Shave N Haircut

The battle wore on for about three hours more but at the end of the day the Confederates were victorious, at least for now. Remarkably, Antasija found him not long after the battle was over, evidently having found her hat, "Come with me." she said, leading him away in an authoritarian fashion. When they reached her tent however her mannerism changed drastically, she seemed tired and overall, stressed, "Now, tell me again how in the middle of battle you managed to find yourself without uniform, or weapon." She sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose, "I suppose you're also missing any form of identification in the rather strange clothes you're wearing."

"The Republicans have more force than any of us but they are separated, they don't work well together and we've heard rumor of actual armed conflict between the various factions. By far the most dangerous is the Nationalists, they're led by military figures and their military force is almost entirely made of trained men." Tanilee says, looking at the table, "And they present the largest threat to our legitimacy by attacking Paris. We tried to eliminate the Communists early but we failed, they're more dangerous than we thought." She sighs, "Nothing we've done has succeeded to any great degree."

The Duke would look over the contents of the caravan, noting that while most of it could be found in Poland itself, it wasn't the cheapest stuff and any imports that would reduce the price would be appreciated, "I have heard of this league to the West of us, remarkable that such a group would present itself, who rule themselves so strangely." He looked to the envoy and nodded back towards the center of the city, "Come, I think there are a few things that we can discuss." [hr] Meanwhile, to the north... The armies of Poland gathered in three groups of four thousand, the muster having come up with approximately 13,000 men, most of which were cavalrymen, though still a significant amount were too poor to afford horse and would fight on foot for the campaign up through Pomerania. The armies busied themselves gathering supplies and weaponry, not wanting to rush into a fight without being fully prepared.

The world shifted severely. Mogar soon would find himself in the middle of a hell of explosions and smoke, jostled by several figures in light grey uniforms, "Hey, get out of the way ya coward!" a man shouted in a heavily southern accent, pushing him savagely to the side. When he seemed to be out of the formation a voice shouted commandingly, "Hold!" "Prepare to fire!" Mogar recognized this voice, but the source of it was entirely unknown until a moment later, "Fire!" the formation let loose a hail of lead on whatever enemy happened to oppose them, little, angry wasp sounds traveling through the air as whoever it was returned fire. The source of the commands was made obvious a moment later, a short man in the uniform of a Confederate officer and sporting a rather large mustache. He'd quite obviously lost his hat sometime earlier. The face was one that Mogar recognized as his lover, though it was twisted in an expression of absolute fury as it shouted commands behind the formation, a revolver and a sabre in her hands, as she advanced, though it wasn't long before she spotted Mogar and began to walk up on him. "You, what are you doing?" she said, surprisingly kind for how she had looked a moment earlier. She took him gently by the collar and led him a little back, "You're unarmed, are you hurt? What unit are you in?" her eyes narrowed, "Why do I know your face?"

Tanilee took the sword and sheath and looked at the weapon very critically, "A rather appropriate weapon I should say." she says, clearly very pleased with it, "Should I survive the onslaught I now face I shall attempt to repay this gift with one of my own, though that should be the first priority, come with me there is much to discuss." she nods over her shoulder, holding the weapon low as they walked to one of the smaller conference chambers, a pair of guards accompanying them the whole way, "Security has been greatly heightened in the area since my sister's untimely death, "While we grew more distant as the years went on, I still held quite the regard for my sister and her achievement. I was sorely grieved to hear of her demise." "But that isn't what I'm here to talk to you about." she plugs a USB into the table, which instantly displayed a large map of France with tentative zones of control displayed, "We're outnumbered and greatly outgunned. Whether God is on our side is yet to be seen, but even His might would have difficulty seeing us through this in any swift manner. Fortunately our foes cannot decide whether to eliminate me or each other first."

Tanilee stood outside the Palace and awaited the arrival of her counterpart patiently, having well known the relationship she'd shared with her sister. She would arrive in a few minutes after a long flight, so she didn't expect the Empress to be in such a good mood, but she didn't need to be, she just needed to be receptive and useful. Tanilee waited, and when the Japanese Empress eventually did arrive, she gave her a bright smile, "Your Majesty, it's good to meet you finally, my sister did talk of nothing but you. Please, come with me."

The Siege of Brest (Communist vs. Navy) In the Brest Naval Military Zone weapons fire had begun to be heard. Communist forces had begun to probe much more boldly around the perimeter of the Marines’ area of control, most of which was answered swiftly by vicious reprisal. The Aerial forces in the possession of the Navy was only slightly lesser to what would normally be expected to support a full Corps of French troops, and for the amount of Marines within this particular zone, it was an absolutely massive number, and most of the Marines’ artillery support had been transferred to this area, as it was expected to be the most tense the Navy would face. They were correct. The grumble of artillery was occasionally heard now, even more occasionally punctuated by the crack of precise airstrikes against the forces attacking the perimeter. The Marines were skilled; Communist forces found few areas where they could make any gain at all, but they quickly began preparations to exploit them. Guerre de Vendée (Communist vs. LaQueuist) Monarchist forces would welcome the reinforcements from overseas gladly at the recently captured (And previously poorly defended) port of La Rochelle. The commander of the troops would be directed to speak with the General of I Corps, who was far to the north. The Royalist forces had ground to a halt, resistance had grown and the amount of modern weaponry that had reached the front was becoming alarming, to the point that communist forces had been spotted utilizing LeClercs and even, at least, a wing of Rafale had been seen conducting air-to-air missions, the outnumbered Royalists, though they had more of these weapons, were forced to wait for the reinforcements coming from the South before they could drive the offensive further.

Brest Naval Military Zone The Brest Naval Military Zone has come under attack by Communist forces; the stated goal of Communists interviewed being the seizure of the vessels and aircraft under the control of the Navy, as per the terms of the previously issued ultimatum. An anonymous Naval Officer was quoted to respond to this with, “Let them try, we will take more of them than even the men in the Empress’ command, they will regret coming here, they will only find fire and empty ocean even upon victory.” Annexations With the Revolution in full swing, the newly cristened Swiss Autonomous territory has begun to commission armed forces to support Republican efforts. (Swiss territories 4 of 7). The Indian Ocean islands are being established as trade go-throughs for routes around the Cape of Good Hope so that they might better support themselves in lieu of support from the Central government. (Indian Ocean 4 of 7). The Channel Islands are now a central stop in communication and all routes between Calais and Brest, and are rapidly being enriched by the Marines and Navy-men who are choosing to spend their money there. ( Channel Islands 4 of 7). Miquelon and St. Pierre have become a convenient place to operate for Oil companies in the North Atlantic who are rapidly exploiting the reserves there, since mainland France is embroiled in war (Miquelon and St. Pierre 4 of 7).

Duke Bolesław II rode to his Northern border and looked out over it with distaste. It wasn't that it existed, per-say, that bothered him, no, the existence of a northern border was a perfectly normal, healthy thing, but it was depressingly dry ever since Pomerania had separated with him (1060) and furthermore, due to Pomerania's separation, enemies now existed on that side of the line. He turned to his second, a rather ambitious Baron, by the name of Sclaryscsz, with a very serious expression, "What is the size of our muster?" he asked the man, knowing somewhat what the answer was. "Milord, we can at best muster twenty thousand men, I suspect that some of our numbers should be faulty since the last we got a comprehensive answer was some years ago." the man says, looking a little worried by his lord's odd demeanor, "Your Grace, what is it that you plan to do? You've been distant ever since your brother died." the event had been a year ago and had given him some great amount of land but it had made him sorrowful, many had been worried about his health. "You shouldn't worry, I'm quite well." the duke says, turning and beginning to ride slowly back towards Poznan, "Pomerania has been rebellious for far too long." he continued, "We have allowed them legitimacy because we haven't destroyed them, it's time that we change that, we've wallowed too long without a seaport. I wish to see them brought under my heel once more." "Your Grace, are you suggesting that I should muster the armies?" the Baron turned with him and rode alongside, "The drużyna and your nobility will likely resist such a move milord, they've sat idle for a long while and-" "I don't care." he waves away concern, "There is much to do and we don't have long to do it."

