TerraNES: The Civil Experiment

Khand

As Dakinsa looks outward once more, their growing dominance of Khand is never more secured. The Kali Temple brought home a domestic shrine for the faithful, even as their trade ships became ever more aggressive across the world. Massive fleets were sent to far off fables of “Zanzibah” and “Xilan”. Wealth flowed into the Capital and her subject cities as Rajs and Rajpaylas grew wealthy off the excesses and barbarians aligned themselves with their paymasters. And yet, as this time period nears its end a strange discord can be felt in the air. (+RC++Domestic++Trade+Culture+Confidence)

The Axumite colony in Somalia they would have to rely on supplies has fallen to the natives. The colonial fleet, nearly out of supplies, returned to their base where their starved colonies joined the already existing population, swelling the town into the hills.
(+1 ep refunded form failed colony)

Several of the nearby Axumite colonies are even raising the question of forming their own, Khand Sea League separate from their indebted, destitute and defeated homeland. Others, looking at the great subsidies of the Dakinsan government and its growing fleet, wish to join the its already existing system instead. Axum has maintained its garrisons in the area, but still they grow ever more restless.

And their great expedition sent to the fabled east failed to return. Over fifty longboats and larger, barge-like trade ships have departed from the rebuilding ex-capital of Atanka, but only three messenger ships returned at their played stages, the others are lost in the void: as some say, fell off the edge of the world.

And their allies are beginning to agitate as well. The sailors of Gujarat, who once introduced the sea to their Dakinsan allies and traded alongside them, are increasingly shut out of a market dominated by their elsewhile friends. A raging debate begun as chief butted heads with chief, some calling to join Dakinsa, others to invade it, and still others to turn their attention to the hopefully bountiful interior they had been slowly colonizing, and to expedite the process with bronze and blood.

So too, does debate rage in the Daretokiman kingdom. The Retokiman merchant lords of the Padavari wanted to stage a coup of the defunt dynasty, so that they can form a large army (hopefully of the vagabonds that are appearing in increasing numbers) and completely conquer the Bengali tribes of the south. The mercenary forces, mostly composed of wandering Aryan and Gujarati youths, battled and failed to destroy the Royal Army, but with the southern nobles already at a tipping point, this incited them to rebel. Even as the south turn into a blood bath around the last remaining loyal district, the Padavari rebuilt their army and sought to tempt the now weakened Royalists for a second attempt to “save” the collapsing empire.

The quickened flow of Aryan youths into Daretokimas, obstinently to fight for one (or both sides) of the rapidly expanding civil war led to growing border conflicts. Aryan chiefs wished their men to fight for glory in the war to the south, formerly loyal Aryans begun turning their opinions against the Dakinsan government even as other loyal Aryan tribes, denuded of their able-bodied men, are destroyed and absorbed by hostile ones. The Gujarati Macemen, by now almost a relic of a simpler, more barbaric age, fought mace to dagger in these internecine border conflicts. (-2 Gujarati Macemen)


Xilan

The marching men all know this was to be the final battle. The Luncheshou have broken through the front line, chased away their fathers and laid siege to the frontier strongholds, which are even now falling, one by one. But they have even more on their shoulders than their fathers. They will not only fight for themselves, for Jinyi, and for their families, but they will fight for time so that the future of the greatest civilization in the center of the world can be sowed into the mountains and grow new orchards of thought. They are fighting for time, so they kept their pace. Raising great clouds of dust, maintaining constant camps and fighting off their opposing skirmishers they push the Horde back into familiar territory. Their general watched for a smoke signal to the east, and nodded. The great standard was pointed northward and held for ten minutes as the army assembled. Another day of march.

In the rugged hills the men of the Horde avoided, lurked regiments of the Silent Guard. They have sworn secret oaths to dedicate their life and death to ensuring the survival of Jinyi. They ignore the pain, the weariness as they force marched north, hidden behind the ridge and the great show their brethren in the normal army put for the assembling horde. From their skirmishers a report came back; the plan goes on schedule as the distant bright standard lowered and rose. They will march, and they will strike.

Near the open sea men roiled in activity in the great fleet of the Jinyi. From the tub-like ocean striders to the first few longships and even to the escorted curraghs, men in armor polished and practiced, preparing for the final battle. They had lit a fire of wet wood at dawn, their signal to the men inland as the smoky mist rose infront of the fiery dawn. It was a red dawn, a portent of the battle that laid ahead. Duty done, the anchor was risen and it sailed from

Far to the south, marches a very different group. From Xilatang came twenty thousand women and children. Another twenty thousand emerge from La Yang, followed by thirty thousand from intervening villages and towns. These seventy thousand are joined by fifty thousand from the lands of former Zhangate and thirty thousand from the Man duchies to the east. Ten thousand men, only a thousand of them trained, took it upon themselves under the command of Qian and Xin to lead these vulnerable to the distant mountains.

While Qian rallied and cajoled these hundred and sixty thousand people, giving speeches and supporting morale, his more collected twin Xin took it upon himself to organize food, water, shelter and scouting. Together, the collective peoples of Jinyi took themselves in search of Zhanggu, a mystical valley safely in the mountains.

