Has anyone been successful with bribery or inciting revolts?

[Rumpole141]

My Numidian campaign has degenerated into a standoff with Carthage, which is bankrupt but has an army that I cannot hope to match. Since I have 300,000 minai, I trained up some diplomats, assassins, and spies in hopes of acquiring Ippone or Tuat without starting a war.

Five spies in Ippone, with all buildings sabotaged, could not lower public order in Ippone below 85%. In Tuat, with a population of 4000 and a garrison of three units, my two spies lowered public order to 130.

My top diplomat (influence 6) cannot even trade map information with Carthage, never mind make a successful bribe. He did get an offer from a single rebel unit to desert for 31,000 minai.

Has anyone had success with spies and diplomats? It would seem reasonable that, where Carthage is broke and cannot pay its troops, they might be enticed to desert.

[Ingvarr1]

As Pahlava, I had great success in inciting revolts of bordering Seleucid cities. It's pretty easy, but that's probably because those cities are on brink of revolt anyway, as they have low helenistic culture. You use (well-trained) spies with assassins who sabotages every building that provides happiness or law bonuses. You can eat Seleucid empire bit by bit, without ever declaring war against them. (no cheats used/needed, no save and reload if sabotage/infiltration fails).

But this seems different from your case, though, I guess Carthage imposed its culture in those cites, and they don't have huge civil disorder penalties of Seleucid cities in northeast Persia.

[Rumpole141]

Your idea looks great for any faction that borders the Seleucids.

I'm amazed that Tuat is so stable for Carthage, since is begins with Numidian culture.

[HarkonRules]

You're unfortunate, as Carthage seems to have a very good public order hold on any of its original territories and general western'ish Africa.