A War of Blood and Steel [Althis|PT|OOC|Ended]

[The Traansval]

Greetings. I'd like to probe about a reservation on Britain. If someone's already expressed interest in it I'd gladly look to reserve something else, maybe Poland.

[Beutarch]

Oh shit. It seems like China and Japan might be friends for once. I'm also planning to do a state socialist nation with nationalist influence with one its goal trying to end western imperialism/colonialism in Asia.

cursed

Hopefully we get a sympathetic germany, a Beijing-Berlin-Tokyo axis would be perfect.

[Strala]

Oh shit. It seems like China and Japan might be friends for once. I'm also planning to do a state socialist nation with nationalist influence with one its goal trying to end western imperialism/colonialism in Asia.

cursed

Hopefully we get a sympathetic germany, a Beijing-Berlin-Tokyo axis would be perfect.

The capital would be Nanjing, but yes a Nanjing-Berlin-Tokyo axis would be amazing. By the way, is it possible for us to discuss our shared histories? Also, would it be possible for me to license build some Japanese weapons or pay Japanese shipyards build naval ships for the Chinese navy?

[Monsone]

Oh shit. It seems like China and Japan might be friends for once. I'm also planning to do a state socialist nation with nationalist influence with one its goal trying to end western imperialism/colonialism in Asia.

cursed

Hopefully we get a sympathetic germany, a Beijing-Berlin-Tokyo axis would be perfect.

That would mean the (likely) very swift end of the Dutch overseas empire considering it's (probably) the weakest European empire.

[Strala]

WIP Nation Application

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Full Nation Name: Republic of China|中華民國|Zhōnghuá Mínguó

Short Nation Name: China

National Symbols: White sun blue sky.

Capital: Nanjing

Territory: China proper, Xinjiang, and parts of Inner Mongolia

Form of Government: One-party state (exception for the CPC)

Head of State: Wang Jing Wei

Head of Government: Wang Jing Wei

Ideology: The Three Principles of the People(The current government and the dominant left-wing faction of the KMT has placed extra emphasis on Mínshēng and Mínzú.)

Population: 435,055,000

Military Description:
The National Revolutionary Armed Forces is divided into three branches with the army being the largest.During the revolution of 1882, and the subsequent liberation wars against the Empire during the early 1890s, the National Revolutionary Army numbered over ten million troops, though the vast majority were made up of local militias and underequipped and untrained conscripts. However, by the dawn of the new century, the National Revolutionary Armed Forces underwent significant changes. During the early 1900s to the 1910s, the National Revolutionary Army was reorganized into 122 divisions, of 11,000 men each.Due to this, China has been the preeminent land power of East Asia since the reforms of the early 1900s and 1910s, although just barely. Infantry divisions in the NRA have an artillery regiment and support units, and have mortars, machine guns, and anti-tank guns as support. Of the 122 divisions, five divisions are motorized, two divisions are mechanized, and a further 10 are considered to be mobile, meaning they're largely comprised of cavalry and some motorized components. They lose most of their heavier support equipment and generally serve near the Japanese and Mongolian borders as a delaying force against any Soviet or Japanese attacks. The NRA operates three armored divisions, but smaller detachments of tanks are distributed to some infantry regiments, particularly those stationed near the Manchurian and Mongolian border. The NRA divisions are dived into four theater commands. Chinese armored, motorized, and mechanized divisions, however, are not under the control of any theater command but are rather under the direct control of the Generalissimo, and are generally stationed in the Yangtze River Delta Region.

The Chinese airforce largely comprises of domestically designed aircraft and some bought or are license-built. The airforce in theory operates 2,000 aircraft, of which 1,200 are fighters, 550 are for reconnaissance/training, 200 are bombers, and 50 are ground support aircraft. However, the airforce generally maintains and operates 1,200 aircraft at any time, with them being divided among the various theater commands.

The National Revolutionary Navy is by far the smallest and least funded branch of the military. It currently operates 1 battleship, 4 heavy cruisers, 6 light cruisers, 20 destroyers, 5 submarines, and 100 smaller ships including gunboats, torpedo boats, and support craft. The single Chinese battleship and the vast majority of the cruisers are based in Shanghai and other southern ports and make up the East China Sea Fleet while 1 heavy cruiser, 2 light cruisers, 5 destroyers, 1 submarine, and 20 other smaller crafts make up the North China Sea Fleet.

