das
Regeneration In Process
Update 6 - Year 1746
Non-Military Events:
Celtic economic recovery continues, centered around Dublin (+Dublin economic center).
The Spanish introduce a large-scale conscription in a desperate effort to save the country. In the end, it backfires badly (see military events), but the forces raised have been impressive in size (-1 Economy, -1 Confidence, -1 Military Leadership)...
As Spain crumbles and as the Papal-led Holy League, by contrast, grows ever-stronger, the Spanish governors of Stato de Presidi, Sicily and Malta, with the support of their people, join the said Holy League, putting this before the otherwise-preoccupied Madrid government post facto, the Spanish ofcourse being unable to do anything. In French-occupiued Milan and Genoa, support for the same is growing, though is far from unanimous. The governors of Crete, Rhodes and Cyprus also tried to join the Holy League, hoping to retain some power and gain protection from the Byzantines, but the local Greeks overwhelmed the loyal militiamen and forced an union with the Byzantine Empire. Interestingly enough, that happened already after the three governors signed their treaty of allegience with the Papacy, so this might be taken as an act of war by the Pope who had only recently signed a peace treaty forcing the Byzantines to evacuate Italy. He also recently signed an agreement with France, the exact terms of which have not been made widely available yet [1], so he needn't fear an invasion from the north.
Hoping to win them over to their side, the Krakowians ceded the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria to the Byzantine Empire (-1 Byzantine Culture). Apparently, this was succesful, as indicated by the Byzantine military build-up...
The Russian economy is fully mobilized and large-scale war spending takes place (worsened by the raising of what is perhaps the largest army raised by Russia in all of its history thus far (-1 Economy, -1 Military Leadership)), to some dissent (-1 Confidence). On the other hand, as the Krakowians launch a counter-offensive, volunteers join en masse (+10 divisions).
Portuguese intermediation secures status quo peace in East Africa between Sennar and Abyssinia; however, the peace pleases nobody - the nobility in both countries dislikes the outsider-imposed peace and fears that the Portuguese are trying to take over East Africa, the territorial problems remain, the Abyssinians feel that they have let victory slip out of their hands and the Sennarese cry for revenge for their fallen (-1 Confidence both).
The Ottomans sign peace treaties with the various rebelling Arab tribes, granting them autonomy within the Ottoman Empire.
Karachi recovers with French government assistance (+Karachi economic center).
China continues to decentralize (-1 Centralization), and the Emperor's prestige declines as he concedes ever more power to local assemblies of landowners (-1 Confidence).
Military Events:
Blow after blow lands upon the Spanish American colonial empire. Authorities and troops in California and Columbia surrender with scarcely a fight, being outnumbered and quite doomed especially as risings begun in California. Similarily, the Carribean garrisons and authorities capitulate to France. Eventually, the Spanish troops in Mexico, after several failed break-out attempts, have to give up as well as they begun to die out from starvation and as the people from whom they used to requisition food rose up having already lost everything they had to lose. In Central America, the Continentalists face pretty hard resistance - a majority, how ever marginal, of the Amerinds here is still pro-Spanish, and the Spanish troops here are outnumbered... and thus more maneuverable and capable of living off the land than the others. Teniente Rodrigo Tremendez, a madman and a military genius whose last name is quite justified (and is rumoured to be false, some claiming him to really be Prince Jose of the failed Habsburg coup fame), who effectively took command of the forces here after he and some of his fellow soldiers slaughtered their superiors for requesting a cease-fire, waged a fierce, bloody campaign that only ended with his betrayal and execution. After that, the Continentalists advanced forward, only to discover that New Granada was already being a scene of a tri-way war. The Vice-Royalty was contested between the Spanish forces, a local rebel authority and Portuguese troops (for Portugal, approving of the French report about Spanish involvement in South Sea piracy, declared war on Spain). Now the struggle became four-sided, as Continental forces clashed with the Grenadines. An Inca pretender on a white llama (an albino
) rode into Cuzco after the Spanish retreat from there due to attrition, mountain guerrila warfare and other problems; from there, he proclaimed the rebirth of the Incan Empire. La Plata still remained loyal, though there, too, situation was beginning to detiriorate. The Spaniards lost it anyway, when their small garrison was washed aside by superior Portuguese forces who easily crushed the militias (+2 Spanish irregular divisions) raised against them and occupied the prosperous region of Buenos Aires.
(-4 Continentalist divisions, -2 Continentalist irregular divisions, -1 Continentalist Chaqueto Marron division, -2 Portuguese divisions, -17 Spanish divisions, -3 Spanish irregular divisions)
The Holy Celtic Empire finally collapses after several years on the brink of death; few had thought that King/Emperor Cameron's disastrous reign would last for so long. His undoing was the large-scale commitment to the war effort against Spain (on the behalf of the French allies of Cameron); the Oireachtas did not protest it because much of it died in the republican risings or went into the underground. With practically all of the Irish army away in Spain, yet another republican rebellion begun. This was immediately used by the English, who took Dublin in a naval assault and quickly spread out across Ireland, crushing all resistance from republicans and separatists alike with ease due to the absence of any cooperation between them. Resistance in the North-Western Highlands was harder to defeat, but it too was crushed eventually. Though in their underground, Irish separatists have not yet given up, the country was in simply too bad and demoralized a state to wage a guerrila war, and so the English finally stand triumphant, with Dover the only place on the "English Islands" held by another power (+1 English Confidence). Dochais, the economically-unviable colony in Patagonia, soon ceased to exist as well. Only one shard of the fallen empire survives - the "Gallician Republic" in the territories occupied from Spain, but it is quite fiercely anti-monarchist (well, anti-Cameron anyway - the Irish Bourbons or General O'Higgins himself are not entirely out of question) as well.
