Vanilla Venice Victor: Strong Spears Succeed (III-1)

[Alavaria]

Vanilla Venice Victor

A storm cloud spreads over Europe. Hatred and wars between realms are as nothing in the threat of a sea of Total War.

The Most Serene Republic of Venice, as it was known, has become a power under control of the last central government. It expands though Italy and Europe, advancing over bloody soil.

A new unity is emergent in this city-empire, a mind who seeks the final unification of all reigns. And in these times, what better unification than annexation, of course after war?

To the chosen Doge, war is the principle path to this victory. Enemies' lives are sent up as sacrifices so that the loyal can rise to heights beyond.




This is purely experimental, you should take all the chapters as being written far after the actual events occurred, by ideologically-driven revisionist historians who romanticize the era of the Venetian Empire which is a mix of ancient history and mythological saga of the later world-spanning People's Union of Venice.

Please note that the events described would be following the "Sparta (Roma Surrectum 2)" campaign, and are essentially exclusive with the events described in the "Pisa (SSHIP)" one. The worlds are of course not the same, take the divergence point as being somewhere between the fall of the Spartan Empire and the rise of the Pisan or Venetian Empire. The People's Union of Venice of course occurs long after the story.




For as long as I had known, they had been. But that did not mean they would be for as long as I will know.

To simply accept the primacy of another is not necessarily virtue. Even though, to overturn an old order may require sacrifice.

Even though it had long been a foregone conclusion, only on that day did I truly understand the meaning, that "everyone dies sometime".

Unknown Venetian Heavy Infantry, remembering the fall of "the Last Rome".


Chapter List:
Act 1: Militia Military Marches

1. Little Red Men
2. Red Team
3. Civilian-Military Integration
4. Military-Industrial Complex
5. Firing Squad
6. Escalation Dominance
7. Total, Unrestricted War
8. Shielded Offensive
9. Catapults Pierce Walls

Act 2: Phalanx Projects Power

1. Core Pentagon Formation
2. North and South
3. The Future
4. What is Phase 2 Mobilization?
5. Berned by a Bad Decision
6. Island Sicily Sinks
7. Choking Out Some Romans
8. Enemies From Afar
9. Not A Hero

Act 3: Strong Spears Succeed

1. Royalty?

[Alavaria]

Militia Military Marches
I-1: Little Red Men

I, Doge Domenico, was the first one to see it after many generations - the end of our world order, in the flesh (if indeed that is flesh, as philosophers tell us the divine cannot possibly be made of lowly physical matter).

In the night, after my successor Bartolomeo set out to support pro-Venice rebels who would take power in Zagreb and join the Venice that he would rule after me...




I heard her first, calling softly from all directions but also from within me. A soft clarion call that struck to the depths of one's being while melting away so it was both unforgettable but hardly remembered.

"Ah Domenico, why are you hiding from me? Don't you know, you are already dead?"




"If that is so," I spoke up, the assertiveness surprising even myself. "Then Bartolomeo will be a capable leader. The lands will never fall to you again."

"Is that so?" with a soft laughter like a thousand stabbing daggers. "If not you, then him, if not him than another, or another, or another."

"I doubt it's that easy."

"Your Roman forbears did not drive me away, or did they prevent my return. I simply looked away for a bit. But I am interested again. Do you wish to see the future, the inevitable future, before we settle down to watch your ending?"




I couldn't refuse, simply because the vision that burst forth didn't give me that chance...

The smell of a great burning, clean wood and rotting flesh both set alight.

The men who would become those burning bodies, falling one after another, struck down by enemies unseen in the far distance.

Those enemies, shooting their fellow man with powerful crossbows, laughing as they brought about the downfall of yet another human kingdom that had lasted so many generations, but was now seeing its last one pass into the underworld.

They were wearing Venetian colors, and speaking in our manner.




I couldn't take it. As the vision expanded and became ever more detailed, a torrent of memory not yet experienced, I could feel my own self being eroded away.

"Little one, your Roman fathers who warned you about me in such length, are never coming back. And your Roman gods, who asked you to protect them from me, cannot bring you back either. And do you remember, what they both told you, about the end of their civilization at the hands of my servants?"

I did. The vision had made me realize the most obvious and obscene of truths.

"Yes, it was only 'the end of humanity' for those on the wrong side of my favor."

I was laughing.



