The All-Joking, All-Drunken Synod of Fools and Jesters -Russian AAR for APE:TI

[Irishmafia2020]

Optional Preface:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I have decided to write an AAR on a Russian Campaign played on Empire Total War (m/m difficulty). I will be using the mod APETI (A Proper Empire: Terra Incognita) with the addition of the additional units mod (AUM). I will not be including a lot of pictures, and in fact may not include any at all. In the end I am writing this AAR for my own pleasure – but posting it here for yours. This AAR will follow a style similar to my “Tips and strategies for Portugal” guide that I wrote several years ago http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=237153, so don’t expect screenshots. If I can figure out how to take and post them, I may do so.

Why am I choosing ETW to make an AAR? I have played dozens of campaigns on Rome Total War (mostly with the Europa Barborum mod) and I have tried a solid half dozen mods for Medieval 2 as well, but the only game that I really have trouble beating consistently (but still enjoy) is ETW. I appreciate Shogun 2 – it is masterful, but I don’t find it interesting at all. Napoleon has a dimension that ETW does not have, but it lacks the open-endedness and world spanning possibilities of ETW. Most of the bad bugs that assailed Empire’s launch have been fixed, and I believe that it is now a fun and often underappreciated game.

What is APETI? This is a mod that was finished a couple of years back that has loosely been described as a “difficulty enhancement mod”. It makes the game harder by adding two mechanics “manpower” and “supply”. These mechanics limit the player’s ability to recruit and maintain a large army without a larger population base. In fact the real difficulty from this mod occurs when you choose a smaller power, or if you are doing a lot of fighting in the North American theater. In the case of being a small (one province) nation, you cannot recruit very many units, or supply them as your manpower is limited. In North America the population is very low, and a few fights will destroy your ability to resupply your troops locally. You must ship troops from out of theater to America, or at least retrain your existing army in Europe. That doesn’t mean that you don’t get any local troops, just that the supplies of men are very limited. Manpower becomes a very big issue because every time you retrain a depleted unit, the soldiers are deducted from your manpower supply. Imagine fighting a very big battle with a 2500 man fullstack army. Now, fight another battle equally large in the same turn with a different army. You sent 5000 soldiers into battle, and after brutal fighting half of them are dead. No problem, you’ve got the money to retrain both armies – but the 2500 replacements will be deducted from your overall manpower. For a small country manpower is only replaced at a rate of 40 – 60 men per turn. That means that the battles in that single turn cost you upwards of 50 turns worth of men! Manpower is related to the overall size of your population, so the more territories and people in your empire, then the larger the army you can field. I don’t believe that the a.i. suffers from the manpower constraints. Supply is just the upwards cap on the overall army you can maintain in any given theater. If you have a large army in a theater with limited supply levels, you cannot recruit new soldiers (you can replace your losses however – just no new units). Supply is also determined by the population base that you have in that theater.

One other “difficult” aspect of APETI is related to technology research. In APETI there is a fairly high cost associated with education buildings. A college costs 1500 -3000 per turn in upkeep depending upon your chosen difficulty. That means that if you are researching, you are making much less money in the early game than you would be otherwise. This results in a huge drain on your economy. You can’t afford to build or upgrade structures, or recruit or maintain a large army. If you are a small country, the cost will ruin you in the very beginning, and the college must be burned on turn one, or perhaps after a single technology is researched if you can afford to lose money for several turns.

I think that this mod’s constraints add realism to the game. Some players disagree, and insist that this game is much better with enormous armies and many stacks of troops – if that is you, then there is Darth’s mod. I however, believe that this game is better when I am facing challenges that resemble the limitations and difficult choices of this era, so the result is generally smaller armies for the player.
AUM is a mod that adds dozens of new units to the ETW, and I am using a version that was designed for APETI. The smaller factions all benefit from the additional units in their rosters, and the major powers all have a number of exclusive units. This adds a huge dose of spice to the game, since one of the major legitimate complaints aimed at ETW in general is that the armies consisted of clones, and that the battles were boring. Now, I have enormous diversity in my armies, and the different units have different capabilities.

I have two additional minor modifications that I made to the game – Grenadiers throw grenades, which they do not do in APETI otherwise, and I am playing at 5 turns per year. I just like the flow of five turns per year – the game seems to follow seasons accurately that way, two winter seasons and then three summer seasons. That means that my game is designed to be long – 50 turns for ten years.

Why Russia? Well every player has their favorite faction to play with and mine have been Venice, Portugal, and Louisiana. Unfortunately Louisiana is not an option in this version of APETI (sigh) and I have had recent and very challenging games with the other two powers, so I wanted to try something new. I have played Russia several times in a row to find out how that power plays, and I can say that I feel comfortable planning my game now. Russia has the advantage of being huge – which is also its great disadvantage as well. The size of Russia gives it the ability to defend in depth – you can retreat for several turns away from a larger army, while rebuilding your forces on the run. The disadvantages are that travel is not quick across the country, there are four major powers and several aggressive minor powers along your immense borders, and the sheer size of the country means that it will be underdeveloped for a number of years, since you cannot afford to build very much in any given turn. AUM treats Russia very well, adding about twenty units to the Russian roster, which was already treated as a major power by the game developers – all of which makes for some nice unit diversity. My especial favorite in the early game is the 6 pounder – a foot artillery unit that is recruitable from your basic artillery building on turn one. Usually you have to spend the first few battles using sakers or demi-cannons, both of which are fixed artillery pieces that cannot be moved after the battle has begun. The 6 pounders are slightly less powerful than those other first cannons, but they can be moved as needed, and several batteries of them are devastating. They seem to be an artillery unit that is exclusive to the Russian Army.

The period from 1700-1815 saw Russia rise to become one of history’s great powers. From Peter the Great to Catherine to the defeat of Napoleon, this period is a highlight reel of a maturing superpower. I enjoy watching that occur in my game – I don’t have to change history – just create my own version of it. Overall I won’t have to worry too much about manpower or supply problems – but I will be destitute if I choose to research much needed technology, and I also risk an early revolution if I raise taxes to pay for the schools that I need. A typically Russian problem…

A note on army organization – the default “huge” setting in this mod is 160 men. As a former US Soldier I see that size of Infantry unit as being a Company of soldiers. Each Company would consist on average of between 3-5 platoons. Three to six companies would make a battalion. Four to ten battalions would make a brigade. Two to four brigades would make a division. Three to ten divisions would make an army. I will generally assign my troops at the battalion level – four companies to each battalion, named by type, number, letter (a,b,c,d company) and nickname. These battalions can be attached to different brigades (3/4 to a full stack) as a whole – individual companies will not be separated from their battalions except as necessary for temporary garrison duties. Battles will be fought at the brigade level, since that basically translates into a full stack of four battalions of four units apiece and a headquarters element consisting of a general and his choice of attachments.

That’s where I get obsessive, but with the largest units being 200 men – a full stack could have 4000 soldiers in it at maximum. Three to four full stacks like that (four brigades to a division) would represent a 12000-16000 soldier division, which is about how many fighting men you could expect after all of the support units are withdrawn (cooks, ordinance, supply, clerks etc..). Real wars are fought at the division level, and that could actually be simulated by this game. If you had four such divisions – 16 total full stacks, you could have 64,000 total soldiers – which would be very close to an expensive early professional army of this period. Of course, I have never fielded more than five stacks in a game anyway, but I like the idea that I could go nuts with my organization to that level. Realistically an army wouldn’t have that many soldiers in this mod, and full stacks would actually consist of 2000-2500 soldiers since they would include mostly smaller units like line infantry or grenadiers. Anyway I transfer Bn’s Bty’s (Batteries), and Cav troops in groups of four units, unless they are individually attached to a general’s command. The individual attachments represent each general’s personal preference for role playing purposes. One general might believe that extra artillery is the key to winning battles, while others might bring certain types of specialists (engineers, shotgunners, snipers), or additional cavalry to the fight.

Game Plan: In every game that I have played as the Russians, several trends emerge. First, whomever I favor in the nearby wars will eventually win, and become tremendously powerful. This means that Denmark/Sweden issue will be in part decided by me. Poland/Austria/Prussia will be influenced by Russia as well. Typically, Poland, without having to fear a Russian Attack, will begin to pick Austria to pieces. When Austria is destroyed, they will bring their might to bear against Prussia and become a complete juggernaut. Either of the Nordic nations that achieves victory will create a block that is difficult for Russia to penetrate in the North. Also, the Marathas will conquer without end, and must be stopped eventually.

Phase 1: Build an army and settle border issues in the South. Buy or invade Ingria when powerful enough – buying is preferable, since war with the Swedes is to be avoided early.

Phase 2: Attack Poland if they are becoming an empire – support them if they are being destroyed. Conquer Eastern Europe.

Phase 3: Make myself a world power, develop trade routes and new world colonies.

Phase 4: Deal with the Marathas.

Of course the best laid plans are subject to change….

Great liberties are taken with the subjects and historical interpretation of this AAR


A ray of sunlight danced across the wall opposite the window of the small palace office. The rays reflected from the Russian snowscape were surprisingly warm for an early January morning. In front of the window, Peter was seated at an ornate baroque desk. He drank deeply from the rich flavored tea in his oversized silver cup as he examined the dispatches in a pile in front of him. The first envelope that he tore the edge off was from his ambassador to Sweden –

“For the eyes of his imperial Majesty: I have pursued your instructions, and both informally and at court I have found several ministers that are certain that a transaction can be accomplished for one of two territories that we find to be of interest. First – the Ingria coast can be obtained by trading both Karelia and Don Vosko. An additional payment of 25,000-30,000 silver pieces would also be needed. Estonia can be had for ½ of that sum and Karelia alone, however I have heard that while there are natural harbors, no port cities of note exist along the Estonian coast. I note here, dear Caesar, that I do not trust the Swedes. Their King Charles holds us in contempt and I believe he would make war until both of our nations were exhausted, except that The Danes have attacked Sweden from the West. Some failed trade negotiation has caused Denmark to come to blows against Sweden, and while they are our ally, we might be best served to give the swedes money in return for their land, even knowing that the money will be used to crush the Danes”.

Peter considered this statement… Don Vosko (Azov) – that was his first military campaign after taking full power in Russia. He had crushed the tartars/Turks in the region, but the cost had been tremendous. He had disbanded most of the regular army after that campaign, those who hadn’t died in the unhappy victory. Russia had remained technically at war against the Ottomans ever sense, but neither side was willing or able to invade across the frontier in Moldova. In the several years since most of Europe was at peace, and the increased trade and small military expenditures meant that Peter was able to hoard a sizable pile of silver from his tax receipts. Most other nations had saved money during the peace of the 1690’s, and these stockpiles of silver were about to be unleashed throughout Europe. Peter had been required to maintain a state of war with the Ottoman Empire through an agreement with Poland, but Peter was tired of the war, and he was beginning to distrust the growing power of the poles. As he considered his options, Peter knew that the land he wanted was Ingria. He dreamed of building a capital there, and unleashing a Russian fleet into the Baltic Sea, and then onto the world stage.

After the war against the Tartars Peter had headed West on the advice of his boyhood tutor and father’s best mercenary general Patrick Gordon. He and his entourage partied and learned in the German states, Austria, France, In Amsterdam, and England. He had personally learned to build ships, cast cannons, and drill soldiers in the western fashion. His original goal was to unite Europe against the Turks, but even Austria saw little gain in another war during the period of peace. If not for a revolt by the treacherous streltsky in Moscow he would have continued his tour into Spain and Southern Europe, perhaps even meeting the Pope in Italy. Instead he had to abandon the west to return to Moscow. General Gordon had already crushed the revolt when Peter finally returned, but he was still sullen for months afterward. He ordered the Streltsky disbanded across Russia, But Gordon cautioned him against it “their cheap m’boy – they prevent more revolutions than they start, you can’t afford imperial soldiers in every village and these boyars make their own money and keep the peasants quiet.. Just make sure you outgun them in an actual fight.” Reluctantly Peter allowed four companies of Streltsky to continue – but only as axmen. The musketeer companies that had been around since the time of Ivan “the terrible” were fully disbanded. Instead Peter turned to the ever willing Cossacks to fill his militia needs. Cossacks were free people – outside of the authority of the Russian Feudal hierarchy. They maintained their freedom by being willing to fight for whoever their master was with a rare ferocity. In Peter’s mind they were extremely cheap, loyal mercenaries. Whole Cossack villages made their living exporting young men to the Russian Army, and so they remained free – not serfs, or peasants. In addition, Peter had formed the first of his professional “New Model Army” Companies in Moscow. It gave him great pleasure to see his soldiers drilling and preparing for war in the style of the French or Austrians. This single company would eventually form the basis of a new army. Peter had even personally designed a light artillery piece the “six Pounder” based upon his observations of British Foot artillery. The guns were small enough to be cast in Moscow in the same artillery works that had produced only Sakers and Demi cannons for 75 years. Peter was glad to phase out those archaic immobile artillery pieces, even if his new gun was less powerful. Hopefully new ideas would arise from his investment in the first university in Russia – a college in Novgorod. It was very expensive to maintain the institution, draining vital money that was needed for other purposes, so Peter had set the agenda for the school’s leading intellects. He wanted military technology – better guns, cannons, and tactics. Yes, industrial technology would also be desirable – but for the price Peter was paying in yearly upkeep and salary (2000 per turn, or 10,000 per year total, part of the APETI challenge!) he demanded results.



This New Year would be 1700 – Peter knew that because he had declared that Russia would follow the modern Gregorian calendar beginning now. He missed his friend General Gordon, he had died about 7 weeks before in late November of the year now known as 1699. Patrick, the Scottish mercenary, had been Peter’s link to his Father Alexei. Gordon had given Peter excellent advice, and guided him first to manhood, and then into power as the Russian Emperor. Peter knew that his father’s generation had fallen away, and now it was time for the new men to lead Russia into the future – but he felt empty for the losses of those he admired in Childhood. His brother Ivan – a fool, a drooler, but still his brother – his scheming sister Sophia, sent to a convent to forever rot, his mother…. His family was vicious and that was why he looked outward, to the mercenaries and great men, but they had suffered, murdered by schemers and Streltsky. Patrick had been the last of them, and the only one to die peacefully after a life of exile and war.

“Too much thinking…” muttered the Czar of Russia, “I am best when I take action…”. Peter picked up another envelope from the pile. This one was gilded and silk, it had been forwarded from Istanbul. Peter’s secretary had sniffed and flushed when he had seen the contemptuous address, but Peter himself did not care – no mockery from an enemy could remove the very real and absolute power he now enjoyed in Russia.

“To the infidel Caesar who mistakenly claims the North for himself – while the faithful understand that only God and those who submit to his will can claim land on Earth”. Peter sighed, and opened the envelope –

“To his imperial Caesar, Peter Alexei Romanov, King and emperor of the Rus” Peter chuckled – typical Turks, proclaim you to be a barbarian in public, but show unrivaled respect and hospitality in private. “ I am the personal secretary to Sultan Mehmed III, I serve as both an advisor and an instrument of his will. We feel that the generation of war between our nations no longer serves any great purpose, and respectfully request that you consider sending the Porte a tribute of 5,000 silver pieces so that we might consider how the objectives of this conflict have been to the benefit of our great and timeless empire, and grant you the peace which your exhausted subjects beg for..”

