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Woot! Now you've a foothold in two continents, liking the names too, the similiarity between New China and Japan to the old ones is uncanny. Hope you strike some gold, New China seems to be kind in that regard most games to me. :D

Did you have any influence in Gelre setting up shop next door to you or was it a happy coindicence? Either way, the neighbour bonus should be pretty much capped seeing how you've plodded along at 40% vs their 100% for most of the game.

Wuu finally where they belong; on a rock surrounded by their superiors.

What preparations have you made for the eventual attack of the euro's?

And to think, people say loans are bad! Best use of them I've seen that doesn't involve crushing France!
 
4500 ducats, in addition to??
 
That was a brilliant, brilliant use of loans! I'd never considered that before...lovely!

Excellent historical narrative. You've had some pretty mesely leaders recently. I only hope you get a great conquerer again!
 
I also hope you can finish westernizing and get a ruler capable of doing some conquering. I would like to see a few Asian minors steamrollered. Qin should probably left alone as should the Oiriat Horde and you should only take from Manchuria the provinces between your current holdings and the Coast to make the border look tidier. Still think South East Asia should be on the menu but I understand your reasons for not taking it if you decide not to. India should absolutely be left alone unless European invasions start hitting it. If the Europeans start taking chunks of India, then you should do the same. I think one of your goals should be that not a single Asian province, probably excluding the Middle East, is held by a European. I think that would be cool.
 
Wow, what an awesome way to westernize - I've never seen anything like it! :) First you use a regency council to westernize, then a desperate race against the clock before the heir comes to power using the loans. Very clever playing, I must say! You must have been praying for an "Heir Falls Ill" to pop up :D

PS - thanks for the link to my AAR too :p
 
Still Oriental?
No Muslim tech group, nor European? :confused:

Oriental is the tech name for the Eastern group, so he already bypassed the Muslim tech group. That is why he took those loans - to be able to Westernize twice, into Muslim, then Oriental (i.e. Russian)).

Pretty confusing, considering Oriental today means the region covered by the Chinese tech group!
 
Boris ze Spider - One of the rare examples where I actually mean to take a loan too!

Shadowkano - Gubbi Gubbi, the northern Australian province has gold, the other has naval supplies, but 50/50 isn't too bad.

Gelre was a complete fluke. They got dragged into a war by France and ended up next to me. I actually fought a war with Khmer to keep them as neighbours, but don't have the screenshots of that. :(

Phillep - Actually it was all five loans, so more like 8000 ducats, plus running down a treasury of about 15000. It seemed appropriate that modernising was so expensive.

Ashantai - I'd like to say I planned it, but it just happened. I was feeling hard done by that I had a poor admin leader and worse heir and then the first guy dies leaving me a 7 admin regency. I actually might have been able to westernise all the way if I had made better use of buying stability earlier on. It's the first time that buying investment seemed to make sense.

History_Buff - Steamrolling Asian minors was possible before westernisation. My tech rate is much better than most of my neighbours. I agree that the Euros should be kept out of Asia, although I have a soft spot for colonial Scotland.

Enewald/anwerRU - For some reason Oriental =/= Chinese.

dsb3232 - It's that kind of blind luck that has made this game for me! Unfortunately I couldn't have the heir die as another of my goals is to preserve the dynasty (otherwise the AAR title doesn't make much sense).

No probs on the link as I think people should see that Korea isn't just there to be gobbled up by someone else! :D
 
Winds of Change: 1744 to 1748

Emperor Naohito II, Dec 1744 - May 1748

The short reign of Emperor Naohito II is remembered as a turning point in Japanese history. He came to the throne of a country which had made its peace with the actions of the 1717 regency, but unlike his father the new Emperor was determined to finish what the regents had started.

newbroom.jpg


As soon as he was established in Kyoto, Naohito ordered the universities to offer instruction only in French and Latin. These European languages had made inroads amongst Japanese scholars, but the move was still a controversial one which reignited many of the old hatreds.

westerno.jpg


Nevertheless, the determined Emperor was to have his way and the decision proved fruitful as new ideas from abroad now flowed more easily to the Japanese intelligensia.

In particular the study of French inspired many intellectuals to wish to emulate that powerful nation culturally as well as scientifically.

Naohito himself was caught up with a clique of Japanese philosophes, who emulating their French heroes sought to bring the spirit of the Enlightment to the Empire.

lefv.jpg


This did not go without protest. In 1717 peasants had taken to the streets when they thought their customs were being threatened. Now they actually were, but despite the wave of ill-feeling that engulfed rural Japan the authorities were able to keep dissent to a minimum except in the most isolated regions of the empire.

One such place was the Muslim outpost of Makassar. When they had first been incorporated into Japan the local nobility had been allowed to retain many of their old practices, but heavy-handed interference by imperial bureaucrats now seemed to threaten this.

Making common cause with the more superstitious elements of the peasantry the nobles rose up and destroyed the small Japanese garrison. A larger force sent to quell the revolt was likewise summarily dispatched.

rebellion.jpg


The Japanese response was slow in coming. Colonial troops had proven inadequate to deal with the revolt, and it would take months before regulars could be shipped in from China. The garrison in Makassar city held out for as long as it could, but with no help in sight it was forced to surrender.

Furious that his soldiers had been bested by such backward-looking heathens, Naohito commanded that a full field army be assembled to take back the city and punish those who had participated in the rising.

