Byzantiad - Trouble at Antioch (2)

Ineffective opening volleys of Fatimid arrows

 

"Following the inconclusive action at the hill of St Symeon, the Byzantine and Fatimid Egyptian armies hung around the area for the next few days. The Strategos of the region, Constantine Constantinopoulos, awaited a reinforcement of heavy cavalry; the Amir Doumai Ed Din, continued, rather cautiously, to raid and rieve the countryside about. Satisfied he could now face the Egyptians on roughly equal terms, the Strategos once more advanced to offer battle. The armies met, as before, at the hill of St Symeon.

Byzantines' first attacks

The opposing forces were the same as those of the previous battle, but for the addition of a body of heavy cavalry to the Byzantine army..."  
Michael Psellophanes, Byzantiad

losses mount on both sides

Seizing the early initiative, the Egyptians advanced in two waves, the 'abid at left and centre with their spears and bows, and the light horse on the right, where they pelted the peltastoi with arrows.  The Egyptian archery proving wholly ineffective, Constantine unleashed his plan. He had formed up as before with the infantry on the flanks, and the prokoursatores light horse covering the centre. But these were merely a screen behind which lay his striking cavalry.  

The return archery covered the charge of the heavy cavalry all along the front, passing through the gaps in the columns of infantry. On the left, the Berber horse incontinent fled behind the Dailami spearmen. The following up kavallarioi crashed into the loose order formation taking and inflicting some loss. On the other flank, the 'abid were equally discomfited, though the Byzantine horse did not follow up quite so vigorously. In the centre, Constantine's charge failed to break down the 'abid foot, who met the initial onset stolidly. 

Fatimid counterattack on their left and centre

Thus encouraged, the 'abid on the left advanced to restore the line, whilst the Amir himself brought his personal command forward to bolster the centre. Heavy fighting continued with the Egyptian right refusing to give more ground. When the centre 'abid finally drew back, Doumai Ed Din (Doumayyeddin) charged to cover their withdrawal. Although outnumbered, he gave Constantine several moments of anxiety, and inflicted some loss, though without forcing him back.

Fatimid 'abid driven in...

... but Constantine's horse 
takes a knock

Gradually, however, the Byzantines began to assert a dominance over the field. Backed up by the peltastoi on the left, the kavallarioi drove in the Dailami spears, and struck the light horse behind them. In the centre, although Constantine's cavalry were driven back to the hill covered by his light horse, the Amir himself was glad to pull back onto his 'abid line. On the right, the skoutatoi took up the cudgels against the advancing 'abid. Both sides' infantry suffered heavy losses, but they were too much for the Egyptians, who finally broke and fled.

Left flank 'abid take heavy losses
and are routed

From now on, indications were that the Byzantine tide was on the make, beginning on their right, where only a single unit of ghulam cavalry stood between the advancing skoutatoi and kavallarioi and the open country beyond.  Seizing the initiative, they ramped up the pressure all along the line.

A lull in the battle 

An aside here.  The main feature of the 'initiative roll' is that one side or the other will get two moves in succession, and that can reap dividends.  During the Pecheneg raid, the Byzantines could hardly buy a successful initiative roll, I think winning it just once in each, with the consequence of course that the Byzantines' 'two-movers' were followed at once by the Pechenegs'. No wonder the Byzantines had, despite their advantages, such a hard time of it. In this second battle against the Fatimids, the initiative changed hands several times, but the Byzantines took better advantage of it (i.e. their combat dice were better!).

Byzantines seize the initiative

The Byzantines now piled in all along the line, giving and taking heavy losses. The left flank cavalry broke and routed, but not before dealing heavy blows upon the Berber light horse. In the centre, the Amir's cavalry took some stick, and on the right, the Egyptian ghulams were just barely holding the Byzantine onslaught.  At this point losses amounted to 4SP to the Byzantines, 6SP to the Fatimids.

 

Fatimids, desperately hanging on, drive off 
left wing Byzantine cavalry 

In desperation, the Dailami spearmen returned to support the Berbers, and there managed to hold up the Byzantine spearmen.  Elsewhere, it was to be a different story.

On the right, the exiguous Egyptian front gave way as the Byzantines drove the ghulams from the field. In the centre, Doumayyeddin's cavalry fell back also, to be joined by the retreating 'abid, as the following up Byzantine horse chivvied them back.  At this point, there were now three Fatimid units in the reserve zone, which under the rules, might accommodate two. Probably as 'last in' the 'abid foot ought to have been the unit removed. But, not having any real basis for a decision subjected the matter to divine arbitration by the goddess Hexahedra - I rolled a die. The result was that the Amir's own cavalry departed the scene. This did not count for SP loss, merely that the army commander (unhurt in all the fighting) was no longer available to let the light of his countenance encourage the troops. Oddly enough, the SP score was still 6-4 in favour of the Byzantines.

One too many units in the Fatimid rear zone 

Now it was a matter of who won this initiative this time. It was the Byzantines. Given not even a problematical chance to recover their fortunes, the Egyptians drew off in defeat.  

Byzantines retain the initiative to keep
the Fatimids from counterattack. 

There ended the Fatimid incursion around Antioch, with little success to show. All the same, it gave food for thought to the Tripolitan Amir Doumayyeddin, and his master the Caliph in Cairo...