Episode 6: aggressive diplomacy
Jim: And we're back, dear viewers.
Bob: Glad to have you all here.
Jim: Well, for once we're off to a slow start. In the first three years, the only interesting thing was that the skill 3 ADM advisor died and was replaced by a skill 2 Philosopher. Monarch income is now 8/7/6.
Bob: Hah, some action at least!
Jim: Indeed, Bob. In 1540, Ming has acquired yet two more techs. The Scythe (9) will improve Ming's production.
Bob: While Star Fort (9) will give Ming access to Asian Steppe Cavalry and improving cavalry shock. And the construction of Star Forts, of course.
Jim: So that's why our contestants are recruiting more cavalry! As well as some artillery to make sieging more efficient, I guess.
Bob: Ming has now three armies, each with 8 infantry regiments, 4 cavalry regiments and 1 artillery regiment.
1541-08 Military overview
Jim: Ming can easily carry the financial burden of this army buildup. In peace, the army on low maintenance costs only 8.5 ducats per month, while income is at a nice 52.5 ducats.
Bob: But there is more excitement, as Ming finally researches Modern Theocracy (10) and you know what that means:
Jim & Bob: New Idea group!!
Jim: So what will they choose?
Bob: The diplomacy group!
Jim: Mmmmm. I guess our contestants will not go for colonization.
Bob: And it gets better! They immediately adopt three new Ideas, thereby gaining a new National idea.
Jim: Wow, they're on a roll. What have they gained?
Bob: Foreign embassies, giving another diplomat. Claim fabrication, which halves the time for making claims. And lastly, Cabinet, which gives Ming two more relations. The National Idea they have gained is the Repair of the Yellow River dykes, increasing production efficiency by 10%.
Jim: Looks like those military engineers were busy again.
Jim: And now, two years later, they adopt Adaptability, decreasing core-creating cost by 25%.
Bob: There is no time for expansion, however: the Mandate of Heaven has been lost due to stability loss.
Jim: Those damned military theorists and their debates on offense or defense!
Bob: Even with the high cost for stability, 217 ADM power, our contestants raise stability back to zero.
Jim: They can't be happy with that. That could have bought half an Idea or a quarter of a tech.
Bob: Don't worry about that too much, Ming is doing well in that regard. Look at what our analysts have cooked up.
1546-11 country comparison
Bob: Not only has Ming the most tech of any known nation, but the most Ideas by far: there is no other nation with more than two Ideas.
Jim: I see, quite reassuring.
Bob: It even gets better: Ming gains another technology, Reiter (10). Beside the importation of German terminology, it improves the shock and fire of cavarly, as well as maneuverability. It also enables a new cannon type, Culverin.
1547-10: techs. Hey, they are all level 10, nicely balanced.
Jim: Ming is mighty. And stable: a Jin Era statue increases stability to +1, decreasing the chance of losing the Mandate of Heaven.
Bob: With this many blessings, the only rational thing Ming can do is invade the Oirat horde.
Jim: Wait, what...
Bob: They have claims on three provinces, so they declare war.
Jim: Unsurprisingly, in three years a devastating victory is achieved, although Ming has lost about 12.000 men. Four provinces change hands, as an additional claim was made during the war.
1552-03: northern expansion
Bob: The new territory is cored as soon as possible, at a total cost of about 200 ADM points.
Jim: Why wouldn't they switch to Templars to make that cheaper, Bob?
Bob: I think it's because the Eunuchs have 80 influence and the Templars 0. It would take about 50 MIL power to let the Templars lead and then 10-20 DIP points to switch back to the Eunuchs. So it would be a trade of MIL/DIP power for ADM on more or less equal terms. Apparantly our contestants did not see the wisdom in that.
Jim: Mmm, makes sense.
Bob: To return to domestic matters, our contestants have adopted the economic Idea National Bank, with which inflation is reduced by 0.1% per year.
Jim: With current inflation at 1%, the Bank alone will remove that in 10 years.
Bob: Aaaaand a corruption event increases that to 4%.
Jim: Cheer up, Bob. As Ming adopts the diplomatic Idea of Revolution & Counter-revolution, the National Idea of Restoring the Salt Monopoly is adopted, increasing trade income by 10%.
Bob: It's nice, I guess. But R&CR only gives a Casus Belli on opposite governments, of which none are known to Ming.
1554-05 I might have no idea what I'm doing, but Ming does have ideas
Jim: See it this way: only six more Ideas and Ming has all its National Ideas!
Bob: That
is a good thing.
Jim: While we are talking, Ming takes yet another Idea: Debts & Loans, reducing loan interest.
Bob: Well, with 9 ADM power per month, that's one Idea in rougly three years. If all remains the same, in 10 years the economic idea group will be filled up.
Jim: Bam! Another economic Idea! Centralization this, time, increasing the pool of advisors by one.
Bob: As Ming has only two per group currently, this is a welcome 50% increase. Look, all these Ideas and nice and well, but I wished something else happened.
Jim: Don't say that, Bob. The Empress has died in 1557 and left the nation with zero stability!
Bob: Too bad. She had a nice ADM skill.
Jim: The new Emperor, Bai the 1st, has ADM/DIP/MIL skills of 3/2/1.
Bob: DIP power gain is low, but a new 3-skill trader quickly changes that.
Jim: With the end of a 43-year reign, it's time to wrap up this episode and call it a night. Thank you all for watching!