Diplogame HOTW XII Ragnarok - Story Thread

[Diplo Holland]

Originally posted by Diplo France


OOC: I assumed my sub built a few privateers and ships to fight you on the sea during the war.

[ooc: I wish you would use small size for ooc]

[ooc: maybe post your boat stats from before the sub taking over?]

[Diplo Holland]

Tue May 6, 1588

Dirk with a heavy heart, looked at the edited transcript of Hollande's recent dialog with France: Tue May 6, 1588

---

[22:04] The French Directory: The ruling council of France sends its greeting to the ruling council of Holland

[22:05] The French Directory: The reign of terror of Robinspier is over

[22:05] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: Directory, My heart is heavy with an ancient friendship betrayed

[22:06] The French Directory: Is it? I mean truly? Or was it something else?

[22:06] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: Don't treat us as fools sir

[22:06] The French Directory: We do not

[22:06] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: Yes you did, you offerred Mongols full passage to attack your ancient ally

[22:06] The French Directory: Even with full knowledge of anything we have or might have done there is a different view point

[22:08] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: We know your viewpoint and that is solely for the betterment of France at the sacrifice of friendships. Do not try innocent on us sir.

[22:08] The French Directory: How does the war profit us? We see very little to gain and much to lose. We do not claim inocence. We claim that all is not as black and white.

[22:09] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: It is black and white.

[22:09] The French Directory: For the survival of France, you would not have aided us. O this I am certain and now more than ever. Survival is non negotiable.

[22:10] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: Aided you? Absolutely, certainly yes, but you were prepared to sacrifice Hollande.

[22:10] The French Directory: Even with France fully annexed, Mongolia would not have been a match for Holland and as such any fight with us would be to your advantage.

[22:10] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: We are not listening to your convoluted excuses. You underestimate the loyalty of the Dutch.

[22:11] The French Directory: I tire of listening to yours.

[22:11] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: We seek NO advantage. we sought friendship, honesty and loyalty. You have made you decision for Frances survival; now I, Dirk of the Dutch Republic do make the best decisions in Hollandes interests. And you sacrificed the friendship.

[22:12] The French Directory: We were honest in our desire but things changed... It has been said that states do not have friends only interests. You certainly stuck to that axiom. Why should we not do the same?

[22:14] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: We did not sacrifice a friendship - you did.

[22:14] The French Directory: But let us move ahead. This blaming is getting us nowhere. Please sirs, lets try to be productive.

[22:14] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: There can never be any trust between us but you will see that we are not a manipulative or war mongering nation but an honest democratic trader.

[22:15] The French Directory: Shall we?

[22:15] The French Directory: Fighting proxy wars was not beneath you

[22:15] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: We suported France in earlier wars

[22:16] The French Directory: True, during the Incan war you did provide us with aid.

[22:16] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: And in the Carpathian war, we negotiated both sides using our leverage, and it worked. We got nothing for ourselves and to this day we pay gpt to Carpathia and America.

[22:16] The French Directory: Well so do we. But the Carpathians have refused to allow us to continue sending them aid. The Carpathian war was just and the Carpathians were unjustly rewarded for their greed.

[22:16] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: This was all long ago but Hollande achieved peace in that war. And we have always provided France with aid.

[22:17] The French Directory: I would say our armies next to an emtpy Carpahtian city might have had a thing to do with the peace as well. Well I would say we were friendly to Hollande as well

[22:17] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: You supported us in a few deals yes - long ago. No one trusts France now.

[22:17] The French Directory: Yes in recent years our foreign standing has dropped; partialy due to the Carpathian war; partialy due to the Mongolian invasion and partialy due to the Ottoman slanders.

[22:18] Senator Huygens, Dirk Ginkel & Clovis: France has played their role in this world and kharma is the result.

----

He stopped there.

Dirk could not get past this betrayal but the issue of piracy was also discussed. He sat back in his office in De Hague thinking. He did not notice the lack of breeze, yet rustling of a curtain...

"At least France seems to want to redeem herself." He thought aloud.

"The French Directory say we can still have Astronomy whenever we want and they wish to maintain open borders regardless of recent hostility, since the trade benefits both of our peoples and since both economies are intertwined."

"Time may heal my heart and civility may return. We will give France time and hope for an unedited, uncorrupted piece of evidence that conclusively proves Frances innocence on Piracy."

[Diplo Inca]

OOC - Very interesting Post Holland!

[Diplo France]

Declassified military records



Privateers are good units to produce since once upgraded to destroyers they are superior. This is the reason we have produced two such ships.

We have only killed one privateer, though we were in pursuit of many more on the Mongol coast, becasue our tactic so far has been to avoid the pirates except when they come too near our coast, a few ironclads seemed to discourage the privateers, but alas they where too slow to actually sink any.

This is as final as any evidence of our innocence can be.

1.The Ottomans publicly stated that privateers were last seen in groups of 4.
2. Many more privateers have been sunk
3. Numbers reported around the globe far exceed 2.

We hope the world appreciates what a large gesture of goodwill this is. We have revealed sensitive military data, even more we have admited to building privateers (as we have stated there is nothing illegal about building them or employing them during war). It now should be clear that France is not guilty of the crimes she has been accused of.

[deity]

edit

[OzzyKP]

The Rise of Andrew Jackson

After a long line of peaceful succession for the American throne, the American tranquility was upset during the reign of John Quincy Adams. Andrew Jackson, the long time American Secretary of War and popular hero of the Second Carpathian War, had been long passed up by the Electoral College. After serving under many administrations he finally quit the cabinet, refusing to serve under John Quincy Adams after being passed up yet again.

Jackson was a man of the people and instead of appealing to the close-minded nobility who had shunned him for decades, he went to the people themselves. The people were starting to resent the Senate/Electoral College and their lack of representation in it. They felt that their voices were silenced and ignored. Many leaders have come and gone and many have been quite popular with the people, but the denial of leadership to Andrew Jackson has been the starkest departure between the will of the people and the decisions of the nobility. With great new ideas filtering in to the country from Mongolia and elsewhere, the people were no longer content with the American appointed monarchy.

Jackson fueled this discontent in a bid for power. Many people also felt Madison, Clay and Adams had been too easy on Carpathia after the Second Carpathian War. After starting two wars with America, most people felt there should be more severe consequences for the dirty vampires. Jackson also harnessed this feeling for his own gain.

Riots broke out in several cities, discontent was growing. Newspapers regularly began printing critiques of John Quincy Adams and the Electoral College system. Adams reacted firmly to silence the opposition. Newspapers were closed. Many popular agitators were arrested. A chill went down on the American people. Suddenly what you said could get you in a lot of trouble.

The matter of Jackson was a contentious issue in Adams’ cabinet. He was a popular war hero and the source of much of the discontent. Yet any direct move against him would simply inflame the rioting, and perhaps lead to outright rebellion. Instead Adams decided to start a campaign of trying to attack Jackson’s character. They accused Jackson of unjustly executing deserters during the Siege of Ordelea and of being too brutal to captured Carpathian prisoners of war. Henry Clay had this pamphlet produced and distributed throughout America:



They also sought to discredit Jackson personally. Adams dug up information about Jackson’s wife, Rachel. Apparently her first divorce was never finalized before she married Jackson. Rachel was drug through the mud by government propagandists. She was accused of adultery and polyandry. One popular newspaper columnist said, “Ought a convicted adulteress and her paramour husband to be placed in the highest offices of this free and Islamist land?”

Ultimately the tactics backfired. Together with Adams’ silencing of dissent and the mudslinging the people became even more upset with the government’s conduct. Even Secretary of State John C. Calhoun resigned from the cabinet and joined with General Andrew Jackson. As a committed westerner, Calhoun couldn’t believe they were attempting to slander Jackson for being too hard on the Carpathians. In his opinion the dirty vampires should have been wiped out long ago. If anything Jackson’s heavy hand was a good thing. The rioting grew.

Commander-in-Chief John Quincy Adams had no options left. He assembled troops to arrest Andrew Jackson. He did not go quietly.

Forces loyal to Jackson and forces loyal to Adams fought several battles throughout America. Jackson reminded the people that Adams’ father fought with the traitor, Benedict Arnold, and used that to diminish the record of John Adams as well as John Quincy Adams. It was, he noted, the last time Americans fought against Americans. Ultimately, the Adams family was to once again be on the losing side.

With his support from the people and the military, Jackson fought back the forces of the nobility and was declared America’s next Commander-in-Chief. Jackson’s cabinet:

Andrew Jackson’s cabinet: – Session 11 (April 26th/27th)

Vice-Commander – John C. Calhoun
Secretary of State – Martin Van Buren
Secretary of War – James Buchanan
Secretary of the Treasury – James K. Polk

[OzzyKP]

Jackson’s Reign & Reforms

After Andrew Jackson consolidated power he started making a few changes – though not as many as the people expected. After the crackdowns of John Quincy Adams, Jackson guaranteed free speech to the people. He called it his “first principle” and based it in the newly popular theories of liberalism that were spreading through the nation.

He also instituted the spoils system. Those in the government bureaucracy who didn’t support him were replaced with loyalists who did. Former leading lights in Adams’ cabinet were canned in favor of men, such as Van Buren, Buchanan and Polk who helped Jackson with his rebellion and were loyal to him. He believed that rotation in office would prevent the development of a corrupt bureaucracy.

Jackson called for the abolishment of the Electoral College, but despite his rhetoric it never happened. He did much to undo the power of the elite, but in the end he was unable to undo it fully. Instead he was able to get some representation for the people and the military in the Senate. Far short of bringing about a true representative republic as many of his supporters sought. This great deed would be left to future generations. America was still a monarchy – just a far more liberal one.

While his reform wasn’t quite what the people expected, he did make good on his promises to deal with Carpathia. After their defeat in the Second Carpathian War, Carpathia never fully recovered their military of old. America and Carpathia had an uneasy peace. Jackson took advantage of this peace and Carpathia’s weakness to bully them into swearing allegiance to America and pledge vassalage to them. Resources were traded and Carpathia sent additional slaves to work the western plantations of America.

Nullification crisis

Around this time tensions began to grow in America. The United States started, for the first time, to become less united. America began a period of revitalization of their economy. Soon however it became clear that not all of America was pulling in the same direction. The western states: Nashville, Jackson, New Orleans, Atlanta were known for their great plantations and natural resources. The eastern parts of the country, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, New York were becoming more focused on shipping, banking, and other mercantile interests. With the rapid industralization of Holland, Mongolia and the Inca the eastern states became very concerned about the flooding of American markets of cheap foreign goods. They pressured Jackson to enact tough tariffs so American merchants could remain competitive. Ultimately however this resulted in raising the prices for goods for the western states.

The tariff debate was hotly contested throughout the country and indeed in Jackson’s own cabinet. John Calhoun’s home state of Jackson (named after Andrew Jackson, but no political connection to him) led the effort against the new tariff, they called it the Tariff of Abominations. They maintained that they could refuse to obey, or nullify, any law made by the central government in Washington. While Andrew Jackson sympathized with the unique situation of the western states, he would not stand for any talk of nullification. Commander Jackson threatened to occupy Jackson State if they refused to obey the law. He and Calhoun, former allies, soon had this conflict drive them apart. Friends becoming enemies would be a biter omen for future years.

Ultimately a solution was found. Henry Clay, known throughout the land as the “Great Compromiser” was brought in to once again strike an acceptable compromise between the two sides. Neither wide were truly pacified though. This issue would continue to bubble up for years to come.

