170 – Summer
Roman hegemony was rapidly becoming the single defining feature of the Mediterranean world. Brinkazis, the Greek leader of a state that now encompassed Egypt, Phoenecia, and Mesopotamia, was the last serious non-Roman potentate in the civilised world – and, therefore, the last potential bastion of Hellenism. The Roman Republic was strained, but its armies were rapidly beating off the native Pontic kings of Asia Minor and, in Africa, were pressing hard to capture the bread basket of Egypt. The Hellenic Kingdom was now set its greatest challenge; where Alexander of Macedon had conquered Asia in the name of Hellas, now an Asian kingdom was to have to press back and recapture the Hellenic world in the name of Alexander...
News arrived of Roman forces capturing Hatra, on the northern borders of Mesopotamia. The recently victorious forces that had captured Susa and Babylon were marched out once more to head north.
The Roman general Cornelius Pansa attempted to force his way to relieve the siege of Thebes, with the Hellenic captain Eptaper standing in his way. The Roman forces failed to force their way across the bridge, though the elite praetorians succeeded in killing over a thousand of the phalangites who blocked their path. Just two hundred Romans left, for over one and a half thousand legionary casualties. Eptaper gave his life in the process, but for now the siege lines remained around Thebes.
That was only the first battle, however; desperate to keep their only real bastion in Egypt, the Roman force besieging Memphis marched south under Galerius “The Wrathful”.
Eptapus, the Hellenic commander, would now have to fight in the open, a more difficult proposition than trying to hold a bridge, with his slow phalangite troops. The Hellenes blundered into the battle, with Galerius’ cavalry routing the large body of Hellenic archers and the elite Roman infantry destroying his Phalanx line. The bridge defenders, coming up as reinforcements, nevertheless managed to trap and kill Galerius as his men overreached themselves, and the arab cavalry destroyed the Roman siege equipment. Eventually the legionaries narrowly managed to beat off the remaining Hellenic light infantry and claim a victory, but with few Roman troops left on the battlefield and the garrison of Memphis now free to operate the Hellenic sacrifice was perhaps not wholly in vain.
170 – Winter
The Roman siege of Alexandria was broken off as well as the siege of Memphis: the heavy Roman losses had evidently had some effect – as, perhaps, had the loss of two of their three main commanders in the region.
Eptepus’ force, despite its routing, was still larger than the remains of that of Galerius, and he took troops from Memphis to go and take another crack at Galerius’ remaining men. The field army was rapidly obliterated – but with Eptepus’ own death as a shocking loss, taken out by the one remaining artillery piece from Galerius’ attempt on Memphis.
The Roman counterattack, now the Hellenes were leaderless, was swift, involving a large column of elite troops arriving from the desert. The Hellenic forces were swiftly beaten by the power of the Roman heavy infantry
169 – Summer
Another force dispatched from Memphis to Thebes – this time more as a holding force, and they did not reach the city this turn.
The Mesopotamian army reached the border of Assyria.
Army orders changed to Bastarnae and Falxmen in Egypt, the better for open field warfare.
A plague in Sidon ravaged the populace.
169 – Winter
Memphis was besieged again, by the Scipii commander Decimus Avidius. Mukazenis the Hellene besieged Thebes. A vast Roman force attacked Mukazenis from the desert; without anywhere to easily retreat to, he grudgingly decided to give battle. His forces were flattened; Roman occupation of Thebes looked set to continue for a long while, and Memphis was very much under threat.
168 –Summer
Stalemate continues in Egypt, but more Roman troops are arriving.
Hatra approached.
168 – Winter
The destruction of our onagers means a rapid attack on Hatra fails.
Decimus, with a huge elite force, assaults Memphis. His forcesare trapped in the streets and routed narrowly, though only after huge damage to the walls.
167 – Summer
Second assault on Hatra leads to a bloodbath, Hellenic troops slaughtered in their thousands.
The Scipii offer for us to become a protectorate of theirs – we accept providing they give us up to date maps and 2500 denarii, which they accept. This may give us a breathing space to train more troops.
167 – Winter
The Scipii rapidly break their promises. We appear to still have a ceasefire with the Brutii, but the Julii and Senate declare war on us again.
The Brutii capture Antioch. We now have vast Roman power-houses on both sides.
166 - Summer
The Brutii formally declare war again.
166 – Winter
The Scipii assault Alexandria but are thrown back from the walls with heavy losses. Brutii armies seen north of Palmyra.
165 – Summer
A force from Sidon is dispatched by sea to attempt a raid on Salamis. Onagers are used to break down the gates, and the defenders are slaughtered before local reinforcements can arrive. The settlement is captured, adding Cyprus to the Hellenic realm!
165 – Winter[/u]
Brutii besiege Palmyra, Scipii Alexandria. Satres and the Mesopotamian army sent towards Palmyra. Brutii troops seen moving towards Seleucia.
An attempt at a lighting raid on Tarsus goes awry when a Pontic force blocks the path of the raiders.
164 – Summer
Brutii forces capture Palmyra, killing a huge number of Hellene generals in the process. The destruction of the Mesopotamian Army boded very ill for the future of the Hellenic state, leaving its desert provinces far more open to Brutii attacks.
Memphis was once more besieged.
164 – Winter
The raiding force that had been heading for Tarsus, miraculously having survived lasting a summer blockading its port without counterattack, moved to attack the city. Again, the raiding strategy that had worked so well against the independent Cypriots was a brilliant success, the small garrison being rapidly obliterated.
An assault was made on Palmyra – not in hope of taking the town, more of doing the maximum possible damage with artillery then retreating. Around a third of the Romans die in the bombardment, with only twenty Hellenic casualties.
The Scipii assault Alexandria under a new general, Oppius Valens. His forces breach the walls with Onagers, but are trapped by the Hellenic cavalry, who then ride down the general’s bodyguard, destroying the Romans though with 600 Hellenic losses to the Roman 1300 or so.
163 – Summer
The Brutii besiege Tarsus. With little hope of defending it, Brinkazeis sneaks out before they arrive with his Greek cavalrymen and artillery, leaving a token force of Cilicians and Archers to hold the place. The buildings are demolished so as to provide as little shelter as possible for the Romans.
A second mock assault is made on Palmyra, with much the same objectives as the first. Rather more casualties were suffered this time, a unit of archers getting trapped inside the walls being the main cause. Nevertheless six hundred Romans, mostly elite, were killed for just 150 or so Bedouin Archers and greek foot archers – a more than acceptable trade.
Memphis assaulted, as usual by infinitely superior Scipii force. Kersebleptos uses his previous tactic, abandoning the walls, and again beats back the enemy – but as soon as one foe is gone, both Alexandria and Memphis are once again besieged.
163 – Winter
Palmyra, round three. This time, again a little less effective, but still 500 Roman deaths for 150 Hellenes.
The Romans assault Tarsus, with predictable results. Around 100 Romans from the 2500 man force are lost defeating the mere 200 defenders.
162 – Summer
The greatest piece of news the Hellenic Alliance has heard in many years. The Theban people have revolted against the Scipii, whose token defence force failed to keep them back! Rapidly, instructions have been given to train pikemen in case of an ensuing counterattack.
Palmyra… yes, round four. This time, at last the 200 remaining defenders are whittled down to a point where they can be crushed by the few infantry in the force. Palmyra is recaptured! (Albeit probably only briefly, Brutii forces have swarmed south.)
In less good news, Damascus is under attack. The elite Brutii infantry prove far too much for the defending pikemen and militia hoplites, and nearly a thousand of them are put to the sword for a tiny number of Roman casualties.
A force is moved from Jerusalem to Cyprus, in preparation for another strike behind the Roman front line.
162 – Winter
The Cyprus force, under Brinkazeis again, is moved to off the coast of Cilicia and Syria.
A new Scipii commander, Placus Saccas, is seen moving in from the desert.
Sidon is now assaulted. The Brutii forces were simply too strong here; my phalangites were outnumbered by Urban Cohorts. A thousand of them are slain, and their general’s life claimed, but it is not enough to stem the tide and we lose control of Phoenecia.
Memphis is also assaulted. Despite a few frantic rushes around once it is realised that the wall breaches have not been manned, Kersebleptos again beats off the enemy – mostly this time auxiliary archers and skirmishers who can be ridden down by his bodyguard cavalrymen.
In a shocking turn of events that surprises approximately nobody, Placus Saccas attacks Thebes.
161 – Summer
Brinkazeis moves in on Antioch – but his catapults are too small to breach its huge walls, and the army is forced into a retreat.
The Palmyra-style tactic of bombardment is attempted on Damascus, which has a huge Brutii garrison. Around four hundred Romans are killed in the attack, which claims forty Greek lives. Of particular note is that the Roman heavy onagers are destroyed, weakening the garrison’s potential use as a rapid siege force.
Alexandria is assaulted again; this time the walls are abandoned because the number of enemy sap points is too great, though in the event the capture of the gatehouse means no breaches are made.
161 – Winter
Brinkazeis besieges Antioch, properly this time.
For once none of the Egyptian cities are under siege. Orders are given to retrain some men and repair the walls of Memphis – though funds are now tight after the loss of Sidon and Damascus.
Seleucia is assaulted – again, the Brutii forces are simply too much, the upgraded (silver/silver/silver level) Urbans are ridiculously difficult to kill.
160 – Summer
We besiege Seleucia with an army from Susa.
The assault on Antioch goes ahead. As you might’ve guessed by the way this campaign has gone, it fails. And it fails miserably. Brinkazeis gets back to his ship, but little else of the 2500 man Hellenic force remains.
160 – Winter
To be continued…