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Thread: The Shadow of History: Vengeance AAR Updated March 20th

  1. #1

    Default The Shadow of History: Vengeance AAR Updated March 20th

    The Shadow of History


    "Had it not been for Blenheim, all Europe might at this day suffer under the effect of French conquests resembling those of Alexander in extent and those of the Romans in durability."
    - Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy, 19th Century British Historian

    Introduction Bonjour et merci for those who have bothered to click here! I have written a couple of AARs, some of which are reviewed in the Critic's Quill, which I suggest you guys check out. This AAR shall be the spiritual successor of one of them, namely An Age of Enlightenment. The major difference between that AAR and this one will be style. Enlightenment was written in a historical style, standing back from the personal lives of people within countries, and instead using countries as the characters themselves.

    This AAR will be less documentary, and more narrative. It will have characters that will interact with the storyline, real history and will be present on the battlefield. The campaign gameplay will be augmented with set-piece battles played on the regular Play Battle mode, but the majority of the action will take place in the course of the campaign.

    I will, as the title suggests, be using the excellent Imperial Splendour modification, which all of you should check out if you want a break from Vanilla or Darth Mod.

    Je vous présente un histoire alternative de la France, pour votre plaisir.


    Rules
    Faction:
    France. Obviously.

    Campaign Difficulty:
    Normal. This is to avoid ridiculous stacks of enemies due to the extra cash that the AI gets, as well as to avoid idiotic diplomacy. I also find it's the best for maintaining some reasonable level of historicity in terms of the expansion of factions.

    Battle Difficulty:
    To vary, Normal as standard. I'll increase the difficulty if I am about to annihilate a major faction, and perhaps in a few other circumstances.

    Battle Time Limit:
    20 mins. This increases the chances of more inconclusive battles considerably, while also increasing the need for aggression in battle in order to utterly defeat an enemy. As far as I'm aware, IS has forts removed from the game. This may change to 40 mins should battles become difficult.

    Gameplay/Strategy:

    - I am not allowed to aggressively attack the Thirteen Colonies bar Maine without major victories over the Royal Navy, or the emergence of the United States. I may raid it economically however. This is to simulate France's Europe-First mentality, as well as the strength of the Royal Navy.
    - I am not allowed to attack or refuse alliance with Spain as a Bourbon monarchy: The Spanish King named a Bourbon as heir in 1701, the French King is a Bourbon.
    - I may not launch a Revolution to a Republic until after 1762, the year of the publication of The Social Contract, by Rousseau. I must side with the monarchy against any popular uprising until that date.
    - I may not invade England directly, I must attack either Ireland or Scotland first, and must defeat local forces of the Royal Navy before doing so.
    - If France becomes a Republic, I must declare war on one major power in Europe within two years, and every major power in Western Europe within three years. Furthermore, if the United States exists, I must declare war on them (to simulate the Quasi-War), regardless of whether or not I have colonies in North America.
    - I must conform to French military thinking of the period to the greatest extent possible, particularly when fighting in Europe. This may only change if France becomes a Republic.


    Chapters

    Prologue
    La Guerre Arrive

    Blenheim
    BONUS: Le Grand-Sergent
    Last edited by IrishHitman; March 22, 2013 at 10:11 AM.

  2. #2

    Default Re: The Shadow of History: An Imperial Splendour AAR

    Prologue
    1697, Paris

    Philip, the Duc de la Vallière, paced in his study, as his wife Anne looked on in frustration. News of the Treaty of Ryswick had finally arrived, France was at peace. Louis XIV, "The Sun King", had been saved from ruin multiple times. Philip himself had commanded troops in the King's armies, not out of loyalty, but necessity. The huge alliance of enemies arranged against Louis should have brought him to his knees. Instead, he gained territories and at the cost of supporting something that was near impossible to overturn: William of Orange on the English throne. The Duc bit his bottom lip, and paced still faster.

    "Wearing a hole in the floor won't change things," Anne said sternly, "There will be other opportunities."
    "The tyrant is still on the throne, and there's nothing to stop him," Philip snapped back, "The floor can go to hell!"
    Anne embraced him, half out of wishing to stop him pacing.

    "What he did to my mother..." Philip started, but cut himself off.
    "I know," Anne said, "But you have royal blood in your veins, God will help us."
    "God is Dutch," the Duc quipped, "William of Orange was blessed with a throne."

