Unity in Diversity - a RFC-DoC Indonesian AAR

[Lone Wolf]

An Indonesian RFC story I finished long ago, but never got around to writing until now. It uses a modified version of RFC DoC 1.10.

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According to the ancient inscriptions, the empire of Srivijaya was founded by the king Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa, who had embarked on a sacred siddhayatra journey, and led 20,000 troops and 312 people in boats with 1312 foot soldiers to the areas of Central-Southern Sumatra.

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All hail and prosperity! In the year 605 of the Saka calendar, on the eleventh
day in the month of Waisaka, His Majesty took
a boat to make a profit. On the seventh day
on the full moon of Jyesta, His Majesty
brings 20000 troops and
312 people in boats from firth of Tamvan, With 1312 foot soldiers
and came to Matajap
happily. On the fifth day on the bright moon of ...,
they docked and open a country ...
Great, prosperous and peaceful Srivijaya!

- A translation of the inscription, later found by local archeologists.

The new kingdom possessed a powerful fleet, which it used to establish its suzerainity over the petty kingdoms of Java. Hyang Sri Jayanasa's successors intermarried with the local Javanese lords, cementing the bond between the dominant cities of the islands. The Buddhist shrines-candi built by the new thalassocratic hegemony cemented its authority and prestige in the eyes of common hunters, fishermen and traders subject to it.

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A massive temple built by the dynasts of Srivijaya.

 

[Niccolo Edwards]

Welcome back to the S&T forum. I'll certainly be subbing to this.

 

[Lone Wolf]

Thanks for the welcome.
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History did not record the name of the fishermen, who, diverted by a strong storm, saw from the sea the coastline of the smallest continent of the world for the first time after it was settled by its original aboriginal inhabitants. But Srivijayan inscriptions tell us that they managed to return back, telling tales of the new land. Soon, other people of the isles started to migrate there, intermarrying with the local aboriginal inhabitants.

The dynasts of Srivijaya appreciated the abundance of good quality iron in the Land of the Parrots, as it was called, and the mining town of Semarang became the base of Srivijayan royal power.

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The new royal holdings allowed the Srivijayan kings to expand their influence over Sumatra, concentrating the riches of the island in their hands. Gold and silver sculptures adorned their palaces, impressing commoners and travellers from far lands alike.

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A golden statue of a Boddhisattva, made by Srivijayan masters.

Increased trade resulted in increased contact of the Indonesian islands with the rest of the world. Srivijayan ports were a melting pot of religions and customs. Islam was brought to the southern continent by the Arab traders, and the worship of Hindu deities was starting to become more widespread in Java.

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Srivijaya benefited from the lucrative maritime trade between China and India. It gained trade patronage from the Tang court of the Middle Kingdom, and its relationship to the Cholas of South India was, if anything, even more lucrative, as the necessity to navigate the waters between Sumatra and India led to the development of sturdy ships, capable of weathering storms previously fatal.

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A bas-relief image of a Srivijayan ship.

 

[adhiraj.bose]

Unity in Diversity !!??... Those are OUR words !



Still though, good story look forward to some very interesting adventures.

*waisak means spring season and the Saka calendar was created by Scythian rulers of Western India. It starts its count from 78 AD*

 

[Lone Wolf]

The newly-established Buddhist monasteries of East Java were instrumental in both advancing the local spiritual understanding and clearing the jungle for harvesting sugar and spices.

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______________________

The parrots of Palembang are gorgeous in their colors,
But hunters see them only for a fleeting moment.
It is always a joy to see my beloved on the streets,
I can notice her among the bursting crowd.

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It is dangerous to sail from Dharmasraya to Khmer lands,
Once-calm waters can suddenly erupt in storm.
Mysterious are the matters of human heart,
It is impossible to make it obey at will.

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Okay, enough inept attempts at quatrains for now. Back to the narrative.
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Constant coastal raids from the Chola empire in Southern India, that managed to defeat other local kingdoms and establish a hegemony on the subcontinent, and the resulting tribute Srivijaya was forced to pay, weakened the Sumatran kingdom's prestige.

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Expansion of Javanese agriculture led to increasing autonomy of the local rulers from Srivijaya. The Javanese kingdom of Kediri finally managed to severe its ties from Sumatra, eventually subduing its former masters, switching the center of crafts and arts on the islands to Java. Out of respect for its former patrons, the rulers of Kediri allowed Srivijayan dynasts to retain the formal capital status of Dharmasraya.

