A Tryst with Destiny

Noooooo :cry; it was only between classes and during home room though

"My father was forced to sell the independence of the Satavahan domains, now a Satavahan king sits the throne of Magadh" he said to himself as he reflected on the present. Samrat Satakarni sat the throne of Magadh, the first and perhaps only Southern lord to seat the highest throne in the North. An accomplishment owed to treachery, intrigue and deception. But the king was unrepentant, he was no more wrong than Chanakya and Chandragupt were when they deposed Dhananad to sieze the throne of Magadh. "If not I, than whom ? Two half-wit incompetent princes untrained in politics ? Or the 'holier-than-thou' honorable general Sunga!?...." the thought of him made Samrat Satakarni stop.

General Sunga was his foe but a man of honor still. He could not deny the truth of it no matter how much he tried, that his power and position was the work of treachery. He did have blood on his hands, he could not remove it from his conscience. The blood of innocents, the blood of princes, and the blood of Pushyamitra Sunga. The thoughts haunted him day and night, but he could not let himself be bogged down by them. Fate and his own efforts had imposed a duty upon him, to rebuild a scarred realm.

The treasury was no better than how Salisuka had left it, the grand army of Magadh was broken, and the last of the Tamil kingdoms still held on, though precariously.



He had achieved social peace but at the point of a sword, that peace was hanging by a thread. Beyond Bharat, momentous changes were happening world over, to which he could not remain aloof. "First things first" said Samrat Satakarni as he set to focus on domestic matters first.



He had come to power with the support of allies. His ministers, and the brahmans based in Kashi. They desired to make this city, a holy city of the vedic faith. Samrat Satakarni had to concede. This would be one way of keeping the peace. A grand temple complex was initiated by him, one which would become a wonder of the world.

With the establishment of organized religion, religious building projects would now be given greater resources and manpower to complete. Whilst Samrat Satakarni did his best to placate the brahmans, he ensured that Buddhists and Jainas of his realm who constituted more than half of the populace, would not be attacked. The wounds of the past seemed to heal with his soothing hand.

As the treasury stabilized, more resourced were made available for scientific development. The gurukuls of North india were active in researching an astronomically accurate calendar. This would aid in the advancement of agriculture and give a chart to date events.

Samrat Satakarni was a man of war when he fought for power, but once in power, he turned his eye to peace and reconstruction. However, no peace is ever achieved without the strength to protect it. Armored war elephant divisions were trained in the most productive cities even as other urban centers built grand temples and monasteries. Among other things, his concern was the development of the South. "The North basks in wealth and glory, while the South wallows in poverty. How can a Bharat claim to be great and united if one half of its people live in poverty and barbarism?" While Satakarni claimed benevolent intentions behind developing the South, the truth was much more mundane.

Avanti, was the homeland of Samrat Satakarni. His people and his supporters there, would not take negligence at his hands lightly. He could only hold on to the ancestral seat of his line, if he aided it in its development. With an enlarged workforce, it seemed possible to develop the region with rapidity.

Thus, Samrat Satakarni established a stable rule over Bharat, and established the suzerainty of the Satavahan dynasty over all the land. He now turned his attention to foreign affairs.

-------

A stack of messages lay before him. These were the correspondences of emissaries stationed in foreign lands. The emissary of Bharat in Europa, wrote about the affairs in Rome.

"The Romans are on the warpath. It would seem, they have set out to make the world their own. They have already established unquestioned rule over Carthago and made the once proud and fierce Carthaginian people their thralls. These people, who had so successfully resisted the hordes of the Yavan conqueror Alakshendra, now stand humbled before the Romans. Their weapons of war, tactics and military production are far superior to any other army in the world. The trade they have with our empire, is a source of great wealth for their merchants.

There is now talk, that the Romans prepare to conquer the entire realm that Alakshendra had once forged. Over the lands of Misr, and Mesopotamia. To this effect, they have already declared war against the Yavana. It is perhaps the justice of the Gods, that the conquering and plundering Yavana, should now reap what they had sown. The Yavan who are bogged down in an unwinnable war against the Parthians, cannot in my opinion withstand the tremendous force that Rome is about to launch upon it. Their doom is inevitable.



The samrat did not know what to make of it yet. Though he was not entirely aloof to the possibility of benefits arising from this. he picked up another scroll and unrolled it, this was a message from the governor of Kamboja where scouts keep a keen eye on the affairs of the new Parthian empire.

The war is not going well for the Parthians. The Yavan army is said to have retaken Seleukeia Sushana, which the Parthians call Sush. Emperor Phriapatius' vision seems to be falling apart as his weak successors are only barely able to stop the foreign armies. Yet the Yavanas have not won any decisive victory. If the Parthian generals are to be believed The Parthians have the advantage in size, and knowledge of terrain. The Yavana who are spread too far and too thin, would not be able to withstand their assault on Persia for long. Furthermore, they think, that with the invasion of the Romans on the Yavan homeland, they would eventually be forced to look Westward, whence the Parthians will retake what they have lost. The Yavanas cannot fight a war on two fronts, however, if you ask me, the Parthians are incapable of winning this war. Even in the face of defeat, without strong leadership, the Yavana are capable of inflicting a crushing defeat on the Parthians. Even if they calculate the fall of the Yavanas, do they think that the Romans will simply turn the other cheek ? Persia is today akin to a ripe fruit, ripe for the taking. Be not surprised if the Parthians come begging at our feet for help.

Samrat Satakarni was astounded at these reports. It was not very long ago, that the Parthians had arisen to retake the lands they had lost. He remembered the event, he was a young man then, when Phriapatius, king of the Parthians, had waged war against their foreign overlords and retaken lands on the Mesopotamia. "Oh how the mighty have fallen" he thought to himself. He found these reports hard to believe, so he called upon the emissaries of Greece and Parthia to confirm these messages.



The truth was laid before him. The Yavana had indeed retaken Sush, and planned to take more. The emissary of Parthia had accepted as much, but with shame which was apparent on his face. He sought the emperor's audience in secret, wherein he divulged the true desires of his master. "Parthia seeks alliance with you, O master of India".



"I shall give you my answer in good time" . It was an age of war, and all the great nations were shedding the blood of mankind. Bharata had just fought its own bloody war, a war which continued in all but name. Looking over the map of his realm, Samrat Satakarni contemplated a solution to the conundrum before him. Should he or should he not wage war against the Yavana ? If so on what conditions ? The army of Magadh cannot be expected to fight another bloody war in the west after having just ended one in the South. That war, was technically still on. "Perhaps it is time that the Cholas be brought to heel".

Huh, I thought the Buddhists were going to be removed?

Looks like someone is about to take a big gulp of some Chola-cola

DKVM said:

Huh, I thought the Buddhists were going to be removed?

Click to expand...

That was what the more orthodox brahmans desired, but Satavahan would not offer that especially after the riots. In those riots though, a very large number of Buddhists were killed, many by the army under the emperor's command. He would not want those tensions to re-emerge. So he is placating the brahmans with generous grants for building hindu temples and a wonder whilst ensuring that the Buddhists and jains don't revolt either by not actively persecuting them. Its a very fine balance.

Now with the war on the Cholas nearly at an end, their ultimate fate is to be decided. I am going to give command of the Cholas to one player here who will decide its future. You would play the last Chola king who would decide the fate of his people. Samrat Satakarni gives the following alternatives :

1) You submit yourself to the Magadhan empire. In which case your city will be annexed to the empire as a province, but your line will be allowed to govern it for 100 years (20 turns).

2) Submit yourself as Vassal. While you will be able to control your city, you must give tribute of resources whenever demanded and your city will be annexed as a province once you die (7 turns later). Your line will be exiled to barbarian lands across the bay of bengal.

The final alternative is of your own choosing.

3) Fight on and die honorably. In which case superior forces of Magadh will trample your measly garrison of 2 Santhal skirmishers with utter impunity and massacre the inhabitants of your city.

Since there are no Tamils in these story forums, I'll give command of the Cholas to whoever would be the first to take it.

I volunteer to be the Chola leader.

Ok Dumanios. You have till tonight (that's 8 hours from now) to make your decision. Choose wisely.

Later in the day, I will give another update. I am reconstituting the ministerium, giving players control over ministries. Those who control another country won't be allowed to participate in it unless noted otherwise. E.g if their civ becomes a vassal or they join our empire, then they'll be elevated to minister's position.

adhiraj.bose said:

Ok Dumanios. You have till tonight (that's 8 hours from now) to make your decision. Choose wisely.

Click to expand...

Then I shall take choice 1.

I like being a minister

Samrat Satakarni had resolved the Tamil question with diplomacy. Now the realm could focus on matters on the Western front. It was at this time, that Samrat Satakarni set about a momentous task, that of reforming the political system. He was well versed in the treaties on statecraft authored more than two centuries ago by Acharya Chanakya Vishnugupt, and theorized its further development.

