WesWorld

Broadcast by the Voice of India at 1900 hours across the entire empire:

“Two weeks ago, heinous acts of violence were committed against the lawful government of the Republic of the Philippines. Its rightfully elected president was murdered, and its navy assaulted without cause or warning. The tentacles of this conspiracy have clearly spread throughout the Filipino Army, infecting a number of units and turning them against their government and their countrymen. Even now, they are forcibly subjugating our friends, the Filipino people, to the will of the power-thirsty General Greco.

“Two days ago, the Raj received a request from the interim leader of the legitimate Filipino government, Presidente de la Vega, in which we were asked to provide our assistance in defeating the insurrection. The degree to which India should become involved has been debated since the day the rebellion began, yet we did not yet have all of the information we required.

“This has now been rectified. Yesterday, the renegade cruiser Panay was captured by cruisers of the Bharatiya Nau Sena. Following an interrogation of her surviving officers, it was determined that the cruiser was loyal to General Greco’s so-called Democratic Oriental Republic of the Philippines. We therefore assert that General Greco and his henchmen have committed two acts of aggression against the Empire of India, and we lay responsibility for the deaths of forty-six men aboard the Chandragupta, and thirty-one men aboard the Lucknow, at their feet.

“It is thus the decision of the Empire of India that while SATSUMA explicitly speaks only to defending our allies against external threats, it speaks in spirit to aiding our allies against internal threats. Should we fail to act, we risk the rise of an illegal, repressive, and aggressive regime in the Philippines, and we risk the security of Asia. Therefore, I have ordered our bases in Sittwe and Chennai to be prepared to receive friendly Filipino warships for replenishment and repair as required. I have ordered that a liaison unit attach itself to the legitimate Filipino government. And I have advised Presidente de la Vega that we will provide full political, economic, and military support to loyal Filipino forces until the uprising is defeated and the last revolutionary is in custody or a grave.

“We will continue, at this time, to observe our legal obligations under the Treaty of Cleito. However, we are prepared to make use of Part One, Section Eight, allowing for suspension of our obligations in time of war, should the need arise.

“I have also invoked Article Five Point One of the South African - Indian Naval Treaty. Specifically, I have requested the secondment of South African coastal defence assets to Asir, and a cruiser squadron to Mumbai, with appropriate logistical support. These contributions will allow the Bharatiya Nau Sena to concentrate its forces in the east and bring them to bear with maximum efficiency against the Greco regime.

“In closing, let the world know that India will take full action to defend itself and to allow peace and rule of law to return to the Philippines. Good day.”

Your Majesty, Mr. Prime Minister, members of the Bakufu and Diet, Citizens of the the Empire, SATSUMA and the World:


About two weeks ago, October 2, 1928 - a date which will live in infamy - our ally, the Republic of the Philippines, was suddenly and deliberately torn apart by a vile and despicable act committed by General Greco and his 'loyal' followers.

As we all know, this is a conflict between two factions in the Philippines, the Revolutionaries under General Greco and the Loyalists under Admiral de la Vega. Both men are now the president of their respective territories.

A few days ago, I received a letter from Presidente Don Diego de la Vega requesting assistance in the suppression and uprooting of the coup that has gripped his nation. Similar letters were also sent to India, Chosen and Formosa.

Yesterday, His Royal Highness the Prince-Regent Brashkar of India already gave India's statement in regards of this matter. He also announced the first vicory of this conflict as Indian forces managed to capture the renegade cruiser Panay. However this victory came at the cost of 77 brave Indian servicemen

While we, the Empire of Japan as well as the other SATSUMA nations, do not recognize the 'Democratic Oriental Republic' of the Philippines as an independent nation, the Revolutionaries have renounced the SATSUMA treaty and thus these revolutionaries under Greco are now an outside party. An outside party which has conducted acts of aggression against not one but two allies, namely the Philippines and India. An outside party against whom we can act according to Article 22 of SATSUMA.

As Supreme Military Commander of the Empire, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense as well as that of our allies and friends in the Asian Region.

As I speak to all of you, our soldiers are preparing to march out, our pilots are preparing to fly out and our sailors are preparing to sail out. The Ashigara and Kiheitai reserves are reporting for duty all around the Empire, something that has not been done since the beginning of the Great War, 14 years ago.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated act of terror, the people of the SATSUMA nations, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that the people, the territory and the interests of the Philippines are in grave danger. This is also true in a lesser degree for the remaining SATSUMA nations as well as other nations in the Southeast Asian Region, near the Southeast Asian Region or with interests in the Southeast Asian Region.

We shall act and we shall take out this threat that exists. A threat that could seriously undermine the efforts of all the nations world wide to preserve the peace on this world.

As of today, at 12:00 KMT (8:30 HMT) on the seventeenth day of the tenth month of the year nineteen hundred and twenty eight, a state of war exists between the SATSUMA Alliance and the 'Democratic Oriental Republic' of the Philippines.

========================================
You might recognize numerous Roosevelt bits in there.
KMT = Kyoto Metropolitan Time. (= JST = GMT-09:00)
HMT = Hyderabad Metropolitan Time. (= IST = GMT-05:30)

I think there's something inherantly wrong with a Japanese speech borrowing so heavy on that particular Roosevelt speech. o.o;;

No kidding...
Now that you mention it...

Tacky!!

...you mean like a Post-It?
:-)

Pretty cool, the whole thing.

Keep it coming, guys...

So what's the SAE's reply now that the Indians have invoked Article 5.1 of the South African - Indian Naval Treaty?

Warning: I'm no good writer. Be prepared for the worse!
:-)

Imperial Command Center somewhere in Edo, October 7

"We must act right now!" Shirakawa Yoshinori stated firmly as he slammed his fist on the large table.

The others looked up from the map at the Minister of Army. They knew Yoshinori all to well. A man of action who at times had the habit of jumping blindly into a combat zone.

"Relax, Yoshinori-kun," Prime Minister Wakatsuki Reijiro said calmly. "The time to act will come, but it is not now. After all her Ladyship is not here yet and neither is Marshal Sanada."

They all knew well that both Marshal Sanada Yukimura and Shogun Tokugawa Tsugako had to travel quite a distance in order to get to Edo. There was a report from the National Railroad that there were delays on the lines west of Edo, but they were doing their best to give the train with the Shogun and the Marshal the right of way.

While they waited, they all were trying to keep themselves busy. The Minister of Air Force, General Morouka Hikonojo, was folding paper airplanes and tossing them across the meeting room. The Minister of Navy, Admiral Okada Keisuke, was filling in a puzzle in today's issue of the newspaper 'Daily Edo'. General Shirakawa Yoshinori was busy carving a figure out of a piece of wood. The Prime Minister was talking with the Minister of Defence, Yamaguchi Kazutoyo, about family matters.

The door to the room then flew open and a soldier entered the room.

"Her Ladyship Shogun Tokugawa Tsugako and His Lordship Marshal Sanada Yukimura." the soldier shouted. The ministers all stood up as the two entered the room.

"Gentlemen. Please be seated," Tsugako told everyone as she sat down at the large table.

The ministers sat down and looked a bit nervously at each other. They knew Yukimura loved Sake and he usually had a bottle of Sake with him where ever he went. He had nothing with him now and this was usually seen as a bad sign.

"What do we know at this moment?" Tsugako asked.

Kazutoyo got up and motioned to the map of Asia that was pinned to the large table. He got a slender wooden stick and then pointed at the Philippines, Manila to be exact.

"On October 2, Juan Sebastien de Varga was to be inaugurated as president of the Philippines. In an act of treachery, de Varga was assassinated by his Vice-President, General Greco. In the ensuing confusion, it appears that Greco was shot, but his injuries were said to be minor. A gun battle ensued as warships and coastal batteries engaged each other. A number of ships managed to escape, a few were damaged and/or sunk. One of them, the San Paoblo seems to have joined Greco's side."

"San Pablo," Keisuke corrected.

"San Pablo."

"Filipino Battleship about the time of Dreadnought," Keisuke continued. "Ex-Chinese Lee Siu-Lung, ex-USS Mississippi. Commanded by Captain Pasqual Bastinado. So far it appears to be his own initiative that he joined Greco's forces."

When Keisuke finished the short bit on the San Pablo, Kazutoyo continued. "According to various reports, various key Filipino figures, including Admiral de la Vega, managed to escape Manila aboard the transport Balabac."

"Modified Go ni Mark 1" Keisuke quicky mentioned so that the others were aware what ship Yamaguchi was talking about.

"Balabac has taken those aboard south to safety where de la Vega has taken the oath of office and is now President of the 'Loyalists' while Greco is president of the 'Revolutionaries'."

