Civ Stories: The Wars of the World

Part 1, Chapter 2: The Winged Hussars

"Matka Boska!" - the battle cry of the Winged Hussars, meaning "Mother of God"

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My name is Ferdynand Kolasiński. I was born during a time of great ambition and power, brought about by the mighty force and strategies of Kazimierz Wielki, also known to the world of Meier as Casimir the Great. His mighty cavalry force ruled and controlled most of the world of Meier, and Catholicism emerged truly as the mightiest of all religions. The strategies and tactics introduced alongside new and fearsome weaponry, combined with the might of the blessed army of Polska, enabled a time of grand warfare, celebration, golden ages, and the successful introduction of Catholicism to the world as its most dominant religion. Truly, us Poles have risen to stand the test of time.

All thanks to the might of my comrades, my brothers, my friends: the winged hussars.

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Polska is a beautiful land. By the 3rd century AD, Polska had expanded its empire quite well, with four major cities serving as the foundations of what would be the greatest nation of the world. The massive amount of salt mines sustained both the food and productivity of the citizens, garnering great growth results even as early as the 9th century BC, when food was usually an issue for quick-expanding empires. Nevertheless, strategic locations along the coastline and the salt mines created grand supercities of the time, and Polska was the most populous empire in the world, nearly reaching 5 million at its height during the 8th century AD.

We were the envy of the world, and the grand army of God.

Trade enabled us to live in luxury that even the simple Polish vagrant would most likely be richer than anyone from the frigid lands of the Rus. The strategic coastlines opened up many opportunities for trade as well as spreading the influence of the Poles throughout the world, with many regaled by our stories of art, literature, and warfare. In fact, during the height of the Ride of the Winged Hussars, a nationwide policy of naval exploration and trade was enacted, strengthening our naval force and improving naval trade. Half of the economy of Polska relied on the coastal city-states and Constantinople, the Byzantines' coastal capital—luckily, the treasury was enough to sustain the military once they invaded the latter.

Of course, the greatest strength of the Poles are its army, or armies, to be specific. During the height of the Ride of the Winged Hussars, two armies were employed to different fronts of the Polish campaigns. All were successful as they incorporated gunpowder warfare and cavalry tactics, such as the world has never seen. The glory of Polska was seen and felt, and would never be forgotten in a long time. Unfortunately, unlike the real world, the winged hussars of this world of Meier, lost two battles. Despite that, the amount of hussars flung into battle were monumentally immeasurable that one can easily claim that the winged hussars are truly invincible.

There the world saw and watched and knew, they were the horsemen of God. And it was an honor to serve with them.

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I was born in 1490. I was one of the first soldiers befitted with enough armor and weaponry to be called as a "winged hussar", the fastest and strongest cavalryman recorded in our world of Meier. Despite the introduction of this new cavalry division 200 years after I was born, Polska—or Poland, whoever thought of that name—had already succeeded in weakening multiple nations with their cavalry force as well as the might of its infantry. My grandfather told me of the first wars of Polska against both hostile natives—barbarians—and the Indians, known throughout the world of Meier as the most peaceful civilization, until one angers them enough to cause mass destruction.