Chapter 3 – Generation Kill, 1553 – 1600.
Note: A lot happens. I’m sorry if I cannot show screenshots of everything due to 20-screenshots-per-post –rule, but I’ll do my best. Ask for specifics if you feel left out of some details.
April 1554 and the western-style army composed of offensive Asian infantry and Asian steppe cavalry are ready to take on the world. However, it’s good to start small, thus I declare war on Mutapa. They have plenty of gold-producing provinces which will fund my wars for quite a while once I get cores on them. The modern armies are making the process a cakewalk and Mutapa is finally annexed in 1557.
Meanwhile, I adopt divine supremacy. I need missionaries to convert the provinces I capture and also the holy war casus belli on all infidels is rather useful. I have no idea if that casus belli disappears after 1650, but I suppose I’ll see then.
In December 1557, the next target appears: Pegu, Khmer, Taungu and the odd Mongol Khanate. My goal is to take everything Ming has not already taken. Again, the advanced troop types make this war very easy. In December 1558 I reach land tech 18, giving me access to Maurician and free shooter infantry. It’s all over for the Asians.
Pegu capitulates in January 1560, ceding 5 provinces for peace. I immediately go over the infamy limit and I’m quite sure I’ll never get a chance to lower my infamy again. Of course, Castille smells blood and promptly declares war a month later. I was more or less expecting this and frankly, I could not really care less. I have no intention of fighting Castile and their 200000-man strong army and I don’t really need my African/Mediterranean possessions anymore. However, my 5000-strong garrison of Tunis keeps the Castilians at bay until September 1562, when my army is finally decimated to the last man in the battle of Gafsa.
In August 1560, Wu declares war. Even though they outnumber me by a great deal, their main army is crushed in September 1562 in the battle of Changsha while their fleet is sunk by the navy of Brunei. The provinces of Wu are slowly but surely attacked by Brunei’s modern armies, then assaulted and captured. The second large army of Wu suffers a similar fate in February 1564 in Shandong Bandao.
In April 1563 Champa declares war but are decimated in the battle of Champassak and reduced to an OPM in June 1564. Wu cedes Macao, Jiangmen and Guanxi – Macao has a COT, so it is very valuable.
It’s again time to get serious. The current generation of Brunei’s young men have been at war for ten years and I see no reason to change that. In June 1565 I declare war on Pegu, Taungu, Khmer, Japan and Mongol Khanate. Japan has a large fleet, so the war might not end completely in my favour.
Of course, Persia declares war in December 1565.
Japan loses their fleet near the Philippines and hunted down to the last ship. Elsewhere, Pegu gets annexed by Manipur in a war of indepence in October 1566, thus I need to be satisfied in vassalizing Taungu and annexing Khmer. While I’m engaged in multiple wars, Swahili decides to declare war as well, bringing along Delhi, Syria and the Timurids. In March 1568 Swahili lose their entire army and accept white peace. In Japanese territory, I mercilessly hunt down the Japanese armies to rack up warscore.
By 1570 Japanese have been defeated and they cede Hizen, Bungo and Satsuma. In March Persia, with -2 warscore, accepts peace worth 52 warscore: they cede Barwe, a former Mutapa province, and convert to Sunni. I have no idea what just happened but they were having insane amounts of war exhaustion from being in war with Muscowy and basically everyone. Perhaps that allowed them to accept such an outrageous peace deal?
In Africa, Castille and I still have some unfinished business. In order to dislodge myself from the war, I release Ethiopia to make peace with Castille. I also release Tunisia as a vassal, since I cannot really defend it if it is attacked. In 1573 I attack Madurai, Deva Bengal and Manipur, who annexed Pegu right when I was about to conquer them myself.
Immediately afterwards, in April, Swahili declares war again. In November Wu follows suit, as does Champa in January 1574. However, these wars end very quickly as Manipur cedes 5 provinces in January 1574 and Champa is annexed in 1574. Wu cedes two provinces, some money and plenty of cores. And if it comes as a surprise, I’m now overextended – after taking over 20 provinces in last few years.
Japan decides that 1575 is a good year for a payback and declares war in January. However, they lose most of their troops in battles of Bungo and Satsuma. By 1576 the whole country is more or less overrun. In 1575 Ethiopia attacks me as well.
I’m more or less at war with practically everyone who can reach me – except Ming. If it’s not obvious who I’m at war with at times, it’s good to assume that I’m at war with everyone. I find myself wishing that I would have already reached the equilibrium point at which I would have practically infinite money and manpower so I could just go on a conquering spree (a real one, not the little low-intensity conflict I’m now having). However, I’m not there yet and I haven’t even got any cores on the new provinces, the first ones appear sometime after 1600.
I use the lull in the fighting to tidy some loose ends. I vassalize Swahili as Majapahit had courteously captured Zanzibar for me. Ethiopia accepts white peace as well, even though they captured Massawa. Go figure. Japan also accept peace, ceding four provinces, including Settsu with a COT.
Currently the impressive coalition of the willing supporting Brunei’s world domination consists of superpowers such as Swahili (African tribes, fear them), Tunisia (nice tourist resort on the Mediterranean, I’ve never seen them have either troops or ships), Taungu (burned-down three province minor), Majapahit (the guys who actually are remotely competent) and Auytthaya (an actual nation, unthinkable). Go team Brunei!
After the current wars end, my infamy passes the drastic limit and my vassals start breaking their alliances with me. First to abandon the boat are Auytthaya and Taungu. Not that it matters, of course – they all will be assimilated eventually.
