Hispanic Andean scholarship has long held that Rumi Maki, meaning "Stone Fist" in Quechua, is a decidedly rural remnant of the Incan Empire. First documented by Bartolomé de las Casas in De thesauris in Peru (1563), these martial techniques were first viewed as objects of curiosity, then derision, and finally abhorrence under the reign of Mariano Melgarejo in the mid 19th century. During this time, urban mestizo youth were banned from the learning of Rumi Maki, and any who were caught were often sent to 'Plantation Schools' on what are now Civilista estates where they were 'educated' by lashes and back-breaking labor.
Following the High March and the rise of Andean Communardism and Indigenismo pride, the isolated and fragmented pockets of Rumi Maki saw a mild resurgence in both interest and practice. The repression of the art over the centuries meant that each isolated commune developed distinct styles and forms, while a general lack of scholarship by derisive urban elites left only early accounts and a fragmented oral history. The resulting incoherence of the Rumi Maki tradition was ultimately resolved by greater forces. First, the developing Order of the Circle subsumed local Rumi Maki martial arts, reinterpreting their distinctions as evidence of the authentic, natural, and fiercely independent spirit of the Commune. Adherents to the Order used education in Rumi Maki as symbolic devotion to their traditions, accelerating the rebirth of the arts. Some Indigenismo theorists even began to think of the 'Sun' forms as a true expression of the Communard Ideal, a natural extension of pride and tradition extended freely and available to all. (This was not a popular theory)
Second, the War of Colombian Liberation brought together not only young men from across Andea, but their distinct traditions as well. While the Order spread across the armed forces, radicalizing urban and rural Andeans of all backgrounds alike as they fought and died for the revolution, Rumi Maki spread with it. Offering obvious value to the fighting men, the exchange from different regions also began to coalesce the distinct styles into a deeper, more complex martial tradition. While the spread of this tradition has not made up for the deficit in armament technology with their imperial foes, it has deepened the bonds of the Order and the men who adhere to its teachings.
Cholita Wrestling
Though not strictly a martial art, Cholita Wrestling as a combat style has entirely displaced any other martial arts among Quechua and Aymara women in Bolivia, and to an increasing degree in the Northern Andes. Unlike Rumi Maki, Cholita Wrestling received enormous attention and support from DeLuna's Government following the emergence of the style shortly after the rise of Communardism. It rapidly developed traditions and stylistic features, becoming enmeshed with older Aymara traditions as a way of life for many Bolivian women, particularly in the Altiplano. Cholita's, liberated from much of their labor by modern government-subsidized technologies such as washers and cooking stoves, while representing a resurgence of Quechua and Aymara culture, must fuse together many worlds; their style reflects this.
The bowler hats have come to symbolize
the Cholita's bold modernity.
While a Cholita represents the culture in all aspects of her life, Cholita Wrestling is the specific combative art. Exciting and intense, colourful Cholitas fight with flying kicks, brutal take-downs, and tough resiliency before cheering crowds. Often more closely resembling sport, squads of Cholitas have formed leagues, each representing different communes or neighbourhoods, with dedicated fans and supporters traveling many miles for the fights. Though most Cholita Wrestling has thus far been found in Quechua, Aymara, or mestizo communes, an increasing portion of the fans are urban and hispanic, and it may only be a matter of time before hispanic women try to get involved as well. Some have suggested that it may not be entirely Communard to form lucrative entertainment syndicates; they have been ignored.
Orders from all nations except Britain are accepted and locked. An exception is made for GB, because it got a player shortly before the deadline, and I gave that player (@NinjaCow64 ) a week to finish his orders as well.
Also, Egypt is now NPC, as per Zap's request. Any informal agreements he made previously with other nations are going to be invalidated.
Moving forward, I'll add a rule, according to which a player who joins the game and then fails to submit an order set on their first turn, will be automatically dropped from the game. This will ensure that people don't lock nations by asking to join them and then never writing orders. Nothing personal.
People from the Federation aren't supposed to be good at killing.
The revolution of 1848 also supposedly collapsed the militant traditionalism of the Prussian monarchy that preceded it. Coming out of that particular wreckage, the people of the Northern German states built a cozy nest for themselves in the middle of Europe: the North German Federation, a democracy underpinned by 'gentle guidance' of simulation-obsessed technocrats of the Savant Council.
'We have weathered enough strife,' Benedict remembers hearing some humanist philosopher declare from atop a podium in 1880s. 'It is time to build a community of compassion and pluralism in Europe. A new model for the concept of statehood and for the human mind.'
And then they went to war.
Not against the monarchists, no no. They are still out there and probably just as strong as they were in 1848. Against the Communists.
A year into the war, people still think that this war is a matter of communication, fundamentally solvable. The French can, after all, be reasoned with. If the Germans and the French can just figure out what to say to each other, how to save face, and how to stand down, they could find a joint solution. A way to give the French what they want without dooming the South Germans to a social and economic collapse. It's a humanist dream.
Captain Roland doesn't hold to that.
"But," Benedict says. He doesn't actually remember if this was his exact words or what he was responding to. He's too ashamed to remember anyways. "The French are people too!"
"Stow that crap, corporal," voice like thunderclap, unexpected. Captain Roland had been speaking with another officer from across the trench. "I won't have poison in my platoon!"
Habit of a lifetime and momentary hurt conspire against military discipline, and Benedict almost makes a protest. But Erasmus said, but de Saint Pierre said...
But Roland is already at his face, circling around him in the trench as the others gather. "What is the most unreliable tool in your kit, soldier?" he interrogates.
A whole catalogue of options. Benedict is a sharpshooter, issued more equipment than the normal infantry. He carries a whole bestiary of the Federation's tools of war. It must be the Italian designed MP-93
"Wrong," Roland says, jabbing a finger at Benedict's chest. "It's you. Soldiers introduce seconds of unaffordable latency. There are statistics to indicate that soldiers also intentionally miss their targets. It doesn't matter how well you make weapons, if the people like you holding them are completely unreliable," Roland is speaking to everyone now, making an example of Benedict. Benedict stands there, burning and waiting for it to be over.
"In this lethal environment, hesitation kills. If the Council had its way, they would replace each and every single one of us with whirring machines. Until that day, it's your job to come as close as possible to being a machine. Your job is to keep your damned humanity off the trigger. How do you do that?"
"Hate, sir," a soldier standing nearby quips.
"Hate," Roland says, raising his hands to an imaginary throat. Bears down, for emphasis, as his voice drops to a purr. "The things you are shooting at aren't people. They have no lovers, no parents, no home. They were never children and they will never grow old. They invaded your home, and you are going to stop them by killing them all. Is that clear, Benedict?"
Willful, proud, stupid, and maybe believing that Roland will give him some slack for being the first man in the platoon with a confirmed kill, Benedict responds: "That's monstrous."
Roland puts the ice on him. Full bore, all aspect derision. "This is war. Monsters win."
They are on leave, having a barbecue on the shores of Grosses Meer. Reinhardt wouldn't swim in it because he swears up and down that it's full of leeches. They are out of uniform and Benedict really shouldn't take that as an excuse but, well, discipline issues: he finds Roland walking alone along the shores of the lake.
"Captain," Benedict says.
"Benedict," Roland replies. First name, no rank. Roland winds up and hurls a stone. It doesn't even skip once. Hits, pierces, vanishes. Roland makes a guarded sound, as if he expects Benedict to do something worthy of reprimand. "Been in Ostfriesland before?" he finally says.
"Oh, once," Benedict replies. "Never with a native guide before."
"Tourist boy," Roland spits, tries skipping again. "Scheisse!"
"Captain, you are killing me," Benedict says, picking up a nice flat stone. He winds up and throws, but the Ostfrisian weather--hey, Ostfrisian weather was a good excuse for anything. "Damn this weather," he pleads. Roland laughs, while Benedict wonders about what a bad idea this is. Military regulation states: no fraternization.
They walk a while.
"Do you really hate them?" Benedict asks.
"What? The French? The communists?" Roland replies, one boot upon a rock. "I mean, what's the alternative?"
"Don't you go to school?" Benedict replies. "They gave it to us every day in Frankfurt. Love them. Understand them. Regret the violence."
Roland rolls his eyes. “Ah, right. ‘He has a wife,’ I remember, shooting him. ‘May you find peace,’ I pray, unleashing the artillery.” Roland rolls the rock with his boot, flipping it, spinning it on its axis. “And you had this in your head, the first time you made a kill? You lined up the shot thinking about your shared humanity?”
"I guess so," Benedict says. A good person would have thought about that, so he'd have thought about it too. "But it didn't stop me."
Roland lets the rock fall. He eyes Benedict cautiously. "No? You weren't angry? You didn't hate?"
"No," Benedict says. "It was so easy for me. I thought I was sick."
"Huh," Roland says, chewing on something. "Well, I can't speak for you, but it helps me if I hate them."
"Hate's inhumane though. It perpetuates the cycle."
“I wish the universe gave power to the decent. Protection to the humane.” Roland shrugs, in his shoulders, in his lips. “But I’ve only seen one power stop the violent, and it’s a closer friend to hate.”
A meteor streaks across the sky. "Ooh! Ooh!" Roland says, suddenly excited. "A meteor! Now you've got to tell me a secret."
"Are you fudging with me?"
"Native guide," Roland says, rather smugly.
"I used to have an imaginary friend named Dirk. I used to go out into the woods alone to have pretend sword fights with him."
"You are a nutter and a psycho," Roland says. "I'm glad you are on my side."
"I wonder what we'll do after this."
"Don't think about that," Roland warns. "It'll kill you."
Tokugawa Japan is finishing its shift to a full war standing, while its worn-out allies, Burma and Indostan, are growing increasingly united by the sacrifice they have made for the victory in the global conflict. (Tokugawa Shogunate gains “Military mobilization (mid term)”, “Economic mobilization (mid term)”, loses “Military mobilization (short term)”, “Economic mobilization (short term)”, Indostan gains “Military mobilization (mid term)”, “Economic mobilization (mid term)”, loses “Military mobilization (short term)”, “Economic mobilization (short term)”, Third Burmese Empire “Military mobilization (mid term)”, “Economic mobilization (mid term)”, loses “Military mobilization (short term)”, “Economic mobilization (short term)”)
On the morning of January 7, 1895, all major Orthodox churches of Directorial Russia and its eastern Directories served a sermon for the “protectors of the Motherland and their brothers and sisters of the Oriens.” Similar mood consumed the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and Indostan, as the Middle East looked devolving into a state of war over the fate of Persia and the Caucasus. Yet, less than in a month, more sober minds would prevail, as the diplomats from all involving countries met in the city of Odessa to discuss de-escalation of the conflict. Facing near-impossible odds, the Ottoman State had to back out of Persia, simultaneously giving full independence to their past religious allies within their own empire, the Kurds. Their newly established state included also the eastern Principalities previously belonging to Qajar Persia, with the Qajar dynasty having little say in the matter and being happy to simply return to power in Teheran. Even more elated were the Armenians, who were also given independence from the Ottomans (albeit, the Armenian lands belonging to the Caucasian Imamate were left under its mandate, for the purpose of diplomatic sanity).
(Region Greater Caucasus: Armenia gains +7.5% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia gains +0.56% Regional Influence, Ottoman State loses -8.06% Regional Influence)
(Region Anatolia: Armenia Armenia gains +15% Regional Influence, Kurdistan gains +10% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia gains +0.85% Regional Influence, Ottoman State loses -25.85% Regional Influence)
(Region Near East: Kurdistan gains +20% Regional Influence, Egypt gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Ottoman State loses -20.25% Regional Influence)
Another series of swift territorial exchanges took place in North Africa and the Pearl River delta. An overstretched and embattled British Royal Commonwealth happily sold four out of five its Barbary Coast ports to Maghreb (with Oran being a sole exception for the length of the Transatlantic and Great Colonial wars) and later also confirmed a transfer of Hong Kong to the Taiping Mandate in exchange both for a major loan and a mutual opening of the two economies for investments.
(Region North Africa: Maghreb: +5.25% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth: -5.25% Regional Influence; Maghreb: -500 HC, -200 EC; British Royal Commonwealth: +500 HC, +200 EC)
(Region Canton-Yunnan: Taiping Mandate: +3.72% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth: -3.72% Regional Influence; Taiping Mandate: -500 HC, -150 EC; British Royal Commonwealth: +500 HC, +150 EC)
A much more unusual land exchange took place in the Aegean Sea, where Italy sold the island of Milos, a territory it also acquired only recently through shady political machinations in Greece’s government. Even more unusual was the buyer - the Heavenly Kingdom of China, which seems to be determined to expand its territorial reach across all continents, at least to some degree. (Region Balkans: Taiping Mandate gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Italy loses -0.5% Regional Influence; Taiping Mandate: -40 EC, Italy: +40 EC)
Despite the sale of some of its overseas territories, Great Britain couldn’t evade a major economic crisis, caused both by the need to feed and maintain a giant military, as well as terrible losses that its commerce shipping suffered to enemy raiders at sea. (British Royal Commonwealth: -3 Corps, -2 Squadrons (-maintenance))
Directorial Russia continues modernizing in small incremental steps, introducing new motivational tools, manufacturing methods, infantry tactics, and shipbuilding paradigms. (Directorial Russia adopts “Social messianism and utopian thought”, “Electrified manufacture”, “Arditi and small-unit tactics”, “Standardised shipbuilding practice” for -192 HC, -103.5 IC, -13.5 EC, -62.5 MC)
Survival of the fittest in a constant rate race for a grand price of prosperity was never a traditional part of the Russian mentality. However, the times are changing, and the new economic and social developments are leading to the emergence of a new social paradigm, in which achievements are no longer limited by one’s stratus or background, and competition is the primary mean of reaching the top - or falling to the bottom - of social pyramid. (Directorial Russia adopts “Contest mobility” for -1489.4 HC)
As the Possibilist government of France is starting to drag the country out of the socio-economic abyss in which it was cast during the Anti-Communard War, the Directorial Assembly of Russia is starting to grow fond of dealing with their much more pragmatic and approachable “directorial socialist” colleagues in Paris. (Directorial Russia: +500 HC, -125 IC; Communard France: -500 HC, +125 IC)
The Pacific Directory’s army and military intelligence continue expanding under an energetic leadership of General Kasteen. The infamous Rybaki (Fishermen), field agents of the nation’s intelligence service, are being integrated into the army structure, while the corps themselves are being expanding thanks to the Equal Under Law Act that opens military service (and, thus, certain civic privileges to women). One of the more surprising consequences of the Equal Under Law Act was a revelation that General Kasteen was a woman in disguise who joined the army out of patriotic fervor and had been fooling her superiors and subordinates for years. (Pacific Directory: +1 Mission, +1 Corps (-62.6 HC, -42.9 IC, -74.7 EC, -14 MC))
General Kasteen’s revelation was not just a shocker for the public, but also an inspirational symbol for suffragist activists worldwide, attracting such “Amazons” of the Russian Suffragist movement as Anna Filosofova and Anna Kalmanovich to Pacific Siberia and Pacific America. While the Pacific Constitutional Assembly continued its course throughout the first part of the year, one of its achievements early became introduction of female suffrage to directorial and municipal elections - a logical step, given the fact that the army service was a prerequisite of political participation, and army service had just been opened for women. (Pacific Directory adopts “Female suffrage” for -235.22 EC)
The Pacific Directory’s army reform didn’t stop at simply admitting women to battlefield and army support duty. A big rearmament program started across the nation’s growing army, not just emphasizing small-unit action (a natural development, given the conditions of northern warfare), but also precision of fire, going as far as getting rid of stocks of weapons and munitions that were either obsolete or no longer fit into that doctrine. A similar overhaul took place in the navy, which finally admitted to its supporting role for the Directorial Russian Navy and refitted itself for reconnaissance, harassment, and littoral combat duties. Meanwhile, the industry and, peculiarly, state propaganda continued growing in technical sophistication. (Pacific Directory adopts “Agit-trains and agit-boats”, “Gas lighting and shift work”, “Aerodynes and heavier-than-air flight”, “Arditi and small-unit tactics”, “Magazines and clips”, “Semi-automatic small arms”, “Indirect counter-barrage”, “Green-water navy”, “Torpedo nets”, “Wolf pack naval tactics”, “Riverine artillery”, “Airship carriers”, “Airship naval spotters”, “Mine-laying blimps” for -28.5 HC, -42.5 IC, -39.5 EC, -18.25 MC, removes “Clockwork automata”, “Smoothbore small arms”, “Breech-loaded small arms”, “Rocket artillery”, “Armored cruisers”)
Transpacifica continues using its geographic location, constantly improving infrastructure, and enormously energetic Directorate of Commerce to act as a trade conduit between the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe. Its incredibly positive trade outlook also has helped the Pacific Directory to become an attractor of fellow Russian intellectuals. Meanwhile, the elaborate wager between William Bryant Archer III and Crawford Charles Wynn continues as the Dixie-funded small-boat-engine factory enters full production, propelling yet another series of trade deals between the American part the Directory and the CSA. (Confederate States of America: -62 HC, +9 MC; Oman: -70 EC, +10 MC; Directorial Russia: -266 IC, +200 EC; Netherlands: +126 HC, -10 IC, +70 EC, -20 MC; Gran Paraguay: +80 HC, -20 IC; Chile-Patagonia: -35 IC, -35 EC, +12 MC; Pacific Directory: +108 HC, -25 EC, +311 IC, -51 MC)
The level of industrial sophistication and expertise among the Ukrainian Hetmanate’s state companies is rather low, but when it comes to technological improvement, the modernization efforts are rather randomly chosen and weirdly specific, failing to achieve a holistic improvement. (Ukrainian Hetamante adopts “Direct electric current”, “Integrated railway network” for -4.5 EC, -7.5 MC)
Agricultural improvements and a steady population growth bring many more laborers to Ukrainian cities, forcing the Ukrainian Hetmanate to put public works together for a short-term economic gain. (Ukrainian Hetmanate converts 50 HC to 6.14 EC)
The Margraviate of Moravia continues to come to maturity as a small, but well-put together Central European power broker, allowing its flourishing economy to finance the expansion of its Ministry of Cultural Affairs and secret gendarmerie. (Moravia: +2 Missions (-23.6 HC, -36.2 IC, -49.6 EC, -6.2 MC))
Integration of ex-Sokoly partisans into the Polish army structure has also allowed the country develop a paramilitary arm of that patriotic and Pan-West Slavic organization. Meanwhile, the Wojsko Polskie followed the example of the Bundeswehr and retired some of the obsolete weapons even from use in garrison and logistical troops,simultaneously also repurposing some old fortifications for civilian means. (Poland adopts “Paramilitary organizations” for -25 HC, -5 EC, -2.5 MC, removes “Smoothbore small arms”, “Redoubts and star forts” for no additional cost)
With the Sokoly integrated, the Sejm of Poland went on to demobilize many of the less motivated army elements and place them into the national reserve. (Poland: -3 Corps (-maintenance))
Oman’s riches (mostly, the exotic African goods, ranging from ivory to tropical wood to spices) attract the attention of Polish magnates, who happily strike lucrative deals with the Sultan and his plenipotentiaries. (Poland: +50 EC,-7MC; Oman: -50 EC, +7 MC)
The power of the Romanian Domnus continues to solidify around the executive power branch, which methods and ways get greatly improved by increased mechanization of tasks, complexity of financial tools, as well as cultural polyghoty of the new generation of Romanian intelligentsia. (Romanian Domnate adopts “Investment banking and trust funds”, “Monetary standard and central banking”, “Corporate ethos”, “Business regulations”, “Hisbah and venture capital”, “Social messianism and utopian thought”, “Cultism and self-devotion”, “Savant culture”, “Entrepreneurial inventors”, “Classicism and the Enlightenment”, “Impressionism and decadent art”, “Romanticism and orientalism”,”Realism and pragmatism”, “Cinematography and photography”, “Kinotropy and clack-animation”, “Socialism and class consciousness”, “Globalism and cosmopolitism”, “Constitutionalism”, “Positivism and futurism”, “Phenomenalism”, “Data vaults” for -32.5 HC, -21 IC, -22 EC, -10 MC)
The formation of the two NGF-led customs unions required clarification of municipal and regional trade and labor regulations across the Federation, laying down a framework for the do’s and the don’t’s of North-German federalism. (North German Federation adopts “Legal pluralism” for -539.09 HC)
Warming up of relations between the Northern and Southern Germanies has led to a growth of interest in the North to the forms of art and industry that were previously considered obsolete and backward. Meanwhile, the Bundeswehr and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine continue sending their observers to the frontlines and service ships of the Second Atlantic and Great Colonial wars, applying the learned methods of the modern war to the training manuals of the newly formed Jaeger Korps and shipbuilding blueprints of the high seas navy. (North German Federation adopts “Hisbah and venture capital”, “Traditional art and culture”, “Impressionism and decadent art”, “Classicism and the Enlightenment”, “Horse power and wagonways”,” Women’s battalions”, “Paramilitary organizations”, “Judo and hand-to-hand combat training”, “Nihang and military sabotage”, “Green-water navy”, “Torpedo nets”, “Anti-torpedo maneuver”, “Kantai Kessen and decisive naval battle strategy”, “Wolf pack naval tactics”, “Airship carriers”, “Port strike”, “Telemobiloscope and early naval detection” for -221 HC, -309.5 IC, -301.5 EC, -57.5 MC)
The Foreign Secretary and its intelligence arm of the NGF keep expanding, aiming to meet the needs of the growing North-German sphere of Central-European influence. Meanwhile, with the departure of Herman Vogel for the Serpent’s Garden, his previous employer, Bureau XIII, works on incorporating his shadowy brainchild, a “Songbird” program, into its operations. (North German Federation: +4 Missions (-56.8 HC, -105.6 IC, -134.4 EC, -36 MC))
Similarly to Directorial Russia, the North German Federation remains utilizing its role of an intellectual and scientific powerhouse of Europe to get prospective trade deals with the desperate Dutch monarchy and secure lucrative, manual labor-heavy outsourcing contracts with the Taiping Mandate, which is never in shortage of men (and women) to do the unwanted work. (North German Federation: +900 HC, -400 IC, +150 EC; Netherlands: +200 IC, -150 EC; Taiping Mandate: -900 HC, +200 IC)
Careful not to get entangled into a multi-sided conflict too far from Europe, the Council of Savants of the NGF still worries that the collapse of its past allies, the British Royal Commonwealth, may send a dangerous ripple across the globe. This, in the North-German leadership’s mind, necessitates a variety of support programs for Britain and its Portobrazilian allies, which includes sending North-German advisers to the both states. In addition, obsolete North-German weapons are being sent to Great Britain en masse “for utilization,” while North-German banks also declares themselves open to British loans - all for a humble contract securing import of Brazilian tropical timber into North Germany. (North German Federation: -200 IC, -50 EC, -50 MC; British Royal Commonwealth: +100 IC, +100 EC, +50 MC; Portugal-Brazil: +100 IC, -50 EC)
Ever the lovers of well-tested, good old tools and methods, the Austrobavarian princes agreed to join the Zollverein with the North German Federation only as long as a series of internal trade regulations ensure that Austria-Bavaria keeps its trade proficit in commerce outside the All-German Trade Union. In addition, this greater warming of relations with their northern brethren has forced the Confederation of Princes to constitutionally formalize its administrative and executive status, thus defining the boundaries of cooperation with the NGF. (Austria-Bavaria adopts “Mercantilism”, “Executive committee”, “Confederate state” for -207.14 HC, -237.21 IC, -98.22 EC, -41.56 MC)
Shaken by the long-ranging effects of the Tulip Crisis, the Kingdom of the Netherlands is downshifting to a bare-bones budget, supporting only most crucial parts of the national intelligence, standing army, and a few operational ships of the navy. (Netherlands: -1 Mission, -1 Enterprise, -2 Corps, -1 Squadron (-maintenance))
A crisis of a different type - this time, a Poland-instigated instability - is gripping the Hungarian nation, forcing some of its administrative apparatus to fall in disarray. (Hungary: -2 Missions, -1 Enterprise, -3 Corps (-maintenance))
The explosive cultural crisis surrounding the Holy See and its Quanta Cura encyclical seems to have prompted the Italian Republic’s expansion of its “soft power” arms, with the aim to increase the nation’s diplomatic outreach and economic prowess. (Italy: +1 Mission, +1 Enterprise (-25.2 HC, -23.1 IC, -65.9 EC, -37.9 MC))
The Italian Republic’s expansive network of resource-gathering enterprises a generally open trade outlook have influenced the Senate’s decision to consolidate the nation’s free trade policy. (Italy adopts “Free trade” for -77.24 MC)
The mafia’s fight against anarchic criminal syndicates of South-Italian Camorra was presented to the people of Italy as a righteous struggle of the government against petty organized crime, slowly creating a sense of constitutional comity and trust in law enforcement. At the same time, the Shadowy Council’s fight against another enemy, the Papacy and its reactionary protectors, has propelled forward a series of artistic campaigns that developed new means of expression. Meanwhile, Italy’s industrial muscles continued to grow, as the country became the first European power outside of North Germany to join the revolution in power production and aerial transportation. That was also closely tied to the ambitious shipbuilding program aimed to switch at least the biggest ships of the Marina Militare to oil and diesel as fuel sources. (Italy adopts “Realism and pragmatism”, “Manga, comics, and sequential art”, “Constitutionalism”, “Criminology”, “Aerodynes and heavier-than-air flight”, “Vulcanization of rubber”, “Alternating electric current”, “Hydroelectric plants”, “Oil-engine ships”, “Diesel-engine ships”, “Snorkel and long-range submarines” for -22.5 HC, -29.25 IC, -72.25 EC, -69.5 MC)
The boom of the Italian home manufacturing allows the Republic use its “industrial aid” as a subtle tool of diplomatic influence in distant corners of the Earth. Unfortunately for Italian businessmen, their attempts to deal with corporations aligned with the regime of Mexican President Porfirio Diaz have failed, either due to powerful Japanese competition, or because of incompetence of the Mexican tradesmen. (Italy: -10 MC; Deseret: +5 MC; Indostan: +5 MC)
The continuous barrage of compromising material and various other bad press has forced a change of leadership in Sardinia-Piedmont. Embattled by political scandals and familial disagreements, King Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy abdicated and left the throne to his son, an avid anti-leftist Umberto I (who loves to sign his name as Umberto Ranieri Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia). With his typical energetic and combative approach, the new monarch invited an aristocratic intellectual with military roots, Luigi Federico Menabrea, 1st Count Menabrea and 1st Marquess of Valdora, to lead his new cabinet. Soon, the gears of long-awaited modernization started to turn, propelling Sardinia-Piedmont into the 1890s through a series of novelty practices, technological innovations, and doctrinal reforms. (Sardinia-Piedmont adopts “Traditional art and culture”, “Business regulations”, “Citizen's dividend cards”, “Fast food industry”, “Cultism and self-devotion”, “Cartels and economic crime
Kompromat and modern blackmail”, “Blowlamp brazing and soldering”, “Vaccination
Vulcanization of rubber”, “Synthetic materials”, “Judo and hand-to-hand combat training”, “Stud farms and horse-powered mobility”, “Zamburak and mounted fire support”, “Penicillin and antibiotics”, “Field trenches”, “Trench raiding”, “Defense in depth”, “Barbed wire”, “Fortified districts”, “Mobile gun shields”, “Maskirovka and military camouflage”, “Paramilitary organizations”, “Women’s battalions”, “Dynamo and electrified ships”, “Riverine artillery”, “Amphibious operations”, “Decoy vessels” for -178 HC, -15 IC, -223.25 EC, -15.5 MC)
Not stopping there, Prime-Minister Menabrea of Sardinia-Piedmont also received a permission from his ruler to implement a comprehensive series of reforms that stimulated economic activity and protected labor within the Sardinian society (thus bringing the nation somewhat on par with its eastern neighbor in terms of opportunities and economic rights). To balance this gift to the bourgeoisie, he also constitutionalized the status of the nation as a monarchy, banned gambling (much hated by the clergy) and also proposed to combine existing remplacement of nobles and rich bourgeoisie with civil conscription for the educated middle class. (Sardinia-Piedmont adopts “Civil conscription”, “Startup economy”, “Employment equity”, “Limited dictatorship”, “Gambling ban” for -572.93 HC, -237.08 EC)
In Possibilist France, the Plebeian Council has finally concluded that the time of political caution and austerity has come to an end, and sweeping reforms were necessary to pull the nation out of the abyss of apathy and ideological dead-end. The “Four R’s” program was announced, emphasizing Reform, Revision, Restitution, and Realism in economy and politics. Its first and land-shaking act was a so-called Sovereign Solvency Decree, which aimed to fix the ideologically-driven imbalances in the labor market and social welfare. Not all parts of this radical change were equally accepted. The call for opening of the customs, meritocratic award system in work culture, and removal of workday length limitations were generally justifiable as ways to give the workers’ nation a way to take some extra responsibility and feed itself (after all, the minimum wage being as high as it was, extra work hours guaranteed extra income). When it came to cuts to art endowments and, particularly, family support, these expalanations couldn’t suffice, as many French families had lost breadwinners in the past war and depended on the state support. Either way, the population was too exhausted (and, at times, too scared) to act against what was perceived as an inevitable, expected action by the much despised pragmatists at the very top, so the fuming disappointment led to just a few public protest meetings. It remains to be seen, however, if the nation could absorb such a fast reform pace without wearing itself out the Dutch way. (Communard France adopts “Free trade”,”Open class economy”, “Executive committee”, removes “Arts endowments”, “Workday length regulations”, “Family support”, “Labor safety regulations” for -1366.87 HC, -141.27 IC, -678.32 EC, -619.13 MC)
The economic crisis over a loss of Persian oil investments and some critical Armenian and Kurdish territories, combined with political instability, is forcing the Sublime State to be looking for foreign sources of raw resources and industrial materiel. (Ottoman State adopts “Offshore outsourcing” for -104.1 HC, -182.35 MC)
With the instability of the Turkish stock market, thousands of traders lost their fortune. However, a few Ottoman firms with business in Dixieland did persevere the crisis by cutting on their losses thanks to using algorithmic trading provided by Fort Lauderdale difference engine-driven stock exchange. Their example was enough for similar practices to be widely introduced across the Ottoman Empire for the safety of future investments. (Ottoman State adopts “Engine-driven stock exchange and algorithmic trading” for -5 HC, -30 IC, -50 MC)
To provide temporary jobs for working class Ottoman citizens displaced by the Western Withdrawal, the Sublime State organized a series of part-time public works, mostly in the service sector. (Ottoman State converts 565.5 HC into 69.45 EC)
With the firm establishment of Russian political and economic presence in the Caucasus, the Kingdom of Georgia, a Russian ally, felt it could finally funnel its resources into a much needed reformation of its ad-hoc administrative methods, revamping its economic regulations, administrative division, division of power branches, and establishing a comprehensive system of military recruitment that integrated some private armies of local nobles and monasteries. (Georgia adopts “Regional state”, “Limited dictatorship”, “Seniority pensions”, “University stipends”, “Professional military recruitment”, “Mercenarism”, “Laissez-faire economy” for -105.68 HC, -127.35 EC)
The pro-Ottoman Armenian insurgency was a cruel wake-up call for the Caucasian Imamate, reminding the nation’s leadership that it has to dedicate attention to more effective consolidation of its patriotic core, as well as develop preferential trade policies and ways to tackle poverty and income disparity. (Caucasian Imamate adopts “Partisan voluntarism”, “Protectionism”, “Soup kitchens” for -57.74 EC, -1.75 MC)
The other wave of changes sweeping through the Caucasus was much less centralized in nature. With preparations for war, came Russian soldiers, agents, and, often, investors. While the army rearmament program was a simple attempt to provide soldiers with more modern, yet economic means of firepower and mobility, the cultural changes mostly were driven by the cultural exchange between the Russian soldiers and railway engineers on one side, and Caucasian locals on the other. (Caucasian Imamate adopts “Fast food industry”, “Corporate ethos”, ”Kompromat and modern blackmail”, “Breech-loaded small arms”, “Machine guns and belt-fed weapons”, “Stud farms and horse-powered mobility”, “Zamburak and mounted fire support”, “Field trenches”, “Barbed wire”, “Rifled breechloaders”, “Fortified districts” for -39 HC, -0.5 IC, -71.5 EC, -30.5 MC)
As the Royal Navy’s grip over Indostani shipping tightened throughout the year, the Grand Vizier of the Sikh Raj attempted to persuade his Egyptian colleague to get the Khedivate perform a function of a transit middleman between Indostan and its Boer allies, similar to how Portugal-Brazil acted as a transporter of British goods. However, left-leaning Ummahists got the ear of the Khedive and persuaded him to discard such geopolitical adventures and, in fact, the entire cabinet proposing them, as they risked dragging Egypt into a war and making it lose all of the fat income it was receiving from the Suez Canal tolls on British shipping. As the transit agreement failed, the Indostani and Boers did manage to exchange at least several large convoys directly between each other, before the Arabian Sea became fully blockaded. (Indostan: -700 HC, +100 MC; Free Boer Republic: +700 HC, -100 MC)
Facing shortages of materiel and modern military equipment, the Sikh Empire is attempting to compensate the relative weakness of its industry by relying on organizational and tactical complexity. While it does give it a short-term boost in field performance, some pessimists on the Grand War Council point out that the Khalsa are starting to feel a shortage of qualified leaders and instructors, similar to the one experienced by the Third Burmese Empire. (Indostan adopts “Maskirovka and military camouflage”, “Judo and hand-to-hand combat training”, “Telescopic sights and modern sniping”, “Penicillin and antibiotics”, “Women’s battalions”, “Defense in depth”, “Trench raiding”, “Arditi and small-unit tactics”, “Indirect counter-barrage” for -450 HC, -307.5 IC, -330 EC, -7.5 MC)
The races for Sudan and Central Africa seem to be closing to an end, and the Mahdi State is gradually settling down to permanent borders. With it, its national structures become more established, spearheading an introduction of more classic forms of social welfare, with seniority being the first social trait to receive a privilege of government support outside standard zakat traditions. (Mahdi State adopts “Seniority pension” for -4.28 EC)
Following the “race for Central Africa”, the Abyssinian Sultan realized his nation had run out of options to grow extensively into the African frontier and had to concentrate on intensive growth insider the realm. That spearheaded a series of motley innovations across the country, in which some ideas were borrowed from Abyssinia’s Egyptian mentors, and some were simply copied from North-Germans of Ostafrika, including such a novelty as usage of imported, NGF-made radiotransmitters and telegraph machines in administrative offices. (Abyssinia adopts “Corporate ethos”, “Kompromat and modern blackmail”, “Fast food industry”, “Mass culture and popular art”, “Spark-gap radiotransmitters”, “Cultism and self-devotion”, “Savant culture”, “Cartels and economic crime”, “Telegraphy and telephony” for -10 HC, -1.5 IC, -11.25 EC, -4.5 MC)
Buganda’s path to modernity continues, as the clan council continues reforming the country while Kabaka (king) Mwanga II is sick (or, possibly, dying). This spring, their focus was on organizing a more robust army conscription process in addition to traditional armed servitude, as well as development of a mutualistic economy in tribal clans. (Buganda adopts “Economic mutualism”, “Military draft” for -1.42 IC)
Having received North-German advisers last year, the court of the Bugandan king wasn’t always willing to listen to their transformative ideas of stateship. However, the king’s advisers still acknowledged the Westerners’ education and wits by tasking them to help with organizing levy draft and labor for the year 1895. (Buganda converts 5 IC into 13.51 HC)
The South-African “dash north” of the October-December 1894 has exhausted itself and, deprived of their offensive cheat, the Boers went on to expand their army dramatically in order to finally break the back of the Transatlantic Alliance’s resistance in African colonies. (Free Boer Republic: +4 Corps (-126.4 HC, -35.2 IC, -58.4 EC, -40.8 MC)))
Seeing that its entry into the war against Portugal-Brazil not only failed to break the Twin Crowns’ will to resist but also attracted Sardinia-Piedmont into the African conflict, the leadership of the Free Boer Republic had no other option but to greenlight a series of military doctrine reforms and rearmament programs, which coincided with a steady development of South-African passport system and power production methods, both of which are uncharacteristically sophisticated for that region. (Free Boer Republic adopts “Citizens’ data cards”, “Hydroelectric plants”, “Semi-automatic carbines”, “Battalions of Death and shock troops”, “Judo and hand-to-hand combat training”, “Maskirovka and military camouflage”, “Naval infantry”, “Amphibious operations”, “Echo-locating devices”, “Standardized shipbuilding practice” for -77.75 HC, -39.5 IC, -45 EC, -64.75 MC)
An-liang Emperor (also know as Abdul Majid I to his Muslim subjects), the head of the Ma Dynasty, now free from the turbulence of Han nationalist uprisings, is working on reshaping the realm’s administrative body. In the backward lands of the Tarim Basin and the two Mongolias, his wise focus has shifted to promoting policies that preserve and nourish the small core of Hui intellectuals and capable students, keeping them away from dying on the battlefield, succumbing to poverty, or, at times, even regulating who they should stay away from marrying. (Ma Dynasty adopts “Remplacement”, “Solidarist economy”, “Eugenic regulations”, “University stipends” for -372.99 HC, -120.09 EC, -4.14 MC)
The miserable fiasco of An-Liang Emperor’s outreach to his Muslim subjects this year has put on a wide display the primitivity of the Ma Dynasty’s bureaucracy, cultural actors, and intelligence services. With these thoughts in mind, a modernization program started across the realm (often borrowing from a wide arsenal of Taiping methods), touching also on the army’s capability to utilize its manpower to achieve strategic and tactical goals. (Ma Dynasty adopts “Eugenics and racial science”, “Social messianism and utopian thought”, “Cultism and self-devotion”, “Savant culture”, “Judo and hand-to-hand combat training”, “Stud farms and horse-powered mobility”, “Railway redeployment”, “Bicycle-riding and ski infantry”, “Trench raiding”, “Fortified districts”, “Paramilitary organizations” for -126.5 HC, -10 IC, -50 EC, -6.25 MC)
The reforms that the Ma Realm was undergoing were rather contagious, as the teocracy of Tibet also started to look for ways to protect and nourish not only its intellectuals, but a small sub-stratus of enterprising craftsmen. Still, some of the Ma methods were borrowed, as a “marriage code” was put together, regulating certain do’s and don’t’s of reproduction in the traditionalist Tibet society. (Tibet adopts “Eugenic regulations”, “Laissez-faire economy”, “Labor unionism”, “Gambling ban”, “Organized labor protection”, “University stipends” for -76.52 HC, -79.2 EC)
Ruling elites of the Taiping Mandate seem to be gradually embracing the ideas of eugenics and racial science (of course, with a shade of Chinese supremacism). Meanwhile, the Heavenly Chancellery’s attempt to introduce explosives and demolition in local mining practices was met with a disappointing discovery that the nation’s industrial capabilities could not yet support an establishment of any new explosives factories. (Taiping Mandate adopts “Eugenics and racial science” for -110 HC, -11 IC, -27.5 EC)
The flying craze continues possessing the upper class of Japanese “new order” nobility and servicemen class, being a civilian reflection of one of many war-related innovations that continue reshaping Tokugawa land and naval doctrine and logistics, (Tokugawa Shogunate adopts “Aerodynes and heavier-than-air flight”, “Airship reconnaissance”, “Battalions of Death and shock troops”, “Zamburak and mounted fire support”, “Stud farms and horse-driven mobility”, “Green-water navy”, “Riverine artillery”, “Mine-laying blimps”, “Wolf pack naval tactics” for -67 HC, -136 IC, -268.5 EC, -90 MC)
Japan’s booming heavy industry and high-tech sector are giving the Tokugawa Shogunate a powerful way of leveraging major trade contracts for foodstuffs, raw resources, and other labor-intensive commodities with Mexico and the CSA. (Tokugawa Shogunate: +400 HC, +240 EC, -64 MC; Confederate States of America: -400 HC, +24 MC; Mexico: -240 EC, +40 MC)
The war on land may be over for the Union of North America - at least, for the time being, - but the war at sea keeps demanding more and more ships. Besides, the UNA’s dedication to supporting its allies from the Monroe Conference Bloc only keep growing, meaning that an expansion of the Union’s intelligence agencies, industrial construction companies, and the Navy is underway. (Union of North America: +4 Missions, +4 Enterprises, +2 Squadrons (-125.2 HC, -130.2 IC, -327.8 EC, -231 MC))
Looking to streamline the Union’s decision-making process at times of war, President Fouracre has pushed a number of bills through the Congress, limiting the unprecedented influence of the judicial branch of power over the North-American politics. (Union of North America removes “Kritarchy” for -931.11 HC)
In order to support its South-American ally, the Union’s leadership has greenlit a major bank loan for the treasury of the United Communes, additionally sending plenty of North-American light industry goods to the Andes via newly expanded Mexican Pacific ports. (Union of North America: -100 EC; Communes of the Andes: +100 EC)
The Great Deflation of the Confederate economy that started under President Stone has continued under newly elected President Stand Watie Jr., this time taking “lives” of several major corporations that went bankrupt. (Confederate States of America: -4 Enterprise (-maintenance))
Despite the crisis in Dixieland, it’s clearly understood that before making more equipment, one has to build some of it. Electrification of the Confederate industry and construction of first electrical grids has necessitated adoption of alternating current across the nation. (Confederate States of America adopts “Alternating electric current” for -28.5 EC, -47.5 MC)
Having mourned the end of the prosperity of the past two years and a repeating failure of the Taiping Mandate to provide its assistance, the Ministry of Commerce of the State of Deseret went on to offer Mormon agricultural goods and other basic commodities to minor nations in possession of a surplus of obsolete armaments or unused industrial equipment. (Deseret: -150 HC, +15 MC; Caucasian Imamate: +100 HC, -10 MC; Haiti: +30 HC, -3 MC; Greece: +20 HC, -2 MC)
While the acute shortage of machine tools is slowly subsiding, the State of Deseret is still suffering from a lack of qualified cadres and magistrates for its diplomatic missions, state apparatus, education, and commerce. As a result, the nation’s bureaucracy and intelligence services are starting to be merged with various aspects of the Church of the Latter-day Saints. (Deseret: -1 Mission (-maintenance))
The Empire of Haiti is rising above its status of an insular hellhole ravaged by poverty to a status of a regional hellhole ravaged by ambitions of its Empress Marie I Adelina Soulouque. Hoping to take the reins of the island Empire’s ascension into her own hands, Marie has raised “Empress’ Own Imperial Corporation,” structured akin to Gran-Paraguayan “El Presidente’s” enterprises. (Haiti: +1 Enterprise (-10.2 HC, -2.3 IC, -23.6 EC, -14.4 MC))
In order to gain support for her personal venture into the field of business, Empress Marie I Adelina Soulouque of Haiti has passed a series of national reforms, graciously granting her workers a number of privileges as a true “enlightened despot” that she is. (Haiti adopts “Organized labor protection”, “Economic mutualism” for -5.62 HC, -1.5 IC, -23.01 EC)
As peace negotiations between the North-American Union and British Royal Commonwealth failed this spring, it became clear to the leaders of Quebec that matters of economic regulation could not be indefinitely postponed until after the war. A series of reforms were enacted with near-unanimous approval of the both Houses, establishing Quebec as one of the most economically centralized regions in North America, yet giving its citizens unspoken ways to enrich themselves within local economy. (Quebec adopts “Protectionism”, “Economic statism”, “Employment equity”, “Gray market economy”, “Open class economy”, “Benign neglect” for -32.92 HC, -13.57 IC, -70.55 EC, -0.87 MC)
To continue the reforms and simultaneously protect the young nation from feared British diversions, the Quebec’s authority is also funding a proper administrative apparatus, combined with a more robust intelligence service, based on the blueprint of the North-American State Bureau of Investigations. (Quebec: +1 Mission (-12 HC, -20.2 IC, -29.1 EC, -9.2 MC))
A risk of continued hostilities and (exaggerated, but real) chance of a British landing in Canada has given Quebec’s Defense Department enough arguments to persuade the deputies to greatly expand the military discretionary spending for this year, bringing the doctrine and logistical equipment of the tiny Quebecoi army to the level of top fighting forces on the globe. (Quebec adopts “Zamburak and mounted fire support”, “Stud farms and horse-powered mobility”, “Judo and hand-to-hand combat training”, “Telescopic sights and modern sniping”, “Indirect counter-barrage”, “Requisition and boarding”, “Bicycle-riding and ski infantry”, “Field hospital system”, “Penicillin and antibiotics”, “Trench raiding”, “Defense in depth”, “Fortified districts”, “Maskirovka and military camouflage”, “Dispersed combat tactics”, “Specialized troops”, “Paramilitary organizations”, “Women’s battalions”, “Auftragstaktik and command by initiative”, “Nihang and military sabotage” for -31 HC, -14.75 IC, -31.75 EC, -1.25 MC)
Great Colonial War: Ganges Basin Campaign
Q1-Q2 1895: General Ashmore, a hero of Canadian and Assamese campaigns, was promoted to Fieldmarshal in January 1895 not just in recognition of his outstanding (and unlikely) successes at the battlefields, but also as a motivation for him to produce yet another miracle. The miracle’s name was Operation Aglovale, and in all essence it was an attempt to produce a successful, short-range offensive that would bleed the Sikh army white using a combination of Ashmore’s previously successful “bite-and-hold” tactics and newly devised methods of chemical warfare. Yet, before the full scope of Operation Aglovale could be implemented, a small-scale test of its basis had to be run. A target for the first “bite-and-hold” attack was chosen deliberately to be located at the far range of the Sikh Doab positions and to be of critical importance for the Khalsa army. Naturally, the city of Gorakhpore, the easternmost railroad hub in Indostani possession, was chosen to be the target of the test attack. When the assault came, its success was absolute. Preparing for an offensive themselves, the outstretched and undersupplied Sikh troops, apparently, were caught completely flat-footed both by the gas attack and the British ability to bring heavy artillery to previously unreachable areas, using steam-propelled cannons with dreadnaught wheels. The subsequent operation also played out in full accordance to Fieldmarshal Ashmore’s prediction, as the Indostani command, afraid of losing such a critical infrastructure hub in the eve of their own big offensive in the Doab, ordered its troops to retake Gorakhpore at all cost. This was exactly what the “bite-and-hold” strategy was based on: blunt enemy attacks against a fortified point of strategic gravity. By the end of March it became clear that the battle of Gorakhpore was a bloodbath for the Indostani army, and the attacking forces were put to a rest due to their need to recover from horrifying losses. To Ashmore and his superiors, it was the only proof of concept that Operation Aglovale needed - a hubris that would soon prove to be fatal for the British army’s posture in the Gangetic Plain. It wouldn’t be until the Royal troops in the Ganges Delta and in the Doab collapse that the corps holding Gorakhpore was given an order to retreat. An order that would come too late. (Region Ganges Region gains -0.42% Regional Growth Fluctuation, British Royal Commonwealth gains +3.29% Regional Influence, Indostan loses -3.29% Regional Growth Fluctuation, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -4.63 HC, -1.26 IC< -3.49 EC, -1.95 MC, Indostan losses: -10.3 HC, -3.87 IC, -8.39 EC, -3.96 MC)
Battle of the Doab
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Literally translated as the “area in the confluence of two rivers,” the word “doab” defines vast plains that lie between great Indian rivers, consisting of fertile floodplains called “khadir” and elevated, drier plateaus named “bangar.” While the Indian subcontinent is a home to many doabs, the biggest one of them, known simply as the Doab, is located in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh just east of Delhi, between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. It’s a fertile valley with alluvial soils, hosting a multitude of ponds, rivers, and lakes, and featuring the highest population density known anywhere in the world (with most of the peasants, predictably, living in desperate poverty).While the avant-garde Sikh troops under Gurjant Singh have successfully entered some parts of the Doab earlier this year on the backs of the retreating Brits, now the Southwest monsoon is a true unseen enemy of any army that hopes to conquer this rich floodland. Having recovered from earlier defeats, the British hope to halt the Indostani offensive here, as losing the Doab might give the Sikhs and the Burmese a chance to link up their forces, forming a united front and an uninterrupted logistical network stretching from Lahore to Bangkok.
Q3-Q4 1894: The monsoon season of 1894 was known to be a huge factor in any active action on the Gangetic Plain, and it prompted the Indostani high command to go for a gamble: postpone all offensive action until the fall, giving the Brits more time to prepare, but simultaneously improving their own logistics to supply their own concentration of troops. That gamble largely paid off, although the logistical capabilities dedicated to that preparation were not enough to truly keep Faij-i-Gorkha well-supplied at the far eastern flank of the Pandava Offensive. All in all, the battle of Doab started in the late September-early October, when I, II, and XX Corps of elite Fauj-i-Khas broke through at Sandila, enveloped British fortress of Lucknow from the east, forcing it to be abandoned, secured Bareilly in a two-week siege, and pushed almost halfway to its secondary, “good-to-have” objective of Jaunpur. Meanwhile, to the east from it, a newly formed Fauj Ganga attacked the British at another key supply depot of Faizabad, which descended into a brutal struggle for the crossing of the Gogra river. By late December, news of the setbacks faced by Fauj-i-Gorkha to the east, combined with Burmese defeats, made it clear that the Doab couldn’t be completely swept in one quick blow, and the generals were allowed to let their troops rest, having secured most of the Central Provinces. Now, the British army is in a predicament. Giving up on the Doab completely creates a risk of the Sikh army having a chance to fix their logistical issues and strike eastward to rendezvous with their Burmese allies. However, by now the Royal Commonwealth’s forces mostly hold pockets in the khadir areas of the valley (wetter, lower rivershores prone to flooding), while the enemy enjoys security and comfort of the bangar (plateau) part of the Doab. This means that if the Lord-Protector and his generals are serious about keeping the Doab at least contested, they’d have to rectify this disadvantage before the next monsoon season. (Battle quest progress: 88.5%, Indostan losses: -31.57 HC, -11.19 IC, -18.88 EC, -10.09 MC, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -40.41 HC, -13.58 IC, -23.52 EC, -22.36 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The Indostani plan for the pre-monsoon season campaign of 1895 in the Ganges-Yamuna plain was born long before the battle of Gorakhpore had started. Known as Operation Ikshvaku, it was a brainchild of General Gurjant Singh, the man who brought the Sikh army to its present, promising stance in the Doab in the first place. Traditionally for the Sikh army in that war, the plan was solidly based on logistical assumptions. Yes, the Sikhs’ own lines of communications were overstretched, but the Raj’s construction crews were already working on mitigating that problem. As long as the Khalsa held the railroad line between Delhi, Lucknow, Faizabad, and Gorakhpore, its supply situation could at least be managed, or so the assumption went. As for the enemy, they just had to be deprived of the one big supply hub they still held in the Ganges plain, the city of Cawnpore. Thus, the scene was set for a series of simultaneous attacks performed by the both sides without as much as a secondary plan to hold back the enemy offensive. When the battle of the Doab reignited in full in the middle of March 1895, it quickly devolved into a series of brutal, open-field, half-week clashes, in which the armies coalesced to try and break the opponents’ momentum (such were the battles of Ajgain, Bangarnau, and the Ramganga river). Due to the size of the theater of war, positional warfare was mostly localized around critical infrastructure lines and hubs, and the armies were not big enough to develop continuous frontlines. That meant that the British mass-scale use of gas shells was very often of limited (if any) user in mobile operations, as the enemies’ disposition could change rather quickly. Still, on a few occasions (such as in the battle of Unnao, a town laying on the road to Cawnpore) Ashmore’s troops managed to get the enemy do what they wanted, executing their beloved “bite-and-hold” operations against amassed enemy attacks. However, even in these cases the Sikh troops were too numerous and their tactical training was too diverse for gas shells alone to win battles for the Royal Army. By mid-May, it became clear for Fieldmarshal Ashmore that Operation Aglovale had failed to produce its desired results. The enemy’s loses were significant, but the same could be said about the British troops as well, and the Brits couldn’t replace them as easily. Breaking out of the “khadir” floodplains before the monsoon season also had failed, and retreating across the Yamuna to the opposite “bangar” plateau (the only remaining defensible position in the vicinity of the Doab) was also now an ordeal, as the Sikhs continued their pressure from all directions and gave the British army no time to rest or even withdraw in order. But the worst factor in Ashmore’s situation was the collapse of British defenses far to the east, in Bengal. Now, the army involved in Operation Aglovale didn’t even have time to perform a tactical withdrawal by “leapfrogging” regiments from one defensive position to another. Soon, Unnao was abandoned to the enemy in the very center of British defenses, and with its loss, Cawnpore was vacated as well - but not before the British troops destroyed virtually everything they could in that important regional transportation hub. A similar fate awaited Gorakhpore, but its own garrison (the only relatively cohesive British force in the Doab at that moment) eventually got trapped between the Burmese and Sikh columns advancing from the east and the west, and eventually capitulated. Monsoon rains came early that year, in late May, and many British brigades ended up being trapped on the wrong side of the Yamuna, attempting to cross the swollen river under fire after having abandoned their heavy equipment. Ashmore still managed to extract some forces safely, but they were in no shape (and not in big enough numbers) to wage any sort of defense on the other side of the Yamuna. As for the triumphant Gurjant Singh, he did manage to get some Khalsa brigades across the river (fighting more the elements than the enemy at that point), but soon it became obvious that the damage done by the fighting and the retreating British to the local infrastructure blocked his advances for a while. With that, the devastating Battle of the Doab was over, and Gurjant Singh finally could give his troops a well-deserved rest. (Battle quest completed with full success, region Ganges Region gains -3% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Indostan gains +7.29% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -7.29% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth: -4 Corps, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -81.12 HC, -21.99 IC, -61.09 EC, -34.21 MC, Indostan losses: -57.95 HC, -21.48 IC, -51.65 EC, -26.61 MC)
Great Colonial War: Malwa Campaign
Q1-Q2 1895: After the dramatic offensive of the last year, the first half of 1895 was a relatively quiet time for the both armies facing each other in the hills of Malwa. For the British, the region was important only as a cover of Fieldmarshal Ashmore’s force’s left flank, connecting the troops performing Operation Algovale to the defensive line in the Satpura Mountains. Meanwhile, the Sikhs cared only about posturing there, but not really attacking, as the bulk of their forces was gathering farther south-west for a push into Khandesh from a transportation hub of Surat, so the army stationed in Malwa was expected to act merely as a diversion. This mutual disinterest in escalation of hostilities meant that little actual fighting took place in that previously contested region this year, as only the Asirgarh Pass saw some combat as a diversionary Sikh attack kept the British troops engaged for a few weeks before being briefly counter-attacked. (Region Central India gains -0.05% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Indostan gains +0.29% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -0.29% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -1.54 HC, -0.42 IC, -1.16 EC, -0.65 MC, Indostan losses: -1.72 HC, -0.64 IC, -1.4 EC, -0.66 MC)
Battle of the Hundred Mountains
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The Satpura Mountain Range runs along the border of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh all the way east to the Chhattisgarh province, effectively separating the grand river valleys of North India from the plateaus of the south and center of the subcontinent. Deriving its name from a Sanskrit word that means “Hundred Mountains,” the Satpura Range has become a natural defensive line for the British army that hopes to plug the gap that has appeared between its positions in Maharashtra and the doabs of the Gangetic Plain. All General Ashmore’s successes against the Burmese Imperial Army may be in vain if only the Indostani troops break through Satpura and spill onto the Deccan Plateau or, even worse, reach Karnatik and separate Bengal from the south of the subcontinent. One way or another, the battle of the Hundred Mountains may turn out to be the next big chance for the British army to save its face and its standing in India.
Q1-Q2 1895: Operation Sita of the Khalsa high command was, like many other Sikh war plans, based on an elaborate deception campaign. While professional use of military camouflage and dummy equipment pieces typical for modern “maskirovka” techniques were only starting to find their way to the Indostani military practice, the Raj’s military intelligence was pulled into leaking to the Brits fake plans of an allegedly coming Sikh offensive toward Indore. That meant that for the most of the spring 1895, an entire British army was stationed along the entire length of the Satpura Mountain Range, preparing to fight the enemy back at all cost or flank the Indostani push toward Indore (an operation that the Round Table in London, obsessed with Arthurian epics, named Operation Bagdemagus). However, the Royal Commonwealth was no longer content with simply reacting to the enemy’s attacks. General Sir Redvers Henry Buller, past superior of Fieldmarshal Ashmore and now his biggest critic (mostly due to Ashmore’s meteoric rise contrary to all rules of military seniority) proposed an operation that was, in a sense, an opposite of Ashmore’s own “bite-and-hold” approach (which, in truth, was really not that much liked by Ashmore himself). Named Operation Bedivere, Buller’s plan was to push with one motorised army from the Satpuras toward Surat, not necessarily taking the town, but shelling it and making it worthless for logistical purposes. And so, while the Sikh deception campaign continued throughout the first months of the year, the two opposing forces were getting ready for a campaign that would eventually lead them to a bloody collision. Operations Sita and Bedivere started on the same week, on March 2 and March 5 respectively. Almost immediately, the clash evolved into a classic field battle of converging corps in the hills surrounding Devghat Waterfalls on the Tapi river. The Forested landscape somewhat saved the Sikhs from the worst of the British gas attacks, but soon it became clear that their own push eastward wasn’t going to succeed either.By mid-April it became clear for Buller that the troops protecting the Hundred Mountains were not going to get the attack they were expecting. Thus, he used his seniority and army reputation to pull many divisions stationed in the Satpuras to his own offensive west. Soon, Operation Bedivere was re-started as an attack by two parallel columns on the two sides of the Tapi River, culminating in Indostani defeats at Tadkeswar and Bardoli. Shortly before the monsoon season started, an advancing British regiment of Peshawar Lancers even entered the Armenian cemetery at the outskirts of Surat, but they were repelled by a spirited counter-attack. Soon, however, British road locomotives and steam-propelled cannons arrived to the outskirts of the city, and the bombardment of the city started as per Buller’s plan. A resulting fire in the famous silk warehouse spread around the city and was put down only by a three-day rain. Still, the Sikh army suddenly found itself in a desperate struggle to hold the only logistical hub connecting Bombay to Gujarat. Damage done to the local railway station by the bombardments has already been significant, and some officers even propose turning historical Surat Castle into a stronghold, anticipating an urban assault any moment. Should Surat fall or get ruined, all successes of the Bombay campaign could be reverted - or worse! (Battle quest progress: -76.29%, Indostan losses: -67.43 HC, -27.62 IC, -60.21 EC, -28.06 MC, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -24.7 HC, -6.7 IC, -18.6 EC, -10.42 MC)
Great Colonial War: Bombay Campaign
Q1-Q2 1895: While the drama of Surat was still being in its preparational stage, south of it the opposing forces were preparing for an equally dramatic struggle for the biggest port in India. On the Indostani side, Operation Rama was a simple push south from Daman by Sardar Raja (General) Mahan Singh Majithia, an unimaginative commander, who was still incredibly popular among his soldiers. On the opposing side, Operation Bors was drawn with the expectation that the Sikhs will put their best troops on the spearhead of their advance (as they had previously done, and as Mahan Singh was indeed going to do), so the best British defenses were to be put directly on the road toward Bombay. Simplistic as the two plans were, they provided conditions for a fight that would capture imagination of the both nations. Motivated by Mahan Singh, Indostani soldiers surprised everyone, including themselves, by attacking even against walls of poisonous fog produced by the British gas shells, using their scarves or, sometimes, even turbans (a blasphemy for Sikhs, but not for their Jain, Hindu, or Muslim subjects) as makeshift protection from the gases. Experts, meanwhile, pointed out that the gas attacks often failed simply because the barrage was performed not before, but during the Indostani advance, letting the attacking troops leave the gas cloud behind quickly (lack of knowledge of meteorology on the British side didn’t help). Eventually, the British defenses were broken in twin battles of the Vaitarna River and Palghar, and Mahan Singh’s exhausted, bloodied troops entered Bombay on the backs of the retreating British, only to find out that they couldn’t advance any further. To make matters worse, the British blockade of the Arabian Sea made the port virtually useless for the Indostani logistics (although depriving the British of Bombay’s capacity had a value by itself). And as a final negative note, the news of Surat being threatened by the British made everyone but the formidable Mahan Singh Majithia himself wonder if the conquest of Bombay was at all going to last. (Region Central India gains -0.84% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Indostan gains +5.03% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -5.03% Regional Influence, Indostan losses: -32.67 HC, -12.28 IC, -26.63 EC, -12.57 MC, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -34.53 HC, -9.36 IC, -26 EC, -14.56 MC)
Battle of the Arabian Sea
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: In the beginning of the Great Colonial War, the Royal Commonwealth had barely a few battle-ready ships in the entirety of the Indian Ocean, trusting their then-allies, the Burmese, to patrol that region for them. However, when it became clear that a war for India was inevitable, the Admiralty immediately rushed a fleet to its bases in Bombay and Calcutta, using the armistice with France as a way to move most of the ships and merchant marine via the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Canal. Still, for a few weeks since the declaration of war came, the British shipping in the Arabian Sea was completely at the mercy of Indostani raiders, which was the period when most of the British cargo losses were suffered. Once better armored, armed, and trained squadrons of British ships started arriving to the region, the Sikh navy started facing first checks and setbacks, having lost a few cruisers in a convoy attack near Cape Gwardafuy in Somalia and in a series of skirmishes over the Carlsberg Ridge. Now that the British fleets are properly rebased, the end of 1894 might finally see a reversal of the Indostani naval gains. (Battle quest progress: 33.33%, Indostan losses: -9.01 HC, -5.73 IC, -14.99 EC, -24.9 MC, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -14.87 HC, -9.81 IC, -22.3 EC, -35.62 MC)Q3-Q4 1894: While the second half of 1894 was largely successful for Indostan at war, the sea remained one place where the British Royal Navy continued to shine. Having realized how far his own young fleet was from the modern navies of Great Britain, the Sikh Maharaja weighed in on the orders of this Admiralty to keep Indostani navy mostly in harbor, adhering to the good old “fleet-in-being” doctrine. And being it did do, although not much of anything else. Once commanders of the British Bombay fleet (much smaller, but better trained and equipped than the enemy’s) realized that Indostani raiders significantly lowered their activity, they immediately launched a counter-raiding campaign that almost fully reversed the situation in the Arabian Sea. While in the first half of the year, British ships heading for the subcontinent were constantly harassed, in the second part Indostani merchant marine suddenly found itself a target of well-planned, daring British raids. Several times, the Indostani main navy did leave the Karachi harbor to intercept small groups of British cruisers, but these sorties were easily spotted by British airship carriers, and resulting open sea engagements were indecisive, as the Royal Navy had full initiative. At this point, paradoxically, the Sikh Empire stands virtually on the brink of being cut off from all and any trade partners (as no secure, high-throughput land route exists between it and the rest of the world), including even its allies - a problem that might be mitigated, but which would be guaranteed to hurt the Indostani war effort. (Battle quest progress: -99.05%, Indostan losses: -13.8 HC, -7.67 IC, -18.19 EC, -30.97 MC, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -7.49 HC, -5.04 IC, -11.23 EC, -17.84 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The possibility of having Indostan cut off from the rest of the Anti-British coalition made its allies rather worried to such a degree that the Tokugawa Shogunate and Free Boer Republic (once almost mutual enemies themselves) offered their help at breaking the back of the British blockading efforts. For the Japanese Imperial Navy, it meant a relatively dangerous voyage around the southern tip of India (an operation that their state-of-the-art fleet performed without as much as a single loss of a ship, all thanks to newly installed telemobiloscopes) and into relatively small and humbly equipped docks of Karachi. The Boers, also unexpected masters of open sea warfare, planned a similar operation, which involved negotiated access to Egyptian harbors and refueling stations in the Red Sea and Somalia. That agreement, however, fell through, when the Khedive was pressed by his diplomats and economists to stay neutral in the conflict, lest Egypt loses the giant toll income it received from the British passing through the Suez Canal. As a result, the Boer fleet was also hindered at its campaign, being forced to operate from its primitive bases in occupied Moçambuque and Madagaskar. As for the Royal Navy, the completion of the Indostani blockade became its focal point for the first part of 1895, with a full third of the entire navy being dedicated to the task. This, to a degree, defined a hectic campaign of double interdiction, in which the Brits did their best to destroy Indostani merchant marine and its convoys, while the Japanese and the Boers intercepted British patrols where they could with their cruisers and ocean-going submarines. At one point, Indostani high command attempted to propose a joint sortie aiming for a decisive battle, but the amount of coordination for such a task made the plan completely unrealistic. Facing mounting losses, the Royal Navy had no choice but to escalate its confrontation against the Sikh fleet, attempting raids on Indostan’s ports. The task was made easy by the fact that Karachi itself was responsible for over 80% of all peaceful and military shipping, repairs, and maintenance, so provoking the Sikhs into an “honest” battle proved to be easy (if anything, they had no other choice, unless they wanted to be destroyed in harbor). The battle of Ras Muari (a cape not far from Karachi) was a one-sided engagement, in which only the Tokugawa flotilla managed to keep its cohesion and disengage without a single lost ship (although almost every ship in the flotilla was seriously damaged or crippled). As for the Indostani navy, it was truly shown its place, returning to the harbor only thanks to a signalling confusion on the part of its British pursuers. With that, both the Indostany fleet and its Japanese allied force found themselves locked in the Karachi harbor, possibly for the rest of the war. As for Indostan’s war effort, its merchant marine soon resorted to the same fate, unexpectedly putting the Sikh Empire into a deep economic crisis. The only consolation for the Sikhs was the resounding success of the Thale Noi Lake Pact armies in the fields of India, connecting Indostan directly to its Burmese allies via a land route. (Battle quest completed, Indostan: -100 HC, -20 IC, -140 EC, -60 MC, -1 Squadron, British Royal Commonwealth gain +1 CR when attacking Indus Region, Central India from sea, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -34.24 HC, -23.07 IC, -51.36 EC, -81.57 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -5.49 HC, -4.93 IC, -10.41 EC, -12.68 MC, Free Boer Republic losses: -6.36 HC, -7.5 IC, -13.05 EC, -15.47 MC, Indostan losses: -13.8 HC, -7.67 IC, -18.19 EC, -30.97 MC)
Great Colonial War: Bengal Campaign
Q1-Q2 1895: When (then) General Ashmore was pulled from his Bengal campaign command toward planning Operation Aglovale, he was asked to assign one of his trusted officers to supervise what the British high command saw as an easy defensive operation against the “failing” Burmese army. Unknown to the poor soul, with Ashmore, an entire half of the British army in the theater was gone westward. As a final nail in the coffin, all ships dedicated to protecting the Ganges delta and the littoral waters of the Bay of Bengal were reassigned to the ambitious operation in the Arabian Sea. All in all, the unfull British army left to defend Bengal from Burmese “incursions” was simply left for dead by its leaders, and it’s unclear why the high command even bothered to give a name to the entire “operation” (as glorious as that name was - Operation Agravain). With Burmese Admiral Than Pe taking charge of the entire Burmese army in the area, the British had no chances to hold the enemy back. Thanks to him, excess troops were removed from the campaign into the rear, and additional logistical support was requested from luuhcu companies, easing the pressure on the Burmese logistical network. Meanwhile, after some naval reconnaissance and confirmed defeat of Admiral Fisher’s force in the Bay of Bengal, Arakanese marines proceeded landing behind the British lines, threatening to cut them off by taking control of the entire Ganges delta. This set the stage for a truly desperate (if not to say “embarrassing”) campaign, in which the British army gave few battles to the enemy, being constantly swarmed from too many directions, unable to either outrun or outmaneuver the enemy, and constantly under a threat of being cut-off. Only relative lack of operational mobility on the part of Admiral Than Pe’s troops saved the British troops from being overrun, encircled, and destroyed during their crossing of the Ganges in early April and many times later. While the army continues to exist on paper, almost all of its equipment has been abandoned, and the future of Carnatic is unsure, as Calcutta is now firmly in the hands of the triumphant Arakanese naval infantry, and the region of Orissa is swarming with Burmese forward troops. (Region Ganges Region gains -1.47% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Third Burmese Empire gains +7.67% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -7.67% Regional Influence, region Central India gains -3.89% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Third Burmese Empire gains +23.19% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -23.19% Regional Influence, Third Burmese Empire losses: -19.66 HC, -6.66 IC, -23.84 EC, -21.21 MC, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -87.96 HC, -23.85 IC, -66.24 EC, -37.09 MC)
Battle of Ceylon
Q1-Q2 1895: While the British Secret Ward and Royal Army’s garrison fought Sinhalese rebels as a part of Operation Cador, a cerebral campaign of previously unseen complexity was taking place in the Bay of Bengal. Admiral John “Jackie” Fisher and his Bengal Fleet were ordered to ignore the insurgency raging in their rear and pull off yet another successful interception of the enemy fleet if it ever attempts to land on Ceylon. In Admiral Fisher’s eyes, the task didn’t look quite as easy, as his enemies surely were learning on their mistakes, and their supply situation was only getting improved by the expansion of Japanese bases on the Chosama island. Besides, it was fairly well-known that the Tokugawa navy was undergoing an ambitious upgrade effort, modernizing existing ships and producing new, more advanced designs by month. Still, Fisher’s previous daring successes proved to be his curse, as he was denied reinforcements based on the basis of his earlier triumphs. Left with no better options, he reserved to performing yet another hunt-and-destroy operation on the enemy flotilla of troop transports. There was little doubt that another attempt of an amphibious landing was coming, because in January-early February multiple reports of sightings of Burmese unprotected cruisers started reaching Colombo, suggesting that the enemy was performing reconnaissance missions. The assumption was proven true on February 21, when a British airship reported sighting of a big convoy crossing the Bay of Bengal under a heavy escort of Japanese and Burmese ships. Lacking nimble commerce raiders and ocean-going submerged attack vessels, Jackie Fisher had no better options than hope to bait the enemy armada into a false pursuit, outmaneuver it with the bulk of his group and destroy as many transports as possible. An opportunity presented itself 300 miles south-west of the Nicobar Island, when a significant gap appeared in the Thale Noi Lake Pact’s escorting formation, possibly due to bad weather on that day. Fisher used that chance to get close to the transports and start his rampage. Surprisingly, his spotters reported not seeing any soldiers escape the sunk transports, and on a few cases when lighter British ships approached the enemy vessels close enough, the transports fired back from hidden naval cannons. Soon it became clear that Fisher’s task force was destroying decoy vessels that were armed to sink light commerce raiders or surfaced submarines, but couldn’t do much damage to British warships. However, the nature of the bait became obvious, when the rest of the enemy fleet started approaching Fisher’s task force from multiple directions. The entire operation was planned as a trap by Tokugawa Admiral Itō Sukeyuki, a veteran of the Pacific campaign promoted to be a head of the Japanese task force dedicated to the capture of Ceylon. The resulting two-day naval action was promising to become an unmitigated disaster for the British navy, had it not been for a big operational gap that appeared in the Burmese line on the second day due to a confusion caused by the lack of blinking light signalling on the Third Empire’s ships (spotters ended up confusing flag signals in the dusk). That gave Fisher’s ships a chance to escape, but not before many of them (including two dreadnoughts) went to the bottom of the sea. While his own group retreated back to Trincomalee for repairs (being in no shape to continue the naval action), the triumphant Itō dispatched several light ships to the Andamans, where the real invasion force of Japanese and Mon infantry was amassed and ready for departure. The troop transports crossed the Bay of Bengal unmolested and split into three groups that were supposed to rendezvous with their warships at the approach of their targets. One of such targets was, surprisingly, not a Ceylonese port, but the city of Madras at the Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu. Local garrison of Royal Marines was caught unprepared by the attack and lost almost all city except Fort St. George (which also lasted barely three days of bombardment) in an anticlimactic fight. Perhaps, the garrison commander, already made aware of the threat, couldn’t believe that any infantry force crossing such a vast distance by sea would be in any shape to fight. While the crossing of the Bay of Bengal was indeed a giant strain on the Pact’s troops’ morale and stamina, a recent addition of dynamo machines to the Japanese ships helped to keep at least the core of Tokugawa marines in a reasonable fighting shape. In the end these were the feared Rikusentai that surprised the British defenders with their fast landing on the giant Marina beach, using powerboats to reach the shore ahead of Mon infantry of Burma that used exotic-looking traditional rowing longboats. If Madras was a story of a surprising and almost bloodless victory, the city of Pondicherry to its south was a harder nut to crack. After the exhausted Thale Noi Lake Pact forces were decimated by machine gun fire on the beaches, the operation turned into a proper naval siege (in which the attackers at least had support of having Madras harbor for repairs and re-equipment). Admiral Itō’s suggestion to use Burmese unprotected cruisers for rushing the Chunnambar river ended poorly, because the lighter vessels were shallow enough to enter the littoral waters, but not armored well enough to withstand artillery duels with British coastal batteries. Eventually, a village of Villenore fell south of Pondicherry, and Japanese marines managed to split British defences in two under heavy fire by going up the Thengaithittu Estuary at night (an element of surprise was ruined by the roar of powerboat engines). Once the Red Hill overlooking the city was taken and a word was received of no reinforcements coming, the defenders had to capitulate. When Madras and Pondicherry were already flying the banners of the Konbaung and Yamato dynasties, the Ceylonese port of Trincomalee was still holding. The fifth largest natural harbor in the world and a base of Admiral Fisher’s group, the city proved to be an extremely hard target. Even damaged, British warships could support their garrison troops with super-heavy artillery many miles away from the city, turning the Japanese plan to overstretch the enemy by landing on the opposite sides of the Koddiyar Bay into a bloody struggle. Eventually, a British outpost in the village of Seruwawila in the south was taken after Rikusentai managed to cross the virgin Ullackallie Lagoon on their beloved powerboats, and a similar tactics was used at Kampurupiddi in the north. Still, both landing sites were too far from the city, and the siege turned into a bizarre small-scale imitation of European trench warfare, as the Mon and Japanese marines continued fighting their way to the city’s approaches. Turret artillery of Fort Frederick kept the beaches of the Back and Dutch bays impossible to assault, and the fort itself, located on a cape, defended against the enemy in semi-isolation for 84 days. While it held, Admiral Itō’s navy shrunk, as the ships suffered immense attrition and had to eventually be pulled one by one to Madras for repairs. A desperate attempt to damage Fisher’s force inside the Inner Harbor failed, as the Sober and Small Sober islands in its entry held the attack with their batteries. Once Fort Frederick was taken by a desperate Banzai charge (being by then almost completely leveled by Japanese and Burmese artillery), Fisher’s position became untenable. He left all wounded and dying in the city’s hospitals and ordered to scuttle ships that were too damaged to make a breakthrough, and then ordered a sortie. To Fisher’s luck, Itō’s own flotilla was significantly diminished and couldn’t hold back the attack. Fisher’s force retreated to Colombo, the capital of British Ceylon, where it learned that the British garrison was simultaneously fortifying the northern tip of Ceylon, protecting the city of Jaffna and a smaller harbor of Port Pedro. At this critical time, the monsoon season came, giving Fisher and his army comrades time to establish a thin line of defenses and communications along the western coast of the island, supplied both by sea and via the Adam’s Bridge, a thin line of shallow water and limestone shoals connecting India to Ceylon. Now, defense of Ceylon and the destiny of its garrison depend on whether the Colombo-Jaffna line is defensible at all. (Battle quest completed, (Battle quest progress: 91.37%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -17.12 HC, -11.53 IC, -25.68 EC, -40.78 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -5.21 HC, -4.68 IC, -9.89 EC, -12.04 MC, Third Burmese Empire losses: -9.11 HC, -5.24 IC, -14.79 EC, -20.28 MC)
Great Colonial War: Queensland Campaign
Q1-Q2 1895: Tokugawa aims for the Pacific campaign of the first half of 1895 were humble. Instead of “island-hopping” to secure all the numerous nominally British islands in the east, the Shogunate concentrated on getting some boots on the ground of Australia. For that purpose, a cautious, limited invasion campaign was designed, looking to capture three islands of civilization of northern and central Queensland: Rockhampton, MacKay, Townsville, and Cairns. A precursor of this was a cautious reconnaissance campaign that, besides giving Tokugawa commanders in the area some confidence, also gave away their plans. Still, at the midst of spring rains, the invasion was given a “go.” Out of all three towns, the northern train terminal of Cairns turn out to be the easiest target, protected by exactly seven soldiers (three of them deserters transported south by the other four). In Townsville, a bit of fighting did take place over the sugar cane plantation, but in the end the meager garrison of British marines capitulated, when a Japanese migrant worker guided a Rikusentai team to a weak point in the British defenses. The tiny harbor of MacKay was a site of a gunboat duel (the first naval action of the campaign), which the Japanese ship handedly won, essentially taking the town before the Tokugawa navy even could arrive in force. The only hiccup of the land campaign took place in Rockhampton, where improvised redoubts at Port Alma and Balaklava Island held for three days, until a Japanese ironclad made its way around the neighboring reef and leveled all defenses. The Japanese forces didn’t attempt to advance past these gains south to Brisbane and instead concentrated on connecting all four strongpoints with a line of land communications (a recently built railroad came in handy). However, the naval campaign was just starting, as the British navy instead concentrated on harassing the Tokugawa merchant marine tasked with supplying the Australian invasion force. The remaining three months of the campaign, the campaign of naval interdiction continued without a clear winner, leaving plenty of the continent yet to be conquered and the British fleet in that part of the Pacific threatened, but mostly at large. (Region Australia-Oceania gains -1.02% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Tokugawa Shogunate gains +12.78% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -12.78% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -7.6 HC, -5.12 IC, -11.4 EC, -18.11 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -11.07 HC, -9.95 IC, -21.02 EC, -25.59 MC)
Second Atlantic War: Moçambique Campaign
Q1-Q2 1895: When the hero of the first Angolan campaign, General Piet Cronjé presented his strategic plan for January-June 1895 to the Boer high command, it didn’t look like a brilliant idea, but it was the best idea the Boers had. They knew that Portobrazilian African held out last year mostly thanks to a timely Sardinian intervention, and now Cronjé wished to isolate the Twin Crowns’ Moçambique garrison from the rest of the empire and strangle that heavily fortified zone into submission. To do so, Cronjé wished to use the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi River as a natural separation line between the eastern theater (tasked with enveloping joint Sardino-Portobrazilian defenses in Moçambique) and the western theater (which was simply tasked with pushing the enemy north where possible). First weakness of this plan was already known to the Boer planners: in Zambia, where the main thrust was supposed to take place, the Republican rear was remarkably shallow, due to the vast Kalahari Desert being located right behind the fighting forces. The second (and, in retrospect, quite obvious) flaw was the assumption that the enemy troops could be split at all, given the depth of the Congo Basin the Boer offensive would have to control to prevent their infiltration and retreat west. Still, the first strike toward Élisabethville in early February was an unmitigated success, mostly due to the fact that the enemy faced similar logistical issue and also had to reshuffle the troops, freeing some Portobrazilian troops for a trip to South America and replacing them with Sardinian reinforcements. Despite being unable to advance any further, General Cronjé still achieved great success with this operation, cutting the Latin Belt in the middle and making the supply situation of the Moçambiqan garrison untenable in the long term. Yet, a quick follow-up attempt to take João Belo on the Limpopo river shore further south-east failed again, and the envelopment of the colony temporarily stalled. By April 4-7 (the days of the third failed assault on João Belo), it looked like Moçambique could still be saved, but by then the Republican navy squadron stationed in Madagaskar specifically for participating in the operation had its amphibious invasion prepared. The naval invasion of Quelimane and the Rio dos Bons Sinais delta was initially almost botched, when a North-German fleet appeared in the Moçambique strait, aggressively posturing for quite some time and even provoking an exchange of gunshots between it and a single Boer monitor (with no damage done to either of the forces). However, soon a packet boat arrived from General Cronjé’s staff, ordering the squadron commander to initiate the operation with disregard of the North-Germans (by then, it was confirmed with the Federation’s ambassador in Johannesburg that the nations were at the state of peace with each other). While the Boer naval infantry failed to advance more than five miles east of quickly capture Quelimane before being stopped, the threat of having South-African monitors in the Rio dos Bons Sinais behind the Portobrazilian lines was too great for them to continue their spirited resistance along the Limpopo. Soon, a long, costly withdrawal of the Sardinian and Portobrazilian troops started, with few battles occurring for the remainder of the campaign, as the armies mostly ploughed their way through the jungles of Sardinian Upper Congo (where malaria, dysentery, and the elements proved to be much more deadly than the enemy bullets). In a few cases, some Portobrazilian and Sardinian units were forced to infiltrate between the Boer strong points, leading to desperate localised skirmishes. All in all, Cronjé’s plan has mostly worked, but his intent to envelop and destroy a significant part of the enemy troops nonetheless failed. (Region East Africa gains -3.14% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Free Boer Republic gains +18.01% Regional Influence, Portugal-Brazil loses -18.01% Regional Influence, Free Boer Republic losses: -21.73 HC, -9.13 IC, -15.47 EC, -14.22 MC, Sardinia-Piedmont losses: -34.32 HC, -9.84 IC, -24.48 EC, -9.36 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -3.88 HC, -1.21 IC, -2.66 EC, -1.51 MC)
Second Atlantic War: Angola-Zambia Campaign
Q1-Q2 1895: While to the east of the Kariba Gorge the Boers fought to destroy the enemy, to the west the plan was generally to hold what’s been conquered and push the enemy north where possible. The strength of the opposing armies was equal, and infrastructure was much more developed closer to the shore, making the campaign unlikely to result in anything decisive. That expectation largely held true, as only a few tactical engagements took place across West Zambia and Central Angola. The focal point of the campaign became the siege of Ambriazete, the last Portobrazilian infrastructure hub along the Atlantic shore in that region. Sardinian troops holding the city were a part of the colonial army familiar with warfare in rainforests of the Congo, so they held back against the Boers, repelling seven half-hearted attempts to take the city. The final act of the campaign was their victorious counter-attack on May 27, which was the first case of gas warfare in Africa. Unprepared, the Boer troops routed, being pushed several dozen kilometers south of the city. The rumor of the new horrifying weapon soon spread through the region, and for the rest of the campaign the Sardinians were left undisturbed in their positions. (Region Congo-Gabon Region gains -0.08% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Portugal-Brazil gains +0.61% Regional Influence, Free Boer Republic loses -0.61% Regional Influence, Sardinia-Piedmont losses: -27.89 HC, -8 IC, -19.89 EC, -7.61 MC, Free Boer Republic losses: -26.02 HC, -7.25 IC, -12.02 EC, -8.4 MC)
Gran-Colombian War of Independence: Colombian Campaign
Q1-Q2 1895: With the collapse of the Republic of Gran Colombia, the entire military campaign across the country had devolved into series of Andean-backed insurgencies and Mexican defense of Cartagena’s approaches. The importance of forward defense of Cartagena was obvious to the Mexican high command, as keeping the Portobrazilians outside of the artillery range from the city’s two harbors was crucial for successful delivery of supply. This largely defined the campaign, in which the Mexican divisions managed to briefly expand the defensive perimeter of the city in January-early March to a Pasacaballos-Turbaco-La Siriaca line. They then spent the rest of the spring and early summer fighting off the Portobrazilian counterattacks and slowly trading land for time. As much as the luck was on the side of the Twin Crowns’ side, the Mexican army proved once again to be specifically trained for defense, stalling any attempts to turn this or that successful attack into a breakthrough. By the end of the first half of the year, the Mexican corps returned to Cartagena’s immediate suburbs, and feared paramilitary battalions of Rurales blocked a Portobrazilian attempt to surpass these defenses by rushing through the La Boquilla foreland on June 14-18. Thus, despite some local gains, Portugal-Brazil failed to destroy Cartagena’s perimeter during the time when it was most vulnerable. (Regional Growth Fluctuation -0.67%, Portugal-Brazil gains +3.05% Regional Influence, Mexico loses -1.5% Regional Influence, Union of North America loses -1.55% Regional Influence, Portugal-Brazil losses: -14 HC, -4.36 IC, -9.59 EC, -5.45 MC, Mexico losses: -19.11 HC, -6.44 IC, -12.16 EC, -8.69 MC)
Siege of Cartagena
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Truth be told, the Gran-Colombian army is vulnerable to a breakthrough in virtually any spot along its overstretched frontline due to a vital supply line running north-to-south just a few dozen kilometers behind their positions. However, out of all possible transportation hubs, the Caribbean port city of Cartagena stands out as the only remaining northern port capable of receiving support from North-American members of the Monroe Conference Bloc. Threatened from the south-east by the Portobrazilian army and from the west by the Twin Crowns’ fleet and naval infantry, this important port must be held by the Gran-Colombians at all cost if they wish to keep the Republic alive for much longer. Known as Cartagena de Indias (Cartagena of the Indias) during the Spanish colonial rule, this ancient town was bestowed a title of the “Heroic City” by Simon Bolivar the Liberator himself after it was captured by a patriot army and navy from the Spanish royalists 1821. Now, however, Cartagena may have to stand up to its name once again.
