How do I beat timurid elephants with Venice?

[naujitii]

Well, I'm playing Venice in the campaing map, I've mostly taken over most of europe, but the Timurids have taken over most of the east. Good thing I'm holding them at bay by blocking their "amhibious" path that separates anatolia from northern greece, including constantinople. Otherwise I would have had a hell of a hard time containing them.

I can defend well against any timurid army that besieges my city or castle, but I want to know if there is a way for me to defeat them on the field.

Their archers and their gunners are no match for my musketeers and crossbows, but the elephants are a total glitch in the game, I don't even know if the timurids really came up with cannons mounted on elephants.

Anyway, I need a way to deal with the elephants and elephants artillery, I've heard that javelinmen, jinetes and naffatun are good choices against those overgrown beasts, but my faction has none of those.

So what do you guys think is the best tactic with the venetian units agains the elephant riders?

[Ambiorix_thijs]

Cannons, go to the RED LINE an place your self there on high ground or defensive position. Aim with your cannons at the ellephants, leave the battlefield when the cannons are out of ammo. Repeat that till all his ellies are death. Than you can attack a normal army.
THe key to win vs timurids is a smart retreat.

[Monsieur Alphonse]

Ballistas is the answer. Although they have a shorter range then cannons they are very accurate. Fire flaming ammo at the elephants so you will kill them and they have a high chance of running amok. Use lots of crossbows and some spears to kill the remaining. Happy hunting.

[Strom]

You can often hire your own mercenary elephants with cannons/arquebusiers on in the desert southeast of Jerusalem. They're great fun to play with even if there aren't very many of them.

Naphtatun are good in sieges against elephants but I can't see how they'd help in field battles, they have ridiculously short range (pretty much the same as their skirmish range so they tend to run away rather than shoot unless you disable skirmish), a slow rate of fire (a cahrging enemy will get into melee before they get shot) and they get completely mauled in hand to hand combat with anything. The AI gives them a really high target priority too in my experience.

[Engrish]

Venetian archers with flaming arrows will do the trick if you can get them close enough, with the added bonus of the elephants trashing their own lines when they run amok.

Any accurate gunpowder weapon, and even musketeers if you have enough of them can cause some serious damage.

[RollingWave]

mass artiliery and range. also bring some light cavs running around to draw their attention if they're moving close.

[clandestino]

Try to tin their lines with archers, musketeers and artilery before you charge them with heavy cavalry from the back. It worked a couple of times to me.

[naujitii]

HEY GUYS!!! you know what I found???? I used in a custom battle an all stradiot army, and it whooped the hell out of both elephants and missile troops alike. suprisingly with minimal loses. Those elephants should fear my stradiots man.

[sinhalaking]

canons are the answer, concentrate all your fire power to the elephants, you will see them running amon forgotting there PHANTS.... HA HAaaaa haaaaa haha ha