I see what you did there.

Ooo! I want the painfully yellow bits pictured here! http://i.imgur.com/LBwEMAz.png Kingdom of Poland

Annexations The Swiss are holding a referendum on whether to join the Republican revolution in order to create a government in which they would have a say. The answer of this referendum is key in that it decides whether the French-speaking French territories will be considered sovereign French territory after the war (Swiss territories 3 of 7). Votes have been cast in the Indian on who the governors of the various islands is going to be, the results coming up to often reflect the desire of the people to be led by someone rather simple. The Navy has yet to put in place the infrastructure in which they would be brought into accordance with Imperial law (Indian Ocean 3 of 7). The Channel Islands are being refortified by the navy in order to prevent Communist forces attempting to take the islands, though it is surmised that the risk of involving Calais would be enough incentive for them to leave the islands be ( Channel Islands 3 of 7). Miquelon and St. Pierre have had all of the needed infrastructure to be a French territory, the Naval authority acting in the place of the Central government. (Miquelon and St. Pierre 3 of 7). Civil War Monarchist forces have clashed with the forces of the ACFF in the first fully armed conflict of what is now being called the “French Civil War” among the population. Also coming into conflict with Royalist forces are the Republican South and the military Coup from Flanders, the first coming into conflict with the with estimated ~150,000 regulars deserting in favor of the Republican cause before the first shots were fired. Remaining Loyalists have been reported to be fleeing towards the Center of France. The forces of the Coup are advancing towards the Seine with little opposition except near Paris, Rouen, and Troyes, where fortified Royalist forces are fighting a ferocious battle to maintain control of the three strategically important cities and halt the Coup’s advance towards the capital at Orleans. The coup and Republicans have also had friction along the border of Alsace, where their spheres of influence cross, though no conflict larger than a skirmish has occurred in the area. PRIVATE GOVERNMENT COMMUNIQUE

Guerre de Vendée (Communist vs. LaQueuist) The forces of the Royalists advanced through a familiar land which had turned hostile to them, a land glutted on the words of a leader they’d not have dreamed of following just a few months before. Armored columns advanced deep into Communist controlled areas, the poorly armed Communists facing the full might of the Empress’ Own. With the primary volume of the Air force going either to Royalist or Coup forces, the Communist Front were forced to rely on hit-and-run to try and delay the advance of the Royalist army through the Loire river valley. Airstrikes were of limited effect on the well-spaced Communists, but it still meant that their fortifications were risky to occupy at best. Regardless, the Royalists took an unexpected degree of casualties from the ferocious defense. Angers especially was fortified, the city bearing massive strategic importance for the Communists. Also well defended was Alarcon, which would necessarily need to be conquered before any army would advance into Normandy from the South. Fighting was vicious, and only got to be more so the further Royalists pushed into the region. Militia had been raised and armed by both sides but the Communists were native and exceptionally good at improvising ways to make any advance dangerous. Even the air force had to begin to exercise caution, as the Communists had gotten their hands on sophisticated anti-air hardware and had started using it with great coordination. First Armored took the brunt of the defense, being at the same time the vanguard of the advance and the most vulnerable to ambush, columns were rapidly deployed forward and just as rapidly halted by swift, devastating attacks. Nevertheless, gains were swift despite the devastating casualties. La Guerre de Trois Cities (Nationalist vs. LaQueuist) Nationalist and Royalist forces clashed with even more ferocity than the forces just to their West, so much more was at stake, three of the most important cities in France were under attack, both sides possessed the very best military equipment and both had vast amounts of troops at their immediate disposal. The largest prize at stake was the greatest city in the nation, and many would argue all of Europe, Paris. The city was of massive cultural importance to both parties, losing or gaining it would be a massive increase of moral despite its relatively negligible strategic value. Though it was well within artillery range of the Nationalist forces and the Royalists were teeming in the city, no munitions fell within the city proper for fear of damaging any of the monuments nearby, of which there were many. XI Corps, one of the most cohesive of Royalist forces faced off against two Corps of the Nationalist command across the front, supported by militiamen from La Central who had mustered to defend the Monarchy. Paris was one of the few areas of the entire war where large amounts of professional soldiers faced each other and the effect was devastating. The outskirts at the north of the city quickly fell to ruin as the forces pummeled each other and the air between the forces, where neither could set cohesive air defense, was alight with Rafale vying for control.

