Road of Queens - CKII India AAR

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter One Hundred-Ninety-Five : Decisions Made While Ill

What To Try Next...?​

We open this chapter in December, of the year 844 AD, with the Queen receiving news that her daughter, the Duchess Anastasia, was bedridden from dysentery. The Queen ordered her Court Physician, her own private Doctor, to help Anastasia.

A few day later the Queen also found herself feeling ill. This filled her with fear. What happened if she died and left a Heir who was sick in body. AND, the Queen feared, also in mind. The Queen still felt uneasy about the fact that the Duchess had burned somebody at the stake.

The Doux Wiryasini examined her and announced that it was the Flu again. The treatment wasn't bad.

But it didn't seem to do anything to stop her from getting worse.

At this point the Queen truly feared her would die and leave behind a Kingdom ruled by an insane daughter. So she made Princess Eupraxia of Kamarupa her next Heir!

Her husband, Doux Heraleios, was greatly worried that many within the Royal Family would be upset by this and either target the young girl or the Queen.

"You need to be careful my wife," he said to her. "Who knows who will try to kill you. They may try to put something in your drink or food."

"You are right my husband," said the Queen from her sick bed. She gestured towards him and added, "I now make you my Cupbearer. Make sure nobody touched my wine."

"I walked into that one," mumbled the Doux to one of the nearby nurses.

From her sick bed the Queen was notified that Raja of Shantideva was taking to take another person's title again.

She was also told that her nephew Digasumana had been heavily influenced by his Greek teacher and was now a proper Greek.

By this time she couldn't even get OUT of bed and was assigned a Regent. The Duchess Anastasia, who was no longer sick, would look over all the Queen's decisions and co-sign them if she approved them. And if she did NOT like a decision it would not be passed. The VERY woman who WOULD have been the future Queen was now looking over the person who took her inheritance AWAY from her.

The Court Physician Doux Wiryasini "The Wise" came forward having sensed the Queen's growing fears. He said he had a few different treatments he could try. Which would she prefer?

"Anything," stated the Queen. "Anything. Any treatment you think will work." So he fed her a dead beaver. A sick beaver.

As she lay in bed, trying to decide if she should stab her Doctor or not, she received news that another Great King had become a Tributary state of the Middle Kingdom. But she had never heard of Mohri of Kasmir.

"Who was he?" she demanded of her husband.

"I never heard of him either," replied the Doux. "Let me go research who he is."

As she waited for her husband's return she heard more news that made her upset. Another person had been burned at the stake by the Duchess. To the Queen this was just more proof that changing her Heir had been the right thing to do.

He husband soon came back to her sick bed with a package of papers and a few small maps.

He looked a tad nervous and said, "Well, you see, something happened in January that kind of changed the face of India. How to say this..."The Conqurer" of Punjab died."

"And nobody told me?" remarked the Queen with a glare.

"You were sick," he pointed out as he started to place the papers onto the small table next to her.

"Let's see, hmmm, oh yes Great King Mohri of Kashmir is 12 years old and rules this part right here," started the Doux while handing the Queen the first map.

"He is poor and has very few troops," he added. "Now, the next person is Great King Farid of Guge."

The Queen was handed the second map.

"He is a young man of 19 years of age, has about a thousand warriors, knows how to fight, but is also poor." Her husband picked up the third map and placed it in her hands. "And here is Great King Uzluk of Punjab. He got the major title as you can see. At 56 years old he is the most experienced. He has over six thousand warriors and a good amount of money."

The Doux added, "He is also depressed and maybe a tad crazy. Of course they all have claims on each others' lands. I foresee war in their future."

"No, really?" commented the Queen handing the maps back.

In March her Spy Master brought her the news that Epiphania planned to kill the QUEEN!

"Who?" demanded the Queen. "Listen, sorry, but I've been ill for months and my memory is going. Who is this woman?"

