DKVM is Darius for now, but later on I intend to give charge of Persia to an actual Persian . I do intend to represent the Parthians eventually. Darius is already around 80 years old and in this timeline he would die of old age shortly after Bessus' execution.
unfortunately no. I'm setting a rule from now, that if I intend to give charge of a country to make decisions of war/peace/vassalizations preference will be given to a player of that nationality and that one country would be managed by only one player. Exceptions will be made as the situation demands it like the Persian vote which I conducted.
@DKVM : After America spawns we'll see what we'll do .
@VGL : I intend to make a parthian spawn event. The last update ended in 184 BC basically the next two or three updates will show the last of the Mauryas. We'll see Ashoka next. The next two turns will see the Parthians rise. Just wait for me to get to that point in the updates .
The rule of Samrat Chandragupt and Bindusar was remembered as a period of peace and reconstruction. Whilst resources were still directed towards warfare, with one of the largest standing armies in the world, the Mauryan empire ( as it was now being called ) could smite any opponent that neighbored it. One of the major legacies of the diarchy was to establish a lasting peace in Magadh.
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Generations after generations had known only violence and rioting in Magadh, to the point that fear had become an inseparable part of their lives. Rebellion and tyranny had become the standard in Magadh. It was under Chandragupt and Bindusara that Magadh, and Pataliputra found peace at last.
With peace achieved with the blood of victory, it was decided that funding for scientific research be re-established. the Gurukuls and libraries returned to researching the secrets of Horseback riding. Much of this work was decoding pre-historic texts retrieved from ruins of stables and villages strewn across Gandhar and Harappa.
However, the greeks would not live in Peace, despite being nearly destroyed. The death of Alexander would be an earth shaking event which wrecked the confidence of the greek armies and threw the empire into a chaotic spiral, till Seleucus Nikator succeeded in establishing order. He would secure the unity of the splintering Diadochi with the fear of a common enemy. There were two common enemies for the Greeks, to the South the remnants of the Egyptian kingdoms, and to the East the Great Mauryan empire.
A state of war affected world trade which flourished with india as its centre. Trade between Europe and Asia would come to a complete halt. The link between East and West forged by the diplomacy of earlier rulers and their successors, was shattered by Alexander's invasion and now by Seleucus Nikator.
Nevertheless, with most of India united, vast resources could be pooled together. Under the Mauryas, Bharata could sense real unity and not simple overlordship to the ruler seated in Magadh. During this time, Chandragupt came under the influence of a saint named Bhadrabahu. Under his influence, Chandragupt veered more and more towards asceticism. Chanakya could not stop him, nor did he try.
His primary duties as a Samrat were at an end. The borders of Bharat were successfully defended and expanded, her economy was enriched, peace was ensured throughout the realm, and Bharat had found its place among the greatest of nations. When Bindusara became a father of prince Ashok, Chandragupt announced his retirement from the throne. Thus, the diarchy peaceably passed onto a singular autocracy, under the rule of Samrat Bindusara. Chandragupt Maurya would go down in history, as one of the greatest monarchs that this land had been blessed with.
During the diarchy, it was said that Chandragupt and Chanakya acted, while Bindusara watched. In truth, Bindusara was not even the shadow of his father. More often than not, he would come under the influence of his mistress Subandhu.
Bindusara, was named for the way he was born. It is said, that Durdhara, his mother, had mistakenly ingested some medicinal poison which was reserved for Chandragupt. When the moment of childbirth came, the poison made it so, that only one could be saved, either the child or the mother. It was then that Chanakya made the difficult choice for Chandragupt, and saved the child at the expense of the mother.
The truth of this was kept a secret, confined to a handful of nurses one of whom was the mother of Subandhu. She was wary of the influence that Chanakya may have over the samrat and intended to be the second most powerful in the realm, so she conspired. "I know who killed your mother samrat" she whispered into Bindusara's ears "Who?" "Your wise and trusted Prime Minister, Acharya Vishnugupt Chanakya" . In truth, it was Durdhara herself, who gave the order to save the heir, sacrificing herself for the future of the line and the realm. Chanakya merely obliged her, yet for Bindusara, the testament of Subandhu was enough to implicate Chanakya.
Bindusara faced chanakya the next day, demanding to know the truth about the death of his mother. It was then, that Chanakya broke the oath he swore upon the dying breath of Durdhara, that he would not let the truth of her sacrifice be known. At the end he posed a question before Bindusara, "Would the samrat of Bharata hold the word of a concubine higher than that of he who had faithfully served every king of Magadh from Mahapadmanand to your father, the Chakravartin Samrat Chandragupt !?" to this Bindusara had no answer.
