Orders and reports thread

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich:

After his stunning conquest of Hamburg in which cavalry were used splendidly,

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Dietrich von Saxony (Lucjan) had advised me to build a watchtower on the border of our newly-gained territory so we can watch over the Danes, which I agreed to. With the placement of this watchtower we can their keep an eye on their city on the Jutland as well as track their movements in the east.

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In the meantime, I personally assaulted the Italian city of Florence. As this land borders the Pope he must be worried.

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Not much, was it?

I began by giving a speech to my troops about the importance of intimidating that fool in Rome, and how this was another step in regaining the glory of the Empire, et cetera. What mattered most was the loot inside. A sack would bring some much-needed florins into the treasury. And we were not about to be turned back empty-handed.

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Kaiser Heinrich, in a diabolical strategy, gives his orders behind a bush so as to confuse the enemy.

Now, this rebel commander was smarter than the one Dietrich faced in Hamburg, so we were forced to do some more grindwork. Not like it mattered. The point of this assault was to send a message to the Pope and all the Italian states.

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We are back.

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Shortly after gaining Florence, we adopted a new member into the royal family, courtesy of Prinz Henry:

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Sigismund der Stolze is now officially a member of the Diet and the House of Swabia. May he serve the Empire well for many years.

I am pleased to report that several diplomatic edicts are being satisfied. In accordance with Edict 1.20, we have allied with Sicily. The Pope must not be pleased with this.

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In addition, I have satisfied Edict 1.19 by obtaining map information from Poland. Also, I know that I am slightly late in the fulfillment of Edict 1.25 but I continue to work at it. Trade rights are still to be established with Spain, Portugal, the Byzantines, and Russia, however, I promise that this will be completed by the end of my reign as Chancellor.

And finally, the Council of Nobles must also be pleased with the completion of their mission:

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There have been notable events in the careers of some Electors recently. First, it is my immense pleasure to announce the marriage of Duke Dietrich von Saxony and my daughter, Agnes. May you bear many healthy children (sooner rather than later, please).

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My son Prinz Henry (econ21) and his adopted son Sigismund der Stolze (Ignoramus) both performed admirably in the assault on Metz, and as a result, Sigismund has been knighted. Since the castle (converted to a town) is now ours, I am pleased to inform Fifth Swabian Elector Kagemusha that he may now take off his lederhosen armour.

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The final casualty count for Metz. Very admirable. I believe my sons are outperforming me! I'm getting old.

Upon his return to Staufen, Henry has also taken up a wife.

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My congratulations to all.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Recently, my attention has been fixed on the east as my spy in Prague has reported some unfortunate happenings. It appears that Poland also has an interest in the city, as they have sent their own spy in to infiltrate. However, it took a turn for the worse when I was informed that an army was advancing with intent to capture the city:

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Our small attacking force would not get there in time, but I dispatched my son Leopold (Braden) with a medium-sized force to advance on the city anyway. With a little help from God the Bohemians would prove to be worthy defenders.

My spy reported back to me on the Polish assault. It appears they were uncoordinated, commanded by one not of noble birth. The attack was decisively repulsed. However, the defenders of Prague will soon realize that the forces of the Empire are a much more potent enemy. Leopold will soon capture the city, bringing some (much-needed) glory to the House of Austria.

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Leopold assaults Prague while the defeated Polish army makes its way back east.

With the midterm fast approaching, I report that for the most part, our financial situation has improved somewhat, thanks to Maximillian Mandorf's (TinCow's) agreement to raise taxes in Nuremburg. However, two build queues are slightly behind schedule: Hamburg's Leather Tanner will not be completed until 1102, and we do not have enough money to upgrade Staufen's defenses.