Another related issue also began to emerge as a source of contention during this period. The western states, due to their reliance of natural resources and large plantations, relied heavily on slave labor. Generations of former Carpathians and the dark skinned Mali were enslaved to work in the fields. Several western states had more slave population than free Americans. The eastern states who used much less slave labor began agitating for an end to the practice of slavery. An institution most all civilized nations on Terra had outlawed. Abolitionists called for the end of slavery and operated an “underground railroad” to bring enslaved Mali and Carpathians to freedom.

This issue divided the country along regional lines, and would have severe consequences for the nation in the future.

[OzzyKP]

James K. Polk’s Administration

After Jackson and Calhoun had a falling out, James Polk rose to become Jackson’s Vice-Commander and after Jackson’s death was appointed the next Commander-in-Chief of America. Polk pledged an aggressive campaign of expansion. The rest of the world was claiming overseas colonies and greatly increasing the size of their nation. America had settled a few colonies during John Quincy Adams, but Jackson put a stop to it. No one quite knew why, but when it came to this issue Jackson would one day be referred to as having an “artificial intelligence” on expansion. Polk however came to power with a pledge to claim more land for America, one way or another.

James K. Polk’s cabinet (session 12 May 3rd/May 4th):

Vice-Commander – Stephen Douglas
Secretary of State – James Buchanan
Secretary of War – Winfield Scott
Secretary of the Treasury – Sam Houston

Polk sent more settlers to the New World, but had another plan in mind. He had been in negotiations with the Ottomans about their “Great Plan”. The Ottomans intended to claim the New World for themselves and were prepared to give up land in the old world to secure such a plan. The ongoing piracy had been very costly to their plans, and sought a partner who could help them achieve their dreams of migration across the great sea.

Polk saw an opportunity.

He and his Secretary of State, James Buchanan, negotiated several deals with the Ottomans and in the end, secured the great Ottoman cities of Gaziantep, Edirne, and even the world famous city of Istanbul. America paid a heavy price and traded all her possessions overseas, but the deal was more than worth it. The new lands were annexed and purchased and added a great deal to the small, struggling United States of America. The great inland sea was becoming an American sea. Now with important ports on the north, west and south shores of the sea it became important for American shipping and commerce.

The new cities quickly emptied out of Ottoman citizens, so their sizes were cut dramatically in size from their height, but they retained considerable infrastructure. With the Ottoman army leaving, foreign powers such as the Inca began to encroach greatly into the new American lands. Many now emptied farms and cities became inhabited by the Inca. This was unfortunate, but Polk began a series of building projects in the new territory to once again bring the lands back under American control. In order to woo the Incans south of Edirne, Polk commissioned the creation of a Christian Cathedral.

Istanbul soon became the greatest jewel of the American states. More Ottomans remained behind in their beloved former capitol than in either Edirne and Gaziantep, so it retained much of its productivity. Istanbul quickly became the most educated city in America and contributed greatly to the science, technology, and learning of the empire. Polk chartered a grand new university in Istanbul. While the campus has yet to be completed, the new Harvard University will be the destination of America’s best and brightest.

While America was still greatly behind its peers, due to the great negotiations and advancements under Andrew Jackson and James Polk, American science output *doubled* during their administrations and America took a great leap toward modernization.

Things are looking good for America. But the animosity between the western and eastern states has only grown. Slavery has only become a larger issue. The revolution in France has caused the American people to clamor ever more insistently for a truly representative form of government. Harsh tariffs have caused many to call for a free market economy such as has brought prosperity to Holland and other nations around the world. America was rapidly moving forward but there was the sense among many that it was on the edge of a great precipice.

Only time would tell...

[Diplo Mongolia]

Waking from his fevered dreams, Temujin looks out at his army. What the hell happened? One minute we were charging forth through the Dutch defences, and the next... the last days have been a nightmare of fevered hallucination. Holland has developed some form of disease weapon. The jungles carry an illness that make warriors fall asleep for unnatural amounts of time. I must redress the situation as soon as I am fully abridged of our positions, thought Temujin.

