The Hohenzollern Empire 2: Über Alles - A Roman Reich Megacampaign

[zenphoenix]

Chapter 158: An Imperial Century, Part 3​

The sunlight vanished. Cold wind howled around Sigismund, and dust curled around his feet, which rested on concrete or something definitely man-made.

“Where are we?”

“Berlin, 1944,” said Wilhelm, “Five hundred years after the Augustinian Code was implemented by your ancestor.”

Before him lay Berlin, no longer the metropolis he knew but a monstrosity filled with factories spewing out thick plumes of smoke and tall buildings of iron that he had never seen before. The city was unrecognizable to him.

There was a humming sound from above, and in the sky he saw a metal machine lumbering through the clouds, with the Mexica’s Jormungandr-Quetzalcoatl insignia painted on the side—or was it a Chinese dragon, Persian eagle, or Norse raven? He couldn’t tell.

The bottom of the machine opened up, and out fell a small projectile—an artillery shell?

The projectile plummeted towards the earth, heading straight for Brandenburg Palace. Just before impacting the ceiling there was a bright flash of light, followed by a loud roar and massive explosion which leveled the entire city. Sigismund felt the shock wave hit him at superfast speed, and everything around him dissolved into ash and blew away in the harsh winds unleashed by the explosion. He had never seen such a large explosion before; not even his legions’ entire stockpile of artillery shells being detonated simultaneously could level Berlin with such thoroughness.

As the light faded, he began to make out the faint edges of Berlin’s buildings, or what once were grand buildings. Berlin had been leveled completely. There was almost nothing left of the city. Jagged pieces of concrete stuck out from rubble, and flames erupted spontaneously. Ash and boiling-hot rain poured down on the city. Not a single soul was in sight.

Brandenburg Palace was gone. Not even the foundations remained. The entire city, the proud capital of the Reich, was gone too, as if it was wiped off the face of the earth by the hand of God Almighty Himself, as if God had declared Berlin a second Sodom and Gomorrah that must be cleansed with fire and brimstone.

“What…” he said, “What…did I…just witness?”

“The fall of the Reich,” said Wilhelm, “Or what was left of it. You see, by now your family has been purged again, the Diet dismantled, and a smooth-talking commoner sitting on your throne, not as a Kaiser but a dictator. This is the result of his policies of war and destruction. Those who live by the sword die by the sword.”

“And of the rest of the world?”

“Dead, the same way Berlin died—cleansed by fire from above. Humanity is gone. And you destroyed humanity.”

Sigismund stared at Wilhelm. “What do you mean I destroyed humanity?”

“Your reign is just the beginning of a series of events that were set in motion by your attempt to reform the Augustinian Code,” said Wilhelm, “The actions you and your son take in the next few years will shape the world to come. The Congress of Vienna, Metternich's balance of power, the division of Finland, the dismantlement of the Commonwealth...all of them set in motion the chain of events that will shape the next century. All you can do is ride it out and hope it doesn't kill you.”

“You promised there wouldn’t be an Apocalypse to my ancestors.”

"Yeah, I did. But then there was the cancelled Apocalypse of 1652 and Raphael decided after centuries of civil war that we wouldn't force the Apocalypse upon you guys. Instead, you'll start your own Apocalypse."

Sigismund realized now. "You're going to let us destroy ourselves?"

"I have no choice," said Wilhelm, "I am bound by the terms of the agreement with Raphael. They would not let me interfere if they agreed to withdraw their own interference in human affairs."

"What are you here for then?"

"To warn you," said Wilhelm, "I don't have much time left before the grace period for all angels to return to heaven is up. You need to be careful. I've got names that you should look out for: Engels, Marx, Princip, Lucheni, Drexler, Bismarck, Hindenburg, Ludendorff, Tirpitz, Schiklgruber. Some of these men are good and will help you; others will stop at nothing to kill you and bring down your Reich. I've got places as well: Lublin, Holstein, Helsinki, Geneva, London, Paris, Trier, Barmen, Guangzhou, Jinshan, Tenochtitlan, Markland, Vilnius, Uppsala, Neu Brandenburg. Watch out for these places. The Apocalypse is likely to resume in one of these places. You have to be ready."

"And if I can't find these men or don't see anything wrong with them? And if nothing of importance happens in this city?"

"Then either this version of humanity is very lucky or very doomed. I don't think you have to worry about this though, I am literally telling you the future right now and I swear if this information ends up starting a huge war that leads to the Apocalypse--"

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll look out for these guys."

Wilhelm sighed in relief. "Good. Now let's get you home. I've got to go soon."

He snapped his fingers, and they disappeared again.

Potsdam, 1835

Time was still frozen when Sigismund materialized back in the Hall of Mirrors. Wilhelm put his hand on the Kaiser's shoulder.

"You are a young man, Sigismund," said Wilhelm, "You have all of the ambitions of your namesake and of Friedrich Augustin III with none of the Mongols, Mexica, or even Raphael to oppose you. I believe you can do this, Sigismund. You have to try, for the sake of humanity. Fight the future. Fight your destiny as the two Inquisitors Friedrich and Werner did when they stopped the 1652 Apocalypse. What's the point of living if you are a slave to fate?"

"I believe there is a chapter in the Bible about that."

"You guys are quite secularized, right? The Bible is meant to be interpreted for advice in different ways based on context. It's not fixed, contrary to what some patriarchs might say. Your world is quite peculiar. I've never seen such a tolerant and quasi-secular society so early in a timeline before. I hope you can maintain it like Frederica Augusta I did."

"You're saying that I can either cause the Apocalypse to break out decades from now...or stop it."

"That or you can cause the Apocalypse and then end it again. Remember, all this has happened before, and it will happen again."

"That's what Ocuil Acatl said."

"Doesn't mean you can't say it as well."

"True."

"What I'm trying to say is be careful out there. The world is changing again. The change you and your son will see in the next hundred years will be larger than all of the changes in the previous four hundred years combined. I hope you can keep your family and Reich together in that time."

"Got it."

Wilhelm shook Sigismund's hand. "You are like Friedrich the Great. You had great ideals and a drive to achieve them. You wanted the best for not only Christendom and the Germans but for all people in the Reich. I hope you and your son keep that."

The angel stepped back. "And now I must go. I'll see you all in a hundred years!"

There was a flash of light, and time unfroze.

Chopin looked around and cursed in Polish. "Again?!" he screamed.

Turning to the Kaiser, he said, "Sorry for my abrupt entrance and less-than-ideal conduct, Your Majesty, I hope you don't take it too seriously."

"Oh, I forgive you, Chopin," said Sigismund.

The composer made his way to the nearest piano. "I have a wonderful piece to share with you, my Kaiser, if you don't mind!" he beamed. "I wrote it five years ago and I am quite proud of it."

"Sure, play it," said Sigismund, sitting down.

Chopin sat down in front of the piano. "I call this etude Revolution. It is based on the failed Persian Revolution of several years ago and the triumph of the Roman and Indian troops over Iskander Yinal at Isfahan."

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

A bleak future indeed. At least they go out with a bang. Lot of people to look out for, and it's unclear who will be helpful. Worst case, the Reich just needs to not become a dictatorship.

 

[spendabuck]

"To warn you," said Wilhelm, "I don't have much time left before the grace period for all angels to return to heaven is up. You need to be careful. I've got names that you should look out for: Engels, Marx, Princip, Lucheni, Drexler, Bismarck, Hindenburg, Ludendorff, Tirpitz, Schiklgruber. Some of these men are good and will help you; others will stop at nothing to kill you and bring down your Reich. I've got places as well: Lublin, Holstein, Helsinki, Geneva, London, Paris, Trier, Barmen, Guangzhou, Jinshan, Tenochtitlan, Markland, Vilnius, Uppsala, Neu Brandenburg. Watch out for these places. The Apocalypse is likely to resume in one of these places. You have to be ready."

That Marx? I wonder where communism will take off here. I also see Bismarck, but other than that no other names I recognize (could just be that I'm not as well-versed in this period of history as I'd like to be).

 

[HIMDogson]

That Marx? I wonder where communism will take off here. I also see Bismarck, but other than that no other names I recognize (could just be that I'm not as well-versed in this period of history as I'd like to be).

Engels was Marx's partner in crime. Principe is Gavrilo Princip. Louche I murdered Kaiserin Elizabeth, the wife of Franz Joseph. Anton Drexler was the founder of Naziism, and would later lose control of the party to Hitler. Hindenburg and Ludendorff were brilliant German military leaders in WWI, and Tirpitz was a brilliant admiral. Schickelgruber was a prominent socialist. I find it very interesting that Hitler is not on this list. In any case, fire up Confrontation with the enemy, because the future is ours to decide! The Hohenzollerns may not have the Monado, but I'm sure they'll do just fine!

 

[Michaelangelo]

Now the question is who of those men listed will help him and who will mean him harm.

 

[zenphoenix]

Chapter 159: An Imperial Century, Part 4​

Chopin finished playing, and the dynatoi in attendance applauded his talent. Sigismund, though, was deep in thought. The piece was called “Revolution,” and Chopin made no attempts to disguise the fact that it was based on the Persian Revolution of several years ago. Metternich would urge him to arrest this man immediately, he thought.

The Persian Revolution wasn’t an isolated incident. It had major consequences too. The leader of the Revolution, a former Persian artilleryman named Iskandar Yinal, wanted to topple the Seljuks from their throne and install a republic, or at least a constitutional monarchy headed by a descendant of the “quintessentially Persian” Sassanid royal family (who ironically happened to be Chinese, as the crown prince of the Sassanids fled there after the Muslims conquered Persia centuries ago). His ideas had liberal and nationalist elements. He promoted full voting rights, full gender equality (something which Sigismund was struggling to get into the Augustinian Code at that point), the abolition of all privileges and noble titles, and vast economic reform to help the peasants. He also wanted to get rid of the Seljuks, as he viewed them as just Turks who spoke Persian despite having lived in Persia for centuries and having married into Persian families for most of that time. That was how he managed to rally thousands of peasants to his revolutionary banner. His armies engaged the Indian troops in bloody street-to-street battles all across the alleys and streets of war-torn Isfahan, inflicting heavy casualties on the unprepared Indian soldiers before Iskandar was gunned down on the steps of the imperial palace and his supporters fled.

Revolutionary ideas hadn’t died with Iskandar on the streets of Isfahan, though. The Seljuks remained on the throne but only with heavy Roman and Indian assistance. Many in the Bureau of Foreign Affairs said, “The Seljuks may be our enemies, but they’re our enemies!” Nobody wanted the revolution’s ideas to spread out of Persia; they preferred to help their enemies in the Seljuk government than let it be overthrown by peasant rabble.

Sigismund was also aware of a recent intervention by Roman forces in southern Persia. Several days ago, the General Staff convened an emergency meeting discussing a revolutionary movement organizing in southern Persia, concentrated near the Strait of Hormuz region. Alarmed that revolutionaries were organizing so close to Roman territory, Metternich and Sigismund authorized the use of force to crush the revolutionaries and integrate the entire region into the Reich to prevent further revolutionary activity. On 24 December 1835 at midnight in local time, imperial forces launched Operation Praying Mantis. The legions silently crossed the Strait of Hormuz, stormed the revolutionary strongholds, and turned over the leaders to the Persian government in exchange for the land they were found on. The Shahanshah protested this invasion of Persian sovereignty, and his generals refused to cede the territory to the Reich, but ultimately the government agreed to the deal, as they were in no position to resist, much like the Triple Alliance was after Operation Sunrise Invasion. The next day, the Reich announced the annexation of Bandar Legeh, giving Persian authorities and civilians to pack up and leave or apply for Roman citizenship. Anybody suspected of being a revolutionary was arrested immediately by imperial police. He needed to check the names of each revolutionary found in Bandar Legeh; some of them claimed Roman citizenship and looked obviously European. Any threat to the Reich had to be crushed with impunity.

Although there were no real revolutionary movements outside Persia, their ideals were present to some degree in almost every country. In the Chinese empires, journalists reported large crowds of thousands of protesters gathering in front of major cities demanding unification; the Tungus territories that had been conquered from Yavdi were still hotbeds for rebellion, with Yavdi nationalists forming resistance cells to push out the Chinese. India was having trouble maintaining order in Afghanistan as Zunist and Tengri rebels sabotaged government buildings and infrastructure, taking Hindus hostage. Most of those territories also happened to be filled with Turks, and before the Timurid invasion it had belonged to the Ghaznavid Empire. Now the Ghaznavid Empire was demanding them back. Yavdi was still trying to integrate the Onggirats into its empire, and despite the Borjigin family cooperating with the Tsar in Perm (the temporary Yavdi capital, until all of the nobles could agree on what city was to become the new capital) and the official languages of Yavdi being Mongol and Finnish, the conquered Onggirat peoples refused to fully integrate. And while Lithuania’s nation may have been crushed and dismantled with no chance of recovery, its people refused to acknowledge that. The Lithuanians under Russian rule constantly resisted all efforts by Russian authorities to impose the Russian language and the Slavic religion upon them. Russian security forces barely kept the situation in the western provinces under control and as time went on relied more and more on Roman equipment and funds. Sigismund didn’t want to think about Finland; that was a nightmare. Nobody wanted to talk about Finland.

Not even the Reich was immune to nationalism and revolutionary fervor. In the past year alone the police had arrested dozens of young men on charges of treason. They were part of underground organizations that were dedicated to revolutionary ideas, among them the overthrowing of the Kaiser himself. The Liberal and Maximist movements continued to gain more and more supporters, including some dynatoi themselves. But at least they weren’t as radical as the revolutionaries. The revolutionaries weren’t called “revolutionary” for nothing, after all.

Wilhelm had warned him about this. The revolution couldn’t be stopped. He could only try to contain its damage. That he could do.

Arresting Chopin right now would provoke outrage from not only the dynatoi but also the foreign dignitaries in attendance. Once word got out to the public, the revolutionaries would have one more reason to rise up against him. He would not let them have another casus belli. So he resolved to let the matter slide and let Chopin live in peace.

He clapped loudly. “Wonderful, Chopin, just wonderful!”

As Chopin disappeared back into the crowd, he sighed in relief, but the banquet wasn’t over yet.

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

Sigismund handled Chopin as well as he could have in that scenario. Provoking the revolutionaries won't help anyone but the enemies of the Reich's status quo.

 

[Michaelangelo]

Something tells me that storming the revolutionary stronghold in Persia won't end revolutionary ideas.

 

[HIMDogson]

The Persian revolutionaries sound kind of racist, actually. There are legitimate reasons to not want a King, but "his distant ancestors were of a different race" is not one of them.

 

[zenphoenix]

Chapter 160: An Imperial Century, Part 5​

"Sir, Prince Maximilian is here," said a servant in Sigismund's ear, "He'd like to see you."

"Tell him I'll be right there," said Sigismund.

Sigismund got up from his seat and walked across the room, past dozens of arguing dynatoi and foreign dignitaries. The Komnenos and Doukas families seemed to have formed an alliance in support of extremely moderate liberal policies. The Germans, though, were firmly rooted in their conservatism and even in reactionary ideas. The Habsburgs and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringens were firmly anti-revolutionary and anti- everything that appeared revolutionary, though the Schweinfurts wanted a compromise between liberalism and conservatism which benefited the people. Now the Greeks and Germans were in heated arguments with each other that threatened to boil over into outright fights if the Varangians weren't around to keep order.

