CHAPTER VIII: MOROCCO
Part 1: Uniting Barbary
(1563-1570)
Looking for Trouble
After our rather quiet end to Savoy and being forced to play nice in Luxembourg, I'm ready to go liberate some land from tyrannical overlords. First let's see what Johan gave us to work with:
Okay, our Sultan isn't much to look at. He does have a military advisor that I may keep around for awhile, as we can afford him. Our country modifiers seem built for a modest trade empire, perhaps simulating the Barbary States' piratical ambitions.
We have solid allies in the Mamluks and Tripoli. We also have three enemies: Portugal, Algiers and Mali as well as three rivals: Portugal, Algiers and Savoy. Portugal makes sense. Savoy's a little out there, but I get it. Why poor little Algiers? Possibly because they're trying to build a coalition against us and doing a miserable job of it. We'll get back to them.
Our long term goal should be exploration ideas. Even if the AI mucks it up afterwards, if we can actually conquer and hold Mali then Morocco instantly turns into one of the strongest states on the board. To do this we need to get to Admin-10 (currently 8). I also want to get to Military-11 (currently 10) before we do some serious warmongering, as we get new infantry/cav AND artillery units at that level. On that note we have 24 regiments under arms (17 inf/5 cav/2 art) as well as 6 carracks, 5 cogs and 7 caravels to protect trade.
For once we don't need to play with merchants: Those in Genoa and Tunis are feeding trade to Sevilla where I pick it up. That works for me. Our inflation is ridiculous: 13.85%. That's what we get for signing up for just any credit card. We'll let it go for now to conserve Admin points since I don't see us buying much short term.
So, first thing to do is raise our military maintenance to full. Almost instantly we hit Diplomacy-10, which gives us a bonus to trade efficiency and range. I also upgrade our army units to the best available. While waiting for that to sort itself out, let's look at our potential foes.
Working counter-clockwise: That is tiny Fez across from Gibraltar. Fez is Catholic, which makes them a natural target. However, they're in the midst of an independence war from Portugal they're probably going to lose. Further, there are 13K Portugese hiding behind those rebels. No... Much as I like the idea of a Rereconquista, I want those new units before we seriously consider Christian bashing. Plus, if Portugal gets their land back, 1) they'll be less inclined to want mine as they have no cores or claims, and 2) we'll have borders for eventual westernization.
Mali is tempting, but I have no way of getting to a province I know about. We're blocked from Mali's coast and can't see Timbuktu to strike from the north.
Tripoli is an ally. That alone wouldn't stop me, but they're also allied to the Ottomans, Mamluks and Yemen. I'll have to get back to them.
Algiers now....is the only member of a coalition against me, has a number of enemies, and no allies. Well, that was easy.
First we do switch our rivals around to stop antagonizing Portugal and
start antagonizing Algiers, then...
Annoying Allah
On May 8, 1563 we declare war. None of my allies want in to an obvious selfish land grab: No problem. I do get a bit of a scare as my units are still recovering after upgrading units and so low morale, but Algiers is content to siege Laghwat. We chase them out by June and blockade Algiers' fleet.
Our armies play cat-and-mouse across the desert sands. Al-Djazair and Bejaia are under siege by autumn, leading to the one land battle worthy of the title:
A supplemental battle destroys them entirely. By January all of Algiers is under siege. Now it's a waiting game: Kinda like waiting to take your wife out to dinner. Only less tedious. And somewhat faster.
In September Al-Djazair falls, forcing their 13 ships into battle with our 11. We have the wind gauge however, and capture 2 galleys before chasing them into port at Bejaia ... which falls in November. The second battle nets us 2 cogs and sinks a galley. Our only general dies during the siege, and some of his supporters angrily strike at pilgrims they deem unworthy to pass through Moroccan soil. Of course we protect them for +25 piety.
In February 1565 Annaba falls, leading to a third naval battle that destroys the Algierens entirely. Their government capitulates days later.
