Colonisation and expansion part3

In this the final part of the Colonisation and expansion tale of early Oronegro we focus on the final acts of Oronegro before the year 1730... a time of consolidation but also great threat, old friends become foes and old foes rear their heads once more. It was a time where Oronegro once more decided to show herself the equal of any great power and also shock the world with her bold and sometimes brutal actions. the 17th century may have been a relative time of peace for Oronegro but the 18th could see war and death on a scale that may surprise those who do not expect much from such a small place.

below is a map printed in 1758 of the west of Oronegro as it was in those days... although the lands actually extended far to the east almost to the boarders of Oronegro in the year 2000. however this was the heart of the nation and its life blood. there is no scale see caption for details.

as with most maps of Oronegro there is no scale because Oronegro is a very large place and it would threaten many in this earth to see how big it really is, HOWEVER if you take the width of the Oronegro's river mouth at La Tierra del diablo to be around 0.5 km you will have a reasonable scale.

1690 was a tense year in Oronegro with the Nine Year's War or the War of the Grand Alliance being fought in Europe and all the different Colonies around the world, it seemed certain Oronegro would have to side itself with one of the combatants or face possible invasion from any or all of the nations involved.
But taking sides was against one of Oronegro's founding principals: To be neutral to all sides so long as both sides could claim to be the homeland of many Oronegreans. This mean Oronegro could not take sides as France could claim to be the homeland distant or otherwise of almost 26% of Oronegreans, and on the other side Britain claimed 24% and Spain 37% with many of the other European combatants claiming around 42% of the population. This was a problem However Oronegro had one trick up its sleeve. For deep in One of Germany's parallel lands was that small state where long ago in the 16th century Lord Wolf the rightful ruled with his Oronegrean wife. Eliza daughter of Juan Carlos founder of Oronegro and the first of the many powerful Mayors of Oronegro.
By now the little German state was a small insignificant principality pushed about by its neighbours, Yet it was a state and one which Mayor Samuel Jose the former general now declared Oronegro's whole and secure Ally.
It was strange first of all as a mayor you needed to be part of the family of Juan Carlos, Samuel barely qualified and as such was not seen as a legitimate leader... also it was the democratically elected Prime Ministers Job to run the state and deal with foreign affairs.
However Mayor Samuel was although only just a distant relation to Juan Carlos and as such could qualify for Mayor, also despite being democratic Oronegro was practically a constitutional monarchy and as Mayor Samuel could make these decisions, though there was no rule that anyone had to do them.
The Principalities current crown Prince was Michael von Oronegro. the Title Von Oronegro had been retained  ever since Eliza had been at the families head. Michael had little care for his families history the war in the Germany of this world made the principality the target of many of its neighbours in their smallish parallel world. They were for some reason allied to France seeing a chance perhaps to extend their power beyond the valley that made up the land into the rest of Germany beyond the tunnel of trees to the north and the cave below the mountain waterfall to the south. Prince Michael and the Principality looked doomed. Then came the news from across aurora covered sea! HELP WAS COMING!!! a Whole legion of Oronegro's finniest and many thousands more of the Reservist was coming to his aid.
To Britain, Spain and the other members of the Grand Alliance this was Oronegro's show of allegiance to them. To France and her allies Oronegro was just helping a small friend with little connection the war. This was due to some skillful words and clever actions made by Oronegrean diplomats and the Military.
in march 1691 the army Landed in Northern Germany and began its long march to the tunnel of Trees, it passed many lands inspiring awe as it passed. None hindered it all watched it. River boats were accompanying them up the rivers to where the river from the hidden valley emerged. it took them several weeks to get there but when they passed under the massive wide tunnel made by the branches of trees larger than any the soldiers had ever seen they entered a place that could not physically fit on any map of this world, Just like Oronegro.

the siege of Kaltburg the principalities capital in 1690-1691

The vanguard emerged from the tunnel as ink from a pen writing the tale of a war that even the great powers would never had predicted! crested helmets wear the first to appear signifying that these men were of el ejército primero. However this blue mass of infantry was followed by cavalry, cuirassiers, dragoons and a mixture of other horsemen, behind them was the centuries of grenadiers and fanned out around them were the cazadores. Suddenly behind the blue came the red after the cannons and artillery came the red-coats and tricorns of the thousands of reservists members of the el ejército segundo. Like a river flowing in the opposite to the one on their left they marched into the valley, although they passed through hostile territory at the tunnels mouth, none came to oppose them, they reached Sattel a small town known for its horses. Here under the midday sun many men from the great farming plane broke from the marching column and leaped onto their new, somewhat startled mounts. There was only a token of resistance a few shot from the window of the town hall, which was answered with a laugh from the soldiers surrounding the building, this brought the ashamed defenders and councilors out with their heads hung and their pride gone. 
The Army camped there that night hoping to draw out some foes. With no loss of life they had taken and now secured a position, in which an estimated 9300 Oronegreans now slept. sentries watched through the night as a few of their comrades went back and forth between town and the woods bringing lumber for constructing defences in the narrow streets. every entrance to the town was blocked with a barricade, this included the back doors of all the houses on the outskirts, every house facing the fields around the town and those looking out over the river that ran through it had their windows turned into gun slits boarded up to allow  defenders to shoot out unseen.
The next morning on the 21st of June 1691 saw an army of Grasdamm close in on the small town, whose population had more than doubled the previous day. they walked up to the houses not noticing anything out of the ordinary until the first shots rang out, to late they noticed the strange shutters with vertical and horizontal slits. the first ranks fell back to regroup but now the second and third wave charged the houses from where the fire came. they found the doors almost impossible to break down and by the town they were in the defenders were gone. those who ran through the streets had to fight for every meter, every house hid soldiers each corner hid a barricade, each time they broke down a door defenders ran along rooftops and through hidden passage ways to get to the next building.

fighting in the centre of Sattel, the funneled army of Baron Franke von Grasdamm. found it a cauldron of death

It all came to a head in the afternoon then the army of Baron Franke von Grasdamm entered the Plaza. the sound of gunfire was still prevalent in the smaller streets of Sattel but the roof runners and the passages that the small Grasdamm army found lead to that place. they entered not expecting much there was a small wall that blocked off one half of the square, however apart from that there was nothing there. Suddenly the doors around them exploded the cannons of the Oronegrean artillery were hidden on the ground floor of the towns large central buildings then from above came more gunfire and on the other side of the wall they could see soldiers emerging from the town hall.

by 5pm it was all over the Barons army was cut off as the defenders who had hidden in basements  and attics emerged blocking off the ways in and out of Sattel. the men of Grasdamm surrendered immediately and the Baron after he was found hiding in the bathroom of a baker negotiated peace with Oronegro. With Grasdamm out the way and the river free from foes up to the grassy dam of Grasdamm the river ships joined the army in the valley and after being raised up the river they sailed across the lake behind and began to support the crown prince. he had been besieged Kaltburg for a year now and was totally surprised by the appearance of Oronegrean boats and soldiers, he had expected monetary aid but not physical military support. By 1692 the war in the valley was over and the principality of Kaltburg was now dominant in that region. the Oronegrean army sailed home leaving some military advisers and specialists behind but also taking home many willing settlers and lots of loot.

This was the first of many actions Oronegro would be involved in all over the world as she showed off her somewhat oversizes military muscles. However their actions made some enemies closer to home many of the smaller European colonies along the coast from Oronegro declared war and invaded seeing what they thought of as Oronegrean aggression towards France. some even thought that Oronegro had showed Britain and Spain disrespect. By 1695 Oronegro was at war with 5 neighboring states; these were Oroblanco, Playalargo, Costaplata, New Dunedin and
nouveau Paris.
Oroblanco was the first to fall its capital La Fortuna was taken on the 21st April 1695 after a war only lasting 3 days. the small nation was attacked solely by a cavalry force, before its small infantry force could form up for a battle it wound all its undefended villages raided and empty. They surrendered on the third day as rumours of a large infantry force approaching and the devastation wrought by the cavalry was too much for the council of La Fortuna to take.
Playalargo was on the coastline  between La Ley and La Esperanza, it was based in the small port of Costa Buena. Playalargo had long lived in peace with Oronegro, allowing Oronegrean armies to pass through quite often so long as a large fee was payed, however now they declared Oronegro an enemy of Spain! They claimed although Oronegro had fought against some allies of France this had been done in their own interests and not as a show of allegiance to Spain, they also cited Oronegro's quick return home and lack of action on the main fronts as a sign of her contempt for the Spanish king. Playalargo fought for many years and it was 1697 before Costa buena was assaulted and held  by Oronegrean marines before the army of Mayor Samuel arrived to secure the claim.
Costa Plata was based on the Isla del fuego, the island ships first past after crossing the aurora, it was invaded in 1694 but total control was not established until 1697. the capital El puerto grande was taken without a fight in 1695 to the great surprise of its citizens. The famed silver reserves on the island brought more wealth to Oronegro and its new 68,000 settlers brought more man-power to the state.
New Dunedin which was mainly settled by Scots was based to the north of the La Esperanza river mouth and asked for peace in 1698 after marines attacked its capital in June of that year. Nouveau Paris also asked for terms but as it was further around the great Oronegrean bay it was not invaded and as such its power remained stronger. The final peace was established in 1700 as the final guerrillas emerged from the jungle and the last of the riots were quelled. Oronegro enjoyed a brief respite but its wars had not pleased any of its larger mother countries and they began in secret to arm some of Oronegro's most powerful foe's as well as those who it had just established peace with.

the signing of the peace treaty of Costabuena in 1698 that meant Nouveau Paris would end the 6 year war it had with Oronegro during which it had not been invaded and only briefly cut off form France.

The start of the 18th century was brought in with great fireworks in La Ley, La Esperanza and smaller celebrations all over Oronegro. Oronegro had proved itself a powerful nation and one that even the large superpowers had to take into account! the next 20 years past with little incident although there was war in Europe and else where this only helped Oronegro grow as refugees added to the already large population. It was a boom time in Oronegro as traders exploited their new found wealth and Pirates were kept at bay by the increasingly well trained Oronegrean navy. By 1720 there were 1,365,218 people in Oronegro according to the census of that year, with a possible margin or error of + or - 300 people. Oronegro became a powerhouse of innervation as well as strange devices appeared and usually disappeared in the streets of the capital. there was steam powered elevator type thing built in Oronegro's port in 1719 though it proved unreliable and noisy and so was removed. Canals were planned and roads improved, there was an influx of Muslim settlers also in 1713 which brought the camel to Oronegro in sufficient numbers to warrant a camel farm in the arid valley of el Minero.

Things seemed to be going well until 1725 when Oronegro was once again attacked by pirates like those 100 years before this time the raid was much more effective and La Ley was almost totally lost many soldiers, marines and civilians were lost and once more the saving factor came from La Esperanza... this was just the beginning Kaxad was rising the land of Oronegro was going to go once more through a time of terror and pain as its neighbors, old foes and pirates all decided to attack in succession and at some times in unison.

The time of Colonisation and expansion was over now it was the time of War and conquest!!!