AAR - The Imazighen

[hammy the hamster]

The Imazighen

Here is the first AAR for the Zirid Berbers; I’m playing with campaign difficulty set to HARD and battle difficulty NORMAL on version 0.99.something. I think it is the most recent version.

[hammy the hamster]

The Imazighen: Chapter 1

Salih Wahid surveyed the recruits with a critical eye, 800 al murabitin had answered the call to arms, pouring forth from their Ribat strongholds all across the Zirid realm. They had been joined by 500 or so Berber warriors, most carried bows and marched on foot but the rest rode foul-tempered camels. Overall the army had little experience in battle and almost no discipline, their training and equipment was all their own and of poor quality. However they were brave and eager, not to mention numerous, so they would do until a professional force was raised.

The army departed from Al-Qayrawan and set out across Tunesia, progress was slow at best as they struggled to traverse the harsh terrain in short marches between the sparse water holes. Their destination was Ghadamis, capital of Libiya where Mahmud Na jmad Din ruled over the Kutama people.



As Salih reached the border between Zirid and Libiyan lands his outriders returned with reports of a large Kutama army camped beneath a vast rock formation in the middle of the desert. He ordered his men to form up into ranks, the archers running out to the front and the al murabitin gathering in a line behind.

As they approached the camp they could see their enemies already in battle lines using the rock in the centre of the battlefield to anchor their formation. Salih ordered 500 of his infantry to the East of the rock to stop any flanking force surrounding him. The archers opened fire on the elite Saracens in the middle of the enemy line, a few arrows found the weak points in the lamellar armour killing a handful, more fell with arrows in their unprotected backs when they turned to retreat out of range.



Salih ordered his men to advance when the horse archers moved into range and began to cut down the unarmoured Zirids, he joined his infantry charging the Saracen swordsmen in front of him. On the Western flank the horses had fled from the smell of the camels leaving the levied Jund to face them alone. The camel’s impetus carried them through the Jund infantry who fled almost at once and into the rear of the Saracens. The battle continued only as a violent mayhem, eventually the last of the Kutama broke and fled the fighting, only to be caught and slain by Salih’s elite horsemen.



The Zirids were victorious, but at great cost, many had fallen to the arrows and swords of the Saracens, and the camel warriors had paid the price for their bravery. Only 700 men remained, but now the way to Ghadamis is open, soon the Kutama will regret drawing swords against them.

[DaVinci]

... the first done with this faction. Will add it soon to the AAR sticky list.

[hammy the hamster]

The Imazighen: Chapter 2

Salih’s victorious army marched jubilantly to Ghadamis, their enemies were carrion and soon their riches and women would belong to them. No sooner had they laid camp outside the city walls then they were stirred from their celebrations by the sound of war horns from the East. Scouts returned, their faces masked with terror, a great horde of the Banu Jami was on it’s was to break the siege, 1500 warriors, many of them elite Saracens who had slain so many only days before.

They broke camp at once seeking to retreat into friendly territory but the route North was cut off and their only escape was to cross the desert westwards. It was not long however before they were trapped and forced into battle with a far stronger foe. Salih positioned his army atop a low hill, hoping that in the arrogance born of greater numbers the Banu Jami would simply charge up the hill tiring their soldiers.



They did not disappoint him, they charged headlong towards his ranks, the dangerous Saracen and Turcoman warriors at the back of the formation. The Zirid archers loosed several volleys at the attackers as they came into view, many of whom were moving too fast to raise their shields and were cut down.



When at last they did reach the hill top, exhausted and bloodied, they were met with a ferocious counter charge by the Zirids whose archers even drew swords and joined the mass. Camel riders on the left flank smashed into horse archers breaking them almost at once just before the central line of infantry collapsed and fled the enraged Zirids.



Salih himself had charged to the right to protect the exposed infantry from the Turcoman archers moving to surround them. The infantry continued their charge now joined by the camels straight into the Saracens who were scattered and tired and broke swiftly. Eventually however they themselves tired and began to be dispersed, first the archers turned back from the fighting and were eventually followed by the al murabitin. With both armies largely routed it came to Salih’s elite Ghulams to finish what remained.



31 al murabitin were commended for returning to the battle to finish it with their General. After the battle was over survivors began to return, the many corpses were left as too few remained to bury them. Barely 200 Zirid soldiers survived the combat but the entire Banu Jami horde was destroyed, those that had fled and lived still were dying slowly in the baking heat of the desert sun.

