Lords of the Earth 

CAMPAIGN TWENTY-FOUR

Venice Burns

Turn 55

1271 ~ 1275 Anno Domini
633 ~ 637 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

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

Three thousand cavalry were raised for Prince Gregori in Kiev as he was assigned to protect Kiev’s borders with Prince Vassily. Kiev was further improved as its population grew. Prince Peter, an idle and feckless man, was nonetheless promoted to Svetlana’s heir; beloved as he was by his mother. The Bulgari pillage their subjects in Pechneg before taking and savagely pillaging Atelzuko. They turn to Kiev where the rich lands of the Russians beckoned. Their two thousand infantry and ten thousand cavalry were met by Gregori and Vassily and the twelve thousand Russians under their command. The Bulgari were pushed back, losing one thousand men in the raid. Vasimir was also assigned to the defenders and travelled with the Princes until his death in 1273 Piotr was sent to Chernigov and was investigating the lands there for any cultists; none were found. Georgi was out of favour and sent to Seversk to be out of the way of any fighting. The Bulgari continued their raids, attacking Goryn, Galich and Transylvania.

.

The Ests

(European Pagan Barbarian Open Empire)
Andrus III, Kings of the Ests

Quiet times in the north east.

Scandia and the Out Isles

Jarldom of Orkeneyjar

(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Nicholas Larsson, Jarl of Orkney

One hundred warships were commissioned in the docks of Kirkval and placed under the command of Prince Erik. The garrison of Kirkval was augmented with a further two thousand men. An Order House was built for the Le Marteau de Dieu in the Hebrides but attempts to build a site in far Iceland failed. Another attempt to sway the Norwegians to ally themselves with the Orkneymen was under way. Nicholas set sail with Tordal, Sif, Gretal and Lothar for Hordavil. Sif and Lothar never made the journey, their ship was caught in storms and they drowned with their crews. On the return journey, Gretal caught a fever and died. However the mission was not a complete failure as Nicholas gained a wife and tribute from the Norwegians as a dowry..

Kingdom of Svear

(Roman Catholic Seafaring Open Empire)
Olaf Arnoldson, King of the Svear

Quiet times in the northern kingdom.

 

 

 

 

Saxon Kingdom of England

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Arthwin I, King of England

The old Roman Ickneld Way down to Portchester was upgraded to ease the traffic up from the south coast. A start was made is establishing guilds throughout London, the intention was that these would eventually spread to other cities throughout the land. Lord Neumann moved to Dyffed where he gained an alliance from the local chiefs. The city of Caer Dyvi was fully integrated into the kingdom. King Arthwin was blessed with four children, three of them strapping young sons.

 

Western Europe

Heiliges Romisches Reich

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Leopold, Holy Roman Emperor
.

Cannes and Hanover grew in size. Prince Stipe was sent to work for the Knights of Malta, where he proved an able general and diplomat, although a little brusque in manner. However, his appointment brought great influence with the Order.  Leopold married a young noblewoman called Erminia from Saxony and was blessed with a young son. Cristian von Lausatia travelled to Burgone in Burgundy where an alliance was gained from the city. Marcus of Leipzig was persuaded by Marcus von Jutland to throw in his lot with the Empire.

Norman Kingdom of France

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Raymond, King of France

The Seine was dredged as far as Paris and the French capital grew in size to become a port. A bridge over the Seine was built in Normandy to ensure the road to Paris was kept open. Much gold was sent to the Knights of Malta to aid in their fight against the Infidel. Laurent took command of the large garrison n Aquitaine but as to die from a fever in 1274 and the troops returned to their barracks. .

Principality of Salerno

(Roman Catholic Civilized Open Empire)
Ricardo IV, Prince of Salerno

The Po was dredged as far as Cavalleri, linking Savoy with the Mediterranean. The port of Bastia was built in Corsica on the Tyrhennian Sea and Leghorn in Tuscany grew in size. Attempts were made in the life of Prince Hector but they were thwarted by his bodyguards. Nicolae was to defend Sicily but passed away during these years; he never fully recovered from wounds taken Rashidun assassins. However, discontent amongst the army in Sicily never became more substantial. Ricardo III passed away in 1274, leaving the Principality to his son Ricardo IV. Attacks by the hated Buwayids caused much damage in the eastern provinces of Verona and Lombardy but raids by the Al’Bahri we prevented by the Salernese fleet.

