1660-1675 King Filipe II, Part 4
This update starts with an embarrasing apology. Just 5 minutes ago, as I was preparing to start uploading photos, I accidentally deleted them all from my USB stick. Having already deleted them from the computer at home after I transferred them to the stick, they are gone forever. So this update will, unfortunately, be text based.... :(
In 1660 we get enough diplomatic power to take another
Trade Idea. Although we are lagging behind in diplomatic tech levels, the
Trade Idea is more important at the moment as it gives me an extra merchant,
who immediately gets sent to Ceylon. Once he arrives there we are able to start
transferring about 90% of the Ceylon trade to Aden, rather than it going up to
the Indus trade node where it disappears into the Mughal treasury. As we also
have a merchant in Aden, he can send it down the Eastern African coast to
Zanzibar, where it starts its long trek round to Mauretania. Our trade income
increases by about 10% overnight.
Admin tech level 21 comes in mid 1661, putting us
right on the power curve for Admin tech. Once we get to Admin tech level 22, we
will get another Idea Group selection. Having already chosen 2 each from
diplomatic and military techs, it is time to take one from the Admin list. More
on that when we reach level 22 (in about 1674 probably!).
And then, in 1665.... our heir dies.... AGAIN!!!!!??!!!! WTF!! Can we actually get an heir who survives please? We immediately start hunting around for any additional Royal Marriages we can find, to increase the chances of a new heir being born, taking a marriage with the Kingdom of Naples.
The following year we get a son, Joao. With stats of 4/3/3, he's pretty
good. Now all he has to do is survive for about 16 years or so!
We take diplo tech 20 in April 1667, putting us 23
years behind the curve!
In March 1668 we learn that our ally Morocco has
started the Westernisation process. This will take them many years to complete,
but will leave them in a much stronger position in the end.
August 1668 and we have enough military power to
take tech level 19, giving us some better infantry (this is the infantry that
the Ottomans were using against us 20 years ago!). We are now 20 years behind
the military tech curve. 18 years ago we were 29 years behind the curve, so we
have caught up quite a bit. By that reckoning we should be on or at the power
curve militarily by the end of the century.
In 1669 we have enough positive relations to start
diplomatically annexing our vassal, Adal. Remember we vassalised them as part
of the peace deal during our last war with Yemen.
In February 1670 we raise the 761 ducats required to
begin construction of a War College in Lisbon. This will give us additional
army tradition, and also an extra free military leader slot.
February 72 comes around, and we finish the
annexation of Inca. The territories immediately form a new colonial nation,
Portuguese Peru. Our new nation shares a long border with Castilian Peru, so we can expect fireworks along that border eventually.
By early 73 our aggressive expansion has lessened in
the middle east, to the extent that the Ottomans leave the Coalition against
us. The immediate threat in this region has lessened considerably. We are about to lessen it even more, however, as we
get a Royal Marriage with the Russians!
In January 74 we are able to take admin tech 22,
opening up another Idea slot. For our sixth Idea group we take an Economic Ideas.
These are an admin based group which should allow us to focus our military and
diplomatic power on taking tech levels. By January 75 we have enough spare
admin power to take the first Economic Idea. This improves our bureaucracy
giving us a 10% tax boost.
Our strategy seems to be working as we take military
tech level 20 in April 75. We are now only 14 years behind the power curve in
military tech. We celebrate by allowing ourselves to spend some diplomatic
power taking a Trade Idea, boosting our trade range. This gives us more
influence in other trade nodes.
In July 75 we cackle like a demented crone as Russia
accepts an alliance with us! The two largest nations in the world are now
allies!
At the end of the year, with our War College up and
running in Lisbon, it is time to build an Admiralty, this time in Gibraltar.
The colonies
7 colonies became self-sustaining in this update:
The islands of Ambon and Ceram, plus Irian, on the
western end of the Island of New Guinea. In addition, Papua and Rabaul (on the eastern end of
New Guinea). Also, Tahiti
and the island of Sumba (to the east of Java). Finally, we took a mission to colonise the last
remaining coastal province in East Africa, Delagoa Bay. Colonists arriving here
give us a nice boost to our settler rates.
So, that ends a pretty rubbish update, which would have been much better if I hadn't deleted the screenshots. That'll teach me to delete stuff from the computer before it is safely uploaded to tinterweb!
No comments:
Post a Comment