1150 (0): Arbela, our Military Academy city, is building a barracks. I switch it to an army.
Ten enemy units land in various spots.
We get a palace expansion.
The Celts are building US.
1160 (1): We wipe out a Celtic stack of four next to Bampur, though one of our cav loses in four straight rounds to an MDI (4-1).
In Arabia we destroy a Mongol cav/musket/settler team and a Celtic rifleman, but the RNG remains harsh and we lose another cav (7-2).
I don't know why, but at Byblos the AI is treating the fact that a city is threatened as a reason to reinforce it, for once. We may need to cut Byblos off completely before taking it. As a first step, we occupy the square directly south of the city, destroying a stack of five there (12-2).
1170 (2): We seize the hill northeast of Byblos, destoying a stack of seven, and isolate the city (19-2).
We finish off one Celtic stack in Arabia, destroying its last three units, but there's another now which will probably found a city.
Four Egyptian units die attacking the hill next to Byblos, while five retreat. We lose two musketmen (23-4), but that's the last chance they'll have to break the siege.
1180 (3): We defeat a Celtic rifleman and a Celtic LB in Arabia (25-4).
Science down to 0%, Magnetism still due this IT.
Magnetism --> Banking. With only 30% of the world under our control, we have more work to do than seemed likely a couple of rounds ago, and there's no question of turning off research.
The Ottomans land one unit in Arabia, and I begin to laugh at their lame invasion. Then another six join it.
1190 (4): We're able to kill three pikemen in Byblos (28-4).
In Arabia we auto-raze Celtic Lindum, held by a rifleman, and cut down an English pike/settler team (30-4).
We destroy the first three units from the Ottoman stack (33-4).
We eliminate a Celtic stack of four outside Bampur (37-4).
1200 (5): We destroy the rest of the Ottoman stack in Arabia, and an English knight outside Bampur (42-4).
We take Byblos from the last of its garrison, three pikemen and a War Chariot, losing a cav (46-5). For tactical reasons I have to occupy and abandon the town rather than razing it, and we found Shiraz in its place, immediately rushing walls.
We get our first three galleons via uprgrades.
We found New Dariush Kabir in Arabia, after delays caused by enemy landings.
The Egyptians move 37 attack units next to Shiraz, along with 28 spearmen and pikes. I this this will be all right, but not by much.
1210 (6): We destroy three Mongol units and an Ottoman knight next to Bampur (50-5).
We rush barracks in Shiraz.
In the defense of Shiraz, we destroy 28 Egyptian units and retreat two, losing seven of our own (78-12). Eleven elite defensive victories don't produce a Great Leader.
1220 (7): We slay three Ottoman and three Celtic units (84-12), all of which landed between New Ergili and New Sardis in Arabia.
We exterminate an English knight outside Bampur (85-12).
Now that we have our defenses in order, 22 Egyptian units die attacking Shiraz, with one retreating, while we lose nothing (107-12). Another eight elite defensive victories don't generate a GL, though.
1230 (8): We dispose of a Celtic musketman in Arabia and our lands are free of enemy units, for the moment (108-12).
Our knight army arrives in Shiraz by galleon, so we have three armies available in Egypt, and the road to Thebes is open. So we attack, and destroy ten units without loss (118-12), but the town is still garrisoned.
Thirteen Egyptian units attack Shiraz, and all die save for one retreat (130-12), but ten more elite victories don't produce a GL. This is getting ridiculous.
1240 (9): We keep hammering away at Thebes, destroying another nine units there without loss (139-12), and finally raze it for a haul of five slaves.
We trample a Celtic musket/LB pair near New Pasaragdae (141-12).
We defeat two Celtic and two Mongol units outside Bampur (145-12), and finally, on our 46th. elite victory of this round, receive a Great Leader. He (Darius) forms our third cavalry army.
Two MDI, one Celtic and one Mongol, die attacking Bampur (147-12).
Two Egyptian units perish attacking Shiraz (149-12).
1250 (10): We mop up the last two enemy units around Bampur, one Celtic and one Mongol (151-12).
A healing turn in Egypt, although we pick off one spearman outside Shiraz (152-12).
We destroy two Celtic units next to New Pasargadae (154-12).
We ride down a Mongol musket/MDI/settler team in extreme southern Arabia, but it costs us a cav (156-13).
Fifty elite victories this round, thirty-two of them defensive, produced one Great Leader.
thought it is 3 tiles from wine connector? did I make a 
placement?
) to free up gold for the usual expenses in establishing a beachhead city. But once we learn Banking we'll probably have to go back to funded research.
