Part 8: 980-999, The Bassarou Uprising.
Teaching the young Kabayo is hard, the boy is willful and lazy.
Thankfully Duru is on hand.
The Regent also works on strengthening traditional warrior society in Ghana.
Duru also decides that Sanhaja should be gone by the time Kabayo comes to the throne.
Kabayo continues to develop.
As does his relationship with Duru.
The war is not a long one, and Kabayo now controls six provinces.
Duru is training the men when he suffers an accident.
The ageing man never recovers, and dies a few months later.
He is replaced by Maammarou, a man with more leanings towards bookkeeping, but still a master of the sword.
A disagreement between some of his vassals escalates to war.
Maammarou has some trouble controlling the wilful Kabayo.
Another Ghanan raises an army and goes adventuring.
Kabayo also tries in his own way to make friends.
The Umayyad's fracture again, the Regency decides to try and take advantage of this and cease some more land.
Unfortunately the war ends before our troops can get there. This does lead to an independent Marrake.
For some reason, Kabayo takes a turn for the craven, despite being a brave child up to this point.
Maammarou uses his lieges money to found a new city in Ninono. His thinking is that the poorly settled Ghana needs more cities to move it towards a more civilized state.
This is his last act, as Kabayo III comes of age in September.
A craven fortune builder. He already has over ten years on the throne and looks set for a long reign.
With suitable unrelated woman being in short supply, he marries a distant cousin, related only through Dongu I. He of course takes the gold.
Kabayo's brother in law is plotting something. It is notable that most of the nobility in Ghana now has the Ogoona surname!
Bassarou wastes no time in getting himself into a position of power.
Although he's not sure where he want to be.
The next ruler of Ghana is born, this time, his father picks a new name for him.
He also decides that this is the right time for the destruction of Sanhaja.
Soon, Ghana is whole, and The Ogoona are masters of all of Africa they can reach.
This is of course when Bassarou makes his move! He has somehow managed to raise 12,000 men to his cause!
While Kabayo can raise 13,000 men, he has to form his army from across the nation.
The city of Nyemina opens its gates at this time as well. It is granted to his son to “manange” for now.
It takes the best part of a year, but the forces are massed, and finally collide in an epic battle.
The battle sways back and forth, Kabayo becomes stressed, and hires some mercenaries to try and swing the battle.
The Ogoona's know only one way to deal with stress!
The battle turns towards Ghana, the arrival of the mercenaries only cements the victory.
It is victory, but a pyrrhic one at best, nearly one third of all the armies of Ghana lie dead upon the field.
The enemy are chased down, and a quick second battle brings Bassarou into Kabayo's hands and ends the war.
The Realms coffers are empty and its manpower reserves dry, it will be many years before Ghana can once more field as many men as it once did.
The Mansa's bastard is born, and quickly denounced.
Sometimes it seems that everyone in Africa is destined to be descended from Kabayo Ogoona!
There are of course legitimate children as well.
Richard Karland, a Frank, is attacking the Sultan of Idrisid. Kabayo uses this time to launch his own attack!
Being on the offensive once more puts the spring back into the Mansa's step.
The Franks take El Aaiun, and we take Boujdour.
Richard will have to die, if only for his chosen coat of arms.
Kabayo's spymaster reports to him news of the best plot.
Bassarou dies, never having know greatness.
In the last days of the millennium, another son is born to the Ogoonas.
Let us take a look at the changes the world has seen. Ghana is of course Ghana, and now rules her corner of Africa.
To the north, the Umayyads remain the main threat, and the next barrier the Ghanan's need to go through. Iberia is mostly Muslim with a few small Christian states hanging on.
In western Europe, France has formed, but Bavaria and Lombardy are much greater powers. They are seperated by smaller buffer states at this time, but who knows how long they can hold?
The British Isles see Scotland expanding into Ireland, and Wessex and Oxford making a comeback against the Viking hordes.
Scandinavia is rapidly coming under the power of Vestlandet and Kexholm.
Central Europe is starting to solidify into some greater nations.
The Romans survive, a little fractured but still a strong power.
The middle east sees two super powers separated by water, with a small Muslim sultanate of Jerusalem in white surviving.
Finally, on the Asian border, there are several large countries forming.
That brings up up to the year 1000AD. The Ogoonas see their second Millennium.