161 AD – 180 AD: Turn 9
Domestic Events
History does not follow the accepted rules of a story. Climaxes build in history, true, and sometimes, those climaxes are satisfied with epic battles and actions, but in other cases they deflate, prove to be only epic in disguise, and, in truth, result in something preordained and obvious from the beginning. But this is not cause to get complacent. For even the doomed can bring others down with them.
The Celtic Empire, victorious on the Italian front, but reeling from revolts from within, puts said revolts down, violently. Propaganda is thrown about wildly, proclaiming that the Celtic people must band together if they are to defeat the Roman menace, and so, for the time being, the Celts are united, again.
(-2 000 Celtic Regulars)
Revolts break out in eastern Lusitania, seemingly fueled by agents from a different land. In any case, while not quite as deadly as some pessimistic Lusitanians feared, the rebels still manage to take a substantial amount of territory, in the name of a ‘Third Punic Empire.’ More deadly are the tribal incursions that came afterwards, as Celtiberians frightened by Lusitanian rapid expansion band together, and attack. Lusitania still holds together, but rumors that Lusitania would come to the aid of its Roman ally are proven false, as all troops are needed to maintain the remaining semblance of a nation.
(-5 000 Lusitanian Regulars)
Rome, itself, is in quite an interesting state of affairs, as well. Beset on all sides, and seemingly without allies, the senate rallies its people for what is believed will be the final years of the Mediterranean War…
(See Military Events)
Aegypt signs the African Alliance with Axum, and the Union of Aden, but then focuses all of its attention on ending Rome.
(See Military Events)
Bachiria, after some troubles, finally manages to disband its skirmishers. The last Merkavot are also decommissioned.
(-6 000 Bachiran Skirmishers, -10 Bachiran Merkavot)
The newly captured lands are annexed in a very confusing processes, as it seems King Negev intended to remove his forces from all non-Jewish territories, only to find out that, due to his people massacring the non-Jewish in the region, all the territories he currently held were majority-Jewish. Missionary efforts into central Arabia are very effective, and more tribes swear allegiance to the Bachiran throne.
Of course, pesky foreigners annoy the Bachirans to no end. On the south Arabian coast, the Bachirans found a third ‘contaminated city’ to deal with all the Indians and Axumites who want to trade with them. This city, Sayhut, shows promise to develop into a real trade center, but fails to do as much so far, due to intentional Bachiran neglect.
On the Red Sea coast, the trade war deteriorates, as it seems the Aegyptian government stops caring. That is not to say, however, that it ended without any effect.
(-Mecca as a Bachiran Economic Center, +Jiddah as a Bachiran Economic Center)
In Axum, the Axum Road gets completed substantially ahead of schedule, making that nation all the richer. Attempts to attract Indian intellectuals to the nation are stopped, but Axumite sages predict that, in any case, it will not be long before the new technologies of the Indians spread to Axum, through trade diffusion.
It is a generally prosperous time for the vibrant nation, as expansion is carried out, so that a branch of the Axum Road can end in Port Cush. Aden falls somewhat under Axum’s cultural sway, as the two nations grow closer together. The generals in Aden, in particular, are becoming quite pro-Axumite, and this is cause for some concern in the Aden government.
(-1 000 Axumite Regulars)
North, we come to the quagmire of relationships that is the modern Middle East. The Persians, intent on finally backing up their threats with force, invade Assyria proper, and, more surprisingly, the Urrians do the same.
(See Military Events)
The Urrians also ask Abdullah of Dilmun to join his nation with theirs, to create a greater empire, but their ambassadors quickly learn that he is long dead. After an embarrassed pause, their ambassadors leave.
In Byzantium, Emperor Demos, annoyed that Athens, Sparta, and Assyria have held out against him for so long, embarks on a new campaign to end them.
(See Military Events)
Between Greater India and Persia, the Birdsheep Pact is signed, which designates spheres of influence for the two nations, and has Persia give up a small strip of land to Greater India, in exchange for compensation. A Mutual Protection Pact is also signed. However, the numerous clauses are quite confusing, and a point of contention between the two nations is the state of Arabia, and whose influence that region falls under.
