Gnaeus Furius Rubro passed away one winter night in 2043 AUC (1778 AD). He was soon succeeded by who would become known as Manius Sertorius Caelius. Manius Sertorius was born in a noble family Villa west of Augusta Elysium. His father was a large estate owner and former military officer; his mother was the well-educated daughter of a high-ranking government official. Later the family would move to Lenape where he would spend his childhood in an urban environment. Later, he would become a business tycoon who would build his wealth in railroads and shipping. Manius would work his way up to leadership positions in maritime trade and the fast-growing rail industry, effectively transforming the Empire's geography. At the same time he greatly improved and expanded the nation's transportation infrastructure while embracing new technologies and new forms of business organization, forming the first company to use the word
Corporatium. Later he would rise in politics and be a favorite among the senators, being elected the new Emperor.
The new emperor began his rule as the first emperor to visit the Japanese Empire and Maratha. The visit in Japan was received by the Shogun Oda Nobusada who accompanied him to the Imperial Palace where he was received by the Tenno Kōkaku who was a child according to Roman standards in 1782 (he was only 11 years old). The Emperors spent several days together where they made gifts to each other, to later speak with the Shogun Nobusada, the conversations with the Shogun revolved around an expansion of both Empires and better trade. In the middle of those conversations, the Hawaii issue came up. Hawaii was divided into different kings who ruled each island as their individual fief but recently, England had taken an interest in it, especially after the death of James Cook after an attempted kidnapping that resulted in his being torn to pieces.
Japan saw the advantages of having Hawaii but Elysium also wanted it as a key position in the strategic landscape. Japan had several targets: Taiwan, Kamchatka, and finally Manchuria with Siberia. In exchange for not interfering with the
Conquest and Assimilation Expansions, Japan would receive more direct and friendly attention from the Elysian Empire. This was accepted although some radicals from Elysium Augusta argued to take the islands without bothering the opinion of these "
flat-faced barbarians". Caesar's response was simple: "
These flat-faced barbarians are one of the greatest warrior peoples in history, comparable to the Spartans of Greece. They are our friends, and although we are superior to them in science, we are an older brother to them." it must educate them while the other kingdoms and empires would treat them as serfs or slaves without rights " That speech did nothing but motivate and increase the rate of Japo-Elysian marriages or an explosive growth of births.
The Maratha Empire, on the other hand, was a different matter, beginning as a commercial enterprise of some adventurers, the support of the veteran Legionnaires in the Unification of the subcontinent under the Bhagwa Dhwaj dominated the Elysium-Maratha relationship. The Maratha experienced a revolution in military organization as part of the accelerated modernization of the Indian nation as the Maratha Military-Industrial Complex opened factories around Agra and other cities. Where they manufactured and brought out their firearms (Elysian clones) by the tens of thousands, which were used by the Imperial Maratha Army. A detail that marked the meeting between rulers was sexuality itself, since the Chhatrapati (Emperor) was accompanied by beautiful women, all married to him, which contrasted with the sexual attitude in Elysium, which was less liberal than in India. The Roman religion promoted sexuality as an aspect of the prosperity of the state.
Even prostitution was legal, public and widespread while it was common to find "pornographic" paintings and later photographs among the art collections of respectable upper-class households. Although there was some discrimination towards that male Elysian citizen who assumed the passive role in the same sexual act, being accepted and promoted to the man who enjoyed sexual acts with women or with men of inferior status, as long as their behaviors did not reveal weaknesses or excesses. It was even considered natural and common for men to feel sexually attracted to adolescents of both sexes and pederasty was tolerated as long as the youngest male partner was not a free Roman and was already over the age of majority (15 years) although it was common that did not exceed fifteen years of difference
The Maratha Empire and the culture of the Indian Subcontinent itself favored that sex was considered a mutual duty between a married couple, where husband and wife pleasured each other equally while polygamy was allowed to be in practice, this seems to have been practiced only by rulers, and the common people maintained a monogamous marriage. It is common for a ruling class to practice both polyandry and polygamy as a way of preserving dynastic succession. Such a mentality caused Emperor Manius and his courtiers to end up taking copies of the Kama Sutra to Elysium, originally known as Vatsyayana Kamasutram, which would eventually lead to a certain Indiaphilia as well as a Niponophilia. Indirectly this would affect a greater proliferation of social clubs of a sexual nature that did nothing more than promote a light sexual subculture centered on BDSM. This did nothing more than encourage a birth explosion in all segments of society.
