Battle of Dorylaeum

Prelude

Although he failed to capture either Weasel or the region of Sparteia at the Battle of Zanclatis, Spjot Ragnarsson did walk away from that battle with the Key to the Jungle, the artifact he had been sent to Aurea for in the first place. However, he could not simply end the campaign here, as Xanthippus, the rogue Archon of Terra Centralis, would betray him if he did not continue fighting until Weasel was either killed or captured. Knowing Weasel would need to battle him again to get the key back anyway, Spjot decided to discreetly have the key sent to Tate so he could focus on taking Weasel out. Meanwhile, Weasel, thinking Spjot still had the key, waited anxiously for news of Spjot's latest movements. Weasel got his wish when Spjot besieged Magnapolis, the largest city in the region of Taurope. Weasel rushed south with the Field Army of Sparteia, but this was both not nearly enough troops to stop Spjot and nowhere near on time. Magnapolis's garrison surrendered before Weasel had even crossed the Sparteian Alps, and once he had the city, Spjot ordered the construction of a fleet of ships on Lake Ambessos to get himself and what was left of his original mercenary force off the planet after Weasel was defeated and Xanthippus was made Dominus.

Correctly guessing that Spjot would attack the city of Dorylaeum next, Weasel thought quickly and asked for reinforcements from the Field Army of the Argentolian Desert, based in Kerkapeze, instructing them to meet him at Dorylaeum in two and a half weeks. He also sent word to the Field Army of West Tangolia, which had begrudgingly agreed to meet up with him in Zanclatis, that there was a change in plan and they would meet up at Dorylaeum instead. Sure enough, Spjot arrived outside the walls of Dorylaeum two and a half weeks later, and stationed his troops outside all of the city's gates to await a surrender. Just when the city garrison's hope faded, Weasel arrived with all three of his field armies. However, the Tangolian Cavalry and Horse Archers were still out foraging, and Weasel barely had a force two thirds the size of Spjot's. Still, Spjot realized that the river valley outside the city was a horrible place for a pitched battle, and lifted the siege, re-forming his lines a mile or so north of the city.

Spjot laid his trap by positioning his heavy infantry on the wings, his light infantry in the center with himself and Xanthippus, most of his cavalry and all of his war mammoths in the wings, and the rest of his cavalry hidden in the patches of forest between himself and the city. His thinking was that Weasel's forces would not notice that some of his cavalry was missing from the field and go for the easy target of his light infantry. The light infantry would be pushed back and the wings would flank the Aureans on both sides, and then his cavalry reserves would come charging out of the woods and charge the Aureans from behind, encircling them. Weasel's talented new strategist Taftenkhamun, who had led Weasel's forces to victory against Spjot at Zanclatis, had a different idea. Knowing this formation had to be some kind of trap, he planned to put his heavy infantry in the center with his light infantry on the wings, with the woods forming "walls" to a "corridor" between his and Spjot's forces. He then planned on sending his cavalry to charge Spjot's lines, then feign a retreat. Taftenkhamun then planned on having some detachments of Tangolian Infantry, which he would station in the woods, coming out to flank Spjot's forces when they chased down the retreating cavalry.

Battle

Unbeknownst to the leadership of either side, the battle began shortly after Taftenkhamun stationed his Tangolian Infantry in the woods, when said infantry was completely butchered by the cavalry Spjot had stationed there earlier. As planned, Taftenkhamun opened the battle with twin cavalry charges aimed directly at Spjot's wings. This caused many of the cavalry, heavy infantry, and mammoths on Spjot's wings to break formation and charge at the retreating troops, who led them directly towards the Aurean lines. However, right when Taftenkhamun expected to see his Tangolian Infantry emerging from the woods to flank Spjot's forces, Spjot's cavalry came out of the woods and blocked Taftenkhamun and his cavalry from retreating back to their lines. Trapped between Spjot's cavalry and the forces pursuing him from the rear (which included multiple mammoths), Taftenkhamun's cavalry fought for their lives to break through Spjot's, and Taftenkhamun suffered heavy casualties. Eventually, Weasel personally led an infantry force into the fray to attack Spjot's cavalry from the rear and rescue Taftenkhamun. While this succeeded and killed most of Spjot's cavalry in the process, they still had at least 5 of Spjot's angry mammoths to deal with.

