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Crusader Kings III Available Now!
The realm rejoices as Paradox Interactive announces the launch of Crusader Kings III, the latest entry in the publisher’s grand strategy role-playing game franchise. Advisors may now jockey for positions of influence and adversaries should save their schemes for another day, because on this day Crusader Kings III can be purchased on Steam, the Paradox Store, and other major online retailers.
Awesome! It's nice to see a Lithuanian AAR, it's nice to see a Kaiserreich AAR, and if they are combined into one - it's even better. Good luck conquering the rest of the world 
It's a shame, but I have completely forgotten how I coded the events in - did you choose the "Stay loyal to the Germans" or the "Speak Lithuanian" option at the beginning? I'm assuming you selected the latter, judging by the title of your AAR, but somehow I think that the union with Poland must have happened only if you chose the first one... In any case, if you chose "Speak Lithuanian", let's hope you will get some nice bits of land once "Lituania Propria" events come around!
It's a shame, but I have completely forgotten how I coded the events in - did you choose the "Stay loyal to the Germans" or the "Speak Lithuanian" option at the beginning? I'm assuming you selected the latter, judging by the title of your AAR, but somehow I think that the union with Poland must have happened only if you chose the first one... In any case, if you chose "Speak Lithuanian", let's hope you will get some nice bits of land once "Lituania Propria" events come around!
Thank you!
And no, I actually chose "Stay loyal to the Germans", so Lithuania Propria won't come rolling any time soon. Although, I believe Lithuania will issue a claim on whole White Ruthenia, sometime next year, given its current active participation in Mitteleuropa and loyalty to the Germans, they won't be hard to crack.
And no, I actually chose "Stay loyal to the Germans", so Lithuania Propria won't come rolling any time soon. Although, I believe Lithuania will issue a claim on whole White Ruthenia, sometime next year, given its current active participation in Mitteleuropa and loyalty to the Germans, they won't be hard to crack.
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King Mindaugas is young and there are a few infantry divisions and CAS aircraft coming soon in quantities high enough for Lithuania to single-handedly smash White Ruthenia to pieces.
In addition, every third Mitteleuropean soldier at the Southern Chinese front is now Lithuanian, so should General Popeliucka acheive complete victory over the Legation Cities, this will be a clear sign of how trustworthy and effective a powerful Lithuania is for Mitteleuropa. And King Mindaugas would require that in order to play powergames in Europe. Simple.
P.S. To Enewald: Do you find General Popeliucka's adventures in China more boring than a 1000th event-foreseen war in Kaiserreich?
In addition, every third Mitteleuropean soldier at the Southern Chinese front is now Lithuanian, so should General Popeliucka acheive complete victory over the Legation Cities, this will be a clear sign of how trustworthy and effective a powerful Lithuania is for Mitteleuropa. And King Mindaugas would require that in order to play powergames in Europe. Simple.
P.S. To Enewald: Do you find General Popeliucka's adventures in China more boring than a 1000th event-foreseen war in Kaiserreich?
As previously requested,
Intellegence report on the armed forces of the region
The situation at the Northern and Southern Chinese Fronts.
Approximate number of Divisions on all sides:
Germany – 7 divisions in the south, 10 in the north (Yantai-Quingdao area).
Lithuania – General Popeliucka’s Expeditionary Corps – 3 divisions.
Qing China – 26 divisions, out of which 16 are currently cut off the supply routes. Qings are guaranteed goners as of now.
Japs and Co (Korea,Transamur,Fengtien) – over 62 divisions of various operational strength, 3 divisions on Hainan Island.
Legation Cities – 16 divisions, 10 in the south, 6 more scattered around the area.
Shangqing Tianguo, the Millenarian sect (the orange anti-Western China) – 22 divisions, expected to enter the war against Quing anytime soon.
Northern and Southern Chinese fronts shown. Qing China is in white (due not to being in Mitteleuropa Alliance),
Shangquing hasn't declared war on Germany, therefore, also white. Reds are Japanese and Legationists.
Intellegence report on the armed forces of the region
The situation at the Northern and Southern Chinese Fronts.
Approximate number of Divisions on all sides:
Germany – 7 divisions in the south, 10 in the north (Yantai-Quingdao area).
Lithuania – General Popeliucka’s Expeditionary Corps – 3 divisions.
Qing China – 26 divisions, out of which 16 are currently cut off the supply routes. Qings are guaranteed goners as of now.
Japs and Co (Korea,Transamur,Fengtien) – over 62 divisions of various operational strength, 3 divisions on Hainan Island.
Legation Cities – 16 divisions, 10 in the south, 6 more scattered around the area.
Shangqing Tianguo, the Millenarian sect (the orange anti-Western China) – 22 divisions, expected to enter the war against Quing anytime soon.
Northern and Southern Chinese fronts shown. Qing China is in white (due not to being in Mitteleuropa Alliance),
Shangquing hasn't declared war on Germany, therefore, also white. Reds are Japanese and Legationists.
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Yep, Qing China holds only Beijing and three provinces to the west, which are now cut off supply by the Japanese and under attack by Shangquing.
Japanese DOWed Qing China in the beginning of 1939. I was working out the Polish-Lithuanian Union, so completely missed that and the German AI isn't particularly enthusiastic in Kaiserreich.
= Update later tonight!
Japanese DOWed Qing China in the beginning of 1939. I was working out the Polish-Lithuanian Union, so completely missed that and the German AI isn't particularly enthusiastic in Kaiserreich.
= Update later tonight!
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Yep, Quing China holds only Beijing and three provinces to the west, which are now cut off supply by the Japanese and under attack by Shangquing.
Japanese DOWed Quing China in the beginning of 1939. I was working out the Polish-Lithuanian Union, so completely missed that and the German AI isn't particularly enthusiastic in Kaiserreich.
= Update later tonight!
Why do you call the Qing 'Quing'?
Sorry, Chinese transcription is so hard to remember, in addition, my mate who is a student in sinology keeps correcting me in oral pronounciation and that's when it gets all messed up in my head. :wacko:
The port of Canton (Guangzhou) after German bombardment and Lithuanian siege, June 1939.
October 15, 1939
Dear Marta!
It pains me that I only managed to write an answer to you now, but I had a number of serious troubles that prevented me from writing you earlier.
Such as a constant, never-pausing offensive we've been doing our best at since June and till now, Marta. One of the German generals at our front, Major General Guderian, calls this offensive of ours Blitzkrieg (that's Thunder-war in German), and says this tactic will shape into the only one possible and effective in the wars of the future.
Hell, if that's the way we're going to fight wars from now on, I guess I'd better retire now while I'm still alive. Of course, Guderian and von Witzleben as the front commander are right: being as fast as possible is the key to winning the Asian war, as Japanese and their satellites' troops are very disorganized and slow.
But Lord, oh Lord, how hard it has been during the summer.
On June 22, the Expeditionary Corps has captured Canton! Single-handedly, if we don't count the German air support that was so kind as to wreck every single bridge in the city. Thank God we have an engineer brigade with bridgelayers, or we would have never won.
As soon as German infantry arrives to secure the area, we are sent further north!
The Legationist troops are already heavily disorganized, and we're not fighting them anymore, rather than chasing them across the flat landscape.
On July 23, von Witzleben phones me, irritated, and says the Qing Empire, the previously so powerful Da Qing Guo, has fallen to Japanese and Millenarian sect. Beijing is almost completely destroyed by the Japanese Army. The enemy starts relocating their troops to Quingdao port and the southern front, to the border with Legation Cities.
The whole August we've been fighting our way through the Chinese Coast, in direction Shanghai. I proposed that our Corps hurries north and sieges Shanghai, in hope to cut off the supply routes to the inland China from the Legationist Capital.
By September 6, we accomplish that mission. Our German Panzer colleagues start smashing the opposition in the Western hills.
On September 29, we siege Shanghai. The city has been turned into a massive fortress, whole streets and squares barricaded with trash and sandbags. It seems as if the whole population of Shanghai has been called to arms.
In autumn, desperate Legationists press women into military service.
Marta, can you imagine me hitting a woman? And giving orders to kill a thousand of women? Well, that's what I was doing for a whole week. Till we finally secured Shanghai on October 8.
We've taken the Chief of Staff of the Cities prisoner, he's a German called Walter Stennes. A German breakaway officer commanding an army of women and children. The image is branded in my brain forever, I think. How unbelievably cruel, how inhumane...
On October 9, Germans have captured Nanking. The Legationists have been dealt with, but we're ordered to march west at once, only having enjoyed one day of R&R. Along with three other German divisions, we're tasked with holding Hefei and Nanking provinces, working as the northern top of an encirclement. Our intellegence says there are eight fully reinforced Japanese divisions trapped, that must be somewhere around 100,000 people.
