NationStates Jolt Archive

The Second Sino-Japanese War
OOC: This is the RP thread for the Second Sino-Japanese War, which is in turn part of the Age of Imperialism Campaign (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=433496&page=1&pp=15); you have to be part of that campaign to play in this one. The OOC thread is here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=446784).

This post will review the RP history leading up to the Second Sino-Japanese War. Feel free to do your own research, as I make no claim to the completeness or accuracy of what is found here (hey, if it's on the Internet, it must be true, right?). This info is only to provide you some basis for what the conflict is all about.

History

Although Europeans first reached East Asia early in the 16th Century, it was not until the middle of the 19th Century that they began to have a dramatic impact on Asian life. In both Japan and China, the arrival of Europeans caused long running social and political processes to unfold at a frenzied pace. In the case of Japan, it was the overthrow of the Tokagawa Shogunate ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_Shogunate) by the Emperors of Japan; ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_of_Japan) in the case of China, it was the decline and fall of the Manchu Dynasty ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_Dynasty ).

In each country, reform could not really begin until the archaic institutions that had existed in both countries at the start of the period were overthrown. In the case of the bakumatsu ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Tokugawa_shogunate) (last shogun), it only took 14 years, from 1854-1868. China was a different story; for 47 years, from 1861-1908, the Empress Dowager Cixi ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Dowager_Cixi) held onto power, trying her best to modernise the country in the face of foreign military intervention, rebellion, and corruption – and failing. Shortly after her death the Jǐyǒu Gémìng, or Jiyou Revolution ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinhai_Revolution ), which was triggered by an army revolt at Wuchang (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuchang_Uprising) in 1909. Rising rapidly to the leadership of the revolutionary forces, a young officer named Gouzu Zhuge emerged as Emperor.

The fact that China overturned its medieval government four decades after Japan gave the Japanese a tremendous advantage; by 1890, it was far ahead of China in military, economic, and political organisation. Thus, when the two countries clashed over Korea in 1894, Japan won the First Sino-Japanese War ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sino-Japanese_War ) (1894-95) with ease.

By 1910, Japan’s advantage over China was even greater. Yet Gouzu Zhuge was determined to close the gap and reclaim for China what he believed to be its rightful place in East Asia. Forging a series of deals with the Dual Monarchy of Austria and Hungary, which had decided to abandon imperialism altogether in favour of a policy of promoting trade and overseas investment, Guozu Zhuge soon had numerous production projects going on all across China, from shipyards to railways, from factories to universities, all with the intention of duplicating the “Japanese Miracle”.

Yet Japan itself was not so willing to surrender its position as East Asia’s pre-eminent power. Understanding that if China were able to get on its feet, its mere size alone would be enough to put the island nation in its place, Japan began to plan for war.

The Japanese armament program, begun in 1911, envisioned a war with China beginning in 1915. Unfortunately for the Japanese, events overcame their plans as Europe lurched toward war in late 1912. Japan was now forced to choose between allowing an opportunity to invade French Indochina – a territory it wanted badly – slip away from it, possibly never to return, or to risk a premature war with China by seizing the French colony.

OOC: The history given above is from real life until the so-called Jiyou Revolution, which actually came two years later (as the Xinhai Revolution – the name is drawn from the name of the year in the 60-year Chinese calendar cycle). In real life, the 1911 revolution led to the establishment of Sun Yat-Sen’s Republic of China, but in this history it produces a new Chinese imperial dynasty.

Likewise, the 1912 French crisis is the product of RP in the main thread.

General Fukuoka had a grand meeting of the Council and the heads of all Armed Forces. They were all there: Air Marshall Fukuoka, Admiral Yutsushiko, General Tojoma, General Tojo, Admiral Togo and of course the Emperor to be. He had called the meeting because the situation in Europe was escalating. The latest report told him that a Franco-German peace was signed, but this time Spain decided to fight France over Morocco. This proved an excellent chance to expand, eventhough the military build up was far from finished. He first began with the rituals etc. honoring the emperor and the gods. Then he continued to the main points of the meeting.

Gen. Fukuoka:"Gentlemen, I have called you here for not just a normal meeting. Today we decide if Japan goes to war or that it waits until we are completely ready. *gasps of unbelieve from the assembled generals, admirals, Airmarshall and their aides* I propose that Japan goes to war with the Republic of France. Please wait till I'm finished gentlemen! Discipline! Japan must go to war with France and capture the rich territories of South East asia. Their attention is diverted from Asia to Europe and if the reports are correct they'll have trouble in Africa too. Reports show us that they only have a token force in Indochina (ooc. anybody an idea how many? It cant be more than a few thousand) supported by local militia's who are probably not too loyal. No doubt the Siamese will support us, especially if we reward them with some territories. Laos and Cambodia west of teh Mekong river will be more than enough. In fact we won't lose them, the Siamese are under a firm guidance of General Yabu and his SEF (Siamese Expedition Force). I think they will simply love us if they regain their old Empire, and even more!

But we have to remain alert. China won't like it and will probably intervene. Their military is weak and untrained. Their only advantage is the huge numbers they have. If they move into Indochina we can strike back from Formosa, Korea and Liaoning. They will be slaughtered in Indochina and we will conquer Manchuria and maybe even Beijing! And then there's also Russia. We have an alliance with them, but so do the Chinese. They are allies of France and they could come to aide if we attacked Indochina. If that happens we could move into Southern Siberia, occupy Wladivostok and conquer entire Sakhalin. Their armies are mainly in the west. Transferring them could take months, if not more. We could be victorious by then. We have a secret pact with America that they would support us, direct or indirectly if we'd stay away from the Pacific. So we won't have any problem from that direction. England would probably stay neutral too. Australia and New Zealand are dominions of England who decides foreign policy etc. but they will be wary of any expansion in the Asian-Pacific area. Germany would only be too pleased to see France beaten, no matter were and by whom. It isn't impossible that they would fall on France after we've won. The K.u.K. is probably the only foreign power that would be pissed if we'd attack China, or France in Indochina. Those fools try to preserve peace everywhere in the world! Do you have anything to say?

It was very silent in the room. Nobody said a word. Suddenly the old Admiral Togo began to smile and said.

Admiral Togo:"Ahhhh, do we have a choice? War it is!"
General Tojo:"I also believe war is necessary for Japan."
General Tojoma:"I concur."
Airmarshall Fukuoka:"Yes, for Japan. War would be preferable."

They all turned to Admiral Yutsushiko. Even the young emperor stared at him. The old Admiral was thinking. It was a great chance for Japan to finally take its rightful place at the table of world powers! But he thought of the suffering, the enormous costs. The war could spread to Europe, killing and wounding many. But everything for Japan, the Gods and the Emperor...

Admiral Yutsushiko:"War it is..."
General Fukuoka:"Good. Now that's decided I would like to propose the following. It would be very good for the moral f the troops if we would have an Emperor...

I propose that the Emperor-to-Be Hirohito ascends the Chrysanthemum throne and becomes Son of Heaven, Emperor of Japan and Korea, Ruler of Formosa and Sakhalin (ooc. forgot the Japanese name :P) Hirohito!"

The next morning...

Japan Daily Mail
Hirohito to Ascend the Chrysanthemum throne!

ooc. I'll post this too in the main thread. Hope you guys like the RPing. I couldn't resist Fukuoka lecturing for hours ;)

After the ascension of Hitohito the former country was preparing for war, not too open, but the mood was like a growing storm. Small hints and suggestions were made in the media that the French were up to no good and the Chinese were still the Opium Addicted fools they always were. The occupation of Morocco by Spain, a clearly Anti-French action was applauded in the newspapers, who said Japan should repeat that trick "In the greater Japanese-Asian Hemisphere".

The Army was mobilizing and ready. The 31st. Infantry Division (20000 men, 60 80 mm, 15 100 mm) had boarded the transports and protected by:
-One Dreadnought
-Two Pre Dreadnought Battleships
-Three Protected Cruisers
-Seven Destroyers
-One Aircraft Carrier
Once out of port the convoy would head for the city of Vinh, were they would try to capture the city and the port, continue to secure the nearby area, dig in to create a firm base and wait for the SEF and/or reinforcements from Formosa.
The rest of the Third Fleet patrolled the Formosa Strait. The First Fleet headed mainly for the Sea of Japan, with small taskforces patrolling Sakhalin and the Japanese East Coast. The Second Fleet spli up in three taskforces. The smalles t headed for the Bo Hai, the mouth of teh yellow river, and the largets heading for the East Chinese Sea, prepared to take any ship that came out of Shanghai out. The Remaining Taskforce patrolled Korea Strait and the yellow Sea.

The Siamese Expedition Force was ready to cross into Indochina. Two Infantry Divisions and a Cavalry Division (40000 Infantry, 5000 Cavalry), 8 Siamese Divisions (160000 men, pretty poorly trained but equiped with Japanese weapons) and one Siamese Guard Regiment (2500 Well Trained men with Japanese weapons) were ready for action. They had a few machineguns (350 machineguns) but seriously lacked artillery. The best they had were mortars, and those were only 40mm ones. The SEF had 25 artillery pieces (20 80 mm, 5 100 mm) per infantry division. The reason for this lack of artillery was that Japanese tacticians thought artillery was impracticle in the Jungles of South East Asia.

The plan was simple. One Infantry Division and Two Cavalry Battalions (20000 Infantry and 2000 Cavalry) would cross the border near Khammouan (present day Laos) and head for the troops near Vinh. The Cavalry and one Siamese division would expand and secure the flanks. The other Japanese Infantry Division and two battalions of Cavalry would head straight for Phnom Penh and Saigon, aided by two Siamese Divisions. The other remaining Cavalry Battalion and two Siamese Divisions would attack Vientiane and move slowly North and East, towards Hanoi. The Siamese Guard Rorps and two Siamese Divisions would cross into Indochina near the Burmese border and head for Dien Bien Phu, the Red River and then move down the river towards Hanoi.

In the North in Korea and Liaoning the 16th Army and the 5th and 6th "Elite" Armies had been moved in Liaoning. The 5th and 6th Armies would storm for Bejing, only 150 Km away while the 16th Army would make a wide sweeping move; first straight in westerly direction, then slightly South-West towards Datong and then South towards Shijiazhuang where they would hopefully meet with the 4th Army. The 4th Army, who's already stationed in Liaoning, would move along the coast towards Tiensin, where they would head West towards Shijiazhuang. The rest of the Korean Armies, save the 10th Army (so, Four Armies), would fall on Manchuria, taking key postions and Cities. They would mainly move in Easterly and Northern Direction, untill they'd reach the Russian border, or supply problems would force them to slow down or halt. The earlier mentioned Tenth Army would remain at the Korean-Russian border to prevent any Russian interference. They have dig in and the Engineering Corps is busy with constructing a series of fortresses and trenches.

The 17th Army which was stationed in Kyushy is being transported to Korea, about 75% has arrived. The Armies on Sakhalin have the orders to dig in and wait for further orders. Embassies all over the world have clear instructions what to do if a gouvernment would ask questions. The embassy in Berlin had the orders to pass on information about the attack on China, if it happens.

General Fukuoka was just finished with writing a last message to the French Gouvernment, in the hope war could be prevented.

To the French Gouvernment
From General Fukuoka, Chief of Staff of the Japanese Empire

Hail friends!

We are very worried that the agressive nation of China might fall on your
Indochinese possessions. To prevent this, we would like to propose the
following:
1. France will immediately hand over control of Indochina to Japan and it's ally Siam.
2. We will pay a generous amount of money and will compensate any loss of
property or money of the French citizens who wish to leave Indochina.
French citizens and companies are more than welcome to stay in Indochina
and coöperate with the Japanese Gouvernment.
3. If our demands are not accepted, we are sorry to tell you that Japan and Siam will take matters in our own hands.

Greetings,
Emperor Hirohito
General Fukuoka

Every man in the armed forces was ready, while night fell and dark clouds gathered over Asia...

From: La 3eme Republique
To: The Empire of Japan

We welcome your troops and the security they bring with open arms. At the
same time, we have realised that our true interests don't lie in Asia. We
would like to know if you'd be interested in aquiring - for a fair price - our
Asian colonies of Indochina, New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Podycherry.

The Japanese High Command was exhalted by the offer of France. They discussed if it could be a trap, or just buying time by the French. After a long discussion they agreed they should accept the offer.

To the 3e French Republic
From Genereral Fukuoka in name of Emperor Hirohito

We are certainly interrested in acquiring those territories. What do you call
a fair prize for such an great offer?

General Fukuoka in name of the Emperor Hirohito

OOC: A fair price? :confused: ; I don't even know how much the $ was worth in 1912 (about 100 times more than today, maybe?). Let's say 10 yearly payments of 0.1% of your GDP; or one payment of 1%, if you wish, or anything in between.

ooc. Heh, I'm trying to find the GDP of Japan in 1910-1914. I haven't found anything.

I have seen some examples of Land purchases:
Louisiana Purchase; 15 million dollar, or 193 million nowadays.
Alaska Purchase; 7.3 million dollar, don't know the present day amount.

Let's say 200 million modern dollars, then, since you're getting a developed region and many strategically placed teritories. The CIA (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ja.html) site gives almost 4 trillion dollars for Japan's GDP. It must have been much lower 100 years ago, but I still think 200 million is under 1% of Japan's GDP in 1912.

I thought about 200 million dollars too (present day). That will be around the 20 million, enough for a developed region.

Actually I think it's cheap, but you name it :p Let's say Japan can go up to 30 million (payment in one time), less is also possible and preferable.

OOC: 250 million modern dollars/ let's say 25 million in 1912 dollars.

IC:
From: La 3eme Republique
To: The Empire of Japan

We are happy that an understanding has been reached between our nations.
Your soldiers may enter the purchased teritories at the time of your choosing.
To insure an orderly change, French administration should continue until
September 1st, when it will be replaced by the Japanese administration.

Actually I think it's cheap, but you name it :p
I should have made the offer to China too, and see you too offering more and more for my colonies :). But the idea came to me right after I made the offer, I'm quite busy with the classes at the university, Sharina said she's busy too (I hope Sharina is a she) so I decided to leave it at that.

To 3e French Republic
From General Fukuoka

We will transmit the amount of money to a bank in a neutral country (say, Belgium). We agree with the date on which power over the territories will be transfered. We would like to propose that the territories of French Polynesia, New Caladonia and Pondicherry will be transfered at a later date, 1st of oktober for the Pacific possessions and 15th of oktober for Pondicherry. It will take more time and orginization to take over those territories.

General Fukuoka

ooc. The dutch payed 3000 dollars for New Guinea, very cheap, real Dutch style :D :p

OOC: After this substantial expantion of the Japanese Empire, my role on this thread has dropped to almost zero. Bye bye.

OOC: After this substantial expantion of the Japanese Empire, my role on this thread has dropped to almost zero. Bye bye.

ooc. that was pretty quick. I bet good old CHina man won't like it. And that they'd come rolling in over the border into Northern Vietnam and Laos. To lay it fair the French woul be neutral, and maybe even a few shots fired at the Japanese (Sorry, sir, they're all small, yellow and extremely dangerous!) when things become hot for French garrisons. I''ll wait with a move untill Sharina can reply and/or object.

OOC: D_mn, you were online and sold it before I could post! You got ripped off.

I'm greying out the entire discussion to follow, since now a very different discussion must take place. Suffice it to say that Bogie has seriously scr_w_d you beyond all measure.

Tokyo, Japan“Beware Frenchmen bearing gifts,” said the American ambassador to Japan. “This is so like them: Mexico demands French Guiana, so they offer it to Spain; Italy wants Madagascar, so they offer that to Spain as well, while offering Italy Indochina, which you want. And with them quitting the Somali Coast and just leaving it in the hands of the Abyssinians, who have quite suddenly and very conveniently just gone to war with the Italians – well, you have to wonder. So why do you suppose that they’re offering you their South Pacific islands – which you never asked for?” he said, in typically American fast-talking, straight-shooter fashion.

“I’ll tell you why,” said the ambassador. He paused to look the Japanese Foreign Minister in the eye. “It’s because they must know – how they found out, I have no idea – that our countries have a deal over the Pacific Basin. So what do they do? Why, offer you possessions in an area where you’ve already agreed not to expand. Clearly,” he finished, “They’re hoping that in accepting this ‘bonus gift’, they can start a war between us – or at least stir up animosity.”

The Foreign Minister nodded, having suspected the same thing. He had not, however, wanted to say anything to General Fukuoka. In truth, like many of the other civilian officials in the government, he was more than a little disturbed at the direction the former Regents were taking Japan – but at the same time he was also quite afraid to take issue with any of the members of the military party. Doing so could easily get a man hurt – or worse.

Now I have a reason to raise the issue, he thought. But I can not appear to be against the acquisition of French Indochina - even assuming I were.

“What,” he asked slowly, “Do you suggest?”

“First, don’t accept their $15,000,000 offer. Say it’s too much – it is to much. ‘Developed territory’ my …” The ambassador caught himself before he swore, but the American-educated diplomat smiled very faintly, having heard the expression in his salad days at Stanford. “They just took over Indochina a few decades ago, and – except for starting up a few rubber plantations – they’ve done nothing with it. Tell them you’ll give then $250,000, and fall back to $350,000 if they scream.”

“Just $350,000?” gaped the Japanese Foreign Minister. “Will they accept that?”

The American leaned closer. “This is a fire sale, my good man. They should give you the place.” He smiled as he straightened back and raised his tea cup. “After all, the last thing France can afford right now is a war – one that could spread back to Europe. They’re shaking in their shoes.”

“Of course, they’ll hold out for more – or try. But if you press them, you can get everything for … oh, in the worst case, $500,000 – a fraction of what they’re asking. But probably less, if you drive a hard bargain,” he finished.

“But,” said the Japanese diplomatic softly, “How does that address the problem of the South Pacific territories?”

The American ambassador smiled. “After the sale, sell us the South Pacific properties for a third of final price - more than we ought to pay, but there’s a little extra in there for you for handling the negotiations.” He sat back contentedly. “Problem solved,” he finished.OOC: You can convert present dollars to 1912 dollars using EH.Net’s calculator entitled, “What Is the Relative Value? Five Ways to Compare the Worth of a United States Dollar, 1789 - 2003” (http://eh.net/hmit/compare/). A set of links to useful economic history databases can be found at Roy Davies’ page entitled, “Current Value of Old Money” (http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/arian/current/howmuch.html).

According to EH.Net, $200,000,000 present dollars, using the “relative share of GDP” calculation, would have been worth $681,499.36. But “relative share of GDP” is a worthless measure, since it really measures the cost of something relative to a nation’s ability to afford its purchase: more meaningful would be a calculation based on CPI (Consumer Price Index, or relative purchasing power). That would produce a price of $10,633,270.32.

BTW, using the “relative share of GDP” calculation, the Louisiana Purchase was equivalent to a purchase $390,621,124,145.81 in 2003 dollars; using the same method, the Alaskan Purchase was equivalent to one of $10,126,546,572.62 in 2003 dollars. If we apply this same calculator to the problem of determining a price for the French territories, we would come up with an asking price of between $1,331,040,233.16 (if the Louisiana Purchase is the benchmark) and $34,506,175.11 (if the Alaskan Purchase is the benchmark). These are prices, I am sure, that Japan would be not only unwilling but unable to pay.

Going back to the original calculation of $681,499.36, I think that France didn’t mean to ask for just $12,818,245.74 in present purchasing power. Thus I’ve converted the $200,000,000 asking price to $10,633,270.32 in 1912 dollars, using the CPI converter (which again I believe to be the only realistic measure, since it reflects what you can actually buy with the money). I’ve rounded that up to $15,000,000, under the assumption that the French would start by asking for a good deal more than they expected to get.

BTW, in 1908, the Dual Monarchy paid £2,200,000 for Bosnia and Hercegovina, or $10,705,200 in contemporary U.S. currency, which - in 1912 - would be $11,283,859.46 (using CPI conversion). I consider Bosnia and Hercegovina to be of considerably greater value, both due to its greater relative development and its strategic position.

ooc. Well, to be honest, I was planning to sell at least Pondicherry to the British. New Caladonia is also a looooong way from Japan, and Australia/New Zealand/Great Britain/probably all of them won't be happy with Japanese presence on their doorstep.

The Louisiana Purchase describes the United States acquisition of more than 529,911,680 acres (2,144,476 km2) of territory from France in 1803 for about $3/sq. mile or $11,250,000 (which, if adjusted for inflation, would equal approximately $193 million in 2005).

I know Wikipedia can be wrong sometimes...a lot.

but anyway...

IC.
We have thought about the possibility of creating chaos in the Pacific. the Foreign Minister said. And in the treaty we signed we only speak of agressive expansion in the Pacific. We have no interest in attacking Great Britain and America, who are still far too powerful, and if I may be honest, more useful as friends. We will not expand aggresively, either against America or Great Britain. Selling those territories for the third of the price paid is...unfair. I hope the "little extra" is worth it. Can you tell me what it is, or just give a hint?

ooc. GULP! That seriously is a lot of money. 7 billion for Indochina and the Pacific territories? It is certainly a lot...

My Dutch instinct has failed me... :fluffle:

Tokyo, JapanThe American ambassador was furious.

“We had a deal,” he said, with an edge of righteous indignation in his voice, “You were to confine your expansion to the Asian mainland. Since when did the South Pacific become a part of the ‘mainland’?”

“I’ll tell you,” continued the ambassador, not giving the shocked Japanese Foreign Minister time to respond, “President Roosevelt is outraged at this! He’s this close,” said the American, holding his thumb and forefinger close together, “To calling off our deal and sending our entire fleet to the Phillipines to help the Chinese – yes, we know that you’re planning an attack on China, that’s no big surprise. I doubt,” he said icily, “That Japan could win a two front war against both China and the United States. Make that a three front war, because with France in the doghouse Russia will need a new source of loans, and we’ve got people all over Wall Street eager to shove the d_mn_d French aside and underwrite Russian economic and military expansion for the next 20 years! I bet the Tsar would be glad to even the score, especially if we made it worth his while.”

The American eyed his Japanese counterpart coldly. “No, a deal is a deal, and a man of honor keeps his agreements. You haven’t kept yours.”

The Japanese Foreign Minister was speechless. To be sure, the American ambassador was usually a little unpolished – all Americans were – but having been educated at Stanford, the Foreign Minister knew that his anger – indeed, the entire American government’s anger – was genuine. Japanese often thought that Westerners had no real sense of honour, but he knew better. Westerners simply had different sense of honour than Japanese, and Americans were pricklier about it than most. One of his American history professors had tipped him off to it during a discussion of the history of the U.S. Navy – the whole notion of “an officer and a gentleman” was drawn from the British, except that in the 19th Century, Americans had taken it to extremes, beyond anything their British cousins would have considered reasonable. The same applied to dueling, which continued in America decades after it had died out in Britain.

No, Americans had always possessed a sense of inferiority compared to the British, especially when it came to honour, more for having been dismissed for so many decades as “rude colonials” than anything else. They were so prickly about this idea of a “gentleman’s honour” because they had something to prove.

I should have voiced my concerns about the deal to General Fukuoka, he thought, but all of us civilians find it so hard to say anything to the military clique. Japan had become a very dangerous place since the death of the Emperor Mutsuhito. I have a family to think of. Yet still…

“I am sure that General Fukuoka meant no offence in this,” began the Foreign Minister, choosing his words well so as to neither set the Americans off or say anything that his colleagues in the military would – or could – hold against him. “We were merely trying to resolve a dispute short of the use of military force.”

“Well, then, there’s your first lesson,” said the American ambassador. “Never trust the French. Have you looked at the offers they’ve made to get out of the pickle they’re in? They offered Madagascar and French Guiana to Spain, knowing full well that Italy wants the first property, and Mexico the second. They offered the Italians Indochina, knowing you wanted it. And I smell a rat with this whole thing in Somalia and Abyssinia.”

“No,” he continued, “Their modus operandi seems to be to get everybody else angry - or better still shooting - at each other, in hopes that the world will let them be. Or let them get back to mischief-making.”

“Never trust the French,” he repeated, shaking his head.

“So how do you think we should proceed?” asked the Japanese Foreign Minister cautiously.

The American nodded, and the Japanese Foreign Minister knew – with relief – that he had come with a deal in his pocket. “Sell us the French South Pacific islands – all of them. It’ll make a nice addition to our present collection.”

“Do you have a price in mind?” asked the Foreign Minister.

“$1,500,000,” he replied.

The Japanese diplomat’s jaw fell. He sputtered, “But … but … we paid $25,000,000 to the French!”

“You were swindled,” said the American shaking his head. “You could have gotten the whole kit and kaboodle for a fraction of the price. France is desperate to avoid a war at all costs – that made this a fire sale.”

“Still,” said the Japanese Foreign Minister, “I can not go to General Fukuoka and ask him to sell these territories for such a low price compared to what we paid France.”

“We upped our asking price,” proclaimed the American, “Precisely because you paid so much money to the French - we wanted to save you some measure of embarassment. Those b_st_rds in Paris must be laughing up a storm, but that’s no reason for us to overpay.” He eyed his Japanese counterpart carefully. “If General Fukuoka doesn’t like the price, remind him of how much our friendship is worth.”OOC: $25,000,000 in 1912 dollars is $7,336,764,028.86 in present funds (using relative share of GDP); it’s $470,222,222.22 in present funds using CPI. The $1,500,000 million we’re offering is $440,205,841.73 in 2003 dollars (calculated using the relative share method) or $28,213,333.33 in 2003 dollars by the CPI method.

But whichever way this goes, Japan has seriously strained its understanding with the United States; even if this was an accidental oversight (although I’m sure that it was no oversight on Bogie’s part :mad: ), the Roosevelt administration must now seriously question Japan’s reliability, if not its trustworthiness. France has indeed scored a major diplomatic victory, and must be heartily laughing their _sses off.

ooc. I see it different. It wasn't such a total rip off actually. Indochina has valuable resourches, and it's a great base to attack China. And really, ask my dad (experienced bussiness man in Japan) Japanese fellows aren't so easily to scare or overpower with words. They can return cold words easily...

And 1.5 million for a few islands is ofcourse a lot too ;) think of it $/sq. meter...

The Japanese Minister was bittered. Those military fools have maked Japan the laughing stock of the world! Ah, we will regain some of our respect if we crush China. We don't need anybody, we can fight CHina, Russia, France, yes even Great Britain and the US if we need to! They have absolutly no real knowledge of our power. Millions of Japanese would be honored to die for the Emperor. If only the fool Fukuoka thought a bit harder...

He smiled and said:

There's no need to become angry, my dear friend. I'm sure Fukuoka will understand what is good for Japan. As for your threat of sending in the US navy to help the Chinese, there's no reason why you should do that. You have an aggressive nation just south of you. Haven't you heared about the Mexican build up? That they gathered supplies and transports? That they even commandeered commercial liners to use as transports? If a nation which borders my country would do that, I would become very anxious and worried. Yes maybe even scared, if I weren't Japanese.

As for your knowledge for an attack on China, that couldn't be so hard. With that treaty you actually forced us to stay away from British colonies and the Pacific. What remains? Indochina and China itself. We mobilized because you can never know the Chinese reaction.

Meanwhile he had written a small note and send it via courier to general Fukuoka. A reply returned soon...

As for...wait a minute...*reads reply and smiles feebly* Those military bigheads still have some fear in them, but still too little. They will surrender the Pacific territories for 750.000 dollars and the absolute guarantee that the US will support them actively in every mainland war and war in South-East Asia, save the British territories. Also trade consessions can be given in the conquered territories. I'm so sorry that those fools have no brains for diplomatic matters...

The Foreign Minister feared the worst for the American reply...

OOC: You know me – always trying to inject a note of historicity into the game. There was a major rift between the civilian and military officials in Japan during the ‘30’s and ‘40’s. The military used death squads of cadets in the ‘20’s and ‘30’s to silence the Japanese ‘”left”, but they couldn’t run Japan without all those “eggheads”. I just thought adding that tension would make for a more realistic Japan.

And on that note, how do you like my Americans? ;)

Tokyo, Japan“Trade concessions?” asked the American ambassador. “Sure. Have one of your people draw up a list of the things you’d like and we can haggle it out.” He took a sip of tea, and then continued. “As for the rest, well … you know our politics. The sale will have to be authorized by the Senate, so we can’t very well insert clauses about assistance in time of war into that document. No, deals like that should be made in private, off the record – it’s better for everyone that way.”

“Now,” he said, “If by ‘active’ support you mean ships and men to fight alongside your boys, we’ll have to decline. The President took a beating over that Swedish thing, especially from the Taft wing of his own party. I just can’t see Congress allowing us to do that, and so I wouldn’t want to make promises we can’t keep.”

“But here’s what I can promise you.” he continued. “We’re good friends of the British and we’ll stand beside them – which you recognize. On the other hand, we owe the Chinese nothing. So since you acquired Indochina legitimately, we’ll recognize your rights to it and condemn any effort by any other country to take it away from you. In addition,” the ambassador added, “We’ll extend our support to the Kingdom of Siam: any attack on Siam will also meet with our condemnation.”

The American then leaned forward slightly. “As for China – and that’s the only nation with whom you might end up in a conflict on the Southeast Asian mainland – we will agree to respect any blockade you impose on them in time of war – any war. You, on the other hand,” he said, “Can have the run of our markets: you can buy any arms or supplies you’d like, secure any loans you wish, make any contracts with American firms you want, whatever you please - and the same for your Siamese allies.”

“Short of troops, that’s as much support as one nation could ever ask from another,” he offered. “Of course, there’s something we’d like in return.”

“What would that be?” asked the Japanese Foreign Minister.

“We would never ask you to refrain from trading with Mexico, or enjoying normalo diplomatic relations with them, but we don’t want you entering into any alliance with them or selling them arms. In addition, should we end up in a war with Mexico – not that we’re looking for one – we want you to respect any blockade we impose on them. Essentially, these are the same things we’re promising you with respect to China – we won’t help them, and you won’t help Mexico.”

The Japanese Foreign Minister considered this, and then said, “I will need to take this up with General Fukuoka.”

“Of course,” said the American ambassador, “And while you’re at it, have him double-check that price,” he said with a wink. “I’ve never seen someone turn down money in a deal like this…”OOC: Essentially accepting your deal, but adjusting it for political realities (there’s no way American troops and ships could be used to support Japan in a war with China [although another enemy isn’t out of the question if Japan were the victim of aggression). So the Americans offer a more sweeping “quarantine” of China in exchange for your agreeing to a similar policy toward Mexico (which is actually less onerous, since you’re expected to invade China shortly, whereas the U.S. does not expect to tangle with Mexico anytime soon). Since this might not be quite what you wanted, some additional cash on the sale of the South Seas territories is offered as a “sweetener” (which could be seen as a form of “support”, in a way).

Just to make sure that I didn’t misunderstand your post, you did say mainland Southeast Asia, right? That pretty much restricts the list of enemies to Britain and China, and I know you’re not planning on attacking Britain anytime soon. ;)

ooc. actually i ment every mainland war (CHina, if Russia attacks me Russia etc.) and SE Asia (which can only mean I will have to deal with the good old dutchies ;) but that's not certain for now) It is indeed true that there were some "troubles" in the government between the civilians and the military officials.

And your Americans? Huh, they make Bush look like a sweet guy :p

Japan will not forget our deal. No we won't, the foreign minister thought. General Fukuoka has said that it is a deal. We won't trade with Mexico, and you'll embargo China and it's products. I'm sure the Siamese will be thankful for your extension of support. Your companies and arm manufactures may have a few orders soon. They need more arms, more than Japan can produce for Siam, as we have to equip our own forces as well.

Highly Encrypted Order from General Fukuoka to Commanders of the Armed Forces

Hail!
Concentrate on China, and forget other plans. We have acquired Indochina
via a deal, China is next! We will fight, the day we will comes closer...

General Fukuoka

although I’m sure that it was no oversight on Bogie’s part
OOC: You're overestimating me.:)

General Fukuoka was thrilled by the succesful purchase of the French possesions in Asia. The Americans were just a small bump in the joyous news that reached HQ. Orders immediately went out for the SEF and Siamese troops to occupy Indochina, with the greatest speed possible. The Japanese Divisions would mainly be stationed in Northern Vietnam and Laos. One battalion was stationed in Saigon, while the another was stationed in Hue. The 20000 men who would land in Vinh would be stationed htroughout Indochina. A further 20000 men of the 15th Army would reinforce the troops in Indochina. The other Forces of the 15th Army would stand ready to reinforce Indochina, or land anywhere on the Chinese coast. Meanwhile, the situation on the border with China was tense. Increased Aerial patrol had spotted Chinese fortifications. They were poorly made, but could still proved to be an enormous hindrance. The entire 17th Army was now in Korea and Liaoning, with two-thirds in Liaoning and one third in Korea.

ooc. Sharina, could you give an overview of your Chinese forces and those fortifications?

Autumn Leaves Fall, As The Cold Northern Winds Blows. Winter Is Nearing, Snow Is About To Fall. One Must Keep In Mind That Spring And Summer Always Return.

Once the coded message came in the first units crossed the border into Manchuria and China at night. Cavalry went scouting ahead while a few aeroplanes took off to see what waited for them further from the border. A small naval taskforce of the Second Fleet moved towards Shanghai, ready to bombard the port and city. In the border towns and villages messages soon appeared.


You are now occupied by the Empire of Japan, in name of the Emperor and the Gods. To make this occupation as easy and comfortable as possible we will impose a few rules.

1. Any attack on Japanese troops, possesions or otherwise things and people important for Japan will be punished with the Deathpenalty. If Attacks become more frequent a few hostages will be taken, who will be punished if any further attacks occur.
2. If you think you have been mistreated by Japanese forces, report this to a Japanese officer, the Imperial Army has an honor, and will make work of it too imprison and punish evildoers.
3. Coöperation with the Japanese forces will be rewarded. Hindrance will be punished.

See yourselves now as Japanese Citizens, with all rights and duties.

General Fukuoka, Chief of the Imperial Staff
Emperor Hirohito

The troops have been instructed to be polite and behave themselves. Discipline was to be maintaned strictly. Infantry would march 25-30 kilometers a day, if needed a larger distance will be marched. The 5th and
6th Armies will make forced marches of 35km+ a day, capture Bejing within 10 days and occupy it.

The 200000 draftees who were raized two moths ago will be transferred to Korea to finish their training there. They can also be used for "light non-combat duties like manning fortifications and occupying duties. The 17th Army will be used to support the 16th Army, following a path slightly more on the "inside" of the wheel around Bejing. They will start the march two days later thatn the 16th Army. The 10th Army, who will be probably relieved by the draftees will reinforce any other Army which needs them.

ooc. Your turn Sharina :D

As for the Beijing forced march:

170/35=4.8 days. So they could be in Beijing at noon of the fifth day.

But I expect some resistance :p

OOC: Allemande is the old american player right? not the one I've been argueing with in the main thread?

ooc. Allemande is Norodna's puppet, he posted a few times as Allemande. I think because of the Jolt problems which have also caused a lot of nerve breakdowns with me. :)

Order No 1.

Respect civilian population, those who mistreat civilians, damage their possesions unless ordered by higher ranking officers, or otherwise harm civilians will be punished.

If others, signed by a Corps Commander or higher, comes with specific orders to harm civilians, this order will be ignored.

Order No 2.-Officers Ranking Maj. and Higher

If you capture any Prisoners Of War, you will do the following.

1. Divide them in different age catagories, 15-20, 21-25, 26-30 etc.
2. Pick from each group the strong ones. They will be transferred far behind the fronts, possibly to Japan itself fro labour and other manual duties.
3. Execute all but 10% of the remaining Prisoners of War. We do not need any weaklings who hinder our troops and medical facilities. Hang them, decapitate them, banyonet them, do what you want. If you use rifles or handguns, don't waste ammunition. One shot in the neck is enough. Throw the bodies in a ditch, dug by soldier. Burn the bodies and cover the remains with dirt. All this must be executed far from civilians, POW's or any other outsiders. If anyone comes too close, execute the person.
4. The remaining 10% will be situated in POW camps, where they will receive medical help, food etc. Act as if you care about them. After the war, when they'll return home, they'll be a proof how "humane" the Japanese Empire is...

ooc. Also other orders about maintaining discipline, messages from the Emperor and other propaganda BS have been issued, but I thought the First two are the most important. More may follow.

O yeah, with harming civilians on orders I meant reprisals fro attacks etc on Japanese troops. And also after the war, never matter what happens, a drastic change will be made in Japanese Policy.

ooc. Allemande is Norodna's puppet, he posted a few times as Allemande. I think because of the Jolt problems which have also caused a lot of nerve breakdowns with me. :)OOC: Actually, it was my attempt to differentiate posts made on behalf of the Dual Monarchy from American or Mexican posts. But that's behinds us ... for now.

bump

bump

OOC:

I was just able to read this thread, and I'll try to put up something IC this week as I'm still a bit busy with RL issues like my implant, "hearing" therapy, getting a new job, and going out on dates with a new girlfriend (hopefully).

Ok, I'll wait.

Good luck with your therapy and ofcourse your girlfriend;)

bumporama

Vienna, Austria
Declaration of War

As the Japanese Empire has launched an unprovoked attack on the Chinese Empire, the Kingdoms and
Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of St. Stephen
do hereby consider themselves to be in a state of war with the Japanese Empire, and will remain at
war with this Empire for as long as hostilities continue between Japan and China.

Consequently, the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy
Hungarian Crown of St. Stephen do hereby declare that a Zone of Interdiction now exists across the
entirety of the Adriatic, Ionian, Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, and Red Seas. Any Japanese
shipping within these areas is subject to seizure, and any Japanese warships found in this area will
be subject to immediate attack without warning.

All Japanese assets within the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands
of the Holy Hungarian Crown of St. Stephen are hereby seized, and all citizens of the Japanese
Empire are hereby interred. Under the terms of the Second Hague Convention, the Kingdoms and Lands
Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of St. Stephen are
willing to return such citizens to Japan on neutral shipping under parole, in exchange for a similar
release of all citizens of the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands
of the Holy Hungarian Crown of St. Stephen who are now or may become interred by the Japanese
Empire.

All diplomatic relations with the Japanese Empire are hereby severed. The Japanese government may
communicate on matters of importance through a Special Interest Section maintained within the
embassy of the Kingdom of Italy.

Finally, since the Japanese Empire is not a signatory to the Second Hague Convention, the Kingdoms
and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of St.
Stephen do notify the Japanese Empire that any violation of the terms of the Second Hague Convention
with regards to the treatment of prisoners of war or interred civilians will be treated as a war
crime, punishable under the civil law of either the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial
Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of St. Stephen, the Japanese Empire, or any
neutral country willing to permit its laws to be applied in this way, at our discretion. Violation
of the other terms of the Second Hague Convention will be met with retaliation in kind.

With justice in our hearts and a righteous cause, by the grace of God may we prevail.

Open Message to the World

We have invaded China after numerous provocations. We have crossed the border into Manchuria and we wil continue, whatever will happen. As for European Nations who wish to meddle with Asian affairs, we advise that they rather keep an eye on affairs closer to home. Does Austria-Hungary really think they can damage our trade with Europe?

If you wonder what these provocations were we will list them now.

1. Increased build up along the Korean Border and the Border with Indochina.
2. Constructions of Fortifications near the Korean Border has been started.
3. Trespassing by Borderpatrols who insulted Japanese Guards and causing small incidents.
4. Hindereing Japanese Bussinesses in China.
5. Threatening the Stability of Asia by expanding it's arms industry.

ooc. Most of it is propoganda of course ;)
As for the blocade thing, most trade will go via Cape the Good Hope. And how will you blocade the Red Sea with one Cruiser? And the control of the Med is in British Hands I thought...

As for the blocade thing, most trade will go via Cape the Good Hope. And how will you blocade the Red Sea with one Cruiser? And the control of the Med is in British Hands I thought...OOC: You can blockade an ocean someone controls, as long as that someone else doesn’t challenge it. As for the Red Sea, you'll see what we can and can not do. Try me.

OTOH, if forcing your traffic around the Cape is what I do with this, I'll be happy with that.

Vienna, Austria

Editorial
It is not surprising that a nation as barbaric as Japan – unlike their highly cultured Chinese neighbours – fails to understand such lofty and complex notions as honour, promises, or international law; indeed, these things are most assuredly beyond the capacity of the Japanese mind and soul.

The Dual Monarchy has declared war on Japan for the obvious reason that we have an alliance with China; if an ally is attacked in such an unprovoked and premeditated fashion, one comes to the aid of one’s allies, however far away they may be. This is, of course, in sharp contrast to Japan, which invaded China without first issuing a declaration of war - putting them in the same category as such bloodthirsty savages as the Ethiopians – and worse still attacked a nation with whom they had recently inked an alliance, barely even two years ago.

Truly civilised nations must now wonder if Japan’s word can indeed ever be trusted. Can Russia trust Japan to honour its alliance ties, forged in the same Moscow Pact that Japan has just violated so shamelessly? Certainly not. Can Britain, Holland, and the United States sleep safely at night, knowing that such an unprincipled nation is afoot in the Pacific? Certainly not.