The Papal States

(Roman Catholic Civilised Religious Order)
Pope Urban III, God’s Voice on Earth

A time a great expansion as Pope Urban consolidated his position in France, Italy and Germany with numerous Abbeys and Churches built. Monasteries were built in Genoa and in Campania. The great cathedral of St Hughes in Venice was destroyed in the Buwayid attack no the city.

The Akramid Caliphate

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Darkan, Caliph of the Akramids

Merrakesh benefited from Tiroman’s largesse as the plague striven region was greatly improved. Missionaries in Santiago still had no luck in persuading the last remnants of the old Catholic minority. Tiroman rules from Andalusia and takes a further three wives and was blessed with five children. The Imam Astroman is joined by Imran Nazir and Lehlmed in Leon where the marriage of the princess Miriam helped smooth over relations with the conquered region.

The Anacletan Order

(Roman Catholic Civilised Religious Order)
Marcos de Aragon, Grandmaster of the Anacletan Order, Scourge of Islam

Old Guisgard, Grandmaster of the Anacletan Order, died in his sleep in 1271. Not before he persuaded the King of Aragon to send another of his sons to the Order. Marcos de Aragon took control of the Order and moved down to Santa Maria where he patrolled the border with the Moslems to the south. An Order House was built in Olbia in Sardinina.

 

The Middle East and Africa

The Buwayid Sultanate

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Zarife II, Sultan of the Buwayids

Missionaries Antioch and Al-Kuwait again grew in size. Attempts to kidnap the nobility of Salerno were thwarted by the Italians secret service, although Stefan barely escaped the Buwayid agents. Missionaries were dispatched to Hastor and Sicily but only in Hastor did they see some success. The massive Buwayid army of nearly forty thousand cavalry, mainly elite guardsmen, and twenty squadrons of elephants, cross the Balkans with the support of the Uighurs. The army was commanded by the Imam Numair and supported by Sayf of Qom, Hadi and Muwaffaq. Basing themselves at Slovenia, the Buwayids attack into Verona with the aim of taking the valuable eastern Salernese province. Petru was tasked with defending the Italian heartlands but failed to arrive in time to prevent the Buwayid attack. When he did arrive, his men refused to attack the overwhelming numbers of Buwayids and remained in Lombardy.  Despite the few defenders in Verona, Hadi and Muwaffaq were caught in an ambush and killed outside Venice. The Imam then surrounded the walls of Venice and brought in his supporting siege engineers to attack the city. Leading the attack himself, the fierce Imam was wounded assaulting the city walls. However, the walls were pulled down and the city taken with ease. The Buwayids then ran amok throughout the city, torching the great Cathedral of St Hughes and looting the city. The Buwayids then looted Verona before raiding into Lombardy. This time Petru attempted to stop the invaders from destroying the Lombard but with his four thousand cavalry he could do little to prevent the Buwayids from looting Lombardy at will.

The Ayyubid Sultanate

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Rashid, Sultan of the Ayyubids

Young Mahmud becomes a prince of the Sultanate. Rashid was not done with Sicily and Moslem Imams were secretly moving around the island making sure that the population kept the faith in these dark times. The Imam Adnar dies in prison and a replacement is sent from Baghdad. Ishmael gained grudging support from the Syrians but Raffiki managed to persuade the Jordanians to fully integrate with the Sultanate. The roads to the south were upgraded with far Kurman in Adulis finally connected to the Nile cities. The road to Faras was further improved.

Al-Khulafa'ur Rashidun       

(Sunni Islam Civilized Religious Primate)
Zaahir al Shiraj, Kaliph

The Kaliph’s city of Al’Adana was expanded and its public works improved. Rashidun missionaries were active in Greece and Turkey, overturning large Catholic minorities in those lands. The Imams of the Rashidun spread the word far and wide across the lands of Allah. Mosques were built to the glory of Allah in Al-Adana, Thrace, Macedonia, Ahvaz and Susa.

