Europa Universalis IV - After Action Report: Tibet

[Yaktan]

Re-Elect Wangdak! He is clearly the best cadidate, leading the armies personally and such. The other cadidates lack his firm and upstanding character. Clearly they are out for their own self interests.

[Flickerdart]

I'm curious - the incredible power of the Hordes going unchecked for so long must mean that Russia is floundering. What are they doing, exactly? Have you revealed them on the map yet?

[IthilanorStPete]

Yay double update! Definitely voting to re-elect Wangdak; time to use all that Republican Tradition to get a half-decent ruler. Expanding into Orissa is a good plan, since Humanism + Tibet's national ideas mean that conquered population won't be much trouble.
EDIT: Looks like the Ayutthaya/Dai Viet PU broke up; anything major happen there?

[SilverLeaf167]

Part 23: All publicity is good publicity
23rd of May, 1620

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Prince-Emperor Karma Wangdak is re-elected for his second term. Out of the other candidates, Palden Tashi is the only one to garner any substantial support; the voters' favor has clearly shifted in the Ocean Electorate's favor lately.



Wangdak heads right back to the front. After two more months he personally supervises his troops' march into the city. Kachar's sole province Naga is immediately annexed into the Empire.



Like its surrounding area, it has a relatively small population, dense jungle and lots of luxurious spices, but unlike them its populace consists mostly of the rather small and unknown Chin people. Nobody in the Empire really knows much about them, as their whole population used to live quietly under Shan's rule, but it is soon found out that their language and customs rather closely resemble Tibet's. Coexistence should be rather easy.

To the surprise and disappointment of many – more childish than actually empathetic – Vijayanagar finally manages to subjugate the island of Ceylon to their rule. The nobles were looking forward to laughing at their failure yet again. While mostly irrelevant, this does strengthen Vijayanagar's trade rather significantly.



Most of Tibet is inland, including its most important trade cities. Though they lie on the banks of the Ganges, transporting people and goods is still harder than on the coast. To fix this, a number of engineers have drawn up plans to expand the Ganges with a number of manmade canals to make trade flow much more smoothly – literally. Wangdak, truthfully quite intrigued, promises to think about it later, and indeed does, but he has different things on his mind right now.



In December 1621 he finally declares war on Orissa. They have been severely weakened since their golden days, and the closest thing they have to an ally is a coalition against Tibet, of which they are the sole member.



Orissa's army manages to flee into Tibetan territory. Wangdak opts to just ignore them and focus on occupying the country, planning to vassalize it for gradual assimilation. Allowing them to keep their army might actually be advantageous. The Fleet focuses on blockading the coast.



While the army is busy getting yet another new addition to the Empire, the Ministry of Enlightenment is seemingly busy thinking of ways to handle said addition. As an expansion of their laws regarding local traditions, they're proposing a new system: instead of dethroning conquered nobles and only allowing them to keep nominal power at most, Tibet could instead let them maintain their titles – as long as they serve the Empire loyally, that is. Allowing the common people to keep their old rulers, even as figureheads, would surely make them more accepting of their foreign overlords. Many of them probably won't even realize they have foreign overlords.



A massive construction project has been in progress in Lhasa for a good while now. Records had been found proving that a majestic palace, much larger than Tibet's current one, had stood on the very same spot for some years until being toppled by Mongol invaders centuries ago. As a tribute to their forefathers, the local nobles decided to rebuild the palace and make it even more magnificent than it used to be. Now that work is finally finished, and Potala Palace – surely the greatest manmade structure this side of the Great Wall – awaits its warring ruler to return home!



Said warring ruler finally wins the war in April 1623, forcing Orissa to become Tibet's vassal. Their coastal provinces are relatively populous and produce lots of textiles, while the area further inland is almost deserted but for some large mines. Based on past experience, they'll probably be ready for integration in about ten years.



Wangdak really likes the new place, though he has some trouble finding his own quarters in the massive complex. Not only that, his position has become much more like that of an Emperor instead of a republican Prince; where he used to have a large office and a meeting room, he now sits in a proper throne room like any man of his stature rightfully should, while what little remained of his menial paperwork is handled by clerks.

Meanwhile, many of the Golden Lion Fleet's sailors, annoyed by their passive role in the war, have organized an open mutiny on one of the caravels. Though they managed to take over the entire ship, they were swiftly arrested by the others. This was a confusing blow on the navy's work ethics, though, and some of the sailors are suspected to be planning mutinies of their own.



Back home, probably unrelated to this little incident, there is wild debate between opposing schools of mercantile theory. Some of them, mostly members of the various Guilds, are pushing their mercantilist agenda and trying to convince the government to give domestic business more privileges, while the Traders are convinced that this would be very damaging to the whole economy. Wangdak, quite familiar with the issue at hand, decides to side with his old party members against the reforms.



This is seen by many as the final straw towards the Ocean Electorate gaining dominance in the government. While rather 'forgetful' with internal affairs, they're very effective at handling foreign trade and quite enthusiastic about their shiny ships.



The military engineers have new ideas too, though much less controversial. They've been analyzing the weak spots of various forts both in Tibet and further abroad and discovered that most of them have very limited options towards dealing with attackers who actually manage to reach the walls. Making the walls more irregularly shaped and adding new protrusions would allow soldiers on the battlements to always have a clear line of fire. These improvements are gradually applied to Tibet's most important defensive positions, particularly Lhasa (just to be safe), the trade centers and the Himalayan Hellhole, as many affectionately refer to it.



Some drunkards in Assam have decided to steal and toss some crates of tea into the river. While Wangdak recognizes it for the meaningless debauchery it is, some of the locals actually seem to imagine there's some sort of rebellion going on. They are dismissed with a scoff.



Relations with Ming have been very good for a while, and some of the nobles were even looking forward to an alliance. It comes as quite a shock when they announce Tibet as their sworn rival. Given Tibet's track record, she could probably hold its own against this shut-in Empire of the East, but it's still quite worrying. Extensive fortification projects begin on the barely protected eastern front. Some people are actually sort of flattered by the fact that Ming considered Tibet worthy of this "honor". It wasn't too long ago that they just ignored the republic entirely.



Vijayanagar also "honors" Tibet by forming a military coalition against them. However, like Orissa before them, they are the only member of said coalition.

A large portion of the upper classes are actually worried about their steady supply of delicious, lovely tea. It is for this reason that they finally start expanding their overseas trade efforts and looking for new suppliers. Tea is the blood in the veins of the crown, after all.



The Ministry of Enlightenment, definitely walking on thin ice here, takes the final and perhaps most drastic step in their chain of reforms regarding local autonomy: not only are the conquered nobles allowed to keep their power (to an extent), they're actually invited to vote and otherwise participate in Tibet's political matters! The native Tibetan nobles are outraged by this infringement of their most important rights, but the Ministry stands its ground and Wangdak is hesitant to openly resist them; besides, he actually thinks the idea is pretty good.



The very numerous Kanauji inhabitants of the Delhian region are definitely overjoyed, as well.



These men of Tibetan birth and foreign tongue get their first chance to vote after just a few months, but many of them are too confused to show up and the ones who do seem rather baffled by everything.



Prince-Emperor Karma Wangdak decides to break the prevalent format by running for a third term. Under his rule, the republican system has seen almost unprecedented lack of corruption and loyalty, exemplified by the controversial but ultimately progressive inclusion of non-Tibetan nobles. As for his plans, the arrival of the Chin has raised much discussion among the populace; he promises to go to war against Shan and liberate the rest of Tibet's cultural cousins from their oppressive rule!

Tsangyang Thekchen of the Heaven Electorate isn't quite as happy with the amount of power the Ministries seem to have grabbed for themselves. They already have plenty of authority; it's about time to reduce their funding and finally return to the neglected matter of concrete technological and infrastructural development! Most of the other candidates actually agree with him, but he is assuredly the best one to organize it.

Phola Thekchen of the Ocean Electorate seems affably reluctant to run against Wangdak, his speech mostly serving to bring up a topic he neglected to mention and to remind everyone of the importance of trade to the economy. The rare plants of the Assamese region have proven very lucrative, so Tibet should aim to produce as much of them as possible and distribute them more widely. In addition, the full annexation of Orissa should be possible in just a few more years; a skilled diplomat is needed to handle it properly. In the end, he openly tells people to just re-elect Wangdak.

Sangye Sregs of the Earth Electorate is keen on conquest, but likes to think big. As Malwa has close ties with the heinous hordes, attacking them would be rather risky, but Vijayanagar has been robbed of all their allies and their army is clearly inferior to Tibet's. After properly integrating Orissa, why not go after them?

Vote for the next Prince-Emperor here! [CLOSED; click to view results]

Author's notes

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Is it sort of weird that I'm actually starting to feel a little patriotic towards this fictional Tibet of mine? Yeah? Oh, okay.

The Potala Palace is really cool, though, and rather strong in-game too.



Just imagine that as the backdrop of my manchild politicians' antics.

Reader questions

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I'm curious - the incredible power of the Hordes going unchecked for so long must mean that Russia is floundering. What are they doing, exactly? Have you revealed them on the map yet?

What do ya mean floundering?
I was sort of waiting for a suitable opportunity to introduce them, but this will just have to do. Uzbek got involved in their war with Georgia and is obviously regretting it. They've had a couple wars with the allied hordes though.
Oh, and if they look oddly large in that pic, it's probably because of the mod that removes all wastelands, which makes even northern Siberia colonizable.

Looks like the Ayutthaya/Dai Viet PU broke up; anything major happen there?

Well, I actually didn't realize at all before you mentioned it. I don't think there was an independence war or anything, so I guess it was a peaceful breakup. Can't say for sure, though.

[Flickerdart]

I notice that our Prestige is terrible. Nothing like the brutal subjugation of a once-powerful empire to get that back up again.

[IthilanorStPete]

I notice that our Prestige is terrible. Nothing like the brutal subjugation of a once-powerful empire to get that back up again.

I like this plan, but the great Emperor-Prince Wangdak should be the man in charge! Give him the chance to become a truly legendary ruler!

[SilverLeaf167]

Why did nobody tell me I actually forgot to post the image of Russia I mentioned in the reply?

Added it now.

[Artanis]

I say that India is not the prize. India is but a means to an end, and that end is taking the real prize: Ming. You say Tibet could "hold its own" against Ming, so what would be be like if all the manpower, resources, and wealth of half the subcontinent were added to that equation?

I vote Sregs.

[Eldan]

Personally, I vote Tekchen. I'm all for conquering, Shan, India and eventually Ming. But I also notice our Stability is low and our technology isn't doing so well. So, a term of reorganization before going back to war isn't a bad idea.

Plus, you know. We just got 20 aggressive expansion. If India and China unite against us, we'll suffer.

[SilverLeaf167]

Part 24: Realpolitikal feint
23rd of May, 1628

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For the first time since the legendary Grand Prince Sonam, Karma Wangdak is elected for his third term in office. People have been happy enough under his rule and clearly want to let him keep it for now.



He promised to liberate the Chin people from Shan, and that was enough justification for the Tibetans (as if they ever asked for any), but internationally such a claim won't do much. While better excuses and documents are fabricated, there are almost two years of utter peace and prosperity. The new ”multicultural authority” system works very well, understandably garnering lots of favor both with the nobles and their subjects.



