NES2 V - The Great Game.
- Thread starter das
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silver 2039
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BananaLee said:
Unfourtnatley when I am high I'm unable to control myself....so no. That said I'm finished getting stoned for today, however, there,s always tommorow, and saturday, and sunday, and monday. Oh yes 4 day long weekend.
Moderator Action: Ok, 4 day vacation then until you're back to normal. Add on 3 more for the spam. 7 days total for spamming under the influence.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889
das
Regeneration In Process
Update 8 - Year 1868
Non-Military Events:
The Incans work hard to integrate the former Neugranada into their realm. The Europeans, especially the ones in the far north, dislike this but are too disorganized to begin any serious resistance (with the possible exception of those in Venezuela). So far, they mostly demand greater autonomy for the formerly-Neugranadan cities (where the European population is concentrated).
The Platines prepare thoroughly to defend themselves, calling for the Platine citizens to take up arms against the Federate invasion (+10 irregular divisions, +5 irregular squadrons).
The massive war expenses and the recruitment efforts (-1 Economy, -1 Military Leadership) cause a rise of anti-war sentiments in the Federated Kingdoms (-1 Confidence).
Desperate to hang on to power, the Provisional Government of France begins conscription (-1 Confidence).
Scandinavians get many volunteers, eager to avenge the destruction of Stockholm and Kalmar (+10 divisions). Also, some volunteers from Northern Germany, largely consisting of former Prussian partisan units, joined the Scandinavians as well (+5 irregular divisions).
The Poles fully mobilize their economy for the war effort and introduce conscription, causing some dissent (-1 Confidence); the economy is also strained by the need to support the large, and ever-growing, army (-1 Economy). Still, the people generally still are enthusiastic and patriotic enough to continue supporting their government, forming new volunteer units (+5 divisions).
Hungary, defeated on the field of battle last year, signs peace with the Imperials, annexing some - but not all - of the Magyar-majority lands of the beleaugarded Empire. The Imperials are rather disgruntled, but know that they can't fight a 5-front war for much longer.
The Treaty of Athens is signed. Realizing that they have no chances of holding on to their westernmost gains, the Persians agreed to restore the core nation of Turkey under Tasan Kemal, a military leader and a distant relative of the late Sultan Kalim. However, most land outside of Turkey Proper was lost; though Constantinople was retained, the rest of the Balkans were partitioned between the new nations of Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece; the latter also took over the vaguely-termed region of Ionia, which enompassed virtually all of Turkey's Aegean coast. The former Ottoman Middle Eastern lands outside of Turkey Proper were retained by Persia. Turkey, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria created the Balkan Pact, albeit it seems to be a temporary arrangement, considering the various territorial qualms of the different powers; the Pact has been, not entirely wrongly, alleged to be a tool in the hands of Shiraz. Domestically, the post-Ottoman states are sometimes drastically different from each other: Croatia is to become a Federal Republic, Greece has decided to be a constitutional monarchy (but with the monarch not entirely powerless neither, albeit they didn't yet decide just WHO is to be king), Romania is an absolute monarchy under Ion Kantemir, a member of an ancient and distinguished noble family that once - before the imposition of more direct Ottoman control - already ruled Moldavia. Bulgaria and Turkey are yet undecided.
Despite the Scandinavian promises of considerable concessions, the Finns form an official government, with the Muscovite support. Now that the Muscovites begun to make good on their promises, the Finns, though rather dismayed by Muscovite atrocities (then again, its only Swedes...), intensify their guerrila war behind the Scandinavian lines.
Continued expenses - including the growing maintenance problems, as well as the fact that Muscovy is beginning to experience manpower problems (-1 Economy) - and Polish propaganda cause a growth of war-weariness in Muscovy (-1 Confidence). Meanwhile, gypsies and various heretics are rounded up and used as slave labour for the military, while the Church is virtually bled dry by taxes (-1 Culture, +1 Economy). The Tartars escaped this fate due to their continued profitability, as Kazan becomes not only a center of crafts, but also a one of manufacture and, thanks to the Dalnorossians who opened the Volga to Muscovite trade, of commerce (+Kazan economic center).
The Sultanate of Sudan emerges, with Persian support. Meanwhile, the former Ottoman East Africa split up in a civil war between pro-Federate south and pro-Persian north (+5 irregular divisions to FK and Persia each).
The newly-Dalnorossian city of Azov, the base of the Black Sea Company that has now extended its reach into the Balkans, is prospering (+Azov economic center). Vasyagansk is mostly rebuilt, and the fields recover (+Vasyaganask economic center).
Military Events:
With no real garrison left in French Mexico, it is easily overran by the Federates and, to a greater extent, Dalnorossians who made some deals with the local Mexican separatists and with the French administrators as well.
Several assassinations of the junior members of Platine and Brazilian rebel juntas and other officials culminated with the violent death of the Brazilian rebel leader, Joaquim Mendes (-1 Civilian Leadership for Brazilian and Platine Rebels, -1 Brazilian Confidence). Albeit Mariano Moreno, the Platine leader, survived all the assassination attempts on him thus far, and albeit Joaquim's brother retained control over MOST of the rebels (-3 Brazilian irregular divisions), all this could be considered the turning point, as the death of Mendes became the signal of a Federate invasion. The Federate forces, despite some logistical problems, defeated the Brazilians consistantly in several battles in the coastal, urban regions, eventually taking Mendes' provisional capital of Belem. The Platines gave much stronger resistance, raising the urban militias (+5 irregular divisions), fighting for every building in Buenos Aires and only leaving it when it was completely wrecked by naval bombardment (-Buenos Aires economic center). The Platines withdrew to fight on in the inland regions, but the Federates didn't yet follow due to problems with supplies.
(-4 Platine divisions, -7 Platine irregular divisions, -6 Brazilian divisions, -3 Federate divisions, -1 Federate squadron, -2 Federate UUs)
Both sides in Iberia wait for the other to attack throughout the year.
The civil war in France continues. At first, all things went wrong for the Nationalists, apart from MacMahon surviving an assassination attempt. The Federates and Republican sympathisers within the city itself assautled and, despite fierce resistance, seized Paris, while the Republicans themselves defeated MacMahon's relief attempt at the Marne. Despite evading several encirclement attempts, le Marechal had to pull back towards Dijon, pursued by a joint Anglo-Republican force that was only stopped by major supply problems and menaced by a Republicanist guerrila war (+5 Republican irregular divisions). But then, the Provisional Government backstabbed the Federates, and though they weren't completely surprised by this, they didn't redeploy fast enough to prevent the fall of Lyons. Meanwhile, a Nationalist rebellion in Toulon started (+2 Nationalist irregular divisions); as the Federate fleet by then was moved elsewhere, there was nothing to prevent the Portuguese from transporting the Nationalist forces stranded in Spain to Riviera, where they joined up with the local revolters. Between the Provisionalists and the Nationalists, much of South France was lost, and this took off much pressure from the Nationalists, who managed to regroup and dig in, though some sections of Dijon were lost. On the other hand, the Provisionalist forces failed to preven the Republican regroupping and counter-attack, or the Federate invasion from Catalonia, or the eventual fall of Toulouse, though by then all the important members of the Provisional Government went into the hiding at an unknown location (-1 Civilian Leadership). Still, the retaking of Lyons won the Provisional Government some badly-needed prestige among the masses (+1 Confidence)...
(-12 Federate divisions, -5 Nationalist divisions, -4 Nationalist Garde Nationale divisions, -1 Nationalist conscript division, -2 Nationalist irregular divisions, -16 Provisionalist divisions, -6 Provisionalist Garde divisions, -9 Provisionalist conscript divisions, -2 Provisionalist irregular divisions, -12 Republican divisions, -2 Republican irregular divisions)
Having gotten peace with Hungary, the Imperials turned around to fight the other invaders. Thankfully, the Genevan forces weren't particularily active both due to the high command's indecisiveness and the problems with supplies, while the Italians were overstretched and collapsing (see below). Thus, the Imperials could concentrate on Poland and Scandinavia, and so they did. Two offensives, both of them two-pronged, were launched against Scandinavia and Poland respectively. The first offensive's target was Bremen, and the Imperials intended to march down the Elbe on the river's both sides and from there to move to retake the great Imperial port. Though the Scandinavians actually had numerical supremacy this one time, with the Imperial forces distracted on other fronts, they too were overstretched and this, combined with superior training, allowed the Imperials to hope for success. However, they immediately encountered high-quality defenses; the Scandinavians were using an elaborate system of trenches and crossfire "bunkers", which inflicted heavy casualties on the Imperials. Reinforced by troops from the Genevan theatre, the Imperial Sturmtruppen eventually did win the infamous Battle at Schonbeck, but it was a bitter, pyrrhic victory with many casualties. To make things worse, not even all the Scandinavian forces in the region were trapped between the attacking Imperials - a good third of them retreated and regroupped further along the river. As other Scandinavian forces threatened both Imperial flanks, plans had to altered. Instead, with the limited support of the 5th Army (that was "fighting" with the Genevans), a southwestwards offensive has begun. However, despite the initial successes due to outflanking the Scandinavian defenses, it too has stalled after some limited gains - the Scandinavians prepared well for this. Meanwhile, the Polish theatre saw something completely different - a true war of maneuver rather than positional warfare of the Scandinavians. The Imperials moved out eastwards from Silesia, succesfully trapping and encircling a fairly large Polish force. However, that turned out to be a mixed blessing; the reserve troops that were to be used to smash the pocketed Poles were entirely insufficient for the task, and so the offensive towards Warsaw itself had to be delayed, especially as news came from the east of the Muscovite setbacks (see below, or just see spotlight). The Imperials begun quickly and methodically crushing the pockets, but then a Scandinavo-Polish force invaded Silesia from Scandinavian-held territory. The reserves that were left there resisted bravely, but the Polish civilians there rose up as well, and the Imperials had to start a fighting retreat, leaving a few forces to cover the retreat. But the Poles moved quickly, and far from all the Imperials managed to escape, albeit they thankfully still had the all-conscript 1st Army, entirely unscathed and in reserve. It managed to prevent the Poles from reaching Vienna, but all hopes of an easy victory here have evaporated.
(-4 Scandinavian divisions, -3 Scandinavian Berseker divisions, -3 Scandinavian conscript divisions, -2 Scandinavian irregular divisions, -7 Imperial divisions, -22 Imperial Sturmtruppen divisions, -10 Imperial conscript divisions, -19 Polish divisions, -6 Polish Siemienowicz Cannons, -2 Polish irregular divisions)
Things went differently in Italy. Overstretched, demoralized, undersupplied Italian forces were quickly routed at Belluno, after which a good portion of them mutinied and surrendered. Others begun retreating back to the border, but then the Italian forces in Illyria came under sudden Croatian attack, and were also routed. And finally, to finish things off, the long-expected Persian intervention in the Imperial War begun, as a Perso-Turkish expeditionary force landed in Central Italy, marched to Rome and forced the King to flee, declaring it an open city. While on his way north to rally his troops, King Carlo Emanuele IV was ambushed by assassins of unclear allegiance and killed. Soon after, Italy collapsed into complete anarchy and Imperial forces once more were standing on River Po. Eventually, the Carbonaries, who went into hiding again after the Civil War, formed a government in coordination with a few surviving government officials and the soldiers who mutinied and lynched their own officers (-2 Military Leadership) for trying to throw them at the Imperials. The Republicans, however, didn't control all of the unoccupied Italy neither - the south and the center fell into civil war.
(-6 Italian divisions, -35 Italian Berlusconi divisions, -2 Imperial Sturmtruppen divisions, -1 Imperial irregular division, -2 Croatian divisions, -1 Croatian Black Legion, -1 Persian division)
Non-Military Events:
The Incans work hard to integrate the former Neugranada into their realm. The Europeans, especially the ones in the far north, dislike this but are too disorganized to begin any serious resistance (with the possible exception of those in Venezuela). So far, they mostly demand greater autonomy for the formerly-Neugranadan cities (where the European population is concentrated).
The Platines prepare thoroughly to defend themselves, calling for the Platine citizens to take up arms against the Federate invasion (+10 irregular divisions, +5 irregular squadrons).
The massive war expenses and the recruitment efforts (-1 Economy, -1 Military Leadership) cause a rise of anti-war sentiments in the Federated Kingdoms (-1 Confidence).
Desperate to hang on to power, the Provisional Government of France begins conscription (-1 Confidence).
Scandinavians get many volunteers, eager to avenge the destruction of Stockholm and Kalmar (+10 divisions). Also, some volunteers from Northern Germany, largely consisting of former Prussian partisan units, joined the Scandinavians as well (+5 irregular divisions).
The Poles fully mobilize their economy for the war effort and introduce conscription, causing some dissent (-1 Confidence); the economy is also strained by the need to support the large, and ever-growing, army (-1 Economy). Still, the people generally still are enthusiastic and patriotic enough to continue supporting their government, forming new volunteer units (+5 divisions).
Hungary, defeated on the field of battle last year, signs peace with the Imperials, annexing some - but not all - of the Magyar-majority lands of the beleaugarded Empire. The Imperials are rather disgruntled, but know that they can't fight a 5-front war for much longer.
The Treaty of Athens is signed. Realizing that they have no chances of holding on to their westernmost gains, the Persians agreed to restore the core nation of Turkey under Tasan Kemal, a military leader and a distant relative of the late Sultan Kalim. However, most land outside of Turkey Proper was lost; though Constantinople was retained, the rest of the Balkans were partitioned between the new nations of Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece; the latter also took over the vaguely-termed region of Ionia, which enompassed virtually all of Turkey's Aegean coast. The former Ottoman Middle Eastern lands outside of Turkey Proper were retained by Persia. Turkey, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria created the Balkan Pact, albeit it seems to be a temporary arrangement, considering the various territorial qualms of the different powers; the Pact has been, not entirely wrongly, alleged to be a tool in the hands of Shiraz. Domestically, the post-Ottoman states are sometimes drastically different from each other: Croatia is to become a Federal Republic, Greece has decided to be a constitutional monarchy (but with the monarch not entirely powerless neither, albeit they didn't yet decide just WHO is to be king), Romania is an absolute monarchy under Ion Kantemir, a member of an ancient and distinguished noble family that once - before the imposition of more direct Ottoman control - already ruled Moldavia. Bulgaria and Turkey are yet undecided.
Despite the Scandinavian promises of considerable concessions, the Finns form an official government, with the Muscovite support. Now that the Muscovites begun to make good on their promises, the Finns, though rather dismayed by Muscovite atrocities (then again, its only Swedes...), intensify their guerrila war behind the Scandinavian lines.
Continued expenses - including the growing maintenance problems, as well as the fact that Muscovy is beginning to experience manpower problems (-1 Economy) - and Polish propaganda cause a growth of war-weariness in Muscovy (-1 Confidence). Meanwhile, gypsies and various heretics are rounded up and used as slave labour for the military, while the Church is virtually bled dry by taxes (-1 Culture, +1 Economy). The Tartars escaped this fate due to their continued profitability, as Kazan becomes not only a center of crafts, but also a one of manufacture and, thanks to the Dalnorossians who opened the Volga to Muscovite trade, of commerce (+Kazan economic center).
The Sultanate of Sudan emerges, with Persian support. Meanwhile, the former Ottoman East Africa split up in a civil war between pro-Federate south and pro-Persian north (+5 irregular divisions to FK and Persia each).
The newly-Dalnorossian city of Azov, the base of the Black Sea Company that has now extended its reach into the Balkans, is prospering (+Azov economic center). Vasyagansk is mostly rebuilt, and the fields recover (+Vasyaganask economic center).
Military Events:
With no real garrison left in French Mexico, it is easily overran by the Federates and, to a greater extent, Dalnorossians who made some deals with the local Mexican separatists and with the French administrators as well.
Several assassinations of the junior members of Platine and Brazilian rebel juntas and other officials culminated with the violent death of the Brazilian rebel leader, Joaquim Mendes (-1 Civilian Leadership for Brazilian and Platine Rebels, -1 Brazilian Confidence). Albeit Mariano Moreno, the Platine leader, survived all the assassination attempts on him thus far, and albeit Joaquim's brother retained control over MOST of the rebels (-3 Brazilian irregular divisions), all this could be considered the turning point, as the death of Mendes became the signal of a Federate invasion. The Federate forces, despite some logistical problems, defeated the Brazilians consistantly in several battles in the coastal, urban regions, eventually taking Mendes' provisional capital of Belem. The Platines gave much stronger resistance, raising the urban militias (+5 irregular divisions), fighting for every building in Buenos Aires and only leaving it when it was completely wrecked by naval bombardment (-Buenos Aires economic center). The Platines withdrew to fight on in the inland regions, but the Federates didn't yet follow due to problems with supplies.
(-4 Platine divisions, -7 Platine irregular divisions, -6 Brazilian divisions, -3 Federate divisions, -1 Federate squadron, -2 Federate UUs)
Both sides in Iberia wait for the other to attack throughout the year.
