conquer_dude
Imperial Slave
Nice update. Not being negative, but you look you don't have a chance. 
But you can pull it off.
But you can pull it off.
The Shiji, Book Two: Project Kaguya
- Thread starter Sima Qian
- Start date
Heh, one of the first things I modded in vanilla was to move map trading to the middle ages, personally I hate the thought of everyone knowing the whole world map in the BCs.
I see that Lagash is a prime city for conquering; alone on its island, with gems.
And maybe Bremen for iron...
I see that Lagash is a prime city for conquering; alone on its island, with gems.
And maybe Bremen for iron...
DJ Bonebraker
a.k.a Laura
mrtn said:Heh, one of the first things I modded in vanilla was to move map trading to the middle ages, personally I hate the thought of everyone knowing the whole world map in the BCs.
I see that Lagash is a prime city for conquering; alone on its island, with gems.
And maybe Bremen for iron...
AHA!! So THAT explains why I have to wait until the end of the third age in the WH mod to trade maps with anybody.
And yes, both of those look good for taking once a sufficient military has been built up.
IronMan2055
Korra 2011
you can see the russians in the greek picture
Sima Qian
太史令
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2006
- Messages
- 732
Chapter 5: Wonders and Threats
Nanigoto ni / tsukete ka yo wo ba / itowamashi / ukarishi hito zo / kyô wa ureshiki
What else / could have made me / loathe the world? / The one who was cruel to me / today I think of as kind
Saigyo (A.D. 1118-1190)
Even though Japan had now become much more advanced with the help from the other civilizations, it did not stop them from continuing to assert their dominance. At first this was a peaceful process, where Shogun Tokugawa would only play the role of an observer. The other powers would continue to build up their cities and military strength, but fortunately they largely left the outlying islands alone, which the Japanese soon occupied uncontested.
But it was during the intense trading session of 210 AD, where Tokugawa revealed the Japanese world map to the foreigners for the first time, that Otto von Bismarck seemed most confident of himself. The other powers had also been building the Great Wonders all this time, but Bismarck was certain that the one he was building in Berlin would trump them all. Berlin had failed several times already, having been beaten to the Pyramids by Babylon, and subsequently losing the race for the Oracle to Persepolis. This time, however, the German citizens would finally see the reward for their many years of hard work.
Although contemporary historians would have rated Germany as a relatively mediocre civilization, only superior to the Greeks and the Japanese, the completion of the Great Library instantly thrust them back onto the world scene. They soon gathered all of the technology that the more advanced powers, such as Babylon and Persia, had already learned but were unwilling to share thus far.
But even though the Germans were at last the sole winners of this contest, they were not alone in their pursuit of the Great Library. News of the construction soon reached the ears of the other leaders, who scrambed to salvage the remainder of their resources and build something useful.
Catherine the Great was the first to react, and built a magnificent terraced garden in the capital city of Moscow.
Hammurabi awoke soon afterward, and realizing that it was a lost cause to attempt the Great Library or the Hanging Gardens, he changed his project to something that he felt would be more useful to him. After all, Babylon was unequaled in science and technology, and the Babylonians had more than enough wine to keep themselves satisfied.
What Hammurabi built instead was the Great Lighthouse, which would ensure that his ships could travel quickly and safely across the seas, which he found quite helpful as the world was made mostly of islands.
The consolation prize went to Xerxes of Persia, who had nothing left to build but the Great Wall. He seriously doubted the usefulness of the giant structure, as he already had total control over his island, had nothing to fear from barbarians, and did not share any land borders except at his offshore colonies. But nevertheless it was a Great Wonder, and would add to Persia's cultural might.
And perhaps even more importantly, Xerxes' decision to complete the Great Wall dealt a mortal blow to Alexander the Great. Greece was now the second weakest of all the civilizations after Japan, and they needed the Great Wall more than anyone else. Alexander shared a long border on his continent with two other very powerful civilizations, Russia and Babylon, and he would have needed every extra bit of defense available to him in the event that either of them declared war.
All this time, Shogun Tokugawa cared little of these developments. He knew from the beginning that he had no chance of building a Great Wonder, and that ultimately, many of them would be rather useless to him. The only one he was interested in was the Great Library, but clearly there was no point in attempting that, for Bismarck had only one turn to go when the Japanese finally learned of literature.
Instead, he concentrated on the rest of the unclaimed islands, some of which were rather unappealing but could one day be strategically important. The cities were so far out that Tokugawa could not expect them to ever build anything meaningful, but it was still better than having another civilization settle them rather than Japan.
The first settlement was Matsuyama, built on the nearest island south of Japan. The Russians already had a settlement at Novgorod, on the other side of the island, but Tokugawa had little to fear from them at the time.
Next came Yokohama, on an island north of Greece, and east of the island where Kagoshima stood. This was a very small island, but taking control over it would still have been better than losing it to Alexander, who eyed it greedily from his shores nearby.
The last and possibly most hopeless of these settlements was Hakodate, on a tiny island of mostly barren wasteland. There were whales a short distance out at sea, but they could not be reached yet without first constructing a temple to expand the borders.
The settlement of Hakodate marked the end of Japanese expansion, as now almost all the land in the world had already been claimed. If Japan were ever to grow again, it would be in open conflict with one of the other civilizations.
The Shogun knew very well that he was not ready for war, and it seemed that his disadvantage was also noticed by the other leaders. They recognized that the Japanese had overextended themselves, and were ready to exploit this particular fact. An messenger from Bismarck, who now could claim to be just as strong as Hammurabi and Xerxes, soon came knocking on Tokugawa's door, demanding tribute.
Tokugawa had no choice but to comply, but he swore that he would not allow the Germans to abuse him like this again.
Nanigoto ni / tsukete ka yo wo ba / itowamashi / ukarishi hito zo / kyô wa ureshiki
What else / could have made me / loathe the world? / The one who was cruel to me / today I think of as kind
Saigyo (A.D. 1118-1190)
Even though Japan had now become much more advanced with the help from the other civilizations, it did not stop them from continuing to assert their dominance. At first this was a peaceful process, where Shogun Tokugawa would only play the role of an observer. The other powers would continue to build up their cities and military strength, but fortunately they largely left the outlying islands alone, which the Japanese soon occupied uncontested.
But it was during the intense trading session of 210 AD, where Tokugawa revealed the Japanese world map to the foreigners for the first time, that Otto von Bismarck seemed most confident of himself. The other powers had also been building the Great Wonders all this time, but Bismarck was certain that the one he was building in Berlin would trump them all. Berlin had failed several times already, having been beaten to the Pyramids by Babylon, and subsequently losing the race for the Oracle to Persepolis. This time, however, the German citizens would finally see the reward for their many years of hard work.
Although contemporary historians would have rated Germany as a relatively mediocre civilization, only superior to the Greeks and the Japanese, the completion of the Great Library instantly thrust them back onto the world scene. They soon gathered all of the technology that the more advanced powers, such as Babylon and Persia, had already learned but were unwilling to share thus far.
But even though the Germans were at last the sole winners of this contest, they were not alone in their pursuit of the Great Library. News of the construction soon reached the ears of the other leaders, who scrambed to salvage the remainder of their resources and build something useful.
Catherine the Great was the first to react, and built a magnificent terraced garden in the capital city of Moscow.
Hammurabi awoke soon afterward, and realizing that it was a lost cause to attempt the Great Library or the Hanging Gardens, he changed his project to something that he felt would be more useful to him. After all, Babylon was unequaled in science and technology, and the Babylonians had more than enough wine to keep themselves satisfied.
What Hammurabi built instead was the Great Lighthouse, which would ensure that his ships could travel quickly and safely across the seas, which he found quite helpful as the world was made mostly of islands.
The consolation prize went to Xerxes of Persia, who had nothing left to build but the Great Wall. He seriously doubted the usefulness of the giant structure, as he already had total control over his island, had nothing to fear from barbarians, and did not share any land borders except at his offshore colonies. But nevertheless it was a Great Wonder, and would add to Persia's cultural might.
And perhaps even more importantly, Xerxes' decision to complete the Great Wall dealt a mortal blow to Alexander the Great. Greece was now the second weakest of all the civilizations after Japan, and they needed the Great Wall more than anyone else. Alexander shared a long border on his continent with two other very powerful civilizations, Russia and Babylon, and he would have needed every extra bit of defense available to him in the event that either of them declared war.
All this time, Shogun Tokugawa cared little of these developments. He knew from the beginning that he had no chance of building a Great Wonder, and that ultimately, many of them would be rather useless to him. The only one he was interested in was the Great Library, but clearly there was no point in attempting that, for Bismarck had only one turn to go when the Japanese finally learned of literature.
Instead, he concentrated on the rest of the unclaimed islands, some of which were rather unappealing but could one day be strategically important. The cities were so far out that Tokugawa could not expect them to ever build anything meaningful, but it was still better than having another civilization settle them rather than Japan.
The first settlement was Matsuyama, built on the nearest island south of Japan. The Russians already had a settlement at Novgorod, on the other side of the island, but Tokugawa had little to fear from them at the time.
Next came Yokohama, on an island north of Greece, and east of the island where Kagoshima stood. This was a very small island, but taking control over it would still have been better than losing it to Alexander, who eyed it greedily from his shores nearby.
The last and possibly most hopeless of these settlements was Hakodate, on a tiny island of mostly barren wasteland. There were whales a short distance out at sea, but they could not be reached yet without first constructing a temple to expand the borders.
The settlement of Hakodate marked the end of Japanese expansion, as now almost all the land in the world had already been claimed. If Japan were ever to grow again, it would be in open conflict with one of the other civilizations.
The Shogun knew very well that he was not ready for war, and it seemed that his disadvantage was also noticed by the other leaders. They recognized that the Japanese had overextended themselves, and were ready to exploit this particular fact. An messenger from Bismarck, who now could claim to be just as strong as Hammurabi and Xerxes, soon came knocking on Tokugawa's door, demanding tribute.