The foreign dignitaries, though, were much more...cooperative. The Lithuanian and Norse diplomats discussed current events in a civil manner, such as King-Emperor Karol Ferdinand I's decree that the official name of the Commonwealth was to be "Lithuania-Ruthenia" and that a temporary Polishized Commonwealth flag was to be used until a new one was designed. Fylkir Tyke II meanwhile was reforming the Hogting to be more like the Imperial Diet, though it too had no political power and was just an advisory body. The Russian diplomat said that the Tsar was considering abandoning all of his claims to Norway and northern Finland in an effort to keep the peace, adding that "there's not much there anyways." An Abyssinian diplomat in attendance was reading the Torah in the corner, not paying attention to anything going on.

Sigismund left the Hall of Mirrors and walked upstairs to one of the large conference rooms. A servant opened the doors, and the Kaiser stepped into the grand room, where a table and two chairs had been set up. In one of the chairs sat Prince Maximilian, Duke of Saxony.

Maximilian was in his forties now. In his youth he had been extolled as "the Reich's (second) most eligible bachelor" and consistently outperformed Siegfried in sports and military operations, though he was not as good at intellectual pursuits, diplomacy or administration. In his older age his handsome looks had given way to a more august composure, and while he certainly was no longer youthful his face still radiated wisdom and intelligence. He had been close friends with Sigismund's father and sometimes tutored Sigismund if Metternich was busy with other stuff. He sat before Sigismund, wearing a simple military uniform decorated with various medals won during the Last Commonwealth War, the last Persian War, and the Second Chinese War.

"Sigismund," said Maximilian, "I hope you are well."

"Hello, uncle," said Sigismund.

"Oh please, remember I'm not actually your uncle, just distantly related," said Maximilian, "Call me Maximilian."

"Maximilian," said Sigismund again, "What are you doing here? I thought you declined my invitation!"

"Well, I reconsidered at the last minute," said Maximilian, "My apologies. Also, I take it you know about the Maximist movement's recent...policy shifts?"

"Sort of?" replied Sigismund. "Did they drop you as their preferred claimant or something?"

"No," said Maximilian, "Remember, I never supported the Maximists and never will. But my son Martin might. He's a fine young man now, doing all sorts of heroics in the legions, but he's impressionable. The Maximists will do everything they can to convince him to oppose you."

"Martin...I've seen him. He's more of the liberal type than the Maximists' conservatism."

"Just five days ago," explained Maximilian, "Imperial intelligence got word of a meeting in Frankfurt by top Maximist leaders. Before the police stormed the meeting and arrested everybody in attendance, we learned that they had abandoned their conservative stance. They threw their lot in with the Liberals and formed ideological alliances with the major liberal movements! You must bear in mind that the Maximists are hardly a simple pretender movement at this point. They are also an ideological movement."

"I know that. Father taught me about that."

"But he never taught you what the Maximists wanted, besides me on the throne. Initially, they just wanted me on the throne because I was Frederica Augusta III's daughter. Now they want to use me as a puppet, to create a constitution to take away power from us and give it to the Diet, so that they--who will repopulate the Diet after they win--will remain secure in their power. The leaders want to use the Maximist movement for their own gain, to control the Reich and use its power for less than ideal purposes. It won't be the God-given monarchy that Friedrich the Great fought for anymore; it will be an oligarchy or even a dictatorship of the majority."

"What else do they want?"

"Universal manhood suffrage."

"Absolutely not."

"Universal education."

"We already have that."

"They don't care. The point is, they know what the people want. The Commonwealth Wars have drained the Reich. People are tired of war. I know you never wanted the wars in the first place, but that's not what the people see."

"So what do we do?"

"We? No, you! To the people, I am just the Duke of Saxony, an aging man who occasionally gives out gifts to the citizens and doesn't act like a dynatos. You are the Kaiser. You can change everything now, while you still can. There are talks of rebellion within the Maximist circles, and it is only a matter of time before they rise up and destroy all that you stand for. You can't let them win! Beat them at their own game. Institute the mildest liberal policies you can find to deny the Maximists of anything they can use against you. Build up the legions and police forces to maintain order. Above all, watch out for the citizens. Protect those who should be protected, and prosecute those who should be prosecuted."

"And you?"

"Me? I'll see what I can do, but the Maximists won't listen to me. You're better off asking my son to help you. Or maybe this boy named Otto Leopold. He just graduated from the Imperial University of Berlin at the top of his class. His teachers say he's a genius when it comes to politics."

"The times are changing," said Sigismund, "You can't just sit around and do nothing."

"You think I want to do that?!" replied Maximilian. "If I step outside of Saxony the Maximists will abduct me or Martin and force us to join them! My time has passed. My generation is aging out of relevance. Your father is dead. I will be dead in several more years, I believe. But your generation will decide the path of the Reich for the next century. You hold the keys to peace and war, cooperation and violence. You have to keep the balance of power. If you don't, the world will plunge back into war again."

Maximilian stood up. "Oh, look at the time," he said, pointing to the clock, "I believe I've spoke too long. You've got some guests to attend to, I recall. It was nice talking with you again, Sigismund. Reminds me of the good days when your father and I went out and hunted the stags together. We never really did find the White Stag; it hasn't appeared since the days of Friedrich Augustin III."

They shook hands.

"Be careful with the Maximists," said Maximilian, heading for the door, "Be careful with the dynatoi too. You never know when and which one will do something crazy."

"Take care, uncle," said Sigismund, "I'll do what I can."

Maximilian turned to face the Kaiser again. "What you can do?" he chuckled. "You're the Kaiser. You can do anything, God willing."

And Sigismund was alone in the room.

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

Oh, so Maximilian's son might end up being a problem? That's worrying... A Maxismist/Liberal rebellion would probably split the Reich in half.

Nice to hear Russia might not be going to war with Scandinavia every few years though. Also, Lithuania-Ruthenia! Finally a concrete name for the Commonwealth.

 

[Michaelangelo]

Universal suffrage! Such nonsense. Only the Kaiser knows what is good for the people.

 

[zenphoenix]

Chapter 161: The Sun Never Sets​

Berlin, Inquisition headquarters

Theodoros Shah Mukhtar, descendant of Mansur Shah Mukhtar, stood in his ancestor's old office. Dust had gathered on the table, and the bookshelves had long been stripped of their books, which were rotting somewhere in the archives. The room had been abandoned for decades now.

The Inquisition hadn't had a case to solve in centuries. The last time Inquisitors were deployed in force was in 1652. There was the occasional heretic uprising now and then, but they had been put down easily, with no challenge to the Inquisition. Now it appeared that they had no further purpose, with all of the heretics gone for good and the Reich no longer conquering or colonizing.

Ever since the Congress of Vienna in the 1820s and the Second Chinese War, the borders of the world's nations had been set cleanly. He could remember the map easily. There had been no major changes in the map since the Last Commonwealth War and the Second Chinese War.

The dynasties of the fifteenth century largely remained in power in the nineteenth century.

The Reich's heretics had been completely eradicated. Theodoros wondered what the Inquisition would do now. There were no more heretics or Muslims to convert, and the pagans and heathens were strictly marked as off-limits. Here was a large and influential institution, pushed to relevance by the changing times, despite not much having changed.

The cultures of the world were a mess to Theodoros, and yet they had only changed slightly. The Reich's alliances remained the same as they were hundreds of years ago, and though most of the Reich had largely escaped the horrors of war, the same could not be said about its allies.

Not much had changed, but everything had. If the Inquisition was to survive in this new world, it had to adapt. And that meant branching out into other occupations. Theodoros heard the Maximists were recruiting. Perhaps he would pay them a visit, but whether to purge them or join them was up in the air.

He left the room and shut the door behind him. He wouldn't need it anytime soon.

Potsdam

Sigismund patiently sat on the chair. "Hey, what's taking so long?"

"Patience, my Kaiser," said Metternich, standing in the doorway.

The "painter" that was hired for the occasion was taking a long time to set up the strange boxlike contraption placed in front of Sigismund. And where was the canvas and other painting equipment?

"Are you sure this guy isn't a fraud or something?" said Sigismund.

"I'm sure of it," replied Metternich.

"Okay, all set!" said the short man, positioning himself behind the strange box and pointing the glass lens at the Kaiser.

"If this is some ungodly weapon I will not forgive you," said Sigismund.

He straigthened up and waited. And then there was a flash of light, and it was all over.

Yes, the "portrait painting session" was over just like that. But that wasn't the only thing that ended. He felt that with that flash of light, the era of his father and Friedrich Augustin III was over. The period from the enactment of the Old Augustinian Code to the enactment of the New Augustinian Code stretched almost four hundred years, but he knew that the next hundred years wouldn't part of that period. Change was coming. And it was coming fast.

Several weeks later, Kaiser Sigismund II would see his new portrait for the first time. It was remarkably accurate, moreso than a painting, though it was of course in black and white. He had never seen such technology before. Something capable of duplicating an image...that was truly revolutionary and modern. He took a long stare at the image of himself, which the man called a "photograph."

As he looked at the photograph, he realized that he was living in a new age now. With the year 1836 came a new age that would last the next hundred years, when more change would occur than in the previous four hundred years combined. He didn't know it yet, but because of the Reich's position as the supreme power in the world and thus the keeper of the balance of power, this new age would come to be known as the "Imperial Century."

And just like that, everything changed again.

To be continued...

 

[TheAnguishedOne]

Fantastic ending to the EU4 portion. I love that a photograph serves as the physical representation of the beginning of a new era. It just works so well to me.

So begins the Imperial Century! I'd say that's a sign for the Reich to prosper, but it could be taken to mean the end of Imperialism. Really excited for the V2 portion to begin, I need more modding logs. Poor Russia didn't make the top eight after so many wars with Scandinavia.

 

[Michaelangelo]

Ming's military is consider superior to the Reich's? I think that needs to be rectified.

 

[zenphoenix]

Fantastic ending to the EU4 portion. I love that a photograph serves as the physical representation of the beginning of a new era. It just works so well to me.

So begins the Imperial Century! I'd say that's a sign for the Reich to prosper, but it could be taken to mean the end of Imperialism. Really excited for the V2 portion to begin, I need more modding logs. Poor Russia didn't make the top eight after so many wars with Scandinavia.

Ming's military is consider superior to the Reich's? I think that needs to be rectified.

Actually, that ranking of nations in the loading screen is a bit inaccurate and glitchy. I've already significantly nerfed the Ming armies and buffed the Reich armies but it doesn't make a difference on the loading screen. Once I get into the game the rankings are corrected and the Reich has higher military score than the Ming.

 

[Michaelangelo]

Actually, that ranking of nations in the loading screen is a bit inaccurate and glitchy. I've already significantly nerfed the Ming armies and buffed the Reich armies but it doesn't make a difference on the loading screen. Once I get into the game the rankings are corrected and the Reich has higher military score than the Ming.

The angels are clearly trying to rig it in Ming's favour! So much for not interfering.

 

[HIMDogson]

Awesome ending, if it wasn't the same one that ended the Jerusalem mega campaign on Something Awful. I know your game.

 

[adriankowaty]

Maybe in new age Reich'll switch into constitutional monarchy?

 

[zenphoenix]

The angels are clearly trying to rig it in Ming's favour! So much for not interfering.

Possibly...

Awesome ending, if it wasn't the same one that ended the Jerusalem mega campaign on Something Awful. I know your game.

Yes, the Jerusalem megacampaign and Wiz's Hohenzollern megacampaign were my inspirations, and I didn't know a better way to end this part of my megacampaign. It's not like I'm going to end the Hearts of Iron part with

Spoiler

everybody nuking each other into extinction,

right?

Maybe in new age Reich'll switch into constitutional monarchy?

Well, I've modded in some events in the case that we--

switch into constitutional monarchy

constitutional monarchy

constitutional