One Last HurRAAh... A Milan Interactive AAR

[quicksabre]

The Pope... Annexation and you:
You have me listed as both! my current vote is annex!

STOP Getting serious about taking the Holy Land:

My vote hasn't changed, but since this could be a long war for relatively cheap bb provinces, you can do this w/o necessarily waiting for bb to drop.

Thrace: Potential COT Site and Important Land Bridge...

I'm kind of leaning towards ignoring it, but only because I think you have too many strategic objectives on your plate already.

The corniness of the AAR:

 

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@Malurous: College is a better thing to keep track of, though I won't mind the added banter of strategic initiatives. I do want to go after the Mams, but they just refuse to be bothered. Even in this coming update when they finally get into it, they actually come out ahead, and I'm not in a position to do much anyways...

France and Burgundy settle out a bit, I'm not as concerned as I was. And the OE... Oh yeah.

"Oh, and it's nice to see that you've already sprinkled the spirit of the revolution in there with the monarch dissing the regal protocol..."



@Sir OrangeYoshi: That's a lotta stuff there. Lemme see here... Annex, check. 3 each, really...? I need to know for sure. At 3 apiece it'd have been done already. As it is, I keep thinking it's 5, as I won't be charged the extra 1 because it's a core...

Jerusalem first... Hmmm. Didn't expect that. That's still open for debate as the Mams refuse to make themselves available. The rest of the stuff I'll add to the open mic night after the 1466 SoftK... Though I will touch on Japan here. I will have to go through the east, India and China to take Japan. No cheating by going around by sea... Hopefully that helps you to clear up your thoughts. It also ties in with the culture. I'm thinking I need to have at least one accepted in the 'vicinity' before moving on to the next neighborhood...

And 'oh my'...? What's that classified as...? I need to know what to put it under...

@quicksabre: Welcome back sir... I thought I fixed the vote issue with you and annex. I probably got confused and put you back in again. I will make sure it is corrected.

Cheap BB. I really like the sound of that.

Thrace. More than a CoT site, which actually won't be a CoT site because Görz is on the same continent and I don't have the requisite 35 provinces between there and here. That means the nearest I could do a CoT is a wrong religion province on the other side of Thrace. Once I change the religion it'll pull it into the nearest CoT.

Of more import to me is preventing the Otts from taking it and making it their new Capitol. Nice decisions and good things to happen for them then. Makes the Otts more formidable, and if a easting we will go, then the Otts are in the way. Better to trim them now...

Am I to understand '' as an appreciation for the corniness...? If so,

All of this makes me want to update. So, update in 3... 2... 1...

 

[OrangeYoshi]

In Japan's case, make my vote for land slider, Japan by land, and no new world.

Oh my means just that, oh my.

 

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Chapter 16: Wake me when something happens...​

Yeah I know. Doesn't sound too promising. But that happens when your BB is high and Diplomats believe the vicious rumor that you boil them and eat them in their sleep.

We start with a look at Görz...

Eight years to core. Treviso will core in three, and we have others that will core this go around too. Our income should show a healthy gain for the quarter.

Our first act is to make our selves a little more central in the universe, for which we get:

Something for the CAV to do.

10K goes one way, 10K goes another. Schwyz is one and done, 6K disappear while only 363 of my men go and buy farms. Abruzzi proves a little more challenging, only because the rebs have some time to pull stuff into the streets and barricade themselves in.

It's a ping and a pong and all gone for them. I lose a total of 11 men.

I start out scoping the Mams and the Otts. I have to figure out where and when and who. Thrace is still holding it's own, and I'd very much like to prevent the Otts from linking up their respective halves. I also have the revenge thing going on too...

My 31 ship galley fleet sets out to sit around Thrace, where I find the Otts have a 'meager' 7/10/0 army wandering around.

Back at home, some entrepreneurial bugger has decided to open a new string of franchise restaurants...:

Unfortunately for me, Konstanz Fried Chicken's 5 Herbs and spices contain a much needed commodity, and the sudden demand causes a few problems:

We'll have to live with this indeed. Unless we can find a way to poop salt.

Speaking of poop... That Castille/England alliance is something to keep an eye on.

Not to be out done by the Fried Chicken industry, the church shows off their latest additions to the world:

You'd think just showing up in those pointy hats would be enough attention draw, but apparently they don't see it that way.

January 1st, 1451 brings with it a few surprises... First, our naval tech jumps to level 6. 2nd is news that the Golden Horde has collapsed. Longtime ally of the Ottomans, this is welcome news indeed. We respond by lowering the National threat level to light violet.

