17th century

[Csargo]

@Csar: yes you are correct! I found your options, but in another place than where I thought I put it however, your reply for the options 1 and 4 was missing. I remember that you did choose an option there, but it has disappeared from my notes through my clumsiness. Has to do with how I had to go away for a week... All other options for all others should be intact though.

You want me to resend them?

[Marshal Murat]

With the armistice, will military decisions between the nations be affected?
The Polish are more than willing to provide supplies to the Hispano/Franco Army that lands in Ryga. I am asking that all Voyevodes and Starostas accomidate the thousand soldiers as far as the Russian Border.

[Incongruous]

To the Elector of Brandenbourg.

We would ask you to come to trial at a place of you're choosing, to be tried by a fair court made up by free election of judges from within the Empire. As already stated, if you are found not guilty of the charge of treason and seditous acts against the Empire, you shall be recompensated after a formal declaration of loyalty to the Empire and whoever presides in it's Imperial throne.
We ask you to be compliant, for if you do not, we will not halt the advance of war upon you're lands.

His most Holy Majesty, The Holy Roman Emperor.

[IrishArmenian]

From the Tsar,
I will have 1/4 of my main army meet you there and act as an escort force. They will bring sufficient supplies for not only themselves, but the Franco-Hispano force as well. The rest of my army will be on security detail in and around Novorgood.
Emperor Matthias, I advise using an international tribunal. I doubt the Duke of Brandenburg and Prussia will say no to that. Every nation will send an emissary to the trial, the Holy Roman Empire and Brandenburg will not have a representative, but keep in mind there will be many Catholic nations so it will not be biased. The international jury shall hear both sides of the grievance and will then proceed in deciding on
We must have peace now, or the peace meetings will not have any backing behind them. I, most humbly ask you for a recess from your military advancement.

[Rodion Romanovich]

You want me to resend them?

yes!

[Incongruous]

The Holy Roman Emperor

We do not recognise you Pretender, we will not recognise you until you have been properly elected. This is also a an internal matter and therfore none of you're buisness, we do not threaten you with trial and war.
We await an answer from the Elector.

[King Kurt]

King James begs your forgiveness for his tardyness and he has dispatched a messenger by swiftest horse with his intentions for the next few months.

[SwordsMaster]

Any person and their family no matter their crime or nationality can ask asylum in Spain and will be granted land in the spanish posessions in India, as long as they convert to Catholic faith and swear their allegiance to the King.

Madrid, Duke of Lerma

[IrishArmenian]

The Holy Roman Emperor

We do not recognise you Pretender, we will not recognise you until you have been properly elected. This is also a an internal matter and therfore none of you're buisness, we do not threaten you with trial and war.
We await an answer from the Elector.

I have been crowned once before, so watch your tongue.
The Tsar.

[SwordsMaster]

The Spanish diplomat in Amsterdam is pleased to announce that Spain and the United Provinces have found an agreement and that a non-agression pact has been signed by both sides.

The King believes this should encourage trade as merchants no longer have to be fearful of Dutch or English pirates and privateers.

[Kagemusha]

The Spanish diplomat in Amsterdam is pleased to announce that Spain and the United Provinces have found an agreement and that a non-agression pact has been signed by both sides.

The King believes this should encourage trade as merchants no longer have to be fearful of Dutch or English pirates and privateers.

The Republic of Netherlands is also happy that a peace and friendship has come where hostility lived before.We are happy to inform that the information of the Spanish is correct.

[Marshal Murat]

OT:To think if European monarchs had such things as instant messenger, the world might be a better place.

[IrishArmenian]

Yes, quite. Very good indeed.
The Tsar would like to know why the Emperor Matthias is so cynical about every nation that tries to spark a dimplomatic relationship with his and why he seems so paranoid. There is nothing underhanded or shady going on here.

[Rodion Romanovich]

There is nothing underhanded or shady going on here.

or is there...?

[SwordsMaster]

or is there...?

Oh, damn! I thought the new chapter was up... Back to work...

[IrishArmenian]

or is there...?

Who gave the Pope smileys? The smilies clearly say "not for papal use"!

[Rodion Romanovich]

Who gave the Pope smileys? The smilies clearly say "not for papal use"!

The papacy must do what is needed in defense of the Holy Church, and in this case, usage of these blessed icons was blessed by the Lord!

[Rodion Romanovich]

Oh, damn! I thought the new chapter was up... Back to work...

SWEDEN hasn't PMed decisions yet
Looking at the decisions for this turn I see that TRANSYLVANIA doesn't need to send in anything for the next chapter to be possible to write, so we're only waiting for SWEDEN now.

[Incongruous]

The Emperor shall protect the Popes icon smileys with his life you dsatardly blaggards!

Jokes jokes.

Or was it?

[Randarkmaan]

The Islamic Caliph (who also happens to be Sultan) wishes to inform everyone that in Islam smileys are not prohibited, no matter their context and meaning . Convert and you may use smileys and other emoticons however you see fit

[Incongruous]

So that new chapter...
yeah...

[Lord Winter]

My desicions are finilly in. Sorry for the delay.

