WI: China becomes a theatre of the Crimean War?

Dorozhand

Banned
Here's a scenario I've been thinking about for a long time:

1) The Taiping Rebellion still happens, but someone other than Hong Xiuquan is leading it, and it becomes a standard Chinese rebellion seeking to establish a new dynasty.

2) The rebellion is under better and more centralized leadership, and Russia decides to send military instructors and equipment to them to counter British and French aid to Qing. Soon, the rebels are in control of most of southern China and its leader has declared the foundation of a new dynasty.

3) Russia invades Qing from the north into Manchuria. The British and French send military forces there to aid the Qing on the northern front, while the Americans join in the fun and aid them in the south.

The Crimean War is now a world conflict. Who will win? Will this improve or diminish Russia's chances in the west?
 
There's one fairly serious problem, which amounts to that the Taiping rebels are on the opposite side of China as the Sino-Russian border.
 
considering that russia lost the Crimean War OTL and lost the Russo-Japanese war because its wasn't able to supply enough troops to manchuria i don't think that starting a second front there while adding in the US is going to go any better.
 
Britain doesn't have the manpower for that extra front either. As it was, during the OTL Crimean War, Britain was using [UK] Militia battalions in place of regulars to garrison some of the nearer colonies) nad had started hiring several thousand mercenaries in continental Europe (as a 'German Legion', 'Italian Legion', and 'Swiss Legion') too.
 
Britain doesn't have the manpower for that extra front either. As it was, during the OTL Crimean War, Britain was using [UK] Militia battalions in place of regulars to garrison some of the nearer colonies) nad had started hiring several thousand mercenaries in continental Europe (as a 'German Legion', 'Italian Legion', and 'Swiss Legion') too.
yes but its not an Anglo-Russian war, its Russia vs a coalition of Britain, France, Turkestan, and now the US and China.

Britain may not have enough troops but they have the ability to send enough troops and supply them; Russias problem is the exact opposite.

I think for this to go anywhere we need to get Russia at least one ally, the question there in lies: who?
 
Which theater though? If it's in China, maybe Spain? The Spanish could just harass the British in SE Asia, preventing any possible reinforcements from reaching China.
 
Which theater though? If it's in China, maybe Spain? The Spanish could just harass the British in SE Asia, preventing any possible reinforcements from reaching China.
hmm... i was under the impression (though im no spanish expert) that by this time spain was a second rate power at best, still though this does open up a border war with with France;

Adding in spain, What of Prussia? They were Russophilic at this time and wanted to take down France but at the same time had Austria to the south
but the Italians to its southern Border.

So a Spain, Prussia, Russia, Italians, Chinese Rebels vs Britain, France, Austria, China, and the US.

Starting to get evened out tho still in the Allies favor.
 
hmm... i was under the impression (though im no spanish expert) that by this time spain was a second rate power at best, still though this does open up a border with with France;

Adding in spain, What of Prussia? They were Russophilic at this time and wanted to take down France but at the same time had Austria to the south
but the Italians to its southern Border.

So a Spain, Prussia, Russia, Italians, Chinese Rebels vs Britain, France, Austria, China, and the US.

Starting to get evened out tho still in the Allies favor.

They still had Cuba and the Philippines though, but from Spanish Philippines Spain can still give the British some headaches. Prussia, they could only wage war against Austria and don't have colonies in the Far East.
 
They still had Cuba and the Philippines though, but from Spanish Philippines Spain can still give the British some headaches. Prussia, they could only wage war against Austria and don't have colonies in the Far East.
I was thinking we were trying to turn this into a world war, and Prussia could wage war against France or Austria just not both but considering that both would no have a second front to deal with and Prussia would have Russia also fighting the Austrians the European theatre of the war would be pretty evened out, if not in the Russian coalitions favor.
 
I was thinking we were trying to turn this into a world war, and Prussia could wage war against France or Austria just not both but considering that both would no have a second front to deal with and Prussia would have Russia also fighting the Austrians the European theatre of the war would be pretty evened out, if not in the Russian coalitions favor.

If this were to occur though, then chances are that the Balkans and the Caucasus would become major fronts in this enlarged Crimean War.
 
If this were to occur though, then chances are that the Balkans and the Caucasus would become major fronts in this enlarged Crimean War.
i know this is actually getting exciting. Should America even be included though? I mean they weren't in the best of conditions during this period of time but without them i dont see the troops to make the alliance win.
 
US was too busy recuperating from the Mexican-American War though.
exactly forget the americans they are to isolationist and wanting to kick the shit out of each other at this time with little to no power projection. Weve noww come up with a world war in the 1850s and im not sure who would win. Britain probably has to draw men from the dominions and india leading to nationalism across the empire sooner
 
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