The Kingdom of Outremer

[Kagemusha]

Hear hear,Mein Kaiser! It seems that the grace of the Lord is upon us truly! I drink to you mein herr!We have teched a lesson to the heathens about how hard German steel bites,now we should give the message of our victory to the pope so others could join this Holy mission.

Dietrich Von Saxony

[FactionHeir]

Indeed a great victory Duke of Saxony. It is a pity that I could not partake in it, but it was indeed a masterpiece of strategy that you pulled off there. I am certain that it will go down in our history and your skill and valor be an inspiration to other men.

Count Mandorf, as you know infantry is too slow for my purposes, knight would do much better, would you not think so? *wink* But no, I am here to stay and commit my life to this most holy crusade to repent the sins that I have already accumulated at my young age.

Let us indeed celebrate to our victory over these heathens and to our reconciliation my fellow crusaders. *raises his cup toward his father and then the other crusaders in turn*

I am sure you would like explanations from me, so please meet me after the feast at my tent.

[OverKnight]

Otto drinks deeply of his wine and bows his head to the Kaiser:

An excellent vintage, your Majesty, or perhaps it is our victory that makes it taste so sweet.

Otto raises his glass to Duke von Saxony.

Congratulations on your triumph, my lord! I am glad the Byzantines fought well, for their celebrations have delayed the departure of your army. However, it would be a shame to pull our soldiers from the revelry, though I fear there will be many bastards born in Nicaea nine months hence. Our forces that were not involved in the battle have been moved to the border with the Turks. We will only cross into their land once our full strength is assembled again.

Otto turns to Hans.

I would not regret missing the melee, young Count, your retainers were too far behind the Duke's forces. There will be more than enough battles for all of us in the future. Perhaps I should send you ahead to scout?

Otto's expression turns serious.

Speaking of battles, it seems Duke Hummel will find his own at Rheims. I hope that fool does not endanger our new found peace. Mein Kaiser, he does not respond to my letters, perhaps you, a Swabian by birth and the man who elevated him, might have better luck.

Glancing at Maximillian, Otto smiles a bit ruefully.

It seems we have both been blessed with mutinous Dukes in our Chancellorships, Maximillian. Perhaps the Lord has sent him to teach me humility, or to show me the errors of my past actions. I hope he is soon brought to heel.

I believe I will have another glass of this excellent wine.

[econ21]

The news of Duke Hummel's rebellion has darkened the Kaiser's expression and he throws his wine into the fire.

Ulrich's reckless actions risk undoing all that the Chancellor has done! I believe I speak for Duke von Saxony and Count Manfred as well in saying that the greatest priority now for our crusade is to achieve Papal sanction for it. Anything that jeopardises that will not be tolerated.

Turns to Chancellor Otto:

I have half a mind to call an Emergency Session of the Diet to nip this business in the bud. But with you as Chancellor, Duke Otto, that may not be necessary. My people are trying to restrain Duke Hummel, but I am not confident he will listen. However, given the Swabians failed to set timely standing orders for their Household Army, as Chancellor, by law you still retain final control over it. If their actions would lead to our excommunication, I would urge you to exercise that veto. At the very least, you must notify me if things come to head - I will call an Emergency Session before I allow us to be excommunicated again.

[FactionHeir]

Good work on having our crusade sanctioned by the papacy, chancellor. These news should lift the spirits of our men and allow us to push toward Jerusalem with ease and crush the heathens that occupy this holy city.

May I also suggest that we take both Acre and Gaza after, or even while, we take the holy city to allow us to create a foothold in these lands to spread the word of Christ? As we are travelling in two camps, the smaller one could take Acre even before Jerusalem is besieged and also shield our backs. WIth your permission, I would even desire to lead such an assault.

[OverKnight]

With the Crusade called, I ask the Council for their advice. I would ask all of you to review our current situation and lend me your wisdom.

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/kotr1186.zip

Our armies have yet to officially take the Cross, I will wait to do so until we have decided on matters such as whether to bring our agents back into the army with us, recruitment of Crusade forces and mercenaries and any other matters the Council sees fit to raise.

With the blessing of the Pope comes great spiritual power that will imbue our men with a near divine drive and morale, but there is danger as well if we are not careful.

I await the views and decisions of the Council.


OOC: I've run crusades before, but I don't consider myself a true expert. Any insights you might have would be appreciated. I'm going to bed soon, so we'll have time to review before I start moving things around.

[FactionHeir]

On the matter of our spy and priests, I believe they should move at their own speeds towards Jerusalem and either scout ahead for ambushes and hostile forces or convert the heathens along the way to mark a trail of catholicism where our crusade has passed. The priests tend to be too fragile to keep up and as such will move slightly behind, although they will be in Jerusalem in time I believe as we will need time to build siege equipment to assault the walls.

