Tunis Delenda Est

[Selzro]

The Tunisian and Ottoman armies are about equal, at least in numbers, but the Ottomans are allied with Austria and Russia. I could - maybe - stand up to Russia on land (if they don't mobilize and if they don't send too many troops all at once at me), though definitely not at sea, but I'd have no hope against Austria. Maybe if I could get France to help me, but then I'd have no guarantee that the French would act on my best interests in the peace negotiations. So I'll have to wait for the Ottoman Empire's diplomatic situation to deteriorate.

[badger_ken]

looks like the US had a huge rebel problem as well.
Congrats with getting the baleares - have you found that if you wait long enough, people will cave? You probably didn't have anything near the warscore requirement.

[Selzro]

Oh yes, the US had it bad on all fronts. The required warscore wasn't that much - Catalonia had become independent so the Balearic Islands (Spanish Catalonia) was only one province, so after the Spanish army was gone I had all the time in the world to occupy provinces around Madrid until I got what I wanted. I have found, though, in other cases, that given enough time nations at a disadvantage can give in to demands that are above the current warscore. I imagine it's due to war exhaustion.

[Melrick]

Poor old Spain, everyone is kicking them while they're down. lol Good job in pinching their island, though!

[Selzro]

Thanks! There's more in store for Spain, if the Neo-Carthaginian faction in Tunis can help it... Italy is a problem for them, though. We're far too friendly and cozy and there's little hope of ever nabbing Sicily or Sardinia from them.

[Selzro]

Chapter IX – Tunis gets Cracking

In 1889, yet another war broke out between Mediterranean nations, and Tunis, though still financially very insecure, could not help but notice the opportunity presented to it. The Ottoman Empire invaded Egypt, to reclaim some land in Syria. The Ottoman reconquest was spreading around Lebanon and putting off the latter’s Tunisian ‘liberation’ any longer would carry a great risk of the former claiming it in their next war. So, in May 1889 a Tunisian army landed in Beirut, starting the Tunisian-Egyptian war.



During the next year, that army met little resistance and was able to be reinforced as it conquered its way southwards through Palestine. By April 1890, most of Palestine and Lebanon were occupied and an increasingly expanding industry and prestige ranked Tunis 13th among the civilized nations. The country was still poor, and the treasury had decreased by half during the last year of fighting, but at least Tunis was beginning to acquire the flair of a multi-cultural colonial metropolis.



On that month, the first serious Egyptian resistance was met, as Egyptian armies had assembled in Suez and threatened to put an end to the Tunisian advance, or even turn it into a rout.



In the past years, the army of Tunis had seen consecutive upgrades to its small arms, placing them on par with many European armies, but with no corresponding advances in organization and tactics. The lack of modern training showed in the Battle of Suez where, even though the Egyptian attack was repelled, the Tunisians were in no shape to pursue the enemy or to keep up the fight for much longer, should enemy reinforcements arrive. With the treasury expected to run out after another half a year of war, it was deemed prudent to limit the nation’s wargoals, and so in May a peace treaty was signed, ceding Lebanon to Tunis.



The integration of Lebanon brought much excitement to the Neo-Carthaginian elements in Tunis, and the joy was spread to Mogadishu, which was made a state on 1 June 1890. However, all was not well for Tunisian geopolitics. In October 1890, Catalonia had an anarcho-liberal revolution, breaking off its alliance with Tunis and shaking off all French influence.



It still had a truce with Spain, so there was no immediate danger to that new country, but Tunis was short on allies (the old alliance with France having been dissolved some time ago) and losing one to rebels was not seen in a good light.

What was seen in a good light was the invention of cracking, a week later.



The Tunisian government immediately started constructing refineries in all states, placing the country 3000 pounds in debt by December. The investment was deemed to be worth it however, and the loans had been paid back within a few months after some stringent economic measures.

By the spring of 1891, Tunisian society had been steeped in nationalism and imperialism, and an archaeological expedition was sent to Luxor, to search for Phoenician influences on ancient Egyptian art and architecture.

1891 was to be the last year of economic austerity, since in early 1892 the first refineries became operational and generated abundant petrodollars for the Tunisian economy.



The increased industrial importance of Tunis, coupled with its rising prestige and the recent addition of guards brigades to its army, put the country on a rising trajectory among nations. Ranked 11th in early 1892, it then became 10th in April of that same year. Meanwhile, the anarcho-liberal plague spread across much of the world, causing a massive revolution in the Ottoman Empire and even enforcing its doctrine on distant and barbaric Zululand.



Instability within the Ottoman Empire was a matter of close observation for the Tunisian government and its armed forces, which became restructured in the summer of 1892 into three ‘Poeni Corps’, consisting of mostly infantry and guards. However, the Empire was still guaranteed by Russia and Austria, so unless the rebels were successful there was little hope of an opportunity to take Tripoli. The rebels, disappointingly, seemed to be losing ground, but they were winning ground in another country of interest, Spain, which could still be reached by Tunisian troops via France.

Spain was already entangled in a war against Egypt, but the Tunisian government waited until they would be at their weakest before acting. While brigades were gradually being transported to France, news came that Cyprus declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire. The island, lying between Crete and Lebanon, could be of future strategic importance, so better relations with it were pursued once diplomatic relations were established.



In March 1893 it seemed like any further delay in a war against Spain would be to the latter’s advantage, so a declaration of war was delivered, claiming the region of Valencia, which included the city of Cartagena (once Carthago Nova and before that Qart Hadasht, a second Carthage in Iberia) and also bordered Catalonia. Its conquest would serve both Neo-Carthaginian nationalist goals and the policy of securing Catalonian independence, as a check on Spanish power.



The border with France was swarming with Spanish rebels, which were bypassed in Huerca with a minimum of fuss. The Spanish mobilized their reserves, but 16 of their brigades were encircled in the Battle of Siguenza, in May, and forced to surrender.



After that, the Spanish became more defensive, while the Tunisian army equipped its infantry brigades with machineguns, and proceeded to occupy multiple provinces around Madrid.



Spanish forces were regrouping in the north and south-west of the country and some of them were attacked by Tunisian armies, to prevent them from linking up and presenting a threat to the Tunisian war effort.



The year ended with a single Spanish brigade landing in Bizerte in November, which necessitated the mobilization of Tunis’ reserves, since there were no armies stationed in the homeland. The threat was eventually neutralized and the conscripts were demobilized.

1894 brought a moralist resurgence in the, already quite moralist, country, the formation of a Neo-Carthaginian Gentlemen’s Club in Crete and the sighting of a comet on the 30th of May. Tunis was scientifically literate enough to see the latter as merely a good opportunity for some pleasant astronomy, but many of the people saw in it a sign of changing times. It can only be speculated if people in Spain thought the same, but during the pass of the comet, the last significant battle of the war raged in Jaen.



With the neutralization of Spain’s last threatening army in the south and with Valencia occupied, the former agreed to accept Tunis’ peace terms in June.



Not long after that, Tunis’ first stage of colonial expansion, in Somaliland around Mogadishu, was completed, while research was yielding its first fruits on new industrial and farming methods.



In May 1895, Spain was integrated in France’s sphere of influence, thus protecting Tunis from any revanchist tendencies of the former. There was some concern on the vulnerability of Catalonia, however, which was not afforded the same protection.

A quarter of a century after its westernization, Tunis is steadily 10th in the world rankings, right beneath the Ottoman Empire, but its industrial output is rising fast. Ali Bey, reluctant to clash with the popular Neo-Carthaginian parliament, had a smaller role in decision making than his predecessors, but this did not result in an expansion of political liberty. The cunning head of state was well acquainted with the process of letting others seemingly get their way in things that the Bey would have agreed to anyway, in order to reap advantages elsewhere. So far, Neo-Carthaginianism had not threatened the monarchy, and Ali intended to see to it that it never would in the future.

