Orders and reports thread

[econ21]

Prinz Henry: Build queues for

Staufen (please prioritise above Bern and Dijon at all times)
Turn 1-3: Continue armourer
4-6: Drill Square
7-10: Barracks

Dijon:
Turn 1: Finish Council Chamber
2-4: Upgrade large stone wall
5-6: Church
7-10: City watch
Note - please demolish the Thieves Guild asap!!

Bern: (lowest priority)
Grain Exchange (2)
Market (3)
Blacksmith (3)
Brothel (2)

Taxes for Dijon and Bern to be highest possible without red face. But avoid Very High if general present.

Swabian Household army:

Normal Garrison: Dijon but standing orders may imply positioning elsewhere.

Fieldmarshall: Count von Salza

Standing orders: defend Swabia settlements.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich:

Build queue for Rome:

1. Cathedral
2. Council Chambers
3. Communal Farming

I hereby allocate Thorn to the House of Franconia.

[TinCow]

Build queue for Nuremberg:

1: Abbey
2: Council Chambers
3: Fairground

Taxes set as high as possible without rioting.

[Ituralde]

Tax levels in Vienna and Prague are to be set to Very High.
Happyness is to remain above a blue face. This overrides any tax settings.

Build priorities Vienna:
Council Chambers
Communal Farming
Paved Roads

Except for the Council Chambers, the next level of walls should it become available will take priority!

Build priorities Prague:
Church

Build priorities Zagreb:
Drill Square
Mines
Bowyer

Orders for the Ducal Army:

Duke Leopold will lead the Ducal Army.

The Ducal Army is to continue its siege on Venice and attack the city as soon as possible.
Afterwards it will return to Zagreb as fast as possible to help in its defense or recapture it.
Once Zagreb and Venica are secure the army will take up sation slightly north of the river crossing East of Zagreb, where it will reach Vienna and Zagreb should danger ensue.

[OverKnight]

Build Queue for Innsbruck

Chancellor's Discretion, but please upgrade the Castle to a Fortress when population allows.


Build Queue for Bologna

After Large Stone Wall is finished:
1: Council Chamber
2: Paved Roads
3: Abbey


Build Queue for Milan

1: City Hall
2: Abbey
3: Inn


Build Queue for Genoa

This includes input from Gerhard Steffen.
1: Church
2: Large Stone Walls (I believe the population will support this when Church is finished.)
3: Paved Roads
4: Council Chamber


Build Queue for Florence

1: Church
2: Merchant's Wharf
3: Council Chambers
4: Shipwright


Please set tax levels to avoid rioting.


BHA Orders

Army Commander: Gerhard Steffen

The army is to garrison Genoa until such time as it is up to strength and the city can police itself. The Army will assist in the defense of Rome, if needed, or the defense of Bavaria against France. I would like to see Gerhard's skill as a commander tested, so if it can be done without great risk or endangerment of other tasks, send the BHA against Marseille. This will help stabilize our western front.

[Kagemusha]

I will promote Jonas von Mahren as count of Magdeburg. Also from this day forward,Count Von Kastillien will be the Steward of Franconia and has the power to order the Franconian household army.

[TinCow]

Orders for the Crusading Armies:

Duke von Saxony will move south towards Zagreb with Count von Mahren, leaving behind 2 Armored Spearmen, 1 Sergeant Spearmen, and 2 Teutonic Knights. Maximillian Mandorf will move towards Zagreb with the entire force under his command, where he shall join up with Duke von Saxony's army. Duke von Kassel and his army will continue moving towards Zagreb. The regiments left behind by Duke von Saxony will move to join up with Duke von Kassel at the earliest opportunity. Prinz Henry will split off from Maximillian Mandorf's army and join with Duke von Kassel's army, immediately if it can be done without danger, whenever it is most convenient if it cannot, though preferably before Maximillian Mandorf's army reaches Zagreb.

The end result will be two armies that are separated by approximately 1-2 turns movement with the following composition:

Lead Army:
Duke von Saxony
Maximillian Mandorf
Jonas von Mahren
2 regiments Sergeant Spearmen
2 regiments Armored Spearmen
2 regiments Peasant Crossbowmen
1 regiment Teutonic Knights
partial regiment Dismounted Feudal Knights

Trailing Army:
Prinz Henry
Duke von Kassel
2 regiments Dismounted Feudal Knights
2 regiments Pavise Crossbowmen
2 regiments Teutonic Knights
2 regiments Armored Spearmen
1 regiment Sergeant Spearmen

The Lead Army will depart Zagreb as soon as it is formed and begin the journey to the Hold Lands. The Trailing Army will follow after as quickly as possible. The first stage of the route will be as follows: Stay in the Zagreb province and follow the road towards Sofia. If we are not at war with Hungary when we near the Hungarian border, we will turn south and head off-road to Byzantine territory in the general direction of Thessalonica. When we reach the road that runs between Thessalonica and Constantinople, we will follow it east, heading for the southern crossing of the Hellespont. Both armies will continue on this path until further orders are given. If we are at war with Hungary when we reach the Hungarian border, the Armies will simply take the fastest route possible to the Hellespont.