    "If not God, then the nobles," Anne said, "Forcing them to live at court, refusing privileges that are rightfully theirs, the King's thirst for power is quite obvious."
    "Half of them benefit from that arrangement," Philip replied, after a moment, "But there is always the other half.."

    The Duc went to his study table, sat down behind it and took up pen and paper. Anne simply watched, waiting for the speech.

    "Some can be convinced, but it will take another war to bring them on side. The Spanish problem could give us one. The only way we'll succeed is if we can offer the nobles something better, and the Dutchman has given me an idea."

    The Duc then explained his plan, and that its execution might take decades. He soon came up with a list of names, people who might be interested. Anne soon came up with a few more.

    Philip's revolt was in the works.

  3. #3
    Bullet Storm's Avatar Libertus
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    Default Re: The Shadow of History: An Imperial Splendour AAR

    Hmmm, interesting start. I will look forward to reading more in the days to come! Oh, and just to speed it along +rep!

  4. #4

    Default Re: The Shadow of History: An Imperial Splendour AAR

    The first full chapter will be out at about Wednesday or Thursday next week.... because I'm going to France tomorrow morning, and haven't had time to write it haha

  5. #5

    Default Re: The Shadow of History: An Imperial Splendour AAR

    A great start. Loved your other AAR. Here have some +rep!

  6. #6

    Default Re: The Shadow of History: An Imperial Splendour AAR

    La Guerre arrive
    The War arrives

    The war that Philip needed finally arrived in late 1701.

    The Spanish King Charles II, lacking an heir due to his mental and physical infirmity, had named the grandson of Louis XIV as his heir. His Austrian relatives of the Habsburg dynasty, jealous of the prize and fearful of a massive Franco-Spanish Empire, went to war. The English and Dutch soon joined them, themselves afraid of being isolated and destroyed by a Bourbon empire. And so, Europe was to bathe itself in blood for the ambition of kings.



    To Philip, this represented a distinct opportunity. In the years since the last war, he had constructed a group of determined individuals with the will to change France forever, either out of principle or ambition. At the beginning of hostilities, Philip, Duc de la Valliere, called a meeting.

    This was arranged at De La Valliere's residence in Paris, and Philip soon found himself awaiting his friends with enthusiasm as he sifted through intelligence reports on the disposition of the armies now facing the Bourbons, drinking wine in good spirits.

    The first to arrive was Jean-Francois, the Marquis de la Faye, a rising star at the royal court and a close friend of the Countess of Verrue. A well known poet, the man had a promising career ahead of him, which made his hatred of Louis quite a paradox at first glance. However, the closer that Jean got to the King, the more he disliked the monarch. The arrogance, the arbitrary nature of the man was offensive to the Marquis, and the increasingly authoritarian rule imposed by the King was dangerous in the mind of the neophyte. The Marquis' mercentile ambitions were also offensive to the King's favourites, whose sense of noblesse oblige placed such activity as below their standing. All of this was accidentally revealed to the Duchesse de la Valliere's, who soon involved him in the plot.

    After greeting Anne with appropriate formality in the lobby, the doors were opened to the study and Jean-Francois entered the excellently decorated room.
    "I see I am the first," the Marquis started, "I would have thought the opposite."
    "Your lack of tardiness is why you're valued," Philip replied after another gulp of wine, "Both by the King and our compatriots."
    "You must be in a good mood," the Marquis said, "You referred to Louis as the King."

    "The King for now," the Duc threw back with a smile, filling up the Marquis' glass. The two men had become friends with great ease, and Philip had every confidence in de la Faye's loyalty to the cause.

    "What are we to do then?" the Marquis began, "Storm Versailles with our flags, kill the King, disrobe the mistresses and proclaim all mankind to be doomed without us?"
    "Something like that," Philip replied jokingly, "But in all seriousness, I think we should act more cautiously until an opportune moment."

    A knock came at the door, and the next guest entered. Arthur Dillon, colonel of the Dillon regiment of the French Army, and a prominent Jabobite. The Irishman had joined the plotters after Louis withdrew his support for the Stuart claim to the throne of England and Scotland, and while latter had re-recognised James III as King of England as soon as the war broke out, Dillon regarded Louis as using the English issue as a bargaining tool at the diplomatic table. De La Valliere, who sympathised with the Jacobites, was able to leverage Dillon into joining the coup with promise of an immediate declaration of war to be proposed as soon as forces to reclaim the English throne could be made.

