Calgori
Rapture's Best & Brightest
Confirming my intentions to join as Iberian Republic next turn.
December World - game thread
- Thread starter Ahigin
- Start date
Welcome back.
Immaculate
unerring
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2003
- Messages
- 7,623
The Challenge
It seems impossible to Naoki that Ieyasu cannot somehow feel the impenetrable depth of his hatred. Indeed the old samurai-industrialist barely seems to notice Naoki at all. Impossible.
To Naoki, the hatred he feels for Ieyasu is the entire globe, a seething, writhing tentacled monster from the depths of the sea encircling them all and leaving room for nothing else. This is the man who casually slew Naoki’s secret lover and threw him into a covert grief that all but consumes his every thought. Ieyasu has sworn revenge upon the old jitsugyōka and dreamt of the day when he would drive his sword into the old man so many times it almost seems like a memory.
And yet the old man sits there, listening attentively, nodding, occasionally adding question or comment as samurai-jitsugyōka Atorasu discusses his plans for a holding company dedicated to motor development and how it would address the tekunokurashī’s plan to industrialize beyond the coal-plants. Naoki hears almost nothing. Still alive?
The morning passes and outside the grand hall the full green leaves of the summertime garden’s trees dance in a gentle breeze. The meeting of the bugyō comes to an ebb and Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu calls for a break. Aides arrive with new print-outs and notes and a particularly youthful boy arrives with a bowl of Manjū. Naoki chuckles to softly to himself, his thoughts far away. For the crew of the Masayoshi Baindo, “manjū rules” was a sort of code that meant flying the air-yacht under arms. It must surely be a sign. Delirious with grief and the weight of seeing his lover’s killer, almost without thinking, Naoki slowly reaches for the bowl of the brightly colored buckwheat desserts and walks across the hall directly to Ieyasu. The older samurai finally turns from the man he is speaking with, samurai-jitsugyōka Mitsu, and rests his gaze upon Naoki.
Naoki doesn’t bow. He doesn’t say anything. He just stares at the old samurai. A moment passes, then another. There is a murmur at the far end of the hall and many eyes turn but somehow neither Naoki nor Ieyasu break their stare to discern what is causing the murmur. Naoki feels that perhaps now Ieyasu has finally discerned the depth of his hatred, his great need for vengeance. Jitsugyōka Mitsu says something to Naoki, something regarding respect but Naoki does not hear. Instead, slowly, without thought, he reaches out with the bowl of desserts as if offering them to the old samurai but as his arm extends, his fingers relax and slowly the bowl and the dessert fall from his hand and onto Ieyasu’s kimono.
And suddenly, just like that, the moment of shared intimacy, of distantness, is gone. Now returns and they are two samurai staring at each other, sticky dessert on the floor between them. Standing, Ieyasu finally speaks to Naoki. “Bow and apologize,” he demands. The jitsugyōka-samurai Atorasu and Mitsu nod in agreement, explaining Naoki’s disrespect as if he did not understand it.
Naoki's answer is quiet but clear and it hushes the room, “No.”
Now there is no one amongst the bugyō who is not staring at Naoki and Ieyasu. Ieyasu will lose face if he does nothing and his hand, almost instinctively, goes to his katana. Naoki realizes this is the same instinct that ended his lover’s life, some response to a perceived slight at having a rocket-powered bicycle slam into his horse. And now it would end his. Ieyasu will claim his right to kiri-sute gomen once again.
But no. The murmur that swept the room was due to the return of the Shogun and Ieyasu dares not strike down the lesser-ranking samurai within the grand hall before the Shogun.
Instead, he issues a challenge, “Samurai-savant Ima Naoki, you have disrespected my person and insulted my honor. You have refused to apologize for the affront. Honor demands that I challenge you. We will duel.”
Naoki’s mind is racing. Perhaps this is the chance he has long dreamt of. But the older samurai is a much greater warrior than he. Any duel of swords will leave Ieyasu alive and unmoved and Naoki’s body cooling on the cobblestones. A failure. What does that leave him? Daikyu? No, again the older samurai is much superior. And so what can there be?
Naoki spares a glance at the shogun and his fellow samurai-savants. He pulls himself to his full and impressive height and speaks loudly for the room, “I accept your duel. Instead of swords, we will fight with armed air-yachts. You will have to the winter solstice to produce your ship and when it flies, we will do battle in the clouds of Mount Fuji.”
It seems impossible to Naoki that Ieyasu cannot somehow feel the impenetrable depth of his hatred. Indeed the old samurai-industrialist barely seems to notice Naoki at all. Impossible.
To Naoki, the hatred he feels for Ieyasu is the entire globe, a seething, writhing tentacled monster from the depths of the sea encircling them all and leaving room for nothing else. This is the man who casually slew Naoki’s secret lover and threw him into a covert grief that all but consumes his every thought. Ieyasu has sworn revenge upon the old jitsugyōka and dreamt of the day when he would drive his sword into the old man so many times it almost seems like a memory.
And yet the old man sits there, listening attentively, nodding, occasionally adding question or comment as samurai-jitsugyōka Atorasu discusses his plans for a holding company dedicated to motor development and how it would address the tekunokurashī’s plan to industrialize beyond the coal-plants. Naoki hears almost nothing. Still alive?
The morning passes and outside the grand hall the full green leaves of the summertime garden’s trees dance in a gentle breeze. The meeting of the bugyō comes to an ebb and Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu calls for a break. Aides arrive with new print-outs and notes and a particularly youthful boy arrives with a bowl of Manjū. Naoki chuckles to softly to himself, his thoughts far away. For the crew of the Masayoshi Baindo, “manjū rules” was a sort of code that meant flying the air-yacht under arms. It must surely be a sign. Delirious with grief and the weight of seeing his lover’s killer, almost without thinking, Naoki slowly reaches for the bowl of the brightly colored buckwheat desserts and walks across the hall directly to Ieyasu. The older samurai finally turns from the man he is speaking with, samurai-jitsugyōka Mitsu, and rests his gaze upon Naoki.
Naoki doesn’t bow. He doesn’t say anything. He just stares at the old samurai. A moment passes, then another. There is a murmur at the far end of the hall and many eyes turn but somehow neither Naoki nor Ieyasu break their stare to discern what is causing the murmur. Naoki feels that perhaps now Ieyasu has finally discerned the depth of his hatred, his great need for vengeance. Jitsugyōka Mitsu says something to Naoki, something regarding respect but Naoki does not hear. Instead, slowly, without thought, he reaches out with the bowl of desserts as if offering them to the old samurai but as his arm extends, his fingers relax and slowly the bowl and the dessert fall from his hand and onto Ieyasu’s kimono.
And suddenly, just like that, the moment of shared intimacy, of distantness, is gone. Now returns and they are two samurai staring at each other, sticky dessert on the floor between them. Standing, Ieyasu finally speaks to Naoki. “Bow and apologize,” he demands. The jitsugyōka-samurai Atorasu and Mitsu nod in agreement, explaining Naoki’s disrespect as if he did not understand it.
Naoki's answer is quiet but clear and it hushes the room, “No.”
Now there is no one amongst the bugyō who is not staring at Naoki and Ieyasu. Ieyasu will lose face if he does nothing and his hand, almost instinctively, goes to his katana. Naoki realizes this is the same instinct that ended his lover’s life, some response to a perceived slight at having a rocket-powered bicycle slam into his horse. And now it would end his. Ieyasu will claim his right to kiri-sute gomen once again.
But no. The murmur that swept the room was due to the return of the Shogun and Ieyasu dares not strike down the lesser-ranking samurai within the grand hall before the Shogun.
Instead, he issues a challenge, “Samurai-savant Ima Naoki, you have disrespected my person and insulted my honor. You have refused to apologize for the affront. Honor demands that I challenge you. We will duel.”
Naoki’s mind is racing. Perhaps this is the chance he has long dreamt of. But the older samurai is a much greater warrior than he. Any duel of swords will leave Ieyasu alive and unmoved and Naoki’s body cooling on the cobblestones. A failure. What does that leave him? Daikyu? No, again the older samurai is much superior. And so what can there be?
Naoki spares a glance at the shogun and his fellow samurai-savants. He pulls himself to his full and impressive height and speaks loudly for the room, “I accept your duel. Instead of swords, we will fight with armed air-yachts. You will have to the winter solstice to produce your ship and when it flies, we will do battle in the clouds of Mount Fuji.”
Attachments
Last edited:
tobiisagoodboy
Prince
OOC: All my little pets, I mean friends are getting players.
Immaculate
unerring
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2003
- Messages
- 7,623
The Shining Card Full of Small Square Holes
Manjiro Makime is fourteen years old. He lives outside Osaka and attends a good school in the city. He is an intelligent and attentive student, an accomplished track and field runner and baseball player, and a member of the Youth Courage Organization. His father served as a riflemen for the Shogun during the Boshin war and both he and his mother are pureblood Yamato.
Arriving from school on a rainy day in late October, a stern-looking man in a dark western-cut suit waits outside his door, leaning heavily on a silver-topped cane. Makime dismounts from his bicycle and bows to the man. As he does, he notices his mother peering from the window. Seeing her son she runs past the dark-suited man and throws her arm protectively around her son, guiding him back into the home.
“Konichiwa Mrs. Makime,” the man begins. “If I could just speak to your husband and son please?”
Clearly anxious his mother answers, “Actually my husband is not home yet. He works at the shipyards. He’ll be home around nine.” She doesn’t wait for an answer and rushes her son into the home.
The evening passes. Super is prepared and Manjiro dutiful studies his mathematics and history. The rain continues to fall and the suited man continues to wait outside the door.
Ten minutes after nine o’clock, Kazuoo Makime trudges up the walkway, posture straight and a smile on his face despite the wet and dark. Seeing the man outside his door his smile fades somewhat. Manjiro watches as his father and the man speak in hushed tones. At one point the man pulls an envelope from his jacket and proffers it to his father. His father opens it and withdraws a camphorated parkesine difference engine punch card. There is stylistic calligraphy across its left margin. The man continues to speak and the older Makime smiles. He glances at the window and seeing his son, smiles widely, pride evident in every feature. The suited man continues to speak and very quickly the elder Makime’s smile quickly disappears. When he next looks to his son his features are fraught with worry. Manjiro’s mother hugs her son closer.
The two men finish their conversation and the suited man finally leaves.
Manjiro’s father enters the home and says, “That was an agent of the kempeitai.” He holds up the shining card full of small square holes. “This is your citizen identification card my son and your life, and our lives, will never be the same.”
Arriving from school on a rainy day in late October, a stern-looking man in a dark western-cut suit waits outside his door, leaning heavily on a silver-topped cane. Makime dismounts from his bicycle and bows to the man. As he does, he notices his mother peering from the window. Seeing her son she runs past the dark-suited man and throws her arm protectively around her son, guiding him back into the home.
“Konichiwa Mrs. Makime,” the man begins. “If I could just speak to your husband and son please?”
Clearly anxious his mother answers, “Actually my husband is not home yet. He works at the shipyards. He’ll be home around nine.” She doesn’t wait for an answer and rushes her son into the home.
The evening passes. Super is prepared and Manjiro dutiful studies his mathematics and history. The rain continues to fall and the suited man continues to wait outside the door.
Ten minutes after nine o’clock, Kazuoo Makime trudges up the walkway, posture straight and a smile on his face despite the wet and dark. Seeing the man outside his door his smile fades somewhat. Manjiro watches as his father and the man speak in hushed tones. At one point the man pulls an envelope from his jacket and proffers it to his father. His father opens it and withdraws a camphorated parkesine difference engine punch card. There is stylistic calligraphy across its left margin. The man continues to speak and the older Makime smiles. He glances at the window and seeing his son, smiles widely, pride evident in every feature. The suited man continues to speak and very quickly the elder Makime’s smile quickly disappears. When he next looks to his son his features are fraught with worry. Manjiro’s mother hugs her son closer.
The two men finish their conversation and the suited man finally leaves.
Manjiro’s father enters the home and says, “That was an agent of the kempeitai.” He holds up the shining card full of small square holes. “This is your citizen identification card my son and your life, and our lives, will never be the same.”
The Spy - Part 2
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
Min woke to a bucket of cold water and shouting. Somehow she had managed to remain rigid when the water hit her. The spy in her said it was because of her iron discipline, but the women behind the spy figured it had more to do with her muscles seizing after being left on a hard dirt floor for hours. The sound of steps moving away allowed Min the chance to breath and listen.
She heard rough peasant voices demanding that the thief be hung right away. Focusing carefully she heard between the peasant outbursts the sound of a Nanjing accent. The magistrate she guessed. Min heard footsteps and felt hands under her armpits half-dragging her outside into light. Her eyes flickered and she heard a gruff voice "See I said she was awake!"
