Update 2, Year 1751
International Events
We start in Salvador, where the Crown Prince and Viceroy of Brazil, Jose I, has put any doubt on Brazil’s standing on the American Revolution to rest. Calling the rebellion “nothing more than a barbaric attempt to destabilize the function standing of the world”, the Crown Prince has dashed any hopes the Americans might have sheltered of help from another American power.
Colonial ventures in the inner recesses of the Kongo are made in this year by the Brazilians. Just as in past years, however, the going is tough if not impossible in locations. Regular infantry allocated to the expeditions have been recalled due to an outbreak of disease, which kills most of the unit.The Viceroy Inigo Rocha quickly called off the expansion attempts in an effort to curtail losses of men and profit, not wanting to anger the court back in Salvador. Some gains are made nearer to Kinshasa, but Brazil’s grandiose plans of African Empire are not likely to be fulfilled in the Kongo anytime soon.
(Brazil: -1 Infantry[Regular])
Interesting developments in Brazilian East Africa. The Vice-reis of the BEA, Domingos Antunes, has been given great latitude to do as he pleases with the Emperor’s territory. Zanzibar is named the capital of the Vice-Reidom, with great investment poured into the city’s naval installations much as was done in Salvador. Slavery is declared legal and is widely patronized by Antunes. The amount of slaves entering Zanzibar’s harbors by the end of 1751 had already earned Zanzibar the nickname of A Cidade Escriva, or “The Slave City”.
Omani Arabs are also targets of this new slave trade revival in the region. Antunes has declared that any of the aforementioned group are subject to forced servitude if caught in a criminal act. To justify, he has recalled the Papal Bull that granted Portuguese and Spanish Kings the right to enslave Saracens and Pagans to indefinite slavery.
Discontent to the costly and bloody war in America is a shared sentiment all over most of the United Kingdom. The incredible powers wielded by the King are another topic of debate, as the people are ever frustrated by the inept power of Parliament to end the war. As the days wear on, this looks to be the war that could topple the invincible King.
(Britain: -1 Confidence)
The precipitous economic descent that was expected in America due to the economic stranglehold the Brits were putting on the colonies has not materialized. Not in full, anyway. There are economic hardships for sure, but the powers that be in Britain are extremely wary of outside assistance being the cause of the continued American resistance to British economic pressure.
(USA: -2 eco points next turn)
The madness continues to ensue in Sweden. The King’s War, as it has been called in Scandinavia, appears to have been launched with full knowledge available to the Riksdag. It also appears that this was all according to plan. The foolhardy death of the blustering yet unforgettable King plus the blatant violation of the Swedish balance of power has given the Riksdag and the powers that be within it the perfect situation.
As the war looked to be lost before it had hardly began and the chaotic offensive crumbled under Russian counterattacks, the Riksdag finally found it the perfect opportunity to denounce the “illegal invasion” (not wanting to be seen as traitors if the war had gone well). They have ordered the arrest of the new King, heir to the throne, and are near a unanimous decision to abolish the monarchy and firmly institute a Republic, or perhaps reduce the monarchy to figurehead status. These are the last issues of debate within the Riksdag building; there is no more debate on whether the new King has to go. As far as the Riksdag is concerned, his days are numbered.
(Sweden: -4 Confidence)
Major conflict in the center of Europe has been diverted, for now. The hasty withdrawal by France in the Italian peninsula has placated the Hungarians for now, though they still publicly fumigate over the Pope’s “riotous overthrow of lawful order” and the like. Hungarian moves have been limited to negotiating with other powers to help balance the perceived French dominance, in the absence of the ability to militarily confront the French at this time.
As if the collective leaders of the world had any idea, the Ming Empire of China has issued the Edict of Guangzhou which to post of the world reads,” Bla bla, Chinese cultural superiority, bla bla we invented gunpowder and writing, bla bla.” There was a fairly important note somewhere near the bottom of the text that warned of serious retributive measures from the Chinese Empire in the event that harm or discrimination may come to Chinese in other lands. The doctrine is certainly powerful in East Asia and into the Indian Ocean region, but if a Chinese man finds himself in the wrong part of Warsaw it will be interesting to see how the Empire reacts.
Wars & Conflicts
The American Revolutionary War, or the meddlesome conflict as the Brits in the motherland have likened to call it, rages on across the young country’s landscapes. In the south, the British commanders varied up their strategy, forsaking a move up the coast in favor of deeper penetrations into the countryside. While the overwhelming numerical superiority of the British has brought them progress, the continued refusal of the British to adjust to American marksmanship on their officers and other hit-and-run tactics has left the Brits battered and bruised throughout the theatre.
As a counter punch to the above and the recapture of Boston by the rebels, the Brits launched an assault on Baltimore. Resistance, as it has been this war recently, was fierce, but the British had dedicated over a hundred thousand men to the capture of the city and it was not go home empty handed.
This was not capitalized upon by the redcoats in the upcoming campaign, however. The Americans returned with a surrounding of a British army stranded after the capture of Boston. Wheeling part of Pickering’s army around to prevent a beachhead, they pincered the British force and forced a humiliating surrender.
(USA: -2 Divisions [Green], 2 Artillery, 1 Dragoon [Green]) (Britain: -10 Divisions, -4 Frigates)
WAR! King Erik gets his war this year, redirecting his army based in Skane towards more Russerly pastures. A general assault from…somewhere in Sweden….was launched…conceivably to grab land from the dastardly heathenish Russians. Unfortunately, it was just such this attack that had been expected by the Tsar for some time.
The broad front opened up by the Swedish offensive (which lets say for posterity’s sake came from Swedish Ingria) quickly fell to pieces as greater concentrations of Russian artillery, not to mention the fortifications at the bottleneck immediately to the west of Nyen. As the Swedish attack faltered, it was the belief of their King and commander that only he could turn the tide of the battle and he must do so, personally. There were some dissenting voices to this among the officers, but to confront the King’s hubris was a dangerous idea so most kept their mouths shut.
And so it was, rather ingloriously, King Erik found himself felled by a flying piece of shrapnel while attempting what by all accounts was a suicide charge. Most of his men did not follow his lead and the King’s horse could be seen galloping away miles into the horizon, dragging the lifeless body of his master. The mastermind of the invasion and their spiritual leader now gone, the Swedes pulled back before more devastating battles could be fought.
(Sweden: -6 Infantry[Veteran], -2 Infantry[Seasoned], -1 Dragoon. -3 Artillery) (Russia: -3 Infantry)
At the risk of glossing over the heroics of Japanese soldiers in the interiors of Kyushu and Shikoku, the islands did eventually fall to Nan Ming military pressure. Much of the year was spent consolidating the Nan Ming grip on the islands, with a sizeable fleet setting sail southwards towards the VOC carrying a labor force of unenthusiastic Japanese subjects. The Nan Ming military presence keeps a lid on activities for the moment, but it is the feeling of the War Board and the Japanese themselves that the actual occupation at wars end will be far messier than experienced so far.
An offensive onto Honshu did gain a sizeable beachhead, but with the bulk of the Kokuate’s army stationed on the island for some time now, it was unlikely the Nan Ming would make serious headway in this year. The capture of Awaji island near the Kyoto-Kobe-Osaka triad of Kokuate cities was an alarming sight and could be the base for future landings. The Japanese have no navy to stop them.
At this year’s end, it is clear who the victor will be. Unable to stem the tide or break the blockade, the Kokuate can either be starved into submission or willingly surrender.
(Japan: -5 spend points next turn)
We turn to Africa, where the Prince of Ethiopia (the main one anyhow) has learned of the full generosity of a nation run by Dutch merchants. While a good portion of Ethiopia’s earnings are siphoned into the VOC for “maintaining the Addis Ababa government”, it is money that could be well spent on the feet on the ground needed to overpower the warlords. As it stands, progress is slow with advances against small groups in and around Addis Ababa but losses when attempts to reestablish order in southern Ethiopia are made. Out of desperation some of the more impoverished warlords and even the chieftains of government-loyal villages are engaging the more enterprising of VOC merchants in trade exchanges, some including people. The problem here is that an extension of the slave trade to Ethiopia is vehemently opposed by the Prince (obviously).
(Ethiopia: -3 Infantry[Green])
ADDENDUM: The New World, not a fun place for a Spaniard recently. With simmering discontent throughout the continent sized territory, perhaps it would take only one concentrated effort to puncture a permanent hole in the Spanish Empire. The poorly coordinated indigenous revolts of several thousand Peruvians would not be anybody's definition of concentrated, as it was put down rather quickly wherever Spanish soldiers encountered resistance. The King should not be too quick to congratulate his generals on the rebellions defeat, there is much work yet to be done.
(Spain: +much work to be done)
Random Events
The Brazilians have finished their O Camino Infinito project sooner than expected thanks to the boost given by an influx of immigration.
The continuing assassination of British officers in America has destroyed British morale in some places, festering a feeling of chaos among divisions of men across the country.
(-1 British Army Training)
Caps gain overwhelming majority in Riksdag.
(+1 Swedish confidence)
Korean trade revenues take a hit due to the Sino-Japanese War.
(-1 spend point for Korea next turn)
Recent Danish exploration campaigns in New Zealand are successful.
(Denmark maps New Zealand)
Diplomacy
From: Riksdag of Sweden
To: Russia
We denounce this illegal invasion of your country and will withdraw Swedish soldiers immediately, to the best of our ability!
From: Koku-o Sakuramachi of Japan
To: Nan Ming
We are ready for your terms of surrender. It has been a noble struggle, but it is not meant for our victory. If you sacrifice the honor of our people, you will never see the end of this struggle. Remember this and choose your terms wisely.
Notes from the Mod:
Sorry from the depths of my soul for this delay. The reasons for it are long and storied, but mostly derive from a bit of anxiety for college which creates a kind of malaise. Yea, excuses excuses.
It seems the update itself was rather short, but those extensive notes really are EXTENSIVE. I’m trying to strike the right balance of what to show in the update and what to scribble in wordpad
Stats, front page, and parts of the update I might have forgot will be done later today.
Oh, and I'm pretty sure I beat Iggy. So nya
Will be amended to the update sometime today.