[Kagemusha]

Proclamation of independancy of Republic of 16 provinces of Netherlands

In the 28th day of February in year of our lord 1613. By the Grace of our Lord we announce that the Republic of Netherlands have ended succesfully negotiations with the Monarchy of Spain. We declare that from this day onward the former Spanish Netherlands consisting the provinces of Zutphen, Drenthe, Limburg, Brabant, Hainaut, Namur, Mechelen, Flanders and Artois, are now independent states of Republic of Netherlands with full rights and representatives in the Republic. The taxes of the new states are also reduced on the level of the original states. Also the Republic will rename her official name from The Republic of the seven united provinces of The Netherlands to The Republic of the sixteen united provinces of The Netherlands. There will be complete freedom of Religion and no man will be persecuted becouse of his Religion. Also any man who doesnt want to join the Republic is free to leave without dangering himself or his family. Thank the Lord allmighty for the happines that have faced the people of the Netherlands and three Hurrah for the Unity of the Netherlands!

Maurice of Nassau, captain- General and the stadtholder of The Republic of the sixteen united provinces of The Netherlands.

[King Kurt]

Message from the Court of King James

His majesty welcomes the news of the creation of the new extended Republic of the Netherlands and wishes the new country peace and prosperity.

He officially recognises the new borders of the Republic and will establish full diplomatic relations with them.

He applauds the Netherlands and Spain for coming to a peaceful resolution of their long running despute. By such an honourable arrangement they have brought peace to this area - a peace which England wishes to see maintained.

Any new country has many external pressures on it. England hereby states that it will view seriously any attempt to usurp the will of the Dutch people. We will view any pressure applied to the new nation as a direct military threat to our Sovereignty and will react accordingly.

God bless the new Republic of the Netherlands

God bless the King.

Signed this day

King James the First of England and Sixth of Scotland.

[Franconicus]

The French Government vetoes the annexation of Belgium. It requests, that the Dutch respect the neutrality of Belgium.

[Rodion Romanovich]

The Emperor shall protect the Popes icon smileys with his life you dsatardly blaggards!

Jokes jokes.

Or was it?

by the way, if this would be true, it would be a bit against the church's previous view on icons

[Kagemusha]

The French Government vetoes the annexation of Belgium. It requests, that the Dutch respect the neutrality of Belgium.

The Republic of Netherlands will give an announcement about the situation once the new Parliament have gathered. We dont understand what the King of France is talking about with the Neutrality of Belgium. We would be happy if the internal affairs of the Republic would be left to the presentetatives of states to handle.

Dutch Ambassador in Paris

[Kagemusha]

The Embassador of Netherlands in Escorial ask´s what are the thoughts of the Spanish King on the current situation?

The Embassador of Netherlands in Spanish court.

[SwordsMaster]

Spain believes it has done everything that was needed to restore peace in the region. Spain will honour the treaties it has with both parts and shift its interest elsewhere.

I would like to remind that the Netherlands has guaranteed safe passage to Spain of all spanish troops, equipment, and all those who wish to follow. The treaty will be considered null and void if they are harmed.

I have mediated in the conflict as much as I could, and I believe that intervention is out of the question at the moment. Further developments will show.

[Rodion Romanovich]

CHAPTER 9 - March 1st, 1613 AD
...this chapter will affect the events from March 1st, 1613 AD to August 1st, 1613 AD

On the night of the 5th of August, Tilly abandons the siege of Berlin to try and engage the Brandenburg army outside the city to get his back free for an assault before winter. With the cover of darkness, he quickly marches his army in a wide arc towards the Brandenburg camp a few kilometers away, sending his cavalry ahead of the other forces to try and raid the Brandenburg artillery positions before the infantry with perfect timing and artillery support are to assault the enemy position before the Brandenburg army manages to form up properly and there's still confusion in their camp. The sound of gunfire followed by the approaching thunder of hooves initially gives him the impression that the opponent was successful in defeating the initial raids, but as the cavalry returns he he receives word that the initial phase of the plan has been successful, and he begins an advance with both infantry and artillery, however not without delay. The rest of the battle is fast - the night attack and confusion has demoralized the mercenaries, some of who are isolated by Tilly's manouvering and driven into a rout. Soon a full scale rout begins, but while the cover of the darkness initially favored Tilly, it is now what prevents him from successfully continuing the pursuit. Tilly has lost around 500 infantry and 250 cavalry, while Brandenburg losses are estimated to 1,000 infantry, all of their 20 guns, and some 300 cavalry, but Tilly has little information about the strength of the survivors, only some indications that the Brandenburg army initially consisted of around 7,000 men but could have been larger than that, while his own consisted of around 8,000. At the very least, his risky gamble of a battle proved to pay off this time. When he returns to the siege of Berlin, he takes full advantage of the newly captured guns to open a breach in the city defenses within a few weeks, and begins a ferocious assault. The 300 defenders have heard about the battle outside the city, and demoralized they surrender within a few hours. Tilly thus ends up capturing the city before winter, but it has cost him 2,000 men in battles and due to his supply lines being raided by Brandenburg cavalry during the entire siege. The city has been captured, but the Brandenburg Elector is nowhere to be found. And what's more - Tilly soon receives word of a new enemy army assembling near the city. At least 9,000 men, perhaps more, containing troops both from Brandenburg and from Protestant allies from abroad.

In Bohemia, the Emperor's forces begin campaigning to engage the rebels in battle. A battle ensues in October, resulting in a crucial victory for the Emperor, however not without high losses. Around 1,200 Imperial forces are lost, while the rebels however lose over 4,500 men. Their army with its large cavalry contingent suffers greatly from trying to fight the Imperial Spanish-inspired tercio, perhaps not comparable to the Spanish in training and troop quality, but with the same tactical advantages. With this victory, the revolt is largely suppressed, but at least 5,000 troops are needed to garrison the province for as long as remnants of the rebel army continues to roam the countryside. Most of the rebels however seem to have put down their arms due to the religiously tolerant offers by the Emperor in combination with their military defeat.