And thus, I became the one who "brought back" the feared Divinity of Unnumbered Wings.

There was nothing I could do!

[Alwyn]

Great start! Domenico's vision sounds like the beginning of something important.

[Alavaria]

Militia Military Marches
I-2: Red Team



(Domenico)

All the important families of Venice were gathered together in the strategy room of the city's half-built City Watch to review the strategic situation. Of particular concern to me was the Roman outpost in the Large Town of Bologna. It seemed too well defended for a town past the edge of an empire and too close to Venice to be simply coincidental.

Even while we were preparing what Our Lady called a New Model Army, it was important to make diplomatic moves.




An important power in many ways, the Papal States to our south and the pope particularly, were not fans of the "Holy" Roman Empire. As a result, we were able to convince them that the Romans had a nefarious agenda in Italy. Indeed, well, they probably did.

It helped that the pope in principle has no qualms about fighting anyone who could be considered a threat to his position, which the Romans were at this point. How fortuitous that the descendants of the Romans were so distrusting of one another!




However, the Romans had allied with "Milan", a new major power though its own sub-alliance tying together the cities of Milan and Genoa.

While we were able to convince the Sicilians to cease support for pirates who had been threatening our port, it seemed likely that the Romans were considering joining up their outpost by going through us.




The Milanese, too, were another potential threat avenue. If a major Roman expeditionary force came south through the Alps, with Milanese-Genoese help (or perhaps just the latter, with the Roman troops at Bologna) could conquer the walls of Venice.

There was nothing to be done against such aggression, first we had to arm ourselves and prepare for a hard struggle to ensure the survival of our state. However, what these schemers did not know was that the field was actually greatly sloped against them.


Because we were being led by the Divinity of Unnumbered Wings, and she seemed as cheerfully murderous as the records (of both the Romans and Greeks) of her last campaigns suggested. The fact that her own people didn't seem to have any problems making such records suggested a darker side...

Why did she want us to meet near the city's barracks anyway? Well that's an interesting secret. You see-

[TheGovna]

Good start to the AAR, Alavaria. Are there specific goals you have set out for yourself to accomplish in this campaign or is it purely role play?

[Alavaria]

Are there specific goals you have set out for yourself to accomplish in this campaign or is it purely role play?

Just a bunch of things that amuse me, might or might not show up in the story though, like:
1. No bribing pope & follow pope's ceasefires
2. No paying to get out of excommunication, and no returning of anything to the pope (especially if I take rome)
3. If there's a crusade, no shortcuts (though if pope changes and it gets called off then welp I guess) kill everyone directly
4. No holding back on spamming armies, but building up cities is a priority if there's no pressing need for more men.

Besides that I'll probably abuse everything I feel like, be it forever-garrisons, spamming churches (bit of a waste though honestly) or fake-crusading for Chivalry.

This is more about describing how the thing works rather than the battles (especially the endless settlement battles which would be a lot of prose while the battle was only "shot people with crossbows, won because the settlement defense AI is bad")

[Alavaria]

Militia Military Marches
I-3:Civilian-Military Integration



Across the entrance to Venice's City Watch hung a series of seven square "icon" as they came to be known. The massive scarlet decorations were blank at moment, except for fine silver thread words around the edges. Curiously enough, the words ran across the tops and bottoms of each square into its neighbor - the set of seven were clearly not intended to be viewed separately. The actual words, none of us could read. It wasn't in any form of Latin or even Greek.

Eventually, each city's City Watch would have large versions of the Grand Banners carried by the Banner Armies led by generals from that city. In fact, it was common for several cities to try and claim such an honor, so copies of the same Grand Banner exist in no few cases...


It is not known where the original seven banners in early accounts went, no city's Grand Banner copies have such a distinctive decoration, all of them use either Latin or Greek specifically.




The institution of a militarized City Watch would become one of the main loci of Venetian power, providing the armies of Venice with their spearmen and crossbowmen. In larger cities, cavalry were also trained in such a manner, though many cities relied on the patronage of the local Merchants' Guild if they trained cavalry at all.

However it wasn't the type of soldiers, but rather their quantity and quality which were a result of the concentration of effort present in a City Watch (Large Towns only had a Town Guard which concentrated primarily on spearmen, but generally were facilities for pre-training and occasionally staging grounds for visiting forces).




The common Italian Milita concept was abandoned early in the militarization process. While turning out impressive numbers, such "soldiers" had short spears not good for heavy fighting and no protection besides the standard oval shield.

