The Healthy Man/Physician of Europe - A Turkish AAR

[Tani Coyote]

Chapter VII: Down the Nile Redux

Spoiler :

With the fall of Baku in 698 CE, the Sultan arranged for all of Persia's contacts to be at war with them. This included the Russians and Arabs, who had dropped out of the war just after the Turks entered, as if they were trying to bait us into a trap!

Arbela, a Persian colony in Africa, was to be written off and forgotten. All effort would go towards building a grand railway that would let the Sultanate's forces rapidly deploy to any front necessary. Imperial overstretch would become a thing of the past!

By 717 CE, word was received the Carthaginians had destroyed the last vestige of the Israelites. Good. One less foe to focus on.

732 CE brought great news; railways now went uninterrupted from Constantinople to Esfahan in Persia. As such, the core of the Empire could easily be defended, and units easily transported to the frontlines. Work was being done to extend these arteries into Egypt and India, thus allowing rapid redeployment of troops everywhere.

Come 751 CE, an Encyclopedia was compiled. Among those working on it were Russian, Mongolian, and Chinese expatriates, and as such, knowledge of things such as Economics and Nationalism quickly dispersed amongst Ottoman citizens. The government stopped recruitment of Jihadists in Alexandretta, much to some fundamentalists' dismay; the rationale was wars of religion weren't profitable, merely instruments of dogmatic insanity.

In the meantime, 41 units of musketmen saw themselves armed with the much more potent Rifle.

Between the years 755 CE and 775 CE, revenue grew from 455 gold per term to 546 due to various factors, such as banks and natural expansion, but the establishment of wealthy Halicarnassus as the heart of the Dyes Industry(the small wonder gives +50% tax revenue in its city, 2 happy faces, +3 production, +1 ship movement, and +5% interest! The same goes for most improvement-related buildings). Halicarnassus was the wealthiest city in the empire due to the many nearby tourist attractions, but the Dyes Industry setting itself up in the city surged the economy even more, nearly doubling its size.

Against all odds, by 777 CE, the fleet of Russian ships that had been circling the Mediterranean was sunk by the Privateer fleet. Three Privateer vessels had been destroyed, but the cost to Russian influence in the region was worth it. The Galleon that was sunk likely had something valuable on it as well, justifying the casualties. The Privateers enslaved all three Russian crews, who joined easily citing poor pay from Moscow. All ships were ordered westward to harass Spanish shipping.

786 CE, the Axumites finally destroyed the Persians in Arbela. With Persia eradicated, the decision was made to pursue a conquest of the Nile.

791 CE, before peace could really settle in, war was declared on the Egyptians. The Sultan intended to finish what his distant ancestors had started - the conquest of the Nile Kingdom. Though Islamic, Egypt was weak. Weak defenses begged for testing, and the vast railway network, now worming its way to the Egyptian border, would facilitate a large-scale invasion. The Sipahi hordes would wash over Egypt's Nile homeland like some earthbound tsunami, while allies would be recruited to finish off the desert wastes.

Conquest of Egypt was also supported as a means of finally usurping the title of largest nation from the Russians. While the Turks had long since enjoyed the title of most populous, it always lagged behind the Russians in land area.

Thebes had 11 Crossbowmen units while Napata had only 1. Meanwhile, the Sultanate indulged in 2 Sipahi-based armies and 23 Sipahi units. It was expected that Egypt would be a case of fish in a barrel.

No units were destroyed, but a few retreats had to be made. Nonetheless, Thebes was conquered. The population was marked for redistribution and reduction, so as to make the city easier to hold. It was onto weak but strategically-positioned Napata next.

Napata was easily taken, and plans were made to potentially expand into Egypt's Saharan provinces. Either way, a giant alliance was formed against the former residents of the Nile, who would be chased to the ends of the Earth.

Heliopolis was seized in 823 CE, after a long series of battles that claimed one Sipahi unit's existence. The citizens did not resist occupation, however. While the city lacked much due to its remote location near an oasis, it did possess plenty of territory. Enough to allow the Ottoman Empire to have 8% of the world's land to match Russia's, while Turkey led with 24% of the population to their 15. 13 units of Egyptian slaves were also acquired, a good prize for such a worthless city. They'd do well improving the economy of more productive areas...

In the meantime, statistics were evaluated by the central intelligence bureaus of the Empire. The Sultan's approval rating was third in the world at 89%, the population the world's largest by far at 119 million. The GNP of the Empire was the world's largest a 17.81 billion; manufactured goods also were the largest, at 896 megatons. In land area, the Empire was still second to Russia, at 75,000 square miles. Literacy was 4th at 51%, but Life Expectancy was the highest at 55 years. Families were responsible, having only one child on average; in turn this translated into an annual income of 30,000 per capita, the highest in any country. The citizens were the world's most productive, although military service, at 6 years, was the 25th highest in the world. Since there were only 25 states in the world, however, meaning the Ottoman Empire had the most generous term of service in the entire world!

By 841 CE, the Black Death was present in six cities, including Ankara, forcing the Sultanate to shift its seat of government to Constantinople in the meantime. The luxurious Byzantine Palace would suit the needs of the Sultans quite nicely.

The Sultan granted a Constitution in 872 CE to improve his standing. It didn't really restrict his effectiveness as a governor, but did establish some basic principles such as freedom of religion and protection from torture. Habeas corpus was also enshrined. However, he was more of an enlightened despot than a constitutional monarch.

Steel was purchased from the Russians at 77 gold per term. This would keep them in good behavior while the Turkish people joined the race to build a tower to symbolise trade worldwide.

945 CE, a French Muslim, Gustave Eiffel, saw the fruition of his design for a tower, one that was built in Ankara. At first, many assumed it was to be the residence of the ruler due to such grand size. However, it turned out to be a monument to the industry and commerce of the Empire. Much money flowed into the empire post-construction, making the many financial institutions pay for themselves.

946 CE proved the spirit of the tower right, as finally, everywhere from Bulgaria to Egypt down to Eastern India was linked by rail. Only the cities of Greece, Italy, and Strasbourg were outside the national railway network, and they were undergoing development regardless.

952 CE, Rubber was discovered by the Ottoman Empire; it was also discovered that Russia AND China lacked it. Russia was sure to extort it, and so the Northern border was fortified. Without it, Turkey's two greatest rivals would be forced to make due with riflemen come the age of machinegunners.

The Austrians were taught the secrets of muskets so they could stand a chance against a Russian assault. In the meantime, a countdown began. A countdown until troops would be ordered to destroy the Russian Empire.

By 969 CE, word had reached Ankara of the destruction of the Egyptians. At last, a new front could be considered.

973 CE, at the cost of several hundred gold, Indian Bangalore defected to the Ottoman Sultanate. The cheapness to acquire such a backwater city(300 gold) gave the Sultan ideas. For 70 more gold, Lahore on Java also joined the Sultanate.

Between the years 982 CE and 1001 CE, the Ottoman Revolution transpired. The People demanded greater protections from the nobles, and the Sultan obliged, replacing his old companions for new ones. The Sultan became an official monarch. Every province was given both a federally-appointed Bey and a locally-elected Governor. Every province was free to choose how its legislature would be formed and how its Governor would be selected(the Judiciary was to be appointed by the Bey of each province and confirmed by the Legislature in some manner).

The Federal Parliament now had a lower house that was directly elected(with the whole house up for election every three years), and an upper house that was equal between the provinces. The upper House had half up for election every three years, with its members serving six year terms. The first half would be chosen by Governors, and the second by provincial legislatures.

The lower House would nominate a Prime Vizier, to be appointed by the Sultan.

The Sultan still had wide sweeping powers over the government, but now it looked far closer to the People. There was a compromise of rich royal tradition, and modern democratic thought. Most importantly, the Sultan kept the bulk of his executive power; he was merely forced to grant extensive rights to the People. Freedom of speech and the press became rampant, as did the rights assembly and petition.

The Sultanate was now a Constitutional Monarchy. The shift boomed the economy by nearly 10% to the extensive freedoms, and the People supported a larger military, thus allowing extensive cuts in maintenance.

By 1002 CE, a railway extended through Austria all the way to Strousburg, leaving only Italy not connected. Within two years, a railway was built across the Alps and down the length of Italy, connecting the entirety of the Empire by rail!

Discovering there'd be treaty commitments to the Russians for quite some time (13 turns) the Sultan abandoned his plans for an invasion of the Russian Empire for a bit. It would allow future armament, and seizure of more territory.

There were commitments to the Arabs as well, sealing off that option.

The Abyssinians, hateful of the Sultanate and followers of the heathen Orthodox faith like the Russians, would make great replacements. War was declared.

Lancers were deployed to seize weak Omdurman further down the Nile, and Sipahi promptly went east to take Suakin. Omdurman fell with no units lost due to its weak garrison, and Suakin was also easy prey.

12 Artillery groups took up positions near Axum next. The strategic stockpile would prove useful, injuring and demoralising many of the capital city's defenders.