(-Holy Celtic Empire as a nation, -3 English divisions)
Spain entered this year with little hope for victory and left it with even less hope for survival. Desperate conscription efforts soon resulted in more forces than could be controlled, and before stern disciplinnary action was taken mutinies begun along with peasant risings (-5 conscript divisions). A last-ditch offensive to take some pressure off Madrid resulted in a pyrrhic victory at Alcala de Henares and a succesful French link-up with southern rebels; all of South Spain was lost to the French attacks afterwards, combined with the Portuguese capture of Seville. Later in the year, Celtic forces under General Brendan O'Higgins overcame the last Spanish resistance in Galicia, and soon after the fall of HCE declared the "Gallician Republic"; meanwhile, a new French multi-pronged offensive put Madrid under a definite siege. The large army there could not be supplied properly, and soon neither could the population; several hungry risings were put down in blood. Finally, King Rodequiz I had abdicated, and the Spanish Congress, after an bloodless internal coup d'etat by a rising "peace faction", requested a truce and the beginning of peace negotiations with Spain's enemies, hurried by the continued detirioration of the whole situation (-1 Confidence, -1 Culture, -1 Economy, -Madrid economic center).
(-12 French divisions, -1 French Foreign Legion, -2 French squadrons, -2 Portuguese divisions, -1 Portuguese squadron, -3 Gallician divisions, -8 Spanish divisions, -2 Spanish irregular divisions, -17 Spanish conscript divisions, -4 Spanish squadrons)
Under the banners of revanchism but in what is immediately renounced abroad as adventurism (especially the attack on the Pope, who seems to be much better than the previous ones, and if he isn't... he still is the Pope (-1 Confidence)), the Augsburger League strikes out against the Kingdom of Brunswick and the (Papal-led) Holy League of Italy. Interestingly enough, the less popular invasion of Italy goes slightly better than the one of Brunswick; the Pope was still redeploying forces from the south when the Augsburgers, like the Krakowians before them, invaded the countryside of Venice, and, unlike the Krakowians, did not bother to actually attack the city (not that they could have), instead penetrating deep into Italy. By then their overstretched supply routes begun to show, and the morale was dampened by the fact that, while there were mounting casualties to attrition and guerrilas (+2 Papal irregular divisions), the main Papal forces were only beginning to arrive and thus were still fresh, while the Augsburgers were tired. Still, in the Battle at Prato, the Augsburgers held their ground and though the siege of Florence had to be abandoned for now, the Augsburgers had since then consolidated both their gains and their supply routes.
(-4 Augsburger divisions, -1 Augsburger Grenadier division, -3 Papal divisions, -2 Papal irregular divisions)
In Brunswick, things started out rather similarily. Augsburger forces crossed the border, and, facing no opposition but for the guerrilas (who rose up for both sides - Catholics supported Augsburg, Protestants - Brunswick (+1 Augsburger irregular division, +3 Brunswickian irregular divisions)), pressed onwards towards the Baltic Sea. Once more, however, the Augsburgers badly overstretched their supply routes; and in this case, it proved an even more fatal mistake, for the Brunswickians were operating according to their old war plan that called for the hypothetic enemy to be allowed to advance, tiring himself and overstretching his supplies, and then, for him to be faced head-on with the entire Brunswickian army. The right-wing army of the Augsburger invasion force came under a sudden all-out attack, combined with diversionary flank raids, and in the bloody massacre that was called the Battle at Nordhausen, the superiorly-trained, but exhausted and surprised Augsburger army was almost totally annihilated. Elated despite their casualties, the Brunswickians tried to do a similar attack on the left-wing army, but it was warned just in time and in a well-planned campaign of maneuver avoided elimination and won several skirmishes, though the blow on the morale is quite bad (-1 Augsburger Confidence, -1 Brunswickian Confidence).
(-7 Brunswickian divisions, -6 Brunswickian Ehre Korps, -2 Brunswickian irregular divisions, -12 Augsburger divisions, -6 Augsburger Grenadier divisions)
In Eastern Europe, a massive reversal of fortune takes place.
(see spotlight)
(-1 Krakowian Confidence, +5 Krakowian irregular divisions, 1 Economy from Krakow to Byzantine Empire, +2 Byzantine irregular division)
(-8 Swedish divisions, -14 Krakowian divisions, -7 Krakowian GotGC, -4 Krakowian irregular divisions, -6 Byzantine divisions, -16 Russian divisions, -3 Russian Cossack divisions)
As Spain itself collapses, so does its colonial empire in Africa. The Portuguese eliminated the local Spanish fleet at the Bijagos archipelago and landed forces in most of Spanish (and Spanish-held French) West African coasts, while the French Foreign Legion secured the Spanish Saharan coastal possessions. Numerous inland territories were lost to the various native tribes as well. Numerous Spanish forces surrendered after putting up a token fight, seeing that their fight was lost; others, however, continue to wage their guerrila war even now.
(-1 French Foreign Legion, -3 Portuguese divisions, -4 Portuguese squadrons, -7 Spanish divisions, -10 Spanish squadrons)
Segu awakens and conquers some nearby territories, using the confusion and power vacuum caused by European colonial expansion and the fall of the Spanish colonial empire.
With the end of the Sennarese-Abyssinian War, both states continue campaigning - not against each other, but against the various barbarian tribes in the south. Both made some gains and have some clashes with each other; the main reason for the gains not being as impressive as, at least, Demeke Brehane wanted them to be was the logistical one.
