A Persian Welcome, Part 1
Southern Turkestan - December 29
The train clacked over the rusty rails, heading south with a speed Wilhelmina had almost forgotten.
Leyla’s right. This is
much faster—and convenient—than riding on horses. But at least the trains here are used to carrying livestock in the back, fortunately enough. All we’ve got to do now is relax and wait. I’m fine with just watching the desert and Caspian coast zip by.
Samir, Gulichi, and Leyla lounged in one corner, playing card games with Friedrich and Ilyana. Ilyana seemed to be winning, although the adults were probably letting her win. Gebhard was reviewing a map of Central Asia Leyla had given him, with updated troop locations and fronts. After a month of little contact with the outside world, his knowledge of the war’s progress was severely out of date.
Izinchi stretched and felt her seat again. “Oh, how I missed this! It’s been so long since I’ve had such a fluffy seat.”
Gebhard looked up from Leyla’s map. “We’ve been on this train for three days.”
“Aye, I’m still not used to it. Last time I rode a train was in Tsarberg. You know how rusty and creaky those trains were?”
“They were left over from the Soviet era. Fifty year old trains tend to suck.”
“And this one isn’t?”
“It’s a couple years old,” Leyla said, “One of the CAC’s first supernational projects was an integrated and modernized infrastructure network for all member states. But the project was delayed because it allocated a lot of resources and funding for Yavdian infrastructure, and the Paulluists withdrew you.”
She glared at Samir.
“Sorry,” Samir said.
“Has Yavdi thought about rejoining the CAC now that the Paulluists are gone?”
Samir sadly shook his head. “It’s unlikely. The Paulluists may no longer be in power, but their propaganda over the years has made accession politically toxic. It’ll take a few generations before such sentiments die down.”
Leyla stopped herself from facepalming. “Why did I even bother asking?”
“A shame,” Gulichi said, “Takomaan could’ve used some infrastructure upgrades. Where’d you get these trains from?”
“The original plan was to buy from the Reich, but then the committee happened. They didn’t immediately cancel the contract, but they made negotiations and progress hell. They finally cancelled it two years ago when they proclaimed Jerusalem, using the excuse that our contract was with the Reich and not Jerusalem. Since there were no other reasonable or convenient buyers, we decided to build them ourselves.”
“Y’guys did great with the whole ‘user convenience’,” Izinchi said, “I love these seats!”
“Uh…thanks? I’m just another rider, though.” Leyla shook her head and lowered her voice. “I wonder how this lady is a senator…”
The intercom chimed with a distinctly Turkish melody…Mozart’s
Alla Turca.
Haha. Very funny.
“Now arriving at the border.”
“After a month, we finally made it,” Wilhelmina said.
“About time,” Gebhard said, “I need to know what happened to the loyalists.”
“I just want to have a nice long bath and settle into a nice bed,” Izinchi said.
“What about you, Wilhelmina?” Samir said.
“I’ve been thinking of getting in touch with Gunduz.”
“The Shahbanu?” Leyla raised an eyebrow. “You know the frakking Shahbanu?!”
“Yeah, we knew each other as kids. We’re not particularly close, but she’s the Shahbanu, and I’m the leader of the Roman resistance. I can’t not to talk with her.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Leyla rolled her eyes. “Actually, I shouldn’t be asking that. Just get whatever it is you need done.”
“How bad are things?”
“Turkestan is on the brink of collapse,” Leyla said, “Nobody expected the encircled Crusaders to last as long as they did. But they’ve become an existential threat now. Samarkand is under siege. We’ve lost Bishkek and Bukhara. Meanwhile, the Chinese have made things much worse by coming over the border.”
“But if they’re attacking the Crusaders, that’s a good thing, right?”
“They’re just as hostile to us. Han has no love for the CAC. All his troops do in Turkestan is loot and pillage and make everything a complete mess.”
“Why’d you send troops to Astrakhan, then?” Samir said. “Surely if Samarkand is threatened, you’d reinforce it?”
