The Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian): Wonders of the Orient

Wow this will be a very tough game even on monarch, with the event of an early loss under your restrictions very possible.
 
Chapter 4: If "Ainu" This Would Happen...



North of my hut, south of my hut,
the spring floods are out,
Flocks of gulls my only callers
day after day.
My path is deep in petals,
not swept for guests;
You were the first today
to open my thorn-wood gate.
With the market so far
there’s little choice for supper;
In our poor home
we have only a pot of home-brew;
If you’d like to drink with
an old neighbour of mine,
I’ll call over the fence--
he will help us finish the wine.


"Arrival of a Guest," Du Fu (A.D. 712-770)​

Having escaped the Ghuzz village with a few minor injuries, the expedition continued southward, crossing another river and passing through forests and plains until another village was sighted. The warriors entered carefully this time, and were welcomed by the village chief, who entertained them with hospitality remarkable for a barbarian.

Local residents gathered around the explorers to hear their tales of a great country in the north called China. Their eyes widened as they learned about the culture of the Chinese, and their jaws dropped with awe at technologies they had never imagined before.

The next morning, as the party was ready to leave, the villagers came to them with a strange request. They explained that they were so impressed by the greatness of the Chinese people that they wished become part of this great civilization as well.


This news caused quite a stir back in Beijing. Economic advisor Liu Shaoqi spoke adamantly against it. "Allowing them to join us is equivalent to extending ourselves far beyond where we are comfortable," he argued. "We will never be able to control what goes on in the Ainu land."

"We could escort them back to near Beijing, and have them settle down there," suggested military advisor Zhu De.

"That is far too troublesome," replied foreign minister Zhou Enlai. "Besides, I am sure the Ainu would be unwilling to relocate."

All this time, the messenger who had brought the news was wringing his hands in despair, trying to get their attention. Finally Chairman Mao noticed.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked.

The messenger nodded. He was too afraid to talk, but pointed a trembling finger at a drawing of a small, furry animal on the map.

"What is that?" asked Mao.

Advisor Liu examined the figure. "It looks like a mink," he said. "I have heard that in the southern regions they like to trap these animals and harvest their furs to make warm, comfortable clothes."

"Will it make our citizens happy?" asked Mao.

"Most certainly yes," answered Liu.

"Then it is decided. We will have the Ainu settle and build a city right there. Or else the Indians will take this opportunity from us."

The rest of the council nodded in agreement, and thus the order was given.


The city was named Nanjing, meaning "southern capital."

Shortly thereafter, science advisor Deng burst into the room, with a gleeful look on his face. "Chairman, we have completed our research on pottery!" he exclaimed. "We are now ready to study the technique of bronze working, which will let us build the Colossus."


Mao was delighted. The materials that had been gathered to build the temple were redirected to build a granary instead.

Just then, minister Zhou interrupted. "As a matter of fact, Chairman, the Indians have already learned bronze working," he said. "We don't need to waste our own time on this, we will just ask them for some assistance."

Gandhi, however, had a preconceived idea that bronze, as a shiny metallic material, was inherently superior to the clay and stone used in pottery. "Our technique is much more valuable than yours," the Mahatma said coldly. "If you wish to learn it, you must pay the price."

There was little reason to back up Gandhi's claim, but Mao decided to humor him. After all, it was the Colossus that he was after. "We shall offer you 25 gold in addition to teaching you our pottery technique." The amount was only one-fifth of the national treasury, certainly not something to worry about. Deng had no objections, and went off to study something else of his own liking.


And so Beijing, with the help of its new granary, grew and soon a group of settlers were sent out to found a new city. But before they arrived at their destination, it was reported that the exploreres in the south had come upon an intriguing discovery: a tribe of barbarians who somehow knew of a secret. These people, who called themselves the Kushans, had developed a strange device, basically a round piece of wood with a hole in the center, that could be used to move heavy objects such as bricks and grain. And they offered this technique as a gift.


Mao didn't see any immediate use for this, but was nevertheless very pleased by the result.

... to be continued
 
Chapter 5: A Clear Coast for Expansion



The moon, grown full now over the sea,
Brightening the whole of heaven,
Brings to separated hearts
The long thoughtfulness of night....
It is no darker though I blow out my candle.
It is no warmer though I put on my coat.
So I leave my message with the moon
And turn to my bed, hoping for dreams.


"Looking at the Moon and Thinking of One Far Away," Zhang Jiuling (A.D. 678-740)​

Though the Ainu incident caused China to prematurely build a second city in the far south, Mao still had grand plans for a city that was destined to build the Great Wonders. The site chosen had been well-explored by this time, and it was agreed that the cattle herd near the mouth of the Yellow River would be an indispensable resource. A worker had already started on a road leading in that direction, so the first settlers of this new city would have a smooth and speedy journey. They named the city "Shanghai," referring to the point where the great river flowed out into the vast western sea.


"An excellent choice," minister Liu had said of Mao's decision. "We can harvest bountiful crops in the flood plains and build mines in the hills for production."

Shanghai would grow quickly from its original ten thousand citizens, and unlike Nanjing, did not lose much to waste or corruption under the watchful eyes of officials from the capital, who were able to come and go quickly once the road connected them. The governor of Shanghai made a point to balance growth and production, and soon Mao decided this would be the choice location to start work on the Colossus.

Foreign minister Zhou was quick to notice, however, that Gandhi was quite active as well. Bombay and Madras had been founded west and north of the Indian capital of Delhi; clearly the Indians were expanding in the direction of China proper. Though there was still quite a distance in between them, it was not known how long it would take the gap to disappear.

Science advisor Deng had more startling news of the growing power of the Indians, as he learned from a passing scholar:


"We are lagging behind," he lamented one day to Mao. "I need more funds or else the Indians will one day crush us." Mao agreed, and devoted the vast majority of the revenue collected to Deng's work.

It paid off. One day Deng brought with him a strange tablet with strange symbols engraved upon it. Most of them were straight lines; some were broken in half in the middle, and six such lines would form a pattern. These patterns were arranged around a swirling figure drawn in the center.


"I present you the I Ching," said Deng triumphantly. "A wise man named Confucius gave this to me, and he said it would be useful in divination ceremonies, where we can fortell the future."

Mao was skeptical. "I don't believe in such things," he grumbled. "Do the people really trust these divinations to be accurate?"

"Let us not worry about that," insisted Deng. "It merely represents the fact that the funds you provided for research have paid off, and we have developed a theory and practice of mysticism."


Mao shrugged.

"What's more important," continued Deng, "is that we should construct a holy site to perform these divinations. The people would be more willing to trust the predictions made from these hexagram patterns that way."

Mao's ears perked up. "This building of which you speak," he said while giving Deng a suspicious look, "is it called the Oracle?"

Deng nodded twice rapidly. "One of the Great Wonders," he added, though he knew Mao was well aware of the fact.

"Good work," Mao congratulated him. "Here, take these new funds and try to find something useful, like something that makes our cities more productive."

"Thank you, I will work my hardest." Deng excused himself and went on his way.

All this time foreign minister Zhou had waited patiently outside as Mao and Deng had their discussion. He was anxious to report developments in the south, as by this time the Indians were up to five cities, with Bangalore and Calcutta on the map south and southeast of Delhi. But he also had good news: Chinese settlers were had been moving into position as well.

"Chairman," said Zhou, "I am pleased to announce the founding of two more coastal cities in the south. We now have settlements at Hangzhou, on a golden hill south of Beijing in wine country, and Guangzhou, even further south near the Indian border."

Mao looked at the map of Hangzhou first:


"A fine choice," he said. "I am impressed that the people of Hangzhou can make good use of the gold their city is built on. Dispatch a worker to cultivate the vineyards as soon as possible."

"Understood."

The Chairman then turned to the map of Guangzhou, and frowned.


"What made you choose this site?" he asked Zhou. "I see nothing interesting about the local terrain of Guangzhou."

"Chairman, you must look beyond the immediate borders of the city," Zhou explained. "We plan to build a temple as early as we can, and once our borders expand, you ought to see much improvement."

Mao examined the map again. "I see your point," he finally said. "If Guangzhou expands, we will control both the cattle herd and the dye forest." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "Indeed, and since there is no other source of dyes on this continent, I am sure Gandhi will pay a hefty price for part of our supply."

"Speaking of Gandhi," said Zhou suddenly, "I have received information that the proud Indian people of Delhi are starting work on a great project. They are trying to construct a giant stone structure, the Pyramids."


"I see..." Gandhi is quite ambitious, thought Mao. We are not even ready to start working on the Pyramids yet. But I am sure he isn't particularly serious about getting this done anytime soon either.

"What do you suggest?" the foreign minister asked after a long pause.

"We will ignore him for now," said Mao. "Our time will come soon enough. Just keep up the good work, and we shall prevail."

... to be continued
 
Apologies for the slow start. I wanted to emphasize some of the critical early decisions, but pretty soon the speed will start to pick up (especially when the landgrab phase is over).

stocktracker said:
Since you said that there are no more dyes on the continent, does this mean the Japan is on another island?

I don't see any way Japan could be on this continent if I haven't met them yet. Judging from the minimap, they would probably be out west, though at this point I'm not sure if the little corner of land I saw at the end of chapter 2 would be connected to that. Chances are it's probably just a small island though.

Problem: India now has a head start on the Pyramids. This could get rather troublesome later on....
 
stocktracker said:
If Japan is on its own island, they could get bigger than you. If they are isolated, they should fall behind in technology and not get any of the wonders. If India talks to Japan, they could trade technology and become dangerous.

Good point. That's part of the reason I went for researching mysticism, since if I waited for the Indians to trade it, the Japanese might already get a head start on the Oracle (or even complete it), as they started with ceremonial burial, only one step away from mysticism. There is a much greater risk of that happening than Japan going all the way up the technology tree to map making or literature and competing for those wonders, unless their continent has lots of huts and they are very very lucky.

Something else to keep in mind: since this is Civ III Vanilla, the Great Lighthouse permits safe travel on coastal, sea, and ocean tiles. Basically, no chance of sinking anywhere if I wait until then to find Japan. On the flip side, this means no curraghs, so no opportunity of suiciding those early in the game with just alphabet discovered.
 
Chapter 6: Forced Labor and the Discovery of Outsourcing



The pagoda, rising abruptly from earth,
Reaches to the very Palace of Heaven....
Climbing, we seem to have left the world behind us,
With the steps we look down on hung from space.
It overtops a holy land
And can only have been built by toil of the spirit.
Its four sides darken the bright sun,
Its seven stories cut the grey clouds;
Birds fly down beyond our sight,
And the rapid wind below our hearing;
Mountain-ranges, toward the east,
Appear to be curving and flowing like rivers;
Far green locust-trees line broad roads
Toward clustered palaces and mansions;
Colours of autumn, out of the west,
Enter advancing through the city;
And northward there lie, in five graveyards,
Calm forever under dewy green grass,
Those who know life's final meaning
Which all humankind must learn.
Henceforth I put my official hat aside.
To find the Eternal Way is the only happiness.


"Ascending the Pagoda at the Temple of Kind Favor," Cen Can (A.D. 715-770)​

Mao was very disappointed with the status reports he received from the governors of Nanjing and Guangzhou. Every time the vast majority of production in those cities was wasted, and only marginal work was being done on their temples. The Indians are a deeply religious people, he reminded himself. They build their temples fast, and if we cannot keep up with them, their cultural borders will surround us and we will be doomed.

But Mao had one more ace up his sleeve. The governors vehemently protested his decision, and the cities were on the verge of rioting had not a band of warriors been stationed in each to keep order. "The temple must be completed," he somberly declared, "no matter what price we must pay."

And so his orders were carried out:


Mao was deeply saddened by the news of the loss of his citizens, but nevertheless he felt he made the necessary decision. Still, for quite a long time he refused to eat and drink, and spent most of his time alone deep in his thoughts. Nobody dared to go see him, lest he suddenly turn unhappiness into anger or wrath.

Only Deng Xiaoping managed to finally bring the Chairman back to his senses. After an extended leave, he had eventually gathered the best of China's newest tradesmen: blacksmiths. Not only one, but two major deposits of iron had been found, one near Beijing, the other between the capital and Shanghai.

"I have good news for you," said the science advisor, hoping to cheer up his leader.

Mao looked at him, not speaking but seemingly suggesting that he continue.

"We have mastered the technique of iron working," said Deng. "You asked me during our last meeting to try to make our cities more productive. Well, here you have it. If we work the hills that are the source of our new resource, we will have a sizeable production boost."


For the first time in ages, Mao smiled. Upon seeing this, foreign minister Zhou released the information that he had been afraid to divulge for years.

"Chairman," he said, "I believe the Indians have discovered a new technology as well. They have further developed their alphabet into a systematic method of writing."

"Oh really?" Mao looked surprised for a moment, then rebuked Zhou for his slow response. "Well why do you hesitate, we must acquire that technique as well! Set up an appointment with Gandhi immediately, I have some business to settle with him."

The Mahatma was not particularly willing to give a good deal to the Chinese. At first he demanded both mysticism and iron working for writing, but that was unacceptable. Mao remembered that there was still an Oracle to build, and if mysticism was traded away, the Indians would no doubt begin working on that project as well.

Finally an agreement was reached:


And while minister Deng and his team of scholars started to fine tune the writing system for use with the Chinese language, minister Zhou made another proposal: to dispatch an envoy to Delhi, who would serve there permanently in the Chinese embassy. Mao decided this was a fine idea, and asked the ambassador to report the conditions in Delhi as soon as possible.

When the report arrived, it showed a most interesting situation (go ahead, open the spoiler):

Spoiler :



Gandhi was clearly throwing mountains of gold out for research, and Delhi was certainly in growth mode, but clearly the Indians were quite slow with their production work. Gandhi must be joking, snickered Mao to himself. We can build two Pyramids in that time. We can probably even safely teach him mysticism, there is no way he will be able to build the Oracle before us at that rate.

Economic advisor Liu Shaoqi was present at this time and he studied the report carefully. Suddenly he asked, "Why is there a worker in the Delhi garrison? Are Indian workers dependable fighters as well?"

"Impossible," said Zhou. "I don't believe the Indians are a particularly warlike people. Let us ask Gandhi to explain the situation."

Gandhi seemed surprised to see the ambassador return so quickly. "Are you here to finally deliver mysticism to us?" he asked.

Mao didn't really care about mysticism at this point. The Indians would probably never benefit from it, as it neither provided them with any improvements for their cities or any units for their military. The Oracle was well on its way toward completion in Beijing, as was the Colossus in Shanghai.

Instead, Mao fixed his eyes on one important prize. He still remembered the pain that his own citizens had gone through when building the temples in Nanjing and Guangzhou. On minister Liu's advice, he now had a plan to reduce the burden on Chinese workers by shifting some of the most unpleasant and unrewarding work elsewhere.

"Say," he asked Gandhi. "I have always admired the talent and dedication of India's workers. May I invite one of yours to work in China?"

"Mysticism," intoned the Mahatma. "Mysticism."

The Indians seemed determined to acquire mysticism, so a complex deal was finally worked out:


With that, Gandhi wandered off with his new technology that would ultimately lead nowhere, and Mao wondered how he would keep up that impressive research rate when each turn he had to send 2 gold in tribute to China. Hopefully this will slow down his acquisition of new technology, he thought. In time we will make up for the difference.

Meanwhile, the Indian worker soon arrived for his first job near Beijing. The Chinese workers gathered around with curiosity, wondering how the Indian worker was willing to do the same kind of work for longer periods of time yet received much less in pay. One worker asked minister Liu on one of his tours around the country about the situation.

"My friend," replied Liu, "this is what we call outsourcing. It will be part of our new way of life, so learn to deal with it and appreciate it."

... to be continued
 
Chapter 7: A Wonderful Time



The high tower is a hundred feet tall,
From here one's hand could pluck the stars.
I do not dare to speak in a loud voice,
I fear to disturb the people in heaven.


