Sir John A.'s History of the British Empire
Jewel in the Crown
A British India AAR
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Yay - someone looks set to use my "child" for a AAR. Definitely will watch this one (to see where I need to fix things - as a mod you run tons of tests but its always the players who find those things you never think to look for.)
Chapter I - Forward Policy
In 1600, Queen Elizabeth I granted the British East India Company a royal charter, to combat the powerful Dutch East India Company. With the initial intent of controlling the trade from India and curtailing Dutch power, the Company later gained the upper hand on the subcontinent, defeating the French during the Seven Years War. After Robert Clive's glorious victory over the Nawab of Bengal at the Battle of Plassey (in 1757) the Company became a military power as well, and gained the nawab's land holdings. From then on the Company began to gain more territory and administrative power, while its commercial monopoly on the India trade diminished. As the company mushroomed in territory, it left much of the subcontinent to be ruled by subject princes, known as Princely India. The lands which the company ruled directly were called British India, which incorporated the major cities, including Calcutta, Bombay, and Delhi.
Much of northern India was part of British India, whose administration overwhelmingly favoured a 'forward policy' of expansion, as opposed to a policy of maintaining its current holdings. This was the best choice for the administration for several reasons. First, it was strongly supported by Queen Victoria, for whom the territorial expansion of British India was also the expansion of the British Empire herself. Second, the friendly Emir of Afghanistan was under threat of invasion from the Shah of Persia and the Russian Czar, and any policy of expansion would bring British India's borders closer to that of Afghanistan's, thus making any attempt to support them easier. Finally, any acquisitions to British India would increase the tax base, meaning more revenue for the Empire and more needed funds to support the army in India, which after China was the world's largest.
British India chooses a 'forward policy' of territorial expansion.
There is no doubt that the 'forward policy' of British India was met with opposition from the Russians, who wanted to assert their dominance over Central Asia, and the Shah of Persia, who was seeking to invade Afghanistan. The most obvious target of this policy was meant to be the Sikhs, who controlled an empire in the Panjab bordering Afghanistan. The Siks possessed a large army, a mere fraction of British India's, but still a numerous one that would slow any British progress to the north. Still, there was a large number of well-trained European soldiers in British India, as well as the slight advantage in military technology. Seeing the invasion of Panjab as making sense strategically, and with their large population base, economically, British India declared war on Panjab.
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Chapter II - The Anglo-Sikh War
The Anglo-Sikh War began when the Delhi Contigent moved from Panipat to the moderately-defended Lahore. However, due to the British numerical, leadership, and technical superiority, the Sikhs were able to do little damage to the British forces, made up of mostly natives from the northern provinces around Delhi and Agra. Once Lahore was securely under British control, the Delhi Contigent advanced to Amritsar, while the Sikhs regrouped at Faisalabad. Sikh defenders at Amritsar proved ineffective, and the fall of the city of the Golden Temple proved to be an outrage and humiliation to the Sikhs. The motivated populace swelled the numbers of the Panjabi army, which was beginning to possess much more resolve after the fall of Amritsar. The British forces had now gone as far east as Kargil, and the Sikhs used this opportunity to launch an offensive into Lahore, recapturing the city.
The Queen's Regiment, made up entirely of British officers and soldiers, was the best-trained army in all of Asia. Composed of three infantry divisions with weaponry on a somewhat lower standard than that of Britain's Home Army, the Queen's Regiment was the most modern fighting force in the service of British India. When the troops were tasked with capturing Lahore again for the Empire, the senior officers, of lower quality than those commanding the native divisions, devised a plan to disorganize the Sikhs. When the fighting broke out in early September 1836 three miles south of Lahore, between 30,000 British soldiers and 50,000 Sikhs, the British made several feints towards the city. The Sikhs, who resolved not to let their capital fall again, formed loose ranks and attempted to outmanouevre them, only to find that the British had pulled back. This slightly disorganized the Sikhs, and gave the Queen's Regiment the opportunity it needed to launch its final advance - against the disorderly troops this time. British India suffered some 16,000 dead, most of its fighting men in the battle, while the Sikhs lost a staggering 34,000 along with Lahore falling for the second time.
The fall of Amritsar and the Golden Temple proved to be a rallying factor for the Sikhs.
The Second Battle of Lahore was a demonstration over the superiority of British troops over native ones.
