France IA - Part 9 A France at War with Itself

Bonjour, bonjour bonjour! This is part 9 of the France IA game, back after a couple of weeks hiatus where I went to the country featured in this game. The strawpoll results have been in for a couple weeks already, but we'll go over them here: Vercingetorix of the Gauls is leading with 8 votes, followed by Alfred of the Anglo-Saxons with 5. Everyone else has 3 or fewer.

We start his part off after I declare the Centre under Charles VII bandits, as there is nowhere to settle a new city. There are spots to settle, but lets face it, they wouldn't do that even if there was room. Bye Charles!

You probably don't remember, but the Flemish and the Gauls are at war with the Franks. As you can probably tell, Charlemagne is doing rather badly. To help the war effort, Charlemagne declares peace with Louis XIV.

Alfred is still at war with William, though William has recaptured Caen from the Anglo-Saxons. Hirel looks like it'll fall possibly maybe perhaps.*

*Subject to availability of AI ability to capture cities.

I've already mentioned that me. Lets take this opportunity to look at how underpopulated France's territory is.

Many wars going on, apparently, I had forgotten. The Iberians are being attacked by the Visigoths. Logrono has fallen, but Zarautz is still somehow TXT_KEY_CIV_IBERIAN_ADJECTIVE.

Bastogne falls to the Flemish, and Aachen is surrounded. Things are looking bad for Charlemagne.

Holy cow, Hirel fell to the Anglo-Saxons. The Gauls have founded Lillebonne where it is just to smite everyone in that region.

The Visigoths take Zarautz, and hold Logrono. The Iberian army is ready to strike back against the invaders though.

Leonidas visits the Swiss and joins their struggle. Their army is a bit outdated, though I'm sure their legend will last for generations.

They've done it! The Iberians retook both of their cities.

Caen falls back to the Anglos. Things are looking pretty grim for the Normans, as most of their army comprises of archaeologists.

Mechernich is in the red, Aachen is in the yellow. Julich is still fine though.

The Iberians still have their cities on the borderlands. The Visigothic army is still strong, though the Iberian army is looking a bit lacking.

Aachen falls to the Gauls and not the Flemish! Charlemagne only has one city left, as Vercingetorix takes and burns Mechernich.

Overview of the Norman empire, if it can still be called that at this point. Funny that Nantes, the ex-Breton capital is now the Norman capital.

The last two units from the Centre. Somehow they managed to escape to sea.

Oh. Oh my. The Iberians look like they're about to have a bad time.

The Normans have retaken Caen, though I don't think it'll matter for very long.

The Gauls and the Franks have made peace now. The Flemish are still at war with the Franks, though I'd be surprised if anything came of it.

The Visigoths, tired of the Iberians' shit, have retaken and set aflame the city of Zarautz. Iberia might retake it maybe, with those three riflemen around it. In other news, Logrono is fine.

Yup, Caen has rererefallen. William has a Great War Infantry, which could help if there were 20 more of them.

I think the Centre's units are gone now, but that may or may not be the case. We'll see in the stats.

Yeah, nothing is going to happen between the Franks and the Flemish, because Vercingetorix is a dick.

The Normans have a total of 6 military units, not counting archaeologists and a great general or two. I see another Gallic settler, which can only mean he's going to be a dick again.

Guess they didn't retake Zarautz, as its gone now. The Visigothic air force is killing the Iberians rather well it would appear.

Here's the Visigothic interior, and they have GWI as well.

As do the Flemish.

The French have a force sitting here, which is great, but nothing is going on here.

Instead of building an army, the Normans are building more archaeologists.

The Iberian's artillery will not suffice to destroy the invading Visigothic army.

The Swiss are still in this game, but a couple of tech generations behind. Leonidas will have a tough job forming them into an effective fighting force.

Logrono is burning, but the front is somewhere. The borderlands are a dangerous place full of bandits and warring factions.

The French and the Normans are at war now? Or is it the Anglo-Saxon air force is damaging Laval?

Here's the border between France and Flanders. France is still underpopulated, while Flanders is ready for some action.

Logrono is still burning. Everything else Iberian is still fine.

Are they or not? I can't remember... Curses!

Things have calmed down for now, as the Visigoths regroup and the Iberians do... Iberian things.

Gee, you don't say... The Swiss might be able to take a city from the Gauls if they act anytime in the next century.

Welcome to the modern era Louis! Hurry and use this (I think) tech advantage and build some units, lest they be attacked.

As u/Admiral_Cloudberg so graciously pointed out to me, France has declared war on the Normans, which is kind of dumb considering the state of his army at this point.

Meanwhile, Anne of Brittany enters the Industrial era. At this point I think that the Bretons have a larger army than the Normans, even if it is technologically behind.

The war is going well, if you're not Louis. Where is that Gallic settler going?

Louis truly becomes an absolute monarch by adopting autocracy. Good for him, being historically accurate and all that.

The Visigoth-Iberian war is also progressing here, I don't think this'll take long.

The two armies are fighting in the borderlands, but better there than in and around their cities.

Nantes is still damaged, but not much so it'll stick around for a while.

Really? Really? Don't be any more of a dick than you previously were Vercingetorix.

Things suddenly take a turn for the worse as the Gauls and the Visigoths declare war on the French. Louis is screwed. Hey look, a Norman scout!

The French are still sitting in the fields doing nothing, which isn't that good considering their new adversaries.

Two Iberian riflemen are taking the fight to the Visigoths, though I'm of the opinion its a suicide mission.

France is attacking the Visigoths which is dumb, as they should be defending from the Gauls.

Hey look, it isn't the French army.

Please be merciful with your French army jokes, the French army is actually quite good.

We found it, here's the French army attacking the Normans... *sigh*

Here's where it should be, defending Bourges.

We end this part with the current state of affairs in the Iberian-Visigothic front.

Here's the strawpoll: http://strawpoll.me/6460377

Here's the religious overview, if anyone cares.

Yup, the Centre is gone, as their score is -. Meanwhile, the other nations are blowing up or getting blown up.

Here are the military scores, the race for second place is getting pretty heated.

International relations, muddled as always, but there's lots of war which is greatly appreciated.

Population stats, probably to be expected.

Same with production.

This isn't, however. The Gauls aren't too happy right now.

The Iberians are really high up in the tech race, which is pretty weird.