Dynasty

[Prince Cobra]

It's time for me to strike.

First, I thank Kage for the map. I don't think Rudlf will be able to march to Prague and assault it. He needs siege equipment and we may send few scouts to observe the area north of Gmund as well as the shortest road to Prague. We may also alert the governor of Prague to prepare the citizens of Prague and also to bluff that we have still some knights left there. I fear we will extend our line too much to stretch between Gmund and Breclav. Part of our regiments are slow and I won't give such an advantage. I put my life on smaller region between Svratka and Dyja with scouts on a larger area to prevent being flanked

Now the plan. I also go for C. However, I will concetrate on a smaller area than Kage with scouts patrolling a larger area (west of Znoimo + east south and North of Brno + the area Northern than Dije (southern than our camp)); this work could be perfectly done by mounted peasants). We can also make puncts with woods that should be lightened as a signal in order to ease the communications I choose the battlefield between the river Svratka and Dyje. We clear the barbarian scum between the rivers and occupy the bridges. We destroy the bridges so that the rivers could be srossed only in the area of Znojmo, Brunn and the area where the rivers of Svratka and Dyja cross (the road Vienna-Brunn). Yet we should have men to patrol around the banks of Svratka and Dyja. The bridge of Znojmo has a surpise it should be damaged so that the light troops can pass on him but the heavy troops will break the bridge and it will sunk. We will fortify it as the other main bridges of course, we may also surround the guarding camps with a wooden wall. We alert the population of Brunn and prepare its defenses, even gather some supplies and mobilise the local citizens and we may also leave a small number (400) of knights (300 light and 100 heavy) to strenghten the garrison + 1 000 peasants. The heart and the main knight forcesof our amry (the King's tent) is is sutated on 30-35 km from Brunn, about 25 km from Znojmo and 15 km from the bridges where Svratka and Dyja join and the road Vienna-Brno. Note that some regiments are closer than other to these places. Our amry will situate east than Znojmo and west from the road between Brno and Vienna. We should also cut some trees and get some tar/burning materials from the fortress of Brunn. We control the upper part of the river an it s easy to surprise the enemy by flowing burning materials (like tar) and burning woods to hamper the crossing of the river. Of course, we leave sufficient force to guard the bridges but I will not go in many details since I don't know so many details. I also think the peasants should guard the bridges supported by some knights + those who can ride can work as scouts (in which they can be supported by a small number of knights on the most responsible places)

I approve the idea of kage to work with the coin to gain info. After all Ottokar is also nicknamed as the Golden King (as well as being the Iron KIng).

The lot is drawn, friends. Amen!

[Kagemusha]

I think Prince Cobra´s plan is solid otherwise, but the critical error in it is that it assumes that the enemy will behave like we would like for him to behave. First thing to do when looking for a defensive position is to make attacking it attractive for the enemy. It should not appear to be too strong or the enemy will evade it.
While you are right about the fact that Rudolph cant storm Prague atleast for now, leaving the door open for him at Gmund is foolish for other reasons. If we concentrate on a small area, it doesnt take a genius to understand that going head on against such position would not be wise.
While Rudolph could not reach our capital, gathering his whole army at Vienna and marching West crossing Dyje river at Gmund will give him several benefits over us. First there is not a single river pointing from West to East between Prague and Gmund. Second the area is more or less open, which gives the Hungarian light horse space to manouver. Third by moving North towards Prague, he will threaten our supply lines, thus most likely forcing us to fight him where he wants us to do so.
Also by destroying majority of the bridges south from us, will deny us the possibility of marching South against Vienna, not that we have enough peasants to besiege it successfully in the first place. Im quite afraid this decision will only result in us withdrawing back to Prague in bit of time, while the Habsburg will be ravaging our lands.

I cant help, but to hope he will attack our strong position and does not simply evade us, but like said before alea jacta est.

[Kagemusha]

double post.

[Prince Cobra]

Let me adress some of the critiscism. First, Znojmo is attractive enough I think since it offers a flanking maneouvre to the enemy. I deliberately did not want to weaken the defense of the bridge because this could only make Rudolf suuspicious. In addition, I believe Rudolf will try to take Znojmo in order to have a shortcut towards us. Sooner or later. Second, Gmund will is relatively far from the Hungarian knights and Vienna. Enemy will have to march a lot if he wishes to cross the bridge at Gmund and doing this means he accepts a battle with us. On our land with tired opponent. It is too risky to stretch our on 50-100 kilometres since it makes the coordination hard and makes it easy for the enemy to crush our army regiments one by one. . I hope FRanc will be able to bring as the next doses of theis Interactive soon.

We still have th bridges of Dyje-Svratka for offensive. ALthough in the current situation I prefer to lure the enemy inside our lands and crush him there.

[Franconicus]

Chapter 6 - Brünn

June 15th, the army of the Iron King and his allies finally left Prague. Before, they had attended Mass and the leaders of the allied troops took oaths to stick together and to follow Ottokar until his enemy is defeated.
It was a bright early summer day when the columns passed the gates of Prague. Ottokar watched them as they passed and the sight of so many brave and strong men increased his confidence, again. First he saw the 30 years old Heinrich von Schlesien, the nephew of his chancellor Wladislaw, on top of 800 knights, then there came 900 knights from Breslau, led by Przeml, Duke of Poznan, and Heinrich, Duke of Breslau, both just 20 years old, followed by the 50 years old Duke of Oppeln-Ratibor with 600 knights and the knights from Brandenburg, 2,000 by numbers, led by Ekkehardt von Ruppin. The end of the marching column was built by Ottokar’s own troops, 2,200 knights under the command of Wladislaw and finally Walter with 5,000 peasants.
Ottokar saw 6,500 armed knights passing by, the strongest knight force in Christian history. Now that his forces are finally united and on the march Ottokar is relieved. This time, Rudolf will be defeated, regardless of all his tricks and luck.

June 22nd, the army arrived at Brünn. On the way, several Kuman patrols had been spotted, but they had not dared to come to close to the mighty Bohemian army.
Brünn itself was already crowded with refugees from the surroundings and from the south. More than three times as many people as usually living at Brünn were fill the streets. The city walls were well and would resist any assault from the Kumans. However, the town would hardly be able to stand a long siege.
Ottokar decided to leave Brünn immediately. He left 400 knights and 1,000 peasants as garrison and moved to his new headquarter at Rossitz. The main body of his army camped about 30 km from Brünn.
Heinrich von Schlesien along with his knights and 1,000 peasants was sent directly to recon and guard the western and southern approaches. His goals were to destroy all bridges west of Znaim and to guard those between Znaim and the road from Brünn to Vienna.
At June 29th, he returned to the head quarter to report Ottokar and the leaders of the detachments.
“Sire, I have reasons to complain! These foolish peasant made it impossible to execute my mission. I’d rather fight Rudolf all alone with my Silesian knights and further bother with these weak-minded, chicken heated peasants. Let me tell you what happened! We marched to Znaim, where I set up my camp. From here I sent mounted patrols north to Jihlava. I used groups of five mounted peasants for that. Oh man, these peasants sat on the horses like sacks of flour. Well, although I sent several patrols, none ever came back. Did they loose their way or just fell from their horses and broke their backs, I do not know. So I had to send mixed groups of peasants and knights, but in the end it showed that single light armed knights were suited best for this missions and I kept the remaining peasants at the river Thaya.
We destroyed the bridges as you told me and I placed posts all along the river. We also built barricades at the remaining bridges. However, we could not take control of the bridges of Drosendorf and Laa, as both places have fortified military camps with Imperial garrisons.
I left the peasants at the bridges we took and all along the river and kept my men as a mobile reserve. We had light signals everywhere, so we could be alarmed very quickly. And hell – alarmed we were. We had 52 alarms during the first night and yet we could not find one single enemy. Next day, the garrison of a bridge run away in terror by the sight of a travelling hawker. In total we miss about 500 peasants.”
“Any conflicts with Imperial troops or Kumans?”
“No, Sire. We saw some Kuman patrols and we know that they observed us carefully, but they kept distance. And no – no Imperial troops!”
“The camps at Drosendorf and Laa – I built them once to keep the Hungarians from crossing the river. How strong are the garrisons there?”
“Not too strong. With our army we could take them easily.”
“Walter, do we have news about Rudolf?”
“Well, Sire, we have a spy now inside Vienna, but it is still difficult to get the information from Vienna to our HQ. As far as we know, Rudolf and his whole army is still at Vienna. Our man tells us that he is waiting for knights from Alsace.”
“What about the Hungarians?”
“Err, he sent several reconnaissance patrols, but none returned. All we know comes from refugees from northern Austria. It seems as if the Hungarians are slowly moving northwards along the march, but we know nothing about their deployment or intentions. Maybe they want to occupy the rebel territories and demonstrate that we are unable to help them, maybe they want to bypass us or even lure us. We just know little about them.”
“Alright my friends and allies, what do you think would be the best plan to defeat our enemy?”
Wladislaw stood up: “Sire, I think it would be best to take a defensive position. We should attack first Drosendorf and then Laa. Then we control the river and it will be hard for Rudolf to cross it. Then we can wait and decide what to do. Maybe we can fight Rudolf at the bridges or lure him into our territory and attack him when the Thaya is in his back!”
Ekkehardt von Ruppin disagreed: “Gah, waiting! We have been waiting far too long. I did not come from Brandenburg to hide behind a river. This may be the way heathens and peasants fight, but not Christian knights. My man will fight with honor and rather rely on the strength of their arms and in God than on a river. I say we should do this in the old way, let’s find a wide and plain field and offer Rudolf a battle there!”
Heinrich von Schlesien: “Maybe we can combine both proposals. We could lead the army to the Thaya and assault first Drosendorf and the Laa. This would probably attract Rudolf. Yet, we will not wait for him but retreat across the river and destroy all bridges besides the one of Drosendorf and Laa, which we protect with some garrisons. This will slow Rudolf down. In the meantime, our army will hurry eastwards to the River March, which we then follow southwards to hit the Hungarians. The area there is plain and open and the river could cover our left flank. Marching south we would either meet the Hungarian army or at least drive her out of Northern Austria.”
Other men rose to tell their opinion, and it showed that most of the men preferred the option of an open battle instead of tactical maneuvers.
While the discussion was still going on, a servant came and brought the message that the guards brought a messenger from Rudolf. Ottokar called him in and asked him to tell his message.
“Well, listen to the message sent my master, the noble Romanum Imperator! We, Rudolf, Imperator by the Grace of God, inform Ottokar, King of Bohemia by the Grace of the Roman Imperator and his followers, that We, Rudolf, put the ban of the Empire on Ottokar, because he disobeyed and disturbed the order of the Holy Roman Empire. This means, that he looses all his ranks and titles and that no one is allowed to help him in any way. Further more We inform you, that the Holy Roma Church anathematized Ottokar because he rebelled against the authority of the God given authority.
Therefore we demand that Ottokar puts down his arm and comes alone to Vienna to knuckle down to the jurisdiction of the Imperator. We also demand that all his followers leave him immediately and return home peacefully.”
When he ended, no one said a word. Everybody was looking at the reaction of Bohemian King.

What will he do?
A) Follow Wladislaw’s proposal and build a defensive position at the river Thaya?
B) Follow Ekkehardt’s plan and offer a battle on plain ground?
C) Follow Heinrich’s plan and attack the Hungarians?
D) Follow the order of Rudolf?
E) Something else?

[AggonyDuck]

C for me.

[Kagemusha]

I say A. We dont know the position of Hungarians and attacking something we cant position on the map does not sound like a solid idea. If we can prove to other lords of HRE that Rudolph cant dislodge us at all and cant even attack our lands properly, will mean that he is too weak to be a an emperor. Small victories along the Thaya river should be used to create propaganda that Bohemia threw the Imperial troops from her area with ease.

What the Kaiser´s emissary said is not a news at all, just repetition of old with goal of making our determination more weak.

Do we have information about the where abouts of the Knights coming from Alsace? If Rudolph will remain in Vienna, maybe we should prepare to take the initiative from him, by preparing an well placed invasion against his lands after securing Thaya river? We could cut off the road between Regensburg and Vienna by taking either Linz or Deggendorf, thus we would cut off Kaiser from his reinforcements or even defeat those armies separately. If we could quickly secure either of those cities, it would mean that Rudolph would have to cross Danube this time to get his supply lines open as both towns are on the North side of Danube.

Lets have a good conversation about this before we make a decision.

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

A also. Kage is right. Besides, do we really want to risk going on the offensive and have to be the first ones to cross the river? What happens if we get attacked then, then we be the ones in trouble.

[Franconicus]

Btw, can we discuss things in the thread without making a decision? I mean if I am the third poster and I say... I won't pick any option but my idea is so and so... Is this allowed?

Certainly you can!

[Prince Cobra]

Certainly you can!

Thanks for the answer, Franc. My idea is to pull out the 400 knights and the 1 000 peasants from Brunn (who should join the army as reserve) and also to make the population in Brunn to gather additional supplies. I am not very sure if this is not already included in the options, though.

I agree that we should monitor movement of the Alsace knights. Weshould launch an attack on Western Austria only in very specific conditions.

