There were no repercussions. Maybe there would have been later, but as I switched to "Invictus", I'll never know,
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The Chosen People
Part 11: The Reign of Simon I – Year 10
Part 11: The Reign of Simon I – Year 10
There had been many changes while we were away campaigning, and when we returned the king introduced many more. Among the first changes he made was to rename his capital. No longer “Jerusalem”, the city will be known as “Yerushalayim”, in keeping with the goal of recovering the greatness of the past.
He also changed the occupants of many of the chief positions in the government, but this did not lead to much discontent, as in our absence most of the previously important families had declined in importance, while others had risen in power. It was not only in Judea that change had been felt however: a backlog of reports culled from the market gossip showed that Rome’s expansion had been reversed, at least partially. But otherwise, things in the palace were much the same, if more impressive, to suit the capital city of a regional power.
While not missing the endless marching and uncomfortable conditions of a military campaign, I must admit that I found life back at court a little boring. There is the slight issue of the disloyalty of the researcher Gadish Braham, but he is no real threat to the king. Otherwise, just a few trade agreements (cloth to Anatolia, base metals to Egypt) to negotiate and settle. Some monitoring of the new farming settlement being constructed in Asaphon in Samaria. Nothing substantial.
Italy as we know it from merchant’s tales
The king, always interested in far-off Rome, found the news that the Romans had begun to expand again a little troubling. He still has this superstitious belief that Rome will bring catastrophe to Judea, and the word that they had defeated the Picentians upset him – he had hoped Rome would at least stay within their borders for a while. Closer to home, and more relevant to Judea I would have thought, was some sort of revolt in Thrace. Details are not clear, but it seems that part of Bithynia has risen against Basileus Lysomachos I.
It could be that such information had an effect on the king, making him more open to conciliating our neighbours and less likely to risk our gains in further conflict. Whatever the reason, he has announced that Judea will adopt a mercantile stance in its relations with other nations. No mention of Egypt in the official announcement, but there is no doubt that the Ptolemaic Kingdom is his main target. Gani Hyrcanus, the Rab Erekat, is overjoyed. The extra trade income will provide a stream of gold for the Treasury.
By midsummer the new farming settlement in Asaphon was complete, doubling the local grain production and making the area more attractive for settlers. As well as improving life in general I would have thought. To the suppressed horror of the Rab Erekat, the king has let it be known that he is looking at further investments in the new territories: he wants to increase our population as a means of making us more able to defend ourselves.
Threshing floor with the new farm settlement in the background
Our diplomats tell us that although our recent aggression has unsettled our neighbours, efforts to reduce this alarm (mainly from the statesmanship of the Chancellor, Simon Marsyam) are progressing well. Our relationship with the biggest threat, the Ptolemaic Kingdom, is positive, with our trading history and mercantile stance offsetting the effects of our recent expansion. The economy is doing well, even Gadish Braham has dropped his disloyalty. So I am bemused that for an unknown reason the king has taken a virulent dislike to Nathan Hyrcanus, the head of the Hyrcanus family. For heaven’s sake, the man is 80 years old – what sort of threat is he?
A quiet year. The Ptolemies seem to be focussed south, on their ally Blemmia’s war with Kush. The Seleucids are bogged down in the deserts of Maka. Details are hard to establish, but from various reports our best analysis is that the Makans have defeated at least one Seleucid army and retain all their territory. Hopefully this squabble on the coat of the Sinus Persicus will keep them occupied for a while.
Our neighbour’s wars are far away from us
And so ended the 10th year of the reign of King Simon I Zadokite, ruler of Judea.
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Not a long post - it took me a fair while to replay everything with the "Invictus" mod while trying to end up as close to where I was before.
Read through this whole AAR today, really enjoying Judea’s story. You’ve got me interested in finally taking a look at Imperator.
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If I last that long. Either Egypt or the Seleucids could crush me before that.
Thank you. One of my objectives was to show people that Imperator did not deserve the bad press. I find it enjoyable amd don't regret buying it.
The Chosen People
Part 12: The Reign of Simon I – Year 11
Part 12: The Reign of Simon I – Year 11
Despite, or perhaps because of, the state of peace we find ourselves in, the King has spent a considerable amount of our diplomatic power to incite rebellion in those parts of Canaan which are not under our control. As almost all of the affected territory is controlled by the Ptolemies, I wonder if this is wise. Not that I would dare mention it anyone of course, but what if the Egyptian spies find out who is behind any uprising? Ptolemaios I Soter Lagid may be old and suffering from the wasting disease, but evidence like that would still get his armies marching into Judea.