    "Colonel," Philip said, "Welcome, I trust you travelled here comfortably?"
    "Comfortably enough," Dillon replied, "The news of Austrian forces in the Duchy of Milan has caused a stir, word is that they are moving aggressively there."
    "To be expected," Jean said while picking up some of the reports on the study table, "Who will have the command against them?"
    "Villeroy," Dillon replied, "Catinat's being overrun, and the King's interference is making it worse."

    "Shall we proceed to the matter at hand?" Philip asked, "Italy is merely one piece of the puzzle."
    The men sat down around the table, moving reports out of their way for their glasses to Philip's slight displeasure.

    "Right, how are we to proceed?" Jean asked, "We cannot simply overthrow the king."
    "That is obvious," Dillon replied with irritation, "We need the support of the army."
    "We need money to pay the army as well," Jean said, ignoring Dillon's irritation, "That isn't going to be easy if we rely only on our own titles and lands."
    "There is gold in other places than land," Philip said, "I have been studying the English and Dutch closely since the Dutch invaded, their government system and their merchants. They seem to have an endless supply of money thanks to trade. There are many opportunities to be had there."
    "Some of the other nobles will think less of us if we do go down that route," Dillon said after a pause, "Surely insuring their support is the most necessary thing?"
    "The sinews of war are endless money," Jean replied, "We need just that. There is much trade to be had in India, we should exploit that."

    "There is also much land to be had in America," Philip said, "That should give us respectability and finances. We will slowly build up our influence through whatever means we can, and prepare to strike."

    "We cannot strike when the army is engaged with the enemy," Dillon stated matter-of-factly, "The idea we've talked about won't work while Austria fights France."
    "That is why I have thought of a new idea," Philip replied, "We place ourselves around the court as best we can, then kill the king."
    The other two remained silent for a few minutes, seemingly stunned. De La Faye even drank deeply from his glass.

    "Kill the king?" Dillon said finally, "That would brand us murderers, and worse, the Dauphin would simply take the throne and have us hung and quartered for making him king."
    "We make the death appear natural," Philip replied, "The Dauphin is a weak man, if we can control his court, we can control him. We can replace him far more easily than his father."
    "This plan requires that we gain favour with Louis," Jean said, "We would have to serve loyally and without question for years for it to work, and even then, the King is old, he may die before we are ready."

    "We'll be ready," Philip replied, and then began to explain the plan.
    The Marquis de la Faye was to concentrate on the court itself as well as funding. He was to get close to the King, as well as close to the trading merchants and the East India Company. Dillon and De La Valliere were to concentrate on military prestige, which would greatly increase their standing when the coup came about. Finally, they would find a conspirator in America to bring the rest of the colonies to heel, and for extra funding. The others would be brought on board to help in these goals.

    The plotters left in good spirits, confident of progress.

    _________________________________________________________________________



    A few months later, into 1702, the Austrian forces under Eugene of Savoy defeated French forces in the Duchy of Milan, forcing Marshall Villeroi to retreat quickly to Marseilles. Here, major reinforcements were rallied, and the Marshall soon marched on Nice. However, Eugene anticipated this, and intercepted the French.



    The French Army soon halted and drew up on a position on some low lying hills, with a small valley in front of them, as their scouts had spotted the Austrians advancing quickly. De La Valliere, in command of his regiment, was positioned near the centre of the line, in front of the Gardes Francaises. Taking out his sword, he wiped it with a cloth as he did before battle, before sheathing it and calling for his courier. Handing the man a message for Anne, Philip instructed him to go around the men for their messages to their families before heading back to Paris.

    By the time this was done, the Austrians were in sight.


    The Habsburg infantry moved in long columns, dotting the horizon with masses of men that stretched from the sea to far off the French left.



    Marshall Villeroi, afraid that his position would be flanked, moved the cavalry from the rear to the left. Philip could hear the sounds of the horses behind him, and quickly stole a look backwards. The cavalrymen in all their splendour and pomp moved quickly around the French artillery camp and took up their new positions. Philip sighed, and returned his gaze to the front. The Austrian cavalry were moving as well.



    Quickly advancing in the centre, the threat that they might attack the relatively weaker lines near the artillery before they could be engaged by the cannons was great indeed. The French commander was not going to risk it.



    The French cannons roared, a wave of smoke enveloping them as their cannonballs whistled through the air. Philip's eyes watered slightly due to the smoke drifting over, which he quickly dealt with, as the balls thudded around the Austrian cavalry position directly ahead of his own.



