Part Twenty-Seven: Regaining the Southern Edge
1920 AD - There was much action in the city of Amsterdam during the spring of 1920. Transports were arriving every few hours with the first load of troops from Australia - Greece's finest Cavalry. They had been specially selected for this mission - to drive back the Celts with a swiftness they would never expect.
Three cities were to be targeted this turn: Bombay and Eretria in India...
...and Hamburg in the Middle East, provided the Indian front went well.
The initial scouting report on India proved that the Celts had already built up respectable defenses. Fortunately, Greece had the necessary workers to get the artillery there in time.
Bombay was the first city to be targeted. One artillery group targeted this city; despite its damage a Cavalry brigade was lost. Still, the Celts failed to hold the city, and once more Hoover Dam was Greek.
The rest of the Greek artillery unload on Eretria. The walls fall, and the Infantry defending the city are reduced to half-strength. Time to sent the Cavalry in...
The Infantry fell easily, but a defending Cavalry defeated a Greek attack, so there's only one Greek Cavalry left to attack...
Whew! The plan didn't reach its full ambitions of Hamburg, but getting the Celts out of India was essential, and now complete. Conscript Infantry are drafted from formerly Portuguese lands to defend the cities.
As our Infantry realign to protect our railroad workers in the Middle East, a band of Marines engages some Chinese encroachers in the Gobi.
No contest.
But there is one last real contest this turn:
The Third Battle of Madras
The Indian riflemen hurried towards the harbor. Surely the Greeks wouldn't have the audacity to land directly in the city...would they?
"Whoa! Watchit!" yelled one of the leading rifleman to his comrades as a bullet whizzed by. Looks like they're serious, he thought.
He would be one of the lucky ones. The first Greek Marines had already targeted the streets where the Indians were most likely to appear immediately after their landing, and nailed a good number of the Indians that way. But the Indians regrouped, and though the Greeks secured an easy beachhead they wouldn't have an easy battle.
The regrouped Riflemen fought ferociously to defend the streets, and with excellent aim picked off many of the better-equipped Greeks before they had a chance to fire. For awhile, it looked like the Riflemen could win the battle. But their numbers were slowly falling as well. Even some skilled sniping by Riflemen on the city's hills was not enough to deny the superior weapons of the Greeks indefinitely.
In the end, the Marines triumphed in their first marine invasion. They had done exactly what they needed to do - catch the enemy off guard. While the Indians watched the Hoplites and Longbowmen arranged on the hill, they lost crucial land by the coast.
The rest of the battle for Madras was relatively easy for Greece. A few Marines fell to surprise Spearman attacks on the crowded city streets, but by and large the Marines proved superior. Madras was once again Greek - hopefully for good this time.
1921 AD - Korea ended their embargo with Greece against the Aztecs, but upped their payment for Saltpeter and two luxuries from 59 GPT to 88 GPT. Fair enough.
The Ottomans and Mongols make peace, and the Maya make peace with the Celts and Russians. Newsworthy because peace treaties are pretty rare right now.
Sumeria declared war on the Byzantines. My advisor did not mention any outside agreement.
A bunch of other wars are started, but none that are likely to involve much actual combat. Portugal, however, signs into three wars - potentially disastrous for them as they have only one city.
The Celts attack Halicarnassus! By the best estimates, the losses are five Celtic Infantry and Guerrilla regiments, three Greek Infantry regiments, and a Greek Hoplite regiment. But alas, that is all the defenders Greece had...and the city is razed.
Down south on Madagascar, a Japanese Samurai takes the city of Intombe from the Zulu, who are reduced to two cities, albeit both of size 12.
And in the New World, the Maya have taken the city of Houston in Quebec. We're certainly glad that the first change over there in quite a while is in our favor.
1922 AD - Out Battleship by Japan happens to get lucky and find some prey.
It loses half its health, but does sink the Ironclad.
We decide to move forward and retake Hamburg despite the loss of Halicarnassus last turn. Our troops position for the attack...
