|
The Phoenix Programs |
| Even during the last days of Operation Revival, as
Egyptian forces swept through Paris and Dijon, it was recognized by
Egyptian strategists that tube artillery was becoming increasingly
obsolete. Given the need to rebuild France after the war, these artillery
units were moved into French cities as engineers, and to a large degree,
this early Phoenix Program was responsible for getting France back up
and running, even while the war was still going on. After the war, the Immortal Hapshetsut (may she be praised!) faced a daunting task. The Egyptian military had over 100 surplus regiments to get rid of[1]. The solution was the second Phoenix Program. While Egyptian engineer units rebuilt a land damaged by decades of war, excess Egyptian military units were disbanded in France, providing a nucleus of loyal Egyptians, as well as a large boost in industrial capacity. The Phoenix Programs were brought to the northern colonies in 1780, after Iroquois Bremen, attracted by the quality of life in New Thebes, asked to become part of Egypt. In that same year, the Egyptian army completed its demobilization, and the second Phoenix Program was declared complete. |
| [1] - 23 cavalry, 51 infantry, 44 motorized infantry, 32 armor, and 27 engineers, to be exact. All the cavalry and infantry, and most of the armor is scheduled for destruction. |
|
Peace and Trade |
| The year 1780 was the Year of the Great Peace. India
and the Iroquois signed a treaty, and England and Babylon did the same[1]. Egypt entered a state of semi-isolationism, maintaining
trade but content to let the rest of the world kill itself while Egypt
rebuilt the province of France and developed her technological lead.
In 1782, wireless communication was developed in Gutenberg,
heralding the birth of the modern age. By the 1790s, the new French territories were conquered, and in 1796 a civil government replaced the military occupation forces in Marseille[2]. Egypt's position on the world stage began to suffer, as the nations of the world began charging exorbitant rates for luxury goods. Egyptian traders paid anyway, as wealth flowed through Egypt like water. Egyptian technological supremacy continued, and Egyptian scientists at the Gutenberg Institute were the first to split the atom in 1796. They envisioned great wonders possible with this new power, but alas, Egypt had no uranium. The nearest sources were in England and the Iroquois Confederacy, and the Immortal Hapshetsut (may she be praised!) was reluctant to start another war for what might prove to be little gain. The world at large settled down into a shifting web of alliances and treachery, with nations declaring war and peace at the drop of a hat. Egypt, as she always had, sat out these petty conflicts, preferring to trade peacefully and secure in the knowledge that she possessed the power to crush the barbarians like gnats if required. The world apparently knew this, and confined their aggression to uneven trade pacts[3]. Egypt's sole problem entering the 1800s was overcrowding in the cities, and high industrial pollution, which required a large number of cleanup crews. In 1806, Egypt suddenly woke up to find the entire world at war. The alliances involved were confusing to all. The Iroquois were at war with both England and Rome, who were in turn at war with each other. Rome was in turn at war with Babylon, who was at war with the Iroquois as well, and America. England was at war with India, who was in turn at war with Rome. India had at one point apparently been at war with America as well, and had taken a long strip of cities down the west coast of America. Egypt reacted by sending observers to most of the armies, as well as refining their combat tactics from Operation Revival. In 1808, a little-known company in Men-Nefer named Egyptian Business Machines[4] began marketing the first computers. These machines quickly revolutionized Egyptian life, and EBM quickly became the richest company in Egypt. In 1812, Egypt was once again shocked as India began work on an atomic bomb - the Manhattan Project. The Immortal Hapshetsut (may she be praised!) once again did nothing, knowing that it was highly unlikely that any potential nuclear weapons would be used on Egypt. Military budgeting did increase, and the review of Operation Revival brought the development of a new Joint High Command and a new command center, the Pentagon[5], equipped with the latest communications and computer equipment. In addition, the secrets of fission were traded to the English in return for advanced aircraft designs and amphibious warfare training. In 1822, the Immortal Hapshetsut (may she be praised!) signed the Egyptian Allied Free Trade Agreement (EAFTA[6]). The trade sparked by EAFTA brought still more wealth into Egypt, and Egyptian freighters began shipping increasing tonnages of luxury goods and raw materials[7] to foreign countries. Egypt became, if it wasn't already, the most loved nation in a world filled with enemies[8]. Also in 1822, EBM began testing large-scale computer networking. These tests proved successful beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and within the year the "Internet[9]" connected all cities in Egypt, allowing unprecedented communication. A competing Indian network never got off the ground. 