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Sorry if I wasn't clear in my update. I have all the provinces needed to form Great Britain. It's just that, to form it, there's also a prerequisite of being in a year after 1550. So, until I reach 1550, I'll be staying as England.
Chapter 13 - Bulgaria Growing Out of Control!
Bulgaria has grown not only grown stronger but they also got a lot more annoying. First, they took Toulon in the France region. Yup, I now share a border with them. With no way to invade them, I doubt I can take it from them. The other peace deal is a bit misleading. What really happened was that Bulgaria got a personal union over Poland which just made them so much stronger. To tell the truth, I'm not looking forward to a war between our two nations. The chances of a conflict is much higher now that we share a border. To improve my chances of victory, I continued research and made a minor breakthrough in naval tech. I will need to improve it more if I want to guarantee naval victories against Bulgaria who have a powerful navy as well. I may not be able to take them on in land battles yet but they can't harm me if their ships can't reach the British Isles. Just using some simple English tactics here.
I was just checking on Iberia when I discovered this interesting development. Aragon has gotten themselves in a personal union with Ethiopia. How an Africa nation got control over an Iberian nation, I have no idea. What mattered was that the drama in Iberia continued to entertain me. I'm curious if this personal union can save Aragon from the invasions of Almoravids. After all, it's tougher for the Muslim nation to get war score now that Ethiopia will be the war leader. Meanwhile, I don't sit idle by building some tanners. With so many buildings and so little magistrates, the boost in magistrates will be great for sure. The production investments will be good as well but I really want the magistrates. I need to continue improving my nation so I can actually handle the recently buffed Bulgaria.
A few more tanners were put into constructions as I was willing to part with a good chunk of my ducats. I know these will be worth it later on but I'll be lying if I say they're not hurting me at all. My trade tech got improved which isn't that great. After all, trade doesn't get me too much income and it will take quite a few more levels before the trade income overtakes my production. Abroad, I receive more bad news. First, Naples has reduced the Papal State to a one province minor. The Papal State only control Vatican and looked like they're destined to fall soon enough. Their province is so tiny that you can't even see it on the map I posted. They are north of Rome and, when there's an army on it, it's a pain to select on it. I wonder how long it will be before Rome falls to Naples. Bulgaria made some gains in Greece which was to be expected. I really envy Bulgaria. They had so many easy conquests while I'm stuck with the most annoying neighbors. The most annoying part was that most of them are part of the HRE. What that meant was that I faced too many enemies, including the emperor. With Bulgaria expanding more rapidly than me, I'm getting really worried now. My expansions in the area isn't getting anywhere. I mean, I've been at peace long enough that, if I was a horde, I would get the events that claim me as unworthy. I really must decide on my next victim
.
Bulgaria then gets a new vassal. When will they stop? Is the AI serious trying to defeat me? To make things worse, Venice got even stronger. I must deal with those Venitians before they get any stronger. It's fine when you trade with your neighbors and remain peaceful. It's a whole different situation when you invade your neighbors and start wrecking havoc. I was thinking of dealing with France but at least they haven't been stirring up so much trouble. France has been quite passive which is surprising. Had my vassalization of Burgundy did that to them? Either way, France isn't my immediate concern. Venice is and I cannot ignore them any longer. Venice, time for a war between us. There can only be one naval power in the region! I intend on crushing you bit by bit until there is nothing left of you. You hear me? You will pay for your bloodthirsty nature (kinda of ironic that it's coming from me).
Bulgaria has grown not only grown stronger but they also got a lot more annoying. First, they took Toulon in the France region. Yup, I now share a border with them. With no way to invade them, I doubt I can take it from them. The other peace deal is a bit misleading. What really happened was that Bulgaria got a personal union over Poland which just made them so much stronger. To tell the truth, I'm not looking forward to a war between our two nations. The chances of a conflict is much higher now that we share a border. To improve my chances of victory, I continued research and made a minor breakthrough in naval tech. I will need to improve it more if I want to guarantee naval victories against Bulgaria who have a powerful navy as well. I may not be able to take them on in land battles yet but they can't harm me if their ships can't reach the British Isles. Just using some simple English tactics here.
I was just checking on Iberia when I discovered this interesting development. Aragon has gotten themselves in a personal union with Ethiopia. How an Africa nation got control over an Iberian nation, I have no idea. What mattered was that the drama in Iberia continued to entertain me. I'm curious if this personal union can save Aragon from the invasions of Almoravids. After all, it's tougher for the Muslim nation to get war score now that Ethiopia will be the war leader. Meanwhile, I don't sit idle by building some tanners. With so many buildings and so little magistrates, the boost in magistrates will be great for sure. The production investments will be good as well but I really want the magistrates. I need to continue improving my nation so I can actually handle the recently buffed Bulgaria.
A few more tanners were put into constructions as I was willing to part with a good chunk of my ducats. I know these will be worth it later on but I'll be lying if I say they're not hurting me at all. My trade tech got improved which isn't that great. After all, trade doesn't get me too much income and it will take quite a few more levels before the trade income overtakes my production. Abroad, I receive more bad news. First, Naples has reduced the Papal State to a one province minor. The Papal State only control Vatican and looked like they're destined to fall soon enough. Their province is so tiny that you can't even see it on the map I posted. They are north of Rome and, when there's an army on it, it's a pain to select on it. I wonder how long it will be before Rome falls to Naples. Bulgaria made some gains in Greece which was to be expected. I really envy Bulgaria. They had so many easy conquests while I'm stuck with the most annoying neighbors. The most annoying part was that most of them are part of the HRE. What that meant was that I faced too many enemies, including the emperor. With Bulgaria expanding more rapidly than me, I'm getting really worried now. My expansions in the area isn't getting anywhere. I mean, I've been at peace long enough that, if I was a horde, I would get the events that claim me as unworthy. I really must decide on my next victim
.
Bulgaria then gets a new vassal. When will they stop? Is the AI serious trying to defeat me? To make things worse, Venice got even stronger. I must deal with those Venitians before they get any stronger. It's fine when you trade with your neighbors and remain peaceful. It's a whole different situation when you invade your neighbors and start wrecking havoc. I was thinking of dealing with France but at least they haven't been stirring up so much trouble. France has been quite passive which is surprising. Had my vassalization of Burgundy did that to them? Either way, France isn't my immediate concern. Venice is and I cannot ignore them any longer. Venice, time for a war between us. There can only be one naval power in the region! I intend on crushing you bit by bit until there is nothing left of you. You hear me? You will pay for your bloodthirsty nature (kinda of ironic that it's coming from me
).
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Chapter 14 - Excommunication War on Venice
An upgrade to my production tech was quite nice. It would help me fill up my nearly empty treasury following my building spree. It won't be much but at least it will let me keep some loose ducats. I had other issues to deal with during this time. Venice has become out of control. The excommunication hasn't slowed down their expansion one bit. They went as they pleased and continued to take Italy under their control. Papal state gave up the last province outside their capital (I somehow missed it in my last update) and Ferrara ceded land soon after. Other than Naples, Venice didn't have any other nations that could challenge them in their unification of Italy. At least, no one else that resided within Italy.
I've had it with Venice. It's bad enough they dislike me but they were becoming a threat to my nation's existence. With a navy that was greater than mine at the time, I must say that I needed to lower them a notch or two before even I can't take them on. The Excommunication Casus Belli was a good enough reason for war. After all, I'm fighting for the Pope. What other reasons do I need to declare war? Byzantium also joined the war and I must say their combined navy is terrifying. Even the army for both sides were roughly the same strength. I hoped Burgundy can carry her weight because this war won't be easy at all. While this major war in Europe was taking place, I received news that the Mongol Khanate was making a comeback. A series of wars had the Mongols controlling all of Korea and much of China. Seeing all this, I wouldn't count the Mongol Khanate out yet. Looked like they might be able to become a world power if given enough time.
The war against Venice began with a couple of naval engagements. I was fortunate that Venice didn't combine their entire navy and that was the reason I was able to take them on. During the early stages of my battle with Venice, the battle was close and a victor yet to be determined. Luckily, my number advantage of big ships proved to be the edge to shift the battle in my favor. The Venice fleet lost a couple of ships but the biggest victory was my newly acquired big ships. These would be huge as it strengthened my navy instantly. Byzantium sent their pitiful navy up against me and lost quickly. I don't mind the extra war score from these battle though. I will need to win plenty of wars against Venice if I hoped to cut them down enough to eliminate them as a threat. Land battles ensued where my enemies were foolish to land their troops where they lacked reinforcements. I gathered the local forces and quickly disposed them. I have won a couple of battles but the Venetian main force was still strong. The deciding battle has yet to take place.
Milan exited the war. Even though they weren't a threat, their presence is always annoying when I had to chase their 1k stacks down. Pisa continued to land their troops in Northern France and I decided that to destroy their navy. Next, Byzantium sent the half of their remaining navy to fight mine. Without Venice reinforcing them, I outnumbered Byzantium navy nearly with twice the number of ships. The battle was won easily with another big ship within my ranks. Pisa won't be landing their soldiers on Northern France which would be a nice change. Soon after, Byzantium sent the rest of their navy to challenge me. Once again, I outnumbered them by a large number and crush them. Two more ships were added to my navy but these still aren't enough for me to challenge the Venetian navy. Aquileia sent their navy to land some troops on the Isle of Man. I didn't want to bother with getting troops to intercept them so I destroyed their navy before their soldiers can land.
An upgrade to my production tech was quite nice. It would help me fill up my nearly empty treasury following my building spree. It won't be much but at least it will let me keep some loose ducats. I had other issues to deal with during this time. Venice has become out of control. The excommunication hasn't slowed down their expansion one bit. They went as they pleased and continued to take Italy under their control. Papal state gave up the last province outside their capital (I somehow missed it in my last update) and Ferrara ceded land soon after. Other than Naples, Venice didn't have any other nations that could challenge them in their unification of Italy. At least, no one else that resided within Italy.
I've had it with Venice. It's bad enough they dislike me but they were becoming a threat to my nation's existence. With a navy that was greater than mine at the time, I must say that I needed to lower them a notch or two before even I can't take them on. The Excommunication Casus Belli was a good enough reason for war. After all, I'm fighting for the Pope. What other reasons do I need to declare war? Byzantium also joined the war and I must say their combined navy is terrifying. Even the army for both sides were roughly the same strength. I hoped Burgundy can carry her weight because this war won't be easy at all. While this major war in Europe was taking place, I received news that the Mongol Khanate was making a comeback. A series of wars had the Mongols controlling all of Korea and much of China. Seeing all this, I wouldn't count the Mongol Khanate out yet. Looked like they might be able to become a world power if given enough time.
The war against Venice began with a couple of naval engagements. I was fortunate that Venice didn't combine their entire navy and that was the reason I was able to take them on. During the early stages of my battle with Venice, the battle was close and a victor yet to be determined. Luckily, my number advantage of big ships proved to be the edge to shift the battle in my favor. The Venice fleet lost a couple of ships but the biggest victory was my newly acquired big ships. These would be huge as it strengthened my navy instantly. Byzantium sent their pitiful navy up against me and lost quickly. I don't mind the extra war score from these battle though. I will need to win plenty of wars against Venice if I hoped to cut them down enough to eliminate them as a threat. Land battles ensued where my enemies were foolish to land their troops where they lacked reinforcements. I gathered the local forces and quickly disposed them. I have won a couple of battles but the Venetian main force was still strong. The deciding battle has yet to take place.
Milan exited the war. Even though they weren't a threat, their presence is always annoying when I had to chase their 1k stacks down. Pisa continued to land their troops in Northern France and I decided that to destroy their navy. Next, Byzantium sent the half of their remaining navy to fight mine. Without Venice reinforcing them, I outnumbered Byzantium navy nearly with twice the number of ships. The battle was won easily with another big ship within my ranks. Pisa won't be landing their soldiers on Northern France which would be a nice change. Soon after, Byzantium sent the rest of their navy to challenge me. Once again, I outnumbered them by a large number and crush them. Two more ships were added to my navy but these still aren't enough for me to challenge the Venetian navy. Aquileia sent their navy to land some troops on the Isle of Man. I didn't want to bother with getting troops to intercept them so I destroyed their navy before their soldiers can land.
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Chapter 15 - Excommunication War Rages On!
I wanted Byzantium out of the war. They have only been an annoyance since they haven't been able to combine their fleet with Venice to form a real threat. With their main fleet either sunk or captured, Byzantium was more than willing to exit the war. With them out of the way, I might be able to focus on the continent now. A pretty big battle took place in the Switzerland area and I came out victorious. However, this isn't the time to celebrate. After all, Venice only lost about a quarter of all their soldiers (Yup, Venice is pretty powerful at the moment). If I had let them continue growing, I have doubts I could deal with them. With the bulk of the Venetian army nowhere to be found, I've decided to be caution and only start sieges in provinces I can reinforce quickly. Venice is anything but out. Luckily, my war exhaustion hasn't been rising that quickly which meant I shouldn't need to worry about rebels yet.
A couple more minor battles were to take place with me victorious. Still, Venice is still hiding their main forces and my gut is telling me that I will see them soon enough. I decided to peace out Epirus next. They have been more annoying than Byzantium despite the fact that they are in another war. Epirus is fighting Bulgaria and they're losing (no surprise there). Damn it, Bulgaria. Why can't you give me a hand here .... On second thought, you stay on your side of the Mediterranean. I've already had it with your presence in Provence. I don't need more inconvenience from sharing a larger border with you.
Venetian reinforcements join the fight in Northern Italy. They disrupted one of my sieges while I won a costly victory in Brescia. I can't chase them down either which means that the stalemate will continue. Venice isn't making this easy for me and I just have to be patient. I wish the Burgundy AI could be of more help. They usually retreat when I need their help the most. I'm not willing to take big risks either since recruiting will take time that would give my opponent an edge. I get another level of government tech. I'm focusing on this right now because the national idea would give me the greatest benefit compared to what I could get from the other techs. Yes, I'm even ignoring land tech but it's fine since everyone in Europe is roughly at the same level and the next few levels don't give that big of a bonus.
I win another small victory in Italy while Venice wins a big victory in a naval battle. I had an admiral but they just somehow defeated me and stole some of my ships. I think I'll avoid combat with the Venetian fleet until I can build more ships. At the moment, Venice control the seas. If I was losing land battles as well, I would say that this war is going downhill. Luckily, I'm chipping away at them and am waiting for the right opportunity to strike. The Venetian AI should make a mistake soon, right? I hope so. In Italy, I continued winning small victories but I cannot chase them down. It's really annoying how I can't make any advances into Venetian territory until I deal with their army. I'm driving up my war score but that doesn't help much if I cannot occupy their territories.
Remember that naval defeat I suffered at their hands? Well, they also landed troops. 12 thousand men had landed on the British Isles and they were giving me some trouble. I had to get my fleet to transport some troops around to muster the forces to annihilate them. Of course, I don't mind this at all. The more soldiers they sacrifice on the English soil, the less they have defending Italy. Venetian AI, if you can hear me, keep it up!
I wanted Byzantium out of the war. They have only been an annoyance since they haven't been able to combine their fleet with Venice to form a real threat. With their main fleet either sunk or captured, Byzantium was more than willing to exit the war. With them out of the way, I might be able to focus on the continent now. A pretty big battle took place in the Switzerland area and I came out victorious. However, this isn't the time to celebrate. After all, Venice only lost about a quarter of all their soldiers (Yup, Venice is pretty powerful at the moment). If I had let them continue growing, I have doubts I could deal with them. With the bulk of the Venetian army nowhere to be found, I've decided to be caution and only start sieges in provinces I can reinforce quickly. Venice is anything but out. Luckily, my war exhaustion hasn't been rising that quickly which meant I shouldn't need to worry about rebels yet.
