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Feedback before update... Sorry! My Internet was out at home yesterday (still is) so I'm off schedule.
Thanks! I'm hoping not also.
Very well....
Thanks!
________________
At the end of July, 1888, simultaneous landings were made upon the Island of Luzon, in the Philippines, at a number of locations. There was only one major Spanish army present on the island, under Gen. Sebastian Acuña.
Acuña’s army was quick, and he hit Gen. Taruhito Arichi’s army in Vigan before other Japanese landings could intercept him. Arichi found himself outnumbered, and the Spanish were surprisingly well-trained and effective, though the Spanish initially were in a disadvantageous position, and took more losses.
Already it was clear that, despite the casualty rates, the Spanish appeared to have more discipline than the Japanese troops, and greater staying power. This was concerning – it came as quite a shock to Japanese commanders, who had been so confident.
Gen. Hayao Akiyama rushed through the jungles from the south to assist. But on the 7th of August, before he could arrive, Arichi’s soldiers had been outfought and forced to withdraw, their energy spent.
Akiyama’s attack, in the 2nd week of August, was a tit for tat at first, then Acuña launched a surprise flanking movement, and gained the advantage. But then on the 20th, Acuña was, himself, flanked, and began taking losses. In any case, Akiyama’s troops, as with Arichi’s, did not have the staying power, and they began to tire.
The Japanese Imperial Staff was so dispirited by repeated news of setbacks in the Philippines that they hardly noticed when Portugal joined the war against Spain. Nevertheless, the mess the “dying man of Europe” was suffering from was worsening, and that could only help Japan in her venture.
While these desperate battles were underway in the Philippines themselves, another fleet was busy transporting occupation troops to take command of the two key Spanish islands of Saipan and Guam.
In September, Akiyama’s army admitted defeat, and were withdrawn by sea from an untenable defensive position after having suffered half again as many casualties as the enemy. Spanish General Acuña stood fast, though he was soon to be replaced by another commander who had finally found his way out of the jungle, having fled the initial Japanese invasion at Manila. Gen. Jose Manuel Heredia pledged that he would turn back the yellow devils, once and for all.
After Akiyama failed, Gen. Arichi was called back into combat. It was expected that Heredia would give way at some point – he could not hold out forever. But Arichi’s army arrived in combat already disorganized and flagging.
He might still have pulled off a victory – the result was not preordained. But, personally fatigued, Arichi allowed his troops to be drawn into an ambush, which started the battle off badly.
On the 16th of September, Arichi gave up on his hopeless venture. His troops were simply too exhausted to fight, especially when pitted against the veteran Spanish, who were blooded in wars against Filipino rebels.
Arichi fell back to Manila, where other sapped armies also huddled, attempting to regroup and recoup their combat strength.
But, also September 16, the first Japanese ironclad warship slid off the ways. While slower than the lighter paddlewheel raider warships, the ironclads packed twice the punch, and were far more resistant to battle damage, thanks to their iron-plated sides (which is why they were slower).
The Kotetsu welcomed an entirely new era of Japanese seapower – one which might allow the Empire, someday, to hold off the empires of the west.
No Spanish warships had yet been sighted in the Pacific, but Dutch and Japanese warships participated in a rare collaborative effort to sink 3 Spanish steam transports.
Half way through October, Gen. Yasukata Okubo attacked Heredia’s force near Vigan with a fresh corps recently arrived from overseas. Okubo was a general of no particular distinction, but he was the only one available for this task at that time. There remained some worry that Heredia might exhaust this army, too, but Okubo had the advantage that the Spanish were already tired from the attacks by Arichi and Akiyama.
More Spanish fell than Japanese, as the battle wore on through October. And it soon became clear that it would be only a matter of time before the struggle was concluded.
Finally, at the beginning of November, Okubo prevailed over Heredia, who was forced to surrender his entire command. It had been a long struggle, but there were no longer any significant groups of Spanish soldiers to oppose Japanese control of Luzon. And, since Japan held unchallenged naval superiority, there was no opportunity for remaining Spanish armies through the region to be transported to Luzon. The Battle of Luzon was finished. All that remained was subduing the countryside and maintaining order.
