CHAPTER 2 - PRIMO VICTORIA
Technology limits us to one National Focus - I use it to encourage capitalists in Moscow.
I also set my research on Rights of Man to use my +30% to cultural tech.
After many hours of discussion, the plan was made. The war is inevitable. Without it, Muscowy would be outshone by other, more competitive countries. If we want to become one of the world powers, we have to show that we are not weak. That the imperial blood flows through the rulers of Moscow.
As you can see, I have many claims on my neighbors:
The first war is going to be waged against - Crimea. The Tartars are weak and there is no doubt that soon someone conquers them or SoI them (they are allied to Ottomans but not in sphere).
We will have to face the Turks but what prize would it be without risk?
I send my armies to the position - 1st Army to Tsaritsyn to face everything Astrakhan throws at us, 2nd Army to Orel and 3rd Army to Tambov - these two will advance to Crimea.
Crimeans can field about 18,000 and Astrakhan 12,000 men. I did not check the Ottoman numbers because I believe that they won't show in the theatre.
And then I unpaused the game.
1st January: Dual Monarchy declares war against Madurai
5th January: Dual Monarchy white-peaces with Madurai
6th January: Aragon declares war against Durrani Empire
7th January: Ottoman Empire declares war against Croatia - that is great because they will be distracted and hopefully they will not join our war.
5th February: Scandinavia declares war against Jodhpur
17th February: Dual Monarchy declares war against Mali
2nd March: Khiva offers alliance, I accept it. Maybe it will be useful?
On 14th April are the armies already in position and I decide to attack Crimea. But I will not reclaim lost cores, no. That would take too long. I am going to annex them...
Khiva, of course, desert us. Good for me.
And also, Ottomans betray Crimea and Astrakhan honors the alliance! That is the best possibility!
18th April: 3rd Army advances to Kursk, where they defeat small 3,000 garrison.
Here you can see the initial front:
We begin our slow advance without any resistance.
26th May: 15,000 Crimeans show themselves in Poltava. After 5 days, their numbers grow to 21,000.
Kursk falls in June, meanwhile our reinforcement training is completed. New soldiers are sent to the front.
2nd June: Scandinavia annexes Jodhpur, Ottomans add Dalmatia as a war goal.
In August Zarevka falls and I decide to challenge 9,000 Astrakhans in the city itself.
(in modern books about warfare is this called the 'Muscovite maneuver', because the Astrakhan forces follow our flee towards Zarevka:
We manage to outmaneuver them (because their army has cannons - fools) and thanks to good shortcuts our nameless general knows (he was born in Zarevka), we manage to get to the Astrakhan 3 days before the enemies show. They are mustered.
9th September: Scandinavia attacks Polish Commonwealth
24th September: Two of many wars begin. The 19th century was the bloodiest era in human history. Ever.
Here is the situation in November of 1836:
(The Crimean army has now 24,000 men. But they are just standing there. Maybe it is a part of some secret plan?)
10th December: Ottoman Empire wins their war. Croatia got butchered.
24th December: Christmas! followed by 1st January: New Year
7th January: Ottomans declares war against Iraq (is the Sultan compensating for something?)
8th January: Myanmar declares war against Ayutthaya
9th January: Taiping declares war against Dai Nam
17th January: Chagatai attacks Tibet
18th January: Bengal attacks Mughals
25th January:
I said that!
27th January: Sokoto declares war against Kanem Bornu
29th January: Vinland attacks Seven Republics
5th March: Luhansk falls, the Crimean spectators advance to Kramatorsk to see the front line
29th March: Moldavia attacks Poland-Lithuania. Yes, destroy them!
9th April: Hungary attacks Croatia because Croatia was not smashed enough.
8th May: Panjab attacks Tibet. It is boooring.
Theatre in May, 1837:
I have taken Yekaterinodar from Astrakhan in separate peace deal. Their annexation would cost 10BB but because I play with BB tweak, the Infamy actually rises during war and I would get over the limit.
5th June: Crimean Sultan decides that someone should say to Baqi that the 24K he is leading are actually soldiers. It is followed by this:
I finally defeat them in Simferopol.
The problems with money begun to be painful in this moment. At first I tried to raise taxes and tariffs more and more but when I reached 100%, it could not be pushed forward. Also the people begun to make less and less money so here is the advice:
When you are short on income, do not raise taxes. Try to lower them and people will actually give you more. Someone should tell this to our government.
I also cut the National Stockpile to 25% because from now it will be just Veni-Vidi-Vici.
6th July: Someone declares war against someone
20th July: Arabia annexes Al Haasa
25th July: Arabia attacks Abu Dhabi. Soon they will be the first country on the world. Alphabetically.
6th August: Sokoto beats Kanem Bornu. Poor clubmen.
11th September: We figure out that some Man has certain Rights. We begin to think about Private Banks.
5th October: Aragon declares a white peace with Afghanistan when the king sees that his country has no transport ships.
16th December: Travancore peaces with Vijaynagar
13th January: Ottomans gain Mosul from Iraq
25th January: Hungary annexes Slavonia from Croatia
5th February: Bengal gains North Bengal and three Bengal tigers
11th April: Madurai annexed by Travancore
5th May: Bohemia signs Status Quo with Scandinavia
2nd June: Chagatai beats Tibet and Poland acquires Budjak
4th August: Burmese-Siamese war ends in White Peace
21th August: Plantagenia acquires Basse Valoisie
21st September sees Persian attack on Durrani
9t November: Planatagenia attacks Vinland
19th November: