Battle of Andistan

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Conflicts and Conspiracies


Andistani Revolt


Battle of Andistan}

When the city is yours, when those that stand in your way are dead, take your pay from these rebels. Coin, women, wares. Take your fill. We will take it home on Andistani ships!
— Keykavous before the assault on the city

The Battle of Andistan was the taking of the city of Andistan during the Andistani Revolt, in 96BSF. It was fought between the Andistani Kingdom and the Kanodite Empire, and resulted in the taking and sacking of the city by the Kanodites. At the end of 97BSF the Andistani, together with their Samadic and Sarvenganian allies, had inflicted two major defeats on the Kanodite Empire before each side wintered their armies and the rebels looked poised to follow up their successes in 96BSF. Mazyar I, the emperor of the Kanodites, understood that further losses would likely lead to further defections and had enacted his counterattack on the first day of spring. Following the footsteps of his brother, he would march at the head of a large army eastwards and retake Amamia following its capture at the close of 97BSF. At the same time, a large fleet would sail up the Kassia to besiege Andistan and take the city if possible. It was hoped that the siege would force Sina to withdraw to his capital and give the Kanodites the opportunity to recover lost ground. The man tasked with the investment of Andistan was Keykavous, a long-standing advisor to Mazyar I. Keykavous was eager to reassert imperial power in the region and launched a late night surprise attack on Andistan, quickly overwhelming the garrison and sweeping the city. Andistan was looted for three days before Keykavous recalled his troops. Prescriptions were issued for the prominent members of the native nobility who had supported Sina and had survived the fall of the city. The fall of Andistan was the first major victory achieved by the Kanodites in the Andistani Revolt and was a large symbolic loss for the Andistani Kingdom together with a financial loss as the treasury was held in the city too. However, the hope that Sina would be captured together with his city did not come to fruition. The Andistani King, and his army, were still in the field and would not be defeated until the Battle of Kashale Fields.

Background

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After the crippling defeats at Mypatha and Abisi the winter of 97BSF began and the opposing Kanodite and Andistani forces retreated to winter and regroup. For the Kanodites, there was growing concern that a prolonged war would be perceived as weakness and may insight other cities in the region, or the empire, to rebel or join Sina's cause. Mazyar I believed that a decisive show of force, and a string of quick victories, would weaken the rebel's resolve and force them to make terms. To this end, he planned a dual-pronged attack. He would personally lead a freshly levied army to Amamia and retake the city. A hastily constructed fleet, drawing on the remaining triremes the empire had, would be sailing up the Kassia to shore up support with the southern cities and force Sina to choose whether to defend Amamia or Andistan. Whatever Sina chose, he risked losing his new gains or the city that had granted him his crown.

To many, it appeared that a return to the image of Kanodite invincibility was like a mirage in the Dasht-e Bas. An idyllic image that would ruin those who chased it. Mazyar realised that his subjects needed to believe that any dissent or rebellion was unlikely to succeed and so was not worth pursuing. Any weakness would be seen as an invitation to roll the dice and challenge an Empire that seemed unable to control its heartlands. So in 97BSF, Mazyar rolled some dice of his own and gambled on his grand offensive.
— The Andistani Revolt, Kanodaria

Despite the Samadic withdrawal after the Battle of Mypatha, Mazyar was still acutely aware that Aplaa could re-join the conflict or the Samadics could weigh in on behalf on Sina, bringing their entire military instead of an expedition. Outside of the blockade, it was hoped that a show of naval strength outside of Marinjan would shore up support amongst the populace and ensure that the city would not join the revolt willingly. In passing Faravar, Kanodite influence was again enforced on the city with the Shahlik who permitted Aplaa to pass being forced to give hostages to ensure another Samadic expedition would not be permitted through the city. The fleet harboured briefly at Kangaroud, the regional capital which had lost their fleet and Shalik in the previous year, to offer reassurance to the people.

The Opposing Forces

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Andistani

The majority of the Andistani army was out on campaign with Sina which left a small garrison, numbering roughly 4,000, in charge of defending the city and keeping the peace. These 4,000 men were predominantly older veterans who were now too old to be called up for levy or those from noble or wealthy backgrounds who had used their positions to avoid being involved in the conflict. Whilst 80 Andistani ships lay in the harbour, they were not manned and the marines and rowers were asleep in the city when the battle began and only put up a token fight.

Kanodite

The Kanodites had sailed with 120 triremes to invest Andistan and incite Sina to withdraw to the city and defend his capital. In typical Kanodite fashion, each trireme had a larger contingent of marines aboard and this permitted the Kanodites to outnumber the garrison during the battle. The Kanodite focus on moving as a crew instead of a larger force, permitting them to outflank and overwhelm the garrison without too many losses.

Prelude

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The Kanodite fleet had been spotted by Andistani scouts about a week before the battle and messengers had been sent out to inform Sina, the Andistani king. Whilst the city was lightly defended, none believed that the Kanodites would have the confidence to attack the city. Many remembered the Battle of Mypatha which the Andistani had soundly won the year before and believed the Kanodites would be cautious.

