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Party: Loyalist

[Politician]

Although I have many differences with the Loyalists I must put aside these differences in order to defeat the Do-Nothing and anti-fact Liberal Party.

- Lord Mori Takachika
 
Party: Loyalist Association

[Militarist]
[No Bonus]


- Admiral Unryu Raizo
 
Party: NLP

[Economist]
[+2 VP]
 
NLP

[Politician]
[Imperial Victor]
{Foreign Secretary]


-- Hosokawa-dono
 
Party: NLP

[Military]
[Bonus: Imperial Victor +1]
 
Party: NLP

[Economist]
[Bonus: Imperial Victor +1]
 
Party: NLP

[Politician]
[Imperial Victor: +1 VP]


~ Ōshiro Kazuki, Marquis of Okayama and Prime Minister of Japan
 
I wish announce the construction of a Luxury Clothes Factory in Chubu.
I would also like to request a loan of 25k from the bank of Japan for the purposes of opening a Furniture factory in Chugoku-Shikoku and a Regular Clothes factory in Kansai.

- Kusaribe Kinzo

---

Party: KAP

[Economy]
 
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An Excerpt from "The National Necessity" by Takeda Hitomi, published July 1868
Chapter 4: "The Battle Ship as a Concept"
For ages he who has ruled the seas has done so through the use of many ships. These ships can range from small to terrible in size; weak to terrifying in power. In the age before gunpowder reaches the shores of Japan, the strength of a ship was measured by the number of archers it held; the amount of pike-bearing men it carried on its back. The advent of the cannon and gunpowder has changed this. Now a single ship with ten gunpowder cannon can destroy an entire fleet armed and built in the traditional manner; and yet a ship with just ten cannon is normally considered weak by typical standards. One must understand the concept of ship classes and the so-called battle ship to understand and utilize the true usefulness and effectiveness of these cannon ships.

The smallest ships are gunboats and corvettes. At most, they will carry aboard just several cannon, usually of a smaller caliber, firing lighter shot. These ships will have fewer men aboard, and will be cheaper to build and maintain. they trade their power for their speed; they are as nimble as they are fast. One uneducated in naval matters might then say: "Why must we restrict ourselves to ships of either types? Can we not build a huge number of these gunboats and corvettes, and swarm our enemy like a flight of hornets, or like a pack of wolves?" Therein is the first fallacy.

It must be expected that, unless the enemy is caught completely off guard, they will have one ship to match each one of ours. Thus, if our fleet is made up entirely of these smaller vessels, and the enemy fleet is one properly balanced and organized of ships both big and small, the result will be too obvious. Our smaller and weaker ships may damage and even sink a few of theirs, but their combined firepower and weight of broadside would destroy our squadron in moments.

Here enters the frigate. The frigate is a considerably larger ship -- though not the largest by far -- and houses space for a significant number of cannon. The frigate is not as fast as the smaller ships -- though there sometimes are exceptions -- and they are generally used to protect the fleet flagship, other important vessels, or chase down slower vessels and damage or sink them with her adequate firepower. The frigate is thus a versatile ship -- not excellent in any one category, but capable of being both a small harassing vessel and a powerful battle-line vessel -- with relative ease.

Finally we come across the battle ship. These battle ships, more often called "ships of the line", are typically the largest ships of any nation's navy. They carry the largest crews and the largest number of guns. They are protected with thick layers of iron and wood and, for their strength and defensive capabilities, are usually made the home of the admiral's person. The battle ship closes with the enemy fleet, one in line after the other, and opens fire with the might of her great battery, with devastating effect upon the enemy. The battle ships bring with them a sense of superiority, of assured victory -- and often, certain victory does follow.

The nation with more battle ships, however, is not always the victor of great battles at sea. As we have seen in the analysis in chapter 2, the Battle of Trafalgar involved 27 British battle ships fighting against 33 French and Spanish battle ships. The alliance battleships, despite there being more of them, could not secure their nations victory. Thus can such a great and powerful weapon as the battle ship be misused.

Admiral Nelson at Trafalgar used his great number of battle ships -- however overshadowed by his French and Spanish enemies -- to great use. the impossibility of the concept of defeat for his enemies led to their downfall. Nelson's excellent use of his heavy guns all-together against the enemy line meant certain doom for the French and Spanish and assured victory for his own country, even despite his downfall at the mercy of a rifleman.

As we have seen, a naval battle can be decisive in scope and in results: the destruction of an entire enemy fleet, the depletion of enemy war spirit, the winning of a grand war. The clever and proper use of a fleet's battle ships can, almost every time, guarantee a victory of grand scope. It is the misuse of such tools of war that threatens horrendous and terrible defeat.
 
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Reactions:
(Davout, did you ever get your officer traits?)


((Skilled Politician

Backgrounds:
['Politician', '', '-10%', '', '', '', '', '10%']

Personalities:
['Skilled', '5%', '', '1', '', '', '', ''] ))
 
Party: Unity & Honour

[Economy]
[Richest Economist - 3VP]

May peace and prosperity reign forever in Nippon.

~ Hajamoto Yoshihiro