Also in November, dire news came from Indochina, where France had finally brought Cambodia to heel. It seemed that only the hill people of Luang Prabang remained, to prevent total French domination in that region. Thankfully, Japanese army officers continued to refine their operational training, so that they might, one day, be able to stand against the likes of France, and not merely Spain and Russia.
Through the last two months of 1888, the Japanese focus was on spreading occupation troops to all the Philippine islands, so all could be brought under friendly control in anticipation that the Spanish might, then, see reason. Another victory on the island of Iloilo brought down the last of the Philippine troops in the central Philippine islands, leaving only Palawan, which remained well-defended, under the leadership of Gen. Alvaro Varela.
Gen. Tetsutaro Itagaki was tasked with invading Palawan, given his talent in offensive operations. He came ashore in the middle of December. Here, again, though, the old curse of better Spanish training came to haunt him. There was some question of whether he would be able to wear down the Spaniards. Who would break first? It was hoped that superior marksmanship and firepower would yield victory to Japan, and would wear the Spanish down faster, despite their advantages.
Japan finally developed the breech-loading cannon which she so desired to improve her artillery support in combat. A few even made it to assist Itagaki in Palawan. Next, the goal was to improve her reinforcement rates, and to standardize sharing of education and concepts learned from combat.
The dramatic contest on Palawan was resolved just after the 1st of the year 1889, in Japan’s favor. Varela finally surrendered, after Itagaki’s invasion army had caused the loss of half of his command. The smaller islands of Palawan and Palau (off, slightly, to the east of the Philippines) were the last Spanish territories to fall, during the spring of 1889. It seemed the war was wrapping up, and yet….
During those first 6 months of 1889, Spain sent several delegations offering peace, but never offering the territorial concessions which were Japan’s primary aim. It seemed that Spain would take more convincing. And an expedition was mounted to invade the strip of land in Africa – Spanish Somaliland – which seemed most vulnerable, and was conveniently also the nearest Spanish land, other than the Philippines.
The invasion force was comprised of steamships – warships and transports – the most modern Japan had in her service. They encountered a Spanish steam transport off the coast of Mogadishu, which would not prove any challenge, and were preparing to land troops. It was then that the Spaniards saw reason….
The peace granted all of the Island of Luzon to Japan, as well as the nearby island of Mindoro.
Japan had achieved all it wanted from this war. Some other island possessions would have been a good addition, but they were not the primary purpose of the war. Japan came away satisfied – proud, in fact, of having defeated yet another European power in direct conflict. This was turning out to be a great century for Japan, never mind how dark it had once seemed.
Japanese eyes lifted, to examine what the country’s next course might be.
Thanks! I'm hoping not also.
Very well....
Thanks!________________
At the end of July, 1888, simultaneous landings were made upon the Island of Luzon, in the Philippines, at a number of locations. There was only one major Spanish army present on the island, under Gen. Sebastian Acuña.
Acuña’s army was quick, and he hit Gen. Taruhito Arichi’s army in Vigan before other Japanese landings could intercept him. Arichi found himself outnumbered, and the Spanish were surprisingly well-trained and effective, though the Spanish initially were in a disadvantageous position, and took more losses.
Already it was clear that, despite the casualty rates, the Spanish appeared to have more discipline than the Japanese troops, and greater staying power. This was concerning – it came as quite a shock to Japanese commanders, who had been so confident.
Gen. Hayao Akiyama rushed through the jungles from the south to assist. But on the 7th of August, before he could arrive, Arichi’s soldiers had been outfought and forced to withdraw, their energy spent.
Akiyama’s attack, in the 2nd week of August, was a tit for tat at first, then Acuña launched a surprise flanking movement, and gained the advantage. But then on the 20th, Acuña was, himself, flanked, and began taking losses. In any case, Akiyama’s troops, as with Arichi’s, did not have the staying power, and they began to tire.
