The Castillian Imperialism - (Death and Taxes Mod)

[blklizard]

Carlos I

Chapter 125

Carlos soon learned that, not far from Greece, the once mighty Byzantium had fallen to the Turkish nation of Ottomans. This bit of information had two main significance that would have an impact on Castille. First, the Ottomans were no longer ruled by the ruler of Dulkadir which meant her path was no longer restrained. This gave her many options like the conquest of Constantinople which was a serious matter in those parts.

Secondly, the Ottomans had limited expansion options east of her since fighting their own brothers meant much resistance. Yet, she had the west to conquer which was ripe for the picking given how divided the region was. If the Ottomans ever expanded into Greece, then Castille would be ill prepared to deal with the wars. Castille needed to develop contingencies to deal with this latest development.

 

[blklizard]

Carlos I

Chapter 126

Carlos I could see the Greek region problematic for his nation. With the fall of Byzantium, the rebels could have new desire to create a new Byzantium seeing their efforts doubled if not tripled. One great Castillian general had already passed away in these suppression and the Castillian king would prefer if he didn't lose another capable generals for so little gains. He made a decision that would shock everyone in his nation.

Carlos I sent a representative to Greece where he met with the rebels. An agreement was struck that would benefit both sides. Byzantium would be reborn with two provinces but she would remain a loyal vassal of Castille which guaranteed her protection while she could pursue her agenda of funding uprisings in the region. Byzantium could grow steadily through rebel funding while Castille could focus elsewhere and not entirely lose control of the region.

 

[Michaelangelo]

I can personally attest that vassal-feeding with Byzantium is an excellent strategy.

At this rate you could just conquer your way across Africa all the way to Jerusalem.

 

[DKM]

but it won't be enacted for obvious reasons.

Why's that?

 

[blklizard]

I can personally attest that vassal-feeding with Byzantium is an excellent strategy.

At this rate you could just conquer your way across Africa all the way to Jerusalem.

Conquering all the way to Jerusalem won't be that easy as you will see in the upcoming war.

Why's that?

I'll explain it in the updates once we get there.

Carlos I

Chapter 127

With the Greek region stabilized for the time being, Carlos I finally put his plan into motion with the declaration of war on The Mamluks who were going to be a difficult enemy to fight. He was unsure what he could accomplish in this war but he could at least make the religious leaders in Castille happier since they would assume he took their suggestion of retaking Jerusalem seriously.

The war was meant for another agenda which Carlos I only shared with those closest to him. Carlos I might be ambitious but he wasn't a complete fool when it came to setting goals. The war against The Mamluks was unfortunately unavoidable due to the upcoming war with the Hafsids. Despite being absolutely useless in the past, the ruler of The Mamluks still believed he could be of any help to the nations he was guaranteeing.

 

[blklizard]

Carlos I

Chapter 128

Based on what intelligence Castille had on her enemies, she was only at a slightly numbers disadvantage. Persia was far enough so her participation was expected to be at a minimal. However, Castille also covered more land so her forces were stretched even thinner. By taking those two factors into account, the two sides were surprisingly even which supported Carlos I's assumption that little would be gained form this war.

Without a shared border, there were naval engagements expected to take place. Carlos I might not have his dream of a strong Castillian navy completed but it was certainly capable of taking on what The Mamluks possessed. For the Castillian king, he expected very few battles between the two sides as this was merely a stalling tactic for his side until his truce with the Hafsids ended.

 

[blklizard]

Carlos I

Chapter 129

The Mamluks were surprisingly active in this war which caught Carlos I a bit surprised. The high war exhaustion reported within The Mamluks borders should indicate the nation being content with a passive stance. There was no doubt discontent people who would rise up during this time requiring the attention of the forces led by The Mamluks generals. Yet, the opposite seemed to be the case.

The Mamluks could spare soldiers to attack islands controlled by Castille which was more of an annoyance than anything. If they were truly serious, they would have sent their generals to lead their landing forces. Instead, the soldiers were led by lowly ranked officers and, in response, the Castillian army sent their larger forces lead by equally low ranked officers to dispose of them.

 

[blklizard]

Carlos I

Chapter 130

A similar assault was launched on Malta but the enemy fared as well as those in The Baleares. These were just small engagements that were the only signs a war was taking place between these two nations. Neither was dead serious since their strengths remained in their land forces. Even Castille, with a small naval edge over her enemies, could only land so many troops in The Mamluks territory which could be easily annihilated by the enemy.