(ps. I do not have the most recent save...)

[Diplo Holland]

Originally posted by Diplo France
Declassified military records



Privateers are good units to produce since once upgraded to destroyers they are superior. This is the reason we have produced two such ships.

We have only killed one privateer, though we were in pursuit of many more on the Mongol coast, becasue our tactic soo far has been to avoid the pirates except when they come too near our coast, a few ironclads seemed to discourage the privateers, but alas they where to slow to actually sink any.

This is as final as any evidence of our innocence can be.

1.The Ottomans publicly stated that privateers were last seen in groups of 4.
2. Many more privateers have been sunk
3. Numbers reported around the globe far exceed 2.

We hope the world appreciates what a large gesture of goodwill this is. We have revealed sensitive military data, even more we have admited to building privateers (as we have stated there is nothing illegal about building them or employing them during war). It now should be clear that France is not guilty of the crimes she has been accused of.

Dirk was almost satsified with the French proof. The three Privateers that Hollande had sunk were clearly not from France.

All Dirk would ask is the full screen showing ALL boats (galleons etc) stats and the year. All other stats should be whited out though.

He slept well last night, before his trip back to Utrecht and a meeting with Clovis.

[Diplo Mongolia]

Excerpt from Temujins Journey.


Following the war against the Dutch, I fell ill to the sleeping sickness of the Hague's jungles. I slept for what I thought was mere days, but what in fact turned out to be months, even years, until at last my resilience triumphed and I returned to the land of the living.

I lay in the bed of a healer in Turfan, the desert hill's dry air had cleansed my poison slowly and surely. I looked around me, the days were blended and I was confused. I could little believe that I had been sleeping for a near-decade. My strength gone, disappeared. My body had aged, and I was no longer myself. I wished to take my comfort in that whilst I was weak, Mongolia would be triumphant and strong. I was shocked to see otherwise.

I strolled around Turfan looking for the amazing developments that the fine minds of the Union had spoken of prior to the war that changed my focus. I saw none. It was the same as before. It was as if my breath was stolen from my lungs. What had happened? Where had we failed? How? The answers came slowly. It seemed many were afraid to speak their minds. Yet a single perpetrator emerged, even in the disillusioned rantings of drunken miners. The Bureaucracy. Runan'Gee. I did not understand. What had changed? Our people were the most decentralized nation on earth. We had no traditions for gathering power or administrating other tribes. Gradually it dawned on me. I needed to know more. I spoke with Goldminers, Silk Farmers, Blacksmiths, Gunsmiths, Farmers, Manufacturers, Townsmen, Traders, Artists and Poets. All the professions of Turfan, this thriving Tradespost bordering three foreign nations, was no longer run by its Clansmembers. Orders came from Runan'Gee. How was it possible?

In my weakened state I seized a rifle and a horse. I took meat from a friendly farmer and drink from a tavern. People saw me as a hero of a past glory. A ghost resurrected from better times. I rode south towards our ancient powerhouse of Beshbalik. All along the dirt road I heard them, the bitter and broken complaints of people who had lost their horses, their guns and now worked menial jobs as pieces in a machinery. The flourishing poetry and song was gone. The thousands of papers and magazines had vanished. Only the Runan'Gee Standard was to be found. Anger seethed in me as my travels brought me towards Beshbalik.

When I reached the city the sight of it blinded me and tore my soul. Thousands of Mongols walking in line to the mines at workshift. None laughed, none sang, no poetry was recited. They looked as if they had died inside and kept on only for lack of an afterlife. My eyes deceived me in the sun and I could have sworn for a moment that I saw chains binding them. For so downtrodden did they look.

