1836-1840
Four years, two wars, three rebellions, twenty thousand dead
Early-game Brasil is a country plagued by rebellions, as these couple of screenshots will illustrate:
We start off with the province of Belém controlled by 10K irregular rebels. I immediately order the conveniently adjecent division to conquer it and defeat the rebels. The rebels escape from my clutches, but, since they are irregulars, attrite away before they could cause harm.
Or, at least, so I thought. This event proves me the opposite:
The Cabanagem Rebellion is the first in a loong string of rebellion events. A quick word about them. I actually like those that give less militancy and an outright rebellion more. Why? Becouse the rebelling troops is conjured out of thin air, thus it does not actually decrease my population by its actions, whereas if pops themselves rebel out of militancy, that cost me valuable manpower.
And now, before we return to the war, a word about research. Brasil start out with very few techs, even some utterly vital ones, like Freedom of Trade (!!!) are missing, and RP generation is low, around 0.5-0.6. Luckily, we are liberty-based in our national values, meaning that non-war techs cost only 90% RP. But still, there are some hard choices, as we can only focus on one area at the time. I decide to go with industrial techs until FoT pops up, or, if Malthusian Thought (the requisite tech for Positivism, and later Functionalism and Biologism, the RP-increasing techs) pops up first, then I'll stick with that.
Right now, I go with Practical Steam Engine, like in 90% of my games when this tech is not available out of hand. That 10% extra efficiency is very nice.
Back to the war. We get a very nice event about what to do with our feeble little rebels. I choose full mobilistaion, becouse the construction of divisions is more or less, free, as they cost no canned food or small arms, which is a huge bonus for a small economy like mine. The 20 leadership would be great, but I forgot to drain my pool empty on day one, so it goes to the fishes, but you win some, you lose some. The mil hit is a bit hurting, but hey, its war. Going with Brasil, in a low-millitary enviroment like South Amreica, those divisions you get will be enough for you up until 1870-ish.
The two divisions adjecent to Pratini are immediately ordered to invade.
The first battle is a sign of things to come. Pratiniesque divisions are under strenght and outnumbered. I win, of course.
Their infantry corps invades me. This is actually good, as it will give me a chance to encircle their divisions, which is in the early game the only reliable tactic to destryo them, as the low morale of divs mean they will retreat rather than to die.
Meanwhile, my four divisions are finished and deployed. One goes to the ongoing battle, one to occupy Desterro, where the Pratini army will die, and two go to break their siege.
The plan works, and their army is being destoryed:
From now on, this war is merely a question of mraching and occupation.
Meanwhile, my reserves hit the 5K mark, and I order some goods necessary for POP promotion to be bought. I usually go with orders of 10 with better countries, but Brasil can not afford that yet.
After their occupation, I offer my little rebels a peace. They do not reject it, of course. AI nations rarely reject anything if you have 100% of their territory under control.
Here is a little POP detail after the war. As you can see, my population is completely agrarian, with a considerable amount of slaves.
Meanwhile, rebels pop up in Pará, but they are all under 1000, so its more convenient just to let them suffer attrition and die than to call the army on them.
In a mere 1,5 years, I finish my research (this means my RP generation is around 9/18=0.5), and I opt for Mechanical Production next. The extra machine parts dont mean squat, as I am intervantionsit, and have no railroad tech, but the inventions all give very hefty production increases, from 10 to 110%. Neat.
Some political event also happens, giving me the conservatives into power.
The other choice would have given me increased militancy for conservative, which is not a good chice with almost fully ocnservaitve pops.
On the other side of the Andes, the war of the Peru-Bolivia Confederation is in full swing, and I start to eye them as a prize. I would have gon for Uruguay, a three province minor, but they were GOIed by me and Argentina, while the other possible target, Paraguay, has bad RGOs and an idiotic event that gives my conquest back to them after the War Of The Triple Alliance.
Sadly, all good RGOs are on the seaside, which means I need to get extra BB for connecting provinces I will take, thus I have to minimize my grabbing, as early BB wars hurt badly. Very badly.
I decide to take an Iron and a Gold province, and two connecting provinces as my goal. So, war with Bolivia it is. I had to wait to replenish my manpower, and the Confederation fell apart during that time, so I can only take from Bolivia now. I order 3 divs to their capital (+22% warscore), and another 3 start occupying.
This war was a typical example of early warfare. Too few divisions to keep the whole frontline under controll, units retreating rather than dieing, and a very stubborn AI meant that this war dragged on for two years an only ended when I destroyed all their divisions and occupied almost all their territory.
A typical battle. I conquer a province, they send an army to take it, I have to send a relief army to end their siege, they send an army to where the relief force cam from, and repeat ad nauseam.
But, some good things also happened. I got a new leader, and he is fantastic. Attrition reduction is a key to such low-fight, long occupation wars, and he is immediately sent to the army occupying La Paz (ironic name, eh?).
And of course, I get some scripted rebels to join in the fun. I lose a territory to them, but I cant spare a single division to take care of them. After the war, they will die, right now, I'll let the jungle take them bit by bit.
Rule of Acquisition 34: "War if good for business".
The Bolivian fleet sure traveled a lot to find a place to sink.
A worthless peace offer, rejected. Of course, my peace offers get rejected in equal fassion.
I relasie I need to start a campaing of division destruction, and start to trap this division in ther border territories. They eventually get destroyed in the southernmost province.
Uruguay joins in the fun. If you cant beat them, join them, it seems. Fine by me.
War does not stop research. The next target is also an industrial tech, now made worth having by getting me two extra mining RGOs.
The Bolivian army makes its last stand:
There may be 5 divisions, but their strenght is lower than 12K man altogether. A pity. That is not to say that this war has not cost me some warm bodies, as you can read from the title. And at least half of that went to attrition.
After this bloodbath, they finally cave in to my demands.
And the army can go to play whack-a-rebel.
And, to end this update on a lighter tone, the first Cofee Boom happens. Great, although with "slavery" parties, I wont get any immigration. Yet.
