17th century

[King Kurt]

Looks like Santa's coming early

[Rodion Romanovich]

CHAPTER 11 - March 1st, 1614 AD
...this chapter will affect the events from March 1st, 1614 AD to August 1st, 1614 AD

In the HRE, the French troops receive reinforcements, and also more modern artillery to the front. Up till now, the campaign has been supported by large artillery crews, but many of their pieces were old. Now they have started receiving larger numbers of the more modern guns, and they are brought into action at Trier for four weeks during the autumn, while the troops from Cologne and further reinforcements converge on the city. The defenses of Trier quickly reach a critical state under the bombardment, but no breakthrough is achieved. The French forces leave 7,000 men to continue the siege, while the rest move south to camps somewhere near the city of Speyer, which is controlled by the Rhineland-Palatinate, their local allies. In the meantime, the French southern army gathers around Spaichingen to assault the city before winter. The assault is quite fast, and casualties around 500 French infantry and 80 men from the garrison, the remainder surrenders. The French supply lines to the southern army have been redirected further south to avoid the Imperial raids, which end during the autumn, possibly as a result of this. The French don't have any major supply problems during the winter, and concentrate on strenghtening supply routes and similar rather than on advancing further. The pillaging seems to have been restrained somewhat, but continues to some extent. Losses to disease and similar are below a total of 500 for both French armies. A small French force also takes Ulm by surprise. The Protestant garrison opens the gates and lets the French troops in. After street fighting with a small number of forces loyal to the Kaiser, the town is secured with a minimum of casualties.

The Dutch siege of Cologne continues, without French support, but strenghtened by 2,000 mercenaries withdrawn from Brandenburg, and 5,000 newly hired mercenaries. The defenses are now damaged critically to the north, and on the verge of breaking. Dutch cavalry is seen penetrating far into the Empire in their reconnaissance missions and make contact with some Protestant troops in the westernmost Protestant territories to the north, and also with French allies further south, but run into no larger Imperial formations. Dutch engineers are also active. Losses to disease and similar are below 100.

In the Protestant North, Tilly ends his campaign after a quick assault on the town of Brandenburg. Potsdam and the territories north of Berlin remain in the hands of Brandenburg forces, while small garrisons are left in Berlin and Brandenburg town, announcing the creation of a new government. Tilly retreats south with the main part of his army, to replenish supplies, rest the troops, train reinforcements and raise the low morale of the surviving 5,000 veterans who were close to defeat during most of the campaign, until reinforced by the 20,000 men that arrived during the autumn, turning the tide of the campaign. Brandenburg forces quickly recon the garrisons in Berlin and Brandenburg, and the still intact Brandenburg army prepares plans for retaking the lost cities. It would seem that the Kaiser's campaign in Brandenburg has failed.

However the good news for Brandenburg do not come without bad news: during early autumn, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth launches a massive military operation on Brandenburg's possessions in Prussia. The Sejm has not supported the operation, but haven't prevented it either. The operation is controversial from many points of view: it is a strike on a vassal of the Polish king, not long after a bloody civil war aimed at increasing the influence of the Sejm and strengthen the rights of the nobility while limiting the king's influence. It is also controversial because it's presented to the Polish nobility as a war against the Protestant religion, which inevitably gives rise to interpretations that the operation is a means of joining the ongoing war on the Kaiser's side, whether that was the intention or not. The operation is militarily impossible for Brandenburg to resist with their garrisons in the area currently being weakened to support operations against Tilly. OVer 10,000 husaria and nearly 5,000 footmen advance towards Koenigsburg and Memel - the most important coastal cities in the Duchy - putting both cities under siege after a series of smaller skirmishes between patrols. Some Brandenburg troops under training have already been taken prisoners outside the besieged cities, and the city garrisons of the two cities are expected to have little more than a total of 500 troops each. The main portion of the Polish forces is gathered at Koenigsburg, bombarding the city defenses to be able to eventually assault.

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth also sends a small operation consisting of around 8,000 unsupported cavalry of different types towards Nizny Novograd to defeat the rebellion. The weather is however difficult and the city is held by a strong garrison of some 18,000 Russians. The Polish force is unable to conquer the city without support from more reinforcements, and more importantly cannons and infantry. Around 100 Polish cavalrymen are lost due to non-combat factors, but the cavalry at least carefully scouts out the area to bring back more information about the possibilities of besieging the city. They retreat towards Moscow, requesting reinforcements and suggesting a plan of establishing important supply stations along the way by conquering and garrisoning several smaller neutral cities on the route between Moscow and Nizny Novograd. In the meantime, the garrisons of Tver, Novograd and Pskov remain neutral, but are visited by Polish emissaries. Former Tsar Vasili has returned to Nizny Novograd to try and get the Tsar title back again and win respect among the rebels.

In Ireland, 8,000 English troops launch a military operation against the southwest rebels who aided the Spanish during the Anglo-Spanish war, after not having their ultimatum accepted. The troops quickly seize Limerick with less than 150 casualties and establish an important base there for further operations south. A major battle is fought somewhere between Limerick and Cork, resulting in an English victory after some 100 own casualties and around 500 losses for the rebels. According to treaty with Spain, Cork may not be touched, which makes it difficult for English operations to secure the remaining areas to the south. An attempt is made to conquer a chain of smaller towns around Cork, but there is guerilla activity in the areas west of Cork, and the main body of the surviving Irish troops has retreated towards Cork with around 4,000 men. The land in the already secured areas is handed over to leading Parliament members.

In the northern Italian peninsula, Spanish expansion continues. Several cities along the coast south of Genoa are declared under Spanish control and surrender, and Spanish reinforcements arrive, making their total numbers amount to 4 tercios (3,000 men) supported by strong artillery and cavalry detachments.