It was around noon. The main Jinyinese army, arrayed in its splendor of bronze weapons and armor, silk banners and flags, stood before the Luncheshou horde. Facing two thousand survivors of the Jinyi military stood five thousand Lunche veterans, nearly five hundred chariots, and another twenty thousand raiders and hunters. Ontop of the sacred hill watched the Great Khan of the Luncheshou. It had taken him longer than expected to regroup his raiding parties to face this threat, but now, under the watchful eyes of heaven, he will destroy the Jinyinese resistance once and for all in a single blow.

Even better, the enemy was, due to their small numbers, unable to anchor their flanks to the uncrossable water to the east or the impassible badlands to the west. He will overlap their flanks. There shall be no retreat.

He looked to heaven, promising it a bloody victory, then lowered his great warspear, signaling a general advance. A war horn blew, and the first few clans of his assembled army launched their assault. As they neared the Jinyinese lines, two thousand arrows darkened the sky and fell upon the lighty-armored attackers. Even as they staggered from this blow another struck them. The fierce raiding of the steppes have not prepared them for such an onslaught and they retreat, leaving several hundred bodies on the plains.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have ordered a simple assault. Even so, a probing attack like that would go unquestioned. A flourish of his spear and a snap of the banner upon it ordered a standard attack. A screen of raiders and hundreds were brought out on chariots onto the battle field. Leaping off, they rushed from body to body, slinging stones and arrows at the Jinyinese lines, dueling with the archers. Behind them crawled three thousand warriors hiding under the dust and distraction posed by the skirmishers. With a shout and a cry they rose as one and rushed the Jinyinese lines, striking with barely a single volley striking their mass. They hacked at the beetle-like armored weaklings, who returned the favor with axes and spears.

With the enemy thus anchored, the Great Khan moved his own archers up to pour plunging fire on the enemy reserves while he gathered his elite troops and his warlord charioteers to outflank the enemy and end the battle.

Suddenly, a great clash was heard from the east, and he turned to see a smaller, but fierce Jinyinese force seemingly emerging from the surf to set upon his left flank. This attack tore apart his gathering assault team and put the undisciplined nomads to flight. Annoying, but easy to solve. He sent his unneeded right reserve and flank-guards to charge the left, while shifting the balance of the battle to receive both forces on the angle of a single line.

He then took himself back to the right flank and prepared a charge. They will strike the joint between the two combining armies, and roll up both lines at the same time as the infantry following behind them overwhelm the shocked axemen. His victory will be total, and all Jinyi will f…

A soft *slurp* interrupted his thoughts. He looked down to see a dully gleaming blade thrust through his chest. It silently removed himself and he fell to his knees as he chocked on his own blood. As he watched, the padded specters- the Silent Guard- moved through his nobles and the cream of his horde like a hot poker through yak butter. The only sound was the soft splurting of blood as each and every one were killed.

He watched as he fell upon his face how even more unsound warriors emerged from the hills… those impassible hills! And smashed into his weakened right. And even as his vision faded, the creaking of the Young Khan’s Xiong chariots reached his ears. And he knew that without his own chariots, the hordlings would never fight their way out of this trap alive.

Heaven turned his face away from him as he closed his eyes and died.

Ten thousand Hordlings and their families surrendered, but Emperor Shang knew that the full might of the Horde, still over two hundred thousand strong, is still heading southward and that his force cannot withstand them all at once. Therefore he gave the Young Khan, of the name Zhao Kule, authority over the Northern Plains and troops and overlordship over the surrendered hordlings. Then Shang returned to organize the new Shangyi’s economy for a war of survival and gather new armies. The Xiong Khanate grew rapidly with Shangyi patronage and Lunche captives. Soon, they strike, skirmish, and smash each hordling as they attempt to pass southward, decimating most forces and convincing others to remain in the icy northern plains.

As the Horde slowly broke apart, a single final strike emerged about six years from that crucial, if unnamed, battle. Fifty thousand warriors broke through Zhao Khan’s lines and raced south, smashed Shang’s army outside of La Yang and then taking the second-oldest Xilatang city in history by assault, simply overwhelming the defenders. As they succumbed in an orgy of plunder and pillage, Shang and Zhao organized new armies and besieged the city, starving each and every warrior in the brutal winter that followed. That was the last time the two friends saw each other as they returned to Xilatang and the north alike, struggling against both internal and external foes. That, too, was the last time the Luncheshou openly threatened a city of Shangyi, although hordlings still threatened all across the valley.

In the chaos of Shang’s wartorn rule, the Jinyi lands were changed forever as individual territories left Shangyi for their own course. The north remained lost, a hundred years of irrigation projects and pumping systems destroyed by hooves and axes, with both Shang and Zhao finding their hands full with limiting the damage. The Navy, unable to be funded by the land-oriented Shangyi government, eventually found patron with the increasingly independent Man Duchies of Wei and Zhou begin reestablishing themselves. The far west lands of the former Zhang Kingdom descend into a group of loosely affiliated confederacies towns centered around Xi’an and Louyang, both officially loyal to Shangyi but in reality increasing their role in their provinces much greater than was allotted.