It also allows Tibet to have multicultural diplomats, displaying the Empire's progressiveness and reach for all to see as well as simply making interaction easier.



The nation's engineers, delighted with the success of their large canal project, have designed new larger, protruding piers to make it easier for ships to dock and undock quickly. They've also got some plans for new mercantile infrastructure to better gather and direct valuable trade.



War is finally declared in January 1631. As planned, the war itself is technically against Oirat in order to avoid Tibet's allies joining against her. However, the demanded province in Oirat is really just secondary; Shan is the real target. Korea answers the enemy's call to war, but is quite far away and probably not a huge threat. Meanwhile, Dai Viet agrees to help Tibet, interestingly pitting them against their ally Shan.



Tibet's army is so much bigger and better than Shan's, it's not even funny. The enemy is easily crushed and Tibetan men are left to occupy the most important areas while Oirat and Dai Viet take care of the rest. The main part of the army moves north to guard the border against Oirati troops. While not too numerous, they could cause trouble to Tibet's rather small dispatchment in the area.



Korean and Oirati troops appear faster and in somewhat larger numbers than expected. The Koreans cross the border into Amdo, while the Oirati back up, taking some other path through Ming.



Wangdak decides to take his chances against the isolated Koreans. They have a very good leader, but poor defensive positions and inferior numbers. Both sides take about equal losses, but the Koreans end up routing.



The siege dispatchments in Shan are attacked by the remnants of their army, but defeated with Orissan aid.



Leading an army tends to be rather hectic, though, and there's bound to be lots of... confusion. While usually almost expected of soldiers, fornication is considered shameful for any proper ruler to engage in. However, people are convinced that Wangdak – much to the dismay of his Empress – solicited a camp follower for her services after the battle against the Koreans. While Wangdak insists on his innocence, not many people seem to be buying it. However, as much as it disgusts him, rather than take the blame and plead guilty, he bribes one of his officers to vouch for him and say they did it. A great ruler's reputation is more important.



Korean and Oirati forces invade northern Dai Viet, their capital region. However, they are too numerous and distant for Wangdak to risk doing anything about it.



In March 1633, a little over two years into the war, Shan signs a peace and cedes its two Chin provinces to Tibet, as well as the coastal Burmese province of Arakan. The Burmese are just as close relatives of the Tibetans, after all, and the province also has strategic value. Other than that, these new areas are relatively poor, mostly producing rice and textiles.





The Oirati soon accept a white peace, retreating from Dai Viet. The most notable benefit of the war was probably the expansion of Tibet's coastline on the eastern peninsula. The Empire now has a border with Pegu, a very easy target which she immediately starts preparing to attack.

Many people find Tibet's endless aggression is in sharp contrast with its allegedly humanist and tolerant ideals. However, a famous Ministry-sponsored philosopher soon finds an explanation: short-term violence is acceptable for the greater good, which Tibet – the only nation in the area to have embraced democratic or humanist values – is obviously bringing to the conquered people. The enemies are oppressors, even towards their own people, and Tibet is the only one in the region – perhaps in the entire world – able to bring them true happiness.
This pleasant concept is quickly accepted by most nobles, and the message of ”forced freedom” soon starts spreading even beyond Tibet's borders. While many surely find it ridiculous, it's still having an effect on them, and the Empire truly starts building a reputation as a legendary beacon of justice.



The inclusion of more and more nobles in the voting system, as well as Wangdak favoring them in the Inner Council, has led to the Earth Electorate gaining quite a bit of support lately. They've even managed to surpass the Ocean as the dominant party. While not very interested in or skilled at trade, they have plenty of experience and influence within the military.



The Ministry of Enlightenment finally considers its campaign of religious tolerance finished, having removed all but the most formal bits of religious favoritism from the system. Of course, people of different beliefs still have disagreements, but at least they aren't actually endorsed by the government. After all, at the heart of Buddhism is its philosophy, something people of any faith can accept.



With these final reforms, the Ministry has pretty much achieved its main objective of cultural and religious equality. From now on, their primary role will be to maintain it and motivate further innovation.



This tolerance has also lead to an ancient, practically underground branch of Buddhism to once again gain prominence. The School of the Ancient Translations still wishes to stay detached from politics and just practice their faith in peace, but their very existence as a benevolent secret society of sorts seems to have an effect on the people.



After the conquered provinces have integrated without any issues and the Empire has been at peace for years, Prince-Emperor Wangdak's third term comes to an end.



Prince-Emperor Karma Wangdak is grateful for being entrusted with the throne for so long, but is willingly giving it up. He is an old man already and wants to spend his last years in peace, enjoying the fruits of his work. Besides, nobody should rule longer than the Grand Prince. As his final gift to the Empire, Wangdak reveals that he's managed to acquire a sacred white elephant, the likes of which haven't been seen in Tibet since the one acquired in the Liberation of Delhi died some 70 years ago. It shall be kept in a park outside the Council District, open for all to admire.



Rabtan Tsewang of the Heaven Electorate is happy with the Ministry of Enlightenment's work, but unhappy with the amount of resources allocated for it. Though it was founded first and is clearly much more important, the Ministry of Finance has been ignored for years and basically only allowed to run menial tasks instead of focusing on innovation like it's supposed to. Funding them should be the first priority.

Töndup Sregs of the Ocean Electorate is grateful to Wangdak for the long-awaited improvements in trade establishments, but wants to take them further. The Fleet is due for some more ships and the engineers' great ideas should be put to use. Being able to better organize the export of goods in the Assamese region would greatly increase the profits they bring in.

Kelzang Sregs of the Earth Electorate has his eyes turned west. Unlike some people feared, Tibet's many conquests haven't actually angered her neighbors too much, mostly because said neighbors disliked the targets as well. Orissa is pretty much ready for integration, and when that's done, Tibet will have a border with Vijayanagar; a short one, but a good foothold for further conquest. We are going to conquer them, right?

