15. Making friends in the East.

On the early morning of March 1, Shah Rukh and the main bulk of his army departed the Timurid base at Tabriz and marched, as two victorious times in the past, straight for Ancyra.

I was not caught by surprise, though, since my vast scout network informed me quickly about the Timurid moves. The treaties with Trebizond(1) and Georgia(2), although not significant in terms of military support, helped considerably with intel, regarding the morphology of the areas and the Timurid movements. With a total of forty thousand troops, I marched swiftly from Ikonio to Ancyra to join forces with the rest of my army. After some last supply and logistic arrangements in Ancyra, I marched with a total of fifty thousand eastwards. After a few days of marching, I received reports that Shah Ruhk's massive forces were getting close.

I swiftly gave orders to set up a series of cavalry outposts whereby the cavalry scouts patrolled the front. In this way, I covered a substantial area of possible Timurid forces' advancement, with the bulk of my army ready for rapid assembly to face them. Not long after, the scouts discovered some disturbing movements.

Just before noon, eighteen-year-old scout Velios Antonopoulos spotted a significant Timurid force advancing from the Northeast. Quickly the report was relayed back to the camp, where other scouts reported similar sightings. They claimed the enemy host numbered in the tens of thousands. I quickly deployed my army and offered Shah a battle on an open field ideal for his horses. The Timurids saw the terrain preferable for their horses, and with their army surpassing us almost three to one, they accepted the challenge and deployed their army against us. Oh boy, if only they knew what is waiting for them.

The battle of Anatolia

The battle started with two charges by the Timurid cavalry against the center of the Roman army, but these were both dispersed by Roman heavy artillery use and musketeers line of fire. Almost simultaneously, the major Timurid assault tried to force the right flank. Many of the Timurid cavalrymen fell into the small Roman trenches, and the attack was then broken by a barrage of fire from the Roman musketeers. One of those killed by the muskets volley was a Timurid commander, and Shah's favorite son, Muhammad Juki, making him probably the first general in the middle east killed in action by volley fire.

Shot into the flank by the musketeers and harassed by the Roman cavalry, the Timurids fall back, taking heavy casualties, including several high ranked warlords. With thousands of dead and injured within minutes, and with the Timurid horses panicking by the Roman arms noise, the Timurids collapsed like a card tower.

Constantine Palaiologos then called for a counterattack against the now disorganized enemy by Roman cavalry waiting in reserve. Upon witnessing the collapse and shocked by the enemy's almost magical capabilities, Shah Rukh called for a withdrawal. The Timurids were simply wholly unprepared to face the far more technologically advanced Roman army. Shuh managed to escape to the nearby mountains with a few thousand horse riders.

Aftermath

The battle was catastrophic for Shah Rukh, bringing almost the total collapse of his empire. This major defeat resulted in a series of civil wars and rebellions. The battle also marked the end of the Turkan tribes Anatolian control.

After the battle, we moved through eastern Anatolia, in pursuit of Shah Rukh, where we besieged and took the city of Sebasteia, a stronghold of the Timurid forces in the area. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the local population was of an Armenian Orthodox majority and greeted us warmly. From previous reports mostly from Ieros skopos agents, I knew that Christian communities were present in the area but not to this extent. We even had two thousand volunteers wanting to join our ranks. In the chief war council after the takeover of Sebasteia, we decided to continue up until the main Timurid stronghold of Tabriz. The conquest of Tabriz thought wasn't my goal, just part of a buffer zone plan. I must confess that victory is sweet, but despite all the suggestions of glorified conquests, I am more concerned about overextension than conquering more lands far from my logistic center.

Shortly after, we reached Nicopolis and joined forces with John Komnenos and his small force of nearly one thousand troops. Komnenos was deeply impressed with my army and the outstanding victory against the Timurids. He quickly accepted the role of Despot of Trebizond. Stepping down from the emperor of Trebizond, even just a meaningless title, was not easy. Still, in exchange, I promised John Komnenos almost total autonomy and an expanded realm to rule.

After the stop in Nicopolis, we continued our march and liberated several towns in the process, including Tzoumina and Theodosiopolis. Upon arriving in Manzikert, we meet with the army of the Kingdom of Georgia. King Alexander came with an army of seven thousand troops and, most importantly, the food supplies we had requested from him in our previous talks. From Manzikert, we marched to Van, another mainly Armenian populated city. With so many Armenians in the area in general, I started thinking of a possible new "Armenian" vassal to serve as an extra buffer state.

From Van, we quickly marched to Tabriz and put it under siege. Beautiful and pleasant gardens surround the big city of Tabriz. It is an excellently situated trade hub, so the goods brought here coming from many regions. Latin merchants, specially Genoans, come here to buy the products that come from the far east. Despite proper fortifications, the city fall after a few days of bombardment. We learned that Shah Rukh had departed several days ago with no more than twenty thousand troops from the garrison. With Tabriz under control, the goal of a buffer zone achieved.

(1)John VI Comnenos crowed as emperor of Trebizond on October 28, 1429. John IV began his reign by punishing his father's physical murderers and then burying his father in a state in the metropolitan cathedral. In his reign so far, he was focused on defending Trebizond from its Turkmen neighbors and the increasingly aggressive local Timurid warlord to the South. It was no brainer for him to accept with pleasure the diplomatic proposals from the Roman envoys. With minimal resources, a weak economy, and a small army, John gladly accepted the Romans' protection.

(2) After the Timurids' devastating invasions and subsequent enfeeblement of the Kingdom of Georgia, Alexander I of Georgia, who sought to strengthen and restore his declining Kingdom, faced constant attacks by the nearby tribal Turkomans. Alexander finally re-conquered the Lori region from the local Turk tribes in 1431, which was of great importance in securing the Georgian borders. Hearing of the incredible Roman victories in the Balkans and especially those in Anatolia, the Georgian King decided to capitalize on the situation and offered his allegiance to the Romans.