Chapter 4: 1414 - 1421 War with France
Chapter 4: 1414 – 1421 War with France
Another update on my great construction plans…. And another update on my not so great regency council and monarch.
1414 saw a continuation of peace, royal marriages (prestige gain) and the Austrians who defeated Brandenburg. Lucky nation Byzantium gets annexed by Achea (leaving lucky Ottomans to rule over the area), and the ‘lucky’-tag is given to Muscowy. This implies I’ll have to rush to Eastern Europe once my regency council ends. I can ill afford major Muscovite colonization into Siberia, as that will deprive me of a cheap expansion route. And as you know, I’m always eager for more provinces wherein churches can be built.
Out of necessity, I’m at peace. My new regent-queen is only four years old, so I may run out of newly acquired provinces to erect new churches, which means magistrates will go to waste. I decided to use this update to sketch you some details I haven’t been paying too much attention to earlier. Those updates concern budgeting and the political evolutions in Europe. With government tech 9 (mean time 1455) and the unlocking of a second idea approaching, I'm running out of time to stop colonization. Portugal and Castile are highly likely to pick Quest for the New World as their second national idea, and with it they could go on a colonization spree that I just can't stop. Each province they colonize implies the loss of a potential magistrate for me. Therefore, I do attempt to curb colonization before it really takes off. Portugal has been my most loyal ally ever since my first great French war. Their country is regularly occupied by either rebels or Castilians, they've been disbanding part of their fleet, and I assume their cash balances are pretty much gone thanks to my continuous call to arms. I'm bleeding my ally dry. Should Portugal colonize the new world, she won't take that many magistrates from me. That's good enough for now.
Castile on the other hand has without any doubt significant cash balances. While I’ve been minting like crazy to keep my French wars fueled, I was surprised by Castile’s wealth. By 1413 they had declared themselves defender of the faith twice. That’s a whopping 1000 ducats wasted, on top of their military expenditures which can’t have been much smaller than mine. To add insult to injury, the AI has less inflation than I do, and has conquered vast parts of the North African coastlines. In the long term, the major North African revolts she's facing, the poor territory she has conquered and the regular destruction of her fleet (and tariff income), will bring Castile's economy down. But in the meantime she could do far more colonization than I'm willing to allow. So I need to contain her to the Old World, or at least keep her exhausted and/or at war. For AI-nations at war are known to not send out colonists.
Some ledger-screens to give you an idea of my biggest foes. With my non-existing technological progress and my rather modest income, bringing down my European opposition is important.
I’m dirt poor. In fact, my income is even smaller than that of Castile. Don’t ask me how though, for I’ve been expanding greatly ever since day one. I guess they were racking in war taxes and crusade bonuses. Thanks to my queen-regent, I’ll have to forego those for now.
Army sizes. Notice how Castile is able to field well over 40K forces, and could easily outnumber me greatly should I invade her peninsula. I’m not even mentioning the defensive terrain penalties I’d be facing, her generals, or the fact that Castile’s forces would be quicker reinforced in the event of an English invasion. Outright war with Castile doesn't appeal to me right now. Other than that, I’m happily surprised seeing the Hordes with their big armies ranking on top. Quick infamy-free expansion in Eastern Europe is just better than having to PU some country over there.
My income consists mostly out of taxes. Keeping my war exhaustion within reasonable limits is therefore paramount. I admit I’ve not been doing a great job at that earlier.
Budgetting is hard when you’re over both land and naval forcelimits. These screens were taken during peacetime, with maintenance at the absolute minimum. My modest objective for now is to not blow up my inflation. I doubt whether I’m really good at that.
But there’s also good news. December 1414 saw me getting a gift of the state. A whopping 200 ducats earned. Yay me. Cash reserves at that day were a stunning 5 ducats. I’m desperate for cash.