Tokugawa had no choice but to comply, but he swore that he would not allow the Germans to abuse him like this again.
... to be continued
conquer_dude
Imperial Slave
Dang bad land. But you can pull it off. How much gold are yuo getting?
Sima Qian
太史令
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2006
- Messages
- 732
conquer_dude said:
As of the end of this update, the Japanese treasury has 995 gold and is gaining 10 gold each turn. I could probably buy several techs with that money, especially government techs, but I'm actually going to delay revolting until it becomes worthwhile. Since I have a lot of workers and galleys, I'm still depending on the unit support of despotism to keep up the profit right now (4 free units per settlement, regardless of size).
conquer_dude
Imperial Slave
Yeah I usually stay in despotism until Democracy or Monarchy comes around.
Sima Qian
太史令
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2006
- Messages
- 732
Chapter 6: Recovering the Shikon Shards
Shiratsuyu o / Kaze no fukishiku / Aki no no wa / Tsuranuki tomenu / Tama zo chiri keru
In the autumn fields / When the heedless wind blows by / Over the pure-white dew / How the myriad unstrung gems / Are scattered everywhere around
Bunya no Asayasu (10th century A.D.)
Just as Tokugawa was about to return to his palace in Kyoto after escorting the German messenger out, he noticed smoke rising up above the city. Several of the buildings had caught fire, sending terrified citizens running for their lives into the overcrowded streets. Finding no place to go, many of them were simply milling about in circles, waving their hands frantically in the air and screaming at the top of their lungs.
Tokugawa reached the marketplace, where all the tables had been overturned and the street peddlers had abandoned their goods on the ground. All commerce and production in Kyoto had come to a halt. At one corner he saw a couple of his warriors trying to keep the commotion under control, but they had little success against the huge crowd that had gathered.
What the heck is going on? wondered the Shogun. Could it be that the German messenger was up to some mischief? He shoved his way through the crowd but found that they had blocked off the palace entrance. The people seemed to be demanding something, but Tokugawa did not have the time to deal with them. Perhaps this is not Bismarck's fault after all, then.
Instead, he went over to the temple of Kyoto, where he found Toyotomi Hideyoshi already consulting with the priests and mystics. They could not give a precise explanation of what was happening in the city, but they were quick to attribute the chaos to the wrath of the heavens.
"From what they have told me," said Hideyoshi, "there is a mystical jewel that has been lost to evil forces, releasing its power to demons and devils that are coming to corrupt our people. It is said that the shards of this jewel, the Shikon no Tama, have now been scattered in a distant land, and it is our duty to recover them."
"How strange that a jewel would have such enormous effects," muttered Tokugawa. "Tell me, where do you think we can find this?"
"I am not sure," said Hideyoshi. "But the prophecy has said that they may have reappeared on the exact opposite side of the earth, the very furthest one can get from Japan."
They consulted their maps, and carefully measured the distances from Japan to all the other islands in the world. Persia and Greece were too close by to be the correct location, and Russia seemed to be in the wrong direction. Germany, of which Tokugawa had been most suspicious, seemed promising at first, but after studying the map at length they could not identify any place in Germany where they might be able to find the Shikon shards.
They were about to give up when Hideyoshi noticed a small island off the southern coast of Germany that actually had been occupied by Hammurabi. The Babylonian city of Lagash was built at the site, and upon closer investigation, the surrounding land seemed very promising:
"See those mountains around Lagash?" said Hideyoshi as he pointed them out to the Shogun. "I am almost absolutely sure that this is where the Shikon no Tama has been hidden."
Tokugawa peered at the map, studying every detail of the island of Lagash. It was a cold and barren island, with nothing but tundra and snow-capped mountains. Immediately he knew that this was the secret place he had to reach, and that this mission to recover the Shikon shards would be very dangerous.
There seemed to be no other choice. The civil disorder in Kyoto had ended when he offered the citizens some entertainment, but with the Shikon no Tama still in enemy hands, more chaos could break out in Japan's cities any time. At the harbor of Osaka, Tokugawa gathered together his most skilled archers and informed them of their mission. Their target: the Babylonian city of Lagash.
But there was a problem. In order to reach Lagash, they would have to pass through Persian territorial waters, and Japanese fleets were the last thing that Xerxes wanted to see along his coast. "Where are you sending all these archers in boats?" asked the angry Persian leader. "Surely you do not dare attack the glorious empire of Persia."
"Certainly not," responded Tokugawa. "We value our friendship with the Persian Empire, and simply request permission to pass through. We mean no harm to your people."
"That may be... but the waters of Persia are not free for just anyone to sail through. If you wish to pass, be prepared to pay the price."
The two leaders haggled with each other over what would be a fair deal, and eventually reached an agreement. Every few years Japan would send a sum of gold as tribute, while Xerxes ordered his naval forces to leave the Japanese alone.
From the Persian coast they sailed onward, until they reached the shores of Germany. Bismarck's attitude had improved ever since Tokugawa had agreed to pay him tribute, but seeing that Xerxes was making a handy sum of money collecting tolls from the Japanese fleet, he decided he could not miss this opportunity as well.
