Turn 129
After the skirmishes of the last couple of turns, this one is quiet. The preparatory raids are nearing completion and we're beginning to enter our offensive phase of the war against Indochina.
Only a few notifications at the start of the turn - two units attacked, no losses:
It looks like China has declined battle, pulling back into his cities, and Indonesia failed - barely - to kill a galley over at Good Time.
Since that's probably the most important phase of the turn, I start there. Everything's straightforward enough: I put the kampung, fishing boats, and harbor to the torch, and pull everyone out. Three ships are still in range of the city's jong fire, and the injured galley in the city could finish off another galley (albeit probably at the cost of its own life).
So, I'll lose between 1-3 more galleys on this raid, but we looted enough gold to upgrade that many caravels, and set sub back besides, plus costing him at least one galley, maybe 2. So on the whole, I judge this operation (which I never bothered to give a name) a success. We'll withdraw - all our galleys are pretty battered now and the nearest repair yard is Ilmatic - and hover near the frigates until it comes time to conquer this city.
On the other front, it looks as if Roland upgraded 3-4 more units, but I think at
most only 2 more frigates (I suspect only 1), putting him at 3-4 frigates total:
The frigates are sitting safe in Chinese cities, for now, where I'm content to leave them. If they're there, they can't interfere with the Shikishima operation.
The scouting galleys reveal fully 3 Chinese city centers during the course of the operation, although no good pillage targets:
These Chinese shipyards are a medium-term strategic threat, although I don't know how productive they are. Kamara, off the coast, is home to Petra AND the Colosseum, and the city is reachable with frigate fire. While torching it won't nullify the Chinese ship threat any, it WILL severely wound Roland's culture and gold generation pretty severely, so it's on the target list. I'll need my army of prayer from Sakhalin, probably, but it's a doable op.
On the whole, I'm satisfied with the intelligence gathered and the damage inflicted, so I begin to withdraw from the Indochinese coast:
My frigates and caravels are in supporting distance in case Roland goes for my withdrawing galleys, but by next turn assuming the Chinese stay put we'll have broken contact entirely. Instead, we're going to reposition to the far side of what I'm choosing to dub Guardian Island* and prepare for the assault on Shikishima in 5 turns. Five turns is a little long, but I worry staying here too much longer will provoke a stronger Indochinese response - I want them worried about more raids on their shores or even minor assaults on exposed cities, not on the city-state.
Why turn 134 for D-Day? Because that's how long it'll take to concentrate 5 frigates for the attack:
I have 3 frigates either complete or completing over the next 2 turns, and it'll take them until 133 to sail to the corner of Novaya Zemyla. With the two already in position slashing down from the north, and 3 more attacking from the west (I might detach the lone one to come up through the southern straits, although that exposes me to fire from Vladimir so probably not), I expect I shall be able to reduce the 100hp ancient walls in only a single turn, thus sparing me one turn of jong fire. I'll also have 2 caravels immediately present, with more coming up and of course all the galleys a guy could want. There should be no way to prevent the city's fall on turn 135.
Now, in 6 turns, on turn 135, I'll also be finishing a civic:
We'll use guilds to flip back into Professional Army. Income is exactly 1 caravel per turn, with some extra in hand, so we'll be guaranteed to ahve enough money to upgrade 6 galleys, so I'll pile as many as I can into the city limits (after the frigates are done) and begin upgrades. Thus, by turn 137 I should have 6 frigates and 8 caravels ready to fling at Call Me Al, Ryan Kent, and Steve Davis. In that time Sub and Roland will be able to upgrade a somewhat lesser amount of galleys and quads, plus building out a jong or two from the capital, so it'll be close to an even fight without counting my galleys, movement advantage, Great Admiral, military alliance, or printing advantage.
In other words, it will not be an even fight.
After Guilds, we'll of course grab diplomatic service, which will enable a spy to be built ASAP and it'll unlock an even better diplomatic card: Wisselbanken. That will be +2 food and +2 production to all my trade routes to either Woden or Marco. I'll want to send one trade route to marco as rapidly as I can, because getting to alliance level 2 will enable +15% production towards military units (level 2 of economic alliances just give more favor per suzerainty, not happening as long as Indochina has their two unkillable city-states in their pockets). Woden's trade routes will be +16 gpt, 2 food, 2 production, and 1 science! Too bad Russia is leading in all research or we'd activate Peter's ability, too. Oh, well, that's a First World Problem.
Elsewhere - Ilmatic is liberated:
I don't expect you got doubled production, did you, Marco?
The city is devastated in pop, as tens of thousands of refugees fled the Indonesian occupation, the government plaza was destroyed, and there might have been a spot of looting (I'd've pillaged the campus, too, Marco - a one-time boost of 100 beakers would more than pay for itself as long as you repaired the campus in less than 25 turns or so).
But with a builder on hand the lumber mill pillage was more than worth the gold boost, and I only regret that I couldn't get to the mine, too.
Second Fleet sails north and my veteran frigates will begin bombarding African Skies on turn 130:
Ancient Walls, though they'll still hit like a truck, and I don't know if sub has crossbows ready, too, so I expect to lose at least one frigate crippled in the attack, possibly sunk. It should only take two turns to reduce the 100 hp walls, though, and a crossbow in the city won't accomplish much. If all goes well, I could land and take the city on turn 133, but I expect I will more likely capture on 134 - 135 (assuming he doesn't manage to kill the injured chariot as it lands - that's what the knight is for if he does, though).
If all goes well, sub's attention will be drawn to Steve Davis/Borna Borasic, to Good Times, to African Skies, and the real blow at Shikishima/Monomakh will find him less prepared. Those two cities, once in hand, will enable the mass upgrade for the big push on the capital and serve as faith recruitment bases for the conquest of Sakhalin. A knight every 2 turns at present faith rates will be very, very difficult for him to deal with - unless he's got pikes. In which case, a man at arms every 2 turns instead.
Abroad, no massive drops in milscore yet, so the skirmishing and maneuvering continues, but Woden did pillage a quarry (I find it at the former Mohenjo-Daro) and my exploring warrior finds this tidbit:
Now, where could he be going with that? He might be planning a berserker raid on Thesa, which would be more than welcome. Kaiser is trying the Chinese strategy of running no military at all and letting his partner do all the work. Good luck with that.
Overview of Fuji Bay:
An annoying barb hanging around delays the settlement of Imperator Nikolai until he either wanders off or my man-at-arms gets there. Note that the Great Lighthouse coincides with the fall of Shikishima and the beginning of a mass galley upgrade.
Russia proper:
Swap off printing next turn, the boost is due in 3 turns. With the caravel upgrade and my frigate count high enough I feel comfortable to order necessary infrastructure upgrades with city's next builds - lighthouses are SO valuable now that I have the Woden alliance, and I want those two Industrial Zones done as soon as practical. Each city gets one building before another round of ships.
Svalbard:
The barb sword pursues my warrior, and I am forced to upgrade him to a Man at Arms without the card in place. It was that or lose the warrior and see my holy site get pillaged, burning faith to recruit a new unit to drive him off. Irritating.
There's also a possibility that sub's jong will swing by as my traders are passing through to Woden, that will be a nuisance. I won't have the caravel out of Nakhimov ready to intercept him, sadly, so I might need to spend some faith to replace the traders. I hate to line his pocketbook like that, so hopefully he misses them.
*
