Sons of Shiva, Soldiers of Allah: an alternative Champa.

Sons of Shiva
Soldiers of Allah!
Conquerors of Thăng Long
Warriors of the Cham!

So long as one Cham live
Champa is not dead!
Lands taken by enemies
Will again be Cham!

====================

Galleon of the Spaniards
Junks of China!
Sailors of the Che Bunga
Wrecks of Vietnam!

So long as one Cham live
Champa is not dead!
Lands taken by enemies
Will again be Cham!

====================

Swords from the Portuguese,
Cannons from the Dutch!
Muskets from the Turks
Fear of the Cham!

So long as one Cham live
Champa is not dead!
Lands taken by enemies
Will again be Cham!
===================

A young cadet singing this at a graduation ceremony in Indrapura, Champa knew quite well about the history behind this song. So how, she wondered, would things turn out, if history did not take a dramatic turn in 1406?
 
I'm going to REALLY start this thread in a week, just post this as a placeholder, in case I forget what I've been thinking 2 years.
 
Featherless Phonix, Rising Dragon

Since Champa lacks historical records, I am forced to use Vietnamese names for Cham figure. Every name that starts with a Chế is a Cham

13 May 1402 Emperor Jianwen of the of the Ming Dynasty China received the news: The Prince of Yan, his rebelling uncle had managed to Capture Yangzhou, an inch way from the capital Nanjing. The emperor rejected one of his ministers' advice to call the troops in the provinces to defend Nanjing and hold peace talks with his uncle as a delaying tactic. (POD)

15 May 1402 Instead, the emperor fled, secretly, south with a few thousand cavalrymen and a few dozen generals and ministers.

13 July 1402 The Prince of Yan captured Nanjing, only to find out that the Palace was empty, with all the eunuchs killed for being the Prince of Yan's spy. Most of the concubines and ministers have already fled south.

15 July 1402 News reaches that the Jianwen emperor has established himself in Nanchang, rallying the provincial troops and with a decree condemning his uncle, putting a price on his head.

21 July 1402 Provincial governors and local military commanders from the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Huguang, and Fujian were summoned to Nanchang, swearing their loyalty to the emperor against the Prince of Yan. This was seen as the the beginning of a thirty year period of disunion in China, know as the Northern and Southern Ming. The latter also included the provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong and Yunnan.

30 July 1402 The Cham king Jaya Simhavarman V's ambassadors reached Fuzhou, knowing the newest developments in the Ming Civil War.

1402 The new Vietnamese Census and Draft legislation made the previous year(1401), which ordered every male above two years old to be documented, and every adult from 16 to 60 to be enlisted, has taken full effect in this year, dramatically increase the number of conscripts in the Vietnamese army and navy.

The Vietnamese High Emperor, Hồ Quý Ly, an usurper, boasted that he will have "a million troops" against a possible Chinese invasion. But it's clear to Champa that, China, with a civil war going on, was unlikely to invade Vietnam any time soon, and these new conscripts might be used against Champa.

August 1402
, Emperor Hồ Hán Thương launches a massive invasion of Champa, battles ensued causing both armies to lose their generals (Đình Đại Trung丁大中 of Vietnam, Chế Tra Nan 制吒難 of Champa.). The Cham king Jaya Simhavarman V called for peace, sending two elephants, one white and one black as gift, and ceded Indrapura (Cổ Lũy động 古壘洞) and Amaravati (Chiem Dong 占洞) to Vietnam, who set up four new provinces.

The Vietnamese emperor sent a defected Cham prince Chế Ma Nô Đà Nan (制麻奴㐌難, the elder son of Po Binasuor) as the governor of the recently conquered former Cham provinces.

1 Sept. 1402 The North took half of Zhejiang, north of Qiantang River, but was unable to push any further.

Sept. 1402
Vietnam raised taxes of its people.

15 Oct. 1402
The North defeated on Yangtze trying to take Wuchang, stalemate ensued. This revealed the biggest disadvantage a Northern Chinese army may face trying to conquer the south: Water. Indeed, the Northern and Southern Ming wars was characterized by stalemates on land, decisive river and naval battles and rapid buildup of river fleets and navies.

March 1402 Vietnam encouraged(forced) landless peasants to migrate to the recently conquered provinces, promising free land and buffaloes. However, the policy was extremely unpopular as lot's of migrants died on the way to the new provinces as ships wrecked.

to be continued. (hint, the fact that China was in Civil War will change policies of both Vietnam and Champa)
 
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