Aaron, the head of the Americans, sat in his palace with his advisors. They were planning the expansion of their empire, trying to determine the ideal locations for their settlers to found cities. Suddenly, the royal messenger threw open the doors and fell to the floor.
"What on earth could be so urgent?" asked the head of state.
"Well, sir" the messenger started, trying to control his shaking, "it is the Persians. They have declared war on us. I just got the message from our embassy."
Aaron furrowed his brow. "Why would they do such a foolish thing?" Indeed, a Persian-American war was laughable. The two countries couldn't be further apart. To fight, the two armies would have to cross Germany and France. Aside from the logistics of the war, there was no reason for the two to fight. They were the two largest known civilizations. Both had ample room to expand, and neither lacked any crucial resources. "What was the reason that Xerxes gave for this 'war.'"
"Well sir, they demanded Literature and half of our treasury" reported the messenger. "Your feelings on giving in to demands are well known, so our ambassadors went through the standard protocol, and tried to talk some sense into them. Xerxes didn't take it well, and before long war was declared."
John Adams, the most trusted advisor leaned over to speak to the leader. "Should we prepare an invasion force?" he whispered.
Aaron sat for a moment and considered his options. Persia was a powerful civilization, but did they really constitute a threat to America? If they built up their military, would they lose coveted land to the French? "No", he declared, "we will not create an invasion force. Let the Persians buy their way to our borders. We will create an army, but move them no farther than New York. Meanwhile, let the highly populated cities continue to produce settlers."
---
New York was a bustling city. It was founded in the hills overlooking Paris by barbarian settlers that had joined the American civilization. It was the furthest city from Washington. The New Yorkers enjoyed seeing the swordsmen and horsemen in the city. The soldiers brought with them tales of battles with barbarians in the wilds of the Northern Peninsula. All was calm in the city until the fateful day that the royal carriage passed through the center of town. It was overheard that the French had joined the evil Persians, and have declared war on the Americans. A panic went through the city. New York had grown rich from its proximity to the growing nation. It would certainly be one of the first targets.
The carriage soon arrived in Washington, and the future was clear. "Tell our ambassidor in Germany that Bismark can have whatever he wants... just get him to declare war on the French."
---
The fog of war fell onto the continent. The Japanese, friends of the French, declared war on their bitter rivals the Germans. Aaron and Bismark worked out a deal: the Americans would declare war on the Japanese, and the Germans would declare war on the Persians. The deal was to the advantage of the Americans. America shared no border with Japan, but Persia and Germany shared a long border.
German cities were falling slowly to the Persians, but the poorly defended northern and western French towns fell one after the other. George Washington led several companies of swordsmen to occupy the hills of Paris.
"Sir, we appear to have them outnumbered," reported one company leader. The city has only a few defenders, and has population has dwindled from settlers leaving the city in masses."
"In the morning, we will attack," declared George Washington.
True to his word, the general charged the city from the hills. The spearmen fought valiently, but were no match for the swordsmen. As Washington entered the city he paused, and took in the beauty of the old capital. "Raze it" he ordered. The flames of Paris were visible all the way in New York.
---
The following day, the ambassidor of France arrived in Washington to plead for peace. The war had not made the American so hard that they did not empathize with the suffering of the French. The military pact with Germany was cancelled peacefully, and the French withdrew from the war. In the deal, America received the Polytheism and Currency and all of France's treasury.
"Well, now what?" asked John Adams.
"Push our settlers into the land that was formerly France. Meanwhile, we will exploit the situation and move our armies to Japan."
Japan was a small country that had previously been blocked by western France. Most of the soldiers had never been so far from America before. Even the wild lands in the Northern Peninsula were close to outpost towns like Seattle. The soldiers were brave, but the distance from home made them nervous. They followed maps provided by the Germans and ancient american scouts to the Japanese frontier. As the campaign began, all of their fears subsided. Soldier and author, Earnest Hemmingway would later write: "We had no knowledge of the Japanese other than a few slaves that we had captured early in the war. We couldn't imagine what was in store for our comapny of men. However, once we met them, we found them to be quite a bit like the French. Their warriors and spearmen died just as easily as their French counterparts."
