The Rise of the Arche Boukephelia – A Baktrian AAR

[Roka]

I did it through the descr_strat. I made Krateros Boukephelaios one of the starting FMs, and simply changed his personal bodyguard unit, the same way the starting Spartan FMs of the KH have Spartan Bodyguards. It's fairly simple to change the starting bodyguards, just change the first unit listed under their command. There's no way to change the bodyguard unit for anybody after the game actually starts though, without changing it for everybody in the faction, though.

so you just type in the name of the unit you want the bodyguard unit changed to?

sounds simple enough

might use that if i ever get round to attempting another AAR

[Apraxiteles]

From "The Rise of the Arche Boukephelia"

Of Patrokles and the Invasion of Paropamisadae

Shortly after the battle of the Zariaspa River, Patrokles of Marakand arrived at Baktra with an army of nearly seven thousand men. Despite this force, Patrokles was not a military minded man. While he was a talented individual, he had achieved his position more from his wealth than from any merit he had. He had made a fortune from trade on the Keleuthos Bombykike. He was a talented speaker, but he often openly undermined the authority of his superiors. However, his schemes and manipulations were often tolerated by Viceroy Seleukos (II), due to some generous "contributions" he had made to the royal treasury.



On the arrival of Patrokles' reinforcements, Theodotos, despite his injuries, wanted to press his advantage against Paropamisadae, and subjugate the region under his rule. And along with his son, Karteros, and Patrokles, he hastily planned an invasion. It is during these meetings that the first conflicts between Krateros and Patrokles became apparent.



Krateros wanted to wait for authorization from Seleukos (II) in Media, while Patrokles was in favor of attacking immediately. Patrokles believed that by the time Seleukos granted his permission, if in fact he did, the enemy would be too entrenched in the mountains to assault without the real professional army of the Arche behind them. Many historical examples were brought up on both sides, such as Ptolemaios (I) Soters' subjugation of Kyrene. They also argued over who should lead the invasion, over the logistics, and just about everything else, including the upcoming plans to have Krateros marry Theodotos' daughter. Eventually they almost came to blows when Patrokles insinuated that Krateros incompetence had led to Theodotos' injuries.

In the end, Theodotos ended up heeding Krateros' advice to wait for authorization from Seleukos. All these discussions were ended however, when a Seleukos' messenger finally arrived. Andragoras, the satrap of Parthyaia, was under attack by an army of Dahai nomads that was raiding the northern region of the satrapy, Astauene. Seleukos' orders were to provide assistance for the defense of the satrapy. Theodotos and Andragoras were old friends and allies, and while it irritated him to know that he couldn't seek revenge on Iochibanes, he was more than willing to provide assistance for Andragoras.



Unable to lead his men into battle, he gave command of most of his troops to Patrokles, and sent him to reinforce Andragoras. Since Patrokles was technically a sub-satrap under Theodotos' command, sending him would fulfill his order to Seleukos without putting either his own, or his sons' lives in danger. He apparently didn't want to entrust his son to Patrokles, and knew that Krateros would be unable to serve under him. It also would get Patrokles out of the way during his daughter, Melissa's, marriage to Krateros. Patrokles was infuriated by this, seeing it as an attempt to get rid of him in favor of Krateros.

During the summer of that year, Patrokles campaigned in Parthyaia on behalf of Theodotos. With his aid, Andragoras managed do drive back the Dahai. In the autumn, however, word reached him that Sogdiana was rebelling, and was forced to abandon his mission and return to Sogdiana to pacify the rebellion. However, by then, most of the fighting in Parthyaia had already been won.

In Baktria, Theodotos slowly recovered from his wounds. Krateros married Melissa, Theodotos' youngest daughter on the summer solstice. During this time, most of the satrapy's attention was spent recovering from devastation wrought by Iochibanes. When the Dahai army finally withdrew from Parthyaia at the beginning of winter, Seleukos granted Theodotos authorization for an attack on Paropamisadae. And so, during the spring of the next year, Diodotos, Theodotos' son, set off with Krateros to crush Iochibanes.



Diodotos (II) was reportedly very much like his father. His father's pure Hellenic bloodline continued in him. They were both strong, energetic men, and great leaders of men. Despite his young age, Diodotos had already personally commanded a number of battles, and proven himself to be a decent strategist. Unlike his father, though, he had begun to develop an over-fondness for wine, and drinks of all kinds.



They faced surprisingly little resistance as they marched on Paropamisadae. All expansionist dreams that Iochibanes had seemed to have vanished like a dream in the night after his defeat. The civil war in India still raged on, but it was becoming apparent the Piodasses would be the victorious. At the time he was known by many as Sandochakes for his unrepentant, terrible cruelty. The southern region of the Indus river valley had been recently re-conquered. Now only the petty kingdoms of Taxila, Paropamisadae, and Arachosia remained independent.

Having learned from his defeat at the fords of the Zariaspa, Iochibanes had garrisoned his cities with more disciplined troops, levied from the Hellenic settlers in the region. This replaced the problem of discipline with a problem of loyalty. As Diodotos marched toward Iochibanes capital in Kophen, he convinced several of the cities of Paropamisadae to surrender without a fight. Iochibanes remained defiant, however, and Diodotos was forced to lay siege to Kophen.



As people began starving inside, the Hellenic troops under Iochibanes decided that they had had enough. They staged a coup, executing Iochibanes, and offering his head to Diodotos. Polynikes testimony suggests that Krateros was somewhat disappointed by this anticlimactic end to the invasion of Paropamisadae. They had waited nearly a year for this moment, yet the victory seemed hollow to him. He had been hoping for one last moment of glory before he retired from service, but he was denied this. What he got instead was a position as the military governor of a restless region at the far end of the world as Diodotos rode back to his father to work out best how to integrate the new territory.

———

It may now be worthwhile to take a look at the geo-political situation of the East, as of the 52nd year after the death of Megas Alexandros [271 BC]



Territories of the Arche Seleukeia

1: The Royal Territory of Syria, home of the western capital, Antiocheia, and currently the seat of Basileus Antichos (I) Soter. The front line in the war with the Ptolemaioi.

2: The Satrapy of Babylonia, the heartland of the Arche, governed by Antiochos' second son, Antiochos (II) Theos.

3. The client kingdom of Sophene.

4. Media, and sub-satrapies, home of the eastern capital of Eckbatana. Currently the seat of Kleronomos Basileus, Seleukos (II), who technically holds authority over all territory east of Babylonia.

5: The Satrapy of Susiana.

6: The Satrapy of Persia, and sub-satrapies.

7: The Satrapy of Parthyaia, and sub-satrapies. Currently governed by Andragoras of Hekatompylos. The front line against the Dahai nomad incursions, and a close ally of the Baktrian satrap, Theodotos.

8: The Satrapy of Baktria, and sub-satrapies. A fertile and wealthy land, with a wealth of natural resources, prosperous trade routes, and a large Hellenic population. Currently administrated by satrap Theodotos.

8a: The Sub-Satrapy of Sogdiana, the most distant region of the Arche, and the front line against the Sakai nomads to the north. Currently governed by Patrokles of Marakand.

8b: The recently conquered region of Paropamisadae. It has yet to be assimilated, and is currently under the military jurisdiction of Krateros the Ox-headed.

Other:

A: The Kingdom of Atropatene.

———

Edit: slightly altered map

[Roka]

More great stuff

[Reverend Joe]

This is a really well-written AAR. I look forward to the next chapters.

[Reverend Joe]

Oh, man, don't tell me this is dead already -- I was really looking forward to it!

[NickTheGreek]

Yeah please don't let this die

[Apraxiteles]

From "The Rise of the Arche Boukephelia"

The Reorganization of the Eastern Satrapies

Most of the year after the conquest of Paropamisadae[271 BC] was spent reestablishing order in the East. Patrokles of Marakand worked to restore his authority in Sogdiana, while Krateros the Ox-headed struggled to pacify Paropamisadae. While he had spent most of his life fighting, his keen mind, tireless dedication, and selfless nature lent themselves well to the task at hand, and he slowly became a competent governor.