Stirring up rebellion: causing unrest in non-Judean Canaan
There is a rumour flying around that the Governor of Arabia, Nathaneal Laganiat, is extorting territory of Baclanaza, about as far away from Yerushalayim, but nobody is going to do anything about it. The concensus is that governing a newly conquered province is a thankless job, and if the incumbent wants to get some benefit for the hard, uncomfortable and often risky work, then who should be surprised? A little corruption is to be tolerated.
Something that did stir the king to action was a dispute between the Kahen and his priests and the common folk. Noam Nikoliat imposed some restrictions on access to the inner temple that incensed the citizenry, who claimed they were being excluded from worship. This could have rapidly got out of hand, with a win for the priests causing political instability, a win for the mob leading to a loss of loyalty from a key member of the government and a loss of religious power. Simon went for the middle road: instructing Noam to lead a religious procession throughout the land, allowing all to approach, but letting him keep his restrictions in the temple itself. A wise decision, leading to both more stability while simultaneously increasing the Kahen’s loyalty.
The Kahen, Noam Nikoliat, tours the land of Judea
After six months of peace, I had lapsed into a routine of daily tasks, none of which took much time. After the hectic years of expansion, I was content. It could not last. A succession of shady characters was seen meeting with the king, and it was not long before everyone was talking about the clandestine operation to create a claim on the Lihyan province of Arabia Relicta. I think another war may be on the horizon. While talking about Arabia Relicta, those areas of the province under our control have so many horses available that we have entered into a lucrative deal with Thrace to export the surplus.
In late summer Simon became a father again. He already has two sons, but nothing in life is certain, and it is always a good thing to have a fall back should disaster strike. But the king is still only 50 years old, and in perfect health so there are no worries at the moment. Just a joyful occasion.
Those Arabian horses are in high demand. Another trade agreement has been struck, this time with Armenia. Gold is pouring into the Treasury, more than 5 Talents per month. Yet the king is being quite parsimonious, not spending a shekel. One of the slaves in the employ of the Rab Erekat told me that the king has told Gani Hyrcanus that we must be hold enough money to be able to hire mercenaries at any time. A wise precaution for a peaceful ruler, but is Simon I Zadokite a peaceful ruler? I think not. This is another preparation for war.
Nevertheless, war will not occur before we have a claim to justify it. From what I hear that claim will not stand scrutiny for at least another year. So I will have at least that much time before I can expect to have to dig out my marching sandals and accompany the king on another campaign.
The end of this year marks 10 years of the king’s reign. What a tumultuous time! But the steady hand and wise rule of Simon I Zadokite has seen Judea grown and prosper. It now comprises 52 territories, not the 20 at the time he took the throne. Takes have grown by a third, but trade had boomed, nearly 10 times the tiny amount back then. The population has more than doubled, mainly due to the new territories, but also due to internal growth. Yerushalayim, for example, has grown from 84,000 families to more than 96,000!
The markets are full of goods and traders, the people are happy, and Judea grows stronger!
And on top of that, our level of civilsation has improved considerably. I am fortunate to live at such a time when Judea and the Chosen People are basking in the smile of the Lord!
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Jerusalem is doing well, but war approaches...
Still, I do appreciate the Imperator love, especially as someone who wrote a piece complaining about the lack of Imperator AARs.
In fairness to the critics (and as someone who disagrees with them), the main problem was that Imperator was extremely difficult to load upon release. Mind, a large part of that for me could've been that I was playing on an old Windows machine (switching - first to a Mac and then to a newer Windows laptop - seems to have fixed my issues. That's why Epirus Ascendant suffered 2 years on hiatus).
Still, I do appreciate the Imperator love, especially as someone who wrote a piece complaining about the lack of Imperator AARs.
I was brought here by your award win and now I've caught up I can only agree at how well deserved it was. An interesting tale, reasonable length chapters, nice use of pictures and I particularly appreciate the bits of history and background scattered through it.
I look forward to the continuing tales of the chosen people.
I look forward to the continuing tales of the chosen people.
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Thank you to all, and apologies for not replying sooner. RL has interfered as it tends to do, and I am unlikely to post an update for a couple of weeks. I have played a bit ahead and Judea is still in existence, but lack of time is an issue for me,
I will also post in the WritAAR forum, but I have had no chance to read much and feel unable to nominate a successor: I can only ask for forgiveness.
I will also post in the WritAAR forum, but I have had no chance to read much and feel unable to nominate a successor: I can only ask for forgiveness.
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