All right, another fairly short round. But a lot of people died in just a few turns, so bear with me.
Xerxes scanned the reports with a scowl. Julius Caesar had sent his men to Odessa and his Siege to Eridu. Rome was willing to declare peace for a substantial tribute of gold, but such a debt would cripple Persian research. No, Xerxes instead chose to burn Caesar's siege and give him what he really needed:
Perhaps the Persian system of Education would enlighten Julius as to the wisdom of sending one's Trebuchets and army to the same place. And, besides, if we are to get everything we can for Education, we are letting the proverbial slave out of the pen anyway, so is peace not a fair trade?
Sadly, nobody else was willing to give us too terribly much for Education, save our future enemy, Pericles:
Xerxes did not forge the Persian empire and achieve his fabulous look by being modest. He was a risk-taker! With Philosophy in hand, he immediately began research on Liberalism. Caesar was intent on learning the secrets of Chemistry. He was sure to delay teaching his people the finer points of the Liberal Arts. Xerxes detested them, himself, but if it held the technological key that so many of his advisors said it did, it would be worth sullying his hands.
In 940 A.D., indeed, the time for talking with Qin Shi Huang was over:
The forces outside Chengdu built fortifications, driving the civilian population to build them a castle as Chinese Catapults moved into position.
A small force of Macemen and Trebuchets left Chengdu in the dead of night, sneaking south towards Sakae. Perhaps having seen them leave, or possibly out of uncontrollable bloodlust, a number of Chinese troops threw themselves at the city's Walls before their commanders could rein them in:
And, oddly enough, the Catapults were silent this turn, which allowed the Castle to go up without loss of fortification. A few turns of unquiet peace settled in, as the Chinese siege weapons thudded dully against the city's defenses.
In the west, meanwhile, a two-pronged attack from Odessa and Eridu converged on Sparta:
Had Pericles not chosen to throw in with the sinister Chinese, this unfortunate siege would have been unnecessary. Though, to be fair, Greece had failed in its simple task of keeping Rome out of Russia, so this could be seen as just punishment.
Sparta, as so much of the world, fell under Persian control:
With the Temple of Solomon surviving the siege, the Great Prophet standing ready in Thebes settled in permanently, spurring on production and providing tithes to the coffers.
In the east, meanwhile, Xerxes stood poised to rout the Chinese from the Malay peninsula:
No Wonders, sadly, or even Great People beyond a lone General, but Sakae commanded bountiful Plantations and rich Towns. It was well worth the Maintenance.
Back in Greece, a ragtag band of Persian bushwackers descended on the Greek settlement of Corinth:
With more traditional forces pummeling the Walls of Athens, I was forced to send what I could to bring down Corinth. If Pericles was to die, he was to die. I would not permit Greece to live a useless existence as a ghost-Civilization in Africa, disheartening Athens and Sparta with memories of ancient freedom.
During the fighting, something magical happened:
Leonidas born to Greece during a war with Persia in which Immortals were involved! Brilliant!
It was too bad that Leonidas wasn't the brilliant warrior he was in history. Even if he was, he couldn't have done much. Someone called in the cavalry:
Qin's days are surely numbered now, and those of his vassals with him. He now stands against the numberless hordes of the thousand nations of Persia, and the stolid Centurions of the Roman Empire. China's backwards forces, though numerous, will be mown down like wheat!
Xerxes, normally content to take his advisors' suggestions to heart, laughed heartily with the development of Liberalism. They had told him to ignore it, that it was a race that he could not win. Well, win it he had, and he was going to take what he believed to be the choicest spoil:
Gunpowder and even Nationalism were beginning to pop up on Tech screens, and, for now, Astronomy was of little use. Printing Press, though, would be unique amongst the nations of the world, and it would improve the numerous Towns dotting Egypt and Mesopotamia. It was also an important step towards Replacable Parts and Rifling.
In 1040 A.D., the Persian irregulars finally torched Corinth:
And the proper Western Army took Athens:
Pericles is no more and, as you can see, down in the lower right, Leonidas works for me now.
So at this point I throw it back to you. China is willing to give up much for peace:
P'yongyang is a powerful city, deep in the heart of China, but it would be... rather isolated at this point. Sadly, Qin is not willing to consider giving up Guangzhou.
Which is a shame, since I'm poised to attack it:
Not a great army, which is why I'd like him to cede it without a fight.
Here's a look at the world as a whole:
Not too terribly much to see here, I don't think. I believe my objectives right now are to go on the offensive with China, and rebuild and remobilize my Western forces to maybe take Utica off of Hannibal's hands.
The power graph:
As you can see, Julie's in military build-up mode again, which is scary. but his ire seems to be focused on China right now, which is a good thing.
The tech situation:
Who would've thought that Boudica would be a tech leader? Well, I guess she
is England at this point...
Finally, the tangled Diplomacy web:
So here we are. How did I do? What should I do next? How's the weather? How 'bout them Cowboys?
Here's the save: