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Sometime's there is no substitute for personal leadership in a time of crisis, especially when you'll have to personally "seal the deal" as Emperor and reintergrate the rebels into the greater whole of THE EMPIRE! (Cue appropriate theme music)That seems rather dangerous. But of course, we know that Henry survives because he gained an epithet.
Death to most of them. There are alternatives though.
It seems you have taken notice of this foresight.That seems rather dangerous. But of course, we know that Henry survives because he gained an epithet.
And lots of it to be certain.The only sure thing is that Saxon blood shall be shed!
Haven't worked out the theme music. But Henry shall suffice none the less.Sometime's there is no substitute for personal leadership in a time of crisis, especially when you'll have to personally "seal the deal" as Emperor and reintergrate the rebels into the greater whole of THE EMPIRE! (Cue appropriate theme music)
A History of the Empire: Vol. 3
Chapter 4: On Southland Shores
In December of 1637, “The Emperor” along with the rest of the African Control’s major fleet appeared suddenly off the coast of Wales. Henry desired a defensible area near the sea that was not fully controlled by the Republicans. Much to dislike of both sides of the war, the winter of that year would be brutal. Fighting would be difficult and movements would be complicated under the circumstances. Clive, along with many of his top military advisors, was unsure of what was happening at first. The African Control was not considered the primary threat. Landings were expected in Scotland or Ireland long before forces would be anywhere in the vicinity of England itself. The Republicans went into a state of emergency as they considered how to react.
It was decided by Clive that a direct military action was needed. The Republican strategy was to hit the Control forces quick enough and hard enough that they would not be able to reinforce or retreat before the Republican forces could engage them again. The main problem with this strategy was that Clive had no working knowledge of how many men were being shipped over, nor how many ships were being used by the Controls for resupplying the Control forces. On January 7th, during a break in the snowing, Clive attacked Henry in border regions of Wales.
The battle, while a success for the Republicans, came at a large loss in terms of men. The Republicans lost nearly twice as many men as the Control forces. Clive was advised to retreat back to England for reinforcements, but instead the Union Director pushed forward, chasing Henry into Wales, hoping to stop him before he could resupply and get reinforcements of his own.
Henry had anticipated the move and was ready when Clive’s army attacked. The Republicans did score a numeric victory, but Clive was hard pressed to win such a defensive battle in such weather, and was forced into a retreat by late February. Around this time, the American Control had gotten involved and under General Hugh Frobisher, they landed in Scotland in late February of 1638.
News of these landings took nearly 2 months to reach Clive, which would strategically impair him. General Frobisher was and still is considered one of the finest military minds to come out of the Empire. His plan was to progress into Scotland and then move directly south to link up with Henry. Frobisher imagined that Clive would move south towards London to reinforce if any serious losses were taken. Frobisher hoped that his forces combined with Henry’s would then be able to corner Clive and force him into a highly outnumbered battle. Frobisher’s plan would be carried out almost exactly as he had expected.
On March 16th, Henry attempted an attack on Clive’s forces in the Welsh border regions, hoping to give Frobisher a more direct area to link up in.
Both Control and Republican forces took similar casualties, but it is considered a small tactical victory for Clive, as he was able to hold the position and Henry moved back into Wales. Clive, found out shortly after the battle that Frobisher was moving south and retreated to Oxford. Both sides would take several months to reconsolidate. Clive was hoping for more men to rally to the cause to give him the numerical superiority he needed, while Henry waited for more supplies and men to arrive by sea. The winter of 1638 would be as terrible as the last and movements were rare and usually improvised. In March of 1639, weather improved and forces were able to fight once more.
With the two Control forces linking up, Henry and Frobisher engaged the Republican soldiers in Oxford. Clive retreated almost immediately back to London. Upon entering London, Clive was greeted with the news that Republican fleets were being attacked and destroyed all over the Atlantic. Control fleets had defeated them off the coasts of America, the Azores, Iceland, and Greenland, along with various places near the Home Isles. Clive was only able to raise another 8,000 men to support the last stand of the Republicans in London. It would not be enough. On March 29th of 1639, Clive’s forces were attacked and captured in London.
