Harleqin
Hippo Power
das said:Only the spotlight left to do. In it, practically everybody's plans were foiled, to one degree or another...
I wonder if that means my attack on Paris failed
NES2 V - The Great Game.
- Thread starter das
- Start date
- Status
I wonder if that means my attack on Paris failed
Thlayli
Le Pétit Prince
Oh brilliant. Even my plan, zut alors!
Please tell me you used what I sent you?
Please tell me you used what I sent you?
das
Regeneration In Process
Not necessarily.
The Federate orders in regards to Turkmenistan? Yes, ofcourse.
North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
Which are, of course, useless, since the order to recruit a certain twenty five sepoy divisions never got sent...
Thlayli
Le Pétit Prince
No, it was in there. I'm pretty sure it was. I'm going to check.
EDIT: I checked! The order to recruit the 25 sepoy divisions WAS in there.
To: Ottoman Empire
From: Holy Islamic Kingdom of Persia
We ask you not to intervene in this conflict. Declaring war on us because of alliance would result in war with France, the FK, Dalnorossia and China as well.
EDIT: I checked! The order to recruit the 25 sepoy divisions WAS in there.
To: Ottoman Empire
From: Holy Islamic Kingdom of Persia
We ask you not to intervene in this conflict. Declaring war on us because of alliance would result in war with France, the FK, Dalnorossia and China as well.
Disenfrancised
Beep Beep
Thlayli said:
@Persia; not that we wouldn't support you against the Ottomans dogs of course, but we are unaware of current formal alliance for defense between our nations.
Eveyones plans were foiled in the spotlight?
then it must be some sort of metaspot light about rebelions throughout the world or something.Also hurry up with the update - the constantly checking the thread is seriously impeding my doing of vital coursework!
das
Regeneration In Process
Everybody's plans that were mentioned in the spotlight were foiled. That said, the only nations that didn't suffer in the update are those who didn't do much of anything at all...
That said, the only nations that didn't suffer in the update are those who didn't do much of anything at all...
Harleqin
Hippo Power
das said:Everybody's plans that were mentioned in the spotlight were foiled.
That should be me... it sounds slightly offending
but I am leading a small nation and we are just too small to do much of anything
das
Regeneration In Process
Update 2 - Year 1862
Non-Military Events:
According to a treaty between the FK and Dalnorossia, the Dehcho [1] River became the border between their respective North American colonies. On their side of the border, intense logging operations are started by Dalnorossia.
Leaders of a Mexican separatist organization, "Fraternidad de la Libertad", were arrested by the Garde Imperiale, a large corps of which was sent to ensure the safety of the French Imperial rule there. The organization seems to have splintered into lots of smaller groups, with many former mebers backing out of this business altogether for the lack of clear leadership.
In a revolutionary measure, France outlawed slavery, a rather unpopular (-1 Confidence) move that also greatly damaged the economy of the Carribean region (-Havanna trade center).
Alarmingly, in the recent parliamentary elections in Denmark-Norway, a Danish separatist party nearly gained majority. This is likely to be somehow connected with the events in Great Britain (see military events)...
Centralization of Switzerland continues, with the capital moved to Geneva, to the chagrin of German-speaking cantons (-1 Confidence).
The new Venetian leader, Giuseppe de Varni (see Drake's stories and the Random Events), nationalizes the Catholic Church, using the fact that the Papacy quite discredited itself by making a bid for power in Italy (+1 Culture). The church is also, um, liberated from its worldy possessions, which are quite a lot (+1 Economy)...
Desperate, King Umberto I of Italy orders a mass conscription; 350,000 young men are forced into the army, destroying what little remnants of economy and royal prestige that still existed (-1 Economy, -1 Confidence). Meanwhile, more fanatics and volunteers join the Ultraclericalist army (+5 irregular divisions).
Liberal agitation reaches a dangerous level in Poland (-1 Confidence). Decentralization happens, but not as radical as requested by Autonomist leaders (-1 Centralization).
Hungarian separatism and nationalism grow profoundly, and their example inspires other minorities in Turkey and HRE (-1 Ottoman, Holy Roman Culture).
Sultan Seljaz was quietly strangled in his sleep, and his brother Kalim comes to power; he is much more popular than the all-too-easy-going Seljaz (+1 Confidence).
As a part of the centralization, the capital of Dalnorossia is relocated to Vasyagansk, which is a good compromise (+1 Confidence), even though it, combined with the centralization itself, made it harder to set up the new buerocracy (-1 Civilian Leadership).
The fact that there's now slightly over a million well-armed Chinese troops ready to tear anybody into shreds for their Emperor caused much concern, sometimes to the degree of paranoia and Sinophobia, in all the nearby countries.
Japan is granted full domestic autonomy. Too late (see military events).
Leon de Tocqueville continues his exploration of Nouvelle Gaulle [2] and Ile de Tocqueville [3]. Two new islands were discovered as well - Sent-Jeanne [4] and Nouvelle Sardage [5]. A few small trade posts were set up, but the sailors are running out of things to trade for food and water, on which they are also short because someone forgot to invest into the expedition. Some ships were also lost in the storms, and a few had to be scraped for the lack of a crew (-6 ships).
Military Events:
As France continued to neglect the dangerous situation in la Californie, which still was being neglected by the colonial authorities in spite of the continuing Gold Rush there, a full-fledged colonial rebellion has begun. Local French population, plus some of the Spaniards, rose up in arms, arms that they seem to have been getting from foreign sources for some time now. The small French garrison was quickly overran; foreign miners were killed or imprisoned, while the French convicts were liberated and soon agreed to join the rebel force. France is yet to react seriously enough (although one Garde Imperiale division was dispatched from nearby Nuevelle Mexique to contain the rebellion, in which it failed due to clever Californian guerrila tactics and their apparent alliance with the Amerinds in the region), but the loss of California could be most detrimental to it... and to other countries, as it could set a dangerous precedent...
(-2 Californian division, -4 Californian irregular divisions, -2 French Garde Imperiale division)
Scotland, Ireland, Wales - the Gaelic parts of Great Britain - were never quite reconciled with the idea of English rule. Indeed, every two decades one or another part of it rose up, under different banners, ranging from support of the Elder Stuart [6] pretender to the British throne to independence under a republic. But rarely did those rebellions unite all three countries, all three peoples. This one, however, did. The Great Gaelic Rebellion was being prepared for some time now, though only in 1860 did the various rebel organizations unite under the leadership of an anonymous, shadowy person who probably is indeed the presumably-dead "Henry IX", the previous pretender of the Elder Stuarts. Only in 1861 was the "Ethos of a Freedom-Fighter" distributed among the preparing rebels, only then was large-scale propaganda started. But the Federates only learned of this UNITED movement on March 5th 1862. All the measures taken to stop the rebels came too late. And so, though the Gaels themselves weren't very prepared, they decided to use the present confusion in the Federate ranks to begin a grand rebellion.
First came the Terror. The known pro-English MPs, or those of them considered pro-English, suddenly came under attack. The real goal of this was destabilization of Britain, increased stress on the population and the distraction of Federate intellegence to the defense of those pro-English, anti-Gaelic MPs who weren't attacked or survived the attacks; indeed, the primary function of those attacks was a diversionary one. Soon after, Federate garrisons in Scotland, Ireland and Wales came under indirect attacks (supply routes and depots raided, patrols ambushed, officers sniped), that were, for the Mexican rebels in 1841, dubbed "guerrila warfare". The name stuck, and the Gaelic Freedom Fighters begun calling themselves "guerrilas" as well. Out of their mountain hideouts, the main Gaelic forces then came and, in a daring assault, seized Glasgow in Scotland and Dublin in Ireland, the latter with much help of the native population. Belfast, however, resisted well, and Edinburgh had to be besieged. The Highlands then rebelled as well, in the support of the guerrilas, and the small Federate garrison of Aberdeen was wiped out. No rebellion in Wales came, but the ongoing guerrila strikes there distracted the Federate attention. By the time the Federates reacted, they lost practically all of Ireland and much of Scotland. Though the Federate managed to break the siege of Edinburgh and even besieged Glasgow, further advances failed as supply routes were constantly disrupted. Time has come for the ultimate battle between the Gaels and the Federate government...
(-3 Gaelic divisions, -4 Gaelic irregular divisions, -3 Federate divisions)
(-1 Federate Confidence)
The first phase of the Italian Civil War came to an end, but the war itself seems to be only beginning. King Umberto I, betrayed by the Venetians and the French, made his last stand on three fronts. From the west, came a large portion of the French Grande Armee, facing an Italian force equal in number... and inferior in practically all other regards. From the south, came the best of the Italian army, loyal to pretender Carlo Emanuele, who decided to ignore the Ultraclericalists for now - Umberto barely found forces to deal with this. Fortunately, a sudden relief came from the east, where the Holy Roman army distracted Venetian attention by annihilating the entire quickly-assembled Venetian force, assaulting the city itself and, with the help of some traitors, destroying the briefly-independent Republic. Unfortunately, said Holy Roman army proceeded to attack the inferior Umbertoist force as well. Reluctant new recruits were deserting the Umbertoist army en masse, Royal Marshall Antuan Buonoparte, duca di Mantova [7], defected to the Carlists, Umberto himself disappeared into the darkness when his headquarters were assaulted by the French and the Umbertoist fleet, after destroying the Carlist one, fled somewhere as well, Corsican leaders pledging allegience to King Carlos Emanuele IV. However, there was quite some confusion. The Holy Roman armies clearly intervenned on the behalf of the Pope, while the French intervenned on the Carlist side. Just as the last Umbertoists surrendered, news came that Benedict XV personally led an assault of Rome, with rebellions within the city itself, and overwhelmed the local garrison. The fate of Italy will be decided soon, and peace is probably not an option.
(-Umbertoists as a faction, -Venetians as a faction, -2 French divisions, -2 French Garde Imperiale divisions, -2 Holy Roman divisions, -1 Holy Roman Sturmtruppen divisions, -4 Carlist divisions, -5 Carlist ships, -2 Ultraclericalist divisions, -6 Ultraclericalist irregular divisions)
(+1 Economy for Holy Roman Empire, Carlist Italy, +1 Carlist Military Leadership)
Italians abandon Namibia, to the rejoicing of the natives.
War comes to Central Asia!
