Odyssey of Fritz, the Turncoat Prince

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 576

November, 1898

Cuba

Though, like much of the Spanish Habsburg Empire (including their Portuguese and Italian domains), the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico and other small islands of the West Indies would see a significant improvement in governance over the past decades, this did not mean that the Spanish had encouraged democracy. Improved trade policies, a lighter hand in the legal system and infrastructure advances would demonstrably bring an affluence to the region which previous Spanish citizens had been denied. Yet, discontent continued to arise with an openness that Catalonia or Sicily or the European regions of the Spanish Bourbon Kingdoms would not dare (or even perhaps WANT) to show.

Hokkaido

Admiral Mahan was less than comfortable than his assignment, not least because his mission was vague to say the least.

Keep the peace with China?

How could one do this if he was openly delivering arms to the Nipponese?

Protect the Europeans of China?

How the hell could he do that? Most of those remaining were hundreds to thousands of miles inland. Those that had been forced to the coast had largely already been carried away by Chinese or American ships.

And since when does America get involved in the internal affairs of other nations? Europeans kill one another wholesale. Why should the fact they were being killed by Asiatics matter?

What DID matter is that the American Pacific Squadron was now perched off of the coast of Hokkaido to protect a bunch of white people that were no longer there...and probably hadn't been in terrible danger even before. Few of the Russians claimed they had been murdered en masse as some sensationalist newspapers would claim. For the most part, they would complain of lost property. In honest moments, several would claim that they had actually lived better under the Chinese Emperor than the Czar.

Now, as a "show of force", the American fleet hovered off of an island for which their nation had made no claim and no semblance of a supply line. All to "protest" the death of four men at the hands of a Chinese governor whom almost certainly acted without direction from his government. Mahan was quite certain of this.

So was this all about pride? America prospered by staying neutral in all the madness which so commonly afflicted other nations. Was this the future? Would America send men to fight in some future war between the Germans or between China and the Marathas or even less likely places.

Mahan had great discretion in this assignment. Thus, he would order his fleet home having "demonstrated America's will" (whatever that meant), extracted an agreement from the terrified Chinese governor of Hokkaido to aide any Russians passing through and determined to depart without further incident.

Unfortunately, the Chinese fleet would arrive the day prior to the American departure. Without any particular fanfare, Admiral Go would steam forward in his flagship and row over to Mahan's vessel, the Idaho. Fortunately, Admiral Go had with him three translators. Between them, he was able to get his message across.

Go Home.

This Mahan would have been happy to do but could not be seen so weak as to cave in to threats. Had the Admiral phrased his message a bit more...diplomatically, there may have been some face-saving compromise. But Admiral Go had his own orders from the Emperor himself. GET RID OF THE AMERICANS.

The Emperor was a reasonable man. He was not a war-monger or an ideologue. But the news of America distributing modern weapons (like the Winchester 1895 breechloading service rifle) would enrage him. What kind of people would hide behind the mask of neutrality rather than face an enemy head on?

In the end, two Admirals would face off despite no declaration of war or any desire to actually fight.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 577

April, 1899

Hakodate, Hokkaido

The anchorage at the southern town of Hokkaido had been quietly ignored by the nominal Chinese or Nipponese warlords for centuries. Used more for collecting tribute and as a base for tiny fishing vessels, the town of Hakodate (still often called Usukeshi by the Ainu) would prove quite useful by the America forces as they licked their wounds after the devastating Battle of the Tsugaru Strait.

For six hours, the Chinese Imperial Fleet and the American Navy had bludgeoned one another until the American advantage in gunnery (and caliber) would prove decisive. Half a dozen Chinese warships sank to the bottom to only one America vessel. The Chinese fleet retreated to Busan while the Americans limped into Hakodate. This was something of a disadvantage for the Americans as no port facilities of use existed in the little town. Another American ship was forced to be scuttled as Mahan attempted to patch up his fleet. Eventually, he determined to sail for the Nipponese free ports of northeastern Nippon. Yerba Buena, the next closest American port, was very....very....far away.

The Chinese fleet was prove to be even more battered as two ships were deemed so damaged that Admiral Go would order their crews stripped and reassigned to other vessels.

Admiral Mahan would request that the Nipponese Emperor aid his fleet with provisions and whatever repairs the Nipponese could provide. Having received large numbers of modern weapons from America, the Emperor was more than happy to agree. The defeat of the Chinese fleet spread throughout the island of Honshu within weeks giving heart to the Nipponese resistance.

Saxony

King George of Saxony found his country in a precarious position. Now perched between two greater German powers and the resentment of the Kingdom of Bohemia (for the seizure of the Sudetenland), King George belatedly realized that he had no friends in the region. He appealed to both Poland and the German Confederation for aid. The former was somewhat removed but the latter was willing to speak. George suspected that this may be his Kingdom's best hope for protection for the German Confederation was loosely aligned with France, Britain and other western nations.

Perhaps that may serve as a measure of protection.

With tensions arising from the old Hohenzollern and Habsburg religious and dynastic strife, the little Kingdom of Saxony would appeal to any power that could protect it from their neighbors.

Manhattan

President Bland was pleased admit Mogollon and Sacramento into the Union. Not very many Territories were left to become provinces. California someday. Costa Rica and the Moskito Coast. He was still surprised that the nation hadn't renamed that damned territory yet.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Map of North America - 1899

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 578

August, 1899

Manhattan

President Bland was not a decisive man in most respects. Hardworking and intelligent, yes. One to lead the nation through war was another matter entirely. He tended to research issues deeply and then form a consensus. This would have been a positive trait in man at peace. But it was crippling in a time of war. While the events in Asia spiraled out of control, the President seemed paralyzed by indecision. He was forced to rely ever more upon the Secretary of the Navy, a man for whom indecisiveness was anathema.

Theodore Roosevelt effectively assumed control over the war. Bland was left to make speeches and try to marshal Congress.

The first action Roosevelt had made was to agree with the Secretary of War over whom would be leading the "expedition force" across the Pacific. IT was easy enough. They agreed upon General Hohenzollern.

Officially the two nations were not at war. That would require some sort of dialogue to express the declaration.

Hohenzollern would arrive in early summer in the city of San Diego. By July, the fleet would depart. It would arrive in Oahu for refueling. The Mormon Theocracy would, as previously negotiated, refresh ship stores and aid in the refueling. Roosevelt's emissaries made quite clear what would happen if anything else occurred.

By August, the American expeditionary forces would reach the city of Sendai in northwestern Nippon. 10,000 American Continental regulars and Volunteers would disembark.

Madrid

The King of Spain...and Portugal...and Italy would continue reforming...and continue repressing the more ardent Reformers. Thousands of Radicals would be dispatched to the prison island of St. Martin, St. Kitts and St. Bartolome. The King became ever more frustrated. Why didn't his people(s) accept that he knew best. For over a century, the Bourbon Kings had attempted to encourage education, manufacturing, scientific research, etc.

The truth was, as it had been for over a century, the Spanish nation itself remained behind in virtually all categories to Gaul, Britain, America and...hell...probably even the Russians, Chinese and Marathas.

The King knew damned well that his navy was in a terrible position and his army was perhaps worse. Previous generations would face this same problem as the Spanish Navy grew obsolete and the result was loss of the colonies. At worst, this current naval gap would cost Spain their largely unprofitable West Indian possessions. By now, the islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the rest were almost seen as drags on the economy than the basis. There were no annual treasure fleets depositing gold, silver, gems and other precious metals. Instead, the fleets carried off prisoners which populated whole islands. The Navy was hardly central to the Spanish/Portuguese/Italian power these days.

But the army....yes, the Army WAS most emphatically important, particularly in light of the growing discomfort between the Bourbon Kings of Spain/Portugal/Italy and the assorted Kingdoms of the Stuart-Bourbon Gaul. The uppity Occitans would often speak of "liberating" Catalonia while the Piedmontese agitated to expand democracy throughout Bourbon Spain...which included the Tuscan Bourbons.

The King of Tuscany was trapped between two great Italian powers: the Piedmont Kingdom of Gaul and the greater portion of Italy united under the King of Spain (whom titled himself King of Italy). In the end, the King had to choose between democracy and authoritarianism. He opted for the latter.

Tuscany aligned with Spain.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 579

Northern Honshu, 30 miles north of Edo

November, 1899

The American forces of 10,000 (minus 2500 ill or assigned to reserve duties in the northern ports) would link with the slowly reforming Nipponese Army. General Hohenzollern would find his allies something of a mystery. Several regiments of recent volunteers had been trained along modern Regimental lines with the weapons provided by the Americans over the past months. Other Regiments…or whatever the Nipponese called their military formations, retained what Hohenzollern assumed was some sort of feudal structure.


The Samurai, whom had dominated Nippon’s forces for centuries, often argued of retaining their old formations and tactics. As these strategies had failed miserably against the Chinese, Hohenzollern considered this folly. Only with time did the American realize that the Samurai were fighting as much to retain their old rank and privilege than the war itself. They bitterly resented the modern realities which made their ancient way of fighting and governance obsolete. The American was shocked to learn that nearly a tenth of the Nipponese population consisted of this nominal warrior-class whom ranked just below the nobility in Nipponese strategy. They were fighting for their very way of life. Hohenzollern could not but compare the stubborn Nipponese holdouts as being similar to the Virginians, Carolinians and Marylanders during the ill-fated War of Southern Rebellion. They claimed to fight as much for social reasons as economic or political. Given the continued efforts in those Provinces to hamper Negro citizenship (though seldom overtly) so many decades after manumission (and forced enfranchisement), Hohenzollern suspected the Samurai class would continue to agitate for an era clearly past for the foreseeable future.

Unless, of course, the Chinese conquer Nippon. Then the Samurai class would probably be wiped out.

Hohenzollern had spoken at length with Admiral Mahan and both shared the belief that this war was not the business of America. Only by a few twists of fate – Chinese harsh treatment of the Russian exiles, an unfortunate and mutually undesired battle at sea – would see American soldiers on Nipponese soil.

On the other hand, Hohenzollern knew that China’s increasingly aggressive actions throughout eastern Asia would make them the undoubted kingmakers in the region. Allowing the fall of Nippon would effectively bind any American political or economic interests in Asia to the Chinese Emperor’s will. That was unacceptable as well.

As such, the American marched south through the snows of Honshu until meeting north of the Shogun’s ancient capital. In a miserable snowstorm, the Americans and their Nipponese allies would discover that their weapons had a marked advantage over the Chinese not only in accuracy and distance but also in functionality in adverse weather. Half the Chinese rifles failed to fire and the victory became a rout as the Americans and Nipponese launched an unexpected charge at the Chinese lines, a tactic Hohenzollern would, under normal circumstances, consider foolhardy given that the powerful new weapons had shifted the advantage to the defender.


The Chinese would retreat in confusion, eventually abandoning Edo on Christmas day (a holiday the Chinese didn’t celebrate).

The “Battle of Edo” would be reported by dozens of newspapermen and Hohenzollern’s fame would become widespread.

The Nipponese Samurai, whom had contributed little to the Battle of Edo, would demand that the Emperor allow them to reconquer Yokohama “without foreign assistance”. This the Emperor reluctantly agreed and the sword-bearing Samurai would advance upon Yokohama without support. By this point, the Chinese had gathered themselves and formed a powerful line augmented with artillery. The Samurai army of 12,000 “old-school” formations would charge valiantly…and lose over half their number before retreating in defeat having incurred few casualties upon the defenders.

After this, the Emperor would turn the war over to his more progressive Generals and his American “allies”. The Imperial Court could barely conceal their humiliation at having to beg gaijin to save them and often referred to the Americans in vague terms during correspondence.

Manhattan

President Bland had taken a great deal of abuse among his Provincial Party cohorts over his Secretary of the Navy. It did not go unnoticed that Theodore Roosevelt was, in fact, a former Nationalist Congressman and had been appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy by the prior President. When Bland had been sworn in, he had, in his mind, an old ally of his as the New Secretary of the Navy. However, that fellow was in poor health and Bland would hold off on appointing his friend until he was sure the man would be able to handle the job. Unlike most Nationalist appointees, Roosevelt would remain in office on the assumption that he would merely cover the day to day duties until his replacement would be ready. Instead, Bland ran out of patience and determined to find a new candidate.

In the end, he could find no better man than Roosevelt himself. Roosevelt was definitely a Nationalist but also was more than willing to vote against his party when he deemed it reasonable (for example, he really enjoyed busting Trusts). Bland sat down with Roosevelt and he offered the New Yorker (he was raised in the Bronx) the full time position of Secretary of the Navy if he would refrain from any politics outside of his scope. Roosevelt agreed and publicly stated that he was an “officer of the nation” whom would avoid outside issues until the burgeoning crisis would be over.

Many Provincials would be outraged but some were quietly pleased. Roosevelt was a rising star in the Nationalist Party and openly serving a Provincial Administration may kill his career in the long term. As it was, Roosevelt would fulfill his promise and refrain from national issues. Bland, in return, would support him against any criticism and agree to allow Roosevelt to run the war (as the Navy effectively was the dominant department) and fought for any material or financial requisition Roosevelt desired in support of the effort be it money, ships, manpower, supplies, etc.

In the end, Bland did not really want the responsibility and Roosevelt seemed to feed off of it.

Berlin

Though Winston Churchill had just celebrated his 25th birthday, the scion of British and American families would swiftly rise up the ranks of the foreign office. His great-grandfather had fled Britain nearly a century ago during the British Revolution and sought sanctuary amid the Queen’s other possession of Hanover (like much of the Aristocratic class of Britain, they would never return). His father married his wealthy American mother while serving as Ambassador to that nation. After returning to the now-united Prussia-Hanover, Churchill missed the “War of Liberation” of Schleswig, Holstein and Mecklenburg as being too young. But the ambitious young man caught the eye of the King of (northern) Germany and was ushered from Berlin University to the Foreign Office.

Churchill’s first assignment was, shockingly given his youth, the prestigious post of Ambassador to Great Britain. Some in the Republic would opine that perhaps this was an insult by Prussia to dispatch such a junior diplomat, especially one with British noble ancestry. But Churchill did not care. He spoke English better than half of the damnable British Parliament and would not allow the British to hamper German affairs as the inevitable confrontation between the Protestant North and Catholic South inexorably approached.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 580

February, 1900

Manhattan

Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt would welcome in the new century in his native Bronx, just up the river from his ancestral lands where the Dutch Patroons once held domination as "River Gods". His New Years Day included signing off on myriad requisitions, haranguing several Congressmen still hung over from parties and enjoying something a Jewish baker (a new people to the Bronx but very common in Queens) referred to as a "bagel". Roosevelt kept himself more than busy overseeing the impossible: supplying a war from half a world away.

