NES2 V - The Great Game.

Update 7 - Year 1867

Non-Military Events:

Federate colonies of Canada and the Plate gain kingdom status, but that does little to calm the people down. Meanwhile, Hudsonia and Carolina are extended westwards.

The French Provisional Government grants independence to the Mayan Republic of Yucatan.

The Holy Roman Emperor has decided that Neugranada will be impossible to hold on to, with all those new complications with the FK. So, the Imperials sold it to the Incans, who are having lots of trouble administrating the new lands (-1 Culture, Civilian Leadership). All Federate forces were moved from there elsewhere by then.

As Incan education levels grow, the people become more skeptical of their ruling elite (-1 Confidence).

The Federates continue raising a huge army, which is quite a strain on the economy and the population itself (-1 Economy, Confidence). On the other hand, the war stimulated the development of heavy industries, especially in the York region (+York economic center). New, iron-clad ships have been designed. Meanwhile, the Royal Gallery Coalition is created; it is, basically, the formalized Federate alliance system, including the Federated Kingdoms, Poland, Hungary, newly-proclaimed pro-Federate French Republic, Italy, Sweden, Dalnorossia, Portugal, Sokoto, Siam and Sikhistan.

The King of Portugal [1] abdicated under the pressure of rebellions. A Republic was declared, appeasing the liberal and the moderately-republican leaders, although the Galicians continue to fight (+2 Confidence).

The Swedish king forced several radical reforms despite the Riksdag's protests (-1 Centralization, -1 Confidence); Sweden was federalized and became the Scandinavian Union, and foreign immigration was encouraged. This did provide Scandinavia with lots of cheap workforce, and the growth of economical ties with the FK allowed Goteborg to become a trade center, in addition to its rising industrial strenght (+Goteborg economic center). Meanwhile, conscription is declared, though the Scandinavian propaganda proved enough to prevent any further rise of dissent - for now.

The Imperials start a mass conscription, rolling in troops into conscript, regular and Sturmtruppen divisions as fast as possible; that causes lots of problems, especially as the industry comes under much strain due to the need to re-equip the troops with the latest Krag-Jorgensen rifles (-1 Army Training, -1 Confidence, -1 Economy). This is used by the Polish propagandists to further destabilize the Empire (-1 Confidence). Also the Poles grant independence to the Czech Republic which immediately enters the war effort.

The newly-proclaimed Genevan Empire of Wilhelmus I, that has replaced President Leu's Switzerland, has immediately begun militarizing the production (-1 Confidence). The growth in war production and in general industrial output allows the eastern city of Chur to become a notable industrial center (+Chur economic center - really as a replacement for the Geneve eco. center of the project). The large-scale recruitment causes all sorts of trouble due to the small size of the Genevan population, but Genevan Patriots defeat all the attempts to defeat Wilhelmus (-2 Army Training, -2 Economy, -1 Confidence).

The Italians design and begin to equip the Petacci Rifle [2]. Meanwhile, mass-recruitment occurs here as well, and the economy promptly collapses (-1 Economy); the country is beginning to fall into anarchy as poverty and war-weariness spread (-2 Confidence).

Poles manage to win over some of their poorer population, getting more recruits (+5 divisions).

Bourbons and their relatives begin fleeing for Hungary en masse, upon royal invitation (+1 Military Leadership, +1 Education).

The Federates allow the Sokotans to annex the Niger Delta that they conquered in the last war with the Portuguese.

Dalnorossia undergoes a general economic boom, in part thanks to the intense modernization efforts and to all those Japanese emigrants (+1 Economy). Meanwhile, preparations for war with China take place: a Japanese volunteer legion has been formed (+5 divisions), Cossack and Buryat voiskos on the Chinese border are mobilized (+20 irregular divisions), and small-scale conscription begun.

Ardashir IV persuaded Georgian and Armenian tribal leaders to donate troops for the final Persian drive for Constantinople (+5 irregular divisions).

The Chinese begin large-scale conscription, putting their economy under considerable strain (-1 Economy). Meanwhile, problems appear as Tibetian and Annamese separatism grows rapidly, and the White Lotus movement in China Proper gains much population support (-1 Culture, Confidence).

Siam becomes the latest colonial power, with some minor outposts in Nouvelle-Gaule. Meanwhile, back at home, tax breaks for the merchants stimulated trade in the western regions of the country (+Akyab economic center). As engineers from the various East Indies companies are attracted to the project, work on the Kra Canal speeds up (+1 project progress).

