The Lions of Lahore - A Sikh Empire AAR

In 1836, the Sarkar-e-Khalsa, as so-called uncivilized nations go, starts off in a situation that could be considered both well-off and precarious. While its resource base is... best described as agrarian, it does have the largest population of the independent native states in the region, strong leadership in the person of Ranjit Singh (in-game, this is modeled as a decision that, when selected, gives incredible military bonuses for a number of years, some of which last beyond Ranjit Singh's death), and great progress towards modernization--70%, it turns out--and as a result, a relatively modern military compared to its neighbors.

However, it also starts out with the Afghans to the west looking to reclaim some of their lands, as well as Perfidious Albion and their quisling "princely states" steadily encroaching--though not militarily, at first--from the east. War with both is pretty much inevitable. It's best to make sure it's on the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's terms, and not theirs.

Ranjit Singh, in his wisdom, feels confident that the British Empire can be kept at bay using diplomacy for at least a few more years. While Ranjit Singh is an effective and able administrator and reformer, he is, perhaps, most able as a commander on the battlefield, so while he leaves the British Empire to his diplomats, he quickly puts his military acumen and modern army to use securing the western border, while remove the Emirate of Afghanistan as a legitimate threat.

In 1837, another stage in the long series of Afghan-Sikh Wars began, with the Sarkar-e-Khalsa declaring war on the Emirate of Afghanistan and its ally Khiva. While the Afghans and Khivans outnumbered the Fauj-i-Ain, as a fighting force, the Fauj-i-Ain was far more effective, having been reformed and modernized by Ranjit Singh based on the European model. The war lasted approximately a year, and when it ended, the Sarkar-e-Khalsa annexed Kandahar.

Not even a year later, seeking a land route--albeit a lengthy one--between Panjab proper and the new frontier of Kandahar, Ranjit Singh conquered Kalat in a war that lasted only three and a half months. Like the Afghans and Khivans before, the Kalati fought in a more traditional manner, and didn't even have the advantage of sheer numbers. Victory was all-but-assured.

Sadly, Maharajah Ranjit Singh died on June 27th, 1839, and relations with the British Empire deteriorated rapidly. His son and successor, Kharak Singh, was quickly dethroned and replaced by Nau Nihal Singh. Rampant internal strife, court intrigue, and the looming threat of British aggression cast a dark shadow over the entire realm. Unity and hope would come in the most unlikely of forms...

Late in 1839, there were reports of the British Empire massing forces on the Anglo-Sikh border, and Nau Nihal Singh, sensing something amiss, responded in kind, even mobilizing the reserves and taking to the front himself. Very early in 1840, his foresight was vindicated when the British Empire, despite monumental efforts on the part of the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's diplomats, declared war against the realm, desiring the Sikh portion of Amritsar. The first Anglo-Sikh war had begun.

The first battle was had in the province of Firozpur. The Maharajah had intentionally left the defenses seemingly weak there, while keeping more forces in the rear for quick reinforcement. The British took the bait, attacking the roughly 30,000 brave Sikh Warriors with a force of approximately 48,000. Within days, two more detachments of the Fauj-i-Ain arrived and reinforced the besieged initial army, swelling the Sikh side in the battle to approximately 93,000. While the Fauj-i-Ain lost slightly more, in absolute terms, than the British invasion force (~13.8k vs 12.2k), the British ultimately lost the battle, as well as a full quarter of their forces in the area.

The second battle was even more astounding. This battle, the Battle of Srinigar, was different from the first. The Sikh defenders were heavily dug-in, and the British, perhaps underestimate the 'uncivilized' natives, attacked with a slightly larger force. Despite being considered a sub-par general on the whole, Kharak Ramgharia inflicted a crushing defeat on the British, and with no reinforcements, to boot. There were 41,000 british casualties, with only a little over 6,000 on the Sikh side. This is when the British realized that the first defeat, perhaps, had not been a fluke.

In the months afterwards, thanks to the shrewd combination of the strategies that had won the first two battles, the Fauj-i-Ain inflicted several more embarassing defeats on the British. Even more amazingly, the Fauj-i-Ain had also begun pushing into British-held land, taking control of Simla and Panipat. These happening caused the local British leadership's desire to continue the war evaporate, and they offered a white peace. The Maharajah made a counter-offer: the British Empire would cede not only Simla, but Delhi and the areas surrounding the city to the Sarkar-e-Khalsa, in return for the safe return of all captured British soldiers and civilians. After a week's deliberation, the British agreed to his terms.

It is a little known fact that the Maharajah's advisors had been pushing him to continue the war, or at least demand more territory, but the Maharajah, showing great wisdom for his young age, knew that the longer the conflict lasted, the more the tide would turn against the Sarkar-e-Khalsa. It was best to make modest gains now, with the promise of more, than to risk everything out of greed or pride. They had, after all, already made their point: The Sarkar-e-Khalsa would not yield to the British Empire's imperialism.

After the war, the people began to refer to Maharaja Nau Nihal Singh as the Lion of Lahore and the Fauj-i-Ain as the Pride of Punjab.

The Sarkar-e-Kalsa and the Indian subcontinent after the 1st Anglo-Sikh War:


Huh, okay, turns out that I... might actually remember enough stuff from the first third to actually write non-recaps. Heh.

(Sorry for any typos and such. I'm sort of pressed for time.)

volksmarschall said:

Drive the imperialists out of the subcontinent!

Click to expand...

That's the plan.

metalinvader665 said:

The Sikh Empire seems like such an interesting game, especially ruling India as a Sikh. Plus United India is probably up their with Greater Germany in terms of strongest nation in the game.

Very nice job on the first war--I'd imagine they get harder because the British AI likes keeps most of their army in India.

Click to expand...

I've never actually successfully formed India, though I've come close(ish) once or twice.

And yeah, the Sikh Empire can be a really interesting game, since you need to tangle with the UK (usually multiple times), if you want to live up to your potential. I mean, I suppose one could just conquer Sindi, Kalat, Makran, and Afghanistan, then be some sort of early super-pakistan, but while it's a perfectly viable strategy (especially since the Sikh Empire has decisions to make Pashtuns and Sindi accepted culture), it's rather... unambitious.

Of course, it can also be an annoying game, if it turns into "Victoria 2: Cholera Simulator Edition", since, at least for me, the Sikh Empire tends to suffer from massive Cholera Epidemics. In one game, I went the super-pakistan route, but experienced so many cholera (and other disease) events that my population upon westernizing was... actually less than the Sikh Empire's starting population, when it should've been about four million. It was absurd.

In regards to future Anglo-Sikh wars... well, they were slightly tougher than the first. While they were on my terms, the logistics of covering the entire front proved to be quite troublesome, since the princely states were involved in those, and I didn't have enough spare cash to construct fortifications all along the border, at least until very recently. I think the fourth Anglo-Sikh war, when it happens, may very well be the toughest, since the UK...


...which means that I have to be wary of the west, too. Admittedly, I think they'd puppeted them before the 3rd Anglo-Sikh War, but I am still feeling somewhat leery about the situation.

Shortly after the end of the 1st Anglo-Sikh War, Maharaja Nau Nihal Singh made an official proclamation reaffirming the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's dedication to retaining its independence. The proclamation soothed, to a small extent, the internal intrigue that had, before the war, resulted in his father's dethronement and imprisonment. However, the proclamation's effects were most noted in the military, which was galvanized like never before. After all, they had bloodied the nose of world's mightiest empire and ensured the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's continued prosperity, so what had they to fear from now on?

The Maharaja knew, however, that the conflict with the British was far from over. The imperialists would not attack for the time being, lest they lose standing in the eyes of the other so-called "Great Powers', but the desire for revenge was a strong incentive to wage war. The Sarkar-e-Khalsa would have to use the time afforded by this truce wisely if it would even hope to repel further aggression. Secure borders and more resources--the most important of which being of the human kind--were needed. The Maharaja turned his gaze south--to Sindh--and towards the rump emirate of Afghanistan.

Sindh, as of yet, had managed to avoid falling within the UK's sphere of influence, but the Maharaja knew that it was only a matter time before the country fell under the UK's sway or, worse yet, became a mere imperialist puppet. The ruling Talpur dynasty and the Sindi people had no possibility of repelling British aggression; alone, they were too weak and backwards to even dream of it. However, under the careful and tolerant rule of the Sarkar-e-Khalsa, the Sindi people could not only survive, but prosper! They may resent being conquered, but it would be for their own good, and they would, at the soonest chance, be afforded all the rights the Panjabi people enjoyed.

The war against Sindh lasted a scant four months, with only two battles being fought, both of which were victories for the Fauj-i-Ain. The Sindh army, to its credit, was surprisingly numerous and fought bravely, but the difference in martial ability was simply too much. By February of 1843, Sindh had been annexed into the the Sarkar-e-Khalsa.

Things were peaceful and rather uneventful for the next few years, for the most part. On January 1st, 1845, the efforts at modernizing the state begun by Ranjit Singh decades before came to fruition and, in the eyes of the world, the Sarkar-e-Khalsa came to be considered a fully modern state, though one that, admittedly, was 'less modern' than the western powers. Regardless, the recognition gained the Sarkar-e-Khalsa some measure of prestige in the eyes of the other nations of the world. Furthermore, the country, in the eyes of the world, almost immediately came to be considered a so-called secondary power soon thereafter, easily being the strongest, msot modern native state in South Asia, by a considerable margin. Nau Nihal Singh issued a proclamation similar to the one four years earlier, this time about the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's dedication to bringing order, peace, and stability to all the peoples under its rule. He backed up this proclamation by fulfilling the promise he had made some years before: granting the Sindi people approximately the same rights as the Panjabi people. Beyond this, in his great benevolence, Nau Nihal Singh extended the same rights to the Pashtun and Avadhi peoples, as well.

In 1846, the Sarkar-e-Khalsa declared war against the rump state of Afghanistan, not with the intent to conquer--at least not fully--but with the attempt isolate. Afghanistan called to its allies Bukkhara and Khiva, but they proved to be no match for the Fauj-i-Ain. Bukkharan Kandahar and Afghan Bandakshan were annexed into the empire, and the Emirate was reduced to, essentially, an especially large enclave. The Maharaja felt that this would shield the Emirate, at least somewhat, from the influence of the Great Powers, such as the Russian Tsardom far to the north.

Afghanistan remained an isolated enclave for approximately seven years, until 1853. In that year, hostilities resumed between the Sarkar-e-Khalsa and the Emirate of Afghanistan, which was aided by Bukkhara, Khiva, and the Kokand Khanate. Even combined, these four powers could do nothing to stop what was to come, and in November of the same year, the Emirate of Afghanistan was completely annexed into the empire. With Afghanistan under Sikh control, and relations with the Persians, Russians, and China good, the Maharaja could turn his full attention back to the British, who had been steadily growing more belligerant towards the Sarkar-e-Khalsa in recent years. Nothing major, but the... atmosphere, for lack of a better word, reminded Nau Nihal Singh of the months just before the first Anglo-Sikh War.

There was still time to prepare, however,for the British were embroiled in a war with the Ottomans far to the west--the Maharaja had graciously allowed British troops passage through the Empire's land--and, beyond that, perhaps the Imperialists were feeling a bit leery of the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's rising power and standing in the world...

With war looming on the the horizon, the Sarkar-e-Khalsa had become one of the world's eight Great Powers.


Map of the Empire and subcontinent as it stands:


Additional Info: The proclamations about Independence and Order were about the national value system in the mod, which is the very same one present in the population PDM/APD/POD mod. I felt it appropriate that, since the Empire had just asserted its independence against the imperialists, that the most logical choice for an upgrade would be independence.

Once the British troops had safely passed through both the Sarkar-e-Khalsa and the Qajar Persian Empire and begun to lay siege to the Ottomans, the Maharaja knew that the time for war was drawing ever closer. The reserves were mobilized and organized into small infantry armies, using a few to guard provinces that would otherwise have been left unguarded, and placing the rest on standby at key provinces close behind the front. The Maharaja left a gap in the defense at Panipat, placing two of these reserve armies in Amritsar and Simla.

His borders secure and his forces in place, the Maharaja surprised the British--and, indeed, the world--when the long-expected second Anglo-Sikh war began, not by the Imperialists, but by the Sarkar-e-Khalsa. The Fauj-i-Ain, in an amazing show of coordination, launched several simultaneous attacks on the quisling princely states that had risen to defend their "master", quickly destroying their armies and subduing their territories. Within weeks, the Rajputana region had been thoroughly subdued, as well as the Awadhi and Gujarat regions. Within a year, the front had stabilized into a crescent stretching from Ahmedabad in the south to Gorakhpur in the north, with the forces of the British and the princely states of Hyderberad, Mysore, Orissa, Nagpur, Bundelkhand, and Indore being repelled again and again.