The same year, Spain in 2 notable treaties give up control over their possessions along the eastern French border, including Franche-Comte and the Spanish Netherlands, the former to France and the latter to the United Netherlands. France immediately advances into these territories to occupy, fortify and supply them. The French forces are organized into two major armies, both consisting of around 20,000 troops. One occupies Franche Comte while the other occupies Luxembourg and makes contact with the garrison in Trier in the Palatinate, which has been allied to the Protestant side and subject to operations from Wallenstein's successful operations. Trier is one of the few parts of the Palatinate that he has been unable to challenge, due to its strong defenses. There are no major battles during the season, but Wallenstein engages a small group of French reconnaissance cavalry and drives them back. At the news of the French presence, he immediately retreats to his easternmost positions in the Palatinate to stay on the defensive while making contact with the Holy Roman Emperor. In the meantime, he sends small scouting and raiding parties into French regions. The area is an excellent place for spying and reconnaissance due to the confusion caused by the handing over of the region to the French. There are still a few Spanish troops and Spanish emigrants on the way from the region and French immigrants heading there, giving almost no control over who travels where. The French have not yet made a formal declaration of war on the Holy Roman Empire, but statements and troop movements indicate that a declaration of war or at the very least war is to be expected probably already during the upcoming spring.

In Copenhagen, a meeting is held between the Protestant nations. The Netherlands, England, Denmark, Sweden and Brandenburg all send representatives to the meeting, while a few of the French Huguenots as unofficial representatives of the French Protestants visit the meeting. The meeting is intended to confirm the creation of a Protestant Coalition - a more international alliance pact than the previous Protestant Union. The meeting will also discuss the rules and goals of the pact and formally sign the treaty that is agreed upon.

In the Portuguese revolt, the Spanish forces march south to retake Portugal as well. On the way the forces are, despite careful scouting, nearly taken by surprise by the arrival of a Portuguese army. The engagement is lengthy and with casualties mounting on both sides, but the Spanish tercios - these tercios being the first to receive the new reforms with more cannons and cavalry - eventually drive the Portuguese back. They continue further south and converge on Portugal with other forces, including a naval landing carried out by a newly trained Irish recruited "marine" force which is landed from the sea. The marine force suffers huge casualties but takes the Portuguese by surprise and draws attention from the other end of the city, where the land forces assault. After heavy bloodshed the Spanish forces capture the city from the rebels. The revolt has thereby largely been beaten, but at least 3,000-4,000 guerilla forces continue to roam the countryside, difficult to fight in the difficult mountain landscape. There is another small revolt in northeast Castile, but the return of Ambrogio Spinola and the Southern Netherlands forces quickly put an end to this. There is also desertion and coup attempts among Portuguese regiments, with over 1,500 disappearing on the way home, but the desertion too ends after the troops return to the Iberian peninsula. Many Spanish landowners and nobles have lost much from the handing over of Luxembourg, Southern Netherlands and Franche Comte, many of them are unhappy over suddenly being subject to French or Dutch regulations, laws and taxes, which are in many ways harsher to nobles in general - the Dutch being more merchant-oriented and the French having passed laws against private armies and taxes against fortifications among other things. Since there were no explitic deals regarding this in the treaties, many nobles feel let down by Spain, and angry with France/the Netherlands, and many of them require in their respective new countries to maintain their previous privileges and be judged after their previous laws rather than the new. Landowners having possessions in both the Iberian peninsula and these lost regions also join the unrest in Spain and Portugal, but most of them are capable of hiding their support and can't be arrested, but only subjected to vague rumors. There are also naval engagements between the rebels and the Spanish fleet, but since the Portuguese fleet is mostly a trade fleet only 2 Spanish merchants are sunk by this, with at least 5 Portuguese merchants being sunk, one of them possibly being innocent and sunk by mistake.

In Ireland, the English stage a fake raid from the Southwest Irish on the English positions. Most see through the fake, but it is well presented and looks realistic if it hadn't been so unlikely for the Southwest Irish to attack the English at this time. Spain stages a similar fake raid from Genoa.

Muscovy and Poland temporarily cease their operations in order to carry out negotiations for peace. Poland also makes some informal peace with the Ottomans, and peace with Sweden, however the conditions are unclear (would Riga be Polish or Swedish after the treaty?).

In Transylvania, the Ottoman army engages the forces of Báthory. The 15,000 Ottoman cavalrymen quickly charge the flanks of the Transylvanian force, quickly defeating the Hungarian hussars on the flank where the levy infantry advanced, but being bogged down on the other that was supposed to be wrapped around quickly. Both the Jannissaries and the levy infantry however prove their worth and manage to hold their own while the cavalry on the levy flank, supported by the levies, gradually break the opponent's forces. To exploit the breakthrough, the Ottoman cavalry reserves are sent to the levy flank instead of the Jannissary flank, and the Transylvanian forces start to waver, but the Hungarian hussars that were previously driven back now regroup to assist the levy flank. At the sight of this, the Ottomans order a full scale charge from the Jannissaries in order to break the deadlock, and it succeeds. As the Transylvanian infantry line thus begins to crumble on both flanks, the surviving Hungarian hussars retreat to escape encirclement. The Ottomans lose 4,000 Timariot cavalry and 2,000 infantry, while Báthory loses 2,000 cavalry and 8,000 infantry in the battle and the ensuing rout. The Ottomans and Béthlen quickly take advantage of the victory to occupy key positions in central Transylvania and prepare a campaign to the north and west for the upcoming spring. News are received that Báthory was supported by 100 Polish mercenaries, but Poland later withdrew the support after negotiations with the Ottomans.

The Holy Roman Emperor has started to pay the Papal St Peter's Basilica tax, and the Pope calls for all other Catholics to do the same.


BRANDENBURG

1. defending your homelands. You have an army of 9,500 men of which 5,000 are foreign allies. You also have the reforms which should produce troops for you for next turn or the turn after that, with equipment from Sweden. The fall of Berlin has also led to some 3,000 new Protestants volunteering for training all over the Protestant North. Some of these could be incorporated in your army during spring, some perhaps not until autumn. Remember that it's currently spring, so your opponents will not have too big trouble supplying themselves.
a. send your army (the 9,500 men including 5,000 foreign allies) to cut off Tilly's retreat from Berlin. If he leaves the city, fight him. If there are signs of more Imperial troops approaching, stay out of action
b. send your army to besiege Tilly in Berlin. Together with the population of the city, which might help you by opening some gate during the night, you might be able to retake the city. However Tilly still has a quite large force and his troops are skilled, so don't expect the fight to be easy
c. try to negotiate for Tilly to leave Berlin with his forces. If he does, he goes unscathed, otherwise you threaten him with support from the French army combined with your current army
d. send 1,500 men to garrison all of your other important forts so Tilly can't take them or any HRE diversion is unsuccessful. This would isolate Tilly and keep him from gaining any more here, unless he is reinforced
e. concentrate on using your army for intercepting any reinforcements sent to Tilly. Not attacking Tilly will mean the Emperor is more likely to try to reinforce or withdraw Tilly, and this could give you an excellent opportunity to destroy a large Imperial force, but it could also be risky if the Imperial force is too large

2. yourself. When Tilly fought his battle you received news of the defeat before he could return to Berlin, and you managed to escape the city before it was taken. Now you are somewhere to the north of Berlin.
a. join the main Brandenburg army. This would boost their morale, but put you at the risk of death or capture if you fight too difficult battles.
b. negotiate with some other Protestant country to temporarily allow you to travel there and stay under protection. You leaving the country like this could demoralize your troops a bit
c. go to your Prussia possessions and lead Brandenburg from there. This wouldn't be seen as cowardice by the troops but not as overly brave either, but a fairly neutral and normal course of action.

3. what do you wish to discuss at the Protestant meeting in Denmark? The situation in the Holy Roman Empire, and general goals of the Protestant Coalition are likely subjects


ENGLAND

1. colonial activities. You have completed your tasks from last turn. Now you can choose between expanding in Virginia, expanding your Indian colonies (which are still very small trading posts) and Aden or something else. Your advisors claim that expanding influence in India would be the best way of improving your economy at this time, while expanding in Virginia and Bermudas would be a good way of strengthening your interests in the Americas. Establishing a chain of trading posts in the Americas could be a good idea as a means of quickly claiming the ground from other colonists, even if you can't immediately colonize the region more heavily

2. your shipyards have been successful in their experiments. Your ships have now also received a new classification system developed after number of guns and speed. You have 44 warships and 187 merchants, of which 8 of the warships are considered 1st rate (nearly 70-100 guns, 3 gundecks), 31 are 2nd rate (50-70 guns, 2 gundecks) and the rest are 3rd and 4th rate (less than 50 guns, 1 or 2 gundecks). Most of your 2nd rates are extremely fast, while your 1st rates are slightly slower. Your admirals and naval architects have suggested ending all production of slower 2nd rates while more effectively distinguishing the 1st and 2nd rates, i.e. make the 1st rates heavier and try to improve speed of the 2nd rates without decreasing their amount of guns. They have also on your request developed a new ship, classed as 3rd or 4th rate with the new system. Other ships are classed as merchants. The Spanish fleet consists mostly of slow 1st rates and very losw version of 2nd rates, and while they have gained speed and manouverability by giving up on the fortified ships they haven't been able to replace many of the older ships yet. They seem to be producing mainly 1st rates and 2nd rates, with the 2nd rates still being slower than yours but have more cannons. If you wish to make any changes tell. For example you should perhaps explain which forms of ships your newly produced ships should be within this ratings system.

3. Ireland. The feigned raids have been enacted, but there's a big problem about retaking the lost regions in southwest Ireland - the Spanish have received bases. The rebels have given them one base near the English border at the southern coast, and also offered the Spanish to keep a garrison in Cork, which they however refused. In order to retake southwest Ireland the diplomatical problems will have to be solved first, or a new war be fought with Spain, or just hope that if attacking the rebels and giving a guarantee that the Spanish base will be kept Spanish the Spanish will accept it even if it hurts their position as protector of the southwest Irish...

4. what do you wish to discuss at the Protestant meeting in Denmark? The situation in the Holy Roman Empire, and general goals of the Protestant Coalition are likely subjects


FRANCE

1. war with the HRE? You haven't made a formal declaration yet, but many statements and troops movements which should have given enough time for them to prepare themselves, so a declaration might not be needed, however is considered fit before continuing. In any case, your troops have established connections with the Palatinate. They need help against Wallenstein. The Protestant North might need your help against Tilly. The Emperor also has a large reserve which he has freed up in Bohemia now that the revolt there has been defeated, and he has also called in a large number of Austrian levies - you don't know how many but you know that there are plenty of them. There's litte point in giving exact options here because they're so many so I just give a few examples:
a. use 35,000 men to help the Palatinate, ask a land corridor into Bavaria in return and together with him attack Bavaria, promising him half of the land gained in Bavaria
b. launch 2 operations, one into the Protestant North to help them, and another to help the Palatinate
c. skip war with HRE and instead attack Southern Netherlands

2. usage of special regiments in the war
a. make sure to use the experimental flintlock gun regiment so that the guns are tested so the new production of flintlock muskets can be improved
b. use the Savoy troops for the most dirty work, but while pointing out their heroism above the French heroism in any future battles. This might hurt your relations, but weaken their own confidence and perhaps rebelliousness.
c. use the Savoy troops for covering and harmless operations, so that they suffer minimal losses. This will not affect your relations much and be the normal way of using them
d. let the Savoy troops do mostly harmless things but also have their share in some crucial operations as well. This will make them happy, but perhaps also overconfident and rebellious to France

3. distribution of troops that aren't in the war. You have 40,000 troops on the eastern border, and 5,000 in La Rochelle. Unless you call in any national guard or mercenaries that leaves very few for garrisoning, upkeep of loyalty and prevention of unrest as well as covering of the Isle de France project. Recommended is to keep at least 1,000 in Marseilles, 3,000 in Navarre and Toulouse region and 3,000-5,000 near Paris, above the 5,000 in La Rochelle. That means 12,000 troops tied up at home, leaving (unless you hire mercenaries) a bit less than 38,000 for operations abroad. The national guard can't be trusted for preventing unrest at home, but also isn't recommended to use overly much for offensive wars

4. economy. The Huguenot affair, if it is really solved, should grant you a quite handsome improvement of annual income granting you the ability to increase your standing army forces to perhaps 60,000-80,000 men while still keeping a positive income, and meaning you won't have any debts this year. However your colonial expansion also calls for some 5,000-10,000 more colonial auxilia to be recruited as soon as possible in order to continue the expansion

5. what do your Huguenot inofficial representatives of France wish to discuss at the Protestant meeting in Denmark? The situation in the Holy Roman Empire, and general goals of the Protestant Coalition are likely subjects. France obviously has a very special situation in that the representatives here aren't official, thus they will probably have to act as "mediators" between France and the Protestant Coalition if they are to discuss any form of military cooperation between France and the others at this very meeting. Passiveness and being generally diplomatic is also an option

6. the Pope's Peter's Church tax
a. start paying it
b. don't pay it


HRE and AUSTRIA

As you know from previous chapter you have 5,000 regular troops in Hungary and Austria, with an additional force of Austrian levies mobilized, 6,000 Catholic League troops in Berlin, 17,000 troops in Bohemia of which 9,000 are Austrian-Hungarian and 8,000 are mercenaries, and 5,000 men under Wallenstein in the Palatinate. This info might be useful for choosing how to distribute the troops when making the decisions below.

1. Tilly
a. have him quickly try to escape south before the army of Brandenburg forces with their allies arrive outside Berlin
b. just keep Tilly in Berlin, and try to resist any form of siege from the opponents. Try sallying raids but mostly stay defensive until when a relief operation can be sent later. He should be able to hold out for up to 2 years, but the city population might also revolt, treacherously open city gates etc.
c. the Brandenburg forces might already have positioned themselves to cut off the retreat south. Send a rescue operation of 10,000 men to meet up with Tilly, then engage the Brandenburg forces, hopefully after Tilly and the relief force have met up before the battle begins. In case of victory, retreat both forces south
d. as c, but send 15,000 men to rescue Tilly
e. as c, but if victorious continue campaigning to the north, with the goal of capturing as much as possible of Brandenburg
f. as d, but if victorious continue campaigning to the north, with the goal of capturing as much as possible of Brandenburg
g. send a diversionary operation to attack Jülich-Kleve, specify with how many men. This could draw Brandenburg attention away from Berlin and allow Tilly to escape south. Furthermore, holding the fortress Jülich would allow blocking an important part of the French advance, should they choose to advance there. Some 500 - 2,000 men are needed to take the fortress with its currently extremely small Brandenburg garrison
h. as g, but don't escape south unless there's a confirmation that the Brandenburg forces actually were diverted
i. any other combination of these possibilities, for example f and h etc., specify what you wish to do

2. Bohemia
a. leave 5,000 men for garrisoning as adviced. Losing Bohemia at this critical time would be disastrous
b. leave only 1,500 men for Prague. Getting more troops for the other fronts is necessary to be able to defend against the many outer threats

