Most Glorious Victories

[Apgad]

I just had one of my best-ever battles in over 3 years of RTW in various flavours. I'm playing as Romani, and am coming up to Marian reforms. I'd almost established my Rhine-Danube frontier, and only needed to knock off Satres...

There were 3 3/4 full stacks already hanging around, so I bribed them for a cool 1.5 million, and got almost a full stack of silver chevron Gallic soldiers of various types out of it. My Romani army consisted of 10 silver and gold chevron principes, 4 gold chevron elite allied cavalry, and 2 FMs with about a dozen bodyguards each.

With my Romani stack I besieged the city from the west, and my bribed army beseiged from the south-west. Of course Satres attacks the bribed army, meaning I can only bring my Romans on in dribs and drabs, while fighting of Satres and the 3/4 stack coming out of the town.

So the first thing I do is rush to the north-east corner of the map to try to kill as many guys coming from the town before Satres gets across the map. That turns into a meat grinder battle, as my only cavalry available are the 2 FMs from the reinforcing army. The Gallic troops are holding their own against the town garrison, but I can't get my FMs around behind to cause any trouble. As units die off I'm able to bring in my principes to join in, but I only get 4 onto the field before Satres strikes, leaving my Gallic troops completely enveloped. Needless to say, my FMs legged it out of there!

So as these Gauls get annihilated the rest of my principes enter the field, and I've got a bit of open ground and some height to form a defensive line. At this stage the odds ratio bar says something about needing to be a military genius to win this one, with only a thin sliver in my favour. I'm still unable to get my allied cavalry on yet, as the Gallic troops are routing, and I have to wait for them to leave the field or be chopped down (but of course Satres has no cavalry!).

So Satres turns his attention to my reinforcements, and comes at me with a broad line 2 units deep, aiming to envelop me. My left wing is held by a magical glowing red line, possibly placed there by Mars himself to help his loyal Roman worshippers. Whatever the origin, my troops on the left were grateful! Those on the right weren't feeling too good though...

As Satres engages his right wing with my left and begins swinging his left around my right, my cavalry finally make it onto the field. I take them (with the FMs who have been hiding behind a big tree) on a long loop around Satres' left flank, and then wheel them and charge in waves, 2 units at a time. Charge, retreat, regroup. Charge, retreat, regroup. Each charge takes out 6 or 8 enemy soldiers, with the occassional loss of a horse.

But it's not enough. My principes are surrounded, exhausted, wavering. They feel like Mars has abandoned them. Then my cavalry abandon them too, as I take them to the other side of the map where there is a long slope and finally some decent open ground. So long infantry, it was good while it lasted.

When the principes finally rout Satres is down to around a 3/4 stack. I have my 2 FMs and 4 units of allied cavalry left, each of whom are down to about 40 horses. Luckily 3 are also up to 2 gold chevrons. The odds ratio is still far and away in Satres' favour.

One thing going for me is that his troops are now exhausted too. As he turns to attack my new position my cavalry have time to rest and recover. Soon they're fresh. Then it's on!

Satres advances up the slope like a machine. He has 3 lines, each 6 units wide. I have no chance to circle around his wings, so my only choice is a frontal charge. I divide my units and concentrate on the enemy unit at the front corner of the coming steamroller. Again I charge, retreat and regroup, again, and again. It seems to make no differece. Each time I regroup I find myself a little further up the slope, and Satres keeps coming.

Then, at last I see a crack. I switch my attack to the edges of the second line, and then the third. As my 2 small groups of cavalry move further apart Satres isn't sure which to pursue. Each time he turns towards one I hit him in the rear with the other. Then he decides to split his forces, which is just what I want.

I lead his troops further and further apart, and then my group being followed by the larger part suddenly abandon their attack and circle around to attack the rear of the smaller part. For the first time in the battle an enemy unit routs. True, I had to kill 80 neitos to get the last 2 to rout, but they all count! But Satres doesn't play dominos. Every other unit fights to the end.

At last I finish off the smaller part of the split army. Satres now has 8 units left, and my cavalry are down to 30 horses each. Three of them have 2 gold chevrons, and 1 has 3. My FMs have 6 and 8 bodyguards left. I make a dash through some trees to reach the highest point of the battle map that still has some open ground. There is thick forest to the left and right, and if my cavalry get caught there they'll be slaughtered. Retreat is not an option, so this has to be the last roll of the dice.

I get a short rest until my units are only winded, and then the fun starts again. I decide on an epic frontal cavalry charge. I aim for alternate units on each charge, as the advancing line slows, but does not stop. Then suddenly I see Satres at the fore. He is front and centre, so I throw everything at him. The fighting is fierce, and I'm running out of room. Soon I won't be able to reteat and regroup. There's only 1 thing to do.

I choose 1 unit of cavalry as my sacrificial lamb. They head off on their final suicide mission. As they charge home and become enveloped I feel a bit like Kate Winslet letting Leonardo DiCaprio sink into the icy Atlantic at the end of Titanic (very bad movie, by the way), but there's no time to cry now.

With my remaining units I strike again and again and the frenzied horde attacking my sacrificial lamb like a school of piranhas skeletonizing a cow (wow, metaphors and similes in the same sentence!). Can they hold out long enough?

Satres is now down to a hundred men, and I can smell victory. Suddenly, the final 3 horsemen of the suicide squad do the unthinkable. They've killed Satres! I charge the formless mass of men a final time with every soldier left, and finally the line breaks. My weary horsemen mop up the final routers, and victory is at hand. The town is mine, and Satres is no more.

Every unit that I commanded lost more troops than they killed, with the exception of 2 units of principes and my allied cavalry and FMs. Each of the cavalry units had over 300 kills each, with only the very last few being routers.

That was truly my most glorious victory.