Fortunately, President Bland would leave the war to Roosevelt other than providing support by allies in Congress. Though Roosevelt had vowed to avoid any non-war related politics, the truth was that his ties with the Nationalists would greatly aid the Administration. There were many Nationalists whom feared Chinese domination over the Asian trade just as much as the Provincials. Bland was less than enthusiastic about the war but felt he could not act differently in honor.

Roosevelt considered the war vital to maintaining American strategic interests in the Pacific as well as globally. He intended to make America's presence permanent starting with the new American "bases" on Hokkaido, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, etc. Even a totally successful war (and Roosevelt could consider nothing else) would result in a Nippon perpetually in danger of a reinvasion.

With Nippon under an American thumb, the nation's path to south Asia would be free.

Of course, Roosevelt would not say such a thing publicly as open coveting of other nation's territories was considered gauche in this day and age.

Yerba Buena

The war would bring hardship upon a helpless group of immigrants to the American west coast. The Chinese presence had long been relatively minor ever since the Emperor had banned emigration or foreign work contracts for his people (without permission). But some 20,000 Chinese, over 95% men, would labor in the American west. They had toiled alongside the Irish, Negroes and others to build the railroads and in the assorted gold rushes. But the war with China would turn an already ugly racial situation against the Chinese even worse. The Chinese would be rounded up by both government organizations and extra-military gangs. Dozens were openly murdered and the rest forced upon ships to other ports. As America and China were in a state of defacto war (though neither side had actually delivered the notice due to lack of diplomatic ties), the Chinese could not be actually repatriated. Therefore, many thousands were dispatched to "Neutral" Ports in Aztlan or the Mormon Theocracy or even the Maratha Southern island of Dakshee.

Many thousands more would be ushered into "Camps" for fear of some sort of sabotage.

It would be a particularly ugly incident in a long history of anti-Sino hatred in America. After the war, America would pass harsh anti-Asian immigration laws which would cap immigration to very low levels and most of these would go to Nipponese or Polynesian peoples whom could be "trusted".

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 581

May, 1900,

Edo

The Chinese counter-attack to regain Edo failed miserably in the hills surrounding the city as the American commander would set up an effective defense aided by the natural topography. While no major battles would take place, there was a constant state of warfare as the Chinese counterpart desperately sought a way through to Yokohama and Edo.

As it was, the true battle was being waged at sea.

Western Nippon

Admiral Mahan would struggle with the logistics of maintaining his fleet in the obsolete and inadequate harbors of Hokkaido and Honshu. The American battle fleet would face severe troubles in repairing their ships after the previous naval battles. In the end, Mahan knew that the war in Nippon would center about controlling the line of supply into the islands.

That meant that naval supremacy must be achieved. And that meant the American fleet must sail south and cut off the Chinese reinforcements. Twenty American ships would sail south, ravaging the eastern Nipponese ports controlled by China but would not encounter the main Chinese fleet at all. Only a handful of smaller warships or those crippled in the previous battles would be discovered.

Mahan suspected that the Chinese Admiral Go would be consolidating his own forces west of Honshu in order for a massive confrontation. The previous battles had been largely won by superior American gunnery, both in technique and technology. In terms of speed and armor, the two nations were largely equal.

However, the Chinese, by virtue of their location, had the advantages of logistics and numbers. The entirety of the Chinese blue and brown water navies could be called. Mahan suspected that would give Admiral Go a sense of encouragement.

Mahan had his own weapon, one that had yet to be utilized in the standard line battle of the previous engagement. Eight more ships had arrived. None were terribly imposing. They were small and their armament smaller. However, these destroyers had one trick up their sleeves. For half a century, multiple nations had experimented with a torpedo but few had found a design that was efficient enough and robust enough to be usable in a line of battle.

The eight destroyers, a new design, would bear torpedo launchers as would four of the smaller cruisers. Mahan hoped that this would be enough to offset the Chinese numbers.

The American fleet (minus four ships left behind due to mechanical issues and to help blockade the conquered ports) would sail along the southern tip of Honshu and meet the Chinese fleet in a standard line formation...just as Mahan desired. As the American and Chinese heavy vessels exchanged broadsides from over a mile away, the smaller destroyers and cruisers would race forward and discharge their deadly cargo from a quarter mile. Initially, the heavier Chinese ships would virtually ignore the smaller Americans darting forward and continue to effect their weapons against the more distant battleships. But, as the first of the torpedoes reached the waterlines of the Chinese ships, the damage was severe and thoroughly unexpected. Half a dozen heavy Chinese Cruisers were sunk or crippled in just the first few minutes of the attack.

Admiral Mahan would see the unexpected success of the weapons upon the larger Chinese fleet and, in a moment, opt for a radical strategy not used in modern warfare: the general melee. He ordered his own ships to break formation and attack at will. The smaller American ships would dart in and out firing their torpedoes. The larger counterparts, blasting away with their heavy cannon.

In less than six hours, the Chinese fleet, what was left of it, would limp away, abandoning the army now stranded upon Nippon's shores. Admiral Go was dead, his flagship's bridge having been destroyed by an American shell.

Admiral Mahan was similarly dead. The USS Idaho had been blown up after a Chinese shell sliced through her armor and hull and impacted the powder room. There were no survivors of the American flagship.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 582

September, 1900

Manhattan

President Bland would receive adulation for the great American victory in Asia but would not see the expected gains for his party in Congress. The question was asked, just what was America doing in Asia and what was there to gain. Tens of thousands of Americans would sail westwards to occupy Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands and even the Kamchatka Peninsula...for some reason. Expenses spiraled upwards with no obvious gains. Bland could not believe that a President whom had overseen such a victory would receive so brief a bump in popularity.

Kyoto

With their supply line cut, the 54,000 Chinese controlling southern Honshu would retreat from the extremities as the American forces and Nipponese partisans smelled blood. They were harassed and chased from the hills back towards the southeastern Honshu coast. It was hoped by the army that the Chinese Navy would soon reestablish local superiority and either resupply or rescue them.

General Hohenzollern, hailed as a hero in America for his battle of Edo, would fear the same thing and sought to cripple the Chinese force as quickly as possible. He would besiege the enemy along these coastal towns and wait to see if the American Navy truly had cut off the Chinese for good.

Saxony

The King of Saxony had gained land from the old Habsburg dynasty (Sudetenland) in the collapse of that multi-national Empire but the Wettins and Habsburgs would put that aside and forge an alliance against the Protestant power of the north. The King would do so largely for fear that the Hohenzollerns planned to consume his own Kingdom just as they had Mecklenburg, Holstein, Schleswig, etc. The Habsburgs of the Empire of Germany were Catholic, though, and this was not popular among the overwhelmingly Protestant Saxon population which desired closer ties and, the King feared, annexation by the Kingdom of Germany.

A riot in Dresden would lead to the Saxon King harshly suppressing the dissenters. However, this only led to more rebellion and the King had no choice but to call upon the Habsburgs for aid in reestablishing control over his Kingdom. This immediately brought protests from the Hohenzollern King and threats of invasion to "liberate" Saxony from the Catholic threat if the Habsburgs did not retire from the border Kingdom.

