World in Revolution: 1778

[Frymonmon]

GM Note: http://strawpoll.me/2371333

There's a severe lack of interest on the part of many players here. Instead of try and keep a dead horse alive, we are having a poll. It's open to everybody and prospective players. I will leave it open for a bit, and I will have a final run-off between the top two vote getters when all is said and done.

 

[Spectre17]

OOC: I actually really enjoyed this game, sad to see it end before I could see whether Spain would hold on to it's nice big colonies or not. Thanks for doing it anyway Fry.

 

[MastahCheef117]

Shahanshah Muḥammad II
True King of Kings of All Persia, Head of the Imperial Dynasty, Eternal Holder of the Peacock Throne, Liberator of Širâz, of Esfahān, of Kermān, of Arāk, of Yazd, of Ahvāz, of Bandar-e ‘Abbās, and of All Persians Besides
"...for the enemy of the Shah is the enemy of all Persia, and that is the greatest enemy of all."
r. 1782 -- 1797​

Shahanshah Muhammad II, born Agha Muḥammad Khān Qājār, was a son of Mohammad Hasan Khan Qajar, the leader of the Qajar tribe in Northern Persia and, from 1782 until his death, the Shahanshah of Persia. After having been captured and served as a prisoner in the court of the Zand Shah Kharim Khan, he escaped after 16 years of bondage upon the death of the self-proclaimed Persian emperor; coming back to rule the Qajar clan in the city of Tehran, Muḥammad proclaimed himself the true successor to the Imperial throne of Persia in 1779. Within just several months, he had amassed a large and powerful army -- not through charisma, one may think, but rather through brutality and lack of empathy; thousands of men were enslaved and pressed into the army.

Despite initial slow success of his troops into Zand territory -- where the current Shah, Mohammad Ali Khan, ruled the Southern half of Persia -- outside pressure had already begun to set in. Horsemen, bloodthirsty and paid by the Ottoman Sultan, ravaged several Western cities and towns, levying taxes and conscripting Persian men into their own ranks. Enraged, Muḥammad ordered a new offensive into Zand territory; it was not long until the Qajar army reached the gates of Shiraz itself. Before him laid the entirety of the Persian Empire and the jewel of the realm; over two-thousand years of imperial heritage was soon to be his. After a lengthy siege, the walls of the city were penetrated and, leading his victorious army through the streets to the imperial palace, Muḥammad officially named himself Shahanshah Muḥammad II. Zand forces withdrew to the Southeastern regions of Persia. However, the Shahanshah was not done; he wanted the entirety of the Iranian peoples under his thumb; he wanted his conquest completed. As he continued to lead his army in search of the Zand army, he himself began laying the groundwork for a new organization for the imperial bureaucracy upon his final unification of Persia. This program made great progress; after the rump state of the Afsharid dynasty declared their support for what remained of the Zand dynasty, they dispatched their own sizeable army to defeat the Shahanshah in open battle; however, the peak of his own cruelty would shine through following the coming battle.

In open battle the Imperial and Zand armies clashed, with the Shahanshah himself leading a regiment of mounted Immortals -- a unit he himself had organized and trained. Soon he had effected a complete encirclement of the enemy army and, when they offered the white flag of surrender to him, he denied it and ordered them all executed; 15,000 men were killed on the spot. Sending token forces to secure the remaining Zand cities, he marched unopposed to the Afsharid capital, which he promptly leveled, relocating its surviving inhabitants to other cities that were known for their loyalty to him.

Despite these great victories, the Shahanshah's thirst for conquest was not totally satiated: the various tribes of Azerbaijan remained independent. Though his most tactically able army officers recommended against an invasion of the region due to its mountainous terrain, the Shahanshah insisted and immediately began planning for a long-term invasion of the region with a new Imperial army. He finished his organizational reforms and implemented a new Persian bureaucracy which, despite several hiccups -- resulting in the quietly-carried out execution of several bureaucrats -- worked rather flawlessly. Signing a treaty with the French King in 1789 allowing for the importation of arms and cannon, the Shahanshah continued the modernization and expansion of his army, armed with some of the finest weaponry in the world. Instilling fierce loyalty into his men -- more out of fear of death than for love of himself -- his army quickly molded itself into a disciplined fighting force.

At the head of an army of over 20,000 men, the Shahanshah launched his invasion of the Azeri tribes in June of 1796 to great fanfare at home. Predictably, the Azeri tribes united in defense of their lands, organizing a force to harass and destroy the Persian army in the many mountains and valleys of the region. Even despite this, the Shahanshah maintained his resolve; his army slowly drove deeper into enemy territory, securing vital towns and cities for supplies and encampments. However, this campaigning took a toll on him; the summer of 1797 was a particularly hot one and the Shahanshah, a eunuch, suffered from heatstroke. His refusal to seek treatment in such a situation -- instead wishing to continue commanding his men in the field -- resulted in the immediate worsening of his condition, and he died on campaign. His troops, without their leader, withdrew back to Persian territory.

 

[Duke of Britain]

OOC: I actually really enjoyed this game. Thanks for doing it anyway Fry.

This.