Disenfrancised
Beep Beep
Update 1703: This is what we've waited for//This is it boys, this is war!
Non Military
King Myrddin of Affalon, after hearing the complaints of the Mi'kmaq chief decides to broker an agreement with them and moved all his settlers off Cape Breton Island and moving them further south on the Nova Hibernian Peninsula. The Mi’kmaq, though not entirely enthused by the continued Affalonian presence, is glad of what they could get and resumed normal trading relations with Affalon, which certainly aids the Kings fanatical program to upgrade the Caer Murchaid docks and fishing fleet.
A new high priest by the name of Tlaneltoquititletl rises to prominence in Texcoco, on the back of a brutal military force known as the Moteinemiliz Zealots, soon crushing all resistance to his…I mean Moteinemiliz’s will. He rewards his followers well by setting up the beginnings of a new theocratic-military aristocracy based around these zealots and absolutely loyal to himself (+2 Centralization), as well as embarking on a number of popular campaigns (see military events). The flow of slaves and loot from the conquests boosts the trading power of the empire considerably (+Cosamaloapan economy centre).
A dynasty alliance between the leaders of Tumben Zima and the Ajaw of T’ho draws the city into the loose trading league, though its influence does not extend very far from the cities walls on land. The colonization of Cubanacon continues apace, as the Arawak tribes are very used to the Mayans, and even welcoming of their security from raids and so on (though there are rumours of hidden threats being made to the Arawak chiefs).
The Sapa-Inca continues his road building project, and begins to reconcil with the northern fraction by encouraging trade with the Chibha (who have been enlarging their own road system) and exploration down into the amazon basin, though the horrible conditions have stymed the few explorers that were sent. Meanwhile a few rumours of a strange floating island reach the court from the far south of the Empire.
The Kingdom of France fully mobilises her population for war, calling up a vast number of conscript divisions (+30 Conscript Divisions) and turning over the entire nation’s production to the war effort – they even have grandmothers knitting socks for soldiers! Naturally this, in conjugation with France’s isolation from trade by the enemy fleets, causes damage to the economy (-1 Economy) but the people are still enthusiastically behind their noble King Alexis.
Government investment by the Russians and the decisive British actions on the North Sea secures the new northern trade route, to the profit of both parties (+Arkhangelsk Economy Centre, +1 British Economy).
North German and Polish traders take advantage of the easing of tensions with Kalmar, and the opening of the Lithuanian and Courland markets (even if its only temporary), and, with the aid of generous loans from the central Imperial treasury, turn the city of Stettin into a bustling centre for Baltic trade (+Stettin Economy Centre). Tensions continue to rise in polish, Hungarian and East German regions over the foolishness of wars with French when the Courlanders and Turks are far more appropriate vectors of action.
The Kingdom of Aragon takes the decline of its educational establishment very seriously, and immediately embarks on a very long term program to standardize and make (reasonable affordable) a national school system to train the elite and specialists of tomorrow, as well as some investment in small universities this very year. They even put an number of schools in north Africa as part of a plan to “Aragonese” the Christian Berbers still further.
The Russian imperator moves his capital north to the recently recaptured Moscow, the problems this might have caused is more than compensated by the inauguration of his new civilian senate, who begins to manage the nation most effectively (+2 Civilian leadership). To celebrate this move the Imperator orders the construction of a number of monuments – to god with a tremendous new cathedral, and to his new order, with the soon to be notorious “Red Square”
Securing the steppes of the Kazak peoples (see military events) allows trade caravans to travel north and south between the lands of the Imperator and the Great Khan, enriching the coffers of both, especially the latter (+1 Quqonid Economy). This trade, added to the slowly increasing connection with the overland and back country routes of the Qing’s Uygur subjects allows the markets of the young city of Omsk to swell in size, even if most of the cities population is seasonal (+Omsk economy centre).
King Mom Pi of Ayutthaya was burning a lot of political capital this year. Over the past few seasons a series of reforms brought better living conditions to the corvee labourers, and they had loved him for it, now he was calling in the favour by raising a enormous conscript army to crush his enemies (+30 Conscript divisions). Unlike in France without the threat of immediate destruction of Ayutthaya this move was very unpopular, particularly in the outlying provinces (-2 Confidence) and the economy was being to falter due to the removal of this manpower.