Clive was captured alive, which was an important goal of the Emperor. In about two months, London was under full control by Henry and his forces. The Emperor was greeted at his old home by many soldiers and citizens. Henry publicly thanked the Controls and Frobisher for their support. Frobisher, who was not a great orator, stated he only wanted to wanted to help the Empire, and that all glory lies with the Emperor, not him. The phrase "All Glory to the Emperor(or Empress)" would be spawned from this phrase. It would be used as a nationalistic phrase for many years until it became outdated in the early 20th century. Henry truly did deserve much of the credit though, as the Emperor had planned much of the campaign and had done well to make sure the Empire would remain intact after the fighting was over. Clive was now being held prisoner and Frobisher was securing south England with full victory was on the horizon.
On May 11th, Henry declared publically that all Republicans who fought were to be arrested and punished. Many were executed. Henry announced that he would be taking the throne and that any semblance of a republican government was to be removed. The constitution was to be destroyed and the Emperor given full control over the rights and laws of the state. He renewed the alliance with Sicily and declared military matters the domain of the Emperor. After such a bloody civil war, many agreed that only the Emperor could be trusted to rule. The Empire was put into a state of normalcy and order returned. Henry took to governing as was needed and Frobisher was being shipped to India where he was put in charge of planning campaigns against the Mughal Empire.
Not all news of the day was grim and governmental. In August of 1639, Henry’s wife, Sofia of Sicily, bore a daughter in Cairo, where the royal family had been living during the republican years. This child would be the first ruler of the Empire to be born outside of the Home Isles. In honor of her place of birth, the young girl was named Anne, in honor of Anne the Conqueror.
In the mean time, many had wondered what had become of Clive. The Emperor had long planned to make Clive a example without killing him. It was believed that killing him might create a case of martyrdom that might encourage the last remaining republicans to take up arms. It was made public in a double blow to Clive, that the Republican leader was being shipped far away to Southland, a new territory of the Empire. Not only was he being exiled, but Henry made sure that Clive was the first settler to step foot in the new lands. Henry declared Clive the first imperial citizen of the Southland Control.
Clive was furious, yet unable to resist. He, along with a handful of other republican leaders, was now the only residents of a small desolate village on the coasts of a land half way around the world. Clive, his associates, and the guards sent there, would be the first of many settlers, yet Clive’s designation as the first citizen of the Southland Control would leave a lasting impact. The village he resided in would eventually develop into the city of Clivland, named after the once powerful leader. While his name would live on, much of his cause would be forgotten. England, where his support had been strongest, was quickly becoming resituated with the imperial government again, and no serious republican movements would come up again until the mid 1800’s.
Chapter 4: On Southland Shores
In December of 1637, “The Emperor” along with the rest of the African Control’s major fleet appeared suddenly off the coast of Wales. Henry desired a defensible area near the sea that was not fully controlled by the Republicans. Much to dislike of both sides of the war, the winter of that year would be brutal. Fighting would be difficult and movements would be complicated under the circumstances. Clive, along with many of his top military advisors, was unsure of what was happening at first. The African Control was not considered the primary threat. Landings were expected in Scotland or Ireland long before forces would be anywhere in the vicinity of England itself. The Republicans went into a state of emergency as they considered how to react.
It was decided by Clive that a direct military action was needed. The Republican strategy was to hit the Control forces quick enough and hard enough that they would not be able to reinforce or retreat before the Republican forces could engage them again. The main problem with this strategy was that Clive had no working knowledge of how many men were being shipped over, nor how many ships were being used by the Controls for resupplying the Control forces. On January 7th, during a break in the snowing, Clive attacked Henry in border regions of Wales.
The battle, while a success for the Republicans, came at a large loss in terms of men. The Republicans lost nearly twice as many men as the Control forces. Clive was advised to retreat back to England for reinforcements, but instead the Union Director pushed forward, chasing Henry into Wales, hoping to stop him before he could resupply and get reinforcements of his own.
Henry had anticipated the move and was ready when Clive’s army attacked. The Republicans did score a numeric victory, but Clive was hard pressed to win such a defensive battle in such weather, and was forced into a retreat by late February. Around this time, the American Control had gotten involved and under General Hugh Frobisher, they landed in Scotland in late February of 1638.
News of these landings took nearly 2 months to reach Clive, which would strategically impair him. General Frobisher was and still is considered one of the finest military minds to come out of the Empire. His plan was to progress into Scotland and then move directly south to link up with Henry. Frobisher imagined that Clive would move south towards London to reinforce if any serious losses were taken. Frobisher hoped that his forces combined with Henry’s would then be able to corner Clive and force him into a highly outnumbered battle. Frobisher’s plan would be carried out almost exactly as he had expected.