Vote for the next Prince-Emperor here! [CLOSED; click to view results]

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Yes, that looks like a lot of aggressive expansion, but the only one affected is Taungu, and who cares about them?

I'll be leaving tomorrow and out of town for a few days. Expect an update on Thursday at the latest, but possibly earlier.

[SilverLeaf167]

Part 25: The ignored peninsula
23rd of May, 1636

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Rabtan Tsewang of the Heaven Electorate reaches a narrow triumph over the Earth's Kelzang Sregs.



His campaign agenda was mostly focused on internal politics, but people have pretty much learnt to expect at least a little conquest. A larger celebration is held than usual, mostly in honor of the respected Wangdak.

With Tsewang's coronation, the balance of power in the government shifts yet again, back to the Guilds who mostly share the Heaven Electorate's interest in infrastructural development.



Tsewang almost immediately begins the proper annexation of Orissa and unexpectedly invades Pegu. Their only ally is the pathetic Lan Na (who don't even bother joining), and Ayutthaya and Dai Viet are actually willing to join Tibet's side. Tsewang doesn't even bother to dispatch the entire army, avoiding unnecessary problems with attrition.



After about a year of one-sided battles and leisurely sieging, Pegu is vassalized. Their realm is relatively small, but this approach avoids many of the diplomatic issues of an unjustified annexation. Their area is split in two by Ayutthaya, though. That will have to be dealt with... one day.

Orissa's integration is finished around the same time. Their coastal area is relatively populous and has a strong textile industry, while the inland area is pretty much deserted but for some copper mines. The people are Hindu and speak foreign tongues, but the Empire knows how to handle that sort of thing by now.



Surprisingly, before the Tibetan troops even have time to leave Pegu, Lan Na suddenly declares war against the Empire's new vassal. There must have been some misunderstanding, but either way, the fight is on. Tibet steps in to protect them.



Tibet's nearest army immediately marches into Lan Na's capital region, swats aside their army and besieges the city of Chiang Mai.

While they're at it, the Ministry of Defense presents its plans for new military tactics. Though muskets have obviously revolutionized warfare, one of their most notable disadvantages is the requirement for a straight line of fire, which leads to the backlines of the army just standing there doing nothing. By dividing the troops into smaller groups and thinner lines than before, this can be alleviated and every gun can make itself useful at the same time.



The revitalized Ministry of Finance doesn't exactly dazzle with its first reform, though; perhaps they're just a little rusty. The Empire's equalitarian efforts have led to many, many more nobles frequenting the capital. By organizing more forward interaction and recruitment among them, it would be possible to find more suitable candidates for the various councils instead of having to trust them to apply on their own.



The almost utopian situation created by Wangdak predictably doesn't last too long. With the loss of such a strong, unifying leader, and the start of another war, petty squabbles are once again surfacing between various factions and individuals. The internal peace is starting to crack, but holds together well enough, for now at least.



Tsewang doesn't want to waste any lives, so the siege of Chiang Mai takes another full year. When it's over, though, the idiotic state is just annexed into the Empire, pretense or no. They have a very small population, mostly producing wool, but at least they're out of the way now. People notice Tsewang eyeing the equally weak Taungu almost hungrily, though.



The Ministry of Finance has clearly taken the criticism of its last idea to heart, proposing a much more promising one: providing various privileges to private suppliers in exchange for services and discounts to the state. This would affect the booming military industry in particular, as the Empire is obviously (or at least hopefully) their main customer and they would benefit greatly from the Bank's favor. The army would conversely save lots of money on its endless purchases.



In June 1641 Tsewang finally declares war on Taungu, citing some made up excuse nobody even bothers remembering anymore. Taungu actually had a coalition with Shan, calling them into the war, but Tsewang had expected that. They are also allied to Ayutthaya, who have to choose between two allies but ultimately settle on Taungu for whatever reason. They are the most powerful of the enemies, but still not a true threat. Tibet is joined by its vassal and Dai Viet.



Tsewang immediately marches into Taungu's capital area Toungoo – spelled differently for absolutely no reason – and easily stomps their tiny army. He considers spreading out to besiege the surrounding area as well, but decides not to, hesitant to lose any troops to surprise attacks.



A band of traveling actors decide to take their chances and arrive to perform for the besieging army's leadership. The play is a satirical piece, mocking pretty much every aspect of the Empire and its aristocracy. Their choice of audience might not have been the best, though; many of the officers are outraged, demanding a ban on the play and the arrest of the actors. However, Tsewang actually rather liked it, and decides to invoke the Ministry of Enlightenment's policies strictly forbidding such actions. He might've been less tolerant, had he recognized the main character of the play.



Reports soon arrive that an enemy army is marching towards Pegu's troops. Tsewang decides to leave a small dispatchment to continue the siege while he leads the rest of the troops in battle, managing to intercept the brunt of the army. The forested terrain makes battles long and sluggish, but the enemy is eventually forced to retreat.



Pegu is able to defend itself against the small number of enemies that managed to reach it. A series of pathetic skirmishes follows as Tsewang focuses his attention on the enemies' capitals. Perhaps the only really noteworthy thing is Tibet's largest naval battle so far: Tibet's and her allies' 42 ships against Ayutthaya's 11, at the mouth of their capital's harbor. As the numbers might imply, it is a rather easy battle and Tibet's side loses no vessels, but a record's a record.



On the home front, daily business proceeds as usual. The Ministry of Finance is clearly on a roll, presenting another reform: one that will hopefully solve the eternal debate against and for mercantilism. By making free trade a benchmark principle of the national economy, and putting a stop to (or at least greatly reducing) the state's unnecessary confiscation of private property and merchandise, the people will have an easier time doing their jobs and the economy as a whole will work much more smoothly.



