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[X] This Was Always The Plan
Legacy of The Tenth Crusade - A Divergences of Darkness Nation Quest [Finished]
- Thread starter Fission Battery
- Start date
- Alt. History
IamtooSleepy
I came here to be an ant
[X] This Was Always The Plan
Glad to see this quest still only have 2 modes of either barely not a draw or unanimous vote.
Glad to see this quest still only have 2 modes of either barely not a draw or unanimous vote.
always_confused
Perpetually unwanted
- Location
- SEA
[X] This Was Always The Plan
Regency
PFP by vanathema (previously yubishines)
- Location
- Morioh Town, Mt. Ebbot
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Hmm...I'm fine with ending the blight upon humanity that is Crusader Levant, but could we even strike Syria without provoking a chain of escalation we aren't prepped for? I feel like if the Christian League answers for Syria, we'll be forced to call for the Black Sea Pact & even the Comintern. It'd be hard to avoid a world war then.
Or maybe we could get away with, say, getting Damascus?
Edit: with that said, if monarchist Nejd wanna go for maximalist war goals then we, uh, have no choice but to pick maximalist aims in order to prevent our eventual main Arab League foe from getting too stronk.
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IamtooSleepy
I came here to be an ant
That's the reason why I vote for the current only plan. The options make it sound like Nejd would invade Syria anyway so I thought the escalation is going to happens in either case, but I guess it could also be interpreted as what we ask our "allied" to do in case we can't break through the Levant?
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Honestly there is no path that doesn't lead to escalation in some way, this is just how imperial alliances work and why nations and colonial powers enter these pacts all the time despite the potential of causing a Great War, the threat of the latter is the perfect way to keep any colonial revolts or rival powers in line, especially ones who aren't in an alliance yet. In any case the Christian league may have joined in anyway even if we were restricted to just Egypt if Macedon got desperate enough.
And yeah the Nejd is gonna try to take advantage of this to become first among equals in the Arab League, the prestige of liberating Jruselam is too great to resist.
[X] This Was Always The Plan
Fleurs de Merde
horde captain dipshit
Kinda worries about Jaffa and Tyre as targets. Thry're well-fortified coastal cities with that chemical arsenal. First, I'm worried about the chemical weapons - I don't know if we have a good mitigation strategy in place. Second, they're all presumably both well-fortified and in direct contact with the sea - and therefore with the Macedonian navy, which means that thry can be easily reinforced and we can't actually cut them off. If we could take them fast enough that they didn't have time to deploy their chemical arms, that would be one thing. If they were hesitant about using chemical weapons against fellow Europeans, that would be another. But I suspect that in the current situation we can't and thry aren't, and with that in mind I'd rather not wreck our armies in futile sieges or see our new lands drowned in phosgene. Jerusalem and Syria are prizes enough. The rest - hopefully a full handover as a recognition of facts on the ground - can be hammered out at the bargaining table, with Suez, access to holy sites, and the status of the settlers as bargaining chips.
Probably a minority opinion, but just gonna throw this out there:
[X] Making Do
-[X][SUE] Do not block it. It will remain open to traffic once it's seized.
-[X][LEV] Rump Levant
-[X][SYR] Annex Syria
Probably a minority opinion, but just gonna throw this out there:
[X] Making Do
-[X][SUE] Do not block it. It will remain open to traffic once it's seized.
-[X][LEV] Rump Levant
-[X][SYR] Annex Syria
Tabascoheath
Unkempt, Evil-eyed Charlatan, and Pseudo-Mystic
- Location
- Your Nearest Orbital Habitat
[X] This Was Always The Plan
[x] This Was Always The Plan
- Location
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] This Was Always The Plan
MordredRaal
Agitating
- Pronouns
- She/They
[X] This Was Always The Plan
[X] This Was Always The Plan
This was kinda always the plan.....
This was kinda always the plan.....
Vote closed
Egypt, Winter 1918 - Sinai Crisis Part 3
[] This Was Always The Plan
-[][SUE] Do not block it. It will remain open to traffic once it's seized.
-[][LEV] Annex Levant
-[][SYR] Annex Syria
-[][SUE] Do not block it. It will remain open to traffic once it's seized.
-[][LEV] Annex Levant
-[][SYR] Annex Syria
===
Egypt, Winter 1918 - Sinai Crisis Part 3
===
After the contentious earlier discussion, the cabinet reached a near unanimous decision. Egypt will not stop at the borders of the Dead Sea. It will not stop at the border of Syria. It will push north until it reaches Turkey and liberates the lands between them. There was a clarity of purpose found in the cabinet. Nadir found it almost inspiring how quickly the cabinet could come together after such a divisive argument.