While the Queen's Regiment won a glorious battle in Lahore, the Delhi Contigent numbering 60,000 had encircled some 50,000 men in Ludhiana, removing them completely from the war. From these two hard-fought developments the Anglo-Sikh War had been effectively won by British India. It was not until October 1837 that all of the major cities of the Panjab had fallen and their country annexed into British India.
The end of the Anglo-Sikh War was a victory for both the administration in Calcutta, whose treasury was now wealthier, and British military planners. Having signed a defense pact months prior with the Emir of Afghanistan, British India now possessed a border with its friendly Central Asian neighbour. From its shared border, British India could now send forces to aid the Emir or to recapture Afghanistan if the aggresive Persian Shah took measures to annex it. British India's borders now reached farther north, part of a slow advance into Central Asia to counter any future Russian steps to do the same.
British India after the annexation of the Panjab after the Anglo-Sikh War.
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Thanks for the positive comments and support all. 
Perhaps I should give a slight preview of my AAR. Playing on regular settings with British India in the Grand Campaign (Lite) for VIP 0.4. The game will actually have a short timespan, ending at the Crimean War. Then I shall begin a new AAR with United Kingdom from there, continuing in the same world that British India left of in. I also hope to play a Dominion (Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa) during the Great War, and Canada during the Boer War, but these are open goals and may change as history does as well. These AARs will form a continuous alternative history of the British Empire, or so I hope. As for my goals as British India... bring as much territory into the Empire as possible, hoping to control Afghanistan as a key piece in the Great Game, and perhaps annexing several non-Indian territories around the Indian Ocean for the Empire's sake.
Perhaps I should give a slight preview of my AAR. Playing on regular settings with British India in the Grand Campaign (Lite) for VIP 0.4. The game will actually have a short timespan, ending at the Crimean War. Then I shall begin a new AAR with United Kingdom from there, continuing in the same world that British India left of in. I also hope to play a Dominion (Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa) during the Great War, and Canada during the Boer War, but these are open goals and may change as history does as well. These AARs will form a continuous alternative history of the British Empire, or so I hope. As for my goals as British India... bring as much territory into the Empire as possible, hoping to control Afghanistan as a key piece in the Great Game, and perhaps annexing several non-Indian territories around the Indian Ocean for the Empire's sake.
Chapter III - Invasion of Burma
The conclusion of the Anglo-Sikh War did not mean British India's armies were not standing idly by. Before the annexation of Panjab, still in 1837, their existed an extremely volatile situation in the east. Tensions were rising in Burma, to the point where it seemed that a British invasion was inevitable. The British had already captured much of southern Burma during the First Anglo-Burmese War, and a second war seemed only natural. Only throwing fuel on the fire, the Burmese King had expelled 14 British diplomats, making the possibility of a future invasion into that of a certain, immediate one. The Burmese King had not expected such a harsh reaction from the British, considering most of their troops were tied up fighting in the Panjab. Calcutta had ordered the Bengal Army to advance on Western Burma, while the Madras Army was to be shipped via transports to British Pegu, where they would advance on Rangoon.
Would the Burmese prove fickle foes to the British tigers?
The Second Anglo-Burmese War began with several Burmese attempts to push the British back into Bengal proved useless, and the Bengal Army defeated the Burmese army in a series of skirmishes within British India herself. The Bengal Army then advanced into western Burma, culminating in the Battle of Chin in November of 1837, where the bulk of the native army was massed. The 60,000 British outclassed and outmanned the 40,000 Burmese, yet fought on difficult terrain in a mountainous region covered in swathes of jungle. Thus the native defenders were able to perform with somewhat more effectiveness than believed by the British, taking a relatively small number of casualties for the massive odds against them. The rough terrain made communications difficult, and the British were slightly more organized than the Burmese, ultimately winning battle in the end. The bulk of the Burmese had now retreated to the city of Moneit, in a position ready to defend their capital at Ava.
Meanwhile the Madras Army had landed at Yeh, and advanced on an undefended Rangoon, while fell quickly to them. Their next advance on Pegu was met with stiff resistence, but with Burmese efforts concentrated on winning the Battle of Chin further west, the Madras Army was able to force the Burmese from Pegu as well.