As the jihadist movement seems to be destroyed, I doubt they will attempt to create another one. As such, moving straight towards our target would be in everyone's best interest before our soldiers become disheartened at our lack of faith.

I would also suggest that we not strain the Imperial treasury too much by recruiting mercenaries. We are very close to the target now and likely will not need additional men. I feel we should lend pilgrims we meet along the way a helping hand though and guide and proect them to Jerusalem. The pope and god will both certainly look favorably upon us for this.

My offer to lead an attack Acre still stands however.

[TinCow]

Otto, you have done the Crusade and the Reich a great service with your recent negotiations with the Pope. I truly thank you for your pious efforts.

I am still of the opinion that we should take Adana as an outpost of the Reich before we move on Jerusalem. So long as we besiege the castle and assault it quickly, there should be no danger of our Crusading soldiers deserting. I will personally volunteer to stay behind with a small garrison and hold Adana for the light of Christendom.

Regardless of the decision on Adana, I believe that the conquest of Acre must be considered along with the final attack on Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be given to the Pope as soon as possible, so it is essential that we secure another settlement from which to operate in the Levant. Acre is reputed to be a strong fortress that is easily accessible by sea. If we are able to capture it, we could hold out there against a foe many times our size. Furthermore, the coastal location would allow for the easy transfer of forces back and forth between Adana and Acre by sea, should it be necessary.

[econ21]

Truly, the Reich has been blessed under your leadership, Duke Otto. The news that the Papacy has sanctioned our crusade on Jerusalem is marvellous! In the light of this news, I am even inclined to be more charitable to Duke Hummel and his Swabian "rebellion".

I will study the maps and our dispositions later, but have some immediate thoughts. I believe we are too many to form a single crusading army - two separate forces will have to be formed and it is essential that both be led by generals rather than captains whose loyalty and skill in battle are questionable. For the general(s) who leads the army that is not part of the crusade, it will be a thankless task - they will not receive the praise and rewards of those who travel with the main crusade. [OOC: the boosts to stats, traits and ancillaries.] If my son, Hans, is willing to pay this price, I think we should take seriously his offer to lead our second smaller contingent. If Maximillan or some other crusader wishes to take that leadership role, that could be considered as an alternative. Regardless, the non-crusading army might be joined by Jonas von Mahren, if Duke von Saxony consents. Both Hans and Jonas are young, and I believe we will be able to find future opportunities for them to crusade, so they would not be forgoing the glory of a true crusade forever.

My inclination would be for the main crusading army to march straight to Jerusalem. While Maximillan may be right that a diversion would not led to desertion, I would not like to risk it and it does not seem necessary to take such a risk given that we will have a second non-crusading army. The smaller contingent could take Adana and, if they have time, Acre. After we have taken Jerusalem, we should consider targeting a city with good trade connections - perhaps Antioch or Cairo. I would advise that our priests be set to work preparing the ground immediately, as otherwise religious differences will make it hard to hold onto a large population centre.

It is my understanding that the Reich will not pay the upkeep of any troops in the main crusading army. If that is the case, then I believe we should hire all the crusaders and mercenaries we can get. That will allow us to bulk up the smaller non-crusading army, and in due course provide sufficient garrisons for Adana and Acre, with German troops. We can always dismiss mercenaries after the crusade concludes if their cost is excessive. Any true crusaders we can find may be worth retaining however - I have a particular regard for the unhorsed knights who can sometimes be found in the Levant; they fight like tigers and ask for little in worldly goods.

I would welcome the thoughts of other generals on these suggestions, while I consult the maps and review our forces.

[TinCow]

Kaiser Henry,

Surely we could simply form two separate Crusade armies. We have enough men to allow for this and they could be additionally increased in size by Christian pilgrims and local mercenaries. If this were the case, I would volunteer to lead the second army, which would besiege and take Adana. So long as this army does not leave garrison duty of that castle before Jerusalem is taken, there would be no risk of desertion. At the same time, the rest of you could continue on towards Jerusalem as fast as possible.

If you would agree to this, I believe I could make do with a smaller and lower quality force than those who would attack Jerusalem. The minimum 8 regiments could be met for the smaller force by my own bodyguard, the 3 regiments of sergeant spearmen, the single regiment of Teutons commanded by my old friend Sir Welf, 2 regiments of peasant crossbowmen, and 1 regiment of armored spearmen. This would leave a full 20 regiments for the Jerusalem army, including all of our dismounted knights and pavise crossbowmen. Surely this force would be sufficient to take the city. It would also allow for all of our Crusading generals to gain some formal recognition for their efforts and all but myself would be highly celebrated when Jerusalem falls.

