The Russian expansion to the east was proceeding smoothly, but Feodor I still felt uncomfortable with the narrow passage past Sibr. He therefor sent some troops in the spring of 1585 to ensure that they were occupied. Some Nogai forces apparently took this as an excuse to end up on the wrong side of the border - they were quickly thrown out (and of course made to pay a fine). After two years the Tsar came to the conclusion that it would be easier to simply remove the bottleneck and decided to keep most of the Sibr territories.
Some years went by and the expansion continued, as did the effort of promoting officials to ensure a good level of service to the people. Brave Russian explorers pushed on and eventually managed to cross the entire continent, finding the rumored ocean to the east. But the tiny Sibr enclave, now in the middle of Russian land, was making the Tsar sleep a bit restlessly. Knowing they were not to be trusted on their own he sent some troops with an offer they could not refuse and in the autumn of 1593 the former Sibr people were welcomed to the mighty Russian empire. However, some confusion during the transition led to some now Russian troops finding themselves on Nogai territory. The Nogai leaders, newer known for their intelligence, declared war leaving the Feodor I with no option but to teach them a lesson once and for all. After only three years they were forced to admit that they had been wrong and to turn control of all Nogai provinces except the capitol to more capable hands.
This episode had no more then finished when the Persians decided to invade the newly gained lands. Wondering if there was no end to the idiocy the Tsar pushed them back and, before declaring peace, took the opportunity to visit Tabriz where he gained some maps and a hefty contribution to the Russian coffers. Sadly, the bitterness took its toll on his health and he died in 1598 at age 40, being succeeded by Boris I since he had not had time to obtain an heir.
Boris had barely had time to settle into his new role and realize that his predecessors focus on trade and development had left the military somewhat outdated and short of men when, in 1600, the Ottoman Sultan cowardly decided to exploit this less then optimal situation. He invaded all along the long border and, being at least a little more competent then Russia's previous imbecile enemies, even managed to reach Moscow. Boris I raced to get back to the threatened capital while gathering men on the way but didn't arrive before the Ottomans had left, taking some of his finest maps with them. When it became clear that all the Sultan wanted was the old Nogai provinces (which were too distant and somewhat un-Russian anyway) the Tsar fought his anger, thought of his suffering people and signed the peace. He then set about updating the military and requiting men, wowing that this was the last time some hooligan would dare to pinch Mother Russia's bottom when she wasn't looking.
Session: 1608
Land: Russia
Ledare: 4 generaler
On-time bonus: Deflation
AAR bonus: Deflation
Core: Iasa, Bessarabia, 994
