The Desert Rule of Harun

The sudden and unforeseen arrival of The Monitor caught the Haisunna government by surprise. Before the Monitor's forces could arrive within range of Haison the Caliph Harun ibn-Yahya al-Michindi ordered a administrative and military retreat into the desert. Stealing off with him went a number of Haison's civilian population, uncounted. But nearly 3/4 of the capital's civilian population abandoned the capital and left with the army or to the further corners of the kingdom during what came to be the Desert Rule of Harun.
The move had been a result of the unintended lapse and judgement of earlier cryptic messages that forecast the intentions of the Monitor. Believing the intentions to be trivial and ill planned and armed the intelligence forces of Haison had failed to relay the information correctly and constructed an underestimating profile of the potential threat. As such, when his forces arrived the Jiyeesha was improperly armed and stationed to deal with it. Hoping to avoid undue causalities and damages the Caliph ordered an evacuation.
The goals of the move was to drag the Monitor's forces into a campaign of attrition in the desert where the Jiyeesha would have the tactical advantage over the foreign force. Once more it was played out to obscure the location of the Caliph and Emir to protect the administrative functionality of the caliphate for their resumption of control. Civilian looses were to also be minimized by moving them out of the cross hairs of the Monitor's targeting.
The move was considerably controversial, criticized as being cowardly by the Caliph's critics. But is credited for the protection of the realm's assets by forcing his lieutenants to scour the shifting desert. By the time they withdrew the resumption of politics as usual was swift. The campaign also had met the unintended goal of the occupation of Aea by Salman ibn-Miruz.
== Breakdown ==
To drag the Monitor into a war of attrition the refugees from Haison were ordered into eight major groups flying mixed standards. Unmarked the civilian population was sent towards The Mire under the defense of the royal Zhayedan. There the The Mire defensive squadron was still largely active and the anti-air capabilities of the Mameluke were measured as an acceptable defense against the Monitor's aerial capabilities; though the captain of the ship had no way to make contact with the Caliph since the order was given.
Additional groups were scrambled as well. The banners of the royal Wāli-Emirs sent out without their merchant houses with the regular Jiyeesha. The royal standard was carried east with Salman without the Caliph. The Caliph and the court itself wandered the central desert relying on the false identities of Salman to distract the Monitor's aims to take the head of the Caliphate and to avoid the Caliph's capture by his men.
Engagements were sparse and minor, any major event being spread out over smaller skirmishes or engagements between Hamalfite cannon and Monitor airships.
=== Aea Incident ===
Acting independently Salman ibn-Miruz entered the region of Aea flying the Caliph's banner. Finding little in the way of local government forces between the local tribes and Voldranian minority he named himself Defender of Aea under the Caliph and posted he and his men in their supposed capital. State-less, the Aea region was unmolested by Monitor forces. Though several minor engagements were had between he and the invaders.
In the interim between his self-declared occupation and the resumption of Caliphate rule Salman organized his staff to establish a loose regional government of his own to extend across Aea, re-building regional logistics network and law enforcement under command of his security and logistic staff officers. Communications with the Caliphate were difficult to re-establish under Harun returned to Haison at the disappearance of the Monitor's forces.
On his return Harun ordered Salman to minimize his grip. Demanding a full study of Aea before strictness is enforced.
== Results ==
The outcome of the desert retreat and an enforced, internal-government-in-exile is yet to be fully surveyed by the palace. Though initial measures dictate clearly that the city of Haison itself received little damage. Though the Arsenal was severely looted by the Monitor's men it was nothing the Jarnawids say was not irreplaceable.
Category:Haisonuuna Category:Events Category:New Voldranian Events