Castillian forces were actually redeployed for a new upcoming war. This war was where Carlos I expected to see new land added to his domain. The Hafsids had their truce which was far too long in the Castillian king's opinion. With the wait finally over, Carlos I ordered his troops to prepare for the attack to remove another heathen nation from North Africa and move his nation a step closer to the holy city.

 

[blklizard]

Carlos I

Chapter 131

The heathen nation had lasted for far too long which Carlos I felt supported his claim for a holy war against them. The heathen nation still had Iraq and Hedjaz backing her but those allies won't be saving her if their participation in the last war was any indication. General Carlos was still bitter with the Iraqi troops who cost him his friendly bet with Francisco. This time, he had bigger worries regarding The Mamluks.

Given that the Hafsids and The Mamluks shared a direct border, there was a chance forces from The Mamluks could engage Castillian forces in North Africa. General Carlos was told to be cautious and withdraw if he needed to. He only needed to deal a swift victory over the Hafsids. There weren't any military access granted by the Hafsids to The Mamluks at the time but this could change with the declaration of war.

 

[blklizard]

Carlos I

Chapter 132

If the Hafsids ruler had any hope his side stood a chance against Castille, he was given a wake-up call when he was alerted of the Castillian forces marching towards his capital. Following the last war, Tunis was no longer well protected as the Castillian forces could march straight to it with minimal resistance. The eight thousand Hafsids soldiers certainly offered no real challenge to the attackers.

Upon hearing that the enemy numbered twenty six thousand men, the Hafsids ruler knew the war had concluded before it started. Such a large army was unheard of in these parts and his nation certainly stood no chance against it. He had a chance to give The Mamluks military access so they could assist him but it was too late now that his capital was surrounded and they were under siege.

 

[blklizard]

Carlos I

Chapter 133

The eight thousand Hafsids soldiers inside the capital made the siege last longer than anyone expected but they were merely delaying the inevitable. Tunis was doomed when the twenty six thousand Castillian soldiers surrounded it. When the gates to Tunis were finally breached, the Castillian soldiers advanced to the palace where the Hafsids ruler was awaiting their arrival.

The man had made his final preparations during the siege. If what happened to the Morocco sultan was any indication, he felt that his journey to Iberia might be inevitable. He was right and, a month later, he stood in the Castillian court before Carlos I where he signed the treaty ending the existence of his nation. Hafsids was gone and much of North Africa belonged to Castille.

 

[blklizard]

Carlos I

Chapter 134

While the treaty with Hafsids was being signed, Carlos I recruited two new generals to assist him in the war with The Mamluks. Unlike the previous wars, The Mamluks were unwilling to negotiate peace this time. Apparently, The Mamluks ruler felt he had a reputation to withhold following the annexation of the three North African nations at the hands of a Catholic nation.

The annexation of the Hafsids saw the two nations sharing a direct border for the first time in their history. This development was enormous as the two nations were fairly equal in military strength. If Castille wished to continue her expansion, she must get past the growing heathen nation of The Mamluks. The Mamluks, if she hoped to remain the Sunni superpower, must defeat Castille to prove her worth.

 

[blklizard]

Carlos I

Chapter 135

The first major engagement between the two sides was in Misratah, a newly conquered province Castille took from the Hafsids. There were Armenian forces in the midst since they were forced to swear allegiance to The Mamluks following a failed revolt. The fact that they obtained some autonomy meant the control The Mamluks had over some parts of her nation was indeed wavering.

General Baltasar, recently risen to his position, was leading nearly twenty four thousand against the enemy numbering thirteen thousand. This was one of the largest battles in North Africa since the Castillians began their crusade of North Africa and the losses for both sides were relatively high. The Mamluks were eventually defeated and were forced to withdraw with their enemies in pursuit.

 

[blklizard]

Carlos I

Chapter 136

The pursuit brought the second engagement to Sirt where The Mamluks were still suffering more losses than the Castillian forces. Yet, they still routed with a fair number of soldiers which frustrated Baltasar since he wished to annihilate this army and withdraw as soon as he could. He received bad news from the east as another Mamluks army was reported to be closing in on his position.

According to reliable sources, Baltasar's army was about to encounter a large Mamluks army said to be larger than what he commanded. The general understood The Mamluks was a powerful nation capable of fielding large forces but the idea of facing more than twenty three thousand Mamluks soldiers was a terrifying prospect. He ordered his soldiers to get into defensive positions as they prepared for the largest battle since the start of their war.

 

[Michaelangelo]

You're just steamrolling over North Africa. Your infamy must be pretty high by now.

You know you could just post these updates as one large update instead of multiple small ones.

 

[blklizard]

You're just steamrolling over North Africa. Your infamy must be pretty high by now.

You know you could just post these updates as one large update instead of multiple small ones.

10 year truces help you have relatively low infamy at the start of each war.

As for these updates, I like consistency so I'm keeping them small. Just saving the large updates for specials.

Carlos I

Chapter 137

Forces from The Mamluks descended on the Castillian soldiers as a grueling fight ensued. The losses for the Castillian army could have been several times higher had they not been fortunate when General Carlos brought reinforcements to give them a numerical advantage. With their defensive positions and additional reinforcements, the Castillians were eventually able to pull out a victory.

In this enormous battle, The Mamluks lost more than three times the casualties of the Castillian armies. This was one of the significant wins that showed the Castillian soldiers were indeed more elite than their Egyptian counterparts. However, the fight in Sirt was far from over and the province would soon be soaked by the blood of the soldiers from both sides until it was red.

 

[blklizard]

Carlos I

Chapter 138

While fierce battles were occurring in North Africa, there were also battles happening in the Castillian capital with this fierce conflict coming to a close. Carlos I was heading back to his quarters when there were assassins spotted in the palace. His guards protected him the best they could but they were far too outnumbered. By the time additional guards arrived, Carlos I was already breathing his last in his own pool of blood.

All evidence pointed this assassination to be the work of someone from within but no one could narrow down the mastermind. Yet, there was a general consensus that this assassination benefited Maria I the most since she became the next monarch of Castille. There were suspicions she was responsible for Carlos I's death but her critics mysteriously died shortly after her rise to power.

 

[blklizard]

Maria I

Chapter 139

The rise of a new monarch to the Castillian throne had no impact on the bloody conflict in North Africa. Baltasar withdrew his troops temporarily to give them much needed rest after the pursuits and the major battle. Carlos was left with the defense of Sirt and he was soon tested with a fairly significant enemy led by a very competent general. Sayyid nearly made history in this battle.

The Mamluks general was familiar with these lands and, despite being numerically outnumbered, he found a weakness of the Castillian forces under Carlos. He managed to get behind his enemy and deliver a punishing charge. The Castillian soldiers suffered high casualties as they struggled to recover from this attack to their rear. Had Carlos not have the numbers he had, this Castillian army could have easily been annihilated this day.

 

[blklizard]

Maria I

Chapter 140

Having heard about the near defeat by Carlos, Baltasar rushed to Sirt to save his fellow Castillians as The Mamluks forces refused to give them a chance to rest. Another fifteen thousand enemy soldiers marched onto their position with the desire to completely annihilate them. Carlos and his men were resisting valiantly when Baltasar and his reinforcements arrived in a timely manner.

The battle was initially in favor of the enemy with Carlos' side suffering relatively high casualties. Yet, the arrival of Baltasar saw the tide changed completely with the enemy suffering twice the casualties they managed to inflict earlier. The enemy was forced to rout but they didn't do so until they further bloodied the battlefield. The blood that spilled on this province was truly unbelievable with the locals expecting a good harvest for the years to come.

 

[blklizard]

Maria I

Chapter 141

With a breather at last, the two Castillian generals took a moment to examine their surroundings. The battlefield they fought on was barely capable of supporting human settlements and, yet, it was the most contested province in this entire war. Both sides suffered horrific losses with far too many bodies to bury. The carrion birds were there to clean up what the humans couldn't finish.

To the south of them was the East Sahara which was considered uninhabitable even by the standards of the locals. There were reasons they chose to live closer to the coast which offered them some resources vital to survival. Neither generals wanted any of their soldiers to venture into the desert since such an act would guarantee their death. They could only hope progress can be made in Egypt so they didn't have to keep fighting in such a harsh environment with so little gains.