NationStates Jolt Archive

I, Louis XVII, Emperor of France and all her colonies, am announcing today that France is planning to make several invasions worldwide to expand her colonies and make the world safer for the French people. We plan to make several invasions out of Liberia into innner Africa. Also, we hope to lay a railroad between our colony on the north side of the Gulf of Khambhat to our colony to the south, Bombay. To accomplish this we plan invade and conquer the strip of coastal land seperating them. This invasion will also take the cities or Surat, and the slightly out-of-the-way Vadodara.

Thank you,
Emperor Louis XVII

Colonel DuPaul swatted another pesky mosquito off of his burned neck. Another day of marching, but the 67th Royal French Regiment was only a day from meeting up with the 23rd French India Division. The colonel had recieved news that the 23rd had taken Ahmadabad and Vadodara without a fight. Instead of giving them bullets they gave them the promise of freedom and semi-autonomy within the French Empire. He had heard rumors they were happy with any term that did not end with the entire city in shackles. Much of India's focus had shifted to Hyderbad and Alversia in the past few months, no one seemed to mind if France snatched up a few more cities seperating Bombay from their colonies further north. They did afterall need access to build an Indian railway that would conect all French possesions in India. It was an easily justified cause.

His regiment had left Bombay a week earlier and had done nothing but marched through the thick, humid summer air. They were scheduled to meet with the 23rd outside of Surat the next day to finish the offensive. If the people of Surat tried to mount any kind of defense, which they were likely to do, both the 23rd French India Division and the 67th Royal French Division would be eager crush it. France would soon have her railroad.

Troops were now circling the city. Surat was under siege. Colonel DuPaul was ordering the city's medieval walls be bombarded by his regiment's artillery. Most of the city-state's forces had been dispatched to help reinforce Hyderbad. Colonel DuPaul knew it should be an easy siege. If a few bombardments and whifs on gunpowder didn't frighten the defenders into surrender, the ensueing charge surely would.

A massive bang, then the ancient walls shook and crumbled. Shouts from inside the city. Several more bangs followed. The east side of the wall lay in ruble.

"One more volley!" Shouted DuPaul. More bangs. Then silence except for the distance shouts from the city. "Give them sometime to organize their surrender." Said the colonel.

A half hour passed. Nothing. Colonel DuPaul was growing impatient.

"Give um one more bombardment and then we're going in!" Yelled DuPaul.

A series of final bangs and then the troops began to fall into rank. They started to march towards the pile of ruble that had once been a massive wall. The wall that had resisted dozens of attacks, hundreds of years, hard weather, everything. Now it lay in ruin to European gunpowder.

"Let's see if a proper formation doesn't shake them up a bit." Muttered DuPaul to one of his junior officers.

"These barbarians will crumble at the sight of a true army. I won't give them much longer." Responded the officer.

The troops were now very close to the pile. Still no white flags.

"Alright," said DuPaul, "there's no way around this. Call the 23rd French India Division, we'll take them by force."

It took about another hour for the 23rd to arrive from the north side of the city which they had been camped outside of. Now dozens, hundreds of rows of rifles were advancing over the pile. Then gunfire and shouts. The gunfire and shouts went on for nearly two hours. Then, from outside the city, the colonel saw a white flag rise from the south tower of the city. It was over. France had her path to Bombay. France had her railroad.

Despite the fact Emperor Louis XXVII had told the international community that French imperialism would go no further than uniting their two colonies in India with a land bridge here they were. Colonel DuPaul was laying siege to another Indian city. Though the emperor had recently said that the conquest of Pune would be the final act of French aggression in the region, that was the one good thing about this whole damned expedition thought Colonel DuPaul. He was used to sitting in garrisons, not on a constant march. He was sitting outside the city which had pledged to do everything in their power to resist him. They'd been battering the city with artillery since mid-morning. Now, the sun was setting. They had to give up soon. The colonel had been told the point of this attack was to make sure there were no more city-states in north-western India that might be hostile to France. They couldn't risk/afford to have enemies in the region.

Then, a mass of something began to move around the northern edge of the city. While most of the city's forces were off trying to stand up to the Alversians, only a small militia had been left behind. Now, roughly four hundred Indian troops, armed with primitive weapons were ready to confront the 67th Royal French Regiment. The enemies began to charge out across the plains towards DuPaul's regulars.

"Soldiers, present arms!" Yelled DuPaul. The troops lowered their weapons which were already loaded.

"Take aim!" Yelled DuPaul. The Indians were getting closer.

"Fire!" The frontline of the oncoming troops fell to the ground. "Reload!" The troops began to hastily reload their weapons.

"Take aim! Fire!" Another line of Indian warriors fell. "Give um one more volley men! Reload!" The regulars reloaded again, this time even quicker.

"You," mumbled DuPaul to one of his junior officers, "is it ready?" A man kneeling beside DuPaul nodded. "Then fire it." The junior officer lit a fuse then the two men backed away and waited. A loud bang then a red explosion went off in the air. The one good piece of technology that had come out of this place. The firework.

DuPaul turned back to his regulars. The warriors were now at point blank.

"Fire!" The bullets ripped into the oncoming troops. More fell after this volley than during either of the previous ones. Then a roar came from over the nearby hill. Almost two hundred and fifty French cavalry, who had been hiding a few hills away and had been signaled by the red firework, were charging at the Indian warriors who were now within a few yards of the regulars with their lowered bayonets. But they would not need them. Moments before the warriors collided with the regulars. The cavarly, wielding sabres and revolvers which has recently been made the mandatory sidearm for both active and reserve French cavalry. The warriors didn't stand a chance. The horsemen ripped into them and killed anyone they came in contact with.

