The Suez canal was only subject to two things of note by now, really, transporting the Syrian fleet to utterly devastate the Minoan fleet in battle, and the completion of the Ravennan circumnavigation of Africa. But it was to become in a massive and well publicized battle, a fierce... battleground.
At the battle of the Bitter Lake, a small force of Syrians, no more than a thousand, found themselves trapped in between two very large, very mean looking pretender Maluk armies. Each was nearly 5,000 men in size, and each appeared quite willing to massacre the small force to get to each other. In retrospect, the commander decided, it was best not to throw away all these lives for nothing, and he threw a hundred spearmen into the face of each army and told the rest to flee.
Perhaps the commander was brave, or perhaps he just feared Malukal punishment when the men got back to Syria, but in any case, he died with his two hundred, defending the sides of the canal, and the rest was up to the pretender Maluks to decide. The brash Arabian Maluk moved first, his fierce cavalry dashing across the flimsy wooden bridge north of the lake, a relic of the Syrian defense, where they were stopped almost immediately by a large spearmen formation sent by the Egyptians.
Then another cavalry force probed south, distracting another spearmen force... but in reality, neither of these were truly intended to succeed.
Instead, a large amount of small water craft were dragged from nearby sites and put afloat on the Bitter Lake, and suddenly the majority of the army of the Arabs were on the other side of the Bitter Lake, right in the encampment of the Egyptian warlord. In only minutes, half the infantry of the Egyptian warlord swore their swords to the Arab, the other half were put to flight.
In a speedy campaign from the canal, the Arabian smashed another army at Heliopolis and another at Asyut. He then marched back to the Suez, where his army apparently gathers in large numbers to assault Syria itself, claiming the throne of the Baal Maluk.
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The true Baal Maluk is not idle. His army marches north to Damascus and re-garrisons the city, building new ramparts in the place of the old walls and leaves a garrison of five hundred to hold the city against any enemy daring enough to attack the city, and then marches east, east to the Euphrates, east to destiny.
They met on the Euphrates, and suddenly it was army against army again, in deja vu of something just mentioned in the update...
In any case, the Syrians initially didnt quite realize the Armenians were there, it was only after a few forces had been beaten back after they tried to cross did they realize that an enemy was upon them. Then it all came to pieces as either army tried to find a ford, but failing that, sat on opposite sides of the river and, quite literally in fact, called each other impolite names.
The Syrians finally tired of this, though, and tried their best to force a crossing. A feint at a northern ford was tried, and then the Syrians attacked in seeming full force on small boats across the river. Both assaults were driven back, tough the latter only through liberal use of Faisons Fire.
Then the Syrians doubled back and forced the northern crossing with two hundred elephant archers, while the stocks of Faisons Fire mysteriously went missing... Or they were just out of it. In any case, the elephants acted as ships where ships had failed, and they crossed the river; sometimes they were completely submerged, only their trunks sticking out and the riders head barely breaching the surface. In any case, a massive charge that cost over fifty elephants smashed through, and able to deploy a good thousand troops there, they drew the attention of the Armenians again, who countered with stout Acolytes and more Fire.
But with the crossing successful, the other crossing went easier. Flanked and outnumbered, the Armenians did their best to resist, but they were finally crushed between the massive armies of the Syrians. The Syrians, though, suffered rather large casualties, and did not advance much further for their part for a while.
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The focus shifted to the south. A moderate northern Babylonian force totaling nearly three thousands were crushed in between the forces of the Armenians, but as the Armenians grouped their forces into another huge force, this time nearly 7,000 strong, the Babylonians marched north.
The Babylonians did not come unprepared, but the scouts initial estimates of over 20,000 men in the army were dismissed as fairy tales by the Armenian commander. The large Armenian force moved south to counter them... But by the time they saw the enemy, they realize it was, indeed, 20,000 men, over that, actually.
The Armenians were determined, though, and they massed, ready for battle. They had the advantage of hard training, fierce discipline, and experience in several battles already. The Babylonians were more green, but they came with a vendetta to settle, and the battle looked like it was in their favor from the very beginning.
The Acolytes advanced into battle, stout, armored, and ready to withstand the fury of whatever the Babylonians could throw at them. The Babylonians advanced more cautiously, with their spearmen and swordsmen milling about, as if confused, but always keeping the line whole and intact (hard not to when you have a force more than twice as deep as the enemy). The Armenian chariots advanced to the flanks, but a few showers of arrows put them to rest, and the infantry battle began.
No more than 60 paces from the Armenian line, the Babylonians stopped short, though in some places, their infantry milled about a bit ahead, eager for battle. Then their lines opened up and they rolled forth large ballistae, which, already loaded, fired into the Armenian lines.
The effect was devastating, to a point. The strange innovation of chain shot mowed down dozens of soldiers a shot, while massive bolts skewered whole rows of them, but amazingly, incredibly, despite this, despite the arrows raining upon their heads, despite the gods themselves seemingly having turned against them, the Acolytes stood firm.
Astonished, the Babylonians unloaded a few more ballista shots into the enemy, but it did not stop them, and then the armies were upon each other.
A great site that battle had been, and the fight was well even, with the masses being arrayed against the Armenians fierce and brave against the stolid stand of the Acolytes. The battle went on, when suddenly on the flanks of the Babylonians appeared an elephant corps... But a shower of flaming arrows and a couple of ballista shots from those that had come back suddenly sent many of them in retreat.
The Babylonian cavalry, a thousand of them, that had hung back, now swept in, determined to crush the Armenians in between a grand pincer, but the Armenians had no intention of complying. A large force of chariots, arrayed in a great line, charged forward with a fury, driving back the Babylonians.
