The Shiji, Book Two: Project Kaguya

Okay, here is the world map I promised (big!):



As you can see I'm spread pretty thin, with all those distant island colonies. Yokohama, Hakodate, Hannover, Bremen, and Lagash are only getting one shield per turn, but I'm actually able to build a few improvements in each of them, primarily from planting forest and then chopping them. (Of course, cash rush is also an option, and I've used that heavily in this game.)

As far as resources go, I have three. Horses from Kagoshima (hard to see in the map since the city label covers it), iron from Bremen (the harbor was built mostly from disbanding injured longbowmen from the battle of Berlin), and rubber (!!!) from Hannover. Makes me feel kind of guilty for getting the city out of the peace treaty...

Hannover is still undefended, but that galleon that is passing by Matsuyama is carrying some riflemen over there. They'll definitely arrive before anything actually gets built in the city :)

No coal or saltpeter though. I don't want saltpeter, since then I won't be able to build samurai anymore, but coal is going to be really important later on. Where will I get it from?
 
Just a few other little things before I post my next update. Histographs!

Score:


The Persians are in the lead now, they've broken four digits. And they're so close to home, they could get very dangerous.

Greece got shafted in the early expansion phase, but they've made a comeback with all their island colonies. Germany is in last place now.

Power:


The big jump at the bottom (around 1280 AD) is from capturing the Great Library :lol:

Culture:


I built a lot of early temples because I had no luxuries, but naturally the Babylonians are the kings of culture.

Demographics:


Somehow I've made it to first place in land area, while the other stats are pretty bad. Hopefully the loose city placement will pay off sooner or later. Nobody has medicine yet, and I'm really in no shape to research it myself.
 
The bad thing about modding civ colors is that I can't understand the histographs without clicking the thumbnails to see what civ has what color. So far I know that:
Japan uses the Persian green
China (not in this game, but in the other it was like this) uses Roman red
Persia uses the Iroquois color
Babylon uses English orange.
I don't know the others!

:lol:
 
I memorized it.:D

Russians = Gray
Germany = Black
Babylon = Orange
Persia = Purple
Japan = Darkish Greenish Blueish
Greeks = Dark Green
 
It's hard to see on that big map, but are all your cities defended by either warriors or spearmen? :eek:
That won't do, get some cash and upgrade...
And disbanding longbowmen in that position doesn't sound too good.
 
Well unless they are border cities on the same continent as an enemy it doenst matter if it is warriors or what because most AI will be too lazy to attack him there.
 
mrtn said:
It's hard to see on that big map, but are all your cities defended by either warriors or spearmen? :eek:
That won't do, get some cash and upgrade...
And disbanding longbowmen in that position doesn't sound too good.

Yep, they are warriors and spearmen. The map is from 1365 AD, the year I just bought Replaceable Parts from the Russians. The upgrade to infantry won't be available for another turn, since the game doesn't seem to recognize the fact that I have rubber until then.

I wouldn't be too concerned right now, and in the worst case I can probably still draft riflemen. But I doubt that will be necessary. Germany took a good beating last time and I don't think they'll be back for more anytime soon.
 
Chapter 11: A False Peace



Urami wabi / Hosanu sode da ni / Aru mono o / Koi ni kuchinan / Na koso oshi kere
Even when your hate / Makes me stain my sleeves with tears / In cold misery / Worse than hate and misery / Is the loss of my good name.


Lady Sagami (A.D. 998-1068)​

It was bound to happen eventually. Tokugawa knew that his rivals were not only competing with him, but also trying desperately to outdo each other. Over the years there had been many shifts in which power was dominant. First it had been Babylon, who managed to grab vast amounts of territory with the help of the Pyramids and their cultural prowess. Then it was Persia, who had occupied an entire island by itself, as well as set up colonies near Germany.

But now it was difficult to tell who could truly claim to be the leader. Greece lacked territory but seemed quite strong in terms of technology. Russia was quite large in land area, but in matters of science it was comparatively backwards. Persia was still very strong, but somewhat isolated from the other civlizations with little opportunity to expand. Babylon still had its core cities intact, as well as a few new colonies near Hannover and Fukuoka, but the recent wars with Japan and Germany seemed to have cost it somewhat in terms of scientific research. Japan had been the underdog for most of the time so far, but successful technology brokerages of the zaibatsu had brought Tokugawa's civilization up to par at last.

Now, the only civilization that seemed to be in worse shape than Japan was Germany, and Tokugawa was concerned that Bismarck would try to recover his losses from the previous war. Bremen seemed particularly vulnerable, as it was a distant enclave surrounded by the Greeks, Babylonians, and Germans. Fortunately, the development of replaceable parts allowed him to upgrade the Japanese infantry with new assault rifles that were deadly both on the offense and defense.

Tokugawa did not know if his infantry was what deterred the Chancellor from making his move, or if the German Wehrmacht was unprepared for war at this time. He checked with his embassies and found that except for the Bismarck, the other leaders were on good terms with him. He did not know how well they were getting along with each other though, so for the next few years he simply waited, allowing the zaibatsu to continue amassing wealth and preparing for an upcoming trade.

In 1375 AD, the diplomatic silence was finally broken, as the first shots were fired in far off land, where a new war had begun.


Toyotomi Hideyoshi was not really surprised by this. "I sense a pattern here," he said. "Everyone seems to like picking on Hammurabi. That poor guy has fought a war with every civilization but Greece."

Unlike the previous wars that Babylon had survived though, this one involved a strong opponent that was right next door. In the past, the Babylonian core had suffered little from war. Lagash was taken by the Japanese quite early on, Samarra had been captured by the Germans but recaptured shortly afterward, and the war with Persia had yielded absolutely no results for either side. But Russia was different. Czarina Catherine had been training a disciplined force of Cossacks, the fast and powerful Russian cavalry, and they were ready to charge straight into the middle of Babylonian territory.

"This really shouldn't affect us very much," continued Hideyoshi. "But we will have to be careful in our dealings with Russia and Babylon, since if we give either side too much of an advantage, they could score a decisive victory and dominate the continent."

And so Tokugawa pledged neutrality in the conflict for the time being, while he continued to trade with the non-warring powers in order to keep Japan up to date with technology. He spotted a good opportunity with Greece, who possessed a technology that the Germans did not know of.


It was a set of laws that defined the rights and powers of corporations, which gave them special status in the business field. The technology made little difference in Japan, where the zaibatsu had already flourished with little control by the government, but it seemed to open up some new possibilities that Tokugawa had not thought of before.

Bismarck was mildly interested in this as well, and exchanged his knowledge of new medical advances with the Japanese.


The policy of neutrality seemed to be working well, as neither Russia nor Babylon made much progress in the war while Japan continued to trade in peace. But Catherine the Great was no fool. She quickly learned that she had overestimated the capabilities of her Cossacks, who had great difficulty facing the powerful Babylonian infantry. There was only one way she could hope to defeat Hammurabi: she had to seek help from elsewhere.

Nobody seemed interested in an alliance against the Babylonians, so Catherine tried something new. She offered a mutual protection pact, an agreement where either side would come to the aid of the other when it was attacked, and found that Alexander of the Greeks was willing to accept it.


"I like this idea of a mutual protection pact," said Tokugawa. "It would be a great deterrent, and an enemy would think twice before attacking us."

Hideyoshi was not amused. "Alexander must not really understand that agreement very well," he remarked. "Doesn't he know that as soon as a single Babylonian territory crosses the Russian border, he will have to fight as well? And what if they are already there?"

So it was really no surprise when very shortly thereafter, Greece declared war on the Babylonians. "The pattern is now complete," said Hideyoshi with a satisfied grin. "Everyone has had their turn to fight against Hammurabi."


It seemed that unless Babylon could find an ally soon, Russia and Greece would quickly be able to use their combined might to overwhelm Hammurabi's forces, who were now struggling to defend their cities. In fact, even before any cities changed hands, the difference was already noticeable in terms of technology advances.

The Russians had discovered a new source of energy that could be obtained by burning gasoline, a fuel that was refined from natural deposits of petroleum. Tokugawa was very interested in additional ways of satisfying Japan's ever-increasing demand for energy, and he jumped at the opportunity to learn about this new technique. He sent Hideyoshi on a mission to Moscow, with the sole purpose of acquiring the secret of refining.

Catherine the Great was a tough negotiator and demanded a steep price for the technology, but Hideyoshi had come prepared with plenty of gold to pay for it. While in Moscow, he noticed many Russian workers idle in the streets, and later found out that the Russian economy was in a recession, with high rates of unemployment. He offered these workers new jobs in Japan, and with the Czarina's approval, they came together with Hideyoshi on his return trip.


Hideyoshi stopped by Athens on the way home, where he noticed that Alexander had employed sanitation crews to keep the streets clean and free of pollution and disease. Curious, he asked the Greek leader how this could be done, and readily handed over the remainder of the gold he had brought with him on his mission.


Before heading back to the Japanese mainland, Hideyoshi visited the various island ports and was surprised to discover that the barren tundra outside Hakodate actually held a rich supply of oil. Perhaps it was not so bad of an idea to settle here after all, he thought to himself. Tokugawa will be so happy to hear of this.

Much to his dismay, the Shogun was actually not at all pleased with the result. "What good is oil when we don't have any idea how to use it?" grumbled Tokugawa. "You are such a failure!" It was unfortunate, but true. Japanese refineries were now processing the fuel in large quantities, but there was so little demand for it that the oil corporations were in danger of going bankrupt.

"Please give me another chance," begged Hideyoshi. "I will make sure to find a trade that will satisfy Japan." He checked around the other countries and found that Hammurabi was almost completely broke, while Xerxes had developed refineries on his own. But Bismarck did make a fine offer, which even the Shogun agreed was fair compensation. Hideyoshi also pointed out that the Chancellor's attitude had improved since their last meeting, and that there was hope that friendly relations between Japan and Germany could resume soon.


There was still more to learn from the Greeks, who had now developed a sturdy metal alloy that was perfect for building ships and armored vehicles. The zaibatsu leaders in Japan were eager to capitalize on this new opportunity, and so Tokugawa allowed the purchase of this technology as well.


While all these exchanges were being made, the wars with Babylon were still raging on the western continent. Hammurabi had somehow managed to hold his cities against the combined forces of Alexander and Catherine, but Tokugawa sensed that it would not take much longer before his defense would crumble.

The information that the Shogun received about the war in his security briefings was often inaccurate or inconsistent, and he was quite suspicious of many of their sources. Even though he was not directly involved in the war, Tokugawa still wanted to keep tabs on how everything was going over there, and he could not do that without some covert intelligence operations. And so he ordered the construction of an intelligence agency, the Naikaku Jouho Chousahorsehockysu, which was conveniently called the "Naicho" for short.


The Naicho headquarters were completed by 1470 AD, and their information-gathering operations soon confirmed that despite the intense fighting around the cities of Minsk and Eridu, the Russians seemed to be getting the upper hand.

This put Shogun Tokugawa into a strange dilemma. If he did not help Hammurabi out, the Russians and Greeks could become very powerful at Babylon's expense. But if Japan were to enter the war on Babylon's side, they were in no way prepared to face the military might of Russia and Greece. Bismarck was still annoyed with the Japanese, while Xerxes insisted he would have nothing to do with this conflict, leaving Tokugawa with little flexibility in his decisions.

... to be continued
 
Ansar_the_King said:
If you see behind Alex, you can see that Odessa(Russian) is all railroaded and Mycenae(Greek) isnt.:p

Yes. The Greeks don't have iron, as a matter of fact. Also, the Germans don't have coal. Greece has one extra coal, but since I'm bound by the rules which say I can't trade resources, I'll probably end up having to fight Greece eventually for it.
 
Chapter 12: Shifting Allegiances



Tare o ka mo / Shiru hito ni sen / Takasago no / Matsu mo mukashi no / Tomo nara naku ni
Who is still alive / When I have grown so old / That I can call my friends? / Even Takasago's pines / No longer offer comfort.


Fujiwara no Okikaze (10th century A.D.)​

Toyotomi Hideyoshi did get another chance, and he was determined to redeem himself for his previous trades that had done little to benefit Japan. For several years he was busy consulting scientific researchers around the world, seeking the next logical step after the technologies of refining and steel. They seemed closely related in some way, but the Japanese scientists had been struggling to make the connection and would ultimately need guildance from foreign experts.

He finally found a satisfactory answer from Greece. Steel, it was learned, could be used to construct a powerful device called the internal combustion engine, which used oil as its fuel. Alexander's ships were now primarily powered by this engine, and they were appropriately given the name "destroyers."