“Hmmm… thought Peter, I capture Azov, I win the battles, and now I am to send you tribute and allow you to declare victory as the price of peace?” He continued to read …
“of course, we would therefore recognize as fact your “influence” in the region of the northern Black sea, north of our current European border, and in those areas near the Caucasus where your natural interests lie. If you are able to expand your influence, we would also consider a future trading partnership to be to our mutual benefit. Additionally we will offer a one year tax holiday to your comrades in Serbia for whom you have often expressed concern. Finally as a state that has offered “tribute” to the might of the Turkish empire, and Sultan Mehmed, long may he lead as God’s chosen on Earth, your ships would be given free passage to the greater oceans of the Earth. Please consider the merits of requesting peace on our terms… Sulieman Pash, Servant”

Aahhh so then… the real offer, thought Peter is that the Turks will abandon their traditional protection of the Crimean Tatars and Dagestan – leaving Russia the freedom to clean up the southern border without fear of Ottoman interference. In addition, when a trading base is captured or established, the Ottomans want to be trading partners. Which makes sense, since any trade in the Black sea would be protected from their many enemies - Austrians, Poles, Spanish etc… The benefit to Russia would be free passage through the Bosporus strait, which could mean a true Russian warm water port – Peter’s dream fulfilled. In return, the Turk’s ask for 5,000 silver pieces and the right to paint this loss as a victory for their own people. Peter almost liked the Turks – Russia and the Ottoman empire had interests in common… “like” was too strong a word, but they were worthy of respect. If he agreed to peace on these terms, Peter could mobilize the army and pacify the southern border with the outright conquest of Crimea. He thought again of the Swedes and their offer for Ingria – if they controlled the Don region, could they hold it? Would they even expand? Peter began to think that the Turkish proposition changed things relating to Ingria…

The light had faded in the office, a chambermaid had come in, and barely noticed, lit a half dozen lamps in the quiet room. Peter noticed another diplomatic pouch – well a dusty leather wallet rather, with the stamp of the Imperial diplomatic service. He opened the wallet and removed a handwritten paper note, one corner stained with wine…

“ Your Imperial Majesty, I wish to inform you that the Kingdom of Spain is Facing the expectation of war with Portugal, and the United Provinces of the Netherlands, In order to prepare for this war and raise funds, they offer a new world province for sale. Nuevo Mexico is far inland from the coast, it has a small population of Spanish colonists and it raises very little income. The bulk of the population is composed of Indigenous savages who are hostile to the colonists. Spain is expected to abandon this colony in the near future, and it has been reestablished for only 8 years following a general revolt by the Pueblo tribes that expelled the Spanish from the region completely. Most of the region is desert or wilderness lacking even the resource of water. Old rumors of gold have proven unfounded. This colony is so desolate and isolated that our own Siberia would be a preferable destination to spend an exile. I highly advise against any purchase of this worthless and distant land. Your loyal servant, ambassador’s secretary Niko Pavlovich.”

Peter’s lips curled into a bright smile under his mustache. The new world! The deed of even a single colony would begin to cement a Russian claim to a future empire! This at last was the news that he needed to make his decision. Peter began writing furiously. Outside, in the twilight of the Russian afternoon it began to snow, and a freezing wind howled from the north. Very soon, Peter would send men out into that storm, carrying messages to Sweden, Istanbul, and Spain. Russia would purchase Estonia… in trade for Karelia and silver. New Mexico would become the first overseas colony of Russia. The Turks would be paid, and the Southern frontier would be pacified. Finally, he would send a diplomat to Georgia, and offer a military alliance of “equals” to that tiny country. The fact that they are the only other free nation that practices the true Orthodox faith of Christianity would make the gesture meaningful to the Church and should serve to keep Patriarch Alexander of Novgorod off Peter’s back for a few months. Ingria and St. Petersburg will have to wait…



Peter closed his eyes that night, after a quality romp with his mistress, and thought of the future. “This year brings war…” The flames of conflict flickered between Spain and Portugal, Great Britain and France, Austria, Poland, Prussia, and the Ottoman Empire – war in India and America… It occurred to Peter then, just before he dozed off, his fingers on the rump of the naked woman beside him… “I need an Army…”

[Irishmafia2020]

Part 2: Spring 1705

“I need two armies…” Thought Peter, emperor of most of Russia. He rode in the Imperial carriage moving south to north along a rutted, often muddy road towards Moscow. Outside, the sound of marching soldiers almost drowned out the yelling and cannon fire coming from the front. Everyone knew that the decisive battle of this campaign would begin soon, within a day probably, unless the weather turned against both armies. Peter knew that he was going home – to Moscow, his capital occupied by enemy soldiers for nearly nine months. Right now both armies were maneuvering – and skirmishing for position.

In his lap Peter had a scrap of paper, sent by courier from an old friend in England. It was a piece of the London Gazette which included coverage of the Russian wars. It showed a woodcut political cartoon of bear-baiting. The bear was labeled “Russia” and the various fighting dogs were named “Tatars”, “Crimea”, “Chechnya”, “Dagestan”, ”Georgia”, and “Courland”. The dog handlers were “Austria”, “Poland”, “Sweden”, and the “Ottoman Empire” was restraining the bear with a chain. A laughing crowd included “France”, “Spain”, “Prussia”, and “England”. Peter sighed…. “That’s how they see us, as a joke – a great beast to be torn apart for their entertainment….”. Of course he knew that he was being too literal with that thought, but the tragedies of the last five years had weighed heavily on the Czar’s broad shoulders.




Peter’s thoughts ran back to the heady spring of 1700. “The all joking, all drunken synod of fools and jester’s ith now in arderrrr….” Peter’s boyhood tutor Nikita slurred the announcement. “We have gathered now to discuth how we plan to govern our newsest province…. Criiimeea!” A boyar yelled from the back “Make me governor, and I’ll turn the whole place into a pig farm… Muslim bastards will move out by themselves, or learn to like hogs and vodka!”. Peter slammed his mug on the table and stood to his whole six foot eight inch height. The banquet hall became silent. “Gentleman… Peasants, Popes, and little lords” his tone wasn’t mocking, this was a friendly men’s club of close friends and associates of Peter after all, and he wasn’t drunk either – which was the real surprise to observers who had watched him down a dozen pints since the afternoon. “we must conquer the Tatars first before we feed them bacon. I choose as a general of our combat forces, my own cousin, a veteran and loyal comrade - Prince Anakita Repnin…. Our own Koenig auf Prussia!”. As a boy Peter had played war games, with live ammo and real soldiers. Prince Repnin had often played the role of the commander of the enemy forces – so he was known to Peter’s friends as the King of Prussia. For all his high birth and connections to the court, Anakita was a tested veteran commander. His courage and discipline would inspire the soldiers under his command. There were really only three choices to lead Russia’s army into the future, and Peter trusted Anakita – “little ivanovich” more than the others. The Czar walked to a neighboring table where the prince was already receiving congratulatory back slaps from his compatriots – some who hoped for lesser commands under him. “Make me proud my cousin, let our names never die in the mouths of men” and then he kissed the prince on both of his cheeks. That was an ancient toast in their family, from a time six centuries before when their ancestors had been little more than bandit Vikings bent on enslaving Slavs and Finns and selling them for profit in Byzantium. Somehow, the old words still rang true.

Peter had only seen his cousin once more after that, when he had traveled south that autumn to review his full army on display. They were drawn up in ranks next to an enormous river. Four companies of Cossack infantry – balancing out the four companies of streltsky Ax men to keep the army’s loyalty intact. Peter had been most proud then of his own military reforms – a battery of 6 pounders, and two professional line infantry were included with the army – with a third company of line and more cannons being trained in Kiev. Peter had ordered that the antique demi-cannons be scrapped. One of those old batteries had even seen combat generations ago in the Thirty years war while attached to a unit of Russian mercenaries.

The real cost of modernizing the army wasn’t soldiers, surprisingly enough. It was the University… mercenary intellectuals from all over Europe traveled to Russia to lecture and sell designs in Novgorod. The college cost nearly as much every few months as the entire army, but the results of that research were real. Even now, metal workers were designing an upgrade to the 6 pound cannons – that could fire double their weight! A wall was blown down, and a dozen wealthy students were killed during the first test of “grapeshot” – there were new bayonets, carbines, firing tactics, even better agricultural techniques... But damn it was expensive!

Prince Anakita stood beside the Czar as several cavalry troops marched past in perfect form. “Our spies tell us that the Tatar forces are divided – they are trying to guard all of the river crossings in the entire region. If we can force a ford or capture a bridge, we will be able to capture their capital before they can react… I wonder though how many years we will have to occupy this land until it truly becomes Russia”. Peter gave his cousin a warm smile “little Ivanovich – my cousin brother, I know that this is your destiny…” The Czar’s memory flickered without changing his smile. His sister had tried and failed twice to capture the Crimean lands… her failure had cost her the regency she enjoyed over Peter and his idiot brother. In a sense that debacle had cost her everything but her life, and it had cost thousands of soldiers their lives…

Peter returned to Moscow confident that his cousin would be victorious.

Dispatch: Spring 1701
Cousin, we have met the enemy at the Deineper bridge. They attempted to outflank us at a nearby ford. A company, 1st Cossacks aka “the Scythians” held the ford in hand to hand fighting until the rest of our forces could react. This unit suffered 75% casualities. I humbly beg your imperial majesty to grant each of the survivors the Order of St. George, 2nd class. We were victorious in this fight, and we should have moved on towards the Tatar capital by summer. Send Vodka!
Little Ivanovich




Dispatch: Spring 1701
Your imperial Majesty, I beg that you consider my request to return to Russia. I would gladly fight the Tatars, the Swedes or whichever other enemy you might deign. It was a surprise to myself and to my family that you elevated me, a mere ambassador’s secretary to Spain, to the governorship of the Colony of Nuevo Mexico. I understand your reasoning – I was the most familiar man in your empire with that distant territory, and that I speak the language, but if you will recall my familiarity with this desert arose out of only a few interviews with men who had detested the colony. Now I find myself surrounded by ignorant, violent, savages – and those are the colonists themselves, let us not mention the plethora of dangerous Indians that infest this land… every colonist claims noble birth, that they are descended from Cortez, or Montezuma, or King Alfonzo of Castile, but they are really dirty, small, untrustworthy men. I speak Spanish – whatever gibberish these men speak is a dialect unknown to me. I beg you, emperor of the Rus – send me to Siberia, or place me in the front lines against an Ottoman charge, for this land is not one deserving of even a single one of your loyal subjects.
Governor and Excellency,
Niko Pavlovich



Dispatch to Santa Fe, from the offices of the Emperor:
I understand your desire to fight as a common soldier is motivated by nothing other than the most devout patriotism – and I will one day grant you your request to face the cannons of our enemies in person, but today you will do your emperor a greater service by maintaining peace in our newest colony. I cannot give you soldiers or money, as you request – but I do not need the income of that province either, so you should be able to lighten the tax burden on my citizens in Nuevo Mexico. That would be a good idea, since I have heard stories of frontier governors being scalped and quartered, or being boiled in hot tar, or left in a desert with honey smeared on their eyes to attract angry large insects…. It would be a shame if such a thing happened to you, my dear Niko, especially with help being six long months away… Your request for transfer is denied.
Good Luck,
Peter Alexei Romanov, Czar of the empire of the Rus.

[Irishmafia2020]

Part 3: Spring 1705
The air was cold, a stinging breeze nipped at the army, but the many veteran soldiers shrugged off the night’s embrace and tried to find sleep near a fire, or under a cloak with their back to a comrade. Peter was exhausted, but his comfortable well-worn leather boots seemed to lead him forward toward the command tent for the 9:00 PM briefing. He heard voices, harsh words in Ukrainian – he turned and called out “hey, save the fight for the morning!” - “what’s it to you, Russian dog…” came a drunk Cossack voice in reply… A stirring, and suddenly a half dozen men of the 1st Infantry, Peter’s line troops, the most decorated soldiers in the army had thrown off their blankets and stood beside him. A sergeant yelled “Watch who you call dog, nomad… we fight for our country”. Laughter from the darkness greeted that statement “your all just dogs then, you come when your emperor calls you… I fight for money, for a piece of silver every week, and you’d best be glad that I’m on your side since my daddy taught me to shoot -pop, pop, by practicing on stray dogs…” A lot more laughter at that. The soldiers around Peter tensed, the brawl was about to begin! “Silence… If the Cossacks fight for money, then so be it” - the Czar’s command voice cut above the churlish comments and snide laughter of the two groups of men… “they fight well, and I shall continue to pay them, but you men of the first are all decorated heroes – your bravery comes from the heart, for the love of the very soil of our mother, our father… Russia!” A few grunts from the infantrymen, and silence from the Cossack camp – “Get some sleep, heroes of Russia, and you too uhh… Dog hunter! Tomorrow I promise you a target as big as a man – so if you can hit a terrier, you should have reason to brag about hunting soldiers, instead of pups!” Laughter, this time from the Russian side. Peter hoped that he hadn’t over done it. He didn’t need the Cossacks thinking that he favored Russian troops over them, but the rivalry between the two groups was becoming nasty, even racist. He knew that the Cossacks heard him say that they fought well… They would take a rough pride in that. The Czar continued forward, toward a lighted tent a quarter of a mile up the dirt track he was following. Behind him a dozen voices began to bark and howl like dogs or wolves. On the other side of the road he could hear “pop, pop, pop” – the light hearted mockery of the Cossack “dog hunter”.





Dispatch, Autumn 1701:
Cousin, we have taken the Tatar capital. Their nation is no more. Their troops fought a running battle against us, and most of the important buildings of the city have been burned. Their last stand was in the prince’s palace, and I am afraid I unleashed the 6 pounders on them – thank God we can move those things! Our soldiers looted the wealthiest neighborhoods, but we left the western trading quarter alone – no need to anger the Italian and German merchants. I have to say the troops got a nice bonus from the looting, but there’s not a wine or a beer to be had in this whole damned city! Of course, the Italians will have wine, and the Germans will have beer – and they are selling it to our troops at ten times the normal price! Basically we sacked this whole town, and now were giving all the money to the merchants! The Ottoman trade representative has already given me a note requesting an open port, so I think we’ll finally see a profit on this whole great exercise, cousin. I’ll even try to get some of the soldiers’ money back from the merchants through tariffs and entry taxes! My only concern is the Tatar’s themselves… they don’t seem to know that they are beaten. Our spy tells us that they are gathering on the plains in the north of this province – that some of their chieftains are openly planning on assaulting the capital in the spring. The rest of the 1st infantry had better arrive from Kiev by then – we took heavy losses in this campaign, and I don’t think we can hold out against repeated assaults without reinforcements. Some news to brighten your day, about a hundred streltsky died in the fighting this week – I know you have no love for those arrogant Boyars sons anyway, so the fewer of them left the better. They are good with an ax though, and I wouldn’t want to face one if my carbine misfired… Give my son a Christmas present this year cousin; tell him his father is a hero… Tell Ekatrina not to fear that I will bring home a mistress… these Crimean’s are homely wenches, and the best of them are veiled as well.
Prince Anakita Repnin


Dispatch: Early Winter, 1702 from the office of the Frontier, Azov fortress, Don Vosko
To your Imperial Majesty, Dagestan has declared war. Their harsh words have been followed by actions – Chechen mobs have attacked our border stations, and the regular army was following behind. I have only a few small companies of citizen militia to try to hold them back, and they will be at our doorstep in a week. The Georgian ambassador assures me that his king will disregard our alliance if we ask them for direct intervention, as they see us as a useful insurance policy against their neighbors the Persians and Turks, and not as a country that needs to be rescued. I will personally command the Russian traders and local citizens in defense of this fortress. If I die under enemy fire, or am captured please understand that I have enjoyed the honor of service to my nation in its time of need, and I pray that the sons of my sons continue to serve mother Russia into future greatness.
Gregory Putin, Governor General

Dispatch: late Winter 1702, from the office of the Estonian Governor –
To your Imperial Majesty, The Duke of Courland has declared war on Russia, and stated that his intent is to capture this very province for himself. I have begged for soldiers for months, and reported the buildup of military forces on our border, and I have merely been told over and over again that our army is pinned down by heavy fighting in the far south. Now the day I have feared has come. We will be overrun by tomorrow, and without even walls to protect our capital city, the militia will scatter like the untrained old men and boys that they are. I will surrender after the battle – with regret I must inform you that I will receiving a high commission in the Polish army after my capture. I hope that we never face each other as foes on the field of glorious battle.
Count Maximillian Cherenkov, governor of Estonia