There was some concern over the risk of escalating the conflict. Seizing the Syrian coast would collapse the regime and Assyria would destabilize and likely fall on its own. Issa expected Turkey to move to seize the region if and when that happened, if not Turkey, then he thought that Iraq might try to do so. A few ministers suspected that the Christian League would intervene to stop Egypt, but a zen had overtaken the fear they once felt hours before. They had reached the conclusion that any war ran the risk of Christian League intervention, therefore Egypt should not act with restraint because it wouldn't matter.
The consensus reached was it was better to go for the throat and win now, rather than hurt Levant or Syria and have to finish them off a few years down the line. Egypt had a slim local superiority and it would leverage it to the best of its abilities. The meeting wound down to a close, every person in the room exhausted but filled with a sense of purpose.
"Gentlemen," Hakim began, giving a speech to close out the meeting, "my brothers in arms and comrades, we've spent years preparing for this moment. I know I've dreamed of it myself many times, but now it's finally before us. There are no second chances. There is no surrender." He paused to look around the room. Faces were grim but determined. They knew their odds and thought it was in their favour. "There is only victory. I trust all of you to make it happen."
"God willing, we'll be holding our victory parade in Jerusalem and Damascus this time next year," Nadir chimed in.
And so the conspirators left, history set into motion by their actions. They each had their assignments. The country would mobilize for war and every ministry would be prepared in their own way to help fight it. The next few days and weeks would be incredibly frantic as they began to move pieces into place, preparing to strike their enemies.
===
A convoy of pack animals left Port Said traveling several hours east into Sinai Peninsula. There were dozens of carts filled to the brim with crates, all marching one after another. The Macedonians in the city paid them no mind as they left. There was always traffic coming and going into the city, one more convoy didn't stand out any more than the rest. Though they wore no uniforms, they were all military, disguised as civilians going out to trade with a tribe that had set up shop nearby.
The march was a quiet, uneventful one. The soldiers driving the carts became less tense the further they got from the city, and finally relaxed once they reached their destination. It was a large camp that had been recently set up by a Bedouin tribe, one that had been contacted by the government and told to meet them there.
The convoy pulled up to their camp, and the officer in charge disembarked from his cart to speak with the leader of the tribe. The officer was followed by two soldiers lugging a long crate between the two of them. The three of them were readily welcomed into a private tent and sat across from an older man. His hair had been grayed by age and skin turned leathery and wrinkled, but his eyes belayed a sharp mind that hadn't yet dulled.
"So Alexandria sends its regards?" the elder began, smiling wryly at the officer. "It's rare for the capital to acknowledge our existence."
"It sends more than its regards," the officer replied. He motioned for his two soldiers to put down the crate between him and the elder, who quickly did so. He leaned forward and undid the clasps on it, flipping the lid open to reveal the dozens of rifles inside. "We send arms for your people to defend themselves from the Crusaders."
The elder's face lit up as his smile grew. "Oh, that is a very generous gift." He gingerly lifted a gun from the crate and marveled at it, working the bolt to inspect its interior. "What's the price for them?" he asked as if he didn't already know the answer.
"We require your help to defend the peninsula. You know the interior and are used to traveling it. If the Crusaders overrun the border, you're our first line of defense," the officer replied bluntly. "We trust that you need little convincing to fight them."
"No, we do not. They've killed our brothers and sisters for far too long," the elder replied. "We're more than happy to finally return the favour." He lowered the rifle back into the crate. "I trust that Alexandria knows we will not give up our independence once they are dealt with. These are ours to keep."
The officer nodded. "This deal was made with that understanding. We are not the old monarchy or imperialists. The AENC has no quarrel with your people."
"Good, good," the elder nodded in return, smiling at the officer. "Then we are allies. We'll spread the word and rally the other tribes. When you march on Levant we'll be by your side, leading the way."
The officer finally smiled. Hands were shaken and the deal was celebrated by all those gathered. The soldiers began unloading crate after crate of rifles, ammunition, explosives, gas masks, and other supplies. Thousands of Bedouins would arm themselves and officially join the military as auxiliary reservists. Though they were few in number, they were all experienced riders to the man and experts in navigating the deserts across borders. Their aid would be invaluable in the war.
===
In the years since the AENC gained power, Ahmed's life had changed drastically and all of it for the better. He'd been granted control over his land through the syndicate, taught how to read, write, and fight from the peasant militia, and had the chance to give his sons a better future than he ever thought possible. The government had even built a school and public toilets in his village.
