Shahs of Persia

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Shahs of Persia

The Shah had just went to bed, almost falling asleep, when he heard a noise in his beed chamber. He sat up and saw a man standing besides the bed, wearing dark clothing. “What... Gua...” The Shah was just about to call for his guards to save him from this, as he thought to be, assasin, when the man raised is hand and stopped him saying “Dont worry. I will not hurt you. Instead I will help you. The Shah looked suspicius on the man. “Who are you? What do you want?” The man gave up a small smile and answered “Im a man of many names, but you will know me as Yoghurt.... and as for what I want... I want to help you bring Persia back to its former glory and might during the reign of Darius I, back during the ancient times...

That night the Shah didnt sleep. Instead he was involved in discussions with this... Yoghurt person, a discussion that involved the words stability, colonies, missionaries and uzbeks...

The Shah did follow the advises from Yoghurt. Taxes was lowered, bread was distributed to the people, the nobility recived lands et.c. and thus, slowly, Persia and its inhabitants got more happier, more satisfied with their situation with the result that the Shah got more popular aswell. Also, ulamas was send to Armenia and Kurdistan, converting the heathens and heretics living in those border regions. Yoghurt had thought it was necissary to not have to many beliefs represented inside Persia and the Shah was eager to agree.

One Shah was followed by another and yet another, Ismail I. As for all the others also Ismail, recieved a nightly visit by Yoghurt. His precedors had now inforced law and order to Persia and made the Shah popular. It was now time for Ismail to harvest what his precedors had been sowing...

 

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Ismail I was a strong and agil ruler, not like those before him and he therefore was eager to follow Yoghurts advise, to attack the Uzbeks. He himself led his forces into battle, following Yoghurts strategical advises. The Uzbeks was brave and fiercefull opponents, more then once they crushed one of Ismails armies, but by quikly begin to siege every province of the Uzbek Horde, they where denied the ability to recruit new warriors and as they began to siege Elbruz on their behalf, they slowly began to fall, one by one, by diseases. Until their once mighty army had shrinked into a rather puny assembly of warriors, they where annhiliated by Ismail himself.

With no Uzbek army to oppose the Persians and with Persians in every province of Uzbekistan it was only a matter of time until all of Uzbekistan was conquered and incorporated into Persia. Civilisation was brought to the steppes in the north and Ismail was celebrated as a great warrior and general by his people upon his return to Isfahan.

 

[J. Passepartout]

Don't recall a Persian AAR before. Nice start.

 

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Originally posted by J. Passeportout
Don't recall a Persian AAR before. Nice start.

Thanx! I will make this AAR less bloody and more narrative... hopefully

 

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After the conquest of Uzbekistan, ulamas was send to these forsaken lands, enlighted the people and converted them to Shiia Islam. Although the Shah had greatest respect and tolerance for sunnites, it was always better to have a faithfull population where ever possible.

At one of the feasts that the Shah regularly arranged in Isfahan for his closest friends, no one saw the figure that sneaked up to the Shah in the shadows. The figure whispered into the Shahs ear ”You have proven to be a mighty warrior and have already won the battle field, earning respect by your people. Now, prove that you are a skilled merchant aswell, win the markets, earning gold for your nation.”

The Shah didnt need more incouragement, nor turn around, casue he already knew who had whispered the words into his ears. The following day the Shahs ordered caravans to travel to far distant places such as Muscat and Delhi. He also organised the trade in Isfahan, in such a maner that his domestic merchants recieved greater benefits from the trade there. Soon reports came to Isfahan that the Persian merchants had began to make great profit, although the Omanis seemed to do everything they could to keep the Persians out...

 

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”They do not only rival with your own merchants, cutting the profit for them, the Omanis, most of them faitfull to Allah, have to live under the rule of a Sunni Sultan aswell... Yoghurt didnt have to give the Shah more motives. The Shah had alredy began to get bored with the peacefull living and the life in the palace. A war would suit him well...

”Forward! He who stops will be left behind, order from the Shah himself” A Persian commander shouted to a squadron who had begun to slow down their pace. A mighty force of almost 80.000 troops followed the dessert like coast line of the Persian Gulf, heading towards Oman. When they finally reached Omani territory and began the siege of the first fortress, their numbers had almost been cut in half. Not as this worried the Shah. He gave order to leave one quarter of the army in Al-Kharoam, sieging its fortresses, and to continue with the rest. Outside Muscat, Ismail saw the first sight of Omani forces. A tiny force of 7000 Omanis tried to block the way to the capital. Ismail gave Hoseyn Lala Beg,highest in command after the Shah himself, a look and a nood towards the Omanis direction. It was all Hoseyn needed and soon 30.000 Persians was slaughtering the Omanis.

Aftr the slaughter Ismail, himself stayed outside Muscat, sieging the Omani capital. Hoseyn was ordered to move further into Omani territory and siege the other provinces.

After almost a year of warfare in Oman, all the provinces on the mainland had felled to the Shah. The Omani Sultan pledged for peace, granting Al-Khoaram and Masirah to Persia. The Shah was although eager to continue, but after have been advised by Yoghurt to accept the peace he did. Yoghurt visited Ismail one night and showed him why the peace had been necissary. He rooled up a map, conquered in Muscat. ” You see now why you couldnt destroy the Omanis, unless you wished for a very, very long war.” The Shah looked at the map and saw what Yoghurt was pointing at. “An island... Zansibar...” ”Yes... an island, the Sultans island. I guess you already are aware of the might of the Omani navy. What you need is an navy just as powerfull...

 

[J. Passepartout]

Nah, with this audience, you'll never get away from the bloodthirstyness.

Go Shah go Shah kill those Omanis!

 

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Originally posted by J. Passeportout
Nah, with this audience, you'll never get away from the bloodthirstyness.

Go Shah go Shah kill those Omanis!

Your wish is my command...

 

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The Shah was inspecting his newly built navy in Basrah. Besides him a figure was going, wearing dark cloths. The Shah turned to the man besides him. “Isnt this the most magnificent navy you ever seen!?” The figured answered ”Perhaps, but Im afraid that the Omanis have atleast twice the amount of ships that can be seen here” “We need even more?” Ismail asked. ”Whith a bit luck, no...

The campaign was carefully planned. The Shah was often unavailible, sitting in a close room in the palace, discussing strategy with one of his advisors it was said. No one could how ever figure out who this advisor would be, but then again, no one asked the Shah whom it was. Most of the Shahs servants did still remember when one of the Shahs officers asked a question about a figure who had been talking to the Shah one late night. The officer was never heard from after that, neither any of his family...

The navy was finished and 20.000 brave men board it. A former colonel, named Adana, was in charge of it and was by the Shah promoted to the first Persian Admiral in generations. This promotion didnt how ever come with out risks. The Shah had stated to Admiral Adana, before he left, that if he failed him he better not return...

The war went as planned. The war decleration was issued about the same moment as Admiral Adana arrived at Zanzibar. Zanzibar was to Admiral Adanas great luck, undefended both on the sea as the island itself. The Omanis had for some reason gathered their entire navy in Muscat, where it could do no harm. As the last campaign against Oman, Ismail led his forces personally. The war was short without any major battles and the Sultanate of Oman was annexed. One of the greatest spoils the Shah captured was the entire Omani navy, consisting of over 30 warships. Persia was now the unchallanged master of this, the Eastern Ocean.

 

[Lord E]

Originally posted by Yoghurt
Thanx! I will make this AAR less bloody and more narrative... hopefully

Great as usual Yoghurt
But I am afraid that you will never leave the way of the bloodthirsty you are cought there

MUUUAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

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When the aging Ismail died his son, Tahmasp I, inherited his fathers throne. As all the other Shahs Tahmasp also recived nightly visits by a man, who whispered what to do in his ear. One of the things that Tahmasp was told to do what to strenghten the fortresses along the western border. Another thing was to marry one of his daughter away to the Mameluke Sultan. The Mameluke Sultan was hardly pressured by the Turks. The Turks had been conquereing one province after another from his Sultanate and soon only the Egyptian provinces remaind. Soon after Tahmasp coronation the Turks declared war once again against the Mamelukes. It was soon obvius that the Mamelukes would be utterly defeated. In an attempt to help his brothers in faith from destruction, Tahmasp declared war upon the Turks. As the Persian forces crossed the borders they where meet by Turkish forces, Turkish forces who was so brutal and fiercefull that they rejected every attempt of the Persians to push forward.

Many brave Persian died in these battles, slaughtered like animal, and when the Turkish Sultan offered a peace in exchange of a small tribute, Tahmasp I accepted knowing that this was now the end for the Mameluke Sultanate.

After the loss against the Turks, Tahmasp was eager to pay back the humiliation. He was how ever advised by his mysterius advisor, Yoghurt, to bid his time. Mean time new forces was recruited and fortresses strenghten. Tahmasp also promoted tax collectors and directed all income to research of better and new weapons. He wanted to make sure of that next time the Turks would be the one who begged for peace...

 

[Lord E]

Way to go. Kill them, kill them:

 

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The Shah bid his time, waited and waited until that day, when a messenger came with news from the west; Venice had declared war upon the Turks. ”Is this it?” He asked his mysterius advisor. ”Wouldnt it be a good time to strike now. I got over 100.000 men under my command, all located along the western border...” ”Perhaps” Yoghurt answered. ”Not even I see how the future will be. All I know is that the Turks are fiercefull opponents, but some time you have to throw a dice and hope for the best... And thus Persia declared war upon the Turks. It wasnt an even fight, Turkey was supported by both Algier, Tunis as Hedjaz. The only advantage the Persian had was that the Turkish forces was somewhear in the far west fighting another war, so it gave the Persians some time to make some conquests. The most important conquest was the destruction of Hedjaz, the Holy City of Mecca fell in the Shahs hands and Hedjaz was annexed. This happend about the same time as the Turkish forces arrived at the scene. As the last time, it seemed like the Turks would crush every resistance from the Persians, but luckily, the Turkish Sultan didnt seem to relaise this, thus he offered Persia a white-peace. A peace that the Shah accepted.

When Tahmasp returned to Isfahan he didnt know if he had won or lost this war. The Turks had still been superior, on the other hand he had gained two provinces to Persia, one witch was the Holy City of Mecca itself. Many nights after the war Tahmasp was sitting in discussions with his mysterius advisor. The issue they discussed was how to defeat the heretic Turks...

 

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Even though you may try, you can never escape your AAR's being turned into bloodfests.

I like this AAR. Turkey must have quite a superior land tech to defeat you in that manner.

 

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The Shah had been given some advises, to force the Turks to fight in two fronts, both here in their east as in their west. Diplomats was send out and they returned with reports of a small Kingdom, Serbia, who was the Turks sworned enemies. Enermous amounts of gold was spend on gifts to the Serbian King, but they finally payed off, when he agreed on creating an alliance with Persia. Now the Shah had a tool to defeat the heretic Turks...

Tahmasp rebuild the Persian army and watched the Turks closely. One evening his advisor, Yoghurt, visited him. He only uttered three words. ”It is time...” A messenger was send to Istanbul with a war decleration, another was send to Belgrad asking for the Serbians assistance. The Serbs was eager to participate and thus the Turkish Empire was attacked at the same time from two directions. The Persian forces swarmed over the Turkish provinces in their east and most of the Turks seemed to be in the west, fighting the Serbs.

In Syria, watching the Persians siege Damascus, Tahmap and Yoghurt was discussing the current affairs. ”This alliance serve us well” Tahmap stated to Yoghurt. ”Yes, indead it does” The two men gave then up a laughter. The Persian forces was victorius capturing one province after another, meeting almost no standing armies in their way. One day a messenger approached the Shah. He was send by the Turkish Sultan and was wearing a letter.

As the Turkish man bowed to the ground before the Shah. It was obvius that the Shah enjoyed every minute of it. The man had come with a peace offering, that would grant Sivas, Tabuk and Syria to Persia. The Shah accepted. Finally he had reached his vengeance. As he returned to Isfahan he took the titel of “Turk slayer” as a sign on his victories. In the background, how ever, a man was standing and looked on the Shah while he was celebrating. That man knew, that Persia had much to thank Serbia for its victories...

 

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As the alliance with Serbia had been given such fine results the Shah searched for another alliances partner, to make the alliance against Turkey even stronger. He found it in Moldavia. The Shah waited for five years, until his peace treaty with the Turks had expired, then a war decleration was issued once again. This time it seemed like the Turks had expect a two fronts war, as they had strong forces along both their borders. Never the less, the Persians pushed forward, slowly, by sending wave after wave against the other wise superior Turkish forces. This time Serbia wasnt that active in the warfare, restricting their movements to defend their homeland it seemed. Moldavia on the other hand, had to pay the highest price. They where totaly overrunned by the Turks and lost their nation, for ever. By that time, the Persian had been able to conquer some provinces from the Turks and hearing news about that an enourmus Turkish army of 40.000 men was approaching, the Shah decided to sue for peace. Judea and Samaria was granted to Persia and once again Tahmasp had proven himself, to be a skilled general and warrior.

 

[Languish]

Nice! I particularly like the effective use of tranparent line drawings.

 

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Originally posted by Bocaj

I like this AAR. Turkey must have quite a superior land tech to defeat you in that manner.

Yes they should have, on the other hand I have set investments in land tech to maximum, so it should be equal about where I am now in the game. How ever, I guess all the splendid Generals the Turks has, at this time, gives them an advantage to.

 

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Originally posted by Languish
Nice! I particularly like the effective use of tranparent line drawings.

Thanx! Some pictures always liven things up These transparent ones is of varius quality though, but I think my last one along with the first one is best.

 

[Lord E]

Originally posted by Yoghurt
Thanx! Some pictures always liven things up These transparent ones is of varius quality though, but I think my last one along with the first one is best.

Yes, you are right thos two is the best ones. Where you have found them?