"When some of the details came through, I immediately made a statement that other nations with citizens on the Philippines and ships in the area could make use of the Port of Nara as well as the Kagoshima Naval Base," Reijiro informed. "A few ships have been diverted to Nara and the American Government has informed us that a ship was on the way to Okinawa to be used for possible evacuation of US citizens should it be necessary."

"Why not use ports on Formosa?" Yoshinori asked. "It is closer to the Philippines than Okinawa."

"Should it become necessary, we will be the ones using those ports," Yukimura told. "We can't have too many civilian ships blocking our warships."

Tsugako nodded slowly. "I think that is a good decision you made," she told Yukimura.

Once again Kazutoyo spoke. "The problems are not limited to the Philippines alone." With his stick, Kazutoyo tapped on the Red Sea area. "In the Red Sea, a Filipino warship seems to have joined Greco's cause as well."

"The ship in question is the Coast Defense ship Panay," Keisuke informed. "There was a mutiny aboard and afterwards it had a short engagement with the Indian Monitor Chandragupta. The Panay got away and it is believed that it is trying to get back to the Philippines. Indian forces are being put on alert and are on the lookout for the Panay."

"There are a few rumors that the South African fleet is being mobilized," Kazutoyo told. "This could mean the activation of SAINT, but that is all pure speculation at this point. In a few days we might know more. That is roughly what we know."

"What is the situation right now in the Philippines?" Tsugako asked.

"It appears that the Island of Luzon," Kazutoyo pointed with his stick at the big northern island that was part of the Philippines. "... has been secured by the Revolutionists. The other parts are not quite known yet, but the Revolutionist's control may reach further South in time when the frontline settles."

Reijiro looked at Tsugako. "We have an idea what your stand point is in this crisis, but we want to hear it from you."

"We all know the Revolutionaries have broken the alliance with SATSUMA whereas the Loyalists consider themselves still to be part of SATSUMA." Tsugako paused for a few seconds. "It should be obvious we support the Loyalists. Even if we wanted to support the Revolutionaries, something that is very unlikely, we could not do so because we are bound by SATSUMA to help the Loyalists."

"Wouldn't that raise questions among other non-SATSUMA nations?" Reijiro asked.

"Very likely. It is still one nation... but since the Revolutionaries are no longer part of SATSUMA and the Loyalists are still part of SATSUMA, we might get away with it by labelling the Revolutionaries as an 'outside party.'"

There were some mumbled agreements among the ministers.

"And I think it is obvious to state that if we were to consider the Revolutionaries to be 'insider', then their acts would certainly be labeled as treason and they'll be executed for sure. At least this way, they may get life imprisonment and during the time that they are alive behind bars, they can reflect upon the foolish actions they have taken in order to get where they are."

"Tokugawa-dono, may we know your course of action?" Reijiro asked.

Tsugako gave a nod. she got up and looked down at the map. "It should be fairly obvious that if the Loyalists ask for our help, we should respond immediately. In order to be able to do that, we need to start making preparations right away. Once this meeting is closed and we have left this room, all warships at sea are to be called back immediately for new instructions. Leave for all personnel has been cancelled as of..." Tsugako looked at the clock on the wall facing the entrance of the room. "... 20:00 hours"

"Understood," All ministers replied.

"Also when the call comes for help, I will try to appeal to the League of Nations in order to try and sort out this mess. There might still be a peaceful solution, although with the Revolutionaries I think that chance is extremely slim."

"... but it is not zero," Yukimura stated. "You nevr know for sure until you have actually tried it."

"Exactly. Marshal, if you would be so kind..."

Yukimura gave a nod "General Shirakawa!" he called.

The general got to his feet "Yes, Sanada-dono."

"All transport ships are at your disposal to ferry soldiers to Formosa and Southern Philippines. Have your subordinates prepare plans for a possible invasion of the Philippines. Anything they can come up with. I'll personally look at them and determine which plan is the best."

"Understood." Yoshinori sat down.

"General Morouka!"

Hikonojo got up. "Sir!"

"A number of cargo ships are available to you which you will use to transport planes to Southern Philippines. A number of long range planes will be stationed in Formosa. They will be able to fly on their own to their destination. Hold reconnaissance flights and determine what the most valuable targets are which should be attacked, either by air, or by ground, or by sea. Also get in contact with the Philippines and determine which ships are on the side of the Revolutionaries and which are on the side of the Loyalists. It is unacceptable if we were to attack the wrong ship, or worse let the wrong ship get too close to us."

"Yes sir." Hikonojo got back into his seat.

