The mandate of heaven is gen the worst thing in the world rn
Context:
Korea game. Tall. Felt like calming the mandate at some point near the end of the age of reformation. Rich beyond rich.
Took the mandate. -4k ducats instantly. Why? -10K FOR TRIBUTES??? Ok. Who is getting this money? ALL OF INDIA IS TAKING 2K DUCATS EACH, AND I CANT EVEN KICK THEM OUT WITHOUT LOSING LEGITIMACY, WHICH TRIGGERS A DISASTER WHICH COOKS YOU EVEN MORE???
Oh but the bonuses, right??? There's a decree that gives you like + 30% tax efficiency!!!
At make tribute (10k a month rn), you only get 0.10 MANDATE A MONTH....... And if you do the decree (5 mandate), it uses 0.10 mandate a month...... so you get NO MANDATE AT MAX TRIBUTE...
Ok, just release some tributaries! I own all of Manchuria through a fiefdom!
+0.01 mandate a month at all +200 opinion and 100 loyalty. there's like 30 freaking tributaries and it lags my game out.
And also you lose trade with the outside world, cooking your income for a while.
And the disaster sucks, is super easy to accidently trigger, and takes 4 yrs minimum to get out due to some BS with "enacting" policy through a cabinet member...
Oh by the way, you cant kick your vassals out of the Middle Kingdom, so even if you kicked everyone out the kingdom (costing you absurd amount of prestige and legit), you will still pay an absurd amount to your VASSALS...
BLUF: Let Wu or Ming or wtv keep the damn mandate and beat them up every 8 years as they continuously collapse due to the BS mandate distaster that never goes away.