Blackened Skies
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- Start date
christos200
Never tell me the odds
Gerlach Trautmann
Gerlach Trautmann is the Lord-Regent and Generalissimo of the Russian Empire and the conqueror of Hungary, Romania and Sinkiang. Born in 1883 in Munich, he joined a cadet academy in 1896. He was the most excellent cadet officer in his class and his classmates said about him that "There is no problem that cannot be solved by Gerlach". He graduated in 1900 and began the three-year officer training programme at the Prussian War Academy. During the Second Franco-Prussian War he was promoted to lieutenant and served in the 2nd Infantry Regiment. In 1911 he was reassigned as assistant general staff officer of operations to the Tenth Army. During his time there he was regarded as an excellent officer and noted for his skills. In 1912 he was arrested by the communists as he was a notable monarchist but in 1913, thanks to the chaos caused by the Russian invasion, he managed to escape and flee with his wife to Russia, where he joined the Russian Imperial Army.
He became a staff officer in the Seventh Army, where he remained until 1919. In 1920 he published his first military book: "The Masses at War". In 1922 and 1923 respectively he published two more books, "The Art of War" and "Attack, attack!". Those books became instant best sellers and were highly regarded by military officers not only in Russia but also in other countries. Those three books detailed his philosophy: to use the superior manpower of Russia to employ mass tactics, overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers, and attacking everywhere along the front to further thin the enemy lines. Speed and momentum were also considered important factors. His motto in the books was "Keep marching forward, crush all resistance!"
Tsar Michael II, impressed by those books, promoted Gerlach to Head of the Operations Branch of the Army General Staff in 1923 and Deputy Chief of Staff in 1925. In 1928 he was promoted to Chief of the Army General Staff and in 1930 he was appointed Generalissimo of the Russian Empire and commander of all of Russia's armed forces. Of course, his rapid promotions were not only due to his writing abilities and his military talent but also due to his friendship with the Tsar. The two of them had become close friends and relatives after Gerlach married the daughter of a Russian aristocrat related to the Imperial family in 1924 (his first wife had died in 1920).
In 1934 he led the military invasion of Hungary and Romania and employed the mass tactics he described in his books. He launched an offensive on the entirety of the front with the infantry, created gaps in the enemy line of defense, sent the armored divisions to push through those gaps and outflank the enemy line and then attacked from both sides the enemy. The large Russian armies smashed the ill-prepared Hungarian defenses and the even worse-prepared Romanian defenses. During the siege of Budapest, many ancient historical buildings were bombed into rubble and during a raid the Chancellor of Hungary was shot by Russian stormtroopers.
In 1937 he was able to overrun Sinkiang with relative ease with an armored pincer movement which cut off the Han troops in Sinkiang and allowed the Russian infantry to overrun them but in Manchuria an attempt to do the same was quickly stopped. Nevertheless, he had managed to capture the whole of Sinkiang in less than one year, an impressive feat. In that same year, after the assassination of Tsar Peter IV and the formation of the Regency Council, he was appointed Lord-Regent of the Russian Empire and head of the Regency Council. Thus he was supreme leader of Russia.
His statement upon being named Lord-Regent was: "I will do my best to serve the young Tsar Constantine II and bring glory and success to the Empire and the young Tsar. I shall crush in person the Han in China and I will make sure that the rebellions in the West too are crushed. Peace shall be restored in the Empire."
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
OOC: I would like to reveal that the Han war plan against Russia involves abandoning Xinjiang entirely and that any troops there would have been a light garrison. 
arya126
Squad Leader
Claiming the American Restoration Movement.
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
Address to the Nation from the Office of the Presidency by Li Zhuten:
Fellow citizens, comrades, patriots, this is our darkest hour. Not when we rose in arms, not when we fought to expel the Manchu Emperor from his jade throne in Beijing did we suffer so much, for we were yet to achieve our freedom. The heinous worm of tyranny that has infested the soul of so many beyond our borders has come back in duplicate, from the North and the South, and the time has come to fight them.
That is why in this moment of absolute necessity, I have decided to step down and leave this office of the highest responsibility in the hands of the only man in China who could bear it. Dark times loom beyond the horizon, and we must stand strong and united if we are to shed light on them. This is why I pass on the honour and the duty of this office onto Generalissimo Hu Diao. May we find the Way.
Address to the Nation from the Interim President, Generalissimo Hu Diao:
The star of the Republic shines bright! Bright enough to burn away the silk and gold and jade which Empires don to hide their hideousness. Our enemies could not withstand our valour and our simplicity, and collecting all of their might they have fallen upon us. They think that because we are free, we are divided, we are weak. They think that because they bind their subjects in shackles of words and pain they can pile their dead bodies at our doors until we surrender.
Let us show them the truth! Let us show them how we are stronger because we are free! Only because we are free it is that we can see the truth of their lies and their false ways. Because we are free we know that this is our time to stand. This is our time to show them and the world the mettle of our kind, what the Han people are truly made of. We will wait for them at Ningxia and Lanzhou, we shall stop them in Hubei and Liaodong. We will fight in Fujian and Jiangxi, and we shall win in Hunan and Sichuan! Fellow citizens, comrades, patriots, vctory lies in the Way, and ours is the Way to victory.
THE HAN REPUBLIC MOBILIZES TO 100%
gay_Aleks
from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
The Grand Republic of Latin America sympathises with the struggles of the Han Republic in those dark times and dire challenges that await them. We hope they shall vanquish their enemies in the name of Democracy.
The Great Zhao would like to point out that the flaw of the Qing Empire was it squandered everything: wealth, potential, and the very lives of its inhabitants.
He will never make such a mistake. As every Chinese can already see, he has, in fact, already improved the only nation great enough to match his splendor and ambition. He will not rest until the Han have been taught that democracy is a western invention fit only for the west, if anyone at all, and that China cannot prosper without an emperor - for surely Han's paltry economy speaks for itself in this matter.
His magnificent armies will crush those of the Han, and then there will be wealth beyond all measure. China will be reunited and none, not even those who foolishly call it an enemy, will be able to deny its glory. It will be unquestioningly the best nation, as it has always been since Qin Shi Huang, and then it will lead those enlightened enough to follow into the most spectacular golden age the world has ever known.
He will never make such a mistake. As every Chinese can already see, he has, in fact, already improved the only nation great enough to match his splendor and ambition. He will not rest until the Han have been taught that democracy is a western invention fit only for the west, if anyone at all, and that China cannot prosper without an emperor - for surely Han's paltry economy speaks for itself in this matter.
His magnificent armies will crush those of the Han, and then there will be wealth beyond all measure. China will be reunited and none, not even those who foolishly call it an enemy, will be able to deny its glory. It will be unquestioningly the best nation, as it has always been since Qin Shi Huang, and then it will lead those enlightened enough to follow into the most spectacular golden age the world has ever known.
Great update, guys. Still reading it.
One question: what happened to the French troops (Military Districts "Allemania" and "Raetia") that were supposed to be protecting North Germany this turn? Judging by the update, these were only German troops that fought the British in Germany, and it was against our orders. Correct me, please, if I misunderstood something.
EDIT: One more observation from the Stats Police.
Some activities and public projects have insane efficiency percentage:
EDIT 2: I see Streamlined Tax Code in the list of GFA's state activities, but my Tax Power is the same as last year instead of being "last year+2".
One question: what happened to the French troops (Military Districts "Allemania" and "Raetia") that were supposed to be protecting North Germany this turn? Judging by the update, these were only German troops that fought the British in Germany, and it was against our orders. Correct me, please, if I misunderstood something.
EDIT: One more observation from the Stats Police.
Some activities and public projects have insane efficiency percentage:
EDIT 2: I see Streamlined Tax Code in the list of GFA's state activities, but my Tax Power is the same as last year instead of being "last year+2".
Do we know why they didn't deploy? It contradicted the Proletarian Continental Command orders, which, as we established earlier, were supposed to trump any national-level orders. Army Group "Ghaul" was under the French player's command indeed (as per orders), but not Army Group "Germania."
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
HONG KONG, 6th February 1937
CHINA COURIER
WHO is WHO? Faces of China
WHO is WHO? Faces of China
SHANGHAI, J. Pendleton // Once more, China is rocked and shocked by the ripples and tidal waves of strife and conflict. This time, it seems, will be the last. It is unlikely that the Republic can withstand the combined might of both Russia and the Great Zhao, but if it were to overcome its foes, it is just as unlikely that it would allow them to continue existing. Therefore, the China Courier will periodically be accompanied by postcards of the most prominent Chinese leaders from both sides of the war that rages on in the mainland.
Today, with news coming from Nanjing of a coup, we will start this collection with the Republic's most capable leaders: President Li Zhuten and Generalissimo Hu Diao.
Spoiler :
Spoiler :
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
ooc: I'm too lazy sleepy to find his real name right now, and I'm not saying "the Great Zhao" without the actual name.
ANNOUNCEMENT
We are the TOKYO CARTEL, an alliance of interested persons and free-thinking individuals, and the political alliance responsible for the creation of much Wealth & Welfare in Daitoukyou. We stand before the World now to issue a call to action, to the Japanese nation. It is time for you to act! The insidious Kyoto Group may call themselves a national front of Japan, but what they really are is a seizure of demons, a convulsion away from the scintillating light of civilization. In Tokyo, and with the help of our benefactors, these past 40 years we have seen Japan transformed into a modern Nation, one that truly deserves respect and acknowledgement from the entire world, and those of us who acknowledge reality agree that our lives have never been better. We have lived and worked with our American colleagues, and their friends from other Nations and Empires, for many years, and we have created a culture of harmony, peaceful coexistence, and progress. We are an example to a world filled with chaos and disorder that it is possible for goodness to exist, unremitted by the bloody chaos of selfish idealists and unmitigated fools. To-day, Japan is a safe harbor for people of all faiths and creeds, and we believe that we have earned the mantle that was offered to us when we joined under the aegis of the United States government.
It is the tradition of the United States politics that all people are created equal, and that they are endowed by whatever forces of Creation exist with equal rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of Fulfillment. We, too, hold these truths to be self-evident, and we consider it our sacred duty to act in their defense.
That is why we make a twin declaration. First, we declare that we will seize the moment in a time when initiative is scarce. Our government is plagued by rebels at home, and rather than be swept up in a tide of chaos, we must steel ourselves and work ever-harder for the preservation of the Union. Hence, we declare that we will use our powers to combine and mobilize the resources of Daitoukyou and Japan to crush the rebellion emerging from the Japanese National Front. Make no mistake: they are not salvation. They are starvation. They will drag us, bleeding and broken, back into the dark ages we have worked so hard to escape from. It is sheer foolishness to dwell on such petty nationalisms over the purity of universal republicanism. Hence, we consider it our sacred duty to crush the Japanese National Front at all costs, and we will devote every spare effort to this end.
Second, we declare that we are no longer content with being an imperial territory. We have clearly earned the right to be considered U.S. citizens, same as any other, by dint of our common ideals; and have made good on that right by proving ourselves countless times before as loyal, cosmopolitan citizens. We demand to be considered an equal Commonwealth, a true voting member of the Union, and in accordance with our Constitution, we demand this membership is afforded by stripping it from Allegheny. Allegheny have demonstrated their treason more severely than any of the other rebel movements. The rest, we identify in them genuine Ideals that we Sympathize with, if their current petty rages need to be quelled. Make no mistake, we support the Federal government at all ends. However, we expect to be rewarded for our loyal service, and the treason of the Enclave is as profound as our very character.
In these desperate times, we will triumph and persevere, and restore the glory of democracy to the crest of our great international Republic.
Forward Japan!
We are the TOKYO CARTEL, an alliance of interested persons and free-thinking individuals, and the political alliance responsible for the creation of much Wealth & Welfare in Daitoukyou. We stand before the World now to issue a call to action, to the Japanese nation. It is time for you to act! The insidious Kyoto Group may call themselves a national front of Japan, but what they really are is a seizure of demons, a convulsion away from the scintillating light of civilization. In Tokyo, and with the help of our benefactors, these past 40 years we have seen Japan transformed into a modern Nation, one that truly deserves respect and acknowledgement from the entire world, and those of us who acknowledge reality agree that our lives have never been better. We have lived and worked with our American colleagues, and their friends from other Nations and Empires, for many years, and we have created a culture of harmony, peaceful coexistence, and progress. We are an example to a world filled with chaos and disorder that it is possible for goodness to exist, unremitted by the bloody chaos of selfish idealists and unmitigated fools. To-day, Japan is a safe harbor for people of all faiths and creeds, and we believe that we have earned the mantle that was offered to us when we joined under the aegis of the United States government.
It is the tradition of the United States politics that all people are created equal, and that they are endowed by whatever forces of Creation exist with equal rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of Fulfillment. We, too, hold these truths to be self-evident, and we consider it our sacred duty to act in their defense.
That is why we make a twin declaration. First, we declare that we will seize the moment in a time when initiative is scarce. Our government is plagued by rebels at home, and rather than be swept up in a tide of chaos, we must steel ourselves and work ever-harder for the preservation of the Union. Hence, we declare that we will use our powers to combine and mobilize the resources of Daitoukyou and Japan to crush the rebellion emerging from the Japanese National Front. Make no mistake: they are not salvation. They are starvation. They will drag us, bleeding and broken, back into the dark ages we have worked so hard to escape from. It is sheer foolishness to dwell on such petty nationalisms over the purity of universal republicanism. Hence, we consider it our sacred duty to crush the Japanese National Front at all costs, and we will devote every spare effort to this end.
Second, we declare that we are no longer content with being an imperial territory. We have clearly earned the right to be considered U.S. citizens, same as any other, by dint of our common ideals; and have made good on that right by proving ourselves countless times before as loyal, cosmopolitan citizens. We demand to be considered an equal Commonwealth, a true voting member of the Union, and in accordance with our Constitution, we demand this membership is afforded by stripping it from Allegheny. Allegheny have demonstrated their treason more severely than any of the other rebel movements. The rest, we identify in them genuine Ideals that we Sympathize with, if their current petty rages need to be quelled. Make no mistake, we support the Federal government at all ends. However, we expect to be rewarded for our loyal service, and the treason of the Enclave is as profound as our very character.
In these desperate times, we will triumph and persevere, and restore the glory of democracy to the crest of our great international Republic.
Forward Japan!
christos200
Never tell me the odds
The Russian Times
Daily Russian Newspaper
Daily Russian Newspaper
Russia Opens Up to Investment
Lord-Regent Gerlach Trautmann, after a meeting with the Regency Council, announced that Russia will open up to foreign private investment and will offer incentives to investors. He has stated that Russia will offer low taxation and laws that solve labor problems and which will be profitable for foreign businessmen. Also he has announced the formation of the 'Investments Organization' which will deal with investors and make sure that the paperwork needed for an investment will be minimum. 'A new age of rapid economic growth begins for Russia', the Lord-Regent stated, 'which shall improve the standard of living of all Russians'.
Military Genius of Lord-Regent
The Lord-Regent has shown with his latest victory that he is a military genius on par with Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte. Lord-Regent Gerlach Trautmann, after bring glory to the Empire by conquering Hungary and Romania, now glorifies Russia once again with his spectacular military victory in China. His conquest of Sinkiang is one of the greatest military achievements of our time and has shown his strategic and tactical genius. 'This is only the beginning', he stated, 'for very soon I will defeat again the Han forces and crush once and for all this insolent regime'. The Lord-Regent has also praised the Zhao generals who, although are not as talented as the Lord-Regent, have nonetheless showed remarkable military skills.
Rebellions in the West are Crushed
The Rebellions in the West have been crushed by the Russian forces. The Russian army has been able to achieve one victory after the other. Hungary and Romania have been pacified while the Polish rebels have suffered extreme casualties and will be defeated sooner than later. 'The defeat of this Jewish instigated revolt', Georgy Chicherin said, 'is the first victory against the Zionist New Order'. The Russian soldiers showed bravery and courage and made Russia proud by defeating the anarcho-atheist rebels. With the end of the Rebellions, the Western regions of the Empire will become peaceful and prosperous once again.
christos200
Never tell me the odds
OOC: Sorry for double post, but felt that this new development was important.
IC:
Edit: Ignore
IC:
Edit: Ignore
Spoiler :