"You are certainly welcome to pass through German waters, as long as you give us fair compensation," he informed the Shogun.
Tokugawa wanted to avoid paying more tribute to the Germans as much as possible, but without Bismarck's coorperation there was clearly no way his men would arrive at their destination, so he agreed.
But in the year 610 AD, before the Japanese fleet had even made it around the southern tip of Germany, at Munich, Tokugawa was given a rude awakening by Hammurabi.
"Your gift to the Germans would be unfair to the rest of us unless you treat Babylon in the same way," warned Hammurabi. "I think it is in your own best interest that you keep us all on equal footing."
Tokugawa laughed. "Equal footing indeed," he said. "I allowed the Germans to have their way simply because they were at a disadvantage compared to you, Hammurabi. But if I offer a gift to Babylon, I am afraid that the balance will be upset in the world."
"You dare refuse us?" the Babylonian leader threatened him.
Tokugawa was not at all worried if the Babylonians took offense. Their empire was far away from Japan and would take a long time to reach even the most distant of the Japanese island colonies. In fact, he even welcomed Babylon's declaration of war, as it gave him the perfect excuse to seize Lagash.
Within two decades, Japanese archers had landed on the island, and true to the prophecy they found glittering gems in the mountains around Lagash. "We have found the Shikon jewels at last!" they announced. "Now all that remains is to wrest it from the evil Babylonians' control."
Tokugawa was sure that the spearmen defending Lagash would not be able to stand up to the massive force that he had assembled. The island was far off from mainland Babylon, and Hideyoshi had caluclated that the city probably suffered a huge corruption penalty, making it difficult to train military units or build city improvements.
One morning in 640 AD, the Babylonian governor of Lagash awoke to find an arrow had pierced his roof and fallen by his bedside. Attached to it was a short note: "Hand over the Shikon no Tama now, or face annihilation."
In a panic, he recalled his workers from the mines in the mountains and put his spearmen on high alert. By midday a steady rain of arrows was pouring down upon the city, and it was in the late afternoon that he saw Japanese archers entering the city, stepping over the corpses of the spearmen that they had shot down. But there was no escape for the governor. Hammurabi had sent him to Lagash without keeping a galley around for any return journey. With a heavy heart weighed down by both sadness and fear, he climbed to the top of the last snow-covered summit southwest of the city, and leapt to his swift demise.
The citizens of Lagash tried to resist, but Tokugawa's troops were quick to dispatch anyone who opposed them. When they finally gave up at last, Tokugawa ordered them to construct a harbor to support the transport of the Shikon shards back to Japan. Many Babylonian citizens perished in the process, but to Tokugawa, it was just punishment for their resistance.
With the Shikon no Tama secured at last, the Japanese people could lead happier lives, and no more did civil disorder break out in the cities of Japan. But the struggle against Babylon was not over yet, as Hammurabi swore to avenge the loss of Lagash.
Shiratsuyu o / Kaze no fukishiku / Aki no no wa / Tsuranuki tomenu / Tama zo chiri keru
In the autumn fields / When the heedless wind blows by / Over the pure-white dew / How the myriad unstrung gems / Are scattered everywhere around
Bunya no Asayasu (10th century A.D.)
Just as Tokugawa was about to return to his palace in Kyoto after escorting the German messenger out, he noticed smoke rising up above the city. Several of the buildings had caught fire, sending terrified citizens running for their lives into the overcrowded streets. Finding no place to go, many of them were simply milling about in circles, waving their hands frantically in the air and screaming at the top of their lungs.
Tokugawa reached the marketplace, where all the tables had been overturned and the street peddlers had abandoned their goods on the ground. All commerce and production in Kyoto had come to a halt. At one corner he saw a couple of his warriors trying to keep the commotion under control, but they had little success against the huge crowd that had gathered.
What the heck is going on? wondered the Shogun. Could it be that the German messenger was up to some mischief? He shoved his way through the crowd but found that they had blocked off the palace entrance. The people seemed to be demanding something, but Tokugawa did not have the time to deal with them. Perhaps this is not Bismarck's fault after all, then.
Instead, he went over to the temple of Kyoto, where he found Toyotomi Hideyoshi already consulting with the priests and mystics. They could not give a precise explanation of what was happening in the city, but they were quick to attribute the chaos to the wrath of the heavens.
"From what they have told me," said Hideyoshi, "there is a mystical jewel that has been lost to evil forces, releasing its power to demons and devils that are coming to corrupt our people. It is said that the shards of this jewel, the Shikon no Tama, have now been scattered in a distant land, and it is our duty to recover them."
"How strange that a jewel would have such enormous effects," muttered Tokugawa. "Tell me, where do you think we can find this?"
"I am not sure," said Hideyoshi. "But the prophecy has said that they may have reappeared on the exact opposite side of the earth, the very furthest one can get from Japan."
They consulted their maps, and carefully measured the distances from Japan to all the other islands in the world. Persia and Greece were too close by to be the correct location, and Russia seemed to be in the wrong direction. Germany, of which Tokugawa had been most suspicious, seemed promising at first, but after studying the map at length they could not identify any place in Germany where they might be able to find the Shikon shards.
