stJNES5.2: From the Beginning
Update 6, 1900 B.C.E.
Rolling sand dunes abruptly stop at white stone and mud brick walls, which house inside it clean, prosperous peoples who take pride in their city and themselves. What country is lucky enough to have cities of white stone and cleanly streets? The Republic of Mali, in the Sahara desert, surrounding the River Niger. This country is incredibly rich, and only been so for a couple decades, after a very important route through the desert is made and a very important contact established. The Mali trade extensively along the Sahara Road, which leaves from the capital of Timbuktu and ends up in the Tripoli, the capital of the Tripolitian Kingdom. This road is, just after the Lothal-Padna road in Magadha, the most important and richest road in the word.
A similar road connects Timbuktu with the poorer nation of Songhai in the east, a nation full of desert nomads huddled around this road, and then up to the Nile valley and along the river until it ends in Memphis. Though not as prosperous due to the economic slump in Egypt, it is still a vital trade route.
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Meanwhile, even further east, the Ku****es are in trouble as rebel factions within the country rise up in action against the current King. Surprised and utterly disgusted, the King orders all dissenters to be killed. Unfortunately, this only fuels more hatred, and more people join the rebel efforts. After interrogating some of the rebels, Royal Forces soon realize that it is the Sabanese who have instigated this rebellion, and they soon find themselves fighting Sabanese soldiers.
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The Arabs, breathing freely now under a new dynasty, push for the rumored sea in the west. Minor tribes along the way eagerly join the growing kingdom, though many wish for more tribal representation, and some even put forth ideas of confederation. In any way, the sea is reached, and a small settlement is created. From this settlement, the Arabs are opened to the Red Sea trade with Egypt and Saba in the south.
A road is built by the new wealthy merchants, linking this small, yet important trade post to the capital, where thousands gather each morning at the growing marketplace. The growing economy has helped create a new class of merchants and increase the standards of living for Arabs, where just a few generations ago, over ninety percent were living at subsistence level.
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The Assyrian war council in Nineveh, despite the tremendous losses and astounding odds, declare the war to still be in Assyrias favor, and to continue a push into Sumer. Unfortunately for Assyria, they couldnt have been more wrong.
As the Assyrians again push south, another large battle at Uruk erupts, when Sumerian forces stop the Assyrian army from reaching the city. With a long line of spear and reserve swordsmen, the Sumerians form in tight formations, and the Assyrians charge. The Assyrian chariot makes mince meat pie of the enemy spear, crashing through and causing havoc, but Sumerians fill the ranks, and begin to let loose their archer capability. And then, from the side, the Sumerian chariots attempt to flank the Assyrian infantry. Aware of the desperation, and amidst the chaos of yells, blood, and charges, the Assyrian general keeps calm and dispatches reserve horsemen of stop the Sumerian advance.
When it looked like the Sumerian line was going to break, a loud horn was heard across the whole battlefield. As if it were some divine will, the whole of the two armies stopped still and stared at the horizon, or what would have been the horizon should the army in its way not have been there. With a plethora of fresh soldiers, the army charged at the Assyrian flank. The last thing the Assyrian general saw was the Persian flag, being carried by an immortal.
(Assyria: -2,000 Swordsmen, -1,000 Spearmen, -800 Archers, -800 Chariots, -500 Horsemen; Sumer: -2,500 Swordsmen, -1,300 Spearmen, -1,000 Archers, -400 Horsemen, -300 Chariots; Persia: -300 Spearmen, -1,000 Immortals, -200 Archers, -300 Horsemen)
The Assyrians were pushed back, out of Sumerian land and to the border once more. Meanwhile, Persian horsemen raid the northern plains into the Caspian region of Assyria, unopposed. When told about the losses, the King of Assyria said Assyria is ready to fall.
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Along the fertile strip of land that follows the Mediterranean, the Carthaginians continue life as they have for generations. Trade with Antigot goes well, as the two economies continue to become more intertwined.
However, the Carthaginians are a warlike people, and with the Numidians successfully conquered, they turn their greedy eyes to the east, the African trading nation of Tripoli, where they launch their next attack. From the west, horsemen charge along with Numidian horsemen, slaves from the Numidian war, and are only stopped by a line of spears after the first town has fallen. However, as the King has ordered every town to be kept in tact, breaking a siege has become very difficult.
