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A Fifty-pences AAR! :cool:
 
Well, you can only hope the mountains dwindle their forces down until you can either match them or someone comes along to dislodge them. A nice winter covering might assist as well.

And great scene to start the post. Tragic, but at least he had his victory before he died.
 
It's a shame Piedmonte does not get winter. Those 17k would look all the better for a long, harsh, winter.

And regards Tomasso, well, dying is one of the main reasons squires exist. All youthfully heroic and all that. ;)
 
Now it's just a siege based rat race. I hope you win.
 
The start of this update seemed painfully ironic: victory in death. All the same, I can't help but think that Turin is going fall. I hope I'm wrong. :)
 
SunZyl: Well, they were attacking across a river, with an entirely infantry army against my mix on plains. I would have been pretty unlucky to have lost it.

anonymous4401: Well spotted. :p

The-Great-Dane: Yep, it also has good monarchs, which gives it real possibilities.

coz1: The siege of Turin went remarkably slowly, as it turned out. The bar was still green by the time this update ends.

stnylan: Indeed. :D

Duke of Wellington: It does have a port.

Fulcrumvale: it is. But losing Piemonte wouldn't be too much of a problem anyway.

Quintilian: You're wrong. ;)
 
Savoy Truffle

What Goes On

October 25th 1419
Chateau de Chambery


"Darling, you look stressed."

Amedee smiled weakly at his wife. "That's because I am. This war with France is draining all the Duchy's resources. Thankfully I was able to secure some money from some Venetian bankers, but you know what kind of interest they charge."

"But what of the war? I'm so glad you decided to help father against that no-good great-uncle of mine. You know, they say he's completely mad."

Amedee sighed. Not only was their Pierre pushing Savoy into war, but also the interconnecting web of European royalty, his wife Mary being both related to Phillip of Burgundy and King Charles of France. Before Amedee had tried to keep things balance, but in the end Savoy had been forced to choose sides. He was at least slightly thankful to Pierre for apporaching England rather than France, as going to war against his father-in-law was not a thought that Amedee liked to even consider.

"The war goes well. Lyon is in our hands, and Montpellier is under siege as we speak. Turin still holds out, and seems safe for the time being."

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Mary smiled, and clapped. "That's great! But I do worry about father, I do hope he's alright."

Amedee shrugged. "I don't know anything about that."

From "A History of Savoy" by J. P. Lerrier

The rest of 1419 was quiet, as little military action took place. Progress was made against Grenoble and Montpellier by Savoyard troops though, and Pierre de Megeve's army was able to force Grenoble to surrender at a most opportune time, just as Dauphin was experiencing some particularly nasty snow which would have caused serious casualties had the siege continued.

But with the city taken, de Megeve was faced with a dilemma. Should he head for Guyenne, in a bid to bring all of southern France under control, or should he instead march north, into the apparently undefended French heartland, or to attack south and lay siege to Marseille. After much deliberation, he made his choice, and went south. However, he relayed the information the scouts had passed onto him to Jean, the Comte d'Annecy, and when Montpellier fell in April, he instead marched north.

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Even though King Charles VI may have been mad, those around him could see that the war in the south was going badly. The key cities of Lyon, Grenoble and Montpellier were under Savoyard occupation, and Marseille and Toulouse were currently under siege. Orleans had been conquered by the English, and Dijon still held out, despite a long siege by Auvergne and Bourbonnais. The Savoyard invasion had been an unpleasant surprise for France, one they were almost entirely unprepared for, and so in May they sent a diplomat to Chateau de Chambery, offering terms. But would Amedee accept?

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Argh! Don't keep us on the leash like this. :) Things are going well it seems! 3 provinces taken and another 2 under siege. Amedee wants peace and you and Pierre want more war I presume? Will be interesting to find out in your next installment. You got me hooked, that's for sure.
 
I’d accept. But then, I’m a cautious peacenik with no real sense of how to run a war. If you feel that you can get more out of the war, go for it.
 
Yes, I think you have to accept that at this point, though I did notive yu'd chosen to move north and threaten Paris. It shows you have some faith that things will go well. Still and all, accept the lower BB and take this. After al, there will be plenty of time to deal with them later.

And I continue to enjoy the headers! What Goes On is yet another favorite of mine. I keep trying to figure how you tie them into the actual storyline. Revolution 9 should be simple at some point but what of You Know My Name, Look Up the Number? ;)
 
Not knowing exactly how the allies are faring I am not quite sure, but I think I would accept. On the other hand, if I was feeling lucky I would keep going, and gladly wreck Savoy's finances to wreck France.
 