The supply line of Hapsburg comes from his nearest lands i.e. Austria. Expedition towards Linz should not be to take over the city (which as a sole purpose is unnecessary since we will have to march back to defend our lands) but to destroy/isolate the Alsace army. This is what our single purpose should be in case we opt to open our Bohemian lands for attack. I am also irritated we have to put to danger our allies from Northern Austria so we should have really a very very good reason to do that. We should also remember that our opponents (mainly the Hungarians) are a bit faster than us
----
We also need a good spy in Bavaria.

[Kagemusha]

Thanks for the answer, Franc. My idea is to pull out the 400 knights and the 1 000 peasants from Brunn (who should join the army as reserve) and also to make the population in Brunn to gather additional supplies. I am not very sure if this is not already included in the options, though.

I agree that we should monitor movement of the Alsace knights. Weshould launch an attack on Western Austria only in very specific conditions.

The supply line of Hapsburg comes from his nearest lands i.e. Austria. Expedition towards Linz should not be to take over the city (which as a sole purpose is unnecessary since we will have to march back to defend our lands) but to destroy/isolate the Alsace army. This is what our single purpose should be in case we opt to open our Bohemian lands for attack. I am also irritated we have to put to danger our allies from Northern Austria so we should have really a very very good reason to do that. We should also remember that our opponents (mainly the Hungarians) are a bit faster than us
----
We also need a good spy in Bavaria.

I agree that the conditions should be favourable incase we attack western Austria. I believe we could mask our movement West as we are behind a river, so information concerning our moves should be scarce to Kaiser also. Taking Linz would be a move to yet again try and force Kaiser to fight us at place of our own choosing, incase the Kaiser will just sit idle in Vienna, but lets see if he is willing to come to us without need for us to manouver.

[King Kurt]

I believe the time has come for some reflection here. We have a significant army concentrated at one place. Our enemy has a slightly smaller force split in at least 2 locations. It is not in his interest to attack us - I believe his approach is to wait until we are split by religious tensions - hence the appearance of his envoy. Time is on his side - it is already mid June. If autumn comes with no result, then our forces will disappate. So we should strike to bring the situation to a head - so that rules out A or D. So that leaves B - an option based on sitting on some open ground and hoping somebody turns up - not very likely as we have an advantage in numbers. So that leaves C. I believe that C has merits in that we will threaten part of our enemy's army - the Hungarians who we may catch and defeat. if that doesn't happen, then we march on Vienna - forcing the Kaiser to defend himself, giving us the battle - or seige - we want. So my vote is for C - it has some dangers, but we need to take the battle to them - I don't believe they will move against us because they have no need to - time is their strongest ally.

[Kagemusha]

I beg to differ. I cant see time being any more our enemy then our enemies. Each day the rebellion continues Rudolph throne looses prestige.Even when foreign allies are supporting them. As long as we can protect our area. It is him who has the pressure to defeat this rebellion. We have been successful so far and i think the pressure is with Kaiser.

[Prince Cobra]

In fact none of the options is prefect. The problem is that the Hungarians are a bit faster and Rudolf could hide behind a wall if confronted close to Vienna.

As long as there are rebels in Northern Austria (in his own domain) time is not working for Rudolf. As long as there are knights from Alsace time is not working for us. The move to assault the defenses of Thaya and to throw the glove at Rudolf's face is interesting. We also keep our central position. I approve the plan for now but we have to remember that passive defense should not be overdosed especially when a reifnorcement may arrive.

About the emissary: a nice speech from Ottokar should show who is the Iron King and neutralise the effots of this plotter who dared to involve such a Holy institution as the Papacy for fulfilling his ambitions

[Franconicus]

