u/DiligentMarsupial594

It has been almost a year since I posted my playthrough as the Roman Empire, where I planned to eventually take it all the way through a mega-campaign into Stellaris (I described that playthrough here - The Roman Campaign link). This time, for the first time, I decided to try playing a non-European region, and Bactria seemed like a perfect choice.

The current date in-game is 148 AD. My main mods are Invictus, Timeline Extension, Crisis of the Third Century, Virtual Limes, and around ten other minor mods.

Bactria, a fragment of Alexander's Empire, was destined to one day become a galactic empire. But at the start of the game, it was a backwater on the edge of the civilized world, which had become a prison and a place of permanent exile for Greeks who had fallen out of favor with Alexander and the Diadochi.

The first dynasty was the Sophytids. Their rule lasted 60 years, but during that relatively short period the dynasty managed to gain independence from the Seleucids, defeating them in the first years of their reign and conquering almost all of eastern Iran. After that, the Sophytids systematically worked on strengthening Bactria on other fronts as well.

Unexpectedly, Diodotus arrived in Bactria. He was a military genius who, seeing the weakness of the Sophytid dynasty, demanded that they hand over their claim to the throne to him. The Sophytids, whose legitimacy was practically nonexistent, accepted the deal, and the rule of the Diodotid dynasty began. The Sophytids did not disappear and remain one of the most influential families in the Empire to this day.

Diodotus's reign was marked by the conquest of all of Tibet. He also established the modern border with the Seleucids after launching yet another war against them.

After 20 years in power, a young Eucratid suddenly appeared on the scene - another incredibly talented military genius who was dissatisfied with the Empire's slow expansion toward India. Following a series of conspiracies, Diodotus was forced to surrender the throne to the new dynasty and became an ordinary office-holder within the Empire.

The Eucratids embarked on an aggressive policy of conquest, reaching the modern borders in Scythia and eventually conquering the entire Indus Valley. They also repelled every invasion by nomadic tribes from the territory of Mongolia. However, this relentless expansion eventually weakened the Eucratids, and yet another young military talent appeared on the scene: Menander Euthydemid.

The Eucratids decided to hand power over to the Euthydemids, bringing their own 60-year rule to an end.

Menander Euthydemid was the greatest reformer in the history of the Empire. His most important decisions were the adoption of Buddhism, the creation of a new Greco-Indian culture - which he himself adopted - and the relocation of the capital to Sangala.

He fundamentally changed the direction of the entire state, abandoning ambitions to restore Alexander's Empire and instead making the conquest of India the Empire's primary objective.

The conquest of India lasted almost 200 years. Nothing seriously threatened the Euthydemids, giving them the opportunity to take their time and gradually integrate their new territories.

The conquest of India is considered complete with the capture of the Maldives in 26 AD. That same year, Ariostomachus Euthydemid died. He was the last ruler to expand the territory of the Empire.

Ariostomachus's successor, Ashoka Euthydemid, became the second-greatest reformer in the history of the Empire.

According to legend, he had a dream in which he saw an Empire whose capital was being ravaged by plague, whose people were dying of hunger, and whose lands were overrun by barbarians. He was terrified and decided to dedicate his reign to strengthening the Empire and protecting it from the threats he had seen in his dream.

He, his son, his grandson, and his great-grandson completely transformed the Empire, turning it into an incredibly efficient and perfectly functioning machine and, quite literally, squeezing the maximum possible efficiency out of it.

Below are the measures taken by Ashoka Euthydemid and his descendants that allowed them to turn the Empire into a model of prosperity and quality of life and protect it from the crises of the coming centuries during 120 years of peace:

• Extensive measures were introduced to accelerate religious and cultural assimilation. At the moment, religious assimilation has reached 99%, while cultural assimilation stands at 87%.
• Every available Great Wonder was constructed to the highest possible quality, with several of them built using gold.
• Two major naval centers were established. One is located in the Caspian Sea, while the other is on the western coast of India. Each naval center consists of five port cities capable of producing Mega-Polyremes.
• The most powerful navy in the world was created. It is divided into two fleets, each attached to one of the naval centers. Each fleet consists of 200 ships, with a strictly standardized composition containing absolutely every available ship type.
• All pirates along the Empire's coastline were eradicated.
• All available military traditions were unlocked: Greek and Macedonian, Bactrian, and Scythian.
• The export of all food trade goods was prohibited in order to prepare more effectively for potential famines in the future.
• Ten professional, top-quality armies were established across the Empire. They all use the same standardized template and are stationed along the borders at dedicated military bases. The First Army is stationed in the capital under the direct command of the Emperor.
• A high-quality road network was built from scratch across the entire Empire. Every single province has roads connecting it in every direction. Anyone can travel by road from the Aral Sea to Ceylon, and from Iran to Tibet.
• Sangala became the richest city in the world. There is now a surplus of absolutely every trade good, the city's walls are the strongest in the world, and its population is larger than that of any other city on the planet. Its grandeur is further enhanced by an expensive sanctuary and one of the Great Wonders.
• Numerous legislative reforms were introduced, primarily aimed at improving the lives of the population. You can see them in one of the images attached to this post.
• An economic reform introduced a new currency - the Solidus. This ensured the stability of the Imperial economy for centuries to come.
• An administrative reform completely separated military authority from civilian authority. This helped maintain stability within the armed forces and prevent another seizure of power by individuals like Diodotus.
• Every single province in the Empire was manually and completely reorganized. This included adjusting and relocating provincial capitals; demolishing unnecessary cities according to the principle of one city per province; building new cities in provinces that had never had one, again following the one-city-per-province principle; fully developing the Empire's countryside, first with Mines, then Farming Settlements, and finally Slave Estates; and constructing numerous new ports, strengthening the Empire's transportation network and its trade potential.

All of these measures have turned the Empire into the best place to live on the planet. There have been no wars for more than a century, and, in general, no wars are planned for roughly another 400 years.

The Empire has become an economic, military, political, and religious hegemon. With a monopoly over trade between China and the West, it has become unimaginably wealthy. This has actually forced its rulers to periodically give a significant portion of that wealth back to the people and keep taxes at a minimum, because there is simply not much left to spend the money on.

The campaign will continue according to the plan:

Imperator: Rome > Crusader Kings III > Europa Universalis IV > Victoria 3 > Hearts of Iron IV > Stellaris

Two more plagues, barbarian invasions, and various other problems caused by increasingly powerful governors await me in the future. But I don't expect any of these to pose a serious threat.

I started this Sparta campaign around six months ago, aiming to restore its former glory, and only now decided to finally bring the campaign to a close. Ahead still lie centuries of peaceful development and the end of expansion - perhaps with the exception of Numidia and Morocco, which could still be conquered in order to gain access to the Atlantic Ocean and prepare for the future discovery of America in a later mega-campaign.

From the very beginning, Sparta chose the most cautious and pragmatic path of expansion possible. First came the conquest of Crete, strengthening the economic and demographic foundation of the state. Then followed the Peloponnese, the Balkans, Asia Minor, Italy, Syria, and later the conquest of Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia. Having reached the borders of the Byzantine Empire of 476 AD in Asia, the Spartan Empire, while preparing for its Asian campaign, conquered the Caucasus, Crimea, and Dacia, fully securing control over the Black Sea. This was meant to secure the rear.

Having gathered the full might of the Empire on the eastern frontier in 727 AUC, Sparta declared a war of annihilation against the Seleucids, the Mauryas, and numerous other states. The "Imperial Challenge" was proclaimed, its goal being the restoration - and even expansion - of Alexander's Empire. Half a million soldiers began their 18-year campaign, one that would not stop until they reached the Indus River and the Hindu Kush. The entire East was crushed in the course of one endless war that did not cease for a single day during those 18 years, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of soldiers.

In 745 AUC, the great Asian campaign finally came to an end. The exhausted armies, after 18 years of endless marches and battles, managed to return home. "Pax Hellenica" was proclaimed. The Empire had expanded to such an extent that launching further major conquests would now be extremely difficult due to its sheer size and underdeveloped communications. Therefore, determined not to repeat Alexander's mistakes, the great conqueror of the East, Stratonikos II - who had retraced Alexander's path - chose to focus on peaceful development instead.

Every single border of the Empire was fortified through the construction of fortresses and other defensive structures. The gradual assimilation of the population began. The economy started actively recovering and growing after the decline caused by the endless great war. Sparta itself became the greatest city on Earth, transforming into a vast metropolis with an enormous population, highly developed trade, and thriving industry. Piracy was eradicated, and stability within the state was restored.

The next objectives planned for the coming three centuries are as follows:

• To consider the possible conquest of Numidia and Morocco. Arabia and East Africa remain possible secondary objectives, though a peaceful trade-oriented policy is preferred toward them.
• To establish 25 elite professional armies, each numbering 25,000 men, equipped with the latest weaponry and stationed across the Empire in specially constructed military bases. These armies are intended to remain in their provinces for centuries.
• To raise both cultural and religious assimilation to at least 99%.
• To construct a vast imperial road network connecting every city of the Empire - linking Tunisia with the distant cities of India, and southern Italy with the lands of Bactria. This should improve migration and strengthen imperial control.
• To carry out a complete manual reorganization of every province in the Empire. Provincial capitals will be actively relocated. Each province will contain a single major city, while all others will be demolished.
• To create three massive fleets, each consisting of 500 ships and including every class of vessel, including the newest and largest designs. They will be stationed in the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, and the Black Sea. Their purpose will be to maintain order and stability at sea, protect trade routes from piracy, and project imperial naval power.
• To fill the Empire with every available Wonder of the World.
• To fully develop all rural territories of the Empire, followed by a complete manual reconstruction of cities according to specific templates. There will not be a single city or settlement in the Empire whose potential remains unrealized. According to calculations, this construction effort will require nearly one million talents, while the treasury currently holds only 88,000. This means the development plan will take centuries to complete.
• To eventually carry out reforms intended to save the Empire from the Crisis of the Third Century. A "Constantinian Reform" will be introduced, separating military and civil authority, alongside an economic reform inspired by Aurelian. However, these reforms are intended to be delayed until the very last possible moment.

This is only part of the grand design of Stratonikos II, who intends to formalize this plan into an official state doctrine that his descendants must follow. All of this is meant to ensure the survival of the Empire through the disasters that await it in the centuries to come.