Age of Imperialism: A Colonization RP IC

[Arventum]

South America,
The Granada Federation,
Colombia,
Bogota

“Brasilia, a land of Latin ambition stolen away from the likes of Spain and Portugal by a nation from the Middle East.” Sergio stated aloud, catching the attention of Luca and one of Sergio’s couriers, whom was grabbing some grapes from a table of snacks. A celebration had just ended. Allowing the Hashemites to colonize St. Martin, and maintain control of one of Brasilia’s most populated areas had blessed the Federation with access to a new and vast territory. Gran Colombia had inched even closer, and one day all of South America might very well be under the control the Granada Federation.

“Brasilia, as a whole, has a population of nearly 12 million. Thanks to the Latin presence there, we can be assured that problems with controlling the population we have possess sovereignty over now will not be too prominent should we allow them to continue practicing their religions and culture. Nonetheless, I will have our police dispatched to patrol the most… sensitive areas.” Sergio commanded, the courier already having pulled out a fountain pen and now writing across the surface of fine vellum.

“I wish for new infrastructure and military bases to be built in the portions of Brasilia that we control. We must come to build monitoring stations, facilities for police and firefighters, government offices, army and naval bases. Brasilia must have its schools, roads, bridges, and such studied and logged so that we may know where to tend to first. We must efficiently tax the new population, but at the same rate as everyone else. So far, I believe Brasilia to be industrialized where it matters. It will only add to the economy of the Federation, but not efficiently if we are unwise.” Sergio stated.

“What about the leaders of our new territory?” Luca asked, quirking his head. His left hand’s fingers twirled a grape in between them, while right hand held a bowl of fruit - mostly grapes, but other fruit, too.

“We will have them elect their municipal government, and pick from a selection of governors. It is better to make them feel welcomed, as though they are a part of us, rather than being controlled and separate. That is part of why all great empires inevitably fall.” Sergio explained, knowing that even if people truly were controlled and separate, that if they were unaware of that simple fact, then they would be content.

“Statehood, sire?” The courier asked. Sergio shook his head.

“No. Not yet. They will reach statehood after 3 years, I believe.” The Premier said.

[Vrijstaat Limburg]

Afrikaner troops sailing to Kinshasa along the Congo river, shortly after making contact with the black populace.

The expedition had been going on for so long. When'd they finally arrive? The Afrikaners had been sent on clogged troop carriers, dank due to the hot weather. They had hated being shipped from one side of Africa to the other. When they did finally arrive at the mouth of the Congo river, many were shocked to see that they had to be placed on boats again. Although the small steamboats manned by the natives were more comfortable than the cramped up cabins of the large sea vessels, most Afrikaners hated seafaring.

The troops finally arrived in Kinshasa a couple of days later, and rejoiced when they found the Dutch troops. The Afrikaners had expected to fraternize with the Dutch quite easily, thinking that they'd speak the same language. Never had they been so wrong.

There were small problems between catholic minorities on the Afrikaner side. The South-African republic and all boers for that matter, let in anybody into their soceity, while the dutch were very keen on supporting calvinists and protestants, and "enslaved" catholic people like Brabanders and Limburgers by working in coalmines. The problems were then sweeped under the rug when small rations of alcohol was supplied to the men, but the linguistical difficulties remained, and the two groups could only understand eachother with a great deal of effort.

The Afrikaners had finally arrived. They had sailed along the Russian settlements on the Namibian coast, wondering what Ivan was up to. These thoughts didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered but the foundation of Dutch settlers in the Congo.

[Arshanid Deccan]

Telegrama Ofical do Duque do Porto

From: Kingdom of Portugal

To: Sultanate of Hashemite

Dear Brother,

After discussing this matter with the Regent and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, we hereby join your military alliance with Russia. And I would like to invite delegates from the member nations of this alliance to Lisbon to sign an official treaty of cooperation between our nations.

Truly Yours,

Infante Dom Alfonso, Constable of Portugal, Prince Royal, Duke of Porto.

From: Sultan Kilij Khan of the New Seljuk Empire
To: Infante Dom Alfonso of the Kingdom of Portugal

I would like to welcome you to the Coalition, If God wills this alliance will benefit all of us. I have sent to you a magnificent Shisha set along with some of our finest tobacco as a gesture of friendship. Please do enjoy it and may peace be upon you and your people.

Sultan Kilij Khan

[Arventum]

THE GRANADA FEDERATION

THE RULE OF SERGIO DE SAN MARTIN

---

Replies Needed from the Following

• N/A, for now

---

South America,
The Granada Federation

Ecstasy - the feeling, a sensation that rose through your body like a coffee rose bringing energy and the greatest of scents, could be many things, but one of the most pride-bringing was conquering. Not conquering where thousands of young men were sent to die while their little brothers pleaded with their mothers to bring Bubba back, nor conquering where disease was used against foes. This brand of conquering was among the most elusive. This kind of conquering was one of peace and negotiation, and it had brought 4 million new kin into the population of the Granada Federation. For now, the need to expand further was stifled for the moment, and celebratory affectations still burned among the Granadeers.

The atmosphere was not calm, however. Iberia - its two nations of Spain and Portugal - had succeeded in, at one point, colonizing much of the land that the Latin nations were attempting to reclaim. A neighbor of the Granada Federation happened to be composed of the descendants of the Viceroyalty of Brasilia, and though the ambitions of an unified Brazil had been abandoned for some time, the upset of the Granda Federation’s expansionism was disastrous for relations. The Kingdom of Brazil was prepared for war, and with a population of 8 million they were more than capable of defending themselves for some time.

A force of soldiers had begun massing, preparing to repel any preemptive strikes against the Federation. A contingent from the First Federal Army and First Premier Guard had been dispatched, composed of 50,000 men from the Federal Army and 10,000 elite soldiers from the Premier Guard. Divided into 5 divisions of 10,000 men each, the Federal Army’s divisions would be accompanied by brigades of 2,000 men each. The massing would likely be complete given time, with more time taken for fortifications, but in the meantime as key positions began to be occupied by more and more soldiers, the Communication Corps had dispatched two dozen scouts on horseback to covertly learn of the enemy kingdom’s capabilities. They would return - once again, given time - with information much needed for the defense of the Federation, and any strikes made against the Kingdom of Brazil.

Naval vessels had been deployed - largely the coastal defense vessels - to counter-balance against the decently-sized fleet of the Kingdom of Brazil. Deployed was half of an entire fleet, 25 vessels, though not the largest of them - which was a primitive ironclad version of the battleship we all know - as well as 2 submarines that would carry information between the fleet and the mainland as needed.

Back home, police officers were still being dispatched and assigned, while some soldiers had been drafted to do policing duties while training efforts had started for new forces of police for the newly acquisitioned territory. Insuring the safety of the population, and the sanctity of peace would do well for the nation’s goals. The police were repeatedly told of their peacekeeping duties - that is, to keep the peace. They were to be as amiable as possible with the population, and to make detailed reports as well as keep a log to help with the insurance that some suspicious activity - if there was any - would be caught before anything too severe happened.