Instead, we fully adopted the Italian Spear Militia concept. As the difference in name suggests, the main difference was the use of the military-grade "heavy spear" like those used by professional and mercenary spearmen, capable of stopping even cavalry charges.


Some form of body armor was also mandated to prevent what Our Lady referred to as "going to war naked". Early on though, this took the form of improvised padded coats and caps. However, in no few cases this proved much better on the battlefield than no protection at all.




Despite earlier hype about the Venetian Archers concept, this was ultimately overtaken by a Pavise Crossbow variant which emphasized tactical flexibility and a measure of battlefield mobility.

Early units were volunteers of some means, as they had to equip themselves with the namesake pavise and crossbow (many also opted for some mail armor as well, an excellent choice given their means).


Please note that the image above is an incorrect drawing of how the pavise crossbowmen employed their shield. The pavise was not held in the hand the way archers might carry a small shield while shooting. For a more accurate depiction, see the below:



The modified pavise was designed to be worn on the back, rather than propped up in a static manner. To this end, it is of fairly light all-wood construction without any leather or metal coverings which would add weight. They tend to be surprisingly thin as well, while maintaining an excellent coverage due to their size.

The particular drill of turning around to work the crossbow was designed to enable soldiers to take advantage of a pavise's protection without giving up essential mobility. In sieges, the large mantlet-style shields were still used, of course.


Even with the adoption of heavier armors, the pavise continued to be in fashion, as enemy missile weapons continued to advance as well. An enemy bolt might pierce the pavise only to be stopped by a heavy mail coat, while either alone would have resulted in a dead Venetian.

=================================================

And now we are better equipped to understand the Unification of Italy series of wars.

[Alavaria]

Militia Military Marches
I-4: Military-Industrial Complex



(Domenico)

Besides the City Watch in Venice, engineers in Ragusa were working on weapons of a different scale in the Ballista Maker. We had the time to gather up a decent enough army, with a sufficient compliment of crossbowmen and ballista, before Our Lady ordered a move out.

While I had full hopes this should be sufficient to the task, I also gathered a large number of the elite families' mounted retainers. Just in case.






The reason for the urgency became clear after some of the scouts reported that no less than Emperor Heinrich, leader of the Roman Empire, was present. He was a well known adherent to Roman ideals and the Roman gods.

Indeed, it was claimed that many of the important families in Italy were related to the Roman imperial line, but seeing that Our Lady appears very upset with all Romans (for not disappearing like she intended for them, I suppose) it would good if she didn't pay attention to such rumors.




Of course, the presence of their emperor meant that the Romans were up to something. Even so, an increased Roman presence still meant we had a significant upper hand. Of course to maintain that advantage despite the sudden adjustment to our plan required stripping the walls of Venice, which was a problem only if our assault failed.

A lengthy siege could mean reinforcements, Roman or Milanese. Losing too many men would weaken us even in victory, and obviously would be disastrous in defeat.




The assault started off slowly, with several probing actions by infantry being repulsed by Roman archers. However, each time the men came back, they did come back. Probably thanks to the combination of a large sturdy shield and some armor.

Speaking of a large sturdy shield, when I presented our first spear infantry unit to Our Lady she initially referred to them as Theurophoroi, which (I asked some military historians) were a form of medium spear infantry used in great numbers by the Spartan Empire, though usually on the flanks.




Rather than engaging in a missile duel with the Romans, our crossbowmen were held back in anticipation of the actual breach and assault. We had also finished preparing the batteries of siege ballista, which I admit to being a little skeptical about, despite the confidence of the siege engineers.




The ballista bolts began chewing their way though the wooden Roman wall. Although I didn't think their bolts could do such damage, watching the wall crumble slowly under the barrage was enough to convince me.

Soon after the siege engines began their destructive work, I noticed that Our Lady had left off watching the infantry and was walking around the ballista, though I doubt any of the engineers working them could see or hear her.






After blowing open several breaches in the wall (which the Romans hastened to close up with their infantry), the ballista began taking shots at the towers which served as strongpoints on the wall, to make the advance easier.




The Romans largely ran out of arrows at this point, instead opting to wait us out behind their broken wall...

"Wait a moment, was all that a ploy to use up the Roman ammunition?"




"Don't be too surprised, people only carry so much ammunition."