The army rested before returning to Ghadamis, there was no celebration however, too many had been lost for even the most heroic of victories to be a joyous occasion.

The next morning all that remained was to break into the city and slay the warlord who had caused so much grief for the Zirid people, Mahmud Na jmad Din. This was done in short order, the handful of loyal nobles to Mahmud putting up little resistance.



In retribution for the battles fought and the warriors lost Salih ordered that 1100 Kutama should be massacred, one for every widowed Zirid woman.

[charles the hammer]

great AAR cant wait for the next chapter.

[DaVinci]

Added to the stickied AAR-list.
It's the 25th AAR, a nice "round" number

[Bull3pr00f de Bodemloze]

let's see...a 2 isn't round, and a 5 isn't.....hmmmm, how could that be a round number :hmmm:


lol, just joking



ontopic:very nic AAR, i actually feel it attractive to play as those guys now.

[DaVinci]

let's see...a 2 isn't round, and a 5 isn't.....hmmmm, how could that be a round number

Obviously you haven't learned entirely the sense of this usage: "..."

Joking is welcome here in this subforum, but it should make a sense then, or nobody will be amused, except you ... may laugh about your "jokes".
Btw., it IS round in the sense of the result of a quarter-hundred ... 100/4 ... that was a quarter-joke

[hammy the hamster]

The Imazighen: Chapter 3

Once again Salih marched out from Al Qayrawan, behind him like a long dark snake followed his army, 650 of them marched across the arid desert to Tarabulus with the single objective of destroying the last traces of independence held by the Banu Jami.



They laid camp briefly, hurriedly constructing a simple ram to destroy the gates. The moment the ram was ready it was wheeled to the town wall to begin its task.



The gates were swiftly breached and the al murabitin flooded through screaming war cries in their bloodlust, they reached the town square and were met by the charge of the ghulams protecting their leader.



While the horsemen were pinned and tired by the infantry, Salih surrounded them and dealt the killing blow from behind.



It was then only a matter of time before the hopelessly outnumbered defenders were wiped out.



Though there had been only 3 dozen Ghulams almost 100 al murabitin lost their lives in the fighting, the Banu Jami tribe was decimated to subdue their rebellious nature and most of the infantry remained there to prevent an uprising.

Salih however returned to Tunesia by sea, he planned to lobby the Kaliph into raising a real army made up of trained soldiers with decent equipment. His next target was the town of Sijilmasa, South East of Fas.

[hammy the hamster]

That was quite short, I might post the next later today

[hammy the hamster]

The Imazighen: Chapter 4

At about this time diplomats from the Fatimid Empire reached Tarabulus and requested a ceasefire, the offer was graciously accepted and a trade agreement was also reached. Trade rights also were attained with the kingdom of Sicily and the Italian City States, with these significant boosts to the economy the treasury began to fill once more.

The Zirid army of 1500 disembarked from the dhow fleet a short distance North West of Tlemsen, from there they travelled South across the desert and between the Atlas mountains towards the army of the Bani Helal, the tribal rulers of the Tafilet region under Abdullah abu Mamun.

The Zirids marched in formation towards the enemy camp, the skilful Nubian took up position at the front while the line of Saracens marched behind them. Salih and his adoptive brother Halid Sayfad Din rode at the rear with the Arabian cavalry guarding the flanks. When the Bani Helal came into sight the army stopped on a steep hillside and waited for their enemies to cross it.



The enemy, their courage bolstered by the presence of some 400 Abid al-Shira immediately advanced towards them, to their credit they did not falter as the Nubian arrows began to fall amongst them, slaying many unarmoured warriors.



When at last they reached the Nubian’s position, short of breath from the long climb, they watched helplessly as the archers retreated behind the line of heavy infantry before being struck by the Saracen’s vicious charge.



The light infantry in the centre buckled and fled at once leaving the elite black guard to fight alone, unfortunately for them the Saracens in the centre did not pursue but instead folded around the Abid al-Shira crushing them and wiping them out swiftly. Halid meanwhile had ridden to the right flank to assist the Arabs against the Andalusian cavalry, with the Ghulam’s help they broke their enemies and turned their attention to slaughtering the retreating infantry.