At this time, the Crusade Armies will avoid battle with enemy armies unless they directly block our path. We will engage any hostile armies that block our path that are small to medium in size. The Crusaders must be informed of large armies in our path so that we can make a decision on whether to engage them.

The three priests and the spy near Zagreb will accompany the armies. The priests will move ahead to the Holy Lands, providing intelligence about which factions control which settlements along the way. They need not wait for the Crusading Armies for any reason. The spy will move with the Lead Army, scouting ahead for potential enemies.

[Jalf]

Build Orders for Magdeburg
1: Finish the blacksmith that is under construction
2: communal farming
3: chapel
4: crop rotation

If an upgrade to fortress becomes available, do that instead.
Taxes set to avoid rioting.

[Ituralde]

1160:
The first year of my Chancellorship has already been quite eventful. Thanks to the large funds passed on to me by my predecessor construction on every improvement passed on to me has begun. This excludes the Cathedral in Rome, however. 6400 florins will take up half of our treasury and is a huge amount at these times. However unrest in Rome is still a problem and I would urge Kaiser Heinrich to consider building Council Chambers first, as this would help administer the citizenship. I fear I can not give a timeframe for the Cathedral, yet.

Furthermore I am still lacking build queues for Hamburg, Stettin, Frankfurt and Metz. Consequently no construction was begun in these settlements.
To improve the Household armies of Franconia, Bavaria and Swabia the following recruitments were made.

Staufen: Feudal Knights, Pavise Crossbowmen, Sergeant Spearmen

Thorn: Retraining of Sergeant Spearmen, Peasant Archers, Mailed Knights

Innsbruck: Armoured Sergeants, Sergeant Spearmen, Mailed Knights

I fear that the recruitment for the Crusade has depleted castles like Innsbruck and Staufen so it will take some time before high-quality troops will flow steadily to the Duchies armies. I also increased the number of Militia in Milan and retrained Militia in Rome to battle unrest. They are the only two cities in our Empire whose populace is in danger of rioting.


With these formalities out of the way let me recount the Election of the new Pope. Unfortunately Charles von Otterbach was not one of the Preferati, so following Heinrichs instructions I supported Halstan of Denmark. In a landslide victory he was able to secure all other votes from the College of Cardinals and has ascended and now chooses to call himself: Pope Andreas of Denmark

However this has barely increased our Papal Standing so I contacted the new Pope outside of Rome with Henricus Plittersdorf a trusted diplomat. Following Duke Otto von Kassels noble proposal I offered the city of Florence in return for a Ceasefire and Reconciliation. Although the proposal was considered Balanced by Plittersdorf the offer was firmly rejected by Pope Andreas. This bodes ill for the future.


Our other diplomatic transaction were of mixed success as well. The Sicilians happily accepted our regular tribue thus fulfilling Edict 6.3.
The Byzantines were a harder nut to crack though. I offered them 200 florins for 10 turns in return for Military Access, an offer that was considered to be generous by Wikerus von Bavaria. It was also rejected though. Maybe Wikerus Intolerance for other Religions has clouded his judgement. I will try to enter negotiations once more, but it looks like we will have to settle on a regular tribute, before passing through Byzantine lands.

1162:
The towns of Genoa and Hamburg have grown so much that larger fortifications are needed to protect all citizens. The Counts of the respective cities might want to alter their build queues accordingly.
Pope Andreas has remained quiet, but some mercenary guards now accompany him, I will try to contact him later.

Meanwhile several interesting army movements have occured. The huge Venetian host south of Zagreb has been reinforced but has not moved yet. Two smaller regiments are blocking the direct path between the Crusaders under Maximilian Mandorf and Prince Henry and the city of Zagreb. The Venetian forces equal the Crusaders in numbers so I would advise to take a detour through the Alpine passes into Austrian territory. This would also lead to a faster rendezvous with Dietrich von Saxony. The area around Zagreb is swarming with Venetians so caution is prudent. This will also allow Prince Henry to meet with Duke Otto faster.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

A Polish force of 5 regiments has been hiding in the woods between Magdeburg and Breslau and has now appeared alarmingly close to Magdeburg and Stettin. A smaller stack of reinforcements has been spotted entering the woods too. I am still awaiting orders for the Franconian Household Army so you should keep this in mind.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The French have not been idle either and have led a large force under their Heir Prince Louis the Merciless just west of Dijon. If Jobst von Salza wishes to attack his foe in a field battle he should contact me as soon as possible.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

OOC: I will be gone all day tomorrow, that's why I left so much decisions to other players. If I don't hear anything until tomorrow evening I will just play on as I see fit.

[TinCow]

Orders for the Crusading Armies:

Prinz Henry and I agree with your plans for the movement of our army.

[Ituralde]

1164:
While a lot has happened and I intend to give a more verbose report later, several interesting things have happened that deserve your attention immediatelly.

First Venice has fallen and is now under Imperial control. The city was sacked and plundered giving much needed money for the Imperial treasury.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Second, a large English force has landed near Hamburg, accompanied by a smaller Portugese army. We can only hope that the war between England and Portugal has carried over to our lands. If one or both of those armies were to attack us, we would be in great danger.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Gunther von Kastilien is moving west towards Stettin with the Franconian Household Army, while Fredericus von Hamburg has left the city earlier to defend Magdeburg against a possible Polish attack. The Polish have advanced and are hiding in the woods near the castle. The next step and the movement of the English army will be important.

Third, Jobst von Salza has driven off a tiny French force that dared to attack Dijon. Their Prince has moved on into French territory, while further troops have been reported to move in from around Rheims and Marseille.

Pope Andreas still refuses to sign a ceasefire or reconcile us.


Lastly, some good news. Guda, daughter of Prince Henry has come of age and is currently staying in Vienna. Already some suitors have made their interest public. The last of them being Ulrich Hümmel.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I await my brothers response on this matter, before I decide anything.

[Ituralde]

1164: continued
Ulrich Hümmel has married Guda. Urlich is still staying in Vienna but I immediately dispatched him West to the castle of Staufen to aid the House of Swabia in their struggle against France.

1166:

TREACHERY!!!
Metz has betrayed us and opened their doors to the French invaders. They sold their loyalties to the highest bidder. The complete garrison is now under French service.
A large army under a Captain Jaques is now approaching Dijon, where Jobst von Salza is readying the Swabian Household army for the defense.

As expected the English under Walter Smithe have laid siege to Hamburg. The city will probably fall into the hands of the enemy. The Polish are moving their troops against Thorn in force, so Gunther von Kastilien returned to defend that stronghold.
Fredericus von Hamburg will not reach the city before it falls and instead has turned on the Polish that have resurfaced East of Frankfurt. The enemy fled the field though.

The Portugese have pushed further into our territory. While their exact location is unknown they are believed to be south of Hamburg. A second Portugese army has also appeared at our borders. It's final destination is believed to be Frankfurt our former capital.

Zagreb is now besieged by the Venetians. It is a smaller force not the large army that has been mustering for so long. The Austrian Household Army is moving at full speed to intercept the attackers.

The Bavarian Household Army is now stationed between Milan and Genoa. The Hungarians under Jakab Mihaly have shown no ill will yet. Their movements will be monitored though and I will wait until that threat has disappeared before sending the Bavarians against the French.

1168:
Hans has come of age and is currently staying in Zagreb Castle. I must congratulate my brother on raising such a wonderful child!

Hamburg has not yet fallen to the English host, but due to the Polish flight Fredericus von Hamburg is in no position to save the town. Instead we now have a small Polish army roaming our lands and a host of Mailed Knights from Portugal is approachig Magdeburg to where Fredericus is now returning.

As expected Dijon is now under siege by the French.

While the Venetians have left the siege of Zagreb and have returned their armies south towards Ragusa, Austria is now facing other perils. A small Venetian detachment was able to sneak through the Alpine passes and is now besieging Venice itself. The Austrian Household Army had to move north though, as the Hungarians have attacked Vienna.
Gerhard Steffen now commands a large army and has closed on the Hungarian Crusader Army under now Prince Jakab.

To make the enemities against us complete, Pope Andreas has decided to besiege Rome, accompanied by two companies of Mercenaries.


Günther von Kastilien was not attacked at Thorn Fortress this year. Knowing too well about the fate of Hamburg he has decided to carry the fight to the Poles though. He is currently attacking a 1200 men strong Polish force in the woods south of Thorn. Both armies are equal in number, but the Poles resorted to fielding Milita and Peasants. I await word of the battle from von Kastilien.

On a lighter, but still serious note, it looks like the Crusade had its first prominent victim.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Ituralde]

1168: continued

Günther von Kastilien won a resounding victory against the Poles.
Emperor Heinrich sallied forth against the aggressor Pope Andreas and slew him in the ensuing battle.

Let me recount the events of the newest Papal Election.
The Preferatie were Dominigo the Warmongerer from Spain, Ulaszlo the Unorthodox from Hungary, and Charles Otterbach from the Reich.
As wished by my father, the Kaiser, I threw the full support of our three cardinals behind Charles Otterbach.
Unfortunately we were the only ones supporting him. Dominigo the Warmongerer got elected by all the other cardinals, even from our Sicilian allies!
He now calls himself Pope Filippus of Spain. As a result of our votes our Papal standing has dropped to an all-time low. The chances peace or even reconciliation are very remote now.