Later on, the Munsters go bankrupt. Grandpa becomes depressed and buries himself in his coffin... Lily is actually happy, as she now has Herman all to herself.

In the dog days of summer, word reaches the King about some goings on in a place of interest:

He is quite pleased. This is a nice softening up of the Ottomans. Give them a little War Exhaustion, use up some manpower. It's a good thing, Martha exclaims.

November brings us news of an Excellent Vintage. For a whole year we get a +5 STAB investment... And a 30% increase in DWI's. (Donkeying While Intoxicated...)

Our great King also joins the festivities. Hands greasy from KFC chicken and tottering on his throne from Excellent Vintages, the court gets a crazy idea to use the grease from the chicken on the Throne Room's marble floor. Running full speed from the hall, the members of the court jump onto the highly polished floor and slide in the grease... With the one that ends up stopping nearest the King being declared the winner.

After a few hours of harmless fun, 7 not so nobles grab a hold of 516 pound Lord Gimbly and drag him into the hall way. Once there, they threaten to disrobe him, then haul/hurl and push him towards the hall. They are soon left behind as Gimbly shows an amazing burst of speed. He runs down the hall faster than a scared rabbit, bursting into the Throne Room... Alas, in a short time, his poor legs are unable to keep up, and he falls over, sliding headlong in the grease towards the King. As he slides, he becomes distracted, and then slightly aroused by the smell of himself becoming more and more covered with the chicken grease... He loses all sense of time and place as he has what could only be termed an out of body experience... If he could find his way out of his body, that is.

Completely consumed by the Excellent Vintage, the King is far too late in recognizing the danger. At the last second he looks up, exclaiming nothing as all 516 pounds of Lord Gimbly strike a pose, and everything else the King is sitting on.

The crash is heard nearly 2 miles away, and the shock wave is felt as far away as Görz...

The next day everyone in the Kingdom hears the news:

Merry Friggin' Christmas Milan.

This really brings back the memories, eh...?

So... to lighten the mood I go and see what's happening with the Otts. Not a whole lot. They lost 'a' province... Which they took from another country anyways, so really they lost nothing. What's worse is they lost almost no men or manpower either. They still flaunt an army of 35,000 to my 40K.

At this time, with this King I'm in a holding pattern until something breaks.

More than likely that will be two things, cores popping and Govt 10.

Then to add insult to injury, Portugal DoWs the Otts (!!! I KNOW !!!!), dragging in Castille and England... I decide to approach Crete and ask for military access so I can swing some ships down that way and keep an eye on things. They're actually the only ones who will talk to me at all about any of this. Everyone else is just 'impossible'...

Later that year, Apulia defects from Ottoman control to become the sole possession of Naples, who inherits the 4K INF stationed there. They turn around and take on my 4K sponsored rebels. They basically stand around causing a few casualties a round for the rest of the year.

From the 'Just when you thought it really couldn't get any worse' Dept:

I can't afford the alternative, so Istria gets the negative modifiers. At least it's Istria and not Görz or Venezia.

1453 turns out to be a banner year on so many levels. It starts off with a bang as Burgundy goes belly up... This allows me to do a pop and stop for advisors, which nets me a 3 star Natural Scientist instead of my 2 star treasurer. A little trade and production investment is always a good thing.

My Govt tech is now only 2 years ahead of time, and looks to done by the end of the year...! It also looks like I'll have Prod level 9 by the end of 1454. At least something is looking good.

Then comes April Fools Day... The day where all manner of weird things happens. This day, it's a good thing...:

This is the only the beginning too. My strategy in the first 50 years is a simple one. Pedal to the metal to get an economy established. All you have to do for that time is survive...

Current financial data as of April 1st ,1453: I'm running -9.19 ducats a month and gaining 117.20 at the end of the year. Net is just shy of 7...

As time continues on, I have little to do but quash the occasional rebellion. Burgundy has fallen so far it decides the embargo against me is no longer needed. I battle another rebellion in Franken, which does a great Lawrence Welk impersonation... An a ping, an a pong... And a gone.

On December 1st, 1453 we hit Govt level 10. I look about to see what the impact of changing the Govt type now will be.

We'll lose 2 years on a slider move, almost 1 of which will recovered by the shorter time between moves... However, Prod tech is nearly done. The -5 hit to STAB that the move will require could set workshops back by two years at least, as I'll have to pull a major chunk of budget out of it to break even at -2... I decide to wait until Prod tech is done, and then change.

