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Hey, Ariel!!
We have wandered countless years in the wilderness like lost souls in search of the food of the gods for sustenance. Long have we tarried between AAR and RPG yet yearn for the homecoming where the tale in all its richness will once more be unfolded to us.
Teach us!!
We have wandered countless years in the wilderness like lost souls in search of the food of the gods for sustenance. Long have we tarried between AAR and RPG yet yearn for the homecoming where the tale in all its richness will once more be unfolded to us.
Teach us!!
Viva la Revolution!!!
We must liberate our glorious leader from the clutches of the evil Real World and it's diabolical minions. Storm the Bastille or in this case, the Alien Online!!
Give us an Update or give us Death!!! (starting w/some of those guys up front of course)
It is time for the world to decide, are you with us or are your agin us?!?!?
[crowd starts the chant, shaking pitchforks and torches]
ARIEL!! ARIEL!! ARIEL!! ARIEL!!
We must liberate our glorious leader from the clutches of the evil Real World and it's diabolical minions. Storm the Bastille or in this case, the Alien Online!!
Give us an Update or give us Death!!! (starting w/some of those guys up front of course)
It is time for the world to decide, are you with us or are your agin us?!?!?
[crowd starts the chant, shaking pitchforks and torches]
ARIEL!! ARIEL!! ARIEL!! ARIEL!!
"Damn it! These torches don't work!"
"You've forget to bring batteries you idiot! Now we'll have to go home and forget about rioting and storming things"
***************************
Hey! Leave Ariel alone or the 1500 strong mercenary force I've currently got command of will be round.
Signed
Secretary of the Secret Order of the Black Rose
"You've forget to bring batteries you idiot! Now we'll have to go home and forget about rioting and storming things"
***************************
Hey! Leave Ariel alone or the 1500 strong mercenary force I've currently got command of will be round.
Signed
Secretary of the Secret Order of the Black Rose
Sir, Yes Major Sir!!
The mob will be dispersed immediately!!
[muttering to self] Damn stick in the mud... if I want to have a revolution, I'll have a revolution... and you can't stop me...[end muttering]
[turns to the nearest British mob participant] Why in the name of all that's holy did you bring a friggin Flashlight to a revolution rally when the memo clearly said TORCHES!!! Damn boy, don't you speak American???
The mob will be dispersed immediately!!
[muttering to self] Damn stick in the mud... if I want to have a revolution, I'll have a revolution... and you can't stop me...[end muttering]
[turns to the nearest British mob participant] Why in the name of all that's holy did you bring a friggin Flashlight to a revolution rally when the memo clearly said TORCHES!!! Damn boy, don't you speak American???
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Hey.
Well, it's been about two months since I last found time to post an update. Damn, sorry about that. Real Life just gets busier and busier...
Still, I've finally managed to put aside half an hour to do some editing, so if y'all wanna head back through about four pages of well-meaning spam to see what happened last and refresh your memories, then you'll be well placed to read on...
Again, sorry...
Well, it's been about two months since I last found time to post an update. Damn, sorry about that. Real Life just gets busier and busier...
Still, I've finally managed to put aside half an hour to do some editing, so if y'all wanna head back through about four pages of well-meaning spam
to see what happened last and refresh your memories, then you'll be well placed to read on...Again, sorry...
A Change of Government and Off to War once more, July 1727 - July 1732
Milords, I commend myself to you. My name, Lords and Gentlemen, is James Peebles and I have the honour to have been recently created His Majesty's loyal Earl of Sussex. I have served in the English Army and was present at both of the entirely too disastrous assaults on the city of Bordeaux in Gascogne. Indeed, it was I who took command of the siege following the almost utter defeat of our forces and saw it to a successful conclusion. For this reason and I am sure many others I have been asked by His Majesty to head his new Government.
My predecessor, Pitt, has been removed from office at the behest of His Majesty, George II. Such a timid creature as Pitt could no longer be allowed to lead our glorious Empire. His Grand Plan for the future development of the nation involved little more than the appeasement of the Turk and “peaceful co-existence” with the rest of Europe. His Majesty has a far bolder plan for this great nation of ours, and I am in complete accord with him.
His Majesty does not foresee the path of the English nation to be one of peace, my lords. In fact, if this great nation of ours is at peace for many more than ten of the next thirty years, I shall be greatly surprised...
But you shall see, my lords, you shall see. And if any of you are not happy with the appointment of one so young as I – yes it is true, I am only twenty-six summers old, and what of it? Great Age is no precondition of Great Ability and I can at least assure you that I do not suffer from senility - or if you disagree with my policies, then you and I shall have words in private. I have the ear of the King my lords, and I am his complete and utterly obedient servant.
My chronicling duties resume: Our Milwaukee trade post is established on the 24th, which is good news. Soon we shall control all the territory in New England not under the influence of the Spanish or French.
July - August 1727
On the 17th our Matagorda regiment defeats the rebel presence in Savannah and lays siege to re-take our town. On August 16th the rebel army from Kebec seizes the colony of Megantic, but a force of 13,000 is maneuvering in the region to bring about their defeat.
September - October 1727
There is rebellion in Bremen, which our Holstein garrison marches to meet. We send a trader to Superior - the last unoccupied province in New England. In early October our merchant guilds report the development of Protectionism (trade tech lvl 7) and we begin raising capital to finance our next war - to the tune of 400d a month. The balance of our income goes into naval research. The Kebec rebels are defeated in Megantic on the 12th. On the 18th we put down the second Bremen uprising. Our Wisconsin trade post is successfully established on the 25th. Our forces re-take unfortified Kebec on the 29th.
November - December 1727
November brings a revolt in Western Pommerania which our Brandenburg garrison marches to defeat. We send our first colonial mission to gold rich Angara on the east bank of the Ob River in deepest Siberia. We also promote a tax collector in Enkan to begin the work of collating the income of the region. A governor will follow and then a chief judge shortly afterwards. We shall expand no further westwards than Angara we think, but take up the rest of the region with our trade posts and protect access to them with fortified towns on the east coast and the banks of the Ob. A worthy rather than glamorous project that will take some time to complete but one that will assuredly bring great wealth to the nation.
