanks for all your great compliments everyone, it makes it easier to write knowing that at least someone is reading it. It might be a few more days before the next one, as I am working overtime recently.


And yeah, I am impressed by the Sauromatae also. From everything I read I expected them to just sit there, not go and conquer their way into eastern Europe!

Sadly I'm not sure I can continue this AAR. I really like playing as Baktria, but the Seleukids are just monstrous now due to the money the script gives them. It's 235BC and they currently have NINE armies in my two border provinces. I can barely afford to field three armies and I have to leave one up north to defend against the annoying Saba and their full stacks of archers sieging my cities every other year.

I am fighting like 2-3 battles a turn sometimes, winning all of them, and still the enemy keeps coming and sieging my cities. I auto-win against the three-pantodapoi stacks but I can't bring myself to cheat like that against bigger stacks (which is about 70% of their armies now), even though I know I can win pretty much every battle if I fight it. And I can't autocalc those battles either because half the time I will lose, and if I lose one of my two armies, it's game over. So I have to fight them manually or I basically lose the game. But it takes me 90 minutes per turn sometimes, and since my armies are so tied up, I don't have any way to conquer anything else, which means I can't raise money to make more armies. I also can't build money-producing buildings very easily since I spend most of my money on retraining, and my income is down since two or three of my cities are pretty much under constant siege. I break a siege on my city, but on the next AI turn, one of the infinite Seleukid armies is sieging it again, so that I never get a break.

So I'll try to slog through it, change the script so they don't get any bonuses at least for awhile, and see if I can continue. No promises though. :(

If this is save game compatible: you could try to lower the pop bonus the AI receives when it recruits a unit. This bonus prevents it from emptying their settlements completely, but it also allows the AI to have a disproportionate amount of soldiers in the field.

Where is that? In the script? I'll look into messing with the script tomorrow, I'm too frustrated right now.

Here is a lovely picture of my situation:
https://img207.imageshack.us/img207/8590/ackic6.th.png

The only three-unit pantopadoi armies are #3 and #7, the rest all have at least 7 units, usually at least two badass kleruch phalanxes.

You'll find it here: ...\EB\Data\scripts\show_me\EBBS.TXT

Do a search for:

Quote:

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add_population

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And you're on your way.

Thanks, I'll look into it tomorrow and attempt to salvage my AAR. The writing is fun, right now it's the game-playing that is the problem!

Very nice AAR
I like it alot keep them coming :2thumbsup:

Pity you're thinking of stopping. If you need it, you can always use the money cheat backwards for the SE:
add_money "roman_julii" -40000
That'll set them back a bit.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Warmaster Horus

Pity you're thinking of stopping. If you need it, you can always use the money cheat backwards for the SE:
add_money "roman_julii" -40000
That'll set them back a bit.

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They'll have it back in a couple of turns. Only way to prevent such illogical situations is to lower the money bonus the AI gets. I think that the already mentioned modding project is a good way to deal with this.

Well, using it several times would help. Suppose they were suddenly broke (in the red), then they'd have to wait more than just a couple of turns. And, when they get it, I'm sure Sheep would be able to get a "Seleukid Remnant" story:
"The heroic and valiant remainder of the ancient and annihilated Seleukid Empire defended their last territories and Satrapies to the death, fearing not for their lives, but for the risk of missing the chance to sacrifice themselves to save their country..." Continue, please, Sheep.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Warmaster Horus

Well, using it several times would help. Suppose they were suddenly broke (in the red), then they'd have to wait more than just a couple of turns. And, when they get it, I'm sure Sheep would be able to get a "Seleukid Remnant" story:
"The heroic and valiant remainder of the ancient and annihilated Seleukid Empire defended their last territories and Satrapies to the death, fearing not for their lives, but for the risk of missing the chance to sacrifice themselves to save their country..." Continue, please, Sheep.

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I will as soon as I fix the script to my satisfaction! When I get it working again I'll nuke their treasury a bit and then start them on the new script so that it never gets quite so high. Don't have the final product just yet, but we're pretty close to something workable right now that I can at least use for my AAR.

Good to know. Take your time sorting out the script to near perfection.

Dude I like this AAR...It's a damn good story...too bad it's over now! But Sheep, you'll have to know you inspired a junior member to write an AAR myself! I'd like to do one around the sleleucid empire when I'm playing again next week (this one i'm going away to rhodos on holiday so)...One question...how do you make the jawdropping screenshots? And in a battle, without the army list in the bottom of the screen?

O right, and I want to compliment the moderators with their work, EB is awesome!
:2thumbsup:

Wow........after I read this AAR, I tried out Baktria......oh man! They have some amazing troops (and one fun campaign)! Converting to a Baktrian general....now!

Great AAR!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Owen the Mighty

Wow........after I read this AAR, I tried out Baktria......oh man! They have some amazing troops (and one fun campaign)! Converting to a Baktrian general....now!

Great AAR!

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Well, pretty soon Baktria will have some even more amazing troops. One of which is in my sig.