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United Cities: Difference between revisions
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Following the fall of the Chen dynasty and the rise of the Zhong, the United Cities signed a treaty of alliance with the Degei confederation under Darukh Khan. The United Cities provided funding to the tune of two hundred tons of silver plus ten thousand men from the Iron Legion under Warmaster Shin for Darukh Khan's invasion of Zhong territory. The war would extend itself for ten years and initially went well for the alliance. Darukh Khan's poisoning in 927 CE by a group of rival chiefs after battlefield reversals would lead the United Cities to pull off their support entirely and make separate peace arrangements. However the peace reached was shaky at best and recriminations broke into renewed conflict in 940 when the Zhong invaded ostensibly to free Zhong citizens captured and sold into slavery in the United Cities. The military fiasco that was the intervetion in favor of Darukh Khan left a lasting negative impact on the political stability of the United Cities. The military losses weakened several cities and led to an increase in brigandage. During the 930's and 940's, the Council of Magisters deposed several Grand Magisters for various reasons. The unity of the alliance was seriously compromised when armed hostilities broke out between Sho Battai and Brink. The defeat of Darukh Khan's attempt to conquer [[Daxia]] left the United Cities in a perilous position. Despite having withdrawn their support before war's end, the Zhong dynasty had no intention of letting the magisters off the hook for their participation and bankrolling of the war. Emperor Gong did was not able to punish the United Cities as he died in 926, his son and successor Mong began reconstruction of the devastated northern provinces and planning what would be the first of the Zhong-United Cities wars in revenge. While circumstances in [[Daxia]] aligned towards war, the cities of Brink and Sho Battai engaged in vicious skirmishes over control of the main slave trade route to the northwest. The fighting was not quelled until the Grand Magister Gashui himself marched the Iron Legion north and threatened to intervene if the two cities did not begin to negotiate. Sho Battai's and Brinl's truculent rulers finally made peace, judging that it was cheaper than being blockaded from the slave trade altogether. Gashui's spies in [[Daxia]] assured him that Emperor Mong's preparations would be ready within by the summer of 934. To counteract the stretched manpower resources at his disposal, Gashui chose to employ once more the [[Virtuous Worms|Grand Company of the Virtuous Worms]] and other mercenary groups as Tengu Peg-Leg did before him. Ganshui also acquired fifty war elephants from the west bedecked in sheets of steel spiked armor. | Following the fall of the Chen dynasty and the rise of the Zhong, the United Cities signed a treaty of alliance with the Degei confederation under Darukh Khan. The United Cities provided funding to the tune of two hundred tons of silver plus ten thousand men from the Iron Legion under Warmaster Shin for Darukh Khan's invasion of Zhong territory. The war would extend itself for ten years and initially went well for the alliance. Darukh Khan's poisoning in 927 CE by a group of rival chiefs after battlefield reversals would lead the United Cities to pull off their support entirely and make separate peace arrangements. However the peace reached was shaky at best and recriminations broke into renewed conflict in 940 when the Zhong invaded ostensibly to free Zhong citizens captured and sold into slavery in the United Cities. The military fiasco that was the intervetion in favor of Darukh Khan left a lasting negative impact on the political stability of the United Cities. The military losses weakened several cities and led to an increase in brigandage. During the 930's and 940's, the Council of Magisters deposed several Grand Magisters for various reasons. The unity of the alliance was seriously compromised when armed hostilities broke out between Sho Battai and Brink. The defeat of Darukh Khan's attempt to conquer [[Daxia]] left the United Cities in a perilous position. Despite having withdrawn their support before war's end, the Zhong dynasty had no intention of letting the magisters off the hook for their participation and bankrolling of the war. Emperor Gong did was not able to punish the United Cities as he died in 926, his son and successor Mong began reconstruction of the devastated northern provinces and planning what would be the first of the Zhong-United Cities wars in revenge. While circumstances in [[Daxia]] aligned towards war, the cities of Brink and Sho Battai engaged in vicious skirmishes over control of the main slave trade route to the northwest. The fighting was not quelled until the Grand Magister Gashui himself marched the Iron Legion north and threatened to intervene if the two cities did not begin to negotiate. Sho Battai's and Brinl's truculent rulers finally made peace, judging that it was cheaper than being blockaded from the slave trade altogether. Gashui's spies in [[Daxia]] assured him that Emperor Mong's preparations would be ready within by the summer of 934. To counteract the stretched manpower resources at his disposal, Gashui chose to employ once more the [[Virtuous Worms|Grand Company of the Virtuous Worms]] and other mercenary groups as Tengu Peg-Leg did before him. Ganshui also acquired fifty war elephants from the west bedecked in sheets of steel spiked armor. | ||
Emperor Gong's awaited campaign finally began as had been predicted by the spies of the United Cities but the army fielded was much larger than previously anticipated, standing at some seventy thousand men under arms. Something the [[Daxia]]ns neglected was acquiring local allies, Sho-Battai's rulers at the time were willing to betray the United Cities and go back under Zhong rule. Emperor Mong's envoys haughtily rejected these overtures, claiming that they would simply have the city's surrender in good time. This attitude proved to be a great blunder and sent Sho-Battai back into anti-Zhong camp, there would be no northern thrust to divide the forces of the United Cities. The Zhong army entered enemy territory from the east and made its way methodically west to cut off the main road through which most trade passed from [[Heng]]. The first open battle took place in August 934 east of Stoat where the vanguard of the Zhong army was ambushed by the Iron Legion as they traversed a road next to a river. Unable to flee, most of the five thousand Zhong vanguard was pushed into the river were hundreds of men and horses drowned. This defeat stopped the Zhong drive on Stoat for the meantime. | Emperor Gong's awaited campaign finally began as had been predicted by the spies of the United Cities but the army fielded was much larger than previously anticipated, standing at some seventy thousand men under arms. Something the [[Daxia]]ns neglected was acquiring local allies, Sho-Battai's rulers at the time were willing to betray the United Cities and go back under Zhong rule. Emperor Mong's envoys haughtily rejected these overtures, claiming that they would simply have the city's surrender in good time. This attitude proved to be a great blunder and sent Sho-Battai back into anti-Zhong camp, there would be no northern thrust to divide the forces of the United Cities. The Zhong army entered enemy territory from the east and made its way methodically west to cut off the main road through which most trade passed from [[Heng]]. The first open battle took place in August 934 east of Stoat where the vanguard of the Zhong army was ambushed by the Iron Legion as they traversed a road next to a river. Unable to flee, most of the five thousand Zhong vanguard was pushed into the river were hundreds of men and horses drowned. This defeat stopped the Zhong drive on Stoat for the meantime. The forces of the United Cities went on the offensive with nightly raids on Zhong camps, utilizing their Wangdi corps and their rockets to set fire to the camps and scare the enemy horses into panicking without risking their own men at close range. Impatient and frustrated by the constant harassment tactics, the emperor turned his army back south and headed to [[Heng]] intent on laying siege to it. | ||
=== Middle Period (1001-1120) === | === Middle Period (1001-1120) === | ||