A new project regarding the roads, bridges, other transport, and communications infrastructure of the nation had been undertaken. Widespread telegraph networks were a part of the project, but just the beginning. The building of bridges and roads, and the maintenance of these as well as existing ones, would be assigned 5% of the GDP as a part of the transport and communications effort being initiated. While the infrastructure of the nation wasn’t poor, it also wasn’t the best in the world. In a decade, there might be something more akin to the Native American cultures of yore present - roads connecting nearly everything in major settlements, from nearby farms linked to markets, to every aspect of a city possessing roads that were quite decent in nature.

A militia was to be set up composed of individuals from the newly acquired territory, with members of this militia slowly going on to become police officers and members of the military as the territory started to be integrated further and further. If the ownership of Brasilia looked like an occupation, public opinion of the Granadeer there would be poor, after all. The militia would start out at 1% of the population there, hopefully, with this meaning that 40,000 militiamen would be brought in over a period of several months to a year of recruitment. Integration took time, but given that time, great things could be done. Considering that the militia was to be composed of volunteers, the recruitment would likely be encouraged by propaganda encouraging protecting Brasilia. The volunteers would need to be indoctrinated as well, and assuring them that the government could pay them enough to take care of their families, offer legal representation if necessary, and provide decent enough equipment that they wouldn’t be overrun in mere minutes, as well as support from the various corps (such as the Communication Corps) in the Empire, would be part of that indoctrination.

The Dispatch

Two major positions, their status largely unknown, from which the Federation could manage their affairs in the South Atlantic Ocean had sat untouched and unclaimed by various parties. These included the island of Two Boats, with the city of Georgetown on it, and St. Helena, Ascension, and Tristan de Cunha. Twin flotillas - composed of 10 combat vessels each - were preparing to launched. With the flotillas, there would be troop transport, hospital, and supply vessels, as well as several couriers that could carry information to different parts of the mainland if additional assistance or supplies - different locations providing varying types of that - were needed.

The launch was not complete, yet. As always, there was a period of planning and preparation before something could be done, whether that was in war or in colonization. Planning and preparation was taking place now. The plan was to begin the expedition peacefully, with the combat ships bombarding any encountered enemy positions and engaging any enemy vessels. Then, the troop transports would land and deploy their soldiers to secure the position. While the need to expand was largely smited for the moment, the presence of such potentially valuable territory was causing some anxiety should an European power acquire it.

Nearby were the Portuguese. Granada probably wouldn’t have any problems with them, however.

The supplies carried were a mixture of supplies for combat and healthy amounts of goods necessary for survival, harnessing local resources, and construction. There were a plentiful amount of vessels, as the people there needed to survive for a while, and, if necessary, repair any of the docks there. Whether or not there were still people on these islands was unknown. A lack of knowledge was an unfortunate aspect of not interacting with certain locations and places. Granada had not had a part in these islands in quite some time, even lightly. Considering their somewhat isolationist tendencies, with Granada only having recently granted the Turks economic access, this was to be somewhat expected. Still, there was more to the world than Hawaiian sugar and his Hawaiian wife, Sergio had found, especially as Luca - the heir apparent to the Premiership - had encouraged interacting with the world more, and leaving the tradition of trading with a handful of powers behind.

[Al-Hind Indus]

Aden,Yemen Vilayet
Some policies have been changed:
1.Freedom to practise and profess religion enabled.
2.Every ethnoreligious community can vote their representatives to power.
3.Integration without force.
4.Turbans compulsory and Beards preferable. Each ethnic community can spot their kinds of beards and turbans.
5.Compulsory Military Practise.
6.Freedom for all to move in and out of nation.
7.Armenians,Kurds,Arabs,Jews,Balkanese,Iranians,Turks and Afro-Hashemites and others are hereby full citizens.
8.Hereby, all colonial possessions come under the TURBAN/EMAMAH.
9.All hereditary priviliges and titles end, except that of Hashemites in Hejaz, Ottomans and the Hashemite dynasty and its branches like : Hashimov, De hachim, Von Hashim, Hashimzai, Hashimoglu and others.
10. Every citizen can contest in elections and become a member of parliament.
11. Mufti Imam Uthman AlQadri AlNakshbandi AlHashmi of Hejaz is appointed as advisor to the Emamah.
12. Sultan is bound to develop the nation. The Crown Prince Ghazi after the death of the Sultan would be the Badshah, the sole spiritual leader of all Muslims.
13.The press is hereby free to print articles, except if they are blasphemous, heretical, demeaning to any section of society.
14.Alcohol, Gambling, Raki, and immoral activities could lead to punishments.
15.Any Citizen can cooperate with allied nations. Buisness are free and only penalized if they are found to oppress people.

[Asardia]

Japan announces the build up of the Armed Forces of the Empire of Japan

In order to protect Japan and her interests in Asia, Emperor Meiji ordered the further modernization of the armed forces to better match those of the west and to increase the size. The Imperial Japanese Navy would continue to be a coastal defense force to ward off foreign invaders. The navy would be modeled after the British. The Japanese government issued the first Naval Expansion bill a couple of years earlier, requiring the construction of 48 warships, of which 22 were to be torpedo boats. But in order to produce results and help with modernization, the Japanese, ironically required foreign assistance. Two war ships, the Naniwa and the Takachiho, were ordered from British shipyards that Japan still had yet to seize. Then there was the matter of the army. Like the navy, the army would be modeled after a Western power, which was Germany. And like the Europeans, Japan had introduced conscription, requiring all adult males to serve a total of seven years in military service. The size of both the Navy and the army will be double over the next ten years, with assistance from foreign powers to help speed up the process.

[Arshanid Deccan]

ISTANBUL DAILY

---

Aden,Yemen Vilayet
Two Churches and A Qadri tekke has been built in Aden. A Russian Orthodox Church and a Orientalist Orthodox Church along with a Qadri Sufi lodge has been built in Aden. Russia and Ethiopia would be ask to provide clergymen for the churches, whereas the Arab Dervishes and Seljuks would be asked to provide Dervishes,Mullahs and Sufis for the lodge. Further six provinces in Yemen Vilayet had their names changed. These name changes indicate better ties among Sultanates' allies. The old names along with their new names are below:
1. Al-Hadhramaut to Ar-Rus Province [The Russia Province]
2. Al-Marib to Al-Habsha Province [The Ethiopia Province]
3. Al-Suqutra to Al-Purtugal [The Portugal Province]
4. Al-Shabwah to Al-Yaban [The Japan Province]
5. Al-Jawf to Al-Saljuk Al-Farsi [The Persian Seljuk Province]
6. Al-Mahrah to Al-Gharnatah au Kulimbia Al-Azima [The Granada or Great Colombia Province (Gran Colombia)]

Seljuk News
Dervishes and Imams have been mobilized to be sent to Yemen Vilayet for the service of the Lodge in Al-Jawf.