The Bengal and Madras Armies, the two British vehicles of the Second Anglo-Burmese War, then began a slow advance towards the Burmese capital at Ava after capturing the bulk of southern Burma. The army met in Ava was made of the tired Burmese veterans of the Battle of Chin, who could not hold back against the overwhelming numbers of British troops. The King fled from his palace at Ava to Shan in a display of cowardice, and once that fell to British troops was forced into signing peace with British India on November 20th, 1838. Burma could have been swiftly annexed into British India, although the policy-makers in Calcutta favoured using Burma as a buffer state against China, whose army was twice the size of British India's. In the end the Brumese King was forced to cede Rangoon and Pegu to British India, incorporating them into 'Pegu Province'. The King was also forced to sign a clause which stated all hostilities resulting in the Second Anglo-Burmese War were due to his aggressive policy towards the Empire, in essence humuliating him in front of his subjects, the Empire, and the world.
Rangoon and Pegu are incorporated into British India's 'Pegu Province'.
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Sir John A. said:Thanks for the positive comments and support all.
Perhaps I should give a slight preview of my AAR. Playing on regular settings with British India in the Grand Campaign (Lite) for VIP 0.4. The game will actually have a short timespan, ending at the Crimean War. Then I shall begin a new AAR with United Kingdom from there, continuing in the same world that British India left of in. I also hope to play a Dominion (Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa) during the Great War, and Canada during the Boer War, but these are open goals and may change as history does as well. These AARs will form a continuous alternative history of the British Empire, or so I hope. As for my goals as British India... bring as much territory into the Empire as possible, hoping to control Afghanistan as a key piece in the Great Game, and perhaps annexing several non-Indian territories around the Indian Ocean for the Empire's sake.
This should be very interesting. So are you saving game as IND when Crimean War breaks out and then restarting the game as Britian afterward? One suggestion if that is what you do, you might want to do it at the end of 1852. Otherwise you might find yourself in the middle of a war and a Britain whose economic and social policies will need to be fixed simultaneously (lets just say that starting a nation after its been run on AI for a good period of gameplay can be a real challenge to fix so that you will be able to achieve the goals you want, rather than those the AI wants.) You may just want to stay with IND instead - plus then you'll get to deal with the Indian Mutiny in 1857 firsthand.
That sounds likes a good idea. I'll most likely switch to Britain during 1852 from Britush India, so I have some time to adjust the Empire's economic situation prior to the outbreak of the Crimean War. I'm really set on playing Britain during the duration of the war and subjecting British India to direct home rule after the Indian Mutiny. I haven't played British India before, so perhaps you can fill me in on any key events.
Sir John A. said:
Actually since you've already knocked out Punjab the biggest events are already slept (the British didn't conquer Punjab until 1848 IRL). Same with Burma. You will get an intervention in Aden in 1839 and the Sindh heats up in 1843 but other than that there isn't much (still have not had a chance to do much scripting of internal events for IND, something to do for 0.5). Other than that you will get involved in the Opium War and any other ENG war that breaks out before 1852.
Interesting AAR. I will be watching this intently.
Question: I was in the understanding that there was an event in VIP that put British India under UK control after the Indian Mutiny event, as it did IRL. Is this true, and will this affect your game plan at all?
Question: I was in the understanding that there was an event in VIP that put British India under UK control after the Indian Mutiny event, as it did IRL. Is this true, and will this affect your game plan at all?
Chapter IV - Intervention in Aden
The job to fix the Company's finances fell upon the Governor-General of British India, George Eden. The Anglo-Sikh War and the Second Anglo-Burmese War were direct result of the influence and military planning of British India's Commander-in-Chief Sir Henry Fane, and Eden was eager to follow Fane's advice. But Sir Jasper Nicolls had now replaced Henry Fane, and either way Company finances were hardly a matter for the Commander-in-Chief. Thus Eden needed to come up with a viable solution on his own, testing his worth to the senior administrators in Calcutta.
The most sensible solution to the financial problem, reasoned Eden, was to maximize revenues by securing the trade route back to Britain. And to do so, Calcutta needed to solve the piracy problem. Unfortunately, British India possessed no such navy with which to combat the pirates in Gulf of Aden, and since the Crown would not aid Calcutta, the Royal Navy could not help either. British India had earlier demanded that Yemen, an Arab kingdom on the Gulf of Aden, take measures to end to end the piracy problem. Without any significant steps taken by Yemen to halt the pirates, Eden now had an excuse to intervene. He hoped that by capturing Aden his administration would have a sufficient position to secure the trade route to Britain and solve the financial problem as well. Action was finally taken on January 3rd, 1839.
Governor-General of India George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland.
Would Operation Caravan succeed in forcing peace on the Kingdom of Yemen?
It would be trivial and simplistic of the Company to assume its financial security would be assured by a base in the Gulf of Aden with which to try and combat piracy. Eden knew this as well, and try to enact some financial restraint on the Company. He reduced the budget of the police greatly, and the education budget was reduced slightly. Although this was met with much protest by the lower administration, who warned of massive corruption and crime, the senior administration greeted these budget cuts warmly, citing their necessity in order to save the Company's finances. The dividents could now be sent to Britain without ruining its budget, and the focus was once again resumed to expanding the borders of British India.
The British control of Aden could now mean that the Company's trade routes were more secure.
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Henry V. Keiper - Yes, it will affect my game very much. At around 1851-2, I shall be switching to United Kingdom from British India. After restructing their economy and finances (and disbanding some of their numerous divisions), I'll join the Crimean War, and following the Indian Mutiny I'll almost certainly take control of India personally, bringing massive wealth to the Crown.
Chapter V - The Sleeping Dragon
"Governor-General Eden, urgent telegraph from London!"
The middle-aged Eden purused through the report, his lips moving but making no sound. His eyes widened as they glanced farther and farther down the paper, reading slower so he could absorb the content better. His aides beside him waited patiently, anxious as to the urgent news from the mother country. Governor-General George Eden cleared his throat and folded the paper neatly, placing it in his pocket.
"Gentlemen, it appears as though we are now in a state of war with China," said Eden. "The Chinese have finally retaliated at Guangzhou against the opium trade murdering a Britishman on the 8th of July, 1838. Her Majesty's Government has responded with immediate war, taking justice into their own hands. As a British administration we are bound to support the mother country in this time of war. Get me Commander-in-Chief Jasper Nicholls as soon as possible, we need to plan our strategy."
The Opium War, as it came to be called, would pit the British Empire against China.
Commander-in-Chief Jasper Nicholls had only months before masterfully devised and orchestrated Operation Caravan, the campaign against Yemen. However, China would be far different. The Chinese were a far more numerous opponent, being the most populous nation on earth. Not only that, the Chinese possessed the largest army in existence, and could easy muster many hundreds of thousands more men. This would be a considerably more difficult task for Nicholls. He therefore tried to devise a suitable strategy to invade China proper, deciding that the best option was a quick offensive for British India. Hopefully London would send divisions in time to knock China out quickly, so that China's full weight would not fall on British India.
The strategy would be simple, reasoned Nicholls, forcing China into a two-front war. The first front of the war for British India would be in Sinkiang, in desolate western China, where the troops could be sent almost immediately. The second front would be formed in southeastern China, along the Chinese coastline. With neutral Burma as a buffer state, Calcutta did not need worry about a third front in the deep jungles of Asia. Nicholls finally decided on two plans, Operation Tide and Operation Nomad.
Operation Tide would involve the transportation of the Bengal Army by the British Indian transport fleet to the bustling port of Singapore. From there the 60,000 troops would be transported to the Chinese island of Hainan, and landings would commence at Sanya. This would open up the southeastern front against China, and was well within distance of the proposed British front near Hong Kong.
Operation Nomad would mean that the 60,000-strong Panjab Army (formerly the Delhi Army) would march through Amritsar and Kargil to the western front. This front was lightly defended, and Nicholls hoped that the abundance of British Indian troops would involve China reassigning troops from the east to combat this threat, thus alleviating the pressure on the United Kingdom's troops. As Chinese divisions in the west were small, undersupplied, and poorly-armed, the biggest threat to the Panjab Army would be attrition.
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"Commander-in-Chief Nicholls, we're attacking a country more four times our size with a much bigger army than ours. I just hope your plans will help the Chinese Emperor make peace before the sleeping dragon awakens." -- Governor-General George Eden.
Operation Tide, the attack on Hainan and southeastern China via Singapore.
Operation Nomad, the attack on western China and Sinkiang from the Panjab.
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Now that I've thought about it, can't you take the game as UK and then grant yourself independence again?