Honestly it tears me up inside knowing that eventually this France will become Communist. I would love an alternate ending where we stay royalist.
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Vicky2 does have this unfortunate belief that giving any ground to socialist reform leads to violent communidt uprising. Historically, liberal democracies that drfited to the left didn't always (shock) become communist dictatorships. In fact, reform worked so well in some industrialised nations that even the Conservatives are way further left than normal.
Good old absolutist logic always triumphs!
Most affronts received in China have the customary compensation cost of a nice island city somewhere. I'm sure that won't cause any problems if China were to ever *whisper* westernize.
I mean, if you see the Scramble for Africa happening all around you and a modern army casually stroll into your capital then I think you can feel which way the tide is turning.
I was pretty beat up about it myself and I think that in hindsight I can see where to POD into Communism happened. You'll just have to find out what that'll cause. And hey, I might just have an alternate epilogue just for the hell of it.
While it is kind of annoying that that happens from time to time, I was quite satisfied by the way the transition happened in my playthrough. I thought it had a nice internal consistency. But you'll have to wait and see when everything goes South.
Hmm...maybe they should have an ill timed rebellion and we can all go over there and help.
Well there's two sides to this because the british surround their nation. They are rolling the dice as to being claimed by a power quick will stop a war in their realm, but it not being british means they are at risk of being dowed anyway.
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The French Empire looks very nice indeed. Perhaps it is the wine that does the trick 
Sure, as long as they don't use martial artists in the rebellion, that would look like a bad B movie.
The French Empire looks very nice indeed. Perhaps it is the wine that does the trick
Yes, France's current chief export is wine while its chief import is Africa.
I seem to remember them straight up invading. No peaceful sphering but traditional Prussian bullets.
Chapter XII from “The Defense of the Homeland”
The new year began in the spirit of optimism as the new territories started their process of integration into the wider French colonial empire. Such prosperity, however, would be threatened by the belligerent imperialism that the German Empire was undertaking in the heartland of Europe. In late January 1887, the German ambassador to Austria presented veiled threats suggesting that Austria should betray its French allies and join their Empire. As was expected, Emperor Franz Josef refused such an outrageous proposal and informed King Philippe of this plot while assuring his undying loyalty. The French armies on the Rhine were notified of a potential conflict and plans were made for an invasion of German soil in defense of Austrian independence.
On the 8th of March, the dreaded announcement came: the German Empire had declared war upon Austria with the stated aim of conquering Böhmen-Mähren. Upon the same day, the King called a cabinet meeting to ensure support of the war from his ministers and found opposition only from Omer de Évreux who feared German treachery. Nonetheless, the Foreign Minister accepted to publicly announce France's support for its ally while the army moved across the German border.
The Germans begin their march on Europe.
It soon became apparent that the Germans had planned for such an eventuality: the bulk of the Teutonic army was ready to march on Alsace-Lorraine and a secret agreement was revealed whereby Italy and Belgium would join any war against France. The unexpected extension of the front to the entire Eastern frontier forced the armies in Alsace-Lorraine to rush to counter the Italian and Belgian forces who had begun streaming across the border. The first important battle of the war presented itself on the 25th of March in Strasbourg where the German advanced force was repelled by the long-entrenched defense army. This victory was short lived, however, as news arrived of a defeat at Cambrai at the hands of the traitorous Belgians on the 27th. The following months did not provide the chance for an honorable fight and saw the enemy armies slowly push back the defenders through sabotage and the theft of supplies.
The Battle of Cambrai ends with much blood spilled.
On the Eastern front of the war, German forces had managed to occupy all of Bohemia and the Austrians were mounting a desperate defense of Vienna, confiding their safety in a French victory. On the 6th of September, the Germans and Italians staged a great push to break French lines with spearheads at Chaumont and Besançon. After much fighting, the Italian attackers at Besançon were held back but the Huns had managed to break Chaumont and rushed through the breach. New defensive lines were drawn to avoid total collapse and an attack was prepared at Nancy to ensure the security of Paris. On the 27th of September, a full assault was taken out against the entrenched Germans. Thousands of Frenchmen perished under machine gun fire as each regiment attempted to exploit any gap that might have presented itself. The battle raged on for two days between heavy shelling and infantry charges but on the dawn of the third day the result was clear. The Germans managed to blast through the center of the battlefield and the French rearguard was being overwhelmed, leaving the road to Paris wide open. To save his people from such a siege, King Philippe surrendered to the invading forces and ordered the cessation of hostilities on all fronts.
The treaty of Nancy on the 7th of November 1887 was personally signed by King Philippe VII, Emperor Franz Josef of Austria and the octogenarian Emperor Wilhelm of Germany and stipulated the passage of Böhmen-Mähren from Austrian to German hands together with the French cessation of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany and Corsica to Italy.
The new Europe marred by unjust foreign demands.
With peace came reflection on the war: the King sacked the Melun government and appointed Évreux, now head of the Droite Nationaliste party, as Prime Minister for his foresight on German treachery and military experience that would be invaluable in restoring the army. For this purpose, the new Prime Minister chose to appoint Vivien de Vannes as Minister of War.
The Marquis de Vannes was born in 1854 to a noble family chafing under the oppressive regime of Bonaparte. His education mainly featured engineering and the other sciences with a particular eye out for the more military applications of such matters. Upon graduation he decided to join the navy where he was routinely commended for his skill in directing and improving upon naval artillery. He served with distinction in the Germano-French war until losing a leg during a battle in the North Sea in 1877. While recovering from his wounds, Vannes managed to befriend the French ambassador to the Netherlands. The old man then recommended him for the same position upon retirement and the request was duly accepted by the Affré government. Through contacts in the diplomatic corps, Évreux first heard of the Marquis and decided to appoint him to a ministerial position.
Minister of War Vivien de Vannes.
In the next two years, the government attempted to bring the French armies into the condition necessary to contrast the expansion of the German Empire, but it appeared as if such a point could not be reached. Évreux attempted to excuse his failure by stating that France had neither the resources nor the manpower to conduct an independent war against the Germans and that the way forward was one of conciliation with the enemy and a search for allies. Vannes disagreed. He managed to assure the King that France had all the resources that were necessary but that foreign agents and those that would rejoice at seeing France fall were plotting and undermining the advances that were being made. A clear solution presented itself but Évreux was unwilling to take it and chose to resign his post rather than accept Vannes' proposal. The Minister of War was thus elevated to Prime Minister and set to work rooting out the enemies of the Homeland. To execute this task, he selected Ange de Metz as Minister of the Interior for his cabinet and prompted him to find those who were secretly plotting France's demise.
The Duke de Metz had significant reasons to desire for a strong France. Born in 1845 in Alsace-Lorraine, he studied at the military academy in Paris before joining the army in 1863 and saw active duty in every continental war up to the recent Germano-Austrian War. All the while, he climbed the ranks of the army until being promoted to Colonel in the Army of the Rhine in 1882. However, this promotion felt hollow as, during the Germano-French war in 1877, Metz witnessed the death of his family first hand as a consequence of German shelling of his estate. Such understanding of the German threat proved to be the chief element that Vannes sought in the man who would provide security to France.
All through 1890, Metz searched for all those people who had caused the defeat of 1887 and cut them out of the French body like the tumor they were. All Italians, Belgians and Germans who had infiltrated the Kingdom were charged with aiding their respective countries in undermining French defenses while all Basques and Catalans spilling out from republican Spain were exposed for their treason against the King.
The search was quick and effective and, before long, the problem was no more.
On the 8th of March, the dreaded announcement came: the German Empire had declared war upon Austria with the stated aim of conquering Böhmen-Mähren. Upon the same day, the King called a cabinet meeting to ensure support of the war from his ministers and found opposition only from Omer de Évreux who feared German treachery. Nonetheless, the Foreign Minister accepted to publicly announce France's support for its ally while the army moved across the German border.
The Germans begin their march on Europe.
It soon became apparent that the Germans had planned for such an eventuality: the bulk of the Teutonic army was ready to march on Alsace-Lorraine and a secret agreement was revealed whereby Italy and Belgium would join any war against France. The unexpected extension of the front to the entire Eastern frontier forced the armies in Alsace-Lorraine to rush to counter the Italian and Belgian forces who had begun streaming across the border. The first important battle of the war presented itself on the 25th of March in Strasbourg where the German advanced force was repelled by the long-entrenched defense army. This victory was short lived, however, as news arrived of a defeat at Cambrai at the hands of the traitorous Belgians on the 27th. The following months did not provide the chance for an honorable fight and saw the enemy armies slowly push back the defenders through sabotage and the theft of supplies.
The Battle of Cambrai ends with much blood spilled.
On the Eastern front of the war, German forces had managed to occupy all of Bohemia and the Austrians were mounting a desperate defense of Vienna, confiding their safety in a French victory. On the 6th of September, the Germans and Italians staged a great push to break French lines with spearheads at Chaumont and Besançon. After much fighting, the Italian attackers at Besançon were held back but the Huns had managed to break Chaumont and rushed through the breach. New defensive lines were drawn to avoid total collapse and an attack was prepared at Nancy to ensure the security of Paris. On the 27th of September, a full assault was taken out against the entrenched Germans. Thousands of Frenchmen perished under machine gun fire as each regiment attempted to exploit any gap that might have presented itself. The battle raged on for two days between heavy shelling and infantry charges but on the dawn of the third day the result was clear. The Germans managed to blast through the center of the battlefield and the French rearguard was being overwhelmed, leaving the road to Paris wide open. To save his people from such a siege, King Philippe surrendered to the invading forces and ordered the cessation of hostilities on all fronts.
The treaty of Nancy on the 7th of November 1887 was personally signed by King Philippe VII, Emperor Franz Josef of Austria and the octogenarian Emperor Wilhelm of Germany and stipulated the passage of Böhmen-Mähren from Austrian to German hands together with the French cessation of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany and Corsica to Italy.
The new Europe marred by unjust foreign demands.
With peace came reflection on the war: the King sacked the Melun government and appointed Évreux, now head of the Droite Nationaliste party, as Prime Minister for his foresight on German treachery and military experience that would be invaluable in restoring the army. For this purpose, the new Prime Minister chose to appoint Vivien de Vannes as Minister of War.
The Marquis de Vannes was born in 1854 to a noble family chafing under the oppressive regime of Bonaparte. His education mainly featured engineering and the other sciences with a particular eye out for the more military applications of such matters. Upon graduation he decided to join the navy where he was routinely commended for his skill in directing and improving upon naval artillery. He served with distinction in the Germano-French war until losing a leg during a battle in the North Sea in 1877. While recovering from his wounds, Vannes managed to befriend the French ambassador to the Netherlands. The old man then recommended him for the same position upon retirement and the request was duly accepted by the Affré government. Through contacts in the diplomatic corps, Évreux first heard of the Marquis and decided to appoint him to a ministerial position.
Minister of War Vivien de Vannes.
In the next two years, the government attempted to bring the French armies into the condition necessary to contrast the expansion of the German Empire, but it appeared as if such a point could not be reached. Évreux attempted to excuse his failure by stating that France had neither the resources nor the manpower to conduct an independent war against the Germans and that the way forward was one of conciliation with the enemy and a search for allies. Vannes disagreed. He managed to assure the King that France had all the resources that were necessary but that foreign agents and those that would rejoice at seeing France fall were plotting and undermining the advances that were being made. A clear solution presented itself but Évreux was unwilling to take it and chose to resign his post rather than accept Vannes' proposal. The Minister of War was thus elevated to Prime Minister and set to work rooting out the enemies of the Homeland. To execute this task, he selected Ange de Metz as Minister of the Interior for his cabinet and prompted him to find those who were secretly plotting France's demise.
The Duke de Metz had significant reasons to desire for a strong France. Born in 1845 in Alsace-Lorraine, he studied at the military academy in Paris before joining the army in 1863 and saw active duty in every continental war up to the recent Germano-Austrian War. All the while, he climbed the ranks of the army until being promoted to Colonel in the Army of the Rhine in 1882. However, this promotion felt hollow as, during the Germano-French war in 1877, Metz witnessed the death of his family first hand as a consequence of German shelling of his estate. Such understanding of the German threat proved to be the chief element that Vannes sought in the man who would provide security to France.
All through 1890, Metz searched for all those people who had caused the defeat of 1887 and cut them out of the French body like the tumor they were. All Italians, Belgians and Germans who had infiltrated the Kingdom were charged with aiding their respective countries in undermining French defenses while all Basques and Catalans spilling out from republican Spain were exposed for their treason against the King.
The search was quick and effective and, before long, the problem was no more.
Yeah...you aren't winning against that. But by god, what an unholy allaince!
I bet that goes well.
Very troubling. The germans are in control of europe now, and as long as they keep that allaince with Belgium and italy up, franxe can't do anything.
What is that hideous green blob doing in British Ireland? I know we've been busy in asia recently but that's just careless empire management.
A new reign of terror. Making france unpopular abroad and a loser of that war. Not a good mix.
The only thing that could make it less holy is if Poland somehow formed an alliance with Germany
Yeah...Russia taking forever to mobilize means that I need to find a good way to hold the line until the bear comes out of hibernation.
Not sure when that happened but they gained dominion status and are just happily sitting there.
Yeah, things haven't so much gone downhill as fallen off a cliff. The future of Europe is very problematic and it'll take a lot to chain this unholy Germany. Also a rabidly reactionary government with an intense desire for revenge is not a good recipe for peace.
Well...I think they're sticking to the "If it's on the continent we'll just meddle from afar" policy. But hey, the world is changing quite fast!
And from the British perspective, great news, because it means Euroe is going to stay tense and at war with each other without much land changing hands! So they can just ignore it and get back to what's really important, squabbling with Russia over meaningless desert, pouring an endless supply of drugs into Asia, and making America lesser again.
It is seriously problematic. They just need to add Spain to the mix and I'll be totally screwed. I also dread to think how it will be possible to take down this Überdeutschland and the best I can think of is a thorough Great War dismantling.
All is really going according to British plans but I'm hoping that the "fall" part of an Empire's life-cycle still applies to perfidious Albion.
Well it could happen. Lots of rebellions in britian in vicky aars recently so that could be problematic. Otherwise, unless we do something really stupid like fight the us when they're ready and waiting, or fighting a european coalition alone, we should be fine. At least until india becomes unreliable.
Chapter XIII from "Diplomacy by all Means"
With the reconstruction of the Nation underway, France's prosperity managed to return to the levels it had enjoyed in before the Germano-Austrian War but this brought particular attention to the plight of the veterans who had suffered and received permanent injuries during that horrendous conflict. It did not seem just that, while France was rebuilding, the bodies of those who fought for her should be forced to suffer far beyond the country they had sacrificed for. With these arguments, Socialist Senators Anges de Mâcon and Mathieu Baudelaire proposed a bill in February 1891 that would ensure that the government would pay for one tenth of the medical expenses incurred by each citizen for, they argued, surely a healthy population was the best way to ensure that ailing veterans are cared for. As with previous proposals by these same Senators, this too was greeted with vast opposition, not least from Prime Minister Vivien de Vannes and Minister of the Interior Ange de Metz. Metz, especially, declared that suggesting such a waste of resources on those who were too idle to work for their health was dangerously close to treason and that the Senators should be ashamed of identifying with the radical and subversive school of Socialism. King Philippe saw the merits of both sides of the argument and no final decision could be reached until May of the same year. The King, as had happened in 1885 with the schooling law, fell on the side of Baudelaire and Mâcon and approved the law but he assured his cabinet and his people that, as long as he would live, the specter of Socialism would never stalk France and that all these laws were only to the benefit of the country.
Internal political discourse was soon matched by the external when, in December 1891, an international congress was organized in Paris by Foreign Minister Lucien de Chartres.
Foreign Minister Lucien de Chartres.
Lucien de Chartres was born in 1859 to Armel de Chartres, former Minister of War for the Affré government. The proceeds from his father's arms business allowed Lucien to study law at the Sorbonne where he showed a clear talent for legal matters and graduated cum laude in 1880. While Armel was serving as minister, Lucien was introduced to the Royal Court where he dutifully served King Henri V as a member of his entourage. Upon the accession of Philippe VII, he was sent with his father to inspect the status of the new African colonies and ensure their proper civilization in matters of law. After returning to court, he was lauded for his diplomatic performance in the Colonies and the King personally suggested appointing him as Foreign Minister.
The Congress of Paris was headed by France on one side and Great Britain on the other, respectively arguing the case against and for the re-constitution of the Basque Country that had been abolished by Spain in past years. Chartres argued that adding a nation that had already failed once was a clear way to ensure a second fall which might even cause greater collateral damage down the road. He also stated, with attention to the German and Russian Empires that, if every cultural minority were to gain their own nation, soon anarchy would spread across Europe and allow an easy hegemony of the British over the continent. Lord Salisbury replied for Great Britain and affirmed that the Basque Countries had fallen after an illegal occupation by Spain and that, this time, his country would act as protector to the fledgling nation. As for the accusations of dividing Europe, he stated that Britain was more than ever committed to the balance of powers in the continent. When it came time to vote for a resolution, only the Russian Empire saw the wisdom of Chartres' words while the other European powers were seduced by the British and thus Spain agreed to peacefully allow the Basque Countries to regain their independence under the hegemony of Great Britain.
The Basque Countries return to the map of Europe.
This diplomatic insult persuaded King Philippe that it was time for France to show the world that it was still a force to be reckoned with and would not be slighted by countries who had only come onto the world stage in the last century.
The chance arose in August 1892 when it was revealed that Italy was abusing and attempting to integrate the French population of Nice and Savoy, forcing them to abandon their heritage. Delegations from these regions came to the King and begged him for assistance in maintaining their identity. The King reacted by requesting to buy the regions off of Italy in the hopes that they would recognize their position but, emboldened by their recent victories, the Italians flatly refused. A final ultimatum was delivered by Chartres who warned king Umberto that France would stop at nothing to protect its people but, once again, the Italians dared King Philippe to challenge them. Thus, on the 13th of September 1892, Chartres handed the declaration of war to the Italian ambassador in Paris. It appears that the Italians did not believe in an invasion and were woefully unprepared for the first phase of attack such that Nice and Savoy were occupied by the end of the month and the first serious resistance was organized in early October. The battle of Torino on the 15th of the same month was a resounding success for the French forces who pushed the enemy back from Piemonte all the way to Tuscany and, in so doing, cut off most of the Italian reserves from the main army.
While the Army of the Alps marched on Milan, news came that Greece, a longtime satellite of France, had declared war upon Bulgaria, itself a satellite of the Russian Empire, and was requesting French aid in the war.
News of the Greek War arrives to France.
A conflict between the two great powers would permanently sever the long-cherished ties of friendship between them and could not be accepted. Channels were opened between King Philippe VII and Tsar Alexander III to resolve the conflict and it was concluded that Russia would defend Bulgaria but France would not aid Greece as they had been the unlawful aggressor. With this diplomatic crisis settled, the war in Italy proceeded with constant methodical success as the French armies built a front across the peninsula and pushed it ever further South. At the beginning of the new year, with Rome about to be besieged and no sign of foreign aid in sight, Italian Foreign Minister Benedetto Brin called for an armistice which soon lead to the Treaty of Torino on the 23rd of January 1893. The treaty, signed by Foreign Minister Lucien de Chartres and Italian Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti, formally ceded Nice and Savoy to the Kingdom of France and wiped clean the stain of the Italian invasion of six years prior by re-taking Corsica and annexing Sardinia as a reparation.
