Lords of the Earth 

CAMPAIGN TWENTY-FOUR

Peace in India ~ Defeat for the West

Turn 57

1281 ~ 1285 Anno Domini
643 ~ 647 in the year of the Hegira

New for T57

Non-player rules update: I’ve updated the NPN rules to fit better with the Lord’s system. Please check them out.

New for T56

New movement and action rules: I know that they didn’t meet with overall approval last time around but I will be implementing the proposed movement/action rules for T57 (see here). Any current player that takes them up will be given a 2 turn bonus to their credits but they can continue to use the current method for the time being. All new players will have to use them. I’d rather stick to the standard rules but there is no way Lords is sustainable as a long-term game (and I want 24 to be long-term) unless there is some simplification for the GM.

The areas that cause me the most processing grief are movement, AP calculation and garrison changes.

New for T53

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. Also, Primate, Order and Secret Empire positions are not eligible for marriage bonuses. These are meant to be diplomatic arrangements between sovereign states.

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.

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

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

Eastern Europe

The Varangian Rus of Kiev

(Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
Peter, King of the Rus

Peter married from the Kievian nobility and ruled from his court in Kiev after the death of Queen Svetlana in 1282. Prince Gregori received some new recruits before moving further south and west to find the Bulgari. Sadly, old age caught up with the old Prince and he died of a fever before the horde was found. It was then left to Alexandrovich and Mikailovich to lead the army. Their force of fifteen thousand men met the horde on the plains of Pechneg. The Rus faced the Bulgari twelve thousand men and their wagons. The Bulgari forces also included the remnants of the Eflak tribe. The Bulgari were caught by surprise as Alexandrovich and Mikailovich implemented Gregori’s plan. The horde was pushed out of Pechneg and into Moldavia, although four thousand Rus would never return to Kiev. Chasing the horde into Moldavia the Rus generals met stouter resistance. Mikailovich was captured by the Bulgari as the counter-attacked and in the chaos that followed the Rus panicked. Alexandrovich fled to Kiev with all that could follow. Sadly, just over two thousand cavalry made it to Kiev. The Bulgari faired better, seven thousand warriors remained to protect their wagons..

The Ests

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

Colonists were sent to the desolate lands of Vologda to expand Estonian borders further. Andrus succumbed to a fever late in 1285 and it was left to Prince Konrad to take control of the Kingdom. Meanwhile, the nobility looked towards securing the defence of the Kingdom.

The Grand Duchy of Poland

(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Ziemowit Poznan III, Grand Duke of Poland

The crusaders raised in Poland were given decent weapons and equipment to replace the pitchforks and hoes there had grabbed in their zeal to avenge the Christians of the east.  Ziemowit Poznan ruled from Poland and was blessed with more offspring. Prince Mieszko took command of the Polish army of eight thousand men and headed south. He had a couple of slightly successful years trying to convince the Count of Volhynia to join with Poland before moving on to Moldavia where he attacked the Bulgari Bogdan. Unknown to the Poles, the Rus had recently been defeated by the Bulgari and forced back to Kiev. The Bulgari were left with seven thousand men to protect their wandering tribe but these were of a much greater quality then the Polish. Despite Mieszko’s obvious leadership skills, the Polish were caught in a trap and slaughtered by the Bulgari. For barely any loss to the Bulgari, the entire Polish army was wiped out. The Prince managed to escape back to Volhynia after the defeat of the Polish force. Prince Plast was unsuccessful in trying to convince the Hungarians to ally with the Polish against the Infidel to the south.

