The Restoration of Sukhothai Chapter Three - The Darkest of Nights Passes
I again slash my army maintenance and mothball my fort.
22 Jan, I accept a Royal Marriage offer from our ally, Khmer.
3 Feb – My offer of a Royal Marriage to Lan Xang is accepted.
11 Feb – And with Malacca. We are now tethered by marriage to our three allies.
Note that Lan Xang and Khmer are rivals, just as an FYI.
I declare Ayutthaya our Rival as well as Lan Na to our north.
1 Sept – The Oirat Horde captured the Ming Emperor who was leading forces in battle.
Right now, China has 8 provinces captured by rebels. We choose a timely time to attack. It took longer than I expected, but we’re free.
1 March, 1451 –
We can now afford an ADM Tech and DIP Tech –
ADM TECH 4 – I can build Temples.
DIP TECH 4 – I can build marketplaces
I order a Temple in Sukhothai. When built, this should increase my cash flow by 0.20 monthly.
1 Sept –
MIL TECH 4 – My morale improves.
1 Jan, 1453 - I increase my stability to 2.
9 Jan – White Peace with Ming and the Hordes.
19 Jan – Ming accepts our offer of becoming a Tributary of theirs.
15 July – At a young age, our ruler has passed:
Queen –
Lawan Chiang Rai, 5, 5, 2.
Son is 4 years old.
Saisongkhram Suphannaphun, is 4, 4, 5
She’ll rule until he is old enough to take over.
Lan Xang and Malacca renew marriages with us.
1 Dec – As an example, I am now making 1.57 in cash monthly
1 Jan,1454 – I send Ming cash of 4 ducats.
27 July, I raise our stability
6 Aug – I get a claim on a minor province in Ayutthaya after a border dispute event.
1 Sept – I make Admin development my national focus. This will increase my monthly monarch power from ADM by +2 to 10 a month but drop the other two by 1 each to DIP t 7 and MIL to 4.
I need to get my ADM tech to 5 so I can get my first national idea.
5 Oct – Great news! Ming has reached out to us, and begun to use their great power to “Influence Nation” on us. That means we will get bonus monarch power monthly for a decade.
1 Jan, 1455 – Moving forward, just understand that we are sending one month’s cash to Ming on January as a part of being their tributary.
I order a Temple in Phra Bang.
4 May – Ming told us they want to move our tribute to manpower, not money. I’d rather do that anyway!
1 June – We can enact a government reform…
What would I like?
I could strengthen my nobles and gain 10% manpower, or curtail them and gain 10% national taxes. Cash is good!
But Im thinking something else entirely
We are currently a Mandala System style of government. That gives us bonus income from vassals, and that’s something I could care less about.
Instead I could move to plutocracy, grab another merchant, and get bonus influence from my merchants. I’d also unlock the plutocratic idea group which replaces the aristocratic one.
I do that. We are now a plutocracy!
2 Aug – Our spy network in Ayutthaya is developed enough and we secure documents to claim their capital.
1 Nov – I get a claim on Lan Na.
1 Dec – I send a Royal Marriage offer to Ming China and they accept.
1 Jan, 1456 – We send 300 manpower to Ming.
I order two thousand more spearman and one thousand cavalry for my army.
24 July – We get a Failed Rains event in our region and the production decreases for a few years
1 Mar, 1457 – We fabricate a claim on Phitsanulok In Ayutthaya and we have claims on our three adjacent holdings of theirs.
Our truce ends next year.
17 Sept – Now that we are a plutocracy, I enact the government reform of protecting trade. Our trade range and efficiency increases.
1 Nov – Get Ready!
ADM Tech 5- We can get a Idea Group –
Here’s how this works. In this game, your nation can choose a group of ideas that represent something that your nation wants to emphasize. And then, seven times, you can spend 400 Monarch points of the appropriate type to get the next idea in the group.
This may look a little busy. But here are all of the Idea groups you can choose from. I can choose groups in Dip ideas that represent things like trade, naval, espionage, and more. I can choose stuf in the admin category that increases taxes, expanse, happiness of my people, and in mil I can build army, naval, a nd such. You can only spend monarch power of the appropriate type in that idea group. As you can see, I have enough DIP power right now that if I took a dip idea group like Trade, I could take the first idea, which is to increase my global trade power by 20%
Also all groups will give you a bonus, powerful, boost if you finish a group. Also some groups work well together and you can enact a policy that uses them both if you have finished both. I think you can enact a Privateer policy with Naval (or Maritime) and Expansion (or Exploration).
Now, what Idea groups are best for me right now?
I need to up my military capability as I am about to continue wars. I could do Quality which increases the value of my army. I should be able to level it up soon, and I could get it’s first ability to improve my infantry by 10% in battle.
Here are my preferred choices:
Trade – Get bonus merchants and trade power. Strong ability to push trade. Once you complete the line you get three bonus merchants.
Expansion – At some point in time I want to begin colonizing the Indies. But not for a while. I do get two colonists, one merchant, and some other bonuses with this.
Exploration Ideas, - See the above, only I wouldn’t get merchants.
Quality – Upgrade my army capability. That will be helpful right now.
Quantity - If I want to build out my army instead of up, this is how.
Offensive – I prefer Offensive to Defensive if I expect not to be attacked often. The Defensive strengths of bonus attrition when fighting in my home turf and such aren’t great if I’m not being attacked. Off is great though.
Econ Ideas – By the time you are done with Econ ideas you will have a ton of bonus production, taxes, and more to help build up. Right now I feel like my high development is working for me, but it’s in the queue for later I suspect.
Plutocratic – This gives me bonus merchant, army morale, cheaper and more plentiful mercs, some bonus to manpower, bonuses to goods and such, and when I finish it I get an awesome +10% institution spread.
Dip Ideas – If I want many more dips, additional relationships, reduced DIP TECh cost by 10% and more, this is a great line.
Right now, I really am looking at Trade or Dip in Dip category of ideas, as I don’t need expansion right now, or the military buffs for my upcoming wars.
I do Quality Ideas
1 March, 1458 – I jack up my military to 100%
1 July – I get the first Idea in the Quality Idea Group – This is turning privates into marshals, and it increases my infantry ability by 10% in battle.
1 Dec – Dip Tech 5 – I get bonus trade range and efficiency
Our peace treaty with Ayutthaya is up.
Ready?
I declare war on Ayutthaya for their capital province, Only Lan Xang is willing to join us, so I call them in.