My current campaign status:
The story thus far (from my last post to now):
After loading up again after my post victory CTD I was left to assault Stockholm (full stack vs. full stack) again. Luckily the battle played out identically to before so I ended up with a better result than last time. This was handy as the moment I ended the turn a near full stack of Swedish troops marched from Norway and immediately assaulted. My depleted troops had no hope of holding the walls (thanks in part to the terrible unit ai for firing from the walls). I withdrew my troops to the centre of the fort and waited for the enemy to come to me. My rush to the rank firing doctraine was a 2 edged sword, my men were able to break the infantry through weight of fire but skipping square formation led to pitched melee battles with enemy cavalry for the fort square. Eventually I prevailed, Sweden was broken as a military power as it became apparent that they'd thrown their last army at me and Norway was only able to produce militia. After reinforcing my troops and cleaning up their raiding parties with the help of Denmark to stabilise Stockholm, I moved on Norway and consigned the blue and yellow to history.
Soon after the battle for Stockholm my army from Moscow to reinforce my rag tag militia that was fending off Georgian raids on the North Caucasus. They arrived just in time to meet a large Georgian offensive. Although the day was always going to be Russia's, I lost more men than expected, this postponed by attack on Tbilisi whilst I reinforced. At this point Dagestan decided to try their luck against my weakened troops, their attack was utterly crushed and their now defence-less capital soon served as a nice outpost for my troops to replenish. The next year Tbilisi was taken and the Ottomans accepted my offer of peace.
After subduing Courland (Poland-Lith kept out of it) my empire entered a period of peace. Armies were disbanded and funds reallocated to upgrading my infrastructure, gentlemen returned to colleges to advance my naval and non military technologies and the cabinet reshuffled (mainly because I realised I could do it). Once research had caught up with the rest of Europe my Baltic and Black Sea fleets came in to existence as a deterrent to any naval threats.
After a decade of peace with my only concerns being my newly educated lower classes clamouring for reform my sleeping bear was awoken by Prussia declaring war on my trusted ally Denmark. My rakes reported that that their armies were off in west on the Danish border, leaving our mutual border undefended. My veteren troops and general were rushed to the front and easily took Konisberg, my newly raised forces then leapfrogged them and opened the route to Berlin for my experienced troops. They ambushed at a river crossing by a reinforcing Prussian army, the balance of forces screen informed me that reinforcements were enroute from Berlin, it was my 1000~ against their 2000~.
Luckily I started in control of the only ford on the battle map, whilst my line infantry stalled their infantry mid crossing and held their cavalry at bay my grenadiers bombarded them until they broke. Another battle for the ford was avoided when my light infantry managed to kill the enemy general as he led his rallied men, their already weakened morale was destroyed and then ran for their lives. No sooner than defeating this attack a volley of cannon fire to my rear signaled the arrival of the reinforcements from Berlin. I galloped my cavalry to knock the cannon but they were driven off by fire from line infantry only managing to weaken one crew. This had bought me the time to reposition my infantry on the high ground intime to meet and rebuff their attack. Led by a brigadier breaking these men once was all that was required and soon my cavalry were mopping up the stragglers. Berlin was now an open city and was captured with out a shot fired. My Baltic fleet earned it's first honors by crushing the Prussian fleet that had now been denied a safe port. Prussia is now at it's knees whilst my armies leapfrog south taking province after province from armed citizenry.
Glad to hear it.