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This will soon be remedied with the capture of Prague.

~~~~~~~~~~

I will report back in two years with a final midterm report as well as my agenda for the second half of my Chancellorship. Until then, good Electors.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich: I now present my midterm report to the Diet.

Firstly, well... the College of Cardinals and Pope Gregory will just have to learn this fact for themselves:

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Now for more serious news. My son Leopold (Braden) has determined that the time was not right to assault Prague, so the city continues to remain under siege. Reinforcements are arriving. He informs me that he intends to wait for the Bohemians to sally out in order to make use of our superior archers. However, if this event does not occur, then he will assault the city in due time.

All in all, I believe the first half of my term has been very successful. Although money has been somewhat tight and building queues have not come out exactly, most motions have been fulfilled. The ones that still need to be made progress on are watching over Milan with a spy and acquiring trade rights with a number of factions, although we now have Spain exchanging goods with us.

This Empire can expand further. This term has taught us that we have many excellent commanders serving us. I hereby propose that we concentrate our efforts to the east for the second half of my term. The reasons for this are several.

First of all, the wishes of the Council of Nobles do play a part and they have the money:

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Breslau is to the east, as are other targets such as Stettin and Magdeburg. I realize that this puts us in conflict with Poland but we can crush them. Leopold, side-by-side with Dietrich von Saxony (Lucjan) can march to the direction of the rising sun and earn much glory for their houses. In addition, we may also expand southeast.

Venice's capital city currently lies undefended, aside from a sparse garrison. A quick strike by Otto von Kassel (dlain) along with the forces currently lying in Innsbruck would cripple our "allies" as well provide us another port in Italy. I would, of course, cancel our alliance with Venice before such an attack is made.

Do not think that I have left Swabia out of this. In the West lie potent enemies: France and Milan. Surely one of them will take the bait when our forces are engaged in the east and aim to grab our territory. Once this occurs we will strike with a vengeance, claiming their cities for our own.

By the end of my term I would like to see this Empire returned to its former glory. We have a considerable foothold in Italy, and we are making gains in all directions. If this trend continues we shall become the greatest power in the world. We have the men that are certainly up to the challenge. All we need, good Electors, is the resolve.

I hereby grant the following settlements to the following Houses:

Hamburg - Franconia
Metz - Swabia
Bologna - Bavaria

Florence will remain under my dominion. I hope to have many settlements to grant to the Houses when the Diet next meets.

[OverKnight]

Build queue for Innsbruck for the second Diet

Turn 11: Castle, last turn
Turn 12: Black Smith
Turn 13: --continued
Turn 14: --continued
Turn 15: Drill Square
Turn 16: --continued
Turn 17: --continued
Turn 18: Practice Range
Turn 19: --continued
Turn 20: --continued

If you have any questions or concerns Kaiser, please contact me.

[Lucjan]

Second Diet Conclusion - Hamburg Build Queue

1 - Finish Leather Tanner
2 - Garrison Quarters
3 - ""
4 - Stables
5 - ""
6 - Bowyer
7 - ""
8 - Mines
9 - ""
10 - Chapel

The basic idea for the second term is to round out Hamburg as a key training and recruitment ground for northern forces armed, at the least, with padded leather armor. Then to give work on some domestic improvements in the form of Mines to draw a strong income out of the area's natural mining capabilites, and with our new source of income completed, to construct a chapel to better deal with the castle's growing populations' religious needs.

[econ21]

Second Diet Build Queue for Staufen

Turn 1: Castle (3 turns)
Turn 4: Crop rotation (4 turns)
Turn 8: Practice range (3 turns)

The key thing here is to continue growing the population to get the good troops that are opened by a fortress.

A secondary issue is the practice range - I think Staufen has a bit of a head start over other castles in terms of missile troops, so it makes sense to concentrate on that arm and let other settlement specialise in melee infantry for now.

[Ignoramus]

Second Diet Build Queue for Metz

Turn 1: Land Clearance
Turn 2: --continued
Turn 3: Grain Exchange
Turn 4: --continued
Turn 5: Town Garrison
Turn 6: Leather Tanner
Turn 7: --continued
Turn 8:

(Will finish in a minute)

[TinCow]

Second Diet Build Queue for Nuremburg:

Turn 1: Town Guard (currently being built)
Turn 2: --continued
Turn 3: Market
Turn 4: --continued
Turn 5: --continued
Turn 6: Town Hall
Turn 7: --continued
Turn 8: Crop Rotation
Turn 9: --continued
Turn 10: --continued

The focus of Nuremburg continues to be economic development, driving towards a major profit center for the Reich. Town Hall (cheap) is placed between Market and Crop Rotation to help with accumulation of sufficient funds for Crop Rotation (2400, relatively expensive for early game).