Guns, Drums and Steel [IC]

by **The Kingdom of Glitter** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 1:23 pm

The North Italian Confederation

La Confederazione Italiana Nord

29 March 1853
Milan, Sardinia-Lombardia
Palazzo Reale di Milano

The King sat at his desk in his private office. A servant had just delivered a letter that had freshly arrived from Rome. He was intrigued, as his generals were rigorously planning an invasion of the Papal lands. His relationship with the Pope was strained, in private at least. Victor Emmanuel's ultimate goal was to unify the Italian people. The Pope and his lands presented the biggest obstacle to Italian unification. The Papal States were weak and would be no match for the professional army of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Lombardia, but it was more so the repercussions he would face following the defeat and annexation of temporal lands. Roman Catholicism was the more than predominant religion within the North Italian Confederation and was the official state religion. Despite this, the populace was largely seen as apathetic towards the papacy by the government. Following the Statuto Vittorio and the establishment of a proper democracy, the people were euphoric. Not only were they pacified by democracy, but support within Sardinia-Lombardia and the other members of the Confederation was at an all time high. The religious conservatives would oppose action against the papacy, but they were short in quantity. With the successful revolutions of 1848 the overall population, or at least the urban population, was seen as liberal leaning. The King feared foreign opposition more than he did domestic qualms. The Austrians would not be pleased as their rivals would be expanding further and reducing the power of their historical allies in Rome. Besides, they were held back by the Treaty of Milan and their own political upheaval. It was assumed France would remain apathetic unless the Pope's life was put in jeopardy. The Catholic South German states and Iberians may be displeased, but the Iberians had already unified and the South Germans faced an ever growing Prussia and a soft sense of pan-Germanism. It was assumed London would remain apathetic, as they usually appeared to be when it came to Italian unification. The Russians were too far removed to matter. In the region it was assumed the Two Sicilies would protest, but on its own is too weak to act. The Confederation of the Nile might fear an Italian attempt to claim Malta, but there was no way that conflict could break out between the two nations. He picked up the letter and read it over.

So. It appears the Pope wants to join the Confederation and submit to my rule. Sometimes I wonder just how the Lord works in such mysterious ways, hopefully He will not work against us. Peace has no place just yet. The Confederation needs to flex its muscles to keep the Austrians at bay and whip the Sicilies into line. However, maybe the Lord has instructed me... Yes that is it! By leaving the Pope Lazio we avoid the burden of annexing him outright. Clearly this is a sign from the Lord to leave the papacy Lazio and unite Umbria and Marche with the Italians. Yes, yes. That is it. he thought to himself.

He picked up a fountain pen and a blank piece of his stationary.

From the Desk of the King of Sardinia-Lombardia
His Majesty Victor Emmanuel II

His Holiness Leo XIII,

Your attempt to unify the lands that have been subject to rule from your office is noble. However, I am afraid I cannot accept those terms nor admit you as a member of the North Italian Confederation.

The Confederation can only admit new members upon terms the Confederation it itself drafts and extends these to potential members. Given the fact that you presented the terms of your admission and the Senate has not been presented with the ability to accept it, I am afraid you are unable to join the North Italian Confederation.

Besides, admitting the Papacy as member state with influence within the Confederation would prove a burden I do not desire to have upon my shoulders. Many within this nation are opposed to your office and the treatment of the Italians under your rule. The squashing of the Roman Republic and treatment of the Roman people following the escapade has not been overlooked and many of the more liberal factions within this nation would be opposed to allowing such a conservative and undemocratic nation as yours to join our bourgeoning democracy.

May God bless the Italian people under your rule.

Signed and dated on the 29th of March

Sincerely,
Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia-Lombaria
President of the North Italian Confederation

Likewise, a letter had arrived from the Emperor of Brazil and a reply was drafted.

From the Desk of the King of Sardinia-Lombardia
His Majesty Victor Emmanuel II

His Imperial Majesty Dom Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil

I must thank you for the condolences you have so kindly offered. He would be pleased to know such a culturally significant museum would be opened in his name, and I am gracious for your noble attempt to ensure the long lasting legacy of my late father. I would be pleased to personally visit the museum upon its completion, that is with the situation at home permitting such a journey.

I am further pleased to hear word of our constitution has reached our hemisphere. My hope is to make the North Italian Confederation a model of liberty and democracy for all of those who live upon this earth. I hope that one day those who still subscribe to the outdated ideas required by the Old Order see the light and implement democratic reforms within their own nations.

Diplomacy is the key to success. Granted, there are some situations where diplomatic means are unable to prevail. It is good to see a monarch such as yourself has realized the importance of this art for quite some time, and I am glad your cabinet has finally headed your advice. I wish you the best of luck with your attempts to bring liberty to the Portuguese people.

May God bless you, your family, and your subjects.

Signed and dated on the 29th of March

Sincerely,
Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia-Lombaria
President of the North Italian Confederation

1 April 1853
Milan, Sardinia-Lombardia
Palazzo Reale di Milano

Victor Emmanuel II and his High Command stood around a map once more. General Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora was put in charge of the operation and he was aided by the others in planning the invasion. He stood adjacent to the King and was preparing to explain the plans the generals had so carefully drafted.

"As you can see, Your Majesty, we will be sending the 5th Division of the line and its various attachments from Ravenna to Ancona. We imagine they will be able to take the city with relative ease. We do not expect Marche to be heavily garrisoned by the Papal forces. However, the 5th Division is more than capable of capturing the province and any resistance it should encounter." La Marmora said swiftly. "Following their victories in Marche, they are to set out for Umbria and subdue that province. We believe by that time the Papal armies will have either engaged the 5th Division or retreated to fortify Rome. We cannot be certain of the enemies location, but what I can be certain of is the 5th Division's ability to capture and hold both Umbria and Marche. They will be leaving detachments behind in both Ancona and Perugia in order to ensure our lasting control over the cities."

"Will the 5th Division march on Rome?" the King inquired.

Gen. Alfonso La Marmora

"They will not, but their attachments will. The 1st and 3rd Divisions of the Line will leave from Florence and head for Rome." the general said as he pointed to Florence on the map before him. "Their attachments will also be accompanying them to Rome in case we are required to siege the city. The Pope will not allow us to take the city without a fight, and we believe he will either attempt to halt our armies before they reach Rome or garrison the city with whatever forces he has left. If the latter course of action is taken, the siege of Rome will be costly, but it will be won."

"We cannot bombard Rome. It will not only destroy the city, but our reputation as a nation and God-fearing country." Victor Emmanuel said in reply.

"Of course we can bombard Rome! The devil in the Vatican deserves to be burned out!" Garibaldi shouted.

"If you do not want us to siege the city, what would you rather us do Sir?" La Marmora asked.

"Deliver an ultimatum to the forces manning the city's walls. Tell them to surrender and begin discussing the terms of peace between our nations and receive a deal that will be favorable to them, or we will siege the city and thousands of lives will be lost." he replied. "Now, what is our navy going to be doing?"

"We will be dispatching our fleet to blockade the coastline of Lazio. This should be an easy task and one that will provide great leverage when we approach the negotiating table." Admiral Simone Antonio Saint-Bon said. He was in charge of the Royal Sardinian Navy and represented the admiralty.

"Good. Good. I am pleased to hear these plans have been completed. I need several days to reflect before I declare war. I suggest you gentlemen do the same. Begin making arrangements and finalizing these plans. They have my approval." the King said.

6 April 1853
Milan, Sardinia-Lombardia
Piazza del Duomo

The announcement of the June Election in the Piazza del Duomo.

A crowd had assembled in the Piazza del Dumomo. Whispers and shouts of excitement filled the anxious crowed. A crate was placed in the center of the square with two members of the Royal Guard posted on its sides. An announcement from a royal crier was expected. The crier, a Mr. Michele Santella, made his way threw the packed plaza shouting "Make way for the His Majesty's Crier! Clear a way please!" The crowed parted as if it was the Read Sea. The older man arrived at the crate and one of the Royal Guardsmen helped him climb atop it. He turned his attention to the crowd and released the royal decree in his right hand, allowed the document to unravel before him. He cleared his throat and began.

"Sentire! Sentire! By royal decree of HIs Majesty the King, Victor Emmanuel II; King of Sardinia-Lombardia, President of the North Italian Confederation, elections for the national Chamber of Deputies shall henceforth take place on the 15th of the sixth month!"

Just as the crier had finished the crowd erupted into a roar of cheers and celebrations. "Lunga vita al Re! Viva l'Italia" quickly echoed throughout the capital city and the cry was heard all over the Confederation. Democracy had finally come to Italy.

13 April 1853
Milan, Sardinia-Lombardia
Palazzo Reale di Milano

The Council of Ministers had gathered at the Palazzo Reale di Milano by request of the King. After discussions that had lasted days, it was finally decided that war with the Papal States was to be declared. Victor Emmanuel II sat at his desk with the already written declaration of war. All that was required now was his signature and a state of war would exist between the North Italian Confederation and the Papal States.

On this Day, the Thirteenth of April, in the Year of Our Lord Eighteen-Hundred and Fifty-Three, let it be known that a State of War now exists between the Papal States and the North Italian Confederation

Henceforth, as long as this war persists, The 3rd, 4th, and 6th Army Corps of the Royal Italian Army are to be fully mobilized. The 5th Corp is not to be mobilized. General Alfonso La Marmora will act as the Commander-General of the Royal Italian Army. Until the end, taxes and tributes shall be raised in an effort to support our soldiers in the field. Extra job posts are needed for filling by any willing volunteers for our medical, technological, military, and political needs.

This war shall continue, against the Papal States, and any of her allies that our soldiers encounter in the field, until such a time as the government recognizes the Italian claims to the Italian lands the political regime that is the Papal States have wrongly occupied for centuries too long. The regime that governs the temporal lands is not one of a divine nature, but rather a political nature. His Holiness Leo XIII is a pope in name but a king in practice. Let it be known to every Roman Catholic who resides God's earth, this is not a war on the Roman Catholic Church, but a war on the political institution the Papal States has slowly evolved to be over centuries of corruption and oppression. The Papal States is an obstacle to liberty, equality, and democracy being delivered to all of the children of Italy. The North Italian Confederation will not stand for the wrongful oppression of the Italian citizens who live under this devilish regime. A state of peace shall exist between the Papal States and the North Italian Confederation following terms found agreeable by both nations, but more importantly terms that will bring freedom to the oppressed citizens of the Papal States.

Signed by His Majesty Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia-Piedmont, President of the North Italian Confederation

Victor Emmanuel placed his pen down upon his desk after signing the document. He turned to those gathered around him and said "Let us hope the Lord does not damn us all to hell for declaring war on a nation governed by the Vicar of Christ."

And with that, the North Italian Confederation was at war for the first time.

14 April 1853
Genoa, Sardinia-Lombardia
Piazza De Ferrari

As the train approached the platform of the unfinished Genova Piazza Principe, the rail terminal of the Royal Lombard Railway within the city of Genoa, the rattling of the carriages continued as the brakes of the engine began to shriek.

Opening of the Piazza Principe section in 1847

Giuseppe Garibaldi looked up from his newspaper. He had been reading the stories regarding the war printed by several of the major newspapers throughout the Confederation. One headline read "King declares war on 'devilish' Papal States!" while another read "Liberty arrives to Italy, King declares war on Rome". He smiled as he read the positive reactions, and was eager out of his carriage and venture out into la Superba. The train came to a halt and a conductor opened the door to Garibaldi's carriage. He stepped out onto the platform and made his way into the heart of the city.

He arrived at the Piazza De Ferrari, which had been flooded by the people of the city. He passed the cheering crowds and watched as children ran with streamers and men threw their hates into the air. "Kill the Papal Beast! Liberate Italy! Lunga vita al Re! Viva l'Italia!" echoed through the narrow streets of the ancient city. He was enthused to see the support for the destruction of an institution as demonstrated by the crowds of Genoa. Genoa was considered to be the heart of Italian liberalism and anti-papal and anti-clerical attitudes were very prevalent among the populace. He continued on his way and was set to arrive at the home of his friend Agostino Bertani. Bertaini was a revolutionary similar to Garibaldi and moved to Genoa following the collapse of the Roman Republic. He was a medical officer and had organized the ambulance service for the short lived Republic. Garibaldi made his way up the steps of the residence and knocked on the door, which promptly opened. "My dear Bertani! It is a pleasure to see you once more!" he said upon seeing his friend. "We have much to talk about, I need to raise an army of twelve thousand!"

by **Kryskov** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 2:15 pm

The Kingdom of Hellas

Castle Eptapyrgio
Thessaloniki
April 1, 1853

The city braved through a thunderstorm. The low rumblings of the tempest echoed throughout the city streets as the small flashes of white light gave a momentary startle to the beggars and thugs braving the rain. Sometimes it seemed as though the gale was in a sonic competition with itself. The surge of waves and the patter of rain often overrode the thunder in the ears of the Hellenic citizens. Tonight was a night to stay indoors and reflect on the day's events. Indeed the King, returning from Athens, had to stay the night at the Eptapyrgio. King Alexander II tonight was in the company of Baroness Iosephina of Kalamarias. The young Baroness had little time to prepare for the King's attendance, but there was no rush. The Eptapyrgio, where several of the lords of the Theme of Thessaloniki resided, had been renovated by Iosephina, a matron of the arts. The young Baroness, but 22 in age, matured during the rebirth of Hellenic nationalism in the 1830s and 40s. As such, as Stewardess of Castle Eptapyrgio, she adorned the palace with paintings and sculptures that reminisced its viewers in the great epics of Hellas; from the sculpture Leonidas in Glory by Robert William Sievier, to the painting The Triumph at Manzikert by Dionysios Tsokos, the Eptapyrgio presented a walking history of Greece from Antiquity to Modernity.

The dinner was simple, as it was simplicity that the King had requested. An opening of spanakopita was enjoyed, followed by fasolada, pork gyros, and summed up with a simple but delicious baklava. The meal was stapled with Lagana bread and a Xinomavro dark red wine from the Goumenissa wine region. Overall, it was a dinner sophisticated yet humble. The lords of the area all scrambled to attend, many of them wishing to impress the 40-year-old Alexander. The majority of the nobles there were the Baroness' siblings and cousins who were bestowed by her uncle, the Strategos of Thessalonika, with titular rule over the small villages and neighborhoods of the region. During the meal there was great discussion about the opening of the Thessaloniki Grand Royal, a train station that would complete the Athens-Constantinople Railway, commonly known as the Royal Express. The station was designed in the Greek Revival style, more than appropriate for the rival of Athens. Its unveiling would be a landmark moment continuing the King's hunger to revive Hellenic culture and art.

Although the nation of Hellas was not particularly large nor powerful, King Alexander foresaw its potential as being as influential as, dare say, France in the day's arts and architecture. Each new day, the King sought to bring Hellas out of the Renaissance and Medieval styles that today's kingdom had been born out of and tie the state to the Ancient Hellas of great Hellenes such as Aristotle and the Romanesque Byzantine Empire of the triumphant and pious Constantine the Great. Hellas, indeed, remained one of the leaders in Hellenic and Romanesque Revival architecture. Pythagoras himself might faint from the intimate attention given to geometry and symmetry. But fascinatingly, the King's love for Revivalism wasn't really his.

