So you've cleared out a nice little kingdom for yourself, and have already built economic structures. Your position is stable, so it's now time to invest into future conquests and raise a royal army. What is your army composition? The pros/cons tactically and strategically? What will history remember that royal army for? Glorious conquests, or embarrassing defeats? I'll start with my Eastern Mediterranean Pergamese Empire.

1x General (led by the king or the Diadokhos)
3x Lydian Lancers (a massive expeditionary mounted corps consisting of wealthy Anatolian Hellenes seeking glory and conquest)
1x Anatolian Medium Cavalry (nobles from native anatolian tribes riding on the coattails of the EMPE army)
1x Anatolian Light Cavalry (retainers of said anatolian nobles)
1x Indian Elephants (a little something procured from liberating Antiochea from the Nabataeans. Horrifyingly expensive to maintain, horrifyingly effective at terrifying the enemy)

3x West Anatolian Elite Infantry (the foot counterpart to the mounted corps. Capable of both skirmishing and CQC)
1x Cretan Infantry (some elite Cretan infantry were given land in Halicarnassus in exchange for their elegant swordplay)
2x Karian Infantry (a warlike native people hired for their savagery in combat)
2x Thureophoroi (an experimental unit of settlers from Pergamon who are tasked with guarding the flanks)

2x Anatolian Tribesmen (a select corps of skirmishers selected from various Anatolian camp-followers)

1x Cretan Archer (more settler Cretans from Halicarnassus)
1x Hellenistic Slinger (what few Rhodians that decided to join the EMPE army were diluted by slingers from other Hellenistic city-states)
1x Isaurion Highlanders (a native people from Pamphylia. Great pains were taken to allow autonomy in Side, granting the EMPE army a powerful missile presence at the cost of limited Hellenistic development)

Pros: the entire army can be trained and retrained in 5 settlements in Southwest Anatolia: Pergamon, Sardis, Ephesos, Halicarnassus, and Side. These regions are situated close to many theaters of war, allowing for easy replenishment and swift deployments. Its massive cavalry arm and elephants will crush the opposition's flanks easily. Meanwhile its missile troops comprised of the legendary Cretans and Rhodians can assassinate the enemy general.

Cons: Except for the Thureophoroi, all heavy infantry units carry small shields that our military scientists deemed unsuitable for withstanding ranged bombardment. Said military scientists were promptly fired and replaced with Persian yes-men. This time according to them, the EMPE army is woefully unprepared for facing armies featuring the cataphracts of the east. Except again for the Thureophoroi, all the line infantry carry swords and have already fared poorly against the cavalry of the Anatolians and Greeks. So just imagine how the catapracts, supported by light cavalry to ward off our elephants, and heavy infantry and missile troops to distract ours, would destroy our precious Lydian nobles. The Persians advisors then recommended against campaigning against the empires of Pontus and Hayastan, so we fired them and replaced them with some Nabataean slaves. Those slaves then insufferably bragged about how the lancers of their people would crush our frontlines while their mounted archers would riddle the poorly-shielded line infantry, distract our cavalry, and panic our beasts of the east. So we used those slaves for Lithobolos practice. Nothing can beat the EMPE army. Nothing. There are no cons.

History: The EMPE was founded after the conquest of Ephesos, Halicarnassus, and Sardis decimated the Pergamene's expensive mercenary army. A new source of manpower was needed - the martially-minded Hellenes of the Ionian coast were a prime candidate. Thus the Lydian Lancers and West Anatolian Elite Infantry corps were established, drawing in numerous Hellenes with the high pay and promised of future loot. These valuable men acted as the solid core to the wearied mercenary forces. The EMPE army then engaged the Seleucids in the Showdown at Ipsos, where it destroyed both the defending army and the relieving army. The Ptolemies, seeking to reclaim the Ionian coast, sent a punitive expedition led by Ptolemy's golden child. The EMPE destroyed that too, and liberated the Pamphylians while they were at it. It was then that the battered remnants of the Thracian, Thessalian, and Cretan mecenaries were given their much-deserved Kleuruch in Halicarnassus. Some of the Cretans mercenaries decided to return as full-time professional troops, bringing along their eager brethren as well. Meanwhile the Karians took notice of their new overlords and pledged their swords in exchange for an opportunity at glory. As the EMPE swelled, bolstered by the Cretans and Karians, even the native Anatolians too decided to enlist. Nobles from various tribes formed their own light screening force, along with their mounted and foot retainers as well.