The only defenders are a Regular Infantry and Veteran Guerrilla. Both are redlined by our Artillery. Our Cavalry make quick work of the remaining defenders, and...
Hamburg is ours! Our net loss to the Celts is back to one city...a far cry from when the Celts had Bombay. Twelve foreign Workers immediately build railroads connecting Bombay to the rest of our empire. Three Conscripts are drafted to defend the newly retaken city - much as we'd like otherwise, we remain stretched for troops.
1923 AD - Again several war declarations, but only two likely to have real implications: Zululand declaring war on the Babylonians and China declaring war on Scandinavia. Spain also declared war on the Aztecs in a move that makes the islands of Hawaii at war with each other - not a good time to take a vacation there. Or just about anywhere, for that matter.
The Ottomans and Inca make peace - good news for us as the Ottomans now have one less front other than the Aztecs to worry about. The Ottomans also make peace with Zululand.
Remember the city of Dacca from way back when? On the island of Java? Well, it's in the news again. Persia just landed a bunch of Cavalry there. A "gulp" moment for the defenders indeed. But thanks to a Transport docked in Amsterdam, we may be able to get reinforcements if necessary.
Portugal's last city of Leiria, on Japan, remains standing with one redlined regular pikeman defending it! Come on...even if it's the Aztecs I'd just as soon have it taken...fewer rivals left is fine by me, especially when they already are down to one city. Oh well, what can you say?
But despite their apparent failure to take Leiria, the Aztecs do retake Houston from the Maya. But their triumph is short-lived; America takes it right back from them. A glimmer of light is appearing even as the Aztecs seek to expand on Hokkaido.
Back at home, sure enough, Hamburg is attacked soon after being retaking, but only by one Cavalry thus far. Not too far away, a stoic Marine unit in northern Saudi Arabia holds off three attacking Celtic units, losing just one hitpoint in the endeavor. Two of the aggressors die; a third retreats.
Greece has recovered - the Celtic momentum has been stopped.
1920 AD - There was much action in the city of Amsterdam during the spring of 1920. Transports were arriving every few hours with the first load of troops from Australia - Greece's finest Cavalry. They had been specially selected for this mission - to drive back the Celts with a swiftness they would never expect.
Three cities were to be targeted this turn: Bombay and Eretria in India...
...and Hamburg in the Middle East, provided the Indian front went well.
The initial scouting report on India proved that the Celts had already built up respectable defenses. Fortunately, Greece had the necessary workers to get the artillery there in time.
Bombay was the first city to be targeted. One artillery group targeted this city; despite its damage a Cavalry brigade was lost. Still, the Celts failed to hold the city, and once more Hoover Dam was Greek.
The rest of the Greek artillery unload on Eretria. The walls fall, and the Infantry defending the city are reduced to half-strength. Time to sent the Cavalry in...
The Infantry fell easily, but a defending Cavalry defeated a Greek attack, so there's only one Greek Cavalry left to attack...
Whew! The plan didn't reach its full ambitions of Hamburg, but getting the Celts out of India was essential, and now complete. Conscript Infantry are drafted from formerly Portuguese lands to defend the cities.
As our Infantry realign to protect our railroad workers in the Middle East, a band of Marines engages some Chinese encroachers in the Gobi.
No contest.
But there is one last real contest this turn:
The Third Battle of Madras
The Indian riflemen hurried towards the harbor. Surely the Greeks wouldn't have the audacity to land directly in the city...would they?
"Whoa! Watchit!" yelled one of the leading rifleman to his comrades as a bullet whizzed by. Looks like they're serious, he thought.
He would be one of the lucky ones. The first Greek Marines had already targeted the streets where the Indians were most likely to appear immediately after their landing, and nailed a good number of the Indians that way. But the Indians regrouped, and though the Greeks secured an easy beachhead they wouldn't have an easy battle.