Within an hour the Indian warriors had been defeated. The day before the attack DuPaul had been seperated from his companions in the much larger 23rd French India Division and aquianted with the 6th French India Cavalry Regiment. He was glad to have them.

Night had fallen but DuPaul ordered the artillery barrage continue. It went on until 9:00 PM. Then, a man holding a white flag marched out of the ruined city. They later discovered that he had been the prince of defeated city. The next morning DuPaul recieved word that the Indian railroad, well underway by now, was now planning on running through Bombay and ending in Pune. Hopefully this would be the end of French hostilites in the region.

Colonel DuPaul sat inspecting his new regiment. Since the conquest of Pune he had been reassigned to Rio Muni. His new recruits were untrained, untested. He stared at them with disdain. He had to start from scratch. Tomorrow they set out for Libreville, a large city just south of Rio Muni's borders. The city had minimal defenses, it would be a good, easy beginning for these fresh soldiers. If the attack went well it might expand into a full invasion of Gabon.

The troops were now firing blanks at targets as a new junior officer ordered them around. Retirement was just a few years off thought DuPaul.

Colonel DuPaul sat in the town square of a partially destoryed Libreville. The people had given no resistance at first but after a week of occupation the locals had risen up against their invaders. The colonel's regiment had taken few casualties but had taken at least four dozen native lives. They mob had approached them at their temporary barracks, a group of buildings skirting the town square. The rioters made a charge at the French regular's lines but were scared off after one or two volleys. The French pursued them a bit further, finishing off any hope they might of had of rallying again that day. The next day small, isolated riots broke out across the city. Buildings were burnt by French and natives alike, both intentional and unintentional. The conquest was over now thought DuPaul.

The success of the conquest of Libreville had prompted orders to take the rest of the coastline in Gabon. Du Pont was dispatched with his regiment and was given orders to stay twenty to thirty miles from the shore. A second regiment was dispatched and told to stay with in one to eight miles of the ocean. A third was stationed at Libreville to hold down the potential rebellious city. The hope of this offensive was the capture all land within fourty miles of the ocean.

DuPont was given orders to avoid conflict if possible. At each village the regiment reached, they would stop, meet with the local ruler, and give him terms which basically encorporated his lands into the French Empire. The natives were then given a French flag and ordered to hoist it in the highest point in the village. If they refused to raise the flag or accept the terms, there was fighting. At first many villages fought back when the arrived and refused the agreement. But as word of the "enchanted bows" that the French used spread, fewer and fewer villages resisted. By the time they reached the south of the country, only a scarce few of the brash fought back. However, only a day early, at the last village DuPont's regiment had visited, the natives decided to burn the French flag rather than raise it. The French decided to fight fire with fire... literally and gave the village what its people had given to France's flag and France's honor.

DuPont was now a day's ride away from that village, from the hill the regiment had decided to make camp on he could see the smoke still rising gently to the sky. Just one more week and they would have the coast secured.

Last week French warships were dispatched to the coast off of Montenegro. Sailors, normally in charge of manning the ship, were unloaded and ordered to march on Cintje. Hearing of their arrival, Duke Popovic, the local ruler, fled to the allied Kingdom of Serbia. The sailors held a garrison in the city for a week with no resistance. However, this morning, small mobs began rioting across the city, demanding the sailors leave Montenegro immediately. The riots were put down and threats were made by the sailors that actual regulars would arrive if the people did not accept the transition to a French government peacefully. Later in the day the battleships of the coast were given orders to bombard coastal towns to instil fear into the Montenegrins. The city of Podgorica surrendered without a fight last night and the country appears the be under control at this point. The goverment has lined up a group of notable politicians to help administer the country and some settlers to bring up the French population.

After finishing the conquest of Gabon, which had gone strikingly well, Colonel DuPont, along with several other French colonels, had been restationed to North America. He had left the vast plantations of the savanah three weeks earlier. Now he was fighting a harsh war against the Delaware tribe. He had been told by his superiors that this would be the hardest fighting of the war. Indeed the Delaware were a tough enemy but they were nothing the mighty French army couldn't overcome. In fact, the largest concentration of French troops in the world outside of the homeland were stationed in the plantation colonies. The Delaware had recently made an valant effort to modernize their nation and army. However it was not enough. A few more weeks of fighting and the area would be under their control. The colonel planned to be at the head of the Hudson by February. It was currently December.

He had recieved word that morning that the Nova Scotia regiments had mobilized and moved into the area known as "Maine." The natives there were considered peaceful enough and several treaties had already been arranged with them and the natives of the "New Hampshire" region.

The conquest would go very smoothly.

The previous day Colonel DuPaul's troops had split up at the mouth of the Hudson. Some heading north to follow the mighty river's flow, DuPaul's regiments had headed north and east to the land known as Conneticut, from here they would connect with the Nova Scotian regiments in Massachusetts. A few troops had even been deployed to the Long Island to subdue the natives there.

The other day French diplomats had secured a deal with the Iroquois tribe. They were a much feared people and DuPaul had not looked foward to fighting them. In return for not going near Iroquois land, they would not retaliate the French imperialism in the region.

The conquest was forecasted to last no longer than a month or two longer.