Chapter 90 : The Median War (Continued)
While the Basileus moves into Katabria and an Aigyptoi army wanders the shifting sands, the main concern of almost all within the Arche Makedonia is the war with Media to the east. For years, battles had been fought and every time the Medes had been pushed back, but the garrisons of Babylonia, Assyria, and Armenia had been depleted and the soldiers had been pushed to the breaking point. In Armenia, the garrison of Armavir had been almost completely wiped out and had to be reinforced from Iberia. In Babylonia, the aging King Isidoros Oresteus of Babylon had crushed every army sent against him but had slowly been loosing the elite veteran core that made up his army.
The years that made up the end of the beginning of the Median War were much like the years that made up the beginning of the beginning. Median armies continue to invade Makedonian territory and the Makedones continue to fight a defensive war. A "war" of personalities between King Isidoros and Sotades in Demetreia had tied up any forces that might be used to make a Makedonian offensive in Assyria or Babylonia.
Spring 146BC: The depleted garrison of Armavir is reinforced by fresh troops from Iberia. The unified forces fight and rout an army of Media in northern Armenia.
Summer 146BC: By the summer, the lands of Babylonia and Assyria are overrun by enemy troops. The king of Media personally commands an army besieging the city of Seleukeia. With the garrisons and governments of the Makedonian satrapies trapped by Median armies behind walled cities, bandits and rebels roam the lands causing a whole new set of problems:
During this same time, Zaikedenthes Echinaieus leads the garrison of Hippone to victory against an army of Numidia. The rift between the Numidians and the Mauretanians continues to grow.
Autumn 146BC: The Median royal army and Median king besieging King Isidoros within Seleukeia complete their siege equipment and try to take the city by force:
The towers and rams are all quickly destroyed, but King Isidoros wishes to destroy the Median army before it can withdrawl, or even kill the Median king:
Leaving the bulk of his forces on the walls to distract the regrouping Medes, King Isidoros takes his entire cavalry force out one of the distant city gates with plans to strike at the Median flanks:
Perhaps aware of Isidoros' movements or by chance, the first enemy the Babylonian cavarly confronts are the personal kataphraktoi of the Median king. Sending the light cavalry to attack the enemy infantry, King Isidoros leads the heavier cavalry against the Median king. Seeking to be the one who charges and not the one who is charged, Isidoros orders his cavalry in:
At first things are hopeful, as the Babylonian cavarly cuts through the kataphraktoi armor with their axes:
Things go well for the Babylonians for only a short time. As the Median kataphraktoi regain their composure, they quickly regain the upper hand and start killing the Babylonians in great numbers. With his men falling dead all around him, King Isidoros soon finds himself unprotected. The king of Babylonia fights like a hero of old, but soon an eastern mace finds its mark and hits the old king. Isidoros drops his sword and slumps over on his horse.
By this point, his bodyguard had managed to fight their way back to him and quickly lead the king's horse away from the battle, with a man on each side holding their king in his place. The cavalry force tries to withdraw back to the city, hoping the Median kataphraktoi would disengage and go after the Babylonian skirmisher cavalry cutting through the Median infantry ranks, but the heavy kataphraktoi smell blood and pursue the injured king:
Even though they are heavier, the kataphraktoi slowly gain on the injured king and his bodyguard. Realizing they are about to be overtaken and their king killed, a group of Babylonian cavalry halt and turn around. Buying the extra seconds necessary for their king to get back into the city walls, this small group charges headlong into the heavy cavalry:
The Babylonians are cut to pieces, none survive, but Isidoros and his bodyguard get back to the city. However, the Medes decide to withdraw, unable to take the city without equipment and too short on supplies to stay in Babylonia any longer:
King Isidoros recovers. Although, his right arm is never the same again, and he continues to have pain in his right side. Isidoros manages to gather the survivors and those dismounted in the initial confrontation and recover a few horsemen, but other than the light cavalry---who took their own losses as well---there is almost nothing left of the cavalry of Babylonia.
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While the Arche watches events in the east, normal events continue in all areas of life, economy, contruction, and nature.
Laandros, youngest brother of Basileus Philippos, administrator of Hellas, continues his studies of the ways of war. Though he has never commanded an army, he has some of the best skills in warfare available to the Basileus... on paper:
A massive earthquake hits Sikilia and does huge amounts of damage to the city of Syrakousai. Although no government or religious structures are significantly damaged, residential sections of the city suffer from collapse and fire. Thousands die:
In western Pontos, the city of Heraklea completes construction of an expanded port and opens to trade in greater amounts than ever before:
Far off, in Bostra, the aged Chrysoloras Delphikos starts to enjoy his work as governor and gets even better at it. The old soldier official retires from the ways of war:
Chrysoloras even manages to set up an advanced system of irrigation for his parched territory and increase the production of his klerouchoi farmers:
The islands of Krete and Lesbos both complete their own harbor expansions:
But the most impressive harbor built from the funds of a reunited Arche is at the city of Salonika. Here, the port that supplies the capital with all its goods is dredged out and expanded to accommodate even larger amounts of commercial traffic:
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Spring 145BC: The city of Arbela is attacked by a Median army but by the use of arrows soaked in oil and set on fire, the enemy is scattered and the city saved.
Summer 145BC: The reinforced garrison of Armavir fights a battle against a large Median army. Both sides take heavy casualties but the Medians retreat.