The Japanese Imperial Staff was so dispirited by repeated news of setbacks in the Philippines that they hardly noticed when Portugal joined the war against Spain. Nevertheless, the mess the “dying man of Europe” was suffering from was worsening, and that could only help Japan in her venture.
While these desperate battles were underway in the Philippines themselves, another fleet was busy transporting occupation troops to take command of the two key Spanish islands of Saipan and Guam.
In September, Akiyama’s army admitted defeat, and were withdrawn by sea from an untenable defensive position after having suffered half again as many casualties as the enemy. Spanish General Acuña stood fast, though he was soon to be replaced by another commander who had finally found his way out of the jungle, having fled the initial Japanese invasion at Manila. Gen. Jose Manuel Heredia pledged that he would turn back the yellow devils, once and for all.
After Akiyama failed, Gen. Arichi was called back into combat. It was expected that Heredia would give way at some point – he could not hold out forever. But Arichi’s army arrived in combat already disorganized and flagging.
He might still have pulled off a victory – the result was not preordained. But, personally fatigued, Arichi allowed his troops to be drawn into an ambush, which started the battle off badly.
On the 16th of September, Arichi gave up on his hopeless venture. His troops were simply too exhausted to fight, especially when pitted against the veteran Spanish, who were blooded in wars against Filipino rebels.
Arichi fell back to Manila, where other sapped armies also huddled, attempting to regroup and recoup their combat strength.
But, also September 16, the first Japanese ironclad warship slid off the ways. While slower than the lighter paddlewheel raider warships, the ironclads packed twice the punch, and were far more resistant to battle damage, thanks to their iron-plated sides (which is why they were slower).
The Kotetsu welcomed an entirely new era of Japanese seapower – one which might allow the Empire, someday, to hold off the empires of the west.
No Spanish warships had yet been sighted in the Pacific, but Dutch and Japanese warships participated in a rare collaborative effort to sink 3 Spanish steam transports.
Half way through October, Gen. Yasukata Okubo attacked Heredia’s force near Vigan with a fresh corps recently arrived from overseas. Okubo was a general of no particular distinction, but he was the only one available for this task at that time. There remained some worry that Heredia might exhaust this army, too, but Okubo had the advantage that the Spanish were already tired from the attacks by Arichi and Akiyama.
More Spanish fell than Japanese, as the battle wore on through October. And it soon became clear that it would be only a matter of time before the struggle was concluded.
Finally, at the beginning of November, Okubo prevailed over Heredia, who was forced to surrender his entire command. It had been a long struggle, but there were no longer any significant groups of Spanish soldiers to oppose Japanese control of Luzon. And, since Japan held unchallenged naval superiority, there was no opportunity for remaining Spanish armies through the region to be transported to Luzon. The Battle of Luzon was finished. All that remained was subduing the countryside and maintaining order.
Also in November, dire news came from Indochina, where France had finally brought Cambodia to heel. It seemed that only the hill people of Luang Prabang remained, to prevent total French domination in that region. Thankfully, Japanese army officers continued to refine their operational training, so that they might, one day, be able to stand against the likes of France, and not merely Spain and Russia.
Through the last two months of 1888, the Japanese focus was on spreading occupation troops to all the Philippine islands, so all could be brought under friendly control in anticipation that the Spanish might, then, see reason. Another victory on the island of Iloilo brought down the last of the Philippine troops in the central Philippine islands, leaving only Palawan, which remained well-defended, under the leadership of Gen. Alvaro Varela.
Gen. Tetsutaro Itagaki was tasked with invading Palawan, given his talent in offensive operations. He came ashore in the middle of December. Here, again, though, the old curse of better Spanish training came to haunt him. There was some question of whether he would be able to wear down the Spaniards. Who would break first? It was hoped that superior marksmanship and firepower would yield victory to Japan, and would wear the Spanish down faster, despite their advantages.
Japan finally developed the breech-loading cannon which she so desired to improve her artillery support in combat. A few even made it to assist Itagaki in Palawan. Next, the goal was to improve her reinforcement rates, and to standardize sharing of education and concepts learned from combat.
The dramatic contest on Palawan was resolved just after the 1st of the year 1889, in Japan’s favor. Varela finally surrendered, after Itagaki’s invasion army had caused the loss of half of his command. The smaller islands of Palawan and Palau (off, slightly, to the east of the Philippines) were the last Spanish territories to fall, during the spring of 1889. It seemed the war was wrapping up, and yet….
During those first 6 months of 1889, Spain sent several delegations offering peace, but never offering the territorial concessions which were Japan’s primary aim. It seemed that Spain would take more convincing. And an expedition was mounted to invade the strip of land in Africa – Spanish Somaliland – which seemed most vulnerable, and was conveniently also the nearest Spanish land, other than the Philippines.
The invasion force was comprised of steamships – warships and transports – the most modern Japan had in her service. They encountered a Spanish steam transport off the coast of Mogadishu, which would not prove any challenge, and were preparing to land troops. It was then that the Spaniards saw reason….
The peace granted all of the Island of Luzon to Japan, as well as the nearby island of Mindoro.
Japan had achieved all it wanted from this war. Some other island possessions would have been a good addition, but they were not the primary purpose of the war. Japan came away satisfied – proud, in fact, of having defeated yet another European power in direct conflict. This was turning out to be a great century for Japan, never mind how dark it had once seemed.
Japanese eyes lifted, to examine what the country’s next course might be.
You've quite an army...also, I thought you would take entire Philippines in a row...
Conserving Infamy. Remember I took Infamy for adding Okhotsk, which I never took, plus HaIshenwai, now Luzon, plus I took Korea, which was.... alot, though I don't remember for sure. Is Conquer on an unciv 20? So I'm near the limit, and I still want to do more with Russia. Plus, China might be knocking...
Renss
Decisive victory in the Philippines. It won't be long before the Russians give you the opportunity to reclaim Sakhalin Island for its rightful owner.
In vanilla you have a specific "caeus bellis" (I don't know how to spell that
) against uncivalized, if you are civilized your self. I think you can annex an uncivilized (if you are civilized) for something like 8 infamy. I am not sure though.
In spite of the war having gone well enough ( and of seeing the first Japanese action in another continent ), you should take lessons of your actions vs the Spanish, especially regarding your army troubles of dealing with the Spanish armies. Ok, your army was superior in all battles where you could fight them in even number terms, but the first battles showed that you used too little armies to face the Spanish stack in Philippines. OTOH your navy seems to have no problems in dealing with a far away landing, and that is a good sign for the future and inevitable wars with the Dutch and the French ...
Anyway, next in line is surely Russia, as soon as you hit GP status ( it should not take long , I guess ), or maybe another dent in China ( this time try to be the one catching up easy pickings, not the one giving easy pickings to others )
), you should take lessons of your actions vs the Spanish, especially regarding your army troubles of dealing with the Spanish armies. Ok, your army was superior in all battles where you could fight them in even number terms, but the first battles showed that you used too little armies to face the Spanish stack in Philippines. OTOH your navy seems to have no problems in dealing with a far away landing, and that is a good sign for the future and inevitable wars with the Dutch and the French ... Anyway, next in line is surely Russia, as soon as you hit GP status ( it should not take long , I guess ), or maybe another dent in China ( this time try to be the one catching up easy pickings, not the one giving easy pickings to others
)
Thanks! I was relatively happy with it, though I could have concluded it in less time if I'd been on the ball.
Don't think it's not on my mind...
But the Dutch are too powerful for me to take on just yet. We'll see.I responded to this early, above, in case you didn't see it. Thanks!
I'm ready for it! It's been a long time since this first became a war/game goal. It's past time for resolution!
Thanks! What I choose to do next is fairly predictable. What happens then is... epic!
In vanilla you have a specific "caeus bellis" (I don't know how to spell that
True, the Casus Belli is the best way to go. But it's difficult to get one, because in vanilla most of them happen randomly. I haven't played AHD or HOD yet, so I'm not yet familiar with the "crafting a Casus Belli" thing. When I attacked Korea it was without a Casus Belli, because I didn't think I would ever get one. It seems to me like I had to pay more than 8 Infamy, but I may be wrong. The number 20 sounds right, but I would have had to shed much of that Infamy over time. I'm not sure if the math is right. I think at this point in the game my Infamy is 14 or so.
In spite of the war having gone well enough ( and of seeing the first Japanese action in another continent
Anyway, next in line is surely Russia, as soon as you hit GP status ( it should not take long , I guess ), or maybe another dent in China ( this time try to be the one catching up easy pickings, not the one giving easy pickings to others
True enough. I could make my transport fleets bigger, but I think I did split one fleet's cargo into 2 armies this time. On the other hand, no matter where I go (Russia, China, Philippines), because of my low-tech, I'm facing huge attrition problems. If I get more than 6 regiments together in any one place I'm usually suffering attrition. With my numbers, sometimes attrition is worse for me than combat losses with smaller armies.
Also, I didn't mention it exactly, but that long-range venture to Mogadishu was pretty taxing to my fleet. I was way out of my naval range. Hopefully that will change over time. But keep in mind that, with my role-playing, Japan isn't yet very interested in operating in Africa or anything else that direction.
Thanks for your comments! Anyone else lurking out there and want to say hi?
Rensslaer
Nice operation here ... but you'll need more than 6 regiments together to push Russia to cede Sakhalin.
It's always interesting when two powers meet for the first time on the battlefield and compare military prowess. Results can be... disconcerting, to say the least. I like the way you handled Japan's reaction to Spanish resistance and capabilities, then adjusted your strategy to overcome them. It also didn't hurt that your supply lines were a hell of a lot closer...
you can try to fabricate a claim of some kind in AHD and HOD, but if you're detected, you get instant infamy without even doing anything with it. So it is something best used sparingly.
I decided to take a look at my back up copy of Victoria 2 vanilla and I found you were almost right to begin with (and I was only partly right). You can demand a concession, a state from a uncivilized, for 4 infamy, but if the country is an one state country you have to establish a protectionive for 8 infamy. So you can probably demand a concession for all but the capital state and then establish a protectionive. Korea turned out to be a 4 state country so it is (3*4)+8=20. You get 20 infamy for annexing Korea.
It was not expected that the war in the Philippines would take more than a year to prosecute, but it did. Japan was glad to be done with the war. Not because she was unwilling to be at war, but because that was not the “real” war she wished to wage.
The advantage was that it had not been a stressful war – in terms of the economy or casualties, and Japan had never mobilized – and it had allowed Japan to grow as a power. She had developed important new technologies, expanded her fortress system in Korea, and begun building a modern navy.
Japan had also, for a decade and a half, been cultivating a proper Japanese bureaucracy corps in Korea, and in southern Korea – Kwangju – the infrastructure was in place to declare that region a state. The first overseas state of the Japanese Empire.
As the rest of 1889 ticked away, Japan also began a program to study, replicate processes, and to eventually begin building factories to produce interchangeable parts. This was the real gateway, she had discovered, to industrial greatness – rather than purchasing these expensive parts from overseas, Japan would craft them at home.
Industry, to be sure, had entirely transformed Japan from what it had been, in the not-too-distant past. Even as slow a start as she had gotten, Japan was now that 10th most industrialized country in the world – she imitated and emulated the Europeans exceedingly well. Of course, that industry had enabled Japan to build its army and navy – these could never have been affordable without home-grown armaments and shipping factories. But the elections in January 1890 brought this home more than ever.
The Socialists and their philosophical allies in the Liberal party were within a hair’s breadth of having enough power to push through reforms. By 1891, they would unquestionably be able. But the factories and the lifestyle and condition of the craftsmen who ran the factories led inevitably in that direction. It was a price Japan would have to pay. Fortunately, there was not yet any great public outcry for such reforms. The Japanese people were content.
Despite her great strides, when the Asian and Pacific region were examined, it was clear that the European powers still dominated. Japan had forced the advance back, in just one area – the Philippines. But, while Japan had been busy in China and in those Spanish territories, France had been busy colonizing New Guinea and many of the rest of the Pacific islands across the expanse of ocean. The only unclaimed territories, now, were in the distant south, far from Japan. This was concerning.
