> Game 410AP Early Bulgar (myself) v Tang Chinese (Nick Rodgers)

>

> Krum attacking China even though the brilliant Tang General Li

Shimin

> had an all mounted army.

>

> Krum invaded into the mountainous regions bordering China, with a

horde

> of Slavic foot (16AxI) and greater hordes of Bulgar light horse

(36LhS).

> The Bulgars, raiding in commemoration of their Hun ancestors were

> advised of an enemy force waiting to receive them as they descended

the

> foothills  onto the plains of China.

>

> To the left of the field were steep hills, in the centre left a

wooded

> hill, to the centre right a rough hill, with small areas of marsh

and

> scrub scattered around on the plains. Beyond the foothills were the

> plains of china and the glittering army of Li Shimin. Krum could

see

> many men, many banners and many horses.

>

> Faced with a mounted force of armoured men, Krum ordered his slavic

> masses (AxI) to dig and cut. Soon, a line of defensive works (TF)

ran

> between the two central hills, behind which the Slav foot stood. To

the

> left of the Slavs on the oter side of the wooded hill, Krum ordered

a

> detachment of bulgars and an impressed unit of byzantine cavalry

(Dbl

> based CvO/I). To the right of the rough hill, Krum ordered Umor and

his

> light horse hordes to form the right battle, behind him Kardam and

his

> hordes and the majority of the Bulgar nobles (KnF).

>

> Facing the Slavic foot were T'ang Heavy Cavalry(CvS) and some horse

> archers in reserve. Facing Umor and Kardam were more T'ang Cavalry

and

> the mounted elite Pu'she archers who were behind some rought

ground.

> Only two large banners could be seen. Krum suspected a trick!

>

> The crafty Li Shimin displayed his hand early, a classic (and

> brilliant) left hook designed to close in the Bulgar barbarians ..

and

> crush them....

>

> Unfortunately for Li Shimin, this brilliant move seemed to cause

him

> great fatigue (after this his pips were generally rubbish).

>

> Li Shimin's brilliant flank march arrived. Not the mass of

conscripts

> Krum had been led to believe lived in China, but trained and elite

> Pu'Ping bowmen, protected by vast shields (single based BwX - on

> horse) , and men on horses with more armour Krum had seen in his

life

> (KnX). Li Shimmin ordered his horse to ignore the cowering slav

foot

> behind the TF, and focus all their attention on Umor's command.

>

> Umor, aware of the threat to his right rear flank now, peeled of

half a

> rear rank of LH and sent it towards the flank march. The rest,

surged

> forward to meet Chinese horse and Pu'She archers. Behind Umor,

Kardam,

> receiving good omens (good pips), told his eager nobles they must

wait

> and let the hordes soften up the enemy first. His hordes promptly

> turned their line to face the oncoming chinese flank march.. and

> charged in.... Krum, with a pip to spare sent his LH detachment on

the

> far left between the foothills to threaten the Chinese centre.

>

> Li Shimin's Pu'She let loose on the Bulgar light horse and brought

many

> a fine steppe pony down. But the horde charged and charged again.

> On the right, more fine ponies were slaughtered by the Pu'Ping

archers,

> but again, Kardam's Bulgar hordes kept charging in and in. For a

while

> it looked like the Pu'Ping archers and their manfully held shields

> would hold, but like a vortex in a rockpool (or so it says in Li

> Shimin's memoirs) the Bulgar hordes crashed and swirled and ripped

> until one unit of Pu'Ping was destroyed, and then another. Try as

they

> might, the hail of arrows arcing out from those large colourful

shields

> could not stop the barbarians.

>

> Umor meanwhile urged his mounted hordes to attack everything and

> anything. So they did, Into the Pu'She archers they charged. Into

the

> T'ang heavy cavalry they charged. Some died oh so gloriously, but

most

> withstood the archery to charge again. Krum smiled as he watched a

> small detachment of T'ang heavy horse get overwhelmed by superior

> numbers of bulgar horde. Li Shimmin responded as he saw his

> subgeneral's banner crash and hit the ground, ordering his own

elite

> cavalry into the fray. The fighting was intense. Recoiling bulgar

light

> horse would re-enter the fray immediately, giving the Chinese horse

no

> rest.

>

> On the right , Kardam continued to restrain his nobles as they

watched

> Umor and his hordes wreaking havoc and being wreaked upon. Hating

his

> cousin Umor, Kardam offered more land to any  nobles that kept

their

> horses under control, and focused his attention on his hordes and

their

> fight with the Chinese flank march. It was going well, overwhelming

> numbers and encircling tactics quickly wearing down the Pu'Ping

> militia. If Umor was going to claim victory against the Chinese,

then

> he, Kardam was too.

>

> For a while the T'ang cavalry held out as Li Shimin frantically

threw

> in more horse to shore up his subgeneral's command, and in the

process

> killing Umor and his nobles, but it was in vain. The chinese

subgeneral

> t broke. Umor's command could not give chase, and it was up to

Kardam

> to finish of the remnants of the Pu'Ping militia from Li Shimmin's

> brilliant hook to break the T'ang army.

>

> The result : Umor's command broken for the Bulgars (Umor himself -

a

> single KnF - going down to T'ang cavalry), the T'ang army routed.

> Kardam had lost about 6 LhS but needed to lose another 5 or 6 to

break.

> Probaby a 16-9 result.

>

> Comments:

> 1. LhS.. well.. what fun.. Nic's comment was.. its like Krum's got

12

> pips a turn...

> 2. Nic's archers shot down quite a few LhS but most of the time the

> (+1) saved them.

> 3. I had so many LhS in the right sector that it was hard for Nic

to

> kill enough to make the commands break. Umor had about 16, Kardam

about

> 16 as well (8 in 2 ranks).

> 4. Krum's glee was to see LhS kill CvS in the CvS turn. Sure, it

was

> crappy dice by Nic but is is possible, especially when there are

> overlaps (2 v 2).

> 5. Once things had broken up, the LhS impetuous move made my life

easy,

> Nic's hard. The Chinese archers (especially the Pu'Ping) did fight

well

> and kill many LHS, but once a flank got taken, it was just a matter

of

> time for them.

> 6. The Slav foot saw no action at all and enjoyed dim sims behind

the

> TF.

>

> I think i'd like to try massed LhF now... or LhO

>