1170:

TRAGEDY!!!
The beloved leader of our Reich, my father, our guidance through the last years, Emperor Heinrich has died!
The Reich mourns the loss of such a great leader.
Our Emperor has left this world for the Kingdom of Heaven... or Purgatory, should his mortal life warrant such penance.

It can only be seen as a sign of respect amongst our enemies, that they have remained quiet. None of our cities or castles have been attacked. The Hungarians even lifted their siege of Vienna. The Portugese are retreating back to Flanders, and the Poles are also retreating.
Maybe the countries of Europe have given us a small respite to attend to our mourning. But don't think they won't come back to attack us again.

This makes my brother Henry, the new Emperor, and his... grand... grandson Jobst von Salza, the new Prince Jobst!

Sorry, there are no pictures because imageshack clearly hates me!

[econ21]

Kaiser Henry:

Build queue for Venice (when no longer besieged):

Leather tanner (2 turns)
Paved road (3 turns)

Please demolish Master Thieves Guild.


Build queue for Rome:

Militia drill square (5 turns).

Please demolish Thieves Guild.

[Ituralde]

1170: continued

It seems that our old foe, the Milanese have made a reappearance on the Italian mainland. A small force has landed near Florence. And while some of our enemies have withdrawn, others have used the opportunity to advance. The French are travelling along the coast towards Genoa.

Also a small fleet that has transported a French Crusader army from Tunis was sighted near Marseille. The Imperial fleet that had been blocking Marseille port and after that Toulouse was able to attack and defeat the French fleet though. They were forced to return to sea. Most of the former Crusaders surivived though and a landing in Italy is not out of the question.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Meanwhile the Crusaders are making progress and have now entered Hungarian territory. From our Priests, who have advanced further than Sofia, we know that the Magyars possess a mighty Citadel there that blocks the direct route to the Hellespont. A large Hungarian force was also seen close to the castle. The Crusaders have made camp atop the hills surrounding the Danube, before descending into the Hungarian steppe.


Back in the Reich, word has reached us from the triumphant victory the Bavarian Household Army, supported by Conrad Salier and under the command of Gerhard Steffen has achieved against the Hungarian foe. The Magyars are under even more pressure, as I was able to force march the Austrian Household Army to the gates of their capital Budapest.

Gerhard Steffen is trying to relieve the city of Venice as we speak and Conrad Salier has already turned south towards Bologna to ward off the Milanese intrusion. Gerhard Steffen has surrounded Captain Tarvixio who had been besieging Venice. He crushed him without much resistance and has advanced his commanding skills.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In the West Prince Jobst has put the fear of God in the forces besieging Dijon. They were driven back from the city loosing many of their men. It seems that for now Dijon is safe.

Now that Gunther von Kastilien has returned to Thorn castle the riots that had broken out during his last campaign have died down.


With the ongoing war effort our treasury is running low. The troops and the recruitment of new troops to defend our borders is costing more and more money. As a result construction in all Imperial Cities had to be sustained last weeks. There will be no new constructions until our budget is balanced again.

[Ituralde]

1172:

While we have crushed a lot of resistance immediatelly after Emperor Heinrichs death our enemies are still at large. The Milanese foremost have landed another small force on the shores of Tuscany. North of Rome a small band of rebels has popped up that says it will support the new Pope Fillipus in all his decisions. Already Conrad Salier is making great haste to fight his way south. Currently Rome is cut off though and the Pope is reported to collect money for more Mercenaries. Plittersdorf is instructed to negotiate.

Due to the lack of construction last turn we have finally filled our coffers again. It remains to be seen how much of it will be used for unit recruitment and retraining though.
The last victim of our ecxommunication seems to be a Michel de Lannoy, who has been preaching in the Bern region. His beliefs can only be called Heretic now. He has approached Eusebius von der Pfalz, who clearly dennounced him as such. He may be tried later this year.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The English have not made further progress in their siege of Hamburg and the Portugese have finally withdrawn their armies into Flandres. Fredericus von Hamburg is readying his troops in Magdeburg to march north to defeat the English.

The French have withdrawn their army marching for Genoa freeing up the Bavarian Household Army, which is currently on its way to Milan. It will take some time until it is fully restored after its recent battles.
The French have not been idle though, we have not yet heard of our Mediterranean fleet that just recently defeated the returning French Crusaders. I fear that our Cogs were lost to the superior French Holks roaming the Medditerranean. Meanwhile another French force has advanced on Dijon from the North. Prince Jobst left the city, which is now in danger of rioting to defeat the French on their own soil. He was quite successful and is engaging another French stack with the aid of Ulrich Hümmel near Metz.

The French have been defeated once again. Prince Jobst and Ulrich Hümmel carried the day. The valiant efforts of the later prompted our Prince to knight Ulrich Hümmel. Encouraged by this praise he has hired some Mercenary Spearmen to bolster his army and is moving on Metz. The siege of the rebellous city should commence next season.

In face of the Heretic Michael de Lannoy, Charles Otterbach himself has travelled south to converse with the man and see if there's no hope of returning him on a righteous path.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

He is not the only one rebelling against our rule. For some time now a peasant by the name of Jens is blocking a road in southern Bavaria. Their demands are immediate reconciliation with the church, otherwise they will take the protection of their souls in their own hands.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

News of other Heretics reach us from around Thorn, where Cardinal Herden is spreading the Holy message. He has approached a young man called Tancred of Tyrolia, who has preached against our rule many times now. Asking for a return to the Holy Church.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

As you can see the Franconian Armies have not been idle and Günther von Kastilien is currently attacking the last pockets of Polish resistance around Thorn. His final goal is to move on Breslau to take some pressure from the Franconian heartlands around Magdeburg and Frankfurt. Already one of our spies has infiltrated Breslau to help facilitate an eventual attack.
Fredericus von Hamburg has now finally moved north against the English under Walter Smithe. Although numerous his troops lack the training and experience of our own. If Smithe doesn't attack the siege of Hamburg could be lifted next season.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Last comes the question of which route the Crusaders will take around Sofia. I have already heard of the discussion that has sprung up in the Council and would like to give you an overview of the situation.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

There are two routes to pass Sofia, one to the South and one to the East. The Eastern one will most likely bring you in contact with the Hungarian hosts outside of Sofia. The southern route can be reached quicker and should provide a narrow gorge in which to trap and defeat eventual pursuers. This will lenghten the time it takes for our army to reach the Hellespont however.
That is if you are planning to avoid confrontation with the enemy.


New constructions have begun in Dijon, Nuremburg and Thorn.

[Ituralde]

1174:

As requested the Crusade has moved on into Hungarian territory and has found a hillside West of Sofia, where it set up a defensive position. The Hungarian forces were busy chasing Rebels in their own lands and so have not attacked the Crusaders yet. They have brought in reinforcements from north of the Danube now and the way their armies are positioned now, they have nearly succeeded in driving a wedge between our forces. I advise the Crusaders to stay close together and set up their next camp just East of Sofia. That will enable them to clear the Citadel come next season and avoid contact with the Hungarian forces.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Another event of note between the seasons was the intrusion of Polish forces deep into our heartland. They have once again used the dense forests between Prague and Stettin to smuggle their armies deep into our territory. They are currently besieging Frankfurt!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Poles have also appeared in force around Thorn castle once more. It seems that the capture on Breslau will have to be delayed until those forces are dealt with.

In the south the Venetians have reappeared close to Zagreb Castle. Once again fielding a sizeable army, which on closer inspection turns out to be made up of untrained Militia forces. Once Leopold has crushed the Hungarians at their capital, he will take care of this threat.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In the South the Milanese troops have consolidated. It seems that the Milanese nobleman has only brought siege equipment with him, but he is now supported by a large contigent of riders, making his force one to be reckoned with. The Pope is still quiet.

In the West the French have brought up some more troops, but have not made any decisive moves yet, neither against Dijon nor to relieve Metz.
The source for the unrest in Dijon could be identified in a French spy. We were not able to expell him yet and he was even able to cause riot in Prince Jobst absence. Not even his reappearance in the city has appeased the populace enough. I trust in the Princes counterspy abilities though to root out the troublemaker.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The beginning of the season saw the trial of well-known Heretics in the Reich, with different outcomes though. While neither Eusebius von der Pfalz nor Charles Otterbach were able to dennounce Michel de Lannoy...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Cardinal Herden was quite successful in bringing God's justice upon Tancred von Tyrolia.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

With much joy, do I bring you the glorious news that Chancellor Leopold was able to defeat the Hungarian garrison and has captured the Magyar capital!
Hans performed formidable in the assault and has been knighted by his uncle.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

With these good news, we turn to the North where Fredericus von Hamburgs forces are engaging the English who have sat outside Hamburg for so long.
Fredericus von Hamburg was victorious and has driven off the English scum! He now hurries south to spare Frankfurt similar fate.

The Crusaders have moved south into Thessalia, while Duke Otto von Kassel has taken command of the Crusaders rear-guard.

