Minyang Colonial War [Past Technology]

[Taurenor]

Along with Ardenfontein and Halsten, another of the Freemasonic Navy's flagship was the seven hundred and thirty-six tonnes Treno, the first of her kind within its disposal. Armed with four steel-jacketed cannons, the steam-driven warship was judged by Aurenorian historians today as one of the most indicative direction and route of progress which the Freemasonic Association's industrialisation movement had achieved.

The long-standing cause for the creation of this first domestically-built sailing ship, and for the further naval procurement of two other similar vessels of her class by the Head Admiralty of the Navy, Lord Grafton, was the widely acknowledged ineffectiveness of the Fremasonic Naval Association's pre-industrial dominated ships following the force-opening of the nation by Knootoss and Questers - in particular of the then Aurenorian leading vessels' apparent inferiority - in relation to its Knootian and Questarian steam-driven three-masted peers throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.

The succeeding shipbuilding history of Aurenoria - following the above force opening - was that of a heavily governmental subsidised and supported in nature. Though the exact origin cannot be measured with certainty, its modern incarnation as we know it today began during the Freemasonic Reformation of the Taurenori continent as a coherent nation-state. As mentioned previously; the ever lingering threat presented by its already-consolidated large previous colonial masters ensured the fact that the amalgamation era government would continually support and propel Aurenoria's still infant as well as vulnerable heavy engineering sectors; such as that of its shipbuilding industry.

Profiting from the continent's favourable pre-industrial societal and entrepreneurial-driven market structure, the then government maintained an extant source of capital to expand existing ship construction - infrastructure and equipment - as well as buying extant ship construction facilities which are, in turn, invested as new equipments and sold to domestic private companies. The broad era of this initiative and strategy largely coincided with that of the industrial progress and structural modernisation of the continent's economy. It was, realistically, not easy to achieve. With the incremental innovative discovery, accumulation of experiences and increasingly available capital at hand, however, the shipbuilding industry of Aurenoria made its gradual yet sure growth.

By the end of the initial industrialisation stage of the continent, and subsequently the expansion of various domestic light industry companies and a limited number of domestic heavy industry firms, the Association has reached a stage whereabouts its economy was able to sustain a concentrated domestic shipbuilding demand. Though at this stage the Freemasonic Naval Association was able to sufficiently field approximately ten post-industrial steam-driven corvettes, they were not, however, constructed in the continent of Taurenor, by Aurenorian shipyards; naturally limitation of domestic industrial capacity meant that the then government was forced to procure these ships from overseas, mostly that of Knootoss, Questers and Skibereen.

The Treno was, therefore, one of the few of its kind. A by-product of the Freemasonic 'first-navy' policy with substantial Knootian and Questarian assistance, she was frequently deployed overseas, in turn, as a symbol of Freemasonic naval capacity to nations overseas with an inferior technological and maritime lead in comparison to Aurenoria. Ironically, however, the tactic which the Freemasonic Navy employed as mentioned was - itself - a by-product of the 'gunboat' diplomacy, force opening of the Taurenori continent to its previous colonial oppressors.

What eventually galvanised the Admiralty to ensure her participation within the Minyang Expedition was the small, yet still crucial, possibility of significant regional native resistance to this latest maritime endeavour. Ardenfontein merchants-generated rumours widely acknowledged the existence of an unknown, commercially-driven nation in Minyang, indicating the implied prediction of its maritime technological parity with the Association.

When her fourteen crews landed, and erected the Association flag to claim Freemasonic sovereignty over the isolated chain of islands in Minyang, therefore, Captain August Bernadotte, second son of the fifth Earl of Bernadotte, immediately denounced such a rumour.

"For the Grand Master and the Association."

And it was with such a lack of causality that the captain ordered his men to enforce their will upon the orientals.

[Taurenor]

Despite the skirmishes and native-led invasions of Association colonial settlements around the island's southwestern coastal region - renamed as New Christchurch within a year of its discovery by the commander of Treno Captain August Bernadotte - the three years following the signing of the Xojembuu Accord between the Freemasonic Grand Master and the tribal confederation of Xojembuhudum of the southwestern Minyang island were characterised nationally more by co-operation between Aurenorian settlers and Xojembuu natives, rather than by conflict.

As Sir Alfred Hemmingston has noted, a periphery of Aurenorian settlements upon the island's coast became economically interdependent with the Xojembuu-dominated hinterland. The two spheres, communities, interacted without either side being dominant. Though not assured in theoretical pre-disposition, it was furthermore mentioned by various journals of the time that the local Xojembuus were in complete control, whether it be economically or diplomatically, of their own tribal territories.