The civil war in France continues. At first, all things went wrong for the Nationalists, apart from MacMahon surviving an assassination attempt. The Federates and Republican sympathisers within the city itself assautled and, despite fierce resistance, seized Paris, while the Republicans themselves defeated MacMahon's relief attempt at the Marne. Despite evading several encirclement attempts, le Marechal had to pull back towards Dijon, pursued by a joint Anglo-Republican force that was only stopped by major supply problems and menaced by a Republicanist guerrila war (+5 Republican irregular divisions). But then, the Provisional Government backstabbed the Federates, and though they weren't completely surprised by this, they didn't redeploy fast enough to prevent the fall of Lyons. Meanwhile, a Nationalist rebellion in Toulon started (+2 Nationalist irregular divisions); as the Federate fleet by then was moved elsewhere, there was nothing to prevent the Portuguese from transporting the Nationalist forces stranded in Spain to Riviera, where they joined up with the local revolters. Between the Provisionalists and the Nationalists, much of South France was lost, and this took off much pressure from the Nationalists, who managed to regroup and dig in, though some sections of Dijon were lost. On the other hand, the Provisionalist forces failed to preven the Republican regroupping and counter-attack, or the Federate invasion from Catalonia, or the eventual fall of Toulouse, though by then all the important members of the Provisional Government went into the hiding at an unknown location (-1 Civilian Leadership). Still, the retaking of Lyons won the Provisional Government some badly-needed prestige among the masses (+1 Confidence)...
(-12 Federate divisions, -5 Nationalist divisions, -4 Nationalist Garde Nationale divisions, -1 Nationalist conscript division, -2 Nationalist irregular divisions, -16 Provisionalist divisions, -6 Provisionalist Garde divisions, -9 Provisionalist conscript divisions, -2 Provisionalist irregular divisions, -12 Republican divisions, -2 Republican irregular divisions)
Having gotten peace with Hungary, the Imperials turned around to fight the other invaders. Thankfully, the Genevan forces weren't particularily active both due to the high command's indecisiveness and the problems with supplies, while the Italians were overstretched and collapsing (see below). Thus, the Imperials could concentrate on Poland and Scandinavia, and so they did. Two offensives, both of them two-pronged, were launched against Scandinavia and Poland respectively. The first offensive's target was Bremen, and the Imperials intended to march down the Elbe on the river's both sides and from there to move to retake the great Imperial port. Though the Scandinavians actually had numerical supremacy this one time, with the Imperial forces distracted on other fronts, they too were overstretched and this, combined with superior training, allowed the Imperials to hope for success. However, they immediately encountered high-quality defenses; the Scandinavians were using an elaborate system of trenches and crossfire "bunkers", which inflicted heavy casualties on the Imperials. Reinforced by troops from the Genevan theatre, the Imperial Sturmtruppen eventually did win the infamous Battle at Schonbeck, but it was a bitter, pyrrhic victory with many casualties. To make things worse, not even all the Scandinavian forces in the region were trapped between the attacking Imperials - a good third of them retreated and regroupped further along the river. As other Scandinavian forces threatened both Imperial flanks, plans had to altered. Instead, with the limited support of the 5th Army (that was "fighting" with the Genevans), a southwestwards offensive has begun. However, despite the initial successes due to outflanking the Scandinavian defenses, it too has stalled after some limited gains - the Scandinavians prepared well for this. Meanwhile, the Polish theatre saw something completely different - a true war of maneuver rather than positional warfare of the Scandinavians. The Imperials moved out eastwards from Silesia, succesfully trapping and encircling a fairly large Polish force. However, that turned out to be a mixed blessing; the reserve troops that were to be used to smash the pocketed Poles were entirely insufficient for the task, and so the offensive towards Warsaw itself had to be delayed, especially as news came from the east of the Muscovite setbacks (see below, or just see spotlight). The Imperials begun quickly and methodically crushing the pockets, but then a Scandinavo-Polish force invaded Silesia from Scandinavian-held territory. The reserves that were left there resisted bravely, but the Polish civilians there rose up as well, and the Imperials had to start a fighting retreat, leaving a few forces to cover the retreat. But the Poles moved quickly, and far from all the Imperials managed to escape, albeit they thankfully still had the all-conscript 1st Army, entirely unscathed and in reserve. It managed to prevent the Poles from reaching Vienna, but all hopes of an easy victory here have evaporated.
(-4 Scandinavian divisions, -3 Scandinavian Berseker divisions, -3 Scandinavian conscript divisions, -2 Scandinavian irregular divisions, -7 Imperial divisions, -22 Imperial Sturmtruppen divisions, -10 Imperial conscript divisions, -19 Polish divisions, -6 Polish Siemienowicz Cannons, -2 Polish irregular divisions)
Things went differently in Italy. Overstretched, demoralized, undersupplied Italian forces were quickly routed at Belluno, after which a good portion of them mutinied and surrendered. Others begun retreating back to the border, but then the Italian forces in Illyria came under sudden Croatian attack, and were also routed. And finally, to finish things off, the long-expected Persian intervention in the Imperial War begun, as a Perso-Turkish expeditionary force landed in Central Italy, marched to Rome and forced the King to flee, declaring it an open city. While on his way north to rally his troops, King Carlo Emanuele IV was ambushed by assassins of unclear allegiance and killed. Soon after, Italy collapsed into complete anarchy and Imperial forces once more were standing on River Po. Eventually, the Carbonaries, who went into hiding again after the Civil War, formed a government in coordination with a few surviving government officials and the soldiers who mutinied and lynched their own officers (-2 Military Leadership) for trying to throw them at the Imperials. The Republicans, however, didn't control all of the unoccupied Italy neither - the south and the center fell into civil war.
(-6 Italian divisions, -35 Italian Berlusconi divisions, -2 Imperial Sturmtruppen divisions, -1 Imperial irregular division, -2 Croatian divisions, -1 Croatian Black Legion, -1 Persian division)
das
Regeneration In Process
Meanwhile, the eastern portion of the Imperial War, which is sometimes called "Second Livonian War" or "Great Eastern War", enters a new phase.
(see spotlight)
(+5 Polish irregular divisions)
(-2 Scandinavian divisions, -2 Scandinavian Berserker divisions, -3 Scandinavian conscript divisions, -4 Scandinavian squadrons, -5 Imperial squadrons, -13 Polish divisions, -9 Polish Siemienowicz Cannons, -2 Polish irregular divisions, -7 Polish conscript divisions, -2 Polish squadrons, -2 Turkish divisions, -3 Finnish divisions, -2 Finnish irregular divisions, -13 Muscovite divisions, -18 Muscovite Lieb Guard divisions, -3 Muscovite irregular divisions, -6 Muscovite conscript divisions, -35 Muscovite squadrons, -3 Romanian divisions, -2 Bulgarian irregular divisions)
The Federates quickly and efficiently eliminated the Nationalist French presence in Africa; they only stumbled in Mozambique, but as the French troops there ran out of supplies and were harassed by the FK's native allies, they too eventually had to surrender.
(-3 Nationalist French divisions, -2 Federate divisions)
Tukulor and Sokoto move to expand along the Niger River, defeating several small primitive kingdoms before reaching the new borders.
(-2 Tukulorese divisions, -1 Sokotan division)
The Persians attacked Egypt again, but were repulsed by the entrenched Federate forces that then moved on eastwards to retake Suez. However, while they were distracted there, the newly-organized Sudanese used the Persian gambit to attack northwards along the Nile, with only the local militias (+5 Federate irregular divisions) left to stop them. Albeit they overwhelmed these initial defenses and seized Aswan, they then overstretched their supply routes and were defeated by the Federates at Asyut. Eventually, the Federates, while holding the persians on their new defensive lines, managed to besiege Aswan and push the Sudanese further back, though they failed to defeat them decisively thus far as the Sudanese avoided a decisive battle.
(-2 Persian divisions, -6 Persian irregular divisions, -3 Federate divisions, -4 Federate irregular divisions, -2 Sudanese divisions, -6 Sudanese irregular divisions)
The Federates finally attacked Persia. An enormous armade was assembled and the Persian fleet, which was split into several small groups was methodically torn into bits. Although the coastal defenses in Oman proved much more damaging, they too were eventually overwhelmed by the shelling. Having forced their way into and through the Persian Gulf, the Federates landed in Iraq, supported by a rebellion of the Marsh Arabs and, to a lesser extent, the Sunnite Iraqis (+5 Federate irregular divisions); other Sunnis and the Shiites, however, rallied against them, as did the Kurds (+10 Persian irregular divisions). The large Federate forces assembled in the region were hindered not just by the more loyal of Ardashir's subjects; in fact, their worst enemies were disease and lack of supplies for such a large army: they prevented the Federates from advancing as quickly as they had planned, and caused them to take away food from the locals (though usually the ones in the more loyal regions), in some cases by force. Albeit the Persians quickly begun moving forces to counter the invaders, the Federates still did hold their ground well, most casualties being to starvation and disease, causing quite a scandal back at home (-1 Confidence, both for Federates and the Persians (the latter, due to the loss of Iraq)).