On March 16th, Henry attempted an attack on Clive’s forces in the Welsh border regions, hoping to give Frobisher a more direct area to link up in.
Both Control and Republican forces took similar casualties, but it is considered a small tactical victory for Clive, as he was able to hold the position and Henry moved back into Wales. Clive, found out shortly after the battle that Frobisher was moving south and retreated to Oxford. Both sides would take several months to reconsolidate. Clive was hoping for more men to rally to the cause to give him the numerical superiority he needed, while Henry waited for more supplies and men to arrive by sea. The winter of 1638 would be as terrible as the last and movements were rare and usually improvised. In March of 1639, weather improved and forces were able to fight once more.
With the two Control forces linking up, Henry and Frobisher engaged the Republican soldiers in Oxford. Clive retreated almost immediately back to London. Upon entering London, Clive was greeted with the news that Republican fleets were being attacked and destroyed all over the Atlantic. Control fleets had defeated them off the coasts of America, the Azores, Iceland, and Greenland, along with various places near the Home Isles. Clive was only able to raise another 8,000 men to support the last stand of the Republicans in London. It would not be enough. On March 29th of 1639, Clive’s forces were attacked and captured in London.
Clive was captured alive, which was an important goal of the Emperor. In about two months, London was under full control by Henry and his forces. The Emperor was greeted at his old home by many soldiers and citizens. Henry publicly thanked the Controls and Frobisher for their support. Frobisher, who was not a great orator, stated he only wanted to wanted to help the Empire, and that all glory lies with the Emperor, not him. The phrase "All Glory to the Emperor(or Empress)" would be spawned from this phrase. It would be used as a nationalistic phrase for many years until it became outdated in the early 20th century. Henry truly did deserve much of the credit though, as the Emperor had planned much of the campaign and had done well to make sure the Empire would remain intact after the fighting was over. Clive was now being held prisoner and Frobisher was securing south England with full victory was on the horizon.
On May 11th, Henry declared publically that all Republicans who fought were to be arrested and punished. Many were executed. Henry announced that he would be taking the throne and that any semblance of a republican government was to be removed. The constitution was to be destroyed and the Emperor given full control over the rights and laws of the state. He renewed the alliance with Sicily and declared military matters the domain of the Emperor. After such a bloody civil war, many agreed that only the Emperor could be trusted to rule. The Empire was put into a state of normalcy and order returned. Henry took to governing as was needed and Frobisher was being shipped to India where he was put in charge of planning campaigns against the Mughal Empire.
Not all news of the day was grim and governmental. In August of 1639, Henry’s wife, Sofia of Sicily, bore a daughter in Cairo, where the royal family had been living during the republican years. This child would be the first ruler of the Empire to be born outside of the Home Isles. In honor of her place of birth, the young girl was named Anne, in honor of Anne the Conqueror.
In the mean time, many had wondered what had become of Clive. The Emperor had long planned to make Clive a example without killing him. It was believed that killing him might create a case of martyrdom that might encourage the last remaining republicans to take up arms. It was made public in a double blow to Clive, that the Republican leader was being shipped far away to Southland, a new territory of the Empire. Not only was he being exiled, but Henry made sure that Clive was the first settler to step foot in the new lands. Henry declared Clive the first imperial citizen of the Southland Control.
Clive was furious, yet unable to resist. He, along with a handful of other republican leaders, was now the only residents of a small desolate village on the coasts of a land half way around the world. Clive, his associates, and the guards sent there, would be the first of many settlers, yet Clive’s designation as the first citizen of the Southland Control would leave a lasting impact. The village he resided in would eventually develop into the city of Clivland, named after the once powerful leader. While his name would live on, much of his cause would be forgotten. England, where his support had been strongest, was quickly becoming resituated with the imperial government again, and no serious republican movements would come up again until the mid 1800’s.
@dinofs & Vesimir: Sorry. It lasted about a decade. Note that this was being run mostly by events, so I couldn't stretch it too long without making it a narrative mess.
@Yrkidding: Thanks.
@PrawnStar: A bit of a backwards analogy to be honest.
@Yrkidding: Thanks.
@PrawnStar: A bit of a backwards analogy to be honest.
Yeah, rebels are crushed and Henry bestrides the throne. Nice exile for Clive. Shooting was too good for him.
Did you get to keep all those rebel armies that popped up? If so that's really going to help later on.
Do you think that the Republic could have survived if you had been a little luckier, or do those events make it basically inevitable for the Controls to win?