Annexations Now an independent force, the areas of Switzerland being integrated in the Empire are now under the control of separatist factions in the Republican revolution and are being integrated accordingly now (Swiss territories 2 of 7). The Navy, now a neutral entity has begun to establish the island as a part of France, taking a census and laying the groundwork for the region's establishment as a province of France (Indian Ocean 2 of 7). The Channel Islands have been rolled into the Normandy area, which is presently under the control of Communist and Nationalist forces. ( Channel Islands 2 of 7). Miquelon and St. Pierre, are now being declared a neutral area as dictated by the presence of purely Naval assets on the islands, and as such will be reintegrated into France upon the decisive victory of a legitimate force (Miquelon and St. Pierre 2 of 7). Republicans, Defection, and the Navy The South, enraged with the news that Democratic reform was being entirely shut down by the new Empress, and would be guaranteed by the so called “Emperor,” has erupted in rebellion, headed up by dozens of independent groups and supported by thousands of military deserters from Corps throughout France. These groups control almost all of France south of and east of Bourges, but have been halted short of fifty kilometers from Orleans, owing to the relative disorganization of their attempted advance and the professionalism of what remains of the Imperial Army. In other news, the Navy has declared complete neutrality in the conflict except to combat Communist forces, which the Admiralty have designated to be entirely illegitimate and a threat to the composure of France. A blockade has been announced to be planned around Communist controlled areas and zones of neutrality are being posted around Marseilles, Calais, and Brest, the latter of the three being heavily fortified by the Army-Marine. Also declaring neutrality for the duration of the conflict are the French Pacific holdings, comprising 100,000 troops and the full Pacific Fleet. The Mareshals and Grand Admiral have furthermore declared that they will continue to support relief efforts in the Pacific Rim and that they would continue to combat Piracy in and about Indonesia and near Australia. BREAKING NEWS The CFF, officially dubbed a terrorist organization have officially christened an armed forces, which they call the Army of the Communist Front of France, or ACFF. This new force has seized control of all of Bretagne and Normandy and is augmented by an estimated ~50,000 deserters from the Mainline French Army. Reprisal is expected to be slowed by the alarming number of other uprisings erupting nationwide.

Of all the Regions of France the South was the most awash with political sentiment, but it was primarily moderate, as opposed to the more extremist views of the North, though except in Bretagne the opinions expressed weren’t necessarily the majority opinion. No, the South was a mottle of varying opinion, most of which were directed in the direction of allowing the people to decide for themselves what manner of governance they would have through a method of voting not dissimilar to that of the Republics that France is so familiar with. Of course, the manner with which to implement that system and the political parties within were in disagreement, but that was something to be sorted out when the present crisis was over. It seemed that the wishes of the people were being entirely disregarded in the political center of the nation and the Powerful south wasn’t about to let their views go unheard. The Republicans were led by many groups of course, but the most powerful of them were the French Democratic Résistance (FDR), which patterned itself off of the Résistance of World War II, tactically speaking, the more upfront Republican National Front (RNF) and the so called “Enfants de la Patrie,” (EdlP) the former being the most overall Moderate group to come out of the crisis and the other being a more extreme patriotic movement that stood more for the Glory of the Republic than the say of the people, and finally, the Snow Haven Separatist Movement (SHSM), which is at the same time the best supported and the worst liked group within the Republican Revolution as a whole, controlling almost all of Republican land East of Nevers.

