Update 4 1300 BC
Trojan-Bulgare War
The Torjan-Bulgare war was very well decided on the seas. Bulgares invasion required continued support from their home ports and the capture of Troy itself looked as though it would require a total blockade. And yet neither side was able to achieve their goals for years at a time. Bulgare decided rather than risk an all out attack on Troy and work to try and tame Ilions countryside. However this continued to be costly as the Trojans spared no time of day to harass Bulgares army, and while farms and mines continued to fall to Bulgares army, so too did Bulgare blood to Trojan sling and arrow. Finally it would be through the efforts of the Trojan naval commander Paris who in 1329 defeated the Bulgare fleet in open combat off the coast of the Dardanelles. With the Bulgare fleet smashed upon the rocks, the Trojans made no time in cutting off their supply lines. The Bulgares were now trapped. But not all hope was lost; the Bulgare commanders successfully recrossed the straits back to their homeland as the Trojan fleet while successful could not police the Sea of Marmora, especially when the remains of the Bulgare navy made a feint to distract the Trojan fleet.
[Bulgare: -2 early ships, -2 light infantry(L), -1 heavy Infantry(P)
Ilion: -1 early ship, -1 light infantry(L), -1 light infantry(P)]
Hittite Wars
In the later half of the 14th century BC the Hittite Empire found itself at war with 4 separate nations. It had already set war against the Mitanni as well the allies of Phenicia and Caanan, of which only naval actions had been seen thus far. However a fourth power had decided to enter the fray, Lydia began a war march against the Hittites who they had feared for centuries. The Lydians saw this as their chance to destroy the only power they felt threatened them. With Hittites resources and military now split between two fronts on land, it was uncertain how the war would proceed. The Hittites decided first to crush the Mitanni, the Lydians would have to wait for now as their army tossed aside local militias.
The Hittite army was matched almost man-for-man with the Mitanni. Only in the areas of light infantry and chariots did they prevail. But Hittites heavy infantry were far more professional than the Mitanni levies. Still the Hittites had time working against them. The Mitanni needed to be crushed quickly before the Lydians could march onto the port city of Tarzi. Luckily the Mitanni infrastructure was next to nothing. The time amount of taken to raise troops and get them ready to march was enough for the Hittites to have already driven on the city of Carchemish. The city now under siege required aid from the Mitanni army before it could be crushed. The Mitanni king rushed his army as quickly as possible to aid the city. The Hittite general had prepared for this and soon the Battle of Carchemish was under way. The Hittites launched a smashing chariot attack on the Mitanni flank as their professional heavy infantry punched through the Mitanni center. In a battle that lasted around 40 minutes the Hittites had utterly crushed the Mitanni royal army, and the city of Carchemish was doomed to fall.
[Hittites: -1 Light Infantry(L); Mitanni: -2 Light Infantry(L), -2 Heavy Infantry(L)]
And yet it was not total victory for the Hittites. Word came that the Lydians were advancing quicker than believed and would press onto Tarzi sooner than anticipated. The entire Hittite navy was stationed in this, their largest and most important of port cities. Now the Hittites were the ones forced to march quickly to defend a city, though not yet under siege. Leaving behind a small force to repel any Mitanni counter attack, the Hittites marched to face the Lydians. The Lydian army was massive, about 150% larger than the Hittites. The Lydians also paid for a large chariot force, mostly mercenaries, but still over twice as large as their Hittite opponents. It would be on the coastal flatlands of southern Anatolia where the two armies would meet, near the city of Tarzi itself. It was an area where Lydian chariots could be brought to bare, and this is what won the day. While the Hittites were well experienced, they could do little to avoid this fate. The simple numbers of chariots was overwhelming. With Lydias own light infantry keeping their Hittite counterparts from countering these war machines, and with Hittite heavy infantry both engaged with the Lydians and too slow to catch them regardless the Hittites sounded a retreat. Yet these chariots could do little in the sieges that followed, and the Hittites were able to repel them all.
[Hittites: -2 Light infantry(L), -1 Light Infantry(P), -1 Heavy Infantry(M), -1 Chariot(P); Lydia: -2 Light infantry(L), -1 Heavy Infantry(L), -1 Chariot(M)]
But while the Lydians could not conquer Tarzi they decided to pillage the Hittite countryside. The effect of which has ruined much of the internal trade within the Hittite empire itself, hurting the nation economically. (-1 commerce for Hittites, the area is represented with red crosses showing the Lydians have not captured this land, but it is a war zone thanks to the raiding)
But with their port and navy safe the Hittites launched the expedition to destroy the Phenician navy and blockade their ports. Yet the Phenicians at this time were not sitting idly by. Using their allies and few new recruits the Phenicians plunged their commerce into constructing a mighty fleet, larger even than the new Hittite fleet. The two navies would clash once again off the coast of Alashiya, and once again the battle ended in draw. With Neither sides gaining naval dominance over the other a system of raiding began in earnest. With both sides seeking to destroy each others commerce neither side would come out unscathed. (see below).
[Hittites: -2 early ships; Phenicia: -2 early ships]
And yet hope may still be on the Hittite side. Their metallurgy is the most advanced in the world and the use of iron is quickly replacing that of bronze. Their armies are being equipped with this new metal, and while it is not necessarily stronger than bronze, it does not rely on the copper trade which currently is in decline (see below).
Phenician-Dimaqa War
The Phenician- Dimaqa War unbelievably carried on. Dimaqas ability to wage war has increasingly diminished as Phenicia and Canaan continued to build up. And yet surprisingly Canaan continues to withhold its army, an army which could have easily won the war at this rate. It most likely has to do though with the confederated state of the nation. Canaan is not a united front and many factions even oppose the war, but the council which rules the nation has pressed ahead, once again sending a token force into the fight. After several crucial battles though the Dimaqan army was defeated and forced to retreat out of Phenician lands after nearly a century of occupation. The city of Dimaqa itself has been forced to repel a siege and the country is near collapse, and yet they have not conceited defeat, believing that they can win one last climactic battle.
[Phenicia: -2 Light Infantry(L), -1 Heavy Infantry(L), -1 Heavy Infantry(P), -1 Chariot(P)
Dimaqa: -3 Light Infantry(L), -2 Heavy Infantry(M), -1 Chariot(P)]
Great Mesopotamian Wars
The Great Mesopotamian Wars as they were known was perhaps the bloodiest conflict of the time. Babylon needed to work quickly to destroy Assyrian power and move south to defeat Elam. The generals had decided the only way to make breakfast was to break a few eggs, and the lives of their soldiers were placed at lesser value than in the past. And yet the Babylonians were shrewed they could not let one foe ravage to defeat the other, and split their forces against these threats. To the north was King Nabopolassar II with most of the army and a fresh batch of light infantry levies, volunteers to help Marduk against Ashur. And in the south was Prince Gudassar with a smaller army, and the aid of many nobles personal forces (1 free heavy inf. levy).
In the north the King led his forces against another siege of Assur. Seeing it work to no avail once again he makes it look as though he is quickly abandoning it to rush south to fight Elam. Yet when the Assyrians come out to give chance they are surprised when several crack units engage them in combat, allowing the Kings army to regroup to do battle. The Assyrians now tricked into an open field battle are forced into a fight they did not want. Yet still the Assyrian force was large and strong, easily matching the Kings own force. The battle once again fierce, and the Babylonian king wasted not one chance to try and win the day, but yet doing so was costly. His army suffered just as many casualties as the Assyrians, even after they broke to retreat.
Assur itself was once more under siege, but this time it would not last. The Babylonian King once again ordered more than his men could handle, yet perform they did. Hundreds died climbing the crude ladders and hundreds more at the gates ramming it with less-than-adequate battering rams. Yet they could not afford the months of siege required to bring the city to its knees, not when word came from the south of Urs fall. But his army was once more successful in conquering the walls and crushing the gates. Yet the battle had just begun, the Assyrians knew what it meant if they fell, it meant Marduk would kill their god. They fought with a ferocity unmatched by any but the Babylonians themselves. The bloody affair would take days in the end, as the city burned around them. The Babylonians would be forced to retreat in the end, their casualties too high, but the Assyrian power structure had been defeated. In the north the nobles of Ninevah declared supremacy of Assyria over the now dead king of Assur. They would make a ceasefire with the King of Babylon, the details of a treaty not yet established, the current border (still marked red) is believed to be the one acceptable to the Assyrians.
[Babylon: -4 Light Infantry(L), -3 heavy Infantry(L), -1 heavy Infantry(M), -1 Chariot(P)
Assyria: -4 Light Infantry(L), -3 Heavy infantry(L), -1 heavy Infantry(M), -1 Chariot(P)]
Meanwhile in the south the Prince tried to stall the forces of Elam at Ur as much as possible, however he could not do so without risking his entire army. Rather than losing it over the city, he retreated north to Babylon itself in hopes of his fathers return. As Elams military consolidated and moved north it appeared the prince would have to fight the invaders off himself. While his light infantry tried to harass as best they could they were too few and too undisciplined to be of much use. Still he refortified the old walls and made preparations for a siege.