Chanakya felt insulted and humiliated. After over four decades of faithful service to the empire, he could not tolerate being charged with a murder he did not commit. the Acharya resigned in protest and left Magadh never to return. What happened to him afterwards is not known, but some say that Subandhu had him killed with poison while on his way back to Takshashila.
The post of the Prime Minister was vacant for five whole years. The duties of the Prime Minister fell to the hands of the samrat, who became notorious for doing nothing. Old projects begun at the time of Chandragupt Maurya, notably the ashram in Pataliputra and the training of sword fighters and axemen were continued. That was.. until Bindusara's son became Prime Minister.
Among the first acts after the establishment of diarchy was military reform. The exchequer was bleeding and mercenary troops had drained a considerable part of funds. The mercenaries therefore, had to be retired. Dravidian, Kushan and Elamite armies left for their homelands, carrying with them the seeds of India's culture and religion.
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But the full conquest of Bharatvarsha had not been achieved. As governor of Kashi, Ashoka had earned a sinister reputation for cruelty. The people called him "ChandAshok", Ashoka the cruel. His method of ensuring law and order was through torture and an overbearing security service. The people of his province lived in utter fear of the state. Every waking moment was a nightmare and even sleep was haunted by the thought of the Guptachr spying on them. In truth, this was a legacy of Chanakya, but one which Ashok would take to the next level as governor of Kashi.
In his later years, he would learn the art of war and the technique of fighting with the flexible sword. A skill he put to good use in slaying a would-be rebel warlord from the borders of Gandhar. "The head which does not bow gets cut" said Chand-Ashok, before vanquishing his foe.
In the last seven years of Bindusara's reign, he sat beside his father administering the realm in a diarchy as was tradition. In truth, the realm was all but his in name. The so-called samrat Bindusara was more interested in pursuing his artistic endeavors than answering the complex questions of statecraft. Ashoka however, was more than eager to assume these duties. As prime minister of the realm and the heir apparent, he wielded more power than any before him.
Reports started to come in of Santhals reaving the jungles South of Kashi and Magadh. In the same vein, the Tamil sailors had been reportedly harrowing the western coast in the province of Avanti. Samrat Ashoka had decreed "The Cholas need to be reminded who is the overlord of Bharata!" He looked over a map of the realm, and saw the lone independent kingdom in the whole of Bharat. Kalinga, weakly defended, and damaged by war with the Tamils. It was ripe for the taking, but Ashoka "the cruel" had something more sinister in mind.
1) The science rate has already been increased as you'll see from the next update.
2) People did in fact fight with that weapon and it is quite a standard weapon in Kalari martial arts. But I doubt they used it in war as it would be quite useless against an armored opponent. This weapon is considered the highest level of skill in Kalari Payattu.
3) "Chandashok" was what people used to call Ashoka before he became good. He was reputed to be incredibly cruel and sadistic in his early years. the legend goes that he had 99 brothers and cousins. He killed all of them to take the throne. But the reputation for cruelty was earned when he publicly tortured his wives by wrapping them in hot copper plates in a torture chamber which still exists but as a well in Bihar .
The meeting of the ministerium was a mere formality for the most part. Since Acharya Chanakya and Chandragupt had created the system of centralized autocratic rule, the work of ministers had become more of a mundane task of management. The Samrat was all in all, and he controlled his ministers through a vast network of spies unseen anywhere else in the world. It was said that one in every twelve citizen of the empire was a spy for the crown.
Samrat Ashoka called a meeting of ministers, this time to discuss the decision of going to war with Kalinga. The ministers knew better than to object to Samrat Ashok. They know what happened to the previous minister of finances, when he objected to one of Samrat Ashok's plans, he was wrapped in hot copper plates and tortured to death. On paper it was because of adultery, but most people knew the truth behind it.
The minister of finance was a man of peace. For him, it was necessary to open up trade with the Western world. That meant making peace with the Seleucid Greeks. It was heard that Seleucus Nikator had been dead and the new leader of the Greeks, styling himself "Alexander the second" had assumed the rule of the Greek empire (with no small help from Seleucus). The time was therefore ripe to make peace. The finance minister with leave from Samrat Bindusara made peace with the Greeks, but on their terms. Since then, Ashok despised the man and swore enmity with him, both for cowering to the Greek demands and for challenging his authority before his father.
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During the meeting every minister bowed his head in submissive acceptance of the emperor's decision to go to war. Only Bindusara objected. "The Kalingas have done us no harm. Our grievance must be taken to the Santhal tribal elders. Kalinga need not be punished for the acts of some random santhal raiders. As to the Tamil threat ? That can only be answered by building a naval defense" .
