The Norwegian Saga, Victoria 2 AAR, PART 9

A Mad World; Road to War.
1890, Oslo, Norway.
Am i to blame, he asked himself. Was i not in the right? did the end justify the means?
King Haakon could never foresee this. The Eastern coast of Africa is taken. A massive force is besieging Finland. His reputation abroad, is utterly destroyed. The enemies are everywhere, from the jungles of Africa, to the very doorstep of Norway. His Great Father build this country from nothing. Is Haakon about to destroy it?

A seemingly uncontected series of events led to this moment. A seires of events, that the smug historians of tomorrow will use to point fingers, most likely at Haakon. Fate, it seems, has finally arrived. Will Haakon succumb to the fate he is given? Will he let his people down?

No, not today, he thinks to himself. Norway shall endure. For it has always been our destiny to change the world. And it shall be changed, for good or worse.

This is the story of how the First Great War came to be, and the beginning of the troublesome times. The time of Struggles and insecurity. Poverty and famine. Death and destruction.

Theese are the Days of Jugdement.

Norway, 1882 at the hight of its power, a looming force, backed up by a impressive economic and military apparatus. The home of a thousand different tribes and nationalities. A Great Power, some would even say the greates.

The French, eager to retake long lost lands, ask for Norwegian support against the Germans. Norway, happy to help its allies, agrees.

French and German troops engaged in combat, near the Rhine. The French learned much from the previous war with germany, and was a worthy opponent.

Norway Mobilizes her reservists and cross the Danish-Norwegian border.

A Major skirmish commences at the border. A great opportunity to test the "mighty" Germans.

They prove to be a easy match.

Meanwhile, the African expantion is well under way, only contested by the eager british.

The seamless connection between east and west is nearing completion.

Ribe and Flensburg turn into the mayor battlefields of the Northern front, with Norway winning both battles.

This demoralizes the Germans sufficiently enough to return the rightfull French land. The war ended as quickly as it had started.

The race for Africa demands more holdings, and a local tribe is a easy picking.

The English decide to compete for the belly of Africa. A situation that suits Haakon just fine, giving him more room for expantion in other areas.

The Heart of Africa is finaly settled, and Norway is now officially the ruler of Africa.

Somalia and Ethiopia still stand in the way of total hegemony on the Horn of Africa, and both are invaded.

The growing Norwegian influence allows the annexation of the island of Madagascar. The norwegian hegemony over Africa is growing, day by day.

And with great power, comes even greater ambitions. Central Europe has long been a bumbling mess, oppressed by two declining empires, the Austrians, and Russia. King Haakon, backed by the elected goverment, Sees a oppertunity to rearrange the oppressed peoples into subjects loyal to the liberating Norwegians.

Most of Africa is now subjugated, only the most savage and unhabitable jungles and desert are left alone, for now.

After several days in the meeting room, the Norwegian council has come up with a suggestion: the Liberation of the Polish Kingdom. It has claims on large tracts of land, and should be a valuable ally.

Meanwhile, a Latvian demonstration takes a turn for the worse, when shots are fired, and several protesters die in the affair. The Latvians proove to be much less willing in accepting Norwegian rule.

The Kongolese contest with England is starting to wear thin, as Norwegian funds to the colonial holdings are diminishing. Great progress is reported in other parts of the jungle though.

War! The Germans are ambushed by a English and Russian coalition, demanding Russian cores returned. The German warmachine turns it´s wheels towards the Russians, hoping to secure victory before the English can arrive.

King Haakon, the beloved son of Norway, is starting to tire from the constant briefings, meetings and general stress of daily life, has decided to let the elected storting take most of the resposibility. Haakon still reserves the right to controll the armed forces, and to hold a veto against any acts of the parlament.

The dethroning sermony, celebrating the King´s willingness to let the people rule. One can only asume the decition was heavy to bear for the now middle aged king.

More Ethiopian Holdings are claimed, in a rather short and uninterresting war, designed to keep the Italians from conquering more lands than necessary.

after a while, the German offensive grinds to a halt, and is forced to return to the homeland, where a British expeditionary force has invaded.

Norway senses a valuable opportunity. The Danes shall have their rightfull lands back.

Henrik Smaalbråten of the Royal Guard, is tasked in handling the invasion of Germany. The French can handle themselves.

every available force is sendt across the border, besieging several key cities.

the french also make great headway, pushing far into german speaking regions.

A battle of epic proportions are taking place in Schwering, where the North German army is waiting

One of the many failed German offensives of the battle, ensuing the death of many soldiers. It was to be the bloodiest battle of the war, and broke the German back for good.

The peace deal is Harsh, but fair. The Danish cores are returned, and the Polish lands controled by Germany is to be released.

A old nation, cursed with centuries of decline and fall, has now arisen yet again. Norway is yet to see if the investment will pay off.

A Norwegian honour guard on parade in the Polish capital, celebrating the newly founded country.

King Haakon also made a showing, talking to the newly apointed King of the Poles. Christian Fredrickson, A Norwegian Royal, is elected as a sign of good faith, and continued friendship between the two nations.

But, this is but the beginning of a new era. Great ambition needs great actions, and there are more oppressed countries, just waiting to be freed. The Hungarians, long enslaved by the Austrians, are crying for help. And Norway shall answer.

On March 3rd, the Norwegian forces cross the border into Austria, via the puppet state of Serbia. Little did the Norwegian people know what long term effects this fatal decition would have.

Little of this mattered to Haakon, for he saw a vision that day. A vision of a free Europe, ruled by the enlightened people of scandinavia. The end shall justify the means. For it is at has always been; the Norwegian people is fated to change the world. And so they shall, yet again.

Although this time, things would truly never be the same again.

(thank you for reading this instalment, see you in the next exiting episode!)