In addition, they have a new system in place to regularly remint coins, if only to maintain their quality and the people's faith in their value. Being able to use this established procedure instead of having to organize something else will make things much easier, should inflation once again manage to become a problem.



The great rise of progressive thinking in the entire Empire has led to the reestablishment of the historical Sakya Monastic School, with the crown's and Ministry of Enlightenment's full support. Hopefully this means the beneficial trend continues and Tibet will forever stay one step ahead of its neighbors. The image of a ”center of civilization” spread by propaganda might no be entirely unfounded.





Said neighbors aren't doing too well, by the way. In fact, Tsewang is just going through the final steps to coerce them into the exact sort of peace he wants.



Nonetheless, it's time for an election.



Prince-Emperor Rabtan Tsewang, currently leading troops in Shan, takes a detour to attend. Though he sorta-not-really apologizes for not mentioning his conquest plans, he draws attention to the way he has skillfully juggled the war while also fulfilling his promises regarding the Ministry. Were he reelected, he would continue updating the infrastructure and economy to today's standards, while simultaneously expanding Tibet outwards.

Rabtan Sonam of the Heaven Electorate clearly holds a grudge for Tsewang's surprisingly sudden series of shocking Southern subjugations, as he sarcastically states. Tibet's manpower reserves had recovered to an unprecedented level and the camps were full of eager youths, but now, in just a couple years, jungle warfare has claimed tens of thousands of them. The hard-working nation deserves a period of peace for once; actual peace. Not even ”just a little” conquest. No wars.

Dön-yö Sregs of the Ocean Electorate has much more moderate plans than the others. He simply wishes to keep improving the nation's infrastructure, maybe conquer some coastline from Vijayanagar, the usual. However, he has also come to a certain realization nobody else seems to have voiced before: Tibet's trade and economy are still handled and organized from Lhasa, even though most of the action is really along the Ganges. This sounds like a small issue, but might actually revolutionize Tibet's commerce: moving some of the financial operations to Maratha, for instance, might have a surprisingly large effect.

Sengge Gampo of the Earth Electorate has a daring plan. Though focusing on small fry is a good path to steady progress, there is no true glory in it. Tibet is a great Empire, and should try to fight in its own weight class for once. Why not invade the Timurids? They are embroiled in a large war against multiple Western opponents and their army has taken great losses. Tibet has proven more than capable of beating them back and has a long history of grudges to pay; now is a good time to start!

Vote for the next Prince-Emperor here! [CLOSED; not technically locked due to my mess-up]

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I have a suspicious feeling that EasyPolls has an arbitrary maximum of 10 votes counted, so I'm trying out another site just to be sure. Or maybe I just have exactly ten readers, never a single more...

In just a couple more Indo-Chinese wars, we'll have expanded into Indonesia!

Oh, and apparently we've really climbed in score! Didn't even realize until now... It's mostly from Administration, though we're also 14th in Military right now.

[Rockphed]

We need to break one or another of the blobs around us.

[IthilanorStPete]

We need to break one or another of the blobs around us.

Yeah, I think that's pretty necessary at this point. How are Malwa and Vijayanagar doing?

[Artanis]

I have a suspicious feeling that EasyPolls has an arbitrary maximum of 10 votes counted, so I'm trying out another site just to be sure. Or maybe I just have exactly ten readers, never a single more...

Since I only voted in the last couple elections and I doubt that somebody stopped at the exact same time, I suspect that there's a vote maximum.

[Rockphed]

Since I only voted in the last couple elections and I doubt that somebody stopped at the exact same time, I suspect that there's a vote maximum.

And I just checked the results, currently sitting at 11 votes.

[SilverLeaf167]

Part 26: Some fries with that
24rd of May, 1644

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Though Sengge Gampo's interesting war plan gains some support, the incumbent Rabtan Tsewang ends up being reelected, as most people expect by now.



He returns to the front almost immediately. Many nobles lament the decline of proper rhetoric in the Council. Still, Tsewang has a certain air about him, something that manages to assure people that the long and arduous war shall soon end, if only they stay faithful to the end.



Indeed, after just two months Tsewang signs two separate peaces. One forces Shan into vassalage under Tibet.



The second one concerns the concession of various provinces from the other participants.



Pegu's divided lands are reconnected, Dai Viet is given a lucrative province they'd occupied and Tibet obviously takes Toungoo. It is a very large city, more populous than Delhi in fact, supported by the huge rice fields in the area. Its people are Burmese and Buddhist, giving them plenty of common ground with the Tibetans and making integration easy. Mathura in south-eastern Delhi still maintains the title of the biggest city in Tibet, though.



Tibet's brave but tired men are sent to their base in Howrab to recover. Like it or not, the army's reserves are once again practically depleted and any big wars are probably out of the question. It seems Tibet's doctrine hasn't developed to handle the logistics of such huge numbers, repeating its opponents' mistakes and losing more men to the environment than to the enemy itself.

Any doubters among the people receive further proof of the Empire's positive influence on the region, though. Ever since it was brought under Tibetan control, the almost deserted former heartland of Kachar has undergone extensive population growth through land clearing and resettlement. Its rice farms have been extended greatly and now cover much of the countryside.



Two years into his term, Tsewang takes a slight stumble. Unfortunately, he takes said stumble at the top of the main stairway of Potala Palace. A few hundred stairs later there isn't much left but the broken husk of a formerly great man.

As law and tradition dictate, the runner-up party of the last election gets to choose the new ruler. They crown Sengge Gampo, the runner-up candidate in question. They first go through the trouble to ensure he's aware of Tibet's current manpower situation, though, and will reconsider his plans of war against the Timurids.



