Hamburg Falls and Riga Fights - 1025 AD to 1035 AD

Now it's time to capture Hamburg but there are a few other targets in the area....like bashing that Trireme. I don't want it to sneak out and destroy one of my Trade Routes.

Another Musketman is received in Oran and I start building a new Trireme.

A first Galleass bombards Hamburg....

....a second is the only one that can bombard the German Warrior in Italy so I assign it that mission.

Hamburg is bombarded by another Galleass then a Musketeer performs an amphibious assault and the city falls.

I annex Hamburg, rename it Barcelona and start building a Courthouse.

I finish off the German Trireme then give a Trebuchet orders to move to Corsica.

I request Bismarck's terms for a Peace Treaty but he is not interested.

I decide to donate a Composite Bowman to Riga in order to bolster its defences.

The front at the end of my turn.

A Worker is still waiting for orders so a Farm will be built.

Wu Zetian wants my Marble so I add Open Borders but she is not interested so I accept her orignal offer. Better than nothing....

My friend Attila requests that I denounce Shaka - I'm still considering.

The Riga front - the Germans are mounting a serious attack but luckily they don't have siege weapons. The Furs Camp has been plundered by the Germans so I lose 4 Happiness Points :(

1030 AD: A quick trip to Africa then back to the war.

My Galleass bombards the Warrior inside Venetian territory - that's allowed but I can't assault the German Bowman in French territory unless I want to to go to war with Napoleon - maybe later ;)

I donate Gold to Seoul to maintain Friendship - the Tea Luxury resource is important.

My Worker has finally arrived at Sardinia so I start building a Silver Mine.

I place a couple of units in repair mode.

I've moved my troops out of range of the enemy Bowman - hopefully it will leave French territory ;) That ends my turn.

Riga is under attack but the German Swordsmen are all down to half-strength - a good sign. (I can't control these troops - the computer does that).

I have not forgotten you, Shaka - your turn will come!

1035 AD: My Great Prophet is slowly making ist way North. Does that notice to the right mean that I have influenced Arabian culture?

Good the Bowman is no longer in French territory. It's days are now numbered. Also a German Catapult has arrived in upper Italy. Both are bombarded.

I move a Knight forward to attack the Bowman next turn. This is the front at the end of this turn.

I finish this post with two builds in Africa.

Things are looking good in Iberia but the Riga front is still delicate. Until soon :)

Boots On Dry Land - 1015 AD to 1020 AD

As expected the German Swordsman attacked my Trebuchet on Sardinia but if suffered more than my guys. Also a Galleass was attacked by several German Triremes but we are still afloat. Time for Round 2!
First we blow the Swordsman out of the water then the Oran garrison sinks a Trireme.

My battered Galleass receives a Promotion in the form of replenishment.

Three Galleass warships bombard the German Swordsman SW of Hamburg then after a Knight has landed adjacent to the Swordsman a Musketman performs an amphibious assault, destroying it!

Three Galleass warships each attack an enemy Trireme - one is sunk and two badly damaged.

The two surviving Triremes are attacked again by a Galleass, a Trebuchet and a Trireme. Both are barely afloat.

Longswordsmen in Oran and Rabat are upgraded to Musketmen and in Tenerife a Colosseum has been completed and a Trireme is placed on order.

The situation in the Western Mediterranean at the end of my turn and Darius congratulates my success in his own strange way.

The counterattack: I loose a Trireme to a double Barrage from the garrison of Hamburg and the Composite Bowmen stationed there. The two barely-afloat Triremes have withdrawn but not far enough away to be safe.

1020 AD: My Trebuchet receives a Promotion, (Accuracy I), then sinks one of the Triremes.

A Galleass is promoted, (Targeting I), then it moves forward to bombard the second Trireme and destroys it.

My Knight has moved to a position W of Hamburg while a second Galleass is promoted, (Bombardment I).

Hamburg is now bombarded by five Galleass warships.

Another Galleass bombards the embarked German Worker and destroys it. Several embarked forces have moved nearer to the coast then the Musketeer on land assaults the City of Hamburg. Unfortunately None of my units at sea can attack Hamburg in order to capture it

The situation at the end of my turn. The battle for Hamburg is nearing its end but the war is by far from over. There are still other German troops in the vicinity and in N. Europe my Ally Riga is a German neighbour and is under attack.

That's all for this post. Until next time.