[Kaltorak]

I can't believe I missed an update! I was confused when I saw factories in Tunisian Catalonia lol. The opportunistic assaults around the Mediterranean are fun to watch. The fuel industry certainly seems to be worth the debt, it is seriously cracking along... no pun intended. Amazing how many unemployed craftsmen you have. Gotta get those guys a job before they start organising in nasty groups. Good to see your into the colonisation game. Just a bit sad that the French cut off the Tunisian heartland. Enjoying the progress!

[badger_ken]

the re-re-conquista begin! Sweet revenge, Tunis has come a very long way indeed, and with your industrial focus, is in great shape - GP here you come!

[Konnigratz]

You should definitely write an event that proclaims a new Carthaginian empire. With plenty of lovely, lovely cores! Granted, most of them would be on French territory, but suicidal wars are always fun to watch.

[Melrick]

Fantastic, more territory for the ever-growing Tunisia!

[Tanzhang (譚張)]

Hard luck with Lucca and Tuscany, but at least you got Lebanon and Valencia out of it! With any luck Spain will drift out of France's SoI so you can claim Cyrenacia.

[Selzro]

Thanks for still reading, everyone! A Carthaginian Empire decision, like the Byzantine Empire, would be fun but, as you said, Konnigratz, suicidal. Still, Tunis has been growing in territory along fairly Carthaginian lines, and will now be expanding deeper in Africa. The French cutting off Tunis to its south was unfortunate, but I hope Tripoli may eventually be taken, to create a contiguous African Empire. If I go to war with Spain again, I'd like to take Granada - historical Carthaginian territory (and the coal there doesn't hurt...)!

[Selzro]

Chapter X – And the World Gaped in Wonder, but then Sneered Back

The next few years after the War for Cartagena were of colonial expansion and industrial reformation. Either oil became more difficult to find or the price of fuel became lower, because the refineries often struggled to make a profit, and the whole economy depended on them. Tunisian fuel production was second in the world (after the UK), but official records showed a confusing picture as to its distribution:



Confounding it further were reports from the refineries which stated that they were selling most of their fuel, while in international trade reports Tunis wasn’t even numbered among the producing nations (only the UK and some meager quantities from Denmark were mentioned).

In any case, Tunisian scientists made great headways in the study of electricity in 1896, and a year later electric lighting was installed in the factories, greatly increasing their output efficiency.



June 1897 was a fateful month on two other accounts; Lebanon was granted statehood and Waw Region was colonized, a good source of wood and other resources in central Africa, and an important step in any future linking of the Somalian colony to Tunisia, via Tripoli.



In November the first electric gear factories began to be constructed across the Tunisian states. There was no demand for such products yet but the government planned ahead for the future.

In 1898 a new general uprising in Spain resulted in the Philippines declaring their independence. Tunis started building up relations with that new nation.



1899 saw two events of future importance: the Netherlands declared war on Egypt, claiming the Asmara Region (which they would win) and Italy allied with Tunis. The alliances with Italy and France promised to sustain Tunis through its transition to a position of higher power, when the latter would be too big for the French sphere of influence and start carving out its own. In July 1900 telephone construction was mastered in Tunis, and a new wave of factory construction commenced on all states.

As a result of Tunis’ rapidly expanding industry, by 1901 it was ranked 8th among all civilized nations, and had surpassed the Netherlands, which had been hanging on to that position for some time. Anticipating a reshuffling of the order of alliances and spheres of influence, on 4 September 1901 Ali Bey proclaimed the liberation of Brunei, which would retain its ties to Tunis as a dominion, therefore deterring any possible Dutch intent to start a colonial war over it.

On that same day, while the world’s attention was in the East Indies, in Lebanon the generals acted upon instructions they had received earlier and invaded Egypt, after a prompt declaration of war was delivered.



The object was to claim Palestine and Dumyat while Tunis still enjoyed French protection. Indeed, no other nation stood up for Egypt, and the first month of operations went seamlessly.

