Lords of the Earth
CAMPAIGN TWENTY-FOUR
War
in the East
Turn 53
1261
~ 1265 Anno Domini
623 ~ 627 in the year of the Hegira
New for T53
Restrictions on Royal Marriages: Due to the complications arising
from these rules only K, H or P leaders can benefit from a Royal Marriage.
Members of the Royal Family that have not come into play are not considered
eligible. Also, Primate, Order and Secret Empire positions are not eligible for
marriage bonuses. These are meant to be diplomatic arrangements between
sovereign states.
New for T52
East – West Split: I’m going to try to split the
East and the West parts of the game so that I can process the orders quicker –
don’t know if or how it will work yet but lets see if it’ll happen
New for T51
No Orders: If I don’t get any orders in for a position and the
player doesn’t answer my emails then I’ll put the position back to a NPN and
put aside the players cash (if any) until they pick it or another nation up
again.
New for T50
Request Royal Marriage: Used to ask a NPN nation for a bride for one of
your Princes or a suitor for one of your little Princesses. Cost is 6AP,
Charisma based. The leader doesn’t have to be in the NPNs capital but if he
isn’t then he needs to be in your homeland/capital.
New for T49
Naval Reaction and Blockade: Naval Reactions can only occur
when there is action in a Sea Zone that the fleet is based at. The fleet has to
be based from a port and not the Sea Zone. Also, the Reaction can only occur
when your own lands or those of an ally benefiting from a Defensive Pact
marriage bonus are attacked. It also applies to any merchant fleets you operate
through the Sea Zone in the case of piracy.
Naval Blockade’s only work if your fleet is based in the same Sea Zone
as the target port and you spend all (every single one) of your APs in the
blockade. The fleet must be based from a port and not a Sea Zone.
New for T48
The use of fleets for Reaction and mitigating the effects
of Pirates: My
understanding has now changed since we GMs have had some discussion on the
list. The use of Reaction has been explained on the Wiki and Patrol is no
longer used in the Base Rules.
Reaction
Trade Route Escorts
- This
is specific to Lords 24. Units can be assigned to a trade route to act as
static convoy escort using the G type leader. Note this is not as good as
patrol as the warships assigned will only reduce the effects of piracy,
not capture or destroy the pirates themselves.
Updated NPN and Primacy rules:
Yep, been tinkering again but I feel a almost serene sense of satisfaction with
my latest offering. See what you think.
Added the ability to hire
mercenary captain when there is no mercenary company available: See the mercenary tables
New for T47
Improved cultivation at TL5: If a nation has reached the
dizzy heights of TL5 than it can benefit from improved cultivation. You can
Improve a cultivated homeland region from 2GPv to 3GPv, or any other controlled
cultivated region from 1GPv to 2GPv. This is a level one megalithic construction.
New for T46
NPNS: I’ve tweaked the NPN and Primacy/Order rules a little to make them
fit better with the 24 game. I’ve also reduced their overall RRV to make
diplomacy easier.
Second Positions in the East: As I’ve not got a lot of players
in the East, I would be willing to allow a second position from existing
players. Let me know if you’re interested.
New for T45
New Rivers: I’ve added in some new possible rivers onto the map.
These are rivers that were once passable by light traffic (remember Cogs cannot
travel on rivers) and have now become silted up. You can dredge a stretch of
the river (along one region border edge) as a 0.5 level project.
Gripes:
Agro as conversion –
this has restrictions (see 2.11.5.3) which I will be enforcing from now on.
Rivers can only support
light ships – as far as I know Cogs cannot travel on rivers. This also includes
Cogs built for trade.
New Primates: We have two new Primate positions this turn. Jumal
Skyfather, which is an Estonian god and the Coptic Church based out of Axum.
New for T44
Minor islands and City States: I’ll be allowing minor islands (Corfu, Jerba, Wight etc) and city states to be used as
locations from T44. Just let me know the rationale behind why you want it
separate and if reasonable I’ll add it in. Once they are created as locations,
they obey all the rules of islands etc. However, their Gpv cannot go above 0.
Flooding: The last few turns have seen a massive increase in the
amount of flooding that has occurred. It appears that the years are getting
warmer and wetter. As a result of this some of the minor rivers on the map are
once again becoming passable to river traffic.
Denmark:
Following on from the Minor Islands stuff, you can see that Denmark is now separated out to Jutland and
Syaland (Zeeland).
Announcements and
items of note
General Stuff: Please use my Paypal account (stephenbrunt@yahoo.co.uk) for all
Lords’ 24 payments. If you cannot use this facility then please let me know and
I will see what I can do about filtering US funds to my account. I may also
stop using the throneworld email address due to the mass of spam I’m getting!
Order Form: Please use the standard excel
order form from now on. I’ll update the site with a link to it next week when I
get some time. This is important as it helps me process the turn more quickly.
THIS IS NOW MANDATORY.
Non-Payment: some of you still owe me some
cash. Although it may come as surprise that this is not my main source of
income, I see it only polite that you pay for the occasionally night out. So,
if you’re under zero next turn I’ll not process you orders.
Version 6: Lords 24 uses version 6 of the
basic rules
The Map: The map now includes India as well as Europe, Central Asia and Africa. I’ve greyed out repeated areas on the maps to
make my life easier. However, this means some player nations are split across
more than one map. I may increase the size of the main map but I’ll have to
think on this.
Tithes and Tribute: I think these are automatically
updated by the stats program, so no need to declare them in your orders.
Control
of the Papacy and Religious Orders: In Lords 24 we will not always have a player Pope (or
Caliph etc for that matter) and the following rules are used to determine which
player faction controls the Pope’s actions, Papacy
Rules. I’ve also added some stuff about gaining support from their armies
How to make your GM
happy (PLEASE READ! REALLY!):
Please send any and all Lords24
correspondence to lords24gm@ymail.com
or stephenbrunt@yahoo.co.uk .
LORDS 24 WEB RESOURCES
The Lords Twenty-Four homepage is
at:
http://lords.throneworld.com/lote24/index.html
All of the on-line resources, including
order forms, mailing lists and web-sites for Lords of the Earth are summarized
on this page:
http://lords.throneworld.com/?page_id=2
You can subscribe to the Lords 24 mailing
list by pointing your web-browser at:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/lote24
…and following the instructions on that
page.
VARIOUS FEES AND LEVIES
At the moment the turns cost $5 – please
pay up of you owe
We are using the latest v6.3.5 of the basic
rule book that can be found here
http://lords.throneworld.com/players/loterule/rules.html
The West
For Nations of the West - Turn 54 Orders due by: 24th February
2010
Without further ado, the news for these
years in Lords 24 history...
Eastern Europe
The Varangian Rus of Kiev
(Orthodox Civilized Open Empire)
Svetlana,
Queen of the Rus
The
city of Perograd
grew in size and new walls were built to protect it. Muscovy was finally
cultivated and the region started to ship grain to Kiev. While the rest of the Kievian nobility
took their ease, Vasimir successfully integrated Mordva into the Kingdom
through his expert diplomacy. The Kievian clergy failed to build a Preceptory
for the Vladmirian Order in Chernogov.
.
The Ests
(European Pagan Barbarian Open Empire)
Andrus III, Kings of the Ests
The
region of Novgorod
was greatly improved with new irrigation schemes and land clearance. Andrus took
command of his increasing army as nearly four thousand men were to be raised in
Estonia.
Andrus then turned his attention to the trade routes out of Ventapils and to
his wife and family where he was to be blessed with two young daughters. The
remaining members of the Estonian court were happy to spend these years at
ease, content in the peace that abounded in the north..
The Western Uighur Khanate
(Sunni Islam Civilised Open Empire)
Barjik, Khan of the Uighurs
Nearly
three thousand light cavalry were raised in Thrace for Prince Ediz. A fever
swept through the Uighurs lands and took Emin and the Imam Mahmoud to Allah’s
embrace. Emre was to follow a few years later when he also succumbed to the
fever. His efforts in Bulgaria
came to nothing before his death as the southern outpost of Hungary kept it tenuous links with
Buda-Pesht.