Military Events:

A World War seems to have started, with the FK and its allies (the "Royal Gallery Coalition") on one side and the various Federate enemies, such as Persia, China and the Nationalist faction of the French Civil War (see below), on the other. Still, things are way too confused to say whether there is one big war or several small, unconnected ones.

Dalnorossia, being a member of the nascent Royal Gallery Coalition, immediately declared war on France - or, more specifically, to the Nationalist faction in the French civil war, as the FK and the Provisional Government co-existed, as of the year's beginning in a "neither war, neither peace" situation. Moving from the Pacific port of Khlopushensk and from the Dalnorossian American colony, the attackers were practically unopposed as they seized the Marechal Islands, Hawaii, la Californie and some other parts of French Mexico. The population was generally cordial to the invaders. Meanwhile, in the ungarrisoned Mexico itself, several rebellions broke out, with the poor organization and internal squabbling being the only reasons for the French still holding some ground now.

Eduard Lavoisier, the French commander in North America, decided to support the Nationalists (7 divisions, 8 Garde divisions from Provisional Government to Nationalists). He thus continued fighting the Federates, first looting the city of Huron (-Huron economic center). The Federates by then severed his supply routes, but he lived off the ground during his southwards offensive during which he took and looted Charleston (-Charlestone economic center) with the help of freed slaves (the freeing of local slaves, however, turned the Carolinians firmly against him) (+5 Nationalist irregular divisions, +5 Federate irregular divisions). At that, however, his rampage ended as the Federates caught up to his troops and as Carolinian militiamen made foraging practically impossible. After some more maneuvering, his forces were forced to split, then were pit down and finally crushed one-by-one. An abortive Irish Canadian rebellion also took place and was put down by the nearby Federate forces.

(-7 Nationalist French divisions, -8 Nationalist French Garde divisions, -5 Nationalist French irregular divisions, -3 Federate divisions, -6 Federate irregular divisions, -11 Federate conscript divisions)

The Brazilian rebellion goes on, and is supported by a new Platine rebellion around Buenos Aires. The Federate garrisons in the region are outnumbered and thus easily crushed, retreating to a few coastal population centers.

(-4 Federate conscript divisions, -2 Platine divisions, -1 Platine irregular division, -3 Brazilian irregular divisions)

The Portuguese Republican Army easily crushes the Galician separatists.

France falls into a civil war with massive foreign intervention and heavy international implications.

(see spotlight)

(-11 Federate divisions, -1 Federate irregular division, -1 Federate conscript division, -7 Portuguese divisions, -1 Portuguese squadron, -12 French Nationalist divisions, -3 French Nationalist Garde Nationale divisons, -4 French Nationalist conscript divisions, -6 French Nationalist irregular divisions, -4 French Government divisions, -2 French Government Garde divisions, -3 French Government conscript divisions, -2 Indian divisions, -2 French Republican divisions, -8 French Republican irregular divisions, -Spanish Rebels as an independent faction)

(1 Confidence from French Republic to Nationalist France, 1 Economy from Spanish Rebels to Portugal, 2 Federate divisions to Indian Rebels)

The war in the Holy Roman Empire continues, as the Genevan Empire enters the fray. At first it seemed as if the Genevans wanted to help the Kaiser; their vast new army linked up with the Imperials and followed them to the Italian and Rhenish theatres. However, once there, the Genevans betrayed and massacred the Imperials, linking up with the Italians and the Scandinavians respectively. Wilhelmus I knew all too well that to maintain his vast new army more Lebensraum and more manpower was needed, and he decided to seek both in Germany. Now let us view the action theatre-by-theatre:

In Western Germany, the general Imperial offensive is caught off balance by the Genevan betrayal. The Scandinavians and the Genevans then meet up in the Rhine region and move to cut off the supply routes of the Imperial army en route for Bremen. Caught between several Scandinavian and Genevan armies and a set of fortifications, the Imperial forces in the region tried to give battle at Bielefeld, but were easily overwhelmed. The whole region falls to the Scandinavians (1 Economy from HRE to Scandinavia).

(-3 Scandinavian divisions, -2 Scandinavian Berserker divisions, -8 Genevan divisions, -4 Genevan Patriot divisions, -4 Imperial divisions, -9 Imperial Sturmtruppen divisions, -7 Imperial conscript divisions)

In Italy, the Imperials were routed with Genevan help and then the Italians once more reached out for Illyria and Styria. Guerrila resistance slowed down them, as did the awful logistical mishaps that caused entire divisions to die of malnutrition and various diseases, but in the end they all advanced far, stopped only by panicked last-moment Imperial transportations.