[econ21]

Ahh, good point, Manfred - I had assumed that the Pope would allow only one army to join the crusade but you are right, that assumption has no basis.

Let us think some more about the composition of the armies. I have asked around and unfortunately, there are no crusading mercenaries available. We could attract the equivalent of 6 regiments of pilgrims. Among the "regular" mercenaries, there are three regiments of Turcopoles and four of Armenian archers.

I will give some thought to the composition of the two armies, but I believe recruiting some mercenaries and perhaps even pilgrims might be sensible given the lack of upkeep.

And I would be inclined to divide the two armies more equally than the 20:8 divison you propose.

Let me come back to the table when I have thought more.

[econ21]

After reviewing our rosters, I propose the following:

1st Crusader Army - destination Jerusalem

Henry
Otto
Dietrich
Hans
Jonas
1 regiment Teutons
1 regiment mailed knights
2 regiments dismounted foot knights
2 regiments Armoured sergeants
2 regiment Spear sergeants
1 regiment Pavise crossbow
2 regiments Crossbow militia
1 regiment Turcopoles
3 regiments pilgrims

2nd Crusader Army - destination Adana

Maximillan
2 regiments Teutons
1 regiment mailed knights
1 regiment dismounted foot knights
3 regiment Armoured sergeants
1 regiment Spear sergeant
1 regiment Pavisse crossbow
2 regiments Peasant crossbows
1 regiment Turcopoles
3 regiments pilgrims

I agree with Maximillan that we should aim to bring all possible generals to Jerusalem. However, this means the 1st Crusader Army will be very powerful and therefore we can afford to have a more equal division of forces so that 2nd Crusader Army can handle anything the Egyptians may throw at it.

I expect this division to be only temporary until Jerusalem falls. Thereafter our forces may be more dispersed. [OOC: we have a 2 generals/army house rule to abide by!]

[FactionHeir]

Father, emperor, while the pope might feel that an army below the strength of eight regiments may be in danger of not completing the crusade successfully, from what I read in the books (OOC: watching AI do it and trying it out myself) many a times did a crusading army lose men in battle or due to desertion and yet the pope allowed them to continue crusading at their own peril. We could thus consider another division whereby I could split from the main crusading army shortly before we reach Jerusalem and besiege Acre. If luck is with me, I might even be able to bring most of the men who take Acre with me to rejoin before the assault on Jerusalem.
What do you think? I know there are risks involved, but who dares wins, does he not?


OOC: We can go by the roster you posted and then before reaching Jerusalem split Hans and say just enough units to take Acre from the main army to besiege Acre while the rest continues (quarter day journey) to Jerusalem to besiege it. Next turn, Hans takes Acre and moves himself and as many fast units as he can down to the main crusading army and joins the full assault. Has worked fine in my SP games so far, especially with crusader double movement of units.

[econ21]

Hans, my son, what you say is interesting although I suspect we may have to wait until we see the deployment of the enemy before committing ourselves to such a plan.

What we need to decide now is the composition of the two crusader armies. If there is any fine-tuning or rethinking of the division I have proposed, we should discuss that now while the Chancellor rests. It would be good to reach a consensus by the time the Chancellor has awokened so he may write his orders.

[FactionHeir]

Forgive me for thinking only of my plan father, I agree that we ought to consider the army compositions and ready the men...

*studies the notes on the officer's table and the map*

Hmm yes, I agree for the most part with your proposal, but maybe it would be wiser to give Count Mandorf the turcopoles and the pavise crosbow regiments in exchange for two of his pilgrim groups? Afterall the pilgrims will want to stay in the holy land and journey towards Jerusalem instead of staying at Adana. They would also help us alleviate initial problems with garrison staffing I believe. Furthermore, we would not have much use of mounted archers and crossbows for our sieges to the south or even defending against possible besiegers, while Count Mandorf to the north is facing both Turks and Egyptian field armies and might need the additional missile support instead of pilgrims to take fire.

[TinCow]

I will agree to that division of forces if you wish, but in truth I think that I am being provided with a far stronger force than is necessary. Rumor has it that Adana is a massive fortress which will likely provide us with the ability to train those Christians who make the pilgrimage to the Levant into professional soldiers of very high quality. As long as I am provided with a large enough force to take the fortress in the first place, holding it should not be an issue. Any lack of quality soldiers can be quickly made up from the facilities of the fortress itself.

