32 years worth of nonsense in Oman.
Dennis sits in front of his tent, roasting marshmellows with his cute little black bunny.
It's once again hot, the coolest has been when the Sultan of the Mamaluks sent him a text message with some obscene joke about Aden. Dennis and his beloved rabbit laugh heartily.
Trade has dried up the last couple of years in Mascate. Many fear that this paradox of trade centre and no trade will have consequences. Everyone seems to want to trade in Isfahan these days. Dennis stares over the bonfire across the water....Timurid Land...Isfahan...Provinces which are worth more than 1 and 2.
May 1440, Gjergj K. Skanderberg rises to power in Albania after it revolted from Bosnia.
"Must be a swedish thing," Dennis thinks, "coz that sure doesn't sound like anything Albanian to me."
In June 1440, a check for 3.5 gold pieces arrives at the national treasure of Oman.
---Your share of the profits--- a small note reads. Apparently the war against Tripoli has ended.
"OH, and a postcard too."
Greetings from sunny Tripolitana,
it's lovely here, we just went for a swim,
we are working on our tan here, my 84 wifes and I.
Pity you couldn't be here.
Your Friend,
Sultan of the Mameluks
"Awww, isn't that just sweet?" Dennis asks the cute little black rabbit, while he shows the postcard to her.
The same month, the whole nation of Tripoli is annexed by Algiers, it seems our friend the Sultan had some help afterall. In this month we also discover Al Djazair, we try to find a TV-set, but we can't find any to watch the arabic news.
February 1441, The Knights are annexed by Venice. That's a first for me, usually it ends up in Ottomaniacian hands. You see something new every so often.
In May 1442 the internal trade ordinance in Zanzibar means something, it's too far away and the tickets for airplanes are so expensive these days.
March the next year our sweet Sultan Malik dies while rocking on his deck chair, lovely bloke he was, played a mean game of cards too, someone by the name of 'Umer now rules Oman. Dennis tries to figure out how to pronounce the hyphen in front of his name. After two hours of experimenting Dennis gives up, he'll just call hum Sul.
Spending 16 hours a day in a tent, or office, with a rabbit, roasting marshmellows does get boring in the end. Even with the Sultan of the Mameluks sending rude jokes about our neighbours. So Dennis gets up from the desert floor, whipes the sand off his bum and makes his way to Sul's palace.
"Hya Sul,"Dennis says, "you know what would be fun?"
"Naaah," the great Sul says.
"Well, we could send forth our troops and cross the boundries to the west, wouldn't that be fun?"
"Naaah," the great Sul answers.
"Right, that's settled then, off to Aden we go."
"What? I didn't agree to anything," the Sul screams, but Dennis and his faithful bunny have already left the palace.
Being a good Sul means you shouldn't leave your harem behind, so he doesn't and Oman goes to war with Aden.
The new land claimed in Mascate is wonderful, but they managed to claim it exactly where our centre of trade was. It's gone, I don't know where, but it has, Isfahan is the nearest and every bit of trade goes there...and so should we...eventually.
Further down the map, the Zulu government, apparently receiving a temporary casus belli against Zimbabwe for tripping their governent in 1433 go to war against said Zimbabwe. This doesn't go entirely according to plan as Zimbabwe consequently annexes the Zulu nation. Bad planning, something I could have done; no not better, it's just something I could have done.
After 4 years of war we finally defeat every little bit of Aden, and so we start typing a letter.
Dear Loser,
I am afraid to inform you, you don't have anything left anymore, you loooser!
No more pretty soldiers to push about, no more horses to command.
Not even a single itsy bitsy bit of land is yours.
In fact, you know what, it is mine, you big loooser!
Because, as you may have gathered, we won.
Even my rabbit could have put up a better fight!
We won big time, you big loooser, so we get to say what we want.
1. we will take Hadramut
2. we will take Aden
3. you will be my vassal until I think you aren't a loooser anymore.
4. you will pay me 25 gold pieces
You lost, you loooser, now I want you to sign this and send it back.
With kind regards and
sincerely yours,
Dennis
P.S. YOU LOST!!
July 1447, Aden hands over Hadramut, Aden, 25 gold pieces and become vassals of Oman.
Sultan Sul immediately asks for an expansion of his harem with Aden ladies. This results in a big court scandal when Aden cunningly sends Aden men instead.
In October 1448 the Mameluks and Oman go to war against Algiers. Well actually it is the Mameluks who go, we just sit here and cheer them on with nice banners and flags and cans of beer. GO MAMY GO!
We establish a cantonment in Dofhar in June 1450, doesn't really help, but it beats a civil war hands down.
September 1450, we once again receive a check, this time worth 12.5 gold pieces. Thank you oh exalted Sultan of the Mameluks. We send a settler away of this money. We don't do much again.
That same month, while walking along the Kaliphate border we see a rabbit being chased by Kaliphate soldiers. My cute little black rabbit goes bezerk and invades the entire country.
I try to inform Sul, but apparently he has his mobile on recharge, as there is no way we can get through.
We invade Basrah, blocking the harbour, you know the drill basically. In the meantime, totally unrelated the Hedjaz also goes to war with the Kaliphate. They attack the capital, just moments before the scouting army of Oman reaches Bagdad.
"Drat! Too late!" Dennis angrily spits.
"That's the risk if you want to steal other nation's sieges," the cute little black rabbit answers.
Dennis sighs, "we'll just have to wait for their war to end, how about a stroll in Basrah?"
In December 1450 the Ottoman Empire goes bankrupt, again.
People all over the world are so sad to hear this, but none as much as the Hedjaz. In May 1452 the Kaliphate pays them 55 gold pieces, but the Hedjaz will not have it, prefering bankrupcy in sympathy with the Ottomaniacs.
"Right, off we go to Bagdad" Dennis orders the troops. Their sand castles litter the entire coast line.
On February 1454 the cute little black rabbit is asked to become the special minister for sand affairs. As that is big business in Oman, the entire nation profits. After 12 months of being in charge of sand, my rabbit decides it wants to go back to greener grass.
Her last action is the surrender of the Kaliphate, already vassals of the Timurid empire, we just ask for religious conversion to whatever we are, Basrah and 25 gold pieces.
Sul then diplomatically resolves an Aden merchant conflict. Dennis is too busy roasting marshmellows to even care, even the conversion of the province of Aden doesn't seem to bother him.
Perhaps because he is planning something?
YES!
Together with his sage bunny who predicted a weakening Timurid empire, he was drawing patterns in the sand. Had these been battle plans they might have been useful, but alas, they were just drawings of naked ladies in the sand. Lovely sight, but not really useful.
Anyway, in 1455 we do declare war on the Timurid Empire. Isfahan and it's CoT are the target, but we'll see if we can get more out of this.
1456 some fighting, mainly sieges.
1457 some fighting, siege siege siege...
1458 the Timurid Empire has had enough, they had been caught in a war with both Delhi to the east and Oman to the south. They are quite happy to offer Awhaz, Isfahan, Fars and Hormouz. We do control more, and are sieging another wealthy province. We hesitate, wait for their government to fall or take this offer?
Hmmmm...
Wait or accept, accept or wait?
We accept.
Meanwhile on the other side of Omani land, near the border with Aden, there is a border dispute. Haven't a clue about what, they are our vassals. I don't remember what I did, just that there was a border dispute.
Delhi - the Kaliphate
score: 2-0 with Delhi taking Quetta and Indus
December 1461
Apparently we forgot to ask Kusha from the Timurid Empire, no problem, they just joined our Sultanate.
In May 1462 Delhi declares war on Baluchistan, who have exactly 2,000 soldiers, very impressive!
November 1462, Delhi receives Kalat and Zahedan and Baluchistan as a vassal.
Dennis predicts a war between Delhi and Oman, so clever this Dennis is.
December 1462 the government of the Timurid Empire falls, again. This time during a war with Ak Koyunlu, which results in Tabaristan, Lut and Meched going to Ak Koyunlu.
Tabaristan was the province we were sieging not so long ago, doubting whether we should wait for a Timurid government collapse. We didn't and now it is in the hands of an Ottomaniac ally.
November 1463 the Hedjaz go to war on the Kaliphate, dragging the Mameluks and Oman with it into the conflict. We get to Bagdad first, especially since 1,000 cavalry have been waiting for this to happen. I love the smell of a stolen siege in the evening.
March 1464 somehow 50,000 soldiers have found their way to Bagdad. No space to breath there, yet one month later there are 53,000. 1,000 of these are Omani, well they are there somewhere, I think.
August 1464 finally Bagdad is mine, all mine. No compensation for the Hedjaz or the Mameluks, they just should've pressed the pause button quicker!
February 1466 the Timurid Empire's goverment has fallen, yet again.
March 1467
A brilliant move by Dennis costs us some stability points, first refusing to go to war against vassal Aden with his allies, then joining the same alliance to find himself at war with Aden, well done, well done! D'Oh!
February 1468 we annex Aden, I couldn't just give it to the Hedjaz, could I?
April 1468 the prediction of Dennis has come true, Delhi declares war on Oman. The Hedjaz find this very amusing and join us. The Sultan of the Mameluks, whoever he may be doesn't find this amusing and consequently doesn't join this marching extravaganza.
I see thousands of Delhi soldiers march through the desert, they die...
We sail across the Straight of Hormuz and siege.
January 1459 Ak Koyunlu annexes Moldova, I think they are using a familiar trick, let the Ottomans do all the work and run off with the spoils. Nice trick and well executed.
June 1470 Timurid has fallen again, he really should learn to ride a bike.
March 1471 Zahedan to the Hedjaz, I don't really care if they will encounter problems getting to their newly acquired province and 25 gold pieces to be shared among us.
July 1472 inflation is at a all time high, 16.6% and rising.