In keeping with Burgundy's crazy generous expansion missions, our next one is to annex Lorraine and get a core on Metz. We have to wait a few years until we can diplo-annex them, however, so that one's on the back burner for now. [IMG]http://game-point.net/misc/eu3/burgundy/012.png[/IMG] As we were planning our next move, this suddenly happened! [IMG]http://game-point.net/misc/eu3/burgundy/013.png[/IMG] We had vassalized 3 of the HRE electors, all of whom voted for us despite the fact that we had left the HRE! This wasn't planned - honest. Holstein was immediately removed by Denmark, but who cares? We are planning on dismantling the HRE eventually, anyway. What we get as an unexpected bonus here is a huge increase in manpower and force limits: [IMG]http://game-point.net/misc/eu3/burgundy/014.png[/IMG] Now this will help A LOT. I actually want to vassalize an extra HRE elector, probably Mainz, to solidify our HRE leadership so as to maintain these bonuses, at least in the short term. Long-term we can release them or annex them, and go back to dismantling the HRE. I still wonder how Burgundy is going to get a foothold next door to the Golden Horde or someone, though, to get all that infamy-free horde territory. Maybe some kind of war of aggression against Genoa to get Kaffa...? The trouble is, that would mean shipping lots of troops into Kaffa to deal with all those of the Golden Horde, and we don't have many transports... [IMG]http://game-point.net/misc/eu3/burgundy/015.png[/IMG] As it turns out, my thinking was quickly interrupted by Bohemia's annexation of Silesia. As we're the head of the HRE, this gives us an imperial liberation CB on Bohemia. Perfect. Bohemia is usually the Western nation that the Golden Horde bumps into first that can actually deal with them. If we grab a couple of Bohemia's eastern provinces (for 25% infamy, no less!), it will be WE whom the Golden Horde bump into! We can then throw huge resources into defeating them and do what Bohemia usually does - pretty much eat its way all the way to Japan through the hordes. As an added bonus, eating through the Golden Horde will place us next to other hordes whom we can also eat up, and Muslim countries whom we can declare Holy War on for low-infamy land gains! Of course, this (at the same time as colonizing the Americas) will place a huge strain on Burgundy's core economy, which will be working away to support all our troops, missionaries, and colonies. Most countries wouldn't be able to sustain it, but I think Burgundy can, with its many cored and rich provinces. So, we need to DoW on Bohemia on the Imperial Liberation CB within 5 years (before it expires). The one major threat that still remains is France, to the west, which has some cores on some of our provinces. We don't want to extend ourselves to the east only for France to take advantage and crush us in our core western territories. So we decide to first launch a blitzkrieg against France to weaken them as much as possible, hopefully stopping this eventuality. As it happens, we have a Trade Dispute CB on France, giving us a justification to attack. We declare war immediately, building yet more armies and increasing minting heavily to pay for it (also raising war taxes of course). Portugal and their junior personal union partner Aragon come in on France's side, as do France's vassals: [IMG]http://game-point.net/misc/eu3/burgundy/016.png[/IMG] Turns out that Portugal had no real influence in the war. Aragon did walk some troops over, but our troops (combined with our newfound buddies like the Palatinate and Lorraine) terminated them with relative ease. Henceforth, our land units' names will be "Terminators 1/2/3/etc." - the high council of Bourgogne has decreed the formalization of that name. [IMG]http://game-point.net/misc/eu3/burgundy/017.png[/IMG] 100% warscore over France. We force them to renounce all their cores on our territory (and Calais too... we have a core on that we're going to use one day), as well as releasing the states of Champagne and Normandy. The French threat to the west is now massively blunted. We don't cancel our alliances with Champagne and Normandy, but if they try to pull us into an inconvenient war, we will have no hesitation in reneging on the alliance. It's just useful to be able to try to pull them into our wars. [IMG]http://game-point.net/misc/eu3/burgundy/018.png[/IMG] Brittany and Savoy proceed to dogpile a weakened France, hopefully adding to their misery and making it very unlikely they will attack us in the foreseeable future. [IMG]http://game-point.net/misc/eu3/burgundy/019.png[/IMG] Shortly after, as if we didn't already have enough reasons to attack Bohemia, Austria excommunicate their leader to boot! I still think we'll attack on the Imperial Liberation casus belli, though, as the excommunicated ruler one doesn't let us capture provinces at 25% infamy, and we need to capture provinces to get that eastern presence allowing the Golden Horde to "bump into us" once they eat their way through Poland. [IMG]http://game-point.net/misc/eu3/burgundy/020.png[/IMG] The one thing remaining, then, before we can make Bohemia the next focus of our wrath, is to actually cut a path through to be able to march our armies there. A couple of military access requests later and we have it: [IMG]http://game-point.net/misc/eu3/burgundy/021.png[/IMG] Bohemia are allied with Switzerland and Aquileia. I predict that we (and our allies) will be able to cut through their alliance pretty easily, though. We now have 84k manpower and 72k troops, and are already one of the strongest countries in the world. We'll want to grab a few of Bohemia's easternmost territories, and wait for the Golden Horde to break through to us - we'll be ready for them. Next stop, Bohemia!