To the south, the king of Media gathers his army and once again crosses over the mountains to attack the city of Seleukeia.
Autumn 145BC: Zaikedenthes Echinaieus once again must defend the city of Hippone from Numidian invaders. Although the Numidian army is commanded by the Numidian king, he is accompanied by two prominent exiles from Karchedon:
Towers reach the walls and miners knock down a section of it, but the defenders are not swayed:
Facing the Numidians, both elite and levy troops garther to push them back through the breach:
Confident in the skill of his men to defend the breach---as they have done countless times before---Zaikedenthes leaves the walls and leads his cavalry out through a side gate of the city. Circling around the sides of the city, Zaikedenthes manages to catch one of the exiles, Aderbal Lambaesis, and his men, far from the rest of the Numidian army. With a charge from the Numidian cavalry a great many Phoenicians fall dead:
Before long, a second group of Phoenicians comes charging in at the conflict, this time lead by the exile Admetos Urso, new head of the famous Urso family. While the garrison of Hippone pushes back everyone that enters the city, the cavalry forces fight off to the side of the city:
Before long, Aderbal Lambaesis falls dead and Admetos Urso and the remaining cavalry turn to retreat. The quick Numidian cavalry chase down the exiles and kill every last one of them. Just as he thinks he is away, even Admetos Urso falls dead:
[I had to show that picture. How unlucky of him.]
King Bomilkar retreats back into Numidia, his army destroyed and his advisors killed. Hopefully, the last of the Urso line lies dead this day:
Winter 145BC: The Median king once again tries to get King Isidoros to fight by attacking the wall of the city of Seleukeia. This time, Isidoros and what is left of his cavalry remain safely behind the walls. Enemy equipment makes it to the walls of the city of Selekeia but are caught on fire at the last minute, forcing the Medes to retreat from Babylonia once again.
Spring 144BC: Euktimenos Demetrios Idomeneus attacks a rebel army under the command of Neolaus Samosaton Kommagenikon. Seeking to use the Median war as an excuse to break away from the Arche Makedonia, this small force and their claim of territory between Assyria and Babylonia are faced with a massive army:
Using Thorakitai...
...and kataphraktoi...
...the rebel force is not even a challenge for Euktimenos:
As word spread that Euktimenos has defeated a rebel army, the immediate question amoungst all in the royal family is, "With what army?" Right under his nose, Sotades has allowed a man who was once the leader of a rival faction to raise an army of high quality. Sotades sends word to Philippos and suggest giving the order to have Euktimenos killed as sson as possible.
Summer 144BC: The Kantabrians surrender to Basileus Philippos and the entire region of Kantabria falls under the jurisdiction of the Arche Makedonia:
With a force of coastal Iberians waiting to garrison the region, Philippos quickly moves his army north and into the lands of the Aquitani. These lands still remain loyal to the collapsing Iberian Confederacy and make an easy target for the Arche:
At this same time, a huge army from Media arrives in northern Armenia and besieges the city of Armavir. The garrison is vastly outnumbered and have no more reinforcements to call upon.
A large Median force also crosses over the mountains of Media and into eastern Assyria. Unlike previous forces, this one is large and well organized. It would seem that something has changed in Media or in the Median plan.
Autumn 144BC: The Aigyptoi army finally comes upon the last garrison in eastern Arabia. Surprising the city by attacking from out of the desert, the Aigyptoi descend upon the town:
This first Sab'yn force is easily defeated and the Aigyptoi position themselves at the top of a hill to await the garrison from out of the city:
The Aigyptoi wait patiently for the Sab'yn soldiers to tire themselves marching and climbing up the hill. When the time is right, the entire Aigyptoi line charges down from the hill an onto the enemy:
The Sab'yn garrison is crushed and those who survive surrender and disband. With this, the last of the distant Sab'yn territories is broken from them. The envoys send word to the king of Maka and the Makedonian advisors left behind in Maka. They are informed that Gerrha is taken and that the region will be integrated into Maka. The lands are given to the king of Maka, but the Aigyptoi remain in the town of Gerrha to garrison it against any possible Median agression.
Winter 144BC: King Isidoros Oresteus, king and ruler of Babylon, dies in his sleep. Succumbing to the winter cold and his old wounds, the old king dies relatively peacefully in his sleep:
The crown of Babylon falls to Isidoros' son-in-law, Keraton Apolloniates, the only option for an heir. Keraton is crowned, but a huge number of the elite Babylonians stationed in Seleukeia see the death of King Isidoros as a sign and disband or flee to other regions. Keraton is forced to take the bulk of the garrison from Babylonia to hold the city of Seleukeia. Keraton's advisors tell him that it is time to send word to Demetreia and request Makedonian reinforcements, but Keraton refuses. King Keraton Apolloniates has a plan, and if it fails then he will request assistance.
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The known world in the winter of 144
BC:
Next: Chapter 91 : The Neo-Persian Empire
Re: The Pyrrhic Dynasty : A Makedonian AAR
Originally Posted by MarcusAureliusAntoninus
Ah and I finally re-read the whole AAR from the very beginning
Since I'm on a student's exchange in Mexico I don't really have to do anything to do the whole day and reading your AAR saved me from boring myself to death for some time (especially as I don't have a pc to play EB on here
) Just wanted to say thank you
. Looks like big things are about to happen in the Arche.
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