Page 12 of 12 FirstFirst ... 23456789101112
Results 221 to 239 of 239

Thread: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Going East, XI-4

  1. #221
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
    Content Director Patrician Citizen

    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    12,242

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance, X-4

    Ah, just when it seemed that Pisa's advancing armies could not be stopped, a new Scottish hero appears. Even so, it sounds like Adelmo's forces will be more than a match for this new opponent!

  2. #222
    NorseThing's Avatar Primicerius
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    western usa
    Posts
    3,041

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance, X-4

    Just caught up on this. It seems "freedom" may have lost some meaning when the onslaught from Italy strikes so far in the north.

  3. #223

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance, X-5

    Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance
    Ch X-5: Harsh Change in Climate



    As another Novgorodian general died of... something, we again crossed the Empire's eastern border and headed to the city of Pleskov.




    According to a Novgorodian peasant, it seems the various leaders had decided to rely on something known as "Climate change" to defeat us.

    It seems that in history, many invaders were bogged down in the cold or wet seasons, becoming easy prey for a counterattack that reversed their territorial gains.


    Certainly, the wet season was quite annoying, but...




    Our Lady laughed when this somewhat speculative explanation of Novgorod's strategy was brought up at an officers' meeting. "It seems they underestimate our interest in the very land itself." The reason for this was obvious: we had been "continually" (on-and-off) invading them for several years by now.

    Besides the various new roads built during that period, the landscape was dotted with patrol waystations, forts and a few small castles. The military had cycled through a few reinforcement cycles, though that might not have been obvious to a foreign eye.




    Additionally, settlers in the frontier lands were very militarized (actually, the first generation was usually retired military) and this meant using military-grade (if a bit old, still well maintained) crossbows. Furthermore, the now-Pisan peasants were able to share useful knowledge about the region.

    Each major offensive thrust was made at a particular locus of power, and then slowly absorbed and integrated the surrounding area, beginning with the native villages and finally ending with the uninhabited areas being settled by newcomers from the homeland.




    By the way, those peasants were so willing to part with their local knowledge because they, being already farmers on the land, obviously were the first to recieve attention. Unsurprisingly as a result, villages grew into towns and would eventually develop into full cities as the regional economy began to develop.

    One thing they dd tend to lose though, is craftsmen who had a tendency to move further into the Empire where larger cities, with more potential (and richer) customers. With the notable exception of blacksmiths and the like who were kept very busy by the military. Also, crossbow manufacturing was frequently taken up as the Empire itself was happy to provide everything necessary.





    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================



    The city of Polotsk, under Putimir Cheshko, put up a rather well thought-out resistance. At least initially.






    As the first units began moving to encircle the city, a pair of defending trebuchets began shooting over their walls, causing some consternation as even a heavy pavise does not protect one at all against such attacks.

    However we were encouraged by their lack of regular missile units (which are much more dangerous in aggregate) and pressed hard against them as our own siege engines responded by targeting the fortifications.






    Perhaps panicked by this, they switched to incendiary rounds which while frightening to behold, only scored a few hits. Very few losses were taken.

    Furthermore, we had determined where the defending engines were located and loaded our own "firepot" ammunition to stop them.






    It only took several shots to bring down one of the two trebuchets. As this was going on, infantry were probing the breach in their walls to determine if the time was right for a full assault.

    They were (probably) also using the walls to protect themselves from the possibility of being hit by the defender's trebuchets. In some cases, closely "hugging" walls can be a useful trick to safely mass units near a breach.






    Perhaps confused by our tactics, the Novgorodian infantry rushed out in a brave sally, only to be met by our own infantry with spears levelled just outside the walls.

    Unfortunately for the enemy, our crossbows were still "set up" further away and took them down in a hail of close-range crossbow bolts.








    One of those slain in the missile massacre was the garrison commander. Very quickly after this, the city's citizenry surrendered before we had begun to force our way into the wall.




    Taking a goodly-sized city is a great boon, as they rather naturally house a great number of people and can thus accommodate an army sheltering in winter. A castle would be cramped, to say the least.

    However, even if there isn't a convenient point to "stop" at, the army simply begins building and dispersing into various fortifications (to capacity) while some will withdraw into the homelands once this job is done. They will then be on standby for quick responses to an enemy siege.

  4. #224
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
    Content Director Patrician Citizen

    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    12,242

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance, X-5

    It sounds like Pisa's continuing expansion is well-planned and that Oberto's tactics are highly effective - and, as ever, the action is expertly illustrated by screenshots.

  5. #225

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance, X-6

    Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance
    Ch X-6: Continuing





    Thinking to save themselves by taking advantage of our (momentary) peace with the Moors, Portugal finally gave in and became their vassal.

    However, given that we didn't care much if the Moors decided to come to their defense or not, the offensive simply continued.




    They are not impressed by your diplomatic play.

    Spoiler for Santiago de Compostela (Taken)







    One sign that the Pisan religion had basically become THE religion was that people like Simone "the Merciless" were considered very pious. Proof of the righteousness of the cause could be seen in the extraorinarily vigourous 61-year-old general who still scored kills in battle.

    Yes, a lot of those kills might have been routers, but that's basically the diet of Pisan cavalry nowadays, as they fill the critial "anti-router" niche in the army.




    The march into Moorish territory continues apace, meeting little resistance.

    Spoiler for Shlib (Taken)







    Spoiler for Qurtuba (Taken)







    Spoiler for Batalyaus (Taken)





    However, a great number of Moors-in-arms were concentrated in their greatest cities, while we were currently seizing the low-hanging fruit rather than giving battle directly.

    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================



    Similarly in the east.
    Spoiler for Pleskov (Taken)




    However, a small setback. The Rus counterattacked and took the castle Goroden back by surprise assault.
    Spoiler for Goroden (LOST)




    However, we're not about to deviate from our own planned assaults on their own weakly-defended "strongholds".
    Spoiler for Volodymyr (Taken)






    Spoiler for Halych (Taken)





    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================



    In the far north, however, in one small corner of the Pisan Empire, the broken English rebels were being pulled into a new power....





    William Wallace looked at the impressive Scottish fortress in front of him as its gates opened and the banners of the occupying evil empire showed themselves in ranks as its Pisan garrison began to march out.

  6. #226
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
    Content Director Patrician Citizen

    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    12,242

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance, X-6

    A triumphant return for Pisa's mighty armies, despite the setback at Goroden (which will surely be remedied with all speed). The fires of independence burn in one corner of Pisa's empire, but will they last or will they be put out quickly? I look forward to finding out.

  7. #227

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance, X-7

    Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance
    Ch X-7: A Lack of Shade



    Adelmo had the luxury of overlooking his enemy from atop the keep of Dun Eideann. The Scots had been planning for an offensive against their southern neighbours, which showed clearly when these preparations were seen by their new southern neighbors.




    "Long" bows took the basic bow to a conclusion that the Pisans were, while not unaware of, less interested in. It was notable as the first substantial employment of the weapon in battle, and would be the last to be recorded.




    Long spears, well suited for dealing with cavalry that desired a frontal charge. Somehow the use of these "pikes" had been a lost technology from the days of Phillip of Macedon.

    However, the use of shields with two-handed long spears remained lost. Due to their preference for large infantry shields, the Pisans would probably not have been keen even on pikemen-with-shields.




    Very large two-handed swords that shouldn't have been possible given the level of the prevailing* steel technology. One might think they were well suited to dealing with heavy armor, but in fact, due to "various reasons" they were not actually armor-piercing**.

    Perhaps they were like the ancient Gallic longswords, which supposedly were prone to bending due to being larger than the metallurgy would support. Supposedly, anyway.

    (*In SSHIP this type of unit only shows up much later in the campaign)
    (**In SSHIP most other two-handed weapons are AP, which is intended)



    And the ultimate development of their use of long weapons and heavy armor, using long spears while wearing steel breastplates of a fashion not ever seen before. These style would be adopted in a more widespread fashion a century or so later, in part due to the battle that was about to ensue...

    Which was in a way unfortunate for armorsmiths, as the Scottish armor was effective protection, as we shall see.






    Adelmo surveyed the field before turning to his officers, summing up his impression of the day's foe thus:

    "They seem to have forgotten their shields."




    As the Pisans took up their positions, the Scottish forces engaged at range with their longbows, sending a quick flurry of burning arrows down on the approaching formation.

    To be sure, against the relatively light English infantry they had been raised to pick apart, it might have been both terrifying and deadly.




    However, the Pisan tendency toward heavy infantry armors and large shields meant that the storm of arrows felt like only a light drizzle.

    At this point, though, Pisan cavalry remained in reserve behind the citadel walls. This was possible because the Scots did not have heavy cavalry which would exploit their lack.




    The Pisan missile response was devastating to the less armored Scottish warriors. Those archers, pikemen and skirmishers who had mail or less found the incoming bolts able to bite deep into their numbers.

    At this point the Pisans were primarily concerned with targeting these supporting elements, as Adelmo and the officers expected the Scottish armor to be a capable defense, requiring a more concerted effort rather than simple missiles to finish the job.




    Scottish cavalry charged the Pisan spear line, with predictably little success. Perhaps their extensive use of pikes meant William Wallace thought one-handed spears were ineffective against horse?

    He would have been right if his force had included heavy cavalry, but his light cavalry was definitely outmatched, routing off the field with the main casualties being Scots who went down in the initial charge.






    After this, the main body advanced together. Though the front was in tatters, there were certainly some heavier elements which would have to be dealt with.

    By and large, however, the Scottish infantry were not able to make an impression on the Pisan formation of shields and spears.




    Adelmo's cavalry units rushed out and around his forces' right flank, finding little opposition. They immediately began running down any missile units or routers, as a picked unit of crossbowmen quickly moved forward.

    And this is where the story of "armor vs crossbow" comes from...




    The heaviest Pisan crossbows were brought up to relatively close range of the Scottish elite pike formation., and began shooting them from the flanks.

    Although the crossbow manufacturers of Venice were quick to claim that their various innovations had rendered the Pisan crossbow dominant on the battlefield, actually the pikemen were mostly defeated when the formation collapsed. The lack of order meant that when the infantry pressed forward, the enemy were caught and dispatched by dagger, or else routed and were taken down by cavalry.

    Reports of battlefield "collectors" suggest that most of the Scottish armor was not penetrated by Pisan bolts. However, with the secrets of its manufacture still unknown to Pisan armorsmiths, it would not be employed to protect Pisans for some time to come.






    As for William Wallace and his most fanatical followers, most depictions show that they did not wear helmets for some reason. If true, it is unsurprising that their armor, be it mail as shown or even breastplates, did not protect them.




    Spoiler for Details



    The complete defeat and destruction of Wallace's forces cemented Pisan control of this final northern frontier.
    Last edited by Alavaria; November 19, 2019 at 05:14 AM.

  8. #228

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance, X-8

    Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance
    Ch X-8: Moor Progress in the East



    Pressured by the Pisan multi-axis attack strategy, many of the Moors began to gather in their capital, Isbiliyya, to regroup and organize a counter-offensive.

    While thus concentrated, making further moves was risky, as there was a river dividing our forces. However, this could also be to our advantage...




    About half of the Moorish forces began marching westward towards Silves, which their leaders felt was the most vulnerable Pisan holding, as it was essentially isolated from the west of the Empire which lay to the east.

    As soon as they crossed the bridge to the west of Isbiliyya, however, the Pisans struck with force, sending a sizeable force to hold the bridge while a secretly-prepared Banner Army made to assault the city proper.





    Due to their relative lack of mobility (due to having lost their horses) and their great defensive prowess, the city had been left with, and high high hopes for, its defending (Dismounted) Christian Guard, in essence, Mailed Foot Knights.

    These hopes would be pierced, like the knights themselves, by our powerful crossbows.




    A powerful and disciplined phalanx of our best spearmen also made their contributions to the victory, of course.






    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================



    Taking their cue from this victory, offensive actions by the other armies began in earnest.

    In the west, 'Al' Amr Majlad decided to stake his legitimacy as as a new ruler on defending the city of al Ushbuna from the forces of Pisan commander Frolio Galli.





    This was, however, more trap than actual attack, as the main goal was eliminating the new king's forces (and himself) by trapping the tired "reinforcements" against the city walls and destroying them.








    The plan succeeded, and the city surrendered soon after those coming to relieve it were killed within view of the defenders.

    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================



    Similarly, those who had departed Isbiliyya suddenly found themselves without supply lines, and Pisans approaching quickly from behind.

    Eager to continue his successes, General Lerino quickly overtook and engaged Warith Ridwan.










    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================



    Although he had been faster, and initially found his target of Silves to be weakly defended (since the army there had marched north on al Ushbuna), Wasim ibn Umayyah would soon abandon his siege efforts as Lerino's men, rather than those of the departed Warith Ridwan, arrived.







    With Lerino's men quickly resupplied from Silves, they caught up to the retreating Moors and thus wiped out the last major force in the region.

    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================





    The Pope of course hailed his as a great reunification of the far west back into the fold.

    This front of the Empire, having been thoroughly secured, would no longer tie up the many armies sent to deal with it...



    The thought of such armies marching on their lands would give those of Novgorod and the Kievan Rus nightmares, until those nightmares became a fatal reality.

  9. #229
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
    Content Director Patrician Citizen

    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    12,242

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance, X-8

    Pisa's tactics continue to be impressive and I'm impressed, as ever, by the way that you show the ebb and flow of battles.

  10. #230

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance, X-9

    Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance
    Ch X-9: Closing an Age

    Although one might think that the Pisan focus would not be moved eastwards, there was still a great deal of "cleaning up" to be done within our "new" borders.

    For example...

    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    Ex-Hungarian Family Members

    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================



    Heretics





    Witches
    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    The last Large Town that had supported William Wallace was soon annexed.

    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Ex-English Family Members

    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    You might remember Murcia, subject of the Crusade of the Long Lance. After it had been "gifted" to the Byzantine allies, it "somehow" was destabilized and rebelled.

    Now, after being overlooked during the day's conquests, the Large Town returned to the Pisan Empire.

    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    The island settlement of Medina Mayurka, and the more important African city of Sigilmasa were also annexed at this time, leaving the Moors with no formal land holdings... leading to their formal end as a faction.

    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================





    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================





    As this great work in the West was wrapping up, the Pope expressed joy that the Portugese had been left untouched as requested.

    As soon as this satisfaction was relayed to us, a "small" force was dispatched to take care of this particular loose end.

    ==========================================================
    ==========================================================



    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 











    The resulting field battle was not without blood, but it was a clean victory. Coimbra joined the Pisan Empire at last.





    And the pope could only conclude that surely, unification under Pisa was the way for civilization to advance.

  11. #231
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
    Content Director Patrician Citizen

    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    12,242

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Forward, Advance, X-9

    Pisa's empire is impressive, it seems more powerful than any remaining rival (and perhaps stronger than all of them, even if they combined).

  12. #232

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Going East, XI-1

    Dreadbolt: Going East
    Ch XI-1: But Why

    On the strategic map, the empire continues expanding eastwards, although by this point one would be right to assume that, in all this territory, large swathes are lightly populated.

    However, on some level, this was never about simple survival - we are well past that at this point. Or are we?



    In any case, fighting continues against the Kievan Rus and Novgorod, but not much is worth nothing except to those historians interested in the empire's numerous records. By and large, these records enter vaults in Pisa and elsewhere for safekeeping, which they never leave.




    Wonderful inventions like the "wheelbarrow" make construction of all sorts easier, which is great because construction only seems to intensify everywhere, be it walls around growing towns to better roads and sprawling cities.






    A certain snobbish princess of the Kievan Rus tripped and apparently had a fatal fall on one of their ill-maintained roads. What a pity...




    By the way, the dreaded Oberto "the Mauler" took Novgorod. It was on the whole, a rather clean victory - for our side, that is!






    For some reason, people think that the very loal and equally dreadful Adelmo "represents and stands for different values" than his father, a Legendary Conqueror.

    Perhaps it's because they wonder if he has ever been tempted to "help" the 72-year old into the next phase of his existence.




    Which is unlikely, as they are very far apart physically speaking.






    A small skirmish in our African holdings brought ill portents for the Egyptians.

    Evio "the Malevolent" who had been long known as a feared governor, was granted a Grand Banner and troops were flocking to it, heralding some new campaign force to shake the world.






    Alessandro Spreafico also received commendations for his long and successful service in the east. However, he was not slated to lead a Grand Banner because that front already had those.

    However, his "support force" is close to equalling a formal Grand Banner.




    By the way, Novgorod rebelled. This was a last-ditch attempt to maintain some form of greater independence, as Pisan forces had been rolling over their last holdouts.





    While the Novgorodites ceased to fly any flags where we could see, likely some of them had fled ever-further north, off the edge of our map.

    Thankfully, Our Lady was uninterested in even more northern excursions, so we set about fortifying various towns that would form our northernmost settlements and called that campaign finished.
    Last edited by Alavaria; August 24, 2020 at 11:10 AM.

  13. #233
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
    Content Director Patrician Citizen

    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    12,242

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Going East, XI-1

    It's good to see the commanders, armies and assassins of Pisa back in action! I'm intrigued by the much-feared Evio, his transition from governor to Grand Banner general and his new campaign.

  14. #234

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Going East, XI-2

    Dreadbolt: Going East
    Ch XI-2: Long Awaited

    Spoiler for Taking Tarabulus



    Some time ago, after dealing with multiple attempts on it from the east, we transferred ownership of Tarabulus (our easternmost African settlement) to Serbia.

    After many years, eventually the Egyptians got around to actually going to war with Serbia and took the city. Well, now Evio is poised to finally take to the field, despite his age.

    Spoiler for Taking Visby



    Adelmo went on a bit of a tour backwards to reclaim a number of small settlements that had also been transferred to Serbia. It was time to clean up previous diplomatic "experiments".


    Spoiler for Taking Tulaytula



    By the way, in the west, there was still one independent Fortress, which Frolio Galli was assigned to take. He was also granted a promotion, and we will doubtless see him in another role once his men get to the front.






    Andrea Visconti came of age, which was very convenient, strategically speaking. His first assignment was to clear up some long-forgotten places flying the Serbian flag.

    It was likely the random villages in that area had not been paying taxes to the Serbian king for years, and in any case they would now fly Pisan Empire flags and still not pay any taxes, because northern regions like theirs struggled to keep people there (except the natives).

    Indeed, these areas were a bit of a resource sink as far as infrastructure works went, however building roads and ports was critical strategically even if there was not much use of those facilities by caravans or merchant ships.




    Alberico "the Righteous" was one of the Empire's most famous administrators, laying ground for many of its largest projects, not just in terms of size but scope.

    However, it is still the case that the further away from Italy one goes, cities tend to be smaller and the lands are more sparsely populated.

    =================================================================
    =================================================================





    Before they even heard of what was coming their way, the Caliph of the Fatimids and his heir abruptly met their ends, leaving their caliphate scrambling to prepare for the incoming Pisan horde.

