1719-1725 – War of the Empires
The attempt on the emperor’s life left many wondering who was responsible. Ultimately not enough evidence was gathered to convict, or those who knew were biding their time. The likely suspects though continued to be seen around court as though nothing was wrong. ((I’ll let the investigations or accusations continue after the update. Perhaps a new break in the case.
))Despite troubles and tribulations at court, affairs of state had to go on. The Exercit Valencia, perhaps due to some scares about its ranks being compromised, was sent overseas to assist the Exercit Athens in taking out the Syrian rebels for Byzantium. Grandmaster Alexis Cyril de Saint-Pierre arranged the construction of 20 heavy frigates for use in trading fleets overseas.
Speaking of overseas, the war against Ming raged on. The Exercit Colonial was attempting to secure the region around Beijing, but Korea kept sending men over. This eventually forced a battle outside Beijing where a Korean army was crushed.
The last vestiges of the Muslim coalition faded away as Ajuuraan left.
Alsace was one of the first out of Sweden’s war, only having to pay war reparations.
Steward Enric de Trastámara began the construction of a series of drydocks along the coast of West Africa. As a rest-stop for ships heading overseas, this would greatly improve the ability of Hispania to field a larger navy.
Pomo became self-sufficient in September, with the Crown requesting that Colonist Sancho Villanova colonize Parnaiba to connect the pieces of Sanchonia. It was also decided that the colonies along the west coast of North America should receive a formal administration. With little interest from the court in the matter, Emperor Jaume IV decided to dub the new colonial nation Nuevos Valencia.
At the end of September, the Ming army made a reappearance and it was angrier than ever. The Exercit Colonial had to withdraw north of Beijing for safety, for they did not have the numbers to fend of these Chinese. Unfortunately, the Chinese were hot on their tails and caught them in Hejian. With significantly less numbers and insufficient leadership, the Exercit Colonial was forced to withdraw.
Around October, Court Chaplain Joan de Trastámara decided it was time that the last few provinces in Europe that resisted the Church of Jesus Christ should allow it to operate within the region. He was completely in his right, for it was the official Crown-sanctioned church and no one had a right to defy it, yet some Catholic lords had barred it from their lands. Now they were forced to accept it so that all Christians could practice their faiths freely. Of course most of the people there were still devout Catholics and few were going to convert to another faith anyway, but at least the non-Catholics were no longer persecuted unjustly.
An attempt by Nuevas Baleares to trade on their own was cut short, for it meant Hispania wasn’t receiving a cut.
With it clear that more men would be needed in China, the Exercit Cathay was commissioned per Lieutenant General Alexandre César de Montségur’s suggestion.
In November, the Exercits Athens and Valencia engaged the Syrian rebels in Aleppo. The rebels had turned the province into a stronghold, but were no match for superior Hispanian firepower. They were routed from the field, leaving Captain General Philaretos Mandromenos to retake the province while Field Marshal Louis de Soneta headed back to Valencia.
Another colony in Australia was a success, allowing resources to be shifted to Palembang.
Poland, a war-monger if there ever was one, declared war on Bohemia, using nationalism as an excuse again. Hungary and Poland so enjoyed attacking the same enemies.
By the end of the year, the Ming troops surprised the Hispanians when they managed to sneak past the garrison placed in Beijing and continue to chase down the Exercit Colonial. With no defence prepared, the army bolted back to Beijing the moment it could. Only a few thousand men remained, but they carried all of the artillery with them. ((Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t nations not allowed to pass through forts when they’re occupied, even if they’re the province owner? The Chinese are cheating!))
Despite this setback, the Exercit Jerusalem, led by Lieutenant General Timur Shah, finally arrived in China, setting foot in Beijing. This provided much needed cover for the retreating army, since now Ming could not engage it without also attacking the Exercit Jerusalem.
Rumours circulated that Byzantium was sending an army to China, a true sign of dedication. However, it was also noted that the bulk of Byzantium’s army seemed to be content to sit around in North Africa while General Pausianus Mandromenos was enjoying a brief vacation in Corfu.
Attempts to establish the Church of Jesus Christ in northern Iberia met setbacks as some extremely resilient Catholics refused to acknowledge the state religion and attacked any non-Catholics.