"But it's a siege, why wouldn't they have more arrows somewhere?"

"They just don't. Now order the advance."






The first assault unit had an easy time entering the walls, but was set upon by the Romans. With the support of our crossbowmen shooting through the breach in the walls their fellows had just entered by, the Romans were routed.

And once it started, the rout was impressive. Romans abandoned the walls in haste, spurred on even more by our bolts slamming into their mostly unprotected backs.






All the mounted familial retainers charged in, catching Emperor Heinrich and his bodyguard amidst the chaos.






After the battle, while all the corpses were being dragged out for a decent burial (Venetian) or a large firepit (Roman) I remembered something that Our Lady had mentioned when I commented on how quickly the walls had fallen:

"While their walls might not be able to keep us out, it can certainly keep them in."


Indeed, an army defeated while attempting to defend a settlement was always wholly lost.




As one would expect, the assault units suffered most of the losses. However, the efficacy of our crossbowmen was very encouraging. Indeed, as the saying goes:

The spearman has a spear, but the crossbowman attacks the enemy stronger and from further.
The crossbowman has a shield, but the spearman has both a shield and a spear to defend with.
The cavalryman has spear and shield to attack with, but his horse is what allows him to defeat the defeated.

[Flinn]

just found this, excellent AAR so far.. keep the chapters coming!

ps I love how you introduce units, buildings and other game's elements, it gives a lot of immersion and creates atmosphere.

[Alavaria]

Militia Military Marches
I-5: Firing Squad



(One of the crossbowmen)

After our victory at Bologna, one of the few Roman survivors was their general, Emperor Heinrich. As we ourselves knew, body armor tends to be functional in that it saves your life on the battlefield, well made metal armor even more so. We found this out the next day, when the men were assembled.


Some time in the night, Doge Domenico had gotten some of the engineers to build a rough wooden platform in a corner of the town square. It looked much like a set up for burning heretics, complete with an imposing wooden stake. The soon-to-be-late emperor was brought out (still wearing some of his decorated armor) and duly chained to the stake.

However, unlike what we expected, the Doge had picked twenty-one of our crossbowmen for Venice's very first firing squad...




(Domenico)

"I don't get it though, if they're just using crossbows, why the reference to fire?"

"Don't even bother questioning me, if that's what it's about."

She seemed a little surprised, but quite satisfied with the late-emperor's demise. It was the best I could come up with on the spot after she replied that he should be shot in response to a question about the emperor's (potential) ransom.




"The Milanese are doing something, so complete the full initial mobilization we discussed earlier, I have some things to take care of."

I simply nodded. Strange as it seemed, the great "Holy" Roman Empire had to reach out quite a ways to affect us, but the Milanese were much closer and arguably had a much greater reason to intervene. I posted scouts on the west, but -






I guessed wrong. Some fringe group of pro-East separatists rose up, sieging the castle of Ragusa. Before I was able to assemble a quick response force, the castle had fallen.

Later reports suggested that some of the Peasants (literal) who were manning the castle were separatists themselves. It also seemed likely that the rebels had obtained lethal aid from Milan. Potentially the Romans, but Milan was "the most likely" perpetrator.

===================================================================



However, strategically this didn't matter, a fact which was made clear to me when I realized that Our Lady's "care" involved moving our strategic arms development to Venice. Yes, a city can also work on siege engines, and with our military coming from Venice as well, the horizontal integration is perfect.

Indeed, one explanation for the uprising was that the "soldiers" in Ragusa saw themselves becoming obsolete. However, this is mostly likely a Milanese disinformation campaign.

[Alwyn]

I agree with Flinn, I am enjoying the way that you immerse readers in the story by explaining the development of Venice's units and buildings as well as other features of the game. The extracts from pre-battle speeches and the way that you present what happens to Emperor Heinrich are nicely done, too.

[Alavaria]

Militia Military Marches
I-6: Escalation Dominance



Rather than attempt to recapture Ragusa, Our Lady prioritized moving to punish the offending Giorgio administration for interfering in our territories. This explanation was generally accepted by the men without any further proof. Well, actually there were some anonymous leaks from our intelligence groups which convinced all of Venice, but who's keeping score?

In any case, the Milanese interference was a suitable pretext for our sudden thrust directly at Milan (of course).




At home, the mobilization was continuing, but after reinforcing the main army (under myself), the priority shifted to the defense of Venice itself. However, we caught Milan with few defenders, so I had all the mounted retainers as my main "insurance" against a combined Milan-Genosese relief attempt. One that almost disappointingly did not materialize.

The ballista could not scratch the stone walls of Milan, and the new "catapults" which supposedly could conquer such defenses were still in the prototype-and-test stage. So we had to do this the old way, with ladders.






The Milanese tried, in a way, to defend themselves. But it wasn't possible, we took a gate unopposed (there weren't enough Milanese units to cover all gates, and of course one cannot split up a unit into anything smaller) and flooded in.

Teams of spearmen and crossbowmen working together cleared the streets and made for the city square.







Duke Giorgio, who would probably preferred to have faced us with a combined Milan-Genoese force rather than the small militia of Milan, got to experience the range and power of our crossbows.

Unfortunately you must fight the battle with the army you have, not the army you could have had, had you not dispatched them on some other mission just before being suddenly attacked by vengeful Venetians.




Afterwards, the duke unsurprisingly denied all connections to the Ragusan rebels. However, it was not possible for him to prove such a lack of a connection while in prison. And anyway, bothering to listen to Milanese protests at this point was a waste of time. Why wouldn't you trust the Venetian spies, they watch our enemies so they would know.

Unbeknownst to the duke, our men only made the effort to take him alive so he could be shot at a time and place of our choosing. Which were chosen and prepared even before his very short trial had begun.

[Flinn]

awesome new chapters!

[Alavaria]

Militia Military Marches
I-7: Total, Unrestricted War



(Domenico)

Rewind to the middle of the ongoing assault. I was leading the way (from behind the foot) to Milan's city square when abruptly a unit of Milanese spearmen burst out of a side alleyway. One of them thrust his point at me, but knocking the weapon aside was trivial and the soldier next to me quickly speared the Milanese in turn. Right as this was going on, something hit me.


I heard the sound of someone singing from a faroff place. A soft stabbing voice that melted as soon as you heard it.

Those who said unto you 'peace' and 'safety' are no more,
They have fallen ahead of you in the perils of war.
See now the end of your 'old' prides,
The reign which devoured your fathers rides.

Who seeks to stand against will fall
Who falls to knee will stand




I simply stared at the spearman on the ground next to my horse bleeding to death in the melee. I could feel his death, and not only that, but from all over the city. A growing torrent of the screaming thoughts of those perishing without any savior.

There were so many passing into nothing, am I sure that I am actually not one of them, myself about to pass?




"Doge!" One of my bodyguards grabbed the reins of my horse as his fellows crowded around me. The spearmen were quickly taken apart with a flashing of swords. However, I did not notice, dazedly turning around to look instead at the person "riding" just behind me. "What have you done?"

As she turned towards me, I leaned away at the sight of fire flickering dimly though her pupils. "What is it now?" she asked softly, a little impatient but also absent, distracted. At that moment I realized suddenly the significance of something I felt at the tail end of that nihilistic experience.




I had experienced Milanese stabbing themselves. Though there was no way I could know, there was no doubt in my mind (back to being only mine) she was making them kill themselves at that very moment.

And not just soldiers. Afterwards, Venetians would find that Milanese barricaded in their homes had simply grabbed the nearest knife and thrust themselves through the neck, or jumped out of a window to their deaths on the street below.




(A letter sent to Roma)

A terrible tragedy has befallen the innocents of Milan. Under a flimsy pretext, the aggressive Venetian regime attacked the sovereign city-state of Milan, recognized by all as a legitimate Italian authority.

Despite various crimes against the dignity of Creation such as the mentioned aggression, an unjust show trial of Duke Giorgio, legitimate chosen ruler of Venice, his subsequent dishonorable execution, and many others each deserving significant retribution, one stands out in particular.

The Venetian regime has undertaken a completely unjustifiable and indiscriminate purge of the Milanese population, who are noncombatants and therefore are not to be harmed even in times of war.




There are accounts of mass graves, large pits where the bodies are burned together like so much fuel, with the earth earlier dug out thrown on top of the ashes and bones afterwards. Those "buried" in such a way can never be identified or given a proper burial.

Furthermore, there are even more disturbing reports on which the vaults of Roma may shed critical like. These are included, sealed separately for the pope's own eyes only.




Following the events of the fall of Milan, the pope declared a ceasefire, protecting the Genoese (and Milanese who had fled to Genoa) from the Venetians. For a time...




