Orders and reports thread

[Ramses II CP]

Regional Recommendations (Recommendations will proceed IC as though I have no idea the game is ending in 2 turns. Same with reports, etc.)

Outremer:

Viceroy Matthias I would advise you to choose your ground carefully for any potential attack on the Byzantines. That army is quite powerful and the region around Adana quite flat. Seek higher ground is my advice, that and bring forward your cavalry near Antioch.

Count von Salzgitter I advise the same to you. Take advantage of the high ground around the enemy army and position your troops such that your cannon can force the Byzantines to assault a difficult position.

Bavaria:

Duke Steffen, Count Steffen, and Kaiser Peter are encouraged to coordinate their actions to eliminate the two northern Sicilian armies near Rome. Any soldiers from anywhere in Bavaria that can be brought to bear, including any that the ships might bring from Palermo, are at your disposal gentlemen, in any configuration or order you desire. The militia soldiers at Naples might also provide some aid, especially in the second engagement.

Austria:

Congratulations on holding the walls of Prague again Lord Becker. I advise you to maintain your position and send me word of how you would like your men reorganized to fit the maximum quantity of them within the walls. If Vienna can be held your cannon crews could be retrained there, but they should be sent south now if you desire this. Also the experienced professional infantry could be retrained, but you must send them north towards Madgeburg if you desire this.

Duke Arnold you face a difficult choice. Ragusa is threatened behind you, Vienna is under heavy assault, and Budapest lies open to your attack with the catapults. You can personally oversee only one movement, but with a minor split in your forces it should be possible to capture Budapest under a reliable captain and assault the Hungarians south of Vienna. I am also amenable to sending Max Zirn south with only cavalry to try to reinforce Count von Hapsburg's defense of Ragusa and point south. In any case keeping Austria whole will be a difficult proposition at this point.

Max Zirn coordinate with your Duke whether he wishes you to make an attempt against the army west of Vienna or to rush south to aid Count von Hapsburg.

Franconia:

Prinz Dieter if you believe there is profit in a sally, then strike forth against the Russians. The garrison of Arhus is at your disposal in that effort, should you wish to bring some of them south. Otherwise await their assault.

Duke Dieter I advise you to remain at Madgeburg. If Tancred von Tyrolia is feeling ready to make a foray out towards Breslau that would please me, but after so long laying about the fort it seems unlikely.

I will see off the Danes as quickly as possible.

Swabia:

Welf von Luxemburg if you have precise instructions on your positioning I will bring them about, otherwise I will attempt to find you a position from which you could assault Dijon with your new troops next season.

Count von Bohmen assault Bruges. Use your reinforcements however you wish, but retake that city!

Count Ruppel I have your requests and they will be met.

Sir de Cervole assault Bordeaux. Our spies will then check the terrain ahead of you and determine the best way to get you aboard a ship for Outremer.

General Strategy:

If there are any suggestions for how to keep Austria whole I am listening for them. The threat at Ragusa is substantial, and Max Zirn's unexpected coming of age at Nuremburg has left Austria in danger of losing her primary training facility just as I was planning an offensive there. I do not mean to impugn Count von Hapsburg, but I doubt he has the resources he would need to bring home victory.

The Timurid threat has also lain undiscussed. I would be pleased to hear any input on the matter.

Fritz von Kastilien

[_Tristan_]

Hughes de Cervole :

Concerning the Timurid threat, as soon as I reach Outremer and if Viceroy Steffen sees fit to lend or train me some troops, I will take station on a bridge or pass on the Timurids path to interdict access to the Reich's holdings in Outremer.

Their numbers forbid that we meet them in the field but I hope that we could hold them in close quarters.

[Zim]

The Timurids appear to be quite fierce, but by my count they are significantly outclassed both in numbers and in quality (chevrons) by our more mundane enemies in Outremer. I believe a spy of the Reich reports one of their armies already being all but destroyed (one of their stacks within range of our spy in the east is small enough I'm guessing it was on the losing end of a battle).

Sir de Corvole, for my part I believe these "new Mongols" among the least of our problems in Outremer, but welcome your aid concerning them and the many other armies bearing down on our little Kingdom.

OOC: Taking the save. Timurids really do look puny next to all of those superstacks in our region.

[Ramses II CP]

OOC: Actually I think they always spawn with one short stack, and it's usually the Khan's stack. Not sure why that is, but it's how I generally start the war, by taking out the mini-stack.

I think they'll fight the Byzantines at Edessa, after they gather the rest of the Horde, which hasn't entered yet, but there are no guarantees.

[Zim]

OOC: So no battles for them yet. If we were going more than two more turns I'd hope they and our other enemies thin eachother out a bit.

I find it amusing that even once all their stacks spawn, there will still be more Byzzie and other stacks than there are in the "horde".

[Zim]

RIP Andreas.

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/KOTR1376-2.zip

[OverKnight]

Taking the save.

[OverKnight]

Belay that, I can't get the damn reinforcements to come in. Without them it's hopeless.

[Zim]

What happened? It looked like my men could march that far south, even with the cannons.

