China was great, stretching from Japan to Pakistan, from Siberia to the Philippines. Petty Barbarian fiefdoms acted as a buffer against the temperamental Catherine, who was likely busier with conflicts on her western and southern borders, and Cyrus was stymied by the bottleneck formed by the Arabian Sea and Kashmiri mountains. He was unable to mount anything more than a head-on attack on Delhi, which was prepared for such an eventuality. The empire was now free to war at her leisure. More pressing, now, would be propping up our flagging economy, and the waning years of St. Patrick's Golden Age would be a fine time to codify a proper Currency and extend the reach of Qin's laws through Courthouses.
Currency came quickly, and provided a powerful boost to our coffers and research rate. But just as we were busy, so, too, were our enemies:
The Great Library wasn't really feasible, given our tech path, but it still smarts to see it go. Ah, well. Perhaps it will be within our reach to, ah, "liberate" soon. And as you can see there, Manila's environs are now thoroughly tamed, and the islands are now one of but many jewels in Beijing's crown.
The presence of a Barbarian kingdom on the very outskirts of our capital was troubling. Qin Shi Huang sent a makeshift party of raiders to smash the encampment and bring back its treasures:
The victory was quick and complete. Not a soul survived the massacre.
Vijayawada was founded to cement Chinese control over the Indian subcontinent:
A fourth settlement may be placed to the west in good time, but that is an arid place devoid of valuable resources. Like China's interior, it is a long-term project for another time. Vijayawada, meanwhile, lies near valuable Cattle, Iron, and Sugar. It will be a fine city.
In 820, Cyrus made his play for India:
Immortals are particularly difficult for us, given their particular skill against Archery Units. Given that the bulk of our forces consist of Cho-Ko-Nu's, that gives him an investment advantage (Think Spearmen vs. Elephants. Our UUs have a slight edge, one-on-one, but they're much more expensive than Cyrus'). The repeating crossbows' collateral damage, though, along with some care in picking matchups, allowed us to prevail without losses (though with significant damage).
As soldiers clashed in Pakistan, though, Workers spread throughout the islands of the south Pacific, which is clearly now ours for the taking. Workers preparing Indonesia for settlement happened upon some friendly locals who were recruited to garrison a future city:
It was a calculated risk, sending a Worker into a Tribal Village, but Workers are cheap at this stage of the game, and the gamble paid off.
The pacification of China's northern borders continued with the fiefdom of Cherokee, off the coast of Japan:
Qin Shi Huang thought long and hard about the prospect of keeping the city and bringing it into the empire, but finally decided against it. There are better sites still unsettled. We'll place filler cities when there are no more jewels to be claimed. Cherokee was put to the torch.
With Civil Service researched, Macemen began training in a few select cities and the Chinese government was thrown into chaos as power was consolidated in Beijing. I don't think Bureaucracy makes a ton of sense in our sprawling empire (I think that the upkeep costs outweigh boosting one city), but, hey. We're China. If we're not gonna run Bureaucracy, who will? As the dust settled, and research on Engineering began (our empire is getting too big for mere two-move Roads), we received further word on the advancements of "far-away lands":
Well, that'll be a tough nut to crack, but War Weariness hasn't been a problem yet, so I'm not too worried.
The citizens of Vijayawada made an interesting discovery in the ruins of Old Bombay:
The additional exploration also bore fruit, lopping three turns off our research time! I hate spending the extra money for nothing, don't you?
Cyrus sent a second wave at India in 950. Our scouts noted a band of Settlers hidden discreetly within their ranks. This would not do:
The invasion force was scattered, and the Settlers were chained and set to work building Roads.
Banjarmasin was founded in 960 to harness the wealth of both Borneo and Indonesia:
I'm trying to be sparing in my city-founding. Making each city count. Maybe some spam would be more appropriate, but fewer cities means quicker turns
And as you can see, those tribal Warriors have been ferried over. I don't think the city will be under attack anytime soon, so they'll do fine quelling the populace's fears.
By 970, our Cho-Ko-Nu's, led by General Nelson, had pushed their way into Persia:
Susa was taken and rechristened Karachi. It's little more than a fortress-city, but it pushes the front away from Delhi, which can now concentrate on being an economic powerhouse.
Aomori was founded that same year:
The northern Japan city always seems to end up being a useless load, in my opinion, but it brings in the Silver, which is important. And this site can borrow Kyoto's Copper Mines for production, which it usually lacks.
The wars against Cyrus and the Siberian Barbarians resulted in the birth of another Great General:
Sargon was attached to some Spearmen. He will make a fine Medic Unit.
The, ahem, "city" of New Guinea was founded near the ruins of Tokyo in 990:
So sue me, arright? When I get a message about "New Guinea," I'll know immediately what it's talking about. "Port Moresby," though? Screw that
And yes, we're working toward Philosophy. Concerns about "popular religion" are kind of moot when everyone's at everyone else's throats, anyway, so I think Taoism is worth pursuing. And, besides, it's on the way to Liberalism
Wilbur Wright was born in 1010:
He can give us Monarchy free of charge, but that's a relatively quick tech these days, anyway. I'm saving him for the moment. I figure we can put him towards a Golden Age. Or maybe he can complete a Wonder for us. Speaking of, Beijing's working on Notre Dame. May as well get some use out of that 50% production boost for Bureaucracy.
Hatshepsut, too, adopted Bureaucracy in 1030:
She's becoming a bit worrisome. She might well be our biggest long-term threat.
So, in 1040, I decided to wrap up the round with a new age of religious awakening:
I spread the faith to Beijing, but I haven't converted yet. Maybe during a Golden Age. For now, the ability to build Temples alone should be enough. So at the top, there, you can see our tech choices. I'm leaning Paper, though I can be argued out of it. Maybe go whole-hog and go for Nationalism?
Here's a look at our empire:
Australia (or, again, Siberia) is our final frontier for peaceable settlement. War with Cyrus is coming.
Here's our Military:
Not enough, I know, but a short buildup should result in a LOT of offensive firepower. So, what're your thoughts? I kind of feel like I spun my wheels this round, but I now have an economic and industrial base that I'm comfortable with. Next round: WAR!