The time for buildup was complete. The economy was grinding to a halt under the heavy burden of maintenance costs. Soldiers collected their pay, but spent their time gambling it away in their Barracks. The unclaimed wilds teemed with savage barbarians, whose incursions were a constant thorn in the Qin Shi Huang's side. The Great Lighthouse and Colossus were very pretty, no doubt, and were fine additions to the empire, but they alone were not the keys to victory. No, China was a fine and defensible country, but "fine and defensible" are only good enough for Cultural or, ugh, Time Victories. It was time to flex our muscles.
Our first move was to reduce the cultural center of Bombay to rubble:
The laughter of the city's poets and scholars turned to terrified screams as the air filled with rapid-fire bolts of death. The pen may be mightier than the sword, but I'd like to see it stand up to a repeating crossbow.
As Chittagong's citizens finally found themselves able to exert control over the city's fields (well, jungles), Chinese Settlers founded the island-fortress of Yakushima:
A fine site for the Moai Statues, and a productive way to rope in southern Japan's Gold for some extra Happiness.
Qin Shi Huang, despite his hardheaded opinions, finally saw the wisdom in his advisors' counsel, and relented. Animal Husbandry was researched in a few quick years and pens were put up to herd the Sheep, Pigs, Cows, and even Horses that populated vast China. The delay in pacifying his subjects with gifts of Incense, Silks, and Sugar made the emperor grumble a bit, but it was ultimately inconsequential. As Chinese sages finally got around to learning how to harness these abundant resources, Settlers tamed the wild Phillipines:
Hmm... Now that I look at it, settling 1SW, on the Bananas, might have been a better long-term play. Could have gotten a few more Cottages in there. Oh, well. What's done is done. Manila will make a fine Commerce city, even in its current position.
The Barbarian outpost of Ghuzz was crushed in the year 250, pacifying Malaysia:
The city was allowed to stand under the new name Bangkok. I feel that its placement is a little on the inefficient side, but the Malay Peninsula is notoriously difficult to dotmap. And it's good enough to warrant saving a Settler, I think.
By the 5th century, the secrets of the Calendar were ours. Our maps were resized to show the enormity of the Earth, Plantations cropped up from Vietnam to Mongolia, and Beijing began work on the Mausoleum of Maussolos. With the problem of unproductive citizens solved, it was time to reduce inefficiency. Confucianism was off the board, founded in a distant land, but Code of Laws still made a ton of sense. For the moment, the economy was kept afloat on a wave of Barbarian gold:
But all was not all agriculture and conquest. No, with Tokugawa and Genghis Khan both dead, China was able to focus the hostilities on a single front running from Mongolia around Tibet to eastern India. The cities behind that line, like Hong Kong, Kyoto, and Beijing, were allowed to flourish in this hostile world.
This flourishing was recognized in 415 A.D.:
I'm sure this is mostly due to raw size of empire, but it's always nice to get the gold star
By 460, Asoka's Iron Mines were pillaged, and Qin's armies stood at the gates of Delhi:
The siege was short and quick, and it resulted in our adding yet another gem to our crown of Wonders. Had I but known this would be ours, I wouldn't have wasted so many Hammers on Monuments, especially in Yakushima, but what's done is done. Our completed Monuments will still stand after Stonehenge goes obsolete.
Yes, the game was definitely beginning to turn. Some might even go so far as to claim that it was won at this stage, that China was too big to fail. But such curmudgeons fail to appreciate the journey, the gentle pitter-pat of soldiers' feet, the soothing warmth of burning empires, the lullaby of world leaders' pleas for clemency. And, of course, Random Events such as these:
Yakushima definitely has some potential.
With Code of Laws in our hands, Courthouses began to be built in all of our greatest cities. Our next project was Construction, both for Catapults (Cho-Ko's are great, but they can't strip City Defense) and because the fords that crisscross China are more trouble than they're worth. By 580 B.C., Beijing's latest project was complete, and was christened by none other than St. Patrick himself, who had been waiting around the city for just such an occasion:
The Golden Age boost to our economy and productivity was huge. And by getting Courthouses built that much more quickly, its effects should be prolonged beyond the Age itself.
The Barbarian outpost of Vandal was taken that year:
It was, perhaps unwisely, kept, and renamed Novosibirsk. It will be fed by Sheep, though, and bring valuable Furs into our great cities, and it should provide a new focus for hostilities, freeing up Karakorum to grow into productivity.
Five years later, Pataliputra was burned to the ground, confining Asoka to the very tip of his subcontinent:
I think I'm going to found a new city atop those Elephants to the east. Rope in the resources, and connect Delhi to Chittagong. Thoughts?
By 685, Asoka's last bolthole was overwhelmed, and the original 18 were whittled down to 14:
The city was kept, obviously. Not that it held anything special.
So there we have it. Our nearest neighbors are now Persia and Russia. We're on a roll, and we need to keep it going. Towards that end, I'm leaning toward Civil Service, in order to add Macemen to our forces, but I'm willing to be shouted down:
Keep in mind that those research times will be a little longer than they appear, owing to the fact that our Golden Age won't last forever.So what're the thoughts? Expand south into Australia, or north into Siberia? Go northwest through Russia, or southwest through Cyrus? Or just stay put, reinforce our borders, and launch an attack with Macemen and Trebuchets? Going Engineering for Trebs may make sense, given our Unique Unit and the fact that we don't have any Catapults online yet. Anyway, lots of questions. I'll let the discussions begin.
But first, our map: