Constantinople under fireee...

[legushka]

Playing as Spain and have Constantinople (along with Nicaea and Smyrna in the area). I got it in a Crusade.

I'm at total war with Hungary who is desperate to get the city and has been sending some strong stacks for a while now. And now Jihad is called on it.

So I got an Egyptian stack coming, 2 Mongolian stacks, probably a Turk stack will join as well even though they are really weak right now, and 2 Hungarian stacks are approaching.

Mongols just got in a war with Hungary, but Hungary still doesn't want peace dammit. I got a stack of reinforcements on some boats coming from Western Europe, but it probably won't be there on time.
I'm thinking I will probably fight 3 stacks back, but it's the 4th and 5th that will be hard to beat considering the depleted troops. Any suggestions?

[Scelesticfish]

Sounds like you're screwed. Get whatever troops you want to survive out of there and let someone else take it. Re-capture it when you have a decent army.

[John Doe]

If you can call a crusade to a spot in the far east, you join with that reinforcement army and get the bonus movement points, then you just leave some crusading units in constantinople. 95% time I leave units like this they don't desert, but sometime they do (never understood why). Anyway you could use that army to fight one or two incoming stack. You could also join with other stacks and if Hungary is excom, then you might take sofia off them on your way, or if they aren't then they might join the crusade with one of those stack and thus relieve the pressure on you.

Else built forts on the east of the city in the montain pass and sea crossings, and leave a crappy unit in it, that will buy you some time from the jihady stacks since they waste at least one turn on siege.

[ChivalrousKiller]

If you can call a crusade to a spot in the far east, you join with that reinforcement army and get the bonus movement points, then you just leave some crusading units in constantinople. 95% time I leave units like this they don't desert, but sometime they do (never understood why). Anyway you could use that army to fight one or two incoming stack. You could also join with other stacks and if Hungary is excom, then you might take sofia off them on your way, or if they aren't then they might join the crusade with one of those stack and thus relieve the pressure on you.

Else built forts on the east of the city in the montain pass and sea crossings, and leave a crappy unit in it, that will buy you some time from the jihady stacks since they waste at least one turn on siege.

This

A crusade is the solution in any way! Has it gone long enough since you took Constantinople by crusade?

[Il Medico]

Go to Hungary and give it to them for peace. The Hungarians and jihad armies will kill each other over it and then you just come back with your army and retake it.

[[Tar]Naru33]

Go to Hungary and give it to them for peace. The Hungarians and jihad armies will kill each other over it and then you just come back with your army and retake it.

Don't do what he said if you care about your game reputation. That would give an good hit on reputation by retaking it after giving it away.

The crusade idea seems to be a good one, but instead of putting them in Constantinople, just take them off the crusade for ONE TURN (before you hit end turn). Put them back on the crusade the next turn and strike another stack then move toward the crusade target. Good chance you will still lose some men though.

[Il Medico]

Don't do what he said if you care about your game reputation. That would give an good hit on reputation by retaking it after giving it away.

Good chance is that the mongols et al will take it, then you just capture it from them. Otherwise, so what? Better than losing multiple stacks fighting a lost cause.

[Chad29]

I'm assuming your main Empire is in Iberia, so I wouldn't try too hard to keep Constantinople. Give it to someone else and withdraw. You might consider destorying the military buildings if you can't find someone to take it. At least make it easier to get back later if you want, but don't steal it from the faction you give it too. That's a reputation hit there. If you care about rep, that it.

[Double A]

It's Constantinople. Extremely easy to defend. Just block off the green arrow tiles land units can cross so you have more time to prepare. Try to kill any non-horse archer stacks in the field with horse archers. Let the Mongol and any other HA-based armies crash upon your three walls like water on rock.