As the date approaches, my statesman begins to have second thoughts... The worry ends up killing him in July. If anyone should have looked forward to a new era in governing Milan, you'd think it would be him, right...?

It's a good thing we can make our own luck during this time.

With an empty advisor slot, I pop in and see this...:

If that's not the perfect name for an advisor for my Milan, I don't know what is.

Government tech is 16 years ahead of time as Production tech rounds the final turn... In August it's done, and August 1st, 1454 becomes a day all Milan will never forget...

It is now official.

The Grand Republic of Milan

We take the Diplomatic candidate in the first election and get:

Not great, but better than the last pinhead by a country mile.

Our change in Government puts us at August of 1465 before we can change sliders again. It ends up being a net loss of 4 years, with 2 of them self inflicted by forcing the wait for Production 9. I can accept that.

Speaking of Production, the same day we change I buy a workshop for every province I own... all 22 of them. My bankroll goes down to it's lowest point in a long, long while... But I still have 160+ ducats, which is more than enough to make it through.

My people celebrate our turning a new leaf by promptly revolting.

Burgundy celebrates by promptly going bankrupt again...

Happy to have two of the bigger things out of the way and done, it's back to investigating and panning for opportunities. Unfortunately we just don't have alot going for us where it really matters the most:

As summer turns to fall, rebels from Burgundy start to intermingle with my own unhappy minions. The result is a near constant wandering of black and red armies across the country side, chased, hammered and fought by my CAV at every turn. General 'Lucky" Luchino buys it in Tirol, leaving me one army to fend leaderless for a time against the rebel minions...

Upon hearing that they caused a general to die, both Schwaben and Ferarra decide to hold rebellions of their own. I check my STAB slider daily to see if I can squeeze it ahead a month... Finally in March 1455 I get one level back... Only 4 to go...!

April Fools takes it's show on the road to Burgundy this time around, sending another bankruptcy notification my way. They aren't faring well at all...

On August 6th, 1455... 22 Workshops complete... Oh happy day !!!

October sees Burgundy playing financial Russian Roulette again, and the HRE selecting Austria as it's new sponsor.

I keep looking around, finding the Mams at war finally, though against somewhat weak foes with no real fighting going on. Christmas comes early for me:

I took the 2nd option for 90 ducats. It's enough for one of my objectives...

I hold off until I get my STAB to +1, just for the help to moral. I do some searching around. At this time, I am under the impression that Bavaria and Tuscany will cost me 5 BB each to take on, plus the 1 for the DoW, and only if they honor the alliances.

I don't have that kind of room.

I also have some unfinished business across the pond, and a capital move to prevent.

As I check, I find that the Otts are now in a war with the Mams, and the Mams are winning. In fact, the Otts have only 25K in the field now. I feel that I won't get a better opportunity to act against them, so...:

All four of my allies join in, though I don't expect them to do much.

On July first, two bombs are detonated in the game.

The first gives me 4 advisors: 3 are junk, but the fourth is a 4 star Statesmen... I sign him right away, replacing the male anatomy man.

The second is the first ever atomic bomb. It's so powerful, well, you just have to see it:

It blew the Burgundy right off them...!

After a little prep and some movement, I make my first landings on Ottoman soil...:

Though I get a bit of a start at all the Castillian forces, upon further investigation I see they're nothing to worry about. In fact, the rebels have already trounced them once.

I can say that the timing of this assault is impeccable. More than likely the Otts and the Mams have been trading casualties and provinces out east, and the WE and RR is already showing on this end of the world. Greek Patriot Armies are already taking down the Otts quite nicely as I arrive. Of course I'll have to take them back, but that's just a matter of time.

My timing is further appreciated when a scant month later I get this:

Let that be a lesson to you kiddies...

NEVER OVER COMMIT.

Other nations come where you're not and take stuff...

It's a great start, but it's not nearly over yet. That and the Otts have a way of bouncing back and regrouping. If they should get out from under the Mams, they have plenty of men and time to come kick me off their lawn...

Only time will tell...!

Till next time...!

T

 

[OrangeYoshi]

Go Byzantium!

May the Purpl(ish) Republican Milanese Union of Independant City States reign forever!

Let's hope Castille can get down and do the dirty work for our men.

 

[blsteen]

Go Byzantium!

May the Purpl(ish) Republican Milanese Union of Independant City States reign forever!

Let's hope Castille can get down and do the dirty work for our men.

Amen OrangeYoshi!
I go on vacation and antracer goes to take on the Otto's... cool beans.
And, just for the record, I say this is the time to GO ALL IN! Leave one stack to watch the homeland and shuttle everyone else to squash the Otto's like a bug, then siege. But quickly for time isn't on your side.

