Fortunately, Muscovy can push right back, and with a stronger concentration in land power than the Swedes have, Muscovy should have little trouble pushing the Swedes all the way out of Finland. A Turkic impact, both from the east and south was profound. +20%National manpower modifier 2. Some players may prefer to reduce the Horde to a province or two and then force them into a humiliating vassalization (though because they are not Christian, annexing them diplomatically would be impossible), but it is also possible and perhaps desirable to remove their threat permanently. Census became neglected toward the end of their rule: rulers in Moscow didn’t lacked the government bureaucracy that could take care of that. Their methods of waging war result in high attrition and war exhaustion and this can make their empire prone to tearing itself apart with rebellion while still fighting a war. A great many Russian nouns concerning trade, clothes, tools, household items, and military came from Turkic languages. Most EU Players take their battle strategies from the German Blitzkrieg manual: hit them hard and fast with as big an army as you can muster, assaulting fortifications, raising War Taxes, and doing everything in their power to force a quick capitulation from the enemy. Do not allow them to get out of the war without paying tribute to Muscovy's throne - preferably in the form of provinces ceded to you. Be warned that the Teutons may also attack Pskov, so Muscovy may end up fighting with Novgorod to preserve them from the Teutonic Order. The Golden Horde will charge in, put your fortresses under siege, and assault them almost immediately. The wars will get progressively easier as Muscovy controls more and more of their territory. The highly centralized absolutist government, pinned around the tributary taxation. As your armies take the East, start pushing steadily westward, mapping the Golden Horde's eastern provinces along the way. Thwart this strategy by sending in a multi - pronged attack and put several of their provinces under siege at once. Still, keep the armies moderately sized to ward off attacks and attrition alike. Some of these lands will be Terra Incognita for you; fear not, because while at war with an enemy who has territory that is unknown to you, you can still march forces into that Terra Incognita to explore and conquer it. MOS. Also, if you will be lucky, the province will spawn Kazan revolters, which might spread from your province, into Golden Horde realm, and if they fail to defeat them, Kazan might revolt from them, making it easier for you to conquer it as it will be divided into smaller realms. Hover over a cheat code to view detailed argument explanation. However if you get a core/mission on Novgorod territory, you can declare war for it, even as a first move. If Muscovy can spare a reasonably sized force to watch the backs of its little besieging forces, now would be the time to send them in to rout or at least delay the Horde's forces until your armies can finish their sieges and withdraw. Now there might be players who are lucky and patient with diplo-annexation – I’m not. Smolensk and Chernigov are the final requirements for forming Russia. The 14th century witnessed the start of Novgorod's long struggle with Moscow for supremacy. If Novgorod forms Russia, historic rivalry with Muscovy is removed, and with it the liberty desire. I picked Military Drill right away as first idea to have that extra cutting edge. You want to let your Cavalry stand for one full shock phase, then order a manual retreat to a nearby province that is still within the Scorched Zone. Cossacks personified the Russian soul, in that they served Czars, but enjoyed the life of free men on the fringes of the Empire. On two sides of Muscovy are three small Russian principalities - Tver, Yaroslavl, and Ryazan - all with only one province except for Tver, which has two. Novgorod can afford to maintain an army up to its force limit. Fighting the Lithuanians while they are under Poland's rule does guarantee that Muscovy will not be fighting on two fronts against Lithuania and its allies, but it does mean that the armies of Poland and Lithuania will both need to be defeated to win. If Poland is player, and is friendly to you, you can just ask him for Smolensk, it is possible that you will get it pretty much instantly after you occupy the province. Muscovy occupies a north - central position in Russia. Bad thing is, they have Novgorod as their capital province, and you need that for the Russian unification. However, once Tver is your vassal, you have the chance to acquire the generic mission to incorporate a vassal, which will grant a core on the other province, Rzhev. You should do it as soon as possible, before Golden Horde will start conquering Ryazan, or conquer Lithuanian provinces and gain access to Tver, making it open to attack, and most likely doomed to be conquered. This helps with defense and income, but not with expansion. You have taken a relatively minor Russian principality and built it into a mighty nation that all the world will one day come to fear. To the South and East is the Golden Horde. What this basically does is destroy all agriculture in the province, massively reducing the province's income for you, but reducing its support limit and increasing its attrition rate for any army stationed in it, hence why small armies are best for executing this strategy.