"Staying the Night in a Mountain Temple," Li Bai (A.D. 701-762)​

The years that followed were peaceful and prosperous. Chinese citizens worked diligently in the fields and on their great projects. Beijing grew to become a thriving cultural center with a population of over 300,000, slightly less than half the population of all China. Shanghai was well over 200,000 but had yet to expand its borders.

In the year 875 B.C., the first great wonder, a gigantic bronze statue towering over the sea at the mouth of the Yellow River, was finally completed:


The Colossus was not at all unexpected; no other civilization seemed to have even attempted to build it, so it seemed natural that the Chinese would get it. Immediately Shanghai was established as a second major cultural center that would be outshone only by the capital.

At around the same time, science advisor Deng Xiaoping reported another important discovery:


Defense minister Zhu De was particularly excited by this development, as Chinese scientists now had designs for the first stone-throwing catapults. Zhu had read extensively on the strategy of war; he knew everything about the deadliness of artillery stacks and the like. But to his dismay, Chairman Mao didn't seem the least bit interested in bombardment weaponry at this time. He was clearly focused on something much more important.

"Chairman," said Deng. "Allow me to research construction next. Even though we have mastered the art of stone masonry, we have yet to develop this into a unified practice that can be repeated for great projects."

Without looking up from Deng's report, Mao nodded. There was something in the proposal that had caught his eye--a blueprint of yet another wonder, the Great Wall.

Finally the Chairman spoke. "Send the people of Shanghai my congratulations," he said, smiling.

Shortly thereafter, another group of settlers who originally hailed from Hangzhou found a place they liked, a quiet grassland area nestled in the hills between Shanghai and Guangzhou. They called their city Xi'an, meaning "western peace."


Xi'an was China's sixth city. But foreign minister Zhou Enlai was quick to note that India, though less well developed, had seven cities. "The Indians still have the potential to surpass us," he warned.

Sure enough, the next time that Mao checked with Gandhi, the Mahatma had something new up his sleeve:


Thanks to the efforts of the explorers from antiquity, China already had a fairly complete map of the continent. Gandhi insisted there was no point in teaching the Chinese map making if he could not see what fine work the Chinese had, so the maps and technologies were thus exchanged.

While already impressive on paper, the art of cartography enabled yet another development: the first seaworthy vessel, the galley. Shanghai was immediately ordered to transfer all its work on its current project (a temple, which Mao had intended as a reward for the citizens who had worked long and hard to build the Colossus) to building the first Chinese galley to explore the seas.

The first Chinese sailors were rather poorly trained and afraid to go out into deeper water. Mao was disappointed with how easily they faltered, so he ordered the construction of a Great Lighthouse so that they would never be afraid of the high seas again. The people of Shanghai now had a new project to work on.

But on one particular excursion, one of the younger crewmen was sharp enough to notice a potential crossing.


"Captain," he said to his superior officer. "I don't know if you see this as well, but I can swear there has to be safe water over in that direction."

The captain squinted as he gazed across the vast expanse of water. Eventually, after thinking it over, he decided it was worth the risk to find out what was really there. The gambit paid off, and Mao was delighted to hear of the discovery of an island west of Shanghai.


On Minister Zhou's advice, settlement of the island would have to wait until after the land on the continent was completely occupied, lest the Indians get some advantage in that field. But one thing was for sure: the island would be China's best-kept secret for the time; no Indian would ever be permitted to look at any map showing the sea west of Shanghai.

Only one thing could take Mao's joyfulness to new heights at this time.


The second Great Wonder of the world, built in Beijing in 730 BC.

... to be continued
 
Chapter 8: The Shogun



You were foreordained to find the source.
Now, tracing your way as in a dream
There where the sea floats up the sky,
You wane from the world in your fragile boat....
The water and the moon are as calm as your faith,
Fishes and dragons follow your chanting,
And the eye still watches beyond the horizon
The holy light of your single lantern.


"Farewell to a Japanese Priest," Qian Qi (A.D. 710-782)​

The Oracle, as a matter of fact, was mostly a decoration. Neither Beijing nor Shanghai, the two largest cities, had bothered to build temples--they were too busy working on the Great Wonders. But there was no time to worry about that. The Chinese ambassador in Delhi delivered another report:

Spoiler :


The governor of Beijing estimated that it would take 37 turns to build the Pyramids, starting from scratch, but Mao wasn't about to take any chances. Gandhi is not using his full potential, he thought. Why waste one able citizen on entertainment when you can instead spend gold on luxuries? Besides, with Delhi due to grow again soon, there was no telling how much the Indians would increase their production.

In the meantime, the galley had gone past the western end of the island, sighting a new continent with an advanced civilization. The crewmen stopped to converse with a worker, from whom they learned that this was the country called Japan, ruled by the great Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu.


But it did not take much conversation with the Japanese leader for Mao to learn that Japan was not so advanced after all. The Japanese were still struggling to grasp some of the most basic techniques.

"Do you have a map of your territory?" Mao asked.

"A map? What is a map?" Tokugawa was visibly confused. "Show me what a map is, and perhaps I will care to find one for you."


Mao sighed. He called forth several Chinese scholars, who attempted to demonstrate their alphabet and masonry skills to the Shogun. Then he summoned a team of scribes, and had his interpreters ask the Japanese citizens for every last detail they could think of about their geography, their cities, their roads, and everything they knew of the land and sea. The picture they eventually were able to put together from these facts was quite an interesting one:

Spoiler :


Foreign minister Zhou was quick to spot that the Japanese had an iron deposit and three luxury resources on their continent, but they had only built roads to the silks south of Kyoto. What lazy bums the Japanese workers are, thought Mao. That road system is truly pitiful.

