It's alright I did suggest that in the EU4 segment of his next mega campaign he does little to no colonization at all, but I do understand that it's going down a simmilar path to that of the Annionas so he should try going after Persia and the Knights of Santiago and leave Asia alone for some time.
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Ah, it is nice to see the Knights of Santiago still having an impact on the world, even now.
Chapter 23: The Congress of Kyoto
Chapter 23: Tabula Rasa
With the 17th Century swiftly drawing to a close the Collapse of the Ming Empire had become the major event across the world. In Europe the Balance of Power had reached an uneasy stability and now Great Britain, Scandinavia especially had been waiting for further opportunities after consolidating their own colonial territories in America and the African Coastline.
At Kyoto the Japanese, vindictive until the end wanted a final return to Hokkaido and revenge against the Ming Empire, now sickly and plagued with rebellion and civil war. The British and Scandinavians had far less defensible goals simply wanting to a slice of the Pie that Cathay had baked.
The Chaos in Ming China proper had allowed the Empire company and its mercenaries and collaborators in southern China to secure further territories inland and bringing them under Khitan rule before another warlord claimed the territories for himself.
After the Brutal twin wars against ming in the past, the relative ease of the companies conquest was a clear sign that the Ming Dragon was about to breath it's last breath. There would be no official peace treaty. The Local chinese however were unwilling to accept a foreign conqueror and the East India company as it had done before quickly needed to establish local collaborationist governments willing to accept bribes and Company rule indirectly rather than directly.
The Treaty of Kyoto as it was called would split the Ming Dynasty into four Spheres of Influence. The Southern Territories would fall under Khitan responsibility, The North to Japan and the Central coastal territories would go to Great Britain and Scandinavia. The remaining lands, the Chinese Interior would go unclaimed as it was compeltly unfeasable for any nation to administer or even conquer that deep into a hostile country numbering in the millions even in its weakened state.
In practice the Treaty of Kyoto was ultimately a piece of paper and nothing more, China itself was still a beast in population and a massive administration drain The utter chaos within the Ming's core territories meant meager colonial garrisons would be insufficient for even the Scandinavians to maintain any presence without aid.
The Japanese however would not accept any form of defeat in this matter and seized their rightful territories immediately after the congress with British Support. Then rather then allow the Ming to recover at all, The Takeda Shogunate invested thousands into support for lesser warlords further on the Chinese fringe, worsening the civil war and plunging China into a final irrecoverable spiral.
Though it is important to note that ultimately this was still, just a civil war within China as a state itself, The Ming dynasty may have effective been ended but the Chinese identity and desire to unify was growing stronger in their period as more skilled promised dynasties such as the Shun brought peace after conquest and looked poised to reunify the Middle Kingdom in short order.
This of course also meant a revision of the old system of Benign neglect in America which has become popular for well past a century. In this Time the independence of the 12 Provinces, Yucatan and other Cathayan colonies across the Empire was restricted and new taxation and administrative regulations were implemented to east strain on the mother country.
The Italians while unhappy about Cathay's new Southern Ambitions secured their own position within the Western Mediterranean by pushing to meet the Khitan from their holdings in Provence. Granada also would use the opportunity to push further in unifying Iberia and yet the Catalans still stood under Toulousain Dominion and of course Portugal still remained independent.
Now there would be only Three Princes remaining in Southern France, Toulouse was the strongest but had also thrown in with Bavaria who now was quickly falling behind economically to Bohemia and Italy and now surrounded on all sides. Aquitaine, which was a buffer state controlled by the Khitan and finally The Princedom of Ivrea which ultimately was surviving only borrowed time.
Scandinavia however quickly ran into the same problems as the Khitan before them and had decided the best course of action was to simply copy their partners in crime, setting up trade companies and collaborationist governments in China rather than direct colonies.
Emperor Alexander rather than chose a side declared neutrality in the conflict as a second great wave of Privateering and naval warfare overtook the Atlantic, African and Caribbean Trade lanes.
It did not take long for the British to also turn on the Neutral Khitan. Emperor Alexander responded by personally intervening during the Trial of one Mary Reed, a British Pirate who served under the Infamous Calico Jack. Reed was granted a full Pardon and given a letter of Marque and command under the Royal Khitan Fleet.
Things only worsened when the marriage between Prince William of Cathay and Princess Anne of England was canceled as a result and instead Prince William instead married a more local choice, the Famed Julie d'aubigny.
William was second in Line for the Throne and ultimately considered by many to be a lesser to his Sister, the Crown Princess Diane and so instead drifted across much of the urban north carousing and promoting the arts. When William had been ordered to marry many had already expected the Prince had several mistresses across the Kingdom, which was ultimately not that uncommon, but with his marriage Canceled William wasted no time in marrying Julie D'aubigny and bringing her to court so as to avoid a different match.
Julie as it happens did not have much protest with Williams lifestyle, or choice in Women it appeared and across the nation came a mutual groan at the Prince's choice in Wife. The Gossips would waste no time generating all manner of rumor regarding the new Princess to be but things would take an unlikely turn.
Julie herself however quickly proved to be the better half surprisingly King-Emperor Alexander after defeating the Crown princess in a Fencing match and the King at several games of chance. The Unapologetic and Talented Wife that had tamed William the Wild had become famous at court in less than a year and it did not take long before Alexander had found his new chief Military advisor after a year of providing all the best schooling to his new daughter.
Of course Alexander knew of the Rumors surrounding Williams wife and wasted no time working to dispel them or any others that could result from the relatively lowborn woman's rise to prominence in the Imperial Court. Newspapers were censored and incentivised to cover stories about Alexander's more active work reforming the administration and rooting out corruption that had been allowed to fester during the regency.
Meanwhile William soon took his own opportunity to put his newfound influence with his father to work in large packages of supports for the growing Opera and Intellectual thought. Williams endorsement of the now Famous John Locke's work would utter in a new age of philosophy, One that would ultimately rock the world to its very core.
The Enlightenment.
World Update next on the list, Then its onto the final century and after that, finally onto victoria.
Its a poisoned Crown, Turns out you cant get rid of the Mandate after you take it unless you pass it off in a peace deal. I was not very amused to discover it but decided it would keep me in check for the rest of the game with the terrible modifiers and event it can give you when you dont have mandate.
What did you expect from the Japanese-Chinese-British Homunculus that is California?
Oh, things take a much much different turn soon. If Annionas of Iron was about Austria proudly striding the world and kicking it's teeth in, This time things go decisively less one sided.
And Japans not conquering China but Scars will remain from the Ming Civil war for centuries to come.
And they arent done yet
Its a poisoned Crown, Turns out you cant get rid of the Mandate after you take it unless you pass it off in a peace deal. I was not very amused to discover it but decided it would keep me in check for the rest of the game with the terrible modifiers and event it can give you when you dont have mandate.
What did you expect from the Japanese-Chinese-British Homunculus that is California?
Oh, things take a much much different turn soon. If Annionas of Iron was about Austria proudly striding the world and kicking it's teeth in, This time things go decisively less one sided.
And Japans not conquering China but Scars will remain from the Ming Civil war for centuries to come.
And they arent done yet
Okay, thanks for clarifying. Sorry for going on a rant. I'll just wait and see what happens.
And even if Japan hasn't conquered China, it still conquered Korea.
It almost feels like Japan is the true victor in the Treaty of Kyoto, all things considered. I'm also of the mindset that Scandinavia needs to be kicked out of the region due to their color being too close to yours.
At last, the Enlightenment! A world update will be nice.
At last, the Enlightenment! A world update will be nice.
I can't wait for victoria! Of course, the timespan there is only 100 years so it'll only last oh so many chapters.
Plus California is populated by Japanese in addition to Chinese populations, looks like Anime is going to be very popular in TTL as well.Okay, thanks for clarifying. Sorry for going on a rant. I'll just wait and see what happens.
And even if Japan hasn't conquered China, it still conquered Korea.
I mean the Emperor of California is most likely a weeabo anyways being a British monarch ruling over Japanese populations. Actually, since the Annionas colonized Japan in their megacampaign, I wonder that means Anime would be made by the Austrians in that timeline.
Since China has imploded for the 100,000th time now, what was the fascist Chinese Union State like in Anniona and Iron Dragoon? You mentioned the Eastern Roman Republic and the Celtic fascist doing several war crimes during WW2, but I always thought of China was probably the worst of the fascist (and communist too because of Stalin) regimes and felt that they were probably genocidal when they took control of India for awhile.
You forgot the Annionas doing mass resettlement of the Celts and French after the war. By the way, when I eventually get around to [REDACTED], I might write short updates for the Chinese Union State, ERR, and postwar India.
World Update #2 1700
World Update #1 1700
A Hundred Years have passed since the last update and 931 Years from when Xiao the Eastern Wind decided to ride the Khitan West. Absolutism, Imperialism and now Nationalism has developed the world into a status quo of great and secondary powers, with some power vacuums still remaining namely in Asia, but also in America provided the European Grip ever weakens.
Of all the Colonial Powers the Khitan are the closest to being called a 'Winner' with control over much of the Caribbean, Yucatan and Eastern America, however the British have control over the Mississippi and much of Northern mexico. The Sicilians also have their own colonies in Hudson bay and along the Great Lakes and St Lawrence River, Scandinavia as well controls Vinland and has its own slice of Mexico
Of Note California stands strong and independent in the East, powered by Gold and favorable relations with the British California has a regional power but cant hold a candle to the far more powerful Major and Minor Powers of Eurasia.
Ireland itself is a tributary and under the protection of Cathay, keeping it and its colonies safe from Sicily and Italy. Cathay also enjoys control over the southern Islands which provide naval bases for Khitan Warships stationed in the South Atlantic.
In Oceania things seems to be headed in much the same direction with India and Persia colonizing large areas of Land as well as Cathay. the Minor South Indian nation of Chola Nadu has staked their own claim on New Zealand and Australia but is in serious danger of being pushed out by the powers that be, or British, Scandinavians and Japanese who have become to show interest in the region themselves.
Elsewhere the Pegu are rising to power in Southeast Asia thanks to an alliance with Mighty Persia boxing Bharat in. Khotan which is also Culturally Khitan survives and is powerful but has recently been pushed back out of tibet by Bharat leaving the Indian Confederation without friends, and many enemies.
Africa meanwhile is still relatively wild and unsettled, Mali is dominant in west africa but is technologically backwards much like the rest of the native african states. The Colonial Powers have mostly kept to Eastern Africa and the Ivory Coast, leaving Cape in the Hands of the Khitan. Granada, the Iberian power to be controls the Entrance to the Mediterranean and thus has all the other Colonial powers at its mercy for any mediterranean adventures.
Italy and Bavaria are the only central European Powers remaining with Bavaria now swiftly falling behind the colonial powers around it. Scandinavia stands supreme over Northern Europe having unified its home region while maintaining important baltic ports such as Mecklenburg, Prussia and Stettin. Though the Mighty Bohemian Empire gives them all pause.
The Third Bohemian Empire or otherwise known as the Unified Crowns of Bohemia, Avaria and Poland has turned a land often thought backwards and desolate into one of the premier powers of Europe. However despite its size it is still poor due to a lack of control over the Baltic and the continued resistance of Sicily to its South.
Sicily recently has fallen on harder times, a recent defeat against Bohemia has lost it the direct connection to its Black Sea holdings, Provinces crucial to the success of a campaign to take Constantinople. Similarly Italy is encroaching on lands it believe to be its rightful territories in the South putting Greeks of Sicily in a dangerous crisis of Geopolitics.
Sicily, the region is isolated from the Greater Sicilian Empire and is in danger of being integrated into Italy, Meanwhile the Balkans are being threatened by Bohemia and Nikea. It seems that without firm and decisive action the Despotate of Sicily may find itself partitioned between major powers, unable to see its dreams of a reborn Byzantium realized.
And of course, the Empire, For some reason Paradox thinks tributaries should count as part of your country when I'm pretty sure for WC purposes they don't, Exclude Ireland's Empire and you have the Empire of the Khitan, One that stretched across the world, We have ports basically everywhere but no real power bases outside of South Africa and Europe.
Okay, thanks for clarifying. Sorry for going on a rant. I'll just wait and see what happens.
And even if Japan hasn't conquered China, it still conquered Korea.
Hey, I'm not the AI's parents, take it up with paradox to make Japan go into complete isolationist slumber whenever it unites
Scandinavia's color is indeed close, I do fix this in victoria, dont worry.
Vicky usually slows down the pace of the timeline quite a bit, there's more room for detail becuase there's more going on ingame than speed 5 declare a war, tech a little bit, click the rare event or two. Also for narrative, as Ultimately 30 years in eu4 go by in a few minutes, whereas most of victoria takes place in the timespan of only two to three rulers for monarchies.
Plus California is populated by Japanese in addition to Chinese populations, looks like Anime is going to be very popular in TTL as well.
Actually, since the Annionas colonized Japan in their megacampaign, I wonder that means Anime would be made by the Austrians in that timeline.
Since China has imploded for the 100,000th time now, what was the fascist Chinese Union State like in Anniona and Iron Dragoon? You mentioned the Eastern Roman Republic and the Celtic fascist doing several war crimes during WW2, but I always thought of China was probably the worst of the fascist (and communist too because of Stalin) regimes and felt that they were probably genocidal when they took control of India for awhile.
I think you can use your imagination, safe to Say I dont think the Chinese Union State treated the Native Indians very nicely, I did make note of them being especially brutal in their occupation whereas the Greeks had to work with the locals more due to a lack of manpower. Considering China had just recovered from a civil war and partition imposed upon it by India and Austria in world war one getting into further detail of what they might have had planned for the Indian people as repirsal is best not to go into detail about.
Yes well there's was war crimes all around. The Russians had to deal destalinization in a wartorn hellscape, Asia was turned into a wasteland before the end, The British Isles and south America were immolated in Nuclear Fire, and the Celtic Union and its people on continental europe soon found themselves forcibly scattered to the winds to prevent a third world war.
And yet despite all the cruelty and effort, One happened anyway. War Never changes as the saying goes.
Some quite interesting colonies here. I rather like Persian Australia. Here's to another century!
Chapter 24: In one, out the Other
Chapter 24: Into One, Out the Other.
In Emperor Alexander's eyes the Time had come to stop the excessive Focus on Colonial Expansion that had gripped the Empire for now well over a century. Slow progress had stifled Borders in Europe despite Cathayan superiority on the field of battle, which had let Nations such as England, Sweden and Ferrara compete with Cathay as Rivaling Great Powers on the continent.
To Avoid reprisal from the government, the Company often used lower level officials of low connection and importance to take blame for their more illegal international dealings while the actual officials in power, often far closer to the reigns of power of court kept themselves clean and fabulously wealthy. Despite the Will of Alexander the Colonial march continued across the Globe through the semi autonomous governments of the 12 Provinces, Yucatan or the Colonial East India Company.
The Sicilians already in an identity crisis between their balkan and Italian holdings could not afford a defeat and defeated the Italians at several key battles in Croatia, forcing King Lorenzo Caetye of Italy to call for Cathayan aid before the Bavarians and Sicilians could break his Kingdom apart.
Ultimate the Weapon Standards act of 1702 Would be the catalyst to the creation of several government backed arms companies dedicated wholly to the production of licensed and inhouse weaponry for use with the Imperial Marines, Royal Guard and Army, some which would still exist well over 300 years later.
