This step-by-step playthrough guide aims to reunify Rizia through war, while also achieving:

• high production
  
• great living stands
  
• strong welfare state
  
• great economy
  
• good workers' rights
  
• strong human rights
  
• no unrest - including Iza
  
• overwhelming military power - large navy, mobile forces, maxed power projection etc
  
• all 3 religions happy
  
• high relations with all 3 houses - you'll have provincial taxes fully paid by the end although you need to do the Lucita romance perfectly and take every option to placate your own house

You can follow it as playthrough guide, or just use it as a war and war economy guide. On Turn 6 there is a full war speech that achieves massive enlistment and support, and on turns 7 to 9 there are guides on each part of the war.

We will build all 3 military factories, and build the Romus Toras military academy and the Pales Logistics Hub to get more action points. In the first part of the war we'll have 5 action points and later 6, making later parts very easy.

From the base game I used the save from this guide below. However the only thing that really matters is that Rizia is allowed to invest into Gasom. (default save does that too I think)

To make sure you might need to edit these values to true.
Turn03_EnT_Gasom_OnlyRiziaInvestment - true
Policy_Economy_EnergyProtectionAct_49Percent - true

Note that if you transfer a Sordland save from an older version then starting resources may be different and you may not get the flagship so for really old versions edit the save at the start and set unit flagship to 1.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3222098176

• Spend the summers with Queen Lyza
  
• Don't have much to do with Pabel
  
• Join the military
  - Staying on the council has stronger bonuses but we'll roleplay as military guy.
  
• Agree it's time to reconquer Pales and demand the king to crack down on the traitors
  
• Try to fight your kidnappers
  
• Do your best to rebuild the region
  
• Love Lena dearly
  
• Don't support Su Omina
  
• Go to sailing trip, find solace in faith
  - From now on say Halaita whenever possible.
  
• Concentrate on strenghtening the armed forces
  
• Decline Pales and show the invitation to the king

Before our coronation we'll choose our strategic focuses.

Government Structure: Reform
Yeah, we'll go for democratic reforms in this guide. However all 3 houses will be on our side by the end so you can safely go for Status quo as well.

Economic Strategy: Diverisify
The extra budget is helpful. To successfully diversify we need to maximize our income and production and minimize our energy resources. This is what we'll do anyways when building up our war production.

Diplomacy: Interventionism

Military: Rizian airforce

Starting resources: 9, 6, 3

Coronation
- don't make a speech

Celebrations
- don't spend, we need to be Romus the Fiscally responsible + plebs opinion is not worth the money
- let Vina join the Royal council

Meet the council
It doesn't really matter what you do here. You meet Hugo, he's great, and you should listen to him. Praise Vina whenever possible, but never listen to her.

Arrange a classical concert for the nobles
Organize the concert, unlike the opinion of the plebs, the opinion of the noble houses affects us a lot. (budget 5)

Consecration of the King
Take part in the ceremonies, let people protest and fund both projects (budget 1)

Football industry
- don't invest

• Sovereign Transition and Clemency (8,1,3)
  
• Welfare privatization (5,3,3)
  
• Expanison of Esquiris offshore gas field (4,0,3)
  
• Raise base income tax (2,0,3)

Privatization is an absolute must have first turn decree no matter what you want to achieve. In addition to giving a one time budget boost it also decreases your administration costs. The worst trap you can fall for is passing feel-good welfare decrees early on and have your administrative costs skyrocket. For example on the surface Tenant Protection Laws and Housing for the Poor may seem like they fix homelessness for a measly 2 budget but if you pass them right away you'll find half of your budget being mysteriously sucked away to a budgetary black hole.