Accordingly, here is my slightly altered proposal for the armies, which gives a greater share of quality regiments to the Jerusalem force.

1st Crusader Army - destination Jerusalem

Henry
Otto
Dietrich
Hans
Jonas
2 regiments Teutons
1 regiment mailed knights
3 regiments dismounted foot knights
3 regiments Armoured sergeants
2 regiment Pavise crossbow
2 regiments Crossbow militia
1 regiment Turcopoles
1 regiment Pilgrims

2nd Crusader Army - destination Adana

Maximillian
1 regiment Teutons
1 regiment mailed knights
2 regiment Armoured sergeants
3 regiment Spear sergeant
2 regiments Peasant crossbows
1 regiment Turcopoles
4 regiments Armenian Archers

You will note my preference for Armenian Archers over Pilgrims. The archers will be of great use to me in defending Adana against any attack, as they could tip their arrows with fire, allowing them to burn the Muhammadan siege engines. I have removed Pilgrims from the Jerusalem army simply because the greater focus of quality regiments in that army does not provide room for them.

[econ21]

I am happy to agree with Maximillan's plan. The Armenian archers are attractive if we can afford it. I suggest we leave it to the Chancellor to arrange the two armies as he sees fit, guided by the suggestions that have been made so far which seem in broad agreement.

[OverKnight]

I thank you for your wisdom my fellow Crusaders. I will immediately have both our Armies take the Cross. I will then reconfigure them as suggested. We will have time to come to final decisions on Adana, Acre and other targets as we will not reach them in this year.

The priests and spy will remain ahead of our army, making their best way forward. The spy will attempt to infiltrate Adana to give us a better idea of what we are up against.

I will endeavor to recruit the mercenaries needed, but the Imperial coffers are not bottomless. I spent much of the treasury to obtain reconciliation, and I must now focus on building at home. Duke Hummel's action are just a preview of what would come if I focus too many resources on the Crusade while ignoring the home front.

My own inclination is that we focus on Jerusalem exclusively until the city is taken. Once we have liberated it, we must prepare for the transfer to the Pope by building religious structures worthy of the Pontiff, and making sure the population would not throw off his rule after it is gifted to him. This time of preparation will allow us to send armies out to nearby Egyptian holdings so that we may carve out our own holdings. Following this approach, we would not have to worry about desertion.

Count Mandorf, you were the main architect of this Crusade, I would have you there at it's completion.

However, as I said, we will have time to debate this.

[econ21]

On the matter of mercenaries, I understand the budget constraint, Chancellor. Indeed, I was just pondering whether we should only hire the six regiments of pilgrims. Since these regiments require only 35 gold in upkeep when the crusade is completed, they would be the most cost-effective garrisons for the cities we will ultimately wish to take in the Holy Land. We can only hire the pilgrims now and the recruitment cost (90 gold) is not excessive.

Turcopoles we can hire later if necessary and Armenian archers are not markedly superior to the peasant archers we can hire in due course.

[OverKnight]

When I mentioned mercenaries, I meant the regular mercenaries always available for hire. I will recruit those who are moved by their faith to particpate in our endeavour.

[Kagemusha]

I also agree with Von Mandorf´s plan. I think that the Jihad army we faced didnt quit show up the true construction of the muslim armies we are about to face.Im afraid that those armies will have lot more missiles,then what we have faced so far and hiring missile troops would be a wise move for us.

[FactionHeir]

Indeed it seems that I was mistaken, for there is a Turkish jihad army just to the north east of our current position *Hans looks up from the map*
While I would feel that striking them would be appropriate, I fear that this might hinder our progress towards Jerusalem, which our men might not take lightly, for they do not quite understand the importance of destroying a heathen banner.
However, it might be possible that several of us, who are truly loyal to the cause backed up by several knights might be able to assault the Jihad army and yet make enough progress so our men don't mind. It would certainly be a risky endeavour however.

[OverKnight]

Count Hans,

We have reached our movement limit for the year, I will await the move of the Turkish Jihad and then we can make our decision. Your plan might have merit depending on how they proceed.

My fellow Crusaders,

I have not added any mercenaries or pilgrims to our forces yet, I will wait until we have need of them, Pilgrims always seem available. Though with the emergence of another Jihad army, I regret not recruiting some Turkopoles. Still, I'm sure we will have that oppurtunity again and I wished to save florins for projects in the Reich.

[TinCow]

My reasons for taking Adana are the same as they have always been. First, it is a useful fall back position for the main Crusade army if by some unforeseen disaster, you are unable to take Jerusalem. Second, it is a major stop on the pilgrimage road from Europe to the Holy Lands. From there, Christian knights can patrol the roads and keep those pious travelers from harm. Third, it is an immensely strategic location that will allow for greater flexibility in future conflicts.

As fortress, it will be easy to control the local population until they can be converted to the Light of Christ. The same cannot be said of cities like Antioch or Jerusalem. Those places, while holy sites in their own right and profitable in trade, will cause us great difficulties. It will be far better to hold fortified settlements from which we can recruit priests and armies to better control the great cities. In the region, there are several fortified places to choose from. Acre is the most obvious target, as it is very close to Jerusalem and could lend its support to the Papal State that is eventually established there. However, if we have only one fortress, we risk being overwhelmed. With but a single settlement, all military production can be brought to a halt by a single enemy siege force. If we concentrate in a single settlement and find ourselves besieged and unable to sally forth, we will essentially be doomed, as no relief will every be able to reach us from the Reich in time. However, if we have more than one settlement, the one that is not besieged can produce reinforcements to aid the other.

So, the remaining fortresses in the area are Adana, Gaza, and Aleppo. Of these, Aleppo is inland and transporting regiments from there to Acre or Jerusalem would be difficult with enemy armies in the way. Gaza is a worthy target, but it cannot be taken until after the Crusade is over, as it would require marching past Jerusalem, something our soldiers would surely not like. Furthermore, Gaza would only allow strikes against the Egyptians, while Adana would allow us the flexibility of attacking the Turks and aiding our Byzantine allies if it were needed.

Regarding my own presence at Jerusalem when it falls, I appreciate your concern, my Duke, but it is not necessary. I fully expect to visit the Holy City after it falls for short trips of prayer. It matters not to me when I see Jerusalem, so long as my eyes see it before they close for the last time. As for the glory of conquest... the truth is that I am getting old. I certainly would have desired this in my youth, but I am past these things now. I simply wish to do what I can to aid Christ on this Earth. I believe I can do more good for Christendom by holding Adana than I can by marching in a parade in Jerusalem.

[OverKnight]

If that is how you feel Maximillian, I propose that if the Jihad stays within reach, you take a portion of the Crusade and attack it. Afterwards you can march to Adana and take it. What say you?

The rest of the Crusade would proceed to Jerusalem as planned.

[TinCow]

I will never waver at the prospect of defending Christendom from the Muhammadan hordes. However, it all depends on the actions of our foes. Let us see what the new year brings before committing ourselves.

[OverKnight]

My fellow Crusaders, we face an interesting situation:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

It is my opinion that we only have enough men to face one of the Jihad Armies. Considering that the Egyptian force is blocking our path, I believe we should focus on them. It is unfortunate that the Turkish Jihad would escape us, but we can only do so much without facing delay and desertion.

I ask for your opinions on this matter. I also ask who should lead the attack? I would say either Count Mandorf or Kaiser Henry would be excellent choices. Both were the architects of this endeavor and if Maximillian is to leave us to take Adana, I can think of no better way to bid him farewell.

Speaking of Adana, I was thinking of having our spy infiltrate the Castle. Would there be any objections to this idea?

[FactionHeir]

Indeed a dire situation where we can only hope that we all make it to the target in one piece. *scratching his chin, Hans continues*
Have we any information on the composition of the egyptian army at all? Maybe our spy should focus on this first before infiltrating Adana.

As for Adana, I would say that we can think about using our spy there after the path is cleared. In the meantime, it would be prudent to have him scout ahead to see whether there are further armies looming to the south we need to be aware of. We should not risk a rude awakening my fellow crusaders.

[econ21]

Chancellor, we have two strong armies - we can strike at both jihads simultaneously with the odds about 2:1 in our favour in each case. I propose that Maximillan strike at the Turks; I will attack the Egyptians. I agree with Maximillan's earlier comment: we must not waiver from defending Christendom from the Islamic hordes. We are to take Adana anyway, so starting a war now with Turkey matters little and it may be more straightforward to crush her in the field, than allow her to besiege Adana later.

I request that Maximillan's force be bolstered by transferring to his 2nd Crusader army at least one regiment of Dismounted Foot Knights, one regiment of Teutonic Knights and one regiment of Pavisse crossbows from my 1st Crusader Army. If Maximillan requires more men, he can take more - for example, the final regiment of Teutons. With the number of generals in 1st Crusader Army, I do not want for heavy cavalry.

If the two offensives are agreed, consideration might also be given to the hiring of mercenaries - perhaps especially the Armenian archers - but I will leave that to the Chancellor's discretion.

[TinCow]

I will gladly lead any army into battle against the Unholy Horde. I welcome whatever resources can be provided to aid in such an endeavor.