How do i expand?

[YyeahhH]

I am shimazu and in around 7 turns i have 2 provinces and preparing to finish off ito but some random clan above me already has 5. Is this normal? How do i proceed? i am from rome 2 and this game is very different so idk

[BastardSword]

Don't worry about other clans.

Best thing to do is get two full stack armies and move north at your own pace, with one in the west and one in the east of Kyushu. It might be hard to afford to do that but it should be doable. At the very least have your main army strike up the east of Kyushu and keep a smaller army in Satsuma to protect your home castle.

[Sledge]

Kill off the other clans on Kyushu as efficiently as possible. Best practice is to go after isolated clans (ones lacking allies) one at a time - your goal is to grow incrementally not only for more income, but also to build up your clan's strength (as perceived by rival clans). I think the campaign AI is more inclined to start wars on the player faction if it is perceived as weak, but dont quote me on that. Ideally, you'll want to have your starting island, Kyushu, secured within 20-30 turns.

Establish trade routes with more distant clans (those that aren't directly adjacent and in your immediate expansion plans). DO NOT bother with any sort of alliances pre-realm divide, as those alliances will go to crap once the event triggers.

Make sure to start putting trade ships on the foreign trade nodes west of Kyushu ASAP, as that will greatly enhance your income.

Kyushu offers a strong starting position: some decent economic provinces, previously mentioned trade nodes, good infantry, cavalry and archer recruitment buildings. You can essentially spend a a bit of time and money to build up the island, get your economy going and prepare for further expansions.

Once you have Kyushu under your control, the game should become a lot more manageable. The starting moves can be somewhat hard depending on your clan, but thereafter the clans on that island are known for having fairly easy campaigns.