First Shamabalese Great War
| First Shambhalan Great War | ||||||||
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 Mutulese artillery shooting at Shambhalan War elephants | ||||||||
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| Belligerents | ||||||||
 Mutul  Ankat |
Template:Country data Shamabhla  Ayvana (until 1641) |
 Uluujol (after 1641) Ayvana (after 1641) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||||
| Unknown | Heavy | Unknown | ||||||
The First Shambhalan Great War, also known as the Uluu- Mutulese War or the War for Ankat, was a conflict between the Green Horde and an alliance of rebel principalities that would later form the Kingdom of Ankat. The latter were helped by the Mutul through its Nuk Nahob or “Great Companies” that had established many trade ports in the area, while the Shambhalans would go on to seek help from Uluujol after 1641. The war lasted from 1638 to 1645, with the signature of the Naegima Accords that recognized the Kingdom of Ankat as a sovereign state, its independence guaranteed by the Mutul. The failure of the Green Horde to keep Ankat in its orbit, to repel the foreigners, and to stop the Ayvani principalities from seeking the help of Uluujol on their own, placed their legitimacy as the hegemonic center of the mandala system into question, naturally leading to the Atapa Revolts and the War of the Feuding Suns. These devastating conflicts would lead to a gradual destabilization of Shamnhala, forcing it to soon fall under theocratic rule.
Background
The fall of the Bayarids led to the rise of many new warlords and khanates, all competing for the creation of their own petty kingdoms or to secure their share of the old empire. Among them was Mundzuk Khan, who successfully conquered the entirety of the Shamabala Empire in 1320. Mundzuk Khan kept his dominion over southern Ochran through his support of Buddhism, winning the burgeoning monasteries to his side through the granting of various privileges. This was the beginning of the Green Horde.
The Mutuleses Nuk Nahob, or “Great Companies”, first arrived in Southern Ochran during the 16th century. There, they began trading with coastal lords and princes, who all maintained their own economic policies, their submission to the Green Horde being limited to a regular tribute. The Nuk Nahob notably managed to establish trade ports in the Terasi kingdoms of the Janatava Peninsula. Relationship between the Princes and the Mutulese were cordial, the Ochraneses selling cotton, indigo, textiles, ivory, pearls and other luxury goods in exchange for exotic Oxidentalese products such as chocolate, spices, silk, coral, feathers and sugar. This trade began to threaten the resources of the Green Horde, which was losing revenues and also seeing some of its vassals become more and more independent and wealthy and, thus, dangerous. Also other powers, such as the Latins who had established themselves in Latin Konkiar, felt threatened by Mutulese competition. Thus the Latins would organize a powerful coalition of Princes, Eunuchs, and Ministers to call for a ban on trade with Mutul.
The Khan acceded to the coalition's demands, officially publishing a decree ordering all Princes to stop trading with the Mutulese, to break all contracts and treaties that binded them to the Nuk Nahob, and to close all trade ports they had opened. This mainly concerned the Janatava Peninsula, but its Princes all refused to obey the Decree, demanding an appeal of the order and that the Khan accept to receive an embassy to his Court to hear their position. Their demand was refused, and the Khan prepared to march on the Princes, declaring them rebellious. The Princes began mobilizing the armies, and requested help from foreign powers such as the Latins.
Military forces
The Mutuleses and Terasi
At the time of the war, the future Ochk’ak Fleet was yet to be fully reformed into the well organized war machine of the Ozeros War. Instead of a permanent taskforces, there were Mutuleses agents raising troops and requisitioning vessels as it had been done during the War for Kahei. As such the Mutuleses troops that came to help their allies had a very heteroclit nature.
First in numbers were the Pulaui mercenaries. Since the end of the Age of Fire, many companies of soldiers found themselves jobless, or had lost their farms and other sources of revenues while they had been away. These experienced fighters became a staple of the Nuk Nahob war efforts. They made up the majority of the first wave of reinforcements sent by the Mutuleses, and would remain the core of the armies fielded by the Oxidentaleses traders.
Later during the war, a great number of Tsurushimeses and Polynesians companies joined in the conflict. The Mutul recruited from the Kahei Islands both sailors, soldiers, and officers. These experimented crews brought with them the most advanced equipments available to the Mutuleses, with canons and guns bought directly from the Tsurushimeses armories, and ships built in the famed shipyards of Kahei. The Polynesians, engaged either in Kahei or in the many Makrian Islands, were famed for their morale and their units formed an important minority among the Mutuleses rank-and-files, even if they were almost entirely absent from the officer corps, contrary to the Tsurushimeses and Pulaui.
The war effort was led by the sole Waterlord, or Admiral, chosen by a council of the Nuk Nahob who had direct investments in Shamabala for his experience in naval warfare. During the second half of the war, when land battles became more prominent, A Kaloomte’ (or Marechal) was chosen to coordinate the various troops on the ground. In both case the military staff was made of veterans Pulaui and Tsurushimeses Captains and Commanders, almost all of which had already served alongside or under the Nuk Nahob.
Khaganate forces
The decade preceding the outbreak hostilities had been marked by continued instability throughout the Shambhalan Empire. Rebellion and widespread crop failure had gravely weakened imperial control over the military. Though nominally deriving authority through the Khan, Parashurama Khan's generals were independent in all but name, and to what degree the Lion Throne had control over its own commanders varied greatly throughout the war. This forced the Khan to lean increasingly on the Dharmapo monasteries, who had their own private armies of dobs warrior monks and peasant levies, as well as the throne's own Royal Elephantry and personal troops.
Princely Coalition
The three states of Konkiar, Ishur, and Cheamb had worked closely with the Latins in the preceding decades. The spice trade had made them, the wealthiest and most autonomous states in Shamabala, and they feared Mutulese trade would erode many of their monopolies with Belisaria while bringing in more "pagan" influence. The Princes would engage in a variety of schemes to convince the Khan, going as far as kidnapping several eunuchs. The Khan falling to these schemes would ban trade with Mutul.
The three states mostly had a large naval fleet, war elephants, and a disciplined cavalry. They planned to cooperate with Latin forces and merge with Shambala infantry to quickly crush the Mutulese vagrants. Dev Gaonkar would led what was at first a very successful privateering campaign against Mutulese ships, taking the loot for himself. Meanwhile the three states had some of the most experienced tacticians in Shamabala, many of which had studied abroad, such as Asharao who could use cavalry to crush the rebellious Princes. It was thought that victory was assured.
However tensions between and within the Princely States meant they were truly never a united force, and several betrayals and plots would lead to massive losses. The eventual Mutulese victory saw Cheamb fall under Latin vassalage, with Mutulese forces sacking the other, installing Shivaji IV in Konkiar, and Najim Ja'far in Ishur. They would be remembered as the "dark kings", and their reign would be marked by much suffering and turmoil
The War
Early years
1638
The "Reprobate States" began the war on the defensive, having to face assaults on two fronts. From the east, Parashurama Khan had gathered his armies, notably his Royal Elephantry and personal guards. Many warlords and other quasi-independent generals answered the call of the Khan, attracted by the promised plunder of many wealthy trading cities. Parashurama first move was to divide his army into two columns. One, led by the Captain of his guard, would march northward and secure the corridor of lands between lakes TBH and XXX. The second one, the largest, led by the Khan himself, went south to wrestle the control of the YYY Delta from the rebels. It would be a frontal assault, as the Terasi Lords massed most of their troops in that easily defensible and highly strategic region as if it were to fall, there was little else to stop the Green Horde from plundering the core of their states.
To the east, Cheamb launched a serie of privateer campaigns led by Dev Gaonkar. The corsairs attacked Mutuleses and Terasi vessels alike, making all naval operations in the Gulf of Ayvana difficult. Meanwhile, the states of Konkiar and Ishur began gathering their own armies and fleets, hoping for a first expedition to cross the Gulf and land directly in the Terasi Peninsula, while another force would go north and cross the ZZZ river to reach the Reprobate States. Once again, the crossings of this river were all heavily fortified by the rebels, promising a difficult battle.
