Blood and Iron [IC/ALT-HISTORY/OPEN]

by **Republic Of Varra** » Fri Oct 28, 2016 7:05 pm

March 7, 1891

To Chancellor Shulza,

My apologies for not getting to you sooner. It has been an exciting week indeed. But, I cannot quell these people no matter how hard I try. The people in this independence movement, albeit supporters and all small compared to the population of southern Germany/Austria, are a very loud one at that. I, as much as you do, want this country to stay together, for if we become independent, we are at the complete mercy of both Germany, Italy, Byzantine, and the Hungarians. We are one of the most powerful countries in the world... and to separate would be... unthinkable. I'm afraid you will have to find a solution to this problem yourself.

Kind regards,

~Austrian Emperor

Hm... I have been thinking of this for a while... it's... quite a dramatic move, but I think it will go well.

...

He finished his message and neatly put it in a compartment for mail, ready to be given to a mailing...well, the chancellor still couldn't wrap his head around it, but, as Benz had put it, chariots without horses. The new machines that Benz had been working on, had pleasantly surprised the German government, and used some of them for mailing. Though there weren't many, they were still prospects they would focus on for future purposes.

by **The Vekta-Helghast Empire** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 9:45 am

Kaisertum Österreich

Vienna, March 4th, 1891.

"Bah! The nerve of him! Meeting in Berlin? I laugh at the thought!" Leopold, to say the least - was quite upset by the Chancellor's letter. Not only did he wish to meet in Berlin, in the far north of Germania, but he had the nerve to accuse the organisation itself of being the cause of the losses of life. Almost immediately upon receiving the letter he'd gathered his wife, the Bishop and a number of minor party leaders, "They wish to hand us baubles - to shut us up. No real concessions will be made. At best we'll be given a parliament and at worst he'll threaten to use force to shut us down. No, we should send a clear message - Austria will not be bought, nor will it negotiate anything short of its freedom. Austriae est imperare orbi universo." The bishop responded with a firm nod - the leadership seeming, for the most part, to agree - a few minor grumbles in the back however, supporting the possibility of a meeting.

But a few hours later, a letter was commissioned by the leadership and sent back to the Chancellor, the letter held shut by wax, shaped into the black eagle of Austria, wearing a crown and wielding a scepter, once the wax bindings were broken and the letter removed, it would read as so:

Purkersdorf.

The same day, in the village of Purkersdorf, just out of Vienna - the militant wing of the party made a move. The local police station was manned by only four or five men, each with a side-arm, with one rifle in the storage of the station. It was just before 6PM when they struck, a mob of about thirty men managed to ambush two of the officers on their patrol, wrestling them to the ground and giving them a fair beating and stealing their weapons. Then, ten minutes later - shots began to ring out. Two officers were gunned down outside of the station and the mob had stormed the building, only one warden left and seriously outnumbered, he attempted to surrender. He was hastily disarmed and dragged outside, the mob ransacking the entire place, taking what little ammunition it had, all of it's handcuffs and bindings, any protective equipment it had, batons, the lot. Even documents were stolen, though they were merely taken outside and burned. Anyone in holding there, left in the cells. By the time the mob was done - the station's windows were all broken out, doors kicked down and the police's carts tipped. News would no doubt reach a higher authority soon enough..

by **Mangjukoia** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 11:10 am

大日本帝國
Greater Empire of Japan

Kyo-to, Empire of Japan
Imperial Court Room, Imperial Palace
The current Emperor, his Majesty Emperor Yoshihito, or the Taisei Emperor, to those below him, sat on the throne, behind the shadows of the curtains emblazoned with the 16-petaled chrysanthemum. The leaders of the nation, both warrior nobles and bureaucratic officials, all in one place, met in front of the Emperor. The Shoguns and Bakufu were no more, with power back to the Emperor and his men since the restoration in 1600. As of now, the Emperor and the Imperial Court, were met 2 leading problems; the expansion of the empire, with eyes having set upon China and the Philippines since the end of the Kara Iri War, the invasion of Korea; and upkeep of the military, which, while adequate, needed to keep pace with other powers. Between these issues, and their own interests, the court factions clashed in the court as decisions were being lain out.

"Your Imperial grace, Japan has many things to address; while we may stand tall today, it was not long ago that we had just emerged from our seclusion from fears. While are military has been strengthening itself, it still is outmatched in size, our possible enemies have been doing the same." said a court official, coming from one side of the court. "Our men that have returned from their learning missions have given us the understanding to the ways of the Westerners; their style-isms and economy. Now, my rivals may disagree with my suggestions, but, we have tried it with out a portion of our armies with no problem, I suggest that our nation must follow suite as well." With this being said, much of the Imperial Court was in disagreement and outrage.

"Disagree? Of course we would disagree! It is throwing our culture to the wind!" another court official exclaimed, speaking against his other. "They are barbarians that must not be used as examples for us to follow! Having an entire army serve under that model was a mistake that we must rectify!"

At this point, most of the court was bickering amongst themselves, leaving the Emperor in a bothered composure, tiring from the acts of the court. Sensing this, Daijo-daijin Minamoto no Genji took center stage.

"Enough of this insolence in the court! If it cannot be decided on, let us move to other urgent matters."

The other court officials nodded quickly and continued to the next and final topic for the time being; Imperial expansion.

"We have a possible option of five." declared Prince Morita, minister of the military. "Two Of those options will get us in a war with Chugoku, two of the five will get us in a war with a Western power, and the last, will take an extended period."

"And what would they be, specifically?" the Daijin asked, motioning towards him.

"The choices of the entire isle of Karafuto or Hitou. Hitou is in the possesion of Seihanga, which I do believe will be the easiest to attack, for if I am correct, will be leagues away from any of their other territories. The Southern Kingdoms will no doubt be a tributary ally of Chugoku, the other choice is to attack directly. The final one I had mentioned is an island chain far to the East."

"An expedition to the Eastern island sounds like it may be worth the time, but what of the others?"