The devastation of the south of India, the Ottoman blockades, the Gujarat-Bengali war and the outward ripples of the pirate wars (see various military events) begin to reduce the quantity and confidence of goods being transferred on the Indian ocean (-1 Economy from the Ottomans, Gujarat, and Bengal), although Ottoman efforts to restore trade (under their dominance of course), reduces the damage somewhat.
The lifting of the Japanese interdiction on Chinese trade restores the economic power of Da Qing’s ports (+Weihai Economy Centre).
The ascendance of the Confucianist-Agriculturalist faction of the Nan Ming court seems secured this year, as the Emperor appears to turn away from trade and colonial pursuits in favour of a revanchist war (see military events). With the political power this has brought them, the Confucianist enact a revenge on the merchants, forcing through several isolationist laws in return for their support in the Emperors war, and mobs burn down things “foreign” and unsightly in a number of coastal cities. Some of the bourgeois and merchant elite of the coastal cites in the north east read the writing on the wall and emigrate in great numbers, joined by the Chinese the Japanese are forcing to leave the island of Taiwan. Nearly a hundred thousand have moved already, daring the chaos of the pirate wars, popular destinations being the cities of the Dai Viet (+Hue Economy centre) and the White Malay colonies on Borneo (+Bintulu Economy Centre).
A good dollop of propaganda turns the Korean subjects of the Japanese Emperor increasingly against the Da Qing, though attempts back home to incite anger are…almost unnecessary as the people are eager and willing to exert their superiority (+1 Confidence).
Speaking of the White Malay, this year they introduced an interesting new system of militias, with each of the various princely states subordinate to the Rajah raising some troops in lee of some taxes (+10 Conscript Divisions that don’t count towards military upkeep).
Military
The Navarrese pirates continue their campaign against the Iberians, thought he Iberians are now wary to them, they seem to have gained a new base and a new source of funding and make sneak attacks closer and closer to the Iberian ports. However with the restoration of Navarre perhaps these attacks may stop.
The Great Khan of the Quqonid Dynasty sends his outriders to exert control over the northern plains, as per their agreement with the Russians as of last year. Without specific orders, and fighting in moderately unfamiliar terrain the armies of Khan took some losses (-6 Quqonid Divisions) before the steppes could truly said to be theirs. However the various hordes and clans of these new northern lands are less than overjoyed about their new rulers and rules, and securing the safety of merchant caravans with no proper bases, cities or population support is proving something of a strain on the Quqonid armies (increased military support).
The White Malay send an expedition to attempt to contact the Iberian colonies in Mozambique. They were successful in their goal, but setting up a line of communication and trade will be difficult without any immediate bases or friendly powers in the Indian ocean.
Moteinemiliz Cualania
High Priest Tlaneltoquititletl was very happy, for it was clear that he was much favored by the Lifegiver; the squabbles following the death of the old high priest had been resolved very much in his favour. Formerly he was in command of training the Zealot army the old High priest had been building in secret, and on the latter’s death had used the power of the former to seize control of the Mexico valley, and as the old proverb goes – “He who rules the valley rules Mesica” (it’s a bit more snappy in Nahuatl). But the consolidation of power and the instant obedience of his every whim still wasn’t quite enough for Tlaneltoquititletl, and he reached something more…for glory.
Glory that could be found by destroying the once master and now enemy of Mesica; the Tarascan Nation. After the first rainy season the High Priest gathered his armies in Texcoco, particularly his new cohorts of zealots and began the long march to west and off the highlands to Tzintzuntzan, the Tarascan capital. This assault was hardly unexpected by the Tarascan, and indeed they have been preparing for it for a number of years. As the Acolhuan’s marched the Tarascans attacked them again and again in numerous skirmishes and ambushes, only to melt back into the landscape when the Acolhuan’s brought their superior numbers into play. However this display of cunning proved the exception rather than the rule, and the Tarascan generals allowed themselves to be trapped within the capital by the vast Acolhuan force. After a lengthy siege the city surrendered, and the Zealots flooded the city in some of the most brutal street fighting Mesoamerica has ever seen, their heavy armour and fanaticism overwhelming at close quarters.
