Sassanid vs Hsiung Nu

In this game I have tried a new version of the Sassanid army, adding a Kushan ally to have more shock power. The downside is that the army is very weak on the flanks. Fighting against a Hsiung Nu and being the attacker on a bare battlefield, this can be immediately perceived.

I tried to protect a flank and the rear with a river. Facing a Hsiung Nu with 14 IKnX and loads of ILhF, the battle started immediately with some problems.

Sassanid set up was on multiple lines, to have reserves and troops able to cover the flanks

The Hsiung Nu had some good activations initially, and tried to attack the sassanid open left flank. The small sassanid KnX reserve was sent toward the center to support the ICvSD that facev too many enemy cataphracts.

Poor activations hampered the sassanid, that was caught in a bad formation. Hsiung Nu immediately charged on the left

Hsiung Nu had badly deployed the psiloi, and the few that were positioned to cover the cataphracts from sassanid elephants were eliminated by kushan ILhF.

The Hsiung Nu attack on the left failed, and the CvS countercharge brought havoc on the light horses

Sassanid attacked along all the line and exacted an high toll from Hsiung Nu

Along the river Hsiung Nu CiC corps suffered high casualties but finally was able to pierce the enemy line and advance against the persian main body

Persian elephants proved decisive in the center, trumpling the hsiung nu heavy cavalry. Also the Kushan allied corps destroyed a great number of enemy ILhF. The Hsiung Nu army, albeit very large, was near the collapse point

The decisive blow arrived against the IAxS. Once the ILhF fled from ICvS, they were attacked by sassanid heavy cavalry. Once the first hsiung Nu corps broke, the loss transmission was fatal to the other commands, logorated by the tough fighting. The Hsiung Nu routed.

The main issue in this battle was the inability by Hsiung Nu to cope with the Elaphants. Probably that army needed more psiloi deployed nearer th