And Dutch power had grown at the expense of Spain. In the summer of 1890, the Dutch had imposed a galling peace upon the revolutionary Spaniards. Already having taken more than half of Portugal, in a war decades previous, the Dutch now expanded that territory into the Castillian south.
France had previously claimed Catalonia. Spain was falling apart. And still, Japan had faced difficulty at times overcoming her army. It was their training and discipline – agendae were drafted to fix this.
It was a serious deficiency, to be sure. The previous war with China had not particularly highlighted it, but it was still a definite concern. How often had Japanese troops killed thousands of the enemy, in droves, and yet still lost the battle because the Chinese had fresh troops and the Japanese soldiers were worn out?
As the Emperor planned for the 1890s, she cast a nervous eye along Japan’s long border with China. When would they come again? Did this allow Japan any leeway, to take back her northern islands from Russia? Or would it simply result in a war with two major powers? One with European technology, the other with Asian deficiencies, but a massive superiority in numbers?
For one more year, he decided, Japan would continue to improve and prepare. And then there would be a reckoning with her northern neighbor. Across the globe, the Americans had gotten their revered Holy Land – they’d had to take it from the Ottomans, rather than the Mamluks.
Once Japan started building her first Interchangeable Parts factories, in the autumn of 1890, improvements to the military were pushed to the fore again. It was of extreme importance that Japanese steadfastness be improved before going to war with Russia once more. The Russians were trying to improve relations between the two countries, and had even sent an alliance offer, but the Emperor was steadfast, also.
Japan continued to build several fleets of ironclads, some of their keels laid down in the Philippines, where the Spanish had helpfully constructed modern shipyards. Large armies were raised in Korea, and in the Philippines, in order to provide for the defense of Korea, should a defense be needed. That freed up the Japanese Army, most of it, to turn against Russia. Her military tactics and discipline were improved, small arms production increased, more fleets completed.
And then it was time. On July 31, 1891, Japan announced that it would no longer ignore the outrage of Russian impertinence, and would refuse to treat the Russians with deference – rather, instead, with contempt. The staged riots began again, the Russians were thrown out of their embassy, Russian ships were burned after being cut loose from the docks. War was afoot again!
This time, however, Japan had a land border with Russia, and so the massed invasions of the Siberian coastline were only a part of this deployment. Thrusts launched north out of Manchuria, and the deep forests of Siberia – blessedly warmer in summer than in winter – became the new battlefield.
And blockades began again. Raider steamships were sent even so far as the Persian Gulf, to invest the trading ports of Abu Dhabi.
Invasions were mounted, of course, by sea, where appropriate. Many occupations began, to subdue the far-eastern villages, which might eventually turn into a cause for the Russians to come to the table.
Gen. Iwao Kido demonstrated that Japan had not lost its touch, from the last war – she could still inflict serious casualties upon the Russians. At Okhotsk, Kido assailed the Russian garrison, and they were caught largely off guard.
Further east, at Talaya, the Russians proved they would not roll over, either. They fought Gen. Arichi’s force from the cover of the plentiful coniferous trees, and killed many Japanese. But the Japanese had regional superiority, and they would wear the Russians down soon enough.
Much of the early Japanese advantage was that the Russians had not protected their eastern stretches with standing armies, relying instead upon mobilized reserves who were not yet ready for the immediate combat that was thrust upon them.
Gen. Sadao Okada hit the Russians at Ugolnoye, in the frigid arctic north, and again the Japanese were the superior fighters. Despite early setbacks at Talaya, Gen. Arichi also proved worthy, and only a week into the invasion of the coasts, Japan had their first victory in battle. More would come.
The main concerns were twofold: 1) How long before sizeable Russian armies arrived from the west? And 2) Would China hold her peace, now that the truce was expired, and Japan had another foe to fight?
You can do this! Hopefully, as long as you yourself keep siazble armies in the East, you can probably cause a lot of war exhaustion like I did, with the more numerous Qing. Though I am not a strategist, I know you can do well.