GM NOTES TURN 17.
If something happens you do not understand email me I keep very good turn-by-turn notes and I can probably tell you why something happened.
Turns Sheets: Please work diligently to make these clean. Clean orders get processed faster and more efficiently. If you can use the Turn sheet with the embedded excel please do so. I really like the movement section on those a lot. PUT IN ACTION POINTS USED ON EACH ACTION PLEASE
Turn Sheets to you: Please check your stat sheets when you get them rather than at the last minute. Yes, I realize they should be perfect but sometimes it doesn’t happen that way. If you check ahead of time it give time for things to get fixed rather than being in a rush.
SE’s and Hordes: Be warned …… They can start popping now. I will say this about both, I do not expect that I will have an overly active Horde world, things seem to be active without there being one Horde active at all times. I am not inclined to have freaky SE’s but historical ones yes. I will set SE goals be warned.
Don’t Forget (I know this is hard to get used to) You can contact NPN’s and they just might be helpful. NPN’s like making deals especially when it nets them money.
Islands & Colonization and Building Cities: You must colonize an island to zero before building a city on it. This represents the very basic regional infrastructure necessary to assist the city in functioning.
When Visiting provinces for diplomatic purposes I will generally send you home before the end of the turn especially in the case of a nation. Staying longer than the current turn is viewed as over staying your welcome.
Women Rulers: Women can rule but the first time this happens there is a risk if you have Feudal Allies, SFA’s, EA’s or Allied provinces they will bail on you. There are some variables on this based on the Queen’s stats. Whenever a female takes the throne after the first time there is a small chance of problems once again stats of the Queen help determine the results.
Multiple Wives: Yes you can have them. Two weaknesses of this, makes the possibility of a DF greater and eliminates the effectiveness of a political marriage.
ARMY BREAKDOWNS:
Ground troops: 1 Unit = 200 Men
Field Forts: 1 Unit = 1 Field Fort **** NOTE CHANGE ******
Naval Units: 1 Unit = 1 Ships **** NOTE CHANGE ******
I think from a historical perspective ships, after doing some reading and some information from Leslie, should be represented by one ship rather than 2 so I have made the adjustment, it affects nothing on the combat side.
Marriage: I am not allowing royal families that are very closely linked already to marry. No marrying cousins or stepbrothers or sisters. If you insist on this I will have to break out the genetics chart to see if you incur the wrath of God (whichever you worship).
I know I have mentioned this in an Email and probably some Rule notes at some point and time but it is worth mentioning again. Going to Free or Open societies may cause a DF roll. The world of 1050 was not one that embraced anything like a free or open society.
I do not like Great Walls expect them to be expensive.
1080 - 1084:
Mercenary Pool:
If a leader is listed you must hire the leader and his troops, leaders minimum is 5GP plus the minimum of .5gp for regular and 1gp for elite troops unit.
Northern Europe: Johan Olavsen 855 1HI, 10I
Independent 10W, 10XW
Mediterranean (Catholic) Zulicini 749 5HC, 5C
(Catholic) Barceli II 973 10EW
Non-Islamic Alicius A44 1HEI, 5EI Independent 5HW, 15W
France, Spain, Italy, Germany & Independents 10I, 20XI
England, Scotland, Eire Independent 3C, 5XC
Any Nation on the Red Sea Horgan’s Free Co. 767 5HEI, 10EI, 5S
Or East Africa
Egypt, Morocco & Cordoba: Taureg Clan 833 3XEC, 30XC
Independents 10XC, 10XI
Hungary, Serbia, Russia, Poland G. D’Kolner 769 6HEC, 10EC
REE 3XEC
Hungary, Serbia, Russia, Poland Independents 3HI, 7I, 15XI
Independents 5C, 10XC
Buhwayids, Egyptians, Yemen & Shiraz Independents (Moslem) 7C, 15XC
Central Asia
Buddhist & Lamanist Nations Monk Kaing 927 5HEI
India Proper Deccan Raiders 824 13XEC
Independents 5I, 5XEI
Independents 5XEC
Asia (naval) Independents 10XW
SE Asia & So. China ZuKhan 875 6EC, 3XC
Independent 5C, 10XC
N.China, Korea, Japan Jin Xio` 89A 8EC, 10XEC
Africa:
Egypt: +1 City Level Alexandria, Al’Aqabah, Damieta & Luxor
Massive numbers of men continue to be lured into the service of the Emperor with a good days pay and three good meals a day. The empire also continues to prosper even with the continued massive increase in military forces. Mansura was the primary beneficiary of the Emperor’s generosity this cycle as the irrigation project in the region continues to improve the lands and the lives of those who farm the banks of the Nile.
Ghana: +1CL Kwame
Life would have been pretty bad for the people of Ghana had not death not struck down leaders early and often this cycle. In year 3 the King was struck down by the cough. When Quaashie, the rightful heir grabbed the throne he immediately began ridding the country of all opposition to his rule. None of his family members were spared, and his family was very large. Fortunately for the youngest son of Nune the Karisa clan and the Askari clan grabbed the child and took him into hiding.
The Askari and Karisa clans were respected in the lands and both leaders were far better equipped to run a country that the despot Quasshie so they plotted a way to remove him. Askari and Karisa clan leaders rallied decent sized armies and headed to the capital province plan in hand. Quaashie who was notoriously over confident marched his army out into the plains of Ghana. Both sides sized each other up and encamped in preparation for the following days battle, the allied army was greatly outnumbered. The Karisa clan chief slipped out of his own camp and into the camp of the Quasshie in the middle of the night. The can chief managed to find the “Kings” tent and after knocking out a guard he cut a slit into the back of the tent and slipped in. The king slept soundly dreaming of how he would crush his enemies underfoot like the Terminator. Karisa clan chief began hacking the king apart violently. The first blow was a deathblow so the king had no chance to cry out. His body was hacked to pieces and after the bloody work was done the chief snuck back to the allied camp.
The next morning there was quite an uproar in the camp of the now dead king Quasshie. The loyalist Suvatu chieftain tried to rally the forces of the former king. The Allied army was ready to move on the Loyalist and they did not allow Suvatu to reorganize the army they fell on the loyalist immediately on seeing they were in disarray. A good number of the former kings forces simply withdrew from the battle to await the outcome. The battle was met in earnest between the Suvatu and the Karisa/Askari allies. The fighting was pretty vicious as might be imagined since the winner of this confrontation would rule all of Ghana. In the fight the Askari clan chief and Suvatu clan chief both were slain leaving only The Karisa clan chief alive. The Suvatu retreated after their chief died and the war was won. The Karisa Chief grabbed up his forces and Nune’s only remaining child and infact the last member of the royal line and went to claim his position as regent. The remaining elements of the army joined with Karisa and the nation of Ghana did not disintegrate.
Morocco: Idjil Cultivated, Awlil (A)
The Moroccans continued to mind their own business.
Algeria: +1CL Algiers
Algeria added to the defenses of the realm and the capital continued to grow. The client states of North Africa continue to rise in power.
Tunisia: +1CL Gabes & Tripoli
Tunisia continues to prosper greatly under the wise rule of the Beys of Tunisia. The military continues to expand since the wealth of the nation might attract pirates.
Hausa:
More economic development. One of the up and coming chieftains of the realm Tomba IV was tragically struck down by a lightning strike.