All over Mongolia I rode, from the mines and mills of Beshbalik to the gushing river at Karakorum. The traders of Akhitnur seemed distant, the timbermen of Port Akhit dismembered. Everywhere in our great land did I see the dying spirit of Mongolia. I shed tears of fury and hate! I sat in the sattle in the tradesquare of Hsing-Nu and shook with rage. With a voice of anger and disgust I cried out, so loudly that the entire mass of people stopped to look at me. Their eyes gleamed with a sense of dormant curiosity. Some whispered, others continued to go about their business.

Then I took the mane of my horse and had him rise on his hind legs, and when he trod hard upon the dirt I shouted to all the earth and all the heavens.

Where is the Horse and the Rider!? Where is the Horn that was blowing!? They have passed! Like rain on the mountain, like wind in the meadow. The days have gone down in the east, down into shadow.

People stared at me, all of them. With sadness hanging on the smallest string of near-perishable hope. I said to them, as I say to all who hear or read this; Since ancient times a great dragon has lain curled and sleeping in the east. A dragon of such beauty and power that all feared it and none dared disturb it. Yet now, I walk through the fields and pastures, I listen to the earth and blowing leaves, I look to the heavens, where is the mighty dragon now?

Our people have changed. For far the worse. We have been broken by a slavery so inhuman that ancient Carpathia would pity us. We live by a code where a man has no value, lest which he produces for the quota. A woman has no pride, only duty. This evil is all too clear to me. The Socialist world has been corrupted. Centralized. No man is free to make his own decision in life. All is dictated by the slavemaster of numbers and forms, all of them made a hundred, a thousand or more, miles away by people who know nothing of anything except plans and forms. Mongolia's soul is dying! The abberration known as Bureaucracy must be extinguished!

[condor223]

The Empress ranted in the palace... from throne room to library, from chapel to sitting room.
" The insolence of those people! They want to have a represenational government! How Dare THEY!"

THe revolution lasted 8 months which caused the Empress to relent, but much time had been lost for research and science.

The French sent the promised Musketeers, which were delayed because of France's war. Now the outlying cities will have good soldiers.

There were discussions with the Inca for the use of Russian workers in the Rail Road Building trade. Half of the Russian workers will return to the Motherland when our own Railroad science building is complete. The others were on hire and went throught the Incan Rail building school. Their families have been writing to the Secretary of State inquiring as to their well being.

Kossaks/Keshicks have been trained in Russia. If they are needed, they may be had as mercenaries, as these roudy young men are looking for a war to get into, and Russia has the likelyhood of none.

If they remain in our cities for too long, we may have another revolution! They are bent on drinking, fighting and chasing women after training sessions. Our religious leaders fear they will upset our peaceful cities.

Indeed, the Empress has had a very busy year!

[Diplo France]

During the early days of occupation of Tours, as the Dutch officers in the Ottoman corps enjoy themselves.

[Diplo France]

A loud blast, blinding light.

-“Canon fire!”

All became silent, as I looked around me, time slowed. The light blue uniforms of the Musketeers stained by red blood a clear contrast to the white snow. The brave fallen men seemed to fit the torn tricolor far too well for comfort. Gazing perplexed, I unsafely raised my head and turned it, taking in the breath taking view. Thousands of men charging, one division after another, charging to their deaths, their brave noble deaths…
I saw nothing noble in how they fell before the well trained lines of riflemen. The Turks where like a machine, a meat grinder without mercy, moving forward taking in more French men. Ruins lay around me, deserted hoses in the surrounding country side, abandoned supply wagons and clouds of smoke continually reforming, blocking out the weak afternoon light. I saw my comrades thrown around like rag dolls, our close lines made us easy targets..I feel a jerky, pulled down and my face forced to look at another.

“Are you mad man! Get down!”

I could see what Jacques was saying but I could not hear him.

“By Ozzy Arnaud, you’re bleeding!”

As the red bloody Sun gave out its last rays of warmth, the world turned dark.

****

Opening my eyes, everything was fuzzy and unclear, I could still hear the thunder of fire and smell gunpowder. My throat ached.

“Water!”

-Good, another survivor. Drink up.

