NationStates Jolt Archive

The water lapped at his waist and soaked his uniform as Sergeant Richard Saan waded ashore from the troopship. The squat hull of the vessel sat in the shallows with all the grace of a beached whale as green-uniformed men swarmed over the rope-ladders at her sides. Some fell from the ladder, dragged down by the weight of their packs and the awkward task of carrying a musket at the same time. They were hauled from the salt water by soldiers who had already carried their equipment to the beach, and were now dutied to assist such men. Saan had looped his cartridge pouch over his neck, tucked his boots into the straps of his pack, and carried his Ferguson rifle above his head. He fought in the light company of his battalion, and carried the expensive weapon instead of the standard musket.
He pressed forward through the water, and gradually his feet found the wet sand of the beach. Hundred of green-clad men of the 2nd Battalion of the 45th Regiment sat at small fires along the beach, trying to dry their sodden clothes before the senior officers landed and orders were issued...

OOC: Lieutenant-General Sir Govon Blackmoor and his men have landed! Awesomeness! Anyway, I found a map of India, now that Tadjik took his away, and I will be using that for reference. It's dated 1760, so it should be accurate enough.

INDIA, 1760 (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y63/Verghastinsel/Clan%20Ansu/India1760_1905.jpg)

Troops have landed on the west coast of Mahratta territory, near a town called Daman in the Maharashtra district, and for a while everything will be happening in this thread.

Daman, western Marathi coast

Rank upon rank of greenjackets filed through the dusty streets of Daman, their General at the head of the column. From their homes, native Indians watched in silence as the tall, pale men marched past, their speech strange. After them came the cavalry, such horses as were rarely seen in India. Great, tall beasts, sleek and proud when compared to the scruffy ponies common to the Mahrattas. Then came the cannon, their great wheels bumping along the uneven surface. The gunners called insults to the cavalry as the guns rolled through their spoor, and the cavalry replied.

A great army, said the villagers, come to kill the Peshwa from a far land.

OOC: Numbers are as follows, for those who have not already read it in my factbook.

40 Battalions of the Line (34,560)
4,500 Dragoons
3,400 Hussars
28 12-pounders, 14 20-pounders

Tonight, the army marches on Surat, and the Mahrattas are alerted.

The Tent of the Madhavrao Peshwa, the Province of Poona

Translated from Marathi

Madhavrao Peshwa addressed the heads of the other four great Maratha families. He sat under silk, and on silk cushions. His fingers were bedecked with rings of gold and silver, their ornate clasps holding a myriad of rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Before him lay a curved, jewelled scabbard, the sword guard decorated with gold filigree. A great map of the Maratha Empire lay before him, and the men sat in silence around it.
"In my father's time, these white devils came, and in his father's also. They have done little but trade in fortified coastal towns, but these men are different. The villagers say a hundred thousand men are coming, our cavalry scouts say fifty thousand, though I am inclined to say less.
"Regardless of their number, they are a threat to us, a threat to all we have achieved, and to our way of life. They must be stopped, though it take many lives and many men to do so."

"These men attack your territory, Peshwa," spoke Madhavrao Scindia. "Not mine. Are your armies so weak that you cannot defend your own holdings?"

"You know, as I do," replied the Peshwa, "That we did not see war in the future. We had thought all battles won, all enemies dead, when Ahmad Shah's armies were destroyed at Panipat. I need time to raise men for battle"

Ahilyabai Holkar scoffed at the Peshwa's tale. "You mean when Ahmad Shah destroyed our own, do you not? We lost more men than he, yet still you claim that victory!"

Scindia grunted his acknowlegement. "We know that the land is unfit for battle, mothers nurse sons with lost arms and legs, and there is great bitterness towards the rulers."
He took a great breath, then reluctantly spoke again. "I will give you such men as I can spare, Peshwa. This menace must be destroyed before it can become another Panipat..."

OOC: God, took a while.

I'm on a roll, today, the words just come easy. It's nice when that happens.

"Sir, reports of...substantial...forces of modern soldiers landing a little way south of here.
The navy spotted their ships, and are keeping an obvious but not hostile eye on the landings. Admiral Johnson reports he can probably defeat the escorts and wreak havoc amongst the transports, if that becomes necessary."
"Ah, this will be the Ansurians. Tell him not to attack without direct orders from myself or Nescia. Meanwhile get the scouts and some sepoys out, keep an eye on them on land. Again, no hostilities without direct orders, just watch...we need to be sure they're not any threat."

OOC: Incognitia has substantial land and naval forces in India, currently pacifying Canadstein's territories. Precise details are posted elsewhere, can find em if you want, but about 4 divisions (80,000) regulars, plus 30,000 quality deployable sepoys, and a fair number of ships of the line. That will be going down in a matter of months though, as Canadstein's territory comes under firm control.

OOC: Perhaps if you sent an officer to formally investigate? Could be some good rp in an otherwise OMG PWN NPC thread.

OOC: As requested...(tis a good idea, I admit).

