1st came the Aryans, followed by the Greeks and then the Mongol hordes.

[unmerged(231351)]

All came as conquers and all were conquered themselves. Such is the way of India.

Harihara II was master of Vijayanagar, 1 of many Indian states and 1 of the stronger as it's name, City of Victory, implied. Harihara had plans to make the name even more fitting. His holdings were not secure with Islamic Deccan controlling the region between Goa and his primary holdings. He had stressed over this fact for months after word from the local governor reached him informing him that Muslim bandits were raiding the border area. Alas the governor had offered no proof and so he could not act but that had changed the previous night. While sleeping he had a vision, the pious people of Deccan were proper Hindus yet suffered Islamic rule. By waging a war of liberation he would be able to secure Goa, expand his realm and wealth and more impotently be viewed as a hero rather then a warmonger.

His 1st act as not to wage war but to win the military support of his underlings in Mysore and Travancore. With their support he could double his war making capabilities allowing him to advance the front faster and keep the Deccanese Army from being able to ravage anything more then the borderlands in retaliation. Once the supply lines to Goa ere secure he would crush the Deccanese Army and occupy the country.He had no illusions of taking all of Deccan, he could never hope to hold it all but he could win favorable terms all the same.

After winning his underling's support he moved to centralize control for this endeavor could not be overseen by any other then himself. This included taking personal command of the army. While the regimental commanders weren't too happy with this, many expecting to be promoted, they largely accepted it. But the Vaisyas' weren't as compliant and a small rebellion broke out in the south. Harihara would have to crush this rebellion and expand the army with new levies before he could make his final, decisive move.

 

[unmerged(231351)]

The rebellion was crushed and the army expanded, Deccan using this time to strengthen it's position by conquering Orissa. Harihara launched his attack moving 1st to secure the region between Goa and his primary holdings. When Mysore sent an army to relive him, Harihara withdrew and lay siege to the Deccanese capital. Travancore then launched it's attack bypassing Mysoreian and Vijayanagarian sieges to strike at the Deccanese heartland.

Joining Deccan here it's fellow Muslim powers, Delhi, Sind and Oman. Sind fell quickly to the invading Mongol hordes that lived along the frontier, Harihara used this opportunity to seize the Hindu south of the country allowing northern Sind to remain independent (of Vijayanagar at least) to serve as a buffer. Deccan itself fell soon after and was forced to surrender it's western coast and what remained of it's southern coast after Orissa regained it's independence.

With the Deccanese surrender, the war entered it's final, unplanned stage. With Deccan as a buffer Delhi could do nothing while Harihara led hi army to take Oman. Harihara quickly led his forces to lay siege to the Omani capital while a 2nd army joined him and attacked along the Omani, Yemeni border. Both armies pushed north and by the end of the year the country was annexed. With this lat defeat, Delhi sent an envoy with an offer of peace, Delhi would admit defeat and pay reparations for the Deccanese 'oppression' of the Hindus under their rule. Harihara accepted the terms and the war came to a decisive, far more so then intended, end.

Conversion efforts were implemented in Oman an the northern portions of the country gave up their false god almost at once. Still Harihara didn't allow this success to blind him to the risk of revolt and so he ordered the raising of a new army to oversee the occupation.

 

[Range]

Interesting start. I'll be following along.