Return to the Blue Lagoon - a Brunei HttT AAR

Chapter 9: It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum... and I'm all outta gum. 1709-1723

This chapter has been ready for ages, but been delayed for… well, my laziness mostly. Here we go.

Finally, I seem to be unable to make headway without getting some extra CB’s. Thus, I swap to Republican dictatorship, which gives me the imperialism CB against all countries. Annexing those annoying OPMs just got much easier. And in July 1709, I annex Sokoto, the last non-Brunei province in Africa. Meanwhile, some events give me casus belli on both Portugal and Bavaria. However, I decide to attack Sweden instead, as they are not member of the Superfriends (i.e. Catholic member of HRE: Bavaria is the protector of catholic faith and Milan is the Emperor).

War starts in August 1710: Sweden is joined by Poland, Switzerland and Trebizond. A month later Castille declares war as well and I attack Persia in addition to other meanies. The war goes very well, except as I have no land connection to Poland, I land 20 regiments there. I win the initial engagement but the larger Polish army forces me to make peace with Sweden before I’m wiped out. Trebizond and Castille become OPMs, Persia is annexed and I gain most of the Swedish territory and Warmia from Poland.



The war with Poland showed that I’m spread quite thin and cannot really build infinite amounts of troops. To gain some focus, I decide to remove my troops from the British Isles, but to do so I need to conquer GB first. Thus I declare war on GB and Burgundy.



In Apri 1712 it’s all over. GB is left with 3 provinces (two wars) and Burgundy cedes 4 provinces. I could not take more as I had to take the provinces with lvl 4 forts. Elsewhere, Norway Finland, Muscowy and Riga put up a brave fight but it takes a total of 8 months of 1713 to capture everything: Norway and Finland are annexed, Riga becomes an OPM and Muscowy cedes 4 provinces – those Russian provinces are getting expensive!

As an afterthought, I also conquer Crete in 1714. Also, I do another blitzkrieg by punishing Creek, Cherokee, Burgundy, Luxembourg and Ragusa. War last a whopping 5 months: Burgundy cedes some provinces, Cherokee becomes an OPM, the rest are annexed.

Luckily, every now and then the AI makes some decisions for me – such as Trier and Flanders declaring war in 1715. War ends in 6 months after bloody assaults against lvl 4 forts.



After being sidetracked for a while, I find a way to get into war with Milan without angering Bavaria. I declare war on Transylvania, Milan (sphere), Normandy (ally) and Burgundy (protector of Protestant faith). The only country with an army is Milan, so everything else is just there for the decoration.



However, I just cannot seem to finish off Milan’s armies – something always survives to fight another day. Thus, they get reinforcements while I assault forts and grind my armies to bloody pulp. However, I build more and keep cycling my armies to and from the frontline. Also, Milan aren’t short on troops either.



Especially it’s tough in the Balkans, where Milan has built lvl 3 and 4 forts and supply limits are low. Attrition is pretty horrendous, but by 1717 Milan is ready to give up, ceding most of the Balkans (those damned forts!) and some provinces surrounding their capital. By then others have either been annexed, or in the case of Burgundy, made to cede provinces.



Even though my WE is high, I need to keep going. Yet another blitzkrieg in 1717 (lasting 4 months) reduces Burgundy to a TPM and GB into an OPM. Operation Relocate from the British Isles successful! I start to ferry nonessential troops to Bavarian border while reducing WE to acceptable levels.

In September 1719 I’m ready to march into death (I just don’t know it yet) and declare war on Bosnia, Milan (ally), Portugal (guarantee) and Muscowy (protector of Orthodox faith). On paper, it seems very easy and by January 1720 Muscowy has already been captured (but as they are the alliance leader, I need to leave them for last). Portugal doesn’t have many troops, so I just march and assault.





However, in March 1720…



That one man just murdered approximately 50 regiments single-handedly as the other regiment had just been built. I thought long and hard what may have happened and the only possible explanation is that even though I won the previous battle, I did not have enough morale left for it to be nonzero. Then the newly recruited regiment either had a modicum of morale or that one man had some morale left, thus winning by default. Nevertheless, it was rather impressive. I’m feeling rather smug about that, actually.

However, the Milanese Chuck Norris is just one man. In January 1721 Portugal cedes 11 provinces for peace, Milan 9 and Muscowy 4. It’s over.

After which I continue to smash Castille and Portugal – who have a total of 2000 men, all in Toledo. By September 1721 Portugal has ceded yet another 9 provinces and Castille has been annexed. Elsewhere, while I’m setting up to attack Bavaria, Muscowy is splintering and a new country, Nizhny Novgorod declares independence. In joyous celebration, I declare war on them and Ukraine in October 1722. By March 1723 Nizhny Novgorod is annexed and Ukraine cedes 4 provinces.



I also have managed to recruit some decent generals during the years:



On second thought, let’s keep Bavaria waiting. Instead I declare war on the British, Burgundy, Normandy and Milan in April 1723. And as an omen, I get hit by two inflation-increasing events, giving me 6% inflation. I react by building a hundred tax assessors or so.

As I just had fought a war with Milan, they have no army to speak of. In November 1713 I’m done, although I’ve still managed to lose men by, well, being stupid. Again, I’m sure I was supposed to have morale left as I had won the previous battle but hey ho. There's a million more from where those came from.



GB is annexed, Burgundy becomes an OPM, Normandy is annexed and Milan cedes 7 provinces. I take everything that has lvl 3 forts as they are harder to assault. I really had to take on Milan now, since they are the emperor and everyone who is left is an HRE member. They have managed to set themselves up as emperor for life, so I can’t even get someone else to grab the crown. I’m better off with a weak emperor around.