In his chamber he wrote his addendum to the theories of governance : "The samrat governs the realm through his ministers . Just as a human body functions through its senses, and an able king must have control over his senses to be an able administrator, so does an able state govern over its governors so that it may govern the realm more effectively. Over the past decades this belief has been more abused than any other and requires alteration.

The body can only function when its senses are allowed to function. Just as a man cannot see if he is blind, the state cannot see if its eyes are shut. The ministers if they be the organs of the state, must have the necessary freedom to function and dispense with their duty. The king is akin to the state as a mind to the body, and just as the mind controls the body, so does the king control over his ministers. This control cannot be excersized at the cost of subduing one's senses. Thus I state, that the ministers should be allowed to determine the affairs they be delegated to, while the King with the advise of his brahmans keep watchful eye and ensure the rule of Dharma prevails in the realm."

Having decided this new political understanding, Samrat Satakarni set about establishing a new political system which would take the system of autocracy to a new level of advancement.

The ministerium was reconstituted into the following heads :

1) The minister of foreign affairs,

This ministry shall be charged with conduct with foreign countries. They would propose policies in dealing with the politics in relation with foreign nations. All decisions but the decision to go to war shall be handled by the minister of foreign affairs. Any proposal made by the minister of foreign affairs will have to be cleared by the Samrat. However, if the samrat choses, they may be put to vote by the ministerium.

2) The commander in chief.

The commander-in-chief shall be the supreme commander of the armed forces of the empire. He shall be in charge of making war plans and strategies in the event of war and may send request for training of particular types of military divisions. Any proposal except tactical decisions, must be cleared by the samrat. However, if the samrat choses, they may be put to vote by the ministerium.

3) The minister of domestic affairs.

The minister of domestic affairs shall be in charge of ensuring the peace stability and development of provinces, and shall be tasked with preparing project plans for provinces. All project planning except those relating to wonders, shall be the prerogative of this ministry. The ministry shall also decide on hiring specialists in any province. Any proposal made by the minister of foreign affairs will have to be cleared by the Samrat. However, if the samrat choses, they may be put to vote by the ministerium.

4) The finance minister.

The finance minister shall control financial policy and oversee expenses and revenues of the empire. The ministry shall make proposals to increase or decrease state funded expenditures, and give proposals to raise revenue or make trades with foreign nations. The latter shall be done in consultation with the minister of foreign affairs. Any proposal made by the minister of foreign affairs will have to be cleared by the Samrat. However, if the samrat choses, they may be put to vote by the ministerium.

5) The minister for administration of colonies and protectorates.

This ministry shall take cognizance of affairs pertaining to colonies, protectorates and far off provinces. As per the Magadh-Tamil treaty, the ministry shall be in the hands of the Chola kings for the next 100 years (20 turns). however, once the Chola line is extinguished , the ministry shall be opened to others. This ministry shall act as the domestic minister for a given province for a time that the samrat may decide. If the samrat decides that a province shall remain to be treated as a colony indefinitely, than the ministry shall govern over its affairs indefinitely. In case of protectorates and any other nature of subjugated kingdoms, the minister shall decide nature of tribute or commitment of troops. In doing so, he shall have the authority of the emperor and enjoy the guarantee of the samrat for his decisions. Any proposal made by the minister of foreign affairs will have to be cleared by the Samrat. However, if the samrat choses, they may be put to vote by the ministerium.

As the old ministerium was on the verge of retirement, new recruits were necessitated for these ministries. The samrat decreed that the positions shall be opened to all learned men of the realm and who came first shall take the position irrespective of caste or religion.

Note : VGL is barred from applying to a ministerial position as he is acting presently as the Parthian monarchy. He will however, be in charge of deciding the affairs of Persia till 224 AD.

what about the sassanids?

I have not finalized how I'll treat the Sassanids yet. In fact we don't even know right now whether the Parthians will fall or not. It would depend on what happens after the next few turns. Depending on what decisions the ministers take, How the Parthians (you) reply to it. After 224 AD I'll be reopening the position for the control of Persia depending on what changes happen. I'd wait for the ministry to be established and the first order of things to decide would be on foreign policy especially how to reply to the Persian offer.

So we just run for whatever office?

yes. its your choice which office you want to run for.

The minister of foreign affairs

I run for The commander in chief.

I'd like to campaign for Finance Minister, please.