Chapter 7 – Waiting for Rudolf

Wladislaw finally interrupted the silence: “Lords. I hope that Rudolf message does not affect your loyalty. We all knew that our enemy is the Emperor, so the ban of the Empire is not a big surprise. We fix this, as soon as Rudolf is defeated. However, it is a surprise, that the church anathematized Ottokar. Frankly spoken, we did not expect this at all and I am almost sure that it is not true!”
Ekkehardt replied: “True or not, it does not matter much!”
Heinrich von Schlesien: “Yes, it does not matter! We stand to our oath and we will support you, Ottokar, until Rudolf is defeated.”
Most of the lords seemed to agree, but Ekkehardt said:
“Let me try to make some things clear. My master, Otto von Brandenburg, sent me to help you against Rudolf. He knew that the enemy is the Emperor himself and did not care. It may be true or not that the church banned you, Brandenburg will keep his word and so will I. However, most of the knights that came with me are volunteers and they may return, if they do not believe in your case anymore. The majority of them fought as crusaders in the past or will crusade next spring. They will not be happy if they fight against the church. This makes Rudolf’s message so dangerous. But there are other issues. We at Brandenburg have a lot of practice in warfare. Most of the time we fight pagans in the swamps and forests of the east. Our strategy is simple, we try to find the enemy, attack and defeat him. That is the way a Christian soldiers should fight. We do not hide behind rivers, our only protections are belief in Christ and our shield. Therefore, my men get bored and impatient. Another thing is that we certainly will return home before winter. We came here to fight Rudolf, not to wait for him. And next spring, most of the men are going to crusade, again.”
Wladislaw: “Ekkehardt, I understand your points and I can assure you we will end this conflict this autumn. No one wants to wait until winter. I am sure that decision is close. Rudolf will not wait forever at Vienna, and soon you will be able to show your experience in battle.”
Ottokar raised his voice: “Indeed! And until then, I will give you opportunities to keep yourself busy. Heinrich, you and your men will camp at Znaim. Call the troops from Brünn and build the defenses at the river crossings. Also patrol with your men along the northern bank between Drosendorf and Laa, but send the peasants to me. I will move with the main body of the army to Drosendorf. Ekkehard, you and your men may besiege the Imperial camp, there and then move further to assault Laa!”

Orders were sent and soon the detachments of Ottokar’s army were marching against the enemy – for the time being only against the rather small garrisons of Drosendorf and Laa. Drosendorf was encircled on July 18th. For a week, the peasants built equipment to storm the camp. When scaling ladders and battering rams were ready and the knights of Brandenburg got ready to assault, the garrison laid down its weapons and opened the gates. Ottokar’s army marched downstream and arrived Laa at August 5th and began besieges this camp, too.
However, at August 18th, news arrived at the HQ: Rudolf and his army left Vienna on August 13th. Now it is time for Ottokar to make a decision:

A) Gather his army south of the River Thaya and wait for Rudolf?
B) Retreat to the northern bank of the river and wait there?
C) Something else?

[Kagemusha]

Lets not be hasty now, but think carefully. Any news about the Hungarians? Or the Alsacean knights?Also do we have any idea what direction Rudolph is moving? It seems Rudolph is cautious in his moves and he could be just marching West or East in order to link either with the Hungarians or Alsaceans.

In battle of Kressenburn our armies defeated Hungarians with tactics by luring our enemies across a river and then forcing them to fight on the river on their back. Here is a link to the battle:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kressenbrunn

It could be that Rudolph will not fall for such tactics. Rudolph has left Vienna only five days a go. We have been at Laa for over an week, so we should be ready to take it. We could take Laa and invade Austria. March South and set camp in the direction of Vienna. While marching South we should secure any crossings of river Morava and secure our left flank by that. Sack Northern Austria and march to Danube North of Vienna. Then we would be positioned Danube on our South and Morava on our East defended by two rivers while we would have taken the war to the enemy. If Rudolph will be marching towards our direction we will meet him in battle without his Hungarian allies and crush him. If the Hungarians have crossed Morava and are marching towards here together with Rudolph or just behind him, we should use the original plan and try and lure them to cross the river. If he has gone East towards Bratislava we are in just as good defensive position as earlier a river to our South and East, this time on their territory and if he has gone West to join the Alsacians. We should forget this plan or revise it.

In order to have any real plan.It is crucial to know the direction of Kaiser is marching, direction of the Alsacaens and the direction of Hungarians.

Here is a map of Austria to better understand the plan:

[King Kurt]

I'm with Kage on this one - We need to take the battle to Rudolph - my fears about our allies etc were sounded out by Ekkehardt - we need to take Laa and press on into Austria

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

I'm also with Kage and KK here. Lets roll with this plan and push ourselves into Osterreich.

[Franconicus]

Chapter 8 – Where is Rudolf?