"Hitou would be the next best choice I would think. If quickly, we can gain control of the area take an upper hand if we have the chance."

Murmurs in court rose, questioning the validity of the Minister's information. But with no opposition, the Minister took it as an acceptance.

"We will go through with the idea, but a suitable plan must be drawn up." said the Daijin. "For now, it has the acceptance of the court."

Kyo-to, Empire of Japan
Nijo Castle Courtyard
Soldiers, both conscript and samurai, some dressed in hara-ate do, marched in columns, lining up in front of the garrison general, Matsudaira Tokichiro.

Before the 15,000 strong garrison, an unfamiliar, western sounding tune was playing.

As it played, another column of 5,000 marched straight into to presentation. In line, these men were of a different cut, even from the troops that adapted a semi-Western style. These men were in full Western uniform, parading in Western style. There was no Japanese air about them. Lining up, the Western styled army caught looks from their compatriots. Rangakus, they called them.

"Men of the Nijo garrison, bring your attention to the new Western style army." announced Matsudaira. "These men have learned overseas in the ways of the gaikoku. They have brought to us, the attention of the effectiveness of gaijin armies. They have made territorial advances to conquer their neighbors. And while we may resent it as dishonor to our culture, the Emperor had made the decree to sacrifice a piece of ourselves to save the rest of our culture! We shall not let ourselves falter. The enemies and allies of the Emperor have done the same to ensure their places, so we must do so as well."

The Rangakus were in zeal, as well as some of the other troops, but there was contempt with some of the conservative elements on the usage of Western techniques.

by **Nuxipal** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 12:19 pm

22 March, 1891
Year of the Metal Rabbit
Northern Sakhalin Island

The Armies of Sun Yat-Sen marched across the Russian Controlled portions of the Island and have rounded up the remaining Russian population. He notified any Ainu living in the region they are free to stay and will be reunited with their brothers on the southern half of the island soon. He had received a letter from the Emperor asking him to stand down and return to Manchuria. He would be forced to enter diplomatic relations with the Russians and Japanese now that this had happened. Sun Yat-Sen was also notified that upon his return to his Province he would be granted an additional estate along the Russian Border of Manchuria to "maintain a standing Garrison" upon the border there. While he knew it was meant to be a reward, but look like a punishment, he couldn't help but feel as if he were being punished. Something about what the Emperor wrote seemed to be hinting that he shouldn't have acted, yet. As such, after a brief, ten day excursion in which he secured the entire northern half of the island, Sun Yat-Sen and his captured Russians marched back into China.

Over the next several days he and his forces returned the Russians to Russian soil, but not their occupied Island. For the time being, he did leave 5,000 men on the island to protect the native inhabitants of the island from any Russians that remained.

March 20, 1891
Year of the Metal Rabbit
Forbidden City, Imperial City, Beijing

Emperor Jian was both excited, and disgusted. He had learned that his governor of Manchuria had invaded and conquered Russian Sakhalin. However, at the same time he had learned his Empress was pregnant with their first child. It was time for both celebration within the Palace itself. While they waited on the Thai-Viet Emperor and his family to come north for a vacation, the Imperial Family would continue life as normal, now with the expectations of a new potential heir to the throne on the way. Around mid-day, Emperor Jian sat in his study and set about writing two letters. One to the Tsar of Russia, regarding the actions of Sun Yut-sen and another regarding the same incident to the Emperor of Japan. He didn't plan on having much contact with Russia, so this was little more than a formality.

by **Republic Of Varra** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 2:09 pm

March 14, 1891

by **The Grand Duchy Of Nova Capile** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 2:31 pm

Vienna, Austria

The Hungarian Jägers were elite troops bent on enforcing the rule of their King. Tracing their ancestry to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its own enforcers of the crown, the units were made up solely of ethnic German loyalists, and were generally considered some of the fiercest troops at the King's disposal. Thus these men had been handpicked to help Germany crush the Austrian rebellion, after that government personally enlisted King Joseph to end the crisis. The Jägers had no great respect for a disorganized rabble, nevermind their origins, and was more than willing to use brutal and savage force to bring the rebels to their knees. As the riots in the Ostmark continued the Hungarian elitists began parading across the German border. Their uniforms were polished and their medals glistened; the plumed feathers that rested on their hats blew faintly in the Austrian breeze; and their shined boots clicked heavily on the paved roads.
Under the command of capable Dandártábornok Márton Szilveszter 3,500 men, all seasoned and weathered and grizzled by long years at war, trooped towards Vienna, ready to suppress the uprising with all possible force.

Despite the hostility emanating from them they had actually been ordered to put down the revolt as peacefully as possible. The German government had a tentative relationship with the Austrian Royals and desired to keep them as happy as possible. Yet this rabble needed a good demonstration of what happened to dissenters, and the Jägers intended to deliver one. Reaching the outskirts of the country's capital General Szilveszter ordered his men to begin an orderly march into the city and help local police forces lock it down. At the same time the most elite formations available to Szilveszter were detached and sent to the nearby village of Purkersdorf, where the real rebellion was taking place. A few hundred men marched in a perfectly straight column, maintaining rigid formation even as they neared the rebel village. A showdown would now determine how effective these peasants were...

Back in his lavish quarters at Buda Castle King Joseph III had received news of a meeting in Munich, supposedly to determine the fate of Europe. Evidently a great number of other rulers would also be attending, so the King ordered his attendants to assemble a motorcade at once. Joseph had taken a great interest in the appearance of primitive automobiles, and had purchased several of the latest models. So now three elaborate, gilded dinky machines thundered out of the palace, kicking up massive amounts of dust. Their occupants hoped the cars would last even an hour before they broke down and needed maintenance. A grand procession would travel through Austria(taking care to avoid Vienna and the immediate area) and towards Munich and the conference.

by **Republic Of Varra** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 4:12 pm

Vienna was rather quiet as the soldiers marched through. The government had told them of the horrors this group had enacted upon them, so many of them were content that such terroristic brutes were being put down. Though they weren't the happiest that the Hungarians were marching in, they new that they, and their government would protect them and keep them in safety for the time being.

by **Kazarogkai** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 5:42 pm

February 1891
The Latin Commonwealth of Georgia

rail station outside Amite, West Georgia
Minuso Corps(3)
Purius Corps(3)

The rail station and the town that hosted it had over the past few days received more attention than it had ever had possibly since it was built. Though not the swamplands of central florida this was never the less backwards region neglected and only rarely preyed upon by central government which was and felt so far away. Besides the occasional military patrol, some traveling magistrates, and a runaway slave or two few bothered to come around. So long as they paid their part of the region's annual tribute and conscripts rolls the busy bodies in Atlanta had little reason to be meddlesome.

