The Road to Hyderabad
Battle AAR from my Punjab Sikh campaign 
+ Answers to Jihada & strategy tips after that.
Prologue: the Sikh Empire
Ranjit Singh the Conqueror has built a vast multicultural Empire including almost all religions and all ethnies of India and central asia. After a lifetime war against the Persian Safavids, the Sikh Empire has united central Asia and northern Indian, from Azerbaïjan to Gujarat. In the aftermath of the Safavids fall, Ranjit Singh has built a federation of peoples from Shi'a persians to Buddhist nepalese where every culture is respected.
The Northern Sultanates, heirs of the Mughals, have finally been crushed by the Marathas vast armies after decades of the bloodiest conflit India ever saw. While we were crushing the Afghan rebellion and securing Persia, the Marathas counter-attacked and pushed the last Sultans up to Bengal, that we seized after a short campaign.
The Marathas didn't like us to profit from their efforts and since the Sikh Empire replaced the Sultanates in Northern India, they attacked us in Northern Deccan. They were not aware that our Sikh and Gurka regiments had come back from central Asia.
After a few ambushes in northern Deccan and southern Gujarat, a young Sikh general gathered our best veterans to counter-attack and march on Hyderabad, the great deccani city who controls the Heart of India. This once great city was half in ruins by being besieged, taken and re-taken a dozen times in the last 20 years during the war between the Sultanates and the Marathas. This strategic province will be ours now.
The two large armies went face to face on the road to Hyderabad, near the industrial town of Nizamabad, reknown for its silk & fine cotton clothing manufactures. The long lines of Maratha Bargir and the Sikh Musketeers confronted each other.
Exchanging Fire
Our cavalry of light and heavy lancers outflanked the Marathas left flank and went behind their lines, storming their reserve troops and the Hindu peasant masses who protected their gun batteries.
Flying Peasants (peasant levies charged by heavy lancers)
Coming from the woods and our left flank, the Sikh and Gurka swordsmen engaged the Maratha lines and cut them down. The Maratha guns were outmaneuvered by our cavalry but the enemy Bargirs were standing firm.
Gurka Sabers
Almost all the Maratha Army was encircled and starting to panick from our swordsmen charge. Now that the Maratha Bargirs were seriously decimated, our General sent a massive bayonet charge to finish them.
Sikh Musketeers: Bayonets, Charge!
The great wave stormed the enemy Bargir and Hindu swordsmen. With the charge of the Gurkas on their rears, they finally surrendered or tried to flee the battlefield, only to get trampled by our light cavalry.
This major battle left thousands of corpses in the fields and many Gurkas and Sikhs will never come back to their homes, but the anihilation of the Maratha main northern army has left open the road to Hyderabad. The city fell with almost no resistance and the Sikh Empire had now a strong grip on central India. In the South, the Marathas were regrouping to defend Bijapur and take their revenge.
@ Jihada: our 2 successful campaigns have taken almost opposite directions as I see. That proves ETW is not repetitive even with this emerging, "not playable" faction. You're in better position to crush your Indian opponents (Mughals in your case) from North and South. However, It will take you some turns to secure Mysore. In my campaign they help me vs. the Marathas. For now...
Re: Revenge of the Sikhs - Punjab Faction Thread
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... once I'll be able to play ETW again: patch 1.3. ruins ALL my Saves!
ed up job signed CA...
Originally Posted by ClaymanVTW
(links in sig')
What the hell happened to this WORLD?