 

Scandia and the Out Isles

Jarldom of Orkeneyjar

(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Erik Nicolson, Jarl of Orkney

A great fortress was built in Ulster and gold sent to the allies of Orkneyjar to help train the quality of their navies. Attempts to kill King Olaf Arnoldson of the Svear failed when his bodyguards slew the attackers. The unexpected death of Nicholas Larrson in 1281 saw Erik Nicolson take to the throne. He declared his brother Jotun as his heir until his son Baldar came of age. The religious zeal of the Orkneys dimmed slightly as Erik successfully argued the case for science rather than faith in these troubled times. Feric and Harald were to join the Crusade to the East with the re-equipped Orkney Crusaders. Hildegard overcame local resentment at being told what to do by a woman to raise an Order House for the Hammer of God in Thorshaven. Meanwhile, the two representatives of the Anacletan and Marteau de Dieu Orders, Brother Charles and Francois, explored the North American coast down as far as Chesapeake Bay before returning with the rutters to Kirkval.

Saxon Kingdom of England

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

The walls of the Tower of London were greatly improved and the surrounding slums cleared. The Crusaders raised in London for the war in the East were re-equipped to improve their chances against the infidel. Much gold was sent to both France and Germany to help with the Crusade. While King Arthwin ruled from London, Lord Barney the Bold moved onto Venice where he met up with the Lord Neumann who had travelled with the Crusaders from London.

 

Western Europe

Heiliges Romisches Reich

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

Quiet times for the Holy Roman Empire.

 

 

 

 

Norman Kingdom of France

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

In Cherbourg a great number of Cogs where commissioned for the nation’s merchants. Limousin was greatly improved with a new canals and irrigation systems. The region also benefited from a Royal Road down to Aquitaine. Raymond died in 1282 and Prince Jean took control of the kingdom.  After guiding the English crusaders through French territory, Bertrand convinced the Count of Metz to become part of King Jean’s demesne. The Bishop Alberic had some success with the lands of Hainaut, gaining a valuable alliance. Robert was in command of the French crusaders, numbering nearly twelve thousand men before he was joined by Tancred and his five thousand zealots.

Principality of Salerno

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

The Crusaders in Naples were provided with swift horses and given rudimentary training before Vincenzo escorted them to the main Crusader army. Ricardo ruled from Campania and oversaw the successful plans to break Prince Hector out of prison. Bishop Masconi extolled his troops in a great mass undertaken before the Crusaders moved on Attica. His forces then swept down through the Uighur lands. The Crusaders were comprised of the Anacletans under Ramone, the French under Robert and the Salernians under Bishop Masconi and Petru. In all roughly 80000 Ctusader’s descended on the Uighur army. The Uighurs were led by Ediz and numbered one-fifth of the Crusaders. Despite the difference in numbers the Crusader’s were at first held by the Ediz. Five thousand French and Anacletans were to die along with twelve thousand Salernians. However, the losses amongst the defenders were also high with nearly ten thousand Uighurs dead or missing. When the Crusaders attacked again the weakened Uighurs were no match for their numbers and Ediz surrendered after losing most of his army. He pledged fealty to the Bishop and Salerno. With the defeat of the Uighurs and their pledge of fealty to Salerno, Bishop Masconi moved onto the prize that was Constantinople. The Crusader’s hearts fell when they saw the mighty Moslem host arrayed before them even though they were strengthened by The English under Lord Neumann and Bishop Ambrose, more French under Tancred and the Orkneymen under Feric and Harald. The Buwayids had not prepared for the battle but they numbered nearly twenty five thousand elite cavalry, twelve thousand infantry and twenty squadrons of elephants. They were also accompanied by a further eight thousand axillaries and engineers. Disorder reigned throughout the Crusader camp and despite their zeal and the defenders seemingly lack of preparation, it was their might that undone the Christians. The Anacletans were at the forefront of the fighting along with Lord Barney the ‘Bold’ of England and paid the price for their bravery. Conrado de Aragon was trampled to death by Buwayid elephants and Barney wounded as he sought to rescue him. Seeing the carnage Ramone panicked and fled the field, although the remaining Order knights held their positions. It was when the Bishop Masconi was wounded by a Buwayid counter-attack that the Crusaders started to fold. Panic spread throughout the army and soon brave knights were fleeing for their lives. The Buwayids gave no quarter and the whole Crusader host was destroyed during their flight. For their part the Moslem lost a mere three thousand cavalry.

The Papal States

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

Throughout Christendom, new edifices to God were raised. The great Cathedral of St James was built in Genoa to provide an administrative seat for the Pope’s northern churches. Missionaries are active throughout Europe with Sicily especially benefiting from the Papal envoys. Cardinal Pierleoni successfully consecrated a new Monastery in Burgone before his death of a flux. Cardinal Ottobuono also succumbed to old age during at his estate in Latium.

The Akramid Caliphate

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

The defence of Moslem Spain was improved with better walls for all of the nation’s fortresses and cities. A large force of eight thousand elite cavalry were raised in Seville in case of any Christian incursion into Tiroman’s lands. Missionaries in Santiago saw most of the stubborn Christians in the city convert to Islam. The city pledged more gold to Tiroman’s treasury in return for his protection. Derth took a few light galleys and explored south through the seas of West Africa.

 

The Anacletan Order

(Roman Catholic Civilised Religious Order)
Conrad de Aragon, Grandmaster of the Anacletan Order, Scourge of Islam

Houses for the Order were built in Calania, Taranto and Corfu. Two thousand light cavalry were raised for Conrado in Santa Maria. Conrado transferred control of Anacletan fleet to Phillip in Olbia before returning to Santa Maria to collect the cavalry and travel to join the Crusade. His departure from Catalonia was several months before Aragon’s attack.

 

The Kingdom of Aragon

(Roman Catholic Civilised Open Empire)
Pedro, King of Aragon and Castile

Pedro took full advantage of the Anacletan’s absence on the Crusade to move his forces into Catlonia. Commanded by Ernesto and Roberto, the Spanish army of fourteen thousand men moved north from Valencia. Virtually defenceless, the region easily fell to the attackers and Pedro claimed the valuable Catalan lands as his own. Ernesto was wounded in the clash and finally died of these wounds in 1284.

 

The Middle East and Africa

The Buwayid Sultanate

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

The Buwayids were unprepared for the Crusader’s attack on Constantinople but did not let this detract from a great victory over the audacious Christians.

 

 

The Ayyubid Sultanate

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

The great Ayyubid dynasty comes to end with the death of the Sultan in 1276. The new Sultan prepares to  rejoin the fray.

 

 

 

Al-Khulafa'ur Rashidun       

(Sunni Islam Civilized Religious Primate)
Zaahir al Shiraj, Kaliph

Rashidun missionaries were active in Isauria, where the small Catholic minority was finally converted, Thessaly, Attica and Epirus; although they had no success in Epirus, a number of converts were gained in the other regions. Rashidun agents had spent many years infiltrating the Salernese army based in Sicily and finally convinced some officers that they would be better off severing their ties with Naples and taking control of an independent Sicily. Stefan was murdered by these officers while conducting a routine inspection and a large number of the army there joined with them. Loyal supporters of Ricardo returned to Naples. Prince Hector escaped from jail minutes before Rashidun assassins turned up to murder the Prince. The Bishop Masconi thanked God that Ricardo had provided him with able bodyguards as they fought off an attempt on his life. Al’Adana was expanded in Cilicia and a new Monastery built in Thrace. A Grand Mosque, rivalling the cathedrals of Christendom, was built in Madeira. A Monastery was also built in Media through the efforts of Ahmed Al Hinai.

The Al’Bahri

(Sunni Islam Civilized Religious Order)
Umar, Sultan of the Ayyubids

The Sea Lords remained at their estates in Carsk.

Ar Rassid Imamat as Sa'Na    

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Sheik Umar

Trade was re-established with the Saffarids from Ra’s ad Daqm at the behest of Sheik Umar. Otherwise the Arabian kingdom kept to itself during these years, the Sheik concentrating on defending his shores against pirates and invaders.

Usama-Yoruba Onium of Ibo

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

The cities of Kimbau-Salah, Gorouol, Mbouda and Akwanga benefited from the largesse of the king’s treasury. The clergy of Ibo finally made sense of the Torah and presented their findings to Mahabharata  who spent these years deliberating the benefits of converting to Judaism whilst trying to convince the people of Gorouol of his good intentions. Ibana led the Iboan army of retribution throughout the Adjou lands of Sijilmasa, Arguin and Iguidir, leaving a trail of desolation and death in his wake.

