The Merchant of Alexandria – A Fatimids AAR - The Rise of Saladin

[anguille]

Goal: achieve the quests that are in this mod for the Fatimids (you’ll see if i manage do to it).
Using: Elvain’s Holy Rome mod 1.6.
Playing as Fatimids: Starting with 6 Provinces (from East to West: Sinai, Cairo, Alexandria, El Alamein, Benghazi and Cyrenaica).

Part 1: return of the Fatimids

1148
When Calif Rayn retired in 1117, the empire was very stable and the various neighboors were friendly. His eldest son, Ahmed, took the power and the Fatimids felt that they would reign for a long time. However, within 30 years, many empires collapsed and new Kings grasped for power. In the west, the Zirid Empire had split and a new Kingdom, called Tunis, merged at the border of the Fatimid’s Caliphate. Tunis wasn’t peacefully for long and soon their armies marched into Tripoli as they considered that it was part of their heritage. Ahmed was going to intervene when, in the east, a new empire rose and conquered Syria and Jordan. The Empire was known as Baghdad. At the same time, Crusaders invaded Lebanon and Palestina and created a fictious Kingdom of Jerusalem. Ahmed was barely able to establish peace agreements with those Empires before he died in 1147. Aamir, his only son, became the calif...

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Aamir was proud and had fought bravely during the many wars. He hadn’t been happy with the peace treaties and was resolved to reestablish the power of the Fatimids...would he succeed?

He took a good look at his kingdom....it wasn't a big as it used to be, but it had enough potential to become a great empire once again.

In the East, the dangerous Kingdoms of Jerusalem and Baghdad.

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In the West, the treaterous Caliphate of Tunis...

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[anguille]

1148

In Alexandria

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This had been another boring day on the market. I really couldn’t see those fishes anymore. My cousin was the Fisher in the Family and I sold them on the market of Alexandria. I hated the job. Furthermore, I had to clean myself for hours before coming home as the smell wouldn’t let anyone sleep at night. But what could I do? My brother Ahmed and I had to feed the family. Ahmed was a good carpenter but I had not been able to finish my formation when my dad broke his legs on a building site. I had to take the first job available. Ahmed was currently working on a Fletcher…the Calif himself had ordered the construction of that building.

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The lamps had been lit in the house as the night had come early today. I was happy to leave my shoes at the door.

- There you are, Samir! How’s been the day at the market?
- Same as usual, Dad! The fishes from Cousin Ali could have been fresher. Anyway, I still sold most of them.
- Good…now come at the table, your mother has prepared a good meal.

At the table, I was happily surprised to see my uncle Dimar. As a merchant he had travelled a lot in the neighbouring countries and had just come back from a long travel.

- Tell us Uncle, what’s happening in the world right now?
- What do you want to know?
- Everything!

I always had been interested in the matters of the world but had never gone further than the walls of the city. Dimar first told us about Tunis and about Abzari Humam, the Calif of Tunis.

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- Tunis is a wonderful place, you know that Libya once belonged to the Fatimids?
- Yeah, I know Uncle.
- Anyway, they have very nice products…the only problem is their Calif.
- What’s wrong with him?
- Well…he is very greedy. The profit for merchants is very small in Tunis. I am not sure if I’ll go back there in the next future.

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- Where else have you been?
- Do you know Baghdad?

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- I’ve heard about it…they stole our land.
- Yes they did…they are also very powerful. I’ve been able to buy some silk there. It’s a very rare product coming from the Far East. Aariz, their Calif, seems very calm, but it’s very unsure if peace will be maintained with them. I’ve heard that our Calif is updating the military infrastructures here in Alexandria….I guess this could mean war rather soon.
- You think so? I’d love to be part of it.
- There’s no way you’ll go to war! My father interrupted me.

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- Anyway, continued my Uncle, Baghdad may not be our greatest problem. The Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Christians invaders, is a thorn in the eye of the Muslim world. The Fatimids have defended the Holy places of Islam for many centuries. I believe our Calif Aamir won’t accept their presence for much longer.

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- Furthermore their King is arrogant and hostile….

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[anguille]

July 18th 1148

I was waiting for my Cousin Salim, the Fisher, at the gate of the city when I saw a horseman coming very fast. He pushed everyone aside and I even fell on the ground.

- Place….out of the way for the messenger of the Emperor!!!

What Emperor? That was my question. Suddenly we saw a rather large convoy with an escort arriving and advancing slowly through the streets of the city. A horseman was holding a large banner in front: a large Eagle on a yellow flag. I remembered that Uncle Dimar had told me about it. Indeed, it was the banner of the most powerful Empire in the world: The Holy Roman Empire.

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I decided to follow the convoy….Salim would just have to go at our place and leave the fishes there…mum and dad would be happy to see him again. The crowd was getting larger and larger as the convoy was approaching the palace. I was just able to see the last men of the escort disappear behind the well protected doors. What did the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire want from our Calif? The crowd remained there for a long time, everyone wondering what was happening inside. I was about to leave when the doors of the royal balcony opened. Aamir and the messenger of the Emperor appeared and started to wave.

- Dear citizens of Alexandria. We have had some difficult times in the past but now things will get better. The Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire has accepted to sign a trade agreement with us. I do hope that more treaties will be signed but this is already a fantastic deal.

That was indeed great news….I ran home to tell everyone about it.

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[anguille]

25th august 1148

I was just getting out of the house when I heard rumours coming from the main place of the city. “What is going on?” was my first thought. So I decided to check for myself. When I got there, I saw soldiers running everywhere and many young men were gathering at the centre of the place surrounded by a large crowd of citizens cheering them up.
“What the H…is this?” did I murmur.
“Nicaea has sent an army….they should be here in a couple of weeks. Our Calif is raising an army to counter the invaders” said an older man next to me.
“So, it’s war” did I reply. Without thinking further, I went to the other young men and declared that I was ready to fight for my country.

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Two weeks were not that many time to learn how to use a sabre, but I did the best I could. Our Marshal, Emir Aaquib, was vigilant and taught us all he could…would that be enough?
One night I was allowed to get out of the camp and so I went home. My parents weren’t very happy about it, that’s sure, but they loved me and told me not to take too many risks.
Finally, two weeks after I joined the army, we received the order to move and so we left Alexandria. It was the first time that I left the city. That was really strange. 150 men left the city hoping that they would come back victorious.
After some hours, my back was very hurtful. I hadn’t thought that the entire equipment was so heavy, but it was and that was a pain….

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After a couple of days, one of the scouts announced to Marshall Aaquib that the enemy, with an army of 180 men, had been spotted….soon we would fight him.

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[anguille]

2d September

Finally we were facing the enemy. Emir Aaquid had chosen the place where the battle would take place and so he had established an interception course.
So in the morning of the 2d of September, I could see the enemy…the cowards were attacking a small village of the region.

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- All men ready to fight….take combat formation! Screamed Emir Aaquid.

I felt how my heart started to beat faster. I had never fought before and much less killed a man…I was starting to feel dizzy when my friend Amir, my tent roommate, said:

- Samir, don’t worry…just make sure to stay alive and everything will be fine.
- Thanks…

I was still very anxious as we were approaching the enemy. As I had been too close to the pond, my boots were wet and I felt uncomfortable…this wouldn’t make things easier.

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- Move to the left and prepare your swords!!! Screamed my captain.

Now we could hear the enemy’s screams and orders…the ground was trembling under so many boots. Five minutes later, we had taken our positions and were ready. The enemy was moving in our direction…the battle would begin any minutes now. Emir Aaquid had taken position on a wooden hill, far on our right. It seemed to me that this position was a bit too exposed, but then, I wasn’t in command.

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- Charge!!!!

And so we started to run. The chock was formidable. Thanks to my shield, I could push many soldiers aside and then started to strike with my sword. In no time, I had killed three enemies. My head was aching like crazy. The squads opposing us were mainly composed of untrained farmers, so we were slowly getting the upper hand. When will this be over? This question was coming in my head again and again.

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We had almost destroyed the enemy squad when a rumour started to spread all over our company.
What is going on? I killed the poor guy facing me and took a look for a second to where our Marshal had been standing…he was now completely surrounded by enemy troops…
For a moment, everybody stopped fighting and we all watched the dramatic situation. Emir Aaquid managed to retreat behind our lines but Marshal Alexios and his men had expected this and launched a deadly charge. We were too far away to be able to help. Aaquid fought bravely but the enemy was superior in number. My heart hurt when I saw him fell…we were all desperate.

- RETREAT!!! Shouted our captain.

In no order we run away from the battlefield while the other captains shouted the same command.

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[anguille]

5th September

While the rest of the army was coming back to Alexandria, Calif Aamir had ordered the construction of a bakery in order to expand the food capabilities of the city. This would allow the creation of greater armies as the population of the city would be able to get larger. Meanwhile, we got some food in the villages of the region.

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17th September

I was so happy to see Alexandria again. The city was still 2 hours away but we all felt relieved to return home after our miserable defeat. The scouts of the army had already arrived at least 2 days ago, so we were expecting the population to be terrorised but when we entered the city, we heard rumours of celebration and joy….what was happening? After asking some citizens, we learned that Calif Aamir was getting married this day. We decided that we would return to the military camp only next morning…we had also deserved to rest and drink wine before we would have to train again…

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[anguille]

8th October

Emir Ahmed, our new Marshal, had managed to give us back our motivation. He was a strong leader and had already been in many in battles. The new recruits were training hard and were looking forward to go to battle…if they only knew how ugly it gets on the battlefield!
As it was already late, I was about to go in my tent to rest when Emir Ahmed arrived with his escort from the palace. He jumped of his horse and entered his house. He seemed very angry. A couple of minutes later he gave the order that the entire army should gather as he had something important to communicate. We were all ready very soon.

- Men…the situation in Barka is critical. Marshal Alexios and his men are plundering the region. Many villagers have already died and many others are wondering why we haven’t stopped them yet. I know, many of you are not ready yet but we can’t wait any longer….will you come with me and defeat those devils?
- YEAAAAAAAAH…… We all screamed like crazy.

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Next morning we had packed our bags and were heading towards Barka. Emir Ahmed told us that we would first go to the city of Barka where two companies of spearmen, responsible for the defence of the city, would join us. Marshal Alexios would soon feel the wrath of the Fatimids.

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[anguille]

16th October

On our way to Barka, we met a messenger of the Grand Duke Ringaudas from Lithuania who was bringing a Trade Agreement to Alexandria. For sure, our Calif would accept this as the Fatimids were in need of good allies.

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24th October

We were almost in the Province of Barka when a horseman arrived from Alexandria. He had the latest orders of the Calif about our forthcoming battle against Marshal Alexios. When he finished his official duties, he spent the evening with us and told us about the latest events in Alexandria….we were so happy to hear stories about home. The Calif had given the order to build large stables in the city as he wanted to create squads of cavalry and camel riders. With such investments, the Fatimids would surely get strong enough to win any war…

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[anguille]

30th October


A messenger from Barka arrived in the morning. He jumped of his horse and ran to Emir Ahmed.

- Finally Milord…we weren’t expecting you anymore.
- What news do you bring?
- Marshal Alexios is attacking the greatest village of Barka…we believe that he will attack the city itself when he’s finished.
- Return to Barka and tell them we will be there tomorrow in the evening.
- Yes Milord.

And the messenger disappeared in the dunes.


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It was already night when we saw the lights of Barka. As the city was defended by two companies of fierce desert spearmen, Marshal Alexios hadn’t dared to attack the city. The stars in the sky were glimmering and it just didn’t feel like war. We knew however that we would have to face the nicaean forces very soon. The population of the city welcomed us like heroes but only the forthcoming battle would tell us if we were. I went to bed exhausted: this long march had taken all our energies…so I fell into sleep in a glimpse.

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We rested for two days. On the evening of the 2nd of November, Emir Ahmed ordered the army to prepare. The two companies of desert spearmen joined the army as our Marshal wanted to take all the chances on his side. Marshal Alexios had proven how dangerous he could be. So it was with some anxiety that we started to walk….would I experience how it feels to win a battle? I would know very soon.

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[anguille]

3d of November


We finally met the army of Marshal Alexios in the evening. Emir Ahmed didn’t like the idea to fight in the night but he didn’t want to give the chance to Marshal Alexios to prepare his defences. Despite the lack of light, I could see the enemy army very clearly. It seemed like they had been waiting for us….

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Emir Ahmed deployed our army in front of the one of Alexios….we had obviously a better equipment. He placed the archers behind our company as we were in the centre of the front line. He then sent a messenger to Alexios who brought a proposition which would see the Nicaean withdraw from the battlefield and that the Fatimids would guarantee that Alexios and his men would return safely home.

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The messenger had just returned with a refusal when, surprisingly, Marshal Alexios made the first move in the battle. His companies of archers moved fast towards us…he probably wanted to make Emir Ahmed nervous.

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Emir Ahmed however, didn’t want us to get shot one by one by the enemy archers and swiftly gave us orders to advance. So when the enemy’s archer arrived at their position, we were much closer than what had been planned by Marshal Alexios.

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As the archers were preparing their bows and arrows, our captains gave us the order to charge. We could see fear in the eyes of the enemy’s soldier. Alexios plan was failing but it was too late…the first archers were already dying by our swords. I was eager to avenge our defeat and was fighting with lot of anger.

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On our left, the nicaean companies, distressed by their losses, started to retreat. After following them on some distance, our companies let them get away…the real danger was coming from their Marshal and he had to be stopped.

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Emir Ahmed hadn’t remained inactive. With his men, he had aimed directly to the knights of Marshal Alexios and had started a furious fight. Alexios and his knights were fighting bravely while all the nicaean archers were running away as they were no match to our men with swords and spears.

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When Marshal Alexios saw that he had already lost many knights and that his entire army was running away, he started to flee as well. The entire Fatimids army, while moving forward, started to sing the anthem of the Calif:

Aamir
Great among the greatest
We will follow you everywhere,
As you are also the bravest
And no one is as clever

The enemies were terrified and ran even faster.

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Emir Ahmed and his men were however fast enough and intercepted Alexios…now only one would survive this duel. Alexios was slightly reassured as some of his men were trying to help them. This was however useless as our two companies of spearmen stopped them on their way.

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In the end, Alexios was no match to Emir Ahmed and he was killed. The nicaean survivors ran away and disappeared in the night. I fell on my knees and cried of joy…we had been victorious.

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[anguille]

5th of November

We spent two days celebrating our victory. Now I was really looking forward to go home and see my family again. I was really surprised when Emir Ahmed ordered me in his tent.

- Samir?
- Yes milord. That’s my name.
- Well…I’ve heard that you behaved bravely during the battle and I do remember that you did the same when Alexios defeated Emir Aaquid.
- I am just doing my duty, sire.
- Good…we need men like you. I therefore give you the title of Lieutenant.
- Oh…thank you milord!

I was very surprised and so happy. I just didn’t know what to say.

- Your first task as a Lieutenant will be to bring this box to King Alexandros, leader of Nicaea.
- What is it?
- Now that we are victorious, we request them to make peace with us.

And so, after I was given a horse, I left the camp next morning. I aimed for Barka’s main harbour where I would take a boat to cross the sea.
Five days later, I arrived at the castle of King Alexandros…a guard approached.

- Who are you?
- I am the messenger of Calif Aamir.

I was then brought to his majesty.

- So what messages do you bring…is Marshal Alexios too much for your Calif to bear? He then started laughing.
- I was ordered to give you this milord. I then handed him the box.

