Bless Me Father, for I have Sindh.

[Serek000]

Sorry for the long delay. I'll try to update this more often, but to be honest I've been playing CK a lot more than FTG. That doesn't mean I've given up on Sindh, though!
----------------------------------------


February, 1420

Sindh sent its first merchants to Gujarat. While it already had a single merchant peddling wares there, three more would compliment that pretty well, thought the Sultan. Salt is a rare and valuable commodity, and Sindh is the world's top producer, which is definitely good for the Sindhi economy. The Sultan was pleased to hear that two of the three merchants sent were successful, bringing Sindh's total share to 3. That effectively quadrupled the amount of money made there in Gujarat.

May brought news of increased Naval capability. The Sultan didn't care too much about the sea, but it certainly can't hurt, and there is hardly any money allocated to naval research.

In June it became clear that Tax Collectors would be needed to optimize income in Sindh. Unfortunately there wasn't enough gold in the national treasury, so promotion of a tax collector would have to wait, although the Sultan made it clear that it would be a top priority.

Meanwhile, word reached Sindh of a war in the west of India. Jaunpur and Bengal are at war with Delhi in a war that could potentially have long reaching implications on the Indian subcontinent. The Sultan sent a team to keep an eye on the situation.
Delhi in Light Green, Jaunpur/Bengal in Yellow:

The niece of the Sultan came of age in July and was promptly married off to Bengal. The Sultan felt somewhat bad for his Bengali brethren - despite having an entirely Sunni court and government, each province was predominantly Hindu.

In August 1421 two more marriages were arranged, both with distant nations. The Sultan had been hearing rumours of a mighty empire in Asia Minor and the Balkans called the Ottoman Empire, and was more than willing to send a relative there in a marriage. He also held a fascination with Africa, and wanted to know more about the land below the Sahara, and arranged a marriage with Mogadishu in hopes of building relations to trade maps.

Sure enough, several months after the marriage was agreed upon, Mogadishu and Sindh traded maps. While common consensus was that the African tribal state had gotten the better of the deal, the Sultan felt otherwise, feeling that a key bit of the world was now open to Sindh.

On 30 July 1422 the Sultan faced a conundrum. The question of the sale of government offices came up, as it did every so often. The quick boost to the treasury's standing would be greatly appreciated, but there was some concern that the Sindhi economy would suffer in the long run if the sales were made. The Sultan decided, however, to use the 100 gold to promote tax collectors in both provinces, making up for the long term damage. This move was widely heralded as a step in the right direction and ensured that Sindh did not fall behind its neighbors.

With the beginning of infrastructure and a growing economy, Sindh looked to be on the way to prominence. The Sultan was pleased, and hoped that his beloved nation would flower and become a major player on the international stage within the next century - a lofty goal, but, he believed, not too far fetched.

 

[Enewald]

Delhi is getting dangerously stronger day by day...

 

[Sudaxe]

Delhi is getting dangerously stronger day by day...

Indeed, looks like a formidable threat in the future.

 

[Serek000]

Indeed, looks like a formidable threat in the future.

Aye, it makes me nervous. Hopefully if Bengal can't beat Delhi in standup battles they can bleed them dry through attrition and wreck their economy. That might be overly optimistic, though, and seems unlikely...

There should be an update up within 36 hours.

 

[Serek000]

In August of 1422 a trio of merchants were sent on their way to Gujarat in hopes of peddling fine Sindhi salt. When late September rolled around it became known that only one had succeeded in establishing himself, but that single merchant (bringing the total in Gujarat to four), was able to bring Sindh's income generation from that center of trade up to 11.

On 5 November of 1422 the good Sultan of Sindh renewed his interest in Africa by arranging a marriage between Sindh and Kilwa, a Sunni state that would someday become coastal Tanzania. Sultan Jam Taghlak hoped that an exchange of maps would be possible as a result of said arrangement.

February of 1423 brought the long-anticipated exchange of maps with Kilwa. Sindh learned of land farther down the African coast than any other Indian state, even mighty Delhi, could have imagined mapping. There was a small Sunni state, Angoche, surrounded by wild tribes of native bushmen and further inland a wild pagan Empire, Zimbabwe. Much of the dark continent was still shrouded in mystery, even to the Muslim states along the coast.

Meanwhile, in the east of India, the alliance of Jaunpur and Bengal were struggling against Delhi despite outnumbering their foe by an almost 2-1 ratio. Word reached the Sultan in March 1423 that Jaunpur had abandoned the fight and offered peace to Delhi. Jaunpur in that way became vassals of Delhi, leaving Bengal alone and without alliance.

In February 1424 Sultan Jam Taghlak once again turned his eyes towards Africa. This time towards Adal, which sat on the Gulf of Aden wedged between Ethiopia and Mogadishu. The now-common ritual was once again repeated – first arranging a marriage between the two courts, then exchanging maps. As a result of this trade the Sindhi atlases could now contain maps of inland Abyssinia, an ancient kingdom steeped in mystery, tradition, and more annoying to the Sultan, Orthodoxy.

July of that same year brought more news of exploration and discovery. Evidently the Bengali explorers had been busy mapping out the lands to their east. Sindh was eager to have knowledge of those lands (which would someday become Bangladesh and Burma) and offered yet another map swap, which the Bengali Sultan happily agreed to. Sindh now could see what was called offhandedly by Sindhi commoners and citizens the Near East.

September 1424 saw a miniature crises unfold. Sultan Jam Taghlak was out with his falcon when a group of armed men approached him. They weren't dressed as bandits, so the Sultan guided his horse in their direction. He learned that the men were dissidents from Malwa, exiled to wander in search of a new home. They requested (begged) to stay in Sindh, but to no avail. The Sultan turned them away out of fear of upsetting Malwa, a nation who could muster far more men than Sindh despite being just a single province. This, unfortunately for the Sultan, was not a popular move in court and let to some snide comments from various advisers.

All-in-all the early 1420s could best be summarized as a time of waiting, building the treasury, and exploring the world. Sultan Jam Taghlak never turned his eyes from Africa, and hoped that his investment of time and nieces/daughters would pay dividend some day. Alas, only time would tell.

 

[Enewald]

Make the Africans pay for your Indian wars?

 

[Serek000]

Ah, just saw that the images didn't work right. I'll fix them before I put the next update up.

And Enewald - the Sultan may have some plans for Africa, but they might be different than just making the African minors pay for Indian wars...

 

[Serek000]

On 5 February, 1425 a trio of merchants were sent to Gujarat in order to secure a bigger part of the trade market there. While it was somewhat expensive, the Sultan made Gujarati trade a priority, as if done correctly he could make more money from his merchants there than by raising taxes.

Later in the month Sultan Jam Taghlak continued his policy of royal marriage with the Sunni states on the fringes of civilization. His royal cartographer told him of Atjeh, a small Sunni state in the north of Sumatra, in the largely unknown islands of Indonesia. A distant relative was sent to wed the son of the Sultan of Atjeh. Sindh hoped to exchange maps soon after this wedding.

By the beginning of March the flow of money into the treasury became more notable. Undoubtedly one of the merchants sent to Gujarat had successfully established himself.

In April of 1425 it became clear that Sindh needed to send its merchants farther than Gujarat - that market, while crucially important to the economy, would not be enough to keep Sindh afloat. Three major trade markets were considered: Samarkand, Al Kharam, and Santal.

Sultan Jam Taghlak met with a group of tradesmen and merchants and a unanimous decision was made: as soon as a fourth merchant was available they would go attempt to establish a Sindhi trade operation in Samarkand. It would cost 24 ducats - roughly half the treasury - but it was assumed that the trade operation would soon pay for itself and would greatly help Sindh in the long run.

These merchants left early in June. By July three merchants had returned, bearing news. One merchant had found a niche market selling salt, two merchants had successfully ousted merchants from the Bahmanid Empire and China, and the fourth merchant had failed to make a splash. The Sultan was disappointed.

