CHAPTER XIX: YEMEN
Part 5: Elimination Round
(1720-1725)
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Yes, still. These people are scary.
Biting Off More Than We Can Chew
We have made the round of sixteen, but we've lost our best player (Mughals) until late in the match for biting Persia. For all intents and purposes it's just Oman and us, versus the Ottomans, Portugal and Morocco. Yeah, they showed up to the match as well. I don't know when they allied with Portugal or why, but we're not going to win this one.
My new plan is to conserve what I can. My trading fleet is already in Oman. While our battle fleet blockades/holds the Persian Gulf (and the Oman fleet soon shows up to help), I move everyone to Bahrain.
The plan is to try to maintain local naval superiority: I don't see the Ottos sending that many ships over here to hunt me down. If I can keep them from taking Bahrain, I can conserve my army. Let the Ottos take Negev and begin rebuilding.
What can go wrong?
Well, before January 1720 ends a peasant revolt breaks out in Suhar. Fortunately they're only interested in reducing taxes, because there is zero I can do about them.
During the spring my local despots comment that, as long as I'm holed up on Bahrain anyway, maybe I'd like to share some power?
Good idea. Go build local militias to fight off the Ottos and let me know how that goes.
Needless to say it's going bad. Negev falls in May. I try to peace out with the Ottos, but of course they're not interested in anything I have to say. They're quite willing to go around sieging everything in sight. Moroccans and Turks in my Egyptian holdings, Portuguese and Turks in 'Ethiopia', and lots and lots of Ottos in the Arab peninsula.
Disease breaks out in one of my provinces. Probably syphillis from the invading armies. Thanks guys.
By August, my entire remaining army of 26K is in Bahrain. I had tried recruiting some extra troops to make up for my losses last turn, but the Ottos took two regiments out before I could do anything. The last successfully made it to Qawasim where they fled by sea.
The successful evacuation leads to some odd conclusions:
We've also completed building the ships we ordered last turn to replace those lost fighting Persia. Unfortunately, they're blockaded by 32 Portuguese vessels. I merge the battle fleet with our traders (33 total ships) and go to their rescue. The Portuguese leave. Hah! We bring everyone back to port: The traders at Muscat, Oman and the battlefleet back to the Persian Gulf.
That's when a Persian agent is captured trying to sabotage our reputation. So much for the truce! We dress him up in a Yemeni uniform and put him in the path of the Ottoman army.
Red Card
By January 1721, well...there was never any hope. 10 provinces have fallen including the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and still the Turk isn't satisfied. The tax revolters in Suhar win, but immediately get crushed by an Ottoman army of 13K.
In April I notice their army has dispersed a bit and launch a raid from Bahrain into Qatar across the strait. 25K versus 10K, and early results are promising. If reinforcements come I'll just retreat across my strait, and...
...that's when 46 Turk ships show up to battle our 22. They completely annihilate our fleet.
Reinforcements cause my army to rout to Gonder in Ethiopia. They reach it in August. I immediately begin retreating towards Funj to wait out the war, but the local Turk garrisons are too fast and pin me down. 41K versus my 16K, and the last remnants flee to the Portuguese border...where a last Turk army annihilates them in October.
No army, and only a handful of merchant ships hanging out in Muscat. This actually saves my economy, which was starting to go in the red due to lost provinces. Still, this is the exact opposite of what I wanted.
There is zero point in building, and nowhere to build if I wanted to.
Strangely, people are beginning to doubt my ability to manage this crisis.
The Turk are pitiless in their advance, leading to wide spread suffering. War exhaustion is high, stability is low, and the people are desperate.
Good. Desperate people form armies that will keep the Turks occupied.
The referee signals an end to regular time. Our entire country (except Socotra) is occupied, which means now it's up to the Mughals.
Plus Time
With Muscat occupied, our merchant fleet first snuck to the Mughal/Portuguese border in India. Seeing that under siege, I tried to retreat to Kilwa, when they ran smack into the 32 Portuguese fleet I missed earlier. No more merchant fleet.
Now we had literally zero army and zero navy. The Ottos finally take pity and send us a peace offer in August 1723.
No.
Why not? Well, it's a 100% warscore peace. I can't stop them, so yes - the Ottos will eventually get all that anyway, but I might as well make them earn it. Drive their WE up just a little more, make them just a little more tempting a target. What else can they do to me?
The smart thing, of course, would be to peace out with the Mughals (who have little or nothing they want) and I immediately go to 99 or 100% warscore. They don't however, and so the war rages on.
By January 1724, that fight is pretty hopeless as well.
The Ottos offer peace in January. Same terms. No.
The Ottos offer peace in February. Same terms. No.
In April a foreign military expert offers to tell us what we're doing wrong.
According to him, our problem is we don't have an army or navy. I think I overpaid.
In June it's Morocco who wants out - a white peace. This one I accept. Instantly we regain a province as do the Mughals
The Ottos offer peace in June. Same terms. No. I'm hoping to be out of here before I'm forced to a sign a humiliating peace.
July, August, September, October, November. No.
In December we hit Diplomacy-16 (Merchantmen), for all the good it does us now.
By the end of 1724, it's just a matter of time.
Well, that's been true since the war began.
Johan's Dice
Reign: 25 years
Needed: 6+
Roll: 2
Continue?: No
FIFA decides they've seen enough and we're eliminated from the tourney.