It was well understood within the city of Thessaloniki, which included the village-neighborhood of Kalamarias, that the 22-year-old bachelorette Baroness Iosephina was an adulteress. And she was no ordinary, run-of-the-mill adulteress, but the King's personal favorite adulteress. It was her who instilled the passion for antiquity. The Queen was a chaste prude, who was also allergic to the fluids of intercourse. It was no surprise, of course, that fifteen years of marriage produced no offspring. The King had oft considered bearing and legitimizing a child with a mistress, but the cautious Iosephina, unaware of her reputation as the Royal Whore, made the King use protective contraception. And on this night there was no exception.

After the deed was done, the Baroness laid in her bed and discussed recent events with the King.

"When do you leave for the City, my love?" Iosephina inquired, referring to the King's return to Constantinople.

"At noon, my dear. The Royal Locomotive will arrive after being assembled in Athens. I shall ride it on my way to Constantinople." Alexander replied.

"What is it like?" the Baroness wondered.

"What is what like?" the King chuckled, enamored by his true lover's fierce imagination.

"The train of course!"

"Ah, yes. Well, it is four cars long, not counting the coal and engine. The first car and the caboose house my personal guard, and the second and third my staff, guests, and myself."

"Will you take me, on the train?"

"My dear," the King stumbled and hesitated, "I think it's best if we remain discrete. If I take you, I would have to take all the Barons of the region, and I would have no room to house my guard."

"You disappoint me, darling. When will you divorce your wife?"

"You and I both know the church will never allow it. Besides, such a split would cause a scandal, and that would ruin everything we have tried so hard to rebuild. You know I love you. More than her, more than money, more than life. I need time to see what can be done, my dear."

"I suppose so..." Iosephina replied, annoyed and pouting. She felt an odd sensation. "My dear...you used the condom, right?"

"April Fool's."

by **The New Lowlands** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 9:27 pm

HAIL, BRITANNIA!

The Rise of Her Imperial Majesty

by **Caltarania** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:57 am

NEWS OF THE WORLD

EVENTS IN EUROPE

1. The Society for Polish Liberation is founded in Paris, and campaigns for an independent Polish state to be resurrected, without Russian, Prussian or Austrian influence. The Society is funded by many wealthy individuals and Polish expatriates, though censorship from the occupying powers is preventing any real influence in Poland. Nevertheless, it may cause the French government to raise the Polish Question once more.

2. The Irish Liberation Front is founded in a tavern in Dublin, with the express purpose of freeing Ireland from British rule in retaliation to British negligence during the Great Famine. It has not made itself particularly public yet, though has gained support from a small number of Irishmen. It campaigns for an Irish Republic, not dissimilar to the government of Kolumbia, and in addition to this also seeks support from the Catholic countries of Europe.

EVENTS IN AMERICA

1. Peru-Bolivian herders/farmers/hunters along the border with Brazil accidentally stray into Brazilian territory, inciting great tension over the rightful borders between the two great South American states.

2. The Métis, Inuit and other Native American tribes stage a huge revolt in Kolumbia, with the aim of creating a free native state. Though the revolt is easily crushed by the Kolumbian police and army, it sparks a huge debate about the treatment and future of the Native peoples of Kolumbia.

EVENTS IN ASIA

1. Muslims in the Mughal Empire - dissatisfied with their Christian overlords - request that the Emir of Mecca call for a Great Jihad against the huge state. The Muslim regions of Afghanistan, Singh, Bengal etc. are largely supportive of the motion.

2. Reactionary members of the Chinese Imperial Court, disgusted by the prospect of westernization and the opening of trade with the West, plot to overthrow the Wu dynasty. The plot is revealed, however due to the great extent of the plot and it's previous likelihood of success, the weaknesses of the Wu dynasty are exposed to the world.

EVENTS IN AFRICA

1. African tribesmen attack Brazilian colonists, slaughtering hundreds and making any further inland colonisation impossible. There is outrage back in Brazil, and the extent of the attacks make any attempt at inland colonisation political suicide.

2. The Zulu peoples in the Boer Confederation, chaffing under Boer rule, crown one of their tribesmen King and launch a huge attack on the Confederation. Although the battle is won by the Boer, there are huge casualties in addition to outrage back in Pretoria.

by **Liecthenbourg** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 5:00 am

The United Provinces of Columbia

"E Pluribus Unum"

Chapter 2: Moving the Masses

Chief Si'ahl, First President of the House of the First Nations

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 21st
Debate raged across the halls of the Congress. Republicans called for the better treatment of natives, Democrats called for tighter regulations and less rights for the native population amongst Columbians, giving their uprising deserved no sympathy. Vice President Dupont stroked his beard in thought; he was personally a man whom wished to see the Natives of Columbia given the right to live in peace alongside the Columbian population. He would argue that the natives deserved rights as well as any white or black Columbian. Slavery was abolished long ago, why could the natives not be accepted like the blacks before them? It made no sense to him. He had had enough with this constant bickering and whilst the President sat and thought of his own position, Dupont clasped the sides of his podium and stood up. Reaching for his spectacles and he placed them upon the brow of his nose, pushing them up with an elongated finger.

"Quiet!" he called, a voice piercing through the fog that was the noise of the chambers. Democrats staggered back, daggers in their eyes and Republicans glanced with a raging fury.

"How are we, a nation naming itself free, permitted to oppress a people whom have lived in this continent since a time longer than our ancestors first journeys here? We call ourselves the land of the free, a title we believe we had fought for during our wars with independence. To further ratify this, we abolished slavery. All men of the black skin would become citizens of these United Provinces, with the same rights as we. And yet we paid no mind to the natives whom fought both with us and against us in this war of revolutionary fervour. By God, what land of the free would oppress her people of the land to this extent?"

The Republicans backed Dupont in force, throwing their lot behind him. But it was not enough, with several members of the Republican party refusing to take a side until the President acted. The Democrats, most had at least, rallied around the idea of keeping the Natives suppressed. That was the deadlock until Demaes stood up, the eldery Dutchman's knees quaking like trees in the wind.

"I am of the opinion Mr Dupont is correct, we are only as free as our people can be."

The United Provinces of Columbia

The Rights of the First Nations Act

The Act, passed by Congress, aims to improve the living standards and representation of the Native Columbians substantially

The Act Hereby Enforces

All Native Columbians are to be granted dual citizenship - that of their tribe and that of the Columbian Nation.
All male Native Columbians above the age of 21, like for all other Columbian men, are given the right to vote.
Native Columbians are to be given the equal treatment of the law.
Native Columbians have the freedom to choose to live in Columbia proper, or any of the reservations assigned by the Columbians to best reflect the historical homelands of the Native peoples.
That each Reservation will be able to elect and place a Representative into the House of Representatives.
Despite the presence of Reservations within States, Reservation Representatives will be observer members in the Columbian House of Representatives and will function in the House of the First Nation; a newly created establishment of government in which the Reservations will elected a President - one whom will bring forth the concerns of the Native Peoples to the President of Columbia.
The President of the House of the First Nations is to be given a seat at Congress.
Native Columbians are to have the right to refrain from Columbia utilising the raw materials and resources present in these reservations, only until an agreement can be reached between the Reservation Representatives and the rest of the Columbian Government.
Columbian Federal Law is to apply in the Reservations.
Columbian Railways can be made through the Reservations, and freedom of movement is to be allowed both in and out of them.

Battle of Many Tears, 3rd April
The 1st Quebec Line Infantry stood solemnly, their boots crunching the snow beneath them. Their outfits of blue flapped in the winds, the winds that caused the trees of oak and pine to rustle in the nearby forest, the wind that caused the snow to dance as it gracefully descended from the heavens and onto the ground. Here they were, out in the fields north-east of Quebec, to face a rebellious insurrection from the hands of natives. They were to meet on the field, it was said, and meet they would do. On the left flank, the 2nd Nieuw Amsterdam Grenadiers stood, their standards raised high, and on the right flank various militia groups from Quebec and Montreal had gathered. On the far left side, the 3rd Quebec Lancers sat atop their steeds filled with pomp and splendour.

Louis inspected the rifle pressed against the right side of his body, remaining in line with his fellow men as the marched forward to a cheery tune on the fifes and drums. A metis himself, he had been born and raised in Quebec - enlisting in the military due to his romanticised ideals of it. Shooting at fellow Columbians, or what he perceived fellow Columbians to be, was not on his agenda. A burly man sneezed next to him, the line's boots stomping on the snow in unison. The left and right flank advanced in tandem, and Louis could see from here several horses shaking and neighing in the discomfort at the cold weather.

And suddenly, from the undergrowth and from the forests they took fire. Bullets aplenty, but arrows much more. A shout came from one of the officers, as he waved his sword in the air. "Left, left" Louis thought mentally, turning in unison with his unit. Another shout escaped the lips of the officer. "Kneel, aim". He could feel his left knee get progressively more wet and damp as it rested on the snow. Several rifles were now hovering over his head, as he aimed his own one true. A shout now, came from the officer whom had drawn his pistol instead. The standard bearer remained unmoved and the musicians continued to play their songs. A loud rumbling roar echoed across the plains, as a good dozen rifles fired at once. He blinked, reloading and firing again as the officer commanded. Again it came and again it went.

By now he could hear the ground itself tremble, as the clips were being reloaded a loud tandem of running feet made themselves known to the unit. A charge, the officer yelled. Élan! Élan! Filled the ears of the soldiers next. "Fix bayonets?!" Louis thought half heartedly. In the corner of his eye he could see the Grenadiers advance whilst continuing to fire. By the time the men had prepared, the natives were no more than a few dozen feet infront of them. "ALLONS-Y!" came next and before he knew it, Louis was pushed force into the baying and fire filled eyes of a native. He shut his eyes and thrust his rifle forward and the following sound was so sick to his ears he twitched and shook as he heard the disgusting sound of a body fall limp off of the bayonet blade.

A fierce melee followed suit, but the ground continued to tremble. "God, not another charge..." As Louis opened his eyes once more he caught the sight of a comrade to his right clench his teeth as his hand was severed from his arm before he drove his hatchet into the unfortunate native's neck. And that was when it was seen. The Grenadiers had pushed a portion of the natives to route and were now turning, but only a few natives had turned in time to notice the unflinching eyes of the lancers approaching them from the rear. The sun glistened off of their lances, a sheer blinding shine. Louis backed off, not able to cope with this anymore. He looked at his hands, drenched in a blood that was not his own and retreated from the front line, another man taking his place just in time to see the sight of roughly 60 lances impacting against flesh in a symphony of death and revolting sounds.

A standard flew in the wind, that of this so called rebellion. Around it piles of body, mostly native with a few Columbian inbetween. The snow was no longer the picturesque and beautiful white it had been before the battle, but it was now drenched red. A red so dark it looked like the earth had bled. Her children most certainly had.

Nagaskai, Japan, May 11th
More Columbian ships had arrived. Just in time, too, it would seem. The Officers Academy the Columbians had begun building not so long ago was finally complete, and luckily several off duty officers had arrived with the main group of engineers and the much larger group of soldiers. 10,000 in all. 10,000 boys in blue from the Columbian Army, here in Japan to defend their motherland's interests alongside the navy. The engineers were to meet with an Imperial Delegation, to discuss the prospect of creating a functioning railway in the Japanese Empire whilst the officers were to establish an effective and modern officer corps for the Japanese. Whilst this was done, the regiments sent to be stationed in Japan would in fact also be teaching, through their own officers and visually demonstrations, the art of a modern fighting force.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 5:37 am

Southern Mud Gate, Kashgar
Autonomous Province of Kashgar, Great Wu Empire

The Tree Breaks

Through the southern gate the mounted soldiers of the Khan-Emperor paraded in style, each horse frisky, but each soldier keeping his steed in reign. From the cheers the crowd gave off many were glad to see the Mughals, but in places dour faces watched the procession. Behind the cavalry came tramping lines of the soldiers bearing the scarlet and tan of the Eleventh Fist Army, their banners of the rampant anchor clear for all to see. Kashgar had surrendered without a fight as the troops from Afghar poured northwards, and the precise terms of the induction into the Imperium had been generous. Only a modest levy, lighter than that enjoyed under the Celestial Empire (a doddering structure for any man to see), and the removal of all border tariffs, as well as the end to the Wu tradition of appointing Han functionaries to rule over the Muslims, Uighurs, Nestorians, Dangsha, and other tribal groups that filled Xianjan Oversector, as the new region was named under the Imperial administratum.

Still, the campaign was not at an end. Footsloggers and Outlookers were all well and good to garrison new territories, and ensure the rule of law prevailed, but the Wu's ancient grip was long. East the horsemen rode, through wide barren lands and along trade routes of the ages, engaging the few pathetic forces the Han had left of militiamen. Behind them along the few mountain passes poured lines of materiel and men- the initial thrust of this engagement had not been at the order of Baburha, Lord of the Earth, but he would seize his opportunity with both hands regardless.

Nightmarket, Naal
Khuzdar Governate, Karak Oversector, Mughal Imperium

The Stick

Ladyweeps Slum, Alim
Mano Governate, Kandahar Oversector, Mughal Imperium

The Carrot

Gray Office, Palace of the Scribe
Shahjahanabad Governate, Imperial Oversector, Mughal Imperium

Measured Steam

Letter to Kolumbia

Letter to Siam

by **Elepis** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 5:43 am

Austrian Empire
"All the world is subject to Austria"

Hofburg, Vienna. Austria
First of April

Thank God Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg, Minister-President of Austria flicked a piece of dust of his stainless suit jacket as he walked towards the Imperial apartments If Franz Joseph had stayed in power, our country would have been driven in to the ground. The Minister-President had been shocked when the messenger ran to his offices in the Hofburg, telling him of the Emperor's death. The entire country had been shocked. However, now he looked back on it, the Prince of Schwarzenberg thought it was to be expected. Emperor Franz Joseph had ruthlessly crushed ethnic revolutions in certain parts of the Empire in the past decade. It was only a matter of before someone stuck back at the Emperor.

In truth Prince Felix could have kissed the assassin, named János Libényi, a Hungarian nationalist. Instead, Felix had ordered him hanged and buried in an unmarked grave. After being tortured of course, to find any accomplices. He meant to bring down the Empire, instead he might have just save it. Ferdinand wanted to preserve the Old Order, he wanted to keep Austria in the dark. His brother his different, Maximilian is a liberal, of kind off, he will help advance the Empire. Together we can make Austria powerful again.

The Minister-President reached the huge oak doors to the Imperial Apartments in the eastern wing of the vast Hofburg. The two guards on the door, both of them wearing a black sash over their stainless white tunics to show mourning for Emperor Franz Joseph saluted him. He saluted in turn and the taller blonde one on the right pushed open the vast door to let the Prince of Schwarzenberg pass.

Whenever he entered the Imperial apartments, Felix was always taken aback. All the rooms in the Hofburg were grand but the ones inhabited by the Emperor and his family were massively over the top. Columns of malachite and marble, grandly painted ceilings and gold leaf on every surface made the Imperial rooms look like the inside of a giant, over the top cake.

However, what surprised Felix today were the clothes the Emperor was wearing. His predecessors, all the way back the greatest Hapsburg, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain Charles V had worn military uniforms, even in private. Franz Joseph had had a particular liking for them. However, when Felix walked in on Maximilian, he was sitting at his desk wearing a civilian suit, not a sword or military tunic in sight. The Emperor heard the Minister-President enter he looked up and smiled. Felix was always clean shaven, but the new Emperor had long, wide triangle shaped side-burns on either side of his face and a thick mustache. That, an long chins were the hallmarks of the Austrian Hapsburgs.

Felix clicked his booted heels and saluted the emperor. "Your Imperial Majesty, at your pleasure, I would like you too look at these report on the current political and military situation in the Empire. I have been working on them for half a month and they outline the problems facing our Imperial realm." The Minister-President paused, thinking about what to say next. "It is my opinion that...that the Empire needs reform in almost every spectrum of life. Our army, though large and well equipped, is poorly trained. The upper echelons are made up mostly of incompetent fools and it is riven with ethnic tension. Ethnic tension are so bad across the Empire that if Austria went to war, it would be likely minorities such as the Serbs would rise up against Imperial authority. If the Empire is to survive... we need to institute whole sale reforms quickly, decisively and effectively, while, of cause, maintiang Imperial power and authority. The report outlines problems and also comes to a number of conclusion on how to deal with them"

The Minister-President sucked in breath, waiting for what was going to happen. Franz Joseph would have shouted at him for saying such things and forced him out of his job, demoting him to some lowly provincial governor in the eastern Balkans. The Emperor's reactions could break Felix's career and end the House of Schwarzenberg. The Emperor stood, leaning against the back of his chair. "I too have been doing some research..." the Emperor said "and, unfortunately I have to agree with you. Our Empire is in a dire state, the rich sit in our palaces while Imperial authority falls apart at the seems. I will read your report Minister-President, and by the end of the week, I promise you, Austria will never be the same again"

To: Otto Theodor Freiherr von und zu Manteuffel, Royal Minister-President of Prussia,

Dear sir,

I thank you for your condolences. The entire Empire, from Venetia to Bucharest for our beloved Emperor. The funeral of the old emperor and coronation of the new one, Maximilian, shall take place on the 15th of April this year.

Signed,
His Serene Highness, Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg, Minister-President of the Austrian Empire

by **Caltarania** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:05 pm

Russian Empire
Российская Империя
Rossiyskaya Imperiya

Chapter 4 - The Third Rome

Theme: "The Heart of Wilderness"

St. Petersburg, Russia
April 27th 1853

Across St. Petersburg, a storm was brewing, both in the metaphorical and meteorological forms. Across St. Petersburg, rain poured down from the skies onto the streets, unleashing a pitter or a patter as they struck the stone that lined the streets. People rushed across the streets in order to escape the rain, rushing into houses or shops or such, while others merely grit their teeth and continued down along the streets, getting drenched as they did so. The Winter Palace was not exempt from the thunder, or the lightning, or the rain, though a storm of a different proportion was raging inside it.

"You cannot mean to do this, Alexander!" screamed Count Nikolay Adlerberg at the top of his voice.

"You will address me as 'your Grace', you stuck-up shit!" boomed Tsar Alexander II. "Have you forgotten that I am Emperor and Autocrat, Count?" he added. "I will do as I see fit, and you will head back to your god-forsaken county and accept the changes, less you want to lose your damn head!" he said.

"Very well, 'your Grace'." Count Nikolay replied, angrily but less noisily. "It is a shame that it had to come down to this, however." Nikolay added.

It was at that moment that Nikolay revealed his previously concealed revolver - one of French make, if Alexander recalled the shape correctly - and aimed it at Alexander, a small tear falling down his face. Quickly, Alexander ducked beneath his desk, narrowly avoiding the bullet which was fired at him mere nanoseconds afterwards. Before Alexander could even fully react, he heard the sound of his imperial guards rushing in and detaining Nikolay. Alexander rose from beneath his desk.

"Guards, take this man to the cells." he said. "We can use him to test out my judicial reforms." Alexander said calmly.

St. Petersburg, Russia
April 29th 1853

A few days after the attempt on his life, and Alexander was back to work with his plans. He had asked his Minister of War, Vasily Dolgorukov, to look over some proposals to reform the army. He was awaiting Vasily Dolgorukov to arrive at his office, as he had summoned him there many hours ago. Eventually, the large man burst through the doors to the Tsar's office and slammed the documented proposals onto the Tsar's desk.

"These proposals are utterly mad!" Vasily boomed. "You plan to appoint officers based on merit? Christ, your Grace, are you inciting the nobility to rebel against your rule?" he added.

"Not intentionally." Tsar Alexander replied. "Rather, I want our military to be competent." he said.

"Well, your Grace, in that regard they are excellent. Our officer caste is rather inept, as shown by the conflict in Central Asia." Vasily said, rather more calmly. "But as I said before, your Grace, the nobility would not accept this; they have already taken an attempt on your life, do not push them further." he said. "But, if you are insistent on following through with these proposals, then I will do so." he added. "And your other proposals, too, though I presume they are to be implemented after your emancipation edict?" Vasily questioned.

"Yes, Vasily. The proposals to enact conscription and meritocratic systems within the army are for after the emancipation act, and I thank you for following through with the officer malarkey. Bloody nobility, I can see why Peter the Great founded this city now; to get away from them." Alexander replied. "But before then, Vasily, start deploying our men to the East." Alexander added. "Five hundred thousand of them, tell them to await further orders. It's unfortunate that they'll be lead by incompetent generals, but alas, I will be able to lead them soon enough." he said

by **The Holy Dominion of Inesea** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 6:22 pm

Rattanakosin Empire
March 15th
Bangkok

The Royal Siamese Mint has announced a new reorganization and valuation of the Imperial Baht. A new Gold and a new Silver Baht will be issued with a set value of 10 Baht to 1 Sterling Pound. Thai Baht, Laos Baht, Annamese Baht, Malay Baht are no longer valid and must be turned into the local Magistrates Office to be melted down and weighed. Imperial Baht will be reissued based on metal content and value. This move is to take place over six months. Imperial Baht reserves have already been made. The new Baht was ordered to streamline foreign trade. The Baht metal content is set at 1/10 that of the GBP, scaling. New Imperial Baht(NIB) can be transferred to Gold Bullion at 90% value. New Imperial Baht(NIB) can be transferred to Precious Gems at 95% value.

Factories were beginning to pop up all around Bangkok and Hai Phong, spurred by Royal Deductibles to Industrial Investments. A budding class of industrialists is forming in the urban areas. A joint-stock company, the Royal Siamese Storage Company, was formed. It was an export/income business and mostly dealt with the French in Haiphong. Haiphong itself was prospering under the French Trade. Gems and lumber and cash crops were purchased with minimal tax by French merchants and in turn they brought the wonders of the west. Already factories and more western companies were being established. The Treaty Port, less than a decade old, was a good thing for Rattanakosin.

Drilling Fields, Vientiane, Laos, Rattanakosin Empire

General Pham Cao Ahn watched as a company of line infantry fired volleys into some targets 150 yards away. Pham was the newly appointed overall commander of the Rattanakosin Army of Laos. He had replaced the aged Duke Lam Cheng Bo. Unlike the Duke, Pham was a military man, with his status as General being higher than his social standing as a Baron in Annam. He had been an Officer in the Army of Siam, commanding a 5,000 man Regiment. He missed those days. He missed those troops and their guns. Their guns could hit out to 1,100 yards en masse. The muskets of his new troops ranged only 200-300 yards. Though, the technical fire rate was the same, his old Siamese troops could crank out 3 rounds a minute. The troops of Laos could only do 2 rounds a minute. At least they could fire in line.

To their defense, the Rattanakosin Army of Laos and Laos in general was the pit of Siam. The smallest of all the provinces in both size and population, and poorest by far, it was also viewed as a lair of backwardness and rebellion. The RAL was in Laos specifically to keep order in the country. Pham’s current directive was from Rama IV himself. Over the past decade, Rama had been modernizing the country in both politics and economics. While cosmopolitan Annam and Thailand had been more or less supportive of Rama’s reforms, especially in Bangkok, Hanoi, and Saigon, the nobility of the more rural Khmer and Laos had been increasingly rebellious in face of the reforms. A rebellion in Khmer had been put down not three years past, and the province was only pacified by some concessions to the nobility. The murmurings of revolt were present in Laos. Here the nobility had even more to gain from rebellion and less to lose. Pham had to ferret them out. A bloody awful job.

He did have the support of the urban population of Laos, as they benefitted most from the reforms of Rama. Unfortunately only two real urban centers were Vientiane and Luang Prabang. The vast majority of the peasants were entirely controlled by the nobility and didn’t know of the benefits that embracing the west would bring.

A young messenger boy bearing the stripes of the Royal Couriers breathlessly ran into the room. He reached into his satchel without pausing for a breath and almost fainted. Catching a breath, he handed Pham a letter. It was marked from Phan Tri(Major) Phraya Phahol Pholphayuhasena. He opened it and read. His face went pale. He turned to the messenger boy and shouted, “Go the Officer’s Mess and alert them that War Conditions are in effect. Have them report to their Units and ready their men. NOW! GO! RUN!” The frightened boy scampered off. Pham turned to the men drilling and yelled, ”Captain, end your drill and return to your barracks.”

Pham looked back at the letter. It was from the Major in charge of the Garrison in Luang Prabang. He had some 5,000 men. His letter said that the northern nobles had begun a revolt and had laid siege to the city. He estimated they had 20,000 soldiers, of questionable quality. The rebellion was breaking out. Pham ordered 15,000 of his own men to set out from Vientiane and break the siege.

Emperor Maximilian of the Glorious Austrian Empire

I write to you today, from across the Eurasian continent, to bequest a treaty with you and your grand nation. I, Emperor Rama IV, and the Rattanakosin Empire seek an alliance and treaty with the Glorious Austrian Empire. We feel this alliance will be beneficial for both of our nations. The conditions of said treaty are as follows, pending your approval. First, the Rattanakosin Empire will lease the port city of Thanh Hoa to the Austrian Empire for the period of 99 years. Austria will have extraterritoriality for her citizens, a reduction on all tariffs down to a uniform 3%, and the right to appoint several town leaders. The Right to Defend the town will be extended, and troops may be stationed there. In exchange, the Austrian Empire will deploy a Regiment of Soldiers to Siam to train the Imperial Rattanakosin Armies, and a cadre of Artillerymen to train the Rattanakosin Cannon Corp. Additionally, Austrian Small Arms and Artillery will be made available for purchase by Siam at a discounted rate for Rifles. By the Grace of God, Blessings of Buddha, and Assurances of Allah, may you find this offer acceptable. As always, we are open to negotiations.

King of Siam, King of Annam, King of Tonkin, King of Cambodia, King of Laos, Lord of the Malay Confederation, Lord of Southern Burma, Emperor of Rattanakosin, His Majesty Rama IV.

by **Elepis** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 1:16 am

Austrian Empire
"All the world is subject to Austria"

Hofburg, Vienna. Austria
Twelfth of April

Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg and the Emperor of Austria, Maximilian von Hapsburg sat across a large table from each other on the Imperial apartments of the Hofburg Palace. Through the vast window to their left, one could see the city of Vienna and all its peoples going about their daily business. "Your Imperial Majesty" began the Minister-President "Our Empire has a number of problems, as you know. When you first look at these problems, they all seem different. However they are all linked to one underlying factor. Ethnic tensions. As the German ethnic group of the Empire make up the ruling class, there is a trend in social and economic areas to favour Germans over all the other peoples of the Empire, this problem is the underlying problem of the Empire and something we must solve it.

The fact the everything in our socioeconomic system is designed to favour Germans above all means that the majority people in the Empire who are non-Germans cannot climb the social ladder. This means they are stuck being the poorest in society and it means that there are vast rural areas which have no hope of advancing because their people are not German. This oppression in turn creates anger among the non-German populations, they feel they are second class citizens and this causes resentment to rise. This anger and resentment can cause ethnic uprising, as seen in 1848. These uprisings, riots and assassinations in turn create distrust between the ruling Germans and the oppressed majority. This not only creates a climate of fear in the Empire but also hampers our ability to make war.

At the moment, it is impossible for all 350,870 of the Imperial Austrian Army to be deployed at the same time in either an offensive or defensive war. The maximum we could deploy at anyone time outside the Empire would be around 250,00 men. This is because the ruling elites, the Counts, Dukes and Princes will always demand that at least 100,000 Imperial troops stay in Austria to make sure there are no nationalist uprisings against them. In fact, if we did deploy our full strength abroad, there would be uprising considering how badly non-German's are treated and the anger they feel at the ruling German elite.

As well as this, the Imperial Army is woefully slow to mobilise and deploy. Austrian policy is to ensure that units are stationed far from home to prevent them from taking part in separatist revolts. Conscripts on leave or reservists recalled to their units during mobilization face a journey that might take weeks before they could report to their units, making the Austrian mobilisation much slower than that of the Prussian, Sardinian or French Armies .

In short, before we can tackle any of the other problems facing our Empire, we must first stop ethnic discrimination. To do that we must make it clear that non-Germans must and do enjoy the same citizenship rights as German's do. We must also make it clear that you, the Emperor will protect these rights. We must also make it clear that no matter your wealth or ethnicity, all men, be they German or Serb are equal in your eyes and under the eyes of the law. Once we have started dealing with ethnic tensions, we can rebuild Austria as a great power once more. That is why I ask you, your Imperial Majesty to sign this order, making it illegal to discriminate on grounds of race or religion."

The Emperor took the document Prince Felix was holding out to him. He quickly read over it and signed it, passing it back the Minister-President. "Thank you" the the Prince "Today, Austria advances".

Imperial Decree on the Rights of Ethnic Groups in the Austrian Empire

For too long, non-German ethnic groups in our Empire have been treated as second class citizens in their own land. The Austrian Empire is a home to all people, no matter their race or religion. From this moment forwards, all ethnic groups in the Empire are to enjoy the same rights as ethnic Germans. Discrimination against non-Germans must end. Therefore, a new criminal category has been created, one of Gross Xenophobia. Anyone who witnesses or is a victim of racial discrimination must report the crimes against them to the police and Imperial authorities and the suspect criminal will be investigate on a charge of Gross Xenophobia and if the person in question is found guilty, they will be sentenced to a maximum of four years hard labour. Ethnic and religious discrimination must end for our empire to prosper.

Signed,
His Imperial Majesty, Ferdinand Maximilian von Hapsburg, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia, King of Venetia

His Serene Highness, Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg, Minister-President of the Austrian Empire

Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria
Thirteenth of April

"Telegram from Milan Your Serene Highness" said the small, pale faced messenger in an over sized infantry uniform. The Minister-President stood, his back acing. "Thank you" he said, taking the small yellow paper. It only took him a second to read what had been printed on Sardinia has declared war on the Papal States. "Scheiße" said Prince Felix, quickly throwing on his blue tunic. "Get me the command of the Army of Italy, Feldzeugmeister Ludwig von Benedek and Viceadmiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, NOW!" he shouted at the messenger as he jogged out of apartments. Unfortunately, Maximilian's Imperial rooms were at the other side of the vast Palace. By the time he reached the Emperor's rooms, the Hofburg had come alive with activity, apparatchiks and attache's running in and out of various rooms.

"Your Imperial Majesty" Felix said, saluting and breathing heavily. He was not the young man he once was. "Have you heard the news?". Maximilian was sitting on a large, patterned sofa, his jaw and impressive beard cradled in his left hand while his right drummed the arm rest. "I have heard, I am sure all Vienna has heard!" he said, getting up. "Where are von Benedek and Tegetthoff? They should be hear by now!" . "I sent for them your Majesty, they should be here soon..." Felix was slightly taken aback by the Emperor's anger. Maximilian always seemed kind and relaxed, Felix had never seen him angry before. "Is there anything we can do? We cannot let the Pope be attacked. He is the Pope, the representative of God on earth!"