Too easy. Yet funny events.
I guess. Wasn't shooting for humor to be honest.
Yeah, I wanted something more interesting and Australia just happened to be ripe for the picking.
No, the armies don't switch over, since I had to do the tag switch via event. To be honest another 48K men would have really drained my economy anyway.
I could have let it survive if I had really tried hard. The events will spam control rebels if the originals die, so it would have been a bit of a hassle for the 10 year period where the events were active.
A History of the Empire: Vol. 3
Chapter 5: Henry the Great
Henry the Great did not receive his title for his handling of the civil war, which was a triumph none the less. Henry gained the majority of his fame through his expansionary policies. Emperors before him often relied on political or religious differences to justify their wars. Henry did not see this as necessary. Henry would focus more on the well being of the Empire as his goal and reason for waging war. It was during this time period that imperialism became more and more common amongst the European powers. Colonization was beginning to fade as available lands disappeared under the flags of the great European powers. Instead many sought only to expand their borders, regardless of who or what lied within that territory. Henry would be one of the first practitioners of this new political philosophy.
In November of 1640, two very important men would arrive in India. One was Jonas Backlund, a Swedish missionary born in South Africa. Backlund was being sent to India to begin the long process of converting the Indians to Catholicism. Backlund would begin in Western India and would develop a long standing program to help fund and organize the missionary work. The other individual was General Hugh Frobisher. Having left England at the close of the Civil War, Frobisher was being used by Henry to prepare a war against the Mughal Empire. When Frobisher arrived, he spoke with the leading military commander Alexander Drake of the Greater Indian Control. Drake and Frobisher would spend the next two months planning a strategy to defeat the Mughals. Henry had given the General the go ahead to move in when the military was ready. Drake had regiments positioned along the border and Frobisher sent off a messenger with the declaration of war on the enemy. The Mughal Empire was then fighting a war in Tibet against the Taungu Empire of Southeast Asia. Frobisher directed all troops to move in and the war was started.
The fighting in this war would be largely tipped in favor of the British. Mughal forces were insufficiently trained in comparison to their British foes. The Mughals could count on numbers in comparison. The British had 24,000 men in India for the war, compared to the 53,000 men being fielded by the Mughal Empire. Henry had specifically made clear to Frobisher that the war could not be dragged on in the same manner that the Persian War had. Frobisher planned to have British troops cut the Mughal Empire in half. 16,000 men were to attack and push towards Delhi, the heart of the enemy’s lands. Further west, Drake was leading 8,000 troops north towards the Afghan lands. The plans fell through though. Intelligence along the border had guessed that much of the Mughal forces were tied up in Tibet. In reality many were, yet some 20,000 soldiers remained around Delhi. When the 16,000 British soldiers met the 20,000 Mughal soldiers under command of the Mughal Emperor himself, they were forced into retreat after suffering casualties near 4,000. Frobisher personally came to the front in August of 1641 to help reverse the losses. Drake, virtually unopposed, pressed north. By early 1642, the General had retaken much of the lost territory and was leading the army to attack the Mughal Emperor. Many battles would take place in Northern India in the coming year, most of which were not incredibly decisive. The true finish to combat wouldn’t take place until September of 1642, when 18,000 Mughal soldiers surrendered to Frobisher in Delhi. Drake was still pushing through unknown territory and was heading as far north as to be fighting Uzbeks.
In early 1643, a crisis broke out in central Africa. Open land was becoming scarce around this time and settlers were pouring into any free land they could find. Some were even going as far as to spill into the lands of the Sokoto tribe. This was raising tensions greatly. On a clear night in March of 1643, a small group of tribesmen demanded tribute from a group of settlers who had been living in the western part of the tribal nation’s territory. When the tribesmen took animals, food, and two women as “tribute,” three men of the small settlement rode west into the Empire and alerted the African Control authorities. The authorities then sent out a military unit to secure the area. In doing so they violated the Sokoto tribe’s lands, and a conflict began.
The Sokoto tribe was already in a period of unrest and instability and the war did not help. British soldiers faced little serious opposition and moved through Central Africa almost unopposed.
In India, Frobisher finished the capture of Central India by November of 1643. The Mughal Emperor was ready for peace by this point and Frobisher specifically dictated that he wanted a large strip of land from the center of the Mughal Empire. Unable to resist, the enemy Emperor gave in and on November 22nd of 1643, the Greater Indian Control gained a large piece of land from the Mughals, and split their enemy’s empire in half.