Persia expands its holdings in accordance to the Birdsheep Pact within the Iranian mountains, but in Arabia, expands rapidly, with the express intent of cutting the Indians off.
(-4 000 Persian Regulars)
Greater India, not quite done with the Indian Wars, nevertheless occupies the Maldives, which goes smoothly. This move also improves communication and trade routes with the far off Zanzibar colony, and consequently insures its survival, at least for the next few years. They also expand their Arabian colonies a very small amount. The newly created Samanya ships promise to enhance India’s mastery of the seas to a whole new level. A colony at Malacca is created, and a presence on mainland Africa near Zanzibar is established. Attempts at making these two sites into trade centers, however, fail miserably, as the journeys across the Indian Ocean are still too perilous to become commonplace, as of yet. The Samanya may well change that, but they have not done so yet.
(-2 000 Greater Indian Regulars)
On the mainland, Pandya surrenders, in exchange for its people being allowed to set up a nation in exile on Ceylon. Bengal, in exchange for true independence, gives all lands west of the Ganges mouth to Greater India. However, with Greater Indian help, oddly enough, a new capital of Sittwe is founded. The Bengali diehards hope to have a new a bright future in this barbaric region they have been exported to. Against the monolith that is India, Satavahana remains belligerent, but is doomed.
(+Sittwe as a Bengali Economic Center)
(See Military Events)
Massive increases in size to the Greater Indian army and navy effect training levels.
(-1 Greater Indian Army Training, -1 Greater Indian Navy Training)
In China, both the Zhou and the Chu gear up for a final confrontation. The Zhou, seeing the effectiveness of the Chu Horse Demons, hire their own version, from the Mongols, and the Chu, for their part, hire Indian mercenaries, which arrive on the Chu shores from their long voyage barely intact, but nevertheless, already strike fear into the hearts of Zhou commanders.
(-1 000 Greater Indian Regulars)
(See Spotlight)
Meanwhile, untouched by all this chaos, some of the natives on the island of Honshu band together to form the nation of Japan, with its capital at Kyoto. Economic investment in that capital quickly turn it into an economic center, and even now, the greedy eyes of the newly civilized tribes turn to their brethren, on that same island, as possibilities for future expansion.
(+Kyoto as a Japanese Economic Center)
Military Events
In the Mediterranean War, the Celts pull out of Northern Italia, even as no less than two Roman Legions pursue them back across the border. Venice is burned before it can be retaken, but, in short order, the Celts are pushed back across the Rhone.
(-Venice as a Roman Economic Center, -3 000 Celtic Regulars, -1 000 Celtic Warriors of Taranis, -1 000 Roman Legionnaires)
As the Celts burned bridges over the Rhone, and fortified their border with Roman Barcelona, they prepared for an onslaught the likes of which they knew they had never seen.
With most of Rome’s attention to the north, however, the Aegyptians captured the islands of the Mediterranean, in lighting offensives that destroyed not only any remaining hope of Roman sea trade, but also the resurgent Roman navy.
(-5 000 Roman Legionaries, -11 Roman Ships, 2 Roman Ships to Aegypt, -2 000 Aegyptian Regulars, -2 000 Aegyptian Royal Guards, -10 Aegyptian Ships, -2 Celtic Ships)
Cut off from their North African colonies, and quickly realizing that everything south of Italia was doomed to fall into the hands of the Aegyptians, the Romans concentrated all their anger on the Celtic Empire. The fortified lines at the Rhone and at Barcelona held bravely, for a time, but even the genius leadership of the Celts could not rein in their hordes enough to follow instructions perfectly. The truth of the matter was, the Celtic army, while large, was rabble, and the Roman Legions were well trained. At both Barcelona and the Rhone, the lines broke.
(-4 000 Roman Legionaries, -2 000 Celtic Regulars, -2 000 Celtic Warriors of Taranis)
The Romans flooded into the wooded lands of Gaul, and the Celts fled before them.
To the south, Aegypt’s dominance of the sea continued. Ignoring the plight of their ally, directly at least, the Aegyptians landed at Carthage and Icosium, took the cities, and incited Punic revolts in the other regions, which wiped out the Roman garrisons in North Africa.
