Forging Destiny: Sunrise of a new world

[KiMaSa]

Forging Destiny: Sunrise of a new world...

Part One: Portsmouth 1905.

"The Japanese ask for too much but the Russians are ten times worse."

So confided President Theodore Roosevelt to his son Kermit in 1905 as he watched the passing of oft heated discussions between the Japanese delegation led by the Baron Komura and the Russian delegation headed by Count Witte. Still Roosevelt persevered in pushing the talks forward in spite of cables from the Czar to his delegation instructing them to break off the negotiations and persistent Japanese demands for war payments and territory.


.....The President does not often speak during the proceedings yet everywhere else he dominates....

....The Russians complain of the simplicity of the fare and lodgings. As for myself I freely admit they are not the fare or the comforts of the Imperial Court but somehow I find this environment thoroughly invigorating!


So wrote the 27 year old Prince Take who would one day ascend his father's throne as Emperor Yukihito of Japan. Many believed that the heir to the Imperial throne had no business being away from Japan, but he had successfully argued to his father that an Emperor above all people needed to see everything and not merely what others wished to show him. So he had secured his father's permission to join Baron Komura's party under the explicit instruction that he was to function only as an observer and not to interfere with the negotiations themselves...

And so begins my second aar... Hopefully more successful than my last one. Again this is Doomsday 1.3A '36 with a few custom tweaks. Expect Lots of Big guns... plenty of action, and hopefully a surprise or two! So hold on...!

(Oh... as for what nation I'll be playing? More on that later....)

[trekaddict]

I shal follow.

And to set the mood:



When Britain first, at Heaven's command
Arose from out the azure main;
This was the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sung this strain:

"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

[caffran]

sooo, KiMaSa, do we win a bun if guess what coutry your playing??

trekaddict says the Empire....

i'll plump for France....

later, caff

[Faeelin]

Ooh.

[KiMaSa]

The main conference room where the Treaty of Portsmouth was negotiated...

Finally at the start of September the negotiations were seeming to come together. Yet Prince Yukihito was concerned. Though by his word to the Emperor he was forbidden from interfering with the discussions, he decided to privately voice those concerns to President Roosevelt...

"Mr. President. First allow me to express my appreciation for your tireless efforts here to mediate a peace between ourselves and the Russian Empire. You have our deepest gratitude." The Prince then turned to a window overlooking the shore. "However I must confess to you certain misgivings about the terms presently being discussed."

"Misgivings your highness?"

"Yes..." Yukihito nodded quietly. "The Japanese people have given and foregone much so that our army and navy would have the tools to protect Japan and defeat her enemies.This war would never had been necessary if the Russians had been willing to accept that Japan has certain vital interests in Korea. We were prepared to concede their claims in Manchuria if they had granted that... but instead they, the French, and the Germans all saw fit to box us into a corner... We did not concede the Liaodong Penninsula back to China so the Russians could aim their Pacific fleet at Japan's throat. That they did this through diplomacy and not force of arms is true... However while Clausewitz may have claimed that "War was the continuation of politics by other means..." But in our case Politics has been warfare conducted by other means Mr. President... To wait until the Russians were ready would have been suicidal therefore Japan chose to act... But at a great cost." He turned to the globe and turned it to Japan.

"The terms currently under discussion may bring us peace. For myself that would be enough. But for many Japanese it will not be. They have made too many sacrifices to be asked to give up their victories again. They will see this treaty as a betrayal as it currently stands. They must have something... Either Sakhalin or the indemnities... They would give up one but will be unwilling to give up both."

The President nodded in consideration. "Your Highness.. For Japan... these negotiations are a question of gain... No one can deny the skill or courage which has brought victory to your Armies and your Navy. They have proven themselves beyond all question." Roosevelt spun the globe then jabbed a finger down on St. Petersburg. "But for the Russians it is now a question of loss... You've matched their army and destroyed two of their fleets...

"They have nothing left to lose but their pride and honor. This it what it has come down to for them. Take that and they have nothing at all left to lose. And a man with nothing to lose is the most dangerous man of all."

The Prince frowned as he reflected on this. "Then we are as you Americans say... "On the horns of a dilemma..."

"Perhaps..." Roosevelt said studying the globe with interest. "And just perhaps not..."

[trekaddict]

Oh bugger. Teddy is in a difficult situation there.

[yourworstnightm]

Hmm, I feel surprises in the air, need to follow this...

[Kasakka]

Bering Island? WTH? I'll be following!

[Quanto]

This looks far too interesting to ignore! Please continue!

[germanpeon]

Either I am missing something big or the West Coast of North America is sitting in the middle of the Pacific.

[Kasakka]

The pic is of Bering Island, though I'm not sure if it is here to represent something else. But that's what it is.

[likk9922]

Either I am missing something big or the West Coast of North America is sitting in the middle of the Pacific.

The pic is of Bering Island, though I'm not sure if it is here to represent something else. But that's what it is.

It's Sakhalin.

Excellent start, BTW. I really want to know where you're going with this.

[KiMaSa]

"What????" Nicholas II responded thunderstruck to the news from America.

"The Americans have offered to purchase Bering Island from the Russian Empire. The initial payment of one million American Dollars will be paid to His Excellency's government and the rest will be paid to the Empire of Japan, where for this and the provision of loans from the United States the Japanese Government will renounce claim to the Northern portion of Sakhalin and withdraw calls for indemnities...."

"The American arrogance is incredible! They would make gains in a war they haven't even fought!"

The Tsar pondered carefully. "Yes Dmitri.... But..." An island with a few small villages in exchange for the pride of an empire.... A small price to pay. "Ivan... cable Witte and tell him that we will accept the proposal as offered."

"Yes Your Excellency."

[Kurt_Steiner]

The Tsar is facing problems even without Lenin givin' a hand...

[trekaddict]

In Imperial Russia Problems make you!

[Hardraade]

Very interesting start. I'm eager to see where this goes.

[The Doc]

Could the nation you are playing as not exist in OTL? Very compelling, I will watch this closely.

[KiMaSa]

Before the next update I thought I'd just tease a little more with this....

HMS St. George, Flagship of the British Home Fleet in 1936

[KiMaSa]

The IJN Satsuma; Japan's first designed Dreadnought. Completion of the Satsuma was delayed by shortages of the Vickers built 305mm guns that comprised her main battery.

In the end, the Treaty of Portsmouth was well received for the most part. Although Russia and the Tsar had retained a fig leaf of Imperial Honor, the hoped for "Short, victorious war." had proven a fiasco, and pointed to grave failings in the Russian government and armed forces. As expected the sale of Bering Island caused a slight ruffle of feathers among the Russian aristocracy but otherwise went unnoticed amid the more pressing news of the day.

In Japan, Prince Yukihito's reading of the matter was shown correct judging from the celebratory reaction to the news of the lessening of austerity measures following the first payments and accompanying loan deals from the United States. It is widely believed that a negative reaction would have severely damaged the developing democratic government in Japan. There was still some general unhappiness about returning any part of Sakhalin Island, but the easing of economic hardships proved swaying to most Japanese, who also took amusement as their Crown Prince summed up the Treaty for them: " The Tsar has already lost his shirt. It is best for all that we let him keep the pants..."

The Treaty and loans did much to strengthen ties between the United States and Japan. Stung by complaints that in contrast British loans to Japan were set at terms comparable to those given to China and Turkey, the British government was forced to revise the conditions on those loans. Therefore Japan was able to enjoy something of an economic boom prior to the first world war while at the same time the Japanese military continued to expand.

Meanwhile unnoticed by all except for a handful of Russian and Japanese military leaders, elements of the United States Army set up camp on Bering Island.

[trekaddict]

Oh bugger. This Island would generate some major headaches for the Soviets, like Gitmo for the cubans.