IT IV Update 8 - Years 435-440 AD
Non-Military Events:
The prefectural system is extended to most of the recent Nihonese colonial gains (+1 Efficiency, Size); new settlements are created in those newly-integrated gains, and old ones flourish as well.
In the "Great Deal" (translated as "Big Deal" in countries not obviously affected), Nortugal and Upper (now United) Adena not only averted the much-expected war between the two, but also agreed to eliminate the cause for tension between the two; the Nortuguese sold most of their recent vast gains for a massive amount of gold. The Apalachee tribes that were promised revenge against the Adenans by the Nortuguese were outraged; obviously their soldiers deserted from the Nortuguese army (-10 levy thousands), and many of them took up arms in rebellion against their new masters (see military events). However, not all of them rebelled; in fact, most of the tribes soon decided to try and get some sort of a compromise, as the new Adenan Pinnacle Chief had both begun treating the non-rebelling Apalachees as equals (officially, anyway) and married one of the more influential chieftesses, to the outrage of the Adenan elite (-1 Confidence). Obviously the other Adenan cities and tribes that were previously under very harsh Nortuguese military rule were overjoyed at the prospect of joining their brethren, chieftess or no chieftess. Anyway, it would seem that the vastly-expanded empire will last (+1 Prestige), at least baring foreign aggression and ofcourse if its bureaucracy manages to establish proper control over the greatly-expanded territories (-1 Efficiency); speaking of which, the Algonquian gains in the far northern Adenan lands seem more shaky than ever (also see military events)... And in the meantime, crash-course modernisation like that in the states of the northeast has begun as well.
In a somewhat surprising move, the Khmers sold their Olmec possessions to Huancac, as opposed to any of the Old World powers; Huancac thus is increasingly becoming a colonial power in its own right.
A Wenedian colony has been set up to the northeast from Olmecia, in one of the last unclaimed (and non-glacial) coastal areas of the New World.
In the wake of the collapse of the Tiwanakan invasion of Huancac and after several indecisive clashes, the Mojo tribes decided to sign peace, pledging neutrality in the Andean War and basically reasserting their political independence from both of the belligerent empires.
As the Phoenician War goes on with no profitable end in sight, the Phoenicians become both desperate to get funds and support and aware that they could no longer compete efficiently with the Dukunnugeyan - and even newcomer Wenedian - colonists and merchants all over the Nirritihariya (or Maraja, as they call it; this is the southern continent of the New World, basically). As per the Treaty of Karbyblos, the Phoenicians had secured for themselves a single southern trade outpost and the Amazon Basin as a sphere of trade and influence; the Orinoco area and the colonies there were sold to Wenedia, while the Alakan and Tupi lands, as well as points further south, were acknowledged to be Dukunnugeyan, with most of the Phoenician colonies from there ceded as well. Still, Karbyblos itself remains Phoenician, and they could safely concentrate on developing the Amazon Basin now; and more importantly, they could concentrate all their efforts on surviving the present war, an effort in which they have been assisted by the funds newly gained. Dukunnugeyan-Phoenician relations are improving quickly. Thus in general the Phoenician merchants and population welcome this move, although some regret the loss of such large portions of the colonial empire (-1 Size, Trade, +1 Confidence for Phoenicia; +1 Wenedian Trade). Ayti was retained, naturally.
The Dukunnugeyans also reached inland into Pannikativa[1], tapping local trade routes and mineral resources (including gold).
The Nihonese had made contact with the Tavyterans.
Reforms have been introduced to reinvigorate the Gaelic Inquisition, putting it under the control of a Lord-Justiciar; the first Lord-Justiciar was the crown prince, Arameneius. Under his leadership, the Inquisition's focus shifted from intimidation to persuasion, and instead of capital punishment the heretics and atheists are mostly trialed, publically humiliated and/or imprisoned until they convert. The methodic had only limited success thus far, but it did help limit the spread of Nevasanghism; the final collapse of the druidist movement was probably more of a natural process, as it was in its death throes for decades now and the last devout followers simply died out, some commiting ritual suicide and others simply dying of old age. Frankish heretics however remain stubborn, and the Inquisition is incapable of dealing with such a massive population of heretics, not quickly anyway.
Cimberland has officially been renamed to the Kingdom of Rome, despite the displeasure of a few Germannic traditionalists (+1 Prestige, Confidence).
The long-debated, long-anticipated Mediterranean Trade League has finally been formed, including Dacoillyria, Luca, Cimbrian Rome and Gaul, which control almost the entirety of the Bimarine Basin. Though the wars and embargos on the Basin's peripheries actually hamper the trade there during this period, but in the central areas a genuine boom occurs, with Rome, Syracuse and Nova Nagara emerging as great trade centres. The Dukunnugeyan government has in the meantime renewed its criticism of the League, possibly due to befriending Pheonicia, the League's most obvious - and official - enemy.
Candrakirti's Nevasanghist teaching spreads like wildfire with the encouragement of the Bulghar elite, reaching into Cernorus, Ugria and Alania.
Ghana Sumbrike I had decided to experiment with a different sort of expansion, namely the cultural and diplomatic one. Not much of an expansionary leap occured, but several Mande tribes on the Niger were persuaded to join the Ghana's Wagadou Empire.
The war raging around the canal area disrupts trade in the Sile, and in the Red (or Purple) Sea in general (albeit to a considerably lesser extent).
Egyptian conscription hurts the economy, assisted by the continued Lucan operations; meanwhile, anti-Phoenician, anti-Menesite circles grow increasingly influential and bold (-1 Economy, Confidence).
Similar with the Sindhese one, only here Anjva had managed to succesfully rally the people around the government in an "all-Sindhian war" (-1 Economy). Meanwhile, a terror campaign (chiefly assassination) continued to grind away at the nation's intellectual and administrative cadre (-1 Education, Efficiency)...
A border treaty was worked out between Tieh China and Khmeria, although it will have to wait until the end of the Indian War to be implemented (plus the Tieh Chinese still seem to suffer from bureaucratic problems).
An increasingly advanced Aboriginal civilisation has evolved in the south of New Khmeria under Nevasanghist and Khmer influences.
Military Events:
With carrot-and-stick methods the Hong Kees had achieved much in the way of territorial expansion in Oregon.
(-2 Hong Kee thousands)
The Nihonese campaigns against the Nahuans continued with many victories over the disorganised barbarians, although some attempts to rally them have occured. All these were defeated, but it remains unclear whether or not the Nihonese would be able to hold on to their vast gains.
(-3 Nihonese thousands, -1 Nihonese Samurai thousand)
Despite encountering some really fierce resistance, the Hong Kees had eventually managed to subjugate the Olmetoltecs north of their old Olmec colony.
(-4 Hong Kee thousands)
The Wabanaki-Cree war died down, temporarily anyway, both sides commiting themselves to low-level raids and punitive expeditions.
(-1 Wabanaki Order of the Blessed Cross thousand)
Algonquians and their collaborators had to put down a series of urban Adenan rebellions on the conquered cities. The Algonquian warriors were unsuited for urban fighting, and so suffered major casualties, as well as failed to actually crush the rebels for good.
(-3 Algonquian thousands)
The newly-founded United Adena had to contend with the various Apalachian tribal rebellions in the territories bought from Nortugal; surprised by this hostility, the Adenans reacted slowly, but nevertheless defeated most of the rebellions over the years; the surviving rebels, however, have formed a more organised and effective resistance in the east, and remain a headache for the new Pinnacle Chief.
(-6 Adenan thousands)
Likewise with the rebellions in Nortuguese territories; though the Nortuguese were both more prepared and more experienced, they also had to deal with more rebels in a wider area, and the unreliability of most tribal troops made things even more difficult. The rebels avoided direct clashes, and moved from place to place to avoid retribution as well; though the Nortuguese had managed to gradually crush the greater part of the rebel tribes, some of them keep fighting still.