Some fighting continued however on the right flank, the Bani Helal General, Abu Hatim, and the last of his camel warriors continued to fight bravely until Salih charged them and slew Abu Hatim. All 1300 of the Bani Helal died that day, either by the Zirids swords or the harsh climate of the desert, only 100 of the Zirid army could not be saved from their wounds and perished.



With the route to Sijilmasa cleared the army continued South and laid siege to the town, intent on slaying Abdullah.

[hammy the hamster]

The Imazighen: Chapter 5

The ram slammed once more against the gates, the strained beams creaked and buckled under the force of the blow, the locking beam splintered and men rushed forward to force the gates wide open. They swung back barely held onto their hinges and with a cheer the Saracen spearmen poured into the town and headed to the banner of Abdullah abu Mamun that flew from the town square. Behind them Ghulams turned to the right and took the longer route to the back of the square.



The Saracens reached the centre shortly before their general and with a great cry they charged into the enemy horsemen lunging at them with their spears.



The Saracens were no match however and were gradually being pushed back when suddenly, with a thundering of hooves, Salih’s Ghulams crashed into the back of the Bani Helal slaying many instantly with the force of their charge.



They fought until every last enemy lay dead on the sandy earth, then they let up a mighty cheer that struck fear into the hearts of all the conquered.



Despite the fear that they instilled in the Bani Helal people the Zirids did not massacre the populace of Sijilmasa, instead the town was occupied peacefully with no bloodshed. General Salih was proclaimed a great battle victor and took Abdullah’s banner as a trophy. The army rested well before preparing to head south into the desert to Targhaza in the As-Sahra region.

However news soon reached the General that the Andalusians had besieged Marrakush and would soon capture it. There were also reports that Andalusian troops had been spotted on the Tafilet border and on the road to Tlemsen. Salih at once gathered his men and marched to the border to confront the Moorish army and drive them back to Fas if necessary.



Fortunately however the Andalusian troops withdrew rather than risk a war with the Zirids, Salih received orders from the Kaliph Tamim al Ziri in Tunis not to pursue them but instead to continue with his previous objective of taking Targhaza from the Tajakant tribe. So the army marched the long road south through the Atlas Mountains into the great desert and eventually laid camp in the hills a short distance North East of the town.

[DaVinci]

Cool afrian 'blitzing' story, latest 1088 you govern the whole Mahgreb and Saharan areas, it seems. You should give at least the Andalusian-Moorish AI a break before you attack them ... . And hopefully the Fatimids will attack you sooner or later
Btw., is it RTW 1.5 or BI 1.6 based?

[hammy the hamster]

BI, it hasnt been that much of a blitz, I cut out all the dull stuff that takes literally years to move and train armies as well as the economy status.

[hammy the hamster]

The Imazighen: Chapter 6

The army rested in the slightly cooler shade cast by the hills, but not long. The giant plume of dust thrown up by the approaching army could be seen for many miles around and gave good warning of the battle to come. The Tajakant brought to the field a mere 200 infantrymen, and levied peasantry at that. Half of the remaining 1200 tribesman was light cavalry from Andalusia and the rest native camel riders. In numbers they were evenly matched but in mobility and strength they were clearly not.



Salih and Halid had been joined by Hisam al Mustakfi, another adopted son of the Kaliph and therefore their brother. Hisam and Halid took up position to guard the left flank whilst the remaining Arab riders took the right. Once again the Nubians stood at the forefront of the defence to slay as many foes before the Saracens took their place.



Although many Tajakant fell to the rain of arrows they continued unperturbed by their dying comrades. As they came close the cavalry on the flanks surged forward to intercept an attack on the archers while the infantry closed in on their targets.



Surrounded, outnumbered and outmatched the enemy broke one by one until all were in flight, the slower camels being ridden down by the Ghulams and Arabs.



Although some 250 of the Andalusian horsemen escaped the fighting alive most of them fell victim to the merciless heat, any that did survive dared not return to Targhaza.

They were wise to do so, for Targhaza fell not long after that day, the town was defended by 300 men, a mixture of Andalusian and camel riders. Due to their numbers Salih was more cautious than usual, ordering a pair of rams to be constructed rather than a single.



The Nubians ran ahead of the Saracens pushing the rams and began to fire volley after volley into the ranks of the cavalry behind the gate almost all of whom were cut down before they could retreat out of range.



