CHAPTER XXI: HUNGARY II
Part 3: A Step Too Far
(1740-1745)
The Next Adventure
It is 1740, and we've just been decimated in a major war with the Ottoman Empire. Fortunately Spain footed the bill, so all we really have to worry about is rebuilding our army. By the beginning of the turn we're already at 2 Infantry/8 Cavalry/9 Artillery of 34K capacity.
We're also surrounded by hostiles who are, for one reason or another, more powerful than we are. The Ottomans are in a league of their own. Austria has a 40K army. Venice's fleet protects them: We have none now but some trading vessels. Bohemia alone might be a match, but they have the Empire on their side.
So, this is going to be a really slow turn. I plan to do nothing but domestic stuff. If we're lucky maybe we'll get a tech or two. Maybe take a nap for a few years in the middle. This is going to be boring.
Nah, just messing with you. Of course we're going to attack someone! But who?
Spain and the Netherlands provide the first clue:
Netherlands DoWed Munster for control of East Frisia. Of course the Emperor jumped in. Then so did Spain. Palatinate spends 1740 getting stomped. In the end they keep East Frisia, but have to give Koblenz to Netherlands. This becomes somewhat important later.
Naturally I'm jealous: Hungary has had a great deal of trouble stomping on anyone. We've discussed our neighbors. There is one country close at hand though who will do: Tuscany. They currently hold three provinces (Ancona, Firenze, Rome) and only Magdeburg serves as ally. Palatinate is in no real position to step in if we do something.
Through the rest of the year we begin forging a claim on Ancona, building six East Indiamen (transports), and ferrying an army of 24,000 to Spanish Italy. We discover a fortification expert in Kosovo:
And let him stay there. He won't make much of a difference if the Ottos come back, but he can't hurt.
An agricultural revolution later comes to Szepes, which we take advantage of for one extra tax. In February 1741 we pick up our claim to Ancona, but it takes until July for our army to arrive.
Our army is stronger, and their naval advantage is all but nullified. What can go wrong?
The Final Straw
The plan was simple. March everyone into Ancona, find the Tuscan army, destroy it and siege out the country.
To my surprise, Palatinate joined after all. So did Magdeburg and DENMARK in their role as defender of the faith. On our side Milan, Spain and their colonies joined the fray.
In the opening days of the war we lost a frigate (merchant) ship to their main fleet. We won it back though in a frigate vs. frigate action where we captured theirs. Our fleet then waited out the war.
We reached Ancona without incident. The Tuscans waited for us in Firenze leading to a bloodletting:
Theirs, not ours.
We left sieges in their first two provinces then destroyed them in Rome.
The sieges quickened once Spain sunk the Tuscan fleet and seized the Adriatic.
It would not all be so simple however. A massive peasant uprising of 22,000 (16 Inf/2 Cav/4 Art) erupted in Firenze on top of our diminished siege army. Fortunately the Spaniards had an army there as well, raising our army size to 19,000 (13 Inf/4 Cav/2 Art). We won, but at a terrible price losing 10,300 versus 4,500 peasants.
That would be it however. Rome fell in June 1742, Ancona in September. Our naval officers grew disconsolate they were sitting out the war and started retiring en masse (-10 Naval Tradition). Fine with me.
In February 1743 the Palatinate offered to concede defeat. Seeing the Spaniards were in a position to demand much more than that, we opened negotiations with the Emperor - and broke his tiny state wide open.
We certainly didn't need Spain getting any stronger. Further, taken with their losing Koblenz in 1740, the Palatinate is now split into three territories. The Emperor may keep his title, but he's done as a world power.
In May advisors told us that our trade policies were more effective than ever.
Apparently keeping our ships and merchants in port is good for business. Who knew?
This would be the last good news our king received, as he sickened and died in September to be replaced by Lazlo VI (Adm 3/Dip 4/Mil 2). Lazlo immediately celebrated by taking Administration-22 (Constitution) and Diplomacy-27 (Public Punishments). Neither had any immediate bearing on the situation.
Yet, the possibility of a constitution began to spread through Hungary. Egged on by Bolsheviks from Austria, it began to lead to new ideas. Dangerous ideas..
Firenze fell in October, yet it took another half year to bring Denmark to the bargaining table. It wasn't Spanish pressure that made them yield, but a war with the Livonian Order where the Danes hoped to profit. In the end they abandoned their Tuscan allies.
Spain had their own reasons for not attacking Denmark. The Ottomans attacked Ukraine over Volhynia, and when the dust cleared it was the OTTOMANS, Portugal, (Caraibas, P. Brazil, P. Mexico) and Morocco versus NETHERLANDS, (D. West Indies, D. Colombia, D. La Plata, D. Peru, New Holland), Ukraine, Spain (Florida, Cat. Canada, Cat. Louisiana), Mainz, and the Horsehead Nebula.
REVOLUTION!
Lazlo VI was not a popular king, as he was about to learn. For one thing his very existence put Hungary in danger for, as long as he bore no heir, his death would result in a succession war between Spain and Russia. While that might prove quite interesting, no one wanted to risk being under the Spanish yoke with no appreciable chance of getting away.
Further, an excellent year (+2,624 manpower) was soured by immediately recruiting three regiments to help replace men lost in the war. After such horrific losses in the Bohemian and Ottoman campaigns, this was the final straw. Anger yielded to desperation, Austrians passed out leaflets by some guy named Engels, and all hell broke loose.
Starting with the 84,000 revolutionaries who stormed the capital.
This was serious, but not immediately lethal. We still had 20,000 men in the capital with another 3,000 on the way. They called us the White Hungarians, probably for the pallor of our skin when they attacked. We called them Red Hungarians because they seemed pretty ticked off. For two months through the late summer of 1744 the two sides clashed. It was so close...so close when the popup came I thought we'd won.
Nope.
Milan offered support int he form of a royal marriage, but little good that did. The revolution began spreading like wildfire.
Serbia followed Moravia in September. Pozsony in December. I had the money to pay these events off, but I was curious what would happen if I let it go for awhile and 'surrendered' in December: An Administrative Republic according to the revolt screen.
Following the disaster at Pest I built no more armies, thinking to save something for the end of the revolution. Yet, when Moravia fell on Christmas Eve and I tried to surrender, I found I couldn't. The revolutionaries wouldn't negotiate, even though 'giving in' would be slightly worse than letting them win outright. (If they win outright, we turn into an Adm. Republic. Supposedly if we just gave in we'd turn into a Republic AND lose 50 prestige.)
By December 1744, Hungary's doomed.
But not my problem.
Johan's Dice
Reign: 15 years
Needed: 4+
Roll: 4
Continue?: Yes
No! I said not my problem!
Continue?: Yes
Johan!
Fine.
Okay, we're playing the revolution out. Surrender is not an option. Literally. We have 657 gold, so we can probably hire all the mercs we want. We also have 4,156 manpower. The next time the 'Governmental Incompetence' event comes up I can probably stop it for around 400 gold.
Is there any way to pull this out?