12
Roadtrip to the west and other Chinese tales
1529-42
In march 1530 Astrakhan asks for help against Tver and Poland (Poland had warned them). I don't know why I bother sending some cavalry, the AI signs a white peace just a few months into the war
At least the OE loses Medina to Hedjaz through defection during this short war.
AI Astrakhan might not want to take advantage of Poland's weakness, but AI Austria is all up for it...
In the space of 3 years the Ausrians take a good share of Bohemian and Hungarian provinces from Poland.
In June 1531 I decide to ally Punjab, given that Khorasan doesn't want to renew our old alliance. Ideally I'd like to support a strong Muslim state in the area in controlling northern India, rather than having to go into India myself.
Three months later, after 21 years in the throne, al-Ashraf II's reign ends and a new king with admin 8 finally unlocks the last requisite for westernisation! The empire becomes
Oriental
I love the contradiction of western influences turning the country eastern
With the massive stab hit I just sit tight and hope nothing much happens while I recover and the workshop-building program continues. In 1533 I move the slider back towards narrow-minded to make stability less costly, but of course the consequence is a stab hit... at least it scraps a couple of months, down to
only 18 months per stability point.
Peace lasts only until 1535, however, when two calls to arms come in quick succession. In October Punjab is attacked by Ming (plus Korea and Tibet), followed in December by Astrakhan DoWing Tver again (they don't waste time waiting after truces these Astrakhanis). Various alliances and warnings bring me, the OE and Hedjaz on Astrakhan's side, England, Sweden, Polotsk and Sibir on Tver's side. Time for war taxes
My cavalry rushes to help Punjab (already at war against their neighbour Malwa). At first I evict the Chinese and hold the ground despite superior numbers.
By the time the infantry arrives I even manage to rout -not very aptly named-
I Won's army.
However, Chinese reinforcements eventually arrive and I retreat to let attrition welcome them. No such luck, they storm the province and Punjab gives up immediately
That leaves me alone at war with Ming without much purpose to it. Sure enough Ming is not very willing to sign a white peace, preferring instead to send a few regiments to my coastal provinces in Persia and Arabia. Out of frustration, and mistakenly emboldened by previous victories, I send all my forces in Punjab against the Chinese forces sitting in Chandigarh. What can I say, don't do this at home, not with land tech 10 anyway
I retreat before losing all my regiments. At this point I withdraw my army and let Ming simmer in their own war exhaustion, while another call to arms at the end of 1537 gets me into a third war in defense of the Baluchi sultanate: Syria, Khorasan, Baluchistan and Yemen vs Madurai, Rajputana and Bundelkhland.
This war is a lot easier, weak Rajputana gets duly overwhelmed by Muslim armies while Madurai troops can't reach me
Although that advantage is also a downside - without access to Madurai and the other fragment of Rajputana I can only get a limited amount of war score. I settle for 2 provinces and secure the Indus valley. Sadly I can't get Kutch -the CoT- this time. Madurai is now the dominant power in India.
In the north Astrakhan has slowly but successfully dealt with Tver and Sibir (gaining 3 provinces in the way). Sweden and England end up signing white peace at the end of 1539.
As I withdraw my troops from Rajputana I notice that Ming has no troops in sight. For the sake of gaining some war score I can use to sign peace, I send some regiments to besiege Chandigarh again. Just as the province falls, staibilty +3 is reached and the final westernisation decision is passed in March 1541
I hold the province for a year, winning a few battles until the same 5-shock general kicks me out again.
But with WE over 20 they are not going to keep this war going indefinitely, eventually offering a white peace in October 1542, at last! That's been 7 years of continuous, pointless war.
As I'm signing peace with Ming I reach land tech 11 and with it the first decent Muslim units.
Workshops are completed in all my provinces, I switch to temple-building to help with stability. Map spread and tech are massively boosted by being Latin, the previous neighbour bonus while being Eastern never amounted to much compared to this
Something tells me I'm going to need all this tech boost sooner rather than later...
Now that I've fully westernised, is it worth clinging to Apulia?
_________________
Syria in 1542
Provinces: 51
At peace.
Allied with Astrakhan, Punjab and Tripoli. CB on Iraq and Ming.
Stability: -1
BB: 0
Monarch: Padishah Tajd IV (8a/5m/4d)
Army: 54 (27/27/0)
Navy: 30 (2/0/16/12)
WE: 3.13
Neighbours
Mamluks: Allied with Algiers, Funj and Adal. PU with Algiers. CB on Syria. Warned by Syria.
Funj: Allied with Yemen. CB on Hedjaz. Guaranteed by Swahili and Sokoto. Guranteeing Tripoli and Mali.
Algiers: Allied with Durrani, Mamluks and Sokoto. Leads PU with Mamluks. CB on Syria, Castille. Guaranteed by Fez. Guranteeing Oman, Hedjaz and Iraq.
Tripoli: Allied with Najd, Castille and Syria. CB on Syria. Guaranteed by Syria, Kanem Bornu, Adal, Funj, Swahili, Sokoto and Songhai.
OE: Allied with Bosnia, Serbia, Ryazan, Astrakhan and Shaybanid. CB on Austria, Syria. Guaranteeing Yemen, Oman, Hedjaz, Najd and Iraq.
Najd: Allied with Yemen, Tripoli, Khorasan. CB on Syria, Oman. Guaranteeing Iraq. Guaranteed by OE, Oman and Fez. Warned by Syria.
Iraq: No allies. CB on the OE, Syria. Guaranteed by OE, Yemen, Oman, Najd, Fez and Algiers. Warned by Syria.
Hedjaz: Allied with Astrakhan, Adal and Iraq. Leads PU with Adal. CB on OE, Syria, Adal and Yemen. Guaranteed by OE, Oman, Algiers and Fez. Warned by Syria.
Yemen: Allied with Najd, Funj and Baluchistan. CB on Hedjaz and Syria. Guaranteeing Iraq. Guaranteed by OE, Oman and Fez.
Astrakhan: Allied with OE, Syria. CB on OE, Poland, Austria, Ryazan, Sibir, Tver and Syria. Guaranteeing Ryazan, Sibir, Kazakh, Khiva, TE, Shaybanid and Chagatai.
Khorashan: Allied with TE, Najd and Durrani. Guaranteeing Chagatai, Baluchistan.
Durrani: Allied with Khiva, Khorasan, Algiers and TE. CB on Syria and Rajputana.
Khiva: Allied with Sibir, Durrani and Kazakh. CB on Syria, Shaybanid, Khorasan and TE. Guaranteeing Chagatai. Guaranteed by Astrakhan, Shaybanid and TE.
Rajputana: Allied with Madurai, Nepal and Travanacore. CB on Syria, Gujarat, Malwa, Punjab.
Punjab: Allied with Syria and Baluchistan. CB on Ming. Guaranteed by Syria. Guaranteeing Baluchistan. Warning Kashmir.