Diplomats were sent to the British with an offer: The princely state of Baroda would be transferred into the sphere of influence of the Sarkar-e-Khalsa, and the British portions of Awadh and Budelkhand would be ceded, in exchange for the immediate cessation of hostilities, and the safe return of all prisoners and British nationals. Demoralized and with over half of the British forces that would have otherwise been on the subcontinent embroiled in the conflict with the Ottomans, as well as serious doubts about the usefulness of the militaries of the princely states, the British agreed to the demands.

In truth, while the Fauj-i-Ain could have penetrated deeper into the sub-continentm the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's economy was already beginning to feel the negative effects from the mobilization of so many of its able-bodied men. Like before, Maharajah Nau Nihal Singh opted for modest gains--though greater than before, by any measure--and proving a point: that the Ascent of the Sarkar-e-Khalsa was well underway.

The Empire demobilized its reserves and the men returned home to their families. Soon after, celebrations broke out all over the empire, celebrating the Maharaja and the brave men of the Fauj-i-Ain, including the reserves. Even in the newly-annexed territories did celebrations occur, the inhabitants overjoyed at having been liberated from the imperialists. Some, however, expressed concern that the Empire's borders were becoming too stretched, though most were happy that fears that the Punjabi victory over the British in the first Anglo-Sikh war had finally been put to rest.

Most of the next decade would prove to be uneventful--business-as-usual, as they say. The Maharaja, realizing that the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's primary weakness was at this point economic, not military in nature, pursued an aggressive policy of modernizing the economic sector of the Empire. Within a few years, his efforts paid off, and the Empire's coffers swelled tremendously. The Maharaja also encouraged education among his subjects--if the Empire was to continue to survive, it would need to industrialize eventually, and to do that, a well-educated population was required.

Being a military man, he did not ignore the military entirely, instead drawing up plans to improve the efficiency of mobilized troops. In previous wars, the mobilized troops had been organized into all-infantry armies, and had been used to either overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers or back up the regular army. They had proven remarkably effective, but the Maharaja felt that they could be used better. While the manpower to do so was not available at the time, the Maharaja made plans to create specialized detachments that would consist primarily of artillery, engineer, and cavalry brigades, which would be attached to the mobilized infantry, creating armies not dissimilar in composition to the standing armies.

The Subcontinent and its subtleties, after the 2nd Anglo-Sikh war:


Late in 1864, the Sarkar-e-Khalsa began mobilizing its reserves yet again...

On January 25th, 1865, the Sarkar-e-Khalsa declared war on the United Kingdom yet again, with the stated aim of freeing the Princely State of Hyderabad from imperialist control and placing it under the Empire's safe protection.

The Princely State of Hyderabad had, in the years since the 2nd Anglo-Sikh war, completed its efforts at modernizing, and possessed an extensive territory with a sizeable population, a solid--if agrarian--economy, and, most pressingly, a large, decently effective military. By freeing them from the control of the British and making them an ally, the Sarkar-e-Khalsa would not only increase its own effective military power, but also remove the primary source of native military capability for the British.

The war, at first, went as the second Anglo-Sikh had. The Fauj-i-Ain easily subudued the various Princely States in the Rajputana region, and set up a long crescent-shaped front stretching from Udaipar to Patna, letting the Imperialists and their trained dogs wear themselves out against the dig-in Fauj-i-Ain. The Empire gained victory after victory, most of them decisive.

However, at one point, a British Army led by one Russel Grenfell, a general noted for his ability to march armies at breakneck speed, broke through a temporary gap in the front and began to lay siege to the province of Agra.
Kaur Maul, a decorated veteran general from the second Anglo-Sikh war, moved his army to engage General Grenfell--despite still being in the process of reorganizing his troops at the time--and met him at Agra. Grenfell gained the upper hand, and all seemed lost until three nearby armies broke away from the front to assist... or perhaps purely to gain glory. Thanks to those reinforcement, the battle was won, but at a terrible cost: over half of the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's approximately 170,000 casualties in the war came from the Battle of Agra, and the failure of those armies to maintain the line allowed numerous smaller enemy armies to enter into the Empire's territory.

While certainly capable of re-asserting dominance, the Battle of Agra, due to the sheer number of casualties, sapped the Empire's will to continue the war, and many felt that the time it would take the armies involved to reinforce would place the country at too much risk. The British, once they caught wind of the almost complete annihilation of what had, it turned out to be, been the bulk of their non-Indian forces on the continent, also desired an end to the war.