The Sultan has approved of the construction of major rail network being constructed by the Hashemite Sultanate. He has also agreed to contribute 200,000 Dirhams for the construction.
First Line: Moscow-Kartli-Kars-Erzurum-Hejaz
Second line: Novosibirsk-Astana-Almaty-Bishkek-Tashkent-Dushanbe-Kabul-Islamabad-Lahore-Karachi
Third line: Karachi-Shiraz-Isfahan-Tehran-Tabriz-Erzurum-Jerusalem-Hejaz
Fourth line: Hejaz-Aden-Tadjourah-Harar-Mekelle-Jimma-Garessa-Mogadishu
Fifth line: Mogadishu-Jimma-Garessa-Jammame-Tanga-Zanzibar-Daressalam
Sixth line: Afghaistan-China-Russia-Korea

To: Alexander III Romanov, Tsar of all Russia
From: Seljuk Mahal, Isfahan

Greetings and May Peace Be Upon You. Regarding your alliance and friendly relations with the Hashemite Sultanate, I would also like to establish friendly relations with the powerful Tsar and his powerful nation. The Seljuk Empire opens its borders for trade with Russia, which will benefit both of our economies. We would also like to exchange embassy's with Russia in order to further strengthen our relations and to provide efficient cooperation between our nations. A gift of a breathtaking Persian Rug has been sent to Kremlin Palace for the you to enjoy. Thank You for considering my proposal.

Sultan Kilij Khan of the New Seljuk Empire

[Granluras]

Palace of Versailles, Versailles, Imperial French Republic, The Week Leading Up To The Conference

Throughout the week thousands of servants had arrived at the Palace of Versailles. The hauled in tables, chairs, plates, food, wine barrels, spices, and countless other things which would assist in the preparation of the Hall of Mirrors, turning it into a lavish meeting zone for the incumbent leaders of the world which were set to arrive in a few days.

In the center of the Hall a large, thirty foot by five foot oak table which stood four feet high was placed down. It was encircled by two dozen chairs, which would hold the multiple world leaders and their plus ones (mostly their deputies or ambassadors). These chairs were handcrafted, gold-rimmed chairs which were the finest France had to offer. Chairs, silverware, tableware, every detail and every triviality was made as presentable as possible. Chefs and cooks of Spanish, English, Hashemite, Asiatic, and various other origins were summoned to cook meals that were part of each of the world leader’s cuisines.

The French Imperial Guard was hired to guard the event, with hundreds of guardsmen stations in strategic positions inside and outside the Palace, with one placed in between every two world leaders/dignitaries at the table in the Hall of Mirrors. The vast and tight levels of defense propagating outwards from the Hall and to the surrounding, exterior gardens, walkways, etc ensures that not one unauthorized person could make it through.

A total of ~150,000 Francs (2.5 million USD ca. 2018) were spent on these preparations, and when all was complete after six days of ten-hour shifts for the thousands of servants, cooks, and other laborers, the Hall of Mirrors was ten times more luxurious than ever. Dozens of French statesmen and dignitaries had to come to Versailles prematurely to see the wonderful work down, and all were equally amazed. Oh how intensely the Hall glittered and shimmered! This was truly a major accomplishment by France and made for the perfect spot to discuss the future in!

---

Along with the invitation included in President Brogile’s inaugural speech a month earlier a separate RSVP was sent out to the world leaders to, in more detail, invite them (OOC: You don’t have to respond to this).

To: Other world leaders
From: Foreign Ministry of France
Your Excellencies, Majesties, Right Honourables, Eminences, Etc.,

On behalf of President Brogile this letter is being sent to all of you to formally invite you to the Palace of Versailles next month. We will be discussing a variety of topics, some of which are the following:

• International cooperatives to construct and fund megaprojects which will benefit our progeny, e.g. the [url=x]Niger Basin irrigation project[/url]
• Upholding peace through enhancing and popularizing diplomacy, decolonization, democratization, egalitarianism, reformism, etc.
• Promoting the development of advanced technologies to produce a sophisticated and vibrant future for our young
• Et cetera

We are modifying the Palace to fit your needs, from cuisine to customs. We have hired Chinese, English, Russian, and other cuisine-specific chefs, we’re hiring and preparing intense levels of security for your safety, and we’re preparing special valets and postillions to transport you to the Palace.

You are allowed to bring a dignitary or two, we have prepared enough seats to sit one or two additional people per head of state. There are associated congregations throughout the Palace, so you can choose even more dignitaries to bring, but they will not be in the Hall of Mirrors. Due to this we’re expecting over a hundred people to arrive. I hope you will be one of them.

Sincerely,
Minister Ferry and the entire Foreign Ministry

[Al-Hind Indus]

Sultan Al-Khataei and Crown Prince Ghazi were assassinated. This is the second regicide in Hashemite history.All leaders are asked to come to pay last visits. The funeral prayer would be held soon after which they would be buried in AlBaqi Cemetry,Medina. The next-in-line Prince Mehmet II would be crowned in Versailes Conference in the evening, all leaders are invited. Many people across the nation were weeping.The Sultan's assassination took place after the reforms were declared.

[Arshanid Deccan]

Sultan Al-Khataei and Crown Prince Ghazi were assassinated. This is the second regicide in Hashemite history.All leaders are asked to come to pay last visits. The funeral prayer would be held soon after which they would be buried in AlBaqi Cemetry,Medina. The next-in-line Prince Mehmet II would be crowned in Jeddah in the evening, all leaders are invited. Many people across the nation were weeping.The Sultan's assassination took place after the reforms were declared.

Upon hearing of the death of his faithful ally, Sultan Kilij Khan immediately ordered a ship to be prepared to take him across the Persian Gulf. Sultan Kilij Khan's ship will be docking in Qatar and from there he will be coached to Jeddah to pay his respects to the late Sultan Al-Khataei. He has left his Crown Prince Shehzade Arslan Khan II in charge of the state affairs while he is out of the country.

[The Federation of Kendor]

Mexico
Past month recap 1

The past month saw the successes of Mexico. The Spanish investors who invested in the Mexican plantations became more successful, due to the large amounts, as well as high quality of crops. It was helped by the Mexican intervention, providing the knowledges and materials to plant the crops, as well as local workforce. Meanwhile, the silver mines, which were already more than half finished overall (half finished as in more than half of the intended constructed mines being finished), started to turn in profit. This was increased by the investations to silver craft men, who crafted silver items to export.

The railways and roads had also been half finished. Despite if that, it had already connected important cities, as well as economic and military sites, increasing the economy. It's now just the construction of roads and railways to the more isolated parts of Mexico, as well as the still unconnected economic and military sites.

The industries, meanwhile, was already increased. The reports showed that the Mexican economy growth was now 5% per year, and increasing. Exports were also increasing, as well as the quality of the ports, from the trade.

OOC: Will continue this later, in the next part, due to school. This is a recap of the last months.

[Tysoania]

Santo Domingo, Hispaniola, Spanish West Indies

Ramon Blanco y Eneres, Captain-General of Hispaniola, was in a celebratory mood. The invasion of Haiti last December had been a resounding success, with the president of Haiti capitulating only weeks after the initial assault. The Haitian army, meanwhile, had proven itself to be overwhelmed by Spanish firepower and naval artillery, and the captain-general had just received a report that the last Haitian unit had surrendered outside the town of Cerca-Carvajal, their last remaining urban stronghold. Army commanders had noted that some units had disbanded to join the guerrillas in the Central Cordillera Mountains, but so far, there had been no attacks, apart from the occasional theft or potshot at a Spanish sentry. The end of the war meant that the entire island was in Spanish hands, and apart from the troops needed for the pacification of the mountains, the remainder of the army was packing up. The fleet anchored in Santo Domingo Harbor would be departing tomorrow, carrying thousands of troops back to Cuba or Spain.

So far, the new economic policies in Hispaniola were having mixed results. Sugar processing had been a key component of the island's small industrial belt, and the relocation of those factories to Cuba had bred resentment among the urban working class. On the other hand, the island's huge amounts of tobacco and sugar plantations meant that exports were booming, and this was sparking a growth in shipping-related industries in the nation's ports. The island's ongoing guerrilla problems also meant that Eneres had had an excuse to request support for new social programs, and this had been granted. A new pilot project was now underway in the Samana peninsula, where public schools were being constructed in surprising numbers. Additionally, a temporary tariff increase on exports to Mexico meant that the captain-general had been able to fund free education at the technical institute of the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, on the condition that all graduates serve a period of time in the militia or the Spanish military. This was designed to increase the Spanish military presence in the area, as well as ensure a steady supply of conscripts if necessary. Finally, the newly-educated graduates could more easily find work in different industries, ensuring that they were taxable at a good rate.

The only other major issue that was unresolved in Hispaniola was the guerrillas, but Eneras had a plan in place for that. The guerrillas were probably receiving aid from farmers in the areas around San Juan, as that was where most attacks were occurring. He planned to deploy about 1,200 troops into San Juan and the surrounding towns, while simultaneously subsidizing underproduction by the local farmers. That would hopefully deplete the aid going to the guerrillas, while also intimidating them into staying in the remote areas of the mountains. With any luck, the guerrilla fighters would soon give up and head back to their homes and farms.

The Spanish conquest of Haiti is complete.
Guerrilla fighters have holed up in the Central Cordillera Mountains.
New technical institutes are churning out educated citizens that must serve in the military to pay for their education.
A new tariff on agricultural exports to Mexico has been enacted.

[Dorlominia]

ISTANBUL DAILY

---

Aden,Yemen Vilayet
Two Churches and A Qadri tekke has been built in Aden. A Russian Orthodox Church and a Orientalist Orthodox Church along with a Qadri Sufi lodge has been built in Aden. Russia and Ethiopia would be ask to provide clergymen for the churches, whereas the Arab Dervishes and Seljuks would be asked to provide Dervishes,Mullahs and Sufis for the lodge. Further six provinces in Yemen Vilayet had their names changed. These name changes indicate better ties among Sultanates' allies. The old names along with their new names are below:
1. Al-Hadhramaut to Ar-Rus Province [The Russia Province]
2. Al-Marib to Al-Habsha Province [The Ethiopia Province]
3. Al-Suqutra to Al-Purtugal [The Portugal Province]
4. Al-Shabwah to Al-Yaban [The Japan Province]
5. Al-Jawf to Al-Saljuk Al-Farsi [The Persian Seljuk Province]
6. Al-Mahrah to Al-Gharnatah au Kulimbia Al-Azima [The Granada or Great Colombia Province (Gran Colombia)]

Seljuk News
Dervishes and Imams have been mobilized to be sent to Yemen Vilayet for the service of the Lodge in Al-Jawf.

The Sultan has approved of the construction of major rail network being constructed by the Hashemite Sultanate. He has also agreed to contribute 200,000 Dirhams for the construction.
First Line: Moscow-Kartli-Kars-Erzurum-Hejaz
Second line: Novosibirsk-Astana-Almaty-Bishkek-Tashkent-Dushanbe-Kabul-Islamabad-Lahore-Karachi
Third line: Karachi-Shiraz-Isfahan-Tehran-Tabriz-Erzurum-Jerusalem-Hejaz
Fourth line: Hejaz-Aden-Tadjourah-Harar-Mekelle-Jimma-Garessa-Mogadishu
Fifth line: Mogadishu-Jimma-Garessa-Jammame-Tanga-Zanzibar-Daressalam
Sixth line: Afghaistan-China-Russia-Korea

To: Alexander III Romanov, Tsar of all Russia
From: Seljuk Mahal, Isfahan

Greetings and May Peace Be Upon You. Regarding your alliance and friendly relations with the Hashemite Sultanate, I would also like to establish friendly relations with the powerful Tsar and his powerful nation. The Seljuk Empire opens its borders for trade with Russia, which will benefit both of our economies. We would also like to exchange embassy's with Russia in order to further strengthen our relations and to provide efficient cooperation between our nations. A gift of a breathtaking Persian Rug has been sent to Kremlin Palace for the you to enjoy. Thank You for considering my proposal.

Sultan Kilij Khan of the New Seljuk Empire

Office of the Emperor of Russia

---

FROM: Kremlin Palace, Moscow
TO: Sultan Kilij Khan of the New Seljuk Empire

Esteemed Sultan,
Your Majesty, we have considered your military alliance, and is glad to say that this had passed on both in the Royal Council and Parliament as accepted. We accept your alliance offer and is looking to cooperate with the Seljuk Empire in any military operations and colonizing. Aside from thee military alliance we have also considered the opening of Russian embassy and the opening of Seljuk embassy in Moscow. Needless to say that it is accepted. This will be another steep in building cordial relations with your nation. We also considered an opening of the railway from Tbilisi, and entering the Hashemite territory and join the Trans-Caucasian railway from Anatolia, to be bulit in your nation from Tbilisi-Baku-Alborz-Tehran-Samarkand-Almaty-Astana-Saratov-Moscow., This will strengthen the trade between Russia and Seljuk. As a gift from our nation with this letter is one of Tsar Alexander I's Faberge eggs covered in diamonds and golds. May this jewel became a symbol of our longstanding alliance and partnership.

Regards,
Alexander III Romanov, Tsar of all Russia

[Dorlominia]

Sultan Al-Khataei and Crown Prince Ghazi were assassinated. This is the second regicide in Hashemite history.All leaders are asked to come to pay last visits. The funeral prayer would be held soon after which they would be buried in AlBaqi Cemetry,Medina. The next-in-line Prince Mehmet II would be crowned in Versailes Conference in the evening, all leaders are invited. Many people across the nation were weeping.The Sultan's assassination took place after the reforms were declared.

Emperor Alexander III Romanov offers his condolences to the grieving Hashemite Sultanate. A Royal delegation from Russia, led by Crown Prince Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov and Governor of Kazakhstan, His Exellency Ulugh Bey, was sent to Istanbul and Jeddah while the Russians meet thee Hashemite officials to offer their condolences and commence a meeting regarding the Versailles, the Turkish would see to the transfer of Turkish people from Central Asia and Anantolia as well as the railway building's and to pray in Mecca for the Sultan.

[Dorlominia]

REDACTED

[Al-Hind Indus]

ISTANBUL DAILY

---

Bahrain,Khaleej Vilayet
The Granadeer men have struck oil in the deserts of Island of Bahrain. A substantial amount of natural gas presence has been found. The Granadeer men would now return. The nation would like to buy the necessary equipments to explore Oil on its own. A letter has been sent to Granada.
To:Preimer of Granada
From: The Hashemite Regency Council

---

This is to inform you that our nation would like to buy oil exploration equipment from your nation. Please do help us,as you know our current political situation. The Government here is totally insecure and the assassins are still roaming freely. That is what we can say of our political situations.
Signed
The Regency Council

[Labstoska]

The imperial federation had been in quite a predicament for quite some time now, while it could be considered the world hegamon in terms of military, industrial and technological prowess, it also lacked any major alliances considering the fact that most nations looked enviously upon Brittainia and her vast empire, while this was happening internal factions saught to test the empire apart from within, these people could range from dammned republicans to uncivilised barbarian nationalist. So in the mid 19th century a solution to the empire's internal strife was devised by a group of concerned gentlemen calling themselves the united imperial league in order to promote the idea of an imperial federation where all colonies and dominions of Britain were represented equally within an imperial parliament, when first presented to parliament this idea of an imperial federation was first scorned as an attempt to create disunity within the empire and so the idea of an imperial federation passed into obscurity however it quickly became evident to those within the government that the natives of British colonies were very quickly growing dissatisfied with the current government particularly within the subcontinent, even in colonies that were considered that were once considered 'tame' such as Canada and Australia were now begining to show the signs of discontent. The government finally found themselves crawling back to the united imperial league requesting that they aid them in the formation of the new imperial federation. The imperial federation in no way completely removed separatist movements however it did stop them from using the excuse that they weren't equally represented within the empire. The new imperial federation also created an imperial identity in which many of the younger generation are now identifying with, and what better party to represent this new identity than those who first created the idea of the federation now under the banner of the federalist party, it was this party who now guided the federation into it's uncertain future and it's forefront was the esteemed sir Alexander Crawford prime minister of the imperial federation.

One of the more higher rankings members of the imperial federation known as Arthur Cowely and an administrator if one of it's more benevolent organisations, the imperial economic development organisation, was currently on near border between the new Seljuk empire and the Imperial federation overseeing the work on the trans Indian railway, one of the IEDO's more ambitious projects. The heat was unbearable out here and Cowley could only imagine the heat that the Indian workers were having to work through, fortunately he was able to oversee the construction progress from quite a pleasant and hospitable tent that had been errected next to where the railway was being constructed.

Another notable feature of the construction progress was that an entire platoon of colonial infantry had been assigned to protect the workers and aid in the overseeing of the construction operation. The leader of this platoon, captain Michael Alcott, now strolled up in quite an arrogant manner to Cowley and addressed him "fine evening sir isn't it, although it's bloody hot out here innit." Cowley could see from this man's accent and use of volacbulary that he wasn't the most high class of individuals and therefore despite the federation's messages of unity and solidarity there was still an instant divide between them. Cowley looked up at the man from his chair and replyed "indeed it is captain, however while your protection is appreciated I do still wonder why it is necessary, doesn't paint that good of an image of Anglo-Indian relations does it, if we have to have armed soldiers to keep control over them." Captain Alcott seemed confused by Cowley's words and said in response " it's not the Indians sir, it's those cable over there." The captain proceeded to point in the direction of the new Seljuk empire " those Afghans may have a different name now however there have been plenty raids across the border that those lot have partaken in ." Cowley responed by saying " well we better hope that they become a bit more cordial towards us, we are hoping to build this railway right through their territory after all." The captain looked completely shocked by Cowley's statement "but sir those are bloody savages over there, we can't make deals with them!" Cowley was now beginning to be bored by the captain and replyed in monotone voice " well the message has already been sent so there's nothing we can do about it anyways we used to say the Indians were savages and look at them now, proud citizens of the federation." The captain seemed contents by Cowley's response so he proceeded to meander back off to his men while Cowley prayed that the Seljuks would accept the railway proposition.

Dheli
Devlin, a city far more ancient than the entire British empire had seen many changes, it had swapped between many empires, it had new segments added onto it by various different cultures and peoples. The British empire was now the owner of Delhi and had as many had before and now it was their turn to shape Dehli in their image, the landscape that Dehli now adopted was modern and industrial, with gas lights on most street corners in the inner city and large factories dotting the outside of the city, in most streets the union jack flew, not because the people of Dehli were particularly patriotic but because it was mandatory.

One part of Dehli that had never truly changed was the red fort, a monument to the ancient nature of the city, it was from this fort that the British ruled India from and it was also within this fortress where George Singleton , the viceroy of India, now resides, Mr Singleton was a tall dark haired irritable man who always seemed to have an expression that suggested that he had lost something. Mr Singleton was currently in his office addressing the 50th complaint form one of the princely states that seemed to produce nothing but problems for the federation however at least they did swear alligance to the empire so that was something however Mr Singleton was not content with just their alliegance, the princely states were often backwards in both technology and in terms of civil rights which meant that for every complaint he got from the princely states he got two from self righteous imperial citizen saying that something light to be done about the atrocious conditions in the princely states, then there was that nonsense that the Seljuks kept on spouting about the British atrocities in the princely states when it was the Prince's themselves that enforced such cruel policies, well Singleton had quite enough of this and decided to hold a conference with the princes to renegotiate the arrangement they had with them, no longer would the people of the princely states be forced to live under a mad prince.

The renegotiation of the princes privileges was also something that could end in quite a bit of violence, particularly in Deccan where the people seemed to be rather adverse to British rule, so in order to prepare for such violence the British India army was to be put on alert , it wasn't anything major, there army was a pathetic mishmash of tribesmen, mercenaries and occasionally there were a few professional infantry mixed in with the lot however they probably had only just heard of a gun and Mr Singleton would be dammed if they knew how to shoot them. The viceroy had arranged for lord commander Charles Miller to meet with him in order to discuss the possible battle plan for the likely rebellion, and indeed almost right in time the field marshal strolled into Mr singletons office and sat down in the sofa facing the desk, he launched into conversation "Well George me and the lads up in military high command have already put a strategy together, you see we here in the Raj have 3 million men under our command so what we're going to do with them is is quite simply spread them out across the more rebellious of the princely states and then the moment they dare to rebel our men in the province will seize control." Mr Singleton looked bewildered at the simplicity of the plan and said "Umm, I thought there was quite a bit more strategy to well... strategy!" Miller gave out a laugh and replied with a grin on his face "Well Singleton we don't really need strategy, we have better guns, better trained men, a better industry so we can out produce them, more men then them and finally we can move them about faster thanks to the trains, we outmatch them in every single way, George so I'll just leave you to governing while me and the lads go beat up some princes." and with that the field marshal swaggered out of the room leaving the viceroy stunned by the man's confidence and the way he spoke to him.