"We plan on expanding back into Switzerland of course, and in the future I'll be moving troops to Sardinia, all of my staff have been notified of the plans but we've simply not done it yet." she shrugs, "I appreciate the disclosure though, of course. As for Poland, I should hope that the situation doesn't escalate. Though they've given no indication their history and rhetoric can't be ignored either, which is what I'm watching for."

Protectorate French Army-Marine forces have established protectorate over the following territories, to be annexed post haste. Channel Islands near France Islands around Madagascar which in the past have been occupied by France Miquelon and St. Pierre Additionally, the occupation of formerly French Swiss territories has already begun, reintegrating them into the French Empire after their few years of being on the outside. (Swiss territories 1 of 7). The Navy has begun to establish provisional governments in all of the above mentioned territories in order that they might be integrated as soon as possible. (Indian Ocean 1 of 7). The Channel Islands have proven to be the most difficult to deal with, being used to British rule the island is now mostly English speaking. Provisions to Frankify the islands have begun to be put in place. ( Channel Islands 1 of 7). Miquelon and St. Pierre, being already mostly brought into the Empire are proving to be quite easy to integrate, the conversion of their established governor to a provincial governor of France and establishing representation being the most important things now (Miquelon and St. Pierre 1 of 7).

"I wouldn't mind that terribly but my government wants a more conservative treaty to start with. It would be best if we stuck with a simple trade treaty at first rather than anything military, though I assure you the government of France would be willing to engage in that in the future."

CFF and more Communist separatists have begun to conduct terrorist attacks on targets throughout the nation. These attacks are primarily conducted independently, but in the North-east near Bretagne and in Normandy they are primarily claimed by an organization which marks itself the “Communist Front of France” or CFF for short, an acronym which is now being spray-painted all across the Region. To make matters worse for the sitting government, Mareshal Rodger Sanicheau has declared himself Emperor and now advances on the capital with his army at his back. The Mareshal has the support of a confirmed 4 out of 17 corps with the loyalty of many others unconfirmed or seeming to lean to other branches. He has advanced over, and occupied, most of French Flanders and Alsace. With the Northern Corps pledging to him the control of Paris is severely at risk for the near future. The Mareshal has declared his intent to return France to Napoleonic glory, a task he said Jeanne had pledged but never committed to. It is unclear at this time what exactly is meant by “Napoleonic” glory. BREAKING NEWS The Empress has officially shut down any request for reform, stating that the Monarchy was absolute, the power residing within the office being god given, saying “I was crowned by God, not by any church, the people, or anyone else. My Power is Divine. What I say was said in heaven and thus it shall be done.” She gave no further comment.

Totalitarianism, a how-to guide Mareshal Rodger Sanicheau sat at his desk in Metz and considered the reports he was getting with frustration. The Prime Minister was impotent, he couldn’t manage the nation on his own if he was given an instruction manual and furthermore he was allowing fragmentation to a rather extreme degree while simultaneously making certain promises with certain groups to try and ensure that the situation wouldn’t get out of hand. It was useless; the nation was going to fall into some manner of self-destructive governance or worse, fragment entirely if it was left to the man’s supervision. To make matters worse, if reports were true that Tanilee had ascended to the throne the ultra-catholic bitch would probably call down some manner of inquisition, it was little known that she was highly extreme in her views and he doubted she’d consulted anyone before she’d decided to leave her hole of a nunnery in favor of royalty. French interests had to be protected over all others and now even the people were at stake. The great nation had been made subservient to foreign powers for too long, was now shackling itself to a League of Nations with no interests other than checking nations such as France. Someone had to step up and Rodger Sanicheau was that man. He was popular, charismatic, competent, and had ideas that would speed France to the next age, back to the superpower it once was instead of a secondary power wallowing in the shadow of an East Asia who only cared so long as France toed its line. He had a great many loyal Corps, he could take the throne himself and stop it and crush anyone who would stand in the way of the glory of France.

