Barbarossa's March

Barbarossa's March is the fifth scenario in the Barbarossa campaign, in Age of Empires II The Age of Kings. In this scenario, you must cross the Sea of Marmara, and then move through Anatolia to find the Hospitaller camp and win the scenario.

The north area

Starting the game, you have an army of 70 men. You have not villagers, remember it. You must take the rout to the south, were you find a river. This river is guarded by a Saracen galleon. You need not lose your time trying to destroy it. This galleon is unable to kill many of your soldiers. When you pass the river, you willmeet Saracen cavalry destroying a house. You have enough soldiers to kill the enemies, but the Saracen horses are powerful and will lose men. When this ends, you walk tou the south. Remember, do not take the path to Glipoli. The Saracens will find you everywhere. More comfortable is the path to Constaantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

The strategy with the Byzantines

In the path to Constantinople, you will meet many outposts, and if you keep walking, you will see the undefeatable walls of Constantinople, with double fortification and eight very powerful bombard towers. The Byzantine Emperor automatically changes the diplomatic stance with you to Enemy, and you must fight out of the walls. Remember. keep your army and your siege weapons far of the bombard towers, to avoid the extreme damage. When the battles man-to-man end, take your three trebuchets,unpack them and destroy the bombard towers [not all,the most useful way is to destroy two or three of them. Do not besiege the gates with your men,only destroy the two gates using the trebuchets. When the gates were destroyed, get your soldiers to Constantinople. Do not attack any building except the Wonder. Especially, do not attack the castle. When your troops start besieging the wonder, the Byzantine Emperor changes the diplomatic stance with you to Ally, and you can use the Byzantine ships. But in this point, you have a problem. The Saracens are in trade with Constantinople, and many Saracen ships are in the Byzantine Navy station. When the Byzantine ships become yours, the Saracens are attacking them. Wtch the naval nattle and do not try to get on the ships. When the Saracens leave, take your men and get on. A Byzantine transports ship can take 20 or more men. It seems you may use one or two transport ships. Take also galleons to protect you from naval Saracen attacks. Remember, the Byzantine ships are extremely fast, and you will be in the Anatolian beach in 5 to 10 seconds.

The south area

When you reach the Anatolian beach, you have only one enemy, the Seljuks. Unload the units off the transport ship. From now. you will see only earth,no sea. You must find a way to the Seljuk wall, which is protected by two towers. When you arrive there, an earthquake makes a gap in the wall, the towers and the castle automatically fall, and your army pass this Seeljuk station. You must remember, that in Anatolia, the Seljuks have many camps and they will attack you. Take the way to the south,through the desert. You see alake.Pass it and go east. If you see a teutonic wall, appears a message [objectives have changed]. You are in the Hospitaller camp. A Seljuk light cavalry or other unit, maybe more than one unit, hunts your army east to the lake. When the Hospitallers open you the gate, the Seljuk units enter the camp. Remember, you are in the Hospitaller camp in very bad condition with an unfeeded army, and due to this you cannot fight anymore. Your life becames easiest when the Hospitallers' soldiers attack the Seljuk units, kill them and close the gate only to your army. You have rached the end. Click all your men [commonly you remain with no more of 30 soldiers, and you can click them all] and the right click the Castle or press the Garrison hotkey and then the Catle. You have won the game.