[820AD]
War is raging all around, but my troops have reached Osaka with their eyes on the prize (the Great Library). I set out from China (via ROP) with 21 swords, 24 horses and 26 cats. Once again alliances are proving crucial. With Germany and France hitting Japan hard, he was unable to concentrate on my stack. I lost 3 swords on the way. A good example of not needing defenders to escort stacks; swords do just fine (and of course so do allies). Of course, in a perfect world my stack would be covered by a sword army by now, but such is my leader luck...
Osaka and the GL -- and tech parity -- are mine on the next turn. After holding the requisite one turn my stack heads home to upgrade to knights, leaving Osaka to be recaptured before I got education, meaning I can take it again later for another tech boost.
[1060AD]
It's two hundred years later. After upgrading to knights, I swept thru and destroyed insignificant China in the blink of an eye. My "defenseless" military: 15 swords, 27 cats, 33 knights -- and 26 more horses waiting to upgrade.
Germany has been fighting hard against Japan this whole time, so I've declared on them, they'll be easy pickins'. The plan is simply to hold at the natural barrier of mountains north of Chengdu while my SOD -- now covered by that long-overdue sword army -- sweeps up thru Beijing. Ultimately I will put fortified knights on those northern mountains.
I've put up markets in my core, ducts for added unit support, courts where needed, harbors for pop growth. I've peeled settlers or workers when growth stalls in a city. Economy is +175gpt at no research, even with paying off Joan to stay allied. I ended up allying Toku as well just in case he had thoughts of declaring on me.
[1150AD]
Germany's put up a good fight but since I'm not wasting any time building pikes, I've gained to 53 knights while systematically destroying them, soon to be moving on their core. I've also got 2 armies which can provide all the defense a stack needs. I'm strong compared to Germany already and they are a Republic (not for long with WW). New cities are getting a library (rushed) then a courthouse since corruption is so bad.
[1280AD]
Now at 77 knights and 37 cats, 11 swords (mostly in armies) and 2 elite horses (leader fishing). About to march on Berlin...
[1415AD]
The war with Germany is over, Bismark is exiled to an island OCC. I'm at 120 knights, 63 cats, 3 sword armies -- and of course zero pikes or muskets. In a little over 300 years of war that destroyed Germany, I more than doubled my military at the same time yet again. I have 6560 gold and am making 429gpt.
With no more war, France & Japan are going to run away even more tech-wise and get rifles and cav soon. I have a choice: go for Japan and get the GL again, or go after the stronger Joan. I decide on Joan, and my units begin the long trek down from the German peninsula. I really begin to bolster my southern border w/ France. This will be the biggest test since I will finally be putting my outdated no-defense army against the tech leader...