Tales of Two Horizons OOC 1.4 OPEN

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

Nothing bad could ever happen in the Balkans

I am sadly not that well versed in Austrian interests in the Balkans in this time period, mostly because they had very limited interests in the Danubian Principalities, but nothing that I can't improvise

I think you mentioned that you were interested in finding sturdier allies, correct? / supporting the Russians to that effect possibly

[Tracian Empire]

I am sadly not that well versed in Austrian interests in the Balkans in this time period, mostly because they had very limited interests in the Danubian Principalities, but nothing that I can't improvise

I think you mentioned that you were interested in finding sturdier allies, correct? / supporting the Russians to that effect possibly

From an Austrian perspective, the alliance with Russia is a strong anchor that must be protected at any costs. Metternich would probably have mixed views about it, but Archduke Johann would firmly believe that even conceding and accepting the Russian interests over most of the Balkans is a good course to take, if it were to maintain an Austrian-Russian alliance.

[Intermountain States]

We probably need a headcount on who's still active

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

We probably need a headcount on who's still active

A roster culling will take place on the 27nth, anyone who hasn't shouted out by then will get yeeted from their nations.

[Latvijas Otra Republika]

We probably need a headcount on who's still active

rona case here so I’ll be heading out in a few

[Kargintina the Third]

We probably need a headcount on who's still active

Hola

[Bluepillar]

I would like to reserve the State of Great Guang.

[The Palmetto]

I think you mentioned that you were interested in finding sturdier allies, correct? / supporting the Russians to that effect possibly

From an Austrian perspective, the alliance with Russia is a strong anchor that must be protected at any costs. Metternich would probably have mixed views about it, but Archduke Johann would firmly believe that even conceding and accepting the Russian interests over most of the Balkans is a good course to take, if it were to maintain an Austrian-Russian alliance.

thank you, please don't drag me into a world war over serbia

[Tracian Empire]

From an Austrian perspective, the alliance with Russia is a strong anchor that must be protected at any costs. Metternich would probably have mixed views about it, but Archduke Johann would firmly believe that even conceding and accepting the Russian interests over most of the Balkans is a good course to take, if it were to maintain an Austrian-Russian alliance.

thank you, please don't drag me into a world war over serbia

But that's a classic

[The Palmetto]

thank you, please don't drag me into a world war over serbia

But that's a classic

mein gott please no

As far as foreign alliances go, I am hoping to go more liberal and align more towards Britain, or, more realistically, avoid trying to contest their naval dominance and focus on economic dominance.

My biggest goal would be a more gradual, peaceful unification of Germany, though I imagine there's going to be a weaker central authority and a lot of disputes along the way.

[Bluepillar]

i want to learn certain aspects of NRP properly, so I'm going to be making North Zhou instead. I'm terrible at war RP, and it'd provide me a more immediate route for improvement. Maybe at some other point I'll make something else.

[Kargintina the Third]

Blam blam pew pew

[Bluepillar]

trying to figure out which nations would have supported the North Zhou ;-; and which would have supported the South

So, can the PC nations in China and the non-Chinese states abroad try to give some input on that? As a side note, there is valuable river trade that goes through Henan, which also happens to be one of the cradles of Chinese civilization and the home of Luoyang, as well as the capital. Additionally, Henan's population is not small. It has nearly 30 million citizens, and I'm pretty sure is up there in terms of how heavily populated it is in comparison to other areas.

"The greater Luoyang area has been sacred ground since the late Neolithic period.[2] his area at the intersection of the Luo river and Yi River was considered to be the geographical center of China."

So... hm.

[Bluepillar]

Generic Info
Nation Name: The State of Zhou (Northern Zhou)
Symbols: Flag of Zhou
Location: 76
Population: 17.5 million (both North and South) | with Zhengzhou, the capital and largest city, in the more heavily developed and populated North - featuring one of the four great ancient capitals of China, Luoyang, as well as other, large cities - the North possesses a larger population but so far has had incompetent leadership that has not properly made use of this to acquire an advantage - resulting in a stalemate. There are 9.5 million in North Zhou
Capital City: Zhengzhou
Civilization Status: Civilized, but in a state of civil war

Government Info
Government Type: Absolute Bureaucratic Monarchy
Brief Explanation of Government: Very similar in nature to other Chinese governments, the government features the central power of the ruler delegating authority to the six ministries of Personnel, Rites, War, Justice, Works, and Revenue.
Ideology: Confucianism, Absolutism, militarism (a relatively recent development, as the military has become a new unifying factor of the Northern Zhou), and a notable lack of isolationism
Leader/s: Emperor Shinzou of Zhou
Relations

• Southern Zhou - ceasefire. Technically at a state of war. Both claim the other, and this interferes with valuable trade going through Zhou’s rivers.
• The Great Qian - a state with the potential to interfere in the war. The Zhou Emperor has tried to cultivate a relationship with them.
• The Northern Zhou is seeking allies.