Meanwhile, in the east, Carthaginians land and occupy the Minoan colony here, and later go in to invade the Tripolitians from the east (the Antigotians sold their colony). Spearmen and soldier march along the coast in tight formation, but again, the cities and towns prove the hardest to break. (Carthage: -1,000 Spearmen, -500 Archers, -200 UU, -400 Horsemen; Trypolae: - 1,000 Swordsmen, -1,000 Spearmen, -500 Archers)
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Under the overcast skies of the British Isles, back-straining work is conducted to build roads over the conquered land. A large road is built from the town of Leeds in the north all the way to the former capital of the Angles, London. The extensive road system on the island helps the relatively small army of the Isles to control the large island.
However, as troops leave the island to fortify Ireland, raids from the east intensify. So much, actually, that small skirmishes have actually been fought on land as the raiders, who call themselves Vikings, actually travel inland to pillage new villages and gather more wealth (-SP).
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Along the icy Volga River, the Muscovites meet with the various powers that surround them. The tent, made of hide and sticks, is brightly lit and almost double the temperature outside, heated by a central fire that sparkles and dances between the three men. From the east, the Chief of the Bulgars, a huge man with a brown curly beard, is sitting with his legs in front of him, on the ground. From the warmer lands in the south, the Sarmatian King sits, cross-legged and clothed in fine Assyrian cotton. And finally, the Muscovite Tsar himself, Rurik, is standing, extending his hand to the other two.
It was agreed upon, in that tent, that Muscovy would cede land to Sarmatia that they believed was theirs (barren and unimportant land to Muscovy) and a tribute of three thousand pounds of hide and gold was to be sent to the Bulgars. And in return, the two agreed to never attack the nation of Muscovy.
Meanwhile, Muscovite soldiers were already marching south, along with Rurik Riders making up the end of the line. The Scythians were still ready for the attack, and the battle took place along open, rolling fields in northern Scythia. Here, the infantry of the Muscovites were hit first by the Scythians, unleashing arrows aimed to kill. Again, the battle looked bleak for the Muscovites, whos infantry was no match for Scythian cavalry.
But, as the clouds parted and the land glow from the sun, the Rurik riders once again charged and encircled the Scythians Swift charges and retreats plagued the battle field, and the surviving infantry began to form in small squares, protecting the archers and utilizing the unbreakable spear. The Scythians retreated soon, and with them their honor. The capital fell one week later as the Scythians retreat into Europe. (Muscovy: -500 Spearmen, -500 Archers, -250 Rurik Riders; Scythia: -3,000 Horsemen
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Winter after winter the beautiful Alps fill with snow, and then, come spring and summer, much of the snow melts into crystal clear and cool water that peacefully flows, almost silently, down to the river valleys in the north and south, down into the drinking wells of both Helvettian and Suevian peoples. Then why, one must ask, do these people end up clashing in one of the most brilliant, decisive, and quick wars in the worlds history?
Crossing the Alps is not an easy task. Taking almost every mountain pass, the Helvettians are not hidden from Suevian patrols, and soon are confronted with small contingents of enemy forces in high altitude. But, after pushed past these, the Helvettians arrive on the other side in three fronts, a northern, medium sized force, a central, large force, and a small, southern force. These are the armies that the Suevian know about.
According to Helvettian plans, the Suevians move south to avoid the seemingly slow moving armies in the north, and to hopefully swing around the Alps, close the passages, and flank the invading armies. When reaching south, though, they are confronted with a larger force then once believed, nearly a thousand men, most of them Helvettian Halberdier. And whats worse, more land from the sea in the south, who apparently were aboard the Helvettian fleet, and even more travel from the north. Almost surrounded, the Suevians notice the trap and flee eastward. The Helvettians follow, but soon loose ground as the Suevians know the land and are able to use this to their advantage.
The heartland is left unguarded, and the Helvettians begin to conquer city by city. The Danube is used for supplies, and for transporting armies. All is going according to plan, when the Helvettians encounter an unexpected army from the north. The Teutonic Order marches south! Seeing the weakness they have been waiting for for hundreds of years, the Teutons take advantage of open country and claim most of the lands north of the Suevian capital, which falls to Helvettia.
Sandwiched between two armies, and unable to organize itself thoroughly, the Suevians continue to retreat to the east. (Helvettia: -1,000 Spearmen, -1,000 Archers, -1,500 UU, -500 Horsemen; Suevia: -1,500 Spearmen, -1,000 Swordsmen, -1,000 Arhcers)
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In the far western Mediterranean world, despite the Carthaginian assault, all is quiet as the Antigotians engage the remaining Sicilian fleet in the Adriatic Sea. The full force of the Antigotian navy is staggering, but the Sicilian fleet is determined, and although outnumbered, it is far from being called small. Fiery arrows are exchanged between the fleets, and on top the choppy waves of the salty sea, the two navies board and ram each other. The surface is soon turned into a mess of burning wood, decapitated corpses, and sinking ships.
As the naval battle ensues, the Antigotians finalize the deal with the Etruscans by handing over the large port city of Naples, established by the Antigotians years before, to Etrusca, a less powerful empire. The port, at first a small fishing village, has been transformed in recent years into a bustling metropolis, a vital cog in the behemoth that is the western Mediterranean trading network.
And this diamond in the rough, this beacon of prosperity along the otherwise dank and barbaric Italia peninsula, is exactly the destination in which the Sicilian army, barred here from their homeland, strikes. Intent on disrupting the Antigotian economy, and thus Antigot itself, the Sicilians push past the Etruscan guard and, instead of sieging the city to capture it, they engulf it in flames with a barrage of incinerary arrows. And then, for a dramatic end to the Sicilian struggle, the army simply disappears.
The damage is done, though. The port of Naples is destroyed, and economies across the western world feel the loss. Antigots economy, while not hit as hard as the Sicilians had hoped, does feel a dramatic shift in dependency on Carthage and its Iberian neighbor, Malaga for trade.
Across the whole valley, the loud, treacherous, almost barbaric howl of the Spartan army echoes off the rock walls and frightens the men of the trapped Antigotian army. Expecting to see the ships again arrive from Malta to bring them to safety, the Antigotians remain huddled near a small port town on the western edge of Crete. Sadly, the fleet never comes, and the soldiers are slaughtered when Minoan and Spartan forces collapse down upon them. (Antigot: -500 Swordsmen, -500 Archers; Sparta: -700 Swordsmen)
No, the Antigotian fleet does not embark from Malta towards Minoa. Instead, the fleet heads straight for Sparta, onboard nearly half of the armed forces of Antigot. Expecting to see an empty port, the Antigotians instead encounter the full might of the Spartan army, waiting for them. A slight detour leads the Antigotian army to beaches outside the city (to land at the harbors would have been suicide), and here, along the lowlands in front of the giant stonewalls of Sparta, the Spartans engage Antigotian swordsmen and spearmen. The battle is among the largest and bloodiest to date. More then five thousand Antigotians are pitted against seven thousands determined Spartans, who have homeland advantage. The battle rages on into the night, the Antigotians helplessly showered with arrows from Spartan archers, and having little to return fire.
Spartan Phalanx maneuvers are deadly against the unorganized Antigotian formations, who use old hoplite tricks to try and hold the line. But, with a monopoly on archers, the hoplites are continuously harassed and broken. Yet, despite the odds, Antigotians begin to gain the upper hand when the swordsmen knife through the center of the Spartan front, dividing their phalanxes from helping each other, and crushing one side at a time (while the spearmen hold back the Phalanx on the other side). The Spartans cling on to hope desperately, but are continually beaten back. Counter attack after counter attack yields the same results: failure.
However, silently and unopposed, the Spartan fleet embarks from Athens, and returns from Minoa with five thousand more troops, including a thousand mounted soldiers. Landing in Corinth so to not attract the Antigotian fleet, the troops soon make their way through the land and end up charging from the north unto the Antigotian side, and refilling the Spartan ranks. The result is disastrous for the Antigotians, who retreat back to their boats, and again, make way for Malta. The Spartans later hold a huge feast on the very plain of battle, commemorating those who died for Sparta.
(Antigot: -3,000 Swordsmen, -1,000 Spearmen, -300 Archers, -50 Horsemen; Sparta: -600 Swordsmen, -1,000 Spearmen, -2,500 Phalanx, -400 Archers, -200 Horsemen)
Antigot is not finished, though. The other half of its army remains strong, one quarter of it even sails right under the Minoan eyes, and into the deep Eastern Mediterranean. Here, they land on the beaches of Cyprus, unopposed, and begin projects of huge proportions, including nearly twenty large, stone forts and fortified beaches and ports.
In the west, again, Antigot forces strike into the unknown lands of the mysterious Basque. What they did not expect was the ferocity of the reply. The Basque are not people to push around, they are dead determined to remain in their lifestyle, and alone if at all possible. While the Antigotians advanced, it was with heavy losses (-500 Swordsmen).
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Slave labor is the cheapest form of labor in the known world. And, having plenty access to it and the supply continually being increased, the leaders of Magadha knew no reasons why to not use it. And so, the great system of roads is built, rivaling that of the Assyrian and Isles, with only a fraction of the cost. In just a few years, cities like Lothal and others along the Ganges are turned into robust centers of trade as the roads carry wealth to every part of the country.
A new religion is also taking root in the green and prosperous lands of Magadha. Many tribes in the central kingdom, barred from any of the prosperous trade and urban centers of the ethnic Magadhan, begin to practice a religion based on many gods, but the few who are important are called Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. The religion stresses self-guidance and purification, and is extremely popular with the peasant farmers, who still make up the majority of the countrys population. These Hindu people, as they are called by the rest of the Magadhans, reside mostly in the southeast, along the Ganges, and near Padna. Meanwhile, a second religion, one that has already been established and practiced for thousands of years, is beginning to appear more in the west, especially in the newly conquered regions of Harappa (read below). Zoroastrianism continues to spread from Persia, claiming hundreds of thousands of new followers in former Harappa and Lothal.
The Magadhans are protected by one of the most powerful militaries in the world. And with this strength, comes the drive for power. The Magadhans sweep into the remaining Harappan forces, seemingly retreating to hopefully bring out the Harappan army from behind Mohenjo-Daru walls. A small portion is sent out and later mopped up, but the majority remains inside the city, confident that they will never have to leave. (-500 Spearmen)
Ironically, they were right. No, the city does not remain independent. Rather, destruction came from within; from the cities own populace, who rose up in rebellion to the military trying to protect it. The largest city in the Indian subcontinent was soon engulfed in civil war, and in the end, the gate was opened, and the Magadhan army was solemnly invited into a wrecked and demoralized, starving and thirsty, city of Harappans.
But this was not the end of war for Magadhan. And, no, Gujarat knew better then to believe that as well. As soon as the rest of Harappa was secure, the Magadhans separated into the Ganges (cavalry), Lothal, and Magadhan armies, which dove south and tried to break into the heartland valley of Gujarat. However, this was not to be done lightly. Gujarati soldiers, well prepared, with defenses hidden until now, greeted the soldiers at the border and held back the worlds most victorious army. They remain, to this day, in a stalemate at the border, the Gujarati resolve strong.
Meanwhile, back at home, the Magadhans are once again under attack by a wave of Aryan barbarians from the north, who sweep down through the mountain passes and across the northern Ganges plains. The militia, while numerous, are barely strong enough to hold the small passages to cross the Ganges river, keeping the horde on the other side. It is not long, though, before the horde decides to either strike through, or go around. (-3,000 Militia).
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The generally quiet and backwards Far East is met with a new people, who arise in the islands off the coast of China. These islands are apply renamed to Japan, as the people who now inhabit them call it Japan. Immediately there are barriers to the expansion of the people, but it doesnt seem like it is much of a contest as to who will control the islands.
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Also, in the cold reaches of Scandinavia, Lapland is again bounded by its environment, and expansion is halted.
But along the shores of the Baltic Sea, in the more fertile lands, Viking begin to settle in small villages. One large village, named Stockholm, is soon superior to all others, and begins to established the empire of Sweden.
OOC:
we shall not let you escape the island of Minoa soe asily. The islands you killed thousands of our troops will be where your army will die!