They were about to give up when Hideyoshi noticed a small island off the southern coast of Germany that actually had been occupied by Hammurabi. The Babylonian city of Lagash was built at the site, and upon closer investigation, the surrounding land seemed very promising:
Spoiler :
"See those mountains around Lagash?" said Hideyoshi as he pointed them out to the Shogun. "I am almost absolutely sure that this is where the Shikon no Tama has been hidden."
Tokugawa peered at the map, studying every detail of the island of Lagash. It was a cold and barren island, with nothing but tundra and snow-capped mountains. Immediately he knew that this was the secret place he had to reach, and that this mission to recover the Shikon shards would be very dangerous.
There seemed to be no other choice. The civil disorder in Kyoto had ended when he offered the citizens some entertainment, but with the Shikon no Tama still in enemy hands, more chaos could break out in Japan's cities any time. At the harbor of Osaka, Tokugawa gathered together his most skilled archers and informed them of their mission. Their target: the Babylonian city of Lagash.
But there was a problem. In order to reach Lagash, they would have to pass through Persian territorial waters, and Japanese fleets were the last thing that Xerxes wanted to see along his coast. "Where are you sending all these archers in boats?" asked the angry Persian leader. "Surely you do not dare attack the glorious empire of Persia."
"Certainly not," responded Tokugawa. "We value our friendship with the Persian Empire, and simply request permission to pass through. We mean no harm to your people."
"That may be... but the waters of Persia are not free for just anyone to sail through. If you wish to pass, be prepared to pay the price."
The two leaders haggled with each other over what would be a fair deal, and eventually reached an agreement. Every few years Japan would send a sum of gold as tribute, while Xerxes ordered his naval forces to leave the Japanese alone.
From the Persian coast they sailed onward, until they reached the shores of Germany. Bismarck's attitude had improved ever since Tokugawa had agreed to pay him tribute, but seeing that Xerxes was making a handy sum of money collecting tolls from the Japanese fleet, he decided he could not miss this opportunity as well.
"You are certainly welcome to pass through German waters, as long as you give us fair compensation," he informed the Shogun.
Tokugawa wanted to avoid paying more tribute to the Germans as much as possible, but without Bismarck's coorperation there was clearly no way his men would arrive at their destination, so he agreed.
But in the year 610 AD, before the Japanese fleet had even made it around the southern tip of Germany, at Munich, Tokugawa was given a rude awakening by Hammurabi.
"Your gift to the Germans would be unfair to the rest of us unless you treat Babylon in the same way," warned Hammurabi. "I think it is in your own best interest that you keep us all on equal footing."
Tokugawa laughed. "Equal footing indeed," he said. "I allowed the Germans to have their way simply because they were at a disadvantage compared to you, Hammurabi. But if I offer a gift to Babylon, I am afraid that the balance will be upset in the world."
"You dare refuse us?" the Babylonian leader threatened him.
Tokugawa was not at all worried if the Babylonians took offense. Their empire was far away from Japan and would take a long time to reach even the most distant of the Japanese island colonies. In fact, he even welcomed Babylon's declaration of war, as it gave him the perfect excuse to seize Lagash.
Within two decades, Japanese archers had landed on the island, and true to the prophecy they found glittering gems in the mountains around Lagash. "We have found the Shikon jewels at last!" they announced. "Now all that remains is to wrest it from the evil Babylonians' control."
Tokugawa was sure that the spearmen defending Lagash would not be able to stand up to the massive force that he had assembled. The island was far off from mainland Babylon, and Hideyoshi had caluclated that the city probably suffered a huge corruption penalty, making it difficult to train military units or build city improvements.
One morning in 640 AD, the Babylonian governor of Lagash awoke to find an arrow had pierced his roof and fallen by his bedside. Attached to it was a short note: "Hand over the Shikon no Tama now, or face annihilation."
In a panic, he recalled his workers from the mines in the mountains and put his spearmen on high alert. By midday a steady rain of arrows was pouring down upon the city, and it was in the late afternoon that he saw Japanese archers entering the city, stepping over the corpses of the spearmen that they had shot down. But there was no escape for the governor. Hammurabi had sent him to Lagash without keeping a galley around for any return journey. With a heavy heart weighed down by both sadness and fear, he climbed to the top of the last snow-covered summit southwest of the city, and leapt to his swift demise.
The citizens of Lagash tried to resist, but Tokugawa's troops were quick to dispatch anyone who opposed them. When they finally gave up at last, Tokugawa ordered them to construct a harbor to support the transport of the Shikon shards back to Japan. Many Babylonian citizens perished in the process, but to Tokugawa, it was just punishment for their resistance.
With the Shikon no Tama secured at last, the Japanese people could lead happier lives, and no more did civil disorder break out in the cities of Japan. But the struggle against Babylon was not over yet, as Hammurabi swore to avenge the loss of Lagash.