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One of the most notable kings of Kediri was Jayabaya, a claimed incarnation of Vishnu. He was known for his just and prosperous rule and for his eventual abdication from throne to live a life of a Hindu recluse. He authored a large number of cryptic prophesies, including the one that foretold the existence of a mysterious large continent far to the east of the islands, and, even more cryptically, one about "the radiance of a thousand suns bursting at once into the sky"...

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An image of Jayabaya

Even the raids from India did not prevent a continuing exchange of goods and ideas between Chola and Kediri.

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For years, the traders at Semarang were content to just stay in their corner of the large continent-island. It was not until the middle of the 13th century that they, with the help of Kediri explorers, started to expand to the West, founding the settlement of Ketapang.

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The growing prosperity of Kediri and its dependent territories launched an urban boom for the first time in the islands' history. The poor inhabitants of bursting cities often immigrated to the southern towns of Semarang and Ketapang as a way to escape their conditions, intermarrying with locals and, in the end, increasing the profits of Kediri's treasury.

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[jackelgull]

For some reason I can't see the images you are using

 

[clanky4]

Photobucket is maintenance-ing.

 

[Lone Wolf]

In 1293, Raden Wijaya, a ruler of Trowulan Majapahit in West Java, usurped the rulers of the Kediri kingdom, taking control of the whole island empire. The new dynasty was aided by innovations of practical boat-making that strengthened the links between islands.

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A portrayal of Raden Wijaya in his deified form

One of the Majapahit kingdom's most talented ministers was Gajah Mada, famous for his oaths he took before the rulers of Majapahit. The first one, taken before Queen Tribhuwanatunggadewi, was the following:

If Nusantara (= external lands = the whole archipelago) are lost, I will not taste any fruits and spices. I will not if the domain of Gurun, domain of Seram, domain of Tanjungpura, domain of Haru, Pahang, Dompo, domain of Bali, Sunda, Palembang, Tumasik, remain unconquered, in which case I will never taste any spice.

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After this oath was taken, colonists and soldiers from Majapahit domains started readying themselves for the conquest.

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A statue of Gajah Mada.

Gajah Mada's second oath, taken before Tribhuwanatunggadewi's son Hayam Wuruk, the exact text of which was unfortunately lost to history, was far more ambitious. It was made after a meeting with warriors and explorers from the far Western corner of the continental landmass across the islands...

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... and it concerned the prophesy of Jayabaya about the unknown continent east across the eastern ocean. Gajah Mada made an oath that Majapahit will be the first to reach it, even before the Spaniards. Many Majapahit noblemen considered Gajah Mada's oath to be sheer madness, yet Hayam Wuruk supported his minister, giving him enough funds for a naval expedition to the East.

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[Lone Wolf]

The titular capital of Dharmasraya became the philosophical center of the nation.

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New shipmaking techniques allowed the Majapahit Empire to expand its trade with the Japanese Shogunate.

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Gajah Mada's Glorious Expedition had finally reached its goal, confirming Jayabaya's prophecies to be true. The new continent's kingdoms and empires were no match for Majapahit warriors.

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The Maya Confederacy capitulated first.

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Cultural contacts between the two peoples proved to be fruitful.

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The stubborn Aztecs refused to submit, and were conquered completely.

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Unfortunately, the new Maya dependency of the Majapahit soon itself collapsed to warring states, no longer bound by any tributary oaths. But Gajah Mada managed, after a long and heavy war in the unfamiliar terrain of the Andes, to subdue a larger native Empire.

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Meanwhile, other Majapahit navigators sailed around Africa, making contact with the Mali.

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[Lone Wolf]

The native empire of South America pledged its loyalty to its conquerors across the ocean.

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Contacts across the water to the west were also not forgotten, as Majapahit poets started to use the already-ancient techniques of Tamil Sangam poetry.

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Majapahit explorers to the west, after leaving Malinese domains, discovered a whole subcontinent of diverse peoples, whose existence the Empire was only dimly aware of before through the words of Arab traders and the Spanish colony in Manila. These peoples looked definitely harder to conquer than the ones on Gajah Mada's landmass...

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The most populous kingdom of them all was famous for its vineyards. French wine quickly became popular all over the Majapahit islands, despite moralists warning about its dangers to health and mind.

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[Lone Wolf]

The Southern Land was not neglected by Majapahit explorers and immigrants. The old duties tying peasants to their local lords were rescinded as the Empire encouraged new immigration and settlement. The mining town of Sampalan was already bringing a profit soon after its foundation.

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The Aztec and Mayan nobles adapted to their conquerors' laws and traditions, merging them with their own. This solidified Majapahit control over their trans-oceanic territories.