Felix reclined against a marble wall "I fear there is not much we can do you Majesty. As I have said before, our army will take to long to deploy and if the war goes badly, I cannot guarantee there will not be uprising". Just as the Emperor was going to respond the two military commanders, General Ludwig von Benedek and Viceadmiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff burst through the doors. "Your Imperial Majesty" they said in unison, bowing slightly.

"Ludwig" the Emperor shouted harshly "How quickly can the Army of Italy deploy?". The general blinked at the Emperor's harsh tone then answered "Not quickly enough, by the time the Army could deploy, most of Marche and Ancona itself will have fallen to the Sardinian forces". The Emperor slapped the side of his leg. "Tegettoff?". The admiral cracked a knuckle and said "The Trieste squadron could reach Ancona by tomorrow evening. The Venice and Split squadrons will take longer to mobilise and deploy. If you ordered it, Imperial Marines could be in Ancona this time tomorrow."

The Emperor thought on this "No, what will happen if we do occupy the city? The Sardinian's will simply lay siege."

"Then I am afraid there is not much we can do" said Felix, breathing through his fingers. "Of cause we can posture and complain, as is expected of a Catholic nation, but in real terms? If we had more time we could sell the Papal forces some Lorenz rifles but nothing more drastic than that.".

"Oh well then" said the Emperor "Von Benedek, mobilise whatever forces you have ready on the border. Tegettoff, sail the Trieste squadron to Ancona. Do not enter the port, anchor outside it. If the Sardinian's try to attack, destroy them but otherwise leave them be. If any Anconans try to flee to your ships, let them on but do not engage the Sardinian's otherwise. I shall write to Milan"

To: Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia-Lombaria

Dear sir,

The Austrian Empire cannot stand by while your kingdom unjustly and unduly attacks an innocent nation. An attack on the Pope is the equivalent to an attack on God Himself. What moral and legal justification can you, a Roman Catholic possibly have for attacking an innocent country and an innocent people?

Signed,
His Imperial Majesty, Ferdinand Maximilian von Hapsburg, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia, King of Venetia

by **Krugmar** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 11:43 am

Empire of Brazil
Independência ou Morte!
Hino do Império do Brasil

Dom Pedro II

12th April 1853
Paço Imperial, Rio de Janeiro

"The Italians are making war upon the Papal States, I hope his Holiness is unharmed in the conflict" said Joaquim Rodrigues Torres, reading the letter without enthusiasm or much care. He was a devout Catholic, like most of the inhabitants of Brazil, but the Papal States and the monarch status of the Pope had become something of a joke. If he could be restored to a more spiritual role, then the Catholic faith would be all the stronger for it.

"They are able to make war against the Papacy, but not Iberia?" mentioned Caxias, clearly disgruntled with the failure of his plan to win over the Cabinet. "What does that say about our Italian friends?".

"They were reluctant to fight against one of the powers of Europe. The Papacy is definitely not a power in Europe, this is a move that we have seen coming for years, ever since the Sardinians began expanding" replied Torres, in no mood to give more weight to the pro-war argument.

"This is not our concern for now, the letter from the Boer Republic is very interesting. I am of a mind to agree with them" said Pedro, clearly wishing to change the subject. He sparked a debate that lasted for up to half an hour, most of the concerns being with the aid whenever they were in need. It was decided that they would insist upon the aid not being used to call them into any wars. Brazil had enough problems with Iberia, it did not want to anger Britain as well.

Pedro and the Cabinet formulated the letter, before sending it off to be sent to the Boer Republic with all haste. The Nunes-Santos Plan was quickly discussed before Pedro signed it, giving it the formal assent of the Emperor. The colonisation could begin, though most of those behind it had been completely deceived. Pedro had, correctly, assumed that it was a diversion to remove any thoughts of a Brazilian invasion of Portugal due to the need of their armies and resources for the colonies. It was in fact a ploy by the Brazilian slave owners to open new markets for the slave trades, and find new places to exploit. They knew Pedro would have never gone through with the plan which is why they used such deception, and bribed President Torres and several Senators to help it through.

From the Imperial Secretariat of the Empire of Brazil

Dear M.W. Pretorius, President of the Boer Confederation,

Saudações Presidente!

Liberty is something that I hold dearly to my heart, and to see nations such as yours, ruled for the good of all its citizens, truly warms my heart. Our colonial possessions, kept safe from the Spanish aggression, are indeed close to your nation. A friendship is certainly on the minds of myself and my Cabinet, which leads me to consider your proposal very seriously. It is understood here that relations between your nation and Great Britain are rather low. This leads me to believe that Brazil may be called in to a war against Britain in defence of your territories. While I dislike Imperialist powers imposing their will upon smaller nations, I cannot risk the lives of my citizens and soldiers in a war which it is unlikely we could have any impact upon.

However, the terms you offer are extremely fair and ones that I admire. If aid in times of need can exclude warring with another global power then a deal can be made. Until then I am not sure I will be able to convince the Senate to ratify any treaty I make with your nation.

signed, Dom Pedro II, Constitutional Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil, King and Protector of Portugal and the Algarves

Joaquim Rodrigues Torres

16th April 1853
General Assembly, Rio de Janeiro

The factional divide had completely changed Brazilian politics, the old parties were dead and had been replaced by two new grand coalitions. The Partido de Ordem, or Party of Order, was a mainly conservative alliance between several parties which backed the Imperial system of government and held traditional conservative views mixed with Pedro style liberty. The Aliança Republicana, or Republican Alliance, was the smaller coalition of mainly liberals and several conservatives who wished for a Republic of Brazil. They were hampered slightly between the disagreements over the liberals and ultraconservatives within the alliance, but shared a unifying goal.

No other parties remained, it had been completely divided between the two as everyone in the chamber saw the need for their faction to emerge victorious in the struggle. Unfortunately the emergence of the new parties saw the public demanding a new election, as they had no proper mandate from the people, something Pedro was insistent upon to keep the peace.

"I would like this Assembly to understand that I have asked his Imperial Majesty to dissolve the Assembly. New elections are to be-" started Torres, before the chamber erupted in anger and confusion. Deputies were always scared about losing their seats, but now they had further reason to be angry. Shouts of Imperial abuse sounded out, ridiculous allegations considering Torres had told Pedro that he was dissolving the chamber, not exactly asked. It was common for such an act to occur, Pedro disliked interfering with the Chamber of Deputies and only dissolved it after being informed by the President.

A surge of bodies occurred, and soon Torres was fighting his way to try and escape the chamber. The Imperial Guard flooded in, shouting and ordering everyone to stand down and be calmly escorted out. The situation was a mess, but after half an hour the building was empty. A large number of deputies had been arrested, though none were charged and they were told to pay fines with the exception of one deputy who had attempted to murder another, though luckily he only wounded the victim. He was to face trial and it was unlikely he would be convicted, instead using his wealth to pay off the victim and bribe a few officials.

Francisco de Paula Sousa e Melo

22nd April 1853
Streets of Rio de Janeiro

The demonstration had started peacefully, a small group of five hundred citizens marching through the streets protesting at what they believed to be an absolute monarchy. Francisco de Paula Sousa e Melo was the leader of this demonstration, known best for being the leader of the Republican Alliance and an anti-monarchist, despite his earlier working with Pedro as President several years before. He did not intend for a violent uprising, intending for the Braganza family to be allowed to stay as private citizens with a pension from the state or remove themselves to another country in exile. Few of his comrades shared his more peaceful views, believing instead that Pedro should be violently deposed and violently removed from his position and this world.

It attracted more attention as it went through the streets, unfortunately gaining the support of local criminals looking to turn chaos into a profit. At first it was simple shouting between the protesters and the citizens, but fighting soon happened as the heat got to the people. It did not take long for the Imperial Guard to come marching through the streets, aided by the local police, in an attempt to keep order. Francisco welcomed them and, with a few of his senior colleagues, worked with them to try and distinguish the demonstrators and the ruffians. His work ended when shots were fired into the lines of the Guard, sending a few of them falling down.

The next few moments were a blur, he heard a senior officer shout "Fogo!" and heard a volley sound out. The first few lines of the demonstration fell down as people screamed and ran for their lives, more of the committed republicans drew their weapons and attempted to fight back but were quickly routed, arrested or killed. Francisco and his more level headed colleagues, who had been talking with the captain before the violence broke out, were escorted to safety and given assurances that they would not be charged for their role in the demonstration. He was, however, ordered to explain his actions before the Senate and his Imperial Majesty to help them understand the situation. That he could understand.

Luís Alves de Lima e Silva

24th April 1853
Military College, Rio de Janeiro

"The Brazilian army is underfunded and undervalued by the current government, and by his Imperial Majesty. While it is stronger and more modern than most of our neighbours, it is nowhere near as effective or disciplined as the European armies. Our two military academies have made excellent progress, but I believe that it is time to open up two more. The Central College so far has been far too general in its studies, and so it shall be divided, with the new Polytechnical College of Rio de Janeiro focusing upon civil and military engineering, while the Central College shall retain its courses on infantry and cavalry disciplines. The Military College will of course remain the same, while a new academy, the Porto Alegre Naval College, has been commissioned." explained the Duke of Caxias to the military officers gathered.

A junior officer raised an important question immediately, "I take it our aim is to modernise the army to European standards, does that mean we will be inviting European instructors to fill the positions in these new colleges?".

"Yes, while we have many great instructors of our own, some born here in Brazil and some Portuguese exiles, it is necessary to invite the best and bravest of Europe. I have been informed that the government will be attempting to make treaties and loan instructors, as well as send recruitment agents throughout Europe" Caxias replied.

"The opening of the new naval academy is interesting, does this mean that more time and funds will be given to our navy? While not exactly weak, it is not certainly one of the powers in the water. A strong navy is necessary for upholding our colonial empire" queried one of the more senior officers.

Caxias nodded, "The Emperor himself has remarked about the poor state of our navy and has agreed to work with the Cabinet and the General Assembly to allocate a higher budget to it. The replacement of all the old sailing ships with steam powered warships is the total objective, though it will take many years for this to be achieved" explained Caxias. The meeting went on for several hours, eventually moving into topics such as the pending invasion of Yemen, should negotiations fail.

Jorge Artur Rodrigues

2nd May 1853
Zanzibar

Jorge Artur Rodrigues was an ambassador, a diplomat, and he considered himself to be an excellent one after decades of service. He had served briefly under Dom Pedro I before his invasion of Spain to reclaim Portugal, and served for a very long time under his son, Dom Pedro II. He was a friend of the Imperial family, but kept himself out of politics which had earned him the personal admiration of the Emperor and secured his position as one of Brazil's leading diplomats. Soon he would retire to his large estates and enjoy his long awaited rest. That retirement depended upon his negotiations with the Sultan of Zanzibar, and he believed that they were progressing rather well.

Zanzibar had a thriving slave trade, though the abolition of slavery in the United Kingdom and Iberia had damaged it. Worse was the growing discontent with slavery internationally and the assaults upon Zanzibarian slave ships had become unbearable. Brazil had a large slave trade, despite its slow decline due to the actions of Pedro and the populace which had started to support abolition. Jorge himself despised slavery, having freed several slaves over the years himself, but it was a large factor in pressuring the Sultan to put himself under the protection of the Brazilian Empire.

"You are sure that Brazil will not abolish slavery like several European counterparts?" said one of the translators, necessary due to the fact that neither Jorge nor the Sultan spoke the others language. The Sultan knew French and a bit of Spanish from his education, and part of the deal was helping him learn Portuguese through an instructor. Jorge had managed to use this wish for his family to integrate themselves with Brazil to their advantage, convincing the Sultan to have his family educated at one of the Brazilian universities. The Sultan was not naive, knowing that his family would be hostages in Brazil, but he had been convinced that if he didn't throw his lot in with Brazil then it was likely he would be deposed by another colonial power and replaced with either direct government or a puppet ruler.

"It is unlikely, the Brazilian economy is still growing and requires a workforce to manage it while the population slowly grows" replied Jorge. The translator glanced back at the Sultan after repeating the reply and received a nod. Forms were brought out and signed, proper diplomatic protocol was followed and the deal was finished. Zanzibar was now officially a protectorate of the Empire of Brazil, and as such it would receive the protection and help allocated to it by the government. Jorge had omitted the current state of the General Assembly, believing it for the best.

by **The Union of Courland** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 11:59 am

Flag of the Papal States
Papal States, Italy, 1853:

Pope Leo XIII could not believe what he was reading. In fact, he could very well believe it, because it was sitting in front of him. A declaration of war on the Papal States by Sardinia-Lombardia. Angrily, the Pope read the letter and fumed. Himself, a tyrant? He was beloved by his people, and was nothing but kind and generous towards them. True, he was a monarch, but he was a benevolent one. He also got another letter saying that the Austrians were prepared to provide assistance if Sardinia-Lombardia got to much land. This helped to lift his mood a bit, but he was still very angry over the war declaration. Still fuming, he sent out two letters, one to Sardinia, and one to Austria.

Troop and Naval Movements in the Papal States:
All regiments in the Eastern two provinces have been moved West, and all regiments are being ordered to protect Roma and Viterbo provinces at all cost. The Papal Adriatic Fleet is being moved around the peninsula to the West Coast, to provent a possible Sardinian blockade. With a total force of around 20,000, the force guarding Rome is the largest, followed by Viterbo, which has a garrison of 15,000. The larger numbers are due to complete conscription, and thousands have been drafted to join the war. The Pope has also sent a pick up arms to all Catholics in Europe, but it is expected that around 500 will make it through enemy lines to join the Papal Army. Workers in Rome are also constructing 3 additional Frigates and another Man of War to combat the vastly superior Sardinian Navy.

by **The Kingdom of Glitter** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 12:02 pm

The North Italian Confederation

La Confederazione Italiana Nord

17 May 1853
Montalto di Castro, Lazio
The Papal States

Major General Garibaldi

Major General Garibaldi had assembled a volunteer force of 12,000 men from all over the North Italian Confederation. What some would refer to as a truly motley crew was in fact a blend of volunteers, reservists, and veterans. Many of the volunteers had fought during the 1st War of Italian Independence either in the professional army or as volunteers under Garibaldi. After word was sent out that Garibaldi was organizing a volunteer force those brave enough to sacrifice their lives for the liberation of the Italian people gathered at the city of Genoa where the Expedition of the Twelve Thousand trained for two weeks. Two days before the professional army was scheduled to cross the border into the Papal States the Twelve Thousand had gathered on the border themselves.

Garibaldi spoke about their noble cause before they crossed the border, praising each man for their bravery and their "pledge to a cause so crucial to Italian's children: their freedom". They marched to the village of Montalto di Castro and promptly arrived. The town did not resist their arrive and the Twelve Thousand were in fact welcomed by some. They spent the evening in the village and Garibaldi met with his Secretary-General, Agostino Bertani. The two stood in the tent that was acting as the "High Command of the Twelve Thousand". In front of them was a map of their planned invasion.

"We should arrive in Tuscania tomorrow as planned." Bertaini said.

"And from there we head for Viterbo?" Garibaldi asked.

"Yes. We will need to set up camp in a field several kilometers outside of the city as to not alert the Papal forces to our presence." the Secretary-General replied.

"Good, good. Have we informed the reservists of our plan yet?"

"Yes, we have. The flags and uniforms are on hand."