In March 1579 it’s time to continue on my merry way and declare some new wars. Madurai, Deva Bengal and Manipur are next on the list. Wars are really short: Manipur becomes an OPM in July 1579, Taungu declares war and becomes an OPM in July 1580, Assam and Manipur declare war in February 1581, Assam gets annexed in September. Japan declares war as well, as does Ethiopia. Ethiopia again accepts white peace few months later, this time without even capturing Massawa. By 1583 everything has been cleared, Madurai cedes 5 provinces in India, Japan cedes 6 more and the British land in India!
Five years later, in 1584, Ming seems to be in disarray. I have very few options left: if I want to keep conquering the South-East Asia, I need to take on Ming now. As they have lots of issues with rebels and are at -2 stability, this seems to be a perfect moment to do it.
Of course, some of my “friends” see this as a perfect opportunity to attack me. Majapahit declares war immediately, as does Swahili. I don’t break a stride and simply march over Manipur and Majapahit: Manipur is annexed in December 1584, Majapahit becomes a vassal - again - in March 1585.
I have no trouble winning battles but I just have too few troops. By the end of 1585 I make peace with Wu for 375 ducats because I want one front less.
Probably the largest battle of Asia takes place in Kham in August 1586, where Ming gathers 57 regiments against my 20. Of course they lose and are later chased to their demise. Meanwhile, Taungu declares war yet again and are annexed few months later. In October 1587 Ming is done for and they cede, uh, some provinces…
After that I attempt the age-old tactic of getting a new war with Ming by declaring war on one of its allies. However, they seem to have wisened up and they do not join Korea in their war against me. Korea and Wu lose very quickly, Wu cedes 4 provinces for peace in September 1584.
Meanwhile, Castille declared war. I could not care less.
I’m currently alternating on fighting wars against Ming, Japan, Asian minors and Indian minors. On occasion I attack several at the same time. Whenever I have a chance, I build more troops so I can spread more. But the issue is, my income is increasing so slowly in comparison to the amount of provinces I gain that I get into trouble all the time.
In May 1589 I do some cleaning up and declare war on Deva Bengal, Arakan, Madurai and Ceylon. By the end of the year, all of them have become OPMs. After that I decide to annex Auytthaya before they declare war on me. Auytthaya, we’ve been buddies since forever but we both knew that we had to part ways some day. .. I declare war in January 1590 and Auytthaya becomes an OPM in August. Meanwhile, Ethiopia declares war, again.
With my forces spread very thin, I try to take provinces where I don’t actually need more troops to guard them. This means Japan. In March 1591 I attack Japan, Korea, Ming and Wu. The war is really nothing but a leisure stroll across the Chinese countryside but I just lack the troops to be everywhere at once! Still, I make good progress and reduce Japan to OPM status (releasing Ryukyu), get the few annoying provinces from Wu with all their cores, while Ming cedes 3 provinces and a massive number of cores.
Elsewhere, Britain collapses and goes bankrupt, releasing Mysore in India. Thanks, Britain!
I start looking forward to fighting Mysore when they decide to comply with my wishes and declare war themselves in August 1593! Two months later Khandesh declares war, and Swahili follows suit in February 1594.
Nothing much takes place. I just march and capture provinces with impunity. Mysore becomes an OPM in June 1594, Ceylon declares war and is quickly annexed, Sind becomes an OPM in 1595, Khandesh cedes 4 provinces to end the war. I also do some cleaning up elsewhere, annexing Madurai, Arakan and Auytthaya.
In the end of 1595, Orissa and Nepal declare war. As both are muslim nations, the wars are godsend. I quickly march around, taking provinces wherever I can. I also finally finish the war with Swahili, reducing them to OPM status. After which, Adal immediately declares war. Sigh. I should not really complain if Muslims declare war on me, since it means getting provinces without stability hits.
Nepal eventually gives me 5 provinces and Orissa becomes an OPM, linking my Indian holdings with the rest of my territory.
In December 1596 Ethiopia declares war, I lost count how many times this has already happened.
I still want some more provinces before the turn of the century, so I declare war on OPM Japan, Wu and Korea in March 1597. At the same time, Gujarat and Khandesh declare war. As a result, Japan is annexed, Wu accepts white peace, Khandesh cedes 5 more provinces and Gujarat is annexed. Suddenly, Gakwar, an Muslim OPM, declares war and is immediately annexed.
In April 1598 I declare war on Ming, who have again massive problems with rebels and Manchu. Eventually Ming is defeated and cede plenty of provinces in February 1600.
Elsewhere, Adal becomes an OPM and I’m attacked by Baluchistan, a large Muslim state between India and Persia. Baluchistan lose a large battle in Panipat, costing them over 15000 men in casualties to my 59 dead. In November 1600 Baluchistan is done for and they cede 6 provinces for peace. Conquering the Arabian Peninsula is getting closer now…
Just to clean things up, I also annex Orissa and finally reduce Ethiopia to an OPM.
In October 1600, there is peace again, first time in years! I'm just advancing too slowly, I need to pick up speed. But I'm going to be in trouble soon, as I won't have a CB against those Muslim countries on the Arabian Peninsula - I'll need to grab the Bill of rights NI next to get that.
Just to recap:
- Between 1570 and 1597, Japan turned from the mighty empire in the east into an nonexistent empire.
- From 1553 to 1600, Brunei spread from Indonesian archipelago to encompass most of India and most of the Chinese mainland
- Conquest of India started in 1574 and is almost complete in 1600.
- I really want to capture Jerusalem and Rome for some extra missionaries…
The current world map is below. Again, the black line in France marks the border between GB and Burgundy. The next update might take a while as I actually need to play the game in order to get there...