With justice delivered upon one of the aggressors of 1887, King Philippe set his eyes on punishing Belgium for their arrogance in attacking their betters. In February 1893, as the Army of the Alps was redirected to the Belgian border, the Belgian government declared their nation bankrupt and thus cancelled all outstanding debts with France. This latest affront pushed the King over the edge and convinced him that war was the only solution and that, even if Germany were to join, the occupation of Belgium would end the conflict in a few months. Upon calling a cabinet meeting, the King took stock of the support of Vannes and Chartres but was taken aback by Metz' resistance to the idea under the justification of wishing to improve the fortresses on the border. Despite this reticence, the King knew that there would not soon be a better opportunity and, on the 2nd of March 1893, the II Franco-Belgian war begun.
The Franco-Belgian War begins.
The conflict began inauspiciously as the Russian Empire chose to interpret the terms of the intervention in the Greco-Bulgarian War as suspending the alliance until that particular conflict came to an end and that they would only agree to join when that moment came. Despite this, the main three French armies managed a deep advance into Germany and Belgium where they were greatly aided by their Spanish allies. On the 12th of July, the battle of Lille crushed the meager Belgian resistance and confirmed the occupation of half of the country while the Armies of the Rhine and of the Alps advanced to occupy Kolmar and Freiburg.
The state of the front in July 1893.
Until August, no real resistance was encountered on the German side and a quick end to the war seemed in sight but, with the coming of September, all that changed. The German armies arrived from the East, bolstered by copious reserve troops and began a vigorous push through Belgium and Lorraine. Almost all the gains in Flanders were lost as the Army of Belgium was isolated and forced into a disastrous rout at the battle of Liege on the 28th of September. On the German front, the Army of the Rhine was pushed back in a fighting retreat to Nancy while the Army of the Alps was not so lucky and met its end at the battle of Freiburg on the 2nd of October.
The state of the front after the German autumn offensive.
In view of these disasters, the King sacked Vannes and replaced him with Metz whose military experience would be necessary to succeed. Metz took personal control of the military planning and formed a new front along the Belgian border and towards Lorraine with the Army of the Rhine providing a stable defense force at Nancy. Hundreds of Kilometers of barbed wire were laid out across this front and, together with the construction of trenches and machine gun nests, there is hope that France will be defended. Recent news, however, indicates that the main German force has attacked Nancy on the 20th of December where 100.000 Frenchmen now are embroiled in a fight for their country against 150.000 invaders. One can only hope that God will intercede on the side of his King and deliver us from defeat.
Internal political discourse was soon matched by the external when, in December 1891, an international congress was organized in Paris by Foreign Minister Lucien de Chartres.
Foreign Minister Lucien de Chartres.
Lucien de Chartres was born in 1859 to Armel de Chartres, former Minister of War for the Affré government. The proceeds from his father's arms business allowed Lucien to study law at the Sorbonne where he showed a clear talent for legal matters and graduated cum laude in 1880. While Armel was serving as minister, Lucien was introduced to the Royal Court where he dutifully served King Henri V as a member of his entourage. Upon the accession of Philippe VII, he was sent with his father to inspect the status of the new African colonies and ensure their proper civilization in matters of law. After returning to court, he was lauded for his diplomatic performance in the Colonies and the King personally suggested appointing him as Foreign Minister.
The Congress of Paris was headed by France on one side and Great Britain on the other, respectively arguing the case against and for the re-constitution of the Basque Country that had been abolished by Spain in past years. Chartres argued that adding a nation that had already failed once was a clear way to ensure a second fall which might even cause greater collateral damage down the road. He also stated, with attention to the German and Russian Empires that, if every cultural minority were to gain their own nation, soon anarchy would spread across Europe and allow an easy hegemony of the British over the continent. Lord Salisbury replied for Great Britain and affirmed that the Basque Countries had fallen after an illegal occupation by Spain and that, this time, his country would act as protector to the fledgling nation. As for the accusations of dividing Europe, he stated that Britain was more than ever committed to the balance of powers in the continent. When it came time to vote for a resolution, only the Russian Empire saw the wisdom of Chartres' words while the other European powers were seduced by the British and thus Spain agreed to peacefully allow the Basque Countries to regain their independence under the hegemony of Great Britain.
The Basque Countries return to the map of Europe.
This diplomatic insult persuaded King Philippe that it was time for France to show the world that it was still a force to be reckoned with and would not be slighted by countries who had only come onto the world stage in the last century.
The chance arose in August 1892 when it was revealed that Italy was abusing and attempting to integrate the French population of Nice and Savoy, forcing them to abandon their heritage. Delegations from these regions came to the King and begged him for assistance in maintaining their identity. The King reacted by requesting to buy the regions off of Italy in the hopes that they would recognize their position but, emboldened by their recent victories, the Italians flatly refused. A final ultimatum was delivered by Chartres who warned king Umberto that France would stop at nothing to protect its people but, once again, the Italians dared King Philippe to challenge them. Thus, on the 13th of September 1892, Chartres handed the declaration of war to the Italian ambassador in Paris. It appears that the Italians did not believe in an invasion and were woefully unprepared for the first phase of attack such that Nice and Savoy were occupied by the end of the month and the first serious resistance was organized in early October. The battle of Torino on the 15th of the same month was a resounding success for the French forces who pushed the enemy back from Piemonte all the way to Tuscany and, in so doing, cut off most of the Italian reserves from the main army.
While the Army of the Alps marched on Milan, news came that Greece, a longtime satellite of France, had declared war upon Bulgaria, itself a satellite of the Russian Empire, and was requesting French aid in the war.
News of the Greek War arrives to France.
A conflict between the two great powers would permanently sever the long-cherished ties of friendship between them and could not be accepted. Channels were opened between King Philippe VII and Tsar Alexander III to resolve the conflict and it was concluded that Russia would defend Bulgaria but France would not aid Greece as they had been the unlawful aggressor. With this diplomatic crisis settled, the war in Italy proceeded with constant methodical success as the French armies built a front across the peninsula and pushed it ever further South. At the beginning of the new year, with Rome about to be besieged and no sign of foreign aid in sight, Italian Foreign Minister Benedetto Brin called for an armistice which soon lead to the Treaty of Torino on the 23rd of January 1893. The treaty, signed by Foreign Minister Lucien de Chartres and Italian Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti, formally ceded Nice and Savoy to the Kingdom of France and wiped clean the stain of the Italian invasion of six years prior by re-taking Corsica and annexing Sardinia as a reparation.
With justice delivered upon one of the aggressors of 1887, King Philippe set his eyes on punishing Belgium for their arrogance in attacking their betters. In February 1893, as the Army of the Alps was redirected to the Belgian border, the Belgian government declared their nation bankrupt and thus cancelled all outstanding debts with France. This latest affront pushed the King over the edge and convinced him that war was the only solution and that, even if Germany were to join, the occupation of Belgium would end the conflict in a few months. Upon calling a cabinet meeting, the King took stock of the support of Vannes and Chartres but was taken aback by Metz' resistance to the idea under the justification of wishing to improve the fortresses on the border. Despite this reticence, the King knew that there would not soon be a better opportunity and, on the 2nd of March 1893, the II Franco-Belgian war begun.
The Franco-Belgian War begins.
The conflict began inauspiciously as the Russian Empire chose to interpret the terms of the intervention in the Greco-Bulgarian War as suspending the alliance until that particular conflict came to an end and that they would only agree to join when that moment came. Despite this, the main three French armies managed a deep advance into Germany and Belgium where they were greatly aided by their Spanish allies. On the 12th of July, the battle of Lille crushed the meager Belgian resistance and confirmed the occupation of half of the country while the Armies of the Rhine and of the Alps advanced to occupy Kolmar and Freiburg.
