Novus Ordo Seclorum: 1795 to 1800
Higashiyama, May 1770 - November 1797
The defeat at Steiermark threw Japan's forces into a panic the like of which was unprecedented in the annals of imperial history. Facing the very real possibility of losing his entire command, Field Marshal Maeda ordered a general retreat to Croatia and the dubious protection of the Japanese fleet.
In the days that followed the disaster it seemed likely that some - if not all - of Maeda's European force would be overtaken by the victorious Austrians. However, Franz II put a greater emphasis on liberating Vienna and opposing the Russians - a more traditional antagonist. If the Habsburg monarch believed that Steiermark had broken Japan's will to fight, he was to find himself very mistaken.
In the Caribbean the reconstituted Transport Fleet under Admiral Hosokawa had finished refitting after its long voyage from the Empire. Aware of the need to shore up the position in Europe, General Suwa's 4th Army was directed to capture Antigua and so bring the Austrian navy to battle.
The resulting fight was marred only by a signalling blunder which sent the five remaining cogs Japan possessed into the path of the Austrian frigates, which quickly captured and then scuttled the museum pieces. However, in so doing they denied their comrades aid in an otherwise one-sided battle and were eventually forced to beach and then burn their ships on St. Thomas.
With control of the sea lanes secured, Japan could now concentrate on reducing Austria's possessions in the Caribbean as a prelude to a final reckoning in Europe.
The Bavarian gambit
Field Marshal Maeda had been given a reprieve he did not intend to squander. Having successfully evacuated his troops to Italy - a logistical task he would have taken no small pride in had it not been in the business of a retreat - he had managed to rebuild his troops' shattered morale and received what reinforcements had managed to make the long voyage around Africa.
Japanese scouts had lost contact with the massive Austrian force after Franz II had recaptured Vienna. It was commonly held that the Habsburg army was now engaged against the Russians and Maeda was willing to base his next move on this intelligence.
Although - or perhaps because - Austria was the main threat, the field marshal would concentrate his troops against Bavaria. Knocking the Holy Roman Emperor out of the war would signal Japan's determination to continue the fight and provide Maeda's troops with bases from which to strike at the heart of Austria itself.
The campaign that began in the summer of 1795 quickly silenced the critics who had called for Maeda to step down after Steiermark. The field marshal showed himself the superior general in countless engagements, pressing the Bavarian forces back through Japanese-controlled Austria.
In the battles prior to the invasion of Bavaria itself Japanese forces inflicted nearly 100,000 casualties against a handful of their own lossess.
By September 1795 - only nine months after Steiermark - the size of Japan's armed forces overtook that of the enemy coalition, although the balance in Europe still favoured the Austrians.
The conquest of Bavaria was a long, drawn-out process. While European armies no longer challenged the Japanese in the field, their fortifications were the best on the planet and progress was slow. However, with no relief in sight and artillery in plentiful supply Japan was able to reduce Bavarian defences unopposed.
By April 1797 the struggle was over and Japan had assumed control of the entirety of Bavaria. The Holy Roman Emperor himself had fled to the Habsburg court vowing to fight on, but his nation had been knocked out of the war.
Taming the beast
Cautiously, Field Marshal Maeda began to extend his forces into Austria, still alert for the possibility of the return of Franz II and the bulk of the Austrian forces. When these finally resurfaced in September 1797 they were a shadow of their former power having been constantly engaged against Russia in the two years since Steiermark. Over 250 Austrian regiments were reduced to only 65,000 men.
Maeda was not about to pass up a chance like the one that now presented itself. Luring the Austrians into attacking a Japanese force in Dresden, the field marshal quickly directed reinforcements to the battle. Still outnumbered, the Japanese were better organised and better led and the first battle of Dresden seemed to mark the end for the Austrian army.
However, the follow-up battle at Erz was nominally an Austrian victory, as General Miura wavered between resisting the enemy's advance or withdrawing to gain greater support. Despite this, Miura's withdrawal in the face of Austrian pressure inflicted considerable losses at the cost of few casualties of his own.
Maeda decided to take the field himself, relieving Miura of overall command in a move which saw the latter feign a panic in his ranks and retreat in seeming disorder. In fact, the Austrians were being led into a trap which destroyed their remaining infantry and nearly all their cavalry, the latter of which perished in an attempt to cover the withdrawal of the artillery.
Their sacrifice was to be in vain however, as Maeda pursued to Sudety and finally wiped out the Austrian army.
Though a minor engagement, the Battle of Sudety marked the end of organised resistance against Japan. The war would continue as the imperial troops fought to bring Austrian cities into submission, but from then on the imperial troops had free reign of the Austrian countryside, barring the occasional patriot uprising.
Kashiwabara, November 1797 -
Sudety had been a triumph for Japan, but its architect had not lived to see it. Three weeks earlier, Emperor Higashiyama had died after a controversial reign of 27 years. Higashiyama left Japan stronger than ever, but from a position of relative isolation the Empire now found its forces stretched across the globe.
This newly-interventionist stance had provoked severe criticism at home. Higashiyama's westernising tendencies had been resented by some, but his wars with first Britain and then Austria had underlined the dangers of an autocratic system.
The succession of his son, Kashiwabara, was greeted by an uprising in Korea which was swiftly suppressed, but more dangerous to the Yamato line was the dissent in the upper echelons of Japanese society. Some of Higashiyama's most ardent supporters insisted that the late Emperor had meant to transform the empire into a republic, while even the more conservative wanted some checks on Kashiwabara's powers.
Finally, a compromise was brokered by Duke Teramachi. The emperor would appoint a diet comprised of the foremost nobility, who would advise the court on matters of policy. Kashiwabara would appoint a cabinet from the diet who would be given day-to-day responsibility for running the empire. The Emperor would remain in overall control of policy, but it was hoped that the cabinet and diet would provide a formal mechanism to keep Kashiwabara informed of the climate of opinion. Duke Teramachi was appointed as Japan's first Prime Minister.
The new order
The first task facing the new emperor and his cabinet was ending the Austrian war. Although more keenly aware of the opposition to the conflict, Kashiwabara and Teramachi also knew they had to find a way to withdraw with honour. Russia had ended its war in March 1797, taking four provinces from eastern Austria.
Meanwhile, other states were taking advantage of Austria's weakness, while Japan itself was steadily occupying all she could.
Finally, the Emperor decided to honour the wishes of his late father and free as many nations as he could. Japan's territorial gains were limited to the province of Moulmein. The other conditions of the peace treaty - signed symbolically at Steiermark in 1800 - saw the liberation of Thuringia, Pegu, Arakan, Styria, Milan, Wurzburg and Mainz.
As Japan entered the 19th century it seemed that she had taken on still more responsibilties in Europe. A Europe whose map she had just radically redrawn.