French Trafalgar, British Waterloo (1831-1858)

The Prussian Expansion War (1831-1832)
Forces lead by General Hermann von Boyen, one of the reformers of the Prussian Army after the defeat during the  War of the Rhineland, marched across  The Grand Duchy of Warsaw, and in the Battle of Poznan on April 27, routed the combined Polish-French Army, which left the way to Warsaw open, and was occupied on May 12. Napoleon II demanded that action be taken to try to divert Prussian attention, but Marshal Micheal Ney said the time wasn't right.

Austria-Hungary launched an invasion into Prussia from the south, but was halted at the Battle of Wroclaw, and were not able to push forward, but under orders of Emperor Francis I, did not retreat. Prussian cavalry units attacked the supply routes, which resulted in the starvation of the army throughout May and to July, when a relief force arrived.

The British Royal Navy began a blockade of France, but France's newer fleet of well-built ships were able to puncture the blockade time and time again, and went to raid the British Merchant fleet at sea, which meant that the British eventually had to impose rationing as food supplies from Canada and the Empire were reduced to dangerous levels within the first few months of the war. The French Navy, on the other hand, was able to blockade the Spanish fleet in Cadiz and Barcelona, after Spain became more pro-British, and help land an expeditionary force in Jamaica, and annexed the island in August.

The Prussian Army, flush with success after crushing the "Polish problem," next turned toward the Confederation of the Rhine, and the massive French armies arrayed along the imposing border fortresses built in the 1820's. The French Generals believed that if they could stay on the defensive, and use the superior French artillery, the Prussian armies would be virtually destroyed. The Prussian plan was to try to outflank the French positions by driving through the weaker Austro-Hungarian Army, and when some forces would have to be diverted, the Prussians would use the opportunity to drive in the Confederation of the Rhine, annexing much of its territory. The overall plan was not to destroy the French Empire, just to bloody it into giving up land. The war was only going to last three months in the west, the Prussian General Staff claimed.

Operation Westschlag (West Strike) was put into effect on July 25, and within the first few days, the Prussian army had drove deep into Moravia and Bohemia, capturing Prague on August 1, and having reached Austria proper on August 17. The Battle of Salzburg was an overwhelming Prussian victory, with the entire Austrian Army routed.

Napoleon II, seeing his ally in trouble, ordered four corps be diverted to Austria-Hungary from the Confederation of the Rhine, but Marshal Ney, Commander of the French Armies, sensed a trap, so only two, one from the North and one stationed on the Spanish border were sent. Italian reinforcements were sent to Vienna, and in the Battle of Tirol, the timely arrival of the Italian army prevented the Prussian's from breaking out. Further reinforcements from France drove the Prussian army out of Austria, and furthermore out of Bohemia and Moravia.

The "September Cease-fire"
A sense of uneasy calm then descended on Europe, as the Prussian army retreated to regroup, and the French and Austrian forces prepared defensive lines in Bohemia and Switzerland, the so called "September Cease-Fire." The only major actions were on the high seas, when the French Imperial Navy engaged Royal Navy in the Battle of the English Channel. Although the battle was indecisive, and had no implications in the war, a major hero on either side emerged. Lieutenant Harold Frenway, commander of the frigate HMS Challenger, who managed to hold off three French ships of the line in the latter part of the battle, allowing the majority of the British Fleet to escape; and Captain Louis Phillipe, who bravely lead his own men in capturing the HMS Liberator, a major warship, when his command, the MIF Marshal was sunk. Both would return to their homelands as the victors of the battle, while the admirals were publicly sacked for not destroying the other fleet.

The next major stage of the war took place in the south, with Italy and France sending a naval force to knock out Egypt, and the Suez Canal (partially completed by a joint English-Ottoman team), which Marshal Ney had claimed was to be "keystone" in any future empire. If Egypt was cut off, then England's link to India was effectivly severed, as the trip around the Cape of Good Hope would have been to expensive for trade, and the shipping of men and material would have been too uneconomical, and France will have a spring board into the Middle East and Eastern Africa. Napoleon II gave his approval, and the Mediterranean Fleet was dispatched in October.

In Berlin, the demands of Kaiser Frederich William III for the defeat of France in the West was met with a simple "can't do it yet." The Kaiser immediatly sacked General Hermann von Boyen, placing him on occupation duty in Poland, and installed himself as the new Commander in Chief. However, he wasn't the great warrior he immagined himself, and a French supoported reserection in occupied Poland required him to send troops from the west back to the East, where Russia was planning to ally with France for Prussian and Swedish territory.

French Counter-attack and The End of The War
Marshel Ney finnaly decided to begin a offensive to push back the Prussian's, now dangerously weakened. It was planned to begin in Early November, and hopefully the war could be concluded by the end of the year.