But then the Babylonians brought in their own chariots, and the cavalry flanked the Armenian chariots. All seemed doomed, for the flankers had been flanked. But then, abruptly, the Babylonian horses had been driven mad, or so it must have seemed. The wind had shifted, and the smell of the rallying elephants drove them wild; they fled, scattering.
The elephants for their part went on, the brave brutes plowing down friend and foe indiscriminately, though the mahouts mostly drove them towards foe. With this final intervention, the Babylonian army broke, all twenty thousand, but this was no so much a rout as an exodus, and it was very difficult to pursue them; the Babylonians got away.
Now the armies arrayed against each other again, but there was the serious problem of the Syrians for the Armenians to consider now, and having been flanked, it was not looking good for the dual empire.
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For the two Arabian states, life goes on. The Dubaii, dubious from the lack of orders from their king, cautiously advance a bit in Babylon, meeting little resistance only makes them more wary. They do little.
Sabaes admirals make some progress, demolishing the pirate clans of the Somalis and smashing a few Arabs.
In other news, the Persian Empire finally falls to the dirt, crushed under the boot of the Scythian Khaganate of Nishupar. The battles in the end were ferocious, but even ten thousand spearmen could not withstand the hordes of horse archers that the enemy brought with them. The prince of Persia has fled to the Balochistan area, where he resides, plotting plots.
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The Avars conquer a few more Tartar tribes. Thats rather an understatement, actually, they conquer nearly all of the Tartar tribes with their great leader of Bayan. Indeed, they reach the borders of the Xiong Nu and China, and now stand poised to sweep over the whole lot of them, as either are in the midst of bloody conflict that has lasted centuries.
The Golden Horde, just created, stagnates and disappears with no orders from their leader, being absorbed into the numberless Tartar hordes.
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Which leaves us China. And Eastern Europe, but thats another story, which Im saving for last.
Tensions are high between the Xiong Nu and the Northern Chinese, but for the most part it would seem that nothing out of the ordinary happens, yet. The Xiong Nu for their part strike against the Sillanese and beat them back to Korea, who offers a peace of Status Quo.
The Shu launch a multi pronged assault against the Nan Yue and drive them back, completely destroying their army and sending them reeling... The Chinese war seems to come to a close as Japan withdraws.
But it is not over, not even as the Nan Yue nation collapses. For there is another, a fiercer, stronger, more powerful nation than ever...
The Min Yue take advantage of the Nan Yue and utterly defeat them, and the armies of the one Yue join the armies of the other. Now both the Tong and the Shu have to deal with a four times traitorous nation that is refusing to withdraw from Chu, Nan Yue, or anywhere else for that matter.
Meanwhile, the coast of Japan is troubled by pirate raiders... from where? No one knows... Troubling times.
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In the frigid North, the armies of Lapponia strike fierce and fast, and two of the three warlords that govern Norway fall. Some of them flee to the third, others flee as far afield as Ireland, others make themselves available for hire all over Europe, all that is known is that Lapponias empire keeps growing with no signs of stopping.
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In Eastern Europe, a storm cloud gathers.
A Cimmerian Warlord name Atya claims to have found the sword of the war god himself, and claims that he cannot be defeated in battle by anyone while he carries the sword. And it certainly seems true, army after army, Cimmerian, Scythian, foe after foe, falls to the mighty warrior, who in the space of ten years, is able to carve out an empire. While the Pannonians and Visigoths make some minor advances, this is easily countered by the massive empire the warlord conquers.
He now stands on the banks of the Dnieper, a massive army at his back. Some sources say ten thousand, some say twenty thousands, but all agree that his initial force of 4,000 steppe cavalry has been massively augmented by a huge horde of Slavic warriors, determined to make a name for themselves in the land named Europe.
Perhaps these premonitions are false. Perhaps Pannonia will defeat them, or the Visigoths, or Lombardia. But the astonishing truth is that little now stands between the steppe and war ravaged Europe but a few kings an a handful of armies.
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Diplomacy:
To: Shu
From: Min Yue
We wish an end to this conflict. Name your terms.
To: Babylonian King
From: Advisor whose head may soon be lopped off
The economy is in shambles... the people destitute, and plague is in the sacred city. Now may be the time for terms, my liege, but we will serve you unto the end, war or peace.
To: Balearic Isles
From: Iberia
The Queen of Iberia feels perhaps a marriage could unite our people into a massive power, an Iberian Empire, that will stand in these troubled times. What say you?
To: Syria
From: Minoa
Peace, please!
To: Syria
**SECRET**
From: one of the Night Warriors
Give us a dozen war elephants to beat my rivals, and I will give you back Antioch.
**END SECRET PORTION**
To: France
From: Cantivelliaunii
We mean you no harm, we just want a foothold in Europe.
To: Lapponia
From: Norway
Peace, please!
To: All nations of Western Europe
From: Viking warlords
We have about 5,000 men for hire, fierce Viking warriors... They come in units of 1,000 each, an eco point every two turns for each unit.
OOC:
The only thing I can say is, I think I have a solution worked out to my laziness, so the next one wont be as late. Its a bit absurd now to ask for orders for this Saturday, Saturday having been over 22 minutes at the time of this typing, but... Please, please get them in by next Saturday so I neednt bring out my guillotine.
One more thing: Im utterly exhausted, and my dads liable to physically throw me in bed if he catches me up this late. So, stats tomorrow, much as I horribly regret it. Just think what you have now minus a few thousand if your in a war, minus all of it if youve been utterly smashed.