The regrouped Riflemen fought ferociously to defend the streets, and with excellent aim picked off many of the better-equipped Greeks before they had a chance to fire. For awhile, it looked like the Riflemen could win the battle. But their numbers were slowly falling as well. Even some skilled sniping by Riflemen on the city's hills was not enough to deny the superior weapons of the Greeks indefinitely.
In the end, the Marines triumphed in their first marine invasion. They had done exactly what they needed to do - catch the enemy off guard. While the Indians watched the Hoplites and Longbowmen arranged on the hill, they lost crucial land by the coast.
The rest of the battle for Madras was relatively easy for Greece. A few Marines fell to surprise Spearman attacks on the crowded city streets, but by and large the Marines proved superior. Madras was once again Greek - hopefully for good this time.
1921 AD - Korea ended their embargo with Greece against the Aztecs, but upped their payment for Saltpeter and two luxuries from 59 GPT to 88 GPT. Fair enough.
The Ottomans and Mongols make peace, and the Maya make peace with the Celts and Russians. Newsworthy because peace treaties are pretty rare right now.
Sumeria declared war on the Byzantines. My advisor did not mention any outside agreement.
A bunch of other wars are started, but none that are likely to involve much actual combat. Portugal, however, signs into three wars - potentially disastrous for them as they have only one city.
The Celts attack Halicarnassus! By the best estimates, the losses are five Celtic Infantry and Guerrilla regiments, three Greek Infantry regiments, and a Greek Hoplite regiment. But alas, that is all the defenders Greece had...and the city is razed.
Down south on Madagascar, a Japanese Samurai takes the city of Intombe from the Zulu, who are reduced to two cities, albeit both of size 12.
And in the New World, the Maya have taken the city of Houston in Quebec. We're certainly glad that the first change over there in quite a while is in our favor.
1922 AD - Out Battleship by Japan happens to get lucky and find some prey.
It loses half its health, but does sink the Ironclad.
We decide to move forward and retake Hamburg despite the loss of Halicarnassus last turn. Our troops position for the attack...
The only defenders are a Regular Infantry and Veteran Guerrilla. Both are redlined by our Artillery. Our Cavalry make quick work of the remaining defenders, and...
Hamburg is ours! Our net loss to the Celts is back to one city...a far cry from when the Celts had Bombay. Twelve foreign Workers immediately build railroads connecting Bombay to the rest of our empire. Three Conscripts are drafted to defend the newly retaken city - much as we'd like otherwise, we remain stretched for troops.
1923 AD - Again several war declarations, but only two likely to have real implications: Zululand declaring war on the Babylonians and China declaring war on Scandinavia. Spain also declared war on the Aztecs in a move that makes the islands of Hawaii at war with each other - not a good time to take a vacation there. Or just about anywhere, for that matter.
The Ottomans and Inca make peace - good news for us as the Ottomans now have one less front other than the Aztecs to worry about. The Ottomans also make peace with Zululand.
Remember the city of Dacca from way back when? On the island of Java? Well, it's in the news again. Persia just landed a bunch of Cavalry there. A "gulp" moment for the defenders indeed. But thanks to a Transport docked in Amsterdam, we may be able to get reinforcements if necessary.
Portugal's last city of Leiria, on Japan, remains standing with one redlined regular pikeman defending it! Come on...even if it's the Aztecs I'd just as soon have it taken...fewer rivals left is fine by me, especially when they already are down to one city. Oh well, what can you say?
But despite their apparent failure to take Leiria, the Aztecs do retake Houston from the Maya. But their triumph is short-lived; America takes it right back from them. A glimmer of light is appearing even as the Aztecs seek to expand on Hokkaido.
Back at home, sure enough, Hamburg is attacked soon after being retaking, but only by one Cavalry thus far. Not too far away, a stoic Marine unit in northern Saudi Arabia holds off three attacking Celtic units, losing just one hitpoint in the endeavor. Two of the aggressors die; a third retreats.
Greece has recovered - the Celtic momentum has been stopped.
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