Krakow, Kingdom of Poland

The young King Emmanuel III of Poland would gaze on upon the situation in Germany with apprehension. He had witnessed the Protestant German aggression in the last war in his years as heir to the throne and the early years of his own Monarchy would be spend reforming the Polish army to challenge the "Kingdom" of Germany if need be. Though he did not have any of his predecessor's contempt of Protestant and Jews, his nation continued to repress these minorities to the point where most had already been "encouraged" to depart. The Jews had gone to America or the Levant and the Protestants had gone to Prussia (the now independent state surrounded by Poland), the Kingdom of Germany, Saxony or America.

For the first time in centuries, Poland was a largely religiously uniform state.

Anatolia, Russian Empire

For the past century, vast migrations of Turks out of Anatolia (and huge numbers butchered by occupying forces) would mix with Russian, Jewish, Greek, etc migration inward and form a mishmash of ethnicities that rivalled the similarly diverse Levant for confusion. In essence, Anatolia was the polar opposite of Poland.

Russians, Jews, Armenians, ethnic Sunni Turks, Alevis, Kurds of several faiths, Greeks, Bulgars, etc, would flock to the region's abandoned farmsteads and ports. Soon, the peninsula would become known for its textile industry as well as others like shipbuilding, etc. While Anatolia would not have the benefit of sedate rivers like Europe or huge amounts of natural power (coal), it would become central to the eastern Mediterranean's general economy. Other specialized professions like jewelry production, rugs, coffee, tea, sugar, etc would also prosper in the region.

By 1800, the Russians were the single largest ethnic group at roughly 25% but this was only a bare plurality over the Jewish and Turk (Sunni, Alevi and others) groups. Christians made up 45%, Jews 24%, Muslims 26% and "other" the remaining 5%.

The Sahara

While the rest of Eastern Africa was slowly....VERY slowly....recovering from the Rinderpest epidemic, a new strain would attack only a very, very specific and narrow group of animals.

This was the camel. Not true ruminants like most of the victims of Rinderpest, the Camel was similar enough that the new strain of the disease hit the animals hard. This was bad for the camels...and worse for the humans whom depended upon them for survival in the Sahara. Great civilizations like the old Ghanan Empire (Mali, etc) would grow rich over the past centuries based upon the trans-Saharan gold, salt and slave trades. As first 10%, then 25% then upwards of 80% of the camels died, the entire Saharan civilization collapsed as no other animals could navigate the desert with such aplomb.

In less than a decade, the regional economy collapsed as the isolated peoples were trapped without external communication. Hundreds of thousands died as the Sahara depopulated to levels unseen in thousands of years. Those humans capable of migration would do so, mainly moving south to the inland Muslim Kingdoms of North Africa.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 583

February, 1901

Spain

The King of Spain, Portugal and Italy would ally with Tuscany to ensure his domination over the Italian peninsula. Many considered this a pointless as there was no other nation deeply interested in Italian affairs. Some Spanish functionaries would opine that the Piedmontese peoples of the Gallic Kingdoms desired a unified Italian state and, therefore, the Gallic King would desire all of Italy eventually.

In truth, this was absurd as the Gallic King was not interested in the least in Italy or the Italians. He certainly did not desire conquest. Even the Piedmontese would not necessarily desire closer relations to Italy. First, the regions of "Italy" were a diverse bunch, often as different linguistically as the regions of "Germany" or the "Spains". There was no such thing as universal Italian identity. The Piedmontese language was quite different from even the northern dialects and bore much semblance to Occitan.

Moreover, the Piedmontese would look upon the rest of Italy with scorn as they lacked the Gallic sense of democracy.

Map of the "Gallo-Romance" languages (most notably French, Occitan, Piedmontese, Ligurnian, Eastern and Western Lombard).

Hiroshima, southern Honshu

Over the preceding months, the Chinese army retreated further and further south, abandoning the highlands and mountains. Kyoto was given up, then Osaka. Furious Nipponese partisans would take bloody vengeance upon any stragglers. Capture by Nipponese was a slow death. Thirty-five thousand Chinese would hole up desperately awaiting the Chinese Imperial Navy to return.

It never would.

By Spring, the Chinese commanders would seek to parlay with the Americans. They steadfastly refused to even acknowledge the Nipponese commanders or their Emperor. This would prove to be a mistake as enraged Nipponese Generals would order a full-frontal attack on Hiroshima without the aid of the Americans. Just as in the battle of Yokohama, this would fail miserably and the Nipponese would suffer over 10,000 casualties, especially among the old Samurai class.

Eventually, the American army would arrive and, at the Emperor's order, assume command of the situation. The outraged ancient Samurai class could not believe that the Emperor would humiliate them in this manner.

On March 18th, 1901, the Emperor Meiji would be assassinated by three of his own retainers. The Emperor Taisho was but a young man of twenty-three. Sickly and weak-willed, he was not the man to lead his people through war or through the coming changes forced upon his country.

General Hohenzollern, negotiating with the Chinese commanders, would be shaken by these events and desired to end the war as quickly as humanly possible for the Nipponese sake as much as the American sake. He agreed to provide dozens of transports from Hiroshima to the Chinese puppet state of the Joseon Kingdom. Some of Hohenzollern's subordinates opined that perhaps it would be better to force the Chinese into prisoner of war camps, thus using them as some sort of leverage over China. Hohenzollern would doubt that the Chinese would care overly much about a few tens of thousands of soldiers and saw no reason to drag out the war any further. Thus, without any real authorization from Manhattan, Hohenzollern agreed to a defacto end of the land war in Nippon. Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt would be livid and immediately demanded that Hohenzollern return to America to explain himself. The Secretary of War, to whom Hohenzollern technically reported, would rediscover his spine and refuse to recall the national hero and even President Bland publicly exonerated Hohenzollern's actions.

Of course, this would not be anything resembling a real peace treaty nor would it determine the extent of America's ambitions in the region. It was Americans, not Nipponese, whom had conquered Hokkaido from China as well as assuming nominal control over the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin and even the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Roosevelt was intent that the nation did not come out of the war empty-handed.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 584

June, 1901

Saxony

The disorder in Saxony would continue throughout 1900 and 1901. Only the threat of the Kingdom of Germany kept the Empire of Germany from a full-blown invasion to prop up the Saxon King. Instead, the Habsburgs would send vast amounts of war material to aid their ally against the Saxon revolutionaries.

Even with the aid, the House of Wettin would be hard-pressed to maintain order. The House of Hohenzollern would be no more interested in democracy than the Habsburgs and Wettins but the potential for destabilizing the Kingdom of Saxony was too intriguing to bypass.

Eventually, the Habsburg Emperor would be forced to dispatch ten regiments...followed by ten more...in the summer of 1901 to prop up the collapsing Wettin state. The Hohenzollern King, whom expected the Saxon people to "demand" he annex the Kingdom, would dispatch his own forces into the borderlands, now openly arming the Saxon rebels.

Honolulu, Mormon Theocracy

The Mormon Theocracy had grown increasingly nervous about the high quantities of Americans passing through. The population of Hawaii was low enough than a nation of over a hundred million would easily be able to conquer Hawaii and the other Theocracy governates in the Pacific. As such, the leader of the Church offered Honolulu as "Neutral Ground" for the first significant meeting on equal terms between China and America.

Peace may end this American intrusion through Theocracy territory.

Tuscany

Saxony was not only border territory facing internal rebellion. Tuscany, under a branch of the Bourbon family related to both France and Spain, would suffer under a series of particularly dismal rulers. Tuscany stagnated and fell far behind France and even Italy developmentally. Fortunately for the inhabitants, the King of Tuscany was as inept as he was malicious and the region soon fell in anarchy.

