I wanted a challenge, so I took Kiev, trying to unite Rus and prepare against the horde invasion. Well, in near 200 years I managed to nearly unite them all: all russians, plus Crimea, Poland, Lithuania, and norwegians rulers are now Rurikovich. Everything under the kingdom of Kiev (I discovered it is rather difficult to form an empire under seniority).
Well, I don't have an empire, but it looks like it.
I thought mongols were able to conquer so much land because they were horse mounted nomads, and such make good light cavalry, so they can gather high troop numbers in a short time. They weren't a threat before because their alliances didn't last long. Then they learned feudalism and went crazy.
I understand that, because mongols are out of the map, they must appear with an event, and in big numbers to cover for the lack of their own country lands. I can also concede that they come in big numbers, with high mobility light cavalry. But why don't they suffer attrition?
Their troops should excel in the steppe, but not in other terrains. That's enough to help them conquer half of the world, as their part of the world is full of steppes.
If they cross the Urals and find fragmented kingdoms, the mongols can easily take them bit by bit (well, they are invaders, so they have free casus belli). If they fight across the steppes, they are able to overwhelm any other army, even if they suffered attrition, because nearby mongol armies can join any battle in time. But I doubt the mongols were able to conquer so much of Europe had they encountered a very large, united and well defended realm.
So, it's ok, my improved kingdom of Kiev had 30K fighters, more than any other power in the map, even the Seljuks. And then they came, with 100K soldiers, easily conquering the Seljuks. Few years later they knocked at my doors with 130K soldiers. Here is my challenge. That's a war I didn't expected to win, so I kept sending missionaries and plotting to murder their leaders, with no luck. Even I managed to kill the Khan of Ilkhanate, but there were not any problem with their succession, everyone respected the newborn son of the old khan. Are their vassals affraid of that huge loyal army?
Well, let's play the russian way. Let them conquer land, and suffer attrition. Try to attack small stacks, defend on high terrain, and retake lands when they have passed. I may lose this war, but hopefully they will lose enough event army men for the next war... But, WTF, they don't seem to suffer any attrition! They came with just 2 stacks of 50K men each, they even join them from time to time. I managed to hold them 18 months, in the cold russian steppes, mind you, and they didn't lose a single men by hunger.
Thankfully they only wanted a single province, which I had to concede.
My armies are crumbled, and then I receive the really bad news. The real menace is not the Ilkhanate, but the Golden Horde, that is going to appear soon.
Is there any way to face them? I am trying to convert them to my religion, but it seems a little gamey to me. Assassins and plotters, I am ok with them, but it should be only a little help to the real battle (you know, weakening their leaders in the right moment).
Or at least, how can I mod it so their event troops cost money and suffer attrition, like any other army?
Well, I don't have an empire, but it looks like it.
I thought mongols were able to conquer so much land because they were horse mounted nomads, and such make good light cavalry, so they can gather high troop numbers in a short time. They weren't a threat before because their alliances didn't last long. Then they learned feudalism and went crazy.
I understand that, because mongols are out of the map, they must appear with an event, and in big numbers to cover for the lack of their own country lands. I can also concede that they come in big numbers, with high mobility light cavalry. But why don't they suffer attrition?
Their troops should excel in the steppe, but not in other terrains. That's enough to help them conquer half of the world, as their part of the world is full of steppes.
If they cross the Urals and find fragmented kingdoms, the mongols can easily take them bit by bit (well, they are invaders, so they have free casus belli). If they fight across the steppes, they are able to overwhelm any other army, even if they suffered attrition, because nearby mongol armies can join any battle in time. But I doubt the mongols were able to conquer so much of Europe had they encountered a very large, united and well defended realm.
So, it's ok, my improved kingdom of Kiev had 30K fighters, more than any other power in the map, even the Seljuks. And then they came, with 100K soldiers, easily conquering the Seljuks. Few years later they knocked at my doors with 130K soldiers. Here is my challenge. That's a war I didn't expected to win, so I kept sending missionaries and plotting to murder their leaders, with no luck. Even I managed to kill the Khan of Ilkhanate, but there were not any problem with their succession, everyone respected the newborn son of the old khan. Are their vassals affraid of that huge loyal army?
Well, let's play the russian way. Let them conquer land, and suffer attrition. Try to attack small stacks, defend on high terrain, and retake lands when they have passed. I may lose this war, but hopefully they will lose enough event army men for the next war... But, WTF, they don't seem to suffer any attrition! They came with just 2 stacks of 50K men each, they even join them from time to time. I managed to hold them 18 months, in the cold russian steppes, mind you, and they didn't lose a single men by hunger.
Thankfully they only wanted a single province, which I had to concede.
My armies are crumbled, and then I receive the really bad news. The real menace is not the Ilkhanate, but the Golden Horde, that is going to appear soon.
Is there any way to face them? I am trying to convert them to my religion, but it seems a little gamey to me. Assassins and plotters, I am ok with them, but it should be only a little help to the real battle (you know, weakening their leaders in the right moment).
Or at least, how can I mod it so their event troops cost money and suffer attrition, like any other army?
