Paladin's Holy Campaign as written by Sir Brian
"I hear you have some distressing news, brother" Paladin said as he entered the Black Knight's tent.
"Our scouts have returned from the south of Carib. They report that Saladin has been able to bolster his defenses there with musketmen well trained in the city's defense." replied the Black Knight.
"That is distressing. It would seem that our "friend" Bismarck's trading practices have put a serious damper on our progress. Perhaps it would be better if we turned south and sacked the city of Kufah before they are able to bolster the defense there as well."
"A wise decision, brother. I will leave you to complete the work that God has entrusted to us." With that, the Black Knight left his brother alone in the tent and set out for the city of Sun Tzu for a much needed rest.
Paladin exited the tent himself and grabbed the first messenger he came across.
"Quickly boy! You must ride forward and give this message to the lead commander. We are turning the army towards Kufah at once! Now ride like the wind!" he exclaimed, punctuating his message with a sharp slap to the horse's hindquarter.
Upon arriving at the outskirts of Kufah, Paladin saw fit to instruct some macemen to take up position in the hills north of Kufah. It was not long afterward that some Mongolian troops joined the macemen. The camaraderie within the camp could be felt everywhere. The Mongolian and Aztec soldiers shared a special bond that can only develop between two sets of people that have long fought together upon the field of battle. Many of the men had become lifelong friends and looked forward to serving with one another whenever possible. However, there was one important difference between the two armies. The Mongolian commanders believed that brute force was the way to win wars, whereas most Aztec commanders understood that cunning and deception played an important role as well. There were often good hearted "discussions" amongst the commanders from these two nations regarding which strategy was best and why. What neither side realized was that war is dynamic, there is no strategy which works well in all situations. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Mongolians would be the one's to learn that lesson come sunrise.
The sun had just barely broke over the horizon when the Mongolian troops stormed down from the hills and towards the city of Kufah. Paladin watched in pained silence as they moved closer to the city. He had tried to warn the Mongolian general several times that this approach would not work against the defenders in Kufah. They were well prepared to meet this sort of onslaught. They might be weakened, but they would not likely fall. The general had listened politely, but Paladin knew that he was not likely to take the advice of an Aztec, even if it were coming from a member of the Brethren. The Mongolians had been at war so often, and for so long, over the last few centuries, that they felt they had a certain monopoly upon the proper way to conduct a war. Paladin tried, but it had fallen upon deaf ears. The Mongolians would storm the city using what they knew best. Sheer brute force, exactly what the Arabians were counting on.
The Mongolian musketmen were surprisingly accurate and the firepower they delivered was devastating at times, but it was no match for the sheer volume of arrows that the Arabians were able to deliver into the open fields surrounding the city. Most of the Mongolians were killed before they ever reached the city walls, some before they had even been able to fire a shot. The assault ended almost as quickly as it had begun. There were few survivors and those that had survived, would not likely be able to last through the night. Paladin swallowed deeply. He had liked the Mongolian general, despite his stubborn refusal to hear reason. He was dead now. No amount of sorrow would change that. It was time to avenge his death properly. Paladin gave the order to bombard. Suddenly, the sky darkened as a large number of immense projectiles filled the air and hurled towards the city of Kufah. Fires sprang up immediately within it's walls.
"Charge!" Paladin howled as he led the men into the city. The sudden bombardment had caught the defenders off guard, They were already weakened and disorganized from the Mongolians previous attack. Many fell where they stood while others were killed as they turned to run. Paladin's men stormed into the city and took control. They were victorious! A feast of celebration was in order before moving north.
The messenger arrived early in the morning. His news left Paladin with mixed emotions. The Mongolians had penetrated further north than the Brethren had anticipated and were now nearing the city of Carib. He would have to hurry if they were to beat Genghis. While the Brethren appreciated the Mongolian assistance, we felt it was our divine right to possess all of the northern lands, including the city of Carib.
"Here," Paladin replied to the messenger. "Pass this amongst the various commanders. We are moving out immediately!".
While Paladin was busy in the north, our knights in Sun Tzu had successfully developed a new style of warfare. Our long military tradition of knighthood, combined with the advent of firearms, gave rise to a new breed of cavalry. They would soon prove themselves in the north as Paladin drew closer to Carib.
"Fire!", the battery commander shouted. A series of catapults released their payload towards the city of Carib. Paladin watched from his hillside encampment. He still suffered from mixed emotions over the failure of Genghis to take Carib. The Mongolians had clearly failed to learn the lessons of Kufah. Perhaps that was largley because few had suvived to tell the tale. The Mongolian commanders had again insisted on brute force in taking Carib, only to be rebuffed by the Arabian musketmen fortified inside the city. On the one hand, Paladin was pleased to see that he still had a chance to claim Carib for the Brethren. On the other hand, he was dismayed to see such a tremendous loss of life in the Mongolian ranks. He felt a certain kinship with the Mongolians. There losses were his losses too.
"Sir! The Mongolian commanders have asked why we sit here and do not attack." Paladin's top commander appeared to be asking the same question for his own benefit as well.
"Do you question my command general? Or do you simply think me a coward?" Paladin replied.
"N..No. Of course not, sir" the general stammered. "It's just that the Mongolians appear to be losing faith in us. Their men are dying on the field of battle while we sit in our camp and do nothing."
"Do you call this bombardment nothing, general?" Paladin again replied. "Don't you think it wise to soften the defenses before engaging the enemey? Or would you rather that I write home to your wife, telling her how you died bravely on the field of battle?"
"Understood sir. I will inform the Mongolian commanders that we are preparing a charge of our own as soon as the bombardment is over."
Paladin's war strategy did not sit well with the Mongolian commanders. Talk of returning home to their families soon began to surface. It was becoming increasingly clear that the Mongolians were tired of war. Their war with the Malinese had not been over for long when they joined us against the Arabians. Now that the Mongolian military was losing confidence in our ability to wage war, it was only a matter of time before they withdrew. So it was no surprise when word came to us in Eden that the Mongolians had signed a peace treaty with the Arabians. What was surprising was the reaction of our own people. Outspoken critcism of the war began to surface. Paladin soon realized that he could not hold off the charge any longer. The people demanded that we either make progress or withdraw. With the bombardment complete and our forces reinforced and resupplied, the charge into Carib was soon under way.
When the smoke cleared, only a small number of macemen were left standing. Our forces had been decimated by the Arabian guns, yet victory had not escaped us. However, word soon came that Arabian reinforcements were on their way to Carib. There was no time to prepare. Paladin's reserves were depleted. No one was left to help defend the city. The men fought hard to defend Carib but they were no match for Saladin's ruthless counterattack. Paladin was distraught. He knew that he had superior forces, but that did little to ease the sting. So many had been lost. He prepared a second attack. This time, he successfully broke the backbone of the Arabian military. Throughout the duration of the war, they would prove to be much weaker. There would still be Aztec soldiers who would lose their lives, but no battle would prove to be as difficult as those fought at Baghdad, Kufah, and Carib.