When the rail was built this was seen as little more than the end of a road so to say. Though some had bought up the issue that Baton Rouge though small probably deserved it's own rail connection to the rest of the country it's location next to the Mississippi river gave reason for the government to drag its feet and bitch and moan about the expense. That was until now. A need had arisen which had forced their hand and now something had to be done. The one vaunted Georgia Sea Force which in better days had spread the revolution far and wide was but a shadow now. Few in numbers and mostly outdated it even with help from the merchant marine would not be enough to deliver the necessary men and material needed to sustain this nation's armies on the the Front.

Though there were a few decent roads that allowed some land connection there it had been decided that a railroad would be for the best. Taking into account that a normal Georgia rail crew would take a day to lay down 2 miles of track there were roughly 2 options set before them. The first option was to vear near the coast going south from Amite to Hammon then west towards and Baton Rouge that would take a month(30 days) to build. A quicker option would be to go west from Amite to Pine Grove and then start heading SW toward Watson and Monticello and from there Baton Rouge. Being only 3/4 the distance it would shave off a couple days(22 days). Owing to the critical nature of the mission they settled on speed as such the latter as the best option.

Two separate corps had deposited themselves into the town of Amite totaling 6 Legions or 30 thousand men in total. The overall Intention was that they would both be used to reinforce this region which formed the southern point of Georgia's side of the river. At the moment though one would have to stay behind for they and their logistic units with the support of local laborers were needed to help build the rail line in a timely fashion. As such the decision which had been made beforehand that the Minuso Corps(3) would continue on toward Baton Rouge while the other, Purius Corps(3, would stay behind. General Minuso was the more senior of the two which was the justification for the decision. To add on to this the other 2 corps, of equal composition to these, which had been fromed from the mobilized reserve were to make their over to reinforce the remainder of Georgia's west border. One would deploy in the Mississippi delta the other south of vicksburg. When the preparations needed were done and goodbyes said the two Corps parted ways; one leaving and the other staying.

A couple hours later, a few miles west of Tangipahoa River

As they Purius Corps(3) made its way through the rather marshy region the a few forward scouts made their way to the main carriage where General Purius resided at. To add a bit of bacground General Purius was a rather normal officer of the Georgia Forces. And when one says normal by Georgian standards that is not exactly a compliment. Born in some backwards village near Augusta City Purius had after passing his military officer examination, partly via buying some of the answers to said exam from another student, he rose through the ranks and after greasing a few palms and gaining a nice patron in the War Council he was able to rose to the rank of Lieutenant General. With a little bit of shaking and allegedly some klingon style promotion he was able to usurp his old superior and gain himself the nice cushy position of Corps General at the age of 50.

Though not completely Inept his skills were more suited to that of a politician than an officer by most standards. And to be fair Purius had thought about that but honestly he was admittedly a bloodthirsty sort. Putting whole villages to the torch, gutting rebel scum, and hearing the screams of a twat whose cherry he just crushed; these were for this old veteran his bread and butter.

As a matter of fact just now with his fat ass he was having his way, or atleast trying to, with a young tramp he picked up just a bit ago from the village of amite. Dressed in a far too small and thin dress for the weather and gaudy mackup the young girls faint whimpers could be heard from outside. No one really minded though and most certainly his soldiers. Purius knew full well how he had gained power and had taken steps to prevent such a thing from happening to him. Comprising his steps with loyalist and yes men, and making those who got in his way disappear were par for the course. Nevertheless he understood the basic premise of "Bread and Circuses" and made sure to be a good patron for the general rank and file of his troops happily sharing and providing for them with money to spend and women to screw.

After knocking and opening the carriage door what the scout found was the old generals hairy butt with the only thing visible of the young tramp were her skinny legs wrapped around his waist. The scout though slightly startled regained composure and more or less yelled his message:

"A rather large force of enemy troops have been spotted crossing the Tangipahoa River we need your orders sir."

Surprised the General tried to compose himself sitting up and pulling upon his pants when he turned around one could tell he was rather flustered at the soldier before him.

"Fuckin hell"

Were the first words from his mouth quickly followed by:

"Shit, Get my lieutenant Imastas. We gotta to intercept them. But first send some runners to get an urgent communique to General Purius. It's unlikely but we may need him just in case things get a little sour."

And with that the message was sent across the line for a redirection to their SE. The enemy was near and though unexpected the force of intended on heading over and spoiling the enemies advance. Sadly because of the speed needed more than likely they wouldn't be able to properly make use of their artillery, not counting their gatling guns which were designed for just this. The enemy force was mostly an enigma with the size and composition only able to be estimated upon, they were mostly riding on luck hoping that they would reach the enemy in time and be able to do something.

Camp Slidell, A few miles outside Slidell, West Georgia
Ilos-B Division(2/5)

General Paetoria lay resting upon his hammock unable to sleep. Staring at the canvas roof of his command tent he simply sat there in a rather bored state. It had more or less been the case since they had arrived in this backwater region. Oh yes of course their had been the occasional moment where some shots were fired and maybe a few refugees had tried to cross the river that separated georgia from new orleans and beyond. But otherwise not much to his interest had occurred. The man that he was desired action, the rumble cannons and the roar of rifle fire. Sitting here and in effect babysitting a river was not his idea of what it meant to be a general. Nevertheless as per his duty he was obliged to follow along and be the good little soldier for now. Didn't mean he had to like it though.

When a young messenger entered the room and made his way in General Paetoria groaned. He knew he was a general and it was his job but damn why couldnt his subordinates handle their own shit and let him be. If that wasn't enough paperwork, so much paperwork. Though yes he had some admins who could help him they were only of modest use. If he wanted things to go right he had to do it himself. And even if he was to let them do all the work, he still had to signature everything.

When the messenger boy placed himself nearby making sure to keep some distance for he knew the man had a temper he recited a message and the general listened. What the boy said shocked him enough to get him out of bed. Grabbing his cloak for warmth and a spyglass Paetoria made his way out of his tent and looked upon the city of New Orleans. The Texans had finally made it over and from what little he could see where assaulting. He was rather surprised so to say, he didnt expect them to have progressed so quickly.

From this point on it was to be a waiting game. Texas was expanding its claws to cuddle up right next to Georgia and one could only imagine what tension that would cause. The likelihood of conflict between their two nations would only rise as time went on owing to among many things the slavery issue. War was hell sure but honestly he didn't mind, if things were to come to head as he hoped it would be a fair bit better than the boredom that he was now faced with. Bring it on is all he had to say. But before the fun could begin he made sure to get the messenger boy standing beside him to get his signalers to send the necessary communiques to his commanding officer and a report to Atlanta on the progress of their enemies. The quiet before the storm, it was here.

by **Esselman** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 6:05 pm

The Russian Empire
22 March 1891

The state of Russia was still constantly improving, The Imperial Duma had convened repeatedly and without interruption since the disabling of the Tsar and his powers. The most recent acquisition to the Duma was Sergei Witte, set to become the Minister of Finance to continue the heavy promotion of industrialization. Lenin and the Duma passed countless bits of legislation that expanded the railway, the largest of which would be the Trans-Siberian Railway, planning to finish an even larger rail system across a majority of Russia by the end of the decade. The Bolsheviks reign over the Duma had yet to meet opposition and the Tsar and his family made few public appearances making them more revered as time went on.

Nearly a month ago the island claim of Sakhalin had been overrun by Chinese combatants, Russian settlers displaced, but the letter from the nearby Cape Lazarev revealed the attack. Lenin and the Duma convened on the matter, at which time a letter was received from Beijing. Appearing before the Duma, the Tsar was angry at the transgression, calling for war and immediate action by the legislative body. The Bolsheviks were hesitant to appease him, but the random attack on the land was both unwarranted and could not be allowed. The Duma, in coordination with Tsar Nicholas penned a message:

With the Tsar and his family still having a firm control over the military, he could still order troops to some degree but would not be able to officially declare any war without the Duma. The Tsar had ordered 100,000 troops, gathered from different military districts of the Northwestern parts of Russia, into Irkutsk. Their directive was to enter Tarialan, the Khövsgöl Province of northern Mongolia by months end, regardless of the word of the Chinese, to set up a military checkpoint. At the same time of this massive movement of military forces to quell China, a sole ship was set to arrive at the northernmost port of Sakhalin Island carrying Russian Prisoners who were promised their freedom. The prisoners would be sent to the island as refugees, all of various backgrounds. What the supposed warlord would do to them or the ship was of little consequence as it was merely a distraction, to goad the Chinese into a naval focus.

by **The Vekta-Helghast Empire** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 6:25 pm

Kaisertum Österreich

As news spreads of Hungarian troops moving into Austria and of the German army clamping down on the Austrians of Vienna, so does anti-German and anti-Hungarian propaganda, lines such as, "Brothers betrayed - the Hungarian heathen." "Fritz wants to take YOUR right to protest!" "Reformist heathens - Catholicism under siege!" All of them seeming to try and portray the same image - saying that the Hungarians were their brothers and that this was the ultimate betrayal whilst portraying the Germans as heretics out to destroy Germanic-Catholicism for good. The messages urging people to stand alongside the Austrian Nationalists if they wish to protect their faith and to resist foreign invasion. Some messages even appear in Hungarian, urging Hungarian troops to desert and to stand with their former brothers - the Austrians, against the German 'oppressors'.

Purkersdorf, Austria.

When the Hungarians arrived, they'd find the village to be like any other - normal people going about their daily routines. The police-station left vacant. Yet there'd be no rebel soldiers. The only thing making it stand out, the flag. The red and white of Austria flying instead of the Germanian flag that it once did. The troops would have no resistance if they were to march in, though the people would certainly give them looks of disgust. Some were however, brave enough to approach - and hand them leaflets urging them to abandon their ranks and to stand with their former countrymen, the Austrians against the German 'invader'. Other would be less kind and simply yell abuse at them, branding them traitors and heathens.

Vienna, Austria.

The people seemed calm as the German troops arrived, though there was a strange abundance of Austrian flags flying from houses and the likes. Though the people, resisted little - clearly the movement leaders had urged their members to remain peaceful during the military occupation. After all, this was their city - and the less rebuilding that had to be done, the better. If they were to fight, they'd fight it on their terms, not in a brutal massacre against superior forces.

by **Republic Of Varra** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 8:47 pm

The Austrian emperor stood alone on a podium. It was the day after the occupation and he alone wanted to address his people.

The crowd stood in the square. Some nationalists, some Germanians. All of which were somewhat uneasy at the sight of the Hungariam forces.

"Austrians. Lend me your ears. Now I have heard your cries and calls for independence and autonomy. And I was in talks until some of the so called 'peaceful' movements for independence brutally beat and murdered citizens, and burnt documents, and released prisoners from jail cells. This has put a hold on talks until further notice."

The crowd mumbled a bit.

"Do not worry though. For one, both the Austian, Bavarian, German, and Hungarian forces are working together to put a stop to these scoundrels. They will leave shortly after all this is taken care of. Secondly, I would like to re-enforce the fact that free speech, assembly, and peaceful protest is still welcomed and allowed."

The crowd seemed to be somewhat relieved by his words.

