I build the Statue of Liberty, and add ever more specialist to my cities. This is good for at least another 21 raw beakers before multipliers. My luck runs out, and I draw the all but useless artist. I save him for the option of pulling a GA. Operation pillage maniac is back, and China takes the hit this time. At this point I don't care who I damage, as long as I am trashing AI cities. I really want that pillaging income.
I even pillage the junk ice cities including the water tiles just to hurt the AI. I kill off a stealth landing by Tokyo. My GP luck has gone in the toilet, as I get another artist. I don't have enough time to 2 more GA, so I simply merge him into Beshbalik. I pillage another one of China's islands. I am just not doing enough damage to their science pace. I do appreciate all of the pillaging income, especially from towns. It more then pays for the cost of supplying the troops.
I pillage Karachi to death, but I lost all my ships after landing. Their new fangled destroyers slaughtered the old fashioned frigates. It doesn't seem like previous pillaging has hurt Gandhi. Well here is an AW first. What is really funny is it happens just as I landed troops to pillage Russia and already have nailed a few squares.
I finally destroy Japan by killing a wandering caravel by my shores. I gain another prophet that builds the Jewish shrine. I will take every buck I can. I add Broadway to my list of wonders. While I don't need the happiness, I don't want the AI to get it. I built it purely for denial purposes. I begin hit and run pillaging against China / Persia. I am selectively landing to trash a couple of towns, then leave. Chinese troops are better, so I don't want a confrontation. I do want to destroy his income, and losing towns will really hurt.
I am really growing tired of stealth invasions. Once again I didn't see the ship, or the AI landing. I don't find out Peter somehow did a major landing until after knights by New Sarai trash 3 tiles. I get a major disappointment when Gandhi beat me to the Pentagon. The good news is Gandhi is my ONLY competition for the tech lead. I really need to do more damage to his lands. My next landing attempt in the Indian homeland is a slaughter of my older troops. I took a few with me, but my stack of 12 died in a single round. I didn't even pillage a single square. I get another landing in Japan, and I see that Indian also has tanks. I entered the modern era in 1928 AD.