=== 480 BC ====
In between 490 and 480 BC not much occurs. A force of 800 hoplites manages to down 400 musketmen, but is left with only 100 men. The Greeks also temporarily captured our unguarded artillery, but were soon beaten back because they had chosen to leave the cannons without protection.
They also sent a large fleet west from Crete, probably hoping to tie up our western resources.
The three main German armies head north to recover, setting up camp in Sofia and Bucharest, which are by now firmly in the German grip and thus not vulnerable to defection, unlike the large cities of Greece proper.
We also see another blow to Greece in the Mediterranean:
Of all the powers to triumph, ISRAEL has siezed the large, strategic city of Antioch! The gate between Asia Minor and the Middle East, it's position and population will likely aid Israel's power standing. Israel must have been standing behind the line of Arabic bowmen, and when they were busy recharging, must have snuck in and taken the city. Regardless, it would be interesting to see how this conquest affects the balance of power in the Middle East.
With Antioch, more then half of what population was left in Greek Asia Minor goes away. Greece is certainly reeling from the loss of three major cities, one after another.
Smyrna was next on the German menu. Smyrna was located across the Aegean from Athens, and it was a major port city. Within it, there was the Colossus, an impressive monument that welcomed all sailors. Not too far was a great school, which taught the Greeks closely-guarded secrets about how to navigate the waters of the world. Combined with the shipwrights of the north, this school was a formidable asset to Greece's naval supremacy.
Germans were spotted north of the city, and panic ensued, naturally - the Teutonic Knights were one of the fiercest weapons in the German arsenal, and quite possibly the world. A band of 600 knights defeated 800 Hoplites, being whittled down to 100 men. Musketmen rushed in to back up the knights and allow them to retreat.
Due to a lack of a large force, the siege of Smyrna was postponed, though large groups of musketmen made their camp outside the city.
German cannons unleashed hellfire upon what little was left of the 'Greek Liberation Force'. This force had been tasked with eliminating Germany's presence, and besides slaughtering all the shipwrights, they had accomplished very little. They had turned into brigands, savages, plundering what they could find, as shipping no longer came. The farther they moved from shore, the harder it would be for Crete to supply them. Smyrna was also too tied up with a siege to send resources. And so, the GLF was completely isolated, constantly being bombarded with German cannonballs, even being victimised by knights and musketmen every once in a while.
4,100 men had been whittled down by battle, starvation, betrayal and desertion to a force of 600 men. Fragmented, they were desperate, and many were young, not having learned the true value of dying with honor. As such, they desired to move east to the Black Sea, possibly reach Ukraine and camp there, where it was relatively safe. It would certainly be safer then the hellhole the Balkans had become, as German soldiers clashed with Greek rioters and independence movements. Indeed, the Balkans -especially the Greek region - had become one of the most unstable areas of the globe(rivalling even Central Africa, which was war-torn between the Greek, Songhai, Arab and Egyptian empires, with native revolts and civil war), even if Germany was gaining the upper hand.
Another field of operations to see more conflict was the North Sea and Baltic region:
While some Greek Pirates had sailed off, more continued to pour in, one fleet of Pirates backing some small-scale Privateers. Artillery onboard the German ships desecrated the Privateers, who regretted exposing themselves.
Nearby, in the remote regions of Scandinavia, Germany clashed with the Norse tribesmen. The main Norse tribe once had been made of 6300 men, while another further to the North had about 15,900 warriors by comparison. These 6300 people had been reduced greatly, thanks to Greek bombardement of the area. Since they were a potential source for enemy shipping, Greece had done it's best to guarantee their genocide.
Germany took a more light-hearted approach, encouraging people to defect and settle in German cities nearby. They said anybody who refused would be killed. Many defected, while a great deal of them remained - 400 soldiers, with their wives and children said they would not leave. And so a force of 400 Teutonic Knights was called in with a special mission - assassinate Drogo, the leader of the tribe. Drogo's men were fierce, skilled fighters. They managed to kill 300 of the Knights before they were defeated, Drogo then impaled himself upon a German's sword, rather then give them the joy of killing him. With his last breath, he cursed the Teutonic Knights. But with his demise, the tribe was reduced to 300 soldiers, and they soon would be eliminated.
Germany sank the small fleet of Privateers near Denmark, and then made plans to eliminate the Greek ships in the British Channel. The Greeks were abandoning their northern campaign, much of their fleet retreating westwards, to Greek Newfoundland. The German Pirate Fleet in the British Channel was destroyed very easily, we did not even lose half of our own fleet. This was a reflection of deteriorating quality - that and some of their crew joined us mid- and post-battle, swelling our ranks.
---
In France, near Toulouse, another 1300 soldiers and some settlers were killed as the Pirate Fleet continued to rain artillery shells down upon them. The small band was quickly starting to disband, and many citizens simply fled, hoping to blend into the local populace.
Unlike 10 years ago, German muskets were to also be faced. But the defenders had the advantage - the forest. Hiding within the trees, they only lost 500 swordsmen, while killing 700 musketmen, including the destruction of a whole unit of 400. Germany made note to avoid conflict in the forest. Once again, they used excellent cover to defeat a squad of 400 musketmen from the Alps, losing a unit of 300 men while the Germans lost 300 as well. But with garrisons on the hills in the north and Alps in the South, they would soon be forced to cross open grassland. Wedged between Italy and France, it was sure to be a battleground.
Not too far southwest, Germans besieged Madrid once more. More Teutonic Knights arrived, crossing the rivers, attacking Madrid from the North, South and East. Against so many attacks, the city's defenses were rather scattered. 400 Knights then killed 400 spearmen, while losing 200 of their own. These were soon replaced, as locals agreed to join the Knights. Dissent and defection would soon take their toll on the war-weary Spaniards.