(-7 Federate divisions, -1 Federate irregular division, -7 Federate squadrons, -11 Persian squadrons, -2 Persian divisions, -4 Persian irregular divisions)
Desperate at their untenable position and the lack of Federate replies to the frantic requests for reinforcements, Balajit Singh, the leader of Sikhistan, decided to switch sides rather than have his country destroyed by the Persians. This, combined with the general offensive of the anti-Federate powers (including the Chinese, who launched an ambitious invasion of Bengal with much help of Indian rebels, ranging from mountain guides to a diversionary assault on the Federate position), proved a terrible blow for the Federates, although the ones in Bahawalpur held out for long before running out of supplies. Generally the Federates had to pull back south, pursued by their enemies. In the process, a few more of the Indian conscripts mutinied, though that was probably the last succesful mutiny, as the Federates took all the necessary measures (5 conscript divisions from FK to Indian Rebels). However, they eventually managed to make a comeback after assuming unchallengeable naval supremacy in the region (see above). Having landed troops at the Indus delta, they quickly severed the Persian supply routes, while the Siamese severed the Chinese ones (see below). This forces the attackers to slow down before new supply routes are set up. The overstretched Persians were attacked from the west and the south, and had to retreat northwards under the ever-growing Federate pressure (as reinforcements arrived); the Chinese were also forced to pull back to Bengal by seaborne attacks. Only the usual problems with supplies prevented the Federates from pushing their enemies out of India altogether - well, that, and the Indian guerrila war (+5 Indian irregular divisions).
(-19 Federate divisions, -1 Federate UU, -21 Federate conscript divisions, -1 Federate squadron, -11 Persian divisions, -2 Persian Engineering Corps, -3 Indian divisions, -6 Indian conscript divisions, -9 Indian irregular divisions, -14 Chinese divisions, -7 Sikh divisions)
The Sino-Dalnorossian war continued in Central Asia. The initiative at first was firmly with the Chinese, who, despite lots of logistical problems, reached out for Astrakhan and Stroganovka. However, after encountering fierce resistance at the city of Tyumen that had to be taken along the way, and after the already-problematic supply routes came under raids, the offensive had to be cancelled as the Chinese were already badly-overstretched. Instead the Qing forces concentrated on consolidating their gains. It was just as they were beginning an offensive towards Astrakhan that the Dalnorossians begun their counter-attack, in combination with a Muslim rebellion in Sinkiang (+5 Dalnorossian irregular divisions). That rebellion the Dalnorossians immediately backed, using the fact that the Chinese neglected to garrison Sinkiang properly. Although the western wing of the Dalnorossian offensive, to the west from Lake Balkhash, was intercepted and forced back by the Chinese, the eastern one seized Samarkand, and so as the Chinese attack towards Astrakhan was pushed back and as new rebellions begun, the Dalnorossians, although far from fully victorious or even succesful in the present operation, seemed to have turned the tide, having practically severed the Chinese supply routes just as the winter started.
(-7 Dalnorossian divisions, -6 Dalnorossian Uragannaya Konnitsa divisions, -9 Dalnorossian irregular divisions, -8 Chinese divisions, -11 Chinese conscript divisions)
In Manchuria, the Chinese fortified heavily, repulsing some of the early Dalnorossian cavalry attacks. Eventually, however, the Dalnorossians managed to outflank the Chinese, threatening Hailar and distracting troops there, allowing a breakthrough in the north. Although the Chinese held at Hailar, they had to pull back south to a new defensive perimeter, where the Chinese held. Meanwhile, the Dalnorossians used their main advantage - that of the seas. They landed on the Liaodong Peninsula, and as the Chinese had to move forces against the White Lotus rebellion (see below), managed to eventually achieve some breakthroughs in the south as well, although the Chinese again managed to retreat in an orderly fashion. This year this front wasn't quite as active as expected because of the strong Chinese defenses and at the same time the Chinese inability to launch a serious counter-offensive.
(-8 Dalnorossian divisions, -13 Dalnorossian Uragannaya Konnitsa divisions, -4 Dalnorossian irregular divisions, -9 Chinese divisions, -10 Chinese conscript divisions)
This year, the Federate naval bombardments of South China were less severe at first, in part because of the newly-assembled Chinese coastal defenses. However, as the rebuilt Chinese fleet was defeated in several battles - not before sinking some Federate ships themselves using a combination of suicidal bravery and cunning plans - and as the Federates, now reinforced by a Dalnorossian detachment concentrated their bombardment on Shanghai's defenses, IT begun. The White Lotus society, a Han Chinese rebel organizaton notorious for its strict conspiration, rose up in Shanghai itself and overwhelmed the surprised, shell-shocked garrison. Some nearby cities were taken as well and the White Lotus rebellion begun to spread until the frantically-redeployed Chinese troops put down the more isolated risings and limited the spread of the main one (-1 Qing Confidence).
(-7 Federate squadrons, -2 Dalnorossian squadrons, -3 Chinese divisions, -10 Chinese squadrons, -2 White Lotus divisions, -6 White Lotus irregular divisions)
The Siamese have, meanwhile, opened an active - even hyperactive - southern front. As the Chinese border garrison shrunk only slightly, they decided to start with the secondary attacks, travelling into Tibet to cut off the Chinese supply routes in India and raise a minor rebellion (which, however, didn't spread into Nepal as the Gurkhas remained loyal to the Chinese and the Siamese decided not to test their luck there); similarily, the northern Philippines, cut off from any supplies and virtually ungarrisoned, were taken in an amphibious assault (+5 Siamese irregular divisions). After that, a diversionary raid into northern Annam begun, attracting much Chinese attention; just as they moved to deal with the potential threat, the Siamese attacked Saigon from the sea, with the help of local Annamese rebels (+5 Siamese irregular divisions), while just to the west from there the Lower Mekong was crossed. By then the Chinese repelled the diversionary raid and moved south to fae the Siamese threat, eventually halting its advance and even retaking some land despite the superior Siamese weaponry.
(-8 Chinese divisions, -7 Chinese conscript divisions, -9 Siamese divisions, -6 Siamese irregular divisions)
(see spotlight)
(+5 Polish irregular divisions)
(-2 Scandinavian divisions, -2 Scandinavian Berserker divisions, -3 Scandinavian conscript divisions, -4 Scandinavian squadrons, -5 Imperial squadrons, -13 Polish divisions, -9 Polish Siemienowicz Cannons, -2 Polish irregular divisions, -7 Polish conscript divisions, -2 Polish squadrons, -2 Turkish divisions, -3 Finnish divisions, -2 Finnish irregular divisions, -13 Muscovite divisions, -18 Muscovite Lieb Guard divisions, -3 Muscovite irregular divisions, -6 Muscovite conscript divisions, -35 Muscovite squadrons, -3 Romanian divisions, -2 Bulgarian irregular divisions)
The Federates quickly and efficiently eliminated the Nationalist French presence in Africa; they only stumbled in Mozambique, but as the French troops there ran out of supplies and were harassed by the FK's native allies, they too eventually had to surrender.
(-3 Nationalist French divisions, -2 Federate divisions)
Tukulor and Sokoto move to expand along the Niger River, defeating several small primitive kingdoms before reaching the new borders.
(-2 Tukulorese divisions, -1 Sokotan division)
The Persians attacked Egypt again, but were repulsed by the entrenched Federate forces that then moved on eastwards to retake Suez. However, while they were distracted there, the newly-organized Sudanese used the Persian gambit to attack northwards along the Nile, with only the local militias (+5 Federate irregular divisions) left to stop them. Albeit they overwhelmed these initial defenses and seized Aswan, they then overstretched their supply routes and were defeated by the Federates at Asyut. Eventually, the Federates, while holding the persians on their new defensive lines, managed to besiege Aswan and push the Sudanese further back, though they failed to defeat them decisively thus far as the Sudanese avoided a decisive battle.
(-2 Persian divisions, -6 Persian irregular divisions, -3 Federate divisions, -4 Federate irregular divisions, -2 Sudanese divisions, -6 Sudanese irregular divisions)
The Federates finally attacked Persia. An enormous armade was assembled and the Persian fleet, which was split into several small groups was methodically torn into bits. Although the coastal defenses in Oman proved much more damaging, they too were eventually overwhelmed by the shelling. Having forced their way into and through the Persian Gulf, the Federates landed in Iraq, supported by a rebellion of the Marsh Arabs and, to a lesser extent, the Sunnite Iraqis (+5 Federate irregular divisions); other Sunnis and the Shiites, however, rallied against them, as did the Kurds (+10 Persian irregular divisions). The large Federate forces assembled in the region were hindered not just by the more loyal of Ardashir's subjects; in fact, their worst enemies were disease and lack of supplies for such a large army: they prevented the Federates from advancing as quickly as they had planned, and caused them to take away food from the locals (though usually the ones in the more loyal regions), in some cases by force. Albeit the Persians quickly begun moving forces to counter the invaders, the Federates still did hold their ground well, most casualties being to starvation and disease, causing quite a scandal back at home (-1 Confidence, both for Federates and the Persians (the latter, due to the loss of Iraq)).