"She is the wife to Mayor Belisarios of Jambay," replied Princess Dionysia. "Remember, the nephew who tried to kill you and may have killed his brother? The one who thinks he had a claim on the throne."

"Oh Buddha," murmured the Queen and she grabbed a bottle of wine that was on the nearby table.

Of course the Spy Master sent a letter to the woman to stop her plotting or she would be arrested.

Later that month the Queen woke up with just a hangover and no Flu. A day later the Regency of the Duchess ended.

So the Queen, at the age of 52, had once again recovered from the Flu and was in change of her own Kingdom. Now she had to survive long enough to see her youngest daughter marry and, hopefully, become a smart and powerful woman.

So we close this chapter with a major shake up in India's balance of power and the Queen having eaten a beaver.

 

[Bullfilter]

Rabid beaver cures, a disgruntled disinherited daughter, the obscure wife of a relative trying to kill her, still depressed and drunk and multiple bouts of illness - but still she fights through it all. One tough old buzzard!

 

[stnylan]

Too tough for soup, as the saying goes.

I agree with the doux though - he did walk right into that one.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter One Hundred-Ninety-Six : The World Of 845 AD

The Known World...Well, Most Of It​

We open this chapter on the 28th of March, in the year 845 AD, with the promise to show you the top seven military powers in the known world! The list has changed but you will know many of those on it.

So, we first fly to the Middle East and find, of course, Caliph Madhi "The Tormentor" of the House of Abbasid still ruling the Arabian Empire. He was still cruel, zealous, and a coward. He had over twenty thousand soldiers and over a thousand gold coins.

He was only in ONE war at the moment with Shah Kanak of Khotan. Which does seem a tad silly - why would the Kingdom of Khotan have ATTACKED such a massive Empire? YOU would never do such a thing, WOULD you? Maybe Kanak thought the Chinese would pull his butt out of the fire?

The only other problem the Caliph was having was a Host running about being a pest. Anyway, the next person on our list was Basilissa Iouliana of the Byzantine Empire. With her sixteen thousand soldiers and her Revolt.

Yes, there were people revolting against her rule. We'll meet them next. She was also dealing with raiders but that seems to have become common in Europe. Sad, really. Earlier it had looked like the Byzantines had a real chance for peace....BUWAHAHAHA! Sorry, I couldn't keep a straight face saying that. Now, we just shift a tad and BAM!

Welcome to the Revolt lead by Kallinikos. The Revolt's goal was to free the Empire of the Female Tyrant on the throne. With just over five thousand soldiers and a leader with no talents or skills it looked doubtful that it would ever reach victory.

I mean he was only four years old. It is clear he was nothing but a puppet of the Revolt. Let's move to the next military power on out list.

Welcome To Europe!​

The fourth Realm on our list is Lombardy. The King Adelchis II "The Monster" was still the Ruler and still fighting four wars. Many believed him to be a member of a secret society which seemed to annoy the Religious Authorities greatly.

Sadly Europe lately had been rocked by a endless series of wars. It made India look downright peaceful....BUWAHAHAHA! Sorry, I could not keep a straight face with that statement either. So, on to our NEXT Realm of great military power!

Sultan Aram of the Umayyad Sultanate was still alive and doing somewhat well. His Realm was fighting it's way northward in trying to absorb the broken-up remains of Francia. The task was a pretty easy as much of this region of Europe was fighting itself. East Francia was fighting West Francia which was fighting the West Francian Revolt and so on.

It seemed he was wining mostly due to his enemies trying to kill each other and forgetting HE was the biggest threat. Oh well, on to the next Realm on the list.

We meet Khagan Busir "The Lewd" of Ashina. A new comer to the list but not new to the story. A horse lord of the steppes who had a new nation and over six thousand warriors to defend it with. Well, mostly he used them to loot other people. In fact he had been raiding TWO other Realms (which is a change of pace for this list). How uncivilized.

But he was STILL ill and a coward and likely not to be on the list again. Just saying.