Around the same time, the African Control was moving soldiers into the area around Lake Chad. The Sokoto chief was captured and forced into a peace settlement. He was required to cede a large portion of his western territory and to guarantee the rights and safety of any European settlers in the tribal lands.
In secret, Henry had created an “Assembly of Imperial Concerns(AIC)” in late 1641, which would be in use until the 19th century until it became the IIA in 1897. The AIC would handle domestic issues along with both espionage and counter-espionage. The AIC’s two main goals at the time were to help locate and suppress and republican sentiment on the Home Isles and help provide information on means of expansion overseas. By 1644, the AIC had found and or possibly fabricated several documents which were usable by the Emperor for dictating new borders along contested regions. In August of that year, Henry opened several new wars and was working to consolidate his Empire.
Once the African and Greater Indian Control were given their orders, they began to enforce them by military force. Most of the areas in question were weakly guarded and their previous controllers lacked the military might to resist. In April of 1646, all the territory in question, along with the small remaining Ethiopian lands, was annexed under Henry’s orders. Imperialism was being practiced in a grand scale by Henry quite successfully.
Outside the Empire, times were turbulent. In Europe, Aragon and Theocratic France were battling one more over Aquitaine, which had been in Iberian hands for many years. The Dutch nation of Brabant fell to Bavaria in 1644. Central Europe was being split amongst the Czech in Bohemia and Poland, the Brandenburg kings in North Germany, and the Bavarians in South Germany. In early 1646, the Mughal Empire began to spiral into decline and by the end of the year many small Indian states had declared independence in the southern half that was cut off by the Empire. The Russians continued their expansion in all directions, and were looking east toward the Siberian lands. Japan continued their expansion in Southeast Asia and was quickly being boxed in. This is one reason that Emperor Henry seized the Hawaiian Islands in December of 1641, in hopes of giving the Empire a new direction to move into Asia from. News of Chinese wealth was fueling a new desire for possible expansion and Henry was more than ready to assert his authority abroad.
Chapter 5: Henry the Great
Henry the Great did not receive his title for his handling of the civil war, which was a triumph none the less. Henry gained the majority of his fame through his expansionary policies. Emperors before him often relied on political or religious differences to justify their wars. Henry did not see this as necessary. Henry would focus more on the well being of the Empire as his goal and reason for waging war. It was during this time period that imperialism became more and more common amongst the European powers. Colonization was beginning to fade as available lands disappeared under the flags of the great European powers. Instead many sought only to expand their borders, regardless of who or what lied within that territory. Henry would be one of the first practitioners of this new political philosophy.
In November of 1640, two very important men would arrive in India. One was Jonas Backlund, a Swedish missionary born in South Africa. Backlund was being sent to India to begin the long process of converting the Indians to Catholicism. Backlund would begin in Western India and would develop a long standing program to help fund and organize the missionary work. The other individual was General Hugh Frobisher. Having left England at the close of the Civil War, Frobisher was being used by Henry to prepare a war against the Mughal Empire. When Frobisher arrived, he spoke with the leading military commander Alexander Drake of the Greater Indian Control. Drake and Frobisher would spend the next two months planning a strategy to defeat the Mughals. Henry had given the General the go ahead to move in when the military was ready. Drake had regiments positioned along the border and Frobisher sent off a messenger with the declaration of war on the enemy. The Mughal Empire was then fighting a war in Tibet against the Taungu Empire of Southeast Asia. Frobisher directed all troops to move in and the war was started.
The fighting in this war would be largely tipped in favor of the British. Mughal forces were insufficiently trained in comparison to their British foes. The Mughals could count on numbers in comparison. The British had 24,000 men in India for the war, compared to the 53,000 men being fielded by the Mughal Empire. Henry had specifically made clear to Frobisher that the war could not be dragged on in the same manner that the Persian War had. Frobisher planned to have British troops cut the Mughal Empire in half. 16,000 men were to attack and push towards Delhi, the heart of the enemy’s lands. Further west, Drake was leading 8,000 troops north towards the Afghan lands. The plans fell through though. Intelligence along the border had guessed that much of the Mughal forces were tied up in Tibet. In reality many were, yet some 20,000 soldiers remained around Delhi. When the 16,000 British soldiers met the 20,000 Mughal soldiers under command of the Mughal Emperor himself, they were forced into retreat after suffering casualties near 4,000. Frobisher personally came to the front in August of 1641 to help reverse the losses. Drake, virtually unopposed, pressed north. By early 1642, the General had retaken much of the lost territory and was leading the army to attack the Mughal Emperor. Many battles would take place in Northern India in the coming year, most of which were not incredibly decisive. The true finish to combat wouldn’t take place until September of 1642, when 18,000 Mughal soldiers surrendered to Frobisher in Delhi. Drake was still pushing through unknown territory and was heading as far north as to be fighting Uzbeks.