However powerful the EMPE is, the Attalid dynasty was still not officially recognized as a major power by international players. The Kingdom of Bithynia and the city-state of Rhodos remain economic competitors, the Galatians continue to demand regular tribute, and the Seleucids still lay claim to Anatolia despite their presence being reduced to their stronghold at Tarsos. Meanwhile the conquest of Antiochea by the burgeoning Nabataeans presents an interesting opportunity to gain fame at the international stage. Thus, with a bloated backlog of tasks, the EMPE set out to make Pergamon an empire. First, in a mighty battle against the Bithynian garrison and relief force, the EMPE scored a strategic victory. It then swung south to forcibly acquire the other economic powerhouse of the day in Rhodos. With the Hellespont and the eastern entry to the Aegean Sea secured, Pergamon enjoyed economic supremacy. After being replenished, the now-experienced EMPE conquered the remaining Seleucid army in Anatolia at Tarsos, facing deadly scythed chariots in the process. EMPE scouts then sighted the Nabataean satrapy of Antiochea as well as discovered the recent conquest of Galatia by their Pontic allies. One opportunity to claim legitimacy lays straight ahead in Antiochea, the other stolen by the Pergamene's so-called ally. However, an insidious and diplomatic solution was proposed by the EMPE's black-ops Cretan corps. In exchange for a hefty sum of 50,000 mnai, the Pontic kingdom agreed to allow the EMPE to overpower the small Ankryan garrison in Galatia without triggering prolonged war. The Cretans used their reputation to enlist some of the newfangled Thureophoroi as well as old-fasioned Mercenary Hoplites, and conquered Ankrya. The second part of the blockbuster deal was to rewrite history to credit the Pergamenes as the subduers of Galatia. Fortunately news of the Pontic initial conquest of Galatia haven't reached far, and the alternative facts of the Pergamenes began to spread. The Attalid dynasty was recognized as legitimate by the Greeks and Anatolians, but not yet to the powerhouses of the Seleucids and Ptolemies. Thus the EMPE army trekked to Antiochea and punished the Nabataeans for their mismanagement of the historic city. With Antiochea liberated and restored to its former glory, and its elephants secured, the EMPE army helped Pergamon become an empire, recognized by all the great powers of the day.

In the meantime the Galatians have diffused their military know-how among the Hellenes. In particular, the previously disgraced military advisors again offered themselves to the Attalid court, this time promising an innovation to "transform Hellenic martial power as we know it". Rehired, the advisors trained a special versatile unit dubbed the Thureophoroi, named after the Galatian thureos shield. This unit was incorporated into the EMPE, replacing the remnants of the Hemithorakitai Peltophoroi. The Thureophoroi's CQC prowess, skirmishing ability, and mobility immediately showed, and the advisors were cleared of their wrongdoing of giving actual constructive criticism to the EMPE army. Back to political matters, with the benefits of legitimacy comes the (mostly uniform) compliance of natives. For example, an advanced form of governance was established in Side and its Isaurion natives joined the EMPE army. However, a small rebellion of Pamphylians, who were terrified of the prospect of being oppressed by the Attalids just like the Ptolemaics did, threatened to overwhelm the region. It is here the this chapter of the EMPE army concludes - only the distraction at Pamphylia blocks the EMPE army from setting its sights on the rest of the ancient Mediterranean.