Chinese Cheese - A Ming AAR

anweRU said:

Didn't you find Sweden? Stockholm should have popped up when it joined the war against you. Once you make peace, and send them a few boxes of noodles....

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I did, but at this point I was so close to Finland I decided I'd rather take the safe bet than sell a Lucky European country a province of mine, and hope it would defect back.

spock2 said:

can u sustain larger forces?And those islands in Ming sea should really be gone

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Not really... Once I start to spread out across the globe, and have to keep garrisons pretty much everywhere, my capacity for a large army is greatly reduced. Switching to Hinduism and picking two religious decisions that add +1 to global revolt risk sort of makes Ming China a lively place - one where cavalry stacks on rebel patrol are rarely far apart.

sprites said:

well they know about sweden but they don't border them ^^
and it's quite bigger than my ming , save japan (30k troops there to clean rebels xD)

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A wiser course of action might be to limit expansion until you've Westernized and gained full tech parity with Europe - but since I wanted those rebels, I went a little... overboard... with consolidating my neighborhood. As for Japan, I really did intend to attack them early, but they never cooperated the way I expected (i.e. they stayed peaceful rather than attacked their neighbors, short of one skirmish with Korea).

30k troops for Japanese rebels sounds about right. I needed similar amounts for South East Asia at this point in the game.

Ming forces again assaults Nijni-Novgorod, and this time we are triumphant.


Advancement into the unknown is slow, but possible. Sweden offered a white peace early, and to our surprise, Poland also agreed on a status quo, just as they reached our forces.


The problem, of course, is that whenever a new province is mapped out, Muscowite forces are encountered. Attrition is also quite bad, and it is relatively clear this will be our longest war yet.


Hongxi I did, however, take a liking to noodles. As any Ming ruler would know, noodles are dangerous beyond reckoning, but Hongxi I was no coward. Only a fool.

His son, Longwu I, takes the imperial throne. Until now, he has served on the Russian frontier, commanding smaller regiments and organizing supply efforts. As a result, he has considerable knowledge of military matters. He immediately returns to the battlefield as overall commander.


As it happens, he is exceptional at this. With no less then five Shock and four Maneuver, he leads cavalry charges unmatched in Ming's recent history. Even the fierce Muscowite horsemen are repeatedly rebuffed.


To the south, Malacca comes under attack from Aceh. This cannot be tolerated, Ming must intervene. Sumatra cannot escape the reach of China.


The Russians combine their armies into one powerful stack, and procede to assault us relentlessly. Despite this, Emperor Longwu I is able to rebuff them, time and time again.


Despite being on a campaign, the Emperor still enforces his will, gathering more power to the throne. This does not sit well with some of the regional nobles, and they rally behind a distant cousin of Longwu I. Unfortunately for them, only a handful of peasants believe their claim, and the rag-tag army is quickly dispatched.


To counteract repeats of this, Longwu I passes the Militia Act, strengthening his control even further.


He also passes the Recruiting Act, despite the vast cost this will prove to have in the near future.


For a long time, we had hoped this would happen. Our greatest problem with Muscowy has been the vast warscore cost of their provinces. It has been impossible to gain a solid strip of land throughout the area.


Moreover, Novgorod is plenty busy in the west. Being an ally of Denmark has its risks.


Again and again, Vasiliy II assails our forces.


...and is rebuffed. Yet, Muscowy's army keps growing in the unknown lands.


We attempt to take the initiative, pursuing the army to Moscow.


In the southeast, our invasion of Sumatra results in some minor gains. Brunei beat us to the remaining fortifications.


Muscowy is not without trouble, though. Novgorod attacks them, and at the same time, a vast rebellion breaks out in Moscow. Our forces there are immediately ordered to retreat, and let Muscowy fight their own rebels.


This distraction does open up another possibility. Novgorod holds the key in our way westward now. August 1st, 1454, Longwu I orders the attack.

Kartos said:

I don't understand this one, why u want this to happen? could you explain it to me??

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The way to get to Finland fast is to have the way paved with small, weak nations. Ideally, Sibir and Novgorod dominates the area. That the Horde had taken Sibir sort of wrecked my 'westernize really fast' plans. That Muscowy had munched Novgorod's northern bits were even worse.

See, only the very northernmost provinces of Russia are cheap in terms of War Score. Just one step below, such as Kostroma and Nijni-Novgorod, are far more costly. With this new situation, I could easily take this defection province and Olonets from Novgorod, and the provinces in between from Muscowy. Otherwise, I'd have had to actually conquer Muscowy, rather than keep their main army away while my tiny infantry stacks took one province at a time.

TonyJoe said:

I love that long, skinny arm of Chinese territory pointing towards Europe. You'll be at Finland before you know it.

So what benefits do the lucky AI nations get for being lucky?

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luck = {
merchant_compete_chance = 0.1
colonist_placement_chance = 0.1
missionary_placement_chance = 0.03
leader_fire = 1
leader_shock = 1
land_tech_cost_modifier = -0.02
trade_tech_cost_modifier = -0.02
naval_tech_cost_modifier = -0.02
government_tech_cost_modifier = -0.02
production_tech_cost_modifier = -0.02
spy_efficiency = 0.05
stability_cost_modifier = -0.50
}

...so... Lucky nations are better at trading, at colonizing, at converting provinces, they have cheaper tech, stronger leaders, better spies and cheaper stability. In addition, there's a lot of negative events that are a lot less likely - or completely avoided - by having the 'luck' tag.

Lucky, combined with the Very Hard difficulty (which cuts max War Exhaustion by six points for the AI), almost completely blocks my favorite - the province defection event.

spock2 said:

so,muscovy is beaten.....i thought they would trouble u more

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Oh, they trouble me plenty. As it was, I had to pile all my cavalry in one monster-stack and use tiny infantry armies to slowly siege my way into their lands. I didn't really make progress until that very timely Shock Five monarch came along. If that province hadn't defected to Novgorod, I would have had a much harder time trying to conquer the rest of Muscowy - I barely managed to hold a third or so after some five years of fighting.

sprites said:

here you see the effects of very hard ...
i've never seen muscovy with so much troops this early ... but maybe in VH and all that troops the nations break much less?

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My only wish is that Very Hard would boost Ryukyu a little more.

Muscowy and Novgorod skirmished in Olonets, and until that battle was settled, we could not end the war with Muscowy. Once the Muscowite armies there were forced to withdraw, a settlement for the northern lands was dispatched to Vasiliy II. Facing war on all fronts, the pressed Russian monarch accepts.


Baffling news from the west. Rumors of the strongest force in the west have been about an empire called 'France'. It is unknown to us - the legends speak of 'Rome', 'Byzantium', and even 'Venice'. They can hardly be that impressive if Sweden dares attack them.


Longwu I is baffled by the decision, as his best intelligence - which is hardly reliable - suggests that Sweden does not even have a fifth of France's strength.


Still, such distant matters are of no concern to China. Far more importantly is the province of Archangelsk. The Ming Empire will soon stretch from coast to coast, across the vast continent of Asia. A trade port on the far side is needed, and albeit it can only be used in the summer months, it will be a boon to our economy, at Novgorod's expense.


With this settlement, we secure not only a land corridor, but also a Latin neighbor. Ideas flow across from Swedish Finland like water in the Yangze.


Peace is good; our vast war exhaustion begins to drop. Moreover, after many tries during various brief times of peace, Ryukyu accepts to buy Kutei for the grand sum of no ducats at all. Ming commits to the defense of the province. With time and luck, perhaps Ryukyu will attempt to convert the lands for us.


The time has come. Longwu I returns to court, and on June 1st, 1456, he decrees that it is time to learn new ways from the round-eyed devils of the west. This causes untold levels of turmoil throughout the country, and rebellions become even more commonplace than they already have been.


Calming words are immediately sent to the Oirats, helping us stabilize the situation somewhat. Despite our dire situation, our generals long to conquer Korea.


A mere month after the Emperor's decision, great leaps are made in many fields, including Trade. We have long pursued this, in order to commission Explorers. Now, we cannot afford the stability hits for swapping National Ideas. Even so, much of the previously unknown lands are made known to us.


We learn of the French empire, not nearly as large as rumors suggested.


Castille is rich, and the only nation yet to adopt Conquest of the New World.


The third great power of the west appears to be Great Britain, until recently known as England.


This knowledge is used to compile a comparison on income. Castille is thus truly frightening - not only are they incredibly rich, but they hold few foreign culture provinces, speeding their tech rate tremendously.


As for armies, France is impressive. It is odd that they have not managed to wield it with greater skill.


Ming has a more immediate problem, though. The vast empire of the Timurids is truly awe-inspiring. They have secured no fewer than four centers of trade. Three of them are along the coastline, and of vital importance to China.


Their only counterpoint seems to be the Mamluks. The idea of an alliance is considered, but dismissed.


A recently hired Naval Reformer embraces Longwu I's reforms wholeheartedly, and with his aid in reorganizing the navy, a vast gain in stability is achieved.


Abandoning the designs for Korea, efforts are again focused on the Oirats.


Enlightened scolars throughout the empire lauds the Emperor, and compile a vast gift for his majesty. Sadly, included in the shipment was a bowl of dried ramen noodles. The mere sight of it caused poor Longwu I to panic, flee the reception hall and stumble on the palace steps to fall into the mote surrounding the grounds. Dragged under by his heavy silk robes, nothing could be done to save him. Ming's future is cast into uncertainty yet again.

PrawnStar said:

Oh dear, have you lost your 'Westernise' admin rating? It was going pretty well until then with that Great Man event being very useful! I wouldn't bother swapping NIs unless you really want to, your tech is going to speed up a lot soon.


This changes late game once the AI has moved Innovative enough to push the WE cap up.

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Only trying to create suspense - though I must say, when I saw the new monarch pop-up, my heart jumped up in my throat - until I saw the new monarch's ratings.

Tech does speed up, but not fast enough. Given my 'Oirat Elevator', stability isn't quite so much an issue, since I'm guaranteed several easy steps up.

As for the Innovative bit... Most countries seem remarkably narrowminded in this game - and I don't really want to delay conquests until they advance. Since I'm toying with animists, my hope is to deal with the 'advanced' AIs before they build level 4 forts. Probably a tad optimistic, that, but still...

TonyJoe said:

You may not have screen shots saved but it'd be cool to see a view of the rebel troops across your empire, to get an idea of what you're facing due to all your revolt risk issues.

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Alas, I have no real screenshots of that, short of the rebels you catch glimpses of in other screenshots. On average, I think I have +5% revolt risk in non-Hindu lands when I'm at full stability... So, yes, there are riots.

whitesoxfan said:

Wow... what you're doing with Rykuku... you might end up converting the entire world to Chihan culture, if you can take it fast enough. I would recommend giving them a few very rich provinces, which you protect from rebels, so that they convert the provinces you really need pagan faster.

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Ryukyu is troublesome, though. You're right in that I need to boost them, but I keep getting side-tracked elsewhere, particularly against the larger neighbors. Hopefully, the Reformation will cause some nice turmoil in Europe, leaving me time to act in north-east Asia.

sprites said:

one on each island ...
some of them are very tiny (carribean) and it's unlikely you'll get there first

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...is it, now...

Portugal's demise was my absolute blessing, this game. They tend to be the first colonizer of the bunch, and with them weakened considerably, there was less rapid colonial activity than normal.

spock2 said:

now u are in muslim tech group and u can see europe and rest od asia

i think u should first annex those tiny nations around u and in the middle of your territory

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I'm working on it. The main problem with the 'nearby' targets is that it costs stability to attack them, since they share my religion group. For that reason, I'm prone to delay until I have an Oirat mission ready to fire, while at +3 stability.

My priority at this point is westernizing. Then, it's time to set out in the world I've gotten maps of.

Artr Thormodr said:

Very interesting. Keep up the good work. Cheesy noodles seems to be working.

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Thanks.

As for the noodles - working, perhaps, but do they work to our advantage?

In the chaos of Longwu I's untimely death, Hongzhi I ascends to the throne. Fortunately for China, he is a great administrator, more than capable of continuing the reforms Longwu I started. Brought up at the palace rather than the cold Russian battlefields, his understanding of military matters is quite horrible - but as Ming has no immediate plans for war for a long time, that is no great matter.


Before his death, Longwu I dispatched a drill assembly of Chinese crossbowmen to the north. They conduct a performance meant not only to deter, but awe, and they meet with success. When one of them later 'accidentally' misses his mark and hits an Oirat noble, relations plummet yet again.


November 22nd, 1457, Ming faces an entirely new danger. Hongzhi I cut all missionary funding in a futile attempt to balance the budget, but not before sending the religious provocateurs to our animist lands in the south. Protests break out into a full-fledged rebellion - but it is not our intent to kill these rebels. Naturally, this fact is not shared with the peasantry.


Despite this, Ming slowly regains stability, and on April 2nd, 1458, Emperor Hongzhi I announces the next step in his ancestors' master plan - China continues to advance, but the vast changes obliterates every semblance of stability; turmoil returns.


Within a month, our Land technology increases again, and some of the remaining blanks on our map are colored in.


News that the Portuguese, despite their precarious situation, continue to explore is met with some concern.


Hongzhi I's designs meet with success. November 9th, 1458 Hsenwi province embraces the worship of animals. In the long term, this will make them more susceptible to Chihan ways.


A war now might seem counterproductive, as we need stability - but the mission to improve our relations with the Khanate is a horrible impediment to our desire to exploit the Oirats. Thus, February 1st, 1459, the Emperor declares war.


Failure! I mean, Success!


July 29th, 1459 - Sagaing is force-converted to animism


Lan Xang is swept away.


A quick tea ceremony later, the Oirats are content. Unfortunately, we are again tasked with a diplomatic mission.


Tibet is now forever an integral part of China.


The focus on Pegu is abandoned in favor of more exploitation of the Oirats. They are fickle, and a mere insult or two is enough to make us work on the relations yet again.


Rather than suffer from a tax reduction, we decide to reverse course. We will still be considerably Innovative.


From the west, we learn that Great Britain has selected their second National Idea. We luck out in that they did not pick Conquest of the New World... this time.


Content with fresh supplies of dumplings, the Oirats cause Ming to shine with their shamanist magic. We're tasked with clearing away some rebels. In the meantime, shamanists further west are harassed enough for the Oirats to react negatively.


February 21st, 1462 - Kyaukse is force-converted to animism


Kyaukse falls to rebels, cancelling the mission. It is vital to get on the Oirat's good side.


The Oirats fall for a few kind words, only later to discover the insults veiled within them. In the meantime, we're tasked with reclaiming Kyaukse from animist rebels.


That achieved, more food is sent north.


November 18th, 1462 - Taungoo is force-converted to animism


The constantly fluctuating relations with the Oirats has plummeted our prestige, however, and we're tasked with rectifying that situation. The problem is, how to gain prestige quickly?


The Mongol Khanate is fully absorbed into China.


To gain prestige, Emperor Hongzhi I believes battle is our best option. Deccan, in a personal union under Malacca, is a fitting target. On December 18th, 1463, Ming forces attack.