In light of the recent public interest in East Africa, an analogy from the bush is apt: what do you do with a rogue elephant? Why, you put the rampaging beast down.London, England“We would like to use Rangoon as an entrepot for arms shipments to China,” began Albert Graf Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein, the k.u.k. ambassador to Great Britain. “We also intend to send advisors or even volunteers to China, as well as to bring Chinese citizens back to Europe for technical training of various kinds. Obviously, such an effort would need to be handled in a low-key fashion. But,” he said, pausing a moment for effect, “In light of recent events, it is certainly not in the British Empire’s interests to let Japan overrun China.”

The diplomat then took a sip of tea as he listened to the British Foreign Minister’s reply.

OOC:

A few things to clarify for my China before the actual fighting takes place, if you guys do not mind.

1. Manchuria has some fortifications as in trenches, barbed wire, and generally fortifications similiar to our RL world war 1.

2. I have split my Chinese Army into three parts. 1/3 is in Manchuria, 1/3 near Indochina, and 1/3 policing the Chinese interior (Canton, Shanghai, Beijing and the land in-between these cities).

3. I am constructing a road to Burma from Kunming using manpower (which China has no shortage of). This is to open a land route to the rest of the world.

4. China is building more factories in its interior near the desert for ease of transportation and keep it out of range of any enemy aircraft and naval assets.

I'm working on a RP post- be patient. :)

ooc. I think Fukuoka would be delighted to meet the journalist who wrote this article ;)

General Fukuoka was fuming with anger. That Austria-Hungary declared war was no surpirse

Fukuoka: "Barbarians!?!?!?! SAVAGES!?!?!?! Those decadent Asutrians don't even have a clue what civilization is! They don't know what real savages do! Have we sent the reply to Austria-Hungary yet?"
Dr. Hiro:"No sir, bu..."
Fukuoka:"Great! Tell them that regretably we will have to execute all Au..."
Adm. Togo:"Now wait a minute! If we kill all Austrian-Hungarians we will become savages! Intern them, yes. But killing them? We will be known as evil savages if we do that!"
Dr. Hiro:"And not to forget, Austria-Hungary is weak. It is...sort of stable, but it's economy could be a lot better. No way that they can help China. We will be victorious before the New year begins. Handle this humane and intern all Austrian-Hungarians. They do the same with our people too!"
Fukuoka:"Ok, right. Right..."

Via the Japanese Consulate in Venice

We sadly receive the news that you declare war upon us, and thus meddle
in a conflict which is none of your bussiness. We will intern all Austrian-
Hungarians, and we'll seize all properties. We advise that aal Austrian-
Hungarians will leave China, for their own protection. If any Austrian-
Hungarian citizens are found colaborating with the Chinese, they will be
treated like POW's. If any Austrian-Hungarian ship is found to smuggle arms
or other useful supplies into China, the cargo will be seized, the ship sunk and
the crew interned and treated like POW's. Any Austrian-Hungarian warship
will immediately be sunk.

We will treat the interned citizens and POW's with all respect. If the situation
allows it, we will return them to Europe.

To Japanese Embassy in Londen, Berlin and Rome, Highly Coded

Approach the gouvernment with a proposal of alliance. Let them decide the terms if they accept, then report back.

As a response to the unjust Japanese attack on our friends in China, the Great German Empire now issues an official declaration of war against the Japanese Empire. All Japanese citizens are to be apprehended by the police, all Japanese trade goods are banned from the German market, all Japanese ships in German waters are to be boarded. The Empire of Japan is now the enemy of the german people. We hope that all members of the Grand Alliance will join us in this noble undertaking.

Across Germany, the Abwehr began the search for Japanese citizens living in Germany. They would be taken to a secret location and interrogated, hopefully revealing any spies. A portion of the armed forces were withdrawn from the Franco-German border and repositioned to Bremerhaven where they would be loaded onto transports.

Secret message to the Russian Empire:
''The treacherous Japanese imperialists have declared war upon the glorious Chinese empire. Japanese expansion in Asia is not in our interest, nor is it in yours. Expansionist powers in Asia can only lead to a great war in Europe as supporters of the Japanese expansion are forced to declare war upon those who suffer from Japanese attacks. We therefore hope that our troops will be allowed to march through your lands to neutralize the Japanese and return peace to the region.''

Comminque to The Dual Monarchy and the Great German Empire
From: Imperial China

Greetings.

I am honored by your kind words and actions of support of the Chinese people. Words cannot describe the Chinese digust at Japan's betrayal. We had half-expected it to occur, but it actually happening does not make it any easier to tolerate. After all, they came to China with open arms and hands of friendship and solidarity a mere two years ago, and now they invade our lands.

What kind of barbarian does this? In ages past, even feuding Chinese warlords had some shred of honor and decency, and war actually had honor. I believe the Japanese did have a code of honor, called "Bushido", yet they are violating it by this dastardly attack upon the proud Chinese.

China and I shall never forget your support, and we promise to return it someday and somehow. China never forgets its friends, but it also never forgets and never forgives those who betray it so despicably either.

Live well and go in peace.
~Emperor Guozu

ooc. Positive thing, RP is up and running.

Negative thing:

NO PRO-JAPANESE GUYS OUT THERE!?!?!?!:p

*bursts in tears and screams that the world is unfair* :D

OOC: What did you expect when you run around and destabilize the entire world? Not saying anything about forcing me to send an expeditionary force to far Asia, now what will I use to conquer Europe!?

Embassies all over the world have clear instructions what to do if a gouvernment would ask questions. The embassy in Berlin had the orders to pass on information about the attack on China, if it happens.

Maybe I had to say it more clearly, but don't tell me I haven't warned you!;)

EDIT: How could an Asian conflict destabalize the world? The Russo-Japanese War, nor the First Sino-Japanese war destabalized the world. Eventhought the first one was a war with a European Power.

BTW, no need to send an expedition force.

“Herr von Richthofen may be a lot of things, but he is very clearly a man of honour,” said Franz Josef I. “I am impressed.”

Count von Hötzendorf raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

“I want you,” said the Emperor of Austria and Apostolic King of Hungary, “To ask the German OKH whether they would like us to supply any troops to assist in their expedition. I would ask Count Montecuccoli to offer them warships, but their long-range capabilities are much better than ours, and we have our hands full supporting Italy.”

“So for now, we will offer them troops – that, and interpreters,” he concluded.

''It would be best for us all of this operation were to be considered an undertaking of the whole Grand Alliance, especially our foremost members,'' said Erich Ludendorff, member of the Grosser Generalstab.
''Der Führer does not want this action to be seen as an example of German Drang nach Osten, but rather as an international operation to rescue the Chinese volk and their Emperor. As such it is important that the expeditionary force contains members of all nationalities. We gladly accept your offer, herr Botschafter.''

Still awaiting the Russian response, the German troops in Bremerhaven did not board their transports. More men and material were brought up from the eastern border and joined their comrades. The forces, now nicknamed Chinese Relieve Force by German officers, would be commanded by Erich Ludendorff but the naval crafts involved would be under the command of Alfred von Tirpitz, now Marinenführer.

ooc. BTW, I had signed a secret deal with Russia (I thought it was Blackledge). They'll support me in return for money and territory in China...
And the US should support me as well. Sharina, do you mind if I RP an attack on one of your fortifications?

ooc. BTW, I had signed a secret deal with Russia (I thought it was Blackledge). They'll support me in return for money and territory in China...
And the US should support me as well. Sharina, do you mind if I RP an attack on one of your fortifications?

I wouldn't mind an attack on one of my fortifications. It should get this RP rolling.

Besides, I haven't seen Blackledge lately. You should try TG'ing him and asking him if he's still gonna be around for AoI.

The 3rd Infantry Regiment (8000 men) of the 6th Army was on the march. They were near Chengde on the road to Beijing. Sofar fighting had been sporadic, Chinese units had mainly retreated to, according to Aerial Reconnaisence, a fortified line. It consisted of trenches, barbed wire and a few bunkers of wood and dirt (ooc. Don't expect that you can build elaborate concrete defense lines in a few months time) . It would be tough to tackle this position. Lt. Gen. Sabo was in the staff car

*Cavalry Officer Riding Up*: "Where's Lt. Gen. Sabo?"
Sgt.:"He's at the end of the column, in the automobile. Developing plans I suppose."
Cavalry Officer:"Hai, thank you. *Spurs his horse and nears Automobile* Sir, I've messages for you from Lt. Baruka form the Scouting Party."
Lt. Gen. Sabo:"Thank you, ride along the car for a while. *reads messages and turns to officers in the car* Ok, gentlemen. Baruka reports that the bunkers hold a machinegun each. As we will attempt a breakthrough on a 2 mile stretch, with 5 bunkers, that's 5 machineguns. The area is wooded, but the Chinese have chopped down a few trees to get a clear field of fire. The wooded area ends 600 meters from the trenches. I propose that under cover of the trees we set up machineguns and mortars, while artillery barrages the trenches. One of their objectives is trying to blast away the barbed wire. Once the Artillery stops machineguns and mortars open fire, provinding cover for the infantry who crawl forward for 500 meters. Mortars will then stop fireing, machineguns will continue to fire. The troops will sprint the last 125 meters."
Lt. Kuma:"But, according to our calculations and experiences from the Russo-Japanese war a soldier can sprint 80 meters before Machineguns open fire! How will they make that?"
Lt. Gen. Sabo:"I know, but our machineguns will provide coverr, and not too forget: The Chinese are badly trained, badly armed. They have a good moral though. But they can't resist a charge by our troops. I want the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Battalions (4000 men) to mount the attack. The 1st, 2nd, 7th and 8th Battalions will be reserves and will continue the march once th breakthrough has been established. Send a report to the 5th Army that they can begin the march on Beijing once we've forced a breakthrough. Let them march right now to positions a little behind the front."
Lt. Kuma:"Yes sir."
Lt. Gen. Sabo:"And tell Baruka that he must halt untill we've reached him."c
Cavalry Officer:"Yes sir. *galops away*"

ooc. may seem caotic and very detailed/difficult, but that's typical Japanese style planning.

The troops entered the wooded area and spread out. The troops put the banyonets on their rifles and waited. A few miles back 20 Artillery pieces (15 85 mm, 5 100 mm) opened fire. After a barrage of 10 minutes artillery halted fire. A few seconds later machineguns (15) and mortars (25) opened fire. Machineguns shot everythings that moved in the trenches, while Mortars lobbed their grenades in the Trenches, in into the barbed wires. Infantry crawled forward, some of them were hit by lucky shots from the trenches or the bunkers. Three bunkers had been taken out, but two were still able to fire on the troops. A dozen or so lay dead while more were wounded. A few troops aimed their rifles and fired in the bunkers.

Sgt.:"HALT YOUR RIFLE FIRE! MOVE, OR YOU'LL BECOME EASIER TARGETS!"

They continued forward, 300 meters, 200, 150...130... The mortars became silent. Machineguns continued to fire and then...

FORWARD! FOR THE EMPEROR! NIPOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!

They stormed forward, holding their rifles in fornt of them. Chinese troops opened fire and immediately thirty Khaki clad soldiers fell. Machineguns fired on the chinese troops, while the distance between the trenches and the soldiers became closer. 100 meters...soldiers were hit, they screamed...80 meters...60...40...20...troops opened fire or throwed grenades. They jumped over the barbed wire into the trenches, were hand-to-hand combat erupted. More than afew Chinese troops resisted like heroes, but they were overwhelmed bu the superior Japanese forces.

Lt. Kuma:"Casualty report sir. 93 dead, 263 wounded, 45 badly. The Chinese forces are on the run or captured. The 1st, 2nd, 7th and 8th battalions are on the march sir. The Cavalry of the 5th Army is almost here. A short rest and they're off. What should we do with teh remaining forces who have assaulted the reinforced defense line?"
Lt. Gen. Sabo:"Give them two hours rest. And Saké. Treat the wounded men, those who can still march and fight will continue, those who can't will be brought back to a hospital."
Lt. Kuma:"Yes sir."

Please put OOC comments in the Second Sino-Japanese War OOC thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=446784&page=2&pp=15).

Once the news of the German betrayal came in Admiral Togo began developing a plan to tackle German Qingdao, the base for the Far East squadron of the German Navy. Fukuoka, as normal, reacted furiously. Various commanders found that the behaviour of the Chief of Staff gave little confidence. More than once an officer had suggested dismissing him. But for now, the war remained priority number one. Now that Austria-Hungary and Germany had openly sided with China, the possibility of fighting a war without friends was great. This hastened the pace of operations. Several new plans and changes were made.

-It was now crucial to reach the Russian-Manchurian border as quickly as possible. The more territory held as a sort of buffer against a possible aggresive move by Russia the better. Forced marches of 25 km+ would have to be made. Cavalry would have to move forward at a higher pace and occupy crucial positions. Infantry would relieve ASAP.
- Of the 200000 recruites, 175000 will move closely behind the frontline troops into Manchuria and Heibei (Beijing area). They will occupy conquered territory and immediately build fortified positions with the help of engineers and manual labour. These so called Strongholds would be defended by troops if the war would turn bad for Japan. Trying to hold as much enemy troops as possible or attack the rear of passing enemy armies.
- Capture the German Far East Possesion of Qingdao. For this a expedition force will be drawn from the 15th Army on Formosa. The number of men and the ships are listed here:
-20000 men in total (12500 "first wave", 7500 as "second wave" to land 20 hours after the first wave).
-Of the Third Fleet
2 Dreadnought Battleships
1 Pre Dreadnought Battleships
1 Battlecruisers
2 Armoured Cruisers
2 Protected Cruisers
4 Lightcruisers
5 destroyers
10 Submarines
1 Seaplane Carrier
-Of the Second Fleet
1 Dreadnought Battleship
2 Armoured Cruiser
5 Destroyers
5 Submarines
The Fleet will be divided in two taskforces. One for protecting the landingparty and one for engaging the Squadron in battle. All the submarines will sail a few hours ahead of the two taskforces. Eleven Subs will be stationed at the entrance of the bay. The other four will slip into the harbour and attack all enemy vessels in the harbour. Those who escape will probably leave the harbour and bay and run into the eleven subs outside the bay. Once that attack has finished the main fleet must be in range. The invasion force would land on the caost near Jimo (see map). The rest of the ships will engage the German ships and blocade the port. The City itself may also be shelled in support of the advance of the landing party.

Once the city is taken, trenches and fortified positions must be build around the city. A few ships should remain in support of teh forces in the city. Once reinforcements arrive, further moves into China may be taken. It is possible that the entire 15th Army will land at Qingdao and move into Shangdong.

-Another important point is contacting America, Great Britain and Italy and ask for a non aggresion pact/alliance. America would be asked to intervene in the German Pacific possessions, as we can't due to the signed treaty. Great Britain would be asked for support of a blocade of China and if possible small attacks from Burma and India. Italy would be asked for a firendly stance in the Second Sino-Japanese war and arms deliviries. In return support against the French may be expected. (ooc. See yourself as contacted fellows)

Russia would also be contacted and reminded of teh secret treay which was concluded. Active support of Japan in China in return for Outer Mongolia, Shinxiang and large sum of money.

Ooc. German New Guinea was sold to America in the beginning wasn't it? BTW, is it arrogant to make plans for a possible Japanese occupation of (parts of) China? And now I've tackled some fortifications between Liaoning and Bejing, what else is there left? And what exactly is 1/3 of the Chinese Army? Is there any mobilization?

http://www.maps-of-china.com/maps/qingdao-ow-600x600.gif

London, Englandk.u.k. Ambassador Albert Graf Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein took his seat in the Tea Room at the Carlton, and waited patiently as the waiter brought him tea and watercress sandwiches. He sighed and recalled the laugh he’d had with the Duc d’Orleans, now in France, seeking restoration to the throne that was his, over how High Tea was one of the few things the English got right. As he slipped into the right mood, he blissfully thought that this one thing they got right – and had spread throughout the world – might just make of for all their blunders and faults, after all.

He had asked the maitre de to invite the Carlton’s part-owner and manager, Auguste Escoffier, over to his table. It took a few minutes, but Escoffier arrived and the two men chatted amiably for a few minutes. Finally, waving a finger pastry in the air, the Ambassador exclaimed, “This is excellent! Was it prepared by young Master Nguyễn, by chance?”

He knew that it was when he had asked the question; indeed, he had arranged to visit the Carlton at this precise hour because he knew that one of the Carlton’s pastry chefs, Nguyễn Tất Thành, would be preparing the meal. The pastries really were delicious – Escoffier would have demanded no less. But that was not really the point.

“Yes, it was Master Nguyễn, and I will indeed give him my complements,” replied the great culinary master.

“Actually, if you don’t mind, may I give him my complements personally?” asked Count Dietrichstein shyly.

“Of course!” Escoffier replied, and a few minutes later an immaculately dressed young Vietnamese man was bowing at the table before him.

“Sir, you are a man of great talent. Great talent!” exclaimed the Ambassador, offering the chef his hand. Nguyễn bowed slightly and grasped the Count’s hand in a firm handshake. A few moments later, he was back in the kitchen.

Nguyễn Tất Thành had been momentarily surprised when he found that the k.u.k. Ambassador had passed a small piece of folded paper in his hand, but it wasn’t unknown. Patrons often wanted to tip chefs directly, and while Escoffier was very strict in his prohibition of the practice, the Vietnamese pastry chef knew that it was improper not to accept such a tip when proffered. To do so, after all, would insult the guest. So he had palmed the folded banknote and concealed it carefully, noting the man’s wide smile.

It was only when he took off his jacket that evening while getting ready to go home that he remembered the banknote. He discretely slipped it from his jacket into the pocket of his trousers, and refrained from looking at it until he was well outside.

It was a £50 note – a staggering sum – but that was not what took Nguyễn’s breath away. Folded inside that note was another:
Dear Nguyễn Ái Quốc,

It would seem that we have a common interest: me in bringing defeat
to the enemies of my country, you in bringing freedom to yours. I
believe that we should talk more about this common interest, and how
we might assist each other. Please visit me at the embassy of the
Empire of Austria and the Apostolic Kingdom of Hungary.

With Keen Anticipation,
k.u.k. Ambassador Albert Graf Mensdorff-Pouilly-DietrichsteinHe knows my pen name! thought Nguyễn. He must know my views then, as well. And yet he still wishes to talk to me?

Nguyễn decided that he would take up the man’s offer – to talk. But he would be very careful.OOC: Can anybody guess what I want to do with a 22-year old Vietnamese pastry chef? ;)

ooc. What the hell do you want to do with Ho Chi Minh!?!?!?!

BTW, he took the name in the twenties when he was in Moscow as a communist agent. And I thought you were radical anti-communist? :D

ooc. BTW, I think I know what you want to do. But I must say that because I've "liberated" Vietnam from the French, they'd be a lot happier with Japan. One of the basic rules of a guerilla:

A guerilla must have to complete support of the local population. He must be like a fish in a river.

OOC:

I'm still waiting for Narodna Obrana to give me a good idea of what Chinese forces I do possess (like he has done for France, Germany, Italy, etc.)

Once I know the details, I can start a counter-attack or such aganist the Japanese troops in Manchuria.

OOC: If you like at how thing turned out in WWII the Vietnamese hated the Japanese just as much as they did the French.

To All parties participating in the Japan-China war.
From The British Empire

The British wioll no be taking part in your little war. We hope you will accept our neutrality.

To All parties participating in the Japan-China war.
From The British Empire

The British wioll no be taking part in your little war. We hope you will accept our neutrality.

To The Austria-Hungarian Empire
From The British Empire

The British wioll no be taking part in your little war. We hope you will accept our neutrality.

To All parties participating in the Japan-China war.
From The British Empire

The British wioll no be taking part in your little war. We hope you will accept our neutrality.


London, England
“We would like to use Rangoon as an entrepot for arms shipments to China,” began Albert Graf Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein, the k.u.k. ambassador to Great Britain. “We also intend to send advisors or even volunteers to China, as well as to bring Chinese citizens back to Europe for technical training of various kinds. Obviously, such an effort would need to be handled in a low-key fashion. But,” he said, pausing a moment for effect, “In light of recent events, it is certainly not in the British Empire’s interests to let Japan overrun China.”

The diplomat then took a sip of tea as he listened to the British Foreign Minister’s reply.
The British Ambassador leaned forward to speak. "We will allow the use of Rangoon to your military. However, you must keep it discreet, I cannot afford to fight a war with Japan when I'm already at war with France and trying to keep America from Joining her." he paused for a sip of tea "I will not hesitate to kick you out of my colony if it looks bad for me to have you there"

OOC: I hope this was okay, sorry for the late replies...I lost track of these posts.

BUMP! Chinese reaction please!

Harbour of Qingdao

The Four Submarines slipped into the bay and headed for the harbor of Qingdao. They reached it within no time and the captain's saw the East Asia Squadron in all it's feeble might. Capt. Kusho smiled and order the two torpedoes to be loaded and four others to be fired quick after the first. He lined up to fire at the Scharnhorst.The others would fire on the Gneisenau, the Emden and the Leipzig. The his submarine and the one of Capt. Takuga would fire their second voleys on the Nurnberg while the others wold fire on the ships at random. They would then try to get out of the harbour and retreat back to the main fleet.

Capt. Kusho:" Ready...Confirmed Scharnhorst...FIRE!"

The torpedoes streaked away towards the ships while the crews hastily prepared for another volley. Meanwhile, the landingparty hit the shore near Jimo. The troops met no resistance and soon they were busy getting all the supplies they could carry ashore. The main fleet approached Qingdao and launched an aeroplane to check what damage the subs had done and what waited for them in Qingdao. Another one was launched to scout the surrounding area.

ooc. Relative Liberty, could you post the losses of the attack? Since you didn't warn the troops, mobilized them or any other action, I suppose it's a complete surprise.

The moon shined in the dark sky above as the stars burnt bright. All was still as Fänrich zur See Richart Wachtenfeldt took a stroll midships on the armoured cruiser Scharnhorst, smoking a cigarette as he quietly watched the moon and the stars above, and the reflection in the calm waters below. He was thinking about his wife Greta back home in Bavaria, of his old father who had been infuriated when his son joined the navy. He was thinking about his poor mother that had caught the flu, he was thinking of what his family would say when they found out that the Empire had gone to war with Japan. He let the smoked cigarette fall into the cold gray water, and lit another one. It was streng verboten, but there was nobody who would spot him. Everybody were taking the news rather calmly, the officers had only ordered the standard precautions to be taken, nothing extraordinary.

Oberfänrich zur See Karl Engels, a name which had caused him much trouble when he joined the navy, was standing at the stern. He had been tasked to ensure that there was no comsumption of alcohol or tobacco aboard, though he had done little in the way of actually enforcing this order. He thought about home, and how it had changed over the course of just a few months; the Kaiser dead and Richthofen installed as Führer, everything had been renamed and a lot of Richthofen's friends had been given high positions in the armed forces. There was nothing he could do to change that though, and thus he turned around to walk one final round to make sure nobody broke the rules more than usual.

''Verdammt, Oberfänrich!'' muttered Wachtenfeld and threw his cigarette in the water.
''Fänrich zur See Wachtenfeldt!'' roared the oberfänrich, ''There will be no smoking this night, Wachtenfeldt.'' And with that Engels threw that pack of cigarettes overboard, and poor Wachtenfeldt followed its trajectory with his eyes. Just then, a ray of light was reflected by a steel rod out in the water, a stream of bubbles marked the path of a torpedo fired by the Japanese sub.
''U-boot!'' cried Wachtenfeld as the torpedo hit Scharnhorst, exploding into a fireball that threw shrapnel along the entire ship. The alarm began to ring as even more torpedoes hit the other ships in the group, the Gniesenau, the Leipzig, Dresden and Nürnberg. Guns were brought to bear to fire upon the enemy submarines as they tried to escape, but without any knowledge of where the attacker swere the shots were fired randomly. On the shore the ground forces were alerted, and ran to man their posts to prepare for an enemy attack, though none came.
The Scharnhorst sustained moderate damage and lost a few crewmen, and the Liepzig and Dresden were only lightly damaged. The task force however, would be forced to stay around the port to ensure that no further attacks hit the Scharnhorst while she received repairs and crewmembers to replace those lost.

ooc. I'm somewhat attracted to start shouting TORA, TORA, TORA! but I think that'll come later. ;)

The Captain cheered as he saw the torpedoes hit.

"Hurah! It struck, it struck! Torpedoes ready? Fire! And now let's get the hell outta here!"

The other ships did the same and turned towards sea. While they were running at full speed, however, one submarine was caught in a anti-submarine netting. The crew franticly tried to do everything they could, and then they decided to wait for a German ship to come closer to investigate. Once the ship was close enough they'd fire two torpedoes without opening the hatches, thus creating an enormous explosion. Meanwhile, 300 meters above the harbour...

Flying Lieutanent Dubo was flying his Farman Seaplane over the city and harbour of Qingdao. He saw the explosions and the confusion it created. He dropped a metal casing with a message. Then he returned for the fleet to report what he'd seen.

PREPARE TO DIE, WESTERN DEVILS!

The Mighty Japanese Fleet is at your doorstep! It'll Bomb and Shell you into Submission. You will be Defeated! You'll be at the Mercy of the Japanese Empire.

When Japanese Troops approach, signal with a white flag and put your hands up in the air. You'll be retreated with respect according to Japanese tradition. Resistance will be crushed immediately!

Banzai Tenno Hirohito!

On the other side is a painting of a Samurai who sinks all kinds of naval ships.

A destroyer was sent forward to capture the Japanese submarine, but was destroyed as the detonation ripped through the armour as though it was paper. A few shots from the infantrymen's rifles were fired at the Japanese flyer far above, but otherwise nothing was done to shoot him down.
All forces in the area were put on highest alert and told to epect Japanese attacks anywhere and anytime, messages were also sent back home to Germany and the Oberkommando to inform them of what had happened.
Der Führer ordered his embassy in Russia to demand an answer from the Russian Czar, and also told his allies in the Kaiserliche and Königlich government about the evenings in Qingdao. Reinforcements would have to be sent to Asia if the war was to be won. The Kaiser's own brother, Lothar, was dispatched to Vienna to further discuss a common strategy to defeat the Japanese.

Franz Ferdinand smiled amiably as he poured the cup of coffee for his guest. Once the serving tray was delivered, he liked shooing the servants away – at least far enough that they would be out of sight – and then pouring for his guests himself; it helped break the ice, create a more convivial atmosphere and – most importantly of all – seemed to relax even the stiffest guest.

Not that Lothar von Richthofen was a stiff man. His brother, of course, was like a block of ice. Both men were dangerous – you could see that in their eyes – but Lothar was the kind of hail-and-well-met sort of killer who would smile as he ordered your death. But at least he had a sense of humour.

“As I see it, Herr Vizeführer, this is going to be a very long war. What we need to do is pace ourselves,” he sipped his coffee, set it down, and continued. “The Chinese will do most of the fighting – they can deploy individual armies numbering in the millions. We have already given them a tremendous boost by helping them build a domestic small arms industry, but they still need much more than they can produce for themselves.”

“So we need to ship them arms, then,” nodded the Führer’s brother.

“No,” said the Archduke with a shake of the head. “That would be a waste of precious transportation resources. We need to ship them entire factories - broken down into pieces for reassembly in Western China.”

The German looked shocked. “Whole factories?”

“Absolutely,” smiled Franz Ferdinand. “They have the expertise to build the weapons that they need – we trained them in that – but they lack the capital goods. They have labour and raw materials; thus, the cheapest way to arm them is to help them arm themselves. In fact,” continued the Archduke, raising his cup again, “That’s true for everything up to and including light artillery – including ordinance.”

“So what else do we do,” asked Lothar von Richthofen, “Besides handing them the foundries of war?”

“We send advisors and instructors. They did not have enough time to train their entire army, so they remain woefully short in those areas. After that, we send specialists in areas where it will take some time to get caught up. Although the Chinese have thousands of engineers of all kinds training in our country, they are all relatively inexperienced. They’re bright – many are astonishing in their mental capacity and work ethic – but they need mentoring.”

The Vizeführer began to become a little impatient. “What about soldiers, sailors, and the like?”

The Habsburg heir nodded. “We need to allocate resources to where they are most badly needed. I think the best place to start is in building and deploying commerce raiders.”

Von Richthofen looked surpised again. “Commerce raiders?”

Franz Ferdinand nodded. “All Japanese trade with Europe must travel around one of the two great capes. The Cape of Good Hope is the shorter passage. I believe that we should outfit 2-3 auxiliary cruisers – essentially, ocean liners converted to serve as light cruisers, with large surplus complements of sailors and marines – and deploy them to German Southwest Africa. Another 3-4 should be stationed in German East Africa. Such vessels can range across the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, waylaying any Japanese merchant bound for Europe. The Pacific will be more of a problem; we can station yet another 3-4 vessels in Togoland, to cover the Middle Atlantic, but that still leaves the Japanese free to trade with much of South America and the United States.”

“I don’t see how that helps us much,” offered the Vizeführer.

“Japan is an island fighting a huge land war on the continent. That’s a foolish thing to do – but giving the Japanese leadership’s arrogance, it is hardly surprising,” began the Archduke. “No nation can maintain a huge army and a huge navy – most nations can only have one of these two things, and must settle for a more limited establishment of the other kind.”

“But for Japan, this war can only be won if they can somehow have both. Japan is an island, so everything the Japanese need to fuel their forges of war must be carried on a ship; then it must go back on a ship to be sent to China. Sink all the ships, and Japan starves – as its distant armies collapse for want of supply,” the Habsburg heir observed. But that’s just half of the picture. Threaten to sink every ship, and Japan must rob their army of war material to bolster their fleet. They can not be strong everywhere.”

“So how do you propose to sink all their ships – or threaten to,” asked Lothar von Richthofen.

“With submarines in close and commerce raiders at distance,” replied Franz Ferdinand.

“But that requires submarine bases,” offered the German.

“For now, those can be in China itself,” answered the Archduke. “China has a huge coast, with thousands of bays and river mouths. They are countless places to hide and provision a submarine. Only be seizing all or almost all of the coast can they prevent this – which stretches their lines on the mainland and taxes the resources of their army.”

“And even if they do take enough of the coast to make patrolling what’s left possible,” he added, “We can always move offshore. There are over 3,000 islands in the Phillipines alone. Yes, technically these are American islands – but do you think that America has the capacity to patrol them all?”

“So you’re going to set up shop on American soil?” asked the Vizeführer.

“Sure, why not?” laughed Franz Ferdinand. “It’s not like we have to ask them. All we have to do is roam around with some innocent looking vessels that can be fitted temporarily with hoists, lines, and winches. A few other vessels sneak in with torpedoes and other ‘contraband’ and cache it in various places – where it can then be taken by the ad hoc tenders and loaded aboard the subs. The vast majority of our tender fleet will look innocent most of the time.”

“Your scheme sounds hit-and-miss,” mused von Richthofen.

“We don’t need many subs to wreak havoc on Japanese shipping,” replied the Archduke, “And even fewer to force the Japanese to deploy large numbers of escorts, thereby consuming vast resources that could be better used elsewhere.”

“So what you propose is essentially … a war of attrition?” asked the Vizeführer with obvious distaste. That is not very German, he thought.

Franz Ferdinand nodded. “That is the least expensive way to defeat the Japanese – at least from our perspective – and has the added benefit of being a tactic against which Japan can do nothing. Sooner or later, it will bring them down.”

“Do they have a counter?” asked Lothar von Richthofen.

“One,” answered the Habsburg heir. “And that is to persuade the Russians to go to war with us.”

Doctor Hiroshu wasn't a very war-like man. he loved peace and he adored a simple life. But fait had brought him to St. Petersberg as Embassador and his country to war with CHina, Austria-Hungary and Germany. A few months ago a secret pact had been made between Japan and Russia: Russia will come to Japans aide in China. No Russian reaction had been made, not even when K.u.K Entered the war and Germany followed suit. He walked through the corridors of the Winter Palace, on his way to meet the Czar. A meeting that would decide the fate of Japan, and the world.

Hiroshu:"You Majesty...*bows*...I bring you the sincere greetings of Emperor Hirohito and General Fukuoka. I hope all is well?

After the ceremonial greeting and polite exchange of questions like:"How do you do?" they sat to more serious matters.

Hiroshu:"The Japanese Empire would like to know if Russia still supports Japan in it's war against China, if Russia will send troops into Mongolia and Sinxiang. We have signed a deal, payed with money and land, and Japan is very eager to hear that Russia acts according to that deal. You must realize that this may bring Austria-Hungary and Germany against you, as they've pledged to support China.

If that is a major obstacle, Japan may sweaten the deal..."

ooc. Bogmihia, or someone else, can you RP Russia? I don't think we have a player and Blackledge retreated...

''If Russia goes to war with us, our land forces must stop them at the border,'' said Lothar, while sipping his coffee, ''or else the Russians will gain momentum enough to overrun our reinforcements and push all the way to Berlin. You must also be ready to mount a counter-attack against the Russian flank in Poland if we are to win this war. By tying up their forces in Poland we will severly hamper their capability to wage this war in an effective way. German forces could make a push up the coast towards Petrograd while the Dual Monarchy aim for the Black Sea''

''As for Japan, we will ship factories, workers and military expertise to them. We can send parts of the High Seas fleet to reinforce our Far East Squadron, but then we need your help to counter... certain threats in the West, if you know what I mean...''
''We would need to keep a reasonable force along the Franco-German border to pacify the French, lest they attack us as our forces as fighting abroad.''

Vienna, Austria''If Russia goes to war with us, our land forces must stop them at the border,'' said Lothar, while sipping his coffee, ''or else the Russians will gain momentum enough to overrun our reinforcements and push all the way to Berlin''”I could be wrong,” said Archduke Franz Ferdinand, “But I don’t believe that Russia will take action. Yes, they have – or are reputed to have – a secret agreement with Japan. At the same time, they have a public agreement with both China and Japan that pledges them to come to the assistance of either of the two countries should it be attacked by anyone – including the other. Beyond that, they still have an alliance with Germany that they have never renounced, back from the days of the old Kaiser.”

“If they break their public promises to uphold a secret one,” he continued, “Well, that will look very bad. Even if Russia emerges from such a war relatively unscathed, then no other nation in the world will ever be able to make a deal with them, since their word will mean nothing. And that’s assuming that they emerge unscathed, which is far from certain. If would not be difficult to persuade Sweden to join our cause for the sake of liberating Finland and the Balts; it would be even easier to persuade the Turks to join to liberate their Tatar cousins from the Russian yoke.”

“So you have to ask yourself, what can Japan offer that can be worth these risks?” the Habsburg heir asked rhetorically. “Odds are that, if Russia comes to the aid of Japan, she will lose a major European war – which means losing large chunks of valuable land in the West. What can Russia gain in the Far East that is worth that? And whatever the outcome, Russia will lose its honour; what can Russia gain in the Far East that is worth that?”

“I think a more likely possibility is that Russia will enter our side of the war. If that happens, could Germany send an army to assist the Russians in the Far East, against the Japanese? We would certainly be willing to send troops of our own to support them in such an effort.”Karaska was the last Russian player of record. He has not responded to my TG’s.

ooc. Bogmihia, or someone else, can you RP Russia? I don't think we have a player and Blackledge retreated...
Karaska was the last Russian player of record. He has not responded to my TG’s.
:eek: Omg! A few days ago I was making fun of Narodna Odbrana for controlling three states. And now, let's see... I control Romania, Russia, France, plus Morroco and Abyssinia.

IC: The Tsar sighed and replied the Japanse ambassador:

"Unfortunatelly, the danger of a combined Austrian and German invasion is too great to be ignored. We realise we had made promises to you and we'll try to help you to the best of our possibilities, but don't expect too much, no matter how sweet your deal may be."

Doctor Hiroshu's face betrayed no emotion as he questioned the monarch:

"Specifically, how do you think you might help us, Your Majesty? Any little help will be welcome."

"Firstly, let me give you the bad news", answered Nicholas. "We will not send Russian troops to Mongolia and Sinxiang, or otherwise openly attack China. We can't afford to. We will, however, support the Mongolian and Uyghur attempts to achieve freedom. We will supply them with weapons and we'll also let them organize and train their armies on Russian soil. The Chinese rule has always been shaky in these border regions. I'm sure they won't be able to put up a fierce fight, especially sice they have more serious things to worry about. When the house is on fire, you don't worry about the stables."

"I have to warn you though", continued the Emperor, "that with this help I consider our treaty fulfilled. We reserve the right to react in the future as we see fit to any new changes that might appear."

After the Japanese ambassador had left, the Russian Tsar turned to his secretary and said:

"Please organize a meeting with the Austro-Hungarian and German ambassadors tomorrow morning, will you?"

OOC: Now you have the opportunity to present your offer.

WE, Doctor Hiroshu had said that "we have signed a deal, payed with money and land". I'm afraid I have missed this. Have you given some teritory back to Russia?

WE, Doctor Hiroshu had said that "we have signed a deal, payed with money and land". I'm afraid I have missed this. Have you given some teritory back to Russia?[/B]

ooc. I meat the deal promising Russia Mongolia and Sinxiang and I payed them a fairly large sum of money (I thought somehwere like 15 to20 million :eek: ).

IC.

Emergency Message to HQ, Tokyo, from St. Petersberg

Czar refuses to go to war with China-stop-fears Germany and Austria-Hungary-stop-possible joining at the side of Austria-Hungary, Germany and China-stop-this is my last message, please send new ambassador-stop-I have failed in my duty-stop-
Banzai!

Hiroshu walked back to the car and drove to the embassy. He clenched hsi fist and began writing a message to Tokyo (see above). He knew what to do. Once in the embassy he made sure the message was send and then he asked the Military Attache to join him in a closed room.

Hiroshu:"I have failed in my duty and I'll accept the consequences. Will you please act as my second?"
Attaché:"I'm honored to do it."

Hiroshu knelt down on the flor and took off his shirt, baring his belly. He took a short sword and aimed it for the left side of his belly. he took a deep breath and quickly slashed from left to right. He then cut upwards. With his last strength he nodded his head and the Military Attaché decapitated Hiroshu.

The news soon became public, and people were shocked as the Japanese flag on the embassy was lowered.

In Tokyo, day 5

General Fukuoka:"Damnit! Russia lost, no one at our side. We are alone. ALONE! Only Siam supports us, which isn't very strange. How is the advance going?"
Lt. Takima:"The latest reports from Korean HQ tell us that the advance is slow but steady. Chinese forces mainly use hit and run tactics, retreating after a few fights. They blow up bridges and block roads. Clearing the roads and rebuilding the bridges takes a lot of time. The 5th Army is near the Great Wall, as is the 6th Army. They're only 70 kilometers from Beijing. The Fourth Army is at the outskirts of Hangu. The 16th Army has advanced at great speed, as Chinses troops have mainly retreated in southern direction. They're now in Xuanhua.

The Four Manchurian Armies have also made some progress, hindered by Chinese actions. We basicely have a front running along this line *points at map*. Troops have been put ashore near Qingdao and are starting as iege, preparing trenches etc. The Submarines have attacked the East Asia fleet at a cost of one Submarine. The fleet has taken position at the mouth of the harbour."
Fukuoka:"Right...What do you think Admiral? Shall we move into the harbour and attack the ships? Or shall be bombard the city and let the troops storm the city?"
Admiral Togo:"I think it myst be a combination. Move the fleet into the harbour and sink the ships, AND bombard the city. We must capture the city as soon as possible."
Fukuoka:"Ok, you may order that. But I first want another submarine strike before the ships move in. All the submarines, and let them fire untill the ships are in. The ships must fire upon the ships and the city at once. Keep the germans under presure. If the city is taken, make picturs of the humiliated soldiers and spread them through the world."
Adm. Togo:"Sounds like a good diea. I'll order at once."

Fukuoka also hoped to get allies, whereever he got them...

Coded Message to Japanese Embassy in Washington

The US is likely to go to war with germany and Austria-Hungary as well. Apprach them and offer them an alliance against these two evil nations.

Fukuoka

map: [img=http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/3462/chinaadvance1dn.th.jpg] (http://img391.imageshack.us/my.php?image=chinaadvance1dn.jpg)

The two ambassadors arrived almost simultaneously, exactly at 10:00 A.M., when the meeting was scheduled. A butler ushered them in and they were greeted by the Tsar.

"Good morning, gentlemen. Please sit down." Turning toward the butler, he added: "Pavel, please bring a bottle of kvas and three glasses for myself and our guests."

The butler did as he was told, filled each of the glasses with the weak drink, then discretely retreated.

"Gentlemen, I'm sure you can guess the reason I've invited you here. The recent war that has started between Japan and China risks to spread far beyond the borders of the two countries, now that your two nations have decided to involve themselves in the conflict. I would like to discuss with you my country's position relative to China, Japan and, of course, Germany and the Dual Monarchy."

"Execuse me, Your Majesty", intervened the Austrian ambassador, "but I have received yesterday news and instructions regarding the Sino-Japanese war. I'm sure my colleague here has also received new directives." The German ambassador nodded...

OOC: To be continued by Narodna Odbrana or Relative Liberty.

Edit: Oh my, now I feel sorry for the poor ambassador. :(

ooc. Heh, just Japanese working mentality:rolleyes:

Bumporz