Kanem: Kreda Hostile, Wadai (UN), Kwararafa (FA), Jos (NE)
King Hendar died at the start of the cycle at the ripe old age of 70. Hendar will be best known for the continuation of his father’s policies of national improvement without violence. While Hendar was a man without peer militarily he choose to extend his realm through diplomatic means and he was very successful in attaining large swaths of land for his nation both in the east and the west.
Hendar’s son Moriomis ascends the throne unopposed. Moriomis is the first truly Coptic king of Kanem and this does not sit well with some of Kanem’s subject provinces. In the East after a diplomatic blunder by Zanzar the province of Kreda went up in arms and Zanzar barely escaped. Wadai threw off relations with the Kanem court as well. In the West things went a bit better as gold and smart talk persuaded the river peoples of Kwararafa that the government of Kanem had their best interest in mind.
Zagwe: Revolt!
The Queen died in childbirth in 1086 and when that happened the incomparable Haile, who was head the military immediately grabbed the reins of power and put to death all the family members of the ruling family. The country was in shock over the immediate and resolute way that the event happened. Haile was exceptionally charismatic and a brilliant military leader so the military loved him and in the oppressive world of the 11th Century might makes right. Any who dared try to oppose the military junta (well would have been had this been the 19th or 20th century) was crushed brutally. The fringe tribals, who normally would bail when such things happen, actually continued to remain loyal to the new leadership, they liked strong leaders.
Ethiopia:
Concerned about the stability of his northern brother the King ordered the training of 1000 heavily armed foot soldiers to be added to the military rolls. He also declared the defensive installations would be added through out the high plateau.
Coptic Church:
Kilwa: Converted to Lamanist Faith
King Kenan decided that it was time for his people to adopt a religion that reflected the ideas of the King. The Lamanist anti-slave policy has won the heart of the King and many of his followers and so with much pomp and circumstance the decree is made that the national religion of Kilwa will be Lamanist Buddhist. In most quarters this decision was embraced only Mombasa resisted this event. In Malindi, Kenan’s loyal general Osano met minimal opposition and his 1200 troops quickly put down the insurrection. In the countryside Sunni minority that had long existed along the coast rose up to oppose the anti-slavery movement. The Sunni had for years been enslaving the peoples of the province (in small numbers) and this would definitely put a crimp on their lively hood. Well the king had to stir himself from the entertainments of his wife and head into the province with his army to put down the resistance. Kenan was successful both with his wife and the revolt and his kingdom settled back into general peace following the smashing of the Sunni opposition. In Kimbu word spread very slowly of the conversion and no one really cared because there was little real government influence in the province.
Zanzibar: Mahabo (t)
Nothing much going on here just storing up manpower so someday something can be built. Of course the Ceylonese were continuing to harass the independent minded peoples of Zanzibar.
Zimbabwe:
Maraka the heir tragically died in a hippo attack while swimming in the Zambezi River. Grief stricken his father Kimjala died a year later leaving the only recently turned 15 year old Csetawayo as the ruler. No one opposed him in his ascension.
Zulu Nation:
Vaal cultivated. The Kingdom of Zimbabwe paid a visit to ensure the borders remained secure.
Europe:
Bolgars:
The Bolgars mustered another 3000 Cavalry in hopes their reasonably large army would deter nasty hordes from overrunning them. Living on the steppe and having hordes for neighbors the Bolgars finely picked up on some of the nuances of horsemanship.
Kiev: Kiev +1CL
With the Horde on the borders the military was increased a fair amount.
Novgorod: +1CL Vitsyebsk
Ivan III is now one of the most prolific parents in the world. His clan numbers 11 Children including two sets of twin boys, 7 boys and 4 girls in all. The land remained very peaceful and continued to prosper under the rule of the Ivan. Ivan did feel that in order to maintain his hold on the vast tracts of land he currently possessed he would have to increase the size of his army so another 3000 men were added to the armed forces.
Galica: Pechneg Cultivated
Galich continues to work very hard to improve the agricultural stress on the nation.
England: England: Fjordane (EA)
The Queen Mother decided to take a little vacation with the family to the coast of Norway. The aged Molly thought a little fresh air and activity might help see her through another cycle and she was right. Henry is carted along too since he needs a bride. Fiona daughter of Ygard
Celtic Church:
Ireland: +1CL Limerick
Educating the masses was the only concern of the king so he devoted nearly all his attentions to making sure that the Irish people would not languish in mediocrity technologically. The Celtic Church lent a hand economically by helping Limerick maintain it’s high level of urban services.
Norway: Reykjavik built in Iceland, Iceland (F)
Iceland rejoiced as the Norwiegns delivered on their promise and built a city on the island. Those who ruled in Norway knew the city was on the edge of the planet but they did not care, they knew when the Old Gods returned they would first appear in the West and the king wanted to make sure the kingdom had as much warning as possible. It was business as usual throughout the kingdom otherwise.
Orkney/Scotland:
The Orkney side of the Kingdom had never enjoyed the Agrarian lifestyle and so they were happy to adopt an economic policy that promoted trade on the seas. In 1081 the King and his son Brian died when their ship capsized in a storm. Walter II took the throne unopposed, though not popular he was very efficient in running the government and he had a huge family, which assured proper ascendancy. Walter II named his son Alan heir in 1082 when he came of age. In 1084 Walter II died tragically of the cough. The kingdom braced for a confrontation between Walter II’s eldest brother James, Alan’s uncle, and Alan. Fortunately Alan’s other uncle Thomas was completely loyal to Alan who he had tutored when Alan was a youth. Though it cost him his life Thomas exposed James’s disloyalty and Alan had James beheaded.
Poland: +1CL Sopot, Warsaw & Szczecin, Pomerania (F), Bialloweza (T)
Unconcerned about the possibility of a horde coming to Europe the Poles concentrated on home improvements. The government continued to function properly this cycle under the able rule of aging King Krzysztof II. While the elder Kryzsztof was busy making sure the country didn’t fall apart the younger Kryz busied himself having kids. At the end of the cycle Kryzsztof III had produced, with the help of his wife of course, a son and a daughter.
Baltic Pagans: Port City of Grobin
Pagans bide their time and wait for the Dark Gods to return and smite Christendom. Thankfully they are not holding their breath because they would have been dead long ago.
Baltic Trade Coalition: Visby Fortified
City services were upgraded in most of the cities in the realm and the Baltic was patrolled.
HRE: Koln, Ostend, Bremnen, Trieste, Viborg & Mainz +1CL
Masoleum of Elizabeth the Great in Frankfurt
Being a superpower is a wonderful thing and Queen Elizabeth “the Great” continued to maintain her grasp on the Empire for yet another cycle. Knowing that her rein might soon end, 80 year olds are extremely rare of course; she chose to devote some of the Empires resources to the construction of a great family crypt. The some devoted was not a great deal for the Empire but it was a substantial investment nonetheless. Toward the end of the cycle the aged queens health began to fail, yet she lived on.
Even with all the religious apprehension gripping Western Europe the Holy Roman Empire devoted it’s vast resources to improving the coffers of the royal family and the other lords of the realm, but not so much of course. The Carinthians, long time supporters of the royal family “allowed” the HRE to Elizabeth, Matriarch of not only the Empire but also the Catholic faith “gasp” ordered the Empire’s clergy to Pomerania to assist the Poles in the conversion of the heathens.
