Battle reports thread - King of the Romans PBM

[OverKnight]

South of Caesarea, 1294

Matthias sat at his camp desk inside his command tent, poring over letters and reports by candlelight. He hadn't realized when he first became Chancellor that the job involved quite so much paperwork. He had imagined marching forth with the Armies of the Reich and crushing Barbarians, but armies needed food, new recruits, boots, weapons, and other endless supplies. Nobles and governors needed to be mollified and motivated. Electors swamped him with requests and demanded reports.

And all this required paper and a great deal of writing. More often than not, Matthias felt like a scribe in a Monastery more than the second most powerful man in the Reich. Even now, on campaign building forts on the frontier, the letters came and went, unceasing. One in particular had caught his eye. The letter was why he was waiting for a visitor past midnight.

A man entered the tent and Matthias looked up, unsurprised. The Chancellor rose to meet him.

"Ah, Strategos Alvanites, please, have a seat. Would you like some coffee?"

The Byzantine General looked around with a blank expression. He sat down opposite the Chancellor.

"No thank you, Domestikos Matthias, all I want, if I may be blunt, is an explanation. Why have you asked me here?"

Matthias sat down at his desk, tapping an opened letter on the wood.

"A fair question, Let us say I am consulting with an ally on the military situation versus our common enemy, the Turks. How goes your campaign against them?"

The Greek stiffened and spoke in a flat town, "As you well know, the drive on Caesarea has. . .encountered set backs. The garrison is quite powerful. The Turks launch spoiling attacks before we can gather enough forces to take their capital."

Matthias nodded, "Hmm, unfortunate, we encountered a similar situation with the French. Unless one keeps hammering away and breaks through to their Castle, they just keep coming. The trick is to force them into a decisive battle and crush their forces before moving on to the stronghold itself."

The Strategos seemed offended by the glib analysis, "It is not as simple as you make it out. We are at the end of our supply lines, to gather a force strong enough to force this battle. . ."

The Greek shrugged, "This is not our only front."

Matthias leaned back in his chair.

"There is a way, my army could assist you."

The General scoffed, "Each time we ask your diplomats for such assistance, they prattle on about the Charter of Outremer and a lack of Edicts. You Germans seem overly concerned with the letter of the law."

Matthias's eyes narrowed. He did not like dealing with this man as an equal.

"You seemed quite happy to take Iconium and Sofia off our hands when our Edicts called for it. And what did you Greeks do then, but sell Bulgaria back to the Hungarians. We Romans might be overly precise, but you Greeks are overly fond of Florins."

The Strategos stood upright, features flushed with indignation.

"You Germans think you run the whole damn world! Enjoy while it lasts, the wheel turns, Domestikos, and you will not always be on top."

Matthias gazed evenly at the man, "Perhaps, but do you want to gut the garrison of Caesarea or not? The Turks are a common enemy."

"How would you do this? I know your Charter prevents you from taking the Citadel yourself. Why would you put your neck out for us?"

Matthias smiled coldly, "Oh, I have no plans of taking the Citadel or violating the Charter. My scouts tell me there is a small Turkish army outside the walls. If your army and mine attack it, the Sultan will be honor bound to assist. Between us we have enough men to crush him. Then, once the deed is done, you could practically walk into the place and finally achieve your goal. I am sure the Basileus would look with grattitude on the man who finally gives him victory."

Doubt and ambition warred in Strategos, "You are still taking a risk, your Diet might frown on this. Why do you do this? You've been in office for 36 years, why help us now?"

Matthias leaned in and spoke quietly, "There are individuals within the Reich who wish to assist your Empire. They have contacted me and asked my help in this matter. I will not be Chancellor for much longer, and I must ensure that I have a comfortable 'retirement'. I have made enemies in office, and I find I will need more friends when I lose my position. Of course, this will also cripple the Turks as well, and focus their attention on saving their capital. With this strike I will aid you, myself and Outremer. A good days work."

The two men discussed their plans well into the night. After the Strategos left, Matthias took the letter he had been holding and held it to the candle on his desk until it caught fire. Dropping it onto a metal tray, the Chancellor watched the flames slowly consume the paper.

"Politics," muttered Matthias to himself as the flames died.


The Battle

The Imperial army deployed in front of the Byzantines. Matthias might have to work with Byzantines, but their military reputation was far from perfect. Better that he take lead.

The Sultan was coming, but first Matthias shifted his forces to the right to face the smaller Turk army and give the Byzantines room to deploy.

Not wanting to exchange missile fire with an inferior foe for long, Matthias ordered his footmen in.

The Imperial line held the enemy, while the Cavalry swept in from the flank to dispatch the deadly artillery.

After that, the first Turkish army quickly crumbled, but Matthias had to call off his men and form them up as the garrison of Caesarea approached.

With the main Turkish force now in the field, the Byzantines attacked from the left of the Imperials. The main Turkish line still faced the Germans.

The two lines exchange missile fire for a time, before the Sultan tired of this and led a cavalry charge. He sought to catch the bowmen out in front, but Matthias ordered his footmen to countercharge.

The Sultans bodyguard, a massive force of 60 picked men, had turned the Imperial right flank, and threatened the crossbowmen there. Of course, that's why Matthias had a cavalry reserve.

The Sultan lost half his men as 150 Knights slammed into his bodyguard. Fleeing the field, he abandoned his men to their fate.

With the Imperial horse unleashed on their infantry and the Turks' leader gone, their organization collapsed. Several units began to run. Matthias sent half his men to pursue the routers and other half to assist the Byzantines.

The Turks were crushed, but the Sultan and a few men made it back to Caesarea.

Matthias didn't really care. The Turks had been bled, the northern border of Outremer would be quiet and he'd held up his end of the deal. Let the Greeks take the city, if they could muster up the courage to finish off a wounded foe.

All in all, it was a good days work.