With the city fallen, the invaders spread their forces to gain control of the countryside, taking many slaves and burning any villages who resisted. Rather than face the utter destruction of their culture, the Tarascans began a long march north, into the dry and barbarous lands of the Wixarica, as well as some small ships carrying them across the sea to a place they named New Ixltan [5]. The land of Michoacan was apportioned between member of the new zealot military elite that Tlaneltoquititletl had created to their great approval (+2 Acolhuan Confidence), but the loss of the well connected Michoacan traders impoverishes the west coast and the empire as a whole (-1 Acolhuan Economy).
(-10 Tarascan Divisions, -5 Acolhuan Divisions, -4 Acolhuan Zealot Divisions)
Perfidious Albion!
Great Britain has been steadily increasing in strength in the northern waters over the past few years, with France and the Empire distracted with their own squabbles. In fact she had but one rival for naval supremacy – Kalmar. The time had come, in the words of King Edward himself, to “plant the Dragon in the North Sea*”, for the king had heard word that the Northmen would be distracted with other adventures this year (see below). Thus King Edward sent his new fleet to scour the seas searching for the Kalmarese, and indeed soon found them – of the coast of Ireland and sailing south! Now this was just too perfect a casus belli for the King to resist…
The British surprised the more northerly of the two Kalmarese convoy’s some twenty miles west of Dingle, the enormous train of the Kalmarese troop transports easing the difficult task of locating a fleet on the high seas. Taken by surprise the Kalmar ships were smashed into by the British, the superior training and size of the British ships making their victory easy, although the perpendicular vector (a requirement to take them by surprise) of their attack cost the British more losses than would be expected. The fleet bound for Normandy was broken and had to flee back through hundreds of miles of British waters; half the Kalmar tonnage destroyed in a day.
The second Kalmarese fleet, bound for Nantes managed to escape this destruction (indeed they did not hear of it for nearly a week) and made landfall in France, but the battle plan of King Christian was all but ruined. Indeed whenever the second fleet tried to return north, they were beaten back by British Fleets, with terrible implications for the Kalmarese supply situation.
But King Edward was not finished yet, not by a long shot. His advisors had determined much to their own surprise that nearly the whole Kalmar fleet was gone or trapped in the south! The British acted quickly and soon had seized control of the North Sea and even ventured into the Skagerrak. Luckily for the Kalmarese, the great fortified city of Copenhagen managed to maintain control of the passage to the Baltic, as the English had to hold ships back to guard la Manche, otherwise it is likely that even the capital of Kalmar would have come under attack. The British contented themselves with seizing Oslo in a daring amphibious assault with the aid of a few anti-Danish locals, throwing the rest of southern Norway into chaos. Their attempts to incite a Swedish rebellion failed however – the events in the east putting the Swedes and the Finns solidly behind the crown (even if they are a tad annoyed at the stripping of the kingdoms defences).
(+4 Kalmar Irregular Divisions)
(-17 Kalmarese Squadrons, -15 Kalmarese Divisions, -10 Kalmarese Royal Marine Divisions, -2 Kalmar Irregular Divisions, -2 Kalmar Confidence, -9 British Man O’War Squadrons, -1 British Division)
Encerclement?
With his tremendous new army, Alexis resolved to drive the filthy invaders out of France! Leaving the defences of the north in the hands of the capable General Etienne, he took personal command of the force of southern liberation, in the manner of his great grandfather François. Indeed his actions later in the year caused him to regain that sobriquet which had been one of his grandfather’s proudest possessions – Teufelfranz. At first his task was very easy indeed, for the Savoyards and the Aragonese seemed to melt away before his assault as they fled for Languedoc and the Rhone. Naturally suspicious, Alexis kept his new secret weapons in reserve and sent his partisans and cavalry to inflict causalities on the fleeing southerners, and moved relatively slowly with a close eye out for traps. But the enemy kept falling back; Toulouse was freed from its siege, the central bulge was retaken without a battle. When the Aragonese and Savoyards finally turned and fought – at the Rhone and Languedoc respectively, Alexis smiled, for he knew the trap would soon be sprung and kept the majority of his forces moving in the central regions, sending only small forces to keep the besiegers busy.
Indeed the second wave of the Aragonese attack made themselves known – for all the troops which had been evacuated from the south-east came broiling out of the Pyrenees near Navarre, the Aragonese obviously having stealthily moved them through Aragon. What’s more, they were not alone – a large Iberian contingent made up a third of the attack. Whilst the Iberians struck out towards Bordeaux, the Aragonese spread out to hit Toulouse again and spill across the Garonne, to run into southern army of Alexis, who had abandoned the attacks on Languedoc when he heard of the threat to Bordeaux. Although slightly numerically superior the Aragonese were no match for the French fighting on their own ground, and Alexis decided to employ his new secret weapon on the forces besieging Toulouse...
For the French government had spent some years working on the old battle rockets of the last century, and developed a number of refinements to the rockets operation and effectiveness, as well as a number of different types. But perhaps most importantly they had set up a number of manufactories in the north that could churn out several thousand a day – and Alexis had a great many uses for his new toys.
…as a surprise attack and excellent use of artillery and rocket was devastating on the closely packed attackers, and the Aragonese fled in a rout. However things got harder from then on, as the French and Aragonese skirmished and traded cities all over the south of France, ending the year with Toulouse in French hands and Limoges being barely held by the Aragonese. Of course all this allowed the Iberians to march up the coast nearly unopposed apart from the sheer size of the static defenses and traps of fortress France. Thus it took them three months to take Bordeaux, and another five to reach the Sevre Niortaise, even though the only French they were facing were city militias. Eventually however they reached the Kalmarese held regions near Nantes.
The Kalmar assault force had been severely shaken by news of the annihilation of the second battle group on the Atlantic, but still attempted to go through with their orders. Landing at Nantes, they faced the fearsome defenses the French had set up, and surprise raids by the French ships, but eventually they managed to push their way past the fire ships and river chains and took control of Nantes. Exhausted, having to deal with a French insurrection and cut off from supplies, they stayed in the city for several months before attempting to move to the next phase of the plan, the British fleet stopping any news from reaching them of the events in Kalmar. They slowly moved up the river, taking Angers and Tours before a French militia reinforced with some extras from General Etienne’s army halted them in their tracks.
Finally the north the largest battles of them all took place, though unlike in the south the French were firmly on the defensive. The Holy Roman Emperor had raised another great army and quickly moved to reinforce the forces that had broken through near Troyes. They succeeded and eventually took the city, only to come upon a second layer of French fortifications beyond! The imperials tried many assaults in many locations but each time were force to retreat under the heavy fire of the French mobile artillery and rocket brigades, and the French had flooded burgundy with snipers and assassins and managed to inflict quite serious damage on the head of the imperial war machine. However the French were unable to push the sheer numbers of the imperials out, and the imperials had soon made gains to the south of their break through. Every day the French inflicted tremendous causalities on the Imperials, if they could just hold out slightly longer.
At the end of the year the fortress of France is still standing and its people resolute. But the Aragonese and Imperials grow ever closer to the centre of the country, and only one city – ironically the city of Orleans, that was François’s birthplace, stands between the nation being sundered in two, and their hero trapped in the south.
As a side note to all this, with the Iberians overstretched in the north the Navarrese rebels pushed out the Iberian garrisons which had been reduced to a fragment, and rose again under the rule of King Garcia IV, brother to Admiral Lasa, the leader of the Navarrese pirates. To weak to do much else, the Navarrese have stated their neutrality in the French War, and tried to regain peace with the Iberians and the Aragonese.
(+1 Iberian confidence, +Navarre, +20 French Irregular divisions)
(-22 French divisions, -16 French Conscript Divisions, -9 French Brigade De Fusee, -11 French Irregular divisions, -4 Kalmar Royal Marine Divisions, -5 Kalmar Divisions, -7 Iberian Divisions, -18 Imperial Divisions, -12 Aragonese Divisions)
Non Military
King Myrddin of Affalon, after hearing the complaints of the Mi'kmaq chief decides to broker an agreement with them and moved all his settlers off Cape Breton Island and moving them further south on the Nova Hibernian Peninsula. The Mi’kmaq, though not entirely enthused by the continued Affalonian presence, is glad of what they could get and resumed normal trading relations with Affalon, which certainly aids the Kings fanatical program to upgrade the Caer Murchaid docks and fishing fleet.
