Interesting map, Sumeragi-san. You said it was based off of ultra-rightist dreams, which means that the blood red section is probably Manchukuo or something. I can't think of a good reason for Manchukuo to have Korea or Shandong, though, so I will change it around a little.
1895: The Japanese Empire defeats the Qing Empire even more handily, receiving Taiwan
and Hainan island as war prizes. Russia takes notice of Japan's newfound modern army, and begins reinforcing its Far Eastern forces.
1904: The Russo-Japanese War begins. Admiral Togo routs the Russian fleets in two seperate encounters, destroying the bulk of Russia's naval power for the loss of less than one hundred Japanese sailors killed. However, on land, it is a different story. The Japanese manage to push the Russian army out of Port Arthur, but sustain huge losses. Each time the Russians are forced back, they simply retreat to yet another fortified position. Dozens of such positions have been carefully created and stocked in the years since 1895. Total control of the sea allows the Japanese to feed more and more men into the area, but the Russians manage to bleed their foe white.
By 1905, both sides are nearing bankruptcy, and both sides are facing unrest at home. A comprimise peace is signed. Both Russia and Japan promise not to interfere in Korean internal affairs. For her part, Russia agrees to return Port Arthur to the Qing throne.
1906: Barely 18 months have passed before the first clear evidence emerges that Russia has gone back on her word. A Russian company secures a mining contract in northern Korea. Along with the miners, Russia moves nearly a divison of riflemen into the area to protect their investment. Soon, with the Russian military forces threatening the capital, Russia forces the Korean imperial family to accept Russian "advisors".
Japan is unwilling to allow Korea to fall into the Russian sphere. However, the Japanese army is still recovering from the massive losses of two years before, and the nation is unwilling to go to war again so soon. The Japanese government begins shipping huge numbers of modern Arisaka rifles to anti-Russian elements in the south of Korea. A small number of Japanese military advisors "resign", and "volunteer" to train a Korean army along modern lines.
1907: The New Model Korean Army deals its first defeat to the Russian foe. Russia is unwilling to risk expanding the conflict by sending in more army groups, and withdraws its remaining forces. The Japanese public celebrates the victory of a small Asian power against a European foe, and pro-Korean sentiments grow. For her part, most Koreans appreciate Japanese assistance. Growing numbers on both sides see a Korean-Japanese Alliance as desirable, both as a brake on European colonial ambitions and as a guard against a return of Chinese influence. Japanese experts are hired, and Korea constructs her first modern arsenal, producing both rifles and small-calibre cannons.
1910: The Qing Dynasty collapses. Rebels in Beijing announce the creation of a "China for the Han Chinese". In the confusion, a former Beiyang warlord sets up a private fiefdom in Manchuria. He begins systematically deporting the hated Manchu minority in the area, out of association with the former "foreign" dynasty. Eventually, these expulsions begin to include ethnic Koreans in the Northeast of the area.
1911: Korean armies cross the border in mass, vowing to protect their Korean brothers. Although the Beiyang army is large, numbering over a quarter of a million men, in reality it is found to be a paper tiger. The army posseses only 40,000 modern rifles, and these of varied calibre. Its stocks include only 4,000 machine guns. Large numbers of men are armed with only a dadao sword or a musket. Many soldiers, when faced with the disciplined fire of the Korean Army, simply throw down their weapons and surrender. The Korean Army forces its way down through Manchuria, slowed only by the harsh winter.
1912: Despite the stunning military defeats of Chinese armies in Manchuria, the Chinese leaders in China proper remain convinced that the defeats are the result of poor leadership. Accordingly, during the winter lull in the fighting, the newly-named Empire of China declares war on Korea. Within eight months, Korean forces have not only captured all of Manchuria, but also Shandong and Beijing. Relishing their newfound role as a Great Power in Asia, Korea enforces a harsh peace. They annex all the lands they have conquered.
1920: Anti-Korea protests in the free city of Shanghai turn violent. In the riots, Chinese crowds lynch what they believe to be a Korean industrialist. In reality, it is a prominant Japanese investor. When the Shanghai government refuses to pay an indemnity, Japan uses this as a pretext for war. Despite high hopes on the Chinese side, Japanese forces land along the river and quickly spread out from there. Six months later, the middle third of China proper is annexed into the Japanese empire.
1923: The fifth year of the Russian Civil War looks bad for the White forces. In desperation, they are forced to ask the Koreans and Japanese for help. Both nations agree to supply generous military aid to the White forces. However, the price is high: Korea demands the return of "historic Manchurian lands", which are annexed into the Korean Empire. Japan receives all of Sahklin Island and the Kurils.
Even when provided with free ammunition, rifles, and cannon, the White armies prove unable to stem the Red advance. The Korean-Japanese Alliance is forced to intervene directly, dispatching what becomes known and the Korean-Japanese Anti-Communist Expeditionary Army, or KJACEA. This force succeeds in preventing the Red Army from reaching the Pacific. A nominally independent Far East Russian Republic is created as a buffer state.
1925: Taking advantage of weakness in both China and Russia, the UK establishes a puppet independent East Turkestan.
1926: The Chinese Civil War begins, as the remaining Chinese provinces fight between themselves for control of what remains unoccuppied in China. Warlords rise and fall quickly as the various states fight each other for control. Among the most successful of these are what become known as "narco-states", where warlords use the lucrative opium trade to fund their armies. During the confusion, Tibet declares formal and lasting independence.
1938: By now, China is more-or-less permanently divided in a few warlord states. All of the warlords fund their operations primarily through the traffic in opium. The regions are run on a neo-feudal basis, where large landowners grow poppies. These landowners pay a share of their crops to the local warlord, in exchange for protection. For those from families too poor to own land, often the only career available is to join the militia of a local landlord.
Peace is maintained between the various warlord states by "gentlemen's agreements", fixing the extent of territory each warlord controls. As long as the profits keep coming in, peace is maintained. However, open warfare is not unknown in cases of crop failure and the like.
OoC: What do you think? Obviously, I have yellow as Japan, and blood red as Korea. The Lime Green area is my Far East Russian Republic. Gray is Tibet. The pinkish area above India is British-controlled East Turkestan. The little colored areas within China are all warlord states.
It's probably not what you had in mind, but it should please a Korean/Japanese gal.
