Orders and reports thread

**OverKnight** · 08-10-2007, 13:31

1272

I am truly sorry to inform the Reich of the loss of one of it's great men.

The liberator of Damascus has gone to his reward. Count Fredericus von Hamburg took leadership of the Reich in its darkest hour and set it back on course. Without his stabilizing rule, I shudder to think where we would be.

Still, even though we grieve we must welcome a new Swabian to the Diet.

I fear I must bring further dark tidings, this time of war.

Prince Lorenzo of Sicily has besieged Bologna. The fool only did it with his retainers and was run off by the garrison, but we are now at war with Sicily. I am amazed by their stupidity.

Our only consolation is that England is finally at war with France as they laid siege to Bruges.

The Sicilians south of Ragusa have taken ship and now lie off the coast. No doubt they fear the wrath of Duke Arnold.

I wish I could send Count Lothar to wreak a terrible vengeance on Sicily from Cagliari, but the Spanish army there concerns me. They have not withdrawn, and a Spanish fleet approaches Ajaccio with troops aboard. I fear we will be at war with them by next year.

With this in mind I have decided to strengthen our ties with an ally left to us. I again approached the Byzantine Princess Theodora.

Kaiser Siegfried has gained a wife, and we have gained a secure ally.

I know the price was high, but our relations with the Byzantines had fallen and they have troops around Adana. Normally, I would brush this off and wait for their feeble strike, however, this is far from a normal situation. It would be difficult to defend Outremer from both a Byzanitine and Mongol incursion and we cannot afford to lose one of the few trading partners left to us.

Speaking of the Mongols, they have moved close to Mosul, but have not besieged the city.

Edessa has finished rebuilding its walls, and Jan von Hamburg will supervise the construction of Ballista Towers. We will not face the Mongols unprepared.

Athalwolf Engel has spied on three of the four Mongol leaders. So far, they are all night fighters and fell Generals.

Another of our enemies' Kings lies dead, slain by our lone assassin.

The Polish Prince says he's grateful, but I doubt he will show it.

Count Sigismund has pushed into Hungarian territory, driving the enemy before him. Bran should be within reach in a year.

I await word on four battles.

1272 Continued

Kaiser Siegfried has crushed a band of rebels near Magdeburg.

Fritz von Kastilien was victorious over the Poles. He will move to take command of the Army of the Interior in the absence of the Kaiser. Peter von Kastilien has taken command of the FHA and moved it to the bridge south of Thorn.

Ansehelm von Kastilien has destroyed the Russian army in his path and continues to move east.

Gerhard Steffen has routed a force of Swiss Pikemen near Innsbruck. He is now bringing a force of professional soldiers south to reinforce Rome.

Duke Arnold has left Ragusa with most of the garrison. If the Sicilians land to take advantage of this, he will turn and crush them. If not, he will proceed to meet a small Hungarian army near Zagreb.

I have not had word from Duke Scherer about whether he wishes to assist the English. I have moved the Swabian HA to the north just short of our border so that we are in a position to assist if needed next year.

Our diplomat in Spain has found out that Cordoba has rebelled.

Regarding the Spanish threat, I will not attack them this year. If they wish war, let them strike the first blow and suffer the wrath of the Pope. However, I will not give them Cagliari either. If they are hostile, I will not help them take our conquests.

**OverKnight** · 08-12-2007, 10:21

1274

Ajaccio is besieged.

As I expected, the Spaniards landed on Corsica and attacked us. Oddly enough, the forces already on Sardinia have not besieged Cagliari. I do not know what angers me more, the fact that other Kingdoms dare challenge us, or that they do so in such an insipid manner.

Khan Kuo Kan seems intent on avenging his fallen brethren, for the Mongols have bypassed Mosul and seem to be heading for Edessa.

I had hoped they would have bled a bit taking Mosul, but our forces will be in place to meet them when they come.

Contzel von Mahren has married Edmund Becker, the newest Austrian noble.

The French have driven the English from Bruges. Their battered army has retreated to the walls of Paris.

Thorn has been besieged by a small army of mounted Polish Nobles. It is a nuisance and nothing more.

The Council of Nobles has asked us to blockade Toulouse for six years and promised us advanced troops if this task is completed.

The Teutonic Crusade is now north of Novgorod.

