The Tale of the Twelve Republics: a TLIAW Redux

[mlp]

February 4 1889. Surprised and unsure as how to proceed, Chulalongkorn asks advice from both the French and British Empires. Not much comes to arise, however: France is still busy licking its wounds over the Tonkin Affair and the British only showed interest in taking snippets of Siamese territory for either advice or supplies. Chulalongkorn decides to send troops along the northeastern border and reestablish control there.

February 5 1889. Large elements from the New Army under Yuan Shikai, along with garrison troops from Yunnan province, march into Laos as the "Vietnamese Royal Army". In this badly kept secret, Vietnamese commanders are in nominal control with Emperor Hàm Nghi being commander; in effect, however, the entire affair was orchestrated by Yuan.

February 19 1889. Emperor of Vietnam Hàm Nghi declares war on Siam.

February 21 1889. The well-trained Siamese troops rout the Chinese bandits west of the Mekong river. They then proceed to cross the river, entering Laos.

February 22 1889. President Grover Cleveland signs a bill admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington as U.S. states.

February 23 1889. The "Flag Gangs" fall back into Vientiane, awaiting reinforcements from the Chinese.

March 4 1889. Grover Cleveland, 22nd President of the United States (1885–1889) is succeeded by Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893).

March 5 1889. The troops stationed in French Somaliland, becoming aware of the Russian presence on the Horn of Africa, dispatch two gunboats to dislodge the settlement. After a few casualties, the town of "New Moscow" surrenders. All are sent back to Odessa.

March 7 1889. Due to the commander falling ill to malaria, the Siamese troops decide to form a defensive position outside Vientiane. The pace of the war slows due to the wet season.

Bloody weather.​

March 8 1889. A bridge is built across the Ural River, finally linking Europe to Asia by train. The Trans-Siberian Rilway is being built at record speed of 600km per year.

March 9 1889. Yohannes IV, Emperor of Ethiopia. is killed in the Battle of Metemma; Sudanese forces, who had been almost defeated, rally and destroy the Ethiopian army. Yohannes is probably the world's last ruler ever to die in battle.

March 11 1889. Ernst M. Satow, now honorary professor in Linguistics at the Republican Central University, heads the Translation Agency and makes various reforms for better translation of the Korean language to English - and the opposite. His works during his stay, one of which is Korean Vocabulary and Grammatical Structures (1894), becomes invaluable in studying the vestiges of the "Middle Korean" language.

One of the many families Satow visited to study the Korean language.​

March 16 1889. The standoff between American and German ships over the island of Samoa comes to a close due to a storm. The conflict continues however in the form of the Samoan Civil War.

March 20 1889. With the annual season of a lack of harvests looming over the horizon, Koreans both poor and rich are rushing towards Seoul - over 10,000 have arrived and moved residence to its proximity. Although the lack of foods and a search for jobs is seen as one reason, a larger factor is the fact that Koreans have begun to realise how significant the "right to vote" is and have realised how important it is to move to Seoul and be politically represented.

March 23 1889. Claiming to be the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad founds the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in India.

March 31 1889. The Eiffel Tower is inaugurated (opens May 6). At 300 m, its height exceeds the previous tallest structure in the world by 130 m. Contemporary critics regard it as aesthetically displeasing.

Bloody architects! Wasting precious steel and workers!​

 

[MapleTekh]

Has Korea expanded into China yet?

 

[mlp]

Has Korea expanded into China yet?

A bit too early for that.

 

[mlp]

April 1 1889. Following a failed attempt at a coup, French defense minister Georges Boulanger is forced to flee the country.

April 3 1889. A Treaty of Berlin is signed between the German Empire, the British Empire and the United States over the island of Samoa. Led by Bismark's son, his pragmatic approach proposed protection for life, property and commerce of the three countries and relegated native government and their unstable "kings" to the Samoans, to which the British concurred. The United States insisted on a three powers authority while preserving native rights. Thus a joint protectorate or condominium was declared, with a European/American chief justice, a municipal council for Apia, and with the "free right of the natives to elect their Chief or King" as the signatory to the act, thus recognising a Samoan independent government. Unfortunately however no sooner was the native royal figurehead appointed and disturbances restored did the other chiefs go into rebellion and begin another civil war.

April 14 1889. The first wave of female students arrive at both the Republican Central University and Republican Military Academy. Chosen initially from local aristocratic families who were eager to show goodwill towards the Reform Party, the students are led by an eclectic group of female missionaries and teachers. They are first of numerous who will come to lead Korea in various aspects of government, military and society.

Female cadets of the Military Academy engage in strenuous physical exercise.​

April 20 1889. Nellie Bly, using her excellent journalistic skills and with the aid of a good translator, makes the following conclusions upon Korea: the culture of Korea is medieval and continues to have strong Chinese influence, although local customs appear to have preserved some forms of sex equality; the government of Korea has made an error in implementation of allowing women to vote, but shows enthusiasm in furthering along the lines of "civilising" their country; the people of Korea represent the mixture of both, a confusion between ancient tranquility and animated industriousness. Bly leaves Korea by Pusan, restarting her journey to beat the race around the world in 80 days.

April 22 1889. At high noon in Oklahoma Territory, thousands rush to claim land in the Land Rush of 1889. Within hours the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed, with populations of at least 10,000.

May 2 1889. Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs a treaty of amity with Italy, giving Italy control over what will become Eritrea.

May 6 1889. Amidst the wildest of celebrations, the Exposition Universelle is opened in Paris for the celebration of the centennial of Storming the Bastille. With the Eiffel Tower looming over all else, there were many dignitaries and notable pavilions, such as Vincent Van Gogh, Jose Rizal, Thomas Edison, the Prince of Wales and his wife Princess Alexandria, the Machinery Hall, the Colonial Expedition, and the Village Nègre. Amongst these notables was the Korean Pavilion, which was: a large Oriental building that housed a music hall, a teahouse, and an exhibition for Korean art; a large garden with an authentic multi-storeyed pagoda; and a smaller building which housed various industrial and local goods Korea produced. Equal to and perhaps bigger than the Chinese or Japanese pavilions, the Korea Pavilion was notable to the many visitors to the Exposition.

One of few remaining photographs of the pagoda tower that was in the Korea Pavilion grounds.​

May 11 1889. An attack upon a U.S. Army paymaster and escort results in the theft of over $28,000 and the award of two Medals of Honor.

May 12 1889. With support from Yuan Shikai, the Hunan Military Academy is established for the training of New Army cadets from Hunan and Hubei provinces. Led almost entirely by German officers, it are the first of many military academies to be established throughout China.

May 23 1889. Diary records state that it was this day that Claude Debussy visits the Korea Pavilion and experiences Korean music, particularly the handheld gong and the "Tap'yingso"(태평소) - which comes to influence his later compositions. It is also a few days later that famed oboe manufacturer François Lorée visits the pavilion and finds inspiration to design a winded-down, quieter version of the Tap'yingso, the Oriental Oboe.

May 31 1889. The Naval Defence Act dictates that the fleet strength of the British Royal Navy must be equal to that of at least any two other countries.

June 3 1889. Basil H. Chamberlain, collecting local literature around Korea, begins to study into ancient poems of previous dynasties, most particularly sijo and hyangga. He will come to compile the history of Korean literature, with help from various Korean pupils, one of whom being Hwang Hyon.

June 4 1889. The first long distance electric power transmission line in the United States is completed, running 14 miles (23 km) between a generator at Willamette Falls and downtown Portland, Oregon.

June 6 1889. The Great Seattle Fire ravages through the downtown area without any fatalities.

June 8 1889. The Wall Street Journal is established.

June 25 1889. Hundreds of more schools have been established, "traditional schools" and modern schools alike. In particular there has been a boom in Missionary schools in the northern provinces and traditional schools in the south: 237 were founded in the last 5 years in the Pyong-an and Ham-kyong provinces, while over half of the 102,000 traditional schools were found in Kyong-sang province. Furthermore, government-installed schools, particularly industrial schools, were growing around Seoul: 10 industrial schools, 5 agricultural, and 2 commercial.

Graduating from an engineering class requires not using a straightedge when sketching.​

July 2 1889. Outraged at the fact that the world was now focused on Korea, the Japanese react in two main forms: one actively seeks an anti-Western approach, seeing this as justification for why Japan must never trust the "white barbarians" and must seek to remove all foreign influences within the country; the other sees this as an opportunity to democratise Japan, perhaps a parliament or even a constitution. Both sides make a move this day - the anti-Western faction reestablishes the Constitutional Imperial Rule Party, and the pro-Western faction begins a petition to the Emperor for the establishment of parliament.