Garibaldi smiled. "Perfect."

18 May 1853
Off the Coast of Lazio
Papal Waters

Admiral Simone Antonio Saint-Bon had been in charge of the mobilization of the Regia Marina. The fleets stationed in Cagliari, Genoa, and La Spezia were given orders to sail and anchor off of the coast of the region of Lazio, placing a blockade upon the province home to the capital of the Papal States. Every ship within the Regia Marina was now anchored off the Papal shores, with the exception of the fleet stationed in Rimini, consisting of the Euridice (sail frigate), the L'Azzardoso (brig), the Adda (Frassineto-class steam gunboat), and the Mincio (Frassineto-class steam gunboat).

The fleet had orders to engage any ships flying the Papal Jack, and sat with a watchful eye ensuring no ships would be back to deliver supplies to the capital province. The goal of the blockade was not only to prevent supplies from reaching Rome and the Papal armies, but also as leverage when approaching the negotiating table.

19 May 1853
Ancona, Marche
The Papal States

The sun was preparing to set over the city of Ancona and the city remained quiet and peaceful. Major General Pietro Gazzera led the 5th Division of the Line and its attachments down the road leading to the city. As the long line of soldiers winded down the road they were spotted by a group of children playing outside the city, who cheered upon seen the flag of the North Italian Confederation. They ran ahead to alert those in the city of the arrival of the liberating army, and upon the divisions arrival the city erupted with shouts of joy as the trumpets of the Italian army blared. Ancona, and at large Marche, had been united with the Confederation.

A camp was set up outside the city where the main army would spend the evening. Many of the soldiers were in the town celebrating with the locals. Gazzera and his commanders were offered rooms in one of the cities hotels, an offer he graciously accepted. He was meeting with his commanders to discuss their march to Perugia.

"It will be a six days march to Perugia, sir. We will have to set up camp several times, and resupply along the way." one of them said.

"Yes, yes. Colonel Mancini, use the money allotted to us by the High Command to purchase as many supplies as you can from the locals. That should suffice until we can do the same along the way to Perugia. It might even last the full journey."

"Yes sir." he replied.

"Now, Ancona has been captured with ease, let us hope Perugia will be as well." Gazzera said.

"Sir, a group of our men spotted a feet anchored off the coast of the city. We have reasons to believe it is Austrian." another commander said.

"Damn the Austrians, always meddling in Italian affairs. Their days as a nation are numbered, mark my words. I will send word to Milan. We will leave a detachment of 1,500 in this city as planned. They should be able to defend Ancona if the Austrians attempt to land. Giacobbe, try and muster together a band of locals into a makeshift militia should they be needed. Raid the former Papal armory and use whatever they left behind to arm them."

"Yes Sir!"

Addressed to the Office of His Majesty

Sir,
Recently we have captured the city of Ancona with little resistance. The city is firmly under our control and the detachment is being prepared to garrison the city. However, it has come to our attention that a Austrian fleet is anchored off the coast of the city.

Please inform His Majesty and the rest of the High Command left in the capital. Measures may need to be taken to subdue the fleet. Should the Austrians try to take Ancona, we will fight them.

Most sincerely,
Major General Pietro Gazzera
Commander of the 5th Division

21 May 1853
Civitavecchia, Lazio
The Papal States

Four days after first crossing into temporal lands, the main army - consisting of the 1st and 3rd Divisions of the Line- arrived at the town of Civitavecchia. They set up their camps and purchased supplies from the locals. A four day march was ahead of them, and they were expected to arrive in Rome early on the twenty fifth.

An old sketch of Civitavecchia

The main port of Lazio was now under the control of the Italians, providing them with leverage against the Papal States. The Fortress of Civitavecchia was expected to be an obstacle the Italians expected to force open, however they arrived to find no resistance from the city and the Papal garrison surrendered, opening the gates to Major General Nino Bixio, commander of the 3rd Division. The Papal soldiers were pardoned and dismissed and the fort became home to the Italian command.

General La Marmora was counting on his ally Garibaldi to either defeat the Papal forces at Viterbo or act as a distraction to lure the Papal armies out of Rome to reinforce their stronghold in the North. Either way, he expected Garibaldi's volunteers to face a larger temporal force, and hoped they would not die in vain.

No matter, ahead of the 1st and 3rd Divisions was a four day march to the Eternal City. King Victor Emmanuel II placed heavy pressure on the general to spare the city of Rome and prevent an all out siege. All La Marmora could do was hope the Holy Father, or as he was styled by the Italian command the "Unholy Father" would be wise enough to spare Rome.

22 May 1853
Vetirbo, Lazio
The Papal States

Garibaldi led his men over the rolling hills of central Italy. The city of Viterbo was now in sight. The two thousand reservists were positioned behind the hills in order to fool the Papal garrison. Garibaldi stood in front of his men before he led them charging into the city.

The retreat of the Twelve Thousand

"My brothers! The time for us to war these devilish Papists has come! We face an unknown enemy within this city, but by God we will drive them out and force them to run for the hills! Viterbo, and the rest of Italia, shall be ours! Lunga vita al Re! Viva l'Italia!" he shouted. The volunteers cheered as the trumpets began to charge. They shouted, running down the hill. The Battle of Viterbo had begun.

The two factions vied for control of the city over a course of almost two days. Blood ran through the city and the neighboring country side. Many of the volunteers had fallen, but slow progress was being made. Bodies of the fallen lay strewn about. Viterbo had become a warzone.

It was now the 24th of May, the second day of the battle. The reservists had arrived from the hills in order to engage the enemy as Garibaldi hoped it would turn the tide of battle in his favor. He led would he hoped would be his final charge towards the city. A volley of gunfire accompanied him. Brave sons of Italy fell as they advanced. Out of no where, he heard it: the sound of a distant trumpet. Papal reinforcements had arrived from Rome, numbering ten thousand.

The Papal forces engaged the volunteers, flanking them from the side. Hundreds died almost instantly. Garibaldi was left with no choice, and he sounded a retreat. The Battle of Vertibo had been lost by the volunteers, but their brave sacrifice would not have been made in vain.

23 May 1853
Milan, Sardinia-Lombardia
Palazzo Reale di Milano

From the Desk of the King of Sardinia-Lombardia
His Majesty Victor Emmanuel II

His Holiness Leo XIII,

The Italians that have been oppressed under the unholy heel of the Papal regimes will be liberated, and your excommunication will not stop my armies.

If I am damned to hell, so be it. While you may be the considered the voice of the Lord on earth, certainly there is no way God would be an advocate of despotism, the brutal subjugation of innocent civilians, violent incursions into anti-papal groups, and an obstacle of democracy such as yourself. The Lord most certainly does not smile down upon you, nor does he smile down upon the temporal lands. However, I myself am confident he smiles down upon me. I am liberating his children from a state that never should have existed. The Roman Catholic Church is supposed to ensure the safekeeping of the souls of all the faithful, never was it intended to maintain its own kingdom - known as the Papal States. Your title of Pope fools no one, as it is well known that you are a king in everything but name. Christ never intended for his successors to be kings, and therefore your own rule is invalid.

Upon my death I may be banished from the Kingdom of Heaven and forced to reside in hell, but I take solace in knowing that you will be there with me.

Signed and dated on the 23rd of May

Sincerely,
Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia-Lombaria
President of the North Italian Confederation

From the Desk of the King of Sardinia-Lombardia
His Majesty Victor Emmanuel II

His Imperial Majesty Ferdinand Maximilian, Emperor of Austria

You prove to be far more ignorant than your predecessor.

You cite the Papal States as an "innocent country", but how can a nation that brutally oppresses its citizens and denies them the inalienable right to democracy be considered innocent? Surely the Lord would not consider the Papal Kingdom an innocent nation. The blood of many can be found on the unholy robes of the Papal regime.

For centuries, the Italians within the temporal lands have been subject to tyrannical rule by men who were king in all but title. I will not sit idly by and watch the Papal beast oppress the children of Italia, and I shall liberate those who have been wrongly subject to Papal rule.

This is not an attack on God, nor is it an attack on Roman Catholicism. This is an attack on a dictatorship set up wrongfully in His name. There is nothing divine in nature about the Papal States.

Further more, I have been informed of the positioning of an Austrian fleet of the coast of Ancona and the arrival of troops near the Italian-Venetian border. For the safety of your own people and the continued stability of your own empire, I suggest you recall this navy and order your troops to return home. A violation of the Treaty of Milan would prove costly to Austria, and the consequences would be deadly.

Austria is not innocent of the same crimes committed against the Italian people that have been committed at the hands of the Papacy. You still wrongly occupy Venetia and Istria and deny the Italians and everyone else under your rule democracy. The days of the Old Order are numbered, and soon Austria will be forced to bow to Lady Liberty. It may be wise to focus on correcting Austria's many faults before wrongly accusing me of waging war on an "innocent nation" and the Roman Catholic Church, for I cannot wage war on the Roman Catholic Church as it is not a nation, nor is its head a king. However, I can wage war against the Papal States, a theoretic and tyrannical regime guilty of crimes against the Italian people administrated by a man who is king in everything but name.

Signed and dated on the 23rd of May

Sincerely,
Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia-Lombaria
President of the North Italian Confederation

23 May 1853
Milan, Sardinia-Lombardia
Foreign Office of the Confederation

The North Italian Confederation
La Confederazione Italiana Nord

HM Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia and HIM Nicholas II of All the Russias

Dear Sirs,

I have been instructed by His Majesty the King to inform you of the presence of an Austrian fleet off the Italian coastline along with the amassing of armies on our shared border. We fear that the Austrians are preparing to violate the Treaty of Milan in order to aid the Papal States, and further fear that their word is unable to be trusted.

We hope that this news will be seen as valuable, as we are aware of the alliance that exists between your nations and the Austrian Empire. If the Austrians are willing to violate the Treaty of Milan, what is stopping them from violating the treaty of alliance you have signed with them? It surely is not their word or diplomatic reputation, as it fears they are willing to throw both of those away in order to defend the tyrannical and oppressive Papal regime.

Written on behalf of His Majesty King Victor Emmanuel II, President of the Confederation

Signed and dated on the 23rd of May

Sincerely,
Bettino Ricasoli, Baron Ricasoli
Minister of Foreign Affairs of
the North Italian Confederation

24 May 1853
Rome, Lazio
The Papal States

Porta Salaria on the Aurelian Walls

The Italian armies arrived at Rome on the twenty-fourth of the fifth month. General La Marmora rode at the front with the other Major Generals by his side. Behind them marched over forty thousand Italian soldiers prepared to siege the city. Thousands more men were scheduled to arrive from Perugia after the city capitulated should they be needed for the siege. It was hoped by the Italian High Command that the Papal regime would be wise enough to accept what La Marmora considered a very generous ultimatum.

The 1st and 3rd Divisions of the Line approached the Aurelian Walls near the Porta Salaria. "Alright gentlemen, the time has come. Ready the flags, we will need them if we are to approach the wall peacefully, without being fired upon ourselves." The general and his commanders got in a line, with the Sardinian tricolor flanking them on both sides. Slowly they began the journey to the walls. Upon their arrival La Marmora advanced in front of the others.

"Gentlemen!" he bellowed from atop his stallion. "As you can see, I have an army with me that will uncertainly unleash death and destruction upon your Eternal City. I have come to make a most generous offer from His Majesty Victor Emmanuel II, President of the North Italian Confederation. Surrender now and the terms of peace will be in Papal favor, or we will level this city."

26 May 1853
Perugia, Umbria
The Papal States

The city of Perugia fell without resistance, just as Ancona did. Once more the people of the city cheered and Umbria had succumb to the Italian armies. Gazzera was meeting with his commanders to prepare for the march to Rome, an estimated to day journey. The 5th Division would reinforce the main army during the potential siege of Rome. It was hoped the Pope would surrender upon the arrival of Italian forces outside his walls. However, the 5th Division was needed in the event that the Pope chose to see his city sacked. He was sitting at a table chatting with his commanders about their plans. Suddenly the door burst open and a messenger hurried in.

"Rome has surrendered! A ceasefire is declared!" the young soldier exclaimed.

Cheers filled the room and Gazzera smiled. "What glorious news indeed! Come, gentlemen. Let us celebrate at the tavern!"

by **Baja California y Sonora** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 12:29 pm

Peru-Bolivian Confederation
"¡La unión es la fuerza!

Chapter 2- Neighbors

May 25th

The abolition of slavery had been made two months ago and it was incredibly difficult to sallow whole by the nation. Peruvian Conservatives had initially protested the act, however after a few days they quickly dispersed in a mysterious manner. Carlos Maljerio, a pro-slavery senator from Lima had assumed the leadership of the Pro-Slavery communion, acting out on his beliefs in every voting session. The Slave issue had been far from resolved however as in regions where former slaves lived, unemployment skyrocketed along with governmental expenditure. The Bolivian Yungas, a place with a strong Afro-Amerindian presence was being flooded by recent freedmen, causing tension due to limited space and poor infrastructure reaching it's capacity.

After days of much planning and debate it was decided for two things. The Mining Acts Program, which would encourage for recently freemen and Amerindians to move to mining towns, and work for the mine. The mine, along with the government would provide a home, and income, along with a job. This was made in order to provide jobs, and alleviate the lack of workers in the silver mines of the Andes. The second option, which was heavily pushed by the Conservatives was the Relocation Act. In the act recently freed people would settle in Easter Island and other islands which to help push the Peru-Bolivian claim on them.

Maljerio was way past the issue of slavery. He knew that his small group of supporters would not be able to achieve anything in having the Slavery Abolishment dismantled. Instead his next idea was that the Peru-Bolivian Confederation was beginning to be flooded by a Liberal Tsunami...something he could not allow. He had been organizing his supporters for a few months now, even prior to the voting on the Slave Issue, he was aware that Conservatives like him would not be able to hold the presidency again. It was time to seceded.

May 30th,
Machala, Santa Cruz Department

The minor city of Machala. The city was overshadowed by the much larger Guayaquil, however unimportant it was not. Though due to the city's minor relevance, only a small garrison of soldiers were stationed in the city, and under peculiar circumstances Machala had become a hotbed of ultra-conservatives. Maljerio had been in the city for more than a week now, organizing and planning his attack. He had been plotting on taking down the Governor of the Department too, who was in town, and a supporter of Castilla. The clock ticked on his watch, and as it struck eleven, the play ended and the Governor exited the play.

Maljerio had a supporter of his, Manuel Costamal to do the act. He approached the Governor, as he a renowned Theater Actor would be able to get near to him. As he neared the Governor to shake his hand, allowed to pass the Security Guard due to his status, he quickly shot the Governor before stabbing the Guard with a knife he had hidden. As soon as the deed was done he quickly fled the scene in a horse, leaving the city back to a conservative base out in the countryside three miles away. As soon as he rode into the base, Maljerio knew that it was time to act. He ordered for his moderately sized army of 200 to storm the military garrison in the city. As quickly as he ordered for it to happen, the city suddenly awoke as an army of 200 quickly sized control of the city's fort lowering the Confederation's flag. The Governors Palace was too ransacked being set ablaze. The 200-strong force was composed of Conservatives and supporters of Ecuadorian independence. The event ended at three a.m when Maljerio rang the church bells and declared the Free State of Ecuador to a crowd that had assembled. His next goal was to take the city of Guayaquil.

June 1st,
La Paz, Bolivia,

Pozza broke into Castilla's office in early morning of July.