Tokugawa, however, had no lack of confidence in the people of Japan. Even before the first mud bricks his workers had gathered and molded could dry, he ordered them to start work on a truly foolish project, one that he had no chance of finishing even before the Indians, let alone the Chinese.


Your loss, thought Mao. He was not even interested in sending an envoy to take a look at their progress.

But the Japanese did in fact know a thing or two that Mao did not expect. All this time, they had been training their warriors to tame and ride the magnificent beasts known as horses. Oddly enough though, not a single horse was to be seen anywhere on their continent.

After wondering for a while about Tokugawa's sanity, Mao made another deal with him:


That secret, however, could not stay for long. Gandhi had overheard the loud hoofbeats from the Chinese military camps, and he was determined to find out what was going on there. Fortunately, he also came prepared to trade. The Indian people had taken a collection of Gandhi's rules and decrees and written them down, so that they could be permanently be preserved as a code of laws.


Mao wasn't particularly fond of Gandhi's laws, especially the ones prohibiting the consumption of meat, but he agreed that it was probably a good idea to have them written down.

In the meantime, settlers from the fertile lands around Hangzhou and Xi'an migrated to the empty lands in the northeast, as Gandhi had claimed most of the land to the south by now. With eight cities to China's six, India certainly seemed to be in a dominiating position.

So one city was founded on the northern coast, by a beautiful lake that froze solid in the winters. They named it Qingdao, as much of it was surrounded by clear blue waters.


And another was built deep in the forest east of Beijing, with some very rich grassland nearby. This would be Changchun, the city of the eternal spring.


There was not much special about these cities, other than the fact that they still needed regular protection from barbarian raiders. Nevertheless, Mao was happy to see China's borders expanding, and he dispatched a few workers to chop wood to aid their first construction projects. For now, everything still seemed safe, although unclaimed land on the continent was steadily running out.

... to be continued
 
stocktracker said:
The Japanese look dangerous, with 9 cities and still plenty of room in all directions to expand. I assume you will have to clear out all of the ancient wonders before Beijing completes the Pyramids otherwise India will get another wonder.

That is true. However their population is quite small; they probably just recently expanded. Although once they get the chance, they will make up for the tech difference very quickly.

What I want to try to do now is try to keep them from getting contact with India for as long as possible.

Oddly enough, the histograph shows them in last place:


Score, Power, and Culture graphs at 710 BC (first contact with Japan)

As you can see it is still very close, so it is still anyone's game. But it's neat how I'm doing better than two religious civs in culture.
 
Chapter 9: Arrival of the Sage



O Master, how did the world repay
Your life of long solicitude? --
The Lords of Zou have misprized your land,
And your home has been used as the palace of Lu....
You foretold that when phoenixes vanished, your fortunes too would end,
You knew that the captured unicorn would be a sign of the dose of your teaching....
Can this sacrifice I watch, here between two temple pillars,
Be the selfsame omen of death you dreamed of long ago?


"Passing through Lu with a Sigh and a Sacrifice for Confucius," Emperor Tang Xuanzong (A.D. 685-762)​

Science advisor Deng Xiaoping returned to the palace at last with his work complete. The Chinese people had not made any new discoveries in the long time since the Colossus was built, but that was about to change. He had come back to Beijing ready to present Mao with his grand plans for a Great Wall to keep out the barbarians and foreign invaders from all of China, and was already smiling in anticipation of the praise he would receive from the Chairman. Perhaps he would get a vacation. Or some kind of fine reward, like the jade sculpture the governor of Shanghai got upon completing the Colossus. Or maybe something that would--

"You're late," said Mao. "What took you so long?" He was somewhat annoyed that the bricks gathered to build the Pyramids had already been placed in a square base, with workers building each additional level with ever increasing speed, as the structure grew narrower toward the top. It was far too late to convert the project into the Great Wall.

"Oh, Chairman," said Deng. "It wasn't easy to work with the limited funding you gave me. Besides, the longer we take to figure this out, the longer the Indians would have to take as well."

Mao wondered for a moment about the logic of this excuse, but decided not to press the matter further. He examined the result:


"Very well," said the Chairman. "Deng Xiaoping, I hereby grant your request and send you off on vacation."

Before Deng could even figure out how Mao knew that was what he had hoped for, Mao continued.

"A working vacation."

"What?" Deng wondered if this really was a reward after all.

"This is not some kind of vacation where you just sit and relax in your country ranch while angry citizens wait outside for you to do your duty," said Mao. "No, no. You can actually get some real enjoyment from this. I am asking you to travel again, because there is someone I want to meet." He then opened his desk drawer and pulled out a scroll, and opened it up for Deng to see.

It was a beautiful painting of mountains and lakes, hills and rivers, but before the advisor could finish admiring it all, Mao rolled it up and told him, "This is my gift to the wise man you told me about earlier, when you brought me the I Ching."

Deng, somewhat disappointed, thought for a moment. "Confucius?"

Mao nodded. "I happen to need talented people at this moment, and after hearing your recommendation I think he would be an excellent choice. Please go now, and do not return until you have convinced him to come."

"Yes, sir." Deng bid his leader goodbye and called the first chariot outside the palace.

Shortly after his departure, in the year 130 BC, the citizens of Beijing put the finishing touches on their project. Mao and his staff came to watch the giant structure glimmer in the morning sun.


