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tamius23, Tanzhang, Aliasing: They’re a glitch from the conversion from EU3 to V2. One of the things I was modding was getting rid of them. There’s another explanation in-story of course.
Across Oceans: Brazil’s Ongoing Struggle
Chapter Nine: The Ascension
The Royal Palace
Nuovo Lazio
1870
“Father,” the man said gently as he sat down next to the bed, “I’ve been informed that we’ve begun arresting and re-educating the last remnants of the Cult of the Unamed Infant, as you requested.”
“Good,” was all that Carlo was able to say breaking into a coughing fit again. This caused the other two people in the ornate palace bedroom to rush to his bedside. A teenage girl grasped the king’s hand while an older doctor checked him.
“Father!” exclaimed the girl. Carlo’s youngest child, almost two decades younger than her brother the heir, was never intended to join in the corridors of power and was really a happy accident for such an elderly couple as the royals had been before her mother passed away.
“Massi…come closer,” Carlo said as the doctor finished his checks and moved out of the way, satisfied that the king’s life wasn’t in danger for the moment.
“Yes, father?” the heir to the throne said as he leaned in. He had decided to take the name Massimilano II upon taking the throne, and now many people including his own father were referring to him that way.
“If I die before it is completed, I want you to finish what I started…Jadakal will be yours. I’ve begun arranging everything you’ll need.”
“Of course, father. Maria.” He turned to look at his youngest sister. “Could you bring father some more water please? Doctor, could you find some more medicine?”
Maria blinked a few times in confusion. Fetching such things was usually the job of servants, but as the doctor seemed willing to leave without complaint she moved away from the bedside and followed him out. As she closed the door to the bedroom behind her she saw the two remaining whispering to one another.
They were plotting something. That much she was certain of. She couldn’t imagine subterfuge being any good for her father’s health, but the affairs of state were not her concern. Not for the time being, anyway.
***
Brazil continued to lead the world in cultural thought, which lead to even greater heights of prestige. Successes like this would cement its position among the top eight nations after Russia’s disastrous war with Prussia which brought its own prestige to zero.
The surge of immigrants that had begun to arrive in the past decade was rapidly increasing the number of people that Brazil was able to recruit to the army. A new elite task force was assembled of the most skilled soldiers with engineers supporting them. They would be the vanguard of any further wars Brazil found itself in.
They would be further aided by the deployment of new rapid-firing machine guns which could cut down scores of armies equipped with lesser equipment.
The development of machine guns also opened up large areas of Africa to colonisation as the natives, which would previously have been too much effort to suppress, could now easily be kept in check by machine gun emplacements. However with most of the nation still aimed at building up industry only a small amount of focus could be spared for colonisation efforts.
Finally, Brazil was properly considered amongst the greatest in the world. For once, the position was stable as the closest competitors were still the languishing Russia and decadent Sicily.
Almost immediate Massimilano, acting as a proxy for his bedridden father, ordered diplomatic efforts to resume across Jadakal. Argentina was the first target, and Colombia would be saved for last as it would require the most effort being part of the French sphere.
Brazil’s position as a Great Power allowed it to properly stake its claim on its territory across the globe. Gibraltar was the first of many to join Brazil properly.
However, being a Great Power had downsides as well. Whereas before there had been no real expectation from Brazil’s Czech allies that they would come to its aid, now they wanted all the help they could get. China was aiming to reclaim Mongolia, and its army was terrifying in its size. The Chinese modernisation program was on the verge of making it a true superpower and the Czechs wanted to get every Great Power they could in on the conflict.
However, the size of the Chinese Navy intimidated the Brazilians. Even though it was probably out of date, the Spanish had been able to do some damage outnumbering the Brazilians two to one. Ten to one would probably be a disaster. So all that Brazil was willing to commit was a single expeditionary force deployed to the safe ports of the Black Sea.
Elsewhere in the world the flames of war spread. Germany was engulfed yet again as Switzerland was ganged up on by the Two Sicilies and Nassau. They lost more Italian territory as a result. In India the Netherlands continued to expand its control, its defeats in Europe having no apparent effect on its colonial empire.
At home the Liberals gained enough strength to push their agenda further. They expanded campaigning liberties for parties, although that actually weakened their position as the party in power.
It took months for the Brazilian forces to cross Central Asia and reach the frontlines, and by that time the war was already taking shape. The Chinese had managed to take large areas of Mongolia through sheer numbers, but whenever they met Czechs in battle their forces were crushed. Perhaps this wasn’t as urgent a crisis as expected, but was instead a rising power getting cocky and biting off more than it could chew.
The first encounter between Brazilian and Chinese forces was a small but decisive win for Brazil. The Chinese offensive in Central Asia was blunted and they were driven back entirely once Czech reinforcements arrived.
Back at home Brazil further expanded its arts patronage to the new expressionist movement. It promised even greater prestige to the rising nation, which had now surpassed the Netherlands in power.
The massive war of attrition that war had become was starting to take its toll. Brazil’s expeditionary force was not numerous enough to fight on the level of tens of thousands of deaths every battle that the Chinese and Czechs were experiencing. The forces were incredibly depleted, so when China offered peace Massimilano was eager to accept to get the troops home and replenished.
Meanwhile the Liberals continued their efforts. However this time they did not have an absolute majority so they were forced to concede to the socialists the allowance of trade unions in the nations in order to secure victory.
In America, the French had made another play to retake more of their former colony. However this time they had underestimated the Americans who were experiencing the same immigration boom that Brazil was. This time the USA was able to march straight into Canada and begin pushing out the French.
While the Great Powers fought amongst themselves, something had been stirring in Jadakal. A major diplomatic push had brought Argentina and Chile into the Brazilian sphere and Peru was on the way as well. Colombia and Venezuela also enjoyed good relations with Brazil, and so when they were approached for a free trade agreement they were more than happy to sign up to it. This sudden turn of events caught the rest of the Great Powers by surprise, and they began to wonder if China was not the rising power they really need to be worrying about.
Something else came up at the conference where the agreement was signed. Prince Mssimilano was the one to sign the treaty, and upon signing it he announced that he was officially taking the throne of Brazil as Massimilano II. Rather than let the chance for progress towards a unified Jadakal slip away as he lingered weakly in the world, Carlo had abdicated to allow his son to take charge and ensure that it was passed. With that accomplished, he could pass on quietly.
(That should say great-grandfather, not grandfather.)
The man who had brought Brazil to the table of the Great Powers was dead.
To be continued…
Across Oceans: Brazil’s Ongoing Struggle
Chapter Nine: The Ascension
The Royal Palace
Nuovo Lazio
1870
“Father,” the man said gently as he sat down next to the bed, “I’ve been informed that we’ve begun arresting and re-educating the last remnants of the Cult of the Unamed Infant, as you requested.”
“Good,” was all that Carlo was able to say breaking into a coughing fit again. This caused the other two people in the ornate palace bedroom to rush to his bedside. A teenage girl grasped the king’s hand while an older doctor checked him.
“Father!” exclaimed the girl. Carlo’s youngest child, almost two decades younger than her brother the heir, was never intended to join in the corridors of power and was really a happy accident for such an elderly couple as the royals had been before her mother passed away.
“Massi…come closer,” Carlo said as the doctor finished his checks and moved out of the way, satisfied that the king’s life wasn’t in danger for the moment.
“Yes, father?” the heir to the throne said as he leaned in. He had decided to take the name Massimilano II upon taking the throne, and now many people including his own father were referring to him that way.
“If I die before it is completed, I want you to finish what I started…Jadakal will be yours. I’ve begun arranging everything you’ll need.”
“Of course, father. Maria.” He turned to look at his youngest sister. “Could you bring father some more water please? Doctor, could you find some more medicine?”
Maria blinked a few times in confusion. Fetching such things was usually the job of servants, but as the doctor seemed willing to leave without complaint she moved away from the bedside and followed him out. As she closed the door to the bedroom behind her she saw the two remaining whispering to one another.
They were plotting something. That much she was certain of. She couldn’t imagine subterfuge being any good for her father’s health, but the affairs of state were not her concern. Not for the time being, anyway.
***
Brazil continued to lead the world in cultural thought, which lead to even greater heights of prestige. Successes like this would cement its position among the top eight nations after Russia’s disastrous war with Prussia which brought its own prestige to zero.
The surge of immigrants that had begun to arrive in the past decade was rapidly increasing the number of people that Brazil was able to recruit to the army. A new elite task force was assembled of the most skilled soldiers with engineers supporting them. They would be the vanguard of any further wars Brazil found itself in.
They would be further aided by the deployment of new rapid-firing machine guns which could cut down scores of armies equipped with lesser equipment.
The development of machine guns also opened up large areas of Africa to colonisation as the natives, which would previously have been too much effort to suppress, could now easily be kept in check by machine gun emplacements. However with most of the nation still aimed at building up industry only a small amount of focus could be spared for colonisation efforts.
Finally, Brazil was properly considered amongst the greatest in the world. For once, the position was stable as the closest competitors were still the languishing Russia and decadent Sicily.
Almost immediate Massimilano, acting as a proxy for his bedridden father, ordered diplomatic efforts to resume across Jadakal. Argentina was the first target, and Colombia would be saved for last as it would require the most effort being part of the French sphere.
Brazil’s position as a Great Power allowed it to properly stake its claim on its territory across the globe. Gibraltar was the first of many to join Brazil properly.
However, being a Great Power had downsides as well. Whereas before there had been no real expectation from Brazil’s Czech allies that they would come to its aid, now they wanted all the help they could get. China was aiming to reclaim Mongolia, and its army was terrifying in its size. The Chinese modernisation program was on the verge of making it a true superpower and the Czechs wanted to get every Great Power they could in on the conflict.
However, the size of the Chinese Navy intimidated the Brazilians. Even though it was probably out of date, the Spanish had been able to do some damage outnumbering the Brazilians two to one. Ten to one would probably be a disaster. So all that Brazil was willing to commit was a single expeditionary force deployed to the safe ports of the Black Sea.
Elsewhere in the world the flames of war spread. Germany was engulfed yet again as Switzerland was ganged up on by the Two Sicilies and Nassau. They lost more Italian territory as a result. In India the Netherlands continued to expand its control, its defeats in Europe having no apparent effect on its colonial empire.
At home the Liberals gained enough strength to push their agenda further. They expanded campaigning liberties for parties, although that actually weakened their position as the party in power.
It took months for the Brazilian forces to cross Central Asia and reach the frontlines, and by that time the war was already taking shape. The Chinese had managed to take large areas of Mongolia through sheer numbers, but whenever they met Czechs in battle their forces were crushed. Perhaps this wasn’t as urgent a crisis as expected, but was instead a rising power getting cocky and biting off more than it could chew.
The first encounter between Brazilian and Chinese forces was a small but decisive win for Brazil. The Chinese offensive in Central Asia was blunted and they were driven back entirely once Czech reinforcements arrived.
Back at home Brazil further expanded its arts patronage to the new expressionist movement. It promised even greater prestige to the rising nation, which had now surpassed the Netherlands in power.
The massive war of attrition that war had become was starting to take its toll. Brazil’s expeditionary force was not numerous enough to fight on the level of tens of thousands of deaths every battle that the Chinese and Czechs were experiencing. The forces were incredibly depleted, so when China offered peace Massimilano was eager to accept to get the troops home and replenished.
Meanwhile the Liberals continued their efforts. However this time they did not have an absolute majority so they were forced to concede to the socialists the allowance of trade unions in the nations in order to secure victory.
In America, the French had made another play to retake more of their former colony. However this time they had underestimated the Americans who were experiencing the same immigration boom that Brazil was. This time the USA was able to march straight into Canada and begin pushing out the French.
While the Great Powers fought amongst themselves, something had been stirring in Jadakal. A major diplomatic push had brought Argentina and Chile into the Brazilian sphere and Peru was on the way as well. Colombia and Venezuela also enjoyed good relations with Brazil, and so when they were approached for a free trade agreement they were more than happy to sign up to it. This sudden turn of events caught the rest of the Great Powers by surprise, and they began to wonder if China was not the rising power they really need to be worrying about.
Something else came up at the conference where the agreement was signed. Prince Mssimilano was the one to sign the treaty, and upon signing it he announced that he was officially taking the throne of Brazil as Massimilano II. Rather than let the chance for progress towards a unified Jadakal slip away as he lingered weakly in the world, Carlo had abdicated to allow his son to take charge and ensure that it was passed. With that accomplished, he could pass on quietly.
(That should say great-grandfather, not grandfather.)
The man who had brought Brazil to the table of the Great Powers was dead.
To be continued…
He's passed away but he leaves a great legacy.
The war against China seemed rather bruising, good that you got out of it quite quickly. With Massimilano II now taking the throne and the various increases to militancy to many of his subjects, alongside the deterioration in relactions between Brazil and other GPs following the Jadakali Trade Agreement, he may be in for a tough reign. If rebellion and warfare with larger powers is the future, he certainly will be. At least he comes to power in a position of peace now that Brazil is a GP however.
morningSIDEr: The future of Brazil is certainly going to be interesting. I guess you could say the first half of this AAR was making sure the country was ready to play in the big leagues, and now is when it really begins to kick off.
Selvetrica: Sadly they don’t end up getting kicked out really. The AI is terrible at securing a good peace when it has an advantage. That isn’t to say France gets out of it unscathed of course.
Across Oceans: Brazil’s Ongoing Struggle
Chapter Ten: Preparing to Strike
Norman Colony Nouvelle Caux
Northeastern Jadakal
1572
“In the name of his highness the Duke of Milan, this region is now part of the Duchy of Milan and its colonies!” the herald cried out from horseback as he led the parade of Milanese soldiers down the main street of the small town.
The war in Europe had been the perfect pretext for Milan to cement its hold on eastern coast of the New World. The array of minor powers that had set themselves up there were an easy target. A few regiments marched unopposed into the colonies and secured them for the Duchy. This one specifically was one of the largest of the cluster of colonies established by Normandy.
Riding alongside the herald, the commander of the invaders looked out over what would be his posting for the immediate future and wondered if it was worth it. Such a small town, village really, was worthless in the scheme of things compared to Europe, and the whole continent was undeveloped. Was it worth it to spend his life guarding a bunch of French colonists who would probably end up leaving or getting assimilated when proper Italians arrived?
“Excuse me, sir,” a well-dressed local said to the commander in moderately good Italian. He appeared to be the mayor of Nouvelle Caux, so the commander broke off and let the parade continue without him.
“Tell me about this town,” he said bluntly while remaining on his horse to maintain superiority over the conquered man.
“Well, we have around five hundred people here, a natural harbour and good land to grow sugar cane,” the mayor answered, “we’ve been building roads to the other colonies along the coast so I think we’d make a good trade hub. I hope we can serve the Duchy well.”
“I’m sure you will, and as such this town will be given a name fitting its new status.” The commander paused for a moment as he pulled out the parchment he had been given by the Duke’s representative in San Vito. It had a list of proper Italian names to give to anything he conquered. “This town will henceforth be named Nuovo Lazio!”
The mayor nodded in feigned enthusiastic agreement and offered to show the commander more of the town. He agreed and let the man lead him further down the main street as he took in a lay of the land. Perhaps this town would be worth something after all.
Massimiliano Street
Nuovo Lazio
Three centuries later
The capital’s old main street had been named after the first King of Brazil shortly after he took the throne. Now, his great-grandson and namesake was leading a sombre parade down towards the cathedral where the state funeral for Carlo I would be held. The streets were lined with despondent crowds who watched as the casket followed the royal procession down the street with full cavalry escort.
“The people loved father a lot, didn’t they?” Maria asked. She was riding alongside her brother, the new king Massimiliano II, on a smaller horse.
“That’s true,” he replied quietly. The mood was too sad for loud conversations. Even the band marching behind the casket played soft and mournful music. “He brought us to where we are today. Even the lower classes can appreciate what he did for the nation.”
Just then there was a commotion among the crowd somewhere to the right. From a side street the throng of people surged and a number of placards and banners suddenly became visible. The determined wielders of the signs had the numbers to force their way towards the side of the road despite an increasing number of police moving to stop them. By now Maria could make out what they had written.
‘Fair taxes for the common man!’
‘No more imperialist wars!’
‘A fair wage for a day’s work!’
So these were the socialists she had heard her brother ranting about. In her opinion, they seemed well intentioned but complaining about strange things. Weren’t taxes and wages already fair enough for the people to afford food and shelter? Weren’t the wars fought abroad for the sake of the whole nation?
“Apologies, your majesty,” a police captain said as he rushed up to the side of the now faltering procession, “they came out of nowhere and-“
“Down with the king! Up with the worker!” the cry suddenly rose up from the socialists and they pushed against the police line that had finally managed to separate them from the rest of the crowd. Maria watched this for a while before realising that the rest of the crowd had done very little to stop them. If they loved her father so much, why were they letting these people denounce him?
Massimiliano scowled at them and turned back to wave at the cavalry guard. A few of them broke off and moved to assist the police. With the horses there to intimidate the crowd, they began to be pushed back away from the road towards the side streets again. As their cohesion collapsed the individual voices could begin to be made out as they tried one more time to deliver their complaints.
“My son died in one of the factories the old king built! When will somebody be held accountable!”
“I can’t even feed my family because of the taxes being taken and spent on the army!”
“My husband died in Gibraltar, and for what? A bunch of islands? I hope you go to hell, Carlo!”
That last one was followed very quickly by a rotten tomato. Time seemed to stand still as it sailed through the air over the police, over the cavalry and over the crowd of bystanders. With a squelch it hit the casket and splattered the assembled flowers. This sent Massimiliano over the edge and he ordered the police to put an end to this mess by any means necessary. This was all the encouragement they needed and with the cavalry right behind them they drew batons and marched into the socialist crowd swinging. Maria watched in horror as the people were struck to the ground and their banners were torn apart.
“That was unpleasant, but I won’t let them spoil father’s memory,” Massimiliano said as he signalled the procession to resume.
Maria didn’t have a choice except to follow, but for the rest of the day, and beyond, her thoughts drifted away from honouring her father and instead wondering if those people who were mostly desperate and grieving really deserved what had been done to them. Was such oppression necessary even if done in the name of the nation and its ultimate goal of uniting the continent?
***
The Jadakali Trade Agreement had opened up relations immensely. Peru was the latest to offer closer ties, even though they had yet to be formally brought into the Brazilian sphere.
Something was afoot in France. Their war in America was falling apart but there was no threat to the nation itself, so it caught Massimiliano II off guard when the British and Dutch jumped into the fray. After some prodding the ambassadors admitted that there was some kind of political crisis ongoing in France. They had managed to keep it fairly quiet from the world at large but their immediate neighbours had picked up on it and were eager to exploit it.
Elsewhere the war between China and Czechosolvakia came to close, with the Czechs throwing a bone to their Persian allies and granting them Abu Dhabi. The small state in the Persian Gulf had been conquered in one of China’s earliest attempts at modern imperialism.
The Brazilian military was in no state to take on France directly, despite them fighting three other Great Powers at once. A lack of ships was the biggest problem, as the French Navy was one of the largest in the world and a single poor battle could split the far-flung Brazilian Empire into easily digestible chunks. Sokoto, on the other hand, was an easy target. With colonists moving into the African interior, Massimiliano decided that any remaining free natives were a threat and they needed to be brought under control.
The first of these colonies began to complete shortly after the war started. With the new Shock Army deployed to Africa to assist the Expedition the Sokot were easily scattered before they could threaten the colonists.
A new party, the Partido Paulista, formed in time for the 1874 election. This was exactly what the king wanted in a party. It would allow him to take back full control of the factories without any of the socialist nonsense that was being pedalled.
The problem he was having was the steady increase of socialists in the government. He wasn’t sure where they were getting support from, but he knew he had to put his foot down. However it was now that he realised that his father’s efforts to weaken the capitalists had also helped to weaken the power of the monarchy. All he was able to manage was an amendment to the law allowing all trade unions that banned those which were openly socialist.
On top of that the Liberals were beginning to become experts at using their harassment policies to ensure that everyone voted for them. Despite the Massimiliano’s efforts, they came to power once again.
(This was more the luck of the RNG though as I didn’t really get any events that would let me push the vote towards the Paulistas.)
It was a testament to France’s power that it managed to hold off three other Great Powers and secure a ceasefire with all of them. However, the rumblings from within the nation were growing louder. While it was one of the most advanced and industrialised nations in the world, France was still an absolute monarchy in which the nobility held tremendous power and the common man was powerless. Their king was in a delicate position as liberal sentiment was close to boiling point, but his traditional reactionary allies were furious that the nation hadn’t outright won the last war.
Sokoto was annexed without incident and the Shock Army returned to Brazil to receive further reinforcements and to join up with the others being assembled.