A couple more minor battles were to take place with me victorious. Still, Venice is still hiding their main forces and my gut is telling me that I will see them soon enough. I decided to peace out Epirus next. They have been more annoying than Byzantium despite the fact that they are in another war. Epirus is fighting Bulgaria and they're losing (no surprise there). Damn it, Bulgaria. Why can't you give me a hand here .... On second thought, you stay on your side of the Mediterranean. I've already had it with your presence in Provence. I don't need more inconvenience from sharing a larger border with you.
Venetian reinforcements join the fight in Northern Italy. They disrupted one of my sieges while I won a costly victory in Brescia. I can't chase them down either which means that the stalemate will continue. Venice isn't making this easy for me and I just have to be patient. I wish the Burgundy AI could be of more help. They usually retreat when I need their help the most. I'm not willing to take big risks either since recruiting will take time that would give my opponent an edge. I get another level of government tech. I'm focusing on this right now because the national idea would give me the greatest benefit compared to what I could get from the other techs. Yes, I'm even ignoring land tech but it's fine since everyone in Europe is roughly at the same level and the next few levels don't give that big of a bonus.
I win another small victory in Italy while Venice wins a big victory in a naval battle. I had an admiral but they just somehow defeated me and stole some of my ships. I think I'll avoid combat with the Venetian fleet until I can build more ships. At the moment, Venice control the seas. If I was losing land battles as well, I would say that this war is going downhill. Luckily, I'm chipping away at them and am waiting for the right opportunity to strike. The Venetian AI should make a mistake soon, right? I hope so. In Italy, I continued winning small victories but I cannot chase them down. It's really annoying how I can't make any advances into Venetian territory until I deal with their army. I'm driving up my war score but that doesn't help much if I cannot occupy their territories.
Remember that naval defeat I suffered at their hands? Well, they also landed troops. 12 thousand men had landed on the British Isles and they were giving me some trouble. I had to get my fleet to transport some troops around to muster the forces to annihilate them. Of course, I don't mind this at all. The more soldiers they sacrifice on the English soil, the less they have defending Italy. Venetian AI, if you can hear me, keep it up!
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Chapter 16 - Venice Cut Down in Size
The Venetian main army finally shows its face. They were hoping to attacking Burgundy army which was significantly smaller in numbers. I was able to reinforce in time to turn the battle around. The victory seemed to convince the Venetians that I wasn't someone they wanted to mess with. I took three provinces which, while not the richest possible options, would provide me with better positioning in any future wars with Venice. The Russian region has become much more interesting with the emergence of the Golden Horde. They seemed to have absorbed some of Blue Horde's territory as well and look quite dangerous. Let's see if they strike the same fear in Russians as in Vanilla.
I don't know how but Epirus got herself involved in a war against Bulgaria again. They lose more territory but I doubt they have learned their lesson yet. Some AIs never change. In Naples, the Langobards have broken free! With my Steppe Wolf AAR, I've grown attached to this pink nation. I wish them luck in survival. I hope ... never mind. I spoke too soon. Naples annexed them again . Curse you, Naples! What have the Langobards done to you? Onto other nations abroad, Rum has defeated Byzantium in a war which saw them closer to maybe forming Ottomans (I'm not entirely sure what nation the Rum can form). Assuming that they do form the Ottomans, I wouldn't mind seeing them giving Bulgaria a run for their money. Bulgaria taken down a peg or two would be nice(For those wondering, I really dislike Bulgaria and you will find out why in my future updates).
Venice! I'm back to take more of your land. Our last war ended too quickly for my taste. You were a coward and barely dared to face me. This time, I intend on taking your more valuable provinces. Hand them over or suffer defeat! Venice's vassals, Epirus and Milan also entered the war. I think I would take care of Milan quickly. They are sort of in the way and clearing them out would be nice. Remember the better positioning I was talking about earlier? It's working and Venice is falling into my traps. Those gullible Venetians will get what's coming to them! The couple of victories in Northern Italy has cut my enemies' number into a more manageable chunks. Victory should come swifter this time, I hope.
I love how the AI decides to land troops all the way to Northern France when they are losing ground in Northern Italy. I shouldn't complain since this makes my life so much easier. This landing only sped up their defeat. I just have to get a few provinces occupied while watching for possible Venetian reinforcements that want to lift sieges. To pass the time, I decided to check out the situation elsewhere. It would seem that there's no way I can ignore Italy. Genoa has apparently defeated Naples and released Langobards! Go Langobards! Too bad they don't like me too much. Epirus wanted to be excused from the war and I, being a nice ruler and all, decided to let them go. Venice is my main target and Epirus just makes my life slightly harder.
I must admit I feel that I accomplished a fair bit. Venice, once a feared nation in the HRE, has suddenly became a prime target. I have weakened them and nearby nations smelled blood. They want Venetian territory bad. Hopefully, this would spell the end of this Italian power. Yes, Venice has fought Bulgaria and came out unscathed. Still, they had to deal with me and I don't intend on going soft on them. Bulgaria is losing her touch when Transylvania broke feel. Too bad Transylvania seemed like the only nation to break free as the Bulgarian army was still strong. Other rebels have been put down swiftly. Milan exited the war with one less province. I hope this gives them a message that they shouldn't mess with the big boys.
Seeing Cyprus breaking free from Epirus, I realized that this was the reason why they wanted out of our war. Rebels have been a problem for them and they could barely handle them. For once, the AI has made a good decision. Venice wasn't so lucky when I took 3 of their provinces. Now, I know you are saying I'm being too soft on them. Let me clarify that these three provinces aren't cheap. Why? All three provinces have a university. Three universities not only meant that I get extra government tech boost but I also get more magistrates. Venice will miss these provinces but I happily take them. I've weaken Venice a fair bit and they still had to deal with all those at war with them. I feel I accomplished taking Venice down a notch or two. Who's my next target, I wonder?
Before we get into more war stuff, I would like to show you that I've officially reached above 100 provinces. As a result, I get more merchants and missionaries since I now have 100 marketplaces and temples. These level 1 buildings are default for all provinces which meant that I simply needed 100 provinces to trigger the bonus. These extra bonuses should come in nicely. 1 more level of production tech should boost my income nicely while Austria also takes a chunk out of Venice. I feel kind of bad about Venice which is why I decided that they won't be my next war target. Maybe it's about time I deal with an old enemy. I know that nation probably feels ignored but I put Venice as my priority. I guess it's time she gets some loving too.
The personal union for Aragon didn't stop Almoravids from declaring another war. This Muslim nation really wants all of Iberia. Luckily, Aragon still served as a buffer zone which gave me enough time to deal with my old enemy. France, did you miss me? I sure hope so and I know you are angry with me for ignoring you all this time. I'll make up this time by, hopefully, making you my vassal. Then, we can be best buddies forever. Foix is at war with them which explains my casus belli. I've been neglecting France long enough and I'm sure most of you agree that the France region would be a lot peaceful if we are all united under a single ruler. Burgundy has been content with the way of things and I have no doubt that France would agree with us soon enough. They just need to be poked with a pointy stick a few times first.
France, your army is impressive indeed. However, I was prepared for your assault. I gathered my best men to form a great force to take you on. Your soldiers fought hard but my men fought even harder. Your men, with their morale destroyed, routed but I wasn't that merciful at the time. Not a single of them will survive this battle. I have now cleared the way to carpet siege. Though, you have too many provinces for me to do so successfully. I think I need some help. Flanders! Be a good vassal and help me siege France. They have too many provinces as it it. With you joining us, we should have enough to ... wait. What? What do you mean you annexed Provence. France, why do you have to make my life so hard? You are doing this on purpose, aren't you? Stupid AI.
The Mongol Khanate is making more of a comeback by first taking some of their provinces from the Blue Horde. Let's celebrate this occasion in England with Liquor. On second though, let's pass the liquor act so we can celebrate and make more ducats! Oh! They also defeated Khezmwar. Talk about a good fight. Keep it up, Mongol Khanate! We're cheering you on! Alright, I guess I should return to Europe. Cologne had enough of the war while Leon handed the Almoravids a single province. France made things more annoying by calling in Sicily. Great! I have to deal with more naval landings. Now, where's my fleet? I think I misplaced them somewhere. I hope I can find them soon. I thought I didn't need them after my last war with Venice.
The Venetian main army finally shows its face. They were hoping to attacking Burgundy army which was significantly smaller in numbers. I was able to reinforce in time to turn the battle around. The victory seemed to convince the Venetians that I wasn't someone they wanted to mess with. I took three provinces which, while not the richest possible options, would provide me with better positioning in any future wars with Venice. The Russian region has become much more interesting with the emergence of the Golden Horde. They seemed to have absorbed some of Blue Horde's territory as well and look quite dangerous. Let's see if they strike the same fear in Russians as in Vanilla.
I don't know how but Epirus got herself involved in a war against Bulgaria again. They lose more territory but I doubt they have learned their lesson yet. Some AIs never change. In Naples, the Langobards have broken free! With my Steppe Wolf AAR, I've grown attached to this pink nation
. I wish them luck in survival. I hope ... never mind. I spoke too soon. Naples annexed them again . Curse you, Naples! What have the Langobards done to you? Onto other nations abroad, Rum has defeated Byzantium in a war which saw them closer to maybe forming Ottomans (I'm not entirely sure what nation the Rum can form). Assuming that they do form the Ottomans, I wouldn't mind seeing them giving Bulgaria a run for their money. Bulgaria taken down a peg or two would be nice(For those wondering, I really dislike Bulgaria and you will find out why in my future updates).
Venice! I'm back to take more of your land. Our last war ended too quickly for my taste. You were a coward and barely dared to face me. This time, I intend on taking your more valuable provinces. Hand them over or suffer defeat! Venice's vassals, Epirus and Milan also entered the war. I think I would take care of Milan quickly. They are sort of in the way and clearing them out would be nice. Remember the better positioning I was talking about earlier? It's working and Venice is falling into my traps. Those gullible Venetians will get what's coming to them! The couple of victories in Northern Italy has cut my enemies' number into a more manageable chunks. Victory should come swifter this time, I hope.
I love how the AI decides to land troops all the way to Northern France when they are losing ground in Northern Italy. I shouldn't complain since this makes my life so much easier. This landing only sped up their defeat. I just have to get a few provinces occupied while watching for possible Venetian reinforcements that want to lift sieges. To pass the time, I decided to check out the situation elsewhere. It would seem that there's no way I can ignore Italy. Genoa has apparently defeated Naples and released Langobards! Go Langobards! Too bad they don't like me too much
. Epirus wanted to be excused from the war and I, being a nice ruler and all, decided to let them go. Venice is my main target and Epirus just makes my life slightly harder.
I must admit I feel that I accomplished a fair bit. Venice, once a feared nation in the HRE, has suddenly became a prime target. I have weakened them and nearby nations smelled blood. They want Venetian territory bad. Hopefully, this would spell the end of this Italian power. Yes, Venice has fought Bulgaria and came out unscathed. Still, they had to deal with me and I don't intend on going soft on them. Bulgaria is losing her touch when Transylvania broke feel. Too bad Transylvania seemed like the only nation to break free as the Bulgarian army was still strong. Other rebels have been put down swiftly. Milan exited the war with one less province. I hope this gives them a message that they shouldn't mess with the big boys.
Seeing Cyprus breaking free from Epirus, I realized that this was the reason why they wanted out of our war. Rebels have been a problem for them and they could barely handle them. For once, the AI has made a good decision. Venice wasn't so lucky when I took 3 of their provinces. Now, I know you are saying I'm being too soft on them. Let me clarify that these three provinces aren't cheap. Why? All three provinces have a university. Three universities not only meant that I get extra government tech boost but I also get more magistrates. Venice will miss these provinces but I happily take them. I've weaken Venice a fair bit and they still had to deal with all those at war with them. I feel I accomplished taking Venice down a notch or two. Who's my next target, I wonder?
Before we get into more war stuff, I would like to show you that I've officially reached above 100 provinces. As a result, I get more merchants and missionaries since I now have 100 marketplaces and temples. These level 1 buildings are default for all provinces which meant that I simply needed 100 provinces to trigger the bonus. These extra bonuses should come in nicely. 1 more level of production tech should boost my income nicely while Austria also takes a chunk out of Venice. I feel kind of bad about Venice which is why I decided that they won't be my next war target. Maybe it's about time I deal with an old enemy. I know that nation probably feels ignored but I put Venice as my priority. I guess it's time she gets some loving too
.
The personal union for Aragon didn't stop Almoravids from declaring another war. This Muslim nation really wants all of Iberia. Luckily, Aragon still served as a buffer zone which gave me enough time to deal with my old enemy. France, did you miss me? I sure hope so and I know you are angry with me for ignoring you all this time. I'll make up this time by, hopefully, making you my vassal. Then, we can be best buddies forever
. Foix is at war with them which explains my casus belli. I've been neglecting France long enough and I'm sure most of you agree that the France region would be a lot peaceful if we are all united under a single ruler. Burgundy has been content with the way of things and I have no doubt that France would agree with us soon enough. They just need to be poked with a pointy stick a few times first.
France, your army is impressive indeed. However, I was prepared for your assault. I gathered my best men to form a great force to take you on. Your soldiers fought hard but my men fought even harder. Your men, with their morale destroyed, routed but I wasn't that merciful at the time. Not a single of them will survive this battle. I have now cleared the way to carpet siege. Though, you have too many provinces for me to do so successfully. I think I need some help. Flanders! Be a good vassal and help me siege France. They have too many provinces as it it. With you joining us, we should have enough to ... wait. What? What do you mean you annexed Provence. France, why do you have to make my life so hard? You are doing this on purpose, aren't you? Stupid AI
.
The Mongol Khanate is making more of a comeback by first taking some of their provinces from the Blue Horde. Let's celebrate this occasion in England with Liquor. On second though, let's pass the liquor act so we can celebrate and make more ducats! Oh! They also defeated Khezmwar. Talk about a good fight. Keep it up, Mongol Khanate! We're cheering you on! Alright, I guess I should return to Europe. Cologne had enough of the war while Leon handed the Almoravids a single province. France made things more annoying by calling in Sicily. Great! I have to deal with more naval landings. Now, where's my fleet? I think I misplaced them somewhere. I hope I can find them soon. I thought I didn't need them after my last war with Venice.
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Chapter 17 - England Facing Dangerous Coalition
France had recruited some troops and joined with Leon in a final attempt of driving my forces back. They were devastated in a battle in Pau where I had less than 200 casualties. France has lost their last chance of turning the war around as they no longer had an army that could pose a threat to me. Sicily attempted their own landing on the Isle of Man where I greeted them with my entire navy. It was a shame I couldn't capture any ships. Bulgaria took care of Transylvania by vassalizing them (don't know why they didn't annex them when they could've done it with no infamy). I took care of Sicily and Leon by peacing them out. I guess they, with Leon lacking an army and Sicily lacking a navy, decided they had enough. I'm glad that I can focus on France now.
Golden Horde has annexed Blue Horde as they are well on their way on becoming the dominant power in the region. Almoravids had defeated Ethiopia and taken a good chunk of Iberia. They are creeping closer to me and I knew I had to end my war with France soon. Consolidating my strength in the France region is a must for me if I hope to take on the Almoravids. Easier said than then. I occupied Paris which should have ended the war. France, deciding to make things more interesting, annexed Avignon. France was getting stronger and I worried that they might make it impossible for me to vassalize them at this rate. I decided to send my main forces to eliminate the last of French troops to halt their expansion.