Carinthia:
Love and happiness in Carinthia. Since everyone in Carinthia but the Merchants is relatively poor the Carinthians added a bunch of improvements to Bari in hopes that city would draw more merchants. Plans were begun on how to cultivate the home provinces so it could become more productive. Nobles were concerned that the manpower of the nation would be highly constrained for many years should that project begin. Fredrick of Klagenfurt died in 1081 and so it will be left to his son to determine whether the cultivation project is actually feasible or not.
Kingdom of Italy: Fortresses in Savoy and Liguria
Bohemia:
The Bohemians followed the Bavarians lead and prepared for the worst. Villages in the realm were walled and 3000 men and horse were added to the armed forces of the land.
Bavaria: Nordgau and Tyrol fortified
Europe became tenser as the Papal Election day drew near. Bavaria fearing the worst built a fortress in both Tyrol and Nordgau.
Pope:
Rome 1080:
It was thought at the beginning of the cycle that the charismatic Del Rosa would be a shoo in as the new Pope. He was certainly the best candidate but sadly the best man does not always succeed. Fear of an “outsider” taking the reins of the Papacy created quite an anxious and tense environment in Rome.
Emanuel tried to persuade the Papal candidates to go pursue activities beneficial to the Church but because of concerns over tampering the candidates all remained in Rome.
Rome 1081:
Emanuel grew more and more ill as time passed an the fierce debates raged over the next Pope. Emanuel seemingly was seemingly the choice for Pope but the Germans were causing quite a ruckus in the election process. It seems that the Germans had deadlocked the count. All the while rumors raged of interference in the election process by the Branist. Interference in the election process was a grave concern so it was investigated immediately. The real instigator of the troubles turned out to be Emanuel himself. When this became public knowledge, among the clergy Emanuel stepped down from his position of prominence. He died shortly there after of grief.
Rome 1082:
Rumors continued to persist that the College of Cardinals was being in someway influenced. This time the French became the target of the investigation. After much time and effort Guiseppe of Venice and his Tuscan backers were found to be behind the misdeeds the French were accused of. Guiseppe was forced to withdraw his name as a possible candidate. Guiseppe retired to his palatial home in Venice.
Rome 1083:
There remained only two choices for the College of Cardinals. Del Rosa and Thorberg were so radically different that there could be no harmony between them. Thorberg and Del Rosa were called before the College to speak.
Excerpt from Del Rosa’s Speech:
The only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, who came on earth to bring salvation and the light of divine wisdom to men, conferred a great and wonderful blessing on the world when, about to ascend again into heaven, He commanded the Apostles to go and teach all nations,(l) and left the Church which He had founded to be the common and supreme teacher of the peoples. For men whom the truth had set free were to be preserved by the truth; nor would the fruits of heavenly doctrines by which salvation comes to men have long remained had not the Lord Christ appointed an unfailing teaching authority to train the minds to faith. And the Church built upon the promises of its own divine Author, whose charity it imitated, so faithfully followed out His commands that its constant aim and chief wish was this: to teach religion and contend forever against errors. To this end assuredly have tended the incessant labors of individual bishops; to this end also the published laws and decrees of councils, and especially the constant watchfulness of the Roman Pontiffs, to whom, as successors of the blessed Peter in the primacy of the Apostles, belongs the right and office of teaching and confirming their brethren in the faith. Since, then, according to the warning of the apostle, the minds of Christ's faithful are apt to be deceived and the integrity of the faith to be corrupted among men by philosophy and vain deceit,(2) the supreme pastors of the Church have always thought it their duty to advance, by every means in their power, science truly so called, and at the same time to provide with special care that all studies should accord with the Catholic faith, especially philosophy, on which a right interpretation of the other sciences in great part depends. Indeed, venerable brethren, on this very subject among others, We briefly admonished you in Our first encyclical letter; but now, both by reason of the gravity of the subject and the condition of the time, we are again compelled to speak to you on the mode of taking up the study of philosophy which shall respond most fitly to the excellence of faith, and at the same time be consonant with the dignity of human science.
Excerpt from Thorberg’s Speech:
Our first duty is to spread the name and reign of Christ more widely every day, and to call back the mutinous and the wandering to the bosom of the Church; this has occupied Our concern for a long time. For this reason We never cease to safeguard and multiply pious projects and to support them with the help gathered from the Catholic people. By this means the powerful light of Christian wisdom is spread among the erring. We did this especially in the third year of Our pontificate with the encyclical letter Sancta Dei Civitas in order to win for the illustrious Society for the Propagation of the Faith both greater support and generosity from the faithful. Then We were pleased to follow with exhortations showing how it had grown in a short time, from small beginnings to so large a stature; and with what testimonies of praise and grants of indulgences Our illustrious predecessors honored it. Finally, Our exhortations demonstrated how much aid had been given to the sacred missions throughout the world from this source, and how much more was to be expected. Nor by God's blessing was the fruit small in response to this exhortation. In the following years we saw the expansion of this most worthy work, since the generosity of the faithful responded to the zeal and the perserverance of the bishops.
Rome 1084:
The end of the cycle draws near and the College of Cardinals chooses Thorberg to become the new Pope. Del Rosa who has been honest and forthright throughout the lengthy proceedings request he is allowed to retire to his home in Catalonia. Thorberg knowing what a threat the Iberian could be if allowed to stay in Rome allows Del Rosa out of his responsibilities to the church and makes sure he gets an appointment as the Cardinal of Catalonia.
Branist:
The Branist came under fire from some fringe elements of the Papacy but the weathered that
storm fairly well when the Papist inciting discontent were found discovered and removed from their positions of authority.
France: +1CL Brest, Poitiers, Cherborg & Rouen
Emperor Michael took a Norman girl as a bride. The Normans ruled France and Michael wanted it to stay that way. Sadly his bride Margret died during the cycle but not before bearing two children, a son and a daughter. Michael had ordered a relatively large troop build up in preparation for the Papal Election. Everyone was on full alert as well incase something bad happened.
Overtures were made to Gascony this cycle much like last one though with better support. The results were the same. Though the Gascon King Phillipe did appreciate the support of the Gascon Papal candidate the nation was thriving beyond anyone’s wildest dreams and there was no way Phillipe was about to reintegrate into France.
Gascony:
The road connecting the Bay of Biscay to the Gulf of Lyon was completed and there was great joy in the land.
Leon: The King died uneventfully and his brother’s son, Thomas II, took the throne. There were no great events of note in the kingdom.
Cordoba: Palina & Valencia +1CL
The Cordovans continue to become more and more powerful as Europe remains peaceful. Walls protect all of their cities and the nation is littered with fortified villages and towns as well to make sure that the Christians don’t get any ideas.
Hungary:
Hungary continues to mind their own business. Troops were marshaled and drilled as they toured the country looking for trouble. Estergom was brought up to the same standards as the rest of the empire cities with adequate water, security and the like.
Serbia :
The religious zeal of the Serbian peoples increased due to a concerted effort by the local religious leaders. Serbia continued to function quite effectively. Perpetual growth coupled with a gradual increase in the size of the military seemed to be paving the way to prosperity. Prince Sebastian was shipped off to the Patriarch to pursue life as a monk. The Patriarch was really happy.