Axum's fall came at no lost units as well, and the citizens didn't even revolt this time around, seeing where the wind was blowing. The Axumite government, however, moved to well-defended Djibouti not too far away, rather than accept the loss of its homeland.

Of course, such defiance had to be punished. The usual strategy of alliance spam was used, to open up new fronts and prevent any outside assitsnace.

1010 CE, true to the hopes of the regime, the Axumites had deployed much of Djibouti's defenders onto the campaign trail, but the mountainous terrain near Axum prevented any rapid counterattack. This was where the second wave of Turkish invasion would begin, and it would crush their foolish offensive.

Come 1012, Djibouti had fallen, but it was a long, difficult battle, due to the large number of troops stationed there. The men dared not think what Kelem, the last city in the Axumite homeland, would hold.

Sources soon revealed Kelem to have minimal defenses, and so an assault was ordered, which was a great success. The Axumites fled to Lalibela on the Niger, where their "Empire of Mali" was proclaimed to try and save their skin. Anybody who looked more than five seconds saw the government was littered with Axumite officials who were the real puppet masters. War would continue until they were purged from the world like the Egyptians before them!

The Sultanate had overseen the destruction of two states, a return to technological parity, and a great revolution. What would come next?

 

[Tani Coyote]

Chapter VIII: Cleanup on Aisle Africa

Spoiler :

Axumite Adulis was conquered in 1021 easily due to artillery and weakened defenses. It would be a straight march on Lalibela. Worker gangs were right behind the troops, building roads and railways to secure the newly-acquired regions and also provide them with supplies, making the people see the benefits of rule from Ankara. The war had surged Turkey to first place in land, at 10% of the world's surface to Russia's 9, and 26% of the population to Russia's 16.

1022 brought the capture of Bergen after the locals overthrew the Scandinavian overlords, in favor of the much more powerful, much more wealthy Turkish ones. At last, an Atlantic port was in Turkish hands. Furthermore, the city would expand Turkey's hold on the lucrative Ivory trade. And beyond that, would help Turkey split Africa in half once a little more Axumite territory was conquered.

The fall of Lalibella in 1029 made the situation even better for the Turks, as the Axumite domains were split in two. Workers were conscripted from all over the empire to build a railway extending deep into Axumite territory.

The new capital of Arbela was destroyed just a year later, leaving the Axumites with only one territory, that all forced were moved in towards.

1041 CE, the discovery of the military applications of Rubber resulted in a huge reform of the army, with rifles being replaced with machineguns. The defenses of the Empire were now formidable.

1043 CE, after a trek through hills and jungles, troops arrived at the final Axumite city, Gondar. Its light defenses fell easily, and Axum joined many other enemies of the Turks in the dustbin of history.

The war boosted the Ottoman Sultanate to 11% of the world's land to Russia's 9, and 27% of the population to Russia's 16. Even if Turkey couldn't take on the Turks head on, it could still smother them abroad.

The Pact of Sino-Ottoman Friendship was signed, which made it so that China and the Sultanate would defend eachother if necessary in a war.

1052 CE, the citizens of Calcutta were convinced they should join Turkey, thus, the Empire expanded once more, now dominating Southeast Asia.

France was sized up as having less than 30 units across its four cities. The order was given for a blitz across French territory. Lacking even machineguns - much of their army was in swordsmen and archers - they'd be an easy appetiser.

After the fall of Lyons in 1054 CE, it was reasoned that the French had 21 units, of which 5 were outside the cities.

La Rochell's fall three months later destroyed the entire French fleet, which was in the port. Paris would be hit next, where the bulk of French power was concentrated.

Within a year and a half, France was conquered and turned into the newest set of Ottoman provinces. A major base was now gained on the Atlantic, and all of Europe trembled in fear during the "Green Peril," the fear that an Islamic state would soon absorb all of Europe. Now, Turkey stood at 12% of the world's land to Russia's 9, and 28% of the population to their 16.

Word was received that the Carthaginians were increasingly hostile to Turkish settlers in the area, and foreign policy was increasingly focused on distancing the country from the so-called "Turkish yoke." A plan was made to teach the Carthaginians a lesson, as part of a second course, before moving onto the main meal - Arabia.

Come 1072 CE, the Right of Passage with Carthage was torn up. While the Ivory Industry planned to set up in Halicarnassus, three targets were picked out - Malta in the Mediterranean, Al Burayqah in Cyrenaica, and Utica in the Algerian wastes.

Malta had 3 defenders, all archers or spearmen.
Al Burayqah had 2 defenders, all archers.
Utica had 2 defenders, looking like pikemen.

The whole Carthaginian Empire was still in the Middle Ages, and didn't even have horses or saltpeter. They'd be easy to tear apart, especially once trade routes to their sources of iron were cut.

Malta was easily conquered by a wave of Colonial Infantry, and the island's conquest also purged the region of several Carthaginian fleets.

Utica and Al Burayqah were non-issues, and thanks to the quick efforts of railroad builders, artillery soon were hammering Tripoli itself. What was inside Tripoli was unknown(war planners hadn't included the possibility it would be within range), but it was time to find out.

After the fall of Tripoli, it was hard to advance further, with depleted worker reserves and terrain playing against the Turkish forces. Nonetheless, Colonial Infantry were ordered to screen Carthage itself to invoke fear in their populace, while available naval vessels took up positions around the city to starve it. 3 Col. Infantry were killed, but also killed 2 of Carthage's defenders, while transports quickly went to pick up Cavalry and deposit them outside the city.

Come 1083 CE, Halicarnassus was established as the center of the Ivory Trade in the Empire, and indeed, the world. While there were sources of the valuable material outside the Empire, the Empire's sheer clout allowed it to wage economic warfare where necessary. Halicarnassus, as a result of being the center of both Ivory and Dyes merchants, generated 9% of the Empire's gross income.

Later that year, Carthage was occupied by a mixture of Sipahi and Colonial Infantry. A march was made on Algiers.

By 1084, Algiers was conquered. The city looked like it might hold out for another few years, but quick use of Colonial Infantry resulted in its fall. All troops could now focus on picking off the isolated Carthaginian Saharan territories. To assist in this and distract the Phoenician Remnants, everyone who know of Carthage was bribed into starting a war.

1085, Elephantine's conquest cut Marrakech off from the rest of Carthage's lands, where the forces of the Arabs would surely cut them down to size. It looked like their High Command had reasoned that the city should be easy to take, and then offensive units would be used to purge whoever was inside. Seemed genius, apart from the fact Sipahi weren't totally useless on the defense.

By 1100 CE, the Carthaginians had lost Najran, a formerly Arabic city.

At the cost of 450 gold, further south, Leptis Magna was convinced to join the Empire. This left Carthage with only two cities. Another 500 gold expended and the last of the Carthaginian cities besides Marrakech was convinced to abandon the war effort. The cities together gave 16 gold per term to the government, thus the investment would pay off at 1.7% per term, to go up as more citizens joined the ranks of those now under Ottoman administration.

Marrakech was conquered, and the five units the Carthaginians had vanished without a trace, the desert, lack of supplies, and a desire to return to civilian life wiping them out over time.

With Carthage gone, all efforts were to be focused on building a strong military state. There would be four decades of peace, and then, the Russians were to be punished.

Come 1109 CE, the Incense Industry set up in Halicarnassus, and the Turkish Sultanate now was a kingpin of three industries - Dyes, Incense, and Ivory.

1131 CE, the Russians had upgraded most of their Riflemen so that they wielded machineguns. It would seem suicidal to attack the Russians... but the Sultan said it was now or never. They had to be crushed.

The Great War was about to begin!

 

[Tani Coyote]

Chapter IX: The Great War Pt. I

Spoiler :

Sultan Osman X desired to build a legacy, having taken the throne in 1129 CE. His father, the late Abdul VII, was also aspiring to his, the last several Sultans all working towards eliminating the Russians as a threat forever.

Experts always said that a tripolar world was the most stable. The middle power and lower power would always work against the greatest power, but at the same time, the lower power would never push the greatest power too far, lest they be gobbled up by their former partner.

That logic wouldn't stop the Sultan, however, from using the Chinese in his efforts to topple the Russians. While the Sultanate had 15% of the world to the Russians' 10 and 33% of the people to their 16, it wasn't good enough; he wanted unquestionable hegemony. And machine guns or not, he was going to get it.

He placed emphasis on ten targets - three in Persia, three in Ukraine, and four in Germany and the Low Countries. Taking these would deal a deathblow to Russian power projection. While Russia had a fair-sized fleet, their lead had been eliminated by constant building of Turkish vessels. Russia had a larger army at one point, but likewise, mass buildup had changed this. And while the Russian Bear was armed with machine guns, the Turkish regime was armed with ungodly amounts of artillery. Russia 7 native worker bands and 42 penal labor bands to Turkey's 15 Natives and God knows how many forced labor gangs, built up over the millennia.

An analysis was conducted. Russia had 100+ machinegunner units across their vast realm, which Turkey barely outpaced, but they had them spread across everywhere, whereas Turkey had concentrated them at the frontiers.

Persia would be the first target, to seal off a front and thus allow a grand Coalition to focus on Russia's core.

Tehran - Size 2: 2 MGs, 1 Trench Infantry
Kabul - Size 3: 4 MGs
Mashhad - Size 2: 2 MGs

Germany was rich, and so would have to be next.

Antwerp - Size 8: 5 MG, 5 Fusiliers, 4 TI; several vessels were in port
Amsterdam - Size 6: 4 MG, 2 TI
Dusseldorf - Size 8: 3 MG, 1 TI
Berlin - Size 3: 6 MG

Boasting 40 artillery, 50 Sipahi, and 5 Armies against these 36 threats, it was obvious Ukraine could be spared for the time being. Germany and Persia would be prizes enough.

Of course, the Sultan understood his empire needed an excuse in the era of popular democracy, as powerful as he was. He got it in the form of asking the Russians to politely remove themselves. The arrogant Muscovites refused! And so, he grinned, while feigning fear. The nation's economy was mobilised for war, with temporary rationing and increased penalties for certain behavior(such as striking) enacted immediately.

The Sultan ordered the assaults on Persia begin immediately. An army was used to attack the Machinegunners and the Trench Infantry there, butchering them and bringing Russian down a peg. Two of the defeated were enslaved, while a Fanatic captured some Russian laborers in the mountains.

It was decided to ignore Persia in favor of wealthier targets. The Mongols were brought into the war cheaply enough, as were all Asian factions, to keep the Russians occupied. The entire world was soon stacked against Moscow, and it looked like victory was close at hand.

Antwerp was next on the chopping block, and an army of Fanatics was almost killed eliminating one of the Machinegunners, but one less of those omnipotent units was worth the price.

It was a bloody battle. While no units were lost, Sipahi would be gravely injured, and much of the artillery that was supposed to cover all of the Low Countries had to be focused on Antwerp.

Nonetheless, Dusseldorf and Antwerp were both seized, meaning 3 of 10 original targets had been conquered. While much of the Russified population resisted rule, plans were made to gradually eliminate them all.

Odesa was occupied a month later at no losses, but the entirety of the Black Sea fleet had to be used against it. Four of ten targets were occupied. It was good enough considering no units were lost. Machinegunners took up positions in these cities. Provided the Austrians didn't have a catastrophic defeat, it would be very entertaining to see the Russians try to do what was painful for Turkey, but without artillery support.

3 Russian native workers were also seized in the assault.

Between the occupations and 1140 CE, there was no activity. The Russians upgraded some of their units into machinegunners, but their cities suffered massive depopulation due to drafting and fleeing citizens. The Russians didn't attempt any counterattacks, and they didn't even attack perfectly vulnerable units. It was noticed their worker population was vanishing, however, likely due to desertion or capture by Coalition forces.

The Sultan ordered that all artillery be focused on capturing the Lowlands and Germany. Pushing deep into the region would form a unified front with the Austrians, and thus allow easier conquest of the Russian interior.

Amsterdam had been beefed up to 6 MGs and 3 TI, but enough artillery would cut that down to size. Sure enough, artillery redlined all units within, and thus, even Sipahi could take on machinegunners with how thinned out they were.

In the meantime, however, Turkish naval power ensured that the Russians lost Rostov. 2 worker gangs were captured outside the city, dealing even more damage to the Russian state.

With no losses, Amsterdam fell, though it did consume most of the artillery like Antwerp before it. Regardless, there were now two more cities in the Sultanate's domain. Some slaves were captured in the city, while a new Great Leader was also spawned, which would allow the Sultanate to attack Berlin that much sooner.

By 1150 CE, the Austrians had amazingly captured Minsk. They would likely lose it, but every blow to Russia was a Turkish victory. Besides, it was quite lulzy to think what the heck the Austrians would do with an airport.

8 workers were captured with Berlin, while the situation was changed so that an attack on Danzig would be very favorable.

Six machinegunners were in Danzig, while the Sultanate maintained a sizable number of artillery. Accordingly, the Sultan gave the order to strike like lightning, and form a unified front with the Austrians.

Danzig was taken without casualties, and now, the Eastern Front was unified. The Sultanate grew stronger with each year, and Russia continued to implode. Its advantage in size and technology was overblown; it was a paper bear based on all that was occurring.

 

[Tani Coyote]

Chapter X: The Great War Pt. II

By 1160, the Austrians predictably lost Minsk, but the Russians were nonetheless showing ever more strained resources, unable to fight on so many fronts. In fact, there was only Riga and Smolensk between the Sultanate and Moscow!

Riga was attacked first, having 4 MGs, 5 TI, and 2 wounded Cossacks protecting it. Seizing it would weaken the Russian navy. Meanwhile, the Turkish navy was harassing Russian South America, trying to cut off its sources of rubber.

Riga was conquered easily enough thanks to artillery barrages. A path to Moscow would be easily paved if so desired.

There was plenty of artillery and armies to go around, so the Sultan desired another gem to add to his crown. And what better that St. Petersburg, a major core of Russian power? With only 5 MGs and 1 TI guarding it, it could very easily be scooped up.

The city was brought down to redlined machinegunners, but the Sultan still ordered barrages to butcher the civilians. There were too many; they had to be cut down to size.

More than half the civilians were killed or forced to flee before troops marched victoriously into St. Petersburg, seizing a vital Russian production center and helping to cripple their navy.

News soon reached Ankara that based on the census estimates that could be gathered, China had replaced Russia as the second most populous state in the world... at 10% to Turkey's 39%. Hegemony sure was good!

Come 1168 CE, the Chinese paid 2300+ gold and 6 gpt to acquire the secrets of Medicine. For once, the Sultanate was becoming the tech broker now that Russian had fallen from grace.

When 1170 CE arrived, the Sultanate's spies reported that there'd been no change in the number of Machinegunners. This indicated that the sources of rubber had indeed run dry. It was also noticed the sources of rubber were weakly defended... and so, a side-plan to invade and secure Russia's rubber sources was hatched.

While an invasion force was assembled, however, troops would focus on Novgorod. 4 MG and 2 TI guarded it, but the hordes of artillery would cut them down to size easily.

One Lancer was sacrificed to the Russian beast's hunger, but the city fell. Moscow was now within striking distance, but the Sultan said that it had to be susceptible to artillery fire first or else all the Sipahi in the Empire would be butchered. As such, Smolensk was nominated as the next victim of Turkish expansionism.

The Sultanate had 74 artillery divisions, of which 28 had seen service. The remainder would be used to pound Smolensk into oblivion. Only 2 MGs guarded the city, so it was expected it would be easy pickings.

Conscript Trench Infantry looked on in horror as they were escorting workers to Smolensk, only to see the entire city be consumed by fire. Much of the population was killed due to bombardment and the natural chaos of war. It was now possible to shell Moscow directly!

In the meantime, Christians throughout the Empire were increasingly convinced Russia had God's favor, due to how, just like Jesus, their troops could apparently walk on water.

After disposing of Russian troops within range so as to limit the effectiveness of a counterattack, the Sultan ordered an investigation of Moscow. The city had become incredibly small before the outbreak of the war due to excessive settlement programs, and this was now playing into Turkey's hands.

No less than 12 MGs, 2 TI, and 2 wounded Cossacks guarded it. Of course, the Sultanate possessed 3 Sipahi armies, which meant 9 of those forces could be taken out, and a dozen+ Sipahi after that. The Empire could muster 33 artillery divisions against them, meaning serious damage could be done assuming a good hit rate and severe hits. What was important was the MGs. They'd have about 72 HP between them, and so if every artillery barrage hit and was severe, they'd be down for the count.

---

Citizens in Moskva panicked as the artillery rained down upon them. They were all desperately confused; the government had been saying the Turks were being ever so steadily routed! Yet here they were, running amock in hopes of getting out to the countryside, or even to a belligerent nation. Anything to avoid certain death from above.

Captain Abdullah had been dispatched to watch the effects of the bombardment through binoculars, him and his Sipahi hidden in the fields. They could see the machinegunners being butchered and horribly wounded. At least 1/3 of all machinegunners had been cut down, greatly thinning the ranks of the defenders, which would make an early first wave more successful. He radioed forces in Smolensk with a confident grin on his face.

---

The first Army of Sipahi - the Army of Anatolia - to attack saw nearly 1/4 of their men incapacitated, but the Sultan ordered yet another strike regardless. That one was even costlier, and the army was reduced to 1/4 its original size. The Sultan said an assault would not take place until weaker targets were available.

The second Army - the Army of Persis - entered the battlefield, but lost 1/2 its men.

The third - the Army of Aegyptus - purged two MGs with just 1/4 of its men lost.

Within a year, 10 MGs had been eliminated, so much that Trench Infantry were ordered by the Czar's military governor to take up the defense while the Machinegunners were patched up.

Moskva was taken soon enough. The fall of the capital was the ultimate disgrace to Russia, which moved operations to Kiev, the last major city of Russian culture and power(St. Petersburg and Moscow having been the other two). The Russian Empire was split in two by the fall of Moscow, and now the Turks could hook up with the Mongols. The Sultanate's next manuevers were to involve cutting Russia up into multiple pockets of resistance, making it that much easier to seize each one.

Soon, 1180 CE rolled around; by this time, the Russians had killed three units in an attack, but had also left themselves vulnerable in the trade of war.

The Sultan had two targets in mind - Petrozavodsk in the Norh to split the Northern regions in half, and Kiev in the South to keep the Russian government unstable. The cities were roughly the same in size, so it ultimately would come down to defenses.

Petro - 5 MGs
Kiev - 7 MGs, 2 TI, 1 Elephant Archer

While Kiev had more defenses, destroying it would make Austria - and thus the Turkish interior - more secure.

Kiev was taken with no units lost, and 2 Russian artillery captured along with it. The Empire seemed to be running out of ready Sipahi, and so it was obvious what needed to be done. That said, the Sultan did ask his agents to study the defenses of Minsk, so that Austria could be encircled and thus their security not questioned.

...How the hell the Russian government set itself up in Vologda, the Sultan also wanted to know.

What was known in the chaos, however, was that Russia had been usurped by China as largest country as well. China had 7% of the land and 11% of the population to Turkey's 17% and 40%.

3 MGs, 1 TI, and 1 horribly wounded Cossack guarded Minsk. It was time to retake the city for the Coalition.

Minsk was conquered easily enough. The southern Russian cities were positioned in such a way it'd be impossible to hammer them immediately. The Sultan told some machinegunners to guard a group of units that would build a road through Mongolian territory that could be used to strike from the side and thus open up all three cities to attack.

Accordingly, the Sultan decided to troll the Russians by planning an assault on Vologda, to force them into another city.

It was established there were about 4 MGs in the city thanks to artillery barrages.

That didn't stop the Sultanate's forces from overrunning it though. Artillery barrages didn't massacre the locals because the artillery for some reason would keep hitting profitable buildings and not residential districts. 3 Artillery divisions were captured from the city, however.

While the Sultanate tried to summon enough manpower for an assault on Petrozavodsk(the new Russian capital), a single band of Colonial Infantry seized the middle colony of Russian Guyana, splitting it in half. The Russian rubber resources were now seriously endangered. Battleships were ordered to shell nearby Orenburg so as to assist the Indians in taking it.

With even their overseas colonies under threat and their homeland increasingly partitioned, and without the resources needed to keep a strong defense going, how long would Russia last before it became just a tiny province in the greater Turkish Empire?

 

[Arexander]

Just a small note as a nitpicker. Oulu should be one tile NW to be at the right position geographically.

 

[Tani Coyote]

Maybe I'll factor that in come the next time I use this mod...

 

[B-29 Bomber]

When's the new update?

 

[Tani Coyote]

Should come soon; I've been devouring Russia.

 

[B-29 Bomber]

Have fun devouring the Russian Bear...mmm... Bear meat...

 

[Tani Coyote]

Chapter XI: The Great War Pt. III

Antwerp's population, citing poor living conditions, attempted to overthrow the Sultanate in 1187 CE, hoping this would actually amount to something. Unfortunately, the Sultan had received news they were already protesting, and knew something would come of it, hence a military barrier was set up around the city as part of a "loyalty check." If the city stayed loyal, it would be spared a horrid fate. If it rebelled, it would be punished, and everyone not necessary for its functioning butchered.

Antwerp's citizens were fools, the Sultan thought as he shook his head before giving the order to massacre the people and retake the city

Starvation made sure the city lost over 1/4 before 1191 CE.

Upon taking it, nearly every citizen resisted occupation. The Sultan simply said, "That's it; screw you." and gave the order to execute all resistors. Pillaging was authorised, and the Turkish troops seemed more like bandits than an army, as rape, murder, and mayhem consumed the entire city, before it was burned to the ground. The British gained some power in the region as a result, but the Sultan didn't care. He just sent a strong message to all Russians what would happen if they dared defy the Sultanate's power.

With the whole city gone as a result of such a training exercise, the Sultan went back to work destroying the Russians. Artillery were loaded up to attack Finland and the capital, Petrozavodsk!

In the meantime, the Chinese gave the secrets of Motorised Transportation to the Sultanate, pulling the Sultanate into the Modern Age alongside China. A false peace treaty convention saw that the Russians had lost tech parity and were rapidly falling behind thanks to so much income lost to the Turks.

Artillery hammered Oulu and Petrozavodsk, with Oulu easily falling.

At the start of the war, Petro was a glorious city - Rank 9.

Shelling and occupation destroyed its steel mills, gold mines, and reduced it to Rank 4.

With artillery and large numbers of Sipahi remaining, the Sultan ordered the destruction of all enemy troops on the border. Of particular concern were the six Cossack units that had assembled in the Northeast.

First, 2 Trench Infantry were slaughtered by Turkish TIs and Fanatics, an excellent victory. Strain was easily seen in the Russian forces, who were quickly forced to repurpose Flak Cannons as anti-infantry weapons. Machineguns and automatic rifles were increasingly rare, a lack of available materials due to the war causing intense rationing. Russia was down to almost half its original Machinegunner numbers.

In the Americas, Orenburg was seized, cutting off inner American rubber sources from Russia. Keeping rubber out of Russia's hands was rapidly reducing their influence. Only Chita remained as a link to the valuable rubber of Brazil, and ships were surrounding it, shelling anybody who moved so much as a foot into the water.

By 1191, Arkangel'sk was conquered, and the Cossack army was targeted next.

The Cossacks were easily cut down to size, and the Sultan ordered that all effort be focused on conquering Finland from the Russians, which would seal off a front and thus allow all efforts to focus eastward.

At no losses, all of Russia's northern regions were occupied. Russia lost several key ports, while it also lost some ships. Machinegunners became more scarce, and it was clear Scandinavia would be able to mop up the rest. In sum, six cities had been taken in just three years.

In a move that shocked his advisors, the Sultan ordered two Sipahi armies to attack Voronezh without artillery, despite the fact even armies could be cut down by the machine guns' wrath, and indeed, many men did die or were horribly injured, but cavalry had to take up the defensive due to the loss of machine gunners!

Come 1199, the Russians tried to use 6 Lancers to attack 3 Machinegunners guarding a group of 6 workers. Fortunately, the MGs won, crushing Russian offensive capabilities.

Kirov, the new Russian capital, was reduced from Level 8 to Level 4, and then occupied; in other words, 300,000 people were murdered by Turkish troops in Kirov alone. This was all part of a war where the Turkish government systematically murdered millions of civilians a means of riot control.

With the fall of Kirov, Ukhta was too isolated by terrain to attack directly, and so the next attacks had to be sent towards Samara and the Russian capital, Volgagrad. Investigations of the city revealed the best unit Russian could muster were PIKEMEN.

The city didn't have many MG defenders; the Russians were running low thanks to more and more human wave attacks by the Allies.

Naturally, Volgagrad was taken with no losses, and moves were made on Astrakhan and Samara from this new base.

Samara was taken easily, being a Size 1 city, and its inhabitants were actually happy to see the Germans take the town. The city was poorly developed, and they hoped an influx of German riches would fix that. Indeed, such a small, loyal city would be a perfect colony to help keep the other cities in line.

Astrakhan easily was conquered, and with the desert as a frontier, Russia was considered done. While there were plans to assemble an air force to weaken Russia in the region for an amphibious assault, the Sultanate was more focused on pushing them out of the North.

In the Indian theater, the threat of Russian Kabul was finally neutralised.

Russia was collapsing, chopped into numerous one or two-city regions, weapons material ever on the decline, and they were under fire from all sides. The time of their eclipsing had come. The Turkish juggernaut had taken all they held dear, leaving them with a few scraps, ushering in a new world order.

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I think this may come to an end here soon; I have a new map to play and I'm losing interest in this one... never mind 99% of the thread has been me to begin with.

 

[Tani Coyote]

Annnd, true to tradition, I leave a save game for anybody to try out if they so wish.

 

[tupaclives]

Any chance of a copy of the Mod itself? It looks great. Loved the story btw, shame not to see it finished, but I'm looking forward to your next work too

 

[Tani Coyote]

So long as you have Rhyes' Civ 3 Mod for Conquests, the game should work for you. I dunno about uploading the actual mod though... since Rhye did all the work. I just added some trimmings for flavor.

 

[tupaclives]

I have Rhye's but not with the pre-placed cities

 

[Tani Coyote]

If I was to upload the scenario (which I won't out of respect for Rhye), everything would be as easily loaded as the base Rhye's Mod and Map. Pre-Placed cities, luxury buildings and small-wonders, etc... it all runs off of Rhye's core files.