"Sir have you heard the news?!"

"What are you talking about? Calm down will you?"

"This is nothing to be calm about. Rebels in Santa Cruz have declared independence! They have declared Ecuador, and are moving into Guayaquil where there is a promising base of supporters! Maljerio is leading this succession!"

"Oh I know he was up to no good, no one from Lima is. The army is full of rats, send out the Presidential Guard and the Navy to the Santa Cruz Department. The State is now officially under a national Emergency, we need to contain this as soon as possible."

"Will do, also on another note, a letter from Brazil has arrived. I'd like to stay and read it, but I need to do other things."

Pozza exitied the room and Castilla kept the letter in his hands. His policy towards Brazil had been neutral. They a much larger entity, and a stronger force would make a terrible enemy, yet regardless Peru did not want to befriend them particularly due a wide variety of reasons and their conflicting claims which were made much clearer when Bolivian farmers accidentally entered Brazil. Two situations now in his hands, to swerve around Brazil, and to destroy the rebelling movement before it got out of hand. The Conservatives here would act soon, and he needed to be as careful as ever.

by **Caltarania** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 2:26 pm

Russian Empire
Российская Империя
Rossiyskaya Imperiya

Chapter 5 - A Dinner in Moscow

Theme: "The Rains of Castamere"

Moscow, Russia
May 17th 1853

Music played inside the Moscow Kremlin. Nobles of varying rank danced and drank, as was custom for a gathering of this sort. Count Pyotr Aleksandrovich Valuev - the Russian Minister of the Interior - had invited a good few thousand nobles for a great feast and banquet within the Kremlin. Only the more... rebellious ones had been invited, as many believed that Valuev - himself a Count - was planning to bring Tsar Alexander II down, in order to restore the ancient rights of the nobility. In the main chamber of the Kremlin, Pyotr stopped the dancing by taking a spoon to his chalice, in order to announce a toast. As he did so, the music changed from the current up-beat Russian folk music to a song known as That Grand Munich Dinner, a song about a red lion which rebelled against a golden one.

"My friends." Valuev began. "I thank you for joining me on this most auspicious of occasions." he announced. "Your lordships." he said. "I feel I've been... remiss, in my duties. I've given you meat and wine and music, but I haven't shown you the... hospitality that you great highborn lords deserve!" he said. "We have all here assembled, and I owe you all a parting gift!" he announced.

At that moment, unmarked soldiers stormed the building, firing a volley and then charging with their bayonets. There was much screaming, as the soldiers - not identified as under the command of anyone in particular - slaughtered the hapless nobles that had gathered. Blood spilled onto the floor of the chamber, and the doors had been barred shut so that no one should escape. From atop his seat, Pyotr Valuev smirked as the events unfolded. One of the leading nobles - Konstantin Konstantinov - survived, though soon Minister of War Vasily Dolgorukov held a dagger to Konstantin's throat, and before he slit him he let out words which - should they ever have escaped the chamber - would likely live in infamy.

"Alexander sends his regards." Vasily uttered, before he slit Konstantin's throat.

St. Petersburg, Russia
May 20th 1853

"Order! I will have order in my court!" the Judge boomed.

The room, before alive and noisy with the sound of shouting, slowly simmered down into silence. Count Nikolay Adlerberg - the accused - was brought out of his cell and had been presented to the court for his trial. He was also, unlike the accused that had come before him, treated as an equal party, as part of a test of Alexander II's judicial reforms. The count held his head high, even as he was shouted at from the bystanders who were granted entry into the courtroom.

"Nikolay Vladimirovich Adlerberg, how do you plead to the accusations placed before you? First, that you both made an attempt on the life of His Imperial Majesty, Tsar Alexander II, Emperor of All the Russias? And second, that you carried out the attack on the nobles who had gathered in the Kremlin, ordering soldiers under your command to murder them?" the Judge inquired.

The civilians who had been allowed access into the court yelled Guilty, guilty!, before the Judge once more ordered them to quieten down. Count Nikolay remained quiet until they had been silenced, and then looked up at both the Judge, and Tsar Alexander, who was also seated a top a large chair on the other side of the courtroom.

"I plead guilty, your honour." Nikolay let out, before sobbing to himself.

"As such, I declare you guilty, and sentence you to life imprisonment." the Judge said, before slamming down his gavel.

Count Nikolay was escorted out of the courtroom, not to the prison, but to the Winter Palace, where Tsar Alexander (who had, by this point, abandoned his place in the courtroom) was waiting for him. The two looked at each other before Count Nikolay bowed.

"Your Imperial Majesty." he said. "I trust you are here to live up to your promise?" Nikolay added.

The Tsar made no comment, but ordered his guards to leave Nikolay and him. When they were far out of sight, Alexander took Nikolay out of his chains and escorted him to a rather lavish room of the Palace, which had no one taking residence within it.

"This is your room, Nikolay." Alexander said. "You will live under house arrest until we create a new identity for you, and because you lived up to your half of the bargain, I may yet allow you to keep your current one. Make up some story about an escape attempt." he said.

Nikolay nodded. "And so, Tsar Alexander, is this a new start for us?" he asked.

"Perhaps." Alexander replied.

From the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Russian Empire

Dear King Victor Emmanuel II of the North Italian Confederation,

We thank you for delivering onto us this most sensitive information. We share your concerns that our neighbour to the Southwest may have dreams of breaking the Treaty of Milan. We agree that, should they break this treaty, they should no longer be trusted, as their perfidious nature would be unveiled.

Yours Sincerely,

Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire,
Minister of Foreign Affairs Karl Nesselrode,
Representative of His Imperial Majesty Tsar Alexander II of the Russian Empire

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 2:30 pm

Another claim, because I foresee need of it.

by **Lunas Legion** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 3:16 pm

La Grande Galerie, Versailles

The Grande Galerie, more widely known across Europe, had hosted many of France's momentous events. Royal marriages, christenings, the court, all had been hosted within this room over the previous centuries. Currently however, rather than the throngs of courtiers and nobles it had played host to, today it only hosted a mere ten people, who were drowned by the room.

Those ten people, whoever, wielded far more power and influence than those courtiers and nobles that had filled the room before. Between the ten of them, they had complete control over the creation of laws and influence over both the passing and enforcement of those laws.

Queen Marie opened the meeting. "The first item on today's agenda appears to be a letter from the King of Brazil, who intends to liberate Portugal. He offers an alliance for such a undertaking."

Louis snorted in response. "The status quo in Europe is fine. I shall not sanction any alliance with Portugal, which means we shall have none at all."

"And with all due respect to him, I doubt the ability of the Second Consul to pass such an act through the Assemblée." One of the ministers, Javéux de Bergerać if Marie remembered correctly, spoke up in reluctant agreement. "And the Marshal has repeatedly said that he would not fight another European land war unless he had no other choice."

To Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil,

Following discussion with my ministers and military command, I unfortunately cannot agree to such an alliance. France has been the instigator of many of the last great European land wars, and neither myself, my ministers, my elected First Consul or my military staff wishes to begin such a war again for which I see extremely little gain for France in undertaking, and so I shall not.

Queen Marie I of France

"And Italy?" Louis opened the next matter. "I say that we should do nothing. Sardinia has been a friend to us for decades against the Austrians, and it is encouraging to see Italy taking it's first steps towards unification. Therefore, unless the Vatican itself is directly threatened with being levelled, I say we simply let the natural happen and let our ally grow stronger."

Nods of agreement all around. "The final matter for today concerns Poland. They have attempted to raise the matter of the Polish Question once again in Paris."

"The same applies to the Poles that applies to Brazil." Marie replied. "As much as I would like a independent Poland, to achieve such would require taking on Prussia, Austria and Russia. France can take on two of those with her allies, as we did under Emperor Napoléon, but a free Poland is not worth French blood."

On the Polish Question,

Although France has made it's preference for an independent Poland known, despite the recent urgings of the Polish diaspora in Paris France cannot and is not willing to fight a war to secure the freedom of Poland from Prussia, Russia or Austria. Therefore, although France does freely open it's borders to all Poles who wish to move here, we will not provide any support, whether financial or militarily, to any Polish nationalist groups formed within or outside Poland.

by **The Jonathanian States** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 3:42 pm

__________________KÖNIGREICH PREUSSEN__________________

Chapter II - Diplomacy

Stadtschloss, Berlin, Königreich Preussen
The king of Prussia was sitting at his desk, reading up on the reports ahead of his planned meeting with Otto.
He reached a report about Austria. "Damn them. Thrice they be damned. This holy league is of the old order, not the local reformist circle." The monarch stood up from his desk and walked around in his office, a chain of curses and shouts following him. At last he calmed down as he heard a knock on the door. Stopping at his current place, with the back still towards the door, he waited for the servant to enter. "Your majesty", intruded the servant, "the Minister President wishes to see you, he claims your majesty permitted him an audience?" Friedrich confirmed and the servant stepped away, allowing the second most powerful man in the Prussian realm to enter the office of the most powerful one.
"Take a seat, my friend", the king told his minister president in familiarity. He then added, "Have you received the outrageous report from our representative at Vienna?"
Calmly came the Minister-President's response, "I have, your majesty. It is a worrying report indeed. And yet, it is not the most interesting thing to reach our ears." Unaware of the most recent developments Friedrich now turned away from the large window and towards Otto, only asking "What is it then?".
Otto, in a coolness than only a needed subject could display, especially a Prussian Head of Government, placed the letter on the royal desk. "From the Authorities in Milan".
The crown-less royal took up the piece of paper, and started reading, "...instructed... king... coastline....fear...violate... alliance... stopping... reputation... papal". A grin arose on the Monarch's face as he read those words.
"Otto, Prussia is a honorable and just state, is it not?", questioned the monarch, his desired answer obvious. "It is, Friedrich. Maybe even so honorable that it tolerates no treaty-breakers amongst it ranks, my liege?"
"So honorable it indeed is", confirmed the king,"We are and shall be committed to our pact with the Austrians unless they give us reason not to be. For as long as we are they cannot be expect to rally any German allies they might have against us. It is the German truce we want, maybe even the one we need. But if Austria were to act in such an infamous way..."
"Surely", Otto finished for his liege,"Nobody would mind Prussia intervening in order to instill justice. And it might not even be alone in such a desire. " Friedrich only nodded. His Minister-President then did have to ask,"Should I tell the Italians something?"
"Nothing of importance", answered Friedrich,"Explain to them that their note is much appreciated and taken into consideration, but that as of now Prussia has no reason to assume intolerable acts from any of its allies."
In the end, neither of them had given much thought to the credibility of the Italian information. Rivalries you love having are a curious thing indeed.

Königreich Preußen

To Camillo Benso di Cavour, Chief Minister of the North Italian Confederation

Greetings, your excellency.
After deliberation with his royal majesty the Prussian king we have been authorized to notify you that your message with regards to Austrian Adriatic activity has been received and taken into consideration. And while his majesty thanks you for your good intent behind the delivery of this information we have had no indication of such an intolerable act to do be done by any ally of Prussia and as such, as far is the concern of the realms of the world, no change in foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Prussia has been made.

Sincerely,
writing on behalf of and in the name of his majesty, Friedrich Wilhelm, fourth of his name, King of Prussia,
Royal Minister-President of Prussia,
Otto Theodor Freiherr von und zu Manteuffel

Military Base, outside of ~~Poznań~~ POSEN, Großherzugtum Posen, Königreich Preussen
The pair of Prussian soldiers escorted the young man to the post to which he was then tied by a third soldier. From a different part of the large exercising square a troop of five armed soldiers marched behind their officer. As the soldiers positioned themselves in a distance apart from the pole and Pole, the officer stepped towards him. The officer's pipe was spread smoke, making the young Pole cough at his pole. Partially due to seeing the Pole's distress the German inhaled strongly and breathed out at the prisoner. After the young lad stopped coughing, the officer finally asked "Any last words you want me to record?" The younger responded by loudly stating, nearly yelling, full of nationalist fervor, "I DIE FOR POLAND'S FREEDOM" and then spitting at the Prussian. The Officer, stunned at first, seemed to consider how to react, and then concluded "Well, I see, no last words then.". He asked the prisoner if he would like his eyes to be covered, but being tied to a pole the Pole remained unmoving and his stubbornness gave him silence.
His eyes glaring forward the young man saw the Officer reach his troops. He saw him raise his sword, lower it as he gave the firing command, and then came the pain as his consciousness faded.
And so ended the collaborators to the Polish Government in Exile.

by **The Grand Republic of Hannover** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 4:04 pm

Argentine Republic
Theme

"...life does not subtract things, it liberates you from them. It makes you lighter so that you can fly higher and reach the fullness. From cradle to grave, it is a school, and that is why those predicaments that you call problems are lessons, indeed."

-Facundo Cabral

British Embassy in Buenos Aires

Relations with Europe:

The Argentine Republic enjoyed very healthy relations with some powers in Europe. Such relations exist since the very beginning of the nation back in the revolutionary era. Now, Argentina hoped to increase cooperation in order to develop the nation into something to admire. Because of the close relations and ties, The Argentinian people tend to see themselves as a part of Europe but in South America. Thus, they look up to powers as a role model for growth, development and culture.

President Justo José de Urquiza personally wrote letters for the United Kingdom and Prussia regarding topics from trade and investment to military interests. Much of the President's day was spent analyzing different deals that could be negotiated with the British and the Prussians. If these nations accepted to strengthen relations with Argentina the country could create a clear path of development in the future.

Nieuw Amsterdam c.1850

Relations with Columbia:

With the growing influence and power of Columbia in the continent Argentina wanted to keep high relations with said nation. By doing so Argentina would gain an important partner in the hemisphere. With cooperation, both nations could greatly benefit and help each other in areas of mutual interest. To the government of Argentina this could also mean a great opportunity to find a new trade partner.

Investment is another area in which Argentina could benefit from a friendship with Columbia. At the same time, Columbian investors can also benefit from the expected profits from these investments. Such opportunities give the opportunity to Argentina to lay the foundations for a long lasting friendship.

Town in Jujuy near the Argentine-Peruvian Border

Northern Territorial Claims:

The last war against Bolivia-Peru did not fix the territorial disputes between both countries. To the Argentine government it was unacceptable that Bolivia-Peru still controlled some land from the Jujuy region - which belongs to Argentina. Moreover, the Bolivian government controlled other regions to the north of former Chile - country which had claims on those territories for a long time now. Argentina itself also had a number of claims other than the remaining Jujuy region. These territorial disputes are just another result of the wave of independence that sweep the continent. The division into colonial provinces during Spanish rule have generated a number of disputes from the newly-created countries.

After publishing a formal document re-activating the dispute in the Government's Gazette the Argentine government sent a letter to the Peruvian government. The government tried to be as diplomatic as possible in order to avoid an increment in tensions with the Peruvian government. The hope of President Justo José de Urquiza is that Peru opts for the diplomatic way and returns the territories rightfully of Argentina.

The new building for the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange

The Creation of the Stock Market:

In the recent months, a debate within financial circles ensued about the creation of a national stock market. Many proponents believed that Argentina had a solid and growing financial sector - banks were among the largest and most stable in the region, people have a strong saving culture, and the country's exports were growing at a fast pace. Creating a stock market would encourage more investment and attract more foreign attention to Argentina's economy. The move would also make Argentina the first Latin American country to have a stock market which would prove the country is on the path towards development.

Thus, the Congress passed the Stock Exchange Act of 1853. Through this act, the country created a stock market and set up the initial basis for a financial tax reform. The stock market will enter into service a two months from now in order to allow the companies and businesses of the nation to begin the listing process with the Ministry of Finance. Foreign companies, businesses, and entities are allowed to begin trading two weeks after the opening of the stock market in order to avoid a disorganized and dangerous rush. The Ministry of Finance is also planning the hosting of conference across the country in order to educate Argentinians about trading and the legal procedures.

818 - Tracking purposes

by **Reatra** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 11:52 pm

It had taken almost a full season, but soon the barbarian invaders would be repulsed. The governor of Xianjian, knowing that the Emperor would need time to raise a levy in the Han provinces, gathered a somewhat unwilling host of about ninety thousand men. Unfortunately, the entirety of the army could not march together, as finding enough supplies for that would be a logistical nightmare, Instead three armies of thirty thousand each (roughly) were being brought south from Kashgar and would join and attack the Mughals head on and hopefully defeat them. If not, they’d keep them busy for as long as possible so that the Emperor’s Fist could come in and finish the job.

(MORE COMING I GTG)

by **Elepis** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 12:54 am

Austrian Empire
"All the world is subject to Austria"

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna. Austria
24th of May

Prince Felix collapsed on a couch in his wing of the cream coloured, baroque Schönbrunn Palace in southern Vienna. The night before, the entire court, in accordance with tradition, had up sticks and moved from the centrally located Hofburg Palace to the more isolated Schönbrunn. The reason for this being that it was now summer and the Schönbrunn was the summer residence of the Hapsburg's, their court and their court's services. Why anyone needed two vast palaces Felix did not know but apparently the Hapsburg's did.

Maximilian himself had been against the move. The new Emperor was a modest man and would have preferred to spend his days on his small "palace" on the Isle of Lokrum in the Adriatic. However, some of the noble courtiers has said they must move to show that even in troubling times the Hapsburg's remained as they always had. Maximilian, who had much greater things to worry about than bickering counts thus moved the court. He did however insist it be done in one day as opposed to the weeks it usually took to limit the disruption to his schedule.

Now the Minister-President sat looking over the vast Schönbrunn gardens from his quarters. The Imperial gardens here were much more stunning than the small ones at the Hofburg and from his rooms, the Prince of Schwarzenberg could see the vast artificial lake situated almost a kilometer away at the ends of the gardens and he could just make out the Emperor's children rowing a small boat across it, undoubtedly laughing and smiling happily as they did.

"Your Serene Highness" a messenger at the door said, breaking the Prince's train of thought. "The morning's newspapers your Highness." The Prince stood, walking over to the messnger and taking the armful of papers. "Oh sweet Jesus" he said, reading the front page of the right wing Winged Horseman. He read the headline on the front page out loud "Italian Nationalists illegally invade Papal States, the Emperor lets fellow Catholics die" . The Minister-President through that paper on a table and picked up another "Emperor positions troops on Sardinian border in response to Italian wars" he read aloud again. "That's more like it" he said, picking up another one "Emperor posed to break Milan treaty" . Felix shook his head, "Right, come on, we are going to the Emperor" he said, buttoning on his suit jacket.

"You might want to look at this sir" the messenger said, holding a last paper up. At first Felix thought he was going mad as he couldn't read the writing but then he realized it was in Italian "Milan Times...Austria poised to invade...gathering army on the border" he said, stumbling over the foreign words. "What? they call under 10,000 men an army. I know the Italians like theater but this is a bit over the top even for them."

Felix walked out of his rooms and over to the Emperor's followed by the messenger, trying to carry around seven newspapers. Luckily for both Felix and the messenger, the Schönbrunn was not only slightly smaller than the Hofburg, the Imperial rooms were in the same wing as his own. He reached the doors and the two Imperial Guards, recognizing the Minister-President's tall, slim figure and grey hair immediately let him past.

"Your Imperial Majesty" the Prince said, quickly saluting "The morning papers" he said, taking the papers from the messenger and handing them to the Emperor. Like Felix he quickly read the front pages. "Well..." the Emperor, who was looking out of the window on to the street outside, said. "The Conservatives say we need to do more, the Liberals say we have done enough and the Italians say we are about to invade. They obviously don't understand number or military tactics in Milan." The Prince summarized. "Well..." said the Emperor again "The fleet left Ancona last nigh on the 22nd now the Sardinian's captured it. That should placate the Italians, the socialists and the anti-papists. The liberals will support that as well, as long as we leave a guard on the border. However, that will enrage the clergy further." .

The Prince laughed, "Well, it is impossible to please everyone sire" he said. The Emperor looked up "I got a letter from the King of Sardinia last night. I should reply to that...Also, Prince, write an open letter to the paper explaining what is happening in Italy. Calm down the situation, explain we are not going to invade. I shall also write to the League, there as been a worrying growth of nationalism in Poland. Small, but small things can grow." The Emperor paused, thinking. "The reforms are going well apparently" he said "The first conviction of Gross Xenophobia have happened in Serbia, it has shown the locals that we are serious about reforms. Apparently our popularity has increased there. However, to bring lasting peace, we must continue with the reforms. Have you drawn up the news bills?" The Emperor asked. "Yes, they will be ready by the week's end". The Emperor sighed at that "Good, good".

24th of May, 1853

To: Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia-Lombaria

Dear sir,

Surely, a country run by the servant of God does not need democracy, or are you saying that a humble man will know better than the almighty. Apart from denying the people of the peninsular your so called democracy, which is apparently more trustworthy than the word of God's vicar, what crimes has the Pope committed. In Austria we know about crimes, by brother massacred nationalists in their droves during the 1848 rebellions. That way a crime, an awful crime, but tell me have the Papal authorities committed anything like this?

As for Austria's rightful ownership of Venetia, which you agreed to in the Treaty of Milan, if Austria does not have any right to Venetia, what right does Sardinia have?

As for the fleet, it left Ancona last night on the 22nd about an hour before your letter came as nationalist forces had already taken the city. The army brigades will remain deployed on the border, as is normal when your neighbour goes to war. I am surprised a man such as yourself would think that eight thousand men is an invasion force.

Signed,
His Imperial Majesty, Ferdinand Maximilian von Hapsburg, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia, King of Venetia

Official Press Imperial Release from the Offices of the Minister-President of Austria

It will have come to your attention that the Austrian Imperial Navy, Trieste Squadron, has deployed off the coast of Ancona and that two Brigades from the Army of Italy, numbering in total 8,000 men, have deployed on the border with the Kingdom of Sardinia-Lombardia. Some newspapers of the Kingdom are saying Austria is about to violate the Treaty of Milan. We also know the people of Austria want to know the reasons for the Emperor actions so His Imperial Majesty has ordered me to send out this explanation to the people of Austria and Sardinia, as well as the rest of the world.

It is this is untrue that Austria want to violate the Treaty of Milan, no matter what people abroad or at home say. The two brigades and one squadron have been deployed for purely defensive and humanitarian reasons. We all know what happens when a city falls to an invading army, unfortunately it is usually followed by some sort of revenge attack against the defenders. That is why the fleet has been stationed off Ancona, to protect its civilians in the event of a massacre. Austria knows it cannot intervene directly to help its ally or its ally's people, however, it is in the bounds of every international law, treaty and regulation. Surely no man can criticize one country helping civilians who cannot help themselves.

However, their mission is now over and Ancona has been illegally taken so the squadron shall return to Trieste with an refugees it has picked up.

As for the very small amount of troops now stationed on the border. There is a very simple explanation for this, Italy is at war, and Venetia is part of the Italian peninsular. Thus to protect Austrian holdings from the likes of King Emmanuel's pet rabid-nationalist, Major General Garibaldi, Austrian troops have been stationed along the border. All countries protect their borders when a country next to them goes to war, that is simply what Austria is doing. I think we all know 8,000 men does not constitute an invasion force.

Signed,
His Serene Highness, Minister-President of the Austrian Empire, Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg

To: His Holiness the Pope

As much as it pains me to say it, Austria cannot, at this moment help the Papal States in any meaningful way. The diplomatic situation at home and abroad is simply to tense to risk in inflaming it further. However, once the war is over Austria will be able to help. When either the Papal States or Sardinia win, Austria will ask for a seat on the negotiating table to help get a good deal for the Papal States. Once the war is over, Austria will then be able to arm your armies, and those of the Two Siciles to prevent further Sardinian expansions

Signed,
His Imperial Majesty Maximilian von Hapsburg,Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia, King of Venetia

To: Their Majesty's, Tsar Alexander II of Russia and Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia

Dearest allies,

As you will both know, there is currently a worrying trend of Nationalism sweeping through the world. Most worryingly, this has manifested itself in Poland, which all three of our countries control part of as per our agreement after the defeat of Napoleon. I believe we must act quickly and together to deal with this trend before, like in Italy, it becomes extremely dangerous. Thus I propose a meeting of our nations foreign ministers in St Petersburg, the home of our alliance, to decide on a solution.

Signed,
His Imperial Majesty Maximilian von Hapsburg,Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia, King of Venetia

by **Jaslandia** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:39 am

Presidential Residence, Bloemfontein, Boer Confederation
April 5, 1853

“It was incredible!” Commandmant-General Stephanus Schoeman exclaimed as he began to explain the story of the Zulu Revolt to President Pretorius and his Secretaries. “What had happened was the Zulu got a bit uppity and named a prominent member of their society as King.”

Pretorius grunted. “Mpande is the only legitimate Zulu king,” he said.

“I know!” Schoemaman replied. “But apparently the Zulu rebels thought Mpande was illegitimate because he was a tool of Boer oppression.”

The President chuckled. “Well, they’re not entirely wrong.”

“Anyway,” Schoeman continued, “this king, who thought himself a second Shaka, began amassing followers, and got together an army 9,000 men strong. I called together the standing army plus 600 Commandos and began marching against the Zulu army. The Zulu army had begun to march on Havenstad. It was a large city that was close to them, and they could cut off a large portion of our trade by occupying our main port.

“We met the enemy at a plain around 50 miles out from Havenstad; it was near a farm owned by a Mr. Johan Abram. The Zulu seemed to be expecting us, and they waited at the top of a hill. Our scouts reported they were arrayed in their standard bull-and-horns formation. First, we used our artillery to bombard the enemy. The Zulu didn’t stand a chance, and fell en masse to shelling.

Battle of Abram’s Farm

“Next, we sent our cavalry out ahead to smash the enemy. Unfortunately, our cavalry took quite a beating from the Zulu spears. Still, the shock of the cavalry managed to do some damage, and I sent in 2/3rd of the infantry to battle the main army. I knew from talking with my native auxiliaries, some of whom had fought in a previous battle against the Zulu or at least knew someone who did, that the Zulus usually kept some of their force hidden, to be used as a reserve. Knowing that, I hid a third of my force behind some bushes and tall grass.

“When the battle began to turn in our favor, the Zulu sent in their reserve. Shortly afterwards, I sent in my own reserve. It was fierce fighting, but in the end, we emerged victorious. Heavy casualties, though. The Zulu may have lost 90% or so of their force, but we lost about 25% of our force.”

M.W. Pretorius slowly clapped. “Excellent work, Schoeman,” Pretorius said, showing little enthusiasm. “Where are the rebels now?”

“Going back to their encampment, I would say,” the Commandant-General replied. “It’s about 200 miles from Havenstad.”

“Go and chase them down, then. Destroy the encampment to send a strong message that we won’t tolerate insurrection. Spare the women and children, though; try to get then out of there somehow before you burn the encampment to the ground.”

Schoeman nodded. “Can do, sir.” The head of the Boer military then saluted the President and walked out of the room.

“Now that that’s taken care of,” Pretorius said to his Secretaries, “I should probably give a speech to the people. Calm everyone down, you know?”

“That would be a good idea,” Secretary of State Johannes Hermanus Grobler replied. “But before you start writing your speech, I suggest we deal with some diplomatic business.” Grobler put a piece of paper on the president’s desk. “This is the response we got back from the Mughals.”

Pretorius took the paper and began to look over it, nodding as he read. “The Khan-Emperor seems to be a reasonable fellow,” Pretorius remarked. “And he’s agreed to my terms. He actually seems quite excited about it, but he may just be trying to flatter me. Regardless, I’ll write back to him. Before I do that, what other letters have arrived?”

The Secretary of State passed another piece of paper to Pretorius. “This one is from Brazil,” Grobler said.

Pretorius looked over the second message, although he seemed slightly less pleased with this one. “They are interested in an alliance,” the president explained, “but only if they’re not obligated to help us in case of a war with a major power like Britain.”

“Cowards,” Defense Secretary Paul Kruger muttered. “Sacred of a few Brits, are they? For shame. Such timid leaders aren’t worthy of our friendship.”

Paul Kruger

“Let’s not be hasty,” Secretary of the Treasury Jacobus Groenendaal said to Kruger. “A hesitant ally is better than no ally at all.”

“We have no need of hesitant allies!” Kruger exclaimed. “We are Boers! We are a strong and proud people, who only associate with other strong and proud nations!”

“Enough!” M.W. Pretorius yelled. “Enough with this arguing! Now, I’m inclined to agree with Groenendaal here: we need all the allies we can get. I understand your concern, Paul, but we aren’t in a position to be as demanding as you would wish. If you want to work with a nation that does have that luxury, the British Empire is always looking for civil servants.” Paul Kruger opened his mouth to speak, but then decided against it; he simply stood where he was, visibly annoyed.

“Besides,” Interior Secretary Willem Cornelis Janse van Rensburg interjected, “we sent Hoffman to negotiate a settlement with the British anyway. If all goes well, we won’t need to worry about conflict with Britain.”

“True,” Pretorius responded. “It’s settled then. I shall accept the Brazilians’ counter-offer. Is there anything else that we should discuss?”

Treasury Secretary Groenendaal stepped forward. “There’s something I’ve been thinking about, Mr. President. Our deal with the Mughals has got me thinking: could we conclude a similar deal with other nations? I thought about, and I think the answer is ‘yes’. In particular, I think the nations of South America could be good for our purposes. They’re all lesser powers that are rich in resources, and much like us, they have had to struggle against imperialism by outside powers, and to a certain extent, still struggle. We could find much common ground, and I think a trade treaty would benefit both us and South America.”

Pretorius put his hand on his chin, intrigued. “Interesting. Are there any particular nations you had in mind?”

“I think Peru-Bolivia would be an excellent trading partner. I did some research, and I discovered that Peru-Bolivia is surprisingly wealthy in guano.”

“Guano?” Paul Kruger repeated, seeming oddly excited about animal excrement. “We could use that as fertilizer for our fields.”

“Exactly,” the Treasury Secretary replied. “More fertilizer means more food, and more food means more surpluses to export. It’s perfect!”

Pretorius smiled. “Perfect indeed,” he said. “I agree with this proposal. Any other South American nations we could make a deal with?”

“Not yet,” Groenendaal said. “There’s a lot of tension in Latin America, and a lot of the nations there simply don’t like each other. Best to ally with one power at first, then wait until the dust settles. Otherwise Peru-Bolivia or some other nation might accuse us of being friendly with their enemy.”

Pretorius's smile faded; he was dismayed at the turbulent state of Latin American politics. “You bring up good points, Jacobus. I shall just send a letter to Peru-Bolivia for now. If no one has anything else to add, then I suppose we can call this meeting adjourned, and I can start writing my speech.”