[Ituralde]

Over the course of the last few turns as from 1176 the following towns are ready to upgrade their walls according to their growth. Please inform me if you want to change the build queues of those settlements accordingly:

Stettin
Vienna
Bern
Frankfurt
Florence

[FactionHeir]

If there are funds to spare, please upgrade Bern to a minor city (I think its that?). Feel free to cancel the construction of the blacksmith instead (or move the wall before the blacksmith so the progress is saved and no florins wasted)

[Ituralde]

1176:

The year begun quite eventful with the attack of Frankfurt. The Polish have taken all their courage and attacked our former capital.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Our reports revealed that the Polish force was badly trained.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The brave Milita led by Captain Sigismund did their best to repell the assailants. In the end they were victorious and Frankfurt was saved!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Polish are not held by back by this defeat in their Eastern operations. They have moved sevarl smaller stacks in position within striking distance of Thorn castle. Gunther von Kastillien tried luring them to battle, but they withdrew several times, leading to a draw near Thorn. It seems that the countryside surrounding this castle will see many more battles in the future.

The Hungarians remain quiet, after the Fall of their capital. Their large force East of Vienna has not moved. Neither to attack the Austrian captial or to reclaim Budapest. After the Crusaders have passed their territory into now Venetian Thessalia, the troops around Sofia have travelled north. With the roads clear Otto von Kassel was able to negate the cavalry into Thessalia right behind the Crusaders, not having to take the longer way around through the wilderness.

The Venetians seem to have reemerged though and the appearance of the Crusaders on their soil has brought at least two sizable armies into the vicinity of Thessalonica. The Crusaders have already moved on though and are now on the border to Byzantian territory.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

As requested our diplomats tried to negotiate Military Access but the Byzantines refused it again. I went ahead and gifted them 200 florins for the next 10 turns in accordance with Edict 6.5. Once the gift was accepted I even gave the Byzantines another 1500 florins for Military Access, even granting them access to our territory, to make the passage of the Crusaders easier, but they still refused!

In the South the Venetian army seems not interested in Zagreb, but instead is now heading for Venice. The Venetians seem intent on reclaiming their former capital. I will be hard pressed to intercept the intruders and this will leave Vienna and Budapest virtually undefended. It seems like once again the fate of Venice lies in the hands of the Bavarian Household Army.

The French have not been idle either and their Crusading Army from Tunis has now landed near Marseille. It is a large force of trained soldiers, so either way Gerhard Steffen will see some important battles in the future.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In the West the French are quietly moving their troops around Rheims, making no advance into our territory, not even our former regions surrounding Metz.
Their spy is still causing unrest in Dijon though and although we know of his presence, we were not able to root him out yet. As a result the Riots in Dijon continue.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

On top of the unrest caused by the French the recent visit of Michel de Lannoy seems to have lessende the faith of our subjects drastically. Not even the completion of a church in Dijon was able to appease him. As one step Eusebius von der Pfalz has tried and executed a Heretic by the name of Oxyntia who was trying to draw on the popularity of Michel de Lannoy.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The later has meanwhile moved on north near the French border. Another attempt from Charles Otterbach to dennounce him has failed. Michel de Lannoy seems to be on a holy mission and won't be stopped that easily. Our only hope is that he continues into French territory to wreak havoc there.

At the turn of the seasons Guildsmen from a Explorers Guild have approached us and ask to set up on of their Houses in Venice. I leave the choice whether to accept or decline to Emperor Henry, as he is currently in control of Venice.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Conrad Salier has finally assembled enough men in Florence to attack the Milanese intruders. I hope to hear of his victory soon.

[econ21]

Kaiser Henry: On the matter of the Explorer's Guild at Venice, if we have no other such guild in our kingdom, my mild preference would be to accept the Explorer's Guild. It may be a useful place to train some of our generals in logistics, so that they may maneouvre more rapidly.

However, if we have another such guild already in one of our settlements - or if the Chancellor prefers not to accept for some other reason (for example, in the hope of attracting a merchant's guild), I will decline the Explorer's guild.

EDIT:

On further review, let us accept the Explorer's Guild in Venice.

Build queue for Budapest

When current building completed, please queue Drill Square (to get halberd militia)

Also demolish Master Thieves Guild asap (we have too many thieves guilds already).

[Ituralde]

1176 continued:

Conrad Salier was victorious and has thrown the Milanese back into the sea!

In the East, Leopold was able to crush some Croatian Axemen, who had blocked the Danube crossing into Croatia. They were mercilessly shot down and killed by his superior troops. The much battered Austrian Household Army could finallay recieve reinforcements from Zagreb castle.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Fredericus von Hamburg returned to his city, now that the threat to Frankfurt has perished. The Danish have moved a smaller army to their southern border, so it is wise to keep a watch on them.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

It seems that Hans is in hot pursuit of the Crusaders, but as he is about to leave Imperial territory several armies roaming the lands ahead of him could prove disastrous for his ambition to rejoin the Crusade.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Conrad Salier has not been idle either and is now attacking the Rebel scum north of Rome!
He was victorious and the roads to our capital are once again free.

Unfortunately by the time the word of our Emperor has reached our funds were already too depleted to support an Explorers Guild in Venice and so the offer had to be declined. I will keep his notions in mind though should any future offer come up.

