First thing I do is get most of the money in the world in our treasury by trading maps. Then get another 100 by trading luxuries to Babylon.
Then shift some garrisons around and bring the forces from the core towards Greece.
Babylon knows about frictionless planes and vector forces but won't give up Physics for everything we own. I had thought to use it to get Military Tradition but no deals are there and it's not worth it anyway.
And in 1250 the first Babylonian cavalryman appears at Ellipi.
In 1260 with the storm gathered at the Greek borders, declare and move in.
Thermopolyae falls, no casualties and we move the gathered force on to Athens. And the first Persian cavlryman appears at Baltimore. And German longbows appear in the mountains at Corinth.
Kish is a real problem child because even after rearranging the citizens it riots on me.
It takes a knight to capture Cortinth in 1270 and two more to capture Athens.
The Greeks have put a settler on a boat and built Herakleai on the German island.
Trade some spices plus 340g to Korea for incense and it is a good thing I did as the Germans declare war.
The garrison at Corinth holds off the German longbows but three knights are lost. Since Germany was on the list next and the people are currently celebrating WLKTP everywhere at 10% lux, I call on Xerxes to fight the Germans and pay him 16gpt and give him an RoP so he can get there.
In 1275 march on Sparta, sink a German galley with a waiting caravel and send knights to the north country. I withdraw the surviving knight from Corinth then postion others with following muskets to retake the town and blunt the German attacks when their longbows try to defend the town. There is a single Greek archer wandering around between Corinth and Thermopylae.
The Germans take the bait and put their last healthy longbows into Corinth and in 1280 it is back in our hands and they lose three bows, we take no casualties. Attack the wandering Greek and Jackson appears who forms an army in Thermopylae. We can build the Pentagon now but we need troops.
In 1285 Sparta is ours, no casualties. Sink a German galley off Umma.
Load two knights in a caravel at St Louis in 1290 and sail to the island to the NW.
In 1295 land at Herakleia and start the cannon, longbows and knights through the Persian enclave on the German peninsula. My target is Knossos but we will have to capture Heidelberg to get there.
In 1300 put the armies and cannon at the gates of Heidelberg and burn Herakleia netting one more slave and a couple of gold pieces.
Persia wants many monies for Physics (2300g) but I can try a safe steal for 1900. Do it but fail, Beedo escapes, however X-man is not pleased. We are currently earning enough money to try a safe or careful steal every 4 to 6 turns. Korea or Ottomans are the preferred targets as war with either of them will not be a problem, but Persia or Babylon are cheaper (they are closer).
Why steal instead of buy?
1) Theft is cheaper, though it carries the risk of war
2) Theft does not put money in the hands of the other nations.
3) Politically it makes sense as we will want the other continent at war at some point, so stealing from overseas will bring us that opportunity if the theft fails and the victim declares. Then just ally with the neighbor and their development will slow down.
I made the first attempt with Persia because the risks of a Persian declaration are low, and I didn't think we had enough force in the SE to deal with the Korean colony.
As the native workers finish their jobs I have been shifting them north as the towns there are food rich and could use some mines dug. I have also been trying to build gangs of slaves to attack the marsh and jungle more efficiently. Unlike forestry it makes sense to road first as you can then bring other workers to bear on the jungle for a faster finish, then move on the next. It takes eighteen slaves to road a jungle in one, and another twenty to chop it down (total 48).
There is a settler on the road between Kansas City and Sparta, move her to the knight marking the jungle to the north and build another town.
The 20spt towns are building Maces and the other high producers are bulding knights.
Tactically I would capture Heidelberg as the way to Knossos, capture Knossos then concentrate our forces to clear the peninsula north of Heidelberg, letting the Persians have their way with the rest of Germany. There are 15 turns to go on the alliance against Germany and there is a RoP (negotiated separately) so that we could use the Persian roads at Cologne. That means there are a lot of Persians inside our borders.
soul - Finish the Greeks. Spar with the Germans.
namliaM - got a really nice finish in COTM12
Methos - set up first and last Greek war
Bede - revenged Thermopylae
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