And the last military power on our list was the Great King Uzluk of Punjab. A Ruler said to be paranoid and possessed. With 56 years of experience it was likely he would soon crush his siblings in massive wars to bring their lands into his own. Or he would die of old age. It would be a toss up. But with over six thousand soldiers and his military skills anything could happen.

So we close this chapter after a short visit to the outside known world. In our next chapter we return back to the Queen. So I say good-bye my lovely readers as I clean my fingers of ink, carefully close my tome of history, and put out my oil lamp.

 

[Bullfilter]

I wonder when Kamarupa will make it onto the list? It may be an aspiration for the Queen’s heir.

 

[stnylan]

Seems the most powerful rulers are the pleasant bunch they always have been

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter One Hundred-Ninety-Seven : Infighting (Again)

Princess Anastasia Goes To War!​

We open this chapter in April, of the year 845 AD, with the Queen being only slightly surprised to find that the Duchess Anastasia "The Unfaithful" had declared Bhutanese-Bumthangese De Jure War. In other words the Duchess wanted the County of Bumthang.

Of course the Duchess had waited till a young boy was in charge of it before going after it. And of course the Queen told her to back down and make "White Peace" with the Count.

As the Queen waited for a reply her scouts reported the movements of both sides. The young Count was heavily outnumbered by the Duchess's assembling levies. If she didn't back down she would wipe out him and his troops pretty easily.

Luckily the Duchess, while complaining about some kind of grievance with Count Ioustinos, backed down as the Queen ordered. To openly refuse might have been a little too pushy and the Duchess was not willing to do anything openly.

In May the Queen was notified that the old King Sircan was dead and the young Khan Sircan II was now in charge. A 10 year old boy. A 10 year old Dwarf King.

Before she could decide what to do about it the Queen was informed that the Countess Ratnadevi of Mainling was plotting to kill her own stepson. She was doing it so her husband would inherit his son's County. Talk about Evil Stepmothers!

By June the Queen was alerted to the fact that she had two OTHER Kingdoms also needed their laws changed if she wanted all Kingdoms to have the same Inheritance laws as the Kingdom of Kamarupa.

So the Queen demanded her Council pass Regulated Inheritance Laws for both the Kingdom of Kham and the Kingdom of U-Tsang.

Later in the month she was given a note from her agents in the court of Doge Himerios of Lhasa. It stated he has passed a Ruler War Declaration Sovereignty Law. Which to be honest made no sense as she could not find any law under that name in any of her books. Maybe it was a Republic thing?

In August the Queen felt it was time to start the next war. The Bengal Band and the Rajput Band were both hired. They joined up with the Royal Retinue and started north. Their target was the County of Qamdo!

As she waited to send off the War Declaration at the perfect time she received, in September, news that the Doux Wiryasini was making progress in the hunt for the artifact.

Later that month she was given the best news that year. Bhikkhu Pankratios of Para-Lauhitya had DIED! The new Bhikkhu Adrianos had inherited all the titles.

And of course the Faction he had started died with the old Doux.

Then she was notified that the Stables in the County of Markam was complete. Which meant more Light Cavalry for the war!

In October she was alerted by her Upadhyayani that the Bishop Gayakasyape of Lamaling had been converted to the Buddhist Faith. Wonderful! Her plans to convert the people of that region was working.

But then the man was forced to return to the Orthodox Faith by the Count of Knuggar. The little brat!

While the Queen ground her teeth and drowned her anger in wine she received a request from the Society. They asked for help in the form of more funds. She agreed to give them some money - sooner or later.

Again she got a message from Bhikkhu Valerios of Hajo that he had converted Gayakasyape back to Buddhism when the Count was not looking. Hopefully this change would stick.

So we end this chapter with the start of the new year, with a war about to start, and a fight over the people's soul happening in the County of Nyingchi.

 

[Bullfilter]

Gayakasyape is clearly a devout man of unswerving religious conviction. Not!

Here’s hoping the next war goes smoothly.

 

[stnylan]

The Queen is ahead in the conversion game 2-1, achieving a late conversation when the back of her opponent, the Count, was turned. But what will happen when the Count realises the Queen's theological subterfuge. Find out in the next installment of Road of Queens: Conversions!

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter One Hundred-Ninety-Eight : A Slight Delay

The Alan Riders Are Hired​

We open this chapter, in January, of the year 846 AD, with the Queen worried. Something was bothering her. Two things in fact. The Army of Yarlungi seemed too small. Normally a army of over three thousand soldiers would be enough to handle most enemies till the levies showed up but the Queen wasn't sure.

Also she felt it was too infantry heavy. And she had remembered the last Council meeting with her old Protostator. Even HE had been worried about the steppe warriors and how well they handled the bow on the backs of their ponies.

The Queen decided to hire a third Band, the Alan Riders, known for their special missile cavalry while ordering the Army of Yarlungi to wait on the border. The war would start when all three bands, and her Retinue, got together.

And the day after doing this the Queen was given the news that the NEW Doux of Para-Lauhitya had started a Gavelkind Succession in Kamarupa.

"Hmmmm," said the Queen to herself when hearing the news. "I was joking that the Douxs of Para-Lauhitya made it their hobby to cause me trouble. But I guess I am right."

Later that month she received some news that was more cheerful. The Wakhushakk of the House of Vijaya had become Greek which was wonderful news. At least the educational program was working!

In February her hushand, the Doux of Nyingchi, alerted her to the fact that one of his vassals, the Count Yase of Mainling, was trying to claim his title. The fool of course had been asked to stop by her own Spy Master.

One advantage of delaying the war was many of her projects finished before the "Ram Hit the Wall". The Training Grounds in Kamarupanagara were completed in March.

A few days later the Castle Town in the County of Haruppeswara was finished.

As the Queen waited for news and drank and worried about the war and drank and pondered the meaning of life and drank she was notified that the Raja Jatakhadga II had been assassinated.

The young Raja took over for his father. He seemed too young to be a murderer and the Queen wondered who had killed the old Raja? Somebody sick of all the infighting he was causing maybe? Then she drank some more.

Some more good news came in April. Her new Protostrator had started a massive recruitment drive in the Capital-County. Perfect timing!

By May the Alan Riders were almost at the rallying and later that month, after joining together, the newly formed Army of Ramtish, now over five thousand strong, was crossing the border.

So on the 3rd of June the Queen declared De Jure Claim on Qambo. Known as the "Kamaruoa Ducal War For Princess Eustathia's Claim on Qamdo".

That same day the call went out for the levies to assemble. These soldiers added another four thousand plus men to the war. Their rallying point was the County of Bome - just across the border from Qamdo.

Soon the Army of Ramtish was laying siege to the Castle of Qamdo. Though being that it was made of wood it didn't seem like a much of a "Castle" to the Commanders on the field. It was doubtful the 603 defenders would be able to hold out very long.

As the Queen waited and drank she received some more good news. The young girl Mah of the House of Vijaya had embraced the Greek culture. Wonderful news from her educational system!

In July her daughter, Duchess Anastasia "The Unfaithful", had her Council pass the Title Revocation Allowed Law. A powerful law. It would allow the Duchess to revoke a direct vassal's landed title.

In August the Castle of Qamdo fell to the Queen's troops. None of the attackers were hurt while the defenders were all wiped out. Wooden walls did not do well against elephants.

Her Commanders then moved on to the Town of Riwoche. So it was time to wait again. And drink. Always time for drinking.

So we close the chapter with the war starting and no enemy army in sight. Yet.

 

[stnylan]

Always time for drinking as she said. I thought the following line was particularly good in that regard:

"As the Queen waited for news and drank and worried about the war and drank and pondered the meaning of life and drank"

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter One Hundred-Ninety-Nine : The Enemy Appears

Crap...It's The Mongols​

We open this chapter in August, of the year 846 AD, with the Queen hearing that Doux Wiryasini was plotting to kill Prince Himerios of Kamarupa.

The Queen had mixed feelings about that. The Doux was one of her favorite Vassals and the Prince Himerios was really low on her list of kids. On the other hand if he was killed his titles would go to a non-family member which she DID not want. The Doux was asked to stop his plot.

In September the Queen was asked by the Doux Wiryasini, who was also her Sakellarios, for the right to grab anything and anybody he needed to search for the artifact. The Queen told him no - during a war was not time to upset her Vassals and people.

At the same time she was notified that the military scouts had spotted the enemy army!

Over four thousand warriors were heading towards the County of Banbar. More than half of them were Light Cavalry plus another thousand Special Troops in the form of Mounted Archers. A VERY dangerous combination when fighting on the steppes. Or they would have been if the Queen had not been forewarned about such Mongol formations.

As she wrote out the orders for her field Commanders she received the news that Raja Ramachandradeva of the Somavamsi Raj had died in battle against the Ayudha Kingdom.

"And this is important to me why?" demanded the Queen.

The messenger sobbed and ran out of the throne room. It was his first day on the job and he had felt his first letter had been very important.

On the 25th of September the enemy army started to put the Castle of Banbar under siege. Wonderful - they were now occupied and too busy to move. The Queen sent out her letters to her field Commanders explaining her plans and what they needed to do.

As she waited for action on their part she received information that the Duchess Uppalavarna of Varendra had passed the Levy Shifted Noble Obligations Law. Seems she wanted soldiers from her vassals more than she wanted their money. Interesting...

In October the town of Riwoche fell to the main army. The attackers lost nobody while the defenders were all wiped out.

But instead of going after the last holding of the County the Army of Ramtish carefully timed their march on Banbar. The Commander Ramtish, skilled at Defense, controlled the center with the flanks being held by the two Commanders SKILLED at Flanking Tactics, Fortun and Varshasb.

At the same time the newly formed Army of Prince Eusebios, made up of the levies who had been gathering at the rally point. ALSO marched towards the enemy. There was only one flanking Commander, Paschalis, who was on the right flank. Sadly, the Kingdom needed more officers for the military forces. The two thousand plus soldiers would be hitting the enemy on the same day as the main army.

As the Queen waited she received news that her husband had attempted to arrest the Count Yase. Turns out it took the Count totally by surprise and he ended up in his Liege's dungeons. It seems he had REFUSED to back down from his plot. Or maybe her husband just didn't like him. Of course, the Count Yase had never been right in the head so it really didn't surprise the Queen that much.

But soon everything happening in her Kingdom and in her Royal Court no longer mattered to her. For the first reports of the Battle of Domartang started to come in. The two sides had started the traditional greetings of launching missiles, in the form of arrows and throwing spears, at each other.

On the 13th of November her husband came into the throne room with a report.

"Is it about the battle?" asked the Queen eagerly.

"No," answered the Doux, "but you will like it none the less."

The Queen opened the letter and found out that her bothersome nephew, Mayor Belisarios of Jambay, had died from the Great Pox.

"YES!" exclaimed the Queen. And she popped open a fresh bottle of wine.

The next day she got a report that the enemy's left flank had already collapsed. The right flank and center of her own army had rushed forward. The enemy army did not have the infantry to handle melee combat. The Queen's larger infantry formations, plus attack pugs, were more than the outnumbered Mongol infantry could handle.

The enemy's center just fell apart. Soon the Queen's army was focusing all its arrows, throwing spears, and other missiles onto the enemy's remaining right flank. The poor soldiers didn't even have a Commander

Soon the enemy's remaining cavalry was fleeing the Queen's on horse soldiers and war elephants.

The next piece of news was not related to the war and NOT good. The Duchess of Varendra had started her own Faction to bring Gavelkind Succession in the Kingdom of U-Tsang.

"Do these people know what Gavelkind means?" asked the Queen aloud to her staffs.

Later she received a report that the enemy had pretty much fallen apart leaving the poor soldiers of the right flank of eight hundred defenders to be attacked by the Queen's seven thousand soldiers.

Shortly after that she got two pieces of information. One was that the Middle Kingdom was doing great and this meant increased wealth would soon be flowing down the Silk Roads. Once the war was over the Queen would count on a huge increase in her Trade Income!

The second piece of news was Total Victory on the battlefield against the Mongols. Her own armies had lost 1,383 soldiers the enemy forces had lost 1,781 soldiers. Painful but the Queen was pleased that her men had held their own against the dreaded steppe warriors. Think about how badly it would have gone if the Commanders had entered the battle with smaller numbers or less Light Cavalry.

So we end this chapter with the war going well but the Queen's Vassals acting up. Again.

 

[stnylan]

Vassals acting up is surely kinda business as usual?

 

[Bullfilter]

Looks like the Queen’s drinking problem is that she can’t get enough into her! Surely this will have a nasty health event soon. She is likely to be cut down by it at the height of her powers. But the war is going well, even if the casualties are high, while trade will boom. About time for a messy succession and upheaval!

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Two Hundred : Infighting And Illness

Court Politics​

We open this chapter in December, of the year 846 AD, with the Queen reviewing how the Kingdom of Xia was doing. It seemed to be doing so-so. It had just over three thousand warriors left after the first battle but on the other hand the Khan Sircan II had over two hundred gold coins in his coffers. So his army was smaller but the boy was far from being in trouble.

The next report from the war stated that the Temple of Karub had been overwhelmed. The Queen's men had lost 35 men while the defenders had been wiped out.

Afterwards the Army Ramtish, after joining up with the last of the levies, marched north to the County of Zadoi. It was where enemy soldiers had been spotted. And if they could not be found more Holdings could be taken!

But a few days later the Queen found herself visiting the privy a few times a day. She called for Doux Wiryasini, her Doctor, who after examining her decided the symptom was not serious and suggested a mild treatment.

He hung her upside down from the rafters. The Queen started to wonder if the Doctor had certain fetishes...

By February she was feeling better. The treatment had either worked or her Diarrhea had just gone away on its own.

As she enjoyed her health, and did some healthy drinking, she received a rough draft of poetry from Anokhi, a member of the Savaka-Sangha. The woman was asking her for advice. The poetry was mostly about the Great Buddha.

The Queen found it...comforting. She sent a letter back explaining how much she enjoyed the poetry.

Later she was alerted that one of her field Commanders, Prince Eusebios, had the case of the Flu. She sent her Doctor to help of course.

The Army of Ramtish, on finding no enemy armies to fight, had lay siege to the Castle of Zadio (which at least seemed to be a proper Castle). The gates might even hold back the elephants. Maybe.

She finally got a reply from Anokhi with a new draft attached. The woman still seemed to think her poetry wasn't very good but the Queen knew good poetry when she saw it and even asked if she could keep it.

Near the end of the month she woke up and found herself no longer depressed. The poetry had truly helped. And now she could drink for the ENJOYMENT of drinking! Cheers!

In March another letter came from Anokhi who was touched by the Queen's request and reaction to her poetry.

By April the Commanders reported that the Castle of Zadoi had be taken. They lost one soldier while wiping out over 600 defenders.

By this time the Commanders were getting sick of waiting and rushed the defenses of the Town of Qapugtang. The people didn't even have time to put up barriers before they were attacked by the thousands of infantry, thousands of cavalry, the war elephants, and the packs of pugs. The Commanders reported that they only lost 9 men while the defenders were wiped out. It fell to them on the 17th of April.

Near the end of April the Commanders had reports on the position of the enemy's remaining troops. It seems they were trying to assemble in a nearby county.

