JosefStalinator
Я буду снова здесь
Bloody panda didn't answer me on AIM... thusly my orders are late. Sigh.
NES2 VIb - Return of the Chaos.
- Thread starter das
- Start date
- Status
~Darkening~
Weep, Mother.
Eh. Just realized that I'm not sure if I ever sent orders in for this thing. Not like it really matters anyways.
Insane_Panda
Deity
Haha, you people are so naive...
Kentharu
Zebra Commander
not naive, just indifferent to you ruling everything
Kentharu
Zebra Commander
how that update comin?
JosefStalinator
Я буду снова здесь
Indeed, how is it coming?
Symphony D.
Deity
OOC: Wow. It's bad when the "Status Report" requests from other NESes have spread to the dependable NES2 series. It's not enough that it's 99% guaranteed to appear on Wednesday anymore? 
Contain the infection! EXTERMINATE!
Contain the infection! EXTERMINATE!
Kozmos
Jew Detective
give us the update
das
Regeneration In Process
Excuses for delay:
1) I got distracted a bit.
2) Far more goes on than is seen in the update (actually an excuse for it being a fairly short one despite the time it consumed).
3) I got distracted alot.
4) I had a brief, but annoying headache.
5) I had problems concentrating on the update due to huge amounts of distractions, both RL and internet.
But despite all that, I'm NEARLY finished.
1) I got distracted a bit.
2) Far more goes on than is seen in the update (actually an excuse for it being a fairly short one despite the time it consumed).
3) I got distracted alot.
4) I had a brief, but annoying headache.
5) I had problems concentrating on the update due to huge amounts of distractions, both RL and internet.
But despite all that, I'm NEARLY finished.
Kozmos
Jew Detective
Mr. das you have 8 hours and 48 minutes to update. Then we release the virus.
conehead234
Braves on the Warpath
Well atleast we know it is coming.
das
Regeneration In Process
Update 3 (17) - Year 1783
Non-Military Events:
As the fighting in Canada continued to bog down, there was increasing support for peace on both sides, though the various Canadian factions seemed to be far more keen on it than Evariste so far.
While Atlantic trade progressed to greater levels and l'Oc recovered from the fighting, Charleville became a trade center once more (+Charleville economic center).
With the intensification of Brazilian-EUA trade (in spite of the recent diplomatic complications between them), Manaus emerges as a major riverine port (+Manaus economic center).
Though most of the Paraguayan population seemed to be supportive of its government, a resistance anti-Jesuit group recently emerged. It has claimed responsibility for a series of assassination attempts of fairly minor officials, and didn't seem to be a real threat yet.
Ireland begun to recover, economically-speaking (+Dublin economic center). So did Portugal (+Lisbon economic center).
Things generally went badly for the Egalitists in Europe - the tide seemed to have firmly turned against them in the propaganda campaign, attempts to organize riots in major European cities failed to achieve much success in most cases and crackdowns continued. Though the top Egalitist leadership were still nowhere to be found, some of the lesser leaders were captured by the Gendarmes (admittedly the worst setback was in Poland, where the king's soaring popularity was combined with a well-planned crackdown) (+1 Imperial, Polish Confidence). The terrorist campaigns went on, but failed to achieve nearly as much success as earlier, the Gendarmes having gained in both experience and vigilance. Several assassination attempts on the Polish king were thwarted, and so were attacks on various railroads. Sabotage was more succesful, with major damage to the docks of La Rochelle and Zara (-La Rochelle, Zara economic centers) and less succesful attempts elsewhere, like in Marseilles and Bremen, the Imperials being particularily vigilant - if not paranoid - there. The most infamous action was the attack on Tuileries, the Imperial residence; despite the last-moment security measures, one of the new experimental civil airships crashed into Tuileries and blew up. Fortunately the Emperor himself was inspecting the fleet in Brest, but several members of the Imperial family, including the Empress and Valerien's younger son, died, and the palace itself was badly damaged. Fortunately the Gendarmerie and the garrison managed to prevent chaos, and severe crackdowns commenced yet again, sadly not bearing much fruit beyond confirmation of Egalitists being to blame for the attack. The event brought the Emperor much public sympathy, but at the same time fear of the Egalitist capabilities increased.
After a long decline, Zara's trade network went out with a boom, allowing Venice to become the primary Adriatic port (+Venice economic center).
To surprising international apathy, Romania was annexed by the Byzantine Empire, though the new "Exarchate" retained certain priveleges and autonomies.
The Imperial cutting of all ties and trade agreements with Segu didn't prove fatal to that country's economy, but still injured it (-1 Economy), even as dissent rose further due to this and the large army presently maintained by Segu (-1 Segu Confidence).
Despite various sabotage and delays, the Imperials succesfully repaired the Egyptian Canal by the year's end, though it will take a few more months for trade to return to the old routes.
Several Bedouin tribes of Central Arabia rallied around a charismatic leader, Abdul Almasra, who proclaimed a new country - Badawistan.
As an indirect result of rising Russian commerce in the region and of Imperial interest in the city itself and the nearby oil, Baku quickly became a center of commerce (+Baku economic center).
Radical, Mughal-style reforms were put into place by the Rajputs. Revolts broke out, but (see military events)...
Japanese commercial (and political, through advisors and trade agreements) influence rapidly permeated much of the Indian Ocean.
Agriculture and industry flourished in the Shaanxi province (+Xian economic center).
Manchu nationalism (or mere Nipponophobia) seemed to be flaring up, with several assassinations of local Japanese military officials and several "incidents" between Japanese garrison soldiers and civilians. On the brighter side, Korea remained mostly quiet, and prospered for it (+Seoul economic center).
Scarcely facing any real competition that actually bothered nomnating itself for election, Commander Tee easily was elected Head of State in the PUASE. The exact constitution of the country still clearly needs work, even though things have calmed down by now.
Military Events:
The "Cold War" in Canada drags on indecisively, but generally things don't seem to be going well for the PUNF. Though several pockets of resistance were crushed (most notably the "Empire of Canada"), the decentralized Sons of Liberty Anglo-Canadian organization inflicted huge casualties upon the PUNFers trying to advance into Middle Canada, not entering any direct fighting and eventually forcing the government forces back. The attack on Steven Van der Laaden had also failed due to bad weather, sparse infrastructure and succesful rebel cooperation with the local population (both the colonials/fur traders and the Amerinds). But forces and resources necessary for a decisive push still could be mustered...
(-7 PUNF divisions)
The campaigns in the West likewise continue in a confused, indecisive fashion, though at first not all that much happens at all...
(-1 PUNF division, -1 PUO Southern Guard division)
Then in April, a new side suddenly entered the post-PUAF brawl. After repeatedly complaining about the "betrayal of Texan interests" and criticizing both the faulty execution of the Partition and the restoration of slavery in the Provinces Unie de la Occitan, the EUA government sent out an ultimatum, demanding the cessation of PUO operations in Texas and Imperial "redrawing" of borders, as to create a single, separate state in the former PUAF's West. Neither Charleville nor Paris responded to the ultimatum, and that's how war started. It would seem, however, that the Americans initially intended to carry out operations against PUO only, possibly because of their underestimation of Imperial military presence in the region. This underestimation soon resulted in what Presidente Balthazar Garzon immediately declared a very tragic accident - immediately after the ultimatum, the American submarine fleet was dispatched to destroy the PUO navy. As the Southerners hadn't the time - and, as they thought, the need - to build up a navy, what the Americans found was the Imperial Carribean Fleet, recently redeployed to Nouvelle-Orleans. Despite probably realizing that this was an Imperial fleet, the American commander decided that they were going to have to fight the Holy Roman Emperor in any case if they were to fight his dependants, and ordered an attack. The Imperial fleet was taken by complete surprise, if only because this was, after all, a submarine attack; furthermore, the officers and the sailors alike considered themselves completely safe from all but Egalitist saboteurs here in the Carribean. So when a sudden barrage of torpedos begun, the Imperial fleet was completely stunned, and by the time it recovered several ships were sunk and many others were damaged, including the Imperial battleship "Henri la Grand" (which was utterly wrecked after the battle, beyond any immediate recovery). The attack continued even as the Imperials begun to fight back. Despite Admiral Zede's inconvenient death, the Imperials begun to recover their balance and eventually forced the American underwater armada to retreat with some losses; but the Imperial Carribean Fleet was crippled. Back in Mexico, the reaction was mixed; most cheered this great victory over the world's greatest navy (+1 Culture), but almost immediately, cooler heads begun pointing out that a war with the Empire itself might easily prove fatal for America, not to mention that it would inevitably be unprofitable, the HRE being a major trade partner. As the latter prediction at least was redeemed (-Caracas economic center), pessimism begun to set in (-1 Confidence). However, the Empire was yet to respond in force, and hope remained for a peaceful settlement - even as fighting with the PUO itself begun. Interestingly enough, very little fighting between EUA and PUO land forces occured in or near Texas itself - only some minor border clashes. Instead, the EUA took to the skies, aware that the PUO hadn't an air force, and harassed the Southern Guards from above as they tried to crush the rebels. With air supremacy, the EUA was capable of providing the rebel groups with arms, funds and supplies, and at times with aerial bombardment. Crucially, this bombardment allowed a Texan rebel coalition to assault and recapture the vital trade center and stronghold of Alpien, though the city was badly wrecked in the proccess (-Alpien economic center). In this manner the Texan rebels rallied in the west and the south, though the PUO forces in the theatre are far from defeated or even properly stopped. However, the EUA land forces did directly clash with the PUO ones. Having attained temporary naval supremacy, the Americans staged a seaborne invasion of the PUO. The attempted land attack on Nouvelle-Orleans was defeated by the large Imperial garrison there, but these forces were evacuated quickly and easily; meanwhile, further east, Florida was overran with some minor resistance (+2 PUO irregular divisions), and yet another assault on Charleville commenced. That unfortunate city saw yet another naval bombardment and assault; yet again, the local garrison (much larger than the one attacked by the Imperials two years ago, admittedly) fought valorously, but in vain; rebellions begun within the city itself, and the garrison finally surrendered. The PUO government was mostly evacuated further inland as soon as the war begun, but this was a significant victory nonetheless, a one which badly shook the southern union (-1 PUO Confidence). Though resistance to the invaders in Caroline was heavy and uncompromising (+5 PUO irregular divisions), the Americans immediately begun freeing and arming slaves. This almost literally backfired soon, when the slaves burned down Charleville (-Charleville), but the Americans decided to take no action; the counter-attacks that immediately commenced taxed their strenght, especially as Imperial Foreign Legions were redeployed to eastern Caroline, so it was decided to pull out quickly. The Americans started their (in)famous March to the Sea, fighting through the Southern forces thrown at them, living off the land and arming slaves to distract the Imperial army that retook the smouldering ruins of Charleville. Finally, despite some serious losses, the Americans pulled out; though by the end of the year several of the stronger slave rebel bands were crushed by combined efforts of the southerners and the Imperials, a "Black Commune" and some lesser movements notably manage to fight on in Florida for now. As the South recovers from this year's fighting, there - as in EUA and in the HRE - the people and the politicians alike clamour for war or peace (in PUO and HRE, that latter option is particularily popular and coincides with revenge).