In early 1643, a crisis broke out in central Africa. Open land was becoming scarce around this time and settlers were pouring into any free land they could find. Some were even going as far as to spill into the lands of the Sokoto tribe. This was raising tensions greatly. On a clear night in March of 1643, a small group of tribesmen demanded tribute from a group of settlers who had been living in the western part of the tribal nation’s territory. When the tribesmen took animals, food, and two women as “tribute,” three men of the small settlement rode west into the Empire and alerted the African Control authorities. The authorities then sent out a military unit to secure the area. In doing so they violated the Sokoto tribe’s lands, and a conflict began.
The Sokoto tribe was already in a period of unrest and instability and the war did not help. British soldiers faced little serious opposition and moved through Central Africa almost unopposed.
In India, Frobisher finished the capture of Central India by November of 1643. The Mughal Emperor was ready for peace by this point and Frobisher specifically dictated that he wanted a large strip of land from the center of the Mughal Empire. Unable to resist, the enemy Emperor gave in and on November 22nd of 1643, the Greater Indian Control gained a large piece of land from the Mughals, and split their enemy’s empire in half.
Around the same time, the African Control was moving soldiers into the area around Lake Chad. The Sokoto chief was captured and forced into a peace settlement. He was required to cede a large portion of his western territory and to guarantee the rights and safety of any European settlers in the tribal lands.
In secret, Henry had created an “Assembly of Imperial Concerns(AIC)” in late 1641, which would be in use until the 19th century until it became the IIA in 1897. The AIC would handle domestic issues along with both espionage and counter-espionage. The AIC’s two main goals at the time were to help locate and suppress and republican sentiment on the Home Isles and help provide information on means of expansion overseas. By 1644, the AIC had found and or possibly fabricated several documents which were usable by the Emperor for dictating new borders along contested regions. In August of that year, Henry opened several new wars and was working to consolidate his Empire.
Once the African and Greater Indian Control were given their orders, they began to enforce them by military force. Most of the areas in question were weakly guarded and their previous controllers lacked the military might to resist. In April of 1646, all the territory in question, along with the small remaining Ethiopian lands, was annexed under Henry’s orders. Imperialism was being practiced in a grand scale by Henry quite successfully.
Outside the Empire, times were turbulent. In Europe, Aragon and Theocratic France were battling one more over Aquitaine, which had been in Iberian hands for many years. The Dutch nation of Brabant fell to Bavaria in 1644. Central Europe was being split amongst the Czech in Bohemia and Poland, the Brandenburg kings in North Germany, and the Bavarians in South Germany. In early 1646, the Mughal Empire began to spiral into decline and by the end of the year many small Indian states had declared independence in the southern half that was cut off by the Empire. The Russians continued their expansion in all directions, and were looking east toward the Siberian lands. Japan continued their expansion in Southeast Asia and was quickly being boxed in. This is one reason that Emperor Henry seized the Hawaiian Islands in December of 1641, in hopes of giving the Empire a new direction to move into Asia from. News of Chinese wealth was fueling a new desire for possible expansion and Henry was more than ready to assert his authority abroad.
@Yrkidding: Expanding indeed.
@Enewald: That's a bit ambitious. Maybe from Delhi to Peking if I'm feeling that adventurous.
@Enewald: That's a bit ambitious. Maybe from Delhi to Peking if I'm feeling that adventurous.
A History of the Empire: Vol. 3
Chapter 6: The Roads Lead East
Following the war against the Mughals, the Emperor put increased focus on the Greater Indian Control. With it being the most valuable Control in terms of men and trade value, a certain degree of security was deemed necessary. Border patrols and security checks at major Control strongholds were common. The AIC was also being used to help keep the area under British command. In late 1646, the AIC announced that it had reason to believe that a small area of land along the Persian border region could legally be deemed British due to some slight irregularities in maps for the last peace that was made with the Persians.
