Uesugi VH/VH/Long – Agent of Chaos

[Leptomeninges]

Soon there will be war. Millions will burn. Millions will perish in sickness and misery... But there are so many deserving of retribution... and there is so little time.

(Unfortunately I'm buried by work right now so the campaign isn't progressing very quickly.)

Turn 15:

I bloodied Anegakogi and forced peace on them in the previous turns, but now I have to deal with the bullies of the North Island -- the Takeda/Hojo axis.

I set up at the bridge. The Hojo/Takeda axis clearly thinks that I'm the sucker at the poker table.



But I'm not convinced they're seeing the big picture.



A few turns later Takeda arrives with two full stack armies.



I hide my armies in the forest adjacent to the road and set an ambush.

Don't tell me they didn't have a choice. Now the whole world stands on the brink... and all of a sudden nobody can think of anything to say.



This is the first of Takeda's two full stack armies. While I beat the second also, I didn't fare quite as well and didn't get a screenshot.

None of you seem to understand, I'm not locked in here with you, you're locked in here with me!

(Incidentally, I apparently didn't take a screenshot of this either, but I sent a small army down after I annihlated the Hojo army and took Kazuke which I knew from scouting was undefended. I struggled to know what to do with it. I'm not a big fan of vassals near a path I intend to ultimately expand through. I ultimately took it for myself, but left it undefended. If anyone attacks it will fall.)



I'm going to back up a few turns now to show you what my Daimyo has been doing in the northern island. In the screenshot below, I'm setting up my classic siege, "two step." I've baited out the big stack defending Miyagi with the single stack of yari to the right which retreated. Now, I'm about to grab the city with my main army. My army is far too weak to win against the Miyagi stack in the open field, but I'll annihlate them while defending from their own city when they assault in a turn.

This city is afraid of me. I have seen its true face. The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown.



One of Uesugi's starting problems is a dearth of generals and children coming of age. You start with your Daimyo and his brother -- both unmarried. I think my Daimyo's wife was a random event. As I recall this wasn't a political marriage. Somewhere in here a son is born. I've no idea if I'll last long enough for the son to "come of age," but I'm happy about the potential of more leadership material regardless. I've also picked up a random general recruitment event. You'll notice him supporting in the previous ambush screenshots.



No one seems to be home in Uzen to the north:

By the way, you need a stronger lock. That new one broke after one shove.



Whoops.



There is actually an enormous samurai army to the west. I suppose they were defending their western border since I was nominally an ally in the east. No matter. I'll demolish them during the siege assault.

Is that what happens to us? Only our enemies leave roses?

Violent lives ending violently.

And now another version of the two-step. I've made peace with both Takeda and Hojo. I'm interested in Satomi's lands now (represented as lavender compared with my darker purple on the minimap.)



I want Fukushima, but the stack defending is far bigger than my Daimyo's army, just behind the border in the right of the screenshot.

I bring my army that was defending Echigo down towards Shimotsuke. In the screenshot below, I have just taken Shimotsuke with my western force. This pulls the Satomi stack out of Fukushima. It is highlighted just below and to the left of the minimap. With the stack gone, my Daimyo will conquer Fukushima and crush the large army when they assault the city they just left.



I then turn to Hitachi in the south:



It is turn 28. After taking Hitachi I own ten provinces. This is slower than I'm used to expanding, but the north island isn't playing nice. I've linked a lot of the key battles, but there are a score of other skirmishes I've fought almost every turn that I've left unmentioned. They are grinding down my armies. My forces are woefully inadequate to defend this empire.

I don't need to look at the swath of purple on the minimap to know that I'm vastly overextended. My armies are exhausted. My frontiers are undefended. Can I build anything from these smoking ruins?

Or does this flurry of successful sieges represent the last blows of a punch-drunk boxer about to go down for the last time?

Bloodstain on chest like map of violent new continent.

Felt cleansed. Felt dark planet turn under my feet and knew what cats know that makes them scream like babies in night. Looked at sky through smoke heavy with human fat and God was not there. The cold, suffocating dark goes on forever and we are alone.

Does that answer your questions, Doctor?