A new high priest by the name of Tlaneltoquititletl rises to prominence in Texcoco, on the back of a brutal military force known as the Moteinemiliz Zealots, soon crushing all resistance to his…I mean Moteinemiliz’s will. He rewards his followers well by setting up the beginnings of a new theocratic-military aristocracy based around these zealots and absolutely loyal to himself (+2 Centralization), as well as embarking on a number of popular campaigns (see military events). The flow of slaves and loot from the conquests boosts the trading power of the empire considerably (+Cosamaloapan economy centre).
A dynasty alliance between the leaders of Tumben Zima and the Ajaw of T’ho draws the city into the loose trading league, though its influence does not extend very far from the cities walls on land. The colonization of Cubanacon continues apace, as the Arawak tribes are very used to the Mayans, and even welcoming of their security from raids and so on (though there are rumours of hidden threats being made to the Arawak chiefs).
The Sapa-Inca continues his road building project, and begins to reconcil with the northern fraction by encouraging trade with the Chibha (who have been enlarging their own road system) and exploration down into the amazon basin, though the horrible conditions have stymed the few explorers that were sent. Meanwhile a few rumours of a strange floating island reach the court from the far south of the Empire.
The Kingdom of France fully mobilises her population for war, calling up a vast number of conscript divisions (+30 Conscript Divisions) and turning over the entire nation’s production to the war effort – they even have grandmothers knitting socks for soldiers! Naturally this, in conjugation with France’s isolation from trade by the enemy fleets, causes damage to the economy (-1 Economy) but the people are still enthusiastically behind their noble King Alexis.
Government investment by the Russians and the decisive British actions on the North Sea secures the new northern trade route, to the profit of both parties (+Arkhangelsk Economy Centre, +1 British Economy).
North German and Polish traders take advantage of the easing of tensions with Kalmar, and the opening of the Lithuanian and Courland markets (even if its only temporary), and, with the aid of generous loans from the central Imperial treasury, turn the city of Stettin into a bustling centre for Baltic trade (+Stettin Economy Centre). Tensions continue to rise in polish, Hungarian and East German regions over the foolishness of wars with French when the Courlanders and Turks are far more appropriate vectors of action.
The Kingdom of Aragon takes the decline of its educational establishment very seriously, and immediately embarks on a very long term program to standardize and make (reasonable affordable) a national school system to train the elite and specialists of tomorrow, as well as some investment in small universities this very year. They even put an number of schools in north Africa as part of a plan to “Aragonese” the Christian Berbers still further.
The Russian imperator moves his capital north to the recently recaptured Moscow, the problems this might have caused is more than compensated by the inauguration of his new civilian senate, who begins to manage the nation most effectively (+2 Civilian leadership). To celebrate this move the Imperator orders the construction of a number of monuments – to god with a tremendous new cathedral, and to his new order, with the soon to be notorious “Red Square”
Securing the steppes of the Kazak peoples (see military events) allows trade caravans to travel north and south between the lands of the Imperator and the Great Khan, enriching the coffers of both, especially the latter (+1 Quqonid Economy). This trade, added to the slowly increasing connection with the overland and back country routes of the Qing’s Uygur subjects allows the markets of the young city of Omsk to swell in size, even if most of the cities population is seasonal (+Omsk economy centre).
King Mom Pi of Ayutthaya was burning a lot of political capital this year. Over the past few seasons a series of reforms brought better living conditions to the corvee labourers, and they had loved him for it, now he was calling in the favour by raising a enormous conscript army to crush his enemies (+30 Conscript divisions). Unlike in France without the threat of immediate destruction of Ayutthaya this move was very unpopular, particularly in the outlying provinces (-2 Confidence) and the economy was being to falter due to the removal of this manpower.