The rest of November is a quiet month and we defeat the Western Pommeranian rebels on the 10th of December.
January - December 1728
Tax 1702d. We suffer a revolt in Bearn but nothing too troublesome - our garrison is already on hand to deal with them and indeed they are defeated by the 5th. Our trade post is establihsed in Superiror and with it we take the last unoccupied province in New England.
The rest of January and February are again quiet as we continue to make preparations for the next war with France, which will commence just as soon as Turkey and Georgia have settled their differences. In March we fail to establish our colony in Angara and so another mission is sent (of course).
In April we suffer a revolt in Moravia, which our Bohemian regiment is well placed to deal with. The rebel army is defeated by the 28th and then we lay siege to recapture the fortress. In June our admirals report the development of improved Optics, an aid to our ships in combat. We rein in our ecomony to 200d per month and divert further funds to the Admiralty to continue their laudable progress.
In August we once again fail to establish ourselves in Angara and so we send another mission. It is hardly surprising – I hear the territory out there is unspeakably vile. September brings a revolt in Calais that our Caux garrison marches to deal with. We defeat the Calais rebels in early November after three weeks of heavy fighting.
Janaury - May 1729
Tax 1772d. We commission a goods manufactory in Florence. We also raise 25,000 fresh troops in north-west France to act as a policing force in the event of the next war, which we are hoping we shall find an opportunity to provoke this year. Good news on January 15th as our Angara colony is successfully established at last and so another mission can be sent at once.
Angara expands successfully in May. At the same time, our army in north-western France reaches a state of full readiness and so we decide the time has come to provoke fresh confrontation with our old and favourite enemy… yes indeed, the time has come to once more register our protest at the continuing Nipponese embargo of our merchants. On the 15th of May, we declare War once more on Nippon.
June - July 1729
June brings a revolt in Madgeburg in which the rebels seize the fortress, but no declaration of war from France or Turkey. Perhaps we have weakened them to the point where they no longer feel up to the task of confronting us? An advisor suggests that perhaps it is more the case that our peace treaty with France is still in force whilst their vassal is still at war with Turkey. An irritating state of affairs. We can but hope that Turkey and Georgie settle their differences soon. There is also a rebellion in Bremen in July but again, still no declaration of war from elsewhere. The Madgeburg rebels are defeated by the end of the month and we besiege the fortress. We re-take Moravia also.
August - September 1729
Anhalt rises in revolt in August. Our Holstein garrison will deal with them when they've finished in Bremen. On the 3rd our Taiwan fleet of 15 warships encounters 7/0/2 Nipponese vessels off Honshu and sinks them all by the 10th without loss. The Bremen rebels are defeated by the 12th and our army marches south to Anhalt. Angara expands again in early September and we send another colonial group. On the 15th our Delhi garrison arrives in Yanam to assist in the siege.
October - December 1729
Hellas rises in revolt but our garrison is already on hand to deal with them. Our admirals also demonstrate the first 24-pounder guns (naval tech lvl 30).Having decided that none of our enemies are likely to rise to our bait, we offer Nippon an honourable white peace but our offer is rejected. Very well, we shall blockade their trade centre for a while and see if that helps them to change their minds. On the 2nd we finally re-take Savannah from the rebels there and the Anhalt rebels are defeated on the 3rd. Hellas follows on the 7th.
In November we lose control over the Azores to a few hundred local rebels who also seize the fortress. An annoyance, no more. We send traders to Tchumkhan and Amgoun in Siberia. There is another revolt in Calais in December and again our Caux garrison is called on to deal with them.
January - March 1730
Tax 1736d. Anna rises to the throne of Russia and Mahmoud I rises to the throne of Turkey. Again we offer Nippon a white peace and again they refuse us. Then, finally, on January 9th Georgia settles peace with Turkey, surrendering the province of Azow and 143d. Now our peace treaty with France no longer holds them back, we expect a declaration of war any day now, but wait. Georgia is still at war with Oman. The damned treaty still holds. Why was I not told this before? Bring me the Foreign Minister. No, better still, bring me his head…
Angara expands again on the 10th and we send another mission. On the 11th we engage the Calais rebels and all 23,000 of them are defeated by the 15th. Vendee rebels in February but our garrison defeats the rebel force in under three days. Also on the 3rd, we land a cavalry force in Bogodorsk, a Nipponese trade post, defeat a local native army then burn the trade post to teach the Nipponese not to trifle with us. In late February we send anther mission to Buriat to continue the expansion of our earlier colony, which was rather forgotten in our push to Angara.
We lose Mecklemberg to rebels in March and send our Holstein garrison to take the city back. There has still been absolutely no progress in the siege of Yanam and so we launch an assault in the hope that this might force a resolution. The assault lasts exactly one month and by the end of it there are still some 7,300 defenders inside the fortress. We shall raise and send reinforcements and then try again. In the meantime, Mecklemberg is besieged by our forces on the 28th.
April - 1730
Another peace offer to Nippon is rejected. Angara expands again in May and another mission is sent. We establish a trade post in Tchumkan on May 15th and Amgoun on the 20th. On the 25th we re-take Madgeburg but in June Bremen rises in revolt again so our army marches westwards rather than returning home to Brandenburg.
The peasants of Vendee try to rebel again in July and this time they last a whole day longer. The Bremen rebels are defeated on the 21st. Buriat expands on the 25th another mission is sent. We launch another assault on Yanam on the 20th of August. The city of New Eastern Pommerania is founded in Angara on September 9th as 1,000 locals join our colonial population. We immediately commission a fortress and a 1,000 troop garrison. We also send a trader to Bogorodsk.
October 1730
Another peace offer to Nippon is rejected in early October. Then finally, on October 16th, Turkey declares war on us. We call on our allies to assist and, as we half-expected, Spain dishonours the alliance. This is exactly what we were hoping for. We send a signal to our allies that we care little for Spain or her loyalty by sending a state gift to both Denmark (-200 to -51) and Sweden (-200 to +4). The time has come to woo our Scandinavian neighbours with a view to their eventual inclusion on a greater English Empire yet. As for Spain, we have Casus Belli on them, but we are not ready to go to war with them quite yet. Their time will come. Oh yes, their time will come.