Stalking like a Caged Camel
I still don't want to take on Tripoli's powerful alliance, so we need to scout out other targets. Portugal's defeated Fez, and the northern Mediterranean coast looks particularly unappetizing, so while we begin coring Algiers (costing us precious Admin points) I get MA through Mali.
The plan is to send a single regiment through Mali, 'exploring' them by virtue of our MA. Then once we know we can establish a foothold without wasting years attriting through Terra Incognita, crush them. It occurs to me while planning that I'll meed the Maliese coast if I actually want to core anything. Well, we'll cross that bridge later.
A 'promising general' (by event), Maimun Sellani (F1 S2 Sg3) leads the expedition. It doesn't last long: We fight Tuat nomads and win at 1:3 odds, but we're still a bit tired when we enter Taudeni and meet 6000 more nomads. Only Maimun returns with tales of the desert's terror. You know what this calls for? Right?
More peasants!
While taking on a mission to improve defenses in Fez, the Sultan himself leads a second expedition to the Maliese border with 6 regiments. Both Tuat and Taudeni fall before his might, but there is no defeating the rules of the game. We may have MA with Mali. We may be able to click on several Maliese provinces to establish a path. We simply can't enter Terra Incognita without a DoW though. By April 1566 we're back home again and cancel the MA.
I stew on this for awhile, long enough for Algieren rebels to rise up and get slapped down for their efforts. By now our budget's a little cramped, but so are those of the local imams, and let it not be said that we're not good Muslims.
So long as you're not foreign Muslims of course.
1567 passes in the blink of an eye with all of Algiers quietly coring and our diplomats encouraging those in Portugal and Spain to tear apart their fellow Christians instead. Tripoli is getting nervous, with Yemeni troops stationed inside their border in case we go after them anyway. As a counter we ally with the Ottomans and back it up with a RM.
And now, you're saying, we're running out of excuses not to try a re-reconquista. And you may have a point: A very rough estimate puts us at 185K men versus their 125, but I still want those new land units before I try something so dangerous. Let's face it: With Spain and Portugal the leaders of their alliance, the bulk of the fighting would be in and around Morocco.
Then, in October 1568, Yemen decides to throw the Muslim Alliance into an uproar.
Well, I am not fighting the entire Muslim world, but I wouldn't mind joining the slaughter and perhaps seizing Alexandria. We get MA through Tripoli and work our army's way through their land while building a fleet of flytes to help transport men back and forth. An influx of unbelievers, no doubt Mamluk Shiite scum, come through and we send them right back for +25 piety.
We get to the border in November 1568. I'm about to declare war and, by habit, check to see if my allies would like to join despite the fact they're already in. That's when I learn Tripoli joined the war on MAMLUKS' side!
So it's the Ottomans and Yemeni vs. Mamluks and Tripoli, and of course the Ottos are kicking butt. This is my best chance to
destroy liberate Tripoli. I begin forcing a claim on Tunis, retreat to my own territory, cancel MA through Tripoli and wait for it.
1569 is just an exceptional year according to the game, and the Mamluks are getting dismantled. Not all goes well though: Tripoli notices our claim attempt, slowing us down. We respond by breaking their alliance. In September 1569 the Ottos siege Tunis.
I should DoW now, without the claim, but we're at Stab 0 and I don't want to spend the Admin points on stability that we should be spending trying to get to Admin-10. No...no, it won't do. And so I wait.
It's January 1570. The war won't last much longer, but I'm hoping just long enough us to get our claim so we can join the fray. If so, I don't see the Mamluks defending Tripoli and even if they do they have no army. We'll just move into position, wait for the Ottos to peace out, and take over/start new sieges.
If the war ends, we may have to DoW on that day anyway and hope the Mamluks are too exhausted to do anything useful. We cannot allow the Ottos to suddenly decide to guarantee Tripoli's independence or, worse, rebuild their alliance.
Johan's Dice
Reign: 7+ years
Roll Needed: 2+
Roll: 4
Continue: Yes