Lords of the Earth 

CAMPAIGN TWENTY-FOUR

War in the East

Turn 52

1256 ~ 1260 Anno Domini
618 ~ 622 in the year of the Hegira

New for T52

East – West Split: I’m going to try to split the East and the West parts of the game so that I can process the orders quicker – don’t know if or how it will work yet but lets see if it’ll happen

New for T51

No Orders: If I don’t get any orders in for a position and the player doesn’t answer my emails then I’ll put the position back to a NPN and put aside the players cash (if any) until they pick it or another nation up again.

Restrictions on Royal Marriages: Due to the complications arising from these rules only K, H or P leaders can benefit from a Royal Marriage. Members of the Royal Family that have not come into play are not considered eligible.

New for T50

Request Royal Marriage: Used to ask a NPN nation for a bride for one of your Princes or a suitor for one of your little Princesses. Cost is 6AP, Charisma based. The leader doesn’t have to be in the NPNs capital but if he isn’t then he needs to be in your homeland/capital.

New for T49

Naval Reaction and Blockade: Naval Reactions can only occur when there is action in a Sea Zone that the fleet is based at. The fleet has to be based from a port and not the Sea Zone. Also, the Reaction can only occur when your own lands or those of an ally benefiting from a Defensive Pact marriage bonus are attacked. It also applies to any merchant fleets you operate through the Sea Zone in the case of piracy.  Naval Blockade’s only work if your fleet is based in the same Sea Zone as the target port and you spend all (every single one) of your APs in the blockade. The fleet must be based from a port and not a Sea Zone.

New for T48

The use of fleets for Reaction and mitigating the effects of Pirates: My understanding has now changed since we GMs have had some discussion on the list. The use of Reaction has been explained on the Wiki and Patrol is no longer used in the Base Rules.

Reaction

 

Trade Route Escorts

 

  • This is specific to Lords 24. Units can be assigned to a trade route to act as static convoy escort using the G type leader. Note this is not as good as patrol as the warships assigned will only reduce the effects of piracy, not capture or destroy the pirates themselves.

 

Updated NPN and Primacy rules: Yep, been tinkering again but I feel a almost serene sense of satisfaction with my latest offering. See what you think.

 

Added the ability to hire mercenary captain when there is no mercenary company available: See the mercenary tables

New for T47

Improved cultivation at TL5: If a nation has reached the dizzy heights of TL5 than it can benefit from improved cultivation. You can Improve a cultivated homeland region from 2GPv to 3GPv, or any other controlled cultivated region from 1GPv to 2GPv. This is a level one megalithic construction.

New for T46

NPNS: I’ve tweaked the NPN and Primacy/Order rules a little to make them fit better with the 24 game. I’ve also reduced their overall RRV to make diplomacy easier.

Second Positions in the East: As I’ve not got a lot of players in the East, I would be willing to allow a second position from existing players. Let me know if you’re interested.

New for T45

New Rivers: I’ve added in some new possible rivers onto the map. These are rivers that were once passable by light traffic (remember Cogs cannot travel on rivers) and have now become silted up. You can dredge a stretch of the river (along one region border edge) as a 0.5 level project.

Gripes:

Agro as conversion – this has restrictions (see 2.11.5.3) which I will be enforcing from now on.

Rivers can only support light ships – as far as I know Cogs cannot travel on rivers. This also includes Cogs built for trade.

New Primates: We have two new Primate positions this turn. Jumal Skyfather, which is an Estonian god and the Coptic Church based out of Axum.

New for T44

Minor islands and City States: I’ll be allowing minor islands (Corfu, Jerba, Wight etc) and city states to be used as locations from T44. Just let me know the rationale behind why you want it separate and if reasonable I’ll add it in. Once they are created as locations, they obey all the rules of islands etc. However, their Gpv cannot go above 0.

Flooding: The last few turns have seen a massive increase in the amount of flooding that has occurred. It appears that the years are getting warmer and wetter. As a result of this some of the minor rivers on the map are once again becoming passable to river traffic.

Denmark: Following on from the Minor Islands stuff, you can see that Denmark is now separated out to Jutland and Syaland (Zeeland).

Announcements and items of note

General Stuff: Please use my Paypal account (stephenbrunt@yahoo.co.uk) for all Lords’ 24 payments. If you cannot use this facility then please let me know and I will see what I can do about filtering US funds to my account. I may also stop using the throneworld email address due to the mass of spam I’m getting!

