Enemies at the Gate
A Role-Playing AAR in MEIOU
Spring 1523 - Spring 1524
With flimsy alliances barely dried and hopes high, the Grand Coalition of Nations marched through Russia and Lithuania toward an unknown end. 30,000 Lithuanians defending the home front of Murom and Moscow were joined by an additional 15,000 Lithuanians sent toward the front lines. With them were 15,000 Britons, 10,000 Hungarians, 20,000 Novgorodians, and 15,000 Circassians. This massive army, nominally under the lead of the Prince of Moscow, quickly split up and began a massive pincer motion. In the north, directly under the command of the Muscovites were the Novgorodians and Britons. In the south, under the command of Circassia, were the Hungarians and the Lithuanians.
But as the pincers began to close the Horde struck deep into Murom directly, defeating Murom's armies and eventually reaching 20,000 of the Lithuanians outside of Murom itself. Many in the coalition wanted to turn back from the road to Astrakhan and relieve Murom; however the Lithuanians were firm that they could protect the Principality without help. By July, the Coalition was making gains. Kazan had fallen and Astrakhan was also in coalition hands. Some of the warriors did not want to leave Astrakhan. It was their opinion that the great Caspian city was the goal and now that it had been taken it was to be defended. The King of Circassia attempted to force the Hungarians and Lithuanians to march, but only got a fraction of the original troops to continue.
By August, Murom was free of the Horde and the Lithuanians there were pushing back into the Horde itself. South, in Circassia proper, peasants began to revolt due to the lack of food. The Russian Expeditionary Army from Lithuania was not allowed to cross into the Mountain Kingdom and the revolt began to fester into a religious and political rebellion. This forced Circassia to pull many of their troops back from the front lines, leaving the Lithuanians and Hungarians to squabble over leadership rather than continuing to attack the Siberian Horde. As winter fell, the Coalition dug in to wait out the steppes' terrible weather. Back in Moscow and Murom, religious revolts were spreading. The Lithuanians tried to keep as many down as they could: but eventually had to call in extra troops from their homelands to essentially occupy the Muslim portions of Moscow.
In the meanwhile, Sweden seemed little interested in helping and Novgorod seemed poised to invade Finland, while Moscow and Murom dealt with the problem of the Horde. The Pope continued to try to win support for a Crusade against Syria, eventually recruiting the Spanish and Italians to continue his work. Stern letters were sent from the Pope to the Kings of Hungary and Britain for siding with heretics and heathens. With the threat of excommunication looming, the Coalition was frozen in place even as the lands thawed.
Current date: 11 May, 1524
Europe as of May 1524; gains of the Coalition highlighted by Northern Coalition and Southern Coalition.
