2121, King Henry IV died. An only child, the throne passed to his eldest daughter, Victoria, who became Victoria I of the United Kingdom, reigning from 2121 to 2182, this solid reign of 61 years making her just narrowly pass Victor I. Together with her grandfather Victor, the era from 2048 to 2182 is called the Victorian Era, the greatest age of British power, reigned over by one Victor, one Victoria, and one Henry between.
While Victoria was warm towards her subjects, she was ruthless towards foreigners. Finding a detailed plan by her father to invade and conquer the tiny Persian Kingdom on the island of Ceylon, she was able to push legislation past the Parliament that made war a reality. The carrier group completely demolished most resistance, and whatever was left over was mowed over by Marines.
In three weeks, the island was occupied, Persia obliterated, and any proposed "Persian Restoration" policy sealed away forever.
2123,
Victoria inked peace with the Incans after years of non-contact. The only casualty during the war was part of the Panamanian Road Network.
With that done, Victoria set in motion her next grand plan: an invasion of Spain.
The Spanish army, pre-invasion, consisted of:
1 Swordsman
6 Cavalry
2 Trench Infantry
8 Tanks
18 Mech Infantry
15 Main Battle Tanks
1 Radar Artillery
6 Transports
13 Aegis Cruisers
32 TOW Infantry
7 Machinegunners
16 Modern Destroyers
1 Modern Carrier
10 Modern Infantry
For a total of 136 units spread across the globe.
The Spanish nuclear arsenal contained 2 ICBMs.
The British military, by contrast:
12 Cavalry
15 Marines
2 Modern Paratroopers
1 Trench Infantry
1 Mech Infantry
21 Main Battle Tanks
36 Radar Artillery
17 Battleships
6 Aegis Cruisers
2 Nuclear Submarines
1 Army
32 TOW Infantry
2 Modern Carriers
18 Modern Infantry
11 Heavy Bombers
5 Jet Fighters
For a total of 172 units spread across the map.
The British nuclear arsenal consisted of 5 atomic bombs and 2 ICBMs.
At a glance, the armies were matched. But with artillery and the power of the bomb, not to mention a battleship fleet moored right off the Iberian peninsula, Britain stood to gain an advantage. Not even counting the power of alliances.
29 of Spain's units were located in Iberia and Italy, not including their ICBMs(right on the border) and several naval vessels.
One year was waited after these statistics were taken to allow a last buildup.
In the meantime,
several cities broke into anti-war riots as a result of silks being cut off. This was part of Victoria's re-shuffling policy, where nations would be boycotted if they could pose a threat. In particular, Japan was chosen as the supplier of silks, rather than China, so as to weaken what Britain would give to a great rival. It was a long overdue policy. The change in partners was attributed to how a major Japanese city had been levelled by a volcanic eruption.
It was hoped the war would be quick, when
the declaration was made in 2124. As the casus belli, the British government cited continued Spanish aggression the world over(gracefully excusing its own), the Spaniards' tendency to conquer rather than occupy and then transfer, and finally, the fact Spain had a revolutionary government: Fascism. A brutal regime under dictator Francisco Franco persisted, executing people foreign or citizen en masse and oppressing those not slain.
In reality, Britain had other goals: occupation of Spanish France, seizure of Spanish India, and control of the entrance to the Mediterranean. Not to mention, Spanish nuclear disarmament.
A lone Spanish tank in the Americas was the first to go.
Knowing that nuclear war would be inevitable, it was decided to get allies on Britain's side.
Shelling commenced on Italy as soon as all nations of the world were unified. The mountains provided a great altitude from which to bombard the poor Spanish bastards.
2124's first major victory was the conquest of Lombardy. Two Spanish units were crushed with no losses thanks to healthy artillery barrages. With a rail link through Austrian territory, it would be possible to rapidly advance deeper into Spanish territory; troops were ordered to secure Spanish France next.
Languedoc was occupied next, opening the gate to Spain. As a bonus, the Spanish lost one ICBM in the process.
Galicia was likewise easily conquered. The Spanish ICBM arsenal was completely disarmed in the process. Now the task shifted to destroying Spanish uranium mines.
But first, Nineveh in the former Persia was seized for its valuable India Trading Company.
To free up valuable troops, the last Russian occupation zones were handed over to the Maya and Iroquois nations. This was after the Spanish-occupied part of Russia was taken, anyway.
The fall of Rome put an end to the Italian campaign for the time being, due to the terrain obstructing a rapid advance. Sicily received a brief reprieve.
In Toledo, 5 units were wiped out with a single nuclear strike on the city.
Soon,
Brundisium fell due to an amphibious assault taking what little was left standing after a direct hit from a bomb. Three bands of machine gun-wielding rebels were stationed at listening posts throughout Spanish territory, and orders were given to slaughter them all on sight.
The Sicilian rebels were killed by Marines and the other two easily by individual tank groups.
As the radiation poisoned much of the Spanish countryside, rationing and cruelty ensured that most Spanish citizens would starve to death. Pre-invasion, the city of over one million, Toledo, was now only 200,000 strong due to the horrors of the bomb. Spain and Italy as a whole told a similar tale. Spain, for the record, had lost nearly half its population to the occupation.
Just as the Spanish thought the nuclear assault was over, however,
the latest weapon of the British arsenal was unveiled: the ICBM.
Murcia, later to be renamed Libreville upon capture, was the first victim of the strike, for the sole reason that it possessed uranium. It was decided the city would be passed to some client or another post-bellum.
The conquest of Santiago, soon rechristened Freetown, drove the Spanish off the west African coast. The city would be kept as a naval base in the Atlantic. (I will keep Santiago due to its proximity to Sierra Leone, a historical British possession)
By the time the Spanish were ready to hit back in 2125, their forces were reduced to:
1 Marine
1 Swordsman
5 Cavalry
1 Trench Infantry
7 Tanks
6 Mech Infantry
8 Modern Armor
9 Aegis Cruiser
1 Leader
21 TOW Infantry
1 Mobile SAM
1 Partisan
1 Machinegunner
11 Destroyers
4 Modern Infantry
1 Guerrilla
A total of 79 units. Translation: 42% of their military was wiped out in the first year of war.
The occupation of Spanish Russia caused the deaths of six more Spanish units, as well as the capture of three of the seven Spanish labor gangs.
Spain now retained 53.6% of its original military strength, their army now dwarfed by Britain's.
The conquered cities were divided between Israel and the Iroquois Empire.
Lombardy was transferred to Austrian administration while reduction procedures continued in Italy.
A nuclear assault on German Anatolia weakened half their army, which was holed up in the city. Artillery took care of the rest.
A new leader spawned from the conflict due to tactical genius.
Germany now possessed 7 units to defend 4 cities, spread out around Asia. The German remnants would be crushed in the near future.