"Transport ships and cargo ships will need escorts. Out of safety, we will not use a direct route to Southern Philippines. We have permission to sail through Pacifica waters so we will take a slight detour via Palau. Admiral Okada!"

"Yes, Sanada-dono." The admiral jumped to his feet.

"As mentioned, ships are needed to escort the transports and cargo ships. I want you to make arrangements for that. When the call comes, the ships must already be out on the sea. They should be ready to engage the enemy ships and shorelines."

"Understood."

"One more thing. My wife already has gotten her orders and is heading for Southern Philippines with her ship."

There was a moment of silence in the room as all ministers looked at Yukimura.

"Sa... Sanada-dono. Is is wise to expose the Mikasa to actual combat?" Keisuke asked. "It is an aging ship, not to mention a important historical one."

"Have faith in Rio-chan. She will bring your historical treasure back in one piece... though I cannot guarantee that there won't be any additional ventilation holes in the ship." Yukimura grinned. "During the war with the Russians, the Mikasa was the Flagship of Admiral Togo. Now with this war should Japan get involved the Mikasa will be the Flagship of Sanada Yukimura. After the meeting, an S.55 will get me to the Mikasa."

"You're going to deal with the situation in person?"

"Yes."

"If that is what you want sir then I won't stop you." Keisuke then sat down.

"I want both the Ashigara reserves and the Kiheitai reserves to be called up. I already informed Lady Tokugawa Onyanko to have the Daimyo Armies put more time into the national defense. Also both the Shinsengumi and Oniwabanshu have increased their activity, the former with security and the latter with information gathering, especially in the Philippines."

"That's all gentlemen," Tsugako told. "Get ready for action and keep me informed should anything happen."

The ministers got up and bowed to the Shogun before they left the room.

"What a mess..." Tsugako mumbled as the ministers were gone. "I love to hear from the Filipinos how this could have happened."

"Milady..." Yukimura bowed. "With your permission I would like to catch up with the Mikasa now."

"Tokugawa and Sanada... I wonder what our ancestors would be thinking if they saw us working together."

Yukimura laughed. "They'd be rolling over in their grave if they knew." Yukimura walked away. "Better start working on your speech in case we go to war!" he called back. "See you around!"

Tsugako sighed. Until the word came, she might as well take this opportunity to visit her elder brother, Kaetuza, at Edo caste. It was a good choice for a place to relax a bit and try to figure out what to say when the time would come.

Geez, Walter, what're you worried about? That's a good piece of writing.

Just don't get too carried away with bombing stuff yet.

Quoted

Just don't get too carried away with bombing stuff yet.

You mean to tell me that I have to recall the airborne B-52s already??
:-)
Glad you think it's alright. ^_^

I agree, that's pretty good; certainly a lot better than anything I could come up with.
But there are those who would say that is not much of a compliment... :-)

Quoted

But there are those who would say that is not much of a compliment... :-)

Thanks a lot! That is a real morale booster!!
*BAM!!*
... and it looks like it just hit rock bottom!
:-)
... now I need to tackle that other obstacle...

"When you hit rock bottom, you can either look up or start tunneling!"
:-)

Trust me, your writing is good stuff.



The problem with me is that I seemingly have a block between my brain and my fingers...I can imagine whole stories in my mind 'in TV format' - there's actually an entire sci-fi epic in there! - but when it comes to actually writing I get about three words down and freeze up. Same thing with drawing...I can hardly draw stick people.

Quoted

but when it comes to actually writing I get about three words down and freeze up.

Become one with your pen you write with.
Become one with the paper you write on.
Close your eyes and imagine the scenes.
Let the words that appear in your mind when seeing those scenes flow onto the paper.

... at least that is what I try.

Walter, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to your writing.

The piece above paints a vivid picture, and I for one, throughly enjoyed it!

As for your sanity however..............

As for your sanity however..............

I won't even touch that subject!

Will someone please pass me an eleven-foot pole?
^_^

We are all insane to some extent. It just varies on points of view.

Quoted

The piece above paints a vivid picture, and I for one, throughly enjoyed it!

Well the one thing I am always worried about is "does it come over alright?"... but you won't know until you have posted it.
I'm glad you guys managed to survive reading the bit. :-)
... the main news bit on the other hand... ^_^;;

Quoted

We are all insane to some extent. It just varies on points of view.

My point of view
On one end of the scale (the 'sane' end) we have Hooman and on the other end (the 'insane' end) we have me.
:-)