Now though, for Turkey!
Our armies mobilise at once against our three target provinces for this particular conflict - Delta, the Lebanon and the Cyclades. We also despatch our Macedonian garrison to take the Sultan's capital yet again.
War with Spain.
November 1730
On the 6th our army defeats 2,000 defenders of Thrace and lays siege to the capital of Turkey. Then dawns the 7th of November 1730, a day that almost saddens me as England and Spain, staunchest of allies for longer than anyone living can remember, go to war for the first time in over 238 years.
The Spanish are the aggressors, but we shall emerge as victors. We carefully decide upon our targets and prepare to wreak havoc amongst Spain's New England territories. Cavalry columns break off from our main Matagordan force and prepare to go on a trade-post burning spree throughout California and New Mexico. We also intend to burn the Spanish out of Florida and take the city of Los Alamo in Mobile. The Spanish trade posts in Rio Grande, Wichita and Concho are destroyed on the 17th. Back in Europe, we lay siege to Lebanon on the 22nd and then in the New World once more, Pecos goes up in flames on the 27th.
In December we suffer domestic problems as the Plague sweeps through Wessex, the Grampians and Lothian and we lose half our population in each province (random event). Tampico trade post is destroyed on the 2nd. El Paso, Seminole and Talahassee are burnt on the 7th and we send a trader and Colonist to the latter two (respectively). We also send a colonist to Tampico. Our spree continues through Saltillo on the 12th and Coahuilha on the 14th. On the 23rd we defeat 11,000 Turkish recruits in Lebanon. Pinalero is destroyed on the 24th.
Back in Siberia the city of New Erz is founded in Buriat on the 26th with the participation of 1,000 locals and again we immediately raise a fortress to protect the gold mines.
The Spanish trade posts in Jaisco and Chihuahua are both destroyed on the 29th.
January 1731
Tax 1664d. On the 6th we finally lay siege to Delta. An Austrian general has commandeered the siege of Lebanon and so pull our forces back to Judea, hoping to discourage him.
We send a colonial mission to Jalisco to exploit the gold mines that we have so recently forced the Spanish out of. Empalme and Arizona trade posts are destroyed on the 9th. We sink six Spanish vessels off Vendee on the 15th and burn the trade post in Mazatlan on the 16th. On the 20th we lay siege to Mobile and on the same day defeat another Spanish squadron off Vendee and capture their rutters, revealing the extent of their New Spanish holdings. On the 22nd our fleet out of Lands End is defeated on the brink of sinking another Spanish squadron.
We decide to commision 50 new warships in Anglia to sweep the seas clear of Spaniards. They seem intent on sending a massive army to attack Bearn and so we put a defensive plan into action that will involve harrying their main force with cavalry units to prevent their crossing the Pyrenees, and outflanking them with an attack on Castille from the north. The trade posts in Altar and Canyon are destroyed on the 21st. They are already re-establishing themselves in Rio Grande and so a cavalry unit is despatched to burn the trade post the very second it is finished.
February 1731
February brings a revolt in Gascogne that our Bearn garrison moves quickly to deal with, and the development of Line Formations (naval tech 31) by our Admirals. We burn the Spanish out of Salton on the 4th. A Spanish advance force attacks our troops in Bearn, preventing their marching on Gascogne. Towards the end of the month we win a variety of sea battles, against Spain and then Turkey in the Aegean, Spain off Vendee and Oman in the Persian Gulf.
March 1731
Thrace falls to our forces on March 8th. We lay siege to Naxos in the Cyclades on the 10th. Turkey offers white peace on the 18th, which we of course decline. The Spanish army catches our northward-bound force in Bearn on the 22nd. They are 50,000 strong to our 38,000 but we decide to stand and fight. Alas! They are too strong for us and after four days we retreat to Gascogne and leave them to besiege the town.
April - May 1731
We burn the Spanish trade post in San Bernardino. Our Seminole trade post is established on the 8th but we are less lucky in Bodorogsk on the 10th. On May 5th we defeat the rebels of Gascogne but lose control of Bearn to the Spanish, which is a setback for sure. They immediately march on Gascogne, and so we withdraw our troops to Poitou to gather our strength to meet them head on.
Good news though as we take the province of Delta on the 7th but bad news follows hard on its heels as our Talahassee colony fails to establish on the 9th. We send another mission straight away. We burn the Spanish trade post on Tobago island on the 16th.
June 1731
June is a bad month. We suffer revolts in Madgeburg, Biloxi and both Western and Eastern Pommerania. Plus the Spanish army catches our forces in Gascogne, forcing a hasty retreat. On the 11th we capture the Cyclades from Turkey and send a demand for Naxos and the province of Delta to be surrendered to us. The Sultan agrees and we bring an end to our war in the middle east. On the 19th Spain seizes our newly established colony in Tampico and we burn their new trade post in Rio Grande and send our own colonial mission. Our army lands in Euskadia on the 22nd and marches on Castille. On the 27th Spain seizes our Surinam colony and we retaliate by burning their trade post in Martinique.
July 1731
We lose our trade post in Magadan to a native uprising there. On the 10th we defeat the rebels of Western Pommerania and then march on the Eastern province. Spain seizes our Nouakchott colony on the 15th. Our army, withdrawn from Mobile, defeats the rebels of Biloxi on the 25th and we also lay siege to Sicily on the same day. Another army is marching from Apulia to Messina. Our Jalisco colony is successfully established.
August 1731
There is a revolt in Nice on the 1st and we lay siege to Castille on the 8th. We re-take Tampico from Spain on the 18th. Messina is besieged on the 24th.
September 1731
France finally declares war on us on the 4th of September and we call on our allies for support. Loyal Poland and Austria rally to our banner at once. Our plans have been somewhat put out of shape by our conflict with Spain, but we move to attack Paris at once and will strike against other French targets as soon as we are able. In the meantime, a round of recruitment is undertaken in north-west France to provide additional troops for the war.
On the 4th we land a force in Yaraguay, burn the trade post there and split into raiding parties to wreak further havoc in the area. Having defeated the rebels of Eastern Pommerania as well we move our army down to Hessen. On the 16th we defeat the rebels in Nice and march back west to attack the Languedoc. Spain, having abandoned the siege of Gascogne, now lays siege to Guyenne with half its forces, leaving the corridor down to Navarra conveniently open.
We also send a white peace offer to Spain. It has become apparent that we are in fact better off as their allies than their enemies after all - their fortresses are far too strong for us to take without incurring massive attrition losses and now that we have cleared some room for expansion in New England we think it best to make our peace with our former brothers and try to re-forge the old alliance. Our first offer is rebuffed, though - we withdraw our forces from Messina and Sicily and call off the attack on Mobile as a gesture but we think that the best course would be for us to simply re-take Bearn and then call for peace. In the meantime though we burn trade posts in Apure, Tocvo and Paribe, not wanting to let an opportunity slip through our fingers…
Paris is besieged on the 24th and a Spanish fleet attacks our ships off Sicily.
October 1731
There is rebellion in Sudeten which our Bohemian garrison is best placed to deal with and we launch an assault and re-take Mecklenberg in one day on the 2nd. Our fleet off Sicily is defeated on the 6th. Our Talahassee colony is established on the 11th.
November 1731
We defeat a small Spanish garrison outside Bearn and lay siege to recapture our city on the 5th. We launch an assault on Castille on the 16th - not expecting victory but hoping to whittle the defenders' numbers somewhat.
December 1731
Hessen is besieged by France on the 1st. Our forces in Castille are thrown back with horrific losses on the 6th - too weak to continue the siege they retreat to Aragon. Our Rio Grande colony is successfully established on the 15th. France abandons her siege of Hessen and her army marches on Thuringen instead.
January 1732
Tax 1606d. We suffer a revolt in Erz but our army in Sudeten will deal with them. On the 11th our retreating army from Castille arrives in Aragon but withdraws to Navarra rather than face the rebel force there. The Spanish army in Guyenne has been reduced from some 119,000 to 37,000 by attrition and desertion (many Spanish troops do not like the idea of fighting their old allies it would seem) and so are no longer a threat. We will continue to burn trade posts in New Spain but wait until we can persuade Spain to sign a white peace and then woo them back into our alliance. We start now with a state gift to express our regrets that relations between our two mighty Empires have been reduced to so sorry a state and they respond positively (-200 to +4). A French army ironically defeats the Erz rebels for us before marching eastwards into Bohemia. We send our Sudeten force to intercept them.
February 1732
There is a revolt in Vendee which our new army, currently based in Poitou, can deal with, and a small force of rebels seize the fortress in Nice. We send a trader to Saltillo and half our Tampico garrison to protect the territory against marauding Spanish. We also send a colonist to Mazatlan on the west coast of New Mexico.
Then Persia declares war on us on the 6th. We are lamenting the inadvisability of taking their territory for our own due to their Shi-ite religion when one of our junior Privy Councillors speaks up to point out that Basrah – already a part of the English Empire - is Shi-ite province. We double check and find that he is absolutely right, we already control a Shi-ite area and it is no more rebellious than the rest of our Moslem territories. This changes everything and we immediately draw up plans for the complete conquest and annexation of Persia.
[Note for confused readers – at this stage I wasn’t aware that Shi’ite and Sunni both count as Moslem in terms of religious tolerance, which is why I’d tried to avoid bringing yet another religion into the Empire for stability reasons. Hey, not my fault the manual was bloody useless…]
Our plans are simple. Our Indus fleet will ferry half our Indus force to Isfahan whilst the other half invades their eastern territories and our army from Basrah strikes into their western borders, with a force sent north from Judea to Armenia and the rest of our Judean and Deltan armies to back up the main attack force. We also raise additional recruits in the region to act as general reinforcements. It may take a year or more, but we firmly believe that all Persia can now be ours and held by us without fear of rebellious imbalance.
We re-burn the San Bernardino trade post on the 15th and send an English colonial mission to replace it.
March 1732
On the 1st our army from Nice defeats a rebel army and lays siege to Aragon. On the 5th we assault and take Persian Kalat and on the 13th we lay siege to the fortress of Hamad. We launch an assault to finish off Bearn on the 23rd and Paris falls on the 25th. Baluchistan in Persia is besieged on the 28th. Denmark declares war on us on the 30th.
April 1732
We re-take Bearn as the fortress falls to our forces on the 3rd and we match at once on Navarra. We also send a portion of our Paris force to rendezvous with two thirds of our Vendee army and attack Maine while the rest of the Vendee force heads south to reinforce the attack on Aragon. We also send a colonist to Empalme. On the 21st we burn a Spanish trade post in Caracas.
May 1732
Bremen rises in revolt. On the 9th we lay siege to Navarra and on the 20th its the turn of Isfahan. On the 25th we lay siege to the French province of Maine. A small Spanish force seizes our colony in Tuscaloosa on the 25th so a detachment is sent from Biloxi to clear them out. We also raise further troops in the Holy Land and Iraq for the conquest of Persia and order an assault on Hamad to get the process moving. Hamad falls on the 29th and our army there marches north to Tabriz to rendezvous with the force that tried to take Armenia but was forced back by the Persian attack on Kars.
June 1732
The newly-taken Cyclades rise in revolt and so our garrison from Albania marches across Greece to deal with the rebels. On the 4th the Spanish, having abandoned the siege of Guyenne, lay fresh siege to Bearn. The rebels of Nice are defeated on the 12th and we re-take Tuscaloosa on the 16th. France offers a white peace, their third such in as many months, but of course we decline.
July 1732
July sees a revolt in Brandenburg, which our Anhalt garrison will deal with and the development of naval grapheshot (tech lvl 32). Our Saltillo trade post is successfully established on the 8th and we bring more troops down from Biloxi to defend the region. On the 17th we defeat a Persian army in Tabriz and order an immediate assault. We take the province in only two days and send our army - an advance force of infantry and cavalry and then an artillery train - north to tackle the Georgians besieging Kars and then Armenia.
On the 26th we tire of our cat-and-mouse games with Spain in New England and send them an offer of 250d reparitions, which they are happy to accept. We shall rebuild our bridges with our noble ally in the coming months and secure their return to our alliance, where they belong. This policy of baiting Spain that my predecessor espoused was a stupid one from the beginning. Without Spain’s strong arm beside us, where would our nation be today? Admittedly, we have seized a massive amount of territory in New England as a result of our conflict, but enough, say I. No more shall we make war on our Catholic brethren. From now on England and Spain shall be the good friends they always should have been. Unless of course, they show any further signs of weakness…
Milords, I commend myself to you. My name, Lords and Gentlemen, is James Peebles and I have the honour to have been recently created His Majesty's loyal Earl of Sussex. I have served in the English Army and was present at both of the entirely too disastrous assaults on the city of Bordeaux in Gascogne. Indeed, it was I who took command of the siege following the almost utter defeat of our forces and saw it to a successful conclusion. For this reason and I am sure many others I have been asked by His Majesty to head his new Government.
My predecessor, Pitt, has been removed from office at the behest of His Majesty, George II. Such a timid creature as Pitt could no longer be allowed to lead our glorious Empire. His Grand Plan for the future development of the nation involved little more than the appeasement of the Turk and “peaceful co-existence” with the rest of Europe. His Majesty has a far bolder plan for this great nation of ours, and I am in complete accord with him.
His Majesty does not foresee the path of the English nation to be one of peace, my lords. In fact, if this great nation of ours is at peace for many more than ten of the next thirty years, I shall be greatly surprised...
But you shall see, my lords, you shall see. And if any of you are not happy with the appointment of one so young as I – yes it is true, I am only twenty-six summers old, and what of it? Great Age is no precondition of Great Ability and I can at least assure you that I do not suffer from senility - or if you disagree with my policies, then you and I shall have words in private. I have the ear of the King my lords, and I am his complete and utterly obedient servant.
My chronicling duties resume: Our Milwaukee trade post is established on the 24th, which is good news. Soon we shall control all the territory in New England not under the influence of the Spanish or French.
July - August 1727
On the 17th our Matagorda regiment defeats the rebel presence in Savannah and lays siege to re-take our town. On August 16th the rebel army from Kebec seizes the colony of Megantic, but a force of 13,000 is maneuvering in the region to bring about their defeat.
September - October 1727
There is rebellion in Bremen, which our Holstein garrison marches to meet. We send a trader to Superior - the last unoccupied province in New England. In early October our merchant guilds report the development of Protectionism (trade tech lvl 7) and we begin raising capital to finance our next war - to the tune of 400d a month. The balance of our income goes into naval research. The Kebec rebels are defeated in Megantic on the 12th. On the 18th we put down the second Bremen uprising. Our Wisconsin trade post is successfully established on the 25th. Our forces re-take unfortified Kebec on the 29th.
November - December 1727
November brings a revolt in Western Pommerania which our Brandenburg garrison marches to defeat. We send our first colonial mission to gold rich Angara on the east bank of the Ob River in deepest Siberia. We also promote a tax collector in Enkan to begin the work of collating the income of the region. A governor will follow and then a chief judge shortly afterwards. We shall expand no further westwards than Angara we think, but take up the rest of the region with our trade posts and protect access to them with fortified towns on the east coast and the banks of the Ob. A worthy rather than glamorous project that will take some time to complete but one that will assuredly bring great wealth to the nation.
The rest of November is a quiet month and we defeat the Western Pommeranian rebels on the 10th of December.
January - December 1728
Tax 1702d. We suffer a revolt in Bearn but nothing too troublesome - our garrison is already on hand to deal with them and indeed they are defeated by the 5th. Our trade post is establihsed in Superiror and with it we take the last unoccupied province in New England.
The rest of January and February are again quiet as we continue to make preparations for the next war with France, which will commence just as soon as Turkey and Georgia have settled their differences. In March we fail to establish our colony in Angara and so another mission is sent (of course).
In April we suffer a revolt in Moravia, which our Bohemian regiment is well placed to deal with. The rebel army is defeated by the 28th and then we lay siege to recapture the fortress. In June our admirals report the development of improved Optics, an aid to our ships in combat. We rein in our ecomony to 200d per month and divert further funds to the Admiralty to continue their laudable progress.
In August we once again fail to establish ourselves in Angara and so we send another mission. It is hardly surprising – I hear the territory out there is unspeakably vile. September brings a revolt in Calais that our Caux garrison marches to deal with. We defeat the Calais rebels in early November after three weeks of heavy fighting.
Janaury - May 1729
Tax 1772d. We commission a goods manufactory in Florence. We also raise 25,000 fresh troops in north-west France to act as a policing force in the event of the next war, which we are hoping we shall find an opportunity to provoke this year. Good news on January 15th as our Angara colony is successfully established at last and so another mission can be sent at once.
Angara expands successfully in May. At the same time, our army in north-western France reaches a state of full readiness and so we decide the time has come to provoke fresh confrontation with our old and favourite enemy… yes indeed, the time has come to once more register our protest at the continuing Nipponese embargo of our merchants. On the 15th of May, we declare War once more on Nippon.
June - July 1729
June brings a revolt in Madgeburg in which the rebels seize the fortress, but no declaration of war from France or Turkey. Perhaps we have weakened them to the point where they no longer feel up to the task of confronting us? An advisor suggests that perhaps it is more the case that our peace treaty with France is still in force whilst their vassal is still at war with Turkey. An irritating state of affairs. We can but hope that Turkey and Georgie settle their differences soon. There is also a rebellion in Bremen in July but again, still no declaration of war from elsewhere. The Madgeburg rebels are defeated by the end of the month and we besiege the fortress. We re-take Moravia also.
August - September 1729
Anhalt rises in revolt in August. Our Holstein garrison will deal with them when they've finished in Bremen. On the 3rd our Taiwan fleet of 15 warships encounters 7/0/2 Nipponese vessels off Honshu and sinks them all by the 10th without loss. The Bremen rebels are defeated by the 12th and our army marches south to Anhalt. Angara expands again in early September and we send another colonial group. On the 15th our Delhi garrison arrives in Yanam to assist in the siege.
October - December 1729
Hellas rises in revolt but our garrison is already on hand to deal with them. Our admirals also demonstrate the first 24-pounder guns (naval tech lvl 30).Having decided that none of our enemies are likely to rise to our bait, we offer Nippon an honourable white peace but our offer is rejected. Very well, we shall blockade their trade centre for a while and see if that helps them to change their minds. On the 2nd we finally re-take Savannah from the rebels there and the Anhalt rebels are defeated on the 3rd. Hellas follows on the 7th.
In November we lose control over the Azores to a few hundred local rebels who also seize the fortress. An annoyance, no more. We send traders to Tchumkhan and Amgoun in Siberia. There is another revolt in Calais in December and again our Caux garrison is called on to deal with them.
January - March 1730
Tax 1736d. Anna rises to the throne of Russia and Mahmoud I rises to the throne of Turkey. Again we offer Nippon a white peace and again they refuse us. Then, finally, on January 9th Georgia settles peace with Turkey, surrendering the province of Azow and 143d. Now our peace treaty with France no longer holds them back, we expect a declaration of war any day now, but wait. Georgia is still at war with Oman. The damned treaty still holds. Why was I not told this before? Bring me the Foreign Minister. No, better still, bring me his head…
Angara expands again on the 10th and we send another mission. On the 11th we engage the Calais rebels and all 23,000 of them are defeated by the 15th. Vendee rebels in February but our garrison defeats the rebel force in under three days. Also on the 3rd, we land a cavalry force in Bogodorsk, a Nipponese trade post, defeat a local native army then burn the trade post to teach the Nipponese not to trifle with us. In late February we send anther mission to Buriat to continue the expansion of our earlier colony, which was rather forgotten in our push to Angara.
We lose Mecklemberg to rebels in March and send our Holstein garrison to take the city back. There has still been absolutely no progress in the siege of Yanam and so we launch an assault in the hope that this might force a resolution. The assault lasts exactly one month and by the end of it there are still some 7,300 defenders inside the fortress. We shall raise and send reinforcements and then try again. In the meantime, Mecklemberg is besieged by our forces on the 28th.
April - 1730
Another peace offer to Nippon is rejected. Angara expands again in May and another mission is sent. We establish a trade post in Tchumkan on May 15th and Amgoun on the 20th. On the 25th we re-take Madgeburg but in June Bremen rises in revolt again so our army marches westwards rather than returning home to Brandenburg.
The peasants of Vendee try to rebel again in July and this time they last a whole day longer. The Bremen rebels are defeated on the 21st. Buriat expands on the 25th another mission is sent. We launch another assault on Yanam on the 20th of August. The city of New Eastern Pommerania is founded in Angara on September 9th as 1,000 locals join our colonial population. We immediately commission a fortress and a 1,000 troop garrison. We also send a trader to Bogorodsk.
October 1730
Another peace offer to Nippon is rejected in early October. Then finally, on October 16th, Turkey declares war on us. We call on our allies to assist and, as we half-expected, Spain dishonours the alliance. This is exactly what we were hoping for. We send a signal to our allies that we care little for Spain or her loyalty by sending a state gift to both Denmark (-200 to -51) and Sweden (-200 to +4). The time has come to woo our Scandinavian neighbours with a view to their eventual inclusion on a greater English Empire yet. As for Spain, we have Casus Belli on them, but we are not ready to go to war with them quite yet. Their time will come. Oh yes, their time will come.
Now though, for Turkey!
Our armies mobilise at once against our three target provinces for this particular conflict - Delta, the Lebanon and the Cyclades. We also despatch our Macedonian garrison to take the Sultan's capital yet again.
War with Spain.
November 1730
On the 6th our army defeats 2,000 defenders of Thrace and lays siege to the capital of Turkey. Then dawns the 7th of November 1730, a day that almost saddens me as England and Spain, staunchest of allies for longer than anyone living can remember, go to war for the first time in over 238 years.
The Spanish are the aggressors, but we shall emerge as victors. We carefully decide upon our targets and prepare to wreak havoc amongst Spain's New England territories. Cavalry columns break off from our main Matagordan force and prepare to go on a trade-post burning spree throughout California and New Mexico. We also intend to burn the Spanish out of Florida and take the city of Los Alamo in Mobile. The Spanish trade posts in Rio Grande, Wichita and Concho are destroyed on the 17th. Back in Europe, we lay siege to Lebanon on the 22nd and then in the New World once more, Pecos goes up in flames on the 27th.
In December we suffer domestic problems as the Plague sweeps through Wessex, the Grampians and Lothian and we lose half our population in each province (random event). Tampico trade post is destroyed on the 2nd. El Paso, Seminole and Talahassee are burnt on the 7th and we send a trader and Colonist to the latter two (respectively). We also send a colonist to Tampico. Our spree continues through Saltillo on the 12th and Coahuilha on the 14th. On the 23rd we defeat 11,000 Turkish recruits in Lebanon. Pinalero is destroyed on the 24th.
Back in Siberia the city of New Erz is founded in Buriat on the 26th with the participation of 1,000 locals and again we immediately raise a fortress to protect the gold mines.
The Spanish trade posts in Jaisco and Chihuahua are both destroyed on the 29th.
January 1731
Tax 1664d. On the 6th we finally lay siege to Delta. An Austrian general has commandeered the siege of Lebanon and so pull our forces back to Judea, hoping to discourage him.
We send a colonial mission to Jalisco to exploit the gold mines that we have so recently forced the Spanish out of. Empalme and Arizona trade posts are destroyed on the 9th. We sink six Spanish vessels off Vendee on the 15th and burn the trade post in Mazatlan on the 16th. On the 20th we lay siege to Mobile and on the same day defeat another Spanish squadron off Vendee and capture their rutters, revealing the extent of their New Spanish holdings. On the 22nd our fleet out of Lands End is defeated on the brink of sinking another Spanish squadron.
We decide to commision 50 new warships in Anglia to sweep the seas clear of Spaniards. They seem intent on sending a massive army to attack Bearn and so we put a defensive plan into action that will involve harrying their main force with cavalry units to prevent their crossing the Pyrenees, and outflanking them with an attack on Castille from the north. The trade posts in Altar and Canyon are destroyed on the 21st. They are already re-establishing themselves in Rio Grande and so a cavalry unit is despatched to burn the trade post the very second it is finished.
February 1731
February brings a revolt in Gascogne that our Bearn garrison moves quickly to deal with, and the development of Line Formations (naval tech 31) by our Admirals. We burn the Spanish out of Salton on the 4th. A Spanish advance force attacks our troops in Bearn, preventing their marching on Gascogne. Towards the end of the month we win a variety of sea battles, against Spain and then Turkey in the Aegean, Spain off Vendee and Oman in the Persian Gulf.
March 1731
Thrace falls to our forces on March 8th. We lay siege to Naxos in the Cyclades on the 10th. Turkey offers white peace on the 18th, which we of course decline. The Spanish army catches our northward-bound force in Bearn on the 22nd. They are 50,000 strong to our 38,000 but we decide to stand and fight. Alas! They are too strong for us and after four days we retreat to Gascogne and leave them to besiege the town.
April - May 1731
We burn the Spanish trade post in San Bernardino. Our Seminole trade post is established on the 8th but we are less lucky in Bodorogsk on the 10th. On May 5th we defeat the rebels of Gascogne but lose control of Bearn to the Spanish, which is a setback for sure. They immediately march on Gascogne, and so we withdraw our troops to Poitou to gather our strength to meet them head on.
Good news though as we take the province of Delta on the 7th but bad news follows hard on its heels as our Talahassee colony fails to establish on the 9th. We send another mission straight away. We burn the Spanish trade post on Tobago island on the 16th.
June 1731
June is a bad month. We suffer revolts in Madgeburg, Biloxi and both Western and Eastern Pommerania. Plus the Spanish army catches our forces in Gascogne, forcing a hasty retreat. On the 11th we capture the Cyclades from Turkey and send a demand for Naxos and the province of Delta to be surrendered to us. The Sultan agrees and we bring an end to our war in the middle east. On the 19th Spain seizes our newly established colony in Tampico and we burn their new trade post in Rio Grande and send our own colonial mission. Our army lands in Euskadia on the 22nd and marches on Castille. On the 27th Spain seizes our Surinam colony and we retaliate by burning their trade post in Martinique.
July 1731
We lose our trade post in Magadan to a native uprising there. On the 10th we defeat the rebels of Western Pommerania and then march on the Eastern province. Spain seizes our Nouakchott colony on the 15th. Our army, withdrawn from Mobile, defeats the rebels of Biloxi on the 25th and we also lay siege to Sicily on the same day. Another army is marching from Apulia to Messina. Our Jalisco colony is successfully established.
August 1731
There is a revolt in Nice on the 1st and we lay siege to Castille on the 8th. We re-take Tampico from Spain on the 18th. Messina is besieged on the 24th.
September 1731
France finally declares war on us on the 4th of September and we call on our allies for support. Loyal Poland and Austria rally to our banner at once. Our plans have been somewhat put out of shape by our conflict with Spain, but we move to attack Paris at once and will strike against other French targets as soon as we are able. In the meantime, a round of recruitment is undertaken in north-west France to provide additional troops for the war.
On the 4th we land a force in Yaraguay, burn the trade post there and split into raiding parties to wreak further havoc in the area. Having defeated the rebels of Eastern Pommerania as well we move our army down to Hessen. On the 16th we defeat the rebels in Nice and march back west to attack the Languedoc. Spain, having abandoned the siege of Gascogne, now lays siege to Guyenne with half its forces, leaving the corridor down to Navarra conveniently open.
We also send a white peace offer to Spain. It has become apparent that we are in fact better off as their allies than their enemies after all - their fortresses are far too strong for us to take without incurring massive attrition losses and now that we have cleared some room for expansion in New England we think it best to make our peace with our former brothers and try to re-forge the old alliance. Our first offer is rebuffed, though - we withdraw our forces from Messina and Sicily and call off the attack on Mobile as a gesture but we think that the best course would be for us to simply re-take Bearn and then call for peace. In the meantime though we burn trade posts in Apure, Tocvo and Paribe, not wanting to let an opportunity slip through our fingers…
Paris is besieged on the 24th and a Spanish fleet attacks our ships off Sicily.
October 1731
There is rebellion in Sudeten which our Bohemian garrison is best placed to deal with and we launch an assault and re-take Mecklenberg in one day on the 2nd. Our fleet off Sicily is defeated on the 6th. Our Talahassee colony is established on the 11th.
November 1731
We defeat a small Spanish garrison outside Bearn and lay siege to recapture our city on the 5th. We launch an assault on Castille on the 16th - not expecting victory but hoping to whittle the defenders' numbers somewhat.
December 1731
Hessen is besieged by France on the 1st. Our forces in Castille are thrown back with horrific losses on the 6th - too weak to continue the siege they retreat to Aragon. Our Rio Grande colony is successfully established on the 15th. France abandons her siege of Hessen and her army marches on Thuringen instead.
January 1732
Tax 1606d. We suffer a revolt in Erz but our army in Sudeten will deal with them. On the 11th our retreating army from Castille arrives in Aragon but withdraws to Navarra rather than face the rebel force there. The Spanish army in Guyenne has been reduced from some 119,000 to 37,000 by attrition and desertion (many Spanish troops do not like the idea of fighting their old allies it would seem) and so are no longer a threat. We will continue to burn trade posts in New Spain but wait until we can persuade Spain to sign a white peace and then woo them back into our alliance. We start now with a state gift to express our regrets that relations between our two mighty Empires have been reduced to so sorry a state and they respond positively (-200 to +4). A French army ironically defeats the Erz rebels for us before marching eastwards into Bohemia. We send our Sudeten force to intercept them.