(-3 Nortuguese thousands, -2 Nortuguese levy thousands)
The Andean War's course continued to shift around unpredictably. Acting with surprising speed and efficiency, Aputikalu III had a small, but expert force decapitate and crush all rebellions, whilst marshalling almost the entirety of his army closer to the border. The Huanc, who were apparently waiting for a reply to their peace proposal, lost initiative and instead were surprised by a massive assault upon their army's northern part, the Tiwanakans exploiting various secret mountain passes to outflank and further surprise their enemies. But the worst surprise of all was that the Tiwanakans (or at least their regulars) were now armed as well as or even better than the Huanc. Having overran the northern invasion army, the Tiwanakans proceeded to outflank and attack the other Huanc army, which had by then recovered from the shock (having received the messengers from its beleagured comrades) and managed to put up a fight, inflicting many casualties, though mostly on the cannon-meat levies. Ultimately the Huanc managed to pull back beyond the border, and fortified there well, repulsing all further attacks. Meanwhile, their fleet concentrated on strangling the Tiwanakan trade, although it was mostly conducted by land now and so the Huanc had mostly harmed (not greatly) the local Dukunnugeyan marine commerce.
(-19 Huanc thousands, -5 Huanc levy thousands, -7 Tiwanakan thousands, -14 Tiwanakan levy thousands)
The latest wave of Nordrikian and Nortuguese attacks on Solist countries transformed into a fully-fledged war on the scale of the old Transpoenic ones.
(see spotlight)
(5 levy thousands from Caledonian to Nordrike, +5 Nordrikian levy thousands (all Highlanders), 3 Nortuguese ships to Gaul, +1 Gaelic Naval Quality, -1 Nortuguese Economy, Trade, Confidence, Efficiency, +1 Gaelic banked, +1 Iceni banked)
(-1 Nortuguese thousand, -33 Nortuguese levy thousands, -23 Nortuguese ships, -17 Caledonian thousands, -10 Caledonian Galloglaigh thousands, -11 Caledonian levy thousands, -1 Caledonian ship, -6 Gaelic thousands, -3 Gaelic Equites Invictii thousands, -10 Gaelic ships, -6 Nordrikian thousands, -3 Nordrikian Berserkir thousands, -3 Nordrikian levy thousands, -4 Roman thousands, -1 Roman levy thousand, -2 Roman Royal Guard thousands, -6 Roman ships, -1 Cymrese thousand, -8 Cymrese ships, -2 Iceni thousands, -1 Iceni Sons of Sol thousand, -4 Iceni ships)
As Nordrike and Mordvinia had (apparently) reached an agreement as to how Scandinavia should be partitioned, both Tarunist empires redoubled their efforts at subjugating the Lapps. Though the Lapps did occasionally put up courageous and resourcefulresistance, they were simply too few and too uncoordinated to be a real challenge; such a challenge was provided by the terrain and climate instead. Even though most Lapp tribes had surrendered or was destroyed by 440 AD, many enough of them had fled to the frozen north, which remained out of imperial reach for the reasons of weather and logistics. What could be captured was captured, though.
(-3 Nordrikian thousands, -4 Mordvin thousands)
Several minor Slavic rebellions occured in the far eastern parts of Dacoillyria; they were indeed minor and quite isolated, and soon enough were defeated, but the rumours are that this is merely the beginning...
(-2 Dacoillyrian thousands)
The Ugrians rounded up their northeastern borders in a series of campaigns in the lands south of Enisey, typically allying with Subenisea's Ugrians and attacking the local Altaics, using the anti-steppe nomad experience gained in the Silk War.
(-5 Ugrian thousands)
The Dacoillyrian decision to deploy a huge army in the middle of the Sahara had naturally resulted in huge casualties to desert heat and simple supply problems, but this deployment did pay off in a way when a major Bebrer raid/invasion from the Wagadou territory was crushed. The paranoid, trigger-happy Dacoillyrians almost started a war with Wagadou at this point, but cooler heads prevailed, whilst the Wagadou government naturally denied all and any connection (and no proof to the counterwise was yet produced). Still, the situation remains tense.
(-12 Dacoillyrian thousands)
Berber raids had intensified in southern Lucan North Africa as well, though the Lucan military and the raiders are yet to really clash.
Nsigeya's armed expansion - assisted and encouraged by Dukunnugeya - continued, and continued to bear fruit; this time, the Nsigeyans, not content with simple control over the Congo itself, extended claims to its various tributary rivers and soon backing up those claims with force. For these five years the Nsigeyans had chiefly concentrated on the south and the southeast, where they established control despite some limited Bantu resistance. This seems quite promising for local trade and the region in general, although not all the Bantus see it that way.
(-7 Nsigeyan thousands)
The Luigeyans too had decided to become more proactive in their expansion, although they combined diplomatic and religious pressure with actual military operations and threats thereof. This combination has worked quite well, with many gains made, although the Luigeyans were a bit dismayed at how often they had to resort to force.
(-4 Luigeyan thousands)
The Phoenician War dragged on in many theatres of operations.
Luca's Egyptian campaign started off just fine, with the capture of Menat Khufu and the defeat of a nearby Egyptian army. Yet as the Lucans advanced further, they begun to run into serious supply problems in the war-wrecked, Berber-burned lands they had moved into; and to make things worse, a huge (though comparatively poor in quality) Egypto-Nubian army amassed at Abydos. Outnumbered and confused by their surroundings, the Lucans went straight into the Egypto-Nubian trap at the once-great town of Khen-min. Though the Lucans eventually fought their way out of this trap, inflicting huge casualties on the Egypto-Nubians, their own offensive power was effectively crippled and they had to abstain from advancing beyond Menat Khufu. Warfare in the area died down afterwards, neither side daring to advance.
(-6 Lucan thousands, -8 Lucan Companion Cavalry thousands, -9 Egyptian thousands, -43 Egyptian levy thousands, -14 Nubian thousands)
All was quiet at the Sile Canal, with a massive Dacoillyrian fleet guarding the northern entrance/exit and a Phoenician fleet, reinforced by the Parhaen one, blockading the canal from the south, neither side daring to make a move into the jaws of its enemy. Only a Lucan fleet tried to force the Canal, but it was almost completely destroyed in a quick and fierce action.
(-29 Lucan ships, -3 Phoenician ships, -2 Parhaen ships)
In Phoenicia, the Lucans had split their forces, redeploying a large part of their Byblos army to Sinai; they decided to concentrate on besieging Eliat and Byblos, ignoring most other issues for now. The two sieges progressed slowly, but steadily, despite the sporadic sabotage (aggravated by the Lucan policy on employing captured Phoenician civilians in many duties). In the meantime, the Phoenicians marshalled their armies, chiefly hoping to relieve their capital, where the royal family was trapped. There, the situation was detiriorating, as the Lucans deployed powerful new siege engines, "Atal's slings", that posed a threat even to the formidable Phoenician walls. Even though the Lucans were now outnumbered by the Phoenician army amassed near Tyre, they were protected from that army by circumvallation, and in any case had generally superior quality of troops, in spite of the malnutrition. However, the Phoenicians found themselves an ally in Parhae, which was eager to take revenge for the Lucan landgrab a few decades ago, and whose Shah also was concerned about Luca growing any stronger (as usual, Phoenicia was too rich not to attack... and too rich to allow it to fall to a hostile power; it was simply too unbalancing for any state to conquer Phoenicia). In a quick and dramatic move, a massive Parhaen-Phoenician army completely encircled the sieging Lucans, cutting their overland supply route and besieging their siege camp. Under the cover of an eerie white fog and flying Byblos fire bombs, as well as various diversions executed by Phoenician agents within the Lucan camp, the attackers charged the walls with siege latterns and quickly broke into the camp, entering a brutal, bloody pitched melee. Although as already said the Lucans were the better soldiers, they were outnumbered and unprepared for this battle, especially as troops from the city sallied forth as well; their cavalry was rendered impotent, unable to maneuver properly within the camp; and the Phoenicians were equipped with some of the most modern weaponry, including that bought from Khmer arm dealers. Forced to fend back a multi-pronged attack, the Lucans stood steadfastly, but as they were far outnumbered they soon were isolated and divided into several pockets, that were promptly encircled and boxed in by superior troops. Yet the battle in those pockets raged on for hours and hours. The Lucans were all cut down. Soon after, a rebellion freed Tripolis from its meager garrison, and northern Phoenicia was liberated. But in the meanwhile, disaster struck in the south. Eliat, now Phoenicia's primary trade port, fell (the Lucans employed "Atal's slings" here as well), its population slaughtered to a man (+1 Lucan banked eco., -1 Phoenician Trade). The fringe city of Sheba surrendered soon after, hoping to avoid such a fate (there, only an eight of the population was massacred, albeit in a more orderly and grizzly manner, in a public execution). The Lucan northwards advance was repulsed in a fierce battle near Jazbal, yet the Phoenico-Parhaens failed to destroy this army, which proceeded to besiege Ashkelon in the southwest. The war for Phoenicia's salvation is not won yet...
(-46 Lucan thousands, -12 Lucan Companion Cavalry thousands, -29 Phoenician thousands, -15 Phoenician levy thousands, -22 Parhaen thousands)
In Assyria itself, the war went downright awkwardly from the start. In the beginning, a major Parhaen uprising had commenced and was soon supported by Parhaen Eternal Legions. Having ran into unexpected resistance, the rebels and the Legionnaries commited to a war of maneuver, spreading out their forces, avoiding decisive battles and executing raids against the Lucans, especially against the cities in the rear where levied troops were supposed to be gathering. The Mesopatamian levies proved quite unreliable, especially as most of the Parhaen ones quickly defected (+20 Parhaen levy thousands, +20 Lucan levy thousands, 5 levy thousands from Luca to Parhae). While the Lucan army tried to restore order, winning tactical victories but failing to do anything at all about the general strategic situation, the main Parhaen army campaigned in Phoenicia, as already described. With all immediate threats to Byblos removed, the Parhaens were ready to move north, and quickly occupied the eastern side of the old Lucan border forts, completely outflanking the Mesopatamian Lucans and severing all their communications with Anatolia. Surprised by this move, the Lucans tried to turn around to face this threat, but at this point the rebels and the Legionnaries got bolder as well. Long story cut short, the Lucans and their loyal Assyrian and Hayq supporters were all cut down between the two of Shah's armies, and the Parhaens had recaptured most of the "Occupied Province of Assyria" (the north was lost to the various local tribes, though). Their position here wasn't all that strong, though, especially outside of Mesopatamia (-1 Lucan Confidence, Economy, +1 Parhaen banked eco., Confidence). Some Lucan levies still fight on.
(-10 Lucan thousands, -9 Lucan Companion Cavalry thousands, -13 Lucan levy thousands, -6 Parhaen thousands, -5 Parhaen Eternal Legions, -12 Parhaen levy thousands)
Several Israeli tribes used the numerous Parhaen distractions to stage a rebellion, though it mostly involved disobedience and a few raids (no real fighting yet, and the rebels remained in desert out of reach of the urban garrison troops).
Although somewhat relieved by the Parhaen concentration on Middle Eastern affairs, the Sindhese continued to receive blow after blow, despite King Anjva's desperate attempts at recuperation and recovery. On the sea, a desperate attempt to break the Khmer blockade near Mumbai had some early successes by the virtue of numerical superiority and aggressive tactics, but soon after the Sindhese fleet was engaged in a final showdown by more Khmer and Dukunnugeyan ships; surrounded, outnumbered and outmatched, it went down fighting, but went down nonetheless (although, rumours say that several ships used this moment to break into the Ocean itself, where they joined the pirate hordes and grinded away at the local Khmer and Phoenician commerce). Africa, cut off from all prospects of reinforcement, continued to collapse. Though apart from some Kalingan deserters and defectors (-5 Sindhese thousands) the local army continued to stand defiant, the Dukunnugeyans now clearly had pretty much all the advantages imaginable, and used them, too. As the Sindhese retreated towards the colonial capital of Tigrada[2] in order to preserve and concentrate their strenght, the Dukunnugeyans occupied the southern area, burning towns and generally provoking a panicked northwards stream of refugees. In the meantime, moving from both the sea and the rebel-held territory, other Dukunnugeyan troops had quickly secured the ill-guarded lands northwest of the Horn. As the rebellion itself kept spreading as well, the Sindhese were soon limited to Tigrada and a coastal strip from the Horn to Bajupura, plus a fairly minor respective inland zone. It was now a matter of finishing them off. Harassed from the north and the west, the Sindhese got not a second's rest on any direction; nonetheless, the initial Dukunnugeyan offensive was defeated. A second one was carried out with greater naval support and involvement of the northern forces, and ofcourse with a strategic flanking move; the defenders resisted heroically again, but were forced to fall back, and eventually were besieged in Tigrada and several other last strongholds. These were taken one by one. In India itself, things were perhaps even worse, as six full Khmer Combat Divisions went on a March to the sea (namely, to the Arabian Sea from the Bay of Bengal, as to cut Sindhu Proper in twain). Reinforced by more Kalingan and other volunteers (+10 levy thousands), the Khmers advanced in two columns, sweeping aside all resistance that the Sindhese tried to rally. The Gangetic Plain was particularily easily overran, despite the fairly large levy armies there; the Khmers utterly routed those levies near Varanasi. Bundelkhand was lightly guarded and easily overran by the multi-pronged attack. The worst complications arose in the Godavari region; close to the seat of Sindhese power, it saw constant raids against the advancing Khmers, and an eventual encirclement with far superior forces at Nanded. The Sindhese threw just about everything they could throw on the Khmers in the area, fearing that they were planning to strike towards Mumbai itself - and it worked, as the Khmers were simply overran and trampled under the hooves of the heavy Sindhese cavalry. Yet although this was a considerable setback - even a disaster, as the Khmers moved in force and so lost an entire army - and although the Sindhese soon recovered most of the Godavari, Nanded was a punic[3] victory for them. The Sindhese had spent so much money, supplies and troops (amongst whom there were terrible casualties) on the Godavari Campaign that they were unable to stop the remaining Khmer forces from securing the Narmada Basin. Still, the Khmers themselves were shocked and unprepared for such casualties (-1 Confidence), and so didn't push their advantage further neither, especially as the still-gargantuan Sindhese southern army prepared to defend Deccan. Yet they did indeed succeed in splitting Sindhu; and between Aryan and Gujarati rebels and Parhaen and Tieh Chinese forces (the Parhaens jumped into the fighting again as soon as the Sindhese northern positions begun to collapse, to some irritation of the Chinese), the north was overran, most Sindhese troops there dying, surrendering or deserting to form warbands. Thus all that remains of the once-great empire is Deccan; and even there, its reign is insecure, due to the fairly obvious doom (+1 banked eco. to Sri Dukunnugeya, Parhae, Tieh, Khmeria).
(-77 Sindhese thousands, -53 Sindhese levy thousands, -60 Sindhese ships, -32 Sindhese Royal Warships, -5 Parhaen thousands, -2 Parhaen Eternal Legions, -16 Dukunnugeyan Ekadaahalokumiiyaas, -8 Dukunnugeyan ships, -1 Luigeyan thousand, -23 Tieh thousands, -31 Khmer thousands, -15 Khmer Imperial Marine thousands, -4 Khmer levy thousands, -22 Khmer ships)
and to answer Kal'thzars question, quite long i quess, i learned about his spies some 3-4 turns ago.
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