Over the course of the war with Sokoto the elite Shock Army had been used to test out many new military theories that would help the Brazilian army compete much more closely with the rest of the Great Powers.
The immigration boom continued as a new wave of refugees came into Brazil from France and other oppressive regimes in Europe. The nation now officially had forty million inhabitants, bringing it close to the level of the other great powers.
The diplomatic push was nearly completed. The inclusion of Chile, Peru and finally Venezuela in the Brazilian sphere meant that the only remaining lands of Jadakal outside of Massimiliano’s control were in Colombia, a French sphereling. Given their precarious state, how well could they resist Brazil’s influence in the area?
A massive naval construction program had also been under way. The Brazilian Navy was now entirely modernised with no more sail ships to be found. A fleet of monitors to defend the homeland’s coast and a fleet of ironclads to take the fight to the enemy were prepared for launch.
In the USA, the slavery debate boiled over into open violence. However, as most of the slave owners were in the British and Texan territory the abolitionist movement won out very quickly.
(For some reason the USA is at war with the CSA without the CSA even existing.)
By focusing entirely on influencing Colombia, Brazilian diplomats were able to force out the French advisors dominating the nation. It would have been more of a struggle, but the country was already a diplomatic battleground between nations and the French were focusing more on their internal troubles.
(I’m surprised to see that Colombia’s actually 10th. They’ve done a really good job with their industry. They are still too far behind to make it to the Great Powers though unless they suddenly get a burst of points from somewhere.)
This meant there was just one territory that was left if Jadakal was to be properly brought together. The Panama Canal was the ultimate goal of all the military build up Brazil had spent the past few years doing. Taking it would secure the whole continent from foreign aggression.
And France was in no position to stop it. The internal disputes had erupted into a full-blown civil war as one faction of the aristocracy was attempting to usurp the throne. Meanwhile the Jacobin faction was mustering in secret and waiting for the perfect time to liberate the peoples from oppression. Into this chaos Brazil would have to step.
(They really brought this upon themselves. To elaborate OOCly, France has literally no political reforms. They have a full reactionary upper house as well. I guess the reactionaries are rebelling because there’s nothing for them to roll back so no way to dump militancy. Meanwhile 60% of the population is liberal so there’s a massive Jacobin rebellion at 100% revolt risk ready to tear things up even more to get reforms going.)
To be continued…
Selvetrica: Sadly they don’t end up getting kicked out really. The AI is terrible at securing a good peace when it has an advantage. That isn’t to say France gets out of it unscathed of course.
Across Oceans: Brazil’s Ongoing Struggle
Chapter Ten: Preparing to Strike
Norman Colony Nouvelle Caux
Northeastern Jadakal
1572
“In the name of his highness the Duke of Milan, this region is now part of the Duchy of Milan and its colonies!” the herald cried out from horseback as he led the parade of Milanese soldiers down the main street of the small town.
The war in Europe had been the perfect pretext for Milan to cement its hold on eastern coast of the New World. The array of minor powers that had set themselves up there were an easy target. A few regiments marched unopposed into the colonies and secured them for the Duchy. This one specifically was one of the largest of the cluster of colonies established by Normandy.
Riding alongside the herald, the commander of the invaders looked out over what would be his posting for the immediate future and wondered if it was worth it. Such a small town, village really, was worthless in the scheme of things compared to Europe, and the whole continent was undeveloped. Was it worth it to spend his life guarding a bunch of French colonists who would probably end up leaving or getting assimilated when proper Italians arrived?
“Excuse me, sir,” a well-dressed local said to the commander in moderately good Italian. He appeared to be the mayor of Nouvelle Caux, so the commander broke off and let the parade continue without him.
“Tell me about this town,” he said bluntly while remaining on his horse to maintain superiority over the conquered man.
“Well, we have around five hundred people here, a natural harbour and good land to grow sugar cane,” the mayor answered, “we’ve been building roads to the other colonies along the coast so I think we’d make a good trade hub. I hope we can serve the Duchy well.”
“I’m sure you will, and as such this town will be given a name fitting its new status.” The commander paused for a moment as he pulled out the parchment he had been given by the Duke’s representative in San Vito. It had a list of proper Italian names to give to anything he conquered. “This town will henceforth be named Nuovo Lazio!”
The mayor nodded in feigned enthusiastic agreement and offered to show the commander more of the town. He agreed and let the man lead him further down the main street as he took in a lay of the land. Perhaps this town would be worth something after all.
Massimiliano Street
Nuovo Lazio
Three centuries later
The capital’s old main street had been named after the first King of Brazil shortly after he took the throne. Now, his great-grandson and namesake was leading a sombre parade down towards the cathedral where the state funeral for Carlo I would be held. The streets were lined with despondent crowds who watched as the casket followed the royal procession down the street with full cavalry escort.
“The people loved father a lot, didn’t they?” Maria asked. She was riding alongside her brother, the new king Massimiliano II, on a smaller horse.
“That’s true,” he replied quietly. The mood was too sad for loud conversations. Even the band marching behind the casket played soft and mournful music. “He brought us to where we are today. Even the lower classes can appreciate what he did for the nation.”
Just then there was a commotion among the crowd somewhere to the right. From a side street the throng of people surged and a number of placards and banners suddenly became visible. The determined wielders of the signs had the numbers to force their way towards the side of the road despite an increasing number of police moving to stop them. By now Maria could make out what they had written.
‘Fair taxes for the common man!’
‘No more imperialist wars!’
‘A fair wage for a day’s work!’
So these were the socialists she had heard her brother ranting about. In her opinion, they seemed well intentioned but complaining about strange things. Weren’t taxes and wages already fair enough for the people to afford food and shelter? Weren’t the wars fought abroad for the sake of the whole nation?
“Apologies, your majesty,” a police captain said as he rushed up to the side of the now faltering procession, “they came out of nowhere and-“
“Down with the king! Up with the worker!” the cry suddenly rose up from the socialists and they pushed against the police line that had finally managed to separate them from the rest of the crowd. Maria watched this for a while before realising that the rest of the crowd had done very little to stop them. If they loved her father so much, why were they letting these people denounce him?
Massimiliano scowled at them and turned back to wave at the cavalry guard. A few of them broke off and moved to assist the police. With the horses there to intimidate the crowd, they began to be pushed back away from the road towards the side streets again. As their cohesion collapsed the individual voices could begin to be made out as they tried one more time to deliver their complaints.
“My son died in one of the factories the old king built! When will somebody be held accountable!”
“I can’t even feed my family because of the taxes being taken and spent on the army!”
“My husband died in Gibraltar, and for what? A bunch of islands? I hope you go to hell, Carlo!”
That last one was followed very quickly by a rotten tomato. Time seemed to stand still as it sailed through the air over the police, over the cavalry and over the crowd of bystanders. With a squelch it hit the casket and splattered the assembled flowers. This sent Massimiliano over the edge and he ordered the police to put an end to this mess by any means necessary. This was all the encouragement they needed and with the cavalry right behind them they drew batons and marched into the socialist crowd swinging. Maria watched in horror as the people were struck to the ground and their banners were torn apart.
“That was unpleasant, but I won’t let them spoil father’s memory,” Massimiliano said as he signalled the procession to resume.
Maria didn’t have a choice except to follow, but for the rest of the day, and beyond, her thoughts drifted away from honouring her father and instead wondering if those people who were mostly desperate and grieving really deserved what had been done to them. Was such oppression necessary even if done in the name of the nation and its ultimate goal of uniting the continent?
***
The Jadakali Trade Agreement had opened up relations immensely. Peru was the latest to offer closer ties, even though they had yet to be formally brought into the Brazilian sphere.
Something was afoot in France. Their war in America was falling apart but there was no threat to the nation itself, so it caught Massimiliano II off guard when the British and Dutch jumped into the fray. After some prodding the ambassadors admitted that there was some kind of political crisis ongoing in France. They had managed to keep it fairly quiet from the world at large but their immediate neighbours had picked up on it and were eager to exploit it.
Elsewhere the war between China and Czechosolvakia came to close, with the Czechs throwing a bone to their Persian allies and granting them Abu Dhabi. The small state in the Persian Gulf had been conquered in one of China’s earliest attempts at modern imperialism.
The Brazilian military was in no state to take on France directly, despite them fighting three other Great Powers at once. A lack of ships was the biggest problem, as the French Navy was one of the largest in the world and a single poor battle could split the far-flung Brazilian Empire into easily digestible chunks. Sokoto, on the other hand, was an easy target. With colonists moving into the African interior, Massimiliano decided that any remaining free natives were a threat and they needed to be brought under control.
The first of these colonies began to complete shortly after the war started. With the new Shock Army deployed to Africa to assist the Expedition the Sokot were easily scattered before they could threaten the colonists.
A new party, the Partido Paulista, formed in time for the 1874 election. This was exactly what the king wanted in a party. It would allow him to take back full control of the factories without any of the socialist nonsense that was being pedalled.
The problem he was having was the steady increase of socialists in the government. He wasn’t sure where they were getting support from, but he knew he had to put his foot down. However it was now that he realised that his father’s efforts to weaken the capitalists had also helped to weaken the power of the monarchy. All he was able to manage was an amendment to the law allowing all trade unions that banned those which were openly socialist.
On top of that the Liberals were beginning to become experts at using their harassment policies to ensure that everyone voted for them. Despite the Massimiliano’s efforts, they came to power once again.
(This was more the luck of the RNG though as I didn’t really get any events that would let me push the vote towards the Paulistas.)
It was a testament to France’s power that it managed to hold off three other Great Powers and secure a ceasefire with all of them. However, the rumblings from within the nation were growing louder. While it was one of the most advanced and industrialised nations in the world, France was still an absolute monarchy in which the nobility held tremendous power and the common man was powerless. Their king was in a delicate position as liberal sentiment was close to boiling point, but his traditional reactionary allies were furious that the nation hadn’t outright won the last war.
Sokoto was annexed without incident and the Shock Army returned to Brazil to receive further reinforcements and to join up with the others being assembled.
Over the course of the war with Sokoto the elite Shock Army had been used to test out many new military theories that would help the Brazilian army compete much more closely with the rest of the Great Powers.
The immigration boom continued as a new wave of refugees came into Brazil from France and other oppressive regimes in Europe. The nation now officially had forty million inhabitants, bringing it close to the level of the other great powers.
The diplomatic push was nearly completed. The inclusion of Chile, Peru and finally Venezuela in the Brazilian sphere meant that the only remaining lands of Jadakal outside of Massimiliano’s control were in Colombia, a French sphereling. Given their precarious state, how well could they resist Brazil’s influence in the area?