The ruse over, Min opened her eyes and saw an open field filled with hundreds of peasants and a unit of soldiers surrounding the magistrate. The magistrates deep red robes, the color of divine justice, giving him away as much as his accent. Min also saw with dismay that the solders had red ribbons of the House of Merciful Vigilance wrapped around their right arms.
Death was approaching. That much was clear. She would be hung as Mei the thief or Min the traitor. She supposed Min the traitor would get a swifter death. The peasants might want to keep Mei the thief alive in an iron cage until she died of starvation. She had heard that was something the peasants liked to do in this part of the world. Under her breathe she began to hum:
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
The peasants had quietened now. A big peasant, his faced scarred rose and began to speak:
"Now let's hang the thief. We don't need an investigation - we can just hang her now and try her later. That's what the commune says. Isn't that right?"
The peasants roared as one: "Death to the thief who would rob from horse village!"
The magistrate waved for the crowd to be silent and when that failed he gestured to one of the soldiers who raised his rifle into the air and fired. The crowd scattered in fear and the peasant out front cursed.
"Mister Headman", he said gesturing at the big peasant, "there are procedures to be observed!"
"It's MASTER Headman. You are talking to a Veteran of the Revolution, First Class, Magistrate."
The Magistrate's was raised now, angry. "Well MASTER Headman, there are legal considerations to take into account and it's LORD Magistrate to you."
"What are these legal considerations?"
"She's not a member of the commune, so she's mine to try. Your power only extends to your members."
"That's nonsense. She stole from the commune. She's ours."
"You might have a moral claim to her, but she's legally mine."
"As you no doubt know, MASTER Magistrate, this is a military village under the jurisdiction of the Third Revolutionary Army."
"Well yes, I am, and fortunately the glorious Third has deputized me to handle certain matters on their behalf."
"Prove it! I have not heard about this and I should know I'm a Veteran of the Revolution, First Class."
The magistrate reaches into his robes, draws out some papers and with a flourish hands them to the headman.
The headman is silent.
"Well, MISTER headman what do they say then?"
"Are you assuming my literacy? How dare you assume my literacy! I am a Veteran of the Revolution, First Class. I demand you respect my rank!"
"WELL, can any of you people here read?"
A sea of angry eyes met his gaze. The peasants, Min thought, were not impressed with the magistrate or his paperwork. Min wondered if she might get to watch the Magistrate being beaten before she was hung. The thought amused her.
A soldier shouted out: "I can read. Let me look at it Mister Magistrate". The crowd roared at the snub to the Magistrate. The soldiers it seemed were on the peasants' side. Min increased her mental odds of seeing the Magistrate being beaten. "It is, as he says, I'm afraid peasant comrades".
"Well - then. I have the law on my side. We can get started now. All rise for the court!"
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
Min woke to a bucket of cold water and shouting. Somehow she had managed to remain rigid when the water hit her. The spy in her said it was because of her iron discipline, but the women behind the spy figured it had more to do with her muscles seizing after being left on a hard dirt floor for hours. The sound of steps moving away allowed Min the chance to breath and listen.
She heard rough peasant voices demanding that the thief be hung right away. Focusing carefully she heard between the peasant outbursts the sound of a Nanjing accent. The magistrate she guessed. Min heard footsteps and felt hands under her armpits half-dragging her outside into light. Her eyes flickered and she heard a gruff voice "See I said she was awake!"
The ruse over, Min opened her eyes and saw an open field filled with hundreds of peasants and a unit of soldiers surrounding the magistrate. The magistrates deep red robes, the color of divine justice, giving him away as much as his accent. Min also saw with dismay that the solders had red ribbons of the House of Merciful Vigilance wrapped around their right arms.
Death was approaching. That much was clear. She would be hung as Mei the thief or Min the traitor. She supposed Min the traitor would get a swifter death. The peasants might want to keep Mei the thief alive in an iron cage until she died of starvation. She had heard that was something the peasants liked to do in this part of the world. Under her breathe she began to hum:
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
The peasants had quietened now. A big peasant, his faced scarred rose and began to speak:
"Now let's hang the thief. We don't need an investigation - we can just hang her now and try her later. That's what the commune says. Isn't that right?"
The peasants roared as one: "Death to the thief who would rob from horse village!"
The magistrate waved for the crowd to be silent and when that failed he gestured to one of the soldiers who raised his rifle into the air and fired. The crowd scattered in fear and the peasant out front cursed.
"Mister Headman", he said gesturing at the big peasant, "there are procedures to be observed!"
"It's MASTER Headman. You are talking to a Veteran of the Revolution, First Class, Magistrate."
The Magistrate's was raised now, angry. "Well MASTER Headman, there are legal considerations to take into account and it's LORD Magistrate to you."
"What are these legal considerations?"
"She's not a member of the commune, so she's mine to try. Your power only extends to your members."
"That's nonsense. She stole from the commune. She's ours."
"You might have a moral claim to her, but she's legally mine."
"As you no doubt know, MASTER Magistrate, this is a military village under the jurisdiction of the Third Revolutionary Army."
"Well yes, I am, and fortunately the glorious Third has deputized me to handle certain matters on their behalf."
"Prove it! I have not heard about this and I should know I'm a Veteran of the Revolution, First Class."
The magistrate reaches into his robes, draws out some papers and with a flourish hands them to the headman.
The headman is silent.
"Well, MISTER headman what do they say then?"
"Are you assuming my literacy? How dare you assume my literacy! I am a Veteran of the Revolution, First Class. I demand you respect my rank!"
"WELL, can any of you people here read?"
A sea of angry eyes met his gaze. The peasants, Min thought, were not impressed with the magistrate or his paperwork. Min wondered if she might get to watch the Magistrate being beaten before she was hung. The thought amused her.
A soldier shouted out: "I can read. Let me look at it Mister Magistrate". The crowd roared at the snub to the Magistrate. The soldiers it seemed were on the peasants' side. Min increased her mental odds of seeing the Magistrate being beaten. "It is, as he says, I'm afraid peasant comrades".
"Well - then. I have the law on my side. We can get started now. All rise for the court!"
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
Seon
Not An Evil Liar
Spoiler Why France will win the war :
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
A Scene Behind the Scenes
“Do you know what a Sikh Man is?”
“... Is this a riddle?”
“Not-at-all, Your Majesty. It is an item of interest for your cabinet in recent times.”
“You – must be talking of that beverage, then.”
“Indeed, Your M-”
“I might be detached – and aloof – and pampered, but I have eyes and I attend banquets.” It was rare for the Maharaja to give a stare that seeped of resentment.
“I know that Your Majesty does not indulge in such pleasures.”
“Dear Manish: you are awfully sloppy today.” So fast his whole being receded to affability, when affability displeased his company. “Every man needs rest. The Grand Vizier is no exception.”
“Please, your Majesty, we have been over this one thousand times.”
“Manish – Manish.” He indulged the Vizier’s despair each time he said the name. “You are the only pleasure I want to indulge in.”
“And one thousand times, your Majesty, I cannot let you.”
“One thousand times I cannot let myself. Go on with your business then, Vizier.”
“As your Majesty knows, many people in the country indulge in the consumption of alcohol.” Nod. “With the years, foreign alcohol has entered the country. Along with foreigners.” Nod. “But the people cannot afford those, and keep on drinking tharra. This is still sometimes used by foreigners to substitute for rum.” Nod. “We must therefore regulate and promote the distilling of tharra.”
“Bhajan Singh! You must be out of your mind!”
“Please, your Majesty, let me go.” For indeed, the Maharaja had quite literally jumped out of his seat and grabbed his Vizier by the shoulder.
“Why do I call you Manish? You have clearly lost your mind.”
“Please, Your Majesty. Thanks.”
“Explain yourself, before I appoint someone else.”
“You never would.”
“I never would. But explain yourself nonetheless.”
“People will always drink.-“
“They shouldn’t.”
“But they will. Let me finish, your Majesty.” A wrist flicked discreetly. “People will always drink. We tolerate this, because they always have, and because it keeps many from otherwise being troublesome.” Nervous nod. “Sometimes, however, people die.” A feint at a word. “They die poisoned by the drink.”
“And you say that we should promote it!”
“No, Your Majesty. I suggest we fix this. Foreigners prefer rum because it is safer. Tharra is brewed in homes and with no control, and the result can be lethal sometimes. I say that we regulate it. That we define how tharra is distilled, and enforce these standards on distillers, that we bring people with experience to help in his task, as we have alwys done.”
“So people will drink and not die.”
“Indeed.”
“To make vice more tolerable.”
“Not at all, Your Majesty.”
“Yes at all-”
“Not at all. Your Majesty. We cannot seek to impose our own religious creed upon all of our subjects. That we cannot.”
“That we should not, and yet...”
“Yet we cannot. It would be antithetical to our very State. This may be a Sikh Empire, but Sikhs are a minority within it. Religious tolerance and cinvivence are the pillar of our State, as embodied by you. Your Majesty, you set an exemple leading a pious life, but you cannot demand your every subject to be as pious. Not everyone can afford it.”
“Even those who can never will, will you Manish?”
“In short, we cannot impose prohibition on religious grounds and, even if we did, it would only make drinking even more dangerous, not less common. Therefore. We must make it legal. We must make it bigger. We must make it safer, and we must hope that, on the side, foreigners will like the novelty, as foreigners do.”
“While it is repugnant – I will not oppose it. Is this why I call you Manish? You have clearly lost your mind.”
“I will pass down the decision, Your Majesty.”
“You are dismissed, then.”
The Vizier left his daily struggle with a smile of satisfaction.
“Do you know what a Sikh Man is?”
“... Is this a riddle?”
“Not-at-all, Your Majesty. It is an item of interest for your cabinet in recent times.”
“You – must be talking of that beverage, then.”
“Indeed, Your M-”
“I might be detached – and aloof – and pampered, but I have eyes and I attend banquets.” It was rare for the Maharaja to give a stare that seeped of resentment.
“I know that Your Majesty does not indulge in such pleasures.”
“Dear Manish: you are awfully sloppy today.” So fast his whole being receded to affability, when affability displeased his company. “Every man needs rest. The Grand Vizier is no exception.”
“Please, your Majesty, we have been over this one thousand times.”
“Manish – Manish.” He indulged the Vizier’s despair each time he said the name. “You are the only pleasure I want to indulge in.”
“And one thousand times, your Majesty, I cannot let you.”
“One thousand times I cannot let myself. Go on with your business then, Vizier.”
“As your Majesty knows, many people in the country indulge in the consumption of alcohol.” Nod. “With the years, foreign alcohol has entered the country. Along with foreigners.” Nod. “But the people cannot afford those, and keep on drinking tharra. This is still sometimes used by foreigners to substitute for rum.” Nod. “We must therefore regulate and promote the distilling of tharra.”
“Bhajan Singh! You must be out of your mind!”
“Please, your Majesty, let me go.” For indeed, the Maharaja had quite literally jumped out of his seat and grabbed his Vizier by the shoulder.
“Why do I call you Manish? You have clearly lost your mind.”
“Please, Your Majesty. Thanks.”
“Explain yourself, before I appoint someone else.”
“You never would.”
“I never would. But explain yourself nonetheless.”
“People will always drink.-“
“They shouldn’t.”
“But they will. Let me finish, your Majesty.” A wrist flicked discreetly. “People will always drink. We tolerate this, because they always have, and because it keeps many from otherwise being troublesome.” Nervous nod. “Sometimes, however, people die.” A feint at a word. “They die poisoned by the drink.”
“And you say that we should promote it!”
“No, Your Majesty. I suggest we fix this. Foreigners prefer rum because it is safer. Tharra is brewed in homes and with no control, and the result can be lethal sometimes. I say that we regulate it. That we define how tharra is distilled, and enforce these standards on distillers, that we bring people with experience to help in his task, as we have alwys done.”
“So people will drink and not die.”
“Indeed.”
“To make vice more tolerable.”
“Not at all, Your Majesty.”
“Yes at all-”
“Not at all. Your Majesty. We cannot seek to impose our own religious creed upon all of our subjects. That we cannot.”
“That we should not, and yet...”
“Yet we cannot. It would be antithetical to our very State. This may be a Sikh Empire, but Sikhs are a minority within it. Religious tolerance and cinvivence are the pillar of our State, as embodied by you. Your Majesty, you set an exemple leading a pious life, but you cannot demand your every subject to be as pious. Not everyone can afford it.”
“Even those who can never will, will you Manish?”
“In short, we cannot impose prohibition on religious grounds and, even if we did, it would only make drinking even more dangerous, not less common. Therefore. We must make it legal. We must make it bigger. We must make it safer, and we must hope that, on the side, foreigners will like the novelty, as foreigners do.”
“While it is repugnant – I will not oppose it. Is this why I call you Manish? You have clearly lost your mind.”
“I will pass down the decision, Your Majesty.”
“You are dismissed, then.”
The Vizier left his daily struggle with a smile of satisfaction.
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The Other Spy
She is an ordinary Chinese girl. Standing on the veranda of a house. Her gaze sweeps across the bay below her. The faintest hint of white visible on the turquoise water below. The ferries which ply the harbor are visible by their wake, the big ships riding at anchor but smudges and the wharves that reach out deep into the turquoise faint lines. On the far horizon she can see the thin haze that marks the mainland and its tens of thousands of factories where not so long ago were only rice paddies.
She looks down at the garden which is in the French style. A rectangle of grass with a single tree in the middle, neatly framed by a low wall of white stones. Behind the wales is a single row of red roses. There is nothing personal about the garden. The whole arrangement is ordered perfection as if the gardener's sole object was to banish the disorder that sat just outside the mansion's walls. The one piece out of place is the single azalea which sits isolated off to one corner. The azalea's flowers are white with the faintest hint of red.
The house is hidden in the dip of a hill. Dark shadows hang over it lending the house a coolness out of place with the beating heat that had assaulted her on the long walk here. The house is in the modern English style, wooden with lots of glass, a fake bell tower and delicate carved woodwork on every surface. The one nod to the Orient are the roof tiles which are a deep green and gave the house a dream-like feeling, blending as they did into the green of the hill behind the house. From a distance it looked as though the house had no roof that all there was to it was a facade like the ones used in plays.
From the veranda she noted the colored glass and wood doors opened into a living room. The furniture and arrangement were Western: couches, armchairs, carpets, mahogany mantlepiece and three clocks. But hidden among all this were small Chinese touches. A statute in ivory of Mary done up to look like Demon Queen Guanyin. A small screen with a motif of white lotuses. Pretty flowers, true, but politically charged ones nonetheless. These oriental touches had been put there, she was sure, for the benefit of foreigners. The Europeans had come so far to see something of China. But this was Chinese as Westerners imagine it exquisite, exotic and fragile. She smiled at the subterfuge and wondered at the kind of man who would so openly show his contempt for the Europeans like this.
The reflection of the glass door showed the girl was Oriental. Her clothes were those of the well to do. A dark blue starched silk tunic that reached to her knees over narrow white silk trousers. The tight fit of her trousers served to accentuate her slight figure. Her shoes were deepest red and laced with golden ribbons. She looked in her estimation rather like a Qing era courtesan. The only other touches to note were a hint of rouge and a jade pin in her hair.
Facing the glass doors she straightened her collar and smoothed her hair. Her face is small and round. Pretty but not memorable. The one feature that did stick in the mind were her eyes. They were long and lovely, fine creases over the lids reached almost to her hairline. Her nose was delicate and thin, her lips plump. Her skin was ivory. Where she had been born it was common and unremarkable. But here in the tropics she found that her complexion was an ornament. The Cantonese beauties here had olive complexions. Scarcity pushes value up and she had no end of suitors chasing the exotic.
She knocks.
She is an ordinary Chinese girl. Standing on the veranda of a house. Her gaze sweeps across the bay below her. The faintest hint of white visible on the turquoise water below. The ferries which ply the harbor are visible by their wake, the big ships riding at anchor but smudges and the wharves that reach out deep into the turquoise faint lines. On the far horizon she can see the thin haze that marks the mainland and its tens of thousands of factories where not so long ago were only rice paddies.
She looks down at the garden which is in the French style. A rectangle of grass with a single tree in the middle, neatly framed by a low wall of white stones. Behind the wales is a single row of red roses. There is nothing personal about the garden. The whole arrangement is ordered perfection as if the gardener's sole object was to banish the disorder that sat just outside the mansion's walls. The one piece out of place is the single azalea which sits isolated off to one corner. The azalea's flowers are white with the faintest hint of red.
The house is hidden in the dip of a hill. Dark shadows hang over it lending the house a coolness out of place with the beating heat that had assaulted her on the long walk here. The house is in the modern English style, wooden with lots of glass, a fake bell tower and delicate carved woodwork on every surface. The one nod to the Orient are the roof tiles which are a deep green and gave the house a dream-like feeling, blending as they did into the green of the hill behind the house. From a distance it looked as though the house had no roof that all there was to it was a facade like the ones used in plays.
From the veranda she noted the colored glass and wood doors opened into a living room. The furniture and arrangement were Western: couches, armchairs, carpets, mahogany mantlepiece and three clocks. But hidden among all this were small Chinese touches. A statute in ivory of Mary done up to look like Demon Queen Guanyin. A small screen with a motif of white lotuses. Pretty flowers, true, but politically charged ones nonetheless. These oriental touches had been put there, she was sure, for the benefit of foreigners. The Europeans had come so far to see something of China. But this was Chinese as Westerners imagine it exquisite, exotic and fragile. She smiled at the subterfuge and wondered at the kind of man who would so openly show his contempt for the Europeans like this.
The reflection of the glass door showed the girl was Oriental. Her clothes were those of the well to do. A dark blue starched silk tunic that reached to her knees over narrow white silk trousers. The tight fit of her trousers served to accentuate her slight figure. Her shoes were deepest red and laced with golden ribbons. She looked in her estimation rather like a Qing era courtesan. The only other touches to note were a hint of rouge and a jade pin in her hair.
Facing the glass doors she straightened her collar and smoothed her hair. Her face is small and round. Pretty but not memorable. The one feature that did stick in the mind were her eyes. They were long and lovely, fine creases over the lids reached almost to her hairline. Her nose was delicate and thin, her lips plump. Her skin was ivory. Where she had been born it was common and unremarkable. But here in the tropics she found that her complexion was an ornament. The Cantonese beauties here had olive complexions. Scarcity pushes value up and she had no end of suitors chasing the exotic.
She knocks.
Update 4: July 1, 1893 - September 30, 1893
Q3 1893:
Sparked by a Franco-North-American ultimatum to Great Britain over the status of free Canada, the Second Atlantic War has started, pulling the British Royal Commonwealth and its continental allies, the Netherlands and Sardinia-Piedmont, into a conflict with the Union of North America and Communard France. To surprise of the many, Sardinia-Piedmont was also supported by its regional rival, the Italian Republic, while the Franco-North-American alliance was joined by the Free Boer Republic in their crusade against everything British. The Commonwealth’s call to war was also answered by their secret allies in the CSA, although out of all new-joiners the Confederates were the only ones whose legislature ratified only the enactment of war economy, but not full military mobilization of its population. (British Royal Commonwealth adopts “Military mobilization (short term)” and “Economic mobilization (short term)” for no additional cost, Netherlands adopts “Military mobilization (short term)” and “Economic mobilization (short term)” for no additional cost, Sardinia-Piedmont adopts “Military mobilization (short term)” and “Economic mobilization (short term)” for no additional cost, Italy adopts adopts “Military mobilization (short term)” and “Economic mobilization (short term)” for no additional cost, Union of North America adopts “Military mobilization (short term)” and “Economic mobilization (short term)” for no additional cost, Free Boer Republic adopts “Military mobilization (short term)” and “Economic mobilization (short term)” for no additional cost, Confederate States of America adopts “Economic mobilization (short term)” for no additional cost)
In an act of war distinct from the Transatlantic conflict, the Konbaung dynasty of Burma has declared the Indian Ocean War against the Free Boer Republic and has announced its highly limited war goals of clearing the Indian Ocean of the Boer naval presence. To many observers’ surprise, the Burmese were joined by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in their anti-Boer stance. The limited scope of the war and contained scope of hostilities naturally justified lack mobilization measures by both nations, as long as no significant escalation takes place.
The Central-European War has effectively split into two distinct conflicts: the War of Hungarian Containment, run by Directorial Russia, Poland, Italy, Illyria, the North German Federation, and the Princely Confederation of Austria, Bavaria, and the Rhineland against the Kingdom of Hungary and its Romanian satellite, and the Anti-Communard War of the North German Federation and Austria-Bavaria against Communard France (effectively aligning the German powers to the British Commonwealth and its allies in their continental rematch with the French). Out of all participants of that bi-partial conflict, only Russia did not fully mobilize its resources for war, which is a result of a compromise struck between the interventionist and isolationist factions of the Directorial Assembly. (North German Federation adopts “Military mobilization (short term)” and “Economic mobilization (short term)” for no additional cost, Poland adopts “Military mobilization (short term)” and “Economic mobilization (short term)” for no additional cost)
Portugal-Brazil has performed a masterful diplomatic maneuver this fall, negotiating a purchase of British Guiana, Malacca, and the Antilles in exchange for non-intervention in the Second Atlantic War against Great Britain combined with supplying urgent needs of the British army with Portobrazilian military equipment. The latter transfer, while humble compared to the size of both of the nations’ industries, has pushed overburdened Portobrazilian manufacturing capabilities to their limits, creating a real possibility of material shortages across the growing Braganza empire itself. The transfer of lands, meanwhile, went rather smoothly, although the shifts in colonial administration and economy, while uncoordinated by either nations’ economic supervisors, put some temporary caps on regional development. (Caribbean Region gains -0.65% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Portugal-Brazil gains +13% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -13% Regional Influence, region Amazon Region gains -0.25% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Portugal-Brazil gains +5% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -5% Regional Influence, region South-East Asia gains -0.22% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Portugal-Brazil gains +4.39% Regional Influence,British Royal Commonwealth loses -4.39% Regional Influence, region Asian Pacific Isles gains -0.5% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Portugal-Brazil gains +10% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -10% Regional Influence)
(Portugal-Brazil: -30 MC; British Royal Commonwealth: +30 MC)
Confederate American Senate has been under de-facto full control by the Democrat Party for long enough to effectively transform Southern political system into a directorial apparatus, with functions of the head of the state being split between the President, the Vice-President, and the Senate majority leader. (Confederate States of America adopts “Directorial government” for -349.03 HC)
Another consequence of the Democratic dominance in Confederate politics is the fact that the Supreme Court of the CSA has started moving to effectively legislate from the bench. However, the changes that policy change has required to the labor market and the structure of the society could not be completely fulfilled in a term of barely three months. (Confederate States of America progresses 50% adopting “Kritarchy” for -209.42 HC)
Hoping to keep healthy balance between public welfare and a hands-off approach to the free market, the CSA has established a network of soup kitchens for its poorest citizens, especially the ones too old or disabled to earn enough money in workhouses. (Confederate States of America adopts “Soup kitchens” for -146.3 EC)
Every free man in the CSA can participate in politics, but in all reality only the rich, wealthy, and well-connected have the resources and support to run for a public office. (Confederate States of America adopts “Authoritarian democracy” for -140.86 IC, -146.3 EC)
Female suffrage was introduced to the Confederate electoral system, albeit under the premise that it would benefit established and respectable gentlemen rather than various vagabonds and bachelors, because “surely wives would obediently follow their husbands’ votes.” (Confederate States of America adopts “Female suffrage” for -292.59 EC)
Joint development of a modern war hospital system has also brought both nations’ pharmaceutical and medical companies together, with Confederate medicines flooding the Italian market, and Italian surgical equipment being widely used in the CSA. (Confederate States of America: -60 EC, +10 MC; Italy: +60 EC, -10 MC)
The Union of North America mobilized its population for war and embarked on a major naval expansion program, stretching its manufacturing capabilities to the limit. (Union of North America: +7 Corps, +6 Squadrons (-259 HC, -134.3 IC, -230.6 EC, -318.4 MC))
Mexico’s presidential regime is gradually shifting away from free press to a state-funded propaganda apparatus centered on supporting the ruling party. (Mexico adopts “Mass propaganda” for -77.35 IC)
While Mexican democracy is being eroded, justifications for increasingly authoritarian political phenomenon of Porfiriato come in a form of various programs, supporting the urban and rural poor, ranging from food stamps to soup kitchens. (Mexico adopts “Soup kitchens” for -121.01 EC)
As Mexican have-not’s are being placated via social welfare reforms, the growing class of urban intelligentsia is receiving its own hand-out in a form of state-funded art endowments that, in addition, also make sure that Porfiriato is depicted as positively as possible in arts. (Mexico adopts “Art endowments” for -78.87 HC, -181.52 EC)
Fast industrialization of Mexican economy is creating a growing urban underclass that is widely seen as a source of a lot of criminality in Mexican cities. As a way to tackle that problem, the government has announced a variety of family support measures. (Mexico adopts “Family support” for -181.51 EC, -25.61 MC)
As another side effect of its aggressive industrialization, Mexican traditional rural family seems to be eroding, with bigger and bigger number of workers choosing to travel to cities and live lives in much smaller core family units. In order to help single elderly people to take care of themselves, the President has announced institution of humble, but much needed pensions for the elderly. (Mexico adopts “Seniority pensions” for -181.52 EC)
If a recently put down peak of Caribbean piracy has taught the Emperor of Haiti something, it’s that his nation’s independence depends on its ability to defend itself. This has led to a series of directives aimed to rearm and fortify Haitian island garrisons. (Haiti adopts “Fortified districts” for -0.5 HC, -1.5 EC, -0.25 MC, adopts “Light mortars and infantry support” for -1 EC, -1.25 MC)
The Iron Confederacy’s warband leaders are starting to realize that the time of petty tribal warfare have past and that any realistic protection of the entire Confederacy’s territory is impossible without a (relatively) modern logistical system. For now, this has led to a wide use of skis and sleds in winter, as well as mules and draft horses (both bought from Transpacific native tribes) in summer. (Iron Confederacy adopts “Bicycle-riding and ski infantry” for -7.5 HC, -3 EC, -0.75 MC, adopts “Supply train regiments” for -6 HC, -1.5 EC)
Now that the first stage of Director Volya’s broad plan to turn the Pacific Directory into a unified regional power is well on its way to completion, plans have started to be drawn to prepare the emerging nation for buildup of its industry and infrastructure. To this end several of the larger artels owned by the Directorial Government were turned into state-guided cooperative enterprises. To supplement this effort a national bank is established to provide the enterprising artels with funding for their more ambitious efforts. (Pacific Directory: +1 Mission, +2 Enterprises (-34.6 HC, -26.6 IC, -85.7 EC, -43.2 MC))
While participation in the Pacific Board of Officer-Directors remains being barred from many commoners due to a big (and growing!) set of qualifications and requirements, municipal and mayoral offices were just recently opened for completely free elections, allowing simple, grassroot democracy to start developing on the Pacific shores. (Pacific Directory adopts “Universal male suffrage” for -45.83 HC)
The Civil Conscription Corps of the Pacific Directory continued producing hundreds of tons of labor-intensive goods, primarily agricultural and mining products, for shipment to other countries. The main beneficiaries of the Transpacific economic boon were the kingdoms of Die Viet, Illyria, and Sweden, as well as republics of Directorial Russia and Italy, some of them using this opportunity to outsource a significant share of their home economy to the Russian Far East in exchange for more intensive cultural and economic exchange with the Directory, while others were more interested in a more straightforward mercantile exchange of their industrial and military goods for Transpacific consumer products.
