thanks Slash
As peace settles across Aragon and we can hopefully start to prep for cleansing the mainland of muslims - another French province gets upset with us. The lone city state of Vienne not only declares war but marches straight into the empty Provence. I had left the place empty because it had run out of people - the army that conquered the area would not replen because the population was so low - but there was recruits available at Montpellier so thats where we were garrisoned - I dont remember if this is a feature of the mod or total war as a whole - you cant just turn up in a city and build army after army - there needs to be the population to do it and that population needs to contain excess nobles if you want fancy armoured guys and knights - i think its brilliant........
Anyway, after sieging Provence for a turn the Dauphin de Vienne decides to come out fighting. In the fog. At the top of a hill. Thing is, he attacked, i can wait at the bottom of the hill all day - he'll lose not me.
I hide the cavalry in the woods
After 20 in game minutes he decides to come sneaking down the hill, this is all i can see but i can hear shouting in the woods near my cavalry - we wait
Here he comes, theres a good amount of crossbows at the rear too
We retreat to the top of a hill at the back of the battlefield - the cavalry stay in the woods unseen - he has 8 crossbow companies - i can hammer his morale if i cant take these out
The Dauphin charges into our lines and decimates a spear unit almost instantly, and disrupts a crossbow unit, and 2 melee units - its a tank of a unit, in wedge formation too, never seen the AI do that - we send in another spear unit and point the crossbows at him - the Dauphin is in here somewhere - the loss of the General doesnt seem to have as much effect in the mod or im used to Warhammer where the loss a general is fatal - the French stay on the field
We unleash the cavalry on the unprotected crossbows - French butter, meet hot Spanish knife
As the crossbows start to melt we gain enough confidence to take on a few isolated spearmen to mop up the field
Ive found the use of crossbows quite frustrating until this battle, ive always managed to impede their view or get in their way and their use has been limited - on an open field like this and staying out of their field of view they are devastating, full strength units can be routed after maybe 3 rounds of firing
So with the crossbows taking on the spearmen and the horses taking on the crossbows we start to push the French back to the forest
and further
Job done - we lose 398 troops to 2250 French, Vienne is devastated and sues for peace next turn - idiots