This tragic accident prompts the nobles to make some renovations to the Council District. While the great Palace is in every other way magnificent, it isn't always very practical, as highlighted by Tsewang's death. It's quite inconvenient for all visitors to climb up and down the stairs, which can get rather crowded at times and thus even more dangerous. The Council decides to move some of the government's most frequented offices closer to the gates of the District in order to make daily bureaucracy much easier – and hopefully less deadly.



The steadily increasing traffic into the capital has attracted many peasants as well as nobles and merchants. Not only have they heard stories of the greatness of the Pearl of the Empire, the Dewdrop of the Mountains, the Golden Nest of the Lion or whatever else they call it, many of them simply imagine life there would be easier and more comfortable than in the countryside. It's decided to allow these migrations, at least for now; the capital's population is inappropriately small for such an important city, after all. Some nobles are worried about commoners gaining more liberties, of course.



In 1648, Pegu is integrated into the Empire. A wholly coastal nation, their lands are moderately populous and produce mostly rice, fish and spices, or a full meal as one might say. Around the same time Gampo also attacks the tiny country of Sukthothai, released in a recent war between Ayutthaya and Aceh. His motives range from opportunism to sheer bloodlust, nevermind what he once said about ”small fry”. Their nominal defenses are easily broken and they're annexed directly. They're a very small agrarian community with little to no actual value to the Empire, but the equal liberation of all is a matter of principle.



The economical development of Tibet is once again on the rise; an area in which the Empire has fallen behind many of its neighbors. The Ministry of Finance launches a joint project between all three parties to streamline the collection of taxes and other revenues as well as close some risky backdoors in the administration...



...but the Ocean Electorate's participation is somewhat half-hearted, as they're currently busy with their own improvements to the infrastructure of the vital trade routes across land and sea alike.



Military technology is where Tibet truly shines, though. Even now, new regulations and ways to follow said regulations are being developed in order to standardize the design and caliber of all firearms used by the military. It is a big project, as the army has literally tens of thousands of guns to maintain and replace, but should obviously make them work much more smoothly as well as pioneer further invention of better weaponry.



Though the stability and integrity of the government has degraded greatly in the past ten or so years, the powerful Guilds have luckily managed to cooperate for once. Instead of focusing on petty arguments and maintaining their individual monopolies, they're coordinating their efforts to mutually aid each other's business. The merchant class is showing a level of manners even nobles seem to lack these days.



The integration of Shan is just about to get started when August 1654 arrives. Eight years have passed since Tsewang's death and Gampo's coronation, meaning its time to see if the semi-democratically chosen ruler deserves a second term.



Prince-Emperor Sengge Gampo is happy to proclaim that the reserves have recovered enough for some more con- uh, liberation. He dances around the issue of the Timurids regaining their strength and war thus becoming riskier, instead focusing on the juicier targets slightly to the south of them. Malwa would be a very easy target for the reunification of Tibet's Kanauji and Avadhi minorities, but it'd also be possible to slowly push towards Vijayanagar's extremely valuable trade centers further along the coast. In fact, if all goes well, why not do both?

Ngapoi Srong of the Heaven Electorate is sighing deeply. Whenever economical development is back on track, he says, more land is ”liberated” and the government is once again distracted, its priorities skewed. Tibet's agenda of expansion is great and righteous, of course, but it should not dominate every aspect of its policies. Just focus on catching up, making more money, maybe even founding some more ministries.

Töndup Sonam of the Ocean Electorate has almost the exact same speech as Srong, only replacing a few words here and there to favor the Traders more. Both candidates soon stomp out to argue with each other and – word is - the poor overworked assistant they both happened to hire.

Guyrme Sonam of the Earth Electorate demands that Gampo hold onto his promises. Though the Timurids have finished their previous war, Tibet still actually has a larger army for now, and her troops are undeniably superior in every way. A full assault must be begun before they have time to rebuild their forces any further! Imagine how poignant it would be for Tibet to be the one who turns the ancient tables and breaks the long peace!

Vote for the next Prince-Emperor here! [CLOSED; not locked, new site is confusing...]

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Agricultural Revolution is perhaps my favorite event, for whatever reason. There's just something extremely, nerdily satisfying about base tax. I wish the game gave you some concrete statistics about population...

Yes, we got huge aggressive expansion again, but Ayutthaya seems to be the only one to care. I think...

Oh, and England is apparently trying to conquer some land from Malwa. I smell an opportunity for westernization.

Random question: Does anyone have any idea if there's some actual difference between, for example, Kachar or Cachar, Sukhothai or Sukthothai and Taungu or Toungoo? Is Paradox just fooling around for no reason?

Reader questions

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Yeah, I think that's pretty necessary at this point. How are Malwa and Vijayanagar doing?

None of their borders have really changed for a while. Neither have any allies (the upside of blobs), but Malwa is at war with England, as mentioned, and has a long conquerable border with us. Vijayanagar has a larger army and less border provinces but greater potential reward in the future, as Gampo mentioned. Forcing either of them to free some countries would be pretty nice.

Oh, and the reason I usually answer with this sorta box instead of replying directly is that I have bad habit of cluttering my threads with too many of my own posts. I'm trying to avoid that for once...

[Terraoblivion]

Taungoo and Cachar both look like older spellings. They have the look of old, crappy attempts at romanization lik Wade-Giles and similar.

[OrcusMcP]

Srong has the right of it! We must not let temptation lead us away from neglecting the home front! We have seen how well the guilds can enhance the wealth of the country, let us let them continue to do so!

With invaders form beyond the seas sniffing at the shores of India, this is no time to present ourselves as a target, fit and ripe for plunder.

OOC: Also, we should westernize as soon as we are able. Hilarious destabilization FTW!

[Flickerdart]

Timurids? Sounds like someone's too chicken to go after the real prize and attack Ming.