On November 7, a massive artillery bombardment around Hanover completely disorganized the Prussian forces there, and forced them to retreat. A second attack was opened on November 17 with Austria-Hungary and Italian troops launching an attack on the Prussian Army in Bohemia and Moravia. Although the fighting was fierce, the Prussian forces were forced to withdraw.

Kaiser Fredrich William was stunned at the sudden onslaught, but prepared to defend Prussia, recalling Hermann von Boyen to the West, who was able to stall the French Armies in the Battle of Dresden, but it was too much.

On December 15, Russia launched an attack on Prussia and Sweden, overwhelming the defenders with the veterans of the Black Sea War. Czar Nicholas I lead his forces into Koenigsberg, annexing the city and the surrounding area, while Field Marshall Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein marched into Northern Sweden. A naval battle in the Northern Baltic proved the strength of the newer Russian Navy, overwhelming the combined Swedish and Prussian forces. Charles XIV John, the Swedish King, immediately sued for peace.

Britain, facing starvation at home, and the defeat of the British forces defending the Suez Canal, also sued for peace. France was fairly generous with her opponent across the English Channel, taking Cyprus and Jamaica, and returning the Suez Canal, and paid an indemnity of two million francs.

It wasn't until January 7, with French, Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops approaching Potsdam, the Hohenzollern seat of power, that Prussia finally surrendered to the approaching forces.

In the Treaty of Vienna, Prussia was forced to surrender the small North Sea Coast that she owned, around the city of Kiel, to the Confederation of the Rhine. Also, the area north of Krakow of the Confed. of the Rhine was ceded to Austria-Hungary. Poland was re-established, with additional land from Prussia. Russia gained Koenigsberg, as well a part of Northern Sweden.

Return to Peace, and the Great Panic (1832-1839)
With the French and the allies and "associates" of the Empire victorious, and Prussia humbled, a new Golden Age of French Imperialism dawned. Within the next few years, new colonies were settled in Africa, such as the Congo River Entrance (1833), further expansion from Mauritania (1834-35), and the beginning of the Colony of Angola/Namibia (1837-38). Railroads, first tested in Britain, were embraced by Napoleon II as a cheap and efficient way to link the Empire. A massive Railroad building program, under George Stephenson (who left the UK after his plans for a railroad linked England were balked at), was begun in 1835, and by 1845, Paris was linked with Lyons, Marseilles, Strasbourg, Brussels, Essen, Turin, Rome and, in one of the greatest engineering projects of this era, Zurich. The "Boom Times" ceased in France in 1839, however, when the supply of capital was severely curtailed when many businesses went bankrupt, including one of the major shipping companies in the Empire, and the Great Panic of 1839 began. Although the economy didn't completely collapse, after Napoleon II ordered the banks to begin lending again, the faith in the Franc and the French Economy were severely shaken, and would take several years to restore. The death of Michel Ney in 1840, the hero of the First Great European War and the Prussian Expansion War, threw the already struggling nation into mourning, further compounding problems.

In Britain, the general mood of the islands could be something close to shock and humiliation. Prime Minister Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, the Prime Minister since 1827, was kicked out of office, and King William IV placed Sir Robert Peel, leader of the Tory party in charge. Peel quickly moved, and pushed the First Navy Modernization Act through Parliament in 1832, followed by the Army Expansion Act and the Second Navy Modernization Act in 1833. By 1835, the Royal Navy, having launched the first steam warship, the HMS Atlantic, a small "steam frigate," which immediately outdated sailing ships, though neither England or France realized it at the time, as the Atlantic's engine exploded in 1837, sinking the ship. King William IV passed away in 1937, and was succeeded by her daughter, Victoria. The Great Panic of 1839 did not severely affect the UK, as London was still one of the largest trading city in the world.

The defeat of the Prussian armies forced Kaiser Frederich William to abdicate the throne, and travel to exile in the Ottoman Empire. He was replaced by his son, Frederich William IV, the Prussian state underwent a massive reforming period. As he was not a military man, the army was not the focus of the state. Instead, work on infrastructure and the economy took the majority of his time. However, with the Great Panic of 1839, the Prussian Economy soon expanded to fill in the gap lefty by the contraction of the French Imperial economy.

The victory of the Italian armies in the Second Great European War impressed Napoleon II greatly, and when the people of Italy petitioned the French Emperor for full independence, it was immediately granted on July 17, 1833. Italy was granted rule under the returned House of Savoy, who, although exiled since 1798 when their territories were annexed by France, were allowed to return. Carlo Alberto Amedeo di Savoia, at the age of 35, was crowned King Charles I of Italy. The Great Panic of 1839 did affect the economy somewhat, but mostly in the northern, mostly industrialized area.

Austria-Hungary was slower rebounding from the conflict, because the vast majority of the fighting took place here. However, the industries established in Bohemia and Moravia soon began to produce again, and the economic recovery soon began moving full speed ahead after the ascension of Ferdinand I in 1835 after the death of Francis I, but was brought to a crashing halt in the Great Panic of 1839.

Russia and the Ottoman Empire continued to face each other over the Black Sea, as Ottoman modernization efforts increased, through with more support from France than Prussia and Britain, as Napoleon II was nervous of expanding Russian power. In 1832, in a long overdue move, finally disbanded the Janissaries, which allowed Mahmud II to reform the military along the lines of the European model, with brigades, regiments, corps and Divisions. The Sultan appointed his successor, Abdul Mejid, the first Grand Marshal of the Ottoman Empire, starting a new tradition. Also, the promised moves to grant the other nationalities of the Ottoman Empire greater freedom and a say in Government was pushed through in 1836, in the First Great Firman, and the first Parliament of Nationalities was established, composed of three members of every region, of which only two can be Turkish at most.

The Russian Peasant's Revolt (1839)
Russia, having won a little land at almost no cost in the Prussian Expansion War, began to believe that Russian armies would be victorious whenever they engaged an enemy, even Imperial France, the superpower of the west. However, one enemy that Russia never expected to fight was herself.

Although the serfs had been free for over twenty years, in reality, their lot had not improved. The nobles still owned the land, and forced the farmers who lived on it to pay almost as much as they would have if they remained serfs. Those who would not take it anymore left for the cities, as with the new factories came demand for more workers. However, with the flood of former farmers, the factories began to pay less and less, while at the same time food prices sky rocketed due to the lower production. When Czar Nicholas I (who was as liberal as his brother in this timeline) learned of this situation, he tried to push through land reform in 1834, hoping to be able to quell a possible peasant uprising, which, not only could lay waste to the noblemen's land (which the majority could not see), but could cause immense damage in the cities as well. However, the noblemen successfully blocked the efforts, believing that the aim was to weaken their power (which the czar had privately claimed would be an "...unfortunate, but welcome, side effect").

The powder keg that set it off was during a peaceful protest organized in St. Petersburg, near the royal White Palace. Due to the Great Panic, many factories had to cut hours and pay, some layoff hundreds of workers at a time, reducing many families to begging in the streets. Over 25,000 poor workers and farmers were marching in favor of land reform on March 17, 1839, one army regiment, commanded by a noblemen (whose name has been lost), ordered the soldiers under his command to fire upon the protesters. The White Palace Massacre, as it was known, resulted in the death of 76, and wounding 287. The protesters panicked, with most running away, but some furious marchers began to resist, one cobblestone actually killing the nobleman commander.

The result of the Massacre was a full scale resurrection in the country side. Many of the nobles who opposed the Land Reform of 1834 were brutally killed, while their wifes and daughters were viciously violated, and the sons were killed. The noblemen who survived fled the country, most fleeing to Prussia, Britain or Austria-Hungary. The farmers and peasants began to form bands to loot and pillage the country side. Traveling through the land was seen as impossible without armed guards, as unsuspecting travelers, either peasant or noble, were either robbed or outright killed. Factories in the cities were burnt out, as were some of the houses of the rich owners and nobles, and by about April 29, the army had firmly, but without enormous bloodshed, put down the resurrection's in the cities, although anarchy gripped the country side still. It was only until September that the last raider bands in the country side were put down.

In all of this, Czar Nicholas I began to figure out how to deal with these "...bandits and rebels and poor peasants." It was decided that mercy, as well as a firm hand were to be used. The majority of the peasants were granted amnesty, while the rest were either fined or imprisoned. Their were only three of all the millions of peasants who were executed, the leaders of the notorious Ukrainian Liberation Army, who massacred the entire town of Vilshnay, because they did not agree to come under their "protection."

But this only dealt with the the results. Next, the Czar and his ministers met with leaders of the peasants to hear their cases, as well as to help in deciding the future of the nation. In all, 527 men and women went to the "Peasant's Commune," and told their stories of suffering, hardship and starvation. Several times, the minister and even the Czar himself were moved to tears, and action was taken immediately.

The first Russian People's Congress was held in Moscow, convened by Prime Minister Mikhail Speransky, began the process of establishing the Empire of the Russians. A constitutional monarchy, albeit with strong powers in the hand of the czar, was established. The Duma was first established, with 350 members composed of the peasants, nobles and the small middle class. Some of the first acts of this Duma involved land, monetary, army and administrative reform, with the majority of the reforms lifting enormous burdens from the poor, who soon thrived.

