Part 7: Enough talky-talk I wanna fight some Asians
The Ming, clearly off their bipolar medication, once again decided that the Japanese were not rival material. The Shogun didn't bother opening diplomatic talks, as he figured they'd change their mind again soon.
Instead, more effort was put into increasing colonization efforts. The desolate islands the colonist had decided to settle was actually beginning to become worthwhile, as droves of people flocked to the new world.
Reports on the Ming showed that once again they were dealing with internal rebellions, which may explain why they didn't consider us a rival any more.
The Shogun proved time and again his skills in the art of diplomacy, and other nations were beginning to be drawn to his words.
To nobody's surprise, it turns out the Ming had decended into total chaos, as factions from all over rose up against the government. The Shogun waited on the sidelines to take advantage of the situation when the time came.
Meanwhile the Aleut islands had finally established themselves, and the colonist was finally ready to go to better, warmer parts of the new world. The colonist took a team of conquistadors down the coast to a land known as "California"
Word came that the Yeren horde had descended into the plains of Jianzhou, intending to unite the Jurchen tribes. The Shogun, antsy for a good fight, readied his troops and attacked the hordes.
While confident, the Shogun was realistic about the war. It had not begun on his terms, and his army while mighty, lacked some of the technical advances that had been made on the Korean peninsula. His goal therefore was to merely destroy the Yeren army and arrange favorable peace terms.
The royal cartographer killed himself after hearing the news about the collapse of the Ming empire. All of Asia was celebrating, aside from the Ming and the map guy.
Back north, a quick siege of the so-called capital of Yeren ended the war before it could really begin. The Shogun isolated the tribesmen by breaking their only alliance, dooming them to eventual conquer by Japan.
A few years of peace followed, as the Shogun rebuilt his navy and manpower. The peace was disrupted as the promising heir to the throne was found dead after a hunting trip. Cool.
After the death of his heir, the Shogun was being pressured to name a new replacement. Refusing to pollute the royal bloodline, he refused to adopt a new heir.
Instead, he opened up channels with one of the new Chinese breakaway states and secured a royal marriage.
The Koreans, in all their wisdom, issued a proclamation that they would guarantee the independence of the Haixi tribes to their north. The Shogun decided they should have to put their money where their mouth is, and attacked Haixi.
The Koreans attempted to move their forces through the mountainous northern provinces, only to be met by a fully armed Japanese army. The terrain demolished the Korean Calvary units, but the Japanese army also sustained considerable infantry losses.
Right on their heels, the Japanese pounced on the recuperating Koreans, routing them even further south.
Again the Japanese hit them hard, taking advantage of the natural defenses in the province. The Koreans, while equal to and possibly superior to the Japanese army, was now 0-3 against the Japanese army.
The Koreans were not one to give up, and rather than corner themselves to the south, retreated north into hostile territory to siege down the Jianzhou capital. Finishing its own siege, the Japanese army moved north.
And utterly destroyed the Koreans, who unconditionally surrendered to the Shogun's army. The country was now open to unopposed conquest.
The peace agreement saw the trade cities of north Korea falling under Japanese rule. The Haixi, who the Koreans had so valiantly failed to protect, were annexed completely.
The victory, while total, was not the absolute victory that the Shogun had hoped for. He decided therefore to invest in the quality of his army.
Proving his virility and fertility, the Shogun produced a legitimate heir!
To celebrate, he declared war on the once-mighty Ming, whose only ally was an island nation to the south.
The Jainzhou general, seemingly having more intel than the Japanese, pushed for his forces to attack the Ming who were stationed to the north. The Japanese general, fearing the general had lost his mind, also moved his forces to support the Jianzhou army.
It turns out the Jianzhou general know what he was doing, and the Ming laid down their arms at just the sight of the approaching army. Victory was assured!
The mighty Japanese army marched through the forbidden city, forcing the Chinese Emperor to submit rule of his capital to Japan. The Ming would never recover.
In California, the first non-frozen colony was now a thriving town.
Japan now has no equal in Asia, long live the Empire! Long live the Shogun!