Episode 9: West and East
Jim: It's time for another fine episode of Single Domination.
Bob: Hi guys.
Jim: So how's the empire?
Bob: Well, the stability is at level 3 for some years now, which is unprecedented. This has already let to two converted provinces. On the flip side, Japan has been fully unified as the last Daimyo has been assimilated.
Jim: I see that those training fields are doing nicely. Manpower has risen to 189.000, as much as the two largest manpools combined, France and the Ottomans.
Bob: The navy is also prospering: The Galleas (14) has been researched. Although the knowledge that a nation like France is three tech levels ahead casts a bit of a shadow on this advancement.
Jim: Nah, don't worry, our contestants are doing fine. Look, they have now researched Improved Drainage (13), increasing production efficiency by 10%.
Bob: Hey, there's the first destabilizing event in ages.
Jim: That ends an age of 11 years of maximal stability. In reaction, our contestants shift power to the Bureaucrats.
Bob: And it's not to regain stability, but to get more buildings. The whole country is covered under the construction of military buildings, mostly barracks, at the astonishing cost of 4.000 ducats.
Jim: I don't get it, Ming has plenty of manpower, why build more manpower buildings?
Bob: I don't know either, Jim. I hope our contestants have a plan.
Jim: And now they're building docks and drydocks! But their navy is already strong enough to even defeat Japan!
Bob: To be fair, they are also building a lot of trade depots to strengthen trade, which makes sense. Even more so that they don't build them in the western steppes, as Ming does not collect or tranfer money from the Yumen trade node.
Jim: By now the treasury has dropped to a historical low of 1700 ducats, so the Eunuchs are called in to rectify that.
Bob: What's even more important is that Treasury Office & Town Hall (14) has been researched. Of course, this means...
Jim & Bob: New Idea Group!!!
Jim: It's always exciting to see what they choose as their new Idea group.
Bob: Exploration? I didn't see that one coming!
Jim: I'm very surprised as well, Bob. We will see how this turns out.
Bob: They adopt Colonial Ventures and have gained colonists for the first time.
Jim: And he's send to Taiwan tout suit. I see they have already found some delicious tea there
Bob: Very nice. They have also adopted Quest for the New World, I see.
Jim: Hey, they have hired an explorer and gained fleet basing right in Swahili.
Bob: Closer to home, Taiwan has become self sufficient in just four year. Settlers are now send to the cold north of Manchu.
Jim: I see the complete Light Ship Fleet is send to Swahili. They start exploring the African water.
Bob: Meanwhile, the Idea "Overseas Exploration" is adopted, increasing colonial range by 50%.
Jim: Also, it seems Manchu is annexed. Anyway, back to more interesting things. Such as Ming's first overseas colony.
1622-05. This cape gives me hope.
Bob: To keep the colony save, no less than 16 regiments are send, a third of the whole armed forces.
Jim: Bold move, as Ming also declares war on Dai Viet. Assam and two other South Asia nations join against Ming.
Bob: Still they can only muster 15 regiments, only half of Ming's local forces.
Jim: Ow, the Emperor Qi has just died and he wasn't even 50. His ADM 6 skill will be sorely missed.
Bob: His son, Youyuan I, has 3/4/5 skills. As he has no heir, Bureaucrats take leadership. To take advantage of the situation, star forts are build along the coast.
Jim: My, this is a weird move: all the advisors have been fired!
1624-05. Empty government.
Bob: Weird indeed. While this will save quite some money, I do not understand why our contestants would do this.
Jim: What I do understand is the Idea "Land of Opportunity", which will increase the growth of colonies.
Bob: Oh no! Japan has attacked Ming and brings 44 regiments!
Jim: Damn, that's a big setback. Ming makes a quick peace with the Dai Viet alliance, gaining a single province in the deal.
Bob: That's not bad, actually.
Jim: The two armies are quickly brought up north, where the Japanese are sieging. The Templars are now leading, so to make the armies as strong as possible.
Bob: And it works! Look, they are repeatedly beating the Japanese armies! And the first one is annihilated! Now the second one! Wow, Japan has only two regiments left!
Jim: The armies start sieging. The colony in Africa, Xhosa, has meanwhile become self-sufficient and is being cored.
Bob: The Japanese surrender, yielding two provinces Ming has claims on and revoking a core on Ming.
1627-03. Peace with Japan.
Jim: Overextension is now at 50%. Coring is started as the Templars are still in power. However, a switch is made to Eunuchs.
Bob: A couple of new technologies are now researched. Textile Manufactory (15) and Tenaille (14) provide some building options, but nothing more.
Jim: Then again back to Bureaucrats, as there is still no heir. Also, Korea has been annexed by the Oirat horde.
Bob: As there is now a bit of a lull in the action, shall we show some maps to the audience?
Jim: Great idea, Bob!
Jim: Great Britain's civil war has just ended, resulting in a grown Wales.
1629-01. Map of South Asia. Yes, today I had little creativity in image captions. Sue me.
Bob: The great nation of Vijyanagar has been fragmented. Pegu not only became independent from Ayutthaya but took a bite out of it as well.
Jim: And we have a new heir, hurrah!
Bob: What's less fun is that rebels have formed Manchu,
Jim: Not good. It required some fighting to get Ming's core province back again, leaving Manchu as a one-province minor. Good thing is that a bunch of Manchu cores have been revoked, though.
Bob: Inside sources tell that annexation whas out of the question due to overextension, while DIP power was too weak for vassalization.
Jim: On a more positive note, two new technologies are presented to the public: College & Mint (16) and Maurician Infantry (15).
Bob: ...Look! Look Jim!
Jim: Oh...!
Jim: They have discovered the new world! Oh my, they really have turned this timeline alternative.
Bob: According to the archives, it did take the lives of four explorers to cross the Pacific.
Jim: This is amazing. There is literally nothing in the world that could be more amazing...
1637-07: Westernization button
Jim: Oh.
Bob: See you all next time!