On 6 July an exchange of maps occurred between Atjeh and Sindh. The maps of Sindh could now accurately document the islands and waterways to the east, stretching from beyond Borneo north to Japan and the Korean peninsula. Sultan Jam Taghlak was confident that Sindh now had the most comprehensive maps in the world.

In August another war broke out in India, again with the belligerent forces of Delhi looking to destroy a weaker neighbor state. An alliance of Malwa and Rajputana stood together against their northern neighbor, although it was clear that their position was perilous and quite probably doomed.

Delhi (grey) versus the Malwa-Rajputana alliance (outlined in blue):

The Sultan was not pleased by this. Delhi would undoubtedly win this war and gain even more territory, which would enshrine it as the dominant Indian empire. This would be unacceptable to Sindh and Sindhi interests. A meeting was called and the full advisory council met with the Sultan to discuss the new unpleasantness to Sindh's east.

Some of the hawkish advisers and young military officials eager for action called for war against Delhi, that this might be the best chance, that Sindh should strike while Delhi's army is away elsewhere in an effort to stem the growth of the northern power.

More zealous advisers and a powerful Imam called for the invasion of Rajputana, that the Rajputs (who were Hindu) would be better off under Sindh than under Delhi. Delhi might not promote conversion attempts, but Sindh would be sure to bring the heathens into the light, they argued.

A third faction, however, argued that nothing should be done, that war would cause irreparable damage to the Sindhi economy. They also posited that it would be impossible to stop Delhi, and that close peaceful ties and good relations would be preferable to war.

The Sultan requested a week to think over all these positions. After that week a decision would be made, a decision that would shape the future of Sindh.

 

[Enewald]

War must come sooner or later. Strike when the foe crumbles.

 

[unmerged(218700)]

Not a bad read, very funny in places. Kutgw!

 

[Serek000]

@ Enewald: Aye, it's time to go to war.

@ Whiskeycrat: Thanks mate, I hope I can keep it up!


Update will be up either tonight or tomorrow sometime, US Central Time

 

[Serek000]

On 2 September 1425 the Sultan of Sindh made a decision - as soon as possible he would lead his alliance of Gujarat, Orissa, and Calicut into war against Delhi. The threat from the north, he reasoned, had to be stopped now before it could become an even greater threat down the road. It would be costly and probably ugly, but Delhi had to be held in check by someone. He only hoped that his allies, especially Orissa, which had a border with Delhi in the northeast of India, would heed the call to war. 2,000 more infantrymen were called up to aid in the effort.


On 6 January 1426 war was declared. Luckily for the Sultan, all of Sindh's allies joined the Sultanate in war against the powerful and well disciplined army of Delhi. Delhi now had to fight on what effectively amounted to three fronts. The Sultan hoped this could be exploited and a quick but favourable peace arranged before too much harm was done to the Sindhi economy, which was fragile at best.

Nations at war with Delhi outlined in blue, Sindh's war plan in white:

12 February of that year saw Sindhi troops overwhelm a small army defending Thar. A siege was initiated, although the going was expected to be slow.

Attrition in the harsh desert that dominated Thar brought heavy casualties to the Sindhi forces there, and another 2,000 men were called up to supplement the waning numbers of the besieging army. 3,000 friendly troops from Rajputana joined in the siege, speeding it up considerably.

Thar was finally captured in April of 1427, after withstanding over a year of siege. The Sultan was greatly pleased to hear this, as taking it was one of the primary objectives of the war - it would cut Delhi off from potential expansion into the wealth of Persia.

At the beginning of May the victorious army of Sindh began it's march on Panjab, a moderately populated plains province that was one of India's top producers of cloth. By the 16th of that month a siege was initiated, expected to be even longer than the siege of Thar.

Meanwhile, word reached the Sultan that the forces of Malwa had captured Delhi's capital city, aptly named Delhi. This sent shockwaves throughout the Indian subcontinent - a one province minor state, a backwater Hindu one at that - captured the capital of India's strongest nation.

The siege of Panjab went much quicker than expected and by November the entire province was in Sindhi hands. Delhi seemed to be reeling - its standing army was destroyed by Malwa and its provinces were being grabbed left and right. Sultan Jam Taghlak could smell blood, and ordered his army on to Chandigahr.