“Even after getting nuked, Samarkand is well stocked and defended. We are well equipped to withstand a lengthy siege. We’ve banked a lot on Persian and Afghan reinforcements coming to relieve us, while we contribute to the upcoming Taurica operation. Samarkand won’t fall easily. As long as we hold Samarkand, Turkestan will keep fighting. But we need all the troops we can spare for Taurica.”
“What about other fronts?” Wilhelmina said. “You talk a lot about invading Taurica and the Russians and Malians putting pressure on East Prussia and Westafrika, but there are other fronts we could press.”
“What do you mean?” Gebhard said. “Jerusalem has the other fronts locked down, from what I understand. East Africa is tied up just stopping their own Crusader invasion.”
“No, I was talking about Persia,” Wilhelmina said, “It’s been right next door to Jerusalem all this time, and yet it’s held out against all odds. Why not just attack into Mesopotamia?”
“You do have a point,” Leyla said, “Persia’s military is the most intact of all of the Schengen militaries. Our infrastructure is also in good shape. But it appears Gunduz’s current strategy is to focus on Turkestan.”
“What if that’s a diversion?” Wilhelmina said.
“How could that be?” Gebhard said. “It’s clear the Crusaders simply attacked out from their garrisons in eastern Turkestan. They just want to overrun the whole country and then use it as a staging ground to attack into China and Persia.”
“And in an invasion of Persia, they would attack from both Mesopotamia and Turkestan,” Wilhelmina said.
“Yes, that’s likely,” Gebhard said, “That’s how the old Reich used to fight with Persia, at least on the Mesopotamia part.”
“So wouldn’t it make more sense if we attacked Mesopotamia first?” Wilhelmina said. “Deny them the chance to carry out a pincer attack and open up another front they have to defend on. Take the fight to them, instead of waiting for them to come to us in Persia. Then their troops in Turkestan would be even more cut off, and we can finish them off separately.”
“She does have a point,” Izinchi said.
“Well, no use sharing it with me,” Leyla said, “I’m not in charge of operations. You’ll have to talk to Gunduz.”
“I plan on it,” Wilhelmina said.
The train slowed down as it passed a checkpoint. Soldiers wearing uniforms with the CAC insignia on top of the Turkish and Persian ones stood on guard, while the flags of Turkestan and Persia waved in the wind overhead.
“Guess it’s official now,” Wilhelmina said, “Welcome to Persia, everybody.”
The last part of our trip sure flew by relatively quickly and safely. Thank goodness.
Isfahan - December 30
It was Day 3 of Tania’s quarantine. The Persian authorities had given her a hotel room to stay in for a week to wait out any potential smallpox symptoms. Though from what Angelica had told her about this particular strain, standard quarantine measures designed for past strains likely wouldn’t work. Still, better safe than sorry.
I remember that one time my whole fleet had to spend two weeks in quarantine after a port call in Tianjin 16 years ago. Something about a novel coronavirus outbreak. They got it under control in a couple days, so there was never really any danger of it spreading. I myself never got infected, but it was boring. I was stuck in my quarters for two weeks. Good thing this time is a little better. Quarantine’s only a week and we’re already halfway through. This hotel room has enough amenties and comforts to not bore me out. I get free food delivered to my door every day by a guy in a hazmat suit…although I’m still getting used to chelow kabab
. The books are great too. I like the bios—Friedrich de Normandie’s Crusade for Home
, Hugo Doukas’ Reminiscences
, and Osterhild Anniona’s An Autobiography
—but I wish they had at least one Percy Johanson book, or maybe something from A Symphony of Frost and Flame
. I wonder how the others are taking quarantine. Angelica’s been very quiet lately, although I know she’s in the next room over.
Tania got her breakfast ready and turned on the TV. The Internet and satellite connection was very good here. As always, the news was on.
“And now, our continuing coverage on the war. Samarkand enters its 41st day of siege. The Turkish Army continues to hold out against the Jerusalemite onslaught, thanks to airlifts from the Persian Air Force and our Afghan allies. The Imperial Chinese Army’s advance into eastern Turkestan has also been stalled, both by Turkish forces and Crusaders. In an address broadcast to the nation last night, Padishah Bayezid declared he would give up the city to neither Jerusalem nor China, and the Turkish people would do whatever it takes to hold out until reinforcements from the rest of the CAC arrived.”