    The Austrian cavalry quickly retreated, and their infantry advanced more quickly to engage. The time had come.

    "CHARGEZ VOS ARMES!" shouted Philip at the top of his voice, which his sergeants repeated. The entire regiment then proceeded to load their weapons in good order. Philip nodded his satisfaction to his subordinate, a burly commoner named Dupont. His interest in soldiering was not in vain.

    The order to advance to a wall further down the valley was given, as allowing the Austrians to gain it would allow them to negate much of the musketry the line could have brought to bear on them.

    "PORTEZ VOS ARMES!" Philip shouted, drawing his sword, "MARCHONS!"



    The entire French line advanced down into the valley, and soon were stationed behind the low wall. The Austrian right soon entered range, as they had closed in from the French left. The ripple of musketfire to the left surprised Philip, who quickly looked there just in time to see the first Austrian cannonballs strike the French position.



    The drummer boy threw up upon seeing the same sight, in uncomfortable proximity to Philip's boots.

    "Sorry, your grace," he mumbled, recovering himself.
    "Think nothing of it boy," Philip replied, "My boots will be covered in worse by the end of this."



    The Austrians were gaining ground, their flags clearly visible now. Philip resisted giving the order to fire. The range was not right, and he wanted to make sure every ball counted.

    "APPRETEZ VOS ARMES!" Philip roared, again repeated by Dupont, as the men brought their muskets into their hands from their shoulders and cocked the hammers. The Austrians were now very close, but were quite disorderly.

    "EN JOUE!"



    "FEU!"
    The air crackled and smoked as the regiment unleashed its barrage into the nearest Austrian regiment, which was still finding it hard to get into formation to fire back. The enemy casualties were numerous in the extreme, and the survivors stunned by the attack. Philip saw his chance.

    "FONCEZ!"



    The Régiment de la Valliere broke the line, and charged directly into the bewildered Austrians, who only managed to get off a few shots before French bayonets and swords arrived to stop them. Several of the other regiments in the centre followed suit, and a grand melee began in the middle of the battlefield. The French generally had the better of it, as their fire had been more effective.

    The Marshall, seeing this, saw an opportunity. The Austrian infantry was too heavily engaged to react, and their artillery too far off to fire for real effect without harming their own troops.



    Just as Philip was finishing off an Austrian officer, the thunder of cannons halted, and a low rumbling could be heard. The French cavalry was moving from the left, and rolling up the now heavily engaged Austrian line. The distraction almost cost Philip his life, as a soldier thrust a bayonet at him, which he almost dodged, but instead caught it in the shoulder. The man made the mistake of pulling it out again, and the Duc immediately smashed the musket out of the way and ran him through with his sword. Dupont pulled Philip out of the front of the fighting, ripped his uniform and started bandaging him.

    The cavalry arrived in the centre, hacking and slashing through the Habsburg infantry, which finally began to flee. The French cannons opened up once again on the Austrian cavalry, to prevent them from intervening. "We have won," Dupont shouted in celebration, "Long live the King!"

    "Long live the King," the Duc replied quietly.

  7. #7
    McScottish's Avatar The Scribbling Scotsman
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    Default Re: The Shadow of History: An Imperial Splendour AAR Updated March 1st

    Excellent stuff! Will undoubtedly be following this from here on out.

  8. #8
    CELTICEMPIRE's Avatar Libertus
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    Default Re: The Shadow of History: An Imperial Splendour AAR Updated March 1st

    Good Start!

  9. #9
    Bullet Storm's Avatar Libertus
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    Default Re: The Shadow of History: An Imperial Splendour AAR Updated March 1st

    Very nice, keep it up!

  10. #10

    Default Re: The Shadow of History: An Imperial Splendour AAR Updated March 1st

    Looks great so far! I wish I could rep you, but... brand-new and all that...
    Oh, and... est-ce que vous​êtes français?

  11. #11

    Default Re: The Shadow of History: An Imperial Splendour AAR Updated March 1st

    Non, je suis irlandais

  12. #12

    Default Re: The Shadow of History: An Imperial Splendour AAR Updated March 1st

    Blenheim
    La bataille de Höchstädt

    After victory at Nice, an army under Villeroi marched on Turin, taking the city and securing Milan's western flank from attack. Savoyard armies continued to roam, but these were small and generally were forced to fight an irregular campaign. In the larger picture, Austria was now threatened from Italy; Only Venice stood between Vienna and a sweeping advance by Franco-Spanish Armies. However, the French hestitated. Venice was not hostile to the French interest, but refused to allow the passage of armies by either side. And so what would have given the French a decisive advantage, became stalemate. The war in Italy, for the moment at least, was over.

    The focus now shifted to Germany and Flanders.

    Philip's regiment was moved from the south to the Rhine, where he was joined by the rest of his brigade, bringing two more regiments of foot and a regiment of cavalry to his disposal. Naturally, as a Duke, de la Valliere was given proper place and deference in the command tent. However, he was relatively young, 36 in 1703, and furthermore the circumstances of his birth hung over him, or rather, his mother's fidelity.

    1703 revealed the war's true nature; that of attrition. The Duc marched his men from state to state in Germany, helping to defeat Austrians, Prussians and any number of other armies under Marshall Villars, but no matter how many victories were attained, defeats reversed all progress. By the end of the campaign of that year, Philip was demanding that a full offensive against Austria be mounted. He was far from alone in this, and by early 1704, the plan had been laid.

    By coincidence, this allowed the key plotters to reunite with ease in Strasbourg; the Marquis de la Faye was making handsome amounts of money off of extra military supplies, and so brought his business with him, both Philip and Dillon were stationed there for the winter, and Anne needed no other excuse to join them than to see her husband. The status of the plotters had greatly increased as well; the Duc's role in the victory at Nice convinced him to raise more regiments, Dillon's actions in Flanders had seen him mentioned in royal circles, de la Faye was increasingly involved in the colonies, pushing for more resources to defend them, urging expansion in India. As for Anne, her place in Parisian high society became more prominent daily, fed not only by her husband's military exploits, but her impeccable sociability. Each were gathering their own followers for the cause, as was agreed.

    The plotters convened in de la Valliere's headquarters, a modest enough townhouse that didn't show flash and was right beside the winter camp.

    "So, here we are once again," the Duc began happily, opening a bottle of wine.
    "It is certainly hard to believe we are still here," de la Faye said, gratefully accepting a glass, "Progress has been more swift than I expected."
    "I would expect nothing less," Dillon said sternly after drinking, "Our lives are at stake."
    "So is your honour," Anne agreed, entering the room.
    "Ah, Duchesse," de la Faye said, "It is truly a pleasure to have you in these surroundings, it brightens the shadow of war."
    "Careful now, my husband is present," she replied, smiling, "But on a serious note, I have heard from Paris. There will be a push towards Vienna."

    The men cheered the news.
    "So we will have our war after all," the Duc said, "After Louis refused to pass our armies through the Alps or Venice, I thought the war was over."
    "I thought we would fight in Flanders, the Dutch have made some progress there," Dillon said.
    "The English are helping them," Anne said, "They need to be defeated."
    "So do the Austrians," de la Faye said, "They will be who we will fight."

    The conversation soon turned to the specifics of the coming campaign, and went long into the night. The plotters then parted on the best terms possible, emboldened to continue the task before them.



    As it turned out, it was not the Austrians who would fight, but the English. The war of attrition of the previous year meant that the Austrians were dangerously weak, and French forces in Strasbourg under Marshall Tallard greatly outnumbered the armies between the Rhine and Vienna. The Bavarians themselves were tied up fighting these, and were expected to defeat them before the offensive could begin.

    This allowed the English to act, or rather, one Englishman. John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough. Marching Dutch and English forces south, reinforced from various smaller German states, Marlborough force-marched his men to the Danube, where he had expected to meet up with Prince Eugene of Savoy. Eugene however, was unable to join him; the Bavarians and French had successfully intercepted him. However, the British soon threatened Strasbourg by building bridges across the Rhine, and manoeuvring aggressively in the area, causing uncertainty.

    It was this uncertainty that caused de la Valliere to act. Enraged, he argued at command meetings that the English were not the sort to fight directly, and that if they did attack Strasbourg, it could not happen without the Austrians joining them. Tallard, a competent but cautious commander, finally saw reason in early June 1704, and agreed to De La Valliere's more aggressive approach. He did this without referring the matter to Versailles, a deep violation of the standing orders, but the necessity of quick action overwhelmed him. The French Army sortied from their defensive positions on the Rhine, and went to find the English.

    This was achieved soon enough, as the British were discovered near Hochstadt, on the Danube near a village called Blenheim.



