The Great Reforms
Once i joined in as Russia, i found one of the mightiest empires history ever saw, in great dissaray. Ranging from economy to issues related to war. Everything was bad - DP sliders were moved towards innovativeness and centralization, and free subjects were nearly maxed as well (very bad things at this stage of the game). There were so many things to do in so little time that i didnt know where to start from. Either way, moved a slider towards decentralization. Russia surely needed less war exhaustion from wars (and some mp from vassals too) so i think what i did was right. The economy was a fiasco but there wasnt much i could do about it, since the game is nearly ending. So i tried to organize the army as soon as possible. This really pissed me - i couldnt muster major armies and march them from Moscow to Bukhara (or from astrakhan to st petesburg) without suffering major atrition and loosing a good portion of the army. So i raised a hellish number of forts on key provinces, to ease the atrition somewhat. I did something like a "railroad".
Then i was asked by Austria, which was at war with Sweden if i could attack their enemies (Sweden). I tried to be realistic and uhm. My army was only 200k men or somesuch. I barely had any artilery. My economy stinked. Atrition was a major problem even inside my nation. Sweden had maxed forts everywhere. My capital was right on the border with Sweden. Sweden enjoyed naval supremacy on the baltic. Swedish winter is HARSH and atrition looses would be unspokable. I asked for 1 or 2 years to get ready, but shortly afterwards (in less then a month) Austria peaces with Sweden.
Knowing Russia was amongst the worst countries on the current game, i wasnt stupid enough to take sweden on my own. So if i cant beat them, let me search another victim which i could. So i found that KJ was still at war with drake & daniel. The perfect oportunity arose!
Quickly napped Sweden for the current session, despite Austria's dissaproval. But i couldnt care less. Did FAL really think i could take Sweden on my own even if i had Suvorov? Obviously i couldnt. Even if i could, the looses would be unheard of. I also had a couple of "enlightment" historical events. Good events, but bad at this stage. I mean, Inno and centralization/free subjects arent needed now. I was trying to go the oposite way, but the historical events messed me up. What can i say? Everything was working against me! As usual...
The War versus the Turks
After i get everything in order, i tell drake to hold on 1 year and wait till the winter dissipates to invite me to his alliance. Once the time arives daniel is a bit sloppy and i have to pause for a couple of seconds to remember him. Once i am in, i start moving 8 armies in asia - 4 armies went to Suvorov, making up a total of 110k men. The other 4 armies near the caspian sea went to some mad random wardog. That one was also about 110k men.
While Suvorov marched to the CoT province of Karpat and Samarkand, the other wardog went to Persia to wreak some havoc on these minimal/small forts. Sadly this wardog lost his 3rd siege against a medium fort, and was rebuffed back to russia. Hopefully Suvorov is a bad ass and took the Karpat CoT and a big portion of Kazakhistan. Sadly for him, and for me, i understimated the OE and didnt have enough troops. At least, not enough to get as far as Samarkand. After a few battles in the Crimea against this wardog called King John, i luckily obliterate his army. I also noticed he wasnt really pushing hard on this zone, but was putting all his weight in Asia and near Samarkand. Probably he knew the CoTs would kill him WS-wise.
Mighty Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov
The OE kept hiding his 150k strong army in my vassal, Bukhara (in order to protect Samarkand), so i just asked MA. Right afterwards i move more then half my army near Astrakhan to bolster Suvo's army. In a couple of briliant moves, both from the east and from the west, i surround John's army and march in for the kill with 200k inf and 600 cannons or such. The OE's 150k army vanishes into thin air, and with it, another turkish leader. After a couple more skirmishes the OE's army in Asia is totaly destroyed and i just march in for the kill reaching +99WS in no time, showing the world that even the weakest can make a diference.
Amazingly the Iberians werent doing so nicely despite what Daniel had told me before the session started. Either way, after asking for Astrakhan-Sarai for myself, Daniel peaces with the OE, giving himself Egypt and giving me the rotten province of Samarkand - which was surrounded by the OE, and wasnt conected to me via land.
I wasted a fortune, and the lifetime of suvorov, for a single rotten province that i couldnt even defend. Hopefully Portugal had taken egypt and that made the OE receive... NO MP FROM AFRICA. haha! But as this AAr states, all i earned from this was "glory". Glory doesnt feed anyone nor did it make me stronger... Bleh!
To make things even better, a partition of poland event fired, and i received 4 protestant provinces. Just what i needed! More undefendable provinces!
This Russia was full of achilles' heels...
Peace for 6 years... Hurray!
Yep... After the OE got a beating an unsteady peace took place in europe... Apart from evil Sweden that was trying to annex the mighty poles and austria getting yet another beating this time against france. Poor suvorov died in 1800, but he acomplished his mission. Since i was napped with sweden for this session only, i try to make full use of the remaining years to get ready to be spanked. Major fortifications were erected, but i regret of doing so. Forts are usually good but they dont suit my kind of warfare, and they are too costly to re-take in troops terms. I wish i could demolish forts in eu2!
Gah!
Tried to bolster economy and some other stuff while at peace too, hopefully it made my economy rise 1000d in so little time. I am a genious! :rofl:
I also sold these 4 useless polish provinces to Sweden for 6000 gold... Not much, but at least it will not give them cheap WS. In the meanwhile, the OE attacks Spain-Portugal again. I decide to remain neutral this time. Didnt have suvorov and since session was near the end, it would mean i would be facing 2 enemies from both sides next session, since the NAP with sweden was about to expire. It doesnt mean i will avoid being attacked from both sides next session, but i believe the turks will know how to repay the kindness that i did to them by staying neutral (in a positive way i hope).
But what truly scares everything out of me, is this...
I think, i never saw so much artilery in a single country, specially sweden... I just pray that the winter will aid me to soft this up. Either way, i need
HELP. I dont care if its Austria, England, Portugal, France or even China... I just need aid.
And as usual, i am left thinking... How did anyone loose wars and so many provinces as Russia with Suvorov's leadership? Most probably that someone got a newblet to sub them so they could get a beating.
EDITS:
Capital back to Moscow
Deflation as an ontime cookie i supose?
Core 519 not that it matters anyway...