Ottokar knew that it was time for a decision and was finally willing to confront Rudolf. He still new nothing about the plans of his rival, he did not even know his concrete strength or position. Hell, Rudolf could be close, he could even attack tomorrow, while Ottokar’s troops were still spread all over.
Ottokar’s first step was to send a message to Heinrich to make him gather all troops left on the northern side of the Thaya and to cross the river as fast as possible. And he prayed to the saints that Heinrich would arrive in time.
Next he sent more patrols to scan the whole area between the Thaya and the Danube. Rudolf had to be there and he, Ottokar, had to find out where. He also sent out patrols to watch the Hungarians. It was likely that Rudolf would try to combine his forces. Yet, the Kumans made it difficult to reconnaissance. Ottokar had to admit that Rudolf could take advantage of better reconnaissance. But there was nothing he could do about this now.
Finally, Ottokar talked with the military leaders in his camp. He gave Ekkehardt the order to assault the camp of Laa immediately and told the rest to get ready for combat. In case of need, they had to give Rudolf the runaround until Heinrich appeared.
Next morning, the knights from Brandenburg began to charge. The low walls made of earth and wood could not resist the massive attack and the garrison retreated into the central tower, the only building made of stones. Ekkehardt goaded his men to take this last bastion. However, all charges stalled in the narrow and barricaded stairways, while the garrison threw stones and oil at the knights. Ekkehard changed his strategy and told his men to stack wood around the tower. His first attempt to defeat the defenders with fire failed due to strong wind, which carried the flames away. Yet, Ekkehardt was not willing to give up and the peasants had to rack up more wood. Finally the bastion was enveloped by flames and smoke and the garrison was forced to surrender.
Heinrich arrived on August 22nd and Ottokar thanked the saints that his army was united again. Several patrol returned without information about Rudolf’s route. Finally a patrol returned from the far east and brought clearance. Rudolf had left Vienna on August 13th. Obviously, he had put all his infantry and baggage on ships and sailed downstream the Danube as fast as he could. His cavalry travelled on the banks of the river. Rudolf urged his troops to speed up and he reached the mouth of the River March at the evening of the 14th. Here he met with the Hungarians. With his joined forces he began to march along the River March and assaulted Marchegg on 15th. He devastated the estates of his enemies and several peers from northern Austria, although loyal followers of the Bohemian King, had to surrender and to beg for mercy. Currently, Rudolf and his men were still heading north. It seemed as if the want to put an end to the rebellion and punish all rebels.
The patrol gained this information from refugees, which tried to escape the Kuman hordes. However, the patrol had not been able to get close enough to observe Richard’s advance.
Although the news was unexpected, Ottokar was relieved to learn where his enemy was. Now he could decide what to do:

A) March to Vienna; the city is undefended and could easily be picked up.
B) Hurry to the River March and attack Rudolf. The area is plain and ideal for a battle with mounted forces.
C) Move to Lundenburg (Breclav); there is a fortress, where you could wait for Rudolf behind the walls.

[Kagemusha]

I cant see how in our right mind could we move past our enemies and to Vienna and take the city before we get attacked by them? I dont think we should not race to March either, nor should we retreat to Breclav. Between us and Rudolph, but closer to us, is Mistelbach on the North shore of river Zaya, which runs from East to West between us and our enemies. We should take Mistelbach and secure the river crossings of Zaya and also any crossings of River March on our left flank. This would result in two things.First we would be protecting the rest of our Austrian allies there and force Rudolph to attack us on favourable ground now that his whole army is gathered. We should also put to sword any supporters of the Kaiser between rivers Thaya, Zaya and March. With this tactic we would have taken the war to the enemy country and secured a foothold there at favourable position. Rudolph is a sneaky fox and we should not act rashly now.

Here is yet another map:

[AggonyDuck]

A) March to Vienna. I don't think we can afford to sit idle and neither should we attempt to fight Rudolf on his terms. If we march for Vienna, we will force Rudolf to react and can hopefully separate his mounted troops from the slower peasants and baggage train. That would essentially be the best opportunity for us to defeat him.

[Seign Thelas]

Suppose we had a mix of A and B. Send a small force to delay Rudolph with guerilla tactics, or, even better, just dig in and defend the opposite banks at the River March, and at the same time send the bulk of our forces to swipe Vienna. Of course the delaying tactic could possibly be suicide...but the troops need not know that.

Final Answer: I say send a small group of men to fortify the bank opposite of Rudolph at the River March, dig in and commit to defense, while sending the bulk of our knights and army straight to the lightly defended Vienna. We'll take the rug out from beneath their feet all at once. And if we take Vienna quickly enough, possibly send notice to the delaying force to make a hasty retreat.

[Kagemusha]

Suppose we had a mix of A and B. Send a small force to delay Rudolph with guerilla tactics, or, even better, just dig in and defend the opposite banks at the River March, and at the same time send the bulk of our forces to swipe Vienna. Of course the delaying tactic could possibly be suicide...but the troops need not know that.

Final Answer: I say send a small group of men to fortify the bank opposite of Rudolph at the River March, dig in and commit to defense, while sending the bulk of our knights and army straight to the lightly defended Vienna. We'll take the rug out from beneath their feet all at once. And if we take Vienna quickly enough, possibly send notice to the delaying force to make a hasty retreat.

The problem with this one is that Rudolph is on the Western bank of March already moving North and so are the Hungarians. Let us hope he has not left any kind of garrison to Vienna, since we dont have enough peasants for proper siege and soon we will have more szekely and cumans harassing our rear we ever need, while marching South and the enemy army behind us cutting us off from our supply base.

[Franconicus]

Suppose we had a mix of A and B. Send a small force to delay Rudolph with guerilla tactics, or, even better, just dig in and defend the opposite banks at the River March, and at the same time send the bulk of our forces to swipe Vienna. Of course the delaying tactic could possibly be suicide...but the troops need not know that.

Final Answer: I say send a small group of men to fortify the bank opposite of Rudolph at the River March, dig in and commit to defense, while sending the bulk of our knights and army straight to the lightly defended Vienna. We'll take the rug out from beneath their feet all at once. And if we take Vienna quickly enough, possibly send notice to the delaying force to make a hasty retreat.

ST, Kage is right, Rudolf is on the left bank - on your side. Could you give more details? Where do you want to stop Rudi and hwhich units do you want to sent?

[Kagemusha]

Now that Franc affirmed my fears. Seign Thelas, please reconsider. Rudolph is along the March river, somewhere between Danube and Zaya rivers, so he is South from us. If we go to Vienna. We should somehow march twice the distance there faster then the imperial army. Rudolph only needs to choose a nice open defensive position between us and Vienna and we have committed ourselves in decisive battle on a ground not of our choosing, where the Hungarians can run circles around us untill we are exhausted.

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

Or we can just beat him to the punch and attempt to out run him,fighting though him if needed.


A).

[Seign Thelas]

Then just commit to battle. It's an urgent matter. You have to do something. You can't just wait.

[AggonyDuck]

Now that Franc affirmed my fears. Seign Thelas, please reconsider. Rudolph is along the March river, somewhere between Danube and Zaya rivers, so he is South from us. If we go to Vienna. We should somehow march twice the distance there faster then the imperial army. Rudolph only needs to choose a nice open defensive position between us and Vienna and we have committed ourselves in decisive battle on a ground not of our choosing, where the Hungarians can run circles around us untill we are exhausted.

Mind you that he is southeast of us, which does make a big difference. This means he is unlikely to be able to intercept us during the march, especially as his forces are larger and we will get some sort of headstart. In addition to this, the distance is hardly double of what Rudolf has. We have roughly measured around 50 kilometers to march, while Rudolf has around 35-40 kilometers. Add to this the delay that it will take for Rudolf to get the reports and react, we will be able to avoid being intercepted. In fact we will most likely be in an position to intercept Rudolf himself, especially if we utilise a fast moving decoy contigent to confuse him of our target.

[Kagemusha]

Then just commit to battle. It's an urgent matter. You have to do something. You can't just wait.

Why do we have to push head on to Rudolph? We could have done that months a go? We havent been doing nothing?We have pushed enemys raiding parties out of our own domain and successfully moved the war into enemy territory. Now we are doing exactly what Kaiser wants us to do.Move head on towards his direction and let him decide where to meet us. Well it is your call, so i guess alea jacta est.

Mind you that he is southeast of us, which does make a big difference. This means he is unlikely to be able to intercept us during the march, especially as his forces are larger and we will get some sort of headstart. In addition to this, the distance is hardly double of what Rudolf has. We have roughly measured around 50 kilometers to march, while Rudolf has around 35-40 kilometers. Add to this the delay that it will take for Rudolf to get the reports and react, we will be able to avoid being intercepted. In fact we will most likely be in an position to intercept Rudolf himself, especially if we utilise a fast moving decoy contigent to confuse him of our target.

Heinrich arrived to us at 22nd day. Kaiser took Marcheg and started marching North on 15th or maybe 16th. He has been coming North for almost an week and im quite sure that first thing our vanguard column will meet once the march South begins will be Cumans or Szekelys and we will not get peace from them ever after. It could be that Kaiser is already waiting us at Zaya even if he had only advanced 10 kilometers a day. But all i can do now is to wait with great exitement when franc will reveal the next chapter.