That same month, Austria, who’s still beating up Brandenburg, asks me to join their war against some German minors. I have no other option but to follow them in this war. High war exhaustion isn’t as bad as high war exhaustion without strong friends. I decide to rack in war taxes, put my maintenance sliders to half… and go in the offensive against Baden and the Palatinat. The additional prestige gained from fighting is always nice. In July 1416 I make 25 ducats by means of a peace settlement. Baden was so mean as to initiate construction of a constable during my siege, denying me another 50 ducats. In retaliation, I assault the fortress and have the constable go to waste. Baden will undoubtly rebuild it.
For your information: around these months, I see several nations constructing constables. Those include the Portuguese in Beira, the French in Paris and Switzerland. Especially the constable in Paris (COT) looks most tempting. My own technology nowhere allows me to build constables yet.
In September 1416 I cancel my subjugate France mission. I kept it in the knowledge that I could forcevassalize and diploannex her should I wish to get rid of her (quickly). Seeing France can be forced to release all her territory in the South, seeing I have cores on her North, and knowing the ‘create a proper army/fleet’-missions cannot harm me anymore, I cancel my mission. I get to conquer Ireland instead. Nice.
December 1416. I finally unlock Production 4 and am now allowed to build constables. France declares on me.
I’m once more pulverized by the initial French assault, and by low maintenance sliders. A church under construction in Charolais (again) is lost. Tens of thousands of Highlanders cross my Northern border, and the Bretons join the fun, together with the French vassals. They face England and Portugal. Austria, having racked up over ten points in war exhaustion, lets me down. This ally is lost it seems…
It clearly shows how badly the French war machine is hit since last war. Instead of 27 regiments, they ‘only’ amass a doomstack of 21 regiments. And their previous 6-shock king from last war is being replaced by a ‘mere’ 5-shock this time. He’ll be facing my newest 2/2/2-general, hired at 50 percent land tradition. I once more scramble anything I have for a furious siege/defense at Paris. Over 35 regiments try to hold their own against 21 French ones. My men have to settle with half maintenance. Their simply was no time to up their paychecks in time. When the French get reinforced by another 13K Bretons, my forces are sent fleeing. France and Breton both having land tech 4, opposed to my measly 3, and France having military drill didn’t help.
French killer-kings
Defeat at Paris. In the ledger, you also note the sheer amount of enemy sieges I’m facing. Large territorial losses have made the blob just wrathful. I realize very well how close I am to losing all in this battle…
Due to low French morale, the enemy doesn’t instantly chase me, and I get to recover from excessive losses on own provinces, with the French depleted forces initiating a siege. They’re destroyed in a second major (costly) battle a few months afterwards. I learn from this battle fighting till forced retreat does have some advantages.
Sitting on my own provinces, I received 7 to 8K men a month reinforcements for my main stack in Northern France. France is sieging me, so isn’t nearly as able to keep up with my military build-up. The Bretons are initiating different sieges, and won’t be able to assist the French in their fights anymore. By August 1417, I rely on sheer numbers to smash the French stack of doom. That’s 21 regiments, or what was left of them, taken out.
More good news: December 1416 yielded another gift to the state. Another 200 ducats that we won’t have to mint (for now).
June 1417. With the battles for Paris still raging, the Palatinat asks for my support in another pointless war against Bavaria. The elector-state will have my moral support.
Due to so many provinces lost to the enemy, military maintenance is skyrocketing on my side. France, while unable to win the major battles, is still inflicting major damage on my budgets by depriving me of my forcelimits that I had already crossed during peacetime!
March 1418: The Palatinat accepts a peace with Bavaria. They release Ansbach, make some minor reparations and lose some prestige. As war leader, my phony war with Bavaria drags on.
April 1418: I sacrifice a country from my sphere of influence to make peace with Scotland. As before, Scotland has once more not been military opposed. Three provinces were captured by the Scottish, inflicting massive damage to my economy, war exhaustion and forcelimits. Irish Munster occupies Meath, but sees her own provinces occupied by a Portuguese stack of 11 regiments. I won’t peace out with Munster before the Portuguese completely break them!
December 1418: An event gives me a small amount of trade investment, unlocking Trade lvl 4. I can now build marketplaces, should I wish to do so. For your information: neighbour bonuses for this tech level amounted to 15 ducats a month. I’m not the most advanced European country...