10 downing Street
The prime minister had a pile of letters, messages, complaints and invitations from various nations, minor and major, all requesting, demanding or threatning the empire in one way or another, not a single one offering anything for the empire, that was the problem with controlling the world's foremost problem, everyone was waiting for a single moment of weakness and if he dared to show this ounce of weakness the nations of the world would descend upon them like vultures and would carve Britain up like the barbarian nations that Britain carved up decades before. The message at the top of the pile was one from the Japanese requesting that Britain revoke some kind of unequal treaties, the prime minister quite honestly had no idea what these where, Britain had made so many unfair deals across the years that it was impossible to keep track of them all, it was for this reason that a book recording all of Britain's trade deals had been made, after skimming through the prime minister found the unequal treaties, while he did think that it would cause a blow to British trade it would be far better to have a good ally in the pacific and so he began to write a message to the Japanese, while he was at it he commissioned the construction of 46 Victoria class ironclad ships, that was the good thing about being at the forefront of the world's largest empire, you were able to build quite a lot of weapons relatively quickly.

The next message on the pile was something that interested the prime minister far more than the message from Japan, it seemed as if the French wished to hold some kind of conference between all the major powers of the world for issues of varying importance, the message that the French sent out stated that issues for the conference would concern: the advance of science (sounds pretty good the Prime minister thought), the democratization of nations (Sounded very good as well and allowed for the British to have a poke at the Russians who were still an absolute monarchy) and decolonisation(ehhh, I don't think the federation will be doing that the prime ministers thoughts on the matter), nevertheless two out of three wasn't bad so the Prime minister started writing a message for the French and also told the foreign minister to start packing for a trip to Versailles.

To: whomever it may concern in the New Seljuk empire
From:The British foreign ministry
Greetings our eastern neighbours, as you know doubt know the imperial federation has been building multipule railways across the Indian subcontinent, not only to allow citizens of the federation to easily travel across the subcontinent but also to improve the economy of the subcontinent. We here in the federation would be intrested in creating a railway that not only goes across the India sub continent but also into new seljuk empire right up into Tehran, we hope that you will find this deal beneficial for both of us.

To: Whomever it may concern within the Japanese empire
From: The British foreign ministry
We in the Imperial federation, after much deliberation, have decided to remove the unequal treaties that have ceased to be of any use to both of our nation and have served to do nothing more than harm the good people of Japan, we would also like to propose a non-agression pact between our two nations in order to further cement relations between our two mighty nations

To: Whomever it may concern within the French republic
From: The British foreign ministry
Greeting our European brothers, thank you for inviting our nation to the Versalis meeting, we here in the Imperial federation highly value the princeples of democracy, science and liberalism, so we shall be attending your conference, we hope to discuss possible actions against undemocratic regimes, We sinerely hope that this meeting will help to further enlighten the world.

[Asardia]

(Image)

To: President Porfirio Diaz of Mexico
From: Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi


Greetings, President Porfirio Diaz. His heavenly Sovereign, Emperor Meiji, has instructed me to inform you that we accept your request for a consulate and an embasys to be established in Japan. You may construct one in Tokyo. We also accept the request for a trade route to be established between our two nations. If this needs further negotiating, we would be willing to come to Mexico to further discuss the terms of the agreement.

Signed,
Prime Minister Ito

President Diaz received the telegram after some time. Like before, it first came through Foreign Minister Ignacio Marsical, who read the contents of the telegram, before delivering it to President Porfirio Diaz. President Diaz, after receiving the telegram, soon read it. After he read it, he had Foreign Minister Marsical wrote a response.

The message was then sent.

To: Ito Hirobumi, Foreign Minister of Japan
From: Ignacio Marsical, Foreign Minister of Mexico

Greetings,

I write this message under command from the president of Mexico, Porfirio Diaz. We accept all of your offers. You can establish an embassy in Mexico City and a consulate in Ciudad Juarez. In addition, your ships can trade in the port on Tijuana, Cabo san Lucas, and Acapulco.

We will also meet in Mexico City to discuss further terms between Mexico and Japan. We hope that this will be a start of a great relationship.

Respectfully,

Ignacio Marsical,
Foreign Minister of Mexico

Meanwhile, the military development program also occurred the same time as the economical development. They received fundings, as well as hundreds of recruits who signed up for the army, following a campaign promoting the military. The military was given more training, as well as reorganization to a western military order. The commanders were trained too to cope with the change. Weapons and munitions factory were also constructed, as were storages for it and fortifications along the Mexico-US border. In addition, a plan was written for the invasion of Mexico's southern neighbor, Guatemala. The army was prepared for the invasion, while Spain was contacted about it, to inform them.

In an unrelated news, President Diaz performed a speech, praising France's new leadership. However, in another speech right after the French one, he praised Spain. He also accepted France's invitation to join the meeting.

Emperor Meiji was reading a book about the navies of the West and how they became so powerful. As he finished a page, he was interrupted by Prime Minister Ito, who said Japan received two telegrams: One from Mexico, and the other from the British. He instructed the Prime Minister to respond to both, leaving him to sit on his throne, continuing the book.

To: Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi
From: Ignacio Marsical, Foreign Minister of Mexico

Greetings,

We are glad to hear that you accepted our offer. In return, we will give you access to trade at the ports of Dejima, Sakoku, and Tokyo. I will arrive in Mexico as soon as I can to discuss in detail this agreement. We hope to work well with you in the future

Signed,
Prime Minister Ito

Next was the United Kingdom. Emperor Meiji was pleased with the UK's nullification of the Unequal Treaties, and he hoped he could secure an arms agreement between the two.

To: Whomever it may concern within the Japanese empire
From: The British foreign ministry
We in the Imperial federation, after much deliberation, have decided to remove the unequal treaties that have ceased to be of any use to both of our nation and have served to do nothing more than harm the good people of Japan, we would also like to propose a non-agression pact between our two nations in order to further cement relations between our two mighty nations

To: The British Foreign Ministry
From: Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi of the Empire of Japan

Greetings,

His Heavenly Sovereign, Emperor Meiji is very pleased to hear that you will undo the unequal treaties which has crippled our nation. We also accept your proposal for a non aggression pact. As you may know, the Empire of Japan has been westernizing since the Emperor was enthroned in 1868. We hope that you would be willing to assist us in westernizing and modernizing our armed forces. Japan's military needs improvement, and we believe the British have the necessary tools to speed up the process. In return for abolishing the unequal treaties, we are open to a more fair trade agreement between our two nations that will greatly benefit both of us. Foreign Minister Inoue Kaoru will be able to travel to London to discuss this matter, if needed.

Signed,
Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi

[Tysoania]

Versailles, Spain

Juan Cruz stepped off the train and breathed in the French air. After hours of travel, it was nice to be on solid ground. The King of Spain had been hospitalized two days ago, and so Cruz had been drafted to attend in his stead. With him was Ferdinand y Arabe, new captain-general of Puerto Rico. Although Cruz considered Arabe rather useless as an attache, Cruz's secretary had insisted that he take Arabe as an attache to represent Spanish interests in the Caribbean.

Cruz adjusted the tie of his new, clean suit and looked around. He saw crowds of passengers, but no official reception or French officials waiting to greet him. Well, the conference had better be worth the trip, he thought. He picked up his briefcase and walked to the front of the station to hail a cab while Arabe grabbed their baggage. Of course, there wasn't much; Cruz hadn't wanted to cough up extra for the baggage fees.

When their taxi arrived at Versailles, Cruz got out and gaped at the sheer magnificence of it. No wonder Louix XVI had run out of money. He saw other well-dressed folks quietly entering the palace, and he and Arabe began to head into the palace as well, Arabe carrying the single bag containing their clothes.

To: Whom It May Concern, Granada
From: J. Cruz, Foreign Ministry of Spain

Greetings,

I hope this telegram finds you in good health. On behalf of Alberto XII, King of Spain, I am pleased to extend a request to send a Spanish delegation to meet with yourself or a designated representative. Additionally, the King invites you to send a delegation to meet with him in Madrid, or his representative in Havana.

Respectfully,

Juan Cruz
Foreign Minister for His Majesty, Alberto XII

A diplomatic mission request has been sent to Granada.
The delegates have arrived in Versailles.

[The Federation of Kendor]

Mexico
Recap part 2

To fund all of those improvements, the Mexican government had to receive their budget from somewhere. They decided to increase the taxes a bit, especially for the rich. They weren't happy, and some revolted, though most calmed down when President Diaz announced that people would eventually became richer in the future thanks to the improvements. However, the few rich who revolted gave the Mexicans trouble.

In addition, the Mexicans also started a public donation program, encouraging people to donate any spare money to fund the improvements. The money from the trade was also used. In addition, the working class was encouraged to help on the work, being offered extra money for each hour that they worked. Indeed, it caused some money to be lost, but it kept the workers happy and attracted the large amount of the working class to help.

Meanwhile, in Guatemala, the Mexicans started to invade it. They had been preparing earlier, with the plan being to rush and ambush the troops of Guatemala with sheer number, as well as discipline. To acquire this, the troops had to be extensively drilled and the commanders further trained. As for the order of battle, the plan was to send 5.000 infantries, as well as 1.500 cavalries, 50 artillery pieces, and two new machine gun, that the military had purchased from a company in another nation. It was small, but Diaz planned to create a small, but very disciplined and advanced army. About 200 Rural Guard military polices were also assigned to suppress any potential Guatemalan revolt.

Then, the Mexicans invaded Guatemala. Using the the planned strategy and tactic, as well as sending a declaration of war, which arrived just few minutes before the invasion, the Mexicans were able to overwhelm the surprised force of Guatemala. The campaign was going well for the Mexicans, and they had already captured Paxban, Don Lagunas, and Nenton in the first few days. By the end of 31 December, the army had reached the city of Flores and Totonicapan, where the resistance was large. About 7 Rural Guards were killed trying to suppress revolts from the locals, while 156 infantries and 27 cavalries were killed, and 2 artillery pieces were captured.

To make situations worse, the Guatemalans had telegrammed the Spanish government for help. Some Guatemalans, who escaped from the Rural Guards and the military, had also started a guerilla movement. They used terrorism and sabotage, as well as ambush to fight, and was comprised of local civilians that tried to fight the Mexican invasion, as well as Guatemalan soldiers and polices. They had already killed a group of 10 Mexican soldiers, as well as sabotaging and blowing up a munitions storage belonging to Mexico. A Guatemalan terrorist even sneaked to Mexico, where he attacked an army outpost there, which resulted in him, as well as four soldiers and a civilian, being killed.

OOC: I will make a post of the Spring 1886 later

[Asardia]

Versailles, France

Emperor Meiji arrived in the French city of Versailles via train, which was still a relatively new concept in Japan. He marveled at the Palace of Versailles, which trumped any palace the Japanese had constructed, even Akasaka Palace, which had actually been modeled after the French. We're far behind the West, Emperor Meiji thought as he walked past the gates, greeted by the French soldiers guarding it. He looked at the Palace, noting the gardens and many rows of opulent windows on the building. But now was not the time to gape at the West. Emperor Meiji had an important mission to fulfill here, such as the unequal treaties (which the British had retracted), along with decolonization, the independence of Japan, and the status of Korea and the Qing's involvement there. He also wanted to see if he could secure an agreement with the European powers to see if they could help Japan modernize. Meiji had ambitious goals, and now was the perfect time to get Japan the respect it deserves.

[The Federation of Kendor]

Versailles, France

President Porfirio Diaz of Mexico had arrived in France. He, like every national leaders, had received a telegram about the meeting in France. He went to France through the use of a ship, which departed from the city of Oaxaca, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean and into the northern port of France. He then took the train from the city in Northern France, to Paris, before riding a carriage into the Versailles Palace.

He was amazed by the scenery of France, their people, and the might of France during the whole journey. He was especially amazed by Paris. It was indeed, a cultural capital of the world, and he now saw it's glory and splendor directly. He was also amazed when he arrived at the Versailles Palace. This caused him to think that Mexico must develop like France, becoming an industrial nation, with a large culture.

President Diaz soon walked into the Palace after he went out of the carriage. He was greeted by the French soldiers guarding the Palace, before going inside. In the meeting, he planned to talk with every world leaders, to secure diplomatic relations for Mexico, as well as negotiating about trade deals.

Meanwhile, back in Mexico, Foreign minister Ignacio Mariscal was given the duty by President Diaz to temporarily rule Mexico. He continued the modernization and development program of Mexico, as President Diaz had intended. He also talked with President Diaz's political backers, in an attempt to appease them with Diaz's policies. He also continued the invasion of Guatemala, sending 500 infantries, as well as 20 cavalries and 5 artillery pieces to reinforce the army. Mariscal also attended the meeting with Japan in Mexico City, waiting in the meeting room of the Presidential Palace.

In Guatemala, the reinforcements had arrived. They were stationed at the city of Totonicapan. Meanwhile, in the other parts of Guatemala, the Mexicans have advanced to all of the major towns on Peten, which easily fell due to the occupation if the national capital of Flores, small populations, and quick Mexican military movement. As for the other parts of Guatemala, a military order was issued to conquer the city of Solola, Santa Cruz del Quiche, and Mazatenango. By this point, the entire Peten region, as well as every city the west of Totonicapan had been controlled by Mexico. For the casualties, 54 infantries were killed, as well as 13 cavalries.

[Tysoania]

Madrid, Spain

The King was dead. In the comfort of the finest hospital in Spain, surrounded by quiet advisors, his weeping wife and sons, and a somber Catholic priest, his heart ceased to beat in the wee hours of the morning. The news would soon be sent out to every Spanish mission and embassy around the world, along with the orders to replace all future mentions of Alberto XII with Alberto XIII, the new King of Spain.

Alberto XIII, the new King, had been educated at the best universities in France and Germany and had been enjoying an illustrious career as an officer in the Philippines squadron of the Spanish Navy until his father's ill health had recalled him to Madrid. At least, that was what would be written in all the newspapers in Spain. The truth was a bit murkier. He had been an officer in the Spanish Navy; however, rather than a high-ranking officer or a member of the Admiralty, as was standard, he had refused all promotions above Captain, and had commanded a pirate-hunting vessel out of Manila. This had not endeared him to the intelligentsia of Madrid, but he had gained the full personal loyalty of the Spanish military, and the government ministers had grudgingly accepted him as the next leader of the Spanish Empire in both title and role. Of course, rumors also swirled that the heir to the throne was a shallow playboy and adventurer who was not up to the task of ruling, but that had yet to be proven. So far, the only people with experience of his leadership skills were his colleagues in the Spanish Navy, and they enthusiastically agreed that he would be a fine leader of Spain.

Havana, Cuba

Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza carefully read the latest report from Hispaniola. The insurgency there was limited but resistant to destruction, and around 750 troops were tied up in the guerrilla-controlled region alone. The rest of the island had adapted to Spanish rule, and the captain-general was not reporting any major issues. Mexico had not yet responded to the tariff increase that was in place to fund the new technical institute, so that was good. The agricultural restructuring had gone fairly well, with the sugarcane and tobacco processing industries quickly being replaced by sugarcane and tobacco plantations.

Things were also going well in the rest of the West Indies. Cuban industrialization was doing well, with the processing and export sectors booming, while Puerto Rico would be getting a new captain-general from Spain soon. The only issues he had to deal with were a delegation to Granada and the establishment of the Trans-Continental Coffee Company. Of the two, the first could be resolved easily once he got a response from Granada, so he was concerned about this TCCC. Apparently, the government in Spain was proposing a joint Spain-Ethiopia venture to produce cheap coffee beans for consumption in Europe. He had been tasked with arranging for Cuba to be established as the processing and transshipment point from the plantations in Granada and Mexico. If this was enacted, he was then to eliminate coffee tariffs between the Spanish West Indies and Mexico and Granada. Of course, this plan had a few issues: coffee tariffs were a substantial part of tariff revenue for the S.W.I. government; no one had actually asked Granada and Mexico about this plan; and Havana was already dealing with a swelling urban population, thanks to the sugar- and tobacco-processing centralization. Coffee bean processing and exporting from Cuba would just add to that.

Cruz decided to deal with the problem bluntly: he would push the TCCC authorization onto the delegation bound for Granada, use the Spanish investors in Mexico as leverage to get Mexico to sign on, and he would leave the coffee tariffs in place for now.

As he finished drafting the last of the letters and orders required to carry this out, the bells of the various Havana churches began to ring. That was odd; it wasn't Sunday and he knew there wasn't a war going on. He sealed the papers, dropped them on his secretary's desk, and headed downstairs to find out what the commotion was.

To: Whom It May Concern, Ethiopia
From: J. Cruz, Foreign Minister of Spain

Greetings,

I hope this telegram finds you in good health. On behalf of Alberto XIII, King of Spain, I am extending a request to establish a joint Spain-Ethiopia coffee trading company. This company would allow for the centralization of our respective coffee supply chains and the use of both Spanish and Ethiopian corporate infrastructure to secure lower prices and higher profits for our national governments.

Respectfully,

Juan Cruz,
Foreign Minister of Spain

King Alberto XII has died in Madrid.
Alberto XIII will be crowned shortly.
A request has been sent to Ethiopia to establish the Trans Continental Coffee Company.
Three cruisers have been sent to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, to evacuate Guatemalans to Cuba.

[The Verusian Union]

Stockholm, Kingdom of Sweden

Young, 22-year-old King Alexander of Windsor sits in the Scandinavian throne, announcing to his court, "I will not be like King Gustav before me. I truly want change for everyone that lives in this great kingdom, in these united kingdoms of Scandinavia... I am not of your race, it is clear and obvious to everyone that I am of English blood, but do not let that get in the way of building a great nation." The king stands up and leaves the throne chamber. His advisor, Sir Karl Vaars follows and asks, "Your Highness, what would you like to do?", King Alexander responds "Send invitations to all nations of the world and their territories. I would like to meet every single king, queen, president, etc. A formal event would suit. Please, go at once and do as I say.", "Yes, your Highness" responds Sir Karl.

From: King Alexander of the United Kingdoms of Scandinavia
To: All nations

Greetings to all,

I am still not known by many, but I would like to know you all, the leaders of the world's nations. I formally invite you all to Stockholm, to introduce myself to you all. You are all welcomed to the Royal Palace here in Stockholm. Event to be held in next week on Tuesday at half past seven in the evening. If you are not able to attend, I understand that as well.

Sincerely,
- King Alexander of Scandinavia

[Bruke]

Mekelle, Ethiopia

The following letter was distributed to all provincial governors, lesser kings and nobility, and religious leaders of the Christian and Islamic communities.

(Translated from Amharic)

I, Yohannes, the Emperor of Ethiopia, am writing to you to announce a change of Imperial policy concerning religion. For far too long, the Empire has been fragmented along religious lines. Christians and Muslims have fought viciously for hundreds of years, and in doing so have done nothing but divide our nation, and make it susceptible to the schemes of foreign powers.

From this day forward, there will be only three religions recognized by the state: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Each community will be governed in its own affairs by the designated religious authorities.

Christians will be governed by the Orthodox Church, which will be headed by the Abun, who will be chosen in the traditional manner.

Muslims will be governed by the uluma, headed the Sheikh ul-Islam, who will be chosen the Emir of Harar from among the scholars of that city.

Jews will be governed by the kessim, headed the Liqa Kahenat, who will be chosen by the people of that community.

All subjects shall have the right to have cases regarding personal matters heard in courts governed by the religious authority of their community.

Each religious authority will be consulted in the appointment of a Minister of Religious Affairs, who will handle the day-to-day matters of the state regarding religion. I shall retain my traditional role as mediator in spiritual matters of the Church, and will seek to serve in that manner to prevent religious wars in the Empire.

This settlement among the faithful will bring peace and understanding to Ethiopia, and will allow our land to flourish for many generations to come.

His Imperial Majesty Yohannes IV, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, King of Zion, King of Kings of Ethiopia and Elect of God