He was still smiling when he opened it but suddenly his face became white and he dropped the box. The head of Marshal Alexios then rolled on the ground and stopped at my feet. I really hadn’t known what was in the box and I was about to vomit. Fortunately however, I could control myself and waited for the reaction of the King. He really looked sick now.

- Alexios was one of my best generals…do you have another message?
- Yes milord.

And so I gave him the offer of peace I had taken with me. It was a white peace…both nations had suffered enough.

- So be it, said the King and then he signed the agreement.
- Goodbye Milord.

And I left to return to Alexandria with the precious document….I would never forget that mission!


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[anguille]

During the next four months, I was sent to different diplomatic missions. As the Nicaean Kingdom had made peace with us, the Latins, not feeling that strong, expressed their happiness when I brought them the news.

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Now that the region was safe, the King of Navarre felt that it was a good time to start a trade agreement with the Fatimids and so I was sent to meet him and sign the documents.

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The same happened with the Despot of Epic and the Prince of Antioch.

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Thanks to the deal with Antioch, the Fatimids had now full access to the horses of their kingdom…this would change the balance of forces in our region.

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[anguille]

In the meantime, Calif Aamir was investing a lot of money into various buildings. The end of the war had reduced the costs of the military actions and some companies had been able to send their men home for some deserved holidays. Now, Aamir was able to focus on his long-term plans: the conquest of the lost territories. But he knew that our military wasn’t ready yet…far from it.

So in Alexandria, he ordered the construction of a large Armoury.

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Calif Aamir knew that he needed some good cavalry so he planned the building of a large stud farm in Cairo so we could place there the horses we were now importing from Antioch.

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After two months, the armoury was finished so a new building was started: A Spear maker.

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[anguille]

5th of April 1149

I finally rejoined our army and my company of Saracens in Barka. I was welcomed like a hero. It was great to see all my friends again after so many months. I spent the night talking about my adventures in the most exotic countries.
- So are you back for good? Asked one of my companions.
- I believe so. Although I may occasionally have one or two diplomatic missions to handle, I will mostly remain with you guys.
And we laughed and drank all night long.

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Next morning, Marshall Ahmed informed me that our Caliph had ordered us to go back to Alexandria where we would receive new orders. Now that the situation in Barka was stable we could move the army back to the East.

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When we arrived in Alexandria, Caliph Aamir explained to us, that the time had come to invade Baghdad.
Marshall Ahmed then asked:
- But Sire, one army won’t be enough to invade Baghdad!
- I know, replied Aamir, that’s why I asked our new Marshall Aaqib to form a second army. You will move to the region of Sinai where you will wait for his army.
- Fine milord.

And so we started our travel to the East…would we be able to take back what was rightfully ours?

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2 Months later, Aaqid’s army was ready and moved to join us. The young recruits were highly motivated and full of dreams of heroism and glory…like I was once.

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[anguille]

The eternal enemies

While we were waiting in Cairo, we heard about two messengers that were arguing. One was from Armenia and the other one was from Cyprus. Both were on their way to Alexandria with the mission to convince our Caliph to take their side.

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Cyprus begging

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Armenia asking on their knees

Both nations were each other’s Nemesis and they had always hated each other….probably they would still do 800 years later. Anyway, Caliph Aamir wasn’t willing to enter this conflict as he had enough troubles with the coming war against Baghdad. Still, Armenia and Cyprus sent on a regular basis messengers to Alexandria.
Would this end one day?

[anguille]

Meanwhile, in Alexandria, Caliph Aamir was receiving important diplomats.

Bolda, the Kniaz of Kiev, was asking the Fatimids if they were willing to sign a trade agreement. The long reputation of the Fatimids was helping those contacts a lot. No one in the world had forgotten that the Fatimids were once the greatest traders in the world and everyone hoped that it would happen again.

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Arnegisel, of the Teutonic order, had the same wish. Both treaties were signed. Everything looked to work fine for the Fatimids

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12th of July 1149

Apparently, Cyprus had not taken well the refusal of the Fatimids to help them in their war against Armenia and they announced that they were now at war with the Fatimids as well…

What fools…

[anguille]

5th of August 1149

Aaqid’s army was crossing the border to Egypt when he got the news of the invasion of a Cyprian army leaded by Doux Andreas. One of my cousins was in Aaqid’s army
360 fully armed men were now between Aaqid and Ahmed.

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- Sire, what are your orders?
- We will intercept them….tell the men to be ready.
- Yes Sire.

Aaqid was thinking that this would indeed be a good training for his men.

[anguille]

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- Sire, the enemy is on the other side of the city, ready to attack.
- Very well, we shall then enter and defend from within.

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My cousin was in a company of Saracens and was going to fight his first battle.

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A messenger from the city arrived while our army was on it's way.

- Milord...the enemy is already at the walls, please hurry.
- Fine....EVERYBODY: FAST MARCH!

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As they were entering the city, my cousin heard the sound of battles. The enemy had broken one of the doors and was rushing into the citadel. The town guards were fighting bravely.
- Courage...we're coming...

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The town guards had been able to repulse the first attack but now the enemy was focusing on the second door of the city. The men from Aaquid were however ready to welcome the intruders the way they deserved it.

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My cousin's company had just taken position, when the second wave of attack arrived after the door was destroyed. His Captain shouted: CHARGE!!!
And so my cousin killed for the first time.

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One hour later, the enemy had been repulsed.

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As he had lost, Doux Andreas decided to retreat...

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My cousin then asked his captain:

- Will Aaqid let him escape?
- I don't believe so....

[anguille]

As he had decided, Aaqid pursued Doux Andreas so that his army would not be able to rest.

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In the small village of Damietta, everything was quiet. The farmers were bringing their sheep home for the night. The day had been long and tiring.

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The largest fishing boat of the village had just arrived and people were looking forward for a warm meal.

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All of the sudden, the villagers saw two big armies facing each other. They recognised the banners of the Fatimids and were pleased to see that Aaqid’s army looked much better. Still they were anxious…if Marshall Aaqid would lose that battle, the terrible enemies would kill all the villagers.

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On the other side, the tired men of Doux Andreas took position for the battle.

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The night had already began when the two armies started to fight.

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The Cyprians were chanceless….they had been too tired and were defeated easily.

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Aaqid sent a messenger to Doux Andreas and offered him to return to Cyprus with his remaining men.
Unfortunately, he refused and launched a desperate attack with his knights.

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He couldn’t get far…he was quickly surrounded with his men…what a fool.

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Shortly after, he was captured and brought back to Alexandria. The Fatimids had won another glorious battle.

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[anguille]

The Prisoner

Doux Andreas, while a prisoner, was treated with respect and had his own room in the palace of the Caliph. As he was related to King Guy of Cyprus, he could prove to be useful to end this war.

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10th September 1149

Guy of Cyprus is awaited by the Caliph. The great King, now an old man, decided to negotiate himself with the powerful Caliphate of the Fatimids. He was welcomed with all due respect and like a friend.

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In the negotiation room, Guy talked with Aamir alone.

- Aamir, I know I was wrong when I told Andreas to attack your Caliphate…now I see it. The Pope had put a lot of pressure on us as you know that he cannot accept your faith.
- I know Guy, we are however very tolerant with your faith as you know. In our Caliphate, you will find Christians and Jews as well.
- Andreas is very important to me and I am tired of this senseless war….could we agree on peace?
- We will agree…but you know that your army has caused trouble and damages…are you ready to pay for the rebuilding?
- Yes, we will give you what you need.
- So now we have a deal. I’ll tell the guards to bring Doux Andreas over here.
- Thank You Aamir…

And so King Guy of Cyprus left the country with his nephew. Peace was a real option.

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Aaqid had learned a lot during this war with Cyprus. His knowledge increased as well as his confidence. He felt that he was able now to conquer enemy territories.

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[anguille]

October 1149

As a consequence of the peace treaty, the Caliph of Almohad and the Emperor of Nicae requested the permission to trade with the powerful Fatimids.