Greece: Dhyrrakhion +1CL
The government expanded greatly this cycle and the king decided to change his title to Emperor……mmmm that sounds nice……yes I king Pericles will now be EMPEROR Pericles Ruler of Greece…Master of the Aegean Sea! Ok now that is over the real business at hand was getting the Greek house in order. Troops were levied since the previous administrator, the GM, had been a bit lax in this department. In the sad department Pericles brother Achilles died in 1081. In the happy department though Pericles young wife had two sons this cycle.
Kingdom of Trebizond: Kherson +1CL
Sure hope that big ass horde isn’t heading our way.
Bulgaria:
With a Horde approaching the Bulgars thought building some troops might be a good idea so 1000 of the best riders in the Kingdom were gathered together and given the best equipment Bulgarian craftsmen could create. These men became Gabriel’s Guzla, a mounted detachment of Royal Gaurds.
Byzantines: The Emperor feeling the need to keep his best general loyal awarded Quo Validar with the Cross of Saint George and a large estate in the province of Aleppo. The generosity of the Emperor did not end there. Money was sent to Trebizond and to the Persians to support their efforts to reclaim their homeland from the Buhwayids
Patriarch: Levedia (hostile), 10% EO, Seversk (MN)
The great effort to find a home for the people of Naples continued this cycle. The Patriarch ordered the Archbishop of Novgorod and Okhrid to work on paving the way for the migration. Once again things went sour. The AB of Serbia worked feverishly to seal some sort of arrangement with the main tribal leaders of Levedia but the language barrier, religious issues and differences in societies all worked to bring this action to the brink of disaster. The AB was martyred in 1081 and the AB of Novgorod barely escaped the province with his life, many a missionary was not as fortunate. This development lead to the intervention of the K.of Trebizond who straightened things out in a less diplomatic fashion.
Mercenary League:
Tuscany continues to be the prime benefactor of the Mercenary League.
Middle East:
Year 1:
The Buhwayid army numbering nearly 40000, led by the King moved on Persia and colonized it, there was minimal resistance since barely a soul lived in the region any longer.
Prince Firuz Ibn Saur was sent south to Fars to begin the subjugation and enslavement of the heretical Kharidjites. The Shiraz had been waiting many years for the Buhwayids to come.
Firuz and Al Jabarti with 2000 Mounted Royal guardsmen, 1000 Heavy lancers, 12,000 light lancers, 600 scouts, 2500 Royal Footmen with Long Spear and 4000 Engineers.
Asim ben Alaj was the primary defender of the province though a ground contingent was stationed in the Fortress under the command of Ali Aden. Asim had a sizeable number of regional fortifications to hide behind which he would definitely need considering the manpower advantage and slight technical advantage the Buhwayids had.
Firuz marched methodically into the region with his approx. 20000 soldiers. Al Jabarti was dispatched to the local forts along the main paths south to remove them. Firuz patrolled the area making sure his engineers were well supported. Asim began running raids against Firuz in the middle of June. Nothing more than harrying attacks occurred during the month as Firuz and Alaj tried to determine military strengths. Alaj held the upper hand in the early encounters and most of Firuz’s scouting forces were wiped out. The only solid information Firuz had was that it looked as if Alaj’s force was almost exclusively light horse.
In July Firuz, who could handle himself fairly well on the battlefield, ordered patrols in force to stem the tide of the raids. July was a long month for Firuz. His patrols in force were effective in holding off the forces of Alaj. Alaj’s forces dwindled some because of this effective tactic. The reason it was such a long month is because the progress against the forts in the region. Firuz is realizing what the Shiraz had been doing for the last 50 years since they revolted against the Hatamid dynasty (actually the Buhwayid dynasty that was saved by the Hatamid prince)
August & September rolled on about the same as the prior months. Firuz remained patient though he knew that rash actions could potentially spell his doom in the province because of the amount of fortifications in the region. Besides he was making progress and his losses were minimal.
The Persian Prince with what remained of his personal entourage headed into “Ghazi” territory to recruit the faithful to his banner, journeying through Bachluchistan, Siahan and Registan. The Persian King meanwhile moves into a more secure location with his Persian bandits and begins working on making life better for the faithful.
The Manchu move West and begin raids against the Azerbaijani.
The Buhwayid troops in Tarbistan strike out from the city and retake the countryside after a series of brutal battles. The conflict might have not been so bloody had the soldiers been led by someone who was competent.
Spies make an unsuccessful attempt to recover the recently stolen meteor of the Shadad Faith.
Year 2:
The Buhwayid northern army moves against Dast’ Kavir, once again brutal oppression is the tool of the trade for the Persian King, Al Hakkim. The land is pacified and the population that remains is thrown in chains. Toward the end of the year the Al Hakkim gets word that there is a reasonably large contingent of desert nomads in the desert region of Khvor. He also hears rumors of a large contingent of barbarians traveling through the Azerbajani lands looting and pillaging everything in site.
The battle in Fars continued on dragging out most of the year, it takes a long time to par down 75 field forts. Once a majority of the fortified towns an strong points were eliminated Alaj pulled out of the region. Al Jabarti began laying out fieldworks around the provencial fortification as the year wound to an end. Firuz began the enslavement of the local population, which caused the region to revolt and thus the year closed with Firuz tied down in the province of Fars and longing for the palaces of Baghdad.
The Persian Prince was now in the province of Khvor with a pretty sizeable army of religious fanatics. The Prince know it is unlikely however that his forces could match swords with the Persians to the North of him so he waits. Word has reached the Prince that a large force of Steppe Nomads is heading through the Azerbajaini lands.
YEAR 3:
Al Hakkim a is a little nervous about the rumors he is hearing from the West and he decides to end his campaign against the Persians and head back to his home land slave train in tow. He is in Persia when he gets word the Manchu have broken out of the Zagros Mountains and into Diyala (remember everyone there is a lag in the travel of information). Al Hakkim releases his slaves to the local rulers (oh so recently installed) in Persia and speeds toward Baghdad!
In Fars life is difficult and the battle continues. The Shiraz had been preparing for 50 plus years and so they do not go easily. When news reaches the Prince that big trouble is brewing in the North he immediately drops everything, including the slaves, and heads back to the capital. The Shiraz celebrates their great victory and praise Allah for their good fortune. The Fars population was saved from the slave pits of old Baghdad.
The Manchu poured out on to the plains in mass. An army like none that has ever been seen before in this region, unless you believe the tales about Darius’s armies of Persia that fought the Macedonians, rolled out of the mountains and overran Diyala and Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia was not actually overrun but many of the field forts fell victim to the Manchu because of their sheer numbers. It was bloody work but the Jungarians were effective at dislodging those annoying defenses though it did take its toll on the 30,000 or so infantry that made up their contingent.
While the Jungarians were busy eliminating the provincial defenses of the region word came down that a very large force of cavalry were marching on the province from the East. The Khan was pleased he was itching for a real fight and he had heard that the Emperor was a man of great prowess on the battlefield, the Khans equal as a matter of fact. The Khan weighed his options wisely and determined that since the Buhwayids called this land their home that the Emperor would be rushing with all haste to save his capital and would likely be traveling down the stone pathway (we call them roads the Manchu however find them very peculiar since they had never seen them before).