Then the Queen got some bad news in June. It seems that Bhikkhu Adranos of Para-Lauhitya was backing the other Faction. Once the war was over the Queen knew she would have to DEAL with some of her Vassals.

So we end the chapter with a upcoming battle and the Queen feeling slightly better than normal.

 

[Bullfilter]

Congratulations on the 200th Chapter!

Nice to see that depression lifting at last - but the Queen is still self-medicating too much with the grog. I hope she gets a chance to kick that habit before it hastens her end unduly. The war goes well - we should expect the Xian army to be administered a damn good towelling-up - if they don’t run away first!

 

[Eurasia]

Congratulations on the 200th Chapter!

Nice to see that depression lifting at last - but the Queen is still self-medicating too much with the grog. I hope she gets a chance to kick that habit before it hastens her end unduly. The war goes well - we should expect the Xian army to be administered a damn good towelling-up - if they don’t run away first!

Thank you. I hope she kicks the drinking problem before her death. Either way she seems to be doing well. Adding to her list of war wins.

And, no, the Xian Army does not run away. But be warned and look at the above losses. Even when outnumbered the Horse Lords are dangerous.

 

[Bullfilter]

But be warned and look at the above losses. Even when outnumbered the Horse Lords are dangerous.

I had noticed that - you recall my earlier concern about Mongols: not having encountered them in-game yet myself, I’m just finishing a detailed biographical history of Genghis Khan, and I’m automatically programmed to fear and respect them.

 

[stnylan]

I agree, if only she could kick the drinking habit now. Well, she's living to a ripe old age, or so it seems. Perhaps it helps preserve her?

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Two Hundred-One : The War With Xia Ends

No Mercy!​

We open this chapter in June, of the year 847 AD, and we find the enemy army had totally failed to move. The Battle of Zangda had started. The two armies exchanged the traditional wave after wave of arrows and throwing spears. While the Xians have hundreds of Mounted Archers they didn't have much in the way of regular Archers. The Royal Army had large numbers of both.

The enemy's left flank could not handle the incoming fire and collapsed. The Royal Army's right flank focused its fire on the enemy's center.

Soon the enemy's center collapsed and the all the missile troops in the Royal Army turned their weapons on the enemy's right flank. When the right flank broke the Queen's cavalry, elephants, and pugs charged into the enemy line. Or, to be honest the enemy mob. The enemy Commander of the right flank stayed on the battlefield as long as he could to try to act as a rearguard.

But in the end the enemy was kicked off the battlefield. The cost had been 501 men for the Queen's Commanders and 1,141 men for the Khan's Commanders.

The Queen sent a demand to the Khan to end the war and give her what she wanted. Well, what Princess Eustathia wanted.

At this point the Khan Sircan II of Xia had to agree to hand over the County of Qamdo. If he continued to fight his army would be totally wiped out. An army he needed if he planned to have a long and happy life ruling over his wide-spread lands.

The war with Xia had two battles and five sieges. The Queen's forces lost 2,049 soldiers while the Khan had lost 4,921 soldiers. The Khan had come out the worst for it but that first battle had been a tad scary. The Queen realized her military could still use some improvements.

By August the Queen's forces had marched all the way to the new border where the hired swords and farmers were told they could go. The Queen's Retinue was ordered to march home.

The Queen celebrated victory by giving the Society a 100 gold coins. They were VERY pleased with her.

She even tried to help the Duchess Uppalavarna to be more virtuous on the hopes that the woman would disband the Faction she was the head of. It failed to do so but it did increase her opinion of the Queen.

Maybe the Duchess, being 74 years old, would die soon. The Queen could always dream.

Still, her Kingdom was slightly bigger and money would soon start pouring in again. Also she had proven that the Horse Lords could be dealt with if you planned the war properly. And was paranoid enough to go in with overwhelming force!

So we close this chapter with the end of the war with Xia and the Queen planning to focus on her Kingdom for the next few years.