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On the other hand, Ara, King of Armenia, knowing that the peace treaty was still very new, tried to convince our Caliph to launch another attack on Cyprus. Caliph Aamir was however planning another war which would request all his attention.

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[anguille]

War with Baghdad

November 1149

Marshal Aaqid had spent the last 2 months refilling the ranks of his army. He was now ready to join us. The campaign for the conquest of our former territories could finally start.

Marshall Ahmed asked all captains to join him in his office. We were anxious to hear what he was going to tell us. On the middle of the table, we could see the map of the region and our armies represented by two soldiers. Ahmed started to talk.

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- Gentlemen, this is the current situation. As you can see, Aaqid’s army will be here in a couple of days. Both armies will then enter the province of Arabia. Aaqid will conquer the city while our army will give him cover and intercept any rescue the city could receive. Do you have any questions?

We remained silent as we knew that the plan was good.

- Fine, I ask you to prepare your units…we will leave as soon as Aaqid’s army arrives.

I was very happy as I would finally see my cousin again.

Meanwhile, Marshal Aaqid was leading his army to us. As soon as they arrived, we left the city

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…after a couple of days, we were already deep into enemy territory but we still hadn’t seen any troops. The conquest of Arabia shouldn’t be too much of a problem, should it?

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[anguille]

16th December 1149

I was nervous that morning. It was the first time that I was leading an entire company into a battle but when we took position, I was all of a sudden much calmer. All my concentration was on my men.

Marshal Ahmed came to the captains:

- Gentlemen, are you and your men ready?
- Yes, sir.
- Fine, let’s show those Baghdadis who we are.

And so we started advancing towards the city.

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Far on our right, I could see Aaqid’s army crossing a small village and taking position.

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The city was poorly defended…those peasants wouldn’t be too difficult to handle.

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Despite being the underdogs, the defenders of the city rushed to fight. They were much braver than we had fought but they wouldn’t stand a chance against our two armies. I then shouted to my men:

- Saracens….Charge!

And I lead them into the battle….it was strange to know that all my men were looking at me when I defeated the first enemy. I was the one who would lead them to victory.

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[anguille]

Everything seemed fine. My company was very successful and we were getting closer to the city when we saw a messenger arriving and talking to Marshal Aaqid. I then received the order to join the Marshal and that my company should hold the position.

- My lords?
- We’ve just received some very disturbing news…Aamir died one week ago.
- What? Oh my…
- As he doesn’t have any sons, his will is that Aaqid, his closest cousin, becomes the next caliph, said Marshal Ahmed.
- You understand that I cannot risk my life anymore in the front line, continued Caliph Aaqid. I therefore give you the command of the my army, which becomes the royal army. Ahmed will promote someone to take control of your company. Now, take the lead of your new knights and finish this battle.
- Yes Milord.

That seemed easy, when all of a sudden, the city received reinforcements.

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I called the Captain of the desert Cavalry.

- Captain, I want you to avoid the troops and attack directly the Marshal of the enemy army. I will lead the rest of the royal army against the foot soldiers.
- Yes Milord.

And so the cavalry prepared for the rear attack.

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The strategy was a success. Shortly after, the desert cavalry faced the enemy Marshal….no troops to defend him. And so our cavalry charged….

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Victory was ours and the first city of the Baghdadi was in our hands.

[anguille]

Marshal Ahmed learned a lot about engineering during the conquest of Arabia.

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I, as leader of the royal army, increased my knowledge in the art of the sword.

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Unfortunately, the war with Baghdad gave some warriors the feeling that It was time to challenge the Fatimids. As both armies were in Arabia, Anwaar took the lead of an army of thieves and killers. They started to roam in the back land, killing and stealing.

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Caliph Aaqid let me in charge of the invasion of Baghdad and returned to Alexandria. There, he appointed a new marshal, Emir Aamir, and ordered him to go to Barka where he would recruit an army in order to defeat the rebels.

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Now that we were on our own, my former master, Marshal Ahmed, and I took a good look at the map of the Caliphate. The War would still be long and dangerous.

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[anguille]

Baghdad fights back

Our troops were exhausted by the long march and the recent battle. Losses, while not important, needed to be replaced and recruitment in Arabia wasn’t easy so we were stuck. Baghdad didn’t wait for us and on the 3d of February, the first army of Baghdad crossed the border of the province of Arabia…

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Emir Aadil’s army was strong….would we be ready for when he arrived?

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We had been lucky, Aadil had decided to plunder a village thus giving us some more time to be ready. We focused on Ahmed’s army…as soon as he was ready, Marshal Ahmed took his men to face Aadil.

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Meanwhile, I was looking at the map of the Caliphate…would our dream come true? So many problems were still ahead of us...

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[anguille]

One week later, Ahmed’s army came back victorious....losses, however, had been very heavy and so it was clear that we were not able to go anywhere for the moment. Fortunately, Ahmed had been able to capture the enemy Marshal.

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Meanwhile, we received a messenger who announced that our new Caliph had just married a young lady from the Caliphate. So we organised a feast in their honour. It was also a good thing for our men as the moral wasn’t very high.

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Her name was Zahidah and she was known for he beauty…

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5th of march 1150

Our rest had been short. Our scouts who were controlling the borders came back with bad news…another army of Baghdad had crossed the border and two huge rebel armies were supporting it. The campaign wasn't going the way we had planned...

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[anguille]

10th of march 1150

Ahmed’s army had been reinforced with companies from the Caliph’s army and was at full strength. His mission was now to face the rebels roaming in our land as they were attacking the caravans that brought food to the city. As I didn’t have much of an army left to command, I gave the guard of the city to one of my best captains and decided to accompany Ahmed. It had been too long since I last had been in a battle and was getting rusty.
Our scouts had been able to find the exact placement of the rebels camp and it took us only 4 hours to get there…
Now those rebels would soon be history.

We placed our troops on two lines….

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We thought that we had taken the enemy by surprise but his army was ready…

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We decided to launch an attack that had been very effective in many battles. The company of desert horsemen would avoid the main army and take the enemy knights by surprise while we would lead the rest of the army in a direct offensive.

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And so we launched the attack…

- Attack!!!!

And our men rushed to fight the rebels

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One of our scouts arrived while were about to kill the first rebels:

- Milord, bad news, another army of rebels is arriving
- What?
- What should we do, retreat? Asked Ahmed.

I thought for a second.

- No, we have to finish this rebellion here and today…our army is exhausted and if we get back to the city it won’t get any better. Furthermore, those rebels are getting stronger and stronger…
- You’re right….but this is going to be a hell of a battle!

And so we returned to the battle

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The army of Siwar fell into our trap…they didn’t notice our horsemen and attacked our positions. Now that there were 2 enemy armies, we had to gain time so our men could take out the enemy marshals one by one.

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The battle was terrible but our men were very brave and were fighting like lions…would we be able to hold long enough?

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Finally our horsemen rushed on Siwar and his men….taken by surprise, they fell one by one…After seeing the death of their leader, Siwar’s rebels run away like rabbits

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Jahla’s army was disheartened by the defeat of their fellow rebels. It didn’t took us long to defeat them also and so we finally took our army back to the city….our men deserved some good rest…

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[anguille]

5th of April 1150

While we had been fighting the rebels, our Caliph had agreed to sign a trade treaty with Cyprus…the extra money would do us good in that never-ending struggle.

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Meanwhile, we had returned to the castle and were filling the ranks of our companies. The war wasn’t over and we still had an army of Baghdad in our lands. Me and Ahmed were studying the map carefully and were planning our next moves. Far west, Aamir was preparing to fight other rebel armies and would not be able to help us for a long time…we were on our own. We knew our armies were not large enough but our will was strong. Baghdad would fall…the sooner the better.