Scandia and the Out Isles
Jarldom of Orkeneyjar
(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Nicholas Larsson, Jarl of Orkney
Ulster
was improved with new land drainage and other agricultural improvements;
allowing its population to grow in size. Prince Erik, a handsome and popular
boy, was presented to the Kirkval court. The nobility of the Orkneys travelled
to Hordavil to meet with the Norwegians over trade and other maters of state. The
contingent was headed up Freya Svendatter who sadly did not survive the
crossing home to Kirkval. Whilst at Hordavil, the Orkneyjar were joined by
Queen Alesund; travelling to visit her in-laws and to gain a bride for Prince
Erik. Nils travelled with Alesund but the old man was not missed when he died
in 1264.
Kingdom
of Svear
(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Olaf Arnoldson, King of the Svear
Kuressaare
grew in size and ships were assigned to its fishing fleet. The walls of Uppsala and Helsingfors
were improved. Arnoldson travelled briefly to Skane where he picked up a
beautiful but fierce bride and an alliance from the regions nobility. Returning
to Uppsala he
continued to rule the Kingdom. Emilson continued to defend the region of Skane
until his death in 1264. Janson travelled to the Norwegian capital of Hordavil
but was met with a frosty reception. All of the nation’s nobility seemed intent
on entertaining visitors from abroad.
Saxon Kingdom
of England
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Arthwin I, King of England
York grew in size to rival London, Wells and Portchester. Shipping was
assigned to improve the revenues from these cities. Dyffed finally gave up its
wayward ways and returned fully to the Church of Rome. King Arthwin travelled
down from Berwick to Wessex
where he gained an alliance from the Earl of those lands. The English nobility
spent these years integrating the Welsh cities and Cornwall further into the Kingdom. Lord
Montegue died during these years of a fever brought on by the damp and
inclement winters in the west.
Western Europe
Heiliges Romisches Reich
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Heinrich, Holy Roman Emperor.
The
city of Canes in Provence
grew in size to rival Hanover,
its walls were torn down to provide space for the new population and then
rebuilt higher and stronger. Gold was transferred to Malta and the Orkneys via the trade
routes established. The roads to Viborg from Hanover were improved in quality .Heinrich
had dreams of acquiring a new wife but his Saxon wife Katarine was still alive
and provided him with two young children. Hans and Marcus von Jutland continued
their work in Leipzig
where the city gained closer ties to the Empire. Cristian von Lausatia was
dispatched to Burgogne in Burgundy
where he smoothed over some of the hostility towards the Empire.
Norman Kingdom
of France
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Raymond, King of France
Raymond
took advantage of the relative peace that was enjoyed by the French and spent
his treasury on improving the regions of his Kingdom. News came of Agnes of
Aragon’s death in 1265, closely followed by the death of Isabelle, married to
Bernard of the Anacletans. Both daughters’ of Louis VII had brought defensive
pacts with their dowry and now those were rescinded. To add to Raymond’s woe,
is wife Lucie was to die in childbirth. Besides the Bishop Alberic’s efforts in
Aachen, the
remaining nobility of the Kingdom were to see to the affairs of state or the
protection of the nation’s borders. Alberic was successful in bringing the city
fully within France’s
grasp with his diplomacy.
Principality of Salerno
(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Ricardo III, Prince of Salerno
The small Moslem
minority in Petropolis was converted back to
Christianity, although the Salernian clergy was not so successful in Venice. Romagna
was colonised back to its old population before the Buwayid raids. Elsewhere,
the regions and cities of the Principality were improved with new public works.
Ricardo III presented his son, also called Ricardo in time honoured Salernian
fashion, to the Campanian court. He spent some time educating him in the art of
diplomacy before ruling the Principality. Sadly, his wife died in childbirth
and he was again widowed. Simion travelled to Savoy where he spent time with the nobility
of the rich region. The Count of Vincencia, having survived Akramid assassins,
was lucky to fight off more assassins from the Ayyubids when they crept into
his encampment outside Catania.
While the Bishop Masconi fought off the Egyptian armada, Vincencia laid siege
to the fortress of Catania.
Starved by the Italian blockade, the fortress gave out quickly and the Emir of
Sicily surrendered with his men.
