Part 2: Losing friends (Bhutan)
Everything was looking good for Delhi, but bad news would come from then on. In 1536 another false khalifa was declared, in Chagatai, the neighbour to the north.
Bad news would also come from the Persian false caliphate, as they annexed the land of Sind, which was east of the Indus river. The Delhi padishahs had always wanted the unification of all Indian culture under their rule and this act of defiance didn’t bode well for the Persian-Delhi relations, which were only worsened when the Persians declared themselves sole defenders of the faith, an act that made their legitimacy as khalifa go up in the minds of some Muslims.
The Persians have crossed the Indus. This means war... in the future.
Also, in 1537, natural disasters would strike Delhi, as very strong monsoon rains would ruin the pepper harvest in Goa and make several merchants lost at sea. Some people would blame the comet sighted in early 1538 for those natural disasters, saying that Allah was displeased with the way Mohammed Shah V was handling matters (-5% production in Goa, lose one merchant in Kutch, -1 stability).
It was not only nature that was against Delhi at that time. Kazakh would win a war against Bhutan, forcing the Himalayan nation to end their treaty of alliance with Delhi, making the empire lose yet another ally. This would have far-reaching repercussions, since in the Delhi Jihad against Nepal of 1540, Bhutan would attack Nepal at the same time, taking the province of Katmandu, which was Mohammed Shah V’s objective all along. To top it all, Bhutan was now allied with Qin and Ming. There would have to be war between former friends in the future.
In the Delhi Jihad against Nepal, Mohammed Shah V would get the province of Gorka instead of Katmandu. Gorka was a very important market center, receiving goods from all over Southeast Asia, but Mohammed Shah was so angry at not getting Katmandu that he destroyed it and salted the earth, an action that didn’t go well with the other countries (CoT destroyed, -20% prestige). The goods would now flow through the coastal province of Bangala, which Mohammed Shah would soon covet.
Mohammed Shah V would become a very sour person after the Bhutan-Katmandu incident. He cancelled the military access with Bhutan and sent an insult to the Bhutanese king, calling him the son of a whore who had coupled with a monkey, among other things. Tension began to build up in the northern border.
The war against Bhutan would take yet many years to begin, since Delhi would be occupied with all sorts of misfortunes. In 1543 the ulemahs declared that the new trade practices the merchant conducted included usury, but Mohammed Shah V didn’t care about them (new trade research is herectical -1 stability).
There would also be arguments at the court of what way would be the best to fight both Bhutan and Qin, and Mohammed Shah would get very angry at the fact that his generals couldn’t reach a consensus. He eventually opted for the offensive approach, but many generals of the opposing faction would become disgruntled (military divided -1 stability).
In February 1545 Mohammed Shah V opened the Delhi market to foreign trade, abolishing some tariffs (free trade +1). But unfortunately, Delhi merchants weren't ready for the fierce competition that arrived (lack of protection). Also, smugglers would become rampant in Delhi, taking advantage of the fewer outposts that controlled the foreign trade. The empire was far too large and the navy far too small to control all its borders efficiently (-10% trade income until 1555).
Mohammed Shah V's mood would become sour after all these misfortunes. It's said he became angry at the slightest of things, one of which was the sound of the Panjabi language. He exiled all the Panjabi courtiers, which didn't go well with the common people of that ethnicity.
But in 1549 Delhi would try to leave all of this behind and it's armies would finally being marching northwards. That year saw the completion of the workshop program started by Mohammed Shah IV. With no more necessity of money for peaceful means, Mohammed Shah V diverted his attention to military matters. Two new 10,000 armies were commissioned, to make the Delhi army as big as Ming’s and Qin’s combined. Three 10,000 armies were sent to the provinces of Tibet that bordered Qin (Dali, Kham and Dingla). The reconquest of Katmandu would begin, but not as Mohammed Shah V expected…
Everything was looking good for Delhi, but bad news would come from then on. In 1536 another false khalifa was declared, in Chagatai, the neighbour to the north.
Bad news would also come from the Persian false caliphate, as they annexed the land of Sind, which was east of the Indus river. The Delhi padishahs had always wanted the unification of all Indian culture under their rule and this act of defiance didn’t bode well for the Persian-Delhi relations, which were only worsened when the Persians declared themselves sole defenders of the faith, an act that made their legitimacy as khalifa go up in the minds of some Muslims.
The Persians have crossed the Indus. This means war... in the future.
Also, in 1537, natural disasters would strike Delhi, as very strong monsoon rains would ruin the pepper harvest in Goa and make several merchants lost at sea. Some people would blame the comet sighted in early 1538 for those natural disasters, saying that Allah was displeased with the way Mohammed Shah V was handling matters (-5% production in Goa, lose one merchant in Kutch, -1 stability).
It was not only nature that was against Delhi at that time. Kazakh would win a war against Bhutan, forcing the Himalayan nation to end their treaty of alliance with Delhi, making the empire lose yet another ally. This would have far-reaching repercussions, since in the Delhi Jihad against Nepal of 1540, Bhutan would attack Nepal at the same time, taking the province of Katmandu, which was Mohammed Shah V’s objective all along. To top it all, Bhutan was now allied with Qin and Ming. There would have to be war between former friends in the future.
In the Delhi Jihad against Nepal, Mohammed Shah V would get the province of Gorka instead of Katmandu. Gorka was a very important market center, receiving goods from all over Southeast Asia, but Mohammed Shah was so angry at not getting Katmandu that he destroyed it and salted the earth, an action that didn’t go well with the other countries (CoT destroyed, -20% prestige). The goods would now flow through the coastal province of Bangala, which Mohammed Shah would soon covet.
Mohammed Shah V would become a very sour person after the Bhutan-Katmandu incident. He cancelled the military access with Bhutan and sent an insult to the Bhutanese king, calling him the son of a whore who had coupled with a monkey, among other things. Tension began to build up in the northern border.
The war against Bhutan would take yet many years to begin, since Delhi would be occupied with all sorts of misfortunes. In 1543 the ulemahs declared that the new trade practices the merchant conducted included usury, but Mohammed Shah V didn’t care about them (new trade research is herectical -1 stability).
There would also be arguments at the court of what way would be the best to fight both Bhutan and Qin, and Mohammed Shah would get very angry at the fact that his generals couldn’t reach a consensus. He eventually opted for the offensive approach, but many generals of the opposing faction would become disgruntled (military divided -1 stability).
In February 1545 Mohammed Shah V opened the Delhi market to foreign trade, abolishing some tariffs (free trade +1). But unfortunately, Delhi merchants weren't ready for the fierce competition that arrived (lack of protection). Also, smugglers would become rampant in Delhi, taking advantage of the fewer outposts that controlled the foreign trade. The empire was far too large and the navy far too small to control all its borders efficiently (-10% trade income until 1555).
Mohammed Shah V's mood would become sour after all these misfortunes. It's said he became angry at the slightest of things, one of which was the sound of the Panjabi language. He exiled all the Panjabi courtiers, which didn't go well with the common people of that ethnicity.
But in 1549 Delhi would try to leave all of this behind and it's armies would finally being marching northwards. That year saw the completion of the workshop program started by Mohammed Shah IV. With no more necessity of money for peaceful means, Mohammed Shah V diverted his attention to military matters. Two new 10,000 armies were commissioned, to make the Delhi army as big as Ming’s and Qin’s combined. Three 10,000 armies were sent to the provinces of Tibet that bordered Qin (Dali, Kham and Dingla). The reconquest of Katmandu would begin, but not as Mohammed Shah V expected…