... to be continued
stocktracker
Prince
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2005
- Messages
- 414
Keeping the rest of the civilizations equal in terms of power will be very important. And do you think that you can keep Lagash from the Germans, who could get it culturally?
conquer_dude
Imperial Slave
Yeah, but it will be a while before Germany's borders expand.
BTW: Isnt Lagash a Sumerian city???
BTW: Isnt Lagash a Sumerian city???
Sima Qian
太史令
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2006
- Messages
- 732
conquer_dude said:Yeah, but it will be a while before Germany's borders expand.
BTW: Isnt Lagash a Sumerian city???
Germany's borders don't need to expand to create a flip risk in Lagash. If the Germans own any of the tiles within the city radius, it might flip.
Lagash was a Sumerian city before it belonged to Babylon. Same with Ur. It's not surprising to see duplicate cities, like Caesarea for Rome and Byzantines, or Constantinople/Istanbul for Byzantines/Ottomans, or Londonium/London for Rome/England, or Lutetia/Paris for Rome/France. Same place, different time.
Spoiler :
conquer_dude
Imperial Slave
Looking at spoiler: That's the spirit! 
Um... You're right. I've never been the Babs and I guess I never knew Lagash was also one of their cities...
Um... You're right. I've never been the Babs and I guess I never knew Lagash was also one of their cities...
Ansar
Détente avec l'été
In C3C, with Sumeria, whole lot of Babylonian city names were lost to Sumeria.Like...
Ur
Lagash
Akkad
, just wanted to give the heads up.
Ur
Lagash
Akkad
, just wanted to give the heads up.
Mirc
Not mIRC!!!
Come on, Sima, you can beat them!
Sima Qian
太史令
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2006
- Messages
- 732
Chapter 7: Hammurabi's Crown
Toshi kurenu / kasa kite waraji / hakinagara
Another year is gone; / and I still wear / straw hat and straw sandals.
Matsuo Basho (A.D. 1644-1694)
Following the capture of Lagash, Tokugawa's men had nowhere else to go, except to stand around on the island shores so that no Babylonian counterattack would be possible. But the sea captains who had brought them there were not content with simply sitting idly while waiting for some kind of response from Hammurabi. They wandered northward along the coast of Germany, sinking any approaching galleys that had Babylon's conspicuous orange sails.
To Hammurabi, retaking Lagash was a lost cause. Instead, he turned his attention northward, past the end of the continent and the lands of Greece, and set his eyes directly upon the Japanese settlement at Yokohama. The Japanese fleet was nowhere near Yokohama to intercept Babylon's galleys, and so the orange-uniformed warriors disembarked and prepared to attack.
Tokugawa had no idea that the Babylonians would attack that island, but he knew that Yokohama would almost certainly fall to the enemy if more of them arrived. After looking at the two bands of rather unimpressive warriors that had just landed, he thought perhaps Hammurabi was more interested in psychological warfare, and would want to extract some concessions from Japan in whatever peace treaty that would end the war. So he sent Toyotomi Hideyoshi to discuss peace with the Babylonians.
"Nope," said Hideyoshi when he returned. "They wouldn't even see me, let alone lend me an ear."
Tokugawa sighed. There was only one option left to see if Yokohama could be defended, and it was certainly a risky maneuver. He would have his warriors attack first, before the newly arrived Babylonian forces had a chance to fortify themselves.
The warriors of Yokohama gave this battle everything they had. They clearly knew that if they lost, the city would soon be in enemy hands. One group perished at the hands of the invaders, but the other was successful in driving them back. The injured remainder of Hammurabi's landing party attempted to rest and heal in the plains outside Yokohama's borders, but they too were soon wiped out.
Hammurabi's invasion had failed, and little did Tokugawa know that this was the best assault that his enemy could mount. After the battle of Yokohama, the Babylonian leader was finally ready for an end to hostilities. He signaled the Japanese galleys that were now blocking off the coastline of Samarra, and asked for a peace treaty.
Tokugawa would have accepted, but Hideyoshi thought there could be more coming from this. "Not so fast," he said to Hammurabi. "We have taken one of your cities, and you have lost one and taken none. Don't you think it is too good of a bargain in order to get away with a peace treaty for free?"
"Well, what would you want then?" asked Hammurabi.
Hideyoshi glared at him. Then he noticed the beautiful jeweled crown that the Babylonian leader wore on his head. With a swift motion of his hand, he snatched the crown from Hammurabi and presented it to Tokugawa.
"We will take that," said Hideyoshi. "Any objections?"
Hammurabi shook his head. He took out a new, flat-topped hat and wore it instead, while commenting, "It was but a decoration anyway. I am the humble leader of the Babylonian Republic."
Thus the Treaty of Samarra, the first one ever signed by two warring powers, brought an end to the conflict. The Japanese would keep control of the Shikon jewels of Lagash, and now also knew of a new form of government. But Japan was not yet ready for a revolution, as most of the Japanese cities were still small in size and could not yet take advantage of the benefits of monarchy.
While Japan and Babylon had been busy fighting, the other civilizations did not cut themselves any slack in their building efforts. First came news from Athens, where the Greek people were celebrating the completion of a magnificent cathedral, one that would keep all their citizens happy for many years to come.