    =================================================================
    =================================================================



    By the way, the young Andrea apparently took up Orthodoxy.



    His father disagrees, because he feels it is a diabolical sham. Even though the pope answers to Our Lady, same as he does.

    Also, by this point, the Pisan view is the official view when it comes to religion.



    By the way, Andrea was likely influenced by his mother, who was, unsurprisingly given she came from the east (court of Constantinople) was Orthodox.

    But remember, she was brought in by Our Lady as well, so that particular religious tag doesn't mean much.

    =================================================================
    =================================================================



    Though he is playing a supporting role, Alessandro is still quite able to take on field battles. Of course, always with a good numerical advantage.

    In particular, since his Banner is not dragging around a siege train (trebuchets), it is much easier to take the enemy on the field.






    While helping various small Serbian villages integrate into the Pisan empire, Lerino had to deal with some sporadic raiders.




    If you were wondering, Adelmo immediately headed out and again began tackling fortified targets.

    =================================================================
    =================================================================



    Unlike the Fatimids, who marched many armies on foot across the deserts from Egypt into Africa, Evio took the sea, making a multi-year journey (like 8 turns) into a much shorter sail.




    He lost no time taking the city of al-Iskandariyya by surprise.




    However, his army immediately, in a very disciplined manner, marched back onto the fleet rather than simply wait for the Fatimid response.

    By the way, they were disciplined in terms of not spending time looting. They very efficiently torched or otherwise destroyed critical infrastructure, in particular those with military value to the Fatimids.

  15. #235

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Going East, XI-3

    Dreadbolt: Going East
    Ch XI-3: Arrival



    Though his force lacked siege equipment, Alessandro was not about to simply "let" the Kievanites sit behind their walls.

    In an old tactic from the early days, he attacked a force which was quickly "reinforced" by the garrison of Kyev.




    As expected, we were able to take on the enemy force in two parts, turning what numerically was an even fight into something much less risky for us.

    Alessandro also made use of the usual tactic; having our long-range missile capabilities force the enemy to advance on our prepared infantry formation.




    Doing so is usually a mistake enemies don't survive to do twice or learn from.






    Kyev and nearby Chernigov immediately surrendered and became part of the Pisan Empire. No protracted sieges or potentially costly assaults needed.

    =================================================================
    =================================================================



    Over in Egypt, the Fatimids were still struggling with leadership issues.




    As a result, a small and rather disorganized force was dispatched to investigate the situation near al-Iskanfariyya.

    Evio's forces quickly re-landed and dispatched the force.






    Though the Fatimids later re-captured the city, the damage had been done. In fact, in their factional infighting, they eventually damaged the city even more.




    These successess meant that Evio was now hailed as "the Victorious" rather than "the Malevolent". And he had been given license to do whatever was necessary to disrupt the enemy.




    Everyone hailed the coming of age of another Visconti.

    (M2TW tends to quickly fill available character "slots" if you have many settlements relative to your general count. Thus, any Visconti quickly ends up with their 4 sons/daughters born in quick succession.)




    Unfortunately for Serbia, the massive Pisan forces, while not raised for or aimed specifically at them, did have to go through them.






    It's these unfortunate occurances which perhaps cause confusion when you realize that our greatest general is ...

    the person directing our infrastructure projects, who never actually went to war.




    Granted, his efforts probably help to maintain our overwhelming military forces, but they are actually a relatively light load for the empire to support, as shown by our large surpluses.

    While it is true that 120,433 of that 330,066 projected profits are just merchants (stacked onto two tiles on trade goods in Sicily) that still means we could afford to spend another 210,000 or so on army upkeep. That's basically saying we could double our standing forces.






    Marco Bernardi isn't anyone special. He is, however, a Pisan with a mission and a ton of light spearmen militia aren't going to stop him and his oddly mixed force of heavy swordsmen.