(-7 Federate divisions, -1 Federate irregular division, -7 Federate squadrons, -11 Persian squadrons, -2 Persian divisions, -4 Persian irregular divisions)
Desperate at their untenable position and the lack of Federate replies to the frantic requests for reinforcements, Balajit Singh, the leader of Sikhistan, decided to switch sides rather than have his country destroyed by the Persians. This, combined with the general offensive of the anti-Federate powers (including the Chinese, who launched an ambitious invasion of Bengal with much help of Indian rebels, ranging from mountain guides to a diversionary assault on the Federate position), proved a terrible blow for the Federates, although the ones in Bahawalpur held out for long before running out of supplies. Generally the Federates had to pull back south, pursued by their enemies. In the process, a few more of the Indian conscripts mutinied, though that was probably the last succesful mutiny, as the Federates took all the necessary measures (5 conscript divisions from FK to Indian Rebels). However, they eventually managed to make a comeback after assuming unchallengeable naval supremacy in the region (see above). Having landed troops at the Indus delta, they quickly severed the Persian supply routes, while the Siamese severed the Chinese ones (see below). This forces the attackers to slow down before new supply routes are set up. The overstretched Persians were attacked from the west and the south, and had to retreat northwards under the ever-growing Federate pressure (as reinforcements arrived); the Chinese were also forced to pull back to Bengal by seaborne attacks. Only the usual problems with supplies prevented the Federates from pushing their enemies out of India altogether - well, that, and the Indian guerrila war (+5 Indian irregular divisions).
(-19 Federate divisions, -1 Federate UU, -21 Federate conscript divisions, -1 Federate squadron, -11 Persian divisions, -2 Persian Engineering Corps, -3 Indian divisions, -6 Indian conscript divisions, -9 Indian irregular divisions, -14 Chinese divisions, -7 Sikh divisions)
The Sino-Dalnorossian war continued in Central Asia. The initiative at first was firmly with the Chinese, who, despite lots of logistical problems, reached out for Astrakhan and Stroganovka. However, after encountering fierce resistance at the city of Tyumen that had to be taken along the way, and after the already-problematic supply routes came under raids, the offensive had to be cancelled as the Chinese were already badly-overstretched. Instead the Qing forces concentrated on consolidating their gains. It was just as they were beginning an offensive towards Astrakhan that the Dalnorossians begun their counter-attack, in combination with a Muslim rebellion in Sinkiang (+5 Dalnorossian irregular divisions). That rebellion the Dalnorossians immediately backed, using the fact that the Chinese neglected to garrison Sinkiang properly. Although the western wing of the Dalnorossian offensive, to the west from Lake Balkhash, was intercepted and forced back by the Chinese, the eastern one seized Samarkand, and so as the Chinese attack towards Astrakhan was pushed back and as new rebellions begun, the Dalnorossians, although far from fully victorious or even succesful in the present operation, seemed to have turned the tide, having practically severed the Chinese supply routes just as the winter started.
(-7 Dalnorossian divisions, -6 Dalnorossian Uragannaya Konnitsa divisions, -9 Dalnorossian irregular divisions, -8 Chinese divisions, -11 Chinese conscript divisions)
In Manchuria, the Chinese fortified heavily, repulsing some of the early Dalnorossian cavalry attacks. Eventually, however, the Dalnorossians managed to outflank the Chinese, threatening Hailar and distracting troops there, allowing a breakthrough in the north. Although the Chinese held at Hailar, they had to pull back south to a new defensive perimeter, where the Chinese held. Meanwhile, the Dalnorossians used their main advantage - that of the seas. They landed on the Liaodong Peninsula, and as the Chinese had to move forces against the White Lotus rebellion (see below), managed to eventually achieve some breakthroughs in the south as well, although the Chinese again managed to retreat in an orderly fashion. This year this front wasn't quite as active as expected because of the strong Chinese defenses and at the same time the Chinese inability to launch a serious counter-offensive.
(-8 Dalnorossian divisions, -13 Dalnorossian Uragannaya Konnitsa divisions, -4 Dalnorossian irregular divisions, -9 Chinese divisions, -10 Chinese conscript divisions)
This year, the Federate naval bombardments of South China were less severe at first, in part because of the newly-assembled Chinese coastal defenses. However, as the rebuilt Chinese fleet was defeated in several battles - not before sinking some Federate ships themselves using a combination of suicidal bravery and cunning plans - and as the Federates, now reinforced by a Dalnorossian detachment concentrated their bombardment on Shanghai's defenses, IT begun. The White Lotus society, a Han Chinese rebel organizaton notorious for its strict conspiration, rose up in Shanghai itself and overwhelmed the surprised, shell-shocked garrison. Some nearby cities were taken as well and the White Lotus rebellion begun to spread until the frantically-redeployed Chinese troops put down the more isolated risings and limited the spread of the main one (-1 Qing Confidence).
(-7 Federate squadrons, -2 Dalnorossian squadrons, -3 Chinese divisions, -10 Chinese squadrons, -2 White Lotus divisions, -6 White Lotus irregular divisions)
The Siamese have, meanwhile, opened an active - even hyperactive - southern front. As the Chinese border garrison shrunk only slightly, they decided to start with the secondary attacks, travelling into Tibet to cut off the Chinese supply routes in India and raise a minor rebellion (which, however, didn't spread into Nepal as the Gurkhas remained loyal to the Chinese and the Siamese decided not to test their luck there); similarily, the northern Philippines, cut off from any supplies and virtually ungarrisoned, were taken in an amphibious assault (+5 Siamese irregular divisions). After that, a diversionary raid into northern Annam begun, attracting much Chinese attention; just as they moved to deal with the potential threat, the Siamese attacked Saigon from the sea, with the help of local Annamese rebels (+5 Siamese irregular divisions), while just to the west from there the Lower Mekong was crossed. By then the Chinese repelled the diversionary raid and moved south to fae the Siamese threat, eventually halting its advance and even retaking some land despite the superior Siamese weaponry.
(-8 Chinese divisions, -7 Chinese conscript divisions, -9 Siamese divisions, -6 Siamese irregular divisions)
das
Regeneration In Process
Random Events:
The Platine rebellion grows in popularity (+1 Confidence).
A failed coup strenghthens Shah Ardashir IV's power and prestige in Persia, as not much organized opposition remains (+1 Confidence).
The First French Republic makes a call for volunteers, which is immediately answered (+10 divisions).
Portugal begins to calm down somewhat (+1 Confidence)...
Outraged by the invasion of Poland itself, more and more of its citizens join the army (+5 divisions).
The Scandinavian people rally around Karl XV, seeking to avenge the destruction of Stockholm and Kalmar by Muscovite raiders (+2 Confidence). Volunteers enroll in large amounts as enthusiasm for war grows (+10 divisions). The battle-hardened army is equally determined to wreck vengeance on Muscovy (+1 Army Training).
The sudden, unprecedented, dizzying successes of the present war, combined with the general unpopularity of his noble enemies, increase Alexius' prestige among the Muscovite masses (+1 Confidence). This, along with his charisma, allowed a monk named Kazimir to mobilize a rather large, if undisciplinned, peasant army (+10 irregular divisions).
Popular Federate support for the war effort grows thanks to Gladstone's oratory (+1 Confidence). Volunteers from all the Kingdoms enlist (+5 divisions).
The Croat revolutionaries have problems with actually running their country themselves, having no experience in that (-1 Civilian Leadership).
As the Muscovite Tsar's attention seems centered on the war, he nearly fell victim to a new noble conspiracy with ties in the military; in the wake of the aborted coup d'etat, many competent yet treacherous officers had to be... removed (-1 Military Leadership).
The Siamese keep having problems with their new railroads and dockyards, due to inexperience (-1 Infrastructure).
A failed mutiny near Vienna itself resulted in brief but brutal fighting before the rebelling Imperial Sturmtruppen units are subdued by their former comrades (-5 Imperial Sturmtruppen).
More and more French army officers defect from the Provisional Government, either joining one of the other sides, either starting some revolts of their own (see above), either just retiring and sitting things out (-1 Military Leadership).
Without the efficient French management and maintenance, the roads in Yucatan quickly worsen (-1 Infrastructure).
Spotlight:
The Eastern War.
"The time for words has ended. We will settle this on the battlefield."
- Tsar Alexius I (Aleksey Nikolaevich Shuisky). Year 1866, after the breakdown of negotiations with Sweden.