He was completely committed to the cause. Ahmed had heard about the struggles elsewhere in the country against landlords, rival paramilitaries, and other groups. He wanted to be on the front line again fighting them all to liberate his brothers and sisters from bondage. The more he read and spoke with his fellow revolutionaries the more he felt the veil lift from his eyes. He found the words to describe the feelings he'd always held deep in his heart when he was a poor man only a few short years ago. The future was brighter than ever, despite the hardships along the way.
That's when the news reached his village. In a short radio broadcast, Governor Marcato had declared a state of emergency because of Macedonian threats. The reservists were mobilizing and the army placed on standby. He said he was acting with the full confidence of the prime minister and cabinet in an attempt to make the unexpected and unpopular decision more palatable. Confirmation from Hakim, alongside Khouri, assuaged some concerns from the average person that the move was necessary.
When the order to mobilize reached the village, Ahmed was one of the first to show up at the mustering station. It was run out of the local peasant militia office, itself run out of someone's home. It appeared ad hoc and haphazard but they'd been preparing to organize reservists ever since the militias were formed. The process was repeated across Egypt as hundreds of thousands of reservists trickled into their mustering stations. Men pulled from all walks of life were called upon to put into practice the training they'd received on and off again over the last couple years. They were manpower for the standing army to draw from and use to bolster its own numbers under its command. The peasant militias and Islamist paramilitaries enjoyed a degree of independence during peace time, but during war were expected to follow the proper chain of command.
Ahmed didn't pay much attention to that though. He was placed in charge of his own squad of soldiers, all neighbours and friends that trusted him greatly, and told they were under the command of a comrade, an officer loyal to Khouri and AENC. They all received their equipment and uniforms, and instead of a green crescent on the emblem it was a red armband, and loaded into a cart to take them to the nearest train station.
"Comrades," a red guard officer said from the front of the cart, sitting up and turning backwards in their seat to face the dozen or so men packed into the cart. They were all some ways out of the village in a short convoy of horse drawn carts. "We are in a state of war, not officially but such legalities are meaningless distinctions to us. Egypt will be free by the end of it, and you've all been selected for a very special mission."
"Sir?" Ahmed asked.
"When we reach the military base you will be helping us detain traitors and imperialists…"
===
Marcato felt a euphoric high as news came in from across the country. People were not resisting the order to mobilize and things were running smoothly. The army and state he'd created was seemingly bound to him as its master. The Islamists continued to cooperate with his officers and the Socialists feared the Christian League escalation more than they did him solidifying his power. He allowed himself a moment to enjoy the fruits of his labours, savouring a glass of wine on his palatial balcony.
'Brilliant, utterly brilliant,' he thought to himself, smiling in gratification. He'd maneuvered things so that it appeared like it was an inter-colonial skirmish between Venice and Macedonia. The cabinet had kowtowed to his demands, and his sources assured him they were fulfilling his wishes. He knew that the foreign ties forged by Hakim and Issa would only strengthen Marcato's control over Egypt, rather than weaken it. Legislation was already being drafted in his mind, great legal works that'd put the thumbscrews to the Socialists.
It would be his greatest work yet, he was sure of it. His doctoral thesis would pale in comparison to the constitution he was drafting. He could already envision it, himself as Doge of the Most Serene Islamic Republic of Egypt. He finished his glass, enjoying his oncoming victory, before turning in.
===
They entered the palace at night. There was less resistance than they expected. The governor's guards were caught by surprise. None of them expected their colonial subjects to turn on them, and do it so efficiently. Hundreds poured into the palace. Nobody wanted the governor and his inner circle to escape. Shots were fired as the guards scrambled to put up a defense but they were overwhelmed and underprepared.
The sounds of gunshots echoing down the hall woke up Marcato. He had little time to process the commotion before they burst into the room, rifles pointed at him. In a half-sleep stupor it took him several seconds to realize what was going on. By that point a sergeant had roughly grabbed him by the nightgown, pulling out of bed and onto the floor.
His brain only caught up to the situation as cuffs were slapped onto his wrists and he was dragged upwards. "Wait, stop this! I order you to stop this!" The soldiers ignored his orders as they shoved him out of the room. He was powerless as they dragged him through the halls of the palace and out the back door. Hauled away to prison like a common criminal.
===
"They're in the palace, Lorenzo! They've already got Marcato!" the voice frantically yelled into the phone. "You've got to get out of here!"
"What about the Sicilians or the Islamists?!" Lorenzo shouted back, crooked face screwed up into a sneer as sweat poured down his forehead. It'd happened so fast. He was out of Alexandria meeting with officers to discuss a now pointless security detail when the coup had struck.
The sound of gunshots came through the line. "They aren't doing shit! They're sitting in base waiting the whole thing out!"