And forced into a siege he was. The forces of Elam surrounded the city and prepared to squeeze it into submission believing that the northern forces had been either defeated or tied down unable to defend their precious capital. Babylon was sure to fall, sure to fall until the arrival of the Kings force that is. The kings force successful in the north had finally arrived, to the utter dismay of the Elamite king. The kings forces though depleted were the remains of the bloodiest conflict of the day, expert soldiers. Along with him was also the chariot force of Babylon, larger than that of Elams. These two components proved key in that decisive battle. As he broke the siege the Prince sallied forth to seal the day. The Elamite army was in utter route. Through this though the Elamite king was able to use his mercenary light infantry to secure his retreat and regroup his forces. He retreated to the relative safety of Ur where now he could consdoldate his earlier victories in southern Babylon, while the Babylonian army bruised and battered was unable to successfully defeat him again.
[Babylon: -1 light infantry(L), -1 heavy Infantry(L); Elam: -2 Light Infantry(L), -2 Heavy infantry(L)]
And yet still Elam had another enemy to face: Dilmun. Dilmun though relatively small went mostly unscathed by the fighting. Using this to their advantage Dilmun prepared to retake their possessions and wage a war on Elam. Dilmuns navy though was once again forced to combat with that of Elam, and both had built their respective navies up for this. Once again Dilmn inflicted near 2:1 casualties on Elam but was unable to gain supremacy. Though it did allow them to retake half of their former colony, on the southern side of the straits, and did allow them to launch several raids on Elamite land, forcing some reserves be sent back from Babylon, but not enough to ensure a Babylonian victory in the area.
[Dilmun: -1 early ship; Elam: -2 early ship]
But then the tides of war changed after the arrival of a mysterious third (fourth, now counting Babylon, fifth if you count Assyria) party. A Jemenite expedition had come to relieve Dilmun and bring victory for its ally. After a rest, refit, and resupply the Jemen fleet aided the Dilmin fleet in finally destroying the Elamite fleet once and for all, though it cost Elam more, the Elam fleet aiming for it specifically. After this Elam and jemen successfully landed their forces I nsouthern Elam, but then a disagreement occurred. Elams forces had been directed to raid only, while Jemen desired to hold the ground they took. In the end Jemen accepted responsibility for holding onto a strip of land near the Gates of Tarn, and Elam continued raiding the coastline. The result has destroyed the remainder of Elams commerce, regardless of the large scale collapse (see below).
[Dilmun: -1 early ship, Elam: -2 early ship, -1 commerce]
Still once word came that the enemy armies failed to move inland Elams forces stayed put, after all the land they had conquered was perhaps more rich than what they could lose back home. And now with word reaching Assyria of Elams semi-triumphs it is possible that war here could resume as well, with the new Ninevah royal line being berated by Assur nobles for having made the ceasefire in the first place. Babylon was this close to falling they say!
War for Crown of Two Egypts
The War for the Crown of Two Egypts has come to a close with a smashing Upper Egyptian victory. Lower Egypt has had numerous social upheavals and in-fighting. While the Upper and Lower armies were evenly matched on paper, in reality the upper Egyptians swept aside their enemy after a lower Egyptian general tried to declare himself pharaoh resulting in a mini-civil war depleting the Lower Egyptian forces ability to fight. In the end the battle was swift and the city of Memphis taken without a siege. The Pharaoh of Upper Egypt proclaimed himself Pharaoh of the Kingdom of Two Egypts. Egypt has been united at last after nearly 2000 years of attempts to do so. The new combined Kingdom is perhaps the most economically powerful nation in the world, stretching across a great span of the Nile, producing more food than any nation, and utilizing the combined industry of both former kingdoms. Yet still the country is large old regional sentiments remain, and its neighbors may not take kindly to being next to such a new giant.