    Unable to link up with Austrian forces, trapped against the Danube and with French strength growing hourly, Marlborough offered battle.

    The French, had taken up a position on the hills above Hochstadt, waiting for the English to advance towards their batteries. Dillon was position on the right with the Irish, the French Guards and the majority of the artillery, while De La Valliere's brigade was on the far left, facing the British Guards.



    The British commenced their advance at around noon, the new banners of the Kingdom of Great Britain fluttering in the air as they came. The good order of the British troops surprised De La Valliere, who had regarded the English as mostly amateurs in the art of war.



    This was not lost on Tallard either, the British advance was making good progress despite the marshy ground, and was not breaking formation in any significant way.

    "Canons" came the order.



    The French batteries opened up on the British lines, the guns roaring like dragons and smoke filling the nostril. The British did not seem worried however, continuing their advance and only taking light casualties. The British artillery responded, but had been positioned poorly for counter battery fire, and so could only harrass the French lines ineffectively.



    Dillon, on the French right flank and at the top of the largest hill, could see the cannonballs streaming towards the British line, and did so with a certain sense of satisfaction. The sight was a glorious one.



    The leisurely viewing of the gunnery was to be interrupted however. British cavalry, after taking the brunt of the French bombardment, moved swiftly from the centre to the flanks. Furthermore, the British infantry increased its pace.



    Dillon soon tasted something other than sulphur in his mouth; fear. Not for himself, but for the army. He could see the flanking manoeuvre easily enough, but De La Valliere's brigade was at the lowest point in the battlefield. The British cavalry would be on top of the Duc's infantry before he could react. A masterstroke by Marlborough.



    Dillon's fears were well founded; Not only was the British flanking attack undetected until it was far too late, but De La Valliere had ordered his infantry to reposition, as the British infantry had deliberately avoided the left in order to attack the centre of the French line. The result was a devastating charge to the Régiment de Bordeaux.



    The British capitalised, ordering the quickmarch across the entire battlespace, to get to grips with the French.



    The Duc was not finished, however. He had opted to ride with his cavalry that day, and calmly reformed the rest of his infantry, sacrificing many lives, but saving the battle as his infantry countercharged the now bogged down British cavalry, as Philip himself enveloped the position with his own cavalry.

    "LA ROYUAME!" he cried before leading the charge himself.



    The British, trapped on the left, attempted to retreat but were caught by the French cavalry charge. A bloody melee began.



    Meanwhile, the musket duel had begun, with the British closing as the first French volley ripped into them at range. Again, the British continued to march, with more casualties this time. The French artillery, lacking canister shot, began to fire anything that would disperse; rocks, handfuls of musketballs, spare chains. This was far less effective than proper canister shot would have been, and so the British stomached even the heavy fire.



    De La Valliere had finally routed the British cavalry, and reformed his infantry to counteract an even greater threat; the Coldstream Guards and the Highlanders. The French recovered remarkably well, to the Duc's great satisfaction, as he moved what remained of his cavalry to the flank.



    In the centre, the British were finally being worn down. The hill was steeper at that point than the preceding area, and the French fire finally began to break up the British formations. Marlborough, seeing this, ordered a halt to reform and fire. The hill's inclination at that point also protected the British and Dutch troops from the worst of the cannonades.



    The situation on the left was less favourable to the French. Philip's men had startled the British Guards causing them to retreat, or so it appeared. The Duc suspected they were simply pulling back in order to refuse the flank. He decided to spring the trap, and ordered an advance. This was slow going over the corpses of many of the dead horses and men from earlier in the battle, but soon, the British returned and the firefight continued.



    Philip knew that a prolonged fight would go the British way on the left; he had no cannon, and the British had not taken a mauling from a cavalry attack. He gulped down some air, and then took a bold step.



    He lead the cavalry around the British in the smoke and confusion of battle, so far off from the British right that even Marlborough later remarked upon the attack as being lead by a ghost. The manoeuvre was finally spotted by the British artillery at the rear, but it could not respond out of fear of hitting their own troops. The messengers to turn the British line did not reach the Guards and Scots in time.



    De La Valliere's carbiniers slammed into the back of the Coldstream Guards' grenadiers, punching holes in their line with pistol fire and then smashing the formation to a shambles with their horses and swords.



