Chapter Twenty Six
1500 starts quietly with only a free slider move to Quality via event occurring in the Horde. Castile annexes Creek and Cleves goes Protestant to start the Reformation. By October war exhaustion is down to 2.16 while Lithuania is being knocked about by Poland – four provinces occupied and war exhaustion near 11.
War!
Lithuania’s allies have no land access to the Horde. The Ottomans are spamming warnings again and I get one 28 days after DOWing Lithuania
Lithuania offers peace, surrendering their cores on my territory on the 25th November. Rejected of course but I’ve clearly got my timing right.
Then again let’s hope timing isn’t everything…
At 2.14 war exhaustion and full stability this isn’t as bad as previous TSCs.
The TSC – 5th December 1500
Obviously most of my troops are in Lithuania but the Caucasus garrison is still in position.
The South
The North and the War
I’ve grabbed unfortified Poltava and stormed both Kiev and Polotsk. I’m going to see if I can make a few more gains over the winter ideally before Lithuania makes peace with Poland. Muscovite nationalists rise in Vologda days later.
The new Khan
Deep joy, I’m back in bad boy territory again but at least I’ll have some money and with an Admin 7 Khan I might even manage a few conversions. The Ottomans have gone after OPM Naxos so I’m safe on that flank for a while.
January 1501 brings a Muscovite nationalist revolt in Ustyug.
Poland peaces out Alliance leader Austria for the release of Styria – my war with Lithuania just got trickier. Cutting and running is looking more attractive.
March sees more Muscovite rebels in Zavolochye. The Pretender gains support with revolts in Kazan in May and Sarai itself in June.
I bribe Brandenburg and Mecklenburg out of the war in July, 25 ducats each was sufficient. War score leaps from 25 to 33. I want peace soon as I need to march some troops north against the Muscovites.
Lugansk also rises for the Pretender in August as does Pensa three months later. Uralic patriots rise in North Ufa in September and again in October.
Nine months into the TSC most of my troops are fighting rebels in the fringes of Lithuania. I’ve 36 war score – further gains are looking time consuming. Progress by the Caucasian army has been unimpressive I’ve only finished a couple of rebel armies.
Novgorod send a warning in November – rather less of a concern than the Ottomans!
December sees a big wave of rebellions, 15000 Ukrainian nationalists in occupied Kiev, 5000 Moldovans in Budjak, and another 15000 supporters of the Pretender split between Uralsk and Cherson.
I need a kill strike on the Pretender, his original army in Viatka is only 4000 strong although getting to it means fighting through rebels whatever route I take.
The North - January 1502
The South - January 1502
I take Polesia straight after New Year so go for peace with a 40% war score.
Peace with Lithuania – January 1502
A single province and enough money to get through the TSC without minting. The lack of resistance means my war exhaustion has actually fallen – to 1.47!
Orthodox zealots rise in Kharkov at the start of February.
I finally sneak a cavalry strike group through in April and run down the Pretender in the first few days of the first battle. Now I just need to start clearing house…
Mid May 1502 sees another big wave of uprisings. There are 7000 Georgian nationalists in Georgia, 8000 Uralic patriots in Ufa, 3000 Siberian nationalists in far flung Tara and a new Pretender with a pitiful 2000 strong army in Idnakar.
June brings a second Uralic revolt in Ufa, adding the two rebel armies from now fallen North Ufa there are 24,000 rebels camped there. One for attrition to strike the first blow! It's well over a year later before I fight these guys - the 24 regiment stack was barely 9000 strong by that time. There are more Muscovite revolts in Tula, Ryazan and Zavolochye.
Samara rises for the Pretender in August. I’m in the usual late TSC phase now where it feels like things are getting away from me. However, there are only a few months with the extra revolt risk and then it’ll all calm down. The Russian lands are swarming with Muscovite rebels, my Persian provinces have fallen and the Uralic stack looks like a hard fight. I’ve 15000 Ukrainian nationalists from Kiev rampaging through the western borderlands and I’m still fighting Greeks and Georgians in the Caucasian mountains.
Ukrainian nationalists rise in Poltava in August but I also kill the second Pretender that month.
A third pretender appears in October, this time in Voronezh with 7000 followers.
Novgorod declares War – December 1502
I’ve only a month to go to the end of the TSC. A couple of things to notice here, one I’ve no war exhaustion and two I’ve a border with Sweden after they annexed Pskov.
The South – January 1503
This is mainly under control. Most of the Persian nationalists have got themselves killed over-spilling into Iraq.
The Russian Lands – January 1503
This is less under control!
As May starts Persia sends a warning. The TSC’s aftermath continues but the overall picture is improving. The southern sector is very nearly rebel free while sieges have been established in several of the Russian provinces and some of the smaller armies beaten.
Persia declares War – July 1503
Well let’s hope they make themselves useful and clear some of my rebel held provinces for me. You can see my main southern force finishing off the last rebels in the south. Persia has about 22000 men under arms – I have 14000 in theatre.
Vyazma has a Muscovite revolt in August. Ak K nationalists pick an awkward time to rebel, 9000 rising in Azerbaijan in November even as I’m trying to drive back the first Persian push.
England declares War – February 1504
I’m joined by the Ottomans who had warned the English. The rest of the enemy alliance is Scotland (a vassal), Aragon and Austria.
Moscow revolts mid-May – 18000 nationalists.
War weary Austria offers white peace in September which I accept while I’ve stormed Novgorod and white peace them – Novgorod has no money at all.
Unfortified Poltava is lost to another Ukrainian revolt towards the end of the year – at least this lot wander off into Lithuanian territory.
Peace with Aragon – January 1505
The Ottomans get a province for their troubles and I get the cash. The Green provinces are all Ottoman territory. I’m keen to focus the Ottomans on the Mediterranean rather than looking north…
Shortly after this battle Persia offers a white peace despite holding two of my provinces. The battles are proving disastrous for them – they lack worthwhile leaders. I’m heading the same way having got through so many Generals recently my military tradition is down to barely 30.
Azerbaijan revolts again in May the 9000 rebels tearing into 4000 Persian besiegers.
Hungary declares War – October 1505
Another country warned by the Ottomans. I take it all back; they’re a fine upstanding group of people. I have got a land border with Sweden.
I had some success with missionaries, Kharkov and Tambow converted although I lost a missionary in Ryazan to rebels.
Rebel Count = 430 (+44)
Rebels = 2,287,000 (+295,000)
----------
