Great Kuzani, I beg to differ, Desini said, standing up. The tribes around us cannot be expected to join us by diplomacy alone; our nation cannot stand weak in the shadow of minor tribes. The Aluji are strong, yes, but we are stronger. The sacred site of the great mount cannot be left to a tribe so small... Im sure the Varjiliti in the hall would agree?
An affirmative chorus rang off the cliffs and back into the ocean.
The Khenimi are also ones who treasure the site, for reasons of the lake there. And the rest of us can also agree that it is most important, the union of the three dominions of the earth; such a perfect place cannot be left outside our borders. Great Kuzani, we must take that mountain!
He sat down to a thunderous roar. Nearly every member of the 150 or so large body was shouting their approval. The Kuzani stepped forward again, holding up his hands, and the tide of sound immediately stopped, echoing off of the cliffs.
I can see that this measure has a great deal of support. I would like to put it to a vote. Those of us who agree to this measure, of increasing our military to conquer these wayward tribes, stand up.
The low rumble of a great mass getting to their feet resounded for a second.
Very well. I can see that this measure has a great, overwhelming support. I will concede to the wishes of the Jifulani. Call the warriors to the great arch.
The supporters of the resolution roared their approval once again, and Desini was elated. He had convinced the Jifulani and the Kuzani. He got to his feet, still smiling, and began to walk the distance to the Great Arch. It was a
iji* from the
touron** to the Arch, and he did not have to walk so far, to get out. The great mass of the Jifulani clogged the path, though, so he would have to walk much more slowly than he had desired, and it gave him reason to contemplate.
A kiriji gracefully swooped overhead, and many in the procession gave cries of delight at the good omen. Perhaps it was a signal that they would be succesful in their enterprise?
* ~.87 miles, or 100
ji
**amphitheater, or meeting hall
Orders **SECRET**:
Continue to breed the
khosi, or grain, to maximum yield per acre and hardiness for all seasons. This should make our population expand further.
Pave the roads in Tourijan with a simple gravel attained from the nearby cliffs near the sea, this should prevent it from turning into a muddy cesspool. Also dig small pits or trenches on the sides of the street, that will essentially act as a sewer system until more modern plumbing is invented. It will still be tidier than most other cities, and this greatly decreases the possibility of stepping in
Jufith, or ****.
Also look into making better roads, concentrate on using large paving stones which neatly fit together on a gravel base, raised slightly above the surrounding ground with ditches on either side to drain it. Especially into how to build this so they can turn around mountains and go over passes and such.
Grow our army as much as we can; people will be eager to attain more lands for our people, as there is already a land rush at home, and they want to spread our religion over the world, as this is a just cause. The Varjiliti (see religious essay), in particular, ought to form the elite branch of our military, as they are focused and disciplined by nature.
Thus, make a Unique unit, the Varjiliti: a disciplined, fanatical force, thoroughly focused on the battles ahead, armed with the best equipment, to outmatch any normal footsoldier. Increase this force.
These men and our old ones will be called to the Great Arch, where of course the Kuzani will give an inspiring speech to whip them into a frenzy, saying that the town of Aluji must be ours, by diplomacy or by force.
The rest of our people, meanwhile, will prepare food and weapons to supply our army, so we will be prepared for a lasting confrontation over long distances.
The army will march to the nearby barbarian tribe, called the Aluji. They will be called upon to join their village to us, tell them that their city is a holy site by us and we would not want to spill blood over it, but we must gain it. If they join us, then we will give them full rights of citizenship, with the customary Fulani to make their own local decisions and the customary 36 representatives a large city gets to the Jifulani, with their villages getting the 4 that is also customary of the small villages of the empire.
If they do not agree to these generous terms, show them what resistance to our might gets them; attack. NOTE THAT THE ORDERS BETWEEN THE ASTERISKS ARE ONLY TO BE USED IF THEY DO NOT AGREE TO A MERGER.
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Since their settlement is based around the Mountain of Aluji (see stories, its about the height of Everest, and nontraversable), send a small diversionary force around the north side of the mountain with a few of our UU, maybe around a fifth of the total force of them. These are to stay hidden. The rest of our army will march around the other way, also trying not to attract attention.
The smaller forces of only a few soldiers will then make a loud noise, swear, and run. This should draw the barbarians in hot pursuit, but just as they are about to charge after them, have the rest of the army attack. Confused, they will be forced to split their forces so that neither can destroy their settlement. The smaller force, composed of our elite, will hold on for dear life, to fight to the death and attempt to occupy as many enemies as possible, while the rest of the army will attempt to outflank the rest of the barbarians. This should be accomplished by the UU, and succeed because the barbarians will have less soldiers than us to form a shorter line.
With the barbarian main force outflanked and surrounded, it should be an easy matter to surround them and destroy them. With the larger Barbarian force destroyed, the army should march to attack the smaller barbarian force from behind while they engage our elite. The result? The barbarians destroyed and Aluji ours. The soldiers will not be looted but instead given back to the people to be disposed of in their traditional way. The city will not be given full voting rights, since they did not give up, and they will be limited to one member of the Jifulani.
Our forces are only to retreat in the case of 50% or more casualties.
Remember, this IS our sacred city.
Try to contact the inland tribe we know as the Kaffa, establish trade, and try to civilize them to cultivate an ally, but be alert for any attacks by them.
See the inset of the map for greater clarity.
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IF AND ONLY IF THE ALUJI JOIN US:
Integrate the new Aluji portion of the army into ours, and
Press onward to attack the other tribe, the Kaffa, inland. They are to be conquered and given full voting rights. The strategems should be essentially the same as would be used if we had to fight the Aluji;
Draw their attention with a small portion of the elite force (UU), attack from the other direction with the main force, and the rest of the elite force are to then outflank and surround the barbarian line, this should destroy their army easily.
Only retreat if we gain higher than 50% casualties.
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Regardless of how many and how the barbarians join us, they are close to our sacred sites and they will be part of our empire; they should convert easily.
If we lose, regroup and prepare to strike again, but we find this unlikely.
Win or lose, have about a quarter of our population, 2,500 people, split into two groups and found two settlements, shown on the map.
One, to the north, is to be called Jetan (note that it is NOT a hard J), or cove, and will be founded at a harbor, preferably where a lot of
kifini reside, but the birds arent necessary. This will be a base to send out naval expeditions and fishing expeditions.
The southern one is Fini, named for ice, and fittingly it is to be on the coast between the mountains and the tundra. It is to provide a trade city and a base for expeditions to annex the tundra area. Nearby are likely to be tundra animals, explore which ones are best for producing furs, and which are best to herd for meat and milk. The latter group, the food producers, are to be attempted to be domesticated, the former to be hunted
sparingly, so as not to kill off the rest of the population.
Each of these cities is to be carefully planned, with a simple grid pattern of streets (conforming to the terrain, of course), and with gravel streets as in the capital. Each will be given minor representation in the Jifulani, 12 members each. Allow any barbarians who wish to join these cities in, though they are to turn in weapons to the government, which they can use at any time, just they have to get permission.
Also, orange boundary is what I intend to gain this turn at minimum, red if Aluji joins us peacefully and we carry through the attack to destroy Kaffa.