Dispatch: Spring 1702
Cousin – how I miss that Jolly, drunken, joking, symposium of a boy’s club in Moscow! I bet you spent your winter playing drunk chess and watching those skinny Finnish dancing girls you love so much. The rebels here are advancing south towards the capital of the peninsula, and they seem pretty well armed. We got the rest of the first infantry companies from Kiev, and another battery of cannons, so even though we are understrength we should be more than a match for their main force. Once we get this rebellion under control we’ll worry about the Chechens… Azov will be ours once again and we’ll add Dagestan to our empire… maybe I can be governor there when I retire from this army crap. Ekatrina seems like she’s always cold in Moscow, and the sun of the south would do her good… These rebels are determined though. We ran into a company of theirs – line infantry no less! How do Tatar rebels field line infantry? Our engineers recognized the guns they had… Polish muskets. Hundreds of them… Looks like the Poles have been keeping these rebels well supplied all this time, while claiming to be our closest allies – you know, with that open border and all that… Bastards just want us to stay weak so were loyal allies I bet… I hope… if not their up to something more sinister. I’ll let you do the thinking cousin, you’ve always been smarter than me – and I’m not just saying that to flatter you so you’ll send us some bacon… There’s not a pig in this whole province! Muslims, they’d rather eat horse meat than bacon… some religion! Well, I’m off to grant some of them that heaven they love right now –
Your loyal servant, Prince Ana Repnin, General of the army

“Call off your hounds ambassador!” Peter’s fury rent his features into a mask of anger…. “The Duke of Courland is your vassal… you knew exactly what he had planned this whole time!” Ambassador Retinski smiled at the Czar and sipped deeply of his spiced port wine. “Your Imperial Majesty, the Duke of Courland maintains an independence of action that allows him to do anything he likes – unfortunately, he likes Estonia”. Peter glared at the haughty diplomat. “I could ask the navies of every ally of Russia to blockade the Duke’s ports, and attack his lands…” Retinski looked concerned, and replied “I am surprised that you would feel like you have to do that! After all Russia is the greatest empire on earth, and surely they are not so weak as to require assistance to defeat a tiny rogue vassal like the Duke! We don’t support his actions, but we realize the need to defend our Vassals if a general war breaks out. That would be the end of our alliance… If I may, your imperial majesty, the Duke has planned this campaign for ½ of his life. He is only hoping to hole up in Reval and make peace before you can bring your army back to the north. It’s no coincidence that he attacked during your Tatar campaign…” “Is it a coincidence that Polish cannons and muskets have been found being used by the Crimean Rebels? That seems like the type of thing that could prolong our campaign, and give your rogue Duke the opportunity to dig in deep in Estonia!” The Czar spit those last words accusingly…. “Oh those – we gave the Tatars a shipment of guns several years ago, to use against the Turks of course” “How many years ago?” Asked Peter, using his massive size to intimidate the gentleman diplomat…”Maybe five?” Peter showed his Teeth… “Five years ago Russia was at war with the Tatars, as we were required to be under the treaty of Kiev – a stipulation put forth by your own King – you were selling guns to our enemies even as you asked us to fight them…” Retinski smiled innocently, but his eyes held contempt “Welcome to the game Czarovich – my job is to serve my nations interests… this is delicious wine, you have excellent taste!”

Summer 1702
Summer’s warm sunshine flowed through the open doors of the veranda and gave the banquet hall a healthy glow. The all joking, all drunken synod of fools and jester’s was at their weekly meeting at the house of the commoner Franz Lefort. His house was modest compared to the enormous hall attached to its rear, complete with a kitchen and parlor. Peter had befriended Franz as a child during wargames, in spite of their extraordinary rank differences, and he had become a founding member of the synod. Peter demonstrated his love for Franz by building the enormous hall next to his existing house, and stocking it and staffing it as a sort of gentleman’s clubhouse. Typically, Franz’s wife was annoyed with the hundreds of drunken houseguests – but at least she only told him about it. Several dozen men lolled in revelry – today was the Sabbath, and resting and drinking were an appropriate mix. Peter stood near the outer door with his secretary eating a piece bread, and browsing through some correspondence. He looked forward to a good drinking bout once the day’s business was behind him.

Suddenly a disheveled cavalry officer entered the hall, and when he asked he was pointed to Peter. The officer approached the Czar, and fell to one knee with his sword held on the palms of his open hands. “Rise, Lieutenant” said Peter, and the young man stood erect. “Your Imperial Majesty I bring news from the Southern frontier – we have defeated the rebels in the Crimea at the Battle of Kasserin Field. Our reinforcements from Kiev were interdicted by rebel forces, and they returned to Kiev” the soldier had a staccato to his report that attracted the attention of the men in the dining hall. They began to gather around in a wide circle. He continued “our general wished to press our advantage, and so our depleted forces headed north and found the enemy’s main army in the area just north of the Crimean peninsula on the kasserin steppe. The Tatars drew up in lines and tried to outflank us. They had doubled the force on the right side, and it looked like our Cossacks would break. I was with the general on the far right wing as a member of his bodyguard, when he gave the order to attack. Our charge broke them, and their whole line collapsed – hundreds of our own soldiers’ lives were saved”.


“It seemed like an eternity, but it must have only been a half minute that we fought in that mob of Tatars… Before they broke, a Tatar officer stabbed the general through his waistcoat… it didn’t kill him, but he was in pain and distracted, and that’s when a Cossack in the hire of the enemy fired almost point blank into his chest. When the Streltsky saw him fall, most of them broke and ran like cowards…I was there when our general died… he said “did we win?” I told him that we did… The enemy general had just been shot off of his horse… The Prince’s final words were “Father Sky, Mother Russia… let my name never die in the mouths of men”. He said no more. Your imperial Majesty, I am here to report that Prince Anakita Ivanovich Repnin, General of the Russian army has been killed in action while fighting the enemy Tatars.”

[ODaly]

Nice! Too bad about Ivanovich though. That's why I tend to take a more Napoleonic approach and just park my general on a hill (behind a fixed battery, if applicable) somewhere.

[Irishmafia2020]

Spring 1705, outside of Moscow

Peter entered the Command tent and became temporarily blinded by the dozen lanterns which contrasted with the nearly moonless night outside. “Attention to the Czar!” Cried an imperial guard smartly. “At ease gentlemen” Came Peter’s immediate response. Head’s ducked and men grouped around maps or quietly made plans. The Czar walked to the central planning table that had a series of maps laid on top of it. One was Russia in its whole. Huge swaths of territory were indicated to belong to the enemy. Cards representing Dagestani forces occupied several strategic locations in the south and east of the country. There were rings of cards surrounding Moscow, where the main Russian army was preparing for battle.
General of the Russian Army Alexander Menshikov was on the other side of the table leaning over a more detailed regional map. “Czar Peter, I am prepared to give you my advice on how best to retake our capital”. Peter sat in a folding fabric chair across the table and regarded his army’s commander with coldness, but also respect. The only real silver lining that had come from the death of the Czar’s cousin Prince Anakita Repnin was the discovery of the remarkable competence, and even genius of the man before him. Peter didn’t like General Menshikov, and that man probably would have never enjoyed the action of command had not the Czar’s despair granted him temporary control of all Russian forces south of Moscow. What he had accomplished since had been remarkable. Regional capital’s reconquered, enemy armies destroyed, pride returned to the army – all in the face of the greatest national crisis in a century.
The problem with Alexander – for Peter anyway, was that he had come from one of the great families of the south. He looked naturally to Kiev as the center of his universe, he regarded Muslims and Turks as his native enemy – he did not drink. Alexander had only been to Moscow for school, and that was it. While Peter was leading his peers on a tour of the west, Menshikov was in charge of a minimal garrison in the Ukraine. Alexander was a rural landowning aristocrat, at home six months a year to oversee his villages of serfs and collect his rents, and back in Kiev for the social season. In the first war against the Turks, when Azov was captured, he had come to Peter’s eye as the Russian commander of four companies of Cossacks, and after the end of that conflict Peter had affirmed his role in the south by granting him the nominal title of “Protector of Kiev”. For all that, Peter didn’t like the man – didn’t even know him, and would never have given him high command. After the Prince’s death though, Peter had spent two weeks locked in his apartments – a critical two weeks. When he emerged, it became clear that the minister of war, acting on his behalf, had given temporary command of the army which was occupying the Crimea and suppressing regional revolts to General Alexander Menshikov simply because he was the closest man to the fighting. Over the next two and a half years Menshikov won 12 battles. He divided his forces, he used cavalry, or artillery – he invented new tactics both strategically and in battle, and he won.