IC: Captain Cypher of the 1st Trinca Light Cavalry was an experienced officer of the Incognitian Indian Army. He had spent years ranging the Indian countryside, keeping an eye on it for his superiors in the trading posts.
He had been one of the first sent to keep a watchful eye on this new army.

Now he had found traces of them. A dust cloud rose ahead...too big for a caravan of traders. He dismounted as he came to the next rise, and crept up to it, leaving his horse tied to a tree. Coming up to the rise, he looked over...into an open plain, containing the army, along with all its scouts.

Looking at it, he reached a decision. He would ride down openly, and simply shadow them. Retrieving his horse, he mounted; adjusted his kepi on his head, and rode as the natural horseman he was down towards the moving horde.
<Try anything here, newcomers, and things WILL get interesting.>

OOC: Saan is my Sharpe, so he'll be a common figure in most of my rp's in the Indian theatre. He am speak Mandalorian.

IC:

The lone cavalryman brazenly trotted his horse down the ridge, unopposed by the greenjackets and officers who marched along the dusty Indian road. Sergeant Richard Saan marvelled at his comrades, who seemed not to notice a man in foreign uniform, or simply chose to ignore him.
Saan jogged a few metres from the column, cocked his rifle, and levelled it at the man.

"<Halt!>" he yelled, startling the men nearby. "<Identify yourself!>"

A rifle in the face is a clear incentive to stop.
Cypher reined in his horse, and answered the presumed question in Latin. He just hoped this infantryman could speak it, or find someone who could.
"I am Captain James Cypher, of the Incognitian Indian Army. What unit are you?"

A voice spoke out from the Ansurian column, speaking Latin.

"Major Jaim Roberts, 16th Dragoons, Indian Expeditionary Force," said a cavalryman, spurring his mount forward. "Stand down, Sergeant."

"Sir!" acknowledged Saan, grounding his rifle.

Roberts' cheerful face turned back to the newcomer, and he leant slightly from his horse to offer his hand.
"An honour to make your acquaintance, Captain. Might I presume you've come from one of the Inconitian trading fortresses?"

Shaking the proffered hand, Cypher replied
"That I am Major. To be specific our enclave a little North of here. We've been instructed to keep a benevolent eye on your doings here; simply because we have interests in India, and whatever your intent you are clearly going to shift the balance of power here.
We just want to be on the upwards arm, Major."
He grinned.

Major Roberts returned the smile.
"Have no fear, Captain. The Empire has no interest in any aggression with your countrymen, far from it indeed! Can I offer you an invitation to dinner at headquarters? General Blackmoor is a distant relation of mine, and I'm sure he'll be glad to meet you.
"Carry on, Sergeant!"

OOC: Sorry for taking so long. Dinner.

"Well, my orders were to follow your army, I'm sure dinner is compatible with that.
Our thought was not of aggression against us, though I am sure the General has planned for that - he is a careful man - more that dependent on the situation we may wish to assist with your campaign. It might be seen as useful, for the power of one of the Indian states to be broken...we assume that is why you have come.
They can make our expansion more difficult, after all."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Captain. Let's not keep General Blackmoor waiting, though. He's encamped at a village a few miles further upriver, and we should make it in good time if we leave now."

Turning his horse smoothly, Cypher replied
"Let's go then.
As I say, for now we have purely a watching brief. I just decided to...watch closely."

Ansurian HQ, Bhusawal, Approx. 150 Miles East of Surat

"A foreign observer you say, Jaim?" asked General Blackmoor. "I suppose he won't cause any harm, and we're getting on well with the Incognitians, aren't we? Saw to that y'self, didn't you, lad?"

Major Roberts, a man of twenty-nine, was usually called 'lad' by the General. As was nearly everyone lower in rank or younger than the old man, which included most people.

"Yes sir," agreed Major Roberts.

The General turned to Captain Cypher. "How long have you been in India, lad?"

Cypher turned from his look around the headquarters
"Approaching ten years General. I came out here as a mere boy, with a commission as an Ensign in the 1st Trisca; I've been in India ever since, and come to know the land and it's peoples fairly well in that time."

"That's a long time to be away from one's homeland, lad." said General Blackmoor. "You know any of the local languages?"

"It's a long time, but our ports are established enough that in many ways they are home.
And I speak Hindi and Urdu; never had a chance to learn Bengali."

"Good lad," said the General, smiling. "I wonder if I could prevail upon you to do me a favour. There's an official deputation from the natives arriving in a few days, with the intention of complaining some about us being here. Would you mind accompanying me as a translator? I suspect none of the black bastards speaks Mando'a, and it'd be a great assistance."

"I would be happy to help you...avoid misunderstandings General."

"Wonderful," beamed the General, raising his glass, "And before we retire, gentlemen, I propose a toast; to victory on the day"

"To victory on the day," echoed the officers.

OOC: And goodnight. Next post will be a meeting between the General and the Peshwa.

Eight miles southeast of Bhusawal

Dawn broke over the Deccan plain as Lieutenant-General Sir Govon Blackmoor waited impatiently upon his horse, beside him were Major Roberts, and the Incognitian, Captain Cypher. Half a mile away, the 16th Dragoons were mounted and ready to guard a quick retreat.

"<You see anything, Jaim?>" asked the General.

"<Nothing yet, sir,>" replied Major Roberts, whose eyes were better. He peered out over the dry scrubland of India, and his eyes caught upon a small column of dust. "<General!>" he barked, turning his horse back towards the old man.

"<Reckon you see them, lad?>"

"<Yes, sir!>" said Roberts, "<Two miles distant, perhaps.>"

"<Good lad,>" said the General, fumbling in his pocked for his cigar tin. "<Let's see what they have to say.>"

-----

OOC: Translated from Marathi (Peshwa), to Hindi (via translator), to Latin (via Captain Cypher).

IC:

Madhavrao Peshwa was an experienced horseman, and the young man sat well upon his mount as he approached the leader of the green-uniformed enemy. The man was evidently old, his once-black hair fading into grey, his face weathered by many years of life.
Beside the Peshwa rode Madhavrao Scindia, and Chhatrapati Rajaram II of Bhonsle, the titular ruler of the Maratha Empire. These two were the only men to contribute to the defence of Maharashtra, evident of the unwillingness of the Marathas to wage war again so soon.

"[I will give you ten days,]" declared Peshwa, "[to leave my land, and return to your own. Do this, and I will bear no quarrel with you.]"

It took a few moments for the translation to be completed, but it was evident that his offer was not to be accepted.

"Tell that damned heathen" huffed General Blackmoor, "that he can surrender his bloody land today and stay alive, or he can have it taken from him tomorrow and be dead!"

"[I have two hundred thousand men to call upon,]" boasted the Peshwa, "[do not anger me, or I shall sweep your tiny army into the sea!]"

The threat only served to anger the General further, "Do your bloody best, you smug bastard, it won't change a thing." he turned to Major Roberts and Captain Cypher. "Let us return to camp, lads. I don't think this meeting will achieve anything."

Madhavrao Peshwa could only stare at the back of his retreating enemy, a stubborn man of no concience. He had hoped this meeting would prevent the deaths a battle would demand, but it was obvious that this savage would not be persuaded. He would gather his men, and force his enemy to attack into his guns. When they broke, for they must, he would unleash his cavalry, and drive them back to their ships. He smiled, for he knew he would destroy this oveconfident enemy army.

At a place called Assaye.

<Shit> Cypher thought to himself, on the ride home.
He should have realised that things would go this badly - but Peshwa had caught his eye, and now identified HIM with the Ansurians. And he knew that Cypher was Incognitian, at least from the uniform.
<Shit>
This meant that the Mahratta, or at least those fighting the Ansurians, would now see Incognitia as enemies also.
<Shit>
So much for observing....
"General, I must ride home to report to my superiors what has happened here. I may return in a few days."

"Yes, of course, lad," said Blackmoor, dismissively. "Can't make you come with us, or anything. You get back to report on that stupid bloody man, and if you feel like dropping by again then you're perfectly welcome. Shouldn't be too hard to find us."

OOC: Next couple of days will be a bit of scouting, a bit of manouvering, a bit of posturing, and generally a lot of pissing about until you get back and we can get on with the battle.

OOC: Okay.
IC: Cypher rode hard. Normally he would keep his horse fresh, as you never knew what you'd encounter out here, but this was important. He hightailed it through the countryside, racing for home.

Madhavrao Peshwa comfortable. His army, close to two hundred thousand men, was encamped between the Kaitna and the Juah rivers, close to the village of Assaye. He had outmarched the Ansurians, leading them south, then doubling back. Now they faced a direct assault on his guns, through the fords of the Kaitna.
His troops consisted largely of half-trained Hindu soldiery, supported by irregular Mahratta horsemen, though they outnumbered the more professional enemy by a margin of five to one. He was confident that this force, hastily raised as it was, would still prove sufficient to destroy the Ansurian army.

He patiently waited for the first sighting of the enemy.

-----

"<We've got the bugger,>" declared General Blackmoor. "<He's chosen his spot, gentlemen, and he's made a bollocks of it.>"

The General leant over a large, ancient map on the table in his tent, flanked by his divisional commanders and aides.

"<I believe we can cross the river, and turn their flank,>" he said, grinning. "<Here.>"

The General dropped his finger to a point on the map, directly in the river Kaitna, between two villages on opposite banks.

The General had decided swiftly, and sent two battalions of light infantry, and two squadrons of horse, to join the Ansurians. They had marched hard, to show the Incognitian flag.
His remaining forces were marshalling to defend Incognitia's territories elsewhere, and possibly launch a follow-up invasion of Mahratta territory.
Meanwhile the 85th Foot, and the 61st Foot, both experienced battalions of government soldiers, along with the two squadrons of sepoy cavalry, had joined the Ansurian army, and would take up a position on that forces left flank
(OOC: assuming you don't mind)
when battle commenced.