February 1732
There is a revolt in Vendee which our new army, currently based in Poitou, can deal with, and a small force of rebels seize the fortress in Nice. We send a trader to Saltillo and half our Tampico garrison to protect the territory against marauding Spanish. We also send a colonist to Mazatlan on the west coast of New Mexico.
Then Persia declares war on us on the 6th. We are lamenting the inadvisability of taking their territory for our own due to their Shi-ite religion when one of our junior Privy Councillors speaks up to point out that Basrah – already a part of the English Empire - is Shi-ite province. We double check and find that he is absolutely right, we already control a Shi-ite area and it is no more rebellious than the rest of our Moslem territories. This changes everything and we immediately draw up plans for the complete conquest and annexation of Persia.
[Note for confused readers – at this stage I wasn’t aware that Shi’ite and Sunni both count as Moslem in terms of religious tolerance, which is why I’d tried to avoid bringing yet another religion into the Empire for stability reasons. Hey, not my fault the manual was bloody useless…]
Our plans are simple. Our Indus fleet will ferry half our Indus force to Isfahan whilst the other half invades their eastern territories and our army from Basrah strikes into their western borders, with a force sent north from Judea to Armenia and the rest of our Judean and Deltan armies to back up the main attack force. We also raise additional recruits in the region to act as general reinforcements. It may take a year or more, but we firmly believe that all Persia can now be ours and held by us without fear of rebellious imbalance.
We re-burn the San Bernardino trade post on the 15th and send an English colonial mission to replace it.
March 1732
On the 1st our army from Nice defeats a rebel army and lays siege to Aragon. On the 5th we assault and take Persian Kalat and on the 13th we lay siege to the fortress of Hamad. We launch an assault to finish off Bearn on the 23rd and Paris falls on the 25th. Baluchistan in Persia is besieged on the 28th. Denmark declares war on us on the 30th.
April 1732
We re-take Bearn as the fortress falls to our forces on the 3rd and we match at once on Navarra. We also send a portion of our Paris force to rendezvous with two thirds of our Vendee army and attack Maine while the rest of the Vendee force heads south to reinforce the attack on Aragon. We also send a colonist to Empalme. On the 21st we burn a Spanish trade post in Caracas.
May 1732
Bremen rises in revolt. On the 9th we lay siege to Navarra and on the 20th its the turn of Isfahan. On the 25th we lay siege to the French province of Maine. A small Spanish force seizes our colony in Tuscaloosa on the 25th so a detachment is sent from Biloxi to clear them out. We also raise further troops in the Holy Land and Iraq for the conquest of Persia and order an assault on Hamad to get the process moving. Hamad falls on the 29th and our army there marches north to Tabriz to rendezvous with the force that tried to take Armenia but was forced back by the Persian attack on Kars.
June 1732
The newly-taken Cyclades rise in revolt and so our garrison from Albania marches across Greece to deal with the rebels. On the 4th the Spanish, having abandoned the siege of Guyenne, lay fresh siege to Bearn. The rebels of Nice are defeated on the 12th and we re-take Tuscaloosa on the 16th. France offers a white peace, their third such in as many months, but of course we decline.
July 1732
July sees a revolt in Brandenburg, which our Anhalt garrison will deal with and the development of naval grapheshot (tech lvl 32). Our Saltillo trade post is successfully established on the 8th and we bring more troops down from Biloxi to defend the region. On the 17th we defeat a Persian army in Tabriz and order an immediate assault. We take the province in only two days and send our army - an advance force of infantry and cavalry and then an artillery train - north to tackle the Georgians besieging Kars and then Armenia.
On the 26th we tire of our cat-and-mouse games with Spain in New England and send them an offer of 250d reparitions, which they are happy to accept. We shall rebuild our bridges with our noble ally in the coming months and secure their return to our alliance, where they belong. This policy of baiting Spain that my predecessor espoused was a stupid one from the beginning. Without Spain’s strong arm beside us, where would our nation be today? Admittedly, we have seized a massive amount of territory in New England as a result of our conflict, but enough, say I. No more shall we make war on our Catholic brethren. From now on England and Spain shall be the good friends they always should have been. Unless of course, they show any further signs of weakness…
Damn! Ariel you've been gone so long that I've now got to go back and reread from the beginning to get back up to speed. Ahhhhh Good to have you back.
Joe
Good to have you back. Joe
Whoo Hooo! He's baaaaaaaack!! Haha another good one Ariel. Nice little maneuver of burning the Spanish out of all their weak land, taking it, then wooing them back into the alliance. Any screenies forthcoming? Cant wait to see what this all looks like
Good to see you back, Ariel. Had about given up on ever seeing you complete this. Wonderful reading as always. If you get the chance, you might want to look over Velocyrix's Lorraine AAR. He is a writer, and his AAR shows it.
Good to see you back again Ariel. Let's hope you're able to keep this going to the end. Look's like we may need to be a little patient.
As for the Spanish, you do realise that all the money you're going to have to pay them for friendship will be used to make their fortifications even stronger.
Also I wasn't aware of that technicality in the peace treaty - vassal still at war with whomever. Maybe you can explain?
And Angara?! Unspeakably vile?! Don't forget, these a people who want to leave England's green and pleasant land and so such places are suited to misfits of that sort. But I don't see any reason why a gold province can be vile - apart from Mato Grosso.
As for the Spanish, you do realise that all the money you're going to have to pay them for friendship will be used to make their fortifications even stronger.
Also I wasn't aware of that technicality in the peace treaty - vassal still at war with whomever. Maybe you can explain?
And Angara?! Unspeakably vile?! Don't forget, these a people who want to leave England's green and pleasant land and so such places are suited to misfits of that sort. But I don't see any reason why a gold province can be vile - apart from Mato Grosso.
Nice to here from you again, I think we were all beginning to lose hope out here