A House of Cards (An alternative KR-MDS AAR)

[Kurt_Steiner]

1st March, 2005

General Sun Li-jen, the CiC of the RoC armed forces wasn't a happy man. He had been commanded with the task of invading the Qing Empire in three-weeks time. The problem for him was not the short time given to prepare the offensive, but the whole idea. Not even in three decades, in his opinion, the RoC forces would be ready for the task. So, on March 1st, Sun Li-jen was replaced by General Ho Shou Yeh, who was as pesimist as Sun Lio-jen, but who also kept his thoughts to himself.

On the same day the traditionalist and theocratic state of Shangqing Tianguo send a diplomatic messenger. He wasseeking an audience with the president of the state to offer them something impossible to believe: an alliance. While they have radically different visions for China’s future, the message said, both nations aimed for a ‘China for the Chinese’ and to overthrown the Qing dynasty. Thus, it would only be rational for them to cooperate with each other, and once their many mutual enemies were defeated, work out what happens in the end.

The surprise left the RoC government speechless for a while.

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

5th, March, 2005

Prime minister Soong Ching-ling did not answer at once the offer from Tianguo. At the end, what he did was to offer a novel ideal: a federation of the two countries. They would had a common government (with Soong Ching-ling at his helm) that would guarantee that the freedom of religion is one of the key civil liberties of the Federation. Of course, this offer was rejected. Tianan Zhang, the Shanqing leader, rejected this counter proposal outright, publicly denouncing the Republicans’ rejection of the alliance as a sigh that they have obviously been too influenced by the foreign powers.

However, Zhang's answer was considered too be quite insulting by his RoC counerpart and, during the night hours of March 5th, 2004, the Republic of China went to war aqainst Shanqing Tianguo.

 

[Asalto]

Once again I'm amazed how much detail you're putting into this! And how do you manage to craft those nice fictional Wikipedia entries? You actually made Clooney look very presidential. And events in Balkans are also very well covered, I'm surprised you're depicting all those individual islands and other places. I'm noticing you use mix of real politicians with fictional ones in such sections, and fictional ones often bear names similar to people from past eras that were connected to respective state/region/politics. Is this meant to represent they are descedants of those people, like sons and grandsons for example? Good job with all that, it's really refreshing to see so many diffrent parts of the world getting so much attention. Japan, South America, Balkans...tons of names, parties, places...one couldn't ask for more I think.

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

Hi Asalto!

It's just my inspiration and my imagination working together, just that.

I was helped by a film, Ides of March, were Clooney was a candidate to the white House... That gave me the idea and some pictures... .

Basically, I simply try to give a glimpse on every war theatre, an the Balkans hae a lovely and useful history filled with coup d'etats, revolutons et al, too good to be wasted

The use of real and fictional is a constant of this AAR. The former helps to give some feeling of "reality" and the latter keep my hands free to manipulate events as it pleases me, so... I simply love to do it. Using the names of historical figures and to adapt them is easier than making new ones, as you can imagine . I couldn't tell myself if the represent they are descedants of those people... I leave that to the reader

I'm glad to you like it

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

October, 2004 - March 2005, National France (1)

All of the sudden, National France was on the verge of disaster. To the turmoil of the change of the regime and the uncertainty of times there were several terrorist groups acting against the new regime. Some of them had been active fighthing against the Lioncourt rule, but, after his death, they kept fighting. For them, King Jean and Cremieux were nothing but the old dictatorship with a new disguise.

Those gorups were the FRAP (Front Révolutionnaire Antifasciste et Patriote - Anti-Fascist and Patriotic Revolutionary front), that was to be most active between 2003 and 2004 and the Maoist GRAPO (Groupes de Résistance Antifasciste du Premier Octobre - First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups), which in the middle of 2004 seemed open to a limited truce after Lioncourt's death after being heavily weakened by several antiterrorist actions, but they resumed armed confrontation again in October.

There were also the far-right terrorism, when far-right groups, opposed the changes being produced in National France from the transition to democracy, resorted to using violence against persons of other ideologies. Those were the Phalange africaine (African Phalanx), the Milice Francaise (French Militia), the Franc Garde (Free Guard) and some violent extremists of the already extremist political Party Front National (National Front).

Their actions took place in such a way that the made a tragic chain of events that cause that the nervous tension all over the country rose constantly. It was "like living in a powder keg without knowing who was to ignite the final blast".

On December 18, 2004, in spite of the terrorist actions, the country voted the Political Reform Bill, being a huge victory for democracy. Then, hardly four days later...

December 22th, 2004. While leaving a meeting of the FG, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marc Dolez, the leaders of the FG, were gunned down by four men who had waited for them through the late afternoon. Mélenchon was heavily wounded, while Dolez died on the spot.

 

[Asalto]

France in turmoil once again I see...

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

It's going to be hard times for the French...

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

October, 2004 - March 2005, National France (2)

The assassination of Dolez unsettled the country and threatened to unsleah an ocean of rage that the government would be unable to cope with, threatening to destroy the "peaceful" transition from dictatorship to democracy. Above all, it ended the hopes of those who hoped that nothing would change but the ones of those who believed that everything was possible.

However, no one realized about it then. Of course, no one knew that then.

The funeral of Dolez was a powerful symbol of the the situation of big chunk of the French society. Around 300,000 people attended the funeral amidst of a thundering silence. There were no flags, no shouts of rage or claims for revenge. No red flags at all. The disclipine and order shown by the followers of the FG impressed many. Deeply shocked, Cremieux promised justice to the family of Dolezo and to all France.

