Chapter 11: An entire update in which the Japanese fleet loses comparatively few ships
Sorry, titles are hard. As a bit of warning, there are no wars in this update. Not even over Korea. I promise the next update will have more action and, dare I say, more Japanese ships sinking. (In the sake of full disclosure, some ships
do sink in this update, but they’re individual cogs which I sent on exploration voyages.)
We begin this update with an entirely off-the-cuff observation. I don’t even remember making it at the time, but I must have subconsciously made it or I wouldn’t have taken this screenshot.
It would appear that the Europeans have discovered the East. Spain isn’t the ideal power to partner with – and I’m sure I’ll need to do just that if I do get into some sort of European conflagration – but you have to start somewhere. I get very welcome news in a few short weeks.
This event appears welcome when I initially receive it, but will later prove to be an irritant (better still, getting rid of it requires 200 power in every category).
In early 1619 it becomes clear that the Brits will never be friends with me, at least not friendly enough for basing rights. I decide to build a new cog in Wake and pick up the small army there, at which point I’ll cancel my military access. (I actually have 7 diplomatic relations as of the beginning of this update; two vassals, alliances with Dai Viet and Xi, RMs with Majapahit and Manchu, and the mil access with GB.) A new galley runs into a pirate around the Kurils, and is defeated, but doesn’t sink. The pirate is later crushed unmercifully. May 1619 marks a glorious day – the completion of our second set of ideas!
You probably can guess what I’ll be doing with my admin for the immediate future. My naval advisor dies in 1620; he is replaced by a new guy, good for +30% relations over time. I pay off a minor loan in June (some event forced me to spend money that I didn’t want to; you saw it in the last update). Bone, the colony, matures in 1621. I’m waiting for my cog to arrive (it’s been scouting the sea around Ozark) in Wake, then it’s time for more exploring. Of course, it doesn’t make it back and sinks. I am seriously thinking perhaps that Japanese shipwrights are making ships out of lead instead of wood. September 1621 poses an interesting economic dilemma.
You’ll notice I haven’t been spending the admin yet to work on the inflation; this is because I hadn’t decided to do that just yet. The important part from this screenshot is the relative importance of tax and production to Japan vis-à-vis trade; the boost to mercantilism will improve my stranglehold over the Philippines and Nippon, and soon I hope Malacca. I take the decision. I get a new mil advisor at the end of 1621 (+33% to reinforce).
1623 is a big year for Japan because:
For this mission, you need 75% of your total force limit, which is 90 some ships for Japan. I’ve been building a lot of galleys, mostly, but some barques and the odd early carrack too. The new mission?
You need under 5% inflation to complete it. I start using admin in earnest. I get a regency council a few days later, but it’s not a bad one at all – 4/2/5. Since there won’t be any wars for me any time soon, I decide to annex Makassar. Partially to get rid of the relation, but also to make my borders look nice – this would give me all of Sumatra.
1624 sees me finally colonize Kamchatka (hah! You thought I forgot about it, didn’t you?) and with the improved range, I send my exploring cog north.
This is no mere dual island cluster (there’s one – Miami – just north of Ozark, also British). This is a whole continent! I can’t colonize here yet, but I can explore. Next update you’ll get the rough outlines of the continent (I don’t know why I don’t have a screenshot of it this time around), since this brigade is doing some exploring. I also start building up transport capacity – I’m going to send an army to the New World and knock out some of the native nations there. Not in this update, though (remember, no wars). I get mil tech 14 in 1625.
This fires in 1626: all of sudden it should become clear why I loathed that event earlier in the update.
To further trigger alarm, Great Britain declares war on Shan. Fortunately, all they’ll get out of them is a concession of defeat. I do not like the idea of Europeans in my backyard. Mino goes Catholic in October. I do get a free fort in Sabah (the level four fort, I think – Tenaille) in December, but that’s already Shinto.
Another momentous day in Japanese history:
16 January 1627: the day my inflation became really reasonable! (That shot is before the -1 inflation went into effect, so it’s actually just under 3% right now.) I actually make a lot more money than that each month; a native uprising or two has my army reinforcing at the moment. My new mission is to make friends with Portugal, a rival of Great Britain. Then, in 1629…
Your eyes do not deceive you – that’s Spain colonizing. A western power. And an empty colony right below them. I eagerly place a free colonist there.
This fires in 1630; it’s a drop in the bucket, but it doesn’t hurt. Maybe I’ll convert those Buddhist provinces in Korea some day!
Since I’m 21 total techs behind Spain (15/17/18 compared to 7/8/14), Spain is pretty much ideal for Westernization. They’re also far enough away that I don’t have a lot to worry about. I get falsely excited by a Portuguese colony on Palawan; sadly, it doesn’t directly border a Japanese province, since it’s an island. It’s only a matter of time before my colony (and the Spanish colony) finish, though, so it’s no big deal.
Or at least it wasn’t, until Spain called a crusade on Majaphathit, who promptly burned their colony to the ground. This is all Spain got out of their heroic crusade.
I get a new Admin advisor in 1632 – I go with -3 to revolt risk (to help take the sting out of Westernization, which I am sure is just around the corner still). I finally find a new colonial target in October.
I pull my colonist out of the colony which formerly bordered Spain (it will still grow, but more slowly) and send him off to Deren.
April 1633 sees a new Emperor for Japan (and an awesome heir, no less!)
Makassar is integrated in 1635. I get a new army advisor (+10% to morale) in 1636. All the while I am silently urging on my colony in Deren. Grow, damn you, grow! Finally:
I’ll play some more tonight or tomorrow, with an update tentatively scheduled for mid week.