Tech Tree: Soviet

Economic Description:
The Republic of China is one of the most industrialized countries, especially in the southern provinces, near the coasts, and the Yangtze River Delta, where industrialization first began. The Chinese interior is significantly less industrialized, and life in these provinces remains largely unchanged for generations. However, in the late 1920s, under the guidance of the central government, the Chinese Interior, has begun to be industrialized, with several arsenals being established in larger interior cities. The quality of life in the Yangtze River Delta, and the Southern provinces are among the highest in Asia and China, with the Chinese interior and landlocked northern provinces being among some of the poorest in the nation. In rural/interior China, agriculture remains the backbone of the local economy, with large quantities of food and other agricultural goods being shipped to the coastal cities. During the economic depression of the late 1920s, the Chinese economy suffered a severe setback with the economy returning to pre-depression levels in 1936.

Goals: Improve the economy, maintain the status quo in China, maintain the current strength of the Chinese army, and remove the influence of European Imperialist powers in Asia(private).

Point of Divergence: 1630 (More generally Ming Dynasty)

History:
In 1630, Yuan Chonghuan is not executed by the Chongzhen Emperor but is dismissed from his post in Liaodong and is sent to Southern China due to several eunuchs claiming that he was collaborating with the Manchu barbarians. During his time in Southern China, he would continue to promote the usage of European artillery among his troops. In 1634, his army would be involved in suppressing the peasant revolts in Southern and Central China. Unlike the other Ming forces and generals, he enjoyed widespread popularity among the peasantry due to his earlier victories against the Manchus and was largely successful in the suppression of rebels. In 1644, after the fall of the capital of Beijing, he was able to unite the Ming loyalist forces still left in the southern provinces, allowing for the successful defense of Nanjing, and his subsequent victory at Xuzhou where he managed to force the Qing forces back across the Yellow River.

From 1644 to the time of his death in 1666, he would reform the Ming military and government, largely stamping out the rampant corruption, nepotism, and factionalism that was plaguing the nation. Starting in 1646, he would order the construction of a series of fortifications that would guard the Yangtze against any Qing raids. In 1670, the Qing under the Kangxi Emperor, emboldened by the death of Yuan Chonghuan would launch an attack against the Ming forces, but due to the reforms of Yuan Chonghuan, the Ming forces were able to repel the Qing invaders.

From the late 1680s to the early 1700s, there would be a period of relative prosperity and peace in Southern China as the Qing Empire focused on expanding west, conquering Xinjiang and eventually Tibet, forcing the Ming to shift forces away from the Yangtze Delta to Sichuan province. In 1708, the Kangxi Emperor would lead one last campaign against the Southern Ming forces, culminating in his victory at the siege of Chengdu in 1712, where he and his army managed to defeat a large Ming relief force sent by the Yongli Emperor. This disastrous defeat forced the Ming loyalists to largely abandon a large part of southwestern China to the Qing Empire. However, the Qing had suffered great losses during the Sichuan campaign and a subsequent Ming invasion of northern China caused the Qing Empire to abandon their recently gained territories and rush back to reinforce their northern holdings.

After the death of the Kangxi Emperor, the two Chinese states settled into an uneasy truce. However, both nations were idle during this time as they both developed and improved upon existing weapons, mustered and trained their armies, and built new series of fortifications. In the early 1700s, the Ming would begin to limit trade to the Canton region and would demand payments of silver for Chinese goods. In 1793, with the arrival of the Macartney Embassy, the Emperor would agree to the opening of a permanent British embassy and relaxation of trade restrictions but would refuse their demands for the cession of land for their usage. Following this mission, trade would increase among China and Great Britain as the Ming Court would purchase British weapons and other technological products.

In 1843, Southern Ming would experience its industrial revolution after successfully incentivizing British and European businessmen to develop factories in China, though full industrialization wouldn't happen until the late 1870s. Along with the influx of European businessmen, came their ideas of governance and politics, changing the political landscape of China. During this period of rapid industrialization, the working class often lived miserable lives and were easy targets for radicalization. To address this, the Ming would allow for limited voting in 1873. One of the parties formed in 1873 was the Guomindang which is a catch-all party for those that were discontent with the Ming monarchy. In 1875, they would be banned by the Ming court but would continue to operate in secret and garner popular support as the Ming dynasty grew increasingly unpopular due to rising taxes and crop failure. In 1882, they would launch the great revolution against the Ming with limited initial success. However, in 1885, large numbers of military units in the Chinese Interior and Yangtze River Delta would mutiny against the Ming and join the Guomindang as they have not been paid for years by that point. The Ming having to defend against a renewed Qing offensive and an internal rebellion collapsed with Nanjing being taken by revolutionary forces in 1887. For the rest of the 1880s, the revolutionary forces would deal with any remaining Ming loyalists in southern China before turning their attention north. In 1890, the Republic would begin a series of wars against the Qing, culminating with the 5th liberation war, where the Republic would defeat the Qing army at Beijing, forcing the Qing to capitulate.

After the war, the Republic would focus on restoring the economy, and a general downsizing of its military. Throughout World War I, the Republic of China would officially remain neutral, generally choosing to stay away from the conflict. However, in the late 1920s, the Guomindang began shifting more and more to the left, with the left faction of the KMT taking over in 1928. The Left KMT would nationalize important sectors of the Chinese economy. In 1932, the Communist Party of China was legalized due to its crucial role in the Great revolution in inciting the urban working class against the Ming and for their contributions to the liberation wars.
Have You Read, Understand, and Agree with the OP Posts & Rules In Detail?: Yes I have
#JDMZVUM1QC (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

[Intermountain States]

Darn, I was hoping East Asia would be at each others throat. Oh well, time to bolster the defenses of Republic of the Philippines.

[Strala]

Darn, I was hoping East Asia would be at each others throat. Oh well, time to bolster the defenses of Republic of the Philippines.

This is what happens you start an alt history rp. Either everyone in East Asia hates each other or they love each other.

[Deblar]

Darn, I was hoping East Asia would be at each others throat. Oh well, time to bolster the defenses of Republic of the Philippines.

And for me to bolster Indochina’s defenses. Y’know. Just in case.

[Monsone]

Darn, I was hoping East Asia would be at each others throat. Oh well, time to bolster the defenses of Republic of the Philippines.

The same goes for the East Indies. Especially considering that there was an IRL precedent of the Dutch being paranoid of a Japanese invasion even before WW1.

[Beutarch]

cursed

Hopefully we get a sympathetic germany, a Beijing-Berlin-Tokyo axis would be perfect.

The capital would be Nanjing, but yes a Nanjing-Berlin-Tokyo axis would be amazing. By the way, is it possible for us to discuss our shared histories? Also, would it be possible for me to license build some Japanese weapons or pay Japanese shipyards build naval ships for the Chinese navy?

I planned to have a fairly recent point of divergence in my app:

Broadly, the First Sino-Japanese war does happen, as does the Invasion of Manchuria, but both of those military endeavors are costly and controversial at home, viewed as economic necessities on the way to modernization. The Russo-Japanese war, by contrast, is held up as Japan's finest hour, and the new, ruling political factions want to relive the experience of punching a Western power in the nose and getting away with it. But, one must remember that the elements of government that would even entertain a friendly stance toward China have been in power for only a couple of years.

ICly, I'd definitely be willing to arrange some sort of technology sharing/lend lease/licensing scheme, maybe even a (gradual) retrocession of Manchuria down the line.

[Intermountain States]

Darn, I was hoping East Asia would be at each others throat. Oh well, time to bolster the defenses of Republic of the Philippines.

This is what happens you start an alt history rp. Either everyone in East Asia hates each other or they love each other.

Normally, the former always seems to be the standard.

[Strala]

See this is why you European imperialists need to go! These people should be paying tribute to/being oppressed by me! free!

The capital would be Nanjing, but yes a Nanjing-Berlin-Tokyo axis would be amazing. By the way, is it possible for us to discuss our shared histories? Also, would it be possible for me to license build some Japanese weapons or pay Japanese shipyards build naval ships for the Chinese navy?

I planned to have a fairly recent point of divergence in my app:

Broadly, the First Sino-Japanese war does happen, as does the Invasion of Manchuria, but both of those military endeavors are costly and controversial at home, viewed as economic necessities on the way to modernization. The Russo-Japanese war, by contrast, is held up as Japan's finest hour, and the new, ruling political factions want to relive the experience of punching a Western power in the nose and getting away with it. But, one must remember that the elements of government that would even entertain a friendly stance toward China have been in power for only a couple of years.

ICly, I'd definitely be willing to arrange some sort of technology sharing/lend lease/licensing scheme, maybe even a (gradual) retrocession of Manchuria down the line.

Sure. Do you mind discussing the First Sino-Japanese war with me? I plan on making a more ancient POD, hopefully leading to a more modernized and stronger China by the time of the First Sino-Japanese war.

[Deblar]

See this is why you European imperialists need to go! These people should be being tribute to/being oppressed by me! free!

You mean under new management, and they are free…kind of.

Well, I planned on giving Indochina more autonomy anyway, so whatever

[Beutarch]

Sure. Do you mind discussing the First Sino-Japanese war with me? I plan on making a more ancient POD, hopefully leading to a more modernized and stronger China by the time of the First Sino-Japanese war.