Tokyo fell within days of the American invasion. Osaka fell soon after. The Japanese began to beg for peace, but Aaron knew that he needed to fulfill his obligations to Bismark first. The noble Germans had suffered at the hands of these American enemies, and the alliance between the two countries was still valid. As the Americans destroyed the Japanese infrastructure and marched towards the Japanese capital, the agreement between the Germans expired. Bismark, weary of war, happily dissolved the alliance. The Japanese offered all that they had (including a promise of all income for 20 years) in exchange for peace. The Persians, who only ever managed a single failed attack on San Francisco, offered 20 gold for peace. Thus ended the first continental war.
Aaron sat alone in his palace. If any country had won the war, it was America. It had emerged as the largest and strongest country. However, the Americans paid a price for their victory. America had depended on scouts to extract knowledge from local barbarian villages for most of its history. However, the world was running out of these villages, and America had fallen behind in research. Had it not been for the military victories, the Americans would be in serious trouble. Aaron knew that if he did not correct the situation, his country would grow weak. In addition, other countries had managed to build great wonders, while his did not. He summoned his advisors, and they began working late into the night.
--
People had gathered in Washington from all around America. Their leader had declared that he needed to address them, and no city or town in the country wanted to dissappoint him. As Aaron took the stage, the crowd erupted in wild cheers. He raised his hand, and the crowd slowly silenced.
"My friends, America has beaten back her enemies. We can look forward to many years of peace. We are the best in the world, but we must do better if we want to remain the best. I have a plan for a library in Washington. It won't be just any library, but a Great Library, which will give us an edge in researching new technologies. In addition, I would like for each city to produce a smaller replica of this library."
"If we don't do this, then when the Persians declare war again, we will not have the tools to stop them. For the forseeable future, we must build our infrastructure, populate the Nothern Peninsula, clear the jungles of Boston, and colonize western France. The military has served us well, but we must turn our attention to other matters. Through peace and research, we will better position our country for the future."
There was a quiet but audible booing coming from the right side of the stage. It was a group of citizens from New York. Paris had been rebuilt in its original location. Even though it was a mere shadow of its former glory, it rightfully made the New Yorkers nervous.
Aaron looked at those citizens and with a wink said: "Well, maybe it won't be entirely peaceful. Let's just say, I wouldn't want to be French right now." The leader walked off the stage as the crowd erupted into wild applause. The New Yorkers were clapping the loudest.
So, this is what I did last night. Let me know if you want me to continue.
"What on earth could be so urgent?" asked the head of state.
"Well, sir" the messenger started, trying to control his shaking, "it is the Persians. They have declared war on us. I just got the message from our embassy."
Aaron furrowed his brow. "Why would they do such a foolish thing?" Indeed, a Persian-American war was laughable. The two countries couldn't be further apart. To fight, the two armies would have to cross Germany and France. Aside from the logistics of the war, there was no reason for the two to fight. They were the two largest known civilizations. Both had ample room to expand, and neither lacked any crucial resources. "What was the reason that Xerxes gave for this 'war.'"
"Well sir, they demanded Literature and half of our treasury" reported the messenger. "Your feelings on giving in to demands are well known, so our ambassadors went through the standard protocol, and tried to talk some sense into them. Xerxes didn't take it well, and before long war was declared."
John Adams, the most trusted advisor leaned over to speak to the leader. "Should we prepare an invasion force?" he whispered.
Aaron sat for a moment and considered his options. Persia was a powerful civilization, but did they really constitute a threat to America? If they built up their military, would they lose coveted land to the French? "No", he declared, "we will not create an invasion force. Let the Persians buy their way to our borders. We will create an army, but move them no farther than New York. Meanwhile, let the highly populated cities continue to produce settlers."
---
New York was a bustling city. It was founded in the hills overlooking Paris by barbarian settlers that had joined the American civilization. It was the furthest city from Washington. The New Yorkers enjoyed seeing the swordsmen and horsemen in the city. The soldiers brought with them tales of battles with barbarians in the wilds of the Northern Peninsula. All was calm in the city until the fateful day that the royal carriage passed through the center of town. It was overheard that the French had joined the evil Persians, and have declared war on the Americans. A panic went through the city. New York had grown rich from its proximity to the growing nation. It would certainly be one of the first targets.
The carriage soon arrived in Washington, and the future was clear. "Tell our ambassidor in Germany that Bismark can have whatever he wants... just get him to declare war on the French."