Seeing his opportunity, the King of Spain and Italy would quietly gather up his forces in Tuscany in order to aid his "ally" in Tuscany.

Maratha Empire

The Peshwa would demand greater and greater detail on the battle to the East between China and America. He had come to realize that the Chinese fleet had several technological advantages over his own in armor while the American torpedoes had the potential to radically alter Naval Warfare on their own.

The Maratha Navy must be revitalized sooner rather than later. Without any major challengers in the region beyond Ethiopia, the Ghanan Confederacy and Russia, the Navy had been given short thrift for years. That was proving to be a mistake. While any war with America seemed unlikely, China had been probing ever further and further into southeast Asia. Demands for fealty the Chinese Emperor had been made in recent years to Tibet (already effectively a client state), the Viet states and the Philippines. China was also allying with the Manicheists of southeast Asia.

Even rumors of Chinese aggression against the Turkic Khanate and the Russians of Northern Asia had reached Maratha shores.

The Peshwa cursed his complacency. His fleet needed new vessels and needed them fast. Better vessels. Stronger vessels. Improved armaments, armor and engines would be nice.

There seemed to be only one source of war material, one which conveniently had just waged war with China. This made America a potential ally.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 585


November, 1901


Manhattan

General Hohenzollern would return to America to a hero’s welcome. While some in the administration condemned his decision to allow the Chinese army to depart Nippon’s shores, the public as a whole was happy with what they perceived as a swift victory which met the stated purpose of the campaign. Particularly irked was the Secretary of the Navy, Franklin Roosevelt, whom desired a more crushing victory over the Chinese. Seldom had Hohenzollern ever encountered a more ambitious man and one so unwilling to be reasonable in his objectives.

Fortunately, Roosevelt had arranged the assignment of negotiating with the Chinese diplomats in Honolulu. Hohenzollern suspected this was a mistake as the man would probably ask to be named the Emperor’s heir. However, the soldier would soon realize that President Bland would probably do anything to get the man out of his hair for a few weeks. There was no doubt Roosevelt was the driving force behind the war effort that had succeeded so well but his rapacious nature was simply not in tune with the global sentiment. Empire was something of the past. The Western World had rejected it (though had gone back to trying to conquer other provinces in Europe like Tuscany or Saxony) and Hohenzollern suspected that the many tribute states of the great Empires of Russia, China, Maratha and Ethiopia would eventually push back upon their conquerors.

While Roosevelt was out of the country, Hohenzollern would receive the Congressional Medal of Merit from the President and feted in a parade through Brooklyn and Manhattan across the new secondary bridge built between those cities. Indeed, there was even a new subway line between Manhattan and the Bronx that had been completed since his departure.

Honolulu, Mormon Theocracy

It did not take long before Roosevelt figured out the mindset of the Chinese. In effect, they were a hidebound bunch of bureaucrats. Had the Emperor sent soldiers or admirals, the New Yorker would have expected a tougher negotiation. Instead, the functionaries were more interested in appearances, meaning saving face (as was the Asian term) was more important than physical gains.

They Chinese were surprisingly willing to cede their claims to nominal authority over Hokkaido, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands and even the Kamchatka Peninsula as these had never been considered part “of China”. All Roosevelt had to do was eliminate any mandates for apologies for the atrocities committed by the Chinese in Nippon (much to the outrage of the Nipponese representative), forgo any compensation and ensured the treaty was carefully worded to avoid any terms like “surrender” or “defeat” and present it as a document between equals. It didn't even address the American desire for greater access to Chinese markets. To be fair, Roosevelt was not the type to force people to trade with America. If they didn't want to, that was perfectly fine with him as there were plenty of other nations will to do so. South and southeast Asia (including the vast island of Dakshee) were becoming ever larger trading partners, mainly as markets for American goods. Just before Roosevelt departed Manhattan, he received an embassy from the Maratha Emperor seeking the purchase of modern warships and voicing an interest in discussing "matters of common concern".

In return, America gained direct control over the barren and frigid northern Pacific islands and became the indispensable protector of the southern Nipponese islands. Most importantly, Roosevelt assured his nation of the right to transport to southern Asia.

However, any idiot looking at a map would know the American “acquisitions” were less than ideal for any conceivable use beyond keeping them out of the hands of the Chinese. Even Hokkaido only had limited use as a naval base, the northern regions even less promising.

What truly caught Roosevelt’s eye was this delightful little island of Oahu which had been populated by…of all peoples…Americans. The harbor of Honolulu was ideally situated as a transfer point for all Pacific trade and whichever nation controlled it would dominate the central Pacific. He could hardly see the polygamists repulsing an inevitable invasion from China or the Maratha Empire or even the Andean Republic.

Roosevelt had nothing against the Mormon Theocracy…but they were in his way.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Map of World - 1901

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 586

May, 1902

Saxony

Though the Kingdom of Germany would threaten retaliation over the winter if 1901/02 if the Empire of Germany’s forces did not withdraw from the restive Kingdom of Saxony, the Habsburgs did not believe that the Protestant Hohenzollerns had any inclination to actually cross the border. After literally years of standoff, the Kingdom’s forces would enter Saxon territory under the pretense of reestablishing peace at the behest of the “German People”.

The King of Saxony, whose forces were already spread thin in a vain attempt to suppress unrest, would promptly demand that the Habsburgs dispatch more Regiments to Saxony. Those having already been dispatched over the past two years were mainly light units intended to suppress rebellion, not full-fledged armies ready to face the forces of the Kingdom of Germany.

The Emperor, whom had never believed that this would come to pass, hesitated for two vital days before consenting to call up his forces. Only an augmented Brigade was ready at the Saxon border when to aid their fellows against the invaders. It would take weeks for the bulk of the Habsburg Army to gather and organize. That gave the Hohenzollern army a massive head-start in seizing most of the Kingdom of Saxony.

Tuscany

Similar to the deteriorating Saxon situation, the Kingdom of Tuscany would also convulse. There was perhaps less rebellion against the incompetent Tuscan Bourbon Dynasty as much as general unrest against an oppressive regime.

King Emilio II of Tuscany was aging badly, already effectively senile by age sixty-five. His only son (and only child) died the previous year. His only male heir was his eldest grandchild, Prince Giuseppe, now twenty. Giuseppe’s mother was the Spanish Princess Carolina and probably the most powerful person in court. The Dowager Princess would viciously battle the courts for the prerogatives of her son and three younger daughters. Rumor had it that the eldest princess, the lovely dark-eyed eighteen year old Maria, would soon receive applications for her hand in marriage by the heirs of both the Gallic Kingdoms and Spain (and Portugal and Italy, often referred to as the “Latin” Kingdoms).

The situation in Tuscany would quietly grow ever more dismal until, in a terrible turn of events, Prince Giuseppe would die of pneumonia after a long ride in the rain. Technically, Tuscany followed Salic Law but there was no reasonably close male heir in the family. The closest was a second cousin, twice removed whom was sixty years old and childless. The next was a third cousin whom had taken monastic vows (and was reportedly less than intelligent).

Beyond that, those Princes with the closest claim to the Tuscan throne were…the heir to the Gallic Empire (by his mother’s line) and the current Prince of the Latin Empire. As Tuscany had allies with Spain over the past decade, the government would swiftly recognize Prince Javier of Spain as the new heir and the King of Tuscany, having seen two male generations of his line die, agree to marry Princess Maria to Javier.

The Gallic King protested and, for once, the Gallic peoples would support his dynastic claim. Spain (and Portugal and Italy) had been agitating for total control over Italy for generations and now looked ready to gain it. Even the Piedmont region of the Gallic Kingdoms may not be beyond their avarice. If no one cared about adding a new Kingdom to the Gallic Crowns, they certainly cared about preventing one from being added to the Latin Crown.

In truth, the Gallic King was less interested in Tuscany as he was in securing the hand of Princess Maria for his son. The pair had known one another since childhood (there were only so many Catholic monarchies these days) and seemed to be a good match. Learning that the girl had been hurriedly married off to his rival was more of a personal insult than a challenge to his nations.

By mid-summer, Bourbon-Italian troops would march into Tuscany to secure the little Kingdom for the Infante and ensure that the Tuscan democratic elements were crushed. The Gallic peoples, whom loathed the Spanish-Italian Bourbons for their commitment to authoritarianism, would see this as a potential precursor to an invasion of their own nations. They even became concerned that the Piedmontese may desire annexation into Italy. However, this fear existed only in their imaginations. The Piedmontese did, indeed, feel a kinship to their fellow Italians but had no desire to give up their hard-won democracy under the Gallic Crown (with generous dollops of local autonomy) in order to submit to Spanish-Bourbon Autocratic government. There was no real movement in the Piedmont outside of the imaginations of the French, Alsatians, Bretons, Occitans, etc.

But paranoia reigned and the Gauls began to form Regiments at the border.


Manhattan

President Bland was happy enough with the “Peace Treaty” if one could call it that. The Chinese barely acknowledged that there had been a war. But who understood the Chinese mind?

As it was, America “gained” a few islands off of north-eastern Asia and a bit of the Asian continent…which was so miserably cold that no one beyond the local equivalent of Inuits dwelled.

In the meantime, America had spent hundreds of millions of dollars to prevent China’s takeover of Nippon, a nation with which America had no historical ties or alliances. Yes, the President knew that China would probably utterly dominate Southeast Asia in time if America hadn’t acted. But did America actually gain anything tangible?

Nothing the President could discern.

He was just glad his presidency was almost over. Both the Provincial and Centralist Parties were preparing for the summer Conventions. As was common with outgoing Presidents, no one cared much what he thought of the proceedings.

Bland did manage one act upon his own initiative. He fired Theodore Roosevelt from his post as Secretary of the Navy. In truth, he hated the man by this point and Roosevelt’s arrogance and presumption had come to a boiling point. Bland could no longer turn the other cheek when Roosevelt criticized his administration’s priorities in public. It had been agreed that, while the Centralist was in office, he would steer clear of anything not directly related to his office.

The deal broken, Bland was able to relieve himself of the man’s presence. Of course, had Bland thought this through, he would have realized that Roosevelt was angling for this as it would reestablish himself as being a Centralist at heart before that party’s Convention.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Benjamin Franklin - 1776

George Washington - 1782

John Jay – 1788

John Laurens – 1794

James Madison – 1800

James Monroe – 1806

Aaron Burr – 1812

John Langton – 1816 (ascended after assassination of Burr, died in office one month before Rufus King sworn in)

Rufus King – 1818

Jose Fernandez – 1822 (ascended after death of Rufus King)

Philip Hamilton – 1824 (ascended after death of Jose Fernandez)

Henry Clay – 1824

Alexander Macomb – 1830

John Sergeant – 1836

Joseph Davis – 1842 (ascended after death of John Sergeant for final four months of term)

James Polk – 1842

James Buchanan – 1848

Stephan Douglas – 1854

William Seward – 1860

Abraham Lincoln – 1863 (ascended after death of William Seward)

Abraham Lincoln – 1866

Hannibal Hamlin – 1872 (ascended after death of Abraham Lincoln, completed final six weeks of term)

John Bingham – 1872

Samuel Tilden - 1878

Samuel Randall - 1884

John Thompson - 1890

Richard Bland - 1896

TBD - 1902

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 587

June, 1902

Georgetown, New Jersey

Over the past months (really the past two years), the Provincial and Centralist Parties would wage internal warfare preparing for the summer Conventions. Dozens of candidates presented themselves or had their proxies do so in their name.

There were no shortfall of candidates:

The Provincial Party offered up Adlai Stevenson, William Jennings Bryan among others.

The Centralists would debate the merits of William McKinley of Wabash, Theodore Roosevelt of New York and even William Howard Taft, also of Wabash.

In truth, none of these men particularly inspired the electorate. Both parties would actively seek the leadership of the most popular man in America, General Hohenzollern. By blood and marriage, he was related to the Hohenzollern, Washington, Burr, Arnold and Bonaparte dynasties, a virtual who's-who of American history. He also had few open political positions. That was a bonus.

The downside was that the good General had few political inclinations at all. He loathed the politicians whom messed with the military over his long career and resented the fools in Manhattan, even those whom begged for him to seek the nomination over the past year were refused point blank. However, after near a year on the shelf and watching the deteriorating situation in Europe, Hohenzollern would finally consent to seek the nomination.

It was just a matter of choosing which side. Eventually, Hohenzollern selected the Centralists. Mainly he did so for two reasons:

1. He had grown to despise the pompous and bombastic Theodore Roosevelt and wanted to keep the man out of the Presidential Mansion.

2. For the past several months, William Jennings Bryon, leader of the radical wing of the Provincial Party, had viciously assaulted Hohenzollern on the campaign trail out of fear that he would have to face him in the Provincial Convention. He derided Hohenzollern as a German potentate and positioned himself as a "man of the people".

This irritated Hohenzollern to no end and as much as anything prompted him to throw his hat in the ring (or allow others to throw his hat in the ring). Within days, the Centralist Party Convention swung away from the debate between the colorless McKinley, the bland Taft and the "traitor" Roosevelt. In less than three votes, Hohenzollern had his majority to gain the nomination.



Tuscany

Despite frequent threats by the Gallic Kingdoms, the Latin King of Spain, Portugal and Italy would consolidate his power over Tuscany. He dispatched his son to jointly rule the entire Italian Peninsula with his new wife, Maria of Tuscany. The Gauls threatened war but the King would hold them back for two reasons:

1. He didn't want Tuscany for his dynasty anyway and didn't believe that the annexation by the Latin Bourbons would be any kind of threat to Gaul. He had yet to see a single person agitate to leave democratic Piedmont in order to live under the thumb of the Latin Bourbon authoritarianism.

2. The situation in Germany threatened to boil over into the petty states of the German Confederation where German nationalist sentiment often moved towards the House of Hohenzollern. If Spain and Italy were not threats to Gaul, a unified German without question would be.

The King directed his Ministers to expand the system of alliances of the western nations into a new League of Armed Neutrality. Gaul, Britain, Ireland, the Dutch Republic, Flanders, Burgundy, the Rhineland and the German Confederation expanded their cooperation to include a new treaty of mutual assistance at sea that would, over the next year, become the League. Eventually, Russia, the Scandinavian Empire and even America would be invited to join though all three would remain aloof for the time being.

Saxony

The first full-scale battle between Hohenzollern and Habsburg forces of the 20th century would occur north of Dresden. The Kingdom of Germany's forces had pressed through half of Saxony en route to "liberating" the Kingdom. It had taken months for the ponderous machinery of the Habsburg "Empire" of Germany to mass and rush to the aid of their ally, the King of Saxony.

