As our army deployed in stately fashion, forming "Three Old Women Gleaning The Paddy Fields", Lo fat approached at a gallop. "Sire, Prince - look!!!" he called, gesturing to the distant Persians, "A new delight for the Imperial Palate". Our great Prince squinted and asked, "What? those big grey things?" "Yes Lord, I'm sure that haunches of those beasts will grace the imperial table with great favour".
Our wonderful Prince looked uncertain, 'til Lo Fat burbled on, "With your permission, Sire, I will take personal command of the archers from Sixuan and hunt them down": Our great Prince smiled a malicious smile, and declaimed "Of course, good general, take the archers as close to them as you dare, and hunt them down".
On the bare plain, Lo fat hastened to take charge of the archers in the centre, with the cavalry associated with them arrayed in line to their right. Llap Gok and his Turks held the left of the field, with the Turfan allies posted to the right of Lo Fat, while Pu Ki held a reserve of cavalry beside the baggage in the centre.
WIth the first moves forward, it appeared that the Persians had summoned more militia from the south, as a dust cloud immediately announced more Persians arriving to our left. The archers raced forward and dismounted, facing the elephants and oven-clad horsemen of the Persian centre, while the Turks wheeled to face the oncoming storm from the left, and Pu Ki - miraculously well after fasting for two days - wheeled his reserves to head towards this point of danger. The Turfani, however, proceeded in most dilatory fashion, apparently having been approached in by the Persians with bags of gold.
As the Persians rolled forward, they appeared to have some problems on their right, where they lacked room to deploy, while their left wing of Hunnic mercenaries, facing both the cavalry of Lo Fat and the potential menace of the Turfan, started wheeling back to form a line between the advancing elephants and the Persian camp.
With the elephants first advancing into range, a deadly hail of arrows stormed across them - two thirds of the elephants either died or panicked and ran with the first volleys. Our archers started their dread chant, and the whole battle could hear their "Six-uan, Six-uan".
Our brave Turkish allies dashed themselves forward, slowing the advance of the Persian flank march, while the archers stepped forward, blasting holes in the ranks of the Persian cataphracts. These responded with several spirited but inconclusive charges, with losses even to both sides.
As the Persian flank march caught the Turks, and pressed them slowly back, Our devoted Prince murmured his appreciation of their doughty fighting and resilience, and vowed to reward their chieftain with some more blankets and strings of beads. After careful redeployment, Pu Ki led his cavalry charging in to support the Turks, crushing the end of the Persian line with his first charge.
Lo Fat, meantime, had pressed forward in pursuit of the remaining elephants with half his archers, leaving the other half to hold off the cataphracts. His cavalry, seeing a wide gap open between elephants and Huns, poured through in fine style, and started assaulting the Huns from front and rear. With a final chant of "Six-uan" the archers felled the final elephants, then started turning to assail the flank of the cataphracts.
Pu Ki then led his cavalry to attack the flank of the Persians he faced, catching and killing their general, and breaking them once and for all, while the cataphracts, after one last futile charge at the archers, started the long retreat to Ecbatana.
Our brilliant Prince, delighted with the day, arose from his bed to
salute our victorious troops, briefly. Lo fat hastened back, with a covey
of archers towing his culinary finds, and pressed all hands, including
this lowly scribe, in assisting him to prepare the elephants for Our beloved
Prince to taste. I can humbly report that this was adjudged the most delightful
recipe of those prepared:
Elephant Ragout
Ingredients: 600 lb prime elephant haunch
100 lbs of cashew nuts
12 gallons of prime peanut oil
4 gallons of fish sauce
8 gallons of soy sauce
6 lbs of saffron
4lbs of aconium, finely diced
half an onion
Instructions: Pound the haunch until tender, then slice into narrow strips. Remove any fingers inadvertently trimmed off by enthusiastic swords. Fry lightly in peanut oil, then reduce heat and add nuts and sauces. Simmer for 12 hours, adding saffron a pinch at a time. Remove from heat and decorate with aconium garnish. Before serving, dice onion finely.
This was widely appreciated by Our divine Prince and his entire entourage,
although it must be said that Lord Pu Ki tasted it and was noisily ill
all over the Elephant a l'orange. Lo Fat has dispatched sufficient elephant,
preserved in ice, to supply the Imperial Table, along with the bodies of
Our late Prince and his entourage.
For the Chinese:
1. Try to ambush forward an element from allied
commands, so they're less likely to stay unreliable.
For the Sassanids:
1. Dont charge BwX with KnX
2. Dont get on the wrong end of 6:1 dice rolls
3. Make sure you have room to deploy the troops
nearest a flank-march.
4. Dont expect to just sweep Lh(S) out of the way
with Cv(S).