 

The Mwene-Mutapa Empire

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

More warriors were added to the army in Manekweni as well adding to the Ihlosi Ibutho, or Panther Warriers, for Nyambo. Gorongo finally saw the light of Unkunkulu and converted to the state religion of Mapungubwe. Uffu also remained in Gorongo where he managed to convince the elders of the region of Nyambo’s peaceful intentions. Elewah had no success in Herero though and the stubborn tribe remained independent.

 

 

The East

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

 

India

Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj

(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Rajiv, Raja of Kaunaj

The war of attrition with the Thatonese finally ended with both sides declaring peace. The forces of Kaunaj withdrew from their conquests and returned to their lands. As a precaution, the fortifications of Kosala, Chandela, Rajput, Vatsa and Uttar Pradesh were improved. The road to Pundra was completed, securing links with that region. Rajiv ruled the kingdom from Kaunaj while it was left to Mohandas to recruit some more mercenaries from the city. Old Prince Gyan died during his tenure in Gaur city while Prince Om, Kundeep and Rajiv the Other started to repair the relationship with Kalinga. The old Raja of Jaunpur returned home from Ava and started to restore his force to its full strength. It was left to Brahmin Nath to pull the Rajputi forces out of Thaton and back to Palas.

The Western Dhara

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

The Dharan army was augmented with over four thousand new recruits, including heavy chariots and cavalry. The lands of Pawar and Vengi were fortified against possible retaliation. Dharan assassins almost killed the Raja of Tripuri but were thwarted at the last by his bodyguards; their heads adorned the walls of Tripuri. Prince Pajama III took his men into Kakatiya. The Dharan army of ten thousand men were met by the mainly cavalry Tripuri force of eight thousand. Pajama III was outwitted by the defenders and forced to attack through dense forest. The unfamiliar territory caused a rout amongst the Dharans and they fled to Vengi, five thousand of their number dead or lost. The defenders losses were minimal. Raja Pajama took ill early in 1281 and barely managed to hand over command of the army to Talmanac before his death. His son took over control of the Kingdom after failing to defeat the Tripuri at Kakatiya. He was also unsuccessful in trying to lure the Pandya away from Ceylon. Paga also died in 1281 the victim of a heart attack.. Talmanac took command of the Dharan army and moved through Satava to Pawar where he launched an attack on the Tripuri heartland of Dehala. Dehela was strongly defended with eight thousand men and several forts throughout the region and so despite Talmanac’s tactical ability the Dharans were forced to withdraw. Again the Dharan forces were routed and Talmanac lost his life along with his men for minimal losses to the defenders.

The Palas of Bengal

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

To protect themselves against further retaliation from Thaton, a Great Wall was constructed around Palas and Gaur and fortifications improved in Gaur and Maghada. Prince Sanjay took control of the throne from his mother Harshita who then retired from public life. The city of Jarawa was constructed on the Andaman Islands, overseen by Rom who transported the colonists from Tamralipti to the islands. Sadly the old general died during the final crossing and failed to see the city completed. His body was sent to the gods by the Brahmin Gandhi who had accompanied him on his journey. Geeta gathered the Bengali troops from around the conquered Thatonese lands and pulled them back to Palas.

The Order of the Dagger

The cessation of hostilities with the northern Ghazni and the Hindus meant that support for the Order began to dwindle. Several of their sites were abandoned as local support started to dry up.

 

South East Asia and the Islands

The Dai Kingdom of Annam

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

The Annamese were still finding it hard to recover from the Mongol invasions of years past.

Kambujadesa

(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Vireakboth, Emperor of the Khmer

A great number of merchant ships were purchased for use as fishing fleets for the kingdom. Fortifications were built throughput the kingdom to improve security from any possible attack. Khmer colonists were transported to Tengah by Heng Huynh. Jao the Zealot was tasked with converting more of the Buddhists of Siam, a task he undertook with relish.

