Chapter 4: All hail the double eagle of the Russian Republic!
September 1451 -- Our first core we don't start the game with!
February 1452 -- The provinces of the Russian minor formerly known as Tver (Tver, Rzhev, Yaroslavl) core.
August 1452 -- Naval tech 5.
February 1453 -- Brandenburg inherits Hungary. That could be trouble...
June 1453 -- My first lost core. No big deal, I'll get the core back when I form Russia anyway.
January 1454 -- Minsk converts.
May 1454 -- So does Viborg. Only the Ukrainian provinces are non-Orthodox now!
August 1454 -- New ruler! I go administrative, get a 6/3/8. Yuck, I can't take such a low military setting...
August 1455 -- Trade 6.
October 1455 -- Slider time! Move towards quality, lose 10000 manpower. Meh. Like I'd even miss it.
July 1458 -- New election! I try my luck with a new ruler -- now I'm even worse, 3/3/5. If only I could hire an assassin.
December 1459 -- Serf exploitation bonus: +5% production efficiency for three months. Yes, please! Since this update is boring, I declare war on Ukraine with no CB
Our contestants:
January 1460 -- Denmark, like always, doesn't answer the call. I really wonder why I keep allying with them. You'd think I'd learn.
March 1460 -- Like a bunch of cowards, the Ukrainian army is hiding in Poland. I ask Poland nicely: "Mind if I turn one of your provinces into a battlefield?" Poland says, "Sure, just clean up when you're done."
May 1460 -- The Ukrainian army is gone.
August 1460 -- Smolensk cores -- only a couple to form Russia!
September 1460 -- Ruthenia falls, and so does Ukraine. Victory!
I'm still at war though, since Pommerania was alliance leader (instead of Austria?) :wacko:
October 1460 -- Poland realizes that my cavalry left some presents when I was there last, so they warn me.
December 1460 -- A western army falls before me! Yes, it's just Pommerania, and yes, I have Moldavian troops with me. Nonetheless, this victory shall be remembered for all time!
February 1461 -- Apparently terrified by my new dominance over the West, Burgundy DoWs with no CB.
As always, they bring a bunch of friends.
September 1461 -- Poland joins the perceived dogpile. She brings along Croatia and Finland.
December 1461 -- Not such a dogpile now, eh, Poland?
January 1462 -- Nizhny Novgorod and Vladimir core. Only one more province to core!
June 1462 -- Poland loses more soldiers in an attempt to take my land.
July 1462 -- Poland white peaces out. To celebrate, we elect a new leader -- 8/9/6. That's more like it! Yevgeniy Barashev, I am taking out a sizeable life insurance policy.
January 1463 -- Hansa declares war on Denmark, triggering my guarantee. I would like to end that embargo...
March 1463 -- It turns out, Hansa already had. Having no real interest in the war (and since I'm now alliance leader), it's time to give peace a chance. It just so happens to also be lucrative for me.
April 1463 -- Portugal warns me for some reason. Portugal hasn't really colonized yet, and Castille has eaten most of her. I'm not terribly threatened.
August 1463 -- I invade and destroy most of Pommerania, but I still can't get so much as a concession of defeat. I white peace.
February 1464 -- Provinces from Ryazan defect to Murom. This has potential, since Murom is independent and Ryazan is a vassal of the Horde. One of them happens to be Tula, which I've got a mission for. I think I declare war on them at some point, all I know is that I'm at war with them.
April 1464 -- Switzerland white peaces out. I guess they were one of Burgundy's pals?
May 1464 -- Distraught by the loss of whatever assistance the Swiss were providing, Burgundy also peaces out. It could also be the fact that I had almost killed their invasion force. One of the two.
May 1466 -- Mogilyov cores. That's nice, but not the core I'm waiting for.
July 1466 -- England warns me.
December 1466 -- Last move towards quality for the foreseeable future, I take a stab hit (which stinks -- it takes 18 months to recover one stab point).
July 1467 -- A little province named Moskva cores. Huzzah!
... Still no Russia decision. Why?
September 1467 -- I decide to check out the requirements. It turns out my war with Murom is keeping me from forming Russia. As usual, the Horde is occupying most of the country anyway, so I'll white peace out. Also, production 7.
October 1467 -- RUSSIA!!!!
I also make St. Petersburg the capital. It's a really sweet Russian decision. You gain 3 stability, 5 base tax in the St. Petersburg province (formerly known as Neva), and more base manpower for the province. It also becomes Orthodox, but that doesn't matter as much. Check out the new flag!
[IMGhttp://img228.imageshack.us/img228/1909/chapter4october14672.jpg[/IMG]
There is one downside here -- I'm now over the centralization limit for merchant republic. If I can, I'll switch to Noble Republic at government 10 -- I checked the Wiki and couldn't see if I was eligible to do so or not. If I'm not, it's Admin republic at 15.
November 1467 -- With great power comes many new Reconquest CBs.
March 1468 -- Polotsk is diplo-annexed. All their territories are core anyway.
February 1470 -- For the time in a while, one of my advisors dies. I hire another 6 star diplomat.
July 1470 -- Defender of the Faith! I wrestled this from might Ethiopia. Interesting note -- I can't use Holy War as a CB on the Horde.
October 1472 -- Government 6 and Embassy building. The embassy is a new unique building (one per empire) that gives you .40 diplomats a year and a little bit of infamy burn. Costs 500+ ducats and 5 magistrates, so it'll take a while before I can build it.
December 1472 -- Denmark gives me those old puppy dog eyes and I ally again. At this point, Denmark has provided roughly zero support, but hey, maybe this time will be different?
January 1473 -- The only positive about this is that Western Arms Trade kicks back in. I need all the help I can get pre-Westernization.
February 1473 -- I apparently declare war on Murom. All I have is a screenshot of me destroying their army.
I also take a look at Westernize again -- it turns out I've got all the requirements but the innovative. I know where I'll be moving next.
November 1473 -- Murom falls, giving me more sweet territory that I have cores on.
January 1474 -- Denmark declares war on somebody and I join. I will be doing almost nothing in this war.
July 1474 -- As our first all-Russian election, we re-elect our good friend Barashev. (Actually, I lied -- the first one was in 1470 but I forgot to note when).
September 1474 -- New mission (and by new, I mean I forgot to note it before) -- reclaim Kharkov for 10 prestige. It would appear that the Horde has it. Interesting.
October 1474 -- Without my active participation, Denmark ends up losing to Pommerania and cedes three territories. The crowd goes mild.
December 1474 -- Monetary Reform event. I have to take the inflation hit, which stinks, but it just takes too long to regain stability.
July 1475 -- Ryazan has a local fortification expert -- I miss the free fort
Now it's just 50% more defensiveness until the end of the game.
Zaporozhie becomes a vassal of the Horde.
August 1475 -- Naval tech 6. Yawn.
January 1476 -- Time to do something I've wanted to for quite some time now, but only just realized I could do. I declare war on Ryazan, using the Reconquest CB! Those jerks always dishonored my alliances.
Oh yeah, they bring along a friend
Honestly, I was ready to DoW the Horde a long time ago, but it seems they're immune to most CBs and I really hate stab hits. The only way around it was to DoW a vassal, who just so happened to have a Russian core.
That's it for this update. Tune in next time (beginning of next week) for the first war against the Golden Horde!