Dagestan was on the ropes, but the Duke of Courland ordered his army to cross the empty steppe of Russia in a march on Moscow. It was insanity to march on Moscow, but the capital was unprotected. No real garrison, no walls… nothing. The fault was Peter’s of course. He had been too addicted to the knowledge, the technology, and the revolution that was happening in the classrooms at Novgorod. He had ignored the expenses related to maintaining that university, and how they crippled his army. He could field only enough troops to fight on one front, against a minor local power in the south. A second power struck from the north, and his nation reeled near defeat. In late 1704, as the Duke’s forces approached the capital The Czar fled – unwillingly. General Ivan Mazepa, Peter’s chief military advisor in Moscow, begged, pleaded, shamed, and even threatened the Czar before he would leave. The best part of his household was sent south, and Peter and Ivan moved towards where the southern army was last reported seen. The fall of the capital devastated Russia. There was a bright side though – all men were patriots in the country now. From serfs to city dwellers to great lords – women, schoolchildren, farmers, even Cossacks – everyone felt a kind of deep anger in their breast. Peter found that he wasn’t hated, or resented for incompetence, but rather that he had become a symbol – a rally point for both the Russian army and the nation. The first soldiers from the southern army to arrive in Peter’s camp were lead by general Menshikov himself. The first Infantry, with an artillery attachment – they walked into the Czar’s camp like proud, haughty soldiers. Peter could see a glint in each man’s eye – they were angry at Russia’s enemies. “it takes a lot of anger inside a man to bayonet someone from a foot away…” thought Peter.
The university at Novgorod was burned by enemy cavalry. Peter had more money available to him from his diminished country than he had had while it was an enormous empire. He used his money to buy troops. The south was emptied of veteran forces, and as the Russians retreated north Dagestani regulars and Cossacks began to attack across the southern frontier once again. Peter knew that leaving the south – his homeland –hurt Menshikov, but the man had a greater duty to his nation that outweighed his love of home. Peter ordered the formation of the 2nd infantry in the Crimea. On the Eastern Steppes he sent money to form a pike and shot battalion, which would move south to eventually support the 2nd in action against the Dagestan army along the Southeastern corridor of the Caucasus.

“What are our options, general?” asked the Czar. “We can do one of three things, first we can attack, second we could retreat, and third we could stay where we are, except that we would aggressively cut the enemy’s supply lines, and effectively render them under siege. I realize that retreating without engaging the enemy is not a real option. The honor of Russia is at stake, our capital lies in the hands of the enemy… so we must choose to either attack or besiege the enemy.” Menshikov pointed at the map indicating the Courland army’s deployment. “If we attack, it will be a bloodbath.” “Can we win?” Asked Peter. “Maybe…. But I can’t guarantee it. They have good troops – at least six companies of line, and some mercenaries. Their soldiers are fresh, and nearly at full strength since the only thing that they have faced so far is our town militia. We have qualitatively better soldiers – some of them are veterans of four or five years of combat, and all of them have seen some real action. Our cannons are better, but otherwise our forces are equal. If we attack and catch them on open ground, I believe that I can out think their general. We will use a double line on both flanks, so that three companies in the first INF or Cossacks battalions will be next to each other, but on the outside edge a second company will be directly behind the first one, adding weight and firepower to the flanks. We also have three companies of Streltsky – most of their battalion- and we can set them on the flank as well to stop enemy cavalry and to flank the enemy while they are under fire. I believe that we would be able to envelop the enemy force in this fashion, and destroy their army. The problem is –“ the general continued “if they set up on a hill or a ridgeline, then this whole battle plan is out the window. They could use their Sakers, which are immobile but outrange our guns, to tear our infantry apart as we approach, and most of our army would break in an uphill attack. In addition, they have a company of mercs waiting outside our lines who could join the battle and arrive in time to harass our rear, or even turn the tide in a prolonged battle. In that scenario I would give us less than a 30% chance at winning the battle.” Peter digested the analysis. He ached to attack right now, to recapture his capital, his nation’s pride… he had been enraged by his own impotence against this tiny Duchy of Courland for years now, and now he could finally strike. He looked into Menshikov’s eye’s and opened his mouth to give the order to attack, but the general spoke first. “we could, however, win with near certainty if we besiege Moscow…. I think that we can move the odds in our favor dramatically. If we wait for them to attack us, I give us an 80% chance of victory. Before you make your decision you must remember your imperial majesty that the fate of our nation lies in the balance. Will you openly gamble your kingdom, your empire, on a decision that will be made by the enemy? Or will you trust my advice, and be patient, and I will deliver you your capital….” Peter’s anger flickered away… Moscow, under siege, friends, families, citizens, his own soldier’s children and wives starving inside. It was a nightmare scenario, but it guaranteed victory. He was Czar, he had to make the hard decisions. “Your certain of this assessment general?” Menshikov shrugged, his thin nose making his hawk like face seem less handsome than it actually was… “in war I can’t be certain, but I think that the enemy is hoping that we will be capricious and choose to attack immediately, they will lie along this ridge and win the battle, or damage us severely enough to ruin our only field army – either scenario favors Courland, and devastates Russia…” Peter coughed, leftover phlem from a cold was spit into his mouth and swallowed. He needed Vodka after this briefing. “Good advice General – we’ll be patient then. My orders are to besiege the enemy in Moscow”.

Dispatch, Spring 1703: From General Menshikov, outside of Azov, Don Volsko
Your Imperial Majesty, I am reporting that we crushed the final (3rd) revolt of the Crimean Tatars. I left the Strelsky and Cossack Battalions and the cavalry in the Crimean capital, as the population remains restive due to hunger and the general devastation of the province. I detached the 1st Infantry from the main army along with two batteries of 6 pound artillery and we proceeded into the Don province. We captured the capital with a very slight battle, and we were greeted as liberators by the population. I don’t believe that we need to fear revolts in Don Volsko. This victory cut off the major part of the Dagestani army which was operating to the north of our location. Their main forces moved south from Bashkiria and Astrakhan, and they caught us on a hilltop just North of Azov. We used our superior position and better guns to crack the enemy, although they made a determined attack on our center. Generally we have destroyed their army in this region, although we lack the cavalry to fully annihilate their infantry companies when they retreated. I personally lead a counterattack against their general, and he was killed in close combat by one of my bodyguards. Most of our horses were killed however, as were ¾ of my men. The infantry companies on our side fared well, and I believe that we will be able to proceed to Astrakhan and capture that territory as well. I will await orders at that time relating to whether we should move east to Bashkiria, or south towards Dagestan.
Your faithful servant,
Protector of Kiev,
General of the Russian armies of the south,
Alexander Menshikov





Battle of Moscow: spring 1706
Nine long painful months had passed for Peter as he waited for the Duke’s forces to finally come to the fight. They didn’t fight that autumn, or winter either. Menshikov had predicted that they would winter in Moscow as a breakout into a wasteland wouldn’t help the army of Courland anyway. Late winter came, still no breakout, and finally, with the warm wind – the Germans called it Der Fohn – the enemy stirred. Menshikov had briefed his Czar on his battle plan. He would station the six pounders in the center and have wings coming off either side so that the overall formation resembled a sideways “L”. On the short side, which the enemy would perceive as weak and attack, they would be surprised by three companies of streltsky, as well as facing the continuous fire of double lines of Cossacks. In addition, any companies that attacked the “weak side” would be exposed to the murderous flank fire of the cannons themselves. On the other side, a double line of cavalry were located to prevent the single line of 1st infantryman from being outflanked. If an enemy were to attack the center, they would discover that Menshikov always placed a solid line infantry unit with his cannons – a nasty surprise when combined with grapeshot and canister.


The Reversed "L" shape layout of the Russian lines is clear in this picture...





The artillery in the center has Courland in its sights...!


Courland's army charges towards the Russian positions....


The Strelsky counterattack against cavalry on the eastern flank.


After the battle Peter reflected that Menshikov seemed to be able to read his enemy’s minds. Every trap that he had laid was a success… The Duke’s soldiers had remained under cannon fire for half a mile before they charged to their positions. The weak side drew the enemy, but after an intense burst of battle, they were defeated. On the strong side of the “L” (the long side) the battle lasted much longer, but as the victorious troops from the weak side arrived, the outflanked Courlanders collapsed. Menshikov sent cavalry in all directions to mercilessly hunt the enemy down, but in in the end a few escaped back to Moscow. Casualties in general were light, but amongst them was General Mazepa, the Czar’s personal military advisor. The older man had lead the charge against the Courland cavalry that had been dedicated to flanking the “strong” wing of Menshikov’s “L”, and because of his personal valor he had been amongst the first to die. Peter wanted to hate Menshikov for yet another friend’s loss, but he had seen the general with his eight man bodyguard chase enemy companies across the grass…. He returned with only six men. It was hard to hate a man that sacrificed his entire bodyguard, made up of friends and retainers, for the good of the empire.
Two days later the Courland survivors were overwhelmed by the Russian Army. Peter had his capital back – Russia had its pride back…

[Irishmafia2020]

Part 5
Late winter 1707, Moscow
Peter smelled smoke. His palace always smelled of smoke during the winter, but now there was a permanent burnt essence to the air of Moscow. The city had suffered under the siege during the previous winter, and many houses had been demolished by Courland soldiers seeking wood to defeat the Russian weather. The palace had escaped the worst abuse, as it was used only by high officers during the occupation, but there had been a good deal of looting and vandalism in his personal residence. Peter remembered the ”time of troubles” from 100 years previous when Polish troops had occupied the Kremlin for two years, and the Russian people were equally humiliated. That though had been history – a tragedy from generations before that seemed as long gone as the Mongols. The all drunken all joking synod clubhouse had been burnt. That hurt Peter on a personal level. He insisted that the members of the club who remained – who hadn’t fled before the fighting – meet regularly in an abandoned mansion in the foreign quarter. The Czar felt that Russia was in a malaise caused by shaken confidence and that a return to normalcy as soon as possible would do the nation good.
In the year since Moscow was recaptured Peter had ordered the University at Novgorod closed and focused on preparing his army for a lengthy two front war. The loss of Ivan Mazepan during the battle of Moscow deprived Peter of a trusted general, and now his military forces in the south lacked leadership at the upper command level. Menshikov was still a proven general, but Courland seemed to be the more difficult of the two opponents that Russia faced and Peter wanted him in command of the main army in the north. The Crimea, surprisingly, had replaced Kiev as the major recruiting center of the southern war effort because many refugees had trekked to the region from as far away as Moscow and Novgorod. In fact the four companies of the 2nd Infantry were all composed of officers and men from the Northern provinces in units with names like “ Butyrsky” and “Novogordsky”.
Peter sighed. Seven years ago, his nation’s ascendance seemed assured, and now he realized that he would have to fight for another five years simply to make Russia whole again.


The Butyrski Companies are an excellent example of regional units added by the additional units mod, and they always form the backbone of a storied battalion...
Dispatch, spring 1707:
Your Imperial Majesty,
My name is Colonel Feodor Illychkin. I am the acting commander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion. Six weeks ago, acting on written instructions from General of the Army Menshikov I lead my soldiers into the Don Volsko region. We besieged the capital city of the region, and after a vicious fight I am proud to report that we have captured the Azov fortress in the 4th battle of Azov. We were outnumbered, but we retreated to a hilltop and our superior spirit held the day in hand to hand combat. It has been an honor to serve your majesty and our fatherland. I have also heard that Astrakhan is currently in the hands of rebels who have driven out the Dagestan Army, but who temporarily are refusing to recognize your obvious authority. When reinforcements arrive, we will do our best to “persuade” the rebels of their national identity.
Colonel Illychkin, 2nd Infantry

Dagestani troops assault a Russian held hill in the Don region....


D company 2nd Inf - the "Demons" rallys to help finish the last Chechen line unit...

Dispatch early spring 1707, from Santa Fe Nuevo Mexico, offices of the governor:
Your Imperial majesty, I am full of patriotic pride at our nation’s great achievements in this recent conflict. It is clear that you will need excellent and experienced governors for the newly reconquered provinces. I have served you faithfully for six years in this forbidding and forgotten outpost, and we have not been conquered by any aggressive troops, which few of your other governors can say. Unfortunately I am writing you about a difficult situation that is arising in this colony. Three tribes of Natives are active in attacks against the Hispanic population. I do not have any soldiers to spare in campaigns against the Comanches, Navajos, or Apaches. I beg you to relieve me of the burden of governorship, and send soldiers and money soon, unless you are finally taking my advice and selling it to any other power in the world. This province might be a useful peace offering to the Duke of Courland, and I assure you that the Russia would only be losing an empty desert in return for peace.
Governor and Excellency,
Niko Pavlovich

Dispatch late spring 1707, from the offices of the Czar of Russia to the Governor of Nuevo Mexico:
Governor Pavlovich, you have done such an excellent job in preventing Nuevo Mexico from falling to our enemies in Chechnya and Courland that I must insist that you remain at your post. I do suggest that you pay the Comanches to attack the Navajos, pay the Navajos to attack the Apaches, and Pay the Apaches to attack the Comanches. You can use the money from your tax receipts that you have been saving rather than sending to your war torn homeland. That should solve your problem nicely. If you do well, I may consider you as a governor of the region of Don Volsko. Unfortunately the last three men who held that position died while fighting Dagestani troops, but they lacked your experience in repelling enemy invasions. Chechens have unfortunately murdered the families of all of the Russian officials in the region, so if you could bring your wife and children it would help to show how fearless you are in the face of a relentless and dangerous enemy. Thank you for suggesting yourself for this difficult to fill position, I will write to you more about a possible transfer later this year.
Czar Peter Alexei Romanov

Dispatch Late Spring 1707:
Your imperial majesty, as your representative in Istanbul, I feel that it is my duty to inform you that Georgia has captured the Ottoman capital. The Georgians have also over run the entire near-east, and only a few governors in the Balkans and Egypt continue to hold out against their onslaught. In practical terms the Ottoman Empire has been swept from history and replaced by a new Georgian dynasty. I await your instructions on how best to address these developments.
Ambassador Nicholas Molotov

The new Empire of Georgia, fortunately an ally of Russia...

[l33tl4m3r]

This has been a GREAT read!

[Irishmafia2020]

PART 6

Courland – 1708:
General Menshikov supped his black, spiced tea and considered the events of the next morning. Everything was set for the biggest battle of his career the next day, and yet he felt at ease. Russia was rescued from the brink of defeat by a pack of little powers that had been tearing at the empire. Even a loss tomorrow – even his own death – couldn’t prevent him from very nearly destroying the Duke of Courland’s forces. Technically, Menshikov was outnumbered by two to one, but his troops were better, and much of the enemy army was composed of citizen militia. Victory was not guaranteed, but the general felt that this was a battle that was needed to restore Russia’s honor. He had moved west across the steppes for hundreds of miles, delayed by minor blocking forces of the enemy, and now he was at the gates of their capital. His army was veteran, but also fresh from a yearlong rest in Moscow. Tomorrow would bring his greatest victory.

General Menshikov thought about his wife. He missed her soft pale skin, he missed the gentle sound of her voice as she rocked his daughters to sleep. He should be home, trying to make a son… He missed his mistress as well. She was a countess whose husband didn’t find women to be of his liking. They had met at a local ball, and flirtation had turned to passion. She became pregnant – had a son, but he was heir to another man’s estates. Menshikov doubted that the count cared how his wife came to be pregnant, and it would be useful for him to proclaim his wife’s son as his heir so that he could continue his lifestyle without interruption. The countess “Mary” had rarely come into his path since, but she continued to write to him in a very salacious manner. Menshikov remembered for a second the peasant woman who he had been his first. He had been staring at the widow’s breasts as she milked his father’s cows on their estate when she smiled at him – a young teenager then – and took him into the hayloft. After she was done, she pulled a silver button off of his jacket, bit it, put it in her pocket, and winked before returning to her work. He had been confused for a while after that. Several weeks later, the woman’s oldest daughter was milking the cows. She smiled at him and told him to return to the barn that night with a gold hairpin. Alexander had snuck into his sister’s room and nabbed a little used pin, made mostly of gold, and gave it to the girl for a piece of heaven that night. Six months later he watched that girl get married, as his father’s representative in the local serf village, and he noted that she wore the same little pin in her hair. He realized that it made up her dowry, that that pin meant that she could afford to get married. Once Alexander understood, he would go down to the barn occasionally with a few pearls, or a piece of silver and try his way the local serf girls. He didn’t mess with the married ones, serfs had hard lives and the least he could do was let them have that bit of security. He was no rapist either, but he’d supplied a few dowries in his time as a young man. Oh well… battle in the morning and all he could think about was the women he left behind….