The Papal
States
(Roman Catholic Civilised Religious
Order)
Pope Urban III, God’s Voice on Earth
The
Pope showed his appreciation to Salerno’s
efforts to quell the Moslem attacks by building public works in Romagna and Leghorn. Churches were
built in Palermo, Ulm
and Passau but the clergy failed in Genoa and Franconia. On
fifth of the Moslem’s in Sicily
were converted to Catholicism. Monasteries were built in Ravenna
and Leghorn by
the Cardinals Monticelli and Pierleoni. Cardinal Ottobuono took command of the
men in Latium
and moved to defend the Papal lands.
The Akramid Caliphate
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Darkan, Caliph of the Akramids
Attempts
to get the apathetic Moslems in Santiago
to rise up and take control of the city still met with no luck; although more
of the Christians were converted to Islam. Mehehkmed took command of a further
two thousand light cavalry from Darkan before moving to protect the Moslems in Santiago along with Prince
Obrahim. The Princes later returned to Andalusia.
Akramid assassins attempts to kill the Count of Vincencia in Italy failed when their boat was
capsized and the assassins lost. The old Umayyad regions of Algeria and Tunisia benefited from Darkan’s
largesse. Nearly every city and region in the lands of Akramids had their walls
increased in a massive scheme of construction. Imran Nazir, along with the Imam
Astroman and Lehlmed were in Mahidia attempting to persuade the nobility of the
city to fully join with the Caliphate.
The Anacletan Order
(Roman Catholic Civilised Religious
Order)
Guiscard, Grandmaster of the Anacletan Order, Scourge of Islam
Bernard
passed away in 1265, the Order was taken over by Guiscard, old as he was, he
was still seen as the most able of the Order’s leaders. Santa Maria grew in size under the watchful
eye of the Order, its walls removed to make room for the new population. The
Order’s attempts to build Houses in Castellon and Sardinia met with no success;
although a House was built in Santa
Maria. The Order’s status in Aragon and England grew rapidly due to the
diligent efforts of the Orders members in those nations. Despite their best
efforts to remain unnoticed, the Brothers Guiscard and Phillip were seen
gathering nearly two hundred ships from the Orkneymen and taking them back to Santa Maria. Pascal moved
up to Ile de France to take over administering the Order’s far flung network.
The Middle East and Africa
The Buwayid Sultanate
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Zarife II, Sultan of the Buwayids
The
Sultan died in early 1261 from old age, his son Zarife II took over the
Sultanate. He was to be blessed with three young children; two of which were
strapping young sons. After years of patrolling the Sultanate’s border, Prince
Haythan finally had his chance to test his mettle against Infidels. Sadly, the
old Prince also died in 1261 shortly after his Sultan. His men were left to
garrison Diyala and took no part in the battle against the Infidels. Without
the men from Diyala, the Imam Numair remained in Lydia
with his men and Muwaffaq waited in vain in Antioch with his fleet of nearly one hundred
and sixty warships. Buwayid missionaries attempted to sway the Catholics in Malta
and Bithnia but failed miserably. Prince Arif was presented at the Baghdad court, an able
replacement for old Prince Haythan, The control of the Sultanate over Bandar
was reduced to the barest minimum due to the wild nature of the province. The
walls of Antioch
and al-Kuwait were pulled down to make way for their growing population. In
there troubled times, the Sultan wisely commanded that their defences be
replaced. The populations of Diyala and Kuwait grew as the Sultan’s
treasury paid for improved cultivation in the provinces.
The Ayyubid Sultanate
(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Rashid, Sultan of the Ayyubids
The
dockyards of Alexandria
were a hotbed of activity as over one hundred warships were commissioned along
with a large number of transports. Not as many as Rashid requested as he
misjudged the capacity of the cities artisans. However, Egyptian missionaries
were extremely successful in Sicily as the
small Christian population there once again turned towards Mecca. Prince Jibrail was left to defend Egypt
and sire three sons. Hosni Qatub remained in Jordan but was unsuccessful in improving
the alliance before his death in 1265. Rashid collected his armada of nearly
two hundred and fifty warships and transports to carry his invasion force of
over eight thousand heavy cavalry. He was accompanied by the Imam Adnar as he
set sail for Sicily and the fortress of Catania. As he approached
the fortress, he was met by the Bishop Masconi and his force eighty triremes.
Evenly matched in tactical acumen, the Italians were to come out on top when
the Imam was taken prisoner. Egyptian losses were heavy when the Italian
triremes battered their biremes and over one hundred light warships caught in
the melee. Rashid fled to Alexandria,
the fortress forgotten. .
Usama-Yoruba Onium of
Ibo
(African Pagan Civilised Open Empire)
Bhanda, King of the Ibo
The
battles against the Adjou Aba had depleted the once bottomless coffers of the
Onium. Desertions were rife amongst the huge forces in Wadan and Agades.
Despite a passionate oratory from Payad in Wadan, nearly thirty thousand men
deserted. In Agades, Ibana lost nearly thirty thousand.
The Mwene-Mutapa
Empire
(African Pagan Civilised Open Empire)
Nyambo, Emperor of Mapungubwe
The
great and good of the Unkulunkulu clergy showed the Gorongoan families the
'Feast of The Golden Wheat' and other rituals. They were taught them the Hymns
of Nanantuyo and other holy songs of Unkulunkulu. Their intent to bring all
people of Mapungubwe to a like mind, soul and spiritual devotion saw some
success. Nyambo rule the Empire from Mapungubwe, yet again he faced the sad news
that his young wife Illi died in childbirth. Takaru “the Wild”, so called
because of his wild and unkempt appearance, moved to Gorongo and took command
of the garrison there. Matombo Mukare gained a full alliance from the Cape. He managed to gain a new wife for Nyambo, a
shrunken ugly thing – but given Nyambo’s reputation in the bedroom it was all
that was available. The city of Great
Zimbabwe saw great improvements to its public baths. A
new tower was built to house the city’s relics. The road was extended from
Arkur out to Chumnumgwa.
The East
For Nations of the East - Turn 54 Orders due by: 24th
February 2010
Without further ado, the news for these
years in Lords 24 history...
India
Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj
(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Janda, Raja of Kaunaj
Despite
the small number of forts built in Pegu, the region was lost to Thatonese
counter-attack. Elsewhere, the Janda spent his treasury on improving the
nation’s lands. Sadly, his wife Sheelpa died in childbirth. Prince Bindu was preparing
to continue the war when he was kidnapped by Thatonese assassins. He died
en-route to Moulmein
from the exertion. Prince Gyan continued to oversee the affairs of Bengal in Gaur. Prince Om was unsure what to do when
Prince Bindu was captured and spent these years inspecting the Rajputi army.
Chandela became friendly to Kaunaj through the efforts of Kundeep and Rajiv
while Rupinder and the Brahmin Mohandas had to flee to Calcutta ahead of the Thatonese army in Pegu.
The Raja of Jaunpur died during these years but his son was willing to continue
the alliance. The same was not true of the Raja of Nadavaria who also died but
is son withdrew from the alliance with Kaunaj.
The Western
Dhara
(Hindu Civilised NPN Empire, Open Empire)
Pajama I, King of the Dhara
The roads out from
Vijayanagar to Manyakheta and Kayal were completed to aid Pajama’s rule of his
diverse kingdom. Several ships were moved from Kayal to the trade route with
Thaton at the order of Pajama. Paga’s threats and diplomacy saw the city of Machilipatnam pledge
feudal support to the Dhara. The regions of Belur, Jihjhoti, Madurai and Sangas were also called upon to
make good their alliance with Vijayanagar by providing troops for the King.
Jagami died of a fever in 1265, unloved and forgotten by his king.
The Palas of Bengal
(Hindu Civilised NPN Empire, Friendly to
Kaunaj)
Ran, Palas of Bengal
The Bengalis wealth
was spent on increasing the army in Bihar, ten
thousand men were raised in the region. The dockyards of Tamralipti saw nearly
one hundred warships commissioned. Bengali assassins wounded the Thatonese
admiral Chao Seni in Moulmein,
preventing him from stopping the blockade of the port. Bengali missionaries
were active in Gtsang and Assam
and saw some progress there. Pala Ran ruled from Gaur and was blessed with a
young son. Before meeting the Thatonese army in Pegu, Satinder garrisoned
Samatata, Arakan and Akyab. His defeat at the hands of Thawan Baroma saw him
retreat to Arakan where he was to die later from a fever. Rom successfully
blockaded Moulmein
from his base in Bandarban, aided by Brahmin Gandhi. Banu was lucky to escape
with his life as his forces were caught by the Thatonse army and all but
destroyed. The Raja of Assam was killed by the garrison of Manipur. His lands
were later ravaged by the Thatonese mercenaries.
