Chapter 4
The year 1550 of the Christian calendar saw the creation of a new sect of Christianity. The followers of this diverse new faith regaled in the supposed wisdom of philosopher Jean Calvin, and dubbed themselves Reformists. However, considering the fact that Malacca's population at the time was predominantly Muslim, with a strong Buddhist minority and a weak Hindu one, and also considering the fact that most Malaccans couldn't tell the difference between Catholics, Protestants, and Reformists (and furthermore didn't give a heap of elephant dung what the Christians called themselves), the importance of Calvin's teachings to this story is minimal, at best. Thus, we move on.
Specifically, we move on to 1557, when the great nation of China decided to close nearly all trade with the outside world. The Emperor had contemplated closing China completely, but decided instead to cede the province of Guangdong to Portugal and reroute much of southern China's trade through Guangzhou. This irritated Ri`âyat I, as the new trading facilities in Guangzhou usurped some of the authority of Malaccan merchants in the region, and the presence of a major European power in East Asia was detrimental to Malaccan military interests. In fact, upon hearing the news, the Sultan cursed repeatedly while talking a great deal of smack about the Emperor's mother. Or something very near to that; it is hard for historians to verify such things.
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The Sultan's Rumpus Room
July 3, 1561
In the fading light of the Royal Rumpus Room (tm), the Chief Eunuch watched as the Sultan made his move, enveloping five of Abdullah's stones and practically ensuring victory. "A cunning strategem, Sultan ... I believe I am headed for defeat once more."
"Yes, you are. Your plight is much like that of the Vientianese, now that their alliance with China has ended."
"Undoubtedly. But there is the question of our own alliance, which as of yesterday has expired."
"Ah, yes. Right on schedule," Ri`âyat said smugly.
"You speak of this development as if it were good fortune for the realm."
"And indeed it is, Abdullah. For now Malacca can reinstate her alliance with Dai Viet on her own terms, and dispense with the useless Taunguns, who, despite their pledges of friendship, continually mock and insult us. It is your move, by the way."
The eunuch placed a black stone on the board, taking three of the sultan's white stones in a futile attempt to regain ground. "Yes, throwing that banquet in your honor only to serve a pork curry as the main course was a bit much. So why then, do you wish aggression against Vientiane and not Taungu?"
"It is simple enough, really. I wish to proceed with the annexation of Dai Viet soon, but Vientiane controls the province of Tanh Noah and thus splits the Viet Prince's lands in twain. Hmm ... an interesting move you made there."
"Well, with respect Sultan, why do we not invite Vientiane into the alliance and propose that they become a protectorate of the sultanate, as Dai Viet is now? Surely war is something to be avoided."
"I would agree with you, if not for the recent harassment of our merchants by Vientianese bandits," said the Sultan, making little quote gestures with his fingers upon uttering the word 'bandits'. "And don't call me Shirley."
"Oh yes, the unfortunate 'Greased Pole Affair'," the eunuch replied with a roll of his eyes.
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Little did Abdullah know the true depths of Ri`âyat's machinations, for no sooner was the alliance with Dai Viet renewed sans Taungu than the Sultan welcomed Bengal as the newest ally of Malacca. The Bengalis truly despised the Taunguns, as the "Bastards of Burma" had long occupied the province of Santal. By joining Malacca in an alliance, they hoped to open up a two-front war against Taungu. Therefore, it is of no surprise that the Bengalis rejoiced when Taungu entered an alliance with Vientiane shortly after Malacca declared war on the latter in August of 1561. However, due to special clauses in the alliance treaty, Taungu was able to abstain from the war against Malacca, thus denying Bengal the chance to reclaim what was rightfully hers.
But, we digress. Malacca's war against Vientiane was prosecuted in a manner resembling the spearing of manatees in a chinaware pot, which is to say it was a mismatch of epic proportions. Not even the trickery of relocating the Vientiane capital in 1563 could spare the Laotians from total defeat, though it did cause Ri`âyat I to become hopelessly lost. The eunuchs gleefully presumed him dead, and celebrated the occasion until they realized they would have to appoint another sultan. A cursory search of the gutters in Malaka produced Muzaffar (5/4/4), who refused to be referred to as Muzaffar II despite the fact that there had already been a sultan by that name. Nomenclatural confusions aside, the new and unimproved Sultan Muzaffar brought the war to its conclusion, forcing Vientiane to become a vassal in May of 1564. This military victory was followed a mere year later by a diplomatic one; namely, the annexation of Dai Viet that Ri`âyat I had been planning.
Muzaffar's reign was largely a peaceful one. The Sultan encouraged exploratory expeditions to chart the great unknown, and under his watch, the islands of Viti Levu and Tahiti were discovered and added to Malacca's burgeoning overseas empire. A entire continent was found far to the east, but royal cartographers, insisting the world was round, recorded the new land far to the west, leaving a vast void of unexplored earth between it and Malacca proper. It made little difference regardless, as the continent was already populated by local natives and relocated Europeans. Perhaps the greatest discovery of Muzaffar's time was that of a vast corridor of uninhabited territory north of China. The eunuchs were divided in their opinions as to whether or not the area should be claimed by Malacca. Some stated that letting such an area go unused would truly be a shame, while others felt that settling the region could provoke a war with China or the mongol hordes far to the west. But as always, the Sultan had the final say in the matter, and deemed that the area should be settled by Malacca. In this way, a policy of "containment" could be pursued with regard to China, and a "live and let live" mentality between the two empires would be cultivated. Many brave "volunteers" were sent to settle the new land, and by 1600 the territory claimed by Malacca stretched all the way to the Irtych River, near the eastern borders of the Khanates of Sibir and Nogai.
The only other noteworthy accomplishment of Muzaffar's leadership was the skillful way he waited for the alliance between Taungu and Vientiane to elapse, thus allowing him to join Malacca in alliance with Vientiane and Bengal. He even sent overtures to Bengal to become a vassal of Malacca, but the Bengalis stubbornly refused. Finally, in 1580, with his usefulness at an end, the eunuchs arranged for a dreadful accident to befall Muzaffar so that he could be replaced with the more skillful `Abd al-Jalîl Ri`âyat I (7/4/5).
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Malaccan Royal Court
November 6, 1583
The eunuchs and the Sultan were gathered in the court, debating the latest decision handed down by He of the Unpronounceable Name.
"Sultan," began the Chief Eunuch. "We fear that the nations of the region will not look kindly upon your proposed plan to attack Taungu."
"So all of you think that we should allow the Taunguns to insult us every eight years or so and harass our merchants at every turn?" replied the Sultan incredulously.
"We believe it would be wiser to simply turn the other cheek, sir," answered the First Deputy Eunuch.
"Bah! What will that earn us?"
"Respect, Sultan. R-E-S-P-E-C-T."
"Respect?"
"Just a little bit," chimed the Chief Eunuch.
"Respect is won by the point of the sword, just like territory."
"But Sultan," started the Chief Eunuch. "Malacca already controls a vast amount of territory encompassing all the islands of the Pacific, save Taiwan and Nippon, as well as the Siberian corridor so splendidly mapped out by your predecessor's exploratory commission. Must we risk the sultanate's international reputation by declaring war upon a poor, undeveloped neighbor such as Taungu?"
"Of course, Abdullah. For what reason do we have an army if we do not fight wars?"
Intellectually defeated by the Sultan's superior logic, the eunuchs exited the court with a collective sigh.
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The Sultan's battle plan was quite simple. Malaccan and Vientianese forces would attack from the east, while the Bengalis would attack from the west, and seize the province of Santal. The Taunguns were caught completely by surprise, and their meager peacetime force of 20,000 men was no match for the combined forces of the Malaccan alliance. In less than two years, Taungu was overrun, and in March of 1586 Taungu agreed to cede Santal to Bengal and become vassals of Malacca.
The remainder of the reign of `Abd al-Jalîl Ri`âyat I was spent on more peaceful endeavors. Colonial expansion continued, and Vientiane was annexed in 1594. The Sultan made more offers of vassalage to Bengal, offers which were flatly refused time and again. Relations with Taungu were improved, and the Burmese were brought into Malacca's alliance. And so, it is not surprising that when the Sultan whose name nobody could elocute finally croaked in 1597, very few people noticed, except for the eunuchs, who dutifully searched houses of purchasable companionship until they found Ri`âyat II (who was really the third sultan named Ri`âyat, for those readers who are keeping a count of such things).
This new sultan was considerably less skilled than his predecessor (3/3/5), but still managed to pull off the annexation of Taungu in 1600, some sixteen years ahead of schedule. But, could he succeed where previous sultans had failed, and convince the Bengalis that it would be within their interests to become a Malaccan protectorate? Only time and the next chapter of this heap of sillyness would tell ...
Greater Malacca, 1600
(OOC: Tahiti and Viti Levu have been omitted to keep the map size down. Note that Palakimedi now sports a Malaccan colony. It was left unsettled for a while until the Ottomans plonked down a TP. I later discovered it and watched with amusement as an attempt to expand it into a colony caused a native uprising which destroyed the TP. I quickly landed troops, waxed the natives, and started throwing settlers at it. Also note that Assam is independent, but unfortunately the same color as Malacca.)
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Yay for stats:
Code:
[color=red]Provinces: 111
52 full cities
16 colonies
43 TPs (mostly in Siberia)
DP sliders:
Aris. 10
Cent. 9
Inno. 0
Merc. 5
Offs. 8
Land 1
Qual. 6
Serf. 5
Money:
Monthly Income 105d
Inflation 13% (Yet another Exceptional Year right after the Taungu war)
Technology:
Land 3
Naval 3
Trade 3 (finally)
Infra. 2
Support Limit: 100k men
Badboy: 14
[/color]
China is at landtech 14 and currently has monopolies in Ganges, Malacca, Shanghai, and Kansai. Only Malacca's trade agreement with the Dragon has kept her merchants safe. (Did I mention China's trade eff. is over 50%?)