All across Xilan, scattered Jinyi colonies are taken over by native governments, while the large colony between Korea and Jinyi deposed their heavy-handed taxation officers and declared a mercantilist Yang Republic, which seeks to stop payment for a war they feel that does not concerns them and focus on trade with Korea and a unified Japan.

Why has all this occurred? Discontent over the “Flight of the Jin” divided many governors in their trust of the new Shangyi. Even the appointment of Shang himself, although a capable and visionary leader, rankles many. He proves to be heavy handed and heavy taxing as the war moves on to pay for his army he claims is defending them all. As the provinces claimed more and more ancient liberties and titles, he avoided anatagonizing them further as long as the taxes kept arriving. He avoided bringing the Yang to line as long as they maintain their ports and send (a smaller) tribute. He avoided riling the Man duchies as long as they maintain the Shangyi fleets for him. He avoided annoying Xi’an and Louyang as long as they maintained the flow of materiel and ores he needed to wage his wars.

When the first Shang died and left a much diminished Shangyi to his war-toughened son, the Nomads are still extent, if no longer a civilization wide danger. The Xiong Khanate remained loyal: for now. And tribute replaced taxes as Shangyi’s direct control grew to less than a third of that it was during Jinyi’s height.

One would think that Huai would take advantage of this situation by expanding into the former Man areas and claim the mantle of both peoples, but a complicating situation prevented his as their small army was handled a devastating defeat by angry Yueh tribes. Half of their army was consumed in a punitive strike against a Yueh chief, and another was lost in the attempt to limit the damage. Anger is rising against Huai’s imposing of Daoist ideas much like Xiyi attempted with Confucianism those many years ago, and governance of the Yangtze gorges are more tenuous than ever before. Even though they annexed the ancient Jinyinese treaty port, they are facing many troubles they must overcome.

In Korea, both Seoul and Pusan became wealthy from Xila and Yamato refugees while funding wars in both lands. The conflict over the internal bronze mines lead to the rise of the Silla Kingdom as one tribe conquered the others and established a monopoly on the rich copper mines of the interior. The three states quickly begin feuding over trade and borders, but not yet outright war.

In Japan, nearly three centuries since the Sun Winked, the Yamato are finally united under the Kato banner. It had taken hundreds of thousands of lives, but excitement grew as one Kitano fortress after another fell, surrendered, or starved to death before the Japanese onslaught. The Ainu gained much prestige for destroying Shimane, and became a great power on the island in its own right- they hope that they will be able to negotiate the future between the two powers and that the Japanese will allow the Ainu to live their traditional lives- and that they will crush the Japanese while they are weak if they refuse.

Indeed, the united Japan is surprisingly weak. The society is top-heavy, with a large military class constantly culled of members unable to achieve the necessary kill/battle ratio. Slaves are becoming ever more rare although still present enough to sustain the current economy, the new Kitano lands are almost barren of cultivation. Some think that they should import slaves, others feel that they should take slaves from their former Ainu allies. Some even think that they should take slaves from Korea itself, maintaining their Ainu alliance for food and survival until they have their lands returned to the proper cultivation. Needless to say, the Seoul and Pusan diplomats watch the Emperor carefully as ever more reports of starvation and failed revolts enter his court.

-3 First Buertgang Coastal Fort appears
-6 War for Southern Ostava Begins
-7 Ostavan Army Deserts
-8 Eleven Days Campaign
-9 Three Days Battle, Siege of Senoa begins
-10 Coastal forts appear outside every major Buertgang city
-11 Fall of Senoa
-12 The Sortie
-13 Druids reach the Loire river
-15 Coastal forts successfully stopped a major raid on the Buertgang capital
-16 Druids clear out the Loire Valleys
-19 Coastal forts have shut down Dumonon raids
-21 First victory of the New Lancers destroys a patrolling spearmen company
-23 Dumonos authorizes first mass raids
-25 Battle of the False Flag, Buertgang begins raiding Armorican Loirelands to pin their army down
-26 Siege of Dumonos begins, Fall of Lundien
-27 Woad invade Dumonos, Vahshallah raids on Ostava begins
-28 Dumonos returning expeditionary army stalled by failed Buertgang invasion
-29 Massacre of the Nine Thousand
-30 Dumonos Falls, Cleansing of Dumonos begins
-33 Buertgang ends siege of Souisson, Vahshallah raids disrupt Armorica in earnest
-36 Buertgang breaks through Loire defenses
-37 Cleansing of Dumonos ends, Sortie of Souisson fails
-38 Sortie of Parisii fails outside of Ipren territory
-39 Vahshallh invades Armorica
-43 Vahshallah and Buertgang link up forces
-46 Major setback as the Trinitarians and Unsullied destroys a Buertgang besieging force
-49 That city falls, completely surrounding Morn, Buertgang moves into the countryside.
-50 Vahshallah begins siege of that northern city.