Collaborative Campaign Year 16: Part 5

 A further report has arrived (thanks Mark) regarding the Great War between Picenia and the Cyraenian Tetrapolis (formerly a Pentapolis). (Text and photographs are the intellectual property of Mark Cordone).

Current Map of the Known World

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After the conquest of Therissa, the fighting in the Great War shifted to the mainland with the Ptsas river campaign.  The first battle was fought in the north between the Picenian army of Lusatia minor commanded by general Decimus Janus Albinus and the Tetropolis army commanded by King Aristodemus of Kartos.

While the campaign on and around Therissa continued both sides were content to remain on the defensive and await developments.  The Picenian victory activated phase two of their plan to destroy the Tetropolis armies on the mainland and recapture the city of Sentis. The northern army was to advance and defeat the enemy before them before swinging south and falling upon the flank of the main Tetropolis army facing the Picenian southern army and destroying it.

For their part, the city states of the Tetropolis planned to defeat each attacking army in turn before combining their two armies and invading the Picenian province of Lusatia major.

The first battle of the campaign took place in the north at the village of Lycrum on a cool, windy day at the beginning of the summer campaign season.

King Aristrates took up a defensive position with his left (right sector) held by some 5000 (regular) municipal infantry in and around the the village of Lycrum.  His center was manned by a 5000 man phalanx and his right by his elite, disaplined Kartosian hoplites.  In reserve he had another 5000 man phalanx and some 3000 (regular) cavalry with another 3000 horse on the way to join the fight.

General Albinus had the (regular) 9th legion on his left, some 5000 massed (regular) archers in the center and the ( regular) 10th legion on his right.  In reserve he had the veteran (disaplined ) 7th legion, his 3000 regular cavalry and a further force of some 3000 Luss auxiliaries (mixed foot and horse, count as unreliable missile cavalry).

The battle opened with the Picenian archers loosing a hail of arrows at the Tetropolis phalanx in the center, disordering them and driving them from the field.  Aristrates responded by launching his cavalry at the archers but they too were routed.  As this was happening the 9th legion advanced against the Kartosian hoplites but were roughly handled and put to flight.  Both generals rallied routed troops, Decimus the 9th and Aristrates his horse, and after this brief pause the battle resumed.

The hoplites then flanked the Picenian archers in the center as the reserve phalanx attacked from the front and drove them from the field.  The 7th legion then came up on the left and engaged the hoplites, preventing them from rolling up the rest of the Picenian line.  But before the rallied 9th legion could move forward to plug the gap in the Picenian center, the Tetropolis phalanx attempted to flank the 7th.  The veteran legionaries deployed their second line cohorts to face the threat and held on until the 9th arrived and relieved the pressure.

The 9th then defeated the center phalanx but were badly mauled in the process (both units were eliminated but I really like the rule from other Dominion rules sets that allow the higher rolling unit to remain but become unreliable).

Aristrates then charged the battered 9th legion with his reserve cavalry and put them to flight just as his cavalry reinforcements arrived and took up position in reserve.  (I rolled a tie for initiative, 6-6 which yielded an event, reinforcements for the defender).  The Tetropolis horse did not escape unscathed however and were bloodied and battered with their horses blown after the combat.  (Again, both units destroyed but this time the Tetropolis unit rolled higher and so remained but were disordered).

Decimus then committed his cavalry in the center and routed the blown Tetropolis cavalry before slamming into the flank of the hoplites and crushing them as well.  Aristrates then sent his last remaining cavalry in a desperate charge into the flank of the Picenian horse and routing them in turn.  Decimus then committed his last reserve, the Luss auxiliaries who defeated the Tetropolis cavalry thus winning the battle.

In the aftermath the rest of the Tetropolis army was scattered and destroyed and King Aristrates fell on his sword to negate the dishonor of defeat and capture.

Decimus then turned south, to be continued....

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In the words of the popular song, there ain't no stoppin' them now. Picenia's successes continue to shock the world. Will Sentis fall (again)? I think we'll find out soon enough.