Yeah of course, shoot me a telegram and we can share Discord tags or get straight to business.

I'll probably have to respond to you in the morning though, unfortunately.

[The Imperial Warglorian Empire]

Hm...I suddenly feel like I gotta become anti-communist for the sake of the balance of power

[The Traansval]

Hm...I suddenly feel like I gotta become anti-communist for the sake of the balance of power

I was thinking of going Anti-communist to balance you out lol

[Strala]

Sure. Do you mind discussing the First Sino-Japanese war with me? I plan on making a more ancient POD, hopefully leading to a more modernized and stronger China by the time of the First Sino-Japanese war.

Yeah of course, shoot me a telegram and we can share Discord tags or get straight to business.

I'll probably have to respond to you in the morning though, unfortunately.

Sure. I'll add you tomorrow.

[The Imperial Warglorian Empire]

Hm...I suddenly feel like I gotta become anti-communist for the sake of the balance of power

I was thinking of going Anti-communist to balance you out lol

Lol, who'd you have in mind?

[The Traansval]

I was thinking of going Anti-communist to balance you out lol

Lol, who'd you have in mind?

Britain was my first thought. Still thinking of what to do. I'll probably shift what Britain's political situation is to be a more interesting contrast or counter to whatever is the prevailing ideological bloc of Europe.

[The Imperial Warglorian Empire]

Lol, who'd you have in mind?

Britain was my first thought. Still thinking of what do you. I'll probably shift what Britain's political situation is to be a more interesting contrast or counter to whatever is the prevailing ideological bloc of Europe.

Aight, cool

Maybe I ought to just do Weimar Germany or a DNVP Germany… idk.

I’ve been told in the past that I’m rather indecisive, but now? I’m just not too sure…

[Theyra]

Since I still have an urge to be in the rp.

Reservation

Nation Name: Sultanate of Egypt
Territory: Egypt, Sudan(Before South Sudan became independent)
Tech Tree: British?
#JDMZVUM1QC (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

[Northern Socialist Council Republics]

No Shanghai International Concession? What a shame.

On a broader note, East Asia is going to be politically uninteresting if the two premier powers of the region are amicable to each other. :p Maybe the United States is interested in throwing a monkey wrench in that relationship.

[The National Dominion of Hungary]

Full Nation Name: The Soviet Union.


#JDMZVUM1QC (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

Overall the app looks quite well, I love it.

The only potential issue I see is a higher number of planes than what I could find online. Ignoring the recon/training planes that probably wouldn't be counted, you have 3741 planes, while the source I could find for the era places the Soviet Air Forces at around 3400 planes. Exil told me that the numbers for the Polikarpov I-15 seem a bit higher, so if you could reduce them a little that would be great, or if you want to keep the number as it is, could you explain the reasoning behind it?

The app is overall accepted though.

Okay I reduced the numbers

I couldn't really find I good source so I was looking at the production numbers and trying to work something out from that, maybe that's why the numbers got a bit too high.

[Tracian Empire]

Britain was my first thought. Still thinking of what do you. I'll probably shift what Britain's political situation is to be a more interesting contrast or counter to whatever is the prevailing ideological bloc of Europe.

Aight, cool

Maybe I ought to just do Weimar Germany or a DNVP Germany… idk.

I’ve been told in the past that I’m rather indecisive, but now? I’m just not too sure…

DNVP Germany would have been my choice. We already have the specter of communism hanging over Europe due to the Soviet Union, so some sort of a nationalist German regime, while not as original, would give Europe some variety.

If you really like the idea of a Socialist Germany though, you could still go for it, but for reasons of balance of power (and the IC lasting more than two pages), it shouldn't start as being friendly to the Soviet Union.

And if you're indecisive, just let me know and we'll flip a coin xD

[Tracian Empire]

Overall the app looks quite well, I love it.

The only potential issue I see is a higher number of planes than what I could find online. Ignoring the recon/training planes that probably wouldn't be counted, you have 3741 planes, while the source I could find for the era places the Soviet Air Forces at around 3400 planes. Exil told me that the numbers for the Polikarpov I-15 seem a bit higher, so if you could reduce them a little that would be great, or if you want to keep the number as it is, could you explain the reasoning behind it?

The app is overall accepted though.

Okay I reduced the numbers

I couldn't really find I good source so I was looking at the production numbers and trying to work something out from that, maybe that's why the numbers got a bit too high.

Don't worry about it, the numbers weren't a huge issue. Finding a good source for Soviet planes at the time is close to impossible - I barely found some sort of an American book about aviation from 1937.

But like I said, you are accepted, Exil should update the roster later today.