Sorry for the delay, I'd have updated yesterday but my connection crapped out.
The Bihari Horde rolls into Assam, occupying their capital and placing the Shah's cousin under guard. Andhaira XIV intends to make it perfectly clear that any betrayal of Andhairavidism will not be tolerated.
The Horde moves deeper into Assamese territory, smashing the Hindu army and occupying the province of Brahmaputra (Fraps decided not to take those two pictures, it was just about 12,000 men and resulted in a complete rout).
The Assamese are allowed to keep their independence, but their continued heathen blasphemy is intolerable. The Assamese Raja, in exchange for continued political independence, agrees to adopt Sikhism as the state religion of Assam. The Bihari Horde is promptly removed from Assamese territory. A Sikh wedding is arranged between the Baluchi and Assamese branches of Andhairavid, reaffirming the old bond between the two states.
The Raja will make a good Sikh. The majority of his court nobles also convert, to curry favour with their monarch. Along with the nobility, a significant portion of city dwellers adopt the new faith. This is a glorious day for worshipers of the Great Goat.
But what is this? The Tibetan Buddhist Imperialist Yak-eaters (for the Yak is the slave race of the heavenly Goats, and is therefore a sacred body) seek to snuff out this bastion of Indo-Chinese Sikhism! Of course, the Shah declares his intention to crush the Tibetans. The Bihari Horde is mobilised against the Buddhists. This war will reaffirm the glorious Andhairavid Alliance.
Uncouth sodomites.
The Assamese Raja has laid siege to Bhutan, while the Tibetans seem to be moving around to besiege Assam itself. The Shah orders the Bihari Horde to aid the Assamese in occupying the lower areas of Tibet, and to crush any Tibetan forces near Nepal or Assam.
Tibet's allies quickly abandon the war. The Tibetans themselves have so far only mustered about 11,000 men against Andhaira, and that army is currently nowhere to be seen. This war looks like it'll be a walkover.
A large swathe of Tibetan territory is occupied (How my men manage to occupy horrendously inhospitable mountain terrain I do not know) while the Tibetans have yet to show themselves. The going is hard, but the Bihari Commander urges his men onwards, for the Shah and the Great Goat.
But, the Shah calls his men back, lest he lose a Horde in the high mountains. The Tibetans agree to pay a small tribute to the Shah, and to temporarily discard all designs on Assamese territory.
Back home, with the plague becoming a distant memory, things are going well. The province of Surat can now be considered an integral province of the Empire, while further South all attempts at revolt have been successfully put down by Andhairavid forces.
You bastards.
This foul abomination of our faith has been cleansed!
I don't know either.
Finding some time between the almost constant warfare, the Shah begins a construction plan, aimed towards improving dreadfully underdeveloped port infrastructure along the Northwest coast. This plan includes shipyards, lighthouses, warehouses, and so on. The Shah hopes that in several years time, the Empire will be able to call itself a premier naval power in the East, if only by sheer weight of numbers.
Meanwhile, Ceylon is looking particularly tempting, what with an 11 base tax capital and absolutely no allies...
The Shah hasn't been idle about his Hordes. Over 20,000 reserves have been added to the standing army, bringing the Bahmanid Horde to 25,000 men and creating another 14,000 strong Horde. A small transport fleet has also been constructed. The Shah intends for the new Horde to single-handedly conquer and garrison Ceylon, confirming Andhairavid dominance in the Bay of Bengal. The declaration of war is sent, and the new Horde boards the transports.
Buddhists are the best kind of enemy, they set themselves on fire so you don't have to. M:
It would appear that shipbuilding and improving port infrastructure give the Admiralty a furiously powerful erection.
Meanwhile, a quick look at the religious map for those interested.
Korales is captured, leaving only a few scattered settlements in the north, and forcing the Ceylonese fleet out into open waters.
The outcome is hardly in doubt. The Andhairavid Admiral even manages to capture a few choice prizes for his Shah (Note the imaginative ship names).
Jaffna is captured. For the sake of glory, the Shah has personally demanded that formal annexation be postponed until after a second victory over the Ceylonese fleet.
That's Buddhists for you, not the best seamen.
Ceylon is Andhairavid! The Ceylonese people have been liberated from years of Buddhist oppression in a glorious War of Peace! This island will prove a great asset to the Emerald Empire, for not only is it rich, but it is strategically placed should the Shah ever desire to exert his will over Indonesia or China.