As China kept growing in power, the rising Japanese Shogunate was increasingly paranoid. And so as Chinese patrols grew ever more agressive, provoking and intimidating the Japanese patrols off the Home Islands themselves and the Phillipines alike, the Japanese - as it turned out, mistakenly - became convinced that the Chinese were preparing an invasion force. Clearly, this needed to be pre-empted, and so the Japanese, with remarkable speed, scrapped together an invasion force of their own, and struck out. Though the Chinese fleet, having been created and modernized somewhat earlier, was of better quality than the Japanese one (then again, this advantage it did not keep for long, and even less so with the advantage of size as was soon found out), apparently it was not too prepared to fight back after all; furthermore, it needed to cover large areas of water, and was thus overstretched. A concentrated Japanese force quickly struck out from the Phillipines and destroyed several Chinese squadrons in the South China Sea one-by-one. After that, Taiwan was captured with scarcely a shot. It was a good beginning. Things didn't go quite as well for the Japanese later on. The naval assault on Canton had to be cancelled, as it was in too hard a geographical position to take and was properly defended; the assault on Xiang Gang succeeded due to luck and a good commander, but only with major casualties that prevented any further advance for a while, and only later could Canton be taken. At Fuzhou, the Japanese, despite a sudden nearly-fatal skirmish with the Chinese fleet, were more fortunate; having driven off the enemy fleet, they landed near the city, and besieged it, eventually shelling the city into submission to avoid the enemy relieving it. The Chinese counter-attack here was fought back, not being sufficiently well-prepared; the Japanese also managed to capture Wenzhou nearby, though it was a close-ran battle due to the militia being levied there in advance (by then, the militias were already being levied in the coastal provinces) (+5 Qing irregular divisions). The operations in Northern China went qutie badly as well, as a part of the force was destroyed by the Chinese fleet gathering in the Yellow Sea. Although subsequently Korea was secured, it was hardly a reliable conquest (+1 Qing irregular division), and as for the daring landing at Tianjin to threaten Beijing, it was a complete disaster as the Chinese forces from Manchuria were by then being recalled there and overwhelmed the Japanese army at its beachhead, although this did win the Japanese forces in Korea valuable time to prepare their defenses in. The one big Japanese triumph, apart from the surprisingly large amount of damage inflicting upon the Chinese fleet (increased by yet another naval victory in the Gulf of Tonkin), was the succesful capture of Hangzhou and Shanghai, and even some nearby territories, though this only succeeded due to the surprising neglect of the Chinese who scarcely left enough troops there (-1 Qing Confidence). China, by and by, was taken by surprise, and it seems that it did not have a large invasion force stocked up in the coastal cities neither; thus the Japanese were able to spread out beyond their beachheads and captured coastal cities. But as the newly-reformed Chinese officer corps is rapidly recovering from the surprise effect, the Japanese position looks increasingly precarious...
(-7 Qing Chinese divisions, -2 Qing Ma Bing divisions, -5 Qing Chinese irregular divisions, -19 Qing Chinese squadrons, -18 Japanese divisions, -4 Japanese Ikkitousennonimusha divisions, -7 Japanese squadrons)
The Portuguese military being distracted elsewhere and dissent simmering (outside of Singapur) due to neglection by Lisbon and some mismanagement by the Portuguese East Indies company, the Malays, led by a charismatic pretender, launched their "Lima Sekawan" revolt, taking over all of the Malay peninsula save for Singapore itself where the pitiful Portuguese garrison dug in, but which they are steadily losing now as the local Malay population grows rebellious as well.
(-1 Malay irregular division)
Random Events:
The war in the east arouses an outburst of patriotism in Krakow Union (+1 Culture).
As peace was signed with the Papacy, the Byzantine people rejoiced; and despite (evil tongues say because of) the death of the Basileus, their trust in the government was rejunivated by the quite popular basilissa Irene II's ascension to the post of Regent (+2 Confidence). On a more cynical note, combined with "Aetosism", the tourism income from the funeral has greatly helped replenish the treasury (+1 Economy). An era of national rejunivation had begun (+1 Culture).
A new, healthy sultan further invigorates the Ottomans (+1 Confidence).
Volunteers, from new and old lands alike, enlist into the Danish-Norwegian army (+5 divisions).
The Japanese modernization efforts go on and speed up (+1 project progress).
A religious revival begins in Abyssinia (+1 Culture).
National paranoia spreads in Finland (+1 Culture).
In a last desperate effort to incite public support, the Holy Celtic Emperor declares a crusade against Spain that is supported by many Celts who have nothing left to lose (+5 divisions).
Storms sink some Portuguese ships (-5 squadrons).
Desertion grows in the Afghan host (-5 divisions).
The remaining Greek irregulars desert from the Byzantine army (-1 irregular division).
Disciplinne gradually erodes in the Brunswickian army (-1 Army Training).
Danish economy experiences a post-war recession coupled with tax reduction (-1 Economy).
The death of Josef von Dunkelheit is a heavy blow for the Krakow Union (-1 Confidence).
English education quality declines as many bright young men went to the military instead (-1 Education).
Ottoman sailors are losing shape (-1 Navy Training).
Spotlight:
Downfall of Krakow.
"We just lost the Great War."
- Krakowian Grosskanzler Josef von Dunkelheit's last words, said to his aide upon the report of the latest great Krakowian victories. Year 1745.
The end of 1745 was celebrated more than the end of any other year in the Krakow Union, for it was a year of great victories. Pommerania was confirmed after Krakow Union, the country flourished despite all the Russian efforts, a grand, unprecedented, genial victory was attained in the Balkans, and the enemy counter-strike was unconfident, non-dramatic and already has grounded to a halt. Aye, this was a victorious year, and all of the Krakowian leadership had celebrated it well. Even those who spoke that Russia was not yet beaten were sure that it was but a matter of time. Only one man was distressed. The mastermind of Krakow's victories. Grosskanzler Josef von Dunkelheit.
Only he saw that this was the year when his big gamble took place... and failed. Only he saw that this was the beginning of the end; that for all the victorious battles and campaigns, the war was already lost. Only Josef von Dunkelheit saw that the unimpressive Russian advance has threatened to overstretch the Krakowian lines; only Josef von Dunkelheit saw that Russia was still able to bring in allies into the war, whereas the Krakow Union could not allow to itself any such luxuries. Only he, though pretending to rejoice, had noticed the Balkan campaign to be a defeat, as Russian forces destroyed were too small, as too many escaped or did not come there in the first place. Only he knew that after this offensive (which had failed to achieve the set goal), strategic initiative had passed to Russia; and ofcourse, he could see that Bestuzhev and the Tsar would not miss this opportunity. He knew all this, so on one nice day he shot himself, aware that this will make Krakow's defeat even easier. It did not matter if the corpse moved just before its death or not.
But it moved, it moved! After the first panic and witch hunts (for nobody believed that it was a suicide - von Dunkelheit clearly had no motive) died down, after a temporary government was set up, the Generalstab begun preparing plans. Many were discussed, but unfortunately, a somewhat poor one was chosen, a one partially motivated by politics as Feldmarschall Franz was suspected of planning a military coup d'etat by the temporary government. He was not openly accused. But the Guard of the Grand Chancellary which he had commanded was distributed equally between various "Battlespheres". That was bad enough, though technically it did have some military merit. Yet the very idea of "Battlespheres" was not something particularily good (in this situation) neither, as it implied further, and deliberate, overstretchment and dissipation of the Krakowian army. Though it has originated during the two Serbian campaigns, it was not as good in the conditions of the Russian front, where there was less opportunity for efficient multi-pronged attacks. It did grant one advantage - that of maneuverability - but it sacrificed firepower and efficiency in actual combat. The Krakowian army left by von Dunkelheit was infantry-dominated, despite their famed hussars, and thus the manueverability was of not much use, lest the army be divided into even smaller bits that would be defeated one-by-one even easier.
By contrast, the Russians had taken a more traditional, reliable route - they concentrated their forces into two large armies, the Northern and the Southern. Both waited solidly like mountains, and advanced like unstoppable steamrollers. Indeed, the Russian army in this case did not need to hurry - time was on its side, as allies were being brought in. Denmark-Norway declared war on Krakow (but was unable to contribute due to anti-war sentiments and indecisive military leadership), Sweden declared war, and then, finally... but I am getting ahead of myself.
As the year begun, the maneuverable Krakowians started an offensive. Immediately, the "Battlespheres" revealed their primary flaw, dissipation of firepower. Such a "Battlesphere" tried to strike out towards Riga, and naturally enough was cut off, surrounded and eliminated at Mitava by the Northern Army, and attempts to help it break out were, despite early successes, pushed back as well. A risky attack over the Vistula nearly worked as the Northern Army was distracted and a daring young Krakowian commander, Wladimir Krapiwecky, captured one of the bridges there, and was only barely forced back. But at that, the Krakowians had to stop their offensive due to the insufficience of forces and a new military reorganization plan. Meanwhile, in the south, the "Battlespheres" did somewhat better, in part because of the less prepared Russian positions there, in part because of the greater concentration. They crossed the Dniester, secured Lithuanian Yedisan and nearly captured Vinnitsa, no matter what forcing the Russians to split the Southern Army in order to push their enemies back somewhat, even then failing to recapture Yedisan without cancelling their own offensive plans. Said plans were being carried out regardless - Russians had gradually besieged and captured Lvov and indeed soon secured Galicia. The main offensive, however, could only commence when other components of Vladimir IV's master plan were put into place.
Put into place they were when Swedish troops invaded Pommerania. Immediately they came under heavy Krakowian fire, but gained some ground and distracted some attention - just what Vladimir IV, who took personal command of the Northern Army, needed. A huge offensive defeated the last vestiges of resistance in East Prussia and allowed the Russians to advance freely across the Vistula, and outflank the Krakowians fighting the Swedes, routing them. A multi-pronged attack had trapped Krapiwecky and his troops in Warsaw, which was besieged but not assaulted. Despite the casualties suffered at Posen where the Pommeranian and Warsawian parts of the Northern Army linked up again, the Russians then managed to launch a well-planned flanking move that, in combination with parts of the Southern Army, succesfully besieged the capital city, Krakow, as well. During all this, Krakowian armies desperately attacked, trying to halt the onslaught; but they were outmaneuvered, and the best they could do is avoid getting caught; most of them succeeded, but at a large territorial price.
And in the south, another component was put into place. The Byzantines, who had previously gotten the Bulgarian Black Sea coast for nothing but token support, now revealed themselves to have been loyal allies... to Russia, ofcourse, for they hadn't anything to gain from a war with them, and much - to lose. Though not all the Greeks were happy with yet another war so soon, Krakow was not particularily popular amongst the Byzantines - in fact it was seen as an enemy, due to its Balkan agression. Problematically, even if the Krakowians did suspect something, they could not afford to commit any forces to speak of. The undertrained, stumbling Byzantine army could have been destroyed with a few well-planned pincer offensives, but the Krakowians couldn't find any troops to commit, if only because all their reserves were already desperately defending on the fronts in Poland... and Hungary, where the Russians used the Krakowian overstretchment to first take over Galicia and then pour across the Carpathians, supported by an Armenian expeditionary corps. Resistance to the Russians was heavy, but the Krakowians couldn't muster enough forces, and Budapest, yet another one of the Union's capitals, was under siege, while Byzantines, supported by the Black Dozen Cossack hosts and the Serbian/Bulgarian Russophiles, advanced all the way to the Danube and the Sava, suffering most casualties to attrition. The Krakowians fought back their initial assault on Belgrade with many casualties, it must be said, but soon enough the Krakowian troops from there had to fall back towards Styria, lest they be caught between the Byzantines and the Russians. The Krakowian forces in Yedisan and the Danubean Principalities were not as lucky, being genuinely trapped (though they did make some ground in the Ukraine using Russian distraction).
Krakow was on the retreat. It still had fight in it, its armies were retreating but not routing. But the war was even more evidently lost, lest something not at all accounted for happen.
NPC Diplo:
From: The Jesuits
To: The Kingdom of Portugal
In these dark times, the strong must defend the weak even more than in better days. We request protection of the Kingdom of Portugal, in exchange for internal autonomy for us and our pupils under your benevolent and enlightened reign.
From: Gallician Rebels
To: Kingdom of France
We propose an alliance and ask for your support for the creation of a Republic of Gallicia.
From: Spanish Congress
To: Kingdom of France and other belligerents
Further war will only bring more suffering to us all. Let us negotiate peace.
OOC:
[1] Ahem. WHAT "agreement" were you talking about exactly? You could at least have linked to it or something.
I decided to do this detirioration thing more simple, and simply decrease every word-based stat by one level (meaning economy, training, leadership, etc, but not, say, government, size or centralization). This will probably be done every ten years, unless we do BTs.
No banking eco. points, emu (though I'll let this go just this once).
This is horribly rushed (yes, in part due to the delays). Especially the Far East bit - really sorry about it, I messed up some things and later needed to fix them in the last moment, so it came out not quite well I'm afraid.
Non-Military Events:
Celtic economic recovery continues, centered around Dublin (+Dublin economic center).
The Spanish introduce a large-scale conscription in a desperate effort to save the country. In the end, it backfires badly (see military events), but the forces raised have been impressive in size (-1 Economy, -1 Confidence, -1 Military Leadership)...
As Spain crumbles and as the Papal-led Holy League, by contrast, grows ever-stronger, the Spanish governors of Stato de Presidi, Sicily and Malta, with the support of their people, join the said Holy League, putting this before the otherwise-preoccupied Madrid government post facto, the Spanish ofcourse being unable to do anything. In French-occupiued Milan and Genoa, support for the same is growing, though is far from unanimous. The governors of Crete, Rhodes and Cyprus also tried to join the Holy League, hoping to retain some power and gain protection from the Byzantines, but the local Greeks overwhelmed the loyal militiamen and forced an union with the Byzantine Empire. Interestingly enough, that happened already after the three governors signed their treaty of allegience with the Papacy, so this might be taken as an act of war by the Pope who had only recently signed a peace treaty forcing the Byzantines to evacuate Italy. He also recently signed an agreement with France, the exact terms of which have not been made widely available yet [1], so he needn't fear an invasion from the north.
Hoping to win them over to their side, the Krakowians ceded the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria to the Byzantine Empire (-1 Byzantine Culture). Apparently, this was succesful, as indicated by the Byzantine military build-up...
The Russian economy is fully mobilized and large-scale war spending takes place (worsened by the raising of what is perhaps the largest army raised by Russia in all of its history thus far (-1 Economy, -1 Military Leadership)), to some dissent (-1 Confidence). On the other hand, as the Krakowians launch a counter-offensive, volunteers join en masse (+10 divisions).
Portuguese intermediation secures status quo peace in East Africa between Sennar and Abyssinia; however, the peace pleases nobody - the nobility in both countries dislikes the outsider-imposed peace and fears that the Portuguese are trying to take over East Africa, the territorial problems remain, the Abyssinians feel that they have let victory slip out of their hands and the Sennarese cry for revenge for their fallen (-1 Confidence both).
The Ottomans sign peace treaties with the various rebelling Arab tribes, granting them autonomy within the Ottoman Empire.
Karachi recovers with French government assistance (+Karachi economic center).
China continues to decentralize (-1 Centralization), and the Emperor's prestige declines as he concedes ever more power to local assemblies of landowners (-1 Confidence).
Military Events:
Blow after blow lands upon the Spanish American colonial empire. Authorities and troops in California and Columbia surrender with scarcely a fight, being outnumbered and quite doomed especially as risings begun in California. Similarily, the Carribean garrisons and authorities capitulate to France. Eventually, the Spanish troops in Mexico, after several failed break-out attempts, have to give up as well as they begun to die out from starvation and as the people from whom they used to requisition food rose up having already lost everything they had to lose. In Central America, the Continentalists face pretty hard resistance - a majority, how ever marginal, of the Amerinds here is still pro-Spanish, and the Spanish troops here are outnumbered... and thus more maneuverable and capable of living off the land than the others. Teniente Rodrigo Tremendez, a madman and a military genius whose last name is quite justified (and is rumoured to be false, some claiming him to really be Prince Jose of the failed Habsburg coup fame), who effectively took command of the forces here after he and some of his fellow soldiers slaughtered their superiors for requesting a cease-fire, waged a fierce, bloody campaign that only ended with his betrayal and execution. After that, the Continentalists advanced forward, only to discover that New Granada was already being a scene of a tri-way war. The Vice-Royalty was contested between the Spanish forces, a local rebel authority and Portuguese troops (for Portugal, approving of the French report about Spanish involvement in South Sea piracy, declared war on Spain). Now the struggle became four-sided, as Continental forces clashed with the Grenadines. An Inca pretender on a white llama (an albino
) rode into Cuzco after the Spanish retreat from there due to attrition, mountain guerrila warfare and other problems; from there, he proclaimed the rebirth of the Incan Empire. La Plata still remained loyal, though there, too, situation was beginning to detiriorate. The Spaniards lost it anyway, when their small garrison was washed aside by superior Portuguese forces who easily crushed the militias (+2 Spanish irregular divisions) raised against them and occupied the prosperous region of Buenos Aires.(-4 Continentalist divisions, -2 Continentalist irregular divisions, -1 Continentalist Chaqueto Marron division, -2 Portuguese divisions, -17 Spanish divisions, -3 Spanish irregular divisions)
The Holy Celtic Empire finally collapses after several years on the brink of death; few had thought that King/Emperor Cameron's disastrous reign would last for so long. His undoing was the large-scale commitment to the war effort against Spain (on the behalf of the French allies of Cameron); the Oireachtas did not protest it because much of it died in the republican risings or went into the underground. With practically all of the Irish army away in Spain, yet another republican rebellion begun. This was immediately used by the English, who took Dublin in a naval assault and quickly spread out across Ireland, crushing all resistance from republicans and separatists alike with ease due to the absence of any cooperation between them. Resistance in the North-Western Highlands was harder to defeat, but it too was crushed eventually. Though in their underground, Irish separatists have not yet given up, the country was in simply too bad and demoralized a state to wage a guerrila war, and so the English finally stand triumphant, with Dover the only place on the "English Islands" held by another power (+1 English Confidence). Dochais, the economically-unviable colony in Patagonia, soon ceased to exist as well. Only one shard of the fallen empire survives - the "Gallician Republic" in the territories occupied from Spain, but it is quite fiercely anti-monarchist (well, anti-Cameron anyway - the Irish Bourbons or General O'Higgins himself are not entirely out of question) as well.