Only the oars could be heard. The drums had been silenced and the rowers exerted themselves mutely. It was like the Third World had returned and we were surrounded only by water. Water and stars... You could barely see the other ships yet we knew they were there.
— Kanodite marines recalling the journey to Andistan

^{The Kanodite fleet sailing in complete darkness}

Keykavous drew his fleet close to the shoreline, knowing that his movements were probably being watched. After an hour of waiting, the fleet set off quickly with torches extinguished and sails raised to minimise their profile. At any point, the Andistani fleet may have set sail without Keykavous' knowing. Their speed, and knowledge of the local waters, would have made retreat near impossible however as Andistan came into sight, no opposing navy was present. Andistan, and it's defenders, were caught completely unaware.

Strategic and tactical considerations

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Despite being outnumbered, the Andistani fleet had previously bested a larger Kanodite force. To this end, the Kanodite admiral Keykavous wished to avoid a conflict on open waters. Whilst another Samadic intervention seemed unlikely, another defeat might encourage others to rebel. The Kanodite Great King Mazyar I had given direct orders for caution and only to 'threaten' the city in the hopes that the Andistani King, Sina, would return and leave Amamia to be retaken. Keykavous however felt that a quick strike could nullify the Andistani fleet, enrich his coffers and increase his prestige. To avoid the Andistani fleet setting sail, Keykavous decided on a nighttime attack with torches being lit when the city was comfortably in sight. It was believed that Sina, the Andistani king, would not have a substantial force in the city as he was out on campaign. This belief ultimately led Keykavous to launch his attack. The Kanodite fleet would be spotted and messengers dispatched to bring Sina home. However, if Andistan had fallen before he could return, then he would have been unable to launch an assault before the following Kanodite forces could catch him.

It was expected that the Kanodites would bring their triremes to shore as night fell, as all captains do. Sailors need to rest and woodworms destroy more ships than bronze prows do. However as the Andistani sailors retired to their homes in the city, the Kanodite navy continued it's uninterrupted voyage.

The Battle

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Knowing that the element of surprise was key to victory, Keykavous ordered a rush to the harbour as soon as an alarm was raised in the city. When the garrison realised that the approaching fleet was hostile, the brazers were lit and a handful of triremes were quickly launched in an attempt to stall the Kanodites and the harbour chain was raised to give the remaining triremes more time to launch. Between ten to fifteen ships managed to meet the Kanodites on the sea and were quickly overwhelmed and boarded. The Andistani, in their panic, had become entangled in the harbour as too many ships tried to launch and had become entangled. The mass of immobile ships permitted the Kanodites to fight a continuous bordering action as they moved from ship to ship before reaching the harbour proper. Of the 80 Andistani triremes in the harbour, only ten escaped and were permitted to flee as Keykavous did not want to split his forces up. The city garrison attempted to hold some bottlenecks but was unorganised and quickly broke when the more professional marines breached further into the city. A few token pockets remained fighting in the next couple of hours but Andistan, the birthplace of the Andistani Revolt, had fallen. The last pocket of resistance was led by the Andistani noble Abtum who had rallied many civilians to bar themselves in the city law courts and held out until the sun began to rise before being slaughtered.

It was a mess of broken oars, torn sails and burning wood. We went from ship to ship killing anyone we saw. Some fought us with planks they'd found and some tried to jump into the harbour to escape us. We gave no quarter.

Aftermath

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The loss of Andistan was a highly symbolic loss for the revolt. Sina was now a king without a kingdom and had failed to protect the people who had proclaimed him king two years prior. Outside of the symbolism, the Andistani fleet was largely gone and numbered only twenty ships without leadership. Those captured bolstered the Kanodite fleet and were used against their former owners. The Andistani treasury, complete with war spoils from the Battle of Mypatha and the Battle of Abisi was now in Kanodite hands and hindered any attempt by the Andistani to recruit any new forces in the region. Keykavous had explicit orders to purge anything related to Sina from the city. His estates were burned, his throne was smashed and his wife and daughters were taken away in chains. Mazyar had ordered the family executed however Keykavous, having met and held discussions with the family, ordered them released and into exile. They were escorted to the Samadic Kingdom where they were released. They disappeared from history after the Andistani Revolt ended. The Andistani nobility in the city, not killed in the sack, were not given the same fate as Sina's family. Groups of soldiers were sent throughout the city, and the surrounding farmland, to find any surviving nobles and bring them before Keykavous. Two or so dozen were found and executed before the city was torched and the Kanodite fleet departed.

Significance

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Whilst called reckless by some, Keykavous had managed to do what many considered impossible. The Andistani Revolt, the largest uprising against Kanodite rule, had now lost their capital, their fleet and their treasury in an evening. Potential allies that Sina could have courted, of which many were horrified at the result of the Battle of Amamia, now abandoned any ideas of joining his side. Many began to call Sina the 'Throneless King' and the revolt would end in less than a year with his death. Not until the collapse of the Kanodite Empire would the Andistani even harbour a fleet in their city manned by their own men. A fleet remained in Andistan, paid for by the local populace, but manned by the Kanodite garrison to ensure loyalty. The truimphant Keykavous, returned to Khomedasht a war hero and adorned himself with honours. Shortly after his return, he was executed by the Kanodite Great King Mazyar I who began to see him as a threat to his rule. It is debated to this day whether Keykavous had intentions to vye for the throne or whether Mazyar wanted to be seen as the sole leader of the victorious Kanodites.