While Weasel and Taftenkhamun's forces managed to kill 3 of the beasts and send another running back to Spjot's lines, the 5th barreled its way through their force, and headed straight for the Aurean lines. While this beast was able to wreck some havoc on the Aurean lines, it was killed before it could cause much trouble. However, Spjot had taken this time to send the cavalry from his wings, which had long returned to formation after chasing down Taftenkhamun, to go around the woods (using them as cover) and flank the Aurean lines. Realizing what had happened once he noticed that the remainder of Spjot's cavalry was missing, Taftenkhamun immediately arranged an infantry detachment on each flank into formations in oblique angles to prepare to repel the incoming cavalry. This worked and both attacks were repelled, but both the Aureans and Spjot's cavalry suffered heavy casualties. After this, both forces retreated to their camps for the night.

The next morning, Spjot arrayed his forces differently, with his heavy infantry in the center, his light infantry and what was left of his cavalry on the wings, and his mammoths in front. He ordered a general attack on the Aurean forces, which had arrayed themselves in the exact same fashion they did on the first day. Taftenkhamun ordered the Aureans to open gaps in their lines for the mammoths to pass through, which they did, then closing the gaps, surrounding and killing some of the mammoths. Many were able to stampede their way out of encirclement and join back up with Spjot's lines. The day wound up being a slogging match in which both sides suffered heavy casualties and nothing of substance really happened. That night, however, Taftenkhamun sent small detachments of both heavy and light infantry into the woods, hoping Spjot wouldn't notice his force was slightly smaller the next day and planning on using them to flank Spjot in the event of a general attack.

The next morning, both sides arrayed their forces in the same manner as the day before. However, to the northeast, 10,000 Tangolian cavalry and 3,000 Tangolian horse archers, led by the Tangolian Khan Hulegu, had arrived. Taftenkhamun ordered a general attack on Spjot's front lines, while the Tangolians smashed into Spjot's rear. Then, the forces Taftenkhamun placed in the woods the night before emerged and descended on Spjot's flanks, surrounding him completely. In a last-ditch effort to escape, Spjot ordered what was left of his lines to form gaps and allow his mammoths through so they could throw the Tangolian cavalry into enough disorder to allow himself to escape with his life in the confusion. While this ploy worked and Spjot was able to slip out of the battle unnoticed, the mammoths were eventually dealt with and Spjot's forces died in the tens of thousands as they were boxed closer and closer together. In the confusion, Xanthippus was trampled to death by a panicking mammoth. However, as this happened, Hulegu was killed, his throat slit by an enemy blade. Not long after this, what was left of Spjot's forces surrendered.

Aftermath

Those of Spjot's mercenaries who surrendered were sent to the port of Olynthaseia, from which they would be repatriated to their various homeworlds. All loot they took for themselves during Spjot's campaign was confiscated and returned to its rightful owners, if they could be identified. If not, it went to the state. The surviving mammoths were sent to zoos, mostly on Aurea (although one went to the Royal Zoological Park on Ishga). With Xanthippus dead, Terra Centralis soon elected a new Archon named Antigonus, who would prove to be far more loyal to Weasel than the traitor he was replacing. Although Hulegu had bickered frequently with Weasel and his administration, his death was mourned by all, and his desire for his son Bleda to succeed him as the Tangolian Khan was honored. Bleda would go down in history as the Khan who truly healed the divide between Tangolia and the rest of Aurea, and it is he who would eventually lead the Tangolians into rebellion against the Tatian Regime in future years. Spjot, meanwhile would forever earn the trust of Tate for getting him the Key of the Jungle, even though the massive mercenary army Tate paid for was all either dead or sent home. All Tate needed was the key, and it is that key that Tate would soon use to enact his plans on Planet Squid, and eventually plunge the galaxy into the worst war it had ever seen. Weasel, on the other hand, was hailed as Restitutor Orbis Invictus (Invincible Restorer of the World) by the Aurean Senate, and he, Taftenkhamun, and Gorgo would be rewarded with a triumph when they returned to Astras. However, privately, Weasel despaired, for he had nightmares thinking about what would happen with the Key to the Jungle gone. Nevertheless, Weasel would sail to re-election as Dominus in 2 AR, winning an unprecedented 87% of votes cast, even carrying Tangolia (which his party, the Populares, had never done before).