    Meanwhile, Lerino "the Cruel" was taking a force against the fortified Triadica.




    This largely ended the days of ... wait, there were still some Serbian rebels. Yes, they had turned rebel just before the final assault.






    Lerino cleaned them up as well. Even if they had stayed to help defend Triadica, it wouldn't have changed much, honestly.




    At this point in time, the Byzantines must have realized something from the way we were eying their amazing...




    Highway technology.




    That's right. You see, from the old days, the secrets of constructing highways have been lost to all but the old Greek mainlands.

    This might seem odd, since Our Lady taught our ancestors in Italy how to build highways to improve on the old Roman paved roads after she gave the lands to our fathers, but...

  16. #236
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
    Content Director Patrician Citizen

    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    12,242

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Going East, XI-3

    Pisa's eastward expansion is going well, although I was a bit worried when I saw the armies around al-Iskandariyya. It sounds like Psa's economy is thriving, if you could afford to double your standing armies.

  17. #237

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Going East, XI-4

    Dreadbolt: Going East
    Ch XI-4: Chipping Away

    Spoiler for Taking Dumyat"



    It can be handy to "drag in" enemy armies when you assault a settlement. This is generally because you can greatly control them; for example, crossbows on walls can be very safe and effective.

    Powerful cavalry units are still powerful, but less disruptive and more easily caught by spearmen.




    Cutting back and forth quickly reduces the enemy's ability to field units by removing them entirely. In many cases, this approach can drain them so much that areas will be nearly uncontested.

    However, the situation is not so dire, as Evio knew, because a lot of reinforcements are coming. As a result, the Fatimids will, one day, suddenly realize there are heavy forces all over Egypt and they will be weakened before the inevitable full push.


    Spoiler for al-Iskandariyya (again)


    For those wondering, units are being carefully "reinforced" from one another; going from high XP to low ones. This leaves very small remnants holding the unit's flag, which are on the fleets and will eventually be sent back to Italy.

    There, the depleted unit will be reinforced by the best unit in all the Pisan empire, which is waiting at home. This elite unit will re-fill the returnees, and can be retrained with equally elite new recruits. And so on. Not very powerful (it's mostly infantry, who are still weak regardless), but amusing.




    After living too long as a governor in Africa, Evio has taken a dislike of it, especially after a history of dealing with stubborn Fatimids who insisted on crossing from Egypt to his African lands on foot, despite it taking them literally years to eventually die to Pisan defense forces.











    There's a great deal of death and destruction going on. However, the Pisans are making progress, it's just that the Fatimids are taking everything out to try and stamp out Evio's Banner Army before it can form a stable beachhead.


    Spoiler for Taking Akka

    Unfortuntately for them, the fleet Evio is operating out of is essentially a floating, moving, beachhead - and he knows how to make use of it!




    There are a number of targets Evio would like to have dealt with by the time more allies arrive. The fortress Asqalan and city of al-Quds would be ripe for the sacking, as it were, but Evio is not here primarily to raid, as the enemy might think.

    No, he's trapping them within the walls of these cities or castles and wiping them out as cleanly as possible.




    It was around this time that Albertino the Harsh died of old age. You might be wondering who he is, to have such a dreadful and terrifying reputation.

    He's the head taxman for Italy, and makes sure that everyone pays their taxes. Everyone. The former Doge of Venice was busted by him for tax evasion, and you can be sure that between his money counter, torturer and harsh judge, those Very High taxes will be paid properly - and with good paperwork!

    And this is what he did after retiring, until as we see, his age caught up to him.

  18. #238
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
    Content Director Patrician Citizen

    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    12,242

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Going East, XI-4

    Pisa's head tax collector looks even more terrifying than the generals! Evio seems to be living up to his new nickname. Good update.

  19. #239

    Default Re: (SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Going East, XI-4

    This has been a great read!

Page 12 of 12 FirstFirst ... 23456789101112

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •