1464-1482 (711-729 AD) (L'Uniona Homanus)

The Zulu and Corporatocracy
In the Zulu Republic a new sort of government had begun to take root. Being a mostly rural area, all the people moving into the large cities had no experience in most of the methods of government. The Zulu Republic was the first African nation to have more people living in cities than in the country. Those who did have this experience were the business owners and they used their advantage to take what they needed. The new businesses also had experience in world markets and trade. They were quickly able to monopolize the businesses in the continent but new waves of reformers, with ideas from the Roman Empire, wanted to prevent the monopolies from growing past their early stage. The monopolies had to act fast before they would be divided. The first thing they did was initiate several reforms inside of their company to provide increased standards of living for their workers. Their tremendous profits were redirected to health care, benefits, raises, and work safety. This was done so that the demagogues against monopolies could not claim that these great business giants were causing harm to the people.

This was by far not the most extensive of the monopolists programs. They moved out many millions of Zulu Crowns, their currency, into bribing the some legislators and the Consul. The businessmen defeated the anti-monopolists in 1425 (672 AD). They followed then by using the government to put their desires into law. In the new world the Zulu, who had been dormant from their last expansion, became aggressive again.

The Second Tremembe War and the Patagon War
The Tremembe buffer state created by the Roman Empire had fallen into neglect by its mother country. The Tremembe were now no longer to as robust in their defenses and the Zulu were once again ready to try and take this tribe and its territory. The Zulu moved in first through the sea, in ships designed to look Roman. The Tremembe became a new class of people in the Zulu colony. The practice of enslaving people had grown out of style in African cultures since the growth of industrialization. The Tremembe, being the first of an organized people to be conquered, needed to be removed from their idea that they were civilized or equal. The Tremembe became the first of the tribes enslaved by Africans.

Following their success against the Tremembe the Zulu proceeded to try and make a monopoly on the water route around New Africa. The area Captain Crispian named Patagonia after the tribe of tall natives in the region became a strategic target for the Zulu as they realized that trade through this strait would become increasingly important. The natives of Patagonia were known for their violent opposition to foreigners, not only those from other continents but other tribes in the region. Some hypothesized that it was due to the severity of their environment that they mistrust what is unfamiliar, but, others dismiss them entirely as simply “uncivilized” or “barbarians.” Either way the Zulu intended to subjugate them.

The Patagon was met not only with the opposition of the native Patagonians but also by many African nations. The Siddharthists, being the closest to this region, believed that they had a right to this land. The Otjomouise and the Bantu believed that the Zulu’s power grab threatened a balance of power that existed between the four African Empires. Should the Zulu control what they believed would become an important trade route, then money would flow to them with full force. The Zulu expected such opposition and were prepared to forge some sort of attack against as many of their neighbors as they needed or for as long as possible for them before the oppositions gave up.

The Zulu moved into Patagonia in the winter of 1432 (679 AD) and were again very fortunate in the conditions of the area at the time. A plague among the Patagons had reduced their numbers and thus their defenses were quickly disintegrated. What force they met was not cumbersome to defeat. The Zulu then spread out through the southern portion of the continent but only a small amount inland. The business leaders that took control of the Zulu Republic were waiting for one or all of the other African nations to declare war. They were surprised that it did not come. The centers of trade for the Patagonians were in the north and south. The city of Folami (Rawson, Argentina) took in and exported things from most of the other African powers and the southern city of Mwenye (Puerto Español, Argentina) on the island of Tierra D’Ignita (Tierra del Fuego).

The Pan-African Free Trade Agreement
The Otjomouise Kingdom, The Bantu Kingdom, and the Siddharthist Republic in the year 1433 (680 AD) forged an economic treaty that had been unseen in the world in years prior. They agreed to engage in free trade with each other without tariffs or restrictions in exchange for not allowing the Zulu Republic into their agreement and raising the tariff on Zulu products. The Zulu were surprised entirely, especially the business leaders who expected much worse reactions from their African neighbors. The Zulu quickly fell into bad economic times but they looked to make an alliance with some other prospective trade power.

The Romans remained open to Zulu trade but the Zulu needed much more of a relationship than the Romans could supply without cutting off the Africans as well. Rome, seeing that the Africans were becoming separated, believed that the best action would be to ally with the Zulu and use them in a new program known as the Cincinnatian Doctrine, which was the policy of allying with one major power in a region and directing their moves by being essential to that ally’s economy. This was essentially the policy that they used with the Maya in regards to the Mesoamericans and their policy towards the United Tribes in North America. Amelius Papirius Cincinnatus, Imperial Secretary of Foreign Affairs, was credited with a policy that had been the norm since the Romans landed in the new world and could not manage, reasonably, any new expansions.

African Tensions
The Roman Empire that allied with the Zulu managed their policy very effectively. The corporations that had existed in The Zulu Republic that had control of the Zulu economy as well as their government were expecting to be treated fairly by their fellow businessmen from the Roman Empire but were surprised to find that Roman business, like Roman government, was not going to share power in reality but only preserve the appearance thereof.

Roman corporations gained control, through consolidation, of the Zulu corporations and thus had an even greater tie to the Zulu government. The Zulu, with the aid of the Romans, bought and built a whole new navy that was state of the art. The advancements that were common among the Romans but were considered luxuries among the less prosperous African nations were now in abundance with the Zulu military. The Zulu implemented, with their new navy which was completed in the year 1451 (698 AD), a blockade stretching from the large port of Bakongo (Ambriz, Angola) to the Zulu colonial capital of New Tupinquim (Rio de Janeiro). This blockade was designed to separate the trade of the Africans from the markets of the large Roman Empire, the Maya Empire, or the other nations to the north.

The blockade was not a success at first. There were many cases of people running around or through the blockade and many battles along its lines in which many people perished. There were also the fact that trade between the African nations was still moving. However, soon the Otjomouise colony, which was above the blockade line, began feeling the effects of the blockade. The Otjomouise were treated particularly harshly by the blockade. Their colony suffered directly and the Otjomouise were soon disconnected from New Africa. The colony began to fail without any market to sell their good to. The Otjomouise knew that they would need to act soon or their colony would be taken by the Zulu. The Otjomouise in New Africa were soon with a surplus of food. The prices of food were so low that farmers fell into poverty. The lack of trade halted the circulation of currency. The Otjomouise in Africa were also falling behind their partners in the African Free Trade Agreement.

Effects of the Blockade
Because the Siddharthists and the Bantu were not severely affected by the blockade they chose to let it continue despite the OTjomouise becoming increasingly eager to go to war to end this practice. The Siddharthists especially found it somewhat enjoyable to no longer have to compete with Roman production and the Siddharthists and Bantu both increased production with money they exchanged with each other. This trade only increased their wealth and production and only seven years into the blockade, in the year 1458 (705 AD), had nearly twice the production capacity of the Otjomouise. The Otjomouise were by no means poor but they had fallen severely behind. Because of this they were no longer able to continue the Free Trade Agreement and laid a significant tariff on the Bantu and Siddharthists.

The Bantu were surprised at this sudden change and so were the Siddharthists who enjoyed having a partner with which to exploit, as was the Otjomouise’s main role following the start of the blockade. The current governor of the Otjomouise colony was a man named Andio Gwembeshe and he had been under fire by political dissenters since the start of the blockade. He attempted to reach out to Rome for assistance but was met with their obstinacy. With Rome’s disapproval the Otjomouise were turned away by the Maya and with the blockade restricting most of their efforts they could not reach any of the other colonies. In 1459 (706 AD) Andio was overthrown by a revolution partly supported by the Zulu.

Insurgents from the Zulu colony and dissidents in the country stormed the capital in New Kanguime City. They ignited the capital and the legal system throughout the country suddenly fell apart as the political leaders no longer held back from the rampant corruption that they had been used to. The Otjomouise colony came under attack in the year 1461 (708 AD). The destruction in the area and the disorganization among the people led them to being and easy conquest. The Zulu colony released the blockade two years later, the Otjomouise were furious at the actions against them.

The Colonial War
The Otjomouise, after the blockade was lifted, began making calls to their allies to declare war on the Zulu Republic. The Bantu and the Siddharthists were convinced that they could gain control of the Otjomouise colony if they took it from what they labeled as their enemy instead of seizing the property of their ally. The Bantu and the Siddharthists gathered the brunt of the equipment but the soldiers were from the Otjomouise’s many droves of unemployed. Nearly four out of five soldiers in most regiments reported being from the Otjomouise Kingdom according to a report from one Captain.

The amount of Zulu soldiers proved to be in the Zulu’s disadvantage. The Otjomouise blamed the Zulu for much of the hardships in their country and when they returned to their countrymen they expected to unite with them against the belligerent Zulu who monopolize on the hardship of smaller countries. They were surprised to find a much more ordered society in the Zulu occupied territories than the Otjomouise had at home.

<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">In the two years after the annexation of the Otjomouise Colony before the blockade was lifted, the Zulu Republic brought stability back to the Otjomouise colonial citizens. The destruction of their agricultural system was met with a new market that they could access in feeding the Zulu Republic and their larger colonies. The waves of anarchy were halted as new governments were amassed through election, though most of the time the most enthusiastic supporter of the Zulu was put in power. The drop in industrial production was met with the reopening and construction of many factories, often to supply the Zulu military but also to jumpstart the economy of the new new colony. The hard times were over for many of the former Otjomouise citizens and they embraced their new prosperity.

<span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Otjomouise moved in despite this. The taking of this land by starving the people and then offering them food in exchange for their sovereignty was the narrative given by the Otjomouise about what was happening to the people of the disputed colony. The Zulu in addition to providing this territory with a new economic vitality gave it a new name. The colony of Ekandayo was the Zulu name for the Otjomouise colony in New Africa. Ekandayo was <span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> <span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">a Zulu word meaning ‘my sorrow has turned to joy’ referring to the sorrow of Otjomouise rule. The Otjomouise knew this and found it incredibly insulting and this only led them further into war.

<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The Otjomouise and the other African nations came up from the southern end of the country, the last to be taken by the Zulu and therefore the easiest to dissuade from them. The Otjomouise gave their occupied territory a name also, it was Olamide, meaning ‘salvation has arrived.’ The Otjomouise, through local resistance returned a considerable portion of the country under their rule. They promised revitalization if they stayed with their original mother country. The Otjomouise decried the Zulu policies as “temporary flatteries that will be take away and then you’ll be under worse conditions than before.” The Otjomouise moved up as far as the edge of New Zion. The Zulu were bottlenecked in the territory by the New Zion colony and the war turned into a stalemate in that region. Ships that tried to sail from one side to the other were met with complete destruction and the only way to overcome this would be a large move over the border between Ekandayo and Olamide.

The Peace of the Sixteenth Parallel
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.9241909799693389" style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">A border of sorts had developed between the Otjomouise controlled land and the Zulu controlled land. At about sixteen degrees latitude there had been a restricted battle between the Otjomouise and their allies and the Zulu. Due to the constricted space the territory was not won by either side and even if it was it was clear that both sides had the power to continue fighting past this point. The Otjomouise were prepared to continue doing this but the Bantu and the Siddharthists were growing impatient supporting the Otjomouise’s desire to regain their territories. Meeting in the Otjomouise colony’s new southern capital of Rutendo (Mucuri, Brazil) in the year 1470 (717 AD), the Otjomouise were ordered to remove their troops to no closer than one mile from the border at the sixteenth parallel. The Zulu agreed to the same but most of the negotiations went above the Otjomouise’s head.

<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The peace had many features that the Otjomouise were not privy to. The Zulu made a deal with the Bantu and Siddharthists to create a new free trade agreement. The Bantu and the Siddharthists agreed to give the Zulu and Romans unrestricted trade with a tariff of about one percent. The Zulu agreed to allow a small duty upon transportation by the Africans between the Promontorium di Tempestium (Strait of Magellan). and the Romans sat on the sidelines through these actions and watched the gifts come in. The Roman Ambassador to these negotiations, Tarsus Comitinus Sorex, managed to get the Romans on good relations with the major African powers. The only loose end was the Otjomouise but they were almost unknown to the bulk of Roman citizens. The Peace of Sorex made him a prime candidate for the office Minister of State. Sorex was famous and Rome was at peace but the Otjomouise were in barely any improved position.

The Otjomouise Expansion
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.9241909799693389" style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> <span id="internal-source-marker_0.9241909799693389" style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The Otjomouise expanded into the unknown territories west of their former borders. The forests came down as the soldiers and citizens of the region were looking for a new place to settle. The west was filled with unexplored land and the Otjomouise were ready to take it. In less than ten years the Otjomouise more than doubled their land and their economy was rising because of it. The depression that had kept them back in the previous decade was over as a new need for technology sparked a growth in industrialization in the mother country in Africa. The western lands and their settlers kept from the border areas but the soldiers were stationed in forts designed to keep the Zulu from taking this land from them. The Zulu, who felt they were in the luckiest of positions, did not want to expand in the northern region. THey actually made a backroom deal with Rome to give that land to them in exchange for their support for the blockade nearly twelve years ago. The Romans expanded starting in the year 1482 (729 AD) after they saw the Otjomouise were on the move. Pretty soon their deal with the Zulu would be for nothing if the Otjomouise took more.