The Al’Bahri

(Sunni Islam Civilized Religious Order)
Umar, Sultan of the Ayyubids

The Sealords stronghold in Carsk was improved and the city grew in size. An Order House was built in Petra but attempts to build a house in Thebes and Lebanon failed. Old Umar, Grandmaster of the Order travelled to Egypt where he established an Order Estate. His troops were deployed amongst his generals. General Akbar gathered up the Al’Bahri fleet in Alexandria and complementing this with some marines, set off to raid the Italian coast. The attempted raids on Verona and Apulia are thwarted by the Salernese fleet commanded by Bishop Masconi. His one-hundred and fifty triremes cause huge losses amongst the raiders and Akbar retreats to El’Gitar with only his ships remaining under his command; six thousand marines were lost to the Italians.

Ar Rassid Imamat as Sa'Na    

(Sunni Islam Civilized Open Empire)
Sheik Umar

One thousand cavalry and the same number of infantry were raised in Sa’Na to replace the losses taken in the years before. Sheik Umar took some young wives from the provinces of Zeila, Oman and Mogadishu and was blessed with three children. Prince Sayyid took command of nearly tree thousand men and raided the Ogaden coasts of Ras Hafun and Scebeli.

Usama-Yoruba Onium of Ibo

(African Pagan Civilised Open Empire)
Bhanda, King of the Ibo

Quiet times in the African heartlands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mwene-Mutapa Empire

(African Pagan Civilised Open Empire)
Nyambo, Emperor of Mapungubwe

Kafue is now cultivated through the efforts of the Empire’s peasants. The wives of Nyambo provide him with a young son and daughter. Before his death in 1273, Matombo Mukare tried with little success to persuade the Herero to join Nyambo’s growing empire. The animosity of the Gorongoans was reduced by Takaru the Wild’s efforts. Missionaries in the province converted more Hindus to the righteous path of Unkulunkulu.

 

Bakongo Kingdom of Kanem-Bornu

(African Pagan Civilised Open Empire)
Zeta, King of Kanem-Bornu

Zeta ruled from Kanem-Bornu.

 


 

The East

Without further ado, the news for these years in Lords 24 history...


 

India

Pratihara Kingdom of Kaunaj

(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Rajiv, Raja of Kaunaj

Mandvi was expanded and the citizens of Benares benefited from Rajiv’s largesse. The roads were completed to Kosapala and Kalanjara. Rajputi assassins wounded Prince Kasem in Moulmein and prevented him from breaking out of port. The leader of Kalinga was also wounded and helped the Rajputi forces there. While Rajiv ruled the kingdom, Prince Gyan administered Bengal from Gaur. Prince Om destroyed and looted the Guardian site in Kalinga before joining forces with Shiram. Kundeep gave over his mercenaries to Shiram before hiring more mercenaries for the cause. Rajiv was dispatched to Calcutta to gain more support from the city before his return to Kaunaj. Shiram took control of the mercenaries from Kundeep and a further sixteen thousand men before completely conquering Kalinga and the city of Orissa.

The Western Dhara

(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Pajama, King of the Dhara

Pajama was impressed with the tactical knowledge of the new general Talmanac and gave him command of most of his army. The two thousand elite infantry and cavalry were backed by eight squadrons of elephant archers. Talmanac moved into Pawar with his army and assisted by Palcama. The defenders outnumbered them with nearly thirteen thousand cavalry and four thousand infantry. Despite their knowledge of the Pawar countryside, the defenders were out-manoeuvred by Talmanac and caught in a flanking movement fled in disarray back to Dahala. Loses were light for both sides but the Dharan elephants were caught in an ambush and killed to a man. Fallija found some use in persuading the Cholans to further commit to the growing Dharan kingdom.

The Palas of Bengal

(Hindu Civilised NPN Empire, Friendly to Kaunaj)
Ran, Palas of Bengal

The walls of Akyab and Bandarban were expanded in the light of Thatonese retaliation. Eight thousand men were raised in the Bihar garrison. Bengali assassins were successful in wounding Chao Seni but were unable to prevent the kidnap of the Pala’s son. Bindu was to join with Banu in attacking Samatata but with Thatonese forces between him and Banu he attacked on his own Sunan Veeerpol moved down with his three thousand mercenary cavalry to support the heavily fortified region. Despite Bindu’s superior numbers, he was wounded early on in the battle and fell behind. His capture meant that the Thatonese held onto the region and the Bengali’s retreated to Palas, reduced in numbers by half. Banu succumbed to his own fate as he was driven back to Akyab by attacking Thatonese forces. Rom and the Brahmin Gandhi successfully blockaded the Thatonese port of Moulmein.