“We Turks have endured for centuries,” Bayezid said, “We have fought off the Mongols, Timurids, Indians, and Chinese when they sought to control our destiny. Now we continue that legacy today, as Turkestan enters its darkest hour. I call upon all of my fellow citizens to give their all to the defense of Samarkand. As long as we hold the Jewel of Central Asia, the ancient capital of Timur and Osman, our enemies will not prevail!”
“In the west, Schengen forces have secured many decisive victories in the Baltics, with more on the way. Jerusalem continues its retreat from Vilnius, with the forces of General Lev Konstantinov in close pursuit. Now working closely with Chancellor Boris Bradziunas, who had drafted himself into his former role as general, and the Commonwealth Land Force, Konstantinov continues his march west to the border. Thanks to Konstantinov, a Crusader army was routed at the town of Bialystock, while in the Gulf of Riga, fleets from Livonia, Scandinavia, and the remnant Russian Navy are gradually gaining the upper hand against the Holy Marine’s First Cherubim Fleet. Bradziunas promises a decisive shift in the war’s fortunes by mid-January.”
“It is clear Jerusalem is a paper tiger,” Boris said, “For all the bluster and devastation they caused in November, they do not have the firepower or manpower to back it up. Although their troops are all over the world and in large numbers, there is little supporting or coordinating them. It feels at times like there is little leadership at the top. We have only to push hard and fast in the right spot and at the right time, and Jerusalem will fall apart. I promise you, Konstantinov and I will find that right spot and time.”
“Despite the chemical scouring of Scandinavia, the death of the Fylkja, and the near total elimination of the Hogting, the emergency government in Tingvalla has made significant progress maintaining order in unaffected areas. While major cities like Stockholm, Helsinki, and Copenhagen remain uninhabitable, some stability has been restored in the interior plains and mountains. Thousands of refugees from the cities and coasts have fled inland to escape the gas and anarchy for the safety of the interior. The emergency government has set up large camps around Tingvalla and other nearby towns to house these refugees, stressing the safety and well-being of all Scandinavians as its highest priority. However, this has put significant economic and logistical strain on the Scandinavian military. Although the navy can rely on Livonian and even some Eimerican fleets to back it up, the army, despite having a smaller amount of territory to defend, has found it increasingly difficult to repel the repeated Crusader incursions into Denmark, as well as suppress bandits and raiders taking advantage of the chaos. Many in the refugee camps are expressing their worries.”
A woman from the Tingvalla camp appeared on screen. “I’m worried for me and my family. I barely escaped Jerusalem with my life. They were trying to kill me because of who I loved. If they were to come here, I fear they could try it again. I don’t want to go through that again. I don’t want to put my son through that.”
Tania heard Angelica yelling something from the next room over.
“Jerusalem continues reeling from the recent cyberattacks carried out by the Korean government. The recent joint operation between Livonia’s Tiger’s Defense and Korea’s Cyber Operations Agency has caused widespread infrastructure shutdowns, communications disruption, and economic confusion. Various BGP attacks spearheaded by Tiger’s Defense have rendered many important Jerusalemite websites unreachable, while DDOS attacks launched from Korea have shut down critical Jerusalemite servers. The Regency has vowed a ‘swift and proportionate retribution’. General Kowalski, leader of Tiger’s Defense, promises that will not happen.”
“This was an unprecedented operation carried on an unprecedented scale,” Kowalski said, “This could only have been achieved by working so closely with the Koreans, and I thank them for their cooperation. While Schengen and the Tianxia may have their differences, and we have come to blows for many reasons, Korea has no quarrels with Schengen and is more than willing to work with us against a common enemy. We genuinely appreciate this gesture.”