By February of 1720, Aleppo had fallen, ending the rebel troubles for Byzantium. Too bad their armies hadn’t even bothered to show up, still relaxing in Africa. ((No idea why the AI is not moving the large army in Kabylia. Such strange behaviour.))
There were some that looked at the current state of Hispania and worried about the emperor grabbing too much power. With a recent vote for an absolute monarchy, albeit one that failed, and the emperor holding the position of prime minister for the first time since its creation, Jaume was in a stronger position than most recent emperors. That didn’t deter him, since what he needed was to operate from a position of strength for the time being.
Byzantium made a clear sign of how close the two nations remained when they denounced the pope in Frankfurt and recognized Pius II as the one true pope.
Adding incentives to produce more was a great boon to the nation’s production.
The two armies in China moved south to the fort in Wuding, leaving Beijing open for siege. There was little other option, for Hispania did not have the manpower in the region to protect the capital and take other forts further south.
Mutapa, the landlocked African nation Hispania had stolen the coast from, in turn stole Hispania’s ideas and westernized.
Alsace must be paying out a hefty sum to most of Europe as they agreed to give war reparations to Poland. The cause of nationalism then fell short as Poland only managed to reclaim Polish gold from Bohemia but no land.
By the end of the year, Wuding had fallen. The two armies spread out, the Exercit Jerusalem working its way around north and then back down to Daming while the Exercit Colonial secured some of the coastline.
In good news, half the Greek army in Africa vanished, perhaps spirited away to China, while General Pausianus Mandromenos decided that Zeta was a better place to station his army for the time being. Never know when those Serbs might invade, even with Hungary occupying half their country.
As for Hispanian troops, the new Exercit Cathay was on its way to China.
Tunis put up a tough fight against Morocco, but ultimately could not best their bigger neighbour. Morocco claimed all but one of their provinces for itself, ending Tunis’s significance on the international field.
Belitung reached completion, expanding Hispania’s presence near Malacca. Africa was still of vital importance though, and thus Colonist Sancho Villanova was called to Cape Coast for the Trans-Atlantic Trading Company.
Poland and Hungary’s competition came to a head as the former had had enough of the latter. Poland declared war, stating nationalism as their reason yet again. This conflict also ended the positive relations between Poland and Austria, for the Austrians sided with their Hungarian friends.
Hispania’s occupation of Chinese land had an unintended effect. Vast amounts of chinaware were plundered and sent back to Europe, driving up the demand. With the only significant presence in the region, Hispania was already set to dominate the trade.
Grand Admiral Carles de Trastámara’s plan to build ten threedeckers for protecting the transport fleets was carried out over the next while, using funds gained from the chinaware trade.
June of 1721 brought grave news, for the Chinese had retaken Beijing. The Exercit Colonial immediately set out to join up with the Exercit Jerusalem for joint defense, especially since the Ming army had grown to over 60k men, with another 12k Koreans bolstering their ranks. There was a minor scare as they circled around the two armies, but never chose to engage.
Utrecht lost their namesake to Munster, just as Cologne was named the new Holy Roman Emperor. With only five electors left out of a total of 14 states, the elections weren’t exactly that hard to win.
Europe was embroiled in so many wars that it was a mess trying to determine who was fighting who. Small skirmishes occurred throughout the HRE, while Swedish, French, and Austrian armies rampaged through Lithuania. It was around this time it was noted that peasants had risen up in Austria, but the nearby Austrian armies were too scattered and disorganized to crush it. The Exercit Firenze under Captain General Fausto Villanova was dispatched to remove the threat for Austria. The peasants were no match for the general, who put down the rebellion with ease.
Daming fell in October, securing two forts for Hispania, not that that had deterred Ming from marching right past them. The Exercit Cathay had also arrived from Europe, providing Hispania with three armies and nearly 90k men to make use of. The three armies were called back towards Beijing to retake the capital before making any more big moves.
A breakthrough happened in the war effort when the Korean army and some straggler regiments split from the main Ming army. The Exercits Colonial and Jerusalem pursued. With the main Ming army not in a good position to reinforce, this allowed for a stunning victory with 20k men defeated in mere days. The war theatre was a bit more secure.
