Chapter 18: Gathering the Pentarchy
February 1700: We kick off the 18th century by passing the Joint-Stock Companies Act, gaining +1 mercantilism, +2% trade efficiency, and +3% compete chance for slightly (+7%) more expensive merchants. I wanted the move to Mercantilism -- the rest is gravy, as far as I'm concerned.
March 1700: First time I've seen this. Fellow players, heed my advice: make sure you take captured provinces out of the HRE as soon as you get them. Memel isn't a crushing loss, but it is slightly irritating.
War with Brandenburg (HRE) is a little too much to handle right now. I've been neglecting my western armies with all the British and Mamluk nonsense, and this won't change for a while.
May 1700: News of fur in Tinglit.
August 1700: Yes, it's another "election." Once again, Senyavin gets re-elected. It is going to suck hardcore when he dies -- I'm spoiled now.
January 1701: Land 36 -- we choose Latin Dragoons. Nizhe-Kolymsk cores. Speaking of cores, a boundary dispute gives us one on Gilan, a Persian province.
March 1701: I finish the new and improved fleet, so God has a new mission -- if I take Udiapur from Rajputana, I get it as a core. Sounds good!
May 1701: Adana converts -- that's two of the five provinces for the Pentarchy (the other being Thrace), if you're keeping score.
November 1701: The Mamluks declare war on Persia.
February 1702: After my conversation with Iwanow, when Military Divided fires again, I choose defensive.
August 1702: Ming declares war on Korea. If you're asking, where's Russia in all this, I answer, burning off infamy.
October 1702: Thar, Jodphur, and Jaisalmer core, making my Indian road fully cored.
December 1702: Enough of this peace crap. It's time for war!
War objectives: Acquire Judea, Alexandria, and as many connection provinces as I can. Ethiopia, Haasa, and Hedjaz all answer. Persia buys its way out of war with the Mamluks, meaning the war will be slightly harder for me. Oh well.
February 1703: Transylvania warns me. Why, what did I do?
April 1703: The first clash between Mamluk and Russian forces goes much better than the last war. It would appear I have learned my lesson.
A few days later, their army is obliterated. You can see here the progress I've made at occupying Mamluk territory.
May 1703: This is kind of irritating. There are hundreds of provinces in the world, but the game gives me a free core... on Udiapur. You know, the province I'll get a core on once I take it anyways, in effect making the only reason for keeping the mission not losing 5 prestige.
June 1703: With the Mamluk army gone, their allies chicken out. Haasa is first.
July 1703: Hedjaz is next.
August 1703: The war has been a rousing success, and I take most of my war goals -- it was too much war score to take the interconnecting provinces too.
September 1703: This is a pretty nice fringe benefit, of course
Missionaries I sent immediately to Judea and Alexandria.
November 1703: Apparently irritated that I would commit such a travesty as annex the Holy Land, Norway insults me. I also begin thinking of a new target.
March 1704: Van cores. Also, Switzerland decides it's time for war with Parma again. I seriously have no idea what they expect to get from Parma with all of these wars.
August 1704: Glorious day! Senyavin survives for another term!
November 1704: The farmers build a constable for Suntar Khayat.
February 1705: I've been finishing an invasion fleet and a new army. I wonder where they're going?
March 1705: Edirne cores -- this will be useful if I have to expand the Black Sea fleet again.
May 1705: Preparations are complete. I got military access through Naples. It's time to declare war on the remaining territory I need for the Pentarchy -- the Papal States!
They do have some powerful friends, though. Fun fact: I've only declared three wars the entire game without a CB, and one was to shake the Tatar Yoke. I send a call to Switzerland and some other convenient allies.
June 1705: The first battle between British and Russian forces is something of a stalemate -- once again, I forget to assign a leader
August 1705: I start occupying the British possessions in Anatolya -- I know annexing the Papal States will cost me a lot of infamy, so this is just to make them go White Peace when I'm ready. Karshi cores.
September 1705: The second clash with the British goes much better, thanks to the able leadership of Artamon Petrov, although it appears that they've gotten some reinforcements too.
After this defeat, the British call Yemen. I don't even think Yemen can do much, but hey, whatever. We accidentally spread some disease to the natives overseas. For a cash settlement, I get a boost to colonization and overseas income for a couple of months.
October 1705: Trebizond honors Britain's call, too. In positive war news, the entire provinces of Anatolia have been occupied, it just remains for us to crush the British. Crushed they soon are.
November 1705: Yemen peaces out.
December 1705: Woiworung produces fish.
January 1706: Wergaia produces grain.
April 1706: We pass the mining act, which offers bonuses to national tax and production efficiency (3% and 6%, respectively), for some penalties to trade (-.04 to merchants, -3% to merchant chance and compete chance). How are those different? It also moves us toward Mercantilism. In war news, Algiers honors a British call.
May 1706: Ragusa leaves the British alliance.
June 1706: An adventurous British army invades India and meets with what I can only assume are not the desired results.
I show this picture for a second reason. You can clearly see an army forming in Crimea -- this is the Second Italian Army. See, funny story, it turns out that without artillery, assaulting European fortresses is really stupid -- I've got enough cavalry in Rome that nobody can dislodge my army, but no infantry, since they all died in the assault. These are the reinforcements.
November 1706: Algiers offers white peace. The University of Armenia gets me 10 cultural tradition.
December 1706: Boundary dispute on Hawran (the Mamluks). That will be useful later. Korea gets thrashed by Ming, losing five provinces and a little cash.
February 1707: A little earlier, Rome falls, but I still can't annex. It turns out the Pope has been busy, and I send an army to take down their last fortress in Canada.
March 1707: Finally, our goal is achieved, and Rome is under Russian protection!
The Conquest of Rome is also good for missionaries and prestige -- one I get East Indian Trade Route, I can start moving Innovative. I end the war with Great Britain too, with White Peace. Parma gets white peace so I can sell Taqamkuk to Naples -- I have no desire to get involved in eastern North America at this junction.
April 1707: I lose my core on Livland.
May 1707: I gain one on Anadyrsk. I begin maneuvering toward war in India by breaking my alliance with Gujarat -- my objectives are to take my core from Rajputana and connect Dadra with the rest of Russia.
June 1707: Bursa and Bithynia core. I DOW Rajputana (Reconquest CB). Every one of their allies dishonors.
Urbino warns me, however.
October 1707: With some extra infamy, I force Rajputana to become my vassal, after taking my core.
I then go after Gujarat, who holds the provinces I need to connect Dadra and Russia proper. Malwa warns me, Bihar joins the war, but I do save Mus from siege, which was the mission I got after taking Udiapur. I'm supposed to colonize Chinook next.
December 1707: Warning from Khorasan.
June 1708: I annex Gujarat, and the Russian empire is completely contiguous (except Alexandria and the lands across the Pacific).
Bihar, with vivid memories of Russian armies looting their land, white peaces with no battle. I also get this nifty little modifier!
July 1708: Zheteru converts. It took a long time for that one.
November 1708: Tsmishian will produce naval supplies.
January 1709: God agrees with me: with Chinook colonized, it's time to Restore the Pentarchy. Possible bug alert -- the modifier requires Orthodox and Russian-owned Adana, Roma, Alexandria, Judea, and Thrace, but the mission requires Aleppo instead of Adana. It's only a slight problem, since I have Aleppo anyway, it just hasn't converted yet. Until all six are converted, though, I won't get the modifier and pass the mission.
May 1709: I pass Sunday Schools to assist with the conversion effort (-1 to RR, +2% to Missionary Chance, -7% to national tax modifier).
December 1709: With a new government tech, Russia proclaims a Bill of Rights and now earns the right to liberate other countries from their oppressive overlords! The last event of the update is a diplomatic insult that Russia parlays into greatly increased relations with half of Earth.
Next update will probably be sometime next week -- I've got a huge pile of exams to grade and some other things to do while I'm technically on "break."