In February 1428 a harsh snow fell on the Sindhi army besieging Chandigahr, causing much sickness and general discomfort, and desertion become a clear problem. The Sultan ordered a full-scale retreat back to the warmer Panjab in hopes to cut his losses.

In May of that year a prominent philosopher attacked the continuation of the war, stating that the primary objectives had been fulfilled and that peace should be arranged as soon as possible. The Sultan could not allow such dissent, although he saw the wisdom of the philosopher's words. The philosopher was "imprisoned" - confined to his home compound in a wealthy trading neighborhood of Sindh's capital city. He understood that the Sultan needed to crack down on dissent, especially with the potential for religious trouble brewing, and quietly accepted the punishment, grateful that it was so light.

On 15 December a peace was arranged, sending Thar to Sindh. The Sultan was pleased - there had been only one battle in the entire war, and that had been easily won. The treasury had not gone into negative funds, and Delhi had been humbled. The war was a success, not just for Sindh but for India as a whole.

India following the Delhi War:

 

[Enewald]

Muslims beating Muslims is good for Hindus.

 

[Serek000]

@ Enewald: That it is!

-------------------------------------


On January 10 of 1429 the Sultan, Jam Taghlak, summoned all of his advisers for the Grand Council, held every ten years. The last such conference produced the Four Part Plan (copied below for those who do not remember), and the Sultan looked forward to such meetings as a chance to set Sindh's foreign and domestic policies for the upcoming decade.

The Four Part Plan:
1: Use marriages and map exchanges to break Sindh's isolation. This will help not only relations but may provide access to new centers of trade.
2: Emphasize land and trade technology, so as not to fall behind bigger and more able neighboring states.
3: Create and maintain trade dominance in Gujarat and Samarkand
4: Exploit religious or ethnic troubles in nearby nations whenever possible.

The Sultan looked back on the plan and was pleased with the decade Sindh had. Part One and Four had been carried out to the best of Sindh's abilities, and as a result Sindh had maps stretching from Zimbabwe to China as well as taking Sindh from Delhi whilst it was embroiled in a religious war. Part Two and Three were both still underway and couldn't be properly assessed until a later date.

Sultan Jam Taghlak presented a new blueprint for Sindh's future the 1429 Grand Council: The 1430s Program. It had three core principles, detailed below. In addition, the Sultan made clear moves to make Sindh more centralized, decreasing the power of tribal leaders in order to strengthen his own hand.

The 1430s Program:
1. Continue building trade in Gujarat and Samarkand
2. Keep a watchful eye on Northern India, Afghanistan, and Persia (and take advantage of any chances for expansion in that region)
3. Build a Sindhi Navy

The plan was almost universally agreed upon by those present at the Grand Council, much to the pleasure of the Sultan.


Several weeks later, two royal marriages were arranged with Zanzibar and Mombasa, both East African states.


A year later in February of 1430 news came from Southeast Africa. The heathens of Zimbabwe had annexed Angoche, a friendly Sunni state with whom Sindh had a royal marriage. There was a bright side to this, though - the former colony of Nampula was destroyed by Zimbabwe, leaving an unclaimed tract of land. Perhaps the Sultans emphasis on Africa would soon pay dividends.

In November 1430 there was something of a religious feud inside Sindh's court. The Imam of Sindh's largest mosque was upset that Sultan Jam Taghlak wasn't attending Jumu'ah (a prayer service held around noon on Fridays) as frequently as he should. The Sultan, who was often accused of being religious for pragmatic as opposed to spiritual reasons, brushed aside the criticism. His religious habits, he maintained, were between him and Allah.

6 May 1431 marked a new era in Sindh - a ship of 100 colonists left the shores of Sindh bound for Nampula in far off Africa. The journey across the Indian Ocean would be treacherous and the Sultan knew that there was less than a one in three chance that they'd survive the trip, but establishing a colony on Africa so early would greatly benefit Sindh, especially as the price of slaves rises. Much to the delight of the Sultan, the colonists did safely reach the shores of Africa, establishing the first non-African colony in sub-Saharan Africa.