(see spotlight)
(-7 FK divisions, -14 Turkmen divisions, -8 Turkmen Raider divisions, -11 Persian divisions, -1 Chinese division)
(1 Economy from Greater Turkmenistan to China, -1 Turkmen Civilian Leadership, -1 Turkmen Confidence, 1 Economy from Persia to Great Turkmenistan, +1 Persian Confidence, -Shiraz economic center)
When, with the Kyoto Accords, China granted autonomy to Japan, it forgot to take into account a few facts concerning the ruling Meiji Emperor. Firstly, he was incompetent, if not to say idiotic. Secondly, the Japanese people knew it, and considered him a Chinese puppet, and generally disliked him. Thirdly, his bodyguards were mostly Japanese, and some of them happened to be in the league with the rebel movements. Or rather, movement - a man only known as "Mr. X" united the Japanese rebels and prepared an organized, coordinated rising. Anyway, Meiji was chopped into pieces by ninjas (or people who looked just like ninjas ) while imitating his superior Emperor Guangxu and adressing the people personally, Japanese sailors and dock workers in Nagasaki mutinied and, with the assistance of more "ninjas", stole 3 Chinese ships and sunk 2 others (3 Chinese ships to Japanese rebellion) and the drastically-reduced Chinese garrison in Japan was surrounded and overran by Japanese rebels (that were either hiding very well before, either managed to infiltrate Japan very skillfully now) and those mobs that joined them anyway (well, actually, a few Chinese troops managed to hold out in Kagoshima, the only city that the rebels failed to seize). Mr. X revealed himself to be Hitsuji [8], a pretender to the Japanese throne who was considered dead for many years now and declared himself the Emperor of Japan. The rebellion went awfully smoothly, as the rebels seem to be very well prepared, and also well-armed, in possession of a wide arsenal of modern weapons made practically all over the world...
(-4 Chinese divisions, -2 Chinese ships, -1 Japanese division, -7 Japanese irregular divisions)
Another rebellion started in Annam, but was promptly crushed by the Chinese before it could cause any trouble.
Non-Military Events:
According to a treaty between the FK and Dalnorossia, the Dehcho [1] River became the border between their respective North American colonies. On their side of the border, intense logging operations are started by Dalnorossia.
Leaders of a Mexican separatist organization, "Fraternidad de la Libertad", were arrested by the Garde Imperiale, a large corps of which was sent to ensure the safety of the French Imperial rule there. The organization seems to have splintered into lots of smaller groups, with many former mebers backing out of this business altogether for the lack of clear leadership.
In a revolutionary measure, France outlawed slavery, a rather unpopular (-1 Confidence) move that also greatly damaged the economy of the Carribean region (-Havanna trade center).
Alarmingly, in the recent parliamentary elections in Denmark-Norway, a Danish separatist party nearly gained majority. This is likely to be somehow connected with the events in Great Britain (see military events)...
Centralization of Switzerland continues, with the capital moved to Geneva, to the chagrin of German-speaking cantons (-1 Confidence).
The new Venetian leader, Giuseppe de Varni (see Drake's stories and the Random Events), nationalizes the Catholic Church, using the fact that the Papacy quite discredited itself by making a bid for power in Italy (+1 Culture). The church is also, um, liberated from its worldy possessions, which are quite a lot (+1 Economy)...
Desperate, King Umberto I of Italy orders a mass conscription; 350,000 young men are forced into the army, destroying what little remnants of economy and royal prestige that still existed (-1 Economy, -1 Confidence). Meanwhile, more fanatics and volunteers join the Ultraclericalist army (+5 irregular divisions).
Liberal agitation reaches a dangerous level in Poland (-1 Confidence). Decentralization happens, but not as radical as requested by Autonomist leaders (-1 Centralization).
Hungarian separatism and nationalism grow profoundly, and their example inspires other minorities in Turkey and HRE (-1 Ottoman, Holy Roman Culture).
Sultan Seljaz was quietly strangled in his sleep, and his brother Kalim comes to power; he is much more popular than the all-too-easy-going Seljaz (+1 Confidence).
As a part of the centralization, the capital of Dalnorossia is relocated to Vasyagansk, which is a good compromise (+1 Confidence), even though it, combined with the centralization itself, made it harder to set up the new buerocracy (-1 Civilian Leadership).
The fact that there's now slightly over a million well-armed Chinese troops ready to tear anybody into shreds for their Emperor caused much concern, sometimes to the degree of paranoia and Sinophobia, in all the nearby countries.
Japan is granted full domestic autonomy. Too late (see military events).
Leon de Tocqueville continues his exploration of Nouvelle Gaulle [2] and Ile de Tocqueville [3]. Two new islands were discovered as well - Sent-Jeanne [4] and Nouvelle Sardage [5]. A few small trade posts were set up, but the sailors are running out of things to trade for food and water, on which they are also short because someone forgot to invest into the expedition. Some ships were also lost in the storms, and a few had to be scraped for the lack of a crew (-6 ships).
Military Events:
As France continued to neglect the dangerous situation in la Californie, which still was being neglected by the colonial authorities in spite of the continuing Gold Rush there, a full-fledged colonial rebellion has begun. Local French population, plus some of the Spaniards, rose up in arms, arms that they seem to have been getting from foreign sources for some time now. The small French garrison was quickly overran; foreign miners were killed or imprisoned, while the French convicts were liberated and soon agreed to join the rebel force. France is yet to react seriously enough (although one Garde Imperiale division was dispatched from nearby Nuevelle Mexique to contain the rebellion, in which it failed due to clever Californian guerrila tactics and their apparent alliance with the Amerinds in the region), but the loss of California could be most detrimental to it... and to other countries, as it could set a dangerous precedent...