Hungary ended their war with Bohemia, probably to better focus on Poland. They freed their fellow Catholics, but decided to pursue a secondary goal by taking half of Serbia. Hungary had just made a major push into the Balkans. Perhaps General Pausianus Mandromenos was justified in keeping watch on the Serbian border.
The death of Karl XIII Gustav of Sweden saw the end of the male line of the Soop dynasty. Previously Emperor Joan III’s daughter Peronella de Trastámara had been the assumed heir through her mother Helgi Soop, the late king’s sister. However, Karl VIII Gustav had had a young daughter out of wedlock years ago, and perhaps feeling his end coming near he had had her legitimized. Some speculated that the Frankfurt pope merely did this to prevent a Trastámara from gaining the Swedish throne, although in the end this backfired anyway. Before his death, Karl Gustav married his young daughter off to Prince Charles of France. When he then passed away, the throne passed to his daughter, or rather her husband since women rarely ruled alone. Prince Charles de Valois thus became King Karl IX of Sweden. This caused great worry amongst the crowns of Europe, for two brothers now held the thrones of two of the strongest nations in Europe. Worse yet, Charles was technically next in line for the French throne, that is unless Henri III sired a son. Thus as a condition of accepting the Swedish crown, Charles had to denounce his right to the crown of France, removing him from succession. ((Had to do a lot of thinking and adjusting to get this to work. We’ve already established that Peronella de Trastámara was next in line for Sweden through the king’s sister, so the only female that could trump her was a daughter, but since there wasn’t one in-game as heir it had to be an illegitimate one. This was further complicated by the fact that it was established that the male Valois line died out and that was why Henri II, a bastard, ascended to the throne of France, so the only male Valois that could be available is a son of his. We’ll just have to ignore the fact Charles/Karl wasn’t actually recognized as heir for the past while.))
This new monarch shook the international stage soon after as he announced that Sweden would be abolishing the practice of slavery and encouraging other nations to follow suit.
Artisans began complaining that certain taxes were hampering production and needed to be abolished. The Crown agreed, although this tanked finances for a moment and required the acquisition of a loan to cover the losses.
As the Exercits Jerusalem and Cathay besieged Beijing, the Exercit Colonial made a push down south, attacking a small Ming army in Yanzhou.
Persia continued to grow, expanding further east towards India at Baluchistan’s expense.
Cologne attempted to make a move on Munster, even if it meant pitting them against Hungary Sweden, and Saxony too.
June 1722 saw the fall of Beijing yet again, also meaning that all the Hispanian armies were free to make a move on Ming. All the armies converged on Wuding for one massive assault against the Ming army. The battle was a success, seeing the Ming army suffer significant casualties and be forced north into easily accessible territory. The victory greatly bolstered the army’s discipline as they chased the Chinese.
By September, they had caught up to the Ming army in Shenyang. Demoralized and trapped farther north than they’d like, the Ming army was placed in a position where they could not escape. The army surrendered, with over 40k men taken out of the war in a single battle. The bulk of the enemy force was gone.
With that taken care of, the Exercit Colonial remained in Shenyang to take the fort and surrounding region before pushing into Korea, the Exercit Jerusalem marched south to secure the region just south of Beijing, while the Exercit Cathay set sail for Canton, the target of the war. Reports also came in around this time of a Byzantine army in southern China, as well as the occupation of Hsenwi’s capital. Their so-called star general had not travelled overseas for the campaign though, for he had to keep a careful eye on those threatening Serbs. ((The AI is truly a mystery sometimes.
))
At the end of the year, the Exercit Jerusalem engaged a minor Ming army trying to retake provinces. The fight had been taken out of the Chinese, for without overwhelming numbers they stood no chance.
Someone else who had had the fight taken out of them was the marshal. In his mid-50s, Sanç de Trastámara passed away, shortly after his own son died, leaving his office open. His death also brought to life the corruption that had existed during his tenure, with an overwhelming number of bribes accepted for various purposes. No one could exactly trace who had paid and for what, but it was clear that the army’s integrity had been compromised by this greedy late marshal. His successor would have to be carefully selected, but for now the emperor took up the duties. Also, with the death of his brother Sanç and the humiliating dismissal of Bartomeu, Grand Admiral Carles de Trastámara found himself in a tricky position, ultimately leading to his resignation. ((@Mach Twelve, you can remarry Sophia if you want. I didn’t realize her husband was supposed to die so young.))
As 1723 came around, Chancellor Andreu de Trastámara decided it was time to make a move in Anatolia. With most of the Greek armies off who knows where or nowhere near the war theatre, it seemed likely Hispania would be doing most of the work. The Exercits Valencia and Firenze made their way to Anatolia to meet up with the Exercit Athens. It was decided that war with Genoa would be pursued first, for they seemed the easier target.
Timur Shah caught another small Ming army in Yanzhou and proceeded to dispatch it. Further north, the fort at Shenyang fell, opening the way to Korea.
Religious tolerance tended to allow extremists to practice freely as well, as seen in Parma.
The one thing Ming had was numbers, as seen by the constant small armies getting in the way.
After a lengthy war, Sweden called an end to the conflict with Pomerania. They only took a single province from Pomerania, although Munster also received Lauenburg. The major victory was against Lithuania, who had to hand over several provinces near the Baltic. Sweden continued to win over Lithuania thanks to the strength of its allies.
Even the slightly larger Ming armies stood no chance in deterring Hispania’s war effort. Chinese fell like dominos.
In April, war with Genoa was officially declared, once it was determined that their ally Poland would not come to their aid. Poland was too embroiled in their own wars and succumbing to growing debt. The Exercits Athens and Valencia pushed over the border into Trebizond, while the Exercit Firenze was to sail for Genoa’s capital in the Crimea.
West Africa continued to boom, bringing in plenty of ducats for the TATC.
Despite the war against Genoa being called for the Greeks’ benefit, they didn’t seem particularly interested in it. While their navy came out in force, their army failed to react. Men still remained in Africa for whatever reason, while General Mandromenos seemed more interested in Serbia than Genoa. When the African army finally did get off its ass, it set sail out to the Atlantic. At least they continued to contribute to the war in China. ((Chalk another one up for dumb AI.))
Trebizond proved to be poorly defended, the fort falling in little over a month. The two nearby armies were then able to pour over the border into Genoese land.
In China, the desired port of Canton was captured, and with no enemy armies in sight the Exercit Cathay split up to siege as many provinces as it could.
Genoa made a daring move by placing its army right in the path of two of Hispania’s. Louis de Soneta soon showed why he was the senior general even at his advanced age as he crushed the Genoese army. The two armies then proceeded to spread out to siege as much land as possible while resistance remained minimal.
The Exercit Cathay continued to secure the coastline and region surrounding Canton, all while the Exercit Jerusalem pushed south and the Exercit Colonial besieged Korea’s border fort.
Ming made the mistake of attacking a much larger Hispanian army and summarily lost their own.
With excess resources to spend, investment was placed into Lisboa to make it one of the empire’s most valuable ports.
The capital of Genoa, Theodoro, put up little resistance as well. Their navy was forced to confront the Flota Mediterranean, but fled to port the moment the Armada Grande arrived.
In September of 1723, Archduke Albrecht VIII of Austria passed away, leaving the throne to his son Rudolf. Relations had been quite tense with Hispania during his reign, especially over Lucca, so perhaps this new monarch would usher in a new era.
By October, the general opinion of the war against Ming was starting to go into the negative. The war had dragged on for too long and they wanted a result already. To appease these people, the chancellor first signed a peace with Korea, extracting a small sum from them. This was enough to help pay off the loan owed by the treasury.
In Genoa, the war was going very smoothly. The fort at Crimea had fallen in two months and most of the enemy land was already under occupation. When Genoa’s fleet was then sunk and the small remains of their army bested in their own capital, the war seemed all but won.
As the land around Canton was secured, a peace was finally signed. The emperor called for a moderate peace to ensure the empire wasn’t overextended or struggling to set up an efficient administration again. The coastline near Canton was demanded first of all, along with an end to relations with both Korea and their vassal Hsenwi. War reparations and a sizeable sum were demanded, greatly boosting the treasury. Hispania had secured its little slice of China.