However, most Aurenorian colonial settlers regarded this juxtaposed state of affairs as temporary only by nature, and not surprisingly. The colonial settlers took what they have for granted; that the local tribal population would continue to, gradually, decrease in number, while that of the Freemasonic colonial association increased exponentially. Thus, it was widely assumed that native Xojembuhudum land would progressively become available for Aurenorian agricultural initiative and the creation of further settlements.

Xojembuus too began to fear the outcome of such a probable event. It seemed to some chiefs as well as ruling councils that their cultural strength and sovereignty might be endangered and extinguished permanently unless a set of decisive actions were taken to preserve them, and therefore contained the "Jambari", literally translated to "light-skinned people" in English. For some, a prerequisite for such an initiative was a restriction or even outright ban of further tribal land to Jambari.

A series of inter-tribal meetings held in eastern Xojembuhudum in March 1819 promoted the implementation of such a broad objective. Another clear indication that the six tribal territories were ready to sacrifice tribal dignity for Xojembuhudum preservation was the proposal by Chief Ahumradi x'i Maharujo that a unified, federal head "King of the Xojembuus" be chosen to amalgamate Xojembuhudum strength in the face of "Jambari technological superiority." Such a view was also a simultaneous way, most Aurenorian historians acknowledged, for the tribal chiefs to imitate the way in which the Grand Master of the Freemasonry was able to act as a penultimate source of Aurenorian national unity.

In conclusion, the leaders and councillors of the six Xojembuhudum tribal chiefdoms were sure of the providence which a "unified Xojembuhu Kingdom" would provide for the federated Xojembuhudum tribes in the face of "malevolent Jambari divide and conquer" initiative. When the Freemasonic colonial settlers discovered this development - as well as the implication which such a situation would have toward further colonial expansion - it was, therefore, viewed largely as a "sneaky oriental attempt of restricting our God-given right to expansion" for the "greater cause of advancing civilisation throughout the vastness of this savage-filled hinterland..."

The opportunity for such a situation arose in April 1819 when Zukubu al-Jambidi, head chief of the Hojbandum tribe, offered a three hundred and sixty-one hectare block of land for the settlers of New Devonshire, for sale to the "Grand Master of Aurenoria in Taurenor." His tribal elders objected and claimed that "Zukubu possesses neither the authority nor merit to proceed with this sale." However, the Viceroy Lord Aberdeen insisted that "the transaction as proposed and agreed upon by your representative has been established and recognised in virtue." The fifty-seven years old seasoned senior politician and chief representative of the Association was, in all honesty, perplexed by this sudden change of heart upon the Xojembudu's part, and viewed the underlying content as that of sovereignty by nature.

When Zukubu al-Jambidi's supporters and fellow tribesmen occupied, non-violently, the land under contention; Lord Aberdeen formally declared war on behalf of the 'Grand Master of Aurenoria in Taurenor'.

And so was the start of the third, and last Aurenori-Xojembudu War.

[Taurenor]

"The savages.... they and the spears besmirched with their cannibalistic, impure blood and soul shall be taught as sharp a lesson as possible... only so will these brown orientals learnt the indomitable fact in which the proud, and white Aurenorian men shall forevermore be in charge...."

Such was the quoted words of the first designated Viceroy of Freemasonic Xojembuhudum appointed by the Grand Master of the Association. The aftermath of this terrible war had seen an estimated nine thousand Xojembuu and six hundred colonial Aurenorian casualties. Worse than such an insurmountable human price for the people of the five tribal lands, however, was the fact that their punishment constituted the force-seizure of fifty percent Xojembuu territory and the subjugation of a further sixty-three thousand Xojembuu males aged between eighteen to fifty as 'free labours'; a euphemism of oriental prisoners designated for sale to foreign merchants.

This tragedy for the Xojembuus was, however, viewed as a blessing largely by most Freemasonic settlers; for its successful aftermath provide the impetus for the colonial administration to reward Freemasonic Land Association garrisons with settlement land. Furthermore, it should be noted that the then administration did not, despite some Aurenorian historians' explanation, select which land to seize indiscriminately. In fact, deliberate seizure were implemented toward the most fertile lands. Another reasoning behind a land's selection was its strategic importance to the colonial government. Whether the native owners in question participated during the "native rebellion" was not included within the equation.

Before Association landers were completely disbanded, however, Lord Aberdeen acknowledged the high probability upon the existence of a more sophisticated cultural and economic society regionally, and nearby of the island which he and the "Grand Master's praised troops" have rightfully claimed as "the rightful overseas domain of the Association and the Freemasons." As mentioned previously, Kingsbridge merchants voiced their discontentment with the knowledge that Xojembuu people acquired quite a substantial proportion of flintlock rifles within their inventory... in comparison to their primitive state of technology... and societal cohesion."

