blah the Prussian

I never said anyone, including Charlie Hebdo, deserved anything. No, they did not deserve that, and recieved no warning.

Chapter 3 The Western Front The Western Front in the Great War was massive. It stretched from the English Channel at Calais, to the gates of Paris, to a small sliver of French controlled Alsace. All of this land was lined with trenches, massive formations designed to halt enemy assaults wherever they may occur. Between the trenches was No Man’s Land, an area lined with fortifications that soldiers would have to cross to reach the enemy trenches. Across No Man’s Land, the Entente and the Triple Alliance faced each other. A map showing the extent of the Western Front The Western Front was a stalemate. The utter military genius of the generals in charge of the front led them to see fit to launch massive charges against heavily fortified enemy positions over and over. In some cases, thousands of men would die just to secure one mile of ground. France and Britain, however, received the worst of it. After Germany decided to focus on Austria-Hungary, it in general only defended. France and Britain would launch a series of offensives in 1909, but none of them would actually come to fruition. Generals John French and Philippe Petain, the two main generals for the Entente on the Western Front, favored direct assaults. The Germans were no better. Even though they didn’t actually launch any offensives, whenever they lost ground, they were willing to do whatever it took to take it back. Countless German soldiers were lost in counter attacks before the land was finally retaken. By 1910, the people of Britain and France were desperate for victory. French troops cut down in yet another offensive, Western Front, 1909 That victory was planned to be the 1910 Spring Offensive. As Germany shifted even more troops to fight the Hapsburgs, the Entente saw their chance. On March 10, 1910, the guns on the Western Front opened fire. British and French troops surged from their trenches. A miracle occurred: a breakthrough was achieved. Entente forces swept aside their badly outnumbered German Opponents. The Enemy was pushed past Calais by the end of March, and from Paris in Mid April. The pre-war optimism was returning to Britain and France. Germany, meanwhile, was in a panic. More and more German soldiers were being shifted back to the Western Front, to hold back the advance. Helmuth von Moltke, the German chief of staff, resigned in shame. He was replaced by Erich von Falkenhayn. Falkenhayn would appoint an up and coming general to the position of commander of the Western Front: Erich Ludendorrf. Ludendorff and Hindenburg were notable for their ability to work together. They managed to convince Kaiser Wilhelm II that, despite the Entente’s offensive, the Triple Alliance retained the advantage. The only thing stopping Russia and Germany from bringing their full might to bear against Germany was Austria Hungary. As such, the two argued, the only realistic chance that the Entente had to win was to knock Germany out of the war. Germany’s strategy should be to destroy Austria-Hungary, while protecting Germany from France and Britain. There was one problem with this plan. In order for it to work, the Entente actually had to be stopped. That task fell to General Ludendorff. Ludendorff first ordered a fighting retreat to the German and Belgian border. While this was going on, he constructed a massive line of fortifications along the entire front, called the Ludendorff Line. The Entente reached the line on May 1, 1910. Now was the moment of truth. The Battle of the Ludendorff Line had begun. It was in this moment, it has been argued, that the German Army evolved into a modern force. It’s spiked Pickelhaubes became modern Stanhelms. The trenches employed by the Germans were far superior to their British and French counterparts. Above the battlefield, planes flew, scouting, bombing trenches, and even strafing enemy troops crossing No Man’s Land. The Germans, however, were about to introduce a new weapon to the battlefield, one that would help them win the Battle of the Ludendorff Line: poison gas. As the Entente began their offensive, one that John French boasted would “Win the war against the Hun and the Bear”, the Germans readied the gas. As hundreds of thousands of Entente troops went “Over the top” into No Man’s Land, they suddenly found that they were unable to breath. The gas entered into their lungs, their eyes, every part of their body was dying. Many soldiers turned and ran the moment they saw the telltale cloud of gas coming towards them. The offensive was a dismal failure. A German soldier in the trenches, 1910. Note the Stahlhelm helmet and the gas mask. These weapons won the Battle of the Ludendorrf Line The higher ups in the Entente were devastated by the defeat. Troop morale sunk to an all time low. The Franco-British High Command desperately scrambled for a defense against the gas. As they prepared to try to hold on to what they had gained in the offensive, Wilhelm II demanded a counter attack. Ludendorff and Hindenburg, however, advised against it. The German objectives remained unchanged. Austria must fall.