With the peace settled, the Exercit Cathay was formally stationed in its new home. The Flota Colonial moved in to send the Exercit Jerusalem back home, while the Exercit Colonial made the long march south for reassignment at a later date.
The conquest of Canton soon proved a great boon for Hispania. The empire now had a stranglehold on Chinese trade with Europe.
The fall of Astrakhan soon preceded the fall of Kuban, with Genoa all but entirely occupied. When western Genoa was secured, the Exercits Valencia and Firenze sailed on home, while Captain General Mandromenos remained behind to capture the last fort if possible. As for his relative in Byzantium, he had left the Serbian border behind to return to the capital of Constantinople, but did not venture any further towards the war theatre.
The death of a prominent merchant in Hispania saw an influx of wealth into the treasury.
While Hispania could pursue total occupation, it did not seem worth it. Byzantium ultimately wanted only two provinces, and it seemed likely the court would not favour any more after the Greeks’ lack of participation in the war. Thus a peace was signed where Byzantium received Trebizond and Erzurum. Hispania in turn finally got Genoa to denounce any return to Italy, while milking their treasury and forcing a break with Poland. It was not a memorable peace, but one earned wholly by Hispania.
With Tunis in its pathetic state, Egypt declared war on it. How they were to get troops there though was a mystery since it seemed unlikely they had many in North Africa and they certainly weren’t going through Hispanian land.
As the year turned to 1725, Basileus Ioannes X Palaiologos finally ascended to the throne after a lengthy regency council. With no brothers, and of course no sons as he had not married yet, he named his cousin Demetrios his heir.
Presenting His Imperial Highness, Jaume IV de Trastámara, Emperor of Hispania, Caesar of Rome, and Protector of the Greeks.
It seems our colonial ambitions in China have finally been realized. I applaud our brave men who served in such a war, for it proved quite trying at times, but we have proven the stronger. Perhaps it is time to consider a new aspiration for this empire, perhaps one less grand this time. We could focus on building up our colonies in Africa, always a profitable route. We have neglected South America for quite some time, so maybe a colony there would be good. Or, if we wish to be more aggressive, maybe the annexation of the tiny state of Malindi is in order. They have no allies and have been a minor nuisance on our East African border for quite some time. ((We have a new mission to select and will be voting on that later.))
I must admit the war with Genoa was not what I expected. After such a strong call for our assistance in reclaiming Anatolia, I expected the Greeks to participate in some manner. I suppose we failed to communicate thoroughly our intention to seek out the war now and they had already committed most of their troops to our war against Ming. If we pursue war with Persia next, maybe we should wait to ensure Byzantium has troops nearby to assist.
There is also the matter of the council. I stated years ago that my role as prime minister would be temporary, and now that matters at home have settled down, I believe it is time to step back. While we did not find the culprit responsible for the troubles of yesteryear, it is time we return to normalcy. I feel that what we need is stability, and thus I believe it best to pick a man who has remained a stable fixture of the council during both my reign and my predecessor’s. I extend an offer of the position of prime minister to the current grandmaster, Alexis Cyril de Saint-Pierre, in the hopes that he will accept. ((@05060403, you get to be prime minister if you accept and can start appointing ministers. We currently need a marshal and grand admiral. While there are still Trastámaras as chancellor and steward, you are free to keep them or replace them if you wish.))
((To business then. Ministers will have until Monday at 12PM PST to post their plans, although you might want to wait to see if the PM changes appointments first. Players may also propose laws and reforms in that time period too. I’ll be including a screenshot of our possible missions below.
On another note, before the update alscon called for a vote on whether Dadarian and BelisariustheGreat should retain their positions on the Cortz. I will thus start that now so we will be able to resolve the matter before the official vote. Only nobles can vote in this. Landed nobles may nominate themselves for open positions in the event someone is removed from the Cortz, and I will allow those who are kicked out to try to reclaim their spot. Here is the vote for that:
Remove Enrique de Burgundy-Ivrea-Orange from Cortz (Nobles only): Yes/No/Abstain
Remove Guillen II Barros Ximon Etxeto from Cortz (Nobles only): Yes/No/Abstain
Nobles voting should bold their votes and include their character’s name and class. This will end when minister plans are due.
))
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