Battle of Kirkuk (Premysloides Dynasty)

Prelude
Battle of Kirkuk, despite its name, was not some kind of city siege or battle for city. Kirkuk was nearest important city to battlefield which was located about 20 miles north-western from city, on shores of Little Zab river.

Initial Phase
At first, situation was very favourable to defenders, Abbasid Caliphate and their mercenaries armies. While they had much smaller force, only about 12,000 troops and cavalry against 42-45,000 Mongol troops and their vassals, they were fortified on Little Zab shores. They were also permanent supplied from Kirkuk, while invasion army had 150 miles long supply line.

Little Zab shores are also very serpentine, which mean that while one part of enemy armies crossed river, another part was still on other shore.

Arab commander Sulaiman Shah decided to focus on archers and crossbowmen with first line of pikemen to stop Mongol raid and decisive strikes. However, he also understand that he is unable to defeat enemies and that his only sole role is to slow down enemy as much as possible.

Guo Kan and his army was for some time indecisive about next steps. Marcian Armaian, Armenian vassal commander, proposed one decisive strike against center of Abbasid Army. Ignatius Longinus, Roman military advisor attached to Guo Kan army, proposed divide army and lead two strikes in distance about 8 miles, encircle enemy and destroy them. Guo Kan accepted Marcian proposal, which became later grave mistake.

Battle
On noon 6 July, Abbasid scouts were able to determine enemy movement and trace enemy. Scouts informed Suleiman Shah that Mongols moving to long straight shore south-western from Pirda Lake and Suleiman Shah was able to move his army to this position and quickly placed them in two lines of pikemen and three lines of archers and crossbowmen long about mile and with auxilliary troops on western shores to prevent enemy encirclement.

Suleiman had one more trump in sleeve. He sent small unit to north-east