The Seas Belong to the Empire
The Qing busy themselves digging in behind the mighty Dnieper River. The dreaded Syndicalists seem content to allow this. Of course this is mainly due to the fact that they are occupying all their freshly won territory.
What treacherous Syndicalists do not know is that Emperor Puyi was not idle during the Qing retreat. He was calling upon his vassal subjects in India, Korea and Japan to aid the Imperial war effort. No less than 130 divisions answered the call to arms. Even now Japanese, Korean, and Indian troops reinforce their Qing brothers-in-arms at the various fronts.
The French dared to test the mettle of the fresh troops but were beaten back in short order.
The military police brigades finish their training. Once these forces are in position, the supply lines from Beijing will be secured.
Several weeks passed uneventfully as the Qing waited for the end of winter and reinforcements. The French sent in their armor at Kremenchug to try and get across the river. However, the Imperial forces were able to reinforce the position and drive the enemy back.
75 proper Qing divisions finish their training and are deployed at the front. By March 15 the troops arrive at their locations and the Syndicalists have yet to attack. In a little over two months the Qing were able to add 220 fighting divisions to the warzone. The front appears to be secure but one can never be too careful. A further 81 divisions begin their training. Ideally, Imperial forces would like to be around 800 divisions before the offensive into Europe begins again.
Things slow down as the Qing await the end of winter. In a surprise attack the Germans bombed the Qing transport fleet anchored at Vladivostok. No Syndicalists air base is anywhere near the area. I can only assume the AI has unlimited air range like naval.
Qing Naval Command decided to move the transports to a Chinese port for better protection when the fleet is engaged by a surprisingly powerful German carrier force. Guess it wasn't an air attack after all.
It would appear as if the Qing have a spy in their midst! It seems more than a coincidence that when the Qing Submarines are on their way to the Crimea that the Syndicalists attack.
The submarine fleet is ordered to head back to China. Off the southern coast of India they meet a Union of Britain taskforce.
Admiral T.S. Chu, hero of the war against Japan, seeking revenge against the German Navy went to Port Blair. Being the only Syndicalist port in the area, there was a good chance of catching them here. The admiral would be correct.
(Actually Port Blair is controlled by the German Empire, not the German Union. Got to love it when mistakes work out
.)
Very quickly Admiral Chu took the upper hand. The Germans foolishly kept their carriers with their battleships, denying the carriers much of their range advantage. The opening attack on the DNS Barbarossa would kill the German Grand Admiral, leaving them leaderless.
The aggressive minded Chu wasn’t going to allow the German Navy anytime to reorganize and repair. He sailed his fleets for the Central Bay of Bengal.
Here Chu delivered a crushing blow, sinking all of the German Navies carriers. Never again would they threaten the Qing homeland. Three battleships and one light cruiser, though crippled, survived the furious Qing assault.
Every ship that dared attack Vladivostok now lays charred and broken at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. The seas belong to the Empire!
The outdated Diesel-Electric Submarines of the Qing Navy were nonetheless able to carry the day against the German Navy. Modern doctrines and their leader's battle experience played a large role.
In the Ukraine the French led another attack. They would seem to be attacking the Qing looking for a weak point.
The attack is repealed. While the Syndicalists have been searching for a weak point the Qing have been doing the same. The Alliance, just a few short months ago, were able to launch multiple attacks simultaneously. It would seem they have lost that ability, limiting themselves to just a single attack at a time and only in the Ukraine. In May it was decided the Qing would go on the offensive again.
A German Union soldier looks on helplessly from Kiev as another Syndicalists assault fails
As always, thanks for reading!