Ou Raadsaal, Bloemfontein, Boer Confederation
May 26, 1853

Just after noon, President M.W. Pretorius stepped up to a podium in front of the steps of the Ou Raadsaal, the parliament building of the Boer Confederation. Beside Pretorius stood Secretary of the Interior Willem Cornelis Janse van Rensburg, Speaker of Parliament J.N. Boshoff, and other parliamentary allies of the president. A small security force separated the president and his allies from the mass of reporters and spectators.

“Ladies and gentleman of the Confederation,” Pretorius began, “as you know, a few weeks ago, impudent, dissident Zulu tribesmen revolted against the Confederation and against the rightful Zulu King Mpande. These rebellious tribesmen named one of their one as King, and marched on Havenstad.

“However, our forces were ready. Commandant-General Stephanus Schoeman gathered much of the regular army, plus 600 Commandos, and marched to defeat this uprising. And, as I’m sure you’ve heard by now, our forces scored a decisive victory over the enemy at the Battle of Abram’s Farm. As we speak, Schoeman is preparing to march on the enemy’s chief encampment, shattering their already-battered force, and destroying their encampment, to show that we will not tolerate insurrection.

“Our brave men of the Boer military may have crushed this rebellion, but if we want to avoid an even larger rebellion, we must initiate reform. We must accept that things need to be changed around here. Because if we bury our heads in the sand, and refuse to confront the reality of the situation, then our fall shall be imminent.

“Some may say that we needn’t worry about a Zulu uprising, and that the Africans are simply spear-armed savages who pose no threat to our Confederation. However, I assure you: that view is seriously misguided. The Zulu are a concern. And while treating them as an enemy to be exterminated will not improve our situation, neither should we extend our hand in friendship to the Zulu dog and then let him bite our fingers off. In pursuing change, we must follow a middle path, staying close to the Zulu and rewarding those who have proved themselves loyal, while at the same time being weary, and containing and neutralizing those who would want to see our Confederation wiped off the face of the Earth.

“Over the coming weeks, our nation must have a continuing discussion on reform. There will be various plans proposed, and each of these plans will take a different approach to solving the problems we face; however, above all, we must be vigilant, and be loyal stewards of the Confederation, shielding her from harm, and defending her against all threats. Thank you.” As soon as the president ended his speech, hands shoot up from the press corps, rapidly asking questions. Pretorius put his hand up to silence the journalists.

“I shall hold a press conference later today,” President Pretorius said. “I will answer your questions then.” Pretorius then retreated into the Ou Raadsaal building with a handful of supporters. They entered the empty Parliament Chamber, and sat down at a table toward near the door.

Parliament Chamber of the Ou Raadsaal

“Fine work, Marthinus,” MP Piet van Nifterik of Winburg said to the president. “Never before have I seen someone say so little in so many words. You could qualify for the British Parliament with that kind of oratory ability.” Everyone in the room, including the president, laughed heartily.

“That was the goal,” Pretorius replied. “I just wanted to get them warmed up to reform. I wanted to run my actual reform plan by with all of you before I go public. I think I know how to minimize the chance of a future Zulu revolt. And no, it is not automatically granting citizenship to all Zulu like the Columbians did with their natives.”

MP Bart Heimans of Potchefstroom snorted. “If those Yanks want to let their country be overrun by savages,” Heimans commented, “then we shall let them do so. But we won’t fall into the same trap.”

“Indeed,” Pretorius affirmed. “Now then, let me tell you the whole story. The Zulus are unhappy with our rule; the Revolt has made obvious. However, it appears that some Zulu people like us, as shown by some of them serving as auxiliaries in our army. Schoeman actually mentioned to me that his auxiliaries provided crucial information to him just prior to the Battle of Abram’s Field. That got me thinking, and after conferring with van Rensburg here, we agreed on a plan: any non-citizen, be they African or Chinamen or Catholic or any other group, shall have citizenship conferred upon him, his spouse, and his descendants provided he serves at least 10 years in the auxiliaries, and converts to a Dutch Christian church.”

The MPs uncomfortably looked at each other for a few seconds, before Bart Heimans finally spoke. “With all due respect, Mr. President,” Heimans began, “this plan is absurd! You will let the African hordes overrun us!”

“Any African who has served in the auxiliaries for a decade or more has proved himself to be loyal and devoted to the cause of the Confederation, and the requirement for conversion will ensure that the African assimilates into Boer culture. Under this plan, these new citizens would be indistinguishable from current citizens or, in the case of non-White groups, be indistinguishable in every way except skin color.”

MP Gerd Jonker of Bloemfontein rolled his eyes. “You can’t change the core nature of the savage,” he said. “There’s something within them that always inclines them toward barbarity.”

“I disagree,” Pretorius responded. “Our auxiliaries have proved that that is not the case. Who knows? After a few generations, the foreigners may be so well-integrated, that one of these new citizens may be able rise to the top and reach a high political office, maybe even President of the Confederation." At this suggestion, Heimans, Jonkers, and everyone else except Pretorius, van Rensburg, and Boshoff started to laugh hysterically.

Speaker of Parliament J.N. Boshoff, after having stayed silent during the previous debate, spoke up. “Enough! I, for one, agree with our president. This plan will integrate the loyal foreigners into society, while offending as few of the old establishment as possible. This is a reasonable plan, and I support it.”

The other MPs looked back at each other, and with a look of disappoint on their faces, nodded at each other. “I suppose if Boshoff supports it,” Bert Heimans said on behalf of his fellow MPs, “then we will too. We will vote for your proposal once it comes up, Mr. President.”

Pretorius smiled. “Good. I shall have van Nifterik propose the legislation in Parliament about three days from now. In the meantime, I’ll review the bill with van Niferwik, and we’ll work to get support from the other MPs. I’m glad we could reach agreement today.” The president and his Interior Secretary stood up and shook hands with Boshoff and the MPs. Pretorius and van Rensburg then left the Ou Raadsaal, leaving the MPs to talk among themselves.

Governor's Residence, Cape Town, Cape Colony
May 29, 1853

-Vice-President Hoffman and delegation met with Cape Colony governor

by **The Jonathanian States** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 1:26 pm

For responds to Austria and Argentina, maybe other stuff too.

by **The Union of Courland** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:15 pm

[quote="The Union of Courland";p="25342616"]

Flag of the Papal States
Rome, Papal States, Italy, 1853:

Pope Leo XIII was relaxing in his room when a Cardinal burst in, frantic. The Pope glance at him. "I sincerely hope you have a good reason for interrupting my private time, Cardinal". The Cardinal stammered for a bit, and then replied with "My apologies, my Pope, but the North Italian Army has surrounded Rome and ordered us to surrender! They have threatened to burn the city!". The Pope spit out the expensive wine he was drinking as his eyes went wide as saucer plates. "W-what? That's... Viterbo was a distraction! To lure out Papal troops so they could surround Rome. Garibaldi, you tricky bastard. Very well, tell the North Italians that we surrender".

Outer Rome, Papal States:
A Swiss Guard was currently yelling at the North Italians something fierce. He appeared to be one of the more French Swiss Guards, and was yelling particularly at the commander, and it sounded like this: "...I fart in your general direction, you". He was then violently shoved out of the way by a Cardinal. "I'm so very sorry about that. He gets carried away at times. But the Pope has accepted your proposal, and has invited you into the city of Rome for negotiations". The Swiss Guards stood up and said some more things about Italian pig dogs, hamsters, and elderberries, but no one could really make sense of it. Another Swiss Guard knocked him out with the blunt side of his weapon.

by **The Kingdom of Glitter** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:20 pm

The North Italian Confederation

La Confederazione Italiana Nord

28 May 1853
Milan, Sardinia-Lombardia
Palazzo Reale di Milano

Garibaldi and Cavour make Italy:
"a boot fit for a King"

Word of the ceasefire between the North Italian Confederation and the Papal States had reached Milan and every other corner of the realm. People flooded the streets, celebrating the Italian victory over the temporal lands. Sardinian tricolors flew above the crowds as trumpets blared in celebration. The royal family had joined the people in celebration and were even joined by the Archbishop of Milan, Bartolomeo Carlo Romilli the first Italian to hold the position in decades. The people of Milan were not only proud of their victory in Rome, but were enthralled by it. Most businesses throughout the city were closed and their owners and staff in the streets shouting "Lunga vita al Re! Viva l'Italia!"

As the capital city erupted in celebration, the King, Count Cavour, and several other cabinet members prepared to make the journey to Rome for negotiations with HIs Holiness himself. The party was scheduled to ride the Royal Lombard Railway from Milan to Grosseto, where they would make the journey by road in various state carriages.

Victor Emmanuel II was ready for the meeting, as he knew that he would be able to push for all of the terms he and his delegation would demand. Umbria and Marche would join the North Italian Confederation. Lazio would remain in the hands of the papacy but the pope would be forced to introduce democratic reforms so his subjects had representation within the "divine" government. Count Cavour suggested the Italian acquisition of most of the Papal navy, an idea the king was open to.

With a ceasefire between Rome and Milan and what was surely the end of the Second Italian War of Independence, it would only be a matter of time before the Two Sicilies and Venetia would be united with Italia.

From the Desk of the King of Sardinia-Lombardia
His Majesty Victor Emmanuel II

His Imperial Majesty Ferdinand Maximilian, Emperor of Austria

You are quite wrong. Every nation and every son of God has the right to democracy and say in their governance. What you fail to understand is the Pope is the Vicar of Christ, not the voice of Christ. The Pope, while he may be guided by the Holy Spirit, is still a man like the rest of us. Men are corruptible and are often led astray. This has been the case of recent popes, led astray by their own greed and thirst for power, making themselves kings instead of true servants of the Lord. The Papal States is guilty of the same crimes your despicable nation is. Massacring innocent civilians so brutally oppressed by those in power. The Pope went to war with the people of Rome and hundreds lost their lives due to his greed for absolute power over them. That does not make him an innocent man, nor his nation innocent of his crimes.

You do not rightfully own Venetia, nor do you rightfully own Hungary, nor Serbia, nor the other various principalities. Your nation is a bastard, forged by the greed of your relatives. Since you were too insignificant to attend to negotiations that forged the Treaty of Milan, I shall let you know why your disgusting nation was allowed to maintain control over it. Sardinia pushed heavily for control of Venetia, but the Austrians refused to cede it to us. Furthermore the French, fearing international worries over the expansionist growth of the Kingdom of Sardinia advised us to leave the land in your possession until the non-aggression pact between our realms expired. I suppose your foolish brother never informed you of the conditions of this treaty or the foundation upon it was built. This is no surprise, as you have proven yourself inept when it comes to diplomatic and international affairs, far more inept than your fool of a brother.

I am surprised a monarch would accuse another of an action without any foundation. Never publically have I said your army on our border is an invasion force. Our nation's newspapers may have offered commentary on it, but surely you are not stupid enough to believe the newspapers are the voice of a monarch. If so, I more than question your ability to make decisions and hope your people are spared from their own emperor's foolish mistakes. It is in their best interests for your nation to collapse and become a small blur on the story that is history. Where as the North Italian Confederation, and Italy as a whole, will outlast your bastard of a nation by centuries.

Signed and dated on the 28th of May

Sincerely,
Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia-Lombaria
President of the North Italian Confederation

2 June 1853
Rome, Lazio
The Papal States

Terms of Treaty of Rome:
-The regions of Umbria and Marche are ceded to NIC
-Benevento and Pontecorvo are ceded to NIC
-50% of Papal Navy is ceded to NIC in return for $$$
-Papal States is forced to implement democratic reforms
-Papal States is unofficially forced into NIC's sphere of influence.
-10 Year Non-Aggression Pact

9 June 1853
Ancona, Marche
Palazzo Ferretti

The members of the Confederation following the June 9th referendums.

Following the signing of the Treaty of Rome jubilee filled the city of Ancona. Sardinian tricolors draped below windows and hung across the streets. Under the treaty, the states of Umbria and Marche had been ceded to the North Italian Confederation and were for all intents and purposes now officially united with the Italian nation. However, in order to prove the Italian right to the land, a referendum was held in each province a week following the signing of the treaty. It was an idea widely supported by the liberals within the government of the Confederation, and even had the backing of Garibaldi and the King himself. After all, the liberal nature of the declaration of war and the pillar democracy was placed within it, it was deemed essential to give the people of the former papal lands a voice.

For the first time for the majority of those within the two regions, they voted in their first election. The results were as expected. 97% voted in favor of joining the Confederation in Marche, while 94% voted in favor within Umbria. The North Italian Confederation had added its two newest members: the Duchy of Marche and the Duchy of Umbria. The two were now in need of a duke. He granted the title of Duke of Umbria to his first cousin, Emanuele Umberto the Count of Salemi, while his aunt Maria Ferdinanda was appointed as the Duchess of Marche, with her husband the Duke of Lodi sharing the limited ducal powers with her.

15 June 1853
Milan, Sardinia-Lombardia
Palazzo Marino

Urbano Rattazzi

For the first time in the history of any nation on the Italian peninsula, elections were underway. Count Cavour and his allies, such as Baron Ricasoli, General La Marmora, Count Menabrea, and every other member of the cabinet were all members of La Destra (the Right). Support for their party was easily found. After all, Count Cavour was largely responsible for much of the progress within the nation and the partied appealed to the more conservative and rural regions of the nation, particularly in the central portion of the peninsula. However, they faced fierce opposition in the more urban parts of the nation. Cities like Genoa and Milan were seen as liberal hives of the nation and support for La Sinistra (the Left) and would provide fierce opposition to La Destra. The leader of La Sinistra was Urbano Rattazzi, a prominent lawyer who practiced within Turin and Casale Monferrato. He had managed to piece together a party of less known individuals from throughout the realm, consisting of other lawyers, businessmen, etc.

Elections were underway throughout the entire country, and voter turnout was expected to be high. The people of Milan flooded the Palazzo Marino, one of the designated polling stations for the city of Milan. Every male over the age of 25 within the Confederation was granted suffrage and the lines outside the building consisted of hundreds of eager voters at any given time. This scene was repeated in every major city across the nation, as well as many smaller towns.

20 June 1853
Milan, Sardinia-Lombardia
Foreign Office of the Confederation

The North Italian Confederation
La Confederazione Italiana Nord

Addressed to the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom,

Sirs,

I write to you upon the personal request of His Majesty Victor Emmanuel II and on the advice his the Minister of War and his Minister of the Navy.

With our recent excursions into the Papal States we have noticed a dangerous flaw in our nation's military might, the Regia Marina. While we boast a proud and modern fleet, it has come to our attention that it is in fact weaker than the fleet of our immediate neighbor and constant threat: Austria. The Austrians stationed their fleet off the coast of Marche during the Second Italian War of Independence, restricting our activity in the Adriatic Sea.

We fear the Austrians have the intentions of closing the Adriatic Sea to the Italians and all of those she is friendly with, and it is for that reason I am writing to you. We would like to request the sale of several ships from your Royal Navy, along with naval subsidies for a period of ten years while we attempt to reform the Regia Marina. We also hope to implement these reforms under your guidance and request the aid of naval advisers. Their stay will be paid for by His Majesty personally and they will be treated as guests of the King.

Written on behalf of His Majesty King Victor Emmanuel II, President of the Confederation

Signed and dated on the 20th of June

Sincerely,
Bettino Ricasoli, Baron Ricasoli
Minister of Foreign Affairs of
the North Italian Confederation

Guns, Drums and Steel [IC]

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