In Italy, Venice annexed Langobards. I will avenge you, Langobards! I finally got the needed war score to vassalize France and get a nice sum of ducats from them. The France region is now officially mine. Interestingly enough, France continued to make their expansions and got themselves a vassal after our war (the region outlines by the red marker is the province they took). I don't mind France getting stronger now that they are under a leash. I've decided to stop abusing the vassalization mechanics and changed the rules so I cannot get a vassal after this. Speaking of vassal, I feel it's about time I start annexing them. I wonder who will be the next lucky nation to join the great England nation. For those of you wondering, the rebels that are active in Burgundy are the result of Burgundy refusing to grant Switzerland independence. I realized they were there after the war and decided to give them a hand there. I want Burgundy to be at full size when I do annex them.
On more topics abroad, Venice turned her sights on Naples. So much for our last two wars cutting Venice down to size. I guess I still need to teach them another lesson or two. I have finally chosen Savoy to be the next lucky nation. Savoy hasn't built any regiments which make them quite useless. To make them contribute to the greater good, they will be a part of my nation while giving me some much needed land force limit. I dissolved my alliance with Foix fearing that they might get me into unnecessary wars. Almoravids expand further south with another victory over Mali. Their force limit is getting high which isn't good news for me. I don't want to deal with them yet until I annex either Burgundy or France. Lucky for them, they will still exist for at least 10 more years. I get a breakthrough in trade tech while another province broke free from Bulgaria. I sure hope something interesting can happen soon.
Remember Sweden? They are not as indestructible as we thought they would be. Novgorod defeated them in a war and took a couple of provinces. I must admit that I didn't see Novgorod winning that war. Let's see which of those two nations will come out on top. Venice has become a bigger headache when she annexed Naples. I know I have to deal with them now before they control the rest of Italian peninsula. To the south, Mali was foolish to declare war on Almoravids and get thrashed again. I'm not liking the idea that Mali is handing their land over to Almoravids so easily. Back to Italy, we have Urbino who asked for my help. I was thinking: Poland should be easy to deal with. Right, I forgot to check their allies and I got myself into a war I wasn't prepared for. Austria (emperor of the HRE) and Hungary will be tough customers. To make matters worse, they create a connection between me and Poland. On the topic of Poland, they somehow broke free from Bulgaria (possibly bad relations with Bulgaria) and formed a dangerous alliance. Did I mention that Venice joined the party as well?
France had recruited some troops and joined with Leon in a final attempt of driving my forces back. They were devastated in a battle in Pau where I had less than 200 casualties. France has lost their last chance of turning the war around as they no longer had an army that could pose a threat to me. Sicily attempted their own landing on the Isle of Man where I greeted them with my entire navy. It was a shame I couldn't capture any ships. Bulgaria took care of Transylvania by vassalizing them (don't know why they didn't annex them when they could've done it with no infamy). I took care of Sicily and Leon by peacing them out. I guess they, with Leon lacking an army and Sicily lacking a navy, decided they had enough. I'm glad that I can focus on France now.
Golden Horde has annexed Blue Horde as they are well on their way on becoming the dominant power in the region. Almoravids had defeated Ethiopia and taken a good chunk of Iberia. They are creeping closer to me and I knew I had to end my war with France soon. Consolidating my strength in the France region is a must for me if I hope to take on the Almoravids. Easier said than then. I occupied Paris which should have ended the war. France, deciding to make things more interesting, annexed Avignon. France was getting stronger and I worried that they might make it impossible for me to vassalize them at this rate. I decided to send my main forces to eliminate the last of French troops to halt their expansion.
In Italy, Venice annexed Langobards. I will avenge you, Langobards! I finally got the needed war score to vassalize France and get a nice sum of ducats from them. The France region is now officially mine
. Interestingly enough, France continued to make their expansions and got themselves a vassal after our war (the region outlines by the red marker is the province they took). I don't mind France getting stronger now that they are under a leash. I've decided to stop abusing the vassalization mechanics and changed the rules so I cannot get a vassal after this. Speaking of vassal, I feel it's about time I start annexing them. I wonder who will be the next lucky nation to join the great England nation. For those of you wondering, the rebels that are active in Burgundy are the result of Burgundy refusing to grant Switzerland independence. I realized they were there after the war and decided to give them a hand there. I want Burgundy to be at full size when I do annex them.
On more topics abroad, Venice turned her sights on Naples. So much for our last two wars cutting Venice down to size. I guess I still need to teach them another lesson or two. I have finally chosen Savoy to be the next lucky nation. Savoy hasn't built any regiments which make them quite useless. To make them contribute to the greater good, they will be a part of my nation while giving me some much needed land force limit. I dissolved my alliance with Foix fearing that they might get me into unnecessary wars. Almoravids expand further south with another victory over Mali. Their force limit is getting high which isn't good news for me. I don't want to deal with them yet until I annex either Burgundy or France. Lucky for them, they will still exist for at least 10 more years
. I get a breakthrough in trade tech while another province broke free from Bulgaria. I sure hope something interesting can happen soon.
Remember Sweden? They are not as indestructible as we thought they would be. Novgorod defeated them in a war and took a couple of provinces. I must admit that I didn't see Novgorod winning that war. Let's see which of those two nations will come out on top. Venice has become a bigger headache when she annexed Naples. I know I have to deal with them now before they control the rest of Italian peninsula. To the south, Mali was foolish to declare war on Almoravids and get thrashed again. I'm not liking the idea that Mali is handing their land over to Almoravids so easily. Back to Italy, we have Urbino who asked for my help. I was thinking: Poland should be easy to deal with. Right, I forgot to check their allies and I got myself into a war I wasn't prepared for. Austria (emperor of the HRE) and Hungary will be tough customers. To make matters worse, they create a connection between me and Poland. On the topic of Poland, they somehow broke free from Bulgaria (possibly bad relations with Bulgaria) and formed a dangerous alliance. Did I mention that Venice joined the party as well?
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Chapter 18 - Polish Coalition Defeated!
In my war with Poland, Austria would be the first nation to engage me in battle. They are the emperor which means that they will be fielding large armies. Our first engagement took place in Verona where I basically massed all my troops in the region for this battle. I was able to eliminate this Austrian army but their alliance still had plenty of armies heading to Northern Italy. Urbino became the target of another war and I've decided to abandon them. It's not worth it since the AIs seem to just declare aggression wars (no casus belli) on Urbino and I don't want to be engulfed in all those wars. A few battles with Austria took place but they managed to retreat deep into their territory where attrition is eating away my troops. I had no choice other than pulling back my troops. I wished I could've wiped them out but I guess they will live to fight another day.
The Hungarian navy came to me and I happily disposed them. They managed to land troops on the British Isles but I made sure that they won't be heading back to Hungary. The Hungarian navy was practically shattered and I eagerly await their return so I can capture more ships. I realized that I was fortunate that I wasn't forced to fight at a wider front. Northern Italy is where all the main battles will take place and I can easily shuffle my troops back and forth to deal with the Polish coalition and Venice. A Venetian army was isolated and I took care of them with ease. More Venetian armies will be heading my way so I got to be careful not letting them catch my armies when they have low morale.
As for the Hungarian army that landed on the British Isles, they were slaughtered for daring to invade my island. I hope that will teach the AI a proper lesson. In Northern Italy, Poland has made an appearance but their stay was short lived when I took care of them with my forces there. I've been winning battles against Austria, Poland and Hungary but it seemed, at the time, that they had unlimited number of troops and I can't kill them fast enough. Of course, the presence of Venice didn't help the situation either. I need to end one war quickly so I can focus on a single war.
I win another battle against Austria but they escaped into a neutral nation. I can't follow which was frustrating. I got a level on naval tech which doesn't even give a small naval morale. Talk about a rather useless breakthrough. A major engagement would take place in Brescia where the bulk of Hungarian forces were situated at. I knew I needed to win this battle if I hope to deal a blow to the Polish coalition. Massing up my newly recruited armies with the army that was patrolling the area, I put together a larger force than the forces in Brescia. It was a tough battle but I managed to come out ahead. I chased them down and wiped them all out. This was going to be the turning point of the war because Hungary exited the war after their defeat while Austria and Poland no longer posed such a big threat to me anymore.
It took a few battles but I managed to take out the bulk of the Austrian forces. Chasing them down was annoying since attrition was eating away at my troops very quickly and I don't want Austria to get away. Luckily for me, Poland had a huge distance to cover which means their troops reinforce the front lines quite slowly. I used the opportunity to wipe out Austria forces to isolate them. I then crushed the Polish reinforcements as well and began a series of sieges in Austria. I intend on taking some land after the troubles they gave me.
After 3 years of fighting, I have defeated the Polish coalition and walked away with some new gains. Austria was getting a little too strong and I decided that I wanted weaken them a fair bit by taking five of their provinces. They are fairly large so I doubt they will miss the five provinces I took from them. As for Poland, the biggest blow is forcing them to release Lithuania. This will be a setback for them which should buy me time to deal with the threats in Italy. The Russian nation, Novgorod, has won another war (this time against Teutonic Order). I have a feeling this Russian nation might become a great power at the rate they are going. Venice also had another war which included Genoa and Austria. They should distract Venice long enough for me to mobilize my troops from the newly conquered Austrian territories to the heart of Italy.
My allies were starting to break under pressure. Urbino asked for a white peace while Byzantium agreed to cede some territory while annuling their alliance with us. I don't mind since they have served their purpose by distracting the main Venetian forces long enough for me to deal with the Polish coalition. Now that I can focus all my forces in Italy, I think it's about time I deal a serious blow to Venice. France and Burgundy forces are in the region as well so they would give me an extra hand. Our combined forces managed to crush all Venetian armies and Venice no longer had any soldiers at their disposal. I just needed to carpet siege their province. Of course, there's still the problem involving the Venetian navy.
In the north, Norway was making a comeback by taking a good chunk out of Sweden. I would say Scandinavia is anyone's game now. I won't cheer for anyone but I definitely won't take it kindly if any of them decided to get in a war with me. I got another useless level in naval tech and Austria won a minor victory against Venice. I guess wiping out most of the Austrian forces didn't help Austria in getting war score they needed to deal a serious blow. In the south, Almoravids took more of Iberia (nothing new, really). Our lands will touch soon and I had to weaken Venice more. I wouldn't be surprised if Venice, assuming I let them remain strong, decided to attack me when, in the near future, I'm at war with Almoravids.
In my war with Poland, Austria would be the first nation to engage me in battle. They are the emperor which means that they will be fielding large armies. Our first engagement took place in Verona where I basically massed all my troops in the region for this battle. I was able to eliminate this Austrian army but their alliance still had plenty of armies heading to Northern Italy. Urbino became the target of another war and I've decided to abandon them. It's not worth it since the AIs seem to just declare aggression wars (no casus belli) on Urbino and I don't want to be engulfed in all those wars. A few battles with Austria took place but they managed to retreat deep into their territory where attrition is eating away my troops. I had no choice other than pulling back my troops. I wished I could've wiped them out but I guess they will live to fight another day.
The Hungarian navy came to me and I happily disposed them. They managed to land troops on the British Isles but I made sure that they won't be heading back to Hungary. The Hungarian navy was practically shattered and I eagerly await their return so I can capture more ships. I realized that I was fortunate that I wasn't forced to fight at a wider front. Northern Italy is where all the main battles will take place and I can easily shuffle my troops back and forth to deal with the Polish coalition and Venice. A Venetian army was isolated and I took care of them with ease. More Venetian armies will be heading my way so I got to be careful not letting them catch my armies when they have low morale.
As for the Hungarian army that landed on the British Isles, they were slaughtered for daring to invade my island. I hope that will teach the AI a proper lesson. In Northern Italy, Poland has made an appearance but their stay was short lived when I took care of them with my forces there. I've been winning battles against Austria, Poland and Hungary but it seemed, at the time, that they had unlimited number of troops and I can't kill them fast enough. Of course, the presence of Venice didn't help the situation either. I need to end one war quickly so I can focus on a single war.
I win another battle against Austria but they escaped into a neutral nation. I can't follow which was frustrating. I got a level on naval tech which doesn't even give a small naval morale. Talk about a rather useless breakthrough. A major engagement would take place in Brescia where the bulk of Hungarian forces were situated at. I knew I needed to win this battle if I hope to deal a blow to the Polish coalition. Massing up my newly recruited armies with the army that was patrolling the area, I put together a larger force than the forces in Brescia. It was a tough battle but I managed to come out ahead. I chased them down and wiped them all out. This was going to be the turning point of the war because Hungary exited the war after their defeat while Austria and Poland no longer posed such a big threat to me anymore.
It took a few battles but I managed to take out the bulk of the Austrian forces. Chasing them down was annoying since attrition was eating away at my troops very quickly and I don't want Austria to get away. Luckily for me, Poland had a huge distance to cover which means their troops reinforce the front lines quite slowly. I used the opportunity to wipe out Austria forces to isolate them. I then crushed the Polish reinforcements as well and began a series of sieges in Austria. I intend on taking some land after the troubles they gave me.
After 3 years of fighting, I have defeated the Polish coalition and walked away with some new gains. Austria was getting a little too strong and I decided that I wanted weaken them a fair bit by taking five of their provinces. They are fairly large so I doubt they will miss the five provinces I took from them. As for Poland, the biggest blow is forcing them to release Lithuania. This will be a setback for them which should buy me time to deal with the threats in Italy. The Russian nation, Novgorod, has won another war (this time against Teutonic Order). I have a feeling this Russian nation might become a great power at the rate they are going. Venice also had another war which included Genoa and Austria. They should distract Venice long enough for me to mobilize my troops from the newly conquered Austrian territories to the heart of Italy.
My allies were starting to break under pressure. Urbino asked for a white peace while Byzantium agreed to cede some territory while annuling their alliance with us. I don't mind since they have served their purpose by distracting the main Venetian forces long enough for me to deal with the Polish coalition. Now that I can focus all my forces in Italy, I think it's about time I deal a serious blow to Venice. France and Burgundy forces are in the region as well so they would give me an extra hand. Our combined forces managed to crush all Venetian armies and Venice no longer had any soldiers at their disposal. I just needed to carpet siege their province. Of course, there's still the problem involving the Venetian navy.
In the north, Norway was making a comeback by taking a good chunk out of Sweden. I would say Scandinavia is anyone's game now. I won't cheer for anyone but I definitely won't take it kindly if any of them decided to get in a war with me. I got another useless level in naval tech and Austria won a minor victory against Venice. I guess wiping out most of the Austrian forces didn't help Austria in getting war score they needed to deal a serious blow. In the south, Almoravids took more of Iberia (nothing new, really). Our lands will touch soon and I had to weaken Venice more. I wouldn't be surprised if Venice, assuming I let them remain strong, decided to attack me when, in the near future, I'm at war with Almoravids.
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Chapter 19 - England-Bulgaria Expansion Race
A couple of key naval victories saw my fleet gaining an upper hand in the war. It felt great to have the capability in taking on the Venetian fleet. Capturing a few extra ships didn't hurt either. The naval victories served another main purpose. Without a navy, the Venetian capital was open to an attack. The two thousand men situated there weren't much of a threat and the city fell to my siege soon enough. I hoped that Venice, with their capital occupied, would finally learn to not antagonize me. The Venetian fleet, forced to leave the port, engaged my ships. With nowhere else to run, the entire Venetian fleet was sunk.
