Chapter Forty One
War with Crete – April 1586
DOWing Christian Crete has no stability hit and triggers the Ottoman warning without involving anyone else. All my allied vassals join in so the full war is Ottoman Empire and Crete vs. Golden Horde, Novgorod, Persia, Haasa, Timurid Empire and Bijapur.
Polotskian nationalists rise in Polesia in May.
July brings nationalist revolts in Basra (Iraqi) and Minsk (Lithuanian).
The August revolts are peasants in Astrakhan and Ak K nationalists in Shirvan.
Orthodox zealots strike in Archangelsk in September.
January 1587 brings another Ak K uprising in Shirvan and Khivan nationalists in Charjo.
The War – January 1586
Land 22 vs. Land 16 means that I really need 2:1 odds or better in battle against the Ottomans. If the Ottos do move their Italian armies back to the Balkans or Anatolia I’ll need to get out with what I can.
Stability +1 is reached in February.
Lithuanian patriots rise in March and Ottoman resistance is strengthening as transports keep bringing troops across the Adriatic. Hungary is all but occupied by the Ottomans. Its time to make peace before the Turks really respond in numbers.
Peace with the Ottomans – March 1587
Sinope and Sivas are Horde cores so only Adana will be a problem come a TSC. The Ottoman provinces all have Courthouses and I’ve also picked up another textile manufactory and a naval equipment manufactory (apparently it makes fluff).
Weeks later when news of this great victory filters through Kara Kum revolts (Khivan nationalists). Better news at the end of the month when a boundary dispute gives me a core on Lithuanian Volhynia – already a high priority province. There’s a peasant revolt in Simbirsk early summer.
Laristan converts in the autumn and the end of November sees a Ukrainian nationalist uprising in Kiev.
1588 starts with a Dulkadiri nationalist revolt in Adana.
Dayr Az Zor cores in March.
I move a point Narrowminded for my slider move in April 1588 (I hope to need missionaries) and Laristan converts back to Shiite. I’m now back up to 0.45 missionaries a year after being down to 0.25 per annum as I was fully Innovative by the time I’d finished Westernising.
May and there are two nationalist revolts Tverians in Tver and Moldovans in Bessarabia.
August 1588 and the Horde hits Stab 2.
Tomsk colonised – November 1588
About time I’ve not had much luck with this colony business so far.
Judea revolts in May 1589 (al-misr Arabic patriots).
War with Lithuania?
Yes, Lithuania’s allies have very limited capacity to actually reach me!
Lithuania is also in a another war as junior member of the French side against Hungary and Sweden.
Battle of Ruthenia – September 1589
The first big battle and among other things the Lithuanian King is killed. Notice that even with 30% of my armed forces engaged here the tradition gain is still pretty low. I’m seriously considering Battlefield Commissions for the next NI.
Orthodox zealots in Rzhev try to take advantage of local forces being distracted later in the month. December 1589 and the Horde reaches +3 stability. Westernisation is complete. Mecca revolts days later (Hedjazi nationalists).
Sweden had swarmed all over Northern Lithuania but lost out in the peace deal when a beleaguered Hungary struck a White Peace with equally struggling Lithuania. May and Ukrainian nationalists pick an awkward time to revolt in Kiev. Poland has just DOWed Lithuania and I don’t want to divert troops southwards from the front when I’m racing to establish control of sieges.
At least Bohemia accepts a white peace this month when faced with a Polish invasion.
Battle of Samogitia – July 1590
Not all defeats are actually defeats; that’s the entire Lithuanian army.
Kerman converts in August and Styria white peaces out. On the other hand Badiyat Ash Sham revolts.
Peace with Lithuania – December 1590
That Lithuanian stack has come back refreshed and this time won handily on two occasions, I’ve an army in danger of destruction. Not only that; vassal troops are starting to arrive from points east they’ll do little except reduce my war score as Lithuania rolls over the top of them. Volhynia is a core and Wenden has a naval manufactory.
By November 1591 the various rebels had been defeated and war exhaustion cleared. Sweden has DOWed Great Britain so the British guarantee is no longer valid…
War with Sweden – November 1591
As you can see I’m nowhere near the border. I’m going to let Sweden come and take the winter attrition for the next few months. Sweden doesn’t have the manpower to fight in Russia. Podolia revolts at the news.
Sweden’s armies are Maurician infantry and Caracole cavalry against my Qizilibashi horse and Shamshir foot. I decided to test the water so to speak on just how my troops matched up. This might get messy…
Battle of Pskov – February 1592
OK so I can win battles but it needs numbers and leadership. Hungary white peaces out in May – I can’t reach them so this simply makes Swedish provinces worth more war score once captured (the 100% is spread over fewer provinces). There’s a Moldovan revolt in Bessarabia around the same time.
Hamburg accepts a white peace offer at the end of June. The war is going pretty well except for the 22 regiment stack that the Swedes have in Livonia. That requires care and attention to handle.
Riga in August goes badly and I lose 11000 men to 3500 for Sweden. A smaller battle in Savolax later in the month shows a similar outcome.
Military Reform
This isn’t entirely helpful as I’m trying to move Narrowminded not Innovative although the quality boost is excellent.
Peace with Sweden – August 1592
I decide to take my core and call it a day. If Sweden’s armies had been fighting the British in Norway then I could have made a lot more progress but since the Swedes focused on me it was going to be slow and painful especially for war exhaustion.
The next month culturally Greek Kaffa assimilates to Tartar!
October 1592 and Government 11 – I can pick another National Idea.
Rebel Count = 879 (+22)
Rebels = 4,721,000 (+139,000)
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Rebels = 4,721,000 (+139,000)
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