Chancellor’s Report, 1202 AD

My Lords, the victory at Antioch has unlocked the northern Levant. I am now besieging the Egyptian castle at Aleppo. It is bereft of soldiers - only a stubborn noble and his escort defy us. Ulrich has made a rendezvous with troops from Adana at the bridge north of Antioch. Our garrison at Acre is menaced by a large Egyptian army, however. I fear Duke Otto may have a fight on his hands soon.

Duke Otto appears to relish fights, however. Although the Milanese just rejected our offer of peace, Duke Otto has privately and publicly refused to be flexible on the implementation of his edict that purported to seek a ceasefire. Although I am sure we could have attained a ceasefire with a slight increase in our offer - and despite us starting the year with over 46000 florins - Duke Otto has refused to sanction such an increased offer. So be it. Gerhard Steffen has landed at Ajaccio with the Bavarian Household Army and has it under siege. However, this aggressive move has left our Italian heartlands exposed and now a Milanese fleet stands at anchor off Genoa with a large army of cavalry and siege engines. Steffen’s fleet did intercept the Milanese, but they escaped annihilation. I fear this Milanese army will make landfall and the militia of the Bavarian cities will be powerless to stop them. Conrad Salier has ridden north from Rome to oversee our defence and Innsbruck is hastily raising armoured spearmen, but I fear several Bavarian cities will have been sacked before my term of office is out.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


Gerherd Steffen's fleet struck at this Milanese force south of Ajacco, but it fled north to the coast off Genoa!


The Franconian drive on Krakow has been halted by internal reorganisation and an injunction from the Pope to cease attacks on the Poles for seven turns. Fredericus Hamburg is moving to take control of the Franconian Household Army, will be used to screen our eastern border from the Polish armies massing at Krakow. Gunther von Kastilien has been left with a strong garrison at Thorn, although on reflection I may give that assignment to his son. [OOC: Dutch_guy is having computer problems, so Thorn would have to be an autoresolve.]

Given the adamant rejection of a ceasefire by the Venetians, I have no hesitation in facilitating Duke Leopold’s march on their continental holdings. Unlike Milan, there is no hope of peace with Venice at the moment. Jonas von Mahren is blockading Venetian-held Rhodes as requested by the Council of Nobles. Maximilien von Tyrolia, an Austrian merchant, is gathering together the agents required for the trade and missionary expedition proposed by the House of Austria.

All is quiet on the Swabian front. Thanks to the Prince of Antioch’s bounty, Staufen is being upgraded to a Citadel. Prince Jobst’s Imperial army at Staufen continues to grow. A large rebel army has been spotted south of Frankfurt - they will provide the Prince’s army its first chance to prove itself.

I have gifted our Byzantine brothers 1000 florins but our relations remain terrible. I hope Hans mission to return Constantinople to them will improve this lamentable situation. Hans is with Duke Otto in Acre. When the crisis there subsists and a sufficient force can be levied, he will depart for Constantinople.

The project to modernise our household armies continues - this year I have hired each House a regiment of Teutons, the finest knights in the Reich.

I know anxiously await news from Genoa and ask the Dukes to remember the prime function of their Household Armies - to defend their realms, not to conquer their neighbours! Conquests - particularly where they risk leaving Duchies exposed - should properly be done by Imperial armies, led by the Chancellor or his appointed commanders.


Kaiser Henry

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/kotr1202-end.zip