A peace deal was agreed by Venice as they handed over more Italian territories to me. Venice still held a fair amount of territories but they were no longer the threat they were a decade ago. I knew that I might have to attack them again soon so they don't get a chance to rebound from this defeat. I must first wait for my infamy to come down before I could continue my conquest. I got another level in land tech which gave a small morale boost. What really made my day was the annexation of France. They would become a part of my domain to strengthen my nation further. They contributed during wars but I felt that I preferred more soldiers under my direct command. After all, a well coordinated attack would accomplish more than praying the AI can give me a hand where it mattered. England now has a sizable territory on the continent with her new gains in the France region and northern Italy. I wonder where I will expand next.
Keeping pace with me, Bulgaria has also made some gains by taking land from their neighbors. Hungary has really become their punching bag and I wondered how long it will take before they are destroyed. Seeing Bulgaria keeping pace, I didn't have the luxury of slowing my expansion. I needed to find a target once my infamy drops fairly low. While I was waiting, I got a level in production. What really made things interesting was the fact that Novgorod invaded Italy and got possessions. It was one thing for Bulgaria to get territory in southern France but entirely different thing to have a Russian nation controlling Italian provinces. I have to say I'm not entertained by Novgorod's expansions and might have to do something about their Italian possessions. Of course, things didn't end there until Foix also got a piece of Italy. Italy has become crowded and I would say I have some cleaning up to do. Who to start first, I wonder?
Bulgaria and Novgorod didn't stop there as they continued expanding. Hungary would get themselves in another war with Bulgaria and lost more land. I finally got another idea slot. Now, I wonder what I will pick. I will probably go military to maintain my status in the known world. I'm fairly confident with my navy which meant I am left with land ideas. What should I pick? I got a good morale boost but I feel I'm lacking numbers. Grand army would help me a fair bit since Bulgaria currently outnumber my land force limit by a large margin. Even with the idea, they would still have more regiments than me. Still, the extra men would help me take care of nations like Austria quickly. Not to mention the Almoravids that have begun sharing a border with me since I annexed France.
In the Asian Minors, Rum has made some progress by expanding. I must say they look quite nice controlling all that land. If they keep this up, they might just be a thorn in Bulgaria's side. Keep up the good work, Rum! I decided to hold off conquest for a bit more so I can expand my territory peacefully by annexing Burgundy. This meant my expansions hasn't slowed down. The annexation required a lot of infamy which I had to patiently burn off. As a response to my annexation, Bulgaria took more land from Hungary. It was at this point I found it interesting. It almost appeared as though I was trying to recreate the Western Roman Empire while Bulgaria was trying to mirror the Byzantine Empire. A clash of the West and East would make a wonderful story, wouldn't it?
I got a level in trade tech which apparently antagonized Almoravids. They declared war on me and Bulgaria joined my side (I assumed that they warned Almoravids). This war looked like a clash between Christians and Muslims. However, it was disappointing that, except for a few minor engagements, there weren't any actions. Almoravids only shared a single province with me which meant that they still cannot sent their massive armies to my lands. I wasn't going to land mine in their territory by boat. Songhai exited the war and, following a couple of months of boredom, the war ended with me taking a single province. That was rather uneventful and Almoravids no longer shared a border with me. Remembering my alliance with Lithuania, I decided to dissolve it before they pull me into a bad war. Remember when I thought Rum could become a threat to Bulgaria? The Bulgaria AI thought so too and just destroyed Rum. Poor Rum! You were simply outmatched by Bulgaria. Maybe you will have better luck next time.
I got the border casus belli against Lorraine and used it. Austria joined the war along with Hainaut. Hainaut controlled a fair amount of territory but that still didn't explain why they became war leader. I guess I should be glad I can peace Austria out quicker with this arrangement. The new recruitment can now get some actual experience in battle. I split two thirds to northern Italy while positioning the rest to lay siege on Lorraine and the minor nations that joined. Flanders, my last vassal, got a chance to join since I felt they lacked some loving. This might be their last war before they become part of my domain. Lorraine, Palatinate and Alsace forces were all decimated quickly and their lands were sieged immediately. I didn't expect too much resistance from them in the first place. Alsace was the first to exit the war as they gave up a single province. I guess I was feeling generous there. Austria then finally arrived on the battlefield but I sent them packing. Austria has lost their main fighting force and my sieges were progressing nicely. The war should end soon enough.
A couple of key naval victories saw my fleet gaining an upper hand in the war. It felt great to have the capability in taking on the Venetian fleet. Capturing a few extra ships didn't hurt either. The naval victories served another main purpose. Without a navy, the Venetian capital was open to an attack. The two thousand men situated there weren't much of a threat and the city fell to my siege soon enough. I hoped that Venice, with their capital occupied, would finally learn to not antagonize me. The Venetian fleet, forced to leave the port, engaged my ships. With nowhere else to run, the entire Venetian fleet was sunk.
A peace deal was agreed by Venice as they handed over more Italian territories to me. Venice still held a fair amount of territories but they were no longer the threat they were a decade ago. I knew that I might have to attack them again soon so they don't get a chance to rebound from this defeat. I must first wait for my infamy to come down before I could continue my conquest. I got another level in land tech which gave a small morale boost. What really made my day was the annexation of France. They would become a part of my domain to strengthen my nation further. They contributed during wars but I felt that I preferred more soldiers under my direct command. After all, a well coordinated attack would accomplish more than praying the AI can give me a hand where it mattered. England now has a sizable territory on the continent with her new gains in the France region and northern Italy. I wonder where I will expand next.
Keeping pace with me, Bulgaria has also made some gains by taking land from their neighbors. Hungary has really become their punching bag and I wondered how long it will take before they are destroyed. Seeing Bulgaria keeping pace, I didn't have the luxury of slowing my expansion. I needed to find a target once my infamy drops fairly low. While I was waiting, I got a level in production. What really made things interesting was the fact that Novgorod invaded Italy and got possessions. It was one thing for Bulgaria to get territory in southern France but entirely different thing to have a Russian nation controlling Italian provinces. I have to say I'm not entertained by Novgorod's expansions and might have to do something about their Italian possessions. Of course, things didn't end there until Foix also got a piece of Italy. Italy has become crowded and I would say I have some cleaning up to do. Who to start first, I wonder?
Bulgaria and Novgorod didn't stop there as they continued expanding. Hungary would get themselves in another war with Bulgaria and lost more land. I finally got another idea slot. Now, I wonder what I will pick. I will probably go military to maintain my status in the known world. I'm fairly confident with my navy which meant I am left with land ideas. What should I pick? I got a good morale boost but I feel I'm lacking numbers. Grand army would help me a fair bit since Bulgaria currently outnumber my land force limit by a large margin. Even with the idea, they would still have more regiments than me. Still, the extra men would help me take care of nations like Austria quickly. Not to mention the Almoravids that have begun sharing a border with me since I annexed France.
In the Asian Minors, Rum has made some progress by expanding. I must say they look quite nice controlling all that land. If they keep this up, they might just be a thorn in Bulgaria's side. Keep up the good work, Rum! I decided to hold off conquest for a bit more so I can expand my territory peacefully by annexing Burgundy. This meant my expansions hasn't slowed down. The annexation required a lot of infamy which I had to patiently burn off. As a response to my annexation, Bulgaria took more land from Hungary. It was at this point I found it interesting. It almost appeared as though I was trying to recreate the Western Roman Empire while Bulgaria was trying to mirror the Byzantine Empire. A clash of the West and East would make a wonderful story, wouldn't it?
I got a level in trade tech which apparently antagonized Almoravids. They declared war on me and Bulgaria joined my side (I assumed that they warned Almoravids). This war looked like a clash between Christians and Muslims. However, it was disappointing that, except for a few minor engagements, there weren't any actions. Almoravids only shared a single province with me which meant that they still cannot sent their massive armies to my lands. I wasn't going to land mine in their territory by boat. Songhai exited the war and, following a couple of months of boredom, the war ended with me taking a single province. That was rather uneventful and Almoravids no longer shared a border with me. Remembering my alliance with Lithuania, I decided to dissolve it before they pull me into a bad war. Remember when I thought Rum could become a threat to Bulgaria? The Bulgaria AI thought so too and just destroyed Rum. Poor Rum! You were simply outmatched by Bulgaria. Maybe you will have better luck next time.
I got the border casus belli against Lorraine and used it. Austria joined the war along with Hainaut. Hainaut controlled a fair amount of territory but that still didn't explain why they became war leader. I guess I should be glad I can peace Austria out quicker with this arrangement. The new recruitment can now get some actual experience in battle. I split two thirds to northern Italy while positioning the rest to lay siege on Lorraine and the minor nations that joined. Flanders, my last vassal, got a chance to join since I felt they lacked some loving. This might be their last war before they become part of my domain. Lorraine, Palatinate and Alsace forces were all decimated quickly and their lands were sieged immediately. I didn't expect too much resistance from them in the first place. Alsace was the first to exit the war as they gave up a single province. I guess I was feeling generous there. Austria then finally arrived on the battlefield but I sent them packing. Austria has lost their main fighting force and my sieges were progressing nicely. The war should end soon enough.
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Chapter 20 - Bulgaria Leading In Expansion Race
I unlocked a new infantry unit but, with the war going on, I cannot upgrade yet. Hopefully, this upgrade will give me a much needed advantage in speeding up my expansion. I defeated Hainaut's main army which pretty much ended them as a threat to me. Brabant exited the war because I had little to gain from them. Austria clashed with me once again and I taught them a very important lesson. They might have good soldiers but they were still no match to the English soldiers. Meanwhile, I took up a decision of equality within my nation. The revolt risk reduction is very nice indeed which should help reduce rebels popping up in the most inconvenient places. Just as we were celebrating about equality, Bulgaria decided to be a party pooper. Who do they think they are? Is there no one that can keep them in check? It's gotten to the point that even I don't want to face them in a war. Bulgaria has officially become the BGB (Big Green Blob). Sorry, Mongol Khanate. You have been outdone.
I was pretty upset with Bulgaria that I ended my war (the truth was that the war did reach a point for me to take whatever I wanted). Austria would cede some provinces and revoke their only imperial reform. Keeping the HRE under control wasn't a bad idea. The Palatinate got off easy with only annulling of treaty with Austria. Their territories were surrounded which made no sense in taking them. Lorraine, the target of my war, would cede the provinces I got infamy reduction on. With Lorraine provinces under my belt, any extra gains would be an extra bonus. Almoravids annexed Navarra which meant we would share a border shortly. I took some land from Hainaut which I'm sure the tiny nation didn't mind giving up. With the war finally over, I can finally upgrade my infantry. Just in time to fight Almoravids?
The war has risen my infamy a fair bit which meant that I need some peace. Hungary, out of all nations, annexed Urbino. Italy has become a ugly mess which I have to clean up sooner or later. I've unlocked shipyards with the new level of naval tech which meant that I will start increasing my naval force limit. Once I had enough infamy limit, I annexed Flanders so I no longer have any vassals. Vassals were great but I decided that I should stop abusing the system. Almoravids then took a province from Foix and thus sharing a new border with me. I declared war on them in hopes of catching them when they have high war exhaustion. In Asia, Bulgaria was defeated by Khwarezm and lost some land. That was welcoming news indeed. Still, I had to focus on Almoravids and didn't have time to deal with them yet. I start off my war with some nice victories. I just need to wear them down slowly until they were willing to give up whatever land I wanted.
The Genoa AI decided to be a problem by declaring war on me. With Hungary backing them, this Italian state actually though she stood a chance. I knew that I cannot handle both wars and, luckily, Almoravids was thrilled to exit the war giving up a single province. It's time I teach Genoa a proper lesson in life by beating them into a minor nation. The Genoan army wasn't that impressive as they were crushed by my troops. I guess I shouldn't expect too much from them. They had numbers but they lacked the quality my troops possessed. Their navy didn't fare any better as I gave them a good thrashing too. I hope I can take care of Genoa quickly so I can deal with a large Hungarian force in Italy.
More engagements would take place against Genoa and their navy was just about finished. I no longer had to worry about facing them on the seas. Teutonic Order exited the war hearing the defeat of their ally and I continued cutting Genoa forces down to size. I'm amazed how they can maintain such an enormous army considering their size. They seem to rival Venice in numbers and Venice was larger than them. I'm just glad that Hungary didn't have a direct route to my territory which was a blessing. Speaking of Hungary, my troops were freed up and they gave the Hungarians a good beating. A part of the Hungarian navy was also sunk. The war was going along smoothly. The main Hungarian navy finally engaged my navy but, without Genoa as support, they didn't pose any threat. They did manage to land some troops but those aren't enough to create any problems.
Bulgaria beat up Rum for fun and took some more territory. I took Hungary's Italian provinces because they just made a mess in the region. I still had to deal with Genoa but they no longer posed a threat. I just have to decide what territories I will take. Somehow, Genoa surprised me by sending more troops against me. When I was trying to figure out how this was possible, I realized that Genoa had territories in the Black Sea (I'm an idiot for forgetting that). I have no intention of taking their provinces there and these battles are extending the wars long enough for me to finish the sieges. A few more minor naval engagements signaled the end of our war. I took their territories as their punishment and they no longer had such a big burden to bear. Everyone's a winner.
Since my troops were in the neighborhood, I thought it was only polite that I pay Venice another visit. Venice, did you miss me? Seeing all those welcoming committees you put together, I would say that you did miss me. Let's make up for our lost time, okay?
I unlocked a new infantry unit but, with the war going on, I cannot upgrade yet. Hopefully, this upgrade will give me a much needed advantage in speeding up my expansion. I defeated Hainaut's main army which pretty much ended them as a threat to me. Brabant exited the war because I had little to gain from them. Austria clashed with me once again and I taught them a very important lesson. They might have good soldiers but they were still no match to the English soldiers. Meanwhile, I took up a decision of equality within my nation. The revolt risk reduction is very nice indeed which should help reduce rebels popping up in the most inconvenient places. Just as we were celebrating about equality, Bulgaria decided to be a party pooper
. Who do they think they are? Is there no one that can keep them in check? It's gotten to the point that even I don't want to face them in a war. Bulgaria has officially become the BGB (Big Green Blob). Sorry, Mongol Khanate. You have been outdone.
I was pretty upset with Bulgaria that I ended my war (the truth was that the war did reach a point for me to take whatever I wanted). Austria would cede some provinces and revoke their only imperial reform. Keeping the HRE under control wasn't a bad idea. The Palatinate got off easy with only annulling of treaty with Austria. Their territories were surrounded which made no sense in taking them. Lorraine, the target of my war, would cede the provinces I got infamy reduction on. With Lorraine provinces under my belt, any extra gains would be an extra bonus. Almoravids annexed Navarra which meant we would share a border shortly. I took some land from Hainaut which I'm sure the tiny nation didn't mind giving up. With the war finally over, I can finally upgrade my infantry. Just in time to fight Almoravids?
The war has risen my infamy a fair bit which meant that I need some peace. Hungary, out of all nations, annexed Urbino. Italy has become a ugly mess which I have to clean up sooner or later. I've unlocked shipyards with the new level of naval tech which meant that I will start increasing my naval force limit. Once I had enough infamy limit, I annexed Flanders so I no longer have any vassals. Vassals were great but I decided that I should stop abusing the system. Almoravids then took a province from Foix and thus sharing a new border with me. I declared war on them in hopes of catching them when they have high war exhaustion. In Asia, Bulgaria was defeated by Khwarezm and lost some land. That was welcoming news indeed. Still, I had to focus on Almoravids and didn't have time to deal with them yet. I start off my war with some nice victories. I just need to wear them down slowly until they were willing to give up whatever land I wanted.
The Genoa AI decided to be a problem by declaring war on me. With Hungary backing them, this Italian state actually though she stood a chance. I knew that I cannot handle both wars and, luckily, Almoravids was thrilled to exit the war giving up a single province. It's time I teach Genoa a proper lesson in life by beating them into a minor nation. The Genoan army wasn't that impressive as they were crushed by my troops. I guess I shouldn't expect too much from them. They had numbers but they lacked the quality my troops possessed. Their navy didn't fare any better as I gave them a good thrashing too. I hope I can take care of Genoa quickly so I can deal with a large Hungarian force in Italy.
More engagements would take place against Genoa and their navy was just about finished. I no longer had to worry about facing them on the seas. Teutonic Order exited the war hearing the defeat of their ally and I continued cutting Genoa forces down to size. I'm amazed how they can maintain such an enormous army considering their size. They seem to rival Venice in numbers and Venice was larger than them. I'm just glad that Hungary didn't have a direct route to my territory which was a blessing. Speaking of Hungary, my troops were freed up and they gave the Hungarians a good beating. A part of the Hungarian navy was also sunk. The war was going along smoothly. The main Hungarian navy finally engaged my navy but, without Genoa as support, they didn't pose any threat. They did manage to land some troops but those aren't enough to create any problems.
Bulgaria beat up Rum for fun and took some more territory. I took Hungary's Italian provinces because they just made a mess in the region. I still had to deal with Genoa but they no longer posed a threat. I just have to decide what territories I will take. Somehow, Genoa surprised me by sending more troops against me. When I was trying to figure out how this was possible, I realized that Genoa had territories in the Black Sea (I'm an idiot for forgetting that). I have no intention of taking their provinces there and these battles are extending the wars long enough for me to finish the sieges. A few more minor naval engagements signaled the end of our war. I took their territories as their punishment and they no longer had such a big burden to bear. Everyone's a winner
.
Since my troops were in the neighborhood, I thought it was only polite that I pay Venice another visit. Venice, did you miss me? Seeing all those welcoming committees you put together, I would say that you did miss me. Let's make up for our lost time, okay?
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Chapter 21 - Invasion of Iberia!
The war with Venice has gone swimmingly. I get another level in production tech which is going to increase my income. Everything seems to be going so well that I can just relax and ... wait. Austria? What is the meaning of this? Did I not give you enough of a thrashing last time? Oh, you also brought in Bohemia this time (not shown in screenshot)? Here I was hoping to wrap up the war with Venice so my nation can enjoy some peace. Austria, I will make you regret this declaration of war! I got a core on Venice which is pretty good. I guess I'll take it in another war so I don't take up any infamy. Cologne sent their forces and I destroyed them. Austria's army that first entered my territory was equally unlucky. I better pull some troops from Italy to deal with the main Austrian forces. The reinforcements arrived in time to send the Austrian army packing. Bohemia would engage my forces and they weren't as lucky as the Austrian army. I wiped them out and carefully plan out my next few moves.
I suffered a minor setback when one of my armies was routed but my main force cleaned up the rest of the Austrians. Meanwhile, a couple of Venetian ships were caught off guard and they were sunk. The Venetian main fleet decided to engage my navy and they didn't fare too well. Austria and Bohemia joined together in hopes to pushing back my forces. When that plan backfired, Bohemia wisely exited the war. Austria, you will feel the full might of my forces. The routing Austrian army was destroyed which cut their forces down by a lot. Pisa is annexed and Cologne decided this was a good time to exit the war.
I began a couple of sieges and resistance was stronger than expected. Still, I did sink more Venetian ships. Venice has definitely become a shadow of their former selves. I intend on keeping them that way and sinking their ships will accomplish that. Oh right, did I mention my land tech upgrade? The morale boost will be a nice addition. Let Austria fear my troops more now. Venice had enough and beating them up was no longer as entertaining. I'm just going to take some of their territories and call that it. I engaged Austria's last big army in their capital and won a battle. Took a couple of back and forth smaller battles before we destroyed them. With Venice taken cared of and Austria pretty much defeated, I can finally relax a bit.
Austria handed over a couple of provinces they had no rights to (I'm merely liberating them ) and lost their alliance with Bohemia. I dissolved my alliance with Meissen immediately to avoid getting caught in unwanted wars. Next, I paid Venice another visit so I can retake my rightful province. The Venetian army was destroyed and, as soon as Rome is occupied, I liberated it from them. Venice practically has no presence in Italy now. I hope it stays that way. Some of you wonder why I didn't take anymore territory from Venice. The answer is simple. I wanted to continue the war with Almoravids which was rudely interrupted last time. This time, we had a major engagement which I won. The choke point between our nations has been broken through and my armies began pouring into Iberia.
There were more battles that followed in Iberia and I won those. However, the attrition has been hurting my troops a lot more. When my naval tech got upgraded, I've decided that I needed to end the war before attrition do too much damage. Almoravids reinforcements were arriving and my troops weren't in the best of shape. A peace deal was agreed upon where I got a good chunk of Iberia. The map I added also show you my new possessions in Italy. I would say my expansions have been going smoothly. I'm curious what Bulgaria will do in response. Of course, there's a nation we've forgotten for a long time. I counted them out but they are proving me wrong. The Mongol Khanate has made steady progress into Eastern Europe which I assumed would happen earlier in the game. Better late than never, I guess. I wonder if they will fight Bulgaria.
I dissolved the alliance with the African nation, Tuaregs, and declared war on Almoravids soon after. Almoravids hasn't recovered from their previous war which meant that this war should go smoother than the last one. A couple of battles went my way and the resistance from the Almoravids was decreasing steadily. To emphasis my point, I spammed more pictures.
Almoravids still can win battles but it's quite rare. The Mongol Khanate still made more progress in Eastern progress. As they close in to Bulgaria, a war between the two nations should become inevitable. I lost a naval engagement because I lacked an admiral. Deciding that this was a good time to end the war, I sent a peace offer to take a larger chunk of Iberia. It shouldn't be long before Muslims are kicked out of Europe.
The war with Venice has gone swimmingly. I get another level in production tech which is going to increase my income. Everything seems to be going so well that I can just relax and ... wait. Austria? What is the meaning of this? Did I not give you enough of a thrashing last time? Oh, you also brought in Bohemia this time (not shown in screenshot)? Here I was hoping to wrap up the war with Venice so my nation can enjoy some peace. Austria, I will make you regret this declaration of war! I got a core on Venice which is pretty good. I guess I'll take it in another war so I don't take up any infamy. Cologne sent their forces and I destroyed them. Austria's army that first entered my territory was equally unlucky. I better pull some troops from Italy to deal with the main Austrian forces. The reinforcements arrived in time to send the Austrian army packing. Bohemia would engage my forces and they weren't as lucky as the Austrian army. I wiped them out and carefully plan out my next few moves.
I suffered a minor setback when one of my armies was routed but my main force cleaned up the rest of the Austrians. Meanwhile, a couple of Venetian ships were caught off guard and they were sunk. The Venetian main fleet decided to engage my navy and they didn't fare too well. Austria and Bohemia joined together in hopes to pushing back my forces. When that plan backfired, Bohemia wisely exited the war. Austria, you will feel the full might of my forces
. The routing Austrian army was destroyed which cut their forces down by a lot. Pisa is annexed and Cologne decided this was a good time to exit the war.
I began a couple of sieges and resistance was stronger than expected. Still, I did sink more Venetian ships. Venice has definitely become a shadow of their former selves. I intend on keeping them that way and sinking their ships will accomplish that. Oh right, did I mention my land tech upgrade? The morale boost will be a nice addition. Let Austria fear my troops more now
. Venice had enough and beating them up was no longer as entertaining. I'm just going to take some of their territories and call that it. I engaged Austria's last big army in their capital and won a battle. Took a couple of back and forth smaller battles before we destroyed them. With Venice taken cared of and Austria pretty much defeated, I can finally relax a bit.
Austria handed over a couple of provinces they had no rights to (I'm merely liberating them
) and lost their alliance with Bohemia. I dissolved my alliance with Meissen immediately to avoid getting caught in unwanted wars. Next, I paid Venice another visit so I can retake my rightful province. The Venetian army was destroyed and, as soon as Rome is occupied, I liberated it from them. Venice practically has no presence in Italy now. I hope it stays that way. Some of you wonder why I didn't take anymore territory from Venice. The answer is simple. I wanted to continue the war with Almoravids which was rudely interrupted last time. This time, we had a major engagement which I won. The choke point between our nations has been broken through and my armies began pouring into Iberia.
There were more battles that followed in Iberia and I won those. However, the attrition has been hurting my troops a lot more. When my naval tech got upgraded, I've decided that I needed to end the war before attrition do too much damage. Almoravids reinforcements were arriving and my troops weren't in the best of shape. A peace deal was agreed upon where I got a good chunk of Iberia. The map I added also show you my new possessions in Italy. I would say my expansions have been going smoothly. I'm curious what Bulgaria will do in response. Of course, there's a nation we've forgotten for a long time. I counted them out but they are proving me wrong. The Mongol Khanate has made steady progress into Eastern Europe which I assumed would happen earlier in the game. Better late than never, I guess. I wonder if they will fight Bulgaria.
I dissolved the alliance with the African nation, Tuaregs, and declared war on Almoravids soon after. Almoravids hasn't recovered from their previous war which meant that this war should go smoother than the last one. A couple of battles went my way and the resistance from the Almoravids was decreasing steadily. To emphasis my point, I spammed more pictures
.
Almoravids still can win battles but it's quite rare. The Mongol Khanate still made more progress in Eastern progress. As they close in to Bulgaria, a war between the two nations should become inevitable. I lost a naval engagement because I lacked an admiral. Deciding that this was a good time to end the war, I sent a peace offer to take a larger chunk of Iberia. It shouldn't be long before Muslims are kicked out of Europe.
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Chapter 22 - Almoravids Kindly Handing Over Land!
Pushing the Muslim nation out of Iberia has been going according to plan. A couple more wars and they will likely be out of Europe for good. A level in trade would get me a bit more income which I will use to continue spamming buildings across my nation. Everything is going according to plan. Next, another war was declared against Almoravids as soon as the truce was over. They won the first battle but I won the subsequent ones. Almoravids were losing more men than they can replenish. This was fine with me when I got enough territory to talk peace with them. They handed more territories to me and overextension happens. I guess Almoravids will enjoy a decade or so of peace while I wait for cores to settle in. As a rule, I won't expand while I'm overextended which is why I'll be focusing on building up the infrastructure within my nation. Meanwhile, the Mongol Khanate just destroyed the Grey Horde by retaking a lot of their former territories. The west and east half has been reunited and I guess Eastern Europe should fear for their life now.
I got a couple more technology upgrades as I patiently wait. Mongol Khanate turned their sight on the Chinese nation, Song, while Almoravids used this period of peace to attack Mali. I'm not liking the fact that Almoravids is making it harder to annex them. The Golden Horde was the next nation to suffer the wrath of the Mongol Khanate. Soon after, a war took place between the Mongol Khanate and Bulgaria. Following two years of fighting, Bulgaria part way with some of their provinces. Here I thought Bulgaria would be the stronger nation. The fact that the Mongol Khanate won the war meant that I better watch out not to fight the Mongols. Thankfully, Bulgaria lost their province in southern France when they were forced to release Provence. Good riddance! My period of peace meant more technology breakthroughs and the Mongol Khanate continued to grow out of control. The building's I've been constructing apparently have nice bonuses when I have large numbers. All the bonuses will be useful and I'm curious what other bonuses I can get. I guess I should continue building up my infrastructure.
The Mongol Khanate expansion is becoming old news. What's new is the fact that Hungary is being cut down in size. First, Aquileia took some provinces from Hungary. Next, Hungary also gave up land to Austria. I'd have to say Hungary isn't in the best of shape lately. What worries me is that Austria is becoming stronger while my main forces are in Iberia. I better mobilize some of my troops to Northern Italy in case the Austrians try to pull a fast one on me when I fight Almoravids again. With another breakthrough in production tech, I've decided to show a map of Europe. It's quite messy but it's clear who the major powers are.
As soon as my overextention was over, I declared war on Almoravids. I'm pretty sure they were getting bored since I haven't been able to play with them. Time for them to hand over more territory to me. In Scandinavia, Norway beats Sweden and takes more territory. I'm not sure if we'll ever see a united Scandinavia at this rate. Sweden came close but close just isn't close enough. My war with Almoravids ended quickly with me taking all their provinces but their capital in Iberia. I had, for this entire time, assumed that their capital was located in northern Africa. I guess I'll have to work around this minor problem then. I get another level of land tech which was crucial to my conquests of Africa (let's just say the fort really helps with the attrition). Mongol Khanate continued her rampage across the known world (not sure if they invaded Japan or if they merely took Japanese territories on the continent). Almoravids, annoyingly enough, expanded further in Northern Africa. I decided to attack them before they get into more favorable wars against small African nations. Their main force was situated in their capital, Gibraltar, and I took care of that swiftly. I then spread my troops out to lay siege in Northern Africa. My navy, with a new admiral, was victorious. Almoravids had no chance of blocking my troops from crossing the strait into Northern Africa. It was only a matter of time before I get the provinces I wanted.
The Almoravids entire navy was sunk, Mongol Khanate invaded India, my government tech went up a level and Almoravids handed over more land. Taking on Almoravids would become a lot tougher from here on out. The provinces in Northern and Central Africa had ridiculous attrition would made advancing very difficult. If I didn't have level three forts in my own territories, my armies would suffer attrition as well. That's just how bad the situation gets. Almoravids changed their capital to an African province which meant that I lost my holy war casus belli . I built enough farms to acquire more magistrates and my new land tech got me better cavalry. I decided to call a crusade on the Almoravids which apparently doesn't give me a holy war cb either . I even got defender of the faith which accomplished nothing. Oh well, I guess I'll just attack Almoravids using crusader states casus belli and get the benefits of a crusade then. Almoravids got more allies this time but they won't be bothering me too much.
Almoravids lost a few naval engagements and, as a result, a big portion of their navy. Morocco was annexed because I can do so. I took a couple of Almoravids colonies (I don't know how since, at this period, everybody got no colonists kicking around) while sinking rest of their navy. I got more colonial range and Almoravids agreed to hand over more hand. I must say they are handing land over like candy and I don't mind it one bit. Still, the attrition has been very painful. My African territory is expanding quite nicely and I decided to do some colonizing myself (I purchased some colonists with one of my decisions). New level of government tech gave me nothing while the land tech gave me some military tactics and morale. I guess you win some and lose some. I also built lots of textile farms which is just pushing the number of magistrates I'm getting through the roof.
I got called into a war against Novogord because I was the defender of the faith. I had to wait until another breakthrough in naval tech before they agreed to a white peace. More tech and colonization before I declared war on Galicia-Volhynia who had a province in Italy. I said I would clean Italy up and they handed me the province once I occupied it. Since my troops are in the neighborhood, I might as well pay Venice another visit.
Pushing the Muslim nation out of Iberia has been going according to plan. A couple more wars and they will likely be out of Europe for good. A level in trade would get me a bit more income which I will use to continue spamming buildings across my nation. Everything is going according to plan. Next, another war was declared against Almoravids as soon as the truce was over. They won the first battle but I won the subsequent ones. Almoravids were losing more men than they can replenish. This was fine with me when I got enough territory to talk peace with them. They handed more territories to me and overextension happens
. I guess Almoravids will enjoy a decade or so of peace while I wait for cores to settle in. As a rule, I won't expand while I'm overextended which is why I'll be focusing on building up the infrastructure within my nation. Meanwhile, the Mongol Khanate just destroyed the Grey Horde by retaking a lot of their former territories. The west and east half has been reunited and I guess Eastern Europe should fear for their life now.
I got a couple more technology upgrades as I patiently wait. Mongol Khanate turned their sight on the Chinese nation, Song, while Almoravids used this period of peace to attack Mali. I'm not liking the fact that Almoravids is making it harder to annex them. The Golden Horde was the next nation to suffer the wrath of the Mongol Khanate. Soon after, a war took place between the Mongol Khanate and Bulgaria. Following two years of fighting, Bulgaria part way with some of their provinces. Here I thought Bulgaria would be the stronger nation. The fact that the Mongol Khanate won the war meant that I better watch out not to fight the Mongols. Thankfully, Bulgaria lost their province in southern France when they were forced to release Provence. Good riddance! My period of peace meant more technology breakthroughs and the Mongol Khanate continued to grow out of control. The building's I've been constructing apparently have nice bonuses when I have large numbers. All the bonuses will be useful and I'm curious what other bonuses I can get. I guess I should continue building up my infrastructure.
The Mongol Khanate expansion is becoming old news. What's new is the fact that Hungary is being cut down in size. First, Aquileia took some provinces from Hungary. Next, Hungary also gave up land to Austria. I'd have to say Hungary isn't in the best of shape lately. What worries me is that Austria is becoming stronger while my main forces are in Iberia. I better mobilize some of my troops to Northern Italy in case the Austrians try to pull a fast one on me when I fight Almoravids again. With another breakthrough in production tech, I've decided to show a map of Europe. It's quite messy but it's clear who the major powers are.
As soon as my overextention was over, I declared war on Almoravids. I'm pretty sure they were getting bored since I haven't been able to play with them. Time for them to hand over more territory to me. In Scandinavia, Norway beats Sweden and takes more territory. I'm not sure if we'll ever see a united Scandinavia at this rate. Sweden came close but close just isn't close enough. My war with Almoravids ended quickly with me taking all their provinces but their capital in Iberia. I had, for this entire time, assumed that their capital was located in northern Africa. I guess I'll have to work around this minor problem then. I get another level of land tech which was crucial to my conquests of Africa (let's just say the fort really helps with the attrition). Mongol Khanate continued her rampage across the known world (not sure if they invaded Japan or if they merely took Japanese territories on the continent). Almoravids, annoyingly enough, expanded further in Northern Africa. I decided to attack them before they get into more favorable wars against small African nations. Their main force was situated in their capital, Gibraltar, and I took care of that swiftly. I then spread my troops out to lay siege in Northern Africa. My navy, with a new admiral, was victorious. Almoravids had no chance of blocking my troops from crossing the strait into Northern Africa. It was only a matter of time before I get the provinces I wanted.
The Almoravids entire navy was sunk, Mongol Khanate invaded India, my government tech went up a level and Almoravids handed over more land. Taking on Almoravids would become a lot tougher from here on out. The provinces in Northern and Central Africa had ridiculous attrition would made advancing very difficult. If I didn't have level three forts in my own territories, my armies would suffer attrition as well. That's just how bad the situation gets. Almoravids changed their capital to an African province which meant that I lost my holy war casus belli
. I built enough farms to acquire more magistrates and my new land tech got me better cavalry. I decided to call a crusade on the Almoravids which apparently doesn't give me a holy war cb either . I even got defender of the faith which accomplished nothing. Oh well, I guess I'll just attack Almoravids using crusader states casus belli and get the benefits of a crusade then. Almoravids got more allies this time but they won't be bothering me too much.
Almoravids lost a few naval engagements and, as a result, a big portion of their navy. Morocco was annexed because I can do so. I took a couple of Almoravids colonies (I don't know how since, at this period, everybody got no colonists kicking around) while sinking rest of their navy. I got more colonial range and Almoravids agreed to hand over more hand. I must say they are handing land over like candy and I don't mind it one bit. Still, the attrition has been very painful. My African territory is expanding quite nicely and I decided to do some colonizing myself (I purchased some colonists with one of my decisions). New level of government tech gave me nothing while the land tech gave me some military tactics and morale. I guess you win some and lose some. I also built lots of textile farms which is just pushing the number of magistrates I'm getting through the roof
.
I got called into a war against Novogord because I was the defender of the faith. I had to wait until another breakthrough in naval tech before they agreed to a white peace. More tech and colonization before I declared war on Galicia-Volhynia who had a province in Italy. I said I would clean Italy up and they handed me the province once I occupied it. Since my troops are in the neighborhood, I might as well pay Venice another visit.
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Chapter 23 - African Campaigns Going Swimmingly!
Land and naval victories has decided the war already. If only the sieges can be as swift as battles but I guess I'll stay patient. To pass the time, I check out the progress of the war between Bulgaria and Mongol Khanate. The Mongols won again and forced Bulgaria to cede territory and to release a nation. Bulgaria has been engulfed in a couple of other wars as well. They seem to be gaining more land than they are losing which isn't good for me. I guess I don't want the Mongol Khanate to push into Europe too quickly before I'm ready to take them on (not that my land tech is anywhere close ). Aquileia handed over some land to me before Bulgaria lost another war against Khwarezm. Khwarezm is pushing steadily westwards at the expense of the Bulgarians. Things aren't looking too great for the Orthodox nation. Venice handed me another province, I get another level of trade tech and the Mongol Khanate take more land in Russia.
Bulgaria tries to expand through easy prey while I get events to help me expand further. Mongol Khanate has been taking care of business in Asia and I decided to attack the nation within the HRE. No one threatening joined the war against me and I simply annexed Hainaut. The other nations that joined against me were fortunate to keep their lands as I prepare for another campaign in Africa where attrition is my biggest foe. I used my spy to see all of Almoravids territories, including terra incognita. With everything ready, I declare war and Gujarat became war leader. They definitely didn't do much as I got the territories I needed from Almoravids. My presence in the Mediterranean has grown and I also got a nice bonus from the Gibraltar Sound Toll. Mali, without their overlord looking over them, asked to be excused from the war.
My new level of land tech gave a nice morale boost to my troops and I get a core on Castille. I guess I can have a short war in Iberia after this war. On second thought, I'll declare war immediately and see what threat Iberia can pose to me. Funny thing is, the moment I declared war, all of Castille's allies deserted them. Gujarat exited the war around the time the Mongol Khanate made further gains in Eastern Europe. I annexed Castille so they can stop being so annoying. Yup, they've sent spies and I had it with them. As soon as the truce ended, I declared another war on the Almoravids. I got to keep them on their toes so they don't expand elsewhere. Gujarat didn't join this time and I got a level in production tech. Bulgaria continued their expansion while the Mongols were busy elsewhere. Tuaregs has been a pain but I've restrained myself from annexing them (just don't want to exceed half my infamy limit). Almoravids handed over more land which made my African possessions look nicer (Mali is no longer their vassal). I just need to connect the bottom as well and I'll be content. To make my borders look ever nicer, I decided to get colonists to start colonizing the territories between me and Almoravids. I don't think Almoravids have anything to say about it. My trade tech gets another boost which will bring in some decent income with a new COT under my control.
This is becoming a routine, hasn't it? Declare war, take land, wait for truce to end and repeat. I will clarify that I'm doing Almoravids a favor here. Having lots of territory makes them a target. I'm merely taking the x on their back on putting it on myself. Aren't I a nice person? Mali leaves the war with most of their claims gone. Almoravids handed over most of their lands which left them with hardly any. The docks I'm building across my nation is giving me colonists. I'm so thrilled to discover that I no longer need to spend ducats on purchasing colonists. My government tech gave nothing but my mood was improved when I got a core on a province in Italy. Before I deal with Novgorod (don't want to fight them while their alliance with Bulgaria stands), I will deal with Brabant who is spamming spies twice a month since forever. Poland leads personal union over Brabant which explained their presence in the war. Luckily, Poland can't reach me and other nations fighting against me gave me a lot of war score. I took what I wanted which is basically all of Brabant provinces with the exception of their capital. I will take that in the next war which will probably be using the same cb. The extra land meant more temples and more infamy reduction. Another breakthrough in land tech is giving me more edge over my enemies. I decided to enjoy some peace when Cologne disrupted it by sending spies. I declared war on them and the same nations joined. The only difference was that Poland wasn't the war leader. Mainz and Poland left the war shortly which enable me annex Brabant. I decided to get greedy and annex Cologne as well. After all, I need to make an example out of them. Thuringia was so scared that I would annex them too that they accept my white peace. Silly AI, if only you knew my rules of not exceeding a certain infamy threshold.
More colonies in Africa would be set up and I decided to start mass deforestation as I cleared lots of land already. Considering that I'm doing this in Africa as well, will the Sahara desert be massive by the time I become Great Britain? On a happier note, I'm getting more merchants which is wonderful. I need to ducats to fund my massive war machine. Mali, apparently uninformed of my wars in Europe, decided to send spies. I didn't take that too kindly and find myself fighting Khwarezm. If it weren't for the fact that there was no way Khwarezm can reach me, I would be a bit worried at the moment. Kanem Bornu asked to be excused from the war soon after they joined. I got greedy and declared war on Almoravids as well. By then, Mali has ceded over lot of land and Khwarezm wanted out of the war. Gujarat became the war leader in my war against Almoravids and both Zirid and Nri, thinking that they no longer were needed, exited the war. I'm still pushing my government tech at this time hoping to get my next national idea soon. Songhai left the war, I took all but the Almoravids capital and Gujarat left the war as well. I sold the two islands taken from Almoravids to Byzantium since they are the only nation on good terms with me. More colonial expansion and more income would soon follow.
Another colony is set up before I attacked Nri. Gujarat decided to interfere again which greatly annoyed me. My trade depots gave me even more merchants and every nation except Guajarat and Nri left the war. Nri was forced by Ayyubids into releasing Tuaregs which was extremely annoying. It's already annoying when I have to deal with a million African nations but Ayyubids decided that a million and one African nation was a funny joke. I'll show them how funny it is when I start taking their land. More income would be flowing in with the trade tech upgrade and Nri handed over more territories. I managed to get enough war score to force Gujarat into releasing a Muslim Tibet. I did it as a warning to Gujara but I had no intention of keeping the alliance fearing I get caught in their conflicts in the east. Portugal would rule over Aragon and I declared war because Mali sent more spies. My timing couldn't have been better as my king died merely days after the declaration of war. My heir is very young which means I won't be declaring any new wars anytime soon . All the minor African nations joined to help Mali but they were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Ayyubids expand further into Central Africa but i will teach them the errors of their ways soon enough. Mali handed over more land which is just making my borders in Africa much more acceptable.
A white peace, colony, land tech upgrade and another colony would keep me occupied during the sieges. Bulgaria expanded into Poland and Austria while the Mongol Khanate suppressed the Korean rebellion. Bulgaria is inching closer to my territory and thus I must expand quicker in Africa. More of China would belong to the Mongols and I, thinking of expanding faster, changed to despotic monarchy to get more infamy limit (my heir finally became a king ). I declared war on Novgorod and could only take two province from them (don't remember why I only stopped at two when they had more Italian provinces. I added a map of the known world. The only things to note are: England (red), Bulgaria (dark green), Mongol Khanate (light green), Khwarezm (brownish), Ayyubids (goldish) and everybody else that aren't worth mentioning .
Land and naval victories has decided the war already. If only the sieges can be as swift as battles but I guess I'll stay patient. To pass the time, I check out the progress of the war between Bulgaria and Mongol Khanate. The Mongols won again and forced Bulgaria to cede territory and to release a nation. Bulgaria has been engulfed in a couple of other wars as well. They seem to be gaining more land than they are losing which isn't good for me. I guess I don't want the Mongol Khanate to push into Europe too quickly before I'm ready to take them on (not that my land tech is anywhere close
). Aquileia handed over some land to me before Bulgaria lost another war against Khwarezm. Khwarezm is pushing steadily westwards at the expense of the Bulgarians. Things aren't looking too great for the Orthodox nation. Venice handed me another province, I get another level of trade tech and the Mongol Khanate take more land in Russia.
Bulgaria tries to expand through easy prey while I get events to help me expand further. Mongol Khanate has been taking care of business in Asia and I decided to attack the nation within the HRE. No one threatening joined the war against me and I simply annexed Hainaut. The other nations that joined against me were fortunate to keep their lands as I prepare for another campaign in Africa where attrition is my biggest foe. I used my spy to see all of Almoravids territories, including terra incognita. With everything ready, I declare war and Gujarat became war leader. They definitely didn't do much as I got the territories I needed from Almoravids. My presence in the Mediterranean has grown and I also got a nice bonus from the Gibraltar Sound Toll. Mali, without their overlord looking over them, asked to be excused from the war.
My new level of land tech gave a nice morale boost to my troops and I get a core on Castille. I guess I can have a short war in Iberia after this war. On second thought, I'll declare war immediately and see what threat Iberia can pose to me. Funny thing is, the moment I declared war, all of Castille's allies deserted them. Gujarat exited the war around the time the Mongol Khanate made further gains in Eastern Europe. I annexed Castille so they can stop being so annoying. Yup, they've sent spies and I had it with them. As soon as the truce ended, I declared another war on the Almoravids. I got to keep them on their toes so they don't expand elsewhere. Gujarat didn't join this time and I got a level in production tech. Bulgaria continued their expansion while the Mongols were busy elsewhere. Tuaregs has been a pain but I've restrained myself from annexing them (just don't want to exceed half my infamy limit). Almoravids handed over more land which made my African possessions look nicer (Mali is no longer their vassal). I just need to connect the bottom as well and I'll be content
. To make my borders look ever nicer, I decided to get colonists to start colonizing the territories between me and Almoravids. I don't think Almoravids have anything to say about it. My trade tech gets another boost which will bring in some decent income with a new COT under my control.
This is becoming a routine, hasn't it? Declare war, take land, wait for truce to end and repeat. I will clarify that I'm doing Almoravids a favor here. Having lots of territory makes them a target. I'm merely taking the x on their back on putting it on myself. Aren't I a nice person? Mali leaves the war with most of their claims gone. Almoravids handed over most of their lands which left them with hardly any. The docks I'm building across my nation is giving me colonists. I'm so thrilled to discover that I no longer need to spend ducats on purchasing colonists. My government tech gave nothing but my mood was improved when I got a core on a province in Italy. Before I deal with Novgorod (don't want to fight them while their alliance with Bulgaria stands), I will deal with Brabant who is spamming spies twice a month since forever. Poland leads personal union over Brabant which explained their presence in the war. Luckily, Poland can't reach me and other nations fighting against me gave me a lot of war score. I took what I wanted which is basically all of Brabant provinces with the exception of their capital. I will take that in the next war which will probably be using the same cb. The extra land meant more temples and more infamy reduction. Another breakthrough in land tech is giving me more edge over my enemies
. I decided to enjoy some peace when Cologne disrupted it by sending spies. I declared war on them and the same nations joined. The only difference was that Poland wasn't the war leader. Mainz and Poland left the war shortly which enable me annex Brabant. I decided to get greedy and annex Cologne as well. After all, I need to make an example out of them. Thuringia was so scared that I would annex them too that they accept my white peace. Silly AI, if only you knew my rules of not exceeding a certain infamy threshold.
