CHAPTER X: RUSSIA
Part 2: Overextension!
(1595-1600)
First Things First
It is 1595, and we have an overextension of 86%. A significant number of our provinces are wrong culture, and we can't do anything about that yet because those same provinces are Sunni.
Fortunately, we do have a few options: We've started flipping the culture in those five provinces we can 'help'. Our two missionaries are busy, and we're trying to core about half of former Kazakh territory. The latter won't finish until December 1600 and I want our overextension under control before we think of any more adventures.
We fire two of our generals: Gagarin for his fixation on orbiting the Earth, and Beketov because he's costing me a military power. For similar reasons let's cancel our MA through Poland. It's costing us a diplomatic power per month, and if we want to move troops through
Poland it's not like we really need their permission.
While looking through my ideas, I noticed we have Russian-5. This lets me automatically discover provinces bordering my colonies, so we'll be able to drive for the Pacific after all. It'll have to be a long, narrow 'corridor' oddly enough, but it can be done.
Instantly upon starting the game we complete the mission to protect our brethren in Bryansk. That's very odd: Bryansk is still Orthodox, Lithuania is still Catholic, and we've done nothing to interfere. It's like when my wife thanks me for helping her with something, and I don't have the faintest clue what she's talking about. At that point this event fires.
Event said:
Thanks, Dear!
Your wife has complimented you for doing something that you don't remember helping with. You can say:
A) What did I do? (-20% morale as she reminds you that you're getting older and worries about your memory.)
B) You're welcome! (+5 prestige)
Perhaps the AI cancelled its missionary as the save 'reacted' to the new patch. I'm not complaining. Our next mission is to improve relations with the Golden Horde from -71 to +50. Let's cancel our rivalry with them, then send a diplomat to improve relations. We might still take out the Horde later, but I'm starting to like the idea of a weak buffer state between us and the Ottomans.
It's February 1595 when the revolts begin. Before this session ends there will be sixteen, all of them somewhat easily dealt with. The Sibirans in particular don't want to join the mighty Russian Empire. They'll learn after the first 100,000 deaths or so.
Things run smoothly for the next year: A merchant house thanks us for their patronage to the tune fo 43.68 gold, while we begin engaging in the Western Arms trade (-1 prestige, -5% tech cost.)
Speaking of westernization, with the latest patch I'm not sure how that's going to work. We can't even try yet due to overextension, and probably still need to be 8 tech levels behind (the popup no longer tells me), but now to Westernize we need to accumulate 2400 power. Up to 10 points is drawn from each of Admin/Dip/Military per month until that requirement is met. Does that mean several years of not gaining ANY points? That's
really going to slow us down and hurt our ability to react to situations.
Along with western arms, another idea comes to us from Europe:
We're Russians! We're not going to take orders from some old guy with a pointy hat! In fact, let's go one step further and take Religious Ideas-3 (Church Attendance Duties, -25% stab cost). The stab bonus is nice, but the real goal is Religious-4, which gives us +3% missionary conversion to speed things along.
Apparently people don't appreciate being told to go to church. The Siberians want to revolt, and with our stability borderline (+1) and the occasional rebellion in full swing we opt for compromise: (National Tax -5%, Stability Cost +10% for 6 months)
That doesn't stop the biggest rebellion of this turn: Kypshak suffers from two allied revolts within days of each other, forcing us to go over and talk to them.
In September 1596 Kola, our sole Protestant province, converts and we immediately begin introducing them to the joys of Russian cooking, Russian manners, and Russian winters. They claim to know about the last part but one can never be sure.
Unfortunately our czarina, though beautiful, intelligent and successful, is still a
grrl and the boy aristocrats don't want to play. We can't afford any more questions regarding her legitimacy and tell the boys to get stuffed.
Patience Pays Off
1597 turns out to be a great year. By January all provinces that we can convert culture in (barring Kola) have done so. We also finish placating the Golden Horde and take on a new mission to take care of our Overextension problem. Our colony in Tomsk suffers some damage from natives, but not enough to significantly slow it down. Further, we only have one revolt, which leads me to the mistaken belief that the situation is under control. Not quite.
1598 sees both of our colonies become self sustaining. We send one colonist goes to Aldan, which uncovers several provinces. I meant to send the other to Yakut to further push east, but I pressed the wrong button, so we're trying to colonize Irkutsk along the Oirat border instead. Well, we (or the Russian AI) would have to go there eventually anyway.
We also hit Military Tech-15 (Maurician Infantry), which lets us convert our Eastern Hussars (cavalry) into Reformed Eastern Hussars. I wasn't crazy about taking a tech with the goal of eventually Westernizing, but short of a barrage of 'harsh measures' I really didn't have much to spend military power on.
Unfortunately there's nothing we can do about the poor quality copper that comes out of our mines, nor the poor quality iron in 1599. Overall they increase the costs of all units by 5%. Unfortunate, but not a huge deal. We have more than enough units.
In November 1598 we get a sort of 'ogre's choice.' We can either lose a stability or 10% army morale. Given the rebels that took 1597 off are back in force, we can't afford the army morale hit. We spend Admin to raise our stability to +1, then let it drop back to 0 by event.
The serfs respond to our generosity with THREE revolts over two months. Again, easily settled, but annoying.
Along comes August 1599, and after a long talk with our diplomats regarding improved relations and a gift, Ryazan finally agrees to join the Russian fold. It'll take to June 1614 for that to complete. While we're busy there, Kola suffers from benign neglect even though we just finished converting their culture to Russian.
Hmm.
Other News
Japan finally won its war with Korea, but only took the one province we'd forged a claim on. Currently the Ming are wrecking their way through Manchuria.
There's a new HR Emperor! Rudolf V finally passed away to be replaced by an Austrian. When I glanced over to see how he was doing, the Ottos and Morocco(!) were battering Bohemia and Venice. I don't think either actually gained territory, but a province defected from Bohemia to Saxony.
Spain's seized the 'French' Mediterranean coast from Savoy. Burgundy's
exploded, and France is covered with petty fiefdoms as if the year was 1400, not 1600.
The new patch woke up the exploration AI. Last turn the Netherlands set up a colony on the Moroccan border in what we would call the Western Sahara region. This turn Spain founded one colony in North America, the Netherlands showed up in the Caribbean, and
Brittany settled both the Caribbean and Newfoundland, Canada. The big winner (or big loser, depending on how much you like the new changes), has to be Portugal:
Caraibas has an 18% desire for independence, which from the patch log doesn't seem to be bad. Let's see how long it takes to rise.
So Johan, what will we do next?
Johan's Dice
Reign: 10 years
Roll Needed: 3+
Roll: 6
Continue: Yes
Nice.