(-2 Californian division, -4 Californian irregular divisions, -2 French Garde Imperiale division)
Scotland, Ireland, Wales - the Gaelic parts of Great Britain - were never quite reconciled with the idea of English rule. Indeed, every two decades one or another part of it rose up, under different banners, ranging from support of the Elder Stuart [6] pretender to the British throne to independence under a republic. But rarely did those rebellions unite all three countries, all three peoples. This one, however, did. The Great Gaelic Rebellion was being prepared for some time now, though only in 1860 did the various rebel organizations unite under the leadership of an anonymous, shadowy person who probably is indeed the presumably-dead "Henry IX", the previous pretender of the Elder Stuarts. Only in 1861 was the "Ethos of a Freedom-Fighter" distributed among the preparing rebels, only then was large-scale propaganda started. But the Federates only learned of this UNITED movement on March 5th 1862. All the measures taken to stop the rebels came too late. And so, though the Gaels themselves weren't very prepared, they decided to use the present confusion in the Federate ranks to begin a grand rebellion.
First came the Terror. The known pro-English MPs, or those of them considered pro-English, suddenly came under attack. The real goal of this was destabilization of Britain, increased stress on the population and the distraction of Federate intellegence to the defense of those pro-English, anti-Gaelic MPs who weren't attacked or survived the attacks; indeed, the primary function of those attacks was a diversionary one. Soon after, Federate garrisons in Scotland, Ireland and Wales came under indirect attacks (supply routes and depots raided, patrols ambushed, officers sniped), that were, for the Mexican rebels in 1841, dubbed "guerrila warfare". The name stuck, and the Gaelic Freedom Fighters begun calling themselves "guerrilas" as well. Out of their mountain hideouts, the main Gaelic forces then came and, in a daring assault, seized Glasgow in Scotland and Dublin in Ireland, the latter with much help of the native population. Belfast, however, resisted well, and Edinburgh had to be besieged. The Highlands then rebelled as well, in the support of the guerrilas, and the small Federate garrison of Aberdeen was wiped out. No rebellion in Wales came, but the ongoing guerrila strikes there distracted the Federate attention. By the time the Federates reacted, they lost practically all of Ireland and much of Scotland. Though the Federate managed to break the siege of Edinburgh and even besieged Glasgow, further advances failed as supply routes were constantly disrupted. Time has come for the ultimate battle between the Gaels and the Federate government...
(-3 Gaelic divisions, -4 Gaelic irregular divisions, -3 Federate divisions)
(-1 Federate Confidence)
The first phase of the Italian Civil War came to an end, but the war itself seems to be only beginning. King Umberto I, betrayed by the Venetians and the French, made his last stand on three fronts. From the west, came a large portion of the French Grande Armee, facing an Italian force equal in number... and inferior in practically all other regards. From the south, came the best of the Italian army, loyal to pretender Carlo Emanuele, who decided to ignore the Ultraclericalists for now - Umberto barely found forces to deal with this. Fortunately, a sudden relief came from the east, where the Holy Roman army distracted Venetian attention by annihilating the entire quickly-assembled Venetian force, assaulting the city itself and, with the help of some traitors, destroying the briefly-independent Republic. Unfortunately, said Holy Roman army proceeded to attack the inferior Umbertoist force as well. Reluctant new recruits were deserting the Umbertoist army en masse, Royal Marshall Antuan Buonoparte, duca di Mantova [7], defected to the Carlists, Umberto himself disappeared into the darkness when his headquarters were assaulted by the French and the Umbertoist fleet, after destroying the Carlist one, fled somewhere as well, Corsican leaders pledging allegience to King Carlos Emanuele IV. However, there was quite some confusion. The Holy Roman armies clearly intervenned on the behalf of the Pope, while the French intervenned on the Carlist side. Just as the last Umbertoists surrendered, news came that Benedict XV personally led an assault of Rome, with rebellions within the city itself, and overwhelmed the local garrison. The fate of Italy will be decided soon, and peace is probably not an option.
(-Umbertoists as a faction, -Venetians as a faction, -2 French divisions, -2 French Garde Imperiale divisions, -2 Holy Roman divisions, -1 Holy Roman Sturmtruppen divisions, -4 Carlist divisions, -5 Carlist ships, -2 Ultraclericalist divisions, -6 Ultraclericalist irregular divisions)
(+1 Economy for Holy Roman Empire, Carlist Italy, +1 Carlist Military Leadership)
Italians abandon Namibia, to the rejoicing of the natives.
War comes to Central Asia!
(see spotlight)
(-7 FK divisions, -14 Turkmen divisions, -8 Turkmen Raider divisions, -11 Persian divisions, -1 Chinese division)
(1 Economy from Greater Turkmenistan to China, -1 Turkmen Civilian Leadership, -1 Turkmen Confidence, 1 Economy from Persia to Great Turkmenistan, +1 Persian Confidence, -Shiraz economic center)
When, with the Kyoto Accords, China granted autonomy to Japan, it forgot to take into account a few facts concerning the ruling Meiji Emperor. Firstly, he was incompetent, if not to say idiotic. Secondly, the Japanese people knew it, and considered him a Chinese puppet, and generally disliked him. Thirdly, his bodyguards were mostly Japanese, and some of them happened to be in the league with the rebel movements. Or rather, movement - a man only known as "Mr. X" united the Japanese rebels and prepared an organized, coordinated rising. Anyway, Meiji was chopped into pieces by ninjas (or people who looked just like ninjas
) while imitating his superior Emperor Guangxu and adressing the people personally, Japanese sailors and dock workers in Nagasaki mutinied and, with the assistance of more "ninjas", stole 3 Chinese ships and sunk 2 others (3 Chinese ships to Japanese rebellion) and the drastically-reduced Chinese garrison in Japan was surrounded and overran by Japanese rebels (that were either hiding very well before, either managed to infiltrate Japan very skillfully now) and those mobs that joined them anyway (well, actually, a few Chinese troops managed to hold out in Kagoshima, the only city that the rebels failed to seize). Mr. X revealed himself to be Hitsuji [8], a pretender to the Japanese throne who was considered dead for many years now and declared himself the Emperor of Japan. The rebellion went awfully smoothly, as the rebels seem to be very well prepared, and also well-armed, in possession of a wide arsenal of modern weapons made practically all over the world...(-4 Chinese divisions, -2 Chinese ships, -1 Japanese division, -7 Japanese irregular divisions)
Another rebellion started in Annam, but was promptly crushed by the Chinese before it could cause any trouble.
das
Regeneration In Process
Random Events:
Polish literary revival begins, as Musan Kapuletski writes his famous novel "Nikodem" (+1 Culture). Polish army trains rigorously (+1 Army Training).
With government investment, Persian economy grows even more rapidly than expected (+1 Economy). Kalat is integrated succesfully into Persia (+1 Culture). The new Cyrus and Darius Academy greatly improves the quality of the Persian troops and their officers alike (+1 Army Training, Military Leadership), while other, more peaceful universities, do much for the education levels (+1 Education). A failed assassination attempt boosts Shah Ardashir's popularity (+1 Confidence). On this wave of high morale, augmented by increased pay, the Royal Safavid Palace draws ever closer to completion (+1 project progress).
Giuseppe de Varni overthrows the oligarchic Congregation and takes over Venice (+1 Confidence)!
The oldest Koran in existance was discovered in Greater Turkmenistan (+1 Culture)!
George V's personal charisma gains him much support in and out of Parliament (+1 Confidence).
Some mystirious rebel movement gets a lot of volunteers (+5 divisions), many more to join if they rebel.
Josef Leu's popularity grows rapidly (+1 Confidence).
Dalnorossia undergoes centralization (+1 Centralization).
Emperor Guangxu's live appearence before the crowds that gathered in Beijing raised his and dynastic prestige (+1 Confidence). Japan is granted more autonomy, decreasing the dissent somewhat (+1 Culture).
The Autonomist movement in Poland gains more and more influence (-1 Culture)...
France has problems with finding enough recruits who meet the standards of the Garde Imperiale (-5 UU).
Neglect damages the Persian infrastructure (-1 Infrastructure).
Separatism in the HRE continues to grow - North Germans, Czechs, Croats and Hungarians alike are increasingly uncooperative (-1 Culture).
The "Young Uzbek" separatist movement appears in Greater Turkmenistan (-1 Culture).
Several top Sokotan generals tried to overthrow Muhammad Ramat, but their conspiracy was discovered and they were all executed (-1 Military Leadership).
Spotlight:
Great Central Asian War.
"Damn these Turkmeni barbarians, they are so persistant! A little Persian steel shall teach them otherwise, though."
- attrib. to General Osman Mustafa. Year 1862.
By a peace treaty of November 12th 1861, the brief, near-phony Turkmeno-Persian War has ended.
In its stead, on February 1st 1862, came the Great Central Asian War. Technically, it was already beginning a few days earlier, when the Persians complained about the slowness of the Turkmeni withdrawal from Kalat. The Turkmens promised to speed it up as much as possible. And indeed, with remarkable speed, they left Kalat. Karamurad's army was riding as fast as possible for Shiraz, the Safavid capital. Meanwhile, three other Turkmeni groups struck out from the north, seeking to take Teheran, Isfahan and Yazd, the other four key cities of Iran. The Persians weren't wholly unprepared for it, though. Their armies, too, were massing for the decisive battle. Though the Turkmens had superior training and superior experience, not to mention fanaticism inspierd by khan Karamurad, the Persians possessed the finest new European weapons and some inventions of their own, such as Allah's Needles and the Flames of Mohammed. Still, very possibly the Turkmens would've conquered Persia had they been facing it alone. But as it was, Persia had a powerful ally - the Federated Kingdoms.
And, as it also happened, the Federated Kingdoms had a little problem in coming to assist Persia. Namely, India, the primary British base in the region and a very significant source of manpower, was on the verge of rebellion. The Federates weren't ignorant of this; indeed, they performed admirably, setting Muslim and Hindu rebel groups against each other, killing off potential leaders and, most importantly, arresting and replacing sepoy officers that conspired to mutiny in the middle of a battle with the Turkmens. But just as the last disorganized rebels were defeated, just as the Federates marched out to assist the beleaguered Persians, an organized rebellion begun. Unlike the Hindus and the Muslims, the Sikhs had a well-organized rebel movement based on the principles of fanatical loyalty and strict conspiration. Balajit Singh, the heir to the throne of Punjab, used the moment when the Federates were already marching through Afghanistan to begin his rebellion behind the enemy lines. Naturally, the badly outnumbered British garrison was forced out of Punjab and much of the Indus Valley or was simply cut into pieces, and several assassination attempts on Balajit failed. Thankfully, the Federates have by then recaptured Kalat and organized a supply route from there to Afghanistan, but only the lack of free Turkmeni forces saved the Federate Army of Afghanistan from annihilation, and the fact that the Federates didn't KNOW that the Turkmens weren't going to counter-attack them allowed the Sikhs to consolidate their gains and fight back the half-hearted counter-attacks.
Still, even though their forces fared rather worse in Afghanistan than was expected, the main Federate operation - a seaborne invasion of Kalat - was succesful, for the lack of any Turkmen defenders on the coastline. By then, the main battles were already raging further west. Unprepared for a Turkmen attack, the Persian forces in the Caspian theatre were caught in open field, outmaneuvered and devastated, with a meager two divisions limping back south. Although Teheran fell, elsewhere the Persians were doing doubtlessly better. Allah's Needles were used well, devastating Turkmen cavalry charges, and the fluid line of Persian defenses kept the Turkmens out of Yazd and Isfahan. The decisive battle, however, was at Shiraz ofcourse. A capable tactician, Karamurad ignored the Persians that tried to distract him at Bandar-e 'Abbas and instead marched all the way to the Safavid capital, putting it under siege. Though Turkmen spies were prevented from opening the gates of Shiraz to the attackers, the Turkmen engineers were conducting the siege well and the outnumbered defenders were almost doomed. Furthermore, the Turkmen begun threatening the supply routes of the Persians at Yazd as well, putting them in an indefensible position. Just a month, at most two months, and the Persians would have had to retreat from Yazd, which they clearly couldn't hold and then all that would be left would be Isfahan and Shiraz, and not even the Federates would be in position to save the newly-restored Safavid dynasty, whose members, by the way, were being executted in a most gruesome manner wherever they were found by the Turkmen.
What saved Persia was the sepoys. Remaining loyal to the Crowns, they formed the bulk of the Federate force that attacked the left flank of the Turkmens in the Second Battle at Yazd. Persians decided to use this and charged the confused Turkmen army, routing it. With a small garrison left in Yazd, the Persians and the sepoys then groupped up and marched towards Shiraz. Learning of this, Karamurad personally led a desperate assault and broke into the city, where he faced Ardashir IV himself, who personally supervised the defenses of his citadel. In a brutal three-day battle, much of Shiraz was badly damaged, the Cyrus and Darius Academy was looted and almost destroyed, the Chehel Sotoon palace was left in ruins... but the Turkmens failed to defeat the Persian garrison, augmented by the urban militia as it was, and pulled back.
Karamurad decided to make a major change in his plans. He still was confident that he could win this, and indeed, for a while it seemed so as his forces attacked and captured Isfahan. The Federates and the Persians were too tired to press on against him. But then, a new force intervenned.
...Ground shook as they marched, a quarter of a million men, all in elaborately-decorated uniforms, with banners depicting dragons raised proudly in the air. This army seemed to have come from the ancient days, but it was armed with modern weapons and led by officers who knew all about modern warfare, apart from perhaps the actual battles. Now they had a chance to test their theories. Or so they thought.
Alas, when the massive Chinese army crossed the Turkmen border, it didn't find any resistance, apart from some annoying nomads. As they advanced, militias were raised, and the meager Turkmen garrison forces headed to meet those unexpected guests, but naturally, they were all brushed aside like flies. The Chinese, disappointed about the absence of serious defenses, or of Karamurad for that matter, simply captured Samarkand, Bukhara and a few other large cities and begun waiting.
NPC Diplo:
From: Carlo Emanuele IV of Italy
To: Holy Roman Empire
We thank You for the assistance against Our insane brother, and politely request that You now hand over Italian territories controlled by Your forces back to Our jurisdiction, as it should be.
From: Ultraclericalists
To: France
It is not good at all that such a Catholic monarch as yourself should be forced to squabble with the Papacy. Please withdraw your support for Carlo Emanuele, or at least persuade him to restore the Papal States, long since unjustly annexed, and I will gladly recognize you as the Emperor of the French and the King of the Spanish, and bless your heroic civilizing activities in poor, dark heathen lands.
From: Sikh Rebellion
To: Federated Kingdoms
You are a ruler of many lands and many cities. What is Punjab when compared with your empire? Yet, from what I hear, your empire is now in danger, and every warrior might just become crucial. Would it not be better to give up trying to reconquer our land, and instead concentrating on your other problems? If you agree to renounce all claims on our lands and to recognize our nation an equal, we will be only too glad to assist you against your other foes.
OOC:
[1] Dehcho River=Mackenzie River.
[2] Nouvelle Gaulle=New Gaul=Australia.
[3] Ile de Tocqueville=Tocqueville Island=North New Zeeland.
[4] Sent-Jeanne=St. Joan=Tasmania. As a butterfly effect, Joan d'Arc was cannonized much earlier than in OTL.
[5] Nouvelle Sardagne=New Sardinia=South New Zeeland.
[6] The House of Stuart split up in this world in 1718, into the younger branch that took over the throne and became known as the House of Orange-Stuart and the elder branch that fled to France and since then kept trying to retake Great Britain. Very annoying, that latter one is.
[7] Duca di Mantova=Duke of Mantua.
[8] Hitsuji is Japanese for "Sheep".
Polish literary revival begins, as Musan Kapuletski writes his famous novel "Nikodem" (+1 Culture). Polish army trains rigorously (+1 Army Training).