The voice seemed less than thrilled, but as I felt a cup in my hand, and drank from it desperately questioning his motives did not cross my mind. I gazed at the unclear face, trying to recognize it, the man must have interpreted this as a gaze of shock. He softened his demeanor.

”Do not judge me, what is it… Arnaud F. … many come here, many die, and those who survive have injuries that do not warrant them having been brought here. But I can see why this seems a harsh estimate. It is the truth.”

-”Will I…”

”No, you will live. You merely suffered a concussion and a flesh wound. You have been here for a few weeks, and will be here for a few days more.

-Where is “here”? I had regained my composition by then, and could clearly see the doctors face.

”A Christian monastery, its name continually escapes me. The monks where kind enough to let the revolutionary army set up a hospital here. Their expertise are impressive if a bit too routed in tradition. I insisted you be operated on, while they maintained herbs should be enough for such a low priority patient. ”

The low priority hurt my pride for a few brief moments, but as I was about to say something rather vulgar I noticed the moaning that could be heard. This monastery must hold hundreds of injured. I suddenly felt ashamed. All I managed to say was:

-”Thank you.”

”Do not thank me, since you are well enough to speak, I assume that you are well enough to stand, I’m discharging you. You have 7 days to report to Major Jaques.”

‘Major? How long was I here.’ I tought.

The doctor left, and a nurse replaced my bandages one last time.

”He is right you know.”

-”What? I gazed disoriented towards the young lady. She looked at me and managed a smile, she would have been quite lovely, if she wouldn’t have been so clearly overworked.

”Patrick was tired of seeing people die, that is why he insisted you get better treatment despite your relatively minor injuries.”

-”I…

”To be honest so was I.”

****
It was a sunny day. As our division of musketeers demounted, and continued on foot, loading our muskets as we walked. I remembered what Jacques said.
“The general has come up with a good plan. We will avoid massing our many troops together. To avoid them using canon against our infantry as they did during the first assault. Then when they attack and fail to take the city, we use our superior mobility to ambush and flank their forces.”

They had adhered to the drill many times, always the Turkish scum would fall, it seemed possible that Ozzy may yet grant us victory. We began our attack on a rag tag unit of riflemen. It occurred to me at that movement that the mauling mechanism that was a line of Ottoman riflemen, took casualties as well during the intense encounters. This did not arouse sympathy towards them, but rather a feeling of satisfaction, I had been stationed in the defending units of Tours for too long to have sympathy.

We opened fire, the first line fell. And the sun continued to shine…

****

I was in the city when it fell, it was a dark night, almost all of my fellow soldiers where dead. As the unit began its march towards the city, so did I. I needed to find different clothing. If I was to be captured the Ottoman soldier would surely execute. A great feeling of sadness came over me, sadness and cold. It began to rain, as I walked by the moonlight and gazed in mourning over my fallen comrades. I noticed Jacques next to a puddle. The crows feasted on him, his eyes wide open in terror. The sight was too much. The puddle was red with his blood, and the blood of many others. A clear reflection was to be seen in the blood stained water, it was that of the crescent and the evening star.

“So that is what it means!”

I began to laugh hysterically. I laughed as I walked. And walked as I laughed. As I took an evening stroll among the corpses. I laughed and cried…. and as I cried the corpses spoke to me. They told me jokes to cheer me up, they told me what to say to their wives and children, they told me of hate, they told me what it is like to decompose. They told me of curses of the Fire god. And as the fiery red of the morning sun colored the sky and washed out all the stars except one, I spoke back to them.

****

What makes a democracy go to war? The same things that make any other country go to war. Lust for land, lust for resources, a boost to the profits of their arms industry, delusions of grandeur on the part of its leaders. Then how is a democracy different from any other form of government?

The people need to be lied to more, instead of fables of glory that would inspire nationalistic pride and bloodlust in them, they must be told different lies. Lies that make them angry, lies that make them afraid. Lies that cause outrage.

