You know it's Christmas when this AAR gets two updates in a row
Music: Ride The Lightning - Metallica
Drink: Nastro Azzuro <- something I cannot recommend enough. It is a beuatiful drink.
TV: Nah
Mood: Like a child in wonderland
I'd like to write another episode like before, but it took just too darn long, and I really want to get this finished, to be honest. It's been over my head for a while now, and anyway, I want it to say "1419 to 1820 - finished" in the LibrAARy
After the last hectic month (guffaw) where all I did was accelerate the time to its maximum limit and then break out the beer, I've decided to go for something different for this decade.
Delhi it is then.
The ETA is 1652, which gives me just under 3 years before the DoW arrives on Delhi's doorstep. In theory, that is plenty of time to build up an army, but the following factors slow this recruitment down:
a) I'm starting from scratch,
b) 100,000 men, horses and cannon can be quite a drain on the budget, and that's just maintaining the buggers.
c) rebels are still plaguing my new possessions, not to mention the old ones. I have to constantly top up my rebel-killers.
d) Beer and breasts are a
BIG distraction. Apparantly.
Anyway, while I flitter around hiring mercenaries and troops by the ten thousand on my south-eastern border, the French Catholics change religion to Catholic while the Puritans convert to Protestantism. Right. (1651)
1652 swings around like an unwanted relative, and I'm only four months behind schedule. Though that is not the only change to plan as I've decided - last minute style - to attack Vijinajar (or whatever it's called) after checking their alliance. A much more tasty offer.
The war starts of fabulously, namely, me seizing Bangalore (after making a white peace with unreachable Orissa). In a typical display of A.I. tactics, the computer heaps all 50,000 of its troops onto its captured capitol. Fine by me. While they slowly retake that province, I'll take the rest of their country around them.
Three years and a headache later, I settle for all but the Capital. Thus taking the running total up to:
7 Hindi provinces.
Elsewhere, The Muggle- I mean Mughel Empire re-arises in someone elses land, despite it being me who annexed them in the first place. While, after no less than 18 tries, Nizhgorod converts! To be frightfully honest (pip pip, old lad, stiff upper lip, eh? etc) I'd kinda given up on ever converting those ungrateful bastards. It was becoming a twice decadely ritual of:
Conversion attempt -> failure -> rebellion -> attack -> conversion attempt (and so on).
But lo, the cycle twas broken and Nizhgorod was finally converted. I think I must have spent some 3000 or 4000 ducats on that place. That 30% tax increase should go someway to paying me back
A final missive for this step, I reach an infrastructure level high enough to allow me Guv'nors (imagine that, Cockney mongolians). So after converting some hundred or so provinces, I am finally left with an inflation level of 6% and sweet F.A. in cash!
HAPPY CHRISTMAS! (if I don't do any more updates before then)
