Excellent! Not in a position to do much about it now, but something to consider.
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Excellent! Not in a position to do much about it now, but something to consider.
Excellent update, the Holy Land secure in the grasp of the Empire and the Spanish humbled.
Infamy, sh...imfamy.
The Old Republic never concerned itself with such things, conquest was the name of the game. It was only the Imperial phase when the Romans got fat and lazy, building walls and such.
Infamy, sh...imfamy.
The Old Republic never concerned itself with such things, conquest was the name of the game. It was only the Imperial phase when the Romans got fat and lazy, building walls and such.
I'm a total coward when it comes to exceeding the BB limit. I did it once, by accident, and about had a heart attack.
The worse time I ever had was when I broke Ming by accident...250 BBish plus the fact I was close to the limit anyways. Even OPM powerhouses like Liege Dow'd. Good thing I only had 7 or 8 years of gametime left
Chapter 27: The Muslim Wars
26 April 1593, Castle St. Maso, Rome
Drusus Germanicus, the Archduke of Egypt and the new Chancellor of the Empire, had often criticized the government for not making decisions, sometimes vehemently so, in his younger days as a Senator. He now realized how wrong he was. A large Empire like Tuscany's was incredibly difficult to rule. As a good bureaucrat and civil servant, Chancellor Germanicus had to make the less important decisions so that his Emperor would not be bothered. There certainly were a lot of them too; whenever a provincial governor wanted funds for a building project, they first asked their Duke, who then submitted all of his lands' requests in a single document, typically every three months. All projects taking longer than a year to complete required Leo III's approval, but few did, and so he had to evaluate the merits of most of them.
Sometimes his duties were more pleasant. For example, he was asked to deliver the speech proclaiming the restoration of Jerusalem to Christian hands. This was so popular that even the Pope had sent emissaries and words of congratulations. Drusus was no fool, and knew that many European courts were terrified and outraged by the exorbitant peace forced on Castille by the Empire. The Chancellor welcomed the distraction.
He'd also been gratified to hear that the rebellion in Aleppo was put down by General -- no, Duke -- Ulivelli. Interestingly enough, some of the remaining Castillian soldiers actually joined in the battles. As much as the pain of defeat made Castille hate Tuscany, they were still brother Christians, if a bit misguided. No sovereign wanted to encourage uprisings.
When he made his report to the Emperor, he knew Leo III would be pleased, as well he should. He'd won a great victory, and only a fool would have expected no resistance. Whatever the Emperor's faults, he was no fool.
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9 November 1593, Constantinople
Pietro Leopoldo Farnese, the Prince of the Empire of Tuscany, had been living in Constantinople for three years now. He'd learned all he could from his Regent, Julius Tullius Cicero, and now it was his turn to rule. Constantinople was the Empire's second city, so to speak, after Rome. He knew he was being entrusted with a great honor.
The young Prince watched the parade of legions marching through his city in his honor. Imperceptibly, he shook his head. War was not the way to win friends or gain land. His father delighted in military expeditions. Pietro found them boring. What he most loved was history, and in that he excelled. He'd learned many languages and traveled as much as he could in his youth, the better to learn of foreign cultures. Julius had impressed upon him the importance of administration as well, and so he'd studied that too, but he expected to rely on his Marshal and Generals to serve military policy.
Pietro realized something his father did not. The rest of the world was mad at Tuscany. With no real justification, Leo III had taken a fellow monarch's land, and a Christian monarch at that. Expanding at the expense of heathens was expected and encouraged, but sovereigns were supposed to be gentlemen. He'd discussed this with Drusus Germanicus, when the Chancellor chanced to travel east, which was infrequent.
Today, however, as was custom, everybody who was anybody was in Constantinople. His father, of course, but all the Dukes and Archdukes, as well as the Imperial Council. Only Marshal van Dijk remained in Rome, which was sensible, as the need for Imperial security never rested. Pietro knew most of them, and liked almost all of them. He didn't like Archuke Ludovisi much -- he was still too much a General, very gruff and abrasive -- but did respect him.
While Pietro ruminated about his father and the nobles of his future Empire, his Chancellor was talking with Drusus Germanicus. Drusus and Julius were not exactly friends; they hadn't really spoken enough to be that. But they were closer than normal colleagues, perhaps because both had assisted the Emperor. They discussed Adana and Trebizond -- properly part of Archduke Ludovisi's lands -- becoming core lands of the Empire. Rumors abounded that a new Legion was being raised, and that Leo III planned to call it "God's" Legion. Practically speaking, the Legio XII 'Deus.' Neither had ever served in the military, but both respected the armies of the Empire.