The news also reached Berlin, where Otto von Bismarck scoffed at what he felt was the foolishness of the Greeks. "Let them enjoy their revelry for now," he declared. "When our glorious armies come knocking on their doors, they will regret this."
Indeed, the militaristic Germans had a completely different focus in mind. It was not long afterward that they built a great war academy in their capital, training the very best soldiers to fight for Germany.
In Persepolis, Xerxes laughed even harder. "That idiot Bismarck, he could have just built barracks in every city. It's not like he has very many of them either."
The Persians also had a settlement on Germany's island, the city of Samaria. Although it did not receive the benefits of Sun Tzu's Art of War, Xerxes was certain that one day the wonders of Berlin would belong to him. "Let the Germans build all the obsolete military units they want," he said. "Our modernized armies will crush them so cleanly that not a scrap of armor will be left on the battlefields."
As a matter of fact, Persia was not far ahead of Germany in technology at the time, and any new research would soon find their way to the Great Library in Berlin. But the Leonardo's Workshop that Xerxes had built would certainly make the transition process much easier.
Even Hammurabi managed to get some work done during the war he had just fought with Japan. Perhaps the final result was not quite what he wanted, and certainly not in the best place, but he still managed to walk away with another Great Wonder.
"What a waste," remarked Tokugawa to his advisor. "Akkad will never be able to take full advantage of the Observatory. Just look at it, how much commerce will it ever get from the poor land that surrounds it?"
"But it is close to a lake with plenty of fish," said Hideyoshi. "Soon it shall expand from a town into a city, and from then on it can continue to grow and develop at an impressive rate."
A lake. Tokugawa was reminded of Lake Biwa, just outside Kyoto, and then he realized why his other cities were not growing. They needed aqueducts to bring them supplies of fresh water, and so far only Kyoto had such a benefit. He ordered them to be constructed as soon as possible, but it would be many years before that would be complete.
Like Tokugawa, Xerxes also felt that Hammurabi had just put a perfectly good wonder to waste by building it in a poor location. "I shall have to teach that Babylonian fool a lesson," he declared. "Besides, if even Japan, the weakest nation in this world, could have forced Babylon into submission, who is to say we, glorious Persia, cannot do better?"
The ministers in Xerxes's court pointed out that this kind of demeaning talk would likely get Persia into deep trouble in the future, but Xerxes was in a contentious mood at the moment, and did not hesitate to make clear his intentions.
Interesting, thought Tokugawa. But we have already taken control of the best target in Babylon, the city of Lagash. I wonder what is left for the Persians.
He watched as the war unfolded before him. Galleys, some with the orange sails of the Babylonian navy, others with the purple sails of Persia, darted back and forth in the coastal channel near Lagash. But no cities changed hands, and it seemed as though the two powers had fought each other to a standstill.
In the meantime, the aqueducts were finally finished in most cities in Japan, and it was on a fateful day in 850 AD that Tokugawa Ieyasu finally wore the crown that was given to him by Hammurabi. Japan would be a despotism no more.
The problems of corruption continued to bother Tokugawa even after the revolution, but they seemed to be somewhat less than what they had been before. Reluctantly, he vowed he would resolve these problems in the future, and hopefully fairly soon as well.
Toshi kurenu / kasa kite waraji / hakinagara
Another year is gone; / and I still wear / straw hat and straw sandals.
Matsuo Basho (A.D. 1644-1694)
Following the capture of Lagash, Tokugawa's men had nowhere else to go, except to stand around on the island shores so that no Babylonian counterattack would be possible. But the sea captains who had brought them there were not content with simply sitting idly while waiting for some kind of response from Hammurabi. They wandered northward along the coast of Germany, sinking any approaching galleys that had Babylon's conspicuous orange sails.
To Hammurabi, retaking Lagash was a lost cause. Instead, he turned his attention northward, past the end of the continent and the lands of Greece, and set his eyes directly upon the Japanese settlement at Yokohama. The Japanese fleet was nowhere near Yokohama to intercept Babylon's galleys, and so the orange-uniformed warriors disembarked and prepared to attack.
Tokugawa had no idea that the Babylonians would attack that island, but he knew that Yokohama would almost certainly fall to the enemy if more of them arrived. After looking at the two bands of rather unimpressive warriors that had just landed, he thought perhaps Hammurabi was more interested in psychological warfare, and would want to extract some concessions from Japan in whatever peace treaty that would end the war. So he sent Toyotomi Hideyoshi to discuss peace with the Babylonians.
"Nope," said Hideyoshi when he returned. "They wouldn't even see me, let alone lend me an ear."
Tokugawa sighed. There was only one option left to see if Yokohama could be defended, and it was certainly a risky maneuver. He would have his warriors attack first, before the newly arrived Babylonian forces had a chance to fortify themselves.
The warriors of Yokohama gave this battle everything they had. They clearly knew that if they lost, the city would soon be in enemy hands. One group perished at the hands of the invaders, but the other was successful in driving them back. The injured remainder of Hammurabi's landing party attempted to rest and heal in the plains outside Yokohama's borders, but they too were soon wiped out.
