Chapter Eight
Cautious Optimism
Cautious Optimism
March 1580, Government level 19 opens the option to switch to an Administrative Republic. I swap immediately, +10% TE is far more valuable than the +1 tolerance for Heathens and Heretics. With 80% TE I’m making 510.48 / 638.44 in Onondaga.
July 1581 Several years of expensive diplomacy are successful when Ming (+58 relations) grant Iroquois access to their Centres of Trade.
Lucrative
Getting this access has cost around 500 ducats but will pay itself back pretty quickly. I have 58% compete chance against Ming merchants, 99% against everyone else. Once I’ve got a monopoly established it should be straightforward to maintain it. In December 1581 Iroquois establish a monopoly in Jiangsu worth 167.58 / 700.25.
August 1581 Land tech 21 – This is the next point where Iroquois get more advanced units.
Old troops and new possibilities
Reformed American Forest Warriors
Yes, those are the unit stats at Land tech 21 for Native Americans. Seems particularly harsh on groups like the Aztecs or Incas who had regular military forces which would have surely evolved pretty quickly.
France getting kicked!
Burgundy must have given France a real beating to get that peace deal. Notice Aragon have also taken a province at some point. Also, go Milan and go Bohemia!
Looking at the possibilities to expand trade two countries leap out, Japan and the Timurid Empire. Japan is similar to Ming, a single COT albeit much lower in value (~225) but unlikely to stagnate and with low grade competitors. The Timurids have six COTs (Yes 6, they are so big they Portugal look small) but competition is fierce, the COTs are small with at least one going to disappear and the Timurids are monopolists. They won’t welcome my attempts to establish Iroquois trade dominance.
I decide to target Japan. The Far Eastern COTs seem more stable than elsewhere and local competition is weaker; they’re among the better investments.
I’m staying out of European markets as competition is far too fierce and I don’t want to accidentally damage relations with my neighbours. Relations with Portugal stay mildly positive but attempts to raise them have been rebuffed. A single insult undoes 180 ducats worth of work.
December 1584 Castile DOWs Malacca, bringing in its allies Brittany and Portugal. As well as a couple of South East Asian minors, the Timurids join Malacca! Sadly Brunei is alliance leader. This is a very interesting looking war that has potential to put a lot of strain on Portugal. Portuguese units on the Iroquois border haven’t been fully reinforced in a decade or more. It would be nice if gearing for war instantly drained their manpower pool.
March 1586 Japan opens its markets to Iroquois, five merchants are despatched. By August I’ve established a monopoly worth 52.68 / 220.05
December 1586 Brunei make peace with Portugal for a few ducats – all that has happened from my point of view is that Portugal has reinforced the border.
Oh dear…