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[anguille]

10th of May 1150

Many of our regiments were now again at full force and even if we hadn’t replaced all the regiments, we knew that we couldn’t wait too long. Emir Aadil (who had managed to flee from the fortress while we were fighting the rebels) had taken the lead of the army of Baghdad.
Me and Ahmed hadn’t remained inactive during this month and we had trained intensively our jousting skills along with our knights. The results were impressive and we became very confident that, if we appeared at the right moment, we would be able to turn the tide of the events and win an indecisive battle.

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We decided that the time had come for the last major offensive before the summer and we led our armies out of the city in order to defeat Aadil. Only then would we be able to launch an attack into Baghdad’s territory.

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[anguille]

The west is quiet and stable for the moment: border region is Cyrenaica.

15th of May 1150

While we were marching, Emir Aamir had arrived at Alexandria and was preparing his army to fight the rebels.

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The progress on the Tool Smithy in Tebuk was good. Not too far away in the future, we would be able to create siege weaponry right at the front.

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Our Caliph was also relieved when the ambassador of Tunis asked him to sign a trade treaty. The west of the Caliphate was quiet and allowed us to focus our attention on Baghdad.

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[anguille]

16th of May 1150

We were still heading east when one of our scouts arrived.

- Sire, I’ve spotted the enemy…they are attacking a village, 3 miles from here.

I looked into Ahmed’s eyes and saw as much determination as he was probably seeing into mines. I then turned my head:

- Soldiers, we shall fight today!
- Yeaaahhh! Was the answer to my call.

I turned back with a smile…

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We had split our forces so we could take Aadil by surprise. My army was the first to arrive on the battlefield.

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I ordered my captains to deploy their companies in attack formation.

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Aadil had deployed his army as well and was heading to us…At that moment, Ahmed’s army appeared on the right side of the battlefield.

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For a moment, Aadil’s men stood still, not knowing what to do. Ahmed and his knights, eager to show the new skills they had learned in the past few weeks, decided to flank Aadil’s army.

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Meanwhile, I was leading a frontal assault to give Ahmed enough time to perform his attack.

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Now that Aadil’s army was occupied with my men, I led my knights around the bulk of the enemy's army in order to support Ahmed.

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Now we had him….Aadil would not escape this time…

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After a short battle, Aadil was killed and his soldiers surrendered one by one…

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Victory was ours!

[anguille]

21th of may 1150

This last battle had been tough and we had lost many men. A good thing however was that we captured a siegecraft specialist. I offered him to be free and work for the Fatimids if he was ready to share his knowledge with me. He accepted my generous offer. This would be very helpful for the continuation of our campaign.

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When we arrived back at Tebuk, I was informed that Aamir had been very active at recruiting soldiers in Alexandria. His army was now complete and he had left our capital in order to crush the rebels in the west of the Caliphate.

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After having given the permission to our soldiers to rest for a while, me and Ahmed returned to our office and analysed the map…we were making progress but our weak finances (thanks Elvain ;) ) didn’t allow us to act as freely as we would like. Replacing men proved to be extremely onerous and so we had to wait many months in between two battles.

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[anguille]

12 of june 1150

Emir Aamir finally intercepted one of the rebel armies that was making the Caliphate insecure…they had been free to plunder for far too long…now was the time to pay.

Emir Aamir told his captains to motivate the men…they would fight for the honour of the Caliph and his people.

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Aaamir’s army took position in some woods that were on the way of the rebels…and so the wait began.

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The rebels arrived totally unaware that hundreds of men were waiting for them…but now it was too late to escape.

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Aamir ordered his desert horsemen to flank the enemy’s army and to attack the chief of the rebels. Meanwhile, the rest of the army was fighting fiercely.

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The enemy leader had been seriously weakened by the last attack and so Emir Aamir launched his knights to finish him off.

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Aamir killed the rebel leader himself...

Victory!

[anguille]

25th of February 1151

We had spent the last 6 months of 1150 to replenish and train our troops. By the end of December, we decided that Ahmed would attempt an incursion farther north, inside Baghdad territory, and so he left with his army at the end of January.
During February I trained the men that had remained (many had replaced the missing soldiers in Ahmed’s army) the best I could as most of them would have liked to go with Emir Ahmed in order to fight. On the morning of the 25th of February, I was about to go hunting, when a scout came back from his inspection.

- Any news from Emir Ahmed?
- None Sir…but unfortunately I’ve spotted an enemy army, two days away from here…
- What? Why didn’t Emir intercept it? Take a new horse and try to find Emir Ahmed…
- Yes Sire

I immediately called the captains in my office…we had only 2 days to prepare our defences...that was short.


2d of March 1151

Emir Ahmed’s camp was in southern Jordan. They had tried to catch Emir Mamoon’s army as Ahmed didn’t want to attack Jordan and been attacked from the rear at the same time but Mamoon had evaded every confrontation. Ahmed’s army had lost trace of Mamoon’s army after a sandstorm 6 days ago and hadn’t managed to find it again.

- Sire…a scout is coming!
- Who sent you? Asked Ahmed.
- Emir Samir, milord….Tebuk is under siege…
- WHAT? Captains…prepare to leave, we return to Tebuk.

And so Emir Ahmed’s army left the camp to defend Tebuk.

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[anguille]

5th of March 1151

Emir Ahmed’s army had marched with only very short halts during the last 3 days and was arriving in the neighbourhood of Tebuk.

Mamoon had been informed by his scouts that Ahmed was arriving and had decided to stop the siege and face Emir Ahmed so he could focus on Tebuk afterwards.

When Mamoon's army left, i ordered my troops to pursue them but we didn't arrive soon enough in order to support Ahmed...

The two armies met on the 6th of March…

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Emir Ahmed’s tactical skills and the experience of his men were too much for Mamoon and his men…victory was quickly achieved.

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[anguille]

15th of June 1151

Selina had just given birth to a new boy and our Caliph had ordered great celebrations in the entire country...

I was watching my soldiers and the population of Tebuk having so much fun….why did we always have to be at war…was that our purpose in life? I drank some more mint tea and watched the sky full of stars…

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The next morning, me and Ahmed took a new look at the maps of the Caliphate…everything seemed to be going well now…too well probably…

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[anguille]

2d of August 1151

I had left Tebuk and had gone to Sinai in the hope to find new recruits when I heard about Ahmed having some trouble. It seems that the Caliph of Baghdad is very annoyed by our presence in Tebuk…he is now leading his own army against us…

Ahmed had just finished a patrol with his army when his scouts spotted the army of the Caliph. Seeing that his army was no match to the well equipped army of the Caliph of Baghdad, he decided to return and organize the defences at Tibuk.

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On the 5th of August, Caliph Aalam launched the attack…

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Emir Ahmed had placed all his archers inside the castle and they were launching their arrows on the incoming enemies. In the meantime, the Saracens and the Town guards were fighting fiercely as they knew that if they lost, they would all be killed.

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After 2 hours of battle, Caliph Aalam decided to retreat as he hadn’t been able to defeat Emir Ahmed’s men…both armies would meet again soon…

[anguille]

Northern incursion

15th of August 1151

Encouraged by this victory, we decided to launch an attack against Jordan. Our scouts had not been able to see Aalam’s army and so we assumed that he had returned north. Ahmed’s army left first and I would take the lead of my (few) men a day later.
As he crossed the boarder, Ahmed’s scout had still nothing to report on Aalam’s army and so Ahmed led his army towards Jordan.

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It’s only one day later, when we arrived in Jordan as well, that our scouts spotted Aalam’s army….and he was right behind us!
It was too late to inform Ahmed who was already preparing the assault of the city and my army wasn’t able to take care of Aalam’s army by itself. So we decided to hurry and join Ahmed….maybe we would be able to defeat the defences of the city first and then destroy Aalam’s army…we would know soon enough!

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[anguille]

17th of August 1151

Ahmed launched the attack against the city as soon as he arrived.

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He deployed his men in line and started the assault as we had discussed…

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We arrived shortly after and I sent a messenger to Ahmed to inform him about the situation

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Unfortunately, Aalam had been faster than expected and was deploying his army to defend the city.

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Still, Ahmed ordered a company of Saracens to destroy the main gate…maybe we would still be able to win this battle?

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We were still waiting for the results of the attack when a scout arrived…

- Milord, I am bringing bad news!
- What?
- Caliph Aalam has received reinforcement from the north….an army with 4 squads!
- Damn…go to Ahmed and tell him to prepare the retreat…today is a bad day to die…
- Yes Milord

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And so we turned back to Tibuk in Arabia

[anguille]

3d of March 1155

During the next few years, no-one managed to take a serious advantage on the other. The war continued but we didn’t launch another attack against Arabia. Of course, there was no real peace and either Arabia’s troops or ours raided the villages along the boarder.

It was during those troubled times that our Queen gave birth to a girl….the first one in the royal family.

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As we stayed a lot in the fort, I asked a local painter to make of portrait…

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I must say that he did it to my complete satisfaction and so I decided to send it to my family in Alexandria...

[anguille]

15 of August 1156

As the war with Arabia was still going on, our Caliph, the very wise Aaqid, ordered Emir Aamir to join us in Tibuk. With three armies we would surely be able to stop the assaults on our villages and launch a decisive attack against Jordan.

Unfortunately, the messenger who was sent to inform us of Aamir’s arrival got caught be enemy troops. Caliph Aalam sent an army to intercept Aamir who had only a small group of bodyguards with him.

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Despite losing almost all his men, Aamir managed to escape but the defeat was terrible for the morale of our men…Aalam was a terrible opponent.

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[anguille]

2d of September 1157

As soon as Aalam arrived in Tibuk and told us about the attack, Emir Ahmed took his men in order to destroy the enemy’s army. It was decided that I would follow them with my men as soon as I would have organised the defences of the city. However, Ahmed found the enemy before we had joined them. His scouts spotted Aahsir’s men as it was pillaging a village. The battle went fast as our soldiers wanted revenge for their fellow companions who had died just a couple of days ago. Ahmed was about to pursue the fleeing army when a scout arrived.

- Milord….Caliph Aalam has crossed the border with his men and a support army!
- Oh my….and where’s Emir Samir?
- He’s on the other side of the mountains but he cannot join us as Aalam would intercept him…
- Go to Emir Samir and ask him what are his orders….meanwhile, we will follow Aalam from a certain distance.
- Yes Milord

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5th of September 1157

When Ahmed’s messenger arrived (he had crossed the mountain!), I had already been thinking a lot: now that Aalam was so deep into our territory with two armies, I had decided to trick the old Caliph….and I would be the rabbit…
So I gave the orders to the messenger and told him to go.

9th of September 1157

The messenger arrived at Ahmed’s camp in the evening and Ahmed got out of his tents to hear the latest news:

- So messenger….what are the orders?
- Emir Samir wants you to invade Jordan!
- With only one army? And what about Caliph Aalam and his armies?
- Emir Samir will attract them as long as needed in order to give you enough time to take the city.
- This is a bold plan…it if fails, the price will be high.

The next morning, Ahmed took his men to the north…

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/9672/157a7bq.jpg

[anguille]

15th of September 1157

When Emir Ahmed arrived in Amman, the local authorities were completely taken off guard….they surely hadn’t expected our army while their Caliph was trying to invade us!
They quickly organised the defences of the city while nearby peasants rushed behind the walls.

Ahmed and his men took position around the city.

- Milord, we are ready…what are your orders?
- We lay siege…and we wait for the right moment.

And so the population of Amman saw the fires of Ahmed’s camp all around the city…

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2083/158a9dq.jpg

In the meantime, my trick was working perfectly. After attracting Caliph Aalam in the vicinity of Tibuk, I realized that Ahmed would need more time as we wouldn’t be able to resist very long. So I decided to go back to Alexandria and so to drive Aalam further away from his country. Apparently, no-one in his army had realised that Ahmed was not with me. We had increased our army by asking peasants and normal citizens to join us so that Aalam would believe that our forces were much bigger than what they actually were.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/6817/159a3uj.jpg

20th of October 1157

Amman was about to fall…they didn’t had had enough time to prepare stocks of food as Aalam had taken most of it for his invasion….

- Milord, the population of the city is getting hopeless…
- We won’t let them suffer any longer…the soldiers are surely weak now. Prepare the assault!
- Yes Milord

And Ahmed’s men attacked the city.

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/9304/161a9bi.jpg

Resistance was weak and the city fell quickly as the demoralised soldiers surrendered without much fight.

And so Ahmed talked to the population of Amman.

- In the name of the Caliph, I welcome you as citizens in the Caliphate of the Fatimids! Don’t be afraid…we come here as brothers, not conquerors! May you live long and prosper under the rule of Caliph Aaqib!
- Hail Caliph Aaqib!

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[anguille]

20th of November 1157

Caliph Aalam had followed us until Alexandria and had installed his camp around the city…fortunately, I had sent a messenger three weeks ago so the city would be ready…and it was…there was enough food for months and the fortifications would resist any attack! Still, our Caliph Aaqib didn’t feel very safe but I knew that this had been the right strategy…Ahmed had sent us a dove to inform us of his victory and the conquest of Amman was the proof that I was right. Aaqib didn’t want to take the control of the defences himself and so he granted me the title of Vizier. I spent all my days giving orders and making sure that we would be able to hold for a long siege.
Caliph Aalam probably had heard of the loss of Amman too as he showed great eager at establishing a solid siege of the city.

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/3908/164a7ui.jpg

While Caliph Aalam was busy with us, I decided to tempt destiny again and sent a dove with new orders to Ahmed…Mektoub!

When Ahmed opened the message he was fairly surprised as he had expected that I would ask to help us against Aalam but he called his captains at once.

- Milord?
- Prepare our men…we shall leave in a week.
- Where to Milord?
- We are going to conquer Damascus!

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/6637/165a7nb.jpg

[anguille]

25th of November

The sun was just rising when Ahmed came out of his tent. The smell of the nature in the morning was something he had always enjoyed. The captains of the companies joined him while he was having breakfast: eggs, bread, some fruits and mint tea. The bread had been prepared during the morning and was very good.

- Gentlemen, tomorrow we will reach Damascus and we will lay siege.
- Yes Milord…we are looking forward to it, replied Salib, one of the captains.
- With God’s help we will take the city.

One hour later, the army left the camp and headed towards Damascus

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/1091/166adz5.jpg

26th of November

When the army saw Damascus, the soldiers stopped for a moment as the view of the city was magnificent….Damascus had a long history and had superb monuments and palaces…Ahmed talked to his men:

- Once we take the city, I want you to respect it and not to plunder….if someone’s taken plundering, he’ll be beheaded!

And so Ahmed organised the siege of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/2230/168avw0.jpg

While Ahmed was busy with Damascus, we were still resisting the siege of Caliph Aalam. At our daily meeting, we talked about our current situation:

- Gentlemen, it seems that our food reserves are much larger than the ones of our opposing army. If Aalam wants to plunder villages to get food he’ll have to lift the siege and therefore, giving up this advantage. I believe that, if we keep them waiting one more week and start an attack, they will have to surrender.

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[anguille]

15th of December 1157

Emir Ahmed, after hearing reports on the desperation of the defenders of the city of Damascus (they were starving), decided to launch the assault.

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Emir’s Ahmed army did not meet much resistance, only some troops loyal to Baghdad fought till the end, the other surrendered without fighting. It was a glorious moment for the Fatimids and it meant the end of the Baghdad Empire…

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As soon as Caliph Aalam heard the news, he surrendered.
Strangely, it’s at this same moment that the entire Fatimids Empire stopped to breath for a second. While we had been resisting in Alexandria, our Caliph became very ill. The best doctors of the Empire tried their best to save him but were unfortunately unable to cure him.