[Franconicus]

Chapter 8

While the army got ready to decamp, Ottokar called the leaders to his tent. Here he told them the news about the enemy: “Now we know where Rudolf is and that the route to Vienna is open. I think we should use this opportunity and rush to Vienna”

Ekkehardt did not agree: “What the hell do you think we can find at Vienna? Didn’t you tell us that Rudi is in the east? If you want to defeat him, you must attack him, not Vienna. At least, that is what we came here fore, all the long way from Brandenburg. We did not come here to lay siege on Vienna, a dangerous adventure that may take all winter long and leaves initiative to Rudolf!”
Heinrich tried to mediate: “Well, we could leave some troops behind, to slow Rudolf’s approach while we take Vienna by surprise.”

Ekkehardt: “By surprise? Didn’t you tell me, that Habsburg prepared the defense of Vienna since spring? And now that he left the town, do you think that he left the gates open? And should you be as foolish as to leave a rearguard? Rudolf’s army consists mainly of knights and Kumans. How do you want to stop them? They can bypass you at any time.”

“Maybe there is a better, less risky alternative. We could go to Ludenburg and offer the battle there. There we would have a strong defense!”, Wladislaw spoke out.

“I have to admit that I really do not understand your ideas. Our army is strong, stronger than the Habsburgian. Its strength lays in the number and strength of our knights – these countries have never seen such a force before. A knight army, ideal for a mobile warfare, ideal to attack. Yet, since I have been here, you hide behind rivers or besiege some outposts. Now your idea is to lay siege on a big town. I wonder if you are able to lead an army like this. I wonder if you are just afraid of Rudolf. And I wonder if that is the reason why you lost the last campaign without even fighting!”

“Enough!” shouted Ottokar. “I see that it is time to end this game. Get to your men and tell them that we will start for the March in an hour. Paltram, you know the terrain, you will lead the vanguard. Watch for Kumans and do not let you lure outside of the formation. Heinrich von Schlesien will cover our rear. Hurry men, Rudolf is waiting!”
The men stood up and left the tent.
An hour later, the vanguard left the camp and soon the whole army was hiking.
Once again Ottokar looked with pride at the long columns. Again he felt somehow invincible. How could Rudolf resist such an agglomeration of strength and courage?
The marching went on. It was a warm summer and the roads were dry. So they could advance quickly, although many knights complained about the heat and took off their helmets.
Kumans shadowed the procession, but did not dare to come close.
As they came closer to the enemy they heard news from the refugees. Rudolf was still marching along the River March. He had just taken Stillfried and was now marching towards Dürnkrut.
Ottokar made his men hurry to reach this place before the enemy. And so Ottokar’s army camped at Dürnkrut on August 24th, just a couple of miles north of the emperor.
During the warm and clear night Ottokar’s spies found Rudolf camping on a plain field at the March. This would be the ideal place for a battle. The river March was slowly flowing in some meanders in a south southwestern direction. The river was not very deep, but there were some muddy places, that could become dangerous for any rider. The field was on the western side of the river. It was limited on the western side by the road from Sierndorf to Dürnkrut and Waiderndorf. On the other side of the road, there was a vineyard and some smaller copses. The field itself was plain. It only dropped down to a flank of a hill in the south, at the Waidendorf.
Ottokar called Wladislaw and Walter.
“Well, it seems like we will soon fight against Rudolf. I assume that we are stronger than he, but we have to prepare the battle carefully. I know the area and I guess the battlefield is ideal for cavalry charges. My intention is to leave the peasant in the camp to care for the baggage. Peasants would only hamper us. I will divide the army in three groups. First group forms the first line of attack. The second group is the second wave, it is important that the commander has the right timing. Third group is our reserve. Now I have to decide how to deploy the troops and to nominate the commanders.”

Please make proposals for the deployment!
Here are your troops and commanders:
BOHEMIAN: 2,200 knights and 4,500 peasants
Ottokar,
Walter (agent), unexperienced in battle
Wladislaw, Bishop, but also experienced on the battle field; gradualist
Paltram vor dem Freithof, knight from Vienna

ALLIES
Heinrich V (born in 1248) von Schlesien, Nephew of Wladislaw, loyal and combative
He has 800 Silesian knights
Przemysl (1257), Duke of Poznan, and Heinrich IV (1256) Duke of Breslau, both unexperienced, commanding 900 knights,
Wladislaus I (1225) Duke of Oppeln-Ratibor with 600 knights
Ekkehardt, pugnacious, with 2,000 knights from Brandenburg