The devastation of the south of India, the Ottoman blockades, the Gujarat-Bengali war and the outward ripples of the pirate wars (see various military events) begin to reduce the quantity and confidence of goods being transferred on the Indian ocean (-1 Economy from the Ottomans, Gujarat, and Bengal), although Ottoman efforts to restore trade (under their dominance of course), reduces the damage somewhat.
The lifting of the Japanese interdiction on Chinese trade restores the economic power of Da Qing’s ports (+Weihai Economy Centre).
The ascendance of the Confucianist-Agriculturalist faction of the Nan Ming court seems secured this year, as the Emperor appears to turn away from trade and colonial pursuits in favour of a revanchist war (see military events). With the political power this has brought them, the Confucianist enact a revenge on the merchants, forcing through several isolationist laws in return for their support in the Emperors war, and mobs burn down things “foreign” and unsightly in a number of coastal cities. Some of the bourgeois and merchant elite of the coastal cites in the north east read the writing on the wall and emigrate in great numbers, joined by the Chinese the Japanese are forcing to leave the island of Taiwan. Nearly a hundred thousand have moved already, daring the chaos of the pirate wars, popular destinations being the cities of the Dai Viet (+Hue Economy centre) and the White Malay colonies on Borneo (+Bintulu Economy Centre).
A good dollop of propaganda turns the Korean subjects of the Japanese Emperor increasingly against the Da Qing, though attempts back home to incite anger are…almost unnecessary as the people are eager and willing to exert their superiority (+1 Confidence).
Speaking of the White Malay, this year they introduced an interesting new system of militias, with each of the various princely states subordinate to the Rajah raising some troops in lee of some taxes (+10 Conscript Divisions that don’t count towards military upkeep).
Military
The Navarrese pirates continue their campaign against the Iberians, thought he Iberians are now wary to them, they seem to have gained a new base and a new source of funding and make sneak attacks closer and closer to the Iberian ports. However with the restoration of Navarre perhaps these attacks may stop.
The Great Khan of the Quqonid Dynasty sends his outriders to exert control over the northern plains, as per their agreement with the Russians as of last year. Without specific orders, and fighting in moderately unfamiliar terrain the armies of Khan took some losses (-6 Quqonid Divisions) before the steppes could truly said to be theirs. However the various hordes and clans of these new northern lands are less than overjoyed about their new rulers and rules, and securing the safety of merchant caravans with no proper bases, cities or population support is proving something of a strain on the Quqonid armies (increased military support).
The White Malay send an expedition to attempt to contact the Iberian colonies in Mozambique. They were successful in their goal, but setting up a line of communication and trade will be difficult without any immediate bases or friendly powers in the Indian ocean.
Moteinemiliz Cualania
High Priest Tlaneltoquititletl was very happy, for it was clear that he was much favored by the Lifegiver; the squabbles following the death of the old high priest had been resolved very much in his favour. Formerly he was in command of training the Zealot army the old High priest had been building in secret, and on the latter’s death had used the power of the former to seize control of the Mexico valley, and as the old proverb goes – “He who rules the valley rules Mesica” (it’s a bit more snappy in Nahuatl). But the consolidation of power and the instant obedience of his every whim still wasn’t quite enough for Tlaneltoquititletl, and he reached something more…for glory.
Glory that could be found by destroying the once master and now enemy of Mesica; the Tarascan Nation. After the first rainy season the High Priest gathered his armies in Texcoco, particularly his new cohorts of zealots and began the long march to west and off the highlands to Tzintzuntzan, the Tarascan capital. This assault was hardly unexpected by the Tarascan, and indeed they have been preparing for it for a number of years. As the Acolhuan’s marched the Tarascans attacked them again and again in numerous skirmishes and ambushes, only to melt back into the landscape when the Acolhuan’s brought their superior numbers into play. However this display of cunning proved the exception rather than the rule, and the Tarascan generals allowed themselves to be trapped within the capital by the vast Acolhuan force. After a lengthy siege the city surrendered, and the Zealots flooded the city in some of the most brutal street fighting Mesoamerica has ever seen, their heavy armour and fanaticism overwhelming at close quarters.