South East Asia and the Islands
The Dai Kingdom
of Annam
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Fer Netcol, King of Annam
Fer
Netcol’s entire life and fortune was tied up in his obsession with regaining
the lost lands of Nan Chao. He was joined in the northern kingdom by Chor Ipan,
Mor Cillon and Marno of Laos. Chor Ipan fell foul of some northern cuisine and
died in 1265.
Kambujadesa
(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Emperor Surya Din, Emperor of the Khmer
Surya
Din arranged the marriage of his alluring daughter Sirikith to the able
Vireakboth the Snake and named him as the heir to the Empire. With another four thousand men added to his
army, the Emperor meddled with the affairs of various merchants and fishermen
of his Empire. He rules from Angor and was blessed with a young son. Nung Tok
Pai loaded over three thousand men and hundreds of colonists onto ships in the harbour of Angor. Sailing across to Tengah, the
colonists were unloaded and the lands of Tengah settled. Haing “the
One-Handed”s last act was to sour the relations with Hmong; he was misled in
his efforts by bad advice from the Empire’s agents. The new heir, moved to Siam
to watch over the Empire’s lands in case the war between Thaton and Kaunaj
spilled over to the east.
The Kingdom of Thaton
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Ratana Nai-Thim, King of the Thaton
The
Thatonese fleet was expanded as over fifty ships were commissioned in the
dockyards of Moulmein.
The army was expanded to counter the Hindu threat; fourteen thousand men were
called to arms in Thaton. Young Kasem was appointed to the Thatonese court as
Ratuna Nai-Thim re-assigned the displaced shipping from the captured western
ports to internal trade and fishing. Ratana Jarunsuk hired a young mercenary
captain in Moulmein
as well as nearly twelve thousand mercenaries, mainly cavalry. His death from
illness in these troubled times saw the ascension of Ratana Nai-Thim to the
Thatonese throne. Thatonese assassins managed to kidnap Prince Bindu of Kaunaj
but the ageing Prince failed to make it back to Moulmein and died still in captivity. Chao
Seni was in charge of the fleet out of Moulmein
but his wounding at the hands of Bengali assassins meant that he was unable to
stop their blockade of the port, disrupting the nation’s trade. Thawan Baroma
was in charge of the nation’s Black Dragon army of thirty thousand men and the
newly hired mercenaries. He was accompanied by Sanya Sundaravej as the army
headed north the Pegu and Ava. The two regions were easily liberated and the
small garrisons eliminated. The Rajputi’s Rapinder and Brahmin Mohandas were
trying to smooth over relations with the Pegu and were forced to flee the
region when Thawan arrived. Satinder of Bengal was in command of nearly twenty
thousand men and was planning to rendezvous with Banu in Pegu. As Satinder
arrived in the region he was met by the forces of Thawan, outnumbered on his
own the Bengalis were forced to flee to Arakan. Satinder took no further part
in the war as he died of a fever in Arakan in the year following. The Bengali
losses were heavy, only five thousand men surviving the retreat to Arakan.
Thawan lost nearly five thousand men but sadly also the general Sanya was
killed. Thawan then had to move his forces to counter the threat of Banu as he
moved in from Burma.
Banu had at his command over ten thousand men when he met Thawan forces. He
badly misjudged the Thatonese strength and was out-manoeuvred on the battle
field. The Bengali’s fled the field in disorder, nearly all of Banu’s men were
killed or scattered as the victorious Thatonese headed on to Burma. A small contingent of
Rajputi forces managed to capture Thawan on the battle field and despite losing
the region, fled back west with the general. The mercenaries then went on to
capture and loot Assam.
Their attempted raid on Palas was thwarted by the region’s defences.
