1731-1735 – Alone Amongst Friends
With the Cortz vetoing the two Greek-planned wars, Hispania looked elsewhere for a time. The direction of the army was considered. With its vast size, it seemed capable of crushing all in its path. With that in mind, it seemed only logical that the Hispanian army always take the offensive. Military theorists starting drafting up plans and ideas for a more offensive war strategy. Despite this attitude, no major war was planned. It was time for Hispania to handle the problems of overextension first. Of course that didn’t exclude colonial conquest. The Exercit Colonial sailed for Oyo, while the Exercit Africa sailed across the Atlantic for Nova Hispania.
With no building projects planned for the time being, funds from the treasury could be devoted to improving all the trade fleets. Over the course of a few years, every single ship in the many Hispanian trade fleets was refitted into great frigates.
Even though their attempts at freedom had been quashed again and again, the Thirteen Colonies were able to take out their frustration on Mahican.
By July, the Exercit Africa had reached the New World. Chancellor Andreu de Trastámara had instructed them to issue a declaration of war to Xiu upon arrival, with the intention of acquiring all their land. All of Central America would belong to Nova Hispania.
It did not take long for Xiu to make a move. A trade fleet wandered right into the Flota Mediterranean, and that was the end of them. As for Xiu’s army, it tried to sneak through Petén, but Field Marshal Fausto Villanova, who had been tasked with leading this campaign due to his family’s extensive knowledge of the colonies, had his armies intercept. What transpired was a slaughter, the end of Xiu’s army.
Villanova’s superb leadership, as well as the many other Hispanian generals, inspired the many officers within the army to take a more direct approach to leadership and to lead from the front. Surely an army performed better when the one leading it was as willing to put himself in danger as those serving under him.
With the enemy army gone, the Exercit Africa split and marched onward. Villanova used the fleet to get around an enemy fort to reach Campeche and push towards Xiu’s capital. The second half of his army moved on to Belize and the east coast. Nova Hispania’s army had intervened by now, going after the fort in the west.
France, ever hungry for more land, declared war on Aachen. Poland couldn’t be the only one to expand into the HRE.
Xiu tried to rally a new army in their capital, but the arrival of Villanova cut that short.
By the end of the year, the colonies were fully pulling their weight. Nuevas Baleares had sent men across from Havana to besiege an enemy fort, and men from Nuevos Valencia were marching south. Even Sanchonia had sent their fleets to blockade the coast.
The start of 1732 brought the fall of Mani, Xiu’s capital. Xiu also was humiliated when two regiments of theirs surrendered rather than face Hispanian might. Their fleet then was nearly destroyed when it faced off against Sanchonia’s and Nova Hispania’s navies. By April, Xiu was all but done. Sending their fleet to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico was the final nail in the coffin.
In colonial news, the colony in Tierra del Fuego became self-sustaining and was handed over to Nuevo Leon. The Crown immediately funded a colony in Cayenne to seal off the north coast of South America before some eager European nation tried to cut in.
France, in their war with Aachen, showed that conquest was not always their goal, or rather they had an alternative strategy in mind. The Palatinate had been dragged into the war, and France used it as an excuse to vassalize them. Why France wanted this tiny state as a vassal was unknown, although it did show the weakness of the HRE since the Palatinate was an elector.
With Xiu in no position to resist, their annexation was demanded, securing all of Central America for Nova Hispania.
France ended their war with Aachen shortly after, taking Trier for their own. France’s borders continued to expand further eastward, but at least it wasn’t south.
With succession in doubt, some French nobles tried to enforce an agreement upon the French Crown to denounce any foreign claimants. That didn’t go over well when the French army returned from Aachen.
Hispania’s army continued to be the envy of the world, of much higher quality than anyone else’s.
Even with Hispania’s massive trade presence, there were inherent dangers to conducting trade over such vast distances. Many merchants were finding it more difficult to stay afloat, and bankruptcy was becoming a problem. Not wanting to see Hispania’s trade empire fall apart, the treasury was emptied to keep the merchants in business, even if it meant taking out a loan to achieve.
