Part 23: 1280-1299, Ogoonu's Ascendant.

Bongo the Wise has a overeating problem. Well, some call it that, others say that a fat king is one who is rich enough to have all the food he could eat.



He also heeds his councillors, it is taking to long to march mercenaries north to fight in the wars, he needs to move his capital from its ancestral home in Doumbi-Saleh. He chooses Constantine, both the city and the province. They have as many men in levies as the old capital, almost as much money and is much nearer the enemy. Of course, it would be simpler for the mercenaries to form up somewhere other than the capital, but for some reason that is not an option.



There is the slight problem of the locals being Muslims, but with the influx of Well Snake lovers, they soon change their mind.



Some Anglo-Saxon is plotting to invade Ghana.



He is dealt with, but not in a quiet way.



Bongo survives the counter blow.







Typhus sweeps through north Africa and the capital. It carries off the Grand Visier and the Steward of the Realm.







The Peasants decide to revolt again. Only 6,000 men this time.



Bongo does not even worry his vassals, he just collects his northern levies and his retinue and marches off to deal with this minor insurrection.







High Priest Zeinab decides that there has not been a Holy war for some time, and also decides that moving into Iberia would be a good idea!



Bongo has no interest in Iberia, but he begins to build up money and waits for the enemy to be weakened by this war. There is also a tribal spat going on. Which is why the Goans are besieging something in our territory.







The truce with the Aghlabids ends, this is what Bongo has been waiting for! Now there are TWO Holy Wars on – its double Snake attack time! (The ladies love this).



One of our armies meets up the their main force. This is after defeating another force of 5,000 men.



We crush them, and Bongo the wise learns much from the war.



With support from the Arrafids, the Muslims raise another large army, which is defeated. The other Holy war is keeping the Qaridids out of this war, which is a massive help.







The war ends, and four more provinces join Ghana.



Bongo immediately joins the other Holy War.



His vassals were doing terribly, Bongo immediately changes this.



Seven months later, and the picture is a different one.







Salman of Goa declares a revolt. Bongo is forced to march a army of 11,000 men south to deal with this and raise some mercenaries. Another stack of 10,000 men remains in Ibera to help end that war.







The Muslims are defeated, and the entire Qadirid empire crumbles.



But Bongo has no interest in ruling Ibera, Ghana shall remain in Africa. But an Ogoonu shall still rule.



Mansa Lahiltoul I of Analusia can deal with his Christian neighbours, he is a useful buffer against them.



The troops march south and engage the Rebels.



The civil war is being fought across a huge amount of territory, and will drag on for years.







Finally Ghana is at peace once more.



Ghana is rich, and the loyalists are awarded with tax cuts.



He then turns to the prisoners, who include two high chiefs! He makes the tough choice to release them all from prison. He could execute or banish them, but that would only anger their successors.



Bongo throws a feast to celebrate.



Goa has learned his lesson, and his release from prison has humbled him/



Bongo has to kill his favourite horse, but then goes after the stag.



The latter does not go well.







Peace reigns, and people come to Worship the snake.







The Mansa feasts and beds the wives of his subjects.



He also hears news of the rest of Europe. Iberia is now has only a few remaining Muslim powers. The 30,000 men that the Andalusians can call upon, backed by the armies of Ghana, mean they can only expand from here, unless all of Christendom unites against them.



France has collapsed into numerous smaller powers, and northern Europe is a mess.



Wessex has collapsed, but Lotharinga is slowly reuniting England/



In Scandinavia, Norway, Finland and Denmark are the major powers, with Novogrod and Lithuania being major powers on the mainland.



In Central Europe, Croatia is the major power, with Lombardy still controlling most of northern Italy, there are still a mess of Germanic nations that are fighting to gain supremicy.



The Golden Horde has eaten up almost all of Eurasia. They, and most of the lands they control are Sunni, a leftover from the previous Seljuk Turk invasion.



The Eastern Romans continue to hang in, they have changed little in the last hundred years.



The middle east shows our next contesters, The Aarieids have borders on Ghana, and after them the Abbasids are huge, as are the Abyssinians.



But Ghana shall prevail. That is what the last four hundred years of history have taught us.



Why will they prevail? Well, on this is their Worship of the Snake in the well, which has now spread to a new continent. There are still a few patches of die hard old Shaelians, but they are dwindling. The Muslims are rapidly giving up their faith for the one of their conquerors.



The main reason? Why that is simple.



Dongus loins were strong, and his descendants are strong.