Invasion of Pontus

Having listened to lengthy debate by your three advisors you finally hush them down. "Attacking Egypt is simply not good right now. We have recently won a war with them, we need not have another strong enemy in addition to the Romans. A war on two fronts is dangerous! Not only that but the campaigning season is getting late, we are in the middle of summer, any campaign into Egypt would have to last until next year. So we can't get Pontus in line that way. Should we attack across the Hellespont we would open up to Pontus. The army in place would be certain to be out for a good while, our flank would be open to even very weak attacks. A dangerous situation... And we wouldn't even have certainty of victory in Thrace and Macedonia. No, an attack on Pontus is the best we can hope for. With the army we have now we should be able to defeat them easily and all the while we would be able to collect our troops for the showdown with Rome. These troops would also serve as a backup in case of trouble. Paphlagonia and Kappadokia are nice grounds for cavalry, even Bithynia have good tribal troops. In the event of a quick victory Pontus would be forced to supply us with troops and money."

So the matter was settled by your own arguments. You will take the current army of 30,000 troops into Pontus along with the siegetrain you have assembled in Sardis. This army consist of a good collection. All 10,000 argyraspids form the core with the 8,000 settlerphalangites, supporting them you have 1,000 Galatian infantry, fighting in the normal and fierce celtic way, 3,000 Thracian peltasts, 1,000 Cretan archers and 3,000 light hillmen armed with slings and javelins. The 5,000 cavalry consist of 1,000 Agema (formerly Companions), 1,000 eastern cataphracts, 2,000 light cavalry (javelin cavalry from the parthian tribe the Dahae), 500 Galatian cavalry (light melee cavalry) and 500 Mysian light calvary (also javelins). Together with this you have 22 elephants and 120 chariots.
An army of great quality if not of size, the only true problem you might face is a lack of light infantry compared to the Pontic forces.

You know that the Pontic army includes plenty of light cavalry and some chariots, a core of hellenized infantry drawn from the Greek coastal cities and their local neighbours, both formed up in a similar fashion as your phalangites. The actual sizes are unknown, but as with so many other eastern kingdoms tere is a tendency to pull out many thousands of low quality infantry to bolster the army, so even if you knew it would not help much in giving a proper view of it's strength.

You set out north from Sardis towards the more or less independant cities and regions. As you go you collect the troops. At Abydos you strengthen the garrison so it would be able to resist a siege and then move off again. But soon you are once again beset by your advisors.

Hannibal clearly favours a coastal advance towards Sinope to take most advantage of the Thracian tribes of Asia Minor and the Greek cities. Hopefully they will not resist you and lay open the advance on the Pontic capital. A quick decapitation should provide you with a peace before the end of campaigning season.
Lysias, supported by Kassandros, favours an advance through Galatia towards Mazaka, and from there head towards Sinope. That route would provide you with more Galatians hopefully a well as grant you better battlefields. The Greek cities would certainly look favourably at this is the hope.

What do you do? This time there are only two choices.

1) Follow Hannibal's advise and move up along the coast towards Sinope. Thracian and Greeks should support your advance. This is by far the fastest route, but as the trek of Xenophon and the Ten Thousand proved, it can be very problematic with logistics. Eventhough the Pontic navy is hardly anything to fear your own navy is occupied and so can create problems. Further the area is not good for battles, generally too narrow on the coast and in the nearby valleys.

2) Go through the central highlands towards Mazaka. This brings you into Galatia where you are already recruiting. The sight of the army should put both fear and awe into the celts, making them join the army in greater numbers. Though the route in general provides you with better battlefields it also has more dangerous passes and valleys you wouldn't need to go through along the coast.
Though Lysias and Kassandros believes the Greek cities along the coast would be greatly pleased by this you are not certain about it. Seldomly have cities surrendered without an army nearby.