Serbia decided to tempt fate by conducting a blatant act of subterfuge. They sent spies to attempt to steal weapon designs, ship blueprints, and other superior Hispanian ideas. They were ultimately caught, but who knew how long they had been conducting such thievery.
Yemen got off relatively easy in their war with Ethiopia. The Ethiopians were content with them renouncing claims to lost land, perhaps as an attempt to ensure at least some semblance of peace in the area.
Patiently waiting to secure past conquests paid off. The world was starting to forget some of Hispania’s aggressive actions, a great boon to Hispania’s reputation. Now conquest could be pursued again. It was time to remove Oyo from the map.
Hispania’s finances were rarely in dire straits, which is perhaps why the loan was paid off in August of 1933, less than a year after it had been taken out.
Apparently Roussillon was the victim of piracy, an odd claim due to its position in Europe. Despite some doubts that it was legitimate, the people were provided with funds to build up defences.
Before further conquests could be acquired, it seemed better to secure some land without fighting at all. Zazzau had already had problems with their new coastal provinces, with rebels taking it at one point and thwarting any attempts at integration. A thinly veiled threat was sent to Zazzau suggesting that Hispania could take Ijebu off their hands. They accepted and that was the end of that. More African coastline for Hispania.
With troops all ready to go, war with Oyo was declared. Their army was eradicated with ease and their only province under siege.
Nobles seemed to be a constant problem in the colonies, this time pestering Nuevos Valencia. Apparently only the less refined nobles moved to the New World.
Another colony in Australia reached completion amongst the growing competition over the region with France. Further expansion of colonies near Malacca, this time Tulangbewang, could now be pursued.
In a surprise turn-around, Morocco managed not only to fend off a Mali invasion, but to secure its southern border with two more provinces. One of the last of the North African nations continued its struggle to survive.
In February of 1734, France decided it was time to contest British power. French Louisiana was starting to brush up against the Thirteen Colonies and was leading to increased tensions between the two colonial powers. While Hispania favoured the independence of Britain’s colonies to create friendly powers in the New World, France was the one who had to share a border with them, and they were a threat regardless of who was in charge. There was also talk of France securing a position across the Channel, an ambitious goal to say the least, but such rumours could not be confirmed until a peace was signed. France soon called upon both Austria and Sweden to assist them, but Hispania was yet again excluded. The French claimed it was due to Hispania’s ongoing war with Oyo, but anyone who paid any attention would know such a conflict was due to be over in no time. It seemed a pattern now that whenever one of the Quadruple Entente started a war, Hispania remained on the sidelines. Regardless, some viewed this exclusion with relief, for it ensured Hispania was not forced into a war with the very colonial nations it wanted freed from British rule.
Africa seemed to flourish the less the government was involved in its administration. Trade was free to flow as it pleased.
By May, Oyo had had enough. They signed away their independence and swore off any claims they had. The coast had been secured. Hispania had prevailed yet again, an inspiring victory.
Almost immediately after the conquest of Oyo, Morocco acted against Tunis in a startling move. The Moroccan army, perhaps to prevent a Hispanian invasion, attacked at a rapid pace and managed to enter the city in no time at all. Unprepared for such an invasion, Tunis was overwhelmed and subsequently annexed. The sultan of Tunis fled, while the remnants of his army gathered in the countryside to harass the Moroccan conquerors.
Lithuania’s war with Kazan ended in the near annihilation of the latter power. Kazan was reduced to a minor power between the Caspian and Ural Seas. Lithuania now stretched well into the steppes, although Bukhara and Sibir stood partly in the way.
With Egypt so weakened by Hispania, it was vulnerable to attack. Alodia, an East African nation, took the opportunity to try to grab what they could from their weakened neighbour.
Word from France and the other members of the Quadruple Entente trickled in as the war against Britain progressed. France had managed to land over 50k men in Cornwall, much stronger than the roughly 40k British army near London. This may be the only men they would manage to get across the Channel, for the British navy caught the French navy at sea and forced it to port. The battle wasn’t exactly one sided, but the British had won for now. This did, however, give time for Sweden to land troops in Scotland. As for Austria, they started boarding in ships in Genoa, a strange decision seeing as it was a Hispanian port. Apparently they wanted to avoid sailing around Italy to save time.
Down in Morocco, the last hopes of the Tunisian people were crushed when the remnants of their army died outside the wall of Constantine.
The Crown colony in Nootka became self-sufficient, a suitable naval base for future expansion. Now the Crown turned its eye to South Africa, deciding it was time to bolster the region, just in case another European power got any ideas. This was followed shortly after by Nakipa, a colony of the Lübecker family. Unfortunately, all the colonists were busy at this time, so no new colonies were established.
On Christmas Day of 1724, Hispania officially announced that it would support the independence of the Thirteen Colonies. If the colonial nation was to declare war on their overlord, Britain, Hispania would aid them in their struggle. This was partially Hispania’s way of striking at the British while not being engaged in France’s war. Of course with the Thirteen Colonies actively waging war alongside Britain, it seemed likely Hispania would not need to fulfill their obligation for some time.
Britain was currently managing to win the war against France, perhaps solely through naval victories and the continued freedom of their capital. It seemed likely events would turn against them though. The French army in Cornwall was now at 62k men, and the Swedes in Scotland had managed to beat a British army sent to expel it. Austria continued to build up troops in Genoa for transportation. Britain seemed likely to be defeated, but the question was how would their colonies fare?
And in the midst of this all, Byzantium continued to search for support for its claims to the Balkans, but with Hispania’s allies embroiled in war, it seemed likely no one would be responsive to another war.
As Hispania’s trade empire stretched across the world, some began to talk of ways to make it easier to transport goods from the faraway colonies to Europe. If only there was some way to avoid going all the way around the tips of South America or Africa. There was some talk of building canals in Egypt or Panama, but such projects would undoubtedly be expensive beyond belief. Was such an idea even worth it?
Presenting His Imperial Highness, Jaume IV de Trastámara, Emperor of Hispania, Caesar of Rome, and Protector of the Greeks.
It seems our allies have gotten themselves involved in another large European war. It seems to have been quite some time since we’ve intervened in the continent. Our ambitions seem to be increasingly focused elsewhere. I pray that they weaken Britain but leave their colonies unscathed for the most part, for it would be good to see our American friends win their freedom. Seeing them forced to defend the very nation they’ve fought to escape bondage from is appalling.
We should also consider where we wish Hispania to head next. Colonial growth is always good for our nation, for our colonies are a great boon for us. Of course, so is trade, so perhaps working on building that up may be best, albeit more difficult.
I believe it will soon be appropriate to marry off my eldest son so he can ensure the future succession. I shall be arranging a match shortly, and hopefully one can be arranged for my second son as well.
I was approached about the strangest idea the other day. Some intellectual proposed digging a canal between the Mediterranean and Red Sea. Of course I said such an idea seemed absurd. He then proceeded to explain that the same could be done between the Pacific and Atlantic in Panama. It’s a fanciful idea, one that would benefit not only Hispania but the world, but I have my doubts such a thing is possible. Perhaps some of you have thoughts on the matter. Is such a prospect even worth pursuing?
((Ministers will have until
Monday at 12PM PST to post their plans. Players may also propose laws in that time period. We’ll be voting on a new mission to pursue later, although I suspect only one is reasonably possible.
You may have also noticed my mentioning of canals. I just noticed we’ve reached the necessary technology and possess the proper provinces to build the Suez and Panama canals. Both are extremely expensive though. If people actually have an interest in seeing them built, I do have an interesting mechanic in mind to speed up the gathering of funds for such a project. Seeing as both areas fall under TATC monopoly zones, they’ll inevitably be involved too.
And no, I haven’t forgotten to marry off the heirs. I just wanted to get the update done first. I’ll get to that some time in the next few days once I’ve sorted a few things out.
Pensioners:
@05060403
@DaDerpyDude
Dying:
@Dadarian
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STOP! COOKIE TIME