The Khan was right about the urgency of the Emperor’s approach and so he laid a trap where the road crossed the Diyala river (a tributary of the Tigris the originates near Baghdad. The river crossing was at the village if Baqubah, a fortified village, on the Eastern shore of the Diyala. The Emperor stayed here the night of August third knowing that in two days he would be in the capital. Due to the great size of the Manchu host it was very difficult to determine the whereabouts of the enemy so al Hakkim hoped he could use the capital as a rallying point and that his son, who he was sure would be heading north from Fars, would meet him there so the combined arms of the Buhwayid army could deal with the foul barbarians plaguing the land.
The river crossing process was very slow as the encampments broke up in the morning of August 4th the detachments started heading across the river. The men were happy that they would soon see the golden spires of the capital. About 9 in the morning two thirds of the army were on the road south on the West side of the river and 1/3rd of the army was on the east. Suddenly the alarms were raised as scouts came riding back into the river valley at great speed. Behind them all that was visible was a black mass of men and horse as far as the eye could see. The Buhwayids riding in column formation quickly began dispersing, as the real threat was painfully evident. The Emperor a few moments latter gasped in awe at what he was seeing. It was as if an anthill was kicked and the streams of ants had sprung forth from the land. He was very concerned. His forces were split on either side of the river and the Manchu were going to press the attack at any moment, of that he was certain.
The Khan surveyed the scene in the valley below and smiled. He signaled to his host to begin the barrage and with that tens of thousands of riders rode forth and began firing arrows into the masses of cavalry, most of the cavalry on the West side of the river was regular lancers with hardened leather armor. A vast majority of the Elite Royal guards remained on the Eastern side of the river since they were slower to get moving in the morning because they had to don real armor and things of that nature. The first wave of arrows hit the lightly protected cavalry and the Buhwayids fell in droves, thousands and thousands of more arrows would be fired after the first round. The regulars were badly shaken and the Emperor knew he was in a great deal of trouble. Rather than try to get his forces on the Eastern side of the river to potentially face the Manchu’s he ordered his men to withdraw to the west immediately and he ordered his 7000 infantry to defend Baqubah and the bridge.
The Cavalry forces nearly routed but the king with his full contingent of Royal Guards Heavy Lancers managed to keep things somewhat under control. The Khan ordered his men to fall on the forces of the Emperor with great ferocity and they did so, the footman died to a man but did buy time for the cavalry that did not fall under the withering arrow barrages. The Emperor organized his forces as quickly as possible about a mile away from Baqubah when he noticed a large dust trail off to the east. His concern grew very great. Had the Manchu host not thrown all its might into the initial attack? He soon had his answer as he was deploying his forces a second Manchu host emerged. This one was lead by the Khan’s son who was the Emperor’s equal in battle (there are a bunch of good commanders in this region right now).
The Khan’s son Jerhim surveyed the situation. The enemy had obviously suffered a blow but not as mighty as had been hoped. Jerhim was determined to be the hammer on his father’s anvil. His force about half the size of his fathers a mounted to 30000 horse archers all primed for battle. The Emperor had about 10000 Royal Heavy Lancers and 4000 Light lancers at his disposal. This battle there would be no terrain advantages it was a battle of numbers versus training. Jerhim deployed his ranks of horse archers in great columns and sent them forth to rain death on his opponent. The heavily armored Royal Lancers shrugged off the damage. The Emperor sent his light lancers into the reserves since there morale was beginning to falter. The Emperor knew also that he was not far from the fighting going on in Baqubah and that the Khan’s main force may cross the Diyala at any time and that he would need a delaying force.
The Emperor waited patiently watching Jerhim’s banner closely. When Jerhim’s group sallied forth to launch their volleys. That is what the Emperor had hoped for he ordered his host to charge hoping to catch Jerhim. Jerhim was caught off guard by the speed at which the Royal Guard closed on his force. The Emperor succeeded in crashing into Jerhim’s force. When the Manchu saw this they launched a full-scale assault on the Emperors force and a fierce and bloody melee insured. The Manchu while capable fighters had serious difficulties dealing with the better armor of the Royal Guard forces. The Emperors forces carved their way through droves of Manchu. To the Emperor there seemed to be no end to the numbers of Manchu but the Royal Guard never faltered regardless of the damage being inflicted. The battle waged for several hours before the Manchu led by Jerhim broke off the battle. Jerhim and his men had done all they could to finish off the Buhwayid’s but the Royal Guard was just too well disciplined and too well equipped for the straight sword wielding steppe nomads. The Royal Guard was too slow to pursue and so they rallied in place and reorganized as the Manchu scurried off.
It was late in the day and the dust had settled on the second battle of Baqubah. The battle had been a great victory for the Buhwayid having killed nearly four Mongols for every Royal guardsman slain but all was not well……Laying motionless among the dead of the very large melee was the Emperor! Shock spread throughout the ranks. Nasim Hacimlar Captain of the Royal Guards asserted himself in an effort to hold the army together. Nasim was a good military commander but not at all liked outside of the ranks of the royal guard. The army moved away from the battle heading South and East. Nasim’s hope was that he would be able to either make it to Baghdad or meet up with the Prince, now Emperor. On the trek south the non-Elite forces started disappearing at night. Desertions were eating away and the fringe elements of the army but there was nothing Nasim could do about it since he was constantly fleeing the Manchu forces that were dogging his heels.
The Khan assessed his situation after his son met up with him at the Diyala River and the site of the former village of Baqubah, now a smoking ruin. Jerhim had lost nearly half his force and was looking a little worn down but the day had been a great victory overall. All but the Royal Guard forces had been eliminated, since Jerhim had not seen the light lancers at the battle on the Eastern side of the river. Days later the Khan would also discover that the Emperor al – Hakkim had fallen at the Second battle of Baqubah. The Khan was not a fool so after a day of reorganizing and celebrating he ordered his son with a beefed up force of two tumen to pursue but not directly engage the Royal Guard units. The Khan got back to reorganizing and preparing for whatever else might pop up. Word came in the middle of August that a new Emperor had been crowned in Baghdad and that a large army of Buhwayids had entered Mesopotamia from the south. The Khan and his loyal Jungarians had not subdued the fortified positions in the south. Preparations were made to engage the newcomers to the province. The Khan called back his son and reorganized his scattered Jungarian forces.
Firuz at the head of the roughly 10000 men entered the province of Mesopotamia on August 14 and immediately got word at the first town he visited that his father was dead and the army was smashed. Wailing of children and old women could be heard in every small town as he marched north toward the capital. Light lancers not typically used for scouting duty were forced to act as a screening force for the army. All the light horse was gone, lost in the battles for Fars. Firuz did have the good fortune of linking up with the Nasim lead Royal Guard unit in Hillah. The morale of both armies was immediately boosted by the merging of the two forces. Now Prince Firuz had roughly 16000 men probably close to half of them were Royal Heavy Lancers. Fiuz knew that he could hold his position in the south with the aid of the fortified towns that remained but he was uncertain from the reports how big the actual army was. The confusion was caused because there was a large number of tribal points involved here on top of the 60000 or so Manchu military men, when a regular army invades numbers are much clearer especially when you are in your home province.
Firuz decided to wait and see what the Manchu’s next move was. The Khan decided to stick to his doctrine of eliminating the enemy slowly. The hope was he could bait the Prince into committing to a battle where his defenses would not be terribly beneficial to him. Time ticks slowly by…….
Year 4:
Firuz could not watch anymore of the province slip away out from underneath him the Manchu were gobbling the province up bit by bit. The city of Baghdad was sealed off from the rest of the empire now which would certainly lead to mass defections if not rectified and the defenses that made the province strong were being whittled away. He had to act, to force the Manchu into one last battle. Firuz studied the maps carefully and chose the site of the ancient city of Kish to make a stand. He marshaled his forces and ordered the small number of engineers he had remaining from the Fars expedition to prepare some defenses that would hopefully help reduce the Manchu mobility. The Khan hearing of the bold princes actions moved his forces to meet the princes challenge.
Firuz set up Nisam and his 7-8 thousand Royal Heavy Lancers on the right flank near the Tigris and on his left flank was a small-fortified village and low hills. Firuz and half his cavalry force, 2000 Royal Heavy Lancers and 10000 Light Lancers, occupied the middle of the battlefield and on the left al-Jabarti with a force of Guard Footmen with Long Spear and about 10000 light lancers. The Khan set Jerhim and 20000 Horse archers opposite Nisam and the Khan himself commanded the center and the right flank, his forces numbered 40000 horse archers roughly.
Nisam moved first, per the Princes orders. He slammed into the Manchu allies very hard and buckled their lines. The battle broke down into a vicious melee but Nisam and the Royal guards were really making hay on the right flank. Firuz seeing this very positive turn of events ordered his forces forward and ordered some of his troops to aid in pressing the advantage on the right. The Left side was vulnerable but he was pretty sure the troops on the leftwing would not come under fire because of the restrictive terrain on that flank. Sheets of arrows rained down on the charging Buhwayids and the forces of Firuz did not fair near as well as Nisam did. Firuz pressed on though and the Manchu counter charged. The battle was very heated and now things were bogging down especially in the middle. After several hours things in the middle were beginning to get desperate. Suddenly horns stated blaring loudly in the distance. “The Alarm” Nisam suddenly became desperate, something had gone terribly wrong.
The Khan ordered his men to engage all along the left and center when the counter charge was called for. The troops on the left flank began harrying the infantry and the cavalry with volley after volley of arrows with some good effect. The prepared defenses on the left did afford the defenders some protection from the constant harassment and attacks. Some of the forces on the left also attempted to prop up the center which was volatile. So tied up with the Manchu forces harrying them on the left flank that al-Jabarti did not notice until it was too late that the Manchu were pouring over the defenses behind him. Fifteen thousand Jungarians and another 10000 Turks led by Helion had been moving through the rough hills and surprised completely the forces on the left. Needless to say the Buhwayid army quickly began to disintegrate. The Jungarians swarmed over the defenses and into Kish. While it was tough dislodging the Guard Heavy Foot the numbers were overwhelming. The Turks made a mad dash on to the backside of Firuz’s forces and they shattered. Nisam’s forces where now hung out to dry. Surrounded by 40000 Manchu Nisam was unable to hold his force together and the battle became a complete rout. Nisam was killed in the battle. Firuz and some of his men broke out of the center and charged toward the river. Firuz tore off his armor while on the back of his horse and he charged his horse right off the 18-foot embankment and straight into the river. Firuz would likely live to fight another day. Most of his army wouldn’t however as they were all but destroyed in the battle and the pursuit.
The Manchu host begins the siege of Baghdad.
The Prince of Persia frees the recently conquered and enslaved provinces and enslaves a huge numbers of Buhwayids in Persia. The Slaves that had oh so recently been abandoned when the Buhwayid host are now given estates in Persia and become the masters of the Buhwayids who were not so long ago in charge. It is a strange twist of fate,
YEAR 5:
The Persians make their move reclaiming their lost lands and unifying with their religious brethren the Shiraz. In Tarbistan there is brief but bloody fighting as the Buhwayid have conquered this province and still have a decent sized contingent here. Sadly for the Buhwayids the army is very poorly led and they fall victim to Fahad’s incompetence. Persian King was not a vastly better leader however his men were extremely loyal. The Buhwayid host was demoralized also by the events transpiring at home.
Baghdad surrenders to the Manchu’s.
Several provinces on the Persian declare their independence from the Buhwayid Empire in hopes of avoiding a brutal fate at the hands of the Persians who are now very hateful toward their neighbors.
Azerbaijan:
Raids by the Manchu where undoing all the hard work the Azerbajani’s had done since their creation as a state. It was very frustrating to the King but he had to allow the outlying regions to remain undefended if his nation was to survive. When the horde came across the mountains enmasse and the Azerbajaini’s were ready to defend their homeland, which was heavily laden with fortified towns and villages. Since the army was very insignificant in comparison to the might of the Manchu the king decided that parleying would be the best bet for his kingdom. After some deliberation on the part of the Manchu King he accepted the large chest of gold offered up by the Azerbajaini King and moved on, the mountain kingdom was very relieved.
Yemen: Port City of Adal in Zeila, Qatar (T)
It took a bunch of effort by two leaders, Farook and Nadeem, not so diplomatically inclined but the Yemenese managed to persuade the people of Qatar to pay some homage to the Yemenese throne, the trade good they brought from Egypt of course helped the process out Outside of this diplomatic effort the Yemenese just busily worked to improve their lot in life. They also marveled at the fact that their Coptic neighbor had yet another incident in the royal palace over succession. The praised Allah that the misfortunes of their neighbors did not find them.
Ghazi: Kophat Dagh (NT)
Religious efforts in Uzebek pay off as many Shia in the region enjoy the preaching techniques of Kamal. Prince Idris was a bit idrate (intentionally spelled incorrectly for humor purposes) about the fact that the people of the region were much more receptive to a lowly general than they were to him but he got over it.
The Kings trusted diplomat Maha was sent into the harsh lands of Carmania. He traveled the region trying to persuade the local chiefs that the Ghazi had their best interest at heart. Maha sadly encountered the tribes of Xerxes, one time lord of the region. The nomads of the Xeres tribe had very long memories and Maha was put to the sword as retribution for the death of their tribal leader some 70 years ago.
The best thing that happened this cycle was the departure of the fanatical Moslems that had spread across the desert. Kophat Dagh was returned to Ghazi hands as well.
Chorasmia: built up their defenses.
India:
Tibet: -2CL Tamaralipti, Palas and Nadavaria (FA)
The Tibetans prepared for battle with the Tartar host but when they arrived in Burma the Emperor noted that there was no activity at all going on in the nation of Burma and so he withdrew his host back to his lands fearing possible treachery.
The Kings youngest son Li Jetrung was by no means exceptional so the king sent him to Guar to administer the area in the name of the King. When Li arrived the locals in Tamaralipti decided the new ruler of the region was a not going to be the one to rule over them so the revolted. Unfortunately for the local rebel forces the Tibetans were not to be trifled with and the 1000 royal guards that were in charge of maintaining the security in the city quickly put down the revolt, slaughter close to 10,000 civilians in the process. It was a blood bath that would not soon to be forgotten by the Hindus.
The Tibetans made a concerted effort to pull the former Bengal territory of Nadavaria into the realm and surprisingly the locals accepted the Tibetan rule. It is suspected that the locals feared slavery more than they did Tibetan rule.
