The prior picture also showed my 2nd settler heading towards my 3rd city slot. I've flagged it (its the flag further West, blocking Monty). The other city flag is for my 4th city, and if you look closely, you will see that this 4th city ALSO misses those cows South of Beijing. I was leaving those cows for another city down the track. Both of those flagged city locations pick up the much more important ivory resource that would come in very useful for AI pacification purposes.
Tech-wise, I am hunting religions. I pick up Judaism (and revolt) just after settling Nanjing (4th city flagged earlier). A few turns later, Nanjing gets a border pop and Judaism starts to do its stuff ... spread. Huayna Capac has already caught it and converted and my 3rd city also catches it. It later spreads to Monty too.
You can see from the mini-map, that my purple line in the sand is starting to take effect. Access to my floodplains are blocked from the South and South-East but there are still some open holes to the South-West and West. Monty comes calling and asks for open borders (I am a few turns from Writing so he must already have it). Well, NO - that would open my floodplains to your settlers.
In 900BC (turn 79), I finish the Oracle. Options are animal husbandry (no cows, so I don't need it), Theology, Code of Laws, Pottery (who needs cottages?), Mathematics, Iron Working and a few other first tier techs. I select Code of Laws because I want another religion and courthouses are always good (especially if you have limited coin). Lucky me, Confucianism goes to Shanghai which hadn't popped any borders and was my second city. Unlucky me, Victoria catches it and converts.
In 625BC, Monty comes calling, not to offer me open borders again, but to try and open them by force of arms. WAR! Well, unlike Adv 18, this time I was prepared. Your Jaguar against my AXE. Your chariots against my Spears. Bring it!
A few things here, the log has the war declaration at 650BC but Monty came calling on 625BC. You can also see that we did have open borders. Why did I sign that? Oh well, its off now. Lizzie comes knocking for Open Borders this time and I know that I said NO (looked at the screenshots). I also put a city out West to grab that marble there (planning on the Great Library down the track). The war with Monty is slow ... he sends out chariots, I knock them off. I wasn't taking the war to Monty, just waiting for him to bring it to me and for him to get it out of his system.
My first Great Person turns up ... a Scientist. My tech rate is starting to plummet so I make one of the most unusual lightbulbing that you will probably see ... (alphabet for those who find the following screenshot too small - one of the downsides with playing with a wide screen)
And with that, I trade Code of Laws to Huayna for fishing, Pottery and Animal Husbandry and Alphabet to Victoria for Iron Working and Medication. Saladin, who didn't get in on any of these trades gets his nose out of joint and declares war! Sigh! Do I have to fight two defensive action wars against these guys. I flip Alphabet to Huayna for Sailing and a 'Stop Trading' with Saladin. That closed some borders on Saladin but he could still travel to me via Japan. At least it shortened the Arab front. Monty had managed to slip a settler with double archer cover through my 'line in the sand' and found a city in my Floodplain regions. A few axes came visiting and asked him to move along ... it took a few well placed blows to cause him to see the light. After that, he signed a peace deal, giving me Calendar, Archery and 60 gold. I contacted Saladin to see if he wanted to talk turkey, he said yes but I had to throw in Literature. Instead I did the following:
He can war against me all he wants, but he cannot get to me.