The murderers were immediatle arrested. To have them in jail was a vital question for the goverment. Thus, three of the four men were caught by the police a few days later. The fourth man was never caught and his identity remains a mistery to this day. All of them were linked to the Front National, which only added salt to the injury.

However, things seemed to go from bad to worse.

January 23rd, 2004: General Emile Châteauvieux, president of the Supreme Council of Military Justice, was injured when an unknown gunman fired three shots at him. Then, that very month of January, three members of the Security Forces were killed by unknown attackers. During the funeral of the policemen, around 200 members of the National Front disturb the peace of the act with shouts against the government: "Power to the army!" "Traitor government!" and "Less democracy and more authority!".

In spite of all the pressure, Cremiex didn't put the country under the exception state. The government was not going to surrender, claimed the primer minister on the television.

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

October, 2004 - March 2005, National France (3)

The assassination of Dolez gave the green light to the legalization of the PS. The army was restless, fearing that Cremieux was to allow Syndicalism to run free in National France; the left parties were paranoid and very afraid that the measure would enrage the far right terrorist bands and the army; and the far right saw complots everywhere and feared that a Red Revolution was to engulf the country in any moment.

While this was going on, Charles Warbeck, Seretary of State under George Clooney, astonished the world by stating that the French government "should allow all the political parties, even the Syndicalists, to join freely the political game" in what was called "the iceberg's theory": "it's better to see the iceberg. The sunken part is the real dangerous one".

The PS was to be legalised. The King and Cremieux knew that it was essential for the democratic process. Then, on April 9th, the PS was legalized and National France (and somehow the world) kept its breath.

Meanwhile, on the Rhine...

 

[Asalto]

So PS is actually quite radical force than now got recognition in National France? I always imagined French junta might legalize PS under figure like Leon Blum as some kind of controlled oposition, but on the other hand such reactionary regimes don't want to see generally traditionalist picture ruined even by such cosmetic concessions, so such strong radical Left sentiments would probably appear in time in such polarized society.

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

Thre PS is quite a force in this National France, and, with a reformist government, its legalization was a "must". And even more in this France making its return to democracy.

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

15th, March, 2005

Tucker was beginning to hate the Rhine river. It marked the frontline from the Swiss border to the North Sea. And since the arrival of the Russian armies, it had become the limit of any possible advance.

After a coded message had ben intercepted and decoded, Tucker felt uneasy. The message consisted of a single word: «Багратион». Bagration, for the 18th–19th century Prince Pyotr Bagration, general of the Imperial Russian Army who was mortally wounded at Borodino.

The enemy was up to something. If their spies were right, all along the front more than 1,200,000 German and 1,000,000 Russian soldiers (along with 30,000 Baltic and Lithuanian volunteers) were waiting for the time to attack. They mustered also 2,750 tanks, 16,000 guns and 4,000 aircraft.

The Anglo-Spanish-French Forces had 2,000,000 men, 2,000 tanks, 20,000 guns and 3,000 planes.

But in the South of Europe, disaster was close to happen, as the Russian armies had secured Romania, who was fighting now in the enemy side, along with Bulgaria and Greece. Serbia was doomed to fall and then it would be the time for Italy.

Then, another one-worded message.«Колча́к».

Kolchack, a Russian admiral.

 

[Asalto]

Wow, the size of those armies is impressive!

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

Germany is almost without reserves, in a similar situation to the British army towards the end of WW2, while Russia has a large pool of troops to use if needed.

The Syndicalist forces are also in a similar situation to Germany.

 

[Asalto]

Germany is almost without reserves, in a similar situation to the British army towards the end of WW2, while Russia has a large pool of troops to use if needed.

The Syndicalist forces are also in a similar situation to Germany.

So everyone except Russia are pretty much throwing everything they got against their enemies...

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

Yes, but Russia has not endless resources.

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

21st March, 2005

Nikolai Peter von Ungern-Sternberg ruled the so-called Mongol Empire as his grand father used to do: in a crazy way. On his behalf, one can say that on Ungern-Sternberg was not a bloody tyrant that killed liberally his own people. No. He reserved his wrath to his enemies.

When the self-proclaimed "Gengis Khan III" decided to expand his empire further and declared war to Shinquant Tianguo, everyone was midly surprised, as no one counted with Mongolia. A ferw days later, the astonished Qing also declared war against the Shangqing scum.


The Republic of China, not wanting to be left without the despoils of the war but keeping an eye in Tokio, also joined the war, a week later.

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

31st March, 2005

Vietnam had remained calm after Junction City. As the new Vietnamese government began to take control of the country from the Entente administration and the Vietnamese army began to replace the US and Canadian forces, many of the remnants of guerrillas in Najaf kept their weapons and moved to Cambodia and Laos in order to regroup, specially around the town of Ponhea Kraek.

Negotiations related with the disarmament of the local guerrillas were going nowhere, as many of those groups were acting on their own and there was no a central command. As a result, renewed fighting began on March 26 in the Mekong between US forces and the guerrillas. The first few days of fighting killed at least 2 US soldiers and dozens of Vietnamese, both civilians and fighters.A car bombing that killed 7 Entente and 3 Vietnamese soldiers nine miles north of An Loc marked the beginning of a terrorist campaign of bomb attacks in Saigon and Hanoi.

 

[Asalto]

Interesting developments in Asia!

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

I was planning this for Indochina since a long time ago, but the world is too big and I can't be in all places at the same time...