Samrat Ashok was visibly incensed. "This crooked, useless old man ! How dare he defy my order ! I have administered this empire, me ! Not you , you useless old wretch !" he thought to himself, but no sooner than his anger flared up, he doused it. His face became calm, and he smiled "Two emperors must have the same opinion, otherwise, how can there be one decision?" the ministers did not know what to say, so they instinctively nodded in agreement. Whatever Samrat Ashok says must be right after all ?
The night later, Samrat Bindusara was dragged from his bed, taken to a covered wagon. The wagon was then driven off over the banks of the Ganga. That was where Samrat Bindusara met his end. "Heads which don't bow will be cut down" muttered Chand-Ashok.
There was no funeral for the samrat, he was considered lost. Disappeared without a trace, though rumors had gripped the imperial capital that it was Chand-Ashok who killed his own father. With his only worthy opposition disposed off, Samrat ashok went ahead with his plans of destroying Kalinga.
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A grand army was assembled at the border of Kalinga, marking the beginning of an invasion. This was against the traditions of war hitherto followed, where a declaration of war was stated first and an attack made thereafter. Another tradition would be violated, that of keeping the integrity of the conquered province.
"Burn it to the ground" the samrat ordered, and the men followed. the lone garrison of the city of Kalinga put up a valiant defense, but fell to the legions of axemen and spearmen. A division of Naga warriors went on the campaign only with the fanatical desire to cleanse the land of Buddhist Mlecchas. They took particular pleasure in gutting the city of Kalinga with all its inhabitants. Women, children, mothers with babe in arms, all died in the fire.
Spoiler:
Samrat Ashok went to Kalinga to 'taste the glory of his victory' . The samrat went as Chand-Ashok, but he would return Devanampiya.
He went with visions of glory and romance over war and victory. What he saw at Kalinga, was the true face of war and violence. A sight of blood and ashes, of homes destroyed, of wailing mothers crying over the bodies of their dead infant children. Of widows too struck with grief to cry for their lost husbands. Of families shattered of lives destroyed. Above all this, the torn and battered banner of the Mauryas fluttered.
"What was this for...?" "Why did this carnage have to happen?...." "How can this be glorious ?" each thought felt heavier than the last. Samrat Ashoka unsheathed his flexible sword, and threw it into a burning pyre. "Never again..." he said to himself.
Chand-Ashok, Ashoka the cruel, swore on that day on the ruins of Kalinga, that he would shun the path of war. He would now on tread the path of peace.
The years following Ashok's transition from Ashoka the cruel, to "the beloved of the gods" Devanampiya, would be remembered as one of the best times of the Mauryan empire. The Tamils had stopped their raids on the western shores, the santhal had been pacified to the East. In the janapadas, culture and religious life started to flourish.
Scientific research progressed well as did new artistic ventures. All of this was achieved without compromising on military strength. A veteran of the Kalinga war naming himself after the illustrious grandfather of Ashoka, Chandragupt, reformed the death batallion and the army of Takshashila creating the "New Death Batallion" whilst smiths at Kashi worked hard to create weapons for a new division of sword fighters.
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Pataliputra grew, once again attaining a grandeur it once had, and enriching it further. The palace of Pataliputra was a wonder in its own right. Under the wise Samrat Ashok, the sangh at Mahabodhi grew larger than ever attracting more and more devotees. The samrat's turn to peace drew him closer to the ideas of the Buddha and his message of peace. For long he sought the means of attaining inner peace after his crimes over the people of Kalinga, the way of the Buddha showed him how.
He vowed then, that his teachings would be spread to the far corners of the world. Within his realm, he commissioned grand temple and monastery projects. A monastery in Kashi and another in Magadh and finally one in Takshashila. For propagating the message of the Buddha to the ends of the world, he gave generous grants to the Mahabodhi and its branches across the empire, to train monks who would travel to far off kingdoms and empires to spread the word to their peoples. His most important legacy however, was the reform of administration and economy. Edicts were issued in every province of the empire from far off Gandhar to Avanti and Vanga. Edicts which ensured the smooth functioning of society, law and order and general social peace. Some edicts were built on foreign lands as well, expressing the goodwill he bore to all people.
Ashoka had led the empire to the heights of glory. If Chandragupta gave strength to Bharat, it is Ashoka who aroused her soul.
Samrat Ashok would not live to see his vision of cultural enrichment fulfilled. It would be long years later that the Jaina monastery in Pataliputra would be built, and whole decades till the missionary activities would yield results in the lands to the West.
His push for scientific research and economic enrichment, made possible through gem mining in Kashi, would result in the completion of research for horseback riding, but he would never live to see the army of armored elephants he dreamed of.
Ashoka arose as the cruel, but he died as Ashoka the great. His successor Dasarath, ruled for a brief time as Samrat, only to be sidelined by his more capable brother samprati in the diarchy.
