Alliance with The Mongols?

[mrc390]

Hello, I'm currently playing a late period Fatimid (Egypt) game in SS and am about 40 turns in. So far it's been great, I've conquered all of the Crusader States land, Western Anatolia (not Constantinople-owned by the Hungarians but will take it when I'm ready for war), those Southern rebel states like Mecca and have moved into Greece. My empire has the most land, is the most advanced and is the richest in the game, but I got a problem, I am very soon to be bordered by the Mongols. I've been able to fully avoid contact until now but now for much longer, my buffer zone is waning, the Khwarazmian Empire has a handful of settlements left, The Cuman Khanate is basically non existent, the Seljuk Sultanas border the Mongols and are currently at war with them, I'd say another twenty turns and they're attacking my settlements. The Seljuks are also at war with Khwarazmians and the Cumans, and are my allies. I've converted most of my West Asian settlements to cities so have very few forts and castles left there (two castles near the border, then cities until Gaza) and my army is nowhere near as strong as the Mongolian one so an attack would be very rough. The ideal thing to do would be to ally with the Mongols and break my alliance with the Seljuks, that way I can conquer Anatolia and can save my Middle Eastern empire from Mongol Invasion. The problem is, I don't trust them to keep an alliance, I can see them attacking me the minute it's convenient to them. I suppose the alternative to that is to ally with the Khwarzian Empire and the Cuman Khanate and try to make them stop fighting each other and the Seljuks so we can make a unified front, then take the fight to the Mongols.




So that's the situation, what do you guys think I should do then? Would an alliance with the Mongols hold? Should I spend all my money unifying the Middle East? Whatever happens, I'd say the worst thing I could do now is just wait for them to destroy all my neighbours and trade partners. Thanks for reading.

[Andytheplatypus]

Alliances should hold as along as your relations with that faction are high enough. The easiest way to get better relations is to gift them money. The mongols are terribly broke the whole game because of the terrible spawn script they have for their units, so they will gladly accept money from you. Its best to do it 40,000 gold at a time. After your relation is perfect with them offer them trade rights and alliance and they will accept. Attack anyone they are at war with to help keep relations high or keep giving them money.

[Geoffrey of Villehardouin]

There are ways to ally with the Mongols and it could be interesting, a bit like being allies with someone owning an atom bomb. But they are there as an extra challenge for the human player and the hard thing is to fight them not have them on your side.

[KiKiweaky]

The Mongols are powerful but not invincible, they have a ridiculous amount of foot and mounted archers backed up with very powerful heavy cavalry so any engagement with them will result in very heavy casualties. The best things to do in my opinion are fortify all the narrow approaches to your lands, narrow passes and bridges are ideal. Flood your lands with assassins and keep attempting to kill the Mongol generals, even repeated failures will work against them as it will make them become paranoid and lower their force morale. Fully garrison castles and forts, do the same with cities. You may not win every battle but remember the Mongols have no money so cannot replace losses in castles and cities, so slowly but surely you will bleed them to death.

[Geoffrey of Villehardouin]

On hard and very hard the campaign script seems to work in such a way that, at least for a limited period, replacing losses is not an issue for the Mongols. But otherwise you are right. Fighting the Mongols is not hopeless, and is the proper thing for the true M2 warrior.

[Duck of Death]

I will say what Theodosius II of the Eastern Roman Empire said to the western Roman Empire when facing the Huns in the 5th century...

"I have paid off the horde with gold. They are your problem now and I wish you well."