When a new diplomatic play starts, a front is automatically created at every land boundary between the two sides involved. Note that new fronts can be created as nations join the diplomatic play while it is in progress. If it comes to war, fronts will dynamically be created and destroyed as fronts move, naval invasions are made and nations capitulate and leave the war.
当一场新的外交博弈被发起时，其将自动在参与双方所有陆地边境上创建前线。注意：随着外交博弈的推进，新的国家可能会参与进来，从而创建新的前线。在战争期间，随着战线的移动、两栖登陆以及参与国家的退战，前线会动态的生成和消失。
动员
Before generals can be given orders, they must be mobilized. Mobilization increases the goods required for the support of the troops, and thus puts strain on both the buildings producing the goods required for each barracks and the overall budget. It is possible to mobilize individual combinations of generals, or every general at once.
在给予将军命令之前，这位将军（及其所领导营队）必须被动员。动员会提升军队的商品需求，因此，动员会在国家财政以及生产其所需要物品的建筑之上施加压力。你可以一次性动员所有将军，也可以一次动员一位将军
Once mobilized, troops cannot be demobilized until a country is no longer involved as a participant in a war or diplomatic play. More mobilized troops may increase the chance the enemy backs down, but is expensive to maintain.
命令, 前线和总部
Each general can be given one of three orders, all of which relate to either fronts or HQs:
- Advance Front: This assigns a general to attack along the assigned front. If they are already on that front (previously assigned with a Defend Front order) then this will start counting down to a battle immediately (see below). If they are located elsewhere, they will have to travel to the front first, and when they arrive they will start counting down to a battle immediately. Generals with the Advance Front order will still participate in defensive battles (for example, if the other side also has a general with an Advance Front order).
- Defend Front: This assigns a general to defend a front. They will not initiate battles, but may regain territory previously-lost friendly if they win a defensive battle.
- Stand By: This orders a general to return to their home HQ. These forces are effectively ‘returned to barracks’ and act as if they did not have a general – they will participate in defensive battles in their HQ, but without the influence of any of their general’s modifiers.
It should be noted that generals assigned to Advance Front or Defend Front take higher attrition than forces mobilized but on a Stand By order.
As battles are fought, the front may split or, if the front reaches the border of the contested area, disappear altogether. If a front ceases to exist, generals assigned to that front automatically travel to another front, usually the one closest by.
每个将军都可以使用三个指令之一，所有这些命指令都与前线或总部有关:
- 前进战线: 分配一名将军，沿着分配的战线进行攻击。如果他们已经在那条战线上 (之前分配了防御前线命令)，那么这将立即开始倒计时到战斗 (见下文)。如果他们位于其他地方，他们将不得不首先前往前线，当他们到达时，他们将立即开始倒计时进行战斗。拥有进攻命令的将军仍会参与防御战 (例如，如果对方也有一名拥有进攻指令的将军)。
- 防御战线: 指派一名将军防御战线。他们不会发起战斗，但如果赢得防御战，他们可能会重新获得先前失去的领土。
- 待命: 命令将军返回其总部。这些部队实际上是 “重返阵地”，表现得好像没有将军一样-他们将参加总部的防御性战斗，但不受将军的任何修正特质的影响。
Loss of territory
As frontlines move, one side or another will lose territory. As long as the war is ongoing, this only matters in terms of controlling war goals. Buildings will continue to function and supply their domestic market, even if they’re temporarily occupied by an enemy nation.
Movement between fronts
To move generals between fronts, select the general, then select ‘Advance Front’ or ‘Defend Front’, and then select the front either in the table on the left-hand side of the page (which shows the number of troops at a front, but not the number of troops that may be moving towards a front already but have not yet arrived) or by clicking on the front on the map. Accessible fronts will be coloured in green, and fronts that can’t be reached (generals cannot be assigned to these) in red.
Once the new front has been assigned, the general will begin travelling to the front – to see how long this is likely to take, mouse over the circle representing the front, or select the general, and an indication of how many days it will take will be shown. Generals cannot be intercepted travelling between fronts, regardless of the naval situation, so any transit between fronts over land or water is safe. Note that generals cannot be given new orders if they are currently engaged in a battle.
Garrison forces
Battalions not assigned to a general can still influence a war by providing defensive forces for fronts in the strategic region that corresponds with their HQ. These forces will automatically be assigned to fronts and be involved in defensive battles in the strategic region, but will not initiate or take part in offensive battles.
Battles
For each side of a front where at least one general has been assigned an Advance Front order, an ‘advancement progress’ bar will fill up until it reaches 100, at which point that side will start an offensive battle. A number of battalions from each side will be involved in the battle (the exact number can vary quite substantially – just because one side outnumbers another does not mean they will have an advantage in any particular battle) and the battle will commence.
In a battle, the side attacking uses its “Offense” value, while the side defending uses its “Defense” value. The battle UI contains two tabs, with the overview displaying these values, the generals in charge (which can be moused over to see which traits they have) and any modifiers to either side in the battle. The details tab provides more information on the modifiers affecting both sides in the battle.
Battles continue (unless the war ends first) until one side or the other runs out of morale, at which point that side will retreat, and the side that won will advance the front in their favour (the degree to which the front advances is influenced by many factors).
Battle conditions
Note: provinces can have multiple terrain features at once (for instance, a mountain province is both elevated and hazardous), and the weight is added for each feature present. All weights are multiplied by the commander's multiplier for that battle condition.
| Battle condition | Requirements | Weight | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Battle condition aggressive maneuver.png Aggressive maneuver | Has a commander Is defending |
1 | +20% File:Military offense.png Offense |
| File:Battle condition blunder.png Blunder | Has a commander | 0.5 | +20% File:Military attrition.png Casualties -50% Morale protection |
| File:Battle condition broken supply line.png Broken supply line | Has a  General
|
0.5
|
-10% Morale protection |
| File:Battle condition camouflaged.png Camouflaged | Has a General Is defending |
1
|
+10% File:Military defense.png Defense |
| File:Battle condition careful maneuver.png Careful maneuver | Has a commander | 1 | -10% File:Military attrition.png Casualties +10% Morale protection |
| File:Battle condition charted terrain.png Charted terrain | Has a General
|
1 | +15% Kill rate |
| File:Battle condition death from below.png Death from below | Has an  AdmiralUsing > 0.5  SubmarinesOpponent either:
|
2 | +20% Kill rate |
| File:Battle condition dug in.png Dug in | Has a General Is defending |
1 | +20% File:Military offense.png Offense |
| File:Battle condition exhausted.png Exhausted | Has a General
|
0.5
|
-15% Morale protection |
| File:Battle condition good visibility.png Good visibility | Has a commander Is defending |
1 | +25% File:Military defense.png Defense |
| File:Battle condition logistics secured.png Logistics secured | Has a General Is advancing |
1 | +20% Morale protection |
| File:Battle condition lost.png Lost | Has a General Is advancing |
0.5
|
-50% Provinces captured |
| File:Battle condition mud.png Mud | Has a General
|
0.5
|
-50% Provinces captured |
| File:Battle condition poor visibility.png Poor visibility | Has a commander | 0.5 | -25% File:Military offense.png Offense -25% File:Military defense.png Defense |
| File:Battle condition ramming maneuver.png Ramming maneuver | Has an Admiral
|
0.5 | +30% File:Military attrition.png Casualties +40% Kill rate |
| File:Battle condition rapid advance.png Rapid advance | Has a General
|
1
|
+20% Provinces captured |
| File:Battle condition rough waters.png Rough waters | Has an Admiral
|
0.5 | -20% File:Military offense.png Offense -20% File:Military defense.png Defense |
| File:Battle condition strong winds.png Strong winds | Has an Admiral
|
1 | -10% File:Military offense.png Offense -10% File:Military defense.png Defense |
| File:Battle condition surprise maneuver.png Surprise maneuver | Has a General
|
1 | +20% Morale damage |
Morale recovery
After a battle has ended, battalions will gradually recover morale over time. It is possible for a general’s forces to begin another battle without having recovered their morale entirely.
Supply
Armies that are fighting overseas rely on the supply network to keep them equipped and in supply. If enemy fleets raid the supply network, sinking convoys (or if the supply network is operating at less than 100% efficiency for other reasons), this impacts on the supply of an army, which has a direct impact on the maximum morale of a unit at the start of a battle. For example, if raiding has reduced a supply network’s efficiency by 2%, then the maximum morale of battalions serving under generals overseas will be 98%.
Attrition
All mobilized troops and raised conscripts are subject to attrition, which leads to both wounded and killed pops. The impact of this can be substantial, and outstrip the number of wounded and killed from battle.
Devastation
Enemy armies moving through, taking and occupying control of a state will lead to an increase in devastation. The amount to which devastation rises relates to the size and number of the battles in the state and the technology used, and also due to enemy occupation. Devastation can also be caused by event-triggered natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions or tsunamis.
Devastation has an impact on migration attraction, infrastructure and mortality and, if high enough, throughput. Once the situation that caused the devastation has resolved, it can take a substantial amount of time, particularly for high levels of devastation, before it no longer has an impact on the state.