Diplomats met, and a settlement was quickly reached. While the Empire did not have enough clout to enforce its original war goal, it did have enough to convince the United Kingdom to cede the region of Bihar, which the Maharaja felt was an acceptable gain, considering the region's large population and stores of coal--it was, in fact, the only source of coal on the subcontinent.

After barely six months, the third Anglo-Sikh war came to an end, with nearly 450,000 combined casualties.

The Subcontinent:


...

I actually went into this war with two goals: Gain Bihar and get Hyderabad into my sphere, but I botched its execution something fierce thanks to that Battle of Arba. Had to cut my losses and make do with just one.

Among the Great Powers of the world, the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's economy is one of the weaker, being largely pre-industrial, though more because it lacks the highly-educated populace needed to even begin to industrialize. However, due to the sheer size of the country, the economy is still solid, and quickly developing. The Maharaja is making great efforts to encourage education among his citizens, in order to facilitate the development of the economy, but only time will tell if these efforts will pay off.

However, despite its pre-industrial status, the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's economy is still extremely large. Its largest cash crop, so-to-speak, is opium, the country producing approximately 87% of the world's supply. It is the world's second largest producer of fruit, just behind the French Empire, as well as the world's second largest producer of dye, and the third largest for cotton. It also places in the top five for wool, grain, and tea production.

All-in-all, the country's economy possesses tremendous potential for growth, especially once it reaches the point it can begin to industrialize.


The Fauj-i-Ain is the military arm of the Sarkar-e-Khalsa. Organized on the European model of warfare, the Fauj-i-Ain is is widely considered, by friend and foe alike, the finest and most effective fighting force in South Asia.

Overall, while formidable, the Fauj-i-Ain is, in some ways, inferior to the western imperialist powers. It has yet to fully bring its doctrine and military science up to speed with the western powers, and the infantry, by and large, is still armed with a muzzle-loader called the Jezail, a long arm borne of Pashtun ingenuity that was quickly adopted by the Fauj-i-Ain because of its simple, cost-efficient design and considerable range. While the Jezail has performed well in the many decades of its service, efforts are being made to equip the army with more standardized and, hopefully, effective muzzle-loaders.

Where the Fauj-i-Ain excels is in the use of artillery--easily matching any of the European powers--and in its effective, meritocratic officer corps. The effectiveness of both, as well as of the fighting force as a whole, can be seen in its wars with the United Kingdom. It has defeated the UK not once, not twice, but three times. While these were, admittedly, not total victories, the fact remains that the Fauj-i-Ain has not only been able to repel British aggression, but take the fight to British-held lands. That the British were willing to agree to a peace, let alone cede lands to the Sarkar-e-Khalsa, should be evidence enough of the fighting prowess of the Fauj-i-Ain.

Shortly after the 3rd Anglo-Sikh war, the Princely state of Jodhpur fell to reactionary rebels. The UK, seeking to bring the state back under its control, declared war. Due to the truce, the Maharaja could do little more than offer monetary aid and military access to the valiant Jodhpur army, while denying the Imperialists such privileges. To their credit, Jodhpur, though it was eventually overcome, did manage to take an impressive amount of British-held territory, despite their military's small size.


In the meanwhile, later in 1869, the first of the so-called "Reserve Attachments" was organized. Manpower restraints allowed for the training and organization of but one of these attachments in 1869, but their training and skill will hopefully be every bit the match of the regular army. Given the wartorn climate of the subcontinent in recent decades, their mettle will almost certainly be put to the test in the years to come.

On the foreign front, nothing of import happened that involved the Sarkar-e-Khalsa, besides the Qin asking the Maharaja to back them during several crises. The Maharaja politely refused, stating a desire to focus on domestic matters, rather than international ones. The only other event of note--though not directly involving the Sarkar-e-Khalsa--would be the 2nd Franco-Prussian War, in which the North german Federation, the UK, and several minor powers met Russia, France, and other minor powers on the field of war. The North German Federation and its allies emerged victorious after a scant three months.


Domestically, many things occurred in the years of 1869 and 1870, most of which were mundane, save two. Of the minor events of interest are the development of steam turbines and the beginnings of research on the subject of Analytic Philosophy, the integration of Umarkot as a core territory of the Empire, massive province-wide fortification constructions, and the the construction of a naval base, in preparation of the creation of a navy for the Sarkar-e-Khalsa. Reactionary elements rose up in minor revolt in Firozpur, but quickly disbanded.


Somewhat more importantly, in 1869, a new prime minister was appointed after the death of the previous one. The new prime minister is a statesman of noted capability, and the Maharaja has full faith in this man's ability to improve the standing of the Sarkar-e-Khalsa in the eyes of the world.

The most important domestic issue that struck the Sarkar-e-Khalsa, however, was the passing of the Maharaja, Nau Nihal Singh. In the middle of 1870, the Maharaja fell deathly ill and, despite the great efforts of his personal doctors, his health deteriorated rapidly. He passed on August 29th, 1870, and the nation mourned the passing of the man who had come to be known as the "Lion of Lahore" and "The Liberator". He will be sorely missed. His son, Variam Harsharan Singh, acceded to the throne two days later, on August 31st, 1870.

Variam was not quite the military man his father and especially his grandfather were; while he did take part in the 3rd Anglo-Sikh war, and was commanded and decorated for extreme bravery during the war, his aptitude as a general proved to be mediocre, at best. He was, however, an extremely industrious and intellectual man, and well-suited to administration. More importantly, he shared a certain dream his father had in his final years...


On the day of his crowning, Variam gave a speech to the gathered crowds. There, he set out a new course--a new ideal--for the Karsar-e-Khalsa. The Empire would not just be a force of order, but a force of unity. Unity not only for the people already citizens of the Empire, but unity for the entire subcontinent. In his father's stead, he would drive out the Imperialists once and for all and unite the subcontinent and its peoples into a nation the likes of which would make all others pale in comparison. His father and grandfather had laid the foundation, and he would be the one to build upon it.



The first few months of Variam's reign were uneventful. News of the birth of a new empire--the German Empire--reached the Sarkar-e-Khalsa through Russia and Persia. While interesting, the Maharaja considered it of little important, as this Empire, though the United Kingdom's ally, was situated in Europe and possessed little ability to project its power at the moment. Otherwise, the only things of note to occur were the coring of Karachi, the development of new methods of tax collection, the establishment of native militia regiments, the training of a second reserve attachment, and, at long last, the replacement of the Fauj-i-Ain's long-serving Jezail with... what turned out to be an improved version of the Jezail.



However, behind the scenes, the Maharajas men had been hard at work justifying war against the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's long-time enemy, the United Kingdom. His father, in the 3rd Anglo-Sikh war, had failed to free Hyderabad--though gaining Bihar was perhaps more valuable in the long run--and it was about time to rectify that. The spies doing the work were discovered, but it was no matter.



On the 23rd of May, 1871, the fourth Anglo-Sikh war commenced.

----------------------------

Author's Comments: That is one nice-looking and plausible Europe.

The Union-State of Austria is from Caleb's political titles, and it's currently a constitutional monarchy. Apparently, that's what it's called when it becomes such. As an Absolute Monarchy and Semi-constitutional Monarchy (Prussian Constitutionalism), it's simply Austria-Hungary. Union State of Austria-Hungary is kind of... unwieldy and meh, but I can overlook it. In regards to Moldavia, from what I can tell, Romania formed at some point, tried to reclaim its cores against Austria-Hungary, which had a military rank of 33 at the time, and then lost the war, as well as Moldavia.

The Ottomans... nope, no Russo-Turkish Wars. The Crimean War happened, but Russia either lost or settled for a white peace. I suppose they're just doing fairly well for themselves this game, aside from being the UK's puppet.

This war would be different from the previous ones. In wars past, the Sikh Empire had assumed a defensive line and simply waited for the enemy to wear itself out to the point that they would give in to the Maharaja's demands. This time, however, the goal was to force as many decisive victories in as short a time as possible in order to shock the enemy into defeat. It was a risky strategy that left the Empire's territory open to occupation, but it should, in theory, work.

The war opened, as always, with simultaneous attacks on the Princely States of the Rujpatana region, as well as Awadh. Most of the Princely states, by this point, had modernized, but the men of the Fauj-i-Ain won the day with their courage and discipline. The Rajputana region was quickly subdued, save Jodhpur, which was still in revolt against the United Kingdom.



Bikaner--twice!--Jaipur, Darjeeling, and Kharswari were among the battlefields. In all, resistance was swept away with the utmost of ease, and in some cases, the enemy utterly annihilated. The only equal, major battle of the early push--and, indeed, perhaps the most notable battle of the war--was the Battle of Fyzabad in Awadh.


There, 78,000 Sikh soldiers led by Kharak Ahluwalia met 90,000 Awadhi soldiers led by Ishvari Singh. Kharak Ahluwalia was a young and skilled general that was skilled on the attack, and possessed notable abilty to maintain morale and organize his troops. Ishvari Singh, on the other hand, was more skilled in both attack and defense, but was widely considered to be cursed, despite his natural skill; as such, his men lacked morale. Nevertheless, the battle lasted nearly a month, and resulted in just over 84,000 casualties, just over 60% of those being on the defending Awadhi side.





During the war, an election was taking place in the Empire, and many prominent politicians campaigning in said election espoused Jingoistic attitudes. While the Maharaja himself didn't consider himself a Jingoist, he still took the chance to endorse these views, in order to shore up public support for the war. His efforts were bolstered by the Fauj-i-Ain's repeated victories against the enemy, though the horrific casualties--especially among the brave infantrymen holding the front--were underplayed. While the enemy made in-roads into the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's lands--the United Provinces were almost entirely occupied--as expected, the sheer weight of the victories, it was believed, would break the will of the British to fight.


That belief, it turned out, was correct, as the British sent a peace offer in early September. The Maharaja mulled over the offer--they were offering to free Hyderabad and transfer it into the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's sphere of influence, but perhaps he could get more? Bengal, perhaps? The Maharaja, after a few days, decided to abide by the motto his father had always followed when it came to war with the British: Modest gains, with the promise of more later.


On September 11, 1871, not even four months after it began, the 4th Anglo-Sikh war came to an end, a victory for the Sarkar-e-Khalsa. No territorial gains were had, and the casualties on both sides were horrendous--almost 350,000 combined--but the imperialists had lost the strongest ally they had with a presence on the Indian subcontinent.


And soon, it would be the Sarkar-e-Khalsa's ally. Official diplomatic ties were established almost immediately after the war. The diplomats worked tirelessly to improve relations with Hyderabad. Thanks to their work, early in 1872, Hyderbad offered an alliance, which the Maharaja quickly accepted. If it became involved in any further Anglo-Sikh wars, Hyderbad would prove to be a formidable ally. It had a large, decently-trained-and-equipped military--not quite on par with the Fauj-i-Ain, but respectable--and would force the British and their remaining allies into a two-front war.

The Maharaja knew the danger of letting flights of fancy get the better of him, but he dared to dream that, perhaps, the fifth Anglo-Sikh war would be the last. Last or not, he knew that it was only a matter of time until war came upon the nation again, and he would spend that time improving the Fauj-i-Ain's fighting capabilities. They had performed admirably, as always, in what people were already beginning to refer to as the 'Second Lightning War'--a reference to its brevity, of course--but this war had, surprisingly, actually been closer than any of the previous Anglo-Sikh wars, even the first. New weapons, new recuits, updated training, additional reserve attachments... he and the army would have their work cut out for them.

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Author's notes: Hyderabad almost entirely ignored me and occupied almost the entire United Provinces with some sort of absurd doomstack that I really didn't want to mess with. While I probably had the warscore to get north or south bengal in addition to freeing Hyderabad, I didn't want to add the wargoal only for the UK to be stubborn. I think, with Hyderabad on my side instead of the UK's, the next war will be the last with the UK. Oh, and this happened...



I choose to believe that Vishvanath Singh went all Dynasty Warriors on my army.
Or it could just be a display error.

Remitonov said:

If only there were more of him on your side, driving out the British would be a lot easier...

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Well, at least he'll be fighting on our side next time, being a general of Hyderabad and all. Assuming he lives until then, anyway.

volksmarschall said:

Fantastic job thus far! Way to stick it to the Brits! I suppose, the unification of the subcontinent is forthcoming...

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It shouldn't take more than one or two wars, I think. Hyderabad provided most of the manpower for the British side during all but the first war--the presence of UK troops in India has been surprisingly light, pretty much just enough to perform anti-rebel activity. it's... weird--so with them on my side I'm actually somewhat confident that the next one shall, indeed, result in the unification of the subcontinent. Until then, I'll just focus on bringing the Fauj-i-Ain back up to speed. The reserve attachments performed about as well as I thought they would, so I'm thinking that all of the army recruitment from now until unification will be those reserve attachments.