1274 Continued

Count Sigismund von Mahren has taken Bran, but lost his life in doing so. Arrows do not care about Chivalry. His death is a blow to the Reich. The AHA is currently leaderless, but remains strong. They will reinforce at the Citadel.

Count Peter von Kastilien has scattered the Poles to his west and taken position on the bridge south of Thorn with the FHA.

Count Wolfgang Hummel has defeated the Spaniards laying siege to Ajaccio. The fleet that had been transporting him drove off the Spanish transports, and Wolfgang is now on his way to Marseille.

Duke Arnold has engaged a force of Hungarians near Zagreb. The garrison of the city came to his assistance.

The prisoners were executed and the fleeing survivors will not trouble the Reich again. Duke Arnold will continue on a long journey to Bran.

Count Lothar Steffen has defeated the Spanish on Sardinia. Without naval transport to retreat to, the survivors will not trouble us again. The Bavarian Household Army is worn down, it will take time to bring it up to strength.

Count Fritz von Kastilien has led the Army of the Interior to victory over the second band of Rebels near Magdeburg. How the Danes move over the new year will determine his next destination.

Prinz Elberhard felt some Egyptian siege equipment was getting to close to Jerusalem. Summoning Karl Zirn from Damascus and taking some Teutonic Knights from Acre, he crushed the Saracen army on the Jerusalem-Jedda border.

Jonas von Mahren has built a fort on the north side of the bridge over the Elbe near Hamburg. I hope this will curtail the small Danish incursions south of the River and disrupt the land link between Antwerp and Arhus.

The end of the year has brought news of another battle. Two Polish Generals are trying to attack Peter von Kastilien across the bridge over the Vistula.

I await the result of this battle, and will report on it in the new year.

**OverKnight** · 08-16-2007, 13:47

1276

Peter von Kastilien was successful in his defense of the bridge.

The Danes have laid siege to Frankfurt with a small army. I hope the new Fort on the Elbe will prevent any further incursions like this.

The Pope is pleased that we have refrained from attacking the Danes outside our territory, but he now wishes us to do the same with the Hungarians. Since Bran is now ours, I will comply.

Jonas von Mahren's youngest daughter, Niesenn, has married an Austrian noble named Wilhelm.

The Monogls have entered Outremer.

The Mongol General Kitbuqa has marched his army ahead of the rest. I will not let this opportunity to strike an isolated army pass. I have ordered King Salier to engage them. Jan von Hamburg will lead the garrison of Edessa to assist him.

1276 Continued

Disaster! King Salier is dead and his army destroyed! This is an unexpected blow. Jan von Hamburg fought valiantly in the battle and was able to extract much of his army and retreat back to Edessa.

I will take vengeance for this defeat as Count Hans's army is still assembling near Aleppo. If the worst shall happen, again, he will be responsible for holding the bridge there.

Despite this tragedy, matters of state continue.

I contacted the English near Bruges, and in return for a great deal of Florins, they have agreed to a royal marriage.

Recent events have taught us we must strengthen the alliances we have.

Kaiser Siegfried has broken the siege of Frankfurt. The Danish survivors have fled to Antwerp.

Duke Arnold has broken some rebels on his way to Bran.

Wolfgang Hummel has made landfall in Marseille and is headed north.

The Reich now controls the silk trade around Constantinople.

I have destroyed the army of Kitbuqa and executed him. So will be the fate of all the Mongols.

**OverKnight** · 08-17-2007, 10:11

1278

Sad news from Hamburg.

I hope he and his sons are together now.

The Mongols did not attack Edessa or any of our forces. However a large Turkish army has moved near Adana.

Denmark and England are now at war, I hope this will help stabilize our northwestern front.

Thorn has again been besieged by a very small Polish army. I do not know what they wish to accomplish with such futile gestures.

1278 Continued

The garrison of Thorn has thrown off the Polish siege with few losses. Count Peter von Kastilien could have taken care of this, but his army is needed to the west to keep an eye on the small Polish raids into eastern Magdeburg. He is currently on the Krakow-Magdeburg border. I expect him to see battle next year.

Count Fritz von Kastilien has turned back a Danish Invasion northeast of Hamburg. He has now moving to Magdeburg to reinforce and to contain any Polish movement in that direction.

Duke Gerhard Steffen has crushed a Sicilian incursion near Rome and is now making his way to Naples.