“The King of this land is dangerous!”
“He hides illegal weapons capable of massive destruction!”
“We must fight him there so we do not fight him here!”


But sometimes the people are stubborn, they do not want to support military intervention. They are not swayed by tales of how this would be a “just war”. How dare they! How dare they think they control the fate of their nation! At such times it is necessary to “help” them understand. Something despicable must be done or something horrifying must occur. If such an event occurs, excellent, merely point them to a scape goat, and a million prayers will go up to Ozzy for your victory, and a ferocious hatred will consume the people. They will fear the enemy that can strike them.

Something appropriate always occurs, and if it does not, relax your guard and ensure ships are left unaccompanied, guard towers unmanned, spy reports ignored… and something will happen.

In the end, if your enemies fail you, manufacturing something of the sort is not out of question.

Once this is done, a new cycle of lies can start:
”The thousands of lives lost demand retribution!”
”We must punish the king responsible!
The victims of this attack will never be forgotten! When the men in power had begun pondering how to use their deaths before their bodies grew cold.

”Our enemies hate our religion and kill our holy men when they can!”
“Our enemies seek to strike terror in our hearts, they have no quarrel in killing missionaries, women or children!”

If the leader is fortunate such things are true. Hah! If they are true even an idiot can lead a nation to war! But even if they are not, this is irrelevant to the leader. The true purpose of war, is always to increase control over your own citizens.

I thought of all this as I looked through the window at the Turkish army marching. Their military music was playing as they did.


Visiting military band in 1800, Paris


I had never hated them before, but in that moment, after all they had done to my beautifully city. Reducing it to ruins, brining the Christian monastery and temple, claiming that ammunition was stored there, demolishing the dikes, flooding the country side to punish rebels supposedly hiding there, blowing up the forge, (with workers still in it!) branding it a weapons factory… this and the daily raids of the civilian housing, searching for insurgents. If I could kill them all by throwing my body amongst them like a canon ball…. I would have done it… gladly.

****

Marie says I should stop. I refuse to. Every evening after the forced labor is over, I meet with a few of my fellow “idealists” as I like to call them. We sit on the roof tops with rifles smuggled by our free brethren across the front. Each night we would try and take out a few of the occupiers from the few standing renaissance towers in the city. Our resistance will last years. I knew that for all intents and purposes the city would be in a state of rioting for a long time.
Every morning I would wake feeling unclean. In the mornings I would sometimes go pray to the ruins of the Gallican Church (“the Church of France”), this was dangerous. Pious Gallicans were apprehended. Freedom of religion remained something of a unreached ideal in the occupied zones. ” Wir mussen die Gallicians ausrotten!“ a sentence often heard on the propaganda posters issued to the Confucian quisling militia or to the few Dutch and German speaking troops part of the Ottoman army. There where rumors that mass executions where underway, that we where being taken to camps. (note: the population of the city dropped by 50,000 it is not know what happened to most of these people) Not to be unexpected from a people who had “Ozzy mit uns!” written on some of their buckles.

It did not help that we where the most active part of the resistance, many of us where branded “bandits”, “communists”, “anarchists” or “terrorists”. And many of us where one or several of those things, but the majority of us where simply men living in bad times, who did bad things to fight men who we saw as doing worse things.
It was not hard to see things such; public executions of rebels, crackdowns on civilians accused of aiding any of the factions, torture of prisoners and their systemic abuse. I mean how do they excuse these things to their public? Do the Ottoman people even know what happens in Toulouse? Do they even know where the city is?

****
I hear, our troops were successful fighting them. I hear. Its hard to know what is true, all that is know is that peace has been made. Ottoman troops have left the city, and the French army entered. The anthem played and there was hope again in our lives.


But there remained a sad sentiment. Despite all our valor, our vast reserves and willingness to fight we had to make peace once the Ottomans where near perfecting their better Infantry. France had lost Québec to the aggressor. And by loosing Québec, France had lost the war.



French divison near the end of the war

[LzPrst]

amazing work france!