 

Order Form: Please use the standard excel order form from now on. I’ll update the site with a link to it next week when I get some time. This is important as it helps me process the turn more quickly. THIS IS NOW MANDATORY.

 

Non-Payment: some of you still owe me some cash. Although it may come as surprise that this is not my main source of income, I see it only polite that you pay for the occasionally night out. So, if you’re under zero next turn I’ll not process you orders.

 

Version 6: Lords 24 uses version 6 of the basic rules

 

The Map: The map now includes India as well as Europe, Central Asia and Africa. I’ve greyed out repeated areas on the maps to make my life easier. However, this means some player nations are split across more than one map. I may increase the size of the main map but I’ll have to think on this.

 

Tithes and Tribute: I think these are automatically updated by the stats program, so no need to declare them in your orders.

Control of the Papacy and Religious Orders: In Lords 24 we will not always have a player Pope (or Caliph etc for that matter) and the following rules are used to determine which player faction controls the Pope’s actions, Papacy Rules. I’ve also added some stuff about gaining support from their armies

How to make your GM happy (PLEASE READ! REALLY!):

Please send any and all Lords24 correspondence to lords24gm@ymail.com or stephenbrunt@yahoo.co.uk .

LORDS 24 WEB RESOURCES 

The Lords Twenty-Four homepage is at: 
http://lords.throneworld.com/lote24/index.html

All of the on-line resources, including order forms, mailing lists and web-sites for Lords of the Earth are summarized on this page: 
http://lords.throneworld.com/?page_id=2

You can subscribe to the Lords 24 mailing list by pointing your web-browser at: 
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/lote24

…and following the instructions on that page.

VARIOUS FEES AND LEVIES 

At the moment the turns cost $5 – please pay up of you owe

We are using the latest v6.3.5 of the basic rule book that can be found here

http://lords.throneworld.com/players/loterule/rules.html


The West

For Nations of the West - Turn 53 Orders due by: January the 13th 2010

Without further ado, the news for these years in Lords 24 history...


Eastern Europe

The Varangian Rus of Kiev

(Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
Svetlana,  Queen of the Rus

The city of Perograd was built on the banks of the Dnepr in Pereaslavl. The cultivation of Muscovy continued apace. Peter of the Rus died while feasting the saints in late 1258, his daughter Svetlana took to the throne amidst much grumbling from the Boyars. Despite their objections Svetlana managed to consolidate here rule. She married a local nobleman and mothered two young sons to ensure the dynasty. While Price Vassily and Piotr protected the kingdom from Kiev, Vasimir made some gains in Pechneg where a grudging acceptance of Kiev’s claim on the region was achieved. The other Piotr built a house for the Order of St Vladimir in Smolensk. Discussions with the Order persuaded them to redirect their efforts to freeing the Balkans from the Islamic invaders and eventually to restore the Oriental Roman Empire to its former glory.

 

The Ests

(European Pagan Barbarian Open Empire)
Andrus III, Kings of the Ests

Some cogs were commissioned in the dockyards of Ventapils, destined for trade around the Baltic. The Estonian army grew in size when four thousand men were raised in Estonia. Andrus ruled from Estonia but sadly his two young children died from the fever in 1257.

The Western Uighur Khanate

(Sunni Islam Civilised Open Empire)
Barjik, Khan of the Uighurs

Three thousand light cavalry were raised in Thrace for Prince Ediz. Barjik himself ruled from Thrace with Ediz cemented relations with the city of Thessaloniki with a marriage to a local princess. He was aided by the able Emre and the Imam Mahmoud in his negotiations.

Scandia and the Out Isles

Jarldom of Orkeneyjar

(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Nicholas Larsson, Jarl of Orkney

The newly cultivated Highlands were further improved with newly planted oat fields and haggis farms. The great dockyards of Kirkval saw an unprecedented number of warships built, two hundred of them were taken into Nicholas’s commands. His wife Alesund was promoted to his heir.  The redoubtable Freya Svendatter moved throughout Ireland, finally coming to rest in Munster where she managed to get the region formally join the Jarldom with the help of Gretal. Sif travelled to Brest where she used her influence with the Order to gain the services of an Order Master.