The first battle of Dresden would prove a confused affair as the Hohenzollern forces of Brandenburg, Magdeburg, Mecklenburg, Hanover, Schleswig and Holstein would crash into those of Saxony, Sudetenland, Austria, Bavaria, Swabia and Thuringia.

In short order, it was easy to see that the new repeating rifles had made modern warfare a defensive struggle, altering three thousand years of strategy in which Alexander's phalanx's, Roman columns, Arab and Mongol cavalry, British squares and massed French infantry charges had been made obsolete.

Within weeks, the war ground down as both sides sought to dig in and attempt to flank the enemy lines.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 588

November, 1902

Manhattan

George Frederick Buonaparte Hohenzollern would manage to defeat the challenge of William Jennings Bryan. Hohenzollern would barely campaign, allowing his managers to play upon his military service and some fairly uncontroversial and popular positions on major issues. Bryan's campaign would mainly revolve around condemning his opponent as an elite. However, thirty years of military service in some of the most inhospitable American possessions would hardly resonate with American voters as "elite" and his accusation of the General as being a foreign prince at heart was outright hilarious. Hohenzollern had done the bitterly hard work which helped make America what it was. Bryan was still campaigning on "Free Silver", as if that were still a real political issue.

Hohenzollern's Deputy President was former Congressman Robert Borden of Nova Scotia (though he had spent much of his life in New Jersey where he had served in the Provincial Senate). The job had initially been offered to Theodore Roosevelt but the man declined, seeing the post as little more than a waiting game to see if the President died. Instead, for the services of his supporters in the General Election, Roosevelt would be offered his choice of posts in the government. He opted for the Secretary of State where he could dictate the direction of American foreign policy, especially as concerned with the Pacific theatre. The steady, dependable and competent William Howard Taft was made the new Ambassador (i.e. defacto Governor) of Nippon which remained precariously off the coast of the Chinese Empire. William McKinley would opt for retirement.

Seeing the old radical Bryan defeated once again and out of touch with the modern politics, the Provincials would also look to a new generation of leadership.

Dresden

By winter of 1902, the war in Saxony was grinding to a bloody halt as the new artillery and rifles would make the aggressor of any engagement pay in blood. Both the Kingdom and Empire of Germany would suffer huge casualties even as they called up men in unprecedented quantities. Over the first few months of the war, a hundred and twenty thousand men would die in the trenches. Many more would freeze to death over the winter.

Krakow

The King of Poland would gaze upon the western war with grave concern. The huge armies being levied by the Germans would bring to mind the poor performance of the Polish forces in the last war. With even greater numbers in the field, it was looking increasingly likely that a unified Germany would outclass what was rapidly appearing to be an obsolete Polish army.

The King, like his predecessors, would realize that the German exclave of Prussia, now ruled by a cadet branch of the House of Scandinavia, would remain a target for any northern Protestant German power. And it would have to march through Poland to get there. For that matter, the German-speaking region in Silesia...or ALL of Silesia...was also openly coveted.

This was getting increasingly uncomfortable. The King would seek a like-minded ally anxious to keep the status quo. Gaul and her western allies were a possibility but had yet to do anything more than help suppress German nationalism in the German Confederation.

More desperate...and dangerous....options had to be considered.

The King would soon receive an emissary from Moscow where the Czar was looking increasingly concerned as well.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Map of America - 1903

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 589

April, 1903

Manhattan

President George Hohenzollern would spend the five months prior to his swearing-in avidly following the deteriorating situation in Europe. He was amused that some of the Provincial Party continued to speculate in their partisan papers that the President-elect would immediately declare war on behalf of the Kingdom of Germany....or occasionally on behalf of the Empire of Germany depending on which side they decided was in their best interests to position their political rival. And, of course, he would constantly be derided in the Provincial Press for his aristocratic origins.

However, by 1903, he had been sworn in to an office which bore a term limit. Elections no longer meant much and the indirect result of the Presidential term limit would reduce many attacks on Hohenzollern's background. And, given that it hadn't done much for William Jennings Bryan, the Provincials would focus elsewhere in their opposition. Fortunately for Hohenzollern, he would benefit from two consecutive promising Congressional elections which put his party in control over the Legislature.

In regards to the Asian situation, he would work closely with the incoming Secretary of State, Theodore Roosevelt, perhaps the most aggressive personality he'd ever encountered. As Hohenzollern had spent his life in the Army, this was saying something. He could easily see how the man had gained ascendancy over the previous President despite not even being part of Bland's party. Hohenzollern was intent not to allow this but was equally sure that the battle would be exhausting. He ordered Roosevelt to prepare weekly briefs on all Foreign issues and, in the guise of "supporting" his Secretary of State, would guarantee an hour every week to discuss the matters. Previous Secretary of States, particularly in peacetime, often had a far greater leash but Hohenzollern was intent on keeping the man under control.

Roosevelt initially welcomed this private time as he saw that it was a chance to exert his will over the new President. Soon, however, he realized it was Hohenzollern's mechanism to maintaining his own control. The President was concerned about Roosevelt's ambitions, particularly in the Pacific and with some border disputes in South America.

Silesia, Poland

As the winter turned to spring, the war in Saxony slowly heated up. The early slog through the mud would accomplish nothing for either side.

Throughout the winter, the rest of Europe would grow increasingly nervous about the violence spreading over into their borders. France and her western allies (Ireland, Britain, Flanders, the Dutch Republic, Burgundy, the Rhineland) had formed the League of Armed Neutrality the previous year and offers of membership to Russia, Scandinavia and America had been politely declined...with the potential to revisit the idea as events proceeded. Given that the battle between the Germans would not spread over into the sealanes, these other nations would not see the point of getting involved...with the exception of Russia.

For over a century, the Russians had attempted to maintain a certain distance from European affairs. As it happened, events like the collapse of the Habsburg Empire would benefit Russian greatly. Even the unification of Scandinavia under one crown or the formation of an effective central government in Poland, having been feared as threatening to Russia at one point, actually proved to be to her benefit. Relations remained strong as both Poland and Scandinavia had far more to fear from Russia than Russia did from them.

When the King of Poland's petitions to Russia to help "restore peace" in Europe, it was unlikely that the Pole expected any real help.

Surprisingly, the Czar would receive the emissary with sympathy. The Czar would take the lead in "requesting" an armistice between the warring factions. To his irritation, he was ignored. Immediately, the Czar would summon the Ambassadors from Poland, Britain and France. If the damned Germans couldn't be civilized, then the rest of Europe would take measures to put an end to this.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 590

August, 1903

Krakow

German Assistant Foreign Secretary Winston Churchill was livid. He'd been dispatched to Poland as the ridiculous threats by the King of Poland's emissaries reached Berlin. Churchill could not believe that the Poles, after their dismal performance in the last war, would dare get involved again with the Kingdom of Germany. Upon arrival, he was shocked at the sight of Russian troops disembarking upon the same train platforms as the German Emissary. If the Poles and Russians wanted to make a point, they had made it. By the end of summer 1903, a hundred and fifty thousand Russian and Polish troops had stumbled towards the largely undefended border of Brandenburg.

Hamburg, Kingdom of Prussia

Russian and Gallic ships arrived off the coast of northern Germany and promptly blockaded the port of Hamburg, through which most of Germany's trade flowed. No shots were fired but no ships were allowed through. Had Churchill remained in his previous post of Ambassador to Great Britain, he would have realized that Britain was no more interested in German unification either. Britain would quietly support this blockade partially due to the ties of the current German monarchy to the old British Royal Family. Churchill's ham-fisted bullying of the British government hadn't helped gain one iota of sympathy for the Kingdom of Germany.

