OFFICIAL THEME
A Second (Technically Fourth) War with Egypt was inevitable really. But I was determined to be smarter about when I declared, and over what, so I spent the time until the truce was over rebuilding my military might. My economy had performed admirably in the last war and was in a more than healthy state even after the loss of Basra and some trade income, but my military wasn't up to fighting two great powers at once. So I built up stacks, drilled relentlessly, started conscripting every able bodied man in Persia and waited for an opportunity. But none seemed to come. I even sent a half stack up to conquer what was left of Oirat, just to pass the time. My Commandant got an event giving me +10% discipline for 6 years, and with my military power capped out, I finally declared on Egypt, seeking to liberate my Persian brothers, and prepared to fight two superpowers.
Except only one came. Not sure why Khmer didn't join in this time, but it certainly helped! My armies managed to retake Basra, as well as a number of forts in the Hormozgan region. There were a few diversionary thrusts into the Arabian Peninsula, allowing for a consolidation of the line in the Hormozgan, where a series of battles took place that really decided the war, my Persians managing to gain the upper hand. Just. It was bloody, but in the end we hammered out a peace treaty. Basra would be returned, and the Island of Hormuz, and everything north, would be handed over to Persia. This allowed me to complete a few missions, and really marks the end of Persian interest in Egyptian affairs.
Recovering from the war now, I finally finished integrating Astrakhan, and noticing that Egypt had taken out the Ottoman rump state that had been so cruelly torn from Persian protection, I turned over the province of Malatya to the remnants of the Ottomans. Fun times all round.
Also, with the Italians having some fun with revolutionaries, I noticed that Trebizond had somehow broken free from their grasp, up in the Crimea. They appreciated their two months of independence, I'm sure.
Vassals Integrated: Astrakhan
Vassals Gained: Ottomans
Provinces Gained: Altay, Kobdo, Uliastai, Bam, Bandar Langeh, Darab, Hormuz, Jask, Kazerun, Mogostan, Siraf, Malatya
Provinces Gained for Georgia: Matrega