February 1419: The lack of Homeland defense has finally paid off. Scotland goes bankrupt! How sweet.
The wars in these first years turn out to be utterly devastating both our economies. With Scotland taken out this way, they won’t harass me anymore.
March 1419: The war with France is virtually over. Over the past few months, France has taken tremendous losses, Brittanny is unable to challenge my numerical superiority, and a Savoyard- Aragonese alliance goes in the offensive against an exhausted France. The South falls quickly, and Savoy forces France to release Bourbon as a vassal. As a result, I’m unable to claim my core on Bourbon for zero infamy. So we accept Bourbon cash. Things with Armagnac end in a similar way. It’s bad enough when you see Avignon actually occupying French territory.
Another humiliating peace is made with France, forcing her to hand over four cored provinces. My war exhaustion is at 13+, my manpower has taken severe hits, but France is once more broken (I guess).
January 1420, France is forced to sign another disastrous peace treaty. She loses out two more provinces, further reducing her strength.
In the aftermath of my war, the French will diplo-annex Auvergne. Former French vassal Armagnac will declare war upon current French vassal Foix, who calls in France. Armagnac gets annexed as a result, and the French war machine thriumphs again. France once again has ten provinces. Her allies are Tuscany and Switzerland… For obvious reasons I'd very much like to see France broken, so I can finally start to focus on a large-scale construction strategy. But for now, it looks like I'm forced to fight for survival rathen than for oddities like college-spamming.
July 1419: Bavaria accepts a white peace. I’m no longer at war and can finally bring back my war exhaustion. During this war I managed to increase my stability to +1. This significantly softened the consequences of revolt risk and income loss. High legitimacy helped me out as well.
October 1419: I initiate trade in Paris. My five merchants have seen fit to kick out five French ones. They’re there to stay this time. I also decide to cancel the wine trade rights I have with the Hansa, but I remain in their trade league for now. About 75 ducats worth in trade goods are traded in Lubeck. All other provinces and trade value I’m generating goes through Paris, which has now a COT of 400 ducats. I won’t miss out on the trade league bonuses.
September 1420: My four star artist dies. He is replaced by a two-star artist from the advisor pool. In the campaign, I have not yet recruited a single advisor, with cultural tradition at around 80%. All in all, two magistrates and one diplomat (heir introduced) were spent to get this cultural tradition this high, despite near-continuous warfare. Not bad.
October 1420 triggers the kind of event I never had before in EU3. I happily accept because of the war exhaustion-reduction. In fact, I’m still eagerly looking at the Defender of the Faith-title for exactly the same reason. Decent war exhaustion reduction could enable me to levy continuous war taxes, solving my budgeting issues in the long run. I don’t take that title yet.
Late December 1420: God shows once more he’s on my side and he wants me to succeed. Another 300 ducats are added to a cash balance of about 110 ducats. I’ll be putting them to good use.
And therebye we conclude this update. The political situation in Europe has seen significant evolutions during my latest wars. Castile is grabbing some more land in Northern Africa. With Algiers being bankrupted, there’s no way stopping them. The Ottomans have waged all-out wars against the Scandinavians, Hungary, Poland, Brandenburg and the Hordes. All at the same time. And they faired pretty well, even though they had to release Saruhan. Further to the East, lucky Muscowy stands no chance against the onslaught of the Golden Horde. Golden Horde has been eating it’s way all through Lithuania, has occupied two Baltic provinces of the Teutonic Order and is sieging another three provinces of them. Her armies are still the most numberless in the world.
My only regret is that – due to the loss of my Austrian alliance – I was forced to accept alliance offers from Poland and Hungary. I’d very much prefer to backstab those two countries, so the Horde can take advantage of it.
The Knights are well on their way to beat me in my construction-madness. They already have a metropolis. Unluckily for them, they go broke in the course of 1419, shortly after their conversion to Orthodoxy. But I do give it to them: it does look cool.
Next update will focus on magistrate-spending and long-term strategy.
Many thanks,
Andy