The Middle Kingdom - 1/1/13

[The Rock Doctor]

Three year-old Emperor Kaili was abducted from the Imperial Palace by Swiss special forces in 1901, during the First Pacific War.  Following his eventual return home, he was sent, along with eleven other boys his age, to study in seclusion at a Shao-Lin temple.  There he was raised to be a powerful and conservative sovereign, with a strong emphasis on Confucianism, ancestor worship, and the martial arts.

In 1910, at the age of twelve, Kaili came of age, and a group of trustees was dispatched to bring he and his Celestial Brothers back to Peking. 

Leading the trustees was a respected young general, Jiang Zhiqing, a veteran of the bitter fighting on the mainland in 1901 and on Formosa in 1908.  In the course of the journey to Peking, the general and the emperor had occasion to discuss international politics.  It became evident that the hatred the Empress Mother Longyu radiated towards the Swiss had also taken hold of Kaili's heart; the young emperor spoke passionately about the need to continue the crusade against the Swiss.

This dismayed the general, who spoke in turn about the victory of the Second Pacific War, the disarrary and isolation of the Swiss Confederation, and the need for the Middle Kingdom to set aside its hate and focus on building its own self. 

The young emperor soon had enough of this, and issued an edict:  General Jiang would obey the Emperor without question, and implement such orders for Swiss genocide and eradication of Swiss works, civilization, and culture as were mandated by the heavens through the Emperor.

Disheartened, General Jiang acknowledged the edict, and upon their arrival in Peking, returned to his post.  But amidst planning the continuation of war against the Swiss, his conscience began to eat at him, and it began to taint his work.  As his one-man rebellion escalated, he was in turn reprimanded, threatened with dismissal, and finally arrested.  At that point, a small party of loyal soldiers broke into the military prison to rescue him - and the one-man rebellion grew in scale.

By early 1911, the Middle Kingdom was enveloped in a chaotic civil war.  The primary factions were the Imperials (led from Peking) and Jiang's Reformists (led from Guangzhou, his birthplace), along with several short-lived minor factions exploiting ethnic differences or the ambition of their power-hungry leaders.  The fighting was everywhere simultaneously, with smaller zones of control being consolidated by victories or eroded by losses.  It was not until mid-1912 that a single front - along  the Qinling Mountains/Han Shui River/Yangtze River - was established. 

Soon after the frontline was solidified, a truce was called, and contineus to hold to the present time.  It is not a ceasefire - though it may last for some time, it is generally understood that both sides are now pausing to tend to the millions of displaced civilians while rebuildiing their militaries for defence against each other and any opportunistic barbarians.  The war may resume again at any time.

Consequently, there remains formally just one Middle Kingdom - but in practice, it is split into a rump Middle Kingdom north and east of the front, and a so-called Reformist Republic of China south and west of the front.  Both are functioning as if full-fledged national governments, though the Reformist Republic has yet to establish foreign relations of any kind.  Foreign powers in turn have been reluctant to favor either faction for fear of favoring the wrong one.

The current state of the Middle Kingdom economy is:

Middle Kingdom:  245 million people, 61 IC, 11 BP:  $158.80 per half-year
Reformist Republic of China:  179 million people, 41 IC, 8 BP:  $109.60 per half-year

Either faction is available as a player-nation.

[Tanthalas]

Yuyp I Definetly see a china willing to see the swiss as more than just Barbarians.

[Borys]

The Habsburg Kaiser- und Koenigreich is open in their sympathies ... not that they can do much about. After the lessons of the Peace Fleet and 2nd Pacific War, and with the trouble on the Ballkans, involvement in the Far East is simply NOT possible.
I could send instructors, no?

[Tanthalas]

Oficial Line Deliverd by his Majesty King William
The USNS offers our deepest Sympathies, We also wish to point out that we will not interfear with what is an internal Chinease problem, However we are prepared to offer Humanatarian aid to anyone in need.

[The Rock Doctor]

Borys - you could send instructors, but to whom?

Tanth - pre-1913, acceptance of Swiss aid (of any kind) is unlikely by either side.  If/when either faction becomes a player-nation, that could change...

[The Rock Doctor]

Question for the old-timers:  is there a list or total of MK ships sunk in the 1901 war lurking about?  I don't think the MK encyclopedia notes accounts for any losses; it certainly doesn't note the ships lost in the 1907/8 war.

[Tanthalas]

Question for the old-timers:  is there a list or total of MK ships sunk in the 1901 war lurking about?  I don't think the MK encyclopedia notes accounts for any losses; it certainly doesn't note the ships lost in the 1907/8 war.

Rock when I get home I have an up to date as of 1908 fleet list for the MK (bout 30 hours sorting it out from old news posts).  infact if you look for the 1908 report by the MK (I may have posted it) it might have a list in it (it will have atleast total numbers)

LOL I know they wont accept it Rock However it never hurts to offer (Part of me showing the new attitude the NS aproach the world with)

[Borys]

Borys - you could send instructors, but to whom?

To the Legitimate Emperor, of course ...
Borys

[Tanthalas]

Borys - you could send instructors, but to whom?

To the Legitimate Emperor, of course ...
Borys

...

[miketr]

Borys - you could send instructors, but to whom?

To the Legitimate Emperor, of course ...
Borys

I don't see Iberia lifting a finger to help the Imperial Faction... the Middle Kingdoms fanaticism left more than a little of a bad taste in the mouth of the Iberian Government.

Michael

[Korpen]

Question for the old-timers:  is there a list or total of MK ships sunk in the 1901 war lurking about?  I don't think the MK encyclopedia notes accounts for any losses; it certainly doesn't note the ships lost in the 1907/8 war.

You mean this?
http://www.navalism.org/index.php?topic=1659.msg17663#msg17663

Borys - you could send instructors, but to whom?

Tanth - pre-1913, acceptance of Swiss aid (of any kind) is unlikely by either side.  If/when either faction becomes a player-nation, that could change...

Suspect being seen taking Swiss "aid" would be a death-knell to either side. Legitimacy is key to success in any civil conflict, and considering the anti-Swiss campaigns in china the antipathy towards them in the broad layer of society would be quite severe. This means that taking Swiss aid would open up a huge vulnerability in that it could been seen as selling out. As the "reformist" faction suffer more from a lack of legitimacy then the "Imperial" faction, they would risk collapse if they were seen a foreign lapdogs. As I got the Impression that the fight against the Swiss was a major unifying them, it would seem likely that both factions would try and trump each other as strict against the Swiss, no matter the actual feelings of the leaderships thoughts. 

[Tanthalas]

^.^ true enough Korpen but it still dosnt hurt to offer it (and big things brewing up ofer here in NS land trust me)

[P3D]

Tanthalas,

If you are making NS a constitutional monarchy to placate the Normans, the HoS should be Queen Elisabeth unless she deceased.

[Tanthalas]

Tanthalas,

If you are making NS a constitutional monarchy to placate the Normans, the HoS should be Queen Elisabeth unless she deceased.

she is (the mods had her killed off) otherwise she would be (hey I like tough old bittys), but William was only speeking in his posistion as King of Australia.  Now Henry I like that guy ~.^

[The Rock Doctor]

That's useful for the 07/08 war, thanks.