What had started in 1865 as a regional war between Sweden and Muscovy, fought over the border city of Novgorod and a few other Russian-majority territories, has by the beginning of its fourth year become something much greater, in all regards. The old Livonian War pales by comparison, and until now it was the largest East European war. Back then, Sweden and Poland eventually defeated Russia, crippling it forever and paving way for the eventual Polish conquest. However, the Polish empire itself didn't survive too long, and fragmented, and though Lithuania and Ukraine were eventually reconquered, Muscovy remained independent under the Shuisky dynasty. But that dynasty failed to achieve much in all those years, apart from the reconquest of Kazan from the Ottomans. During the 19th century, with some Imperial assistance, Muscovy begun modernizing itself, and even took part in the Nine Years War (unsuccesfully, albeit it didn't lose anything there neither). This process was a slow one, until Tsar Nicholas I's downfall in 1864. His son Alexius, who overthrew him, immediately sped things up. In an organized reign of terror, he cleaned the ranks of the Muscovite aristocracy, destroying the traditional organized resistance to the modernizing efforts, and with the help of Imperial advisors and other foreign specialists he managed to turn the Muscovite army, if not Muscovy itself, into a war machine. A war machine that, thanks to all this and the generally good quality of Alexius' new military elite, managed to inflict several noticeable defeats on the more advanced regional powers of Sweden/Scandinavia and its Polish allies.
But it hasn't broken them. Even as they had to fight another war in the west, the Scandinavians and the Poles struggled on against the Muscovites, at times making considerable gains. And though as 1868 begun a fairly large Polish force was trapped in a Muscovite pocket and other Polish troops were firmly on the defensive, the Scandinavians had by then retaken most of Finland, and in some points even reached the Muscovite borders. There was no end in sight at all, as both sides, though weakening with time, were still strong enough to fight on, and on, and on.
And by then, the war has become total. There clearly was no turning back now, now that Stockholm and Kalmar were destroyed in a Muscovite raid, now that Poland and Scandinavian declared their wish to depose the Tsar. Though the ideological propaganda of the Scandinavians and the Poles didn't work as well as was hoped among the illiterate, loyal peasantry and the over-intimidated, patriotic urban middle class of Muscovy itself, it HAS worked on their own people and soldiers quite well, as did the Muscovite war atrocities. So well that they would now rather die than surrender, that they were ready to fight to the last man. But also so well that they just wouldn't UNDERSTAND any attempts to make peace. There was no turning back for neither side now.
The year begun with heavy fighting in the "Polish Pocket" in southern Muscovy. Contrary to Muscovite expectations, the Poles made no attempts to try and rescue their forces trapped in the Pocket, instead using the distraction provided by it to prepare their fortifications. So the Muscovites themselves could also concentrate on their own task - on eliminating the Pocket. Led by a mystic monk named Kazimir, a rag-tag force of newly-freed (in exchange for military service) serfs harrased the Polish troops, which, in combination with the lack of supplies and the coming of a harsh winter, basically destroyed the Polish troops, crushing the resolve of some so much that they actually surrendered, desperate to get out of this frozen hell. But a (admittedly-narrow) majority tried to fight on, moving south in a desperate bid to escape through Dalnorossian territory. A few somehow managed to do so, possibly due to some prior agreement, possibly due to bribery (indeed, certain local Dalnorossian officials soon lost their positions...), or maybe thanks to some of the local Polish sympathisers who smuggled them through. It might have even been some sort of a daring breakthrough, though Poland didn't yet declare war on Dalnorossia. But that didn't matter too much - most forces in the Pocket were eliminated anyway. The PoWs were sent to build fortifications. The war on the central sector of the front, at first expected by observers all over the world to become the spot of the decisive, culminative campaign, died down into positional warfare with a few minor skirmishes. No, the great battles of the day were to take place further north.
For instance, the Far North saw some fierce fighting this year, first with Finnish risings behind the Scandinavian lines that were quickly put down, in part due to betrayal at the hands of a few Finnish Scandinavianists. But it still provided a distraction for the Scandinavians that allowed the new Finnish government to test its fangs, in coordination with Muscovy ofcourse. Although they managed, just barely, to partially-relieve Helsingfors - or Helsinki, as the Finns themselves call it - they failed to advance much further, and instead had to concentrate on distracting the Scandinavians in Western Karelia, to prevent a potential separation of the Finnish forces from Muscovy. Albeit the Scandinavians didn't launch any final offensive to finish off the Muscovite forces in Karelia, they didn't give up any ground neither, and in fact scored a major victory in Eastern Karelia. The Muscovite offensive there was stopped by the Scandinavian fortifications, it stalled and then was suddenly struck in the rear. For by then, Berserker divisions took the undefended city of Arkhangelsk, Muscovy's one and only real commercial link with Western Europe, a link that remained profitable even now. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else of value in the whole region apart from furs and wood - there weren't even any real railroads there, as it wasn't yet entirely feasable. The early ambitious plans had to be edited accordingly, and instead the Scandinavian Berserkers struck westwards to take some pressure off their forces in Karelia. Now out-numbered and surrounded as well as out-gunned, the Muscovites were basically rounded in the Battle at Lake Vyg. It was a disaster, but thankfully only a one of local significance, as the Scandinavians chose not to press on, due to the logistical improbability of it all.
Further south, the Scandinavians knew better than to attack, withdrawing from their untenable positions near Noteborg. The Muscovites were thus granted initiative, and they used it fully. At first, it seemed as if they were trying to repeat their old trick with pseudo-Scandinavian ships. These ships were immediately apprehended, and as the Scandinavian officers went aboard to search them, they, not unexpectedly, came under attack. What WAS unexpected was that the attack didn't just come from the troops on board; it also came from a huge Muscovite fleet, reinforced by the remnants of the Imperial one that hid in Noteborg after the Scandinavian re-occupation of the German northern coast. Very possibly the Scandinavians could have lost that battle badly, if not for three factors. Firstly, they, though surprised by the Imperials, weren't completely surprised by the larger-than-expected Muscovite fleet, as the Polish intellegence, which was in cooperation with the Scandinavian one, had learned of it by then. Secondly, the Muscovite fleet was built rather hastily and crewed by rather unexperienced crews, as Muscovy wasn't a particularily sea-faring nation, and in fact hadn't fought in any real naval battles since its very creation [1]. Thirdly, and most importantly, the world's definite superpower finally made up its mind about the ongoing war there. That day at the Osel Island [2] off the Livonian coast, the Scandinavian fleet wasn't reinforced only by the Polish one. No, that day it was also supported by a Federate fleet, a little one by Federate standards perhaps, but not by those of the Baltic Sea. That settled it, really. The Muscovite and Imperial fleets resisted fiercely, but both were eliminated, along with most of those Muscovite troops already aboard. But the Scandinavians weren't confident enough to exploit their newly-gained naval supremacy. Yet.
By then, the main Muscovite offensive against Poland stalled. The offensive, led by Alexius I personally, was launched in Samogitia, or Lithuania Proper. Though the first line of defenses was built rather hastily and the Muscovites, armed with the best Persian-style artillery (unfortunately, in small amounts, but it still was quite powerful), managed to overrun it, they failed to secure all of it due to sabotage and suffered many casualties to the Polish artillery bombardment before the fortifications could be restored. The second line was defended much better, and several Muscovite assaults were repulsed. Alexius had to order a halt to the offensive, as the new defenses were prepared and as the Muscovite forces regroupped. The war here has also turned into a positional, skirmish war, as elsewhere apart from the front's central sector where a large portion of Polish territory was left mostly undefended and quickly secured by Kazimir. All things changed in late summer.
When the news of the defeat at Osel reached Alexius' stavka, he, unlike his advisors, didn't despair. Immediately, he found one good thing in all this - now, the would-be invasion forces that weren't yet embarked could be redeployed here. These fresh reserves could now be used here... and maybe, that would be just enough to breach the Polish line. It certainly was an opportunate time - for just after the Romanian minorities in Polish Bukovina and Yedisan begun to riot and had to be dispersed by the gendarmerie, the Balkan Pact officially entered the war on the Muscovite side, as Romania extended its claims to the regions of the riots. Immediately, it was supported by Bulgaria, Turkey and Persia, and with a minor delay, by Croatia; the latter two weren't in position to send any troops, but Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania itself launched an offensive. It was a catastrophe. The disorganized, uncoordinated Balkan armies, the only really competent of them being the Turkish one that was disliked by the other "Balkanists", attempted to cross the Dniester... and immediately came under attack. Those boats that weren't eliminated by the dreaded new Polish sea mines were sunk or, at best, turned back by the artillery bombardment. However, the surviving Balkan forces were regroupped by the Romanian king himself. Ion Kantemir launched a minor offensive just for the show and "conquered" a small piece of Bukovina, where he encountered practically no resistance. Despite the anti-climax of this, the Poles now knew that they had a new front, a potentially-threatening one, and the Muscovites were sure now that, at least, they won't have to deal with any Polish reinforcements from Yedisan. And the effect on morale was also apparent - Poland was now fighting a three-front war. What the Muscovites didn't count on were the facts that, firstly, the Poles had quite enough troops to continue defending anyway, and that, secondly, they only became more desperate now. And that they would defend accordingly.
Still, the Poles were quite overstretched in the east, and the Muscovites launched a diversionary assault on the southern sector of their positions to ensure that they don't try to concentrate their forces in the north. There, ofcourse, the main attack took place, once more led by Alexius. It was a hell of a battle, as tens of thousands of lives had to be thrown away for meager gains for the Muscovites, and as artillery on both sides raged ceaselessly. But eventually, superior numbers and the use of the Persian "Allah's Needles" allowed the Muscovites to, eventually, achieve some breakthroughs. After that, things went more easily; a few Polish positions were out-flanked, and the other Poles staged a fighting retreat southwards. It was ultimately succesful: albeit Kaunas was besieged, that was as far as the Muscovites got, bloodied and tired, and logistically-troubled as they were.
But this didn't change the basic facts that now, the Muscovites had no chances of going on a naval offensive. That the Scandinavians were too well-fortified to be forced out. That the Balkanists were unlikely to be defeated as easily next time. That now, the Polish direction was the most promising one for the Muscovites.
This didn't change the basic fact that the next year, at long last, would be the decisive one, and would determine the history of Eastern Europe for ages from now.
NPC Diplo:
From: Republic of Italy
To: Holy Roman Empire, Republic of Croatia, Turkey and Safavid Persia
We want to discuss the terms of peace.
From: Bulgaria
To: Croatia
We politely request that you hand over Northern Bulgaria to us.
OOC:
[1] Note that I mean Muscovy specifically here, or the Grand Princedom of Moscow, rather than Russia from the Kievan Rus period onwards.
[2] Alternatively known as Sarema (Russian) or Saaremaa (Estonian), but Osel is the official, Germano-Swedish name.
If anyone notices any obvious mistakes or orders that I forgot, inform me immediately. I know I goofed up somewhere, probably in the Far East (was quite tired by then).
silver2039, you don't really have that much control over technology, so I didn't add that design to the project; but anyway, you'd need to be in the Middle Industrial Age to have any chances at discovering that.
1889, as the Federates kept control over the Niger Delta trade, you only had two EC eco. points to spend this turn, so I cancelled your last order.
SB, before you ask - you forgot to order any logistical support. The Parliament cancelled some of the army growth and diverted the funds into supplies in the last moment, but not enough for such a wide range of operations, and for so many forces.
The Platine rebellion grows in popularity (+1 Confidence).
A failed coup strenghthens Shah Ardashir IV's power and prestige in Persia, as not much organized opposition remains (+1 Confidence).
The First French Republic makes a call for volunteers, which is immediately answered (+10 divisions).
Portugal begins to calm down somewhat (+1 Confidence)...
Outraged by the invasion of Poland itself, more and more of its citizens join the army (+5 divisions).
The Scandinavian people rally around Karl XV, seeking to avenge the destruction of Stockholm and Kalmar by Muscovite raiders (+2 Confidence). Volunteers enroll in large amounts as enthusiasm for war grows (+10 divisions). The battle-hardened army is equally determined to wreck vengeance on Muscovy (+1 Army Training).
The sudden, unprecedented, dizzying successes of the present war, combined with the general unpopularity of his noble enemies, increase Alexius' prestige among the Muscovite masses (+1 Confidence). This, along with his charisma, allowed a monk named Kazimir to mobilize a rather large, if undisciplinned, peasant army (+10 irregular divisions).
Popular Federate support for the war effort grows thanks to Gladstone's oratory (+1 Confidence). Volunteers from all the Kingdoms enlist (+5 divisions).
The Croat revolutionaries have problems with actually running their country themselves, having no experience in that (-1 Civilian Leadership).
As the Muscovite Tsar's attention seems centered on the war, he nearly fell victim to a new noble conspiracy with ties in the military; in the wake of the aborted coup d'etat, many competent yet treacherous officers had to be... removed (-1 Military Leadership).
The Siamese keep having problems with their new railroads and dockyards, due to inexperience (-1 Infrastructure).
A failed mutiny near Vienna itself resulted in brief but brutal fighting before the rebelling Imperial Sturmtruppen units are subdued by their former comrades (-5 Imperial Sturmtruppen).
More and more French army officers defect from the Provisional Government, either joining one of the other sides, either starting some revolts of their own (see above), either just retiring and sitting things out (-1 Military Leadership).
Without the efficient French management and maintenance, the roads in Yucatan quickly worsen (-1 Infrastructure).
Spotlight:
The Eastern War.
"The time for words has ended. We will settle this on the battlefield."
- Tsar Alexius I (Aleksey Nikolaevich Shuisky). Year 1866, after the breakdown of negotiations with Sweden.
What had started in 1865 as a regional war between Sweden and Muscovy, fought over the border city of Novgorod and a few other Russian-majority territories, has by the beginning of its fourth year become something much greater, in all regards. The old Livonian War pales by comparison, and until now it was the largest East European war. Back then, Sweden and Poland eventually defeated Russia, crippling it forever and paving way for the eventual Polish conquest. However, the Polish empire itself didn't survive too long, and fragmented, and though Lithuania and Ukraine were eventually reconquered, Muscovy remained independent under the Shuisky dynasty. But that dynasty failed to achieve much in all those years, apart from the reconquest of Kazan from the Ottomans. During the 19th century, with some Imperial assistance, Muscovy begun modernizing itself, and even took part in the Nine Years War (unsuccesfully, albeit it didn't lose anything there neither). This process was a slow one, until Tsar Nicholas I's downfall in 1864. His son Alexius, who overthrew him, immediately sped things up. In an organized reign of terror, he cleaned the ranks of the Muscovite aristocracy, destroying the traditional organized resistance to the modernizing efforts, and with the help of Imperial advisors and other foreign specialists he managed to turn the Muscovite army, if not Muscovy itself, into a war machine. A war machine that, thanks to all this and the generally good quality of Alexius' new military elite, managed to inflict several noticeable defeats on the more advanced regional powers of Sweden/Scandinavia and its Polish allies.
But it hasn't broken them. Even as they had to fight another war in the west, the Scandinavians and the Poles struggled on against the Muscovites, at times making considerable gains. And though as 1868 begun a fairly large Polish force was trapped in a Muscovite pocket and other Polish troops were firmly on the defensive, the Scandinavians had by then retaken most of Finland, and in some points even reached the Muscovite borders. There was no end in sight at all, as both sides, though weakening with time, were still strong enough to fight on, and on, and on.
And by then, the war has become total. There clearly was no turning back now, now that Stockholm and Kalmar were destroyed in a Muscovite raid, now that Poland and Scandinavian declared their wish to depose the Tsar. Though the ideological propaganda of the Scandinavians and the Poles didn't work as well as was hoped among the illiterate, loyal peasantry and the over-intimidated, patriotic urban middle class of Muscovy itself, it HAS worked on their own people and soldiers quite well, as did the Muscovite war atrocities. So well that they would now rather die than surrender, that they were ready to fight to the last man. But also so well that they just wouldn't UNDERSTAND any attempts to make peace. There was no turning back for neither side now.
The year begun with heavy fighting in the "Polish Pocket" in southern Muscovy. Contrary to Muscovite expectations, the Poles made no attempts to try and rescue their forces trapped in the Pocket, instead using the distraction provided by it to prepare their fortifications. So the Muscovites themselves could also concentrate on their own task - on eliminating the Pocket. Led by a mystic monk named Kazimir, a rag-tag force of newly-freed (in exchange for military service) serfs harrased the Polish troops, which, in combination with the lack of supplies and the coming of a harsh winter, basically destroyed the Polish troops, crushing the resolve of some so much that they actually surrendered, desperate to get out of this frozen hell. But a (admittedly-narrow) majority tried to fight on, moving south in a desperate bid to escape through Dalnorossian territory. A few somehow managed to do so, possibly due to some prior agreement, possibly due to bribery (indeed, certain local Dalnorossian officials soon lost their positions...), or maybe thanks to some of the local Polish sympathisers who smuggled them through. It might have even been some sort of a daring breakthrough, though Poland didn't yet declare war on Dalnorossia. But that didn't matter too much - most forces in the Pocket were eliminated anyway. The PoWs were sent to build fortifications. The war on the central sector of the front, at first expected by observers all over the world to become the spot of the decisive, culminative campaign, died down into positional warfare with a few minor skirmishes. No, the great battles of the day were to take place further north.
For instance, the Far North saw some fierce fighting this year, first with Finnish risings behind the Scandinavian lines that were quickly put down, in part due to betrayal at the hands of a few Finnish Scandinavianists. But it still provided a distraction for the Scandinavians that allowed the new Finnish government to test its fangs, in coordination with Muscovy ofcourse. Although they managed, just barely, to partially-relieve Helsingfors - or Helsinki, as the Finns themselves call it - they failed to advance much further, and instead had to concentrate on distracting the Scandinavians in Western Karelia, to prevent a potential separation of the Finnish forces from Muscovy. Albeit the Scandinavians didn't launch any final offensive to finish off the Muscovite forces in Karelia, they didn't give up any ground neither, and in fact scored a major victory in Eastern Karelia. The Muscovite offensive there was stopped by the Scandinavian fortifications, it stalled and then was suddenly struck in the rear. For by then, Berserker divisions took the undefended city of Arkhangelsk, Muscovy's one and only real commercial link with Western Europe, a link that remained profitable even now. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else of value in the whole region apart from furs and wood - there weren't even any real railroads there, as it wasn't yet entirely feasable. The early ambitious plans had to be edited accordingly, and instead the Scandinavian Berserkers struck westwards to take some pressure off their forces in Karelia. Now out-numbered and surrounded as well as out-gunned, the Muscovites were basically rounded in the Battle at Lake Vyg. It was a disaster, but thankfully only a one of local significance, as the Scandinavians chose not to press on, due to the logistical improbability of it all.
Further south, the Scandinavians knew better than to attack, withdrawing from their untenable positions near Noteborg. The Muscovites were thus granted initiative, and they used it fully. At first, it seemed as if they were trying to repeat their old trick with pseudo-Scandinavian ships. These ships were immediately apprehended, and as the Scandinavian officers went aboard to search them, they, not unexpectedly, came under attack. What WAS unexpected was that the attack didn't just come from the troops on board; it also came from a huge Muscovite fleet, reinforced by the remnants of the Imperial one that hid in Noteborg after the Scandinavian re-occupation of the German northern coast. Very possibly the Scandinavians could have lost that battle badly, if not for three factors. Firstly, they, though surprised by the Imperials, weren't completely surprised by the larger-than-expected Muscovite fleet, as the Polish intellegence, which was in cooperation with the Scandinavian one, had learned of it by then. Secondly, the Muscovite fleet was built rather hastily and crewed by rather unexperienced crews, as Muscovy wasn't a particularily sea-faring nation, and in fact hadn't fought in any real naval battles since its very creation [1]. Thirdly, and most importantly, the world's definite superpower finally made up its mind about the ongoing war there. That day at the Osel Island [2] off the Livonian coast, the Scandinavian fleet wasn't reinforced only by the Polish one. No, that day it was also supported by a Federate fleet, a little one by Federate standards perhaps, but not by those of the Baltic Sea. That settled it, really. The Muscovite and Imperial fleets resisted fiercely, but both were eliminated, along with most of those Muscovite troops already aboard. But the Scandinavians weren't confident enough to exploit their newly-gained naval supremacy. Yet.
By then, the main Muscovite offensive against Poland stalled. The offensive, led by Alexius I personally, was launched in Samogitia, or Lithuania Proper. Though the first line of defenses was built rather hastily and the Muscovites, armed with the best Persian-style artillery (unfortunately, in small amounts, but it still was quite powerful), managed to overrun it, they failed to secure all of it due to sabotage and suffered many casualties to the Polish artillery bombardment before the fortifications could be restored. The second line was defended much better, and several Muscovite assaults were repulsed. Alexius had to order a halt to the offensive, as the new defenses were prepared and as the Muscovite forces regroupped. The war here has also turned into a positional, skirmish war, as elsewhere apart from the front's central sector where a large portion of Polish territory was left mostly undefended and quickly secured by Kazimir. All things changed in late summer.
When the news of the defeat at Osel reached Alexius' stavka, he, unlike his advisors, didn't despair. Immediately, he found one good thing in all this - now, the would-be invasion forces that weren't yet embarked could be redeployed here. These fresh reserves could now be used here... and maybe, that would be just enough to breach the Polish line. It certainly was an opportunate time - for just after the Romanian minorities in Polish Bukovina and Yedisan begun to riot and had to be dispersed by the gendarmerie, the Balkan Pact officially entered the war on the Muscovite side, as Romania extended its claims to the regions of the riots. Immediately, it was supported by Bulgaria, Turkey and Persia, and with a minor delay, by Croatia; the latter two weren't in position to send any troops, but Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania itself launched an offensive. It was a catastrophe. The disorganized, uncoordinated Balkan armies, the only really competent of them being the Turkish one that was disliked by the other "Balkanists", attempted to cross the Dniester... and immediately came under attack. Those boats that weren't eliminated by the dreaded new Polish sea mines were sunk or, at best, turned back by the artillery bombardment. However, the surviving Balkan forces were regroupped by the Romanian king himself. Ion Kantemir launched a minor offensive just for the show and "conquered" a small piece of Bukovina, where he encountered practically no resistance. Despite the anti-climax of this, the Poles now knew that they had a new front, a potentially-threatening one, and the Muscovites were sure now that, at least, they won't have to deal with any Polish reinforcements from Yedisan. And the effect on morale was also apparent - Poland was now fighting a three-front war. What the Muscovites didn't count on were the facts that, firstly, the Poles had quite enough troops to continue defending anyway, and that, secondly, they only became more desperate now. And that they would defend accordingly.
Still, the Poles were quite overstretched in the east, and the Muscovites launched a diversionary assault on the southern sector of their positions to ensure that they don't try to concentrate their forces in the north. There, ofcourse, the main attack took place, once more led by Alexius. It was a hell of a battle, as tens of thousands of lives had to be thrown away for meager gains for the Muscovites, and as artillery on both sides raged ceaselessly. But eventually, superior numbers and the use of the Persian "Allah's Needles" allowed the Muscovites to, eventually, achieve some breakthroughs. After that, things went more easily; a few Polish positions were out-flanked, and the other Poles staged a fighting retreat southwards. It was ultimately succesful: albeit Kaunas was besieged, that was as far as the Muscovites got, bloodied and tired, and logistically-troubled as they were.
But this didn't change the basic facts that now, the Muscovites had no chances of going on a naval offensive. That the Scandinavians were too well-fortified to be forced out. That the Balkanists were unlikely to be defeated as easily next time. That now, the Polish direction was the most promising one for the Muscovites.
This didn't change the basic fact that the next year, at long last, would be the decisive one, and would determine the history of Eastern Europe for ages from now.
NPC Diplo:
From: Republic of Italy
To: Holy Roman Empire, Republic of Croatia, Turkey and Safavid Persia
We want to discuss the terms of peace.
From: Bulgaria
To: Croatia
We politely request that you hand over Northern Bulgaria to us.
OOC:
[1] Note that I mean Muscovy specifically here, or the Grand Princedom of Moscow, rather than Russia from the Kievan Rus period onwards.
[2] Alternatively known as Sarema (Russian) or Saaremaa (Estonian), but Osel is the official, Germano-Swedish name.
If anyone notices any obvious mistakes or orders that I forgot, inform me immediately. I know I goofed up somewhere, probably in the Far East (was quite tired by then).
silver2039, you don't really have that much control over technology, so I didn't add that design to the project; but anyway, you'd need to be in the Middle Industrial Age to have any chances at discovering that.
1889, as the Federates kept control over the Niger Delta trade, you only had two EC eco. points to spend this turn, so I cancelled your last order.
SB, before you ask - you forgot to order any logistical support. The Parliament cancelled some of the army growth and diverted the funds into supplies in the last moment, but not enough for such a wide range of operations, and for so many forces.
das
Regeneration In Process
Nice update.
Now FK, hurry up and deal with me, I'm getting slightly irritated that I'm a useless faction in the French war.
EDIT: Better way to solve that actually;
To Nationalists
From Provisional Government
We would like to talk about unifying, under your leadership.
Now FK, hurry up and deal with me, I'm getting slightly irritated that I'm a useless faction in the French war.
EDIT: Better way to solve that actually;
To Nationalists
From Provisional Government
We would like to talk about unifying, under your leadership.
Insane_Panda
Deity
The CDN would gladly accept the proposal to unify with her brothers in arms.
das
Regeneration In Process
Are you counting on Panda's problems with time for the orders, Kal? 
Insane_Panda
Deity
I shall send orders properly this time!
Insane_Panda
Deity
Now Unify with me! 
Reno
The Studio Ghibli Fanatic
Excelent update, although the Finn-Swedish traitorship will not go unnoticed.
das
Regeneration In Process
Stop twisting my words, I DID put the FK there just now.
Well, that's why I added "OR". Far from all the countries there are at war with each other, but you ARE fighting HRE, which is also fighting the FK, which is fighting all those other powers.
Insane_Panda
Deity
Yes I do Finmaster - Nguyen385 is my AIM address. However, PM me for now since I wont be able to get on AIM until tonight.
Reno
The Studio Ghibli Fanatic
Just noticed that there aren't any stats for Finland?
- Status