(Pacific Directory: -35 HC, +10 IC; Dai Viet: +35 HC, -10 IC)
(Pacific Directory: -35 HC, +10 IC; Illyria: +35 HC, -10 IC)
(Pacific Directory: -90 EC, +15 MC; Italy: +90 EC, -15 IC)
(Pacific Directory: +80 HC, -50 EC; Directorial Russia: -80 HC, +50 EC)
(Pacific Directory: +8 IC, -20 EC; Sweden: -8 IC, +20 EC)
(Pacific Directory: +20 IC, -50 EC; Switzerland: -20 IC, +50 EC)
Andean manufacturing collectives continue solidifying into a force to be reckoned with, turning the United Communes into a regional industrial powerhouse. (Communes of the Andes: +2 Enterprises (-25.6 MC, -5.8 IC, -54 EC, -37 MC))
Anean communal government’s fascination with airship transportation, combined with its more practical attempts to improve other, more conventional means of transportation, have led to introduction of modern propellant engines and sources of power generation across the United Communes. (Communes of the Andes adopts “Dirigible airships” for -3 EC, -10 MC, adopts “Direct electric current” for -7 EC, -6 MC, adopts “Internal combustion engine” for -6 EC, -5 MC, adopts “Still engine” for -4 EC, -6 MC, adopts “Liquid-propellant rocket engine” for -6 EC, -3 MC)
In a big contrast to its intelligence service’s practice of utilizing foreign criminal lords for achieving espionage goals overseas, the Twin Crowns of Portugal and Brazil are revamping their judicial code to make all of the Empress’ subjects equal before the law. The impact of this policy on Portobrazilian control of Gran-Colombian cocaine trade are yet to be seen. (Portugal-Brazil adopts “Rule of law” for -223.6 HC, -63.48 EC)
As the Portobrazilian colonial empire becomes more and more spread out across the globe, the importance of the navy opens a lot of ways of political advancement for its admirals and designated shipbuilders. (Portugal-Brazil adopts “Thalassocratic government” for -115.88 IC)
De Braganza dynasty continued working hard on creating a good name for itself among its non-Gran-Colombian subjects, especially the commoners, by putting forward dynasty-sponsored social services, particularly the ones providing government funds for veterans of the Portobrazilian navy, army, and intelligence service. (Portugal-Brazil adopts “Veteran pensions” for -126.95 EC)
Empress Isabel of the Twin Crowns stopped at nothing to display to its subjects that she is the true “mother of the nation,” despite her young looks and reputation of an avid socialite. Of the efforts that was designed to become her signature publicity move was the introduction of the pension system for Portobrazilian elderly citizens.(Portugal-Brazil adopts “Seniority pensions” for -190.43 EC)
By now, the colonial resurgence of the Portobrazilians has turned them into another “Empire Where Sun Never Sets,” analogous to only Great Britain. That has naturally made it possible for the monarchy to push for the policy of splendid isolation, creating a self-sufficient global Portobrazilian economy that favors its own actors in competition with foreign importers. (Portugal-Brazil adopts “Protectionist economy” for -253.9 EC)
Through a sequence of diplomatic zigzag maneuvers, the Twin Crowns of Portugal and Brazil have managed to stay away from the Second Atlantic War, while gaining a lot from its neutrality. However, rushed expansion of the Portobrazilian military and civil assets attests to the fact that the nation’s leadership is preparing to be dragged into any sort of conflict. (Portugal-Brazil: +4 Missions, +3 Enterprises, +1 Squadron (-97 HC, -87.6 IC, -218.2 EC, -120.5 MC))
Increased outward economic focus of the Southern King-Under-Heavens has led to a series of agreements between the Heavenly Kingdom and Portobrazilian colonial authorities in Macau and Indochina that have opened the Twin Crowns’ colonial ventures to wide use of Chinese manual labor. (Portugal-Brazil: +155 HC; Taiping Mandate: -155 HC)
A wave of patriotism is sweeping through the British Empire, and the Lord-Protector made a good use of it by initiating a major war bond sale, combined with voluntary donations for the front and the navy. (British Royal Commonwealth converts 2000 HC and 1750 EC for 171.42 MC)
Desperate to outfit its Indian garrison and littoral fleet with armaments and equipment for war time, Great Britain eagerly purchased a surplus of outdated equipment from its new unlikely ally, the Third Burmese Empire. (British Royal Commonwealth: -140 EC, +35 MC; Third Burmese Empire: +140 EC, -35 MC)
Urgency of protecting the Commonwealth against the vultures of the Triune Pact has forced the Lord-Protector to initiate a vast expansion of the Royal army and navy. (British Royal Commonwealth: +16 Corps, +6 Squadrons (-476.8 HC, -188.2 IC, -344.4 EC, -419.8 MC))
The Central-European War was a rude awakening for Directorial Russia, a powerful country suddenly realizing its time for troubled is over. Expanding the nation’s assets of cultural, political, and economic power projection, the Uchreditelnoye Sobraniye has established several directorial bureaus and transcorporate meeting boards. (Directorial Russia: +2 Missions, +2 Enterprises (-49.6 HC, -44.6 IC, -121.4 EC, -73.2 MC))
Russia’s geopolitical reawakening is being followed by a wide range of technological advancements in all spheres, particularly reflecting its broader range of international interests. (Directorial Russia adopts “Hand grenades” for -15 EC, -45 MC, adopts “Dispersed combat tactics” for -120 HC, -15 IC, adopts “Nationalism and imperialism” for -16 HC, -4 IC, -12 EC, adopts “Kinotropy and clack-animation” for -4 IC, -8 EC, -28 MC, adopts “Ocean liners” for -45 MC, adopts “Integrated rail networks” for -40.5 MC, adopts “Amphibious operations” for -58.5 HC, -3.25 IC, adopts “Naval inter-branch cooperation” for -19.5 IC, -13 EC)
A heated political campaign between Pan-Russian interventionalists and libertarian isolationists in the Siberian Popular Assembly has led to sophistication of Siberian free press culture, financial sector, and political thought. (Siberian Popular Assembly adopts “Hisbah and venture capital” for -0.5 HC, -6.5 IC, -19.5 EC, adopts “Nationalism and imperialism” for -2 HC, -3.25 IC, -9.75 EC, adopts “Oligarchy and political corruption” for -9.75 IC, -22.75 EC, adopts “Analytica philosophy” for -9.75 IC)
Incredible artistic success of the Young Latvians, a diverse group of Baltic clack-animators and kinotropists, has brought the United Baltic Duchies to the forefront of modern arts and leading to a solidification of the Duchies’ hold on its cultural unity. (United Baltic Duchies: +1 Mission (-7 HC, -14.6 IC, -22.3 EC, -2.3 MC))
Seeing Hungary’s geopolitical troubles as a chance to emerge as another major regional player, the Polish government hurried to expand its administrative, intelligence, economic, and military capabilities, going as far as forming its first navy in the form of a humble, but proud Vistula river flotilla. (Poland: +1 Mission, +2 Enterprises, +1 Corps, +1 Squadron (-71.2 HC, -32.1 IC, -106.5 EC, -67.4 MC))
Mobilization, combined with robust dictatorial policies, has allowed French Communard leadership to draw upon an almost unlimited resource pool (or so it seems), which the embattled nation is definitely not afraid to do, especially given that now it’s fighting for its survival. (Communard France: +5 Missions, +10 Corps, +5 Squadrons (-428 HC, -221.5 IC, -378.5 EC, -346.5 MC))
A swirl of geopolitical realignments that led to the formation of the Anti-Communard Coalition has left the Dutch ruling class highly insecure in its resistance to foreign and internal threats, which, in turn, helped the Director-Admiral persuade the Queen to enable the creation of the Bureau of National Security (Dutch: Bureau voor Nationale Veiligheid). (Netherlands: +2 Missions (-20.8 HC, -32.8 IC, -53.6 EC, -5 MC))
Pulled into a war with France for the second time in three decades, the Dutch Royal Army (Koninklijke Landmacht) hurried to rearm its soldiers to match the standards of the modern war, especially for one launched in the muddy fields of Flanders and Northern France.. (Netherlands adopts “Semi-automatic small arms” for -5 EC, -20 MC, adopts “Moving barrage” for -25, -2.5 MC, adopts “Dreadnaught wheels” for -17.5 MC, adopts “Pontoon bridges” for -5 HC, -12.5 EC, -10 MC, adopts “Fortified districts” for -5 HC, -15 EC, -2.5 MC)
In spirit of social responsibility and accountability, the Council of Savants of the North German Federation has pushed for a veteran pension reform that should go hand-in-hand with the North-German declaration of war on Communard France. (North German Federation adopts “Veteran pension” for -170.11 EC)
The Fraternal Defense And Prosperity Act was signed by the North-German government, directing a significant part of the nation’s labor, technical expertise, supplies, and military equipment to its southern allies from the Princely Confederation. (North German Federation: -100 HC, -150 IC, -100 EC, -100 MC; Austria-Bavaria: +100 HC, +150 IC, +100 EC, +100 MC)
War needs are taking priority over consumer demand in North Germany, as the Council of Savants has started redirecting production chains all across the country to feed the frontlines. (North German Federation converts 200 EC into 10.16 MC)
The High Seas Fleet of the NGF is clearly preparing to expand its support of the Anti-Communard war effort by launching amphibious invasions along the Atlantic coast or by assisting land troops with river crossing. (North German Federation adopts “Amphibious operations” for -45 HC, -2.5 IC)
The North German Federation started aggressively expanding its navy, army, and especially its intelligence service to serve the needs of the ever-expanding Central-European War. (North German Federation: +5 Missions, +3 Corps, +2 Squadrons (-180.2 HC, -174.7 IC, -248.4 EC, -155.7 MC))
Newly researched machine pistols are being mass-produced by Italy, with a significant part of production being supplied to the NGF, while North Germany, in turn, supplies Italian field hospitals with high-quality synthetic pharmaceuticals. (North German Federation: -30 EC, +5 MC; Italy: +30 EC, -5 MC)
Along with other participants of the Second Atlantic War, Italy is mobilizing its troops for a prolonged conflict. (Italy: +4 Corps (-128.8 HC, -32 IC, -59.2 EC, -48.8 MC))
While expanding for the war, the Italian military has also started to modernize its staff services, field anti-personnel defenses, and chain of command structure. (Italy adopts “HQ difference engines” for -15 IC, -7.5 MC, adopts “Barbed wire” for -10 HC, -7.5 EC, -5 MC, adopts “Army inter-branch cooperation” for -10 HC, -20 IC, -10 EC)
In benevolent move of armed solidarity with its monarchic ally most seriously worn out by the Central-European War, Italy has taken upon itself to provide additional assistance to the Princely state of Austria-Bavaria in the form of workers, specialists, every-day need goods and military supply. (Italy: -100 HC, -40 IC, -40 EC, -25 MC; Austria-Bavaria: +100 HC, +40 IC, +40 EC, +25 MC)
It seems like geopolitical charity is in vogue among the Italian kleptocratic elites, as this year many influential Mafioso families have donated large sums of money, as well as other forms of support, to assist a new libertarian Greek government with its reforms. (Italy: -100 HC, -80 IC, -80 EC, -25 MC; Greece: +100 HC, +80 IC, +80 EC, +25 MC)
Confusing parliamentary elections of 1893 have resulted in a victory of the Libertarian Party, led by one Charilaos Trikoupis, who now assumed the position of Prime Minister of Greece. As his first action in the office, he promoted a set of policies known as New Liberalism (Νέος Φιλελευθερισμός), that are essentially a watered down libertarian view of government as an egalitarian, democratically-elected, minimalist force ensuring adherence to contracts and basic human rights protection measures. (Greece removes “Kleptocratic government” for -1.39 IC, -2.87 EC, -1.37 MC, removes “Thalassocratic government” for -4.64 IC, removes “Plutocratic government” for -5.55 HC, adopts “Minarchy” for -9.08 HC, -1.37 MC, adopts “Universal male suffrage” for -4.04 HC, adopts “Female suffrage” for -3.83 EC, adopts “Rule of law” for -4.04 HC, -0.96 EC)
