Wubba360
Emperor
orders sent
NES2 VIb - Return of the Chaos.
- Thread starter das
- Start date
- Status
JosefStalinator
Я буду снова здесь
Wubba360 said:
Orders are past due, Wubbs.
Symphony D.
Deity
OOC: Yes, although for various reasons, that is not a problem at all.alex994 said:Lurker's Comment: Out of curiosity, wouldn't a Republic that includes the Chinas well, have a Chinese plurality?
Wubba360
Emperor
JosefStalinator said:
i know I just had to send a map to das, I sent other orders a few nights ago,
das
Regeneration In Process
Update 7 (21) - Year 1787
Non-Military Events:
As PUC continues to receive lots of refugees and immigrants, and as trade with Britain resumes, an economic boom long due occurs (+1 Economy, +Winisk, Toronto economic centers).
The PUFers make quite a living by supplying the warring parties of Eurasia - chiefly the HRE and Japan - with helium (+1 Economy).
In a mildly-sudden, but not really unexpected move, the Imperials, increasingly hard-pressed economically, have decided to sell the Galapagos and their Carribean islands (apart from Cuba) to the EUA for an undisclosed, but presumably-huge sum; as these islands have lost much of their value after the devastation of the plantations during the Slavery Crisis, this move is met, at worst, indifferently back in Europe; in the EUA it is hailed, especially as both the Spaniards and the blacks on the island welcome the arrival of American rule, but the issue of Cuba remains unresolved; though the Imperials had deemed too important strategically to be sold, the island is now surrounded by EUA territories and the same groups that welcomed the Americans elsewhere here agitate increasingly for Cuba to be turned over to the EUA as well, some even advocating armed revolt... Likewise, in the EUA there is increasing support for buying or even conquering Cuba.
And meanwhile, there are tremendous rumblings in the Danish West Indies, as the slaves and the abolitionists alike grow wary of the progressive government's continued tolerance of this infamous (yet profitable) institution; as some incidents and scandals took place that reached the newspapers of Copenhagen, the anti-slavery campaigns spill out into the Metropoly itself (-1 Confidence)...
Pedro II's popularity in Brazil continues to erode, as the petition of several prominent Brazilian officers and politicians, calling for an invasion of Paraguay to prevent it from allying or joining the EUA, has been ignored (-1 Confidence). There are rumours of a military conspiracy led by Pedro II's more militant brother Luis de Alcantara...
Reykjavik finally recovers from the British air raid of 1785 (+Reykjavik economic center).
Deciding continued war to be simply not worth it, Charles IV of Great Britain had accepted the Treaty of Calais. Although it, combined with the previous Treaty of Sunderland, completely dismantled the British colonial empire, and placed limitations on the British military, in general the terms were more lenient than previously feared. For one thing, though forced to cease diplomatic relations with Russia and the Byzantine Empire, Britain wasn't forced to enter the war on the Imperial side, thus drifting into isolation, something greatly welcomed by the war-weary masses (+1 Confidence). At home, a new Parliament was elected, though with an alarmingly-heavy Egalitist presence, and limited autonomy was granted to Ireland and Scotland (+1 Confidence, -2 Centralization).
Even though things mostly calmed down in the greater part of Deccan, in the south the Tamils, whose separatists seem to have splintered away from the other rebel movements early on and thus escaped all crack-downs, now carried out a series of terrorist strikes in both southern Deccan and northern Ceylon, most notably blowing up an important Imperial commander and robbing several local banks. A general armed revolt may come soon.
To consolidate the greatly-expanded Japanese Empire, reforms - chiefly cosmetic, it must be admitted - took place, transforming Japan into the Greater East Asian Republic and decentralizing the state somewhat.
Yet another coup took place in PUASE. This time, a monarcho-nationalist movement led by Putthayotfa Nguyen came to power; Putthayotfa had himself crowned king and renamed PUASE into Preahthaimranma. Nevertheless, the change seems mostly cosmetic, Preahthaimranma retaining its allegience to the Holy Roman Emperor.
Military Events:
Several border skirmishes took place between the trigger-happy Brazilians and the paranoid Paraguayans on the Parana, and some lesser incidents between Brazilians and Americans further south. The casualties aren't terribly high, and the fighting not very intensive - but the tensions in the region grow...
The Treaty of Calais between Britain and the HRE had forced the Russians, previously based in Kingston upon Hull, to make a hasty retreat towards Arkhangelsk and Narvensk, rightly fearful of what tricks the Imperials had up their sleeves. The Imperials proved trickier than thought, however; they prepared an ambush for the Russians as they were at their most vulnerable during their reentry into the high seas at Spurn Head. There a major air and underwater attack dealt grievous damage to the Russian ships, especially to those only partially repaired; and before the Russians could recover properly, they were attacked by the main Imperial fleet in the region. Though the huge Russian battleships took lots of time to destroy long after the lighter ships were sunk or fled, and managed to sink numerous Imperial ships, it was but a matter of time and though one of them, "Tsar Ioann IV", had actually fought its way out and retreated towards Arkhangelsk for repairs, the rest of the great Russian capital ships died this day; it would seem that the North Sea campaign had ended at long last.
(-39 Russian ship squadrons, -3 Russian submarine squadrons, -8 Russian capital ships, -19 Imperial ship squadrons, -7 Imperial submarine squadrons, -2 Imperial capital ships, -7 Imperial air squadrons)
In a daring, but mostly-senseless raid later in the year, a lone Byzantine air squadron maneuvered towards Paris, once again destroying Tuiliries and some nearby buildings, and even got away; Emperor Valerien I had officially confirmed that he was still alive, although not in person - indeed, ever since his withdrawal from public life after last year's assassination attempts, virtually nobody had seen the Emperor, and rumours are widespread that the Emperor had died long ago (according to others - just now), leaving Premier de Terrailon as the de facto ruler of the Holy Roman Empire... Still, there is no proof of that either.
Most of the "Roman War" (as this part of the Second Worldwar was called for a wide variety of reasons) occured further south; and to the south the Byzantine fortunes went indeed. Early on, the Byzantines launched some strategic withdrawals, abandoning North Africa and Hungary sans Transylvania and Croatia, and also destroying the Tunisian docks (-Tunis economic center); this came as a surprise to the Imperial and Krakowian forces, especially the latter which feared it to be a trap and generally were prepared for anything but this withdrawal; when the Krakowians did attack, they ofcourse managed to recapture Hungary Proper despite the resistance of local separatists, but in Transylvania, where the Byzantines had prepared good defensive positions and fortifications, the Krakowians have been stalled. To the west, both sides advanced: while the Imperials, attacking from the south, the northwest and the air, easily overwhelmed and eliminated the utterly outnumbered Byzantine Second Army in northern Italy, the Byzantines struck back in the southern one using Imperial distraction, capturing Naples again with the help of the WOTP survivers, and in Bavaria, where Imperial forces were curiously absent, allowing for a major Byzantine breakthrough. Yet as Imperials overran Carniola and Tyrolia, this daring offensive proved to be the undoing of the Byzantine commander (Alexander Metaxas) - as the Imperials rushed to flank him from the west as well, the Byzantines had no choice but to retreat to the Danube. Even then, with Krakowian assistance, the Byzantines were in a virtually-inescapable trap - the Austrian pocket was quickly encircled and several breakout attempts defeated (the Byzantine air force, after some futile efforts to destroy the Imperials resulted in heavy losses to the new Krakowian heavier-than-air aeroplanes and the widely-used anti-air aritllery, had mostly escaped to Adrianople). Gradually it was eliminated altogether; that meant two more armies down the drain, and, as the Impero-Krakowians chose to ignore south Italy and Transylvania for now, the path into the Balkans wide open. With the help of Serbian rebels (+2 Krakowian irregular divisions), the combined forces overran Bosnia and Serbia and advanced deep into Macedonia, besieging Salonika, and into Bulgaria; further advances were mostly prevented by major logistical problems. The Byzantine gamble had failed utterly, and the empire seems to be doomed now, especially as the discontent minorities are rearing their heads again (-1 Byzantine Culture, Confidence)...