“In Southeast Asia, the Ryukyuan Three Mountains Defense Force continues its amphibious operations on the southeastern coast of Sumatra. Having arrived at their destination in mid-December, the SZI has transitioned from a primarily mobile naval armada into a floating coastal fortress providing air and artillery support for Ryukyuan marines on the beaches near the Jerusalem-occupied town of Tanjunpinang. The goal of the daring and extremely risky so-called Operation Shikata Ga Nai is to dislodge Jerusalem’s stranglehold on Sumatra and resume the free flow of not only military supplies for the loyalist Kaiserliche Marine in the Pacific but also civilian trade and commerce. We now go live to the SZI
Sanzan, where Fleet Admiral Higa Ryunosuke, the mastermind behind Operation SGN. Admiral?”
A 40-something man in a blue Ryukyuan admiral’s uniform appeared on screen. He was in his quarters, casually relaxing on his bed. Although he wore his uniform, he looked like he had only just gotten out of bed; a pin with the black and blue
mitsudomoe symbolizing Ryukyu had been hastily attached to his collar and was constantly on the verge of falling out. Which was weird because if it was morning in Persia, then it should be around noon in Sumatra. He was certainly more laid back than Tania had expected.
“
Dā,” Ryunosuke said.
“Hello, Admiral Higa. Thank you for joining us today.”
“Pleasure’s all mine.”
“Now, Admiral, I understand you just arrived in Sumatra, after several weeks at sea. Can you describe how you feel about finally reaching your destination?”
“Well, I should be feeling relieved we made it here in one piece, with minimal casualties. But I can’t. Getting here was only the first part of our operation. Our job didn’t end when we landed on the beaches of Tanjunpinang. It won’t even end when the island is liberated. It will only end when this war does. Only then can I relax.”
“On that subject, you recently had a roadblock on your trip south. Of course, I’m referring to the Battle of Hoang Sa. How did you survive against the Chinese and Penglai onslaught, despite being outnumbered and outgunned?”
“Well, it was pretty simple, really. Growing up, I practiced aikido after school. At the very center of aikido is the principle of
aichi, as we call it. It’s kind of hard to explain what it is, but at its most basic, it is a principle that would allow you to take advantage of and redirect your opponent’s power. An
aichi practitioner, fending off an attack from a superior foe, is able to control the direction of the attack, and thus the attacker. They are able to lead their attacker into an unstable position, in which they are caught off balance; knowing we could not fight both the Chinese and Penglairen at the same time, we moved in such a way to manipulate them into attacking each other. As the attacker lose balance, their control weakens, and the practitioner’s influence grows; by attacking each other, the Chinese and Penglairen lose their strength and any advantage they could have gained with their original numbers and positioning. The practitioner makes use of tactics like shifting weight and applying the needed level pressure, from the subtle to the obvious. While we initially adopted a defensive stance, we did not stay there the whole battle. Instead, we applied pressure by harassing any isolated or overwhelmed targets—constant pressure and stance changing to keep them unbalanced—
kuzushi—and in the position we want them to be in. Finally, the practitioner may negate a defensive action from their attacker or defend in such a way that the attacker’s response would put them in even more danger. Once our numbers were more equal, we lured the Chinese out with an apparently conventional attack, only for that to be a disguise for our real offensive, which they were not prepared for. A coordinated mind and body is the key to victory. The reason we won at Hoang Sa was because our opponents were overconfident and underestimated us. Their minds and bodies were not moving in unison.”
“You seem to have no trouble sharing your own tactics on live TV broadcast worldwide.”
Ryunosuke shrugged. “I have nothing to hide. I doubt my enemies would even listen or care. Even after Hoang Sa, I don’t think they learned their lesson. Otherwise, they would have wiped out my fleet long before we reached Sumatra. Underestimate us at your peril.”
“So you’re not concerned your enemies may study your tactics and learn to counter them?”
“My tactics were clearly on display at Hoang Sa. Nothing I said here is anything new. Everything said to you was done at Hoang Sa. They have plenty of video footage of that battle. It’s up to them to watch the footage and learn from it. But I don’t think the anti-intellectuals in Nanjing and Aojing are the kind of people who study.”
“Alright, then, moving on. What do you consider to be your biggest challenge?”
“Well, it may not come as a surprise to you, given recent events. But it was that time in January 2009 when my account was suspended due to copyright violations.”
“Ah, I remember watching your video ‘How To Be Yakuza’ as a kid. That whole year your videos kept getting taken down.”