With government investment, Persian economy grows even more rapidly than expected (+1 Economy). Kalat is integrated succesfully into Persia (+1 Culture). The new Cyrus and Darius Academy greatly improves the quality of the Persian troops and their officers alike (+1 Army Training, Military Leadership), while other, more peaceful universities, do much for the education levels (+1 Education). A failed assassination attempt boosts Shah Ardashir's popularity (+1 Confidence). On this wave of high morale, augmented by increased pay, the Royal Safavid Palace draws ever closer to completion (+1 project progress).
Giuseppe de Varni overthrows the oligarchic Congregation and takes over Venice (+1 Confidence)!
The oldest Koran in existance was discovered in Greater Turkmenistan (+1 Culture)!
George V's personal charisma gains him much support in and out of Parliament (+1 Confidence).
Some mystirious rebel movement gets a lot of volunteers (+5 divisions), many more to join if they rebel.
Josef Leu's popularity grows rapidly (+1 Confidence).
Dalnorossia undergoes centralization (+1 Centralization).
Emperor Guangxu's live appearence before the crowds that gathered in Beijing raised his and dynastic prestige (+1 Confidence). Japan is granted more autonomy, decreasing the dissent somewhat (+1 Culture).
The Autonomist movement in Poland gains more and more influence (-1 Culture)...
France has problems with finding enough recruits who meet the standards of the Garde Imperiale (-5 UU).
Neglect damages the Persian infrastructure (-1 Infrastructure).
Separatism in the HRE continues to grow - North Germans, Czechs, Croats and Hungarians alike are increasingly uncooperative (-1 Culture).
The "Young Uzbek" separatist movement appears in Greater Turkmenistan (-1 Culture).
Several top Sokotan generals tried to overthrow Muhammad Ramat, but their conspiracy was discovered and they were all executed (-1 Military Leadership).
Spotlight:
Great Central Asian War.
"Damn these Turkmeni barbarians, they are so persistant! A little Persian steel shall teach them otherwise, though."
- attrib. to General Osman Mustafa. Year 1862.
By a peace treaty of November 12th 1861, the brief, near-phony Turkmeno-Persian War has ended.
In its stead, on February 1st 1862, came the Great Central Asian War. Technically, it was already beginning a few days earlier, when the Persians complained about the slowness of the Turkmeni withdrawal from Kalat. The Turkmens promised to speed it up as much as possible. And indeed, with remarkable speed, they left Kalat. Karamurad's army was riding as fast as possible for Shiraz, the Safavid capital. Meanwhile, three other Turkmeni groups struck out from the north, seeking to take Teheran, Isfahan and Yazd, the other four key cities of Iran. The Persians weren't wholly unprepared for it, though. Their armies, too, were massing for the decisive battle. Though the Turkmens had superior training and superior experience, not to mention fanaticism inspierd by khan Karamurad, the Persians possessed the finest new European weapons and some inventions of their own, such as Allah's Needles and the Flames of Mohammed. Still, very possibly the Turkmens would've conquered Persia had they been facing it alone. But as it was, Persia had a powerful ally - the Federated Kingdoms.
And, as it also happened, the Federated Kingdoms had a little problem in coming to assist Persia. Namely, India, the primary British base in the region and a very significant source of manpower, was on the verge of rebellion. The Federates weren't ignorant of this; indeed, they performed admirably, setting Muslim and Hindu rebel groups against each other, killing off potential leaders and, most importantly, arresting and replacing sepoy officers that conspired to mutiny in the middle of a battle with the Turkmens. But just as the last disorganized rebels were defeated, just as the Federates marched out to assist the beleaguered Persians, an organized rebellion begun. Unlike the Hindus and the Muslims, the Sikhs had a well-organized rebel movement based on the principles of fanatical loyalty and strict conspiration. Balajit Singh, the heir to the throne of Punjab, used the moment when the Federates were already marching through Afghanistan to begin his rebellion behind the enemy lines. Naturally, the badly outnumbered British garrison was forced out of Punjab and much of the Indus Valley or was simply cut into pieces, and several assassination attempts on Balajit failed. Thankfully, the Federates have by then recaptured Kalat and organized a supply route from there to Afghanistan, but only the lack of free Turkmeni forces saved the Federate Army of Afghanistan from annihilation, and the fact that the Federates didn't KNOW that the Turkmens weren't going to counter-attack them allowed the Sikhs to consolidate their gains and fight back the half-hearted counter-attacks.
Still, even though their forces fared rather worse in Afghanistan than was expected, the main Federate operation - a seaborne invasion of Kalat - was succesful, for the lack of any Turkmen defenders on the coastline. By then, the main battles were already raging further west. Unprepared for a Turkmen attack, the Persian forces in the Caspian theatre were caught in open field, outmaneuvered and devastated, with a meager two divisions limping back south. Although Teheran fell, elsewhere the Persians were doing doubtlessly better. Allah's Needles were used well, devastating Turkmen cavalry charges, and the fluid line of Persian defenses kept the Turkmens out of Yazd and Isfahan. The decisive battle, however, was at Shiraz ofcourse. A capable tactician, Karamurad ignored the Persians that tried to distract him at Bandar-e 'Abbas and instead marched all the way to the Safavid capital, putting it under siege. Though Turkmen spies were prevented from opening the gates of Shiraz to the attackers, the Turkmen engineers were conducting the siege well and the outnumbered defenders were almost doomed. Furthermore, the Turkmen begun threatening the supply routes of the Persians at Yazd as well, putting them in an indefensible position. Just a month, at most two months, and the Persians would have had to retreat from Yazd, which they clearly couldn't hold and then all that would be left would be Isfahan and Shiraz, and not even the Federates would be in position to save the newly-restored Safavid dynasty, whose members, by the way, were being executted in a most gruesome manner wherever they were found by the Turkmen.