More colonies in Africa would be set up and I decided to start mass deforestation as I cleared lots of land already. Considering that I'm doing this in Africa as well, will the Sahara desert be massive by the time I become Great Britain? On a happier note, I'm getting more merchants which is wonderful. I need to ducats to fund my massive war machine. Mali, apparently uninformed of my wars in Europe, decided to send spies. I didn't take that too kindly and find myself fighting Khwarezm. If it weren't for the fact that there was no way Khwarezm can reach me, I would be a bit worried at the moment. Kanem Bornu asked to be excused from the war soon after they joined. I got greedy and declared war on Almoravids as well. By then, Mali has ceded over lot of land and Khwarezm wanted out of the war. Gujarat became the war leader in my war against Almoravids and both Zirid and Nri, thinking that they no longer were needed, exited the war. I'm still pushing my government tech at this time hoping to get my next national idea soon. Songhai left the war, I took all but the Almoravids capital and Gujarat left the war as well. I sold the two islands taken from Almoravids to Byzantium since they are the only nation on good terms with me. More colonial expansion and more income would soon follow.
Another colony is set up before I attacked Nri. Gujarat decided to interfere again which greatly annoyed me. My trade depots gave me even more merchants and every nation except Guajarat and Nri left the war. Nri was forced by Ayyubids into releasing Tuaregs which was extremely annoying. It's already annoying when I have to deal with a million African nations but Ayyubids decided that a million and one African nation was a funny joke. I'll show them how funny it is when I start taking their land
. More income would be flowing in with the trade tech upgrade and Nri handed over more territories. I managed to get enough war score to force Gujarat into releasing a Muslim Tibet. I did it as a warning to Gujara but I had no intention of keeping the alliance fearing I get caught in their conflicts in the east. Portugal would rule over Aragon and I declared war because Mali sent more spies. My timing couldn't have been better as my king died merely days after the declaration of war. My heir is very young which means I won't be declaring any new wars anytime soon . All the minor African nations joined to help Mali but they were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Ayyubids expand further into Central Africa but i will teach them the errors of their ways soon enough. Mali handed over more land which is just making my borders in Africa much more acceptable.
A white peace, colony, land tech upgrade and another colony would keep me occupied during the sieges. Bulgaria expanded into Poland and Austria while the Mongol Khanate suppressed the Korean rebellion. Bulgaria is inching closer to my territory and thus I must expand quicker in Africa. More of China would belong to the Mongols and I, thinking of expanding faster, changed to despotic monarchy to get more infamy limit (my heir finally became a king
). I declared war on Novgorod and could only take two province from them (don't remember why I only stopped at two when they had more Italian provinces. I added a map of the known world. The only things to note are: England (red), Bulgaria (dark green), Mongol Khanate (light green), Khwarezm (brownish), Ayyubids (goldish) and everybody else that aren't worth mentioning .
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Chapter 24 - Conflict Between the Empires Becoming Inevitable!
Another war was declared on Novgorod to take the rest of their Italian provinces. Novgorod had 3 provinces left which meant that, with a core on one of them, I could take all three for 6 infamy. I'm keeping my infamy low because there was still a lot of conquests to be done in Africa. My drydocks began to give me more colonists as well. Looks like my African colonial expansion will be sped up quite a bit at this rate. Novgorod handed over the provinces as soon as I occupied them. I'm guessing they aren't in the best of shape after fighting the Mongols. I've been putting off removing Venice from the map and decided to finally get it over with. The Venetian navy was crushed almost instantly and another colony was set up in Africa. Bulgaria beat up Bohemia and took a lot of territory. I could only guess that the Bulgarian ruler wasn't too thrilled with Bohemia sharing a similar flag as his nation's. I got more morale boost while gaining a core on Trier. Government tech upgrade continued to be pretty useless but Venice was finally annexed. Venice, you have done well early game but you were too close to me. I had no choice but to crush you. Be glad that you now serve the mighty English nation. For my new colony, I decided to send some discontented Venetians to Africa so they can start their new life elsewhere. I'm not going to waste time with them. I then set on declaring war on Trier which brought in Hungary and Bavaria (new HRE emperor). Bavaria got a slight beating from me while Sweden didn't want to be in a war at all. Norway has definitely made a comeback and looked to unite Scandinavia under one rule. Luxembourg was unscathed as well.
Speaking of Norway, it would appear they have taken even more land from Sweden. Sweden won't be a threat to anyone at the rate they're losing land. Mongol Khanate declared another war on Bulgaria while the Papal State joined in the war against me. The Papal State would lose claims to rest of Italy and more Venetians were sent to Africa. Trier handed over two provinces not including the one I had a core on. Let's just say that I will revisit them very soon. Hungary simply lost their claims on my land but they were still more of less intact. More colonies were set up in Africa and Bulgaria continued to expand with impunity. More income will be coming in with the level of production tech which means it's about time I build a few more regiments. Hungary appeared to be unaffected by our war as they went on to making Austria their vassal. More farms meant more magistrates and my second reconquest on Trier began. Bavaria joined again and they become the war leader this time. Bulgaria continued annexing all the small nations and I followed suit with Trier. I'm still not getting how Bulgaria hasn't become a dishonorable scum at the rate they're gaining infamy (actually, they released the Momchil's Land to get the infamy limit increase and more infamy reduction).
Bulgaria kept up their expansion while rebels started to do their job by freeing Armenia. I passed the Act of Uniformity because I felt like it. Bavaria was forced to released another nation which practically split them in half. More income from trade would be coming into my treasury and I saved enough to build the Pyramid. Let's see, this wonder takes 360 months which is 30 years. Considering the Great Pyramid of Giza took at most 20 years, I'm guess my architects wanted to build the greatest Pyramid with the extension of 10 years. I guess that would be fine if they do a good job. I turned my attention back to Africa where I declared war and annexed Mali. Kilwa left the war shortly and peace was restored. I began construction of the Rock Relief which just about emptied my treasury. These wonders better be worth it! Hungary kept expanding like mad and Bulgaria is doing the same. Why am I the only one at peace? Ceylon has acquired land in Greece (yup, that makes total sense) and Hungary declared war on Bulgaria (this made a lot less sense). I got another colony set up while Bulgaria forced a white peace with the Mongol Khanate. Looks like the Mongol expansion into Eastern Europe has halted. I don't know if that's good news or bad. Not sure whether I prefer Bulgaria stronger or the Mongol Khanate stronger. Bulgaria still continued expansion as though they have no infamy limit and I got a core on Zirid.
While I was deciding when to attack Zirid, I got news that Bulgaria took nearly all of Hungary territories. I must say I'm not too thrilled and decided this was the time to act! Bulgaria, I hope you enjoyed beating up on weaklings because I will show you the might of the English! I will admit that, by the time I got territories from Bulgaria, the war was a big disappointment. A river that stretched through Hungary actually cut us off from each other. That meant that there weren't any actual land battles since we can't reach each other. Bulgaria got to my side only because the Hungarian capital made that possible. With no military access, they had no way of fight me and vice versa (not that I want to engage them anyways). I occupied the provinces and Bulgaria handed them over eventually. That was the most uneventful war ever but I got free land. So, I guess I shouldn't complain. Because the war was so boring, I declared war on Hungary next and took some of their lands. Hungary has been reduced to a tenth of their size prior to declaring war on Bulgaria. I wouldn't mind but I hope Bulgaria doesn't bother with them anytime soon. I won't mind if we don't share a border just yet. I then declared war on Zirid which brought nobodies into the war. Another land tech level gave my troops more morale while Zirid handed over some land. The Rock Relief has finished and provided me with nice bonuses (the resources poured into this was worth it). Morea once again handed more land to Bulgaria which I really detested. I declared war on Nri hoping to keep up with Bulgaria in expansion but I don't even come close. I got a few provinces and waited for my war exhaustion to go down a bit before declaring war on Zirid.
I got two levels of naval tech and five provinces while Bulgaria reclaimed a lot of their provinces in Asia. The alliance with Yemen was dissolved because it had no real value. I got a level of government tech that actually gave me something. Being in a celebratory mood, I declared war on Nri since expansion is a great way to make my day go even better. Nri handed land over nicely as Bulgaria and the Mongol Khanate expanded more. My next level of government tech was another disappointment. My two rivals kept up their expansions while I stayed idle. Seeing how I'm falling behind, I decided to fight the Ayyubids who has been very annoying. My next government tech upgrade got me a new national idea slot . I need ducats to replenish the ducats I invested in wonders which explained why I picked National Bank. As for the war against Ayyubids, the attrition was so bad I was forced to back out with only a few gains. Luckily, the new gains should make my next war smoother.
I declared war the moment my truce ended with Ayyubids. Days later, I got a core on Kanem Bornu who I will definitely pay a visit soon enough. More income from the extra production efficiency is always welcomed and the Pyramid has been completed! I must say the build cost reduction is a bit overpowered. I'm saying this because, with the other build cost reduction from trading, I actually make ducats from constructing buildings (in game, I changed it to -40%). To make my day even better, I took a large chunk out of Ayyubids and attrition will be less painful now, at least hopefully it will be less. Novgorod still taking the brunt of the Mongol invasion. I feel sorry for them and pray that they will delay the Mongols long enough for me to solidify my position. Ayyubids would face my wrath again once the truce was over. The Mongol Khanate took out the Golden Horde before turning their attention on Bulgaria. I was curious if this war would end with a white peace again. Bulgaria took land from Muenster and my trade tech got another breakthrough. This time, the Mongol Khanate once against crushed Bulgaria and made the Orthodox nation slightly weaker. Still, it's better than nothing. The Ayyubids handed more territories over to me and I decided to warn them and Bulgaria. I had a gut feeling that they would be at war soon and I was surprisingly correct. Bulgaria declared war on the Ayyubids and I decided to halt the Bulgaria expansion. A land tech increase would make my troops better and my king chose to die at this inconvenient moment. The only thing to note was the naval battle where I destroyed much of the Bulgarian fleet. There weren't any land battles since Bulgarian army in Asia was too far from my territory and attrition would eat away my armies before the battle even begin.
Surprisingly, I got land from the war with Bulgaria which made me a happy camper. Ceylon handed over some territories to the Mongol Khanate which included two provinces in Greece. If this keeps up, I guess I'll be seeing a larger Mongol presence in Western Europe sooner than expected. I get access to Tercio Infantry while Khwarezm gets beaten up by both Bulgaria and Mongol Khanate. Khwarezm had her moments but I would say it's her time to decline. The Mongol Khanate declared war on Poland and I, as the defender of the faith, had no choice but join. The Mongol Khanate brought in a lot of small allies and the Palatinate decided this was the time to strike. With the Mongols unable to reach me, I'm quite happy when Palatinate and her allies decided to entertain me for the moment. Poland ceded territories to the Mongols and I got a white peace with them. From the new map, England and Mongol Khanate expansions were obvious. Bulgaria has been expanding steadily too but their progress isn't that obvious. With finite amount of land, one of us will have to start losing land soon. I'm getting a feeling Bulgaria will be that unfortunate victim.
Another war was declared on Novgorod to take the rest of their Italian provinces. Novgorod had 3 provinces left which meant that, with a core on one of them, I could take all three for 6 infamy. I'm keeping my infamy low because there was still a lot of conquests to be done in Africa. My drydocks began to give me more colonists as well. Looks like my African colonial expansion will be sped up quite a bit at this rate. Novgorod handed over the provinces as soon as I occupied them. I'm guessing they aren't in the best of shape after fighting the Mongols. I've been putting off removing Venice from the map and decided to finally get it over with. The Venetian navy was crushed almost instantly and another colony was set up in Africa. Bulgaria beat up Bohemia and took a lot of territory. I could only guess that the Bulgarian ruler wasn't too thrilled with Bohemia sharing a similar flag as his nation's. I got more morale boost while gaining a core on Trier. Government tech upgrade continued to be pretty useless but Venice was finally annexed. Venice, you have done well early game but you were too close to me. I had no choice but to crush you. Be glad that you now serve the mighty English nation. For my new colony, I decided to send some discontented Venetians to Africa so they can start their new life elsewhere. I'm not going to waste time with them. I then set on declaring war on Trier which brought in Hungary and Bavaria (new HRE emperor). Bavaria got a slight beating from me while Sweden didn't want to be in a war at all. Norway has definitely made a comeback and looked to unite Scandinavia under one rule. Luxembourg was unscathed as well.
Speaking of Norway, it would appear they have taken even more land from Sweden. Sweden won't be a threat to anyone at the rate they're losing land. Mongol Khanate declared another war on Bulgaria while the Papal State joined in the war against me. The Papal State would lose claims to rest of Italy and more Venetians were sent to Africa. Trier handed over two provinces not including the one I had a core on. Let's just say that I will revisit them very soon. Hungary simply lost their claims on my land but they were still more of less intact. More colonies were set up in Africa and Bulgaria continued to expand with impunity. More income will be coming in with the level of production tech which means it's about time I build a few more regiments. Hungary appeared to be unaffected by our war as they went on to making Austria their vassal. More farms meant more magistrates and my second reconquest on Trier began. Bavaria joined again and they become the war leader this time. Bulgaria continued annexing all the small nations and I followed suit with Trier. I'm still not getting how Bulgaria hasn't become a dishonorable scum at the rate they're gaining infamy (actually, they released the Momchil's Land to get the infamy limit increase and more infamy reduction).
Bulgaria kept up their expansion while rebels started to do their job by freeing Armenia. I passed the Act of Uniformity because I felt like it. Bavaria was forced to released another nation which practically split them in half. More income from trade would be coming into my treasury and I saved enough to build the Pyramid
. Let's see, this wonder takes 360 months which is 30 years. Considering the Great Pyramid of Giza took at most 20 years, I'm guess my architects wanted to build the greatest Pyramid with the extension of 10 years. I guess that would be fine if they do a good job. I turned my attention back to Africa where I declared war and annexed Mali. Kilwa left the war shortly and peace was restored. I began construction of the Rock Relief which just about emptied my treasury. These wonders better be worth it! Hungary kept expanding like mad and Bulgaria is doing the same. Why am I the only one at peace? Ceylon has acquired land in Greece (yup, that makes total sense) and Hungary declared war on Bulgaria (this made a lot less sense). I got another colony set up while Bulgaria forced a white peace with the Mongol Khanate. Looks like the Mongol expansion into Eastern Europe has halted. I don't know if that's good news or bad. Not sure whether I prefer Bulgaria stronger or the Mongol Khanate stronger. Bulgaria still continued expansion as though they have no infamy limit and I got a core on Zirid.
While I was deciding when to attack Zirid, I got news that Bulgaria took nearly all of Hungary territories. I must say I'm not too thrilled and decided this was the time to act! Bulgaria, I hope you enjoyed beating up on weaklings because I will show you the might of the English! I will admit that, by the time I got territories from Bulgaria, the war was a big disappointment. A river that stretched through Hungary actually cut us off from each other. That meant that there weren't any actual land battles since we can't reach each other. Bulgaria got to my side only because the Hungarian capital made that possible. With no military access, they had no way of fight me and vice versa (not that I want to engage them anyways
). I occupied the provinces and Bulgaria handed them over eventually. That was the most uneventful war ever but I got free land. So, I guess I shouldn't complain. Because the war was so boring, I declared war on Hungary next and took some of their lands. Hungary has been reduced to a tenth of their size prior to declaring war on Bulgaria. I wouldn't mind but I hope Bulgaria doesn't bother with them anytime soon. I won't mind if we don't share a border just yet. I then declared war on Zirid which brought nobodies into the war. Another land tech level gave my troops more morale while Zirid handed over some land. The Rock Relief has finished and provided me with nice bonuses (the resources poured into this was worth it). Morea once again handed more land to Bulgaria which I really detested. I declared war on Nri hoping to keep up with Bulgaria in expansion but I don't even come close. I got a few provinces and waited for my war exhaustion to go down a bit before declaring war on Zirid.
I got two levels of naval tech and five provinces while Bulgaria reclaimed a lot of their provinces in Asia. The alliance with Yemen was dissolved because it had no real value. I got a level of government tech that actually gave me something. Being in a celebratory mood, I declared war on Nri since expansion is a great way to make my day go even better. Nri handed land over nicely as Bulgaria and the Mongol Khanate expanded more. My next level of government tech was another disappointment
. My two rivals kept up their expansions while I stayed idle. Seeing how I'm falling behind, I decided to fight the Ayyubids who has been very annoying. My next government tech upgrade got me a new national idea slot . I need ducats to replenish the ducats I invested in wonders which explained why I picked National Bank. As for the war against Ayyubids, the attrition was so bad I was forced to back out with only a few gains. Luckily, the new gains should make my next war smoother.
I declared war the moment my truce ended with Ayyubids. Days later, I got a core on Kanem Bornu who I will definitely pay a visit soon enough. More income from the extra production efficiency is always welcomed and the Pyramid has been completed! I must say the build cost reduction is a bit overpowered. I'm saying this because, with the other build cost reduction from trading, I actually make ducats from constructing buildings
(in game, I changed it to -40%). To make my day even better, I took a large chunk out of Ayyubids and attrition will be less painful now, at least hopefully it will be less. Novgorod still taking the brunt of the Mongol invasion. I feel sorry for them and pray that they will delay the Mongols long enough for me to solidify my position. Ayyubids would face my wrath again once the truce was over. The Mongol Khanate took out the Golden Horde before turning their attention on Bulgaria. I was curious if this war would end with a white peace again. Bulgaria took land from Muenster and my trade tech got another breakthrough. This time, the Mongol Khanate once against crushed Bulgaria and made the Orthodox nation slightly weaker. Still, it's better than nothing. The Ayyubids handed more territories over to me and I decided to warn them and Bulgaria. I had a gut feeling that they would be at war soon and I was surprisingly correct. Bulgaria declared war on the Ayyubids and I decided to halt the Bulgaria expansion. A land tech increase would make my troops better and my king chose to die at this inconvenient moment. The only thing to note was the naval battle where I destroyed much of the Bulgarian fleet. There weren't any land battles since Bulgarian army in Asia was too far from my territory and attrition would eat away my armies before the battle even begin.
Surprisingly, I got land from the war with Bulgaria which made me a happy camper. Ceylon handed over some territories to the Mongol Khanate which included two provinces in Greece. If this keeps up, I guess I'll be seeing a larger Mongol presence in Western Europe sooner than expected. I get access to Tercio Infantry while Khwarezm gets beaten up by both Bulgaria and Mongol Khanate. Khwarezm had her moments but I would say it's her time to decline. The Mongol Khanate declared war on Poland and I, as the defender of the faith, had no choice but join. The Mongol Khanate brought in a lot of small allies and the Palatinate decided this was the time to strike. With the Mongols unable to reach me, I'm quite happy when Palatinate and her allies decided to entertain me for the moment. Poland ceded territories to the Mongols and I got a white peace with them. From the new map, England and Mongol Khanate expansions were obvious. Bulgaria has been expanding steadily too but their progress isn't that obvious. With finite amount of land, one of us will have to start losing land soon. I'm getting a feeling Bulgaria will be that unfortunate victim.
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Chapter 25 - Great Britain is Born!
I got another level of Naval tech which adds some much needed colonial range. The Papal State was annexed for joining in a war against me. The interesting thing was that the Papal State, when asking to be reestablished, had their capital across the Atlantic in North America. I wish them luck and hope they can make a great nation by converting the natives there. Controlling Vatican (not sure why it still said Rome) meant I got wonderful bonuses. The Curia will forever be mine . I began another war with the Ayyubids while annexing Provence. The Palatinate was fortunate to be spared. Ayyubids handed territory over to Gujarat while Khwarezm ceded provinces to Bulgaria. My trade tech upgrade will be useful while the war against Ayyubids ended with a lot more territories taken. I captured Mecca but Tuareg became a vassal of Ayyubids. I actually thought about stop attacking Ayyubids for a few years but Tuareg was a good sign that I shouldn't let them have a chance to recover. I also began construction of a Christian Cathedral and a Lightning House. I got a core on the Ayyubids but decided Crusade was a better CB against this nation. It got to the point where my occupation resulted in them getting bankrupt (good riddance). I took as much territories as I can handle within my rules. Bulgaria and the Mongol Khanate continued their expansion spree as well.
Bulgaria kicks Ceylon out of Europe but somehow got into a personal union with the Palatinate. I must admit that this was the time where I wished Palatinate didn't declare war on me. Gujarat, after much work from Bulgaria, was forced by the Palatinate to release two nations. The breakthrough in land tech is making my troops last longer in battle and my Christian Cathedral has finished! With the missionary chance, there's nothing I cannot convert. I declared war on Kanem Bornu and Tripoli came in as the war leader. (I was confused by this development at first since Tripoli is a OPM). The Mongols continued expanding while I got another level in naval tech. Tripoli was forced to give me a lot of territory and it was then I realized that they lead personal unions with Zirid and Kanem Bornu. Talk about making things easier by having them give me all the territories. Bosnia beat up Hungary while Gujarat takes a beating from the Mongols. I declared another war on Kanem Bornu and, following a breakthrough in production tech, took more land. I began a new war against the Ayyubids and Ceylon became war leader. Gujarat was taking a huge beating from everyone and I actually feel sorry for them.
Ayyubids part way with more territory while I crush all chances of Ceylon getting a Greek province by renouncing their claims. Prussia has been born but I was more thrilled with my production tech upgrade. Spread of Protestantism has begun but my Christian Cathedral made my chances of converting roughly 51%. I'd say I like those chance. Same thing is going on with colonies but I don't mind. Just need a level 1 fort built before converting them. I declared war on Nri and Gujarat surprisingly came to their aid. Nri gave up a lot of territories and Gujarat left with a white peace. New Land tech gave me a new infantry which is a great blessing. A new war against Kilwa was declared while Gujarat expanded slightly and the Palatinate expanded Bulgarian territories in Poland. Najd would also feel my might and, shortly after the start of that war, Kilwa ceded a good chunk of their territory. Ayyubids had to renounce a lot of their claims while I took a single province from Najd. Dali exited with a white peace and peace is restored.
Trade tech got another level and I embraced the Counter-Reformation to be in character. Deccan continues to lay a beating on Gujarat while the Mongol Khanate continued their expansion. They declared war on Bulgaria and the Palatinate dishonored the call. The fact that Bulgaria was under a leash was fun while it lasted. I declared war on Nri and took their capital after a breakthrough in naval tech. Khwarezm annexed what was left of Nri in Arabian Peninsula. Seeing that the time was right, I declared war on Bulgaria and had a major engagement with them. Following the annexation of a nation, Bulgaria forces in Arabian Peninsula region was destroyed. At least, I thought that was the case until another of their stacks arrived. A few more engagements resulted in that stack destroyed too. Meanwhile, Bulgaria was fighting back by annexing another minor nation.
Government tech was improved and both the Mongols and me had taken a chunk out of Bulgarian territory. Still, Bulgaria was on a rampage by annexing or vassalizing one nation after another. When will they stop? With nothing better to do, I renewed my wars with Ayyubids and Kilwa. Palatinate joined against me and Abbasids followed suit. Did I mention that Bulgaria is getting out of control? Ceylon takes Gujarat territory and I was called into a war against Prussia because they were orthodox and Poland was Catholic. Poland gets beaten up by Bulgaria because they were foolish enough to declare war. The government tech upgrade got me nothing again but the Lightning House seems like a great investment with its awesome bonuses.
Kilwa and Ayyubids were forced to give up a lot of provinces while Bulgaria continued their expansion. Deccan was being annoying by vassalizing Najd and I told them to stop. Gujarat isn't faring too well at this rate while I managed to declare two wars just before regency council. More land tech is always great. Ayyubids and Kilwa were both annexed and peace was restored. Bulgaria is simply cleaning up the remaining wars while the Mongols began their invasion of Southeast Asia and India.
Gujarat is still a punching bag for her neighbors and I lost crusaders CB in the year 1550. However, the new year did promise great things for my nation. I can now declare my nation as Great Britain! See the rise of the great nation! Let's see the map of the known world!
Here's an update for this AAR. I've reached where I played up to in game. I've decided to dedicate more time on my other AARs which meant this one will be put on hold. However, this won't be the last chapter. I still want to dedicate chapter(s) on the new buildings, wonders and resources. If there are any other aspects of this mod you wish to know, feel free to post and I'll see what I can do with the request. Feel free to ask questions as well.
I got another level of Naval tech which adds some much needed colonial range. The Papal State was annexed for joining in a war against me. The interesting thing was that the Papal State, when asking to be reestablished, had their capital across the Atlantic in North America. I wish them luck and hope they can make a great nation by converting the natives there
. Controlling Vatican (not sure why it still said Rome) meant I got wonderful bonuses. The Curia will forever be mine . I began another war with the Ayyubids while annexing Provence. The Palatinate was fortunate to be spared. Ayyubids handed territory over to Gujarat while Khwarezm ceded provinces to Bulgaria. My trade tech upgrade will be useful while the war against Ayyubids ended with a lot more territories taken. I captured Mecca but Tuareg became a vassal of Ayyubids. I actually thought about stop attacking Ayyubids for a few years but Tuareg was a good sign that I shouldn't let them have a chance to recover. I also began construction of a Christian Cathedral and a Lightning House. I got a core on the Ayyubids but decided Crusade was a better CB against this nation. It got to the point where my occupation resulted in them getting bankrupt (good riddance). I took as much territories as I can handle within my rules. Bulgaria and the Mongol Khanate continued their expansion spree as well.
Bulgaria kicks Ceylon out of Europe but somehow got into a personal union with the Palatinate. I must admit that this was the time where I wished Palatinate didn't declare war on me. Gujarat, after much work from Bulgaria, was forced by the Palatinate to release two nations. The breakthrough in land tech is making my troops last longer in battle and my Christian Cathedral has finished! With the missionary chance, there's nothing I cannot convert
. I declared war on Kanem Bornu and Tripoli came in as the war leader. (I was confused by this development at first since Tripoli is a OPM). The Mongols continued expanding while I got another level in naval tech. Tripoli was forced to give me a lot of territory and it was then I realized that they lead personal unions with Zirid and Kanem Bornu. Talk about making things easier by having them give me all the territories. Bosnia beat up Hungary while Gujarat takes a beating from the Mongols. I declared another war on Kanem Bornu and, following a breakthrough in production tech, took more land. I began a new war against the Ayyubids and Ceylon became war leader. Gujarat was taking a huge beating from everyone and I actually feel sorry for them.
Ayyubids part way with more territory while I crush all chances of Ceylon getting a Greek province by renouncing their claims. Prussia has been born but I was more thrilled with my production tech upgrade. Spread of Protestantism has begun but my Christian Cathedral made my chances of converting roughly 51%. I'd say I like those chance. Same thing is going on with colonies but I don't mind. Just need a level 1 fort built before converting them. I declared war on Nri and Gujarat surprisingly came to their aid. Nri gave up a lot of territories and Gujarat left with a white peace. New Land tech gave me a new infantry which is a great blessing. A new war against Kilwa was declared while Gujarat expanded slightly and the Palatinate expanded Bulgarian territories in Poland. Najd would also feel my might and, shortly after the start of that war, Kilwa ceded a good chunk of their territory. Ayyubids had to renounce a lot of their claims while I took a single province from Najd. Dali exited with a white peace and peace is restored.
Trade tech got another level and I embraced the Counter-Reformation to be in character. Deccan continues to lay a beating on Gujarat while the Mongol Khanate continued their expansion. They declared war on Bulgaria and the Palatinate dishonored the call. The fact that Bulgaria was under a leash was fun while it lasted. I declared war on Nri and took their capital after a breakthrough in naval tech. Khwarezm annexed what was left of Nri in Arabian Peninsula. Seeing that the time was right, I declared war on Bulgaria and had a major engagement with them. Following the annexation of a nation, Bulgaria forces in Arabian Peninsula region was destroyed. At least, I thought that was the case until another of their stacks arrived. A few more engagements resulted in that stack destroyed too. Meanwhile, Bulgaria was fighting back by annexing another minor nation.
Government tech was improved and both the Mongols and me had taken a chunk out of Bulgarian territory. Still, Bulgaria was on a rampage by annexing or vassalizing one nation after another. When will they stop? With nothing better to do, I renewed my wars with Ayyubids and Kilwa. Palatinate joined against me and Abbasids followed suit. Did I mention that Bulgaria is getting out of control? Ceylon takes Gujarat territory and I was called into a war against Prussia because they were orthodox and Poland was Catholic. Poland gets beaten up by Bulgaria because they were foolish enough to declare war. The government tech upgrade got me nothing again but the Lightning House seems like a great investment with its awesome bonuses.
Kilwa and Ayyubids were forced to give up a lot of provinces while Bulgaria continued their expansion. Deccan was being annoying by vassalizing Najd and I told them to stop. Gujarat isn't faring too well at this rate while I managed to declare two wars just before regency council. More land tech is always great
. Ayyubids and Kilwa were both annexed and peace was restored. Bulgaria is simply cleaning up the remaining wars while the Mongols began their invasion of Southeast Asia and India.
Gujarat is still a punching bag for her neighbors and I lost crusaders CB in the year 1550. However, the new year did promise great things for my nation. I can now declare my nation as Great Britain! See the rise of the great nation! Let's see the map of the known world!
Here's an update for this AAR. I've reached where I played up to in game. I've decided to dedicate more time on my other AARs which meant this one will be put on hold. However, this won't be the last chapter. I still want to dedicate chapter(s) on the new buildings, wonders and resources. If there are any other aspects of this mod you wish to know, feel free to post and I'll see what I can do with the request. Feel free to ask questions as well
.
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NOW this is something I can sink my teeth into!!!!!
Exemplary. I play this game for the wars.
may be why I still play In Nomine 3.2
current projects underlimit WC attempt's with England & castille/spain
Exemplary. I play this game for the wars.
may be why I still play In Nomine 3.2
current projects underlimit WC attempt's with England & castille/spain
With its long timeline, you definitely could have many fun campaigns. For example, you can start at world war 2 forming interesting alliances and go from there.
Chapter 26 - Miscellaneous of Mod!
Below are the new buildings available. With many ways of getting extra magistrates, you might still be unable to build all of these in every province. In addition, some of them have strict requirements.
Below is lesser Manufactories. You can build these instead of the manufactories available in vanilla.
Below are the wonders. They are expensive but their bonuses can be overwhelming.
Below is a small list of new trade goods they added. There are more but you will have to find them yourselves.
This will be the final update before I put this AAR on hold. I wish to thank everyone that read this AAR and hope that, if you have time, you can visit my other AARs.
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Hello to all those that followed along before. I've decided to restart this AAR in a different direction. Instead of gameplay or exploration of the MOD, I will be writing future updates in storytelling. Hope to see you there. First new update will be tomorrow.
Welcome again! I'm hoping to try out a slightly different writing style in this one. I hope it will work out. I will admit that the gameplay part was really fun. I wished I had chosen very hard difficulty at the start so the game was more challenging.