[Terraoblivion]

Actually, I'm pretty sure there are more good provinces in Timurid lands than Ming lands.

[Artanis]

Let's take a few provinces off Malwa and Westernize!

[IthilanorStPete]

Let's take a few provinces off Malwa and Westernize!

This sounds like a solid plan.

[SilverLeaf167]

Well, as much as I was looking forward to it, I'm suddenly very skeptical about my own plan. I've only westernized once before, so I did a little research, and the common consensus seems to be that it tends to simply ruin your game, especially for large empires. The process will take a couple decades, and apparently we can lose all our progress if England decides to suddenly make the province a trade company...

Of course, the series is ultimately for the readers, so I'll do it if you want me to, but I'm sort of worried...

[Artanis]

I guess the first thing to ask is how far behind the Europeans we are. If we're somehow close enough to hold our own, then we don't need to. But if we're choosing between westernizing and inevitable destruction by Europeans, we should get westernized ASAP.

[SilverLeaf167]

Well, far enough to westernize, so at least something like 10 techs. However, we're only 3 military techs behind Russia, the likeliest threat, so I think we're pretty okay in that sense; the other techs are relatively irrelevant to warfare. The very worst case scenario is the Ottoman Mega-Empire deciding to expand east through the Timurids and eventually reaching us, but that's pretty unlikely since they're historical allies and focused in different directions. Westernization would be a matter of "convenience" rather than necessity, but I'm not sure if removing that tech penalty is really worth the hassle or actually "convenient" in the end.

Besides, I just realized, wouldn't we actually lose the ability to vassalize Asian countries? That would be a big problem.

Side note: I just realized it's been forever since the Timurids actually attacked anything. They're wedged between us, the Ottomans and Russia. Their only choices are Qara Qoyunlu (allied with Ottomans) and Malwa (not sure why they haven't conquered them yet).

[SilverLeaf167]

Part 27: The calm between storms
1st of August, 1654

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Ngapoi Srong of the Heaven Electorate is tied with the incumbent Gampo, which hasn't happened in a while but isn't quite unprecedented. As lawfully agreed upon, the new candidate is thus considered the winner.



Assuming Srong keeps his word, Tibet should have peace for the next eight years at least. He didn't technically deny the possibility of a little conquest if the occasion arises, but his tone definitely did.

In addition to the almost sixty thousand soldiers serving in the standing army, there are currently over eighty thousand more in reserve and recruitment drives have been reduced for now. That doesn't make much difference to them, though: either way, they're just killing time and practicing at camp, or just living their daily lives in the case of most reservists. Though a minority is actually looking forward to fighting, most don't mind the current situation in the slightest.

Only the Fleet is truly hard at work: as always, they're sailing back and forth along the Vijayanagari coast and doing some ”liberation” of their own. They fly no flags, but both sides know exactly what's going on. The ships do their best to avoid any actual military confrontation, though, and the Indians don't have the guts to confront Tibet about it. However, Srong realizes that the Fleet is awfully small in comparison to those of enemy nations and Tibet's own Imperial Army, so he commissions expansions to Tibet's ports and shipyards to accommodate a larger one. Hell, they didn't even have proper drydocks before! Construction of new ships will begin when the engineers finish the plans they're currently working on. The Gulf of Tibet, as most call the area between the two peninsulas, obviously belongs under Tibetan control.

Shan is integrated the next year. Their Burmese and Shan population is rather small and rural; indeed, the geographically large area produces less taxes (the first thing on nobles' minds) than the province of Taungu alone. Either way, liberty belongs to everyone, and it's good to have one less player on the international field. Besides, Tibet's border is much cleaner now. Srong considers its fortification a high priority.



For whatever reason, the Empire's neighbors seem to think that now is a good time to confront Srong about their disagreements, its conquest being ”on break” as one might say. A common summit is held between representatives from the biggest countries. The mood is very tense, for obvious reasons. Ayutthaya is the most openly outraged, while the long-term isolationist and passive-aggressive Ming – recently allied with them – suddenly grows agitated and actually yells in Srong's face. The situation is a hair away from descending into bloodshed, but Srong makes the wise decision of dismissing it with a friendly laugh and somewhat clumsy joke. The rest of the meeting is very awkward, but it seems the other nations appreciate Tibet's ”patient and tolerant demeanor in the face of grave insults”, both as a sign of her enlightened leadership and out of gratitude for not beheading their ambassadors.



Though progressive thought has been booming in the Empire, Srong's speech of the government's skewed priorities has drawn attention to the decline of the arts and traditional culture. To rectify this horrible state of matters, the Prince-Emperor promises to put aside some funds for the founding of an actual arts academy in Lhasa, supported and run by monks and secular artists alike and touching on all the diverse types of art found among the Empire's different cultures.



Interesting news arrive from the North. The Buddhist Oirati horde, which many considered totally crushed, has managed to invade the wartorn heathens of Uzbek and reclaim much of their lost land.



Though Tibet's and Oirat's relations have been lukewarm for a long time now, and an alliance wouldn't have brought Tibet much benefit anyway, it is good to see an actually somewhat threatening horde get cut down to size. Besides, now that they've regained some of their strength, the Oirati might actually be useful for once. As if on cue, they soon offer Srong an alliance, which he accepts. Tibet is surrounded by hostile powers; even a relatively weak ally is helpful. Besides, this allows Tibet to safeguard Oirat's independence as well and help keep the Uzbeki in check.



Speaking of heathens, though the rumors of an overseas invasion on Malwa's coast turned out to be unfounded, the Hindus of Vijayanagar have declared a holy war of conquest upon the Malwan Muslims. Right now Malwa is severely outclassed and the Vijayanagari are marching over the border without much resistance, but word is that the legendary empire of the Odd Men in the West has promised to join their struggle for their common faith. If they actually arrive to help, Vijayanagar stands no chance.