Where are we going to put a hundred thousand Japanese once they surrender?!
Lost and exhausted, General Popeliucka...
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Indeed, Korea has become independent and joined the Japanese-Fengtien-Transamur alliance. They've assembled quite a large army, unfortunately.
Cologne,
December 1st, 1939
Mitteleuropa Council
Apart from the Mitteleuropean delegations, several invited guests were present in Köln in the winter of 1939. Among others, representatives of Russian Republic, Spain and Italy arrived in the city. Austrians refused to send a delegation until "Lithuanians lay their hands off Krakow and Lemberg".
But the most important meeting was held in top secrecy, as Mitteleuropean Chiefs of Staff and Foreign Ministers met away from other guests.
German Chief of Staff, Wilhelm Groener, decided to shoo the secretaries away and organize the meeting on his own. He read from the list.
German Chief of Staff and Foreign Minister....me, heh, and Graf von der Schulenburg...
Mittelafrikan Chief of Staff and Foreign Minister...Ernst Junger, Joachim von Ribbentrop...
Baltic Dutchy Chief of Staff and Foreign Minister...Rüdiger von der Goltz, Alfred Rosenberg....
Polish- Lithuanian Chief of Staff and Foreign Minister...Oskaras Lozoraitis, Wladyslaw Sikorski...
Flanders-Wallonian Chief of Staff and Foreign Minister...Leon Degrelle.
- Sir Degrelle, where's the Foreign Minister?
The lone Belgian took his army hat off.
- I'm the foreign minister.
- Where's the Chief of Staff, then?
- I'm the Chief of Staff too.
No, seriously.
- I knew that Flanders-Wallonien had a shortage of manpower, but a shortage in a cabinet...
- Are we discussing Flanders-Wallonien or China here, Feldmarshal Groener?! - Degrelle growled.
- Is that even allowed? - wondered General Sikorski.
- It is! Please, I beg you, let us begin. There are lives at stake.
Field Marshal Groener unrolled the map of Chinese Front hanging on the wall in front of the guests. It wasn't pleasant.
- Meine Herren, we have just received the latest intellegence report from General von Witzleben, commander of the Group of Armies in China. Our boys have managed to destroy a whole Army of those pathetic Japanese and their friends, over 100.000 soldiers surrendered at our mercy. This is our first major victory against the Japanese Alliance, the so-called Co-prosperity Sphere, since the beginning of the war. The prisoners of war will be exchanged for those Germans who were captured during the destruction of the Northern Chinese front in Quingdao, two Japs for a German soldier. General Sikorski, your men from General Popeliucka's Expeditional Corps were exceptionally effective at keeping the encirclement secure until Japs in the area gave up, I salute the effort.
Sikorski was beaming with happiness. He was finally at his place, in charge of an army who fights and actually wins.
- However - Groener went on - the numbers are against us. According to our very trustworthy sources, Japanese have amassed 37 divisions at the front, 10 on Hainan, and they also keep 12 more divisions in reserve, in northern China. The Mitteleuropean war effort numbers 26 divisions, out of which 3 are protecting the coast bordering Hainan Island in case the Japanese strikeforce there decides to move to the continent. Of course, we all are more than able to reinforce our participation in this war...but do we have to?
The German foreign minister, Graf von der Schulenburg smashed his cigarette in the ashtray. It was his third, already.
- And what are we going to do then, Feldmarschal? Try to force those religious freaks or Yunnan warlords to join the war effort? They won't, they can very well see that they'll be crushed by the Japs at once.
Field Marshal Groener hesitated for a moment.
- My suggestion, gentlemen, is to invite the Russians to this war, in exchange for territories, if need be.
Both Lithuanian and Baltic foreign ministers leaped from their seats.
- The RUSSIANS?! Haven't we had enough entanglements with them already?
- Calm down, meine Herren, please calm down. My proposal is reasonable, and it can turn the tide to our favour without us having to send half the Mitteleuropean youth in the world's arse to die.
General Sikorski stood up and walked to the map.
- And you want us to agree to your proposal so that you'd have a large base of support when you file this madness to His Majesty, huh?
Groener nodded.
- Would you at least hear me out before you all rush at me? Gentlemen, the proposal we could make to the Russians is pretty simple.
Field Marshal came up to the map and asked Sikorski to take his seat.
- Mongolia, which, until recently, was a mad empire under command of a mad Russian, is now a little more civilized puppet of the Republic. However, their territorial demands for Manchurian territory are still there, as well as Russian demands to take Vladivostok area, Transamur, back. These areas have a significant Mongol and Russian population, respectively, and we lose NOTHING by letting the Russians have those lands once we bring Japanese down.
Having a clear, well-thought treaty will establish a border between our spheres of influence, somewhere around Beijing. This way, when we destroy the Japs - and, taking into account that Moscow commands the biggest army in the world at the moment, that will be soon - we'll be in posession of twice the land German China Company owned back in 1936. If we go on like now, we risk losing both 300,000 soldiers we have stationed in China and our influence in the region, our market, our industry...we cannot risk so much just because of our Imperial glory. We will lose all the glory too, if Japanese kick us out.
General Sikorski, clearly unimpressed by the speech, raised his hand.
- I've got a couple of questions I would like answered, please, Field Marshal.
- Ja?
- Firstly, why are you so pessimistic about the situation at the front? Indeed, the frontline is highly unstable, we lack fortifications and we're undersupplied, but those troubles are temporary, and Japanese don't exactly overwhelm us. Remember, the proper ratio for a good offensive is three to one and higher, and Japs outnumber us fifty to twenty-five, and that's counting the Hainan Army which is so dug in on the island it will take them ages to find an exit out of their own trenches.
Furthermore, Field Marshal, I'm not the kind of Pole who served in the Russian Army, I'm from Galizien, but I do know my share of information about it from my colleagues. Even though they have the biggest army at the moment, it's only a small part of it stationed at Far East. They're having low infrastructure and moving all those hordes of soldiers will take time.
In addition, the Russians know of our plans to strike at White Ruthenia and Ukraine, which, by the way, were brought to halt by German Generalstab because of the Asian War! The Lithuanian Army, at the current moment, is able of taking Minsk without any German or Baltic support in a week, sir. I guarantee that as the Chief of Staff. Syndicalist Ukraine is much tougher, but the Cossacks to the east owe us after we helped them retain their independence. In my view, sir, we shouldn't allow the Russians to know of our current...weaknesses. As soon as the Bear feels blood, he'll claw at Ukraine, White Ruthenia, hell, further at us and Baltics! And we will have brought this on ourselves by being cowards in the face of time.
The meeting went on...
December 1st, 1939
Mitteleuropa Council
Apart from the Mitteleuropean delegations, several invited guests were present in Köln in the winter of 1939. Among others, representatives of Russian Republic, Spain and Italy arrived in the city. Austrians refused to send a delegation until "Lithuanians lay their hands off Krakow and Lemberg".
But the most important meeting was held in top secrecy, as Mitteleuropean Chiefs of Staff and Foreign Ministers met away from other guests.
German Chief of Staff, Wilhelm Groener, decided to shoo the secretaries away and organize the meeting on his own. He read from the list.
German Chief of Staff and Foreign Minister....me, heh, and Graf von der Schulenburg...
Mittelafrikan Chief of Staff and Foreign Minister...Ernst Junger, Joachim von Ribbentrop...
Baltic Dutchy Chief of Staff and Foreign Minister...Rüdiger von der Goltz, Alfred Rosenberg....
Polish- Lithuanian Chief of Staff and Foreign Minister...Oskaras Lozoraitis, Wladyslaw Sikorski...
Flanders-Wallonian Chief of Staff and Foreign Minister...Leon Degrelle.
- Sir Degrelle, where's the Foreign Minister?
The lone Belgian took his army hat off.
- I'm the foreign minister.
- Where's the Chief of Staff, then?
- I'm the Chief of Staff too.
No, seriously.
- I knew that Flanders-Wallonien had a shortage of manpower, but a shortage in a cabinet...
- Are we discussing Flanders-Wallonien or China here, Feldmarshal Groener?! - Degrelle growled.
- Is that even allowed? - wondered General Sikorski.
- It is! Please, I beg you, let us begin. There are lives at stake.
Field Marshal Groener unrolled the map of Chinese Front hanging on the wall in front of the guests. It wasn't pleasant.
- Meine Herren, we have just received the latest intellegence report from General von Witzleben, commander of the Group of Armies in China. Our boys have managed to destroy a whole Army of those pathetic Japanese and their friends, over 100.000 soldiers surrendered at our mercy. This is our first major victory against the Japanese Alliance, the so-called Co-prosperity Sphere, since the beginning of the war. The prisoners of war will be exchanged for those Germans who were captured during the destruction of the Northern Chinese front in Quingdao, two Japs for a German soldier. General Sikorski, your men from General Popeliucka's Expeditional Corps were exceptionally effective at keeping the encirclement secure until Japs in the area gave up, I salute the effort.
Sikorski was beaming with happiness. He was finally at his place, in charge of an army who fights and actually wins.
- However - Groener went on - the numbers are against us. According to our very trustworthy sources, Japanese have amassed 37 divisions at the front, 10 on Hainan, and they also keep 12 more divisions in reserve, in northern China. The Mitteleuropean war effort numbers 26 divisions, out of which 3 are protecting the coast bordering Hainan Island in case the Japanese strikeforce there decides to move to the continent. Of course, we all are more than able to reinforce our participation in this war...but do we have to?
The German foreign minister, Graf von der Schulenburg smashed his cigarette in the ashtray. It was his third, already.
- And what are we going to do then, Feldmarschal? Try to force those religious freaks or Yunnan warlords to join the war effort? They won't, they can very well see that they'll be crushed by the Japs at once.
Field Marshal Groener hesitated for a moment.
- My suggestion, gentlemen, is to invite the Russians to this war, in exchange for territories, if need be.
Both Lithuanian and Baltic foreign ministers leaped from their seats.
- The RUSSIANS?! Haven't we had enough entanglements with them already?
- Calm down, meine Herren, please calm down. My proposal is reasonable, and it can turn the tide to our favour without us having to send half the Mitteleuropean youth in the world's arse to die.
General Sikorski stood up and walked to the map.
- And you want us to agree to your proposal so that you'd have a large base of support when you file this madness to His Majesty, huh?
Groener nodded.
- Would you at least hear me out before you all rush at me? Gentlemen, the proposal we could make to the Russians is pretty simple.
Field Marshal came up to the map and asked Sikorski to take his seat.
- Mongolia, which, until recently, was a mad empire under command of a mad Russian, is now a little more civilized puppet of the Republic. However, their territorial demands for Manchurian territory are still there, as well as Russian demands to take Vladivostok area, Transamur, back. These areas have a significant Mongol and Russian population, respectively, and we lose NOTHING by letting the Russians have those lands once we bring Japanese down.
Having a clear, well-thought treaty will establish a border between our spheres of influence, somewhere around Beijing. This way, when we destroy the Japs - and, taking into account that Moscow commands the biggest army in the world at the moment, that will be soon - we'll be in posession of twice the land German China Company owned back in 1936. If we go on like now, we risk losing both 300,000 soldiers we have stationed in China and our influence in the region, our market, our industry...we cannot risk so much just because of our Imperial glory. We will lose all the glory too, if Japanese kick us out.
General Sikorski, clearly unimpressed by the speech, raised his hand.
- I've got a couple of questions I would like answered, please, Field Marshal.
- Ja?
- Firstly, why are you so pessimistic about the situation at the front? Indeed, the frontline is highly unstable, we lack fortifications and we're undersupplied, but those troubles are temporary, and Japanese don't exactly overwhelm us. Remember, the proper ratio for a good offensive is three to one and higher, and Japs outnumber us fifty to twenty-five, and that's counting the Hainan Army which is so dug in on the island it will take them ages to find an exit out of their own trenches.
Furthermore, Field Marshal, I'm not the kind of Pole who served in the Russian Army, I'm from Galizien, but I do know my share of information about it from my colleagues. Even though they have the biggest army at the moment, it's only a small part of it stationed at Far East. They're having low infrastructure and moving all those hordes of soldiers will take time.
In addition, the Russians know of our plans to strike at White Ruthenia and Ukraine, which, by the way, were brought to halt by German Generalstab because of the Asian War! The Lithuanian Army, at the current moment, is able of taking Minsk without any German or Baltic support in a week, sir. I guarantee that as the Chief of Staff. Syndicalist Ukraine is much tougher, but the Cossacks to the east owe us after we helped them retain their independence. In my view, sir, we shouldn't allow the Russians to know of our current...weaknesses. As soon as the Bear feels blood, he'll claw at Ukraine, White Ruthenia, hell, further at us and Baltics! And we will have brought this on ourselves by being cowards in the face of time.
The meeting went on...
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Thank you. New update coming out on Saturday.
Any comments on what you readers would also like to see in the AAR?
Any comments on what you readers would also like to see in the AAR?
STOP! COOKIE TIME