What saved Persia was the sepoys. Remaining loyal to the Crowns, they formed the bulk of the Federate force that attacked the left flank of the Turkmens in the Second Battle at Yazd. Persians decided to use this and charged the confused Turkmen army, routing it. With a small garrison left in Yazd, the Persians and the sepoys then groupped up and marched towards Shiraz. Learning of this, Karamurad personally led a desperate assault and broke into the city, where he faced Ardashir IV himself, who personally supervised the defenses of his citadel. In a brutal three-day battle, much of Shiraz was badly damaged, the Cyrus and Darius Academy was looted and almost destroyed, the Chehel Sotoon palace was left in ruins... but the Turkmens failed to defeat the Persian garrison, augmented by the urban militia as it was, and pulled back.
Karamurad decided to make a major change in his plans. He still was confident that he could win this, and indeed, for a while it seemed so as his forces attacked and captured Isfahan. The Federates and the Persians were too tired to press on against him. But then, a new force intervenned.
...Ground shook as they marched, a quarter of a million men, all in elaborately-decorated uniforms, with banners depicting dragons raised proudly in the air. This army seemed to have come from the ancient days, but it was armed with modern weapons and led by officers who knew all about modern warfare, apart from perhaps the actual battles. Now they had a chance to test their theories. Or so they thought.
Alas, when the massive Chinese army crossed the Turkmen border, it didn't find any resistance, apart from some annoying nomads. As they advanced, militias were raised, and the meager Turkmen garrison forces headed to meet those unexpected guests, but naturally, they were all brushed aside like flies. The Chinese, disappointed about the absence of serious defenses, or of Karamurad for that matter, simply captured Samarkand, Bukhara and a few other large cities and begun waiting.
NPC Diplo:
From: Carlo Emanuele IV of Italy
To: Holy Roman Empire
We thank You for the assistance against Our insane brother, and politely request that You now hand over Italian territories controlled by Your forces back to Our jurisdiction, as it should be.
From: Ultraclericalists
To: France
It is not good at all that such a Catholic monarch as yourself should be forced to squabble with the Papacy. Please withdraw your support for Carlo Emanuele, or at least persuade him to restore the Papal States, long since unjustly annexed, and I will gladly recognize you as the Emperor of the French and the King of the Spanish, and bless your heroic civilizing activities in poor, dark heathen lands.
From: Sikh Rebellion
To: Federated Kingdoms
You are a ruler of many lands and many cities. What is Punjab when compared with your empire? Yet, from what I hear, your empire is now in danger, and every warrior might just become crucial. Would it not be better to give up trying to reconquer our land, and instead concentrating on your other problems? If you agree to renounce all claims on our lands and to recognize our nation an equal, we will be only too glad to assist you against your other foes.
OOC:
[1] Dehcho River=Mackenzie River.
[2] Nouvelle Gaulle=New Gaul=Australia.
[3] Ile de Tocqueville=Tocqueville Island=North New Zeeland.
[4] Sent-Jeanne=St. Joan=Tasmania. As a butterfly effect, Joan d'Arc was cannonized much earlier than in OTL.
[5] Nouvelle Sardagne=New Sardinia=South New Zeeland.
[6] The House of Stuart split up in this world in 1718, into the younger branch that took over the throne and became known as the House of Orange-Stuart and the elder branch that fled to France and since then kept trying to retake Great Britain. Very annoying, that latter one is.
[7] Duca di Mantova=Duke of Mantua.
[8] Hitsuji is Japanese for "Sheep".
das
Regeneration In Process
Disenfrancised
Beep Beep
All very nice, I appreciate the non-foiling of any of my plans (or is that only because i didn't do much?)
Beat those damn Geals into the ground NK! Sorry I didn't randomly conjecturize about it earlier
Hasn't the world been shoke by the shear scariness of the FK UU yet?
Disenfrancised
Beep Beep
So I guess NK will recieve a maelstrom of diplomacy on his return?
Thlayli
Le Pétit Prince
From: Persia
To: Greater Turkmenistan
See how your Turkic scum have been destroyed by the combined might of Persia, the Federated Kingdoms, and China! Despite their numbers, your pathetic sword-waving barbarians have fallen to our might.
The Holy Islamic Kingdom of Persia will only tolerate your total surrender. Anything short of that will result in your complete annihilation from the face of the earth.
From: Persia
To: Empire of France
Please declare war on Turkmenistan in support of your guarantee of independance on Persia.
From: Persia
To: China, FK
Thank you for your support. You shall forever be remembered as the saviors of the Persian people.
To: Greater Turkmenistan
See how your Turkic scum have been destroyed by the combined might of Persia, the Federated Kingdoms, and China! Despite their numbers, your pathetic sword-waving barbarians have fallen to our might.
The Holy Islamic Kingdom of Persia will only tolerate your total surrender. Anything short of that will result in your complete annihilation from the face of the earth.
From: Persia
To: Empire of France
Please declare war on Turkmenistan in support of your guarantee of independance on Persia.
From: Persia
To: China, FK
Thank you for your support. You shall forever be remembered as the saviors of the Persian people.
- Status