Within weeks, international trade collapsed as the Kingdom of Prussia was cut off on all sides from the rest of the world.

The German Confederation

Though the Gallic monarchy was dedicated to democracy (as would all of the western European countries), the nation was getting increasingly concerned about Pan-German Nationalist sentiment in the petty states of the German Confederation, most of whom thought as little of democracy as the Kingdom of Germany and the Empire of Germany (or the Kingdom of Saxony for that matter). Why would the peasants of Waldeck or Hesse or Lippe show any support for their incompetent and authoritarian Princes when a unified (mostly Protestant) Kingdom of Germany at least offered the chance for glory (if not democracy)?

Being part of a greater power was at least one benefit of unification with the Kingdom of Germany. Gaul was unwilling to allow this and moved forces into several key Confederation states. On the surface, this was intended to "guarantee the sovereignty" of several of the petty princes whom had been forced to put down rebellions. However, the Gallic and Burgundian and Rhinish troops would also serve as a warning to the Kingdom of Prussia that this expansionism was offending all of Europe.

By fall of 1903, over 40,000 Gallic (and allied) troops were in place along the western border of the Kingdom of Prussia, sending a dangerous message. While in place, the sovereigns of these regions would find that they had invited in an occupying army...which immediately began dictating terms of a peace between the potentates and their restive peasant populations. Waldeck, whose Prince was a weak and pliable fool, would be the first to pronounce a new constitution placing power in the hands of the people. Neighboring Principalities would be horrified. Even those whom did not bear any Gallic forces on their soil would face immediate insurrections by suddenly emboldened democratic elements.

The face of Greater Germany was being rewritten.

Dresden

For nearly two years, the armies of the Kingdom of Germany and Empire of Germany charged back and forth before the city of Dresden, the new automatic rifles, upgraded "Maxims" machine guns (named after the Penobscot-born American inventor, Hiram Maxim) produced in New York and Krupp cannons (purchased from allies in the German Confederation) doing terribly damage to human bodies. By fall, over 250,000 men had fallen in combat, an inconceivable number compared to previous wars on the Continent.

Both Kingdom and Empire were exhausted as was Saxony.

Initially, the Emperor in Austria would hope that the rest of Europe was arriving to ally with him and crush the Hohenzollerns of the north. However, most of Europe desired something of a status quo, thus ensuring that a new, vastly powerful German state did not come into being.

Increasing calls of an armistice would be made from all quarters of Europe.

Dublin

Alois Heitler had left home at age 14 after years of abuse by his loathsome father (whom was now on his third wife). By 1898, the sixteen year old had landed in Ireland with the aid of friends and managed to secure a position as an apprentice waiter. It was here that the less than talented man managed to strike gold in the name of an orphaned Irish petty heiress (I.e. landowner) whom was under the thumb of her grandfather. Now twenty-one in 1903, both Alois and Matilda were married after it was discovered the slumming woman got pregnant by her penniless Austrian lover. Alois was not a brilliant man and was easily controlled by his wife (whom had learned enough to control their finances).

Presently, Heitler learned that his father's two sons by his third wife were desperate to get out from under him as well. The fourteen year old Adolf and nine year old Edmund both hated and feared Alois Heitler Sr. and Adolf wrote to his brother begging him to send for them. In a rage, the elder man actually agreed to it as he'd given up on Adolf and didn't hold out much hope for Edmund either.

Matilda Heitler was actually looking for some labor on her property (as the endless emigration from Ireland had raised the price of labor) and realized that two young boys would do a great deal of work if properly motivated. Her hopes would be dashed as the stubborn Adolf was as disinterested in agriculture as he was in following his father's footsteps into the petty bureaucracy. He would stalwartly refuse to do much of anything on her property and, in exasperation, would eventually allow (and pay for) the boy to attend the local Dublin School of the Arts just to get rid of him when he turned seventeen.

Adolf would prove an apt pupil and learned English quickly as well as some math and science. No longer under his father's rule, he enjoyed his studies a great deal even when they did not relate directly to art. For years, Adolf had rebelled against his father by deliberately doing poorly in school in hopes that Alois Sr. would allow him to drop out of the technical school intended to train him as a bureaucrat like his father and pursue his dream as an artist. The death of his mother had broken any real ties to his father and the young Adolf jumped at the opportunity to study in Dublin. He would graduate and spend his early twenties on the streets of Dublin, painting cityscapes and selling them for pennies to tourists.

Fortunately for Matilda, young Edmund would prove more than capable of handling the stable duties and would eventually become a noted jockey on the local racing circuit. Indeed, "Heitler Stables", as the plantation become known as it grew to prominence over the coming years, would become famous in eastern Ireland for the quality of horses raised. Of course, it would be Edmund whom actually did all the work as Alois Jr. accomplished little in his life beyond getting the right woman pregnant. Rumor had it that Matilda's last few children born in her late thirties may have been sired by her much, much younger brother-in-law.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Chapter 591

November, 1903

Manhattan

President George Hohenzollern loathed being President. He had been warned prior to accepting the Centralist nomination but had ignored these well-intentioned people. For decades, he'd watched incompetent politicians run the country and, like most Americans, assumed he could do a better job.

It turned out the job was pretty damned hard and, for once, Hohenzollern felt sympathy for his predecessors.

Dealing with Congress was tiresome. Dealing with the public was exasperating. Hell, dealing with his cabinet was nightmarish.

He cursed his own arrogance which put him in this damned situation. He should never have agreed to run for office. Now he had to deal with annoyances great and small. In the army, he gave orders to those below him and took them from above. That was simple. Now he had to negotiate with hundreds of Congressmen, barter with foreign nations and pander to a fickle electorate.

Over the past months, Hohenzollern had been forced to deal with mundane issues like formally renaming the Moskito Coast as "Costa Caribia". Exactly why this was necessary, he didn't understand. Like Assinisboia, Vancouver and the San Juan Islands, California, Costa Rica and the Leeward Islands, it seemed unlikely that Costa Caribia would achieve province-hood anytime soon due to low population and low levels of development.

Similarly, the islands of Margherita, Trinidad and Tobago would be renamed the "Paria Islands" after the nearby Gulf of Paria. OK, the President didn't give much of a damn about that.

More importantly, the territories of Amazonia, Llanos and Guyana had finally reached the necessary levels of population and development to demand Provincehood. Rubber was the major source of wealth while lesser crops and industries (like coca, chocolate, sugar, timber, fishing, cattle, oil, etc) would help create a more diverse economy.

Hohenzollern was happy to welcome these peoples to their new status. Large-scale immigration to labor in the rubber plantations and other industries would make this an equally diverse region. There was a large Portuguese population, mainly from the remnants of the old Brazil. But Italians, Spanish (mostly from the American Main), Germans, Irish, British, Russians, Aztlanis, Andeans, Ethiopians, Lebanese, Copts, etc would arrive in great numbers and help dilute the overwhelming Spanish and Portuguese influence and eventually allow the "American" (meaning English) culture would dominate more so than along the American Main.

While dealing with renaming and reclassifying Territories, the President received a request from various European nations to help mediate a peace in Germany. Finding nothing in American more interesting, President Hohenzollern would agree.