Punjab: Ao +1CL
The Matriarch of the Punjabi dynasty finally passed in 1081, Jurama was 81. Her daughter-in-law Ananthi died in 1084. The heir and his wife successful produced 5 children including two sets of twins; two of the children were boys. In other news the army was mobilized and marched around to impress the locals. Building a large and powerful army continues to be a primary concern of the Punjabi.
Kucha: +1City Level Quor, Kuqa & Toksun, City of Kashgar built
Nothing major happening on the frontier. The Kucha continue to prosper despite their presence near the Horde highway. Great attention was paid to the huge Khitian army that headed into the Ulani lands. The Kuchan army did continue to grow, as the king was concerned that the last great horde of the 10th Century might want to stop in for a visit.
Paramara Alliance:
Surrounded on all sides by large neighbors the Princes had only one real option, build up the defenses. A great many defensive structures were built around the country to keep out the hungry wolves. Building defenses is a wise thing to do especially when enemy agents have infiltrated your government.
Supported by the efforts of the king and all his generals sweeps were made of some government offices in the capital as well as in the palace. Lackeys and underlings of all sorts were dragged off to unknown places never to be seen again. Often family members were also carted off for the purpose of interrogation and.. other things.
W. Chalukya: Kalyani +1CL
The Chalukyan King continued to improve his economy and his military. Two thousand men were added to the military rolls of the Kings royal cavalry in hopes that the bordering nations would think twice about taking action against them.
Chola: +1 CL Chera & Tanjore
The “Nation Builder” was what many at home called Tamahla.
Sri Lanka: Fort on the Adaman Is.
The King did all he could to make sure the nation continued to function properly. A domain so spread out was always at risk and Igneb was not about to allow the limbs of the tree to fall off with so much invested. Fortifying the Andaman Is. was just another step toward working toward the security of the realm.
Prince Petela was sent out to explore the realms beyond Java. He never returned.
The Ceylonese continue to persuade the Island Kingdom of Zanzibar to return to the fold but the ruler of Zanzibar really was not that interested in their overtures. Sure the Ceylonese had been generous but the island of Ceylon was a world away.
Tripuri: Port city of Vizak in Kalinga, Chandela (F), Satava (NE)
The Tripuri worked hard to be subtle about their overtures to the former Bengal province of Chandela the locals were ecstatic that a Hindu state was “coming to their rescue”. They immediately joined the Tripuri kingdom. The King died early in the cycle 1081 to be specific abut his son, Maheshnar, took over peacefully. The Bengal Army joined the Tripuri this cycle. No one is sure how long they will stay as allies, but the Tripuri King is happy to have them. One additional important event occurred this cycle. The King decided that the province of Kalinga would finally get a city. In many peoples eyes this was long overdue, but the people of Kalinga were just happy it finally happened. A great influx of trade to the region was expected.
Scythians:
Enslavement and city burning was the Scythian stock and trade, they continued doing what they do best. Vasta, Mathura, Jaunpor and Bihar all were put to the torch leaving the Scythians no cities but a bunch of slaves and gold. The provinces of Maghada and Vasta were reorganized essentially. Slaves were allocated to lands that were given to the nobles of the conquering Scythians. The Scythians did have some difficulty in eliminating the cities of the former Bengal nation this cycle the Vastan city of Kalanjara was a real problem. The locals on hearing of the rape of their sister cities actually took control of the city and ancient fortress. The Scythian general Kucik, uncle of Rusik II, and Gregor the Jew, leader of the Patzinik allied contingent, encircled the city and Gregor put his small group, 2000 men, of siege engineers to work. The Scythians rode around making sure the city was completely cut off and firing arrows at people on the walls, they did a fine job. After some amount of time the people of Vatsa could hold out no longer and the surrendered and were promptly enslaved. Many died.
S.E.Asia:
Burma:
Idle
Khmer:
The Khmer completely devoted themselves to building up militarily. Everyone was relieved when the Tartar Horde took no action.
Malay Confederation:
The Malay concentrated on building up their defenses, especially in their cities in fear that the horde might head into their lands after raping the lands of the Burmese.
Java: Moluccas, Bali & Bali Hi (Liberated), Utara (PT)
Moluccas Campaign: The King himself headed off to the Moluccas with a very large fleet numbering at least 30 warships (remember 1=1 for ships) and 2000 men at arms. The Moluccas Islanders are numerous but not well equipped. The King used his more efficient, better-equipped fighting force to overwhelm the locals an bring this land and it’s valuable spices.
Bali Campaign: Admiral Ocinar and General Hiecara moved against the island of Bali in 1081 after some organizing and arranging the transport across the Straits of Banyuwangi. The Bali defense forces were pretty small but had been reinforced by those loyalist who had fled from Kedri. The effective General Hiecara with the help of Admiral Ocinar managed to get ashore in reasonably good shape. Once ashore the Javan heavy infantry brutalized the Bali defenders in the field so they fled back to the city. They had erected a wall and the Javans patiently settled into a passive siege since they had no problem controlling the seas. The city surrendered in six months time.
Utara Campaign: Of the campaigns that the Javans ran this cycle the Utara campaign was easily the bloodiest. The north island has long been resistive since the conquest by the Javans 60 or so years ago. The Utarans rallied a good number of troops, approx. 1800 spearmen, to oppose the 2000 Javan jungle fighters. Fortunately for the Javans they had the war schooled Nocamir leading the offensive. Nocamir was experienced in the tactics needed for fighting in the terrain of the North Island. After a lengthy and bloody struggle versus his tenacious but poorly led foe he triumphed. Twelve hundred men less returned from the province but it had been subdued.
Asia:
Tartars:
Idle
Sung Imperial Domains:
Hun Su while not especially talented in war or charismatic was quite the orator and when he was promoted to his post in the Order at the young age of 25 it was thought by many he would have a long career in front of him aiding the Sung’s constituents in parlaying with barbarians or unaffiliated provinces who might want to be brought into the realms of those allied with the Sung. It was a great shock when Master Lui, Head of the order and a descendent of the Sung Emperors came to him and told him his services were not needed. Hun Su was devastated. How could this be that he was elevated just last cycle and now he was being forcibly cast out of the Order at the young age of 25?! He had not even been given an opportunity to prove his worth. Hun Su left the Order post haste and headed out into the world vowing that he would someday avenge the disgrace bestowed upon he and his family.
Master Lui went about the affairs of the Order in a methodical fashion he was not going to let Su’s sour grapes spoil his plans. An Estate was established in the bustling province of Anhui.
Bandit Kingdoms of Hunan:
Sitting idly by and waiting for their ship to come in.
Shanan – Zhou: Kwanchou +1CL
Life in the Zhou lands were fairly quiet. The Capital itself was very busy growing and getting some much-needed public services. Outside the city the lands as a whole saw scattered defensive construction and a small rural irrigation project in Hwai. Ah peace and quiet is a wonderful thing.
Jaingnan: Port City of Mingzhou in Taiping
Jaingnan continues to prosper in the aftermath of the Zhou war. The military continues to grow but some economic development is occurring as well.
Clan Iiachi:
The King died and the Tiger avoided a dynastic failure, everyone was relieved. The Heir peacefully assumed the throne and his daughter maintained her position of authority as well. The end of the cycle saw the new kings wife die but she did bear the new King 2 daughters this cycle before passing. Nanling continues to benefit from the kings benevolent hand.