February 1433 say the creation of the Navy of the Sultanate of Sindh. A single galley, followed by another six months later, was the start of what Sultan Jam Taghlak hoped would someday be the dominant navy in the Indian Ocean.


In October 1433 there came a letter from Zimbabwe. The backwards pagans had dared to warn Sindh! The Sultan had a good laugh at that - he found the African heathens of Zimbabwe to be no threat to his Sultanate or even to the colony in Nampula.

In January 1434 Sindh began taking small steps towards rebuilding its military, which was reduced down to a measly 634 men in the war against Delhi that won it Thar.

After several quiet years, another hundred settlers departed for Nampula in January 1437. These colonists arrived safely in May, bringing the total population of Sindhi settlers up to 298 (not counting the 1,000 natives that lived scattered throughout the province in small villages).

The Sultan, by that point an old man, had much reason to be optimistic for the future of his beloved Sindh.

 

[Enewald]

Escape to Africa, your New World.

 

[unmerged(218700)]

Indian African Empire?! BRILLIANT!

 

[Serek000]

@Enewald: Let's hope!
@Whiskeycrat: Indeed. I'd been angling towards Africa for a while with royal marriages and map exchanges, but I didn't think I'd have a chance to colonize so early.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Sindh was quiet until July of 1438, when the Sultan announced a secret meeting with the Uzbeks, a tribal people from the wastes of Siberia who had recently converted to Sunni Islam. The Sultan arranged a map exchange during that meeting, and with the addition of maps of Europe and Central Asia, Sindh became undoubtedly the masters of cartography.


In December 1438 the alliance that Sindh had long been a part of dissolved. The Sultan was quick to send offers of alliance to his neighbors. Gujarat and Malwa accepted immediately, and the Sultan, buoyed by two acceptances, sent an offer to Brunei, far in the East Indies. Perhaps he was overly-ambitious, but he hoped that Brunei would be useful in potentially colonizing the uninhabited islands a bit farther to the east.

Meanwhile, it was fairly clear that the Timurid Empire was struggling with its ethnic minorities, especially in Afghanistan and in the Turkomen north of the Empire. Sindh would monitor this carefully in order to potentially exploit the situation someday. In fact, Sindh was hoping that the Afghani rebels would break away from the Timurids, as it would provide both potential room for expansion and a buffer against the dangerous foes that may come from Persia or Central Asia.


Just two weeks after the Aghani revolts began, the Baluchis began revolting. Kalat, a province neighboring Sindh, fell to the rebels without a fight.


Sindh's capital province of Indus became a popular spot for tourists and migrants from the countryside alike. The population grew and extra money flowed into the city. While it wasn't much, it was enough to finance another group of settlers bound for Sindhi East Africa. Unfortunately the ship taking the brave immigrants hit a large submerged rock formation off the coast of Somalia and sank to the bottom.

Malwa, now the allies of Sindh, had been in a war against Delhi for the past three years or so. In the past year things had taken a turn for the better. Delhi remained in control of only two provinces, the rest were occupied by the armies of Malwa in an incredible show of force and tactics.


In March 1440 the government of Malwa accepted peace with Delhi and gained the province of Raipur, further crippling Delhi and quite possibly knocking them out of their position as the dominant force in northern India.


Sultan Jam Taghlak passed away in 1442 and was replaced by his eldest son, Jam Sikandar. The newest Sultan was not particularly capable, but neither was he inept. He did not, however, have the same interest in maps and exploration that his father, who came to be called Jam Taghlak the Cartographer, held dear.


In January of 1443, two years after the last failed attempt to send settlers to Sindhi East Africa, the Sultan ordered another boat loaded with migrants to take to the dangerous waters of the Indian Ocean. The settlers arrived in the middle of May, bringing the population of Nampula up to 444.

1444 brought a new Sultan to Sindh, as Jam Sikandar passed away after just two years on the throne. He was followed by his nephew, Jamrainah, who was equally bland as his uncle.


In 1444 yet another group of settlers were sent to Nampula. The group successfully arrived in May, and Nampula's population grew to 593.


Much had changed in India since the late 1430s, and nothing showed this more than just looking at the map of India and surrounding regions:

 

[Enewald]

For whom the title of hegemon?

 

[Serek000]

Now might be a good time to lay down some general type goals for myself.

I'd like to make a bigger splash in Africa, so one goal will be
Eliminate Zimbabwe by 1492

I'm not keen on going to war in India anytime soon, so I'll add
Diplo-annex Gujarat by 1470

I want to expand out of the area around the Indian Ocean at some point. I'd like to
Gain at least two provinces in the East Indies by the year 1500

These goals really aren't ambitious and seem random, but they should make playing as a minor more exciting.

 

[Serek000]

In November 1445 the Sultan, seeing that Delhi had not really recovered from it's loss at the hands of Malwa, called up an extra 3,000 infantrymen. Sooner or later Delhi would have to be taken care of, before the northern menace could recover its former form and become a threat again. Another 2,000 were recruited in February, bringing the total number of ready soldiers to 8,600.


On the fifth of December 1446 there was a wee bit of a scandal. A minor nobleman was caught in a house of ill repute across the border in Delhi. The Sultan tried his hardest to cover it up, but the news spread like wildfire. Most Sindhis held Delhi directly responsible for not doing their best to hush up the scandal and keep things under wraps, and some went as far as suggesting that Delhi consciously made an effort to spread the rumour.

On 15 February 1447 war was declared against Delhi. All three other members of the alliance, Gujarat, Malwa, and Brunei, followed the brave Sultanate of Sindh to war. Things looked very positive from the start - Delhi's capital was held by rebels and their standing army numbered less than a thousand. Malwa was poised to snag the remaining eastern exclave and the army of Sindh appeared ready to drive to the heart of the former power.

Meanwhile, in early May of that year, the massive Timurid Empire collapsed into three successor states: Khorosan, Fars, and the Timurid Empire. A three-way war erupted, and the surrounding nations wisely stayed above the fray. Sindh would keep its eyes on the situation, though, especially as rebels ravage the Timurid provinces along the border with Sindh.

In August, Delhi offered peace to Sindh. They demanded twenty gold! The Sultan, after having a good laugh, sent the diplomat right back out the door.


Malwa captured the capital of Delhi in November - the former superpower of northern India was doomed. Malwa also captured the exclave quite quickly and settled for a separate peace, which left Delhi to the mercy of Sindh.

Attrition had been causing quite a bit of trouble for the Sindhi army, though, and the Sultan approached Delhi with a peace proposal. Delhi would cede Panjab to Sindh, as well as emptying the coffers. Delhi agreed to the offer, and the terms were quickly finalized.

In November, 1448 a few more nations broke away from the Timurid Empire: Afghanistan, Baluchistan, and Ferghana. Afghanistan was immediately brought into the alliance. Not all was well, though - Baluchistan was a Shia state, which the Sultan found wholly unacceptable.

The Baluchis also didn't bother building any sort of fortifications or walls along the border with Sindh - both Kalat and the capital of Baluchistan were without walls, meaning a Sindh army could quickly capture both. The Sultanate of Sindh called up an additional 2,000 men in preparation for the upcoming war against the Shiite heretics across the border.

War was declared on Baluchistan on 11 May 1449. The Sultan didn't ask for any help from his allies, feeling that Sindh would be better off keeping the spoils all to itself.

The Sindhi army pushed quickly through Baluchistan, capturing both unguarded provinces without any trouble and winning two battles in the process. The Baluchis continually threw small armies, most of which were only around a thousand men, at the Sindhi occupiers but were repeatedly repulsed. In late December, after winning six or seven battles, the Baluchi government offered peace to Sindh, and would be willing to cede Kalat, Baluchistan's only Sunni province. The Sultan hastily agreed to such favorable terms.

The world of January 1450 looked much different than the world of January 1419, when Sindh began its push for glory. Three provinces had been added, a colony founded in Africa, and maps now stretched from Morocco to Japan.