Bavaria, next time…

World map in 1723.

Oh hell, I just noticed that on both times it's the same darned general who lost his entire army to one newly recruited regiment! I guess I'd better make sure he never commands an army again...



"Yo Muhammad 'Ali Natzar, I'm rly happy for you and I'mma let you finish but Publius Quinctilius Varus had one of the worst military defeats of all time. Of all time!"

Chapter 10: Swift Victory. 1723-1752.

Again, apologies for the late posting. I had played this chapter halfway to the end but managed to finish it only now. To be frank, there’s not much left and besides, I had to finish this before Divine Wind.



Swift victory, see? Ahem, sorry, I’ll get down to business.

April 1724, a nice month to attack Bavaria. The war starts by my declaring war on OPM Brunswick, after which Switzerland, Flanders and Bavaria join. Milan understandably keeps out as they have no army left. The minors are quickly annexed.

Even though Bavaria has an army of 200 regiments, I have approximately 100 regiments more. After a few key battles go my way, I just advance and assault. Most of the country is covered in level 1 and 2 fortifications, so assaulting goes fast. I push forward from the south, capturing München while simultaneously advancing from the west towards Mecklenburg. By November 1724 (8 months!) Bavaria capitulates and I break the country into smaller pieces – mostly separating the Low Countries from the rest of the Bavaria.



After waiting for WE to drop (attrition is a horrible, horrible thing), I proceed to do some cleanup in the east by attacking Trebizond, Poland, Polotsk and Lithuania in August 1726. At this point wars are quick, everything is captured by November 1726, Trebizond is annexed, and the rest cede most of their provinces.



In June 1727 Milan feels the need to defend Corsica. Again, the war lasts only 6 months after which Milan cedes some provinces and Corsica is annexed. Immediately afterwards I attack Papal state, Hungary and Portugal, just to capture Rome and do some further cleanup. In 1728 I reduce Muscowy to an OPM, annex Burgundy and reduce Poland to OPM status. I’m declaring wars as quickly as I get diplomats, but it’s going a bit slow – OPMs always need a diplomat so I can annex them.

By the end of 1728 I feel the need to attack Bavaria again. They are still big and need to be fought many times still. Portugal, Hungary and Galicia join in, and are quickly annexed. However, Bavaria fights until the end of 1729, after which several provinces are ceded to the big blue blob.



Let’s just keep killing Bothans. Ukraine, Riga and Milan are attacked in the end of 1729, and the blitzkrieg ends in summer 1730, with Milan being again reduced in size. There’s no resistance to speak of, perhaps one army of 30 regiments which is quickly crushed.



…and in September 1730, Bavaria is the new target. The war is the most boring siege and assault –fest ever. In January Bavaria cedes the rest of their level 3 fort provinces and that’s it. Elsewhere, Munster and Denmark, Bavarian vassals, put up a fight but aren’t really a match for anything.

Oh, by the way, I just built my 1500th regiment. Go me.



The biggest enemy here is boredom. I strive to look for wars that would actually speed up the process and attack Cyprus in June 1731. Bohemia, aka the country of lvl 4 forts, joins in. After some furious besieging, Bohemia becomes an OPM in November 1731. Meanwhile, Poland, Prussia and Cyprus are annexed and Lithuania reduced to an OPM.

In 1732-1734 I annex Muscowy, Polotsk, Sweden, Lithuania and Kurland, turn Ukraine into an OPM and take 3 provinces from Milan. And then I have a truce with every single country still in existence, and waiting begins.

Luckily, Pomerania declares independence from Bavaria n Dec 1734. The following day, Brunei delivers a declaration of war. Thankfully, also Milan joins in. Pomerania is annexed and Milan cedes another 3 provinces.

Brandenburg, too, makes the mistake of declaring independence in 1735. War is declared and the next month Brandenburg becomes an OPM.



Finally in 1736 the truce with Bavaria comes to an end. Thus, war starts against Bavaria, Milan, Munster, Denmark and Ukraine. I show my superior skills in naval warfare and lose 50 ships to practically no losses whatsoever. I rule (the seas). I also annex Bohemia in November 1736.

To speed things up, I incite nationalists in every lone province in Bavarian territory. Once they break free, it’s faster to declare war and annex them as I don’t need to wait for truces to end.



Gotland is the first one to declare independence, and is thus annexed in 1738. Between 1740 and 1742, Hesse, Denmark, Magdeburg, Alsace and Poland become independent and are duly attacked (and annexed). A good thing is, that on occasion Milan or Bavaria also support the OPMs and I get to take some more provinces for free. Even though the newly independent OPMs start with friendly relations to me, my infamy reduces relations by 1409.11 per year, which means that it takes two months for relations to drop to zero. Hate is such a weak word for what they are feeling.

In July 1741 the last hope of the free world is extinguished and Muhammed Ali Natzar, the paragon of incompetence, dies. See Chapter 9 of his successful campaigns with massive armies against 1001 men.



While waiting for truces to end, let me now say that

Now, this is the story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute
Just sit right there
I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Brunei…

In the year 1746, I had a total of 15 revolts (only!) and a total of 35 nationalist/patriot sentiment events. If you haven’t done a WC, that somehow explains how fun the waiting is.

Bavaria becomes an OPM in March 1747.

Rome converts to Sunni in February 1749.

In March 30, 1752, The Last War begins. Bavaria is annexed in 2nd of May, 1752. Good night, good fight, and good luck.

Next time I'll do something that won't be a WC, suggestions are welcome of course. I'd like to unify the umma (here: the muslim world), not westernise and see how long I can defend it before being crushed. This would, naturally, also mean trying to keep the Byzantine empire alive.





Some graphs for the interested.