(-Holy Celtic Empire as a nation, -3 English divisions)
Spain entered this year with little hope for victory and left it with even less hope for survival. Desperate conscription efforts soon resulted in more forces than could be controlled, and before stern disciplinnary action was taken mutinies begun along with peasant risings (-5 conscript divisions). A last-ditch offensive to take some pressure off Madrid resulted in a pyrrhic victory at Alcala de Henares and a succesful French link-up with southern rebels; all of South Spain was lost to the French attacks afterwards, combined with the Portuguese capture of Seville. Later in the year, Celtic forces under General Brendan O'Higgins overcame the last Spanish resistance in Galicia, and soon after the fall of HCE declared the "Gallician Republic"; meanwhile, a new French multi-pronged offensive put Madrid under a definite siege. The large army there could not be supplied properly, and soon neither could the population; several hungry risings were put down in blood. Finally, King Rodequiz I had abdicated, and the Spanish Congress, after an bloodless internal coup d'etat by a rising "peace faction", requested a truce and the beginning of peace negotiations with Spain's enemies, hurried by the continued detirioration of the whole situation (-1 Confidence, -1 Culture, -1 Economy, -Madrid economic center).
(-12 French divisions, -1 French Foreign Legion, -2 French squadrons, -2 Portuguese divisions, -1 Portuguese squadron, -3 Gallician divisions, -8 Spanish divisions, -2 Spanish irregular divisions, -17 Spanish conscript divisions, -4 Spanish squadrons)
Under the banners of revanchism but in what is immediately renounced abroad as adventurism (especially the attack on the Pope, who seems to be much better than the previous ones, and if he isn't... he still is the Pope (-1 Confidence)), the Augsburger League strikes out against the Kingdom of Brunswick and the (Papal-led) Holy League of Italy. Interestingly enough, the less popular invasion of Italy goes slightly better than the one of Brunswick; the Pope was still redeploying forces from the south when the Augsburgers, like the Krakowians before them, invaded the countryside of Venice, and, unlike the Krakowians, did not bother to actually attack the city (not that they could have), instead penetrating deep into Italy. By then their overstretched supply routes begun to show, and the morale was dampened by the fact that, while there were mounting casualties to attrition and guerrilas (+2 Papal irregular divisions), the main Papal forces were only beginning to arrive and thus were still fresh, while the Augsburgers were tired. Still, in the Battle at Prato, the Augsburgers held their ground and though the siege of Florence had to be abandoned for now, the Augsburgers had since then consolidated both their gains and their supply routes.
(-4 Augsburger divisions, -1 Augsburger Grenadier division, -3 Papal divisions, -2 Papal irregular divisions)
In Brunswick, things started out rather similarily. Augsburger forces crossed the border, and, facing no opposition but for the guerrilas (who rose up for both sides - Catholics supported Augsburg, Protestants - Brunswick (+1 Augsburger irregular division, +3 Brunswickian irregular divisions)), pressed onwards towards the Baltic Sea. Once more, however, the Augsburgers badly overstretched their supply routes; and in this case, it proved an even more fatal mistake, for the Brunswickians were operating according to their old war plan that called for the hypothetic enemy to be allowed to advance, tiring himself and overstretching his supplies, and then, for him to be faced head-on with the entire Brunswickian army. The right-wing army of the Augsburger invasion force came under a sudden all-out attack, combined with diversionary flank raids, and in the bloody massacre that was called the Battle at Nordhausen, the superiorly-trained, but exhausted and surprised Augsburger army was almost totally annihilated. Elated despite their casualties, the Brunswickians tried to do a similar attack on the left-wing army, but it was warned just in time and in a well-planned campaign of maneuver avoided elimination and won several skirmishes, though the blow on the morale is quite bad (-1 Augsburger Confidence, -1 Brunswickian Confidence).
(-7 Brunswickian divisions, -6 Brunswickian Ehre Korps, -2 Brunswickian irregular divisions, -12 Augsburger divisions, -6 Augsburger Grenadier divisions)
In Eastern Europe, a massive reversal of fortune takes place.
(see spotlight)
(-1 Krakowian Confidence, +5 Krakowian irregular divisions, 1 Economy from Krakow to Byzantine Empire, +2 Byzantine irregular division)
(-8 Swedish divisions, -14 Krakowian divisions, -7 Krakowian GotGC, -4 Krakowian irregular divisions, -6 Byzantine divisions, -16 Russian divisions, -3 Russian Cossack divisions)
As Spain itself collapses, so does its colonial empire in Africa. The Portuguese eliminated the local Spanish fleet at the Bijagos archipelago and landed forces in most of Spanish (and Spanish-held French) West African coasts, while the French Foreign Legion secured the Spanish Saharan coastal possessions. Numerous inland territories were lost to the various native tribes as well. Numerous Spanish forces surrendered after putting up a token fight, seeing that their fight was lost; others, however, continue to wage their guerrila war even now.
(-1 French Foreign Legion, -3 Portuguese divisions, -4 Portuguese squadrons, -7 Spanish divisions, -10 Spanish squadrons)
Segu awakens and conquers some nearby territories, using the confusion and power vacuum caused by European colonial expansion and the fall of the Spanish colonial empire.
With the end of the Sennarese-Abyssinian War, both states continue campaigning - not against each other, but against the various barbarian tribes in the south. Both made some gains and have some clashes with each other; the main reason for the gains not being as impressive as, at least, Demeke Brehane wanted them to be was the logistical one.