Lorenzo drove his fist into the wall beside the phone. "God damn it! I knew we couldn't trust them! They're all fucking crooks, every last one of them! Listen, get out of Alexandria, anyway you can! Storm an embassy if you have to to get out, understood?!"
"I can't do that, they've locked the whole block down. They're going door to door tracking out officers and clerks! I'll- Shit!" he was cut off by banging on his end, followed by the sound of a door being kicked down and gunfire. The line went dead seconds later.
Lorenzo stood there for several seconds before he slammed the phone onto the receiver. The situation was less than optimal. He stepped away from the phone. He was in a small base along the Nile. It was a semi-remote outpost, undermanned and understaffed, filled with demoted Venetian and Greek soldiers. Marcato had missed it but Lorenzo hadn't. Officers loyal to the governor had been rotated out of the Nile Delta for years.
They ended up in places like that, lonely square forts on the side of the railway meant to guard against incursion but in effect meant to make disloyal and troubled soldiers disappear. Lorenzo marched into the barracks room and took stock of the situation. He had less than fifty men and a couple officers at his disposal. All armed with rifles, a handful of grenades, and a single machine gun. The only reason they hadn't all been arrested or killed yet was the simple fact none of them were a priority target.
They were a pitiful bunch of third rate soldiers. The police in Alexandria and Cairo were better armed than they were. They all looked at Lorenzo with pitiful faces, tired eyes and weary expressions. He knew they were fated to die or rot away in some god forsaken prison cell once the coup's forces showed up in a few short days. In short, they were fucked.
That was, if Lorenzo hadn't been there.
His mind was already in motion concocting a plan to get them, and by extension himself, out of the country, alive and in one piece. They were right beside a railway, the nearing completion North-South Line. Lorenzo figured the coupist forces would try to shut down all traffic on the lines, at least until they asserted control of the situation. Most of the military was stationed around the Delta, not further south along the Nile. If they could seize a train, he figured they stood a good shot at reaching the border.
A crooked smile spread across Lorenzo's crooked face. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it in a smooth motion, bringing it up to his lips to inhale it. "Gentlemen," he said, exhaling a cloud of smoke, "pick yourselves up. We're going to seize a train and using it to get out of here alive! They're going to write books about our great escape, you hear me you dour fuckers!"
Their backs flexively stiffened but they failed to move and stared at him in shock for several long seconds.
"What are you standing around for?!" Lorenzo shouted, jabbing his cigarette at them. "Hop to it! Move move move! Grab your gear, grab supplies, and be outside in five fucking minutes!" That snapped from their stupor as they bursted into action, frantically rushing around the barracks to grab their packs.
Lorezno stood at the entrance of the room and watched the chaos unfold. The was a slight hitch in the plan. The rail line wasn't complete and didn't cross the border into the sultanate. They'd have to make the last five to six hundred kilometers on foot. While he had experience on long marches across the wilderness strapped for supplies, he doubted most of the garrison did. By his rough estimate, he figured more than half would die in the process. An acceptable price to pay for his survival.
Once in Funj, he had enough money and papers to flash around to get in contact with someone important. He brought his cigarette up for another drag on it, smiling to himself. In a few short hours, he and his platoon of soldiers were riding south along in a commandeered train. They'd reach as far south as Aswan before being forced to disembark, having gotten into a running gun fight with the local garrison guarding the dam.
As Lorenzo expected they had to march the rest of the way by foot. The men were miserable, tired, and hungry the entire time. They were constantly harassed by militias, guided by Nubian farmers that knew the area better than the Venetians and Greeks did. Their numbers whittled down from the attacks, even as they inflicted casualties on the militias it wasn't even to deter them. The seriously injured were left behind to die. The lucky ones left with a gun and grenade to take a few of their pursuers down, while the unlucky ones were left for the vultures.
The villages ahead of them were warned of their approach and would clear out, denying Lorenzo's band supplies. They looted and raided what they could before carrying on, desperation drove them forwards. They were reduced to a bare dozen men, Lorenzo included, when the attacks finally stopped and they reached sultanate territory. It'd taken them over a week and a half before they reached a VOC trading outpost.
It was only then that Lorenzo learned what had happened in Egypt since his absence.
===
The day after the governor's arrest, seemingly in an instant nearly twenty years of Venetian colonial rule had come to an end overnight. Across the country similar scenes were playing out as soldiers, ncos, and officers turned on their European superiors. It was a messy process that lasted the entire night and following day. There were some that fought back, having received enough warning to get to their guns and rally loyal troops, but their sporadic counter-coups failed. Nobody was on their side, even their supposed Islamist allies gleefully participated in the coup against the Venetians.