With the city fallen, the invaders spread their forces to gain control of the countryside, taking many slaves and burning any villages who resisted. Rather than face the utter destruction of their culture, the Tarascans began a long march north, into the dry and barbarous lands of the Wixarica, as well as some small ships carrying them across the sea to a place they named New Ixltan [5]. The land of Michoacan was apportioned between member of the new zealot military elite that Tlaneltoquititletl had created to their great approval (+2 Acolhuan Confidence), but the loss of the well connected Michoacan traders impoverishes the west coast and the empire as a whole (-1 Acolhuan Economy).
(-10 Tarascan Divisions, -5 Acolhuan Divisions, -4 Acolhuan Zealot Divisions)
Perfidious Albion!
Great Britain has been steadily increasing in strength in the northern waters over the past few years, with France and the Empire distracted with their own squabbles. In fact she had but one rival for naval supremacy – Kalmar. The time had come, in the words of King Edward himself, to “plant the Dragon in the North Sea*”, for the king had heard word that the Northmen would be distracted with other adventures this year (see below). Thus King Edward sent his new fleet to scour the seas searching for the Kalmarese, and indeed soon found them – of the coast of Ireland and sailing south! Now this was just too perfect a casus belli for the King to resist…
The British surprised the more northerly of the two Kalmarese convoy’s some twenty miles west of Dingle, the enormous train of the Kalmarese troop transports easing the difficult task of locating a fleet on the high seas. Taken by surprise the Kalmar ships were smashed into by the British, the superior training and size of the British ships making their victory easy, although the perpendicular vector (a requirement to take them by surprise) of their attack cost the British more losses than would be expected. The fleet bound for Normandy was broken and had to flee back through hundreds of miles of British waters; half the Kalmar tonnage destroyed in a day.
The second Kalmarese fleet, bound for Nantes managed to escape this destruction (indeed they did not hear of it for nearly a week) and made landfall in France, but the battle plan of King Christian was all but ruined. Indeed whenever the second fleet tried to return north, they were beaten back by British Fleets, with terrible implications for the Kalmarese supply situation.
But King Edward was not finished yet, not by a long shot. His advisors had determined much to their own surprise that nearly the whole Kalmar fleet was gone or trapped in the south! The British acted quickly and soon had seized control of the North Sea and even ventured into the Skagerrak. Luckily for the Kalmarese, the great fortified city of Copenhagen managed to maintain control of the passage to the Baltic, as the English had to hold ships back to guard la Manche, otherwise it is likely that even the capital of Kalmar would have come under attack. The British contented themselves with seizing Oslo in a daring amphibious assault with the aid of a few anti-Danish locals, throwing the rest of southern Norway into chaos. Their attempts to incite a Swedish rebellion failed however – the events in the east putting the Swedes and the Finns solidly behind the crown (even if they are a tad annoyed at the stripping of the kingdoms defences).
(+4 Kalmar Irregular Divisions)
(-17 Kalmarese Squadrons, -15 Kalmarese Divisions, -10 Kalmarese Royal Marine Divisions, -2 Kalmar Irregular Divisions, -2 Kalmar Confidence, -9 British Man O’War Squadrons, -1 British Division)
Encerclement?
With his tremendous new army, Alexis resolved to drive the filthy invaders out of France! Leaving the defences of the north in the hands of the capable General Etienne, he took personal command of the force of southern liberation, in the manner of his great grandfather François. Indeed his actions later in the year caused him to regain that sobriquet which had been one of his grandfather’s proudest possessions – Teufelfranz. At first his task was very easy indeed, for the Savoyards and the Aragonese seemed to melt away before his assault as they fled for Languedoc and the Rhone. Naturally suspicious, Alexis kept his new secret weapons in reserve and sent his partisans and cavalry to inflict causalities on the fleeing southerners, and moved relatively slowly with a close eye out for traps. But the enemy kept falling back; Toulouse was freed from its siege, the central bulge was retaken without a battle. When the Aragonese and Savoyards finally turned and fought – at the Rhone and Languedoc respectively, Alexis smiled, for he knew the trap would soon be sprung and kept the majority of his forces moving in the central regions, sending only small forces to keep the besiegers busy.
