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Description

  The Republic of China remained neutral throughout the duration of the Great War, though it viewed the Entente with greater affection than the Central Powers. However, as time passed and the war dragged on, it made preparations for its entry into the conflict against Germany and its allies.

  In the first half of 1917, the conflict turned to favor the Central Powers and thus arose significant doubts regarding whether China was making the right choice siding with the Entente, adding to the unrest in an already unstable country. Amidst the political upheaval, General Zhang Xun initiated an attempt to restore the Qing dynasty to power by placing Puyi on the throne. Before the royalists made their move however, they pleaded to the Central Powers for aid, promising to keep China out of the war. Their calls for assistance mostly fell upon deaf ears but Germany would provide what little aid it could to the Royalists.

  On the 27th of June 1917, the royalist attempted to seize on control Peking and install their Emperor, however Republic troops were quickly dispatched to take the situation under control. Fighting in the capital lasted over a month, but ultimately the reactionaries were forced to sound the retreat and fled to the countryside in Manchuria on July 31st. An insurgency would persist there for months, with Republic troops unable to the capture General Zhang, the pretender boy-emperor Puyi, or any top-level Royalist leadership. But when the armistice was called in Europe in December 1917, the Germans began to divert their attention towards East Asia, seeing a potential future ally in a China that had a Qing emperor at its helm.

  The materials from Germany began to pour in and the Royalist insurgency began to slowly grow in a proper army. The German Empire and its allies provided the Royalists with armaments, provisions, support equipment, vehicles, and possibly most importantly, military advisors. German officers, battlehardened by the war in Europe, began training and advising the Royalists forces, swiftly turning the army into a well-trained, disciplined force.

  The “Chinese Civil War” or the “War of Imperial Restoration” started to escalate and Royalist troops began to achieve numerous victories and securing large amounts of territory, even taking Peking in the Autumn of 1921. It became increasingly clear the Republic’s military was very much outclassed by the Royalists and that the aid from Britain, Japan and the United States was doing little to help them. By 1925, the Republic of China’s control was limited to major population centers in the South of China and with the Socialist revolution in Russia being finally crushed that year, full-scale military involvement from Mitteleuropa would begin October that same year, sealing the Republic’s fate for good. Chungking, the final Republic stronghold, would fall April 1926 and the Republicans would be scattered into the countryside. Their insurrection finally came to an end in September 1928 with the capture of the Republic’s leader Duran Qirui and his subsequent execution.

  Puyi, although young, knew that his newfound position as monarch still did not sit upon a firm foundation, with significant democratic sentiment existing throughout the country, the nation in tatters from the civil war and a economy that was virtually non-existent. In August 1927, the Restored Kingdom of China formally accepted a new constitution, creating a constitutional monarchy – much to the disappointment of the monarchist hardliners. The new government began – or continued – modernizing China and rebuilding from its bloody civil war, with rapid industrialization efforts with their efforts assisted with foreign aid and investment.

  Though the one war is over, China’s neighbor is looking to start another. Japan, being on the defeated side of the Great War, wishes for imperial expansion and a vast colonial empire of its own that it was denied previously denied. Japan will likely come to blows with China in the near future and put the new government to the test.

Description

  The Republic of China remained neutral throughout the duration of the Great War, though it viewed the Entente with greater affection than the Central Powers. However, as time passed and the war dragged on, it made preparations for its entry into the conflict against Germany and its allies.

  In the first half of 1917, the conflict turned to favor the Central Powers and thus arose significant doubts regarding whether China was making the right choice siding with the Entente, adding to the unrest in an already unstable country. Amidst the political upheaval, General Zhang Xun initiated an attempt to restore the Qing dynasty to power by placing Puyi on the throne. Before the royalists made their move however, they pleaded to the Central Powers for aid, promising to keep China out of the war. Their calls for assistance mostly fell upon deaf ears but Germany would provide what little aid it could to the Royalists.

  On the 27th of June 1917, the royalist attempted to seize on control Peking and install their Emperor, however Republic troops were quickly dispatched to take the situation under control. Fighting in the capital lasted over a month, but ultimately the reactionaries were forced to sound the retreat and fled to the countryside in Manchuria on July 31st. An insurgency would persist there for months, with Republic troops unable to the capture General Zhang, the pretender boy-emperor Puyi, or any top-level Royalist leadership. But when the armistice was called in Europe in December 1917, the Germans began to divert their attention towards East Asia, seeing a potential future ally in a China that had a Qing emperor at its helm.

  The materials from Germany began to pour in and the Royalist insurgency began to slowly grow in a proper army. The German Empire and its allies provided the Royalists with armaments, provisions, support equipment, vehicles, and possibly most importantly, military advisors. German officers, battlehardened by the war in Europe, began training and advising the Royalists forces, swiftly turning the army into a well-trained, disciplined force.

  The “Chinese Civil War” or the “War of Imperial Restoration” started to escalate and Royalist troops began to achieve numerous victories and securing large amounts of territory, even taking Peking in the Autumn of 1921. It became increasingly clear the Republic’s military was very much outclassed by the Royalists and that the aid from Britain, Japan and the United States was doing little to help them. By 1925, the Republic of China’s control was limited to major population centers in the South of China and with the Socialist revolution in Russia being finally crushed that year, full-scale military involvement from Mitteleuropa would begin October that same year, sealing the Republic’s fate for good. Chungking, the final Republic stronghold, would fall April 1926 and the Republicans would be scattered into the countryside. Their insurrection finally came to an end in September 1928 with the capture of the Republic’s leader Duran Qirui and his subsequent execution.

  Puyi, although young, knew that his newfound position as monarch still did not sit upon a firm foundation, with significant democratic sentiment existing throughout the country, the nation in tatters from the civil war and a economy that was virtually non-existent. In August 1927, the Restored Kingdom of China formally accepted a new constitution, creating a constitutional monarchy – much to the disappointment of the monarchist hardliners. The new government began – or continued – modernizing China and rebuilding from its bloody civil war, with rapid industrialization efforts with their efforts assisted with foreign aid and investment.

  Though the one war is over, China’s neighbor is looking to start another. Japan, being on the defeated side of the Great War, wishes for imperial expansion and a vast colonial empire of its own that it was denied previously denied. Japan will likely come to blows with China in the near future and put the new government to the test.