    The Duc's infantry, seeing the charge and its effects, immediately charged themselves, without orders from their captains. The danger to the Duc was so obvious, and his courage in charging such a number of massed men so palpable, that many charged home with the cry "Vive la Valliere!" The British were stunned by the ferocity of the attack, with only the Scots and some of the grenadiers able to resist it with any sort of effectiveness. They stood their ground for more than a moment however, afraid that the French would run them down if they themselves ran.

    Philip was in the midst. As he hacked his way through men, three Coldstream Guards immediately understood his rank. The first came at his horse with a bayonet, failing to hit it but scaring the creature to the extent that Philip was knocked off his horse. Fortunately for him, the fall wasn't particularly hard, but unfortunately, he had dropped his sword. The Guards came at him, the first of which he deflected, and the second of which he dodged, all while attempting to get his pistol from its holster.

    The third was in less of a hurry however, and stuck the bayonet into the Duc's shoulder with a grim look of satisfaction on his face. The Duc screamed in agony, recoiling from the wound and finally bringing the pistol to bear. The air cracked as the ball left the barrel, and wiped the smile from the Guard's face, as his compatriots now circled to finish Philip off. Finding his sword, he took up the best stance he could. The first man, still too eager, overreached himself, and received a tremendous gash across the face courtesy of Philip's sword. This allowed the second to club the Duc with his musket in the back of the knee with huge force.

    Philip fell onto his back, dropping his sword in pain. Time stood still, as he knew what was coming. His eyes soon gazed at the sunlit sky, peppered with gunsmoke, awaiting the Guard's bayonet to slam into his chest. He thought of Anne.

    Instead, his ears rang with the crackle of musketfire. He moved his head, and saw the final guard falling to the ground, the man's chest plastered with bloody holes.

    Dupont was soon standing over him, offering his hand.

    "Sergeant, your timing is excellent," the Duc said weakly, accepting the help to his feet. He almost lost his footing as his leg complained loudly.
    "SURGEON!" shouted Dupont.

    The British were in full retreat, Marlborough knew when to cut his losses, and the defeat of his elite right flank destroyed his plan to roll up the French line. Instead, the French now threatened to do just that to his own troops.

    Philip stayed conscious long enough to watch the start of the British retreat.



    King Louis XIV, the Sun King, heard the news of the victory just as he was deciding what to do about Tallard's decision to not consult him. The aggression had worked, the British had been utterly routed from the theatre, and were now in full retreat to Dutch territory.

    The competency of Tallard, the bravery of de la Valliere, and the steadfast advance of the British in spite of utterly withering fire were to be the subject of much conversation in Versailles for the next weeks. Louis announced he would reward all those who fought in the campaign, and then retired to his private appartments.

    He was followed by a secretary.
    "Sire, there is a plot to kill you."
    Last edited by IrishHitman; March 22, 2013 at 07:29 AM.

  13. #13

    Default Re: The Shadow of History: An Imperial Splendour AAR Updated March 1st

    BONUS CHAPTER: MAIN CHAPTER ABOVE

    Le Grand-Sergent
    The Grand Sergeant

    Philip sat up in his bed in Strasbourg, wincing as he did so and then swearing under his breath, causing Anne to frown. She touched the older wound, the left shoulder sliced open by a bayonet in Italy.

    "Does this one still hurt?" she asked.
    "No," Philip lied.
    Anne's frown deepened.

    "Alright, a little," Philip repented, "It's not enough to stop me though."
    "Obviously," Anne said, "Either way, best wake up properly."

    Dupont entered the room, saluted and greeted Anne with courtesy.

    "Sergeant, what are you doing here?" Philip asked.
    "I called him here," Anne replied.
    Philip gave her a look, but then decided to see where she was taking it.

    "Sergeant Dupont, twice my Duc has found himself stabbed in the shoulders with a bayonet," Anne said, "And twice, France has triumphed as you have rescued him."
    "It is simple duty my grace," he replied, "It would be dishonourable to do otherwise."

    "Indeed," Anne continued, "But I do not believe in coincidence."
    "Neither do I my grace," Dupont replied, "I think it is clear that his grace is the subject of great providence."

    "I couldn't agree more," Anne said, looking back at her now very confused husband, "In that spirit, I have just one question for you."
    "What is that?" Dupont said.

    "What do you think of the King?"

    Last edited by IrishHitman; March 22, 2013 at 11:19 AM.

  14. #14
    Flikitos's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: The Shadow of History: Vengeance AAR Updated March 20th

    Really nice mate!

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