Henry was informed by the year’s end and he sent back a request for Frobisher to make an investigation and make a move if he felt the situation was favorable. Another Persian war was assumed to be opposed by many, but as long as the conflict was contained, Henry felt it could be used to kick the Persians out of Northern India for good.
The war would start off under Frobisher’s command in July of 1647. It was considered at the time to be mostly about a few border provinces at most, but few thought that a full occupation of Persia would be its future. It was known that the Russians were also at war with the Persians, yet the extent of their progress was unknown, due to much of Western Persia being outside the reach of British informants. The Russians feared at the time that a British incursion into Persia might lead to a power struggle between the Sicilians, Russians, and British over the region. In response to these fears, the Russian Tsar had the Persians recognize a free kingdom in the east. The area happened to be composed of many of the areas that the British desired to take. In order to curb British aggression, the Russians also made sure that the state was deemed neutral and they proclaimed it would be protected by their armies if necessary. Henry called the Russian bluff and British soldiers quickly moved into the new nation of Durrani.
Durrani was a small kingdom and was quickly absorbed. The Russians failed to uphold their guarantee of Durrani and hence fighting was very limited. It was briefly considered if the war with Persia would be necessary after the annexation was complete.
The answer came quickly when 34,000 Persian soldiers, the majority of the Persian forces at the time, moved east and were spotted by British forces in early 1648. Frobisher, knowing the mistakes of earlier wars, moved back the 16,000 British soldiers on the front and let the Persians move forward unopposed.
The Sicilians, being close allies of the Empire, moved a massive force into Persia in June of 1648. Under the leadership of Bernard Bourbon, the 60,000 Italians moved east from Sicilian Iraq.
Frobisher wanted to encircle the Persian forces and then move west. Tehran, the Persian capital, was deemed a strategic necessity and General Frobisher had Drake lead a force of 24,000 British soldiers in to take Central Persia. In late 1649, Sicily, amid revolts in Italy, exited the war in return for massive monetary concessions from Persia. Persian forces were unable to keep up with Drake, who was known for his successes in quick and decisive battles and sieges. By early 1650, most of Persia had been sacked or controlled by British forces and the Persian leaders were ready for an uneasy peace. During the entire conflict, the mighty 34,000 strong Persian army never fought a single battle against British soldiers. The war ended in May of 1650 and Persia was forced to cede most of its eastern provinces, along with removing many of their outstanding claims to surrounding areas.
The 2nd Great Persian war was certainly one of the most prominent events to take place in the immediate post-Civil War era, but another event would be just as important. On November 16th, 1649, a Japanese spy by the name of Honda Nori would be captured in Sri Lanka attempting to flee with sensitive information pertaining to British training and recruitment in the Greater Indian Control. Honda would be captured, along with many documents related to the Japanese Empire. Most of the information was incredibly useless to the Control authorities who found it, but one particular document was invaluable. This document gave a list of Japanese trading operations in East Asia. This information was not important though, the document also contained an incredibly detailed map of East Asia, which was largely unknown to the British.
Not only was it geographically very accurate for a map of this period, but it also gave the British a clue as to the political situation in the area. It gave information on most of the states in East Asia, along with the political divisions that tied most of them to one of 3 large states: Japan, Ming, and Wu.
In late 1650, copies of the Honda map were circulated and reached Britain. The Emperor would hold several meetings with military and political advisors on how to best make use of this information. Two predominate views would emerge from these discussions. Two German traders turned advisors were currently the most informed about the situation in East Asia. One was Albert Klein, a trader who had spent a year in Japan’s southern territories in 1642. The other was Adolf Arnsberg, a trader who had accompanied Portuguese explorers along the very southern coasts of China in the late 1630’s. Both felt their experience would give the Emperor some insight into how to handle the situation. Klein suggested that Southeast Asia was not worth the effort and the wealth of the Japanese lands should be sought. He believed a blockade mixed with small military incursions, could cripple the Japanese. Arnsberg disagreed and felt China was far too rich to pass up. He believed an attack on the Wu, the weaker of the two Chinese dynastic empires, would be simple and could yield vast returns. The two views would be contested and refined for years, but in reality, Henry felt that both ideas had potential, and the Emperor would act with them in mind when preparing for how to best exploit the wealth of the east.
Chapter 6: The Roads Lead East
Following the war against the Mughals, the Emperor put increased focus on the Greater Indian Control. With it being the most valuable Control in terms of men and trade value, a certain degree of security was deemed necessary. Border patrols and security checks at major Control strongholds were common. The AIC was also being used to help keep the area under British command. In late 1646, the AIC announced that it had reason to believe that a small area of land along the Persian border region could legally be deemed British due to some slight irregularities in maps for the last peace that was made with the Persians.