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A general named Dharmawangsa became famous for his subduing of various minor tribes in both the new continent and Kalimantan, where he later retired.

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After the islands east of Java and Ternate were brought into the fold, Majapahit's ancient prophesied Quest for the Blessed Sea was finally fulfilled.

I thought that island east of Java was supposed to represent Bali, the most interesting of Lesser Sunda Islands, rather than Sumbawa, where Dompo is located. Or does the easternmost banana tile on "Java" represent Bali?

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[Dumanios]

Subbing.

 

[adhiraj.bose]

Interesting strategy. How did you manage to bridge the tech gap that the Majapahit have with other East Asian civs ?

 

[Lone Wolf]

Specific tech beeline (optics) and good diplomatic relations allowed me to do some good backfill tech trading. Plus coast tiles are commerce-rich, and the game was played on a version of old 1.10 Viceroy harder than unmodified Viceroy, but easier than Monarch.
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Even as the Aztec peasants suffered from dust storms, the construction of a magnificent palace in Tenochtitlan continued apace. The palace would serve as an impressive reminder of Majapahit power to the local population.

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The Majapahit explorers of Europe had soon realized that the Europeans' gunpowder weapons and tactics are much better than theirs. Few European powers were willing to share the secrets of musket manufacture, until the explorers sailed into the Baltic Gulf, where contact with the Russian Tsardom was established. The explorers agreed to provide the Tsar with ship-builders in exchange for the Tsar sending back to Java artisans skilled in the art of musket- and cannon- making.

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All the multitude of the artisans there, making plaited bamboo-work, fashioning the sthana singha (lion-throne) in the wanguntur (main court-yard), setting aside those who carved wawans (carriers) for food, bukubukuran (all kinds of tower-like structures) and figures and things of that kind. Took part also the smiths of dadaps (embossed coverings) of gold and silver, all of them bestirring themselves the more in their respective customary occupations.

- a quote from a poem describing ceremonies that took place during the dedication of the Summer Palace

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The hostile tribes north of Tenochtitlan were much more difficult to subdue than the Aztecs themselves. The conflicts known as the Chichimeca Wars lasted until the end of the 16th century, and even after that they were not fully subdued. But eventually, adventurous settlers of mixed Javanese-Aztec descent were able to move northernwards.

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But no matter what its court told itself, the Majapahit empire was not the only one capable of overseas conquests. The Spanish subdued the natives of what they called the Philippines, putting an end to the (very nominal) Majapahit overlordship of the islands, while the Portuguese took Malacca.

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Nevertheless, the massive profits from overseas trade triggered another Golden Age in Majapahit history. The merchant classes increased their prominence at the expense of traditional landholder and priestly/monastery elites, turning the cities of the archipelago into true centers of culture and commerce.

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Portuguese merchants were unable to compete with these local traders, in the end willingly joining the Empire in exchange for it saving them from total bankruptcy.

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The expansion of the Empire still continued on many fronts.

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It was justifiably considered to be the largest in the world at this point so far.

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[Lone Wolf]

The Majapahit Empire, or Nusantara, as people had started to call it, slowly transforming the meaning of the term from merely "external lands" to the nation uniting the native inhabitants of the islands and their descendants in the new continent, spread its influence to the fertile Mississipi river basin.

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The other peoples of the world still had things to teach to the Majapahit, specifically, the Printing Press, which took some time to be introduced to the islands from the continent.

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There were four powers in the New World, not counting the minor native kingdoms: Nusantara and her vassals, Great Britain, Portugal, and Netherlands.

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The Old World was far more diverse. In Europe, the new modern state of Prussia exerted pressure on the traditional realms of Holy Roman Empire and Poland, in Asia, the Turks conquered Levant, but failed to expand further, stymied by Iran and Egypt, while in India the Tamils had united the Hindus against the Muslim Mongolo-Persian invaders, limiting them to Delhi, Oudh and Bengal. The British East India Company had established itself right next to the center of Tamil power. In China, the Khmer empire pushed the Celestial Kingdom of China to the north, capturing its ancient capital of Xi'an.

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The owners of Benoa gold mines had ample reasons to sing how rich, rich, rich they were, even as the native peoples and the poor immigrants from Nusantara toiled in the dark, suffocating shafts.

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The Netherlands long had a fraction of imperialist expansionist merchants who seeked to subjugate Nusantara. However, the power disparity between the realms alarmed them, causing more pacifist elements to prevail. Many joint Nusantaran-Dutch commercial ventures resulted in the end in Dutch dependency on Nusantara.