However, Polynikes reports that Krateros' men weren't happy with this. They were more and more reminded of the situation of the original Argyraspides. Sent to the far reaches of the Earth to die in infamy. Krateros, in spite of his own anger at this dishonor, had resigned himself to his fate. Despite his love for battle, it seems that his his age had convinced him to settle down. In order to appease his soldiers, he released many of them from service. Many of them returned west, but a few, including Polynikes, decided to stay on as his personal bodyguard.

It was at this time that the First Syrian War came to an end, and it looked, for the time being anyway, like peace would prevail. With the immediate threat to the west relieved, Theodotos, together with Andragoras, in response to the recent incursions into their domains, petitioned Seleukos (II) in Media for more troops, as well as greater military autonomy. Shortly thereafter, in the summer of the 53rd year since Alexandros' death[270 BC], Seleukos handed down an official edict that did exactly that, though not in the way that either Andragoras or Theodotos had wanted.



He completely reorganized the easternmost satrapies. Parthyaia's domains of Margiana and Ariana were given full satrapal status, as was Baktria's Sogdiana region. The recently conquered region of Paropamisadae was also given full satrapy status, with Krateros as satrap. Many of these new satrapies received large garrison reinforcements, and all of them were granted the autonomy that Theodotos and Andragoras had asked for.

On the surface, this act of guile seemed seemed brilliant. He managed to give Theodotos and Andragoras what they wanted, while at the same time lessening their threat. By promoting all of Theodotos and Andragoras' subordinates, he would defuse much of their collective influence, and by reducing their individual territories, he shrunk their powerbases, and made them more dependent on the central government. If any one were to rebel, they would be much easier to crush.

In the end, however, it achieved mixed results. While Andragoras' power was practically broken by this, Theodotos influence seems to have been, for the most part, unaffected. He was just as able to work with strong allies, as weak subordinates. Both Krateros and Patrokles were his sons-in law. Patrokles would listen to the money, whoever it came from, and he had developed a close friendship with Krateros. The new political structure also eventually make the region even more vulnerable to foreign incursions. Initially, the newly bolstered garrisons compensated for this, but when the troops were eventually called off to fight in the next war, this weakness would become all too obvious.

As a result of the larger garrisons, the number of nomad raids dwindled. Patrokles of Marakand was even able to negotiate ceasefire with the Sakai nomads to the north as well as a trade deal, in return for grazing rights in the border regions. Many Sakai warriors began hiring themselves as mercenaries not only to the the local satraps, but to Seleukos [II], and even to King Antiochos himself. During their service to the Arche Seleukeia, they travelled to the far corners of the empire, and when they finally returned home, they would bring their tales of many different lands back to their people. Many of the Hellenic colonists were uneasy about their increased presence, but for the time being anyway, they got along peacefully.



This peace brought many more Hellenic settlers to the region, Baktria in particular. Drawn by the legends of the exotic East, and wanting to escape the constant wars that plagued Hellas and the lands to the west. All these settlers meant even more wealth from taxes coming in. As a result of this newfound wealth, Theodotos began construction of a large new a large new mansion for himself in Baktra.

Meanwhile, in India, Piodasses had finally defeated his brother, Sochimos. However, the carnage that he went through had changed him. He decided let the petty kingdoms of Taxila and Arachosia retain their independence. As a result, the southeastern border of the Arche was, for the most part, peaceful. Krateros' first act as satrap was reportedly to order the construction of a shrine to Herakles. It was completed in the spring of the 54th year since Megas Alexandros' death[269 BC]. At roughly the same time, Krateros young wife, Melissa, gave birth to a son, who they named Kleander.



For most of the child's youth, the east remained blessed with peace and order. But just beneath the surface, the cracks of ruin were already beginning to spread.

———
AN: Sorry for the wait!