So i'm a big aficionado for military history, from the ancient Egyptians to modern American GIs. As such, I often participate in simulations of historical battles on historical forums, simulations both based on real battles and fictional. In these simulations, each side has a set amount of forces and each player makes strategic decisions that determine if they win or lose. It's pretty simple, and quite interesting at times. Making the Romans win at Carrhae, for example, is quite a mental challenge.
I'm currently taking part in a fictional simulation campaign of sorts, in which the geo-political situation is based on Europe of the 1200s. I'm in command of a nation analogous to the Byzantine Empire, an empire that, while still a force to be reckoned with, has been in considerable decline for the last few hundred years. Despite this, a professional field army of 37,000 troops is maintained (respectable enough, by medieval standards). This force comprises:
10,000 heavy infantry, armed with sword, shield and javelins
8,000 spearmen, spear and shield troops
4,000 heavy cavalry/horse archers, analogous to real world cataphracts
2,000 knights, a kind of religious order of chivalry
4,000 light cavalry, reconnaisance and screening purposes, as well as light lancers
7,000 foot archers, armed with Eastern-style recurve bows
2,000 skirmishers, with slings and javelins
That's the Empire's standing mobile field army, not included amongst the various town and city garrisons.
Now, i'm being invaded from the east by what can be best described as... Mongols. Highly disciplined, swift, ferocious horse archers and lancers, a highly mobile army. The question is, how to defeat these Mongols? Horse archers are the troops of the ancient world that truly had no weakness, they combined firepower, manueverablity and mobility in a way that no other army could match. So how can you defeat Mongols when you are not Mamlukes?
I'm currently taking part in a fictional simulation campaign of sorts, in which the geo-political situation is based on Europe of the 1200s. I'm in command of a nation analogous to the Byzantine Empire, an empire that, while still a force to be reckoned with, has been in considerable decline for the last few hundred years. Despite this, a professional field army of 37,000 troops is maintained (respectable enough, by medieval standards). This force comprises:
10,000 heavy infantry, armed with sword, shield and javelins
8,000 spearmen, spear and shield troops
4,000 heavy cavalry/horse archers, analogous to real world cataphracts
2,000 knights, a kind of religious order of chivalry
4,000 light cavalry, reconnaisance and screening purposes, as well as light lancers
7,000 foot archers, armed with Eastern-style recurve bows
2,000 skirmishers, with slings and javelins
That's the Empire's standing mobile field army, not included amongst the various town and city garrisons.
Now, i'm being invaded from the east by what can be best described as... Mongols. Highly disciplined, swift, ferocious horse archers and lancers, a highly mobile army. The question is, how to defeat these Mongols? Horse archers are the troops of the ancient world that truly had no weakness, they combined firepower, manueverablity and mobility in a way that no other army could match. So how can you defeat Mongols when you are not Mamlukes?
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