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Inb4 Reconquista


Mr Director

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It hadn't been an easy time for the Moors. Their empire, which had stretched across the Iberian Peninsula, had been reduced to a handful of provinces around the highly profitable but annoyingly tiny Straits of Gibraltar. This wasn't because of the Europeans, those idiots couldn't put on their armor without some brainless priest to tell them how to do it. A plague had visited Al-Andalus, and had left corpse after corpse in its wake, until the living began to envy the dead. But, as all plagues did, this one burned itself out, becoming yet another footnote on the blood-spattered pages of history. Andalus was also about to become such a footnote, unless something changed, fast. 

 

Al-Andalus had become a small speck of order, trapped between the chaos of Africa, and the plague-ridden wastes of Spain. Who would guide this storm battered ship to safety? None other than the new Caliph, Ali ibn Makhluf al-Gumi of the Almohad Dynasty.

 

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The Andalusian military had shrunk greatly, but it still had an impressive arsenal.

 

15,000 Soldiers

 

45 Dromons

 

150 Ballista

 

75 Trebuchet

 

Other high-tech weapons include Greek Fire and Fire Lances

 

The Andalusian military would soon be given its first assignment. The Lord of Malaga was threatening war on Al-Andalus if they did not vacate the Iberian peninsula immediately. 1,000 troops, backed by 10 ballista, 5 trebuchet, and 5 dromons would be sent to deal with this nuisance, and if possible, annex the wayward province.

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The Andalusian force would cross into the Malagan territories relatively unopposed, at first. The Andalusians would begin their trek through the Montes de Malaga that overlooked the town of Malaga. The main fortifications at Malaga were the Alcazaba, a former Moorish fortress that was abandoned at the outset of the plague, and the castle of GIbralfaro, which overlooked Malaga itself.

 

As the Andalusian forces advanced, they would begin facing some small resistance, mainly in the form of minor lords and villagers who didn't like the idea of living under Muslim rule again. These small forces would be destroyed quickly, and a couple of villages would be burnt to make an example. Andalusian forces would also make contact with remnants of Muslim forces in the area, in the hopes of gaining local support. These groups would be quick to join the Andalusian armies marching to Malaga.

 

Eventually, the Andalusian commander would receive word that a small Malagan force of about 100 men had been dispatched to stall the advance. The armies of Al-Andalus would ride out to meet them on the field of battle.

 

At sea, Andalusian dromons would meet the Malagan navy in several small skirmishes. The Malagan fleet was small, but its commander was wily and its ships were quick enough for it to escape back to Malaga. The Andalusians had a simple way of dealing with this annoyance: Blockade the ports. Andalusian dromons would enforce a full embargo on the port of Malaga, trapping the enemy fleet and eventually destroying it when it attempted to break the blockade. Andalusian ships would then take to raiding the Malagan coastline, and destroying the relatively weak coastal defences.

 

Meanwhile, a number of scientists and doctors would be dispatched from the Andalusian court at Tangiers. They would move around the portions of Malaga now under Andalusian control, and would conduct important research into the plague that had so recently ravaged the area. Similar projects would be undertaken in Al-Andalus proper.

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The Malagan force would be crushed by the vastly superior Andalusian army. The Andalusians would continue their march to Malaga. On their way, they would clash with another Malagan force, and would once again be victorious. At total of 197 Andalusians would be killed in the battles, but those losses would quickly be replaced by the local Muslim forces that flocked to join the armies of Al-Andalus. 

 

As the Andalusians continues their journey east, they would begin to see more and more of the desolation left behind by the plague. The disease had affected the western portions of the province, but the east had fared far worse. Andalusian forces would be careful to avoid villages which had been especially hard hit, for fear of picking up some remnant of the disease themselves. Unfortunately, doctors dispatched by the royal court did not have this luxury, and they would have orders to check all the settlements in the area for remains of the plague.

 

The Andalusian forces would begin to break up into several groups. One force, of about 100 men, would head to Sohail castle, with orders to take the fortress. Sohail castle was expected to have a relatively small garrison, and an easy victory was hoped for. Forces attacking Sohail would be assisted by the Andalusian navy. Another group of 100 men would be sent to Bentomic castle. A third force of 50 would be sent to Torre Ladrones. Ladrones had already been destroyed by the navy, and the Andalusian force was only sent to clean up any remaining Malagan soldiers. A fourth group of 150 would be sent to take control of Muralla urbana de Marbella. The remaining 600 soldiers would split into two groups of 300. One of these groups would head for the Alcabaza  of Malaga, while the other would move to take the Castle of Gibralfaro.

 

Meanwhile, back at home, a construction would begin on a series of new fortifications. A new castle would be build of the island of Sancti Petri. Fortifications would be built around Ksar el-Kebir, Asilah, Larache, the capital city in Tangier, Tetouan, Ronda. A small fort would be constructed in a location  in northeastern Morocco. More fortifications would be constructed at Perejil Island, in order to ensure Andalusian control of the Straits of Gibraltar. 

 

Despite the plague, the Straits of Gibraltar still had some trade going through it. Al-Andalus may as well make a profit out of it. All non-Andalusian ships using the Straits would be made to pay a tariff of 1% of the value to their cargo. Those who refused would be dealt with by the Andalusian navy. If Andalusian officials thought that a merchant was attempting to avoid the tariff by giving his cargo a lower value than it actually had, the Andlausian state would simply offer to purchase the cargo at the value listed.