South East Asia and the Islands

 

The Dai Kingdom of Annam

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Fer Netcol, King of Annam

It seemed that Annam’s troubled history would continue when Fer Netcol was killed while travelling back from Tonkin. However, with the army under his command, Mor Cillon gasped the reins of power and took the allegiance of the other nobles. Before his death, Fer Netcol had gained some support from Tonkin and instructed Chu Pao to conduct a census of the nation’s wealth. Fun Tong also managed to gain military support from the city of Shantou in Kwangtung.

Kambujadesa

(Hindu Civilised Open Empire)
Emperor Surya Din, Emperor of the Khmer

Troops were raised in Khemer for Khardam, ten thousand men in all. The colonisation of Tengah continued apace and more gold and men committed to the nations other projects. Surya Din was shuffling the nation’s fleets in the attempt to gain more fishing yields when he died in 1272. His daughter was wedded to Ratana Nai-Thim of Thaton before his death, giving a dowry of improved trade relations. Vireakboth the Snake was defending the nation’s lands from Champa when news of Surya Din’s death reached him. He quickly returned to Angor and took control of the kingdom, he already controlled the army and no one opposed his claim. Khardam escorted the princess Chanthou to Thaton before heading west to help Thatonese. His forces never reached Pegu and were last heard of heading back to Khemer to claim the throne. Jao the Zealot was to live up to his name, attempting to convert the nobility of Siam. Heng Huynh patrolled the nation’s seas from Bakheng.

The Kingdom of Thaton

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Ratana Nai-Thim, King of the Thaton

In response to the war with Kaunaj and Bengal, Ratana Nai-Thim raised an army of over eighty companies of siege engineers as well as ten thousand infantry for Akradej Rak. The contested region of Samatata saw several field forts built. Missionaores were sent to Pegu, Assam and Gtsang but saw few converts. Experts were sent to Ratana’s unlikely ally in Kambujadesa. Agents from Thaton kidnapped the son of the Pala of Bengal and carried him away to Moulmein. The bodyguards of Chao Seni failed to prevent him being wounded by assassins but at the very least prevented his death. Ratana Nai-Thim entered into a marriage with Chanthou Din of the Khmer, sealing the marriage with an increase in trade. He also hired several mercenaries for Prince Kasem was tasked with protecting the nation’s sea lanes but was kept in port by his wounds from Kaunaj assassins. After escorting the Khmer army into Thatonese lands, Ngam Dikul joined Prince Kasem. Darawan Kusa was to escort the mercenary captain Akradej Rak in retaking the cities of Pagan and Mandalay. While both cities had high walls, they were poorly defended and the Thatonese force of ten thousand infantry and the newly raised engineers made light work of those defences. The wounded Chao Seni took his large force of fourteen thousand cavalry, twenty elephant squadrons and supporting engineers in Arakan to liberate the population there. The region was defended by Banu and eight thousand men. Chao Seni’s overwhelming force took the region from Banu who was forced to retreat to Akyab after losing nearly six thousand men. Chao Seni’s losses were slight, less than one thousand men. Chao Seni then moved onto Samatata to prevent any Indian attack. He was late joined by Akradej Rak after the cities were taken.

 

Manchu’ko and Nihon

The Minamoto Shogunate

(Shinto Civilised Open Empire)
Eiroku Minamoto, Shogun of the East

Eiroku, Shogun of the Minamoto, took command of his army of twelve thousand infantry and over ten thousand cavalry into Shimane once again. The Taira defenders numbered nearly four thousand cavalry and several field forts. In the attack Eiroku was wounded and his forces were forced to return back over the wall; his attack abandoned. The losses were the same on both sides but given the disparity of the forces sizes, the Taira Shogunate suffered more, all their cavalry were destroyed or scattered and only their field forts remained. Adachi Yasumori died late in 1272 after his return to Yamato. Arata collected the garrisons of Harima and Edo before setting out for Saga. His force of eight thousand infantry and two thousand cavalry were supported by nearly one hundred and twenty warships. The Taira defenders were limited to a few field forts and Arata found that he could land his forces almost unopposed. Hideko of the Taira was captured and their Shogun Kikuko wounded. Arata easily took the province but suffered a fatal wound from fighting the westerners. His forces retreated to Harima when Arata was killed.

