• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
The Yogi said:
I cannot disclose anything in advance about the fate of any of the characters, although I will say that any character who's outlived his plot usefullness is an endangered species and that it's highly unlikely that they will all reach the end of the story alive.


Well I wasn't hoping for anything in advance (ie Fah will die). You answered well, since that was something I was suspecting. :D
 
uhh TWO updates since my last visit ...WOW so good to be alive ...ehh I mean be reading this !

and yes ...the two enterprizing germans are my favorites of the bunch :D
 
Tokyo
Japan, Pan-Asian Empire

Saturday, July 26th 1940


preludeasianwar.jpg


All but healed through the miracle of the Elixir Vitae, Fu Manchu still felt sore and stiff as he paced his spacious but spartanly furnished private quarters in the Imperial Palace. The loss of his old sword galled him no end; its find was what had once started him off on the path of world domination, and it had been the one companion who had never left his side through the many years of his life. In the end though, it was just a sword, an inanimate piece of steel. Maybe he was better off severing the sentimental attachment to it. And then again, he might get it back one day, when his treacherous daughter and her scarred White Devil lover were finally brought to heel.

Tempering his irritation, he sat down at a small lacquered tea table and ordered a cup of sake from a nearby servant. In the very old days, he would have downed it in a gulp and chased it with countless more. But that was another life, another time, another man altogether. Fu Manchu was in control – that was the essence of who he was! So he sipped at his sake and it was still not empty twenty minutes later, when the arrival of Grand Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku was announced. Fu had summoned him with instructions to present his ideas on the British war.

The admiral, as always, impressed Fu Manchu with his proud, even arrogant bearing. His barely concealed disdain for the parvenu Emperor he by all accounts regarded as a criminal and a usurper was apparent from his stiff, minimal bow, and also, at least for a man as versed in reading faces as the Lord of the Si-Fan, from the taut corners of his mouth. Fu smiled in diabolical amusement – the Admiral wouldn’t last five minutes in the Council of Seven. Fortunately that was not where he fought his battles. He had executed Fu’s plans for the Pacific war with excellence and panache. Now he was up for a much harder battle.

‘Yamamoto-taisho, please be seated.’ Fu began, as the Admiral waited to be ordered to speak. He complied promptly, sitting down opposite of the Emperor of China and Lord of the Si-Fan with the katana across his knees.

‘A cup of sake, perhaps?’ Fu offered.

Yamamoto just shook his head slightly. The nerve of the man was stupendous. Fu admired it, as one might admire a spirited horse or ill-tempered guard dog. He shrugged, making light of the affront to his Imperial dignity.

‘I’ve asked you here to hear your views on the conduct of operations against the Royal Navy in the upcoming war.’

‘Yes, kōtei-Heika!’ Both honorific and title were absolutely correct; only the Emperor of Japan was addressed as “tennō heika”, and Fu Manchu, while one of the Admiral’s two sovereigns, was not Emperor of Japan. Still, an officer more interested in advancing his standing with the de facto ruler of the Empire might have addressed him as “tennō”. Fu Manchu accepted the honorific without comment, and waited calmly while Yamamoto unfurled a map of southern and eastern Asia and laid it out on the small table.

‘After the destruction of the US Navy, the Royal Navy is the most powerful fleet in the world, kōtei-Heika. Even more than the Americans did at the outset of the current war, the British outnumber us and outgun us in every ship category but one. To make matters worse, the Axis powers are de facto allies of the British against us; thus it’s not inconceivable that the Italian Reggia Marina, the Kriegsmarine or even the French Navy would send battle groups in support of the British. After our losses to the Americans, we now have six fleet carriers, six battleships, four battle cruisers and thirty-eight cruisers. The first four of our new carriers and two super-battleships will not be available for another year.

The British alone have eight carriers, twelve battleships, three battle-cruisers and seventy-six cruisers. Their potential allies could deploy a carrier, eight battleships plus possibly one brand new German battleship, two battle cruisers, four pocket battleships and forty-six cruisers. As you can see, the numbers are highly adverse to us, and quality-wise, we’re not much better off. All enemy battleships and battle cruisers are more than a match for ours. So are most of their heavy cruisers, and while our light cruisers and destroyers are on the average more modern than theirs, in no way does that edge offset their numerical advantage. Only in one critical category do we retain a qualitative edge, one that we did not have against the US Navy…’

‘Carriers.’ Fu Manchu stated it calmly. ‘Our carriers are bigger and better than theirs. And WE know how to use them, Yamamoto-Taisho.’

