The Second Saudi State: A Nejd Emirate AAR Part Four

Flag of Arabia (1876)
Hello and welcome back to the fourth installment of The Second Saudi State. In the last part we finally submitted to British influence and are now recognized as part of their sphere of influence. King Abdul has continued to pass reforms with British guidance to bring us closer to the civilized world.

The Kingdom of Arabia (1876)
1876 marks the 16th year of King Abdul's rule which has brought our nation ever closer to the West. The most recent additions to the Kingdom have been the city state of Qatar and the region of Transjordan.

Our nation is 70% westernized and only two reforms away from being called a "civilized nation" by the scholars of Europe. We estimate this will be done by 1890 at the latest.

French Liberation of Isan (1876)
In Indochina a war breaks out between the Cambodia and Siam over border disputes. Their two colonial overlords, the United Kingdom and France, would both intervene on behalf of their allies. This would mark the first hostile action between these countries since the Battle of Waterloo and would result in 300,000 dead from both sides.

In Arabia, our fleet struggles to acquire basic supplies to keep it seaworthy. As of now our ships are little more than floating barracks for our sailors. Something will need to be done about this if we intend to defend our coastline.

On land we complete a railroad connecting Riyadh to the port city of Hufuf. This allows supplies and goods to be moved quicker through the scorching Arabian deserts. We can also utilize the railroad to transport our troops faster to the coast, cutting their deployment time down considerably.

The United Kingdom allies with Turkey, our next target of conquest. While the alliance would be worrying under normal circumstances, it is estimated that at least half of their country is controlled by various rebel groups all vying for power.

The Russian Empire declares war on the Turks to liberate the rest of Bulgaria and the United Kingdom breaks their alliance. King Abdul decides now is the time to strike! Our nation begins a justification to take the region of Palestine from the Turkish to liberate more of our Bedouin countrymen. This region has the added bonuses of being along the Mediterranean Sea and has a naval base for our fleet to dock at.

As the world hears of our intention to declare war, the Persian Shah, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar offers us an alliance. We gladly accept - even though they are Shia they are still Muslims!

In January we declare war and call both Egypt and Persia into the war. Both hope to add war goals and gain land for themselves.

Both uphold the alliance and quickly swing the pendulum into our favor. Hundreds of young men flock to join the Arabian Army under General Abd al-Karim hoping to see action and fight for their country.

Our armies enter the city of Jerusalem in only 15 days. A number of Turkish loyalists take up arms against our forces but they are quickly put down.

City of Jerusalem (1880)
After over 350 years, it is House Saud that liberates Jerusalem from the oppressive and unstable grip of the Turks! Al-Aqsa Mosque, an Islamic holy site in Jerusalem, is also brought under our control.

The Russians end their war, taking the regions of Kars and liberating more of Bulgaria. This weakens the Turkish even further and allows us to occupy more territory. The Turks are on their last leg.

The Egyptian Army arrives in full force after 5 months and begins to aid us in the liberation of the holy land. In Turin, Africa is carved up and Sweden is given the Congo. The scramble for Africa has begun.

In Istanbul the unstable Republic is overthrown by Socialists. The Socialists call for an end to the war with our country and peace for Turkey. King Abdul will take advantage of their desperation.

Even the Libyans rise up against their Ottoman oppressors and secure their independence. They are just one of many vultures that have converged on the dying Turkish corpse.

With victory inevitable, King Abdul expands our war to include taking the region of Baghdad. The city itself was once the center of the Islamic world during its Golden Age and King Abdul hopes to restore some of its previous glory.

The combined Muslim armies of Arabia, Egypt and Persia continue the march in Anatolia. With the Turkish Army shattered General al-Karim is ordered to march on Istanbul and burn it to the ground. The Turks will be punished for their oppression of House Saud!

Before this can be done however, peace is negotiated and the regions of Palestine and Baghdad are ceded to our Kingdom. Slavery is quickly instated in both. Our army is marched to Baghdad to instate order while local government is set up.

Iraq is divided between our Kingdom and the Shah with the Turkish being allowed to keep an exclave in Basra for the time being.

After the war, King Abdul looks to industrialize our nation to put our people to work. A number of British and German companies build factories in our Kingdom to help kick start our industry. With this last reform we are able to westernize and become a civilized nation.

With our nation civilized we can now confidently declare that we are the sole dominant power in the Middle East. Now that we are westernized we can now mobilize our citizens to serve in our army. We estimate that we can call up 17 brigades or 51,000 men in a span of 8 months to defend our Kingdom.

Our fleet is moved to Gaza to be docked at the former Turkish naval base. Once they arrive, our fleet will undergo refitting and repair to take part in the next conflict we are apart of.

To make ourselves known on the world stage, King Abdul signs the Geneva Convention. This document outlines the care for wounded and sick prisoners of war which is also outlined in the Quran. In Riyadh, King Abdul begins planning a trip to the United Kingdom to meet with Queen Victoria in 4 years time.

King Abdul continues his father's legacy in building up our nations' military by commissioning a series of frigates and man o' war. While the designs are still from the Napoleonic Era, they will provide much needed protection for our transport ships.

The scramble for Africa is now in full swing and a number of European countries begin to look to our ally of Egypt as ripe land for territorial expansion. The first of which is the Netherlands.

The Sultan of Egypt and the King's personal friend Hussein Kamel petitions to both Persia and our Kingdom to aid him in repelling the Dutch invaders. We hesitantly accept and our armies march to war.

The Netherlands lands an army of 50,000 battle hardened soldiers in Darna. Many of these soldiers fought in Eritrea during the Dutch-Ethiopian War only 11 months ago in which the Dutch lost 500 men to the Ethiopians' 17,000. It will take a miracle to save Egypt now.