Count Hans has decimated a Turk army east of Adana. Having dealt with that threat he will be able to return to the fight against the Mongols in the new year. Sir Dieter Bresch holds the bridge between Aleppo and Edessa with a mid-sized army. I will stay near Edessa to constrict the Mongols movement, block the fords to the north and prevent them from swarming the bridge. This has left me open to attack from two of the three Mongol armies, but it is a risk I'm willing to take.

Duke Arnold is now southeast of Budapest on the road to Bran. As there are several Hungarian armies in the vicinity, I have reinforced his army with militia from Budapest.

Hans the Killer has removed the last Orthodox Priest near Thorn. We have made gains restoring Catholicism to the area, and I hope this will aid our efforts.

On the diplomatic front, I offered Cagliari to the Spanish in return for a ceasefire. Though the offer appeared balanced, it was firmly rejected. I am loathe to offer more, since we have beaten them in two land battles and at sea. Peace offers to France and the Danes were also rejected out of hand.

**OverKnight** · 08-18-2007, 18:17

1280

Rheims has been besieged by the French, Stettin is besieged by a small Polish army and Damascus has been besieged by three Egyptian units.

We have forces ready to relieve each siege, the only serious one is the French.

The walls of Genoa will have to be upgraded soon.

The Mongols, despite their fierce reputation, have done nothing but spread themselves out in Edessa.

Their armies cannot support one another. They are vulnerable to attack.

Pope Miccele has ordered us to cease hostilities with Spain (7 turns) and Denmark (6 turns). It seems these were his last living wishes.

It is unfortunate, but I am glad to see him move on to his eternal reward. He had taken a dim view of our actions, and our standing with him had to fallen to poor.

The outcome of the election in the College of Cardinals was never in doubt.

Our dominance of the College has paid dividends.

Our rightful standing in the Church has been restored and those who would war with us are close to excommunication. We should keep this in mind when we consider our actions for the next Diet Session.

A General has entered Bavarian service in Rome.

My term is coming to a close and the State of the Reich is strong.

I have fulfilled most of the Edicts entrusted to me. The Third Crusade liberated Jerusalem, and it has been returned to the Church. The Teutonic Crusade is now deep in Russian territory. Bran and Cagliari have been taken, and the Milanese destroyed. I have strengthened the garrisons of our cities.

With apologies to Duke Arnold, I have been unable to find him a wife. The Spanish attack against us has delayed our retribution against Sicily and the reunification of Italy. Still, we defeated the Spaniards, and Naples will soon be within our grasp.

The second wave of Mongols was finished at the start of my term. They have come again, however, and caused us great harm with the death of King Salier. Still, they have lost a quarter of their forces in doing so. We can reinforce, they cannot. As my term ends, they are contained around Edessa, their armies isolated and ripe for destruction. It will not be easy, but we will end them.

Besides the Mongols, there have been no major invasions into our territories during my term. There have been pin pricks along the Frontier, but they have been beaten back. Sieges have been relieved immediately and invaders scattered.

I have made the finances of the Reich one of the focuses of my term.

Merchant trade has tripled during my term. We have seized control of all the Silk trade in the known world. Revenue has risen by 15,000 florins a year, while I have managed to reduce expenditures by 1500 florins. Despite many external pressures, I have maintained military spending at the level I found it in 1260. Further savings will have to be realized if we wish to build in every settlement in every year, but the current military situation might not allow this.

On the diplomatic front, I have cemented our alliances with England and the Byzantine Empire by marriages to the Prinz and Kaiser, respectively. They were costly, but of all the actions I have taken during my term, these may be the most enduring. We must keep the allies we have when faced with so many intransigent enemies.

So ends this term. I am proud of what we have accomplished, but there is much left to be done. I have no doubt we will triumph.

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/kotr1280.zip

**FactionHeir** · 08-19-2007, 08:31

Orders for Swabia:

Staufen:
Armoury
Master Armourer

Bern:
Blacksmith
Printing Press
Merchant's Bank

Dijon:
Finish Inn
Armourer
Mayor's Palace

SHA Orders:
To be led by Duke Scherer and supported by Athalwolf von Salza.
Priority to take Caen within 8 years and then move to defend southern Swabia. Command is to be given to Wolfgang Hümmel after the taking of Caen during Duke Scherer's absence.

SHA2 Orders:
To be led by Athalwolf von Salza after his knighting and tasked to defend Caen and Paris. Apply pressure on the Danes at Antwerp by raids if no imminent French attack.