(SSHIP-Pisa) Dreadbolt: Going East, XI-4

[NorseThing]

A series of overwhelming attacks. I agree with the adage which seems to apply here -- why hold back just to even the odds. It is war. Wars are meant to be won.

Great pictures to accompany the text, as usual. I do wonder about the comment about the pavise shields only for the infantry though. I thought that the pavise was for infantry or perhaps you meant infantry other than the crossbow armed infantry such as spearmen.

[Alavaria]

The pavise-crossbow combination historically had either another person holding the pavise, or something used to prop it up so you could hide behind it when working the crossbow (you then pop up to shoot and back down like a cover shooter).

Infantry using a hand-pavise use one that's smaller than the above type. Though SSHIP shows both using the smaller version (of course it uses the "turning around with the shield on your back" animation), and vanilla shows both using the larger one which looks really odd in both cases. The Pisans actually use the kite shield (quite a favorite historically) for their infantry, unless you count the really really early** spear units, which had a mix of oval shields and pavises.


**Early as in "no one alive now would have seen these units". Since the idea is you only use such a large shield as you rely on it passively, infantry don't want something like that when the kite shield is more flexible, and they use their shields actively.

[NorseThing]

Thanks for the explanation.

[♔atthias♔]

I love this and especially marco complaining that in his days everything was colder and his soldiers not caring much for his ramblings

[Alwyn]

Like attias, I enjoyed the different reactions of Marco and his men to the cold. An enjoyable update with excellent images!

[Alavaria]

Dreadbolt: No Stopping Zone
Ch VIII-6: England's Land



Eustace was one of the famous generals of England. He and a number of his trusted men were defending Fortress Bristol when they encountered the landing force of Adelmo's Second Army. Despite the snow, his men were quite happy at the prospect of settling down there under their general. After all, anyone who has travelled to the far north finds mere "seasons" to be very comfortable.




Eustace's 9-star tactical prowess did very little to harm the Pisans, and nothing to save himself. Adelmo's army raised Pisan flags on the castle after a very short assault.

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Although the pope was supposedly very furious about all the Pisan interventions in the very small remnants of non-Pisan Catholic kingdoms, nothing was done.

We will probably find a way to use the "flames of eternal damnation" to warm up England (it's called geothermal energy).




Although Adelmo is taking a while Grand Banner Army to England, this will not disrupt the Empire's plans for unification. In particular, of course, the counter-offensive against the Moors.




Looking at the map, the Scots and Aragonese have done pretty well for themselves. Unfortunately they're both about to get run over by the Pisan warmachine.




We're trying to spend all that cash, but somehow there's just this maximum we can't seem to get past when it comes to settlement construction.




The pope also has a problem with literal tons of gold and nothing to use it on.

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The English King Fraunce (no relation to France) was not willing to give up London for Adelmo's more civilian-minded ambitions.








He was run over by a wall of missiles.






We celebrated our victory in the town square not long afterwards.




Inspired by the sacrifice of their king, the population rose up in a broad-based popular grassroots resistance movement for national liberation from an oppressive occupying regime. We had to put them down.

Unfortunately, it turns out we could in fact kill them all.

[Alwyn]

Wow, Pisa's advance is truly unstoppable - and terrifying for Pisa's foes!

[NorseThing]

I like the inclusion of the graphs. Clearly about turn 40 or so the territorial expansion is a constantly rising at a pretty constant rate line in the graph. It shows the explosive power of the Pisan Empire rolling over all adjacent to it. Now with a foothold in Bristol, you noted that this expansion will now roll over the isles as it has done to the central Europeans. Unstoppable?

[Alavaria]

Dreadbolt: No Stopping Zone
Ch VIII-7: We Haven't Forgotten



The great Tawd ibn Hafs, a Moorish 7-star general was considering the strategic situation on the Moors' east border. Although earlier clashes had pushed the Pisans back, instead of gaining ground, the Moors could only retreat back as the Aragonese began rebelling in strength, reclaiming multiple settlements for their own king.

Should they make the first move, or perhaps wait for the Pisans to break the Aragonese first, and then strike swiftly...




He was struck swiftly.

Pisan intelligence reported the Moorish troop strength - manageable. And thus a greater part of the forces which had overcome Orleans began to make their way across the Pisan border with Aragon.

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Something great was occurring in the south however... which is to say!






With the Serbians "guarding" the land routes to Egypt, Evio was not about to stop with just fighting rebels, he was invading the southern Moorish lands!

This had abruptly become a two-front war, even though it was still mostly Pisa against the Moors.

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And the Serbians were quite a useful neutral party, as the Egyptians had finally stopped a force of rampaging Scottish crusaders, ending a crusade for al-Quds.

In part, the Scots were eager to return to their homeland as Pisans were in the middle of taking down their old enemy, the Kingdom of England, which was hardly cause for celebration since it meant Scottish lands would be next.

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In Murcia, the famous site of the Long Lance of Agesipolis, the locals began to rebel against their distant Byzantine rulers. Sensing that they would have to choose between Moorish or Pisan support, they decided to go with ...??




At this time, it might be better said that Pisa was the new Rome, as far as the religious were concerned.

[Alwyn]

That Moorish 7-star general sounded like a potentially serious threat, I like the shift from his perspective and the option of 'striking swiftly' to what happened next. Pisan intelligence seems to be unstoppable, I noticed the 130% chance of opening the gates of a particular city, if your army attacks it.

[Alavaria]

Dreadbolt: No Stopping Zone
Ch VIII-8: Getting Married Means Politics



While "accidents" were occurring in the far west (Moors) the eastern neighbors, like the Novgorodians, were not overlooked by the Pisan covert operatives.

For example, while marching to stem the wave of territory loss to Pisa's Oberto, Dobrozhir Domozhirov was stealthily neutralized while preparing for battle.

Spoiler for Suddenly Pisans: 

Captain Igor had to take command as the Pisans attacked, right on time. Even though the numbers and composition might have initially looked even...






The "battle" was a disaster. Pisan crossbows did their usual long-range work and Novgorod was not able to respond. They tried, but it simply was not enough.






It was a one-sided victory for Pisa.

Rostislav Khvost saw the slaughter and rode with all speed towards the city of Novgorod to warn them that the army was lost.

However, he made the mistake of taking the fastest route there by road, and a Pisan assassin waylaid him on the way with a crossbow ambush.

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Adelmo was rather late to married life. Still, despite being married, due to campaigning in the north. However, he was able to spend some time leisurely moving into his palace in London with his wife and a substantial entourage (the ones who had been following his late grandfather).

Though the most prominent family in Pisa, the Viscontis would be the preeminent power in England. Such was Our Lady's gift.






Oh, the famous English archers tried their best to stop us from approaching, but their arrows were not impressive to a fully equipped and veteran Pisan army.




The banners with Visconti family arms on them marked out Adelmo's Famagalia Ducale bodyguard unit. Since it was a command unit, they carried extra large banners, due to having to hang back both for protecting from missiles but also to gain a commanding perspective on the ongoing assault.




Closing in after the English had spent all their arrows, our crossbows began their missile attacks, which the English definitely weathered much worse than we did theirs.



There were a few reserve archers who stepped up to return the favor. But suddenly Adelmo himself was there, cutting them down (before quickly pulling back).

Such bold moves were typical of Pisan cavalry. Commanding perspective? The enemy are all in a castle, they're not maneuvering that much...






Castle Norwich would secure the northern approach to London, which was now in the comfortable position of being securely surrounded by Pisan lands.

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On hearing about the many quick defeats, English general Giric mac Ideid decided to rebel rather can serve the English king anymore, leading a large number of his archers away from the defense of Castle Kaerenarvon.




One reason to go his own way was because his cousin was suddenly murdered. Call it a sign of the times.

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Adelmo returned to London to discover that he would soon have a son. Many families in the Pisan Empire redoubled their attempts to get their daughters to marry into the Visconti family via Adelmo. It was, however, somewhat late for them. Though in the Pisan Empire, Our Lady allows two wives (but not three) since she had already noted approval for Glykeria, it wasn't as though a Pisan second wife would be able to push her aside for roles like (landed) Grand Quartermaster of London.

Perhaps because she was new to the scene, and had only lived in Paris briefly and then London, the prominent families in the Pisan Empire didn't know her well, or the fact that Our Lady had actually designated her as one of the empire's few seers - despite being a Byzantine by birth rather than Pisan.




There was a great population boom in Italy, but Paris was a notable city that prospered due being a critical waypoint in journeys between the various parts of the Empire.

Indeed, more roads lead to Paris than Pisa!






We are going strong and building strong. Why choose between a wall of soldiers or a wall of stone when you can have both, multiples of both even...

[Owlparrot3]

This story is so good .It would be nice to imagine what's going on beneath the surface .I believe atleast that glorious military victories will mean more rigid feudalism and many will not have any rights .Serfs will be even more downtrodden because they cant be promoted to the nobility ,cause the population of the current nobility itself is large .

[Alavaria]

Dreadbolt: Filling The Land
Ch IX-1: A Lot of Space



In the east, Poland's last defenders prepared for a last stand.
In the north, England's soldiers awaited a similar fate.

But in the west, something truly serious was beginning.






The Pisans were preparing for the long-awaited (second) push into Iberia. Caught between them and the Moors, the Aragonese doubtless felt the pressure.




The border castle of Toulouse. Rei Guillen's men watched as the Pisans under Lerino built an impressive siege camp.

Last time, the Pisans bypassed an "unimportant" Aragonese enclave in an opportunistically seize some rebel settlements. However, a combination of the Moors (leading to a Pisan retreat) and those very rebels (who caused the Moors to retreat) Aragon was stronger than it had been before.




This time, the Pisans were in it for the long haul. After all, they didn't so much retreat as pull back a "strategic" raiding group. Attacking over the border, Lerino's men now had a secure path back overland, which was critical since a great deal of the "local" support was from the France area rather than Italy**.

**(Italy was supporting the East)






Guillen shouted for the Pisans to fight him. We did, sending forward our crossbowmen.






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Simultaneously, Simone was striking just a little south, having used the sea route to travel there from his base in the city of Bordeaux.








Ermenegildo was a bit more defensive than the late king was, and he got his fight. But fighting your enemy face-to-face as well as his horde of spearmen is in no way fair, and he perished in the fight.

And this left the way open to...

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Zaragoza. These hardcore Aragonese nationalists had pushed out the Pisans before, and then Moors after that. This time would be different.

After they refused to surrender the city, Our Lady shrugged and ordered a general purge of those who chose to stay within the city walls.






The new Prencipe (from being fourth in line from the throne, he was now only second) raced to provide aid, but was ambushed by our crossbowmen.

We're not quite sure why he thought some skirmishers and mercenaries (and some knights, truthfully) would be able to break our siege.




The late Prencipe's troops were harried all the way to the gate and many of them were killed just outside of it's dubious safety.

Dubious as our siege engines had already broken through those walls (not that the Aragon general could see it, since we were in the way).




As the garrison's crossbowmen tried to race to their positions, they were astonished and cut apart by our heavy cavalry. The alarm was sounded.

Spoiler for Caballeros Hidalgos: 

The Caballeros Hidalgos were an interesting Aragonese innovation. Rather than knights with lance and sword, they carried powerful armor-piercing javelins, and were able to close into sword range and melee like a knight.

Our spearmen have handled javelins and knights, be it with lance or sword, and were not overly impressed. We later debated the utility of carrying javelins, but apparently it is impossible to bring both those and a lance.


We have crossbowmen for ranged attacks, so the lance continues its service.




There were some Aragonese knights too, they're not any different from normal knights. As though knights are ever "normal".








(Simone)

Looking westwards to the hills of Iberia that blocked further vision, Our Lady simply sighed as though able to see the Moors that intelligence reported were massing for an all-out counter attack now that we had crossed into and taken over the Aragonese buffer region.

Simone: Is there something of concern?

____Aa: You know that I gave England to your brother's son - how does having a piece of Iberia sound?

Simone: It's richer and sunnier than England. But full of angry Moors.

____Aa: There's a lot of space to be filled, after your men have emptied it out.

Simone: Both tasks will take a lot of men, but that's hardly news. There won't be anywhere for people to leave to as we claim this region.

____Aa: If all these aren't enough, then really, I will have to divert even more resources towards the effort. Not that it isn't there to be used though.

Simone: In either case I doubt that I will live long enough to see it, unless I somehow surpass old Soderino.

____Aa: Well yes, but your children will be there to see it, and their children will be born in it. Oh, and of course, I will be around throughout.