(-32 Imperial divisions, -12 Imperial armoured car divisions, -15 Imperial Foreign Legions, -8 Imperial air squadrons, -14 Krakowian divisions, -3 Krakowian air squadrons, -41 Byzantine divisions, -15 Byzantine armoured car divisions, -11 Byzantine irregular divisions, -9 Byzantine air squadrons)
In the Mediterranean, the Byzantines fared as badly, if not even worse. Yet again, the Byzantines proved grievously outnumbered; also, their fleet, how ever good, was not really a match for Marine Imperiale. Though making a good use of their submarines, mostly the Byzantines were simply overwhelmed; harried by Imperial air strikes, the Byzantine fleet was considerably disorganized by the bombardments and became an easy target for the numerically-superior Imperials, who had pinned it down near Capo Teulada, destroying it almost completely. The pitiable wrecked remnants of the Byzantine Mediterranean Fleet fled into the Aegean. And at that very moment, the forces of the Greater East Asian Republic joined the battle for the Mediterranean - surprising the Byzantine Levantine Fleet in the Red Sea, the GEARis then assaulted the Egyptian Canal. Though the Byzantines had prepared some formidable defenses there, under the cover of naval artillery and aerial bombardment the GEARis eventually managed to knock out these defenses and crush the defenders. The casualties still were heavy for the small GEAR expeditionary force, but its goal was accomplished; meanwhile, the GEAR Red Sea Fleet quickly moved into the Mediterranean as well and forced the surrender of Alexandria's almost-nonexistant garrison; the city was handed over to the Egyptian Caliphate. Though too weak for further amphibious operations, the GEARis still did link up with the Imperials and raided the Aegean, destroying all the Byzantine naval assets that failed to flee into the Black Sea and shelling Constantinople itself. Lastly, with naval supremacy in the region and the Imperials advancing through the Balkans, Imperial forces were landed in Albania and southern Greece (+5 Byzantine irregular divisions), eventually occupying both and completely and linking up with the Impero-Krakowian forces besieging Salonika. This Byzantine catastrophe was spectacular and pretty much definite; total collapse is probably but a matter of time now...
(-2 Imperial divisions, -2 Imperial Foreign Legions, -14 Imperial ship squadrons, -2 Imperial submarine squadrons, -1 Imperial capital ships, -2 Imperial air squadrons, -4 Byzantine divisions, -4 Byzantine irregular divisions, -38 Byzantine ship squadrons, -7 Byzantine submarine squadrons, -3 Byzantine capital ships, -1 GEAR division, -2 GEAR Ishibo divisions, -2 GEAR ship squadrons, -1 GEAR submarine squadron, -1 GEAR air squadron)
In the meantime, overstrained by the war and brutally attacked on all fronts, Russia started collapsing...
(see spotlight)
(-Riga economic center, -Vladimirsk-na-Shartashe [1] economic center, -Tyumen economic center, -1 Russian Economy, Living Standards, Confidence)
(-8 Imperial divisions, -14 Krakowian divisions, -2 Krakowian air squadrons, -39 Russian divisions, -2 Russian Cossack divisions, -2 Russian irregular divisions, -26 Russian conscript divisions, -6 Russian air squadrons, -15 Persian divisions, -6 Persian Immortal Guard divisions, -13 GEAR divisions, -7 GEAR Ichiban divisions, -1 GEAR air squadron)
War in West Africa mostly died down, except around Dakar; there, a major Seguian counterattack surrounded the city and even assaulted it, but despite superior numbers was dealt a bloody defeat by the superior Imperial weaponry and the timely arrival of the PUO Southern Guards. The Seguian army was first halted, then forced to retreat out of the city, then was routed altogether, allowing the Southern Guards, skilled in counter-insurgency warfare, to retake all of Senegal and crush all resistance there. This battle shook Seguian confidence; although they still managed to get some volunteers with their calls for Jihad and the outcry over PUO brutality (+10 irregular divisions), this was combined with major rebellions in the pagan south and even in Segu itself, the Fulani and Berber tribes saw an opportunity to overthrow their Bambari overlords (with not much success so far, however).
(-6 PUO Southern Guard divisions, -9 Imperial Foreign Legions, -22 Seguian divisions, -27 Seguian Elites, -10 Seguian conscript divisions)
Having apparently signed a cease-fire agreement, the Seguians withdrew from Scandinavian territories in the east, and were not pursued; the Scandinavians concentrated on defeating the rebels and restoring order.
(-2 Scandinavian divisions)
Hard-pressed by the Abyssinians, the Oromo warlords have decided to submit to the Cairo Caliph's rule and even help reinstate that rule in the south, militarily (+5 Caliphal irregular divisions); also, inspired by promises of revenge and land, the Sennarese have volunteered for this campaign too in fairly large numbers (+5 Caliphal irregular divisions). Surrounded everywhere and bombarded from above by the new Caliphal air force, the Abyssinians were gradually rooted out and slaughtered, Caliphal rule restored over the Ethiopian Highlands. Defeating the Nyamwezi rebels was almost a walkover after that slaughterfest (the Abyssinians did resist quite fiercely, fighting like cornered rats).
(-3 Caliphal divisions, -12 Caliphal irregular divisions, -3 Caliphal air squadrons)
In India, chaos and tribal, ethnic and religious strife continued and got even worse as Chinese control over the occupied territories loosened considerably (in Nepal, it had collapsed altogether). With GEAR assistance, the Marathi warlords and tribes south of the Narmada have pulled together into a confederacy and invaded the lands of their northern brethren and of the Rajputs; to the northwest, the Sultanate of Gujarat was restored... only to be attacked and destroyed by Scandinavian "peacekeepers", as the spice MUST flow. Rajput revolts against the Chinese have intensified as well. It would take quite some time and patience to get everything sorted out here...
(-3 Scandinavian divisions, -1 Marathi division, -2 Marathi irregular divisions, -6 Chinese divisions)
Despite cunning tactics employed and the generally defensive terrain, the Persians have been utterly routed in the west as a Russo-Byzanto-Badawin force struck. Yes, indeed, the Badawins have decided to enter the war as well, though it is unclear whether or not they will go to war with GEAR or HRE; having abandoned the southern campaign, the Badawins decided to liberate their Sunni co-religionists from under the Persian yoke (or "yoke" for those who like it better with quotation marks) and using the complete lack of Persian garrisons in the region invaded Dubai, Qatar and Oman, easily defeated the disorganized resistance coming from the loyalists and allied with the local Badawins (+1 Persian irregular division, +5 Badawin irregular divisions). Buoyed by this success, some of the Badawins even invaded Iraq, capturing Kuwait and Basrah. The Persians, meanwhile, were ofcourse distracted in Siberia (see above then see spotlight, or just see spotlight) and in the northwest; there, their last-moment attempts to redeploy to face the Byzantine threat ended in disaster, as the well-prepared Byzantines struck before the Persian troops could even arrive to the border, intercepted them on the move and routed them in a series of battles; the Persian army in Armenia and northern Aizerbadjan was then hemmed in between Russian and Byzantine troops and cut off from supplies. A joint offensive finished it off; exploiting this success, the Byzantines struck southwards, occupying all of Iraq despite fiercer Shiite resistance (+3 Persian irregular divisions). Fearing traps and overstretchment, the Byzantines stopped their advance upon finishing their takeover of Aizerbadjan, but with some reinforcements they might possibly even take Isfahan (-1 Persian Confidence)...
(-4 Byzantine divisions, -3 Byzantine armoured car divisions, -2 Russian divisions, -1 Badawin irregular division, -21 Persian divisions, -6 Persian Immortal Guard divisions, -2 Persian irregular divisions)
After over a year of quiet, the Burmese rebels used Imperial redeployments to once more seize Ava and the nearby cities, not encountering any resistance.
Indecisive leadership - government after government collapsing due to a flurry of assassinations and intrigues in this worst of possible times - has put the last nail in the coffin of the Xin Han Chinese dynasty. Though a military dictatorship, dubbed "the True Regency", has eventually been imposed and succeeded in centralizing its control over the Chinese forces, by then the Tibetians had already declared independence in all but in name, severing the Chinese communicats (and thus trapping a large part of the Chinese army in India), while the GEAR and Mongol offensives have resumed. The Chinese had assembled a large army of fresh recruits and conscripts, but it had low morale and a terrible supply and ammunition situation. By concentrating all the forces available to it on the eastern front, the Regency had managed to gain a numerical edge over the GEAR; however, this meant that the resistance north of the Huang He was soon crushed by the Mongols, while the GEAR forces were generally far more efficient, had, ofcourse, a good logistical situation and a huge technological edge (the "death rays" were used again by some of their armoured car detachments, massacring the Chinese attackers on several occasions; even more significant was the use of superior firearms that also made short work of the Chinese manpower waves, and the use of poison gas, the effect of which on ill-shielded, all too numerous Chinese forces needs no description). Although actually defeated at Guangyuan (northeast of Chengdu) and challenged in the air at first, elsewhere and elsewhen the GEARis were triumphant, outflanking and encircling the Chengdu region and the troops there and then, after severe aerial bombardments, struck from several directions. Some isolated Chinese pockets resisted fiercely to the last man, but mostly it was over after that offensive; the Chinese frontline was shattered; Chengdu was captured, and most of the surviving Chinese forces were crushed. The True Regent himself died in battle; the Chinese forces at sea reverted to petty piracy, though most of these were eliminated anyway; the guerrilas mostly went into the underground to carry on the resistance, but counter-insurgency operations collected a great toll; and the Chinese forces in India, after a brief attempt to create a "China-in-the-Ganges", fell into internicine fighting and warlordism. Within twenty months of warfare, China suffered its worst defeat ever and lost its independence (though there still are some formalities left for the GEARis to do).
(-Xin Han China as an independent nation, -23 GEAR divisions, -10 GEAR Ichiban divisions, -12 GEAR air squadrons, -2 GEAR ship squadrons, -1 GEAR submarine squadron)
Non-Military Events:
As PUC continues to receive lots of refugees and immigrants, and as trade with Britain resumes, an economic boom long due occurs (+1 Economy, +Winisk, Toronto economic centers).
The PUFers make quite a living by supplying the warring parties of Eurasia - chiefly the HRE and Japan - with helium (+1 Economy).
In a mildly-sudden, but not really unexpected move, the Imperials, increasingly hard-pressed economically, have decided to sell the Galapagos and their Carribean islands (apart from Cuba) to the EUA for an undisclosed, but presumably-huge sum; as these islands have lost much of their value after the devastation of the plantations during the Slavery Crisis, this move is met, at worst, indifferently back in Europe; in the EUA it is hailed, especially as both the Spaniards and the blacks on the island welcome the arrival of American rule, but the issue of Cuba remains unresolved; though the Imperials had deemed too important strategically to be sold, the island is now surrounded by EUA territories and the same groups that welcomed the Americans elsewhere here agitate increasingly for Cuba to be turned over to the EUA as well, some even advocating armed revolt... Likewise, in the EUA there is increasing support for buying or even conquering Cuba.
And meanwhile, there are tremendous rumblings in the Danish West Indies, as the slaves and the abolitionists alike grow wary of the progressive government's continued tolerance of this infamous (yet profitable) institution; as some incidents and scandals took place that reached the newspapers of Copenhagen, the anti-slavery campaigns spill out into the Metropoly itself (-1 Confidence)...
Pedro II's popularity in Brazil continues to erode, as the petition of several prominent Brazilian officers and politicians, calling for an invasion of Paraguay to prevent it from allying or joining the EUA, has been ignored (-1 Confidence). There are rumours of a military conspiracy led by Pedro II's more militant brother Luis de Alcantara...
Reykjavik finally recovers from the British air raid of 1785 (+Reykjavik economic center).
Deciding continued war to be simply not worth it, Charles IV of Great Britain had accepted the Treaty of Calais. Although it, combined with the previous Treaty of Sunderland, completely dismantled the British colonial empire, and placed limitations on the British military, in general the terms were more lenient than previously feared. For one thing, though forced to cease diplomatic relations with Russia and the Byzantine Empire, Britain wasn't forced to enter the war on the Imperial side, thus drifting into isolation, something greatly welcomed by the war-weary masses (+1 Confidence). At home, a new Parliament was elected, though with an alarmingly-heavy Egalitist presence, and limited autonomy was granted to Ireland and Scotland (+1 Confidence, -2 Centralization).
Even though things mostly calmed down in the greater part of Deccan, in the south the Tamils, whose separatists seem to have splintered away from the other rebel movements early on and thus escaped all crack-downs, now carried out a series of terrorist strikes in both southern Deccan and northern Ceylon, most notably blowing up an important Imperial commander and robbing several local banks. A general armed revolt may come soon.
To consolidate the greatly-expanded Japanese Empire, reforms - chiefly cosmetic, it must be admitted - took place, transforming Japan into the Greater East Asian Republic and decentralizing the state somewhat.
Yet another coup took place in PUASE. This time, a monarcho-nationalist movement led by Putthayotfa Nguyen came to power; Putthayotfa had himself crowned king and renamed PUASE into Preahthaimranma. Nevertheless, the change seems mostly cosmetic, Preahthaimranma retaining its allegience to the Holy Roman Emperor.
Military Events:
Several border skirmishes took place between the trigger-happy Brazilians and the paranoid Paraguayans on the Parana, and some lesser incidents between Brazilians and Americans further south. The casualties aren't terribly high, and the fighting not very intensive - but the tensions in the region grow...
The Treaty of Calais between Britain and the HRE had forced the Russians, previously based in Kingston upon Hull, to make a hasty retreat towards Arkhangelsk and Narvensk, rightly fearful of what tricks the Imperials had up their sleeves. The Imperials proved trickier than thought, however; they prepared an ambush for the Russians as they were at their most vulnerable during their reentry into the high seas at Spurn Head. There a major air and underwater attack dealt grievous damage to the Russian ships, especially to those only partially repaired; and before the Russians could recover properly, they were attacked by the main Imperial fleet in the region. Though the huge Russian battleships took lots of time to destroy long after the lighter ships were sunk or fled, and managed to sink numerous Imperial ships, it was but a matter of time and though one of them, "Tsar Ioann IV", had actually fought its way out and retreated towards Arkhangelsk for repairs, the rest of the great Russian capital ships died this day; it would seem that the North Sea campaign had ended at long last.
(-39 Russian ship squadrons, -3 Russian submarine squadrons, -8 Russian capital ships, -19 Imperial ship squadrons, -7 Imperial submarine squadrons, -2 Imperial capital ships, -7 Imperial air squadrons)
In a daring, but mostly-senseless raid later in the year, a lone Byzantine air squadron maneuvered towards Paris, once again destroying Tuiliries and some nearby buildings, and even got away; Emperor Valerien I had officially confirmed that he was still alive, although not in person - indeed, ever since his withdrawal from public life after last year's assassination attempts, virtually nobody had seen the Emperor, and rumours are widespread that the Emperor had died long ago (according to others - just now), leaving Premier de Terrailon as the de facto ruler of the Holy Roman Empire... Still, there is no proof of that either.
Most of the "Roman War" (as this part of the Second Worldwar was called for a wide variety of reasons) occured further south; and to the south the Byzantine fortunes went indeed. Early on, the Byzantines launched some strategic withdrawals, abandoning North Africa and Hungary sans Transylvania and Croatia, and also destroying the Tunisian docks (-Tunis economic center); this came as a surprise to the Imperial and Krakowian forces, especially the latter which feared it to be a trap and generally were prepared for anything but this withdrawal; when the Krakowians did attack, they ofcourse managed to recapture Hungary Proper despite the resistance of local separatists, but in Transylvania, where the Byzantines had prepared good defensive positions and fortifications, the Krakowians have been stalled. To the west, both sides advanced: while the Imperials, attacking from the south, the northwest and the air, easily overwhelmed and eliminated the utterly outnumbered Byzantine Second Army in northern Italy, the Byzantines struck back in the southern one using Imperial distraction, capturing Naples again with the help of the WOTP survivers, and in Bavaria, where Imperial forces were curiously absent, allowing for a major Byzantine breakthrough. Yet as Imperials overran Carniola and Tyrolia, this daring offensive proved to be the undoing of the Byzantine commander (Alexander Metaxas) - as the Imperials rushed to flank him from the west as well, the Byzantines had no choice but to retreat to the Danube. Even then, with Krakowian assistance, the Byzantines were in a virtually-inescapable trap - the Austrian pocket was quickly encircled and several breakout attempts defeated (the Byzantine air force, after some futile efforts to destroy the Imperials resulted in heavy losses to the new Krakowian heavier-than-air aeroplanes and the widely-used anti-air aritllery, had mostly escaped to Adrianople). Gradually it was eliminated altogether; that meant two more armies down the drain, and, as the Impero-Krakowians chose to ignore south Italy and Transylvania for now, the path into the Balkans wide open. With the help of Serbian rebels (+2 Krakowian irregular divisions), the combined forces overran Bosnia and Serbia and advanced deep into Macedonia, besieging Salonika, and into Bulgaria; further advances were mostly prevented by major logistical problems. The Byzantine gamble had failed utterly, and the empire seems to be doomed now, especially as the discontent minorities are rearing their heads again (-1 Byzantine Culture, Confidence)...
(-32 Imperial divisions, -12 Imperial armoured car divisions, -15 Imperial Foreign Legions, -8 Imperial air squadrons, -14 Krakowian divisions, -3 Krakowian air squadrons, -41 Byzantine divisions, -15 Byzantine armoured car divisions, -11 Byzantine irregular divisions, -9 Byzantine air squadrons)
In the Mediterranean, the Byzantines fared as badly, if not even worse. Yet again, the Byzantines proved grievously outnumbered; also, their fleet, how ever good, was not really a match for Marine Imperiale. Though making a good use of their submarines, mostly the Byzantines were simply overwhelmed; harried by Imperial air strikes, the Byzantine fleet was considerably disorganized by the bombardments and became an easy target for the numerically-superior Imperials, who had pinned it down near Capo Teulada, destroying it almost completely. The pitiable wrecked remnants of the Byzantine Mediterranean Fleet fled into the Aegean. And at that very moment, the forces of the Greater East Asian Republic joined the battle for the Mediterranean - surprising the Byzantine Levantine Fleet in the Red Sea, the GEARis then assaulted the Egyptian Canal. Though the Byzantines had prepared some formidable defenses there, under the cover of naval artillery and aerial bombardment the GEARis eventually managed to knock out these defenses and crush the defenders. The casualties still were heavy for the small GEAR expeditionary force, but its goal was accomplished; meanwhile, the GEAR Red Sea Fleet quickly moved into the Mediterranean as well and forced the surrender of Alexandria's almost-nonexistant garrison; the city was handed over to the Egyptian Caliphate. Though too weak for further amphibious operations, the GEARis still did link up with the Imperials and raided the Aegean, destroying all the Byzantine naval assets that failed to flee into the Black Sea and shelling Constantinople itself. Lastly, with naval supremacy in the region and the Imperials advancing through the Balkans, Imperial forces were landed in Albania and southern Greece (+5 Byzantine irregular divisions), eventually occupying both and completely and linking up with the Impero-Krakowian forces besieging Salonika. This Byzantine catastrophe was spectacular and pretty much definite; total collapse is probably but a matter of time now...
(-2 Imperial divisions, -2 Imperial Foreign Legions, -14 Imperial ship squadrons, -2 Imperial submarine squadrons, -1 Imperial capital ships, -2 Imperial air squadrons, -4 Byzantine divisions, -4 Byzantine irregular divisions, -38 Byzantine ship squadrons, -7 Byzantine submarine squadrons, -3 Byzantine capital ships, -1 GEAR division, -2 GEAR Ishibo divisions, -2 GEAR ship squadrons, -1 GEAR submarine squadron, -1 GEAR air squadron)
In the meantime, overstrained by the war and brutally attacked on all fronts, Russia started collapsing...
(see spotlight)
(-Riga economic center, -Vladimirsk-na-Shartashe [1] economic center, -Tyumen economic center, -1 Russian Economy, Living Standards, Confidence)
(-8 Imperial divisions, -14 Krakowian divisions, -2 Krakowian air squadrons, -39 Russian divisions, -2 Russian Cossack divisions, -2 Russian irregular divisions, -26 Russian conscript divisions, -6 Russian air squadrons, -15 Persian divisions, -6 Persian Immortal Guard divisions, -13 GEAR divisions, -7 GEAR Ichiban divisions, -1 GEAR air squadron)
War in West Africa mostly died down, except around Dakar; there, a major Seguian counterattack surrounded the city and even assaulted it, but despite superior numbers was dealt a bloody defeat by the superior Imperial weaponry and the timely arrival of the PUO Southern Guards. The Seguian army was first halted, then forced to retreat out of the city, then was routed altogether, allowing the Southern Guards, skilled in counter-insurgency warfare, to retake all of Senegal and crush all resistance there. This battle shook Seguian confidence; although they still managed to get some volunteers with their calls for Jihad and the outcry over PUO brutality (+10 irregular divisions), this was combined with major rebellions in the pagan south and even in Segu itself, the Fulani and Berber tribes saw an opportunity to overthrow their Bambari overlords (with not much success so far, however).
(-6 PUO Southern Guard divisions, -9 Imperial Foreign Legions, -22 Seguian divisions, -27 Seguian Elites, -10 Seguian conscript divisions)
Having apparently signed a cease-fire agreement, the Seguians withdrew from Scandinavian territories in the east, and were not pursued; the Scandinavians concentrated on defeating the rebels and restoring order.
(-2 Scandinavian divisions)
Hard-pressed by the Abyssinians, the Oromo warlords have decided to submit to the Cairo Caliph's rule and even help reinstate that rule in the south, militarily (+5 Caliphal irregular divisions); also, inspired by promises of revenge and land, the Sennarese have volunteered for this campaign too in fairly large numbers (+5 Caliphal irregular divisions). Surrounded everywhere and bombarded from above by the new Caliphal air force, the Abyssinians were gradually rooted out and slaughtered, Caliphal rule restored over the Ethiopian Highlands. Defeating the Nyamwezi rebels was almost a walkover after that slaughterfest (the Abyssinians did resist quite fiercely, fighting like cornered rats).
(-3 Caliphal divisions, -12 Caliphal irregular divisions, -3 Caliphal air squadrons)
In India, chaos and tribal, ethnic and religious strife continued and got even worse as Chinese control over the occupied territories loosened considerably (in Nepal, it had collapsed altogether). With GEAR assistance, the Marathi warlords and tribes south of the Narmada have pulled together into a confederacy and invaded the lands of their northern brethren and of the Rajputs; to the northwest, the Sultanate of Gujarat was restored... only to be attacked and destroyed by Scandinavian "peacekeepers", as the spice MUST flow. Rajput revolts against the Chinese have intensified as well. It would take quite some time and patience to get everything sorted out here...