The state of the front in July 1893.
Until August, no real resistance was encountered on the German side and a quick end to the war seemed in sight but, with the coming of September, all that changed. The German armies arrived from the East, bolstered by copious reserve troops and began a vigorous push through Belgium and Lorraine. Almost all the gains in Flanders were lost as the Army of Belgium was isolated and forced into a disastrous rout at the battle of Liege on the 28th of September. On the German front, the Army of the Rhine was pushed back in a fighting retreat to Nancy while the Army of the Alps was not so lucky and met its end at the battle of Freiburg on the 2nd of October.
The state of the front after the German autumn offensive.
In view of these disasters, the King sacked Vannes and replaced him with Metz whose military experience would be necessary to succeed. Metz took personal control of the military planning and formed a new front along the Belgian border and towards Lorraine with the Army of the Rhine providing a stable defense force at Nancy. Hundreds of Kilometers of barbed wire were laid out across this front and, together with the construction of trenches and machine gun nests, there is hope that France will be defended. Recent news, however, indicates that the main German force has attacked Nancy on the 20th of December where 100.000 Frenchmen now are embroiled in a fight for their country against 150.000 invaders. One can only hope that God will intercede on the side of his King and deliver us from defeat.
"Shit," Lord Britshman turned quietly to Salisbury, "They've rumbled us! Say something meaningless about the balance of power in Europe. The Germans like that sort of thing."
"Aren't we trying to convince the French, sir?"
"Of course not, we invited them to their capital to pubkically humiliate them and make them look like chickens incapable of handling their own borders."
Everyone applauded, except the French who looked Incensed. The Brits had essentially confirmed that what they had just said was true, and everyone was just going along with it!
"Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen."
The conference room was silent and everyone looked in confusion at the very evil looking British delegation.
"Um...I mean, the balance of power in Europe has been preserved and everything is fine. Fuck France!"
"Fuck France!" Everyone agreed, and left happy.
"Perhaps burn our parliament has lasted a thousand years. I forget how many monarchies you've had in the previous century."
"And how is English Aquitaine?"
"Terribly. Apparently they've been taken over by idiots. How's your colonial empire? Of excuse me, I meant aside from worthless desert?"
"Strong and stable thank you. How is Ireland by the way?"
That's...insulting. Not even the Italians are afraid of you.
Oh dear. What a shame.
"Benson!"
"Yes sir-oh Christ..."
The PM was in the tub playing sailors, as was his way.
"What's all this business about France getting some islands?"
"Well sir, they have had several long historic claims to them and-"
"But I wanted those islands. I like islands." He moved his model of HMS Victory along and violently beat to death a toy version of France. All of it,
"But...we have no claim or interest in-"
"I LIKE ISLANDS! Ok?"
"...yes sir."
Benson left as the PM started singing Rule Britannia.
That actually caused me to laugh out loud. So every county in Europe genuinely seems to despise France and wants them to suffer! This is excellent news.
Even better. Thank goodness the Russian empire can rely upon such fine interpreters, all trained at the finest schools in Europe. That all happen to be in the south east of England.
Oh dear...what a shame. I suppose the balance in Europe is threatened. *evil laugh* don't worry France, I'm sure GB will step in to preserve it...eventually.
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Beating up the Italians is one thing ... the French, well that is a different kettle of fish.
I've never seen all of European history be more succinctly described!
I think we helped relieve Britain of those cumbersome North American colonies.
Oooh, I thought we hadn't yet gotten to the Brexit negotiation part yet.
We can all just assume they were too occupied marching around in Roman cosplay to notice.
Say...what ever happened to that nice Mr. Nelson?
After this scene, I just can't dislike Britishman, I empathize with him on a visceral level. There's nothing wrong with just wanting bits of land for the simple reason that they're there.
One day the sun will set on the British Empire and then there'll be a hail of baguettes and escargots on London! Just you wait!
That was a serious miscalculation on my part. Especially since I wasn't expecting Russia to just lounge around in the Balkans all day.