Henry was informed by the year’s end and he sent back a request for Frobisher to make an investigation and make a move if he felt the situation was favorable. Another Persian war was assumed to be opposed by many, but as long as the conflict was contained, Henry felt it could be used to kick the Persians out of Northern India for good.
The war would start off under Frobisher’s command in July of 1647. It was considered at the time to be mostly about a few border provinces at most, but few thought that a full occupation of Persia would be its future. It was known that the Russians were also at war with the Persians, yet the extent of their progress was unknown, due to much of Western Persia being outside the reach of British informants. The Russians feared at the time that a British incursion into Persia might lead to a power struggle between the Sicilians, Russians, and British over the region. In response to these fears, the Russian Tsar had the Persians recognize a free kingdom in the east. The area happened to be composed of many of the areas that the British desired to take. In order to curb British aggression, the Russians also made sure that the state was deemed neutral and they proclaimed it would be protected by their armies if necessary. Henry called the Russian bluff and British soldiers quickly moved into the new nation of Durrani.
Durrani was a small kingdom and was quickly absorbed. The Russians failed to uphold their guarantee of Durrani and hence fighting was very limited. It was briefly considered if the war with Persia would be necessary after the annexation was complete.
The answer came quickly when 34,000 Persian soldiers, the majority of the Persian forces at the time, moved east and were spotted by British forces in early 1648. Frobisher, knowing the mistakes of earlier wars, moved back the 16,000 British soldiers on the front and let the Persians move forward unopposed.
The Sicilians, being close allies of the Empire, moved a massive force into Persia in June of 1648. Under the leadership of Bernard Bourbon, the 60,000 Italians moved east from Sicilian Iraq.
Frobisher wanted to encircle the Persian forces and then move west. Tehran, the Persian capital, was deemed a strategic necessity and General Frobisher had Drake lead a force of 24,000 British soldiers in to take Central Persia. In late 1649, Sicily, amid revolts in Italy, exited the war in return for massive monetary concessions from Persia. Persian forces were unable to keep up with Drake, who was known for his successes in quick and decisive battles and sieges. By early 1650, most of Persia had been sacked or controlled by British forces and the Persian leaders were ready for an uneasy peace. During the entire conflict, the mighty 34,000 strong Persian army never fought a single battle against British soldiers. The war ended in May of 1650 and Persia was forced to cede most of its eastern provinces, along with removing many of their outstanding claims to surrounding areas.
The 2nd Great Persian war was certainly one of the most prominent events to take place in the immediate post-Civil War era, but another event would be just as important. On November 16th, 1649, a Japanese spy by the name of Honda Nori would be captured in Sri Lanka attempting to flee with sensitive information pertaining to British training and recruitment in the Greater Indian Control. Honda would be captured, along with many documents related to the Japanese Empire. Most of the information was incredibly useless to the Control authorities who found it, but one particular document was invaluable. This document gave a list of Japanese trading operations in East Asia. This information was not important though, the document also contained an incredibly detailed map of East Asia, which was largely unknown to the British.
Not only was it geographically very accurate for a map of this period, but it also gave the British a clue as to the political situation in the area. It gave information on most of the states in East Asia, along with the political divisions that tied most of them to one of 3 large states: Japan, Ming, and Wu.
In late 1650, copies of the Honda map were circulated and reached Britain. The Emperor would hold several meetings with military and political advisors on how to best make use of this information. Two predominate views would emerge from these discussions. Two German traders turned advisors were currently the most informed about the situation in East Asia. One was Albert Klein, a trader who had spent a year in Japan’s southern territories in 1642. The other was Adolf Arnsberg, a trader who had accompanied Portuguese explorers along the very southern coasts of China in the late 1630’s. Both felt their experience would give the Emperor some insight into how to handle the situation. Klein suggested that Southeast Asia was not worth the effort and the wealth of the Japanese lands should be sought. He believed a blockade mixed with small military incursions, could cripple the Japanese. Arnsberg disagreed and felt China was far too rich to pass up. He believed an attack on the Wu, the weaker of the two Chinese dynastic empires, would be simple and could yield vast returns. The two views would be contested and refined for years, but in reality, Henry felt that both ideas had potential, and the Emperor would act with them in mind when preparing for how to best exploit the wealth of the east.