THE SPARKS TO IGNITE A GREAT FLAME(MT, IC, DIPLOMATIC)

[Shazbotdom]

FROM THE OFFICE OF HIS MOST HIGH
DEFENDER OF THE EMPIRE
COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE MILIARY
KEEPER OF THE IMPERIAL SWORD
SUPREME EMPEROR OF SHAZBOTDOM
MR. LARRY WILLIAMS

TO: Coalition against the Feng Empire
The Shazbotdom Empire has followed the happenings of the Feng Empire over the last few years. If you are unable to diplomatically cause them to cease their hostile view and childish actions against the Civilized Nation of the World, then the Shazbotdom Empire is willing to assist you in forcing a regime change within their nation. The Military of the Empire stands ready to assist you. Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted. Veritas Omnia Vincit.

[Great Feng]

I just managed to get around to this recently, and as such, it is short. But I promised on Friday I'd post by Sunday, so here it is. Sadly, this post feels like an awful one to me, but, I promised I'd post by Sunday.

“The Impregnable Palace “

So was the Palace of Yujing nicknamed by the citizenry of the Feng Empire. It stood in the very center of Yujing, towering over the entire city it was a part of; its mighty walls unscratched by the offensives upon the ancient capital, with a massive moat surrounding it - a relic from ages past. (Again, I’m not entirely sure how the palace, which would presumably be quite old, would tower over the more modern buildings. It’s a minor thing, but it’s something to consider.) It had taken many centuries for the Feng people to perfect this wonder. The Palace served as the glorious reminder of Feng’s triumphant defenses against its foes for centuries - no sieges, even the latest in 1978, had managed to break the Palace, and with it the nation of Feng.

In 2016, it seemed to the Feng nation and people that war was now inevitable. The Palace overlooking the imperial capital might just be besieged upon once again. Imperial subjects looked up to the Palace - the Imperial residence - time and time again in anxiety, for it was the Emperor who carried the burden and dutiful responsibility of fighting for and protecting them. Earlier that week, the Emperor had reassured that he would fight to his last breath for the sovereignty of Feng, even if the Palace was burned down and its molten rubbles cast on the grounds of Yujing.

On its (the palace’s) balcony, stood the Emperor of the Feng, Yan Tsunobu Yin, who rubbed his forehead, greatly troubled by current circumstances. The people were putting their faith in him, and he had to make sure that faith wasn’t for nothing.

“Where would this lead”, he thought. “A regional war? A cold war? Or a war too large for even Feng to bear?”

To him, Feng would surely still emerge victorious in the event of a massive conflict, if its allies stayed true to the very end. He frowned at the thought. Feng’s allies had never been reliable, so to speak. Most were opportunists, and the rest were more concerned with their own territorial integrity to care much for Feng’s fate. However, if any one of them betrayed Feng, doom may be imminent for the great nation.

It seemed to him, the fate of Feng was at a crossroads, and it’s destiny was very uncertain, it would all depend on the actions of a few…

He walked inside from the balcony, and picked up his cup of tea that was just sitting on the table. Taking a deep breath, he took one long drink.

Just over a century ago, in this very same room, the last Emperor of Feng to go through a potentially century-defining crisis had done the same. Yan wondered if the emperor had suffered the same anxiety. Back then, the country of Feng was a superpower, and had been the defining factor in how the Central Powers won World War 1. Now, Feng seemed more akin to the Russian Empire of that same era, scoffed at, desperately trying to show the world it was still strong after humiliating events not long before the war. Yan shook his head, trying to shake off the thought. Feng was not Russia. It may have lost a great deal of prestige earlier, and was not taken seriously anymore, but it was still far stronger than Russia. It was more stable and more unified than Russia had been. He once more attempted to shake off his own lingering unease... They had no place in the moment, no matter how similar of a crossroads Feng was at.
The door opened, and a soldier bowed.

“What is it?” Yan asked authoritatively.

“The guests have all arrived my lord.” The soldier quietly replied.

“Good, tell them I’ll be there shortly.”

“Yes your majesty.”
The door closed. Yan exhaled deeply, and rubbed his temples. He got up, took one last deep breath, opened the door, and walked to meet the guests.

[***]

He strode confidently into the room, trying to look proud for the guests who had come.
“Greetings. I am the Emperor of Feng, Yan Tsunobu Yin. It is my honor to welcome all of you the palace, and to Feng at large. You will soon all be members of the Yujing Pact, which will be an alliance similar to the Axis Powers, in how it works politically. You may introduce yourselves, and may speak freely, within reason. The first representative to say their piece for this conference will be the Topkekkian Delegate.”

[Topkekkia]

Yujing, Feng
Maximilian rose from his seat to speak. He knew how much rode on the events that would take place here today. War could be prevented or encouraged, and would only be prevented by the careful political movements that took place today.
"Greetings everyone, as some of you may know, I am Maximilian Phyrexus, Speaker of Topkekkia. I have come here today due to the recent concerns about war on the horizon. While I would personally love to prevent war as much as is possible, one can only do so much with words. We need action. And I believe, along with Emperor Yin, that the best course of action is to form a solid alliance to forestall conflict as much as possible. If we joined our forces together, we could make sure that our common enemies thought long and hard before attacking anyone."
He took his seat again, content with the piece he had said. He knew it wasn't much, but he didn't have much to go off of at this point in the negotiations. His only hope right now was that something could be done that would at least make them stand a chance in the inevitable conflict. He didn't kid himself: Feng's membership in the IFC was the only thing that had kept it out of the crosshairs of the URA and its allies. Now that that shield was gone, the only thing that they could do was organize in advance of a strike from the Ryukus.