American Prosperity and Restlessness (1839-1846)
With the expansion of American industry after the short war in Europe, the began to emerge as a regional power. The alliance with France was cemented in the [[Treaty of Marseilles (French Trafalgar, British Waterloo)|Treaty of Marseilles, were the US became one of the largest trading partners of the French Empire and the her allies with resources and finished goods, at lower prices than the British or the Prussian's, in return for military training, as the US was still reeling from the defeat of the First America's War. Democratic President  John C. Calhoun was narrowly edged out by  William Henry Harrison in the election of 1836, a  National Republican, and was re-elected in 1840.

The Crash of 1839 was not as severe in America, where the growing home market filled in the gap of European trade, but still cause some damage, with many layed off and factories shut down in 1840. One of those unemployed men, James Finley, shocked the nation by shooting President Harrison]] on June 3, 1841, only a few months into his second term. His vice President, Daniel Webster, immediately took the oath of office, (as he was in the crowd), and was now the ninth President of the United States, and the first Vice President to assume the office of President. He immediately began the process of implementing the policies that he and the late William Harrison were campaigning on: the supremacy of Congress over the Presidency, and a program of economic modernization and expansion.

However, Congress was soon dominated by the supporters of Manifest Destiny, the so-called Manifests. The dreams of stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific and to the Arctic was to irrasistable for these men, and, with the alliance of France to counter any British threat, they felt smug that they can reach out and grab these various lands, with little to no consequences.

The first of these "American Conquest's" as writer Samuel Clemens had put it later (he was born in 1835), was Spanish Florida, bought from  Spain in 1834, although the local natives had to be violently suppresed in the  Everglades Resurrection, from 1835 to 1842.

The next step was the creation of States of the Remainder Louisiana Territory and other territories created since. The first was Indiana, in 1837, and  Michigan (also composed of OTL's Winsconsin)in 1839,  Mississippi (composed of OTL Mississippi and the Western half of Alabama; the Eastern half joining Georgia ) in 1840, Louisiana in 1840 as well, and  Arkansas (North of Louisina, which also includes part of Eastern Oklahoma) in 1841, and  Missouri in 1843, bringing the Total number of US states to 26.

The third step, however was one of the most contoversial, in the declaration of war on the Mexican Empire.

The War of Texan Liberation, 1846
The Mexican Empire, having made large strides since its inception in 1832, however, was currently in the throes of an American-supported Texan Revolt. Lead by Prime Minister/General Sana Anna, the Mexican Army besieged the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, which was held by Texian patriots, who were protesting against Sana Anna's dictatorial policies. Lead by James Bowie and William B. Travis, the defenders of the Alamo, numbering no more than 200, managed to hold off the Mexican Army of 1,500 for over two weeks, until a determined assault scaled the walls of the mission, and massacred every man inside.

President Webster, pushed on by Congress, issued an ultimatum to Mexico, demanding them to allow Texan Independence, and to withdraw from said land. Sana Anna didn't even reply, not believing the American's daft enough to declare war on his battle hardened army over some "misguided, so called patriots." He was wrong. On April 16, 1846, Emperor Agustín de Iturbide of Mexico was told that a  state of war existed between the US and his Empire.

The first moves of the new American Army under General Zachary Taylor was to capture the coast line of Texas, from which the US Navy could help resupply in land. The Army reached Galveston on June 3, 1846, and engaged a Mexican Army in the Battle of San Antonio Bay on June 12 which was an inconclusive engagement, and both armies withdrew, Taylor's to the north and Sana Anna's to the southwest. When Taylor heard his opponent was stationing himself in Corpus Christi, he decided the time to attack was now. He sent his calvary toward the Nueces River, from which they were to harass any Mexican units till the main part of the army, 36,000 strong, marched to the outskirts of the city. At the same time, Sam Houston, Leader of the Texas Liberation Army, first met Taylor, and the two agreed to work together to defeat Sana Anna. The Texian's were to march to San Antonio, and then drive towards the Rio Grande from their, stretching the Mexican Armies to the breaking point.

The Battle of Corpus Christi began on July 3, and in the beginning, it seemed as if the Mexican Army would remain in place. However, the arrival of the Texian's from the North shocked and frightened Anna, who then withdrew. The American Calvary, instead of stopping at the Nueces River, instead drove straight to the Rio Grande, where they attacked the supply train's bringing food and ammunition to the Mexican Army, which brought a large part of the 45,000 man force to starvation. Sana Anna continued to push his army southwards, were another force, lead by Mariano Arista was waiting, with over 38,000 more men. If Anna could link up with him, they could stop and begin to push the American's back. Taylor knew this, so sent young Captain Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant  