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Deus Vult! - Imperial War of 1180

Turn 017

Lord Roland sails from Augsburg with a dozen warships, plundering the trade routes out of Frankfurt. The entirety of the trading vessels he seizes, however, are English in origin. Surprisingly, the merchants do not complain to the English King.

The Bavarians gather south of Nordgau, four leaders (Lothair, Guntram, Ludwig and Radbat of Slovakia) with seventy-five hundred infantry, fifty-eight hundred cavalry and five engineering companies, then strike straight north into Thuringian territory. Count Henry of Flanders utilizes the new Defensive Pact with Thuringia to react with fifty-nine hundred cavalry, Duke Sieghard of Nordgau disgorges from the capital with his own twenty-three hundred infantry, seventy-six hundred cavalry and four engineering companies. The Flemish-Thuringian Allies field every advantage except for battle intelligence and overall quality (which are even). The Bavarians are pinched between both armies and simply mown down. Allied casualties number three-and-a-half thousand, but the field is carried, with Guntram of Bavaria being taken captive.

The Allies next respond to an attack into Hesse by Rudolph and Wolgang of Swabia at the head of only fifteen hundred men. The Swabians are wiped out, the two leaders fleeing back to the region of Lorraine without having destroyed a single allied unit. Lastly, Johann of Swabia marches into Franconia intent on pillaging the region. The Allies once again march in reaction, slamming into the three-thousand enemy troops. The Swabians are decimated, the allies losing only one unit of cavalry.

Turn 018

Lord Roland of Swabia issues a blockade of Frankfurt with his dozen warships, interfering with many of the Thuringian trade routes coming out of that port.

Duke Sieghard I of Thuringia and his lieutenant Aural march at the head of just under ten-thousand cavalry. They rendezvous in Brabant with the Flemish army: Princes Eugene, Aldric and Corin plus lieutenant Andre commanding forty-five hundred Flemish infantry, six-thousand cavalry and ten engineering companies. The allies press into Lorraine. Bavaria utilizes its Defensive Pact with Swabia, and Prince Lothair and Lord Ludwig rush to the region with their twenty-five hundred cavalry. Three Swabian leaders are already in the region (Prince Johann, Prince Rudolph and Lord Wolfgang) with one-thousand cavalry, twenty-seven hundred infantry and six field forts. They have also contracted thirty-five hundred mercenaries. Before battle is joined, the mercenaries receive bribery offers from the attacking armies. The Flemish pay the infantry to stay out of battle, while Duke Sieghard is able to win the one-thousand mercenary cavalry directly, adding them to his own forces. Chaos breaks out in the attacking side soon after, many of the Flemish troops turning mutinous, showing much hostility toward the bribed mercenaries. Lord Andre is quick to put down the heavy gauntlet, a few hangings quelling the rebelliousness.

Things settle, the fighting ready to begin in earnest. The attackers have a three-to-one advantage of troops, better battle support, more elite units and better scouting. Still, the defenders are on friendly soil, have already set up defenses, and benefit from the support of the local city and fortress. The advantages balance out, and both sides end up equally utilizing their tactics and strategies. Thus, only the numbers of the attacking troops carry the day. The defenders give as good as they take, but can take far less without the numbers of soldiers. Three thousand attacking troops are lost, with the defenders once again seeing a total defeat. Surprisingly, no leaders on either side suffer any hardship.

One month later, a Polish force of three-thousand cavalry push into Lorraine, expecting to be welcomed by their Swabian allies. The Polish leader Kurgan is a match for Sieghard's military prowess, but knows he will likely be cut down by the German numbers. Kurgan immediately attempts to evade back across the border to Alsace, but Sieghard catches him. Nine-hundred of Sieghard's men are killed - None of the Poles survive. Sieghard stands alert in Lorraine for further conflict, while the Flemish infantry and engineers launch a siege of the regional fortress. Neither army takes much damage in the first round, but both Flemish leaders are wounded. Prince Corin reinforces the besiegers for the second round. The fortress falls, this time Prince Aldric is outright killed in the fighting. Two companies down, the Flemish begin the siege of Cologne. Six-hundred infantry and four companies of engineers becomes the cost of taking it. The siege forces of Flanders move back into Brabant, while Duke Sieghard retires his cavalry back into Wurzburg.

Turn 019

Prince Eugene retires from conquered Lorraine, traveling back to Flanders to set up a defense of the region with his twenty-eight hundred men. Corin and Andre of Flanders remain in Lorraine, defending with over six-thousand troops.

In Thuringia, the conquered region of Hesse erupts into rebellion. Eleven-hundred infantry and three-hundred cavalry attempt to liberate the realm from the four field fort garrison. Lord Aurel of Thuringia, charged with reaction, fails to respond to the threat, instead remaining in Wurzburg. The rebel leader mounts a blind assault, and his skills prove to be less than the local garrison commander. The rebel forces are repelled.

Prince Rudolph of Swabia collects the thirty-five hundred mercenaries under contract, and launches a raid into Franconia when it is clear the Thuringians are not attacking during the cycle. This time Aurel does respond, pulling Duke Sieghard from his bedside duties and marching almost ten-thousand troops to the defense of the region. Johan's forces are caught off guard and decimated, twenty-three hundred dying in the conflict. Rudolph is himself wounded, the injuries festering and taking his life at the end of the cycle. Lord Roland of Swabia continues the Blockade of Frankfurt, hurting the trade routes out of that city.

Turn 020

The first skirmishes of the cycle are in Hesse, the region erupting into rebellion against the Thuringian occupiers. This time the rebels are successful in ousting the garrison, and Hesse reverts in control to Swabo-Lorraine. Duke Isaac of Normandy collects fifty-warships and institutes a blockade of Ghent, disrupting a few of the Flemish foreign routes and closing down the city's internal trading and fishing fleets. Lord Werner of Bavaria leads five-thousand cavalry across the border into Thuringian Nordgau. For now they content themselves with scouting the area.

In other naval actions, Lord Roland of Swabia takes a dozen warships and pirates the city of Frankfurt. Leonese merchants are angered by being caught up in the plunder. A Scottish fleet of over one-hundred and twenty warships launches a raid against the region of Flanders, but no villages report losses to the raiders. Lord Duncan of England sets up his sixty-warship fleet in the Rhine, reacting in the river and making army crossings much more time consuming. When Paul Dubois of Flanders sails into the river with the shipping of Augsburg in his sights, Lord Duncan reacts to meet the force. The Flemish have only ten warships, but has a better knowledge of the tides and flows of the Rhine. Duncan grounds his ship into a shallow sandbar, and Dubois is quick to take advantage. Duncan's ship is surrounded and forced to surrender, the only loss of the English fleet. Lord John of England, second in command, is unable to rally, and sails back to London to regroup. John resupplies in England, then returns to the fray, this time catching the Flemish ships by surprise. He sinks four and captures one ship, and in reverse of the previous battle, Paul Dubois is captured. The five remaining Flemish boats sail back to Antwerp.

The massive coalition in Nivernais, led by France, now composes eleven different leaders and forty-six thousand men. The army presses into Flemish held Lorraine and attacks the garrison of six field forts without mercy. The forts are obliterated, the allies losing only two units of troops. The region is liberated and the allies learn that a large Thuringian and Flemish host left the region barely one month prior. Burgundian scouts report the army traveling North, but French and Norman spies say South. Rocher of France trusts his own people, and embarks Southwards.

The French intelligence was correct, four allied Flemish and Thuringian leaders, under the overall command of Duke Sieghard, assault Alsace with twenty-one thousand cavalry, four engineering companies and an additional twenty-thousand mercenaries. Two companies of engineers are lost in sweeping aside the five field fort garrison. As the Thuringians drop their own garrison in place, the coalition army enters the region. The two massive forces draw up the battle lines.

The first exchange is economic, as mercenaries on both sides are wooed with bribery. Thuringia and Flanders have planned for this, and have paid the mercenaries with additional counter-bribery contracts. In addition, Flemish agents manage to steal some of the gold en route from the French attempt. Still, twenty-five units of mercenary infantry violate their contracts to Flanders and Thuringia, marching off the field. Close to ninety-thousand men on both sides remain in Alsace and ready for combat.

The coalition has a plethora of decent military commanders, but their effects are somewhat hampered by the three different languages spoken by the soldiers. An enhanced military alliance between Burgundy and France is countered by the fact that the Scottish supply is nonexistent. Lord Rocher of France is an excellent commander, but Duke Sieghard of Thuringia is even better, and benefits from a better junket of battle intelligence. Army quality is better for the coalition, plus they receive a bonus for their troop training. This combined with the fact the Flemish and Thuringians have not been able to set up a proper defense swing the odds back toward the middle. In the end, Sieghard commands only a small advantage in the tactical situation.

Three months of non-stop fighting erupts between the eight different nations in Alsace. Sieghard and Corin of Flanders are able to keep their armies in check, fighting and moving as one effective force. The coalition, meanwhile, is a jumble of communication and strategies. As the months drag on, Rocher of France is forced on the defensive. Bishop Turgot of Scotland is killed, Lord Wolfgang of Swabia is wounded and Lord Hugo of Burgundy is captured. Worried about a break in morale, Rocher orders a march in good order back to Lorraine. Thirteen-thousand of the coalition forces are slain, Thuringia and Flanders weakened by five-thousand.

Once the coalition quite the region, Flanders and Thuringia immediately break ranks and separately perform assault actions. Flanders targets the city of Strassburg, while Thuringia assaults the Rheinfels fortress. Corin of Flanders is successful in breaching the city, losing one engineering company, but does not survive the battle himself. Sieghard has no trouble with the fortress. When the assaults are concluded, the allies cross the river into Franconia, slowed by two months by the presence of the English Fleet.

Rocher of France begins to regroup the coalition in Lorraine. Lord Desoult of Burgundy is unhappy with the loss amounts his army has taken and quits the campaign, retiring back to his own nation. The rest of the coalition stays firm. Without Casus Belli against Thuringia, Rocher is unwilling to press into Franconia in chase of the army. Instead, he orders the forces to return to Swabia to take up defensive position. Their path takes them back through Alsace. The three-hundred cavalry garrison is swept aside, but Stephen of Normandy is taken captive during the quick skirmish. The region reverts to Swabian control, though the city and fortress are ignored. The host moves into the Swabian homeland.

Across the Rhine, Duke Sieghard learns of two invading forces within his Duchy. A group of Bohemians in Thuringia, and Bohemians and Bavarians in Nordgau. Sieghard moves to engage the groups in Nordgau, expecting about ten-thousand enemy troops. He first catches Lord Alexej of Bohemia in the region, raiding with a force of two-thousand cavalry. Sieghard hunts them down to a man, but his second in command, Alfons, is kidnapped during the conflict. Sieghard next encounters Werner of Bavaria and nine-hundred horse. Werner attempts to evade the oncoming army, but is outmatched and out-trooped. Sieghard chews through them all, Werner barely managing to limp back to Bavaria. When Sieghard learns that the rest of the supposed invading forces are simply rumors, he marches back West in an angry haze, worried the distraction may have cost him precious time. Ignored in the north, the Bohemian infantry in Thuringia is repulsed by the local garrison, six-hundred infantry lost to the Bohemians.

Sieghard and the new Flemish Commander, Andre, march south into Swabia. The coalition forces are waiting for them, minus the Burgundians but reinforced by the Venetians. The Swabians now have a slew of additional tactical advantages - homeland bonus, supporting city, a leader in the region on an active defense. But, communication issues continue to plague the various armies. In addition, the Norman, Scottish and Venetian forces are all cut off from communication with their home nations. The invaders are having their own problems, the losses of both subcommanders has made both armies too large to control by single leaders. For the first time in a long while, Sieghard finds himself at a tactical disadvantage.

Sieghard's attack is repulsed, Andre of Flanders is killed, and the unled Flemish army begins to march back to Brabant. Sieghard retires in good order to Franconia to lick his wounds. The invading forces are short seventeen-thousand troops, but only three-thousand are national, the rest of the death toll falling among mercenary units. The coalition loses just under nine-thousand total, only one-thousand of which are mercenaries. The coalition begins to disperse as the cycle ends, the Ventians marching south, the Bavarians into Bavaria, the Scots to Calais, the French and Normans to Nivernais.

Turn 021

The English continue to shut down river crossings across the Rhine to Thuringian and Flemish troops. The coalition force in Nivernais begins to hunt for the Flemish army, but conflicting reports of their presence disturbs the overall French commander. He chooses to go on the defensive, and moves the group to the region of Swabia. Duke Isaac blockades the city of Ghent.

Lord Roland of Swabia once again runs piracy on the city of Frankfurt, this time angering English merchants subjected to seizure. Crown-Prince Friedrich accompanies him, learning what he can of combat tactics during the scuffle. Lord Wolfgang of Swabo-Lorraine moves to siege the city of Cologne with his six-hundred men, but is cut down by Flemish assassins. At the same time, Duke Sieghard of Thuringia launches an attack against the region of Hesse with thirteen-thousand cavalry, five-hundred infantry and four siege companies. He loses only two-hundred men sweeping aside the five field fort garrison.

The unexpected of the cycle occurs in Slovakia. Without warning, a combined force of thirty-six thousand Hungarian and Croats stream across the border from Alfold. Neither invader has Casus, but the two do share a newly arranged military alliance. Prince Lothair reacts to meet the invaders with his own three-thousand cavalry, positioning himself amidst the two field forts of the region. Lothair faces a force ten times his size, better trained, better equipped, and outclassing him in all three aspects of scouts. Only the fact that there is no Casus saves Lothair from being completely overwhelmed. Even still, Lothair knows that luck will need to be with him.

For this first round, it is. Lothair strikes at the invaders while they are still learning the territory. He ignores most of the main body of troops, concentrating on any command tents his spies are able to discover and identify. Prince Erszi, then Lord Bela, and finally Lord Laszlo of the Hungarians are attacked and killed. Lothair moves on the the Croatians, the prized head of King Domotor himself taken in conquest. The invaders fall back in a rout. The actual numbers of troop deaths aren't all that impressive: thirty-six hundred invaders to nineteen hundred Bavarians, but the loss of leadership is a vital blow. No national Hungarian leaders remain to carry the fight onward and Bavaria remains safe for now. When Lothair learns that Hungary has cemented a Joint Conflict marriage with Thuringia against his nation, he knows not to expect such a result a second time.

Lords Norbert and Rudiger of Saxony launch a raid into the region of Westphalia. Sieghard of Thuringia is on react, and thwarts the attack, costing the Saxons almost three-thousand men in losses. Lord Olaf of Bavaria is far more successful in his raid against Holland, his forces strip the rich region almost entirely bare.

Turn 022

Northwest Front

French Intelligence pegs the Flemish army in the region of Champagne in defensive posture. Taking a chance, Jacques-Hugues Rocher, the grand French general, decides to move against the County of Flanders. All the leaders convene and set out battle plans. Rocher and Gervais of France, King Kenneth and Cardinal James of Scotland, Rickard of Normandy, Rudolf, Hogo and Al-Asek of Burgundy. All told, the coalition field thirty-thousand cavalry, a thousand infantry, and over thirty engineering companies.

Duke Sieghard and Lord Adalard of Thuringia are reacting out of Holland with fourteen-thousand cavalry. They immediately set out to intercept the invaders in the region of Flanders, taking advantage of the Defensive Pact who's ink has barely had time to dry. Sieghard dispatches agents to Champagne to inform the Flemish army of the attack. Count Henry quits his defensive position and moves to join Sieghard in Flanders with his own forces. He sets up his position among the dozen field forts.

The sides begin to draw battle lines when the Normans suddenly break from the field. Flemish mutineers manage to infiltrate the Norman army. Why are troops being sent to Flanders, when there is a civil war? The questions mirrors the thoughts of many in the army, and Rickard's second in command takes control of the men, marching back to Normandy demanding to be sent to fight the Irish rebels. For his part, Rickard manages to avoid being lynched, and stays on to lend his leadership to the coalition, if not any manpower.

Soon thereafter, the mercenary bribery antics begin. Flanders issues counter-bribery payments, but the English manage to steal some of the funds. Scotland bribes twenty-five of the cavalry units with enough gold to cancel their contract. France quickly bribes the remaining fifteen, four of them even switching sides to French control. Flemish bribes are then offered to the French mercenaries, but Rocher has ample counter-funds on hand and retains their services.

The invaders have better overall leadership, the full range of scouting benefits, and over half of their army is elite in training. Thuringia and Flanders have the advantage of homeland territory, the support of the regional fortress, and a better overall army quality. All told, the invaders retain a 20% tactical advantage. Almost sixty-thousand Catholics smash into each other over a three month period and come to a draw. Thirteen-thousand dead invaders, versus sixteen-thousand dead defenders. Hugo Brun of Burgundy is the only leader to perish.

Without their third leader, Burgundy now controls an oversized force. In addition, the light cavalry units of both sides have been completely destroyed, so that aspect of scouting is lost to the coalition. During the second round, the tactical advantage is completely neutral. After thirty years of combat, Sieghard makes a mistake. Sensing a weakness in the coalition supply, he splits the armies. His cavalry attempting to draw off the main host of enemies, while Flanders strikes at the flank. Rocher sees though the plan, and immediately pounces on the Flemish troops. Sieghard rushes his army to aid Count Henry and the Flemish army, but by the time he arrives, they are in a full rout. Morale falls among the Thuringians, and Sieghard attempts to retire from the region. He loses control of his men, and soon his own forces are routing as well. The coalition has a good advantage in cavalry at this point, and uses it to pursue the fleeing troops, cutting them down with abandon. The defending troops are completely destroyed, though the leadership makes it to the walls of Ghent. The coalition loses only two-thousand troops.

Rocher encircles the city with the coalition force. Scottish and English fleets cut off the city from the sea. After six months, Rocher has an effective passive siege in place. It takes another five months for the stored food in Ghent to run out. After a further eight months, and the death of the Count's brother, Ulrich, Henry is willing to offer terms of surrender, but when word reaches the besieged city that the Swabian Emperor has died, Sieghard urges the Count to hold out. Four months later, the seventy-three year old Sieghard succumbs to the illness running rampant throughout the starving city.

Rocher occupies the city, setting up a garrison of cavalry in both Ghent and the region of Flanders. One Thuringian and four Flemish leaders, including Count Henry, are imprisoned. Rocher captures a haul of Flemish shipping, and holds half the government and the Flemish university in abeyance. He does not have enough time left to initiate a siege of the Flemish fortress in the region. Max Peter relocates the remaining Flemish government to Utrecht in Holland. Rocher learns that King Louis has died in Paris. Prince Gervais approaches Rocher with a plan to seize power, rather than let the throne fall to Charles. Rocher immediately throws the traitorous prince in chains, condemns him for mutiny, and has him hanged before the entire army. The trouble spot of Auvergne takes the opportunity to once again revolt.

Southeast Front

Everything is quiet for the first two years of the cycle. Kiev, Poland, and Bohemia all send troops to the support of Bavaria in case of a second attack from the Balkans. In 1207, it comes, but the invaders have been quick to squash any news of the invasion. The mercenary leader Hassan is in command of the invading forces, he is supported by Lords Hermann and Salo of Hungary (commanding thirty-four hundred infantry, thirteen-thousand cavalry and six engineering companies) and Lords Vrodig and Sven of Croatia (commanding eight-thousand infantry, nine-thousand cavalry and eighteen siege companies).

Waiting them in Slovakia are Prince Lothair, Lord Johannes and Lord Werner of Bavaria (commanding five-thousand infantry, four-thousand cavalry, one engineering company and four field forts) plus the Polish commander Chubik (At the head of five-thousand horsemen). The invaders field an array of advantages: superior leadership, quality of troops, a training bonus, all factors of scouting, and a two-to-one advantage in strength. The Bavarians and Poles benefit from a prepared defense, support from the regional fortress, and the fact that the Croatian leaders do not have Casus against Bavaria. In all, the invaders field the tiniest of tactical advantages.

Hassan earns his pay, merciless in his efforts to hunt down the defending forces. Lothair's men break into a rout, slipping beyond his control. Hassan leverages the invading cavalry to eliminate the entire defending force. The invaders lose seven and a half thousand troops. As the defeated leaders flee to Austria, Hassan presses the army to follow, leaving a token garrison of infantry in Slovakia. Unable to keep the invasion a secret at this stage, the other reactionary forces inside Bohemia kick into motion, speeding to the defense of Austria.

Hassan's remaining forces now face reinforcements from Kiev and Bohemia. Still, his twenty-seven thousand troops continue to outnumber the ten-thousand defenders. The Bavarians are now benefiting from more competent leadership in the form of Duke Vratislaus, have gained better trained troops, and surpassed the invaders in one area of scouting. Hassan finds himself at a small disadvantage, but expects his numbers to carry the field. In the first round, he is wrong. The defenders push Hassan back, wounding Lord Hermann and killing almost eight-thousand troops. Of course, the defenders pay a price of five-thousand of their own.

Hassan regroups in Slovakia, and heads right back into Austria to continue the fight. The defenders have lost their advantage in scouting, and Hassan new outnumbers them three-to-one. Tactically, the sides are matched. Luck sides with Hassan, as the weather turns black in the West, floods causing havoc among the defender's supply lines. Hassan loses another two-thousand men as he wiped Austria clean of resistance. Lord Conrad is wounded as the defending leaders escape to Bavaria.

Only twelve field forts stand in the way of Hassan as he invades the Bavarian homeland. Three engineering companies are pulled back to Regensburg. Hassan loses four hundred men in taking the region. Lord Johannes of Bavaria is captured (and later dies in captivity), Werner of Bavaria is wounded, Volodymyr of Kiev is killed. As Hassan begins setting up siege lines around Regensburg, Duke Heinrich prays for a miracle. God is silent. Thousands flee the city as the walls crumble under Hassan's assault. The Hungarians capture the Duke and his royal family, as well as Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia, the Shroud of Turin is taken as a prize.

The remnants of the Bavarian government set up a temporary capital in Regensburg. Hassan sets up a defense of the region while the Croatian forces return to their homeland.

Turn 023

Northwest Front

French, Scottish and Burgundian forces converge on occupied region of flanders. Jacque-Hughes of France commands eighty-three hundred cavalry, plus another twenty-five hundred mercenary, and ten engineering companies. King Kenneth of Scotland reinforces the region with forty-six hundred cavalry and five companies. Finally, Al-Azek of Burgundy commands fifty-one hundred cavalry. Once all the forces are settled, the three groups set up an active siege of the Flemish fortress in the region. Without any support, it quickly falls at the cost of three-hundred men to the allies.

Al-Azek and the Bugundians then split from the main force, marching back south to Swabo-Lorraine. The French and Scottish press into Brabant, where they discover a Flemish leader at the head of one-thousand infantry, nine-hundred cavalry, two siege companies and five field forts. Despite the massive troop advantage, the Flemish leader manages to force a stalemate. Even still, the enemy numbers are enough to destroy the Flemish forces. The allies lose fourteen-hundred men in the attack.

The group pushes on into Holland, sweeping aside the five field forts at the cost of only two-hundred men. Scotland leaves a garrison in the region and the armies begin to lay siege lines around the city, hoping to starve it out. The Scottish fleet cuts off the city from the sea. For over three years, the city holds out, living off the food reserves that Flanders had the foresight to store. In 1214, a rebellion erupts in the region of Flanders. The rebel army is able to oust the five-hundred man garrison, killing two-hundred, while the rest fleet to the walls of Ghent.

Southeast Front

Prince Torsten and Lord Alfons of Thuringia join forces with the four Hungarian leders in Bavaria. The group moves to Austria, assembling their forces of fourteen-thousand cavalry, nineteen-hundred infantry and five engineering companies. Lord Alfons leads the army into Bohemia, somewhat offsetting the fact that Hungary has not declared Casus. Vratislaus the younger of Bohemia is defending the region with fifteen-hundred infantry, a dozen units of mercenary cavalry, one-thousand siege engineers, and the six regional field forts. He is outnumbered massively by the invaders, who also retain a distinct scouting advantage. Vratislaus is defending his homeland, however, and wields the True Cross. The battle is determined when Vratislaus misjudges the speed of the invaders. Alfons leads his troops deep into the region a full week before Vratislaus expects, catching the Bohemians before their defenses are fully erected. Vratislaus is unable to organize his troops and Alfons times his attack perfectly. He loses only four-hundred men as he sweeps the defenders aside. Vratislaus is captured, and the True Cross falls to Thuringia.

Meanwhile, Prince Aumery of Burgundy has reinforced the English and Swabian defenders in the region of Swabia. Lord Roland had expected a French general as the overall commander, but when none arrives, he postures for overall command himself. Mainly this agitates the English who had much more extensive plans in place, but the Swabian general is appeased and moves to liberate the region of Bavaria. Twelve-thousand cavalry, thirty-five hundred infantry and five engineering companies annihilate the six hundred Hungarian defenders. Crown Prince Moric of Hungary learns of the liberation after the pacification of Bohemia. He leaves the Thuringians to set up a siege of Prague and moves to intercept.

Ten-thousand Hungarians face of against the sixteen-thousand allies. The numbers prove to be the deciding factor, and Moric of Hungary is unable to withdraw. Two-thousand of the enemy are destroyed, but the Hungarian forces are wiped clean. Moric, Herman and Salo flee back to Bohemia to link up with the Thuringian army. Viktor is killed. None of the allied leaders are harmed. Al-Azek of Burgundy reinforces the allies in Bavaria with his men from the Flanders campaign.

Prince Torsten of Thuringia has not been idle, and while the Hungarians are in Bavaria, launches an active siege of the Bohemian capital. Radla Zerotin commands the walls of Prague, but is unable to even delay the attackers. Radla escapes the city, but young Dusana is captured. Radla relocates to Dresden, where he negotiates the release of Duke Vratislaus and Lord Alexej. The Thuringian and Hungarian leaders switch to reaction from Bohemia, while the allies remain on alert in Bavaria.

Prince Henning of Swabo-Lorraine collects seven-hundred infantry, two siege companies and five warships. He launches an attack of Cologne, hoping to liberate the region from the garrison of two-hundred Flemish infantry. He is successful, losing only one unit. He then crosses the river into Hesse, pitting his forces against the four field fort garrison. The Thuringian forces in Bohemia are out of range to react, and Henning carries the field. His forces then set up a defense of the region for the remainder of the cycle.

Turn 024

Northwest Front

Lord Oswell, not confident in the power of Utrecht to resist a siege, sneaks out of the city in the dead of night with three wagon loads of gold, the remains of the Flemish treasury. His train is discovered by one of the many Scottish patrols. Oswell is unable to escape the Scots, and he and his monies are captured by King Kenneth. King Charles in France wastes no time in executing his three royal prisoners, eradicating the last of the Flemish royal family. This destroys the Flemish government, and Flanders collapses as a nation.

Prince Cheyney of France gathers up twenty-two hundred infantry and thirteen-hundred mercenary cavalry from Paris, and presses into Champagne. The local lord musters thirteen hundred troops to defend, and for the first battle manages to secure a stalemate against the French. Unfortunately for his outnumbered forces, a stalemate still costs him most of his defenders. Cheyney pushes in for a second attack, sweeping the remaining four-hundred men aside. He spends the next six months laying siege to the city of Janelle and the regional fortress.

Cheyney's push into neighboring Flanders is quickly met with fierce resistance. Despite the national collapse of Flanders, the local forces are still flush with victory against the old French garrison. They turn with a fury on Chayney and his men. Suffering losses more than half his original force, Cheyney retires back to Paris.

King Kenneth of Scotland and Lord Rocher of France have been busy, launching a siege of Utrecht before reinforcements can arrive. The city is breached, but King Kenneth is downed in the struggle. The allies then turn their forces on the fortress in Holland. This time both commanders are killed, Rocher of France and James of Scotland. The new king of Scotland, Kennedy, moves into the region to claim the now leaderless Scottish force. He marches them to Utrecht, ushers them aboard his fleet, and sails back to Edinburgh. Lord Stephen of Normandy soon arrives with twenty-five hundred mercenary cavalry. However, without the Scots, the French are reluctant to continue and abort further actions to regroup in Utrecht. Lord DeMairais succumbs to illness in the Scottish controlled city.

One thousand Norman troops enter Brabant under the control of Lord Maurice. The French garrison turns control of the region of to the Normans without incident.

Southeast Front

Starting the action, Lord Henning of Swabia attempts a passive siege of Heppenheim, but without a blockade is unable to close off the city. Lords Alfons and Adalard of Thuringia take command of seven-thousand cavalry, moving south into Austria and setting up a defense of the region. He is soon joined by King Moric an two other leaders from Hungary, adding another three thousand cavalry to the mix. The very next week, a large allied force pushes in from Bavaria. A combined army of Swabians, English, and Burgundians. Seven enemy leaders at the command of eighteen-thousand troops, mostly cavalry. The allies field almost every advantage, quality, training, scouting. The defensive posture of the Thuringians and the fact that the English are suffering from supply concerns. All told, the attackers outnumber the strength of the defenders two to one. As battle lines are drawn, Swabian agents infiltrate the command of the Hungarian force and poison King Moric. He survives, but in poor health. It doesn't take long once battle is rightfully joined for the Swabians to press their advantages. Henning and Moric are consistently pushed back. When Lord Adalard of Thuringia is captured by Enemy forces, the defenders break into a route. Two-thirds of their forces are cut down. The allies liberate Austria, having lost three-thousand troops. After the battle, Roland of Swabia is called to one of the scouting groups of cavalry. He is taken inside a heavily guarded tent. A patrol has retaken the True Cross from a group of fleeing Thuringians. Roland has it transferred to his command wing.

The allies spend little time regrouping, and press quickly north into Bohemia after the enemy army. Moric and Henning agree that facing the force would be another one-sided affair and fall back into Nordgau where they will gain more defensive bonuses. Lord Otto of Thuringia had been defending the region, but pulls back into Prague in face of the overwhelming force. Roland sweeps aside the five field forts in the region and presses on into the region of Thuringia. Otto waits until they have crossed the mountains, the emerges from the city and re-conquers the Bohemian homeland. The allies are quick to destroy the three field forts in Thuringia. Lord Duncan tries to claim the region for England, but Roland of Swabia puts one-thousand men in the garrison and retains control. Bishop Evan of England has been idling in the Elbe River, and reinforces the Lord Duncan with seven-hundred men. While Swabia and Burgundy press onward, the English begin laying siege lines around Erfurt.

Roland pushes into Nordgau, the Thuringia homeland. The defenders are now waiting amidst eight field forts, the advantage of homeland, and support from the capital city, and a lack of Casus from the Burgundians. Duke Sieghard and Prince Torsten of Thuringia add their command ability to the forces. Roland still has the power of Scouting and numbers, thus fielding a slight advantage overall. The advantage carries, the defending forces are wiped out at the cost of another thousand troops. Prince Torsten of Thuringia and Lord Valentin of Burgundy are killed. King Moric of Hungary is captured. The rest of the defending leaders escape into the city of Wurzburg. Roland lays down another garrison of one-thousand men and marches on into Swabia. Discovering no enemies in his homeland, he marches East again, liberating the region of Slovakia.

Back in Bavaria, Baron Lot of England and Lord Jurgan of Swabo-Lorraine have drawn up siege lines around Regensbug. Without any walls, the allies overwhelm the garrison commander and his four-hundred cavalry. The Shroud of Turin is discovered within the city, Baron Lot immediately has it sent to the Vatican for safekeeping. With Bavaria's capital city liberated, sections of the government are restored to the Duchy. In Thuringia, Lord Duncan leads an assault against the city of Erfurt. He makes little progress against the two guard towers protecting the city. On his second attempt, the defenders sally forth and Duncan is wounded, half his men killed. He retreats aboard the ships in the Elbe and sails back to London. He later perishes from his injuries.

Turn 023

Lords Matthieu and Lot of England sail to the region of Thuringia. They disembark and take command of the region from the Swabian garrison. Both leaders then set up siege lines with their two-thousand troops around the city of Erfurt. Lot is wounded during the struggle, but the English only lose three-hundred men. After they gain entrance to the city, both men set about establishing diplomatic ties with the city fathers and moving to ease tensions.

Lord Norbert of Saxony and his ally, Tobias of Pomerania, form up an army consisting of forty-seven hundred infantry, sixteen-hundred cavalry and seven siege companies. They descend upon and obliterate the two field forts in Westphalia and pacify the region. Shortly after, Prince Cheyney of France marches on the region at the head of seventy-five hundred cavalry and twenty-nine engineering companies. He has the advantage in scouting, quality and training, but his supply lines are distant and cut into isolation. As Saxony is one of the few nations Cheyney doesn't have specific orders to avoid, combat is joined. The French command proves the better strategy, though commanders for both sides are killed during the struggle. The Saxons are wiped from the field, Tobias captured. The French lose one-thousand men. The Westphalians are quick to become a friendly region to the French, hopeful to avoid any more bloodshed.

The Swabians and Burgundians in Nordgau draw up passive siege lines around the city of Wurzburg. French agents are successful in uncovering plans of a light force attempting to sneak out of the besieged city. One-thousand Thuringian cavalry break from the city, but are chased by the allies. The small force is no match for the combined ten-thousand attackers, and the cavalry are wiped out. Sieghard II of Thuringia is among the dead, and his trainload of gold and monies are seized by Roland of Swabia.

Roland re-establishes siege lines, only to catch another Thuringian leader in Nordgau. This time it is Lord Otto attempting to sneak into the besieged city. Otto is jailed, and the city is besieged in ernest. It takes over a year for the stored supplies to run out. After that, another six months before the city surrenders completely.

Lord Alfons of Thuringia is in the region of Bohemia with just under four-thousand men. He begins a systematic loot of the old Bohemian homeland, sparking up a rebellion which he quickly defeats. Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia moves on the region with twenty-five hundred men and the support of Lord Alexej. Both sides lose eleven-hundred men in the struggle, but Alfons is pushed out of the region and sets up a defense of Prague. Duke Vratislaus does not have the men to force a passive siege, even with the arrival of Gunter of Swabia and his thirteen-hundred men.

Prince Henning and Lord Jurgen run a passive siege of Heppenheim, taking the city after ten months of blockade. Roland leads the Swabian and Burgundian troops out of Wurzburg and against the three field fort garrison of Franconia. The region is pacified.

With the loss of Duke Sieghard, and all regional holdings of Thuringia, the Duchy collapses. Erfurt and Franconia fall independent, while Alfons in Prague negotiates the city's surrender to Duke Vratislaus. Vratislaus grants the enemy general a pardon, thankful of no further bloodshed and the return of his governmental faculties. Alfons retires to the Bohemian countryside.