Palpat wrote:Another Persian war in sight!
Good luck with this one as well.
Do you play with the official mod or not?
By the way, it's surprising to see a so extented WRE!
In my recent tries (well, I only played a couple), they tend to be defeated quickly in the British isles and to lose ground at least down to Sequana...
Your strategy of provinces giving/selling in order to prevent aging is great!
I wasn't aware there was an official mod. Seems kind of strange to have an official "mod". In this game the Romans are holding their territory, I guess because it's normally the Allemanni who beats them up at the start, and because I made most of the Allemanni mutiny, the WRE was able to beat them.
I don't really like giving away provinces- but the threshold for becoming an empire appears to be 15 provinces. 14, you're fine. 15, whoosh, you're an empire. And as I plan to last at least until the Islamic invasion, I have to keep small. Glad you are reading and responding Palpat!
[SIZE="3"]370-380: The Coming of the Huns.[/size]
The next Roman-Sassanid war began badly for the Persians. No lesser person than Emperor Julian the Apostate himself led armies against the Persian vassals the Armenians, leading to their annexation in the middle of 370.
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Emperor Julian the Apostate. [/CENTER]
Despite this, elsewhere the Romans did poorly. The Ghassanids, Rome’s Arab allies were overrun by the Lakhmids, Vassals of the Shah. The Euphrates and other Roman provinces fell. By 371 the Shah made peace with Julian for the previously Armenian territories. Shapur then promptly gave the provinces away to the Thuringians, as he didn’t want them, he just didn’t want the Romans to have them. As the Thuringians had no military units after being attacked by the Suevi, this suited them very well, particularly as they were able to obtain use of a heavy infantry unit the Romans had levied for them.
In 371, some Christian missionaries in Mesopotamia were mysteriously assassinated. Despite this, there were many Christian missionaries active, and simply not enough poisoners or assassins to go around. Mesopotamia was beset by annoyed Jews, Pagans and Mazdesists revolting against the missionaries. Later some spontaneous conversions to worship of Ahura Mazda occurred.
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Another missionary down, but there are many more where he came from. [/CENTER]
In 372, a new force appeared in Europe, one that would upset the delicate balance of forces more than any other. The Huns. This terrible force would sweep down upon the peoples of Europe and Asia, and where there hooves trod no grass grew. The first people to feel the wrath of the Huns were the Alans. Fortunately, of the first two armies the Huns sent against the Alans, one mutinied, and in 373 the Alans were able to make a truce by marrying of the King’s daughter.
Elsewhere, the Western Roman Empire was wracked by revolts in Africa and Britain. The Lakhmids, who had inherited the Caucasian kingdom of Iberia, objected to the Thuringians occupying Armenia and declared war. However, their ability to recruit troops was hampered by Alan raids. The Alans seemed determined to continue raiding the Caucasus, oblivious to the Hunnic threat.
In 374, the Huns declared war again, breaking their peace treaty with the Alans. This time, the Huns took their time to invade, and were distracted by various revolts and bandits plaguing their towns. This allowed the Alans to win a few small battles and sign peace with the Huns. It is from this year that the Yellow chronicles of the Vandals begin.
In 375, the Huns again declared war, now commencing a major invasion. The vast majority of the Alan’s were destroyed by the Huns. Fortunately a further mutiny took place, although the rebel Huns then overthrew the Alan government. The Vandals, having accumulated enough troops, decided to declare war upon the Western Roman Empire. However, the Romans had previously launched a campaign into Germania, and had made the Suevi their vassals. Many Vandals died attacking Pannonia, when the Romans pulled a cunning diplomatic manoeuvrer and forced the Vandals to sign a grand peace treaty.
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Another Hunnic mutiny. [/CENTER]
In 376, another Hunnic army had the decency to mutiny, but the Alans finally realised the danger and ceased to be a raider state. They had to make a decision whether to submit to the Huns or run away. The decision was obvious, given the Hun’s disrespect for peace treaties. Run!
[note: This is an event. You submit, become vassals of the huns, or flee and get a new horde in vislania(?) while the Huns trash the Caucasus. I chose submit in an earlier playthrough and the Huns immediately broke the peace treaty, declared war and annexed the Alans.]
This resulted in another group of Alans reaching central Poland, where they passed the newly founded capital of the Franks in the middle of the Pripyat Marsh.
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The Franks realise their destiny lies not in Gaul, but in a swamp in Eastern Europe. [/CENTER]
By this stage, the vast majority of the Alan troops had died, and only a few remained in the Caucasus. They decided to head south, and annexed the Caucasian Albanians. They then declared war on the Lakhmids. However, the Lakhmids proved too tough, the Huns refused all Alan peace offers, all Alan units were destroyed and it seemed likely that the Alans would surely be annexed by the wicked Huns, when suddenly early in 377 peace broke out.
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Almost a miracle. [/CENTER]
Later that year, the Huns declared war on the Alans again, although they had reached the Crimea, and were somewhat distracted by wars with the Visigoths. Fortunately, another daughter had grown up so the Alans were able to arrange a peace and marriage again. Then in 378 the Huns broke the peace treaty and declared war again. Some Alans had by now reached the Baltic coast, preserving their existence, but the Alans in the Caucasus were saved by the surprising escape of their general Bortz. Bortz had been captured by the Lakhmids, but managed to escape, and upon arriving in the Alan capital raised a militia unit, the last Alans in the Caucasus. Bortz realised that being barbarians, if the Alans abandoned their ancestral homes eventually their provinces would become independent. So Borst abandoned Tanais, Alania and Euxinia and headed to Derbent. Also, a revolt occurred amongst the Hunnic lands, leading to the formation of the evil revolt nation, who had secretly been coordinating all rebels in the entire world.
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Didn’t know that could happen! [/CENTER]
Fortunately in Jan 379 Tanais and Alania became independent and the Alans no longer shared a common border with the Huns. Eunxinia province was captured by the “Native” nation, who hated everyone. Bortz recaptured Abgasia, and the war with the Lakhmids ended in a white peace after most their army mysteriously deserted. Bortz was a true hero to the Alan nation.
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Borst- without him, no Alans left in the Caucasus [/CENTER]
Shortly before this, the Western Roman Empire declared war on the Thuringians, but they had all gone off to Armenia and their home province of Moenus was taken over by the reborn Burgundians. The Lakmids had ceased to be Vassals of the Persians, following the death of Shapur. His less able son, Ardsahir II became king. After their independence, the Lakhmids and had conquered some other territory in Arabia, whilst the Western Romans had undergone a tremendous decline.
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The world in 380 [/CENTER]