“
Ū, that was not my proudest moment. But I pushed through it. I stopped using copyrighted music and started composing my own music. By next year, I had gotten all of my videos back. Now I can fight the Tianxia just fine, but copyright claims are no joke, even back in those days.”
“I know how you feel. Even our own official channel gets hit with copyright strikes sometimes. Anyways, moving on. How do you feel about the situation in the Pacific?”
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say it could be better,. Tawantinsuyu and Fusang are duking it out in the east, which is nice, but I have to deal with both China and Penglai and hope Vietnam, Nusantara, and Qiandao back me up. But
shikata ga nai.” Ryunosuke shrugged. “Everything hinges on us liberating Sumatra now, so supplies and reinforcements can come in from India and East Africa. Maybe Srivijaya can stabilize and push back Penglai, while we focus on China.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little ambitious for a nation like Ryukyu to take on the second best navy in the world?”
“I’ve been told that my whole life. That it’s ambitious for people like me to take on much bigger targets. Hell, our entire history we’ve been told the same thing. ‘Ryukyu is a poor small island off the coast of China’, they say, ‘Ryukyu can’t and will never amount to much on the world stage.’ To that, I say
aibiran. They may have told us that for centuries, but our history tells another story too: everyone underestimates us. They think we’re weak because we’re just a small island in the western Pacific whose chief export is me as an Internet star. They think we can’t do anything. They think it’s safe to ignore us. But they’re completely wrong. Because the instant they ignore us, that is when we strike. The Mongols tried invading us all the way back in the 13th century. We destroyed their fleet before they even got halfway between the mainland and our islands. The Japanese should be thanking us for saving them as well, because that fleet would’ve gone on to them after us. But instead, the Satsuma clan and later the Shiba shoguns tried to invade us. We sunk their ships as well. In 1592, the Koreans tried their luck. They actually considered us seriously, sending a huge armada under their legendary admiral Yi Sun-sin. You know him?”
“Honestly, admiral, I’m not that familiar with Korean history.”
“Well, unlike the last three invaders, he actually took the time to study us. Learning what guns we had, what ship models made up most of our fleet, our commanders and their relationships with each other, and what tactics we would use. That was one war we almost lost. He managed to land troops on our islands. Only reason we weren’t conquered was because we sunk enough of his ships. But he sunk a lot of our ships too. So we called it a draw.”
“A…draw.”
“Korea didn’t conquer us, but it wasn’t a victory for us either. Since then, Yi Sun-sin has been the only enemy commander to even set foot on Ryukyu. We’ve got no hard feelings against him, though. Any enemy who actually walks on our islands deserves our respect. We even have a few shrines dedicated to him, on the beach he landed on. He was a worthy opponent, unlike everybody before or afterward. Nobody since him has been as successful. The Shibas failed again, even with all of Japan under their rule. The Fuxingyundong revolutionaries tried and failed; we only joined the Chinese Empire on our own terms, and even then we retained a lot of autonomy. So did the Angeloi and Rasas. Hoang Sa was only the latest in a long string of ‘unexpected’ victories for us.”
“So you’re saying you only win because everyone underestimates you.”
“That, and we have a ridiculously large navy.”
“What are you going to do next?”
“We’ll help liberate Sumatra. Shore up the loyalist defenses, eradicate the remaining Crusaders. Keep the straits open. Afterward? Well, it depends on what happens in Sumatra. I hear Srivijaya is trying to negotiate a ceasefire in the Pacific, but I doubt it’ll go through.”
“Did you ever think you would ever be here when you started out? You did start out making viral videos.”
“I don’t think the me of thirty years ago would have imagined he’d end up invading Sumatra and fighting China, Penglai, and Jerusalem at the same time. It’s been a long journey for me. But it’s not over yet. All of us here in the SZI have a long road ahead of us.”
“Unfortunately, we’re running short on time, and we probably shouldn’t keep you away from your job too long. Before we call it today, is there anything you would say to all of your detractors and enemies?”
Ryunosuke paused for a moment. Then he looked straight at the camera.
“TEE HEE!”
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