Chapter 15: Taking Charge Pt. 2
Once again, the Empire was marching to war, against a different foe yet again over territory it had no interest in. Westphalia's entry in the war however changed things. Westphalia's army had been undefeated on the field for nearly half a century and shared an extensive border with Austria's german territory.
When all attempts by Kaiser Wilhelm to convince the Westphalians to back down the Imperial response was swift and brutal.
The Westphalian military had hoped to score a successive chain of Victories on Austrian soil much as they had done to the Celtic Empire before them. Russia would meanwhile be busy in sweden and the hope was to inflict enough damage to Holy Roman Industry and Infrastructure that they would be forced to bow out. The Plan failed almost immediately as the local Garrisons near Dresden, Frankfurt and Prague mobilized and through the utilization of the new German Railroads managed to respond to the Westphalians turning them back while the remainder of the army was redeploying, though some Westphalian raiders did eventually make it through but their effects were minor.
Within several months the Westphalians had been not only turned back but put on the defensive. The Westphalians for all their organization and skill were simply outnumbered by nearly a factor of ten. To compensate for the massive manpower differential a draft was issued to mobilize more men for the front. Still the damage had already been done, the Eastern half of the Kingdom had been effectively severed off and Hanover was expected to follow in the coming months.
At Dresden in particular the Holy Roman Empire slaughtered a sizeable chunk of the Westphalian Army. With nearly 30,000 Veteran soldiers as prisoners or war or dead things had begun to look grim, especially as more regiments began to arrive by rail. The Westphalians formally sued for peace and with Westphalia beaten the Swedes decided it best to surrender as well before harsher demands could be made of them.
The demands of the Holy League were both simple and light. Southern Finland was to be ceded over to Russia in its entirety. Westphalia and Sweden would also pay minor reparations for damages caused in the war and submit back under Russia and Austrian control. The Real damage, one that could not be included in any peace treaty was the blow to Westphalia's pride and prestige. The invincible rising star of Europe had been put down by the Guardian of the Status Quo. If there was to be any hope in the Future for a Pan-Germanic Empire, it would lie with the Empire, not the Upstart on the Elbe.
(Prince-Regent Otto Anniona in military dress serving in Japan)
While the Russo-Swedish war having interrupted Willhelm's reforms in Europe for the moment they had only just begun in Imperial Japan. The Imperial Dominion of Japan had for the most part been left up to the rule of the Prince-Regent Otto. Otto originally had been resentful of his posting in Asia, for his post meant he would be around primarily Japanese and Imperial-Japanese officials. Unlike his predecessor the Regent-General Hans-Schmidt Otto could not speak Japanese, nor was schooled in any native customs at all.
Because of this Otto left much of the ruling of Japan to his Little Reichsrat as he called it. A Collection of Various Japanese and Imperial officers who reorganized the old military occupation of Japan into a true colonial administration befitting its status as a Jewel in the Holy Roman Crown.
Because of Japan's large population, the ever present threat of a popular revolt had been on the mind of the Imperial-Asian leadership. The Americans had after all had declared their own independence less than a century ago and the Empire had been powerless to resist at the time. To solve this issue the little Reichsrat recognized the various noble families of Japan into a second Shogunate. There would be five major clans under this system who would answer to the little Reichsrat and the Prince-Regent Otto. Using more traditional methods such as requiring the first offspring of each Clan leader to reside in the Imperial Provincial capital at Edo when they themselves weren't present in addition to a system of bribery and support Japan had been successfully subjugated through a mix of Imperial and Home Rule unseen anywhere else in the world.
Still the system had faults and when Korea was later integrated into the system it's lands were given to Japan's clans not native Koreans as while Otto disliked the Japanese, reportedly he hated the Koreans even more, writing on several occasions that they were disloyal, disobedient and inefficient. What the Japanese Daimyo's actually did with the native Koreans under their rule Otto nor the little Reichsrat cared.
(The Yellow Prince, Prince Ferdinand Anniona in 1850)
Kaiser Wilhelm had decided it was time for a chance in his Colonial Policies. Wilhelm's first act was to dismiss Otto from his duties as Prince-Regent of Japan and bring him home. Then likely in a move to decapitate the Liberal movement within the Empire, Prince Ferdinand was sent to replace Otto as Prince-Regent. Ferdinand was both of greater Japanese blood and spoke the language which would be invaluable as his Father's assignments required a competent and loyal hand that could win over the native population from the old regimes of the past.
Prince Ferdinand as well had benefitted from this arrangement, as while he could never hope to implement his ideals in Austria thanks to his father's own meddling he would be left alone to make Japan a profitable and invaluable part of the empire.
Japan and its vast population served as an invaluable internal market for Austrian manufactured goods. The Local Japanese however had spent centuries in economic and cultural isolation and while Japanese culture had its admirers throughout the empire, including Emperor Wilhelm himself it had remained economically isolated from the empire.
Ferdinand's first reforms would be to construct a Railroad network throughout the provinces, Open various ports for the Imperial East Asia company to trade in and issuing several charters. The most significant of which were changes to the traditional code of Bushido to make clear the Emperor and his family came first in the order for Loyalty of the Samurai.
(Picture of a Samurai during the Imperial Reorganization)
Ferdinand's reforms quickly galvanized the ruling classes of Japan. The Daimyo and their supporters rose in opposition to the sudden forcible westernization of Japan. Ferdinand's reforms after all benefitted the Empire and not the Regional lords. The Samurai, especially those in Areas that had been under more direct imperial rule saw Ferdinand's reforms in a more positive light. The Daimyo were becoming less and less required in an Era where the Shogun not only blood but a chosen son of the Emperor. Due to older reforms passed in the Napoleonic Era allowing Samurai to join the colonial military freely Samurai had not only reason but a direct path in which they could support the Emperor.
The Wu Dynasty, of course had been awaiting such an opportunity for some time. With the Daimyo and their own Samurai growing more and more displeased with Ferdinand's reforms a chance to finally weaken the Austrian hold on her Eastern colonies had presented itself. The Wu began sending large shipments of weapons, supplies and other material into Japan as well as promises to aid a revolt against Austrian rule.
The Final straw was when Prince Ferdinand announced his plan going forward for the Austrian Orient. Called the Prosperity Charter, Prince Ferdinand approved the opening of yet another dozen ports to Austrian Capitalists, almost all of these ports were controlled by regional Daimyo . Taxes and Tariffs at these ports however would be paid to the office of the Regency, not to the Daimyo. Seeing this as a blatant violation of their privileges the Daimyo revolted
The the Daimyo rebellion of 1851 had begun.