Kingdom of Svear

(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Olaf Arnoldson, King of the Svear

Helsingfors and Sundsvall grew in size and a new city in Saarema built called Kuressaare. While Arnoldson ruled from Uppsala, Emilson took control of the garrison in Skane. Karlson patrolled the waters off Kuressaare with the Svear fleet of nearly fifty warships.

 

 

 

Saxon Kingdom of England

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Arthwin I, King of England

The cities of Caer Dyvi and Wymeswold were improved with new sewage works and public baths. English missionaries were active in Dyffed and saw a great many converts there. Kings’ Arthwin’s aim was to fully integrate Berwick back into the Kingdom whilst the lords of the nation were dispatched to do the same in Wales and Cornwall; some progress was made.

 

Western Europe

Heiliges Romisches Reich

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Heinrich, Holy Roman Emperor
.

More gold was sent to the Knights of Malta to secure the Emperor’s growing influence, although no new progress was made. Roads were extended from Saxony to Jutland and the road between Ulm and Bourgogne saw some improvements. Massive investment in the German economy saw its society become free. Heinrich rules the empire from Saxony, sadly the Empress Mara died in childbirth. Hans saw some acceptance of the Empire’s sovereignty in Leipzig while Cristian von Lausatia had more success in the Alsace as the region became fully integrated into the Empire. The army was under the command of Aldabert von Matrunco who patrolled from Provence.

 

Norman Kingdom of France

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Raymond, King of France

This period of peace saw the lands of the French Kingdom improved with public works. The regions of Languedoc and Aquitaine were protected with scattered field forts. The lands of Orleans were finally cultivated and the road to the Catalonian border completed. King Raymond ruled the kingdom from Paris and was blessed with a young son. Enguerrand of Tours protected the southern border from Aquitaine aided by Laurent. Alberic spent these years gaining an alliance from the city of Aachen.

 

Principality of Salerno

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Ricardo III, Prince of Salerno

To protect against any further Moslem raids, the lands of Salerno were protected with coastal forts. Romagna was re-colonised and the city of Leghorn grew in size. Like the French, the lands of the Principality were further improved with public works. Missionaries in the city of Genoa saw the influx of Islam revered. The missionaries in Venice were not as successful. Ricardo ruled from Campania and was saddened by the loss of his wife in childbirth. Under the Count of Vincencia’s command, the Salernian army of thirty thousand men moved into the Sicilian interior. Mejid, Sultan of the Ayyubids, commanded the Egyptian forces of nearly thirty-four thousand men and a large number of field forts. In the first assault against the Egyptian position, the Sultan was cut down by Italian knights. Seeing the Sultan slain, the Egyptians routed, eight thousand of their men killed. The Italians lost six thousand of their men in the assault. The Egyptians fled to the fortress of Catania hotly pursued by the Italians. The Italians surrounded the fortress and attempted to place it under siege. The siege failed because the fortress was supplied from the sea. Geraldo Buccelli escorted the Palermo garrison from Campania but died of a fever in Palermo in 1258. Nuselus was left to protect the Principality from Campania but fell from his horse and died in 1256. Maxcillio reduced the enmity towards the Principality in Savoy but died of a fever in 1256.

The Papal States

(Roman Catholic Civilised Religious Order)
Pope Urban III, God’s Voice on Earth

To improve communication with the Pope’s northern territories a postal road was built from Ravenna to Venice. The largesse of the Pope saw great improvements in the cities of Venice and Leghorn. An abbey was built in Ravenna and the influence of the Pope grew in Aragon and the Anacletan Order. Missionaries were active in Palermo and Sicily and saw many converts on the island. Cardinal Spada was elevated to Pope on the death of Callistus, he took the name of Urban III. Ottobuono travelled to Leghorn, his attempts to raise a Monastery in the city failed..

The Akramid Caliphate

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Darkan, Caliph of the Akramids

The lands of the Caliphate were greatly fortified. Fortresses were built on the coasts of North Africa and the walls of the old Umayyad cities were improved. Attempts ot get the Moslem majority in Santiago to take control of the city failed. Darkan took a new wife as he ruled from Andalusia and was blessed with two young children. Obrahim supported Mehehkmed as they tried to oversee the Moslem uprisings. Mahidia was visited by Imran Nazir and the Imam, with the downfall of the Umayyad’s the hostility of the past was buried and relations was improved.

 

The Anacletan Order

(Roman Catholic Civilised Religious Order)
Bernard the Ugly, Grandmaster of the Anacletan Order, Scourge of Islam

The Order gained support from the Catalonians by building public works. An Order House was built in Valencia and Cannes but the Order failed in Santa Maria. The status of the Order was improved in Aragon and England. Bertrand the Ugly ruled from Catalonia and fiddled about with the Order’s shipping. It was left to Robert and Guisgard to defend the Order’s holdings in Santa Maria. Sadly, Robert died from a fever in 1256 and it was left to Guisgard to protect the Order.

 

The Middle East and Africa

The Buwayid Sultanate

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Hamzah, Sultan of the Buwayids

The cities of Antioch, Susa, Qom and Al’Kuwait increased in size and their walls rebuild to accommodate the new population. Hamzah ruled from Baghdad and allowed Zarife to spend some time with his fierce and beautiful wife. Prince Haythan was again tasked wife protecting the borders from Diyala. Gains were made in Quetta, Bandar and Circis.

 

 

 

The Ayyubid Sultanate

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Rashid, Sultan of the Ayyubids

With the death of Mejid in far Sicily, Rashid took control of the Sultanate. He was blessed with a young son after getting a new wife from Jordan after Hosni Qatub’s diplomacy there.

 

 

.

Usama-Yoruba Onium of Ibo

(African Pagan Civilised Open Empire)
Bhanda, King of the Ibo

It was time to end the threat of Adjou once and for all. In the lands of Sudan fifty thousand horse were raised for Ibana. Such was the might of Ibo that this was not even the greatest amongst Bhanda’s armies. Bhanda ruled from Ibo but passed away in 1257; his son became the Emperor of the Onium. The lands of Awaghost, Walata and Mauratania paid the price for support of the Adjou Aba as the people were slaughtered before Payad’s host. Plaida gained a new bride for the heir and from Goroul and improved the relations with the region. With his new army, Ibana moved into the Songhai to confront the Adjou. Seeing the great numbers of Iboan cavalry, the Adjou pulled back to Aruane where they thought the Africans would not follow. This time they were mistaken and Ibana pursued his enemy through the desert sea to the oasis. The Adjou horde was not small in numbers, it comprised of nearly forty thousand battle-hardened men intent on defending their goats and camels. Maybe the battle would’ve had a different result but for the death of Adjou Emir from Ibana’s spear. At his death the Adjou routed and the superior might and quality of the Iboan’s won Ibana the field. With hardly any losses, the Iboans broke the might of the Adjou, the surviving twelve thousand men were pursued throughout the Sahara right to Agades; although they managed to from escape Ibana’s grasp and the general failed to completely eliminate them.

 

The Mwene-Mutapa Empire

(African Pagan Civilised Open Empire)
Nyambo, Emperor of Mapungubwe

The port of Nguni Da-Mutoto was built on the shores of Nguni and protected by a walls from possible Malay attack. An aqueduct was planned to improve the sanitation of Mwene-Mutapa and a road started out to Vaal. Besides interfering with the affairs of the nations merchants, Nyambo was blessed with a daughter from his cape wife. Sadly, his wife from Gorongo died during childbirth. Kakuyo Kakawate worked with the nobility of Gorongo to improve relations with the Hindu province. Despite his promises, another noble Gorongo daughter met here end giving birth to a child of Nyambo. Kakuyo himself passed away during these years from a fever. After years of conquest, Matombo Mukare left a small garrison in the Xhosa ands before gaining a feudal alliance from the Cape.

 

 

 


The East

For Nations of the East - Turn 53 Orders due by: Wednesday the 9th December 2009

Without further ado, the news for these years in Lords 24 history...


 

India

War in the East

Kaunaj and Bengal vs Thaton

“Strike hard and make sure there are no survivors”, Janda thumped the magnificent map table in his great palace for emphasis, “and make sure the Bengalis play their part. Coded dispatches were rushed to the Bengalis to co-ordinate their attacks on their great enemy. Through the mists of early morning, Kaunaj assassins appeared at the country estates of Thawan Baroma while the general was at ease with his family. The Indians set fire to his house and all those within but their intended victim managed to pull himself from the fire. He was however badly wounded and suffered for years from his injuries. The Admiral of Moulmein, Chao Seni, was wounded by Bengali assassins while he was inspecting the Thatonese fleet; he was also to suffer from his injuries during the conflict that followed. The first attack came in the spring of 1256, where the Raja of Assam took his small force on a raid into Manipur. The region was heavily fortified and the Assamese lost nearly a thousand men in the raid. In the summer of the same year where the Raja of Nadavaria moved to raid the Kalingans, again the Thatonese defences stood firm and the Raja lost most of his men in the raid. He also succumbed to his wounds and the new Raja rejected the alliance with Kaunaj, paying tribute alone. Under the Admiral Rom and the Dagger Priest Sandhu, the Bengali navy of nearly 120 light warships attacked the Thatonese coastline of Mon, Thaton and Pegu. The peasants of Mon took heavy losses but when the raiders hit the shores of Thaton, the combined forces of Sanya Sundaravej, Tawan Baroma and Chao Seni caught the them as they were hauling loot back to their ships Over forty Bengali ships were lost as they tried to flee the defenders. The raids into Pegu were also met with resistance as Sundaravej and Lui Annan faced the attackers. The Bengalis lost another ten ships to the defenders. As the year turned to autumn, the Bengalis attacked Samatata, the forces under the Pala numbered nine thousand foot, the great majority of which were elite guard formed during the Mongol invasions years before, and eight thousand cavalry. The Bengalis wiped out the Thatonese defences for only minimal losses. The aging Pala did not live to see his victory though as he passed away of old age as the region was being secured. As the year passed and 1257 arrived, the forces of Kaunaj attacked Burma. The regions forts were pushed aside as massed forces of forty thousand men, commanded by Vipin rolled into the Burmese countryside. Bandarban was besieged and easily fell. It was in Ava that the battle raged fiercest the mercenary captain Lui Annan rushed his forces from Lampang. His force of fewer than three thousand cavalry combined the Sundaravej’s elephants and four thousand light troops.  For months Annan and Sundaravej kept the invaders out causing Vipin to flee when he was caught in the thickest part of the battle. The Thatonese were unfortunate to lose Annan to an arrow in the side but in the following weeks Shivaji and Vipin were killed by Thatonese troops. In the end it was numbers that counted and the Kaunaj forces wiped out the defenders under Sundaravej, forcing him to flee south. Prince Bindu took command of the Kaunaj forces but rued the sixteen thousand me lost in the attack, a heavy burden indeed given that both Shivaji and Vipin were also amongst the losses. It was in 1258 that the now reduced Kaunaj forces moved into Pegu. It was eerily quiet as there was nothing but a small garrison to prevent the attack. Bengal moved easily into Arakan and the city of Akyab taken by the invaders. In smaller battles, the city of Pagan was besieged and taken by Prince Bindu. The reason for the lack of resistance in Pegu became apparent as the Kaunaj army moved into the Thatonese heartland of Moulmein. Sundaravej had collected the homeland garrison of seven thousand cavalry and it heavily defended by fortifications. Thawan Baroma commanded the main Thatonse army which still numbered around twenty six thousand men and the combined forces easily outnumbered the attackers. The attackers were destroyed, ending their successful invasion throughout the Thatonese heartlands.

Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj

(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Janda, Raja of Kaunaj

As war was declared against the Buddhists of Thaton, Janda ordered that every able bodied man or boy be pulled from the fields and cities of the nation to serve for the cause.  Nadavaira was heavily fortified and over thirty thousand men were conscripted into the army. His assassins were dispatched to eliminate the Thatonese command in Thaton and very nearly succeeded in killing Thawan Baroma; as it was the Thatonese general was to suffer from his injuries throughout these years. Missionaries in Pegu and Sikkim saw a reasonable amount of success in converting the Buddhists there. As most of the great and good of Kaunaj set off east to Thatonese lands (see the War in the East), Janda spent these years ruling his Kingdom, his paranoia forcing him to change his sleeping patterns daily in case of Thatonese retaliation (maybe this was the cause of his lack of children during these years). Prince Gyan managed to seize some Thatonese shipping in Benares before continuing to administer relations with the Bengalis. The Greater Wheel abbey in Burma provided some riches to offset the cost of the war as it was burned by Vipin before his death in Ava.

The Western Dhara

(Hindu Civilised NPN Empire, Open Empire)
Pajama I, King of the Dhara

More gold and manpower was spent on clearing the wild places of Satava and a road was started from Vijayanger to Kayal. While the less than able Fallija moved the garrison of fifteen hundred men from Anhivarta to Satava, Pajama tried to replace the loss of his son; he was blessed with two new Princes for the royal dynasty. Paga collected the troops brought to Satava by Fallija and collected a further four thousand men from Karanata, about half of which were cavalry. The Dharan army now consisted of around twelve thousand men and moved to attack the province of Vengi. Vengi was unprotected except for a small local levy of fewer than one thousand men and these were easily defeated by Paga. The province was subjugated and forced to pay tribute to Vijayanger. Palcama’s efforts to persuade Manyakjeta to form closer ties with Vijayanger came to nothing, his acerbic manner not helping the situation.

The Palas of Bengal

(Hindu Civilised NPN Empire, Friendly to Kaunaj)
Ran, Palas of Bengal

The Pala ordered the fortification of the nations great cities. High walls were built around Tamralipti, Bihar and Gaur and the regions of Assam, Gtsang and Palas saw scattered hill forts built. Seven thousand men were recruited into the Pala’s army in Gaur and one hundred light warships commissioned at its docks. In Moulmain, Bengali assassins were successful in severely wounding the Thatonese admiral Chao Seni. Bengali missionaries were active in Gtsang and Assam and saw some success in those regions as the influence of the Dali Lama was reduced. The Pala took command of his army into Thatonese territory (see the War in the East) but the journey proved too much for the ageing despot and he died in the attack of Samatata. Prince Ran was in Gaur when he heard the news and quickly took control of the Palas, confirming his ties with the Rajputis and his loyalty to the alliance. Satinder took command of the Bengali army and returned to Gaur once the western regions of Thaton had been conquered. With the capture of Rangoon and Akyab, several Thatonese merchantmen were captured. The others fled to other Thatonese ports. Banu was left to defend Gtsang and saw no action during these years. The High Priest Sandhu of the Dagger Order accompanied Rom on the raids on the Thatonese coast. It was during Rom’s piracy in the Andaman Sea that the aging priest died of a fever.

South East Asia and the Islands

 

The Dai Kingdom of Annam

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Fer Netcol, King of Annam

The horde devastation in Annam was repaired as much effort was spent on the region. Gold was sent to the Greater Wheel in Tibet to aid in the Annamese efforts to gather support from the Dali Lama. Fer Netcol took a chance travelling to Nanchao given the hostility his northern neighbour felt towards him. However, his offer of marriage and making the Nanchao king the heir of his kingdom, as well as the caravans of gold, saw an easing of the hostility Nanchao felt towards Annam. No tribute was forthcoming but the northerners at least saw that their future may be with Annam in the long term. Pala nga non was no so fortunate in Hunan where despite the hefty gifts of gold and other such trinkets, the easterners were insulted at his pathetic attempts to woo them.

Kambujadesa

(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Emperor Surya Din, Emperor of the Khmer

The recently colonized island of Singapore was further improved with new irrigation systems and public baths. A great deal of junks were commissioned in the dockyards of the nation; these would later be assigned to the trade routes of the nation. In the dockyards of Phan Bo, twenty warships were commissioned. The road network was extended from Vijaya to the Mison border. In recognition of the Khmer’s growing influence in Southeast Asian trade and Chi in particular, a mercantile exchange was build in the city. The great monument to Vishnu, Angor Wat was completed in Angor. Surya Din was still heirless throughput these years as his wife failed to bear him any sons. His favourite, Nung Tok Pai, took command of the men stationed in Singapore and after collecting the two and one half marines from Angor set sail for the south. The lands of Tengh were sparsely inhabited and Nung easily landed his force on their shores. It was not long before the jungles were pacified and the few hunters there subjugated to Khmer rule. Haing the One-Handed continued to hang on to the temporal realm and managed to increase the resentment to Khmer rule amongst the Hmong. In a great sweeping journey throughout 1256, Vireakboth the Snake took command of a great part of the Khmer army, combining the garrisons of Siam and Chi with those of Phan Rang, Phan Bho and Champa. He also deployed local garrisons to Surin, Khemer, Cochin and Preikuk.

