Some fairly extreme violance ahead, just a warning. Oh, and the only images I own are the in game pics.
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The sound of thousands of footsteps slamming against the wet mud filled the morning sky, rain lightly sprinkling from the heavens as soldiers struggled to keep their muskets and gunpowder dry. They had been marching for roughly two weeks, originally setting out from Constantinople. Though normally, joining the Imperial Army was voluntary, when the revolt first broke out, many had been conscripted to help fight the rebels. Volunteers had been in short supply after the disastrous conquest of Rhodes, and the Emperor had felt that drastic measures were in order. Still, they were as well trained as any army that had ever been raised in the Empire, and this training had taken time. While they were being drilled, the rebels had launched a massive offensive, breaking through the Empire’s meager defenses at Sinai, and easily pushing up through Palestine, the unstoppable Arab tide easily defeating any force that could be raised against them. The soldiers knew that the armies of Ibn Ibrahim had never been defeated, and had already began their offensive into Anatolia. They were on the defensive.
As the raindrops bounced off their helmets, several soldiers instinctively shielded their frizzen, while a lone horseman rode between the marching columns. Soldiers glanced to their sides as the exhausted looking man rode towards the center of the army, muddy water threatening to splash them with each gallop his horse took. The man had been riding for days, his hair and face were muddy, as was his uniform and horse. He slowed his horse to a trot as he approached the Emperor, who rode with his retinue near his armies center. The man humbly bowed his head to the Emperor, who quickly waved his hand dismissively. “Your Majesty…” The man choked out as he rose his head, “I bring word of the rebel armies movement.” The Emperor simply nodded his head, continuing to ride forward, keeping pace with his army. The messenger joined at his side, making sure to keep a respectful distance. “The Makedonia Tagmata has been defeated at New Antioch, my lord. The surrounding province has fallen to the rebels.” If the Emperor was angered or upset by this news, he hid it well. “How many are there now?” He inquired to the man riding beside him, his eyes never shifting from their forward stare.
“At least 35,000, my lord.” He replied, slightly surprised by the apathetic demeanor of the Emperor. “I see.” He replied in the same cool manner. The messenger rode along side his Emperor for a few more minutes in complete silence. He had expected him to be outraged by the rebels defiance, and yet he sounded as if he could care less. “Your Majesty…if I might be so bold…” He carefully asked, in his most respectful tone of voice. “What is it?” Alexios replied calmly. “I am just curious as to if your Majesty understands that their taking of Antioch means Anatolia is open to attack from the east, through Adana…” He continued, making sure to avoid suggesting that the Emperor was somehow ignorant of the situation. “I do.” The Emperor replied once more. There was an awkward pause between them, as the rain continued to lightly blanket the land, muddying the boots of the soldiers, and hoofs of the horses. In the rear of the army, several artillery crews were struggling to push their canon passed a small incline, the wheels becoming stuck in the deep mud. “Ah…very well my lord.” He finally replied as they continued forward.
The betrayal of Ibn Ibrahim had had a worse affect on Alexios than most thought. The Emperors eyes seemed glazed over, almost void. He could still hardly believe it, but despite his outward appearance, the Emperor was very much aware of the world around him. He knew that he had to defeat Ibn at all costs, and would not let his personal feelings get in the way of that. Though they had been marching for weeks, it seemed like mere days to Alexios, who could literally feel the anticipation for the coming conflict. Moral in the army was low, word of the strength of Ibn’s armies had reached the ears of most in the civilized parts of the Empire. As the army turned and made its way for Aleppo, many soldiers feared they would never make it back to see their homes or loved ones again. Many were right, and Alexios knew it. But their deaths were necessary to stamp out this rebellion, and restore order and peace to the Empire.
As days passed, and as they closed on New Antioch, the Emperor ordered his 100,000 man army so split into two equal halves, one remaining under his direct command, the other being commanded by Megas Domestikos Adrian Barsymes. Alexios was ready to take the fight to the rebels, and to do this, he shall push them back in both Aleppo, and in Nuyssaybin. As the hour of attack drew near, Alexios had his army make camp roughly 10 miles from New Antioch. The clear summer day alluded to the bloodshed that was to come, and as the soldiers got their first real chance to rest since leaving Constantinople, Alexios was planning his strategy for the battle. Against his army of 50,000, 35,000 rebels were defending New Antioch. Though they outnumbered the enemy, and victory seemed certain, Alexios knew that it would be a long campaign to Alexandria, and they would not only have to win the battle, but the war as well. Minimizing the casualties suffered was essential.
“Tagmatarkhis, you will take your battalion and hit the left flank of the enemy army. When they are sufficiently occupied and distracted by your attack, I will order my cavalry to quickly circle around them and capture or destroy their artillery. Once this is done, the rest of the army will advance on the rebels and crush what resistance remains.” Alexios said, as he went over last minute battle plans. His officers nodded, and left the tent to prepare their soldiers for battle. As Alexios exited from his tent, he turned to gaze upon the city of New Antioch in the distance. The city had been first built by Emperor Andreas I Palaiologos upon the Empire’s reconquest of the region from, ironically enough, the Mameluk Sultanate. Since its construction, it had grown into bustling center of trade, rivaling Damascus. The rebels capture of it had been a major blow to the Empire’s pride. As Alexios gazed upon it, he felt a cold chill run down his spine. It was like a horrendous realization had donned on him, that something…something was not right. Shaking his head, however, Alexios dismissed it as simple pre-battle anxiety.
Mounting his horse, Emperor Alexios rode to the top of the fairly steep incline where his army was assembling. This battle had to be a victory, the people of the Empire needed one to restore their faith in the Imperial Army, once considered to be the best trained army in the world. Clutching the reigns of his horse, he glanced over his shoulder; his army was almost ready to begin the battle. The rebels surely knew they were coming, and would be ready. Raising his blade into the sky, he waved his army forward, riding at the head as they marched towards Antioch. Rebel horns sounded as they caught sight of the approaching Imperial Army. The Arabic army was quickly organized into a standard pike and shot formation. As the Emperor came within two miles of the enemy, he ordered his army to halt. “Tagmatarkhis Branas, begin your assault on the left flank.” The Emperor ordered, as the Major quickly obeyed. As the Major lead his Tagmata forward, it was clear the rebels intended to fight defensively.
Emperor Alexios extended his hand, as a member of his retinue brought him a telescope. Looking through it, he watched the battle unfold. When the Major had closed to within a mile of the rebel army, Alexios ordered the main body of his forces to began their forward march. As the Majors Tagmata closed within 500 yards, the rebel canon opened fire. However, despite his battalion being under heavy fire, Major Branas continued to press forward, eventually reaching musket range. The two armies opened fire on one another, where the superior Imperial training finally began to show itself. Alexios smiled as he noted the rebels becoming distracted by the Major, and signaled his cavalry to quickly begin their charge on the enemy canon. Though his soldiers were far better trained than the rebels, Branas knew his tagmata was outnumbered 3 to 1 on its own.
“Πυρκαγιά!” Avichai Kohen heard Major Branas shout, prompting him and his comrades to open fire with their muskets. The volley fired from the disciplined infantry ripped into the rebel ranks, causing several enemy soldiers to flee behind their lines. Moving to the back of regiment to reload, he could see many of the men in his regiment falling to enemy fire. As he struggled to quickly fit the small led ball down the muzzle of his musket, the sounds of gunfire that only seconds before filled his ears stopped as he saw the ground leap at his face. For a moment, he could hear what he thought was the sound of screaming coupled with the familiar discharge of muskets over the intense ringing in his ears. He couldn’t move, and his eyes refused to open. Then, as suddenly as it started, the ringing in his ears ended with a loud pop, and the sounds of battle flooded back into them. Struggling to his feat, Avichai looked behind him, only to see his former regiment cut to pieces by a canon volley fired by the rebels. He was mostly unharmed, and a few dozen of his comrades remained in similar condition, yet their disciplined line was no more.
With Major Branas occupying the portion of the enemy fire, the Imperial Cavalry made their way toward the canon. The pikemen were waiting for them, yet, they were undisciplined, as was much of the rebel army. The Imperial Cavalry were considered by many to be the best lancers in the world, and its ranks knew it. As the first line of cavalry lances met with the rebel pikemen, it did not take long for the undisciplined rebel formation to break apart and rout, many being ran down as they attempted to flee. Now free from any further obstacles, the Imperial Cavalry made short work of the rebel artillery, their crews being ran down before they were even able to turn and flee. With the loss of their canon, the rebels found the tables turned on them, as the bulk of the Imperial Army now moved forward, bringing their own canon in range. The canon ripped into the rebel infantry, shredding their ranks and demoralizing them. The final blow was dealt as the bulk of the Imperial Infantry opened fire on the tattered rebels, finally breaking the back of the Arabic army, causing them to flee to the fortress that guarded New Antioch.
Cheers broke out amongst the victorious soldiers, as the enemy fled into their fortress in order to hopefully stall their defeat until help could arrive. Alexios wasted no time in surrounding the fortress, denying it much needed supplies. That night, the soldiers were permitted to relax, and celebrate their great victory. The grateful populous of the area provided their liberators with supplies and comfort, while the women provided them company. Inside the fortress however, things were far different. There was no sleep, or relaxing to be found, only back breaking labor as captured native Syrians were forced to build up the fortresses defenses. They were not permitted much time, however, as soon the celebrations outside had ended, and the Empire was once again back on the offensive.
The Imperial Siege Canon tore into the fortresses outer walls, blasting stone and the soldiers on them to pieces. Emperor Alexios had ordered all fire to be concentrated on the eastern most point of the Star-shaped fortress. Once this well defined point was destroyed, the canon would easily be able to break down the rest of the then unstable eastern wall. So far, the Emperor’s plan was going like clockwork, the canon ripped through the outer wall of the fortress, destroying the point, followed closely by several large pieces of the eastern wall. The canon soon turned their fire upon the Arab rebels who were attempting to plug the breaches, staining the ground beneath them with blood, as arms, legs, and various other appendages were ripped to pieces by the power of the Roman canon. With the rebel garrison now in chaos, the Emperor ordered his infantry to advance and secure the fortress. So far, casualties in the Imperial Army had been extremely light, and morale was now high. As the Imperial army approached, the battered rebel soldiers began abandoning their posts, some fleeing into the inner fortress, some flat out surrendering.
The newly promoted Lokhagos Avichai Kohen lead his company of 160 soldiers through the breach in the wall. Enemy resistance so far had been laughable. Avichai ordered his soldiers to take up a position near the inner fortresses gates. “When the gates are blown open, prepare to storm the inner fortress. We’ll catch them by surprise with the ferocity of our attack.” He said, hoping to encourage his new company. They did not have to wait long for the gates to fall, as a stray blast from an Imperial canon tore right through them, miraculously not causing the front to collapse. Though surprised, Avichai did not loose his concentration, and ordered his men forward, clutching the star of David that dangled from his neck, as he followed closely behind them. His soldiers fought with great discipline and skill, cutting through the demoralized and panicked ranks of the rebel infantry guarding the inner fortress. Though when at a distance in the sometimes long corridors, soldiers would usually fire their muskets at the enemy, most of the fighting was within narrow confines, hand to hand, rapier to scimitar. It was here that the Imperial soldiers truly showed their superiority over the rebels. Avichai countered a strike from one of the rebels blades, parrying him with a flick of the wrist, and impaling him firmly in the chest with his blade. “We’re almost there, keep fighting!” He shouted to his men. So far, only three of his men had been injured, and only one mortally.
As they pushed further into the inner fortress, the rebel soldiers began a full rout, many leaping from windows in a vain attempt to escape from the advancing Imperial Soldiers. As they advanced towards the center chamber of the inner fortress, Captain Avichai saw the weapons of the rebel soldiers littering the ground. Cautiously pressing onward, they were soon greeted by their former enemies, who now held their hands over their heads, praying inwardly that the Imperial Soldiers would show mercy, and not kill them where they stand. Avichai smiled slightly, nodding to his lieutenant. "We'll take them back to camp as prisoners, perhaps they know something useful." The remaining rebels were quickly rounded up, and marched single file out of the inner fortress. The battle was over.
As the sun rose above the distant mountains, cheers erupted from Alexios’ army. The rebels had been defeated, and the Emperor stood victorious. Word soon reached him of similar successes in the east, as the rebels fell back to Syria and Lebanon. His soldiers were allowed to rest for the next couple of days, to replenish their strength. The rebels had been pushed from Anatolia, and soon, they would be pushed from Palestine as well. The seemingly invincible armies of Ibn Ibrahim had been defeated, and that image was forever tarnished. The Emperor, and his men were confident that victory would soon follow, and peace and order would soon be restored. Word of this defeat soon reached Ibn Ibrahim in Alexandria, who was enraged by this setback. He ordered that Syria and Lebanon be fortified, and the Romans not be allowed to take one step further into the Middle East. But to the Imperial Soldiers, the war seemed like it was already won.
Victory at Antioch
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Whew, there we go. Hope you enjoyed, it was certainly a long one. Hopefully I can get the next one out before long. Its been a while since I did any storytelling in my posts, as history book style suited the others better. But I thought I'd try doing an entire storytelling type to compensate.