The rams finally reached the walls and began the slow process of breaking them down, cavalry again attempted to defend the fortifications but were driven off by arrow fire. At last the Saracens broke down the wall and poured through the breaches to find only arrow riddled corpses, not a single living enemy. The infantry moved straight down the middle of the town while Salih went to the West gate and his brothers to the East.



The Tajakant charged the Ghulams to reclaim the East gateway but were no match and were soon trapped in the street between the Saracens and the Ghulams and wiped out, their leader Abu Hammu was the last to fall as he tried to flee to safety.



Only a single warrior, a Ghulam under Halid’s command was slain and received a hero’s burial. For his leadership in the past fighting, Salih was dubbed a superior commander and his fame grew further. Over 1000 of the Tajakant were killed after the victory to quell any thoughts of rebellion held by the commoners.

The army did not remain there for long, moving out as soon as a garrison was raised to keep the Kaliph’s law there. They headed directly north, once more into the Atlas Mountains towards the Andalusian held Marrakush to aid their new allies, the Kingdom of Castile.

[hammy the hamster]

The Imazighen: Chapter 7

As the army progressed through the mountains reports reached Salih that almost all Andalusian forces had crossed the Gibraltar straights into Iberia to fight Castile, the new allies of the Zirids. There was no opposition therefore to prevent them crossing the border and setting up camp outside Marrakush after a formal declaration of war. Meanwhile a small fleet of Berber dhows had blocked entry to the port at Fas, strangling the income of food and gold to the region.



It did not take long for the Moors to muster a response however; a small force led by Captain Yahyn attacked General Salih from directly behind whilst the town garrison under Captain Ismail sallied out to aid the relief force.



The Zirids moved to take up positions defending the steep hillside where the Nubians would have a commanding presence.



Salih and his brothers led their cavalry over the hill to clear away the lighter forces there under Captain Yahyn, charging the elite Granadine Lancers he led whilst the Arab cavalry encircled the infantry milling around the foot of the incline.







The Andalusians were broken in short order with few losses, surrounded and outnumbered as they were by vastly superior foes. However the garrison of Marrakush had almost reached the other side of the hill, prompting the Nubians to launch volley after volley into the ranks of the Black Guard and accompanying militia, the force of their arrows penetrating even heavy armour killing many.



When the survivors did reach the line bloodied and tired, they were no match for the Saracens who drove them back easily.



The archers meanwhile switched targets to the retreating al-Murabitin led by Captain Ismail, slaying most before they retreated beyond their range.



There was no respite for them however as only seconds later the cavalry, having slain the last survivors of the first army, crashed into them and cut down the last few.



All 800 of the Andalusians died on the battlefield, taking with them only half a dozen Arab mercenaries to the afterlife. Marrakush had been won, as a show of strength and dominance the Zirid army slaughtered 1500 commoners and conscripted a meagre garrison to defend the town and keep the peace. The army itself left Marrakush almost immediately and headed straight to Fas, the last obstacle they were assured, before they could return to Tunis and see their families once more.

[hammy the hamster]

The Imazighen: Chapter 8

Saracens bearing ladders marched forwards bravely towards the walls, they held their shields high for fear of spears and arrows fired from the battlements. Behind and in between them was the main formation of infantry and cavalry.



Under a deadly hail of fire from the Abid al-Shira above them, the Saracens reached the wall and raised their ladders, hurling themselves at the defenders who held their ground stoically and slew many Zirids.



Despite their bravery they were surrounded and the gates were opened to the invaders, hundreds more Saracens poured through eager to wet their blades with Moorish blood.



On the wall itself reinforcements arrived and the last of the infamous Black Guard were cut down.



The impetuous Zirid army flooded the streets and soon reached the city centre, Salih and his brothers led the cavalry around the flanks of the combat and hammered the last defenders into submission.





When the last Andalusian had been put to death a mighty cheer went up among the assembled warriors, they knew that the African campaign was won and that the fighting was over, for now at least.



6000 Al-Murabitin were executed in the Al-Maghreb region, marking the day as the bloodiest in Berber history. Halid and Hatim led the army to the coast were they boarded ships and left for Tunis, Salih himself remained to guard the Gibraltar crossing and makes plans to assist his Castilian allies.

[DaVinci]

Cool story
I personally dislike the unit-banners, so i always have them disabled.

I must leave for real life things for today - all: expect version 1.0 at sunday evening or night

[sinner]

very impressive AAR...