(-7 Italian Bersaglieri divisions, -3 Genevan divisions, -2 Genevan Patriot divisions, -2 Imperial divisions, -2 Imperial Sturmtruppen divisions, -17 Imperial conscript divisions)

In the east, all started out well for the Imperials as the Hungarian assault on Vienna stalled while the Imperials begun an attack of their own, routing the Hungarians and forcing them to retreat all the way to Budapest. Now the hammer of the Fourth Army was to move north across Danube to smash the Poles into the Third Army anvil in Central Germany... but by then, that anvil came under a Scandinavian attack in the rear. The Polish commanders, tired of inactivity, decided to help the daring yet outnumbered Swedes and also attacked the Third Army, routing and nearly-annihilating its northern half at Elster. This and the other Scandinavian successes (see above) caused the Imperial commanders to re-think their strategy. Marching through Slovakia, the Imperials invaded Silesia and Moravia, striking the remaining Polish forces there in the rear. Undersupplied and surprised, the Poles were crucially defeated at Prossnitz, and the nascent Czech Republic was soon destroyed as well; the bulk of the Polish forces, however, managed to flee disorganizedly into Scandinavian-held territory, and later helped their allies in battle. Silesia was firmly occupied by the Imperials, despite all the resistance (+5 Polish irregular divisions) and attempts to dislodge them. Meanwhile, the Scandinavians occupied much of northern Germany and engaged the Imperial armies in Saxony. The tired, but more numerous Imperials barely won at Lutzen, but failed to exploit the victory seriously, even though rebellions in Scandinavian-held territories commenced due the overstretchment of the occupying forces.

(-4 Scandinavian divisions, -3 Scandinavian Berserker divisions, -1 Genevan division, -19 Imperial divisions, -18 Imperial Sturmtruppen divisions, -24 Hungarian divisions, -9 Hungarian Grenadier divisions, -13 Polish divisions, -7 Polish Siemienowicz Cannons, -2 Polish irregular divisions, -Czech Rebels as an independent faction)

In a daring raid, Muscovite ships disguised as Scandinavian ones attacked Stockholm itself, transporting several divisions of the Lieb Guard with them. The unprotected Stockholm was taken after some street fighting and burned to the ground; after that, the troops embarked their ships again and repeated this at Kalmar, though facing tougher resistance (+2 Scandinavian irregular divisions). And finally, the troops were returned to Courland unhindered. Naturally, this caused all sorts of outrage as the Scandinavian people are angry both at the Muscovites (+1 Culture) and at their king who failed to prevent this (-1 Confidence). The country is generally damaged by the loss of its capital, but not too much (-1 Civilian Leadership).

(-1 Muscovite Lieb Guard division, -2 Scandinavian irregular divisions)

Meanwhile, the Muscovites were besieging Riga. They failed to prevent Scandinavian reinforcements from coming there, but they did prevent the Scandinavians from linking up with the Poles. The Poles then tried to reinforce the Riga garrison by sea, but before they could, the now-infamous Muscovite "sea infantry" returned from Kalmar and landed in Courland. From there, a concentrated assault on Riga begun, and though the Scandinavians held, they did so only barely. They barely were able to keep all the forces in Riga supplied, and were forced to deal with spreading diseases there. The Muscovite fleet blockaded Riga (-Riga economic center) and eventually it was taken. However, this came at a price - the distracted Muscovites failed to react properly to the latest Scandinavian offensive, and in spite of the Finnish guerrila warfare the Scandinavians were soon at the gates of Helsingfors once more. Logistics of Finland caused the Scandinavians quite a headache, but finally they managed to bring up their artillery to breach the Muscovite defenses in Karelia, while Turku was seized in the west. Though Helsingfors still holds due to the frantic Muscovite re-deployments, the Scandinavians are likely to break through there as well. The Muscovites do have some good news here - they managed to capture and reverse-engineer some of the Scandinavian weapons.

