Mr. Secretary of War, an update from the recently-completed turnchat:
At the start, the Germans lost a horse archer and a sword to our defenses in Basillica. They also lost a sword that was attacked by a Russian horse archer, but then they killed the Russian Horse archer with one of their own (now at 4.3/6). They then proceeded to pillage almost everything around Basillica, including almost all cottages and some roads as well. The Germans were not attacked as the orders specified, though at one point the spearman in Bas could have killed the chariot with a 98% chance, and probably quite high against the horse archer as well. All of our units are at full health, and we didn't lose any.
We need to take out these pillagers. Spears would do well, but unfortunately none are being produced right now. Reinforcements are currently cut off, as moving them close to Bas will expose them to attack. It's also somewhat unsafe for workers in the area.
There is another option. Bismarck will talk to us now, so the option for a cease fire is there. No instructions were given, so I couldn't try to get one (and that's the only way to know if he'll accept it). If we were to get a cease fire, we could reconnect Bas with new roads, and reposition our troops. I'm not sure if he will accept one though, as he's been the only aggressor thus far - he doesn't really have anything to gain by accepting. The price for peace is giving him Basillica, and I don't even think that's worth polling.
I think we should try to plan for both scenarios - whether he accepts the cease fire or not. There is the question of who can authorize a cease fire, but I've already handled that with the judiciary. Please communicate with me what your plans are and I will try to work to accomodating them, through production with the Governor's Council and the actions of our workers.