From Toulouse, another band of 400 Teutons approached. Swords and shields in hand, they proceeded to batter the Spanish. They lost only 100 men, killing the whole force of 400 spearmen.
Maria had long since died, being replaced by Despot Juan I. Juan I sold out to the rich of the city, ignoring the pleas of the working poor to consider terms of surrender, vowing to continue the war. Even the soldiers did not like him, as they pointed to the way Spanish swordsmen - despite being so weak on the defense - were massacring German soldiers. With that in mind, people were aware that strategy was most important, and a great uprising occurred. Juan was quick to flee to Compostella, and the revolt would make it all the easier to devour Madrid.
More Germans attacked, a band of 400, elitely trained Knights killing 400 spearmen, losing 200. Spain's clear disadvantage continued. The people of the Portugal province - desiring to be with their families across the border, as the country of Iberia had been destroyed, now known as 'Spain' - cheered on the German invasion, denouncing Juan I while at it. Juan was reportedly also preparing to set sail on the open seas, towards the Canary Islands or the Azores.
As a pseudo-Republic was proclaimed and tactics were adopted, Spain's fortunes changed. Ignoring warnings from the Oracles in Athens, the German King sent 800 Knights against 800 spearmen. Without losing a single man, the spearmen cut the Knights down to 100 men. All the empire was shocked at such a development, which prompted the King to then send a band of 500 Knights, who were well-trained.
Those men faired considerably better, losing only 200 while downing 400 spearmen. Another 400 Knights lost 200 men while killing 400 spearmen. Then there was an interesting development - the new Republic of Spain's men were all gone! In the place of the well-trained spearmen, swordsmen remained. This was a sign that the civil strife was taking it's toll - the soldiers were divided between support for first Juan and the Republicans, and then they were divided between the common people and the wealthy elites(who were being executed en masse).
The King sent a message from Berlin to continue the assault, and bring Madrid to it's knees. 400 knights lost only 100 men killing 300 swordsmen. From what scouts and spies reported, there was only 100 swordsmen left in the city. It was anticipated Madrid would soon fall, and those who could flee quickly did - to the military dictatorship of Juan I in the northwest.
The Battle of Madrid came to a head when a band of 400 musketmen attacked, not losing a single man as they slaughtered the remaining hundred-man garrison. Madrid had fallen, and Iberia was now de facto German. It was also revealed that the treasury had greatly suffered, as only a handful of gold coins were found in the 'glorious' capital...
The people of Madrid were highly taxed, and the King relieved this burden immediately. He forced the tax collectors and the government workers to work in the fields. A great deal of the population resisted - fifty seven percent! - be it Juan loyalists or Republicans who did not want a monarchy. There was also a great deal of nationalist sentiment. Of course, a few shots of gunpowder helped solve most of that problem.
With the rebellion under control, Germans then proceeded to ship slaves off to Berlin for sale on the market, while also re-organising the army and preparing to assault Compostella. Juan I was greatly trying to assemble his best men, as he knew the small outpost would be surrounded within a year. Without central Spain's vast open plains posing a threat to much of German Iberia, many musketmen were relived of defensive duty. They were all sent to take Compostella, whole hordes of them. Within a few years, they would attack, and hopefully bring about the end of the Spanish Despotate.
Compostella was surrounded in months. Exhausted, the musketmen refused to go further, instead setting up camp. From the western coast to northern coast the Germans formed a human wall, christened the "Azul Barrier" by the Juanists. They put a stop to any forces going in or out of Compostella, and pushed Juan against the wall.
ithout allies and without much of an army, his ability to maintain power was slipping away very fast. He faced 6,000 musketmen alone, who were led by an additional force of 600 elite musketmen. He did not even factor in the fact Knights would likely add to the attack force, thousands of them. Most of the force hid in the forests south of Compostella, turning tactics Spain had used in France against them.
Not seeing much hope, Juan I committed suicide, lasting little more then a year in office. His successor, Carlos IV, was just as prudent, but he abandoned the wealthy, choosing instead to focus on the common people. This made him intensely popular, and it kept the Republican movement at bay. In his inauguration speech, he stated: "Like a German cannon, we will bust down the their 'Wall', just like they destroyed Madrid's." The German higher-ups merely laughed upon hearing such arrogance.
At the same time, Carlos IV retreated to his personal warfleet in Compostella's harbor, ready to take off should Germany ever get an advantage. Preparations were already underway to rechristen the Canary Islands as the capital district of Iberia.
At heavy losses to our newly-constructed fleet near Gibraltar, we also sunk the last Greek ships off Iberia. We then turned our attention to Sicily, but that theater is boring besides the Pirate Wars, so we'll focus elsewhere.
---
On a peaceful tone, we settled the province of New Brunswick and founded the city of 'Wilhelmstadt' - named in honor of the many great Despots and Monarchs bearing that name. We intend to travel further south and rebuild Hapsburg. As well, Germany will NOT abandon it's colonial ambitions in the face of Iroquois aggression this time around. We shall stand and fight to the end, and possibly bring the rest of the Americans against them. The city will also give us a slight edge over Pharsalos, the Greek colony in Newfoundland.
Once again settled on continental America, we are ready to begin our expansion in the New World - and possibly conquer all the local peoples.
The year 480 BC concludes with morally loose(dang those guys need to get their stuff together) Chinese scientists sharing us their knowledge of Astronomy. Now able to use stars and celestial bodies in our calculations, the open seas are safer to traverse. Once again, the technology is at a relative discount - 1,000 units of gold is required to bribe the scientists.
Once we captured Smyrna from the Greeks, the Colossus will yield an extra movement point, allowing our European vessels to go 7 spaces a turn, while Asians can only go 6. What we lack in firepower, we can make up in speed.
about with unification.
!!!