Dutch Patrol (1884)
(A Dutch patrol stops for a rest along a river somewhere near Tobruk) The Dutch are outfitted with the most current European weaponry which includes machine guns. Our armies stand no chance against them and King Abdul knows this. Our armies will simply provide support for the main body of Egyptian and Persian troops who will hopefully fare better than our own.

A young general by the name of Iskandar al-Hijazi is chosen to lead the King's forces into battle. General Iskandar was born in Hedjaz but lived in Baghdad most of his life. He had trained and led an Iraqi militia group that rose up against their Turkish oppressors following our declaration of war. For his actions he was given a commission in the Arabian Army where he quickly rose to the rank of general.

In the Gulf of Suez we receive reports of an undefended Dutch transport fleet running the gantlet trying to make their way back to The Netherlands. The Egyptians attempt to destroy the fleet but are ultimately forced to fall back. Admiral Hisham is given orders to destroy this fleet and send the Dutch sailors to the bottom of the sea!

Battle of the Gulf of Suez (1885)
What follows next can hardly be called a battle as the guns of the archaic Jidda, Atif, Akram and Ayman pour broadside after broadside into the Dutch transports. Dutch sailors jump overboard to flee their burning ships and escape the one sided slaughter.

4 of the 6 Dutch transports would be sunk and 2 would escape the Arabian Navy. Over 12,000 Dutch sailors and soldiers would die or drown during the battle. This marks the first of hopefully many victories for the Arabian Navy and Admiral Hisham.

Even with this victory, the Dutch army continues to advance into Egypt. Our army arrives in Cairo to hold the capital while the Persian and Egyptian Armies strike north to liberate the coastline.

Disaster! It seems the Kaiser would like to get a piece of the Egyptian pie. Seeing imminent defeat King Abdul declines the call to arms and orders our men to march back into Arabia. He is quoted later as saying "There is no use in propping up a corpse." Many view this as dishonorable by the King while others view it as a military necessity.

In one last gamble, the under supplied and outgunned armies of Persia and Egypt engage the Dutch in Sidi Barrani. What follows next would be a massacre of biblical proportions. Cavalry and militia would be mowed down in the thousands by Dutch machine guns and artillery.

In Baghdad, Militant Socialists rise up against our army garrisoned in the city. They are made up of mostly young students and former Turkish soldiers. They are suppressed with haste but many blame the Turks for this revolt. What follows next would be a 6 month span known as the "Baghdad Affair" in which King Abdul demanded reparations from the Turks for the damage done to Baghdad. Eventually tensions die down but King Abdul promises the people of Arabia that they will have vengeance.

In June, King Abdul is invited by Queen Victoria to meet in London. This trip is meant to strengthen ties between our two nations and further British influence in the region. King Abdul and his family are given a grand tour of London and the surrounding areas in a very highly publicized trip. The diplomatic negotiations go well enough that a military alliance is forged between our Kingdom and theirs.

King Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud
This picture was taken during the King's trip to London. He is the first member of House Saud to be photographed as photography is still an emerging practice.

In October, King Abdul begins to justify war on the Turkish. The King receives backing from the United Kingdom and has the strength of his people behind him!

The nations of Europe, particularly France, attempt to dissuade us from declaring war. With the British behind us Arabia cannot be stopped!

Egypt continues to crumble as the Austro-Hungarians declare war for Sinai. Rebels seize Cairo and execute Sultan Hussein Kamel and the Royal Family. King Abdul is saddened greatly by this news but does not dwell on it, as he has a war to plan.

Right before war is declared the Socialist Republic is overthrown and Communists take over to declare a Socialist Republic. Soon that red flag will be torn down and replaced by something different.

Our people are mobilized and given a two week basic training course on how to operate a rifle before being shipped off to the border. Men young and old march side by side for the first time to fight for Arabia!

War is declare to seize the Kut enclave and secure our Eastern border! Our British allies gladly join to defeat the Communist scum.

The British aid our army in liberating Basra, proving their loyalty.

To the west, our mobilized armies march into Lebanon. They are engaged by a rabble of Marxist militias and soon the battle turns into our favor. The Turkish schoolboys are run from the field of battle by our brave citizens' militia!

General al-Karim continues to inspire his soldiers for King and Country and deliver results.

A contingent of our mobilized forces is caught in Ruwayshid and forced to surrender. They will be avenged!

March 21st marks both a day of celebration and a day of remembrance. The main Turkish army is routed out of our nation and a secondary army is defeated entirely at the cost of 15,000 Arabian young men.

We continue to pursue the fleeing Turkish army but they still inflict very heavy casualties. Their determination and valor is all for naught however as the war ends in early May.

Egypt ceases to exist some time in early February as it is carved up between European nations. We begin to increase relation with Austria-Hungary to ensure our Western border is secure.

As the decade comes to an end, the Kingdom is swept with a wave of Nationalism and Religious Fervor. A number of religious and military leaders begin to call for the unification of the Arabian Peninsula and the expulsion of British from the region. The idea of "Greater Arabia" quickly becomes a talking point among politicians and citizens alike.

With cores on the rest of the peninsula, King Abdul looks south for our nation's next conquest.

Map of Arabia (1890)
And so the decade ends. To the west, Africa devolves into a chaotic mess of colonialism and conquest as our longest and most loyal ally, Egypt is annexed. We continue to beat back the Turkish and we sit on the cusp of becoming a secondary power. House Saud and our Kingdom will persevere, inshallah. Allāhu Akbar!