---
The fog of war fell onto the continent. The Japanese, friends of the French, declared war on their bitter rivals the Germans. Aaron and Bismark worked out a deal: the Americans would declare war on the Japanese, and the Germans would declare war on the Persians. The deal was to the advantage of the Americans. America shared no border with Japan, but Persia and Germany shared a long border.
German cities were falling slowly to the Persians, but the poorly defended northern and western French towns fell one after the other. George Washington led several companies of swordsmen to occupy the hills of Paris.
"Sir, we appear to have them outnumbered," reported one company leader. The city has only a few defenders, and has population has dwindled from settlers leaving the city in masses."
"In the morning, we will attack," declared George Washington.
True to his word, the general charged the city from the hills. The spearmen fought valiently, but were no match for the swordsmen. As Washington entered the city he paused, and took in the beauty of the old capital. "Raze it" he ordered. The flames of Paris were visible all the way in New York.
---
The following day, the ambassidor of France arrived in Washington to plead for peace. The war had not made the American so hard that they did not empathize with the suffering of the French. The military pact with Germany was cancelled peacefully, and the French withdrew from the war. In the deal, America received the Polytheism and Currency and all of France's treasury.
"Well, now what?" asked John Adams.
"Push our settlers into the land that was formerly France. Meanwhile, we will exploit the situation and move our armies to Japan."
Japan was a small country that had previously been blocked by western France. Most of the soldiers had never been so far from America before. Even the wild lands in the Northern Peninsula were close to outpost towns like Seattle. The soldiers were brave, but the distance from home made them nervous. They followed maps provided by the Germans and ancient american scouts to the Japanese frontier. As the campaign began, all of their fears subsided. Soldier and author, Earnest Hemmingway would later write: "We had no knowledge of the Japanese other than a few slaves that we had captured early in the war. We couldn't imagine what was in store for our comapny of men. However, once we met them, we found them to be quite a bit like the French. Their warriors and spearmen died just as easily as their French counterparts."
Tokyo fell within days of the American invasion. Osaka fell soon after. The Japanese began to beg for peace, but Aaron knew that he needed to fulfill his obligations to Bismark first. The noble Germans had suffered at the hands of these American enemies, and the alliance between the two countries was still valid. As the Americans destroyed the Japanese infrastructure and marched towards the Japanese capital, the agreement between the Germans expired. Bismark, weary of war, happily dissolved the alliance. The Japanese offered all that they had (including a promise of all income for 20 years) in exchange for peace. The Persians, who only ever managed a single failed attack on San Francisco, offered 20 gold for peace. Thus ended the first continental war.
Aaron sat alone in his palace. If any country had won the war, it was America. It had emerged as the largest and strongest country. However, the Americans paid a price for their victory. America had depended on scouts to extract knowledge from local barbarian villages for most of its history. However, the world was running out of these villages, and America had fallen behind in research. Had it not been for the military victories, the Americans would be in serious trouble. Aaron knew that if he did not correct the situation, his country would grow weak. In addition, other countries had managed to build great wonders, while his did not. He summoned his advisors, and they began working late into the night.
--
People had gathered in Washington from all around America. Their leader had declared that he needed to address them, and no city or town in the country wanted to dissappoint him. As Aaron took the stage, the crowd erupted in wild cheers. He raised his hand, and the crowd slowly silenced.
"My friends, America has beaten back her enemies. We can look forward to many years of peace. We are the best in the world, but we must do better if we want to remain the best. I have a plan for a library in Washington. It won't be just any library, but a Great Library, which will give us an edge in researching new technologies. In addition, I would like for each city to produce a smaller replica of this library."
"If we don't do this, then when the Persians declare war again, we will not have the tools to stop them. For the forseeable future, we must build our infrastructure, populate the Nothern Peninsula, clear the jungles of Boston, and colonize western France. The military has served us well, but we must turn our attention to other matters. Through peace and research, we will better position our country for the future."
There was a quiet but audible booing coming from the right side of the stage. It was a group of citizens from New York. Paris had been rebuilt in its original location. Even though it was a mere shadow of its former glory, it rightfully made the New Yorkers nervous.
Aaron looked at those citizens and with a wink said: "Well, maybe it won't be entirely peaceful. Let's just say, I wouldn't want to be French right now." The leader walked off the stage as the crowd erupted into wild applause. The New Yorkers were clapping the loudest.
So, this is what I did last night. Let me know if you want me to continue.