Portugal, an Empire Under the Sun, vol2

[hjarg]

Conquer and Divide​

Ahhh, Bahmanis, the bane of Portuguese in India. Them and their allies had made every effort to stop the Portuguese advancement in the subcontinent. The wars with them had always been bloody and brutal. The Bahmanis always ensured that chapters about fighting with them had been intense. Bahmanis in 1644 is something different.

Bahmanis has no allies this time. Their massive territories had been reduced both by Portugal and some of their former allies. Well, to be fair, they still controlled much of India, but nothing of the scope they used to be. So, when Portugal declared war on June 1644, there were some nice surprises first- undefended fortresses!

Golkonda and Srikakulam with 30 days. Rest, the Portuguese did not reach in time, but the other fortresses were still totally undefended and Portuguese caught them halfway to being ready against serious sieges. As for battles- in November 1644, Portuguese fought 8000 Bahmanis, forced them to retreat. In December, Portuguese caught up with the remnants and the Bahmanis army was destroyed.

Wait, this was all? Heh, poor Bahmanis

Then, it was sieges again. In February 1645, Bidar, their capital fell. By October 1545, all of Bahmanis territories were occupied by the Portuguese. It took the Portuguese a year and half to grab everything the once powerful enemy of the Portuguese held.

Everything controlled by the Portuguese

The peace was signed in January 1647, a bit over a year after the Portuguese took all. Reason for that is simple- Filipe II wanted to grab as much from Bahmanis as possible and thus he waited for overextension to go down. In the end, Portuguese gained much though- all of Bahmanis coastal provinces and chain of provinces, reaching from West India to East India, dividing Bahmanis into two. In addition, the Portuguese now almost control the Indian coastline.

See that blue province in upper right corner? That is the only Indian coastal province not controlled by Portugal

As for trade, with this war, Portugal gained enough power in Goa that Filipe II changed trade setup once again. All the trade flowing from Ceylon (and that is all of Far Eastern trade) does not go directly to Aden, but will take an addition step in Goa.

All of Portuguese trade now flows through Goa

Meanwhile, in America​

In February 1647, Portugal declared war on Charca in South America. In August, the nation was annexed and added to Portuguese Peruvian lands.

Another native nation gone

In November 1647, Portuguese declared war on Cajamarca, same continent, and in February 1648, they were conquered as well.

We are running out of natives

Absolutum Dominium​

In 1648, Portuguese technology levels rose once more. Better trade efficiency, more cannons, better infantry fire- they were all good. But the main chance was that in 1648, Filipe II instituted absolute monarchy in Portugal. Main bonus- the Portuguese are now really disciplined in the battlefield. And always listen to their Emperor.

Useful stuff everywhere

The State, that is I, said Filipe II

Colonial Matters​

Turrbal, in Middle Earth, became self-sufficient in October 1646. Kendari in Moluccas in February 1647. Siuslaw in California, April 1647.

Most importantly though, Filipe II ordered colonization of a brand new area- in Florida. Seems like no-one was interested in Southern regions of North America, with the exception of Portugal. So, why not show the world how it is done? Two colonists were added to the task, and total four colonies at the time were developed. In May 1648, first of them, Mayaimi, became self-sustaining. Soon to be New Portugal, 10th Colonial nation.

Foundation of yet another colonial nation

 

[hjarg]

Well, looking at the trouble Bahmanis used to give me, this was a total steamroll Not that i mind, though i'll promise something more challenging the next time. And seriously, i'm running out of natives to conquer soon.

Somehow, I can hear loud and evil laugh from portugese throne.

Mwhahahahhahaawaaaaa, ehm, sorry, what?

I did not know that fact about EUIV commerce system... I should play a lot more the game... maybe in the Southern summer I'll get the time

It adds quite nicely. If you for exampel move 10 gold from Canton through Hangzou, Malacca, Bengal, Ceylon, Goa, Aden, Zanzibar, Cape, Ivory Coast and Sevilla to Genoa, then that 7% each actually makes up over 20 gold. That my trade efficiency turns into a bit over 40 gold. Well, it needs perfect 100% trade share to work that way, but the bonus is till there- and other nations help a bit as well.

Ehhh, and nice Southern Summer. Here, we have mud and shitty weather...

Brazil has some strange borders now, made worse by the single province Portugal owns directly. What allies does the Netherlands have? Maybe the war will be challenging if they're allies with the Commonwealth.

The one in Brazil is not Portuguese, it is some natives i didn't take care of when there was time. And Netherlands are best buddies with Great Britain. I'll eventually get to Commonwealth as well though- they control my Constantinople after all.

 

[Mkoll13]

India (and the world!) is becoming ever more covered in that lovely shade of green.

 

[guillec87]

you don't know what the Summer in my city is... hot and humid... no wind at all... 35°C... unbearable at least...

but, back to the AAR, I think your troops in India do have a much worse weather than myself

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

The Bahmanis have crumbled! Divided in two, they're shells of their former selves. Now that you're an Absolute Monarchy, the Emperor's word is final; just as it should be.

 

[hjarg]

Trouble in China
​

Qi were one of the successor states of China. Not the biggest, but well-connected and owned several rich provinces, including Nanjing. Both from Beijing area and Hangzhou area. They also divided Portuguese holdings- thanks to them, Portuguese had to use ships to move to Yangzhou, one of the trade provinces in the area. There was one slight problem as well- they were allied with Yue, the biggest nation of the area. Plus, Korea, Changsheng and Buryatia, but the rest were nothing.

Still, fortune favours the brave, as has been told. By the brave who survived that saying, no doubt. It was in July 1648 that Filipe II decided it was his turn to be brave and declared war on Qi. 60 000 Portuguese troops vs as about twice as much Chinese- but they would come in waves, most likely, not one at the time.

Again, undefended fortresses- Zhenjiang fell in just a month after the war begun. That’s what you get for not considering Portugal a threat. The first battle with Qi was in Huai’an, northernmost Portuguese province. Two Portuguese armies attacked enemy, a bit over 20 000 strong. The battle was ultimate success- after that, the survivors of the enemy army fled and there was no more Qi army.

This is good start for a war

More trouble happened when in October, Yue and Changsheng combined their armies and crossed the Portuguese border. An army of 67 000 soldiers, whole 7000 of them belonging to Changsheng, attacked the Portuguese in Yangzhou. It was a perfect terrain for the attacked- farmlands, no river crossings- just come and attack. The Portuguese tactics, morale and still at using firearms gave them a distinct advantage though. In the end, the Portuguese caused evemy over 20 000 losses (about third of their army) while losing less then 10 000 themselves.

Despite of having a numerical superiority in the beginning, no attacking penalties and all the other things you can ask for, you still lost- and lose bad.

From there, Portuguese continued with sieges and the enemy was licking their wounds. Qingzhou, the enemy capital, fell in May 1649. By that time, the enemy were all present again, including the 60 000 strong Yue army. It was in June 1649 when Portugal again gathered all their armies and attacked the enemy in Yangzhou. The nearby Qi soldiers in Zhenjiang didn’t bother to come to the rescue and watched as Portuguese once again slaughtered Yue. Again, the enemy lost around 20 000 soldiers, third of their army. This time though, the Portuguese losses were a bit around 5000.

Qi armies decided to sit this one out

Staying away from battle didn’t help Qi forces though. They were next. In July, Portuguese attacked them and once again, wiped Qi army from this earth.

It didn't help them

In October 1649, the Portuguese met a smaller Qi army in Xuzhou and wiped them as well.

Ehh, give up already

Koreans finally arrived in January 1650. This time, the Portuguese didn’t achieve a wipe, but just sent them into a long-long march back home, totally defeated. It would take several month for the poor buggers to arrive home...

After the party is almost over, the Koreans show up

It was in the end of January, 1650, when peace was finally signed. Portugal gained four provinces from Qi, including Nanjing, one of the richest in China. Also, from Yue, Portugal took Waichow, the province separating Canton from the rest of Chinese holdings. As a result, the Portuguese domination of Chinese coast is getting absolute.

Another set of provinces in China.

In Hangzhou, Portugal now has close to absolute monopoly. 20 gold is transferred each month towards Malacca.

Translating directly to Portuguese income. Also, notice the French

Meanwhile, in America​

From May to September 1648, Portuguese fought the last native nation in Peru. With the occupation of Quito, this was it- nothing left to conquer in Peru, an area once littered with native nations. It had taken Portuguese around 70 years to take all the nations- the first war in there was fought in 1581, and only now, there was total Portuguese control over the area.

End of the last native nation in Peru

In October 1648, Louisiana did something no Portuguese colonial nation had done before. Few years ago, they declared war on Creek and then, they finalized the war, annexing the poor nation. Wish more of colonial nations were like that.

You know, you guys should do it more often

In a war lasting from February to November 1649, Portuguese also took Muisca. For Colombia, only Carib nation remains, but they are westernized, so it’s not that easy. But then again, they have found a perfect ally in Great Britain.

End of Muisca and overview of South America

Other Matters​

Also during that time, Calusa in Florida became self-sustaining.

In August 1650, Portuguese adapted another idea from quality- Naval Drill. Meaning better morale for the navies. Ah well, can’t hurt, though the Portuguese usually win naval battles with sheer numbers alone.

Portuguese are already getting pretty good idea about quality

 

[hjarg]

China is kinda special. Their provinces are so rich and well-developed that they can contribute to trade even without owning trade provinces. So, that is the reason why i'm expanding. Plus, for exampe Nanjin- nice development level, produces silk (meaning very profitable), contributes to trade pretty nicely and it is so much better in the hands of me then anyone else.
Also, South America is out of non-westernized nations!

India (and the world!) is becoming ever more covered in that lovely shade of green.

Heh, yeah... But it is a mighty big world, and the green is still but specks of paint here and there.

you don't know what the Summer in my city is... hot and humid... no wind at all... 35°C... unbearable at least...

but, back to the AAR, I think your troops in India do have a much worse weather than myself

Well, here it is -35C (though very rarely), icy wind that blows through your bones and whopping 4 hrs of daylight. I'll take your hell over mine any second
But true that- i'm glad Paradox doesn't simulate malaria and yellow fever.

The Bahmanis have crumbled! Divided in two, they're shells of their former selves. Now that you're an Absolute Monarchy, the Emperor's word is final; just as it should be.

Absolute Monarchy is never absolute- monarch still has to watch very carefully what he orders in order to see his orders fulfilled But yea, Bahmanis are down.

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

At what point is Portugal accepted as the successor of China? You'd think they would get the message by now.

No more natives for Peru; tragic news for them. Nice to see Louisiana taking the helm and fighting their own wars.

 

[Mkoll13]

Pizzario was insanely lucky to acheive in one afternoon what it took you 70 years to accomplish. And you had a global empire, and he had a small expedition. Fortune favors the bold, indeed!

 

[guillec87]

Spanish Conquistadores and their luck is really hard to code

 

[hjarg]

Old Enemies and Older Friends

Fun in Malacca​

Malacca was forced to release Kedah when they lost a recent war. Kedah was doing what is smart- they improved their single province, giving them extra power in Malacca node, giving them more money... and getting the attention of the Portuguese.

Kedah after the conquest. You see what i mean

In addition, they were allied with Malacca and Pasai, two remaining powers in the area. Easy conquest it should be- and we are about to find out, as Filipe II declared war on them in January 1651. By the end of the month, Portuguese forces had annihilated these of Kedah.

Good-bye, Kedah

In the beginning of February, there were no more Pasai armies. Malaccan ones got what was coming for them in middle of February. Three quick battles and the war was basically won. Oh, some fleets were sunk as well.

End of Pasai and Moloccan armies

Pasai was the first to fall- just after 53 days of siege, their capital Lamuri fell to Portuguese cannons. The other province was occupied soon after. In May, both Kedah and Malacca capital in Terengganu fell. There were of course rest of the Malaccan provinces in the Malayan peninsula- and there were plenty. Including Phetchaburi, most likely the best-defended fortress in Asia (aside from Portuguese ones). Moluccans had really gone through all the trouble and build a level 3 fortress there. No way in hell the Portuguese were going to siege that though, they just camped the Portuguese areas and sniped an occasional Moloccan army.

Seriously? Malaccan level 3 fort?

The war was over, but there could be no peace yet-overextension from previous war to China was still a problem and before that problem goes away, no peace for the wicked.

Goodbye, Old Friend​

Aragon was instrumental to Portuguese rise to power. But the alliance fell apart in the end of 15th century and since then, Portuguese have taken over almost all of Aragonese territory- with the exception of two provinces in Iberia. It was now a good time to deliver coup de grâce.

In July 1651, Filipe declared war on Aragon. This is one war where there is nothing much to talk about. The Portuguese marched into two Aragonese provinces. Destroyed both Aragonese armies. Teruel fell in December 1611.

Poor Aragon- they have no chance whatsoever

Making Peace​

The wars lasted until February 1653. There were continuous begging for peace from all victims, but Filipe II always replied just: “No”

In the end, Aragon was released from their misery. No more need to cry for their lost glory, for now, they were part of the glorious Portuguese Empire.

Goodbye, old friend

The same fate happened to Kedah and also, to Pasai. Malacca just lost their capital. If this keeps up though, there will be no competition to Portugal in Malacca. The biggest opponent now is Majapahit though. And Pagaruyung, the third nation there, is currently enjoying being protectorate of France. The same applies to Siak, in the island of Lingga. Island of Bintan is still Malaccan as well.

Malacca is starting to look almost greenish enough

Papal Influence​

During the timeline, there had been a few precious times when the Papacy was really free of foreign influence. Other times, some foreign power had the control over the Pope. Be it France, Commonwealth, Scandinavia or some other nation. Not Portugal though- not until June 1651. Filipe II was the first monarch who actually invested some of the valuable papal influence into gaining control of the Pope- others had used Pope for stability and mercantilism.

Hello there, Papacy

Now, the Holy See was finally under the Portuguese control. City of Rome was bustling with Portuguese emissaries and when the news was announced, there was much cheering. Plus, lot of grumbling from the other Catholic nations. The fourth diplomat is proving useful as well, plus more advisors. Filipe II hired one new fella as well: Fransisco de Alarcon, a theologian. Sure to keep the revolts down a notch.

The Pope is elected- and he is Portuguese!

Colonial Matters​

Same old, same old. Fiji, Pacific Ocean, June 1651. Yustaga, Florida, May 1652. Pomo, California, October 1652. Sumba, Molucca, January 1653. Ais, Florida, August 1663.

 

[hjarg]

I totally overestimated the time it would take me to conquer both Aragon and Malayan alliance-- meaning i just spent over a year for overextension to down. Only to get it up again, of course

And finally the Papal Controller. First time influence investment as well- guess you can get lucky sometimes. Still, i think investment in mercantilism and keeping some influence around for quick stability fix is a better idea.

At what point is Portugal accepted as the successor of China? You'd think they would get the message by now.

No more natives for Peru; tragic news for them. Nice to see Louisiana taking the helm and fighting their own wars.

Well, they could still beat me if AI was smart enough. Like when i'm moving almost all my armies home to fight with France, for example. Of course, they could end up with me signing some kind of peace and all my armies decending on poor them, but that's life for you. And fortresses can make the war long enough...

And not tragic news for them, tragic news for me- who am i to conquer then?

Pizzario was insanely lucky to acheive in one afternoon what it took you 70 years to accomplish. And you had a global empire, and he had a small expedition. Fortune favors the bold, indeed!

Spanish Conquistadores and their luck is really hard to code

It could be done with an event. Though, to be fair, i think even the Portuguese event for gaining Goa is a bit overpowered. Congrats, you now own Peru... even worse. Let's just say to my defence that it was never a priority and unlike Pizarro, i met several natives states, not just Inca empire.

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

Goodbye Aragon. You were a key part of Portugal's rise to power.

Good to see the Papacy listening to you now. How powerful is Catholicism thanks to Portugal? I know it has been spreading thanks to your colonial nations.

 

[guillec87]

next to say goodbye should be Castille

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

next to say goodbye should be Castille

It is funny Castille lasted longer than Aragon. Portugal is just letting them give in to despair...

 

[hjarg]

France as a Colonial Power? Bah!​

By February 1654, the Portuguese were ready once again to hunt the biggest game in the game: the French. Ok, now second biggest, for the Rzeczpospolita takes the biggest game prize now. Still, the French. Scandinavia, who managed to get themselves into trouble with Livonian Order, didn’t join the fun. Meaning, when Filipe II declared war in March 1654, only Knights and Styria came to power.

The Portuguese started hitting the French trade fleet. Very successfully- by the end of the battle, there was no French trade fleet. After that, Armada Real sailed to Straits of Dover and started the patrol there, for French main fleet was hiding in Caux. Other Portuguese fleets took up positions near the French coast and by June, France was under total Portuguese blockade.

Good-bye, French trade fleet

In May, French army of 55 000 soldiers appeared in Navarra, putting the province under siege. Soon, another 20 000 appeared and Styrians traditionally marched to Ferrara with an army of 23 000 soldiers.

French go to Navarra... again?

Filipe decided that he could either wait for French to die under Navarra or he could start with Portuguese advancement, hoping to lure the French off. First one would be safe option, but it would drag the war. Second one was definitely more bloody. So, he chose the second one- and it worked. Portuguese siege of Nevers created a direct threat to Paris, forcing the French to abandon the siege and march to the rescue. Unfortunately for them, Portuguese were prepared. In October, Portuguese caught up with French in Limousin and again, the Portuguese swarm was something the French just couldn’t handle. They run.

First engagement with the French

It was not until February 1655 when the French recovered. Portuguese had been busy, occupying most of Southern France and putting Bearn under siege when the French army hit Portuguese in Nevers. Again, the Portuguese from every province nearby raced to the rescue, again, the poor French were outnumbered 2:1, again, they were on the run. The Portuguese won the battle and Nevers itself fell in in the end of March 1655. The road to Paris was open once again.

Here they come again

In April, Styria managed to take Ferrara. The fortress proved fragile, lasting only 300 days or so. As usual, the enemy marched on to Lucca. The same time- two battles and perhaps a bit of sieging and marching your over 70 000 strong army across the country had depleted the French manpower. There were still over 60 000 men under arms.

Portugese arrived to Paris in May. In July 1655, so did the French. Their desperate attempt to lift the siege over the capital- doomed to failure, of course. The Portuguese were once again able to react quickly, gather their soldiers and drive the French back.

Why, that is nice welcome to Paris

In October, the French attacked Nemours, province connecting Nevers to Paris. If you can’t win directly, try to surround the enemy, right? Wrong! Again, Portuguese arrived in hordes and again, the French could do nothing against a force that outnumbers them 2:1. By then, the French had 27 000 soldiers, including 22 mercenary regiments.

At least the French don't give up

And overview of French armies. They are so screwed

In January 1656, Portuguese attacked the sad remnants of the French army, now 30 000 strong, in Poitou. The result- French army was now little under 5000 infantry, little under 500 cavalry and 13 000 artillery. Also that time, Bearn fell after over 500 days of siege.

This is the last time Portuguese saw French armies

In March 1656, Augsburg, the current Holy Roman Emperor, declared Holy Roman intervention war on Styria. The French, their allies, for some reason that is beyond me, agreed to help them out. Augsburg also got Bohemia, Austria (nowadays a minor) and Switzerland with them. Bohemia alone should be able to field an army over 50 000.

French are in trouble now

Paris fell in the end of March. The siege took just 287 days- but then again, the Portuguese got their best siege general to do the job and supplied him with more then enough cannons to crumble the French fortifications. It was the second time the Portuguese took the French capital.

Direct result of that- Portuguese moved on to French coast and in May, Portuguese took Caux and forced the French fleet to the sea. Where the Portuguese Armada Real had been so patiently waiting for them since the start of the war. Losing 11 out of 12 heavy ships and 3 transports, the French retreated to Normandie. Portuguese siege forces hot on their heels.

Destruction of the French fleet

In June, the Portuguese finally had time to deal with trouble in the south- the Styrians. At about the right time too- Lucca was about to fall. Perhaps a month more, perhaps two, but they were about to give up. After the battle, there was no Styrian army. Take it as a Portuguese gift to Augsburg.

Helping Augsburg

In September 1656, Normandie fell. Took it just 115 days- the French had apparently not upgraded all their fortresses. As a result, the remnants of the French fleet were forced into the sea once again and this time, not a fishing boat escaped. Once again, the Portuguese had sun the French navy.

Final battle- good-bye French fleet

In October, the French gave up. Portugal gained four provinces from French mainland, including Gascoigne, one of the trade provinces in Bordeaux. Also, Falkland Islands and three provinces from Pacific Ocean. Plus, the Portuguese had taken control of Nauru during the war as well.

Well, France is getting kinda smaller

As for French La Plata... what French La Plata? All of the French colonial provinces were handed over to Rio da Prata, ending the French dominance in that region. It was the first colonial nation that was wiped out. Then again, Scotland entered there.

Good-bye, French colonial ambitions

The suffering of poor French continued. Netherlands declared war on them in April 1557, demanding the province of Liege. With them came the Great Britain. Now, the French are in a bind. Their treasury is quite empty, the Portuguese had emptied their manpower and now, they are facing two more wars. For the first time since 1444, the French are fighting for their survival.

As for Portugal, they got out of war relatively unscatched. Due to using mercenaries and the main fighting force, the Portuguese losses were not so high and in the end, over 100 000 of manpower reserve remained. Four mercenary armies, 40 000 infantry in them, can make a difference. Incidentally, of of these armies is the fifth Asian army- Filipe decided to raise the Portuguese numbers in Asia to nice round 100 000.

Other Matters​

Nauru, just taken from the French, became self-sufficient before the Portuguese could send colonist over. It happened in March 1656, few month before the war ended. The same time, Chatot and Apalachee in Florida became self-sufficient. Portugal now had enough power to declare their tenth colonial nation, New Portugal. From swamps of Florida, they now threaten the Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain.

Tenth Portuguese colonial nations- unless i've lost count

Later, in May 1657, Hitchiti from Florida also became self-sufficient.

 

[hjarg]

Well, defeating French and still having over 100 000 in manpower is nice.

Though, to be totally honest- French as colonial nation is not destroyed yet. I've missed a province in the Pacific, Midway is still French. Oh well, next time.

Goodbye Aragon. You were a key part of Portugal's rise to power.

Good to see the Papacy listening to you now. How powerful is Catholicism thanks to Portugal? I know it has been spreading thanks to your colonial nations.

Yea, it would have been much harder without Aragon.

As for religion, see youself: We have a lot of Catholism, but the map is still far from total yellow.

next to say goodbye should be Castille

It is funny Castille lasted longer than Aragon. Portugal is just letting them give in to despair...

Well, that is what you get for getting allied to Great Brittain... as opposed to getting allied to no-one

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

I think it is safe to say France is no longer in the top three in Europe. No, I'm pretty sure that rank is now Great Britain. The BBB isn't much of a threat anymore, though you'll eventually have to fight again for that missed colony.

Now that New Portugal is formed, will they be encroaching inland? Perhaps a war between them and the Thirteen Colonies?

Scotland has a colony now? Who are they allied with?

As for religion... it seems about normal. I'd thought Christianity would be thriving. Perhaps in the coming centuries.

 

[Rohirrim85]

Dude just excellent.

I'm playing as The Netherlands and doing more or less the same as you, but with much less success .

I have found the conquest in Malacca very expensive in manpower: the high attrition due to tropical and the sieges is killing me: it adds up to 5%! I kill their armies easily but it takes a year maybe to siege some of their forts (with the right amount of cannons) so I'm struggling there.

Also rebels: do you raise autonomy?

My income is still in the 100 ducats per month in 1680: I only have 60% of the English Channel and I'm starting to get (maybe I should've focused on conquering them rather than Malacca first?) but I do have all SA colonized, which is good.

TLR

1) Attrition: how to conquer them without losing 60k men in 2 years.
2) Rebels
3) England or Malacca first?

Again, thanks for the story, excited about taking Portugal next!

 

[hjarg]

I think it is safe to say France is no longer in the top three in Europe. No, I'm pretty sure that rank is now Great Britain. The BBB isn't much of a threat anymore, though you'll eventually have to fight again for that missed colony.

Now that New Portugal is formed, will they be encroaching inland? Perhaps a war between them and the Thirteen Colonies?

Scotland has a colony now? Who are they allied with?

As for religion... it seems about normal. I'd thought Christianity would be thriving. Perhaps in the coming centuries.

Hmm, it is kinda hard to say who is number three. There is always some war or anohter, depleting troops and manpower. Though, i'd say French is still the third, they just have hard time fielding an army over 100 000 soldiers. If you look at just one thing from the ledger- force limit, then the French are still third, while GB, Scandinavia and Bohemina are competing for the fourth place. And Mexico alone has more troops then some big nations . It doesn't reflect the number of troops though, just the ability to field armies.

As for New Portugal... well, wait and see! Scotland is allied with Scandinavia and Brandenburg. I'll get to them eventually, but there is no rush- the Scots are not going anywhere and if they expand, i'll get some free colonies in progress.

Christianity is actually thriving. The main problem here is that it is thriving in small coastal provinces. And in China, it is about the same color as Confucianism. But basically- everything Portugal had conquered/colonized is Catholic. Or will be very soon. But the Portuguese conquests are actually very limited- no huge attacks inland, instead, Portugal has concentrated on trade conquests all over the world, meaning that Catholic faith is limited to there provinces only. Well, and as my colonial nations fill up America too

Dude just excellent.

I'm playing as The Netherlands and doing more or less the same as you, but with much less success .

I have found the conquest in Malacca very expensive in manpower: the high attrition due to tropical and the sieges is killing me: it adds up to 5%! I kill their armies easily but it takes a year maybe to siege some of their forts (with the right amount of cannons) so I'm struggling there.

Also rebels: do you raise autonomy?

My income is still in the 100 ducats per month in 1680: I only have 60% of the English Channel and I'm starting to get (maybe I should've focused on conquering them rather than Malacca first?) but I do have all SA colonized, which is good.

TLR

1) Attrition: how to conquer them without losing 60k men in 2 years.
2) Rebels
3) England or Malacca first?

Again, thanks for the story, excited about taking Portugal next!

First, thanks for the compliemnts

Second, your questions. Well, i'm dealing with attrition with very simple solution: mercenaries. All of my Asian armies have all their infantry as mercenaries. It is a pain to upgrade them and deliver them to Asia, but it seems like it is improved with the next patch as well. It gives you double benefits for manpower- first, since infantry gets most losses in the battle, then the manpower drain in battles isn't so bad. Second, it means that attrition in sieges is not bad. Actually, come to think of it, i've never had manpower problems after wars in Asia, no matter how long and bloody they were. Second measure is to reorganize your armies for the siege. Grab all the cannons, send to siege, add some infantry regiments for protection and keep the other armies nearby in case the enemy gets a bright idea of attacking your siege army.

As for rebeles and autonomy. Yes and no. In some cases, i do. For example, taking Pacific province from France- sending an army there is such a chore. Meaining, yay, autonomy! On other cases, i'll keep the army nearby. When the rebels spawn, i'll just kick their ass and have 10 years of rebel-free area. By that time, i have already cored and most likely, also converted them, so there will be no more rebellions. Occasionally, when the province is totally worthless, i'll increase the autonomy anyway. Works that way that i almost never get a rebellion from the same rebels again. Of course, if you are having too muchrebel problems, use autonomy on everything but important trade provinces.

England or Malacca... Depends on your startdate, actually. If you started in 1444 and formed Netherlands, you should have taken England first. Since at the time, you had no clue where Malacca was . If you jumped in later... well, in that case, i'ld focus on Malacca, and rest of Asia; and Aden and India, move my trade capital to Ivory Coast (provinded you have close to absolute monopoly there, Cape if you don't- or even Zanzibar). Using the money you funnel from there, i'd grab provinces in English Channel until i'd have total control of the node. Perhaps, even moving trade capital isn't needed, just collect in Ivory Coast, Cape or Zanzibar. In that case, you gain most of the money and more importantly, England and France get none.

Oh, and update later tonight