Killing Milan

[Askthepizzaguy]

One thing you can do is wipe out Milan before they even get rolling. You can use whichever faction you like, but if you're quick enough, two simple seiges get the job done.

If you're the Holy Roman Empire, for example, you can take Florence by turn 2 while you're waiting for those generals and knights from your swiss castles to arrive in Milan, and then use your Kaiser to take Genoa while your generals take Milan. By turn 4, Milan ceases to exist. Use mercenaries where you feel you need added protection against relief forces, however with generals and heavy cavalry, basic spearmen, and archers, you can defeat an early Milanese army that is divided between two cities, or take one while the other is defended by a full stack, then use the river crossings to box them into a single province, lay seige with all your local generals and knights, militiamen and archers, and put down the Milanese for the count.

If some escape to Dijon, your castles can churn out a few heavy knights to lay seige. Even when vastly outnumbered, those heavy knights can fall back, goading any Milanese mounts to give chase, which usually includes the general. You will have an immediate numbers superiority in the location of the general while their troops give chase and their general gets overzealous and moves beyond the protection of his spears.

Kill the general or captain.

Then charge each unit in the line of chasers one at a time and rout all forces... capturing many, for the experience bonuses. You could wheel a single worthless mount around behind them and take them as they flee towards their own city.

You will crush any stack using this plan that does not have excessive amounts of generals or heavy cavalry, provided you pull back to a map corner when they sally, and have their cavalry give chase faster than the infantry can run.

It's cheap, but realistic, effective, and reliable. And so sweet when victorious.

During my latest HRE Blitz runs for the record, I've been using single general units to take out half stack garrisons by having them chase to exhaustion, charging exposed, weak units, routing them, pulling back, charging again, routing some more, killing the captain, reducing their numbers, and pulling back again. Eventually I will lose most of my troops, but by then the enemy has lost 50% or more of their men, and their captain is dead. That's when I attempt to make them all rout at once, or I simply charge towards the city center and hold it for 3 minutes, holding their wives and children hostage and forcing the Reich's rule upon the frightened and beaten people.

They surrender, and I move on.

Milan should be the least of your worries, but I say that as a Blitzer... Milan never survives very long if I am anywhere near Italy. As a moderate or a turtle, your problem may simply be letting them expand too much.

Remember, they are weak against heavy cavalry. Oh, they have unlimited, powerful militia spearmen, but they have awful, weak, and limited cavalry for the most part. Eventually they may gain a castle and get some decent ones. But for a while, you have the cavalry advantage, if not the numbers advantage.

Use them. Even in the open field, split your forces and surround the infantry. Get them to give chase, disperse a little, or give them too many flanks to defend. Their general will be exposed. Charge him!

If the enemy arrives to surround and pound, retreat.

Circle like a vulture. wait to attack. Spearmen facing the wrong way? CHARGE!!!

Peasant archers exposed? CHARGE!!!

Lone cavalry unit breaks away? CHARGE!!!

General on the left flank? attack the left flank! zoom in and watch his movement. If he moves away, order your unit to charge in that direction (click the ground near him). Surround him again. Wait for the melee to work.

He will eventually go down. Even if you take losses, you have a general and they dont. You have heavy cavalry advantage, and they don't. Spread out. Form a line of death. Charge the enemy at any flank and begin the chain rout.

Once they rout, have a unit of mounted sergeants slay all the routers. Don't use mounted sergeants for melee unless forced to. Use them to chase routers and strike peasants. Avoid melee.

With such basic info, Milan should be brought to her knees by you.

Alternatively, they have no archer cavalry. If you're an Eastern faction, or the Moors, you have that advantage. Bring some christian merc cavalry for heavy support.

You can mod the game if you want... but if you mod away all the challenge, the fun vanishes as well.