I didn't expect this to happen, and was preparing for the conqueror event. This was anticlimatic, but certainly useful.

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The same mechanisms took place in the Ethiopian case, fortifying Nusantaran commercial hegemony in the Indian ocean.

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English, Portugal and Tamil empires, who were in conflict with Ethiopia, declared themselves at war with Nusantara.

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However, the few British excursions in Nusantaran New World territories were easily repelled.

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Wonderful things sometimes lie in Buddhist monasteries. A tract on ancient Tibetan education methods was not the Secret Indian Life of Jesus, but it would do.

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The British, as well as the Portuguese, signed peace, paying small indemnities.

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The Tamils, however, were felt to be worthy of a proper punishment. A naval expedition was sent to India with the goal of uniting the whole Indian ocean under the Nusantaran flag...

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[Lone Wolf]

The Majapahit hoped that Sri Lanka will be one of their first easy victories over the Tamils. However, the new Grenade tactics of Anuradhapura's defenders proved to be difficult to dislodge.

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Eventually, the island was still subdued. But reports on the state of Tanjapuri's defenders indicated it would be no easy battle.

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Far greater gains were made peacefully, as the north of the Malay peninsula came under Majapahit domination through diplomatic manoeuvring.

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But the Tamils, too, consolidated their position in India, kicking the British out.

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The latter development resulted in a mysterious supernatural phenomena known as The Amazing Teleporting Redcoat Army, as the garrison of British Indian possessions in Mysore was mysteriously transported to Phuket. This was a boon to spiritualists and mystics worldwide.

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Majapahit forces eventually landed on the Carnatic coast, capturing Kanchipuram. However, they could go no further, as the Tamil capital was well-defended, and the countryside remained in Tamil control, making the new conquests impossible to supply.

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The failed war had negative domestic repercussions, as the people resented their sons being drafted to die in foreign land for no plunder or gain.

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So, in the end, the 1798 Peace of Tanjapuri returned the status quo, transferring Sri Lanka and Kanchipuram back to the Cholas. It was clear that more planning would be required to subdue the Indian peninsula.

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[Lone Wolf]

The Delhi Sultanate was the soft underbelly of the peninsula. Prevented from expansion to the south by the Tamils, who even went as far as cut it off from other Muslim states by their capture of Pashtunistan, it would prove to be easy pickings for modern Majapahit military.

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The obsolete elephant and pike cavalry of Delhi was brutally massacred in the Battle of Bengal.

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The result of the war was wholly predictable:

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The Age of Enlightenment in the islands was spreading in the lower classes, who staged revolts and rebellions. The government adopted a moderate policy, granting some concessions, but keeping the overall course.

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More troops were transported to India, to strike the Tamils from the north, as the British recaptured Sri Lanka (they also would end up recapturing Bombay)

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The New Indian Campaign was greatly successful, striking right at the soft underbelly of the Tamil Confederation.

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But in the Americas, the CSA was inciting its settlers in Majapahit territories to revolt and take arms against the lawful government.

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The greatest concentration of armed settlers was at the Pacific Coast, far away from the Mississippi border.

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The border itself saw only relatively small military actions.

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The battles of Jambi were fierce, as the city changed hands between the warring sides multiple times. But on the other side of the Earth, Tamil resistance was completely overcome with British help.

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After the Tamil government capitulated, all territories and cities previously occupied by the Majapahit were given back to it or the Delhi sultanate, under the condition of continued vassalage.

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By 1868, the threat to Pacific Coast was over.

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Majapahit Cuirassiers went on the offensive, capturing Milwaukee, but were unable to advance further due to defensive American rifle tactics.

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But the valour of Confederate troops didn't prevent the Confederacy having to pay a large indemnity for peace. The war cemented the Majapahit Empire as the dominant power in the Americas.

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[Lone Wolf]

Majapahit holdings in Malacca greatly benefited from the sudden collapse of the Khmer empire into small kingdoms.

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The British and their Hudson Bay Company dared to infringe on territories that belonged to Majapahit by right. A military confrontation was not judged to be necessary so far, but the whole nation agreed that such audacity should not ultimately go unpunished.

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Happier news came from Benoa, where preparations for the Olympic Games were held.

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Expeditions were sent to the North in order to prevent perfidious Albion from settling more.

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The disorder and collapse of the Spanish Empire opened up new future opportunities for the Majapahit to take Philippines under their benevolent protection.

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At least, Britain was pushed from the Indian peninsula.

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The world in 1916.

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[Moai_Spammer]

subbed

 

[TheNoob]

Subbed