| 薩丁-皮埃蒙特 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 政府類型 | Absolute monarchy |
| 執政黨 | Restaurazionisti (reactionary) |
| 首都 | Turin (ID 720) |
| 人口 | 941.72 thousand |
| 主體民族 | North Italian |
| 被接受民族 | |
| 識字率 | 34.7% |
| 國家價值觀 | Order |
| 科研學派 | Military-industrial complex |
| 地位 | Secondary power |
Sardinia-Piedmont starts off in a position with a number of opportunities. Sandwiched between the Great Powers of 
France to the west and 
Austria to the East, they do not want to annoy either of them. The Italian peninsula is full of small states already under Austrian or French influence. Of interest, 
Modena and 
Switzerland are both outside of anyone's influence, although that may not last long (esp the Swiss). Across the Mediterranean, a number of uncivilized northern African nations (
Morocco, 
Algeria and 
Tunis) allow for easy colonial gains.
Sardinia-Piedmont has a reasonable military force compared to the Swiss and stronger than the smaller Italian states.
Sardinia-Piedmont will only have a small amount of national focus to play around with since they only start off with a very small North Italian population.
Sardinia-Piedmont has two unique decisions:
- Cavour's Diplomacy (which it shares with Italy)
- The Statuto Albertino
Opening moves
Sardinia-Piedmont will need to manage Infamy sensibly, with the overall goal being to increase territorial possessions, especially in 
Italy. In order to become a great power and unify Italy, early conquest is needed. A position at number 8 will be tenuous at best, but it is downright impossible without large gains in prestige and military strength.
Option 1: Annex Sicily (11 infamy)
Two Sicilies is the only other Italian nation, that is not in sphere. One can build up a stronger fleet, block of the Sicilian troops north of the Island and occupy it without risk.
Option 2: East Switzerland (11 Infamy)
Another tempting target is the Swiss region of East Switzerland. Since they also have a large army, it is a good idea to train as many brigades as possible and also to mobilize your reserves. One strategy to winning a war in Switzerland is to force the Swiss to attack Piedmontese troops by occupying Swiss mountain territories. It is inadvisable to attack Swiss troops in the mountains, as they will gain a substantial defensive advantage. By using the terrain to your advantage, the Swiss army will gradually be worn down. Once that happens, start occupying their regions and eventually they will give up East Switzerland. Additionally, if The player want he/she can add 'humiliate' to the war goals to increase his prestige.
Option 3: North African conquests
Conquests in North Africa will need to be made quickly as France, 
Spain and the 
Ottoman Empire will rapidly seek to expand their claims in the region. Tunis cost 10 infamy to annex, while regions can be gained from Morocco and Algeria for 5 infamy each.
Moving Forward
After the initial string of conquests, take it easy for a while. In the meantime, most likely, they will fall within France's sphere of influence. Let the infamy wear off and spend the time developing The economy and fund education in order to increase the rate of research. A few wars of humiliation against weak nations can be a good strategy to gain prestige at a relatively low infamy cost. The North African countries are good targets if they are not in another Great Powers Sphere of Influence and after the initial truces have expired.
The extra prestige will allow Sardinia-Piedmont to have greater access to raw material for their factories, especially 
iron.
The region of Dumyat may also make a good territorial possession. Alternatively if the player manages to grab some neighboring territory it is possible to shake the Ottoman Empire's grip on 
Egypt and extend their own sphere of influence over it after they achieve Great Power status. Then one can build the Suez Canal.
By expanding the Piedmontese Navy, the player may even be able to make some territorial concessions from Two Sicilies by taking the Isle of Sicily. By blocking the naval channel from Calabria, Two Sicilies may be prevented from bringing its considerable land armies to bear, and Sardinia-Piedmont will gain a large population base from which to raise troops.
To raise Sardinia-Piedmont it is a challenging but achievable goal.
Uniting Italy
In order to unite Italy and take the decision Avanti Italia!, Sardinia-Piedmont will need to conquer all The Italian states or have them under its influence. Sardinia-Piedmont will also need to wrest the state of 
Lombardia from Austrian possession.
Competing for influence in Italy will be difficult with both Austria and France looking to control Italian ambitions by stifling national unity. In addition, other nations, for instance Ottoman Empire and 
Russia, may seek to unbalance their influence over the other Italian States. The player will need to carefully remove the Italian States individually from the Sphere of Influence of each nation. 
Parma and Modena may be the most difficult nations to influence as they neighbor Austria. However, it is prudent to prioritize a removal of Austrian influence from the region as The player will most likely have to go to war with Austria in order to regain the state of Lombardia. Having the Italian minors on The Sardinia-an side will make this task easier.
The player should focus on building the influence levels up in Italian nations. It is already an uphill battle to remove any nation from another nation's sphere of influence and it is wise to keep a reserve of influence that can be used to expel advisers or ban the embassy of any nation looking to remove an Italian minor from the Sardinia-Piedmontese sphere. Alternatively, the player should consider lowering the relations of an encroaching nation to Cordial, as they can only remove a nation from The players Sphere of Influence if they are Friendly with the nation in question.
The player may also consider attacking any nation that has been recently removed from another Great Power's Sphere of Influence, at the usual cost of Infamy for attacking a Civilized nation without cause.
The conquest of Austrian Lombardia
Since it is unlikely that Austria will lose its great power status, conquest is the most likely option for gaining the state of Lombardia. This war will not cost any infamy and should be timed to coincide with the frequent Austro-Prussian Wars. Otherwise, build up forts on the Austrian border and let the Austrians wear themselves out attacking your fortified positions before moving in take their land. This strategy usually works well after The player have researched Machine Guns and chemical warfare.
After forming Italy, the player will gain a number of cores in Austrian territory. They will likely take the resources of the entire Italian nation to claim, but Italy will likely not need a Prussian distraction this time around.
When one have annexed Lombardia, one can take the decision Cavour's Diplomacy, which gives land away to France, in return of prestige and better relations.
Rebuild the Roman Empire
With all of Italy fully united, The Italian Nation is now ready to take its place in the sun. From this point on there are many options to consider. The player may consider colonizing Africa, gaining access to its wealth of resources as well as the incidental prestige benefits that arise occasionally from maintaining an African possession. With machine guns and chemical warfare, waging war against France for territorial expansion becomes an option too. The Balkans also beckon, and Italy may decide that Europe no longer needs to be burdened by the Sick Man of Europe, The Ottoman Empire, and that they should be pushed out for Church and State. Asia also beckons, with many resource-rich territories to claim, though India itself has been brought under the aegis of the British crown.
Whatever course, know that Italy's power is not limitless. Use it wisely.