However, Pope Gregory himself vetoed an attempt put forward by the Roman Empire to place punitive sanctions on Venice, citing a justified response to Milanese interference as well as a lack of evidence for the accusations made against the Venetians.


Afterward, only quite a while afterward actually, I mustered the courage to ask Our Lady what she actually did that day...

[TheGovna]

Brutal chapter. I like how this is being told largely in first person which separates it from most AAR's. Looks like the Pope is going to make it difficult to deliver the final blow to the Milanese. I'm also curious what the French are doing just off the coast of Genoa?

[Alavaria]

Militia Military Marches
I-8: Shielded Offensive



In "relevant" news apparently a Jihad started to take a rebel Baghdad. Yeah so whoever was ruling Baghdad collapsed and now it will be solved by application of a lot of soldiers. Maybe some of them will learn how to be chivalrous?

No crusades have occurred yet on our side, by the way.






The young Barbus Selvo dislikes Milanese. He ironically though formed his bodyguard in Milan, from a number of newly raised retainers who had moved into Milan after the "unpleasantness" was past. So they are Venetians, but probably the next generation will be significantly Milanese. Though it's more likely that they will "count" as Venetian.

Now of course, the main group of Milanese still proclaiming their independent Milaneseness while under arms were residing south, in Genoa. Thanks to the pope's protection, the Milan-Genoese force, which was not defending Milan earlier, was able to accomplish their mission to take Castle Bern, further north. Getting back, though, was a sticky problem, as the direct road to Genoa would pass though Milan's region which, as Milan was Venetian now, meant we could attack them without breaking the pope's ceasefire!






The Romans have added the French to their little group. France, which is to the west of us, had been another major contender for the "Roman name". However, unlike the Germans who absorbed the two Lost Legions which fled northwards from Italy, the Gauls only absorbed Roman refugees. The Gauls also suffered greatly under the Greeks' scorched earth campaign which was ordered by Our Lady.

As a result of their ancestors being abandoned by the ancestors of the modern Romans, the French were hoping to regain parts of Italy while making the Romans bleed for it. Or, you know, because getting something and making someone else pay for it is excellent.

Spoiler for Fast: 

Taking advantage of the peace, Cristiano Selvo led a quick administration change operation, bringing Large Town Florence into our sphere of influence. Barbus Selvo (his nephew, by the way) was also present for this endeavor.

One of the things we learned is that staging enough armed Occupations of population centers tends to lead to having a Chivalrous reputation (as opposed to say, armed Sackings). One odd consequence of this is that getting involved in repeated surges to capture and recapture a random village that endlessly rebelled between surges would lead to the commander in charge becoming quite chivalrous indeed.




Milan housed our first Intelligence Center (Thieves' Guild). As you can see, it helped utilize the power of petty crime in legitimate service to the "nobility". However, arguments have been advanced as to why their activities can no longer be considered crimes (petty or otherwise).

This is a line of thought to pursue later.




The Sicilians again funded their privateers in a "distant blockade" that threatened our shipping. It was possible that this was part of a Roman-French-Sicilian triangle arrangement to strangle us.

It was also possible for a Sicilian army to march from their own city of Naples northward to more directly menace our territory.

===================================================================

(Domenico)

After reviewing the sobering news of kingdoms lining up to take a shot at us, I mustered up the somewhat desperate levels of courage to ask my rather Dreadful patron what exactly had happened to the people of Milan. This was a few years after the fact.


"I simply forced on each person the experiences of those who had died earlier. Now as you can imagine, eventually it reached the point where people spontaneously began to kill themselves.

"At which point it accelerated."

"Yes, well it would seem those who simply lost consciousness early enough were 'safe'. But obviously not all, since your men observed people killing themselves upon regaining consciousness."


It seemed that this was not something that could be used to simply level whole empires, or maybe it can but not in a simple way, or perhaps only that she wasn't interested in using it in such ways. I honestly don't know which possibility is more reassuring.

Actually none of them are reassuring.

[Alwyn]

Great chapters!

[Alavaria]

Militia Military Marches
I-9: Catapults Pierce Walls



(Cristiano)

Our Phase 1 mobilization was completed. Surprisingly, reports indicated that Venice was now the strongest "faction". How exactly we were able to out-muscle giants like the Roman Empire or the Greek (Byzantine) Empire with only two Cities, two Large Towns and one village was beyond me.