A massive naval construction program had also been under way. The Brazilian Navy was now entirely modernised with no more sail ships to be found. A fleet of monitors to defend the homeland’s coast and a fleet of ironclads to take the fight to the enemy were prepared for launch.
In the USA, the slavery debate boiled over into open violence. However, as most of the slave owners were in the British and Texan territory the abolitionist movement won out very quickly.
(For some reason the USA is at war with the CSA without the CSA even existing.)
By focusing entirely on influencing Colombia, Brazilian diplomats were able to force out the French advisors dominating the nation. It would have been more of a struggle, but the country was already a diplomatic battleground between nations and the French were focusing more on their internal troubles.
(I’m surprised to see that Colombia’s actually 10th. They’ve done a really good job with their industry. They are still too far behind to make it to the Great Powers though unless they suddenly get a burst of points from somewhere.)
This meant there was just one territory that was left if Jadakal was to be properly brought together. The Panama Canal was the ultimate goal of all the military build up Brazil had spent the past few years doing. Taking it would secure the whole continent from foreign aggression.
And France was in no position to stop it. The internal disputes had erupted into a full-blown civil war as one faction of the aristocracy was attempting to usurp the throne. Meanwhile the Jacobin faction was mustering in secret and waiting for the perfect time to liberate the peoples from oppression. Into this chaos Brazil would have to step.
(They really brought this upon themselves. To elaborate OOCly, France has literally no political reforms. They have a full reactionary upper house as well. I guess the reactionaries are rebelling because there’s nothing for them to roll back so no way to dump militancy. Meanwhile 60% of the population is liberal so there’s a massive Jacobin rebellion at 100% revolt risk ready to tear things up even more to get reforms going.)
To be continued…
I'm liking the narrative sections more and more, they really help to illustrate both the founding of Brazil and also why Massimiliano has a dislike for socialism. Hopefully said dislike does not sway him too far the other way, France having shown what happens to those who turn too right wing.
Loving the AAR. I find it is very easy to get into great power status even as a one state American nation by rushing into prestige tech.. seems it worked quite famously for you aswell. (Just finished a Quebec game)
So did you use the converter from these forums or did you do it manually.. I'm interested in trying this myself (minus the AAR)?
So did you use the converter from these forums or did you do it manually.. I'm interested in trying this myself (minus the AAR)?
Selvetrica: They’ve been busy down their taking back their old colonial cores from Texas. I guess I’ve learnt something for the next time I do a game conversion: make sure to clean up cores as well as provinces.
morningSIDEr: I’m glad you like the narrative. The level of reaction he decides on to what is coming is going to be a pretty important development for Massimiliano.
cenasfu: I used the convertor here but I also did a lot of manual editing beforehand to create a sensible-looking world using the editor here. You may also want to mess with the convertor itself if you’re confident enough so that it creates the right tags in the right places.
Across Oceans: Brazil’s Ongoing Struggle
Chapter Eleven: Wars Abroad
Burgundian-Milanese colonial border
Northeastern Jadakal
1626
“It’s too warm today,” Jacopo complained with a yawn. He led his patrol along the road that marked out the boundaries between the competing European colonisers. The sun was high in the sky and beating down upon them as they marched past endless fields of sugar cane, and he could not wait to reach the next guard post where he would have a chance to catch some sleep.
“Sir, we’re almost there,” one of the other soldiers said, pointing ahead at the small fortified building that was coming into view.
“Finally,” Jacopo said as he looked at it. But something didn’t seem right. Squinting, he noticed shapes scurrying around at the base of the structure. The patrol ahead of them should have left already, which meant that it might be criminals or a Burgundian incursion. The sudden threat of combat pulled him out of his sleepy daze and spurred him to action. He turned to his men and shouted, “Ready weapons!”
With practised skill the patrol drew and loaded their muskets before running quickly but cautiously towards the guard post. They made it as far as a small ridge overlooking the building before Jacopo judged that they could not go further without being spotted. At this distance he could see that the men around the building were wearing Burgundian uniforms, but there did not appear to be many of them nor did they seem to have managed to breach the building itself. It was oddly small for an incursion, let alone an invasion.
“Stop where you are and surrender!” he called out twice, in Italian and Burgundian-French, as he and his men crested the hill and took up firing positions.
The Burgundians looked startled for a moment and started to reach for their own weapons, but the most finely dressed one put up a hand to stop them. Then he started to walk over to the Milanese patrol with his arms above his head.
“Forgive us for the intrusion,” he said as he approached.
“That won’t be enough, considering you have breached the borders and threatened one of our guard posts,” Jacopo replied curtly.
“Again, apologies for our indiscretion, but my men are exhausted by the sun and your structure was the only decent shade for miles,” he replied as he bowed apologetically.
“Well, why didn’t you just say so?” Jacopo said with a laugh that caused both the Burgundian officer and his men to look at him strangely.
It turned out that the officer, whose name was Pierre, was telling the truth and his men were simply lazing in the shadow of the guard post without attempting to break in. After some initial wariness, the Milanese contingent opened up the doors and brought out the alcohol supplies to share. They were all in the same position after all and forced into it by uncompromising commanders back home. Naturally, the two commanding officers got the finest wine and went off to talk alone.
“You could have been shot if anyone else had found you, you know?” Jacopo said as he swigged from the bottle and then passed it to the other man.
“I know, but I only intended to rest for an hour at most,” Pierre replied and nodded in thanks for the wine, “I didn’t think we would be caught and I was planning to talk my way out of it in any case.”
“You have a lot of faith in your enemies.”
“Call me naïve, but I feel closer to you than I do to the king back home. I was born in Siarat and haven’t even been to Europe.” He passed back the wine bottle to Jacopo after drinking his fill.
“I think I know how you feel. Many of my men were born here in the Brazilian colonies and often wonder why we should be fight just because people in Europe are at each others throats over some trivial thing or another.”
“What about you?”
“I’m from Milan myself, but more and more I feel like I belong here. For all the work they make me do I just feel more liberated out here,” Jacopo said with a sigh as he looked out over the open fields he had been patrolling. He took another drink.
“It’s not a popular view really though. The colonial administrators back in Siarat, or I guess San Vito for you, would demote or just kick us out entirely for views like ours.” Pierre laughed.
“We are the ones on the frontline though, so we can see how the other side are just as attached to this land. The ones back in the cities might come around eventually. Who knows, we might stop fighting over this land called Brazil some day and agree to share it peacefully.”
“That’s a long shot. The leaders will always find reasons for us soldiers to kill each other no matter how much we turn out to agree with each other.” He downed the remainder of the wine bottle and burped. “Got any more?”
Siarat
Two and a half centuries later
The old Burgundian-French port city was alight with activity as troops boarded ships bound for Europe. There had been some concern among his advisors that the formerly French lands of Northern Brazil would oppose invading their homeland but there had been very few incidents at all. Massimiliano II had been greeted by large numbers of enthusiastic people, with a few agitators who were easily removed, upon his arrival to see the army off. After a century of integration the old tensions between the two halves of Brazil had drained away and the people were now safely unified behind a single flag. It was his hope that he could accomplish the same with the full unification of the continent, which would bring Muslims and Dutch-speakers into the mix as well.
The soldiers marched in lines as cheering crowds and weeping wives waved them off. They went to fight and die in fields far from home for ideals that they were not entirely sure they believed in. Massimiliano knew that he would have to continue on this path to prove that unification was an ideal worth fighting for and all the lives lost and still to be lost would not be in vain.
***
The war against France was not expected to involve naval combat, but just in case that occurred significant upgrades to the navy were in the works to ensure that the Brazilians could fight on an even field.
Troops were deployed to the Netherlands where they observed the French countryside aflame with the ongoing civil war. The main pocket of French resistance outside Paris was able to hold out against the tide of battle for the moment however.
With Colombia brought into the Brazilian sphere, there was now no longer a way for the French or their allies to reach Brazil without crossing the patrolled waters of the coast.
The inclusion of Colombia also meant that all the territory claimed as part of Jadakal was now under Brazilian influence, with one exception. The Panama Canal would be Brazilian!
(I had to fudge it a bit here because the culture file wouldn’t let me edit it so I couldn’t get Jadakal to be the Latin American union for the free War of Unification CB.)
War was declared and while Colombia joined Brazil instead of France and the Czechs were also offering support, the Japanese cowardly backed out of the century-old alliance. This angered Massimiliano greatly, but he knew that he could not devote resources to Asia until the conflict with France had been concluded.
The Brazilian Shock Army and its support entered north-western France and almost immediately came into contact with a large French army. However for the moment the French seemed far more concerned with fighting their civil war than dealing with the invaders. That could not last forever, so the Brazilians moved quickly to occupy their territory.
Meanwhile, the occupation of the Panama Canal and the other French holdings in the New World were handled by Colombian and other allied forces.
At home there were a series of factory disturbances that police were eager to crack down on. Such issues did not concern the king during times of war so he let them do whatever they wanted, even though it ended up drawing more of the factory workers towards socialism.
The French forces in the path of the invasion were already exhausted from fighting the rebels, so the Brazilians quickly moved ahead to engage and defeat them. However, Brazil and France were on an even keel technologically so the victory was hardly decisive.
The offensive continued towards Paris, but it was facing stiffer and stiffer resistance. The ability of the French to bring in reinforcements instantly was starting to wear heavily on the comparatively cut-off Brazilians as the casualties started to mount up. However there was a silver lining. The Czechs had secured a path through Germany and were now advancing into France from the east, promising an inevitable end to the conflict.
The elections of 1878 were the perfect chance for Massimiliano to leverage the success of the armies into political gain, but then news came back of the latest ‘victory’. While it was a win, the Shock Army had taken horrendous losses when they attempted to take control of a key region. The French knew the lay of the land far better and had deployed countless machines guns to cover every approach. The result was one of the most deadly victories in Brazilian history.
News of this spurred anti-war protestors to march on the capital. Many people, especially among the socialist movement, did not like the idea of sending men off to die in Europe for ideals that did not affect them personally. The protest was cleaned up easily and most reports of it were restricted by the state-run newspapers. However it still had an impact in the region around the capital and led to further radicalisation within the socialist movement as their voice was suppressed.
Despite growing opposition to the war it continued and soon the Brazlian forces in France had linked up with the Czechs and were preparing to march on Paris. Not wanting to leave his stronghold and risk being at the rebel’s mercy, the King of France agreed to give up the Panama Canal.
Taking the Panama Canal secured Jadakal from foreign aggression and finally brought the continent entirely under Brazilian influence. Now was the time for Massimiliano to begin the next stage of his father’s plan. A new government was established in Nuovo Lazio which would handle large-scale political and economic decisions for the whole continent. For the moment it was separate from the various national governments, but Massimiliano did not intend that to last for long. Already the other states were losing their autonomy as more and more power was passed through Brazil.
(Because straight up annexing the rest of the cores in a unification like Germany would be overpowered right now in my opinion.)
The civil war and the war with Brazil had damaged France so much that they slipped below Brazil in the rankings of the Great Powers. This was only temporary however as their industry recovered, but it was surely a sign of things to come.
Massimiliano was eager to flex Brazil’s influence further. He secured an alliance with Morocco to cement Brazil’s influence in North Africa, but this almost immediately drew the nation into two more wars against Egypt and an oddly aggressive German minor. They posed no threat to Brazil and so the Home Fleet was dispatched to blockade them until they eventually surrendered. The faster Expeditionary Fleet would have been dispatched, but there was another matter which required their attention.
A diplomatic incident in the Far East had given a casus belli on the minor nation of Dai Nam. Massimiliano was more than happy to take the chance to for more political gain in Asia, but he underestimated China’s willingness to defend their interests.
There was no chance of attacking the Chinese mainland, so what followed was a long series of battles on the seas as the massive Chinese fleet attempted to break the rapidly-forming blockade around their nation. Unlike the wars in Europe and Africa however they actually had a chance of winning. While their ships were less advanced it was not by very much and through sheer numbers they eventually wore down the Brazilians and forced Massimiliano to accept a white peace. The failure to achieve Brazil’s war goals was mildly annoying, but it did much to stir up anger among the population who saw yet another war fought for nothing.
Elsewhere, Britain hosted a conference to discuss the fate of Africa. Massimiliano felt obliged to attend in order to state Brazil’s claim to the majority of Northern and Western Africa. Revenge was also secured on Japan as they were forced under Brazilian influence. Originally the alliance had been one of equals, but now it would be master-and-servant.
The dawning of the 1880s once again brought a new paradigm of thought. Brazil was continuing its meteoric rise, but it had already begun to run into complications as it overreached when facing off against the other Great Powers. However, the last decade had seen its population explode even further and surpass all besides China, Czechoslovakia and the Indian nation of Travancore. The future continued to look bright for Massimiliano II, but how long could that last as he ignored the problems brewing under his very nose.
To be continued…
morningSIDEr: I’m glad you like the narrative. The level of reaction he decides on to what is coming is going to be a pretty important development for Massimiliano.
cenasfu: I used the convertor here but I also did a lot of manual editing beforehand to create a sensible-looking world using the editor here. You may also want to mess with the convertor itself if you’re confident enough so that it creates the right tags in the right places.
Across Oceans: Brazil’s Ongoing Struggle
Chapter Eleven: Wars Abroad
Burgundian-Milanese colonial border
Northeastern Jadakal
1626
“It’s too warm today,” Jacopo complained with a yawn. He led his patrol along the road that marked out the boundaries between the competing European colonisers. The sun was high in the sky and beating down upon them as they marched past endless fields of sugar cane, and he could not wait to reach the next guard post where he would have a chance to catch some sleep.
“Sir, we’re almost there,” one of the other soldiers said, pointing ahead at the small fortified building that was coming into view.
“Finally,” Jacopo said as he looked at it. But something didn’t seem right. Squinting, he noticed shapes scurrying around at the base of the structure. The patrol ahead of them should have left already, which meant that it might be criminals or a Burgundian incursion. The sudden threat of combat pulled him out of his sleepy daze and spurred him to action. He turned to his men and shouted, “Ready weapons!”
With practised skill the patrol drew and loaded their muskets before running quickly but cautiously towards the guard post. They made it as far as a small ridge overlooking the building before Jacopo judged that they could not go further without being spotted. At this distance he could see that the men around the building were wearing Burgundian uniforms, but there did not appear to be many of them nor did they seem to have managed to breach the building itself. It was oddly small for an incursion, let alone an invasion.
“Stop where you are and surrender!” he called out twice, in Italian and Burgundian-French, as he and his men crested the hill and took up firing positions.
The Burgundians looked startled for a moment and started to reach for their own weapons, but the most finely dressed one put up a hand to stop them. Then he started to walk over to the Milanese patrol with his arms above his head.
“Forgive us for the intrusion,” he said as he approached.
“That won’t be enough, considering you have breached the borders and threatened one of our guard posts,” Jacopo replied curtly.
“Again, apologies for our indiscretion, but my men are exhausted by the sun and your structure was the only decent shade for miles,” he replied as he bowed apologetically.
“Well, why didn’t you just say so?” Jacopo said with a laugh that caused both the Burgundian officer and his men to look at him strangely.
It turned out that the officer, whose name was Pierre, was telling the truth and his men were simply lazing in the shadow of the guard post without attempting to break in. After some initial wariness, the Milanese contingent opened up the doors and brought out the alcohol supplies to share. They were all in the same position after all and forced into it by uncompromising commanders back home. Naturally, the two commanding officers got the finest wine and went off to talk alone.
“You could have been shot if anyone else had found you, you know?” Jacopo said as he swigged from the bottle and then passed it to the other man.
“I know, but I only intended to rest for an hour at most,” Pierre replied and nodded in thanks for the wine, “I didn’t think we would be caught and I was planning to talk my way out of it in any case.”
“You have a lot of faith in your enemies.”
“Call me naïve, but I feel closer to you than I do to the king back home. I was born in Siarat and haven’t even been to Europe.” He passed back the wine bottle to Jacopo after drinking his fill.
“I think I know how you feel. Many of my men were born here in the Brazilian colonies and often wonder why we should be fight just because people in Europe are at each others throats over some trivial thing or another.”
“What about you?”
“I’m from Milan myself, but more and more I feel like I belong here. For all the work they make me do I just feel more liberated out here,” Jacopo said with a sigh as he looked out over the open fields he had been patrolling. He took another drink.
“It’s not a popular view really though. The colonial administrators back in Siarat, or I guess San Vito for you, would demote or just kick us out entirely for views like ours.” Pierre laughed.
“We are the ones on the frontline though, so we can see how the other side are just as attached to this land. The ones back in the cities might come around eventually. Who knows, we might stop fighting over this land called Brazil some day and agree to share it peacefully.”
“That’s a long shot. The leaders will always find reasons for us soldiers to kill each other no matter how much we turn out to agree with each other.” He downed the remainder of the wine bottle and burped. “Got any more?”
Siarat
Two and a half centuries later
The old Burgundian-French port city was alight with activity as troops boarded ships bound for Europe. There had been some concern among his advisors that the formerly French lands of Northern Brazil would oppose invading their homeland but there had been very few incidents at all. Massimiliano II had been greeted by large numbers of enthusiastic people, with a few agitators who were easily removed, upon his arrival to see the army off. After a century of integration the old tensions between the two halves of Brazil had drained away and the people were now safely unified behind a single flag. It was his hope that he could accomplish the same with the full unification of the continent, which would bring Muslims and Dutch-speakers into the mix as well.
The soldiers marched in lines as cheering crowds and weeping wives waved them off. They went to fight and die in fields far from home for ideals that they were not entirely sure they believed in. Massimiliano knew that he would have to continue on this path to prove that unification was an ideal worth fighting for and all the lives lost and still to be lost would not be in vain.
***
The war against France was not expected to involve naval combat, but just in case that occurred significant upgrades to the navy were in the works to ensure that the Brazilians could fight on an even field.
Troops were deployed to the Netherlands where they observed the French countryside aflame with the ongoing civil war. The main pocket of French resistance outside Paris was able to hold out against the tide of battle for the moment however.
With Colombia brought into the Brazilian sphere, there was now no longer a way for the French or their allies to reach Brazil without crossing the patrolled waters of the coast.
The inclusion of Colombia also meant that all the territory claimed as part of Jadakal was now under Brazilian influence, with one exception. The Panama Canal would be Brazilian!
(I had to fudge it a bit here because the culture file wouldn’t let me edit it so I couldn’t get Jadakal to be the Latin American union for the free War of Unification CB.)
War was declared and while Colombia joined Brazil instead of France and the Czechs were also offering support, the Japanese cowardly backed out of the century-old alliance. This angered Massimiliano greatly, but he knew that he could not devote resources to Asia until the conflict with France had been concluded.
The Brazilian Shock Army and its support entered north-western France and almost immediately came into contact with a large French army. However for the moment the French seemed far more concerned with fighting their civil war than dealing with the invaders. That could not last forever, so the Brazilians moved quickly to occupy their territory.
Meanwhile, the occupation of the Panama Canal and the other French holdings in the New World were handled by Colombian and other allied forces.
At home there were a series of factory disturbances that police were eager to crack down on. Such issues did not concern the king during times of war so he let them do whatever they wanted, even though it ended up drawing more of the factory workers towards socialism.
The French forces in the path of the invasion were already exhausted from fighting the rebels, so the Brazilians quickly moved ahead to engage and defeat them. However, Brazil and France were on an even keel technologically so the victory was hardly decisive.
The offensive continued towards Paris, but it was facing stiffer and stiffer resistance. The ability of the French to bring in reinforcements instantly was starting to wear heavily on the comparatively cut-off Brazilians as the casualties started to mount up. However there was a silver lining. The Czechs had secured a path through Germany and were now advancing into France from the east, promising an inevitable end to the conflict.
The elections of 1878 were the perfect chance for Massimiliano to leverage the success of the armies into political gain, but then news came back of the latest ‘victory’. While it was a win, the Shock Army had taken horrendous losses when they attempted to take control of a key region. The French knew the lay of the land far better and had deployed countless machines guns to cover every approach. The result was one of the most deadly victories in Brazilian history.
News of this spurred anti-war protestors to march on the capital. Many people, especially among the socialist movement, did not like the idea of sending men off to die in Europe for ideals that did not affect them personally. The protest was cleaned up easily and most reports of it were restricted by the state-run newspapers. However it still had an impact in the region around the capital and led to further radicalisation within the socialist movement as their voice was suppressed.
Despite growing opposition to the war it continued and soon the Brazlian forces in France had linked up with the Czechs and were preparing to march on Paris. Not wanting to leave his stronghold and risk being at the rebel’s mercy, the King of France agreed to give up the Panama Canal.
