Help stop the timurids rampage

[crazedwombat]

I would post a ss but I'm at work. Here's the situation. I'm playing Ireland and I've been playing backseat and underhanded. No direct offensives. I own all of England except london and cardiff...I would wait until one province turned rebel and then jump on it and take it. I didnt even finish off scotland, I waited until their last province revolted (6 spies and a massive army just hanging out causing devastation + sabataging the church again and again) and then took it. Now I own the new world and bergen (norway capital).

Here's the worlds scenario, stainless steele 5.1 btw. I've been allied with england for over 300 turns, they own all of western and most of eastern europe and all of norway. Novgorod has a couple far eastern provinces, the papal states now has a nice hold in italy and far southwestern europe and is working portugal to wrest the iberian penn from them (they had owned all of it) They also crusaded riga and now own all the surrounding provinces. Other than here or there thats it....oh wait, yes...the tims came and wipes the floor with egypt...now egypt was the most powerful country owning all the way into hungry's land, and into russia and most of the small island in the med. all gone. the tims now own all of eastern africa and are spreading fast with massive armies. they are up to kiev on that side, but held in check by england at constantinople...by alliance, which just shattered a turn or two ago. I saw all this coming so I was looking for a country to buffer against. England is yes but they're too close to me so I turned to the papal states. Since I can take no direct action (as stated, the rule I put in place when starting cam) I have helped the papal states get where it is today by gifts of 100-150k every couple of turns. They have spread but are in oks with england which I hope holds. The united front and the banking from me might hold them off but it doesn't seem very likely. If they take all of europe I might have to break the rule and start taking back europe by myself. Problem is Irelands armies aren't that great, and when head to head with the tims, I dont think they'll stand long.

Advice on how to proceed and stop the swarm of locusts? do you think england, who holds the largest landmass outside the tims can hold them back? do you think the papal states with my large cash influxes will be enough to take it to the tims? What can I do aside from direct offenses?

I noticed that they really spread once they took alexandria and cairo.

[Silent Assassin]

I would suggest to gather your bordering citie or castles with alot of archer and sprearmen or better th defend them. I have beaten 3 full stacks of Mongols siegeing Antioch at the same time so probably you should do the same againt the Timurids. For their elephants, attack them with flaming arrow or flaming ammo from trebuchet or catapults from within your settlements

[Alxaro]

To handle the elephants, use things that make a big boom (catapults, trebuchets or cannons)
If everything failes, download SS 6.1 and voila, no Timurids

[boerekovic]

Use heroic line infantry, make sure that they dont change rows between shooting, and put them on the walls of cathedrals, always leaving one unit behind when the others go to the inner walls.

[crazedwombat]

mind you, I'm not directly attacking or defending the tims. I'm on the other side of the world in the UK, england and the papal states are a strong buffer but we know how they swarm and they're spreading quickly. I'm more the puppet master behind the scenes. the goal is to get england and the papal states to do the dirty work while I fund them and help with tim's countries to revolt.

[Angrychris]

get alot of missile units and fire

[crazedwombat]

I will reiterate...no direct offensives.

Also, besides giving someone money, how can you get them to attack another nation? Does the "Attack faction" in diplo work very well?