Indeed the second wave of the Aragonese attack made themselves known – for all the troops which had been evacuated from the south-east came broiling out of the Pyrenees near Navarre, the Aragonese obviously having stealthily moved them through Aragon. What’s more, they were not alone – a large Iberian contingent made up a third of the attack. Whilst the Iberians struck out towards Bordeaux, the Aragonese spread out to hit Toulouse again and spill across the Garonne, to run into southern army of Alexis, who had abandoned the attacks on Languedoc when he heard of the threat to Bordeaux. Although slightly numerically superior the Aragonese were no match for the French fighting on their own ground, and Alexis decided to employ his new secret weapon on the forces besieging Toulouse...
For the French government had spent some years working on the old battle rockets of the last century, and developed a number of refinements to the rockets operation and effectiveness, as well as a number of different types. But perhaps most importantly they had set up a number of manufactories in the north that could churn out several thousand a day – and Alexis had a great many uses for his new toys.
…as a surprise attack and excellent use of artillery and rocket was devastating on the closely packed attackers, and the Aragonese fled in a rout. However things got harder from then on, as the French and Aragonese skirmished and traded cities all over the south of France, ending the year with Toulouse in French hands and Limoges being barely held by the Aragonese. Of course all this allowed the Iberians to march up the coast nearly unopposed apart from the sheer size of the static defenses and traps of fortress France. Thus it took them three months to take Bordeaux, and another five to reach the Sevre Niortaise, even though the only French they were facing were city militias. Eventually however they reached the Kalmarese held regions near Nantes.
The Kalmar assault force had been severely shaken by news of the annihilation of the second battle group on the Atlantic, but still attempted to go through with their orders. Landing at Nantes, they faced the fearsome defenses the French had set up, and surprise raids by the French ships, but eventually they managed to push their way past the fire ships and river chains and took control of Nantes. Exhausted, having to deal with a French insurrection and cut off from supplies, they stayed in the city for several months before attempting to move to the next phase of the plan, the British fleet stopping any news from reaching them of the events in Kalmar. They slowly moved up the river, taking Angers and Tours before a French militia reinforced with some extras from General Etienne’s army halted them in their tracks.
Finally the north the largest battles of them all took place, though unlike in the south the French were firmly on the defensive. The Holy Roman Emperor had raised another great army and quickly moved to reinforce the forces that had broken through near Troyes. They succeeded and eventually took the city, only to come upon a second layer of French fortifications beyond! The imperials tried many assaults in many locations but each time were force to retreat under the heavy fire of the French mobile artillery and rocket brigades, and the French had flooded burgundy with snipers and assassins and managed to inflict quite serious damage on the head of the imperial war machine. However the French were unable to push the sheer numbers of the imperials out, and the imperials had soon made gains to the south of their break through. Every day the French inflicted tremendous causalities on the Imperials, if they could just hold out slightly longer.
At the end of the year the fortress of France is still standing and its people resolute. But the Aragonese and Imperials grow ever closer to the centre of the country, and only one city – ironically the city of Orleans, that was François’s birthplace, stands between the nation being sundered in two, and their hero trapped in the south.
As a side note to all this, with the Iberians overstretched in the north the Navarrese rebels pushed out the Iberian garrisons which had been reduced to a fragment, and rose again under the rule of King Garcia IV, brother to Admiral Lasa, the leader of the Navarrese pirates. To weak to do much else, the Navarrese have stated their neutrality in the French War, and tried to regain peace with the Iberians and the Aragonese.
(+1 Iberian confidence, +Navarre, +20 French Irregular divisions)
(-22 French divisions, -16 French Conscript Divisions, -9 French Brigade De Fusee, -11 French Irregular divisions, -4 Kalmar Royal Marine Divisions, -5 Kalmar Divisions, -7 Iberian Divisions, -18 Imperial Divisions, -12 Aragonese Divisions)
You realize if I die, das will come after the lot of you next, yes? Particularly the lot of you oppressing Muslims in North Africa... In fact, I'm the last, best chance for survival you have. 
Excellent update, and I echo symphony's remarks about the Ottoman Empire, but only to the Nan-Ming and Japanese.