Belay that, I can't get the damn reinforcements to come in. Without them it's hopeless.

[OverKnight]

Suffice it to say I ran into a combination of technical and AI issues that I'd rather not recount.

Plus I'd be a moron anyway for attacking.

[_Tristan_]

Taking save

[_Tristan_]

Bordeaux is French no more...

Not a single German life was lost taking the Citadel.

The sacking of the French treasury vaults provided for 15162 florins.

I would ask the Chancellor to invest half of that sum into training and building in Swabia and use the remnant in furthering the efforts of our fellow Swabian von Salzgitter in Outremer.

Furthermore, seeing how the route east from Bordeaux would not allow me to reach the sea, I will march south through the Pyrénées heading for Zaragoza and will ask our spy Merowinger to scout the road ahead.

I will leave the reiters as garrison in Bordeaux and shall march south alone.

Save is here :

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/KOTR1376-3.rar

[AussieGiant]

Exactly when the bloody hell did money start belonging to the General that made the sacking?

Poor form gentlemen, poor form indeed!!

Ruppel started this but I'll be damned if something like this continues without a god damn word being said!!

I'll simply remove the taxes from Austria so the Chancellor can't use that money for anything other than Austrian requirements if this continues.

[_Tristan_]

Hughes de Cervole :

Duke Arnold, I did not allocate the funds but simply asked the Chancellor to make provisions so that the funds be used in the way I deemed fit...

I have already sent these funds to the Reich's Exchequer to be counted and thus have lost control over it.

The Chancellor will of course be free to do with that money what he wills.

My request was a way of making sure that the efforts made by my fellow Swabian von Salzgitter, who gave is life against the infamous Greeks, did not go to waste...

I am a loyal subject of the Reich, the more so for being a renegade to my own lands, so do not see in this the least sign of sedition...

Swabia has been hit hard during your Chancellorship, Duke Arnold, and it is only through the combined efforts of its generals that it is now growing again.

I find it normal that our efforts should be invested in consolidating our gains.

I know full well that Austria suffers at present but pardon me if I wrong, it suffers only through the inefficacity of its generals.

So to each his own...

[Ramses II CP]

Commanders who bring victory in the field and wealth from enemy holdings will always have some leeway concerning the use of those funds under me. This does not mean I will sacrifice the obvious needs of other Duchies on those grounds, or follow through with requests I find unecessary or unreasonable, but I find my policy encourages commanders to seek alternative funding and ultimately enriches the Reich as a whole.

Fritz von Kastilien

[AussieGiant]

Riiiight then, lets be quite bloody clear on a few points gentlemen,

If this is a @#$%@#ing pissing competition then, I'll #$%#ing start back when I was 16 and demand retrospective allocation of funds based on MY success in the field OVER 38 years of total and complete @#%#ing domination of the enemy.

It's only fitting since; "My request is a way of making sure that the efforts made by my fellow Austrian nobles, who gave their lives against the infamous Hungarian, Polish and Venetians, don't go to waste...and at last count I believe that mortality rate is far beyond what Swabia could even consider!"

As for your statement about ineffective General's you sack of stinking French merde, then I'll drop my military record next to the current active history of Swabian general's AS a start, and then see how things pan out!!

Swabia was hit hard in my Chancellorship because of ineffective leadership prior to my time in OFFICE AND

...a #$@ing civil war which tore it to pieces, a civil war mind you that I MANAGE to peacefully avoid and therefore place Austria in a far better position after the "Times of Trouble", AND WHICH, has now been compromised not due to ineffective Austrian General's but a massive and overt investment of the Reich's funds into a Duchy that couldn't stand on it's own feet a few decades ago!!!

THAT'S WHAT HAS BLOODY HAPPENED YOU GARLIC SUCKING FRENCH FROG!!

Now you have the balls to stand here and tell ME that it's "All fine, and to each his own!!"

I'd advise against travelling east of Bern in the near future de Cervole, because I'll have your guts for garters for those comments!

As for the "LOVE IN" I'm seeing before my eyes here, I'm wondering just which Swabian arses have been promised to the von Kastillen's for all this mutual cuddling I'm seeing!!??

-edit-

Tristian I'm so sorry I used your real handle accidentally. My profuse apologies...I am now going to change it to your in character handle.

I hope this was not an issue? It was an honest mistake.

and by all means have a full shot in French Tristan. :-)

[_Tristan_]

Hughes de Cervole :

I don't take particularly well to profanity, the more so when it is directed at me...

I might very well ride east as fast as my horse will allow so that we could settle this like it should be... What keeps me from doing it is that you are so advanced in years that once I reach Austria, all that will remain to me will be pissing on your grave...

Don't ever talk to me like that again, you garter-wearing Austrian sissy...

Sac à foutre, pisse-en-l'air

(OOC : That's where my limits in English finally show...)

[AussieGiant]

de Cervole!!

What don't you just go and $@% off then!!

If harsh language is too much for you then don't come near me...you might faint with some of the more colourful language I employ.

And given your weak as @#$ response, I believe you see my point now you "Little French Hunting Poodle".

[_Tristan_]

The "Poodle" will rip your balls off someday...

[Ferret]

I am shocked we even allowed this Frenchman into this Empire let alone give him any men to command and now he has the insolence to insult and threaten Duke Arnold? What is this World coming to, in my day we had order and no one stepped out of line lest they wanted a price on their head. It's about time Peter showed some of the tyranny he's famous for before this empire reduces to anarchy.

[AussieGiant]

Lord Chancellor,

Vienna is safe!!

Unfortunately I don't have any money to request you use in a certain manner Lord Chancellor, I accidentally KILLED the remaining prisoners!!

First stack:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Second stack and a little something for the Frenchman wondering how he would like his garters to look like when I flay him alive!! I can only assume the Poddle lover has the decency to apologies in public.

I can only just describe how impressive my new title is with the ladies of Vienna, I had at least 15 pairs of panties on my lance as I rode through the city this afternoon!!

If you would give me a few weeks here Lord Chancellor I'll be more than happy to take Budapest and any other target you wish!! Hell, I'll have a shot at the new Mongol horde if you want.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Jan, Max, your orders have been revised. Move to the bridge north of Vienna and hold. Take the artillery with you from Vienna for this season and we will assess the situation next season. With that many canon, the Hungarian's will be blown to smithereens before they make the other side.

Save:

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/KOTR1376-5.zip

[Ramses II CP]

Congratulations on your victories Duke Arnold! Isn't it flattering when the men start calling you unstoppable? I know I was pleased when the lads took it up for me. (Shortly before my retreat from Prince Stenkil actually, rather ironic that. Good thing he's mouldering over the north gate of Arhus now.)

Have no fear on funding, Austria is my current area of focus and any soldiers you request will be made available as soon as possible. I have heard there is a company of Serbian mercenary knights in the Budapest region who would no doubt be pleased to serve with you.

Fritz von Kastilien

[AussieGiant]

Arnold:

Excellent news Lord Chancellor.

I look forward to men flocking to the Austrian banner so that we may retake and return to glory what was once my Fathers creation.

I will not go into details on regiments but I leave it up to you to simply recruit as many as possible for the coming years of offensive action I am planning.

[_Tristan_]

I am shocked we even allowed this Frenchman into this Empire let alone give him any men to command and now he has the insolence to insult and threaten Duke Arnold? What is this World coming to, in my day we had order and no one stepped out of line lest they wanted a price on their head. It's about time Peter showed some of the tyranny he's famous for before this empire reduces to anarchy.

Duke Bresch,

Most of what I accomplished I did without the support of the Reich armies, check the records...

However, I have gladly and loyally whenever I have been asked to do so whether by Duke Arnold as Chancellor or our own present Chancellor...

As to threats and insolence, it is I who was dragged in the dirt (to say the least) by a Duke so I will ask you what is this world coming to when the powerful do not show the least respect to the generals of the Reich...

I'll be sure to show proper respect where it is due and when it is reciprocal, until then you had better mind your own business...

[Zim]

OOC: Should I take the save to move Jan or will Ramses do it? If the latter I'd like to only take a half stack or slightly more. Hope to lure them into attacking. I'll leave unit composition up to Ramses, as I'm sure he knows what it takes to defend a bridge. Cannons to play with will be much appreciated, as well as keeping Max in the stack so he can be knighted. Extras can go to Vienna.

[AussieGiant]

Dragged into the dirt!! Are you completely mad de Cervole!!

You basically demand that the money you secured be spent the way you want it...I then hold you accountable for something that is totally unacceptable and your response is to question the ability of Austria and her generals and then add insult to injury your next 'concept' is to insult me personally by suggesting that it was my Chancellorship that began Swabia's problems!!

Of course I start swearing and threatening you...any man worth his salt would and should do the same.

To turn around and tell ANOTHER Duke of this Reich to mind his own business simply confirms what an error WE have made in letting you join the Germanic nobility.

Are you a French sympathiser or what de Cervole!!??

I'd ask the Kaiser to censure you at this point for the sake of decency and honour!!

[Ramses II CP]

OOC: I can do it. If they're the stack I remember, they'll hit you even if I give you a full stack. You'll have ample artillery.

[Zim]

Duke,
I would place the blame for de Corvole's seeming confusion about proper channels or the chain of command on his being French. The problem seems endemic to Swabia. Ever since their Duke has largely retired from Policial life we've seen the Duchy controlled by a mere Count, Ruppel, who has argued with Chancellors regarding funding and military matters for the past two terms. It was only a matter of time before that attitude trickled down even to the mere knights in service to the Reich.

OOC: No offence Tristan or FactionHeir, I know FactionHeir/Ruppel has done all the planning for Swabia because of Warluster's relative absence.

[Zim]

In that case just give me however many men you think I'll need for the job, plus maybe one or two extra units. Unless it's a triple gold stack, then I want a whole stack....and maybe an extra one right behind my stack to come in as reinforcements.

OOC: I can do it. If they're the stack I remember, they'll hit you even if I give you a full stack. You'll have ample artillery.

[deguerra]

Taking the damn save :P