Though Ming has long since declared an embargo on Tibet, the ban seems to finally be starting to budge. They have allowed the Empire's traders limited access to their southern areas. It really isn't much, as the trade traveling through Tibet alone is more than sufficient, but still a welcome gesture.



Perhaps the talk of a foreign attack against Malwa wasn't totally untrue, after all. Word arrives that these mysterious Ingli, apparently some great empire in the far, far West depicted in the old maps, have declared war against Vijayanagar. Their last war was just empty words, though; we'll see how this one turns out.



After eight pleasantly uneventful years of construction work and surprisingly benign diplomacy, Srong's term comes to an end.



Prince-Emperor Ngapoi Srong is glad to see his term go so swimmingly, and so is most of the government. Tibet's navy is ready for expansion (though the new ship designs' deadline has been moved yet again), its economy is in good shape and nobody seems to even dare think of invading it. If anything, he has proven that a period of peace to recover from endless conquest really can be beneficial, and drops some hints that if he is allowed to stay in power, in eight years they just might be voting about another Ministry. The situation is so good, he might actually even agree to do some conquest.

Jigme Gampo of the Heaven Electorate is pretty happy with Srong's rule, really. He has remained on good terms with his former party and driven their interests. The Heaven Electorate has thus decided not to actually propose a candidate this time.

Ngawang Thekchen of the Ocean Electorate gets rather touchy about Srong's snide remark regarding the Electorate's work team's progress on the new ships. The main problem is that they're not being given enough funding! Naval matters and trade have long been neglected, anyway. Were he elected, he'd have new ships sailing out of the harbors much faster than the current government ever could!
...At least by a few months.

Sangye Phuntsok of the Earth Electorate is pent up with peace and almost visibly shaking on the podium. Tibet's western neighbors are more vulnerable than ever, yet the Empire is just twiddling its thumbs and building pretty piers! Tibet could easily beat up both Malwa and Vijayanagar, one after the other. Allowing either of them to grow stronger will just make it more of a hassle. Now is the time to act!

Vote for the next Prince-Emperor here! [CLOSED; click to view results]

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A relatively short and perhaps boring update today, but that's what you get for electing a peaceful candidate.

"The Ingli" literally didn't even bother bringing any troops over to Malwa and signed a white peace after years of idle waiting. We'll see if their second invasion is any less half-assed. Interestingly, they're a republic; I don't think I've seen that happen before. Rebels at a bad time, maybe?

Also, do you mind me leaving out parties who really have nothing to add to the current ruler's policies? I feel silly making up useless conflicts. "No, stop doing exactly what we want! We totally flipped our agenda and now like this new guy more!"

Qara Qoyunlu colonizing makes me unreasonably happy. I love it when typical underdogs do that. Azerbaijani in Hokkaido? Hell yeah! Let's just hope Russia doesn't oust them.

I'd like to write another short story again, but I have no idea what the subject should be. Assuming my lazy brand of storytelling has engaged you at all, is there anything specific you'd like to hear about?

I also took the liberty of renaming those weird "two-named" areas.

[Frog Dragon]

"Odd men". Höhöööö.

Also, regarding westernization. This run actually seems like it might benefit from it, at least as far as I can tell (I am not good at this game). Tibet does have a pretty big tech malus, but your empire seems fairly stable and big enough to not really be messed with.

[Sallera]

No objection to leaving out candidates if you don't have any new ideas for them. The reverse happens often enough that it's not a problem.

I say we keep Srong. I like how this guy's thinking, and we had so many conquesty terms that a couple to build stuff is nice. Besides, new Ministry! More stuff to vote on! :3

Regarding westernization, I'm not familiar enough with the game to know exactly what its effects are, but I'd say get by without it if we can, do it if we really need to. We're an accepting nation, but only because we know our ways are really the best.

[OrcusMcP]

Aha! Do you see, my good chums? Do you see what can be done when we actually sit down for a moment and talk and build instead of just marching in whatever direction we happen to be looking?

There is change on the winds, the Ingli may be back, and these "Lushans" are unlikely to be content with their frozen plains. We must root ourselves like a mighty tree, like the eternal Himilayas, and we must make Tibet great! Not just big!

[SilverLeaf167]

No objection to leaving out candidates if you don't have any new ideas for them. The reverse happens often enough that it's not a problem.

I say we keep Srong. I like how this guy's thinking, and we had so many conquesty terms that a couple to build stuff is nice. Besides, new Ministry! More stuff to vote on! :3

Regarding westernization, I'm not familiar enough with the game to know exactly what its effects are, but I'd say get by without it if we can, do it if we really need to. We're an accepting nation, but only because we know our ways are really the best.

Westernization can be begun when you border any nation with the Western technology group (England in this case; Russia is Eastern). For up to several decades (scaling with your size), it eats up your monarch points (halting all technological progression), destabilizes the country and causes plenty of nasty events. After it's finished, though, you receive the Western technology group, which makes technology way cheaper (our current Chinese group increases tech costs by 60%). Disappointingly, it doesn't even give you Western military units, which are the best in the world.

Though the technology bonus would be nice, we'd probably only have about a hundred years left to enjoy it, assuming we make it through the rocky process intact. I'm also still not sure if it would stop us from vassalizing Asian countries, as Western nations can usually only make them protectorates (which aren't nearly as good and don't allow annexation). Can anyone comment on that? What little info I could find doesn't seem promising. On the other hand, it's not like there's many nations small enough to vassalize. Ugh.

Overall, I'm really on the fence and sort of confused regarding this issue. It would definitely be the greatest monument to Tibet's progressiveness. Maybe we'll vote on it when the time comes...