How do I force war?

[hebl]

Hey guys, I'm new here!

I'm in my first campaing with England on vanilla and early in the game I joined the crusade and captured Jerusalem and Acre. They both survived a xy turns long jihad and Acre has been fending off stack after stack of Mongols.
And here's my problem: Mongols and now Timurids. Not that I can't handle them so far. But what *bleep*s me off is that i'm the ONLY nation that has to do all the heavy lifting. Turks got owned by Mongols and have become vasals. Egypt was so busy with me, they didn't even bother to engage Mongols and made quick peace. And those Bizantine cowards also made peace with Mongols and even decided to rather try and attack me. And now Timurids also seem to be more interested in my little colony than any other nation in the area.

So, it's basically me vs. all the spawn of hell and it's just not fun anymroe. I was wondering: is there some way (I'm perfectly comfortable to cheat if it gets the job done) to force some wars? So that everyone in the area goes to war with both Mongols and Timurids. Because it's just getting ridiculous that Mongols rather than trying to invade as much area as possible now just send stack after stack on Acre - it's just getting boring and annoying. And I'm getting the feeling that Timurids will follow the same pattern.

[Aeratus]

You can use the diplomacy options to have AI factions declare war and attack each other. However, this is generally ineffective under the vanilla version of the game. Even if two AI factions are at war, they are not that aggressive toward each other compared to the aggression they show toward the player.

[hebl]

Thanks for the answer Where can I access these options?
Also tried that diplomatic_stance cheat, but said it was an unknown command. Oh well...

But right now luck has finally turned a bit. Timurids after wandering a bit more (what I can only approximate as an example of Brownian motion), finally decided to strike on Mongols. To my amusement and delight, Mongols begged me for peace one turn later.
So right now it remains to be seen what happens next, but at least now I don't have to be the one who rids the world of both Mongols and Timurids from a small distant colony, while the local nations sit idly by and watch (or sometimes backstab their saviour)

[UndrState]

hebl,

Aeratus was talking about using your diplomats to acheive the solution you are seeking. If you have a good bankroll and the patience you can get the situation you are after.

If I were you right now I'd be shoveling money at the Mongols to keep them happy with you and fighting the Timurids. Take the break from the Mongols to make super nice with the other factions in the region and try and convince them to attack the Timurids.

Considering that you are England, if you have a good ally back in the West, you might also consider trying to take a settlement in the holy land and giving it to that ally. Then you'll at least have one good friend to aid you in the situation.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend reading Vampiresbane's Art of Diplomacy Guide:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...iplomacy-Guide

[hebl]

That was some good advice, UndrState But I played it a bit differently.
Timurids split into two forces after capturing Antioch: majority went to plague the Mongols, while 2-3 stacks couldn't decide whether to attack Acre or not (must have had something to do with the fact that I moved 6 full stacks around Acre as soon as they approached - I guess even those fearless warriors do fear overwhelming odds).
After Timurs decimated 3 Mongol stacks, not only did they come and beg me for peace - next round they even offered an alliance, which I pragmatically accepted. Right now, Mongols only have a weak army (thanks to Timurs) and Timurs are being driven back by my stacks of cavalry. So I guess all will end well I must say this game is great fun and even one full playthru offers soooo much entertainment and experience, it's amazing.

Also, I would like to note that a dozen assassins (saboteurs) and a dozen priests can work wonders when those pesky hordes do find a city to settle in (for a few rounds, after which rebels take over)
Oh and trying to export the plague to the Mongol cities can backfire in a very spectacular way