Foreign policy meeting
- agree with Hugo to align more closely to GRACE
- don't fund the ATA

Trade talks
- include Elena -> listen to her when she interjects "See, this is why I brought her along."
- sign both deals

Conversation with Vina
- promise you'll declare her next in line and that you won't marry her off
- listent to Pabel, and look into it further

Turn 2 decisions
- No need for statues (8,6,5)
- Don't donate (8,6,5)
- Ignore Malenyevist propaganda [i(8,6,5)[/i]
- Form a paratrooper division (8,5,5)

Friendship day
- give a concillatory speech in Zille

• Monqiz port (7,2,5)
  
• military equipment factory (6,0,5)
  
• sell military equipment (2,3,4)
  
• sell support vehicles (2,5,4)
  
• small energy sale (6,5,4)
  
• build Zpana Dam (4,0,4)

Update on Zille incident
- fund the Golden Guard (Budget 2)
- investigate poisoning, leave Pabel out

Statement on the Zille Incident
- issue a neutral response

Visit from Queen Beatrice
- Cut off Wehlen completely (Energy 2)

Don't send an envoy to any country
- this one's a real waste of budget

Family visit to Iza
- use rifle, listen to Rico about his plan but say "Actually, no. I won't go along with this plan. Your organization must be held accountable." at the end
- deny the police transfer

Kingird Festival
- agree with Manus, let them dance (if you're going the reform route)

Golcondist pilgrims demand access
- reject passage (rejecting them is a really popular decision)

Meeting with Rusty
- promise to not pass new regulations on mining
We'll pass regulations later, but for now we'll enjoy the extra income.

Royal visit to Montaklar
- agree to send a task force to Pales
- you can start a romance with Lucita here (follow her, grab her arm and don't let go)

Provincial subsidies
- don't grant exceptions to any province

• sell military ships (8,6,2)
  
• Romus Toras military academy (6,1,2)

Welfare protests
- Disperse protestors by force (14,8,1)

Council meeting on Pales issue
-order a blockade (15,8,1)

Confederacy of Vendonesam requests support
-Offer financial aid (15,7,1)

Meeting with Duke Reinhart
- don't recall the fleet
- later don't make a deal with Alvarez

House of Delegates session
- attend session
- side with the delegate majority and don't make new regulations
(siding against the elected majority would be undemocratic)
- later raise RRG stake to 45% (Budget 5)

Request for Cooperation from Wehlen
- don't cooperate

Wine export surge (Budget 7)

1. Try to appease Smolak with a peaceful speech
   - "I hope you all see Wehlen's failure to return Zille for what it is: a flagrant violation of international law. Still, I would like to give President Smolak the benefit of the doubt."
   
2. Support Morella on the MITZ, say a compromise can be reached with Derdia
   "After all, their ideology is no more dangerous than Malenyevism." - add this as a power move
   
3. Try to sound peaceful when speaking about Pales, appeal to Hegel at the end

Plavo restoration
- hire experts from Porte Drazon (Budget 6)

Romus the Red launch event
-make a speech -> "We should not hesitate to look to our fellow royal houses for support." -> name the Azaros
-have Hugo open the bottle
this way we get popularity points for both House Toras and Azaro
-stay behind to advance romance

• sell tanks (14,9,1)
  
• Support vehicle factory (12,6,1)
  
• Tank factory (9,2,1)

Go to Holsord and make a small bond investment (budget 0)

(you can leave out this part if you didn't recover the economy)

1. Say these lines at the beginning, don't lash out at him later.
   "I'm sorry we don't have carpets. I know that's traditional among your people."
   "That's indeed over the top, Mr. President. I'll ensure that my papers refrain from such slander in the future."
   "You are right. Neither of us want Arcasian greed to spread across Merkopa."
   "The violence you mention is the responsibility of a select few individuals. They are being dealt with."
   "As the owner of nearly half of Rizia's royal mining company, I have a vested interest in keeping gold production consistent."
   
2. Import tobacco, timber, oil
   
3. Export wine
   
4. Promise aid against the BFF
   
5. Do not implement a ban
   
6. Grant Wezheks the equal right to work (only to work)
   
7. Smolak won't agree to the deal as it is -> promise him Rico

We won't give him Rico and we won't help him against the BFF either, he gets scammed.
(if this part doesn't work for whatever reason, just reload the turn save and try adding a weapons trade or give full equal rights)

Resisance funding
- don't fund either

Gathering of the MITZ board member states
- vote for nationalisation

RNC requests campaign funds
- don't fund

Meeting on internal security
- investigate Su Omina for 1 Authority (Authority 14)
- talk about Iza -> give the police to Lucita
- don't link Rico to bombing

Football decreases (Budget 7)

An evening at the palace
-investigate Sal

Grandsanctuary
-buy timber from Wehlen(Budget 6)

Call from Hegel
- reject his offer

Morella negotiations
- for extra relations just act like you care
- accept her offer of 20 percent share
- give her the medallion -> "our contracors found it"

On return from Morella
- favourable energy deal
- sale of morellan aircraft (Budget 5)

Gasom purchase
- buy large minority stake (Budget 1)

Assault on Rizian citizen by Sordish tourists
- send tourists back to Sordland

Visit to Esquiris gas field
- tell Manus he can only marry if he changes his name, give blessings
- don't help him with the elections

• residence and work permit for migrants (11,0,0)
  
• sell military planes (9,4,0)
  
• small energy purchase (9,2,1)
  
• sell equipment (8,4,1)
  
• investment in public transport infrastructure (6,1,0)

You need to invest in transport infrastructure before turn 6 or you get the infrastructure crisis. No point in investing in it before this point however. The work permit is for calming down Iza.


Royal yacht
- begin restoration works (6,0,0)

Global media campaign proposal
-massive media campaign (14,6,3)

• expand Fort Ales naval base (13,4,3)
  
• sell submarines (11,9,3)
  
• improve Pales logistics hub (9,4,3)

Malenyevist workers strike
- promise better protections

Vendonesam Civil War
- send an infantry division -> time to send Rizians to not-Vietnam

Meeting with the Royal Council
- lose arbitration
- keep navy at the field anyways (Authority 11)
(this seems to give 2 authority instead of 1)

Late night at the Palace
-Pales attacks our ships
-"Our first duty is to our own. Focus all efforts on the RRN Valero. Dispatch a rescue team from the mainland for the Palesian sailors, but our immediate priority is saving the Valero and its crew."

Meeting with Duke Reinhart
- don't agree to his demands, declare war

Additional cost on Royal Yacht Restoration
- scrap the boat (Budget 5)

Alignment of the Six Stars
- don't commit to any intention
- fund dastnurist charity (Budget 4)

Conversation with Lucita Azaro
- just choose the options where you don't leave right away

Sovereign memorial commemoration
-call out Estela on being a Dastnurist
For extra opinion:
-"Look, I honestly don't care what you believe. I just wish you'd been forthright about it."
-"Before we go... you should know that I intend to uphold Father's legacy. I will do right by him by rejuvenating this nation in accordance with his wishes."

Briefing on the Invasion of Pales
- feign attack from the south
- keep the navy and our marines on standby
- plan the assault personally
The plan is not to attack from the north. We redirect to enemy to the south because Pales launching a counterattack to the north can be really annoying.

Below is a version of the war speech that helped me get massive war support.


-You are all family, I want you by my side.
-My fellow Rizians.
-Today, we stand united, not in celebration, but in solemn duty.

Talk about the arbitration
-Despite the AN ruling in favor of Pales, we stand here today, resolute in defending our nation against their encroachment.
-In a surprising twist of fate, Valgsland has shown greater integrity then many who claimed to share our values.
-Our expectation was for Derdia to empathize with our plight, yet their stance left us disillusioned.
-Arbitration has spoken, yet true verdicts are written not in chambers of debate, but in the hearts of a people united for their cause.

Talk about the naval incident
-Our stance at Aureus, backed by the Royal Navy, was a clear declaration of Rizia's resolve to protect its maritime rights.
-Our focus remained steadfast on the Valero, a duty to our own above all, in a decisive moment of kinship and loyalty.
-I solemnly vow to avenge these vile actions. We will counter every blow, return every volley and strike fear into the heart of the Palesians.

Highlight other subjects
-The shadow of Lespia and the Arcasian Treaty Organization looms large over Pales. We wage this war to counter their encroaching influence.
-The international community and the AN are against us. The world order they are creating is a farce!
-I have always seen through the self-styled 'Duke' Axel Reinhart and his sham of a Grand Duchy. It is time for the facade to come crashing down.
-From Moridia's Gulf to Sudis, then across to the Antacean Sea, our lands will stand unshackled, our people resolutely free.

Convictions
-They tried to attack me in Zille but failed. Now, a new threat rises from the south. We will fight our enemies on every front, and we will win.
-Visions have come to me, foretelling conflict; a divine sign that our path is righteous.

Address the people
-I call upon the youth of Rizia, to take up the mantle of defense, to write your own chapter in our storied history.
-Your enlistment, your support, your sacrifices are the building blocks of a free, victorious, and prosperous Rizia.
-From the fields to the factories, your contributions fortify the very foundations upon which our kingdom stands.
-This land of ours, with its rolling hills and ancient cities, calls for its children to protect its legacy. For Rizia, for our future!

Address the houses
-We are supported by the esteemed Azaros of Cardesse-Montaklar, whose military prowess and strategic acumen inspires not only their home province but the whole kingdom.
-House Sazon of Brenas will be key allies in this fight, harnessing the knowledge and youthful energy of their province to outwit and outmaneuver the enemy.
-Of course, I will be leading Rizia into battle with the entire Toras royal family by my side.
-Noble houses of Rizia, your unity and allegiance in this crucial hour fortify the soul of our nation.

Address the armed forces
-Dear Rizian soldiers, pilots, and sailors, today you embark on a great, great conquest. A conquest that will end with the greatest triumph Rizia has ever seen.
-Your valor and sacrifice are the bedrock upon which the future of our nation rests. We owe you an immeasurable debt of gratitude.
-To our esteemed paratroopers, your bravery and swiftness are the wings upon which our hopes soar.
-I ask our Lord God to watch over you in battle. May His mercy be your shield; His wrath your sword.

Conclusion
-In the heart of every Rizian, there lies a deep-seated desire to see our nation whole, undivided by foreign claims or unjust rulings.
-This reunification is not merely a quest for land, but a reclamation of our history, our culture, deeply intertwined with these territories.
-Our independence is non-negotiable. We will not be swayed by international pressures or alliances that threaten our sovereignty.
-The time for diplomacy has passed; Rizia must now assert its might and valor in the face of Palesian aggression.
-The blood of Rizia flows in our veins, fueling a fury born of righteousness and honor.
-United we stand – a family, a kingdom, one indomitable force for the future of Rizia!


Rizian intelligence sabotage plans
- sabotage air defenses near Fort Ales (air defenses are way more annoying than naval defenses)

• excavation of Topes ancient Rezenid city (12,2,3)
  
• housing the poor initiative (11,1,3)
  
• tenant protection laws (9,0,3)

We need tourism for the economy, and the housing crisis is about to get worse, so this is the point we can start caring about welfare.

Don't invite Grand Wiseman to House of Delegates

• Increase provincial levy obligation (11,6,6)

Royal Jet
-all planes should be used in the air force



The war starts with Operation Golden Shield. The goal is to take control of the western part of Pales. The operation has 3 phases, each phase has 10 turns. In the first phase our goal is to take control of the town of Ziqes, and in phase 2 we take Arces. I never reached Phase 3, but remember, you have an extra 10 turns beyond what I illustrated in the guide.

The initial deployment is shown below.

To compensate for that we now have more airstrikes than in the previous version so you can destroy their tanks in the north right away.


The north
In phase 1 our main goal in the north is simply to hold it. Fort Ales however is in real danger. The enemy can snipe it with an air strike and attack it with the armored division near it, so we should be ready to support the city with the Sazon levies.
Note: The enemy armored division on Navar is on a fort, so you can only defeat it while you're attacking and not while defending, because it instantly regenerates after failing an attack. You can airstrike and attack it if you see an opportunity. It can be a good opening move.


The west
This is our main axis of attack. Our immediate goals is to destroy the armored divisions near Ziqes, and after that clear the area around the city, and take the city with our armored division.
One of the enemy tank divisions can be destroyed right away in the first turn along with their mountaineer force that supports it.
Start with attacking their tanks with your mountaineers. Choose to deploy paratroopers. Attack the support division on the south with you Azaro elites and your flagship, and support the mountaineers with the Sazon levies.

The south
Not our main goal, you can make opportunistic attacks with your Azaro elites supported by the navy. Sink their ships when possible. Note that Military ships are the best support units, so naval support really helps a lot. To sink an enemy ship attack it with a ship and support it with a submarine.
Only deploy 1 ship, 1 submarine and the flagship. Keep 1 ship and 1 submarine in reserve!

The AI cheats
They automatically support their defending units with every neighbouring unit that isn't currently fighting. Remember this, because this is their biggest advantage against you.


After the first initial turns of fighting this is how it looked for me. Most of the enemy has been cleaned up from the south of Ziqes. Now you should move in for the attack, and capture the city. Using an airstrike on it makes it a lot easier. Destroy as many of the enemies as possible to make phase 2 easier.
You can use you paratroopers to surround enemies and for extra support. Deploy your marines when you have a chance, it's a good attacking unit.

Refugees in the battlefield -> this even will happen at one point
- Establish safe corridorss


Breaking the Palesian naval grip
- Reroute trade through allied territories (Energy 5)

House of Delegates
-don't enact a war tax

• Remove golcondist blasphemy law (8,6,5)

Resistance in Zille
- Don't fund either organization

Vendonesam civil war
- Dispatch naval forces -> this is why we kept ships in reserve, to fight 2 wars at the same time

Meeting with Grand Wiseman Azmal
- serve as your own champion, ask Titus for advice, left jab, then concede at the end
- use religious dialogue, quote Wruhecism
- call upon their great warrior culture, ask for missiles only (Budget 4)

Meeting with uncle Hugo
- hear him out, don't do anything else

Iza University
- let Rico finish his speech, then speak in support of him
Iza seem to have calmed down, no harm leaving him there

Don't pardon Duchess Sazon
She doesn't deserve pardon, and causes problems if she's allowed back.


Phase 2 is pretty straightforward, move in towards Arces, destroy all the enemies in the way and capture the city. The main problem is the air defense behind the city, this stops you from bombing the city and makes capturing it a lot harder. So destroying the air defense is a priority. Fortunately an attack from the north is possible now. As with the previous phase, try to destroy the enemy tanks as soon as possible.

Golden Shield has a third phase in Turn 8 if you didn't manage to capture Arces in phase 2. So don't worry, you have leeway here.

When you capture Arces, you'll get an event about a captured intelligence operative, I just disregarded it.


GASOM investment report
- keep the shares

Refugee crisis
- Facilitate external refugee relocation to Morella

Meeting with Queen Livingston
- ask for Rumburg's help, make some specialized requests
- agree to cease Rizia's participation in Operation Bear Trap
- ask for trucks, tanks
- manpower if you want Bludish batallions
- don't ask for chemical weapons

Freedom of press in conflict zones
- Grant full access to journalists

Wartime economy
- Offer subsidies to affected families (Budget 3)

Countering Palesian propaganda
- Tighten information controls and censorship

Dinner with Royal family
- agree to Vina's wedding
- the Toras surname and lineage will carry through Vina

• 1 ship
  
• 2 support divisions
  
• 4 armored divisions

these will be enough for large navy and large mobile forces as long as you don't lose these units, and if needed you can deploy them in Golden Shield Phase 3

• launch of anti-narcotics campaigns (7,2,5)
  
• establish the Romus Toras Hospital (6,0,5)

Invest in new industry
- renewable energy (15,7,5)

Vendonesam wins civil war
- The world knows our might
Turns out you can fight multiple wars at the same time.

• 1 submarine - to get Strong Naval Interdiction Capability

• medium energy sale (15,9,2)

Security council meeting
- don't say a word to Wehlen about the new evidence -> keep it to blackmail Lespia

Conscription and Labor Shortages
- Expand foreign workers' rights (13,7,2)

Operation briefing
- go to the frontline
- dine with the soldiers

Rizian Royal Expeditionary Forces' Return
- welcome back to our brave sailors (choose this one otherwise you won't get the ships back)

Meeting with Lespia
- blackmail him to veto sanctions -> "I will destroy the evidence of Lespian involvement in the Zille bombing if you will do your best to block the sanctions against us."

• Workers rights protection for all industries (11,4,2)

Council meeting
- hear Manus out, proceed with the reforms (if you went for reforms)

Siege of Navar castle
- Use the incident to bolster national unity

Negotiations with President Smolak
- agree to hold a referendum

Secret meeting with Manus Sazon
- keep federal structure -> establish a Senate -> equal vote -> judicial review
- be transparent and diplomatic



In Operation Total Tranquility the goal is to capture the enemy capital city of Pales. We'll achieve that by a naval invasion. Our sizable mobile forces will hold the lines near Arces while our fleet will work on dismantling the enemy naval assets and making a beachhead for our marines and paratroopers on the Pales peninsula. By the end of Phase 1 ideally we'll destroy most of the enemy ships and land our forces next to the enemy capital.


In the initial turns we work on destorying their ships while they have no chance of penetrating our armored line. You can land paratroopers on their naval defenses right away, but don't do that until you can support them with your ships. The Palesian flagship is their toughest unit, try to destroy its supporting ships first or use an airstrike on it.

I made the first landing on turn 4.


And this how it should look by the end of Phase 1.



Wine exports quadruple (Budget 7)

Alliance of Nations
- support Agnolia (Rayne is our soulmate)

Lunch time
- arrest Sal

Royal wedding
- fund the committee (Budget 5)
- if romanced -> marry Lucita -> keep it secret for now

• found the Romus Toras University (9,1,2)
  
• expand border guards (8,2,2)
  
• naturalization process for foreigners (4,1,2)

You'll get the achievment for building every Romus Toras building

Pales infrastructure collapse
- Send Rizian humanitarian aid under military escort (13,8,2)

Sordland bond investment
- Budget 11

doing these decrees here to get green human rights on the next turn

• increase health and education funding (11,8)
  
• allow free press (8,8)
  
• remove death pen (6,6)
  
• equal gender pay (4,4)
  
• decriminalise homosexuality (0,4)

Final board vote on the MITZ
- vote yes


The last part of the war. If you made a beachead in Pales, then the rest should be really straightforward. Always support your units with warships. Capture and hold the city, clean out the rest of the enemy. By turn 4 I had the city surrounded and captured. Similarly to the previous operation there is a phase 3 if you didn't finish yet. But if you didn't capture Solles or Remaz and you gave away your veto powers then the House of Delegates will force a peace.



Valslad offers aid
- accept (Budget 6) -> free money

High tea with Queen Beatrice
- middle spoon, outer spoon, outer spoon, inner spoon

Zille referendum
- active all our agents in Zille

Return of Zille speech
- Zille shall belong to Rizia Imperii

Reform conversations
- appoint Daria
- no structural changes to the military

Give tax credits for some extra economy at the end. Last turn so you can pass anything else you like.

• tax credits for businesses (9,12,2)

Signing the 1958 Rizian Charter of Fundamental Law
- appoint Daria de Rava

Dissolution of the Royal Council
- wish them a happy retirement

Victory Parade
- Pales is annexed

Announcement of the Prince-to-be
- name him whichever you want and decide if you want him or Vina to be your heir

Do the address to the nation speech where you can brag about your achievments, and the game ends with you being called Romus the Great.