By January 10th, the Caliph died. As he didn’t have any direct descendants, I took the opportunity and established the Ayyubids dynasty with me as Sultan.

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I was accepted by the population of the Empire as I already had a very good reputation. The court and the population of Alexandria gave me the honorific title of The Righteousness of the Faith or Salah al-Din.

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[anguille]

Times of trouble:

The war with Baghdad had left our economy and the morale of the empire in a bad shape. Many small warlords in the West believed that the moment was good to take parts of the land. Also, in the territories formerly under Baghdad rule, the resistance or insurgence as they like to call it was getting stronger. Me and Aamir would first take care of the warlords while Ahmed would try to keep control on the newly conquered territories…at least long enough for us to join him.

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2427/176aar9.jpg

There was a lot to do, and we recruited a company of Saracens in Alexandria. Unfortunately there weren’t many young and valid men in Alexandria so we were fairly worried that we wouldn’t be able to create armies able to accomplish the tasks that were ahead of us.

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/5913/175aoi3.jpg

Fortunately enough, a lot of mercenaries were camping in front of the city and so, me and Aamir, we completed our armies. There were swordsmen and bowmen to our hearts content.

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After i had recruited the men i needed, Aamir hired all the remaining mercenaries.

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/9553/178ams5.jpg

And so we managed to bring both armies to their full potential. Another great leader had once been victorious with mercenaries: Hannibal. Would I be able to get as many victories as he did?

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By the time we were ready to fight, many villages were under attack…so we had to take action against the rebels now.

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[anguille]

Rebel Anwaar - Part I

One warlord was particularly brutal and merciless: Anwaar. He had destroyed many villages already and his men had killed all the villagers.

The first battle we had with Anwaar was a disaster and we had to retreat. I took some of the companies of Aamir’s army while Emir Aamir headed to Barka to reinforce the positions of the city and replenish his army as it could be the next target of Anwaar.

I took my army and tried to find the rebel so I could defeat him on the open field. Unfortunately, we missed Anwaar and while we were still looking for him, he attacked the city of Barka…

Would Aamir be able to resist?


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In Barka:

A guard arrived in Aamir’s office:

- Milord! We are under attack by Rebel Anwaar!
- What? Where’s the army of the Sultan?
- We don’t know sire…
- Everyone…TO ARMS!


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The first wave of attack was very brutal but Aamir managed to repulse it with success

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The second wave of attack inflected heavy losses to Aamir’s men. Anwaar’s cavalry made a hole in the defence lines and some companies retreated inside the castle.

- Milord…we are loosing the battle!
- Not yet…

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8341/188gp1.jpg

Aamir then talked to his knights:

- Gentlemen…we can still win this battle…are you with me?
- Yes Milord

And they rushed in the open field

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2174/189mw6.jpg

Aamir’s men charged Anwaar….would he win?

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4265/190adv5.jpg

Unfortunately, Anwaar’s cavalry, noticing that their leader was in danger, turned the tides and rushed to his rescue…

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2622/191ala1.jpg

Aamir knew that the battle was lost and ordered everyone to retreat…

Now Anwaar was even stronger than before…

[anguille]

Rebel Anwaar – Part II

By the time we arrived in Barka, Anwaar had already left the place and only a couple of companies were guarding the city. In no time, we took Barka back and I ordered that the survivors of Aamir’s army should be taken care of. The local population, still faithful to me and Ayyubids, had offered shelter to all the men who had not died during the assault.
I was really worried about Aamir himself as we didn’t find him, neither under the wounded nor under the dead. It’s only a couple of days later, as we were taking food and water in a nearby oasis that we were surprised by a small troop of soldiers who attacked us. It was Aamir and some of his men! I fell of the horse and Aamir was already on me. Fortunately for me, he recognised me just before beheading me…that was close!
Aamir had been harassing Anwaar’s men for the last 2 weeks and had not yet noticed that we had taken Barka back

Aamir and most of his Knights were safe and this was a great relief.

After having reinforced our position we decided that Aamir would go back to Alexandria in order to recruit a new army. Then, he would attract Anwaar to Libya where I would join his army and together, we would defeat the rebel…once and for all.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9756/199afe5.jpg

25th of March 1158

Aamir was ready. He had recruited 4 companies of Saracens and 2 companies of desert archers. A company of volunteers had also joined his army…they weren’t very strong but their enthusiasm couldn’t harm.

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3010/200amx7.jpg

14th of April 1158

As planned, Aamir had caught Anwaar attention but was keeping a safe distance from the rebels army. He sent a scout to inform me that the trick was working. He would get in Libya in short time.

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16th of April 1158

We were camping in Libya on the other side of the city. As soon as the scout arrived to inform us about the situation, we packed our things and headed towards the city…Anwaar would pay very soon.

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17th of April 1158

Anwaar started the assault and wasn’t aware that were so close. I wish I could see his face when we will emerge behind his army…

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18th of April 1158

Taken by total surprise, Anwaar and his army wasn’t able to offer a decent resistance. As we were attacking from behind, Aamir and his men started a counter-attack and killed the helpless soldiers.



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By the end of the day, Anwaar had been killed by Aamir himself….

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the West of the Sultanate was now under control!

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[anguille]

2d of June 1159 – Far East (in the vicinity of Amman)

Emir Ahmed had been on patrol in the newly conquered territories for a couple of weeks and was now returning to Amman. He had planned to give some free time to his men…they really had deserved it.
One of his men came to him:

- Milord, we are winning this war, aren’t we?
- Of course we are…we’ve got the best soldiers of the known world and Allah is on our side…
- Thank you Milord.

But Ahmed knew that the war would still be long and it would not be easy to pacify the region.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/2906/194ahy2.jpg

The predictions of Ahmed would become true very soon. As he thought this was a good opportunity to take a action. Shallal, a loyalist of Baghdad, launched an attack on a small village of Jordan. He had more than 500 soldiers under his command!

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Emir Ahmed knew that his men needed a rest so he waited for a couple of days after he heard the news before he would lead his men to battle once more. As soon as his men had rested, Ahmed took his army in order to crush the rebels.

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Ahmed had now a large experience of war and Shallal’s army was destroyed in no time…still, with each rebel killed, ten others were appearing. Despite having the best men and the best experience, our troops were weakened by the insurgents.

- Will it ever end? Asked Ahmed…

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6647/197apw9.jpg

[anguille]

20th of April 1159

The Glorious battle of Arabia (or my very own 300 Spartans)

As the main armies of the Caliphate were chasing various rebels in the entire Sultanate, the garrison in many cities were left on their own.

And so, while many warlords wanted to restore the Caliphate of Baghdad, the situation had been very quiet in Tebuk. Of course the men of the garrison had heard about the great battles of Saladin and Ahmed but nothing special was ever happening here. But that was going to change…

On the morning of the 19th of April, a young peasant arrived in the city and asked if he could talk to the captain of the garrison:

- So what important information do you have for me, young boy?
- Milord, I’ve seen an enemy army marching towards the city…and it’s a big one!
- Are you sure? We didn’t get any information about that from Alexandria…
- Absolutely sure milord!
- Where does it come from?
- From the East, Milord
- Thank you, you may go now.

Salem had been the captain of the garrison for more than 10 years now but was getting nervous as he had only 2 companies to defend the city. In every previous battle around Tibuk, an army of the Sultanate had always been there…not this time.

By April 20th, a sentinel announced the arrival of the enemy’s army.

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Salem gave his orders to his men:

- Everyone takes position inside the castle!
- Yes Milord

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As the army of the rebel was composed with many cavalry units, Salem had correctly evaluated that it would have been useless to fight the enemy in the open…the rebels would have to step down and fight for each inch of the castle…

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/228/210alb1.jpg

10 minutes after the alert, both companies of 30 men each had taken positions and were waiting for the enemy.