As the crowning climax of all those efforts, Ali Bey took upon the title of Sultan, on the 27th of October 1901. Representatives from the world over were invited to the ceremony, where the ageing Tunisian monarch put on a display of imperial grandeur and personal frailty.



That was to be symbolic in more ways than intended, for many of the old enemies of Tunis now saw it leave the French nest not fully formed, and old imperialistic feelings resurfaced.

Less than a week had passed from the coronation when the Netherlands declared war, claiming a colony in central Africa. Italy and Switzerland stood by Tunis but France felt it was no longer its responsibility to protect it.



The Dutch invaded Djibouti from Asmara and also Tunisian Central Africa from their colonies north of Italian Congo.

Two months later, Portugal declared its own war, claiming Crete. Switzerland remained a faithful, if useless, ally to Tunis, but Italy refused to join a second war, especially since Portugal brought into the fight Russia as its ally.



By March, the enemies were making progress on all fronts, except for Egypt, where the Tunisian armies were defeating all opposition with little problem. Operations were also conducted in the Egyptian Ethiopian regions, since the opposition there was much weaker than the Dutch and Portuguese who were invading from three sides while the few hastily raised brigades in Somalia and Waw struggled to converge and get organized.



The priorities of the war were set thus: Egypt first, Portugal second, and the Netherlands, which had the most advanced army, last. Meanwhile, Tunisian industry was being hit particularly hard by the war and the blockades. Taxes were increased for the lower and higher classes, while high tariffs were also put in place to combat the staggering cost of supporting the failing factories.



Even so, subsidies were cut for many of them, including the refineries, which became bottomless money pits after the blockades were instated. After decades of progress, Tunis watched as its industry was ripped to shreds and the very fabric of the modern Tunisian state was threatened.

It was at this low point that Ali III died, in 11 June 1902. His heir, Muhammad IV, became sultan of an empire under siege. With all ports blockaded, wars on multiple fronts with 4 enemy nations, one of them a great power and one a former great power, it would be his reign that would judge whether Tunis was destined to overcome its tormented past and rise as a new power or whether it would be humiliated by its enemies and sink back into relative obscurity.

[Konnigratz]

Damn the Dutch and Portuguese! Always picking on poor Tunis, who has done nothing to them.

Also, wow at the Philippines. Independence in 1898, and only a month later than historically. It would be pretty entertaining to see the US annex them now.

[Ricox]

This is the best and most interesenting AAR I've ever read (I don't read AARs a lot, but this one.. oh my god, just brilliant..)!

[Selzro]

Konnigratz - Weeeeell, Tunis did beat the Dutch to the colonization of the region they then started the war for, with the gentle nudge of a Tunisian cavalry brigade that was stationed there... But surely that would be no cause for enmity among civilized nations!

The Philippines were a happy surprise at the time they got their independence. It reminded me of how Russia turned into the Soviet Union in 1918-1919 in my Australian game. So far no Americans have been sighted in the vicinity. So far...

Ricox - Thank you so much, I aim to please! I remember your Sicilian AAR, but you were updating it faster than I had time to read it, so I don't believe I ever commented in it... I'll be keeping an eye out for your next AAR!

[Tanzhang (譚張)]

Why is Italian Congo Sardinian Blue rather than Italian green? Also, what part will Russia play in the next war?

[Kaltorak]

It looks like you have a fair few brigades in southern Egypt and Africa. How many Portuguese and Dutch confront you there? Its strange I haven't seen the congo given away in any of my games so far... of course I have few into the 20th century which is probably why. The new sultan certainly has some challenges to overcome. Are you still interested in the war with Egypt or just using it to transfer troops more easily to the African theatre? Good luck!

Edit: Also a shame about your industry collapsing under the weight of war and the United Kingdom's super industry. I guess this means more unemployed craftsmen, hopefully they don't take up arms against you.

[Melrick]

Wow, becoming a great power hasn't been so kind. I'll be interested to see just how Tunisia can get out of this mess!

[Aliasing]

Invent a gigantic cannon that fires sheep filled with gunpowder.... THAT WILL HELP!!! somehow