After all, anybody that dared to act on Tuscany's spoiled reputation had about 120,000 reasons not to. Would that be enough? Both men hoped it would, but feared it wouldn't.
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1 February 1594, office of the Foreign Minister, Rome
Giovanni Barberini was feeling a little resentful. He and his father had served the Empire for years, and had never even been considered for a Duchy. Sure, Barberini was a Count, but everybody knew that the only nobles that really mattered were the Archdukes, Dukes, and of course the Imperial family. Now he had reason to be even more insulted.
He'd originally been pleased when Fernando Bartolini, the Commandant of the Germanicus Academy of the Imperial Legions, retired. Bartolini was always beaming about his son, the new Duke of Carthage and victorious General. To be honest, it made Giovanni sick. The Commandant of the Academy had a prestigious military position, and nobody knew who would take over. Marshal van Dijk wanted to wait until a full time applicant could be found. The interim Commandant was Matteo Pieralini, the brilliant military theoretician.
That was until he'd heard who was replacing Bartolini. A "Diplomat".
Gian Carlo Buti was a member of an old family in the Empire. His great-grandfather, Valeri, had been a Count under Julius I Magnus. Gian had gotten the assignment because he'd been one of the favored tutors of young Prince Pietro. Barberini grudgingly admitted that Buti was a bright fellow and a great negotiator, but that wasn't the point. Giovanni remembered how he'd become Foreign Minister; he was the deputy of the man before him. At least that indignity wasn't forced on him. Buti's assignment was to travel Europe and repair the damage done to Tuscany's reputation. It would take years, so Barberini knew his position was temporarily safe.
What had gone him thinking about Buti? Barberini wondered. He checked his appointment calendar, and sure enough, Buti was due to report in on his progress. Buti had been in London for the last two months. He'd been appointed during Prince Pietro's birthday party, so nobody had announced the appointment then. Almost on cue, a guard announced the Diplomat's arrival. Barberini was stunned to see his employee badly disheveled.
"By the grace of God, Gian, what happened?"
"Foreign Minister, I have news from Great Britain. A rebellion has brought down their monarchy; many of her constituent parts are now independent nations. I was unfortunate enough to be caught in London during the transition of power."
"I must bring this to the Emperor immediately, he may even wish to call a Council of War. Thank you, Gian. You should see a doctor, man, you look terrible."
"Indeed, Minister." The young Diplomat collapsed on the floor. Giovanni felt a lot better about his position as he instructed a guard to alert a doctor. He then rushed to see the Emperor as quickly as possible, pausing only to collect Chancellor Germanicus and Marshal van Dijk.
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1 May 1595, Castle St. Maso, Rome
In the end, war with Great Britain never happened. Leo III had originally been for it -- restoring Britannia to a New Roman Empire was an extremely attractive proposition. The debate had been very heated. Marshal van Dijk argued that it was a unique opportunity that might never come again. Foreign Minister Barberini insisted that he had no real way of creating a casus belli, and warned that such a war would be unpopular and could cause untold chaos in the streets of Rome. Chancellor Germanicus was much more blunt -- he threatened to resign if a war was declared against the British.
At the time, the Emperor had been upset, but now he realized that it simply wasn't worth the hassle. He privately was actually relieved; he'd always wondered what might have happened had he pursued an alliance with the British instead of Burgundy, and now he knew he'd bet on the right horse, so to speak. He'd sent a very generic note of consolation to the King of what remained of Great Britain, a monarch-to-monarch affair. That was it, though, and did not explicitly promise any support. When General Ludovisi died, leaving the Archduchy to his younger brother, he was much more relieved. Ludovisi was his best commander, and without him, he didn't want to risk a major military adventure.
That didn't mean he had nothing to celebrate. In an attempt to gain the throne of Corsica, his son Pietro had married the daughter of their King. There was no clear claimant to the Corsican throne, and a Personal Union might result. He was proud of his son, in any event. Pietro had often stated the power of diplomacy in gaining land for the Empire, and had done just that with Byzantium.
The Emperor was pleased; now Byzantium was integrated with the rest of the Empire of Tuscany. He wished things were that easy with Milan, but the only way he could gain that crown without a possible war with Austria was through inheritance, so he patiently waited. Maybe his son would be the one to inherit Milan? That would be a fine thing, the Emperor bargained. To keep his Chancellor from becoming angry, he authorized a dramatic increase in funds to restore the slight loss of stability. The new Greek lands were made part of the Principality of Constantinople.
Another of Pietro's endeavors was paying off too. It was his son that convinced him to hire the Diplomat Gian Carlo Buti, and now young Buti was Foreign Minister. Nobody saw Barberini's heart attack coming. Some wags said he died of a broken heart, since he never got the Duchy his family deserved. The Emperor thought that was tripe, but couldn't say so in public. Buti's promotion was temporary, though. The Emperor needed Gian Carlo traveling Europe, but had no real replacement for Barberini in mind. Despite Giovanni's fears, Buti wasn't ever intended to be a foreign minister.
To replace Barberini on the Imperial Council, Leo III hired a new Commandant.
Giuliano d'Appiani d'Aragona was of mixed heritage, as his name suggested. His father was Italian, but a poor one. In fact, he'd had no real home -- d'Appiani was his last name only because he often walked up and down the Appian Way, looking for work or food. His mother, however, was an Aragonese noble, and that had brought some respectability to his family. She'd met his father during a trip to Rome, and supposedly his father was so handsome she'd agreed to marry him on the spot. Giuliano had actually grown up in Aragon, and when his father died, he had no plans to return to the Empire. That was until the war with Castille. His mother had gently encouraged him to join the legions during the War of Retribution to help check Aragon's rival, Castille. Thanks to his mother's wealth, he'd been a Captain in the Aragonese army, and he'd been given the same rank in the Tuscany army. He was promoted to Commander of the Legio II 'Sicilia' by General Bartolini after he'd done some fine work at the Battle of Madrid. Bartolini recommended his Commander to the Marshal, and so Giuliano was given the position.
Giuliano's teaching style was a little brusque for some of the recruits, but they quickly adapted. The Emperor had a new teacher for his legions -- now it just remained to ask what would happen to them.
He would soon find out.
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13 June 1596, the office of the Foreign Minister
Gian Carlo Buti had been Foreign Minister for over a year, and the truth was he didn't like it. When the Emperor had hired him, he was promised travel, and while he still traveled some, for the most part he had to stay in Rome. Rome was a lovely city -- his patriotism demanded he call it the greatest in the world -- but it was only one city. The groundwork he'd laid throughout Europe was having a positive effect, and gradually the rest of the world began to "forgive" Tuscany, so to speak. Still, he thought he could do better if he were ever allowed to leave the Imperial capital.
France declared war on Morocco a few months ago, and that was distantly troubling to the Empire. Leo III considered North Africa Tuscan territory, and had to be restrained from sending a nasty note to the French. At home, even more lands were recognized as ancestral Tuscan possessions: Sinope was the very latest. In the weekly briefings he and his counterparts had, he'd learned that a new Fine Arts Academy was going to be built in Bithynia and that there were wool and copper shortages in the army. Gian grinned. The Marshal was never satisfied with the tools he was given, although he sung the praises of Commandant Spaniard -- the unofficial nickname of Giuliano d'Appiani d'Aragona.
Still, at least he got to read different languages, one of his true passions, and at the same time curried favor from the Emperor by requiring fewer translators. This one, from the Muscovites, requested assistance in a war against Manchu.
Gian paused, then checked the standing order book. He'd remembered reading something like this a while ago. As he read Imperial Proclamation on Foreign Affairs #12, he nodded quietly to himself:
If you receive a Call to Arms from an ally that does not involve the direct intervention of the Legions or the Fleet, the Foreign Minister has the authority to agree to the request without consulting with the Emperor first. However, if troops or ships are later required, the Emperor must approve the orders. [1]
Gian grabbed the nearest Imperial seal and stamped the request. He had one of his aides use the newfangled printing press to make a copy for the Emperor and the Tsar of Muscovy. He had to admit, it did save on personnel, but he couldn't get the damned thing to work. He didn't even mention it to the Emperor when he saw him later that afternoon.
The Foreign Minister had set events in motion with untold consequences for the Empire.
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9 August 1596, Damascus, Syria
Gian Carlo Buti laughed quietly to himself; he laughed quietly because nobody else would have gotten the joke. His tenure as Foreign Minister had to have been one of the shortest in Imperial history. He was a simple Diplomat again, traveling the world on official business, doing the job he initially wanted to. He supposed, in a very oblique way, he had Manchu to thank for it.
Two weeks after the Empire of Tuscany joined Muscovy in her war, Syria declared war on Tuscany.
It was one of the worst decisions an independent nation had ever made; the sort that ensured the given country wouldn't be independent for very long. It still baffled the Diplomat. Maybe the ruler of Syria only saw that Tuscany was at war with Manchu and assumed Tuscany couldn't possibly win. [2] In any event, why they were at war didn't matter. By unhappy coincidence, the only senior governmental official free to travel to Syria with knowledge of the local language was Matteo Pierallini, the army theorist and former Commandant. He met with Duke Ulivelli in Jerusalem, who didn't understand Pierallini's role; he thought he was there to take command of the legion. A few days later, Pierallini found himself sieging Damascus. He was the first man killed during the assault.
Emperor Leo III knew the war would be quick, and so made a quick decision. He hired a new Foreign Minister; an Ambassador named Ippolito Tonelli. Tonelli was the direct descendant of an Imperial General, albeit a long since departed one. He was a classmate of Buti's at the University of Rome. Unlike Buti, however, Tonelli had no gift for foreign languages; his Ambassadorial post was to Milan, which had been little more than a sinecure (and a bad joke) for years. However, Tonelli had one rare gift -- the specialist in foreign affairs who didn't like to travel. He was a genius at crafting documents. Buti was restored to his old job, where he could best support the Emperor, and traveled to Syria with clearly written instructions.
His mandate to the Syrians was undeniably simple: annexation. This had been a little unpopular actually. Annexation without a legitimate claim was a dangerous decision to make, since it entailed an even more dark picture of Tuscany around the world. To avoid an ugly argument, Buti was not to reveal the treaty to anybody but the Emperor, who would sign it without consulting the Imperial Council. It wasn't illegal, or even improper, but it was still not the traditional way to do things. Nonetheless, it was done.
The Emperor added Damascus to the Duchy of Jerusalem. He still couldn't believe such a weak country had essentially thrown away its sovereignty for no good reason.
There were more to come.
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10 May 1597, the Chancellor's office, Rome
Drusus Germanicus was becoming unpopular, but he didn't care. The fact was that these new conquests weren't repairing the image of the Empire and causing domestic problems. The most recent "victim" was Ak Koyunlu.
Since Ak Koyunlu had declared a Jihad, at least that meant that the international black mark wouldn't be so bad. It made Germanicus uncomfortable, though. People in Yazgod were beginning to grumble about the Emperor's so-called "warmongering," when all they wanted was peace. The fact that many of the residents of the province were Turkish, as were the people of Ak Koyunlu, didn't help matters. He'd ordered the Legio VIII 'Roma' east from Bithynia, with the approval of the Archduke of Asia Minor, Bartolomeo Ludovisi, who'd taken over from his brother after his passing.
Thankfully, the Empire had since restabilized; the Emperor's new obsession was the Fleet, and he'd diverted the funds once earmarked for stability to naval technology. The army got a boost too; a regulated system of Battlefield Commissions that could help fix the chronic officer shortages.
Ak Koyunlu capitulated, as predicted. It did make the map of the Empire prettier, but it delayed meaningful large-scale conquests. Every act of infamy meant a little more work to erase the stain.
His biggest fear was what might happen if a tougher opponent declared war; would the rest of Europe follow suit. The best strategy, in the Chancellor's eyes, was to stay quiet. He prayed that the rest of the world would let the Empire do just that.
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8 January 1598, Alexandria, Egypt
Gian Carlo Buti was exhausted. He supposed he shouldn't complain, but the fact was that he was tired of traveling at this point. The recent conquests had to be put in the most favorable light possible, and he'd just been justifying the latest conquests to France. He wistfully thought of French politics. When they took Muskogee from the Moroccans in their recent war, they also forced Morocco to grant independence to Tunisia. France had even signed an alliance with the African power to protect it. That was a classy decision, and completely distracted the rest of the world from their blatant power grab.
Buti's last destination had been Vienna; after that trip, he wanted to take a short break. That was why he'd gone to Alexandria; there were no major powers in the area, so he could live in peace. The weather wasn't that pleasant, but at least it was Tuscan land. He was impressed by the Archduke of Egypt, Gaius Andreas Germanicus. It was significant that no major rebellions had occurred in his lands, and the simple explanation was that the Archduke did very little ruling. He let the local nobles run their own affairs, only periodically collecting taxes. It worked, and this strategy had much to commend itself to other Archdukes, Buti thought.
Before he could drift off to sleep, however, he was bothered by a knock on the door. He originally thought it was just a native, come to wish him well; he'd had plenty of those. Instead, he noticed the court finery of the Mamluks. That made this a little more than an ordinary visit, but before he could offer his guest hospitality, the courier scowled and threw a scroll at his feet.
Buti stared at the heavens, as if to beg God for a short rest, but with no reply forthcoming, he prepared to travel back to Rome, after notifying Archduke Germanicus.
It was war. Again.
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17 February 1598, Castle St. Maso, Rome
For the first time, Emperor Leo III was worried. Syria, Ak Koyunlu, and the Mamluks were really not terribly threatening. But this new declaration war of gave him pause. The declarer -- Tunisia -- was no real threat.
Their partner, however, was.
He'd immediately called for Marshal van Dijk, hoping he'd have a brilliant plan to take Paris. When the Marshal entered, however, his reaction was very strange.
The Marshal couldn't stop laughing.
The Emperor grew angrier by the second, and was about to strike his Marshal, when van Dijk responded.
"My apologies, your Imperial Majesty. It is true, France is worthy of respect, and I did not meant to insult your very real concerns. However, I would ask you to take note of the order in which the report was written."
The Emperor scanned the document, and gave a brief smile of his own. He finally got the joke.
"France isn't the war leader; Tunisia is. Is that it, Marshal?"
"Quite so. It means that France can't do anything about Tunisia. We could annex Tunisia tomorrow with no repercussions; the fact is that France's intervention is meaningless once Tunisia is occupied."
"Very well, Marshal. I suppose I was a bit hasty. Notify the Duke of Carthage that he is to take Tunisia with all possible speed. Understood?"
The Marshal saluted, nodded, and left to pursue his Emperor's wishes.
The Emperor turned to peace with the Mamluks. He restrained his desire for land after a long talk with his Chancellor and Foreign Minister. The fact was, their concerns were practical, and he was getting a bit tired of constant war. He only demanded some diplomatic concessions, which he knew the Mamluks and his people would appreciate.
The truth was that only Cairo was a worthy addition to Tuscany, if truth be known, and Cairo was their capital. The Mamluks had no real threats or competitors, and so Tuscany could leave the Mamluks for another time.
All he needed to do was end this war with Tunisia.
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27 January 1599, Carthage, North Africa
The new Duke of Carthage wept for his son. Fernando Bartolini may have added some new lands in the recent war, but had lost his son Pietro. His younger son wasn't ready to inherit yet, and so the father took command of the Duchy -- a rare case of reverse succession, after a fashion.
A superstitious man, Fernando couldn't help but wonder if the new Legion -- the Legio XIII 'Felix' -- had something to do with this curse. The attempt to name the legion "lucky" certainly hadn't done much for his brave son.
His Governor had tried to remind of the good his son had done, and how the Empire was still doing splendidly; Macedonia, Nis, Silistria, and Diamentia were all core territories of the Empire, which meant more tax revenue. While Fernando agreed that, objectively, these were good things, in the end they were only trifles compared with his monumental loss. Why was the Emperor fighting all these stupid wars anyways? They did nobody any good.
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10 December 1599, Kozani
The workers grumbled to their foreman. Why did the new Embassy have to break ground before Christmas and the fifty year jubilee? The true answer -- because the Emperor said so -- didn't appease the workers, and truthfully it didn't appease the foreman either.
The foreman was just glad his young sons wouldn't be in another war anytime soon, he hoped. Peace with Manchu seemed to calm down the neighbors of Tuscany, and it was almost a full year since any wars. The Spaniard's focus on quality in his Academy made a lot of recruits washout; a short term loss, the foreman considered, but a long term gain. He'd been a Sergeant in his younger days, but found greater peace (and prosperity) in building rather than destroying.
He supposed he had a lot to be thankful for. He didn't live in North Africa, after all. The Emperor had declared Constantine the new "National Focus", whatever that meant. The Turks were all right, once you picked up the local tongue. He was of Greek ancestry himself, but most of his workers tended to be Turks, which was fine with him. He didn't have to pay them as much, he reasoned, and any money he saved on a job usually ended up in his pocket. He wasn't a corrupt man, but he wasn't stupid either.
All in all, life was good. He had a healthy family, enough money that he never worried about his meals, and a respectable job. He was even able to send his sons to Italy for a proper education. Maybe one would turn out to be a doctor? Or better still, a General, and get his poor father into the lap of luxury? That would be something, he mused, as he surveyed the building site.
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[1] I'm not going to report on every war I get involved in any more; most of them are overseas and have nothing to do with me, to be honest. It just wastes time.
[2] I'm stumped too, it has to be the size of Manchu's army. Perhaps they should take proximity into account before declaring war.
Sorry this went out a little later than I expected; I do hope to have the 1600 update tomorrow, if possible.
good to see your neighbours self-suiciding (to adapt Dario Fo's pertinant little phrase), but can see how its a bit frustrating - you can't but beat them and take them over but it slows down getting into a position to do something substantive in Europe (if such is your wish)
Well that was a lot of wars in such a short time. The AI just loves to pounce on preoccupied nations. At least you got some more land out of it.
How did Tunisia stay war leader?
To be fair, I didn't really notice france was useless until you mentioned it.
Good update.
To be fair, I didn't really notice france was useless until you mentioned it.
Good update.
All the little countries jumping on the DOW bandwagon...
But France...France will be trouble again.
But France...France will be trouble again.
Yeah; it's a shame reconquest isn't mutual.
Not land I was really wanting, but I couldn't resist the border cleanup.
