Chapter LV: Last Stand
The land taken from Ankara would mark a the first time the Roman administrative ability was truly tested. Incorporating such a large amount of people was a difficult task. First, an accurate census was necessary. Accurate was, however, a relative term. Even the most accurate census was guaranteed to be way off. Unrest from the conquest would make it even more inaccurate.
After a census, damage sustained from the siege could be examined and repaired. The most tenuous part of incorporation was always taxation. The introduction of new taxes was never well received. Even though Roman tax was lower than Ankara's, the population focused more on the new taxes rather than the removal of the old.
Eventually, after the new territories were beginning to be effectively managed, Francesco had the army prepare for a new war. Once the armies were in place, war was declared on Warsangli, with the intent to draw in Kilwa. Cosimo led the forces in Warsangli. His first orders were to chase down their army.
When Cosimo's army engaged Warsangli's, they caught them by surprise. Warsangli general Fadumo Abdallah was shocked. He knew the Romans were coming, but he expected to have at least a few more days. He knew a battle like this was foolish and was prepared to join with Kilwan forces to mount a defense. Abdallah initially tried to mount a last stand, but was forced to surrender after less than thirty minutes.
What happened next could only be explained as a blitz. With no one to stop them, Roman armies just continued to march south. Kilwan troops were not seen until Romans reached deep into Kilwa's heartland. Kilwa was at war with Portugal when Rome declared, so troops had to come from very far away.
When General Filicaja received reports of the Kilwan army in the south, he ordered two armies to march with haste in order to engage quickly. Filicaja knew what kind of numbers Kilwa was capable of fielding. If he had a chance to destroy a large portion of their army, he was going to take it. A battle involving all of what Kilwa could muster would be much more costly.
When Munganaye Semid found out from scouts that large Roman armies were headed his way at a rapid pace, he knew from experience that it was wise to flee. He had just started started his military career as a low ranking officer when the First Latin-African War broke out. He had been quite arrogant back then. During the first major battle, he disobeyed his superior's orders and used his company to attempt to break the Roman lines. The attempt resulted in a 95% casualty rate for his company. Afterward, he was arrested, demoted, and narrowly avoided prison time.
This time he did not want to make the same mistake. Instead, he wanted to gather the Army together and attack as one unit. Knowing the Romans were moving quickly, Munganaye wasted no time moving. Even at lightning pace, reports showed the Romans gaining on his army. Munganaye decided retreat was no longer an option and changed his tactic.
After moving to more defensible terrain, the Kilwan army spent the next week preparing earthen barriers and setting up ideal conditions for cannon fire. They were as ready as they'd ever be. Thanks in part to a great scouting network, Munganaye's troops knew exactly when the Romans would arrive. The first shot caught the Roman soldiers by surprise.
The recent rains turned the dirt into a muddy soup, further complicating reaction to the surprise cannon fire. Many of those who were stuck in the muck were blown to pieces by shrapnel. Had the Kilwan army consisted of more artillery, the losses could have been catastrophic. Filicaja had not expected such resistance and decided to back off. The defenses that had been put together so quickly impressed him.
Filicaja knew to defeat his enemy, he would need to encircle their fortifications. He wanted to do without Kilwan forces noticing. Orders were sent to the reinforcing army to arrive in the night. At about 1am, under the cover of darkness, the second army arrived, and by dawn Kilwa was surrounded. With nowhere to go, Kilwan and Roman troops exchanged fire until the Kilwan army ran out of ammunition and was forced to surrender.
Filicaja wrote Roma about the victory. He credited a relatively unknown officer for coming up with most of the plan. He also ensured that peace would be come soon. Filicaja's prediction would come to pass as Kilwa was ready to negotiate. In the end, they ceded Ethiopia the rest of their cores. Warsangli lost more than half their land.
Author Notes: Sorry about the delayed update. When I learned Adm Efficiency doesn't reduce coring cost in 1.11, I tried to update. I was ultimately unable to do so, but I am now playing with Steam again and was able to activate the El Dorado expansion. With coring costs higher than I want, I had to rethink my WC strategy. I still think it's possible, but it's harder.
I also have to announce that this will be the last regular chapter. I'm completely out of ideas to prevent it from growing old. The next chapters will cover my WC attempt. They will be similar to the chapters of L'État, C'est Moi - A France AAR (Veritas et Fortitudo)when they were going for their WC attempt. Expect infrequent, possibly slow to release chapters.