When the fleet sailed from Guangzhou the result could be in no doubt. Isolated in their province the nobles of Makassar were crushed and order restored, although resentment would linger on for years.

Across the Empire peasants expressed their anger at the changes taking place, but the example of Makassar meant that nowhere else did this turn to open violence.

One surprising outcome of the revolt was a growing awarness of what it meant to be Japanese, although by this time the term had come to mean any Imperial citizen from Ezochi to Thang Long. In times past being Japanese had simply meant being ruled by a Yamato, but this was now replaced by a growing sense of otherness and superiority of a people blessed by destiny.

nationalism.jpg


In government this manifested itself in increasing acceptance of state-directed economic policy, while the people themselves showed their willingness to sanction war against foreign states.

The inner turmoil that now gripped Japan was creative as well as destructive. Over the brief period of Naohito's reign great strides were made in every sphere of Japanese knowledge.

ideast.jpg


The effect was self-reinforcing, with every new advance building on the one before it and contributing to the next in a great tide of progress that was to sweep Japan into the modern age.

Naohito would not live to see this however. His short but crucial reign ended less than four years after it began.

prelude.jpg


By its own lights it had been a tremendous success. The Empire was now far more aware of the world beyond its borders, and more aware of the threats it faced.
 
That's an awesome update! :D

I have never seen that Liberty decision before...but it looks pretty awesome!
 
Boris ze Spider - Yes, it's been a long time in coming! Let's see if we can catch up with the Euros.

Ashantai - Liberty, Egalite, Fraternity is great, although the costs are pretty daunting. I paid about 5,500 ducats and my revolt risk rose by 8.00 in every province. Fortunately most are cored, so it's not a great problem as long as I don't get too much WE.

Enewald/anweRU - Not worth converting is right, although I didn't know that at the time. I thought I'd have to go through every stage just like with westernising my tech group. The other factor is that since the 1717 regency I haven't had an Admin 7 ruler, so can't convert anyway.

dsb3232 - We'll see a bit more interference in the next update.

Here are the maps you asked for as of 1773:

North America
na1773.jpg


Europe, Africa and West Asia
euafrica1773.jpg


East Asia
asia1773.jpg
 
A bigger pond: 1748 to 1770

Emperor Sadayuki, May 1748 - May 1770

Emperor Sadayuki's 22 years in power saw Japan emerge onto the international stage for the first time. The Empire had grown used to being the dominant power in East Asia, but it was soon to learn that the world was far larger and more dangerous than it had thought.

The reign was marked by continued unrest amongst both the peasantry and the more conservative nobles. On several occasions major revolts broke out, but these proved only local annoyances.

unrest.jpg


Japan's armies proved their worth in swiftly putting down armed resistance. However they were soon to face a much more serious challenge.

Great Britain was a country far from Japan, but one that nevertheless coveted the wealth of the Empire. Having established itself in south-east asia it looked to increase its possessions at Japan's expense.

warwithuk.jpg


On the face of it Japan was at a disadvantage, lacking in both troops and ships. However, Britain's territories were spread out across the globe and at no time could it bring all its resources to bear.

In contrast, the Empire was swift to organise an expedition against the one British province within striking distance - Malacca.

fortunesofwar.jpg


Japanese troops were able to dislodge the army guarding the city and after a bloody siege brought the town under imperial control. However, the loss of one far-flung trading outpost did little to deter the British, who continued to attack Japan's faith European ally, Gelre.

Alarmed by the prospect of a much stronger British response Sadayuki ordered his ministers to make peace at all costs.

peacewithouthonour.jpg


This was finally agreed to in 1558, on the condition that Japan freed Lan Xang from vassalage. It was obvious that the British did not care about the welfare of that country, but desired instead to humiliate and dishonour Japan.

If this was their intent, they succeeded. The Japanese military loudly protested the Emperor's decision and called for greater attention to be given to the army, which needed to be brought up to the standard of its European foes.

Unfortunately, this was beyond Sadayuki's means, but his officers' anger stiffened his resolve in the later years of his reign when Britain would again declare war. This time Japan stood firm until the agressive Europeans gave up.

A similar phony war waged by Austria failed to produce any Japanese concessions. However, the actions of these two countries would not be forgotten.

During these turbulent years the Empire continued to progress both economically and scientifically, making great progress in both fields.

sliders1770.jpg


The borders of Japan continued to expand as settlers left the crowded home islands to make new lives overseas.

colonies.jpg


Although Sadayuki could not give Japan the leadership she needed, he ensured that she continued to grow stronger. When he died in 1770 he bequeathed to his son an Empire that only needed the proper direction to take its rightful place in the world.
 
The first war with the Europeans! Might want to break that alliance with Gelre so you don't have to worry about them being eaten. Well handled though. Just hope for an ADM 7 leader!
 
You will, you shall, you can conquer the world. Hurry up. :p

It's coming - be patient. :D

The first war with the Europeans! Might want to break that alliance with Gelre so you don't have to worry about them being eaten. Well handled though. Just hope for an ADM 7 leader!

But they are my loyal allies. I was worried about them getting eaten by the locals, but might be interesting to see what trouble they can get me into in Europe.

Ooh, looking forward to those arrogant Euro's getting their just desserts! :) Hopefully you can dig up an Admin 7 leader soon (or maybe another nice regency! haha)

All will (very quickly) be revealed. I think you can see the heir in an earlier screenshot, but the next update will put things beyond doubt.