The Hawaii campaign was perhaps one of the shortest in Elysian naval history. Hawaii was a rich paradise in the middle of the sea full of tribals who didn't know how to make firearms, which was too tempting not to take. The Hawaiians were fierce hand-to-hand fighters but lacked the numbers to deal with bolt-action rifles and Polybolum. It only took six months to take over the islands, which would be modernized, many vacation villas built for wealthy Patricians and Equites, while sugar cane plantations gained a new injection of capital investment while Hawaii became the world capital. pineapple and pineapple production became its second largest industry. One of the most prominent events that took place in Hawaii was race relations. Mixed marriages were sought after. Many native women married Elysian men, which would encourage more effective Romanization.
As Hawaii was modernized, it also became a strategic military asset within the Classis, as they built a military presence in Hawaii and established several key shipyards and bases. By 1790, the entire island of Oahu had been fortified on the shores with the construction of a "
Ring of Steel," a series of cannon batteries mounted on steel coastal walls. But on April 17, 1790, Japan launched its invasion of Taiwan. Japan was a fairly compact nation, however it was very densely populated and had a decent military-industrial complex, all things considered. Things the Qing underestimated when the ancient Chinese arrogance returned believing they would defeat the "Japanese pirates" However, things quickly turned ugly for the Chinese. Not only was Taiwan less fortified than thought possible, but the Japanese had several modern Samurai and Ashigaru Legions ready to hit the shores.
While Taiwan had some slightly outdated but still effective infantry units that would last six months thanks to native collaboration. The main thing that bogged down the Imperial Japanese forces was the region's extremely rugged terrain, which was predominantly made up of thick jungle and forests. The sight of Japanese soldiers hanging and dismembered from trees was common in the wild and mountainous regions but the worst was during famines when entire centuries disappeared for weeks later a group of natives armed with Japanese weaponry appeared only to discover that these disappearances and supplies , was because the centuries were captured, looted and later eaten as food by the villages. The idea of reviving the Joseon strategy was debated but in the end a more diplomatic approach was chosen where it would negotiate with the tribes. China finally gave in and Japan made its first conquest against the Chinese. Taiwan was rebuilt as a copy of Hokkaido.
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But while these events were taking place, an Elysian inventor named Publius Scipion Minor began seriously pursuing his project in airship development. Scipio described a large, rigid-framed outer envelope containing several separate gas pockets. At first the idea was dismissed but through contacts he gained the support of the Techneum and the Legion, convinced of the potential importance of aviation which eventually secured government funding for his project. It took ten years of work for it to finally undergo a detailed examination by experts and a field test. The project had the interest of the German army, but a condition for the purchase of an airship was a 24-hour endurance test. Several months later, he passed the test. He even made a gift to the Emperor.
By 1795, Manius Sertorius received the cognomen Caelius which meant Heaven. But while this was happening, Francisco José de Lacerda e Almeida led an expedition from Mozambique to Angola, through Zimbabwe and Zambia, crossing southern Africa from coast to coast for the first time. This new region, called Capitania General de Gran Rio. The most important factor in the economy of the colony was huge deposits of copper in the region that later became known as the copper belt, which transformed the Capitania General de Gran Rio from a possible colonization land in a copper exporter. At the same time, the Austrian Colony of Südwestafrika expanded motivated by the discovery of diamonds while colonists were encouraged to expropriate the land of the natives and forced-slave labor was used. The natives put up fierce resistance to the Austrian occupation but the deployment of regular troops soon crushed the resistance with extreme prejudice. Later they reached the Land of the Tswana where the discovery of gold and diamonds caused a Germanic gold rush.