Hammurabi's invasion had failed, and little did Tokugawa know that this was the best assault that his enemy could mount. After the battle of Yokohama, the Babylonian leader was finally ready for an end to hostilities. He signaled the Japanese galleys that were now blocking off the coastline of Samarra, and asked for a peace treaty.
Tokugawa would have accepted, but Hideyoshi thought there could be more coming from this. "Not so fast," he said to Hammurabi. "We have taken one of your cities, and you have lost one and taken none. Don't you think it is too good of a bargain in order to get away with a peace treaty for free?"
"Well, what would you want then?" asked Hammurabi.
Hideyoshi glared at him. Then he noticed the beautiful jeweled crown that the Babylonian leader wore on his head. With a swift motion of his hand, he snatched the crown from Hammurabi and presented it to Tokugawa.
"We will take that," said Hideyoshi. "Any objections?"
Hammurabi shook his head. He took out a new, flat-topped hat and wore it instead, while commenting, "It was but a decoration anyway. I am the humble leader of the Babylonian Republic."
Thus the Treaty of Samarra, the first one ever signed by two warring powers, brought an end to the conflict. The Japanese would keep control of the Shikon jewels of Lagash, and now also knew of a new form of government. But Japan was not yet ready for a revolution, as most of the Japanese cities were still small in size and could not yet take advantage of the benefits of monarchy.
While Japan and Babylon had been busy fighting, the other civilizations did not cut themselves any slack in their building efforts. First came news from Athens, where the Greek people were celebrating the completion of a magnificent cathedral, one that would keep all their citizens happy for many years to come.
The news also reached Berlin, where Otto von Bismarck scoffed at what he felt was the foolishness of the Greeks. "Let them enjoy their revelry for now," he declared. "When our glorious armies come knocking on their doors, they will regret this."
Indeed, the militaristic Germans had a completely different focus in mind. It was not long afterward that they built a great war academy in their capital, training the very best soldiers to fight for Germany.
In Persepolis, Xerxes laughed even harder. "That idiot Bismarck, he could have just built barracks in every city. It's not like he has very many of them either."
The Persians also had a settlement on Germany's island, the city of Samaria. Although it did not receive the benefits of Sun Tzu's Art of War, Xerxes was certain that one day the wonders of Berlin would belong to him. "Let the Germans build all the obsolete military units they want," he said. "Our modernized armies will crush them so cleanly that not a scrap of armor will be left on the battlefields."
As a matter of fact, Persia was not far ahead of Germany in technology at the time, and any new research would soon find their way to the Great Library in Berlin. But the Leonardo's Workshop that Xerxes had built would certainly make the transition process much easier.
Even Hammurabi managed to get some work done during the war he had just fought with Japan. Perhaps the final result was not quite what he wanted, and certainly not in the best place, but he still managed to walk away with another Great Wonder.
"What a waste," remarked Tokugawa to his advisor. "Akkad will never be able to take full advantage of the Observatory. Just look at it, how much commerce will it ever get from the poor land that surrounds it?"
"But it is close to a lake with plenty of fish," said Hideyoshi. "Soon it shall expand from a town into a city, and from then on it can continue to grow and develop at an impressive rate."
A lake. Tokugawa was reminded of Lake Biwa, just outside Kyoto, and then he realized why his other cities were not growing. They needed aqueducts to bring them supplies of fresh water, and so far only Kyoto had such a benefit. He ordered them to be constructed as soon as possible, but it would be many years before that would be complete.
Like Tokugawa, Xerxes also felt that Hammurabi had just put a perfectly good wonder to waste by building it in a poor location. "I shall have to teach that Babylonian fool a lesson," he declared. "Besides, if even Japan, the weakest nation in this world, could have forced Babylon into submission, who is to say we, glorious Persia, cannot do better?"
The ministers in Xerxes's court pointed out that this kind of demeaning talk would likely get Persia into deep trouble in the future, but Xerxes was in a contentious mood at the moment, and did not hesitate to make clear his intentions.
Interesting, thought Tokugawa. But we have already taken control of the best target in Babylon, the city of Lagash. I wonder what is left for the Persians.
He watched as the war unfolded before him. Galleys, some with the orange sails of the Babylonian navy, others with the purple sails of Persia, darted back and forth in the coastal channel near Lagash. But no cities changed hands, and it seemed as though the two powers had fought each other to a standstill.
In the meantime, the aqueducts were finally finished in most cities in Japan, and it was on a fateful day in 850 AD that Tokugawa Ieyasu finally wore the crown that was given to him by Hammurabi. Japan would be a despotism no more.
The problems of corruption continued to bother Tokugawa even after the revolution, but they seemed to be somewhat less than what they had been before. Reluctantly, he vowed he would resolve these problems in the future, and hopefully fairly soon as well.
... to be continued
conquer_dude
Imperial Slave
Good udate. You really need to gain some land off that island. 
Mirc
Not mIRC!!!
Very good update!
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