1833-1834 - Crumbling Empire
Many members of Parliament had been secretly contemplating reform or even a constitution for years now, but when the time finally came for them to put their ideas forward, they floundered and held back. While support for these ideas was still strong, there were still far too many supporters of Joan de Trastámara in Parliament who would never support them. That also wasn't taking into consideration how the Regent would react, and anyone who knew him well knew that he would not take such challenges to his power lightly. Eventually the decision was taken to play the waiting game. Eventually Joan would be pushed from power, either through succession or other means. If the situation became more dire, then they would act. For now, they'd see what the Regent would do first.
The situation in Greece continued to deteriorate. Neither side seemed willing to give in. The riots had been brought to an end, but attacks on the opposing side were still carried out from time to time. As for Byzantium, they were growing antsy. They had moved an army near the border, anticipating the conflict to spread. As they had said before, if Hispania could not help its Greek subjects, Byzantium would. Byzantium's offer was still on the table, and as Greece continued to prove a problem, it became more and more appealing. Parliament was evenly divided on the issue, some believing it was time to let Greece go to achieve stability and keep relations positive with Byzantium, while others refused to give up Hispania's rightful claims to the land. Many suspected Joan would favour the latter, but the Regent surprised everyone when he opened negotiations with Byzantium. He agreed to their offer, stating that in order to bring peace to the region and achieve true financial stability after such turbulent economic times, the transfer of Hispanian Greece to Byzantium was needed. Ties to Byzantium had always been strong, and even with the land in their hands now, the people would still remain close to Hispania. Agreements were made to ensure the protection of those who favoured Hispanian rule who now found themselves in Byzantium and allow free travel between the two empires. The loan to Hispania was officially waived, removing a great burden to the Hispanian economy. Relations between Hispania and Byzantium were at an all-time high after negotiations were completed.
Negotiations with France went just as smoothly. While there was a growing group who didn't want Hispania to get involved at all, the Regent organized a conference with some French representatives to settle the matter peacefully. It would not do, after all, to let some minor colonial conflict escalate to a point where it threatened relations with Hispania's strongest ally. The current Regent of France was offering a exchange of massive tracts of land in La Plata and Australia, where each power would obtain complete control of one of them. This would inevitably displace large numbers of people and displease the locals, but the border conflicts would end for good. There were even some that wanted Hispania to demand both of France's colonies in the region, but such an idea was dismissed as unlikely to ever be accepted by France. Eventually it came down to who would receive what, although based on other possessions in the area, it seemed clear who would want what. Hispania's dominance of South America was undisputed, with only a few other colonies in the region controlled by others. As for Australia, France controlled half, as well as the nearby islands of Tasmania and New Zealand. Hispania would benefit more by strengthening their hold on La Plata, while France would benefit more from controlling all of Australia. Nueva Sicilia tried to protest in the Colonial Congress, but they had always been an outsider compared to the other colonial nations, all who favoured Nuevo Leon over them. Negotiations proceeded quite smoothly after this was agreed upon, and an agreement was struck. French La Plata was to be handed over to Hispania, while Nueva Sicilia would be given to France. The locals might well not be happy with the decision, but it was no longer their place to decide.
While Hispania was doing a good job of keeping its strongest allies happy, there was still the matter of the army to deal with. Recruitment was down and the ranks needed to be filled. Many different options were considered, with a few carried out. The draft was deemed unwise due to the unrest that would surely follow from forced service, while the choice to downsize the army was considered far too dangerous due to the rebellions Hispania had faced and was currently facing. The recruitment of colonial subjects was taken more seriously though. While their loyalty might be more suspect that most citizens, it was the colonial armies that needed the most men, and allowing colonial subjects to serve could well tie them to Hispania in a way that would ensure their support. To further draw in new recruits, financial incentives were offered, either in the form of pay raises or land. With the economy recovering quite nicely, especially now that the loan to Byzantium had been waived, such a thing was possible. The army would surely recover in time.
It would seem though that the army's recovery was not quick enough. The rebellions in India had seen many soldiers lose their lives and the constant transfer of troops to the troublesome areas had left Hispanian China vulnerable. The Exercit Cathay was not prepared for the rebellion that ensued, one backed by Ming financially if not militarily. The population around Canton was generally opposed to Hispanian rule, and the much larger Chinese population had the numbers to overwhelm the Hispanians in the region. The Exercit Cathay probably could have crushed the rebellion on its own if the rebels had been acting alone, but the support of Ming behind the scenes gave the rebels a much-needed advantage. The final nail in the coffin proved to be caused by another problem plaguing Hispania. Supplies for the troops were sent from Europe the moment riots had started. However, the pirates raiding the Red Sea, the very ones Hispania had failed to destroy, attacked the supply ships on the way to China. Most of the supplies were taken or lost, and the small amount that eventually made it to China was not enough to resupply the Exercit Cathay. With the population against them and low on supplies, the army had no choice but to retreat to more defensible ground. The Exercit Cathay holed itself up in Macau and Hong Kong while the rebels rampaged elsewhere. When it was clear that the Hispanian army would not be restoring order, the rebels raised the imperial flag of Ming in Canton, declaring themselves part of China once more. While Hispania refused to acknowledge they had lost any land to Ming through this rebellion, for now Hispania only had de facto control of Macau and Hong Kong.
Even while Hispania struggled to maintain order in East Asia, the situation at home was improving. The economy had mostly recovered, and many suspected there might well be a boom in the near future. Perhaps most important of all in regards to the economy was the growing presence of factories. These industrial buildings were showing up in greater numbers, using new techniques and large numbers of workers to mass produce new products at a much more rapid rate. Goods that once were crafted by artisans in workshops or at home could now be made by dozens of workers on an assembly line in a fraction of the time. Mass production promised the possibility of providing far more goods to a larger section of the population. Then there were the steel vehicles known as trains, capable of travelling at speeds previously unattainable on land, although requiring a laid-out track to traverse across. These trains allowed for the shipment of goods and people across land on a scale unheard of. Wealthy individuals and companies at the moment were providing most of the funding for these new ventures, but that did not mean they were the only ones. A government that became involved in the economy could build these factories as well to provide goods for the Hispanian people. The Industrial Revolution had arrived.
Overseas, a sleeping giant and one of Hispania's most silent allies made its presence known. The United Kingdom of America had been blissfully wallowing in isolation for decades, content with colonizing the west. There had been some competition for land with French Louisiana, but otherwise the UKA kept to itself. Indeed, the two allies had never fought in a war together, their alliance purely defensive at this point. Many suspected it was more of a formality at this point, lacking substance but showing a genuine desire for peaceful relations. Thus when a message arrived from the UKA requesting the purchase of Labrador, many were quite surprised. The UKA had shown interest in Hispania's tiny colony before, but had never done anything hostile about it. Now, as the UKA expanded, it seemed they desired to see their control of the east coast become absolute. They offered Hispania a hefty sum for the small colony, stating that in the interest of continued relations between the two, it should be made clear that the east coast of North America fell under the UKA's domain. Hispania possessed many colonies elsewhere anyway. Here was a chance for Hispania to fill up its treasury a bit more and keep an ally happy at the same time.
The rebellion in China was to have consequences elsewhere as 1834 progressed. Qing had watched their neighbour's action with interest. While the two nations had feuded constantly, they took inspiration from Ming's manipulation of the population to seize land back from the Europeans. From that they saw a vulnerable Hispania, one unable to defend its possessions in Asia. While Hispania had not taken any land from Qing, Korea was a tempting prize. Stirring up revolt would not work in Qing's favour, for the locals surely would prefer independence over Qing rule. Instead the land needed to be taken by force. Since Hispania had no army in the region, and the closest force was clinging on to what land in could in China, it seemed the optimal time to strike. For the first time in who knows how long, another nation officially declared war on Hispania. Qing announced its intention to claim the rest of Korea for itself and push the Europeans from East Asia. Hispania's position in the region was tenuous, but if luck was on their side they could still hold on to at least a part of it. Action just needed to be taken, and quick.
The events in East Asia provided a spark that reignited the desire of those seeking to topple Regent Joan from power. Not only had Hispania lost part of China while he was in charge, but now a backwards Asian nation had dared to declare war on Hispania, something unheard of in all of Hispanian history. Cracks were already starting to show, such as with him handing over Greece as an attempt to maintain order, and some of his decisions had caused dissent amongst certain subjects, such as with him giving up Nueva Sicilia for French La Plata. These men were stifled, unable to put forth the reforms they so desired. As long as Joan remained in power, Hispania would never progress. The Regent might be a symbol of stability and order, but the time for that was coming to an end. It was time for change. Men both inside and outside Parliament started to gathering with one goal in mind: forcing Joan from power. With him gone, reforms could finally be implemented, and perhaps even a constitution could be written. The coup was soon set in motion, and it would only take a matter of time to see if it had the needed support to topple the Regent once and for all.
((That was an eventful update. For those who might be sad that we gave up Greece, I'll let you in on a secret. If we had denied the request, Byzantium might have declared war. I even did the roll for that just to see what would have happened, and they would have attacked too. Looks like RNGesus saved us from war and kept our ally happy. The rebellion in China has also become quite historic, perhaps being the first time we've lost land not of our choice during these gap years and perhaps even since this iAAR started. This was one event where previous choices came back to bite us. The rebellions in India, the movement and use of troops throughout Asia, and the failure to crush those pesky pirates all added up to allow the rebels to win. The roll was very close though, so if we had perhaps made difference choices, we'd still control our land in China. Due to the closeness of the roll, I decided we managed to hold on to Macau and Hong Kong, and we'll still have cores on the land we lost going into Vicky 2. On the plus side, our economy is in good shape once more and we don't have a loan to worry about.
Now for that vote. First on the list is related to the Industrial Revolution. Here we simply choose whether we want the government to invest in industry or not dabble in the economy. Then comes the UKA's offer, where we choose whether or not to sell them Labrador. Qing's invasion requires attention, where we choose either to fend off the invasion or just hand over Korea to prevent further losses. And last but not least, we have the coup against Joan, where you simply choose whether or not to support it. Note, supporting the coup does not mean it will succeed, just that its chances will improve, just as supporting Joan does not guarantee its failure.
Industrial Revolution:
Invest in industry/Do not meddle in the economy
1.
2.
UKA's Offer:
Sell Labrador/Refuse offer
1.
2.
Qing's Invasion:
Fend off invasion/Hand over Korea
1.
2.
Parliamentary Coup:
Support the coup/Support the government
1.
2.
Players will have until
Monday at 12PM PST to vote. Please put your votes in order of preference, although since they're all back to two-option votes, it doesn't really matter. If you want to make use of a stability or instability action, provided you haven't done so already, now is the time. It should be made clear that now is the last chance to use these actions if you haven't already. There may be one more vote after this, depending on what happens and what I decide to do, but stability actions will not be available for that vote.))