‘That is correct, kōtei-Heika. Not only that; our naval planes are also vastly superior to theirs, and they have no idea just how devastating they can be since our decisive victory over the US Navy was won with a gun and torpedo ambush. If we are to have any chance at defeating the Royal Navy though, then we must at all costs avoid a gun battle. Nor will we rely solely on carrier-based air power, although that will be our most powerful piece. Land based air power must also come into play.’

‘How do you propose to achieve this?’

‘I will make their numbers work against them. Their superiority will make them overconfident and eager to seek battle even under less than ideal conditions. We will threaten Singapore, the centrepiece of their East Asian Empire. They value it second only to the motherland itself. It’s also their most important naval base in the region. Thus we can reasonably hope they will choose to operate from Singapore in their bid to defend Sarawak and Malaya against seaborne invasion.’

‘It’s also the ONLY base their battleships can operate from in the region.’ Fu objected. ‘By choosing Singapore over say, Trincomale, they give away their position, giving you a critical advantage. The British didn’t build their Empire by acting like fools. Why should they oblige you?’

Yamamoto nodded. ‘You are quite right, kōtei-Heika. They would do well to act as you suggest, in fact should they do so, I would not have much hope to gain a victory. But Britain, even more than the United States, is ruled by pride. The sensible thing for them to do with us in possession of Indochina, Siam and the Philippines would be to write off Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya and Sarawak and fight us from India. But to surrender so much land and prestige, not to speak of resources when they are so much stronger than us? The rubber of Malaya, the oil of the Dutch East Indies, all this would fall like ripe fruit in our hands should they pull back to India and Australia without a fight. They will not even seriously consider it as an option. Even writing off Hong Kong seems beyond them. However incredible, it appears they might be planning to make a stand. At least they haven’t evacuated the garrison yet.’

The corners of Fu’s mouth rose slightly. ‘You are not serious? Surely it’s a ruse, a gambit to cover their true intentions?’

‘Willingly sacrifice their men to mislead us? I think you give them to much credit, kōtei-Heika. To preserve their notion of honour, perhaps, they could send their men to their deaths, or rather into captivity. They do not see that as dishonourable as we do. But not as a diversion.’

‘Interesting; No matter what Gods they worship, or what banner they fight under, the Western Devils remain the same at heart. The Romans wouldn’t have sacrificed a legion to win a war either.’

‘If you say so, kōtei-Heika. Once war erupts, we can start advancing down the Malay peninsula, invade Hong Kong and prepare to invade Sarawak and the Dutch East Indies. I would be astounded if the Royal Navy doesn’t immediately dispatch a powerful task force, probably with most of their modern battleships and several carriers to Singapore.’

Fu Manchu knew from the Si Fan spy network that the bulk of the Royal Navy was at Alexandria, ready to move into the Indian Ocean through the Suez canal. The British were playing it safe, not wanting to risk their capital ships to a surprise attack at the outset of the war.

‘Very well, let’s assume that they do. Then what?’

‘Then we smoke them out of their cave, very simply by organising amphibious landings in the rear of the British forces defending the Malay Peninsula, or even better, by pocketing some of their forces against the Eastern coast. With troop convoys to attack or defend, they will jump at the opportunity to bring us to battle and insure naval superiority. That will in turn allow them to threaten our entire shoreline from Vladivostok to Saigon, and cut off our communications over the Pacific. If that happens, we will have lost the war, no matter how things proceed in Burma and India.’

‘But they will not succeed, will they?’

‘No, kōtei-Heika. Their weakness lies in the air. The fighter squadrons of Singapore have recently converted to the latest British fighter, the Supermarine Spitfire. It’s an excellent interceptor, able to stand up to the German Messerschmitt’s which have been giving us such problems in America, and thus probably superior even to our Type 0 naval fighters, but it has a very short range and not many can operate from Singapore. Once out at sea, their fleet will depend entirely on their inferior carrier planes for air defence. This will not worry them overly, because they believe capital ships at sea cannot be sunk by air attack. We know better, and will have tactical bomber squadrons standing ready in Indochina. We’ll survey the harbour with mini-submarines so that we know when they sail out.’

‘We also have agents among the many Chinese nationals of Singapore, Yamamoto-taisho’, Fu Manchu added. ‘Not so much as a junk gets in or out of that harbour without it being reported by “The Eyes of the Dragon” (Pan-Asian military intelligence, A.N.).’

‘So much better, kōtei-Heika! Their position will be known to us, while our carriers can stay hidden out in the South China Sea and launch from there. They will be caught in the open and their air defences overwhelmed. We’ll destroy their carriers first, and then work our way down the categories.’

Fu Manchu smiled and nodded. ‘Oh yes, you are a man after my own heart, Yamamoto-Taisho! I assume there are plans of operations ready to implement?’

‘Yes, kōtei-Heika. All I need is authorisation to use certain army troops for the Amphibious operations.’

‘You’ll have it.’

‘Very well. Then all we can do is wait. By your leave…’

Fu nodded absentmindedly and kept studying the map as Yamamoto rose to leave.

Once standing, the Admiral paused for a second. ‘By the way, kōtei-Heika, may I be permitted to ask a question?’

‘Certainly!’ Fu answered without looking up, still pondering the potential moves of the Royal Navy.

‘Do you know where the Empress and the Princes are?’

The Devil Doctor’s head snapped up, emerald eyes flashing in anger and the Satanic features drawn into a mask of fittingly Hellish fury.

‘That will be all, Yamamoto-taisho! I suggest you devote your brilliant mind to planning the victory of the Empire AND TO NOTHING ELSE! Now GET OUT OF HERE!’

The Grand Admiral bowed stiffly, turned his back on Fu and marched out, walking as if on parade.

The Lord of the Si-Fan spent a few seconds seething with anger and visions of the Admiral subjected to a thousand horrific tortures flashed through his mind. He knocked back his sake and smashed the cup against a nearby wooden pillar in fury. Then he sighed and shook his head, disgusted with himself. It would seem serenity and control came difficultly to him these days. But the Imperial bitch and her cubs could not elude Black Naga forever. Soon enough, hopefully before the British could present her, the creature would return to inform him of their demise, and then Yamamoto and his ilk could take their suspicions and stuff them. THEN, Fu Manchu had no doubt, he would feel much better.​
 
Last edited:
Hmm...

Might Yamamoto turn away from Fu once he learns that the Royal Family is alive?
 
Loved the confrontation...Yamamoto has just enough deference and demeanor to avoid disaster with Fu, plus his skills are vitally needed. Still, a sound strategy. Even if the Brits send a big carrier force, I foresee a sound thumping. Lose Brittania, Brittania loses the waves...can't wait to what comes next. :)
 
GeneralHannibal said:
Hmm...

Might Yamamoto turn away from Fu once he learns that the Royal Family is alive?
I find it almost impossible to imagine that he, and most of the Japanese military, would not do so.

Based on what I know of 1940-era Japan and on what Yogi has said in this AAR, it is very clear that the Japanese are not entirely comfortable in Pan-Asia. Remember, until about five years ago they were beating the Chinese like a drum at every opportunity, and even during the opening phases of the Sino-Japanese War of the late '30s they continued to do so. The average Japanese citizen is convinced that the Chinese are a backwards and inferior race.

And now they find themselves amalgamated with China, with a predominantly Chinese army and a sinister Chinese prime minister running the government. In their hearts, most Japanese are still loyal to their emperor. If they learn that Fu Manchu (and, by extension, the Chinese as a whole) have been engaged in foul treachery such as the assassination attempt against the Empress and the princes, it's going to make them very angry. As in "civil war" angry.
 
cthulhu said:
Albion will prevail! :mad:
Last I heard, there was an actual HOI2 game going on behind the scenes. The only way that the Brits will not get whipped like little puppies is if Yogi reins his hordes in.

Wonderful storytelling as always, Yogi! I always read your latest update first.
 
LM+ said:
Last I heard, there was an actual HOI2 game going on behind the scenes. The only way that the Brits will not get whipped like little puppies is if Yogi reins his hordes in.

Wonderful storytelling as always, Yogi! I always read your latest update first.

But at some point Yogi will switch sides - we know this. We just don't know who will be on the side he switches to :D
 
Dear me. Did Fu just flip? He must be severely annoyed to react in such a manner. Good old Yamamoto annoying the hell out of a man whom he does not respect greatly.

I feel there will be a number of new reefs in the Pacific pretty soon. But the Brits have recovered from worse.

DW
 
Hehe. Point for Yamamoto. When are we going to finally get around to the collapse of Pan-Asia?