July 3 1889. In a quick and brutal end to the Siamese-Vietnamese War of 1889, the Vietnamese Royal Army attacks the Siamese garrison at night. Underequipped, underprepared and without a leader, most are caught by surprise in the barrage of artillery and subsequent infantry attack; only ten out of several hundred make it across the Mekong river in the Battle of Vientiane. News of king Chulalongkorn's terrible loss to Vietnam becomes widespread throughout Siam within the month.

July 5 1889. A petition to stop Seoul from being overly represented begins in Andong, Kyong-sang province. Directed towards Conservative Alliance members in Seoul, the party decides to heed the advice.

July 8 1889. The last official bare-knuckle boxing title fight ever held (under London Prize Ring Rules) as Heavyweight Champion John L. Sullivan, the "Boston Strong Boy", defeats Jake Kilrain in a world championship bout lasting 75 rounds in Mississippi.

July 14 1889. The International Workers Congresses of Paris open and establish the Second International.

"Monsieur Marx, how do we get our monies back?" "First, you ask them nicely! If that doesn't work, you beat the Scheiße out of them!!"​

 

[MapleTekh]

I like how you use monies, not money. Is it because of Polandball?

 

[rjd1997]

Civilization references!

Keep up the good work, bro.

 

[mlp]

Cool developments! Russian Djibouti should be...interesting.

Welll, as you may have seen - it went as OTL, which was almost immediate failure.

 

[mlp]

I like how you use monies, not money. Is it because of Polandball?

something like that lol

 

[mlp]

July 15 1889. The leader of the "Flag Gangs", Liu Yongfu, declares the Kingdom of Laos at Luan Prabang and announces loyalty towards the Empire of Vietnam. Placing Sisavang Vong as puppet king, Liu places himself as head of taxation, commerce, and military of Laos. The Black Flag Army, the largest of the Flag Gangs, now comprise of over 8,000 privateers and mercenaries from all over the world, from Guangxi bandits to American veterans and Japanese ex-samurai.

July 19 1889. The great King of the Sedang and former plantation owner Charles-Marie David de Mayréna lands in Hanoi. Now a bustling city teeming with Chinese merchants, German businessmen, American missionaries, and Vietnamese labourers, his highness almost immediately intercepts the news of the war between China and Siam as he enters his favourite brothel soon after landing. His highness makes immediate preparations to arrive in the Sedang and train his most loyal troops, along with planning to use the situation to his advantage.

July 31 1889. As a wave of both ultranationalism and liberalism grips Japan tight, the Imperial government of Japan enacts several reforms in an attempt to ameliorate both sides: for one, various aspects of "Western" culture are banned in education, such as baseball or non-Japanese uniform; for another, an Imperial Decree is made for establishing a Committee to consider the establishment of a modern Japanese constitution, one that would replace the centuries-old Daijō-kan system.

Because, you know, Judo is WAAY better than gaijin Baseball!​

August 2 1889. The British Empire, eager to partake in the annexation of Siamese territories, signs a treaty with the Chinese over the territorial acquisitions. The British agree to recognise Laotian sovereignty in territories north of Pakxan; the Chinese agree to recognise British sovereignty east of the Salween River. The British also agree to mediate the peace treaty between China and Siam.

August 3 1889. Mahdist War: Egyptian and British victory at the Battle of Toski.

August 5 1889. In the city of Nagasaki, a group of inebriated ex-samurai, upon encountering a group of Chinese students, proceed to beat them up and attempt a coverup of the "accident". In an unfortunate set of circumstances, the news never reaches the Chinese embassy and the ex-samurai are let free after a few days in prison.

August 10 1889. In a debate that last several weeks, the Central Assembly decides to vote upon a resolution that allows several more major cities, such as Pusan, Hamhung and Taegu, to have "equal rights" for electing members of the Assembly. The vote was a tie, resulting in the Vice President voting for and allowing the resolution to pass. This was the first sweet victory for the Conservative Alliance.

August 13 1889. Father of American anthropology Franz Boas arrives in Korea with a group of professors and experts on history and language. Taking residence for a few years, Boas notes the similarity between the cultures of Korea and indigenous tribes in North America and begins to regularly publish his findings in the Annual Reports from the Bureau of American Ethnology. His months-long trips along the Korean countryside lead to numerous findings, such as the infatuation of the Korean people towards education and burial rites, the proliferation of totem poles and dolmens, and the traces of "Old Korean" that are starkly similar to modern Japanese.