The Goryeo Kingdom

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Wang Insu, King of Goryeo

Four thousand cavalry were raised in Kai-Ching and three thousand infantry in Pusan. Wang Insu moves north into Tumet to sit in the Khan’s tent and persuade the Khitan to ally themselves with his kingdom. He stressed the already friendly terms that had arisen from his marriage into the Khitan dynasty and the presence of Wang Bayaramaa as one of the Khan’s wives. Some grudging respect was given to Wang and the basis of a new alliance was started. He was accompanied on his journey by Wang Dong Sun, Jo In Sung and Young Sha and a caravan of gold. Wang never completed the journey and died on Tumet. It was left to Hyo Pong and Kim Gu to protect the kingdom but the death of Kim Gu saw the borders out of Shang’Tu left unprotected. Luckily no enemies invaded Wang’s lands.

The Land under Heaven

The Kingdom of Koueichou

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Dai Ling, Queen of Koueichou

Dai Ling’s assassins failed to get near to the Changling general as he was closely guarded by their own agents. Koueichou sympathisers were found trying to stir up rebellion amongst the Changling army and cruelly executed; their heads adorned the frontier city of Wuhan. Old Chigun Xhang did not have the stamina for was and as the army left for Hubei, he passed away in his sleep. The one thousand sappers under his command were taken into Prince Bo Tai’s force. Bo Tai himself led a force of fourteen thousand cavalry and two thousand infantry. With Dai Ling’s blessing he pushed on into Hubei in the summer of 1272. Bo Tai was also accompanied by the three thousand men from Kwa-Dei, led by the able Ro Peng, Pei Tai with his five thousand infantry and Sai To. The Changling army consisted of six thousand cavalry and two thousand infantry. Fate was with the attackers, for even with the great leadership of the Changling general, the forces under Bo Tai forced the defenders back to Hupei. The Changling retreat became a rout and nearly all their foot soldiers were killed or routed. The attacker’s losses were slight in comparison, being less than two thousand men. As Bo Tai set about the siege of Wuan, the Changling had rallied their forces and moved to retake the province. Their cavalry was augmented with six thousand elite foot and a number of siege engineers. This time Bo Tai was not so lucky, he had badly misjudged the Changling response and his forces were cut down by the defenders. Pei Tei was badly wounded and the Prince himself killed by Changling archers. The Changling suffered minor losses.

The Empire of the Western Song

(Buddhist Civilised Open Empire)
Zhi Zhen, Emperor of the Western Song

The Emperor died in 1271 from a sudden and fatal illness. His son Zhi Heng rushed back to Chang’An and took control without resistance. The fishing fleets of Huang Ho and Chang’An were expanded greatly to try to redress the lack of rice amongst the empire. In fact it was this lack of rice that led to Zhi Zhen declaring was on Changling before his death and raising sixteen thousand cavalry in Chang’An. Some say he was inspired by the sage Yuan Lu who made this address at the Chang’An court

 

“The states of the Middle Kingdom live under constant threat: of invasion from the northern barbarians, of famine caused by failure of the rains or from the flooding of our rivers. Just as an emperor has an obligation to his subjects, so does each state have a duty to assist the others in time of need. Should a dynasty which refuses to assist its neighbours be at war with a dynasty who is willing to help its neighbours, it is the right of any kingdom to ensure that the dynasty which accepts its duties should emerge victorious."

 

The prince Zhi Hu was sent to aid Zhi Heng in ruling the Empire. Missionaries were active in Dzamin Uud and the nomads there were converted to Buddhism Cao Yan waited in Funiu until Yu Jing joined him late in 1271. He commanded the newly raised cavalry and once Yu Jing arrived attacked Hupei in early in 1272. The Changling army had been built up after the Koueichou attack years before and was commanded by their able general, in all eleven thousand infantry, six thousand cavalry and nearly five thousand engineers made up the defenders force. Cao Yan was an extremely able general but was wounded during the first assault on Hupei, relying on the less able Yu Jing to act on his behalf. The attackers were caught in a trap and all but annihilated; Cao Yan and Yu Jing barely managed to escape back to Funiu. The Changling losses were slight, with only four thousand infantry lost in the battle. Before his return to Chang’An, Zhi Heng took a wife from the Houma nobility and left Yu Zhang to continue diplomatic negotiations; eventually an alliance was formed with the province. An Zhao was left to patrol the Empires borders but died in a skirmish with Mongol raiders in late 1273.