Chapter 26: The Empires of Glass (1804-1812)
The Livonian army had originally planned to be fully equipped for a long Uyunid invasion, but now it was 1804, and they still held Finland. The Uyunid alliance with Karenia continued and Persia had promised to protect them, but both of those countries were in very bad shape.
Isbania, being another Sunni nation, had also formed an alliance with the Uyunids. Their country was quite strong – it had managed to repel a dual-invasion from both Misr and Aquitaine years ago, and its navy was one of the best in the world. Still, they were on the other side of the continent, so any protection they could offer would be delayed and weakened.
Iraq and the Uyunids were at war as of late 1804, over territorial disputes between their allies. The Iraqi forces spent two years attacking through the Caucasus, but their advance was extremely slow as the majority of the soldiers fought along the Persian border.
After five years of recovery, the army command decided that it was time to strike in 1806. Al-Turkis was called into the war, as the request was only fair since they had dragged Livonia into the last one. The Uyunids were joined by all their allies, but bankrupted Persia broke their promise to protect them.
Immediately, a very wide and thin push began through Scandinavia, assisted by partisans and volunteers. The Uyunids had practically no military presence in this area, especially since they were distracted by Iraq, so there was no resistance whatsoever (in fact, several people from the “invaded” territory assisted the invaders)
The main army was stationed in Kiev, where they immediately pushed into the Uyunid heartland. The rapid Livonian advance cut off the Uyunid armies fighting on the Caucasus front, where they were completely encircled and left to the Iraqi forces.
After their army was encircled and captured, the Uyunids accepted separate peace with Iraq, ceding minor land and paying large sums of money.
The advance continued unopposed in the south, while in the north the first major fight happened against Karenia. Their army was hopelessly outdated and poorly equipped, so they stood no chance against the fraction of the Livonian army that was pushing through the north.
After 6 months, almost the entire south was occupied, along with most of Scandinavia. The Uyunids still held Finland, which was currently the most valuable land in the upper half of the Uyunid Empire.
The fighting continued against Karenia in the north, but the Livonian losses were miniscule. The land was very weakly defended, and the Uyunid castles weren’t designed to withstand heavy cannon fire, so the country was occupied at a far quicker pace than had ever been possible in the past.
Over in Europe, the Revolutionaries of Aquitaine declared war on Bavaria. Surprisingly, there was no foreign intervention on either side of the war – even Brabant didn’t come to Bavaria’s defense.
By September of 1807, just 18 months into the war, the entirety of Uyunid territory was essentially under Baltic control. The success of the attack surprised even those who had been pushing for the war this early in the first place – they had no idea that the enemy had been in such bad shape.
An invasion of Karenia was now viable, even though 200 years ago it had failed completely. Karenia’s army was completely incapable of stopping the advanced European forces, who were now veterans of modern combat after so many wars. Only about half of the Baltic Army was even sent to invade – the remainder moved to encircle the Karenian forces in Finland, and to combat an attempted Isbani landing in Crimea.
By April of 1809, the capital Turkestan had been captured and Karenia surrendered. Surprisingly, the Uyunid leadership still refused to even negotiate peace, presumably expecting that Isbania’s landings could give the country more leverage. Of course, the harshness of Livonia’s demands didn’t help, but Klavess was unwilling to accept anything less than full annexation of Scandinavia, so he continued the occupation of Uyunid territory for another three years.
Regardless, the war was essentially already won in just over two years. Such a rapid victory would’ve been inconceivable to the earlier Kings of Liivimaa who were constantly threatened by their eastern rivals, but as Livonia became a competitive European power, their technology and tactics progressed far faster than that of their steppe-based enemies.
Meanwhile, Michigan had taken huge amounts of land from Jiazhou, and now owned coasts on the Pacific and Atlantic. The country’s population was still widely spread out and small, but it held a strong potential to dominate the west.
Two years after the surrender of Karenia, the Livonian armies had to scramble all the way to Denmark after Isbania landed a surprisingly large army. The Baltic Navy was mostly unmanned at this point – they hadn’t even considered the Isbani would risk transporting troops all the way north. Regardless of their element of surprise, the Isbani invasion was a failure and their forces retreated back home.
The ongoing war between Aquitaine and Bavaria was in a bit of a stalemate, although Aquitaine was making gains. Their advance was further hampered by another large revolt at home, temporarily splitting their army.
Finally, in winter of 1811, the Uyunids were forced to accept Livonian demands after three years of complete occupation and the failure of both Isbani counterattacks. The entirety of Scandinavia was annexed and given to Norvegija, while Kiev was given Crimea.
The Livonian sphere of influence now encompassed almost the entire country – Livonia was now at its most powerful, externally. However, the country would need to maintain its borders from now on so it could focus on investment in its weakening economy.
In North America, the three independent powers ended their pact of mutual defense after increasing tensions between the USA and its two neighbors. The countries of Michigan and Canada were still closely aligned, both being Constitutional Monarchies of the Grey dynasty, while the United States was a more liberal republic. War erupted between the two sides over territorial disputes and ideological differences.
Eventually, the war in the West ended with a huge Aquitanean victory – the nation was excessively powerful, despite their internal rebellions. In fact, the country was becoming alarmingly powerful – they had now taken huge amounts of land that were far outside any De Jure claims of the country, and their aggressive, radical attitude towards every one of their neighbors was becoming a problem. Now that they were left with no allies, negotiations had been initiated with England and Aquitaine’s neighbors to form a coalition against the country.
While Livonia was about to enter a more tranquil period, the rest of the world was certainly not. Aquitaine’s increasing antagonism of every country near them meant the balance in the west might shift once again, while the new world’s former allies fought to establish a balance in the first place.
The Livonian army had originally planned to be fully equipped for a long Uyunid invasion, but now it was 1804, and they still held Finland. The Uyunid alliance with Karenia continued and Persia had promised to protect them, but both of those countries were in very bad shape.
Isbania, being another Sunni nation, had also formed an alliance with the Uyunids. Their country was quite strong – it had managed to repel a dual-invasion from both Misr and Aquitaine years ago, and its navy was one of the best in the world. Still, they were on the other side of the continent, so any protection they could offer would be delayed and weakened.
Iraq and the Uyunids were at war as of late 1804, over territorial disputes between their allies. The Iraqi forces spent two years attacking through the Caucasus, but their advance was extremely slow as the majority of the soldiers fought along the Persian border.
After five years of recovery, the army command decided that it was time to strike in 1806. Al-Turkis was called into the war, as the request was only fair since they had dragged Livonia into the last one. The Uyunids were joined by all their allies, but bankrupted Persia broke their promise to protect them.
Immediately, a very wide and thin push began through Scandinavia, assisted by partisans and volunteers. The Uyunids had practically no military presence in this area, especially since they were distracted by Iraq, so there was no resistance whatsoever (in fact, several people from the “invaded” territory assisted the invaders)
The main army was stationed in Kiev, where they immediately pushed into the Uyunid heartland. The rapid Livonian advance cut off the Uyunid armies fighting on the Caucasus front, where they were completely encircled and left to the Iraqi forces.
After their army was encircled and captured, the Uyunids accepted separate peace with Iraq, ceding minor land and paying large sums of money.
The advance continued unopposed in the south, while in the north the first major fight happened against Karenia. Their army was hopelessly outdated and poorly equipped, so they stood no chance against the fraction of the Livonian army that was pushing through the north.
After 6 months, almost the entire south was occupied, along with most of Scandinavia. The Uyunids still held Finland, which was currently the most valuable land in the upper half of the Uyunid Empire.
The fighting continued against Karenia in the north, but the Livonian losses were miniscule. The land was very weakly defended, and the Uyunid castles weren’t designed to withstand heavy cannon fire, so the country was occupied at a far quicker pace than had ever been possible in the past.
Over in Europe, the Revolutionaries of Aquitaine declared war on Bavaria. Surprisingly, there was no foreign intervention on either side of the war – even Brabant didn’t come to Bavaria’s defense.
By September of 1807, just 18 months into the war, the entirety of Uyunid territory was essentially under Baltic control. The success of the attack surprised even those who had been pushing for the war this early in the first place – they had no idea that the enemy had been in such bad shape.
An invasion of Karenia was now viable, even though 200 years ago it had failed completely. Karenia’s army was completely incapable of stopping the advanced European forces, who were now veterans of modern combat after so many wars. Only about half of the Baltic Army was even sent to invade – the remainder moved to encircle the Karenian forces in Finland, and to combat an attempted Isbani landing in Crimea.
By April of 1809, the capital Turkestan had been captured and Karenia surrendered. Surprisingly, the Uyunid leadership still refused to even negotiate peace, presumably expecting that Isbania’s landings could give the country more leverage. Of course, the harshness of Livonia’s demands didn’t help, but Klavess was unwilling to accept anything less than full annexation of Scandinavia, so he continued the occupation of Uyunid territory for another three years.
Regardless, the war was essentially already won in just over two years. Such a rapid victory would’ve been inconceivable to the earlier Kings of Liivimaa who were constantly threatened by their eastern rivals, but as Livonia became a competitive European power, their technology and tactics progressed far faster than that of their steppe-based enemies.
Meanwhile, Michigan had taken huge amounts of land from Jiazhou, and now owned coasts on the Pacific and Atlantic. The country’s population was still widely spread out and small, but it held a strong potential to dominate the west.
Two years after the surrender of Karenia, the Livonian armies had to scramble all the way to Denmark after Isbania landed a surprisingly large army. The Baltic Navy was mostly unmanned at this point – they hadn’t even considered the Isbani would risk transporting troops all the way north. Regardless of their element of surprise, the Isbani invasion was a failure and their forces retreated back home.
The ongoing war between Aquitaine and Bavaria was in a bit of a stalemate, although Aquitaine was making gains. Their advance was further hampered by another large revolt at home, temporarily splitting their army.
Finally, in winter of 1811, the Uyunids were forced to accept Livonian demands after three years of complete occupation and the failure of both Isbani counterattacks. The entirety of Scandinavia was annexed and given to Norvegija, while Kiev was given Crimea.
The Livonian sphere of influence now encompassed almost the entire country – Livonia was now at its most powerful, externally. However, the country would need to maintain its borders from now on so it could focus on investment in its weakening economy.
In North America, the three independent powers ended their pact of mutual defense after increasing tensions between the USA and its two neighbors. The countries of Michigan and Canada were still closely aligned, both being Constitutional Monarchies of the Grey dynasty, while the United States was a more liberal republic. War erupted between the two sides over territorial disputes and ideological differences.
Eventually, the war in the West ended with a huge Aquitanean victory – the nation was excessively powerful, despite their internal rebellions. In fact, the country was becoming alarmingly powerful – they had now taken huge amounts of land that were far outside any De Jure claims of the country, and their aggressive, radical attitude towards every one of their neighbors was becoming a problem. Now that they were left with no allies, negotiations had been initiated with England and Aquitaine’s neighbors to form a coalition against the country.
While Livonia was about to enter a more tranquil period, the rest of the world was certainly not. Aquitaine’s increasing antagonism of every country near them meant the balance in the west might shift once again, while the new world’s former allies fought to establish a balance in the first place.
- 2