The Kingdom of Thaton

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Ratana Nai-Thim, King of the Thaton

Now that peace had broken out on Thaton’s western border, Ratana Nai-Thim spent these years repairing the damage from the war and rebuilding the merchant fleet. Kalinga was left to the Hindus as part of the peace process but the Hindus agreed to withdraw from Thaton’s lands to their east. After meddling with the fishing fleets of Moulmein, Songkhla and Kadaram, Ratana Nai-Thim ruled his now peaceful kingdom from Thaton. The rest of the nobility were commanded to keep a watchful eye on the Hindus in case of treachery.

 

Manchu’ko and Nihon

The Minamoto Shogunate

(Shinto Civilised Open Empire)
Daiei Yasumori, Shogun of the East

With the Taira all but defeated, Eiroku Minamoto decided to improve the lands of his shogunate and to increase his fishing fleets; he had no desire to return to the famines of previous years. Despite a concerted effort by the nation’s priests, there was no progress made in converting the lands of Aomori, Shikoku and Shimane. Minamoto led his force of seemingly overwhelming numbers across the straits to Saga. Supported by the fleet of over one hundred warships, the Minamoto army consisted of nearly thirty thousand men while the Taira shogunate could muster seven thousand men in their defence. Despite this disadvantage the Taira forces managed to intercept the Minamoto army as they were landing on Saga. Eiroku badly misjudged the difficulty in landing his men on the island and was caught struggling against stiff resistance. His army was forced to pull back to Yamaguchi with most of his fleet lost in the shallows. The defenders lost about one thousand men. Eiroku Minamoto died shortly after the defeat by the resurgent Taira. His heir Daiei Yasumori took over the shogunate on his death. Kuoda Hanbei laid claim to the far lands of the Kazan Retto.

The Goryeo Kingdom

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

The troops stationed in Po Yang received better equipment at the behest of Wang Insu. The king himself took up residence in Kai-Ching began his rule from the city. Goryeon missionaries were active in Mudan where the province became Buddhist. Hyo Pong was thrown from his horde while patrolling the kingdom’s borders from Pusan and died from his injuries shortly afterwards. Some of the older nobility also passed away during these years as their age caught up with Young Sha and Shin Jo. Gold and arms were sent to Manchou to aid the ally there to improve the quality of his army.

The Land under Heaven

The Kingdom of Koueichou

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

Tai’De in Ghand’De grew in size and its walls rebuilt to encompass the growing population. Szechwan recruits were sent to Kweichou to bolster the allies forces. Over two thousand men were raised in Szechwan for Sai To. Dai Shang was made heir to the kingdom by Queen Dai Ling. Her other son also came to court to assist in running the kingdom.

The Empire of the Western Song

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

Seven thousand elite cavalry were raised in Chang’An for the garrison there. Ordos saw the benefit of joining with the Song as great improvements were made to their lands. A road linking the Song lands with those of the Koueichou was completed in Chiennan. The wild nomads of Karatao were converted to Buddhism by Song missionaries working out of Ordos. While Zhi Heng ruled his kingdom, Prince Zhi Hu spent these years in talks with the ruler of Ordos, supported by Yu Zhang.

The Middle Kingdom of Kaifeng

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Zhou Ming, King of Kaifeng

The Middle Kingdom kept to itself and contemplated the celestial orb.

The Kingdom of Chiangning

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Song Wei, King of Chiangning

Song Wei improved the roads and bridges throughout his kingdom, linking Nanjing and Tai Pei with the capital. His efforts were focussed on improving relations with the important city of Tai Pei; requesting a bride for his son Song Tao.

 

The Kingdom of Chiangling

A new sense of national pride swept through the nation of Chiangling as they attemped to expand their borders at the expense of the Chengsi. Their army of forty thousand men swept through Kwangsi but were defeated in Chekiang when their general was killed by Chengsi defenders; over half their army was wiped out