Larger Walls are now being constructed in Frankfur, Stettin, and Bern. The rest will follow once the funds allow it.

[Ituralde]

1178:

In the North the Danish have reconsidered their movements and have verged off north entering the islands of the Skaggerak. While this move of Fredericus von Hamburg has proven effective the Polish have reemerged around Frankfurt and are besieging the city once again. It is the depleted force that attacked Frankfurt last season. 180 Mailed Knights from Magdeburg were dispatched towards the Franconian capital and another attack should prove as futile as the first one.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Meanwhile Fredericus von Hamburg is travelling South to Magdeburg, as the Polish are still roaming the woods East of the castle.
Further East the Polish are bringing several large armies in position around Thorn. One is even led by a family member now. It seems that they are avoiding decisive battles though, making the job for Günther von Kastilien all the harder.

The Hungarians near Vienna have decided to march South where they will probably meet with the reinforced Austrian Army. I confidently await their arrival.

Northern Italy, after getting rid of the Milanese, sees the Venetians advancing on their former capital. Gerhard Steffen has already mustered enough men to help defend Venice should it come under attack.
Conrad Salier has arrived in Rome and taken over the defenses of the city.

In the West the French lie quiet and the unrest in Dijon could finally be stopped, although French agents are still at large. Ulrich von Hümmel could continue his siege as planned and is readying to attack the city.

Another guild has approached us in Venice, this time the Merchant's and I willingly accepted their proposal of setting up a guild house.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Heretic threat in the East has dropped the number of Catholics in those regions. It is believed that many there now follow heretic cults. Two Cardinals and two priests are trying to redeem this situation as soon as possible.
Michel de Lannoy, who has been at the root of this, could finally be dennounced by Eusebius von der Pfalz. Hopefully this will make their task easier in the future.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Crusaders are nearing the Hellespont and have chosen to cross the sea South of Constantinople, not wanting to offend the Byzantines any more than necessary. Travel through off the road is proving slower though, but it is still much faster than negating the Byzantine capital and taking a detour north.
This enabled Duke Otto von Kassel, who has been pushing the cavalry as hard as possible to nearly catch up with the main Crusading Armies.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Word from Hans has been scarce and it is rumoured that he is stuck deep in the Hungarian Venetian border territories, making him possible prey for both our enemies. I wish him good luck on his journey and God's speed!


Word has reached me from Ulrich von Hümmel. It seems like he is about to assault Metz. I await the outcome of this battle with much anticipation. An example should be made of the populace to prevent future insubordiantions!

Ulrich von Hümmel was successful and defeated the unloyal Metz garrison. For their repeated insubordination many traitors were slain on the spot and a large part of the populace massacred. I commend Duke Ulrich von Hümmel on a job well done!


Gunther von Kastilien has put to flight several of the Polish armies that are avoiding open conflict. He finally managed to set upon a small force near Thorn and is currently attacking them!
He was once again successful and defeated the Polish.

The defenders of Frankfurt have waited long enough for the reinforcements, who were able to drive the besiegers from the city. Now they are ready to attack the Poles in earnest to keep them from coming back again.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

With the support of the Mailed Knights from Magdeburg the garrison of Frankfurt was once again successful against the Poles!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Ituralde]

1180:

This is the final year of my Chancellorship and this will be my last report covering the progress of the Reich under my rule. As one of my last acts I have ensured that the Crusaders pass the Hellespont safely via local shipping routes and they have now entered Anatolia. Duke Otto has caught up with Emperor Henry and the cavalry support is once again established. Hans follows closely after a close escape from the Hungarians.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Our trespassing into Byzantine soil has not been without consequences though. It seems that in the future much more will be needed than a measly tribute to keep the goodwill of our neighbours.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Let me now come to the rest of Reich. In the north English troops have landed near Hamburg, it's a pitifully small force though. The Danish have also reappeared near our border. Fredericus von Hamburg will be occupied with Stettin though. The Poles he was sent to deal with have turned about and are now besieging the city.

Further East, Günther von Kastillien has replenished his troops in Thorn castle and with the countryside free of Poles for once, he can once again plan to take Breslau.

In the South East the Hungarians were quiet and decided not to attack my force. They are within striking distance though and will be attacked after the next Diet session. Budapest was approached by members of the Theologians Guild, I believe that we are in need of every guidance we can get and thus accepted their offer of setting up a guild house in Budapest.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Furhter South the Venetians are marching on Venice. Gerhard Steffen has enough men assembled to defeat the Milita rabble they sent, with the aid of the Venice garrison.

As you know, Conrad Salier is in charge of the defense of Rome. Pope Fillipus the Warmonger has not yet lived up to his name.