[Lower Egypt: -existence. Upper Egypt: -1 light infantry(L), -1 heavy infantry(M)]
Jemen-Sheba War
Sensing the weakness of their main rival Sheba has launched a war to conquer Jemen. At Jemens home front was simply 4 light infantry levies left to guard against the entire Sheban military. Sheba quickly gained control of Jemens colonies, crushing the Jemeni fleet left at home, and advancing into main Jemen lands. This war has aided in the trading system collapse(see below). Sheba has successfully captured the Jemeni capital after hardly a fight, but now finds itself pitted against the rest of Jemens territories which have so far been too far away from mainland Sheba to control properly, especially since those levy light infantry continue to harass Sheban forces. Already word has reached the expeditionary group and very few feel like staying to fight Dilmuns war. Still Jemens main industrial center has been captured, and with the trade breakdown commerce has all but disappeared.
[Jemen: -1 industry]
Collapse of Trading Systems
While not a war we have finally reached the apex of what all these wars have achieved across the civilized world. A collapse of the trading systems that have been emplace for centuries. No one point of origin can be blamed; it was various systems working in tandem. Firstly the naval war between the Hittites and Phenicia has all but put an end to shipping in the eastern Mediterranean. This in turn is a major problem for all Bronze Age nations as copper shipments from Alashiya have all but stopped. Meanwhile goods from the Indus have stopped reaching the Fertile Crescent thanks to the current war with Elam and its neighbors. This exacerbates the problem of overland trade routes which have been strained already. Dimasquas war means its land routes are no longer open between Phenicia and the Mesopotamian. This in turn makes the current shipping problem worse as the risk of trading in this war zone is no longer profitable. The second option in the past was Mitanni, but the war between Babylonia and Assyria destroyed much of that as well, not to mention the Hittite invasion. To a lesser extent the loss of Black Sea trade has also been a slight cascading effect starting in the black sea and spilling into the Aegean and then Mediterranean, but its effect is not nearly so great. There is also the case of red sea trade which has been diminished with the war there. Thanks to both Sheba and the great Mesopotamian War shipments from Dilmun and the Indus have all but vanished, which in turn somewhat effects Egypt which could have relied on this trading route to survive the downturn of its overland and Phenician routes. In the end the entire collapse has hurt nearly everyones commerce that isnt in India and China.
[Bulgare: -1 commerce; Mycenae -1 commerce; Minoa: -1 commerce; Lydia: -1 commerce, Ilion: -1 commerce; Assuwa: -1 commerce; Hittite: -1 commerce; Ugrait: -1 commerce; Assyria: -1 commerce; Dilmun: -1 commerce; Babylon: -1 commerce; Dimaqa: -1 commerce; Phenicia: -1 commerce; Canaan: -1 commerce; Egypt: -1 commerce; Sheba: -1 commerce; Jemen: -1 commerce] (thats 17 nations, 17 commerce points in short)
National Look aka boring people not at war
Mycenae has spent great time and effort into constructing a new capital on the Corinth Isthmus. Being built with the entire economy of the Mycenaean kingdom and the ruins of Athens behind it the city has become the first major human construction in history. Nothing in the entire world could perhaps rival its splendor. The capital situated on the isthumus is connected to two harbors on both sides as well as an overland ramp which aids ships in crossing. The Imperial City of Hellias is seemingly entirely built of marble. Its buildings are the largest and most splendid in the world. (imagine a ton of acropolises etc). This has greatly boosted Mycenaean culture and many feel that the Mycenaean people are the greatest in the world. Still some wonder at what expense was this created and dissent is something that is seemingly impossible to get rid of in the Mycenae court.
[Mycenae: +2 culture, +1 infrastructure]
With such conviction of their dominance the Mycenaeans launch an invasion of Dorian land. While the initial assault is crushing and captures large pieces of land, the Dorians once again rally together to try and fend off the invaders. Thanks to the Bulgares and Mycenaeans the Dorians are ever converging on establishing a combined nation.
[Mycenae: -1 Light Infantry(L), -1 heavy Infantry(L)]
Katal continues to develop nicely. A new city pops up after a lot of hard work and industry expands, yay (getting tired now). To the north the Harappans finally fall to various reasons. Many places in India are on the verge of crafting nations, and yet they are just not there yet. Rest assured, Katal will have neighbors soon.
[Katal: +1 Industry]
Han now start doing some really crazy . .. .. .. .. They send a group of levy light infantry in an attempt to harass, I suppose raid, Xia lands. Yet they have little knowledge of their surrounding area, full of angry warlords and then the Xia themselves are stronger than them! Needless to say the light infantry are never heard from again. Anyways they start trading with the local Chinese and Xia regardless. And their heavy infantry go campain" which I assume means camping and have a good time at it, learning about making fires and wood.
[Han: -2 light infantry(L), +1 commerce]