(-6 000 Roman Legionaries, -3 000 Aegyptian Regulars, -2 000 Aegyptian Royal Guard)
And then, even as Roman successes against the Gallics continued unabated, the Aegyptians looked north. They landed at the city of Rome, and, even though the citizens put up a good fight, in the end, they were just no match for the Aegyptian tactics. The city was taken, and the city was burned, as the Aegyptians retreated back to their island holdings.
(-4 000 Roman Legionaries, -2 000 Aegyptian Regulars, -1 000 Aegyptian Royal Guard, -Rome as a Roman Economic Center, -1 Roman Confidence, -1 Roman Culture, -1 Roman Leadership)
At with their capital in ruins, the Romans found that the Celts were stronger then they had expected. The hordes, their legionaries could defeat, but endless terrorist attacks, and strikes at their leaders, both in southern Gaul, and in northern Italia, drained what was left of the Roman fighting spirit. Inflicting heavy casualties on the Celtics, the Romans were nevertheless driven out of Gaul, back across the Rhone, and away from Massala, which was taken by the barbarians, to the remnant of the senate’s horror.
(-6 000 Roman Legionaries, -5 000 Celtic Regulars, -6 000 Celtic Warriors of Taranis, -1 Roman Leadership, -1 Roman Culture)
And so does stand the Roman Republic, at the year 180 Anno Domini. A hundred and eighty years after they proclaimed themselves to be the greatest power in the world, they stand at the verge of defeat.
East, we come to the Attic War, of Athens and Sparta against Byzantium. Ignoring the lesser nation’s plea for peace, Emperor Demos continues the war. At the Battle of the Fallen Spears, his fleet destroys the Spartan one, and then, dealing with the Athenian navy became only a matter of time. It took only a few years to reduce the Spartan and Athenian navies to little more than glorified pirates.
(-8 Byzantine Ships, -8 Spartan Ships, -9 Athenian Ships)
Athens was besieged, and finally fell, and Sparta was conquered as well, in short order. Casualties were higher than expected, but now, at least, Byzantium reins unchallenged over Greece.
(-10 000 Byzantine Myrmidons, -6 000 Byzantine Marines, -Athens as an Independent Nation, -Sparta as an Independent Nation)
The Attic War dispensed of, Demos turned the full force against his armies against Assyria. For a time, the Eagle War was a false war, as both sides were told to do little more than hold their positions, but when the Attic War was dispensed of, Byzantines flooded over the Euphrates, in force…
(-1 000 Byzantine Marines, -2 000 Byzantine Myrmidons, -2 000 Assyrian Skirmishers, -1 000 Assyrian Regulars, -1 000 Assyrian Desert Princes)
And in the south, things looked just as poor for Assyria. Faced against the armies of Persia and Ur, they held to their fortifications for a time, and then their fortifications broke, turning the whole situation into one large rout. The Babylonians, to make things more confusing, reared their heads in rebellion once again, but were crushed by Perso-Urrian forces. The Persian monarch’s strange insistence not to have his forces cross the Tigris netted the Urrians the best lands.
(-4 000 Assyrian Skirmishers, -1 000 Assyrian Desert Princes, -5 000 Assyrian Regulars, -6 000 Persian Regulars, -7 000 Urrian Regulars, -1 Assyrian Confidence)
Retreating back to their homelands, the weak Assyrians prepared for a final battle against the Byzantines. There was yet another brave struggle at Harran, as David III, the genius king of Assyria, was well aware that if he lost the capital, it was all over, but in the end, his forces were just too demoralized and too spread out to defeat the Byzantines. Harran fell, David III died, and what remained of Assyria collapsed into complete anarchy.
(-Assyria as an Independent Nation, -8 000 Byzantine Myrmidons)
While Assyria might be gone, the squabbles over who gets what regions are expected to take some time.
In India, the Greater Indian Wars conclude expectedly. The Greater Indians steamroll over the isolated Satavahanans.
(-Satavahana as an Independent Nation, -5 000 Greater Indian Regulars)
*glances over at alex, who he knows is lurking*
hehe
Any results from India's contacts with the Tibetans and Huns?