I have said this many times, but I never argued that we should shrug and say that it is understandable. The proper course of action is to punish them for what they did. This line of argument is pointless, I agree. We essentially agree that what they did is barbaric. That should be all that matters. This goes for Essau, too.

I was responding to the second part of your statement. It seems to me that we agree, you just don't like my clinical approach to the situation.

I never said it was. I never said ISIS had the right to do what they did.

I never said that they deserved anything that happened to them. I hold them in a terribly low regard. However, the idea that it is equally realistic to destroy the US and shoot up a magazine stand is folly, as is making a stand against their evil and not expecting retaliation. The U.S. Isn't ignoring ISIS, now is it? ISIS is certainly trying its best to destroy America. Will it succeed? Operation Sealion had better odds. But it is trying as much as it tried (and succeeded) at giving Charlie Hebdo their perverse idea of justice. Your argument is faulty.

When a group as barbaric as ISIS says they will kill someone, it is not unreasonable to assume they will do so. Charlie Hebdo's editor said he didn't care about the threat, but to not assume ISIS means business is stupidity.

Ashnard's ideology is essentially Fascism. Daein is kind of obviously Nazi Germany. As for Zelgius, killing Greil was what was needed to fulfill Sephiran's orders, nothing more. Greil's death was irrelevant to him.

Micaiah has a responsibility as a general to make sure her men do not do something stupid. If she fails to do this, what they do is on her head if punishment is not given. This is called the Yamashita standard, and it dates back to World War Two. The fact that Daein was treated badly by Bengion does not change the fact that the perpetrators of some of the most heinous crimes in Fire Emblem history (The Laguz Genocide) were never brought to justice. Hell, she used the Daein equivalent of Joseph Mengele as an aid, and she never once gets called out on it. The Daein troops who were in the camps were getting their just desserts for their actions. If the majority of the Daein commanders fought in the Mad King's war, then it is safe to assume that the majority of them are fascist, genocidal Nazi analogues. Even if Micaiah is queen, if most of the army is for attacking the Laguz, it will happen. Historically, Japan's Emperor Hirohito was revered as a god, but it took two atomic bombs for him to be able to get Japan to end a war that he didn't want it to enter. Bengion, with a non corrupt leader, would make a great occupier. Hell, it might be safer just to annex Daein outright (no significant cultural differences; Daein only got independence in the first place because of Feudalism.)

For me, the most damning evidence against her is that she is never called out on what an idiotic thing it was to give Daein independence without any supervision. Despite the fact that they were technically forced into fighting the Laguz, you don't see many Daein troops complaining. They throw around sub human quite liberally. It would be like if the allies, right after Nazi Germany was defeated, simply allowed every war criminal to go free and didn't supervise it's politics at all. This is not Godwin's law because Ashnard's Daein is modeled on Nazi Germany. Also, she essentially releases the equivalent of the Waffen SS from their well deserved punishment.

They are free to do what they want, but they shouldn't have been surprised when ISIS made good on their threat.

Name: Dogson von Vorbeck Class: Heavy Sex: Male Other: Prussian Junker. Father served in the First Gulf War, Grandfather served in the Second a World War, you get the idea. He wants to uphold the family tradition of kicking ass and taking names. He is a heavy since it's the next best thing to driving a Panzer. Snobby, but brave.

Chapter 2 The Austro-Hungarian Front As the Western front shifted to Trench Warfare, the German high command decided to shift their attention to the Austro-Hungarians. The commander of this front was Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, who, over the winter, had been shifting German troops and mobilized reserves to Saxony, to create a new army group of around 500,000 men. His ambitious offensive’s target was the province of Bohemia, in Austria-Hungary. Taking Bohemia would allow Germany to threaten Austria itself. Facing Hindenburg was the elite Austrian army, under Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand. These men were the best the Austro-Hungarians had to offer. The rest of their army was a melting pot of Austrians, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, and Croatians. They were poorly trained, often disloyal, and many spoke a different language from their officers. The Austrian Army was 300,000 strong, and consisted of only the best trained, most loyal Austrians. Hindenburg would not run into the same token resistance that the Russians had the previous year in Galicia. Hindenburg, however, had a secret weapon. His name was T. G. Masaryk. Masaryk was a Czech politician who had been campaigning for independence. Upon the outbreak of war, Masaryk fled to Berlin, where Kaiser Wilhelm II promised him Czech independence should the Triple Alliance win the war. Masaryk rallied support in Bohemia for Czech nationalism. Riots broke out in Bohemia, disrupting Franz Ferdinand’s supply lines. He advised restraint in putting down the riots. Emperor Franz Josef was having none of it. He ordered the police to fire on the protesters. The riots developed into a revolt. T. G. Masaryk It was at this moment that Hindenburg chose to strike. German troops surged forwards along the line. Franz Ferdinand decided that it would be better to defend a solid line against the Germans, meet them in battle, and rout them. He chose a city north of Prague, Karoly Vary, to make his stand. Karoly Vary was built by Charles IV, one of the most famous kings of the Czech Kingdom. On March 10, 1909, its fields would become soaked with blood. The Battle of Karoly Vary set the mood for the rest of the war. Soldiers charged against each other’s trenches constantly. Hindenburg needed someway to bypass the Austrian trenches. As such, he, instead of launching a massed assault against the whole front line, he focused all of his troops against a specific part of Franz Ferdinand’s line. The final assault of the battle began on April 1, 1909. It ended in success, with the Austro-Hungarian army being pushed from Karoly Vary. The rest of the offensive went very well for the Germans. The Czech people, unwilling to see Prague destroyed by street fighting, pushed the Austrians out of the city. Hindenburg and his men received a hero’s welcome. The Austro-Hungarians were pushed out of Bohemia by July 14, 1909. Meanwhile, the Russians prepared to push into Slovakia, the next on their “to take” list of Slavic provinces controlled by Austria-Hungary. However, they faced the Austro-Hungarian “Carpathian Line”, a system of fortresses on the Carpathian Mountains that were the last line of defense before reaching Hungary. They were defended by mostly Hungarian soldiers, so that the disloyal Slavic soldiers would have a minimal opportunity to mutiny. On March 5, 1909, the Russian offensive began. Thousands of Russian troops surged towards the Carpathian line. They were stopped by one of the most deadly defenses in history. Russian numbers were almost useless against the mountainous forts. The Russians took terrible losses. They managed to take parts of Slovakia, but the offensive, which ended on August 12, 1909, was a dismal failure. Russian forces in their trenches, Carpathian Mountains, 1909 Both the Russian and German high commands agreed that the best course of action was to take out Austria-Hungary first, and then deal with France. However, Italy would not cooperate with this course of action. They wanted to take the Suez Canal, and deny the British supplies from Asia. However, as British troops gained total control of the Mediterranean, Italy prepared to comply with the wishes of the Kaiser and the Tzar. Italy planned to land on Austria-Hungary’s Adriatic Coast and link up with Serbia. From there, they would drive north, to Vienna, hopefully in conjunction with the Germans. It was an ambitious plan. However, it was to be thwarted by what was becoming the bane of Italy’s existence: the Royal Navy. Italy needed naval supremacy in order to pull off the invasion. The Regia Marina (Italy’s navy) steamed out of port towards Egypt, hoping to give the British Mediterranean Fleet a nasty surprise. However, Italy’s fleet was blown out of the water by Britain’s navy, which received reinforcements from the Indian Fleet. Half of the Italian Navy was sunk, with almost no British ships being sunk. Italy’s offensive had failed before it had even begun. Serbia was being held off. Russia was concentrating its full might against Austria-Hungary. Italy was… Italy. It was obvious to Paul von Hindenburg that Germany could not continue to fight a two front war with Austria-Hungary. He also knew that any offensive would have the most effect if it was coordinated. To that end, he met with Russian High command, and the Italians, to organize a very ambitious offensive: the 3 nations Offensive. The Objective: The capture of Moravia and Tyrol, the cutting off of Austro-Hungarian troops in the Balkans, the capture of Slovakia, the encirclement of Vienna, and the invasion of Hungary. Each nation would have to do its part for the invasion to work, but if it did, it would mean the death of the Dual Monarchy. Hindenburg pulled even more troops from the Western Front to launch the offensive. It was at that moment that Britain and France struck.

None of this game makes any goddamn sense. Shame; it had some good ideas.

Part Two To End All Wars Chapter One Opening Moves Germany had known a war on two fronts was coming ever since it came into being. It had, quite naturally, planned for this eventuality. The General Staff considered France to be a greater threat that Austria-Hungary. As such, they planned to attack France in a quick, devastating strike that would capture Paris in 42 days. The problem was simple: the French had greatly fortified their border with Germany. It would take 42 days to get past the initial fortifications, never mind to reach Paris. The solution to this problem was proposed by General Alfred von Schlieffen. Germany was to bypass the French fortifications completely by moving through neutral Belgium. It might anger the United Kingdom, who was obligated to protect Belgium under the terms of the 1839 treaty of London, but surely they would not go to war over a “Scrap of paper”, as Germany’s foreign minister put it. And so, at midnight of November 1, Germany launched a surprise attack on Belgium. The Schlieffen Plan as outlined by the German general staff As it turned out, Britain cared very much about this “scrap of paper”. An ultimatum was sent to Berlin, demanding withdrawal from Belgium within 24 hours, or war would be declared. Germany ignored the message. On November 2, 1908, Britain joined the Great War on the side of the Entente. Her army, called the British Expeditionary Force, loaded up on ships bound for Belgium. They reached the coast by November 4. Meanwhile, Germany mercilessly advanced across Belgium. Outnumbered and out powered, Belgian troops were unable to put up meaningful resistance. The real challenge, however, was yet to come. British and German troops met each other on November 7. The result was the rout of the BEF. Brussels fell on November 15. French soldiers moved up into Belgium from the south, but were pushed back. Germany reached the French border on November 20. Belgium fell that same day. German troops advance through Belgium However, the Germans quickly ran into a problem: winter was coming. As it got colder, the advance became harder. On December 20, the Germans were finally within 50 kilometers of Paris. However, the British and French had dug in with trenches to better defend the city. Germany responded with trenches of her own. As 1908 turned to 1909, the two sides faced each other in trenches at the gates of Paris. Meanwhile, the Russians marched into the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. The Hapsburgs were using troops with terrible morale and led by absolutely stupid generals. The Russians faced only token resistance. They were, however, delayed until winter, where they faced the powerful Austro-Hungarian Carpathian line. The Russians had experienced what the Germans were feeling. Russian troops in the Carpathians Austria-Hungary had an ambitious plan to march north through Saxony to threaten the German flank in France. Lead by Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne, the Austro-Hungarian First Army- the Austrian elite- marched towards Dresden. They were faced by German conscripts. The only thing between Franz Ferdinand and Berlin was German Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg. Hindenburg had an audacious plan to save Germany. He would use a small amount of his conscripts to hold off the Austro-Hungarian advance, and demand troops from the Western Front be pulled back to reinforce his troops. Kaiser Wilhelm II didn’t like it, but he was forced to accept that he could not take Paris if he wanted to keep Dresden. It has been speculated by some that had the Austrians not launched their offensive, Paris may have been taken. The Battle of Dresden has been recognized as one of the most heroic defenses in history. Through courage and determination, the Germans fought to defend their home. The battle, which started on November 10, lasted until January 5, 1909, when the battle hardened German reinforcements arrived. At risk of encirclement, Franz Ferdinand retreated. He wrote in his diary “No Austrian would ever stay and fight when the risk of encirclement was so great.” The units from the Western Front would join with the conscripts to form the Army of the South, under Hindenburg. In the Balkans, Serbia launched an offensive against Austrian controlled Bosnia, the cause of the whole war. Austro-Hungarian soldiers, however, held their own. The Hapsburg troops in the Balkans were unable to advance against Serbia because they needed reinforcements from other fronts, but the Serbs were not able to advance against their enemy, because their army was too small. It was a stalemate. Italy preformed extremely poorly in the first months of the war. It launched an offensive against both France and Austria-Hungary, but both offensives failed miserably. The Austrians dug in at the Isonzo River, repelling any and all attacks that year, and the French, while they were pushed back a few miles, dug trenches before the Italians could do any real damage. The real problem facing the Italians, though, was that the British controlled the Mediterranean, using the two chokepoints of Suez and Gibraltar to sink almost every ship headed for Italy. To remedy this, Italian troops launched an invasion of British Egypt. The attack was a disaster. The Italians initially created a beachhead, but the British destroyed their fleet on November 25, 1908, causing the beachhead to become a pocket. The Italians surrendered a week later. All in all, 10,000 troops were lost. As news of the German attack on Belgium reached Moscow and Delhi, the capitol of the British Raj, both Russia and Britain mobilized their armies in the region. The Russian Central Asian army relied greatly on native cavalry and infantry, an army suited to the open landscape of Central Asia. The British used Indian conscripts, or Sepoys, supported by a core force of mercenaries in the service of the East India Company. On November 3, 1908, both of these forces declared war on Afghanistan, with the intent of marching through the nation to face each other. The two armies met at the city of Kabul on November 20, 1908. The British troops were more numerous (It took the Russians longer to mobilize) and the Russian Troops retreated across the border. The British, however, did not advance further, because winter was coming and they did not want to invade Russia under those conditions. The Russians dug defensive formations, and the British prepared to attack. 1908 had ended, and the war was by no means decided. Germany and Russia had had some success, but Italy had had nothing but failure. France and Austria were both far from collapse, and Britain was wreaking havoc in the German colonies. German and French troops prepared to go “over the top” in the west to be slaughtered by the thousands in the hopes of gaining a small amount of ground. Hindenburg prepared his offensive in Bohemia, the objective being the capture of Prague. The British Indian Army prepared to advance into Central Asia. Russia prepared for a massive advance into Hungary. It would be a bloody spring.

It is perfectly natural to not give a damn about events not happening near you, however shameful that fact may be. Incidentally, the kidnapping of the Nigerian girls received immense international attention. However, it happened months ago, so it faded from the public eye. I would be very surprised If people are still talking about this 6 months from now. I would also be interested in seeing how much attention Charlie Hebdo is getting in Asia. Edit: Wait, never mind, this is a whole new Boko Haram incident. Disregard what I said about BH.

Chapter 4 Some Damn Silly Thing in the Balkans The Ottoman Empire was falling. It was only able to maintain control over its Muslim territories, and even in those, sectarian violence was high. In the Balkans, it had slowly been losing holdings over the course of a century. Greece, Serbia, and Romania all had full independence. The Turks maintained a hold over the Principality of Bulgaria, which was a vassal state. In addition, it had control over the region of Bosnia. For the time being, the Turks looked able to survive. Then, on October 5, 1908, Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria declared the Tsardom of Bulgaria independent. Austria-Hungary, seizing its chance, annexed Bosnia the following day, which they had their eye on for quite some time. The Germans and Russians immediately protested this move. Serbia also had claims on Bosnia, and Tzar Nicholas II had no intentions of allowing yet more Slavic land to fall into the hands of the Hapsburgs. On October 7, Serbia demanded Austria-Hungary hand over control of Bosnia to it. Russia supported it(no one actually asked the Bosnians what they wanted, of course). Germany joined Russia on October 10. All these powers began to mobilize, to be joined by Italy on October 11. Russia sent an ultimatum to Vienna: leave Bosnia by November, or else. Then, France declared unconditional support for Austria. France mobilized its army and divided it into two parts: the Army of Alsace-Lorraine, with the objective to retake Alsace Lorraine, and the Army of the South, with the objective to quickly defeat Italy. It was by now obvious that Austria-Hungary would not surrender. Full mobilization was enacted in all countries. Britain watched this all with trepidation. There were some, such as First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, who favored immediate action against Germany. Others wanted to do nothing. King Edward mobilized the army and ordered the Navy into action, for use against either side. Britain could not remain in splendid isolation for long. As the nations of Europe prepared for war, their citizens were whipped up into a jingoistic fury. Signs that read jingoistic messages were everywhere. “On to Paris”, On to Berlin”, “On to Vienna”. No one seemed to realize the horrors that awaited them. By October 28, most of the soldiers were deployed to where the fighting would be. Russia and Austria prepared to settle the issue of Pan-Slavism once and for all in Galicia. France sought revenge against Germany in Alsace-Lorraine. Austria prepared to defend what it had left against Italy, and to take revenge against Germany. Britain watched the whole crisis unfold with trepidation. At precisely 12:00, on November 1, 1908, guns all across Europe opened fire. There were many names for the conflict that had just begun. The Great War. The War to End all Wars. The First World War. The Kaiser’s War (the identity of said Kaiser depended on what side you were on). Whatever anyone called it, one thing was sure: This war would change the world. End of Part One

Potentially, but it would be possible to conserve enough nature to help us. I believe that humanity has the right to do what we will with nature, as long as we are strong enough. But by all means, take this to serious discussion.

In all honesty, Maxie would probably have a noble goal if every single one of his plans didn't result in humanity almost being destroyed. I agree with his ultimate goal of expanding humanity at the expense of nature.

I don't know, that might be a good idea. All that would really be doing would be changing the legality of Hienz's actions, not the morality.

Overall, Hienz could do it either way. If he was to break into the laboratory, I could definitely see why he would. On the other hand, it would not be immoral for him to let his wife die rather than break the law. In the event of this happening, an argument could absolutely be made in court that he had to save his wife. I don't think it is a question that it is moral for Hienz to save his wife. The real question is, should he be charged with theft? Another question could be if the Druggist finds out and tries to stop Hienz, should he kill him to get the drug? In addition, the druggist definitely is a greedy asshat for not giving the drug to Hienz at a discount, but at the same time reserves the right to do what he will with the drug. This is one of those cases where what is moral and people's rights come into conflict.

Apologies for the delay. Chapter 3 China Rising China had fallen far. What was once the cultural, economic, and scientific capitol of the world was now a backwards, corrupt, despotic state plunging into what seemed to be perpetual decline. China, ruled by the Qing Dynasty, had suffered defeats against the British in the Opium wars, lost control of Indochina to the French, and were beaten by Japan in the contest for Asian Hegemony. If China wished to survive, it would have to change. The last straw was the Boxer Rebellion. In 1899, angry peasants took to the streets, slaughtering the westerners whose playground China was rapidly becoming. After some deliberation, China’s Empress Dowager Cixi supported the rebels, banishing the westerners from China. ​Empress Dowager Cixi The response of the Great Powers was immediate. A coalition consisting of France, Germany, Britain, Russia, the USA, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Japan all declared war on China. The Chinese Army never stood a chance, and China was forced to accept western domination. It was clear that modernization for China was the only option. Unfortunately, Empress Dowager Cixi was not in the mood. She was the regent for her adopted son, who was weak willed and pathetic. Cixi violently resisted any attempts at modernization, and, with her absolute rule over China, the Middle Kingdom’s prospects looked bleak. However, there was a group of people looking for reform. The leader of this group was Chinese nobleman Kang Youwei. Kang was a reformer who had watched the rise of Japan, combined with the humiliation of China, with a mix of admiration and envy. He had several progressive ideals, such as more rights for women, and democracy. Up until the Boxer Rebellion, Kang was willing to reform China from within, and without violence. However, after seeing Cixi’s callousness in regards to the Boxer Rebellion, he concluded that a coup was needed to save his beloved China. However, his faction did not have enough men to pull off a coup against Cixi. To get more manpower, he turned to another reformer, albeit one more radical: Sun Yat Sen. Sun and Kang agreed about only one thing: the need to modernize China. Sun was a republican, while Kang supported monarchy. This divide made it imperative that the two reformers could reach a common ground if either of them were to succeed in their goals. Kang travelled in secret to the United States in 1902 to meet Sun in the hopes that the two reformers could work out a common plan for China. Both Sun and Kang had the same general plan for modernization: a slow but steady approach, using the army to keep the reactionaries in line. What they could not agree on, however, was the government of the new China. Sun favored a Republic similar to the United States, while Kang desired the Monarchy under the Qing to continue. Ultimately, after much deliberation, the two men decided on a compromise: constitutional monarchy. The constitution would be based on the German system, with the Emperor retaining significant powers, but power also being delegated to democratically elected ministers. However, for this plan to work, it needed the approval of one man: the Emperor. Sun and Kang, the architects of modern China The Guangxu Emperor was nothing more than a puppet for his adoptive mother, Cixi. He had come to the throne at the age of four, and had no real power. However, he was not blind. He saw what was happening to China. He wanted China to join the modernized world, but had no power to make it happen. And so, it was an easier task that Kang Youwei had expected to convince the Emperor to support his and Sun’s plans for modernization. On January 1, 1903, two elite assassins, hired from the fortune of Kang, snuck into Cixi’s quarters and killed her as she slept. By morning, the coup had been completed, the Emperor had been restored to power, and Kang and Sun were made his chief advisors. Sun began to draft a constitution, Kang prepared the country for modernization, and China’s future looked bright. Unfortunately, it would not be that easy. Across the country, reactionary warlords rose in rebellion against the Government. Against the Chinese Empire were the Warlord forces of Guangxi, Shanxi, and the Ma Clique. In addition, Mongolia and Tibet declared independence from the Empire. Kang mobilized the portion of the army that was still loyal to the Emperor, and moved to meet the rebels. His plan was to use the Imperial Guard to meet the only warlord who could threaten Beijing in battle, Shanxi, to buy time for the main army to be given modern weapons. Kang met the Shanxi forces in battle near the city of Hohot. The Shanxi were advancing on Beijing to stop the process of modernization. Looking to the example of the American Civil war, Kang dug some very primitive trenches in the path of the Shanxi, and armed them with newly imported Gatling guns. The battle would be joined on March 3, 1903. The Shanxi soldiers charged the trenches, many of them armed with melee weapons. They expected to triumph, as they outnumbered the Imperial Guard by around 3 to one. However, they proved unable to get past the Gatling Guns. Hundreds of thousands of rebels died on the field that day, and the rest were run down by cavalry. The superiority of modern weapons had been proven, and the Shanxi threat to the capitol had been eliminated. For around a year, Kang continued to defend the capitol in this manner. Then, finally, the weapons imported from Germany arrived. Kaiser Wilhelm II recognized the potential of China, and allied with China in exchange for weapons. The troops, thanks to German advisors, were finally ready to go on the offensive. So was Kang. Kang gathered his massive, modern army and marched against the Shanxi. The majority of their soldiers routed following the first volley of rifle fire. The Shanxi capitol was taken On February 20, 1904. The threat to the modernization was essentially over. However, there was still much work to be done. To the south, the Guanxi and Ma Cliques had been wreaking havoc. They raided southern China, terrorized their citizens, and spread propaganda. The elite forces of Guanxi were a cabal of Kung-Fu masters, called the Shaolin Monks. Kang marched his army south to meet the Guanxi, who had launched an offensive north, in conjunction with the Ma, in a last ditch effort to take Beijing. The Battle of Nanjing marked the last bit of organized resistance to the modernization of China. Many of the poorly armed, outnumbered, and poorly trained warlord forces simply gave up. The only ones who offered any real resistance were the Shaolin Monks, who were gunned down as they charged the Imperialist line. Their last stand was depicted in the film “The Last Shaolin Monk”, starring Tom Cruise. After the annihilation at Nanjing, warlord residence melted away. The Guanxi were beaten by the end of 1904. The Ma followed shortly after. Tibet and Mongolia were reconquered by 1905. China now faced the task of industrialization. The main population centers of the country were connected by Railroad by 1907. China was building a modern fleet, forts lined its border, and it could call upon a massive army of modern soldiers. Soon, the government of Chancellor Sun Yat Sen turned their focus towards the West. Britain and France had humiliated China, but now China could fight back. It would soon get its chance, too, as a result of some damn silly thing in the Balkans.

Yeah, I do want him to have ties to Zelgius. And make him his brother; I always thought Zelgius was older, I suppose.

That would be fine. Or make him younger.

Name: Theodorus Gender: Male Race: Beorc Age: 29 Class: General Affliation: Bengion Central Army (Colonel) Appearance: Theodorus is a tall, muscular man who wields a sword. He has a commanding presence, and inspires fear and loyalty in those who serve under him. He has black, short hair and blue eyes. Personality: As a Bengion Nobleman, Theodorus is somewhat arrogant, but also fair to everyone. He considers Crimea and Daien to be provinces in revolt, and wants the empire to recon queer them. However, he treats his men well, and is very loyal to his country. In addition, he mistrusts the Senate. Backstory: Theodorus is the eldest son of Zelgius, and heir to the house of Khadol. Like his father, he joined the army at an early age, and grew up during the Civil War following the assassination of Misaha. He saw his first combat when Bengion intervened in the Mad King's War, serving under General Jarod. During the war, the Daien army killed his younger sister, who was working as a cleric. As a result, he was a strong proponent of sending Daien troops to labor camps. As Daien remilitarizes, he is one of the most vocal voices in the Empire clamoring for putting down the resurgent kingdom before it gets too powerful. Recommended to use him as an anti villain or anti hero.