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OR OR OR!!! Hear me out here! King of Men is just perfectly situation in that little grey area of where he's obviously so treacherous that he can't be negotiated with in regards to africa BUT BUT BUT.... Honest just ENOUGH that he's been aligned with me all game and would never break our long standing alliance!

Crafty...
 
KOM, even other anti-Russian nations have flat out told us not to negotiate with you because you'll backstab us :)

Also, you'd get quicker response times if you didn't insist on conducting your diplomacy via forum post with three people who all live in different timezones and have jobs, while avoiding the main medium of our diplomacy (MSN).
 
Also, how in balls' name are the KoMgols going to stab Africa?!

Rather in the manner they just did, I would think? :)
 
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By not attacking africa but a random passerby of no relevance to African security! Clev3r!
 
By not attacking africa but a random passerby of no relevance to African security! Clev3r!

All right, I may not trust KOM, but give the man some credit. Do you think he assembled a five-nation coalition including three of the most powerful militaries in the world for the sole purpose of fighting Tibet? Tibet doesn't even have Latin troops.
 
Why fight Tibet alone when its protected by the second most powerful long standing bloc in the world?
 
Why fight Tibet alone when its protected by the second most powerful long standing bloc in the world?

I think we only qualify for third at best.

But anyway, aren't you arguing against yourself by now? :)
 
A New Crusade

February 13th, 1612
New Byzantium, Roman Khanate
Home of Achilles Peleides

Sweet oblivion beckoned, but there was a ritual to be observed. He might be down on his luck, but he was still a Komnenos of a Senatorial house. Gulping wine straight from the bottle simply would not do; Achilles poured carefully into a goblet (wooden, but it was an actual serving utensil), sniffed to judge the quality of the wine (horse piss, but the point was that one did not just pour it down the throat), and then sipped rather than quaffing. Consequently he was startled when his mother walked into his apartment, but he did not feel any urge to hide the bottle behind his back; instead he was able to raise his eyebrows in a perfectly civilised manner and say quite unashamedly, "Good evening, mother. Would you care for some wine?"

"Not just now, thank you."

"As you like. But have a seat! If I had known I would have such a distinguished guest, I would have laid in food, flutists, a philosopher to engage us in discussion, dancing girls - but alas, I fear you find me unprepared. To what do I owe such an honour?"

She regarded him steadily. "You do not entertain the possibility that I simply wished to see my son?"

"Your disgraced son, the black sheep of the family? The one whose actions had to be disavowed, and an apology given to the Czar? The son whom you have not seen in three years, and who was turned away from the gates of the family estate, and left to support himself by menial labour? No, actually, I do not think it very likely that you have simply come for a chat. What do you want, mother?"

"That was not my doing. I think your father would have been less angry if he had not secretly agreed with you. If he'd listened to me instead of the Senate... well, that is all wind over the steppe now. I have finally been able to cool his anger enough that he's agreed to offer you a century in the army that will invade Tibet."

"A century? Rather a comedown for a man who has been envoy to the Orkut tribes, isn't it? By seniority I should have a cohort, at an absolute minimum. And really, for a house that commands as many equestrians as ours, anything but a full Legion is an insult." Even so, Achilles felt a tug of temptation. To have an official position, even a lowly one; and even more, to serve, to work for something more than enough food to get up the next morning and do it all over again - he squashed the treacherous thought firmly. He had gone down that path before, and what had it got him? Disgrace, an apartment whose door didn't lock, and cheap wine.

"You're right," his mother said, "it is a step down. That can't be helped. If you had kept your mouth shut and eaten the rage like the rest of us had to - well, wind over the steppe. Now it's all I can do to give you a chance to redeem yourself. To show that you're good for more than raging about appeasement and dishonour, and drowning your sorrows in cheap drink. Are you a Komnenos or a whiner?"

Achilles felt a flash of anger. "I was right, dammit! Giving up Siberia was a shameful act. And we call ourselves the heirs of Alexandros? The men of the Long March rolled over in their graves. And the Senate knows it, and the People know it too! They couldn't face truth, so they sent me to this - exile, to hide from the only one who'd tell them truth. Better if we'd gone down fighting!"

His mother leaned back in her chair, which creaked alarmingly but did not collapse. She nodded slowly. "There's some truth in what you say, yes. Once I felt as you do; and acted similarly. I was there in the Forum, you know, when the Death of Hope was announced. I lost a brother in that war, but I hadn't cried; for the news from Tibet was good, we were winning. Ajaxz hadn't died in vain, I thought. And then came word of the Treaty, and I went home and wept. And when I was done weeping I gave up; I decided that if all our sacrifice couldn't give us victory even when we held the field, what was the use? So I discarded the modest life of a proper Komnenoi maiden; and my father turned me out of the house. You look shocked, Achilles; did you think you were the only one in all of history to quarrel with his parents over a matter of principle?"

Achilles felt shock and fascination overtake his anger; here was a side of his mother he'd never seen before. "Then - what happened? How did you live?"

Her lips twitched. "Don't worry, Achilles, I didn't have to dance on tables. I went to your father's family, and for his sake they took me in. As you might have gone to Aglaia's family, and perhaps you'd be married now - eh, no matter. She wasn't really up to your level, anyway. I lived in rebellion against House and custom for five years; drinking, dancing, wearing all the jewelry I could afford - it was a wild time. All the old traditions collapsed; we didn't see the point anymore."

"But - you must have reconsidered."

"Well, yes and no. The old sumptuary laws are gone beyond recall." She gestured to the heavy bracelets decorating her arms, the gold headband that held her hair. "But in the end, we found that rebellion was no answer either. We had to have some purpose beyond being right, dammit. There are no easy answers, Achilles. We couldn't give up Siberia, it would be dishonourable; we couldn't fight Russia, it would be futile. What would you have us do? Yes - " she held up a hand, forestalling his hot response. "I know, I know. Fight to the death, rather than accept dishonour. Easy for you to say, who have no children. For myself, and your father too even if he would die before admitting it... dishonour passes. There is life after defeat; that's what I learned, when I was your age. I was surprised, I remember that, but it's true. If I have any wisdom, that's all of it in a nutshell: There is life after defeat. Won't you take up that challenge, Achilles? Live, lead, win? This half-death, suicide by wine, it was fine as a gesture but it can't be very satisfying. How about showing the Tibetans that Rome is not to be trifled with?"

"And if the disgraced son happens not to come back from the war in which he found redemption..." Achilles suggested cynically. His mother looked down. "Your father, perhaps, is making that calculation. On some level. He can't help it. But I'm not. They don't issue shields to the Legions any more, you know; and you can do anything with a bayonet except use it to carry the glorious dead. So you'd better come back alive."
 
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An exciting session. Tibet is no more (at least, that'll be the case as soon as Bengal, Qin, the Khanate, and Croatia agree on the precise borders of the partition); Suirantes has moved to Bengal. Punjab has broken its alliance with the Khanate, and shelters under the scabrous wing of the Russian eagle. China has grown larger.
 
Eh what golle? Did you have to release some of your Great BritMark as vassals? or what does those drawings mean?

No just scandinavia and I am planning to change my capital to new world
 
Punjab broke nothing, Punjab decided not to extend the treaty at the end of its term as per the rules of said treaty.

Arguably by ending the treaty you broke 150 years of cooperation.
 
So now that Punjab is Russias biatch does that mean that when Komgols go war against Russia they will be fighting against Punjab too?
 
From ashes like phoenix they shall rise again

Mua'dib and his thieves had done well so far, stealing from the foreign merchants who had traded in Egypt without permission and assassinating those who get too cocky. Their life was good and everybody respected them, well at least the common folks as the Government denied all relations to the thief's and issued raids against them, usually these were fake raids just to keep the cover up. The new Asker Doge wanted to concentrate more in trade and economical growth himself and left all the military administration to be handled by other departments, this was a mistake that was soon realized. The new ministers who were let to handle the military policies of Egypt were corrupt and incompetent, they had no idea what they were doing and soon the great armies of Egypt were not so great. This of course didn't concern the well being of Mua'dib and his thieves and their life continued as normal, they even had enough money to start their own business venture in Egyptian India and soon they were robbing merchants there too. The organization that Mua'dib had created functioned like a family whit Mua'dib as it's head. There was a rank system, an hierarchical order that was followed strictly, one could say that it was the ancient grandfather of the modern mafias. All high ranking thieves were also all Egyptian and even though other thieves such like Indian thieves were used in Askeristan region they never rose trough the ranks. This was to ensure that the organization would always be ruled by an Egyptian.

Then it happened. The Persian hordes were on the move backed up by their new master the Bavarians. Thanks to the corrupt official in the Military administration the Egyptian armies were defeated by the Persians and the corrupt governors opened their city gates for the cruel and unspeakably plain Persians. These monsters entered the city with good intention but when they were inside they revealed their true nature. They burned down cities and villages, did inhumane women, children, camels and even men. They pillaged and wreaked havoc like the barbarians they were. When the news reached Alexandria and Cairo all out panic broke out. People tried to flee the city to Algiers even the government moved out of the city to an secret location. All that was left were those too unfortunate to escape in time and Mua'dibs thieves who staid behind to protect their families and their holdings. Soon the Persians arrived, their foul stench could be smelled miles away. The first thing they did was to do inhumane things to the first living beings they caught and burn down everything in their path but they were too careless and soon the thieves and assassins caught them by surprise in the narrow streets of Cairo and Alexandria. Even though the provinces were controlled by the Persians the cities never fell as the Persians were forced to retreat from the cities after suffering heavy losses against the thieves. And soon they were forced to retreat back to their holes in Persia when Mother Russia and her big bear called Bart were woken up from their slumbers. The Persians literally soiled their pants when they heard the roar of the Russian bear. So when the Persians were gone people returned home and started rebuilding what the Persians had destroyed. The coming years would be hard but this was not the first time the Egyptians had risen from the ashes like a phoenix.
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Another Ethiopian-Malayan naval war will be fought, it seems, as the fourth Malayan attack in 25 years. The Ethiopian fleet is large and (mostly) modern, but, as always, weaker than the Malayan overall. Decisive battles have yet to be fought.
 
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