Over stretched, the sole hope of the princes of Jhewipinni and Visphu was in foreign intervention. They sent ambassadors to the Mutuleses in Pulau Keramat, pleading for help. A plea reinforced by the similar demand of the Oxidentaleses traders operating in Shambala who were seeing their businesses and lives threatened by the Khan and the Coalized Princes. These traders had already formed their own militias and small war fleet, participating in the war effort alongside their Janatāvi allies.
Their message was relayed east, to Kahei, but all the Mutuleses traders operating in Pulau Keramat agreed to create a common fund to help their colleagues. With this fund, they engaged entire companies of Pulaui mercenaries, with the blessing of the local kings and lords who were more than happy to get rid of the surplus of fighters left over by the Age of Fire.
The Mutuleses divided their navy into two fleets, called "Oxam". One was to secure the Gulf of Ayvana, the other the Gulf of Norok. They reached Ankat sometime during the Monsoon of 1638 and while they had little effect on the pirates of Dev Gaonkar, they were victorious against the Green Horde at the Battle of Tayvana, where the Khan lost the best elements of his fleet. To use this opportunity, rather than land the Pulaui mercenaries and private soldiers at their disposal in Terasi land to directly help defend their border and break the ongoing sieges of their fortresses, the Nuk Nahob decided tp besiege the Khan's ports and coastal settlements, while landing raiding parties that ravaged the countryside. In doing so, the Mutuleses hoped to disturb the Khan's supply lines and force his warlords to divert troops back to the defense of their territories.
Not immediately concerned by the arrival of the Mutuleses, the Princely Coalition won the battle at the Ford and began sieging and looting the rebellious cities, along with pursuing the routing Ankat forces with their superior cavarly. Meanwhile, The Khan's forces moved to try to check Mutulese attacks and soon Shamabalese forces were effectively overextended. The Mutulese sent a series of elite regiments to crush looting parties of the Princely Coaliton, and the Princes soon attempted to regroup. The armies could only hope to delay the Mutulese until Shamabalan reinforcements came back. Latin forces began to land and fought with Mutulese divisions. The Princely Coaliton began to retreat while harassing Mutulese supply lines and Ankati divisions. This first stage was considered effectively a draw.
1639
Reinforced by the elite of the Pulaui mercenaries, the regrouped Janatāva military decided to go on the offensive as soon as possible. They launched their assaults in the early dry season, with small armies occupying the east bank of the ZZZ river as openly as possible to prepare the Coalition Military for a frontal attack, while the great Mutuleses carried the bulk of the allied troops behind their lines on large double outriggers. Dev Gaonkar was alerted tardily of this move, as his informants and spies had continued to watch over the Djongs which served as the line vessels of the Mutuleses and had remained in their ports. Gaonkar was forced to quickly gather his fleets and pursue the Mutuleses but by the time he arrived, the allied army had already landed. Free of their shipments, the Mutuleses vessels seeked the engagement while Gaonkar and his men fled. The northern winds that had slowed him down on his way to the Mutuleses now carried him with great haste and he was able to keep the distance with his pursuers. Unfortunately, the winds were also pushing him directly on the Mutuleses Djongs and the remaining of their fleet that had been alerted to his activities. During the ensuing Battle of Jakarlan, Dev Gaonkar's pirate fleet was defeated but he managed to escape the trap and retreat to Cheamb, the Mutuleses once again on his tail. It's only with the arrival of Latin ships in reinforcement that the Mutuleses stopped the chase and avoided the Coalition city.
On land, the Mutulese landing allowed the allied troops to take the Coalition forts in a pincer move, taking full control of many important crossing of the river, and continuing their march along the coastline, also threatening Cheamb, the northenmost city of the Coalition. They were stopped 88 kilometers away from the city, at the battle of Karasina, by Coalition and Latin troops. The allies retreated, but remained in control of both shores of the ZZZ river.