In the West the French remain a threat, but they seem on the defensive after the fall of Metz and the other glorious victories made by Prince Jobst.
Their spies continue to cause unrest in Dijon though.
The problem of Heresy is hunted down vigirously by our Priests and Cardinal, who are now roaming the countryside near Metz, Dijon and Bern.


I leave the office behind with our coffers filled once again with 12000 florins, just the way it was when I took up this office what now seems so many years ago. My Chancellorship was one of expected hardship and I am proud to announce that not a single settlement remains lost at the end of my term. Quite to the contrary we are now in posession of the Hungarian capital Budapest.

Although there were conflicts I have held my promise and ensured a safe travel for the Crusading armies through hostile Hungarian and Venetian territory. The have safely reached and crossed the Hellespont and can now continue through Anatolia all the way to the Levant.

The biggest failure of my term as Chancellor remains in the continued excommunication by the Papacy. This along with the various states at war with us, remain the biggest part to our Empire. I have tried every diplomatic avenue short of giving away Imperial territory for nothing, but to no avail.
It will be our greatest challenge in the future to find ways around this sitution. I belive Duke von Kassel has already made proposals concerning this in the Diet and they should be expanded upon.

I said that I would try to get peace with our neighbours, but it seems that as long as we are excommunicated peace will be hard to achieve with our enemies. Several diplomatic attempts were made during my term, but everyone of them failed. Even our allies the Byzantines were not willing to grant mutual Military Access. It seems that our reputation has suffered through our recent actions. If we want peace, reconciliation with the Papacy is a must!

I will follow the example of my predecessors and not stand for reelection at the next Diet. It is for another to step forward and guide our Reich further through these troubled times. I have already included advice for any future Chancellor in the above, but would like to add some more.

The taking of Breslau should be a top priority in our future. The roaming armies around Thorn prevented me form achieving this in my term. Since the Poles are unwilling to sign a peace, we have to take Breslau to once again close our frontier with them. The vast forests between Magdeburg, Stettin and Prague have been an often-used avenue of attack from the Polish getting them as far as Frankfurt with only short notice. These woods are difficult to defend and if we would own Breslau this would make the task much easier.

Another priority would be the rebuilding of our fleets. During the recent troubles all of our ships were lost and we are now left without a navy. The money needed to build up and reinforce our armies on land left little to be spent at sea. Right now every Noble, able of commanding an army has one under his control to protect the Reich. It will be the task of my successor to deal with this task. That's why there is also one Mission from our Council of Noble unfulfilled. They demand to blockade of Caen port, but we simply lack the fleets to do it.

This ends my term as Chancellor and I hope that I have been a worthy leader of our Reich. I tried my best to guide us through the troubles caused by my deceased father. May the next Chancellor guide us as well or even better!

Duke Leopold of Austria,
Ex-Chancellor

[TinCow]

Build queue for Nuremburg:

Fairground
Irrigation
City Watch

Taxes set as high as possible without rioting.

Nuremburg is again focusing on expanding economic facilities to provide further income for the Reich. If the large sum required for Irrigation cannot be allocated by the Chancellor, but a sufficient amount can be found for the City Watch, the queue may be altered accordingly to allow this. However, the Count of Nuremburg will be most grateful if investment in both the Fairground and Irrigation could be made a some point over the next Chancellor's term.

[Ituralde]

Tax levels in Vienna and Budapest are to be set to Very High.
Happyness is to remain above a blue face. This overrides any tax settings.

Build priorities Vienna:

Large Stone Wall
Communal Farming
Great Market/City Hall (depending on funds)

Vienna will not accept a guild house from the following guilds:
Assassins' Guild, Thieves' Guild, Explorers' Guild, Theologians' Guild

Build priorities Budapest:

City Hall
Communal Farming
Militia Drill Square

[FactionHeir]

Orders for Bern:

1: Finish Stone Wall (1), hire 1 spear militia as city can support 4 now
2: Build Fairground (4)
3: Build Paved Roads (3)
4: Build Blacksmith (3) (1 of which in next chancellor's term)

Taxes to be set so that PO > 69% Red face at 70% is totally acceptable and should be aimed for.

Bern may not accept the following guilds: Thieves' Guild, Explorer's Guild.
Theologian's Guild may only be accepted at Bern once we are reconciled.

[econ21]

Build queue for Rome:

Complete Militia drill square (3 turns)
Merchant bank (4 turns)
City hall (4 turns)

Order of city hall and merchant bank can be swapped if available cash is tight.

Taxes highest possible consistent with order>69%.

[Northnovas]

Building queue for Castle Zagreb

1. Stables
2. Chapel/Church
3. Boywer
4. Crops

[Ituralde]

Build priorities Prague:

Council Chambers
Paved Roads
Fairground

Prague will not accept a guild house from the following guilds:
Assassins' Guild, Explorers' Guild, Theologians' Guild

Build priorities Venice:

Church
Paved Roads
Council Chambers
Fairground