Your challenge if you choose to accept it, is with a POD in 625, during the reign of Sinsharikun (627-614 BCE), for the Assyrian Empire, already over extended and damaged, to fight off all of its foes and restore itself during the reign of Sinsharikun. This is a very difficult task, I realize, the Assyrian Empire is at a very weak position, but in the past, Assyria was also in dire straits and in imperil, yet reformed and fought off its foes with the force of arms. If Assyria can defeat the current coalition levied against them, what steps does the board advocate regarding the survival further of the Assyrian crown and its continued dominance in the region.
As I see the issue, Assyria must defeat the coalition made up of:
Babylon
Media
Persia-Elam
Varied tribes and mercenary armies originating from the lands south of the Euphrates
Cimmerians
Yet they must also contend with their seeming allies, the Scythians who are raiding their territories to the north. Lydia and Egypt likewise in a scenario that ensures an Assyrian survival, must be contested with, these two though, likely present a lesser threat than the Scythians, Medes and Babylon. Urartu also appears as a wildcard, Urartu itself seems weak by this point, weaker than Assyria, it is likely that they can be an ally of sorts to Assyria for the short term, as would Mannea.
Though Assyria is in a weak spot, it should be noted, that when reading the source material, Sinsharikun seems to be a very competent ruler and one in the figure of Sargon II or Ashurbanipal, his great sin was defeat, which could have occurred for other rulers, who thrown into the night, may not return to sight. It appears even so, Assyrian forces, though depleted, were mustering impressive counters to the enemy coalition, especially in the southern sector of the conflict, where Assyria seems to have held the edge against Babylon in the early stages of the conflict. However, it seems the Medes and the northern front is where much of the collapse began to set in, yet still, the Assyrians seem to have faced the tide with considerable fortitude, its ability to survive such threats was tested in the past with similar struggles and it showed its experience and taste for war in its defenses. Thus my point is, Assyria though truly at a vulnerable position (as it had been before in the past), was dangerous and it held in especially the early conflict, to deal a death blow to Babylon and then turn its full attention to Media.
As I see the issue, Assyria must defeat the coalition made up of:
Babylon
Media
Persia-Elam
Varied tribes and mercenary armies originating from the lands south of the Euphrates
Cimmerians
Yet they must also contend with their seeming allies, the Scythians who are raiding their territories to the north. Lydia and Egypt likewise in a scenario that ensures an Assyrian survival, must be contested with, these two though, likely present a lesser threat than the Scythians, Medes and Babylon. Urartu also appears as a wildcard, Urartu itself seems weak by this point, weaker than Assyria, it is likely that they can be an ally of sorts to Assyria for the short term, as would Mannea.
Though Assyria is in a weak spot, it should be noted, that when reading the source material, Sinsharikun seems to be a very competent ruler and one in the figure of Sargon II or Ashurbanipal, his great sin was defeat, which could have occurred for other rulers, who thrown into the night, may not return to sight. It appears even so, Assyrian forces, though depleted, were mustering impressive counters to the enemy coalition, especially in the southern sector of the conflict, where Assyria seems to have held the edge against Babylon in the early stages of the conflict. However, it seems the Medes and the northern front is where much of the collapse began to set in, yet still, the Assyrians seem to have faced the tide with considerable fortitude, its ability to survive such threats was tested in the past with similar struggles and it showed its experience and taste for war in its defenses. Thus my point is, Assyria though truly at a vulnerable position (as it had been before in the past), was dangerous and it held in especially the early conflict, to deal a death blow to Babylon and then turn its full attention to Media.