Dear diary, I am SO TIRED, this country is SO BORING, I just want to go home...​

August 14 1889. London Dock Strike: Dockers strike for a minimum wage of sixpence an hour ("The dockers' tanner"), which they eventually receive, a landmark in the development of New Unionism in Britain.

August 16 1889. Yoo Kil-jun, Korean-American highschool dropout and acquaintance to Min Yeong-ik, begins to study International Law in the Harvard Law School. There he becomes close friends with the New Yorker and Yale graduate Henry L. Stimson.

August 20 1889. Heng & Thompson Tomb services, a corporation that helps the dead bodies of overseas Chinese back to their home town and tombsweeps for the emigrated families, extends their services to Koreans by establishing an office in Honolulu and Inchon.

August 26 1889. The Prevention of Cruelty to, and Protection of, Children Act, commonly known as the Children's Charter, is passed in the United Kingdom; for the first time it imposes criminal penalties to deter child abuse.

September 3 1889. Fukuzawa Yukichi, Japanese civil rights activist and mentor to many leaders of the Reform Party such as Kim Hong-jip, writes the famed essay "Embracing Asia". In the work Fukuzawa praises how far Korea has gone in the past few years and emphasises Japan's "fatherly" role towards the development of Korea, and explores the possibility of expending such a relationship to China. The end goal was to establish an East Asian league against Western imperialism.
As ironic as it was, this was to become one of the founding works of Japanese expansionism and ultranationalism.

September 10 1889. Only a few days after Fukuzawa, Reform Party Chairman Kim Yun-sik publishes the highly controversial work "New Confucianism for a New World". While praising the value the yangban had in always leading Korea towards a greater ideal, he argues that Korea still has a long way to modernise and for that to succeed needs a reform-minded yangban - a new social class comprised of writers, bureaucrats and industrialists, one that marches first into war and pays the highest taxes. Frequently quoting from Confucian texts and using a hypophoric format, Kim attempts to make the message resound more with the fallen yangban class and spur them to action. For the yangban themselves, this is a logic upside down - higher social status always meant less obligations.
It seemed that Yoo Su-won's and Park Che-ga's dreams were soon to become reality.

September 16 1889. A call is made on a few conservative newspapers to hold a rally for the Normanton Incident, when the captain and crew of a sinking British merchant vessel actively left Japanese passengers to drown as they escaped via the only existing lifeboats. After the Constitutional Imperial Rule Party declares its public support for the rally, many more newspapers begin to call for a nationwide movement for commemoration.

September 20 1889. With the increasing imports of Japanese Sake and the introduction of the modern brewing system, Korean merchants interested in dominating both the domestic and international markets for alcohol decidedly produce two brands that successfully tap to the tastes of both: the Cinnamon Soju and Ginseng Whisky. Ginseng and Cinnamon both being widely-known cash crops within Korea, production immediately booms and a strong niche market within the United States for Korean alcohol grows as the rumour that ginseng is good for virility grows. Furthermore, a growing number of Koreans begin to brew their soju with chilli peppers, particularly in the north - leading to the development of a drink that is simply undrinkable by most non-Koreans.

HOT DAMN!​

 

[mlp]

September 22 1889. In a move to help finance the Seoul-Pyongyang line, several Reform Party members drum up support for buying bonds of the Korea Seoul-Pyongyang Railway Corporation. Over 100,000 buys the bonds by the end of 1889, mainly around the northern regions and cities.

September 23 1889. Fusajiro Yamauchi, Japanese entrepreneur, founds the Nintendo Koppai for opening the first Hanafuda card shop. Business booms exponentially.

A brand that long lasts. Hopefully.​

October 20 1889. The Treaty of Chiang Mai is signed between China(representing Vietnam) and Siam, ending the Siamese-Vietnamese War of 1889.

October 21 1889. The French, surprised at how quickly things were happening in the usually lethargic continent of Indochina, orders Governor-general Étienne Antoine Guillaume Richaud to "take reciprocative action" upon the matter. Richaud therefore immediately sends scouts along the Siamese and Vietnamese borders.

October 24 1889. The anti-Western faction holds the Rally for Commemorating the Third Anniversary of the Normanton Incident, In a physical dispute with the police, the riotous crowd of 19,000 beats up a police officer and the rest, panicking, shoot into the crowd - resulting in 29, few high-profile and all ex-samurai, dead.

October 25 1889. Conservatives around Japan raise a huge uproar and the country is briefly left in chaos. Over a period of three days, Japanese of various backgrounds, military and civilian alike, assassinate and mutilate various government officials deemed "too liberal" in anger. Those killed include Itagaki Taisuke, Ōkuma Shigenobu, Nakae Chōmin, Fukuda Hideko, Toshiko Kishida, and Uchimura Kanzō. Peace Preservation Ordinances(Hoan Jōrei), which is basically martial law, is briefly declared over Tokyo, Osaka, and Hiroshima, and various Imperial Japanese Army garrisons move in to swiftly remove rebellious elements; unlike the Chichibu Incident, however, emphasis is made on capturing the rioters rather than killing them outright.

Some photograph-sketches of the riots.​

October 27 1889. The Japanese government, led behind the scenes by Ito Hirobumi, launches a vast array of reforms to both "discipline" and ameliorate the conservatives: the superintendent-general of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is replaced; 700 leaders of the riots are sentenced to death, while a majority received heavy sentences; an Imperial Decree is made denouncing public gatherings and other forms of dissent; a constitution is promulgated, with strong emphasis to the "holy and sacrosanct" roots of the Emperor and thus the Empire, along with an outlining of an absolute monarchy; stronger emphasis is made on nationalism and statism in textbooks on the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

October 29 1889. British South Africa Company receives a Royal Charter.

November 2 1889. Opinion in the West becomes divided over the "election issue" in Korea. While most deride the effort as "some ineffective pursuit by a group of sexual deviants dazzled by Amazonian ideals", some believe in the sincerity of the effort that is being made by the Reform Party. Siding with the latter, Sir Richard F. Burton writes a short opinion piece to The Telegraph, arguing that the effort "passed all expectations of what could be achieved in a medieval, Oriental nation" and that "we should all praise what this young Republic has achieved in such short a time". Along with Bly's article, articles and works like these spur more interest in Korea, along with bringing in the question of whether or not some peoples are more equal than others.

November 14 1889. Back in San Francisco, Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) begins the attempt to beat travel around the world in less than 80 days (Bly finishes the journey in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes).

November 15 1889. In a surge of Republicanism after Korea's success, Field Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca organizes a military coup which deposes Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and abolishes the Brazilian monarchy. Deodoro da Fonseca proclaims Brazil a Republic and forms a Provisional Government.

November 29 1889. The colonial government of French Indochina, other than properly delineating the border between French Indochina and Vietnam, identifies a certain "Kingdom of the Sedang" that sits directly on the main passage between southern French Indochina and lower Laos. It is decided that for any major military expedition into Laos and reach the Mekong river basin, the Kingdom, through either peaceful or military means, must be neutered for the foreseeable future.

December 3 1889. Pooling in the large amount of property the Chunju Lee family possessed, the family begins to invest in major enterprises such as the Taehan Mining Corporation, Kaesong Alliance Shipping, and Tonga Printing. With encouragement from Min Yeong-ik, they also establish a firm on their own: Leehwa Textiles. The firm is to be led by industrialist Lee Jae-wan.

December 15 1889. Expecting a fellow Frenchman to be agreeable, the French military sends in a single column of infantry to "negotiate" an agreement of peace and friendship with the King of the Sedang. But his royal highness is not so easily corruptible - he chases them away with elephant-riding infantry.

"Now this is your last chance! I've been more than reasonable, and if you do not agree to my commands, then I shalt...JESUS CHRIST!"​

December 19 1889. The French military in Indochina attempt an ambush with a larger army to pacify the passageway into Laos. The plan fails again however, as the villages have notified the Kingdom of the Sedang beforehand and it became the French who are attacked at night. Richaud decides to settle a peace treaty with a large sum.

December 22 1889. To the exasperation of the French colonial government, Charles-Marie David de Mayréna accepts the money and also agrees to sell his Kingdom. From there Mayréna sets his eyes to Hanoi, where he believes his future lies as a successful merchant.

December 30 1889. Ito Hirobumi attempts to calm his fellow conservatives in a public assembly by stating that the focus on Korea will soon come to pass; in his famous "Western clothes" speech, Ito explains that, like the constantly changing fashion of Western dresses, the keen interest Europe and North America has on Korea will soon come to pass, as if it never existed. A consensus is drawn by the conservatives to sit back and wait for now.

 

[mlp]

Does anybody think the Japanese riots in October 25 are over-the-top? Or would they fit what could happen in Japan during the time?

 

[mlp]

January 1 1890. President Min Yeong-ik declared several reforms. Major changes in the military were to be made: all soldiers, either superior or inferior, were to converse with each other in honorifics, and they were to be taught in a system modelled after West Point; as there was no mention of when the rights of "municipal vote" were to be given to cities other than Seoul, the government deemed that it will be decided 5 years after; and in another bout of efforts to increase participation, conscription was to be reformed along Prussian lines. On the same day, the Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony in the Horn of Africa.
Estimated total population of Korea: 17,354,000

January 11 1890. 1890 British Ultimatum: the United Kingdom demands Portugal withdraw its forces from the land between the Portuguese colonies of Mozambique and Angola.

January 14 1890. The complete defeat of the unions in the Burlington Railroad Strike of '88 leads one local leader in the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen to become a leader of a nationwide movement. His name was Eugene Victor Debs.

The Dude abides in Socialism.​

January 15 1890. The Sleeping Beauty with music by Tchaikovsky is premiered at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia.

February 8 1890. Announcing the beginning to the Race for Katanga, a remote region rich in minerals and game, British imperialist Cecil Rhodes employs Alfred Sharpe to explore the region and strike an agreement with King Msiri. The main objective is to expand Rhodes's mineral rights concession for his British South Africa Company.

February 13 1890. With the liberals severely crippled after what is now called the "10.25 Incident" and with that the absolute death of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement, Ito Hirobumi announces the General Elections for the 1890 House of Representatives. Contrary to the "accidental" elections process in Korea, the Japanese electorate was to be based on limited suffrage, with only male citizens 25 years of age and over, who had paid 25 Japanese Yen or more in national taxes, and who had been resident in their prefecture for at least a year, qualified to vote. This represented less than 1% of the total population during that period.

February 15 1890. Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi orders the Minister of Home Affairs, himself, to establish the Special Higher Police(Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsu) to ensure total loyalty of the Japanese people to the Emperor. The first major operation of the "Tokko" is to make sure such loyalty is represented in the General Election, which included ensuring the fact that all votes went for conservative candidates. Individuals who did not do so were relieved from personal property and the right to vote.

Vote for the right candidate! Serve the Emperor and Empire! Or else!​

February 28 1890. In light of newly disgruntled conservatives, the Japanese government encourages low-wage migrant workers and unemployed youths(primarily Ronin) to immigrate to the Republic of Korea by lowering shipping fees, along with other financial and legal obstacles. Within a week of its implementation over a hundred Ronin cross the narrow strait to Pusan for work, peddling and otherwise.

March 5 1890. Lee Bo-dam, Korean Buddhist priest influenced by Japanese philosophy, brings back a martial arts after being trained amongst others by Jigoro Kano: Yoo-do, also called "Judo" in Japanese.

March 11 1890. By leaders such as Ismail Gasprinski, R. İbrahimov, and Alimardan Topchubashov, The Union of the Muslims("Ittifaq al-Muslimin") is established in the Russian Empire. As an immediate consequence of The First Congress of Muslims of Russia, the Ittifaq al-Muslimin follows along Korean lines of politics, with the primary objective being secularisation and modernisation of the Turkic peoples along nationalist lines.

 

[mlp]

March 20 1890. In a clear break with the new German emperor Wilhelm II, German leader Otto von Bismarck is forced to resign. This begins to lead to a more radical change in German foreign policy.

Oh captain my captain, the new leader's a bloody asshat.
​

April 13 1890. The Sogwa is held on the National level. The 200 who excelled most in mathematics are to be sent to China, Japan, Europe or the United States; the next 100 are sent to the Military Academy; the 300 who have excelled in other fields are sent to Seoul Central University.

April 15 1890. The sudden surge of Japanese in southeastern Korea causes a growth in hostilities between Korean and Japanese merchants. The fact that the Japanese are more liberal in the use of brothels, bars and Geisha houses does not help.

April 20 1890. In light of how publications such as Noli Me Tángere, Sucesos de las Republicas Korea, and El filibusterismo are influencing the Philippines and inciting revolution with its strong criticisms against the Catholic Church, José Rizal is captured in Madrid for inciting dissent. He is to be directly deported to Dapitan, Zamboanga.

May 1 1890. Pilar's request to the Japanese several years ago is reaffirmed by a direct message from the Filipino revolutionaries in Manila. In the absence of Rizal, the group now led by Bonifacio requests indemnity, arms, and finances from the Empire of Japan. Unlike the previous request, the answer is immediate - and affirmative. The matter however was that the Japanese did not specify when such a request was to be honoured.

May 11 1890. With the Yakuza gaining influence over the Japanese brothels in Pusan and the surrounding cities, Korean opposition becomes more vocal. Newspapers begin to print stories of the Ronin, Yakuza, Geishas, and Hanafuda being the "four pests" brought in across the sea. The slogan "Four Pests" becomes commonly used around Korean literature in the months after.

May 19 1890. Yuan Shikai oversees the recommission of the Nanrui at Foochow. Having arrived a few months ago from the Vulcan Naval Yard at Stettin, the cruiser was considered one of the most modern warships of the time, fitted with several torpedo types and triple expansion steam engines. As the name implies, the warship represents the full recovery of the Nanyang fleet, one that would keep the southern coasts of China safe while the Beiyang fleet keeps Bohai bay and the Yellow sea protected from foreign incursions.

May 20 1890. Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh moves to Auvers-sur-Oise on the edge of Paris in the care of Dr Paul Gachet where he will produce around seventy paintings in as many days.

May 30 1890. Led by Filipino revolutionaries such as Andrés Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, and Ladislao Diwa, the Samahang Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng̃ mg̃a Anak ng̃ Bayan(more commonly known as Katipunan) is founded in complete secrecy. Now endowed with Japanese support(including a growing number of Ronin nationalists to train a revolutionary army), the objective of the Katipunan is complete demolition of Spanish influence in the Philippine islands. The groundbreaking celebration was made by nominating Rizal honorary president, albeit without his knowledge.
Revolution was growing in the hearts and minds of the Philippine people.

what does every Napoleon copycat need?​

 

[hasdrubal barca]

I see Germany is headed down the same path. Wonder if things will work better for them this time around.

 

[mlp]

I see Germany is headed down the same path. Wonder if things will work better for them this time around.

I was more hoping you'd catch this hint:

March 11 1890. By leaders such as Ismail Gasprinski, R. İbrahimov, and Alimardan Topchubashov, The Union of the Muslims("Ittifaq al-Muslimin") is established in the Russian Empire. As an immediate consequence of The First Congress of Muslims of Russia, the Ittifaq al-Muslimin follows along Korean lines of politics, with the primary objective being secularisation and modernisation of the Turkic peoples along nationalist lines.

 

[Nightingale]

Nice update! The Philippines it seems, ITTL, with secret Japanese support (well IOTL the revolutionaries wanted to, but were rebuffed by the Japanese), is now on the way to early independence (and avoiding the quagmire of the 1898 Spanish-American War).

Kudos

 

[The Forty-Eighth Rōnin]

If this butterflies Del Pilar's OTL fate, then he should head the revolutionary government in case Rizal still dies. He's the most capable man for the job.

And, Antonio Luna joining the Katipunan is a very interesting scenario.

 

[mlp]

If this butterflies Del Pilar's OTL fate, then he should head the revolutionary government in case Rizal still dies. He's the most capable man for the job.

And, Antonio Luna joining the Katipunan is a very interesting scenario.

I may need your help on these, since I basically copied many of these from wikipages and only have a very vague idea on how an ideal Philippine revolution would look.
How would Pilar and Luna help in this case? What were their roles in the Katipunan OTL?

 

[Nightingale]

Sorry to interrupt, but IOTL they don't have affiliation with the KKK, especially Rizal, who advocated peaceful means. They only served as inspirations. Instead the KKK themselves wired a telegram to the Japanese for support.

 

[The Forty-Eighth Rōnin]

@Eco: It was never clear, until now, whether Rizal favored a revolution (albeit as a last resort) or rejected it outright, despite the existence of that Manifesto. There's also the testimony of the man who attempted to sway Rizal to the Katipunan's cause: Pio Valenzuela.

@zeppelinair: Del Pilar had links to the Katipunan, although not that significant (since he's already struggling in Spain when the Katipunan started a full-scale recruitment campaign OTL). He gave permission to them to use his name as editor-in-chief for Kalayaan, the Katipunan's official newspaper.

As for Luna, Rizal was said to have suggested him to the Katipunan as a possible member, according to Pio Valenzuela.