(Pre-existing trade agreements, existing military alliances, rivals, etc)

Population Info
Brief Description of your people: (Optional fluff text)
Religion: 67% of the population is Buddhist, 8% is protestant Buddhism, 6% is Catholic, and 4% is Muslim, and 15% belongs to a folk or non-organized religion
Main/Accepted Culture(s): Over 98% of the population is Han Chinese.
Other Cultures: There are small amounts of Manchus and Mongols within Henan.

Military Info
Army: The core of the 900,000 man army is about 150,000 - and rests at a quality of 5 due to the drilling of modern tactics. The rest of the army - each divided into similarly sized banners about 150,000 large - rests at a quality of about 3. However, the leadership quality of the former war minister was about a 3.5 The role of war minister has recently been filled by a foreign trained Henan official that has nationalized various key parts of the economy and reorganized the armies while a ceasefire goes on. This new leader has a skill level, out of 1 through 10, of 9. These numbers have risen and will hopefully continue to rise as leaders continue to be replaced meritocratically, and nationalized industry and weapons from external supporters continues to arm and support the soldiers, and the drills organized by the new war minister continue. The army is becoming a fiercer fighting force, but until recently they had not had the capacity to acquire enough weapons to arm the entire army. However, even with the advantages of North Zhou, it is unlikely that they are powerful enough to sweep through South Zhou and defeat them handily. The remainder of the war will be bloody, difficult, and has a good chance of devastating what remains of the economy.

With new weapons of war in the hands of the South, and the potential for the Southern Zhou to muster a larger, but inferiorly equipped army, the Northern Zhou with their guns and steel and the Southern Zhou will, together, be responsible for perhaps the most devastating loss of life that China has seen in centuries - and with a population 1.5 million larger? The Northern Zhou hopes to have lives to spare.
Navy: The riverine force of North Zhou is about 32 ships large, with most of these being transports or smaller ships. It has a quality of 7 for a riverine fleet, but it is not a blue water fleet, and Zhou has no coast meaning that it is unlikely it will ever need to compete with the war fleets of nations that do have a fleet. The ships travel through the rivers of Henan, trying to assist the Emperor in maintaining control of the region. The majority of the Zhou fleet remained with the legitimate Emperor, and the combat vessels alongside the dozen or so transport ships would have greatly assisted in competing with the enemy had the army not been as incompetent as it has been. It is the only part of the Zhou military that was not incompetent. However, with the armed forces featuring incompetence, the Zhou navy has been unable to influence the war in any way. Largely, it has been used to escort ships throughout the rivers in Zhou in an attempt to keep the economy active, but it hasn’t engaged in combat with the Southern Zhou fleet. In the time since the cease fire began, it is possible that the South Zhou has constructed additional ships to add to their own fleet, edging away the advantages that the North Zhou fleet would have brought.

there is also an extensive network of forts throughout Zhou.

Other Info
Economic Strength: 8. The civil war has hit hard, and Zhou is in a midst of a recession, with a likelihood of its economic strength dropping to 6 once war resumes being high. However, there is a glimmer of hope as vital riverine trade has yet to reach the pre-war levels - and even now, with an 8, the riverine trade still far from peak levels. Additionally, trade has been made more difficult by the tensions within the nation. There is also the matter of coal, agriculture with widespread arable lands, as well as mineral wealth and trade from the four major rivers - the Yellow, Huahie, Haihe, and Yangze rivers. With over 1,500 rivers crisscrossing, the legitimate Zhou Emperor as well as others are vested in peaceful waters that can be navigated for the sake of trade as well as the further extraction and development of Zhou’s resources - which the government hopes to leverage for jobs as well as working towards industrialization.
Development: 12. The Henan province of the Ming is one of the most ancient areas of China, and while not really industrialized she is not necessarily undeveloped.
Public Order: As a whole, Zhou is in a state of civil war, and lower than 10. However, the North is at 11 in terms of public order.
Goals: Defeat his brother in South Zhou, reunify the armies and navies of the two nations, and then continue to rebuild in the aftermath while reducing the army to a smaller amount of banners while using them to maintain peace, strengthening the military to prepare for a potential foreign invasion of the weakened state, reinstate trade through Zhou’s rivers and with foreign states, rebuild allegiances and renew the trade trade that Zhou relies on for survival, re-open and recover the economy, allow foreign investment (but not monopolies) and corporate operations, and begin to industrialize through these things, and maintain independence.
History:

• A birthplace of Chinese Civilization, for thousands of years Henan - now under the control of the Zhou family - was an important economic, cultural, and political center until around 800 years ago. In northern Henan, there were cultures - the Yangshao and Langshan cultures - there since the neolithic period, while the Xia dynasty occupying northern and central Henan in the 21st century only for the kingdom to collapse upon invasion by the neighboring Shang dynasty from eastern Henan which would unify eastern Henan with the northern and central areas.
• 11th Century to the late 1400s - The Zhou dynasty would come from the west, and overthrow the Shang dynasty. It is their descendants that would once again come to dominate the area after the collapse of a unified China in the late 1400s. The imperial period under the first Qin Emperor would see the Han homeland unified for the first time, but the empire would collapse. From the Han dynasty, to the eastern Han dynasty, to the western Jin, the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Song dynasty, the Yuan dynasty, and the Ming dynasty that would collapse leaving China to states such as the Zhou - Henan has often been occupied by those with capitals far from her largest city. During these time periods, Henan would benefit from high levels of development, and with the collapse of China in the late 1400s the Zhous after coming to power would oversee a flourishing economy and leverage it for some time though, inevitably, the coming of the civil war would hit the economy hard enough for it to start to enter a recession.
• Prior to the Death of the Emperor - A programme was undertaken to rebuild Luoyang to some measure of her former greatness, with the sacred city once more becoming one of the most heavily populated in Zhou. Benefiting from trade brought by the Luo and Yi rivers, the city would flourish.
• 1831 to 1836 - Start of the Zhou Civil War to the ceasefire (during which occurred the replacement of War Minister, who then proceeded to reorganize the armies and industries). to the current date when negotiations are in the final stages of breaking down. Skirmishes between forces on the border and riverine vessels have already begun to pick up again, and the war minister has prepared the armies to brace for an attack by the South Zhou in their forts - that is, if the North does not attack first. A naval battle between the North and South Zhou seems inevitable, as a confrontation between northern and southern ships develops in the yellow river.

429 - Do not remove. This is for tracking purposes.

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

But that's a classic

mein gott please no

As far as foreign alliances go, I am hoping to go more liberal and align more towards Britain, or, more realistically, avoid trying to contest their naval dominance and focus on economic dominance.

My biggest goal would be a more gradual, peaceful unification of Germany, though I imagine there's going to be a weaker central authority and a lot of disputes along the way.

Gotchu boo

Blam blam pew pew

Aggressive negotiations

[The Palmetto]

mein gott please no

As far as foreign alliances go, I am hoping to go more liberal and align more towards Britain, or, more realistically, avoid trying to contest their naval dominance and focus on economic dominance.

My biggest goal would be a more gradual, peaceful unification of Germany, though I imagine there's going to be a weaker central authority and a lot of disputes along the way.

Gotchu boo

Blam blam pew pew

Aggressive negotiations

PERFIDIOUS ALBION WHY are you calling me boo

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

Gotchu boo



Aggressive negotiations

PERFIDIOUS ALBION WHY are you calling me boo

The Palmetto wrote:

mein gott please no

As far as foreign alliances go, I am hoping to go more liberal and align more towards Britain, or, more realistically, avoid trying to contest their naval dominance and focus on economic dominance.

[Da Klan]

More players in the region once known as China is always welcome.

[Greater Redosia]

More players in the region once known as China is always welcome.

Chaos in china, as it should be.

[Kargintina the Third]

More players in the region once known as China is always welcome.

Chaos in china, as it should be.

China will collapse by 2010 I know it

[Bluepillar]

okeydokies. I think I'm done.

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

Chaos in china, as it should be.

China will collapse by 2010 I know it

Looks at current map of the region known as China

Define collapse?

[Tracian Empire]

But that's a classic

mein gott please no

As far as foreign alliances go, I am hoping to go more liberal and align more towards Britain, or, more realistically, avoid trying to contest their naval dominance and focus on economic dominance.

My biggest goal would be a more gradual, peaceful unification of Germany, though I imagine there's going to be a weaker central authority and a lot of disputes along the way.

Luckily I don't think that any of the German states would be willing to contest Britain in naval matters, and one of the things that most German state should agree about is that the situations of Schleswig-Holsten and Alsace-Lorraine need to be solved one way or another.

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

mein gott please no

As far as foreign alliances go, I am hoping to go more liberal and align more towards Britain, or, more realistically, avoid trying to contest their naval dominance and focus on economic dominance.

My biggest goal would be a more gradual, peaceful unification of Germany, though I imagine there's going to be a weaker central authority and a lot of disputes along the way.

Luckily I don't think that any of the German states would be willing to contest Britain in naval matters, and one of the things that most German state should agree about is that the situations of Schleswig-Holsten and Alsace-Lorraine need to be solved one way or another.

Britannia Pride of the Ocean intensifies

[Kargintina the Third]

Luckily I don't think that any of the German states would be willing to contest Britain in naval matters, and one of the things that most German state should agree about is that the situations of Schleswig-Holsten and Alsace-Lorraine need to be solved one way or another.

Britannia Pride of the Ocean intensifies

Cyka