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Sohail castle would surrender, upon seeing the large force advancing towards it. Its occupants would be taken prisoner, and sent back to Tangiers.

 

Bentomic castle would take a short siege, but a traitor withing the castle walls would open the gates, and let the Andalusian forces in. All of the occupants would be killed in the slaughter that resulted.

 

A small force was found camped outside of Torre Ladrones. They would be quickly destroyed, and Andalusian casualties would be minimal.

 

Marbella would continue to hold out against the siege.

 

Gibralfaro would be constantly pounded by siege engines, until the walls gave way, and the defenders would be slaughtered.

 

The Alcabaza would pose the biggest challenge. The fortress was well defended, and the defense was being lead by a former Moorish general. he was a wily fighter, and the Andalusians took many casualties. In the end, negotiations would be called for. The Moor turned Malagan would be offered a chance to rule Malaga as a governor of Al-Andalus. He would accept, and his forces would join those of Andalusia, and march on Malaga itself. The twon would fall quickly, and its lord would be beheaded in public.

 

Once the news of the Malagan defeat reached Marbella, the castle's defenders would lose hope, and surrender.

 

Andalusian forces would now begin to repair their new province's fortifications. Fortifications damaged in teh war would be repaired, and a new fort would be built at Antequera

 

Andalusia would also begin to raise more men to defend the province, and woudl order the construction of more Dromons.

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5,000 troops would be raised in order to defend the newly acquired Malagan territories. An additional 15 Dromons would be built.

 

With the rest of Iberia still a plague ravaged hell-hole, and the main threat there now extinguished, Tangiers would begin to look to Morocco.

 

To the east of Al-Andalus lay another small Muslim kingdom called the Emirate of Taza. The Emirate and recently found itself grappling with Christian invaders from Iberia, possibly remnants of the Malagan army. The Emir had appealed to Andalusia for help, and had offered to submit to Andalusian rule in exchange for assistance. 2,000 Andalusian soldiers would be dispatched to stop the infidels.

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The Andalusian force would arrive in Taza and would find chaos. The Christians, who styled themselves as Crusaders, were not from Malaga, but from all over Europe, and even some places in Africa. It was also very possible that more Muslim nations than just Taza were under attack by this force.

 

The Crusaders had advanced quickly across Taza, and had taken much of the Northern part of the Province. El Hocaima and Imzouren had been turned into Crusader strongholds, and the city of Taza was under threat.

 

The Andalusian's first job would be to remove that threat.

 

The Andalusian forces, along with some Tazan forces, would ride out to meet the enemy. Meanwhile, the Andalusian navy would work to cut off the Crusader's supply lines, and to destroy any ships they might have had.

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And so, the Andalusians, along with their Tazan allies, would ride north. On their way there, they would find thousands of refugees fleeing south. It appeared that the Crusaders had driven civilians out from their homes.

 

Muslim and Christian forces would meet each other in battle once more.the fight would result in the Muslims stalling the Christian advance southwards, but would fail to repulse the invasion. The war on the land had reached a stalemate.

 

At sea, the Andalusian navy saw more successes. Ships carrying supplies to the Crusaders were being intercepted, and it was only a matter of time before the christian forces found themselves cut off from Europe. So far, it appeared as though the ships were coming from all over Europe, increasing fears in Tangiers that a wider war between the Muslim and Christian worlds was now being fought.

 

If this was the case, Al-Andalus and Taza represented but a single front in the larger conflict. The Caliph would bear this burden, and bear it with pride, for Al-Andalus would hold its lines, and would not be the front that would fall.

 

General Khalid Ibn Walid would send a message to the Christian camp, suggesting negotiations. After all, the crusaders had no more supplies incoming. it would be easier for them to surrender than to fight to the bitter end.

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With the first few battles in Taza having ended in a stalemate, Andalusian forces would begin to prepare for a longer war. The Crusaders had no supplies, and time was running out for them.

 

In the meantime, the incorporation of Taza into Al-Andalus would begin. The existing government would remain mostly intact, with the local rulers now becoming Andalusian officials, and local forces becoming a part of the Andalusian military.

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The Andalusians had had enough of waiting. The Crusaders were getting weaker every day, and rumors had it that a plague was spreading in their camp. The time had come for an attack.

 

Once again, the Andalusians and their Tazan allies would march out to meet the enemies. This time, they would be successful, and would drive them back considerably, and would seize the town of Imzouren from the enemy.

 

Andalus would now lay siege to El Hocaima, a port city that represented the last large Crusader stronghold. A number of crusader positions still existed along the coast, but these were being picked off one by one.

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The siege was a long and bloody one, but in the end, Andalus would prevail. Muslims inside the city would rise up against the Crusaders, and would open the gates to the Andalusian forces, which would then take control of the city.

 

A number of the leaders of the Crusaders would be taken prisoner. Now it was just a question of interrogating them until they told the Andalusians just who the hell was running the show, and what other areas were under attack.

 

The Tazan army, which conveniently numbered 5,000 men, would be fully integrated with the Andalusian army. An additional 15 dromons would be built to defend the new territory.

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With the fall of the main Crusader strongholds, Andalus would quickly manage to bring the rest of Taza under its control. There were a small handful of Crusaders remaining, but those were being swept up rather quickly, and it was only a matter of time before their zeal faded and they either returned home, or were killed.

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