Episode 12: generals with silver tongues
Once again we start an episode with an election. Again I select a military candidate so that we can wage war. The 1571 elections brings us a an ADM 6 MIL 6 DIP 9. Great, a good general with a silver tongue. We used to have these kinds of problems with heirs and ADM. Good to see evolution, I guess?
In 1573 the Eunuchs take over.
Luckily, we get a 6 star trader, giving +12% merchant compete chance! He will help us build up trade, as with the Eunuchs we can do little else at the moment. In october
A Eunuch's Vase happens to us. We can weaken Eunuch influence, but because General Fancypants is so extremely strong diplomatically, this wouldn't change a thing, so I accept the Vase and get some money.
In january 1574 our
military becomes divided!
I choose offensive as this campaign I intend to assault, not siege.
In 1575, after some boring years, we have new elections. Perhaps this time we get an agressive leader? No, we get an ADM3 MIL 9 DIP 9, another smoottalking general. Well at least we now might have a chance to get the Temple faction into power if the gods are kind.
After another couple of uneventfull years, the
people sample new religions, which I use to slide +1 towards Narrowminded. As you can see, not only traders but also colonists have been send around. The green region are the new colonies, the red region are the conquests so far. The dark blue in the south east is the Minamoto Shogunate's conquests from Korea before it became our vassal.
Furthermore I expand trade in the European Centres of Trade, building up our economy.
In august 1579
people sample new religions happens once again to use, again I choose +1 Narrowminded. This now means that the basic influence of all three factions is -0.25 and thus we have achieved faction balance.
This shows that predictions are difficult especially if they are about the future, as at the start of the campaign I predicted to hacve achieved this balance around 1650. We are thus 70 years early, leaving me very embarassed. Well, in my defense, this campaign has seen quite a lot slider movement events which helped immensily in achieving the balance.
So what's the way ahead regarding domestic policy sliders? Well, because a slider movement changes influence by 0.25 and a single monarch pip changes influence by 0.5, we can move sliders step by step without losing the advantage that the leader stat with highest value will determine what faction is in power.
In november we get another election. Hopefully we can get a General Ripper in power?
No of course not, what was I thinking, getting a leader in power that does what I want? Silly me.
In august 1580 I use my slider move to slide towards Aristicracy.
The December is harsh and kills a high ranking eunuch, as
a grave for a eunuch happens to us. I use this opportunity to change Eunuch influence by -6, but because Eunuch influence is still so high from the previous nancypancy generals, the Temple faction doesn´t seize power.
Another couple of years of sending merchants and colonists end with an important event in 1583: Minamoto annexes Pegu. But wait a minute, isn´t Pegu an ally of us from the Intervention War with Manchu? Yes, but for some reason they never called us to arms and without Temple faction, we cannot intervene. So helplessly I have to watch my ally being swallowed by the warmongering Minamoto.
As you can see, SE Asia is being cut up by the major powers. Khmer and Shan are my vassals. Only Lan Xang and my small allies Sukhotai and Ayutthuya are independent.
And now for something completely different. The Ottomans and the Mamluks have started a war against each other, probably over trademark infringement.
In november we have yet another election. I support the military candidate because I don´t want the Temple faction into power, and a ADM 7 MIL 5 DIP 3 leader is chosen. Finally I get what I want. Shame that I don´t want to want that.
In september 1584 the Eunuchs step down after 11 years of boring rule. While the ´70s and early ´80s were boring, the Eunuchs did expand trade on an enourmous scale. Let´s take a look at their achievements:
Here you see a map of the trading regions, with the yellow numbers indicating the yearly income we get from the associated Centre of Trade.
The trading map for Europe / Middle East. Our yearly trade income is 2084, so my top three Centres of Trade provide about 45% of my trade income. But money isn´t all we get from trade: in Divine Wind you get certain bonusses if you are the premiere trader in a trade good. Good thing, as we are the biggest trader in basically everything:
The good trade income is one of the reasons our tech rate is going very well.
China is now tech leader in Land, Trade and Government and is in the top league in Production. Only in Naval are we lagging behind a bit.
With the Bureaucrats in power, I start building post offices all over China. In march 1585 we get a
merchants resist Westernization event. As our Centralization is only -3, we have to accept their demands.
In may 1585 something meta happens: I change to beta patch 5.1B. Lots of changes, some of the most immediate is that the Forbidden City gives only 1% Prestige instead of 5% and that only with the Eunuchs in power we can send explorers and conquistadors.
In 1586 I denounce neo-confucianism.
Why so late? This decision is available from the start, why wait so long? Well, mainly because I didn´t whether to denounce or promote neo-confucianism. If I stayed innovative, the extra missionaries from denouncing wouldn´t help, so I would go promoting neo-confucianism. But along the way I decided to go a bit more narrowminded, so the extra missionaries from denouncing are very helpfull. Besides, the +1 tolerence to heretics isn´t really helpful, as our tolerance to heretic is already positive.
In 1587 we have elections and optimistic as I am I support the military candidate for the fifth time in a row. The new leader is ADM 5, MIL 6 DIP 7, yet another disappointment.
In 1589 the Eunuchs return to power, ending this episode.
Stats
Code:
change during decade change since 1399
1580 1590 absolute relative absolute relative
#provinces 74 74 0 0,00% 20 37,04%
yearly income 5216 5954 738 14,15% 5116 610,50%
yearly income/province 70,49 80,46 9,97 14,15% 64,94 418,47%
inflation 1,1 0,9 -0,2 N/A 0,9 N/A
manpower 186 192 6 3,23% 107 125,88%
army 66 76 10 15,15% 37 94,87%
navy 59 60 1 1,69% 11 22,45%
Code:
change during decade change since 1399
1570 1580 absolute relative absolute relative
#provinces 67 74 7 10,45% 20 37,04%
yearly income 4159 5216 1057 25,41% 4378 522,43%
yearly income/province 62,07 70,49 8,41 13,55% 54,97 354,21%
inflation 1,3 1,1 -0,2 N/A 1,1 N/A
manpower 181 186 5 2,76% 101 118,82%
army 58 66 8 13,79% 27 69,23%
navy 58 59 1 1,72% 10 20,41%
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