And so by December 1819, there were a total of fifty-six thousand Association landers and territorial militias spread throughout the island of Xojembuhudum. Of the total by percentage, nearly a quarter was concentrated within the vicinity of New Christchurch - by now designated as the capital city of Aurenorian Xojembuhudum - alone; of which was simultaneously utilised as the seat of the Viceroy himself, and that of the governing colonial administration.

Of this fifty-six thousand strong Association land presence, one division was designated as the elite Freemasonic Artillery formation; equipped with seventy of the latest battering guns, and fifty-eight of the latest mortars and cylindro-conoidal as well as flintlock-launched rockets of the Freemasonic Land Association. An estimated number of ten thousand horses, three combat engineering companies, and one hundred and three wagon trains as well as two hundred and two lander carts provided the possibility of efficient tactical support for this strategic presence.

Meanwhile, Freemasonic Naval Association formation presence during the aftermath of the rebellion was estimated to be, at most, eighty-six ships; mostly comprising of pre-industrial Aurenorian corvettes led by the three-masted, steam flagship RCS Treno.

[Taurenor]

[OOC: Post by the The Lower Realm edited to reflect changes.]

Over three hundred years ago, The Lower Realm had declared its independence from the Ragnosian Empire. Now, it was finally beginning to enter into the international front. Already, a mighty merchant fleet existed; and while the Lower Realm’s military left much to be desired, its economic prosperity brought about a sense of respect for its well-maintained government and policies. It was true, The Lower Realm was not known world-wide, it was doubted whether it was even known a few thousand miles in any direction, but for now, it was enough.

A tiny democratic republic, the island of the Lower Realm still had much land to be discovered and many riches to be claimed; the Manifest Destiny, they called it. The People of the Realm, Realmians they called themselves, believed they had the privilege, no, the God-given Right to the entirety of the island, its surrounding chains and everything material that was enveloped within. For eight-hundred years, the people of the island had been content to inhabit only a fraction of the land provided; now, they sent forth exploration teams and shortly thereafter, colonizing regiments. It was amazing! timber, furs, strange and exotic wild animals, even precious metals and gems, all within the confines of the land, and all ripe for the picking and even riper for the wallet.

The tiny Realmian navy was concentrated mainly at its over-seas dockyards, some 6,150 kilometers away. There, they found many new trade partners and even some allies. It was, indeed, a prosperous economic opportunity. One trading partner in particular shone above all others, the Aurenorian Association. In the past, wonderful exchanges were made between the two nations, now they came together for an entirely different task. The Lower Realm’s merchant fleets were heading into dangerous and, for the Realm, mostly uncharted waters. While the Realm would be sending a few of its own naval vessels to escort the merchant fleet, the protection, knowledge and expertise of the Aurenorians were badly needed. In return for payment, the Aurenorians would graciously provide these services.

Though there exist countless of nations through the extent of the world's many oceans, the Lower Realm was one of the few which pre-industrial Taurenor and the Freemasonry have come to regularly associate with on the basis of pure business and trade relationship. The Aurenorian Naval Association was first established during the late ninth century as a motley of various vessels on behalf of the thirty-nine associations. It was of no question that the Dunedin Freemasonic Navy was the largest of all the thirty-nine navies; its institution served as general basis of the thirty-nine navies' amalgamated structure.

Early exploration and surveying of uncharted realms overseas by the Dunedin Navy was the sole reason in which, by being made known to various foreign societies abroad - through the early use of cadastral surveys and triangulation, instrumental-led and mathematical location identification, concepts and practices yet known to the rest of the thirty-eight smaller navies - it was able to act as the agent of first interaction as well as relationship between early traders of the Lower Realm and that of Taurenor.

The Lower Realm was quite an interesting nation; its merchant fleet notable and easily observed as its relative strength to its comparatively lacking warship formations. Furthermore, the Lower Realm had surpassed the level of an agriculture-dominated, pre-industrial society akin to that of the nineteen countries. In fact, most Aurenorian historians today acknowledge that the thirty-nine countries' path of progress harmoniously synchronised with that of the Lower Realm. And with the passage of time itself, relationship between the two - commerce and trade - grew exponentially, factors attributed to the relatively open policies of both nations.

Aurenoria of the late eighteenth century was itself a socio-political entity in the midst of a slow and gradual, yet extensive and far-reaching industrial development, and thus the same can be said of the Lower Realm. By the early nineteenth century, Realmian merchant ships have accompanied various major Aurenorian expeditions - mostly colonial in nature - through the uncharted international waters unknown to most Aurenorians as well as Realmians of the time.

What differentiate the first and second expeditions of Minyang with that of previous situations, however, was the fact that Aurenoria and the Lower Realm would experience their first major colonial setback.

[Santheres]

Santherese history is long, from the various states prior to the common era to the slow approach to the first unification under the Kingdom, headed by Promontoroi sovranos, and the collapse of that kingdom at the hands of the heir of the sovereign family in the latter half of the 15th century. It was reunified in the opening of the 16th and ran strong for a century before it dove headlong into a decline as powerful men grew in power enough to wield it for themselves instead of their families, the stabilizing factor of Santheres for centuries both prior and following.

This decline peaked by 1750 as the nobles began a shadow war against the kleptocrats who dominated the Santherese economy and political landscape, and this ultimately led to a second civil war, a real civil war, in 1762. From that point onward, cogs almost immediately began grinding forward, faster and faster.

By 1816, all of its wounds had long since healed. The Santherese people always were quick to their feet, quick on the draw, and fifty-some years was more than enough for them to overcome anything short of complete devastation.

The nation had always had strong ties with several of the northern peoples in Minyang, with brisk trade between those of the far north, the Stoklomolvi especially, but usually plied the eastern coasts and seas rather than the west. There was little directly to the west that concerned them; mostly small tribes they had no interest in uplifting and poorer peoples who lagged behind simply for lack of resources, making them uninteresting for traders. Of course, this blind eye meant that those who lagged simply lagged even more as the decades and centuries went by.

So, when a naval power from a world away sailed in with their steam-powered cutters, even the Minyangese archipelago closest to Santheres didn't stand a chance. The closest technological rival, with their own steam-powered warships, took little note. At first, the Taurenorians had the advantage of surprise while having heard stories of a southern power whose mighty fleets dominated their own continent and beyond, just incidentally never in the direction of Aurenoria or its new colony. If they had chosen to take advantage of it, perhaps things would have been a little different.

There's really no telling if Aurenoria just didn't take the rumors seriously, or did but assumed that they (as many countries with the imperialist taste in their mouth did in the next decade) were naturally superior.

Every so often, explorers would go into Minyang looking for new opportunities, whether for trade or reasons of scientific research. The first, a traditional galleon, aged finely over the past century, reached the Aurenorian colony, unaware of the steam-driven empire there, in 1819. It was not a supremely important ship, just a contracted privately-owned vessel that had once seen military action but now no longer served the great houses directly. In truth, there was only one person of import on it, and the only reason they were actually important was that his particular family did not have a capacity to sway in the breeze. They protected their own, viciously, as many tribals in Santheres itself had discovered. Yes, he was a baron, but there were many barons even then. Giacomo Paladino was, however, much more interested in anthropology than in expanding his family's fortunes.

[Taurenor]

The sky outside was a bright of blue, yet her face lost its golden hue. The request which she put forth for the release of her beloved ones to the governor of New Christchurch was rejected, and so was her hope of ever regaining a semblance of her normal life. She was an unfortunate one, the lowly peasant maiden - her two Xojembu brothers were charged with 'betrayal against the state', while her father left her to fend for herself when he was forced to fight for the tribe against the 'foreign white men'.

The story of Nadia Akurr was not an unusual one, for thousands, if not hundred of thousands of women of her background was left with such an unbearable, tragic reality following the consolidation of Aurenorian colonial machine throughout the southwestern chain of Xojembuhudum islands, in the region of Minyang.

On that fine morning, Audrey Palace - new seat of the colonial governor - was packed with a commotion unheard of through the previous years. Sons of traditional Freemasonic families, daughters of eager souls, and servants of the fortunates, everyone was whispering of a great, and terrible force lurking just behind the corner - the nation unknown by most Aurenorians have finally been revealed.

Though previously included within the vast Terra Incognita blanket of any and all Freemasonic map, the uncharted was finally discovered, akin to a disappearing fog of war. The Strait Times were surely off their hook, everyone have initially thought, when its chief editor announced his first contact with a civilisation further southwest in Minyang. He imprinted with his raw, black ink the name of a great civilisation upon the paper, and it was remembered thrice daily, and up to the present day.

Santheres.

The governor was a restless one. On that day's briefing, Vice Admiral of the Freemasons' Naval Association Fleet of Minyang has announced the attendance of an "important Santherese dignitary of noble upbringing upon the water of the Freemasons", indicating that perhaps a lowly sailor had tipped his immediate navy underlings upon the discovery of their foreign visitors.

Such a discovery would not be hard to believe, understandably, for these foreigners spoke a language vastly different in rhyme and chime then Aurenorian English, Knootian, Questarian English or even Bahasa Taurenor - the native language of the Taurenori continent. Though his arrival would not be discovered, the fact of the matter stand that diplomacy was much needed under the present strategic situation, for the meagre Freemasons' Expeditionary Force 1st Minyang Division, and that of the Naval Association's Fleet of Minyang was of no match in comparison to the more well-supplied, and qualitatively equal Santherese Army and Navy.

And with such a foreboding thought running across his mind, Lord Aberdeen await further words on the Santherese plenipotentiary's landing.