The Kingdom of Thaton

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Ratana Jarunsuk, King of the Thaton

It was meant to be a time of great prosperity for the Thatonese people when under the guidance of Ratana Jarunsuk the city of Thon Buri grew in size. Grain was sent to the Khmer in exchange for gold and the regions of Mon, Perak, Johor and Kedah fortified.  Raods were built throughput the south and from Akyab to Bandarban, although the war delayed the completion of that project. Thatonese missionaries were also active in the lands of Gtsang and Assam, hindering the efforts of the Hindus there. Jarunsuk himself was blessed with two children during these years whilst ruling the Kingdom. Prince Nai-Thim saw no success with the Nanchao, despite a hefty bribe from Thaton’s treasury. With the Indians attacking from the west, all of the great generals of the nation saw action and some lost their lives (see the War in the East). However, the defeat of the Indian army in Moulmein meant that the remnants of the Thatonese force were ready to revenge the attack.

 

Manchu’ko and Nihon

The Minamoto Shogunate

(Shinto Civilised Open Empire)
Emura Minamoto, Shogun of the East

With the Taira in disarray, the Shogun ordered eight thousand men to be recruited for Adachi Yasumori, there would be an equal split between infantry and cavalry. Eiroku Minamoto surrounded himself with an elite guard of sixteen hundred men to complement his already substantial force defending Yamato. The Shogunate increased its influence with the Shinto priests of the Nihon-no-Tenno during these years. Adachi Yasumori pushed aside the defenders of Akita as his force of eight thousand men retook the region. After collecting the garrison of Aomori, the fortress of Akita was also taken; completing the subjugation of the region. Wadou was assisting the Shoguns priests in their talks with the Nihon-no-Tenno when he succumbed to food poisoning from rancid sushi.

The Goryeo Kingdom

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Wang Insu, King of Goryeo

Four thousand infantry were raised in Kai Ching and several transports commissioned in the dockyards of Ji’An, Kai Ching and Po Yang. A port was built on the coast of Liao-Tung to give Ta’Ting access to the sea. The lands of Bandao were improved to gain more rice for the people of Goryeo. Before his death in 1256, Wang Cheol Gojong spent a considerable amount of time re-arranging the shipping and harassing the merchants of Goryeo. Wang Insu heard of his father’s death while en-route to Hokkaido where over two thousand men were added to the garrison there. Prince Wang Dong Sun spent these years with the Khitan arranging a bride for his late father and husband for his sister.

The Land under Heaven

The Kingdom of Koueichou

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Dai Ling, Queen of Koueichou

A new city called Kwa-Dei was built in the southern region of Kweichou. The Buddhist monks of Szechuan were alarmed at the aggression of their Hindu neighbours and spent these years amongst the laity raising the piety of the nation. Regent Lao Pen was tasked with ruling the Kingdom from Szechuan and any ideas he may have had of wresting control for himself was cut short when his advanced age caught up with him. Dai Ling was invested as Queen without any major incident, although the peasants were grumbling about being led by a mere woman. Ko Pang and Chigun Zhang were tasked with defence of the realm, although how they were going to manage that with all the troops protecting Dai Ling was cause of much concern.

The Empire of the Western Song

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Zhi Zhen, Emperor of the Western Song

The losses sustained during the last Mongol attack were replaced in Lanzhou; thirty thousand heavy cavalry were raised along with another thirty thousand light cavalry. Much gold was sent to Koueichou in exchange for grain to feed the over-populated cities of the northern kingdom. The road from Ch'ang-Te to Funiu was completed and more money was spent on the road from Hanzhong to Ts'un'I; an epic route over the high mountains. Trade was instigated to the Kingdoms of Kaifeng and Chiangning. Song missionaries were active in the Gaxun-Nur and the nomads there were converted to Buddhism. The Emperor Zhi Zhen was becoming increasingly desperate for an heir as his health was beginning to fail him. Despite his best efforts, no son was born during these years. Wu-Fei was sent to gain support from the city of Tao-Chou and to aid Yu Jing in his negotiations there. He was attacked by bandits on his way to the city and died of his wounds in 1256. However, the efforts of Yu Jing saw the city pledge military support to the Empire. An Zhao was tasked with defence of the Empire and gathered the three thousand horse from Yanzhi as well as the newly raised cavalry in Lanzhou to his banner. He was stationed in Kansu but saw little action during these years outside the local tea houses.