(-3 Scandinavian divisions, -1 Marathi division, -2 Marathi irregular divisions, -6 Chinese divisions)
Despite cunning tactics employed and the generally defensive terrain, the Persians have been utterly routed in the west as a Russo-Byzanto-Badawin force struck. Yes, indeed, the Badawins have decided to enter the war as well, though it is unclear whether or not they will go to war with GEAR or HRE; having abandoned the southern campaign, the Badawins decided to liberate their Sunni co-religionists from under the Persian yoke (or "yoke" for those who like it better with quotation marks) and using the complete lack of Persian garrisons in the region invaded Dubai, Qatar and Oman, easily defeated the disorganized resistance coming from the loyalists and allied with the local Badawins (+1 Persian irregular division, +5 Badawin irregular divisions). Buoyed by this success, some of the Badawins even invaded Iraq, capturing Kuwait and Basrah. The Persians, meanwhile, were ofcourse distracted in Siberia (see above then see spotlight, or just see spotlight) and in the northwest; there, their last-moment attempts to redeploy to face the Byzantine threat ended in disaster, as the well-prepared Byzantines struck before the Persian troops could even arrive to the border, intercepted them on the move and routed them in a series of battles; the Persian army in Armenia and northern Aizerbadjan was then hemmed in between Russian and Byzantine troops and cut off from supplies. A joint offensive finished it off; exploiting this success, the Byzantines struck southwards, occupying all of Iraq despite fiercer Shiite resistance (+3 Persian irregular divisions). Fearing traps and overstretchment, the Byzantines stopped their advance upon finishing their takeover of Aizerbadjan, but with some reinforcements they might possibly even take Isfahan (-1 Persian Confidence)...
(-4 Byzantine divisions, -3 Byzantine armoured car divisions, -2 Russian divisions, -1 Badawin irregular division, -21 Persian divisions, -6 Persian Immortal Guard divisions, -2 Persian irregular divisions)
After over a year of quiet, the Burmese rebels used Imperial redeployments to once more seize Ava and the nearby cities, not encountering any resistance.
Indecisive leadership - government after government collapsing due to a flurry of assassinations and intrigues in this worst of possible times - has put the last nail in the coffin of the Xin Han Chinese dynasty. Though a military dictatorship, dubbed "the True Regency", has eventually been imposed and succeeded in centralizing its control over the Chinese forces, by then the Tibetians had already declared independence in all but in name, severing the Chinese communicats (and thus trapping a large part of the Chinese army in India), while the GEAR and Mongol offensives have resumed. The Chinese had assembled a large army of fresh recruits and conscripts, but it had low morale and a terrible supply and ammunition situation. By concentrating all the forces available to it on the eastern front, the Regency had managed to gain a numerical edge over the GEAR; however, this meant that the resistance north of the Huang He was soon crushed by the Mongols, while the GEAR forces were generally far more efficient, had, ofcourse, a good logistical situation and a huge technological edge (the "death rays" were used again by some of their armoured car detachments, massacring the Chinese attackers on several occasions; even more significant was the use of superior firearms that also made short work of the Chinese manpower waves, and the use of poison gas, the effect of which on ill-shielded, all too numerous Chinese forces needs no description). Although actually defeated at Guangyuan (northeast of Chengdu) and challenged in the air at first, elsewhere and elsewhen the GEARis were triumphant, outflanking and encircling the Chengdu region and the troops there and then, after severe aerial bombardments, struck from several directions. Some isolated Chinese pockets resisted fiercely to the last man, but mostly it was over after that offensive; the Chinese frontline was shattered; Chengdu was captured, and most of the surviving Chinese forces were crushed. The True Regent himself died in battle; the Chinese forces at sea reverted to petty piracy, though most of these were eliminated anyway; the guerrilas mostly went into the underground to carry on the resistance, but counter-insurgency operations collected a great toll; and the Chinese forces in India, after a brief attempt to create a "China-in-the-Ganges", fell into internicine fighting and warlordism. Within twenty months of warfare, China suffered its worst defeat ever and lost its independence (though there still are some formalities left for the GEARis to do).
(-Xin Han China as an independent nation, -23 GEAR divisions, -10 GEAR Ichiban divisions, -12 GEAR air squadrons, -2 GEAR ship squadrons, -1 GEAR submarine squadron)
das
Regeneration In Process
Random Events:
The short-lived "government of the cadets" falls from power in PUASE, and is replaced by a fiercely nationalist new government (+1 Culture).
A new wave of humanitarianism and liberalism spreads across Scandinavia (+1 Culture).
Japan's entry into the Second Worldwar is followed by a genuine outburst of patriotism (+2 Culture, +1 Confidence). A general growth of fondness in Japan's past and present military victories has been noted, and volunteers from all over the Empire are numerous (+1 Culture, +10 divisions). The reorganization reforms that transformed the Japanese Empire into the Greater East Asian Republic were a big success as well (+1 Civilian Leadership, +1 Culture).
The Seguian Jihad wins them support and volunteers all over West Africa (+10 divisions).
As Britain signs peace with the HRE, the recovery begins (+1 Living Standards).
Despite the setbacks, the Byzantine national and religious pride grows with the struggle (+1 Culture).
Large-scale immigration from the embattled European countries to PUO occurs, and a general economic boom takes place (+1 Economy).
As assassinations increase, the Russians lose many important administrators (-1 Civilian Leadership).
Separatism grows in western PUNF (-1 Culture)...
Brazilian economy begins to stagnate (-1 Economy).
Many Francophilic intellectuals flee Egypt for HRE (-1 Education).
The damage to commerce and the foreign invasions result in detirioration of living standards in Imperial Europe (-1 Living Standards).
Byzantine infrastructure is increasingly overstrained by the large-scale military operations and the need to supply them (-1 Infrastructure).
Despite the peace treaty, British intellectuals continue to flee to the American states or to Japan (-1 Education).
Spotlight:
Russia on the Brink.
"We are not the traitors, you are! We, the people of Russia, have given you our best children... The proof of our loyalty is to be found in the battlefields of Lithuania, Ukraine and Novgorodye, in the depths of the North Sea and in the mass cemetaries that became as commonplace as haystacks. You have promised us great victories; but you only gave us great misery. Enough!"
- Dmitriy Alekseyevich Lukov, leader of the Populist (Narodnik) political movement in Russia, in an open letter to Suvorov and all major Russian newspapers. Year 1787.
Russia was at war since 1784. Since then, the war that started on the western border - with the Krakow Union - had expanded to envelop Russia, and by mid-1786 it had to fight off attacks from virtually all the feasible directions (only the north remained mostly attack-free... and even that changed now). And yet, fight off the attacks it did. Kanzler Suvorov had managed to coerce and inspire the Russian people into unceasing vigilance and self-sacrifice; Russian shipyards and factories worked as fast as physically possible, and volunteers, recruits and mere conscripts were being herded from all over the land to the great slaughterhouses of the western front - herded to die, but also, to win, and indeed some stunning victories were won on the land and the sea. Yet the cost was way too high. The western parts of European Russia were devastated. Casualties were numbered in millions - the enemy had better positions, better training, better technology, better lack and better leadership, and succeeded in making Russia pay dearly for every inch gained. The economy was nearing collapse, and despite very genuine outbursts of patriotism as late as 1786, as of 1787 the nation was mostly demoralized, and the Populist anti-war anti-establishment propaganda had excellent soil prepared for it. Indeed, there was much to despair about; even with the recent victories, enemies still occupied significant portions of Russia, especially these damnable Japanese who had stabbed Russia in the back and occupied East Siberia. True, the Ukraine was recaptured, and Novgorod was in Russian hands as well, and the Russian fleet still ruled the North Sea... but to achieve these victories, the country was bled white. Starvation and war-weariness were widespread, and so were riots against war and for bread.
And yet, whether due to Suvorov's own stubborness or to Emperor Valerien's continued unwillingness to negotiate, war went on. Scrapping the bottom of the manpower barrel, Suvorov managed to assemble a new army, and prepared for another predictable February Offensive, personally taking command of Russia's western forces. In the meantime, he appointed General Repnin to the Persian front, and General Kutuzov to the Japanese one; they too were granted reinforcements, and Kutuzov was also allowed to conscript and requisition as much as he may see fit within Western Siberia, which he was ordered to defend. Though in some circles the new appointments and the recent victories led to a rekindling of hopes, the overwhelming majority of the population was however simply tired; and meanwhile, in Moscow, so unwisely left by Suvorov to his unreliable Vice-Kanzler Nikita Panin, conspiracies were appearing rapidly. Panin himself, as leader of the Russian liberals, was displeased by Suvorov's policies, and wanted to have a negotiated peace with the Holy Roman Empire; and personally he was estranged from Suvorov by the latter's persistant overpowering of his decisions and policies. Meanwhile, the leader of the Russian conservatives and head of the nobility Alexander Bezborodko was also highly displeased by the Suvorovian centralization and general lack of respect for tradition. Still, neither made their move just yet; they were waiting for Suvorov to slip. Unbeknowst to them they weren't the only ones - Dmitriy Alekseyevich Lukov, leader of the Populists who recently rose in popularity with their Egalitist and anti-war rhetoric, was also preparing an armed rebellion.
But all that was yet in preparation, and highly-uncertain, as the war was also going very uncertainly. Though the Russian fleet was finally destroyed at Spurn Head, in Lithuania the Russians had done surprisingly well; despite the utter predictability of their attack, the Russians commanded the superiority of numbers (far more decisive than before, as the Krakowians had redeployed perhaps a little too many troops to Hungary) and, for once, parity in technology, having somehow (probably through reverse-engineering) acquired many of the EUA-supplied ultramodern weapons, most notably the automatic rifles and the recoil-operated machine guns; if anything, the Russians had gained the technologic edge for the moment, as they also had their powerful artillery and large airships; these were put to good use, tearing at the Polish defensive positions. So in February 1787, the Russian army had achieved a series of surprising victories; the most important one, ofcourse, was at Riga, where the Russians actually broke through the Krakowian lines (as opposed to just pushing them back) and encircled Riga; the city and most of the forces in it were eliminated in the ensuing battle. Elsewhere, the Krakowians gradually retreated, but, again, the Russians were no longer as disadvantaged technologically, and made good use of their airships, gradually advancing into Lithuania. The offensive was only stopped outside of Vilnius. Another Russian force had advanced through the Pripet Marshes, though the casualties there were grievous, and linked up with the Russian partisans, the Krakowians deciding to abandon the Marshes as being simply not worth it. Eventually ofcourse the Russians were stopped; and indeed, they were stopped as usual by being bled white against the reinforced Krakowo-Imperial defenses. But still, this was much better than Ukraine.
Elsewhere, also, fortunes were very, very uncertain. For instance, Repnin's forces captured Dagestan, and on the other side of the Caspian Sea launched a skillful encircling movement, allowing the Persian army in the center to advance while the Russians overwhelmed the left flank army. Though the general of the Persian 4th Army immediately realized his predicament and ordered a southwards retreat to counter this, he was immediately attacked in the rear as well; ultimately the Persians retreated eastwards, but took heavy casualties and only barely stopped a later Russian offensive at the gates of Samarkand. The war with the GEAR was going considerably less well - Kutuzov's assertion that the Japanese were unprepared for winter warfare was entirely false, as the GEARis had proved with Operation "Hokkyoku", during which the Lena River was secured, and a fairly small, but extremelly well-equipped GEAR force set out on an ice trek through the far north of Siberia into the Polar Urals; the difficulty of this was somewhat underestimated, and the equipment didn't always perform well enough, but as ofcourse nobody was expecting this the GEAR forces were unhindered as they struck from the north into the Uralic industrial heartland, unleashing hell and blowing up mines and factories, and advancing from there into western Siberia, assisted by other GEAR agents in the area in the continued "deindustrialization". Kutuzov ordered conscription and redeployments; eventually most of the Arctic raiders were pinned down here or there and exterminated, but a few escaped to live, tell the tale of this most audacious military operations and, perhaps more importantly, link up with the main GEAR forces that used this diversion to advance westwards, capturing Tomsk.
With the key industries in Siberia badly damaged or even destroyed, Russian economy took yet another hit, and so did the confidence. Nevertheless, to Suvorov this was but a signal to attack further. Using the advantegous positions gained during the previous round of fighting, the Russians launched a Summer offensive, gradually tearing through Lithuania despite Krakowian, Imperial and Lithuanian rebel resistance. Casualties were mounting, but the enemy was pushed back almost to the border, only holding on to Bialystock. There, the next key battle had ensued. Without going into gritty details, I would only say that the battle itself too was gritty, gritty, bloody and brutally indecisive - though the Russians had gained ground, they failed to take Bialystock. And meanwhile, the Byzantines suffered a series of terrible defeats; Krakowian forces were freed up; and so in September localized offensives took place, retaking Ternople in Galicia and taking much pressure off Bialystock by outflanking the Russians in the south and forcing them to retreat. Though after that fighting here detiriorated into skirmishes and trench warfare, this still was a considerable victory as the last Russian hope for an advance into Poland was discontinued; and it also happened to coincide with a major Perso-Japanese offensive in the east. Though Kutuzov prevented any trully decisive defeats, the Russians were once more on the retreat; also, GEAR use of chemical weapons resulted in heavy casualties for the Russian forces and civilian population alike, especially during the Battle at Tara. Albeit Tobolsk, the ultimate GEAR target, remained out of reach - both due to the large forces amassed by the Russians for its defense and due to the GEAR logistical problems (caused, in its turn, by a variety of factors including well-planned guerrila attacks on the Trans-Siberian railroad) - as the autumn drew to a close, what was clear was the failure of Suvorov and his comrades to procure any definite victory, anywhere. The casualties, as already said, were mounting, the economy and the morale were declining.
As a particularily cold winter approached, an ever-growing amount of people decided that they had had enough. Bread riots took place in a wide range of cities again, and this time they were particularily vicious; incited by the Populists, the people took up arms and formed paramilitary organizations, and in some cities, most notably Kazan' where the rioters were fired upon by the garrison, armed revolts commenced. The attempts to requisition bread from the countryside - first for the army, now for the cities - have fueled up resentment there as well; the Populists were quick to act again, inciting peasant rebellions, just like in the 17th century. As rebellions spread and new ones begun, the Liberals and the Conservatives in Moscow were scared into making a coalition, especially as Suvorov declared his intention to put down the rebellion "no matter the price", which both Bezborodko and Panin feared to be a justification for the imposition of a complete military dictatorship. Panin declared Suvorov deposed and formed a provisional government, Bezborodko and the aristocracy in the Zemskoy Sobor supported this declaration and several key Conservatives, including Bezborodko himself, were included in the provisional government; when the Tsarina tried to defy this decision, she was deposed in the favour of her very young brother Mikhail III. On this note, the year 1787 ended, Russia on the brink of a civil war, "ran" by a shaky parliamentary government threatened from the right (the military and the officers are still predominantly loyal to Suvorov) and from the left (the Narodniki, whose rebellions are spreading), and at the same time facing the renewed onslaught from west, east and south. This is Russia's darkest hour.
NPC Diplo:
From: Paraguay
To: EUA
We propose to you a defensive alliance.
From: Surviving Hadhramauti Tribes
To: Scandinavian Union
We request your protection against the voracious Badawistanis and Egyptians.
OOC:
[1] Vladimirsk-na-Shartashe=OTL Ekaterinburg. How evil.
Sorry - hard-pressed for time, so the update was rushed to avoid having to continue it into Thursday. I'm afraid that the negative effect is very noticeable, especially in the spotlight.
A Californian ursoid had recently asked how long will this IT continue. The answer, alas, remains "not sure". I suppose that in this case it will largely depend on player interest... Do note, however, that even this war isn't yet over, though it could be claimed that it is already decided by the recent events, and there are some other issues yet unresolved. What say you?
The short-lived "government of the cadets" falls from power in PUASE, and is replaced by a fiercely nationalist new government (+1 Culture).
A new wave of humanitarianism and liberalism spreads across Scandinavia (+1 Culture).
Japan's entry into the Second Worldwar is followed by a genuine outburst of patriotism (+2 Culture, +1 Confidence). A general growth of fondness in Japan's past and present military victories has been noted, and volunteers from all over the Empire are numerous (+1 Culture, +10 divisions). The reorganization reforms that transformed the Japanese Empire into the Greater East Asian Republic were a big success as well (+1 Civilian Leadership, +1 Culture).
The Seguian Jihad wins them support and volunteers all over West Africa (+10 divisions).
As Britain signs peace with the HRE, the recovery begins (+1 Living Standards).
Despite the setbacks, the Byzantine national and religious pride grows with the struggle (+1 Culture).
Large-scale immigration from the embattled European countries to PUO occurs, and a general economic boom takes place (+1 Economy).
As assassinations increase, the Russians lose many important administrators (-1 Civilian Leadership).
Separatism grows in western PUNF (-1 Culture)...
Brazilian economy begins to stagnate (-1 Economy).
Many Francophilic intellectuals flee Egypt for HRE (-1 Education).
The damage to commerce and the foreign invasions result in detirioration of living standards in Imperial Europe (-1 Living Standards).
Byzantine infrastructure is increasingly overstrained by the large-scale military operations and the need to supply them (-1 Infrastructure).
Despite the peace treaty, British intellectuals continue to flee to the American states or to Japan (-1 Education).
Spotlight:
Russia on the Brink.
"We are not the traitors, you are! We, the people of Russia, have given you our best children... The proof of our loyalty is to be found in the battlefields of Lithuania, Ukraine and Novgorodye, in the depths of the North Sea and in the mass cemetaries that became as commonplace as haystacks. You have promised us great victories; but you only gave us great misery. Enough!"
- Dmitriy Alekseyevich Lukov, leader of the Populist (Narodnik) political movement in Russia, in an open letter to Suvorov and all major Russian newspapers. Year 1787.
Russia was at war since 1784. Since then, the war that started on the western border - with the Krakow Union - had expanded to envelop Russia, and by mid-1786 it had to fight off attacks from virtually all the feasible directions (only the north remained mostly attack-free... and even that changed now). And yet, fight off the attacks it did. Kanzler Suvorov had managed to coerce and inspire the Russian people into unceasing vigilance and self-sacrifice; Russian shipyards and factories worked as fast as physically possible, and volunteers, recruits and mere conscripts were being herded from all over the land to the great slaughterhouses of the western front - herded to die, but also, to win, and indeed some stunning victories were won on the land and the sea. Yet the cost was way too high. The western parts of European Russia were devastated. Casualties were numbered in millions - the enemy had better positions, better training, better technology, better lack and better leadership, and succeeded in making Russia pay dearly for every inch gained. The economy was nearing collapse, and despite very genuine outbursts of patriotism as late as 1786, as of 1787 the nation was mostly demoralized, and the Populist anti-war anti-establishment propaganda had excellent soil prepared for it. Indeed, there was much to despair about; even with the recent victories, enemies still occupied significant portions of Russia, especially these damnable Japanese who had stabbed Russia in the back and occupied East Siberia. True, the Ukraine was recaptured, and Novgorod was in Russian hands as well, and the Russian fleet still ruled the North Sea... but to achieve these victories, the country was bled white. Starvation and war-weariness were widespread, and so were riots against war and for bread.
And yet, whether due to Suvorov's own stubborness or to Emperor Valerien's continued unwillingness to negotiate, war went on. Scrapping the bottom of the manpower barrel, Suvorov managed to assemble a new army, and prepared for another predictable February Offensive, personally taking command of Russia's western forces. In the meantime, he appointed General Repnin to the Persian front, and General Kutuzov to the Japanese one; they too were granted reinforcements, and Kutuzov was also allowed to conscript and requisition as much as he may see fit within Western Siberia, which he was ordered to defend. Though in some circles the new appointments and the recent victories led to a rekindling of hopes, the overwhelming majority of the population was however simply tired; and meanwhile, in Moscow, so unwisely left by Suvorov to his unreliable Vice-Kanzler Nikita Panin, conspiracies were appearing rapidly. Panin himself, as leader of the Russian liberals, was displeased by Suvorov's policies, and wanted to have a negotiated peace with the Holy Roman Empire; and personally he was estranged from Suvorov by the latter's persistant overpowering of his decisions and policies. Meanwhile, the leader of the Russian conservatives and head of the nobility Alexander Bezborodko was also highly displeased by the Suvorovian centralization and general lack of respect for tradition. Still, neither made their move just yet; they were waiting for Suvorov to slip. Unbeknowst to them they weren't the only ones - Dmitriy Alekseyevich Lukov, leader of the Populists who recently rose in popularity with their Egalitist and anti-war rhetoric, was also preparing an armed rebellion.
But all that was yet in preparation, and highly-uncertain, as the war was also going very uncertainly. Though the Russian fleet was finally destroyed at Spurn Head, in Lithuania the Russians had done surprisingly well; despite the utter predictability of their attack, the Russians commanded the superiority of numbers (far more decisive than before, as the Krakowians had redeployed perhaps a little too many troops to Hungary) and, for once, parity in technology, having somehow (probably through reverse-engineering) acquired many of the EUA-supplied ultramodern weapons, most notably the automatic rifles and the recoil-operated machine guns; if anything, the Russians had gained the technologic edge for the moment, as they also had their powerful artillery and large airships; these were put to good use, tearing at the Polish defensive positions. So in February 1787, the Russian army had achieved a series of surprising victories; the most important one, ofcourse, was at Riga, where the Russians actually broke through the Krakowian lines (as opposed to just pushing them back) and encircled Riga; the city and most of the forces in it were eliminated in the ensuing battle. Elsewhere, the Krakowians gradually retreated, but, again, the Russians were no longer as disadvantaged technologically, and made good use of their airships, gradually advancing into Lithuania. The offensive was only stopped outside of Vilnius. Another Russian force had advanced through the Pripet Marshes, though the casualties there were grievous, and linked up with the Russian partisans, the Krakowians deciding to abandon the Marshes as being simply not worth it. Eventually ofcourse the Russians were stopped; and indeed, they were stopped as usual by being bled white against the reinforced Krakowo-Imperial defenses. But still, this was much better than Ukraine.
Elsewhere, also, fortunes were very, very uncertain. For instance, Repnin's forces captured Dagestan, and on the other side of the Caspian Sea launched a skillful encircling movement, allowing the Persian army in the center to advance while the Russians overwhelmed the left flank army. Though the general of the Persian 4th Army immediately realized his predicament and ordered a southwards retreat to counter this, he was immediately attacked in the rear as well; ultimately the Persians retreated eastwards, but took heavy casualties and only barely stopped a later Russian offensive at the gates of Samarkand. The war with the GEAR was going considerably less well - Kutuzov's assertion that the Japanese were unprepared for winter warfare was entirely false, as the GEARis had proved with Operation "Hokkyoku", during which the Lena River was secured, and a fairly small, but extremelly well-equipped GEAR force set out on an ice trek through the far north of Siberia into the Polar Urals; the difficulty of this was somewhat underestimated, and the equipment didn't always perform well enough, but as ofcourse nobody was expecting this the GEAR forces were unhindered as they struck from the north into the Uralic industrial heartland, unleashing hell and blowing up mines and factories, and advancing from there into western Siberia, assisted by other GEAR agents in the area in the continued "deindustrialization". Kutuzov ordered conscription and redeployments; eventually most of the Arctic raiders were pinned down here or there and exterminated, but a few escaped to live, tell the tale of this most audacious military operations and, perhaps more importantly, link up with the main GEAR forces that used this diversion to advance westwards, capturing Tomsk.
With the key industries in Siberia badly damaged or even destroyed, Russian economy took yet another hit, and so did the confidence. Nevertheless, to Suvorov this was but a signal to attack further. Using the advantegous positions gained during the previous round of fighting, the Russians launched a Summer offensive, gradually tearing through Lithuania despite Krakowian, Imperial and Lithuanian rebel resistance. Casualties were mounting, but the enemy was pushed back almost to the border, only holding on to Bialystock. There, the next key battle had ensued. Without going into gritty details, I would only say that the battle itself too was gritty, gritty, bloody and brutally indecisive - though the Russians had gained ground, they failed to take Bialystock. And meanwhile, the Byzantines suffered a series of terrible defeats; Krakowian forces were freed up; and so in September localized offensives took place, retaking Ternople in Galicia and taking much pressure off Bialystock by outflanking the Russians in the south and forcing them to retreat. Though after that fighting here detiriorated into skirmishes and trench warfare, this still was a considerable victory as the last Russian hope for an advance into Poland was discontinued; and it also happened to coincide with a major Perso-Japanese offensive in the east. Though Kutuzov prevented any trully decisive defeats, the Russians were once more on the retreat; also, GEAR use of chemical weapons resulted in heavy casualties for the Russian forces and civilian population alike, especially during the Battle at Tara. Albeit Tobolsk, the ultimate GEAR target, remained out of reach - both due to the large forces amassed by the Russians for its defense and due to the GEAR logistical problems (caused, in its turn, by a variety of factors including well-planned guerrila attacks on the Trans-Siberian railroad) - as the autumn drew to a close, what was clear was the failure of Suvorov and his comrades to procure any definite victory, anywhere. The casualties, as already said, were mounting, the economy and the morale were declining.
As a particularily cold winter approached, an ever-growing amount of people decided that they had had enough. Bread riots took place in a wide range of cities again, and this time they were particularily vicious; incited by the Populists, the people took up arms and formed paramilitary organizations, and in some cities, most notably Kazan' where the rioters were fired upon by the garrison, armed revolts commenced. The attempts to requisition bread from the countryside - first for the army, now for the cities - have fueled up resentment there as well; the Populists were quick to act again, inciting peasant rebellions, just like in the 17th century. As rebellions spread and new ones begun, the Liberals and the Conservatives in Moscow were scared into making a coalition, especially as Suvorov declared his intention to put down the rebellion "no matter the price", which both Bezborodko and Panin feared to be a justification for the imposition of a complete military dictatorship. Panin declared Suvorov deposed and formed a provisional government, Bezborodko and the aristocracy in the Zemskoy Sobor supported this declaration and several key Conservatives, including Bezborodko himself, were included in the provisional government; when the Tsarina tried to defy this decision, she was deposed in the favour of her very young brother Mikhail III. On this note, the year 1787 ended, Russia on the brink of a civil war, "ran" by a shaky parliamentary government threatened from the right (the military and the officers are still predominantly loyal to Suvorov) and from the left (the Narodniki, whose rebellions are spreading), and at the same time facing the renewed onslaught from west, east and south. This is Russia's darkest hour.
NPC Diplo:
From: Paraguay
To: EUA
We propose to you a defensive alliance.
From: Surviving Hadhramauti Tribes
To: Scandinavian Union
We request your protection against the voracious Badawistanis and Egyptians.
OOC:
[1] Vladimirsk-na-Shartashe=OTL Ekaterinburg. How evil.
Sorry - hard-pressed for time, so the update was rushed to avoid having to continue it into Thursday. I'm afraid that the negative effect is very noticeable, especially in the spotlight.
A Californian ursoid had recently asked how long will this IT continue. The answer, alas, remains "not sure". I suppose that in this case it will largely depend on player interest... Do note, however, that even this war isn't yet over, though it could be claimed that it is already decided by the recent events, and there are some other issues yet unresolved. What say you?
das
Regeneration In Process
Disenfrancised
Beep Beep
That you did das, guess I must have a life or somethign getting in the way 
From the EUA
To Paraguay
Sure. (OOC: Isn't Kal'thzar Paraguay )
From the EUA
To Paraguay
Sure. (OOC: Isn't Kal'thzar Paraguay
)
Stormbringer
The Brick and The Rose
That was beautiful das, thank you. The update went even better than I thought it would. Clarification - the territory marked as Russia's colour is places that are at least nominally under control of my provisional government, right? And the white are the Narodniki, correct? If that is the case the only question remains - where is Suvorov with his massive army?
Kentharu
Zebra Commander
mr mod sir, will you be having a BT update after this one? or maybe the one after this. Also is Raja still alive?
Stormbringer
The Brick and The Rose
I would certainly not like a BT just yet, there are plenty of interresting things still going on.
~Darkening~
Weep, Mother.
I did not agree to this! Not once in my orders did I say retreat from the south-east. That was supposed to come in a year or two.........
Harleqin
Hippo Power
Very nice... and nice reference to Dune One question... who are these Hadhramauti to be exact. Where is it geographically? Just to avoid misunderstandings 
To: World
From: Union of Scandinavia
The current situation in India is troublesome and worrying. Suffering there has risen to untolerable levels. As a direct result of this the Union of Scandinavia officially claims the lands around Gujarat, Calcutta, Dhaka and the Ganges river until such a time that order is restored and the people appear ready to start governing themselves once again.
We ask the nations of the world to respect our claim to this area as we intend to continue and complete the operation we have started. Once again, our goal is to restore peace to the region.
To: Egypt and Badawistan
From: Union of Scandinavia
We request your ambassadors to attend a meeting next week to discuss the situation with the Hadhramauti tribes.
One question... who are these Hadhramauti to be exact. Where is it geographically? Just to avoid misunderstandings To: World
From: Union of Scandinavia
The current situation in India is troublesome and worrying. Suffering there has risen to untolerable levels. As a direct result of this the Union of Scandinavia officially claims the lands around Gujarat, Calcutta, Dhaka and the Ganges river until such a time that order is restored and the people appear ready to start governing themselves once again.
We ask the nations of the world to respect our claim to this area as we intend to continue and complete the operation we have started. Once again, our goal is to restore peace to the region.
To: Egypt and Badawistan
From: Union of Scandinavia
We request your ambassadors to attend a meeting next week to discuss the situation with the Hadhramauti tribes.
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
Dachspmg said:
Why do people leave during their defeat?
Harleqin
Hippo Power
~Darkening~ said:
Interesting... without knowing your orders. I was under the assumption you'd leave now and gave orders to re-occupy the positions when/if you left them and to follow cautiously to avoid ambush. I think I ordered an attack if you didn't leave. I'll need to check my orders. HAd a massive hangover when I wrote them.
Stormbringer
The Brick and The Rose
Dachspmg said:
So much for this being a story and not a game...
Icmancin
WSNR Pte
So my Economy isn't used when I don't send orders? Thats 9 or 10 EP down the drawn with no stat increases whatsoever? I sent a you a PM that stated what I wanted done. None of it had anything to do with the update, just my personal stats.
- Status
