1280 continued

I have eliminated Khan Kuo Kan with the help of King Jan. There are now only two Mongol armies left. The noose tightens.

Count Karl Zirn has driven the Egyptians from the walls of Damascus.

Duke Friedrich Scherer has completely destroyed the French army that had besieged Rheims.

Duke Arnold has routed a Hungarian army to his north and is on his way to meet with the leaderless AHA in the northern pass between Bran and Budapest.

Count Fritz von Kastilien captured and ransomed a Danish force east of Hamburg and then broke and eliminated the Polish siege of Stettin.

Count Peter von Kastilien has defeated two Polish armies on the border of Magdeburg and Krakow in separate night actions. He then swung east to crush some rebels near Thorn.

Duke Gerhard Steffen has pursued and defeated the Sicilians who had the temerity to march on Rome. The garrison of Naples sallied out to assist and were crushed as well. The Duke then took and sacked the defenseless city. The loot has flooded our coffers, allowing me to build in all settlements this turn.

I have sent out diplomatic feelers concerning Cagliari. I could sell the castle to one of our allies for about 3000 florins. Offered to Spain, it doesn't make a dent in the their resolve to war with us, no doubt because of our alliance with Portugal. For now, I will hold onto it and see if its value as a bargaining chip increases.

Speaking of Cagliari. A Moorish fleet with an embarked army is near the Castle. Count Lothar Steffen's army will remain there to guard the island while catapults and reinforcements are brought from Ajaccio. The Count will not attack Palermo until thorough preparations are made. The Sicilians also have a strong navy which also must be taken into account.

In accordance with Edict 12.4 I have contacted the Scottish King to broker an alliance.




The offer was firmly rejected. These are not the heady days of the early Empire, we cannot pluck alliances off trees like fruit.

Implementation of CA 12.6 will take some time. HAs leaders have to be moved to their new troops, many of the HAs are already neck deep in enemies, and many of the Duchies have their premier Castles far from the front lines. I will continue to work on reorganizing and manning the new armies.