CHAPTER I. Iuga's and Alexandru cel Bun's (part 1) reigns
As expected, the Horde’s troops cross the Dniester and siege Bujack. It fell fairly quick, then the tatars move in looted Bessarabia. Attrition does it’s job, so about fife month and almost 12k dead tatars later, a polish relieve force crossed into Bessarabia, annihilated the besiegers then moves to Bujack and frees the province. In the meantime, my armies conquered Cherson, then Crimea (I canceled my vassalisation, so I can control the provinces I conquer. The war it’s going well for my and the alliance, the poles conquered Zhaporozhia and Kharkhov, while I’m colonizing Cherson. When this happens:
A couple of well deserved cores
Finally, Cherson it’s colonized and becomes part of our great nation, a missionary is sent to spread the light of the only one true faith among the pagans, the settlement policy is enacted and soon after, Poland makes peace with the Horde.
The war has been costly. It’s true, I gain a new province – Cherson – but it is a poor one. If the Horde will declare war on me after the truce expires, I will probably sell it to Lithuania, so that I won’t have a border with the them any more. I was practically minting for the entire period of the game (now it’s November 1406) so that I already have 4,4 inflation. That was stupid really, because for the last for years of the war I was receiving war indemnities from both Poland and Lithuania (about 15 talers/month, that’s huge for a small realm like mine); but I forgot to get the treasury slider back to zero. Every magistrate I've got (1,7/month), I've invested in Cultural Tradition, I want to draft some great man and let them be hired by others, so I’ll get a few extra money.
My monarch also died in the war, (that wasn’t such a tragedy given hits stats). The new monarch is Alexandru cel Bun a more than decent monarch, which is not what I can say about it's heir, who is clearly the result of an incest.
"IO Alexandru Voievod, Domn of all Moldavia, lord of the lands across the Dniester…" and his inbreed son.
You can also see the three not-so-great men of our nation.
What's important is that we are at peace, so that we can recover from the war (the war exhaustion is at around 10). But one can not enjoy peace while the map it's being populated by warmongering idiots that can't even reach us.
We are at war against some people we've never heard before
Well, it seems they are not completly idiots after all. They are allied with the Ottomans. Yes, the Ottomans, that huge, green and mean country in the south, that has a bigger and more advanced army than we have. And don't forget the fleet:
The turks saying "yes" when they should've said "NO"
Their big army is not that big
Serbia and Bosnia also declared war to us. The turks are fighting the Timurids in Asia Minor, but they are winning. We need fresh troops, so a swarm cavalry and an eastern archers regiment are currently recruited in Cherson, while our entire army (3000 men) is besieging Silistria.
Siege of Silistria. Got to love the poles, the lithuanians and their dedication
With Silistria almost in our hand, a message of peace came from the Ottomans. They ask for a small amount of money, so we say no. Immediately another offer comes, this time from the Jalayrids, the lieder of the alliance: a white peace. With the bulk of the ottomans armies heading for Europe, I accepted it, hoping that this time peace will last.
And it did. Is January 1411 now, my war exhaustion is down to zero, Cherson became orthodox and the truce with the Golden Horde it's coming to an end. So, in a completely unselfish gesture I, magnanimously, sell the province of Cherson to Lithuania for the huge sum of … 0 talers. Quite a businessman I am. At least there are no more crazy tatars at my doorsteps.
I also got the mission to protect the orthodox in Silistria. This means I have to conquer Silistria, and, if I do, I'll receive a core in it.
For the entire peace period I was trying to get closer to (and eventually vassalize) Wallachia: we exchanged military access and married our heir to a wallachian princess. One could say he is very young and it will be a while until he'll be able to consume his marriage, but I was afraid that, with the incestuous history of the family, he will produce an idiot heir with one of his many cousins (female cousins that is). And I don't want this royal family growing into onother bunch of inbreeds. The Habsburgs are more then enough for Europe already..
So, I was telling you about Wallachia. Well, Wallachia got DOW by Transylvania, which was allied with Hungary, which occupied the entire country. Curiously though, they accepted peace with the walachians for just a few talers. I quickly offered the wallachians an alliance which they gladly accepted.
In august 1412 I noticed that the Ottomans are in war with both Castille and Venice, among others. I send my fleet to explore their provinces, only to stumble into a big navy battle in the Sea of Marmara.
The former great, now vanishing ottoman fleet
Farther west, in the Aegean Sea
With the Turkish fleet out of the picture and two of their european provinces being already under siege, with my mission concerning one of their provinces and with no serious ottoman army in Europe – it can be only war. But to get to war, I need a DOW and for a DOW I need a diplomat.
I can't send a fraction of a diplomat, can I?
This was only a short delay. Then came another one, this time because of the truce I had with them from the previous war, truce that had yet to expire. Still, the beginning of December, saw de declaration of war on the ottomans.
But about the Ottoman War, in my next chapter.