"Peace is France's priority. We are a people with a storied history of conflict but we have seldom involved ourselves in a conflict that was not in the interest of creating lasting stability and greater freedom for people throughout Europe and the globe." The Empress says, "Sure, there are times where the nation has gotten carried away or when we have diverted from that opinion, but we are a nation of ethics. We don't believe that Nordisk or Belarus have the best interests of Poland at heart." She smiles, "I wish to ensure that the people of Poland are treated with dignity and respect and the best chance of that is to get as many of them under the jurisdiction of Director Wilding as possible. He sees the Polish people as equals, not as resources. We don't plan on getting involved on any more than a peripheral level. It's Director Wilding's prerogative, not ours."

French Military Movements The French Military is rotating which corps are stationed where, the Pyrenees stations being switched out for more green units so that they might get the experience of being in slightly substandard conditions, as well as the two corps of the Pacific theatre being cycled so that they may have some time off from the islands, beaches, and mild climate.

A Moment The Prime Minster would like to take a moment to thank everyone for their condolences and hope that they will continue to morally support France in these troubling times. Heir Emerges Tanilee de LaQueu, Jeanne’s youngest sister has stepped up out of the shadow that’s been surrounding the closest relatives of the late Empress since her death and has claimed the throne in a move that has shocked the nation. Briefly a nun in Metz, Tanilee is a mere 20 years old, being the youngest of the five de LaQueu sisters, only a baby when Jeanne took power. Reports state that the other sisters were unwilling to take the throne during the current crisis, though none of these reports can be confirmed at the present time. Tanilee’s willingness and vigor have been welcomed by some, but others are wary of her religious background, fearful that it might color her rule in a nation where over forty percent of the population is nonreligious and the rest are primarily moderate Christian or Islamic. Regardless, many are stating that it is this move by Tanilee that will save the nation from what appears to be an imminent implosion. In other news, with the rise of the new Empress, various groups touting themselves as Republican have demanded some manner of reform to allow the people to have more say. The new Empress could not be reached for comment. She is expected to be crowned within the week.

In the Royal Palace there was a man whose stress was equaled by no other, and his name was Halefort, Prime Minister. He was confronted with issues he didn’t hardly understand or know what to do on. He was swamped, it seemed every decision he made was the wrong one, every compromise detrimental to the safety of the nation, and to make things worse, the Grand Mareshal was coming to his office in a few minutes, probably to discuss how much of a dismal failure he was, he took a deep breath and looked at the piles of paper in front of him. He wasn’t exactly making the best of impressions by the mess of his office either. It was strange, calling it his office. He’d always had a thing for the Empress though he’d never admit it, and hearing of her death, sitting where she’d sat, it all seemed unreal. There was a knock at the door, and with no further ceremony Mareshal Arsenault entered the room, “Monsieur.” He said, addressing the Prime Minister as an equal still. Halefort nodded and waved, “I assume you’re here to tell me what a terrible job I’m doing.” Mareshal Arsenault looked at him and cocked his head a little, “Monsieur, I would never dream of telling you the job you’re doing is bad. However, you are not the man for the job you are doing, I will freely admit I am here to say.” He took a seat across from him and clasped his hands on the desk, “We’ve known each other for a long time Halefort, this isn’t your job, you’re better at making sure the machinery runs smoothly, not directing the flow of traffic. He smiled, “I think it would be best if you turned the nation over to me, I’m sure you suspect that’s what I’m here for regardless.” “I would love to.” The Prime Minister said, “But what would that change? I think it’s too far gone now to save.” He continued bleakly, putting his face in his hands. “It could prevent a conflict. Bloodshed is already on the rise but we can keep it from destroying the country if we simply act fast man!” the Mareshal said emphatically, “We can end this before it begins, I know what needs to be done, I’ve done this sort of work before, I can do it again. I was with Jeanne in her coup, I know how she did it and what it took for her to earn the respect of the people, you just need to-” The Prime Minister’s phone began to ring, “Hello?...” The Prime Minister went suddenly pale, “Yes Mademoiselle de LaQueu, I can be ready in an hour. Yes. Vive la France.” Mareshal Arsenault looked at him for a second, blinking a few times and clearing his throat nervously, “It’s not who I think it is, is it?” “It is.”