- Soldiers, said Salem, the Sultanate counts on us to fight bravely! We cannot give up this city!
- Yeah!!!!

Salem didn’t have much hope as the enemy had much more troops but he was a good soldier and would fight till the end. He was proud to have such brave men under his command.

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It was around midnight when the first waves of attacks started. For 2 hours, they repelled the rebels and killed hundreds of them. The enemy leader was furious to see so much resistance. Around 4’o clock in the morning, a massive assault forced Salem and his men to retreat from the outside towers to the dungeon.

At 8 o’clock in the morning, Salem had lost 46 of his men and the remaining rebels were attempting and ultimate attack…

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The last attack was a disaster for the rebel leader as all his soldiers were killed.
One of the Salem’s men then shouted:
- Milord, we’ve won!
- It seems so…indeed

[anguille]

Salem and his soldiers were exhausted and were expecting the departure of the last rebels when one of the sentinels shouted:

- Another enemy army!
- WHAT! Shouted Salem

Indeed…the rebels had just received reinforcements…Salem and his men started to pray…

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The rebels were approaching slowly has they had heard from the others about the night battles…the defenders of Tibuk were brave like lions.

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The rebels launched the attack at 9 with two companies of Saracens and one of Spearmen!

Salem had quickly organised the defences:

- Form two lines! Don’t let them pass!
- Yes Sir

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The battle lasted more than an hour and the stairs of the Dungeon were full of blood and dead bodies. It was a terrible spectacle and a very bloody event. As soon as the rebels had gained one step, Salem and his men were repelling them of two!
During the last assault, Salem shouted so loud that he was heard in the entire city:

- YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

And the rebels were pushed back…step by step. The enemy leaders just couldn’t understand so much courage and were in rage…

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By 10 o’clock, the last men of the enemy had been pushed back…but at what price. Salem had only two soldiers left...

- Milord…we will die with you…it’s been an honour to fight by your side!
- It’s been an honour to fight on your side!

Salem was exhausted and sad…so many had already died and he would die as well….but not without an ultimate fight!

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The enemy leaders concerted and by noon sent their last company of spearmen into the attack…

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But first, they gave orders to the captain of the archers.

- We’ve had enough of this men…send all your arrows before the spearmen attack!
- Yes milord

And so they took position and started to fire.

One of Salem’s men noticed the manoeuvre and told him about it:

- They are firing arrows? Fine….we will fight in the shadow!

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At one o’clock, Salem and his last soldier were surrounded on the roof of the dungeon….all was lost…the captain of the rebels then said:

- You have been very brave…surrender and we will spare your life!
- And be your slave, asked Salem?
- It’s still better than death!
- NEVER, shouted Salem….ATTACK

And the last two soldiers of Tibuk rushed on their enemies and killed many before they were finally defeated!

http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/6012/220nr5.jpg

The young farmer who had warned Salem had been following the entire battle from a granary. As the battle was over, he went to Alexandria so that nobody would ever forget the heroes of Tibuk!!!

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[anguille]

September 6, 1159

Many months had passed since the terrible loss of Tibuk. The morale of our men was low….very low. We had managed to keep the situation calm in the West and we had recruited enough men to complete our armies but everyone knew that many battles still needed to be fought in the East…all our efforts of expansion were undermined by constant revolts…didn’t those people understand that we were there for their own good? We were there to bring them a bigger and better civilization! Why so much hate…so much resistance?

http://img485.imageshack.us/img485/2250/223auu5.jpg

In the meantime, Ahmed and his men had been fighting constantly…his army was probably the most experienced in the world…nobody was able to defeat him…still…they couldn’t be everywhere at the same time….insurgents were fighting everywhere. In the last message we got from Ahmed (per dove mail) he told us that he was going to kill the rebel Fakeeh.

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As usual, Ahmed was victorious…but for how long? His men were also tired to kill…

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October 1159, the loss of Antioch

As expected, while Ahmed’s army was busy elsewhere, Rebel Andronikos seized the opportunity and attacked the city of Antiocheia.

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The city defences didn’t offer much resistance and many soldiers even joined Andronikos and his men. Needless to say, the city fell within an hour.

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Antioch was again present on the world map…we decided however that we wouldn’t try to take Antiocheia back. The region was too far away and the culture was too different. Furthermore we had enough problems elsewhere and the Kingdom of Jerusalem had started to raid our caravans.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/1494/227aym6.jpg

[anguille]

July 1163 – Fighting back

We had been on the defensive for too long now and so we decided to fight back. I would take the imperial army and attack Tibuk while Emir Ahmed would eliminate the remaining rebel factions in the north.

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One month later, Ahmed’s army was facing it’s first foe in Syria. Rebel Dinar had been alive far too long….now it was paying day! As they knew that the imperial army was on it’s way to control the backyard, Ahmed’s men were highly motivated…this was their task, this was their day…

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In the meantime, we had reached Tibuk.

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We knew that the battle would be easy. Because we knew the city very well and foremost because, when we lost Tibuk, the brave Salem and his men had been able to wear down the enemy’s army and, as we controlled the north, no enemy reinforcement had been able to reach the city. All in all, we were just facing two companies of city guards....and so I gave the order to assault Tibuk.

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Ahmed’s army defeated the weak Dinar and they killed the rebel while he was trying to flee….coward!

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The population of Tebuk was very pleased to see us enter the city. While the battle had been easy, the effect on morale was very important…and so we celebrated!

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The situation of the Caliphate was now much better…hopefully, we would be able to live in peace soon…

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[IWM]

wow! Great job! :go:
I hope the Crusaders don't attack you, at Sinai!
It lightly defended, it is?

[elvain]

oh yes, great job, Anguille :go:

my deepest respect to the defenders of Tibuk, eventhough the city had fallen, noone could ever compete with their courage.

I hope that sultan Saladin will soon stabilize his lands and then finally bring peace to "the East"

[anguille]

Thanks for the interest ;)

3d of November 1165

Thanks to an active foreign policy, I was able to conclude a non-aggression pact with one of our neighbours. The King Boghos of Armenia signed the treaty and was invited in our palace. We had enough problems within the caliphate…it wasn’t necessary to have enemies outside as well…

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/4063/237and8.jpg

At the end of the month, Me and Ahmed lead our armies against some of the rebels that were still active in Syria. I was so happy to be riding again with my old friend…too much time had gone since we had fought together. We had so much to tell that we didn’t realise that 3 days at gone since we left Damascus when we spotted the rebels…

- Now my friend….let’s fight and win!
- Indeed my friend and tonight we shall dance and drink mint tea…

And so we launched the attack

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/6900/240amb4.jpg

The combination of our two armies, even if Ahmed’s army wasn’t at full strength, proved to be deadly and the rebels were eliminated. Somehow however, rebels and raiders seemed to appear out of nowhere. As soon as we had crushed one enemy army, another one was appearing. While we were returning to Damascus, we received news about two warlords who were attacking our convoys and undefended villages…

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one villain wasn't enough it seems...

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By june 1166, despite our constant efforts and the presence of armies in every region of the East of the Caliphate, Rebels were still very active and kept coming…could this be just misfortune or could we see here the hand of the Kingdom of Jerusalem? This was something I had to clear up and so I decided to send a diplomat to Jerusalem as well as a spy…

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/3082/245ags6.jpg

[anguille]

1167 – 1171 Years of trouble

During the next 5 years, we pursued the rebels and fought with all our strength…but it was hard. At times, I even only had 3 companies of Saracens and one of archers!

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/6496/247axl8.jpg

In 1168 we had mostly troubles in the north…

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/8603/249auu5.jpg

And despite the presence of both armies of Ahmed and Aamir, we did lose some battles...

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http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7612/251ayi7.jpg

But in the end….we prevailed...

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By the end of 1171, there was only one rebel army left in the south and the Caliphate was now almost at peace…

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