Death of the BRETWALDA

[AntonioHundangir]

Faction: concilium britanniae
Year: 456

Since with the concilium there arent much money, and you re surrounded by enemies, i decided to use a mine old strategy: the small force theory of belisarius (i use it also with soisson, and in other campaigns. But in situations like these i m forced.).
Starting by the idea that there are few money, few troops, and too enemies, what i need for victory is a guerrilla approach: leaving the majority of city troops (romano aulue, etx) to garrison duty, since there s risk of revolts, i move on the field with a small comitatud field army composed by elite troops: sarmatian bucellarii/teulu, sarmatian cataphracts (marca conton), taifali laeti armored horse archers, celtic light cavalry, foederati auxilia cavalry, and foederati reguli (medium elite cavalry), 1 or two numera of british comitatenses, 1-2 numera of jutes foederati, jutes laeti (gewissae), a numerus of limitanei, and 1 or 2 centuries of fleet archers (limitanei. I havent loricati of the field army for now).
Thats around londinium.
In powys, and around calleva there are 2 smaller forces, similar to the first, only smaller, without real field units (comitatenses and laeti) and in powys instead ofnjutes, there are irish foederati, not so strong like germans one but perfect for my ambushes.
Now, never engage big field battles. There s a big enemy army? Dont fight. Withdraw inside city wall,(londinium, camulodunim, calleva and others are operative bases). If the enemy besiege, i do only hit and run actions with missiles elite cavalry, sarmatian bucellarii, taifali, etc kill someone with hit and run and simulate retreat (i let they follow me, so they go away from friend, and in some decided point i prepare an ambush and destroy the entire formation., after thay i come back inside wall. After 1 or two attacks so, they have enough.losses and leave the siege. Usually.
I attack only small groups of enemy units, kill they, kill all prisoners, and immediatly come back home. (i dont wanna fight the same man again. The goal of this tactic is make the enemy so.many little losses, thay him is tired of war and ask peace. In that way i make they pay several money to me sometime for peace.).
And attack cities undefended,. The must is : make the few forces you have higher results: attack where the enemy there isnt. When he come, you.yet disappeared like ghost.
In that way enemy fall into frunstration. Forced to run here and there without.results.

By sometime, bands of germans enter my lands, burning all, and destroying my incoming money.
I intercept and massacre they when they re alone. Ever without problems, attacking only when i have am advantage, and they re outnumbered.
Also several romano british armies was defeated so, espexially from dumnonia. (guened is my allied)
Like concilium i m the only legitimate authority in the island, representing the roman authority, so they cant enter my lands so easily ( the systems of watch towersni build, isnt for dont let raiders enter my lands. Is for dont let they go out..watch towers, few forts, and border.cities are organized with a border forxe for that reason, dont let strangers go out so easily once entered....)
A strong army of saxons, commanded by aella (bretwalda?) entered from south, my incomes fall, since they run sround my lands looting.
After some turm, i spotted aella alone, with his army few.miles away.
So prepared a fast attack : a work for few elite units: sarmatian and taifali armored horse archers (they can charge like heavy cavalry and sct.like skirmoshers: like maurikios teach in the strategikon. Multirole soldiers.)
More a unit of jutes bucellarii, (thats should be a.fast attack, go, kill the pirate boss, and come back home, i shouls be sure thay the barbarian pirate that scared all shore, aella , didnt escape the longa manus of rome. So..)
Aella dont even tried to retreat,.accepted battle, and after hundred arrows, and several attacks, withdraws, and again attack, he died.
After that,.his army without a.chief, was disturbed all way by my scouts, and when was to the right point, was.destroyed by the field army of the comes of saxon shore, catuvellauni champion. My.best commander.
So is dead the do called bretwalda, a saxon boss thay tthinked he could invade my lands.
After this action, and the death of horsa (with another fast raid, this time with the entore army i taked him by surprisr in his island base) also jutes foederati,.that did revolted, come back to obey. They maked a peace treaty giving me 10000 solidi. The saxons continuing the war,.like angles. But i decided to resolve at least one of these problems with an invasion force.
THIS ACTION AND LAST CAMPAIGNS, have make my little army veteran (silver), and gived me enough.money for rebuild the londinium weapons fabric (roman one) and a powerful fleet (that destroyed a saxon reinforcement fleet with an army, that should land troops to my back while i m attacking the saxon pirate base east of londinium, to the thames delta.).
By now, no one will escape the long hand of the dux bellorum, the.last.roman general of britannia.