This is really a no-brainer to me, I would have accepted it right at that moment. You'll double your size, and in my experience more than that at once is too much. Your finances won't be too bad and hopefully most of the army is still intact.
 
Katapraktoi: Yeah, that's about right.

Fulcrumvale, Duke of Wellington, hurricanehunter, stnylan, SunZyl: All shall be revealed. :D

coz1: To be honest, it's already getting difficult to make them relevant. :eek:o
 
Savoy Truffle

Taxman

From "A History of Savoy" by J. P. Lerrier

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After a short amount of deliberation the offer was accepted, and Savoy had almost doubled her territory. The new lands, including the important city of Lyon, were wealthy and prosperous, and would undoubtedly be a great boon to the Duchy.

However, Savoy's finances remained a serious issue, as a considerable sum of money would have to be raised in order to pay off the debt. Duke Amedee still had considerable money in his treasury from the loan, and so he invested it into developing a system of tax collectors in and around the city of Torino. Many within his court thought this to be folly, believing it a bad idea to be spending money when in debt, but Amedee was proved right, with 1421 proving to be an excellent and bountiful year.

svy14.png

All debts were cleared in 1424, and soon the Savoyard economy begun to boom. There had been quite a lot of action of the diplomatic front in the intervening years, also. Soon after the war finished, Amedee left the English alliance, not wishing to get involved in more wars in France for the time being, and instead signed a treaty with Austria. It is widely considered that Savoy's alliance with England was merely an easy way for Savoy to get involved with the war against France, and that by turning east Amedee (and of course Pierre de Megeve and Jean Comte d'Annecy) signalled a foreign policy more focussed on Italy.

14th June 1426
Duchy of Milan


As Pierre sat alone, waiting for an audience with Duke Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan, he felt severely at unease. Here he was, in Milan, a soldier doing the work of a diplomat. He felt like a fraud, but as he waited the words of Duke Amedee filled his head.

"All right, I admit your way, you're bloody, deceitful way, has brought victory to Savoy, and for that I am thankful," the Duke had said, "but I still cannot forget that you betrayed me, you forged my signature and took my Duchy to war without my permission."

Pierre had stood, silent, not knowing what to say, so he stayed silent.

"And of course," the Duke continued, "I would appear weak if I were to let you go unpunished." Ah. Pierre's heart began to beat faster. "Let me ask you a question, Pierre. What do you most value in life, what is it you truly treasure?"

Pierre was silent for a few seconds before answering, "honestly, my lord, I most value my role as commander of Savoy's armies."

Amedee nodded, not unkindly. "As I thought. That is why I am stripping you of your commission. Instead, I wish for you to become part of my diplomatic corps."

Pierre's jaw dropped. "But my lord, I am a soldier, not a diplomat!"

"But Pierre," said Amedee quietly, "you have shown yourself to be quite the schemer, very underhand. I do not plan for Savoy to go to war again, and so I believe your talents could be used elsewhere."

And so, here he was, being led through to see the Duke of Milan. He had been told that Filippo Maria Visconti was not an attractive man beforehand, and that was not a lie. The man was hideous, with a large, protruding nose and dark, evil little piggy eyes that oozed suspicion and arrogance. Pierre, expressionless, sat, not sure what to say. Thankfully, Duke Filippo spoke first.

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"So tell me, why does Savoy send a military man to Milan on a peaceful diplomatic mission? Savoy and Milan are friends and allies, are they not?"

"They are indeed, my lord. I am no longer First Marshal, and am here in a purely diplomatic capacity."

"Ah. Well, what is your business?"

Pierre looked around, and said quietly, "There is something I wish to tell you, something important and secret. I'd prefer if it stayed purely between me and you..."

Filippo nodded, and dismissed the guards. "So what is it?"

"Don't ask me how I know, but I have good information that Venice is unhappy with your rule. They have plans to remove you, and to place someone more malleable to their interests on the throne of Milan. A puppet.

"Venice?"

"Indeed. Of course, these plans will most likely not come to fruition, but I wish to assure you that Savoy will guarantee your integrity and will defend Milan. Of course, I assume you will need this all the more now that Carmagnola is no longer in your service..."

Filippo went red at the mention of his name. "That treacherous dog, I should have known! I bet he wants to rule Milan himself, doesn't he?!"

"Quite possibly. Now sign this, and you'll not have to worry yourself about him again."

"Yes, yes..." The Duke, worked up and red-faced, signed the document without reading a single word. Pierre left smiling, amazed that it had worked. He did not want to be there when Filippo calmed down and realised what he had signed. And the best thing was that the Duke, normally a shrewd politican and not a stupid man, would realise that there was not much he could do about it.

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