Sweden makes a third move on Riga, declaring the Russian vote null and void (thus being the first state outside Russia and Poland to at all comment on the validity of the vote). The Polish king has however learnt from the last siege of Riga, and has collected a garrison of 1,000 troops (of which most are husaria), which have stockpiled supplies in preparation for the siege. However, the Swedish forces amount to 12,000 infantry, 4,900 heavy cavalry and 1,400 light cavalry. These are reformed troops many of which haven't seen combat before, but in return they have more training in coordination and tactics than their earlier counterparts, and while many of the forces haven't seen combat, the unit leaders and generals have been taken from those with previous experience. This is the first major test of the capabilities of the new Swedish army organization. Swedish artillery pieces and Swedish warships quickly start bombarding the defenses of the city. The Swedish naval reforms have brought the numbers of the fleet up to 12 warships and almost 20 merchants, and most of this new fleet is used in the operation.

In Transylvania, a strong contingent of Imperial troops turn the tide of the war there and suddenly make Béthlen and Báthory about equal in strength. Báthory, operating from controlling important fortresses from the north, and Bétheln operating from the basis of great popularity among the population, now have about 30,000 troops each, and the coming campaign season will probably be crucial.

In Southern Africa, French colonists and troops find the Dutch colony and build French forts just out of gun's range on both sides of it. Colonists also establish a settlement shortly inland of the Dutch colony. This effectively prevents any further expansion of the Dutch colony, and makes it difficult for the Dutch colonists to expand their agriculture to supply their base, as well as making it more difficult for them to establish trade contacts with the natives there.


BRANDENBURG

1. where to concentrate the Brandenburg troops now? You lost the mercenaries from the Netherlands, but Denmark has promised to mobilize fully and send a large army to your aid. Tilly has retreated from Brandenburg, and left small garrisons in the cities he took. They could be retaken by siege, propably within 1-2 years.
a. use the land troops to quickly retake Brandenburg town and Berlin, now that Tilly is gone. If he comes back, it would be good to have retaken these important fortifications. If he doesn't come back, retaking these cities quickly is important to reestablish normal economical and political conditions. Don't bother about Memel and Koenigsburg at the moment, and keep the Brandenburg fleet in port
b. as a, but use the minimum forces necessary to retake Berlin and Brandenburg town, while sending 2,000 reinforcements to Koenigsburg by sea. Supply them by sea with your fleet. With a reinforced garrison, Koenigsburg would be able to resist siege for maybe up to 3-5 years, even if the defenses are damaged by Polish cannon
c. as b, but first have your fleet seek and engage the Polish fleet. Only if the naval battle succeeds send reinforcements to Koenigsburg. Supply the strengthened garrison by sea.
d. first move on Berlin and Brandenburg with all your troops, and only after they're taken send reinforcements to Koenigsburg.
e. as d, but instead of reinforcing Koenigsburg land most of your army outside Memel and fight the Polish besieging force. You would probably need help from some other fleet to transport that many troops, maybe the Danish could be convinced to help
f. don't do anything at the moment
g. other, specify what

2. diplomacy (choose zero or more)
a. try to make as many as possible in the Protestant Coalition declare war on Poland (by PM)
b. try to make as many countries as possible declare the Russian Tsar vote null and void, to give the Polish increased trouble on their eastern front (mainly by official statements in the thread and maybe also by PM)

3. the aid from Denmark
a. try to convince them to assist you in the retaking of Berlin and Brandenburg
b. try to convince them to assist you in relieving the Polish sieges of Memel and Koenigsburg
c. try to convince them to launch a diversionary attack on the Polish city of Danzig by going through Protestant Pomerania. Try to make Pomerania, who should be your friends, allow military access and help with supplies
d. as c, but instead target Poznan. There is a small, but no entirely impossible, chance that Bohemian Protestants would join such an attack, going via Silesia
e. other, specify what


ENGLAND

1. southwest Ireland
a. put Cork under siege, despite the treaty with Spain. It will make the military operations easier, and you can still be considered to have followed the treaty if you hand it over back to the rebels once they have been defeated. 3-5 warships from your fleet could cut off naval supplies from the city. This would enable you to defeat (kill or capture) most of the 4,000 Irish troops in Cork, and thereby remove any Irish military threats besides guerilla warfare. This would quickly resolve the war and prevent other Irish areas from joining the rebels
b. try to diplomatically resolve it by threatening to burn Cork to the ground if they continue to fight, but otherwise offer peace with Cork remaining independent
c. use scorched earth, pillaging, terror and similar to try and bring them to submission
d. concentrate on defensively holding key cities such as Limerick, and otherwise don't bother about the rebels
e. make several military operations from your base camp in Limerick - quick strikes on rebel bases then quick retreats to Limerick
f. other, specify what

2. the Papal bull
a. follow your previous plans
b. don't do anything for the time being
c. conspire with the Dutch, Danish and possibly Spanish against the French. They seem to be the only (of Spain and France) to try and completely impose the regulations of the bull. Perhaps if they back down on their requirements the bull will lose value
d. diplomatically resolve the conflict by talking to France
e. something else, specify what

3. buying flintlock muskets from abroad - diplomacy by PM. As for the other army reforms I suppose your intention was to make the changes later...

4. India. You probably need to make up more detailed plans for objectives and targets in India. Where to put settlements and forts? Where to concentrate on peaceful trade operations, and where to apply military force? How many soldiers should be sent to the area? How many civilian settlers would you try to aim to move there?


FRANCE

1. war with the HRE - what is the operational plan for the spring and summer? Some info about targets:
i. Mainz - would be very easy to siege after Trier falls, probably still has a small garrison unless reinforced
ii. Sigmaringen - previously under siege by French forces, but relieved during winter to concentrate on assaulting Spaichingen
iii. Ulm - Protestant town, at least temporarily secured, by a small French force. Could be reached by larger forces, but supply lines as far east as this would be quite exposed
iv. Würtemberg - Protestant town
v. Baden - Protestant town
vi. Ansbach - Protestant town
vii. Stuttgart
viii. Frankfurt
ix. Augsburg
x. Trier - could be assaulted during summer or later, or starved over the winter

2. desertion has been kept under slightly better control during the winter. Whether out of better reprisals or because those most likely to desert had already done so before, isn't known. Desertion numbers during winter were below 100 in total for the two armies together. Should further measures be taken? And what is the exact stance on pillaging of the army for the rest of the campaign? The discipline against pillaging is still fairly low. Troop morale has improved a bit but isn't high. Total casualties for this season were 800 for southern army, and 300 for northern army, including desertion, combat casualties and disease etc., most dead being infantry. You have however also 3,000 men reinforcements from home. You must also give directives about how many troops should be trained now to be ready to be sent in as reinforcements for the next season.

3. Poland's attack on Prussia could be seen as Poland joining the war on the Emperor's side, or just a Polish attempt to take control over that piece of land from a vassal considered dangerous. If France is to look like a saviour of among others Brandenburg, it's probably necessary to denounce this Polish operation in an official statement. Militarily, the Polish operation will maybe only affect the eastern flank of the Protestant efforts, and thus not hurt France, but that's difficult to say for sure. Whether French actions that weaken Poland or French actions that strengthen Poland would be good at this time is difficult to say, but at the very least it's clear that France have some possibilities of affecting Poland's future to some extent. Some actions that could weaken the Polish are:
i. try to reinforce the view that the Polish are participating in the war on the Emperor's side, rather than carrying out a simultaneous operation on a common enemy (Brandenburg) with the Emperor.
ii. try to declare the Tsar vote null and void, and/or declare Vassili as the rightful Tsar
Some actions that could strenghten the Polish are:
a. declare the Polish heir the rightful Tsar
b. state that Poland's attack on Prussia is unrelated to the Emperor's war, at the cost of undermining your credibility as saviour of among others Brandenburg. A cleverly phrased statement could of course decrease that effect, but probably only in the short term
c. warn any state from declaring war on Poland for some reason that you make up

4. pirate activity have been reported in the Carribbean, East Indies and at the Southeast African coast. Your fleets covering colonial activities in these areas are quite weak at the moment. There are luckily enough plenty of English and Spanish ships in the nearby areas, but an extensive pirate hunting program from their part would probably chase the pirates into your waters in a matter of a few months or up to a year or two. Something probably needs to be done

5. the situation with the Dutch in South Africa. The situation could turn into hostilities between you and the Netherlands, according to some of your diplomatic advisors, and they're worried that most of your forces are tied up in the war with the Kaiser


HRE and AUSTRIA

1. operational plan for the upcoming spring and summer. You should have the numbers of your troops from previous turns (Tilly has also trained a further 5,000 to replace losses), and now you must decide how to distribute these troops this turn, and whether they should receive any special orders. Here's a list of possible enemy targets:
i. the force besieging Cologne - a force consisting purely of Dutch troops. The Dutch force isn't too large - its numbers are below 20,000 men, but their quality is high - possibly one of the best armies of the time. They have experience fighting tercio tactics (the tactics used by your forces), and have a strong Horse Guard consisting of very professional Polish and Finnish cavalry forces with them. Cologne seems to be on the verge of falling, but could be saved if attacked quickly enough.
ii. the force besieging Trier - 7,000 French forces and plenty of artillery. Trier isn't likely to fall before somewhere in the middle of the summer or during autumn. A relieved Trier could form an excellent base for counter-offensive operations into Luxembourg and Franche-Comte, as well as cutting of supply lines to the French northern army. However it's risky because it could put a small Imperial army between Dutch and French forces, and Dutch and French forces could use this to converge on Trier and try to engage the Imperial army together, which could be a very difficult battle.
iii. French camp at Speyer - some 20,000 or more French troops are gathered here since Christmas. The position could be lightly fortified, and is probably prepared as a base for operations against Wallenstein.
iv. French forces to the south - estimated to some 22,000, and moving further east. If they abandon the systematical capture of key cities along the way and advance more rapidly with less cover, they could be easy to attack isolated with more or less guarantees that they aren't going to be close to any other French forces.
iv. Potsdam - the last important stronghold in Brandenburg. Taking this would secure everything except the minor cities on the northern coast of Brandenburg. Berlin, Brandenburg town and Potsdam could then be burnt to the ground or similar, with the effect of hurting Brandenburg severely in the long term. It would be brutal and used in the propaganda of France and the Netherlands, but the question is if those countries aren't already doing the maximum damage they can, and that such propaganda couldn't do any more damage than it has already done?
v. Ulm - Protestant town, taken over by a small French surprise operation. French garrison of some 2,500 men. Would take 1-2 years to starve out. It's quite far east and it would be difficult for the French to bring a larger army as far as this in the nearest half year or so, but not impossible
- And some defensive targets against likely French advance:
a. Mainz
b. Sigmaringen - previously under siege by French forces, but relieved during winter to concentrate on assaulting Spaichingen
c. Würtemberg - Protestant town
d. Baden - Protestant town
e. Ansbach - Protestant town
f. Stuttgart
g. Frankfurt
h. Augsburg
- And some defensive targets against likely Dutch advance:
1. Düsseldorf
2. Dortmund
3. Münster
all of these defensive targets have some form of independent garrison (not directly under the Kaiser's control, but formally supposed to be on your side in a war against an outer enemy). The Protestant towns are likely to surrender to Protestant forces and even assist them, while the other cities would see any reinforcements from the Emperor as a sign of the Emperor caring about his subjects by helping them in their defense. The French pillaging and plundering so far in the campaign could be a good thing to use politically to demonize the French invader and increase the will to fight them, even among some Protestant towns.
And some other targets to maybe consider:
- Jülich fortress, almost unguarded by its Protestant owners, could be easily taken and then garrisoned by Imperial forces
- more troops to help Báthory in Transylvania

2. Brandenburg. Abandoning Brandenburg and leaving just a small garrison in Berlin and Brandenburg town won't work for long. The Brandenburg army is still intact and will probably try to retake the cities.
a. abandon the cities and move your garrison troops south
b. order the troops to hold out, and promise them that Tilly will be back
c. order the troops to burn the cities to the ground and then retreat south
d. do nothing, and wait for the possibly inevitable siege from the remnants of the Brandenburg army. If Tilly's forces aren't used elsewhere, he could be sent to relieve the sieges, and then they wouldn't be any problem.

3. diplomacy
a. do nothing at the moment, diplomacy has broken down. But perhaps some of your enemies will help you in this matter by trying to make Poland appear to be on your side. If your enemies succeed in this, Poland will more or less end up on your side whether they like it or not, and will have nothing more to lose from cooperating with you. Then you could coordinate your military actions for improved efficiency
b. try to declare officially that you are thankful for Poland's assistance, and that they are true Catholics for supporting the Emperor. This would not be liked by Poland if they are trying to avoid ending up considered to be on your side in the war and face the same enemies you have, but if Poland ends up on your side they would have benefit from organizing cooperation
c. try to point out to Poland that the enemies of the Emperor are now likely to direct their wrath towards Poland too, and that Poland's enemies will now become enemies of the Emperor too as a result of the attack on Brandenburg. Do not blame the Polish, but simply explain that cooperation at this critical time is necessary to survive against all these enemies
d. do nothing this turn, things will perhaps have solved themselves by next turn

4. Transylvania - your support to Transylvania was too weak to enable Báthory to secure victory, but enough to prevent him from being defeated. Béhtlen and Báthory have almost equal numbers now and if given some crucial extra assistance of 5,000 troops or more, Báthory could even manage to defeat Béhtlen in the upcoming battles, unless the Ottomans support him with more than 10,000-15,000 men. The advantage of winning in Transylvania would be that Hungaria is less likely to stir up trouble in Bohemia again, but the downside is that 5,000 troops would be unavailable for other fronts.
a. send no more men, and withdraw the previous support. Hopefully Béthlen hasn't been angered enough over you supporting his opponent to attack the Empire too soon
b. send 5,000 more men. If the Ottomans don't send more support to Béthlen, he will lose, otherwise the situation will remain a deadlock
c. send 10,000 more men, to compensate for if the Ottomans send their support too. Then victory is almost certain
d. send 15,000-20,000 men, enough to be certain of victory almost no matter what the Ottomans would send


NETHERLANDS

1. Cologne. An assault is estimated to be successful once you've completely opened the breeches your artillery has been working on. Estimated casualties will be around 1,000 or less.
a. wait until artillery breaks the defenses, then assault. This will probably take 3 months
b. use your little "surprise" to break the walls. After the previous bombardment, the walls should be weak enough to not withstand your "suprise". A few hours after unleashing that, you could launch an assault. If successful, this would allow an assault almost immediately, enabling you to use most of the campaigning season for new operations, or allow you to make peace with the Emperor and disband your mercenaries.
c. continue starving the garrison. Perhaps another year or two is all it takes. Continuous bombardment in the meantime will also open more breeches.

2. operational plan for your armed forces this turn? 3,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry more have now been traied in Southern Netherlands and are now ready for campaign. Only 1,000 troops need to remain in Southern Netherlands for garrisoning and basic infrastructure improvements to support the operations at Cologne and improve the supply situation. Some things you must consider:
i. if you assault Cologne, what will be done afterwards to take advantage of the entire campaign season of this year?
ii. which are the goals of the campaign? Will the rest of the campaign serve to secure all small towns between the Netherlands and the Protestant neighbors to the east, or will the campaign aim to make a thrust deeper into the Empire and besiege another major Imperial city?
iii. garrisoning. Look over and decide the garrison sizes for: Northern Netherlands, Southern Netherlands, Liege, Aachen, and Cologne (if you assaulted Cologne)

3. how should the Netherlands react to the Polish attack on Brandenburg? By the rules of the Protestant Coalition, the Netherlands could be considered obligated to send 2,000 mercenaries, depending on the interpretation of the rules, or be considered to already have fulfilled the duty if this is to be considered the same war as the war with the Kaiser
a. send 2,000 mercs
b. instead suggest sending 3-5 warships to defend the Brandenburg fleet and enable it to safely supply Memel and Koenigsburg, which would delay the Polish sieges a lot
c. don't send any aid

4. French activities in South Africa
a. declare war, this is the second major provocation from France in a short time. Call for support from your Danish allies according to the treaty made a short time ago. At the same time try to bring a quick end to the war with the Kaiser
b. warn the French to end their provoking activities and hand over their newly constructed forts and small settlement, or face a declaration of war
c. do nothing at this time


OTTOMAN EMPIRE

1. the Crimean Tatars. Your forces are prepared for war, now the question is if you will go to war, and if so what the operational plan will be. Due to the lack of major settlements in the area it'll not be easy to force the Tatars to battle, but by securing certain of their key forts, and colonizing own settlements in the area, as well as constructing own forts and using your fleet extensively in the Azov Sea, you would have a chance of weakening the Tatars and extending your sphere of influence, as well as improving your own ability to defend yourself against Tatar raids

2. Transylvania. The Emperor's intervention suddenly made the seemingly easy victory turn into an almost even battle that is only slightly pointing in favor of Béthlen. See HRE options for info. What will you do? Send support? If so, how much? You already have some men there: 5,000 men, the amount that at the beginning of last autumn seemed enough to secure victory, while your other troops were prepared for fighting the Tatars. Now however it would seem you need to send 15,000 men to secure victory if the Kaiser sends another 5,000 or none, or up to 25,000 or more if the Kaiser sends a huge force of reinforcements. Béhtlen has established a fairly strong position so the supply situation should be slightly better than at the time of your crucial battle with Báthory, but still probably not good enough to supply an Ottoman help force larger than 25,000 men

3. your fleet. With the new ships you have received having been analysed since they came, you now have the skills required to develop similar ships in own shipyards. They wouldn't immediately be as good as those of England, France, Spain and Venice. You could choose between several different options, including either trying to quickly mass produce, or first experiment a lot and not start mass producing until good prototypes have been deployed and tested. For construction of these ships, you need to open up effective infrastructure for production and handling of ship timber, and good shipyards situated close to areas where you can acquire the timber. It would probably take some 2-3 years or so to construct these things - then it's up to you whether you want to put priority on improving quality before being able to begin mass production early


POLAND

1. what will be the operational plan for your armed forces for this campaign season? Possible targets include:
i. the army besieging Riga - the Swedish main army is besieging Riga with a force consisting of over 18,000 men. The strength of these new reformed troops is unknown, so it's difficult to say what tactics they will employ, and how disciplined and fast at manouvering their forces will be. Tactical judgements from the Polish commander could turn out wrong in anticipating their moves and capabilities, resulting in unexpectedly high losses, but if good margins are used, that shouldn't be crucial to the outcome of any battle. Only thing you know for sure is their cavalry isn't comparable to the husaria.
ii. Koenigsburg - no breeches in the defenses yet, under siege by your forces
iii. Memel - no breeches in the defenses yet, under siege by your forces
iv. Nizny Novograd - will the cavalry force receive infantry reinforcements and artillery to be able to properly besiege the city? They will probably need at least half a year, possibly an entire year, to secure important smaller towns along the route from Moscow to Nizny Novograd. Without doing that, it would be difficult to successfully starve out the city. Supply problems are still expected during a siege of the remotely located city
v. Transylvania - the two fighting for control over the area are evenly matched. Does Poland want to help either of them? Béthlen would probably open the path for Ottomans passing through into Poland and the HRE, while Báthory perhaps can't be trusted either but wouldn't let the Ottomans pass through.

2. economical problems. Your campaigns and large amount of mustered mercenaries are now starting to affect your economy. Your treasury is nearly empty, and unless you take loans or get the Sejm to accept raised taxes again, your troops will soon not be able to receive their pay. You disbanded a few of the semi-irregular cavalry, but they were low cost troops with right to pillage instead of higher wage, so they didn't reduce your expenses much

3. diplomacy
a. declare your attack on Brandenburg unrelated to the Emperor's war. Maybe this could mean avoiding hostility from the Protestant Coalition
b. declare your attack as a means of joining the Emperor's war. The Pope would like this, and possibly send money to finance some of the Polish wars. It would also stir up politics in an interesting way. Maybe it could make Spain join the war too. France would naturally start having problems at home if the war becomes more a matter of a religious war Protestants vs Catholics than a political war, and maybe be forced out of the war by problems among their Catholic population at home
c. do nothing


RUSSIA

1. securing your power as a Tsar. Which method you choose will probably affect your future political position a lot, in terms of who will support you and who will become your enemies
a. luckily enough, your cousin and general is still alive. You could gain power again through his military skills. Declaring yourself Tsar and at the same time promising that he will defeat the Polish invader is risky, but would if successful reestablish your position almost immediately. Repeat your previous offers of the loyal boyar receiving the lands of the illoyal boyars, and some promises of better conditions for the poorer. Allow formerly illoyal boyars to change sides, but state that this is their last chance of doing so
b. as a, but don't allow any more boyars to change sides to your side. All illoyal boyars must be punished
c. as a, but also send emissaries to Tver and Novograd to make them join your side
d. as b, but also send emissaries to Tver and Novograd to make them join your side
e. other, specify what

2. military plans for this campaign season. Your previous strategy of avoiding field battles and striking when the enemy was temporarily weakened by matters elsewhere has worked up till now, at least in enabling you to defend yourself and halt the Polish expansion. But Moscow must be retaken if a turning point is to be achieved. The last Polish attempt to conquer Nizny Novograd failed, but still they were able to send as much as 8,000 cavalry while simultaneously launching a major operation on Prussia. First thing you must do is to gather your forces. You would probably be able to create an army of 30,000-40,000 men if you successfully regain power, but there's also a risk that this estimation is incorrect, and you will only be able to form an army of some 25,000 men. So whatever military plans you make for your forces will have to be conditional, i.e. you'll have to say under which conditions you will do what, depending on how well the mustering of forces goes. The force will probably be 70% levies, 10% professionals and 20% mercenaries. You could also try to hire more mercenaries. Possible targets for operations include:
i. Tver, sending a small force to ensure their loyalty and putting a garrison in place to hold off Polish invaders. The new garrison could also reestablish contact with the troops you had in the city and that were previously part of your army
ii. Novgorod, sending a small force to ensure trade with Sweden can be reestablished, and economical and diplomatical situation improves. The new garrison could also reestablish contact with the troops you had in the city and that were previously part of your army
iii. Moscow, where over 2,000-3,000 Polish-loyal troops are kept. There's a risk of meeting additional Polish forces on the way to Moscow

3. it has come to your attention that Sweden has sent financial aid to the rebels. Since it wasn't clear before they were sent whether you would command them or not, this could perhaps be seen as support directed to you. The money could be used to hire some mercenaries. You could also convince the Swedish to send more money, possibly as a loan that you will pay back to them later, when you have secured yourself against the Polish invasion and retaken at least Moscow, and possibly also Smolensk


SPAIN

1. operational plan for your armed forces this campaign season. Targets and missions to consider:
i. northern Italy - your operations in Northern Italy are going well with the current reinforcements they received. The commander has listed some possible targets:
a. Parma
b. Florence
c. Pisa (controlled by Florence)
d. Reggio Emilia (just north of Modena and Bologna, which are controlled by the Papacy)
e. Livorno (harbor city)
f. the cities north of Florence and east of Genoa, to cover the quite large area between Venice and the circle formed by Florence-Milan-Genoa
ii. Portugal - The gathering of another large rebel army failed after an operation from Spinola, and the situation looks like it's stabilizing, if slowly. The area still troublesome, and he recommends keeping 2 tercios for a long time to ensure Spanish control over the region
iii. India - the establishing of a stronger colonial presence here will require military support, because conflicts with the locals are likely. Sending 2 tercios or more is recommended by your local governor to establish a few strong key bases, and more troops are needed if the influence is to extended even more. He asks for direct orders regarding where to concentrate military operations and where to concentrate on trade. Also orders regarding whether to try and gain popularity with the locals. The Hindis, and the Muslims, are the major population groups in the area, with the Hindis having lately been militarily weaker but larger in population numbers. From some muslim rulers to the northwest of India there have been attacks not under Ottoman control but at least previously passively supported by the Ottomans. These have mainly struck the northwest parts of India

2. economy - your debts are now practically gone thanks to your previous reforms, repaying and what seems to be a decrease in corruption and more efficient administration. No major problems that require the attention of the king have arised, but your administration reports that they this winter found a few cases of corruption that they dealt with.

3. your war fleet is improving well, as is your merchant fleet. The previous crisis in lack of ships for the regular transport missions in your colonies that took place during the most critical phase of your war with England has now ended. You were lucky in that piracy activity was comparatively low in the East Indies and the Carribbean at that time. Now, however, piracy has increased again, in both of these areas. Pirates are also harassing the Southeast African coast.


SWEDEN

1. operational plan for your military forces? Targets to consider:
i. Riga - under siege, with 1,000 men garrison and good stockpiles. Luckily enough, the Swedish fleet is blockading them and the 1,000 men consume a lot of supplies even if stockpiles are large. Therefore, starving the garrison should take less than 3 years. The cannons haven't opened major breaches yet, but assault is possible, although costly. Decide whether to continue siege, assault or withdraw, and if you want to cover much ground with scouting cavalry and if so, under which circumstances (depending on what is spotted) you will withdraw.
ii. the Polish fleet - consists of around 2 warships and a few merchants, kept in Danzig. If sunk, it would be unable to interfere with Brandenburg's transports of supplies to Memel and Koenigsburg, resulting in the Polish sieges of those cities being delayed for a very, very long time, which would tie up important Polish troops there and make them unable to fight Swedish troops at Riga. The majority of the Swedish fleet could still stay at Riga in the meantime
iii. Memel - use your fleet to transport your main army there and fight the less than 5,000 Polish forces besiging the city. Temporarily abandon your plans for Riga in the meantime. After relieving the city you could return to Riga, or a defensive position at Reval, or somewhere else (specify what you will do afterwards depending on outcome, if you choose this option)

2. the mercenaries that you have sent to Brandenburg?
a. withdraw them and send them to Riga
b. keep them at Brandenburg's disposal a little while longer


VENICE

1. the Spanish advance in Northern Italy (see Spain, option 1, for more info about the possible and likely targets of their advance this turn)
a. don't do anything, but try to obtain guarantees that they won't attack Venice
b. try to gather several smaller North Italian cities in alliance to resist further Spanish expansion
c. send Venetian troops to try and occupy the cities north of Florence and east of Genoa, to control the important regions between Venice and the areas likely to come under Spanish control in the nearest future. Even if this angers the cities you would occupy, it would strengthen your defensive in the short term, but unfortunately also give the Spanish some action of yours to use in their propaganda, if they want to
d. send the Venetian fleet to harass the Spanish fleet aiding their efforts in Northern Italy. They wouldn't be prepared for such an attack, and with the element of surprise you could severely devastate their land operations and the supply situation for their land forces, as well as sink much of their Mediterranean fleet
e. ask the Pope for help. However, Venice hasn't got a history of good relations with the Pope. Discuss with the Pope by PM possible help. He might require much from you to help, and if you look to desperate to accept anything it might worsen your chances of surviving the Spanish and French ambitions in North Italy. However if it works, and the Pope supports you, French and Spanish forces are likely to slow down their expansion
f. contact the Spanish (by PM) and demand them to give guarantees not to attack Venice. Offer them something appropriate, such as a royal marriage or trade agreements. Alternatively try to prevent them from attacking you by warning them that a weakened Venice would open up the path for Ottoman expansion, and that it would hurt all Christian countries if Venice or Austria would be unable to keep up their strong defense of the eastern frontier of Christian Europe