Q3-Q4 1894: When the ships of the Armada de Mexico arrived to the Cienaga de la Virgen and troops of the VII. Field Division of the Mexican Army started disembarking in the city’s harbor, they were met by thousands of Gran-Colombians with songs, dancing… and pleas for help. The situation at the front was dire, and the people knew it. All August and early September were spent in attempts to fortify the city’s eastern and southern approaches, in which the civil engineering force of the United States of Mexico came in very handy. First Portobrazilian probing attacks came on September 21, at Castillo De San Felipe De Barajas, a fort located on the strategic Hill of San Lázaro dominating the harbor. There, the Portobrazilians got their first taste of the Mexican killing fields, as the attackers were mowed down with machine gun fire. Several more probes came from the south, with similar results. Soon, a tense stalemate descended on the city outskirts, as the both armies specialised in defense, with the Mexican army doing so in a hypertrophic way. Kilometers of trenches were dug, and Mexican paramilitary units of Rurales became notorious for their bloody trench raids. However, the stagnation of the siege was broken by the news of the Republican government’s surrender in late November. Soon, realization of an impending catastrophe settled in, as the city was about to become a single beachhead held by anti-Portobrazilian forces in the entire country, with a blockade about to be established. The Mexican Navy started a desperate convoy-running campaign and gave the Portobrazilians an open sea battle in a hope to drive them away and create a safe corridor connecting the city to the Mexican bases in the Caribbean. Known as the battle of Islote De Santa Cruz, that engagement once again displayed the shortcomings of the Armada de Mexico, as two breastwork battleships were lost to the enemy volleys before the dusk. While the land defense of Cartagena remains to be strong, the small city remains to be the only location in Gran Colombia, to which any convoys from the Monroe Conference powers can run, leaving the future of the Mexican garrison quite dim. (Battle quest progress: -61.22%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -23.69 HC, -10.05 IC, -18.75 EC, -23.76 MC, Mexico losses: -27.49 HC, -15.51 IC, -33.65 EC, -38.58 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: While the Mexican army kept repelling Portobrazilian attacks around Cartagena, the Armada de Mexico was tasked with supplying that last enclave of the Monroe Conference Bloc on the continent, as well as garisonning Cartagena and islands surrounding it with armed sailors. Unusually, its opponents were not feared squadrons of the Twin Crowns, as they were all too busy confronting Admiral Dewey’s fleet in the open sea. Attacks on the Mexican convoys were performed by Sardinian ships, redeployed across the Atlantic and thus being not at the top of their fighting shape. Still, Sardinia-Piedmont’s navy was quite capable of delivering losses to the enemy, and several battles for the Mexican convoys took place, the biggest of them being a botched Sardinian attack in the battle of San Andres and Providencia, not far from the Nicaraguan coast. By the end of June, it became clear that the Sardinian navy was not quite up to the task, suffering both from poor maintenance in overcrowded Gran-Colombian ports and from a general lack of numbers. This gave the “Heroic City” of Cartagena some breathing space and a hope that not everything is lost. (Battle quest progress: 35.89%, Mexico losses: -4.36 HC, -3.56 IC, -8 EC, -11.76 MC, Sardinia-Piedmont losses: -8.98 HC, -7.93 IC, -14.14 EC, -23.11 MC)
Battle of the Caribbean Sea
Q1-Q2 1895: After somewhat surprising naval reversals of 1894 in the Caribbean and Mid-Atlantic theaters, the Union’s Department of the Navy was determined to turn the situation around by concentrating a good half of the UNA’s powerful high seas fleet on breaking the Twin Crowns’ blockade of Gran Colombia. For that reason, the basing rights that President Fouracre secured last year with his Confederate colleague, President Stone, were re-confirmed with Stone’s successor Stand Watie Jr. Controversies over that agreement between the CSA and UNA rose almost immediately and remained a political factor in the resulting campaign, but they require their own report. As for the campaign itself, it pitched the Union’s powerful navy under experienced Admiral George Dewey against the concentrated forces of the Portobrazilian navy under the command of the hero of Guayaquil, Duke João de Castro Pamplona, 8th Count of Resende. Outmatched in the quality of ships and some doctrinal training, de Castro Pamplona was determined to use the closeness of his bases and familiarity with littoral waters of the Gran-Colombian coast to his advantage, if not winning the campaign against the feared adversary, then at least stalling it. Almost immediately, the war in the Caribbean Sea descended into a war of nerves, as mutual intersections and sorties started at large. Reconnaissance was vital in these first tense engagements, and only a miracle and a blind chance helped de Castro Pamplona evade a few ambushes that Dewey had planned for him. Eventually, the tense posturing broke down in the 1st battle of the Virgin Islands on March 2nd, which, to everyone’s surprise, turned out to be a rather even engagement, leaving Dewey with few goals achieved. In the next four weeks, the Portobrazilian navy attempted to start interdicting the Mexican naval operation in and around Cartagena, which shifted to focus of Dewey’s actions westward as well, screening the inexperienced Armada de Mexico. This campaign ended with yet another indecisive battle of the Aruba island on April 18th, which sent several battleships on the both sides to the bottom of the sea and left multiple warships in dire need of repairs, on both sides. Finally, Dewey managed to get his long-range submarines to act as reconnaissance forces, and it gave the North-American commander a much needed chance to perform his beloved port strike on de Castro Pamplona’s apparent main base in Porto Cabello. The resulting raid, however, again failed to produce the desired decisive triumph for the North-Americans, as only one fourth of the Duke’s force was stationed there on the day of the attack, and on his way back Dewey’s victorious force got intercepted by the rest of the Twin Crowns’ navy at Les Saintes. After all of these frustrating lost chances, Dewey wanted to give his crews a chance to rest and wait for the repairs to get finished, when, suddenly, de Castro Pamplona’s remaining force showed up in the proximity of Dewey’s main base of Havana. The Confederate port authority sent a dispatch to the vengeful Portobrazilian duke, demanding that he respects the CSA’s neutrality. The Duke, however, responded that, in full accordance with the international law, the claim of neutrality was broken by the Confederates by hosting an enemy navy. This brief negotiation resulted in a 24-hour ultimatum that eventually saw Dewey’s squadron forced out of the harbor to an open sea battle against de Castro Pamplona’s force on June 6th. The resulting engagement yet again proved indecisive, but lead to some heavy damage done to the key Portobrazilian ships. Still, the direct clash of the two navies over the Caribbean Sea has so far been a complete draw. However, the Union’s ability to project power manifested itself over the same six-months-long period in a different way. With de Castro Pamplona’s warships being busy fighting Dewey’s armada, North-American sea-going submarines started to seriously threaten Portobrazilian ships going for Venezuelan, Colombian, and Panaman ports in the Caribbean. Not as impressive and flashy, this campaign did manage to wear out the Twin Crowns’ merchant marine to a big degree, given Dewey’s warships a chance to eventually make de Castro Pamplona’s basing situation in the region completely untenable. (Battle quest progress: 76.63%, Union of North America losses: -31.22 HC, -32.74 IC, -60.92 EC, -79.57 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -34.54 HC, -22.54 IC, -47.49 EC, -78.43 MC)
Gran-Colombian War of Independence: Ecuadorian Campaign
Q1-Q2 1895: Ever since the United Communes’ entry into the Gran-Colombian War of Independence, the conventional warfare in Ecuador was mostly a side show for the Communal Army, as most of its officers and volunteer troops were engaged in the insurgencies behind the enemy’s frontlines. This year, this tradition didn’t change, but two new factors did emerge to change the flow of the Ecuadorian campaign. Firstly, the Twin Crowns’ squadron and its heroic commander Duke de Castro Pamplona, which had so dashingly captured Guayaquil less than a year ago, had to withdraw from the Pacific theater in order to oppose the Union’s onslaught in the Caribbean. Secondly, the Communal Army had grown in professiency and sophistication, becoming a still somewhat primitive, but much more capable conventional fighting force. This solidly set the campaign of January-June 1895 against the Twin Crowns. The Communal navy, as primitive as it was, could threaten the rear of the Portobrazilian army with landings (not really causing any significant problems in the process, but forcing the Portobrazilians to keep some garrison troops along the shore at all times). Meanwhile, the Andean army finally managed to perform a successful mountain offensive, breaking through the enemy defences at Ambato and the Canar river gorge in mid March, pushing then toward Guayaquil. When a similar breakthrough succeeded at Machala, with a unit of Andean armed sailors also landing in the Bay of Santa Elena (with little prospects of seriously threatening Guayaquil), the Portobrazilian command in the sector lost their composure and ordered a withdrawal north. An attemppt to cut off a retreating Portobrazilian column failed as the Andeans were held in a rearguard action near the Quevedo ford, letting the Twin Crowns’ troops safely retreat to an easily defensible and suppliable line of Muisne-El Carmen-Machachi, protecting approaches to Quito and Esmeraldas. Still, in Lima the campaign was seen as a major triumph, especially as the country was deprived of victories recently and needed a morale boost. (Regional Growth Fluctuation -1.45%, Communes of the Andes gains +8.8% Regional Influence, Portugal-Brazil loses -8.8% Regional Influence, Communes of the Andes losses: -19.4 HC, -5.69 IC, -15.25 EC, -9.22 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -17.06 HC, -5.32 IC, -11.69 EC, -6.65 MC)
Gaiana-Cape Verde naval campaign
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: When the peace negotiations between the Union of North America and British Royal Commonwealth in Charleston fell through due to the Union’s declaration of war on Portugal-Brazil, it looked like the UNA had the entire Atlantic Ocean in its pocket - and for the areas it didn’t control, it could at least deprive the British of safe shipping. However, as the Union’s ally by the Monroe Conference Bloc, the United Communes of the Andes, started to depend more an more on North-American material help and volunteers, the Union’s shipping going through the Gaiana and Cape-Verde Basins just off the coast of Brazil became suddenly heavy. It cannot be said that the Union’s leadership was blind to the risks. Quite a lot of materiel was redirected to Mexico through the CSA, to be shipped to the Andean Communes through somewhat obsolete Mexican Pacific ports. However, this route could take only a fraction of the North-American aid, and it turned the Central Atlantic into a surprisingly dense battlespace, in which the Union Navy had to switch roles with its used-to-be victim, the Royal Navy. Needless to say, the British squadrons assigned to the commerce raiding duty had a lot of advantages, the main one being the closeness of their bases and a long stretch during which the enemy could be harassed. On the negative side, the Royal Navy was generally inexperienced in commerce raiding (not counting the bias a lot of “noble” captains had against that kind of warfare). Meanwhile, the Union’s fleet had to perform its anti-raiding patrols from very distant Confederate ports that President Fouracre had negotiated with President Stone to be available for North-American warships. Besides the distance, the Union also suffered from its lack of anti-raiding warfare experience, which was most ironic. Still, the Union did prove itself of being the primary naval power on the planet in terms of its naval quality, training, and power projection capabilities. Instead of a simple walk, the British had to pass through a gruelling campaign that was full of rather close skirmishes and duels and culminated in a violent sortie 200 miles off the Sotavento Islands, when the Union Navy surprised the British regional command by appearing in a massive formation at the very edge of its power projection range. The Royal Navy scrambled a fleet to meet the enemy in a decisive engagement, which was a draw on the tactical level, but strategically a victory, as it firmly repulsed that Union’s attempt to clear the Cape Verde Basin from the Transatlantic Alliance’s commerce raiders. Now, the Monroe Conference Bloc has to find a way to salvage its “Fraternity Aid” for the United Communes of the Andes, or else their southernmost ally might find itself completely isolated. (Battle quest progress: 83.78%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -19 HC, -12.8 IC, -28.5 EC, -45.26 MC, Union of North America losses: -18.92 HC, -22.34 IC, -37.97 EC, -48.36 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: After a lot of build-up of tensions, the Gaiana-Cape Verde campaign devolved into a straightforward and one-sided destruction of North-American, Boer, and Andean shipping. The reason for this was the Union’s leadership’s desire to cut its losses and concentrate on winning aquatoria closer to home or protecting the seas it had already secured against potential British sorties. By the middle of the year, the Middle Atlantic was decidedly closed for the Monroe Conference Bloc shipping and its Boer allies. While it wasn’t as catastrophic for the Monroe Conference as it potentially could (all thanks to the rapid expansion of Mexican ports in California and use of the Transcontinental Railway for transit of materiel through its territory), it still cut the Anti-British Coalition into two separate alliances that had only limited communication via the Pacific Ocean. The Confederate States of America, despite their attempted neutrality, also suffered from this disruption of commerce, simply by extension of being some of the biggest trade partners of the war participants (although, to the British credit, it must be said they evaded sinking or attacking any Confederate ship in the area). (Battle quest completed, Union of North America: -100 HC, -15 IC, -200 EC, -40 MC, Free Boer Republic: -80 HC, -5 IC, -120 EC, -20 MC, Communes of the Andes: -75 HC, -10 IC, -100 EC, -15 MC, Confederate States of America: -10 HC, -5 IC, -15 EC, -5 MC, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -0.95 HC, -0.64 IC, -1.43 EC, -2.27
Fast-growing, populous region with powerful agriculture and developing manufacturing industry.
Stop a galloping horse, walk into a burning house
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Russian harsh climate and equally harsh life give birth to rather stoic men and women. There is even an old Russian saying, “A peasant woman can stop a galloping horse and walk into a burning house,” which, of course, exaggerates things, but only barely. Now this folk saying has been adopted as a motto by a new generation of moderate left-leaning suffragists from the All-Russian League for Women's Equality. What strongly differs this movement from analogous European and American organizations is that the All-Russian League is driven not as much by educated intelligentsia, but by literate factory workers and classless raznochintsy. As Russian factories grow in sophistication and extensive use of difference engines, the outlook of factory personnel changes. Very often, overmen have little use for raw strength of muscles and instead look for greater analytical and troubleshooting skill at their workplace, which female employees can display just as much as their male competitors. In fact, women workers can be (and often are) paid less than men, thus outcompeting men thanks to a lack of labor regulations in Russia. This new sub-class of female workers now wishes to have as much representation in the affairs of the state as other men, being equal and even at times superior to many of them in terms of income and opportunities. Needless to say, this angers many traditionalists and advocates of Russian family patriarchate, mostly popular in the countryside and among the urban poor. One way or another, this seems to be a beginning of a long way toward gender equality in Russia.
Q3-Q4 1894: The All-Russian League’s crusade for women’s equality suddenly ended on August 25, 1894, when the Uchreditelnoye Sobraniye (Directorial Assembly) of Russia, passed a constitutional amendment allowing women to vote. This decision, of course, led to a weeks-long celebration on the progressive side of the political spectrum and silent shock in more conservative circles. Meanwhile, more cynical political observers correctly guessed that the amendment was an attempt by the Constitutional Democrats (nicknamed “the Kadets” after their party’s abbreviation in Russian, “KD”) to win support of the left-leaning All-Russian League for Women's Equality before the directorial election of 1894. At that, they did succeed, but, it appears, their action had effects they failed to predict. Unlike the politically active suffragists, vast majority of women in Russia remained a rather conservative voting bloc, supporting the Pochvenniks - so-called “returners to the soil,” a party of Russian exceptionalists and constitutional conservatives that generally shared plenty of views with Pavel Milyukov’s government, but wished to see a more culturally uniform and geopolitically isolationist Russia. Of course, the directorial, decentralized nature of the Russian republic meant that the Pochvenniks victory wasn’t complete, and some sort of coalition with the centrists and moderate leftists still had to take place, but the shift in the Russian government is expected to be long-lasting. Meanwhile, the fight for women’s rights didn’t stop there. Despite enfranchisement of women in the political system, rights of women remained rather limited in the patriarchal world of Russian domestic life, especially in villages. It is that fight that the directorial state dedicated its best magistrates to, hoping to generate a long-term boost to the nation’s dynamism and productivity once gender egalitarianism takes hold in the national psyche. (Regional quest progress: 54.04%, Directorial Russia losses: -2.94 HC, -6.3 IC, -8.21 EC, -2.15 MC)
Woes of the Central Agrarian Zone
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The Central Agrarian Zone is a traditional heartland of Russian agriculture, characterized before the Second Time of Troubles by the highest concentration of serfs. Even though Serf Emancipation of the 1850s has formally freed all peasants, the allotment of land in the Central Agrarian Zone, unlike in other regions of Russia and Siberia, was heavily sided in favor of the barins and pomeshchiks (the landed gentry), leaving most of obshchinas (peasant communes) with a limited amount of land of rather poor quality. Debt-ridden, often illiterate, and driven to subsistence farming, these peasant communities naturally became centers of a powerful baby boom (since obsolete agricultural practices made family farming highly dependent on human labor)., That, in turn, only forced them to either borrow grain from successful free farmers (kulaks) or rent out overpriced lands from the gentry in order to feed their growing families. While the Directorial Assembly has recently found a solution for overpopulation of cities of Central Russia, it seems like the woes of the Central Agrarian Zone still linger, and the countryside is fuming with dissent, envy, and debilitating poverty.
The Soil and the People
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The directorial elections of 1894 outlined a serious shift in the grassroot political movements in Russia. Until recently, the politics in the country was mostly left to the wealthy, as regular people, while often being enfranchised, saw little chance to influence the coalitionary deals made at the very top and defining the direction of the country. However, the suddenly divisive election campaign between the liberal Kadets and moderate conservative Pochvenniks has outlined a new trend. Plenty of middle-class people are afraid that Russia’s fate is now to return to the reactionary slumber of Slavophile rule - unless somebody enlightens regular peasants and foresters - the people, - about the values of liberty for all and progress for the Motherland. These volunteers call themselves Narodovoltsy, from the Russian words “narod” (the people) and “volya” (will or freedom). Often, they abandon their comfortable life and careers in cities and travel to the countryside to find much humbler life among their fellow countrymen, in hopes to elevate these simple folks to the ideas of democracy and progress.
Supply airships
Q1-Q2 1895: For years, military experts were correctly stating that airships could not supply a large army in the field due to limitations in cargo size. However, the Andean war against Portugal-Brazil has showcased that even a relatively small amount of supply delivered by air to a forward unit may allow such unit to perform a mission-critical task critical for the entire campaign. Surprisingly, it were Russian military observers that learned the most on the Andean experience, added their own conclusions from the Carpathian campaigns, and applied these thoughts to the Russian industrial expertise, hoping to produce heavy cargo dirigibles capable of delivering crucial supply, ammunition, and (sometimes) soldiers to distant or isolated positions. The result was the first aerial supply ship of the Directorial Russian Army, RSK Nikita Kozhemyaka, demonstrated to the Directorate of the Armed Forces in late May. However, this first ever dedicated army supply airship remains to be rather unreliable in bad weather conditions, so quite a lot of work is still pending on bringing that design to any practical conclusion. (Technology quest progress: 41.43%, Directorial Russia losses: -2.32 HC, -0.5 IC, -6.53 EC, -5.27 MC)
Northern Russia
Spoiler:
Fast-developing cultural center with well-established fur industry and access to foreign markets.
Northern Delivery
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The completion of the White Sea-Baltic Canal by Russia was only one of the milestones in exploration of the Arctic. Another breakthrough took place in Kamchatka and also involved Russian engineers - namely, it was construction of the first icebreaker ship on the Rybachy Shipyard. Together, these two achievements open a new chapter in the infrastructural history of Russian Siberia and the Far East. Visionaries from all three directories propose a grand project of Arctic sea shipping, called Severniy Zavoz (the Northern Delivery). They point out that the Transsibirian Railway was great at connecting European Russia, the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East closer together, but railroad of any kind cannot help with transportation of goods and materials to and from Arctic towns and mining settlements - a problem that the North-German investors have already had to face. If a fleet of cargo icebreakers could be built and harbors of various Polar towns could be expanded, the Polar Circle could stop being such an unconquerable place after all. The only point of disagreement is whether this project should cover only Russian Eurasian territories, or extend to Transpacific Alyaska and Kanada, or even, perhaps, include Scandinavian and Quebecoi ports as well.
Q1-Q2 1895: Introduction of icebreaker ships to naval communications and re-foundation of Mangazeya harbor in the Polar North spearheaded the Russian directorial effort to reconnect all directories via the Arctic Ocean in addition to the already existing railroad transport in the south. The scope of this project is kept relatively conservative, as the new directorial majority displays a more mercantile, insular approach to economic investments. At current rate, construction of a merchant fleet of cargo icebreakers and northern harbors capable of unloading them may take a few more months to finish, meaning that by the next winter the Northern Delivery may be already operational. (Regional quest progress: 87.5%, Directorial Russia losses: -2.73 HC, -0.59 IC, -7.68 EC, -6.2 MC)
Komi of many rivers
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Komi are ancient Finno-Ugric people that have settled the very north of the Russian Plain long before the Slavs and the Norse came into the picture. For many centuries, they were the biggest limitation of Novgorodian political expansion in the north, and with Moskovian vassalization of the Duchy of Great Perm they were largely left alone for centuries, as most of the energy of the growing Russian state was aimed past them, toward Siberian expansion. However, anthropological expeditions and censi of the early 19th century brought the Komi back to the demographic picture of the Russian society. Now that their region, rich in mineral ores, diamonds, timber, and reindeer herds, grows in its economic value, many Komi communities are starting to use Russia’s newfound taste for freedom of speech to attract people’s attention to their ethnic plight. Inhabiting mostly the numerous river valleys of the region (primarily,of the Vychegda, Pechora and Kama rivers), their villages are naturally placed to benefit from the swelling of logistical networks keeping Russian industries of Great Perm working. Yet, the “timber magnates” and “salt barons” that invest most heavily in the region prefer to hire Slavic work migrants from Central Russia, partially due to ethnic biases and partially because they have a greater leverage in wage negotiations with that desperate lot. Komi advocates insist that Komi workers can prove to be superior to the Russian labor force, or that they, at least, could provide lively service industries to grim Russian mining towns, but in order to do that, they need at least some level of municipal representation and cessation of discriminatory policies by the businesses.
Crime and Punishment
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: As one of the biggest centers of education and industry in the Europe, and certainly one of the most “Westernized” cities of Directorial Russia, Saint-Petersburg continues attracting masses of aspiring students, inventors, and classless raznochintsy. While a good number of these people has started finding their way into the ruthless world of Russian banking, computational engineering, and commerce, some of them just can’t keep up with brutal demands of their new employers on their own. In order to withstand brutal 14-hour intellectual work shifts and stay sharp, many of them have to rely on various drugs on daily basis. Medicinal cocaine - a legal and easily acquired substance - is the most popular of them, but some synthetic North-German drugs are also known to be in use. However, now these substance addictions have started to show their ugly side effects. On one case, a young investment banker Rodion Raskolnikov, an employee of a firm Svidrigailov&Partners, went on a bloody killing streak around his neighborhood, armed with an ax and a Zlatoust-made revolver. Caught and arrested alive, he was later found to be a victim of a delirium caused by a nigh-deadly drug overdose. This case would be just a scary anecdote had it been not been a representation of a larger trend that pushes more and more Russian intellectuals over the edge, into a deadly grip of addiction, stress, and vice.
Q1-Q2 1895: With the change of the ruling political coalition in the Directorial Assembly, so came a change in policies. Mr. Raskolnikov’s case was used as a facade of a public campaign against imported North-German synthetic drugs, with the mass-murderer being presented as a repentant victim of dangerous ideas and dangerous substances. In a decentralized politics of Directorial Russia, this meant that the press campaign was followed by a landslide of regional laws that, one way or another, limited the access to the Russian market for competitive North-German synthetics. Not all such laws were as well-written as the others. In the Russian heartland, they allowed local pharmaceutical companies to spring up and take over bigger chunks of the market, while along the Volga and in the Pontic Steppes no such economic boom took place. Regardless, these were regular Russian people (some of them, addicted intellectuals like Mr. Raskolnikov himself) who suffered from the rising prices caused by shortages of previously affordable drugs (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Northern Russia gains -5 HC, +5 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation -0.5%, Directorial Russia gains +2% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -2% Regional Influence, region Central Russia gains -5 HC, +5 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation -0.5%, Directorial Russia gains +2% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -2% Regional Influence, region Volga-Don Region gains-5 HC, Directorial Russia gains +1% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -1% Regional Influence, region North Black Sea Region gains -5 HC, Directorial Russia gains +0.25% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia losses: -0.68 HC, -0.15 IC, -1.92 EC, -1.55 MC)
Knights of the Temple of Solomon
Q1-Q2 1895: Creation of the first counter-conspiratory international organization of the Serpent’s Garden in Hamburg couldn’t happen in complete secret. Inevitably, one of the most competent government intelligence agencies in the world, the KGB of Russia, learned about that development and informed its superiors. As it turned out, some of the highest members of the Russian political and financial elite were devoted members of elitist cabals, and they responded to this new, clandestine challenge with a creation of their own independent secret organization, limited only to Russia for its recruitment purposes. Styled after the ancient Knights-Templar, the Rytsari Hrama Solomona (the Knights of the Temple of Solomon) pursue an agenda of their own and are ready to join the struggle for the future of the world. (Regional quest completed with full success, secret organization "Knights of the Temple of Solomon" is created, Directorial Russia losses: -1.52 HC, -3.18 IC, -5.1 EC, -1.12 MC)
Citiscape and prestige
Q1-Q2 1895: With the narrow conservative win in the Russian 1894 Directorial elections, the political shake-off couldn’t help but reflect a similar economic shift. This year, Lessner Manufacturing, the biggest competitor of the Russo-Balt Consortium in the automotive industry, attempted to use its connections in the Pochvennik circles and promote itself as the new “king of the mountain” - in prestige if not in sales. The facade of this effort is the construction of the Lessner Tower in Saint Petersburg (o, a business center that is being promoted as the tallest occupied office building in Europe. The construction was green-lit by the mayorate, but caused anger among the Petrogradians. Besides expected complaints about the noise, dust, and obstructions of city traffic, the construction also caused serious concerns among those who are afraid the city now risks to lose its natural beauty. They say, its historical Imperial architecture will be trumped by a “brick of a building” that can be seen from any part of the city and that could naturally ruin its skyline during the famous “white nights” in winter. While the protests are growing, Lessner have no intent to back away from the construction they’ve already paid for.
Volga-Don Region
Spoiler:
Fast-growing and populous infrastructure hub of Russia, with well-developed riverine transport, strong agriculture, and up-and-coming industrial sector.
Q1-Q2 1895: As various Finno-Ugric ethnicities living across the Russian Plains are starting to get closer in touch with their ancient roots after decades (or even centuries) of forced Russification, emissaries and cultural missions from Finland are starting to arrive to establish closer contacts with their kin. (Finland gains +0.28% Regional Influence, Third Burmese Empire loses -0.28% Regional Influence, Finland losses: -1.65 HC, -2.63 IC, -4.21 EC, -0.14 MC)
Wäisi movement
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: Bahawetdin Wäisev, a Tatar preacher of a Sunni spiritual order of Naqshbandi, first appeared in sight of the Russian police in the early 1880s, when he and his madrasi in Kazan started teaching a mix of Islamic purism and economic socialism to their flock. Back in the day, Russia was still overcoming the consequences of the Second Time of Troubles, and the issue was swept under carpet, but now it seems like his movement, the Wäisi, has gained more traction than the newly-formed Committee of State Security would wish to see. Wäisi emigrants from among the preacher’s first generation of Islamic students are arguably the main inspirers behind the victorious Basmachi Revolution in Kokand and Bukhara. They also possess a lot of influence in the international Ummahist circles, being highly respected in Egypt and having some followers in Turkey and in the Caucasus (although their economic and nationalist views are too progressive for disaffected Turkish and Caucasian villagers). One way or another, now the Wäisi movement needs to either be put down or somehow castrated. Some adventurous KGB experts, meanwhile, go as far as suggest recruiting Wäisi savants and using them as Russia’s agents of influence and espionage in the Middle East.
Q3-Q4 1894: The Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (KGB) was quick to realize that the flexibility of the new Russian social platform and national platform may be used to recruit or indirectly exploit Wäisi preachers for Russia’s own goals. Instead of aggressively rooting out this Tatar-native brand of Islamic socialism, they dedicated plenty of resources to wooing some influential Wäisists and even welcoming foreign Muslim immigrants in the Wäisi enclave in Kazan. While this work, of course, requires discretion and reasonable supervision (lest the Wäisists go too far in their enabled proselytization), it might end up turning them into willing (or oblivious) agents of Russian influence in the Muslim world. (Regional quest progress: 60.3%, Directorial Russia losses: -3.83 HC, -3.19 IC, -10.91 EC, -6.78 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The KGB continued to nurture its influence among the now “tamed” Wäisi movement, targeting not only the agitation network, but also the Islamic Socialist donors across the Muslim world. By mid-year 1895, it was a common knowledge in the Russian intelligence that the movement was full of directorial “plants” and “moles,” opening great possibilities for the country to either influence events in other regions or to stabilize them as a buffer sphere. This triumph of foreign intelligence, however, came at a cost of allowing some of the more radical Wäisi scholars to keep their lectures across Russia, letting them create a small, but well-connected network of radical Islamic socialists among Russian Muslims. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Volga-Don Region: Basmachi State gains +3.5% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia loses -3.5% Regional Influence, region Anatolia: Directorial Russia gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Ottoman State loses -0.5% Regional Influence, region Greater Caucasus: Directorial Russia gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Caucasian Imamate loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Near East: Directorial Russia gains +1% Regional Influence, Ottoman State loses -0.75% Regional Influence, Kurdistan loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Niles Region: Directorial Russia gains +1% Regional Influence, Egypt loses -1% Regional Influence, region North Africa: Directorial Russia gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Maghreb loses -0.5% Regional Influence, region Greater Iran: Directorial Russia gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Qajar Persia loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Khiva loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Central Asia: Directorial Russia gains +1% Regional Influence, Khiva loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Basmachi State loses -0.75% Regional Influence, region Indus Region: Directorial Russia gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Indostan loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia losses: -3.74 HC, -5 IC, -11.71 EC, -5.05 MC)
Wall-on-wall
Q1-Q2 1895: Stenka-na-stenku (Russian for “wall-on-wall”) is a traditional Russian combative tournament that has survived in some of the more distant Russian villages. Every year, groups of young men (and sometimes women) from neighboring villages gather together on a meadow and break up into teams. Unarmed and unarmored, they form improvised phalanxes that clash with each other and break down into a friendly, yet violent hand-to-hand melee. While the competitive aspect is important, the main purpose of this strange tradition is to let out some steam accumulated between the villagers over small-time disagreements. Village elders and cultural researchers defend the custom as a (relatively) non-consequential way of keeping village life free of feuds and court visits. Meanwhile, urban-educated magistrates and gendarmes often complain about this barbaric, dysfunctional (and yet, so very, very Russian) custom.
Volga-Don Portage
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Volgodonskaya Perevoloka (or Volga-Don Portage) is an important trade and military route that’s existed since the 1st millennia BC and serves as a way of transferring cargo or even entire ships between the Volga and Don rivers, thus connecting the Black Sea and Caspian Sea economies. For centuries, horse or human power were used to drag light boats and their cargo across a 70-kilometer stretch of land, but the times are changing, and the booming Russian economy needs more effective tools of riverine transfer. The most austere proposal on the table is optimization of the portage for use of steam-powered, amphibious alligator tugboats, which means a series of simple portage tracks needs to be built using such simple materials as wood and cast iron. Another project aims to create a proper integrated railway network connecting riverine ports of Tsaritsyn and Marinovka, outfitted with heavy-duty cars and reinforced railway gauge, enabling transfer of not only cargo, but even ships between the two rivers. Finally, the last proposal is creation of a proper canal that would connect the Volga and Don into one aquatorium.
Q1-Q2 1894: At this point, the Russians are world’s experts in railroad construction, and they chose to prove it once again with their building of a ship- and cargo-transferring integrated rail network to replace the obsolete Volga-Don Portage. Stretching between river ports of Tsaritsyn and Marinovka is the densest and most complicated concentration of railway lines and railway depots in this part of the world, and some branches of the railway follow further down the Don and Volga rivers to ease the transfer of local destination cargo and passengers. With the war in Europe no longer adding to the urgency of construction, the Volga-Don Railway construction seems to be taking longer than the Transsibirian Railroad to complete, but at this point it’s pretty clear that the project will be completed in 1894 if nothing unexpected happens. (Regional quest progress: 86.75%, Directorial Russia losses: -2.97 HC, -0.68 IC, -7.63 EC, -6.48 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: Being so sure in the upcoming successful completion of the Volga-Don Transfering Rail Network has played a bad joke on the Russian Board of Infrastructure. As only a token force was left to work on this extremely complex project, the progress slowed down exponentially, postponing the likely opening of the Tsaritsyn terminus until the early months or even weeks of 1895. (Regional quest progress: 97.1%, Directorial Russia losses: -2.47 HC, -0.54 IC, -7.09 EC, -5.57 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The imminent successful completion of the Volga-Don Transfering Rail Network was never really questioned. Just as planned, by late February the entire “Portage railroad” was fully operational, making the process of transferring cargo and ships from one aquatorium to another as seamless as a railroad could. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Volga-Don Region gains +10 EC, +5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +1%, Directorial Russia losses: -1.91 HC, -0.42 IC, -5.38 EC, -4.34 MC)
Nobels’ Town
Q1-Q2 1895: Nobel Brothers are a Swedish-Russian entrepreneurial family with stakes in the Caucasian Baku oil fields and immense influence in the Russian industry. Always decidedly apolitical, the Nobels have influenced the bustling industries of the city of Tsaritsyn by building a so-called Nobelevskiy Gorodok (or Nobels’ Town) in the north-eastern side of the city, providing residence for the numerous workers employed at the local oil refinery. The Nobels’ Town is rumored as a sort of a workers’ paradise, with living standards high above even many bourgeoisie neighborhoods of many cities. As envied as they are, the Nobels’ Town’s dwellers have a good reputation among the locals, which diffuses many of potential disparity-fueled disputes. However, workers and traveling river boatmen of the newly established Volga-Don Transferring Railroad Network are only temporary visitors in Tsaritsyn, and they were recently noticed to be troublemakers and vandals behind many street crimes committed in the Nobels’ Town.
Books for Povolzhye
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Owing to its history of being one of the wild frontiers of the Russian state since the 16th century, the Volga Region (known to the Russians as Povolzhye) isn’t particularly well-known for the quality of local education. In fact, it’s lagging so far behind the heartland of Directorial Russia, that the Directorial Board of Public Enlightenment has started a high-scope project of improving the quality and affordability of elementary, middle, and high school education in public sector. While allocation of the spending is unspecified, the Russian state authority hopes that local municipalities could determine optimal ways to invest money on the local level. (Regional quest progress: 62.67%, Directorial Russia losses: -3.12 HC, -3.51 IC, -8.84 EC, -4.79 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Despite being started under a more liberal-socialist ruling coalition, the Povolzhye literacy reform saw its successful conclusion under the Pochvenniks’ first quarter in power. While humble in its short-term impact, it is expected to greatly benefit the large region’s growth in the long term, providing it with more educated labor force. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Volga-Don Region gains +5 IC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.5%, Regional Growth Trend +0.25%, Directorial Russia losses: -2.52 HC, -3.21 IC, -7.84 EC, -3.52 MC)
Sacred groves of the Hill Mari
Q1-Q2 1895: The Mari El (or Hill Mari) people are a Finno-Ugric ethnos residing in the middle flow of the Volga River. Having been incorporated into the Russian Tsardom in the 16th century and Christianized under Imperial policies of Russification, the Mari El are a backward group of agriculturalists that never fully abandoned their pagan roots even after accepting casual Orthodox Christianity. Now these old traditions are starting to clash with the industrial development of Povolzhye. Sacred groves (or “Kusoto”) where Mari El worship their syncretized “good-great-radiant-God” have been marked for felling after the land they grow on was sold to some Russian logging companies. Mari El villagers, of course, were in their majority both too poor and too politically educated to understand the problem they were facing and to react to it properly and on time. However, now that the logging has started, many of them are staging spontaneous religious (and often Luddite) protests that clearly put them on the wrong side of the law.
Ukraine
Spoiler:
Fast-developing breadbasket of Eastern Europe with a big labor market.
Draining the swamp
Spoiler:
1892: Expansive Pripyat Marshes lie in the Polesian Lowland, taking up vast tracts of land and standing on the way of any infrastructure project with a potential to connect Russia with Europe. Several projects have been proposed aimed at finally making some use of that inhospitable land. The most ambitious, but most practical project suggests that gradual drainage could help Russia reconquer a lot of arable land. The All-Russian Geographic Society, meanwhile, proposes turning Pripyat Marshes into the first Russian “national park,” a place where wild nature is preserved in its primordial state. That project, they argue, would increase Russia’s prestige in the world and, besides attracting tourists, would also make Russia a destination for many natural scientists. Finally, a few dark minds suggest that, now that Siberia is a formally a separate nation, the marshes could be used as a universal exile location for unwanted types capable of penal servitude. That, of course, would require some basic penal colony infrastructure to be built, and the government would have to come up with criteria for the types of crimes that could qualify for that stereotypically Russian kind of punishment.
Brotherhood of Saint Cyril and Methodius
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The Russian-speaking community of Kyiv was one of the groups of Ukrainian bourgeoisie voters that brought the left-leaning, pro-Russian Narodnik party to domination over the Ukrainian Rada (Parliament). However, in young countries like the Hetmanate, every action predictably causes a strong reaction. Now it’s the more Western-oriented, Ukrainian-speaking community of Kyivans and other Ukrainians that’s organizing to form a united opposition to the Narodnik cabinet of Hetman Hrushevsky. In their zeal to establish an organized political structure that is free of tarnished reputation and foreign connections of the old magnate elite, this new party seems to be a new installment of the legendary Brotherhood of Saint Cyril and Methodius, founded by a Ukrainian historian Mykola Kostomarov in the 1840s and widely considered a precursor of Ukrainian patriotic movement. Now caution is advised for anyone wishing to work with the new Brotherhood of Saint Cyril and Methodius, as this grassroot movement remains fiercely independent from other political parties and with an untested leadership consisting of enthusiastic political outsiders.
Peasant-mania
Spoiler:
1891: Ukrainian national revival is a newly found phenomenon that is sweeping through the Hetmanate and Malorossian provinces of Directorial Russia. One of the key features of this artistic and social movement of local intelligentsia is fascination with Ukrainian peasantry, or Chlopomania (lit. “Peasant-mania”). City painters and poets, journalists and writers travel all the way to the countryside to breathe in the serene spirit of hromadas (Ukrainian village communities). While some find the intellectuals’ fascination with romanticized peasantry dangerous or pervert, others think it could help establish closer ties between the city and the village across the entire region.
East-West Corridor
Q1-Q2 1895: The hottest joke in Kyiv public houses these days is this: “What would happen if you teach a hare to speak Russian? It will start building a railroad.” All fun considered, it’s almost uncanny that as soon as the pro-Russian Narodniks led by Mykhailo Hrushevsky assumed power upon a victory in the national elections, their first big project within the Hetmanate’s borders was an expansion of the national railway system. The idea was solidly based. Before the Second Time of Troubles, the hyper-centralized Russian Empire had little need in connecting Ukrainian governorates together via a robust transportation system, building all major arteries of commerce going north-to-south, radiating from Moscow to Kyiv, and from Kyiv to Kursk or to Odessa. However, with the new borders of the independent Ukraine being as they are, Kyiv and other west-bank territories are being badly connected to well-developed regions of Volyn’ and Galichina. The west, in turn, enjoys a relatively good railway system, that is, sadly, suffering from a scourge of the old Austrian railway-making: a lack of nation-wide railway gauge standard. So, a new project, named East-West Corridor, was proposed by the Minister of the Interior Oskar Paton: to build one main branch connecting the capital in the east (Kyiv) to the biggest cultural and political center of the west (Lviv), passing through Zhytomyr, Proskuriv, and Ternopil. Smaller branches are to be built radially, toward Voznesensk, Chernivtsi, Stanyslaviv, Tiraspil, Cherkassy, and Styi. Interestingly, the gauge chosen for the construction by itself was a message to the pro-Western critics of Mykhailo Hrushevsky’s alleged Russophilia: the Stephenson gauge that used to be the standard in the Austrian Empire, now adopted all across the Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, but not Russia. Regardless of the grandiose plans, the construction itself started at a slow pace, as the Ukrainian industrial expertise is appalling, and the railway commissions tasked with landscape reconnaissance and land purchase were also hampered by inefficiency and a primitive workflow. (Regional quest progress: 17.54%, Ukrainian Hetmanate losses: -3.21 HC, -2.26 IC, -8.41 EC, -3.3 MC)
North Black Sea Region
Spoiler:
Fast-developing gateway to Black Sea trade and an export hub of Russian and Ukrainian agricultural goods.
Seamen left behind
Spoiler:
1890: The city of Aqyar, previously known as Sevastopol, used to be the main military base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet before the Ottoman takeover of Crimea in the late 1850s. Since then, it’s become a key base for the Sublime Porte’s naval capabilities in the Black Sea. Local authorities, however, are growing concerned over the presence of a big (albeit aging) Russian community in the city. Many Russian seamen and their families never relocated to the mainland and now, as some Turkish secret agents argue, could serve as a pro-Russian spy net overlooking one of the key military harbors of the Porte.
Q1-Q2 1894: The Sublime Porte’s recruitment of the Superior Men as a pro-state youth organization sent ripples across the empire, but in Aqyar such ripples were, perhaps, most visible. Never particularly excited about living under the Ottoman authority, the Russian diaspora of Aqyar was at least content with the Porte’s benign neglect of their neighborhoods. However, this year one particularly enthusiastic group of Superior Men (who mostly were not men, but youngsters between 14 and 20) ventured into the Russian quarters, bullying the locals into stating their loyalty to the “Supreme State” and the “Chosen Race.” Encouraged by their state affiliation, the Superior Men eventually overstepped one boundary too many, and were dragged into a bloody street fight that left most of them dead or maimed. This was only the beginning of a series of riots and protest marches by the Russian Aqyarites, to which local police was too slow to react. (Regional quest progress: -25%)
Q3-Q4 1894: The Sublime Porte chose to turn a blind eye on the Aqyar protests, allowing the situation to escalate further, until both the Russian urban minority and the Ottoman police had exhausted themselves in endless riots and took a break for the New Year’s celebration. (Regional quest progress: -35%)
Q1-Q2 1895: The humiliation of the Treaty of Odessa was quickly followed by yet another escalation of Superior Men’s attacks on the Russian diaspora in Aqyar. To their credit, the Ottoman police did attempt to act as a buffer between the two rival groups, but ultimately it appears that the circle of violence and contempt is spiralling out of control. (Regional quest progress: -55%)
Loyalty and representation
Spoiler:
1890: Ever since then-Imperial Russia was pushed back out of Crimea, the Turkish authorities have been providing significant support to the local population of Crimean Tatars. This year, however, local Mejlis (the Assembly of Elders) has surprisingly voted for Crimean independence or significant autonomy (although even the hottest heads support an alliance with the Sublime Porte). It seems like the Crimean Tatars feel underrepresented in the Grand Divan, as no visiers or pashas of Crimean descent are there to lobby the proud people’s interests. What’s worse, the Crimean Tatars have not produced a magistrate or officer high-ranking enough to be quickly promoted to hold a seat in the Grand Divan. For now, the tensions stay pretty low, but the situation may escalate in upcoming years.
Past the Pale of Settlement
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Under the Tsarist regime of old, Jewish subjects of the Tsar were not allowed to settle east of the so-called Pale of Settlement, running along the Don river. This turned the city of Nikolayev, a major shipbuilding center and the third largest Russian export gateway, into a host of one of the largest Jewish communities in the region, since the town was located just west of the Pale. Now that the Pale is no longer there to limit Russian citizens’ freedom of residence, Nikolayev docks and warehouses continue being dominated by prominent Jewish families that make a fortune on being the middlemen in the Russian agricultural and industrial export. Meanwhile, the famous Nikolayev Sea Shipyard are mostly run by people who question the Jewish diaspora’s loyalty, especially in the light of a possible conflict with the Ottomans. Some of them are afraid that if a conflict were to come to the Black Sea, and were the Sultan block the Straits to the Russian merchant fleet, the Jewish diaspora of Nikolayev would be hit the hardest by the drop in throughput, thus making them potential agents of Turkish influence. Some hardliners suggest repossession of the dock infrastructure, while others propose letting the Ukrainian Jewish diaspora to prove their loyalty to the Directorial Assembly. The question remains a touchy matter with plenty of possible consequences.
Superfiring turrets
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Heavy and super-heavy turret guns are now destined to replace classic broadside gun casements that are still employed on many obsolete ironclads of many regional navies. This, of course, means that many fleets are attempting to adjust to the new composition of weapons on heavy warships. The introduction of the “Crossing the T” naval tactics by the Sardinian navy was one such innovation, but the Russian Directorial Navy now aims for a more solid, technological improvement of its warships. As the Russian Black Sea Fleet underwent an expansion this year, the Novorossiysk Shipyard, a young but ambitious shipbuilding company, secured a large contract to produce a new generation of Russian warships. Their main innovation is their weaponry, which includes two (or more) turrets in a line, one behind the other, but with the second turret located above ("super") the one in front, so that the second turret could fire over the first, allowing ships to provide higher saturation of fire. However, either lack of experience or small-time corruption in the Shipyard resulted in a series of compromise engineering solutions that, essentially, were disapproved by the Admiralty and pushed this promising, but complex project back almost to step one. (Technology quest progress: 2.19%, Directorial Russia losses: -3.02 HC, -0.66 IC, -8.67 EC, -6.81 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The Russian Directorial Admiralty learned on tis mistakes of 1894 and funneled plenty of funds into the Novorossiysk Shipyard expansion, while also outsourcing some parts of the project to a more experienced Nikolayev Shipyard. That did the trick, and by the end of the year battleship Chesma left the Novorossiysk Shipyard as the first warship with superfiring turrets in the world. (Technology quest completed with success, Directorial Russia adopts “Superfiring turrets” for no additional cost, Directorial Russia losses: -2.05 HC, -0.45 IC, -5.76 EC, -4.65 MC)
Scandinavia
Spoiler:
Fast-developing center of European education and science, hitting above its weight in economic sector.
Baltoscandia!
Spoiler:
1890: A new academic movement is being spearheaded by a group of social-utopist agitators in Helsinki and Turku. They argue for creation of a transnational state of Baltoscandia, including the territories of Finland, Sweden, Baltic Duchies, Prussia, and Danish islands. As a pan-Scandinavian entity, they say, such union would prevent any future wars between Baltic nations and would help them act more independently on the world stage. Some of these sentiments were positively accepted by disillusioned workers and frustrated students who view themselves as hostages in the prolonged stand-off between Sweden and its neighbours. Conservatives, however, call such ideas traitorous to the spirit of national unity, and reactionaries also point out at the destruction of the social hierarchy such transformation would bring. As dreamy as that fringe idea is, it keeps shaping social debate among Scandinavian intellectuals.
1891: Social-utopists and social-communards across all Finland and the Baltic Duchies were actively engaged in Pan-Baltoscandian agitation, probably funded by some foreign source. It seems like the public discourse is progressing rather quickly, and the topic’s ideological base is shifting to the left. (Regional quest progress: 32.21%, ??? losses: -0.91 HC, -1.41 IC, -2.07 EC, -0.67 MC)
At the same time, Russian Foreign Ministry was not interested in letting go of cordial relationship with Finland in favor of allowing a creation of a new Baltoscandian nation which elites it would be unable to control. Therefore, the Russians chose to encourage the opposite trend, lobbying for survival of an independent Finnish national identity (under a Russian wing, of course). To demonstrate the benefits of staying a sovereign, but pro-Russian nation, they invited Finnish delegates to Moscow to demonstrate the venerable “Ilya Muromets” analytical engine, hinting that should the new calculating machine be built in Saint-Petersburg, parts of its processing power could be offered to Russian Baltic allies. This sort of persuasion, combined with lavish banquets, went a long way to tie Finnish political elites to Russia, although the political situation around the proposed national unification of Baltoscandian nations is still fluid. (Regional quest progress: -50.86%, -0.36 HC, -0.61 IC, -0.95 EC, -0.23 MC)
The land where grass is greener
Spoiler:
1892: As British Canada is becoming an increasingly hostile place for anyone not completely siding with the British military rule, hundreds of families try to escape it for more welcoming lands. While more left-leaning people find refuge in the Union of North America, those opposed to the “populist hydra” head for the Danish colony of Greenland. A harsh land with limited self-rule, Greenland is having an ambivalent impact from that influx of English-speaking immigrants. On the one hand, this provides the Landstings (local twin parliament) with the demographic resources to continue exploring, settling, and developing the large icy island. On the other hand, given the current pace of migration, Kalaallisut-speaking locals are about to be outnumbered by the Canadian newcomers unfamiliar with the Greenlandic way of life, which greatly disturbs the colony’s stability and economy. Whether this wave of immigration will become a blessing or a curse for Greenland remains to be seen.
Scandinavian Trade Union
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: While the Finns and Baltics have their idea of Baltoscandian unity, Germano-Nordic nations under the NGF’s aegis are starting a discussion of a similar kind, but with a more practical lean. Kingdoms of Sweden and Denmark-Norway are considering forming a joint customs and currency system known as the Scandinavian Trade Union. While far from actual unification, it could give the nations a chance to better integrate into the North-German Federation’s economic sphere, while also retaining a certain economic edge over their protectors. Needless to say, the idea is being viewed very differently in different circles. More nationalistic reactionaries think the trade union should exist as a counterweight to the Germanic economic expansion, while pro-Federation liberals and businessmen wish to use it as a way to establish closer ties with their southern neighbor. Finally, a fringe group of extremists expands the discussion to promote Fennoscandia as a united confederation of Danes, Swedes, Finns, and Norwegians, opposing both Russian and North-German interests and free to choose its own place in the world. It appears that pan-national and transnational ideas are starting to clash in Scandinavia, for the better or for the worse of the region.
Q3-Q4 1894: Zollverein of the Two Germanies was not the only customs union that started to reshape the economic face of Europe this year. In a similar push to remove foundations for Scandinavian hostilities and simultaneously drop remaining protectionist tariffs that limit North-German penetration of the Scandinavian market, the Federation took it upon itself to form the basis of the new trade union. Swedish and Danish governments, having been firmly placed under the NGF’s diplomatic umbrella, didn’t participate in the process, but allowed their North-German partners to do the dirty work for them. All in all, Scandinavian countries are expected to benefit from the mutual integration into the Central European economy, even though some strata at their home might end up on the receiving end of the economic changes that come with it. (Regional quest progress: 65.71%, North German Federation losses: -3.03 HC, -7.12 IC, -8.54 EC, -2.31 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: After witnessing the gravity of North-German commercial and mercantile pull, the governments of Sweden and Denmark-Norway came to realize that simply sitting on the sidelines and observing the Federation draw their trade laws would be a financial suicide. With these thoughts in mind, the Ministries of Commerce of the two countries sent their delegations to work alongside with their North-German colleagues at establishing (relatively) fair and mutually beneficial trade regulations for the Scandinavian Trade Union. By summer, their work was completed, giving all involved regions a good growth boost and ensuring mutual penetration of the two markets by North-German and Nordic capital. (Regional quest completed with success, region Scandinavia gains +0.75% Regional Growth Fluctuation, +0.25% Regional Growth Trend, North German Federation gains +4% Regional Influence, Sweden loses -2% Regional Influence, Denmark-Norway loses -2% Regional Influence, region North Germany gains +0.5% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Sweden gains +1.25% Regional Influence, Denmark-Norway gains +1.25% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -2.5% Regional Influence, North German Federation losses: -0.92 HC, -1.72 IC, -2.19 EC, -0.59 MC, Sweden losses: -0.88 HC, -1.03 IC, -1.62 EC, -0.15 MC, Denmark-Norway losses: -0.75 HC, -1.11 IC, -1.72 EC, -0.11 MC)
Nordic Games
Q1-Q2 1895: With greater globalization of Central, Northern, and Northwestern Europe, some sports activists are starting to propose the establishment of so-called Nordic Games, a multi-sport event that hosts various wintertime sports and competitions popular in Scandinavia, the Albion, and Germanic Europe. The exact list of such sports is not clear yet, and it’s also undecided what entities (national states, or cities, or only themselves) the Nordic Games’ participants would represent. While many applaud this endeavor, they also point out that inclusion of Slavic and Baltic nations may also be beneficial. Left-leaning athletic activists also encourage opening the games to the North-American Union, while various liberal groups promote egalitarian cosmopolitanism, allowing even people from other world nations join the games (as unfamiliar as their athletes might be with Nordic sports).
Ireland-Scotland
Spoiler:
Slowly-developing, ethnically divided backwaters of the British Isle.
Pikemen of the Emerald Island
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: The Irish struggle for independence has entered a new stage, it seems. While moderate factions still exist among self-rule supporters, more and more people start to think that the Irish people should follow the example set by Canadien patriots. While an open rebellion is clearly out of their reach yet, first underground cells have started to form in cities of the Emerald Island, and rolling hills of Connaught and Munster are gradually becoming a hotbed of guerilla activity. Members of these new militias are nicknamed “rapparee nua” (or “new pikemen”), after infamous rapparees of the Williamite War of the 1690s. However, instead of being armed with spontoon half-pikes, these modern patriotic highwaymen are wielding modern small arms and explosives. Only time will tell if the New Pikemen will be able to repeat the success of Patriotes of Quebec.
From North India to Northumberland
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Rich with coal, ores, and salt, Northumberland had been a heart of British mining and manufacturing since the Roman times. During Elizabeth I’s reign, it was also a center of a flourishing glass-blowing industry, owned and operated by foreign refugees. Now that the Royal Commonwealth is struggling to supply its armies and fleets with modern tools of war, a proposal to resurrect that tradition has been put forward by the Industry Ward. Only instead of foreign refugees they suggest bringing in and hiring Indians displaced by the Sikh aggression, suggesting that they would be an extremely cheap work force for the nation’s factories. Objections to this idea are two-pronged. Radical nationalists among the Lord-Protector’s advisers simply don’t trust any crucial industry to the “darkies,” especially on the Albion. More pragmatic experts point out that the English working class would feel cheated by this move, seeing good factory jobs in crucial sectors of the industry flowing away to the dirt-cheap “imported” work force from the colonies. Whatever decision the Lord-Protector goes with, it should be done soon in order to save the war production for the weary nation.
Q1-Q2 1895: The rising influence of the anonymous Round Table in Lord-Protector Strange’s cabinet left little chance for radical hardliners to protect what they view as a fight for the future of “white Anglo-Saxons.” With the nation facing a major crisis of war weariness, limitations were lifted on foreign ownership of strategically important industries. This allowed powerful North-German industrial conglomerates of the Ruhr to take over the depressed industrial zone of Northumberland. While for British officials the plight of working class Britons might have been a meaningful factor, the North-German board of directors owning the glass-blowing factories of Northumberland had no qualms of conscience about hiring cheap migrant workforce of Indian refugees. The resurrection of Northumberland factories is already in full swing, and the only question that is still unanswered is, whether or not the North-German board of directors wishes to stick to the tradition of glass-blowing, or would it rather invest some more into refitting the factory floors for some other kind of manufacture. (Regional quest progress: 94.84%, North German Federation losses: -0.91 HC, -0.31 IC, -2.22 EC, -1.73 MC)
Clydebuilt and the Clydeborn
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Despite their recent disenfranchisement, the Scots had been one of the dominant ethnicities in the British Empire and on the Albion itself for the past one hundred of years, until the Rum Riot and the Sunday Mass Uprising led to Lord-Protector Strange’s ascension and an institution of punishing measures against the non-English. However, Scotland’s lowlands are still highly industrialized, and the city of Glasgow (once known as “the Second City of the Empire”) is known for its shipbuilding industries. In fact, the Scott family’s shipyards in the neighborhood of Clydeside are so well-known across the Royal Commonwealth that the steel ships built there deserve a particular adjective, “Clydebuilt,” signifying their excellent quality. Sadly, prohibition and ethnic disenfranchisement that the Scottish people have been experiencing for the last decade have hit the Scott family business hard, leading to a decline both in quality and quantity of ships they produce for Britain. It doesn’t help that their factory workers are known for their professional and national pride, being one of the few collectives on the Albion who’d gone on strike and not been crushed by the Lord-Protector’s police and hired strike breakers. This is not surprising, given the industrial shortanges that the British Royal Commonwealth has experienced since the start of the Second Atlantic War, but now some members of the Industry Ward suggest that the government re-approaches the Glasgowites (or the Scottish people in general) with the intent of once again kickstarting the Scotland’s industrial prominence for the Commonwealth’s good.
Q1-Q2 1895: Facing a major economic crisis in his own domain, Lord-Protector Strange allowed himself to be persuaded to trust the Scottish “rabble” once again, at least to a degree. The Scotts Shipyards of Glasgow’s Clydeside received government subsidies (and, in fact, became the sole focus of the worn-out Industry Ward for the first half of the year), resurrecting the famous manufacturing giant. No effort was put toward mitigating possible agitation by workers’ societies and patriotic clubs, so a side effect of Clydeside’s resurrection was a resurgence of radical leftist ideas, many of which came to the Scottish Lowlands from Ireland, having been influenced by Communard propaganda. Regardless, now that France is no longer the same boogeyman, the Royal Commonwealth was ready to accept it as an inevitable payment for the much needed boost to shipbuilding production. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Ireland-Scotland gains +10 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.75%, Communard France gains +2% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -2% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -1.8 HC, -0.47 IC, -5.17 EC, -4.08 MC)
Justice for the crofters
Q1-Q2 1895: In Scottish Highlands, crofters are small land tenants in rural areas, who rent their land from bigger landholders, usually of noble descent (the name comes from the word “croft,” meaning a small arable area, enclosed or fenced, with the tenant’s dwelling on it). Historically, the Highlands had been simmering with tensions between the landlords and crofters, but things definitely changed for the worse when the Scottish people got disenfranchised and the Highland nobility started to expand its hunting and herding grounds at the crofters’ expense, trying to compensate for the loss of the graft with growing rent and decreasing their tenants’ space. This has recently lead to a series of rent strikes and simmering discontent by the crofters against both their own landlords and the Lord-Protector who does represents a hated English policeman in their perception. These tensions exploded into riots and violence on the island of Skye, and the English government has to act sooner or later to keep the situation from escalating further.
England-Wales
Spoiler:
Fast-developing, populous heart of the British Empire, famous for astounding level of scientific activity and education, combined with rich labor market and strong urban and rural economies.
Return of the Great Stink
Spoiler:
1890: The Great Stink of 1858 is back to London again! This time, it’s caused not as much by the pollution of the Thames river (although this keeps being a recurring problem), but by the booming industries of the London sprawl combined with aggressive expansion of London Underground trains system and above-ground Gurney steam carriage transportation. Whoever could afford it, have left the city for country houses, but vast majority of the population remains in the suffocating megapolis. With it, the smog has brought unprecedented level of health issues and crime, especially in the working class neighborhoods by the Thames. Most importantly, the London crisis is merely the most noticeable of such events. “The Stinks” have been known to happen on and off in major industrial cities of England for the past decade. Perhaps, it’s time to do something?
Q1-Q2 1895: “The smell of the Great Stink has reached Berlin!” That headline, with some variations, could be seen on the front page of many British newspapers in February 1895, when a series of contracts was signed with North-German urban development firms and sanitation companies. As humiliating as it was for the mighty British Empire to outsource such a sensitive matter of national hygiene to continental Europeans, the Commonwealth’s resources were needed elsewhere, and Lord-Protector Strange had no will left to resist the pleas of mayors of different English cities. Once the North-Germans were on board, the sanitation project proceeded at a great pace. Filters were installed on stack-furnaces, wastewater collectors were fully rebuilt, downcycling facilities established, and special sanitation stations built across all major industrial centers of England and Wales, all staffed with North-German medical personnel. To the Federation, this project was a great way to establish a positive image for itself across the British Isles, while Great Britain finally has started to recover from an epidemic of lungs and heart disease, as well as so-called “smog robberies.” (Regional quest completed with success, region England-Wales gains +15 HC, +5 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.5%, North German Federation gains +3% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -3% Regional Influence, North German Federation losses: -1.31 HC, -1.45 IC, -3.15 EC, -1.65 MC)
Long live the Queen!
Spoiler:
1890: Now that the threat of a populist revolution seems to have withdrawn, the Queen and her closest relatives no longer feel that they need the iron-grip “protection” offered by the Lord-Protector himself. Their position is shared by landed gentry that would rather have returned to the time before Lord Wellington altogether. On the other hand, British bankers and industrialists have benefited greatly from the protectionist (no pun intended) policies of the current stratocratic administration. And as for the officer corps, it is split between their loyalty to the Queen and their appreciation of the power and privileges they enjoy under the Protectorate’s militarist practices. Meanwhile, the working class and the peasantry keeps growing ever more alienated from all three of the groups. And the colonies? Nobody even asks them.
Nonconforming Welshmen
Q1-Q2 1895: Since the late 18th century, Wales was experiencing a rise of Christian Nonconformism, a Protestant movement to stray from obedience to the Church of England. First among the Welsh Nonconformists were the Calvinists, and especially the Presbyterian Church of Wales (Welsh: Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru), which, by extension, became a center of Welsh national reawakening. The practice was mostly tolerated, all the way until the Rum Riots and chaos in Gaelic communities spooked the failing government of Great Britain into adopting the policy of Anglicization under Lord-Protector Strange. In the decade that followed, Wales mostly got on the new nationalist government’s good side, and even today the Welsh Nonconformists are the only major group on the Albion supporting a controversial prohibition law. Yet, some members of the Round Table are afraid that the recent defeats of the Royal Commonwealth have emboldened the Welsh Presbyterians to step up their national revival efforts, as Sunday schools across all of the country now speak Welsh.
Ultimate Criminals
Q1-Q2 1895: Professor James Moriarty, a shadowy person who was revealed to be a long-time Secret Ward agent and apparent double-dealer, left a rich legacy of secret underworld virtually invisible even to the most competent intelligence services. Another piece of legacy he left was apparently his illegitimate, immoral son Jim who managed to use his father’s connections in the Secret Ward to steal bits and pieces of knowledge that were left from the now lost Moriarty Sr.’s ledger. That helped Jim to saw together a motley picture of his departed father’s multifaceted empire, recruiting even some Secret Ward agents to the absurd cause he’s obsessed with: to create the “ultimate crime,” driven not by the material gain, but by the thrill of mischief itself, as his father had once taught him. (Regional quest completed with success, secret organization "Ultimate Criminals" is created, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -3.78 HC, -4.8 IC, -7.79 EC, -2.33 MC)
London calling
Spoiler:
1890: As cheap labor from the British colonies arrives to the British Isles for the wages unthinkable in their homelands, the heart of the Royal Commonwealth starts facing a true problem with a severe surplus of work-eligible men and, as a result of it, unemployment. Workhouses and steep increase in the size of the army and navy were designed to mitigate these issues, but the country is still dealing with huge masses of unemployed men who don’t even get to participate in the “shadow economy,” because of how effectively the Secret Ward has been cracking down on underworld activities. As of today, it looks like a crisis waiting to happen.
Q3-Q4 1894: As the crowds of unemployed urbanites and street ruffians grown by day, shadowy activity started being observed in the Indian, African, and Malayan diasporas of London. Some dark forces started forming organized criminal syndicates out of a disorganized web of small-time street gangs and hustlers, particularly ones who immigrated to the British Isles from the Commonwealth’s vast colonies. Such activities in the very heart of the Royal Commonwealth evoked untamed rage in Lord-Protector Strange, who sent some of the top investigative teams of the Scotland-Yard, supported by experienced Kingsmen, to dealing with this threat. This likely saved the working-class quarters of London from a bloody repetition of the infamous Swing Riots of 1830, but no one is sure if this is a merely delaying action at this point, as the Secret Ward has been recently finding itself outmatched by its quickly learning enemies. (Regional quest progress: 80.62%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -21.45 HC, -30.12 IC, -48.52 EC, -14.91 MC, ??? losses: -17.0? HC, -23.4? IC, -36.2? EC, -8.5? MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The dangerous escalation of gang activities and political agitation among the Asian and African diasporas of London slums continued throughout the first part of 1895, culminating in a bloody Limehouse Riot, when a special investigative team of the Kingsmen got ambushed by a squad of extremely well-equipped foreign saboteurs. An attempt by the Scotland-Yard to rescue Britain’s license-to-kill agents by sending hundreds of “bobbies” into a clearing of the slums finally overfilled the glass of patience of the local poor, who rioted and almost butchered the London police. The situation continued spiralling out of control when the rioters started being organized into cohesive barricade defense forces by the same foreign agents, who used typical London smog and well-timed arsons to spread chaos across Great Britain’s capital. Raging Lord-Protector immediately ordered several divisions training in Kent to force-march to London and cleanse the Limehouse, turning the city into a scene of viceous urban fighting. Eventually, the regular army prevailed over the “Darkies’ Army,” but not before a good quarter of the city was devastated. The damage done directly to the sprawling megalopolis and its economy didn’t end there, however. Racial tensions have spiked across all England since then, and in many cities across the Albion anti-Indian pogroms are becoming a norm, destabilizing the war-torn country even more. (Regional quest completed with complete failure, region England-Wales gains -10 HC, -10 EC, -1.25% Regional Growth Fluctuation, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -25.25 HC, -29.14 IC, -48.24 EC, -14.99 MC, ??? losses: -15.7? HC, -17.6? IC, -28.4? EC, -6.2? MC)
We don’t want to fight, but by Jingo if we do
Spoiler:
1892: After the Atlantic War and subsequent national crisis, it seemed like it would be a long time before British public would be acceptive of thoughts of another war again. However, the last year’s Sao Tome Incident near the Zaire coast, combined with ethnic purges of English settlers in the Cape, has reversed that pacifist trend. Atlantic War veterans that yesterday were praying in churches for eternal peace under the sun, now march in London singing “By Jingo” and decrying the “sinkers of the Challenger and rapists of Capetown.” The stratocratic nation of British authority makes the Lord-Protector formally immune for any, even most passionate, display of public demand, but it seems to be harder than ever to dissuade the nation from yet another foreign entanglement.
Q1-Q2 1893: The Boer campaign against the British shipping around the Cape of Good Hope stirred even more trouble in the Albion’s politics, shifting popular mood further to the right. The Second Lower Canada and Second Red River Rebellions didn’t help the case, as more and more hawkish demagogues demand that the Lord-Protector actually does what he volunteered for and “protects” the Royal Commonwealth and its current and former subjects from Celtic and Canadian lawlessness, most importantly, from the perfidy of the Boers. Drastic actions may be required to display British actions as just the right type of response to all of the threats the nation is facing across the globe, and effective retaliation could please a lot of “hawks” and help the Lord-Protector regain popular support. (Regional quest progress: -30%)
Mad Minute and speed shooting
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Recent decade saw very little change in how the feared “red coats” waged war, perhaps, except the introduction of drab “colonial” uniform to their outfit. This bone-headed adherence to tradition, it’s rumored, was to a degree rooted in Lord-Director Strange’s own compulsion with the First Atlantic War, in which he himself was a decorated war hero. However, the recent string of humiliating defeats on three continents has has finally led the Royal Army to admitting that, perhaps, it was no longer the strongest military force on the planet. Now, a new perspective innovation is in the works, judging by the re-training drills started in Kent and Lancastershire. They emphasize battlefield use of rapid fire shooting technique for bolt-action rifles, prioritizing fast and relatively precise shooting by individual soldiers. With any luck, this training approach is likely to see frontline action in the upcoming year. (Technology quest progress: 92.14%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -4.04 HC, -1.36 IC, -2.35 EC, -2.24 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The field exercise in Kent was successful at introducing the “mad minute” style of speed shooting to the first generation of British military cadres, being interrupted only briefly for the suppression of the Limehouse Riot in London. However, while the training was still ongoing, a series of suspicious defections took place among the new generation of colonial instructors of the Royal Army in India. It is suspected that they were recruited or kidnapped by infamous Sikh spies, which would explain why an almost identical training program was started and brought to a quick, rushed conclusion during the late spring of 1895 in Srinagar. This still put the British army ahead of many competitors on the battlefield in terms of field training, but, alas, that advantage may not spread to their Indostani opponents. (Technology quest completed with mixed results, British Royal Commonwealth, Indostan adopt “Mad Minute and speed shooting” for no additional cost, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -3.93 HC, -1.06 IC, -2.96 EC, -1.66 MC, Indostan losses: -4.41 HC, -4.65 IC, -7.18 EC, -1.51 MC)
“Forlorn hope” units and penal battalions
Q1-Q2 1895: The British Royal Army isn’t really in shortage of manpower, but it’s definitely short of money to pay its soldiers for their allowance. A radical solution to this problem is being proposed by some of the members of British stratocracy: to create military formations consisting of convicted persons mobilized for military service, either as a punishment or an opportunity to redeem their crimes. Of course, not everyone believes that such army units could be reliable, and some military thinkers are afraid that the “forlorn hope” troops might require more supervision alive than dead. On the other hand, nobody’s saying they need to survive their attacks… Either way, so far the discussion is far from being over.
Low Countries
Spoiler:
Fast-developing region with moderately strong economy, but high level of social instability.
Overseas ambitions
Spoiler:
1890: Thanks to the British support, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands has been enjoying a period of resurgence of its colonial ambitions. However, recently it has become obvious to everyone but Director-Admiral Willem Jan Derx that the Kingdom’s resources are overstretched, while its home provinces are suffering from a prolonged economic and demographic stagnation. While North Germany and France are preparing to make the Netherlands their economic playground, the Kingdom’s British “protectors” are looking increasingly incapable to help the country’s continental economy grow. It seems like a brutal struggle for de-facto economic control over the region is brewing.
Q4 1893: Perhaps, it was obvious for many geopolitical observers that the Netherlands had a very slim chance of saving their colonial empire, and even if they did, they risked turning into an economic backwater of Europe due to a wide spread of the nation’s resources. However, the public opinion was still very far from comprehending this, and thus a series of colonial sales undertaken by Director-Admiral Derx was met with an almost universal outrage at home. First of the grievances, of course, was an agreement of “joint administration” of the Dutch East Indies with Portugal-Brazil - an agreement that, according to the nation’s hawks and jingoists simply meant that the Portobrazilians could stick their nose into the Dutch matters, receiving a bigger share of East-Indian trade than they would otherwise. The other problem was the sale of Suriname to the Twin Crowns, which was seen a practically useless, but a morally important colony, being the only Dutch-held territory in the New World. But worst of all, people reacted to the transfer of Ghana to the CSA, which wasn’t even compensated with anything besides an unfulfilled promise that the Confederates would one day build an analytical engine in the Netherlands. Worst of all, it seems like the Director-Admiral has managed to alienate the nationalists and Dutch imperialists at the moment of crisis, when their support could prove critical for the survival of his troubled government. (Regional quest progress: -50%)
Q1-Q2 1895: For the past five months, North-German and Taiping “allies” of the Netherlands in Asia were gaining quite a bad press in Dutch newspapers, mostly due to their habit to break mercantile trade agreements the Dutch East Indies Trade Company (VOC) had with local political entities. That, of course, was usually done under a premise of protecting the VOC against Tokugawa economic expansion in the region, but the tactics on the ground was not much different, prompting Jan Derx’ loyalists in the government to solidify plenty of support against any but the most hardline stance on colonial indivisibility of the Netherlands. Seeing that they were risking alienating their potential ally, the Council of Savants directed a massive propaganda and lobbying effort to the Netherlands, offering the NGF as the Dutch new continental allies in exchange for allowance to “protect” the collapsing VOC with all means necessary. To make the words resound better, the North-Germans also invited some Dutch journalists to observe massive (and rather wasteful) Bundesmarine exercises, hoping to impress the Dutch with imperialistic awe. Meanwhile, the Southern King of the Taiping state, a “human face” of the Heavenly Kingdom in the West, also dispatched a smaller embassy to Amsterdam. Lacking in grandeur, the mission was rather effective at choice of words, humbly asking for continuous cooperation with the VOC in order to stem the Japanese tide. The both of these moves ended up facing some opposition from inside the Dutch government, as dedicated Derxites inside the state apparatus attempted to act against the directives of the Queen. In the end, that effort seems to be only wasting precious time and resources of the failing Kingdom of the Netherlands, and diplomats predict that the NGF and China will get what they want before the year’s end. (Regional quest progress: 92.19%, Netherlands losses: -22.02 HC, -34.72 IC, -56.74 EC, -5.29 MC, North-German Federation losses: -3.68 HC, -5.78 IC, -8.05 EC, -4.25 MC, Taiping Mandate losses: -1.89 HC, -2.38 IC, -3.08 EC, -0.46 MC)
Belgium’s many faces
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: After the chaotic and at times violent protests and riots of 1893, few people believed that Belgium would see independence without a single shot fired. However, Queen Wilhelmina shocked both her critics and her supporters by solving the multitude of Dutch crises via a single solution that gave the Belgians a true taste of freedom. But the newly independent state is yet to become a nation. Firstly, the legacy of French propaganda of the Anti-Communard War left many Walloons leaning to a strange mix of leftist French pan-nationalism, while the Flemish population was stuck in a state of duality, attracted to their Dutch-speaking northern countrymen, but simultaneously alienated from their staunch loyalty to the free market economy. If one were to dig deeper, more contradictions could be found, as the current provisional government is a strange mix of moderate socialists, upstart klepto-ochlocrats, and radical Communards. If Belgium were to become a strong, independent nation, it might need to decide what defines it and what pulls it together.
Return of the Queen
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Events in the Netherlands are rumored to have angered and worried Lord-Protector Strange of the British Royal Commonwealth, for reasons all too obvious. Yet, while the British “benevolent knight” is fuming about the possibility of being so bluntly removed from power by his own protectee like it happened to his colleague Willem Jan Derx, the Netherlands are going through their own soul-searching transition. Many people liked the way Queen Wilhelmina acted, boldly and, might they say, authoritatively. They suggest that the country desperately needs such strong leadership, emanating from a person who got her title from God, and not through some cabinet intrigues. Yet, some are afraid that should the monarch once again get unchecked power over the country, Holland might as well fall into yet another trap of reckless leadership akin to the one demonstrated by the notorious Director-Admiral.
Q1-Q2 1895: While Derxite elements were giving a desperate fight to anyone who would suggest opening Dutch colonies to foreign competition and, perhaps, even repurchase, their fight for the future of the Dutch monarchy was desperate. Director-Admiral’s own “reformist insanity” ruined radical stratocrats’ and thalassocrats’ reputation decidedly, and the choice the Dutch public seemed to be making was between constitutional monarchism and autocratic monarchism. Too close to the Germanies, too far from God, the Low Countries were destined to become targets of both North-German and Austrobavarian propaganda, two clashing flows of information that sometimes seemed concerted. The North-Germans promoted a shallow version of liberalism, with a constitutional monarch on top and true policies guided not by the spirit of freedom, but by the pragmatic demands of a moment (for which, many pro-North-German liberals and moderates were compared to the French Possibilists). Meanwhile, the Austrobavarian lobbying campaign was much less aimed at politically active masses, but at influential cabinet members, often with an aristocratic background. The Confederation of Princes, through its representatives, depicted a vision of aristocratic directory, not dissimilar to Austria-Bavaria itself, with nominal municipal democracy and traditional Dutch free market covering the enclosed, elitist nature of a ruling government. While the debate is still ongoing, it appears that only an intervention of a third power could stop the two Germanies from re-shaping the Netherlands into a bizarre blend of the both of them. (Regional quest progress: 95.24%, North German Federation losses: -1.98 HC, -3.68 IC, -4.69 EC, -1.26 MC, Austria-Bavaria losses: -0.77 HC, -1.17 IC, -1.68 EC, -0.35 MC)
Baltia-Prussia
Spoiler:
Fast-developing, lightly populated and quiet region with highly literate population, acting as a connecting hub between the Russian and German markets.
Q1-Q2 1895: A “buy local!” promotional campaign got jump-started by several consumer watchdog groups, aligned with Latvian, Estonian, and Latgalian nationalist movements, giving the United Duchies a stronger indirect control the local market. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.61%, United Baltic Duchies gains +1.02% Regional Influence, Moravia loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Poland loses -0.52% Regional Influence, United Baltic Duchies losses: -3.31 HC, -0.74 IC, -7.77 EC, -4.89 MC)
Lithuanian national awakening
Spoiler:
1892: Lithuania is not only the most populous of the Baltic Duchies, but also the one with the most prominent history. Throughout the last century and a half, however, it was somewhat reduced in its national self-awareness, partially caused by the fact that the political and academic life of the Grand Duchy was almost entirely monopolized by members of the German and Russian diasporas. Now, it seems, the Lithuanian national spirit is being resurrected, as seen in art and political publications. One part of the movement views the United Baltic Duchies as an artificially created pan-national entity that should agree to Lithuanian leadership if it wishes to achieve true unity and greatness. More radical and militant student groups, instead, romanticize Lithuanian past as a one-time Eastern-European powerhouse and the leader of the Rzech Pospolita, arguing that Lithuania should abandon the Baltic Duchies and seek to align itself to proud and ferociously independent Poland. Finally, a minority group is seeking simple independence, ideally as a neutral confederative republic akin to Switzerland.
Estonophiles and estonophobes
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: Ever since the times of Teutonian Northern Crusades, the region of Livonia (also known as Livland to the Swedes) was administered by semi-autonomous Livlandic Landtags (Liefländischer Landtag) attended exclusively by German Baltic nobility that aggressively protected its rule to keep German customs, laws, and even language to govern their lives. However, ever since the United Baltic Duchies gained independence from Russia, local Baltic cultures were growing in their social, economic, and political influence. This has brought local ethnicities to dominating administration of all of the duchies, with the sole exception of Livland, and now Landtags have fallen under a political siege. The Livonian German community is split as well, with so-called Estonophiles being in support of promoting and resurrecting the Estonian self-rule and cultural tradition, and Estonophobes standing firmly on the position of Baltic civilizational inferiority to the Germans.
Q1-Q2 1895: Just a few months before Christmas 1894, it appeared that the Livlandic Landtags could withstand their socio-cultural siege for years if not decades. However, with the victory of the Pochvenniks in the Russian Directorial elections, the so-called Estonophile faction of Baltic politicians, consisting of actual Estonians, as well culturally assimilated Baltic Germans and Russians, received a sudden influx of support from its eastern neighbor. Suddenly, the Balto-German nobility found itself combating scandals (some open and some secret) from all sides, while the Estonian bourgeoisie, supported by Latvian intelligentsia, built an attractive platform based on popular, democratic sentiment. Soon, the political momentum brought the entire movement to its quick and natural conclusion, with the Landtags mostly being preserved in councilatory roles, and true municipal power being given to the All-Duchy Assemblies, resembling semi-directorial structure of Russia. This turned out to be a great boon for Estonian self-determination, untapping plenty of national resources and also advancing Russia’s national interests in the Baltic region. (Regional quest completed with success, region Baltia-Prussia gains +5 IC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.25%, Directorial Russia gains +2.5% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -2.25% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia losses: -0.91 HC, -1.91 IC, -3.06 EC, -0.67 MC)
Eastern Atlantic Flyway
Q1-Q2 1895: The Ösel (Saaremaa) island lies in the middle of the Eastern Atlantic Flyway, migration route used by about 90 million birds annually, passing from their breeding areas in North America, Scandinavia, Siberia and northern Europe to wintering areas in western Europe and on to southern Africa. In loosely regulated, largely rural United Duchies, this natural event used to attract hundreds of aspiring hunters (mostly Baltic German nobles) every year, who loved to cull the flocks for their own entertainment. With growing standards of living, however, such hunts became an affordable pastime for many non-German Baltic bourgeoisie, who view it more as a sign of status. Some of them even try to take a political angle at their hunts, taking pride in annoying the aristocracy and capturing it on camera (if they can afford one). Meanwhile, other Baltic anti-elitists think that instead of mimicking the German gentry true Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian patriots should instead help pass a law banning such seasonal hunt altogether. This, they say, would not only send a signal to the aristocracy about the changing social norms, but would also protect numerous species of birds from being overhunted.
Yearning for the West
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: A motto “Drang nach Osten” (German for “Yearning for the East”) has been historically known to be popular among German and particularly High Prussian nationalists, arguing for Germanization of the Slavic lands, from the Baltics to Bohmen (Bohemia). However, now cosmopolitan and pro-Polish policies of the Council of Savants is producing plenty of fear among German settlers in Ostpreussen (East Prussia), Posen (Poznan) and Pommern (Pomerania) that it’s only a beginning of a demographic reversal that could bring the Poles back to the lands they have long considered theirs. As local Sokoly clubs open their doors to whoever is wishing to listen to their gospels of West-Slavic unity, North-German settlers are starting to bitterly describe the situation as “Dang nach Westen,” or “Yearning for the West.”
Poland-Czechia
Spoiler:
Fast-developing region with big labor market, booming culture, rich agriculture, and formidable industrial capacity.
Q1-Q2 1895: Lithuanian banking magnates used their traditional closeness to the Polish szlachta (nobility) to re-establish previously lost financial contacts in the Polonian region. (United Baltic Duchies gains +0.59% Regional Influence, Poland loses -0.59% Regional Influence, United Baltic Duchies losses: -1.22 HC, -2.57 IC, -4.14 EC, -0.43 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Moravian corporate conglomerates continue the tried and tested tactics of ethnic association to advance their products in foreign markets, this time running an effective marketing campaign in North-German Bohmen (Bohemia) among Germanized Czechs. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.67%, Moravia gains +1.11% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -1.11% Regional Influence, Moravia losses: -2.97 HC, -0.76 IC, -7.78 EC, -4.83 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: While the conclusion of the Hungarian Spring was still up in the air, Hungarian magnates briefly attempted to bring the “war” to the Polish doorstep through peaceful means of commercial competition in post-Hungarian Slovakia. It remains to be seen how long this competition might last, as the possibility of the New Jagiellonian Union is making any further trade wars between the two countries extremely unlikely. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.87%, Hungary gains +1.45% Regional Influence, Poland loses -1.45% Regional Influence, Hungary losses: -2.45 HC, -0.52 IC, -6.14 EC, -3.99 MC)
Poland is not yet lost!
Spoiler:
1890: Ever since regaining its independence in the 1830s, Polish political elites and the general population have been extremely paranoid about the prospects of losing it yet again. Russia, even in its much more democratic form, is still being viewed as a potential threat, especially by the older generation. The North German Federation still holds lands with significant Polish minority. Finally, Hungary is increasingly viewed as a dangerous and arrogant regional rival. In this atmosphere, a West-Slavic nationalist organization called “Sokoly” (lit. “the Falcons”), formally centered around a culture of physical athleticism, has started to breed clubs all across Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia. They advocate a creation of a Pan-Slavic European state similar to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, dissolution of the corrupt and ever-deadlocked Polish Sejm (the Parliament), state censorship in favor of promotion of stricter “Slavic national ideals,” as well as “a stronger hand” of military administration in the affairs of the state. Sokoly are quickly becoming an influential force in Poland, Moravia, and Northern komitats of Hungary.
Q1-Q2 1893: West Slavic nationalism experienced a sudden rise in Hungarian komitats with large Slovak minorities. Terrorist attacks, propaganda campaigns, and blackmailing cases against royal officials have become widespread and daily. Hungarian State Protection Department dispatched significant forces to counter this trend, clearly inspired by foreign influence, and to a degree the fire of Sokoly resistance could be contained if not put down. Yet, Hungarian agents again found themselves outmatched by better equipped and diversely trained foreign agents, which reflected on the losses they suffered. (Regional quest progress: 38.86%, Hungary losses: -13.39 HC, -17.74 IC, -27.68 EC, -5.25 MC, ??? losses: -4.5? HC, -7.9? IC, -11.9? EC, -2.9? MC)
Q1-Q2 1894: In the aftermath of the Central-European War, a military-minded group of politicians, led by a charismatic “savior of Krakow,” general Władysław Wysocki, took over the Polish state. A series of nationalist authoritarian reforms known as the Sanation also became a foundation for a resurgence of Pan-Western Slavic nationalism, most visibly displayed by the infamous Sokoly movement, which the leaders of the Sanation hoped to use as a unifying factor for the Polish state and its ambitious political goals. In Slovakia, ex-partisans that had fought against the Crown of St. Stephan under Russian sponsorship were now integrated into the Polish military, which did provide it with plenty of zealous and experienced, unorthodox officers, but also created a sizeable pro-Russian faction in the Polish army. In the rest of Poland, various Sokoly clubs and paramilitary circles were vetted and eventually became pools for military and officers recruitment, causing a brief (but expected) period of disorganization in the Wojsko Polskie that is hoped to lead to a creation of a patriotic and ideologically homogeneous core of cadres eventually. Some of these cadres, however, proved to be too rabidly anti-German and, as a teachable moment, most of them were sent to garrison the Gdansk corridor, to teach them to cooperate with their North-German colleagues. This gave an opposite effect, and after a few embarrassing episodes the Polish leadership had to pull such rookie squads from Pomeralia and assign them to guard bogs and marshes of the Russo-Polish border. One way or another, the chaos of the Sanation seems to be temporary, and many observers point out that the ideas of Central-European Pan-Slavism (central to the Sokoly doctrine) are likely to become a ideological foundation of the Polish army quite soon, for the better or for the worse. (Regional quest progress: 63.62%, Poland losses: -9.32 HC, -2.66 IC, -4.84 EC, -3.01 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: Polish assimilation of the Sokoly partisans into its army continued throughout the second part of the year, as the nationalist majorities started being watered down via splitting and spreading them across the entire military apparatus. While this made individual units less prone to ideologically motivated insubordination, it also ensured that the entire Polish army is exposed to the Sokoly ideals of West Slavic pan-nationalism. (Regional quest progress: 86.12%, Poland losses: -6.6 HC, -1.89 IC, -3.42 EC, -2.13 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: As the size of the Polish military shrunk this year, the task of integrating the Sokoly partisans into the army structure and affiliated paramilitary organizations became only easier. On the negative side, it also made it so that the concentration of pro-Russian Pan-West Slavic nationalists in the Wojsko Polskie grew to previously unprecedented levels, which might impact the nation’s political balance in the future. However, outside of this, the program was a success, giving the nation plenty of new, motivated recruits and capable NCOs. While the economic activity in some of the regions with most active Sokoly cells has diminished, their patriotic attachment to the Polish nation only increased. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Poland-Czechia gains +15 HC, +5 IC, -5 EC, Poland gains +2% Regional Influence, Moravia loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Hungary loses -0.25% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Poland losses: -7.38 HC, -2.11 IC, -3.83 EC, -2.39 MC)
O tempora, o mores!
Spoiler:
1890: The Margraviate of Moravia is a quiet, prosperous nation, which economy is heavily dependent on tourism and manufacture of luxury items, such as crystal glassware. This year, however, a series of scandals occurred in the resort town of Ostrava, when a French cinema director and his wife (known in certain circles as an exotic dancer from Dutch West-Indies) settled down there for a living. Presence of an avid Parisian social-revolutionary would be shocking enough, but the outrageous lifestyle of the sinful couple quickly became public and sent Moravian newspaper audience reeling. A series of explicit performances followed up by drunken orgies have taken place in Ostrava, and a petition has been signed to expel the paramour couple from Moravia for public indiscretion. However, no laws have been broken so far, and a rash action could create a precedent hurtful to the fragile local economy. After all, as some are willing to admit, “everyone knows” that most of gentlemen arrive to Moravia not just for sanatorium springs, but also to have an affair away from the family. Why should our income suffer because of one Frenchman who doesn’t bother to hide it?
Young Poland
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: No one can argue that Poland’s separation from the Russian state during the Second TIme of Troubles led to a blossoming of the Polish industry and economy. However, until recently, the cultural achievements of the young nation were somewhat lagging behind - so much so that even touring Confederate musicians would gather larger crowds in concert halls than a Papal visit in 1890. Now, the Young Poland (Polish: Młoda Polska) movement is likely to change that trend, especially if they receive government support. Ranging in their style from decadent to modernist to art nouveau, the Young Poland visual artists, musicians, and writers could become a new face of Polish intelligentsia - if only they stopped criticizing their ham-handed, stratocratic government for a second...
Polish Athens or Polish Jerusalem?
Q1-Q2 1895: For its traditional role in the artistic, academic, and scientific history of Poland, the city of Krakow is informally known as the “Polish Athens.” Besides being one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and a home of the Polish Renaissance during the nation’s Złoty Wiek (Golden Age) in the 15th-16th centuries, the city is also a home for a great Jewish community. In 1495, the Krakowian Jews were temporarily expelled from the city by its king (and Duke of Glasgow) John I Albert, but they simply resettled to the village of Kazimierz just outside the city walls and continued to trade on the city’s Main Square. Since then, Kazimierz had been absorbed by the growing metropolis, and today it hosts the famous Old Synagogue, the largest center of Judaist faith in Europe. With the blooming of Krakow, it appears that its two identities - of an intellectual center and of Judaist unity - are starting to merge. This, however, faces some backlash from some of the Polish nationalists, many of which hold onto vulgar anti-semitism. They also demand that the Jewish diaspora should step up its involvement in the Polish military service, so that it contributes to the nation’s protection and not only to the fields of commercial and academic achievement.
Dąbrowski engine
Q1-Q2 1895: Having recently sponsored an adoption of industrial techniques of producing and maintaining difference and analytical engines, the Polish government went on to embark on a major prestige project that is expected to also give the resurgent nation an intellectual and scientific power it truly deserves. Named the Dąbrowski engine (after a widely regarded 18th Century politician and general Jan Henryk Dąbrowski), the new computational giant was erected in the suburbs of Warsaw, helping to bring Poland to the league of major powers that claim superiority not only in military prowess, but also in scientific pursuits. Some statesmen lamented that this construction could’ve been presented to the Polish people and their neighbors as a diplomatic statement of Poland’s ascendance, but, unfortunately, the government had no promotional assets to spare on propaganda, with everyone and everything thrown to the political change in Hungary. (Regional quest completed with success, region Poland-Czechia gains +15 IC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.75%, Poland losses: -0.94 HC, -0.25 IC, -2.45 EC, -1.54 MC)
Difference-engine numerical control
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Difference engines have already helped with automating repetitive calculation tasks across many fields of human activity, including gunnery and algorithmic stock trade, but one thing nobody has tried to do until now was primitive automation of industrial production. This might change soon, as Ziemowit Gwózdek, a mechanical engineer, and Miłosz Czajka, a programme encoder, have recently presented their revolutionary collaborative invention, a difference-engine numerical control for assembly lines. This invention, it’s rumored, was inspired by a sad decapitation incident at a local factory witnessed by the two colleagues, which exposed the shortcomings of human labor at factories. Luckily for the two, the presentation was attended by representatives from Siemens AG, Russobalt, and Stetysz, companies that were impressed by the potential displayed by this sort of manufacturing automation and happily contributed to a joint development of that technology. (Technology quest progress: 42.75%, Poland losses: -1.16 HC, -0.27 IC, -3.1 EC, -1.94 MC, North German Federation losses: -1.18 HC, -0.27 IC, -3.2 EC, -2.62 MC, Directorial Russia losses: -1.1 HC, -0.24 IC, -3.15 EC, -2.48 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Siemens AG and Stetysz continued aggressively pumping their investments into the development of what became known as the Gwózdek-Czajka Line. The project remains intimidating in its complexity, but, as long as industrial giants from all over the world continue supplying it with talent and expertise, it should be completed by the end of 1895. (Technology quest progress: 80.22%, North German Federation: losses: -2.22 HC, -0.75 IC, -5.38 EC, -4.19 MC, Poland losses: -1.08 HC, -0.29 IC, -2.8 EC, -1.76 MC)
Najtyczanka machine gun carriage platform
Q1-Q2 1895: Given the turbulent history of the two countries, a Pole and a Turk working on the same project is a rare sight. However, that sight was commonplace in the field of Red Ruthenia this year, where the Wojsko Polskie and the Ottoman Nizamiye were testing their new, albeit low-tech weapon. Nicknamed “nejtyczanka” by its inventor (an ex-Sokol partisan, Moravian Czech in Polish service) after his hometown, it was nothing but a mobile horse-drawn machine gun platform, usually a cart or an open wagon, with a heavy machine gun installed in the back. As simplistic as it was, it was recognize by the Polish and Ottoman military as a simple, yet effective mobile platform for nations that may not have access to such easily trained beasts of burden as camels (which were the foundational piece of the Egyptian zamburak wings). Thanks to the Polish innovation and experience of the ex-Sokoly officers (who used such improvised gun carriages routinely during their partisan action against Hungary), the new vehicle of war was introduced into the two armies seamlessly and is likely to be found useful during wars to follow. (Technology quest completed, Poland, Ottoman State adopt “Najtyczanka and machine gun carriage platform” for no additional cost, Polan losses: -0.4 HC, -0.11 IC, -1.05 EC, -0.66 MC, Ottoman State losses: -0.64 HC, -0.14 IC, -2.02 EC, -1.26 MC)
Fast-developing, albeit war-torn trade hub of Central Europe with formidable labor market, strong agriculture, and blossoming culture.
Q1-Q2 1895: The Domnate of Romania has started to put its money where its words used to be, working on proper vetting of its population and simultaneously establishing closer cultural contacts with Romanian peoples outside its borders. (Romanian Domnate gains +0.19% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia loses -0.19% Regional Influence, Romanian Domnate losses: -2.34 HC, -3.63 IC, -6.14 EC)
Q1-Q2 1895: While the acute crisis of Hungarian Spring evolved, local főnemesség (upper nobility) provided their support to the market-friendly, parliamentary regime the only way they knew how: by expanding their agricultural businesses across the country. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +1.44%, Hungary gains +2.4% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria loses -2.4% Regional Influence, Hungary losses: -4.21 HC, -0.89 IC, -10.52 EC, -6.84 MC)
Danubian Sich
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Zaporozhian Sich in Central Ukraine was once a defiant Cossack republic that for centuries prospered on its proxy status of a sellsword country, playing Moscowian Russia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Ottoman Turkey against each other. However, in 1775 it overplayed its hand and lended some support to the rebellious Russian peasant army under Yemelyan Pugachev, earning the ire of Tsarina Catherine the Great. That led to a punishing expedition against Zaporozhye that destroyed the ramp state and forced many of its freedom-loving inhabitants to flee Ukraine altogether. They found a new home in the Ottoman military frontier, establishing a new Sich on the Danube. The status of this and several other Danubian Cossack settlements changed several times, as the Russian Second Time of Troubles and Ottoman Great Balkan Rebellion saw the Rusnaks (as the local Bulgarians called Danubian Cossacks) change their sides multiple times, now befriending the South Slavs, now lending a hand to the Sublime Porte, now appealing to the Uchreditelnoye Sobraniye of Russia. Recent comeback of Russian influence in Eastern Europe and turbulent changes in the Ottoman State, combined with the ethnic reshuffling brought about by the War of Hungarian Containment, only helped the Danubian Sich to survive and even grow bigger, swelling with Bulgarian refugees and some Russian soldiers who, after demobilization, chose to semi-legally stay living in the Danube delta. Now, perhaps, the Rusnaks might become allies of any power in the region, from the Ukrainian Hetmanate to Directorial Russia to the Sublime Ottoman State.
New Jagiellonian Union
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The recent War of Hungarian Containment put Poland and Hungary at the opposite sides of the frontline, but historically both nations have more in common than dividing them. Both countries have re-gained their independence barely half a century ago, and in the 14-15th centuries they even were de-facto ruled by the same monarchy as a part of the Jagiellonian Union. That historical occurrence is, of course, long buried in the past, but Polish capitalists and politicians did their best in the first half of 1894 to rebuild a pro-Polish sentiment in the Hungarian society and political elite. On the economic front, Polish magnates happily invested into restoration of the war-ravaged Transdubnia and Transcarpathia, only to meet significant competition from their Hungarian counterparts that didn’t wish to lose profitable government contracts to the Poles. Same challenge was met in the Országgyűlés (Country’s Assembly) of Hungary, where pro-Polish lobbyists argued for a draft of national constitution that sees Hungary led by a strong, centralized government with an authoritarian lean. This proposal did lead to a series of filibusters that put the constitutional assembly into a state of limbo, but didn’t account to much besides this, as Hungarian political elites seem to be dead-set on establishing a directorial parliamentary republic. For now, it appears that the Polish soft intervention has so far only alienated Hungarian political and economic elites even more, although it did attract sympathies of some ultranationalists that like the Polish government model and view the parliamentary government as too soft and weak. If the Poles are to break this trend and re-establish any semblance of Polish-Hungarian union, they’d have to first catch up with Hungary’s diminished, but still formidable arsenal of soft power projection. (Regional quest progress: -14.86%, Hungary losses: -4.84 HC, -3.06 IC, -11.28 EC, -5.59 MC, Poland losses: -8.21 HC, -4.07 IC, -18.48 EC, -9.31 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: Polish diplomacy and foreign intelligence agencies have gone a long way in improving their methods and processes since General Wysocki and his clique started the Sanation policy. With this newfound confidence, the Foreign Ministry of Poland continued a wide diplomatic offensive in Hungary, supported by massive investments into the local resource economy by the Polish magnates mobilized to the service of the nation. Over all, their policies in democratic Hungary didn’t change, except Poland has additionally focused on swaying over young officers and ultranationalists, unifying them into a single bloc, the Hungarian United Front (Hungarian: Magyar Egyesült Front). However, the moderate liberal coalition holding leadership in the Országgyűlés (Country’s Assembly) was not to be underestimated. Emboldened by moral, economic, and consulting support from fellow directorial regimes (such as Russia), the coalition mobilized all country’s resources to opposing the MEF, running popular anti-nationalist propaganda campaigns and enlisting local főnemesség (upper nobility) to invest into Hungarian-owned enterprises, lest they succumb to a stratocracy similar to Poland. All in all, this only continued dragging Polish ambitious foreign effort in a direction of alienating its neighbor. (Regional quest progress: -26.1%, Hungary losses: -33.36 HC, -30.3 IC, -74.35 EC, -28.46 MC, Poland losses: -38.93 HC, -28.73 IC, -93.8 EC, -47.22 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Over the past year of Sanation, the “Vigilant Angel” of the Polish state, the Minister of Intelligence Jan Kanty Steczkowski, prepared his jurisdictional agencies for a final showdown over the future of the young Hungarian democracy. A relatively young and talented organizer and technocrat with connections within the higher ranks of the Polish diplomatic corps, Steczkowski had a holistic vision for the country’s intelligence community, equipped with most advanced tools and methods of espionage, coordinated via a variety of secure channels (direct and indirect), and closely tied to the Eastern-European artistic and intellectual elite. Having drawn from the previous failed experience to influence the internal Hungarian consensus, Jan Kanty Steczkowski believed the main battle for the future of the New Jagiellonian Union was coming in 1895. As soon as the Caucasian Crisis grabbed the attention of Russian diplomats and politicians, the “Vigilant Angel” unleashed his clandestine machine on its southern neighbor. Quite quickly, the scope of the “influencing campaign” made it virtually impossible for the Polish leadership to plausibly deny its involvement in Hungarian events. The Hungarian United Front and its odious periodical publication Kurul received previously unthinkable donations from Poland, and Sokoly athletic clubs quickly started to prepare its activists (mostly, disenchanted war veterans and rebellious, nationalistic youth) for protest actions and a possible confrontation with the Hungarian police. The latter one also started to show signs of decay and decomposition, as many police officers were either willingly recruited, or influenced into inaction via kompromat. Liberal and moderate socialist politicians in the Országgyűlés (Country’s Assembly) hoped that the wave of dissent would pass long before the next parliamentary elections, but they received their own “black swan,” when the Constitutional Court of the country issued a controversial decision on a case brought up by a regional cell of the Magyar Egyesült Front (yet again, Hungarian counterespionage professionals believed the Poles had lobbied the decision via a combination of bribes and blackmail). An emergency election was called out, and before long, the Country’s Assembly was packed with MEF deputies, who failed to reach supermajority required for most of the meaningful decisions, but were numerous enough to essentially stall any legislation and use that power to negotiate gradual changes that could bring Hungary closer to Poland in the future. Reactions across the country to these events ranged from disbelief to revelry. Riots occurred both supporting and protesting the events of the Hungarian Spring. Lome lives were lost, and many Russian and some Austrobavarian bourgeoisie members chose to leave the country once again, afraid of persecution by the violent mob. For the latter, the fears were fueled by the past treatment of German Hungarians at the height of the Central European War, while the former the fears were quite realistic, with some disgruntled war veterans committing pogroms in newly formed Russian neighborhoods of Budapest. All in all, it appears that Hungary might be slowly making its way toward a new center of geopolitical gravity in the region, but it’s anyone’s guess how its stronger neighbors are going to react. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Danube Region gains -5 HC, -5 IC, Regional Growth Fluctuation -0.5%, Poland gains +4.5% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia loses -3.5% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria loses -1% Regional Influence, Poland losses: -16.93 HC, -22.22 IC, -34.03 EC, -9.2 MC, Hungary losses: -49.61 HC, -65.73 IC, -102.52 EC, -19.43 MC)
Doctrine of the Holy Crown
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: According to a popular belief, king Stephen I during his coronation held up the crown to offer it to Virgin Mary, sealing his divine right to the lands of Hungary. In the 17th century, that legend was expanded with a concept of personified crown: the Hungarian royal title now had will and character of its own, staying above any mortal monarch. Now it’s this so-called “Doctrine of the Holy Crown” is being referenced in Hungarian pro-war propaganda, with which the monarchy is trying to motivate its dumbfounded subjects to fight its neighbor and ideological ally, the Princely Confederation of Austria, Bavaria, and the Rheinlands. However, the new propaganda bureau did little to expand on the old tradition or to bring the multitude of conflicting views existing in the kingdom to some common denominator, leading to a well-funded, but unimaginative propaganda campaign that may take quite a while to fully persuade the nation that the war is truly necessary. (Regional quest progress: 13.81%, Hungary losses: -4.9 HC, -6.49 IC, -10.12 EC, -1.92 MC)
Hungarian Asiatic Society
Q1-Q2 1895: An offshoot of Eurocentric Hungarian nationalism, Turanism is an emerging ideology that looks to connect the Hungarian nation with its Turcic, Asiatic roots, possibly filling the cultural gap existing between it and the Ottoman Empire, as well as other nations of Central Asia and Aryana. As the Hungarian society seems to be in an artificially created crisis, a group of radical thinkers called the Hungarian Asiatic Society (or Hungarian Turanian Society (Turáni Társaság)) has formed in Budapest and started to quickly gather followers from among the most radical ultranationalists and progressive supremacists, who seek to cut the nation’s ties with the “power-hungry” and “stagnant” countries of Europe and instead rebuild Hungary in the Ottoman State’s image: a progressive, dynamic, yet robust and motivated regime with wide-ranging ambitions. This stance naturally puts the Turáni Társaság in opposition not only to the moderate parliamentarism of the current regime, but also the pro-Polish Hungarian United Front.
Balkans
Spoiler:
Slowly-growing region with once-formidable culture and education, now suffering from recent war and intercommunal conflicts.
Q1-Q2 1895: The success of the Croat-Serb Coalition in the Ottoman politics has attracted the attention of the Triune Kingdom of Dalmatia, Croatia, and Slavonia (Illyria). However, the royal attempts to establish mutual information channels with the Croat-Serb Coalition were rarely successful, possibly due to a bad reputation absolute monarchy has among the Ottoman Slavs. (Illyria gains +0.14% Regional Influence, Ottoman State loses -0.14% Regional Influence, Illyria losses: -1.23 HC, -1.69 IC, -2.65 EC, -0.15 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: As the influence of Porfirist Mexico is receding from some regions due to its government’s growing obsession with the Gran-Paraguayan conflict, Greek corporations have started to take the niche taken by the Mexican foreign capital in the Ottoman economy. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.18%, Greece gains +0.31% Regional Influence, Mexico loses -0.31%, Greece losses: -1.93 HC, -0.44 IC, -4.52 EC, -2.63 MC)
Croat-Serb Coalition
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Russian attempts to help the Chetnik partisan movement to form a more coherent peacetime structure as a popular movement produced only a limited result in 1893, as most of the Chetnik influence was more or less limited to the Triune Kingdom of Slavonia, Croatia, and Dalmatia (Illyria) and left most of the South Slavs living in the Sublime Porte’s domain mostly outside of its reach. However, with most recent liberalization of Ottoman politics and introduction of popular voting for deputy election, proto-parties started to form inside the Sublime State, slowly but surely. One of such parties that carefully probes the limits of accepted freedom of speech is the Croat-Serb Coalition (Hrvatsko-Srpska Koalicija) that is rumored to be independent from, but secretly friendly with the infamous Chetniks. Despite remaining within the limits of the legal framework of the Sublime Constitution, the Croat-Serb Coalition is strongly pro-autonomy and views various supremacist or assimilationist movements akin to the Superior Men with open negativity (which reaches direct hostility when “traitors of the Slavs” like the Macedonian Youth are discussed). Now all major players in the Balkan politics have to find out a way of dealing with this revival of Pan-South Slavic peaceful separatism.
Q1-Q2 1895: The Treaty of Odessa that established independent Armenia and Kurdistan was a great inspirational event for many minorities of the Ottoman State, who saw that at the right historical juncture they could gain full freedom without bloodshed, as long as they could gain powerful enough allies. This, perhaps, could explain secret reports that indicate that the Croat-Serb Coalition started receiving plentiful funds from an unknown foreign source. Thanks to the recent political and administrative reforms in the Ottoman State, their message didn’t inflame the political situation in the Balkans immediately, as it might have been the case a few years ago, when ethnic and political oppression was commonplace. Still, despite the therapeutic effect of liberal reforms, the Hrvatsko-Srpska Koalicija is well on its way to solidifying a separatist movement around its message - unless they get stopped or countered, of course. (Regional quest progress: 51.56%, ??? losses: -2.1? HC, -4.4? IC, -7.1? EC, -1.5? MC)
Revival or death
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The merge between the MYSRO and the Insanüstü Insan seems to have become the final drop that overflowed the glass of Albanian patience. In mere two years, their diaspora saw a transition from the most privileged ethnicity in the Ottoman Empire (except, naturally, the Turks) to targets of cruel mockery. Yes, many of the clans purged in recent banditry crackdowns were indeed honorless kachaks, but examples of innocent imprisonment or even capital punishment were too numerous to be easily forgotten. And the very same people they once helped the Turks to defeat are the once to now side with the “Sublime” state of betrayers and hypocrites. A new cultural movement of Albanian National Revival (Albanian: Rilindja Kombëtare) is now gripping the minds of Albanian intelligentsia, while more radicalized youth is starting to join an underground independence movement, known as the Rilindas (“Revivalists”). This radicalization of the Albanians and their search of their national heritage in the history of the Caucasus, Macedon, and Ancient Illyria in unexpected turn of events for the Sublime Porte, especially given that many of Albanian pashas are still some of the most influential people in the Empire. Still, some of their cabinet enemies are starting to question their loyalty and even spread rumors that some of these ethnocrats might be Revivalists in disguise themselves.
Exarchate of the defeated
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Throughout most of the 19th century, the ancient Millet system of confessional self-rule inside the Ottoman Empire was gradually degrading, with confessional and ethnic self-identification melting into united, proto-nationalist movements. One of the strongest and unified millets was the millet of Bulgarian Orthodox Christians (Eksarhhâne-i Millet i Bulgar). However, the Great Balkan Rebellion (or the Great War of Independence, as it’s known to the Bulgarians), left the Southern Slavic alliance defeated and repressed, with the millet-granted privileges removed from the Bulgarian Uniates. Yet, a way out of that defeated state was opened for the Bulgarians by the recent constitutional reforms in the Sublime Porte, as well as by the Ottoman embrace of the Macedonian Youth, a Macedonian movement of Bulgarian nationalists. Proponents of a renewed Exarchate argue that any oppression of Bulgarian self-identity is illegal under the “Sublime Constitution,” and therefore Orthodox Bulgarians should have the right of autonomous rule. This notion, while legally true, is extremely toxic for the vast majority of Ottoman jingoists and adherents of the “Sublime supremacism,” who view them as demands given by a defeated foe to a victor. Should the Exarchate be re-established, these hardliners would see it as a near-complete reversal of the Ottoman victory in the Great Balkan Rebellion.
Q1-Q2 1895: Similar to the rise of the Croat-Serb Coalition, the Bulgarian identity movement has also enjoyed rejuvenation in the winter-spring of 1895. While not as politically organized, the movement centered on re-establishing the Bulgarian Exarchate quickly gained steam on the wave of ethnic and religious aspirations raised by the peaceful liberation of Armenia and Kurdistan. Luckily for the Ottomans, their liberal reforms once again helped to split the separatist movement to a degree, dividing moderate liberty-seekers (mostly bourgeoisie and intelligentsia hoping for peaceful reforms) and militant patriots (working class and proletarian groups that didn’t feel compelled to join the Superior Men via the Macedonian Youth organization). Still, the movement is quickly gaining steam, fueled by foreign investments. (Regional quest progress: 90.46%, ??? losses: -1.6? HC, -3.4? IC, -5.4? EC, -1.1? M?)
Owners of Milos
Q1-Q2 1895: The original purchase of Milos from Greece by Italy changed little in its inhabitants’ lives, as the Italians used mostly informal agreements with local “shipping barons” to rule, sending a fakelaki (“little envelope” with a bribe) or two to the officials who needed to be “persuaded” to toe the line. However, Milos’ sale to the Heavenly Kingdom of China raises plenty more questions. The island’s population of only five thousand people, most of them Orthodox Greeks is being now formally administered by exactly six Taiping cadres, two of which oversaw the banking transaction that secured the deal with Italy. Now, many people in Milos and in the Greek world outside it are afraid of heavy-handed Taiping reforms, telling Milottes how they should dress, behave, and whether they can even live in one house with their wives and daughters. In fact, a Brotherhood of Panmilottes has been established in Athenes, a so far peaceful organization of lawyers and humanitarian activists looking to ease the future plight of their compatriots.
Italia
Spoiler:
Booming region with great labor capacity reflecting on vibrant agriculture, formidable industry, and prosperous trade with limited number of partners.
Q1-Q2 1895: While the society of the two Italies gets engulfed into a heated debate over the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the social discourse, Sardinia-Piedmont’s own industry started its slow, but purposeful expansion, concentrating on gaining lucrative local contracts with North-Italian businessmen on the both sides of the border. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.31%, Sardinia-Piedmont gains +0.51% Regional Influence, Italy loses -0.51% Regional Influence, Sardinia-Piedmont losses: -2.75 HC, -0.64 IC, -6.68 EC, -4.54 MC)
Paradoxes of unity
Spoiler:
1890: The Unification of Italy has generated a lot of nationalist ardor three decades ago, but now that the excitement has died down people of Italy are discovering that it’s not always easy to find a common tongue with fellow co-citizens, sometimes quite literally. North Italians have a trouble understanding southern dialects, often resulting in legal and economic disputes and even differences in interpretation of laws. Meanwhile, Piedmontese citizens of the only sub-national state of the peninsula that chose not to join the populist revolution of the 1860s feel quite comfortable talking to their neighbors from Lombardy or Venetia. This is quickly turning into an awkward (some say “dangerous”) love-hate triangle, and Italian authorities are yet to resolve it.
1891: Some low-key agitation was taking place in North Italy among order-loving conservatives, as well as some clergy and old regime aristocracy (mostly landless and ruined by now). No serious destabilizing efforts were discovered, though, and the source of agitation is unknown. Either way, it makes true unification of Italy slightly harder when trust in the national government is low. (Regional quest progress: -1.9%, ??? losses: -1.28 HC, -1.76 IC, -2.76 EC, -0.54 MC)
1892: Even though the timid conservative agitation in North Italy ceased this year, the Republican authorities (and especially their mafia patrons) took the threat very seriously and chose to resolve it in a blunt way, more popular among criminal strongmen than legal government officials. A series of threats, kidnappings, arsons, and even extrajudicial killings took place across the Po river valley, ensuring that those who oppose the mafia rule over Italy (and Italian unity in its current from) stay quiet and scared, at least for now. (Regional quest progress: 9.33%, Italy losses: -2.49 HC, -4.06 IC, -6.62 EC, -1.86 MC)
Camorra doesn’t die
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: Unlike Sicilian mafia, Campanian Camorra is rather cross with the Shadow Council’s conclusions. While mafia clans are pyramidal and strictly hierarchical, Neapolitanian and Calabrian ‘ndrina gangs are horizontal, highly competitive, and decentralized, so the administrative compromise of Rome made little sense to them. While many ‘ndrinas simply refused to abandon their street turf (thus becoming, as a Turkish journalist nicknamed them, “criminals among criminals”), others chose to unite into a loosely-knit syndicate known as ‘Ndrangheta, dominating southern businesses and especially influential among populist politicians. So far, any attempts to bring the Camorra to the knee have failed rather bloodily.
Q3-Q4 1894: The solution to the Camorra problem in South Italy was chosen to be a relatively tame one, especially if one were to consider that the Senators advising it were themselves members of prominent Mafioso families. Economic disparity and poverty of the south became a major focus of an economic development program aiming to create more economic and educational opportunities for rural and urban rabble, thus slowly draining ‘Ndrangheta’s recruitment pool. Army was also tasked with assisting the Ministry of Internal Development with this task, but refused to dedicate any of its personnel to a civilian task of such complexity and purpose. Meanwhile, Camorra leaders became targets of major police investigations, thus evading a much more expected series of good old assassinations or hostage taking. While the due process did play rather well in the eyes of the press and left a good impression on the people, it did show its limits when some ‘Ndrangheta evaded persecution via various legal tricks or simply by tampering with witnesses or evading arrests. Besides, the idea of aiming only for the “big bucks” and leave low-level grunts alone played against the desired target and only forced the ‘Ndrangheta league to split into dozens of vicious, feuding ‘ndrinas that now terrorize the south in turf wars. In retrospect, was natural for mafia members to come up with such a plan, given their clans’ pyramidal structure, but the assumption that Camorra gangs can be neutralized by beheading them will probably cost Italy quite a lot of blood in the short run. (Regional quest progress: 89.45%, Italy losses: -2.66 HC, -2.46 IC, -6.97 EC, -3.99 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The war against the Camorra entered a new stage in the first half of 1895, as the Italian police offered an amnesty to many members of the ‘Ndrangheta if they were to surrender and help bring their past friends to justice. Some men indeed risked everything to get out of the desperate struggle alive and, possibly, even join the winners. These few souls ended up mostly becoming victims of vengeful ‘ndrinas, however, but that result was still “good enough” for the Republic, as the mafioso families finally lifted the taboo on extrajudicial killings (as long as they were not too openly committed). While the blood of organized criminals and petty thieves continued to flow across all South Italy, the Republic’s other weapon kept on pounding on the source of the Camorra’s strength: the poverty, squalor, and economic anxiety of “poor-but-honest” Italians. That series of economic stimuli and direct public works projects indeed helped to provide a significant level of economic well-being across the south of the country, eventually taking many of the nation’s problematic youth out of the streets. With time, it became all too obvious: the Camorra had lost its war, and its business connections with foreign partners started to shut down. (Regional quest completed with success, region Italia gains -10 HC, +5 IC, +10 EC, +5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.75%, Italy gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Confederate States of America loses -0.25% Regional Influence, , Switzerland loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Italy losses: -1.97 HC, -1.75 IC, -5.16 EC, -3.02 MC)
Fifty shades of House of Savoy
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Who would’ve thought just five years ago that Italian “mafioso republic” could be an ally of the House of Savoy in a war with French Communards? Then again, who would've thought just a year ago that the detente between Italy and Sardinia-Piedmont would end so abruptly with a simple cabinet change in Turin? Now it seems that the Sardinian involvement with the Papacy to produce an anti-ochlocratic Quanta Cura encyclical has produced a lot of bad blood between the regimes. The Roman Senate wishes to strike back, and strike back dirty. In best mafioso traditions, groups of field agents were dispatched… to dig up some dirt on the House of Savoy and its behind-the-scenes, all affairs, corruption scandals, and weird quirks of the royal family and its immediate court. Of course, they weren’t disappointed with their findings, discovering that the heir-apparent has several bastard children with twin sisters from the House of Wurttemberg, and the current cabinet minister of state procurement has a candle factory in Genoa that greatly benefitted from his appointment. However, instead of blackmailing the royals with these findings, as Russian “kompromat” experts would have certainly done, the Italians directly went to contact news outlets to spread such news. Needless to say, the House of Savoy didn’t like it, and neither did the House of Wurttemberg. While the yellow press of Sardinia-Piedmont (and, of course, all sorts of newspapers in Republican Italy) loved to publish the nitty-gritty of the royal life, more “respected” publications in Sardinia-Piedmont, South Germany, and all around Europe were nudged by the royal houses to either downplay the scandals or, ideally, provide a unified front against the Italian smear campaign. If the ancien-regime aristocracy did excell at one thing, it’s containing scandals and presenting a good face to the public, so the Italian smear effort ended up facing a heavy pushback that essentially frustrated the entire effort and left many more questions to be answered in the future. (Regional quest progress: 1.86%, Italy losses: -4.99 HC, -8.36 IC, -12.94 EC, -3.95 MC, Sardinia-Piedmont losses: -4.05 HC, -5.56 IC, -8.73 EC, -1.7 MC, Austria-Bavaria losses: -3.4 HC, -6.61 IC, -8.76 EC, -1.99 MC)
Quanta cura
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: French declaration of war on Great Britain and its allies have raised a big wave of anti-Communard thought in Europe. The House of Savoy was savvy to specifically request Papal support on their anti-Socialist stance, being one of the closest allies of the Catholic Church in Europe. Pope Leo XIII responded with issuing a Papal encyclical Quanta Cura, in which Communism and Socialism were called a “fatal error” of the Western society. The encyclical is now being used as a propaganda tool in Sardinian war against France, and it has a potential of turning into a major ideological pillar of the House of Savoy’s regime. (Regional quest progress: 32%, Sardinia-Piedmont losses: -2.7 HC, -3.7 IC, -5.8 EC, -1.13 MC)
Q4 1893: Supplementing their major attempt to woo the Papacy into respectful neutrality in regards to the Italian kleptodemocracy, mafioso families pulled some strings and made some offers people couldn’t refuse, eventually getting several prominent cardinals and bishops to weigh in on anti-Communard, and thus pro-Catholic nature of Italian ochlocracy. These articles and encyclicals were successful at shifting the agenda of the Quanta Cura away from attacks on the Italian Republic, while simultaneously concentrating it on the Italian enemy on the Western Front. The public discourse is still ongoing, but it is close to shaping general mood of European Catholics for years to come. (Regional quest progress: 91.71%, Italy losses: -2.07 HC, -3.62 IC, -5.56 EC, -1.73 MC)
Q1-Q2 1894: According to some secret documents leaked into the Sardinian press, some sort of a secret agreement was made between the leadership of the Italian Republic and His Majesty’s government of Sardinia-Piedmont. The agreement, according to the scandalous material, stated that the Italian intervention in the Anti-Communard War on the Sardinian side was performed in exchange for the Sardinian acceptance of Italian hegemony on the Apennine Peninsula. These news caused a political crisis in Sardinia-Piedmont, eventually leading to a resignation of the entire old cabinet. The new government was keen on showing the King’s supporters that it, while not being directly hostile to the ochlocratic state of Italy, still acted completely independently from it. Papal encyclicals turned out to be a perfect case for just such a type of diplomatic display. A war of letters and speeches ensued, in which Papal traditionalists, supported by the King of Sardinia-Piedmont, argued against the Italian kleptodemocracy as something that, perhaps, cannot be called a “sin,” but cannot be called a “virtue” either. Defining the mafioso rule as the “Purgatory of Nations,” Quanta Cura went in direct confrontation with the Italian diplomatic effort to make peace with its own Catholic majority. This resulted in a barrage of articles and speeches by Italian publishers and politicians, leaving the international status of the Italian Republic in relation to the Holy See largely in a limbo. (Regional quest progress: 98.43%, Italy losses: -2.23 HC, -3.9 IC, -6 EC, -1.86 MC, Sardinia-Piedmont losses: -4.05 HC, -5.56 IC, -8.73 EC, -1.7 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: Papal encyclicals were never a source of the Italian Republican regime’s legitimacy. Yet, even mild criticism of their kleptodemocracy by pro-Sardinian cardinals caused quite a lot of frustration among the Italian senators and their mafioso backers. In order to keep the Papal criticism contained or, ideally, revoked, political pressure was applied to the Holy See, reminding the Roman Catholic Church of the deal it had with the Republican regime. Perhaps, that effort might have worked, had it not been for the awakening of another ally of the House of Savoy to the north. In Austria-Bavaria, the Italo-Sardinian cooling of relations was observed with a weary eye, but, remembering Italy’s help in the Central-European War, the Confederation of Princes didn’t wish to strain its relationship with the southern neighbor. However, two events seem to have forced the Austrobavarians to take a much more direct stance against the “kleptodemocratic corruption” of European values: Italian diplomatic blunder in Illyria and Italy’s attempts to discredit the House of Savoy. As a result, the Holy See and the Roman Catholic Church started to receive a wave of South-German support, both through diplomatic and propaganda channels. Just like with the affair over the House of Savoy, the “war of words” had no physical victims to it, but it did reinforce the weakening Catholic Church in its hour of weakness. As the year drew to a close, it appears that the Austrobavarian intervention via press channels started to improve the Holy See’s standing, as popular support for once obsolete institution increased across Europe, and with it came a wave of donations that made Vatican much less dependent on any sort of deals with the Italian regime. It seems like the ideological debate over the Quanta Cura encyclical might continue for quite a while, unless the mafia state were to cut its losses and settle down on accepting the title of the “Purgatory of Nations” in the eyes of the Church. (Regional quest progress: 67.57%, Italy losses: -8.45 HC, -14.15 IC, -21.89 EC, -6.69 MC, Austria-Bavaria losses: -10.20 HC, -19.82 IC, -26.29 EC, -5.98 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: To the amusement of all gossip-lovers and militant atheists, the mess that is the Quanta Cura debate continued full steam throughout the first half of 1895. Italian press and even, to a degree, counterintelligence service continued applying pressure on the Holy See to keep its mouth shut on any matters that don’t directly relate to God and other spiritual matters. They also attempted to produce some scandals that would make Austrobavarian cardinals and their supporters look or sound unreasonable. This didn’t sit too well with dedicated Catholics both within and without the borders, as the religious right continued funneling millions of krones into the support of the Roman Catholic Church, while South-German noble houses mobilized their dynastic connections across all Europe in support of Sardinia-Piedmont and its ruling family. Still, the dynamics of the “debate” (if such a civilized word could at all be applied) seem to have shifted again in Italy’s favor, as the ochlocratic press across Europe seems to be siding with the Republican regime, gradually drowning more traditionalist voices. Yet, another observation of more neutral polemicists is that the scandal has reached previously unheard of proportions, and tensions are growing between supporters of “religious primacy” and militant atheists, both within Italy and without. (Regional quest progress: 98.14%, Italy losses: -13.15 HC, -22.03 IC, -34.09 EC, -10.41 MC, Sardinia-Piedmont losses: -5.41 HC, -7.41 IC, -11.64 EC, -2.27 MC, Austria-Bavaria losses: -25.56 HC, -38.91 IC, -55.7 EC, -11.64 MC)
Home for the Holy See
Q1-Q2 1895: Throughout centuries of European history, the Papacy has had many residences, with Popes and Antipopes presiding over the Roman Catholic Church in Rome and Avignon, not counting their temporary residences. Now, however, the Holy See of Rome is experiencing unprecedented pressure from the Italian Republic to abandon non-spiritual matters and simply play it safe in regards to social and moral issues that concern the ochlocratic regime that tolerates its existence. Tensions rising over the Quanta Cura debate have finally pushed a previously unthinkable proposition into the mainstream of the Catholic world: to move the Holy See away from the kleptodemocracy’s reach. With Avignon being out of the contest due to being located within the borders of yet another ochlocratic nation, Communard France, Sardinian city of Grenoble (a seat of the local bishop) was proposed right away. Austria-Bavaria also hurried to welcome the Pope in Salzburg or Augsburg, while Zagreb of Illyria was also mentioned by a fringe delegation of Slavic Catholics. Now, reactionary forces of the world are likely to join the contest to host and protect the Holy See, an unparalleled prestige achievement for them.
Aluminum, duralumin, and light metal frames
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Production of harder metals was always important, but practicality also often requires not only firmness or plasticity, but also light weight. That’s exactly the purpose of a research undergone by an Italian metallurgic company Alcoa Italia Portovesme. In their most advanced facilities, the AIP metallurgists practice production of metal alloys, usually produced through electrolysis, that combine significant structural rigidity with light weight, perfect for aviation, automotives, and tool-making. The project is still in its infancy, but, given the growing popularity of airships and heavier-than-air aerodynes, it may soon find plenty of investments. (Technology quest progress: 11.41%, Italy losses: -3.38 HC, -0.77 IC, -8.85 EC, -7.03 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: Despite the AIP’s original determination to preserve the secret of industrial light-weight metal production to themselves, the first Italian experiments with these new metallurgical processes showed that Alcoa Italia Portovesme was facing a challenge above its head. This led to a research cooperation contract AIP signed with their Confederate and North-German colleagues at Shenandoah Steel Works and Krupp AG respectively. The cooperation proved to be a great boon for the project, pushing it almost all the way to completion. Only a few quirks of the new process still away being figured out before new types of mass-produced, lightweight metals revolutionize the industry. (Technology quest progress: 99.69%, Italy losses: -1.23 HC, -0.28 IC, -3.24 EC, -2.64 MC, Confederate States of America losses: -0.66 HC, -0.15 IC, -1.78 EC, -1.52 MC, North German Federation losses: -0.66 HC, -0.15 IC, -1.78 EC, -1.45 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The remaining quirks of the aluminum production turned out to be mostly of bureaucratic kind, as Krupp AG had to adjust their light metal processing method to meet quality standards and regulations of the Zollverein. (Technology quest completed, Italy, North German Federation, Confederate States of America adopt “Aluminium, duralumin, and light metal frames” for no additional cost, North German Federation losses: -2.48 HC, -0.84 IC, -6.01 EC, -4.68 MC)
Mechanical ciphers
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Encryption of messages is ancient as messages themselves, but in the world of today information exchange makes encryption and decryption of messages a highly labor-intensive, yet crucial part of high-stakes communication. Italian engineers seem to have started looking for a solution to this problem in creation of mechanical ciphers, which are essentially automated machines capable of performing algorithms of encryption or decryption of messages. The benefits this project could provide are great, and the Italian intelligence even made sure that the technology remains exclusively Italian. This, of course, came with its own challenge, namely lack of development bureaus that could handle a precision work like that. As a result, first steps at creation of mechanical ciphers only started being made, and it seems like the work won’t pick up until the Republic assigns more experts to the task. (Technology quest progress: 1.95%, Italy losses: -2.15 HC, -0.49 IC, -5.67 EC, -4.62 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Unlike in metallurgy and aviation industry, the Italian Republic wasn’t too eager to share its humble insight into mechanical cyphers with any third party. Seeing how poorly the first venture in that field played out, the Italians doubled their efforts in the field of mechanized encryption and decryption, propelling the project significantly forward. (Technology quest progress: 58.38%, Italy losses: -3.22 HC, -0.73 IC, -8.5 EC, -6.93 MC)
Gyrocopters
Q1-Q2 1895: Giuseppe Caproni, an electrical engineer from Trentino-Alto Adige, has come forward with a bold proposal to produce a heavier-than-air rotary-wing aircraft that uses an unpowered rotor in autorotation to develop lift, and an engine-powered propeller to provide thrust. As demonstrated by the daredevil inventor himself, his prototype machine, called “gyrocopter,” was different from a “Germanic aerodyne” due to its ability to hover over ground and land (or take off) virtually on (from) the spot. The project quickly gained good international press, mostly thanks to an impressive cinematographic film taken of Caprioni’s “gyrocopter’s” maiden flight, which, in turn, quickly attracted plenty of investors to the project. North-Germans, represented by the Prussian Flight School, were simply obsessed with yet another method of heavier-than-air flight; zaibatsu “blueprint-hunters” of the Tokugawa Shogunate rushed in their signature move to patent a piece of foreign innovation; adventurous Dixies joined mostly for the fun of everything new, unusual, and European. The foreign interest in Caprioni’s gyrocopter was so noticeable that at some point even the Republican Manufacturing Industry had to respond to the situation by providing the project with their own aegis, lest it completely gets lost to foreign investors. Still, local critics pointed out that this “Italian invention” was allowed to be appropriated by too many international industrial spies and will most likely become a “globally shared secret” immediately upon the research completion. (Technology quest progress: 87.88%, North German Federation losses: -0.39 HC, -0.13 IC, -0.95 EC, -0.74 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -0.57 HC, -0.12 IC, -1.49 EC, -1.29 MC, Italy losses: -0.61 HC, -0.14 IC, -1.62 EC, -1.32 MC, Confederate States of America losses: -0.51 HC, -0.1 IC, -1.09 EC, -0.91 MC)
North Germany
Spoiler:
Fast-developing supernova of European economy, with unrivaled levels of prosperity, industrial ingenuity, and education.
Q1-Q2 1895: Switzerland’s alignment to the Confederation of Princes of Austria, Bavaria, and the Rheinland has allowed the country’s businesses to start establishing themselves across the Zollverein economic space and especially in the two Germanies’ most flourishing region, the North. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.41%, Switzerland gains +0.68% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -0.68% Regional Influence, Switzerland losses: -2.56 HC, -0.51 IC, -5.15 EC, -3.46 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The establishment of the German Customs Union has helped Austrobavarian corporations to step up their game on the North-German market, outcompeting Russian concerns in a few niches. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.86%, Austria-Bavaria gains +1.44% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia loses -1.44% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria losses: -2.61 HC, -0.52 IC, -6.13 EC, -4.56 MC)
Free church
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: Decades of economic, political, and cultural liberalism are starting to transform the North-German religious landscape. More and more German Protestants choose to leave the embrace of the Evangelical Church of Germany and instead associate themselves with various small congregations that stress their separation from any government influence (or influence on government), support secularism, and denounce dogmatism of large church organizations (ranging from prominent giants like the Russian Orthodox Church or the Roman Catholic Church to more shadowy international unions, such as the New England-based Fabian Society). These “free churches” also support economic entrepreneurship, cultural freedom, and plurality of opinions, making many traditionalist thinkers question if “free churches” are churches at all. In North-German politics, “free churches” are being seen mostly as a decentralizing factor, although many deputies on the Council of Savants see it as a positive thing and a true manifestation of its Constitution’s ideals.
Q1-Q2 1894: The North-German government’s interaction with a myriad of Freikirchen (“free churches”) that have blossomed across North Germany this year was rather contradictory. On the one hand, the state press and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the Council of Savants attempted to encourage the free churches to be more tolerant to the ancient, hyper-centralized giants of the Russian Orthodox and the Roman Catholic churches (probably due to the Federation’s recent warming of diplomatic relations with Directorial Russia and the Italian Republic). On the other hand, the portrayal of the Fabian Society in the state’s communication with Freikirchen was purely negative, also likely due to the country’s animosity toward the North-American Union. In the end, this schizophrenic duality was very poorly received by the “free Christians” of the Federation, as the people view the government and its press as exemplars of hypocrisy and duplicity. (Regional quest progress: 53%, North German Federation losses: -2.25 HC, -4.21 IC, -6.02 EC, -1.7 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The Council of Savants was so concerned with the public outrage over its politically-driven preferentialism in treatment of the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches in 1894, that it put the topic on hold for the entire year. Now that the nation’s politics are no longer stained by a war scare and paranoia, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs took a much softer position on the status of Freikirchen and their global competitors. The federal support of the business-friendly, secular stance of the free churches was approved, and a message of religious tolerance and administrative secularism was sent to all major players in the “market of religions.” For the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches (as well as their major backers), it also bore some positive signals, since lack of regulations meant that they could easily outcompete their decentralized competitors in the fight for the flock. Still, despite some loss of internal control here and there, the Federation came out in a good shape from that predicament, tapping into a hidden potential of many previously insular communities of progressive believers. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region North Germany gains +5 HC, +10 IC, +5 EC, Directorial Russia gains +1% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria gains +1% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -2% Regional Influence, region Poland-Czechia: Poland gains +1% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -1% Regional Influence, North German Federation losses: -2.25 HC, -4.17 IC, -5.31 EC, -1.42 MC)
Marriage of Iron and Rye
Q1-Q2 1895: Trade laws of the North German Federation remain rather vaguely stated, which, combined with the nation’s participation in the Zollverein (Customs Union of the Two Germanies) and Scandinavian Trade Union, creates certain legal confusion and economic turbulence on the North-German market. However, regardless of how the federal politics develop in regards to trade, a powerful movement of North-German political elites is emerging across the country, naming themselves the Marriage of Iron and Rye. The name is a reference to a mid-19th century Federation’s practice of balancing between the interests of industrialists (the Iron) on the one side, and agriculturalists (the Rye) on the other. At that time, the growing North-German industry required protection against more competitive British and French goods, but farmers and landowners were afraid that, being exporters of wheat, they might fall first victims of a British or French reprisal in case of a trade war. Now, the balancing act is over. The Federation is awash with Russian and Austrobavarian grain, and its industry is yet to meet the growing demand of even its own, metropolitan market. This sudden merge of interests of the Rye and the Iron is leading to many calls to increase trade tariffs on trade with nations outside of the Scandinavian Trade Union and the Zollverein, prompting a new age of prosperity for North-German businesses.
Resident register
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The introduction of work visas would have been a pleasing development for a lot of North-German nationalists (or simply immigration hardliners), except it had one loophole. The Danzig Corridor treaty with Poland remained active in Prussia and Pomerelia, allowing many Poles to arrive to these traditionally conservative territories for work and living. Except, some of these “Corridor workers” disappear from their localities after a few months of labor, freely travelling west, to more industrialized cities with better wages and higher labor demand. This, immigration experts argue, allows many Poles to overcome the limitations placed on them by the work visa program, as their residence cannot be tracked inside the country once they enter the Danzig Corridor. A proposal was put forward to create yet another bureaucratic check for such transgression: a residence register (or Melderegister) for all residents of the Federation. Of course, this measure is not very popular among politicians who support personal freedoms and austerity, as it’s considered to be expensive and limiting internal geographic mobility. Besides, no one is sure how such register would work with the Federation’s colonial subjects, especially in insular parts of Ostafrika. Yet, some technocrats point out that internal security could improve significantly thanks to such a measure, and it could also provide the government with more statistical transparency.
The German Customs Union
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: A spirit of mutual cooperation has been recently in vogue in the both Germanies, fueled, for the most part, but the NGF’s and Austria-Bavaria’s alliance in the Central-European War. Now, a bold and, until the most recent moment, unthinkable solution has been proposed by some of the more internationalist North-German technocrats: to establish Zollverein, or the German Customs Union. They argue that both of the nations that now encompass the majority of the German-speaking world greatly benefitted from elimination of the customs that had existed between the myriad of polities that existed in their place before 1848. Now that the two federal nations have seen that streamlining of the customs didn’t infringe on the polities’ municipal independence, maybe it’s time to streamline (or, as some internationalists say, eliminate altogether) the complex border customs and tariffs that no longer serve much of a purpose.
Q3-Q4 1894: Known only to the High Savants of the NGF and Princes of the Confederation of Austria, Bavaria, and the Rheinland, year 1894 was supposed to become the year of when Zollverein, or the German Customs Union, is formed. However, Austria-Bavaria had an unexpected crisis to deal with, as political pressure applied by Italy to the friendly House of Savoy and the Holy See escalated in the south. As a result, the North-Germans were asked to proceed with installing rules and regulations of the new trade entity in Austrobavarian absence. That they did with great vigor, as the Federation’s leadership is extremely excited to see the two nations bound together by this declaration of Pan-German friendship and trust. (Regional quest progress: 92.78%, North German Federation losses: -2.81 HC, -6.6 IC, -7.9 EC, -2.14 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Similarly to the kerfuffle around the Scandinavian Trade Union, the Austrobavarian Commerce Charter received a wake-up call this year, when it became apparent that its inactivity could soon mean that the regulatory framework of the Zollverein would be set up by the Federation singlehandedly. This led to a series of meetings and summits that helped to establish mutually agreeable and beneficial trade rules across the two Germanies, opening a chance for the both economies to intertwine and increase their development pace. (Regional quest completed with success, region North Germany gains +0.5% Regional Growth Fluctuation, +0.25% Regional Growth Trend, Austria-Bavaria gains +5% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -5% Regional Growth Influence, region Baltia-Prussia gains +0.5% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Austria-Bavaria gains +2% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -2% Regional Influence, region South Germany gains +0.5% Regional Growth Fluctuation, +0.25% Regional Growth Trend, North German Federation gains +7% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria loses -7% Regional Influence, North German Federation losses: -1.05 HC, -1.16 IC, -2.52 EC, -1.32 MC, Austria-Bavaria losses: -2.49 HC, -2.28 IC, -5.62 EC, -2.6 MC)
All roads lead to Berlin
Q1-Q2 1895: Despite all of its recent successes, the North German Federation is still a relatively young nation that sometimes feels insecure about the size of its capital. Having persuaded themselves that citizens prefer nations with massive capitals, like London and Paris, the Council of Savants chose to, shall we say, enlarge Berlin in no subtle way. The entire vast Tempelhof field just outside the city limits was purchased by the administration for peanuts and turned into a grand new plaza, hosting a variety of gardens, entertainment parks, as well as modern buildings that should in the future host stores, cafes, bars, banks, museums (chief of them being the Natural History Museum of Berlin), and other offices. Of course, at first this action was perceived with great skepticism, as Berliners laughed at the very notion of traveling all the way to the shining new “ghost district” of Tempelhof to get any sort of service they could get right across the street. However, to encourage businesses to move in to Tempelhof, the mayor of Berlin introduced a highly controversial regulation temporarily freezing licensing of stores, restaurants, and bars anywhere across the city, except Tempelhof itself. As engaging as that regulation was, it did help to populate the plaza in no time. Offices got filled also pretty quickly, given how cheap the office space was in the district built based on latest architectural technologies. The transportation problem seemed to be the only one remaining, but it got resolved as well with astonishing speed and true German ordnung. A vast U-bahn network (a more technologically advanced version of the London tube) was constructed across Berlin, with special branches taking visitors to Tempelhof in no time. An icing on the cake was a construction of the so-called Koechlin Tower, a 300-meter-tall pylon designed and planned by a Swiss engineer named Maurice Koechlin. An avant-garde construction as it is, the Koechlin Tower did showcase North-German industrial finesse and attract thousands of tourists, who visit the Tempelhof district just by following the giant landmark seen from any part of the city. (Regional quest completed with full success, region North Germany gains +5 HC, +5 IC, +5 EC, +5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.25%, North German Federation losses: -0.53 HC, -0.58 IC, -1.26 EC, -0.66 MC)
Brocken garden and Brocken railway
Q1-Q2 1895: The Mountains of Harz (lit. “hill forest”) used to be a great source of wealth for North-German miners who exploited local silver mines for centuries. However, by the early 19th century, the region’s natural deposits got almost completely depleted, followed by a mass exodus of local settlers. This, surprisingly, turned out to be a blessing for the Harz region, as depopulation removed an anthropogenic factor from the pressure experienced by the local ecosphere. After several decades of abandonment, Alpine meadows and forests of the Harz started to flourish with their natural beauty, inspiring a creation of a wild alpine botanical garden, named Brockengarten (Brocken Garden) after a nearby summit of the Brocken. The beauty of that locale (and many others) attracted thousands of tourists to the mountains, suddenly greatly boosting the Harz economy. However, in attempts to improve what was already working, Harzland magistrates funded a creation of a Brockenbahn (Brocken Railway), aiming to make the beauty of the mountains more approachable for tourists. While it did increase the throughput of arrivals, the railway raised red flags among naturalists and ecologists, who think that in the long run the railway may kill the very attraction the tourists came to see, namely, the wild nature. Some of them propose to not only stop operations of the Brocken Railway immediately, but also to attempt to re-introduce the species that just recently (in the early 19th century) got overhunted in these forests, including lynx, brown bear, and others.
Allotransplantation
Q1-Q2 1895: Warfare was always gory, but modern war, like nothing else, has a tendency to maim, maul, and cripple. The Central-European War and the Federation’s participation in left thousands of veterans across the entire country wishing to turn back time and hide the scars of their service. This cry for help was heard by a team of surgeons in Berlin, who have started experimenting with transplantation of cells, tissues, or organs, to a recipient from a genetically non-identical donor of the same species, often used to treat war injuries and wounds. However, this time the usually aloof Council of Savants issued surprisingly ethically-conscious instructions to the doctors, telling them to experiment on mice and monkeys for now and withholding from any human allotransplantation. This, of course, raised some eyebrows among the North-German doctors, who joked that now they have to scar and torture poor animals instead of simply using any of the desperate volunteers who bang on their doors, willing to risk anything, even their lives, in hopes to erase the horrible scars that poison their day-to-day life. Regardless, the research is progressing steadily, and the high command hopes that, once completed, it would prove to be a great bonus for the public morale and frontline spirit. (Technology quest progress: 31.17%, North German Federation losses: -2.22 HC, -0.75 IC, -5.38 EC, -4.19 MC)
South Germany
Spoiler:
Fast-developing, populous melting pot of German regional cultures with powerful industries and vibrant agriculture.
Q1-Q2 1895: With the Zollverein being firmly established, Austrobavarian “free city” guilds and aristocracy-owned companies went in to expand their presence on the home market, often outcompeting their North-German opponents thanks to a cheaper cost of labor in the south. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +1.25%, Austria-Bavaria gains +2.09% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -2.09% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria losses: -3.26 HC, -0.65 IC, -7.66 EC, -5.7 MC)
Neutrality and dishonor
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: Recent development of the Reichenbach Falls murder investigation has flashed out what was already obvious to many Federal patriots in the Swiss politics since the times of fraternal bloodshed of the Sonderbundkrieg. Switzerland is not going to be untouchable by the foreign powers simply because it declares itself neutral. Even if the “great” powers of Europe agree to recognize Swiss military neutrality de-jure, they are still just as likely to intervene into internal matters of the confederate state, unless Switzerland finds a strong protector or gets ready to protect its own political independence on its own. The debate has just started on all levels of the Swiss society, ranging from municipal city halls with their long history of direct democracy and all the way to the Federal Council.
Q3-Q4 1894: A series of publications and academic reports started to appear in Switzerland, written by prominent political analysts and claiming that the country’s economic and political security depends on its closeness with Austria-Bavaria. While the Confederation of Princes was perceived as a generally friendly neighbor, the pattern startled the Swiss intelligence service. Agents were dispatched to find out what influence was applied on the authors of such papers, and some corruption ties did emerge. However, exact financing channels could not be traced, although some of the leaders of the Swiss intelligence considered it rather obvious that the pro-Austrobavarian material should naturally be requested by Austria-Bavaria. Yet, no hard proof was found, and without it, no political action was called out, leaving the country to struggle against being pulled into Austria-Bavaria’s sphere of influence. (Regional quest progress: 86.14%, ??? losses: -3.7? HC, -8.9? IC, -10.6? EC, -2.8? MC, Switzerland losses: -5.38 HC, -8.29 IC, -12.39 EC, -2.91 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The political campaign in Swiss press continued, arguing for the country’s abandoning of neutrality clause and joining the protection sphere of its closest and, seemingly, most powerful neighbor, Austria-Bavaria. Of course, plenty of public inertia had to be overcome in order to persuade the citizens of one of the most democratic nations in Europe to align with the reactionary stronghold of the Confederation of Princes. However, the anonymously sponsored campaign found a way to present Austria-Bavaria as Switzerland’s political relative, a directorial, confederate nation with a slightly different historical background. The federal council elections of 1895 cemented this popular mood swing by electing officials that were quite open to requesting Austria-Bavaria’s protection and trade preferences, to the Prices’ surprise (real or feigned). Thanks to that, the high-tariff wall of the Swiss market fell, increasing Austrobavarian influence in South Germany, but simultaneously allowing Swiss companies to more efficiently sell their products across the Zollverein and even gain stakes in more distant Austrobavarian trade interests. Meanwhile, some conspiracy theorists claim that the campaign had another, secondary result. Namely, that some critical papers belonging to the infamous Reichenbach Falls murder were shared with a “Germanic” intelligence agency, giving the Germans some influence across the British Empire that the Swiss financial intelligence used to have. (Regional quest completed with full success, region South Germany: Austria-Bavaria gains +1% Regional Influence, Switzerland loses -1% Regional Influence, region Ukraine: Switzerland gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Danube Region: Switzerland gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Balkans: Switzerland gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Poland-Czechia: Switzerland gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region North Germany: Switzerland gains +1% Regional Influence, Austria-Bavaria loses -0.5% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -0.5% Regional Influence, region England-Wales: North German Federation gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Switzerland loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Greater Mali: North German Federation gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Switzerland loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Ganges Region: North German Federation gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Switzerland loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Central India: North German Federation gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Switzerland loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region South India: North German Federation gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Switzerland loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Australia-Oceania: North German Federation gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Switzerland loses -0.25% Regional Influence, ??? losses: -2.3? HC, -4.3? IC, -5.5? EC, -1.4? MC, Switzerland losses: -10.58 HC, -16.48 IC, -25.73 EC, -4.22 MC)
Modernity across the border
Q1-Q2 1895: Switzerland’s change of geopolitical alignment was a sudden gift for the Confederation of Princes (if one were to believe their diplomats after a glass of wine), but it also had unexpected social consequences for the both nations. Customs passing and travel procedures were eased between the two nations, and now Austria-Bavaria, one of the last European nations holding on to the Medieval tradition of serfdom, is dealing with yet another crisis of escaping servitors. As more and more past serfs or indebted peasants escape to Switzerland (and, in some number, to the NGF) and stay there illegally or semi-legally, some of the more forward-looking Austrobavarian nobles have started to propose a full abolition of serfdom across the country. The general population is also warming up to the idea, despite all hierarchical shifts it might bring. It seems, Austria-Bavaria needs just one little push into the modernity. Meanwhile, some politicians both in Switzerland and the North German Federation are starting complain that the escapees form tightly-knit communities of illegal immigrants, who, as they claim, bring crime and squalor to the prosperous cities of the two nations.
Repopulation of Lothringen
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The Communard attempts to purge aristocratic land ownership and redistribute the lands in Lorraine (Lothringen) during the recent war left that region in turmoil. Many people loyal to the Princely regime (not all of them rich or privileged) were driven out of their land or disappeared in Communard purges, leaving some large estates completely lacking ownership. Among those who survived, tensions are high. Some people mistrust everything French, viewing the remaining French Lorrainers as potential troublemakers; the latter ones point out that some Francophone old-regimers were, in fact, the most fervent fighters against the “Communard Plague” and thus deserve being compensated and treated fairly. Meanwhile, more nationalist advisers of the Board of the Princes suggest dividing the free lands between Lorraine Franconians (German-speaking locals), but that also raises some questions, as some proletarians among them had been quite happy to receive French land grants while the program lasted. Finally, an even more unusual suggestion is being voiced by the Catholic faction in the veteran council: to pass these lands to landless war veterans who would be accepted into a religious militant order. Having received tentative (but not overwhelming) support from the church, they say the Duke of Bavaria should resurrect the Order of St. Anthony, which was originally founded in 1382, this time in a shape of a paramilitary corporation of war veterans. Naturally, they view the empty fields of war-torn Lothringen as the perfect domain for just such an organization.
A crutch and a bell
Q1-Q2 1895: The Knightly Order of St. Anthony was founded by Duke Albert of Bavaria in 1382 as a part of his pledge to go to war with then-rising Ottoman Empire. Knights of that order used to wear golden collars with symbols of Saint Anthony himself: a crutch and bell. Over centuries the knightly tradition gradually retired from the public consciousness and statesmanship, but stresses industrial and information revolutions have brought idealization of the past back into vogue. During the Central-European War, the ancient order was rebuilt as a morale-boosting and symbolic measure by Prince-Regent Luitpold, who gave in to a whim of a mentally incapable and schizophrenic de-jure ruler of Bavaria, young Duke Otto. Now that the war is over, the Order of St. Anthony has captured imagination of Austrobavarian patriots. With so many recipients of the Cross of St. Anthony being war veterans who struggle to adopt to the peaceful, civilian life, Prince-Regent’s advisers suggest forming them into a semi-religious paramilitary organization that, unlike more classic paramilitary groups, would be allowed to own land and, perhaps, even hold stakes in Austrobavarian military complex.
North France
Spoiler:
Fast-developing center of progressive art and sciences, with quickly recovering, expansive urban and rural economies, but war-exhausted and demographically hindered population.
Fruits of equality
Spoiler:
1890: The Paris Commune and the subsequent Grand Revolution did release an enormous wave of popular enthusiasm and productive capability. What it failed to make, though, was to increase the standards of living of an average French citizen. While the distributive system of collective ownership has saved countless lives of proletarians and unemployed, it also has sucked the few objects of wealth that average French citizens did have. It may be wise to find a way to console those who have contributed to the national revival so much only to gain so little.
1891: The Communard government felt that asking the public opinion was the key to solving the issue, and assigned a part of its state apparatus to a series of public opinion studies regarding the wants and the wishes of the people. The results, predictably, were very complicated, ranging from some that were incredibly straightforward (and thus, predictably, horribly uninformed) to some that were fairly reasonable, but not very popular among the badly educated masses. Now that the massives of data are gathered, it’s up to the Commune of Communes to decide how to turn it into policies. Some factions in the council lobby for the simple solutions understandable by the masses, while others argue for a less purist approach to social equality, but a lot of gradient opinions exist between these two extremes. (Regional quest progress: 12.28%, Communard France losses: -1.37 HC, -2.11 IC, -3.11 EC, -1 MC)
1892: In an effort to please everyone, the Commune of communes has attempted to perform a piecemeal Welfare and Entitlement reform across the nation, implementing some of the popularly proposed measures of rewarding workers in the equality-based economy. While that reform saw a rather low-key reception due to its lukewarm, generic nature, the Commune of Сommunes did hide a bold experiment into the reform package. Three “experimental regional communes” were created in Brittany, Burgundy, and Aquitaine, provided with enough autonomy to implement more radical or one-sided decisions regarding the Welfare and Entitlement reform. While auditing commissions still supervise administrative loyalty and ideological purity of these new semi-federal entities, the experiment seems to be rather well-received by the regions. (Regional quest progress: 46.71%, Communard France losses: -2.37 HC, -3.65 IC, -5.39 EC, -1.74 MC)
Q1-Q2 1893: As the nation started a new revolutionary war, a significant part of its resources was pulled into other, more critical tasks, leaving regional experiments with self-rule and welfare schemes undermanned and underfunded. Some small progress was still achieved at monitoring progress of various welfare and entitlement solutions, but on high level the regional communes were mostly busy with unrelated administrative tasks, enjoying the lack of central supervision and becoming trampolines for provincial deputies’ careers. (Regional quest progress: 48.24%, Communard France losses: -2.68 HC, -4.14 IC, -6.11 EC, -1.97 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: A state-wide audit of corruption in various syndicates has been announced this spring, with the Plebeian Council hoping to persuade some of their members to speak up about the corruption in these “entitlement schemes.” The political reasoning was solid. The syndicates were the main opposition to the centralized rule the Possibilists pushed for, so anything that weakens these groups was worth doing. Unfortunately, no experienced counterintelligence or political police officers were assigned to this action across the country, with most of them being engaged in the chase of “free love” Communards. This meant that the audit was performed by the People’s Commissariat of Taxation and Revenue, turning it into a practical, but slow and quiet affair. While many imbalances and potential loopholes in the syndicalist entitlement system were discovered, no arrests or public confessions followed - so far, at least. Meanwhile, some of the government advisers point out that three large federal entities built upon the syndicalist foundation had not been dealt with yet - namely, the Autonomous Communes of Burgundy, Aquitaine, and Brittany. It remains to be seen what will come out from this reversal of the Welfare and Entitlement reform of 1892. (Regional quest progress: 74.9%, Communard France losses: -2.22 HC, -0.54 IC, -6.5 EC, -5.21 MC)
Purity spiral
Spoiler:
1890: Revolutionary spirit is great, but sometimes enthusiasm spills over the edge in France. In the first days and months of the Commune, a lot of well-off people were forced by raging mobs to give up their luxury in favor of the community, but since then the public fervor seems to have subsided. This year, however, sees a resurgence of the same pattern. What’s ironic, some of the victims of crowd racketeering and lynching were not old regime sympathizers, but political leaders of the young state who were seen as living too opulent a lifestyle compared to their fellow compatriots. With a heavy heart, the Commune’s authorities have to look into this new issue before their geopolitical rivals have used it against them.
Languages of the Commune
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: The region of Picardy in the fart north of France is known not only for its sugar beet agriculture introduced and promoted by Napoleon to combat French dependence on sugar imports, but also for the wide use by locals of Picard language, known simply as chtimi. Similar to Cosmopolitan French, Picard language is the first of the regional dialects that has recently been introduced to local school and university programs, run by Picardian communes of various levels. This development is rather new for France, since the nation has seen a significant drop in regionalism since the times of Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and is considered to be very unitarian by contemporary European standards. Now, some members of the Commune of Communes are afraid the Picardian grassroot experiment is the first step toward reversing that unifying trend, while their opponents suggest that what unifies all Communards should be not the language they speak, but the ideas they believe in.
Serpent’s Garden (Communard France)
Q1-Q2 1895: Out of all new joiners of the clandestine intelligence agency of the Serpent’s Garden, Communard France was, perhaps, the most surprising one. Either attempting to fix the bridges burned during the Anti-Communard War, or as a way to have some of their own agents inside that seemingly omnipresent, international clique, the Possibilist government commandeered a strange duo to join the group in Hamburg. One was a dangerous pariah Arsène Lupin, known to the French intelligence as a crossdresser, master thief, and a former aristocrat's daughter, whose mischievous energy was eventually contained and put to the regime’s service via unknown means. To “babysit” her was assigned one Chevalier Sean Marie François le Justicar, a trusted agent of the Possibilist secret police. Hopefully, together the couple will serve the greater good in one way or another. (Regional quest completed, Communard France joins secret organization "Serpent's Garden", Communard France losses: -1.18 HC, -1.78 IC, -2.59 EC, -0.81 MC)
South France
Spoiler:
Fast-developing center of Eastern Mediterranean trade and industry, with rich countryside, but socially divided and war-weary population.
Q1-Q2 1895: Belgian manufacturing collectives have started to establish themselves as reliable contractors on the ideologically friendly market of South France. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.36%, Belgium gains +0.6% Regional Influence, Egypt loses -0.6% Regional Influence, Belgium losses: -1.65 HC, -0.39 IC, -3.89 EC, -2.61 MC)
Uninvited friends
Spoiler:
1890: Social-utopists, social-revolutionaries, communards, marxists, anarchists, and even random pariahs of capitalist society of all sorts come to the French Mediterranean ports in thousands, attracted to the flame of the Revolution. Alas, not all of them prove to be law-abiding types, and even those who don’t cause trouble often end up enjoying life of leisure subsidized by hard-working French citizens. This is causing plenty of issues in the Azure Coast already, and the problems threaten to spill into the heartland soon.
Q1-Q2 1895: Tourism in the French Rivera is being resurrected this year, but a self-imposed threat to it has already appeared in the shape of a military takeover of vetting duties, regularly performed in necessary case by counterespionage missions. The very idea of vetting newcomers, visiting France either as tourists or as permanent residents, wasn’t something entirely new, but delegation of this task to the army quickly escalated it out of control, with quite a few unfortunate scandals arising from the lack of army expertise in such sorts of activities and improper handling of sensitive procedures by the military personnel. Luckily for the French regime, the lack of the army’s familiarity with the task slowed down its ramping up just enough to keep the crisis relatively contained, but all advisors now strongly suggest that the military is not employed in civil duties (however “dirty” they are), unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, the collateral damage may easily strike out any positive outcome such mishandled tasks achieve. As yet another illustration of such mishandling, they bring up the Plebeian Council’s order to the chief of the army staff (!) to assist China with its industrial innovation - an order that was eventually put into a mislabeled drawer somewhere in the archive and never spoken about again. (Regional quest progress: 34.29%, Communard France losses: -3.78 HC, -1.1 IC, -1.97 EC, -1.96 MC)
Where the world comes to rest
Spoiler:
1890: French Occitania and the Rivera once used to be known as one of the best tourist destination in continental Europe. The Revolution, however, made travel to France a much less welcoming experience for all but the most enthusiastic populists and socialists. However, many leaders of local popular communes suggest resurrecting tourism in Cote d’Azure, although it’d clearly required some change in attitude to foreigners (something that locals would be willing to do, given it improved their communes’ economic standing). Purists in the Communard party have angrily rejected this offer, although many political leaders suggest turning the region into a sanatory trip destination for outstanding workers and heroes of labor. More flexible experts think that tourists from other left-leaning countries would also be beneficial for resurrection of the Rivera tourism. One way or another, the opportunity is there for the taking.
Q1-Q2 1895: Given the pragmatic approach to governing common among the Possibilist members of the Plebeian Council, it’s no wonder that, in search of solving the problem of a shortage of cash, they quickly turned to the idea of resurrecting tourism in the French Rivera. A name for the new endeavor was fund quickly: Nouveau Tourisme, or “New Tourism.” A few necessary ideological compromises were made, all for the claimed good of French small cooperative businesses and collective vineyards. All complaints about the disruption of the “revolutionary fervor” by uninvited bourgeoisie tourists were ignored and, at times, suppressed, although such worries generally proved ill-founded, given that war-torn France wasn’t as popular a tourist destination as it once was. Still, a wave of enthusiasm was generated by an unusual factor: the French Revolutionary Navy assisting the nation’s decimated passenger fleet in transportation of new arrivals. This was indeed the exotic trip many people wished to take for wildness of it, crossing the sea in a disarmed gunboat or, if the price was right, in an armored cruiser. In the navy itself, this unorthodox mission caused plenty of confusion and frustration, as many officers resigned either in anger over such a distortion of revolutionary cause or in protest to the security risks that transportation of foreign civilians on warships could bring. Still, in the end, this mission was still less infuriating than the order given to the rest of the navy to cleanse the Gascogne Gulf of anarchist corsairs - that came three months after such cleansing had been finished by the Marina Militare of the Italian Republic. Despite all setbacks, the Neuveu Tourisme program was a success, bringing much needed business activity to the south of France, albeit in relatively humble amounts. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region South France gains +10 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.5%, Communard France: -10 IC, Communard France losses: -1.65 HC, -1.48 IC, -3.95 EC, -4.01 MC)
Resin farmers and stilt walkers
Q1-Q2 1895: The Landes of Gascony (from the Gasconian word “lanes”, meaning “the heaths”) are an ancient region of Aquitaine, historically known for its rural population (mostly, poor grain farmers or pastoralists) masterfully and casually using stilts to walk from one dry spot to another over the wetland. In the decades preceding the Communard Revolution, however, the region was transformed by a decree known as the 19 June 1857 law that aimed to end local pastoralism and establish the first big forest in Europe entirely created and managed by man. Maritime pines became the monoculture of the Landes, providing timber for the Imperial (and, later, Revolutionary) navy. In addition, in recent years, the tree sap of the maritime pine started being used in production of pine resin - a hard, but well-paying job that helped diversify the local economy and provide the nation with this crucial product. However, now the last pastoral communes of stilt-walking Gascons are growing to despise the lumberjacks and resin gatherers of the Landes forest. The woes and hardship of the Anti-Communard War only exasperated these social tensions, and recent anti-piracy campaigns in the Gulf of Gascogne left many ideologically charged outlaws and troublemakers hide among the stilt-walkers as regular peasants and herders. Respect for the law in these obsolete communities is lower than ever, and acts of sabotage against local forestry and resin production are starting to attract the nation’s attention to this destitute land.
Free love
Spoiler:
1890: The change of French public morals after the Grand Revolution is remarkable. As fruits of labor start being redistributed among commune members across the country, some more radical communes have started suggesting redistribution of family responsibilities, including love making. In such free-love communes, anyone can sleep with anyone, given consent, and some corvee-like annual duty is required from every man or woman in terms of sexual pleasures. One result of that practice was quite predictable: a rise of venereal diseases. To combat with that woe, free-love communes have made it much harder for outsiders to become members, which brought the other, less expected, side effect. Free-love communes, as rare as they are, are quickly turning into a sort of elitist closed clubs, membership in which is desired by many, but hard to achieve. Ideologically, this is starting to turn into something quite opposite to the idea of equality and inclusion that sits at the foundation of the Communard worldview.
Q1-Q2 1895: As many critics as the “free love” communes had acquired over the ten years of their existence, even the sternest moralists didn’t expect the fury the Possibilist government would cast upon them in the first half of 1895. Some observers hypothesized the purge of the “free lovers” was a part of a cabinet deal struck between military hardliners and the Possibilities looking for a support of their “Four R’s” program in the Plebeian Council. Others thought it was simply a way to simultaneously distract the populace, scare it into inaction, and single out convenient scapegoats. Either way, charges were trumped up against leaders and regular members of “free love” communes, followed up by a most brutal and inhumane crackdown under a guise of protecting the moral authority of the Grand Revolution. Small and big sins were not too hard to find to fuel a fire of a major investigation, especially considering that the people in the political police custody weren’t of the most combative kinda and would crack under pressure pretty quickly, admitting to any sort of crime. What turned the situation from bad to worst was employment of army units in the crackdown (completely unnecessary, considering the size of counterintelligence units involved). Some soldiers were frustrated by the recent loss in the war, and many also suffered from a common problem of enlisted service members - lack of sexual intimacy. That, naturally, led to an unnecessarily brutal and inhumane series of mistreatment and sexual assault incidents that lasted for weeks. Eventually, horrified officers managed to restore their units’ discipline, but not before the word of the horrors of the purge spread across the entire country. The loss of life and human dignity aside, this blood-chilling campaign had one positive effect for the Communard regime. It scared thousands of people across the south of the country from cooperating with anyone not remotely ideologically pure and “politically safe.” (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region South France gains -10 HC, Regional Growth Fluctuation -0.5%, Communard France gains +5.5% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -0.4% Regional Influence, Italy loses -1.5% Regional Influence, Egypt loses -3.6% Regional Influence, Communard France losses: -4.57 HC, -4.2 IC, -6.32 EC, -2.76 MC)
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Q1-Q2 1895: As scandalous as they were, the “free love” communes were not particularly political - or, when they were, they ventured so far into the ideological fringe as to be more of a rebellious artistic statement than anything else of substance. Now, however, the bloody crackdown upon the “free love” communes has transformed the issue of relationship formats and gender stereotypes into the very symbol of social-utopianist resistance to the Possibilist dominion. One group of militant bohemians has ventured farther than others in their struggle. Calling themselves Les Sœurs de la Perpétuelle Indulgence (the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence), they’re militant anti-moralists, preparing themselves for a fight against the oppression of obsolete societal norms, stereotypes, and traditions, which they see as more subtle and thus more dangerous extensions of capitalist oppression. Recently, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have moved away from shocking artistic performances and publications to literal terrorist attacks against “the Possibilist hounds,” leaving in places of their attacks not only puddles of blood of their enemies, but also leaflets of the most… unacceptable content.
Iberia
Spoiler:
Fast-developing, but socially unstable region with dynamic, strong labor market and expanding economic capacity.
Q1-Q2 1895: Iberian federalists have been emboldened by the fact that the Italian Republic, a major power broker on the Pyrenean peninsula, was distracted with political machinations involving the Roman Catholic Church and its monarchist backers. Using the moment, the Iberian Ministry of Cultural Affairs, a federalist stronghold within the Iberian government, started to crack down on the Italian investments that could be more directly tied to illicit activities of the mafia. (Iberian Republic gains +0.99% Regional Influence, Italy loses -0.99% Regional Influence, Iberian Republic losses: -2.38 HC, -4.03 IC, -5.73 EC, -0.7 MC)
Newborn republic
Spoiler:
1890: The Iberian Revolution is young, and the state it’s produced is trying to define itself as a nation. The years of semi-feudal Carlist rule under a branch of the Bourbon dynasty had eroded the Spanish Crown’s subjects’ sense of national unity briefly merged during the Peninsular War. Now a question stands as to what attitude to ethnic policies the new republican government will take. Social-liberals argue for copying the North-German constitution in regards to local self-rule. Social-anarchists want to take that idea to the next level by turning the nation into a confederation of semi-independent communes. French-influenced communards argue that communes are indeed the way forward, but they should be united into a more unitarian Greater Commune akin to the French one. Meanwhile, social-populists think that the maquis, heroic bands of brigands-cum-do-gooders, should become the gears of the new state, similar to Italian mafioso, which would resolve the ethnic question all by itself. What can be said for sure, the final decision will most certainly be influenced by some great powers.
1891: Pro-monarchist agitators, probably funded by an unknown third country, were extensively promoting return of the Bourbon monarchy with less conservative lean. Despite proper funding, these words were not received well at all, even in the circles of remaining Iberian market conservatives, who viewed the old Bourbon dynasty and its policies as the ultimate reason the country was in such dire straits now. As for the remaining political circles, they vehemently opposed that agitation, and many agents of the Bourbon-supporting foreign power were arrested and executed by the inexperienced, but energetic Iberian secret police. Experts say that all dedicated reactionaries and Carlists by now are either dead or have emigrated to Portugal, so the only way to sway Iberia back to monarchism would be to expose its population to a triple amount of Carlist propaganda and prepare for a long uphill battle for their hearts. Meanwhile, pro-Communard agitation openly sponsored by the neighboring France received little attention among Spaniards, perhaps due to the fact that it took the French quite a while to set up their print publications. (Regional quest progress: -2.29%, ??? losses: -2.55 HC, -3.43 IC, -5.49 EC, -1.05 MC, Iberian Republic losses: -1.12 HC, -1.89 IC, -2.69 EC, -0.33 MC, Communard France losses: -0.82 HC, -1.27 IC, -1.87 EC, -0.60 MC)
1892: Last year’s ideological struggle between Spanish Communards and monarchists has temporarily died down (perhaps, thanks to the loss of foreign funding), but the political vacuum was filled by a resurgence of liberal, regionalist thought across all Spanish Iberia. Academic lecturers and working class demagogues across the country opened a political campaign that depicted the Communard ideology as a hyper-centralist twin brother of Carlist monarchism, with its desire to “unite and equate” ethnically unique regions of Spain into a uniform state with little to no regional and municipal political independence. While not entirely true, these statements were well-received by Spanish urbanites (despite the efforts by the Iberian counterintelligence to get to the bottom of the foreign funding liberal speakers kept on receiving), and it seems like liberal federalization is becoming a new political trend across the peninsula. (Regional quest progress: -56.62%, ??? losses: -3.88 HC, -7.02 IC, -10.31 EC, -3.04 MC, Iberian Republic losses: -3.27 HC, -5.55 IC, -7.9 EC, -0.96 MC)
Q4 1893: Geopolitical turmoil of the Second Atlantic War has already caused a flurry of unlikely realignments, but one of the most drastic ones seems to be forming right now in the Iberian Peninsula, where a coalition of moderate federalists is trying to put the last nail in the coffin of the previously dominant Partido Comunista Libertario (Communist Libertarian Party), which just recently lost a series of municipal and federal elections. The Liberal Federalists depicted the Communist Libertarians as rebranded Communards and, as such, enemies of true popular freedom and military aggressors. In search of additional funds and support, the ruling coalition surprisingly reached out to the Twin Crowns of Portugal-Brazil, which is widely despised across the country as a haven of most rabid Carlist reactionaries. Empress Isabel, ever a tightrope dancer of international diplomacy, couldn’t pass on that opportunity to entangle herself into yet another foreign adventure with questionable odds, even while the fate of Portobrazilian interests in Gran Colombia still hung on the edge a cliff. A wide array of forces of Portobrazilian diplomacy, political lobbying, and cultural influence was dispatched to popularize ideas of constitutional monarchy with federalist lean among Spanish public. Combined with the ruling coalition’s agitation, it attempted to cause quite a reversal in the general trend of Iberian politics, slowly forming public support for political reaction in the young state. Yet, for vast majority of Iberian citizens, Portobrazilian propaganda proved to be extremely toxic, since monarch figurehead was seen, at best, as completely unnecessary for the nation’s administrative federalism, geopolitical neutrality, and economic prosperity (and for many people who still remember Bourbon secret police crackdowns and Carlist punitive raids, the very notion of being ruled by a monarch was infuriating). In addition, a solid (and very dedicated) core of anarcho-socialists formed in Old Castille (and generally around the country), rightfully pointing at wide economic improvements brought by Italian kleptosocialists with no political price tag attached to them (although, Portobrazilian investments in the Asturias this year did help to counter that message somewhat). Why, these people ask, should Iberia accept another tyrant from its past enemy, if things can work just fine when friendship with the Italian Republic works for it so well? Answers to these questions, it seems, would have to be found in the year 1894. (Regional quest progress:14.93%, Iberian Republic losses: -0.79 HC, -1.34 IC, -1.91 EC, -0.23 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -2.79 HC, -3.75 IC, -6 EC, -1.16 MC)
Veins of the land
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: The Spanish word “acequia” comes from Classic Arabic “as-sāqiya,” meaning “water conduit.” Acequias (and their Portuguese analogs, known as levadas) are stone-lined water irrigation canals that were introduced to Iberia by the Moors after their conquest of Spain and have been used to carry melted snow water from the mountains to dryer lands. Most of the 18th and 19th centuries was the time of economic decline both for Spain and for Portugal, and it wasn’t until very recently that the resurgence of Portugal-Brazil and Italy-supported economic recovery of Iberian Republic brought about the resources needed to reintegrate acequias and levadas into local agricultural practices.
Beech martens of Spain
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: “Garduña” is a Spanish word for “beech martens,” small predators that are common in the Pyrenean Peninsula. Also, it’s a name for a criminal syndicate of secretive assassins and robbers that once challenged the omnipotent Spanish Inquisition. A Calabrian legend has it that in the 17th century three Garduña “brothers” escaped into South Italy (then a vassal of the Spanish monarchy) from the Inquisition’s persecution with a goal to avenge with blood the honor of their seduced sister. There, the Spanish “beech martens” would later found an criminal syndicate now known as the Camorra. Today, this cryptic story is actual again, because the rise of the Mafia in Italy has dragged South-Italian ‘Ndrangheta (another nickname for the Camorra) into a clandestine rivalry. As the Italian klepto-state started penetrating the Iberian nation with its economic and cultural influence, underground syndicalism is also seeing a rise among the Spanish people, and the Garduña seems to be back. However, instead of becoming the Mafia’s friends, the “beech martens” defy them as much as the Camorra does in the Apennines, owing to the organization’s very origin.
Mountain of Tariq
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The Rock of Gibraltar (named so after its Arabic name Jabal Ṭāriq, “the mountain of Tariq”) dominates over a straight of same name that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Once of the smallest British colonial possessions, it is also one of the most strategically important, as it both allows the Royal Commonwealth to control who gets access to the Mediterranean trade and works as a second gate for anyone using the Suez Canal. The latter strategic aspect is especially important, as Great Britain doesn’t control that critical joint of world naval infrastructure and needs Gibraltar as a sort of a deterrent to anyone attempting to close it. With that thought in mind, many British strategists propose improvement of the Rock’s fortifications and naval docks for Britain’s power projection capabilities in the region. Others, meanwhile, suggest that the attitude of armed isolation hasn’t brought Great Britain anything but more wars, so, perhaps, it’s time to sell the Rock in exchange for some solid political commitments from its buyer. That opinion, however, is not very popular, and potential buyers would have to do plenty of lobbying for such a decision to be put on the Lord-Protector’s desk.
Pyrenean Line
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Young Iberian Republic used to be considered the closest political ally of Communard France, at least in Europe. Times are changing, however, because in late fall of 1893 Iberian army engineers started working on a network of fortifications stretching across the Pyrenees and Sistema Ibérico, protecting the Republic from potential invasions from France or French part of Catalonia. Surprised by these orders, some experts also speculated that, maybe, the Pyrenean Line is intended to be used not against the French, but against the Republic’s reactionary enemies in case of fall of Communard France. Either way, the work is only starting, but progresses at reasonable speed, considering the region’s landscape. (Regional quest progress: 29.5%, Iberian Republic losses: -7.72 HC, -1.94 IC, -3.59 EC, -1.62 MC)
Cruiser killers
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: First the Triune Pact, then the Thale-Noi Lake Treaty Bloc, and now some of the powers of the Monroe Conference have turned the oceans into hunting grounds for commerce raiders and submerged attack vessels of all kinds. Since the protection of sea lanes is seen as a matter of vital importance for all three powers of the Transatlantic Alliance, they came together to a drawing table to come up with a ship design that could counter harassment of convoys. Eventually, Portobrazilian engineers of Navalrocha Shipyard proposed a design that their British colleagues were already familiar with from a previously rejected proposal. Nicknamed “cruiser killers,” these are warships with battleship-level heavy armament, but light armor, designed to obtain maximum speed. While the Royal Navy’s engineers didn’t miss a chance to emphasize that the new class should be primarily used to deal with enemy surface cruisers and commerce raiders, no better proposal was put on the table, and the work soon began on what promises to somewhat compensate the Transatlantic fleets for their recent technological stagnation. (Technology quest progress: 85.04%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -0.83 HC, -0.22 IC, -2.39 EC, -1.88 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -1.12 HC, -0.31 IC, -3.75 EC, -2.44 MC, Sardinia-Piedmont losses: -0.59 HC, -0.14 IC, -1.43 EC, -0.97 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: As the battle for the Caribbean Sea escalated throughout the first half of the year 1895, the Twin Crowns also stepped up their investment into the prospective new ship design of cruiser killers. Soon, the new Minas Geraes class warship was off the Navalrocha Shipyard docks, and its design was shared with Portugal-Brazil’s British and Sardinian allies that rushed to start churning out their own modifications of that class. (Technology quest completed, Portugal-Brazil, British Royal Commonwealth, Sardinia-Piedmont adopt “Cruiser killers” for no additional cost, Portugal-Brazil losses: -2.91 HC, -0.8 IC, -9.34 EC, -6.34 MC)
Avisos and modern dispatch boats
Q1-Q2 1895: Dispatch boats have served multiple naval powers in different (mostly, communicational) capacity since the dawn of global sailing. However, in modern warfare, sprawling colonial empires, such as the British and, as of recent, the Portobrazilian one, have found themselves attacked by too many vultures in too many regions. This, naturally, created a need for them to have extremely fast, unarmored, but armed military vessels, designed both to transfer dispatches or messages between distant colonies without use of telegraph cables and to act as shore patrol vessels that can be quickly relocated between distant aquatoria. Naturally, the pressure that the Twin Crowns are experiencing in the Caribbean Sea and risks of the war escalating further on other continents made it so that Portugal-Brazil hurried to invest into its own class of avisos light warships that is likely to see combat as early as this July. (Technology quest completed, Portugal-Brazil gains “Avisos and modern dispatch boats” for no additional cost, Portugal-Brazil losses: -1.3 HC, -0.36 IC, -4.15 EC, -2.82 MC)
Booming region centered around the Nile river delta, with still average intellectual, economic, and labor capacity, but potential to connect European, African, and Asian trade.
Q1-Q2 1895: Mirroring the Ottoman witch hunt for “Egyptian cabals” in Anatolia and the Turkish Near East, Egyptian authorities also sent a directive to its magistrates to solidify the government’s grip on internal political actors, albeit in a much less confrontational style. (Egypt gains +3.32% Regional Influence, Communard France loses -3.32% Regional Influence, Egypt losses: -4.7 HC, -6.03 IC, -9.48 EC, -1.78 MC)
Death and taxes, and infidels
Spoiler:
1890: The Ummahist movement dominating the politics of still formally monarchist Khedivate of Egypt is taking pride in building a socially progressive and relatively egalitarian society based on the dogmas of the Quran. One of the natural consequences of that political alignment, however, is the jizya tax applied to all dhimmis, or non-Muslims. In Egypt, it means that the Jewish and Coptic communities that traditionally contribute quite a lot to the nation’s science, banking, and art, are being relatively disenfranchised. Reintegrating these minorities into the fabric of the Ummah could provide a great boon to the development of the region.
1891: The Khedivate has tried to move away from the ancient, straightforward definition of jizya as an “infidelity tax” toward a more flexible approach of “extra contribution” required from non-Muslims toward commonly shared social and economic goal. That effort, predictably, suffered from extreme vagueness of definitions and no literal rules that could be directly implemented and enforced. A very small number of non-Muslims volunteered to perform some meaningful contributions to the state, while the vast majority either emulated some useless social activity in order to escape the extra taxation or opted in to continue to pay the old, predictable jizya tax. Unless the approach is changed (or unless significant resources are dedicated to addressing this issue the current way), solving this confusion may take many years. (Regional quest progress: 2.45%, Egypt losses: -1.29 HC, -1.13 IC, -3.04 EC, -1.35 MC)
Q1-Q2 1893: It took a year for the Egyptian authorities to take a step back and rethink its previous attempt to address the jizya tax. The new solution the government came up with turned out much more functional and streamlined. State agencies were instructed to forward the revenue gained through jizya taxation toward municipal projects benefiting those very communities that have paid it, which was relatively easy to do in the communitarian society of Ummahist Egypt. Some of the more radical Muslim activists were displeased by that “preferentialism,” but independent mullahs had to agree that the new practice was unusual, but perfectly legal within the scope of Islamic law. While more years (or a bigger concentration of efforts) may be required to make the new practice widespread and common, it seems to be working quite well, helping to reimburse more disenfranchised communities across the nation without hurting everyone else. (Regional quest progress: 35.48%, Egypt losses: -2.99 HC, -4.39 IC, -7.05 EC, -1.29 MC)
Q3 1893: Judging by the Khedive’s persistence on the current reform vector, Egypt’s leadership is quite happy with the way the jizya overhaul is advancing. Complaints from traditionalist Muslim communities are being consciously ignored, while more liberal Ummahists praise the new approach as the best way forward for Islamic socialism. (Regional quest progress: 47.29%, Egypt losses: -2.5 HC, -3.65 IC, -5.81 EC, -1.09 MC)
Q4 1893: Tax reforms in Egypt continued at their steady pace, promising transformation to the local economy. However, the Khedive and his Ummahist entourage did recognize the instability that discontent of traditionalist clergy could cause for the nation. In the best Ummahist fashion, a public debate with these fundamentalist circles was initiated, hoping to either gently push them to tentative acceptance of the jizya reform, or, at least, buy time for the reform to be completed while the debate takes place. (Regional quest progress: 73.07%, Egypt losses: -3.93 hC, -5.74 IC, -9.14 EC, -1.71 MC)
Lessepsian migration
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: Ever since its construction by Imperial French engineers, the Suez Canal was considered somewhat a game-changer for world and regional commerce and oceanography. One consequence of its creation, however, was never thought of. Invasive species from lush tropical waters of the Red Sea are starting to infiltrate the Mediterranean Sea, a temperate region with significantly lower productivity, imbalancing local zoological balance and starting to impact fishing businesses all across the Eastern Mediterranean region. The case became so well-known that marine biologists have started to refer to an phenomenon of invasive species migration as a Lessepsian migration, named after an Imperial French diplomat who secured the contract of Suez Canal construction in the 1850s, before the canal was nationalized by Egypt. Now, the Mediterranean marine biosphere has become so imbalanced that it’s threatening economic stability of numerous fishing enterprises and businesses, from Egypt to Turkey to Greece to Italy. If anyone were to solve the problem in any way, some out-of-box thinking may be required.
Q4 1893: Not sure what to do with such a new type of problems, the Khedive and his advisors chose to form a commission of biologists and environmental experts, both local and foreign, who would be tasked with assessing and addressing the problem of invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea. Unfortunately, the state efforts put into forming that commission were rather humble, resulting in poor screening of proposed council members, many of which turned out to be rather badly qualified for the task at hand. Several dismissive and incoherent reports were produced by the commission, and whichever measures they did recommend turned out to be fairly useless, letting the environmental problem progress even further. The Khedive’s advisors suggest that he may wish to dedicate more administrative resources to the commission if he truly wishes to see the issue of Lessepsian migration tackled. (Regional quest progress: -3.82%, Egypt losses: -2.5 HC, -3.65 IC, -5.81 EC, -1.09 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Seeing that the Egyptian effort to come up with a solution for the Lessepsian Migration phenomenon was going nowhere, the Ottoman State went ahead and implemented its own pragmatic approach. Treating the penetration of the Mediterranean ecosystem as a fait accompli, the Ottomans simply went in to create its own ecological organization, based on cooperation of marine naturalists, academia, and fishers. The organization was tasked with simply cataloging the ecological changes the Lessepsian Migration was bringing to the Mediterranean and sharing that expertise with the fishermen. This allowed the Ottoman Empire to not only gain prestige in the scientific community, but also greatly boosted productivity of fishing across the entire region. Besides, many established fishing companies chose to actively cooperate with the Ottoman experts in their business, increasing the Ottoman outreach across the Mediterranean Sea. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Anatolia gains +5 IC, +10 EC, region Balkans gains +5 EC, region Near East gains +5 EC, region Niles Region gains +5 EC, Ottoman State gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Egypt loses -0.5% Regional Influence, region North Africa gains +5 EC, Ottoman State gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Maghreb loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Italia gains +5 EC, Ottoman State gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Italy loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region South France gains +5 EC, Ottoman State gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Communard France loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Iberia gains +5 EC, Ottoman State gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Iberia loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Ottoman State losses: -2 HC, -2.88 IC, -4.28 EC, -1.09 MC)
Head of land
Q1-Q2 1895: Despite the turbulence of the Ottoman expansionism, the standards of living across the Islamic world are growing, and the swelling class of urban bourgeoisie is starting to look for better ways to spend their money. One of such ways is, obviously, tourism - albeit, enjoyed in ways different from relatively liberal Western societies. The story of a town of Ras el Bar (“head of land” in Arabic) is rather representative in that sense. Located on the Mediterranean shore near the historical Damietta castle, the town became a popular tourist destination after the colorful Red Sea aquatic fauna started to infiltrate its aquatorium via the Lessepsian Migration. In milder spring and fall seasons, the tiny town’s population swells tenfold with thousands of new arrivals, mostly well-off urban clerks and businessmen with their families. Many other cities on Egypt’s Mediterranean and Red Sea coast repeat that story, albeit in less exaggerated way. Now, it’s became an open question in the social discourse: is tourism just an abomination of holy pilgrimage that should be banned? If not, then should it be regulated? And finally, what measures should be taken if some infidels, too, wish to leave their money at Islamic resorts?
Protectors of the White Monastery
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: The Senussi are a group of clans, united into a political-religious tariqa (Islamic Sufi order), controlling the outback of the Western Egyptian and Libyan Deserts and projecting their power upon other Bedouin tribes from their theocratic capital of Zawiya Bayda (“White Monastery”). Formed in the middle of the 19th century around the notion of loss of purity and spirituality in contemporary Islam, the Senussi are the core opposition to any colonial expansion into non-coastal Libya, rejecting suzerainty of even Muslim rulers of Egypt and Maghreb over them. Now it’s up to any interested power to decide how to make use of the proud Senussi devotees or how to move them out of the colonizers’ way.
Inox steel
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: Egyptian metalworks have announced that they are working on developing a new type of stainless steel notable for its corrosion resistance and that could be eventually be used for food handling and cutlery among many other applications. Previously rejected as a scientific investment proposition by the Sublime Porte, this project has had a rough start in Al-Kahira foundries, with first batches of the new metal not meeting the announced standard either in quality or in cost of production, thus turning away some investors. The Khedive’s advisors, however, point out that it’s time for him to exercise his extraordinary powers as a guide and steward of the Egyptian Ummah and divert more enterprises to this promising project, as well as modernize the way Egyptian businesses function. (Regional quest progress: -3.14%, Egypt losses: -3.55 HC, -0.93 IC, -8.68 EC, -6.13 MC)
Q3 1893: Despite the first half a year’s failure to impress investors with a new sort of steel, the Khedive has retained a positive (some say, too positive) perception of the project. Al-Kahira Steel Works were encouraged to continue their development of stainless steel technology, this time concentrating on its quality. Luckily, the optimistic directive was also supported by an assignment of additional metallurgic experts to the research team, which helped to turn the project around and produce first batches of material by October 1893. A lot of work still lies ahead, still, because the metallurgical processes still need to be revised and improved to make stainless steel production truly economically viable and competitive. (Technology quest progress: 27.57%, Egypt losses: -2.03 HC, -0.53 IC, -4.96 EC, -3.5 MC)
Q4 1893: Research of inox steel has continued in Al-Kahira Steel Works at a humble pace this year, as a decent part of state investments was redirected to research needs of the nation’s navy. (Technology quest progress: 32.9%, Egypt losses: -3.04 HC, -0.80 IC, -7.55 EC, -5.23 MC)
Q1-Q2 1894: Frustrated with the long process of the stainless steel development, Khedive Abbas II Hilmi of Egypt ordered to redirect the state’s industrial efforts from infrastructure improvements in the nation’s desert frontiers to subsidizing the Al-Kahira Steel Works company. This did help to keep the progress steady, with some people speculating the with enough funding 1895 may be the year first mass-produced inox steel hardware will see the market. (Technology quest progress: 59.81%, Egypt losses: -2.7 HC, -0.71 IC, -6.71 EC, -4.65 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: As the disturbed nation’s focus shifted toward arming the military against a possible Ottoman aggression, the defense budget swole and all other spending items became secondary. As a result, the Al-Kahira Steel Works yet again started experiencing issues with funding, postponing the introduction of inox steel to the market until 1895. (Technology quest progress: 57.95%, Egypt losses: -3.98 HC, -0.93 IC, -8.84 EC, -6.13 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: By January 1895, Al-Kahira foundry workers liked to joke that development of inox steel was the favorite pastime of their superiors, with the process being stretched through many years for little gain. However, as the nation finally could concentrate all of its industrial focus on the long-promised research, the pace of the development quickly picked up, and soon Egyptian industrial conglomerates were proud to become the very first producers and exporters of stainless inox steel in the world. (Technology quest completed, Egypt adopts “Inox steel” for no additional cost, Egypt losses: -2.84 HC, -0.67 IC, -6.31 EC, -4.38 MC)
North Africa
Spoiler:
Fast-developing gateway to Sub-saharan Africa with big Islamic cultural and educational centers, but uneven economic development and mediocre population density.
Q1-Q2 1895: Hoping to shore up its cultural and political dominance over the newly purchased Barbary Coast cities, the Maghrebi Sultanate invested into a combination of diplomatic, political, and cultural actions that saw the influence of various Italic investors into ex-British ports nearly totally erased. (Maghreb gains +2.3% Regional Influence, Sardinia-Piedmont gains: -2% Regional Influence, Italy: -0.3% Regional Influence, Maghreb losses: -3.06 HC, -5.07 IC, -7.87 EC, -1.05 MC)
Not stopping at their agitation efforts, the Maghrebi also invested heavily into all outlets of international commerce across the Algerian, Moroccan, and Tunisian coastlines, nearly erasing what little that was remaining of foreign economic presence there. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.7%, Maghreb gains +1.17% Regional Influence, Italy loses -0.2% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -0.5% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -0.47% Regional Influence, Maghreb losses: -1.65 HC, -0.37 IC, -4.08 EC, -2.53 MC)
Tunisian Italians
Spoiler:
1892: Italian expatriate diasporas, trade posts, and even colonies of Genoise and Pisan settlers have existed in Tunisia for centuries, but it wasn’t until now that their demographic and economic weight have become a matter of discussion in the Maghrebi society. Tunisian Italians (most of them of Jewish heritage) are not very numerous, but posses a very strong sense of community and cultural independence. They do not oppose the power of the Maghrebi sultan, but demand their traditions of semi-independence to be respected. And the Sultan has few other options, since the Tunisian Italians traditionally dominate regional commerce, being so influential that Italian language has become the lingua franca of South-Eastern Mediterranean. However, recent trade war with Portugal-Brazil and fears of Italian corrupt-economic expansion have pushed a lot of Maghrebi hardliners to demand a more strict, if not entirely nationalistic approach to the “Italian Peril” from the Sultan.
Lords of the desert
Spoiler:
1890: The expansion of Moroccan authority into the territories previously controlled by the French Empire took place right around the time of the collapse of the French colonial administration in the end of the Atlantic War. That action helped build a new Maghreb national entity and generated a lot of enthusiasm along the coastline. However, the outback remains rather indifferent and sometimes even hostile toward the Sultan’s authority. Reactionary warlords of various nomadic Tuareg tribes don’t see any benefits of the rapid modernization the country is undergoing, and they prefer to use their knowledge of Transsaharan caravan routes to act as middlemen, guides, and supply providers in the light of Maghrebi colonial ambitions.
Q4 1893: Under Sultan Hassan I, Maghreb was expanding into the Sahara Desert and Mauretanian outback in disregard of Tuareg tribes rather than in cooperation with them. However, as the throne was inherited by his son Abd al-Aziz I, that policy changed. Young ruler was determined to woo the desert tribesman into the Sultanate’s sphere of interests by presenting them with benefits of modernization. Yet, that plan had a weakness. Neither the Sultan nor his advisors on domestic policies bothered with formulating what exactly such benefits could be. Most of the technological advancements brought by Maghrebi colonizers were useless for nomadic herders and caravaneers that Tuaregs mostly are, and nothing else more specific was put on the negotiation table as of yet. As a result, some diplomatic and commercial negotiations have indeed started (mostly hurt rather than helped by the presence of the Maghrebi army in the region, which was perceived as somewhat threatening), and it is hoped that some semblance of a well-thought-out offer could be put together by the Sultan’s advisors in the upcoming year. (Regional quest progress: 41.21%, Maghreb losses: -3.64 HC, -1.74 IC, -3.91 EC, -1.88 MC)
Unwanted masters
Spoiler:
1890: Maghrebi takeover of French colonies along the coast of the Senegal River after the Atlantic War was applauded at the sultan’s court as the proof that the resurgent sultanate can compete with pesky Europeans at their games of imperialism. Now, however, the young nation is seeing what British poet Kipling has called the “white man’s burden.” Ungrateful natives, surprisingly, don’t quite accept “the gift of civilization” from their masters. Moreover, a series of popular riots and attacks on outposts suggest that conquest of Senegal might have been only the beginning of a long struggle with unknown losses waiting ahead.
Q4 1893: Sultan Abd al-Aziz’s approach to pacification and assimilation of Maghrebi Senegal territories was rather simplistic, reflecting, perhaps, the young ruler’s naivety and inexperience. Maghrebi colonial authorities were ordered to start mass distribution of various day-to-day goods and appliances, ranging from household items to clothing. Such giveaways were made, however, under a vigilant stare of around one hundred thousand troops garrisoning the Senegal River valley. While that gesture produced some mild short-term effect, it may be unsustainable or even counterproductive in the long run, creating an unhealthy dependency of the region on the metropoly and also frustrating Moroccan, Algerian, and Tunisian rabble, who wonder why their Sultan didn’t choose to offer free clothes and houseware to his more loyal subjects first and if it means that they should be more rebellious in order to “earn” such takeouts from the central authority. (Regional quest progress: 22.02%, Maghreb losses: -3.81 HC, -1.78 IC, -4.33 EC, -2.17 MC)
Not-so-Barbary Coast
Q1-Q2 1895: Recent purchase of such North-African ports as Ténès, Bugia, and Bona by the Sultanate of Maghreb wasn’t simply a mindless barter. As ecstatic as some members of the urban population were to finally not live under a kafir ruler, many urbanites of Christian and Jewish faith now had to be adjusted to living under jizya tax - and these very individuals and families were usually the ones with wealth and connections. On a more down-to-earth level, too, some work was required. Harbors and unloading facilities had to be often re-equipped to match Maghrebi standards, and infrastructure had to be built, connecting North Africa’s young industrial centers to the newly gained ports. All in all, plenty of work is still required to complete this economic integration, especially since the Maghrebi government hasn’t yet been very specific about how it plans to tackle the problems that arise from reintroduction of jizya. (Regional quest progress: 67.71%, Maghreb losses: -0.99 HC, -0.22 IC, -2.45 EC, -1.52 MC)
Drip irrigation
Q1-Q2 1895: Maghrebi distant ancestors, the legendary Garamantians, used to be known as masters of underground irrigation, keeping their civilization alive and thriving deep in the Sahara Desert. However, the climate in the region has become dryer since the 5th century AD, and no system of underground canals can keep arable oases existing so far from sources of water. Besides, even on the global scale arability of land is often a hard cap on nation’s ability to supply their own rapidly growing population with food. Naturally, a solution for that problem has been suggested in Maghreb, where local agriculturalists and engineers joined efforts to develop a form of irrigation that saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of many different plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. Much is still left to do to make that bright idea applicable on a large scale, and cost-effective to boot. However, once completed, it could prove to be a new page in agriculture. (Technology quest progress: 35.71%, Maghreb losses: -1.32 HC, -0.29 IC, -3.26 EC, -2.03 MC)
Sudan-Ethiopia-Somalia
Spoiler:
Stagnant, religiously divided, but relatively populous region, suffering from low socio-economic development and semi-absent infrastructure.
Fanatics and prophets
Spoiler:
1890: Egyptian Sudan is still recovering from a rebellion of Mahdist fanatics, who tried to overthrow Khedivate’s authorities in the 1880s, but were since then pushed out into “uncivilized” lands of West Sudan. Still led by by their legendary leader, fakir (or holy man) Muhammad Ahmad ibn as Sayyid Abd Allah, the Mahdiyah (Mahdist regime) is starting to spread its ideology among local tribes, gathering resources for their return to the Nile river basin. A series of attacks on outposts and frontier villages of Sudanese Arabs have taken place, and Khedivate authorities are afraid that some cells of Islamist radicals are still lying dormant in Egyptian Sudan, waiting for a Mahdist intrusion to start wreaking havoc among loyalists.
1891: The Egyptian Khedivate threw its secret police, military intelligence service, and the army into suppressing the growing threat of Mahdi insurgency in Egypt-controlled Sudan. The secret police action was rather effective at discovering and arresting a number of radical preachers and terrorist cells, but the army failed to produce the results that were expected from it. This was mostly because the central government never made up its mind to formally declare war on the Mahdist State in Western Sudan, so Egyptian generals were confined to anti-insurgency warfare and border skirmishes against Mahdist groups trying to infiltrate Egyptian Sudan. Some success was achieved on that front, but the Mahdist cause is still alive. (Regional quest progress: 21.02%, Egypt losses: -2.82 HC, -1.12 IC, -2.04 EC, -0.99 MC)
Legacy of the Era of Princes
Spoiler:
1890: When Sunni emir of Harar, Ahmad III ibn Abu Bakr, became the Emperor of Abyssinia at the twilight of Zemene Mesafint (or “Era of Princes”), it was viewed as a great victory for Egyptian diplomacy. For the first time in centuries, a friendly Muslim dynasty controlled the rich, populous region south of the Khedivate. However, now it seems like the victory has brought troubles with it. Muslims are a minority in Egypt, and the current emperor 'Abd Allah II ibn 'Ali 'Abd ash-Shakur is deeply unpopular among his subjects, and a noble rebellion is brewing in Abyssinia. Some advisors recommend the Khedive to support the Emperor with troops directly, while others think that such a blunt move would only infuriate Monophysite Ethiopians and Egyptian Coptic diaspora. For now, a range of solutions may be devised, but the clock is ticking, and the situation may explode any moment.
1891: Egypt chose to extend its influence over Abyssinia through the sheer presence of amassed armed forces near its borders and in its waters. While the fleet’s maneuvers did little impress the largely landlocked nation, the army did dissuade a lot of northern Miaphysite warlords from voicing their opposition to Emperor Ahmad III. This did not solve the issue in its entirety, but helped at limiting its scope. (Regional quest progress: 24.17%, Egypt losses: -2.95 HC, -0.88 IC, -1.8 EC, -1.45 MC)
Q3 1893: Egypt’s quite smartly moving away from heavy-handed aggressive posturing to some sort of constructive political and cultural influence. Unfortunately, the way the new approach was applied led to nothing but a slight loss of positions in Abyssinia. Egyptian envoys were tasked with encouraging the current Sultan to embrace Ummahism and Islamic socialism as the leading principle of the Ethiopian state. That, however, was met with a wall of silent misunderstanding on the part of Abyssinian nobles, who viewed their power and wealth through a lense of feudal social structure. Even worse was the idea’s reception among the clergy and the commoners, who were completely alien to any modern ideas of social welfare, coming from a completely backward, pastoral socioeconomic background. If socialism was merely strange and confusing to them, its Islamic version became simply toxic, primarily because vast majority of the Abyssinian Sultan’s subjects remain Miaphysite Christians who, until recently, enjoyed benign neglect on the part of their Muslim rulers. The damage done to the Egyptian influence in Ethiopia was humble, but it has flashed out limitations of the nation’s ideology. (Regional quest progress: 22.14%, Egypt losses: -3.75 HC, -5.48 IC, -8.72 EC, -1.64 MC)
Q4 1893: Having learned on their recent mistakes, the Egyptian diplomatic corps and influence agents in Abyssinia have reconsidered their main political message being sold both to the Sultan and his subjects. While the former was encouraged to placate his vassals and Christian commoners via community improvements and tax reforms, he was allowed to return to more old-fashioned ways of governing. Meanwhile, it seems like Egyptian intelligence agents have started looking into ways of weakening predominantly Miaphysite nobles, assessing their level of personal loyalty and likelihood of accepting the Sultan’s reforms. This resulted in a very humble change of Egyptian positions in Abyssinia, but, at least, it stabilized the situation and prepared ground for more foreign influence efforts. (Regional quest progress: 24.14%, Egypt losses: -2.32 HC, -3.39 IC, -5.4 EC, -1.01 MC)
Loyalty of the Slaver King
Spoiler:
1891: The success of Egyptian colonization of Somalia has opened up the gates for colonization of the Great Rift Valley. While the north of this wilderness (all the way to Sudan) is controlled by the defiant Mahdi state, the south is an amalgam of tribes bound together through a web of caravan routes that belong to the infamous “Slaver King” Al-Zubayr Rahma Mansur. Despite the nickname, that enigmatic trader has built his fortune on ivory trade and controls his network via trade posts known as zaribas. It appears that the Slaver King is open for negotiations with foreign powers over his allegiance, but at the same time he is extremely ambitious. Whoever wins his loyalty is likely to become not just the owner of the Great Rift Valley and Sudd, but also the controller of its flourishing trade.
Greater Mali
Spoiler:
Stagnant region with complex ethnic composition and once rich, but now semi-abandoned mining industry.
Q1-Q2 1895: Even after the race for colonization of the Greater Mali completed, the Sultanate of Maghreb continued building up its influence in the region, using Islamic proselytization among the tribes under the British and especially Taiping control (the latter being particularly vulnerable due to having very little colonial administration in place). Meanwhile, in the border towns of the Toucouleur Empire the Maghrebi utilized the relative power of their banking commerce to continue changing the center of political gravity in the region. (Maghreb gains +6.83% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -3% Regional Influence, Toucouleur Empire loses -1% Regional Influence, Taiping Mandate loses -2.83% Regional Influence, Maghreb losses: -2.75 HC, -4.56 IC, -7.08 EC, -0.94 MC)
No two slavers are same
Spoiler:
1890: British and Dutch colonial slavery practices, surprisingly, generate plenty of tension between these rather homogeneous administrations. Dutch interior colonial territories are badly patrolled, so runaway slaves from British West Africa (at least, those who fail to make their way to Liberia or the Toucouleur Caliphate) often find shelter in Dutch Ghana. Despite formally agreeing to return British “runaway property” back to their owners, Dutch colonial gendarmes are rarely paid well enough to risk their lives in raids on runaway hideouts. In Amsterdam, British demands of action are very unpopular (most common response being, “Don’t you tell us what to do!”), while the General-Governor of Ghana is afraid that these holdouts are becoming melting pots of African social-revolutionaries, where tribal divisions (so beneficial for outnumbered white colonists) are being eroded and a new pan-Malian culture is forming.
Q3-Q4 1894: The sale of Dutch Ghana, first to the CSA, then to the Taiping Mandate, changed a lot in the status of runaway slaves in West Africa. Mostly, because, despite their casual racism and drakonian labor regulations, the Taiping colonial authorities had no desire to enforce slavery or return British slaveholders their “property,” This has turned Ghana into a promised land and a haven for any British colonial slave or Liberian partisan, generating plenty of tension between the two nations. (Regional quest progress: -40%)
Freed and enraged
Spoiler:
1890: The state of Liberia was an idealistic (or, as some say, misguided) attempt to establish a democratic nation of freed states, organized by the Union of North America after the brutal Atlantic War. However, it seems like the scars of slavery and warfare are preventing new citizens of Liberia from living according to the ideals of racial tolerance, as it was intended. In fact, two dozen ship crew members were lynched in Monrovia this year during racial riots sparked by a bar brawl. Whites from the North-American Union and allied nations are mostly tolerated (not without some contempt, though), but for other foreign nationals of fair skin color a visit to Liberia may be a risky enterprise.
Q3-Q4 1894: The fall of the Liberian republic in its misguided effort to opportunistically occupy British colonies didn’t put an end to the problem of bitter, reverse racial bias in the local society. Whites are still being deeply hated by regular Liberians (especially originating from emancipated slaves). Except now exceptions are not being made even for the white North-Americans, who are viewed as the manipulators behind the nation’s disastrous war. (Regional quest progress: -50%)
Weapons of the Jihad
Spoiler:
1890: The Toucouleur Empire is struggling to prepare itself for its seemingly inevitable confrontation with the British. For that, they need modern weapons, and some advisers cautiously suggest that Emir Saidou should create his own manufacturing capacities for a prolonged war. The only currently available source of these dangerous innovations is through Trans-saharan trade with the Maghrebi Sultanate, but it’s possible other major powers would try to use this opportunity in the future. Now, it is time to decide what the Massina people could offer to their future weapons importers. Access to local rich salt and gold deposits is the most obvious offer, but who knows what else could attract foreigners’ greedy stares.
1891: Looking to dissuade any close cooperation between the Toucouleur Empire and Maghreb arms traders, British colonial authorities went on to dispatch significant army resources just to posture next to the Anglo-Toucouleur borders. This move didn’t succeed at cooling down Massina zealotry; if anything, the calls for allying to any Muslim nation that could spare the Toucouleur from British conquest only became louder at the Emir’s court. (Regional quest progress: -4.82%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -2.87 HC, -0.97 IC, -1.62 EC, -1.57 MC)
No one’s land
Q1-Q2 1895: The Taiping Mandate’s recent purchase of Ghana (an ex-Dutch, ex-Dixie colony) left many questions unanswered. At first, it was considered that the Heavenly Kingdom would simply re-hire Dutch colonial administrators for managing the territory for it, but the Kingdom of the Netherlands is in deep internal troubles, and more and more capable magistrates are needed at home. This leaves Ghana on the brink of virtual anarchy, being Chinese only on paper. To add to that, the few Taiping cadres that were sent to Africa have proven being completely out of touch with the specifics of local mentality, climate, and economy, and their own ham-handed regulations (often, with a strong undertone of Hongist moralism) are stirring plenty of discontent. Besides, it appears that the local tribes are starting to realize that the cadres are not that numerous, and there’s little military power behind them at the moment, so tribes are starting to organize into de-facto independent entities, many of them happy to pay lip service to the Heavenly Kingdom, as long as they’re left alone.
Niger Region
Spoiler:
Troubled, recovering from a war, and religiously divided region with unexplored resource potential, but wide opportunities for agricultural development and big population.
White Aethiopians to rule them all!
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: Devastation of Hausan nobility of the Sokoto Caliphate in the Portobrazilian conquest of 1892 has left a deep demographic and sociopolitical scar in the region. With old feudal power structures being in tatters, Portobrazilian colonial administration is trying its best to find local collaborators who would like to act as an administrative interlayer between the natives and their white-skinned overlords. For the slavery-dominated Portobrazilian society, this search ultimately comes to the matter of skin color, and that has become an unexpected bliss for Fulbe people living in the far north and west of the region. Described in some sources as Leucaethiopians (lit. “White Aethiopians”), the Fulbe people have a light-dark skin color which Portobrazilians, perhaps impolitely, like to compare to the color of hot chocolate. Some voices, including the colonial general-governor, propose elevating the Fulbe to the position of tribal or even feudal dominance in the region, letting them oversee other ethnicities and absorb their discontent, if it arises.
Unfair competition
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: The economic triumph of the Portobrazilian Royal West African Company in Nigeria has paved a road for the Twin Crowns’ complete economic domination over the region. With royal diplomats, ambassadors, and corporate plenipotentiaries, the company has managed to persuade (or force) all local strongmen, kings, and chieftains to trade solely with the metropoly and solely through the Royal West African Company’s offices. However, exceptions exist, and the most notable of them is merchant prince Jaja of a city-state of Opobo. Sold as a slave at the age of twelve in Bonny, this Ijaw native is a self-made man, who earned his way out of slavery through his business aptitude, eventually becoming the richest tradesman and patriarch of one of the biggest South-Nigerian city-states. While generally amiable toward the Portobrazilian authorities, he has been quietly trading palm oil with the British, Confederates, and Sardinians, surpassing RWAC’s duties. This, of course, shows a bad example to others, as Portobrazilian trade monopoly on the market is being widely questioned.
Past glory
Spoiler:
1890: The Yoruba nation of Oyo once controlled most of the Nigerian coast. Soon after the French colonial demise the Portobrazilians stepped into the resulting vacuum mostly thanks to their promises of relative independence to the Oyo king Adeyemi I. Now, however, it seems like the promised independence was mostly cosmetic and found its reflection in titles and ceremonies rather than in any meaningful decisions. That’s making Dahomey Yoruba people increasingly upset by the Porto-Brazilian colonial rule.
Q1-Q2 1893: Portobrazilian general-governor has recognized that if the Twin Crowns wanted to keep control of the Niger region, they’d have to establish functional relationship with the Oyo king, whose territories along the coast hold the key to the colony’s prosperity and logistics. Negotiations have started on providing Adayemi I with greater degree of independence within the limits of the original protection agreement that binds him to collaborate with colonial authorities. At the same time, the Portobrazilians were careful not to anger their own home aristocracy that could be dismayed at the notion that some “savage king” could be considered their equal. (Regional quest progress: 36.29%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -0.56 HC, -0.75 IC, -1.2 EC, -0.23 MC)
Central Africa
Spoiler:
Stagnant backwaters of Africa with little to no exposure to the world, but unknown deposits of natural resources.
The “race for Sudan” was just getting concluded, when the “race for Central Africa” was about to start. In dry winter months of 1895, colonial armies from the Confederate States of America and Egypt rushed to break local tribes and push them under colonial “protection. Simultaneously, hosts of Mahdist zealots competed with Abyssinian and Bugandan levies in their conquest of a place under the scorching African sun. (Egypt gains +32.55% Regional Influence, Confederate States of America gains +8.83% Regional Influence, Mahdi State gains +4.86% Regional Influence, Abyssinia gains +7% Regional Influence, Buganda gains +4.78% Regional Influence, uncolonized loses -58.02% Regional Influence, Egypt losses: -1.62 HC, -0.56 IC, -1.09 EC, -0.45 MC, Confederate States of America losses: -1.73 HC, -0.55 IC, -1.18 EC, -0.86 MC, Mahdi State losses: -8.26 HC, -0.92 IC, -3.54 EC, -0.2 MC, Abyssinia losses: -3.29 HC, -0.41 IC, -1.61 EC, -0.1 MC, Buganda losses: -4.34 HC, -0.55 IC, -2.6 EC, -0.06 MC)
The Dark Continent
Spoiler:
1890: Maghrebi access to Transsaharan caravan routes and Egyptian use of the Nile river past the Cataracts means that these two nations naturally have colonial ambitions in the Central-African region. Neither of the nations has any military presence in the vast region yet, but some low-key incidents have already started to take place. For instance, this year a massacre took place along the caravan route near the Chad lake. It is believed that a pro-Maghrebi Tuareg merchant ordered his guards to slaughter a Ummahist mullah and his seven students from Alexandria. Details of the incident are hazy, and it’s unclear if the tragedy was sparked by socially progressive views of the Egyptian missionaries or greed of the Tuareg merchant (whose loyalty to the Sultan of Maghreb is as questionable). What can be said for sure, the heart of the Dark Continent is going to become a stage for such “incidents” moving forward.
The source of the Nile
Spoiler:
1890: Search for the source of the Nile river is quickly becoming a matter of prestige and principle for explorers from many countries, inspired by a series of speculative articles published in several popular scientific magazines this year. Geographic societies from many countries are asking their governments to sponsor and equip expeditions to the Heart of Africa, hoping to become the first ones to discover the fabled source of the great river.
1891: The North German Federation outfitted an expedition to find the source of the Nile, but the expedition suffered from a series of poor planning and unrealistic expectations. The attempt to navigate the river all the way from the delta faced vehement Egyptian protest, and the few non-military ships that were allowed to navigate the river couldn’t pass even the first cataract. The army was equally unable to deal with overwhelming logistical issues. Only a small (non-military) part of the expedition was somewhat successful, but the progress so far is horrifically low. (Regional quest progress: 21.52%, North German Federation losses: -2.96 HC, -2.72 IC, -4.36 EC, -3 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: Prestigious exploration projects are highly valued by the North German Federation, the state founded on the principle of triumph of human thought and curiosity over forces of nature and society. So, it comes as no surprise that the Council of Savants delegated it to the Ostafrikan trade company to re-invest into exploration of the Nile in the very heart of the Dark Continent. A series of payments and contracts was agreed upon with the Bugandan king for the purpose of allowing North-German explorers to pass through the proud kingdom and map various waterways of the Kenyan Rift Valley, hoping that one of them would be the source of the great river. In order to mitigate the challenges of the previous expedition into these harsh lands, the expedition did not involve cumbersome army escort units and travelled mostly on foot (as tse-tse flies made a short work of various pack animals the North-Germans were used to using). An attempt to stockpile Hungarian cutting-edge antibiotics was also made, but the lack of local North-German production meant that the imported order of pharmaceuticals did not arrive on time for the expedition’s send-off. Still, the first six months of the trip were extremely productive, bringing home notes of literally hundreds of new species and gathering evidence of several seclusive groups of natives. Besides, the majestic mountains in the very west of the Rift Valley were mapped, and one lake was found, named by the expedition the Humboldt Lake, after a renown Prussian explorer. Oral evidence gathered from the natives suggests that yet another, bigger lake called Nyanza by the Bantu tribesmen might exist to the north, and it’s hoped that it might bring the explorers to the source of the Nile, finally. (Regional quest progress: 57.71%, North German Federation losses: -1.8 HC, -4.22 IC, -5.06 EC, -1.37 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: North-German explorers continued to eagerly explore the numerous lakes of the Great Rift, sure that one of them would be the source of the great Nile itself. Their instincts proved true, when it was discovered that in its upper flow the Nile splits into the White Nile (taking source from the Humboldtsee (Nyanza) lake the North-Germans had already discovered) and the Blue Nile (which source the North-Germans couldn’t locate and which is believed to be hidden in Ethiopian Highlands). However, this exploration project didn’t end with the discovery of the source of the Nile, and the Ostafrikan pioneers continued mapping the numerous bodies of water across Central Africa, including the Tanganyika (which they named Tanganjikasee), Kivu (Kiwusee), Rutanzige (Gausssee), and Mobutu Sese Seko (Leibnitzsee). Not only did this mapping activity help the Ostafrika GmbH outcompete many old-fashioned Maghrebi and Egyptian caravan masters in the region, but it also granted the Federation some lasting prestige in the geographic community. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Central Africa: North German Federation gains +8.52% Regional Influence, Maghreb loses -3% Regional Influence, Egypt loses -3% Regional Influence, uncolonized loses -2.52% Regional Influence, region North Germany gains +5 IC, North German Federation losses: -1.59 HC, -2.95 IC, -3.75 EC, -1 MC)
Ferries of Ostafrika
Q1-Q2 1895: Despite previous limited investments of the North-German capital, infrastructure remains the main limiting factor in the development of the Ostafrika GmbH and its lands. The reasons are clear: a vast territory, aggressive flora and dangerous fauna, ethnically diverse and loosely controlled native tribes, and, of course, distance from any industrial center of the Federation. In these conditions, a more cost-effective solution has been proposed for connecting at least some territories together: lake ferries. Thanks to the efforts of North-German explorers, the lakes and riverways of the Great Rift are now pretty well-mapped, suggesting that many woes of travellers and caravaneers could be surpassed or diminished, had the lakes been supplied with a reliable system of ferries or cargo boats. Some bolder advisers even suggest building simple wharfs on the Humboldtsee to cut on the costs of such endeavor.
Unarmed, but dangerous
Spoiler:
1890: Out of all polities existing beyond the reach of “civilized” nations, the tribal kingdom of Buganda seems to be the most organized and populous. That isolation, however, proves to be a blessing and a curse. Its current king, Danieri Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa, is an avid anti-Christian and a paranoid military moderniser, but he is struggling to find a way to supply his army with modern weapons. Some great nations may like it that way, but for others it may open a chance to establish some presence in this remote region of the world.
Q3-Q4 1894: The North-German gifts and advisory assistance to the Bugandan royal regime was well accepted in the court of Danieri Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II. Yet, his anti-Christian views did not disappear with the reception of gifts, and rumors swirl that his family is descending into a web of courtly intrigues. He is blamed by his sister for not taking full advantage of North-German friendship and striking a deal with the “white colonizers” about outfitting the Bugandan society with the modern tools that could truly help the nation expand into Central Africa. Meanwhile, his mother uses her influence on the king to persuade him to stick with the old ways, refusing European gifts from now on, closing his land to them, and looking for allies among good Muslims, such as the Egyptians, Moroccans, or, if worst comes to worst, the Abyssinian Sultan. (Regional quest progress: -20%)
Q1-Q2 1895: The North-German Ostafrika GmbH has correctly reasoned that money speaks better than words, and bullets speak better than money - especially if the bullets make money. In order to boost the king’s sister’s court faction, the North-Germans negotiated with her and her supporters the right to establish Western armament manufactories in Kampala. As primitive as such munitions workshops were by European standards, for the backward nation of Buganda this development was a colossal step forward. Meanwhile, the king’s sister, assisted by North-German emissaries familiar with intricacies of local politics, successfully exercised her influence on the monarch to get his retrospective approval of this establishment. For a few months, it was rumored that the Mother Queen could attempt to draw her influence from an unusual source originating from the Orient, but these rumors proved to be unfounded. In the end, Buganda received its own simplistic industry, elevating it way above local chiefdoms and attracting some tribes to its fold; meanwhile, North-German Ostafrika got a solid foothold in a previously hostile region, recruiting Buganda to be its unlikely ally. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Central Africa gains +10 EC, +5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +2.75%, North German Federation gains +2% Regional Influence, Buganda gains +2% Regional Influence, uncolonized loses -4% Regional Influence, North German Federation losses: -0.92 HC, -0.71 IC, -2.21 EC, -1.4 MC)
Life after Kabaka
Q1-Q2 1895: Mwanga II of Buganda is sick, and it brings up questions of succession in the nation shaken by an influx of new ideas from the east. For centuries, the Kingdom of Buganda prospered without hints of a civil conflict thanks to its sophisticated, yet effective succession system. Its rulers (kabakas) were allowed to have multiple wives in accordance with local customs and, later, Muslim traditions. Yet, upon the death of the current kabaka (which, in Bugandan tradition, was described via a euphemism meaning “wander off into the woods”), a council of elders gathered to examine all of the king’s male children and secretly choose the future kabaka based on the prince’s personal qualities. Upon the grand reveal of the future king in a burial ceremony of the passed kabaka, the remaining children of the king join their mother’s clan (thus being automatically removed from the succession), and the young king joins the totemless royal clan of Olulyo Olulangira, symbolically joining the spiritual king of Buganda, Mujaguzo, represented by Royal Drums. This system is quite good in combining deification of the king, elimination of succession crisis, some sort of royal meritocracy, and tribal ritualism. However, on the negative side, it’s being criticized by many members of clan nobility for being increasingly unwieldy by the rapid standards of modern statebuilding. To prevent the government from falling into hibernation until a new kabaka is elected, Mwanga’s sister proposes to give more power to the council of clan elders represented by the chief advisor (kiweewa). She refers to Buganda’s new friends from the North-German Federation, which Council of Savants is greatly liked by the nobles, who fancy themselves “savant enough” to make important decisions on kabaka’s behalf. Meanwhile, the Queen-Mother claims that she should be able to represent Mujaguzo itself, chanelling the will of Buganda’s spiritual deity-king. At that, she is supported by the royal court that doesn’t want its power to be lost to a council of clans. Based on who takes the power, Buganda may either develop along the directorial lines of its European neighbors or take a more ecclesiocratic, authoritarian approach of its Muslim brethren. That, in turn, would definde how its society and economy modernize at this critical stretch of the nation’s history.
Congo-Gabon Region
Spoiler:
Stagnant, colonially abused population center of Africa, with complex ethnic composition and unexplored resource potential.
Pigmy raids
Spoiler:
1890: Strange tribes of extremely short people, called the Pigmy, live in the depths of the continent. While not very valuable as work slaves, these Pigmy make great and very loyal house servants for their owners, being quite valuable on slave markets across the world. But before selling them, these precious slaves need to be captured, and Confederate slave traders tend to hire local Bantu tribes to do that job for them. This is quickly deteriorating into a strange sort of colonial dynamic, in which Bantu middlemen are growing almost as rich as Confederate American colonizers (and indispensable, to boot).
Latin Belt
Spoiler:
1890: Porto-Brazilian colonial authorities in Angola are lobbying a project of a railroad that would connect the city of Benguela on the Atlantic coast to Lourenco Marques, the capital of Porto-Brazilian Mocambique. That so called “Latin Belt” would have to face the problem of practically non-existent infrastructure in the African inland. In addition, the Free Boer Republic is vehemently protesting such a project, seeing it as a Porto-Brazilian attempt to block Boer advancement into the depth of the continent.
1891: While Portugal-Brazil’s available civil engineering resources were thrown into the construction of the Panama Canal, its army was tasked with securing the lands adjacent to the future planned route of the Latin Belt railroad. For now, the decision was made to keep the Latin Belt just a poorly patrolled rural road with garrisoned roadblocks every few miles. However, even that humble plan went horribly wrong when dispersed Portobrazilian colonial platoons started suffering from ambushes by local tribes, who used complete lack of effective logistics on Portobrazilian side to their advantage. Military observers say that the local resistance doesn’t scare them by itself, but they are afraid that complete absence of infrastructure means that even army engineers have a trouble supplying the troops so far from home colonies. They request proper civilian engineers to support the effort, and some additional troops to guard them. (Regional quest progress: -9.29%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -4.08 HC, -1.15 IC, -1.89 EC, -1.37 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The war in Zambia, as dispersed as it was, has done little to improve infrastructure across the region, given the decentralization and destruction it brought. If anything, the dream of the Latin Belt is now farther than ever. (Regional quest progress: -59.29%)
West Angolan Trading Company
Spoiler:
1891: The new trade agreement and alliance between the Free Boer Republic and Portugal-Brazil has created a new need for a trading company that could facilitate the high volume of future trades in the area. Such company was established this year by Boer state-affiliated businesses and is now in the process of bringing its operations up to speed. (Regional quest progress: 61.14%, Free Boer Republic losses: -0.70 HC, -0.18 IC, -1.79 EC, -1.53 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The declaration of war by Free Boer Republic against Portugal-Brazil led to a brief collapse of the shares value of the West Angolan Trading Company in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. However, the South-African financial market has once again proved its resilience to shocks and perturbations unthinkable for any more conventional trading culture, and, despite horrible financial losses, the WATC is still afloat, this time with a new business pitch of using Boer occupation of Angola for monopolizing local resource market. (Regional quest progress: 1.14%)
Darkness over Breckinridge
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Confederate colonization of the Upper Zaire basin (now renamed Brackinridge, after a departed Confederate explorer and organizer of the Gabonese colony, John C. Breckinridge) was a relatively easy affair, given the vast distances and great logistical challenges involved. However, now that the Gabon and Upper Zaire basins are under the formal Confederate control, all masks of civility have been dropped. An entire army of Confederate troops was redeployed to Africa from across the Atlantic, in full disregard of all logistical issues it would cause and with orders to “break up” all non-Bantu tribal groups and turn anyone who resits this vaguely stated (but clearly violent) effort into slaves at local colonial plantations. Naturally, this led to an excessive and often arbitrarily distributed bloodshed. Firstly, the only way colonial army officers knew how to “break up” the tribes was fairly resemblant of the way they and their forefathers had dealt with Native Americans in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. In the most of the cases, it meant direct genocide or killing of all males with subsequent enslavement of women and children. Villages were burnt and lands seized, only to be redistributed to white settlers and, more often than not, to the officers themselves. Meanwhile, the distinction between the Bantu and everyone else was extremely uncertain. Even leaving aside the fact that the Bantu is an extremely diverse and scarcely researched group of languages, the Confederate Army was ill-fit to delve into anthropologic literature just in order to decide which obscure African hamlet to “de-tribalize” and which to leave standing. By mid-1894 it became clear that the Confederate policy of de-tribalization has led to deluge of pointless atrocities, perhaps, unintended by the original orders. Even worse yet, it’s let the Confederates without any allies in the region (except a few uncontacted tribes on the fringes of the colony), because even the Bantu ethnicity of Luba (the biggest tribal congregation in the area) had some bloody grudges against the white men. All in all, the sheer violence and scope of the assault on the native tribes of the Gabon and Upper Zaire basins helped the Confederates to advance pretty far in their task of “Confederating Breckinridge,” but the news of this unprecedented slaughter are now leaking into the press of the “civilized world,” as thousands of desperate refugees come to the North-German, Portobrazilian, and Sardinian colonies, telling tales of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of natives being indiscriminately killed in the worst act of colonial genocide since the fall of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century. (Regional quest progress: 22.26%, Confederate States of America losses: -8.9 HC, -3.1 IC, -5.48 EC, -5.25 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The spread of news about the “greycoats’” atrocities in Africa forced the colonial government of Breckinridge to tone down their officers’ enthusiasm. The garrison was instructed to simply patrol and police the countryside (which in effect meant hideous marches across the jungles and boredom-filled garisonning of distant forts). Meanwhile, the colonial supreme command attempted to work out some solutions in the gray area of political negotiations with local chieftains. Familiar with how to deal with “rootless” black freedmen in the North-American South, the Confederate officers hoped to simply “fix” things by making it up to the leaders of the local tribes who “surely” must’ve been not personally too hurt by the atrocities committed against their kin. That assumption turned out to be wrong, since the Dixies underestimated how closely African tribal unions were tied via family connections, effectively meaning that a destruction and enslavement of a distant village could often mean death or suffering of the chieftain’s direct relative. Maybe, in decades this network of family ties may be destroyed (just like the American enslavement did destroy the unity of the African American socium), opening an avenue for cynical deals expected by the Dixies, but at the moment the patchwork of tribes that the CSA found itself conquering has no intent on stopping its vendetta against the “graycoats.” (Regional quest progress: 18.81%, Confederate States of America losses: -9.64 HC, -3.43 IC, -5.96 EC, -5.57 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: President Stand Watie Jr. inherited from his predecessor a Gordian knot of bitter, anti-colonial warfare in Breckinridge - a knot that couldn’t be untied via even more bloodshed, as such actions would surely be toxic to Watie Jr.’s Modernist voter base. So, not knowing how to approach the problem more effectively, the commander-in-chief of the Confederate forces simply instructed them to employ a “live and let live” garisonning policy in the Congo-Gabon basin. Essentially, it meant that many areas of the land were completely given up by colonial forces, and only the nodes critical to the functioning of the colony were still patrolled and manned. Meanwhile, the colonial office in Port Davis was instructed to pass the knowledge of that to local chiefs and to attempt to wrap that message in more diplomatic, even falsely apologetic tones. While this, of course, wasn’t nearly enough to pacify the entire vast colony right away, it did eliminate much of the conflict, while simultaneously freeing more resources for other endeavors. Critics of that program at home (mostly from among the Hawks and Stone Democrats) pointed out that it essentially was a capitulation in disguise, letting the “savages” to govern themselves in their backward ways and leaving most of the resources of the giant colony undiscovered and untapped into. Yet, popularly this military policy was much better received, both home and in Africa. (Regional quest progress: 55.31%, Confederate States of America losses: -7.75 HC, -5.59 IC, -8.98 EC, -3.86 MC)
Confederating Breckenridge
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Perhaps, the only relatively successful part of the so-called effort in “Confederating Breckinridge” was the state-funded effort to build large corporate plantations and develop mechanical workshops across the colony. Where the privately owned “cottage plantations” tended to fail due to cluelessness and vice of the untrustworthy private owners they were given to, the corporate plantations (producing rubber, cotton, and tobacco) didn’t have that lack of expertise and drew from a large pool of agrarian and labor management professionals available to the state. Just like the newly built “slave workshops,” they primarily used involuntary labor, which also was the driving force behind the infrastructure improvement that included a few small “zeppelinariums” (which in truth were badly maintained blimp stations) and an expansion of Port Davis at the mouth of the Gabon river. Some misled attempt to build dirt- and railroads in the jungles was also made, but it didn’t get far, given the complexity of the task at hand. All in all, the industrial and infrastructure development of Breckenridge was, perhaps, the only part of the Confederate plan in regards to their colony that seemed to move in the desired direction with the desired means. (Regional quest progress: 58.86%, Confederate States of America losses: -3.58 HC, -0.81 IC, -9.67 EC, -7.88 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The establishment of big state-owned plantations and “slave workshops” was the only more or less ordered part of the Confederate reform of its Breckinridge colony. Acknowledging it, the Dixie government chartered ambitious plans, aiming not only to expand the already existing agricultural enterprises, but also hoping to develop yet undiscovered natural deposits of diamonds that the country’s leadership just assumed must be hidden somewhere in the jungles. However, the economic assets dedicated to such an ambitious endeavor were clearly not enough. Thanks to their superb administrative skill and technological finess, the Dixies managed to continue developing the state-owned plantation economy in Breckinridge, but venturing beyond that scope did not end well. One of such ventures was an attempt to try and establish small “slave farms” as an attraction for unprivileged white settlers from the American continent - an attempt that deserves its own story in a separate report. Creation of a network of roads and railways in the thick, malaria-plagued jungles of the Congo Basin was yet again a nigh-impossible task. And the expansion of Port Davis was an only moderate success, with most of the economic assets too engaged in the plantation economy development. Still, despite all setbacks, the economic results of this effort might be the only solidly positive outcome of the recent colonial reform. (Regional quest progress: 75.53%, Confederate States of America losses: -3.68 HC, -0.84 IC, -9.96 EC, -8.52 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: With the plantation economy of Breckinridge being more or less established, the Confederate colonial office moved on to the second stage of making the colony profitable: natural deposit reconnaissance. Several geological expeditions were dispatched to different corners of the vast jungle-covered region, often heavily protected by well-armed military convoys. Thanks to a general de-escalation effort that took a significant degree of tension from colonial politics, the expeditions faced only highly localised resistance, mostly in a form of simplistic ambushes by badly armed natives. All in all, the findings were rather impressive, with a variety of common and rare metal ore deposits being discovered, along with some confirmed precious gem and rubber extraction locations. Now, it’s time to turn the knowledge into infrastructure. (Regional quest progress: 94.89%, Confederate States of America losses: -5.48 HC, -1.51 IC, -6.73 EC, -5.37 MC)
Forts of Breckinridge
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The Dixies wouldn’t be themselves if they didn’t try to fortify what they just started stomping out. While the horrific “de-tribalization” was still ongoing, a separate army engineering force was dedicated to establishing new fortified settlements on the ashes of native villages. However, two issues contributed to a slow progress of that endeavor. Firstly, the logistical capacity of the Breckinridge colony was capped, leaving the engineering brigades horribly undersupplied and forcing many soldiers to send marauding parties to nearby settlements. Secondly, the colonial command didn’t have a particular strategic vision for the fortification program, not knowing who their adversary would be. Therefore, the forts were built mostly as an anti-insurgency and garissoning measure, contributing to their wide distribution over a vast and badly explored region with poor infrastructure. (Regional quest progress: 20.89%, Confederate States of America losses: -7.51 HC, -2.62 IC, -4.63 EC, -4.43 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: Construction of local strongholds and forts across the jungle-covered strp of Breckinridge continued through the second part of 1894. While the Confederate defensive plan for the biggest CSA’s colony remained mostly centered on counter-insurgency, it seems like this ambiguous doctrine is at least receiving plenty of engineering support now that the logistical challenges are at least partially tamed. (Regional quest progress: 59.29%, Confederate States of America losses: -5.62 HC, -2 IC, -3.48 EC, -3.25 MC)
East Africa
Spoiler:
Stagnant conduit between Asian and African markets with a long, but decaying tradition of maritime trade.
Q1-Q2 1895: Awakened by the North-German creeping economic expansion into the Zanzibar coast, the Sultan of Oman dispatched his most loyal magistrates to re-establish ties of loyalty with local beys, promising gifts, influence, and often free hand in their domains in exchange for resisting North-German wooing. (Oman gains +0.98% Regional Influence, North-German Federation loses -0.98% Regional Influence, Oman losses: -1.3 HC, -2.04 IC, -3.64 EC)
The End of the Merina monarchy
Spoiler:
1890: The authority of the Malagasy Merina monarchy is at its all-times low, now that the Boers conquered its obedience through a series of ad-hoc, badly outfitted expeditions. Instead of turning on the colonizers, the Malagasy people are joining the spreading tribal conflict in the depth of the island. For now, the Boers were happy to see the natives fight each other, but some experts express caution over this development, afraid that eventually one successful warlord could arise as an unquestioned leader of the anti-colonial movement.
The gatherer of wealth
Spoiler:
1891: North-German takeover of Zanzibari economy, combined with an impressive display of naval force, has pushed this Omani colony to the brink of economic crisis. While the spice trade still lives on, it seems like slave markets are drying empty, and local merchant elites are growing ever more anti-German, frustrated with Omani sultan’s inability to put a stop to this takeover. The leader among them is infamous Tippu Tip, nicknamed “the gatherer together of wealth” by the locals. This spice trader and slave-master is rumored to lead a cabal of East-African traders who want to pursue the dual goal of getting rid of North-German dominance and establishing a free, independent Zanzibari state.
1892: In contrast with the previous year’s blunt display of force, the North-German colonial administration chose to address Zanzibari discontent by eroding the economic platform that made Tippu TIp’s faction so powerful. Various German-sponsored business ventures were established in Omani Zanzibar, supporting spice cultivation and greater mechanization of labor. While not as awe-inspiring as the earlier gunboat diplomacy attempt, this move did help the Ostafrika Trade Company grow roots in the Zanzibar coast and somewhat blunt the anti-German rhetoric.(Regional quest progress: 32.04%, North German Federation losses: -1.56 HC, -0.35 IC, -3.72 EC, -3.45 MC)
Pride of the Hehe
Spoiler:
1892: Inland caravan routes belonging to the tribes that recognize North-German colonial authorities keep being ambushed and looted by fearsome warriors of the reclusive Hehe tribe. Backward pastoralists that just recently got introduced to modern rifles, the Hehe are a small, but very warlike young tribal kingdom placed within the borders of North-German Tanganyika. They seem to be content with North-German dominion over their region (happy with buying North-German weapons and kitchen tools), but the Hehe don’t seem to comprehend that attacking other pro-German tribes is just not something European authorities normally tolerate. It remains to be seen how the Ostafrikan authorities are going to establish peace in their lands (and if they are going to do that at all).
Improving Zanzibar
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: From the day 1 of North-German colonization of East Africa, the Sultanate of Zanzibar (a titular kingdom belonging to the Sultan of Oman) was a major attraction of the Federation’s colonizers. While the North-Germans have succeeded to secure access to Zanzibari ports, they wished to also absorb as much of the local economy as possible in order to guarantee that that access wasn’t going to be revoked at the time of need. However, even as slave trade in Zanzibar declined, local emirs with stakes at coffee and tea production remained rather prominent and influential in the Omani court. This prompted yet another wave of economic intervention on the North-German part, hoping to modernize and mechanize local agriculture as much as possible, bringing new prosperity to the Zanzibari economy, while simultaneously linking the resulting wealth to North-German subsidies. All in all, the mechanization program did succeed at increasing Zanzibari agricultural output and harbor throughput, and many local traders now indeed wish to remain on the list of the Ostafrika partners, making Zanzibar a part of Oman mostly on paper. Besides, the need to maintain the new, modernized harvesting operations spurred a growth of North-German-owned manufacturing and repair workshops in the coastal cities. On the negative side, quite a few rural have-not’s lost their badly paying jobs to the Federation’s machines, and the disparity across the region increased. Meanwhile, some experts warn that exclusive investment into Zanzibar may cause a drop of stock prices for the Ostafrika GmbH, because the investors are afraid that the entire improvement of Zanzibari economy is a camouflaged favor made to the Council of Savants (which is obsessed with the Zanzibari ports for security reasons), while benefiting little to the company’s financial outlook. Shouldn’t the Ostafrika GmbH invest more in the lands it directly controls, they ask? (Regional quest progress: 81.94%, North German Federation losses: -2.25 HC, -1.94 IC, -6.16 EC, -4 MC)
South Africa
Spoiler:
Fast-developing, dynamic, quickly modernizing immigration hub with weak agriculture, but strong natural resource industry and manufacture.
Q1-Q2 1895: Looking to have a full control of the home economy, President Schönberg’s government of the Free Boer Republic nationalized the remaining tiny islands of foreign economic influence in South Africa, mostly using masterful repossession tactics in their scandal-free takeover of businesses. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +1.11%, Free Boer Republic gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Taiping Mandate loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Confederate States of America loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Free Boer Republic losses: -2.54 HC, -0.55 IC, -5.53 EC, -4.08 MC)
Commission of National Security
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: The Second Atlantic War is the biggest challenge Boerika has ever experienced, and the new government of President Schönberg takes it quite seriously. A Commission of National Security was established this August, acting as a semi-independent bureaucratic body which portfolio transcends the boundaries of regular ministries and is covering a wide variety of aspects of modern war. Optimization of industrial output, ideological motivation, procurement, coordination of the army and the navy, and many other fields are being trusted to enthusiastic and incorruptible NatVeil commissioners, who enjoy a reputation of jacks-of-all-trades with the highest mandate. The only weakness demonstrated by the Kommissie van Nasionale Veiligheid is its lack of expertise and influence in the area of heavy (and especially armaments) industry, which could be remediated by assigning more state-held economic sectors and enterprises to the Commission’s portfolio. (Regional quest progress: 57.33%, Free Boer Republic losses: -1.84 HC, -2.99 IC, -4.17 EC, -1.02 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: After a year-long break, during which President Schönberg was struggling to break a partisan opposition to his rule in the Nasionale Raad (National Council), his cabinet’s aggressive investments to the Commission of National Security were finally renewed. This time, the NatVeil’s portfolio was cleansed of areas that did not quite fit into the scope of its agents’ expertise, such as supervision of the country’s heavy industry. Instead, the Kommissie van Nasionale Veiligheid was asked to concentrate on standard counterespionage and vetting, preventing leaks and expressions of discontent both among the military personnel and civilian population. (Regional quest progress: 85.67%, Free Boer Republic losses: -2.77 HC, -3.41 IC, -4.95 EC, -1.14 MC)
Republican Pledge of Allegiance
Q1-Q2 1895: The nation known today as the Free Boer Republic historically originated from a loose confederation of independent frontier states, united only by a common tongue and cultural aspects. While the ongoing war (and, sadly, the “original sin” of the Kaapstad Purge) has done a lot to forge a nation out of this agglomeration of communities, but much still sets these individual groups of people apart. This, perhaps, might explain the origin of President Schönberg’s new propaganda campaign, shaped entirely around the Republican pledge of allegiance that children and adults alike are encouraged to take every morning. Originally dismissed and laughed at, this ritual quickly turned out to be a universal marker for identifying the “unreliables” within the war-charged society. Still, the screaming formality of it remains to be the main detractor of this “patriotic” gesture, as most of the Republic’s generals and Schönberg’s own cabinet members wonder if they, high-ranking professionals, have to follow that circus, too. Yet, (Regional quest progress: 80.07%, Free Boer Republic losses: -0.69 HC, -0.85 IC, -1.24 EC, -0.29 MC)
Children of Man
Spoiler:
1890: In the Free Boer Republic, not everyone is equally free. In fact, one’s skin color usually defines whether or not a particular human being is likely to be treated as a fellow citizen or as someone’s property. The only exception from this rule are the Griqua, children of mixed heritage that have developed into an militant underclass that is proud of its superiority to native slaves, but are also too freedom-loving to accept the arrogance of the white Afrikaners. Recently, more and more Griqua have been escaping the core lands of the Republic and settling on its frontier, forcing local tribes to migrate and claiming the land for themselves. It seems like the Griqua could be used as a colonization tool by the Boers, but these people would despise being forced to obey to the old unspoken laws of the Afrikaner society.
1891: Just like in the years prior to this one, Griquas were again used as a natural tool of expanding the Afrikaan cultural reach through a combination of emigration to the frontier and straightforward squatting in the lands that used to belong to someone else. Only this time, this mixed race was encouraged to resettle not northward, toward frontiers, but return back to the south instead, taking homes and property from English settlers in the Cape. So far, this agitation hasn’t been very successful, since the Griqua are freedom-loving frontiersmen in their hearts, and are looking to distance themselves from the white Boers, not settle themselves in the heart of the Boer territories. Either way, a small trickle of Griqua settlers has started to arrive to Kaapstadt, although at this rate it’d take many years to resettle English territories with the returning Griqua. (Regional quest progress: 3.89%, Free Boer Republic losses: -1.56 HC, -2.53 IC, -3.52 EC, -0.86 MC)
More children for Boerika
Q1-Q2 1895: Yet another unorthodox propaganda campaign that started in Boerika this year was concerned with creating a population boom that would compensate the nation’s war losses in the future. Unfortunately, the Free Republic still lacks a comprehensive set of family support policies, so the program had to rely mostly on the stellar reputation of the national healthcare system (something that makes giving birth less risky, but not more likely) and the power of persuasion in attempting to encourage Boer citizens to create families and have children in the young age (something that is already happening, truth be told). All in all, the program’s weakness was its vagueness of methods, and the only thing it gave birth to this spring was a new generation of lewd jokes about the Department of the Interior’s magistrates. Perhaps, in the future somebody could turn that embarrassment around. (Regional quest progress: 30.79%, Free Boer Republic losses: -3.11 HC, -3.84 IC, -5.57 EC, -1.28 MC)
Fortress of Good Hope
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: Another military engineering project is taking place on the shores of the Cape of Good Hope. Kaapstadt and Durban, two biggest and most crucial harbors of the Free Republic are being reinforced with army garrisons and heavily fortified. Construction efforts are ongoing, but by the time they are complete, Boer generals expect to see a network of smaller forts and pre-constructed light defensive position stretching along the South African coastline (Regional quest progress: 30.71%, Free Boer Republic losses: -2.62 HC, -0.73 IC, -1.16 EC, -0.83 MC)
Q4 1893: Boer preemptive fortification of the nation’s main ports, harbors, and seaside population centers continued throughout the last months of 1893. (Regional quest progress: 67.14%, Free Boer Republic losses: -1.87 HC, -0.52 IC, -0.86 EC, -0.6 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: As the war against the Transatlantic Alliance escalated last year, the Boer government concentrated on finishing its “Fortress of Good Hope” fortification program as soon as possible. Luckily, the NatVeil agents assigned to oversee the effort performed well at vetting citizens of settlements located near the newly built coastal forts, and all navigational maps of the sea approaches were made secretly available only to high-ranking Boer officers. Meanwhile, civilian construction companies assigned to the fortification project performed their job with ease, additionally providing thousands of laborers with work and outsourcing many small contracts to local businesses, thus boosting up South-African development. (Regional quest completed with full success, region South Africa gains Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.5%, troops protecting South Africa from a naval invasion from the Atlantic or Indian oceans receive +1 CR bonus, Free Boer Republic losses: -1.36 HC, -0.65 IC, -2.83 EC, -1.78 MC)
Internment camps
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Ever since the Capetown massacre and eviction of the English settlers, handling of rabble-rousing elements of the Boer society was one of the primary challenges the FBR’s military was tasked with. Despite some brutal countryside-cleansing campaigns against Uitlander gangs in 1891-1893, South-African methods of counterinsurgency warfare were mostly ad-hoc. That is, until now. It’s rumored that the Boer army is working on creating and exploiting purpose-built facilities designed for long-term confinement of large groups of non-combatants (usually, prisoners of war or civilians sympathetic to the enemy). This controversial strategy may become a dark spot on an already fairly tarnished reputation of the Boer militarists, but, on the other hand, it may give the Afrikaan army a crucial edge in the upcoming continental campaign. (Technology quest progress: 82.63%, Free Boer Republic losses: -2.24 HC, -0.62 IC, -1.04 EC, -0.72 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Against all odds, the Boers and the Tokugawa Shogunate found themselves united by a common enemy, Great Britain. That unity naturally meant for the ever-curious Japanese military advisers that something could be had from an exchange of ideas. Conveniently, one area of military knowledge was indeed of interest for the both countries, namely the Boer experimentation with internment camps. Hoping to synergize it with their doctrine of protected logistical areas and counter-insurgency troops, a group of Tokugawa army officers was sent to South Africa, where they helped to improve the organization of Afrikaan camps and develop a complete guide on their construction and functional structure. (Technology quest completed, Free Boer Republic, Tokugawa Shogunate adopt “Internment camps” for no additional cost, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -3.23 HC, -0.83 IC, -2.66 EC, -0.69 MC)
Submarine mother ships
Q1-Q2 1895: Having never been a maritime people, the Boers had recently found themselves to be pretty grisly sea wolves - especially when it comes to commerce raiding. Lacking submerged attack vessels for the coastal waters, the Boer Republican Navy relies in its sea lanes interdiction on above-surface raiders and long-range submarines. It is in support of the latter that the BRN requested the government to finance the development of ocean-faring support ships that carry supply, torpedoes, and even extra personnel for replenishing submarines at open sea, as well as containing a foundry and dry dock for hosting simple open-sea repairs. If the new “mother ships” prove to fit the requirements, they might significantly change the BRN’s ability to launch war far from its naval bases, located only in Madagascar and South Africa. For now, the project is in its infancy, and it may take more time (or a bigger concentration of industrial assets) to see it completion. (Technology quest progress: 22.67%, Free Boer Republic losses: -2.21 HC, -0.48 IC, -4.79 EC, -3.54 MC)
Booming territory with a powerful labor market, strong mining and agricultural production, and up-and-coming industry, yet a big level of cultural and political division.
Q1-Q2 1895: Little-by-little, Philhellenes of the Ottoman State are organizing, enjoying the relative political freedom of association granted by the “Sublime Constitution” and the chaos of the Western Withdrawal. (Greece gains +0.17% Regional Influence, Ottoman State loses -0.17% Regional Influence, Greece losses: -1.31 HC, -2 IC, -3.49 EC, -0.01 MC)
Western Withdrawal
Q1-Q2 1895: Conquest of Qajar Persia and pro-Ottoman Armenian insurrection in south-western territories of the Caucasian Imamate were the highest point of Sultan Mehmet Selim’s ambitious and opportunistic expansion. When it became obvious that the Ottoman State had to face a coalition of great powers while being completely isolated, the Treaty of Odessa became a nail in the coffin of Mehmet Selim’s pan-Middle-Eastern ambitions. With the concession of Armenian, Kurdish, and Persian independence came yet another painful question: what was going to happen to all of the Ottoman assets and allies still located in these territories. The solution to that question was later nicknamed in the Ottoman press “the Western Withdrawal.” Thousands of Ottoman citizens or collaborationists were allowed to relocate to the core Ottoman territories under supervision of the state police and Internal Affairs agency (although many of them failed to settle down and are expected to remain on the move for quite a while, possibly living the continent for the Americas). Banks used the government support to withdraw their assets without collapsing, and industrial ventures spent half a year transfering what precious equipment they could gather back to their warehouses. While the Western Withdrawal put a great strain on the development of all key Ottoman territories, it, at the very least, prevented yet another collapse of the Konstantiniyye stock market akin to the one that signified the first year of the Persian invasion. While perceived as a painful swing from energetic elation to pessimism and worry, the Western Withdrawal has likely prevented a much more significant crisis of Ottoman governance. (Regional quest completed with success, region Anatolia gains -1% Regional Growth Fluctuation, region Near East gains -1% Regional Growth Fluctuation, region Arabia gains -1% Regional Growth Fluctuation, region Balkans gains -1% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Ottoman State: +50 HC, +15 IC, +30 EC, +10 MC, Ottoman State losses: -3.66 HC, -4.29 IC, -8.64 EC, -3.13 MC)
Foreign deputies
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Recent cases of Ottoman (or Ottoman-sponsored) adventurism in Persia Kurdistan and Caucasian Imamate’s Armenia have provided cases for local collaborators to request their representation in the newly formed Chamber of Deputies of the Great Assembly. These passionaries claim that without their sacrifice and finesse, the Sublime State would not have succeeded at its “unification” of Kurdistan and Greater Armenia, which to a degree is true. However, nobody is sure if the local population would vote for the deputies loyal to the Sultan, so vetting of candidates in such areas has to be done with extreme prejudice (perhaps, leaving only a single candidate in some of the principalities, turning their elections into referendums). Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns the Sultan to not act too impulsively, since the status of these territories is not yet formalized, and the election of deputies from these municipalities might send a wrong signal to whoever the Sublime State attempts to negotiate with.
Q1-Q2 1895: With the Western Withdrawal, the question of foreign deputies didn’t completely disappear. Curiously enough, many of such pro-Ottoman collaborators and opportunists who cast their lot with the Supreme State ended up returning to the Turkish heartland, still claiming mandates that no longer represented any real power. However, some jingoists say that the foreign deputies and their expired political legitimacy should be honored by the Sublime State in hopes that it would eventually return to the lost territories. Without the claim that somebody in the Ottoman Empire still represents the districts that now belong to Armenia and Kurdistan, generating any sort of claim to the ceded territory may be quite hard, especially from the propaganda standpoint. Meanwhile, pacifists worry that any attempt to shut down the political career of these upstart adventurist might split the Ottoman society even more on the wave of partisanship and scapegoating. (Regional quest progress: -75%)
Egyptian cabals
Q1-Q2 1895: Ever since the Sublime State adopted license-to-kill intelligence agencies akin to the British Kingsmen, the Porte was looking for a task worthy of their expertise to test them on. The threat of facing a coalition of four great powers finally gave them such chance. Along with standard police forces, state counter-espionage agencies, and government-aligned economic conglomerates, the Special Organization (or Teşkilât-ı Mahsusa in traditional Ottoman Turkish script) was sent to combat potentially threatening Egyptian influence across the empire. Ummahist reading circles were disbanded or arrested, agents of political influence were assassinated, and tax irregularities were seeked out with utmost prejudice, while Turkish corporations replaced Egyptian businesses in their market niches. This did remove Egyptian influence from the entire empire without any economic or cultural shock, but the critics of this raid pointed out that the amount of assets the government dedicated to such a narrow task was overwhelming, showcasing just how much Mehmet Selim I is detached from reality. (Regional quest completed with success, region Anatolia: Ottoman State gains +1.5% Regional Influence, Egypt loses -1.5% Regional Influence, region Balkans: Ottoman State gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Egypt loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Near East: Ottoman State gains +5.25% Regional Influence, Egypt loses -5.25% Regional Influence, Ottoman State losses: -2.23 HC, -2.23 IC, -5.58 EC, -2.35 MC)
Inferior men!
Q1-Q2 1895: The power trip enjoyed by the Insanüstü Insan (Superior Men), a pan-Middle-Eastern, pro-Ottoman supremacist organization, at the height of the Persian invasion was comparable only to their overwhelming morale collapse after the shameful Treaty of Odessa. Now, thousands of the Superior Men leave the organization or, at least, hide their membership from the others, afraid of being mocked for their loyalty to the “loser Sultan.” Meanwhile, a core of “true believers” grows ever more radicalized, crystallizing around a delusional conspiracy theory that is supposed to tie in their mindset with disappointing reality. In their view, “Young Caliph” Mehmet Selim I is a genius and a hero of the Ottoman “pan-nation,” who got trapped in his palace by scheming old-guard pashas, replaced by an inept doppelganger. Even more so, in winter 1895, “Young Caliph” was preparing to pick up the fight with the Anti-Ottoman coalition and win, but he and his supporters (and with them, the entire empire) got backstabbed by duplicitous traitors: liberal press, moralist preachers, Albanian and Kurdish pashas, and, of course, the “traitor ethnoses” - the Armenians, Greeks, Slavs, and Jewish non-converts. It appears, that a wave of hate crimes across the country may be tied with this conspiratorial worldview that spreads among the Superior Men like a viral disease.
From Europe to Asia
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Recent industrial advancements of the Ottoman industry and especially the growth of Anatolian commerce and agriculture, have created a significant demand for optimizing its export routes. Currently, most of Ottoman exports go through the ports and harbors of the Aidin Vilayet in Western Anatolia, where local Greek diaspora makes great money on the throughput. While it’s unlikely that merchant marine will ever stop being the main deliverer of Turkish cargo, some visionaries propose connecting Asia and Europe via a land route, thus improving passenger and cargo delivery to other countries of continental Europe and vice versa. This project, however, might take many shapes. First of all, there is no unity where such a line should be established: one some people argue for connecting the great city of Konstantiniyye and its Galata satellite across the Bosporus Strait, which would be a natural way to boost the growth of that megapolis. Others worry that any construction in and around Konstantiniyye might damage the city’s magnificent architecture, and they suggest building a land route across the Dardanelles Strait instead, connecting the Gallipoli peninsula of Europe and the Biga peninsula of Asia. Disagreements exist also in the field of implementation. The obviously cheapest approach would be to simply improve and modernize the existing system of ferries going across the straits, but that doesn’t solve any fundamental vulnerabilities of such system. Others suggest constructing a suspension bridge that could show the world that the Russians are not the only builders of absurdly long bridgework in the world. Finally, another group of engineers proposes building an underwater tunnel instead, but that proposal is the most challenging to day, as the engineers currently lack effective tools of underwater exploration. Still, the prestige of such a project may pay off to cover for all challenges, they say.
Unruly valley-lords
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The Laz are a Karvelian-speaking ethnic group inhabiting the southern cost of the Black Sea and sharing heritage with the Georgians, After being conquered by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, the Laz, then Orthodox Christians, were put through a long Islamization process, which essentially split that ethnos in half. One Laz group chose to stick to their religious identity and later became indistinguishable from the Pontic Greeks even in language. The other one preserved the Laz language, but completely switched to the Muslim faith. Up until the recent years, these Laz people were enjoying significant autonomy as a part of the Lazistan Sinjak (banner-district). To this day, Lazistan is only nominally administered by the Porte-appointed governor, while in fact all power in fact belongs to multiple derebeys ("valley-lords") of Laz descent. With the institution of the Grand Assembly, little has changed in Lazistan, since the deputy “elected” into Meclis-i Mebusân is some random nobody presiding over a tiny club of Superior Men in Rize. Now it’s time for the Ottoman State to decide just how much uniformity it expects from its subjects so close to the heartland.
Telpherage and mechanized asset transfer
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Encouraged by the first wave of results from its modernization drive, the Sublime Porte has started experimenting with introducing a mechanical transportation system that would allow to transfer tools, materials, and other valuable objects in and around wide or elevated workspaces using a network of transferring stations and wire cables with cars or other carriers suspended from them. While this new invention, called “telpherage,” was originally proposed for mechanized mining, proposals were also soon made to utilize less heavy-load telpherage installations for transfering mail in urban areas and for passing of documentation around large offices and warehouses. Inspired by this innovation, Ottoman industrial partners from Japan and Dixieland eagerly provided their expert input, helping the Turks to set up first pilot systems that now stand virtually one step from a final release in exploitation. (Technology quest progress: 97.19%, Sublime Porte losses: -1.28 HC, -0.29 IC, -3.53 EC, -2.41 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -0.98 HC, -0.21 IC, -2.72 EC, -2.27 MC, Confederate States of America losses: -0.92 HC, -0.21 IC, -2.49 EC, -2.13 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: While the apparatus of the Ottoman State clearly had its hands full with other, more urgent issues, its interest in innovation didn’t vanish, and by mid-year telpherage systems of various capacity started to appear in cities and mines across the nation, soon mirrored by similar innovations in Japan and Confederate America. (Technology quest completed, Ottoman State, Confederate States of America, Tokugawa Shogunate adopt “Telpherage and mechanized asset transfer” for no additional cost, Ottoman State losses: -3.34 HC, -0.73 IC, -10.6 EC, -6.6 MC)
Solaks, professional bodyguards, and lifeguard training
Q1-Q2 1895: The infamous case of Inglorious Bastards, British license-to-kill agents sent to murder highest-ranking North-American officers and civil servants, put to a public display just how brutal and, at times, deeply personal modern politics might still be, after all decades of humanistic progress. Surprisingly, the first nation to act upon that knowledge was not the North-American Union, but the Ottoman Empire, which is experiencing its own political instability due to big regional setbacks. A new bodyguard training program was developed at the core of the young Special Organization (Teşkilât-ı Mahsusa) of the Ottoman State, which trainees were named “solaks,” after the royal archers and guardians of the palace of ancient sultans. Quite soon, the training courses were attended also by the Ottoman Oriental partners, as Japan sent a delegation of samurai to exchange their vast personal protection knowledge. With such vault of knowledge and experience, the program was a total success, supplying both countries with security guards, government law enforcement officers, and soldiers specially trained to protect a person or people from danger, such as theft, assault, kidnapping, assassination, harassment, loss of confidential information, threats, or other criminal offence. (Technology quest completed, Ottoman State, Tokugawa Shogunate adopt “Solaks, professional bodyguards, and lifeguard training” for no additional cost, Ottoman State losses: -0.43 HC, -0.62 IC, -0.92 EC, -0.23 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -0.56 HC, -0.63 IC, -1.01 EC, -0.22 MC)
Greater Caucasus
Spoiler:
Stagnant, divided, and extremely multi-ethnic region, rich with natural resources.
Pontic smugglers
Spoiler:
1890: Abkhazian boatmen have been chased to the port of Sukhumi by a Turkish patrol gunboat. Blamed for smuggling wine to and from Crimea (perhaps, rightfully), they hoped to find a cover in the city after abandoning their boat. After ignoring all calls for restraint, the Turkish gunboat entered Georgian waters and opened fire on the moored boat, miraculously not causing any damage to the city (and the boat itself). While no physical damage was done, newspapers on both sides have raised hell over the incident.
The Third Group
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Mesame Dasi (lit. “Third Group”) is a young movement of Georgian social-democrats, whose name was coined by one Irakli Tsereteli during his speech at the funeral for the movement’s founder Egnate Ninoshvili and then printed in the newspaper Kvali. The Third Group has originated as a Georgian attempt to mimic Russian Savelievite Circles of educated factory workers that had recently spread from Putilov armament factories in the city of Tula and are now in vogue across Russia. Unlike the Savelievites, however, the Mesame Dasi members are not as cordially accepted by the Georgian authorities, since the king and the traditionalist nobility see them as a challenge to their hereditary hierarchy. Rural workers of this lavish land also are at odds with the Third Group, seeing them as ambitious and haughty upstarts that wish to be statebuilders after barely elevating themselves from the soil. Now Aleksei Putilov, the informal representative of Russian interests in Georgia, has to make an uneasy choice: to placate the traditionalists and risk criticism from Savelievite co-thinkers of the Third Group all across Russia (something that could cool his relationship with the unions), or side with Mesame Dasi instead, disappointing the king. What’s worse, no one know if the Turks are merely waiting for one or the other decision to pounce on and divide the Georgian society.
Great Armenia, Greater Armenia
Spoiler:
1890: Armenians have applauded gradual secularization of the post-imperial state of the Sublime Porte, but they’re growing agitated seeing oppression of their brothers and sisters in the Caucasian Imamate. Several pashas of Armenian descent lobby for applying diplomatic pressure on the Imam to change the position of Armenian communities in the Caucasian Wahhabi state. This, however, is not an easy political fight, especially since Georgia and Russia are both happy to use the plight of Caucasian Armenians (fellow Orthodox Christians, albeit of Armenian Apostolic branch) in their diplomatic games and business expansion.
Q1-Q2 1894: Supremacist ideas of the Insanüstü Insan (Superior Men) and the “Sublime State” are not very popular among the well-established and strongly-connected Armenian diaspora of the Near East, Anatolia, and Transcaucasia. However, the triumph of the “Unification” of Kurdistan under the Ottoman Sublime State has recently opened a few inroads for Armenian nationalist radicals to the mainstream discourse of the Ottoman Empire. Why, they argue, would the Empire not follow the example of their recent action and perform a similar feat in Transcaucasia, wrestling Armenian lands away from the much less religiously tolerant Caucasian Imamate? This wave of enthusiasm, however, is as useful as it is risky for the Sublime Porte, because it might push the Imamate into the Russian orbit and even give the Directorial republic a casus belli to intervene. Now it’s up to the Ottoman Sultan to decide how to treat these loyalist hotheads. (Regional quest progress: -25%)
Q3-Q4 1894: It seems, the Ottoman high command decided that what has worked in Persia surely must work in the Caucasus. With these thoughts in mind, they initiated an operation that was a mirror copy of the “insurgency” in Perso-Kurdish principalities in spring of 1894. However, such a direct and unimaginative copying of the stratagem tested so recently also meant that hardly anyone was fooled by the origin of such rebellion. While the Ottoman-sponsored Armenian nationalists stuck to the terror tactics, they were wildly successful, leaving the Imamate’s rudimentary administration in North Armenia devastated with a string of explosions, ambushes, and assassinations. However, when the Ottoman (or Ottoman-trained) irregulars crossed the Turko-Caucasian border, they were met with stiff resistance of Caucasian mountaineers. Despite the superiority in armaments, the insurgents were out of their element and were decisively beaten, but still managed to fortify in several Armenian strongholds in the Immamate’s territory (ironically, most of the territory the separatists controlled by the end of the year belonged to the Azerbaijani enclave of Nakhichevan, which only sparked more intercommunal rivalry there. To make matters even more complicated for their Ottoman masters, the Armenians turned out to be a much less pro-Ottoman ethnos, and their separatism quickly proved to be hard to control. By December of 1894, a separatist mood spread across all Armenian lands, including the Ottoman territory itself, while the Imam of the embattled Caucasian confederation found himself facing a much needed, but previously unthinkable mission: to ask the Russians, of all people, for help in this independence-threatening crisis. The remaining question is, would the Russians wish to help suppress their Orthodox allies in the Caucasus, or would they take their side? And if so, against who? (Regional quest progress: 77.38%, Sublime Porte losses: -37.88 HC, -12.48 IC, -21.29 EC, -12.36 MC, Caucasian Imamate losses: -31.48 HC, -21.42 IC, -39.15 EC, -1.79 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The rapture of the Treaty of Odessa that prevented a major war over Armenian independence and gave freedom to fellow Oriental Christians, was followed by a stern realization that much still needed to be done to set up the Armenian state properly running. With that purpose, Russian magistrates moved in to Armenian lands, consulting local authorities (that mostly sprung up virtually overnight) in establishing some sort of public order. Russian troops that were earlier stationed in the south-western border of the Caucasian Imamate also came in handy, taking temporary roles of law enforcement and, in a few isolated incidents, inter-communal peace force. These activities were mostly appreciated by their Ottoman colleagues, who had a chance to perform their own “Western Withdrawal” without any interruptions and issues. Still, the Russian support of the young Armenian state had a great diplomatic impact, sending message to many people in eastern Anatolia that young Armenia was there to stay - and so were their new supporters. (Regional quest completed with full failure, region Anatolia: Directorial Russia gains +1.5% Regional Influence, Armenia gains +1.5% Regional Influence, Ottoman State loses -3% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia losses: -3.28 HC, -1.91 IC, -3.51 EC, -1.44 MC)
Transcaucasian Railway
Q1-Q2 1895: Everywhere a Russian foot stands, a railroad must be built! That unspoken motto is followed to a letter by the Russian administration that used the recent escalation of tensions around the Caucasian Imamate to build the Transcaucasian Railway, which upon its completion will be stretching from Rostov-on-Don all the way to Tbilisi and Baku, and from there to the city of Van in Armenian Anatolia. Works on this railroad started early in the year under a military premise of supporting Russian troops expected to fight the Ottomans in the Caucasus, but after the Treaty of Odessa was signed, the railway was repurposed for economic goals, connecting Russia to the rich Baku oil fields owned by the Nobel Brothers and Putilov’s young Georgian munition industry. The work is quite far from completion, mostly due to an inhospitable, mountain terrain, but the project promises to be yet another triumph of Russian soft power projection. (Regional quest progress: 46.5%, Directorial Russia losses: -2.87 HC, -0.62 IC, -8.07 EC, -6.51 MC)
Arabia
Spoiler:
Slowly-developing, underpopulated region with rudimentary, primitive economy, but unexplored natural resource deposits.
Q1-Q2 1895: Ottoman ventures in the Pirate Coast of Arabia have pushed some local sheikhdoms into the Omani sphere of influence - a political development that was eagerly exploited by Ibadi merchants and caravan masters. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.66%, Oman gains +1.1% Regional Influence, Ottoman State loses -1.1% Regional Influence, Oman losses: -1.41 HC, -0.29 IC, -2.99 EC, -1.85 MC)
The sea and the desert
Spoiler:
1890: The Sultanate of Oman is built on a compromise between sea-faring, urban Ibadi communities of the Indian Ocean shore and desert-roaming Bedouin nomads of the Arabian desert. The sultan’s recent attempts to modernize the nation with the help of foreign investments were well-received in the cities, but Berber tribal warlords despise the changes this brings to their lifestyle. The divide is growing, and it remains to be seen how long Oman will be able to preserve its unity.
False Sharifs
Spoiler:
1892: Recent improvement of the Hejazi infrastructure has boosted pro-Turkish sentiments in Arabia, helping to spread modernity across the region. However, as the new ways come to replace the old, a series of cultural and value splits have resurfaced, crystallized in the argument over who should claim the title of the Sharif of Mecca and Medina, the traditional steward of the Holy Cities. For centuries, the title was held by the Hashemite clan, which recently has grown decadent on Ottoman gifts and privileges (and, naturally, completely loyal to the Turks). More fundamentalist-minded Arabs propose that the traditionalist House of Saud should keep the Holy Cities under their watch, having their streets patrolled by Wahhabi religious police to eradicate even the slightest signs of vice, opulence, or western influence (these people also tend to express a quiet desire to see Hejaz and Nejd completely free of the Turkish influence. Meanwhile, some progressivists argue, that the position of the Sharif of Mecca should be completely abandoned as a tribute to a meaningless tradition, because the authorities of the Grand Divan have proven to be much better stewards of the Holy Cities than any of the formal figureheads of the Hashemites or Sauds could ever claim to be.
Pearls of the Pirate Coast
Spoiler:
1892: Back in the 17th century, a Portuguese expedition by Afonso de Albuquerque has already tried to colonize the Persian Gulf coast of the Arabian peninsula, attracted by its pearl trade. With the demise of the Portuguese colonial empire, the British came to dominate the Gulf trade, but they, in turn, struggled with the pirates sponsored by the Al Qasimi family ruling two out of six local sheikhdoms. Now that the Portuguese are back, this time claiming complete colonial ownership of the Pirate Coast (as this region is still known in the English-speaking world), they are, too, forced to deal with the Qawasim pirates that impede local pearl trade. What makes these pirates so hard to eradicate is that they often find refuge deeper in the desert (where Portobrazilian marines cannot pursue them), sometimes protected by the territorial laws of the Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah sheikhdoms.
Q1-Q2 1895: For the past two years, the problem of the Pirate Coast banditry was only growing, spurred by the departure of the Portobrazilians and return of a loose coalition of Islamic states that attempted to preserve an informal division of spheres of influence between each other. However, by 1895 that ambiguity expired. Having lost the Persian coast, the Ottoman State redirected the mass of its armed forces and military intelligence to clearing Ottoman possessions of the Arabian peninsula of Al Qasimi pirate influence. Unwieldy as that police action was, it quickly broke the back of the sheikhdoms of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, allowing the army, navy, and military police to persecute the pirates in their hideouts. This solidified the Ottoman position in the region, setting them as the primary controllers of the Arabian pearl trade. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Arabia gains -5 HC, +10 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.5%, Ottoman State gains +6% Regional Influence, Egypt loses -3% Regional Influence, Maghreb loses -3% Regional Influence, Ottoman State losses: -3.41 HC, -0.99 IC, -1.72 EC, -1.07 MC)
The New Silk Road (Arabia)
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Hoping to create a stable land route connecting Arabian and Persian oil deposits to the heart of the Ottoman Empire, the Sublime Porte has announced plans of creating a so-called New Silk Road, which in essence will be an integrated railway line connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean. While the main thrust of this infrastructure project is being made in the Near East, going through Syria, Kurdistan, and Iraq, a secondary branch is being planned to tie the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, probably via Haifa, Um al-Rashrash, Medina, and Mecca. German and Italian investors were also invited to partake in the ambitious infrastructure project, but so far little interest has been expressed by anyone except the Porte’s own construction companies. The reasons for that were obvious. Unlike Persia and India, Arabia is not known for any particular valuable resources (at least, none that are known as of now), and besides, a railroad built to support tradition haj routes has been built a few years ago, taking care of all existing cargo traffic between the Arabian peninsula and the Ottoman Empire. It remains to be seen if the Porte’s authorities will succeed at reverting that disinterest of various investors, as the Arabian branch of the New Silk Road is finishing its planning stage and starts construction. (Regional quest progress: 18.43%, Sublime Porte losses: -3.33 HC, -2.62 IC, -8.2 EC, -4.25 MC)
Q1-Q2 1894: Ottoman efforts to develop infrastructure in Arabia continued this year, despite all skepticism of the Sultan’s economic advisers. One argument that did somewhat add to the project’s value was the Sublime Porte’s recent conflict with Qajar Persia, meaning that an alternative route connecting Ottoman Red Sea ports (crucial for the Indian Ocean commerce) with the heart of empire might come in handy, after all. (Regional quest progress: 42.8%, Sublime Porte losses: -3.94 HC, -0.89 IC, -11.23 EC, -7.08 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: As the Ottoman occupation of Persia and the destruction of the Persian navy opened the Turkish access to South-Iranian oil fields, the importance of the Arabian branch of the New Silk Road dropped again. Yet, the Grand Divan continued to invest into that project, despite not seeing much future workload for it since the construction of the Hijab railway earlier. (Regional quest progress: 69.93%, Sublime Porte losses: -3.16 HC, -0.69 IC, -9.06 EC, -7.12 MC)
Those who don’t sit quietly in their houses
Q1-Q2 1895: The Zaydi sect of Shi’a Islam was formed in the 8th century around the conservative interpretation of Islamic jurisprudence, according to which a Muslim who commits sins without regrets cannot belong to the Ummah (or Muslim community), but also cannot be characterized as a kafir (an infidel), being ultimately cast into Limbo. Characterising themselves as “those who don’t sit quietly in their houses” (or simply don’t remain idle) in the face of greater sins, the Zaydi are very prominent among the Yemeni tribes, especially in the mountain country. Now, Imam Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din is quickly gaining supporters in Yemen with his fiery speeches against the Ottoman and Egyptian betrayal of Islamic values and their attempts to stroke a brotherly war.
Solar steam engine
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: If there’s one resource the Arabian Desert doesn’t lack, it’s sunlight. That made it a natural testing ground for a new invention that looks to rejuvenate the steam engine technology by making it less dependent on coal and other fuels. So-called “solar steam engine” is a machine that combines a giant lense or a dish-like mirror to concentrate sunlight on an enclosed metal vessel containing the working liquid. But heating it up, it produces steam that can then be transferred into mechanical work. Limitations of this low-maintenance, renewable-fuel steam engine is that its energy production cannot be always synchronized with energy consumption, making it quite perfect for working in conjunction with the air pressure energy storage technology that allows to utilize the energy the solar steam engine has already produced at later times and in different locations. While these limitations are still being processed by the scientific community, some Japanese zaibatsus have already sent their engineers to assist the Ottomans with the how-tos of the solar steam technology, hoping to benefit from it later, given the resource scarcity of the Japanese Islands. (Technology quest progress: 60.48%, Sublime Porte losses: -3.12 HC, -0.71 IC, -8.89 EC, -5.6 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -1.31 HC, -0.28 IC, -3.15 EC, -2.56 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The war over Persian oil has diverted the most of the Sublime State’s resources elsewhere. Yet, with fossil fuels still being at times a contested resource, the development of a solar steam engine continued in Ottoman Hijab at a slow, but steady pace. (Technology quest progress: 73.67%, Sublime Porte losses: -2.88 HC, -0.65 IC, -7.94 EC, -5.42 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The Ottoman loss of access to the Persian oil fields, of course, was not enough to deprive the Sublime State of easy access to fossil fuels (given the size of Iraqi deposits), but it was an important reminder that development of an engine working on sustainable energy source had to continue. (Technology quest progress: 86.33%, Ottoman State losses: -2.7 HC, -0.59 IC, -8.58 EC, -5.35 MC)
Near East
Spoiler:
Fast-developing, but extremely ethnically and religiously complex region with mediocre economy, but big symbolic value.
Druzes and Maronites
Spoiler:
1891: Druze and Maronite (Antioch Christian) communities of Lebanon are at it again! Their intercommunal warfare of 1860 was put down not without French colonial assistance, and it seems like both of the communities are trying to settle ancient land disputes through fighting once again. Both of these ethno-religious minorities are disenfranchised in the Sublime Porte’s state apparatus and both have little influence in the province of Palestine and Lebanon. Some advisors welcome this conflict as a part of a larger “divide and conquer” strategy, but others point out that conflicts like that siphon a lot of energy from the empire, wasting it on local squabbles.
Sons of Dedan
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The Assyrians are one of the most ancient ethnic groups of the Near East, tracing their origin from Abraham’s grandson, Dedan son of Jokshan. Once they ruled the first and greatest militant empire in the history of the Fertile Crescent. Even after their loss of independence to the Babylonians, Achaemenid Persians, and every other wave of conquerors that’d come to dominate the Near East, the Assyrians remained a strong, united ethnicity, often being delegated provincial rule and serving as elite front line infantry in the armies of other empires. However, Islamic dominance in the Middle East gradually led the Assyrians to a role of dhimmi (second-class citizens), and that position remained largely unchanged throughout the past few centuries. Most recent Ottoman reforms briefly gave the Assyrian Christian community some hope of re-establishing itself as the equals to their Muslim neighbors, but this glimmer of hope doesn’t seem to have lasted long. As the Kurdish population of Iran was urged to “unify” under the Ottoman “Sublime State,” the agitation backfired, because some of the fervent Kurdish nationalists in Syria and north Iraq interpreted it as a signal to solidify Kurdish rule over other non-Turkish and non-Muslim groups of people. Kurdish emirs of Hakkari and Bohtan started forcing local Assyrians out of their villages, and scenes of marauding and abuse ensued. Some communities pulled together ad-hoc militia and fought back, while others chose to leave their lands completely, but the larger Assyrian population seems to be dead-set to fight the Kurds if they have to, forcing the Sublime Porte to decide which side it’s on.
Q1-Q2 1895: The Western Withdrawal of Ottoman influence uplifted moods of many Middle-Eastern ethnic nationalists, but the Assyrian minority was one of the most enthusiastic, having reasons to not like the Kurds and the Turks (between whose borders Assyrian lands now got split) and to aspire to match fellow Armenian Christians in their newly gained independence. (Regional quest progress: -30%)
The New Silk Road (Near East)
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Oriental silks are no longer in short supply in Europe, but the sheer idea of a land route connecting the east and the west seems to excite the Sublime Porte’s leadership. The new vision of such a project (a cargo railroad, really) is much humbler now, with the eastern branch of the New Silk Road stretching from Antakya to Basra, two ports with powerful integrated railway hubs and extensive loading and warehousing facilities. The first three months of the Near-Eastern branch of the New Silk Road were mostly preparatory ones, organizing the construction efforts and planning the optimal route for the future railway. (Regional quest progress: 17.5%, Sublime Porte losses: -3.79 HC, -2.89 IC, -9.38 EC, -4.93 MC)
Q1-Q2 1894: After all plans for the New Silk Road project were charted, the Sublime Porte’s railroad engineers and construction crews started working on completing the actual, physical infrastructure. The only development that alarmed the Grand Divan was a possibility of escalation of the Ottoman Empire’s conflict with the Qajar dynasty of Persia, given how close the New Silk Road infrastructure lies to the Persian border. Still, the project was continued at a good pace. (Regional quest progress: 54.07%, Sublime Porte losses: -3.77 HC, -0.86 IC, -10.76 EC, -6.78 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: For all the negative impact the Ottoman invasion of Persia had on international trade and diplomatic standing of the Sublime State, it did definitely achieve one thing: increase the importance of the Near-Eastern branch of the New Silk Road project, as it connected the industrial heart of the Empire with its biggest source of fuel. With these thoughts in mind, the construction continued this year at a good pace, promising completion of the railway in 1895. (Regional quest progress: 82.6%, Sublime Porte losses: -4.8 HC, -1.09 IC, -13.24 EC, -9.04 MC)
Central Asia
Spoiler:
Slowly-developing region suffering from drawbacks of fast-paced modernization followed by reactionary resurgence.
Retreating seas
Spoiler:
1890: The Caspian and the Aral seas used to be two major sources of agricultural activity in Central Asia. However, these seas (or, rather, giant lakes) are starting to show signs of drying up. With them, local agriculture starts shrinking, and Caspian trade is seriously impacted both by the retreat of the sea from several small Khivan ports (that literally have turned into inland cities by now). To make matters worse, the population of the Caspian sturgeon has diminished, hitting hard the caviar business that’s been keeping quite a few fishing communities very rich.
The White Sun of the Desert
Spoiler:
1890: Military modernization of Khiva has brought the khanate to the peak of its imperial power in recent years, but now it seems like the nation is being torn by contradictions. Turkmen locals, in their majority, are nomadic or semi-nomadic peoples, who don’t mind having oil rigs built in their lands by Russian businesses, as long as it generates some wealth for them, but they’re not very welcoming of changes to their own lifestyle. And changes is exactly what modernization of the Khivan economy brings. At the same time, the Uzbek population of Bukhara and the rich Ferghana valley (both conquered a few decades ago) are quite acceptive of the Western (primarily Russian) technologies and traditions. That puts the Khan in a strange situation, when the most loyal part of his society is the least excited about the course of his policies.
Q3-Q4 1894: After years of geopolitical neglect, the Russians have finally expressed their interest in Turkmenistan, Bukhara, and the Ferghana valley. And when the Russians express interest, it usually means building a railroad. Such was this time, too, as the directorial government helped Russian stakeholders secure a string of land deals with the Khan of Khiva, allowing the construction of a new artery of commerce flowing across Central Asia toward Iran. The project was not the easiest one, given the harshness of the local climate and cultural gaps between the various ethnic groups which had to be placated (needless to say, the Turkmen nomads were the least pleased of the railroad dividing their pastures overnight). Besides, the Directorial Board of Infrastructure points out that even after its completion, the output of the project for the Russian economy is going to be miniscule, until the Central Asian Railroad is connected to the Transsibirian Railway at the Orenburg railway juncture in the South Urals. Still, despite all of these complications, the Central Asian Railroad has all chances of connecting Russia to Iran an, through it, to India, while simultaneously greatly modernizing the region it flows through. (Regional quest progress: 72.38%, Directorial Russia losses: -2.61 HC, -0.57 IC, -7.49 EC, -5.88 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: As the Orenburg junkture with the Transsiberian Railway consumed most of Russia’s railway construction assets, the Central_asian Railroad continued progressing at a slower pace, which, still, in a Russian railroad-building tradition, was rather impressive. At this point, Europe may be connected to the Indian subcontinent before the end of 1895. Just a few junctures in Central Asia need to be completed. (Regional quest progress: 98.05%, Directorial Russia losses: -3.01 HC, -0.65 IC, -8.45 EC, -6.82 MC)
The New Method
Spoiler:
1890: Now that the amalgam of popular rebellions led by the Basmachi movement has achieved its purpose of freeing the peoples of East Central Asia from aristocratic exploitation, it is time for them to come together and form a united state entity. So far, the only source of central authority in the state has been the Shura-i Islam (Islamic Council) composed of muftis (Islamic scholars and interpreters of the Shariah law). That, naturally, creates quite a reactionary lean to otherwise socially progressive policies of the Basmachi. However, a new faction is getting a lot of weight in this rudimentary state apparatus. Calling themselves Taraqqiparvarlar (“progressives”), they advocate usul ul-jadid (“the new method”) in the approach to state policies. In short, it may be summarized as modernization of all spheres of life akin to the reforms of the Egyptian state. However, more reactionary factions of the Islamic Council (supported by the rural underclass) view this as a betrayal of the original, Luddite nature of the movement. For now, disagreements between the proponents of the both factions have been rather civil and took place primarily in madrasa schools, but it seems like the tensions are about to escalate soon if no faction claims victory.
Q1-Q2 1894: More and more disgruntled Islamic fundamentalists and socialists choose to dissociate themselves with Westernized, reformist movements in the Ottoman Empire, Maghreb, and even Directorial Russia. While they often bring Basmachi ideas with them to their homeland, some of these people choose to travel to the land where the Islamic Council justly rules over freed and equal people of Central Asia. With them, they bring not only money, but also political expectations common in their societies. And since even a Turkish fundamentalist could often find the rural life of Tajik or Kyrgyz herders and mountain farmers rather backward, these newcomers generally contribute to the growing influence of the Taraqqiparvarlar (“progressives”) in the Shura-i Islam. Recently, Central Asia attracted little attention from more “civilized” countries, but some observers point out that the growth of the New Method movement in the Basmachi State could start attracting more and more Muslims to their ideas far abroad from this secluded region of the planet. (Regional quest progress: -30%)
Greater Iran
Spoiler:
Slowly-developing region with ancient history, but stuck in the state of cultural and economic slumber.
The plight of a conqueror
Spoiler:
1890: Khivan conquest of Persian Mazandaran was a surprisingly easy endeavor, but now it is the retaining of the region that the Khan is finding troubles with. A non-stop guerilla warfare is being launched by local Tabarians against Khivan troops in the mountains. Recently, a stray bullet took the life of the Khan’s nephew, attracting the Khanate’s focus to the issue. What’s interesting is that the Tabarian population doesn’t seem to be interested in reintegration with the Qajar dynasty either (mostly because the Persian aristocrats are being seen as weak and decadent). Instead, Mazanderani fighters struggle for complete independence.
Warriors don’t read books
Spoiler:
1890: The polytechnic university of Dar ol Fonoon was founded by Nasser ad-Din in 1851 and was since then the sole center of modern learning in the entirety of the country. While some see it as the first step toward much needed modernization, plenty of members of militant aristocracy and especially rural landowners are starting to complain that the Qajar dynasty is too obsessed with copying the West in everything “weak.” What’s the use of engineering and geology if neighboring Turkmens took the Shahdom’s northern provinces with mind-boggling ease using little but some few dozen thousand Russian rifles and a few guns? Isn’t it the fighting spirit and, yes, imported weapons that Iran needs the most now? In a way, Dar ol Fonoon grew to crystallize this societal split between the cosmopolitan educated urban elite and the traditionalist landowning aristocracy. The resolution of this dispute will likely decide the path for the dynasty in upcoming years.
Q3-Q4 1894: The Ottoman conquest of Qajar Iran has given the reactionary hardliners all the arguments they needed to push for aggressive militarization of the Persian society. Yes, this social compromise might have come too late to prevent the actual occupation of Iran by the Sublime State, but chances are the countryside may yet rise in a revolt against the hated Turks, especially if the patriots are properly armed and trained. Meanwhile, in educational centers, such as Dar ol Fonoon itself, the Persian intelligentsia is also split between anti-Ottoman, Waisi-inspired radicalized leftists and more moderate, cosmopolitan collaborators, who have nothing against the assimilation of the Persian people into the transnationalist “Sublime” identity of the Ottoman state, for their own good. (Regional quest progress: -50%)
Q1-Q2 1895: As per opinion of many regional experts, the return of the Shahanshah to Tehran at the conclusion of the Treaty of Odessa was going to make the split at the heart of the Persian society decidedly worse. The moderate intelligentsia and progressive aristocracy that the Qajar for some time considered their allies, were now perceived as Ottoman collaborators and some of them even fled the country as a part of the Ottoman Western Withdrawal. The leftist bourgeoisie (a thin film at the top of the Persian urban society, really) was never quite allied to the Qajars anyway, and the rural reactionaries wished to see more decisive, stronger leaders at the head of the country. Luckily for the Shah, in his “triumphant” return to the beloved nation he was accompanied by more than a hundred thousand Sikh troops, mostly infantry and cavalry with only minimal ammunition supply and zamburak fire support, to make their force march to Tehran faster. Not counting a few unlucky incidents that arose from simple misunderstanding between the Indostani soldiers and local villagers, the march faced no resistance. On the other hand, it faced no cheerful greetings either, as the Persians try to decide if their new “liberators” are simply new enforcers of the Shah’s authority. In fact, that is exactly the topic of some fiery lectures read by left-leaning students in the heart of Persian intellectualism, the Dar ol Fonoon university. While these words are the only weapon of the anti-Qajar resistance, for now, an eerie calm has set across the country. Yet, that equilibrium may not last for too long, as the Qajar legitimacy and popular support are diminished almost to a nill. At the very least, the Shah has Khalsa troops to protect him and his power. But will they? (Regional quest progress: 2.29%, Indostan losses: -4.36 HC, -1.64 IC, -3.55 EC, -1.68 MC)
Under the yellow banner
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: Bannu Ka’b is an Arab tribe originating from Nejd on the Arabian Peninsula. Throughout most of the 18th and 19th centuries, it was known for raiding across the desert into Kuwait, Mesopotamia all the way to Basra, and even Persian Khuzestan. As the raids became more and more successful in the first half of the 19th century, during the Ottoman internal turmoil, the Kaabi started settling in the lands they raided, and were so successful at that that Qajar magistrates started to refer to the region of Khuzestan as Arabistan in some papers. By now, the Iraqi border is well-guarded by the Sublime Porte’s troops, but Kaabi settlers of Khuzestan, residing primarily in the semi-independent sheikhdom of Khoramshahr and enjoying a great deal of autonomy from the Qajar throne, are there to stay. Recently, the semi-nomads riding under Bannu Ka’b’s traditional yellow banner, became a plague of Turkish oilmen, sometimes kidnapping them for ransom, damaging pipelines, and sometimes stealing expensive equipment or, more simply, any valuables belonging to the Ottoman oil companies in the area. Qajar officials claim to be powerless against the unruly Persian Arabs, simultaneously refusing to provide Ottoman troops with the right of access to Persia. They point out that the Kaabi are driven toward banditry by the growing wealth disparity in the region, with traditional Persian economy being still very backward, and Ottoman investments presenting an easy way to become rich overnight. Meanwhile, some journalists speculate that the Kaabi Arabs may be encouraged to continue their destructive activities by Turkish competitors, the Egyptians, the Maghrebi, the Sikhs, or by some fourth power.
Q3-Q4 1894: The consequences of the Turkish clandestine invasion of Persian Kurdistan, as well as the subsequent full-scale invasion of Persia, left most of the oil industry infrastructure in Persia in shambles. This only made the remaining few pipelines in the area even more vulnerable to any sort of Arabian sabotage. It seems, the Kaabi are the Sublime Porte’s problem now. (Regional quest progress: -50%)
Q1-Q2 1895: Yet another change of authority in Khuzestan did nothing to improve local security and peace. If anything, the chaos of invasion, followed by a withdrawal of the invaders and return of even weaker past masters made the Kaabi Arabs virtually independent from any authority. This opened way to casual raiding and banditry, plunging that oil-rich region into even bigger chaos. (Regional quest progress: -75%)
Indus Region
Spoiler:
Fast-developing star of Indian economy and culture, dealing with extreme religious and ethnic complexity and challenges of modernization.
Minority problem
Spoiler:
1890: Naturally, the Sikhs are the most entitled religious group in the Sikh Empire, since most of the nation’s magistrates and officers, as well as the ruling aristocracy, come from among the Sikh diaspora. However, only 17% of the nation’s swelling population are Sikhs, the rest of them being predominantly Muslims, as well as Hindus, Jains, and Zoroastrians. The policy of religious tolerance common across the Empire goes a long way to prevent major civic confrontation, but still, the fact remains: most of the nation’s population is not contributing to the Empire as much as they could. In part, that explains why so many trade posts, commerce chambers, and factories in the Karachi region are owned by Maghrebi investors.
Quetta-Kandahar-Herat Railway
Q1-Q2 1895: The British blockade of the Arabian Sea and an unsure status of Qajar Persia meant for Indostani ministers that an alternative way had to be found to connect the warring nation to potential markets of resources and industrial goods. Following up the Treaty of Odessa, Sikh ambassadors indeed managed to secure certain agreements with their Russian partners to use their own railway network (which was going to be extended to Central Asia soon) for the transit of Indostani goods. The only missing piece of the puzzle was a railroad that would connect Russian Transaralian and Central-Asian Railways to Balochistan and, through it, to Indostan’s heartland. Once the agreement was made, the work on the Indostani part of the railway started almost immediately. Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, was chosen for the starting point, Afgan city of Kandahar for the main middle hub, and Herat for the last big stop before the juncture with the Russian project. Logistical and engineering challenges were significant, as most of the railway’s length would go through rocky deserts (which necessitated a construction of water reservoirs) or mountains of Afghanistan. Yet, with the experience of building the Transhymalayan Railway, the Indostani engineers took a good pace, and chances are high that the first cargo will start traveling along this railway line as soon as November 1895. (Regional quest progress: 72.4%, Indostan losses: -3.36 HC, -0.91 IC, -8.19 EC, -6.61 MC)
Akali movement
Spoiler:
1892: The word “akal” means “timeless” or “immortal” in Punjabi, and the movement it came to represent stands for removal of mahants (or traditional Sikh clergy) from managing gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship. Akali activists point out that the mahants are growing ever more independent from any popular control, a self-enclosed caste, departed from its flock, corrupt, and highly ritualized. Past that initial statement, the Akali are split; some intellectuals and urban bourgeois argue that gurdwara management should be municipality-based and electoral, while rural conservatives propose to delegate mahant appointments to provincial Jathedars (or governors) or even the Maharaja himself.
Q4 1893: In an attempt to please both sides of the reformist Akali movement, the Grand Vizier have persuaded the Maharaja to institute a new gurdwara management system, in which potential candidates for the status of a local mahant should pass three stages: a basic test on knowledge and interpretation of holy scripts, followed by an interview with a local Jathedar (governor), who, in turn, would select up to three candidates for a true popular election. The system, however, was criticized by both sides, as many people see the interview with a governor as the ultimate corruption case, with the Jathedar being in power to make it either a mere formality for his cronies or a completely impassable ordeal for candidates he wishes to suppress, thus presenting voters with a predetermined selection of options. Of course, they argue, simple appointment of mahants would also give Jathedars much power, but at least it’d also place all responsibility entirely on their shoulders as well, thus making them accountable to the Maharaja. With the new system, corruptioners seem to have much more space for maneuvering and deflecting blame. However, for all this criticism, the Akali had few options other than quietly accepting the change, because the few public displays of disagreement that were shown ended up being rather harshly put down by the army. The Akali reform is still half way to its completion, but it seems like the biggest winners from it will be provincial bureaucrats, whose power is expected to grow and whose accountability is to shrink. (Regional quest progress: 52.5%, Sikh Empire losses: -3.54 HC, -2.44 IC, -3.62 EC, -0.82 MC)
The eager and the lazy
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: The region of Sindh lies in the mouth of the Indus river valley and is the home of one of the most ancient civilizations in the world. However, despite hosting a booming port of Karachi, most of the region remains primarily agricultural and somewhat backward, surpassing only “savage” Pashtunistan in its economic development. Maharaja’s advisers claim that this is caused by heavy stratification of the local Buddhist and Hindu communities, leading to very primitive agricultural techniques in the countryside and weak local commerce (again, with the exception of Karachi). Recent attempts to construct irrigation canals (such as a giant Jamrao Canal) for improving local agricultural output have led to another frustrating problem. Imperial supervisors and overmen describe local laborers as both eager and lazy at the same time (a description that may be stemming both from the northerners’ biases and misunderstanding of Sindhi social customs), which has led to invitation of Punjabi labor to work on irrigation projects. With Punjabi construction workers replacing Sinhi laborers, the progress did improve, but now Sindhi villagers complain about creeping assimilation and colonization of Sindh by the nation that was supposed to provide protection from European colonialism in the first place. It is now for the Maharaja (or anyone else) to solve that puzzle.
Serpent’s Garden (Indostan)
Q1-Q2 1895: Engaged as they are in the war against their British nemesis, Sikh political elites continue looking westward in many of their newfound norms, and one of such norms is participation in influential secret societies. As they received news of the formation of the Serpent’s Garden, a semi-independent global security agency, the leaders of the Raj (most of them, masterminds behind Maharaja’s decisions) chose to send a delegation from the Sikh Empire to Hamburg. It included one Ulysses Singh, a decorated Khalsa sergeant with the most unusual (some say, mystical) background and his young interpreter Mahatma Gandhi, a Hindu intellectual from the realm’s Foreign Ministry. (Regional quest completed with success, Indostan joins secret organization "Serpent's Garden", Indostan losses: -1.34 HC, -1.81 IC, -2.66 EC, -0.43 MC)
Lean manufacturing
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: So-called “lean manufacturing” is an industrial organization philosophy originated in Japan, based on a systematic method of waste minimization (“muda”) without sacrificing productivity via limiting overburden (“muri”) and unevenness in workloads (“mura”). Recently rejected by several Japanese zaibatsu corporations, it was taken by its inventor, one Akira Shingo, to Punjab in a case of entrepreneurial individualism so unusual to the Japanese culture. There it was successfully presented to the Grand Vizier of the Sikh Empire, who is known as, perhaps, the biggest patron of industrial innovation in the country. Not sooner did the development of new lean manufacturing techniques started in Karachi, that Tokugawa industrialists realized their mistake. Luckily for them, the Shogun and his ambassadors managed to pull some strings and organized their collaboration with less experience Sikh engineers on the promising new project that is expected to be completed some time in 1894. (Technology quest progress: 44%, Sikh Empire losses: -1.54 HC, -0.54 IC, -3.77 EC, -2.31 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -1.37 HC, -0.3 IC, -3.38 EC, -2.58 MC)
Frogmen and combat divers
Q1-Q2 1895: Facing a challenge to its possession of their own home waters, the Admiralty of the Sikh Raj had an unusual idea proposed to it this year: to outfit specially trained marines, equipped with newly invented diving equipment and weapons, capable of performing sabotage and reconnaissance operations that involve underwater infiltration. The idea was well-received, given that the Navy wished to finally get their own “marine Nihang” troops. However, the financial question strangled it in its infancy. Meanwhile, Indostani allies from Japan and Burma liked the proposal very well and used their own advisers and military attaches in Indostan to start liberally borrowing from the Sikh think tank. This “friendly espionage” eventually saw both the Shogunate and the Third Empire forming their own experimental units of trained military divers, or “frogmen,” arming them with mechanical harpoons, knives, and underwater explosives, and leaving Indostan far behind in that new field of warfare. (Technology quest completed, Tokugawa Shogunate, Third Burmese Empire adopt “Frogmen and combat divers” for no additional cost, Third Burmese Empire losses: -1.48 HC, -0.85 IC, -2.4 EC, -3.3 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -1.27 HC, -1.14 IC, -2.41 EC, -2.94 MC)
Ganges Region
Spoiler:
Slowly-developing region with big intellectual and agricultural potential, but suffering from colonial exploitation and disenfranchisement.
Bengal Presidency
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: With re-integration of the Bengali people into the greater British society, proposals came to move the main office of the Indian Protectorate from Delhi to much more prosperous and pro-British cities, such as Calcutta or Dacca. That, of course, would sadden regional elites in many Indian sub-regions, but, on the other hand, it could improve the ties between the Albion and Bengal even more, while also helping the Indian Protectorate to govern from a relatively more friendly, well-developed, and self-sufficient heartland.
Tea slavery
Spoiler:
1890: Tea plantations of Assam were the biggest prize for the Burmese Empire after its successful push westward during the Great Sepoy Mutiny. At first, good old serfs and cheap free laborers were being used in harvesting precious tea leaves, but recently the Empire has established very cordial relations with the Free Boer Republic and started importing even cheaper slave labor from across the ocean. On the one hand, it helps oligarcho-dynastic clans that hold all power and most of capital in the country to cut their expenses in tea production: previously, they had to lease their serf labor force from local minor nobles of Assamese origin. With slaves (primarily of African origin), however, they can get rid of the Assamese gentry as the middlemen in this profitable business. This leaves Assamese nobility very unhappy with their position, both from the political and economic perspectives.
Q1-Q2 1893: The Taboy Expedition by the Boer East Asian Spice Trading Company has led to a downfall of previously well-established Boer-Burmese relationship. However, as the stream of “human material” from Boerika is starting to dry up on the wave of diplomatic tensions and trade wars, Portobrazilian and Dutch slave traders are stepping into the old niche, keeping the problems of Assamese gentry essentially unchanged.
Babysitting the Khandwala
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: The region of Maithila located north of the Ganges River valley and the southern slopes of the Himalaya mountains is historically ruled by the kingdom known as Raj Darbhanga, with the ancient Khandwala brahmin dynasty holding onto all levers of the semi-feudal state. The British Protectorate Ward views that region as one of the least rebellious in the entire subcontinent, but it keeps being nagged by the Khandwala rulers for economic intervention almost annually. The problems that the Maithil kings face are old ones: nepotism and sociopancy. They lead to severe mismanagement and economic blunders, which the impartial Court of Wards has to continuously fix via its intervention and wise reinvestment of funds. This keeps creating a drag on the British colonial authority and seems to be giving a bad example to other Indian rajas who increasingly view their British protectors as benevolent “babysitters,” exchanging loyalty for economic dependency.
Unity through division
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: The Royal Commonwealth and its colonial holdings continue attracting all sorts of vultures who wish to exploit the nation’s crumbling global influence. One of such diversions seems to be developing in Bengal, where an unknown power has started sponsoring underground agitation, street lectures, and illegal publications promoting anti-colonial Pan-Asianism and, to a degree, Pan-Indianism. This wave of agitation seems to have primarily concentrated on cities not closely associated with the Bengal Presidency of the Indian Colonial Ward, thus barely touching Calcutta and mostly concentrating on Dacca. Yet, for what it was worth, the propaganda campaign found lukewarm acceptance in Bengal at best, since the region stands out as one of the most pro-British regions of India, with a its upper class integrated into the British hierarchy and booming, dynamic middle class. As for the urban and rural rabble, they simply lacked political consciousness to understand any sort of pan-nationalism (or simply nationalism, for that purpose), having little to no knowledge of the world outside their own village or town. (Regional quest progress: 22.24%, ??? losses: -3.1? HC, -4.4? IC, -7.3? EC, -1.8? MC)
Q1-Q2 1894: As the War of Asian Liberation came to Bengal, the region’s civil life also underwent a significant change. Cells of Bengali nationlists started appearing in urban centers across the region (particularly the city of Dacca), clearly sponsored and armed by a foreign nation. However, their activities were too tame to really produce much of an impact on the British army’s rear or the Bengal Presidency administration, perhaps due to some long-term plans to preserve that underground network for the future. However, another anti-British campaign took place in the region in the same time, executed, it seems, by another foreign power with a much more scarce knowledge of the complex and ancient region. That campaign was not aimed at arming any rebels and mostly attempted to promote the Burmese Empire in the eyes of the local population through illegal literature and pamphlets. While the local Buddhists (a minority in this vast province) were ecstatic to see that the Konbaung Emperor was a zealous Buddhist and a paragon of a devoted ruler, followers of the other two dominant regional religions, Islam and Hindu, were much less excited to hear about Burmese Emperor-worshipping, monastic charity, and even pork-rich cuisine. The reception of the pamphlets among the Muslims and Hindu was so poor that it led to a series of religious pogroms against local Buddhist minorities, making some observers wonder if the pamphlets were a case of extreme incompetence or intentional sabotage. One way or another, the chaos is spreading through Bengal and, while it may not directly serve the Burmese cause, it’s not helping the British cause either. (Regional quest progress: -9.19%, ??? losses: -2.7? HC, -4.0? IC, -6.5? EC, -1.6? MC, ??? losses: -4.4? HC, -4.8? IC, -6.7? EC, -1.1? MC)
Rebuilding the Doab
Q1-Q2 1895: The war keeps raging across the Indian subcontinent, and Indostan’s victory, despite being likely, is still not guaranteed. However, the Maharaja is already encouraging his Grand War Council to work closely with the Khalsa high command to rebuild the most war-ravaged parts of the Gangetic Plain, particularly the devastated Doab. As well-received as this effort is, it’s also pursuing a rather pragmatic goal of improving the army’s logistics and supply. Many river ferries and bridges destroyed in vicious fighting between the Sikh and British troops have been rebuilt by the Indostani army engineers. Meanwhile, several makeshift ammunition factories were established closely in the rear of the fighting roops in Ahmedabad and Udaipur. Together, these developments indeed helped the region to start recovering from the desolation of the Battle of the Doab, while simultaneously drawing many locals to pledge their loyalty to the Indostani “liberators,” shrinking the market niche of locally operating Tokugawa and Gran-Paraguayan businesses. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Ganges Region gains +5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +2%, Indostan gains +2% Regional Influence, Tokugawa Shogunate loses -1% Regional Influence, Gran Paraguay loses -1% Regional Influence, Indostan losses: -3.45 HC, -1.14 IC, -5.15 EC, -3.61 MC)
Central India
Spoiler:
Slowly-developing core of British India with huge demographic and economic potential, hidden under the layers of colonial disenfranchisement.
Invisible Crowds
Spoiler:
1890: The Indian sub-continent is one of the most densely populated regions on Earth, but the policy of colonial suppression adopted by the British government since the Great Sepoy Mutiny and increased after the Atlantic War is now making most of India’s central provinces highly disenfranchised. Millions of people are virtually invisible to the colonial authorities in regards to taxation, army service, statistics, economic participation, and other aspects. Most of the region lives hidden behind a veil of class, caste, tribal divisions, and religious intolerance. As a result, Central India is benefiting so little to the Royal Commonwealth.
1891: In order to get a better visibility and understanding of its huge, globally dispersed nation, the British government undertook a national census, which in most of the nation produced pretty predictable results, with some clarity improvements here and there. However, in the heart of the British Raj, the census bureau hit a predictable obstacle: the populous, largely illiterate, tribally divided society with big level of separation by caste and very little desire to cooperate with the census magistrates. In some areas, very little English was spoken by the natives, and in the slums of bigger cities mugging and pickpocketing plagued the censors. What little data that was gathered proved to be full of errors and “ghost people,” as communal elders often tried to misrepresent the number of wives or children (especially, boys) they had, hoping thus to evade bigger taxation and possibilities of army conscription of their family members. The census was not a complete failure, but it seems like years of effort (or significant mobilization of efforts) may be required to make the Indian Raj more transparent to the British officials. (Regional quest progress: 5.6%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -1.86 HC, -2.36 IC, -3.97 EC, -1.29 MC)
1892: The Protectorate wasn’t dissuaded by the last year’s challenges from attempting to get a clear picture of its subjects, especially in its most populous and least orderly region of India. Significant mobilization of efforts took place, with some censors even requesting British police guards or hiring local Gentoo mercenaries in order to enter the least welcoming of Deccani city slums and countryside areas. That has propelled the census forward and eradicated some of the old errors in the sheets, although much work still remains before the results could be evaluated. (Regional quest progress: 49.05%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -2.69 HC, -3.42 IC, -5.74 EC, -1.86 MC)
Q1-Q2 1893: The efforts to include the myriads of faces of India into the British census have continued this year with no major changes. Even though at this point the rest of the Commonwealth’s regions have completed their efforts, the Indian Protectorate admits that is still wishes to finish the census in the subcontinent’s Central regions even asynchronically from the rest of the nation, at least for the benefit of gaining a better insight at the region’s demographics. (Regional quest progress: 85.5%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -2.53 HC, -3.22 IC, -5.41 EC, -1.75 MC)
Q3 1893: The Second Atlantic War and associated reorganization of the Secret Ward took away most of resources that Great Britain was planning to use for its census effort in India. However, some token administrative presence remained engaged on this important task, grinding through immense demographic and geographical challenges it posed. (Regional quest progress: 93%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -2.06 HC, -2.61 IC, -4.39 EC, -1.42 MC)
Gentoo mercenaries
Spoiler:
1890: Ever since the Great Sepoy Mutiny led to the biggest humiliation Great Britain had experienced in centuries, the local sepoy forces were completely disbanded along with the East India Company employing them. However, it seems like many of them survived the purges by blending with the locals and later became the first generation of a hidden underclass that combines elements of banditry and warrior tradition. The second generation of these sepoy remnants are now acting as scourges of the countryside, secretly idealized by some locals and demonized by those who view stability of British India as a bliss rather than a curse. Nicknamed by the British with an obsolete term “gentoo,” these cutthroats are now finding more and more employment as mercenaries across India and South-East Asia (especially among Burmese luuhcu clan-cartels and on mines owned by Japanese capital), while big number of them form clandestine networks of organized crime all across British Asian holdings.
Q1-Q2 1894: Gentoo bands were, perhaps, a predictably weak point of the British colonial structure in India. Martial, anti-British, defiant both to the Europeans and to the local caste system, the descendants of the infamous sepoy soldiers became a perfect recruitment pool for resistance fighters, when an unknown force (most likely, an espionage service of one of the Thale Noi Lake Treaty pact members) started to channel plenty of funds into supporting gentoo bands and agitating them toward an open rebellion. The Secret Ward was quick to respond in kind, but found itself not up to the task. A series of pogroms, as well as urban and rural riots have already taken place all across the Deccan plateau, turning India into a very dangerous place indeed for an Englishman or an Indian on British service. If drastic measures are not undertaken, the entirety of British Indian holdings are likely to be soon ablaze in a fire of the second Great Sepoy Mutiny. (Regional quest progress: 85.48%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -23.2 HC, -35.62 IC, -55.39 EC, -16.18 MC, ??? losses: -8.3? HC, -11.2? IC, -16.2? EC, -1.8? MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: After the intoxicating easiness with which gentoo bands were riled up against the British in the first half of the year, the Indostani high command had a rather optimistic prediction of how Operation Dhritarashtra, the greatest covert action in the history of the Indian subcontinent, might go. That optimism, however, proved costing the Sikhs a loss of critical timing. As the Secret Ward was viewed as incapable of effectively countering the Indostani espionage effort, many groups of Sikh field agents were redirected to other tasks that the high command viewed as more critical. Instead, they were replaced by a network of Nihang sabotage teams that were ordered to perform anti-infrastructure action and ambush British patrols once the gentoo bands of Deccan and Maharashtra rebel against the British. And that they did, but only when it became clear that the gentoo rebellion was not to come in 1894. The Secret Ward masterfully played various Indian ethnic groups one against the other (while their opponents struggled to organize the gentoo gangs into a coherent movement), doing little to prevent the growth of discontent, but at least buying themselves time to face the rebellion in the upcoming year. While this doesn’t look likely that the rebellion can be prevented altogether at this point, at least the British army was given another six months of uninterrupted supply. (Regional quest progress: 98.62%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -13.94 HC, -19.58 IC, -31.55 EC, -9.69 MC, Indostan losses: -20.82 HC, -19.93 IC, -29.88 EC, -6.68 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: In the end of 1894, it looked that the repetition of the Great Sepoy Mutiny was only a matter of months, if not weeks. The Gentoo Rebellion was already ongoing in January 1895, when the Secret Ward started to desperately call for help from the Albion. While Lord-Protector Strange remained in his customary angry depression, the Round Table of Great Britain’s top stratocrats took it upon itself to take the measures necessary to stop the disaster from turning into an even bigger disaster. The resulting anti-insurgency operation was nicknamed Operation Breunor. Entire divisions were pulled from the frontlines and redirected to policing and garrisoning duties in Central India and in the rear of the fighting armies. Meanwhile, almost all agents of the Secret Ward (as well as loyal magistrates) were pulled into an energetic anti-Hindu propaganda campaign, aiming to set the region’s Muslim communities against the Indostani collaborators and, when that could not be done, simply give up the countryside to the rebels and concentrate on holding the key population centers and infrastructure between them in a semblance of order. As heavy-handed as it was, this desperate concentration of the colony’s resources on the anti-insurgency task did its thing. Groups of Nihang operatives that had been plaguing the British railway system for months were mostly tracked down and annihilated in heroic, but doomed last stands (needless to say, a few epic poems about their selfless sacrifice was born at that time, as well as some respect for their bravery among the British troops). Once the professional saboteurs and instructors were taken out of the equation, the rest of the gentoo movement became much easier to break down. Attacks on the railroads and railway stations became disorganized and were usually easily countered by local garrisons. Destruction of roads and bridges by explosives became rare and easily fixable by engineering battalions. A few open battles that did occur saw bands of shield-and-scimitar wielding rebels attack British steam-propelled cannon batteries, to the formers’ quick death and dismemberment. The heat of the rebellion and its brutal suppression still devastated the country, and quite a few gentoo bands and elusive Nihang units remain for the British to mop up across all Central India, but it seems like the tables have dramatically turned on the entire Gentoo cause. (Regional quest progress: -40.86%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -24.07 HC, -16.77 IC, -31.56 EC, -12.15 MC, Indostan losses: -58.59 HC, -37.71 IC, -66.53 EC, -21.53 MC)
Sacred cows
Spoiler:
1890: Disbandment of the sepoy troops after the Great Sepoy Mutiny did help the British government to establish direct control over India and temporarily regain stability in that region. However, as British trust to the locals eroded, more and more troops had to be sent to India from Great Britain or its African and Asian colonies. These troops are in their majority not familiar with either Muslim or Hindu traditions, and the region is full of stories of soldiers on leave clashing with offended locals. This is making a tense social situation even worse.
South India
Spoiler:
Slowly-developing hub of Indian Ocean trade with uncovered demographic and economic potential and great ethnic complexity.
Princely states
Spoiler:
1890: Traditionally, the British rule over South India was based on a formal, subsidiary alliance with local princely states that enjoyed a degree of independence in terms of self-rule. However, the direct involvement in the Indian politics by the British government has turned the princely states’ autonomy into nothing but meaningless symbolism. In that political climate, Japanese, Mexican, and Paraguayan capitalists easily find their way into the local economy, presenting themselves to the disgruntled princes as investors, alternative to the despised British.
Joint Opposition
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: For quite a while, the island of Ceylon has been a backwater of British-held India, known for a significant level of political apathy on all levels of its native society. This seems to be changing, as an underground movement known as the Ekabadda Vipakshaya (Joint Opposition) has started to gain prominence in urban and some better developed rural areas. Their ideology is based on ideas of Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism, and in contrast with many similar regional movements of colonial intellectuals, the Joint Opposition is strongly Pan-Asiatic, underscoring its sympathy to fellow Buddhist nations of Burma and Japan, as opposed to British colonial oppressors. The Secret Ward hasn’t put any resistance to these nationalist ideologues yet, but they have all reasons to suspect that the Ekabadda Vipakshaya receive their support from some foreign sponsors of unknown origin. (Regional quest progress: 35.21%, ??? losses: -1.6? HC, -2.3? IC, -3.8? EC, -0.9? MC)
Q1-Q2 1894: The Joint Opposition continued recruiting members all across the island, gradually transitioning from a political movement to a nationalist, pro-Burmese guerilla force. Despite their secrecy, these partisan groups left enough leads for the British Secret Ward to exploit, and closer to the middle of spring the island descended into the fire of a well-executed counter-insurgency operation. Still, the British agents couldn’t be everywhere, and the Secret Ward had to admit that its reliance on specially trained counter-guerilla squads couldn’t prevent the Ekabadda Vipakshaya from expanding its rural pockets. (Regional quest progress: 62.36%, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -12.48 HC, -17.89 IC, -29.43 EC, -7.49 MC, Third Burmese Empire losses: -16.4 HC, -25.18 IC, -39.15 EC, -11.43 MC)
While the rural guerilla war was slowly heating up in Ceylon, a combined force of the Burmese Army and Navy was dispatched with the order to try and evade all British patrols in the Bay of Bengal and land these forces on the Ceylonese shores, thus assisting the Joint Opposition fighters in their rebellion. However, the reality of such a distant landing across a contested aquatorium quickly set in, as the squadron, encumbered by troop transports, was spotted by a British steam frigate in the open sea and had to turn back to port in order to not become a target of a British interception (which could doom thousands of Burmese expeditionary soldiers). Still, despite the practical failure of Operation Nagar (as it became known to the Burmese war planners), it did divert some part of the British garrison of the island to guarding possible landing spots along the ocean shore in an expectation of an “imminent” amphibious invasion, thus giving some operational space to the Sinhalese guerilla. (Regional quest progress: 65.5%, Third Burmese Empire losses: -3.75 HC, -1.42 IC, -3.28 EC, -3.65 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The Thale Noi Lake Pact allies had an ambitious plan for the capture of British Ceylon in the second part of 1894. The general concept was decent: to assist the Burmese-funded Ekabadda Vipakshaya movement in starting a cautious guerilla campaign, while simultaneously preparing an invasion force that would hop from Rangoon to the Chosama island, and from there to Ceylon. Detailed invasion plans were drawn, and Burmo-Japanese marine infantry forces were starting to be amassed in Burma. However, the plan, developed by Tokugawa military planners, suffered from one key flaw: despite its size, the Burmese Imperial Navy was woefully inexperienced and badly led. This manifested itself in the fact that outside this single naval operation (planned by the Third Empire’s more competent allies) the Burmese navy failed to utilize its numerical superiority to even mildly challenge the British dominance of the Bay of Bengal. Naturally, this was a recipe for disaster, especially considering all complexity that inevitably surrounded a multi-stage, long-distance amphibious invasion. Before the naval infantry could even be amassed on the Andamans, the joint Burmo-Japanese task force was successfully ambushed by Admiral John “Jackie” Fisher’s hunting group on September 17, forty miles west of the Tillanchong island, losing a breastwork battleship, several cruisers, a license-built pre-dreadnought, and, critically, numerous troop transports. This essentially rendered the military invasion of Ceylon impossible for the length of the entire campaign, giving the British Secret Ward a slim chance at containing the fire of the Joint Opposition’s rebellion. (Regional quest progress: 1.14%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -3.56 HC, -3.23 IC, -5.8 EC, -8.35 MC, Third Burmese Empire losses: -6.83 HC, -3.93 IC, -10.11 EC, -14.98 MC, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -5.08 HC, -3.42 IC, -7.61 EC, -12.09 MC)
The Tillanchong embarrassment, despite being a second in a row failing attempt to bring the conventional war to Ceylon, couldn’t prevent war of another kind from occurring. The Third Empire funnelled huge amounts of resources into supporting the Ekabadda Vipakshaya, preparing it to assist the Burmese liberation force upon its (still postponed) landing. At that, they were assisted by a small group of Tokugawa operatives, who brought to the task a degree of sophistication unwitnessed in this remote corner of the world. Despite a fairly conservative order to sit and wait for a perfect moment to strike, the Thale Noi Lake Pact underestimated just how rotten the British colonial structure of Ceylonese government truly was. Using various Buddhist temples, Sinhalese nationalist cells, and Tokugawa-connected shell companies, the Joint Opposition ended up rising in a spontaneous revolt against the order of its leaders. This rebellion quickly solicited a heavy response from the Secret Ward, but the flame was burning too brightly to be simply put down at that point. While the island colony remains well-protected by its “ironclad wall,” it seems like the discontent might destroy it from the inside at this point. (Regional quest progress: 93.43%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -2.43 HC, -3.36 IC, -5.18 EC, -1.22 MC, Third Burmese Empire losses: -11.52 HC, -16.51 IC, -27.17 EC, -6.91 MC, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -24.79 HC, -34.82 IC, -56.1 EC, -17.23 MC)
Q1-Q2 1995: The Thale Noi Lake Pact continued stirring troubles across Ceylon, this time devising a true combined arms operation that involved a complicated naval gambit, amphibious landings, and a guided insurgency. The British authorities, meanwhile, realized that their luck could not last forever, and also attempted to preserve this critical joint of the Commonwealth’s infrastructure though their own combined arms operations that involved counter-insurgency measures by the Secret Ward, heavy anti-partisan action by the Royal Army, and naval counter-measures. While the naval campaign and subsequent invasion of Ceylon deserve their own report, the rebellion of the Ekabadda Vipakshaya was almost unstoppable, and the British leadership correctly realized that, perhaps, the outback of the island couldn’t be contested with the Joint Opposition rebels. Instead, they concentrated on securing key ports with primarily Hindu and Muslim population, while the Buddhists of the mountains received only token resistance. This approach saved the British from an operational disaster, but left their rear dangerously damaged and their collaborator administration network completely unprotected, resulting in a loss of the most of the island to pro-Burmese Sinhalese patriots. (Regional quest completed with success, region South India gains -10 HC, -5 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation -2%, Third Burmese Empire gains +5% Regional Influence, Tokugawa Shogunate gains +2% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -7% Regional Influence, British troops protecting South India against naval attacks get -1 debuff, Third Burmese Empire losses: -1.15 HC, -1.65 IC, -2.72 EC, -0.69 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -4.2 HC, -4.7 IC, -7.58 EC, -1.67 MC, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -19.28 HC, -19.91 IC, -33.77 EC, -10.99 MC)
Hyderabadi tehzeeb
Q1-Q2 1895: Tehzeeb (lit. “culture”) is a Hindi term meaning a peaceful fusion of Muslim and Hindu elements of the society in coexistence. It originated in the Ganga-Yamuna plain, where Nawabs of Avadh formed a harmonious multi-religious society in the 17th century. The main center of the Tehzeeb coexistence outside of the Ganges Basin is a Telangana city of Hyderabad. While ethnic, religious, and social tensions across the entire subcontinent are at their all-times high (not without help from the Thale Noi Lake Treaty members), Hyderabad remains an island of intercommunal peace, and the British authority in India is starting to look at the city as a potential model for future administration of the huge and unruly colony.
Rama’s equal
Q1-Q2 1895: The Wadiyar dynasty of the Karnatakan kingdom of Mysore saw their domain prosper through the entire length of the 15-18th centuries, achieving its brief peak under a prime-minister (and de-facto regent) Tipu Sultan. However, even a moderniser like Tipu Sultan couldn’t change the flow of history, and his campaigns against the British East Indian Trade Company in the 1790s ended with Mysoran defeat and Tipu Sultan’s death in a field of battle. After several more wars, the Wadiyar rajas were deposed, and their realm absorbed into the British Raj. However, after the Great Sepoy Mutiny and defeats from the Sikh and Third Burmese empires, the Raj had to go for a number of regional compromises to keep its population more or less loyal. One of such compromises was re-introduction of Wadiyar rule in Mysore, augmented even by elements of parliamentarism. A “protectee” of the British Bengal Presidency, current king Nalvadi Krishna Raja Wadiyar has earned great fame among his subjects as a saintly King-Rajarishi (mostly thanks to his calculated philanthropy and support of arts). Having remained on the British good side, Nalvadi Krishna has now established plenty of trust among his subjects to take a more confrontational approach against the Royal Commonwealth. In fact, his kingdom is already being hailed as Ramarajya by Indostani propagandists as an ideal kingdom comparable to the one ruled by the historical hero Lord Rama.
Fast-developing, newly modernized region, equally strong in all economic, educational, and demographic aspects.
Q1-Q2 1895: Despite an active trade (including, infamously, slave trade), the geopolitical gap between the Konbaung and da Braganza dynasties is widening, and luuhcu companies are sensing that Malaysian Portobrazilian markets are now a “fair game” for them. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.43%, Third Burmese Empire gains +0.72% Regional Influence, Portugal-Brazil loses -0.72% Regional Influence, Third Burmese Empire losses: -1.67 HC, -0.41 IC, -4.63 EC, -3.25 MC)
Cast-iron stupas
Spoiler:
1890: As the most recent Burmese conquest, Siam is still a vast country not fully integrated into the Third Burmese Empire. However, as Burmese economic practices, combined with a strange mix of Western sciences gradually penetrate Siamese lands, one unbroken local power seems to be emerging as the biggest beneficiary of this industrialization. Spared of destruction and marauding during the Burmese invasion, Buddhist monasteries are the only organized holders of significant capital in their land, and now they seem to be transforming themselves into the main drivers of local manufacture. Red-robed monks united by the principle of sangha (or “disciplined association”) are proving to be a superior labor force, and lack of access to most modern Western technology is compensated by ingenuity and resourcefulness of these new religious entrepreneurs. However, many Burmese royal advisors are afraid that the Siamese monasteries are gaining a bit too much influence and power and may help to crystallize the dormant Siamese nationalist movement.
1891: Despite the fact that most of capital in Burma is concentrated in the hands of royal retainers and high nobles, it appears that the Emperor is in favor of a rather meritocratic approach to social dynamics in higher circles of the society. That was reflected in the decision to award Siamese Buddhist clergy with positions inside the royal administration, perhaps in recognition of their economic success. Despite a long way before complete assimilation, this effort is seen as potentially very beneficial for economic and social development of the region. (Regional quest progress: 14.64%, Third Burmese Empire losses: -0.79 HC, -1.13 IC, -1.86 EC, -0.47 HC)
One Emperor to rule them all
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Barely a year has passed since the informal agreement between the Third Burmese Empire and Tokugawa Shogunate was signed, establishing a state of political equilibrium between the two powers in Dai Viet. Now, however, it seems that the Konbaung dynasty is moving to replace that cautious stance with a more assertive one, promoting ideas of Trans-Indochinese solidarity and pan-nationalism across the lands of Myanmar, Shan, Siam, Cambodia, Laos, and independent Dai Viet. Capitalist clan structure of the Konbaung dynasty’s state apparatus made promotion of such egalitarian principles relatively hard, especially considering the fact that the Shan States and Siam proper are still controlled by local princes and monasteries bound to the Burmese rulers via ties of semi-feudal vassalage, making general population significantly aloof to any national identities. In Dai Viet, in addition, there was another inertia element to overcome: religion. Most of the Burmese population follow a conservative Theravada school of Buddhism, while Vietnamese population mostly adheres to the Mahayana tradition, widening the gap any pan-nationalists would have to overcome before uniting all Indochina under the banner of the Konbaung Dynasty. (Regional quest progress: 9.48%, Third Burmese Empire losses: -2.79 HC, -4.01 IC, -6.59 EC, -1.68 MC)
Foes or allies?
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: The Third Burmese Empire has a long history of rivaling the British for control over South-East Asia and Assam. In 1893, however, it briefly found itself allying the Royal Commonwealth in efforts to contain Boer Indian Ocean expansion. Now that the East-Asian Spice Trading Company is effectively ruined and the Free Boer Republic is no longer a common enemy for the two powers, the Konbaung dynasty’s ambition again yearns eastward. Royal plenipotentiaries have started negotiating with luuhcu clan patriarchs and the kingdom’s nobility, getting them all on board with yet another geopolitical realignment and anti-British stance. As for commoners, setting them against the British proved to be an easy task, although much still needs to be done to develop complete unity of geopolitical views among the state’s political and economic elites. (Regional quest progress: 25.43%, Third Burmese Empire losses: -2.14 HC, -3.06 IC, -5.04 EC, -1.28 MC)
Pwe-kyaung and holistic warrior training
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Pwe-kyaung is a traditional Burmese system of monastica martial education, aimed at teaching individual soldiers all aspects of military know-how and turning them into self-sufficient minimal units of the army, as opposed to companies, platoons, and regiments. After decades of Westernization, the tradition was not only disregarded, but almost completely rooted out from Burma, but that trend was changed by the recent arrival of war Asia and Oceania. As Indostani and Tokugawa armies struggled to fight their enemies in some of the most merciless climates on the planet (from the Gangetic Doab to Melanesian jungles), they learned that even forces with superb logistics and equipment cannot always hope to keep their cohesion. This meant that an individual soldier sometimes had to be able to act as a self-sufficient unit, taking care of himself in all aspects that ensure his survival and fighting efficiency. It is exactly that thinking that brought the Japanese and Sikh trainers to Burma, where they hoped to assist their allies in the revival of the pwe-kyuang tradition. The Burmese originally were cordial to that idea, but some disagreements between luuhcu clans or simple misorganization led to an embarrassment. Upon their arrival to Rangoon, the both delegations were not met by the Burmese Imperial army representatives and were forced to spend the next two weeks staying in random hotels around the city. Eventually, the Imperial Army recognized its organizational blunder and compensated the allied officers’ expenses, but failed to dedicate resources to the training program nonetheless. Dismayed at such lack of cooperation, the Japanese and Indostani trainers ended up traveling Burmese countryside on their own, picking up bits and pieces of knowledge that they could incorporate in their soldiers’ training manuals, ranging from forest survival methods to primitive first aid techniques to the basics of swimming and rope knotting. (Technology quest progress: 25.28%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -1.12 HC, -1.55 IC, -2.39 EC, -0.56 MC, Indostan losses: -2.88 HC, -3.89 IC, -5.7 EC, -0.93 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Stuck between modernity and tradition, it’s no wonder the Burmese Imperial army is looking to teach its soldiers to be self-reliant. Having learned on their administrative mistakes of failed cooperation with the Thale Noi Lake Pact allies, the Konbaung dynasty dedicated plenty of resources to re-educating the troops in the monastic training tradition of pwe-kyaung. (Technology quest progress: 73.2%, Third Burmese Empire losses: -3.29 HC, -4.71 IC, -7.75 EC, -1.97 MC)
Myeonje baegab and soft bulletproof vests
Q1-Q2 1895: Myeonje baegab were a soft, cheaply produced pieces of body armor made out of multiple folds of cotton that originated in Korea at the height of the Donghak Revolution and were used to lower the bullet velocity rather than completely stop it. Made out of multiple folds of cotton fabric, they provided relatively good mobility and “better than nothing” protection against bullets. Their effectiveness was noted by the Tokugawa Shogunate’s army during its conquest of Korea, but there were just too few of them among the Donghak fighters (mostly belonging to their leaders), and the ingenious invention never took off. However, some of the Japanese military advisers in Burma were readily sharing the memories of their past campaigns with their Burmese colleagues, which spurred plenty of interest among the Konbaung dynasty’s servicemen. Semi-spontaneously, some engineers attempted to recreate the Korean bulletproof vests, and soon even luuhcu princes were readily funneling money into getting such personal protection for themselves. At that point, Tokugawa military command woke up from its slumber and joined its Burmese allies at their development of personal protection, soon issuing their own factory-made myeongje baegabs to the troops. (Technology quest completed, Third Burmese Empire, Tokugawa Shogunate adopt “Myeonje baegab and soft bulletproof vests” for no additional cost, Third Burmese Empire losses: -0.3 HC, -0.07 IC, -0.84 EC, -0.59 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -0.43 HC, -0.09 IC, -1.12 EC, -0.97 MC)
Canton-Yunnan
Spoiler:
Booming, but ethnically complex region with huge labor market and giant rural production and craftsmanship.
Great North-South Railroad Struggle (Guangzhou-Nanning-Kunming)
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Even though the Great North-South Railroad Struggle occupies hearts and minds of all Chinese workers (which generally corresponds with occupying the headlines of the three main state gazettes), its south-western branch is the one that promises the most radical changes for its region. That is because Yunnan and Dali have historically been rather insular from the rest of China, and this infrastructure project seeks to reconnect the distinct ethnicities that have formed there over centuries into the larger body of the Heavenly nation. From a more pragmatic perspective, it also allows the Taiping Mandate to timely redeploy its troops to its southern and south-western border (notable for its mountain landscape almost impassable for large bodies of traditional troops), as well as connecting the industries of the Pearl River valley to Yunnan's huge copper, lead, zinc, tin, and timber reserves and Guangxi's large tin and manganese deposits. Due to the planning blunders and generally challenging terrain, the progress has been humbler (at least, compared to the expectations), but economic advisers are confident the project has a bright future. (Regional quest progress: 23.72%, Taiping Mandate losses: -2.92 HC, -0.66 IC, -7.23 EC, -4.29 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: While some branches of the Great North-South Railroad Struggle have started triumphantly entering exploitation, the less well-known, but potentially highly transformative infrastructural endeavor in Yunnan and western Guangxi continued progressing at a steady pace, as first tunnels are starting to be dug in the unassailable mountains of the region. (Regional quest progress: 57.73%, Taiping Mandate losses: -3.32 HC, -0.75 IC, -8.55 EC, -5.6 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The Great North-South Railroad Struggle’s focal point in the south was the completion of the railway line to Nanning and Kunming. To finish the project in time before the beginning of the monsoon season, the Railroad Struggle’s leadership (a group of administrators and organizers that got elevated high above their usual rank thanks to the Struggle’s importance) attempted to negotiate a major expansion of explosives-making industry across China, arguing that applied demolition could be crucial for the mountain landscapes of Yunnan. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Kingdom’s industry was still not quite out of its crisis, and the construction crews didn’t get the dynamite they so needed. However, usually for China, they got manual laborers (lots of them!) to compensate for the shortage of explosives. This set the stage for what the “railroad strugglers” called the “bone road” secretly from their political agitators. In the impossibly complicated landscape of the Yunnan mountains, with their limestone peaks and deep river gorges, the accident rate was enormous, and when a railroad track couldn’t be built on the side of the cliff, a tunnel had to be manually dug (letting laborers to expire from grueling manual labor instead of falling to their deaths). Eventually, at a horrible toll, the construction was completed, but the losses among its builders offset any positive demographic improvements the “opening of Yunnan” could bring. However, when the mourning was over (if it started at all, as the most gruesome news were suppressed by the censors), the positive aspects of the new project started to show. Mining industry blossomed across Yunnan and Daxi, and moderate industrial growth followed. This, in turn, brought about a strong socio-economic boom to Guangxi and the Pearl River delta, while many distant communities with previously strong Buddhist affiliations started to be more economically tied to the larger Han identity thanks to the demographic shift the new infrastructure had brought. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Canton-Yunnan gains +15 EC, +5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +1.25%, Taiping Mandate gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Third Burmese Empire loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Taiping Mandate losses: -5.23 HC, -2.64 IC, -9.95 EC, -4.83 MC)
Stone in the shoe
Spoiler:
1891: The Miao ethnicity is infamous of being an eternal problem of Chinese imperial bureaucracy, known for their resistance to assimilation and lean toward political autonomy. In order to mitigate this problem, 18th century Qing officials even tried to resettle a group of Miao peasants and mercenaries to the island of Hainan, where a position of kiatong was created for Miao self-governance. Now, however, the Miao seem to be somebody else’s problem. Tokugawa colonial authorities of Kainan are complaining that the warlike Miao communities residing in the mountains disrespect the authority of Bakufu officials and keep insisting on being ruled indirectly, through the kiatong government. Some experts don’t see any problem with some delegation of authority to otherwise non-hostile natives, but military and naval officers see the Miao as just another foe to be utterly crushed.
Southern Thaw
Q1-Q2 1895: Shi Dakai, the elderly and legendary Southern King, has shocked his fellow Kings-Under-Heavens by announcing that he planned to deregulate the economy of his domain, allowing the dwindling bourgeoisie of Canton to propel the region to a greater level of prosperity and industrialization. Shi Dakai didn’t fail to clarify that he didn’t wish to compromise the ideals of Brother Hong and his socio-economic beliefs. Besides, the Southern King insisted that any ideological diversion from the limited niche of “allowed” free-thinking (mostly, of economic type) would be severely punished. Unfortunately for Shi Dakai, the deregulation reform, named the Southern Thaw in China, faced a major challenge in rigidity of economic laws across the country. Despite being a somewhat autonomous manager of his domain, Shi Dakai had to spend most of the winter and spring fighting the inertia of the Heavenly Chancellery, assisted by the other four Kings-Under-Heavens concerned over the Southern King’s fronde. Lacking any version of legal pluralism in its policies and known for a great deal of assimilationist tendencies of its legalist state apparatus, the Heavenly Kingdom didn’t really bend to the Southern King’s will. In the end, some meager tax breaks and “sanctioned personal initiatives” were allowed to push through, but they couldn’t compare to Shi Dakai’s ambitious plan. That meant that the Southern Thaw was a limited, regional development, providing only humble boons to Guangxi and Yunnan and even leading to a small loss of the market to foreign investors. Luckily for the Southern King, his other ventures were stunningly successful - but they deserve their own reports. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Canton-Yunnan gains +5 EC, 5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.75%, North German Federation gains +0.25% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Portugal-Brazil gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Communard France gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Free Boer Republic gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Tokugawa Shogunate gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Third Burmese Empire gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Union of North America gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Taiping Mandate loses -2% Regional Influence, Taiping Mandate losses: -3.01 HC, -3.8 IC, -4.91 EC, -0.74 MC)
Friends of the Heavens
Q1-Q2 1895: The combination of the Southern Thaw and aggressive economic competition between the Taiping Mandate and the Tokugawa Shogunate have brought the Heavenly Kingdom much closer to its embattled geopolitical neighbors, the British Royal Commonwealth and the Twin Crowns of Portugal-Brazil. This has prompted an opening of the Chinese market for the two nations that, until recently, had been perceived in China as its reactionary opponents. The opening was presented via diplomatic channels as an ambiguous possibility for further warming of relations, which was particularly critical for the exhausted British and Portobrazilian authorities in Asia, where they were besieged (in one form or another) virtually on all sides. The pragmatic nature of the exchange was rather obvious: Great Britain’s Industrial Ward and Portugal-Brazil’s fidalgo corporations help the Chinese build up a relatively modern industry in the Pearl River delta, and in exchange they get the benefits of economic penetration of the giant Chinese market, as well as possible diplomatic favors in the future. For the first half of 1895, the British industry had no resources to spare for this project, but Portobrazilian entrepreneurial nobles didn’t miss a chance to turn Macao into a gateway for the Cantonese commerce, with new Portobrazilian-style factories being open in a few lucky Chinese cities. So far, the expansion of industries is still ongoing, but first deliveries of air-pressure storage containers have already started coming to Guangzhou, and Cantonese port workers are already learning the game of futebol from their Portobrazilian colleagues (and, for now, desperately losing to them in every match). (Regional quest progress: 82.55%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -1.46 HC, -0.4 IC, -4.67 EC, -3.17 MC, Taiping Mandate losses: -3.67 HC, -1.72 IC, -7.04 EC, -3.52 MC)
Emergency Shipbuilding Committee
Q1-Q2 1895: The woes of the Dutch and Portobrazilian East-Indies trade companies over the past few years combined with the weakening the British All-Red Line (a merchant marine lane connecting the Royal Commonwealth together) and decimation of the Boer venture into Malaccan spice trade, all resulting in a big vacuum in commerce shipping across the Indian and Pacific oceans. While the Tokugawa Shogunate was already taking advantage of that to promote its national economic interests in the region, yet another Asian power had its own plans regarding that: the Heavenly Kingdom. To be specific, the idea of establishing and heavily funding an Emergency Shipbuilding Committee belonged to Prince Shi Dakai, the reformist Southern King of the Taiping Mandate. In a typical Chinese fashion, thousands of shipyard workers were mobilized (often taken from other construction enterprises unrelated to naval production) and committed to creating a powerful merchant fleet for the Heavenly Kingdom. The approach chosen for this venture, due to a lack of materiel, industrial expertise, and, crucially, time, was very cost-effective. Primitive tramp steamers were quickly churned out in hundreds, often prefabricated and standardized and, sometimes, even given same names by mistake. In order to maximize the cargo hold space without sacrificing the speed (crucial for possible convoy voyages in the future), the yard space and general living conditions for the crew members were often deprioritized, leading to an appalling crew attrition rate in longer voyages. That was a sacrifice the Taiping Mandate was happy to make, having disbanded most of its primitive navy prior to that due to a major crisis of industrial production and now having a surplus of (poorly) trained sailors to cheaply employ. Just when the end results of the second quarterly plan for 1895 were being summed up in the Heavenly Chancellery in Nanjing, a telegram from the Southern King arrived, stating that the Emergency Shipbuilding Committee was an unmitigated success, having beat its production plan before the deadline. An expert commission dispatched to the Pearl River delta confirmed that statement, also pointing out that the rapid expansion of Taiping merchant marine will have a great effect on the Chinese commerce, as well as boost up the weakened economy of the East Indies. As for Canton itself, the region’s labor pool was somewhat drained by the attrition the new merchant marine fleet had brought, but that was compensated with the growth of customs tolls and steamer manufacturing output. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Canton-Yunnan gains -10 HC, +15 EC, +10 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +1.25%, region Huanhe Region gains Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.25%, region Yangtze Region gains Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.25%, region Asian Pacific Islands gains Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.25%, Taiping Mandate losses: -3.87 HC, -1.75 IC, -7.42 EC, -3.75 MC)
Special economic zones
Q1-Q2 1895: The expansion of the Cantonese merchant marine would’ve been useless without proper port facilities to accommodate the cargo throughput resulting from it. But, unwilling to settle on something mediocre, the ambitious Southern King went on to align the modification of harbors and their warehousing districts with local experiments named planly the “special economic zones.” The idea was to give tax breaks, financial incentives, and loosened labor regulation codes to manufacturing sites established near or directly in the ports with significant flow of foreign and internal cargo. Unfortunately, the challenges faced by the Southern Thaw and lack of legal pluralism in China meant that the experimentation with alternated tax codes and labor laws couldn’t be pushed through the Heavenly Chancellery audit. However, even without low-tax customs houses and other free-market attractors, this project proceeded to bring most competitive businesses to the Taiping Mandate’s most bustling ports through other means, including re-organization of labor and, in typical Taiping fashion, heavy-handed propaganda. In the end, it’s expected to improve the Heavenly Kingdom’s exports both in terms of their amount and competitiveness on the world market (due to an incredibly low manufacturing cost). One specific measure undertaken to that end was an attempted organization of shift work in port workshops (often done by women as a part-time, side job, taken for a quick earning outside of household chores), with experienced Single Daughters leading the way in organization and administration of the new facilities. However, gas lighting remains extremely scarce across China, while other improvised forms of lighting are rather primitive, ineffective, and accident-prone, so the evening, night, and early morning shifts quickly proved rather problematic due to a low productivity rate, overabundance of defects, and regular accidents. Still, despite the problems with tax incentives and shift work, the special economic zones look rather promising thanks to a shortened distribution chain they use and the synergy they enjoy with the massive expansion of the merchant marine. (Regional quest progress: 71.48%, Taiping Mandate losses: -3.67 HC, -1.5 IC, -7.1 EC, -3.7 MC)
Pre-calculated firing tables
Spoiler:
1892: An ambitious new project has been announced by the Heavenly Kingdom’s high command. They plan to use Chinese analytical and difference engines to create a complete array of firing artillery tables for all locations across entire theaters of future operations, containing lists of angles of elevation a particular artillery gun barrel would need to be set to, to strike a target at a particular distance with a projectile of a particular weight using a propellant cartridge of a particular weight. Dozens of geological expeditions have been sent to different regions of China and its immediate borders, collecting vast arrays of data for the Heavenly Engine. The data-gathering effort may take quite a while, according to the experts familiar with the project, but in the end it could greatly improve the speed of target engagement by Taiping artillerymen.(Technology quest progress: 11.9%, Taiping Mandate losses: -3.46 HC, -0.75 IC, -7.55 EC, -5.1 MC)
Q1-Q2 1893: With the world slowly turning toward another series of ground-shaking conflicts, Chinese geologists continued busily mapping China and its border regions, only to feed that data arrays into the Heavenly Engine. (Technology quest progress: 19.95%, Taiping Mandate losses: -2.63 HC, -0.59 IC, -5.83 EC, -3.85 MC)
Q3 1893: The Heavenly Engine continues grinding through huge arrays of data for pre-calculated firing tables of Taiping artillery corps, but the progress is underwhelmingly slow. Experts point out that more resources should be allocated to the project, if the leadership wishes to see new tables distributed among artillery officers anytime soon. (Technology quest progress: 25.14%, Taiping Mandate losses: -3.16 HC, -0.71 IC, -7 EC, -4.62 MC)
Q4 1893: As a war on its north-western borders has been averted, the Heavenly Kingdom was happy to keep the pre-calculated artillery tables project financed at its minimum. However, its slow progress seems to be becoming a problem of its own. Due to China’s economic boom, hill levelling, canal digging, and railroad construction are starting to change the landscape so significantly that Chinese topographers had to recompile data arrays for previously inspected territories and feed them to the Divine and Heavenly Engines once again. People at the head of the project now urge the Heavenly Chancellery to assign more people and assets to this project, least it becomes an exercise in futility. (Technology quest progress: 18.24%, Taiping Mandate losses: -4.21 HC, -0.95 IC, -9.45 EC, -6.13 MC)
Xīn yǔ, newspeak, and totalitarian linguistics
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Ideologues of Hongite Christianity have recently become known for their willingness to change not only the way their flock acts, but also the way it thinks and perceives the world. But in the late 1893, a first clumsy step was taken toward complete eradication of “impure” thought through changing the way people talk. The Changsha Scholastic School of Popular Linguistics was tasked by the Kings-Under-Heaven to start developing a radically new, synthetic linguistic system, designed to reinforce and promote ideological purity of its speakers. Dubbed xīn yǔ (or “newspeak”), this variation of Mandarine is expected to be censoring speech of its users on the most basic level, defining their world perception via word use and grammar. As witty (albeit, rather dark) as that idea is, it still stands very far away from any sort of practical implementation, as all attempts to introduce the newspeak even to the students of the Changsha Scholastic School of Popular Linguistics has led to nothing but a quiet disobedience and mockery. (Technology quest progress: -1.07%, Taiping Mandate losses: -6.32 HC, -5.67 IC, -7.91 EC, -1.37 MC)
Q1-Q2 1894: If there were any beneficiaries of the central planning mishap that so embarassed the Heavenly and Divine engines’ analysts, it was the Changsha Scholastic School of Popular Linguistics. Originally rather humbly financed for the titanic task at hand, it received all extra resources freed up by the clearing of the state research confusion by the Defect Resolution Committee. This helped to start an entire series of rural and urban xīn yǔ (lit. “newspeak”) literacy programs that are starting to shift mentality of their practitioners in the direction of reverence, loyalty, and energetic obedience. Of course, some parts of the early “newspeak” were rejected by the learners, providing the Taiping linguists with important insights into their work. (Technology quest progress: 58.93%, Taiping Mandate losses: -5.4 HC, -5.9 IC, -8.34 EC, -1.41 MC)
Yangtze Region
Spoiler:
Booming heart of China, with powerful agriculture and demographics and strong riverine trade.
Chinese archaeology
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: China is considered the oldest uninterrupted civilization on Earth by some scholars, and it’s no wonder that its history is now attracting the attention of its Taiping rulers. One of the first Kings-Under-Heavens to express his interest to researching his country’s distant past was the King of the Long River. Now, he is looking to put together archaeological groups who could start exploring ancient sites around the Downstream Plain and Sichuan Basin - not the earliest cradles of Bronze Age Chinese kingdoms, but important regions of Chinese history nonetheless. And who knows, perhaps, looking at his successes, other Kings-Under-Heavens could join the suit.
Q1-Q2 1895: An archaeological expedition was outfitted to the Sichuan Basin by Dr. David Stanton of the CSA’s Office of Human History. A thirty-one-year-old consummate academic and a Methodist pastor, Stanton hoped to find commonalities between Chinese Bronze Age empires and the Biblical stories. This theme of his search helped him to secure a travelling permission with the House of Merciful Vigilance of the Heavenly Kingdom. The expedition was augmented with a team of Taiping cadres and a new generation of Western-educated Chinese scholars (most of them having impressive titles, masking the fact they were merely students of one of the French, Russian, or North-German colleges). This cooperation paved a way for an effective excavation and plentiful findings. However, just when Stanton and his team were about to send their first batch of archeological findings to Savannah, their cargo was intercepted by a different team of cadres in the port of Shanghai. Introducing themselves as customs officers, they proceeded to show papers that forbade any export of “objects of cultural significance” out of the Heavenly Kingdom. After the “friendly” team of cadres was contacted, Stanton’s Chinese friends managed to negotiate a temporary permit for some of the more humble findings (mostly, pottery and utensils from Paleolithic settlements), giving the Confederates at least something to show for their efforts at home. Meanwhile, in China the archeological findings were gathered in Nanjing and presented to excursions of chosen true believers (most of them relatives of high-ranking cadres) as a “proof” of the theory that the events described in the Bible (in Hong’s edition) were actually taking place in China. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Yangtze Region gains +5 IC, Confederate States of America gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Union of North America loses -0.5% Regional Influence, region Huanhe Region: Taiping Mandate gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Union of North America loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Confederate States of America: +5 IC, Confederate States of America losses: -0.54 HC, -0.75 IC, -1.06 EC, -0.27 MC, Taiping Mandate losses: -0.6 HC, -0.76 IC, -0.98 EC, -0.15 MC)
Great North-South Railroad Struggle (Wuhan-Nanjing-Shanghai)
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Just like the Guangzhou-Nanning-Kunming branch recently added to the growing Chinese grand railroad project, the Wuhan-Nanjing-Shanghai line is an undertaking of a smaller scope, and with a practical, economically transparent goal in mind. Where as the infrastructure improvement of Guangxi and Yunnan aims to connect China’s industrial heartland to its mineral ore deposits, the railroad that trassects provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang is built to connect the manufacturers to their international markets, as ports of Shanghai and Zhoushan promise to optimise export procedures, as long as the integrated railway network operates smoothly. The progress was rather humble so far, again due to the same error in central planning, but the work on the project promises to speed up in the future. (Regional quest progress: 20.75%, Taiping Mandate losses: -3.38 HC, -0.76 IC, -8.37 EC, -4.97 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: Out of all branches of the Great North-South Railroad Struggle, the Wuhan-Nanjing-Shanghai remains to be the slowest at construction, despite being a relatively shorter line constructed over a tame, simple landscape. Perhaps, disciplinary conclusions will be made later, but for now the project still advances at a good rate, when compared to other nations (with the exception of railroad-crazed Russia, of course). (Regional quest progress: 57.58%, Taiping Mandate losses: -3.03 HC, -0.68 IC, -7.8 EC, -5.12 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Refusing to take the blame for their blunders in central planning, adepts of the Heavenly Chancellery dispatched several disciplinary commissions to investigate the failures and lags that they themselves had caused earlier. Regardless of unpopularity of that move, the fear of reprisals, combined with a good old trick of motivating poorly paid laborers with bonuses for overdelivering on their quotas, changes the project around and drove it to completion as early as mid-April. Connection of Shanghai harbor to the administrative and industrial centers of Nanjing and Wuhan via a railroad (as opposed to traditional Yangtze river barges) was a great boon for the industry of Central China. It was also spun by the King of the Long River as an alternative to the Southern King’s proposed reforms in Canton: a centralized, “orderly” stewardship of the state-controlled industry through traditional means of economic control (while foreign experts failed to see how that railroad was different from the ones built in the south, that interpretation was duly accepted as true by the Chinese bureaucracy). Still, regardless of perceptions, the Great North-South Railroad Struggle was not officially over! (Regional quest completed with success, region Yangtze Region gains +15 EC, +10 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.75, Taiping Mandate losses: -3.67 HC, -1.5 IC, -7.1 EC, -3.7 MC)
Railroad strugglers
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The Great North-South Railroad Struggle has started providing first reasons to celebrate actual achievements, and enthusiasm is high across all China. However, as different sections of this great public works project start moving to completion, they leave thousands of laid off workers behind. Facing a shortages of industrial production, Taiping authorities were eager to compensate for the lack of construction machines with a surplus of good old human labor, and now thousands of these manual laborers are leaving government employment with only humble savings in their pockets and state-issued medals celebrating their “heroic labor.” Many thousands of these single men disconnected from the rest of the society end up settling down in shantytown that started to grow along the length of the Great North-South Railroad. Such so-called “struggle towns,” in their majority, are infamous for their poverty and high levels of alcoholism and crime among their predominantly male population. On the other hand, a few such settlements located near train stations halfway between large travel destinations have grown rather rich off of gambling, alcohol and opium sales provided to bored passengers during their brief stay there. To make matters worse, pro-Taiping Triad clans are starting to notice that a few “railroad strugglers” do the opposite of struggling, and if the Heavenly authority were not to act soon, the situation might only grow more complicated.
Venice of the Orient
Q1-Q2 1895: The city of Suzhou (also often known to the Europeans as Soochow), located in the Yangtze River delta not far from the Thai lake, once was the biggest non-capital city in the world, nicknamed by the Westerners “the Venice of the Orient” for its prosperous culture and beautiful canals. However, the Taiping Revolution took a great toll on Suzhou, and by the time the Ever-Victorious Army liberated it from the Qing forces at the height of the war, the city was described as a “heap of ruins.” Since then, it had lost its economic prominence to Shanghai - a status that was cemented further by the development of the Shanghai-Nanjing branch of the Great North-South Railroad. Still, the city has recovered to a reasonable size, and it currently hosts a prominent silk-weaving industry, as well as the biggest conglomerate of Chinese-language publishing centers, being responsible for a huge part of the Heavenly Kingdom’s book- and newspaper printing. Many advisers voice proposals for the King of the Long River to show his Southern brother how a true path to prosperity should be built - through dedicated, well-scoped improvements of valuable locales. The only question, on which these advisers disagree is what in particular should be done with the Venice of the Orient. Should it be a cultural capital of Central China? Should be rival Shanghai in port commerce and shipbuilding? Or should the city be reinvented altogether in some way?
Capital of Heaven
Q1-Q2 1895: The official name of the capital city of Nanjing (also known as Nankin to the Europeans) is Tianjing, or the “Capital of Heaven.” Being a protector and warden of the formal heart of Taiping China is a great boon to the status of elderly Li Xiucheng, the King-Under-Heavens of the Long River, also known to Hongites as the “Loyal King.” This status, however, comes with a great (some say, impossible) responsibility of keeping the giant city to a celestial standard. Having been purged of all suspected enemy collaborators by the both opposing forces during the Taiping Revolution, the Capital of the Heavens has now rebounded to its pre-war size, attracting thousands of cadres and administrators of the Heavenly Chancellery, as well as devoted Hongites, industrial laborers, and all sorts of aspiring youth. Inevitably, a city of such size must have some pockets of poverty, some secret brothels, some criminal dens, and all sorts of smaller incidents that look like specks on Eternal Brother Hong’s mantle. Some of Li Xiucheng’s advisers suggest that the city should be patrolled daily by a new sort of religious police, ensuring that the citizens of Tianjing live up to the standard the Capital of Heavens requires. Others suggest purging Nanjing of all types not associated directly with either the church, or the state apparatus, or the army, turning it, de-facto, into a larger version of the Forbidden City - albeit, at expense of gutting its prominent industry and commerce sectors. Finally, others wonder if a new, “closed” capital needs to be established, while Nanjing is allowed to be itself.
Huanhe Region
Spoiler:
Booming core Chinese region with huge demographic and agricultural capacity.
Hong’s guardian angels
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Partially due to extreme density of population and partially because of high wealth disparity, China was long known for being the stage of worst natural disasters in recorded human history, including the Northern Chinese Famine of 1876-1879, the 1556 Shaanxi Earthquake, and the 1887 Yellow River Flood. With the “new housing” program making earth dwellings the most popular type of housing in China, experts are starting to believe that even the best solutions used in their construction may not be enough to make such cheap homes fully safe in case of natural disasters. In order to lower the human toll of forces of nature on the Chinese people, some visionaries in the Heavenly Chancellery propose creation of an All-China disaster relief force, possibly integrated with local fire departments and healthcare facilities. That, of course, would require plenty of funding on municipal and regional levels, barring the Mandate from a lot of tax revenue. In return, it’s believed that such system (loosely based on the solution already developed by ever-enterprising Transpacificans) could increase regional growth and development, being essentially a great long-term investment into the future.
Fists of Harmony and Justice
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The origins of the Taiping Mandate lie in its humble past as one of the numerous Chinese secret societies of the period, so irony is not lost on any observer when they see that the Heavenly Kingdom’s transformation into a modern state has put it into a conflict with secret groups and sects akin to the early God Worshipping Society. One of such groups that’s grown rather popular (for a secret party, anyway) is called Yìhéquán (“Fists of Harmony and Justice”). Practitioners of an ancient family of martial arts known as kung fu to the Chinese and “Chinese boxing” to the Westerners, the Yìhéquán are toxically xenophobic and anti-Western, barely tolerating Christianity only in its Sinicized version of Hong-worship. Recent popularity of the “muscular Christianity” gymnasiums startled the Yìhéquán pugilists, who refuted all attempts by the Taiping authorities to marry Chinese Christianity with Western athleticism, narcissistic in its nature from the Yìhéquán point of view. However, it was the introduction of Russian and French settlements in some Chinese cities that truly agitated the Boxers (as the Russians and the French call them) into action. So far, the guarded foreign settlements and college campuses have seen only rags soaked in urine thrown into their windows by Boxer troublemakers, but quite a few “muscular Christianity” clubs have been briefly shut down by violent attacks of the angry Yìhéquán, who indeed proved to be quite able fighters.
Q3-Q4 1894: Up until now, the Taiping authorities were very successful at their pragmatic approach to secret sects and disruptive grassroot movements. Themselves being a secret society in the past, the Heavenly Kingdom knew how to divide and conquer troublemaking sects and organizations through a combination of award for collaboration and violent punishment for continued resistance. However, now this approach has shown its limits, it seems. The Yìhéquán sect of martial artists was offered to tone down their rhetorics and actions and to join the Heavenly Army in training (perhaps, separated from the “muscular Christianity” trainers). This offer was rejected, and all attempts to arrest the movement’s leaders resulted in bloody street fights, often involving a full arsenal of traditional Chinese cold weapons. Troops were called in to assist the cadres from the House of Merciful Vigilance at putting down the fire of the Boxer riots, which still wasn’t enough to break their will. Fighting only continued escalating across the region from that point, leaving quite a few people dead (including innocent bystanders and Taiping magistrates) and several towns and large city quarters devastated. On the positive side, the army’s intervention did save several French Quarters and Russian college campuses from attacks by the Fists of Harmony and Justice. Now that the climax of the rioting has passed, the Mandate is expected to finish what it has started and determine what to do with the few Boxers who were arrested alive. (Regional quest progress: 89.15%, Taiping Mandate losses: -5.86 HC, -4.18 IC, -5.82 EC, -1.84 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Now that the back of the Yìhéquán sect was broken, the Taiping authorities decided it was the time for a holistic mop-up of the scene. The army presence in the cities and rural communities most affected by the “Boxer” riots was diminished, with remaining garrisons splitting their duty between suppression of the remaining cells and fixing the damage done to the civilians. At that, they were assisted by public works dedicated to restoring the areas of heaviest fighting to their normalcy - with new buildings, storefronts, and police stations being built, often of better quality than before. While some of these public works were manned by a surplus of cheap laborers generally typical to China, some of them were performed by the ex-Fists of Harmony and Justice themselves, since many rank-and-file sectants were taken prisoners and later mentally broken in brutal “re-education camps,” being turned into obedient convict laborers. Of course, not every Yìhéquán pugilist alive could be broken so easily, so a number of them still remain imprisoned somewhere, left forever to the mercy of the Heavenly Kingdom’s political police. All in all, the riots did have a significant human cost, but brought up a surprising renovation and cleansing to some of the troublesome areas of China. (Regional quest completed with success, region Huanhe Region gains -10 HC, +5 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.5%, Taiping Mandate losses: -3.51 HC, -1.81 IC, -4.05 EC, -1.78 MC)
Big Swords Society
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Secret radical sects of Chinese origin are not limited to the territory of the Taiping Mandate or the Ma Realm. A group calling themselves Dàdāo Huì (the Big Swords Society or Great Knife Society) has started terrorizing European Christian missionaries across the territory of North-German Tsingtao protectorate. A self-styled militia of small-holders and tenant farmers, the Big Swords believe that their initiation ceremony grants them a magical ability to be invulnerable to bullets - a claim that is yet to be tested, as their illegal, often violent acts of protest against North-German colonists have barely started and claimed lives of only two Catholic preachers. However, the size of that secret society is growing, threatening to spread across the entire Shandong peninsula. Taiping authorities across the border are also not very enthusiastic about the potential spread of the Dàdāo Huì violence to their territory, as the group remains rabidly anti-Christian and anti-Taiping, viewing their leader, Liu Shiduan, as the ruler akin to the “true Chinese” emperors of old, one who deserves the Mandate of Heaven in its ancient, true form.
Draft banks of the Dragon City
Q1-Q2 1895: The capital of Shanxi province, the city of Taiyuan, has been historically one of the key manufacturing centers of the north and a seat of imperial prefects, thus giving it its nickname Lóngchéng, or “Dragon City.” In decades immediately predating the Taiping Revolution and during the country’s recovery after its end, provincial towns surrounding Taiyuan started to become centers of energetic banking development, with draft banks of the Dragon City itself eventually absorbing much of the region’s commercial reputation. Today, Taiyuan is indeed becoming a banking capital of all Taiping China, but that doesn’t sit well with some of the more ideologically “pure” citizens, who consider only spiritual development and mutualistic labor (ideally, of agricultural kind) being truly worthy of loyal subjects of the Heavens. Recently, thousands of these busy-buddies (often, failed peasants or displaced railroad laborers) have been flocking to Taiyuan to protest in front of draft banks, often preventing their staff and clients from entering the “houses of the devil.” Meanwhile, some of the more miserable bank debtors (often, failed small businessmen and “new model” farmers) are joining the protestors’ ranks as “repentant sinners,” thus immediately turned by the religious mob into living martyrs, who had the courage to speak up against the “sinful money-lenders.” The benefit for the insolvent debtors is obvious, but the commercial sector of the city is suffering from this display of emotions and wonders if the Heavenly Kingdom’s pragmatic magistrates are truly on their side.
Math factories
Q1-Q2 1895: Thanks to a brilliant operation performed by the House of Merciful Vigilance in 1894, so-called “math slavery” in South India was exposed and, to a degree, put a halt to. However, the methods of organization of intellectual labor for forming giant chains of “human calculators” were rethought in China, not without help from the most enthusiastic representatives of the Pacific Directory and North German Federation. With the Transpacificans aiming to repurpose a part of their Civil Conscription Corps for intellectual labor, and the North-Germans continuously obsessed with their shady “Songbird” program, the first experimental “math factory” opened its doors in Wuhan this year, featuring not slave labor, but a well-disciplined of mathematically gifted employees. As this technology proposes an alternative to industrially demanding computational methods, soon these three countries are expected to start opening a series of faculties and institutions that utilize well-organized and specifically structured intellectual labor of trained human workers who perform relatively simple mathematical calculations as parts of solving much larger equations and problems, regularly requiring processing power of an analytical engine. (Technology quest completed, Taiping Mandate, North German Federation, Pacific Directory adopt “Math factories” for no additional cost, Taiping Mandate losses: -1 HC, -1.27 IC, -1.64 EC, -0.25 MC, North German Federation losses: -0.79 HC, -1.47 IC, -1.88 EC, -0.5 MC, Pacific Directory losses: -1.03 HC, -1.57 IC, -2.15 EC, -0.17 MC)
Tibet-Tarim Basin
Spoiler:
Stagnant backwaters of Asia with largely unexplored resource potential and a possibility to connect Eastern Asia to the Middle East via a land route.
Q1-Q2 1895: Afraid to even come close to the pacified Pan-Han “New Territory Militias,” the Ma Dynasty of Outer Mongolia attempted to run a propaganda campaign among Ummahist Muslim communities that had kept their ties to Egypt after the departure of Egyptian peace corps. Awkward and primitive, that outreach effort failed spectacularly, turning a small number of Umahists away from the dynasty, reminding the Ma ruler that modernization of his state apparatus is long overdue. (Egypt gains +0.26% Regional Influence, Ma Dynasty loses -0.26% Regional Influence, Ma Dynasty losses: -5.64 HC, -8.03 IC, -13.48 EC, -0.06 MC)
Thunder Dragon’s regent
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The nation of Bhutan has been under the Nepali vassalage ever since the Rama dynasty “prime-ministers” subjugated it to their will. Symbolized by the Thunder Dragon displayed on its banner, that small Himalayan nation has been for centuries split between administrative and ecclesiastical rule of penlops (governors) and dzongpens (lords of monastery-fortresses). This system, once manageable in a divided and backward country like Bhutan, gave rise to a series of civil wars that’d lasted throughout most of the 19th century. However, now this seems to be changing. A farsighted Buddhist statesmen, one Ugyen Wangchuck, has used the weakness of the Nepali Rama dynasty to start solidifying the rag-tag realm of Bhutan under one royal rule - his rule. Ugyen Wangchuck’s war to eliminate Bhutan’s traditional dual system of government is still ongoing, but it already presents a question to Bhutan’s Indostani protectors: how should they react?
Country of Seven Cities
Spoiler:
1890: In the early days of the Dungan Rebellion that freed the peoples of the Tarim Basin from the power of the Qing, seven cities formed an urban confederation known as Yettishar. Now that the Tarim Basin up to Kashgaria has bowed to the resurgent Ma Dynasty, the Seven Cities remain a proud autonomy within the otherwise traditionally Chinese (albeit, Islamic) Ma kingdom. So far, no significant conflicts have taken places between Yettishar and Ma Dynasty’s ambahns (supervisors), but the peoples of the Seven Cities remain a proudly distinct entity in the body of the new kingdom.
Justice for Tashkurgan
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The town of Tashkurgan is a capital of a feudal petty kingdom of Sarikol located in the Pamir mountains and formally recognizing the Ma Dynasty’s authority. Populated with Sarikoli and Wakhi people (Sinicized Mountain Tajiks), this small realm has historically been an alcove of the Aga Khani Nizari Ismaili sect of Shia Islam, known for its egalitarian, pragmatic, and positivist views on faith and social justice. This naturally made Sarikol a hotbed of Basmachi agitation, as various Islamic socialist scholars easily enter the mountain region from neighboring Bukhara, proselytising a utopian view of world without borders and wealth inequality. The remaining question is, will the Ma Emperor wish to take a risk and suppress this new movement, when hard-won peace has just been recently achieved in his lands.
Searching for Shambhala
Q1-Q2 1895: The Pacific Directory is known for its enterprising, curious national spirit, but one of the expeditions its Archeological Society sponsored this year went far beyond what was common even in that relatively adventurous field. Nicholas and Helena Roerich, a young couple of newlywed Baltic Germans that moved to the Pacific Directory not so long ago, proposed an expedition to the Himalayas in search of a mythical mountain city of Shambhala. The absurdity of their blue-eyed approach to such a serious matter as archeology was only matched by their unbent enthusiasm for the bizarre that they hoped to find along the way. Perhaps, the couple would be declined of funds and laughed at, had the Fishermen of the Pacific Directory not wished to use an expedition of some sort to Tibet as a cover for an unconventional espionage affair. Vetting of the young couple’s expedition was given to one Gleb Bokii, a 15-year-old prodigy Fisherman, who, of course, had absolutely no authority in the matter and was named the “vetting agent” simply so that he could follow along with the expedition under a guise of a boy-servant, while the true supervision of the mission could be given to a much more experienced “Kitoboi” (Whaler, a Transpacific license-to-kill agent), whose name remained in secret. In order to muddle the waters further, the expedition was negotiated to be joined by a similarly daring (albeit, better led and prepared) endeavor, which was led by one Cletus Jones of a newly established Office of Human History of the CSA). Despite the grand, imagination-capturing expectations, the expedition failed to find Shambhala or any other mythological locations in Tibet. However, it did end up bringing back with it droves of archeological and cultural knowledge of the Orient. While the members of the expedition clearly returned home different people, having changed quite a bit (and it includes even young Bokii himself, who has lost his skepticism of an intelligence agent along the way), the more conventional pieces of knowledge of that ancient region were sorted out and put under consideration of the Museum of Far Eastern History in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and the Cyrus Thomas Museum of Savannah. Meanwhile, in Tibet, the Transpacificans and Dixies have established an informal connection network, which value may or may not be proven in the future. (Regional quest completed, region Tibet-Tarim Basin: Pacific Directory gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Confederate States of America gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Indostan loses -1% Regional Influence, region Pacific Siberia: 5 IC, region Carolinas-Florida: 5 IC, Pacific Directory losses: -0.17 HC, -0.26 IC, -0.36 EC, -0.03 MC, Confederate States of America losses: -0.34 HC, -0.07 IC, -0.73 EC, -0.61 MC)
Greater Mongolia
Spoiler:
Stagnant, vast region on the edge of the larger Chinese civilization, with inconsistent economic and demographic development.
Congress of clans
Spoiler:
1890: Ever since the Ma Dynasty incorporated Mongolian steppes into its fold, the Emperor has had to maneuver between traditional Chinese authoritarianism and the Mongolian tradition of feudal parliamentarism. Known as chigulgan, that assembly of steppe clan leaders seems to be deeply suspicious of Western technologies and what they can do to the Mongolian nomadic way of life. Dependent on the chigulgan’s support to control the vast steppe in the north of his kingdom, the Ma Emperor now has to constantly trade favors with Mongolian clan leaders in order to gain their support for his agenda.
Seekers of White Waters
Spoiler:
1890: The Tuvan sub-state of Tannu Uriankhai has been formally independent for five hundred years, ever since they Sino-Mongolian Yuan dynasty fell apart. In truth, however, it’s been a protectorate of the Siberian Popular Assembly for the past twenty years, with its rulers being puppets of Siberian artels (or guilds). However, outside of Russian trading posts, Tannu Uriankhai had no foreign population in its lands. Recently this changed, as columns of religious exodites started settling in this wild, mountain region. Known as the Seekers of White Waters, these Russian settlers are followers of a local branch of Old Believers (who, in turn, are a splinter, heretical faction of the Russian Orthodox church). Inter-racial clashes have so far been rare, but the ruler of Tannu Uriankhai is not happy, as the newcomers appear to be very hard to negotiate with in terms of choosing the lands for them to settle. After all, the Seekers believe that they’re searching for a hidden bliss-giving creek, a mixture between a Siberian Eldorado and the Biblical Holy Land.
Kansu Braves
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: At the height of the Jindandao rebellion, the Chinese Muslim population of Inner Mongolia couldn’t always rely on Ma soldiers to protect them. While in some provinces the local Muslim population was expelled from its lands en masse, in the land of Kansu local Hui, Salar, Dongxiang, and Bonan peoples united and formed a potent paramilitary organization, known as the Kansu Braves. Now that the fighting is over, many of the experienced Braves struggle to return to normal life and seek some sort of military employment. However, the Ma Dynasty’s advisers are afraid that incorporating the Kansu Braves can reignite anti-Muslim sentiments among local Han settlers. Foreign employment may also be an option, if one were to forget that the Braves despise the Taiping regime. Meanwhile, some of the more farsighted observers suggest that the province of Kansu is a perfect location for building up a proper industrial center for the Ma Realm, as cheap human labor is plentiful here.
Korea-Manchuria
Spoiler:
Slowly-developing, recently devastated region with a wide, but stagnant labor market, and big, but not fully utilized resource potential.
Gates to the Heavenly Ford
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: The city of Tianjin lies at a place of sedimentation of several rivers (including the Huanhe River) entering the Bohai Gulf of the Yellow Sea. It is viewed as one of the key ports for Chinese agricultural and coal export, and also an obstacle for any navy wishing to enter the Yellow River itself. Thus, the city of Tianjin lies well within the realm of the King of the Yellow River and wouldn’t become a subject of any internal political debates, had it not been, surprisingly, for the Taiping conquest of Inner Manchuria. The nature of the conflict is simple: the King of the Yellow River wishes to safeguard his precious Heavenly Ford from any potential naval attacks, be they directed by the Japanese, North-German, or Russian fleets. In order to do so, he wishes to found a powerful modern coastal fort and a naval base in the town of Lüshunkou which lies on the tip of the newly conquered Liaodong Peninsula of Southern Manchuria. These lands, however, are considered to be the domain of the Northern King, who has little interest in giving anything up to the already powerful (“Too powerful,” he says) King of the Yellow River. Meanwhile, Northern King himself is an old cavalryman, who fails to see any value in naval affairs and refuses to embark on a costly infrastructure project for the benefit of calming down his southern neighbor’s paranoia. Now the Heavenly Kingdom may need to find a way to resolve its strongmen’s dispute without compromising its security and naval power projection.
Q1-Q2 1895: Erection of the Lüshunkou naval fortress was as much a feat of military engineering and naval planning, as it was a masterful political play. The Gordian knot of political disagreements and petty squabbles between the Northern King and the King of the Yellow River was cut by a third player, most interested in gaining favors with the both of them: the Southern King. First, to push for his reforms, and then to offset some of the negative opinions voiced against him during their implementations, Shi Dakai became an intermediary between the economic interests of the King of the Long River and the “what’s-in-it-for-me” attitude of his northern “brother.” Essentially, the entire project of expanding the fort and protecting the gulf was financed by Shi Dakai’s southern domain from the beginning, and the Northern King, of course, made sure he could turn this investment into his own personal sand castle. A military man himself, the Northern King made sure to include the most comprehensive suggestions of his engineers into the fortification scheme, happily spending “somebody else’s money” on a powerful bunker fortress with heavy naval guns covering almost the entirety of the gulf, which, in turn, was protected by naval minefields, which map was shared only with the most trusted merchant marine captains. Needless to say, this fortification project greatly successful in making any amphibious invasion of the Bohai Gulf problematic (and thus, logistically, making landings anywhere in the domains of the Northern King and the King of the Long River operationally challenging). Meanwhile, the employment of civilian engineering collectives also helped to expand the city of Lüshunkou and turn it into an informal center of the northern domain of the Heavenly Kingdom. The security it brought also attracted more business to the “Heavenly Ford” of Tianjin in the Huanhe delta. Finally, the Southern King bought with this investment a greater concord with his two northern “brothers,” creating a stronger position for himself in the bureacracy of the Heavenly Chancellery. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Korea-Manchuria gains +5 HC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.25%, region Haunhe Region gains +5 EC, region Canton-Yunnan gains +5 IC, Troops defending Huanhe Region and Korea-Manchuria from a naval attack gain +1 CR, Taiping Mandate losses: -2.13 HC, -1.02 IC, -4.07 EC, -2.02 MC)
Taming the River of Foxes
Spoiler:
1892: The Wusuli river (also known to the Manchus as Usuri Ula, or the River of Foxes) is crossing the Outer Manchuria south to north, eventually merging with the Heilongjiang (Amur) river at the Pacific Directory border. Due to harsh winters and very contrasting thawing season, this river is infamous for its heavy floods, due to which its shores were never densely settled. However, now that the Taiping authority is coming to Outer Manchuria, it’s becoming apparent to many that the Wusuli is a great economic asset, being rich in high-valued types of fish, ranging from sturgeon to several types of salmon. Now anyone brave enough to invest into this region could tap into the Wusuli river valley natural reserves.
Riches of the Auspicious Forest
Q1-Q2 1895: The territory of Jilin (also known as Kirin to the Japanese and the Westerners) is named after a Mandarin translation of a Manchu phrase that mean “auspicious forest” or, more simply, “[land] along the river.” As underpopulated as it is, Jilin is known to be a resource basket of traditional Chinese medicine, providing China’s vast populace with all sorts of herbs, magical roots, and animal parts for healing, love potions, and peace of mind. With the arrival of Han settlers, however, the “auspicious forest” is at risk of being ravaged by inexperienced and disruptive hunting expeditions that look for precious wildlife to sell to traditional healers in the south (often cheating them or simply erroneously selling what they “believe” to be the right stuff). Besides agitating the locals (who hate seeing their own business niche being destroyed by the horde of upstarts), this also threatens to damage the region’s fragile ecosystem. Meanwhile, some geologists point out that Jilin may be rich not only in flora and fauna, but also in natural deposits, suggesting that its mountains hide large reserves of oil, gas, coal, iron mine, nickel, molybdenum, talc, graphite, gypsum, cement rock, gold and silver.
From freedom fighters to hoodlums
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: Japanese organized crime, or Yakuza, traditionally recruits its members from discriminated social classes of people engaged in ritually “impure” professions, as well as other sorts of outcasts. With expansion of the Japanese colonial empire and economic influence well beyond the limits of the Home Islands, these groups of misfits were joined by ethnic aliens, ranging from displaced Polynesian and Ainu natives to work migrants from South Africa, British India, and the Confederate States of America. A special niche, however, belongs to Koreans who just recently were forced to become the Shogunate’s subjects. As ideologically-motivated proto-socialist bands of Donghak peasants and Nokrimdang “noble bandits” were cracked down and destroyed, some of the survivors formed powerful city gangs known as the Jopok (or, as their enemies call them, the “Kkangpae”). Near-complete moral and ideological flexibility makes jopok gangs quite capable of either competing with overly expansionist yakuza clans or forming temporary alliances with them for the sake of resisting their common foe: the Shogunate police.
Q1-Q2 1895: The problem of resistance fighters turning to ethnic organized crime was a scourge of Japanese Chōsen colony ever since the Tokugawa conquest of Donghak Korea. This year, the Bakufu regime decided to crack down on the infamous Jopok criminals. However, instead of traditional heavy-handed anti-partisan operations, the military technocrats of Kyoto went for a pragmatic, three-pronged approach. A well-protected and organized census was initiated across Chōsen, helping to not only streamline the colony’s finances, but also identify the Jopok recruitment base among the country’s destitute peasantry. Meanwhile, in order to limit the risk of roadside ambushes in the woody hills of Korea (the primary mean, through which the Kkangpae hoodlums manifested themselves outside of cities), a network of Dixie-style zeppelinariums was built across the colony. It, of course, couldn’t take upon the entirety of the cargo transit across the peninsula, but zeppelins and blimps at least provided safety to the critical passengers and materiel deliveries of the colonial regime. As for an average Koreans, they naturally continued travelling the countryside on foot or on horse (if they could afford it), but even these travellers had their freedom of movement (and, thus, freedom of troublemaking) much diminished due to a series of roadblocks the Shogunate army installed across the land. All in all, the operation was a complete success. It did limit the ability of the poor rurals to participate in the economy, but it also developed inter-urban transportation and took a lot of influence from potentially pro-Taiping Nokrimdang bandits. (Regional quest completed with success, region Korea-Manchuria gains -5 HC, +10 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.5%, Tokugawa Shogunate gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Taiping Mandate loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -3.04 HC, -1.71 IC, -4.87 EC, -2.31 MC)
Korean fortifications
Q1-Q2 1895: To make life of the countryside bandits worse, Korean rural areas were swarming with Japanese engineering forces this spring. Not wishing to be perceived as aggressive or alarming, the Tokugawa high command chose to concentrate on fortifying the peninsula in-depth, constructing dispersed fortified areas throughout most of the country and leaving the borders largely unprotected. (Regional quest completed, Troops protecting Korean peninsula receive +1 CR bonus protecting against an attack from Korea-Manchuria or from Huanhe Region, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -7.67 HC, -1.96 IC, -6.31 EC, -1.63 MC)
Butchers and basket weavers
Q1-Q2 1895: Traditionally, a social stratus of Baekjeong was a group of “untouchables” of the Korean society, having originated from communities of Tatar people that migrated to the peninsula in the Middle Ages. Mistrusted by the Joson dynasty, they were subjects of an absurd number of humiliating regulations and were almost entirely excluded from the kingdom’s commerce and economy, with only two industries - butchery and basket weaving - being reserved to the Baekjeong. The Donghak Revolution, however, energized this group of people, who were perceived by Korean commoners (the yangmins) as being not too different from themselves. When the Donghak state got crushed by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Baekjeong returned to their isolated life of social pariahs, but suddenly found themselves much more trusted by the majority of the Koreans (who finally had somebody else to blame for their problems). In fact, the few remaining Kkangpae gangs are controlled primarily by the Baekjeong, and it turns this group of people into new Korean patriots in the eyes of many liberty-seekers. Whoever hasn’t joined the Donghak remnants seems to be playing with another dangerous idea: Taiping Christianity. After all, the idea of spiritual egalitarianism and social messianism spread by the Hong-worshippers is extremely attractive for the people whose entire ancestry was treated as outcasts and unworthy untouchables.
Protected logistical areas and counter-insurgency troops
Q1-Q2 1895: The Tokugawa army’s campaign against Nokrimdang “noble bandits” and Jopok organized crime was not just a one-off police action, but also a testing ground for a new doctrine of logistical protection and counter-insurgency operations in the rear. In a series of ambushes and attempted clearings of wooded hilly areas a few unpleasant lessons have been learned - lessons that are sure to contribute to the theory and practice of establishing safe lines of communications and securing the rear of fighting forces via combating enemy insurgency and sabotage. Indostany allies of Japan were also happy start a similar program in the “liberated” territories of India, staying in close touch with the Tokugawa HQ in terms of experience exchange and lessons learned (and, in fact, contributing the most to the development of the counter-insurgency doctrine). Meanwhile, Tokugawa and Indostani planers received advising support from an unusual source. United by a common enemy, the British Royal Commonwealth, the United Communes of the Andes also sent their experienced military officers, who shared with their Japanese colleagues their first-account knowledge of insurgency tactics and strategy, helping the both militaries to think like the enemy in counter-insurgency operations. (Technology quest completed, Tokugawa Shogunate, Indostan, Communes of the Andes adopt “Protected logistical areas and counter-insurgency troops” for no additional cost, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -0.4 HC, -0.1 IC, -0.33 EC, -0.09 MC, Communes of the Andes losses: -0.94 HC, -0.24 IC, -0.64 EC, -0.19 MC, Indostan losses: -1.68 HC, -0.63 IC, -1.37 EC, -0.64 MC)
Fast-developing region, awash with natural resources and a good potential for industrial development.
Q1-Q2 1895: The Stroganov family continued solidifying its informal control over Transuralian political and financial scene via predatory loans and behind-the-curtains manipulations. (Siberian Popular Assembly gains +2.91% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia loses -2.91% Regional Influence, Siberian Popular Assembly losses: -1.78 HC, -3.25 IC, -4.9 EC, -0.51 MC)
Mistress of the Mountain
Spoiler:
1890: The boom of mineral excavation and mining in the Ural Mountains has uplifted many entrepreneurial individuals to wealth and prosperity. One of them, residing in Ust-Sysolsk, is drawing the ire of competitors. Not only is that person non-Russian, but that person is also an unmarried, forty-year-old woman of Komi origin! In the tolerant Siberian society, a rich, powerful widow is not much of a scandal, but her Russian and North-German competitors seem to be launching a newspaper campaign aimed to tarnish her reputation and drive her out of business, thus opening a possibility for themselves to enter the local market. It remains to be seen if these efforts would succeed.
The gates to Central Asia
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The city of Orenburg was founded in the 1740s in a river fork of the Or and Yaik (Ural) rivers, with its unusual German name being proposed as a way to adhere to post-Petrine policy of Germanization of the Russian Empire. From the very beginning, Orenburg was intended to become a gateway to Russian trade with Bukhara, Badakhshan, and the Aral Region, simultaneously creating a fortress from which Orenburg Cossacks could project power into Central Asia and the Kazakh steppe. The importance of the city has declined since the Second Time of Troubles, as Siberian authorities had much less interest in Central-Asian expansion or trade with the khanates and emirates of that region. However, the success of the Transsiberian Railway project has brought Orenburg to the light of Russian industrialists and traders once more. Nicknamed “the Asian capital of Russia,” this de-facto Siberian town is suggested to become the trade gateway for Siberian and, possibly, Russian trade expansion into Khiva, Basmachi Ferghana valley, and Iran. The cheapest option on the table (popular among the stingy Siberians) suggests simply establishing more or less well-maintained caravan routes between Orenburg and Tashkent. However, Russians wouldn’t be themselves had they not proposed also building a Trans-Aral Railway, stretching mostly through the territory of Khiva and thus requiring a series of diplomatic arrangements both with its khan and with his tribal nomadic vassals.
Q1-Q2 1895: The pleas to connect the Central-Asian Railroad to the major artery of commerce that is the Transsiberian Railway were heard this year. According to the plan, a sleepy Trasural town of Orenburg was rejuvenated with an influx of Russian investments, and the proposed Trans-Aral Railway started being built from it southward. Familiar with all possible challenges to the point of them becoming routine, Russian railroad engineers accomplished the work in no time, surprisingly even managing to navigate their way through several informal agreements with Turkestani nomadic tribes without as much as enquiring to the Russian ambassador in Khiva. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Transural gains +5 HC, +10 EC, +5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +1%, Directorial Russia gains +3% Regional Influence, Siberian Popular Assembly loses -3% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia losses: -2.19 HC, -0.48 IC, -6.15 EC, -4.96 MC)
Northern Amores
Q1-Q2 1895: Baskhirs are a Mongoloid ethnicity of horse nomads living just across the Urals, that under the Russian Tsardom were historically divided into landed, herd-owning nobility and landless military servicemen (tiptyars) organized into the Bashkir Host. Irregular, self-armed cavalry of the Bashkir Host was one of the most exotic forces that took and occupied Paris during the Napoleonic Wars, being nicknamed “northern Amores” by the Frenchmen (which was a reference to their use of bows and arrows, not unlike the ones Gupid, god of love, was believed to use). However, the disbandment of the Bashkir Host and granting of civil liberties to the Bashkirs after the separation of Siberia from Russia during the Second Time of Troubles didn’t necessarily translate into improvement of living conditions for the tiptyars. Landless as they were, these nomads now possessed no cattle, no avenues of social advance, and no way to improve their financial standing through loot (which was always a part of the deal in exchange for their service). Now some of them have become professional mercenaries and bodyguards, first making fame for themselves in Siberia and then travelling westward to join entourage of some extravagant European moneybags. Meanwhile, less adoptive tiptyars are turning to organized crime and banditry across the Urals, giving the “northern Amores” quite a different reputation.
Steamboats and ancient lizards
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The city of Perm and the surrounding region of Great Perm are not only the seat of power of the nigh-omnipotent Stroganov family, but also an unusual host of a British expatriate community. In the 1870s, a steamboat factory was established there by a British entrepreneur who wished to escape the Albion for political reasons and ended up naturalizing into the polyglot Siberian society. Many years before that venture, in the peak of Ango-Russian cultural exchange that gave the world the Babbage-Korsakov analytical engine, the city hosted another small diaspora of British thinkers, namely a group of paleontologists led by Sir R. I. Murchison himself, who discovered fossils of ancient, prehistoric lizards in the mountains of Great Perm (which prompted to give the name of the region to a prehistoric period of Earth). Over the past couple of decades, British isolationism and Russian recovery from the Second Time of Troubles somewhat limited this cultural exchange between Perm and the British Islands, but now the mayor of the city, along with the Stroganovs themselves, start playing with the idea of reviving that exchange to the benefit of the both of the nations. They argue that the ties with Directorial Russia are as strong as ever, but the embattled British Royal Commonwealth might be in need of a neutral trade partner and and offshore intellectual hub. Great Perm, meanwhile, would only benefit from a tighter integration into the European culture.
Central Siberia
Spoiler:
Fast-developing, very resource-rich region, suffering from low population density, weak infrastructure, and unevenly spread population centers.
Q1-Q2 1895: Promyshlenniki (trappers and craftsmen) of Central Siberia are starting to increase sophistication of their enterprises, gradually merging various small artels into massive cooperative conglomerates, presenting themselves as a local economic actors to reckon with. (Regional Growth Fluctuation +1.99%, Siberian Popular Assembly gains +3.32% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -1% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia loses -2.32% Regional Influence, Siberian Popular Assembly losses: -1.85 HC, -0.55 IC, -5.71 EC, -3.76 MC)
Mennonite grain
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Russian Mennonites are descendents of German-Dutch Anabaptist Christians who were invited to settle in Russia by the “most German” of all Russian rulers, Tsarina Catherine the Great, in the late 18th century. Having previously settled in large, prosperous, bilingual colonies in Ukraine and Volga plain, they have now started immigrating to Siberia and particularly its less developed corners, such as Kulunda Steppe and Altai taiga mountains. Of course, such radical and risky migration is mostly popular among the poorest Russlandmennoniten, who are attracted by the cheapness of the land and a hands-off approach practiced by the Siberian Popular Assembly to the newly established Mennonite colonies. With them, the Anabaptists have brought modern crop rotation techniques to that wild region, quickly establishing their villages as islands of relative prosperity in the wilderness of the Altai. However, a challenge has now appeared. Due to the distances involved, export of grain from Kulunda and Altai to the Russian heartland is mostly useless, since Russia is already awash with locally produced wheats. Unless somebody helps the Siberian Mennonites to find other markets for grain export, that chance for creating regional prosperity might expire just like the surplus grain that is left to rot in wooden silos.
Q1-Q2 1895: Russian railroads continue transforming the economy of Eurasia, this time reaching even its more remote corners. Thanks to the completion of the Trans-Aral and Central-Asian railway branches of the mighty Transsib, the Russian Mennonite communities of Altai suddenly found themselves positioned to become the main source of agricultural import for the unstable, economically struggling regions of Central Asia and even, potentially, Iran. This elegant solution created unprecedented prosperity among the Russlandmennoniten of Kulunda and Altai, and it reinforced Directorial Russia’s position as the chief economic player in the region. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Central Siberia gains +10 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.75%, Directorial Russia gains +3% Regional Influence, Siberian Popular Assembly loses -3% Regional Influence, region Central Asia gains +0.25% Regional Growth Fluctuation, Directorial Russia gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Khiva loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Basmachi State loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Directorial Russia losses: -1.78 HC, -0.39 IC, -4.99 EC, -4.03 MC)
Emperors of All the Taiga
Q1-Q2 1895: Since the early days of the 19th century, Central Siberia and especially the mountains surrounding the Yenisey River valley were a great source of gold for local adventurers who were willing to risk their lives in search of precious metals. One of the first gold magnates of Siberia was a nouveau-riche Gavrila Masharov, who reached such heights of wealth in the first decades of the Second Time of Troubles that he even was known to own a giant, custom-made gold medal, weighing 20 pounds and carrying an engraving, “Gavrila Masharov - the Emperor of All the Taiga.” In his untamed desire to show off his wealth, Masharov did end up bankrupting his business twice before dying from a bad food poisoning he caught after eating overripe pineapples imported from South America. However, the open-pit gold mines he owned were preserved by his nephew (and only heir), who ended up rebuilding the Masharov gold-mining empire on a more functional foundation. However, in recent years the Masharovs started experiencing serious competition from Nicolai Myasnikov, a Krasnoyarsk entrepreneur who got hold of much less gold-rich mines, but achieved greater efficiency of golden ore extraction and processing thanks to importing top-notch industrial machinery from the Free Boer Republic (as for the Masharovs, their mines remain being driven primarily by manual labor). Of course, no one says the two gold magnates cannot co-exist, but pride is a big factor in this get-rich-overnight market, and armed standoffs between the two magnates’ mercenary guards are starting to be common across the cities and villagers of the Yenisey region. After all, how can one claim to be the Second Emperor of All the Taiga if one’s butler tells stories of Myasnikov the Upstart giving away business cards made entirely out of gold?
Sables for us all
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Ever since the Russian settlers started to penetrate Central Siberia, fur trade was their main source of fortune. Many ex-serfs and and free townsmen would join the ranks of the promyshlenniki, or “fur trappers” (from the Russian word “promysel,” meaning literally “the trade”), making money off the vast population of sables living in these cold lands. At some point, the value of sable fur was so high that when the Tsarist government came to dominate these frozen forests, its original form of taxation was yasak or “fur tribute.” Growth of living standards across the world created a huge demand for Siberian furs, but a problem seems to be brewing. As more and more people are drawn to the promysel, the population of sables is starting to decline, with some tayga woods being complete cleansed of any fur animals whatsoever. Russian and Siberian naturalists predict that at this rate population of Siberian sables might drop to negligible levels soon, hurting both the environment and the promyshlenniki’s own pockets. Proposed solutions range from creating state-funded zakazniks (regulated wild areas kept as game reserves) to establishing privately owned “sable farms,” where fur animals can be bred in semi-wild conditions for later slaughtering. The former decision receives more support from naturalists from across the world, but is looked down upon by the traditionally libertarian Siberian government. At the same time, the second solution may require more investment before it starts to pay for itself.
Clean waters and full wallets
Spoiler:
1890: The Buddhist ulus of Buryatia is enjoying a big degree of independence under the protectorate of the Siberian Popular Assembly. Partially thanks to the religious ties with other Buddhist countries, this rich mountainous land is becoming an unlikely entrypoint for Burmese economic penetration of Siberia. In general, Russian Siberians have nothing against the Burmese businesses, but recently Russian settlers from Irkutsk were complaining about big amounts of industrial waste and even oil leaks reaching the clear waters of the Baikal lake from the Buryatian side. It appears that Burmese enterprises take advantage of loose Siberian laws to save money on waste disposal. Both side - Russian Siberians and Buryats - suffer from the ecologic impact, but the Buryats, at least, get some Burmese money in exchange, and it’s threatening to become a big regional issue soon.
Asian Pacific Isles
Spoiler:
Slowly-developing, populous, colonially exploited region with big maritime significance as a naval hub between the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Cultivation system
Spoiler:
1890: First introduced as an economic policy of the Dutch East India Company, the Cultivation system is a tax, contributed by colonial peasants to the Company in the form of specified crops and spices. As simplistic as it is, this system contributes greatly to the profitability of the biggest Dutch colony. It also puts a lot of hardship on local underclass, leading to frequent famines and crippling poverty. While the colonial office seems to prosper, the locals are fuming with contempt at their Western overlords.
Q3-Q4 1894: For reasons unknown, the North-German government and the Tsingtao colonial office decided that their allies in Rotterdam wouldn’t oppose their attempt to dismantle the Cultivation system in Dutch Indonesia, which has so far greatly benefitted the Dutch East Indies Company, albeit at the cost of local peasants. To add an insult to the injury, Taiping plenipotentiaries were also invited to to use their colonial agents to organize a political opposition against the policy that has been feeding Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) for the past few hundred years. While the North-German political lobbying for the opening of Indonesia for foreign investments was relatively civil, by Western standards, the Taiping lobbying effort lacked such politeness. Without as much as a nod from the VOC, Taiping merchants and Triad kangchus started striking deals directly with the independent Sultans of Yogyakarta, Surakarta, the Duke of Pakualaman, bupatis (regents) who run the kabupaten (provinces) and wedanas (district chief) who run the districts under the kabupaten and similar other local power brokers who usually answer directly to the VOC office. Bride fairs and various plantation sales followed, souring the relationship with the Dutch to the point when all gratuity for the North-German and Taiping offers of military protection became viewed as a deal with the devil. Needless to say, the VOC board of directors wasn’t excited by the prospect of giving up on the Cultivation system, and mobilized its humble resources to propping it up economically and politically in the last-ditch effort to survive after all the political blunders and sell-offs committed by Admiral-Protector Jan Derx’s cabinet. In the result, they did manage to block the “free market” move by their “allies,” but only by emptying the company’s coffers and straining its economic abilities to the limit. With the collapse of the Dutch metropolitan political order, it’s likely that the company’s ability to fend for itself is spent for good. (Regional quest progress: -10.81%, North German Federation losses: -4.14 HC, -9.72 IC, -11.65 EC, -3.16 MC, Taiping Mandate losses: -7.9 HC, -11.38 IC, -13.76 EC, -2.15 MC, Netherlands losses: -20.54 HC, -27.39 IC, -52.1 EC, -9.92 MC)
Graveyard of trade companies
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The Moluccas and Malaya were historically a popular starting point for a lot of European trade companies, as the spices of South-East Asia attracted investments like a magnet. The Dutch East Indies Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or shortly VOC) was one of the oldest survivors of the Age of Discoveries, but the recent Portobrazilian colonial renaissance, the purchase of British Malaya, and a “co-administration” treaty with the Netherlands brought the Twin Crowns’ own Companhia da Índia Oriental back to life. In its first years after its unlikely rebirth, it saw the collapse of yet another spice-trading venture, this one being the Boer EAST-C (East-Asian Spice Trading Company) that fell to the Burmese blockade and Taiping and Japanese mercantilist measures. Yet, now the Companhia da Índia Oriental is facing its first big challenge. The Tokugawa trade expansion and Taiping purchase of some key Dutch ports in the region have created a lot of competition for the Portobrazilian colonial company. Trade margins are shrinking, threats of Asiatic imperialism are growing, and the Anti-British war launched by three great rising empires of the Orient have already put the Portobrazilian merchant marine in the region in a direct confrontation with the Burmese navy. Above all, its Portobrazilian investors now wish to know, what plan does the Companhia’s leadership have to combat all of these challenges?
Q3-Q4 1894: By the middle of summer 1894, the position of the Companhia da Índia Oriental was a precarious one indeed. Burmese diplomatic notes spooked many of its investors, and the distant declaration of war by the Monroe Conference powers put Portobrazilian economic stability under a question. That explains why Tokugawa financists and traders were so optimistic about their aggressive mercantile takeover of Indonesian trade at the expense of the embattled Companhia. However, support came to the Twin Crowns from an unexpected source. Fellow “Christians” from the Heavenly Kingdom had no desire to see the economic power vacuum being filled by their Japanese competitors and heavily invested into the Companhia da Índia Oriental. To support the Portobrazilian corporation, favorable deals were struck with the Twin Crowns’ merchants about using the Moluccan ports that the Taiping Mandate recently purchased from the Dutch (that later also saved the Portobrazilian merchant marine redirected to support the British All-Red Route). In the end, the Taiping expenses were much bigger than their competitors’, but the overall result was much in their favor, and, perhaps, the Companhia may prove to be a tougher nut to crack than the infamous EAST-C. (Regional quest progress: 50.43%, Taiping Mandate losses: -29.35 HC, -39.29 IC, -53.17 EC, -11.48 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -11.35 HC, -15.65 IC, -24.17 EC, -5.71 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: A diplomatic mission from the Heavenly Kingdom was dispatched to Amsterdam this year to humbly negotiate a permission to trade in the Dutch East Indies with a previous exclusive partner of the VOC, the Sultan of Aceh. However, while the negotiations dragged on (constantly stalled by the VOC lobbyists and old-guard imperialists from Jan Derx’s circles), Taiping traders in Medan went ahead to negotiate with the Sultan directly, assuming the permit will be granted any moment. Unfortunately for them, the ambassadors of Chinese kongsi companies met a dedicated resistance from the VOC, who worked to squeeze the Taiping traders from Aceh by all means, going as far as issuing great discounts to the Sultan’s court on their purchases. Meanwhile, the fumes of ethnic resistance to the Dutch rule in the sultanate itself remained an important factor in mercantile negotiations - right until the VOC mobilized the remainders of its colonial garrison to suppress the resistance in the most brutal and direct way possible. In the end, it barred the Chinese from overtaking a greater share of the Sumatra trade for now, but this “victory” of the VOC appears to be tactical, since on the grand scheme of things, the company is crumbling and is about to lose the unequivocal support of Amsterdam in the coming months. (Regional quest progress: 47.57%, Taiping Mandate losses: -5.75 HC, -0.98 IC, -11.63 EC, -7.04 MC, Netherlands losses: -8.77 HC, -2.51 IC, -10.22 EC, -6.83 MC)
While the Taiping venture into breaking the monopoly of the VOC over the Sumatran trade, the Companhia da Índia Oriental of Portugal-Brazil was much more welcoming of the Chinese capital and business establishment. As long as the kongsi enterprises could assist the Companhia beat back the expansive Japanese presence in the region, the Heavenly Kingdom was allowed to live and let live. Tokugawa own pause in the mercantile drive into Indonesia worked well for the Taiping Mandate, as their competitors were caught flat-footed and were forced to give up some of their trade gains of the previous months (albeit, not too many of them). Meanwhile, the expanded Taiping merchant fleet was partially added to the Companhia’s own shrinking merchant marine, further entangling the Heavenly Kingdom’s interests in the region with those of the Twin Crowns. Altogether, these two cycles of vicious competition did somewhat balance out the status of trade powers in the region and helped its commerce to develop further - albeit, at the great humanitarian cost to the poor people of the Aceh Sultanate. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Asian Pacific Islands gains -5 HC, +10 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.5%, Taiping Mandate gains +3% Regional Influence, Portugal-Brazil gains +1.5% Regional Influence, Tokugawa Shogunate loses -4.5% Regional Influence, Portugal-Brazil losses: -0.65 HC, -0.18 IC, -2.08 EC, -1.41 MC, Taiping Mandate losses: -2.97 HC, -2.92 IC, -5.15 EC, -1.47 MC)
Spices of the Malacca Strait
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: The Boer East Asian Spice Trading Company has dramatically expanded its business to the Dutch and Portobrazilian colonies surrounding the Malacca Strait, a marine region critical for Trans-Indian Ocean commerce. In the Dutch Riau region, local rulers are starting to be persuaded to deal with the Boers, although the sultans of Riau and Aceh try to play it safe, probing the Dutch colonial authorities for permissions. In the Portobrazilian Pattani region, the company simply applied for establishment of its offices, playing on its status of friends of the Twin Crowns. As for the British Malaya, the EAST-C wisely chose to steer clear of the peninsula for its own safety. The expansion promised to be a huge commercial success, up until the disaster at Burmese Tavoy put the entirety of the Boer Trans-Malaccan trade under question. Now it is up to the EAST-C board of directors to decide if the situation could still be saved. (Regional quest progress: 54%, Free Boer Republic losses: -1.69 HC, -1.59 IC, -4.07 EC, -2.31 MC)
Q3 1893: Acting well within the reach of their communication lanes, Burmese naval squadrons started active patrolling of the Malacca Strait and seas surrounding the Indonesian Archipelago. Perhaps, seeing the futility of attempting to challenge the Burmese in their home waters, the Republican Navy of Boerika didn’t attempt to break the blockade, and the few adventurous EAST-C trader ships that tried to sneak past Burmese patrol boats while flying other nations’ flags were in their majority boarded, searched, and seized. EAST-C emporiums in Portobrazilian Malacca still manage to keep their doors open, but their cash is running low, and the company’s Malaccan branch is nearing its bankruptcy. (Regional quest progress: -41.71%, Third Burmese Empire losses: -3.69 HC, -2.34 IC, -4.83 EC, -8.38 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The spring expansion of Japanese interests in the Malayan region proved to be not a one-time act, but a precursor of a consistent Tokugawa push for economic domination over the region. Just like earlier, the Companhia da Índia Oriental rushed its resources block the Japanese entry into the remaining market niches free of the Shogunate’s presence. However, the weakness of Portobrazilian colonial corporations is now becoming obvious to everyone: having perfected the art of opportunistic penetration of new markets, they severely lack experience of waging defensive trade wars. This left Portobrazilian Malaya open for a multi-party struggle for the market of Malaccan spice trade. (Regional quest progress: 4.71%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -18.36 HC, -13.87 IC, -45.41 EC, -27.03 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -18.43 HC, -14.49 IC, -44.82 EC, -19.55 MC)
The bankruptcy of the East-Asian Spice Trading Company didn’t actually put an end to the Boer trade presence in the region, but instead limited it to a minimum, leaving a network of shell companies and obscure emporiums in Dutch Surabaya. As the sea war with Burma came to an end, and the political alignment of the two country saw a dramatic reversal, the Boers once again felt encouraged to start doing business in the Malacca Strait once again. Just like the Japanese, the Boers also decided to play on the disenfranchised status of the Mardijker traders in the Dutch and Portobrazilian colonies, using them as proxies through which to penetrate the market of Portobrazilian Malaya, formally closed to anything Boer. This put the Afrikaan traders on a collision course with the Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC, or the Dutch East Indies Company), as well as a new economic player in the region, the Taiping. The competition between the two Dutch-speaking trade networks took a mostly economic turn, as the VOC board of directors was afraid of using too ham-handed embargo methods while the metropoly was in a state of severe constitutional crisis. Sadly, in direct and open competition the Dutch colonial corporation simply exposed its obsolete tactics and views on trade, easily outmaneuvered by the opportunistic and dynamic Boer traders. Meanwhile, on another side of the Malacca Strait, the Heavenly Kingdom competed with Boerika using its demographic superiority in the region. For almost a millennium, Han, Cantonese, and Hakka communities and trade clans, known as kongsi, have been dominating Malayan mining and rubber-gathering operations, and it’s these societies that the Taiping Mandate attempted to woo into trading with China again. While lacking corporate presence in the region, through which truly lucrative commerce could flow, the Taiping did succeed at putting a socio-cultural wall on the way of Afrikaan soft expansion in Malaya and the Malacca Strait shores. (Regional quest progress: -80.36%, Taiping Mandate losses: -21.07 HC, -30.34 IC, -36.69 EC, -5.75 MC, Netherlands losses: -5.48 HC, -1.28 IC, -12.91 EC, -8.66 MC, Free Boer Republic losses: -25.37 HC, -19.64 IC, -44.86 EC, -19.15 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: As a new step for the Royal Navy that used to take pride in “fighting by the rules,” the Admiralty in London agreed to dispatch a small raiding force to the Moluccas, using local ports leased by the Taiping regime from the Dutch as their base. The idea was to ravage Japanese convoys going to India, Indochina, and Australia, but the task was too titanic for the number and types of ships involved. Still, for the couple of months the operation was successful in damaging Tokugawa shipping going for and from Indonesia, and by extension hurting Japanese businesses in that region. However, the Shogunate’s plea for help was heard by its allies with their own interests in Malaya, the Third Empire of Burma. Its ships went ahead to counter British raids right away, doing enough damage to the Royal Navy to make it reconsider the continuation of raids. In a way, this naval action put a symbolic stop to the confusing and vicious multi-sided competition for the region’s trade that had been going for years by then. All in all, the status-quo ended up shifting only slightly to cement that the Tokugawa Shogunate and its allies at war were the ascending powers in the region. As for the people of the East Indies, the years of aggressive (and often militant) competition did leave their toll on the common population, while also promoting various wealth holders (ranging from middlemen merchants to plantation-owning ethnic nobility) as the clear winners. Yet, despite the hit the region has suffered, it’s expected that the relative opening of the East Indies to foreign trade (done, at times, against the will of the colonial nations that wish to control it) is likely to give the region an incentive to grow faster in the future. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Asian Pacific Islands gains -5 HC, +10 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation -1.75%, Regional Growth Trend +0.25%, Tokugawa Shogunate gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Third Burmese Empire gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Free Boer Republic gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Portugal-Brazil loses -0.5% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Netherlands loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Taiping Mandate loses -0.25% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -8.1 HC, -5.46 IC, -12.15 EC, -19.29 MC, Third Burmese Empire losses: -5.86 HC, -3.37 IC, -9.52 EC, -13.05 MC)
Holy war and holy peace
Q1-Q2 1895: The Sultanate of Aceh was a semi-independent state under the Dutch East-Indies Trading Company’s umbrella for decades, before in 1873 it suddenly became a focus of one of the bloodies Dutch colonial campaigns in years. The premise was straightforward: the Malacca Strait was plagued by Acehnese pirates, who the pro-Dutch sultan couldn’t contain. To deal with the threat, an expedition was dispatched under Major General Johan Harmen Rudolf Köhler - a man that failed at virtually every operation he undertook that year, leading up to his own death from a stray bullet. This set the stage for a two-decade-long brutal occupation of Aceh by the VOC’s Marechaussee troops (Dutch lightly armed colonial gendarmes), leading up to a growth of resentment against the Dutch by the local Muslims. At some point, the Acehnese ulema (gathering of Muslim scholars) strayed away from the Sultan’s political position of neutrality and declared the resistance to the Dutch a holy war. For years, the guerilla warfare was ongoing, costing the Acehnese population thousands of lives and siphoning resources out of the VOC and its metropoly. The dynamics shifted heavily toward the Dutch, however, when a widely respected chief penghulu (judge) Hasan Mustafa was either recruited by the Dutch counterintelligence or simply influenced by the horrors of the war to issue a fatwa for all faithful Muslims to reconcile with the Dutch law for the country’s survival. The intrigue didn’t stop there, however, as recently Sultan Alauddin Muhammad Da'ud Syah II was approached by Taiping kongsi ambassadors, who attempted to get him to trade with the Heavenly Kingdom, but the formal head of the state politely refused (perhaps, being bribed by the VOC). This, again, destabilized the equilibrium brought about by Hasan Mustafa’s fatwa, as the common people and non-aristocratic traders were more than happy to deal with Chinese merchants, rather than strike deals with the hated Dutchmen. All in all, the struggle over Aceh’s loyalty doesn’t seem to be over.
Hiripin fortifications
Q1-Q2 1895: Copying the Dixies at whatever they do well (or do a lot) wouldn’t be complete without adopting their high command’s obsession with fortifying everything that can be fortified.
For the Tokugawa army, it meant that not only Chōsen (Korea) had to be fortified, but also the Hiripin colony (the Philippines). At that task, the Japanese engineering corps proved competent, and within a few months a string of coastal forts was erected in and around the colony’s key ports and potential landing sites. This frustrated some generals and admirals, who saw it as a sign of unnecessary precaution against the British, at best, and straightforward defeatism, at worst. After all, aren’t the Shogunate’s forces triumphant at the War of Asian Liberation? (Regional quest completed, Troops protecting the Philippines gain +1 CR against any attacker, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -7.27 HC, -1.86 IC, -5.98 EC, -1.55 MC)
Freedom for Zamboanga
Q1-Q2 1895: The city of Zamboanga on the Mindanao island of the Philippines was founded in the 15th by the Sama Banjao people of the Sunda archipelago. A natural port, its name means “mooring place” in their language, and in Spanish Philippines the city and the peninsula upon which it’s located had been important economic centers for centuries. By extension, this also made Zamboanga a center of Hispanization and a center of stubborn resistance of local Sunni Muslims against the Roman Catholic Church. With the arrival of Portobrazilian colonial authorities upon to collapse of the Spanish Empire, the Muslims (most of them local Moro and Sama Banjao people) once again found themselves on the receiving end of the colonial resistance, both due to their faith and because of their opposition to colonial rule by a European nation. As for the Catholics, they were largely spared by the Portobrazilian crackdown, but developed a strong distaste for the new colonial authorities due to an evolution of their political views. In recent years, the resistance to the Twin Crowns’ rule has started to crystallize, with one Vicente Álvarez, a Zamboangueño ex-general of the Spanish army, uniting Muslim and Catholic patriotic groups around himself under a new proposal to fight for the establishment of a religiously tolerant Republic of Zamboanga as a prototype of a true future Philipinnian state. Meanwhile, the Portobrazilian authorities wonder if the multi-ethnic region will ever become fully loyal to them.
Japanese Isles
Spoiler:
Fast-developing, well-consolidated “rising dragon” of Asian economy, education, and demographics with little access to natural resources.
Pachinko and mechanical arcades
Spoiler:
1891: A new craze is spreading through the overpopulated cities of Japan: pachinko machines and other mechanical arcades that help displaced Japanese commoners to kill time, gamble, and forget their burden as long as a pearl bounces bounces between shining gears, springs, and levers. A few state-sponsored companies have already started picking up on the new trend, building gambling machines that foreigners only marvel at. (Technology quest progress: 19.71%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -1.22 HC, -0.30 IC, -2.85 EC, -2.16 MC)
Q1-Q2 1894: While the Japanese focus has been recently dedicated to the industrial revival of the Japanese Islands and away from the entertainment and gambling industries, Ottoman sailors visiting Yokohama docks were fascinated with one of the few pachinko arcade bars that exist there. The pachinko craze was so popular among the Turkish sailors that some witty Ottoman businessman invested into the failing company that came up with the first mechanical arcades in 1891 and had seen its investment flow dry up since then. This helped to bring the company back to life, and its founder only hopes that the investment flow will continue. (Technology quest progress: 38.91%, Sublime Porte losses: -2.13 HC, -0.48 IC, -6.08 EC, -3.83 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: Given the Japanese national focus on productivity and progress, arcade gaming has lost its attraction among the majority of Tokugawa investors. However, that could not be said about the Turks, who still remain the main investors in these novelty gambling toys. (Technology quest progress; 68%, Sublime Porte losses: -1.76 HC, -0.4 IC, -4.85 EC, -3.31 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Due to a big geopolitical setback and resulting displacement of thousands of Ottoman subjects, mind-numbing mechanical arcades suddenly became a big trend in the Ottoman Empire. In fact, the Turkish example was so contagious that the trend that originally started in Japan and suddenly faded, had regained its pace in the Land of the Rising Sun, seeing a flow of Japanese investments that helped to set up the “pachinko industry” for a bright future. (Technology quest completed, Tokugawa Shogunate, Ottoman State adopt “Pachinko and mechanical arcades” for no additional cost, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -0.71 HC, -0.15 IC, -1.86 EC, -1.61 MC, Ottoman State losses: -0.95 HC, -0.21 IC, -3.03 EC, -1.89 MC)
Expel the Emperor, revere the barbarians
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: During the Bakumatsu (“tent-government”) period that preceded Japanese modernization and the Boshin War, “Sonnō jōi” (Revere the Emperor, expel the barbarians”) was a popular motto of Japanese traditionalists. After the unexpected reversal of fortunes during the Boshin War, a victorious and rejuvenated Tokugawa Shogunate saw to it that the new motto of the pen-and-sword bureaucracy changed to “Fukoku kyōhei” (“Enrich the state, strengthen the military”), placating militarists and chauvinists in the Japanese society. However, recent openness in foreign politics, courtly gestures to the American and South-African “barbarians,” and decreasing value of the army and fleet in the affairs of the state have alienated many Japanese chauvinists, so much that even the Korean “parade” could hardly satisfy them. As the nation’s industry and technocratic elites become ever more dominant, the martial values of the old seem to be shifting out of the nation’s focus, making traditionalists exchange a bitter, sarcastic take on the old motto: “Expel the Emperor, rever the barbarians.”
Q1-Q2 1895: Chauvinist spirit has been flying high recently across Japan, due to its mostly triumphant battle reports from the “War of Asian Unshackling.” This gave the Bakufu government an idea to stabilize the mood across the country by running a wide propaganda campaign that presented the army and the navy as resurrected in the bloody fighting of the war. Another point of investment became paramilitarism, showcased particularly clearly by the Youth Courage Organization, which playfully prepares boys for the heroic life of the Emperor’s soldier or Shogun’s Own marine. The campaign may need a bit of time and continuous investment to really sink in in the national psyche, but so far it’s been considered as mostly successful. (Regional quest progress: 25.44%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -2.8 HC, -3.13 IC, -5.04 EC, -1.11 MC)
Dikasi quarter
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: As a part of the blooming cultural exchange between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Confederate States of America, a new legation quarter started to form in the outskirts of Edo, right beside the trade post of the Boer East Asian Spice Trading Company. Known to Confederate expats simply as Dixie-town (and butchered by locals as “Dikasi”), this cluster of Louisiana-style buildings is yet far from the glamor of the Chrysanthemum district of New Orleans, but with time and investments it could truly become a unique place in this generally self-isolated and xenophobic nation.
Eastern Train Line
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The air-line railway construction approach has already been tested in quite a few small-scale projects, but the so-called Eastern Train Line promises to be the first such undertaking on a regional scale. Stretching in more or less direct route from Hiroshima to Hachinohe, it traverses the Honshu Island, connecting the north to the south and enabling quick, affordable passenger transportation and cargo delivery. On a negative side, the train line requires plenty of construction efforts and also currently lacks locomotives that would be both energy-efficient and powerful enough to fully maximize the speed that the Eastern Train Line allows. (Regional quest progress: 82.62%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -2.64 HC, -1.69 IC, -6.71 EC, -4.37 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: As the nation’s war efforts are consuming most the Shogunate’s industrial expertise and resources, the construction crew working on the Eastern Train Line was greatly diminished. Simultaneously, their task was more narrowed down to prioritizing high-speed cargo transit between industrial and resource centers of the Honshu Island. This, of course, rang out as a potential risk to the commission in charge of the whole project, who were afraid the bare-bones crew could be overwhelmed with the magnitude of the remaining works. However, these concerns proved unfounded, as the Japanese industrial expertise was allowed to shine in a series of elegant, cost-effective solutions that indeed completed the air-line railway connecting Hiroshima to Hachinohe. (Regional quest completed with success, region Japanese Isles gains +10 EC, +10 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +1%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -3.57 HC, -0.75 IC, -9.3 EC, -8.05 MC)
Northern Train Line
Q1-Q2 1895: Now that the Honshu Island is connected north-east to south-west by an almost straight air-line train route, samurai-savants of the Bakufu regime are drawing plans to connect that artery of commerce to the underdeveloped northern island of Hokkaido. Loosely populated by Ainu natives and hardy Japanese settlers, this land contributes little into the larger Japanese economy and society, and the Northern Train Line is intended to change that. The plan drawn for it, however, has already caused plenty of controversy. Powerful locomotives needed for air-line transit systems are currently planned to be transported with their cars and cargo from Hachinohe station to the port of Aomori, from which a train ferry would take them across the Tsugaru Strait toward the Hokkaido island. There, the air-line railway is being built leading north across Hokkaido’s thick, snow-covered forests toward a tiny village of Wakkanai. While this extremely complicated engineering project does go a long way to showcase Tokugawa industrial finesse, it also raises some eyebrows as to what all these efforts are being aimed for. Unlike Russia’s Siberia and the Far East, the Hokkaido island has few valuable resources (timber being, probably, the only plentiful resource in high demand in Japan). Additionally, many auditors wonder what the purpose of a high-speed infrastructure in that region would be. After all, the northern islands lack in population and contain very little industry, making the high-maintenance, high-construction-cost air-line railway essentially a prestige project. Some advisers point out that the only way to make the railway serve at least some purpose, it would have to be connected to newly built, smaller, cheaper, and slower railway branches, thus bringing civilization to the few little towns that have started to grow across the island. (Regional quest progress: 54.14%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -3.29 HC, -2.39 IC, -7.08 EC, -3.96 MC)
Southern Train Line
Q1-Q2 1895: While one end of the all-country air-line railway is stretching north, another one is being pushed south. Indeed, the so-called Southern Train Line was expected to be somewhat a testing ground for engineering solutions applied in the north. However, in crossing of the Konmon Strait into the Kyushu island, Tokugawa engineering bureaus opted out of using a slower, but cheaper train ferry, considering it unnecessary for crossing a strait so much more narrow than the Tsugaru. The discussion is still ongoing, with one group proposing a cheaper (yet, still impressive) underground tunnel and another pushing for a suspension bridge that could, in the future, also host autocar traffic. While this argument is ongoing, the rest of the air-line railway infrastructure has already been completed across two thirds of the Kyushu island. Unlike in the north, the economic value of connecting this traditionally mercantile and industrious part of the Shogunate is obvious, and only a few voices ask the pen-and-sword bureaucrats if the Shikoku island is ever going to be included into the Shogunate’s ambitious high-speed railway engineering program. (Regional quest progress: 67.9%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -4.39 HC, -2.45 IC, -10.09 EC, -6.79 MC)
Triple Hollyhock Air Fleet
Q1-Q2 1895: The mutual borrowing of knowledge, methods, and culture between the CSA and the Tokugawa Shogunate continues. While the “Dikasi” continue learning from the Japanese industrial expertise and power production technologies, the Land of the Rising Sun is familiarizing itself with yet another method of public transportation and cargo delivery: a zeppelin network. Named the Triple Hollyhock Air Fleet (after the symbol of the Tokugawa clan), this project is essentially pushing off of the existing culture of recreational air-yacht use existing in the upper echelons of the Japanese society and attempts to turn airships into reliable ways of quick transportation and mail service for the wealthy. At that, unfortunately, the Triple Hollyhock Air Fleet is so far proving disappointing, because naval and air-line railway lines of communication remain much cheaper and more reliable, while being at least comparable at speed. Besides, the wealthy mostly prefer to use their own novelty airships if they can afford them, so a “zippurin” voyage remains to be an attraction only for the upper classes of newly born bourgeoisie. However, there’s one field in which the Triple Hollyhock Air Fleet chose to innovate and thus grew to stand out from its Confederate analog. A fleet of police airships has been created, mostly aimed at keeping the nation’s sprawling cities safe and secure. Equipped with spark-gap radiotransmitters (and, in smaller towns, rope-attached telephone lines), these patrolling air vehicles are hoped to become a new way of keeping the nation’s megalopolises safe. The end result of this innovation remain to be seen. (Regional quest progress: 85.96%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -2.17 HC, -1.13 IC, -5.06 EC, -3.52 MC)
Petty factionalism
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: Competition for state influence between various clans and factions is deeply rooted into the Japanese history, being shaped by a series of feudal wars fought for control over central institutions that de-facto never seized to exist. As the Tokugawa Shogunate rises to new heights of modernization and industrialization, new factions of samurai-savans and pen-and-sword bureaucrats naturally started to take shape out of this mentality of petty factionalism. Loyalty to one’s superior and, more broadly, to the single institution he represents continues guiding many decisions in the Bakufu administration, leading to unnecessary rivalry and constant infighting. Some observers point out that it pushes individuals to strive for excellence in order not to be overtaken by rivaling factions, but proponents of a more conventional, centralized-state approach still view this culture of factional contention as a weakness of the modern Japanese state.
Q1-Q2 1894: The development of entrepreneurial free spirit among the industrial associations was not the only revolutionary development in Tokugawa Japan in the first part of 1894. Seeking to eliminate traditional factionalism that defines the very hierarchies of various Japanese state organization, the Bakufu regime chose a three-pronged approach. Firstly, the uji (clans) serving the Shogunate were allowed to channel their competitive spirit in various contests, ranging from traditional sports and martial arts to such exotic competitions as contest-driven land exploration and computational programming. These didn’t always play out well, as some fake islands were discovered in the Pacific Ocean, and some batches of steel were produced in lower quality due to attempts to beat the quantity record by riviling factories. Besides, the contests only worsened the more impactful part of the factionalism, namely showing different branches of service how alien other servants of the Shogun truly were (showcased by a karate tournament, in which army representatives maimed several promising clerks and a palace artist). Still, the contests did work as some sort of a highly dysfunctional valve, letting the Bakufu reformists concentrate on another dangerous experiment: namely, learning from the “Superior men” of the Sublime Porte (a group of Pan-Ottoman supremacists) a fine art of xenophobia and empire-worship (as if the Japanese culture was somehow deprived of those valuable concepts). This did somewhat lower the tensions between Japanese servants of the Tokugawa Shogunate, but instead created them in its fringes and the colonies, with quite a few atrocities committed in Papua-New Guinea by some Shogunate infantrymen inspired by the unearned, but intoxicating sense of racial and imperial superiority. Meanwhile, the third aspect of the proposed solution was arguably harder and more expensive to implement, but was more liked by more pragmatic advisers of the Shogun (mostly the same people who took chances with introducing open class economy measures in January). Their proposal was to create matrixed command structures for particular tasks, with leadership boards being formed of representatives of different branches of the government united by a single leader who functions as a task leader. These joint task forces at times were unruly and disunited, but a few of them did show great results after the initial sense of pride and mistrust was left behind. The Shogun is being advised to act carefully and not to give his subordinates too much freedom in decision-making (lest they become too autonomous and thus ambitious) and also warn him that the skill of reaching out across the aisle may help his subjects to form political alliances against him. These warnings are likely to be rational, but, still, the reform of the traditional faction system of Tokugawa Japan is likely to reach its conclusion soon. (Regional quest progress: 81.11%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -2.25 HC, -3.57 IC, -5.61 EC, -1.26 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The grind of Japanese war with inter-faction rivalry continued moving forward this year, albeit at a snail’s pace. Mostly, this was caused by distraction of the Bakufu’s administrative resources with other, more pressing tasks, but specific measures clearly didn’t help. One of such measures was detailed analysis of after-action reports with the aim to find most effective cooperation strategies and use them as blueprints of organizing combined command structures in the future. While completely rational, this order was often distorted to become a tool of the very same factional rivalry it was supposed to eliminate. In a hierarchy with a still deeply rooted sense of personal loyalty, such reports often featured denunciation of factional enemies and blanching over of factional allies, rendering half of them useless at best. Meanwhile, an attempt to reinforce current hierarchical structures within the messy, yet potentially productive collaborative command environment led to even fewer good results, as it sent conflicting message to many leaders, who still had a trouble understanding natural boundaries of this novelty approach. Still, despite all setbacks, the program is moving forward, and it might indeed start producing first comprehensive results in the upcoming year. (Regional quest progress: 91.32%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -4.49 HC, -6.18 IC, -9.55 EC, -2.26 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: After two years of hectic reforms, confusion, and experimentation with methods, petty factionalism that was once considered an inseparable part of Japanese service mentality has been largely defeated. Having learned about all the do’s and don’t’s of fine-tuning the Shogunate’s task force command councils, the pen-and-sword bureaucracy finally hit the right note with an all-out simplification of instructions. While the damage done by the resulting upheaval, confusion, and rivalry has just now been fully computed, the optimists in the Shogun’s court point out that the creation of a unified and flexible command structure is going to grant Tokugawa Japan a chance to speed up its growth and development in all fields, albeit in expense of factional pride and motivation. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Japanese Isles gains +15 IC, Regional Growth Trend +0.25%, Tokugawa Shogunate: -100 HC, -50 IC, -50 EC, -20 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -4.66 HC, -5.21 IC, -8.4 EC, -1.85 MC)
Japanese armaments
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Ever after the British arms sale helped the Shogunate to turn around the Boshin War, the Tokugawa army was primarily armed with British-made weapons. That trend remained until the end of the First Atlantic War, when the first rift started to appear between the Shogunate and the increasingly isolationist Royal Commonwealth. Now that Japan and Great Britain have become martial enemies, the Shogunate has no other option other than develop its own, independent armament manufacturing industry, ranging from naval shipbuilding to gunmaking to armor works to supply basics, such as canned food. That, of course, was also a rather direct economic move, with state-aligned Jitsugyōka industrialists doing most of the legwork in exchange for low-interest loans and state subsidies. This new phase of industrial expansion is still ongoing, but it promises to fully provide the Tokugawa military a homemade materiel. (Regional quest progress: 88.24%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -2.04 HC, -0.43 IC, -4.89 EC, -3.98 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: Development of a native armaments industry continued through the second part of 1894 with no specific changes to the plan. With only a few constructions remaining unfinished, the expansion of the military goods manufacture is likely to produce first positive impact on Japan’s heavy industry by the first months of 1895. (Regional quest progress: 99.35%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -2.67 HC, -0.58 IC, -7.38 EC, -6.16 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The planned expansion of Japan’s home production of armaments has come to its conclusion this spring, as the state-guided effort to boost up the nation’s war efforts gave its desired results. On the negative side of things, it appears that Japanese home islands are starting to become weary of this extreme modernization, as many rural areas get devoured by quickly growing industrial complexes or infrastructure networks supplying them over a course of mere couple of years. Besides, many newly founded (and, to a degree, still revolutionary for Japan) “industrial associations” get erased from the economic map of the country by the labor whirlpool created by the well-paying, always-hiring armament factories. Still, in the grand scheme of things, Tokugawa Shogun has reasons to be confident that in the ongoing war his armies and navies have got their rear backed up by one of the most modern arms industries in the world. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Japanese Isles gains -10 HC, -10 EC, +15 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation -0.25%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -2.43 HC, -0.51 IC, -6.32 EC, -5.48 MC)
Edo Naval Academy
Q1-Q2 1895: Tokugawa naval pride was recently brought up by a string of victories against a once feared British Royal Navy. The prestige of the Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun has indeed become so great that Tokugawa allies with a much less rich marine tradition (the Third Empire of Burma being the first of them) wished to employ Japanese advisers at their own naval branches. To provide this extra pool of capable naval officers, the Tokugawa Shogun ordered the establishment of a new Naval Academy in Edo. Unlike in the previous, state-guided efforts to venture into growing a new generation of musicians, this effort met an opposite problem: namely, a surplus of ones who desired to join the navy (thanks to a successful propaganda campaign), but lack of actual ships to serve on. As a result, many cadets of the Edo Naval Academy are being sarcastically nicknamed “Biruma sailors” by their more experienced naval colleagues, indicating that they’re being groomed for serving as advisers in a much less experienced Burmese fleet. (Regional quest completed with success, region Japanese Isles gains +5 IC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -1.49 HC, -1.67 IC, -2.69 EC, -0.59 MC)
Kyoto Engineering Hub
Q1-Q2 1895: The authoritarian technocracy of the Tokugawa Shogunate is beloved by many believers in mobilizational nature of progress, and this year displayed just why. Seeing how perspective air travel could be (be it based on heavier- or lighter-than-air vehicles), the pen-and-sword bureaucracy promoted and organized a so-called Kyoto Engineering Hub in the first half of 1895. The idea was to create incentives and positive conditions for Japanese entrepreneurial inventors to work on complex engineering, automotive, and aerospace projects in and around the nation’s third biggest city (with an emphasis being on development of Tokugawa own aircraft past racing sky-yachts). The project was met with success on all fronts except one. After the disaster of Osaka, urban population across the entire Home Islands has grown incredibly weary of any high-tech developments in their area. While a regular artillery factory, oil refinery, or a ship wharf are being perceived as something understandable and thus mostly harmless (despite the horrible working conditions, poisoned atmosphere, and risk of accidents and fires), inventorial bureaus, chemical labs and (oh, horror!) experimental wind tunnels quickly become subjects of wildest rumors. At times, an entire block might panic and rush to evacuate when a new inventor moves in and opens a workshop. At other times, the same inventor may get beaten and his equipment vandalized by the locals who fear of another “Fire of Osaka” in their town. This year, Kyoto had all of that, it significantly limited the output of the new Engineering Hub project. In fact, not one, not two, but three Luddite riots had to be put down by the police in that city alone, prompting many aspiring inventors to stay out of moving in in its vicinity, or publicly announcing their aspirations, or applying for government grants. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Japanese Isles gains -10 HC, +5 IC, +5 EC, +5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation -0.25%, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -3.37 HC, -3.25 IC, -6.53 EC, -2.4 MC)
Deep Ocean Society
Q1-Q2 1895: The Tokugawa elites’ interest in eugenics used to look like yet another temporary craze, but it appears to have taken a deeper hold in the Japanese society and hidden ambitions of its ruling class. A secret pro-eugenic organization existing outside of Kempeitai and other official intelligence agencies was born this year, named Shinkai Shakai, or Deep Ocean Society. Pursuing an agenda of the betterment of human genetics, the Deep Ocean Society ventures into the dangerous waters of artificial selection for the improvement of the human race - at least, in accordance with its leadership’s strange views. (Regional quest completed with success, secret organization “Deep Ocean Society” is created, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -4.85 HC, -5.42 IC, -8.74 EC, -1.93 MC)
Jōmon archeology
Q1-Q2 1895: Semi-sedentary ancient culture of the Jōmon period of Japanese post-paleolithic history have attracted the attention of one Balfour St. Claire, a Cajun member of the Confederate Office of Human History. Thanks to the close ties between the two nations, he quickly secured a permit to start excavation on the Japanese Isles, promising to share some of the findings with the prosperous Chrysanthemum District of New Orleans. That promise was fulfilled, when Dr. St. Claire established several excavation sites across the Home Isles, producing an impressive array of dogū earthenware figurines and exquisite pottery pieces that were eerily similar in material and style to similar artifacts of the American North-Pacific coast. (Regional quest completed with success, region Japanese Isles: Confederate States of America gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Tokugawa Shogunate loses -0.5% Regional Influence, region American Deep South: +5 IC, Confederate States of America losses: -0.72 HC, -1.01 IC, -1.41 EC, -0.36 MC)
Electrical grid
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The Orient seems to be establishing itself as the beacon of newest electrical power-generation technologies. After AC electricity generation was pioneered by the Heavenly Kingdom earlier this year, yet another revolutionary technological solution was proposed by Japanese jitsugyoka, with a potential to electrify vast urban areas and, possibly, make electrical power a popularly affordable commodity. So called electrical grids are an interconnected network of high voltage transmission lines that carry electrical power from distant sources to demand centers, and distribution lines that connect individual customers. With typical Japanese determination, the zaibatsu corporations spearheading this project quickly got to work on their first pilot project in the port of Kawasaki, while simultaneously negotiating a cooperation contract with their colleagues from the CSA and China. This paved a road for what may truly place these three nations on the forefront of electrification efforts, illuminating the industrial world with new knowledge and insights. (Technology quest progress: 62.79%, Confederate States of America losses: -0.92 HC, -0.21 IC, -2.49 EC, -2.13 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -0.84 HC, -0.18 IC, -2.33 EC, -1.95 MC, Taiping Mandate losses: -1.87 HC, -0.42 IC, -4.83 EC, -3.17 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Nippono-Dixie cooperation over the high-scale “Stand Tall” initiative in America provided plenty of practical expertise to Tokugawa and Confederate industrial engineers over the do’s and don’t’s of electrical grid construction. Some of the lessons learned were related to proper protection of the power lines both for saving the companies’ property from damage and for prevention of safety incidents. Either way, now it seems that the nations of the Orient and their American partners have some of the most advanced industrial knowledge of dispersed power delivery. (Technology quest completed, Tokugawa Shogunate, Confederate States of America, Taiping Mandate adopt “Electrical grid” for no additional cost, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -1.86 HC, -0.39 IC, -4.83 EC, -4.19 MC, Confederate States of America losses: -2.37 HC, -0.47 IC, -5.09 EC, -4.26 MC)
Pacific Siberia
Spoiler:
Fast-developing, strategically important region saturated with natural resources, access to which just started to improve via growth of infrastructure and attraction of immigrants.
Pacific Constitutional Assembly
Q1-Q2 1895: Since its emergence as an autonomous state entity under the Russian Commonwealth at the end of the Second Time of Troubles, the Pacific Directory was always mostly a makeshift country, based on a series of semi-formal agreements, deals, and compromises, all cemented by the will of its energetic Director Volya (who’s name, fittingly, literally meant “will” in Russian). However, by now the complexity and size of the Directory no longer can hold on such feeble foundations, and a need for a proper constitutional setup has finally became obvious for all Transpacific leaders. With these thoughts in mind, a group of Transpacific high statesmen and local deputies got together in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky for the first Pacific Constitutional Assembly, aiming to finish formalizing the national legal framework. They were joined by representatives of indigenous communities, immigrant diasporas, as well as Russian, North-German, and Confederate American consultants. The Assembly was portrayed as a constitutional crisis in some more sensationalist newspapers, but mostly the process drawing the constitutional framework was rather calm and boring, taking most of the spring and early summer, promising Transpacifica its brand new constitution by the end of August. (Regional quest progress: 97.31%, Pacific Directory losses: -3.61 HC, -5.5 IC, -7.53 EC, -0.59 MC)
The Green Wedge
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: Historical migrations of Ukrainian settlers are closely tied with the establishment of Cossack Hosts on the frontiers of Russia. Known as klyns (lit. “wedges”), these “new Ukraines” are spread throughout all historical territories conquered or colonized by Russia since the 15th century. The Yellow Wedge exists in the Volga valley, the Crimson Wedge in the Kuban, the Gray Wedge in Northern Kazakhstan, and, eastward of all, there lies the Green Wedge of Transkathay, stretching all the way along the Amur river and up to the Ayan Bay in the north. Now that the Manchu population has been properly assimilated into the increasingly Asianized Transpacific nation, the Ukrainian settlers of the Green Wedge represent the biggest and most enterprising, yet also rather unruly ethnic minority of the Siberian part of the Directory. Gold miners, river traders, fishers, free farmers, and horse breeders, these freedom-loving people are well-connected to their Eastern European homeland and can become a valuable part of the growing nation, should the Board of Directors find a way to channel their energy in the right direction.
Between two volcanoes
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: Most of Russian cities in the Far East are built on or between sopkas (gently sloping hills and mountains). When Vitus Bering, a Danish explorer on Russian service, founded Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in 1740 in a bay huddled between two giant mountains, he probably didn’t think that less than a century later the sopkas would come alive. Now Avachinskaya Sopka and Koryakskaya Sopka are known to be fairly active volcanoes, causing no real damage to the capital of the Pacific Directory, but raising some concerns about the city’s security. Some of the more nervous magistrates suggest that the capital should be moved to the city of Okhotsk, the southern Pacific gateway to the Siberian River Routes, or to the bustling American port of Novo-Arkhangelsk, also known to its native residents as Sitka. Meanwhile, Petropavlovsk authorities display true Russian stubbornness and insist that the growing metropolis has nothing to worry about, pointing at the Italian shantytown growing on the Avachinskaya Sopka’s slope. If anything, they suggest that the volcanoes could become great tourist attractions or sources of volcanic ash for cement factories which would sure come handy should the Board of Directors follow up on their plan to expand the city’s port facilities and its fortress.
Q3-Q4 1894: The Board of Directors went for a compromise solution that combined everything Transpacific in it: frontiersman's stubbornness, merchant’s opportunism, and a government man’s pragmaticism. The proposal to move the capital was rejected out of hand. Meanwhile, the volcanic ash from the two sopkas indeed proved to be a great source of cement for the rapidly expanding city. However, its main use was the creation of a new type of seismically resilient building, which are yet to be truly tested in the event of an actual disaster. To supplement that effort, a series of evacuation drills were implemented, while siren towers and seismographic stations were established across the city and its surroundings, far superseding any other place on Earth in terms of preparation to natural disasters. While construction of some of the remaining buildings is still in progress, a proposal was put on the Chief Director’s desk to not stop there and use Petropavlovsk experience to establish a state-wide disaster response service and regulations. (Regional quest progress: 94.11%, Pacific Directory losses: -3.5 HC, -2.54 IC, -8.59 EC, -3.73 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Perhaps, busy with the grind of the Pacific Constitutional Assembly, the Board of Directors chose to shelf the idea of installing seismic security measures across all cities of the Pacific coast, limiting the scope of their building efforts only on Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and its satellite town, a wharf city of Rybachy. This has limited the impact of the development on the region, but, at least, helped to expand the Rybachy Shipyards, increasing the city’s shipbuilding output. (Regional quest completed with success, region Pacific Siberia gains +5 HC, +5 EC, +5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.25%, Pacific Directory losses: -1.49 HC, -0.42 IC, -4.22 EC, -2.52 MC)
Tea towns
Q1-Q2 1895: Tea first became known in Russia in the middle of the 16th century, but it became a truly popular soft drink in the reign of Peter the Great. Through the early 19th century, Nanai villages of Ayan and Nelkan were the entreports of Chinese tea imports into Russia, from where precious goods were being transported to the Russian heartland via Siberian River Routes. Then came the Second Time of Troubles, and the chaos in Siberia put a hard stop to the tea imports, causing what was popularly known in Russia as the “Tea Thirst.” With the construction of the Transsiberian Railway stretching all the way to Ayan, the Chinese tea imports returned, but the Russian demand for tea also spiked, making the makeshift processing facilities of Ayan and Nelkan completely inadequate to the task. A proposal was made to greatly expand the Ayan commercial harbor and warehouses, while turning Nelkan into a location of major tea packing factories. This proposal has several challenges, though. Firstly, both towns are still fairly humble in size, and excess labor needed to maintain these facilities would have to come from somewhere. Secondly, native Nanai citizens state that they’d rather retain the ethnic outlook of their homeland by having Nanai, Evenk, or Yakut workers live there, rather than drowning in a sea of Russian labor migrants. That’ however, requires more effort, as the indigenous peoples are not as enthusiastic about an urban lifestyle and challenges it brings.
Sannikov’s Land
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: In 1810-1811, two Russian explorers of the Arctic Ocean, Yakov Sannikov and Matvei Gedenschtrom, described existence of an island located deep in the Arctic ice sheet that since then was never sighted by any other explorer and thus became somewhat of a phantom land existing mostly in the folklore of Russian Arctic seamen. Nicknamed “Zemlya Sannikova” (“Sannikov’s Land”), it eventually gained a near-mythical status, with storytellers claiming it to be rich with precious minerals and bizarre macrofauna that doesn’t live anywhere else on Earth. Until recently, Sannikov’s Land was just that, a myth, but a recent expedition led by Eduard Gustav von Toll, a Russian geologist of Baltic German descent, observed a pillar of smoke somewhere deep in the Eastern-Siberian Sea, suggesting that a volcanic island or archipelago might exist there, giving ground to rumors and speculations about the possibility of it being the very same Sannikov’s Land that has captured imagination of Russian pioneers for over eighty years.
Q3-Q4 1894: Transpacific plans to search for the mythical Sannikov’s Land were grand. Confederate airships and North-German conquerors of the Arctics were expected to partake in a joint, three-nation venture to the vastness of the Eastern-Siberian Sea. However, by late July telegraphs were received from the CSA about a change of plans, and a trio of Transpacific ships (Koreets, Amerika, and experimental icebreaker Yermak) with a mixed Germano-Transpacific crew was rushed out of the harbor before the winter season arrives and makes the expedition near-impossible. Luckily for the Transpacific and North-German explorers, the Yermak did make the travel through sea ice much less challenging, allowing allowing two of the ships (Amerika and Yermak itself) to evade being crushed in the ice and reach a strange polynya (an area of open water surrounded by ice) far into the part of the Eastern-Siberian Sea that was supposed to be covered by thick ice by that part of the year. The polynya, it seemed, was formed by a large expulsion of hot water from a volcanic rift at the bottom of the sea. As the baffled expedition continued travelling north, the legendary Sannikov’s Land emerged on the horisont. To the explorers’ surprise, the island was indeed covered by green vegetation, reminding tundra stuck in a permanent state of mild summer. No further discoveries were made at that point, as the first landing occurred two days before the New Year’s Eve. However, whatever is the expedition’s goal, it has to be achieved soon, as volcanic activity on the island seems to be increasing, and no one can be sure when the eruption occurs. (Regional quest progress: 70.03%, Pacific Directory losses: -4.3 HC, -3.81 IC, -8.51 EC, -5.49 MC, North German Federation losses: -1.91 HC, -4.48 IC, -5.38 EC, -1.46 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The growing volcanic activity on and around the Sannikov’s Land turned the entire expedition into a surprisingly urgent affair. To make matters worse, the expected start of hostilities in the Middle East (in which the Pacific Directory this time was going to participate) lead to a loss of plenty of capable Transpacific anthropologists and interpreters, most of which were recalled home. This left only the North-German naturalists and Transpacific seamen to perform the hunt for any hints of scientific knowledge on the dying island. The former were quite successful at their job, as the island turned out to be populated by several species of prehistoric animals previously considered extinct - including mighty mammoths, woolly rhinos, and cave lions. In efforts to cage the prehistoric fauna alive, the North-German naturalists attempted to approach them openly, thinking they wouldn’t be familiar with humans and thus wouldn’t panic. This assumption cost a few brave souls their lives, as the lions displayed a pretty good appetite for human meat and skill at hunting even armed hunters. Still, eventually some specimen were successfully trapped and caged, shortly before yet another amazing discovery was made. A human tribe lived on the island, surprisingly resembling more First Nations of North America than Tungusic inhabitants of Polar Asia (only being much taller and stronger than either group). Speculations were made that the tribe got trapped on the warm island thousands of years ago and could have been living there ever since. The natives were peaceful and even friendly to a degree, but all attempts to communicate to them failed, as the Transpacific navy and North-German naturalists lacked the knowledge of hermeneutics possessed by Transpacific anthropologists alone at this point. By end of May, when some forms of sign language helped the expedition to more or less establish contact with the tribesmen, a disaster struck. The sopka in the middle of island started to erupt, leading the locals to split. Some of them, led by a shaman, viewed it as a sign from their “God of Fire Tongues,” gathering around the rivers of magma to sacrifice their own possessions to the raging nature. Meanwhile, another group, led by a bright hunter who was previously the most communicative with the expedition members, understood the danger in a more pragmatic way and crowded the expedition’s two ships in hopes to evacuate in time. When the sky turned black from volcanic ash, it looked like the only way to save at least some of the natives was to abandon all samples and caught animals in order to free up space in the ships’ hold. It was at that most desperate moment that great pillars of smoke appeared on the horisont. First, the expedition suspected that they were signs of other underwater volcanoes erupting, dooming everyone on the island. Luckily, the clouds of smoke and steam were left by several Russian icebreakers that were sent by the Directorial Admiralty to the Sannikov’s Land to assist the Pacific Directory with its research. Ill-equipped for any research, the cargo ships were perfect for transporting the expedition and all of its findings, as well as the “Sannikov’s Islanders” out of the dying land. In the end, the expedition proved to be a great scientific boon for the Pacific Directory and North-German Federation, with new museums, zoos, and even “reservations” being built in the both countries just for preservation of the findings and their display to the amazed audience. While Russia didn’t benefit from the research itself, it still got plenty of praise and international prestige for its role in saving the expedition and preserving its knowledge. Meanwhile, as Sannikov’s Land disappeared in clouds of smoke, yet another rumor was born. Some seamen claim that shortly before the final eruption they saw the remaining group of fire-worshippers leaving the island on a surprisingly complex wooden raft with a sail. Where they headed for, nobody knows. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Pacific Siberia gains +10 IC, region North Germany gains +10 IC, Directorial Russia: +10 IC, Pacific Directory losses: -1.25 HC, -1.09 IC, -2.03 EC, -2.48 MC, Directorial Russia losses: -2.34 HC, -1.34 IC, -3.3 EC, -5.14 MC, North German Federation losses: -1.25 HC, -1.09 IC, -2.03 EC, -2.48 MC)
International system of units
Q1-Q2 1895: For a little under two centuries now, Russia and its directorates were using the standardised system of units established by Tsar Peter the Great in the early 18th century - which, in turn, was based on the ancient Russian measurement units, similar to ones possessed by any more or less sophisticated culture on the globe. However, as the world economy becomes more and more interconnected, and various industrial and scientific contracts involve a great deal of international cooperation, it became obvious for many that some sort of international standards should be established. It came as no surprise that it was Transpacifica, one of the most polyglot nations in the world, went forward with an initiative to give life to such a standardized system of measurements and metrics, leading to standardization of tool sizes and shapes. The Transpacific Department of Scientific Affairs went quickly found plenty of support in Council of Savants of the North German Federation, a renowned world center of knowledge and learning. However, in order to give the new system true international value, the Transpacificans had to secure agreement of at least one more industrial giant, and, not without the North-German help, they found such support in its metropolia, in Directorial Russia. Together, the three teams did the lion’s share of work establishing a joint system of measurements of weight, distance, time, electricity, and chemical volume. At this rate, this titanic task may be completed before the end of the year, paving the road toward a truly recognized global measurement system. (Regional quest progress: 84.72%, Pacific Directory losses: -2.06 HC, -3.14 IC, -4.3 EC, -0.34 MC, Directorial Russia losses: -0.71 HC, -1.49 IC, -2.38 EC, -0.52 MC, North German Federation losses: -0.79 HC, -1.47 IC, -1.88 EC, -0.5 MC)
Australia-Oceania
Spoiler:
Slowly-developing, underpopulated, vast region with low economic potential, but big strategic value for control of the Pacific Ocean.
Great Penal Rebellion
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: While the prison riots and penal colony uprisings didn’t form into a homogeneous independence movement, they did bring plenty of anarchy to the Australian countryside. Known to the locals as the Troubles, or the Great Penal Rebellion to the British, this chaotic discontent might indeed one day form into some sort of a centralized mutiny against the colonial authorities. Yet, whoever wants to exploit it, would have to first find effective leaders capable of organizing and subordinating the freedom-loving “penals.” Needless to say, the best way to identify such capable individuals is by looking for islands of order in the sea of rural anarchy. One of such “penal countries” is ruled by a fanatical demagogue, one Joe I. Mortan, who leverages his power as the controller of the only freshwater lake in the region and attempts to transform that power into some sort of legitimacy over the local “non-penals” stuck under his rule. A similar, yet, at the same time, completely opposite development took place farther north, where a feminist commune of political exiles is now functioning as a social-liberal provisional government, led by a council known as the Thousand Mothers. Other areas are more anarchic, and some bands even seized steam carriages and road locomotives and drove them into the outback (or the Great White as they call the Australian desert), populated by Aboriginal tribes, where their track was completely lost.
Q1-Q2 1895: As the Australian colony of the British Royal Commonwealth found itself besieged on all fronts (and with a mutiny in its rear, to boot), the British garrison was ordered to concentrate on protecting the key hubs of civilization remaining on the continent. While this took all pressure away from the bands of steam car-riding anarchists in the Outback, it also limited the damage such gangs and communes could do to the colony. Besides, the British control of the ports meant that infiltration of the “Fortress Australia” was not an easy task. Technically, any hostile power could easily fly an airship across the sea to some unobserved and unguarded beach and drop a group of operatives with financial resources right there. At the same time, in order to contact any of the “penals,” such a group would have to weather a long march across an unexplored desert or savannah, potentially falling victims to the very same group of raiders they attempted to contact. It seems like that’s exactly what actually happened some time between January and July 1895, as traces of at least four different expeditions were later found by the British patrols. It’s unclear how the foreign spies attempted to bribe or agitate the “penals” into contributing to their grand plan (and how many of them succeeded), but one thing is clear: by the end of spring some of the gangs of the Outback united indeed and started to perform dashing attacks on Royal Army outposts protecting key population centers. Neither of thee attacks could seriously threaten an entire city, but little-by-little the British army is starting to find itself spread dangerously thin between population centers, busy reacting to unexpected raids instead of supporting the Royal Marines in defending the coast against one known enemy, the Tokugawa Shogunate. (Regional quest progress: 54.91%, ??? losses: -4.1? HC, -4.5? IC, -7.4? EC, -1.6? MC, British Royal Commonwealth losses: -6.21 HC, -1.68 IC, -4.68 EC, -2.62 MC)
Maori wars
Spoiler:
1890: Aboriginal people of New Zealand, the Maori have been a thorn in the British side for half a century now. With resources of the Commonwealth spread out over the entire globe, few troops are available for enforcing British colonial dominance in the Southern Island. Rumors have it that still independent tribes are being gradually united into a federation by a brutal, visionary warlord who is looking for ways to truly modernize the ways of his people for the sake of resisting the hated Pakeha (European settlers). If no action is taken, it may be only a matter of time before a new Maori nation springs out to existence.
Q4 1893: A Maori tribal chief known as Hone Riiwi Toia, the man behind the unification attempts of the entire Southern Island, was, according to rumors, approached by European foreigners this fall. They offered to supply his forces with modern small arms in exchange for two concessions: the defeated Maori tribes should be assimilated, but not slaughtered (something that Hone Riiwi Toia was intended to do anyway), and upon his ultimate victory the newly formed nation would provide its armaments suppliers with a chance to open some mining operations on the Southern Island. The offer was tentatively well-received, but the road to Maori unity is still a long one, and the natives’ new benefactors may have to stick to their promises for quite a while. As long as they do, Hone Riiwi Toia, a notable prophet and religious leader, has a good chance to unite various Southern Island tribes of tangata whenua (literally, "people of the land") into a centralized federation that may look rather primitive compared to modern and even feudal states of Eurasia, but would still be a huge departure from the primitive societies the British have grown accustomed to dealing with in Oceania over the course of the 19th century. (Regional quest progress: -16.43%, ??? losses: -1.5? HC, -2.7? IC, -4.2? EC, -1.3? MC)
Q1-Q2 1894: The embattled Royal Commonwealth had absolutely no resources to spare on containing the growing threat from the Southern Island. That allowed the armaments smuggling to continued unopposed, helping Hone Riiwi Toia to gradually grow his tribal army’s strength. (Regional quest progress: -31.43%, ??? losses: -1.7? HC, -2.9? IC, -4.5? EC, -1.4? MC)
Marsupials for sale
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: Appearance of Portobrazilian traders in the Pacific region has brought with them a new type of economic demand. The world capital of exotic pet trade, Brazil is ever hungry for new types of domesticated animals to feed the pride, curiosity, and insecurity of aristocratic eccentrics. Naturally, the insular lands of Australia and New Zealand are ideal sources of such pets, because local marsupials surpass anything human imagination can come up with (in overhunted lands of Europe, at least). This creates an influx of wealth into the otherwise poor region, but British colonial authorities have been warned that Portobrazilian hunting practices could do a lot of damage to local ecosystems (an obscure notion that sounds too scientific for anyone to care as of now).
Fast-developing, but underpopulated region with big access to natural resources and a big influx of new immigrants.
Masked dance performance for Vancouver
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: A Squamish native village named X̱wáýx̱way (meaning “masked dance performance,” pronounced by English-speakers as “Whoi whoi” and mocked by Russian Canadians as “svoi-svoi”, meaning “ours-ours”) used to exist in the heart of Vankuvyr’ (Vancouver City) before 1876. During the First Atlantic War, British Columbia’s governor-general Lord Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, made a decision to recettle all Salish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-waututh peoples of the Vancouver region to a military reservation outside that city, deeming them too untrustworthy and susceptible to American propaganda and espionage efforts. The village got demolished, and in its place a park was built, named after Lord Stanley himself. With the expansion of Russian America into British Columbia and the Oregon in the aftermath of the First Atlantic War, the park was renamed after Dmitry Maksutov, a governor and, in a way, founding father of the Pacific Directory. However, despite all native outreach by Maksutov and his successors, the resettlement of X̱wáýx̱way was never reversed, leaving the descendants of its citizens to live in much harsher lands north-east of the city. Yet, this year one of them took charge of his own people’s history. A Squamish elder-cum-gun trader, Jericho Charlie Shinatset recently made a fortune, partnering with the Kenaitsy arms traders in gun sales to the Iron Confederacy. Upon his return to Vancouver, Jericho Charlie (or, as he now calls himself in Russian fashion, “Yevgeniy Karlovich”) started to aggressively buy out real estate and land surrounding the Maksutov Park, offering these properties to his tribal compatriots for symbolical rent. Not stopping there, Mr. Shinatset is now besieging the city council, offering to buy back the park land and, probably, rebuild the X̱wáýx̱way village, now in a more urban form. Naturally, many Vankuverites oppose that takeover of “their” city. On the other hand, some people suggest taking advantage of that investment opportunity, striking some sort of a deal with the Squamish nouveau riche.
Four genders of the Aleut
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The Komandorski and Aleut islands were colonized by Russian fur traders in the first half of the 18th century, and Russo-Aleut relations have been existing ever since. Despite some trade conflicts and “promysel wars” over access to hunting grounds, the two ethnic groups mostly coexisted peacefully, with Cyrillic alphabet even being used in written Aleut language, and some Aleut families embracing Russian Orthodoxy. However, one cultural difference continues to create a rift between the diasporas. In their traditional tales and rituals, the Aleuts mention so-called “two-spirits,” known as ayagigux̂ (male-bodied, or "man transformed into a woman") and tayagigux̂ (female-bodied, or "woman transformed into a man"). These folk stories only reflect a sexual custom widely accepted among the Aleuts of being highly tolerant to homosexuality or asexuality. Second-generation Russian colonists have mostly grown accustomed to this bizarre tradition, adopting the “live and let live” policy toward the Aleuts and their customs of carnal love (especially considering that both groups often do lucrative business together), but newcomers from European Russia or Siberia show much less acceptance of these “sinful” practices. In fact, a series of religious protests are starting to take place across all of Alyaska, with people demanding that the Directory finally cracks down on the natives’ “life of sin and debauchery.”
Artel of artists
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: A so-called “Artel of artists” was the name of a secret club of democratically minded painters and sculptors founded in St. Petersburg in the 1860s. It was destined to become just an insignificant page in the cultural history of Russia had it not been for the blossoming of artel startups in Transpacifica on the wave of Directorial Russian and North-German investments. Seeing that groups of like-minded workers and entrepreneurs could truly grow rich together by working on innovative projects, some of the more creative types have started to form “artels of artists” in order to mass-produce art for the nation’s growing class of urban bourgeoisie. It remains to be seen if intellectual labor could bring same fruit as manufacturing of material goods.
Central Canada
Spoiler:
Stagnant, wide region with very primitive infrastructure and little access to foreign markets, but big potential for resource extraction.
Bisons come back
Spoiler:
1890: Ever since the whiteskins withdrew from Alberta, the population of bisons, briefly driven to near-extinction, has started to recover, supporting a population boom among local First Nations. Still, some European hunters have started returning to the Confederacy’s lands to hunt these animals, rarely for subsistence and mostly for trade. Taught by their previous dire experience, many warrior societies of the Assiniboine tribes have started to organize packs of “bizon runners,” groups of hunters and warriors tasked with hunting the hunters of non-indigenous descent. So far, nobody has died, since whiteskins caught by the bizon runners end up being stripped of their shooting weapons and set free with a humble, but reasonable food supply.
The burden of settlement
Spoiler:
1890: As demographics of the Iron Confederacy is stabilizing and products of European technologies become more and more common, settled lifestyle associated with agriculture and manufacture is slowly coming to the First Nations, especially popular among the Salish (also known as the “Flathead Indians”). For now, only a fraction of the Native American society of Central Canada has chosen to form permanent villages and forts, but the trend seems to be definitely in favor of further abandonment of the Confederacy’s nomadic traditions. On the one hand, it may bring the tribal league more wealth and, hopefully, more European technology. On the other hand, many in the Confederacy are afraid that the settled lifestyle makes them more vulnerable to the whiteskin threat.
Primeval justice
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Now that the Pacific Directory rules over vast hinterlands of the Arctic Ocean shore, populated mostly by Inuit hunters and few unlucky Transpacific garrisons, the modern law is starting to clash with the grim reality of this inhospitable place. This was most vividly showcased by a so-called Kikkik Trial. Kikkik, an Inuit woman, was charged with murder and child neglect causing death, because she killed her half-brother after he shot to death her husband and attempted to murder Kikkik herself as well. These horrible acts were committed under a threat of starvation because caribou herds didn’t come to their regular pastures this season. Facing inevitable death from hunger and lacking her departed husband’s help, Kikkik took her five children to a trek to a neighboring Transpacific ostrog camp, only to find herself exhausted halfway there and unable to pull the sled in absence of huskies that had run away earlier. She left two of her children in a primitive igloo, where they eventually died, but Kikkik and the remainders of her family did make it to Fort Dyachenko alive. Now she is to be tried by the Transpacific law, which, naturally, wasn’t written with such extreme conditions in mind. Most importantly, Kikkik’s case is not unique, but is rather the most known example of a larger trend, showing that Inuit people have been facing great hardships in recent years, often leading them to such tragic and horrible acts.
Q1-Q2 1895: Kikkik’s case received plenty of coverage in Transpacific press, especially in light of the Constitutional Assembly that was working to tie-in the main law of the Directory with some of the extreme conditions on the ground in more distant regions of the country. After a few weeks of the trial, persecution chose to drop their charges, setting an important precedent for future cases of that kind (which also sent some lawyers reeling with concerns that “Kikkik defense” could be used in future cases to evade prosecution under law when no adult witnesses are found). Regardless, the Directory’s focus on the case didn’t end there. A system of regional infrastructure developments and army blockhouses was established across the Far North, costing Transpacifica quite a penny to maintain, but ensuring greater security of people living in these windswept wastelands. This resolution also had some mild diplomatic effect on the region, as a so-called Iron Confederacy Relations Task Force (formed for unrelated diplomatic efforts) was also consulted in advising on the problems of First Nations, eventually tying many indigenous settlements of the Far North closer to the Pacific Directory even outside its formal borders. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Central Canada gains +5 HC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +1.25%, Pacific Directory gains +1.5% Regional Influence, Iron Confederacy loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Quebec loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Union of North America loses -0.75% Regional Influence, Pacific Directory: -10 EC, Pacific Directory losses: -4.97 HC, -2.56 IC, -6.43 EC, -2.15 MC)
Tempered iron
Q1-Q2 1895: The Pacific Directory had a long history of openly dealing with First Nations tribes of Canada and the Rockies, and this year this diplomatic channel was formalized thanks to the creation of a so-called Iron Confederacy Relations Task Force. The group was tasked primarily with helping the Iron Confederacy align with the geopolitical course and vision of the Pacific Directory, with primary emphasis being made on the drastic need for the Iron Confederacy to reform its armed forces along Transpacific (or more humble, but similar) standards. The proposal faced a duplicate challenge. Among the friendly tribes of the western and northern territories, a natural tribal inertia was supported by a rational question of where the Confederacy would get resources for such a complex rearmament program. Meanwhile, in the east, resistance to that diplomatic development was much more determined and centralized, with local chieftains often acting on their own initiative against the Transpacific diplomats. They were concerned that the Directory’s call for rearmament could worsen their relationship with the Union, which trade stations in the Guarded Lands were seen both as a sign of much desired friendship and also a source economic prosperity for the region. Over time, the inertia started giving a way, but the Transpacificans still have to work to truly change the Iron Confederacy’s political priorities, and even that may not be enough to reach their final goals, unless the Confederacy gains a source of military materiel. (Regional quest progress: 87.06%, Pacific Directory losses: -3.08 HC, -4.7 IC, -6.43 EC, -0.51 MC, Iron Confederacy losses: -3.52 HC, -6.63 IC, -11.03 EC)
Atlantic Canada-Quebec
Spoiler:
Slowly developing, war-weary region with once well-established, but now diminished economy and demographics.
Back to the Little North
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: Since 1713, the eastern coastline of the island of Newfoundland was named the French Coast, because, according to the treaty of Utrecht, French fishermen from nearby colonies were allowed to seasonally fish in its waters. Over centuries, it attracted a reasonable number of French immigrants, mostly from Brittany, who called the region "le petit nord" (Little North). During the military rule by the Protectorate that followed the First Atlantic War, the French Newfoundlanders were disenfranchised, and just like Quebecoi, many of them were forced to leave the region for New England. Now that the British rule over Newfoundland has collapsed, and the territory was passed to a moderately leftist, Franco-Canadian government of Quebec, the Little North has become a center of mass migration of French-speaking people from New-Englander refugee communities and from Europe itself. The latter wave of immigration is tied by some to the dire state of the French economy and, at times, dissatisfaction felt by the Bretons with both the new Possibilist government and its ideologically radical opposition.
Reputed Golden Age of the Maritimes
Spoiler:
1890: Throughout most of the 19th century, the Maritimes region of British Canada experienced a powerful economic boom and development of local mass manufacture. The Atlantic War and its devastation have changed that trend, which coincided with huge levels of wealth inequality between the rich and the poor. In fact, something completely new to this regions is starting to happen. Broke urbanites and rural dwellers are starting to become so desperate that they happily volunteer to the army, only in order to disappear from the sight of their rich lenders. Those debtors who opposed military service, ironically, end up being blackbirded or impressed into it by the bounty hunters hired by banks and moneylenders who try to recover at least part of the lost sum by virtually selling the bankruptcy victims to the British army and navy.
Atlantic Wars and Atlantic cables
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: The first Transatlantic telegraph cables were laid in 1869 by then-cooperating Great Britain and France with the assumption they’d remain if not allies, then at least partners. As a result, the cables were laid between the French colony of St. Pierre and Miquelon (two tiny fishing islands off the coast of Nova Scotia) and a town of Ballycarbery in British Ireland, extending from there to the harbor of Brest in continental France. During the First Atlantic War attempts were made to lay a new Transatlantic cable between Brittany and Massachusetts, but the British Atlantic fleet prevented such plans from materializing. Now the situation in the high seas is different, and France once again finds itself in need of effectively communicating with North America. Several projects of a new, British interference-free Transatlantic cable have been proposed. One of them suggests connecting Brest directly to St. Pierre and Miquelon, and from there on to Duxbury, Massachusetts. Another, more cautious, but much more costly approach is use Bermuda as the transfer station, prolonging the cable, but helping cable-laying ships to stay away from the British Isles. As challenging as that project promises to be, it could greatly improve the Triune Pact’s communications both during and after the war.
Greater California
Spoiler:
Fast-developing region with relatively mediocre demographics, but big agricultural and trade potential and not fully explored natural resource deposits.
Making California bloom
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Another endeavor that the State of Deseret had managed to fund just before its system of public works collapsed under its own weight, was a massive agricultural expansion into oceanside areas of California. The management plan for this farming development was based on the City of Zion plan that the Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith created in 1833. It assumed that self-sufficient agricultural communes with collective property ownership would help such settlements blossom, although some challenges to that plan appeared right away. Firstly, communal property management was not particularly developed in Deseret, so surrogate solidarist and unionist solutions had to be developed to keep the communes running. Secondly, citrus fruit were chosen as the foundation of the rural economy, which was a good call for an export-oriented economy (especially with a large export market in Taiping China), but that made it highly challenging to establish self-sufficiency, prophesied by Joseph Smith. All in all, the project is rumored to have a great economic potential, but its completion is challenged by the exhaustion of the State of Deseret, as well as by critique from religious hardliners who wish to see the City of Zion recreated without various “free market” compromises. (Regional quest progress: 17.9%, Deseret losses: -3.52 HC, -0.86 IC, -8.58 EC, -5.73 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Deseret’s attempt to recreate the City of Zion on a larger scale had some tweaks this year, as the Church of Christ and the Latter-day Saints recognized the weak spots in its plan. Firstly, the narrow scope of agricultural program was expanded to ensure true self-sufficiency of the Deseret state upon its completion, as opposed to creating an export-driven agricultural economy. Secondly, focus groups were created to learn optimal ways of organizing collective farming in ways acceptable for both proponents of the individualist and commune-oriented economy (naturally, the agrarian communes of the Union’s Midwest and Icarian communes of Dixieland received the most attention in that sense). Perhaps, the biggest boost to the project was received from a successful propaganda campaign that recruited a lot of hopeful volunteers to creating idyllic settlements across the valleys of California. Through the combined effort of virtually all branches of the state, the project progressed surprisingly far toward its completion, and observers just hope that the struggling Mormon nation makes the last strides necessary to make California truly bloom. (Regional quest progress: 70.57%, Deseret losses: -3.77 HC, -3.66 IC, -7.78 EC, -2.2 MC)
Franciscan economy
Spoiler:
1890: With the return of South California to the Mexican control, the new authority is reintroducing the old policies that existed in the region before the Americano-Mexican war of the 1840s. Among them, is the donation of big amounts of land and some local enterprises to Franciscan monks. The Americans that remained in California after Mexican takeover seems to be very unhappy about this upsurge of Catholic capitalism and favoritism, especially since businesses owned by the Third Order of Saint Francis are excluded from taxation (in exchange for their informal “donations” to the Mexican government), which helps them outcompete even the most robust American-owned businesses. So far, the discontent has been pretty quiet, but the silence may not last for long.
Rancho barons
Spoiler:
1890: As thousands of American settlers left California in the wake of the Mexican takeover, the lands they used to own were simply captured by some opportunistic Mexican strongmen. As they found themselves owning huge territories supporting numerous livestock population, these landowners are now known as “rancho barons.” In an attempt to stand out among their peers, they live lives or ill-affordable luxury and employ gangs of bloodthirsty gunslingers of American and Mexican descent. For now, the rancho barons have been loyal to the President, but they’re turning Mexican California into an unruly frontier march.
Q1-Q2 1893: Perhaps, not fully grasping the socio-economic nature of the rancho barons’ domination of the region, Mexican authorities have attempted to solve the problem the same way they had previously dealt with cattle raids along the Rio Grande river. Border garrisons were increased, and a greater number of law enforcement officers was dispatched to work in Mexican California. Needless to say, what worked well at preventing cross border raids to and from Texas did little to contain overwhelming corruption of the Californian society. After a few “gifts of gratitude,” most of the sheriffs and patrolmen found nothing strikingly illegal with the strongmen’s reign, and those few principled souls that did try to ask too many questions have started to disappear. (Regional quest progress: 4.71%, Mexico losses: -2.36 HC, -3.31 IC, -4.80 EC, -0.73 MC)
Ports of California
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The Union of North-America has announced it intends to become the Arsenal of Fraternity, a nation providing a material base for the nations allied to the Monroe Conference Bloc. However, the most typical way of delivering any sort of supplies or passengers to the United Communes of the Andes currently requires a long voyage from New England, through the entire Atlantic, and then, past the southern tip of South America, to the Pacific Ocean. Not only is that route long, but it also is dangerous now that the Transatlantic Alliance can simply snap it in the very middle, at the Gaiana and Cape Verde Basins. So far, a temporary arrangement was made, transfering North-American help through the CSA and Mexico and relative small Mexican Pacific ports. However, now that the Transcontinental Railroad is fully functional, Mexican cientificos propose a program of expanding Californian harbors and integrating their facilities with it. They claim that such program would not only help Mexico’s “strange bed buddies” from the Andes, but also make Asian goods flow to Mexico through California, thus bringing a lot of wealth and jobs to that isolated region. More pragmatic voices, however, suggest concentrating on the region of Central Mexico, which is already rather developed and could use some harbor expansion. On the other hand, Central Mexico’s state-of-the-art integrated railway system would then have to be connected to the Transcontinental Railroad via a special branch, if it were to be truly connected to the CSA and UNA.
Q1-Q2 1895: For a project with such critical strategic value for the war efforts of the Monroe Conference Bloc, the expansion of Californian ports attracted surprisingly little interest from the North-American Union, United Communes of the Andes, and the de-facto neutral CSA. However, the Mexican government received an influx of investments and construction assistance from a surprising source: the Tokugawa Shogunate. Applying the experience of their own homeland port expansion, the Japanese helped the Mexicans to turn small piers of Californian Pacific shore towns into modern facilities comparable to the entire towns in size. This, naturally, set the scope for the project, as Pacific ports of Central Mexico were left undeveloped, and resources were instead dedicated to the ports in the north, connected to the Transcontinental Railway. Another side effect of the Japanese involvement in the construction was that the port facilities and equipment were fully compatible with Tokugawa shipping standards, but not necessarily with other powers involved in the region (that left Gran Paraguay, a long-time investor into the Mexican economy, overboard). All in all, the project turned out to be a blessing for the region, as it finally gave the Transcontinental Railroad its purpose and brought a heavy cargo traffic with it. That, in turn, attracted work migrants, businesses, and manufacturers. As for the Monroe Conference Bloc’s war efforts, it proved to be quite useful, as the incompatibility of the ports’ infrastructure with North-American or Andean shipping meant little in a supply line dependent on transit through the CSA and Mexico (which infrastructure was fine-tuned to work with Japanese equipment like a charm). (Regional quest completed with success, region Greater California gains +10 HC, +10 EC, +5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +2.25%, Tokugawa Shogunate gains +3.75% Regional Influence, Gran Paraguay loses -3.75% Regional Influence, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -1.57 HC, -0.33 IC, -4.09 EC, -3.54 MC, Mexico losses: -2.13 HC, -0.6 IC, -5.95 EC, -4.79 MC)
Great Plains
Spoiler:
Slowly-developing frontier region capable of connecting the Pacific and Atlantic shores of America, but currently underexplored and underpopulated.
Barn raisings
Spoiler:
1892: Barns are crucial constructions for any rural community, especially one that is too remote from other civilization centers to rely on imported grain. Yet, barns are also expensive and labor-intensive constructions to build, and in years of good harvest building a new barn before winter may be a time-dependent activity as well, crucial for the entire community. As a result, Confederate, North-American, and Mexican villages of the Great Plains have started to use communal corvees (so called raising bees or barn raisings) to accomplish such constructions in time. Besides, after the barn is fully built, a village-wide celebration usually takes place inside of it, featuring music, dancing, and a good deal of moonshine, along with other, more frivolous activities. In fact, barn raisings have become so important in community building, that local clergy has started to voice discontent over the popular abandonment of church construction and other forms of religious congregation. They demand that the state intervenes and redirects the farmers’ energy to more spiritually “pure” activities, least people’s morals decline.
Southwestern Wall
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: It seems like building the longest defensive line in modern history along its northern border is not big enough of an achievement for the CSA’s military. In July 1893, yet another stretch of loosely connected forts, dedicated lines of communications, and supply depots started being built in the Confederate reach of the Great Plains region all the way to the Rio Grande river and the Gulf of Mexico. (Regional quest progress: 51.55%, Confederate States of America losses: -5.61 HC, -1.77 IC, -2.81 EC, -2.82 MC)
Peace pipes and peace plants
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: In many indigenous cultures of North America, there is a tradition of using masterfully crafted smoking pipes in a wide variety of rituals, ranging from spiritual ceremonies to peace negotiations between tribes. With trade between North-Americans and First Nations’ people booming in and around Guarded Lands, the tradition of smoking these “peace pipes” seems to be spreading to the communities of European settlers. Most of the time, the colonists smoke regular tobacco, but some of them experiment with plants of a more narcotic variety, leading to an “epidemic” of substance abuse that threatens to plunge their communities into a state of permanent happy slumber.
American Midwest
Spoiler:
Booming frontier region with reasonable potential for resource extraction and agriculture.
Work hard, not smart
Spoiler:
1890: As power of unionized labor is growing across the North-American nation, some regions display a rather backward, Luddite approach to the fruits of industrialization. A series of demonstrations have taken place across towns of Minnesota and Iowa, spearheaded mostly by local fur trappers and corn farmers protesting against the use of modern industrial equipment by bigger companies operating in that region. Complaints range from valid to silly, but now it’s up to the federal government to resolve the argument about the role of technology in a regulated market.
German Americans
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The entire history of American Midwest since its exploration by Europeans is shaped by the opposition of two ethnic groups: the highly individualist Yankees (consisting of New Englanders, English-Canadians, and Dutch Reformists) and more religious and communitarian German Lutherans and Catholics. In fact, almost half of all rural homesteads in the Midwest currently belong to German Americans (Deutschamerikaner), who continued keeping close connection with their fatherland even after the relationship between the Union and the North German Federation and Austria-Bavaria soured during the Second Atlantic War. Some of the more hawkish and progressive politicians have recently been worried that the Deutschamerikaner community may be forming a dangerous “country within a country” by bringing more and more of their compatriots to North America and settling them in ethnically enclosed enclaves. As the most outrageous example, they quote that the Burlington Northern Railroad hires its own commissioner for immigration and sells massive tracts of Midwestern land to German-speaking farmers.
Q3-Q4 1894: The Department of the Interior attempted to use the same tested approach to the problem of integration of German Americans as it had successfully used with Montana Catholics and Iowa African Americans. A wide outreach program was announced, hoping to provide economic, educational, and cultural opportunities for the Deutschamerikaners in exchange for their greater “inter-cultural acceptance,” which in the language of the government meant integration with the North-American society. The program was expected to be highly successful, as Fouracre’s government assumed that a lot of the German settlers would be progressives escaping persecution in their Fatherland. It’s unclear where that assumption originated from, as the North German Federation remains to be one of the most liberal and tolerant nations on the planet, and its southern neighbor had also recently become more acceptive of progressive thought, mostly thanks to the North-German influence and warming of relations. Regardless, the Deutschamerikaners were happy to accept the economic opportunities that Fouracre’s government offered, and they remained living in rather law-abiding, tightly-knit, and prosperous communities. What that program failed to achieve, however, was assimilation of the German immigrants into the North-American society, as the progressive propaganda had little sway over them, and their diasporas remain rather self-sufficient and somewhat insular. (Regional quest progress: 97.52%, Union of North America losses: -2.07 HC, -2.81 IC, -5.58 EC, -2.6 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Given a comfort of non-interruption by foreign powers, President Fouracre’s government had a chance to sit down and figure out how its cultural policy in respect to the German Americans had to be changed to be effective. Having abandoned its false beliefs, the administration quickly made a series of political deals with the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) that saw some German American politicians quickly elevated and made known to the public. These “communicators” were to become the conduits of Fouracre’s message to the Deutschamerikaners about the North-American idea of greatness through fraternal liberty for all. This message was well-received, as many pragmatic German settlers naturally leaned to a familiar candidate, and that pragmatism led them to absorbing the political message as well. This indirect assimilation became even more effective when the Fabian Society started to establish a network of connections with Protestant priests that resided in Deutschamerikaner communities. All in all, the integration of German Americans of the Midwest was very successful and boosted the region’s productivity by a lot. (Regional quest completed with success, region American Midwest gains +10 HC, +5 IC, +10 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.75%, Union of North America losses: -1.86 HC, -3.32 IC, -4.7 EC, -1.39 MC)
Agrarian communes
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: As President Fouracre’s otherwise stellar reputation shortly soured due to the Liberian military fiasco, his political competitors from the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) managed to score an important victory. Having gained a few seats in the both Houses and threatening to block some important bills, they got the President to agree to an executive order that establishes so-called agrarian communes across the Midwest. Needless to say, the “communes” had little to do with what a French or Andean Communard would imagine, being mostly unionized farming communities. In order to attract educated talent to the new project, African-American students from the Iowa Agricultural College And Model Farm were encouraged to join the new settlements once they graduate. Thanks to the President-issued educational review against racial bias, Fouracre’s name easily attracted plenty of black enthusiasts to the endeavor, although they admittedly still have to graduate first. Meanwhile, agitation for communal agriculture among German Americans faced a wall of disinterest, as for many of them independent farming on personally owned land was exactly the attraction of American life. At this point, the Department of the Interior predicts a good future for this project, but points out that simply attracting interest may not be enough for success, and economic assets need to be assigned to the agrarian communes in order to make them profitable and smoothly running. (Regional quest progress: 18.86%, Union of North America losses: -1.12 HC, -1.99 IC, -2.82 EC, -0.84 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: While the PLP was doing its leader, President Fouracre, a favor by agitating German Americans across the Midwest, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) demanded that the nation’s leader delivers on his promise to promote communal farming in that region, in order to help local farmers compete with the resourceful Deutschamerikaners. And the President obliged, financing the purchase of agricultural equipment for the newly established communes and letting his magistrates with connections to the CCF paint communal farming of the Midwest in the most positive light, to attract the workforce. All together, these efforts put the project very close to completion, promising to change the face of Midwestern countryside for years to come. (Regional quest progress: 93.86%, Union of North America losses: -1.44 HC, -1.51 IC, -4.06 EC, -2.34 MC)
City of mills
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The city of Minneapolis in the federal state of Minnesota is known as the fastest growing industrial center to the west of Chicago, nicknamed by its swelling working population “the city of mills.” Thanks to the proximity of St. Anthony Falls and the water power they provide, sawmills and flour mills of Minneapolis are known across the UNA for their size and constant expansion of production. Now, however, heavier industry is destined to come to the “city of mills,” thanks to the manufacturing expansion program lobbied by the PLP (Progressive Labor Party, led by President Fouracre himself). While lacking in specifics, that program has already brought plenty of focus from the country’s leading industrialists to the growing megapolis. (Regional quest progress: 53.13%, Union of North America losses: -0.58 HC, -0.15 IC, -1.82 EC, -1.49 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: New heavy industry has arrived to Minneapolis, doing little to change the city’s reputation of a booming manufacturing hub, but adding some smoke and soot to its image. While nowhere nearly as big as the industrial towns of the Great Lakes and New England, “the city of mills” is now definitely the heart of Midwestern steel and machinery production. (Regional quest completed with success, region American Midwest gains +5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.5%, Union of North America losses: -0.58 HC, -0.15 IC, -1.82 EC, -1.49 MC)
Wetlands of the Bootheel
Q1-Q2 1895: Before the First Atlantic War and its peace treaty led to a change of state borders across the Union of North America, a wetland in Missouri’s southeasternmost corner was known as the Bootheel, due to its geographic shape. The name stuck, and now the Bootheel is a quiet home of several wheat and cotton farming communities, as well as logging villages (some of them with a mixed white and black population), but little else exists there. This might change, however, as a group of developers has approached the state’s authority proposing to create the Little River Drainage District, aiming to turn the Bootheel into a center of a major land reclamation effort. Once completed, they propose to attract people to local logging and cotton farming, possibly attracting even seasonal migrants from the neighboring CSA. Meanwhile, environmental experts are expressing concerns that the project may damage the river’s ecosphere and have negative consequences on its fish population, as well as its flooding cycle. Besides, they’re afraid that monocultural farming, as profitable as it could be, is creating a risk of a major fluctuation in harvest, should some unexpected disaster strike.
American Deep South
Spoiler:
Fast-developing agricultural region with up-and-coming industry and education and complicated racial history.
The pride of the Crescent City
Spoiler:
1890: To live in the American Deep South while being black most usually means being a slave or being a second-class citizen, regularly discriminated against or picked as a suspect of pretty much any crime. However, one place in the Confederacy stands out from this rule: the Crescent City of New Orleans. In fact, that city has a flourishing African-American and Creole culture, and it’s the only place in the South where a black person may own a mansion or gain higher education degree. On the one hand, it makes New Orleans a valuable conduit of Southern African-American ingenuity and a big contributor to the Confederate economy and culture. On the other hand, it’s widely viewed as a breeding ground of Union-sympathisers and abolitionists, and many people don’t take these suspicions easy.
Silver Laboratory of the Jubilee City
Q1-Q2 1895: Until recently, the Manhattan Commune of the UNA was a single biggest concentration of kinotropic and cinematographic studios in the world, but its output films (known as “movies” among English-speaking Americans) were a bit of a hard sell outside of more ideologically left-leaning societies of the world. This was realized by Jason Mendez and Oscar Hollihan of the CSA, two engineers, who entered into partnership with a small Alabama businessman by the name of Jerome Anders and opened a film studio in Daphne, AL (a lovely place not too far from New Orleans, known as the Jubilee City informally). Simultaneously, Jerome Anders purchased theaters in both Savannah and Fort Lauderdale, converting them into the CSA’s first dedicated“movie theaters,” with orchestra pits for an accompanying soundtrack and other specialized arrangements. The Silver Laboratory, as their company was called, produced the first true Dixie film, a rendition of Beowulf that was, perhaps, inspired by the medievalist works of “Latvian maestros of Russian cinema,” and that cleverly combined old rotoscoping, novel kinoscopy, and standard film that became an international sensation virtually overnight. With time, many other “movie producers” started flocking to the Jubilee City, a place known as the biggest artistic talent pool in Dixieland, founding their own studios and working on their own moving pictures. The cultural and commercial success of the Dixie cinematography went far beyond what was expected and even helped to somewhat bring the nation together in some of its more turbulent times. (Regional quest completed with full success, region American Deep South gains +15 IC, +15 EC, Confederate States of America gains +2% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Union of North America loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Mexico loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Tokugawa Shogunate loses -0.5% Regional Influence, region Carolinas-Florida: Confederate States of America gains +2% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Union of North America loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Free Boer Republic loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Tokugawa Shogunate loses -0.5% Regional Influence, region Caribbean Region: Confederate States of America gains +2% Regional Influence, North German Federation loses -1% Regional Influence, Portugal-Brazil loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Mexico loses -0.5% Regional Influence, Confederate States of America losses: -1.75 HC, -1.64 IC, -3.57 EC, -1.75 MC)
Traitors among us
Spoiler:
1890: Now that the Atlantic War is over, and both the North and the South are recovering from their losses, it seems like some people just can’t let it go. This has made Deep South a scene of a zealous witch hunt for scalawags, or Union sympathizers. The fact that vast majority of Southern abolitionists have left the country for the North doesn’t seem to bother anyone, especially since many officers and policemen still suspect that the hated scalawags may act as spies of the Northern regime. A big number of moderate Southern liberals has already fallen victims of ill-justified arrests, and in some tragic cases, of even lynching. The “scalawag hunters,” and among them some state politicians, demand cracking down on New Orleans’ policies of liberal exceptionalism, as well as building a border wall with the Union of North America, whatever its cost.
Q3 1893: The declaration of war by the Confederate States of America against the Union of North America was a sudden, but not exactly unexpected development for many Dixie citizens who still hear the echoes of the Atlantic War. Even though this war is formally being launched in honoring the defensive pact between the CSA and the British Royal Commonwealth, some of the Southron jingoists view it as an extension of the older, more bitter fight against the hated North. In this atmosphere, lynchings of scalawags and their sympathizers are becoming commonplace across the Deep South, and President Stone’s inaction is making both sides increasingly agitated. (Regional quest progress: -30%)
Q4 1893: Peace exists between the CSA and the Union once more, and therefore… President Stone’s administration is in dire straits. Having failed to promote ideas of coexistence with the the North before the war has started, the beleaguered political leader of the South gained few praises by exiting the war with the aggressive northern regime after three months of demonstrative inaction. For corporations and their owners, his foreign policy is dangerously inconsistent, considering its impact on global and continental trade. For the economy-conscious middle class, he is just another political opportunist who got the country at unnecessary war in the first place. As for the rural rabble and motley groups of reactionaries and rabid nationalists, he is a scallywag incarnate, a Yankee-lover who turned a righteous war against an old enemy into a farce. 1894 is going to be an election year in the CSA, and very few people are willing to bet on President Stone’s (or, for that matter, his entire party’s) success in that ordeal. (Regional quest progress: -60%)
Statesmen
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The dark fame of the notorious British license-to-kill agents, commonly known as the Kingsmen, is spreading across the world. While the British Empire is besieged on all sides, its former (unreliable) allies are looking to liberally borrow from the British experience and establish a similar clandestine spy agency of its own. The Statesmen Brewery, that once was built in the state of Kentucky and saw complete destruction in the fire of the First Atlantic War, was rebuilt further down south in the state of Tennessee. Only this time it featured not only installations for brewing the finest bourbon whiskey in the South, but also a secret underground compound for a semi-independent elite intelligence agency of the same name. While the Confederate aim to develop a unique type of truly Southron martial arts may require a separate endeavor, all other aspects of a sophisticated spy organization are already being put together, attracting some of the most quirky and deadly characters from all across the God-blessed Confederate States of America. (Regional quest progress: 63.33%, Confederate States of America losses: -0.7 HC, -1.13 IC, -1.6 EC, -0.52 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: As more and more nations across the globe employ services of license-to-kill agents, the CSA is readily investing its technical expertise to make their own such agents stand out. After the Statesmen compound and training program were established last year, this spring was spent on upgrading their equipment, ranging from deadly (and stylish!) revolvers to lassos with… a bit of a shocking value to them. (Regional quest completed with success, region America Deep South gains +5 IC, Confederate States of America losses: -1.35 HC, -0.27 IC, -2.91 EC, -2.44 MC)
“Stand Tall” Initiative
Q1-Q2 1895: A culturally inspiring candidate for many, President Stand Watie Jr. has proved to be a visionary beyond the idea of social and ethnic dynamism that he represented through a merit of his background. Named the “Stand Tall” Initiative, the major project proposed by his government is essentially a multi-branch public works system that hopes to re-start the Confederate economy via government spending (as opposed to conservation). Based on works of a German-American economist Nicholas Johannsen, the “Stand Tall” Initiative forks into four main directions. First of all, it’s construction of paved roads across the country, supporting the already thick railway and airship networks with a robust system of automotive inter-city transport (and providing employment to the masses during its construction). Secondly, a more affordable and accessible system of education and healthcare is being built by constructing modern educational and medical facilities in less fortunate areas of the country. Thirdly, the power grid system is being expanded outside the industrialized areas already outfitted with Nippon-style power transfer systems (that effort, out of all four, is considered to be the most wasteful and unnecessary at the moment, providing electrical power to areas that don’t have a need to consume it). And finally, a system of national parks is being established, also drawing upon the Japanese-inspired network of “urban public gardens.” Diverse and comprehensive, the project has been extremely popular among the working and middle class Dixies, despite its critics pointing at the wastefulness of many of its parts. If the promises of Stand Watie Jr.’s cabinet are to be believed, by the end of the year it may give the CSA’s economy and society a holistic boost needed to overcome the consequences of President Stone’s mismanagement. (Regional quest progress: 85.53%, Confederate States of America losses: -8.17 HC, -6.59 IC, -16.82 EC, -9.36 MC)
Rich people’s railroads
Spoiler:
Q4 1894: Looking to optimize distribution chain of raw materials across the nation, President Stone’s cabinet invested heavily into constructing a series of integrated railroads, connecting a multitude of “private rails” into a single system. Needless to say, the All-Confederate scope of the change turned this endeavor into a costly project that President Stone may or may not be able to see to its completion before leaving office. Among commoners, these new arteries of commerce became known as “rich people’s railroads,” since they don’t exist for the benefit of common folk (and often, vice versa, lead to costly and bitter relocations), but rather feed “robber barons” of the South, along with their insatiable factories. On the other hand, the Senate majority points out that benefits of the big businesses translate into benefits for all, as employment and wages are sure to increase once the new network of industrial railways improves industrial production across the region. (Regional quest progress: 11.76%, Confederate States of America losses : -2.71 HC, -0.6 IC, -7.29 EC, -5.87 MC)
Q1-Q2 1894erhaps, in an effort to appease the public before the upcoming elections, President Stone’s administration attempted to make the “private rails” more accessible to the lower classes of the society, mostly via personal deals with the Democrat Party donors. However, the success of that program was limited and shortliving, as most railway owners were prominent industrialists, mostly interested in improving their distribution and supply networks. As for passenger transportation, it remained mostly aimed at the upper middle and rich classes of the society, as the most geographically mobile; after all, the slavery-based economy of the Confederation leaves little need for the cheap workforce to travel - at least, from their employers’ perspective. Despite this shortcoming, the expansion of the “private rails” continued at a good speed, particularly helped by the state effort to standardize the quickly growing network. (Regional quest progress: 48.62%, Confederate States of America losses: -3.3 HC, -0.75 IC, -8.93 EC, -7.28 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: As the Modernists led by Stand Watie Jr. were sweeping through the Confederate elections, pushing the Stone Democrats into an opposition for the first time since the First Atlantic War, President Stone had a dilemma to solve. A big number of industrialists benefitting from the integrated railroad network Stone’s cabinet subsidized through his list months in the office were Modernist backers, as well as some Mercantile donors. That meant that any change of that program could hurt the pockets of Watie Jr.’s campaign, while simultaneously creating a lot of bile between the projected winners and the losers of the campaign. In the end, Stone chose to leave the railroad construction program unchanged, thus securing at least some sort of bipartisan breathing space for his party after the elections were over. Meanwhile, President-Elect Stand Watie Jr. is predicted to gain plenty of political capital from seeing this program to its completion in the very first months of his presidency, thus cementing Stone’s reputations of one of the most unfairly treated political figures in the modern American history. (Regional quest progress: 96.14%, Confederate States of America losses: -3.02 HC, -0.69 IC, -8.18 EC, -7 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Stand Watie Jr.’s administration keeps proving themselves to be friends of industrialists and generally approving the business-friendly approach of the Modernists to the economy, despite some aspects of it being unpopular among the masses. The privatization of the expanded national railroad system was one of such endeavors that Watie Jr. can only claim to be his achievement, since it actually started under his predecessor. Industrial production has indeed grown thanks to a privately owned integrated cargo transit system of railroads criss-crossing the nation. On the negative side, hardly any of these new railroads do any good to public transit, and the few of them that do are woefully out of financial reach for anyone but the rich and the upper-middle class. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region American Deep South gains +5 EC, +10 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation -0.25%, region Carolinas-Florida gains +5 EC, +5 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation -0.25%, Confederate States of America losses: -2.87 HC, -0.57 IC, -6.18 EC, -5.18 MC)
Crown seal, glass-blowing machine, and carbonated soft drink industry
Q1-Q2 1895: A series of mechanical inventions and chemical processing advancements made by jointly owned Dixie-Japanese companies has led to an appearance of a new kind of industry. Through a combination of new tools, machines, and methods, this emerging industry concentrates on mass production of affordable, well-sealed carbonated soft drinks. Perhaps, it could be explained as an unexpected side-effect of the manufacturing push by the Stand Watie government, allowing local manufacturing shops of the Deep South to give small local soda shop owners (most of them pharmacists) the opportunity to produce on a much larger scale. Most of these drinks, which had originally been marketed as Tonics and Cure-alls, are quickly becoming indulgences and beverages. The earliest (and arguably the greatest winner) of these trends is one Asa Griggs Candler, a carbonated drink industry tycoon owning company Coca-Cola. Other soft beverage industry flagships include Sparrows (a drink based on a secret and complex variety of ingredients, rumored to include Ginger, Sassafras, Turmeric, and Chile peppers), Peachtree (a carbonated Peach-forward drink), and Spanish Champagne (a citrusy drink with another proprietary secret mix of herbs and spices), as well as a number of individual-owned shops who began to sell their family recipe “Root Beers” on a larger scale. Finally, a small, but not insubstantial, group of Japanese pharmacists in New Orleans have grouped together to create a drink to appeal to their compatriots. Chrysanthemum (a delicately citrus-, peach-, and mango-perfumed beverage) is the most successful of these Japanese originating products, sold across of the CSA and in Japan, spurring the development of local Japanese equivalents (some of them too exotic for a Western taste), and a craze in importing more traditional confederate Colas. While many marketologists first dismissed the soft drink industry a fleeting trend affecting just a couple of markets, other analysts point out that the carbonated drink industry has a potential of being a tool of subtle cultural expansion, promoting a nation’s way of living through something as simple as a nicely looking flavored beverage. (Technology quest completed, Confederate States of America, Tokugawa Shogunate adopt “Crown seal, glass-blowing machine, and carbonated soft drink industry” for no additional cost, Confederate States of America losses: -1.69 HC, -0.34 IC, -3.64 EC, -3.04 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -0.86 HC, -0.18 IC, -2.23 EC, -1.93 MC)
Carolinas-Florida
Spoiler:
Fast-developing region recovering from war and suffering from contradictions between old-fashioned social hierarchies and highly modern technology and infrastructure.
Slave factories
Spoiler:
1890: Traditionally, Southern slavery was purely agricultural, but with the development of modern industry plantation-produced agricultural goods are no longer as valuable. This has led to an interesting development, as the most prominent Southern slave-owners are seeking ways to organize industrial manufacture around slave labor. Despite many setbacks and downsides of their production cycle, these slave factories are quickly becoming the most profitable plants in the region. While this seems to appease wealth-hungry investors, it also draws a lot of ire from among white workers, whose factories fail to compete with this new type of enterprise and either cut the paycheck for their white workers in order to stay afloat or get out of business altogether. Amazingly, some of these working class folks are even starting to consider standing up against slave labor.
Q3-Q4 1894: The grand new trend of “Nipponization” of Confederate manufacturing (encompassing electrification and mechanization of factories via extended use of DC electrical generators used in Japan) has started to leave an imprint in the socio-economic relief of the South. New factories easily outcompete both small-size workshops and a few experimental “slave factories” recently established by some of the more reactionary Southron tycoons. These new “Nippon-plants” require much smaller, but better educated and managed work forces, which means that slave laborers and even uneducated urban rabble are unlikely to find any employment there. On the one hand, it’s playing in the hand of the Southern abolitionists, who hope to start seeing gradual freeing and emancipation of many “urban slaves,” while simultaneously promoting the Modernism and the New South Creed among voters. On the other hand, this could cause a tectonic shift in the labor market, leaving thousands newly “freed” people virtually homeless and unemployed, greatly destabilizing the booming, but already fluctuating economy and adding to the sense of political imbalance. (Regional quest progress: 67.67%, Confederate States of America losses: -2.1 HC, -0.48 IC, -5.69 EC, -4.87 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: An avid Modernist, President Stand Watie Jr. predictably doubled down on his administration’s support of the industrial “Nipponization” project across the continental CSA. Copying the Tokugawa industrialization experience almost to a step (often, by literally hiring Japanese advisers to oversee factory development), Modernist tycoons successfully completed the process that started under President Stone but was left to hang in the air for the time of the elections, mostly to keep reactionary Southron elites less concerned about their future. While the social consequences of this dramatic shift in the nation’s manufacturing base deserve their own report, one thing can be confirmed: Dixie industry is back, and it’s here to stay. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Carolinas-Florida gains -20 HC, +15 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +1.25%, region American Deep South gains -20 HC, +10 MC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.75%, Confederate States of America losses: -2.7 HC, -0.54 IC, -5.82 EC, -4.87 MC)
Rough and tumble
Spoiler:
1890: Principles of personal and familial honor are very important for a Southron. While the gentry have their own classy duels, with polished sabres and Colt revolvers, poor redneck folks are going for more affordable, but not less deadly options. When a simple fistfight doesn’t seem to be enough in protecting a fellow’s hurt pride, the duelists choose to solve it “rough and tumble.” Armed with Bowie knives, brass knuckles, broken bottles, and steel nails, Southern commoners engage in brutally violent fights that rarely lead to death, but usually end with mutilation of one’s opponent. Rural areas around the country (and especially, the proud state of Florida) are full of farmers with missing fingers, split lips, cut-out noses, and gouged-out eyes.
New South Creed
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: Rapid industrial development of Southern states, combined with growing shortcomings of the “Old South” economy, is creating a political demand for what a brand new generation of Confederate politicians call the New South Creed. Yes, they say, the Confederacy fought for state rights, one of which was indeed the right to practice slavery, but the world has moved on, and slave labor is no longer as valuable as it was some half a century before. And even if it is to remain legal in some places, why would not promote economic developments of greater complexity, not abolishing slavery legally (for it would anger too many voters), but simply letting it run itself into the ground? These new Bourbon Democrats are yet few in number, but they enjoy a lot of attention and donations from more technologically savvy companies of the South, including such giants as Parks&Lyons, Shenandoah Steel, and Austenaco. More conservative politicians, meanwhile, label them as “scalawags” and “carpetbaggers”, betrayers of the Old South tradition and thus of everything they’d fought a war for.
Q1-Q2 1895: True to his New South Creed beliefs, President Stand Watie Jr. wished to finally make the final bold step toward “outdating urban slavery” through increased mechanization of manufacturing industry. Needless to say, his energetic plan succeeded in many aspects, as Tokugawa-style power lines brought the electrical power even to small towns and their small-scale industries. However, as the complexity of these high-efficiency production lines grew, so did their demand for well-educated, tech-savvy labor force, which was in high supply only among the low middle class. This meant that the best paying jobs on the “Nipponese” market were mostly off limits for the poor whites or freed blacks. Meanwhile, the collapse of “slave factories” created a schizophrenic shift in the urban-rural demography. The more capable of urban slaves were sent back to overcrowded plantations, while less valuable “human material” was indeed emancipated to cut for financial losses of their owners, increasing the squalor in Dixie cities. While some Bourbon Democrats and dedicated Modernists accepted this with a shrug typical for social darwinists, this socio-economic shift has angered more voters (and political donors) than it pleased. Political analysts point out that the modernization of the industry was done from a purely economic standpoint, with barely any attempts to predict its demographic and social impact, not even mentioning the political fallout. Now, if Stand Watie Jr. doesn’t wish to get bogged down in bitter controversies like his embattled predecessor, he may have to consider some sort of a political communication campaign to save his face. For now, political flyers are being shared across cities of Dixieland, condemning the “power grid and power greed of Watie Jr. and the New South Creed.” (Regional quest progress: 75.44%, Confederate States of America losses: -3.04 HC, -0.61 IC, -6.55 EC, -5.48 MC)
Icarian communes
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Utopian socialism was never particularly liked nor accepted by the Confederate establishment. However, even the most biased of Dixie elitists can no longer deny that the CSA as a nation is overflown with disenfranchised, often unemployed rabble that causes plenty of social issues and doesn’t quite fit in into the framework of highly advanced, but inhospitable Confederate economy. In fact, a recent report from the Secret Service has indicated that such groups of urban proletarians, swamptown runaway slaves, and Afro-Caribbean Hispanics are starting to organize around various “dangerous” ideologies. In an attempt to jump ahead of that trend and divert it toward less destructive ideas, the Confederate Department of Internal Affairs started a highly controversial program of organizing utopian egalitarian working communes across the country, primarily using Étienne Cabet’s Icarianism as an ideological foundation for such societies. The choice was rather well thought out, given that Cobet’s ideas are considered a rather toothless precursor of French Communardism and were even briefly popular in then-United States of America in the 1850s. While some hardliners are afraid that the Department of Internal Affairs is digging its own grave by speeding up the social organization of the have-not’s, more down-to-earth thinkers consider a program rather promising, both channelling out the proletarian discontent into a relatively safe field of utopian coexistence and also improving regional productivity. Only time will tell if everything plays out according to the grand plan. (Regional quest progress: 56.57%, Confederate States of America losses: -1.96 HC, -3.17 IC, -4.48 EC, -1.46 MC)
The Office of Human History
Q1-Q2 1895: Confederate obsession with adventurous archeology and paleontology was enhanced by the popularity of Edward Malone’s memoirs and given a political value by the introduction of eugenic regulations under President Stone. When the word spread of Stand Watie Jr. being elected next President, some of the more reactionary politicians joked that now the “savage museums” (as they nicknamed the Institutes of Southern Culture for a big part of their exhibits being dedicated to pre-Columbian native societies) would start to pop up on every corner. Perhaps, to shame such coarse partisans, President Watie Jr. would go a big length to display his impartiality in the matters of race and culture. To support this, the Office of Human History was opened in the Cyrus Thomas Museum in Savannah, functioning as a society of anthropological and geographical scholars, as well as a publishing house, museum, and, as the rumor says, a cover for diplomatic missions that require less publicity. Led by William John Mcgee, the Office of Human History brought yet some more prestige to Savannah and has already gone on to outfit several archeological expeditions to such distant corners of the planet as Tibet, the Andes, Honshu, and Central China. (Regional quest completed, region Carolinas-Florida gains +5 IC, Confederate States of America losses: -1.07 HC, -1.51 IC, -2.11 EC, -0.53 MC)
Redneck education
Q1-Q2 1895: Despite all of its economic turbulence, the CSA remains to be one of the beacons of scientific knowledge and fine arts. However, huge stratification and income disparity mean that the education is concentrated in the hands of a relatively isolated upper-middle and rich classes, while the working class remains barely literate and woefully out of date in terms of technical, scientific, and even basic humanitarian expertise. This wasn’t missed by the President-Elect, who wishes to boost up the nation’s development by giving the bulk of the population better access to literacy and basic science. Of course, racial division couldn’t be excluded from this equation either, and for now the education reform is aiming to help mostly the poor whites (popularly known as the “rednecks” for their tan line, resulting from the need to work the fields all day). Meanwhile, a small learning circle has been formed inside the community of freed backs, organized by Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune. As for the Hispanics and Hispano-Caribbeans of the Confederacy’s island possessions, they remain being kept behind the fence of the larger Dixie society. With any luck, the reform may complete by the end of the year, but it appears that its fruit might be limited thanks to the “safe,” half-hearted nature of the social change it’s introducing. Still the long-term benefits of the program can’t be overstated. (Regional quest progress: 55.7%, Confederate States of America losses: -5.19 HC, -7.29 IC, -10.21 EC, -2.58 MC)
Mechanical television
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: With the Planned City of Fort Lauderdale attracting all sorts of financial and technical talent to Florida, the Sunshine State is becoming the heart of American technology. This year, a new exciting family entertainment machine was presented to the sight of Dixie investors by a young Floridan entrepreneurial inventor Enoch Jobbs and his company. The apparatus they wish to mass-produce and distribute is called “televisor,” and it’s a visual imagery transmission system that relies on a mechanical scanning device, such as a rotating disk with holes in it or a rotating mirror, to scan the scene and generate the video signal, and a similar mechanical device at the receiver to display the picture. While the device currently is rather bulky and expensive to produce and install, it’s attracted the attention of not only some Confederate companies looking for luxury goods for the nation’s growing rich class, but also, surprisingly, of the Taiping government of China that wishes to explore it as one more way to gently persuade its people that its religious ideology is the only rightful way of living. (Technology quest progress: 22.4%, Confederate States of America losses: -1.1 HC, -0.25 IC, -2.98 EC, -2.43 MC, Taiping Mandate losses: -1.23 HC, -0.28 IC, -3.04 EC, -1.81 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: Enoch Jobbs’ invention continued receiving a humble, but steady influx of investments throughout the second part of 1894, as instability in the Middle East prevented turned the Confederate attention away from the booming Turkish innovation market and toward the local talent pool. (Technology quest progress: 36.38%, Confederate States of America losses: -2.1 HC, -0.48 IC, -5.69 EC, -4.87 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The stunning success of the Silver Laboratory and subsequent rise of cinema industry in Daphne, AL, gave an impetus to the development of mechanical television in the Confederate States, as the rich looked to set “family movie theaters” in their own living rooms. Experts in cultural affairs and state propaganda in both the CSA and the Heavenly Kingdom also point out at the power of the new device at keeping the population aligned to a government-approved ideology and interpretation of events via “cinematographic news reels” delivered to people’s houses. Meanwhile, critics laugh over the fact that this device of high production cost and technical complexity is now going to be introduced by two countries that were hit the most by the collapse of their respective industrial bubbles. (Technology quest completed, Confederate States of America, Taping Mandate adopt “Mechanical television” for no additional cost, Confederate States of America losses: -3.04 HC, -0.61 IC, -6.55 EC, -5.48 MC)
Great Lakes Region
Spoiler:
Booming trade hub of inland America with growing labor market and up-and-coming manufacture and resource industry.
Q1-Q2 1895: A young, moderate socialist state, Belgium has started to establish lasting political ties with North-American elites, gradually preparing ground for lobbying its geopolitical and economic interests. (Belgium gains +0.57% Regional Influence, Union of North America loses -0.57% Regional Influence, Belgium losses: -0.9 HC, -1.43 IC, -2.33 EC, -0.22 MC)
Second Toledo Strip War
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: Also known as the Michigan-Ohio War, the conflict for the so-called Toledo Strip was an almost bloodless confrontation of 1835-1836 between militias of the state of Ohio and then-territory of Michigan, caused by poor geographic knowledge of the time. Hosting an infrastructurally important Erie Canal and very arable land, the Toledo Strip was considered a valuable prize for both states at the time and was eventually resolved through direct intervention by President Andrew Jackson, in Ohio’s favor. During the Statehood Reform that took place in the Union shortly after the Atlantic War, the Toledo Strip War was used as a prime example of absurdity of old statehood rights. Winter and spring of 1893, however, saw an embarrassing development in and around the Toledo Strip. It started simply as a turf war between two local gangs of bootleggers who attempted to use the Erie Canal and the port of Miami Bay for their alcohol shipments to British Canada. The shootout went beyond the limits of a regular mob clash, and both gangs chose to escalate the war by pulling on their connections in local unions and rural workers’ communities. Soon, militias (albeit, not state-related ones) were formed and started patrolling the strip, sometimes exchanging shots with each other. Finally, mayors, county chairmen, and sheriffs with political ambitions completely forgot about the origins of the conflict and brought it back to light as an old territorial dispute between municipalities. Now the Union has to face the ghost of its old statehood rights and persuade all of the statehood rights opponents that the new status quo is better than (and different from) the old one.
Q3-Q4 1894: Occupation of British Canada put an end to the local prohibition law, leaving Midwestern bootlegging gangs, which used to thrive on alcohol smuggling, deprived of currency. This made them easy targets for a state investigation effort that put some gangs involved in the turf war over the Toledo Strip to jail, and forced the remaining gangsters to go into hiding. However, while the crime-fighting task succeeded, it didn’t bring Fouracre’s government any closer to resolving the political dispute. By then, the petty criminal origin of the “war” was no longer remembered, and many aspiring politicians on the both sides continued fighting (luckily, in courtrooms and town halls) for what they thought would be best for their communities (and for their own political career). The President’s emphasis on ending the embarrassing crisis, regardless of who wins it, only made the political deadlock worse, as the sides became afraid that showing lack of passion on the matter might simply prompt a quick, one-sided decision by Chicago. (Regional quest progress: 24.71%, Union of North America losses: -0.99 HC, -1.77 IC, -2.51 EC, -0.74 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: A masterful political negotiator (or, at least, perceived by many that way), President Fouracre remained surprisingly blind and deaf to the please of local politicians and activists to come and solve the Gordian knot of the Second Toledo Strip War. With the central government remaining rather ambiguous about its plans (with the exception of the desire to be done with the whole problem as soon as possible), local political actors continued stepping out their argument in a hope to influence the final decision. The resulting scandal finally received national attention and reflected not too well on the Union and its leadership. Eventually, a middleground decision was ruled, leaving the both camps dissatisfied with it, and many North-American citizens felt highly alienated by the entire affair. If anything good did come out of it, it was the eradication of organized crime involved in the original turf war, at least providing Indiana and Michigan with a humble economic and social gain.(Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Great Lakes Region gains +5 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.25%, North German Federation gains +1% Regional Influence, Communard France gains +1% Regional Influence, Union of North America loses -2% Regional Influence, Union of North America losses: -0.87 HC, -1.55 IC, -2.19 EC, -0.65 MC)
Bootleggers of the Lakes
Spoiler:
1890: British prohibition of alcohol is the single best thing that ever happened to organized crime of Chicago, Milwaukee, and Cleveland. Illegal transit of legally made American alcohol, as well as of homemade moonshine, is bringing big money to the American Great Lakes coast, and local municipalities are willing to close their eyes on the origin of this wealth. The people who own this wealth, mob bosses, are looking for ways to legalize it and to be recognized as respected entrepreneurs and, possibly, politicians. Now it’s turn for the North-American federal government to decide what deal they want to strike with them, and whether they want to strike any deal at all.
Q3-Q4 1894: The Federal Bureau of Investigations was correct to assume that the end of prohibition in Canada would hit the mob’s pockets. However, the drying down of the flow of money only created sudden scarcity in the underworld of the Great Lakes, forcing many gangs to split up or start violent wars for the remaining (or alternative) sources of illicit income. It’s in that climate that a task force of federal investigators was assigned to an anti-mob purge of Chicago, Milwaukee, and Cleveland. Despite the fact that local and national newspapers became barraged with materials about this or that criminal slaughter, in the FBI’s office the work of the task force was praised as an example of efficiency, as predictions were made that the underworld of the Great Lakes would be soon significantly subdued. (Regional quest progress: 96.71%, Union of North America losses: -0.62 HC, -1.11 IC, -1.57 EC, -0.46 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The FBI continued its aggressive crackdown on organized crime in the cities of the Great Lakes, giving the mob bosses plenty of reasons to hate it. After all, weren’t they the ones who helped to erode British authority in Canada through years and years of illicit operations, sanctioned (or turned a blind eye on) by the very same people who persecuted them now? That question remained unanswered, as the FBI and its federal marshals finished what they started a year ago, purging the region from some of the most dangerous criminals. (Regional quest completed with success, region Great Lakes Region gains +5 HC, +5 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.5%, Union of North America losses: -0.87 HC, -1.55 IC, -2.19 EC, -0.65 MC)
Mines of the Snowbelt
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Areas located downwind from the Great Lakes are known to their residents, as well as geographers, as the Snowbelt. That nickname was given to them for extremely powerful and sudden snowfalls caused by the “lake effect” of steam ascending from unfrozen middle of the lake. However, besides the extreme weather, they are also known for being rich of natural resources. Standing out among them is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which up until the First Atlantic War produced 90% of America’s copper and was a promising source of iron ore as well. Under a short British occupation during the First Atlantic War the local mining industry practically stalled and remained such up until now. With the North-American army occupying roughly half of British Canada, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and other Snowbelt mining areas are once again strategically secure and can be developed for exploitation of their resources. Moreover, a big number of Cornish immigrants who had previously lived in Canada have started to move to the Upper Peninsula, attracted by the chance of starting their own cooperatively owned small-business mines, a chance that they lacked under the British military rule in Canada. Now it’s up to the Union’s authorities to decide how the mines of the Snowbelt should develop.
Factories of Porkopolis
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The city of Cincinnati located in the federal state of Ohio is humorously nicknamed by its inhabitants “Porkopolis.” This endearing name is given to it for its expansive food industry revolving around a huge hog packing center. Besides processed meat, the city’s commerce is also driven by soap manufacture and non-motorized carriage production, two industries far from the most rising trends in the world economy. Given all that, many citizens of “Porkopolis” were surprised to hear that the Progressive Labor Party’s plan of creating a so-called “Steel Belt” across the Midwest also included an expansion of Cincinnati’s heavy industries. Needless to say, this alarmed some of the locals who were afraid that ecologic changes and shift of labor to better-paying heavy industry jobs could hurt Cincinnati’s established light industry. Regardless of their protests, the work on industrialization of “Porkopolis” has already started. (Regional quest progress: 36.11%, Union of North America losses: -1.16 HC, -0.31 IC, -3.64 EC, -2.98 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Industrial development of Cincinnati continued at full pace without any consideration for the hog packers’ protests. As insensitive as it is, the PLP’s approach might end up developing “Porkopolis” into an industrial twin brother of Minneapolis. However, many labor unions are starting to organize to protest such rapid arrival of heavy manufacturing, being afraid that it would kill off Cincinnati’s existing light industry and leave its workers penniless. (Regional quest progress: 78.89%, Union of North America losses: -0.81 HC, -0.21 IC, -2.54 EC, -2.08 MC)
East-West Continental Railroad
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: The UNA currently possesses one of the most developed railroad networks in the world, which is not to say that its leadership is not open to expanding it some more. In the late fall of 1894, John Davison Rockefeller, one of the few pre-Atlantic War railroad tycoons that remained politically influential in the Union, was tasked with starting planning for a new state-outsourced project named the East-West Continental Railroad. The general plan for that railroad is rather unusual, as it’s intended to go from Chicago west, connecting the Windy City to relatively insignificant cities of the Midwest. While nobody states that the project is straight out useless, many experts wonder what caused such need to connect the Great Lakes region to the country’s western frontier, as the currently existing infrastructure sufficed for that largely agrarian region. Some optimists state that the EWCR is an obvious part of the plan to integrate the country’s industrial part with the proposed expansion of the Steel Belt in the future. Meanwhile, alarmists in the UNA and abroad suggest laughable conspiracy theories about the Union’s military ambitions in the Prairies. Regardless of the end goals, the work has already begun at a slow, but steady pace. (Regional quest progress: 15.5%, Union of North America losses: -2.79 HC, -0.73 IC, -8.73 EC, -7.14 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: After a slow start in the late fall of 1895, the construction the East-West Continental Railroad got even slower in the first half of 1895, as the nation’s resources were mostly dedicated to war and other industrial efforts. At this rate, this project promises to take several years at best to be completed. On the good side, it at least calmed down some of the pacifists, who were afraid of an escalation of tensions with the Iron Confederacy. (Regional quest progress: 20.33%, Union of North America losses: -2.21 HC, -0.58 IC, -6.91 EC, -5.65 MC)
Phonography and music studios
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: “Every damn Dixie can play a fine tune, yet no one but hard-working Yankees will bring melody to every guest room in this town,” says Lee McGurn, the founder of the Green Mill Melody Records, a music studio in Uptown Chicago. Mr. McGurn is an extravagant man who believe in science and human ingenuity, and, combined with his obsession with music, it turns him into an ideal investor for Edison and Co. A world-known industrial giant, this company founded by legendary Thomas Edison has held his patent for a so-called phonograph since 1877, but only now has it started working on an affordable, mass-produced version of that sound-recording device. The work is going slowly, as the phonographs available to regular customers remain rather fickle and cumbersome machines, but as the music is being industrialized (next after food) in the Union of North America, soon it might create a demand for a much more affordable device that would open road to advanced forms of sound capture, recording, and reproduction. (Technology quest progress: 13.96%, Union of North America losses: -2.33 HC, -0.61 IC, -7.27 EC, -5.95 MC)
New England
Spoiler:
Booming center of American education, urban economy, trade, and infrastructure.
Refugee competition
Spoiler:
1892: British persecution of independent-minded Franco-Canadians has created a big immigration wave, with countless thousands of economic refugees arriving to Massachusetts. Most of them, despite their leftist views, are not looking forward to staying in the Union for too long, and instead want to wait out the worst of the violence in Quebec, while also earning a decent fortune within the dynamic, well-paying American economy. The employers were more than happy to hire Franco-Canadian laborers, partially due to a relatively high literacy and education level among them. That doesn’t sit too well with working class Irish immigrants who have arrived a few years earlier and already view themselves as more entitled to the American job market and decry their Canadien competitors as moochers and job-stealers.
Q3-Q4 1894: With the war in Canada and Quebec coming to an end, the UNA’s authorities hoped the Franco-Canadian refugees would simply pick up their stuff and leave for their beloved young countryland. However, Quebec and most of Canada were devastated by the war, providing little attraction to the more or less successful emigrants. Besides, the North-American economy was simultaneously doing quite well, which was a bad news, since very few Canadien patriots were actually willing to leave the comfort of Massachusetts. In order to urge the Franco-Canadian migration to their homeland, the North-American authorities were forced to start a propaganda campaign that either painted Quebec in bright colors or tried to address the refugees’ sense of patriotic duty to rebuild their beloved Quebec. Financial incentives (in a form of federal loans) were also provided, but the progress was rather slow, all things considered. (Regional quest progress: 31.54%, Union of North America losses: -1.37 HC, -2.43 IC, -3.44 EC, -1.02 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: “Don’t fix what’s already working, even it’s working slowly.” Such was, probably, the summary of the North-American approach to the slow exodus of Quebecoi work migrants from the federal state of Massachusetts. As simplistic as the UNA’s propaganda campaign was, it gradually started to erode the unity of Canadien workers’ communities, leading to a return of many of them to Quebec. Still, some stubborn groups remain, and it may take until the end of the year for them to leave Massachusetts to their Irish American competitors. (Regional quest progress: 77.36%, Union of North America losses: -0.87 HC, -1.55 IC, -2.19 EC, -0.65 MC)
Statue of Fraternity
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: During the Atlantic War, New York was one of the main bases of the United States Navy and on a few occasions was raided by British squadrons who even attacked and burned the Ellis Island. The trauma of these events, together with the Communard scare that briefly overtook New England and the North Atlantic coast, made New York largely enclosed for immigration, with a sole exception of the Manhattan island. In recent years, plenty of opinions have been voiced about making the Ellis Island an Atlantic gateway to the Union, comparable to the Peddocks Island of Boston. However, as a reminder to the prospective immigrants about the loyalty to the old order they’d have to relinquish and a new allegiance to the Union they’d have to develop and accept, New York representatives are suggesting to build a giant Statue of Fraternity, a 300-feet-tall monument of a man wearing Ancient Greek armor and holding the Book of Constitution in one hand and a shield in another. A few Communard-leaning architects from Manhattan suggest that they could pull their strings in Europe and get other leftist regimes on board to assist North American Union with that construction under the promise that Ellis Island would be open primarily for working class immigrants, especially from left-leaning countries, and that the monument would be dedicated not to Fraternity, but to Equality (with imagery still being discussed). One way or another, a third group of voices proposes to do none of that and keep New York closed for immigration, preserving its historical views and its quiet post-war lifestyle.
Zeppelinariums and Northeast Air
Spoiler:
1892: The establishment of the first ever passenger Zeppelin network in the Confederate Tidewater region has created a big demand for expedited luxury travel across America. In a bold attempt to extend their investments northward, some members of the Southeast Air board of directors are proposing the creation of a daughter-company Northeast Air, capable of providing similar services all the way to Portland. Naturally, many in the North feel animosity to Confederate investors and travellers and question what sorts of legal predicaments would arise should, say, a Georgia plantation owner take a trip to New York with his entourage of home slaves. Other, more cynical voices, point out that the war is over, and the Confederacy is merely another independent country that wishes to invest into the North-American infrastructure. Time will show which side will emerge to be the winner in this argument.
Fabius University
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: For a long time, the Fabian Society has been a shadowy arm of the Union, spreading moderate socialist ideas around the world under a mask of Christian proselytization. Now, it appears, a decision was made to bring some of the converted passionaries from across the ocean to North America in order to educate the future agents of North-American political influence in homogeneous, holistic, and pure ways of American Unionism. To do that, a Fabius University was founded in Boston, combining features of a seminary school and a political science college. Prospective students were brought to the new educational facility from overseas, ranging from Liberia to China to Egypt, selected not as much by their personal wealth or entry exam results, as by their religious and political inclinations. The first semester was a rough one, as many Liberians were extremely uncomfortable and even hostile in the predominantly white city, while Chinese and Egyptian students were not receptive at all of the Christian side of “Fabianism.” Still, the North-American educators and their ideologic curators are learning on their mistakes quickly, and the Fabian University is expected to fully establish its core courses by the end of the first educational year. (Regional quest progress: 84.63%, Union of North America losses: -0.62 HC, -1.11 IC, -1.57 EC, -0.46 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: North-American educators and administrators of the young Fabius University received unexpected assistance from China, as its Heavenly Chancellery started financing its own prospective students to travel to Boston and be educated in the way of American Unionism. At first, some of these state-funded international students raised some suspicions among their vetters, but soon they were found harmless and indeed rather enjoying the levels of personal freedom unseen in the Heavenly Kingdom. As for the Taiping Mandate’s motivation behind the support of this exchange program, the most likely explanation was rather mundane. For a country struggling to fulfill its need for well-educated, capable experts and intellectual workers, the promise of getting its future intelligentsia educated in one of the beacons of progress sounded extremely attractive, even if came at the cost of exposing these young souls to some alien ideas. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region New England gains +10 IC, Taiping Mandate gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Union of North America loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Canton-Yunnan gains +5 IC. Union of North America gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Taiping Mandate loses -0.25% Regional Influence, region Korea-Manchuria gains Union of North America gains +0.25% Regional Influence, Taiping Mandate loses -0.25% Regional Influence, Union of North America losses: -0.25 HC, -0.44 IC, -0.63 EC, -0.19 MC, Taiping Mandate losses: -0.8 HC, -1.01 IC, -1.31 EC, -0.2 MC)
War burial regulation and military epidemiology
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: For centuries, burying of fallen soldiers and civilians was largely an ad-hoc task. This was known to regularly lead to epidemics of various types, which were scourges of armies not only of the Middle Ages and Antiquity, but even relatively “modern” forces of Napoleon and his students. However, the army of the Union seems to be dead-set to put an end to this problem. Having faced plenty of losses in the recent Canadian campaigns (often, to disease and the elements), the Union troops are rumored to be developing a set of rules, regulations, and services used for burial of fallen troops, pest control, and prevention and containment of epidemic diseases. Whatever these measures bring with them, they are likely to give the North-American army a good edge in staying power in prolonged modern trench captaigns. (Technology quest progress: 31.54%, Union of North America losses: -3.22 HC, -1.17 IC, -1.87 EC, -1.99 MC)
Small-tube boilers
Q1-Q2 1895: “Department of the Navy’s reign,” as it has been nicknamed in the papers, continues in the Union of North America. Easily outwrestling any competitors for state funding, the Navy secured a major contract with Cleveland Shipbuilding for developing an enhancement for Union warships’ engines. The development is still ongoing in Buffalo, New Jersey, but by the end of the year some of the UNA’s vessels may be outfitted with marine engines allowing more efficient transfer of heat from boiler to propulsive steam. (Technology quest progress: 48.96%, Union of North America losses: -2.33 HC, -0.61 IC, -7.27 EC, -5.95 MC)
Fast-developing region recovering from a major rebellion, but still retaining certain agricultural and trade value.
Voodoo people
Spoiler:
1890: Sudden ascension of the Empire of Haiti to its regional influence has brought up a question of state religion. The Catholic church is not nearly as popular among regular Haitians as the syncretist religion of Voodoo. Wooing voodoo priests to support the Emperor could bring him almost divine popularity, at least on the island of Haiti. On the other hand, on Jamaica, that only recently was incorporated into the Haitian state, the cult of voodoo is not popular, while the Abrahamic religion of Rastafarianism is slowly coming to its maturity. It appears that these exotic believes are slowly coming their way to the Creole diaspora in New Orleans.
Shades of black and white
Spoiler:
1890: Confederates took over of Cuba and the Northern Antilles during the Caribbean Slave Rebellion and the collapse of the Spanish Empire. Since then, the Hispanic and Franco-Caribbean population of this region has started its complicated way to being integrated into the Confederate society. For the rich, this path was short and direct, as families of Cuban plantation owners enjoy the best aspects of Southern hospitality. Poor Hispanics and Creoles, on the other side, are despised by poor Confederate farmers, who perceive them as competitors on the labor market. But nothing can compare to the horrible treatment of Afro-Caribeno slaves (and freedmen often confused with slaves by indifferent Confederate policemen), whose conditions are even worse than those of African-American plantation workers. Unless these tensions are resolved, the Confederate influence over the region may experience a setback.
Q1-Q2 1895: Recent years saw many drastic changes taking place in continental Confederate States, some bad, but mostly good. However, the quality of life across the CSA’s Caribbean possessions hasn’t grown one bit. In fact, for many Afro-Caribeno, Creole, and Hispanic citizens of the islands the gap between them the continental states has become so apparent that they perceive themselves as colonial subjects once again, wondering if their treatment under the Spanish crown was that bad, after all. (Regional quest progress: -30%)
Porfirio’s friends (Haiti)
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Porfirio Diaz’s Mexico seems to be coming to age and looking increasingly outwards in its trade endeavors. One of the nations Diaz and his cientifico advisers have identified as a useful trade partner is neighboring Empire of Haiti, which ports have already become a standard destination place for Mexican ships for maintenance and refueling duties, ever since the Mexican anti-piracy campaign in 1893. While interests of Mexican corporate businesses were directed elsewhere this year, Mexican diplomats and political lobbyists have already started probing for possible expansion of mutual relationships between the two countries, with expansive two-way economic connections promising to be established next year. (Regional quest progress: 89.29%, Mexico losses: -1.38 HC, -1.93 IC, -2.8 EC, -0.43 MC)
No war, no peace
Q1-Q2 1895: Diplomatic duplicity, geopolitical uncertainty, and schizophrenic contradictions were a scourge of President Stone’s Confederate government throughout most of his term. Under a new Modernist leadership of President Stand Watie Jr., many Dixies hoped that the CSA’s world standing would be determined once and for all - either as a determined competitor to the Union’s unending ambition, or as a true member of the Monroe Conference Bloc. Most importantly, Confederate citizens wanted to know, whether they should prepare for a war (and, if so, against who) or for peace (and if so, on which terms). Yet, the first half a year under Stand Watie Jr. saw the Union openly using Caribbean naval bases of the CSA’s navy for their operations against Portugal-Brazil. Not only are the port authorities often perceiving the Union crews with hostility and mistrust (a mutual sentiment, to be fair), but many naval officers (members of the Hawks, for the most part) also complain that the Union can easily use its basing rights to draw military plans of Confederate harbors that they could attack in the future. The final drop has become the battle of Havana this June that, predictably, almost resulted in a state of war between the Twin Crowns and the CSA. Now, even big businessmen (arguable, some of the most influential “voters” in the Confederate democratic system) found themselves frustrated with Savannah’s inability to decide which chair to sit on.
Mexico
Spoiler:
Fast-developing, emerging region with above-average potential in all spheres.
Cientificos and the Church
Spoiler:
1890: President Diaz has surrounded himself with a council of technocratic advisors known as cientificos (lit. “scientists”). Now this council, despite being deprived of any formal power, has a lot of influence over national policies, pushing for more secular modernization of the Mexican society, with a strong lean toward social darwinism. Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, however, are disappointed in how much power these disbelievers have in the Mexican government and demand that the council is eliminated. On the one hand, cientificos are very popular among Mexican capitalists, bankers, and bourgeoisie, who are seeing direct results of the new policies. On the other hand, the Church enjoys almost universal support of rural landowners and, surprisingly, the peasantry (despite the fact that they, too, have benefited from the “scientific politics” of the cientificos).
Bread or a stick
Spoiler:
1890: “Pan o palo” is a phrase that’s becoming increasingly popular in the Mexican culture, and some people worry about what that may mean for the national mentality and ethics. Translated as “bread or a stick,” it describes an approach to suppressing one’s political opponents by offering them a lucrative position in one’s own office in exchange for them dropping their criticism. Pioneered by the President himself, this practice has become widespread not only in politics, but also in day-to-day language. As it’s starting to impact work ethics, career advancements, business deals, and police procedures, many lawyers express their concern - that is, until somebody asks them to accept a well-paying government position, or else…
Opportunities and Prosperity
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Growth of Mexican welfare programs under progressive presidency of Porfirio Diaz has drawn a lot of support to more localized, region-based welfare models, designed to supplement country-wide policies. Two of such proposals are branded as Oportunidades (“Opportunities”) and Prospera (“Thrive”) and are proposed to be applied to all states of Central Mexico. Both aim to provide conditional cash transfers to so-called “rights holders,” or people responsible for health and consumption decisions in poor families, usually mothers. Differences lie in the benefit distribution approach: Oportunidades is based on a strict, centralized top-down model, with all administrative decisions made by the federal government (which may streamline decision-making, but could also hurt precision of targeting specific population segments), while Prospera aims to give municipal authorities big power in defining conditional cash transfer recipients and specific, regional benefit packages (which, of course, allows to tailor more beneficial decisions, but also slows them down and opens gates for regional corruption). Needless to say, both programs look highly advanced even by world standards, and the nation’s leadership should wisely consider its options.
Hecho en Mexico
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: As the Mexican industry is growing its own wings, President Porfirio Diaz is launching a state-sponsored program that is aimed to promote Mexican-made goods at the local market. Nicknamed simply “Hecho en Mexico” (“Made in Mexico”), it’s a public promotion campaign in mass media, combined with concerted import substitution measures and government procurement contracts for Mexican firms. All in all, the program is up for a good start, and may soon generate quite a stimulus for the local manufacture. (Regional quest progress: 42.83%, Mexico losses: -2.61 HC, -0.7 IC, -6.95 EC, -5.96 MC)
Serpent’s Garden (Mexico)
Q1-Q2 1895: Just like the Sikh Raj of Indostan, the United States of Mexico had plenty of motivation to get at least some presence in the secret international spy agency of Serpent’s Garden. The main reason, of course, was the cientificos (and personally of Porfirio Diaz’s) desire to stay in touch with the behind-the-scene of the world’s powerful forces. Therefore, two chosen agents of Mexico’s federal police were sent to join the organization upon receiving its welcoming message. The delegation, apart from some assistant clerks, included an experienced apolitical hound Abel Poncio Rendón, as well the his ambitious (some say, too ambitious) young assistant and dedicated cientifico Isidoro Pastor Nieves. (Regional quest completed with success, Mexico joins secret organization “Serpent’s Garden”, Mexico losses: -1.25 HC, -1.76 IC, -2.62 EC, -0.54 MC)
Armored cutters
Q1-Q2 1895: The war at sea against the Portobrazilian and Sardinian navies has exposed the Armada de Mexico’s weaknesses, one of which was its lack of modern ships capable of supporting operations in littoral waters. To compensate for that shortcoming, President Porfirio Diaz’s government has invested into a new naval design of small, protected gunboats designed for navigating in shallow waters with fast currents. These small ships may lack powerful artillery, but they’re nimble, light, and capable of supporting amphibious operations - something that Mexico’s military has had troubles with. The project has so far been progressing unexpectedly slowly, but that was explained by Diaz’s cientifico advisers as simply bad luck with first test prototypes. (Technology quest progress: 33.57%, Mexico losses: -2.53 HC, -0.71 IC, -7.07 EC, -5.69 MC)
Mesoamerica
Spoiler:
Fast-developing region suffering from low literacy levels, but possessing large agricultural potential.
South Mexican railways
Spoiler:
Q3 1893: The success of the Central Mexican integrated railway network suggested a natural extension of that infrastructure project southward, into the forested hills of Mesoamerica. That construction promises to be more challenging due to a complicated landscape, sharply defined rain seasons, and much more sensitive tribal and class divisions (which could impact land requisition and work conditions in construction camps). In order to cut down on costs, some cientificos propose to President Diaz that a conservative, low-scope project is implemented, connecting only most crucial population centers to Mexico’s heartland. More ambitious presidential advisers, meanwhile, insist that the new infrastructure project should be just as well funded as the Central Mexican railway network, thus helping to integrate Mesoamerican states into the Mexican nation and finally starting to solve regional wealth disparity. Either way, easing up access to Mesoamerican tobacco, sugarcane, cauchuck, and other agricultural goods is seen as a result worthy of heavily investing into.
Bloody divinity
Spoiler:
1890: In Mesoamerica, native folk religion has existed back to back with the most pious Catholicism for centuries. However, as estrangement grows among ethnicities of Aztec, Zapotec, and Mayan descent, old religious cults seem to be rising back from their graves. Many rural communities seem to be returning to celebrating their ancient religion in the most pure, authentic way. And that way, of course, involves human sacrifices to teotls (gods or aspects of divinity). Most of sacrifice victims are volunteers (no wonder, given the poor life conditions in the region), but in some unproven cases they were kidnapped local magistrates who went too far at investigating the cults. In any way, the Roman Catholic Church demands that the President does something about these abominable practices.
1891: The Mexican government dispatched its agents and detectives to investigate rumors of sacrifices and put an end to them. At the same time, worshipping of teotls was allowed to continue, as long as it didn’t involve violation of people’s right, a move that enraged Roman Catholic clergy and ensured that local priests provided little help to the investigators. (Regional quest progress: 26.57%, Mexico losses: -0.53 HC, -0.74 IC, -1.08 EC, -0.16 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: As Porfirio Diaz’s regime grew increasingly obsessed with its foreign involvements, the problem of bloody paganism in Mesoamerica was largely put on a backburner. However, in the spring of 1895, several groups of well-prepared foreigners (some of them from the Americas, and some from Europe) arrived to Mexico under fake aliases with a rumored intention to take a “tourist trip” to the pisspoor regions of the Yucatan peninsula. Some locals who were hired as porters or servants for the shady gentlemen and ladies claimed that their “trip” was somehow connected to a favor done by some country (or countries) to the Holy See itself. While the rumors were largely dismissed by Mexican policemen that investigated the entire misadventure with some delay, a few things could be definitely confirmed. The shadowy group’s true goal was to track down teotl-worshipping pagan cults, a task they performed with ease typical only for the most sophisticated intelligence services. Once the cults were came into contact with, they were discovered to be merely facades for a radical Indigenista group of authoritarian communards, calling themselves the Camisas Rojas (the Red Shirts). Leftists partisans and terrorists, this group used the bloody cults for a dual purpose: to steal the flock from the Roman Catholic Church (which they perceived as supporters of the “capitalist” status quo) and to tap into a lucrative black market of organ donors. It’s suspected that the infamous Theosophical Society was purchasing “sacrificed” hearts and other specially preserved organs from the fake cultists, indirectly supporting the Liberation Army’s anarchist crusade with their payments. One way or another, the foreign agents successfully left the country with whatever they found there (which probably was not much), but their actions did help the intervents to gain respect of the Holy See and especially its Mexican dioceses. Meanwhile, Porfirio Diaz and his cientificos, at least, may find solace in the fact that the Camisas Rojas lost one of its main sources of financing (although it remains potent), and some poor souls were saved from sacrifice to an old god. (Regional quest completed with mixed results, region Mesoamerica gains +5 HC, ??? gains +3% Regional Influence, ??? gains +1.5% Regional Influence, region Mexico: ??? gains +1% Regional Influence, ??? gains +0.5% Regional Influence, region Italia: ??? gains +0.5% Regional Influence, ??? gains +0.25% Regional Influence, ??? losses: -0.5? HC, -0.9? IC, -1.2? EC, -0.3? MC, ??? losses: -0.3? HC, -0.5? IC, -0.7? EC, -0.1? MC)
Liberation Army of the South
Q1-Q2 1895: The Porfiriato may be liked by technocrats and industrialists, but the nation’s growing GDP is of little meaning for a regular farmer struggling to make ends meet. Now that war expenses, mobilization, and war weariness start to add to other, more “regular” conditions of “scientific industrialization,” agrarian communities of the Yucatan peninsula, Morelos, and other parts of Mesoamerica are turning against the central government, which they see as corrupt, power-hungry, and self-centered. The loudest voice is given to the voiceless by one
Amador Salazar Jiménez, a passionary from a well-educated family of mestizos (people of mixed Nahua-Hispanic descent). Him and his sixteen-year-old cousin, a prodigy named Emiliano Zapata, have started to organize collectivist militia in the state of Morelos. They call it Ejército Libertador del Sur (the Liberation Army of the South) and vehemently oppose both the central regime of Porfirio Diaz and partisan authoritarian groups like the infamous Camisas Rojas (Red Shirts). For the Liberation Army of the South, the future of humanity is perceived as an equality-based commune of farmers, akin to the Centroamerican Federation, but with greater social consciousness. For now, the Liberation Army is “army” only in word, and it acts mostly peacefully (or through acts of “philanthropic banditry,” as some journalists call it), but if left unchecked, the new anarchist movement may well grow into a force to be reckoned with.
Peons or slaves
Spoiler:
1890: Most of Mesoamerican economy is agricultural, with majority of means of production belonging to rich owners of large personal estates, or haciendas. The rest of the peasantry owns only small lots of land, usually of too poor of a quality to provide anything but basic subsistence, especially without an easy access to modern mechanical tools. This drives thousands of peasants into the state of debt peonage (known as peonaje) in haciendas. There they stay for the most of their lives, hoping to pass what little personal belongings they have to the next generation of their family, at best. Even outside of basic human decency, there’s plenty of issues with that. The widening gap between the rich and the poor is generating a lot of social contempt and leftist sympathy among the peasant. Besides, debt peons contribute very little to the society and cannot even be used as a cheap labor force for manufacturing effort, since they’re pretty much tied to the land they help cultivate.
1891: The Mexican government started a serfdom reform, but so far its aspects remain very vague, impacting both its public perception and administrative execution. (Regional quest progress: 7.4%, Mexico losses: -1.68 HC, -2.36 IC, -3.41 EC, -0.52 MC)
Central America
Spoiler:
Booming region, potentially crucial for Atlantic-Pacific trade, trying to overcome legacy of prolonged economic stagnation.
Canal is a canal is a canal
Spoiler:
1890: In 1876, Imperial France has already attempted to build a canal in Gran-Colombian Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. That bold project, however, failed when the Atlantic War siphoned all resources directed to that gian infrastructure project, and now the Panama Canal is nothing but a series of unfinished excavation works in Centroamerica jungles. Now that the world in this hemisphere is not engulfed in flames of war anymore, people are back to discussing the benefits of connecting two oceans by a canal. One project merely suggests continuing the work started by Imperial French engineers, while another one suggests starting a new canal further up north, connecting Punta Gorda and Brito through the Lake Nicaragua. Of course, both efforts would require the governments of, accordingly, Gran Colombia and Centroamerican Federation to agree to hosting such projects on their territory, as well as, potentially, a sale of adjacent lands.
1891: Most recent successful dynastic marriage made the monarchy of Gran Colombia very receptive of Portobrazilian offer to build the Panama Canal in exchange for indefinite return of investments, combined with a 10-year lease of lands adjacent to the canal, and full protection of assets. The work has started at full possible speed, but progresses slowly, mostly due to the harsh climate, epidemic disease, and large task at hand. (Regional quest progress: 2.95%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -2.79 HC, -0.62 IC, -6.65 EC, -6.15 MC)
Q4 1893: While people of Gran Colombia were fighting for their freedom, one of the members of the Monroe Conference was happy to use that chaos for development of a troubled Panama Canal. Confederate construction firms were dispatched to a liberal stronghold of Panama, along with lobbying groups, informal ambassadors, and security teams provided by the CSA. The hope was to use the temporary confusion in Gran-Colombian politics to ship in Confederate heavy machinery and Japanese migrant workers with a permission of the local liberal governor and thus finally start moving the prospective canal construction forward. However, as the situation in Gran Colombia escalated to the state of civil war, the entire endeavor became compromised. Miraculously, Confederate negotiators managed to retain somewhat lukewarm relationship with the Panama governor and then, later, with the Portobrazilian marine corps general who took control of the region as a part of the Twin Crowns’ counterinsurgency operation. Somehow, Dixie engineers even managed to achieve some progress in the construction, despite the chaos and war that surrounded them, but the managers tasked with keeping the construction going insist that they have no confidence in security of Confederate assets as long as the war goes on and diplomatic gap between the CSA and Portugal-Brazil widens. (Regional quest progress: 17.3%, Confederate States of America losses: -3.56 HC, -3.13 IC, -8.62 EC, -4.84 MC)
Greater Republic of Central America
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: As ideologically agnostic as the Fourteen Families of El Salvador are, their open demarche against the Centroamerican Federation’s authorities has exposed the weaknesses of that collectivist state and crystallized an anti-leftist opposition. Uneducated and lacking political consciousness, Centroamerican Mestizo peasants often lack the initiative and will to oppose various resurgent reactionary elements, unless their direct day-to-day interests openly conflict with them. In other words, large portion of the country suddenly showed quite a lot of indifference to the Fourteen Families’ defiance of the central authority and the semi-militant standout that resulted from that. Now the country is left paralyzed, as the Central Committee is afraid that other regions will experience similar uprisings of old-regime reactionaries supported by foreign adventurers. This political inactivity is being viewed as a sign of fatal weakness by one of the most vocal members of the Fourteen Families, one Tomás Regalado, who has started to agitate for a destruction of the collectivist regime and an installment of a so-called Greater Republic of Central America in its place.
Q1-Q2 1894: Destabilization of the Centroamerican Federation in late 1893 created an important buffer between the Gran-Colombian conflict and the bulk of the Monroe Conference bloc. Perhaps, that might explain, why Porfirio Diaz’s Mexico stepped in to the political standoff and attempted to untie it, despite urges by some of the President’s more pragmatic advisers to embrace the Fourteen Families instead as a much more ideologically homogeneous alternative to the Centroamerican left-wing collectivists. Diaz’s ambassadors were instructed to negotiate a reduction of tariffs and railroad building rights with the Federation’s leadership in exchange for their resolution of the crisis, and these promises were easily granted - maybe, because the Centroamerican economy benefited from such measures much more than the Mexican one. One way or another, just when the actual negotiations with Tomás Regalado started in El Salvador in March, the Mexicans discovered that the Twin Crowns of Portugal and Brazil weren’t going to let go of their allies that easily. Every offer the Mexicans made to Regalado or other supporting families, was countered by a Portobrazilian counter-offer, and the entire negotiations process turned into a misty swamp of indecision and unclear expectations. That was just what the Portobrazilians needed, cementing the standoff even further and gradually eroding popular support for either of the major political parties in the country. (Regional quest progress: -30.76%, Mexico losses: -12.83 HC, -17.98 IC, -26.54 EC, -5.54 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -14.62 HC, -21.67 IC, -31.75 EC, -7.46 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: Where Porfirio Diaz’s ambassadors had failed, President Fouracre’s agents hoped to triumph, perhaps, due to their closer ideological alignment to Centroamerica’s Collectivist regime. However, the Twin Crowns expected that move and countered it with their own, showing to the pedantic agents of the UNA the whole variety of methods of political influence the Twin Crowns possessed, ranging from classic shadowy negotiations to cultural propaganda campaigns via an organization of friendly futebol competitions across the Federation. The Union’s agents still attempted to run a smear campaign against the reactionaries, but the means of that effort proved to be counterproductive. Propaganda by the Fabian Society held little sway over the Catholic country that lacked an educated, socially-conscious middle class, and on the religious field the reactionaries could always claim the support of the old clerical hierarchy. One way or another, the UNA’s push to change the deadlock failed, mostly because the Federation’s Central Committee had little sway over individual collective deputies involved in negotiations. At the very least, the Federation’s leadership agreed to create its own independent counterintelligence and national security force in exchange for the North-American economic help. Yet, the proposal to use the troops for an armed crackdown against the Fourteen Families in the south was rejected, as the Central Committee wasn’t sure it had the popular mandate for such an action that could trigger a strife mirroring the Gran-Colombian Civil War. (Regional quest progress: -50.57%, Union of North America losses: -7.08 HC, -12.61 IC, -17.86 EC, -5.3 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -17.4 HC, -19.09 IC, -32.5 EC, -6.57 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The State Department of the Union has learned the lessons of its previous unsuccessful push toward resolution of the Centroamerican political standoff. Firstly, the Mestizo peasants were deemed to be too low-conscience from the political standpoint to be relied upon. Secondly, religious agitation was stopped altogether. Instead, President Fouracre’s agents concentrated on getting the Central Committee on board with a country-wide political crackdown, for now using only relatively “soft” actions of Collectivist civil guards that were formed with a New Year’s decree. Mexican ambassadors disappeared from the picture altogether, clearing the space for a predictable agitation battle between leftist and reactionary elements in the Centroamerican politics, with the Portobrazilians standing to lose it simply due to a shortage of resources, thinly spread between several diplomatic engagements. However, a surprising intervention took place when a series of “incidents” started to occur to Collectivist passionaries and their North-American backers (most of them non-lethal, but being not far from that). Simultaneously, a fearmongering campaign among less conscious peasants set them up against an “imminent Collectivist terror.” By the middle of spring, it was clear to the Union’s intelligence that a yet unknown force of license-to-kill agents was working in the country, sabotaging the State Department’s efforts to push toward the resolution of the crisis. For all of the Union’s agents’ efficiency and sophistication, they were facing a powerful wave of artificially manufactured popular sentiment that has put the Federation on the brink of anticlimactic split into two different political entities. (Regional quest progress: -96.81%, Union of North America losses: -9.78 HC, -17.41 IC, -24.65 EC, -7.31 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -13.61 HC, -16.35 IC, -26.54 EC, -5.63 MC, Centroamerican Federation losses: -1.56 HC, -2.46 IC, -3.69 EC, -0.27 MC, ??? losses: -13.6? HC, -19.1? IC, -26.8? EC, -6.7? MC)
Collective economy
Spoiler:
1890: Historically, the lands of modern Centroamerican Federation lacked the indigenous forced labor to allow the establishment of haciendas (plantations, mines, and factories owned by aristocracy). This has shaped the local agricultural economy as an amalgam of free village communities producing, mostly, export crops. But the new type of economy proposed by the Centroamerican Planning Bureau requires more sophisticated forms of organized labor, and Centroamerican citizens have a trouble grasping that concept, especially in the more remote parts of the country. However, the government is exploring its ways to move away from small-time agricultural production to modern, collective agriculture and industrial production.
Q1-Q2 1895: Having faced a setback after setback in its attempts to break the power of the Fourteen Families and their offshoot Republican movement, the State Department of the UNA has finally recognized that a more holistic solution could be required to produce the desired result. Therefore, groups of economic advisers, agriculturalists, union leaders, and machinery experts were sent to the Centroamerican Federation to help its Planning Bureau to organize local collective farming. The Union’s own agricultural communes of the Midwest were used as the prototype for the new farming collectives, although that project itself was in its infancy and couldn’t be really helpful as a proof of concept. Still, with gradual modernization of Centroamerican farming, there comes a real possibility that the Mestizo peasants would grow more politically conscious and economically independent from the remnants of the old aristocracy, thus eroding the reactionary support.(Regional quest progress: 68.57%, Union of North America losses: -2.85 HC, -2.26 IC, -8.32 EC, -5.5 MC)
Gran Colombia
Spoiler:
Slowly-developing region suffering from an escalating civil war, corruption, and obsolete socio-economic institutions.
Resistance is not dead
Q1-Q2 1895: The Republic of Gran Colombia may be dead, but the ideas it was based on are alive! At least, so say the few lucky souls that survived the Portobrazilian purge immediately after the Republican government collapsed. Now, with the blockade being installed over the Carribean shore of Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela, it’s harder than ever for these staunch Republicans, socialists, and progressive ex-servicemen to receive help from their overseas supporters. Yet, some do try, and many of them receive what they ask for. As hard as it is to infiltrate occupied Gran Colombia, some foreign agents (and often just their proxies) do make it through the curtain. Slowly, but surely, resistance cells are being rebuilt, mostly in a passive struggle to survive the onslaught. The latter task is not easy, as the Portobrazilian counterintelligence bureau has proved once and again that it could get the job done regardless of the losses it takes to do so (in fact, the Gran-Colombian resistance fighters even have a subset of jokes dedicated to how Portobrazilian gendarmes are physically unable to shoot at their target and hit it, often dying in droves almost comically in firefights). Yet, despite all lack of training, in a few cases when their attempted crackdowns failed, the Twin Crowns’ agencies mobilized even bigger resources for even bigger manhunts, eventually almost always delivering on their promise to hunt down the pesky rebels. So, even though the resistance is being slowly reborn, the enemy it stands against may be far from being defeated. (Regional quest progress: 40.61%, ??? losses: -4.4? HC, -7.8? IC, -11.1? EC, -3.3? MC, ??? losses: -4.3? HC, -6.0? IC, -9.0? EC, -1.8? MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -27.63 HC, -33.19 IC, -53.87 EC, -11.42 MC)
Resguardo wars
Spoiler:
1892: Multiple distinct nations of Amerindian (pre-Columbian Native American) people exist in the region, vast majority of them residing in reservation-like areas known as resguardos. Most of such resguardos occupy undeveloped, hard-to-reach lowland and highland locations deep off the coast, making them hardly an attractive land to own. However, the recent “Plato o Plomo” deal between the capos and Portobrazilian interventionists has made distant patches of land hidden in the wilderness an attractive investment for coca plantation owners that wish to stay away from the eye of Gran-Colombian customs police or from their Portobrazilian competitors. This has pushed the two groups into a non-stop low-key warfare across the jungles, with narcoparamilitary squads and Amerindian bands clashing for control of the glades.
Q1-Q2 1894: Remote corners of Colombia and Venezuela became hotbeds of rebel activity in the first part of 1894, as Andean agents first arrived to agitate disgruntled Amerindians to rise against pro-monarchist narcoparamilitary squads, soon followed by first units of Andean guerilla fighters that had infiltrated the region via blimps or obscure mountain trails. Almost exclusively comprised of avid Indigenista party members, these Andean units started a campaign of jungle hit-and-run warfare across the region, soliciting a heavy response from the Portobrazilian military and secret police. Currently, the situation is clearly moving in the desired direction for the United Communes, as the Amerindian resistance is growing, and the resguardos are being slowly cleared of the pro-monarchist cocaine cartels, but Andean military experts point out that the Communal army and intelligence still have a lot to learn from their enemy in terms of training and equipment. (Regional quest progress: 26.11%, Communes of the Andes losses: -37.5 HC, -14.46 IC, -25.52 EC, -8.65 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -30 HC, -18.22 IC, -27.74 EC, -12.31 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: With the collapse of the Republican government of Gran Colombia, the Twin Crowns started to concentrate on internal insurgencies that plagued the Titular Kingdom of Gran Colombia. One of such insurgencies was centered on Amerindian resistance against narcoparamilitary groups. Despite their use of unorthodox approach to partisan warfare that included promotion of vigilante behavior, Andean guerilla units and field agent networks found themselves outmatched in the pedantic clearing of jungle territories that the Portobrazilians performed. Still, despite the setbacks, the banner of Indigenista movement continues flying over many Amerindian villages. (Regional quest progress: 7.61%, Communes of the Andes losses: -26.55 HC, -12.55 IC, -20.98 EC, -5.93 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -22.38 HC, -15.75 IC, -26.5 EC, -8.44 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Amerindian partisan warfare in distant regions of Colombia and Venezuela increased in intensity through the first half of the year. It started with a series of high-profile spy planting operations, in which agents of foreign nations (most likely, direct enemies of the Twin Crowns at the current war) attempted to infiltrate Gran Colombia and establish safe routes through which the partisans could be provided with a steady stream of equipment, medical supplies, and advisors. While the Andean airship collectives used their power to deliver as much cargo as possible to the rebels, in the end it came down to more complicated smuggling operations that often saw shipment delivered through third countries to Portugal-Brazil and then “stolen” on its way to Gran Colombia. However, the Twin Crowns’ intelligence officers yet again showed what they were being paid with. As costly as their counterespionage operations were, they managed to keep such smuggling operations at the minimum, seizing plenty of goods going to support Indigenista rebels long before they reached their final destination. (Regional quest progress: 6.17%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -23.14 HC, -27.8 IC, -45.13 EC, -9.57 MC, ??? losses: -2.6? HC, -4.7? IC, -6.7? EC, -1.9? MC, ??? losses: -3.3? HC, -4.7? IC, -7.0? EC, -1.4? MC, ??? losses: -4.0? HC, -5.6? IC, -8.1? EC, -0.9? MC)
With the spy game being indecisive at best, the Resguardo insurrection came down to a guerilla operation by the Andean soldiers this spring. In their operations, the Indigenista units attempted to use non-military blimps for reconnaissance, but these makeshift efforts were mostly useless, given the nature of the terrain, vastness of the territories, primitivity of communications and, of course, the civilian nature of the air units involved. Still, the proficiency of the Communal Army is growing, and in May the Indigenista partisans managed to deliver several painful stings to the Portobrazilian garrison, destroying a string of roadblocks and forts in the jungles of the Coqueta River basin. Still, the Resguardo Wars are very far from being over. (Regional quest progress: 19.17%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -16.08 HC, -5.01 IC, -11.01 EC, -6.26 MC, Communes of the Andes losses: -31.03 HC, -7.89 IC, -21.02 EC, -6.43 MC)
Father General strikes back
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: The Jesuit Order has suffered quite a lot of losses to peasant proletarian rebel forces in the first months of the War of Independence, mostly in assets, but at times in lives of its brethren. Most of the cases of anti-Jesuit persecution and, on a few cases, mass murder were committed by radical Communards and social-revolutionaries, influenced, but not directly instructed by the Andean Communes. Now, it seems like the monks have had enough. Provost-general Rafael Sosa, also known as Father General, has announced that the Order will be forming a “host” of devoted Christian soldiers to put an end to Communard depravity. Skirmishes between the Jesuit hosts and Communard partisans are starting to take place across the country outback, as hostilities escalate. Bad blood is being accumulated on both sides, and some more radical figures are starting to rise in both camps (for now, disavowed by their supreme leaders). Rumors spread that some particularly rabid anti-Communard priests are forming special kill squads consisting of “repentant narcos,” who mix their traditional criminal brutality with zealous righteousness.
Q1-Q2 1894: Atheist lynching and Jesuit repressions are fanning the flames of a religious conflict in Gran Colombia in addition to the civil one. As the conventional military campaign in Ecuador was clearly going against the Republic’s newfound allies, the United Communes of the Andes, the Andean units were sent to infiltrate the countryside and help local radicalized peasant militias to fight for themselves against the Jesuit Order and its “host,” demonized in the Communist propaganda despite being ethical equals of the atheistic lynchers. A special place in the Andean plan was dedicated to a capture and demonstrative execution of Provost-general Rafael Sosa, who was, in fact, the only high-ranking Jesuit commander who continued insisting on disavowing the “repentant narcos” as the Order’s allies in the war. One way or another, the attack on the Father General’s residence in Monasterio de La Candelaria in Bogota resulted in a bloody battle that raged on the streets of the city for three days, as Bogota’s garrison had been reinforced with three Portobrazilian regiments earlier. In the end, the Andean partisans had to retreat, having lost half of their numbers in that fight. That battle was generally representative of the larger campaign at hand. Fanatical and enthusiastic, the Communal soldiers simply lacked the training and equipment to fight on par with their Portobrazilian opponents in an offensive insurgency, despite clearly enjoying the benefit of popular support and superior initiative. As a result, the campaign was a virtual stalemate, in which the Portobrazilian army could at least claim smaller losses. (Regional quest progress: 2.33%, Communes of the Andes losses: -19.34 HC, -4.04 IC, -8.75 EC, -4.28 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -12.07 HC, -3.76 IC, -6.08 EC, -4.55 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The Twin Crowns’ counterintelligence service learned a lot from the assassination attempt at the Father General’s life. Mostly, that military police action could produce results only if the scourge of atheist treason could be purged from the Gran-Colombian society. So, while the army left only token support for the Jesuit Order’s paramilitary, the countryside was infiltrated with a lot of experienced field agents of the Twin Crowns. This did mean that some remote roadblocks and fortified positions were overtaken by sudden attacks of atheist partisans (most of which were Andean soldiers operating in the Portobrazilian rear), but the Portobrazilian counterespionage effort managed to do a lot of damage to the network of agitators and rural supporters of the anti-monarchist movement. If this trend were to continue, the loss of grassroot organization threatens the entire insurgency campaign. (Regional quest progress: -14%, Communes of the Andes losses: -17.49 HC, -11.24 IC, -17.62 EC, -3.92 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -19.87 HC, -10.29 IC, -17.11 EC, -7.49 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The rural insurgency against the once omnipotent Jesuit Order and its Portobrazilian protectors continued in the Colombian Andes, fuelled by Andean infiltrators. The Communal Army’s proficiency had grown by then, and attacks on land convoys and roadblocks stopped being as one-sided as they used to. This campaign culminated in a daring raid on Colegio San Pedro Claver, a Jesuit seminary school-cum-military base in the town of Bucaramanga. Meanwhile, atheist agitation among the peasants had also stepped up, gradually bringing new frustrated converts to the anti-Jesuit cause. These successes were costly and far between, but they did help to stabilize the anti-Jesuit resistance just when the dynamics had appeared to be going against it. Still, the partisan war against the Jesuit Order and the “repentant narcos” may take years and years. (Regional quest progress: 5.2%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -26.55 HC, -19.98 IC, -34.83 EC, -10.66 MC, Communes of the Andes losses: -31.04 HC, -13.87 IC, -27.98 EC, -6.55 MC)
Tickets for war, tickets for peace
Spoiler:
Q3-Q4 1894: Financial collapse brought about by hyperinflation may one day be admitted to be one of the biggest causes of the collapse of the Republican Army in the campaign of the fall of 1894. Still, the damage done to the local economy by the “service tickets” appears to extend past the military matters. Now that Portugal-Brazil has overtaken the country, thousands of people who had either served or sold some wares to the Republican soldiers, remain with stacks of “service tickets” that they hope will be someday exchanged for a more “valid” currency, or else they might lose a year’s worth of earnings. To the reinstituted authority of the Titular Kingdom of Gran Colombia it presents a duplicate challenge. Invalidation of the service tickets could set a wave of bankruptcies of numerous businesses, deepening the financial and economic crisis in this war-ravaged realm of the Twin Crowns. Meanwhile, many counterintelligence experts express discomfort with the idea of supporting the “service tickets” with Portobrazilian money. After all, a good number of people with a surplus of such tickets might indeed be past members of the Republican military and especially its leaders.
Q1-Q2 1895: For the foes of de Braganza dynasty, the “service tickets” of Republican Gran Colombia looked like a great way to find a road toward the heart of every poor commoner. With many of them barely trying to make ends meet, while having stacks of worthless coupons at home, it was just a matter of finding the right way to provide them with what they needed most (food, water, medical supplies) in exchange for the old government bills and, perhaps, a bit of information or some small commitment. Once in a while, these agents would drop a few hints about how easy citizens of Cartagena have it, being able to pay for anything they wish with their service tickets. As attractive as these acts of calculated kindness were, the Portobrazilian police managed to make it well-known what happens to those who posses the “service tickets” or buy goods with them. After all, who but a rebel would have the “rebel currency?” Masters of mass public events, the Portobrazilian authorities even turned executions of “service ticket” holders into an open demonstration of how serious the crime was. Not only were the executions (and court sessions) captured on camera, but they were often put right into the middle of popular futebol matches to make the message more clear. As hated as such measures were, they started to turn the “service tickets” into some sort of a “black spot,” a doom-bringing possession that could lead all sorts of disasters to its owner (or trader). In a few cases, people even started to use them to anonymously settle their petty scores, leaving a “service ticket” to a hated neighbor and then tipping the police. Either way, it may take some effort to turn the “service tickets’” reputation around. (Regional quest progress: -15.22%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -8.65 HC, -10.38 IC, -16.86 EC, -3.57 MC, ??? losses: -2.2? HC, -3.9? IC, -5.5? EC, -1.6? MC, ??? losses: -2.3? HC, -3.3? IC, -5.0? EC, -1.0? MC)
Remember the 19th of April!
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: As the Gran-Colombian Civil War was expanding into an international conflict, the strife at the heart of the Gran-Colombian society only grew. A series of bombings took place earlier in the year, damaging railroads and port infrastructure in Portobrazilian-controlled Venezuela and eastern provinces of Colombia. The true alarm was rung by the Twin Crowns’ military government in the area on April 19, when the palace of a Portobrazilian governor-general of the province of New Andalusia was bombed in Cumaná, taking his life along with the entire administrative archive. At that point, the Portobrazilian secret police was already fully engaged in an intense hunt for the perpetrators of these terrorist attacks, who started naming themselves Movimiento 19 de Abril (the Movement of the 19th of April) in their underground leaflettes. Based on their program’s analysis, the Portobrazilian investigators could define the terrorist group’s ideology as “militant technocratism,” while its sponsorship and coordination was placed clearly on one of the great powers currently at odds with the Twin Crowns. One way or another, the end of the spring saw numerous cells of the Movement of the 19th of April destroyed by the Twin Crowns’ counter-intelligence squads, while the population on the occupied territory was exposed to a counter-propaganda campaign that concentrated on numerous Gran-Colombian lives lost in these attacks, placing a wedge between the terrorists and their potential recruitment base. Still, the Portobrazilian war on terror is very far from over, and it promises to test the true power of the Twin Crowns’ security services. (Regional quest progress: -16.44%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -17.75 HC, -26.32 IC, -38.56 EC, -9.06 MC, ??? losses: -12.8? HC, -17.9? IC, -26.5? EC, -5.5? MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The bombing and assassination campaign by the Movimiento 19 de Abril continued throughout the year, sending many trains off rails and taking quite a toll on the Portobrazilian troops, police, and local collaborators. However, for all the impressive damage the terror tactics had done, there were few signs of any real weakness shown by the regent regime. In fact, after the collapse of the Republic and a deep drop in morale among its supporters, the Movement of the 19th of April was seen by the population as a group of bitter avengers who endangered lives of the civilians for the sake of their own agenda. Or, at least, that’s how the Twin Crowns’ propaganda tried to paint the picture. What can objectively said about that terror campaign, however, is that the counterintelligence service of the Twin Crowns has finally been able to concentrate on tracking down the movement’s cells, pushing it on the edge of extinction. (Regional quest progress: -91.33%, ??? losses: -9.5? HC, -13.4? IC, -20.?? EC, -4.1? MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -16.17 HC, -17.74 IC, -30.2 EC, -6.11 MC)
The Cloud Road
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The United Communes’ joining of the Gran-Colombian conflict on the Republican side was a big investment on the Andean part. Dozens of railway collectives and communal blimps owned by the Airships of the Andes and Amazonia were redirected to providing supply both for the Andean army and for the people of free Gran-Colombian state. However, the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil was critical for that infrastructure effort, and its loss to a bold Portobrazilian amphibious invasion effectively separated the Andean-protected part of Ecuador from the rest of the Gran-Colombian state. With the Pacific sea lanes also being threatened by the Twin Crowns’ navy, the Andeans had to rely on their blimps in order to provide basic supply for the guerilla formations they support behind the enemy lines and for the Gran-Colombian logistical network. Needless to say, the challenge was huge, as the blimps cannot possibly carry as much cargo as a locomotive could, and their travel time and safety are greatly impacted by the weather. Still, two large blimp stations (or “poor people’s zeppelinariums,” as the Portobrazilians call them) were created in Tena (Ecuador) and Pasto (Colombia) in order to accommodate the heavy airship traffic going over the northern part of the Andes. Nicknamed “the Cloud Road” by the grateful Gran-Colombians, this ad-hoc supply line is not a single, established route, but a combination of air current flows that Andean airship captains use to get their cargo to their embattled allies in the north. Quite a lot of work still needs to be done in order to make the Cloud Road anything but a temporary arrangement, and it remains to be seen if the Portobrazilian army will find a way to cripple it as the war drags on. (Regional quest progress: 58.15%, Communes of the Andes losses: -3.74 HC, -0.85 IC, -8.77 EC, -6.28 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The collapse of the Republican government of Gran Colombia and Andean loss of central Ecuador with its blimp stations were, at first sight, a big strike against the entire concept of the Cloud Road. However, these events also showed the strength of airship transportation, namely its flexibility. When the Gran-Colombian army started to disintegrate, supply deliveries were simply rerouted to the units fighting the insurgency war in the Portobrazailian rear in Ecuador, Amazonia, and Colombian jungles. The loss of blimp stations was also only a small setback, as new stations could be put together virtually on the go, requiring only primitive hangars and warehouses to operate, as the blimps could take off and land virtually from a dime. As the goal of the Cloud Road changed, so did its configuration, turning it into a dynamically changing network of routes bringing supplies to the Andean units in the Twin Crowns’ rear. The way it looks, the AAA is close to a qualitative breakthrough in their wartime transit of cargo and passengers to Gran Colombia. (Regional quest progress: 99.63%, Communes of the Andes losses: -3.74 HC, -0.85 IC, -8.77 EC, -6.28 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The Andean investments into establishing secure, hidden blimp stations and finding best routes between them have finally paid off. While the Cloud Road from Andean Ecuador to the heart of Portugal-Brazil-occupied Gran Colombia is still a dangerous one, the AAA has reached a significant level of familiarity with this “guerilla transportation.” Besides helping the Gran-Colombians out in their humanitarian woes, the Cloud Road also provides a supply network for the Andean forces to use while operating behind the enemy lines. (Regional quest completed with success, region Gran Colombia gains +5 HC, +5 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +0.5%, Communes of the Andes gain +1.5% Regional Influence, Portugal-Brazil loses -1.5% Regional Influence, Andean troops receive +1 CR bonus in Gran-Colombian operations, Communes of the Andes losses: -2.76 HC, -0.62 IC, -6.46 EC, -4.63 MC)
North Andes Region
Spoiler:
Booming region overcoming years of economic neglect and weak infrastructure.
Land-use permits
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: Land-use permits are a new legal document that earlier in the year helped prevent land speculation at the height of the Transandean Railway Network construction. Essentially, the permits and an associated law established that any land owning citizen or commune could be stripped of their right to that land by the local Citizens’ Council if the user of the land did not begin “intended and meaningful work” upon the land within 30 days of obtaining the right to use it. While being the most robust method of land nationalization, this law was written in a hurry and has left a trail of loopholes and anecdotal, counterproductive judicial rulings. Some citizens clearly became victims of personal vendettas by chairmen of their respective Citizens’ Councils, while a few communes lost agriculturally valuable fields just because they were using obsolete or too advanced crop rotation systems that left some patches of land formaly “not used” for more than thirty days. As for the state, it has found itself in unintended possession of some low-value lands all across the nation. Now it is up to the Communal President (or any of his enemies) how to use this bureaucratic chaos for better or for worse.
Guano farmers
Spoiler:
1890: The world is experiencing a population boom, which leads to a skyrocketing demand on agricultural production. This, in turn, makes use of fertilizers an indispensable part of an agricultural cycle. One of such fertilizers is guano, dry excrement of seals, seabirds, and cave-dwelling bats found in big quantities all across Peru. Besides boosting agricultural output of local village communes, guano makes a great export good, being much cheaper than artificially made fertilizers. However, many Andean experts predict a drop in guano demand quite soon, because of the growth of artificial fertilizer industry across the world. While the prices are still good, these experts suggest investing money into something more lasting.
Legacy of Royal Proclamations
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Peru-Ecuadoran territorial dispute over territories located north and east of the Maranon and Napo rivers is one of the oldest running international conflicts in the Western Hemisphere. It stems from so-called Real Cedulas (Royal Proclamations) issued by Spain, quite loosely defining borders between various viceroyalties in South America, making it easy for each country to read it whichever way they wished. With the conquest of Ecuador by young General Diaz, the caudillo and first monarch of Gran Colombia, and with absorption of Peru into the United Communes of the Andes, the conflict didn’t dissipate, but rather changed how it manifests. For years, it was considered that the troubled Communes had no realistic way to challenge Gran-Colombian power in the region, erasing their claims de-facto if not de-jure. However, in recent years the situation flipped completely, and now calls are being made by many peasant communities of south-eastern Ecuador to Andean President de Luna, asking him to allow them to join the United Communes. Diplomatic experts warned the Andean leader that such move would require a lot of diplomatic investments, bringing all local leaders on board, while simultaneously not angering either the Republic of Gran Colombia or the Twin Crowns of Portugal-Brazil. Besides, they point out that such pleas are made not out of Pan-Andean sentiment, but due to a desperate hope by the villagers to be protected from collaborationist pro-Jesuit bandits, who ravage the countryside and may spread havoc across Andean river valleys further south if the territories of Tumbes, Jaen, and Maynas get included into the United Communes or simply receive their protection.
Heliographic networks
Spoiler:
1892: The idea to use light-reflecting mirrors to pass encoded signals over big distances originated in the Ottoman army, but was never used on a scale bigger than inter-platoon communication in the field. Civilian government of the Sublime Porte was previously unimpressed by the project proposed by its retired military engineer to create a permanent heliographic network across the nation, so the inventor took it elsewhere. This year, the Andean government saw some value in the proposal, recognising its value in the largely mountainous nation, divided by deep valleys and rugged terrain, yet almost entirely located above the elevation level that could hamper effective heliographic exchange due to weather conditions. Essentially, plans are made to build fast-speed communication networks that use heliographs, wireless solar telegraphic devices that signal by flashes of sunlight (generally using Morse code) reflected by a mirror. However, the young nation was short of resources to start working on the new project, so the financing was promised to start in the upcoming year, according to the plan.
Q1-Q2 1893: Development of the first nation-wide heliographic network in the world has started this year, but the progress was slow, since Andean engineers were struggling to find a reliable method of converting heliographic information into analogue messages without mass use of human labor for round-the-clock “light sighting.” Once more resources are dedicated to the research, it may be able to progress faster. (Technology quest progress: 8.07%, Communes of the Andes losses: -3.31 HC, -0.75 IC, -6.98 EC, -4.78 MC)
Comrades battalions
Q1-Q2 1895: With the War of Gran-Colombian Independence (known as the Solidarity War in the Andes), the United Communes have been recently scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of their national manpower. Besides, the country found itself at risk of being cut off from supply of resources and manufactured goods due to a Transatlantic blockade (a fear that has since been negated by the expansion of Mexican ports in California and growth of Pacific naval traffic). Still, this prompted the United Communes to start looking into more innovative ways to swell the Communal Army with volunteers. The solution they chose to go for was creation of high-morale units comprising of men who had enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbours and colleagues ("pals," “comrades,” or “brothers-in-arms”), rather than being arbitrarily allocated to other military units. While this approach did create a risk of wiping out the entire village’s male population in a single badly planned attack, it also increased the cohesion of such units and made it harder for able-bodied citizens to not enlist to the army. Meanwhile, the Andean HQ received assistance from an unusual source. As a part of recent cooperation with their “strange bed buddies” from the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Andeans shared their ideas with the Japanese high command and received plenty of organizational assistance from the Shogunate’s advisors, who were happy to assist an enemy of a common foe. (Technology quest completed, Communes of the Andes, Tokugawa Shogunate adopt “Comrades battalions” for no additional cost, Communes of the Andes losses: -1.41 HC, -0.36 IC, -0.95 EC, -0.29 MC, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -2.02 HC, -0.52 IC, -1.66 EC, -0.43 MC)
South Andes Region
Spoiler:
Booming region recovering from civil war and decades of neglect and corruption.
Campesino communes
Spoiler:
1890: Andean peasants, campesino, have a long history of resisting debt peonage on local haciendas (nobility-owned mining or agricultural holdings). With the formation of the United Communes, many of these village communities formed quickly and naturally into grassroot countryside municipalities that rejected central authorities’ attempts to urbanize and industrialize the entire nation. Besides, unlike French communes, the campesino communes of the Andes have very well-defined natural borders (usually, limited by mountain ranges), which allows introduction of intercommunal tariffs designed to protect local farmers from competition. On the one hand, it does make lives of Bolivian campesino Communards stable and quiet. On the other hand, the nation’s leadership is afraid that this practice may spread throughout the country, hindering its development.
Civilista Party
Spoiler:
1892: Unlike the Paris Commune and the French Grand Revolution, the popular coup that established a Communard regime in what used to be the Peru-Bolivian Confederation was not very bloody and wasn’t followed by a sweeping wave of repressions, akin to the ones that took place in France. As a result, a good number of rich merchants, planters, and businesspeople of the old Peru-Bolivian society had never truly lost their fortune, but rather retired from leading social roles and chose to save their energy and resources for better times. Now that it becomes obvious that the Communard regime is here to stay, these people try to re-enter the political stage and organize into a political faction within the framework of the communal, radical-leftist state. Calling themselves the Civilista, they argue for a more capital-friendly set of policies, of course with preservation of communal organization and welfare state. Their vision of the future of the Andean society has been coined the “Aristocratic Commune,” signifying the fact that the political leadership, as the Civilista see it, should be reserved for a well-educated and financially independent elite of the society, a role that they hope to at least partially fill.
Q1-Q2 1894: The United Communes’ declaration of war on the Twin Crowns of Portugal and Brazil wasn’t an act that all members of the All-Andean Council approved. The Civilista party particularly stood out in their pacifist mood, and that required some measures from the ruling coalition of the Internacionalista and Indigenista parties. However, instead of simply disenfranchising or even purging the proponents of the “Aristocratic Commune,” as many fellow revolutionary governments could have done in their place, the proponents of the United War Effort, led by Chief Delegate Hector Quispe, decided to strike a deal with the Civilista. As the nation receives plenty of advisory assistance from the Confederate and Unionist Americas, a proposal was made to start a country-wide college construction program, with its educational base being drawn from among the Dixie and Yankee expatriate experts (among which expatriates from the Manhattan Commune turned out to be the most enthusiastic). The program indeed started with a promise of big success, and the higher education facilities started being built all across the country. However, the United War Effort coalition failed to put forward a well-formulated political offer to the Civilista, perhaps because no experienced political communicators were assigned to that attempt to reach out across the aisle. Yet, Hector Quispe still has time to remedy this shortcoming, as the United Communes’ higher education system is evolving. (Regional quest progress: 43.57%, Communes of the Andes losses: -3.54 HC, -0.8 IC, -8.31 EC, -5.95 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The educational reform continued throughout the second part of the year, this time supplanted with a political move to placate the Civilista and make them aware that President Luna expected their gratitude, in politically measurable actions. This, as well as Luna’s agreement to return Antofagasta-Atacama to Chile-Patagonia, indeed gave the current Communal President the Civilista party’s respect, but, it seems, it has eroded his own standing among other, more dominant groups of communal deputies. The Communal Presidential election is coming in 1895, and Luna may have to try hard to remain in power, as he is seen as someone who attempted to make everyone happy and instead gave everyone a grudge to bear. However, regardless of the state of politics, the higher education reform is one result of this change that will be there to stay, once it’s completed. (Regional quest progress: 86.07%, Communes of the Andes losses: -3.61 HC, -2.19 IC, -7.52 EC, -3.97 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The All-Andean education reform, designed by President Luna to appease the Civilista Party, has been concluded in the spring-early summer of 1895. While it did cement the Civilista support of Luna’s coalition, the latter was in a somewhat worse shape by the end of it, since many hardliners saw it as a lost chance to increase the United Communes’ control over the population, as opposed to the great level of North-American (and, as of recent, Confederate) penetration of all levels of the Andean society. Still, the objective benefit of increasing the educational finesse of future generations of Andeans is undoubtful. (Regional quest completed with success, region South Andes Region gains +10 IC, Regional Growth Trend +0.25%, region North Andes Region gains +5 IC, Regional Growth Trend +0.25%, Communes of the Andes losses: -4.02 HC, -3.32 IC, -8.75 EC, -3.78 MC)
Melgarejismo legacy
Spoiler:
1891: Mariano Melgarejo was an infamous ruler of Peru-Bolivian Confederation in the 1860-70s. One of his most notorious policies was one of cruel discrimination against South American Indians in favor of pureblood Spanish or mixed-blood Meztico population. Now that a new authority controls Bolivia, the grudges of the old should be forgotten… But people have different ideas. A series of disputes between indigenous rural communes and urban Hispanic guilds has led to riots and, in a few cases, bloodshed. Until these disputes are resolved, it’s unlikely the Bolivian society will truly prosper.
Spirits of Tiwanaku
Q1-Q2 1895: Yann Peyton Mohan, a new joiner of the Office of Human History of the CSA, was one of the first brave souls to offer to perform an expedition to the Andes, promising to find artifacts of ancient Inca and Puquina civilizations. A veteran of the First Atlantic War, the energetic and young Dixie had no challenge green-lighting his trip, using the legacy communications channel kept between the Confederate and Andean armies since last year, thanks to their limited doctrinal cooperation. Upon his expedition’s arrival to Bolivia (a trip that itself deserves a book written about it, given the challenges of war at sea and on land), Mohan’s expedition was met by Valentina Ubina, a wealthy, self-taught manager of several successful Cholita troupes and an active participant in the Order of the Circle in search of proving the primacy of Indigenous Communardism by preserving and documenting the grandeur of ancient indigenous empires. For all her thrift, however, Ubina and her collective were completely oblivious to the art of archeology and anthropology, so their support of Mohan’s expedition to the excavation site at Tiwanaku (also known as Tiahuanaco or Tiahuanacu in Spanish) was purely logistical. However, by the middle of the summer, a steady stream of findings started to reach Savannah, filling the Cyrus Thomas Museum with unique snuff tablets, chambranle bas-reliefs, and other artifacts of the mysterious Puquina people. Meanwhile, the Andean Order of the Circle wasn’t as masterful at researching and saving their own national lore and relics, since the only resources the United Communes could dedicate to the task were much more business-oriented. Yet, their ability to market the found knowledge across the nation and turn the archeological sites into historical tourist attractions for inspired Indigenista activists (to the horror of Confederate archeologists, of course), did help to integrate indigenous people of the Andes into the local socio-economy, while also creating a wave of nationalistic enthusiasm among the Andeans. (Regional quest completed with success, region South Andes Region gains +5 HC, +5 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +1%, Confederate States of America gains +0.5% Regional Influence, Union of North America loses -0.5% Regional Influence, region North Andes Region gains Regional Growth Fluctuation +1%, region Carolinas-Florida gains +5 IC, Confederate States of America losses: -0.72 HC, -1.01 IC, -1.41 EC, -0.36 MC, Communes of the Andes losses: -0.59 HC, -0.13 IC, -1.38 EC, -0.99 MC)
Spanish Andeans
Q1-Q2 1895: The rise of Indigenism at the height of the South-American Liberation War (as the Gran-Colombian War of Independence is known in the Andes) has had unexpected victims inside the United Communes themselves: the Spanish Peruvians and Spanish Bolivians. In the country with around 51% population being of mixed blood (mostly, mestizos (people of mixed white and native Peruvian descent), but also some mulattoes), the Spaniards are still a powerful minority, with strong representation in the Communal Assembly. Besides, the Spaniard diaspora keeps growing thanks to Communard migration from Iberia, as many disappointed idealists leave the peninsula for more “pure” regimes. However, the popular opinion of “colonial injustice” is becoming more and more radicalized, and by now many Andean Spaniards are feeling frustrated and demotivated by the fact that Europeans are being routinely demonized as evil exploiters of the continent’s native population. On the other side, the Indigenista agitators don’t stop asking: aren’t they exactly that, after all?
Amazon Region
Spoiler:
Fast-developing region with big infrastructure challenges, but a lot of unexplored resource extraction potential.
Bandeirantes’ fortune
Spoiler:
1890: Recent growth of industrial exploitation of the Brazilian rainforest region has led to resurrection of Bandeirantes (lit. “bannermen”), professional explorers, fortune hunters, and slave raiders. Hired by nobility-owned corporations or by the Royal Crown itself, these gun-slinging mercenaries briskly equip ad-hoc expeditions deep into the deadly jungles of the Amazon basin, sometimes simply mapping the route for better prepared expeditions to follow up. More often, however, their missions border illegal or even barbaric, ranging from capture of exotic animals for the black market to recovering industrial equipment lost in geologic exploration to genocide of local native tribes that display too much territorial pride in attempts to protect their lands from resource exploitation.
Q1-Q2 1894: In a bold effort to take the war to the Portobrazilian proper, the Andean army has equipped a series of lightly armed expeditions into the Amazon Basin, targeting local Bandeirantes in this action. Andean blimps again helped to deliver some scouting parties to the depths of the rainforest, while the bulk of the expeditionary corps marched on foot through that badly explored part of the planet. At the time first contact with the enemy was established, the bandeirantes were shocked to be engaged by a properly armed and trained regular army (albeit somewhat backward, as the Andean force is). This provided the Andeans with the absolute element of surprise, and it’d take it two more months, until mid-May, for the news of that incursion to reach the Portobrazilian high command. The latter put the bandeirantes irregulars into improvised paramilitary units and supplied them with detachments from local garrison troops, but this counter-incursion saw only a limited success against the elusive “forest plague” of Andean guerilla fighters who have surprised even themselves, it seems, with their adaptation to these almost unbearable fighting and living conditions. The only aspect of the Amazonian guerilla campaign that failed on the Andean side, was its failure to stir any organized anti-Portobrazilian resistance among the Amazonian natives. That is because no ambassadors or agitators were assigned to the fighting units, so to some less seclusive tribes the war looked like two groups of alien strangers killing themselves for no reason, while more seclusive communities were likely not even aware that any sort of conflict took place in the vast region. (Regional quest progress: 23.57%, Communes of the Andes losses: -8.06 HC, -1.68 IC, -3.65 EC, -1.79 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -8.62 HC, -2.69 IC, -4.34 EC, -3.25 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The initial successes of the Amazonian insurgency campaign were rather intoxicating, but the War Committee of the United Communes failed to attribute its success to the element of surprise. Once the Portobrazilians established the source of the threat and deployed properly organized units on the ground, the insurgency largely stalled. Fighting in the river-crossed jungles on foot was a grueling, slow affair, and the Andean commanders admit that it’s their luck that the enemy hasn’t had a chance to deploy riverine flotillas against them, claiming that such move might end the insurgency there and then. Meanwhile, the attempt to woo Amazonian natives to their side was also a mixed affair for the Andeans. Firstly, they incorrectly assumed that the Amazonian tribal chieftains were somehow dependent on the Andean weapons to maintain their power, while, in fact, the primitive and horizontally organized communes of hunters and gatherers had no need in such tools of legalized violence. Secondly, the seclusive tribes in the upper flow of the Amazon and its tributaries (territories where the Andeans operated) were the least aware of the Bandeirantes menace, so the attempts to agitate them against the Portobrazilians were mostly futile (or countered by Portobrazilian gifts of beads, fishing equipment, and alcohol). Still, as the time dragged on, the Andean attempts to promote anti-Portobrazilian strongmen and make them dependent on their weapons started to give results, spreading the rule of the strong and the vicious through the Amazonia Basin. This move wasn’t universally hailed by the Indigenista soldiers and activists, who viewed the original horizontal communes of the natives as an idealized version of a people’s commune and thought that the War Committee’s orders were seeking to corrupt the innocent natives to the cynical goal of using them in the war with Portugal-Brazil. One way or another, in the short term this plan has produced the desired results. (Regional quest progress: 63.14%, Communes of the Andes losses: -10.05 HC, -5.6 IC,-9.03 EC, -2.25 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -16.58 HC, -12.77 IC, -21.55 EC, -6.25 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: The partisan war in Brazilian Amazonia continued this year at the same intensity, and, despite great logistical challenges, the Andeans have started seeing the situation slowly drag toward some sort of a intermediate victory. Coercion of the Amazonian natives toward following the Andean agenda continued, although it was somewhat weakened by a softer approach the Communards used toward their native recruitment methods. Afraid of the impact that the previously effective, but unethical recruitment tactics would have on the morale of Indigenista soldiers, the Andeans started to say ‘no’ to some of the less principled Amazonian leaders who attempted to form first ever despotic warrior societies in the Amazonian history with the help of Andean firearms. Meanwhile, the fear mongering centered of the “horrors” of the Portobrazilian sale of alcohol to the natives had a mixed effect on the tribesmen, who often were made aware of that temptation through the fear mongering itself. One way or another, the frustration of the native recruitment was outshone by the successes of guerilla raids on the bandeirantes’ strongpoints deep in the rainforest, slowly giving the Andeans more control of the Amazon’s upper basin.(Regional quest progress: 84.57%, Communes of the Andes losses: -17.25 HC, -8.37 IC, -16.32 EC, -3.66 MC, Portugal-Brazil losses: -16.36 HC, -10.11 IC, -18.34 EC, -6.51 MC)
New India
Spoiler:
1890: Spooked by the scope of the Great Caribbean Slave Rebellion, British colonial authorities in Guyana chose to replace unreliable Afro-Guyanese labor with indentured workers recruited and brought in from India by paid local agents known as arkatis in North India and maistris in South India. However, it appears that the agents did their job a little bit too well (or, maybe, the number of people wishing to escape suppressive British policies in India was a bit too high). Now, British Gayana and even parts of the neighboring Dutch colony are populated primarily by Indians of Telugu and Tamil origin, who outnumber Europeans five to one. The region is being transformed by this cultural shift, and some observers suggest that a new, mixed Indian ethnicity is fusing in Anglo-Dutch Gayana.
Q1-Q2 1895: Little has changed in the ethnic composition of Suriname and Gayana since the colonies were purchased by Portugal-Brazil, and the tensions it brings remain.
Dancers or fighters
Spoiler:
1890: Cabanagem was a rebellion of black or mulatto slaves in Northern Brazil that occurred in the first half of the 19th century. Since it was put down, slave population in this region has been very closely supervised by the authorities, which make sure that people of color don’t stash weapons sharper than a fork and don’t practice any fighting skills. Now, however, the line begins to blur, because many slaves are starting to practice an acrobatic dance known as capoeira that looks suspiciously like some form of a combat. Facing this uncertainty and surrounded by well-trained, athletic people, gendarmes choose to look the other way. Meanwhile, in the slums of Bahia towns, these dance- and battle-hardened martial artists, known as capoeiristas, are starting to form criminal gangs that can rival those of Italian mafioso.
Escape from the Cape
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1893: Strange duality continues existing in relationships between the Free Boer Republic and the Twin Crowns of Portugal-Brazil. Despite all diplomatic setbacks between the two nations, they continue exchanging gestures of goodwill or, at the very least, cooperate on the issues that one of them continues generating. This year, Portobrazilian navy volunteered to assist with semi-forced evacuation of English refugees from the Cape to Brazil. This royally sanctioned effort by the Portobrazilian merchant marine indeed helped many refugees escape the horrors of Kaapstadt, although some number of survivors still wait their steamer in Capetown. Many chose to settle down and stay in Manaus, while others took tickets to Great Britain (if they could afford them) or to Portobrazilian Patagonia (if they couldn’t), where English is still the dominant language of day-to-day life. (Regional quest progress: 84%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -1.19 HC, -0.76 IC, -1.56 EC, -2.72 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: The escalation of hostilities between Portugal-Brazil and the Monroe Conference Bloc dragged other participants of the Second Atlantic War into the conflict with the Twin Crowns. Among these were the Boers, whose government had consistently been exchanging near-open hostility and suspicious friendliness in relations with de Braganza dynasty. This, by itself, put a sharp end to the Portobrazilian effort to evacuate a settle English-speaking refugees from Kaapstadt. (Critics of the crown, meanwhile, commented that such efforts died down as suddenly as they started more than a year before, in a manner typical for energetic, but absent-minded Empress Isabel.) One way or another, now English shantytowns in Manaus and other parts of the rugged Amazonian shore are there to stay, and many of their inhabitants are turning to crime or begging for money out of desperation. Whoever can, have already left for Patagonia, and some even preferred the Spanish-speaking Free State to the Portobrazilian (and partially English-speaking) colony. (Regional quest progress: 34%)
Coastal Brazil
Spoiler:
Fast-developing center of South-American immigration, with big trade, economic, and manufacturing potential, but huge income inequality.
Quilombos and their dwellers
Spoiler:
1890: Brazil has a long history of colonial slavery, and the very landscape of this land offers a lot of options for runaway slaves to escape their owners. Most notable of them are quilombos, remote settlements founded by runaway slaves in distant, badly explored territories deeper inland. While some royal advisers insist that these communities are criminal in nature and need to be cracked down upon (and the runaway “property” has to be returned to their masters), others point out that quilombo dwellers could be a great tool in development of remote parts of Brazil. Besides, some sort of amnesty to quilombo settlers could go a long way in integrating them into the large Portobrazilian identity and making them serve the Braganza dynasty in one form or another. That, of course, is likely to enrage coastal plantation owners, so it remains to be seen what solution the Twin Crowns will choose.
Q4 1893: To say that Empress Isabel’s Emancipation Decree was received by quilombo dwellers with jubilation would be an understatement. However, it was followed by a quick realization that old habits die hard, meaning that Portobrazilian plantation owners and, in general, less educated whites still viewed freed slaves as a lower social caste. Besides, some of the quilombo settlers found themselves at odds with the law, because, while their escape from their past owners was forgiven, other crimes committed during that time weren’t. Still, despite all of these setbacks, the Portobrazilian government’s stance was firmly inclusive and humane, making great leaps toward integration of former slaves and their descendants into the Portobrazilian society. Quilombos are still widely regarded as hotbeds of poverty, crime, and disease, but for the first time in decades they have a chance of moving toward becoming fully recognized settlements, which residents, at least on paper, have same rights as any other subject of the Twin Crowns. (Regional quest progress: 79.93%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -2.01 HC, -0.55 IC, -5.8 EC, -4.33 MC)
Royal Haven
Spoiler:
1890: Citizens of Sao Paulo jokingly call their city the Royal Haven, because of how many members of various royal dynasties now inhabit the place. First, the entirety of the Portuguese branch of the Braganza dynasty move in there, escaping their homeland overrun by the French. And now, ex-opponent of the Portuguese king in the Atlantic War, King Carlos VII of Spain is residing with his former enemies. While the grand reunion of the Braganza dynasty into the Dual Crown has been seen as an easy and smooth transition, many political observers wonder what will be the Porto-Brazilian move in regards to their de-facto control of the Spanish king’s decisions. Meanwhile, experts in espionage point out that Portugal-Brazil may be not the only player in that grand dynastic game, as other nations may try to either manipulate King Carlos or apply more blunt means in order to push their agenda.
Hard work and toil, and noble lineage
Spoiler:
Q4 1893: Recognizing their economic elites’ frustration with the nation’s erratic foreign policy, as well as attempting to placate slave-owning nobility that lost most of its “assets” with the Emancipation Decree, the Twin Crowns of Portugal-Brazil have invested into home industry. Particular emphasis (perhaps, expectedly for a global maritime power) was made on construction of wharfs, steamer engine factories, and other naval supply manufactures. Most of the new assets are planned to be passed along to major fidalgo houses of the empire, compensating them for their support of the crown in its reforms. However, what was good on paper turned out to be a badly scoped project. With Portobrazilian state enterprises seriously lacking in terms of technology, a project of such scale saw only a very humble progress, with only foundation pits being completed for some of the factories by the end of the year. (Regional quest progress: 2.52%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -3.34 HC, -0.92 IC, -9.67 EC, -7.21 MC)
Signal rockets and night fighting
Spoiler:
1892: Plantation farmers from several major homesteads have been recently scared out of their wits by what appears to be entire platoons of soldiers semi-blindly wandering into their sugarcane fields in the midst of night, desperately trying to read maps under hand-held gaslights. After a barn burned to the grown as a result of a hit by an experimental signal rocket and several farms were “assaulted” by bayonet-wielding wargamers in nightly confusion, the Twin Crown’s military secretariat had to admit it had a low-scale field exercise going on in the area, but not before promising to keep participating regiments away from the plantations. All disorder aside, it seems like Portobrazilian army continues pursuing continuous innovation, this time trying to develop tools, tactics, and personal training applied to coordinating military action at night. (Technology quest progress: 10.4%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -6.14 HC, -1.89 IC, -3.25 EC, -2.28 MC)
Q1-Q2 1893: Work on the new night fighting tactics and tools have continued throughout the first half of the year with no major changes, although the wars in Europe have persuaded the Portobrazilian military to speed up their efforts. (Technology quest progress: 20.76%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -5.94 HC, -1.84 IC, -3.04 EC, -2.2 MC)
Q3 1893: Little-by-little, Portobrazilian troops are familiarizing themselves with better ways of coordinating night attacks. By now, random assaults on rural henhouses taken for conventional adversary’s bunkers are becoming more and more rare, and only occasional forced night marches end in collision of attack columns. (Technology quest progress: 52.83%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -6.06 HC, -1.89 IC, -3.01 EC, -2.24 MC)
Q4 1893: After all of the progress made throughout the year in the field of night-time operations, the Portobrazilian military has attempted to showcase some of its newly learned techniques to the Empress’ own cousin, Duke of the Algarves. The demonstration, however, was a humiliating failure, as a cazadores regiment, equipped with flares and signal rockets, confused the lights of the Duke’s encampment for a light-marked position of a conventional adversary, surprising he highblood and his entourage with a savage bayonet charge that only miraculously didn’t lead to any death or injury. While this doctrinal development is still targeted by the Twin Crowns’ general staff, reputation of its proponents has been somewhat damage in the scandal that followed. (Technology quest progress: 48.95%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -5.39 HC, -1.68 IC, -2.71 EC, -2.03 MC)
Q1-Q2 1894: For a long time, the practice of using signal rockets and other organizational methods to perform night attacks and maneuvers was on a backburner of the Portobrazilian military, as the nation’s chief strategists mostly expected to fight a war at sea if the country ever gets threatened. This year, however, the escalation of the Gran-Colombian Civil War forced them to change their priorities, especially considering how many night attacks Portobrazilian garrison units had had to withstand. Still, most of the army was required to fight a large-scale war against its elusive enemies, and only a humble force could be dedicated researching and practicing the complex doctrine of night fighting. (Technology quest progress: 55.45%, Portugal-Brazil losses: -7.07 HC, -2.2 IC, -3.56 EC, -2.66 MC)
Q3-Q4 1894: A first change to the otherwise repetitive routine of low-scale drills and night field exercises related to use of signal rockets was added this year. Instead of the Portobrazilian forces performing the drills, it was the Sardinian army that practiced them in Lombardia under a supervision of their allies’ advisers. That exchange of operational ideas was spurred by the two monarchies joining each other at war with the Monroe Conference and the Triune Bloc. With any luck, the upcoming year will see the knowledge of nigh warfare being passed along to the army of Great Britain. (Technology quest progress: 83.31%, Sardinia-Piedmont losses: -10.9 HC, -3.12 IC, -5.64 EC, -2.82 MC)
Q1-Q2 1895: Similarly to what took place in Kent, the region of Bahia in Brazil saw the first truly high-scale military exercises of the Portobrazilian army that hoped to spread the knowledge of the night fighting methods through the Twin Crown’s forces (and, by extension, share them with de Braganza dynasty’s Sardinian allies). Unfortunately, simultaneously to the maneuvers themselves, a shadowy war of espionage was taking place in the Portobrazilian high command, as several defections and leaks were recorded by the imperial intelligence. Luckily for Portugal-Brazil, their counterintelligence officers were not as careless (or overworked) as their British colleagues, and, despite an enormous damage done to the staff of the country’s high command and the public confidence in general (not counting the collateral damage from the “spy hunt” that decimated the officer corps), the night fighting manuals were prevented from being stolen. It’s rumored that some of the Twin Crowns’ enemies did attempt to recreate the night fighting techniques based on bits and pieces of evidence that they could get, but that resulted only in an unnecessary waste of resources for questionable gains. (Technology quest completed with mixed results, Portugal-Brazil, Sardinia-Piedmont adopt “Signal rockets and night fighting” for no additional cost, Portugal-Brazil losses: -29.22 HC, -29.65 IC, -49.22 EC, -11.94 MC, ??? losses: -20.8? HC, -17.0? IC, -28.0? EC, -7.4? MC)
La-Plata
Spoiler:
Fast-developing region with a strong agricultural backbone, but recovering from a series of wars.
Hot mate for my mate
Spoiler:
1890: A new caffeine-rich hot drink called mate has been recently becoming more popular than tea across the Americas, most likely caused by the trade disruptions that occurred during the Atlantic War. Produced from yerba mate plant, it’s becoming a major export product for Gran Paraguay that hosts vast majority of its plantations. Some experts suggest that the mate craze may not last if the world tensions drop and normal, pre-war Transatlantic trade returns to normal. Others suggest it won’t happen for a while (if happens at all), and Gran Paraguay should invest more efforts into expanding its yerba mate agricultural production. Some people even suggest that Gran Paraguay should use its shares of the British economy (both in the Albion and in British India) to manipulate the Empire Where Sun Never Sets into reducing its tea production, thus opening bigger markets for mate exporters. Time will tell what approach will be chosen by the President himself.
Q1-Q2 1895: For years, old “El Presidente” Francisco Solano Lopez was know to be simply pumping his own personal and government money (which in Gran Paraguay was usually one and the same thing) into general development of La-Platan economy, without any specific vision for it. Now, new President Juan Francisco Lopez has a much more specific idea about what needs to change in Gran Paraguay for the nation of his father to really get the place it deserves. A big investment package was put toward developing and modernizing the harvesting operations of yerba mate plants. Meanwhile, Gran-Paraguayan businessmen and diplomats (also usually same people performing the both roles) started a wide-scale marketing campaign for the Gran-Paraguayan mate drink as a replacement for tea. Their focus on Great Britain as an export market was impeccably timed and thought through, as the British citizens were being deprived of their beloved hot drink due to the strains that the Second Atlantic and Great Colonial wars had put on their shipping. With a little bit more effort and time, Gran Paraguay may rip great commercial benefits of their agricultural industry.(Regional quest progress: 82.21%, Gran Paraguay losses: -2.08 HC, -0.79 IC, -5.14 EC, -3.1 MC)
Husband hunting
Spoiler:
1890: Paraguay’s ascent to its status of major power was a glorious, but costly affair. A series of triumphal campaigns in the west, east, north, and south of the country has helped to expand the nation’s territory more than five times, but it also cost countless lives of Paraguayan men. Now it’s led to a serious demographic problem that the country is trying to resolve by importing labor from British colonies. However, it appears that Paraguayan women are looking for something other than just workers for their gardens. They’re seeking husbands and lovers, and the nation’s newspapers are awash with advertising campaigns for matchmaker agencies. Some handsome men, on the other side, have embrace a reputation of “professional grooms,” dating rich widows or prospective maidens with a simple promise to “consider a marriage.” Presidential advisors consider this development unhealthy both for public morale and for the national demographic situation.
Q1-Q2 1895: Juan Francisco Lopez’s cabinet couldn’t help but recognize how frustrate the young “steward of the nation” was about the demographic affairs of core Paraguayan provinces. Under his supervision, a first series of taxation reforms was introduced, providing Paraguayan subjects with a hefty tax breaks for marriage and birth of children. Needless to say, some scams abusing this system sprung up overnight, with fake marriages being registered between people who barely knew each other (that are likely to be followed by divorce after the taxation season is over) and some prostitutes even offering their “baby-birthing” services to well-off bachelors in search of a tax break. Still, while the reform is young, its loopholes may yet be patched, and its positive influence on the demographic situation is not denied even by its critics. (Regional quest progress: 86.57%, Gran Paraguay losses: -1.71 HC, -1.21 IC, -3.58 EC, -1.6 MC)
Freedom-loving gauchos
Spoiler:
1890: Gran-Paraguayan conquest of northern Argentina and Uruguay has not been quietly accepted by the locals. While urban centers of these lands are generally well-garrisoned and thus rather orderly, the countryside remains full of anti-Paraguayan discontent. Rebellious mood is particularly widespread among the gauchos, an unruly sub-class of Cisplatin horsemen and cowboys praised in the folklore for their heroic and brave deeds. Some officers point out that fighting gauchos straightforwardly could be a hard endeavor, given their nomadic lifestyle and uncertain political loyalty. Others marvel at what an unstoppable force the Gran-Paraguayan army could become if the gauchos could join it as an irregular fighting force. For now, these dreams seem as far from reality as ever.
Q1-Q2 1893: Radical anarchist agitators seem to be stirring gaucho discontent and adding a clear social-revolutionary undertone to it. The agitators were, however, smart enough to not clash with gauchos’ individualist philosophy in their pamphlets and demagogic speeches. Gran-Paraguayan secret police, however, reacted to these activities with brutality typical for Asuncion’s militaristic regime. It may take more time and effort to sway gaucho discontent toward some open opposition against El-Presidente and his loyal “authoritarianists,” and any continuation of agitation is likely to attract all attention of Gran-Paraguayan secret police, but the first six months have shown a small crack in the Gran-Paraguayan monolith of a state. (Regional quest progress: 3.43%, ??? losses: -9.6?, -14.1?, -19.9?, -2.76?, Gran Paraguay losses: -6.44 HC, -8.42 IC, -14.36 EC, -3.37 MC)
Chile-Patagonia
Spoiler:
Fast-developing, but sparsely populated region with limited economic potential, but so far valuable as a maritime navigation hub.
Huaso discontent
Spoiler:
1890: Huaso are free-spirited countrymen and horse riders of Central and Southern Chile that weren’t truly engaged in the Chile-Paraguayan conflict up until they found that their lifestyle and their love for freedom are threatened. Now it appears that huaso communities across Chile are connecting into a secret underground network of freedom fighters who fight against what they consider unlawful occupation by the forces of Gran Paraguay and United Communes of the Andes. Gran-Paraguayan ambassadors have already demanded that the huaso “terrorism” is cracked down by the authorities of the Chile-Patagonian Free State. To that, Chile-Patagonian magistrates can only shrug: their libertarian laws prevent them from exercising any repressive measures against huaso communities whose guilt in supporting their northern adherents is not proven. It seems like a bigger conflict is brewing.
Justice for the white men
Spoiler:
1890: Native Mapuche tribes of Patagonia have recently been engaging in series of punitive cattle raids against white colonizers of their lands. Known as malon, these raids are being performed through mountain passes and usually target haciendas of local major landowners. The latter ones have tried to complain to the central authority in Los Lagos, but received very little support, since the government of Chile-Patagonia is too lean for any major law-enforcement effort. It seems like a civil conflict could result from this situation, unless somebody finds a way to put relationship between the natives and the colonists under control.
Estancia life
Spoiler:
Q1-Q2 1894: The world “estancia” describes what is known to the Dixies as a “ranch,” a privately owned landholding covering a large area of grassland (the pampas), with a casco central (central complex of buildings) in its middle. As most of Central and Eastern Patagonia is covered in grasslands that require no forest clearing, sheep herding is booming in this depopulated and distant region. In fact, the Chile-Patagonian Free State has started to attract thousands of immigrants thanks to its liberal laws and fairly high standards of free living. Yet, the Patagonian sheep farming boom has its downsides. The ranchers and their foremen are notoriously independent and unruly, so Chile-Patagonian “benefactors” from Gran-Paraguay see them as potential troublemakers. Yet, even they admit that their “allies” in Chile-Patagonia can’t be too ham-handed with the ranchers, as the sheep farming boom is the best thing that’s happened to the Patagonian economy and demography in decades. Meanwhile, another set of warnings comes from naturalists and natural economists, who warn that excessive sheep herding could cause eutrophication of steppe rivers, enriching the pampas soil with sheep excrement so much it could turn many rivers and ponds into algae-filled swamps.
Q1-Q2 1895: In an unusual attempt to extend its economic reach to the very distant part of South America, the Tokugawa Shogunate acted as the primary investor into the Patagonian cattle herding businesses, ranging from wool production to meat industry. One of the reasons of this foreign economic venture might be a gradual decline of Japanese own farming, as the country’s Home Islands get overtaken by a booming industry. Thanks to an influx of Tokugawa banking investments and low-interest business loans, local estancia businesses readily changes loyalties away from traditional British (for Anglo-Patagonian farmers of Portobrazilian colony) and Andean (among the native Amerindians) partners. Japanese own attempts to enhance the estancia production chain were mostly failures, as Japan lacked much of pastoral expertise, and Tokugawa innovators’ proposals to utilize portable power tools in some aspects of meat processing and wool production were mostly received with raised eyebrows by the Laconic ranchers. Perhaps, mechanization of agriculture could’ve been useful for estancia enterprises, but in that field the Shogunate was, unfortunately, lacking. Nonetheless, the economic takeover of Patagonia’s pastoral economy was mostly a success for Japan, although it it did mask a larger ecological problem that eutrophication of soil is now going to bring with the uncontrollable expansion of herding businesses. (Regional quest completed with full success, region Chile-Patagonia gains +10 EC, Regional Growth Fluctuation +1.75%, Regional Growth Trend -0.25%, Tokugawa Shogunate gains +8% Regional Influence, British Royal Commonwealth loses -4% Regional Influence, Communes of the Andes loses -4% Regional Influence, Tokugawa Shogunate losses: -1.83 HC, -1.4 IC, -3.88 EC, -2.05 MC)
Nitrate democracy
Q1-Q2 1895: Recent bloodless gaining of the Antofagasta province was a blessing for the weak Chile-Patagonian economy from its previous scourge, Gran Paraguay. Rich with nitrate deposits, the province almost overnight transformed the economic landscape of the Free State that previously had been merely a loose confederation of indigenous tribes and colonist settlements, tied to a few Chilean cities by necessity of surviving. Now, some Chile-Patagonian politicians propose funneling the “nitrate money” into some public works to transform the country into a more centralized, modern state. They’re opposed by the “Paraguayan swamp” of reactionary politicians and pro-Lopez cronies who wish to invest the gains from the nitrate mining into various empty prestige projects (which would please the Gran-Paraguayans greatly, keeping Chile-Patagonia weak and controllable). While the arguments keep going, the infamous “nitrate democracy” of the Chile-Patagonian Free State continues stagnating.
The update is now complete. You can start posting now.
Map update, stats update, PM with new tech research options - all of it will be later.
Also, everyone who plays Untold Escapades is welcome to send in their orders.
Finally, beware that the main DW game may slow down significantly due to me being busy (not because of lack of interest). Still, I intend to continue it.
From: Sec. State John Lovic Crawford
To: All Belligerents
While the CSA wishes to recognize the rights of all nations to berth in her ports and buy fuel, the CSA will be revisiting it's policy in light of active warfare conducted by belligerents in the CSA's Caribbean ports. We ask that all hostilities be left to international waters, with those who violate our neutrality under risk of fire from Confederate port authorities.
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Happy to be back~
erhaps, in an effort to appease the public before the upcoming elections, President Stone’s administration attempted to make the “private rails” more accessible to the lower classes of the society, mostly via personal deals with the Democrat Party donors. However, the success of that program was limited and shortliving, as most railway owners were prominent industrialists, mostly interested in improving their distribution and supply networks. As for passenger transportation, it remained mostly aimed at the upper middle and rich classes of the society, as the most geographically mobile; after all, the slavery-based economy of the Confederation leaves little need for the cheap workforce to travel - at least, from their employers’ perspective. Despite this shortcoming, the expansion of the “private rails” continued at a good speed, particularly helped by the state effort to standardize the quickly growing network. (Regional quest progress: 48.62%, Confederate States of America losses: -3.3 HC, -0.75 IC, -8.93 EC, -7.28 MC)