Haven't the foggiest idea.
You may be right.
I'm going to try to finish 1600 tonight; then I'll need to play some more, and to be honest, I have a lot of work I've been neglecting, so don't expect anything until late next week, most likely.
State of the Empire, 1600
2 January 1600, Castle St. Maso, Rome
200 years. Tuscany had survived and thrived for 200 years as an Empire. As Leo III carefully examined the notes he'd written for his speech, he found himself a little sad. That brought him up short. He wondered why, not realizing he'd actually asked the question out loud until the guard nearest him answered.
"Why what, your Imperial Majesty?"
Leo III initially wanted to dismiss the guard and continue, but something inside told him to answer. "Why do I feel less than my ancestors, Captain? Great things have happened under my reign, and we are larger and more powerful than ever before. Yet I still feel something is missing."
The guard thought carefully. Somehow, he knew this was the time for an honest response. "If I may, Emperor, what were you most fond of as a child? What field of human endeavor?"
"The military."
" I believe that is your answer, Emperor. You've never practiced what you've learned all your life. It is logical you would find that unfulfilling."
The Emperor blinked, and looked at the guard in a new light. Even he, who had carefully studied the military since the day he was old enough to read, sometimes forgot how intelligent even the common soldier could be. "I do believe you're right, Captain. You have rendered me inestimable service. I will not forget this."
"I serve the Empire." It was the normal response, but in the captain's opinion, it was also the right one.
Leo III stood a little straighter. He knew what he had to do now.
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A few hours later
As the audience of nobles and officials gathered, Emperor Leo III peeked through a curtain. He would let the beginning of the meeting run as normal, and would deliver his prepared speech. His surprise would come at the end. A quiet grin to himself was all he allowed. He entered the chamber, and the entire room fell silent, as befit an Emperor.
"Gentlemen of the Empire, I bid you all welcome to today's festivities. Many powerful nations could not survive for 200 years, and yet here we are. Other countries fear and respect us, and that is as it should be. We have a booming economy, a powerful military, and some of the finest minds the world has ever known. There is no reason that Tuscany should not prosper for another 200 years!"
The applause at this point was a little formulaic, but not for everybody. The Emperor noticed his son was among the loudest, and nodded briefly to Prince Pietro in acknowledgement.
"It is truly a blessing from God. I know I spend a little of every day thanking Him for the glorious beneficence He has provided us. I hope you do as well. Not all recognize His work, however. Many of you have worked especially hard to repair our -- perhaps I should say my -- reputation. War has been no stranger under my reign, but that ends now. There will be no more wars of conquest. We will defend ourselves if attacked, and those that insult us shall not go unpunished. However, we shall be more circumspect. We are an important member of the community of nations, and our heads must be held high."
The Chancellor and Foreign Minister, this time, clapped the loudest. They expected a less enthusiastic response from Marshal Karel van Dijk, but even he was properly appreciative.
"Of course, our success is not due to us alone. Our loyal allies have played an indispensable role as well. Our vassals honor their obligations with dignity and respect. The free nations of Muscovy, Burgundy, and Savoy have given wise counsel and mighty armies, and their sacrifices are not forgotten. I extend a heartfelt thank you to all who may be attending from those great lands."
As a matter of course, the ambassadors from all the nations mentioned applauded. Leo III smiled and applauded as well. He was just about done with his speech, before the briefing could begin.
"Lastly, but certainly not least, we must all give our profoundest thanks to those who cannot be here today. Tuscany is not Rome. Tuscany is not Constantinople. Tuscany is not even Italy. Tuscany is everybody, from those who till the earth to those who have left this earth. Thank the citizens under your care when you return home. They do not hear this enough. Hail to the citizens of Tuscany! Hail to her friends! Hail to her God! Hail to those that came before us and those yet to come! Glory to the people, and GLORY TO THE EMPIRE!"
After the applause finally died down -- Leo thought his speech went well, although it was somewhat predictable, most of those present left except for the Imperial Council and a select few other officials. His son, somewhat surprisingly, remained. The Emperor had been forever trying to remind his son that Constantinople was not the world, and that he had to attend more meetings in Rome. For once, it seemed, Pietro had listened.
The Imperial cartographer presented the latest project of the Imperial Cartographic Society, and got the usual appreciative clap.
Bartolomeo Ludovisi, the Archduke of Asia Minor, couldn't help noticing where the word "Tuscany" was written. He was careful not to appear too happy, but he didn't entirely succeed in hiding his pride; the Dukes of Italy all glared at him.
"Thank you, honored guest, and please pass the Empire's appreciation for your product along to your superiors. Chancellor Germanicus, you may begin."
Drusus nodded, and turned to the easel.
"First, a look at our economy."
"Our current focus is on the Imperial fleet. Our economy is still heavily reliant upon production, which is sensible given the relative difficulty for our merchants around the world. We have monopolies in Alexandria and Thrace, of course. Our scholars are the finest in the world, and our treasury grows steadily.
"Our yearly income has not made many changes, but we spent more last year on manufactories than anything else; even the army came second to that. Any questions about our economy?"
There weren't any. This was of no real surprise to the Chancellor; since things were going well, it wasn't really a topic of interest for most of the men present.
"Very well. I have three more items to present; demographic data, a religious map of Europe, and our current policy positions."
"The demographics show almost a complete reversal from fifty years ago; we are now over half core territory, perhaps closer to two-thirds. Overextension should be a thing of the past. We are overwhelmingly Protestant, as we should be, although the Turks are culturally nearly as important as the Lombards. The religious map does not indicate any major new potential allies; Poland may be the lone exception. Religious difficulties continue in Great Britain and France. This concludes my presentation."
The Archduke of Asia Minor rose his hand. "Chancellor, wouldn't you say that Turkish cultures actually composer a larger part of the Empire than Lombards?"
The Chancellor scowled. "These are graphical presentations, my lord Archduke. Please don't read too much into them."
The next question came from the Prince. "Why isn't more being done to convert the Muslims and the heretics?"
"A fair question, my Prince. I would answer by saying that the multiple wars and rebellions have, perhaps, occupied too much of my time. I will make sure we devote more funds to conversion in the coming years. Thank you for your suggestion."
Marshal van Dijk next posited his own concern. "Chancellor, could more funds be made available for fort construction? I am uneasy with the long borders we have to defend, and I speak principally of Austria and a vengeful Castille."
"As I'm sure you know, Marshal, all construction projects are brought to me by the various Dukes and Archdukes. I cannot initiate them on my own. That would be the Emperor's decision."
Without being asked, Leo III nodded. "You will have your forts, Marshal. Any other questions?"
Nobody else ventured any.
The Diplomat Gian Carlo Buti tried not to beam too brightly. Although no one had asked about it, the last report handed out by the Chancellor was the Imperial Council, which indicated his own position by seniority.
"Then Foreign Minister Tonelli, it is your report."
"Thank you, your Imperial Majesty. I have three charts that I wish to begin with; our economy compared to the rest of the world, our armies, and our navies, again compared to the rest of the world."
"As you can see, we are no. 1 in all three categories, and our allies are also very highly ranked. I would offer a round of applause for our Chancellor and Marshal."
Everybody complied, and smiled brilliantly. There was a very real sense that the Empire was the greatest power in the world.
"Austria is our biggest potential threat. Great Britain is surprisingly strong, even after the defection of Scotland and Cornwall. Their large army may prove to cause serious problems however -- their army size greatly outstrips their manpower by almost 2 to 1. France is no weakling, but I am optimistic that the superior power in France is our ally Burgundy.
"However, we must consider something important. It is almost inevitable that someday we will come to blows with our ally. If we wish to retake the former province of Gaul, Burgundy will likely strongly object. Now, I am pursuing diplomatic options -- a Personal Union would be ideal -- but we must see that we cannot be friends forever. The same goes for Savoy.
"Muscovy is different. We have no designs further east, and they have none further west. I see no reason why we could not be the best of friends until the end of time. A conflict with Austria might unite us all the more. Poland is our religious confidant, but I worry that they might someday go to war with Muscovy, and we cannot alienate Muscovy for Poland. The British are a possible ally, but I do not trust them, in all honesty. Are there any questions?"
The Prince had the only good one. "What of Transylvania? I only have one legion at my disposal, and they may have unfriendly designs."
The Foreign Minister carefully considered his response. "I think we should pursue stronger relations with them, but I see them like Poland; convenient allies, perhaps, but inconvenient if Muscovy turns their eyes south."
That was the only real response, and the Foreign Minister continued.
"By the request of the Chancellor, here is a compilation of the centers of trade of the world."
The Emperor started coughing as he looked at number three on the list. Why did we ever forget about Andalucia?, he muttered under his breath.
"There are three interesting Centers here; Liguria, Venezia, and Ile de France. Liguria is friendly, but not ours, and I would urge the possibility of annexing them as early as possible. The others may be impracticable at the moment -- particularly Paris -- but I think they could very real targets. Alexandria does not yet appear, but I think it will, given time. Any final questions for me?"
Nobody asked this time. It was onto the final presentation, the Marshal, Karel van Dijk.
After receiving a nod from the Emperor, the Dutchman began his presentation.
"I'm incredibly proud of our boys on land and at sea. We are the mightiest and largest fighting force on God's green earth, and that's a fact. I was going to talk about threats to Tuscany, but that would be a very short presentation, and you might all forget about me then."
There was polite laughter at his joke, but nobody thought it too funny.
"We have three powers I foresee coming in conflict with sooner rather than later. Austria holds some Italian lands that I think would make excellent contributions to the Empire. The Mamluks keep us from reclaiming Egypt. The biggest player in North Africa, apart from us, is Morocco. Austria is the biggest concern of the three, obviously, but unless they can call upon some allies of their own, I think we can handle them with support from our friends in Burgundy and Moscow.
"I would like to see us, someday, eliminate the Damned German Empire. It only encourages foreigners" -- the irony was not lost on him, nor on the participants, a few of whom snickered -- "to interfere in our affairs. Dismantling them will be a big task, but if we have the opportunity, by all means we should take it. Smaller but important targets include Venezia and possibly Great Britain.
"I plan to do two things in the next few years: beef up our fortifications and expand the fleet. I am told we are close to a major breakthrough in ship design; when that occurs, I intend to construct two new Classes of thirty ships each. This will double our naval power, giving us complete command of the sea against any foe. Are there any questions?"
Three hands shot up immediately, but it turned out all three had the same question. "Why such an expensive expansion of our fleet?"
"Conflict with the British is inevitable someday. More practically, as of now, the only way any power except Austria can threaten Italy is by sea. There are many islands we could add as well -- Corsica, Cyprus, Crete, and Rhodes all spring to mind. We cannot fall behind, technologically speaking. I know this will be expensive, but it is more expensive to ignore our ships."
The Prince again brought up Transylvania.
"That's Muscovy's problem, as far as I'm concerned. If you're truly worried, I can send another legion to your region. I'm also working on forts in your area, in particular, as it is our longest direct border with Austria. Anything else?"
Nobody else had anything. The Imperial historian presented the Table of Emperors and the map of the world, then the Emperor said his final words.
"Before we join the celebration -- something I know we're all looking forward to -- I have one announcement. One thing nobody mentioned was our difficulties with keeping our Generals alive. For whatever reason, none have lived longer than ten years in their position.
"That is why the next General of our forces will be me."
At this, first there was silence, then pandemonium.
"I will brook no argument; if another war occurs in my lifetime, I will be Commander in Chief of all ground forces. I have trained my whole life for combat, and have never participated. To prepare myself, I have decided to attend the Germanicus Academy for the Imperial Legions. I am leaving for Florence next week. If there are important matters, I will happily address them, and I will be no farther than Florence, so I am within reach. For all matters of day-to-day business, I trust the Chancellor, Foreign Minister, and Marshal will all handle every matter to the very best of their considerable abilities.
"Now go and enjoy yourselves!"
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That will be my last update for a few days. I need to play before I have anything new for you, and I'm going to get caught up on some stuff in the interim. School begins in two weeks, so expect, at most, two updates a week from here on.
I didn't appreciate just how far Tuscany has come until I finally saw a map. Tuscany is surely a glorious empire. It also looks like you may have a united Russia as your ally at some point. That will definitely help against those pesky Austrians.
It also looks like you may have a united Russia as your ally at some point. That will definitely help against those pesky Austrians.
He is the New Rome, yet not based in Rome? (Might have to recheck) and isn't Italy or a Modded-In Rome.
I didn't appreciate just how far Tuscany has come until I finally saw a map. Tuscany is surely a glorious empire.
I'm hopeful you're right, especially against Russia.
My capital is in Rome, if that's what you're asking. Not sure about the second part of your question.
Right now, I can't, because I don't have the range. Eventually? I'm thinking about it. If I've got time after I re-conquer the Roman Empire, then yeah, it's definite.
Excellent question. The short answer is, I have no idea.
A lot depends on CBs until 1650; I'd like to use Holy War to take out Morocco and the Mamluks, if I have time. If my Imperialism mod worked, I won't need to worry about CBs. If it didn't, I'll take Unam Sanctam and go after everybody but the British and Burgundy. I see no reason why I can't get rid of Morocco and the Mamluks. As soon as I form Italy, that's when I'll probably go after Austria, to get my cores. If CBs are kind to me, it isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility that I'll have Castille, the Balkans, and Great Britain by 1750, at the latest. France is the tricky part, and a lot depends on a possible war between France and Burgundy. I'm actually not as afraid of Austria as I used to be, provided I get Muscovite support. It will still be quite a challenge, though.
is it possible that you can mod it so Milan gets inherited after Leo dies? i wanna see you kill Austria < also why is Kyoto red on the COT screenshot?
< also why is Kyoto red on the COT screenshot?