That was true. She looked the same to the 60 year old me now as she had as far back as I can remember when I was a small child. And my father Soderino said she looked like that when he was a young child, about when the famous Baldassare began building today's Pisan Empire in north Italy.

No wonder she doesn't seem to mind planning things for multiple generations ahead. The Moors, and anyone else for that matter, don't stand a chance... eventually.


And she'll be there at the end, probably looking the same to my grandchildren when they have grandchildren.

[Alwyn]

Good update, with some great screenshots, I particularly like the one with the knights crossing the hill with the yellow and red striped banners. The ambush of the garrison crossbowmen looks devastating. Those Hidalgos sound fun to use, although I can see why Pisa would prefer to use lancers and crossbowmen.

[♔atthias♔]

I especially like the last conversation from our lady

[NorseThing]

I id like this update. I liked the thoughts on why Pisa has a different outlook on the utility of the javelin versus the lance. I may have more respect for the javelin since I like the mobility versus the virtual armored tank of a Pisan knight.

[Alavaria]

Dreadbolt: Filling The Land
Ch IX-2: Not Simply Diversion





As the Moors were preparing to once again claim the ex-Aragonese lands from the Pisan Empire, shocking news arrived from the south. Not content with the Fortress he had siezed, Evio marched daringly on the southern capital of Fas, taking it from 'Al 'Amir Salih and the small garrison with embarrassing speed.

This was quite a blow to morale, for several reasons...

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The fine trades that passed through north africa were now under Pisan control. Indeed, merchants of the entire world had their guild headquarters in Fas.

This means that suddenly every single settlement gains the equivalent of two free levels of market.




Evio was not intending to let go of this either. Though maintaining public order was not easy, he and his army at least kept the city under Pisan control for the moment.




Also, it seemed the annual College of Cardinals staff retreat was taking place in Fas.

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Though we did possess overwhelming might, the Pisan Empire was fighting on many fronts. The Moors might hope that one of these other fronts would draw troops away from theirs but, unfortunately for them, Iberia was a top priority.

Doubly so after the fiaso with Aragon, which hopefully would not be repeated.




Speaking of Aragon, some last remnants were hiding in Citadel Valencia. While the defenders suffered from a damaging plague, it indirectly protected them, as the Pisans were not interested while the plague continued to kill.

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As they prepared to face the incoming Pisans, two more Moorish generals abruptly lost their life before seeing battle.

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Ahmad al-Hassar gathered a group of light units and marched on Tilimsan, but of course Evio and his army quickly moved out to catch them.

Fas was still garrisoned, of course.










As Ahmad and his men crested the top of the hill, Pisans in formation on the reverse side shot a deadly volley of bolts from behind their wall of spears, shields and armor.






Hardly anything needs to be said about how the "battle" went, so...




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Lerino was back, and prepared to take Barcelona properly. Hatim the Wrathful was not amused at the sight of a Pisan army and Pisan fleet working together to attack the city he had only just wrested from the Aragonese.









Seeing his initial attempts to push back the attacking spearmen fail, Hatim prepared to engage them himself.

Of course, this was exactly what our crossbowmen were waiting for, and they immediately engaged Hatim.








The Moors did inflict a sizeable number of casualties on us, using the urban setting to great effect despite their relatively small size.

However, we prevailed.

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As Lerino looked at his map of the northern Moorish territories, one thing came to mind.




The use of sturdy Pisan mail was catching on, even outside the borders of the Pisan Empire. However, to avoid giving "credit" many preferred to call it Heavy Mail instead.

What a generic name.

[Alavaria]

I id like this update. I liked the thoughts on why Pisa has a different outlook on the utility of the javelin versus the lance. I may have more respect for the javelin since I like the mobility versus the virtual armored tank of a Pisan knight.

Small point of note, those Caballeros Hidalgos are pretty much Mailed Knights, but with the lance swapped for javelin.

Which is to say, they're as tanky. It was actually rather hilarious until I was informed in the SSHIP forums that those units were indeed elites so it's accurate (I had thought they were oddly heavy for javelin cavalry). No idea if the real ones would have had a spear/lance for charging as well as the javelin & sword - since M2TW can't use more than 2 weapons.

[♔atthias♔]

great update I especially like the snarky remark at the mail invention

[Alwyn]

Me too!