"Finally, Austria has been granted autonomy by Germania. Meaning we have control over ourselves, we can make our own laws, and abide by ourselves."

The crowd started to seem much more content with themselves.

"And finally, a referendum is in talks, which has been put on hold, for an independent Austria."

Excitement went through the crowd and-

"Now, before you get too excited, talks about this have slowed to a crawl due to recent events. And a separation from the most powerful country in the world could be catastrophic on our economic capabilities. If we do have the vote, I encourage you to look for yourselves the good and the bad of it. For now, I shall take my leave."

The crowd cheered as the emperor exited his platform.

by **Quindonesia** » Sun Oct 30, 2016 11:14 am

The United Peoples of Songhai
March 19th, 1891
Gao Palace

It had been over a month since King Adebowale sent out letters to Ethiopia, Maurania, Germany, and Superior and he finally received one in response. Superior's Minister of Trade Hans Hollestat had contacted him about the iron deal that was proposed in Adebowale's original letter. Adebowale felt foolish for not realizing that the industries controlled the iron, not the government. Still, the idea they had proposed about owning mines in New Songhai didn't sit well with Adebowale.

Adebowale already felt that New Songhai was getting close to imperialism based off of his relationship with Germania, but to give control of our most valuable resource, oil, to the white men across an ocean, that was crossing a line. But, Adebowale had an idea.

To: Westinghouse Superior Corporation, 405 Westhalle Avenue, Hansestadt, Superior State, Superior
From: King Adebowale of the United Peoples of Songhai

I have recently tried making a deal for the iron of Superior with your Chancellor, but I was unaware that he had no control over it and his Minister of Trade has referred me to your corporation and a few others. I would like to request that You give 50% of your iron and steel to the United Peoples of Songhai so that we can begin industrialization. In return, you may come to our land and build mines for oil, which I have heard my nation has an abundance of. I would like to make it clear that your company would have complete control over your oil mines until I say otherwise. If I choose to take control of these mines, your people must leave, and it is to be assumed that the trade of iron and steel would cease as well. Please get back to me soon on whether or not you accept this deal or if you have a counter-offer.

Sincerely,
King Adebowale

King Adebowale continued to make four more copies of this letter, sending one to Krupp A.G., Farley-Bauer A.G., Superior Steel, and Rothschild, von Braun, & Harrison, the other iron producers referred by Hans Hollestat. Once he was done with the last one he sat back in his chair, exhausted. It had been a long month. The Guinea King and his allies had left, anti-unification riots had occurred, and now there's going to be massive talks of a massive war in Europe against France, which would leave New Songhai undefended by the Germans.

"Faust! Get in here" yelled Adebowale, who was prepared to send off these letters. Adebowale waited for a minute. "Faust?" he yelled again. His German friend sulked into the king's study.

"Yes, your highness?" responded Faust.

"Mail these letters to Superior"

"Right away your highness"

As Faust started to leave the room with the letters, Adebowale stopped him. "Faust, is something wrong?"

"It's nothing sir, it's just... I will be leaving back to Germania in a few days"

"What? Why? Has something happened? Does Shulza not wish for you to help us anymore?" inquired Adebowale

"No sir, it's not that, it's just that we have received a letter saying that those damned Schluchtenscheissers in Austria have gone wild and I see it as my duty to go back and kill those sons of bitches" replied Shulza angrily. Adebowale was shocked, were there riots in Germany? Or was it an all out civil war? Adebowale was about to ask Faust but he was gone before he could even open his mouth. It seemed New Songhai was going to have to go without German aide for a while.

Sidi Rafaa

Ali was hiding with his mother under his bed. Outside they could hear the yells of the Anti-Unifiers rioting throughout the city. Houses were being destroyed, horrible things could be heard being done to women that Ali wasn't old enough to understand yet. All the while him and his mother stayed under his bed.

Ali heard a group of the rioters come into their house, along with the sounds of a clearly distressed woman. Ali saw their feet as they walked into the bedroom and all Ali could hear were grunts of the rioters and the screams of the woman for about half an hour as the bed bounced on top of them. All the while he could see his mother beside him silently sobbing. She looked terrified, more than Ali had ever seen her in all eight years of his existence.

Ali heard the unsheathing of some weapon, a slicing sound, and the woman's screams were gone. The bed pushed down on them more, it seemed the men were sitting on it. He could hear them talking, although he didn't care to listen to what they were talking about. It seemed mostly nonsense anyway, they were clearly drunk.

After a short while, it seemed like two of them had gotten in an argument. Ali could hear fighting and eventually saw one of them collapse to the ground, unconscious, staring directly at them. The other rioters left and the one man remained, staring at them seemingly unconscious.

They rioting outside seemed to die down. At this point, Ali and his mother were under the impression that the man was dead. They came out from under the bed and began to drag the man outside. As they were dragging him, however, he grabbed Ali's arm. Ali shrieked and ripped his arm away from the man's weak grip. The man stood up. He stared at Ali's mother and seemed to be considering something. After a few moments, the man pushed her against a wall and started reaching under her clothing. His mother shrieked and tried pushing him off.

As they fought, it seemed a candle had been knocked over. The area around them started slowly catching on fire, but neither of them seemed to notice. Ali noticed. He tried calling out to his mother but she was a little busy at that moment. Ali ran out of the house to watch it slowly catch on fire. All Ali could do was watch as everything he had ever known was burnt to a crisp.

by **Newne Carriebean7** » Sun Oct 30, 2016 11:59 am

Oklahoman-Missourian boarder
January 26th,1891
a couple miles from Fort Grant

James Faust and Hinkley Carlentspruger had left the train nicknamed the Light of Democracy several hours prior, and had used horses in a small posse, with the Texan seal being plastered onto the flag, with white and red being draped on the horses,much to their neighing,whining objections that went unnoticed. both men had gotten saddle sore from riding nearly seven hours straight in the horse, with the most interesting thing seeing a small Indian attack on a village get repulsed. that was the tough,rugged and independent like lifestyle the Texans that moved here were used to, a form so foreign to the tobacco spitting,booze drinking drunk city slickers that the natives laughed whenever the convoy stared to long at the real side of Oklahoma.
"how close are we until we reach the boarder?"
one of the Texan guards replied to the tapping on his shoulder with a left hook that Hinkley dodged.
"you bumbuling fools, we're not the enemy here, no one is, asides from the natives of course. we're here to negotiate, not start yet another war?"
"sorrys sirs, I is havings a hard times hearins y'all with the cotton in m'ear."
James looked at the man with amazement. great, they hired idiot guards to protect them... with a sigh, the convoy continued forth, with a small sign being plastered on the wooden billboard
Now Leaving the Union of Texas, loyal Texans, report any Indian or negro runaway to Fort Scrapper 15 miles on horseback at once!
both men couldn't help but chuckle a little, a small sign would not stop any runaway from fleeing, as the injuts may have been idiots that spilled the occasional box of sugar on the floor for a fear of thunder, but they didn't bother to read signs,and hoped any village would be salvation. with that, both men and the ten covered wagon convoy crossed into Superior.

Oklahoman-Missourian fort of Grand River
January 27th,1891
General Colonel White stared at the letter that had been sent via telegram. musing over it's passage, it made the man madder and madder with each passing second. a further three thousand more men and ten new 32 pound cannons would be sent via train to Welch, where they were to make a beeline for the fortress in order to reinforce it. the fort, with only a score of older cannon and 300 men total in it was to be filled to the brim,perfect target for the Superiorite guns if one or two rambunctious militia men decide to shoot off a few rounds. the old paper about the slave-superiorite incident was still on the table, as he had been too busy preparing more room for the men to give a damn why he had been sent here in the first place. the door opened and a soldier shouldering a Winchester rifle saluted with his other arm.
"sir. all men are awaiting orders for the invasion to begin sir."
"what invasion? what kind of shit have you been smoking, is it legal,and can I have some?"
"I'm not under the influence of anything sir."
"then why in the flying fucking shit stain of a cunt monkey's asshole are you bringing me this news?!"
"because headquarter's has delivered this note."
White read the first few sentences, then pulled out his gun and grabbed the bottle of whiskey.
"they're firing me and replacing me with some upstart inbred fuckturd!"
"sir,you'll just be in the reserve,and you'll get coushy p-"
a shot rang out,followed by another shot, prompting the entire camp to go into a frenzy. within a few minutes, the aide had awoken and he saw the general's body lumped over the bottle of whiskey. after saluting the man, he grabbed his used rifle and walked outside,watching the men run around and grab their weapons, unattatching a single 32 pound cannon from it's mount on the wall and plopping the thing in the now heavily damaged wagon that was towed,albeit barely, by a team of unfed horses with promises of apples and the whip. once you shoot off a gun in a room of Texans, they run away and begin to shoot, the bad thing was that this was in the opposite direction, he banged on the drum, and a chain regaining of order ensued, one by one, the commanders of the units won the shouting contests and dragged the reluctant forces back inside the fortress.
once there, the captains got together in the play room.
"welcome gentlemen, we are to decide who becomes the brigade's force commander and the commander of the fort as a result. the candidates are John Bell, Gary Hoarden and Louis Clark. all in favor of bell,raise your right hand."
with that, the hands were counted and two marks were drawn on the chalkboard next to Bell.
"all in favor of Gary."
a single mark was drawn on the board.
"all in favor of Clark?"
three marks were drawn on the board.
"General Louis Clark is to take command of the Grand River garrison force of nine hundred and thirty two men."
a distant shot was heard with a small scream attached at the end.
"make that nine hundred and thirty one men, one of our new recruits discovered the trigger while he was looking down the barrel. aint our army professional?"
a howl of laughter filled the room as the meeting ended. the captain thought to himself:
"I should've become a comedian,lordallmighty."

on the edge of Lake Pontchartrain
Army of the Mississippi
January 26th,1891
General Walter Payne Lane stared at the map intensely as the flap opened up, a man with the trusty colt carbine rifle saluting. Lane sighed, turning his head from the map to the soldier.
"what is it young man?"
"sir, a large force of our men are crossing the Tangipahoa river, around 600 men of the El Paso 3rd Battalion,under Lieutenant colonel Baxter Ford, followed by the Rio grande 2nd regimental reserve battalion, 550 men under colonel Nathan Springer."
"so,you're telling me close to a thousand men under two idiots is all the attacks we're doing on the river crossing? excellent! pour more men into it, get the 2nd Huston volunteer company, around,oh, I'd say 170 strong, pour them into the battle,we must take the river!"
"what of New Orleans?"
"how many ships do we have bombarding it?"
" seven sir, two ironclads, three sloops and a transport with three hundred strong and four 24 pound cannon on it."
"tell the fleet to begin landing operations with the transport it has, take what it can and try to hold it by blasting anyone that moves near the occupied section of New Orleans that our troops have captured."
"Yes sir."

by **Kerbodine** » Mon Oct 31, 2016 8:28 pm

March 30th, 1891, Chicago, Illinois State, Superior
Krupp A.G. Chicago Offices, 135 South LaSalleStrasse

From one of the first skyscrapers in Chicago, indeed, in Superior and the world, people streamed out of a rear door, carrying packages, envelopes, and boxes out to a couple of carriages. It was mail time for one of the busiest businesses in the world. Among the heavy envelopes being carried, this one in a box labeled "INTERNATIONAL MAIL : INTERNATIONALE POST" with several other important packages, was a reply to the King of Songhai.

Greetings to the noble King Adebowale,
I represent Krupp Aktiengesellschaft ('AG'), one of the largest companies in Superior. Our counter-offer, as trading any percentage of our steel without promise of return is very risky, is to offer to build several oil wells in your region. Our technical skills will deal with producing them, as you building them would be most difficult. We would ask for half the output of those wells, and would promise to your nation one and a half times the market value of the oil in steel.
This realistically gives you a fair amount of steel, while not forcing us to give what we consider a disproportionate amount of steel, yet it still provides you industrialization values above market value, making it a good trade for you.
We will also be happy to send contractors to your nation to help you begin to industrialize, though you must realize the process will take decades to fully begin. I personally recommend you consider sending promising young people from your nation to developed countries to learn the ways of modern engineering. I could personally put in a word for a few students of yours to the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Sincerely,
~Dr. Adalbart von Krankzuger
Vice Chairman of Krupp AG

by **Mangjukoia** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 8:48 pm

大日本帝國
Greater Empire of Japan
March 30, 1891

Kyo-to, Empire of Japan
Imperial Palace
The Imperial Court had been dismissed and its ministers and officials went on about their business. The Jibu-kyo, was now handling the sending of replies of the foreign messages. The Chancellor of the Realm had spoken to him on his response, and already had the replies written. Hyobu-kyo Prince Morita was with his staff on the expansion southwards and eastwards. He had troops relegated for his project and his plans had been formally accepted, and all he needed now was to send out his generals. It was northwards that had the Prince worried. North of the Karafuto border was the Chinese warlord and a sense of tension for Russia, China, and Japan. All he could do for now was to reinforce the border and plan ahead.

Osaka & Kobe, Empire of Japan
Osaka Bay
In the waters of the Osaka Bay, large ships sat in port. Three of the ships present, under the command of Admiral Yashamaru Toranosuke, the Fuso, Tenryuu and Kaimon, were to head eastward on orders of landing at Hawaii with the possibility of conquest on the table. His compatriot on the other hand, Admiral Torakata Todo and his fleet were waiting for a lengthier set of orders on their military movement.

by **Kerbodine** » Wed Nov 02, 2016 9:11 pm

January 26th,1891 - Fort Grant, Seneca, Missouri State, Superior

The fort bell rang once, and a minute later, a messenger (with a magnificent mustache) arrived in General Schwartz's office. In a Chicago accent, the messenger reported: "Inbound caravan from Oklahoma road, flying Texan colors, suspected to be the ambassadors from Texas we're expecting." General Schwartz stood up. "Thank you," he said, "I ought to prepare for their arrival." After the messenger left, he pulled out a small bottle of expensive Brazilian peket- a (rather ladylike, even Schwartz would admit) brandy- and allowed himself the smallest of swigs. He suspected he'd need a bit of a kick to deal with these Texans; even the calmest of 'ambassadors' were rumored to be... interesting to deal with...

A few minutes later, the Texan convoy had arrived at the fort. After the guards took a few papers proving the convoy to be legitimate, it was welcomed in, with a miniature parade of 60 of the top men in the garrison at attention. General Schwartz welcomed the ambassadors himself; their initial conversation was brief, with the General introducing himself and Faust and Carletnspruger introducing themselves in response. Gen. Schwartz noted their thick accents, very different from those of the states of Superior; his initial judgement was that the men were probably fairly intelligent and relatively sane for Texans. He gave orders for the ambassadors to be given some of the best housing in the fort for the night, as they would be staying in Fort Grant until the morning train to St. Louis; the rest of their convoy was assigned an unoccupied barracks building, somewhat spartan but comfortable enough.
General Schwartz was eager to meet the Texans a bit more at dinner; most Superiorites, especially ones of higher standing such as himself, had had very little interaction with Southerners since the Dissolution. Smiling just a bit as he tweaked his mustache, he wondered what the Texans thought of his tip-top fortress, probably a stark contrast to Texan military...

by **Newne Carriebean7** » Wed Nov 02, 2016 10:17 pm

Republican Unionist states of Texas and Oklahoma
Friendship and Labor conquer all things
January 26th,1891
Fort Grant

James Faust and Hinkley Carlentspruger thought at what they had been through. they were now guests of the Superiorite garrison, Faust felt slightly guilty for the men that escorted the representatives that they would not be indulging on the fine foods and warm beds that the superiorite commander had presented them with. he had told some lucky slave to unpack his things a short while ago, but he hadn't heard back from him. as he walked upstairs to the bedroom, he noticed his bag missing.
"where are you je'off?" a banjo was played and Faust spun around to see the black slave playing a banjo to the cheer of a small crowd.
"I'is a moosican,bass."
"yes, that's wonderful,I'm happy that you have some hobbies, you can borrow the banjo for the night,but I expect you early in the morning."
"oh, thanks yas, bass, y'is mah savior."
"you're very welcome."
the skinny slave and the young ambassador embraced each other before the door creaked open, appearing a young man in a top hat, with a small red ribbon with a golden medal surrounding his body, the object drooping down lazily.
"am I interrupting something?"
Cartenlenspruger chuckled.
"no, we were just finishing it up, I'm letting this man borrow the banjo for the night."
"a negro? borrow a banjo? hell, he should've joined the army, he'd be great singing the yellow rose of Texas on the Louisianan front."
Hinkley nodded his head and the slave left.
"General, ah, what was it,it was a German name, Victor, Clausewitz,Scharts?"
"Schwarts, that's the name, what about him?"
"He says dinner's ready."
"let's meet this man then, he seemed friendly, don't you agree."
"a bit too friendly, I saw some of those superiors jump for their gun when they saw the slaves we had with us, I almost pulled out my colt."
the men laughed as they entered the area where the general was.
"ah, Ambassadors Faust and Carlentspruger,dinner's all prepared. come have a seat."
as the general extended out his hand, both men nodded and took seats at the table.
"what's for dinner, I trust it's Delicious?"
" the finest food this side of the Mississippi!"
"so I take it the other side of the Mississippi has even better food?"
the two ambassadors chuckled slightly as the plates of Superiorian dishes came out. Faust noticed several paintings on the walls of the building.
"my,my, such famous artworks,this reminds me of the paintings of our presidents in the white house,and congressional building. we've had our share of idiots to take the crown if you will, and to think Frost gets two balls by some maniac named richard."
"I hear he was in California." hinkley added.
"California? so he was the nut-job that ruined our chances of trade, damned idiot, I hope he died slowly."
"nope, he was shot by an execution squad."
"shit. well, no need to gloom on the past."
with that, both men took another spoonful of food.
"nice fortress,reminds me of an old Spanish mission I saw once, once."
"what happened to it again?"
"us Texan maniacs captured it, the damned louies wouldn't give up, and the catholic like commander was speaking latin before he stabbed himself."
"as long as that's in our hands, I don't givua damn."
with that, Hinkley reached over for more food.

Oklahoman-Missourian fort of Grand River
February 1st,1891
General Louis Clark saluted the messenger boy as he entered among a mob of more fresh troops that had arrived. he felt slight pity for the boy, as he had been caught up in the Texan sweat and blood that this war was wrecking on the men. first the assault on Louisiana and now a potential assault on the superiorites, he wouldn't have it. he wanted the nation not to fuck itself over by attacking another area and potentially large superpower. the fort now had 3,567 total soldiers in the fortress, when it was designed for just 300 as a maximum. that was what get got for asking for more and more reinforcements, soon he'll be commanding an entire division's worth of men. he just needed 17,000 more idiots with the knowledge to shoot off guns and know how not to trip over his front two feet when they marched, and those men were,sadly, in short supply, as Texan troops were not known for their sharpness, and the Texan general was renowned in the art of stupidity. General Clark was not one of them, old general White might have been, but not this old tiger.
as the men filed into the fort, the mumbled hush of the crowds halted with a gunshot in the air.
"alright you maggots, thank you for volunteering for the Texan army, I am general Louis Clark, commander of the Grand River Fort Garrison. this place does not have the room, and I can't see all of you anyways,but I'm sure you're shit in fighting anyways."
a roar of laughter emanated over the crowd.
"now then, we are to expand our fortress with the following plans, two more forts are to be built to accommodate the extended men power, and, seeing that slaves would rather run to those bastard superiorans,it looks like you'll be doing the backbreaking labor! the blueprints shall be on the other side of the table, go nuts men! dismissed."
as grumbles and complaints began to filter out, General Clark merely pulled out a pipe and smoked it.
"we'll show those Superiorites who has the bigger fort... it'll be us, us! hahahaha!"
with a crackle of thunder adding to the men's frustrations, Clark lit a fire and got warm beside it.

by **Kazarogkai** » Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:14 pm

February 1891
The Latin Commonwealth of Georgia

few miles west of Tangipahoa River, West Georgia
Purius Corps(3)
Flying Column No. 1

Making their way across the marshy western banks of the river Tangipahoa the Corps of Purius were engaging in what could best be described as a forced march. They hope was that they would be able to catch up to the would be invaders before they were able to properly cross and potentially gain the advantage. To this task General Purius had given authorization to his cavalry under the leadership of his Lieutenant Ittalon to continue on ahead to make use of their superior speed. Though yes this would be a risky strategy, leaving behind the infantry and artillery, the hope was that they would at the very least buy them sometime via holding the enemy force in place.

The troops who made their way forward numbered 864 cavalry with a composition of half with sabers in hand and the other half with revolvers or a carbine. A typical composition for a rather typical typical Georgian tactic. The gun armed "skirmish" half would go first providing a nice initial firing screen to soften up the enemy force but then at the last moment disengaging allowing the saber rattling "assault" half to engage in a charge of the enemy line. While the assault half were engaged the skirmish half would go off either supporting the other half and exploiting weak points in the enemy's position, either from the flank or from behind, or charging past in order to engage assets behind the enemy's line(artillery, command elements, etc).

This as mentioned was a rather typical georgian tactic and for anyone who was in the know how of this day and age it was an archaic one. It had been a long time since the Georgians had properly engage in a real conflict other than the occasional rebel stomping. Though the Georgians by all accounts were most certainly not lacking in training and by all accounts they were masters of logistics("a Georgian soldier never starves or lacks bullets") In this time the Georgians in terms of both their tactics and weaponry were in many cases generations behind. In the mind of many Georgian commanders the cavalry charge was a still coveted and relevant tactic on the battlefield. Facing up to poorly equipped and disciplined guerrillas whose normal response was to run this was to be fair a reasonable assumption for them to have.

Whatever the case be though the time of judgement was upon them. Just a little while ago the enemy had been spotted and the call to discipline had been sounded. When the enemy position was in sight the order to attack was given. To jingo to war for here it was to begin. With a sound like that of thunder the Georgian Cavalry mades its charge into the enemy position firing their guns like a band of maniacs.

by **The Grand Duchy Of Nova Capile** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 3:43 pm

Purkersdorf

Major Rudolfo László held up his hand. Instantly the well-drilled Hungarian troops drew to a halt behind him. Before them lay the small Austrian village of Purkerdorf, allegedly the root of this rebellion. A handful of Austrian peasants were outdoors, staring at them with scowls across their faces. Behind them rose a flagpole- but instead of the proud German banner, a three-striped rag with an Austrian Eagle fluttered. "Take down that flag," Rudolfo called, beginning to move forward again. They passed the Austrians, who cursed, waved their fists, and even spat at them. The Hungarian Jägers had been ordered not to harm any of the civilians unless they harmed them, but they did cast dark looks at the filthy scum who dared to rebel against the German state. Rudolfo stopped before the flagpole, and two well-dressed young officers came up beside him.

"Take it down!" Instantly the two men set to work, and the flag began its slow descent. Major László turned to his second-in-command, a Lieutenant Botond. "Get a bonfire going." By the time the Austrian flag had been lowered and sat in the Major's hands, a roaring fire was crackling before him. Rodolfo nodded to the unit's band, who began playing Königgrätzer Marsch. As the brisk tune began to carry across the village, a small crowd gathered about twenty paces away from the Hungarian line. Making sure that all of them were watching, Rudolfo held up the neatly folded banner and dropped it into the smouldering flames.

Blood and Iron [IC/ALT-HISTORY/OPEN]

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