Foreign minister Zhou Enlai was at the opening ceremony of the Pyramids. He suggested to Mao that they should check on Gandhi again and see what he was up to. Mao sent a message to his ambassador in Delhi, who soon responded with a report:

Spoiler :


"Gandhi is nuts," said Zhou privately. "What good is a courthouse going to do in the capital? There is absolutely no crime or corruption in Delhi."

"That may change," said Mao. Zhou didn't quite understand, but he let the issue go.

Even though the Pyramids had been completed on schedule, leaving Delhi with nothing worthwhile to produce, there was still some other news that dampened Mao's spirit. He had heard back from another of his exploration parties that had just returned from the high seas.

"The Indians have already established a colony on the island in the east," said the captain of the expedition. "They even gave their island a name, called Bangladesh Island. And I hear they are sending another party to the other end of the island, by the iron deposits in the mountains there."


It was too late to send a settler there, but economic advisor Liu Shaoqi reminded Mao that China already had two sources of iron, and although a third one wouldn't hurt, it was still more than enough for any work that needed the important metal.

All this time, neither India nor Japan had committed any resources to building the Great Lighthouse. Minister Zhou was quick to point out that India didn't have any particularly productive coastal cities, and Mao recalled that the Japanese didn't even know how to draw maps. Soon enough, in the year 30 BC, Shanghai was able to complete that project uncontested.


With the blessing of the Great Lighthouse, Chinese galleys began exploring the world, with no fear of being devoured by the deep seas.

Deng Xiaoping returned from his "working vacation" just in time for the opening celebrations for the Great Lighthouse, and he had brought with him a wide-eyed visitor. He was an elderly man with a long white beard, but he still stood tall and looked very healthy. Mao came and greeted the old man.

"This is Master Confucius," said Deng. "Please, Master, tell our Chairman Mao something about yourself."

Confucius spoke:

"At fifteen my mind was set on learning.
At thirty my character had been formed.
At forty I had no more perplexities.
At fifty I knew the Will of Heaven.
At sixty I was at ease with whatever I heard.
At seventy I could follow my heart's desire without transgressing moral principles."


Mao was extremely impressed. "A truly incredible philosopher, you are," he said, using the new word that Deng had taught him moments ago. "I am pleased to offer you a position in my service."

"I humbly accept," said Confucius. He then turned to the science advisor. "I have an idea for you," he proposed.

They listened intently to the old sage, and he told of a radical new form of government, one that would always keep the well-being of the people as the highest priority, and ensure that officials would be kind, humane, and benevolent. The approval of the people would be the best form of power, he argued.

"I do not know all the minor details of this system," said Confucius at last. "But I am sure your able scholars will be soon figure that out." With that, Mao immediately had Deng begin research in that field.

They had scarcely finished talking when suddenly a messenger dashed in front of them, panting. He had another startling piece of news:


"Very interesting," said Mao. He knew of the incredible usefulness of the Great Library but had not the slightest clue how to go about building it. "How long do the Indians plan to spend on this?"

The messenger had brought with him a report from the embassy in Delhi:

Spoiler :


Apparently a number of citizens of Delhi had grown tired of working on a huge project that eventually went nowhere, and so they joined together preparing to settle a new city. Delhi's population had decreased, and even though the city was about to grow again, they were starting the Great Library from scratch and had a long way to go.

Mao decided the Great Library could wait until after the Great Wall was built, but he did not hesistate to acquire literature from the Indians. Gandhi's offer was reasonable; he merely asked for some gold and a copy of Confucius' writings.


With that, Chinese cities began building libraries, and the stage was set for more wonder construction to come.

... to be continued
 
Well, a courthouse in the capital isn't *totally* useless, but at this early stage in the game there's no noticeable effect. When the capital city gets up past 50 or so shields per turn, or if the government is changed to communism, then I suppose the courthouse might help a little bit.

In this case, I guess the AI is just building the next most expensive improvement it can possibly get after losing the wonder.
 
Chapter 10: The War of Nobunaga's Cheek



Two golden orioles sing in the green willows,
A row of white egrets fly up into the blue sky.
The window frames the western hills' snow of a thousand autumns,
At the door are boats from Eastern Wu, ten thousand miles away.


"A Curtailed Verse," Du Fu (A.D. 712-770)​

Though there were no open hostilities in the years that followed, it was clear that tensions were gradually building up. When the Indians built the city of Chittagong on the northern end of Bangladesh Island, the Indians had run out of suitable places to expand in their sphere of influence. Gandhi did not know of Tokugawa yet, as Chinese cartographers dutifully kept their maps of the western continent out of Indian hands, and Chinese galleys regularly patrolled the sea passage northwest of Shanghai. But it would only be a matter of time before that would have to change.

In Japan, the city of Matsuyama in the northern tundra put an end to Tokugawa's ambitions on his continent. Japanese scientists knew that map making was the key to reaching the islands off their coast, but Mao never offered to teach them the technique, so they worked long and hard observing the Chinese galleys that appeared on their shoreline every now and then.

Shogun Tokugawa, however, was impatient. He had heard many stories and tales of the Indian civilization that was on the other continent with the Chinese, but he had no way of communicating with them. Chinese travelers to Japan were the only intermediary he could rely on, and Tokugawa wished to put an end to that. He long suspected that Chinese merchants would add outrageous markups to products that were brought from India, but if only he could deal with Gandhi directly....

Presently, in the year 50 AD, an unexpected guest showed up in Shanghai harbor. Tokugawa had sent his colleague Oda Nobunaga on a trip to mainland China. On the surface it was a diplomatic mission, but in reality he had only one goal in mind: to pressure Mao to give them contact with the Indians.

"For the sake of friendship, you might want to consider giving us a small gift," said Nobunaga haughtily.

Mao was unimpressed. Perhaps if Nobunaga had asked more nicely, he would have given the Japanese a free copy of the writings of Confucius, or even the Chinese code of laws, but this demand was truly absurd. Foreign minister Zhou Enlai agreed.

"There is nothing for us to gain from granting Japan this kind of concession," said Zhou. "And if we refuse, I doubt there is much for us to lose."

Defense minister Zhu De also concurred. "Even though the Japanese had a comparatively large military," he argued, "their naval forces were remarkably weak for a country of their size."

But the Japanese envoy would not accept no as an answer; he insisted he would not leave until Mao gave him a response that satisfied him. Mao thought for a moment about it, and then had an idea.

He summoned the Indian worker that had been working for him ever since the mysticism deal he made with Gandhi.

"This young man is a full-blooded Indian," said the Chairman, pointing at the bewildered laborer. "Please introduce yourself to our esteemed guest, Oda Nobunaga of Japan."

"My name is Ganesh," said the worker. "Ganesh Gupta, from the great Indian city of Delhi." He stopped for a moment, staring at the strange visitor. "What may I help you with?"

Before Nobunaga could speak, Mao said, "This man from Japan is interested in making contact with the Indians. I suggest you help him out with that."

"My pleasure," said Ganesh. He then walked up to Nobunaga and circled him three times, examining every detail of the visitor.

"Hrmph," said Nobunaga. After the first round he already lost interest in Ganesh and continued to glare directly at Mao.

When Ganesh felt he was ready, he glanced toward Mao as if waiting for some kind of go-ahead signal. Mao nodded quickly.

With no warning at all, Ganesh delivered a terrific wallop to Nobunaga's face WHAP! sending him tumbling to the floor.

"Congratulations, Oda Nobunaga," chuckled Mao. "You have made contact with an Indian. You can now go back and tell the Shogun that your mission was a success."

All of the onlookers burst into laughter. Even some of Nobunaga's attendants could barely stifle their laughs as the Japanese envoy struggled to his feet, his face glowing red with both embarrassment and fury.

"I shall repay this insult tenfold!" he declared as he stormed out onto his boat. His attendants rushed after him, hoping he didn't notice their behavior.

Even after returning to Kyoto, Nobunaga's cheek was still red and occasionally he still felt the stinging pain of the blow he had taken from Ganesh. Tokugawa was furious. "How dare that scoundrel Mao refuse us," shouted the Shogun. "Prepare the fleet, we must bring that Chinese peasant in chains before me!"


The news of war was no surprise to Mao; he had expected this kind of reaction from Japan. But a long history of dealing with barbarians had prepared the Chinese military well for combat. The only vulnerability was the three groups of Chinese settlers who were on their way to build new cities, but Mao made sure they all had military escorts in case of any ambush.

The first group built a settlement east of Qingdao, on the far northeastern coast of the continent with a herd of cattle and a cold wasteland nearby. They could even see a barbarian camp in the distance, but with the protection of their warrior escort, they had little to fear. Barbarians would occasionally come and pay them a visit, but would never cause much trouble. The city was even given a name in the barbarian language, Harbin.


The second group boarded a galley in Shanghai and made their way to the island in the west. They named the island Taiwan, and they built their city upon the plain between the two hills on the island, on the side facing away from Japan. The governor, however, was not particularly bright, and somewhat mindless recorded "Kaohsiung" as the city name, based on some of the citizens' improper Chinese pronounciation.


The third group did not have much room left to settle, but the governor of Changchun had pointed out that there was still a desert peninsula to the southeast of his city that was not within China's borders. Rather than let the Indians try to settle the location, Mao decided it would be best to seize it himself. There was a barbarian camp at the location the governor had specified, but they were quickly dispersed. Like the settlers of Harbin, however, these settlers decided to adopt the barbarian name of the location, Dalian.


The founding of Dalian spelled the end of settlement of the continent. Though there were other islands in the south, they were well within Japan's domain, and Chinese settlers were not willing to risk their lives to go there. Neither were there galleys available to take them there, as Mao had ordered most of them to protect the waters around Kaohsiung.

Mao was pretty sure the Japanese would never pose a threat to the mainland anytime soon, as in the year 170 AD, Beijing completed what would arguably be China's most significant construction of the ancient age:


The construction of the Great Wall had brought out the best and brightest of China's militaristic and industrious talents. In the years to come, Chinese citizens would proudly remember their great achievement, and continue to perform all their work with a remarkable fervor. Production increased dramatically, commerce prospered, and culture and science flourished.


"What a pity," said Confucius when he learned of the dawn of the Golden Age. "In so many cities around the country, the prosperity is being wasted by the despotic government. Just look at Beijing... so many of those mines could be producing three units instead of two!"

Economic advisor Liu Shaoqi nodded in silent agreement. But Mao had insisted on the Great Wall being completed first. There was too much to risk if it was built even a turn later, as the Indians were still working hard on their Great Library. Certain sacrifice would have to be made, and this was one of them.

"Think of it this way," said Mao. "With the Great Wall in place first, we can build the Great Library much more efficiently than before, and we can worry much less about threats from our competition."

And it was not just the Great Wall that made Mao so sure that mainland China would be safe. His military advisor, Zhu De, had already set up a blockade at the Taiwan Strait, ensuring that no vessel, neither Japanese nor Indian, could possibly pass through to the other side.


Unfortunately, that still left Taiwan and the city of Kaohsiung vulnerable to attacks from the Japanese. Chinese galleys did their best to deter Japanese vessels from landing any troops, but ultimately some got through. The Japanese landing force was small--just one regular spearman--but Mao would not tolerate it. Reinforcements were sent to the island, some to protect the city, others to protect the workers in the vicinity.

Finally, the intrepid admiral Zheng He of the military galley Shenlong scored the first decisive naval victory in Chinese history, sinking the Japanese landing craft that had brought the spearman onto the island.


This was quickly followed by another victory by a ragtag band of sailors that Mao had recruited, on the galley Jianghu, converted from an exploration craft. Nevertheless, it suffered only minor damage in engaging another Japanese galley. It was never known whether that Japanese ship ever contained troops intended to be brought onto Taiwan, as it was quickly swallowed up by the billowing waves before anyone could check if there were any survivors.


Still, the Japanese showed no signs of giving up. Shogun Tokugawa refused to see any envoy from China, and Japanese fleets continued to prowl the waters. The Japanese spearmen camped on the hill in Taiwan, however, could never gather the courage to attack the city of Kaohsiung. And thus they waited for their eventual destruction.

... to be continued
 
Chapter 11: Deferred Republic



Flowers are shadowed, the palace darkens,
Birds twitter by for a place to perch;
Heaven's ten thousand windows are twinkling,
And nine cloud-terraces are gleaming in the moonlight.
While I wait for the golden lock to turn,
I hear jade pendants tinkling in the wind....
I have a petition to present in the morning,
All night I ask what time it is.


"A Night Vigil in the Left Court of the Palace," Du Fu (A.D. 712-770)​

It was during the middle of the war that Chinese scholars took advantage of the ample funding they had during the Golden Age and hammered out the last details of their new system of government. Science advisor Deng delivered the news to Chairman Mao.


Mao had originally intended to keep the results of this research classified, but Confucius and his three thousand disciples were already well on their way to spreading the news around the country. It did not take long for the people to notice, and soon many were clamoring for the new republic to take shape.


Mao sighed. He called together the citizens of Beijing to Tiananmen Square in front of the palace, and announced, "We apologize for the inconvenience... but it is not the right time for us to reorganize. We are still at war with the Japanese, and if we do not stand united to the end they will crush us." The crowd hushed for a moment, with a few murmurs of approval.

Mao continued his plea. "Besides, why should we not continue to enjoy the prosperity of the Golden Era? We can settle all our problems after that is over."

Reminded of the incredible time they were living in, the citizens decided to agree with Mao for now. The republic would have to wait. Mao breathed a sigh of relief, as China had just barely avoided going into anarchy at the most inconvenient time.

And that decision came at a crucial time, for in the next few years, the Chinese navy engaged the Japanese fleet repeatedly, but finally returned victorious to their base in Shanghai after destroying three Japanese galleys with only one loss of their own.

Chinese scientists were able to make one more important discovery in the Golden Age...


... but despite the gold coins that now filled the pockets of every Chinese citizen, the Golden Age of China finally seemed to have come to a close. The memory of the Great Wall had begun to fade from the people's minds, and no longer were they able to work with the same intensity.


All of a sudden there was unrest in Beijing, and work on the Great Library came to a sudden halt. Apparently the new generation of Beijing citizens, having grown up during the Golden Age, were unready to face the harsh challenges before them. Grudgingly, Mao ordered more funds dedicated to their entertainment, hoping they would be content and stay on task.

The year 440 AD brought great news to Mao. First, military advisor Zhu De reported the final elimination of all Japanese forces on Taiwan. He had led a band of swordsmen to the island, which easily overpowered the demoralized Japanese spearmen, who had somehow managed to survive on the island for an extended period without new supplies. Chinese galleys patrolling the Ryukyu Channel between Taiwan and Japan consistently frustrated Tokugawa's efforts of bringing reinforcements.


One Chinese galley even went as far as destroying some Japanese ships right in Kyoto Bay, with Tokugawa watching helplessly from the shore. But the Japanese fleet refused to engage the Chinese ship, for they all carried troops bound for Kaohsiung, and did not want to risk losing those to drown in the sea.


Despite his faltering troops, Shogun Tokugawa was not about to give up. Even after all these years, the shame of Nobunaga's treatment was still something that made him turn over in his sleep. China sent messengers several times offering peace, but Tokugawa displayed absolutely no interest.


"I do not know what false sense of honor Tokugawa is trying to preserve," said Mao during a meeting with the governor of Beijing, "but we must not let him distract us from our more important goals."

"What goals?" said the governor.

Mao raised his eyebrows at him. "Don't you remember that we still have all those wonders to build?"

The governor, who had gotten very nervous when Mao gave him that suspicious look, suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled and announced, "Oh, that. Well, we are actually finished for now." He walked to the window and pointed across the street to a magnificent new building.


"Impressive," said Mao, patting the governor on the back. "Let us check on what Gandhi has done in the meantime."

He called up the ambassador in Delhi, who reported that the Indians, with nothing better to do with all the materials they had gathered for the Great Library, in the end could only build a colosseum for entertaining their citizens.

Spoiler :


"Better than a courthouse," quipped Minister Liu upon hearing of Delhi's foolish project. "But at least Gandhi is not so foolish as to wage war against us."

... to be continued
 
Top Bottom