Charilaos Trikoupis’ most dedicated friend and follower, Georgios Theotokis, Professor of Economy at the Economic University of Athens and now Finance Minister of the country, has followed the new Prime-Minister’s call for economic deregulation of Greek economy, going as far as removing generally popular seniority pensions as an example of “the government trying to do individuals’ work.” (Greece removes “Regulated market economy” for -1.86 IC, adopts “Laissez-faire economy for -7.57 HC, -5.26 EC, removes “Labor unionism” for -1 HC, -2.87 EC, removes “Plutonomy” for -1.37 MC, removes “Seniority pensions” for -2.87 EC)
Modernization of the Ottoman Empire proves to be a costly affair, and the nation looks for ways to increase its industrial output via excessive use of cheap manual labor or process-level innovations. (Sublime Porte converts 251.15 HC and 361.32 IC into 66 MC)
The Sublime Porte’s technocratic policies of modernization have finally started penetrating from the high administrative level down to the very foundation of the society, impacting everyday life of virtually all citizens of the sprawling empire. (Sublime Porte adopts “Eugenics and racial science” for -70 HC, -7 IC, -17.5 EC, adopts “Mass culture and popular art” for -35 HC, -7 IC, -3.5 EC, -3.5 MC, adopts “Business regulations” for -7 HC, -3.5 IC, -17.5 EC, adopts “Corporate ethos” for -28 EC, adopts “Hisbah and venture capital” for -3.5 HC, -7 IC, -21 EC, adopts “Socialist and class consciousness” for -7 IC, -3.5 EC, adopts “Psychoanalysis” for -21 IC, -3.5 EC, adopts “Biologism and evolution theory” for -7 HC, -21 IC, -7 EC, adopts “Environmentalism” for -10.5IC, -28 EC, adopts “Cartels and economic crime” for -38.5 EC, adopts “Engine clacking” for -7 IC, -10.5 EC, -35 MC, adopts “Punchcard cryptocurrency” for -3.5 IC, -14 EC, -31.5 MC, adopts “Citizens’ dividend cards” for -35 EC, -3.5 MC, adopts “Spark-gap radiotransmitters” for -10.5 EC, -28 MC, adopts “Gambling modus” for -14 IC, -10.5 EC, -3.5 MC, adopts “Vaccination” for -2.5 IC, -22.5 EC, adopts “Dirigible airships” for -7.5 EC, -25 MC, adopts “Ocean lines” for -25 MC, adopts “Hydraulic power network” for -17.5 EC, -12.5 MC, adopts “Dreisines and velocipedes” for -35 HC, -2.5 EC, -2.5 MC, adopts “Internal combustion engine” for -15 EC, -12.5 MC, adopts “Gas turbine” for -12.5 EC, -20 MC, adopts “Direct electric current” for -17.5 EC, -15 MC, adopts “Defense in depth” for -35 HC, -5 IC, adopts “Specialized troops” for -45 HC, -5 IC, -2.5 EC)
In a revolutionary move for the Middle East and for its own historical tradition, the Grand Divan of the Sublime Porte was given a sister apparatus consisting entirely of popularly elected deputies. Known as Meclisi, or the Assembly, it is elected bi-annually by all men with citizenship of the Ottoman Empire and has limited ability to influence or veto legislative decisions passed by the Grand Divan. (Sublime Porte adopts “Universal male suffrage” for -373.36 HC)
A detailed audit of the previous cabinet’s economic legacy has led to a public outcry in the Free Boer Republic when it was found out that the nation’s current demand for industrial machinery and tools could not be satisfied with its production, which became particularly critical at times of war and possible blockade. To gradually start climbing out of that manufacturing deficit, a newly created Kommissie van Nasionale Veiligheid (Commission of National Security) arranged mass use of slave and conscript labor on specialized factories and sweatshops. (Free Boer Republic converts 837.24 HC into 30 MC)
The Free Boer Republic, despite all the libertarian rhetorics of its ruling class, seems to be continuously led by politicians who like to spend more than they like to pay the bills. While flourishing demographically, intellectually, and financially, the South African nation is starting to suffer from the effects of industrial machinery shortage. No major sacrifices were made yet this year, but the new cabinet’s ambitious plan of grand expansion of the Republican Navy had to be completely scrapped, and the President had to settle down on creation of a dedicated intelligence and counter-espionage apparatus, known as the Office of International Defence (or Kantoor van Internasionale Verdediging). (Free Boer Republic: +3 Missions (-38.4 HC, -62.4 IC, -87 EC, -21.3 MC))
Displaced Japanese villages find other travel destinations, despite all encouragements they receive to migrate to the Southern Seas Islands. One of the most popular ones, with a blessing from the Japanese pen-and-sword technocrats, has become the Confederate States of America, viewed as a sort of a payment for the favor made by them to the Bakufu regime earlier this year. (Confederate States of America: +425 HC; Tokugawa Shogunate: -425 HC)
Another outlet for useful expulsion of surplus mouths to feed out of the Japanese Home Islands was found in Europe, gripped by a series of wars. Migrant labor corps of Japanese landless peasants were formed in Romania, helping to work the fields and perform all sorts of civilian manual labor, thus freeing more Romanian men to fight for the Domnus’ Own Army, in exchange for export of discounted machine tools to Japan. (Tokugawa Shogunate: -75 HC, +5 MC; Romanian Domnate: +75 HC, -5 MC)
Japanese agricultural goods and sea products, as well as authentic textile, pottery, and kitchenware became of high value on the world market, leading to some lucrative exchange with nations of Europe and South Africa. (Tokugawa Shogunate: +45 IC, -125 EC; Free Boer Republic: -45 IC, +125 EC)
(Tokugawa Shogunate: -110 EC, +10 MC; Iberian Republic: +110 EC, -10 MC)
(Tokugawa Shogunate: +25 IC, -100 EC; Switzerland: -25 IC, +100 EC)
Zaibatsu grip on Japanese internal affairs is strengthening, and a new generation of warrior-clerks driven by the same old notion of clan loyalty is offering its services to their “factory daymos.” (Tokugawa Shogunate: +2 Missions, +6 Enterprises (-117.2 HC, -65 IC, -263.6 EC, -186 MC))
Japanese corporate citizenship is growing in sophistication, along with its management and production processes. (Tokugawa Shogunate adopts “Citizens’ dividend cards” for -15 EC, -1.5 MC, adopts “Hisbah and venture capital” for -1.5 HC, -3 IC, -9 EC, adopts “Electrified manufacture” for -30 MC)
Facing an array of local rebellions, possibly supported by its greedy neighbor, the Ma Dynasty has put its best effort into expansion of the imperial police and secret intelligence apparatus. (Ma Dynasty: +2 Missions (-18.4 HC, -26.2 IC, -44 EC, -0.2 MC))
Taiping authorities continue pushing for literacy campaigns among the least educated parts of the working class, while the booming economic growth is being eagerly converted into mass purchases of industrial equipment for the needs of the nation’s growing manufacturing base. (Taiping Mandate converts 1000 HC and 500 EC into 151.45 IC and 25.45 MC)
First formal ministries are being created under the Council of Kings-Under-Heavens, reinforcing Taiping state apparatus and adding a variety to its economic assets. (Taiping Mandate: +2 Missions, +1 Enterprise (-55.4 HC, -45.6 IC, -95.1 EC, -31.8 MC))
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Update 4: July 1, 1893 - September 30, 1893
War of Hungarian Containment: Romanian Campaign
Q3 1893: As it was revealed in independent press this year, Russia’s declaration of war on Hungary was long coming, with interventionist and isolationist factions of the Directorial Assembly secretly negotiating compromise conditions acceptable for both sides. While that was being done, Russian troops that participated in field exercises this spring were ordered to remain in the Cherson region and secretly prepare for a possible opening of hostilities. For some time, these preparations could be kept completely undisclosed thanks to a new, advanced form of military deception practiced by the Russians, but eventually a Hungarian intelligence network in the Ukrainian Hetmanate managed to gather enough analytics to suggest that Directorial Russia was up to something. Therefore, in last two weeks of June Romanian conscripts were huddled on to Hungarian train cars and started their hurried redeployment to their homeland, along with some forces of the Hungarian Honved. Still, Russian declaration of war came before the redeployment could be completed, and Moldavia was easily occupied by Russian troops within barely a week. Romanian Dobrudja, however, was well-protected by a joint Romano-Hungarian river flotilla, forcing the Russian Black Sea fleet to intervene. On June 8th, the Hungarian river squadron attempted to challenge the Russians in the Danube Delta, but the seafaring ships of the Black Sea fleet easily repulsed Hungarian river monitors and cutters, and Russian Chornyye Bushlaty (lit. “black pea coats,” naval assault infantry) secured the river’s mouth by fighting a surprisingly close battle with Hungarian river sailors battalion for the Serpent Island. Once the mouth was cleared of enemy resistance, slow, but maneuverable caterpillar steamers of the Russian riverine fleet entered the Danube and pushed their way to Bucharest, where they were temporarily stopped by Romanian gunboats and armed packet boats. By then, the land campaign was in full swing once again, as Russian forward troops (mostly, cavalry wings) started to come into contact with deployed Romanian conscript brigades. Engagements in Muntenia and Oltenia proved to be highly one-sided, as Romanian irregulars were easily broken and sent into fleeing or taken prisoners after sustaining very few casualties. The only determined stance of the campaign on the Romanian side took place in early August, when Domnus’ Own guardsmen and dismounted dragoons attempted to prevent the Russians from entering the capital. At this, they failed, and on August 5 the Domnus formally requested an armistice. That option was granted to him, and Prolocutor Pavel Milyukov even guaranteed to respect Romanian territorial integrity and independence in exchange for Romania’s neutrality, disarmament, and right of passage for the Russian army and supplies, which allowed directorial roops to be joined by crack troops of the 1-aya Udarnaya Armiya (1st Shock Army) under Aleksei Brusilov. At that point, Hungarian troops had already started to arrive to Romanian Eastern Transylvania and the Carpathians, so chunks of the country were effectively placed under Hungarian occupational authority. The campaign was, however, far from ending, as Brusilov’s forward brigades started to come into contact with the Hungarians. First engagements were highly successful for Brusilov’s troops, showcased by a four-day battle of Hátszeg in late August, in which Russian Batalyony Smerti (Battalions of Death) first showcased their assault tactics, breaking Hungarian trench defences without waiting for artillery support. However, as the offensive started to enter deeper into the Carpathians, the Hungarian resistance thickened, assisted by an arrival of unusually early snowfall, eventually forcing Brusilov to give his triumphant troops a well-deserved rest. (Region Danube Region gains -2.12% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Directorial Russia gains +21.17% Regional Influence and releases -15% Regional Influence, Romanian Domnate loses -7.09% Regional Influence and gains +15% Regional Influence, Hungary loses -14.08% Regional Influence, Romanian Domnate: -3 Corps, -1 Squadron (-maintenance), Romanian Domnate removes “Military mobilization (short term)” and “Economic mobilization (short term)”, Directorial Russia losses: -48.98 HC, -18.37 IC, -31.3 EC, -25.47 MC, Hungary losses: -51.19 HC, -4.93 IC, -29.91 EC, -30.95 MC, Romanian Domnate losses: -45.88 HC, -8.47 IC, -23.74 EC, -6.73 MC)
Battle for the Red Tower Pass
Q3 1893: The Turnu Roşu Pass is located in Southern Carpathians and is the main gateway from Wallachia into the Transylvanian Plateau and, from it, into the Hungarian plains. Its name is translated as “the Red Tower” from Romanian, after ruins of a Medieval castle overlooking the pass and the Olt river going through it. Among all Carpathian mountain gorges, the Turnu Roşu Pass is the least impacted by early snow this year, presenting the best chance for the Russians to break through Hungarian defences and pour into Hungarian proper. Several assaults already took place in this area, but so far Hungarian troops have been highly successful at repulsing them. Now both armies are starting to channel more and more resources into what is already becoming known as the Battle for the Red Tower Pass.
War of Hungarian Containment: Slovakian Campaign
Q3 1893: Poland entered the War of Hungarian Containment with cheers and high expectations, its political class viewing the conflict as a chance to establish the country as a dominant regional player. The army was mobilized for war and deployed to the foothills of Western Carpathians in an expectation of a triumphant offensive. Unknown to them, facing them was a recently redeployed, battle-tested Third Hungarian Army under General Friedrich Freiherr von Georgi, a hero of the Burgenland Offensive against Austria-Bavaria earlier this year. Outnumbered almost two-to-one, he prepared a strong defensive belt in the Fatra-Tatra area, with secondary defences set up in Slovakian Ore mountains. The secondary line, however, never got engaged, as Polish attacks were easily repulsed in a string of ill-coordinated offensives that saw bayonet charges against machine gun emplacements and, on one case, even an ulhan attack on the Third Special Mechanized detachment of Hungarian infantry, in which a cavalry lance was first tested against landship armor, to the latter one’s triumph. As foreign war correspondents pointed out, Polish soldiers did prove to have a superior morale to the Hungarians, but their officer corps was too deeply in favor of Jominian doctrine of leading from the front, ignoring technological sophistication of modern warfare despite having access to a wide array of rather high-quality equipment. Once it became clear the enemy was exhausted and caught flat-footed, von Georgi launched a decisive counterattack, breaking Polish superficial defences and spilling into Red Ruthenia and southern Lesser Poland. Hungarian “Laszlo” landships played an important role in breaking through Polish frontlines, delivering Honved infantry into Polish rear time and again. However, losses were very high among von Georgi’s outnumbered troops, and by the time Krakow suburbs were reached, the counteroffensive was runnin out of steam. Yet, this sent quite a scare through the Polish Sejm, which sacked its army commanders and appointing “soldiers’ general” Władysław Wysocki to organize Krakow defences and stabilize the frontline for another push into Slovakia in late fall. (Region Poland-Czechia gains -0.74% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Hungary gains +7.95% Regional Influence, Poland loses -7.95% Regional Influence, Poland losses: -40.03 HC, -11.44 IC, -20.47 EC, -12.64 MC, Hungary losses: -45.3 HC, -12.99 IC, -25.34 EC, -25.19 MC)
War of Hungarian Containment: Austrian Campaign
Q3 1893: Escalation of the War of Hungarian Containment syphoned a lot of Hungary’s resources away from the Austrian front, presenting Austrobavarian leadership with a perfect chance to counter-attack and push the Magyars from the German soil. A general offensive was declared in the first week of June all across Oststeiermark (East Styria), mirroring Hungarian advance of the last year. However, Hungarian trench systems dug out in wooded hills provided great cover for the Honved, and the entire campaign saw minimal Austrobavarian success, despite huge losses suffered on both sides. Yet, by late September the Battle of Wien turned into a disaster for the Crown of St. Stephan’s military, and Italian push through Slovenia started to threaten the Fifth and Second Hungarian Armies’ southern flank, so a general retreat across Burgenland was declared for the sake of stabilizing the frontline. Now, it seems like the Honved is about to fight a different kind of defensive war in Transdubnia, invoking dark memories of the Independence War of 1849. (Region South Austria gains -0.02% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Austria-Bavaria gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Hungary loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria losses: -49.02 HC, -14.05 IC, -27.29 EC, -23.86 MC, Hungary losses: -58.34 HC, -16.73 IC, -32.64 EC, -32.44 MC)
Battle of Wien
Spoiler :
Q3 1893: Early days of July 1893 were the peak of the Hungarian tide in Austria. Rushed defenders, supported by a few non-evacuated civilians, were building barricades across the city, and where such fortifications couldn’t be built, rifle companies were deployed, outfitted with newly produced mobile gun shields. Still this novelty equipment could do little to protect soldiers from high-explosive shells of enemy heavy artillery, and Honved troops soon broke into ramshackle industrial suburbs of Floridsdorf and Donaustadt on the north-eastern bank of the Danube. HHungarian river monitors moved in in an attempt to cut remaining Austrobavarian units on the left bank from the city center, but the battle of Leopoldstadt district located on an island between the Danube and Dannau Canal Austrian and Hungarian sailor battalions ended in a surprising repulse of the better supported Magyars, stabilizing the situation in the city for the time being. It was then that the turn of the battle started changing. North-German reinforcements started to arrive by late July, and a Hungarian assault on highly strategically important Südtiroler Platz-Hauptbahnhof train station in the south ended in a failure due to murderous fire of North-German urban scharfschutzen (snipers). Damage done to the railway lines, however, hurt the supply situation inside the city, and for a time being Duke Otto had to patiently wait for his binational troops to resupply and prepare for a counterattack. When it came, though, there were no doubts about its conclusion. Hungarian semicircle siege line around the city quickly proved undefendable against numerically and technologically superior enemies, and soon retreat turned into a rout. Only by the last week of September did General Kövess von Kövessháza stabilized the frontline, checking three North-German cavalry divisions with his own reserve force in a counterstrike at Szombathely. However, by then the damage to the Honved was already done, with six undermanned divisions surrendering to the Germans at Sopron. (Battle quest completed with success, region South Germany gains -2% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Austria-Bavaria gains +3.54% Regional Influence, Hungary loses -3.54% Regional Influence, region Danube Region: Hungary loses -4% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria gains +4% Regional Influence, Hungary: -2 Corps (-maintenance), Hungary losses: -105.69 HC, -30.52 IC, -60.2 EC, -60.85 MC, Austria-Bavaria loses: -27.68 HC, -7.95 IC, -16.13 EC, -14.96 MC, North German Federation losses: -31.65 HC, -12.86 IC, -17.11 EC, -14.34 MC)
War of Hungarian Containment: Slovenian Campaign
Q3 1893: Italy’s official goals for declaring war on Hungary were exactly that: containment of a dangerously deluded neighbor. All subsequent planning, therefore, was done with the assumption that the Hungarians must suffer one defeat, large and demonstrative enough to break the kingdom’s will to fight. As a result, a plan was developed to break through Hungarian defenses in Subpanonian lowlands from Croatia and turn the bulge in Hungarian frontlines into one big pocket. However, redeployment of 80% of Italian troops across the Dinaric mountains with their thick boreal forests took a better half of June, and by the time Esercito Italiano was ready to launch their attack, the Hungarian Fourth Army was ready to meet it. Almost immediately, Hungarian technical superiority and surplus of modern war experience showed themselves, and a few successful breakthroughs in the lowlands were reverted thanks to a timely deployment of “Laszlo” personnel carriers, against which Italian forward troops struggled. Still, by late August the grinding fight for Slovenia started to decisively shift in Italian favor, as Marburg an der Drau (Maribor) and Laibach (Ljubljana) fell to Esercito Italiano. This coincided with the news of Hungarian defeat at the gates of Wien, leading to a brief offset of panic in the Honved, with a few South-Slavic regiments even capitulating to the enemy. By September it looked like the Hungarian Fourth Army may be a step away from a complete defeat, but then the news of Illyria’s troubles arrived from the south, forcing the Italians to regroup and rethink their plans for the remainder of the year. (Region South Austria gains -0.12% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Austria-Bavaria gains +1.2% Regional Influence, Hungary loses -1.2% Regional Influence, Italy losses: -26.31 HC, -6.54 IC, -12.09 EC, -9.97 MC, Hungary losses: -43.01 HC, -12.33 IC, -24.06 EC, -23.91 MC)
War of Hungarian Containment: Croatian Campaign
Q3 1893: As Hungary found itself surrounded by enemies from all sides, plans started to be drawn in Budapest about quickly kicking its foes out from the war one-by-one. As the weakest of all Austrobavarian allies, Illyria was naturally chosen for the questionable honor of being the first nation to feel the taste of that new strategy. As Romanian “rabble army” was sent home, a shock hadsereg (army) was formed in Slavonia out of veterans of Styrian offensives of the last spring. Once ready, they unleashed a dedicated assault of Croatian proper, forcing outdated and doctrinally obsolete Illyrian forces to fight brave, but doomed defensive battles. Once the Sava and Drava rivers were crossed and last cavalry counterattacks smashed at Bjelovar and Sisak, the fate of the Triune Kingdom was predetermined. Defense of Zagreb briefly gave the Illyrian king hope to keep the country fighting long enough for the Italians to redirect troops to is support, but by September 7 Zagreb was in Hungarian hands, and forward hussar regiments were already seen across the Hrvatsko Zagorje. On September 9, Illyria capitulated, but unlike the Romanian capitulation, which took place a month earlier, this armistice wasn’t followed by restoration of Illyrian authorities across the land. On the contrary, Hungarian army took charge of all local administration, preparing to contest Italian attempts to advance across the region. (Region Balkans gains -1% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Hungary gains +10% Regional Influence, Illyria loses -10% Regional Influence, region South Germany: Hungary gains +0.3% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria loses -0.3% Regional Influence, Illyria loses -2 Corps, Illyria losses: -22.93 HC, -5.54 IC, -10.31 EC, -3.31 MC, Hungary losses: -8.37 HC, -2.4 IC, -4.68 EC, -4.65 MC)
Anti-Communard War: Provence Campaign
Q3 1893: During the First Atlantic War, Sardinia-Piedmont suffered a full-scale French invasion, and that experience couldn’t help but shape Sardinian General Staff’s war planning for the new conflict. Sardinian troops under Antono, the Duke of Montferrat, were concentrated in Savoy and Western Alps in preparation for a French onslaught. Their unlikely allies from Italy also started to arrive by mid June, led by infamous and charismatic Ricciotti Garibaldi, son of the leader of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Grand Unifier of Republican Italy. The two leaders almost immediately set to hating each other, mostly due to huge differences in education, personality, and upbringing. Their relationship were generally reflective of mutual attitudes between Sardinian and Italian soldiers and officers, who came from vastly different backgrounds and lacked trust in each other (with a sole exception of Venetians, and Emilians, who at least shared very similar dialects with their Piedmontese allies. On the other side of the Alps, meanwhile, the mood was grim. France, it its turn, also was preparing to be invaded by an overwhelming horde of enemies, and general plan for all regional HQs was drawn around the same goal: to stall enemies before the grand defensive perimeter is completed around the nation’s industrial core. In Provence and Dauphiné, this task fell on a young (for a general) hero of the Jurassic Forest offensive of the last spring, Commissioner-General Gilbert Chamorin. Unlike his peers on other fronts, Chamorin was in favor of war of maneuver, even on the defensive, and he composed his troops to stage a fighting retreat full of ambushes and short, but decisive counterattacks. However, July passed with no shots being fired across the border, and Chamorin decided to probe enemy defenses in Alpes-Maritimes and the Cottian Alps, which on both occasions resulted in bloody, but strategically indecisive battles that saw brief French tactical success, followed by inevitable withdrawal in the face of overwhelming odds. This, apparently, only intensified rivalry between the Duke of Montferrat and Garibaldi Junior, both of which chose to abandon their defensive stances and venture into the French territory with improvised, uncoordinated offensives. These resulted in tactical disasters, as Chamorin smashed Sardinians at the “closed valley” of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse and then checked the Italians near the mouth of the Verdon River, successfully creating local superiority via energetic redeployment of troops. These losses were followed by a decisive French counteroffensive in the French Rivera that ended with a successful capture of Nice held by Sardinia-Piedmont since the end of the First Atlantic War. However, soon it became clear that the enemy was concentrating numerically superior forces once more, and Chamorin left the gains once again, leaving Nice undefeated and preparing to continue his game of operational fencing with his disunited opponents. (Region Italia gains -0.02% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Region South France gains -0.02% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Communard France losses: -26.77 HC, -7.42 IC, -12.52 EC, -11.74 MC, Italy losses: -15.58 HC, -3.87 IC, -7.16 EC, -5.9 MC, Sardinia-Piedmont losses: -20.13 HC, -5.77 IC, -10.28 EC, -5.07 MC)
Battle for the Western Mediterranean
Q3 1893: As France was concentrating its navy to fight off British, Dutch, and North-German fleets in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean fleet was locked in the inner sea by the merit of British control of Gibraltar. Meanwhile the Sardinian navy, for the most part, was split between naval exercises off the coast of Sicily and protection of its Zaire colony. Out of all Anti-Communard allies, only Italy was willing to dedicate its ships to striking into the French “soft underbelly,” harassing its vital shipping lanes with Egypt. Ironically, French strategy in the Western Mediterranean also was built around harassing enemy merchant marine, resulting in an extended game of cat and mouse. Very few actual engagements between military-grade vessels occurred, as most of the losses suffered belonged to cargo ships raided by each of the sides. As of October 1893, it seems like France’s losses are higher than its enemies, mostly due to a significant inequality in numbers. Unless the French find a way to turn strategic warfare around, the Western Mediterranean may end up being completely off-limits for their commerce ships. (Battle quest progress: 76.57%, Italy losses: -8.57 HC, -5.37 IC, -12.92 EC, -22.58 MC, Communard France losses: -12.82 HC, -9.51 IC, -21.45 EC, -36.81 MC)
Anti-Communard War: Elsass-Lothringen Campaign
Q3 1893: Just like in Austria and Styria, Austrobavarian forces suddenly found themselves in a position to launch an offensive war this fall, thanks to a sudden expansion of the war scope. And just like in the east, Bavarian and Rhinelander troops were better equipped for defensive warfare than for assaulting enemy positions (a problem that recently has been impacting a lot of military forces across the world). Crossings of the Mosel River were easily done, thanks to superb pontoon work on part of the Austrobavarian pioneers and support from a humble Mosel riverine flotilla. However, decisive French counterattacks eradicated such bridgeheads with ease, as was a case with the battle for Toul in early August. However, in French Lorraine the situation was different. The bulge in the frontlines made French positions untenable after Duke Philipp of Württemberg and his XIII (Royal Württemberg) Army Corps threatened Metz, forcing the Communards evacuate south-east and abandon newly liberated Lorraine to the enemy, et least temporarily. Still, French defensive lines along the Moselle remained strong despite enemy superiority in numbers, and only the crisis in the north and the continuous meat grinder in the south can help to dislodge them back into the Franche-Comté.(Region South Germany gains -0.13% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Austria-Bavaria gains +1.26% Regional Influence, Communard France loses -1.26% Regional Influence, Communard France losses: -80.37 HC, -22.30 IC, -37.59 EC, -35.26 MC, Austria-Bavaria losses: -73.92 HC, -21.19 IC, -41.15 EC, -35.97 MC)
Battle of the Jurassic Forest
Spoiler :
Q3 1893: Just like near Wien, the attackers became the attacked in the battle for Jurassic Forest. Outnumbered by their enemy and out of position, French troops started their fighting withdrawal west, looking to shorten the frontline and hold their positions, while making the enemy pay for every patch of land and every meadow. At that they succeeded, partially because a combination of extremely dry fall weather and intense artillery bombardment on both sides caused forest fires in mid September and turned woody hills into hell on Earth, temporarily putting all fighting to a stop. However, once fires were put down, clashes continued across the ashen, desolate landscape compared by a Communard avant-garde painter to a giant hedgehog whose back is swarming with flea-soldiers. By now, the French occupy only the westernmost part of the forest, holding the key to the Burgundian Gates, and through them, to the fields of the France-Comte and Burgundy. (Battle quest progress: 75.14%, Austria-Bavaria losses: -43.56 HC, -12.49 IC, -24.25 EC, -21.2 MC, Communard France losses: -60.61 HC, -16.81 IC, -28.35 EC, -26.59 MC)
Anti-Communard War: Champagne-Ardenne Campaign
Q3 1893: North-German offensive at Châlons-sur-Marne, regional capital of French Champagne, was expected to become one of the decisive attacks of the war in Western Europe. Importance of that area was clear to both sides, and the French were preparing for an open field campaign they weren’t sure they could win, while their North-German opponents expected an easy push south once the Ardennes are passed. At first, it did play out according to the both sides’ expectations, with the Germans taking Sedan and surpassing Verdun with its sizeable garrison to push for Châlons-sur-Marne. However, Champagne landscape, with its vineyard-covered hills and hedged land enclosures proved to be a land favoring defenders in open field engagements, so the North-Germans were forced to rely on artillery for decisive advances. That gave the Communard army a chance to thicken its defenses and prepare for a counter-attack at Very-le-Francois that came in like a wrecking ball and sent the North-German left flank retreating all the way back to Verdun. Eventually communications were re-established with the Verdun fortress garrison, but the Austrobavarian advance in Lorraine checked the French counter-offensive. Late September, still saw yet another joint push by the Dutch and North-German troops, with the former army surprising many observers with its performance (possibly, thanks to not having to deal with Verdun bunker defenses in the center of its frontline). The campaign was an overall Anti-Communard success, but the French army in Chapmagne seems to have managed to evade a crisis similar to the one that’s unfolding in Picardy. (Region North France gains -0.51% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Netherlands gains +1.55% Regional Influence, North German Federation gains +3.56% Regional Influence, Communard France loses -5.11% Regional Influence, Communard France losses: -60.24 HC, -23.24 IC, -31.87 EC, -27.16 MC, North German Federation losses: -62.87 HC, -17.44 IC, -29.41 EC, -27.58 MC, Netherlands losses: -8.76 HC, -2.06 IC, -3.78 EC, -2.22 MC)
Anti-Communard War: Picardy Campaign
Q3 1893: The city of Saint-Quentin is one of the critical railway junctions of Pickardy and thus of all Hauts-de-France (Upper France). Therefore, it was selected as the focal point of an ambitious offensive planned by a promising rising star of the North-German military general Frederick von Lyncker. A member of an old Prussian junker dynasty and an avid proponent of mechanization of the Bundeswehr, von Lyncker proposed a bold breakthrough in the western Ardennes, slipping past French defenses via local dirt roads, with mounted and bicycle-riding infantry leading the way, supported by self-propelled heavy cannons and supplied by road locomotives instead of horse-powered supply trains. Numerous civil engineering companies were employed by the Federation, to be used to improve logistics for the breakthrough-oriented experimental I. Sturmkorps. The plan worked out like a charm, with the Ardennes being surpassed by two attack columns out of three in barely a week of fighting. Then the I. Sturmkorps had to pause, waiting for the rest of the Bundeswehr and its Dutch allies to catch up after mopping up French Ardenne resistance, but by then French operational posture was as bad as it gets. At Coudry and Giese French defenses were beaten once again, and the I. Sturmkorps descended on Saint-Quentin, becoming the first (and only) Anti-Communard army to reach the yet incomplete line of French defenses, nicknamed by the Germans as “Fortress France.” There von Lyncker would meet his equal, a woman now known to the world as “Joan of Arc of the Commune.” (Region North France gains -0.88% Regional Growth Fluctuation, North German Federation gains +7.62% Regional Influence, Communard France loses -7.62% Regional Influence, Communard France losses: -69.95 HC, -19.4 IC, -32.72 EC, -30.68 MC, North German Federation losses: -55.53 HC, -22.21 IC, -34.29 EC, -28.45 MC, Netherlands losses:: -8.76 HC, -2.06 IC, -3.78 EC, -2.22 MC)
Battle of Saint-Quentin
Q3 1893: As a key railroad hub of Picardy, the city of Saint-Quentin was planned to become one of the key rear supply depots for the Fortress France line. However, General von Lyncker’s advance caught Communard engineers and civil workers completely unprepared, penetrating the yet unfinished defensive perimeter. For a few days in late September, it looked like the French resistance in Pickardy was doomed, but then a miracle occurred, brought about, as it’s already happen in French history, by a woman. Simone Cixous was in charge of a women’s engineering brigade working on Saint-Quentin fortifications at the moment. When bicycle-riding reconnaissance troops of the I. Sturmkorps were seen in the town’s vicinity, she ignored local Commissioner-Colonel’s orders to retreat and instead armed her female subordinates with weapons from an arsenal left unguarded by the panicked soldiers. The engineers were soon joined by a hospital and signal units, both also partially female, and that humble irregular formation would later become known as the Valkyries of Saint-Quintin, with their leader being compared to Queen Boudica of ancient Britannia and to Joan of Arc herself. In truth, the “Valkyries” really engaged in a fight only with light infantry spearheading the North-German advance, but they did buy enough time for the Communard high command to recognize that the situation could be salvaged and send fresh or reformed divisions to Saint-Quintin. For her symbolic value and in recognition of her extraordinary leadership, Simone Cixous was granted a title of Extraordinary Tribun of Saint-Quentin, essentially providing her with full dictatorial powers over the French administration and army units defending the city. Now the battle is starting to turn into a symbol of French defiance, as both armies struggle to take hold of this key chain link of France’s defensive lines.
Anti-Communard War: French Flanders Campaign
Q3 1893: Anti-Communard plans for invasion of France would be incomplete without at least some attempt at amphibious landing. In French Flanders, Dutch forces planned to pin the French, while their British allies land at Dunkirk and rush to Lille, taking hold of France’s northern industrial areas. Almost immediately, the weakness of that plan was revealed. With most of the French Atlantic Fleet concentrated in Brest, British, North-German, and Dutch squadrons were always threatened by a French sortie, so a landing date was moved several time, until, finally, royal marines attempted to storm Dunkirk beaches on August 8. French troops, however, were waiting, and more Communard brigades were being redeployed from Normandy and Brittany to assist at holding down the Dutch. At Boulogne and Calais, the British Expeditionary Corps was checked and ended up being contained to a few pockets along the shore for the most of the campaign, until Dutch offensives forced the French retreat south. Still, Lille held against joint Anglo-Dutch attacks, and Communard positions in the north remain fairly strong. (Region South Germany gains -0.14% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Netherlands gains +1.37% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth gains +1.03% Regional Influence, Communard France loses -2.4% Regional Influence, Communard France losses: -45.31 HC, -12.57 IC, -21.19 EC, -19.87 MC, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -17.68 HC, -7.42 IC, -12.49 EC, -9.88 MC, Netherlands losses: -30.68 HC, -7.21 IC, -13.21 EC, -7.76 MC)
Battle of La Manche
Q3 1893: From the very beginning of the Second Atlantic War, it was the Anti-Communard League’s plan to concentrate their Atlantic fleets and beat the Triune Pact’s navies one by one. Of France’s side, a correct guess was made, predicting exactly that kind of development, so the bulk of the Communard navy was concentrated in Brest and mostly stayed in the harbor, following the good old “fleet-in-being” naval strategy, threatening British communication lanes through its sheer presence. For the most of July and August, commerce raiding was the only type of activity French captains indulged themselves in. Their success at that, however, was limited, since submerged vessels were short-range and lacked on-board electricity to make submerged attacks effective, while above-surface raiders could wreak havoc on British supply lines only if they were to slip past the Anti-Communard League’s naval blockade into the open Atlantic. However, by mid August, French naval inactivity became unsustainable, because British landings in Calais and Boulogne kept being supported by the British armada’s high-caliber guns, checking any attempts of the Communard army to push the enemy back into the sea. That finally forced French admiral Louis Jobelin to take a risk and assemble his own gigantic fleet for a sortie against the Anti-Communard League’s navies. Three of the sorties resulted in small-scale naval action in the English Channel, successfully distracting the joint Anglo-Germano-Dutch joint naval force before returning to the port. However, on August 29 British Admiral Hornby, the hero of Sao Tome and a leader of the League's navy in the Eastern Atlantic, succeeded at drawing Jobelin’s fleet into a decisive action which featured more than sixty dreadnought ships on both sides and is now considered the biggest naval action of modern history. Known as the Battle of the Pointe le Barfleur, it featured a collision of French and British armored cruisers and pre-dreadnought battleships early on, followed by a temporary British withdrawal, which might have or might have not been a part of Admiral Hornby’s original plan. It, however, helped to keep Jobelin’s fleet engaged in a pursuit, which then allowed Hornby to execute a wide flanking maneuver placing his main line between the French fleet and Cap de la Hague, blocking their retreat to Brest. At that point, all of the League’s fleets descended upon the French navy, initiating a battle that would last until complete exhaustion on both sides. The French fleet emerged victorious, but significantly damaged. Having failed to fully repeal the League’s forces, Admiral Jobelin became afraid that twelve of his significantly damaged dreadnoughts could be sent to the bottom of the sea, negating the tactical success he’s just received. Seeing no way to break through Hornby’s remaining battleships without losing a good chunk of his strength, Jobelin made a call to return to the port of Cherbourg in Normandy. Surprisingly, this turned out to be a great miscalculation on his part, because it allowed Hornby’s fleet to lock the bulk of the French navy in a port they could easily keep an eye on. This significantly limited France’s capability to launch commerce raids across the Atlantic or to project power across the English Channel - even despite the tactical victory they achieved. However, not all is lost for France yet, as Jobelin still has a chance of turning the naval campaign around by launching a decisive naval sortie this fall or winter, before it's too late and the English Channel becomes truly English not only by name. (Battle quest progress: 97.76%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -30.84 HC, -20.35 IC, -44.13 EC, -73.9 MC, Netherlands losses: -5.3 HC, -3.18 IC, -7.91 EC, -13.7 MC, North German Federation losses: -18.1 HC, -13.42 IC, -30.26 EC, -51.95 MC, Communard France losses: -52.6 HC, -40.34 IC, -86.07 EC, -147.34 MC)
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Update 4: July 1, 1893 - September 30, 1893
Battle for the North-West Atlantic
Q3 1893: British Atlantic strategy of concentrating the bulk of the Royal Navy against France while simultaneously nigh-abandoning the North-West Atlantic was a risky one. If successful, the Brits had a chance of kicking a powerful French navy entirely out of the war before returning to North America with vengeance. However, if anything were to not go ideally, Britannia could cease to be the Mistress of the Seas. That, in a sense, is exactly what happened in the North-West Atlantic this summer. Several British squadrons were stationed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, before the beginning of the Second Atlantic War, supporting the Commonwealth’s efforts to supply counterinsurgency troops in Canada. As soon as hostilities were declared, the Halifax fleet was ordered to immediately head for the Albion in order to join the rest of Great Britain’s Atlantic navy and challenge the French. Unknown to the British, North-Americans under Admiral George Dewey were already on their way to Halifax, ready to initiate a port strike as soon as the Triune Pact’s ultimatum is refused. That, ultimately, meant that by the time the North-American navy started approaching Nova Scotia from the south-east, the Halifax fleet was just leaving the harbor. Instead of committing a port strike, Dewey’s force collided with the British one near the Sable Island. The battle was highly one-sided, since both numerical and tactical superiority was on the North-American side. Least damaged ships of the British navy embarked on a long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, but more hurt ones were forced to return to Halifax, only to be bombarded later by Dewey’s fleet (who, luckily to the Brits, didn’t want to risk his worn-out battleships and dreadnoughts in an attack on the harbor). Adding an insult to the injury, British ships that managed to break through the North-American blockade of Bermuda earlier this July were also soon intercepted on their way to Halifax, ensuring that the North-West Atlantic was fully under the North-American control and de-facto cut off from the rest of the Commonwealth, not counting a few Portobrazilian cargo ships that were allowed to deliver non-military supplies to Canada. (Battle quest completed with full success, British Royal Commonwealth: -100 HC, -40 IC, -200 EC, -15 MC, British troops in North America receive -1 CR penalty, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -31.13 HC, -20.54 IC, -44.54 EC, -74.59 MC, Union of North America losses: -14.25 HC, -12.78 IC, -24.2 EC, -38.91 MC)
North-American War: Maritimes Campaign
Q3 1893: North-American strategy in Canada was predictably concentrated on taking control of Quebec and Upper Canada, leaving the Maritimes as a side show. The Union’s army planners knew full well that one of the key supply hubs of Eastern Canada, the city of Fredericton, lay just across a river from the Union’s territory, meaning that the entirety of New Brunswick could be contested if only Fredericton were to fall to North-American soldiers. Which, of course, would worsen British supply situation in the St. Lawrence River valley, since no supply would be now coming from Halifax, British Canada’s only all-year-round naval port. To the Union’s bad luck, defense of New Brunswick on the British side was given to an experienced General Harry Ashmore, a controversial figure among the British ranks, a hero of the First Atlantic War and an open critic of the Lord-Protector and his policies (especially the prohibition). Ashmore knew the way the Union was going to fight the campaign and he prepared his corps for a war of maneuver, ambushes, and flanking movements. Early Maritimes campaign in July-mid August saw two North-American assaults on Fredericton and Saint-Jean, repealed on all occasions. Just by late August, the Union managed to cross the Saint-Jean river by Oromocto ford and triumphantly enter Fredericton… only to learn that they were flanked at Woodstock and now besieged from the north and north-west. Soon, the campaign turned completely against the North-Americans, who were kicked out of Fredericton after barely a week of holding it and then beaten decisively in an open field battle near St. Stephan. Wise enough to not pursue the enemy into the Union’s territory, Ashmore returned to the Maritimes and spent the rest of August and all September cracking down upon any pro-Union discontent and insurgency there, solidifying the Royal Commonwealth’s grip on the region. (Region Atlantic Canada-Quebec gains -0.9% Regional Growth Fluctuation, British Royal Commonwealth gains +8.99% Regional Influence, Union of North America loses -8.99% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -5.43 HC, -1.82 IC, -3.07 EC, -2.96 MC, Union of North America losses: -8.72 HC, -3.16 IC, -4.86 EC, -5.33 MC)
North-American War: Quebec Campaign
Q3 1893: In the end of the First Atlantic War, the United States of America (as the North-American Union was known then) was holding a swath of land in southern Canada, which was officially recognized as the nation’s gain from the wall when all exhausted sides agreed to set new borders along the frontlines. Not only did it make a lot of political analysts and historians call the Truce of Washington “a water break before another fight,” but it also shaped the Union’s high command’s perception of its Canadian offensives in 1893. Infrastructurally crucial towns of Cornwall, Montreal, and Quebec City lay just a few dozen miles away from the contemporary border, making the head of the North-American high command, General Nelson L. Miles, believe that a single determined push north could leave the Union in firm possession of all supply hubs, crucial for controlling Quebec. What Miles failed to recognize was that his own supply situation was also rather questionable, because the territories gained by the Union from Britain in the First Atlantic War were mostly deprived of any significant infrastructure, not counting the Cape Vincent-Ogdensburg-Massena railway branch east of the Ontario lake. Still, Miles had all reasons to be optimistic: Lower Canada rebellion was in full swing, British troops were severely outnumbered and overstretched, and an upcoming fall season was promising to shut down all riverine traffic along the Saint Lawrence river and in the Hudson Bay. On the British side, planning was highly rudimentary and in a way reflected outdated perceptions of Canadian campaigns from the First Atlantic War. The Commonwealth’s troops were expected to perform a tactical retreat, bleeding the enemy through a series of ambushes and scorched earth tactics. However, two factors were miscounted. Firstly, the Brits now, unlike in the previous conflict, had no stable rear, with Patriote militias effectively taking charge of entire municipalities across Quebec.Secondly, even without them, the British army’s positions simply lacked the operational depth required for any deep defense strategy. So, both armies’ shortcommings, resulted in a generally chaotic campaign of badly planned and badly executed small skirmishes and anti-insurgency actions that still easily favored the North-Americans. Kingston and Cornwall, two British supply depots that the North-Americans had the easiest time reaching, fell after hectic assaults in on August 9 and 13, but not before British garrisons of Upper Canada successfully evacuated through them and went up north. Montreal and Quebec City were episodically contested by Patriote rebels and approaching Union army columns, but both were eventually retaken by the British troops, much thanks to the stellar work done by British military intelligence teams which sabotaged North-American supply lines in Maine and New Hampshire to a degree when any offensive action became unsustainable. Still, in late September Bécancour fell, allowing North-American artillery to start pounding British ad-hoc supply lines going through the city of Trois-Rivières lying halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. By early October, it became clear that the British army in Canada was in dire straits, with its rear unsteady, its supplies being delivered via a single makeshift infrastructure line stretching all the way from Halifax, and with its Atlantic communications from Great Britain cut off. (Region Atlantic Canada-Quebec gains -2.02% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Union of North America gains +9.65% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -9.65% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -30 HC, -12.74 IC, -21.43 EC, -16.77 MC, Union of North America losses: -15.51 HC, -5.62 IC, -8.64 EC, -9.47 MC)
Siege of Ville de Québec
Q3 1893: Quebec City is known to Franco-Canadians as Ville de Québec, and it is one of the oldest modern cities in North America, thus bearing symbolic significance both for the newly proclaimed Free Quebec government and for the North-American Union. Besides, it is located in a strategically important narrowing of the Saint Lawrence River, that connects the rest of Lower Canada and the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The river freezes in winter (something that British logisticians have always had to take into account), but during other months it provides British Canada with the most reliable and broadband supply network that requires little maintenance and cannot be damaged as easily as a railroad. All of these factors make Ville de Québec a focal point of the prolonged Lower Canada campaign, with Patriote militias being active in Old Lévis, North-American Army of Maine pushing up north-east from Bécancour, and the British garrison force desperately fortifying La Citadelle in the heart of Quebec City. If this critical chain in Canadian infrastructure system were to fall to the enemy, all British troops outside of the Maritimes could be doomed.
North-American War: Ontario Campaign
Q3 1893: Unlike Quebec, Upper Canada was a corrupt, but generally well-managed part of British North-American colonies, so some generals before the war even bragged that, should it be surrounded by the Union, it could survive on its accumulated war supplies for a year or two. That bravado was quickly forgotten, though, when first shots were fired across the border and the weakness of British positions in Canada became obvious to everyone. The Union’s war plan for the Ontario campaign, on the other hand, was rather humble and pragmatic, with attacks planned mostly in order to pin British troops there, while the main struggle of the war took place along the Saint-Lawrence river. However, since the very early offensives it became clear that the British weren’t intending to stay in Upper Canada for another year as some of the had promised. By mid-August, Hamilton, Sarnia, and Sault Ste. Marie fell to the Union troops, and British divisions were abandoning Toronto in order to rush north-east, past barely holding Kingston and Cornwall. Forced to receive supplies mostly across the Great Lakes, the North-Americans pursued half-heartedly, entering Toronto without a single shot fired on September 23, thus concluding the campaign.. (Region Atlantic Canada-Quebec gains -0.67% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Union of North America gains +6.74% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -6.74% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -18.46 HC, -6.2 IC, -10.44 EC, -10.06 MC, Union of North America losses: -13.57 HC, -4.92 IC, -7.56 EC, -8.29 MC)
North-American War: Prairies Campaign
Q3 1893: Manitoba and the Prairies were of little value for both the Union and the Royal Commonwealth, which didn’t mean that the British weren’t going to try and stop North-American incursion into their territory. However, the campaign turned out to be rather anticlimactic, as the Second Red River Rebellion and municipal coups performed by local Metis councils and Hunters’ Lodges thrashed British rear into shreds. Already caught on back foot, the British clashed with their enemies in a series of violent cavalry clashes and skirmishes at Thunder Bay, Steinbach, and Portage, fought in the most brutally humid and gnat-infested northern summer. Fortunes swung back and forth in these small battles, but the overall turn of the campaign was never in question. British disasters to the east meant that the Commonwealth troops in Manitoba had to soon abandon all attempts to preserve remainders of British authority in Central Canada and reconnect with their troubled comrades in Ontario and Quebec. (Region Atlantic Canada-Quebec gains -0.63% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Union of North America gains +6.29% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -6.29% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -5.43 HC, -1.82 IC, -3.07 EC, -2.96 MC, Union of North America losses: -2.91 HC, -1.05 IC, -1.62 EC, -1.78 MC)
North-American War: Phoney War in the South
Q3 1893: When the history of the Second Atlantic War is written, very few military notes would be left about the so-called Phoney War, as the Southrons call it, or the Border Lull, as it is known to the Northerners. A few cross-border clashes between misguided patrol units took place here and there, and on a few cases overly energetic (or overly drunk) artillery captains would shell enemy positions they knew they’d been forbidden to shell, but all in all, June, August, and September of 1893 produced very little fighting between the Union and the Confederacy. (Confederate States of America losses: -3.88 HC, -1.22 IC, -1.94 EC, -1.95 MC, Union of North America losses: -4.11 HC, -1.05 IC, -2.15 EC, -1.6 MC)
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