Our Tanks advance quickly against Bismark's Infantry. After capturing a few cities, we make a quick peace. We must finish our business with Cleopatra. First things first. 

On the other hand, Bismark does look rather stately in his uniform.

We were quite annoyed when Shaka started trouble. Under the Guidelines of Etiquette, we really owe it to the Zulu to civilize them and teach them Russian.

Shaka was dignified and polite in defeat, but Cleopatra made quite a fuss. 

An ethnic German city decides to rejoin Bismark. This cuts off our colonies north of the German capital. But these cities are of no economic or military significance, anyway.

This is very disagreeable. We had a Proper Contract. The borders were set. Bismark should have just asked, instead of conspiring to snatch it. No class at all. 

1760 AD
Goodies for Joan

Every one is ganging up on Joan of France. We will provide Oil for Tanks, Rubber for Infantry, Silks for French Fashion, and a substantial stipend in Gold. 

We ladies should stick together in this man's world. Young Joan has spunk. Reminds me of my youth. I like her. 

We have a very sizeable military. Morale is good, and all our soldiers are properly trained Veterans. Our Military Academy in Kiev continually produces Armies. 

Having a sizeable military never hurts one's social standing, and it frequently helps.

Czarina Catherine of Russia had a magic mirror.
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most cultured one of all?"

"You are, my Queen," said the mirror,
but Hammurabi is a close second."

THE GOLDEN FISH

Once upon a time, in a land far far away lived a very poor couple in a shack not far from the edge of the sea. Their only means of food was the fish that the old man caught in the sea. One morning, as was his usual routine, the fisherman took his fishing net down to the sea. But on this day something unusual happened, on this day the fisherman caught the Golden Fish. The Golden Fish begged for the fisherman to spare his life, and offered in return to grant the fisherman any wish he would like. But the kindhearted fisherman asked for nothing, and returned the Golden Fish to the sea. However, the fisherman's wife was not so kindhearted, she became irate when he related the story to her, and sent him back to the sea to catch the Golden Fish and to wish for a loaf of bread. The fisherman did as he was told, he caught the fish and wished for a loaf of bread. When he returned home he found a fresh baked loaf of bread on the table.

The fisherman's wife then decided that she wanted more than just a loaf of bread. The next morning she sent her husband to ask for a new washtub. He returned home to find his wife with a new washtub, but she still wasn't satisfied.

The following day the husband was sent to the sea to find the magic fish and to wish for a new house. This wish was, like the ones before it, granted to the fisherman. But the fisherman was sent back again the next day to wish that his wife would become governor. This time he returned home to find his wife dressed in riches and ordering about servants. But the woman was still unhappy, and demanded to become Queen of all the land.

Eventually, even being Queen of all the land did not satisfy the wife, and so she sent her husband once last time to the sea to catch the Golden Fish and to wish that she would be ruler of the sea and of all creatures who live in it. The fisherman caught the fish, and made the wish. However, when he returned home his wife was dressed in her old rags, standing by her old broken washtub, inside the old shack, with not even a loaf of bread to eat.