Pre-turn - This looks like a lost game unfortunately, Persia is running away. There's a very small chance we can do something though, at least we'll have to try to stop that green mean machine for a bit.
I buy coal and ROP from Persia for 13gpt and send all fast units out on pillage&recon missions.
My plan is to try an immediate steal in a few turns and then hopefully raze all or at least most persian towns N of us. Our expensive horsemen will be fodder as they pillage important tiles later. If we raze enough towns quickly, we should get peace fairly quickly too, even if we have to pay for it.
A problem is that Persia can sign Korea against us, But I'll worry about that later.
Start railing.
810AD - Discover I need to pillage further N than planned, so I will cut roads north of former Japan. We need to make it hard for persia to travel, when they go after us.
820AD - Kyoto pop 15 and Osaka pop 12(Persia) must be quite unhappy now, after I cut their roads home.
830AD - We lose our dyes from Sumeria, I don't renew it. Persia took 2 more of their cities ibt and it looks like we're too late to do much. Persia's towns NW of us is cut off from their empire as well.
840AD - Not much.
850AD - Sumeria is down to 3 cities, our units are in position for next turn.
860AD - It's crunchtime.
I muster all gpt I can find and buy 2566g for 191gpt. I try an immedaite steal and we are at war with Persia.
I then succeed with a safe steal from Korea:
We take Communism and trade that to Sumeria for Medicine, 230g and a worker.
Attack Satsuma with the army, kill 2 rifles and raze the town. Gain 2 workers, a cannon and 89g. Pillage tiles around the area and capture 4 more workers.
Attack Erech, 7 cavs only kill one rifle, the rest retreats. Find another cav nearby and raze the city. 90g and a worker.
Autoraze Tours for 91g, lose 2 cavs. Damn rifles.
Raze Lyons, no losses. We get 92g and 2 workers.
Raze Zabalam without losses, 93g and 2 workers.
Raze Dariush Kabir, lose a cav but we get a leader. 94g and 4 workers.
I drag Korea into the war, giving them silks and 8gpt.
Then I reneg peace with them and get Industrialization for 172gpt. Try an immediate steal and:
Now what? Research Sanitation or Espionage? I decide on the latter, we need proper spies and we got that leader that can rush Intelligence Agency, but it will take quite a few turns at max research.
870AD - Lose a horse. Troops need to heal before I can push on.
Build a colony on the coal and start a fortress.
880AD - Lose another horseman.
We raze Dijon, grab 88g and a cannon.
890AD - Attack Rouen, there's a guerilla in the town, so Persia knows RP! Raze the town and get 2 workers and 85g.
I stack of 18 cavs shows up N of Bangalore, I have to sacrifice 3 horsemen to cut some roads.
Start building factories, that can be changed if we need more units.
900AD - Warweariness strikes and we have to use luxtax.
Xerxes is willing to talk, I don't think this is the right time for peace.
I think the next few turns will be great fun.