Taking the Panama Canal secured Jadakal from foreign aggression and finally brought the continent entirely under Brazilian influence. Now was the time for Massimiliano to begin the next stage of his father’s plan. A new government was established in Nuovo Lazio which would handle large-scale political and economic decisions for the whole continent. For the moment it was separate from the various national governments, but Massimiliano did not intend that to last for long. Already the other states were losing their autonomy as more and more power was passed through Brazil.
(Because straight up annexing the rest of the cores in a unification like Germany would be overpowered right now in my opinion.
)
The civil war and the war with Brazil had damaged France so much that they slipped below Brazil in the rankings of the Great Powers. This was only temporary however as their industry recovered, but it was surely a sign of things to come.
Massimiliano was eager to flex Brazil’s influence further. He secured an alliance with Morocco to cement Brazil’s influence in North Africa, but this almost immediately drew the nation into two more wars against Egypt and an oddly aggressive German minor. They posed no threat to Brazil and so the Home Fleet was dispatched to blockade them until they eventually surrendered. The faster Expeditionary Fleet would have been dispatched, but there was another matter which required their attention.
A diplomatic incident in the Far East had given a casus belli on the minor nation of Dai Nam. Massimiliano was more than happy to take the chance to for more political gain in Asia, but he underestimated China’s willingness to defend their interests.
There was no chance of attacking the Chinese mainland, so what followed was a long series of battles on the seas as the massive Chinese fleet attempted to break the rapidly-forming blockade around their nation. Unlike the wars in Europe and Africa however they actually had a chance of winning. While their ships were less advanced it was not by very much and through sheer numbers they eventually wore down the Brazilians and forced Massimiliano to accept a white peace. The failure to achieve Brazil’s war goals was mildly annoying, but it did much to stir up anger among the population who saw yet another war fought for nothing.
Elsewhere, Britain hosted a conference to discuss the fate of Africa. Massimiliano felt obliged to attend in order to state Brazil’s claim to the majority of Northern and Western Africa. Revenge was also secured on Japan as they were forced under Brazilian influence. Originally the alliance had been one of equals, but now it would be master-and-servant.
The dawning of the 1880s once again brought a new paradigm of thought. Brazil was continuing its meteoric rise, but it had already begun to run into complications as it overreached when facing off against the other Great Powers. However, the last decade had seen its population explode even further and surpass all besides China, Czechoslovakia and the Indian nation of Travancore. The future continued to look bright for Massimiliano II, but how long could that last as he ignored the problems brewing under his very nose.
To be continued…
If only Jacopo and Pierre could see things now! The Jadakali union is then complete, the gradual process whereby all of these nations are integrated into Brazil no doubt started. Good luck with the Congo, being awarded the land would be useful. A pity about the war against Dai Nam but no real damage done. It will be interesting to see where Brazil next focuses her attention.
Selvetrica: Just wait and see.
morningSIDEr: I hope I have good luck with the Congo as well, although I have no idea how that event chain works at all.
Anyway just posting to say that something's come up so I won't have a chance to play until Thursday, maybe Wednesday if I'm lucky. Don't expect an update before then.
morningSIDEr: I hope I have good luck with the Congo as well, although I have no idea how that event chain works at all.
Anyway just posting to say that something's come up so I won't have a chance to play until Thursday, maybe Wednesday if I'm lucky. Don't expect an update before then.
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Across Oceans: Brazil’s Ongoing Struggle
Chapter Twelve: Quiet Colonialism
Somewhere on the Amazon River
Unclaimed Territory
1680
“Damn mosquitoes,” the soldier said as he swatted at his arm. Already this was looking like it would be an uncomfortable expedition. All around him the rest of the men worked hard on building up their settlement on the riverbank, but he was stuck standing around guarding them and being a magnet for every mosquito in a miles radius.
“Take your complaint to the Doge,” one of the men laughed as he hammered at several pieces of wood onto a building frame.
“I would, if he was out here instead of sending us ahead to catch all the tropical diseases for him,” the soldier muttered.
He sighed and continued walking through the village and watching everyone else work. Already the jungle was being cut back and the wood turned into buildings. Earlier expeditions along the river had all had to retreat as disease afflicted them, but for some reason when the revolutionaries overthrew the Duke of Milan and formed a republican government they forgot all those lessons and decided the interior of Brazil must be conquered.
“Look out!” someone yelled. A horrible creaking sound and panicked voices came from across the camp, causing the soldier to sprint over.
“Stand back,” he ordered as he strode into the situation. A tree had fallen the wrong way and was precariously perched on one of the buildings. A woodcutter dashed over and started apologising profusely in broken Italian.
“Sorry sir. Please, don’t punish. I can fix,” the Frenchman said. In the spirit of cooperation with the new government the French had agreed to allow colonists access to the mouth of the Amazon, but only if a percentage of the expedition was French.
“Then do it and stop apologising,” the soldier groaned as he pushed the man back towards the mess he’d made. He stood guard and watched as the French and Milanese woodcutters swarmed over the building and took apart the tree trunk before it could break anything. It was an impressive display of cooperation.
He had other places to be though, so he moved away and swatted some more at the mosquitoes around him. Returning to the man from before, he ducked into the half-finished building to get some respite from the bites with the pretence of ‘inspecting’ it.
“Hey, we’re not done yet!” the builder protested.
“Then pick up the pace. At this rate the shelter won’t be finished before nightfall, and you know how much those insects love our campfires.” This reply from the soldier was enough to get the men working double-time.
Somewhere in the African Interior
Unclaimed Territory
Two centuries later…
“Does this seem familiar to you?” asked one of the Brazilian men as he swatted at a mosquito.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” his companion said. His hammer came down as he worked quickly to finish assembling the shelter before night fell and even more insects came to their lights.
***
Colonisation of Africa was continuing smoothly. With the Moroccans brought in as allies the flow of men and supplies into the new outposts went far more smoothly and they could establish themselves more easily.
The colonial strategy was already paying off as several oil repositories and large quantities of rubber trees were discovered by explorers. There was already a growing demand for these materials as the world grew more advanced and it was clear that would only increase in future. Control of these strategic resources would be vital for Brazil.
Investment into scientific endeavours in Africa was also proving valuable. The discovery of an Egyptian tomb gave major insight into the history of the ancient country and a lot of prestige for those who found it.
All was not good on the continent however. The native people of the coastal regions were increasingly being brought in to work in Brazilian factories, and that meant socialist sentiment was on the rise among them. Their attempts to form labour unions would have to be ignored, as the Africa Expedition had other things to attend to.
As the Brazilian colonists moved eastwards, the existence of independent nations on their flank was too big of a risk to go ignored. The Africa expedition was sent in to deal with Liberia.
Back in the homeland there was increasingly talk among the more radical sections of the population about revolution, although for the moment it seemed a far-off chance.
On the diplomatic front, there was an incident in China. Massimiliano ordered the ambassador to withdraw from negotiations with grace. After the earlier failure in Dai Nam he had come to realise that developing the empire in Asia was out of the question for the moment. China had been extending its influence everywhere, so angering them at this point would not be prudent. Better to improve relations and maybe even secure another ally against France and other Europeans.
Brazil was not the only nation expanding its hold on Africa. In the south the Netherlands were pushing north from their colonies on the Cape.
While Massimiliano had been most interested in the colonial and diplomatic events going on, the industry of the nation was ticking along nicely without his help. It seemed that the capitalists that his father had so much trouble with were finally pulling their weight and even building factories all on their own. This ensured the continued development of Brazilian industry to catch up with the Europeans.
Continued improvements in technology would also be invaluable in narrowing the gap. The king was very impressed when scientists demonstrated that the flow of power through simple metal wires was possible and could power lights and other equipment.
The ongoing strengthening of the Upper House socialists continued to give the liberals the boost they needed to push their voting reforms. The socialists were most interested in revoking the ban on explicitly socialist trade unions, but that was something Massimiliano strictly vetoed.
(Okay I’ll admit at this point that I have no idea how the socialists are doing so well in the UH. In the general population they are only at around 7%.)
Brazil’s colonial expansion and industrialisation had finally brought it on par with the old nations of Europe. France and Britain were overtaken, although this was only temporary as the presence of the military was inflated by the war with Liberia. Of course, not as much of the power of the world rested in Europe as in the old days. The power of USA, China and the continent-spanning Czechoslovakia would be tough to beat.
Even as Brazil grew in power, Massimiliano was beginning to realise that he was losing it. More and more the politicians were ignoring his edicts. The days when his predecessors had absolute control of the nation were at an end.
He could barely even control his own family, as his youngest sister Maria eagerly pledged support for the newly emerging suffragette movement.
Diplomacy was one area where he still had authority to assert, and so that was the place he went to when he really felt his diminishing strength. Asserting Brazilian influence in Europe was almost therapeutic.
The liberals continued pressing their reform whether the king was there or not. Allowing newspapers to open up independent of direct state control was their latest reform, and one that was popular with the socialists of the Upper House as well for some reason.
Disaster struck in 1884 when the volcano Krakatoa exploded, killing thousands. Not that many actually cared though as they were all bureaucrats.
(Seriously, I checked and Bogor has a population that’s 50% bureaucrats.)
A much bigger disaster came not long after for Massimiliano. Karl Marx was dead, and all the papers were publishing stories on him. With press restrictions reduced he could not simply ban them talking about the story, and soon all of Jadakal was discussing the merits of his ideas. Not everybody was convinced, especially as the papers were restricted from actually endorsing the ideology, so it seemed like the situation would defuse itself soon enough.
But it was really only the beginning.
To be continued…
Chapter Twelve: Quiet Colonialism
Somewhere on the Amazon River
Unclaimed Territory
1680
“Damn mosquitoes,” the soldier said as he swatted at his arm. Already this was looking like it would be an uncomfortable expedition. All around him the rest of the men worked hard on building up their settlement on the riverbank, but he was stuck standing around guarding them and being a magnet for every mosquito in a miles radius.
“Take your complaint to the Doge,” one of the men laughed as he hammered at several pieces of wood onto a building frame.
“I would, if he was out here instead of sending us ahead to catch all the tropical diseases for him,” the soldier muttered.
He sighed and continued walking through the village and watching everyone else work. Already the jungle was being cut back and the wood turned into buildings. Earlier expeditions along the river had all had to retreat as disease afflicted them, but for some reason when the revolutionaries overthrew the Duke of Milan and formed a republican government they forgot all those lessons and decided the interior of Brazil must be conquered.
“Look out!” someone yelled. A horrible creaking sound and panicked voices came from across the camp, causing the soldier to sprint over.
“Stand back,” he ordered as he strode into the situation. A tree had fallen the wrong way and was precariously perched on one of the buildings. A woodcutter dashed over and started apologising profusely in broken Italian.
“Sorry sir. Please, don’t punish. I can fix,” the Frenchman said. In the spirit of cooperation with the new government the French had agreed to allow colonists access to the mouth of the Amazon, but only if a percentage of the expedition was French.
“Then do it and stop apologising,” the soldier groaned as he pushed the man back towards the mess he’d made. He stood guard and watched as the French and Milanese woodcutters swarmed over the building and took apart the tree trunk before it could break anything. It was an impressive display of cooperation.
He had other places to be though, so he moved away and swatted some more at the mosquitoes around him. Returning to the man from before, he ducked into the half-finished building to get some respite from the bites with the pretence of ‘inspecting’ it.
“Hey, we’re not done yet!” the builder protested.
“Then pick up the pace. At this rate the shelter won’t be finished before nightfall, and you know how much those insects love our campfires.” This reply from the soldier was enough to get the men working double-time.
Somewhere in the African Interior
Unclaimed Territory
Two centuries later…
“Does this seem familiar to you?” asked one of the Brazilian men as he swatted at a mosquito.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” his companion said. His hammer came down as he worked quickly to finish assembling the shelter before night fell and even more insects came to their lights.
***
Colonisation of Africa was continuing smoothly. With the Moroccans brought in as allies the flow of men and supplies into the new outposts went far more smoothly and they could establish themselves more easily.
The colonial strategy was already paying off as several oil repositories and large quantities of rubber trees were discovered by explorers. There was already a growing demand for these materials as the world grew more advanced and it was clear that would only increase in future. Control of these strategic resources would be vital for Brazil.
Investment into scientific endeavours in Africa was also proving valuable. The discovery of an Egyptian tomb gave major insight into the history of the ancient country and a lot of prestige for those who found it.
All was not good on the continent however. The native people of the coastal regions were increasingly being brought in to work in Brazilian factories, and that meant socialist sentiment was on the rise among them. Their attempts to form labour unions would have to be ignored, as the Africa Expedition had other things to attend to.
As the Brazilian colonists moved eastwards, the existence of independent nations on their flank was too big of a risk to go ignored. The Africa expedition was sent in to deal with Liberia.
Back in the homeland there was increasingly talk among the more radical sections of the population about revolution, although for the moment it seemed a far-off chance.
On the diplomatic front, there was an incident in China. Massimiliano ordered the ambassador to withdraw from negotiations with grace. After the earlier failure in Dai Nam he had come to realise that developing the empire in Asia was out of the question for the moment. China had been extending its influence everywhere, so angering them at this point would not be prudent. Better to improve relations and maybe even secure another ally against France and other Europeans.
Brazil was not the only nation expanding its hold on Africa. In the south the Netherlands were pushing north from their colonies on the Cape.
While Massimiliano had been most interested in the colonial and diplomatic events going on, the industry of the nation was ticking along nicely without his help. It seemed that the capitalists that his father had so much trouble with were finally pulling their weight and even building factories all on their own. This ensured the continued development of Brazilian industry to catch up with the Europeans.
Continued improvements in technology would also be invaluable in narrowing the gap. The king was very impressed when scientists demonstrated that the flow of power through simple metal wires was possible and could power lights and other equipment.
The ongoing strengthening of the Upper House socialists continued to give the liberals the boost they needed to push their voting reforms. The socialists were most interested in revoking the ban on explicitly socialist trade unions, but that was something Massimiliano strictly vetoed.
(Okay I’ll admit at this point that I have no idea how the socialists are doing so well in the UH. In the general population they are only at around 7%.)
Brazil’s colonial expansion and industrialisation had finally brought it on par with the old nations of Europe. France and Britain were overtaken, although this was only temporary as the presence of the military was inflated by the war with Liberia. Of course, not as much of the power of the world rested in Europe as in the old days. The power of USA, China and the continent-spanning Czechoslovakia would be tough to beat.
Even as Brazil grew in power, Massimiliano was beginning to realise that he was losing it. More and more the politicians were ignoring his edicts. The days when his predecessors had absolute control of the nation were at an end.
He could barely even control his own family, as his youngest sister Maria eagerly pledged support for the newly emerging suffragette movement.
Diplomacy was one area where he still had authority to assert, and so that was the place he went to when he really felt his diminishing strength. Asserting Brazilian influence in Europe was almost therapeutic.
The liberals continued pressing their reform whether the king was there or not. Allowing newspapers to open up independent of direct state control was their latest reform, and one that was popular with the socialists of the Upper House as well for some reason.
Disaster struck in 1884 when the volcano Krakatoa exploded, killing thousands. Not that many actually cared though as they were all bureaucrats.
(Seriously, I checked and Bogor has a population that’s 50% bureaucrats.)
A much bigger disaster came not long after for Massimiliano. Karl Marx was dead, and all the papers were publishing stories on him. With press restrictions reduced he could not simply ban them talking about the story, and soon all of Jadakal was discussing the merits of his ideas. Not everybody was convinced, especially as the papers were restricted from actually endorsing the ideology, so it seemed like the situation would defuse itself soon enough.
But it was really only the beginning.
To be continued…
Certainly very ominous sounding.
A very good narrative section as ever, especially the touch of humour in showing soldiers from centuries apart still slogging away at the same tasks so as to achieve colonisation! I also had to smile at the Krakatoa event, so many bureaucrats is rather odd. Thus Massimiliano's grip on power is weakening and going by your last words in the update, seemingly at the worst possible time too.
morningSIDEr: Ominous is the intention, although the events I added haven’t quite had as much of an effect as I intended. A little bit more modding and things should start heating up properly.
Selvetrica: They’re not angry or numerous enough for that. Yet.
Across Oceans: Brazil’s Ongoing Struggle
Chapter Thirteen: The Build-Up
The streets of Nuovo Lazio
1744
Darkness covered the city as night came to the trading centre of north-eastern Jadakal. It was the perfect cover for boys up to mischief. Or worse.
“Did you get them?”
“Yeah.”
Two figures darted across the road and ducked into a building where several compatriots were waiting. They looked out of the door up and down the street before closing it and lighting the lights inside. On the table in front of them was a large crate.
“Do they work?” the oldest-looking of the group asked. Despite being the effective leader of the group, he was still only twenty.
“Yep boss!” one of the arrivals, a boy barely halfway through his teens, replied. He grinned and prised open the crate to reveal a dozen pistols and bags of gunpowder.
“This is perfect!” the leader said, “now we can show the Doge’s men what the will of the people really looks like!”
“I dunno,” another boy said. The others looked at him sharply. They had all been affected by the Doge’s policies in one way or another and they were all eager for some sort of retribution. The boy noticed the looks he was getting and quickly explained himself. “I mean, it’s just us so what can we do before getting captured and executed?”
“We’re going to show all of Brazil what happens when you have a false republic. The Doge talks a lot about freedom, but the nobles and merchants are really the ones who call the shots. We will- what are you doing Inacio?” the leader paused in his diatribe as his second-in-command closed the crate again.
“I think he’s right. We’re being too hasty. Even if Brazil somehow rises up and throws out the Doge’s men, what then? A republic would probably just fall into control of a new aristocracy eventually like Milan did,” Inacio said.
“He’s right, we need a king!” another boy spoke up.
“Yeah, a leader who can champion for the people instead of the rich!”
“I think the boss would make a good king!”
Inacio smirked and looked at the group’s leader. After decades under the rule of a republican despot the young people of Milan and its colonies held a very idealistic view of monarchy. Still, whatever it took to get them to action.
“What do you say, Massi? Should we wait a little longer?”
“I don’t know about becoming king,” Massimiliano chuckled, “but you’re right, we need to at least live long enough to make sure the revolution goes the right way. Put those guns somewhere safe, we’ve got a lot of work to do before we need them.”
Nuovo Lazio
One hundred and forty years later…
“And here is the assembly line where the parts are put together,” the manager said. He indicated a long conveyor belt lined with workers putting indistinguishable pieces of metal together in a way that actually transformed them into a product. It was quite impressive.
“Good, I’m glad that the new factory is performing well,” Massimiliano II said, keeping a stoic expression throughout the inspection despite sometimes being impressed by the pace of technology. It was important for the king to seem regal, especially in these times when his power was waning.
“Over here are the lathes where we…” The manager continued talking for a while, but Massimiliano was distracted by one of the workers on the production line, who was acting shiftily. He kept looking at the royal party and back his work repeatedly, until suddenly he broke from his position and walked quickly over.
“Sire!” one of his guards stepped in front of the king having also picked up on the threat, but the king told him to step aside when he saw that all the man had in his hands was a piece of paper.
“Please, your highness,” the man said, thrusting out the paper. Massimiliano carefully took hold and looked at it. It seemed to be a graphic drawing of a hand ripped to pieces in amongst gears.
“What is this,” he said with disgust. He hadn’t seen something that horrible in years.
“Your highness, every week someone here loses fingers or limbs in the machinery. The Upper House won’t do anything about it no matter what we say. They’re all factory or mine owners so they don’t care but I was hoping you could as you aren’t as bound by their interests,” the worker explained frantically. The manager was already moving and trying to get some of his lackeys to remove him so he had to get his message across quickly.
Massimiliano didn’t respond as he was still browsing the leaflet. It seemed to have some good points. Factory workers who feared for their lives probably weren’t a productive. But then again you could always get new ones. As he thought about it, he reached the end of the paper and saw the logo emblazoned there. Marked in red was the symbol of the Partido Socialista. Instantly his expression hardened.
“Take him away,” he said as he turned away and crumpled up the leaflet in his hands. The manager eagerly did so. His men took the worker by the arms and dragged him away to whatever fate they had planned.
“Your great-grandfather wouldn’t stand for this! Brazil was supposed to have a king for the people!” the worker continued yelling for some time before leaving sight. The manager apologised profusely to the king and asked if he would like to continue the tour.
“Of course, let us continue. Next time, make sure the socialists are dealt with completely though,” Massimiliano said. The tour continued and soon the terrible incident had been cleansed from his mind completely and he could return to admiring the industrial developments.
***
The socialists were getting bolder. New illegal papers supporting their views were being distributed all over the country. Ordering them censored angered both the socialists and the liberals who believed in free speech.
And in the factories socialist sympathisers spread pamphlets and leaflets that agitated the lower classes. These were quickly dealt with, but there were always more willing to risk their jobs to put out more pieces of paper.
The colonization of Africa continued without incident. The Africa Expedition was already preparing to strike at Zulu to secure the flank of the colonial advance permanently.
Scientists demonstrated the first petrol powered vehicle at the same time as a method for collecting that liquid from crude oil. The possibilities for industry seemed almost endless, and Massimiliano ordered, or rather encouraged, the capitalists to begin building oil refineries and automobile factories.
The Liberal efforts in the Upper House finally ended with the adoption of secret ballots in elections. The Socialists urged them to support the allowance of al trade unions or the ending of press censorship, but both of these would have been vetoed.
(On that note, the source of the ridiculous number of socialists in the UH has been discovered. Since I have it set to appointed, these socialist aristocrats are heavily biasing the outcome. Of course, that just raises more questions than it answers as these are by far the most socialist pops in the nation.)
Brazil yet again intervened in a war between Morocco and Egypt, however this time there were no other incidents that distracted the country’s attention and so a full invasion of Egypt was orchestrated.
The majority of the Egyptian army was intercepted in Tobruk, where the most recent developments in military technology were tested to great effect. With them out of the way, the Brazilian army could move unopposed into Egypt.
Meamwhile, there were major riots in some cities as the tariffs on imported grain meant that bread production could not keep up with Brazil’s exploding population. The government decided to wait this out, despite the anger it would cause.
As Brazilian forces marched through Egypt, they came across a problem. The British controlled Suez, and refused Brazilian forces access. The situation came to a head when a group of Brazilian soldiers accidentally crossed the border and ended up in a firefight with a British patrol. This pretext was exactly what Massimiliano wanted. To control Suez and well as Panama would give Brazil unprecedented control over world trade and make Massimiliano one of the most powerful men in the world. However, a proper base in the region would be needed first.
Finally the government decided to respond to the bread riots and reduce public anger, agreeing to establish a system where the most sickly and malnourished people could get their healthcare paid for by the state.
As luck would have it, there were a significant number of Moroccans living in the regions surrounding the Suez Canal. This was the excuse used to get Egypt to give up the land and hand it over to Brazil’s ally and soon-to-be sphereling. From here, Brazilian forces to rest before marching on the Canal itself and strike at the heart of Egypt if they decided to join in the impending war against their sphere-master.
In Rome, a young woman by the name of Rosa Gramsci declared that the forces of reaction were far too strong for simple activism and dialogue to change things. A new, more militant, methodology was needed, perhaps going as far as the violent overthrow of the old regimes. While the government had been slowly acquiescing to their demands, there were some in Brazil who felt that change was coming far too slowly, and perhaps that there really was something behind her words.
That would have to be placed on the sidelines however, as war with a Great Power once again came to Brazil.
To be continued…
Selvetrica: They’re not angry or numerous enough for that. Yet.
Across Oceans: Brazil’s Ongoing Struggle
Chapter Thirteen: The Build-Up
The streets of Nuovo Lazio
1744
Darkness covered the city as night came to the trading centre of north-eastern Jadakal. It was the perfect cover for boys up to mischief. Or worse.
“Did you get them?”
“Yeah.”
Two figures darted across the road and ducked into a building where several compatriots were waiting. They looked out of the door up and down the street before closing it and lighting the lights inside. On the table in front of them was a large crate.
“Do they work?” the oldest-looking of the group asked. Despite being the effective leader of the group, he was still only twenty.
“Yep boss!” one of the arrivals, a boy barely halfway through his teens, replied. He grinned and prised open the crate to reveal a dozen pistols and bags of gunpowder.
“This is perfect!” the leader said, “now we can show the Doge’s men what the will of the people really looks like!”
“I dunno,” another boy said. The others looked at him sharply. They had all been affected by the Doge’s policies in one way or another and they were all eager for some sort of retribution. The boy noticed the looks he was getting and quickly explained himself. “I mean, it’s just us so what can we do before getting captured and executed?”
“We’re going to show all of Brazil what happens when you have a false republic. The Doge talks a lot about freedom, but the nobles and merchants are really the ones who call the shots. We will- what are you doing Inacio?” the leader paused in his diatribe as his second-in-command closed the crate again.
“I think he’s right. We’re being too hasty. Even if Brazil somehow rises up and throws out the Doge’s men, what then? A republic would probably just fall into control of a new aristocracy eventually like Milan did,” Inacio said.
“He’s right, we need a king!” another boy spoke up.
“Yeah, a leader who can champion for the people instead of the rich!”
“I think the boss would make a good king!”
Inacio smirked and looked at the group’s leader. After decades under the rule of a republican despot the young people of Milan and its colonies held a very idealistic view of monarchy. Still, whatever it took to get them to action.
“What do you say, Massi? Should we wait a little longer?”
“I don’t know about becoming king,” Massimiliano chuckled, “but you’re right, we need to at least live long enough to make sure the revolution goes the right way. Put those guns somewhere safe, we’ve got a lot of work to do before we need them.”
Nuovo Lazio
One hundred and forty years later…
“And here is the assembly line where the parts are put together,” the manager said. He indicated a long conveyor belt lined with workers putting indistinguishable pieces of metal together in a way that actually transformed them into a product. It was quite impressive.
“Good, I’m glad that the new factory is performing well,” Massimiliano II said, keeping a stoic expression throughout the inspection despite sometimes being impressed by the pace of technology. It was important for the king to seem regal, especially in these times when his power was waning.
“Over here are the lathes where we…” The manager continued talking for a while, but Massimiliano was distracted by one of the workers on the production line, who was acting shiftily. He kept looking at the royal party and back his work repeatedly, until suddenly he broke from his position and walked quickly over.
“Sire!” one of his guards stepped in front of the king having also picked up on the threat, but the king told him to step aside when he saw that all the man had in his hands was a piece of paper.
“Please, your highness,” the man said, thrusting out the paper. Massimiliano carefully took hold and looked at it. It seemed to be a graphic drawing of a hand ripped to pieces in amongst gears.
“What is this,” he said with disgust. He hadn’t seen something that horrible in years.
“Your highness, every week someone here loses fingers or limbs in the machinery. The Upper House won’t do anything about it no matter what we say. They’re all factory or mine owners so they don’t care but I was hoping you could as you aren’t as bound by their interests,” the worker explained frantically. The manager was already moving and trying to get some of his lackeys to remove him so he had to get his message across quickly.
Massimiliano didn’t respond as he was still browsing the leaflet. It seemed to have some good points. Factory workers who feared for their lives probably weren’t a productive. But then again you could always get new ones. As he thought about it, he reached the end of the paper and saw the logo emblazoned there. Marked in red was the symbol of the Partido Socialista. Instantly his expression hardened.
“Take him away,” he said as he turned away and crumpled up the leaflet in his hands. The manager eagerly did so. His men took the worker by the arms and dragged him away to whatever fate they had planned.
“Your great-grandfather wouldn’t stand for this! Brazil was supposed to have a king for the people!” the worker continued yelling for some time before leaving sight. The manager apologised profusely to the king and asked if he would like to continue the tour.
“Of course, let us continue. Next time, make sure the socialists are dealt with completely though,” Massimiliano said. The tour continued and soon the terrible incident had been cleansed from his mind completely and he could return to admiring the industrial developments.
***
The socialists were getting bolder. New illegal papers supporting their views were being distributed all over the country. Ordering them censored angered both the socialists and the liberals who believed in free speech.
And in the factories socialist sympathisers spread pamphlets and leaflets that agitated the lower classes. These were quickly dealt with, but there were always more willing to risk their jobs to put out more pieces of paper.
The colonization of Africa continued without incident. The Africa Expedition was already preparing to strike at Zulu to secure the flank of the colonial advance permanently.
Scientists demonstrated the first petrol powered vehicle at the same time as a method for collecting that liquid from crude oil. The possibilities for industry seemed almost endless, and Massimiliano ordered, or rather encouraged, the capitalists to begin building oil refineries and automobile factories.
The Liberal efforts in the Upper House finally ended with the adoption of secret ballots in elections. The Socialists urged them to support the allowance of al trade unions or the ending of press censorship, but both of these would have been vetoed.
(On that note, the source of the ridiculous number of socialists in the UH has been discovered. Since I have it set to appointed, these socialist aristocrats are heavily biasing the outcome. Of course, that just raises more questions than it answers as these are by far the most socialist pops in the nation.)
Brazil yet again intervened in a war between Morocco and Egypt, however this time there were no other incidents that distracted the country’s attention and so a full invasion of Egypt was orchestrated.
The majority of the Egyptian army was intercepted in Tobruk, where the most recent developments in military technology were tested to great effect. With them out of the way, the Brazilian army could move unopposed into Egypt.
Meamwhile, there were major riots in some cities as the tariffs on imported grain meant that bread production could not keep up with Brazil’s exploding population. The government decided to wait this out, despite the anger it would cause.
As Brazilian forces marched through Egypt, they came across a problem. The British controlled Suez, and refused Brazilian forces access. The situation came to a head when a group of Brazilian soldiers accidentally crossed the border and ended up in a firefight with a British patrol. This pretext was exactly what Massimiliano wanted. To control Suez and well as Panama would give Brazil unprecedented control over world trade and make Massimiliano one of the most powerful men in the world. However, a proper base in the region would be needed first.
Finally the government decided to respond to the bread riots and reduce public anger, agreeing to establish a system where the most sickly and malnourished people could get their healthcare paid for by the state.
As luck would have it, there were a significant number of Moroccans living in the regions surrounding the Suez Canal. This was the excuse used to get Egypt to give up the land and hand it over to Brazil’s ally and soon-to-be sphereling. From here, Brazilian forces to rest before marching on the Canal itself and strike at the heart of Egypt if they decided to join in the impending war against their sphere-master.
In Rome, a young woman by the name of Rosa Gramsci declared that the forces of reaction were far too strong for simple activism and dialogue to change things. A new, more militant, methodology was needed, perhaps going as far as the violent overthrow of the old regimes. While the government had been slowly acquiescing to their demands, there were some in Brazil who felt that change was coming far too slowly, and perhaps that there really was something behind her words.
That would have to be placed on the sidelines however, as war with a Great Power once again came to Brazil.
To be continued…
An awesome war awaits!
I really like the before and after shots of your history style. One of my favorite things in games and literature is to see the results of actions on the future, and you do a great job of showcasing that.
I really like the before and after shots of your history style. One of my favorite things in games and literature is to see the results of actions on the future, and you do a great job of showcasing that.
This should be a fascinating contest, both Britain and Brazil appear roughly similar in strength. Any warfare made all the more interesting by the unrest at home, the socialists are certainly getting bolder.