By midday people in Alexandria and Cairo understood events were in motion. Soldiers poured out into the streets alongside party organizers, militias, and union members. The symbols of the regime were torn, the green royal flag was lowered from every flagpole in the cities and in its place a new revolutionary banner was hosted high into the air. Mobs began to form as whispers and rumors became confirmed shouts across the air.
The revolution was at hand. The news spread like wildfire as every telegraph station, telephone, and courier spread the news far and wide, seemingly faster than the government could. It was the evening when the radio broadcast came on across all stations in Egypt. The military had sent radios to outlying villages alongside couriers to ensure the message was spread far and wide.
In a radio studio in Alexandria, Nadir stood in front of a microphone. They'd seized control of the studio from some foreign broadcasting company, alongside every other radio station in the city and Cairo. In a few minutes, he'd deliver the declaration of independence. He could feel his nerves catching up to him. It wasn't the first time he'd gotten scared before public speaking, and knew it wouldn't be the last.
He took a sip of water. It helped quench his parched throat, if only a little bit.
The technician looked at him through the glass and signaled they were about to start. He silently counted down, until they went live and motioned for Nadir to start.
Radios crackled to life as Nadir's voice came through speakers across Egypt. "People of Egypt, I am Minister Nadir, speaking to you all from Alexandria. I am overjoyed to announce that the old imperialist regime has fallen! Governor Marcato has been arrested for corruption and treason against the people! In its place a new revolutionary provisional government has been formed by the members of the All Egyptian National Congress, with the goal of bringing peace, prosperity, and socialism to Egypt! Prime Minister Hakim will continue to guide us through these trying times as we find ourselves in a state of emergency, threatened by Macedonian greed and tyranny, which has forced our hands to act in defense of the people.
Macedonia has demanded we disarm, cede land, and prostrate before them for mercy! We've deemed their demands unreasonable and in violation of our rights as sovereign and free people! We have mobilized the military to act in the defense of the people of Egypt against the Crusaders which seek to harm all of us. I implore everyone listening to aid us in this struggle so that we may be a free people. May God grant us success."
Nadir felt his heart pounding in his chest as he cleared the booth. Rushing past him were several soldiers with red armbands who occupied the now empty booth. The technician turned on a record player, counted down, and the soldiers began to sing into the microphone. The AENC hadn't settled on a new anthem yet for the occasion, but it was decided that the Internationale worked as a stand-in for the time being. It left no room for doubt in the minds of the signers and listeners what the future of Egypt would be. They would be a socialist country.
Nadir quickly reached for another glass of water and downed it, before walking fast through the studio. He felt like he needed air, but more than that he needed to see the peoples' reactions. He needed to know that they weren't alone in the struggle. He reached a door to a balcony and heard it before he saw it.
The streets below were packed with people, nearly all of them were celebrating. They rushed to help soldiers tear down old flags and symbols, and many stood with rapt attention as the anthem played through speakers around the building. He could barely believe his eyes. He'd seen student protests and worker strikes in England when he was a younger man before their own revolution, and those were nothing compared to the sea of people that stretched out before him.
It didn't take long for someone to spot him standing there and for the crowd to begin waving and cheering at him. He was swept up in the moment and began to wave back, invigorated by the sight. Seeing the enthusiasm for the revolution, he knew that they would win over the Crusaders. Failure simply wasn't an option, he was sure of it.
===
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Um so did we mess up with coup our own governor
always_confused
Perpetually unwanted
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Whatever comes in the future, always cherish this moment. For it is proof that Egypt can be free. As we march now against the Cross and the Foreigner's Yoke both, it is our duty to ensure we remain free.
Be strong in the belief that life is wonderful. Be positive and believe that the Revolution will always win.
Be strong in the belief that life is wonderful. Be positive and believe that the Revolution will always win.
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This was much needed in character reactions to the decisions made in the last two votes. The next part will cover diplomatic stuff and actually fighting of the war.
IamtooSleepy
I came here to be an ant
And so the die is cast, let's hope it will come up in our favour.
The flag look pretty good, but I think the yellow tone maybe a bit too bright? Maybe using the OTL Egypt's gold would be better?
I hope we can come to accord with Bedouin in the future. Having a completely independent armed group outside of our control sound like a rather bad idea.
...The fact that Marcato decide this amalgamation of title is a good idea completely justified our decision to dispose of him.
Good thing Islamist know where the wind is blowing, the last thing we need right now is a civil war just before an actual war.
The flag look pretty good, but I think the yellow tone maybe a bit too bright? Maybe using the OTL Egypt's gold would be better?