Manchu’ko and Nihon
The Minamoto
Shogunate
(Shinto Civilised Open Empire)
Eiroku Minamoto, Shogun of the East
The dockyards
of Harima were busy as nearly seventy light transports were built. There was
some success with gaining influence with the Nihon-no-Tenno although similar
attempts with the Clan Kiyowara came to nothing. With harvests struggling to
feed the nation, Eiroku Minamoto embarked on an ambitious scheme to increase
the fishing fleet. The newly raised transports and some of the fishing fleets
from Edo and Kanazawa were put to work in
Harima, Asahikawa, Aomori,
Iwo Jima and Shikotan-To. Eiroku and Adachi
Yasumori with the Minamoto army of twelve thousand infantry and ten thousand
cavalry passed through the great wall and pushed on into Shimane. Alerted by
the attack, the defending Taira forces of eight thousand infantry and about
half of that in cavalry moved across the Tsushima Strait to Yamaguchi and then
to Shimane. Supported by the regions many field forts, the defenders stood
firm, forcing the Minamoto army to return to Yamato. However, the victory came
at a high cost, all of the Taira infantry were killed or lost and the Minamoto
fairing only slightly better with over four thousand men killed. Daiei ravaged
the Saga and Yamaguchi coasts. His attempts were hampered though by the Taira’s
defenders of thirty warships and three thousand cavalry.
The Goryeo Kingdom
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Wang Insu, King of Goryeo
Ports
were built on the Tsushima Straits in Silla and on the Peruse Straits in Hokkaido. Many
transports were commissioned in the dockyards of Pusan and put to work on the nation’s many trade
routes. Engineers from Goryeo moved into the lands of Mantap and helped the
local peasants to improve the regions irrigation. Missionaries were once again
unsuccessful in Mudan, priests attempts to raise the piety of the Buddhist
peasants of Goryeo also met with no success. Despite only spending a summer in
Manchou, Wang Dong Sun managed to gain more support from the region; helped by
insider knowledge of the local chief’s peccadilloes. He delivered the Khitan
bride to Wang Insu, who after an elaborate marriage in Kai Ching retired to his
palace to spend time with his new wife. Kim Gu patrolled the north from Shantu.
Hyo Pong escorted two thousand men to Hokkaido
where they were given over to Roh Moh for the defence of the island. The seas
off Po were patrolled by Young Sha after he
had escorted the King back to Kai Ching.
The Land under Heaven
The Kingdom of Koueichou
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Dai Ling, Queen of Koueichou
The
region of Szechwan was further improved and
saw the raising of over four thousand cavalry. Dai Ling took a husband from the
numerous courtiers at the court of Kouiechou. She was blessed with three young
children with who to continue her dynasty. The majority of her army was
transferred to the command of Pei Tei who now commanded a force of ten thousand
cavalry. Kouiechou assassins tried to kidnap the leader of the Chang’Ling army
as their army crossed over into Hubei
but were thwarted by the general’s bodyguards. Pei Tei was accompanied by Sai
To in his attack on Chang’Ling. Chigun Zhang and Ro Peng of Kwa-Dei were to
follow later to help besiege the fortress in Hubei. Although not prepared for an assault
on their lands, the Chang’Ling had a reasonably large army of over twelve
thousand infantry and nearly six thousand cavalry. With their local knowledge
and their general’s superior leaderships skills the Chang’Ling kept the attacks
at bay during their first assault. Pei Tei withdrew to Szechwan,
leaving over four thousand of his men dead or dying on the battlefields. The
Chang’Ling lost a similar amount of men during their defence of Hubei. Again Pei Tei
attacked but this time he badly misjudged the Chang’Ling defences. His men
routed and fled back to Szechwan, another four thousand left behind; this time
the losses for the Chang’Ling were light, barely one thousand men.
The Empire of the
Western Song
(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Zhi Zhen, Emperor of the Western Song
Two
thousand elite horse were raised in Kansu and
another two thousand elite guards in Chang’An. Song missionaries converted the
sky worshipping pagans of Gurvan to the glory of Buddha. Zhi Zhen was blessed
with another son but started to ail from a wasting disease. Wu Fei and Yu Jing
gained an alliance from the city of T’ao-Chou.