3. Wallenstein requests troops or suggestions for what to do in the Palatinate. He has only his 5,000 men and some auxiliary cavalry forces, while the French have 20,000 in Franche Comte. The French probably can't be expected to advance with all these 20,000 because they will need garrisons in Franche Comte, but the odds are still extremely much in favor of France, especially if they join up with the 4,000 or so troops of the Elector Palatine
a. send forces to assist Wallenstein, specify how many
b. order Wallenstein to prepare siege defense in the key city in the region, while heavily raiding the area
c. order Wallenstein home to discuss the possibilities of training more men recruited on the same basis as the 5,000 men in the Palatinate. You would need to disband some 1,000-2,000 mercenaries for every 5,000 men he trains, but in return you get more troops. In total you could replace 8,000 mercenaries with 25,000 men recruited in this manner, but it would take time for him to train them, and you have currently an army upkeep of around 2,000 mercenary upkeep cost per year more than your annual income
d. try to negotiate with the French. There are many possibilities here - asking them what terms are needed for them to accept peace, or officially proclaim your support and admiration of the heroic countries who have offered to mediate in the conflict

4. Transylvania. Béthlen might wish to eventually expand his influence into Hungary. Perhaps it's too late to support Báthory after his crucial defeat, but perhaps Transylvania and/or the Ottomans could in some other way be convinced to fight each others or someone else in some way that would keep them out of the picture. In any case, it'll take at least until next winter until they have any chance of carrying out any operations towards you, because Báthory still has control over northern Transylvania
a. don't do anything - being inactive might actually be the best way to avoid war
b. offer assistance to Báthory, specify how many troops
c. try to diplomatically gain popularity with the Ottomans and/or Transylvania. One way of making the probable new ruler Béthlen happy would be to be one of those who acknowledge him as being the true leader of Transylvania at the expense of Báthory, however it might be seen as you backstabbing an ally because you previously had good relations to Báthory (in fact one aspect of the conflict between Báthory and Béthlen are their different views on whether they should be allies of the Ottomans or the HRE)
d. acknowledge Béthlen as the true leader of Transylvania only if you receive reliable news that Báthory has died


NETHERLANDS

1. colonization. Your colony in America probably needs to be strengthened before it can give much more income. Your loss of influence in mainland India is a severe blow, but you still have Ceylon and positions in the East Indies. Ceylon in particular could be interesting to reinforce to be able to pay off your own small debt that has been caused by the Horse Guard treaty and paying off of the Spanish debt, but this debt should even without such actions be likely to be gone in 2-4 years from now with the current amount of projects, ship building etc. continuing. Since you're an economically strong country with little previous history of debt, your credit and trade won't be hurt by being in debt for such a short period of time.

2. your mercenary support to Brandenburg
a. recall it, for economical reasons
b. keep it at least another turn, for diplomatical reasons
c. negotiate with Brandenburg to fight a battle soon, then recall the mercenaries after the battle. If the battle is a defeat it makes you look bad for convincing Brandenburg to fight, but if it's a victory you will be seen as honorable for supporting them with the mercenaries that granted them victory, and you can still withdraw the troops so soon that they won't cost any more

3. French provocations about Southern Netherlands could be an attempt to find a casus belli, so perhaps it's necessary for you to try and prepare defenses there, or from abroad gain support. The Protestant meeting in Denmark could be a good place to do this, or you could ask Spain to, in return for your extremely favorable offer in return for the Southern Netherlands, act as a protector of the treaty. The fact that France is officially Catholic means you have a good opportunity of making the Protestants consider France just an as big enemy as the Holy Roman Emperor

3. taking advantage of the Southern Netherlands
a. try to rebuild Antwerp as a major trade port comparable to Amsterdam. This could boost your trade influence even more, but Antwerp is more difficult than Amsterdam to defend. However, the cultural - and above all economical - differences between the Southern and Northern Provinces means there's a likelihood of segregation, so it might be worth the risk to strengthen Antwerp. Building new very strong forts in the Southern Provinces might in the long term be crucial in solving the segregation, as it would encourage rich to invest money in the Southern Netherlands with lower risk than currently
b. just use taxes and similar. The income won't be comparable to that of the Northern Provinces, but should help you repay your small debt
c. make sure to recruit a local conscripted force of some 6,000 men to strengthen your army. Also make 2,000 troops from here join your standing forces

4. what do you wish to discuss at the Protestant meeting in Denmark? The situation in the Holy Roman Empire, and general goals of the Protestant Coalition are likely subjects


OTTOMAN EMPIRE

1. the operations in Transylvania are nearly completed. Only the northern part remains in Báthory's hands, but even Béthlen alone should be capable of handling the opposition now. Decide whether to continue assisting him, withdraw, or attack into Poland or the HRE now. While Báthory remains in control of the north, you will have supply difficulties in all of these possible operations, so if you put reduction of attrition damage over quickly being able to continue operations, you will need to wait at least 1 turn, then wait over the next turn because it's winter, and then continue after that.

2. the Spanish and French Suez area treaties, as well as the English Aden treaty have now more or less been discovered by the other parts. The Spanish have also found out now that you traded with the English during the Anglo-Spanish war. All of this makes for an interesting diplomatic situation full of opportunities and risks...

3. your colonization at the mouth of the Dnepr is going well, however there have been more raids on your territory, from Tatars and Cossacks, but the worst being a Tatar raid on the very outskirts of Istanbul. This gives you a good excuse for fighting the Crimean Tatars more aggressively because in these raids, very large contingents of the entire Tatar groups take part.

4. you can also choose to disband mercenaries and reduce the current mobilization level. You should still be able to send reinforcements to the Thrace and Dnepr area and finish the operations in Transylvania if you reduce the mobilization level to the normal levels that don't drain your income and allow lower tax levels


POLAND

1. peace with Russia
a. continue the war - you could gain Tver and Pskov, but probably not Nizniy Novgorod in the nearest future due to problems of supplying an army going there, and the strength of the Russian forces there. However, if nothing but Nizniy Novgorod and Novgorod remain in Russian hands, the Russians might accept a for Poland more favorable peace offer when those operations have completed, if they can be completed. Also, Sweden has made peace so you have one less front to worry about
b. continue to push your previous peace suggestion
c. accept a peace offer where Russia gets everything but Smolensk back
d. accept a peace offer where Russia gets everything but Smolensk back, and hands over Pskov in return. This would be an effective way of ensuring they are cut off from the Baltic and possibly give Poland a chance of gaining a strong position in the trade with Russia

2. military operations. If you decided to not make peace yet:
a. continue besieging Pskov while besieging Tver. This means a thinned out Moscow garrison and a quite small force at Tver. It should be able to defeat Vasili's army but it could be pyrrhic
b. the thinned out garrison in Moscow required to attack both Pskov and Tver at the same time is dangerous, plus a pyrrhic victory in Tver isn't worth it. Instead try to take Tver with most of your forces, while a large force stays to garrison Moscow. Taking Pskov has the disadvantage of hurting relations with Sweden as one of their trade routes to Russia pass there
c. hold Moscow strongly while taking Pskov. While Pskov is a less important city than Tver at this time, it would be more difficult to hold both Tver and Moscow while sieging Pskov later, so take Pskov first and then deal with Tver. You could at the same time promise to grant free passage of Russian merchants here to Sweden in order to avoid worsened relations with Sweden. However this leaves out using any of the Lisowczycy mercenaries in this operation, as they are hired on the basis that they get to raid freely.

3. the Pope's Peter's Church tax
a. start paying it
b. don't pay it

You can also move troops from Kiev etc. or recruit some 2,000 Cossacks or recruit from a pool of over 10,000 landsknecht and Scottish and Irish mercenaries that became available after Sweden disbanded parts of their old army. Your treaty with the Dutch fixed your income problems for a year or half a year more, but after that, your current level of mobilization will start giving you trouble paying the wages of the troops.


RUSSIA

1. peace with Poland
a. don't negotiate peace now. The Polish probably have more to lose from it, due to the difficulties of forming supply lines to Nizniy Novgorod and thereby difficulty of conquering it. If war continues, they'll constantly have expensive troops tied up to the east until either revolt, economical trouble, or war on another front will force them to split up, leaving a small force that you are capable of defeating. The fact that they took the initiative to peace perhaps suggests that they know they're incapable of defeating you
b. negotiate peace now, but impose requirements such as handing back Moscow and Smolensk to your rule, because of above mentioned reasons. It's likely that after such a peace treaty a short civil war against the most illoyal of the boyars will follow, but these illoyal boyars are not much liked by the commoners, and in Nizniy Novgorod you have support both from loyal boyars and the poorer, which should give a quick end to the civil strife after defeating or inprisoning the illoyal boyars and then a solid power base for you to build your rule on. Perhaps demanding both Smolensk and Moscow is too much, so demanding only Moscow is another alternative here
c. accept peace on the Polish terms right away, because the Polish army is too strong for your forces and they will certainly be able to conquer Pskov and Tver unless they face war on other fronts, perhaps also Nizniy Novgorod in the long term. However the terms are really harsh and even if you win the vote (unlikely) you have showed weakness that the boyars could use to create another civil war and call for more Polish intervention from abroad, and a new war

2. war with Poland. If you chose to continue the war, here are some options:
a. raid supply lines of the Polish if they were to besiege Tver
b. scout the area between Tver and Moscow, and have your army prepared to attack any siege force that is small enough for you to be able to defeat
c. scorch the earth between Moscow and Nizniy Novgorod and between Tver and Moscow. Nizniy Novgorod lies very far from Moscow and with scorched eart tactics the Polish will have immense trouble even reaching Nizniy Novgorod

3. troops. You can recruit some 3,000 Cossacks or recruit from a pool of some 10,000 mercenaries that became available after Sweden disbanded parts of their old army in favor of their new reformed army that is under construction. Your income is fairly stable but your annual expenses are a bit higher than your annual income unless you disband some 3,000 of your current mercenaries. Trade has also suffered a bit from the war. You could also choose to call in levies from the loyal people of Nizniy Novgorod. There are actually even 3,000-5,000 volunteers available. Since these are levies they will cost nothing in upkeep but shouldn't be kept mobilized for too long as they can't carry out their normal work.

4. economy and diplomatical consequences of trade decisions. Your trade with Poland has almost ended due to the war, while your trade with Sweden and England has improved due to rerouting of some trade. You have 2 Swedish trade routes, one passing close to Pskov and the other further north via Novgorod, and 1 trade route to England via your Archangelsk port. This trade can only take place in the summer because in the winter the harbor is frozen. If Polish actions threaten Pskov and thereby your trade route there, you could perhaps convince the Swedish to enter the war for the third time. Or you could right away reroute your trade through Swedish Ingermanland to simply avoid Polish intervention in your trade, or try to convince England to increase their trade with your Archangelsk port. England will for that need to direct at least 10 merchant ships and 3 warships for the trade, so you need to negotiate (it'll not hurt their net trade income by reducing other trade due to their large enough merchant ship fleet, but it'll keep ships that could be used for military operations elsewhere occupied for as long as the trade remains extra strong).


SPAIN

1. economy. Much of your debt problems have now been solved with the Dutch treaty. You have lost much land last year, but economically gained a fortune in the long term with 20% of the debts gone and rights to the Dutch mainland India possessions. Your Southern Netherlands garrison has also been moved to the Iberian peninsula, meaning you have an absolutely huge army available at home, or a large army unlocked for operations abroad. The East India Company will increase to 15 ships this year. Is there anything you wish to change regarding economy?

2. English provocations in Ireland
a. warn England not to interfere with Southern Ireland or face war
b. warn England not to interfere with Southern Ireland without specifying what happens if they continue
c. warn them that you will assist the Irish rebels if they continue
d. let them know they can have the region as long as the Spanish bases remain, but try to not lose face too much in your role as protector of Ireland by officially condemning the English action
e. withdraw from Spanish bases in Ireland before war breaks out, then condemn the English action and state that if your forces had happened to be there they would have assisted the rebels. You could save face even more by offering any Irish emigrants to come to Spain

3. Genoa operation. You have now made the necessary steps to find a fake casus belli by fabricating a Genoese attack on you (which everybody probably knows is a fake because Genoa would have no interest whatsoever in attacking). Your generals have also made plans for an attack directed at capturing much of the Genoese fleet, however it's not as large as the Venetian - it consists of merely 11 warships (most of them not very modern) and some 45 merchants. You will need at least 1 tercio, 20 of your warships and some merchants for transportation to successfully carry out the operation
a. carry out the operation
b. don't carry out the operation

4. Portuguese revolt. It's mostly beaten, but you need at least 2,000 men in Lisboa and Porto each, and another 5,000 for operations against remaining pockets of resistance. While there's no military threat to losing Portugal in such a case, the rebels will most likely continue to harass the countryside in guerilla warfare for many years, from their hiding spots in the mountains. There are four common ways of responding to this: giving in to their demands, defending all key regions of much worth and ignoring devastation elsewhere, putting out small garrisons and a more mobile force to respond to raids, or simply put large garrisons in key areas and a large force systematically attacking all camps spotted as belonging to the rebels (using a force larger than the total strength of the rebels)

5. the Pope's Peter's Church tax
a. start paying it
b. don't pay it


SWEDEN

1. did you accept to sell equipment to Brandenburg's army reform? They need equipment for some 10,000 troops. It'll not slow down your own army reforms by more than a year at the most, since you've almost completed them already by now.
a. yes, send old equipment
b. yes, send new equipment but not the best you have
c. yes, send high quality equipment
d. no don't send any

2. trade with Russia
a. encourage the rerouting of trade with Russia through a northern route via Novgorod and Ingermanland rather than via Pskov to be sure the Russian-Polish war doesn't hurt the trade too much (but a bit)
b. warn Poland that in their military operations near Pskov they must give guarantees for not interfering with trade from Russia to Sweden past Pskov, at the risk of sounding threatening and hostile
c. enter the war with Poland again, even if you only have 19,000 of the 24,000 troops of the reform ready by now. Of those who aren't ready, 2,000 are heavy cavalry and the rest infantry, but they are likely to be ready by next turn. You so far only have 5 experimental versions of your new light, mobile field artillery ready, but can expect to have at least 40 of the new guns ready by next turn, and you also have many of the old guns left

3. food imports. You are not self-supporting, but need to import a small amount of food regularly for some of your cities. You could choose strategically where to import the food from in order to weaken countries that you believe are likely military opponents in the future. Poland and Denmark are the main producers, with France apparently trying to enter the market with their agricultural expansion in their colony Nouvelle France. The political implications of this should be obvious - those who get reduced trade get weakened economy and relations with them may be worsened

4. what do you wish to discuss at the Protestant meeting in Denmark? The situation in the Holy Roman Empire, and general goals of the Protestant Coalition are likely subjects


TRANSYLVANIA

1. creating an army. You have 14,000 troops now. In the options below, if you have any special ideas about the composition of the army in terms of cavalry and infantry etc., please specify. If nothing is specified explicitly, the army will consist of a very strong Hungarian hussar contingent and the rest being infantry of low to medium quality
a. create a standing army of 25,000 men. This would be easy for your future expected income as leader of Transylvania to support
b. create a standing army of 32,000 men. This would be bearable for your future expected income as leader of Transylvania
c. create a standing army of 40,000 men. This would be difficult for your income to support, but make you very strong
d. instead go for a large conscripted force and reducing the standing forces to 15,000-20,000 men, mostly cavalry while the infantry would be levies, alternatively you could go for a standing cavalry force of 10,000 men, with mercenary cavalry being hired from Hungary when more troops are needed, and the infantry being partly conscripted and partly standing. Specify exactly how many troops of which type you want

2. operations against Báthory
a. convince the Ottomans to continue to help you with at least 10,000-15,000 of their forces. This would allow you to immediately defeat Báthory in a matter of less than 1 year
b. concentrate on strengthening your army first, then continue operations alone. This would delay you but perhaps strenghten your independence and reputation if you could handle these matters alone

3. being admitted as ruler. Try to negotiate with as many as possible to admit you as the rightful ruler of Transylvania. HRE is perhaps unlikely to do so immediately due to a previous policy of Béthlen to be opposition to Báthory's pro-HRE policy, but perhaps others will admit you. Being admitted as ruler when taking over by revolt or similar is generally a good idea in order to strengthen your position both at home and abroad