Samprati was a patron of the arts, he gave generous grants to temples, libraries and artisan guilds to develop. As a devout hindu, he sought to do for the hindu faith what Ashoka sought to do for Buddhism. To spread the knowledge of the Vedas and Puranas to the ends of the earth.
Samprati kept the peace, and held high the banner of the Mauryas. The dynasty came to define the idea of a unifying Samrat and of a unified realm under one rule. Samrat Samprati ruled for nearly thirty years and oversaw the most prosperous and populous nations in the world.
During his reign, the romans sought to make trade and contact with the rest of the world. Two roman adventurers were seen making their way from the Northern boundaries of Gandhar. They invoked the open border agreement agreed to during the regin of emperor Chandragupt. "We come in the name of Republic of Rome! We come in peace. Our men need rest and shelter." said the captain of the Roman legionaries.
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The soldiers were like nothing anyone in the East had ever seen. Their polished armor gleamed against the bright sun. Their shields were large and strong and their blades sharp, sharper than our own. The leader of the expedition explained their purpose to the governor of Herat : "We are explorers from Rome, a land farther west of the Greek isles. our senate sent our soldiers to the East to find new ways of exploration. We are at odds with the Greeks for denying us two way trade with India. This is why we searched for a new path to India, so that Indian merchants may be able to come to Rome for trade. On our way we fought barbarian horsemen. Another legion is heading South as well. We wish to treat with the emperor of india in Palibothra(Pataliputra)" .
The emissary of the empire in Rome wrote back with tidings within the republic. Much of what he said confirmed the accounts of the wandering legionaries. "The people of Latium are a hard and rustic folk. For them the way of war is supreme. To this extent, they have perfected new methods in warfare and fighting which would make the Greek hoplites look weak. They seek to build their empire to rival that which Alexander has carved out. Chiefly, they seek trade and wealth. Their culture isn't even half as developed as our own, and in truth is nothing but an imitation of the culture of the Greeks. We need not fear them, as their sights are set on conquering the barbarian lands to the West and South and not the lands of the East."
But the wild North wasn't the only place in turmoil. Persia under the new viceroyalty faced more revolts than ever before. The realm that Seleucus had left was now splintering. The diadochi of Egypt demanded their own kingdom, the diadochi at Mesopotamia demanded its kingdom and yet another in Anatolia demanded its independence. The greeks themselves wanted to be rid of monarchy and return to the ways of the republic. Parthian horsemen were the first to stage a revolt on the very borders of Persepolis.
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Looking into his fires, a rishi in Varanasi saw a vision from the future."I predict that the empire of the Greeks will fall. Within the next one hundred years, a new power shall rise in the West, one which will cover half the world. No line of the Mauryas shall be alive when this happens" .
Whether or not the former would come true, the latter would definitely come to pass, for Samrat Samprati, appointed no successor. Though blessed with a long life, the emperor did not live long enough to establish a diarchy. His two sons were deemed untrained, thus unfit for succession. A general who was the protege of General Chandragupt, who reformed the Death Batallion, was sought by the ministers to take the throne of Magadh. Pushaymitra Sunga, was put forth as the favored candidate to take the throne of Magadh and become the next samrat.
Salisuka, who was the scion of the last Mauryan emperor, felt enraged. "The throne is mine by rights ! Just as it belonged to my father and his father before him ! What do these upstart ministers think, that they can seat whoever they want ?! If the throne is mine I will take it !" Salisuka then went on to call upon the ministerium and demanded a vote.
I'm putting the succession to vote. Each voter would be in position of a minister. It will be on a first come first serve basis. You can chose either to continue the Mauryan dynasty or to establish a new autocrat in power and end the dynastic succession.
Candidates :
Pushyamitra Sunga : In power, he would focus on military after completing the projects started by Ashoka and Samprati. He intends to de-centralize administration giving policy making powers to ministers. Hereditary succession would depend on ministerial assent failing which a new candidate must be introduced. If no candidate is available, the ministerium would take control of the throne and rule as an oligarchy for five years till a suitable candidate is made available. In the realm of foreign policy he intends to keep peace and deterrence as was the situation in the time Ashoka".
Salisuka Maurya : In power, he would focus on research and expansion as a priority area. The projects begun by his predecessors would be abandoned in favor of training new military units for the immediate conquest of the Chola lands. The army of Takshashila is to be moved South. The centralizing structure would remain where ministers would only handle administrative work while policy decisions would be the sovereign right of the samrat. He would make hereditary succession law.
Vote by writing the name of your favored candidate. Voting will end tomorrow at 10 pm Indian Standard Time. Once the vote is made, the ministry shall be constructed.
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. I do intend to represent the Parthians eventually. Darius is already around 80 years old and in this timeline he would die of old age shortly after Bessus' execution.
