Obviously James is just scheming to undermine the Gobblins. He plans to increase the amount of Acre fiefs by joining Gobblins, more support = more battles won = more fiefs for acre. Then he will break free from the Gobblins, forming into acre once more. Except James will emerge with half of the Gobblin fiefs under his control and mercenary superiority (as per usual), then a great civil war will be waged. Eventually causing a schism between occitan and frisia, as the other side tries to absorb the other.
Sensing weakness in the empire, Yoshi will wage increasing warfare and thus take over the other half of the strat map. I will then have King James' babies and make an alliance between the two great halves of the strat map: The Yoshi Caliphate of the Desert, Steppes, and everything inbetween; and the Kingdom of Acre, rulers of the west and other spare bits.
I mean, idealistically.