The Entry of Bohemia and Cathay into the war would be swift and Brutal for the defending Alliance. Bavaria, weakened from almost a century of economic stagnation found itself outnumbered and outgunned against superior opponents on all sides.
In response, a group of nobles and important mayors and officials from the Balkan half of empire held the "Symvoúlio ton ptinón" or Council of Birds which named Duke Leo of Belgrade, a Serb and Cousin to the exiled King Michael IV to the Sicilian Crown. The New Sicilian Government, officially headed by Leo but in practice run by the Council of Birds sued for Peace with the Italians, undercutting deals King Lorenzo had signed under the table to ensure Bohemian and Khitan support.
To cut this loss at the head Alexander founded the Khitan West India company in hopes it would find similar success to its Asian counterpart. The KWIC would be given sole trading rights with foreign nations while all private ventures were forbidden from the same practice thus forcing all imports and exports to go through the government KWIC.
Ultimately however the response to this and other changes of Alexander would be met with Uproar in the Colonies who saw no logical or rational reason for the abolishment of their means of doing business other than blind greed.
Though Criticism not only remained but would grow in time, as Smuggling grew widely in popularity throughout the Empire and Imperial Merchants abroad lost their competitive edge and reputation, forcing profits to ultimately be funneled back into the navy to protect against privateers and enforce Khitan interests.
Ivrea meanwhile was annexed wholesale into Cathay and the Kingdom of Aquitaine ending yet another Princedom dating back to the Great Western War. Now there would be just three States in France, Aquitaine, Cathay and Toulouse with Aquitaine and Toulouse both claiming to be the rightful ruler of the Occitan Romantic Peoples, while Cathay claimed dominion over the Khitan People which included the Half Romantic, French that existed in the Occitan-Khitan border territories.
Despite cultural connections the Khitan administration would only entertain the idea of Occitan Integration in the abstract during these years with the result always remaining the same, that it was best the Kingdom of Aquitaine exist as a separate entity from the crown, Dejure part of the Empire led by a local administration to both provide a valuable buffer state against the Italians and Spanish but also to prevent rebellion in a populous province notorious for supporting pretenders in the distant past.
The Great Khitan Empire had failed to conquer all of China, but it had retaken much of its lands in Europe and built an Empire across the world, but even with all of this it found itself as the first of its peers, less a hegemony and instead simply ahead of the curve.
The reminder of the Emperor's mortality after a rule of frustration and reorganization had shown a Weakness in Absolutism, that even a competent ruler, with absolute power may not necessarily be able to right the ship, or even steer it in his desired direction.
However in the Universities and the Coffee shops brewed different theories of government, of man, and the natures of all things. Cathay was by no means a sinking ship but should a different one begin to take on water, if a monarch could not save their people.
Perhaps Revolution Could.
Indeed, There are a lot of Colonies, some interesting some expected. Persia, Japan and Ming were all nice surprises, Also India getting in on the Southeast Asian Colonial Rush was also completly unexpected, I just assumed the AI didnt know how to after their relatively poor showing last time.
They get better, Bohemia's been slowly eating itself fat all game, but in traditional Eu4 fashion there's two ways to make a nation look better, Expand or Trim the Fat. They wont stay the same blob for long now that the new Cb's are live and the big boy wars are starting soon.
Don't worry, they didn't last long. Border Gore tends to lower a nation's life expectancy quite dramatically
They get better, Bohemia's been slowly eating itself fat all game, but in traditional Eu4 fashion there's two ways to make a nation look better, Expand or Trim the Fat. They wont stay the same blob for long now that the new Cb's are live and the big boy wars are starting soon.
Don't worry, they didn't last long. Border Gore tends to lower a nation's life expectancy quite dramatically
You really need to kill Toulouse and integrate Aquitaine. Got to have that Mediterranean port.
Italy is making for a poor ally... If they keep this up, they may yet face Cathay's wrath.
Age of revolution? Preposterous! The colonies will stay just that under your rule.
Age of revolution? Preposterous! The colonies will stay just that under your rule.