1824 saw the first successful tests of anti-aircraft missiles in Avignon. Why these missiles were under development in the first place is unclear, since Egypt had no real use for them, but an advanced battery of these new "SAMs" was set up near Avignon in any case[10]. Ten years after the invention of the Internet, EBM announced the opening of it's SETI Institute in Qefnu. Soon after, they began promulgating[11] theories on global warming and the protection of the environment. This ecological movement was popular in Egypt, which had long suffered from outbreaks of pollution. Mass transit systems, the best way to deal with the pollution in Egypt's overcrowded cities, started popping up like flies. Meanwhile a new National Parks campaign was started, and many areas in the former France were made into tourist attractions. Meanwhile, on the world stage, Hammurabbi apparently suffered a mental breakdown, declaring war on India, America, and the Iroquois in short order. Egyptian journalists were thus present for the surrender of Nippur to American troops later in the year[12]. In 1834, England announced that it had successfully detonated an atomic bomb near London. Fortunately for the world, the delivery systems for this new weapon were a long time in the making[13]. Hammurabbi's War, as it came to be called, was a disaster for Babylon right from the beginning. Within a short time of the declaration, Babylon's overseas colonies had fallen to India and America, and American troops were advancing on Babylon itself. Babylon, 1836 AD: In 1844, scientists at the SETI Institute announced the
development of new materials they called "plastics[14]."
Egyptian military designers quickly seized on this development, and
soon new armored fighting vehicles were rolling off the production lines
to outfit Egyptian garrison troops. Babylon at the Fall, 1886 AD: In 1892, the Egyptian Intelligence Service began a
large-scale recruitment of foreign spies. Roman and English secret
police quickly arrested the spy rings started in those countries, but
other rings were more successful, quickly revealing the military strengths
of the rest of the world. America was a good age behind, with
infantry and armor the mainstay of their forces. India had a more
modern military, although everything but the Indian navy was at least
fifty years behind Egyptian standards. The Iroquois military was truly
pathetic, even farther behind the American military. |
| [1] - In case it isn't clear,
most of the world is having giant wars for no reason right now. [2] - In other words, I built a colonial administration there, which is like having a second Forbidden Palace. I effectively have three capitols now, which is GREAT for corruption. [3] - 3 luxuries, 30 gold per turn in return for a single luxury. Ow. [4] - Yes, I know. I needed a name. [5] - This is maybe the 5th time ever that I've built this. [6] - <grin> [7] - Elizabeth decided she needed horses for some reason. Do her tanks suck that bad? I'm also bankrolling Caesar's brand new rail network. [8] - Pity I turned off diplomatic victory, eh? [9] - One of the wonders from my mod. Modern age version of the Great Library, never goes obsolete. [10] - I was building a SAM battery? <shrug> [11] - Wonder how bad I misspelled that. [edit]As it happens, I didn't.[/edit] [12] - Let's attack EVERYONE on our continent! Yeah! [13] - Although some sort of nuclear-capable bomber would be a cool idea for a later revision of my mod. Things are gonna get scary when people start getting Space Flight. [14] - New tech in my mod, comes after Ecology, required for Synth Fibers and Space Flight, as well as Recycling. And it allows Mech Inf as opposed to Computers. [15] - Longevity? I never build Longevity... [16] - New mod tech, available with rocketry, needed for stealth. Gives jet fighters, jet bombers (yes, another new unit), and the American F-15. [17] - Onlookers are invited to ponder the irony of America providing a Middle Eastern nation uranium for use in nuclear weapons. ;) [18] - Technically, he's got a bigger military than I do, but I'm vastly superior in technology, I can crank a modern armor in 40+ cities every 2 turns, and, of course, I have 7 ICBMs and 6 tac nukes. |