 

[Malurous]

Hehe, I see your point about not being as concerned about Burgundy

Nice opportunity with OE.

The Grand Republic of Milan

YES! Long live the Grand Republic of Milan!

Edit:

And, just for the record, I say this is the time to GO ALL IN!

Indeed! Go for the kill in this war and build up a large war score while they're down. That way, the subsequent wars will be that much easier.

 

[quicksabre]

I would like to say that although I fought against the ottoman war (and I hope you heard my bitter protests* when you decided to attack the Ottomans rather than the Mamelukes when they fought each other), I want to say that now that our glorious republic has decided to take this route I will support it fully. Drive the Ottomans out of Europe, take Constantinople (in order to protect it, of course, its for their own good), and force the Turks to turn south and east. THEN you can take the Holy Land.


*on strict ideological grounds, of course, militarily it was probably a better idea to take on the Ottomans, given the opportunity presented.

 

[blsteen]

Where's the Otto navy at?

 

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@Sir OrangeYoshi: The Purple(ish) Milanese Republic Shall endure until the end of time, roughly 1821 if wise men's estimates are correct...
And we shall not need the 'yellow' cowards from Castille...

@Malurous: Oh dear, I hate it when my point is showing... o Burgundy was one of the best fireworks shows I've seen in a long time. And get this, she's not done yet...!
"Indeed! Go for the kill in this war and build up a large war score while they're down. That way, the subsequent wars will be that much easier." You are a mind reader, sir.

In recognition of your wit, and of your observation, and of your keen mind reading, not to mention the keen post reading and quoting of Sir blsteen...
The Purple(ish) Milanese Republic dubs thee Sir Malurous, Knight of Hell-sinki ...

@quicksabre: You sir, prove yourself to be an even more adept reader of minds than Sir Malurous. Though it was not normal for the Purple(ish) Milanese Kingdom soon to be a Republic to convey Knighthood more than once a session, The Purple(ish) Milanese Republic has no such constraints, and confers upon you the title of Sir quicksabre, The Ghost Knight.

Arise, new Knights of Milan and take your places at the table.

@Sir blsteen: I ate it. I believe you shall see in the upcoming update what befell the 25 ships of the Ottoman horde, as well as 31 of my own...

All of this excitement is cause for an update celebration... I give you the visions of Sir Malurous and Sir quicksabre...

In color.

In 3... 2... 1...

 

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Chapter 17: Thrace For Impact...!​

Monday, 1 October, 1456: Stability, +1. Good for moral, good for the country.

Thursday, 5 October, 1456: Newly formed 2nd DIV prepares to ship out to Ottoman Territory. The men are nervous.

Monday, 4 December, 1456: Minor skirmish reported in Macedonia. It seems 1000 Ottoman Cavalry appeared in the night, unknown how or why they arrived.

Monday, 1 January, 1457: Detach 2K CAV from the first division to pursue the Ottoman CAV. With Erdine under control and more men on the way it's a safe move. Instead of heading to Nis, they head Burgas and start sieging the place.

Monday, 5 March, 1457: Disaster at sea...! 31 galleys vanish off the coast of Thrace. As does the entire Ottoman navy. All of this takes place while no one is looking...
On land, New armies arrive, and the attack spreads into Burgas and Larissa. I make a note that I have plenty of room to build new units yet:

Tuesday, 6 March, 1457: Canceled the mission concerning Liguaria.

Wednesday, 7 March, 1457: Our new mission, Gain a Cardinal in the Curia cancels itself. My advisors are baffled. We had a 13% chance with one of them...

Thursday, 8 March, 1457: Our new mission...? Naval race with England. She currently has 43 ships... We have 28.

Thursday, 5 April, 1457: Our first news from the front arrives:

Our people are so over joyed they gain a STAB point.

Sunday, 15 April, 1457: Yeman asks for and receives a White Peace. Their turn will come.

Friday, 20 April, 1457: The second Ottoman province falls...:

The 2nd Navy is also on the way with 7K more CAV. With the increase in provinces comes the need for a protective CAV force to patrol for strays and Rebs.

Wednesday, 25 April, 1457: Another Ott province bites the dust as Larissa falls to Milan.

Tuesday, 22 May, 1457: Fierce fighting in Athens as the 2nd DIV moves in. Greek patriot rebels put up a good fight. Intelligence reveals the Ottomans are at war with the Mamluks and the Persians, along with my little band of marauders. The bulk of her forces are tied up on the Eastern front, leaving me a wide open field of battle. The Mams are helping by maintaining the blockade at Thrace.