Hideyoshi then looked around to see if there was any other opportunity to share this technology and make a handsome profit. The Persians and Russians seemed to have learned of combustion independently, but the Germans were willing to make a good offer. Chancellor Bismarck had drastically improved his attitude, and no longer seemed to harbor ill feeling toward the Japanese. Or he could just be pretending, thought Hideyoshi.


Hammurabi, too, had been mystified as to what to do with the oil reserves he found around the desert of Ellipi, but after several agonizing years of war he had finally gotten his finances in order again. The treasury of Babylon was still small, but Hammurabi assured Hideyoshi that he would have a yearly surplus, and was willing to negotiate an extended payment plan. Thinking that Hammurabi might turn to other dealers, the Japanese minister accepted the offer. It wasn't as bad as it looked, since in the long run Hammurabi would actually pay slightly more than Bismarck did, assuming he did not choose unwisely and declare war.


There was also the risk, however slight, that the Babylonians would be wiped out by the Greeks and Russians before Hammurabi could finish making his payments. The war had been a stalemate before, but the first clear victory had now been scored by the Russians, far away from the front lines. Zariqum, a Babylonian colony in the frozen tundra region on the same island as Fukuoka, was overrun by Russian longbowmen. Catherine saw nothing about Zariqum worth keeping, so the city was razed.

Still, Hammurabi seemed to be doing much better closer to home, as he still held the Kish-Uruk salient against a determined Russian attack. It would have to take much more than some charging Cossacks to overwhelm the powerful Babylonian infantry.

Catherine the Great was not sure of what to do next, so she sought advice from her friend and ally, Alexander. Surprisingly, the Greeks had spent all this time working on something that hadn't the slightest connection with the military. Instead, they had made a truly earthshattering discovery: the theory of evolution.


"My, my, the Greeks are quite far ahead of us now," said Shogun Tokugawa when he heard of this development. "Our backwards people still believe the creation myths of Izanagi and Izanami. We must somehow make up the difference."

In Babylon, Hammurabi scoffed at the idea. "Our religion dictates that there is no way man could have descended from the likes of apes," he declared. But his men seemed to be faltering, as there seemed to be no end to the attacks by the Russians and Greeks. In fact, following the discovery of evolution, they only intensified, as more and more advanced Greek units appeared on the battlefield.

Hammurabi sensed the uneasiness among his people, but he hoped that a system of universal suffrage would assuage their fears. The prolonged war had made him an unpopular leader, so he hoped this would help him regain some support.


Tokugawa chuckled at this. "What Hammurabi doesn't seem to understand," he said, "is that universal suffrage will do him no good when his government is communism."

"So much for his wasted effort," said Hideyoshi. "I doubt we will be able to deal with him intelligently for much longer. Let us check on Alexander again, and see if he has anything new after the theory of evolution."

As a matter of fact, the Greeks now had three new technologies of which Japan had been unaware. But Tokugawa was fascinated by one in particular, the science that made flying machines possible. "Just imagine the things we can do once we are free to roam the skies!" he said. "We must learn this technology immediately."


Alexander put expensive price on flight, but the Japanese treasury was now sufficiently rich to meet the Greek leader's demands. The Greeks seemed pleased to be able to make such large profits from trading with Japan. "Why don't you also learn the techniques of mass production from us?" suggested Alexander. "I'm sure you won't regret it."

Tokugawa politely declined. There was someone else he could turn to for that, and he could get a much better deal there.


Hideyoshi warned that such spendthrift practices would soon bankrupt the Japanese government, but Tokugawa was not at all worried. Plenty of gold from the zaibatsu's profits continued to fill his coffers, and the completion of a new financial district in Kyoto only encouraged greater investment and trade.


After mass production techniques were learned and implemented in Japan's factories, there remained one more technology that Alexander had to offer. It was the work of a pair of Greek scientists, Democritus and Leucippus, who had developed a whole new way of looking at matter. Tokugawa wasn't sure what this really meant, but he was determined to make up the technological gap.

But this time Alexander was not satisfied even when the Shogun offered him the entire Japanese treasury. "The Japanese people are quite incapable of understanding the atomic theory," he sneered. "We cannot help you."

Tokugawa would not give up yet. "Is there really no hope? There should be other ways we can help Greece as well."

Alexander thought about this for a moment, then spoke. "Perhaps. Greece desires to crush its hated enemy, Babylon. We have encountered some difficulties along the way, and it would be very helpful if you could join us in an alliance."

"I don't think we are ready for military action right now," responded the Shogun. "Maybe an alliance is not appropriate, but how about a mutual protection pact like the one you have with Russia?"

"Same sort of deal," said Alexander, smiling. "We can trade on these terms."


Tokugawa decided not to point out that this was a mutual commitment, and that Greece would also have to come to his aid if Japan was ever attacked by some other power as well. He hoped that such an attack would not happen anytime soon, but it would not hurt to have some extra assurance. One thing was clear though: if Hammurabi ordered any more troops into Greek territory, Japan would have to declare war on Babylon.

This was slightly bothersome to Tokugawa. There were three Japanese cities that were close to Hammurabi's territory, although none of them were anywhere near mainland Babylon. One was Fukuoka, on the island to the west of Kobe, but there was nothing to fear there. The Russian troops of Astrakhan were keeping Hammurabi's men busy at Izibia.

The second city was Hannover, which had been handed over by the Germans in the previous war. Hannover shared an island with the Babylonian city of Sippar, but it seemed unlikely that it would come under attack. Catherine had landed riflemen and Cossacks in the forest just outside Sippar, cutting off the path that had connected it to Hannover and leaving the Babylonians struggling to defend their city.

But the city that most concerned Tokugawa was Bremen. Bremen was Japan's only source of iron, and it was right next door to the Babylonian cities of Samarra and Nippur. There were some infantry and longbowmen in the vicinity, but the Shogun had some doubts as to how well they would hold up against a Babylonian attack. An airport had been purchased in the city for reinforcements to be sent in, but few troops were available for duty at the moment.

Fortunately, over the years of trading, Bismarck's attitude had completely changed, and Germany was now on good terms with Japan. When approached, the Chancellor readily offered assistance if Babylon were to make any offensive move around Bremen, and while they were negotiating, Tokugawa threw a technology trade into the deal as well.

"I am pleased that you have chosen your friends wisely this time," said Bismarck. "You are forgiven for your previous trespassing upon the German fatherland."


"Extra assurance," repeated Tokugawa to himself. "Extra assurance." He had grown quite fond of these mutual protection pacts. "Why not one more?" There was nothing to lose in a mutual protection pact with Russia, since Japan was already quite likely to go to war with Babylon, but Russian help would certainly be welcome in case another war broke out elsewhere.


It was now 1580 AD. Tokugawa was now prepared to go to war, and he didn't feel the slightest bit threatened at all.

... to be continued
 
Dang. Serious negotiations there. You should be sending out spies from your nacho headquarters to keep an eyeball on this complicate alliance. Still, the multinational maneuvering in the industrial age is one of the best parts of a civ story.

Enjoying this.
 
Looks like WWI is all set to go... Only Babylon will be Germany this time (basically for the last half of WWI, Germany had to fight off France, Brittan and the US by itself, since its two allies, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire had internally collapsed by about 1916 or so)
 
Chapter 13: The World Takes up Arms



Yo o komete / Tori no sorane wa / Hakaru tomo / Yo ni Osaka no / Seki wa yurusaji
The rooster's crowing / In the middle of the night / Deceived the hearers / But at Osaka's gateway / The guards are never fooled.


Sei Shonagon (A.D. 966-1025)​

With the mutual protection pacts in place, Tokugawa waited patiently for the next development to occur. He did not know who would trigger the war, but he was almost certain that Japan would soon get dragged into the conflict. Fortunately he was prepared, as many new units had been airlifted to danger zones such as Fukuoka, Hannover, and especially Bremen.

For the first year or so, Tokugawa was actually hopeful that war could potentially be delayed. He expected Hammurabi to notice the situation and avoid any offensive action against Russia and Greece lest the Japanese get involved. In the end it turned out that the war was almost averted, but still caused by a minor techincality.

The Russians had scored their first major victory on their continent, seizing the Babylonian city of Eridu. According to international law, the region surrounding Eridu was now considered Russian territory, and any Babylonian troops in that area were deemed offensive combatants. When Russian Cossacks opened fire on them outside Eridu, there was no longer any excuse for Japan to remain at peace.


Needless to say, Hammurabi was not at all pleased with this result. "How dare that idiot side with my enemies!" he shouted. "I will go teach Tokugawa a lesson right now."

At the time, the only Japanese city within the reach of Babylonian forces was Bremen, as Sippar was still besieged by the Russians, and Izibia was in such a remote location that it was barely even defended. Hammurabi did not want to engage the Japanese infantry just yet, but his horsemen spotted a unprotected workers and were quick to capture them.

"Not a wise move, Hammurabi," snickered Tokugawa. "You forgot that we still have another mutual protection pact that has not come into play yet."



Otto von Bismarck was certainly not the right person for Hammurabi to anger. As soon as the Babylonians had crossed the border into Japanese territory, he began sending riflemen toward Samarra. The Germans had captured the city once before, the same year that Japanese longbowmen had stormed Berlin, but they lost it again shortly afterward. Now they were determined to settle the score for good.

Command of the Japanese forces in Bremen had been given to Minamoto no Yoritomo, the hero of the previous war with Germany. Yoritomo was quick to notice the German battle plan, and after some consideration, he felt that it would probably fall flat on its face. How are riflemen supposed to attack a city? he wondered. It would be a true waste of their defensive power.

Yoritomo had rather meager resources to work with, mainly the infantry had had been recently airlifted from mainland Japan, as well as a few longbowmen who were veterans of the German war. Samarra was defended by a Babylonian infantry division, but they were new recruits and preferred to stay within their city limits rather than risk fighting outside. While it seemed they would have a better chance of holding onto the city that way, it left them vulnerable to bombardment by German frigates off the coast.

The Japanese had given the mountain outside Bremen a nickname, "Tetsuyama," because of the iron deposits that had been found there. It was from the top of Tetsuyama where Yoritomo saw the German frigates firing upon Samarra, destroying the harbor and killing any innocent civilians who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He also faintly heard the sharp cries of anguish from the defending infantry, some of whom had also been cut down by the German bombardment.

Gradually the Germans moved in, but they chose to march directly through the plains rather than into the hills. They would make some nice bait for a Babylonian counterattack, thought Yoritomo. Indeed, Babylonian horsemen attempted to ambush the German riflemen, but they proved to be far outmatched and soon were in full retreat. This presented the perfect opportunity that Yoritomo was waiting for. A lookout from Tetsuyama summit reported that Samarra was now thinly defended, ready for the taking.

"Charge!" Yoritomo ordered his longbowmen. They seemed to falter for a moment, as the gunfire from the Babylonian defenders cut several of them down. "Do not be afraid of their guns," he encouraged them. "Just because they can fire bullets does not mean they won't get hurt by your arrows. And I assure you, your aim is far better than theirs."

Sure enough, the longbowmen were able to wipe out the defense force of Samarra, much to the chagrin of Hammurabi. Yoritomo decided that there was nothing worth keeping in Samarra, so he ordered the city to be razed.


After destroying Samarra, Yoritomo turned his sights northward, toward the Babylonian city of Shuruppak, but he was surprised to find that it wasn't there. All that remained was a smoking ruin, with not a single living soul in sight. It was not clear if Hammurabi had abandoned the city, or if it had suffered a the same fate as Samarra, except inflicted upon them by the Greeks.

Whatever the reason, it did not matter. For the report that Yoritomo sent to Kyoto described a rich deposit of coal where Shuruppak once stood, which Shogun Tokugawa was determined to control. "Send some workers over there to set up a colony," he ordered. "We must get that coal, no matter what it may cost us."

"Not so fast," responded Yoritomo. "There is still one more Babylonian city that stands in our way. But Nippur is nothing to worry about, I will take care of that soon enough." He then surveyed his own meager forces again, and seemed a bit disappointed. "Can't you pick it up a little back home?" he asked of Kyoto. "We need reinforcements, and fast!"

"I'll see what I can do," replied Tokugawa. "Keep up the good work!"

Indeed there was something that could be done. Over the protests from cultural, religious, and scientific leaders, Tokugawa ordered all production in Japanese cities to be dedicated to the war effort.


When more reinforcements arrived Bremen Airport, Yoritomo became more and more confident that his next attack would succeed. One infantry division after another marched northward toward Nippur, which put up only token resistance. When at last Yoritomo entered the city to find no enemies left, he ordered all of its residents out and every building burned to a pulp.


Some of the citizens of Nippur were sent over to the former site of Shuruppak, where they were forced to set up a coal mine under the watchful eyes of Yoritomo's infantry. The coal would be sent overland to Bremen, where it could then be shipped back to Japanese ports. And with iron and coal at his disposal, Shogun Tokugawa could now begin the process of building railroads across Japan.


Elsewhere in the world, the war was making little progress. While Cossacks had finally broken into Sippar and ended any potential threat to Hannover, the front lines remained stagnant on the continent. Still, the Russians seemed to be firmly in control of Eridu, frustrating all of Hammurabi's efforts to retake the city. Kish and Uruk, now cut off from the rest of Babylon, appeared to be in great danger, but it seemed as though Catherine the Great was more interested in penetrating deeper into the Babylonian core. If I were Hammurabi, thought Tokugawa, I would be saying my prayers right now... or begging for peace.

At this point something else caught the Shogun's attention. Persian frigates seemed very active all along the Japanese coast, escorting galleons past the ports of Kobe and Osaka. Tokugawa could only make some random guesses about what they could be up to.

A quick inspection of the map revealed that the Persians had now built a settlement at Ergili, near Fukuoka, on the exact spot where the Babylonian city of Zariqum once stood. This was interesting, since while Zariqum had come and gone, the tundra in that area remained barren as ever. In private, Tokugawa wondered about Xerxes's sanity, but he was careful not to annoy him any further.

In 1590 AD, ten years into the war with Babylon, Tokugawa approached the Persian leader with a request. The Japanese leader was quick to notice that Xerxes suddenly had a very different fashion sense, and wondered what might be the matter.

"Greetings, Xerxes," he said. "My, that's a strange hairstyle you have now."

Xerxes seemed a bit more sensitive than Tokugawa had expected. "Are you insulting me? Your pathetic little civilization ought to know its place before Mighty Persia."

"Certainly, certainly. You have my apologies." Tokugawa paused for a moment before delivering his message. "But you do realize that your ships are passing through Japanese territory, right?"

"What do you mean? Not a single Persian has ever set foot on Japanese soil, except for that one worker you hired many years ago."

"Well, I meant to say our territorial waters. You know, the oceans have boundaries, too."

"The glorious navy of Mighty Persia knows no boundaries, Tokugawa," sneered Xerxes. "It is your responsibility to enforce them, and I'd imagine that tiny fleet of yours can do a fine job of it."

"But what you are doing is in violation of all international conventions," argued the Shogun. "Do you mean war?"

Xerxes cackled. "Ha, ha, ha! War! No mortal has ever dared say that despicable word in my presence. But you seem to be quite interested in it. Very well, you shall have it."


Oh dear, thought Tokugawa. This is quite a bit more than what I had come for.

"I beg that you reconsider," he pleaded. "Are you aware that we have mutual protection pacts with Greece, Germany, and Russia? Surely you would think twice about this matter."

"NEVER!" boomed Xerxes. "The mighty military of Persia fears no one! We will crush them all! Now get out of here, before I get physical with you." He motioned toward the door, through which Tokugawa hastily left.

The Shogun sighed. There was no hope in any more diplomacy. He now had two wars to fight. But at least there would be allies to come to the aid of Japan.

A Persian frigate bombarded the island of Hannover, and by international standards, this was an act of war against the Japan on Japanese territory. There was no room for argument, for this incident was nothing like Eridu; it was clearly an unprovoked aggression. Alexander, Bismarck, and Catherine were well aware of this, and they dutifully fulfilled their commitments.




And so, by the end of 1590 AD, the whole world was engulfed in war, a true diplomatic nightmare.


Four against two, said Tokugawa to himself. I don't think this should go too badly for us.

... to be continued
 
Player's note: Persia was the first civ to make it to modern age, Greece followed suit the very next turn. I think I'm getting in a bad habit of going to war with the most powerful civ each time (with the exception of Germany for the Great Library). Persia is right next door, so things could get quite nasty from here on.

Wish me luck!
 
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