As China kept growing in power, the rising Japanese Shogunate was increasingly paranoid. And so as Chinese patrols grew ever more agressive, provoking and intimidating the Japanese patrols off the Home Islands themselves and the Phillipines alike, the Japanese - as it turned out, mistakenly - became convinced that the Chinese were preparing an invasion force. Clearly, this needed to be pre-empted, and so the Japanese, with remarkable speed, scrapped together an invasion force of their own, and struck out. Though the Chinese fleet, having been created and modernized somewhat earlier, was of better quality than the Japanese one (then again, this advantage it did not keep for long, and even less so with the advantage of size as was soon found out), apparently it was not too prepared to fight back after all; furthermore, it needed to cover large areas of water, and was thus overstretched. A concentrated Japanese force quickly struck out from the Phillipines and destroyed several Chinese squadrons in the South China Sea one-by-one. After that, Taiwan was captured with scarcely a shot. It was a good beginning. Things didn't go quite as well for the Japanese later on. The naval assault on Canton had to be cancelled, as it was in too hard a geographical position to take and was properly defended; the assault on Xiang Gang succeeded due to luck and a good commander, but only with major casualties that prevented any further advance for a while, and only later could Canton be taken. At Fuzhou, the Japanese, despite a sudden nearly-fatal skirmish with the Chinese fleet, were more fortunate; having driven off the enemy fleet, they landed near the city, and besieged it, eventually shelling the city into submission to avoid the enemy relieving it. The Chinese counter-attack here was fought back, not being sufficiently well-prepared; the Japanese also managed to capture Wenzhou nearby, though it was a close-ran battle due to the militia being levied there in advance (by then, the militias were already being levied in the coastal provinces) (+5 Qing irregular divisions). The operations in Northern China went qutie badly as well, as a part of the force was destroyed by the Chinese fleet gathering in the Yellow Sea. Although subsequently Korea was secured, it was hardly a reliable conquest (+1 Qing irregular division), and as for the daring landing at Tianjin to threaten Beijing, it was a complete disaster as the Chinese forces from Manchuria were by then being recalled there and overwhelmed the Japanese army at its beachhead, although this did win the Japanese forces in Korea valuable time to prepare their defenses in. The one big Japanese triumph, apart from the surprisingly large amount of damage inflicting upon the Chinese fleet (increased by yet another naval victory in the Gulf of Tonkin), was the succesful capture of Hangzhou and Shanghai, and even some nearby territories, though this only succeeded due to the surprising neglect of the Chinese who scarcely left enough troops there (-1 Qing Confidence). China, by and by, was taken by surprise, and it seems that it did not have a large invasion force stocked up in the coastal cities neither; thus the Japanese were able to spread out beyond their beachheads and captured coastal cities. But as the newly-reformed Chinese officer corps is rapidly recovering from the surprise effect, the Japanese position looks increasingly precarious...
(-7 Qing Chinese divisions, -2 Qing Ma Bing divisions, -5 Qing Chinese irregular divisions, -19 Qing Chinese squadrons, -18 Japanese divisions, -4 Japanese Ikkitousennonimusha divisions, -7 Japanese squadrons)
The Portuguese military being distracted elsewhere and dissent simmering (outside of Singapur) due to neglection by Lisbon and some mismanagement by the Portuguese East Indies company, the Malays, led by a charismatic pretender, launched their "Lima Sekawan" revolt, taking over all of the Malay peninsula save for Singapore itself where the pitiful Portuguese garrison dug in, but which they are steadily losing now as the local Malay population grows rebellious as well.
(-1 Malay irregular division)
Random Events:
The war in the east arouses an outburst of patriotism in Krakow Union (+1 Culture).
As peace was signed with the Papacy, the Byzantine people rejoiced; and despite (evil tongues say because of) the death of the Basileus, their trust in the government was rejunivated by the quite popular basilissa Irene II's ascension to the post of Regent (+2 Confidence). On a more cynical note, combined with "Aetosism", the tourism income from the funeral has greatly helped replenish the treasury (+1 Economy). An era of national rejunivation had begun (+1 Culture).
A new, healthy sultan further invigorates the Ottomans (+1 Confidence).
Volunteers, from new and old lands alike, enlist into the Danish-Norwegian army (+5 divisions).
The Japanese modernization efforts go on and speed up (+1 project progress).
A religious revival begins in Abyssinia (+1 Culture).
National paranoia spreads in Finland (+1 Culture).
In a last desperate effort to incite public support, the Holy Celtic Emperor declares a crusade against Spain that is supported by many Celts who have nothing left to lose (+5 divisions).
Storms sink some Portuguese ships (-5 squadrons).
Desertion grows in the Afghan host (-5 divisions).
The remaining Greek irregulars desert from the Byzantine army (-1 irregular division).
Disciplinne gradually erodes in the Brunswickian army (-1 Army Training).
Danish economy experiences a post-war recession coupled with tax reduction (-1 Economy).
The death of Josef von Dunkelheit is a heavy blow for the Krakow Union (-1 Confidence).
English education quality declines as many bright young men went to the military instead (-1 Education).
Ottoman sailors are losing shape (-1 Navy Training).
Spotlight:
Downfall of Krakow.
"We just lost the Great War."
- Krakowian Grosskanzler Josef von Dunkelheit's last words, said to his aide upon the report of the latest great Krakowian victories. Year 1745.
The end of 1745 was celebrated more than the end of any other year in the Krakow Union, for it was a year of great victories. Pommerania was confirmed after Krakow Union, the country flourished despite all the Russian efforts, a grand, unprecedented, genial victory was attained in the Balkans, and the enemy counter-strike was unconfident, non-dramatic and already has grounded to a halt. Aye, this was a victorious year, and all of the Krakowian leadership had celebrated it well. Even those who spoke that Russia was not yet beaten were sure that it was but a matter of time. Only one man was distressed. The mastermind of Krakow's victories. Grosskanzler Josef von Dunkelheit.
Only he saw that this was the year when his big gamble took place... and failed. Only he saw that this was the beginning of the end; that for all the victorious battles and campaigns, the war was already lost. Only Josef von Dunkelheit saw that the unimpressive Russian advance has threatened to overstretch the Krakowian lines; only Josef von Dunkelheit saw that Russia was still able to bring in allies into the war, whereas the Krakow Union could not allow to itself any such luxuries. Only he, though pretending to rejoice, had noticed the Balkan campaign to be a defeat, as Russian forces destroyed were too small, as too many escaped or did not come there in the first place. Only he knew that after this offensive (which had failed to achieve the set goal), strategic initiative had passed to Russia; and ofcourse, he could see that Bestuzhev and the Tsar would not miss this opportunity. He knew all this, so on one nice day he shot himself, aware that this will make Krakow's defeat even easier. It did not matter if the corpse moved just before its death or not.
But it moved, it moved! After the first panic and witch hunts (for nobody believed that it was a suicide - von Dunkelheit clearly had no motive) died down, after a temporary government was set up, the Generalstab begun preparing plans. Many were discussed, but unfortunately, a somewhat poor one was chosen, a one partially motivated by politics as Feldmarschall Franz was suspected of planning a military coup d'etat by the temporary government. He was not openly accused. But the Guard of the Grand Chancellary which he had commanded was distributed equally between various "Battlespheres". That was bad enough, though technically it did have some military merit. Yet the very idea of "Battlespheres" was not something particularily good (in this situation) neither, as it implied further, and deliberate, overstretchment and dissipation of the Krakowian army. Though it has originated during the two Serbian campaigns, it was not as good in the conditions of the Russian front, where there was less opportunity for efficient multi-pronged attacks. It did grant one advantage - that of maneuverability - but it sacrificed firepower and efficiency in actual combat. The Krakowian army left by von Dunkelheit was infantry-dominated, despite their famed hussars, and thus the manueverability was of not much use, lest the army be divided into even smaller bits that would be defeated one-by-one even easier.
By contrast, the Russians had taken a more traditional, reliable route - they concentrated their forces into two large armies, the Northern and the Southern. Both waited solidly like mountains, and advanced like unstoppable steamrollers. Indeed, the Russian army in this case did not need to hurry - time was on its side, as allies were being brought in. Denmark-Norway declared war on Krakow (but was unable to contribute due to anti-war sentiments and indecisive military leadership), Sweden declared war, and then, finally... but I am getting ahead of myself.
As the year begun, the maneuverable Krakowians started an offensive. Immediately, the "Battlespheres" revealed their primary flaw, dissipation of firepower. Such a "Battlesphere" tried to strike out towards Riga, and naturally enough was cut off, surrounded and eliminated at Mitava by the Northern Army, and attempts to help it break out were, despite early successes, pushed back as well. A risky attack over the Vistula nearly worked as the Northern Army was distracted and a daring young Krakowian commander, Wladimir Krapiwecky, captured one of the bridges there, and was only barely forced back. But at that, the Krakowians had to stop their offensive due to the insufficience of forces and a new military reorganization plan. Meanwhile, in the south, the "Battlespheres" did somewhat better, in part because of the less prepared Russian positions there, in part because of the greater concentration. They crossed the Dniester, secured Lithuanian Yedisan and nearly captured Vinnitsa, no matter what forcing the Russians to split the Southern Army in order to push their enemies back somewhat, even then failing to recapture Yedisan without cancelling their own offensive plans. Said plans were being carried out regardless - Russians had gradually besieged and captured Lvov and indeed soon secured Galicia. The main offensive, however, could only commence when other components of Vladimir IV's master plan were put into place.
Put into place they were when Swedish troops invaded Pommerania. Immediately they came under heavy Krakowian fire, but gained some ground and distracted some attention - just what Vladimir IV, who took personal command of the Northern Army, needed. A huge offensive defeated the last vestiges of resistance in East Prussia and allowed the Russians to advance freely across the Vistula, and outflank the Krakowians fighting the Swedes, routing them. A multi-pronged attack had trapped Krapiwecky and his troops in Warsaw, which was besieged but not assaulted. Despite the casualties suffered at Posen where the Pommeranian and Warsawian parts of the Northern Army linked up again, the Russians then managed to launch a well-planned flanking move that, in combination with parts of the Southern Army, succesfully besieged the capital city, Krakow, as well. During all this, Krakowian armies desperately attacked, trying to halt the onslaught; but they were outmaneuvered, and the best they could do is avoid getting caught; most of them succeeded, but at a large territorial price.
And in the south, another component was put into place. The Byzantines, who had previously gotten the Bulgarian Black Sea coast for nothing but token support, now revealed themselves to have been loyal allies... to Russia, ofcourse, for they hadn't anything to gain from a war with them, and much - to lose. Though not all the Greeks were happy with yet another war so soon, Krakow was not particularily popular amongst the Byzantines - in fact it was seen as an enemy, due to its Balkan agression. Problematically, even if the Krakowians did suspect something, they could not afford to commit any forces to speak of. The undertrained, stumbling Byzantine army could have been destroyed with a few well-planned pincer offensives, but the Krakowians couldn't find any troops to commit, if only because all their reserves were already desperately defending on the fronts in Poland... and Hungary, where the Russians used the Krakowian overstretchment to first take over Galicia and then pour across the Carpathians, supported by an Armenian expeditionary corps. Resistance to the Russians was heavy, but the Krakowians couldn't muster enough forces, and Budapest, yet another one of the Union's capitals, was under siege, while Byzantines, supported by the Black Dozen Cossack hosts and the Serbian/Bulgarian Russophiles, advanced all the way to the Danube and the Sava, suffering most casualties to attrition. The Krakowians fought back their initial assault on Belgrade with many casualties, it must be said, but soon enough the Krakowian troops from there had to fall back towards Styria, lest they be caught between the Byzantines and the Russians. The Krakowian forces in Yedisan and the Danubean Principalities were not as lucky, being genuinely trapped (though they did make some ground in the Ukraine using Russian distraction).
Krakow was on the retreat. It still had fight in it, its armies were retreating but not routing. But the war was even more evidently lost, lest something not at all accounted for happen.
NPC Diplo:
From: The Jesuits
To: The Kingdom of Portugal
In these dark times, the strong must defend the weak even more than in better days. We request protection of the Kingdom of Portugal, in exchange for internal autonomy for us and our pupils under your benevolent and enlightened reign.
From: Gallician Rebels
To: Kingdom of France
We propose an alliance and ask for your support for the creation of a Republic of Gallicia.
From: Spanish Congress
To: Kingdom of France and other belligerents
Further war will only bring more suffering to us all. Let us negotiate peace.
OOC:
[1] Ahem. WHAT "agreement" were you talking about exactly? You could at least have linked to it or something.
I decided to do this detirioration thing more simple, and simply decrease every word-based stat by one level (meaning economy, training, leadership, etc, but not, say, government, size or centralization). This will probably be done every ten years, unless we do BTs.
No banking eco. points, emu (though I'll let this go just this once).
This is horribly rushed (yes, in part due to the delays). Especially the Far East bit - really sorry about it, I messed up some things and later needed to fix them in the last moment, so it came out not quite well I'm afraid.
ortugal
