Next Moves on my English campaign?

[Mek Simmur al Ragaski]

In my English campaign at the moment things are going pretty well for me, I've conquered northern and central France, most of Central Europe, and I'm beginning to capture Italy from Milan. I have taken Tunis in northern Africa for a crusade, but my oversea empire is pretty small at the moment.

I was just wondering where everyone thought I should go next. I'm still at war with the Danes, but since i've been putting pressure on them, and they are only left with around 5 regions, they have began diverting troops to the Polish border and havent done any offensive attacks in the past few turns. I'm at war with the French also, but the Spanish kicked them out of Bordeux, and the Portugese kicked them out of Toulouse, so they've parked themselves in Marseille, their last city, with two full stacks in that area.

I am also at war with the Moors, as they have unsuccessfully tried to take Tunis, as have the Sicilians. However I have a neutral status with them at the moment. Also I am at war with the Egyptians, despite my empire crumbling there. I did control Jerusalem and Acre, however I left as the Mongols turned up, and unfamiliar with the Mongols and their 5 full stacks, I destroyed everything I could and left.

So what do you guys think I should do? I have a few ideas myself:

1. With the last allys I had calling off our alliance in the Iberian Peninsula, I think that this would make a suitable target to expand to. It is currently divided between Spain, Portugal and the Moors, however these factions are generally very poor, except for the Moors, which has expanded to Alexandria and Cairo, although war with the Mongols is imminent.

2. Conquering the Danes and finishing off the French. The Danes have been my enemy since the first few turns, one must destroy the other for one to survive. I already have large amounts of soldiers on my borders after years of war with the Danes, so I could quickly deploy all troops I have and launch a huge offensive to severely damage or even destroy the Danes altogether. The French should be easy enough, I could just put two decently sized stacks next to Marseille and take it quickly enough.

3. Attacking into Italy, This would prove a decisive blow against Milan, and I would probably crush the Sicilians aswell to gain complete control. The HRE, my most valued ally, although it is small, it has stuck by me ever since i sent a diplomat on the 2nd or 3rd turn, reside in Flourence, and Venice in Venice (It was rebel but they recently retook it). They recently journeyed from Vienna, where they were residing.

4. I was thinking of launching a huge attack on the Mongols, although I have absolutely no experience fighting Mongols, my best unit at the moment has to be my Armourer swordsmen, I don't think they will fare very well against the Mongols, and I dont have any decent pikes because they aren't availble, and of course, rubbish spearmen militia. Attacking the Mongols, if successful, will also lead to a conquest of Egypt, and Turkey and Byzantine lands.

5. An all out assault on the Moors, their empire has become very large and they could pose a threat, they refuse to co-operate, as do any of my previous allies.

Any other suggestions will be appreciated aswell.

[Martok]

Well I guess my first recommendation would be to Crusade to the Holy Land if you haven't already. Unless another faction has already beat you there?

[Mek Simmur al Ragaski]

The Mongols control the Holy lands, and I have no experience fighting Mongols, I dont want to rush in to the holy lands to get my backside kicked by some terrible stacks of the Mongols, I might test some strategies on the Mongols in custom battles to see if I can pull anything off.

[pevergreen]

Kill france, regardless. Leaving them on one province isnt a good idea. I would then take Spain and wipe out the Danes as well. Then judge if you want to defend or take out the moors. I would take the moors until the big province, the one that stretches for a long time with only 1 city, hold there, and expand north past where the danes were.

[Marauder]

When taking out a faction, remember that killing the generals will end the faction and make the leftover armies into rebels.

I like to expand like a balloon instead of jumping to the holy land. If you do a crusade and take jerusalem or antioch, just gift it back to the pope for some favor points. The "distant from capital" and the religious problems in that area make it difficult to take over. I like to send in groups of ~6 priests to wander around that area. They'll become incredibly pious and all end up as cardinals. That will aid you in the future when you take over.

[Von Nanega]

Fighting the Mongols as the English is in my opinion best done defensively. Bridges and cities / castles. Places in which their mobility is useless. Take a castle from them, choke points such as the aformentioned bridges are your best bet.

[Mek Simmur al Ragaski]

Yeah i've seen stuff about that, so I just park my units on a bridge and when they attack me I just put spears or pikes first, shoot them with arrows and wait for them to charge me head on, and their mobility will be useless because they're crossing the bridge? Sounds fun

[Lancome]

I dont know if this can be a good idea. You can try and start conquering from Asia Minor instead of directly invading Jerusalem or Antioch and then be surrounded on all sides. If not Just try obtaining the island of Cyprus and making it into your castle to have a place that you know the mongols would never invade. Lets call it your Holy Lands base of Operations.

Then also you can just bide your time wait for Musketters but by then the Timurids have already arrived. But Hey! Anything Musketters Hit dies on the their Volleys.

[oz_wwjd]

Actually I've fought the mongols in the open field using my longbowmen to put a box of spears around my forces,and then relying on my archers to deal with any mongol-horse archers/archers. it may not be pretty but it gets the job done,but half the time they smell the trap and refuse to engage..

[Lancome]

Actually I've fought the mongols in the open field using my longbowmen to put a box of spears around my forces,and then relying on my archers to deal with any mongol-horse archers/archers. it may not be pretty but it gets the job done,but half the time they smell the trap and refuse to engage..

It some what sounds like the square formation Napoleon used to deploy to defend against Cavalry(I think). I should try that... Good old Napoleon! Dude do you deploy Artillery as well?

[oz_wwjd]

I've found catapults on flaming mode to work wonders,it just depends sometimes they can be horribly inaccurate. Haven't had the chance to try cannons yet.

[Tribesman]

Finish the French quickly and do a double assault on the Danes and Iberia to conquer them ,it not only gives you more trade it removes 4 possible voters from the Papal elections .
You can leave one or two stacks on mountains to contain by ambush any moves by Milan or Venice as english longbows on a height are damn good at doing the job .
Since you have Tunis already use the move into Iberia to carry on and take the whole of North Africa as the Moorswill have you on one side and the Mongols on the other and as you get further in their stacks will take a longtime to reach you from the former egyptian territories .