1144 con't
The rebels in Karvuna continue to hang
Sometimes I am truly amazed by the common folk... I suppose I am doing the world a favor by removing such obviously suicidal rabble from the realm. These fools cannot seriously believe I, a Prince by right, would begin negotiating with them after swearing not to? They are too stupid to understand they are better off with me and my protection than without. Perhaps I should invite some Muslim barbarians to raid the countryside, then these insolent peasants may finally begin to recognize the service I do them.
Unbelievable!
Kilic has done it! After all I did for him... I took him in to my court when he was exiled- I honored his claim on Vladimir, I guided him to the true faith- and now he turns on me so. Once a heathen always a heathen, it seems.
My personal demesne no longer extends to the region so I will need to deal with my vassal's forces to handle this problem.
Elias, Count of Smolensk and Muskva, is devotedly loyal to me.
Kallinikos, the young Bishop of Uglich and Pereyaslav Zalessky, is also devotedly loyal.
I can rely on both of them to provide their troops to me with little adverse affect.
Nikolaos, my young step son and Count of Rostov, is loyal, but not to the extent as Elias and Kallinikos. I will leave his troops be and only consider using them should things go very wrong.
Kilic's army is just over 1600 strong
with the forces at my disposal in the area I should be able to put down his little rebellion easily enough.
...
Alternatively I could consider Rad's diplomatic approach to this situation...
While I must admit the man has been wrong before (about this situation in the first place...) and has even openly challenged my reputation, I must also concede that he is one of the best diplomats
in the world. Rad is an
excellent chancellor, to say the least... He has proposed a different solution to this problem- one that does not involve bloodshed. Rad is all too aware of my slightly tarnished reputation- he needs to deal with other dignitaries' opinions of me during all of his diplomatic dealings- and has a solution that can fix that problem, among others.
Vladimir is a wealthy province, I believe Kilic brings in around 7 gold monthly. That is about a third of my demesne income, or ~1/5 of my income with the current scutage. But, as Rad points out my throne does not get all 7 of that gold... we only take in a fraction of it, depending on scutage, which with the current feudal contract is limited to less than half. So under the assumption that I would hand the province back to a vassal after defeating Kilic, I would only be gaining no more than ~3gold a month.
Rad has suggested I 'sell' Vladimir to Kilic. I could recognize Kilic as the rightful Count of Vladimir (which, behind closed doors I will admit that he is) while demanding Kilic's entire treasury, currently around 370 gold. Doing so would net me ~120 months of the income I'd normally get from Vladimir in one lump sum as well as help improve my reputation by giving up my claim on the province.
Rad's solution is effectively a trade: I get an improved reputation, 370 gold and I save the cost of a war
now in exchange for my giving up ~1600 potential soldiers and ~3 gold potential income a month...
Rad is also quick to point out that Vladimir is of a different cultural region than my other holdings, making my claim on a Prince title tied to the region far fetched...
I will put my faith in Rad's judgement... I send the peace offer; recognizing Kilic as the rightful Count of Vladimir in exchange for 370 gold...
Radoslav Vojislavljevic has insulted me in a tourney!
He had the nerve to claim I was 'cowering to Muslim extortion in the east'. That... that... that
swine! I demand immediate compensation!
But nothing comes of it.
A new Pope
I thought the messenger was bringing news of Kilic's response to my peace offer. When I realized it was pointless news of a phony icon, I was very disappointed- I let it out on the messenger...
A response!
Kilic has accepted my offer. I've lost Vladimir but gained wealth.
He is still at war with my ally, the Duchy of Moravia, though... Maybe they will destroy him
It seems my choice may have paid off:
my reputation is respectable. It appears my method of handling the situation was appreciated as an act of good character. Rad's diplomatic spin on the news probably helped as well.
Zoe, my daughter, is five
She will study at the monastery- the only place that can help keep her womanly evil from manifesting.
I have cut the realm's scutage to zero
Revenues are down to under 25 monthly, but now my vassals will be able to field larger armies. With a newly respectable reputation, positive wealth, and an absence of instability in the realm I may consider expansion once again. My claim on Karnten has been burning away at the back of my mind all these years and I am finally able to prepare to act on it... Revenge will be swift and
brutal.
Zenophon, my son, is showing promise of becoming a great stateman
I vow to pass a strong realm on to him...
My wife seems to appreciate my newfound love for her
she is devotedly loyal to me. Maybe thats why she inflicted an 800 gold debt on me before, she did not appreciate being in a marriage without love...?
The mine is completed in Severin
But while waiting for my vassals' garrisons to grow and my treasury to further fill, I will not build new provincial improvements.
I have made plans for war. But once again Rad has made alternative suggestions...
I
want to punish Nikolaz in Karnten. But Rad has presented some... disturbing reports to me
Kuman, the Count of Padua and Verona, while devotedly loyal is also displaying signs of rebelliousness.
Hartmann, the Count of Krain, is also displaying signs of rebelliousness. He is even somewhat disloyal, but Rad assures me it is a result of his new placement as Count and should improve. While his reasoning sounds fair I must remember what happened with Kilic... his loyalty faltered due to an event (my public reprimanding of his desire for elective law) and while it looked like it would return to normal, he took negative action quickly, before I had a chance to improve our relations.
I would need to rely on Hartmann and Kuman to wage my war against Nikolaz for me- but with their signs of rebelliousness that puts a dangerous spin on things. Despite their current loyalty, using their troops could change their disposition to me. I'd be in no place to further put
them in their place should they choose to act out. The costs of waging war with Belgrade and nearby troops would be very high, something I'd like to avoid. And even then, should I gain Karnten back, the area would still be at risk of rebellion due to Kuman's and Hartmann's rebellious attitudes. It seems their distance from the rest of the realm has given them a flair of extreme and independent thought.
Rad suggests I let my grudge against Nikolaz go. He suggests I leave Kuman and Hartmann be, collect taxes from them but do nothing to push them into a corner, for they may lash out.
Rad essentially suggests I forget about the west and put my focus into domestic issues- or if I must have war that I focus on nearer enemies. He rightfully points out that I have no personal connection, interest or desire in west/mainland Europe... I am Greek, after all.
I must ponder his ideas...
(1144 to be con't)
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Topic: Let's Play Crusader Kings Deus Vult (Read 137912 times)