2. allies. Apart from your alliance with the Dutch, you don't have any allies. Allies and states who officially declare that they would join a war on your side if you were to be attacked are good ways of guaranteeing your independence. Some things you could do (choose zero or more):
i. make the alliance with the Netherlands official, by making an official statement (make a post in the thread)
ii. try to ally with France (by PM)
iii. try to ally with England (by PM). England recently fought a war with the Spanish
iv. try to ally with the Holy Roman Emperor. He has many enemies, but has the Pope's blessing, and an alliance of the Kaiser and Venice would be an alliance of two Catholic nations, which would be difficult for Spain to justify an attack on, especially as the Spanish ruling family also happen to be tied by blood to the Kaiser's family

3. your army. Hire any mercenaries or not? If you hire any, it would perhaps bring your economy into debt, but if you consider the current situation critical it might be the only way to secure your independence. The amount of debt you get depends on how many you hire. I.e. if you hire 2,000 mercenaries for a year, you'll have a debt corresponding to 2,000 mercenaries for a year, and with your current income that's something that would probably take less than one fifth of your average annual income to repay.

4. contacts with the Ottomans. Given how the new Ottoman ruler has opened up trade contacts with England, France and Spain, it's probably not unlikely that they will allow you too to trade with them. This could improve your economy a lot, and even put you at an advantage compared to your competitors. Stronger economy means stronger army, which is probably necessary to keep the aggressive French and Spanish armies at bay

[Rodion Romanovich]

Official statement from Denmark:
Denmark hereby declares war on the Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Catholic League. We have been forced to this sad decision after the Kaiser's unprovoked attacks towards Brandenburg, as well as his refusal to try the Brandenburg Elector in a neutral court for what crimes the Kaiser accuses him of rather than using military force. Denmark previously offered to host such a trial in Copenhagen, or alternatively send Danish troops to supervise such a trial on the soil of the Holy Roman Empire, but these offers were refused. Brandenburg are also our military allies, and it is our duty to assist them when they face such threats from a Catholic leader who doesn't respect the Diet of Augsburg.

Denmark has already assisted Brandenburg by sending mercenaries to their aid. With their help, Brandenburg managed to inflict utter defeat on the Kaiser's army, forcing the few survivors to flee south. Now, Denmark has decided to mobilize her full army and send it to the aid of our Brandenburg allies, to retake the cities that the Kaiser's forces so treacherously took before they left. Interestingly, the forces who took over Berlin and the town of Brandenburg were not forces under the direct control of the Kaiser, but forces under the direct control of the Catholic League - a League whose only purpose is to threaten the rights of all followers of the Protestant faith. The Danish army will liberate these cities, and bring utter defeat to any further armies the Emperor sends north to illegaly suppress the rights of the Elector of Brandenburg. The troops have already started marching, and will reach Brandenburg by mid-April.

Signed,
King Christian IV of Denmark

[Kagemusha]

Thanks Legio!Great chapter!

[Marshal Murat]

Finally...

War in Prussia
The invasion of Prussia is the right of the king to prevent the Protestants from using Polish territory to train troops to fight in this European war. We are disgusted that Brandenbrug would use the land and peoples there-in for a highly suspicious and religiously driven war.

[Warluster]

Can I play Translavania? The one which you play legio, not the Papacy, the other one, can I play that?

[Rodion Romanovich]

Can I play Translavania? The one which you play legio, not the Papacy, the other one, can I play that?

As I said, new players are only allowed in if someone else drops out. There are many factions not currently played by any, but the reason not to have more players is that too many players make it too complex for me to organize. I can notify you by PM if someone drops out.

[Incongruous]

The Imperial Government.

The Imperial Roman Government Declares open and total war upon the enemies of Germany.
The Protestant Union and France.

We urge our Catholic brothers across Europe to come to the defence of the true faith or face damnation.

[SwordsMaster]

Legio, just one thing, 4 tercios are 12,000 men, not 3,000.

[Rodion Romanovich]

yes would have been more clear if I wrote it like this: "4 tercios (1 tercio = 3,000 men)"

[SwordsMaster]

yes would have been more clear if I wrote it like this: "4 tercios (1 tercio = 3,000 men)"

yup, thanks. My current tercios are probably quite a bit larger now, after all the extra additions of cavalry, light troops and artillery anyway...

[Rodion Romanovich]

Merry Christmas to all!

[Randarkmaan]

Merry christmas my fellow kings, emperors, princes, chancellors and Tsars!

[Kagemusha]

Merry Christmas to all!

[Marshal Murat]

And to all a good Christmas
This is my wish
so just stay at home
and cook a fish.

[SwordsMaster]

Last announcement before christmas:

The Irish Free City of Cork has accepted the gracious offer of His Catholic Majesty the King of Spain, and is now a vassal of Spain. The rebel army at war with England will disband, and make peace with England, and instead a spanish garrison will be formed with its members in Cork and its vicinity. In addition to this, an Irish tercio will be formed and stationed near the city.

The Council of Indies has also offered to those who do not wish to remain in Ireland free passage to the Indies with other benefits and conditions arranged by this treaty of Cork.

OOC:

Merry Christmas to all!

I will be irresponsive for the next week or so... I know, I know, i'm sure you will survive just fine.

[Incongruous]

The Emperor suggests that since this a season of giving, why do our enemies not simply give us their surrenders now and not dally any further?

[Franconicus]

After the victory at Spaichingen our armies now reached Ulm. The citizens opened the doors and welcomed their liberators.
Today we gather at Notre Dame de Reims to thank the Lord. The southern army will receive one month extra payment and the assault detachment of Ulm will receive decoration and meterial rewards!
Praise the Lord and join the glorious army today!