(-9 Scandinavian divisions, -8 Scandinavian Berserker divisions, -5 Scandinavian conscript divisions, -12 Muscovite divisions, -6 Muscovite Lieb Guard divisions, -4 Muscovite irregular divisions, -6 Muscovite conscript divisions)

Just as the Poles marched towards Tula and Moscow, the Muscovites begun their counter-offensive against Poland. Tsar Alexius himself led the Dneprine invasion, cutting through the outnumbered Polish border guards and marching along river Dnieper all the way towards Zaporozhye. In the process he severed the Polish supply routes and cut off the Polish army in the east from Poland Proper, and gained the support of Ukrainean and local Russian separatists, though not of the Autonomists who instead rallied around the Polish government this one time, frightened by the rumours about Alexius' cruelty (+5 irregular divisions for Muscovy and Poland each). Meanwhile, the other counter-attack has forced the Poles in Muscovite territory into retreat. They retreated in an orderly fashion, but were harrassed and suffered from logistical problems (even before the supplies were cut off, there simply wasn't enough for the vast Polish armies). Muscovites attacked them from all directions, and the Poles suffered casualties, but for now they are still holding out...

(-13 Polish divisions, -2 Polish Siemienowicz Cannons, -2 Polish irregular divisions, -8 Muscovite divisions, -11 Muscovite Lieb Guard divisions, -1 Muscovite irregular division, -3 Muscovite conscript divisions)

Croat, other Yugoslavic and Greek rebels begun waging an unlimited guerrila war against the increasingly-overstretched Ottomans.

(-1 Ottoman Guard division)

Tukulor invades and overruns French Senegal.

(-1 Tukulor division)

The Nationalist French garrison of Madagascar is overwhelmed by a new Merina uprising. Queen Ranavalona, who was thought to be dead, made a spectacular return, defeating the French at Tananarive. Eventually, the commander of the local garrison agreed to withdraw from Madagascar, confiscating a few commercial ships. He then invaded the undergarrisoned Federate Mozambique, with some help from the Portuguese.

(-2 Merina irregular divisions, -1 Nationalist French Garde division, -1 Federate conscript division)

The Persians moved on for the kill, seeking to end the Ottoman Empire's hegemony and existance. Although an Ottoman counteroffensive along the coast actually succeeded and forced a change in plans, the concentration of Ottoman forces in the Balkans and in Syria allowed Mustafa to take Sinope, Ankara, Izmit... and finally, Constantinople itself. The last one was, ofcourse, one hell of a battle, with Sultan Kalim commanding the defenses personally, and victory was often in doubt, but in the end, the Persians broke through and, very symbolically, destroyed the Sublime Porte with artillery barrage in the final assault. For the first time since the Achaemenids, Persian banners were flown over European land. After that, all the hell broke loose. Persians encountered some stiff resistance from Alishir Kemal, but in the end they overran Levant and Southern Anatolia. After an ultimately-unsuccesful counter-attack on Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire just... ceased to exist, as what few troops remained begun squabbling, their commanders turning into warlords. Ethnic and religious strife added to the picture; the Balkans became a battleground for a thousand tiny armies, bands and groups. A Croato-Yugoslavic rebel group and a Greek one proved particularily powerful, being the most united. As the Ottoman Empire crumbled, Tartar leaders, northern governors and indeed the remnants of the government itself requested Dalnorossian peacekeepers to occupy the Ottoman lands north of the Black Sea as secretly agreed upon a while ago. The lands were then annexed peacefully into Dalnorossia, with, surprisingly enough, Ottoman consent - evidently, the Porte didn't want Poland or Persia to take over. The Poles did, however, act hastily enough when the Ottoman Empire fell to grab the small province of Yedisan, getting access to the Black Sea. Soccotra accepted Persian rule without a shot being fired. Zanzibar didn't, and the Persians destroyed its docks with fireships (-Zanzibar economic center).

(-Ottoman Empire as an independent country, -2 Croat divisions, -2 Croat irregular divisions, -2 Greek divisions, -3 Greek irregular divisions, -16 Persian divisions, -7 Persian irregular divisions, -2 Persian Engineering Corps)

Entering the struggle with the Federates, the Persians invaded Egypt. However, the Federates have been waiting for this for some time now. In spite of some early successes, especially those of a seaborne invasion of the Delta, the Persians soon were pushed back and had to withdraw to the Al Said-Suez line.

(-3 Federate divisions, -4 Federate conscript divisions, -5 Persian divisions, -2 Persian irregular divisions, -1 Persian Engineering Corps)

A great rebellion begins in India. First, a few Sepoy divisions around Delhi defected, soon followed by some of the Indian consripts (3 divisions, 10 conscript divisions from FK to Indian Rebels). Then, the people rose up as well; so did the Afghans and the western Muslims, incited by the Persians (+10 Persian irregular divisions). For the Persians - and, to a lesser extent, the Qing Chinese - intended to help the Indian rebels and cripple the Federate power in India. Federate forces in Afghanistan came under attack from the west, from the east AND from within, and had to pull back to the Indus, where they, with some help from the Sikhs, decided to make their stand. Meanwhile, the Federate flank was saved from a potential amphibious Persian assault by the arrival of the Federate East Indies fleet which evacuated Bandar-e 'Abbas, burning the city itself down, and then eliminated most of the Persian fleet. Although this worsened the Persian position, they still did press on, predictably enough in the southern section of Indus to avoid having to fight the core of the Sikh forces. Meanwhile, Ashoka's Indian rebellion spread throughout North-Central India, particularily in Rajputana. Although attempts to invade southwards failed due to the firm Federate defenses there and the activity of the dreaded UU, the Indians did manage to consolidate their hold in those areas they DID seize and helped the Persians break through in the south (the fact that the Federates had to defend a very long front helped as well), linking up with them to in the Thar Desert. However, further advances failed thus far. A later Federate counter-offensive, indeed, put the Indian rebellion's fate on the ropes...

(-4 Federate divisions, -12 Federate conscript divisions, -4 Federate squadrons, -10 Persian divisions, -3 Persian irregular divisions, -2 Persian Engineering Corps, -18 Persian squadrons, -1 Indian division, -6 Indian conscript divisions, -7 Indian irregular divisions, -2 Chinese divisions)

French Pondicherry surrendered to the Federates without a fight.

The third, and thus far the most serious, attempt to conquer Dalnorossia is undertaken by China. The first attempt was during the Nine Years War, when Dalnorossians unwisely backed the Federates and exposed themselves to Chinese attack; the second, in 1846, during the infamous "Winter War". Back then, the Federates were neutral - but now, they are the casus belli, or rather Dalnorossia's alliance with Chinese enemies. All the previous wars were survived by Dalnorossia, sometimes with territorial and monetary losses, but survived. This time, the Chinese were determined to finish off their northern foes... and the northern foes were determined not to let the Chinese take all the initiative. From west to east: the Dalnorossians incited a Muslim rising in Samarkand and Sinkiang that delayed and hindered the Qing preparations, but the Chinese overcame it and invaded the Uzbek regions (+10 Dalnorossian irregular divisions); having overran them but still suffering from enemy harrasment, the Chinese advanced further north in a fored march, reaching out for Vasyaganask itself (+5 Dalnorossian irregular divisions) and utilizing the new Dalnorossian roads; eventually, they do reach Vasyagansk, but are quite exhausted and undersupplied by then, and are forced to launch a costly assault lest their army is wasted away in the Dalnorossian winter with some help from the guerrilas; the assault is succesful, but the weakened Chinese fail to hold on to the city, amidst the risings in the countryside, and so burn it down and retreat (-1 Dalnorossian Civilian Leadership). A fake Chinese attack takes place in the central part of the border, and is ignored; some Mongol rebellions are put down. Finally, in the east, the Chinese invasion of the Amur oblast is met by determined resistance, but is initially succesful anyway, as Khlopushensk is besieged and the rest of the oblast falls. However, the Dalnorossians then launched a fierce cavalry counter-attack, combined with a seaborne invasion of Ussuri province and Korea. The Chinese fought back the former, but the latter put the large Chinese force before the risk of being cut off from all supplies, and grudgingly, after ransacking Pokrovka (-Pokrovka economic center), it retreated south to face this new threat. The fanatical Japanese conscripts overran the Ussuri province, whereas Korea was taken with the minor assistance of the weak local separatists. Now the Dalnorossians were attacking Manchuria: from the north, from the east and from the south. The Dalnorossians made lots of early gans, taking Mukden itself, but the regroupped Chinese forces reversed much of that, forcing the Dalnorossians to retreat back behind the Amur, the Ussuri and the Yalu, leaving the most fanatical Japanese troops to cover the retreat.

(-15 Dalnorossian divisions, -12 Dalnorossian Uragannaya Konnitsa, -11 Dalnorossian irregular divisions, -9 Dalnorossian conscript divisions, -32 Chinese divisions, -36 Chinese conscript divisions)

The Federates and the Dalnorossians alike tried, unsuccesfully, to prevent the redeployment of the oversized Chinese garrison of Japan back to Korea. The latter didn't accept the unsuccess easily, though, and continued operations in the region. As a part of their ongoing war with China, the Dalnorossians decided to try and blockade Japan, hoping to raise a rebellion there. However, they were distracted by an attempted Chinese seaborne invasion of Hokkaido; the Dalnorossians maneuvered to interfere with that invasion, destroying the smaller Chinese fleet there and leaving the would-be invasion force stranded on Honshu. Attempts to incite a rebellion failed, though - the Chinese grasp on the islands remains strong.

(-5 Chinese divisions, -15 Chinese squadrons, -8 Dalnorossian squadrons)

Admittedly, the Federates also weren't happy about their failure to intercept the Chinese. They decided to take their anger out on the Chinese coastal and riverine cities. The Chinese saw it coming and put up dogged defenses just outside of their major cities, but in the end the Federates prevailed, having gotten some reinforcements from the Siamese along the way. Though the heavy presence of Chinese coastal artillery prevented any riverine invasions, the Federates shelled the entire China Proper coastline, devastating Macao and Shanghai among others (-Macao, Shanghai economic centers, -1 Chinese Economy, -1 Confidence).

(-23 Federate squadrons, -9 Siamese squadrons, -36 Chinese squadrons)

Random Events:

A mystirious person named Wilhelm Tell, or Wilhelmus Tellus as he preffers it, comes to power in Switzerland, unaugurating the Genevan Empire (+1 Confidence).

The Muscovite army grows in experience, with the recent fighting with Sweden and Poland (+1 Army Training). Support for Alexius continues to grow amongst the Muscovite masses (+1 Confidence).

Persians prepare for a final, epic clash with the Federates, and get many volunteers (+5 divisions, +5 UU).

MacMahon's rebellion gets large amount of support (most of the Garde is now on Nationalist side).

Revanchism grasps the young Portuguese Republic (+1 Culture).

A rebellion in Delhi begins, and spreads like wildfire as sepoys mutiny, in India and in France alike (10 Federate divisions to Indian Rebels).

A Japanese heir has suddenly appeared in Khlopushensk, and turned into a Dalnorossian propaganda tool against the Chinese (+1 Culture).

The new multiethnic Scandinavian army is beginning to form (+5 Berserker divisions).

Liberal propaganda in Poland strenghthens the people's resolve in the struggle with the "dark forces of absolutism" (+1 Confidence). As war enthusiasm grows, more and more men enroll into the army (+5 divisions).

Hungarians manage to re-arm their troops with Krag-Jorgensen rifles for free thanks to some patriotic factory owners.

War, drought and famine, and foreign sabotage, cripple the Italian economy (-1 Economy).

Ottoman economy begins to collapse under the pressure of war (-1 Economy).

Sokotan warriors are increasingly out of shape (-1 Army Training).

Desertions in the Chinese army grow due to supply problems (-5 divisions).

The Dalnorossians are having trouble maintaining their far-flung roads in good order (-1 Infrastructure).

Spotlight:

French Civil War.

"What a bore the world would be if not for France!"
- Guillaume Leger, a French historian, philosopher, publicist and future left-wing politician. Year 1861.

In 1866, the French Empire collapsed like a house of cards. The Emperor died, the fleet sunk and France's old enemies, the Federates, advanced up the major rivers and occupied the primary economic regions of France. Spain was a mess, with rebellions all over the region and the battles between various rebel factions. France Proper was slightly better off, but only slightly, with the Republicans rebelling as well. A cease-fire was signed by the Provisional Government in Dijon and the Federated Kingdoms, but the Federates soon formed a Liberal-Republican coalition government in Paris itself, though at first it existed on Federate bayonets alone; in Provisional Government-held territories, local Republicans immediately received unofficial support of the Paris government to wage their guerrila war against the Dijon government. And then, to make things worse, a coalition of the military and the right-wing patriotic Republicans was forged by one of France's few war heroes, Marechal Patrice MacMahon, who soon received much support in the colonies as well as in the army. Speaking of the colonies, these swore allegience to various governments, sometimes falling into brief local civil wars.

The Federate forces continued to arrive in France and Spain. MacMahon knew he needed to act decisively. He prepared his forces for an all-out attack on Paris itself, to break out from the Normandy pocket and to get the international recognition for his "French Council for the National Defense". In the meantime, the Federates themselves surrounded Normandy and occupied Brittany, seeking to nip MacMahon's rebellion in the bud. MacMahon had some support among the masses in Paris - he called them his "Third Column" - and the other French armed forces massing to the east of Paris were making some gains, but he himself was practically doomed - after the early breakthrough from Normandy, he was outflanked and eventually pinned down by artillery fire. What saved MacMahon was his daring and charisma that both allowed and caused him to try and overwhelm one of the Federate strongholds pinning his forces down here, and also the Indian Revolution.

The news of the grand rebellion caught most of the Sepoy divisions fighting in France. Though most knew better than to rebel, or were quickly purged of rebellious elements, two divisions that were fighting MacMahon himself, coming under considerable pressure and angered by the delayed Federate reinforcements, suddenly mutinied and declared truce. With their help, MacMahon moved on to Paris itself, though his army took heavy casualties while in Normandy. Eventually, the Republican government had to flee north, for Rouen. Normandy was in Federate hands... but Paris was in MacMahon's.

Naturally, this wasn't the end yet. Now MacMahon had to face the forces of the Provisional Government. By then it has defeated both the Republican guerrilas and the Nationalist mutineers in Central France. Not wishing to face the Federate firepower gain, the Dijon Government decided to continue cooperating with the Federates oncemore, against the Nationalists in the Paris region where they were now concentrated. The Nationalists for their part barricaded Paris in preparations for a Federate assault and struck out to take Dijon itself. Although the southern prong of the attack was intercepted, while the troops participating in it were caught between the Government forces and the Federates and annihilated, the northern prong took Dijon and Metz, and indeed gave the Nationalists control over Eastern France. The Provisional Government fled for Toulouse. Federate-Republican forces took over most of Central France without further adieu... and, after regroupping, begun actively turning the tables on MacMagon's Nationalists once and for all. In spite of severe resistance and some local successes, the Nationalists, in the end, lost ground, their garrison in Paris cut off and besieged. Despite all their valour, the Nationalists exhausted themselves too severely in the recent campaigns, and they might not get up again at all, not even with foreign help.

For they DID get foreign help, from a rather unlikely source. The new Portuguese Republic, grasped by revanchism and seeking to export the revolution, moved into Spain even as the Federates were fighting Basque and Catalan rebels and securing the Pyrenean Mountains. Not facing much organized opposition, the Portuguese sweeped across Spain, crushing both rebel groups and linking up with French Nationalists. With most Federate forces distracted elsewhere, the Portuguese managed to take Gibraltar itself. The Portuguese, however, overextended their supply lines and failed to break through the Federate positions on the Ebro. After that both sides spent their time consolidating their gains.

In spite of this and of MacMahon's successes, France seems to be mostly knocked out as a great power. But this is not necessarily good for the Federated Kingdoms - for better the devil you know, as they say, and the French devil is being replaced by perhaps as many as three different great powers. This is the World War One, the struggle to replace France on the world theatre as the primary opposition to the Federated Kingdoms, and the struggle to stop the unstoppable, the Federate global hegemony.

NPC Diplo:

From: Brazilian Rebels
To: Platine Rebels

We propose an alliance against the Federates.

From: Greek Rebels
To: Croatian Rebels, Safavid Persia

We propose that a conference is held in Constantinople to determine the new borders in the Balkans and Anatolia.

OOC:

[1] MjM, I know I already asked you to do this, but give the poor man a name!

[2] The Petacci Rifle is analogous to the OTL Snider (as used by the OTL British Indian army in the middle to late 19th century).

There are no Old Believers in this world, silver2039 - there were no Nikonian Reforms, and as a matter of fact no Nikon.

No machine guns neither, Azale.

Contempt - Gotenberg? I assumed that you meant Goteborg.

No nation descriptions, not now anyway.

Sorry about the bad quality towards the end.

Or he could just be toying with us, cruelly waiting for this page to fill up to 20 posts so that the update can top the next page.

Click to expand...

Precisely. And now, my evil plan has paid off!

o_0 *whistles*

NIce move, silver.

Das, I have a q for the western front though. I did not order them to go help the others, how'd that happen? I specificly ordered those troops to dig in and then counterattack. I figured being 'Brilliant' they can follow my plans. Especially when i actually predicted corrrectly what HRE would do, and ordered 70 divisions to counter them.

Gah, Storm's endless amount of soldiers is unstoppable. No matter. I shall perservere.

TO: The Provisional Government of Toulouse
FROM: Le Conseil pour la Defense Nationale

We ask you once more, join us in our fight against the Federate-socialist menace. The France we once knew, the France we both once loved, is under attack, and if we do not act, it will be replaced by a France under control by radical socialists and english tyrants.

TO: The Genevan Empire and the Italian Kingdom
FROM: Le Conseil pour la Defense Nationale

We implore you allies to come to the aid of the peoples of France and the rightful French government. MacMahon once saved Italy from the throngs of radicalism, and now Italy has a chance to do much the same for France.

EDIT: Nevermind. italy seems to be aiding the FK.

OOC: Das, what is the level of support for the republic (purple french) ?

The people of the countryside have always been conservative - even reactionary. In 1871, after the commune and the Franco-Prussian war, over 400 of the 789 members of the French legislature were Monarchists - most of these being elected in the provinces while republicans and socialists being more prominent in Paris and Paris alone.

Great update das, great.

One thing, it says I received an economy level from Spanish Rebels, wouldnt this put me at +3 now?

EDIT: Nevermind, just looked at the levels again and Im still a little bit away from +3.

How the heck did the Persians get so strong??

Ha, awesome update Das. That'll teach those bloody Poles and Swedes.

Speaking of Eco levels, i should be at +4 since i only sac one level that turn (I was at Richest/the second level of +4), and the update didn't mention me losing any eco.

Nice Update das.

To Poalnd
From Muscovy

We suggest you come to terms before your army is massacered.

To Sweden
From Muscovy

We will not be broken. You will not get the land we have liberated back.

To Brazil
From Portugal

Hello Brethern, we are sorry, that such a short time ago we left our colonies to the Federate dogs. But rest assured, we recognize your rightful rule and government! May the fight be glourious!

To India
From Portugal

The Portugese government recognizes India (NK's) as an indecpent country. Fight the imperialists!

to: FK and Dalnorossia
From: Qing China
We demand the true government of France is restored and India is given independence, and then we will have peace.

From Platine Rebels
To The World
We the people of the Platine Republic hereby declare our independence from the Federated Kingdoms, in order to pursue and oblige our civil liberties and popular soverignty

From Platine Republic
To Federated Kingdoms
We request your complete surrender in the theatre that is South America. The lands are to be divided up amongst the established countries and all Federate forces are to be withdrawn. To reject this is to instigate the removal, and if necesary, slaughter of all Federate forces within South America.

From Platine Republic
To Brazilian Rebels
Yes, let us stand together in our hour of need against the imperialist threat that is the Federates.

To: All nations having recognized India
From: India

We thank you; may the struggle for freedom continue well.

To: Platine Rebels and Brazalian Rebels
From: India

Though we know our word as yet counts for little in this world, we establish full relations with your nations. And thus does tyranny fall.

To: FK
From: India

Your reign in India has come to an end. If you negotiate peace now, we may accept, and perhaps leave some enclaves in the nation to you. If you do not negotiate, there will be no peace until you are thrown out of the subcontinent. Any proposal to us would have to include the rest of our alliance, mind, don't be thinking you can lure us away from them.

OOC: Good update, das.

Yes! Victory on all fronts! Great update.

From: Persia
To: French Nationalists

We will aid you with all the united strength of Islam!

From: Persia
To: Portugal, Muscovy, HRE, India, China, France

We will break the Federate domination of this world, or die trying. Let us cooperate ever closer in the days to come. And if any of us shall fall, their nations will be reconstituted by the Alliance, once London is a smoking ruin.

From: Persia
To: The World

We announce with anxious joy the unification of Islam, under one throne. Islamic scholars from all across the globe are invited to Mecca, to further discuss the political and religious strengthening of our new Empire.

From: Persia
To: Greek Rebels, Croatian Rebels

We recognize both of your nations. We will send to you terms that I think you will find agreeable. In fact, you will recieve significant concessions, in return for joining the Anti-Federate Alliance.

From: Persia
To: Platine Rebels, Brazilian Rebels

We recognize your nations. Join us in making the world free again.

EDIT: Though I'm quite surprised that capturing Turkey, Palestine, Socotra, Sinai, Sind, and most of Afghanistan didn't get me any eco levels.

From: Persia
To: Provisional Government

Do you see the suffering that your refusal to cooperate with MacMahon has brought about? Now you are supported by neither Federates or Anti-Federates.

Now is the time to cooperate, immediately. Allow the Council for National Defense a place in the Provisional Government, and we will fight the Federate Hydra together.

We must hang together, or we will certainly hang separately.

How the heck did the Persians get so strong??

Click to expand...

Thlayli betrayed me then I couldn't send orders this turn.