Sleep began to creep up on the general. He thought that it was too bad that he and Peter wouldn’t be friends – Peter loved men though, he enjoyed being the drunken warrior king whereas Alexander for all of his talent at strategy would have been happier forgoing the company of his army to be back in the arms of his dear wife, or at least her chambermaid. Peter thought that he was dry and passionless, but Menshikov knew a lot about passion, it was just that he was more concerned with impressing women than men. That was the difference, after all between the Czar and himself – Peter was a builder, explorer, and fighter, Menshikov would have been happy enough to stay at his own estate and enjoy his women, but war combined with the connections of his mistress who obtained his first commission, revealed that he had a talent. Alexander smiled before he slept – Peter secretly hated that he was better at both seducing women and war than the Czar himself. The mighty Caesar – Peter “the Great” a six foot eight inch tall genius giant – outdone by Menshikov himself in the two most important aspects of life. Now that was a fine thought….


Battle of Courland - Russia is outnumbered.


Battle of Courland: 1708
“It’s not really a battle at all” thought Menshikov. “More like a race….”. It was a race, between the Russian army and the Courland army to try to secure the fortress that protected the capital of the Duchy. “Basically I’m like Ceasar at Alesia – my army is besieging a weak force in the center, but surrounded by their would-be rescuers on the outside”. He watched his soldiers race under mild cannon fire toward the fortress. The fort itself was held by a dozen companies of untrained townsfolk, but they would be swept off of the ramparts within minutes of confronting his veteran soldiers. His real worry came with the actual army of Courland that would be attacking from the rear. The general gave his orders – two companies of line infantry nearby wheeled to face the enemy behind them, along with the six pounder batteries. They wouldn’t be enough to stop the onslaught of the Duke’s forces, but they would delay them, and that was all that was needed. Fifteen minutes later General Menshikov and his bodyguard rode into the center of the fortress itself, galloping past a pile of bodies and a line of defeated townsfolk whose rapid annihilation had revealed their civilian unfitness for military service, and he stopped in the center. Outside the army of Courland was retreating already, their wrath spent against the unfortunate companies sent to delay them. Courland was his, or rather Peter’s. The battle itself was mild compared to the campaign that it was ending. “Today the Duchy, my veterans, in a month we retake Estonia for Russia!” The soldiers cheered, a ragged angry roar of triumph that they had captured their enemies’ capital.


Moscow 1710:
Peter looked older now than he did a decade ago, he knew that when he looked in the mirror. Ten years before his impetuosity had launched Russia on a path to glory – but the cost had been unexpectedly high. His capital had been captured, countless soldiers had shed their lives, and he still hadn’t finished the “little war” that had begun in 1700. The war in the west was over, Courland and Estonia were occupied, and a revolt had been suppressed as well. The East continued to linger… Astrakhan was again in Enemy hands… Tartarya was captured by the enemy, and recaptured by his own army. A battalion of Cossacks – the 2nd Cossacks actually, had heroically antagonized the Chechens while most of the 3rd Inf battled in the northeast. It wasn’t exactly a stalemate, but a violent war of attrition instead. The problem was, Peter knew, that the army in the west could not be redeployed to the East without leaving the way open to Moscow again. Peter’s spies reported that Poland and Sweden, both ostensibly allies, seemed to be making an agreement against Russia. Of course, if he could put this war against Dagestan behind him, Peter knew, then he could join either Poland or Sweden against the other. Poland was becoming an enormous empire, Peter wanted to see them contained, and he craved the rich Polish and Eastern European plains. Sweden was more dangerous, but at least they were constantly dealing with revolution in Norway. Either way, with his main army guarding the west, he had a pair of piecemeal battalions operating in the east – winning battles, but not the war itself. The 2nd Cossacks had recaptured Don Volsko and had heroically battled Chechens ever since, but they could not leave the Don region unguarded. The 3rd Infantry on the other hand was commanded by a recently commissioned general, and they had a heroic history already. The third was formed when a retired colonel who had fought for Peter’s father Alexei, rallied a company of soldiers and a battery of sakers at his own expense and began harassing the Courlanders while they occupied Moscow. Peter was so impressed by the Colonel, that he placed him on his own staff, and made him a field general second only to Menshikov after two years of training. Boris was a tough old bastard too – he’d probably win against Dagestan eventually – at 58 years old, he seemed to thrive on war.


"General Boris" - a recruited 58 year old general? Makes better sense in the story...


The Czar sighed… there were lines under his eyes. He thought for a moment about the losses… two line units from his army – C Company of the 1st Inf and D Co of the 2nd were wiped out to the last man fighting in Courland, and a troop of Streltsky Cavalry was destroyed in the East when their commander lead them on a charge into implanted stakes. Peter had no love for the streltsky, but they had fought faithfully for a decade, and they deserved better than a suicide charge through smoke and cannon fire into a field of stakes. In the west his infantry companies of streltsky axmen had been reduced from four to three due to attrition – which meant three hundred or so men had died during the Courland/Estonia campaign. Peter’s pike and shot Battalion – two companies each of Cossacks and Pikemen was attacked and destroyed in Tartarya. They did some damage, but an entire battalion... gone…. “I swear to God They shall be avenged” muttered the Czar, a fierce light flickering in his eye.


The remnants of the 2nd cossacks after delivering a pyrrhic victory to Dagestan.


Dispatch, Late Spring 1709, from Santa Fe Nuevo Mexico, offices of the governor:
Your Imperial Majesty, I was extremely disappointed that you granted land in Nuevo Mexico to Catalonian refugees. The land that gave them, was in fact under my own use. I have started a ranchero near El Paso del Norte along the river, and unfortunately the leader of this Spanish rabble presented me with documents that were obviously false which appeared to give them my own land. I cannot but wonder why you would offer these useless exiles, sent away from their own land for their disloyalty, any membership in the Russian Empire. I await your reply that I may remove these rascals and place the land they occupy under better use.

Governor and Excellency,

Niko Pavlovich

Dispatch, Summer 1710, from the offices of the Czar of Russia to the Governor of Nuevo Mexico:
My dear Niko – for years you have begged me for soldiers, and now I give them too you and you still complain! These Catalonians have promised to provide at their own expense a first rate line infantry company for service in the Russian Empire. My agents have reported that in fact most of the village are veterans of various Spanish wars, and they shoot extremely well. It is vital that these men be allowed to serve in my armed forces, and I will reward them with land on the frontier in return for their service. You also complain that I am taking your land, but that’s impossible – as a crown colony, I OWN Nuevo Mexico completely! I applaud your business acumen, my dear servant, but apparently you owe me rent for the use of MY land over these past years. Well then – I will take payment in military service, but not your own. Send me that battalion of Native Auxiliary that you have laying around in Santa Fe, along with my Catalonians, and I won’t confiscate your family’s land in Novgorod as payment for your rent. I have sent a fleet of transports and a brig that should be off of the coast of Texas by early next year, so send the soldiers soon. Finally, leave the new citizens of Russia alone. The Catalonian village is a special project of sorts for me, and I am very interested in seeing that “rabble” enjoy success in our colony.

Czar Peter Alexei Romanov



Catalonian Exiles - an excellent unit that I always try to recruit because of their unit stats and role playing possibilities. These guys are headed to Europe if they can slip past the pirates...

[Sleeping Bear]

This was an interesting read, I hope you'll continue it

[berthier92]

thoroughly enjoyed the read! a shame you never continued, i hope Poland got Just deserts for their shipment of arms to the tartars!