======================================================

To the counties and towns of Germany!

Our armies are marching through southern Germany and there is little resistence from Imperial forces. Every day another town is liberated and everyday new towns and counties join us, so that our army is getting stronger and stronger. Join the allied armies, that has already liberated the Palatinate, the Danube, Luxembourg, Franche Comte and Ulm. Open your gate. We will bring you peace and order!

=======================================================

We received news about piracy. We will not tolerate that.

1) Every attack against any armored or unarmored Christian ship will be judged as piracy. Pirates will be sentenced to death. Countires that support pirates will be seen as enemies.
2) We collect all data about piracy at the library of Marseille. Anyone can give and get information there. (Legio, can you please give info where pirates act?)
3) Our armed forces received the order to capture pirates and to help attacked shippes whereever it is necessary.
4) We ask the countries of England, Spain and the Netherlands to join our fight.

[Incongruous]

It is good to see that the German word for Tyranny is translated into the French word liberation so easily by our serpent tongued foe.

We now know the true calibre of those so called Germans whom have surrendered to the malignant foe!

Do not let these men, stripped of their manhoods as they are, convulse you're brave and righteous souls! We are shielded by Christ! No foreigner shall ever lay claim to Germany and her people!

You're Emperor, heir to the first Christians of Europa doth demand that everyman whom lays claim to the title of Christian deos coem foreward and rid us of the plague of the Frogs!

His highness the Emperor.

[Kagemusha]

Open letter to the Kaiser and all people of Germany

The Republic of Netherlands would advice the Kaiser to surrender now,when he still has something left of his Empire. We have no ill will towards the people of Germany,as our actions during our campaings have witnessed. Kaiser created this war against his own people only becouse of his personal lust of power and his intolerance towards peoples right to their own religious beliefs. We will soon wash Germany off from this yoke and together we will build new Germany where people can prosper and will not be haunted becouse of their beliefs. If Kaiser has not made peace before the end of the next season.We urge that every able man in West,North,South Germany,Bohemia,Hungary and Italia, who agrees that this bloodshed which Kaiser have created against his own people has to end.Will then raise the war flag against him as one man.The day of peace is close. Soon there will be a sign,which will mark the beginning of end of Kaisers reign of terror over peoples of Germany.

The Republic of Netherlands

[IrishArmenian]

Vasili gives his blessing to this war on the tyrannical rule of the Kaiser.
Dear Kaiser, either take the humble road and agree to a ceasefire under a compromise or abdicate the throne now. Remind me how you got elected, because if you can, anyone can.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Franc and Kage, did you receive my PM replies or did they get deleted by the database error that came shortly after I sent them?

[Franconicus]

I think I received them.



Announcement

France transferred His claims on the French part of India to Denmark. Excluded is the area around our our base in Northwest India.

[SwordsMaster]

His Catholic Majesty the King of Spain declares:

The Council of the Realms has graciously agreed to lend the help of spanish fleets to clear the Mediterranean sea. Obviously Spain will also protect her own coasts in all of her colonies be it in the Caribbean, Pacific or african or indian coasts.

[Kagemusha]

Yup Legio.I got it.Thanks for the information.

Statement from Republic of Netherlands.

We salute France for alerting us others about piracy and we also confirm that all pirates catched by Dutch fleet will be keelhauled like our good custom is for handling Seawolves.

[Franconicus]

Philippe,

my messages did not make it to you. Can you clear your mailbox please?

[Rodion Romanovich]

From the population of Cork:
We confirm the Spanish message that we have accepted a Spanish governor to be installed in Cork. We have ordered our troops to withdraw from all territories outside Cork, as long as Cork isn't touched by English troops.

From Denmark:
We confirm the French statement. The French claims to parts of India, save for their already established base, will be handed over to Denmark. In return, Denmark will open for French ships to trade without taxes in the Danish colony in western Africa, and free passage of French ships into the Baltic.

[Franconicus]

From Denmark:
We confirm the French statement. The French claims to parts of India, save for their already established base, will be handed over to Denmark. In return, Denmark will open for French ships to trade without taxes in the Danish colony in western Africa.

As well as free and safe passage to the Baltic Sea.

[SwordsMaster]

Philippe,

my messages did not make it to you. Can you clear your mailbox please?

Sorry. I believe the King's new secretary has sorted the problem. The old one is rowing on a galley off the Berbery coast if i am not mistaken.

[SwordsMaster]

First, several announcements of the King of all the Spains:
________________________________________________________
The King wishes to welcome to Spain to all engineers, mathematicians, artillerists, seamen, officers, and colonists of christian faith that wish to start a life in Iberia. They will be granted jobs either in Spain or the colonies and will be treated according to their position.
__________________________________________________________
Also, works to embellish the city of Madrid have begun, to mark this new age of economic prosperity.The King wishes to send word to the best sculptors of christendom to come to the city and participate in a project that will grant them fame and fortune.
________________________________________________________
The King also suggests to the cities in Northern Italy to accept spanish rule to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, and wishes to reassure Venice that Spain has no intention of attacking her.

____________________________________________________________
His Catholic Majesty will also offer asylum to the Holy Roman Emperor should he wish to abandon his country, and will support a catholic Emperor in the future. As much as the King does not share the Emperor's policy, he does not forget the ties of blood and faith that join our two houses.

___________________________________________________________
The King's troops will commence a campaign to rid Spanish Africa of pirate strongholds.

___________________________________________________________

OOC: Happy New Year to all! May it be creative and productive, and above all, interactive (pun intended)