"Well you shouldn't be that surprised, Sparta was able to mobilize enough to roll over the known world." was the unhelpful 'explanation'.




Disturbingly, France and the pope had formed an alliance. With the former looking greedily at our borders (which is to say, the city of Milan) such a friendship could only be hostile towards us.

The pope didn't like the Romans much either, clearly France wanted to play these powers off against one another while smoothly sliding in between.




The pope was very pleased that his ceasefire had held. Both we and the Milan/Genoese were busily arming for the coming battles but the humanitarian pause allowed the pope to claim a critical victory, raising his authority and prestige.

News was he wanted to continue the peace but held off for some reason. It's probably the French thinking to get involved, I would say. Seize some land and then ask for a pause so they can firm up their grip on it.




Another of my nephews, Benasuto, may be joining us on a battlefield sometime soon. While his cavalry unit has some of the family's newer retainers, I know for sure the officers are capable as they were veterans under me.

I also made sure to loan him one of my strategists. Hopefully he will become an excellent Venetian and general.




Of all things, the Byzantines joined in with Sicily in blockading our trade routes. Although the pressure is mounting, the Doge and Our Lady do not seem worried. For that matter, after our Phase 1 mobilization, a staggeringly large fraction of the Venetian revenue was going into military spending.

I have a feeling that Venice is rapidly approaching a tipping point. These expenditures are clearly unsustainable, but...




... it is hard to be overly pessimistic while at the head of this, Venice's first Grand Banner Army. To be sure, there should be more infantry (8 or 10 units, rather than 7) and we were rather heavy on crossbowmen (9 units instead of the necessary 5 or 6).

And the only horse were the retainers following my nephew and I. The Phase 1 plans did not include raising cavalry, but in any case, we're expecting hard urban fighting.




The Venetians were in high spirits, doubtless helped by the presence (though unseen) of Our Lady who joined us a while before the assault. The Doge reminded me that with such a large force, issues like basic sanitation could be severe and had to be settled in order to not cause offense.

Our force was well supplied for an expedition, but not a prolonged siege. The Genoese saw this and therefore resolved themselves to fight. We ourselves were ready for that fight.


Arrayed against us, under the command of the Duke of Genoa, Barnardo, was a sturdy infantry force. And a wall.




Against that, our force as already detailed. And two batteries of catapults. Our Lady excitedly reminded me that they were only 'mere precursors on the path to true strategic weaponry' which honestly made no sense to me at all. Well, I won't argue against better weapons, provided they are on our side, of course.

The catapults had been pounding the walls of Genoa since being set up, but after her arrival they seemed greatly increased in effectiveness, though it might just be the crew gaining experience working their machines.




Genoa's wall began crumbling in parts, before eventually giving way to our catapults' relentless efforts. And after that, projectiles started dismantling several nearby guard towers, and perhaps some random city buildings were hit. It was quite surprising to see how even mighty stone defenses can be taken apart.

Bravely enough, the Genoese tried a surprise sally, catching some of our crossbowmen by surprise. However, we know a useful counter - the crossbowmen ran away as spearmen intercepted the Genoese instead.






In front of the wall, our units had been set out in an open but orderly formation, allowing multiple crossbow units to all target the Genoese infantry. The result was not good for them. Padded armor is of course better than no armor, but quite capable in its own right. Still, against the power of a high-velocity crossbow bolt, that's not nearly enough.

We ourselves are quite aware of that, however improving further on our "all armored" infantry concept would require the completion of Phase 2 economic mobilization.








The famous Genoese, Catelano Rossi, tried to encourage his men but after seeing his own unit of retainers fall prey to our spears and crossbows, he tried instead to pull back in an orderly fashion to defend the inner city.

We shot him in the back.






We advanced boldly through the streets. Which is to say, it looked more like a parade one might see in Venice itself! The Genoese doubtless realized how outmatched they were.

Some of the enemy tried to disrupt us, but between our crossbows, armor and swords we put a stop to that, and made a (military) fashion statement. The pavise crossbowman concept would see much use in armies around the world, especially ours.






The Genoese duke showed up, but in order to fight a unit of our spearmen, a terrible matchup we all agreed. Though frequently it was thought that cavalry were greatly superior to foot, certainly not in such a scenario.

Just wait until Phase 2, our infantry will really break the teeth of our enemies then!

