Mongols are tough!!

[Jagger]

As Venice, around turn 145, the mongols finally attacked me near Budapest. The Mongol army was lead by a 9 or 10 star general and was a full stack of about 1300 men with a nice combination of hvy/light cavalry, bows and infantry. Large numbers of the mongols had bows.

I hastily put together an army of 1500 men lead by my one 10 star general, the faction leader. I had 7 units of pikes, 2 units of Italian spear militia, 2 units of Italian hvy infantry, 3 units of musketeers/handgunners, one bowmen unit, a poor mix of cavalry with only one barded hvy cavalry unit and a mortar. It was the best I could put together on short notice.

The battle was a massive struggle. All my musketeers/handgunners and bowmen were rapidly decimated by a rain of arrows. Then the mongols just started picking off my pikes, spear militia and cavalry. I was taking heavy casualties but had nothing left to respond with except my one mortar. I finally sent a couple of militia cavalry to trap one mongol light cavalry arrow unit off and behind my right flank. Those units were just swarmed by other mongol cavalry. I immediately sent the rest of my cavalry to rescue them from their predicament. I hated to separate them from my infantry but I didn't want to lose a third of my cavalry. As this cavalry battle developed off my right flank, suddenly the mongols launched a general attack across my front with the greatest concentration on my left flank pikes and my one left flank schiltron spear militia. My left was weakest with all my cavalry tangled in melee off my right flank and the mongols hit the left hardest. I countered with my Italian hvy infantry and diverted some mounted sergeants back to my left. Then my schiltron spear militia broke and my left flank started collapsing. All seemed lost as my left crumbled and my cavalry on the right was barely surviving. Then a miracle. The Mongol general died in a charge against the schiltron on my right. Suddenly a mongol unit, here and there started routing. Then the entire mongol army started retiring, most still in good order. My cavalry survivors were able to run down most of the retreating infantry but all the mongol cavalry lived to fight another day.

Amazingly tough battle!!!!! I lost around 500 men to the mongols loss of around 700. But I was losing. I thought I was finished....till the death of the Mongol general. His death lead to the voluntary mongol withdrawal.

Lessons learned? All muskets, arquebusiers, handgunners and bowmen are useless against the massed mongol bows. They fire too slow and firearms had no impact on Mongol morale. Lack of good armor or shields meant they couldn't survive against arrows. The mortar was useful. Although arrows cut down the entire mortar crew except two stunned survivors. The pikes were decimated by arrows prior to the determined mongol assaults beginning. They held but barely. One of the two schiltrons did not hold but they were also very weakened by arrows and the mongols focused on that one unit. My cavalry was able to hold its own but never dominated. They also suffered many losses from the hail of arrows.

And there are more mongols coming...

I must be able to survive and counter their arrows. I must have cavalry that can survive arrows and fight heavy cavalry. So I am immediately building more of my most heavily armored cavalry with barded horses. I am raising more pavise crossbowmen. They might survive the massed bows of the mongols. I need more anti-cavalry infantry to support my spear/pike line...so raising Venetian heavy infantry. I am not sure about the pikes. They can survive mongol cavalry attacks but have very poor armor and no offensive capability. I need heavily armored spearmen-either the Italian spear militia or armored spearmen. They are less effective against the massed mongol heavy cavalry charge but should weather the storm of arrows and have some offensive capability. I am considering a cannon or two but I doubt they would survive long. Mortars are probably better because I can keep them behind my spear line.

Beware...the mongols are out there, looking for you...and they are tough.................