Monday, 29 October, 1457: The Peasants decide it's time to get 'uppity'. I make a move to free subjects and deal with the STAB loss.

Monday, 19 November, 1457: The battle for Greek territories is turning ugly. The forces of Milan are decimated in defense of Larissa and are forced to retreat.

Monday, 27 December, 1457: By the end of the year, Bursa is ours, effectively cutting off the Otts from the European continent by land. Nis falls into our hands as the Serbs look to recapture Macedonia. We have regrouped in Athens, and with more men on the way look to push the three rebel armies out of the lands for good...:

Sunday, 13 January, 1458: We manage to catch the smallest rebel army alone in Janina and inflict minor casualties. We also finally go after and catch the lone 1K Ott CAV hiding out and eliminate them from the competition.

Saturday, 26 January, 1458: The Rebs return to Jenina and find it's a good day to die. Only 2 Rebel armies remain, though they are somewhat larger than the dead one.

We also look around and see Castille and her allies have disappeared. Finding themselves unable to handle the Otts or the Greek rebs in any capacity, they have opted for peace and have long since buggered out.

Friday, 1 February, 1458: A good day...:

A very good day indeed.

Friday, 1 March, 1458: More men arrive in the land of the Ott, and we get a little more culture:

It seems Sir nsahn is on top of this culture game... A tip of the hat sir.

A quick check of the monetary stats: From a yearly 117.20 in April of 1453 to a current 168.68 now, with the same -9 ducats a month. Not bad, and it only gets better...

Friday, 29 March, 1458: Our newly arrived men make it possible to route both the rebel armies from Larissa and send them to Janina, into the waiting arms of the 3rd DIV, which sends them both home instantly. We also route the Serb army, making an appearance again in the north.

Wednesday, 3 April, 1458: We turn the corner in the war with the 'mighty' Ottoman Empire...:

With opposition all but eliminated and a quality beach head position, We can be assured of getting something out of this, even if the Otts were to suddenly revive and head our way. The fact that they're again asking for peace tells me they have other ideas and agendas... That they wish we'd just go away so they could follow through on them.

Next time I have a core mission, think twice about taking it in the peace deal... M'kay...?

Wednesday, 26 February, 1459: We've been busy...:

The entire European side of the Ottoman world is ours now, and we're making our way across the sea into the Eastern lands of the not so jolly green giant...

And lest you think the Otts are non existent or not a threat:

It must truly suck to be manhandling the Mams and yet be in no position to demand anything from them. The Mamluks know that the Ottoman threat is about to go away, all they have to do is wait it out...

Monday, 7 April, 1459: The electors of the HRE decide Leopold I of Hesse is a wise choice to protect them from... Ants I guess... (Just not this one...)

Wednesday, 9 April, 1459: Milan wins the siege of Bithynia*, putting all of the straights and land passage provinces under our control.

*Spell check indicates the word I may be trying to spell here is 'Bitchily'

Thursday 5 June, 1459: The siege of Serbia is completed. It will be the only siege in that part of the world. The Ottomans realize their dire straights and make peace with the Mams... This leads to them bring whatever men they have left back home.

Our first meeting doesn't go so well.

Thursday, 7 August, 1459:

I have CAV en route to cover the sieging armies, it's only a matter of time.

Tuesday, 23 September, 1459: Antalya falls to Milan, and rebels burst onto the scene in Erdine...!

Monday, 3 November, 1459: The Otts days become numbered on just two appendages:

The last real battle of the war is being fought in Karaman, even as we speak. There is no other Ottoman force left alive.

Sunday, 7 December, 1459: A day that will live in infamy, to borrow a little from history. Why, well here, just take a look:

Yep. 8,000 leaderless Otts sent me packing and 4,000 of my men to the Realtor to check out farms. Ouch indeed. The peace deal they send is to offer Corsica, Janina, Malta and Oltenia. All provinces that belonged to some one else, and all pretty much worthless from a strategic standpoint against the Otts. If all I wanted were Islands, then it might make sense. But that's not what I'm after here.

Sunday, 4 January, 1460: Anatolia is welcomed into the fold.

Monday 9 March, 1460: 'Key members of Parliament' are exposed to River Tamm... I'm forced to eat 5 prestige. The doctor in charge is accused of being full of pride, and falls on a sword. It's a good death, having no shame in it... Me, I'm off to make a better world. All of them, better worlds...

Monday, 16 March, 1460: I find and dispatch the lone Ottoman ship remaining... A lowly transport.

Tuesday, 31 March, 1460: I finally succeed in routing the Ottoman force in Karaman. This will clear the way to the final eastern territories.

Wednesday, 1 April, 1460: The fool's day brings the fall of Konya, and the defection of an Ott province up north previously taken from Liguaria. Zaphorozhie looks forward to a long and productive future... At least until the GH gets it's act together again.

Saturday, 1 August, 1460:

The end is near:

And another core never hurts...

Thursday, 1 September, 1460: Land Tech Level 8 is achieved, followed quickly by problems with the Iron ore. I resolve to not make any more new men for a year. Of course, I don't need any, so...

Monday, 5 October, 1460: A day of miracles... We become the papal controller.

Thursday, 12 November, 1460: The province of Mus falls to Milan. The Ottomans start begging peace with anyone they can.

Thursday, 17 December, 1460: Sivas joins her sister provinces in welcoming Milanese rule.

Friday, 1 January, 1461: Friuli becomes a core province. Our income is now 208.24 at the end of the year.

Monday, 25 January, 1461: We must be doing something right as Castille lifts it's embargo against us.

Monday, 1 February, 1461: Out Trade Tech Level reaches 8.

Saturday, 6 February, 1461: Karaman falls to the forces of Milan. Erserum falls less than a month later, followed in weeks by Adana.

We spend a bit of time waiting on Imereti while playing ping pong with a Greek revolt in Larissa.

Finally, on Wednesday, the 30th of June in 1461 the last Ottoman province are belong to us.

The final score:

I don't think it could have gone any better. The timing turned out to be perfect. And to have a WE of 0.70 when all is said and done, absolutely fabulous.

The peace deal may be a bit confusing to some... But there is a method to the madness...:

One, the claim on Thrace is removed to eliminate the core.
Two, the provinces of Bithynia and Bursa to control the straight. The Otts can't go by land except through me. I have enough income and enough men to keep a healthy contingent there, and I have a province to play wait and bait in. Bithynia also happens to be one of the wealthiest in the area. Larissa and Macedonia are the largest/richest on the European side of the world. I now have three separate Ottoman empires that are going to be cash poor compared to their former selves.

And so it is on a Friday the 13th of August, 1461...:

Not a bad way to waste a way the BB day.

And seeing is I still have some of the BB there to play with, any guesses as to what I did next...?

Hint: It wasn't green...

Hint Hint: It was the Ghost Knight's vision...

Till next time...!

T

 

[Malurous]

In recognition of your wit, and of your observation, and of your keen mind reading, not to mention the keen post reading and quoting of Sir blsteen...
The Purple(ish) Milanese Republic dubs thee Sir Malurous, Knight of Hell-sinki ...

Arise, new Knights of Milan and take your places at the table.

I thank thee. I'd swear an oath of loyalty to my liege, but Milan's a Republic Must improvise... I do solemnly swear loyalty to the people of the Milanese Republic!

Great war, and a very nice peace deal! Blocking their land connection was definitely the way to go.

The mission is actually quite sensible too (shocking, I know). It's good enough to have a mission to build ships when you've got a navy to rebuild.

Oh, and when it comes to the next action, I guess the easy answer is that you started "protecting" Constantinople. It would also fit in nicely strategically now that you control Bitchily rofl and Bursa.

 

[blsteen]

Sweeet. You did as well as I expected, and absolutely smashed the Otto's. You're new territories are still going to be vulnerable in the short term but with a large fleet present in the Aegean you can play the shuttle game back and forth with a stack. Ghost Knights vision? How much BB do you have to burn?

 

[nsahn]

...Drive the Ottomans out of Europe, take Constantinople (in order to protect it, of course, its for their own good)...

I'm guessing this is the vision you're referring to; good choice. This is the best step in attempting to get Greek as your third accepted culture (Bavarian will be second). If your next NI slot is opening up soon, maybe you should take Unam Sanctam (US), it will halve the BB cost for annexing Thrace.

The caveat here is that taking US prevent any of your territories converting via the 'Spread of the Reformation' events. Although, the Reformation events rarely fire in Italy anyway.

...The peace deal may be a bit confusing to some... But there is a method to the madness...
One, the claim on Thrace is removed to eliminate the core.
Two, the provinces of Bithynia and Bursa to control the straight. The Otts can't go by land except through me. I have enough income and enough men to keep a healthy contingent there, and I have a province to play wait and bait in. Bithynia also happens to be one of the wealthiest in the area. Larissa and Macedonia are the largest/richest on the European side of the world. I now have three separate Ottoman empires that are going to be cash poor compared to their former selves.

Three,

Create a new centre of trade in Bithynia.
This will cost 500.0[ducats].​

 

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@Sir Malurous: You do know the 'Republic' is a show, right...? There are those of us behind the scenes that make the true decisions. The Knights of Milan is really a secret order that meets every Tuesday at the International House of Pancakes...

And yes, you are correct in your assessments of both the mission and the fate of our purple friend, though I imagine they'd rather be next to any other province than 'Bitchily'...

@Sir blsteen: The Ghost Knight's vision is played out in this next update. BB is well... Alot. Not much to burn, but enough to get Thrace where I want it.

@Sir nsahn: Correct, and correct. And you guessed the CoT location... Good work Sir, good work indeed...

I have the update done, but must take my leave for an appt... Hopefully, if all goes well, I'll have it up this afternoon, or sooner.

T

 

[unmerged(69928)]

Chapter 18: The Ghost Knight's Vision...
​

"I would like to say that although I fought against the ottoman war (and I hope you heard my bitter protests* when you decided to attack the Ottomans rather than the Mamluks when they fought each other), I want to say that now that our glorious republic has decided to take this route I will support it fully. Drive the Ottomans out of Europe, take Constantinople (in order to protect it, of course, its for their own good), and force the Turks to turn south and east. THEN you can take the Holy Land.

*on strict ideological grounds, of course, militarily it was probably a better idea to take on the Ottomans, given the opportunity presented.

How he could have known, I do not know.
How anyone could have known as unknown.
To know it is simply unknowable.
It's knowing or unknowing is unknown in how one could know.

Huh...?

My thoughts exactly, minus 6.

But for the accuracy of his vision...

How...? Why...? Who can know, but he spake the truth.

I would like to comment on why I didn't go after the Mams... Even though the Otts looked to be manhandling the Mams, they actually were in a much stronger position, and had far more troops. They had the misfortune of being spread out, something that would have vanished once peace with the Otts was made... And you know it would have been made sooner rather than later. I felt at the time I had a better shot at rolling the Otts, and as history now shows, that call was the right one.

Also to consider is aside from a few coastal provinces, Force limits in Mamluk land are a particularly thorny manner. It's much harder to amphibiously assault Mam territory and sustain sizable troop numbers than it is in the plentiful Ott territories.

After our routing of the Ottomans, we put ourselves in order and checked our situation.

Our time spent as Curia Controller helped us achieve some breathing room for future actions, basically by buying us the 2 BB needed for the Ottoman peace.

Of course our control doesn't last.
Not a month later, Castille bribes a cardinal, but is unsuccessful at swaying the curia.
It defaults to Sweden...

I look at my current manpower and troop disbursement. Having sent some 12K back home in case France got uppity, I decide I have enough to do something about Thrace. Even without an Ottoman core, she's still vulnerable to Ott attack, just for the sake of making up for the 4 rich provinces I just relieved her of.

I decide to act before the Otts can get themselves back together.

Not wanting to play the -3 STAB game, I spend the money and try to Fabricate Claims...:

With success comes the CB, and with the ever powerful ally comes the DoW.

Gluttons for punishment that they are...:

Though they later send me letters stating they're just going to hang out and watch the jousts. It's cool, I got this one.

As attrition in Thrace is a problem for too many folk in there, I rotate troops in and out, assaulting when I get low water or wall breaches. Because it's a 2K fort, it would take awhile if I didn't, and much as I like the fighting, waiting around for 3 or 4 years for a siege isn't what I'd call a pleasurable experience.

The Byzantines have friends on the outside though, and put out a call to the local rebel forces for some asseest-ahnce.

Sweden becomes so overcome with guilt for taking the curia that she promptly collapses while I play shoot the Rebels for a bit.

Siege a little, fight a little, wait a little...:

Rebs come and Rebs go...

Norway goes belly up, but leaves nothing in the advisor pool.

As August arrives, the people suddenly stop falling over for no apparent reason as our Stability hits three again.

On the 6th of August, The Grand Republic of Milan holds her second election.
Not happy with the quality of current leader, I opt to take the diplomatic party choice again...:

Same old same old on the Diplo, but the ADM and MIL ratings are better.
Might even get a chance to use war taxes someday. Probably not though.

He ends up being a 2/2/1/1 general. Disappointing. He should have something worthwhile. Looks like he'll get to storm a few castles.

With STAB under control and a leader with good enough stats we pass the Blasphemy Act to lower the cost of the missionaries we'll need...

I also get to enact Land Enclosure decisions, which I do.
The CoT provinces and the Capital go first, the rest are filled in to get the higher provinces in.

The Byzantines get bold, demanding 31 ducats for peace.
I tell them they'll get no ducats and pieces.

The slots are teasing me these days...:

And not a scant 20 days later, the objective is complete...:

Excellent.

My big guns happen to be close, so I pull them in to wrap up the naval affairs quickly...:

That and the last of the Rebs. Everything is pretty much wrapped up now. Just need to accrue a little more BB in the peace process and we'll be all set...

Mission Accomplished:

I have plenty of time to setup a decent defense before the Otts can recover.

From the "Seems like old times" dept:

We do have one more piece of unfinished business... As realized by Sir nsahn, the CoT in Bithynia needs building.
I can't put it in Thrace because Thrace is on the continent with Görz, and I don't have the requisite 35 provinces attached to it yet. I get to put one in Bithynia because it's not only the next continent, but it's a different religion family. If I converted the two provinces to Catholic, they would start to trade through Görz, at least until the 35 province limit kicked in...

It's not a big deal to lose the opportunity in Thrace. Tax base wise the two provinces are similar. Thrace has an edge in population, but it's real advantage is the Greek culture. I'll probably get Greek accepted long before Turkish, and the income penalty will hurt.

There's a way we can remedy that though... We just need some time and some cores.

The CoT is built in September, and we celebrate with an event:

Wonderful.

Speaking of wonderful...:

Buildings are good. Cores are good. The level one collector...? Well two out of three aint bad.

On July 4th, 1464, we complete our naval race mission against England. Though alot of our ships are galleys, we now have 8 Carracks in the fleet as well. The number of big ships will go up as time goes on, as once past Carracks, big ships rule the seas. I imagine alot of lights too, both as shields and as needed for tariffs.

Our new mission is to take control of the Curia. Right... That won't happen unless we get a few cardinals born to us, which has happened once, so it's possible. I just don't expect it any time soon. I also need to burn alot of BB before our cardinal sway percentage is more than 1%.

We actually took a Georgian province just to get out of the annoying peace deals and maybe time it right to get something out of them. We end up netting 99 ducats and a renounced claim on Imereti, a possible future Milan province.

Burgundy continues it's crash and burn, releasing Nevers as a sovereign state. Also, France annexes Orleans, giving me an advisor pop and shop...:

It's a net 17 year gain on keeping the inflation in check. With advisors dying off sooner rather than later, this kind of move is going to become the norm any time it's available.

On December 18th, 1465, France cancels it's Trade Embargo against us. This is a very good sign. It shows France is becoming a little less hostile, and that she is recognizing we aren't 'good target material' any longer...

As the end of the year the slider move popped comes to a close, we finish a few last minute things:

And with that, our session comes to a close...

It started out kinda (very) slow, but overall I think it was a successful outing. Had Govt Tech been able to pull through for the 3rd NI we could have saved a little BB, but other than that I can't complain.

For all intents and purposes, the Ottoman threat has been greatly reduced, and the apparent bad blood between them and the Mamluks may play into our favor quite nicely.

I leave you with a nice pic of the Grand Republic of Milan:

Next up the SoftR report and then Open Mic Night.
Looks like some good stuff on the agenda this time around.

Till then...T

T

 

[blsteen]

Once again, sweeeeeeeet. And congrats to the 1st navy for its hard rowing. Nice to see rebel pops in Otto territory.

 

[nsahn]

@Sir Malurous: You do know the 'Republic' is a show, right...? There are those of us behind the scenes that make the true decisions. The Knights of Milan is really a secret order that meets every Tuesday at the International House of Pancakes...
...

:rofl:... I just received a message from the PR department stating that The Knights should show more support for home-grown Milanese companies and strongly consider moving our breakfast location to KFC. I know fried chicken in the morning sounds gross, but we would be getting all-you-can-eat buttermilk biscuits...

 

[OrangeYoshi]

:rofl:... I just received a message from the PR department stating that The Knights should show more support for home-grown Milanese companies and strongly consider moving our breakfast location to KFC. I know fried chicken in the morning sounds gross, but we would be getting all-you-can-eat buttermilk biscuits...

I heard KFC was out-sourcing to Naples. We need a breakfast place that will stay right here in Milan. I nominate Olive Garden. Yes, it is some heavy food for breakfast, but their bread sticks are better than the KFC biscuits!

 

[blsteen]

Olive Garden is Ok, East Side Marios Ok, but if it's breakfast...corner table at the Four Season's with the Rainmaker (Sorry Canadian political reference)