(-9 EUA divisions, -1 EUA ship squadron, -6 EUA submarine squadrons, -2 PUO divisions, -7 PUO irregular divisions, -4 PUO Southern Guard divisions, -2 Imperial divisions, -1 Imperial Foreign Legion, -16 Imperial ship squadrons, -1 Imperial capital ship)
War comes to Europe.
(see spotlight)
(-1 British division, -72 British ship squadrons, -6 British submarine squadrons, -4 British capital ships, -1 British air squadron, -19 Imperial ship squadrons, -8 Imperial submarine squadrons, -2 Imperial capital ships, -9 Scandinavian ship squadrons)
(-1 British Culture, Confidence, -2 British Economy, +1 Scandinavian Confidence, -Plymouth, Liverpool, Georgeston economic centers, 10 divisions from Great Britain to South Sea Company, 5 ship squadrons from Great Britain to South Sea Company, 1 Economy from Great Britain to South Sea Company)
Several anti-Rajput rebellions were put down in cold blood all over India, though harm was done to the Rajputs as well.
(-3 Rajput divisions)
Although (or possibly because) the Imperials largely ignored the previous outburst of piracy near Madagascar, the "submarine pirates" suddenly disappeared, only to reemerge in South-East Asia a few months later. They do not seem to be very strong, having caused only minor damage and mostly avoided contact with the Imperial navy in the region. According to the rumours, at least one sub was captured by the Imperials.
Fighting died down on Sumatra, the rebels limiting themselves to minor hit-and-run attacks, while the Imperials slowly smoked them out of some of their safe hideouts in the mountains.
(-1 Imperial Foreign Legion)
Random Events:
King Jan IV Jagiellon sways much of the Polish popular support to himself and away from the Egalitists with stirring speaches (+2 Confidence). The people rally around him in the struggle against Egalitism and separatism (+1 Culture).
Canadian rebellions intensify further, with more rebellions behind PUNF lines.
A wave of Finnish anti-Egalitism, nationalism and religious fanaticism rises (+1 Culture).
Corruption pollutes the Byzantine bueraucracy (-1 Civilian Leadership).
Desertions grind away at the Egyptian military might (-5 divisions).
Assassinations and defections plague Hungary's officer corps (-1 Military Leadership).
A growth of regional (particularily Lithuanian) separatist movements has been noticed in Russia (-1 Culture).
Spotlight:
The Empire Strikes Again.
"When will you understand that France will never stop? Sure you are their allies now. Sure you hope to make some profit out of this. Wasn't Portugal a French friend too? Who will be the next? What will happen after Portugal? We all know that France will never stop, but we are also too cowardly to rise up and show some courage."
- Prince Pedro of Portugal (later Emperor Pedro I of Brazil). Year 1750.
After the French victory in the Worldwar back in 1754, peace set in, at least from the viewpoint of diplomacy. Oh, there were many rebellions after that, rebellions and punitive campaigns that often enough seemed like a real war. But between the nations, there was peace before the 1780s.
But sure enough, not even an intensified struggle with the rabble-rousing Egalitists could ensure perpetual peace between the components of the existing world order known as states. Already as first Brandenburg and then the PUAF ceased to exist in flames, while tensions between France and its old allies grew. In 1782, the Byzantines invaded and annexed Romania with Imperial support, though this event was scarcely noticed even in eastern Europe. In 1783, the Estados Unidos Americanos went to war with the Holy Roman Empire, whether accidentally and briefly or to the death; at that time, the Holy Roman Empire did not respond because it was busy elsewhere - it has gone to a war with Europe.
Back when France - the predecessor state of the Holy Roman Empire - was but one of the great European powers, it climbed upwards by assembling coalitions and bringing down the weaker nearby great powers; in this manner, by the time France faced its strongest adversary Russia, it was strong enough to win despite betrayals and blunders. These betrayals and blunders did, however, prevent a complete rout of Russia; instead, it was merely checked and thwarted, defeated, but far from destroyed. Over the years, Russia recovered and rebuilt; 30 years after that fateful defeat in German plain, the Russians were clearly a threat once more, and a second round was practically unavoidable. It was by now a matter of when - and of exact conditions, such as what allies would Russia manage to rally against the HRE this time. Much like his father, Valerien I preffered to stay at least one step ahead of his enemies; suspecting that some of France's old allies would switch sides, he quickly deduced that which one of these allies was the most suspicious, the least interested in a continued alliance with the HRE, the most interested in the destruction of the Julienian world order and, ofcourse, the most threatening, if largely due to its geographical position. That ally was, ofcourse, the country that was now attacked - as Spain or Portugal in the Bloody Fourties
As usual with modern warfare, many things about the beginning of the British War remain unclear to us, and many secrets of that day may never be discovered. A variety of popular versions exist for all sorts of political and ethnic biases, but pretty much all of them agree that, firstly, terrorists (whether Egalitist, British, Imperial, Russian or Penguin) hid explosives in "fishing boats" that were then used against the British military fleet in several La Manche ports. A few ships sunk, several were damaged, including the battleship HMS Inflexible. The actual damage to the British naval might wasn't really terrible or anything; it was the pride that was wounded the most. Immediately, rumours appeared that the cowardly Imperial scum were behind this; certainly that would be just the thing they would have done! The British government was also paranoid enough to believe this even before incriminating evidence of the Imperial involvement was procurred. The cooler heads urged further investigation and pointed out that Britain wasn't ready for a war with the Holy Roman Empire; that it needed to play for time and ignore provocations. But the news leaked, and anti-Imperial riots filled the streets. Finally, giving in to popular pressure, the British government demanded that the Imperials allow investigation, pointing to the "Spanish Precedent". The Imperial reply was an outraged, indignant one. One thing led to another, and after an exchange of accussations and ultimatums, the Imperial government finally declared war on Great Britain for its "betrayal of allies" and "unforgivable insults" (this was done after the British government made a last-moment attempt to salvage the situation; but that attempt was doomed from the start, for it came way too late). Scandinavia immediately seconded the Imperial declaration.
From the very start, the British situation was desperate. Not only was the Home Fleet badly outnumbered, but it also had an unenviable strategic situation. It needed to defend Britain from enemy invasion which could come from practically anywhere; however, the southern coast was the most vulnerable, and an attack there would have been the most lethal due to the proximity of London. At the same time, the British fleet too was the most vulnerable in La Manche, as the Imperials could easily block it, and then use their superior firepower to squash the Home Fleet like a bug. It seemed to be a lose-lose situation, so after some debate, it was decided to try and relocate most of the fleet to the Celtic or North Seas, where it would have greater freedom of maneuver, and rely on conscripts and land defenses for protection of the southern coast. That plan might have worked, as the British ships formerly in the La Manche ports nearly reached the Isles of Scilly, but a large Imperial underwater armade was waiting for them there; though the British commander, Admiral Arthur Darwin, made good use of his own submarines, these were outnumbered, and also, much like the Imperials themselves a few weeks earlier at Nouvelle-Orleans, the British were at first stunned, and suffered devastating losses. The submarines soon withdrew, fortunately; meanwhile, the huge Imperial surface fleet group caught up with Darwin and finished him off, following this up with the destruction of another British fleet at Old Head of Kinsale a few days later (it put up a fierce fight, it must be said). Meanwhile, the British North Sea Fleet was engaged and defeated in a somewhat more even battle by the Scandinavians at Devil's Hole, though parts of this fleet actually got away. Lastly, a smaller Imperial-Scandinavian task force defeated several British squadrons in the Central Atlantic.
It was a disaster, and Britain was stunned as its fleet was completely decimated within two weeks. Only small parts of the navy survived, scattered around the world. The Homeland itself was under threat of invasion, its iron walls rotting beneath the waves. The defenders braced themselves for the onslaught...
...yet none came. Neither the Imperials nor the Scandinavians wanted to grace the British with as much as a marine raid; or perhaps they simply didn't prepare, not expecting such quick and complete success. But King George III was not at all relieved by the apparent absence of Franco-Viking hordes at the door. Britain's death was merely delayed - or perhaps the better term would be "prolonged", for the Imperials immediately used their naval supremacy to impose a formidable blockade, crippling British trade. To make things worse, the Imperial and Scandinavian fleets also shelled heavily the various British port cities, including Georgeston in Africa. Not all the bombardments went smoothly at first, due to various British tricks, like a few surviving subs, sea mines, bomber airships and coastal batteries that caused the Imperials much grief early on - but the usual French formula for naval warfare, called the Doctrine of Overkill by some, didn't fail the Holy Roman Empire. The damage to the coastal cities varied from place to place; Portsmouth, for instance, was ruined, though ofcourse naval artillery isn't powerful enough to completely level a city, not so fast anyway. Meanwhile, even in the Pacific British colonies, where the war was barely noticed (well, by comparison with any other British territories) the British managed to lose - and lose badly. The South Sea Company, not enthusiastic about being dragged down with its masters in London, teamed up with some other businessmen, popular New Englander [1] leaders and local garrison commanders, and proclaimed itself an independent company, claiming all the British territories in the Pacific and neutrality in the British War itself, the British being unable to do anything as pretty much all local forces defected. It is unclear what will become of this strange new corporate state, but it does not seem to be immediately threatened by the Holy Roman Empire.
Back in Europe, Britain is now under siege, and its doom approaches. The Holy Roman Empire's northern flank will soon be safe.
NPC Diplo:
OOC:
Sorry, not a very inspired update; am not happy with the quality neither. But at least things are happening now...
[1] New England=British Terra Australis.
Non-Military Events:
As the fighting in Canada continued to bog down, there was increasing support for peace on both sides, though the various Canadian factions seemed to be far more keen on it than Evariste so far.
While Atlantic trade progressed to greater levels and l'Oc recovered from the fighting, Charleville became a trade center once more (+Charleville economic center).
With the intensification of Brazilian-EUA trade (in spite of the recent diplomatic complications between them), Manaus emerges as a major riverine port (+Manaus economic center).
Though most of the Paraguayan population seemed to be supportive of its government, a resistance anti-Jesuit group recently emerged. It has claimed responsibility for a series of assassination attempts of fairly minor officials, and didn't seem to be a real threat yet.
Ireland begun to recover, economically-speaking (+Dublin economic center). So did Portugal (+Lisbon economic center).
Things generally went badly for the Egalitists in Europe - the tide seemed to have firmly turned against them in the propaganda campaign, attempts to organize riots in major European cities failed to achieve much success in most cases and crackdowns continued. Though the top Egalitist leadership were still nowhere to be found, some of the lesser leaders were captured by the Gendarmes (admittedly the worst setback was in Poland, where the king's soaring popularity was combined with a well-planned crackdown) (+1 Imperial, Polish Confidence). The terrorist campaigns went on, but failed to achieve nearly as much success as earlier, the Gendarmes having gained in both experience and vigilance. Several assassination attempts on the Polish king were thwarted, and so were attacks on various railroads. Sabotage was more succesful, with major damage to the docks of La Rochelle and Zara (-La Rochelle, Zara economic centers) and less succesful attempts elsewhere, like in Marseilles and Bremen, the Imperials being particularily vigilant - if not paranoid - there. The most infamous action was the attack on Tuileries, the Imperial residence; despite the last-moment security measures, one of the new experimental civil airships crashed into Tuileries and blew up. Fortunately the Emperor himself was inspecting the fleet in Brest, but several members of the Imperial family, including the Empress and Valerien's younger son, died, and the palace itself was badly damaged. Fortunately the Gendarmerie and the garrison managed to prevent chaos, and severe crackdowns commenced yet again, sadly not bearing much fruit beyond confirmation of Egalitists being to blame for the attack. The event brought the Emperor much public sympathy, but at the same time fear of the Egalitist capabilities increased.
After a long decline, Zara's trade network went out with a boom, allowing Venice to become the primary Adriatic port (+Venice economic center).
To surprising international apathy, Romania was annexed by the Byzantine Empire, though the new "Exarchate" retained certain priveleges and autonomies.
The Imperial cutting of all ties and trade agreements with Segu didn't prove fatal to that country's economy, but still injured it (-1 Economy), even as dissent rose further due to this and the large army presently maintained by Segu (-1 Segu Confidence).
Despite various sabotage and delays, the Imperials succesfully repaired the Egyptian Canal by the year's end, though it will take a few more months for trade to return to the old routes.
Several Bedouin tribes of Central Arabia rallied around a charismatic leader, Abdul Almasra, who proclaimed a new country - Badawistan.
As an indirect result of rising Russian commerce in the region and of Imperial interest in the city itself and the nearby oil, Baku quickly became a center of commerce (+Baku economic center).
Radical, Mughal-style reforms were put into place by the Rajputs. Revolts broke out, but (see military events)...
Japanese commercial (and political, through advisors and trade agreements) influence rapidly permeated much of the Indian Ocean.
Agriculture and industry flourished in the Shaanxi province (+Xian economic center).
Manchu nationalism (or mere Nipponophobia) seemed to be flaring up, with several assassinations of local Japanese military officials and several "incidents" between Japanese garrison soldiers and civilians. On the brighter side, Korea remained mostly quiet, and prospered for it (+Seoul economic center).
Scarcely facing any real competition that actually bothered nomnating itself for election, Commander Tee easily was elected Head of State in the PUASE. The exact constitution of the country still clearly needs work, even though things have calmed down by now.
Military Events:
The "Cold War" in Canada drags on indecisively, but generally things don't seem to be going well for the PUNF. Though several pockets of resistance were crushed (most notably the "Empire of Canada"), the decentralized Sons of Liberty Anglo-Canadian organization inflicted huge casualties upon the PUNFers trying to advance into Middle Canada, not entering any direct fighting and eventually forcing the government forces back. The attack on Steven Van der Laaden had also failed due to bad weather, sparse infrastructure and succesful rebel cooperation with the local population (both the colonials/fur traders and the Amerinds). But forces and resources necessary for a decisive push still could be mustered...
(-7 PUNF divisions)
The campaigns in the West likewise continue in a confused, indecisive fashion, though at first not all that much happens at all...
(-1 PUNF division, -1 PUO Southern Guard division)
Then in April, a new side suddenly entered the post-PUAF brawl. After repeatedly complaining about the "betrayal of Texan interests" and criticizing both the faulty execution of the Partition and the restoration of slavery in the Provinces Unie de la Occitan, the EUA government sent out an ultimatum, demanding the cessation of PUO operations in Texas and Imperial "redrawing" of borders, as to create a single, separate state in the former PUAF's West. Neither Charleville nor Paris responded to the ultimatum, and that's how war started. It would seem, however, that the Americans initially intended to carry out operations against PUO only, possibly because of their underestimation of Imperial military presence in the region. This underestimation soon resulted in what Presidente Balthazar Garzon immediately declared a very tragic accident - immediately after the ultimatum, the American submarine fleet was dispatched to destroy the PUO navy. As the Southerners hadn't the time - and, as they thought, the need - to build up a navy, what the Americans found was the Imperial Carribean Fleet, recently redeployed to Nouvelle-Orleans. Despite probably realizing that this was an Imperial fleet, the American commander decided that they were going to have to fight the Holy Roman Emperor in any case if they were to fight his dependants, and ordered an attack. The Imperial fleet was taken by complete surprise, if only because this was, after all, a submarine attack; furthermore, the officers and the sailors alike considered themselves completely safe from all but Egalitist saboteurs here in the Carribean. So when a sudden barrage of torpedos begun, the Imperial fleet was completely stunned, and by the time it recovered several ships were sunk and many others were damaged, including the Imperial battleship "Henri la Grand" (which was utterly wrecked after the battle, beyond any immediate recovery). The attack continued even as the Imperials begun to fight back. Despite Admiral Zede's inconvenient death, the Imperials begun to recover their balance and eventually forced the American underwater armada to retreat with some losses; but the Imperial Carribean Fleet was crippled. Back in Mexico, the reaction was mixed; most cheered this great victory over the world's greatest navy (+1 Culture), but almost immediately, cooler heads begun pointing out that a war with the Empire itself might easily prove fatal for America, not to mention that it would inevitably be unprofitable, the HRE being a major trade partner. As the latter prediction at least was redeemed (-Caracas economic center), pessimism begun to set in (-1 Confidence). However, the Empire was yet to respond in force, and hope remained for a peaceful settlement - even as fighting with the PUO itself begun. Interestingly enough, very little fighting between EUA and PUO land forces occured in or near Texas itself - only some minor border clashes. Instead, the EUA took to the skies, aware that the PUO hadn't an air force, and harassed the Southern Guards from above as they tried to crush the rebels. With air supremacy, the EUA was capable of providing the rebel groups with arms, funds and supplies, and at times with aerial bombardment. Crucially, this bombardment allowed a Texan rebel coalition to assault and recapture the vital trade center and stronghold of Alpien, though the city was badly wrecked in the proccess (-Alpien economic center). In this manner the Texan rebels rallied in the west and the south, though the PUO forces in the theatre are far from defeated or even properly stopped. However, the EUA land forces did directly clash with the PUO ones. Having attained temporary naval supremacy, the Americans staged a seaborne invasion of the PUO. The attempted land attack on Nouvelle-Orleans was defeated by the large Imperial garrison there, but these forces were evacuated quickly and easily; meanwhile, further east, Florida was overran with some minor resistance (+2 PUO irregular divisions), and yet another assault on Charleville commenced. That unfortunate city saw yet another naval bombardment and assault; yet again, the local garrison (much larger than the one attacked by the Imperials two years ago, admittedly) fought valorously, but in vain; rebellions begun within the city itself, and the garrison finally surrendered. The PUO government was mostly evacuated further inland as soon as the war begun, but this was a significant victory nonetheless, a one which badly shook the southern union (-1 PUO Confidence). Though resistance to the invaders in Caroline was heavy and uncompromising (+5 PUO irregular divisions), the Americans immediately begun freeing and arming slaves. This almost literally backfired soon, when the slaves burned down Charleville (-Charleville), but the Americans decided to take no action; the counter-attacks that immediately commenced taxed their strenght, especially as Imperial Foreign Legions were redeployed to eastern Caroline, so it was decided to pull out quickly. The Americans started their (in)famous March to the Sea, fighting through the Southern forces thrown at them, living off the land and arming slaves to distract the Imperial army that retook the smouldering ruins of Charleville. Finally, despite some serious losses, the Americans pulled out; though by the end of the year several of the stronger slave rebel bands were crushed by combined efforts of the southerners and the Imperials, a "Black Commune" and some lesser movements notably manage to fight on in Florida for now. As the South recovers from this year's fighting, there - as in EUA and in the HRE - the people and the politicians alike clamour for war or peace (in PUO and HRE, that latter option is particularily popular and coincides with revenge).
(-9 EUA divisions, -1 EUA ship squadron, -6 EUA submarine squadrons, -2 PUO divisions, -7 PUO irregular divisions, -4 PUO Southern Guard divisions, -2 Imperial divisions, -1 Imperial Foreign Legion, -16 Imperial ship squadrons, -1 Imperial capital ship)
War comes to Europe.
(see spotlight)
(-1 British division, -72 British ship squadrons, -6 British submarine squadrons, -4 British capital ships, -1 British air squadron, -19 Imperial ship squadrons, -8 Imperial submarine squadrons, -2 Imperial capital ships, -9 Scandinavian ship squadrons)
(-1 British Culture, Confidence, -2 British Economy, +1 Scandinavian Confidence, -Plymouth, Liverpool, Georgeston economic centers, 10 divisions from Great Britain to South Sea Company, 5 ship squadrons from Great Britain to South Sea Company, 1 Economy from Great Britain to South Sea Company)
Several anti-Rajput rebellions were put down in cold blood all over India, though harm was done to the Rajputs as well.
(-3 Rajput divisions)
Although (or possibly because) the Imperials largely ignored the previous outburst of piracy near Madagascar, the "submarine pirates" suddenly disappeared, only to reemerge in South-East Asia a few months later. They do not seem to be very strong, having caused only minor damage and mostly avoided contact with the Imperial navy in the region. According to the rumours, at least one sub was captured by the Imperials.
Fighting died down on Sumatra, the rebels limiting themselves to minor hit-and-run attacks, while the Imperials slowly smoked them out of some of their safe hideouts in the mountains.
(-1 Imperial Foreign Legion)
Random Events:
King Jan IV Jagiellon sways much of the Polish popular support to himself and away from the Egalitists with stirring speaches (+2 Confidence). The people rally around him in the struggle against Egalitism and separatism (+1 Culture).
Canadian rebellions intensify further, with more rebellions behind PUNF lines.
A wave of Finnish anti-Egalitism, nationalism and religious fanaticism rises (+1 Culture).
Corruption pollutes the Byzantine bueraucracy (-1 Civilian Leadership).
Desertions grind away at the Egyptian military might (-5 divisions).
Assassinations and defections plague Hungary's officer corps (-1 Military Leadership).
A growth of regional (particularily Lithuanian) separatist movements has been noticed in Russia (-1 Culture).
Spotlight:
The Empire Strikes Again.
"When will you understand that France will never stop? Sure you are their allies now. Sure you hope to make some profit out of this. Wasn't Portugal a French friend too? Who will be the next? What will happen after Portugal? We all know that France will never stop, but we are also too cowardly to rise up and show some courage."
- Prince Pedro of Portugal (later Emperor Pedro I of Brazil). Year 1750.
After the French victory in the Worldwar back in 1754, peace set in, at least from the viewpoint of diplomacy. Oh, there were many rebellions after that, rebellions and punitive campaigns that often enough seemed like a real war. But between the nations, there was peace before the 1780s.
But sure enough, not even an intensified struggle with the rabble-rousing Egalitists could ensure perpetual peace between the components of the existing world order known as states. Already as first Brandenburg and then the PUAF ceased to exist in flames, while tensions between France and its old allies grew. In 1782, the Byzantines invaded and annexed Romania with Imperial support, though this event was scarcely noticed even in eastern Europe. In 1783, the Estados Unidos Americanos went to war with the Holy Roman Empire, whether accidentally and briefly or to the death; at that time, the Holy Roman Empire did not respond because it was busy elsewhere - it has gone to a war with Europe.
Back when France - the predecessor state of the Holy Roman Empire - was but one of the great European powers, it climbed upwards by assembling coalitions and bringing down the weaker nearby great powers; in this manner, by the time France faced its strongest adversary Russia, it was strong enough to win despite betrayals and blunders. These betrayals and blunders did, however, prevent a complete rout of Russia; instead, it was merely checked and thwarted, defeated, but far from destroyed. Over the years, Russia recovered and rebuilt; 30 years after that fateful defeat in German plain, the Russians were clearly a threat once more, and a second round was practically unavoidable. It was by now a matter of when - and of exact conditions, such as what allies would Russia manage to rally against the HRE this time. Much like his father, Valerien I preffered to stay at least one step ahead of his enemies; suspecting that some of France's old allies would switch sides, he quickly deduced that which one of these allies was the most suspicious, the least interested in a continued alliance with the HRE, the most interested in the destruction of the Julienian world order and, ofcourse, the most threatening, if largely due to its geographical position. That ally was, ofcourse, the country that was now attacked - as Spain or Portugal in the Bloody Fourties
As usual with modern warfare, many things about the beginning of the British War remain unclear to us, and many secrets of that day may never be discovered. A variety of popular versions exist for all sorts of political and ethnic biases, but pretty much all of them agree that, firstly, terrorists (whether Egalitist, British, Imperial, Russian or Penguin) hid explosives in "fishing boats" that were then used against the British military fleet in several La Manche ports. A few ships sunk, several were damaged, including the battleship HMS Inflexible. The actual damage to the British naval might wasn't really terrible or anything; it was the pride that was wounded the most. Immediately, rumours appeared that the cowardly Imperial scum were behind this; certainly that would be just the thing they would have done! The British government was also paranoid enough to believe this even before incriminating evidence of the Imperial involvement was procurred. The cooler heads urged further investigation and pointed out that Britain wasn't ready for a war with the Holy Roman Empire; that it needed to play for time and ignore provocations. But the news leaked, and anti-Imperial riots filled the streets. Finally, giving in to popular pressure, the British government demanded that the Imperials allow investigation, pointing to the "Spanish Precedent". The Imperial reply was an outraged, indignant one. One thing led to another, and after an exchange of accussations and ultimatums, the Imperial government finally declared war on Great Britain for its "betrayal of allies" and "unforgivable insults" (this was done after the British government made a last-moment attempt to salvage the situation; but that attempt was doomed from the start, for it came way too late). Scandinavia immediately seconded the Imperial declaration.
From the very start, the British situation was desperate. Not only was the Home Fleet badly outnumbered, but it also had an unenviable strategic situation. It needed to defend Britain from enemy invasion which could come from practically anywhere; however, the southern coast was the most vulnerable, and an attack there would have been the most lethal due to the proximity of London. At the same time, the British fleet too was the most vulnerable in La Manche, as the Imperials could easily block it, and then use their superior firepower to squash the Home Fleet like a bug. It seemed to be a lose-lose situation, so after some debate, it was decided to try and relocate most of the fleet to the Celtic or North Seas, where it would have greater freedom of maneuver, and rely on conscripts and land defenses for protection of the southern coast. That plan might have worked, as the British ships formerly in the La Manche ports nearly reached the Isles of Scilly, but a large Imperial underwater armade was waiting for them there; though the British commander, Admiral Arthur Darwin, made good use of his own submarines, these were outnumbered, and also, much like the Imperials themselves a few weeks earlier at Nouvelle-Orleans, the British were at first stunned, and suffered devastating losses. The submarines soon withdrew, fortunately; meanwhile, the huge Imperial surface fleet group caught up with Darwin and finished him off, following this up with the destruction of another British fleet at Old Head of Kinsale a few days later (it put up a fierce fight, it must be said). Meanwhile, the British North Sea Fleet was engaged and defeated in a somewhat more even battle by the Scandinavians at Devil's Hole, though parts of this fleet actually got away. Lastly, a smaller Imperial-Scandinavian task force defeated several British squadrons in the Central Atlantic.
It was a disaster, and Britain was stunned as its fleet was completely decimated within two weeks. Only small parts of the navy survived, scattered around the world. The Homeland itself was under threat of invasion, its iron walls rotting beneath the waves. The defenders braced themselves for the onslaught...
...yet none came. Neither the Imperials nor the Scandinavians wanted to grace the British with as much as a marine raid; or perhaps they simply didn't prepare, not expecting such quick and complete success. But King George III was not at all relieved by the apparent absence of Franco-Viking hordes at the door. Britain's death was merely delayed - or perhaps the better term would be "prolonged", for the Imperials immediately used their naval supremacy to impose a formidable blockade, crippling British trade. To make things worse, the Imperial and Scandinavian fleets also shelled heavily the various British port cities, including Georgeston in Africa. Not all the bombardments went smoothly at first, due to various British tricks, like a few surviving subs, sea mines, bomber airships and coastal batteries that caused the Imperials much grief early on - but the usual French formula for naval warfare, called the Doctrine of Overkill by some, didn't fail the Holy Roman Empire. The damage to the coastal cities varied from place to place; Portsmouth, for instance, was ruined, though ofcourse naval artillery isn't powerful enough to completely level a city, not so fast anyway. Meanwhile, even in the Pacific British colonies, where the war was barely noticed (well, by comparison with any other British territories) the British managed to lose - and lose badly. The South Sea Company, not enthusiastic about being dragged down with its masters in London, teamed up with some other businessmen, popular New Englander [1] leaders and local garrison commanders, and proclaimed itself an independent company, claiming all the British territories in the Pacific and neutrality in the British War itself, the British being unable to do anything as pretty much all local forces defected. It is unclear what will become of this strange new corporate state, but it does not seem to be immediately threatened by the Holy Roman Empire.
Back in Europe, Britain is now under siege, and its doom approaches. The Holy Roman Empire's northern flank will soon be safe.
NPC Diplo:
OOC:
Sorry, not a very inspired update; am not happy with the quality neither. But at least things are happening now...
[1] New England=British Terra Australis.
das
Regeneration In Process
Disenfrancised
Beep Beep
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhrrrrrgggghhh!
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhh!
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhh!
conehead234
Braves on the Warpath
to: France
from: Great Britain
What the heck was that about.
from: Great Britain
What the heck was that about.
LittleBoots
The Bloody Banner
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2006
- Messages
- 1,979
conehead234 said:
hahahahahhahahahahah
I liked the update, even if you thought it was uninspired das. Things just got very interesting
North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
Oh my... >_>...
('Tis my way of saying, great update)
('Tis my way of saying, great update)
- Status
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