Nanchao:
The mountains that divided the regions of the Nanchao were problematic so the King continued his efforts to overcome the communications obstacles by building roads throughout the kingdom. Yi considered to be the northern capital of the Long Empire was the focus of a road building effort. While not all the resources were readily available due to a large troop build up the project was half completed. It is hoped that some day the Northern and Southern capital (Tonkin) might be easily reached by traveling down a “Royal” road.
Wu Too caused a bit of a ruckus this cycle by naming his brother in law as heir instead of his younger brother. Harli was not at all pleased about this development. Khun Cuang the new heir was a renaissance man before they existed. He could do everything from leading armies to great victories to securing diplomatic concessions to charming a crowd. He was well known no only in the lands of the Nan Chao but through out most of China and South East Asia.
Wu died suddenly in 1081 and Harli who was in the Capital city at the time immediately seized power along with a small cadre of sycophants allegedly supported by the Zhou. Harli however did not manage to hold power long, Khun, even though he was Laotian was well liked throughout the kingdom. When Khun approached the city gates with his army “loyalist” through the gates open and let his army in. Harli was soon there after butchered brutally along with the rest of his toadies and Sar Kee who was in the city thus a co-conspirator. Khun then proceeded to elevate his wife to the status of Queen and heir and by the end of the cycle she as Queen had bore the new King 2 sons.
His Hsia & the Liao: WAR
The Liao and their allies the Mongols made their move against the Hsia. Things got complicated very quickly in this campaign though. The Hsia had secured the Chinese Mercenaries which was troubling. The Hsia not happy about the Mongols sitting to their north being a constant threat had decided to move on the Mongols and wipe them out. The newly constructed military defenses it was felt would allow the Hsia to move against the Mongols without fear of a total disaster occurring at home. Troops marched out into Huang From Houma about a month after the Hsia military marched into that very same province heading north. Things could not have been worse for the Liao leader Tuankan, well if the mercenaries had been with the Hsia main army that would have been much worse. Tuankan’s impressive army of 5200 Royal Heavy Horse, 2000 Heavy Lancers, 6000 Light lancers, 3000 Shangtu Horse Archers, 2000 Royal Guard Infantry, 3400 Heavy Foot and 2000 Engineers was only a match for Ming Wan Chan. Chan’s force of 4000 Guard Cavalry, 7000 Heavy Lancers, 4000 Hsia Horse Archers. Chan also had the luxury of a regional fortress and a good number of local fortified positions and to top everything off Chan was quite likely the best military commander in China even though the Laotian Commander Khun might be his equal.
Tuankan was not expecting the Hsia and this caused some confusion in the ranks as the Hsia moved to remove the Liao from their province. Tuankan knew he was in trouble and he immediately tried to set up in a defensive position in hopes he could survive the Hsia onslaught that would inevitably come. The Hsia King did not hesitate to move against his foe. Chan’s scouts found an opening in the Liao lines down a dry streambed. On the morning of June 3, 1085 the Hsia Royal Guard rushed into the gap in the Liao lines and split one third of the army off from the rest of the force. Tuakan seeing his position compromised and realizing that he would have a very difficult time rescuing the situation from Chan’s grasp ordered an immediate withdraw. The Guard Infantry units were put in a very precarious position because of this ordered withdraw. The flank had been compromised oh so quickly and the Hsia had cavalry that would run down the heavily armed and armored infantry so the skilled commander Lui Ch’e, of the guard ordered his men to rally around him and stand their ground. The Royal Guard and the other Liao infantry contingents stood their ground while Tuankan beat a hasty retreat.
Chan respected an opponent with some spine so rather than chasing down the broken Liao Cavalry contingents he paid full attention to the infantry, which his men were swarming around. He ordered his men to regroup so he could size up the infantry force. Tuankan’s forces were allowed to escape. The horse archers were sent in to pepper the royal guard but this was not terribly effective since the royal guard had the finest armor the Liaotian Empire could provide. Chan decided that he would just encircle his opponent and wait for their morale to break. All this bought time for Tuankan to beat a hasty retreat to Houma.
Lui Ch’e was no fool he had served in the Liaotian army for about 10 years and he knew that his force was in trouble. Tuankan had probably had the best interest of the Loaitian throne in mind when he ordered the retreat since no one wanted the entire army destroyed but it did put the forces of Lui in quite a pickle. Lui after another several days of harassing attacks the defensive position was weakening. Lack of sleep and low water made thing perilous for all so Lui sent a runner to Chan to try to negotiate surrender. Chan accepted and about 3000 Liaotian troops under Lui, what was remaining of the Royal Guard and the siege corp, surrendered to the Hsia. It was a bitter defeat for the Liaotian troops but their lives were spared and the prevalent thought among the troops was that living was a whole lot better than dying.
Mongol & Hsia: War
The Mongols were caught totally off guard. Nearly the entire army of the Mongols had headed out into the desert for some unknown task and the Hsia had come calling in force. Wu Hai was hit with an invasion force of about 10K worth of troops which included the Xio Mercenary force. Ordos was hit by the Hsia Khan/Emperor and 12K worth of troops. There was a bit of a scuffle in the Wu Hai province as the Khrebet Khan tried to delay the provinces conquest in hopes that the Mongol Khan Otagi and his son would return in time to save the nation. The Khrebet khan gave his life for this cause.
Korea:
The King died an uneventful death at the age of 63, the kingdom survived though. Ascension went smoothly and everyone was relieved. Economic development continues to go well in the Kingdom of Korea as their neighbors and the Hordes ignore them.
Japan: Kobe +1CL, Port City of Nogoya in Aichi, Postal Road Toyama to Nigata
The Japanese devoted themselves to two things economic growth and building a navy. The Japanese economy was healthy already but perpetual growth was always a good thing, must keep up with the Chinese States after all. Shimane and Shikoku benefited from the Emperor’s generosity this cycle. 40 Warships (remember 1 ship is 1 unit) were added to the navy this cycle and the fishermen of the isles were happy. Now when the pirates and sea spirits came there would be someone to protect them.
Everyone expected the Emperor to pass any day but he made it through another cycle and appeared to be fit as a fiddle. His son, Kaga, did not fare as well dying at the age of 50. He did manage to have one of the palace concubines give birth t two of his children prior to his departure. The Emperor received a message from the Samurai Order requesting an audience. The Samurai were vaunted warriors of the realm but the Emperor was unsure of who the Samurai Order was so he mulled over his decision until next cycle.
Samurai Order: The Death of Primacies and Birth of Orders.
The Shinto becomes the Samurai order.
PACIFIC RIM
Australia:
The king and all his lackey’s died causing a complete turn over in the government. The King’s eldest son took over unopposed and his brother was named prince of this peaceful kingdom. Work continued on the great Borang cultivation project.
New Zealand:
Shark God Cult:
Concern about the ever-increasing size and popularity of the Shark God Religion caused the Great Shark to have to rethink how to progress. Time was spent reorganizing the structure of the religion in order to take better advantage of the religions popularity in hopes that it might be possible to expand further in the near future. Education continued to be a prime concern of the Shark Worshippers and money continue to pour into their educational facilities throughout the realm.