[Axis Sunsoar]

I really enjoy your writing and have been loving this AAR so far. The concept of Our Lady is particularly intriguing and I like how it has helped develop the story a little more creatively along the way. Looking forward to more, and especially loving this as it has gotten a little grittier in the past couple chapters.

[Alavaria]

Phalanx Projects Power
II-1: Core Pentagon Formation



Ex-Duke Barnardo was dumped into the sea. Genoa was secure. The five critical population centers (Venice, Milan, Genoa, Bologna and Florence) were now unified under Venetian leadership. In time these cities would form the core of the Italian Union.

For now, it suffices to say that they supply moneys and, even more valuable in such times, metals and metalworkers.




Doge Domenico, despite retiring from active campaigning, was no slouch in politics and the world of intelligence. However, a great deal of his reputation was not entirely deserved. It's likely that Our Lady handled a lot of the most critical decision-making (indeed, it seems she doesn't need to receive any reports, and simply knows about events as they occur).

However, a truly detailed look at the Venetian system shows a great deal of efficient delegation, despite the clearly centralized manner of overall control.




(Domenico)

The French seemed ready to call on their English cousins for moral and doubtless military support. It really seemed as though the whole world was lining up behind one another to threaten us.

Now, the English are quite a ways away, so it's possible this move is aimed more at securing the French north, rather than actually expecting English soldiers to march against Venice.




We do not control the "largest area of the civilized world", but we might happen to have more important population centers? Our borders are hardly trackless either, indeed the network of good paved roads springing up in north Italy might well become a wonder of the world.

Our ability to defend our not-so-trackless borders is not very difficult either. Having a tightly grouped center of power in our Pentagon is a perfect base.




For example, Genoa happens to house a, let me check the report: "clerical headquarters for the guild to administrate trade". This is actually a training center for a new class of medium cavalry retainers.

It will be the merchant class' entrance into mounted fame, but Genoa will not be training, skilling or educating any merchants, but instead more like long-term mounted mercenaries.




By the way, the new Dutchy of Milan-Genoa Castle Bern of course became an ally of France.

Sicily was excommunicated (the next report shows why) and as a result the Byzantines also backed off their support of Sicilian blockading actions.




The Sicilians sent up a rather sturdy force, led by general Alberto. They marched up the dirt roads of east Italy, striking towards Venice. The garrison of Bologna forced them to pause and reconsider how they would actually reach Venice.

And at that point, general Cristiano immediately attacked them first!




(Cristiano)

Even as we completed Phase 1 mobilization, military growth continued apace, as planned in advance. Currently, the priority was providing each settlement with a decent garrison, which would allow for a flexible defense force to be raised at need.

The potential of such a defense strategy was apparent as I watched the garrison of Bologna march out to join my men under the command of garrison captain Geragio.






Sicilians caught off guard by our heavy missile attacks were cut up as they approached our lines. It's important to note that the Sicilians had a history of using eastern-style archers, and in fact the earlier Venetian Archers idea was basically a copy of that but armored.

A "simple" massing of crossbowmen seemed to be much more effective, though. It's also helpful that they can use pavises too.






We also made use of our lances. It's interesting how all the fancy knights particularly love charging with lances, while our own professional retainers can do the same thing.

We even use fancy lances because they get actually used so little that we don't break them. But they're fully effective weapons, just painted in house colors.








To close out the battle, our spearmen toppled Alberto in the melee, subduing him immediately. A number of prisoners were also taken, a surprisingly high fraction of the Sicilian force.

The losses taken in what was very much a straightforward field battle really emphasized the wisdom of Phase 2.






Alberto was probably very happy to be ransomed by his king. Even more so when he heard about what had happened to his men who were also ransomed.

(Since ransoming is all or nothing).

Spoiler for Ransomed: 

Alberto got a "free ride" back to Sicily, but all his men did not. As a result, we just caught up to them and finished them off. It's totally legal, as a formal battle took place.

Not that they had much more chance of surviving that as they could a firing squad, but life is unfair after all.

Spoiler for Clean Sweep: 

(Domenico)

Bartolomeo and I were 'inspecting' Milan when suddenly reports came in of a Bernese force traveling south towards Genoa. It wasn't a large force (at least not to us, at our current level of mobilization) we made a quick trip out to intercept them.

General Manno (a Milanese, I believe) was shot to death in the "battle" that ensued.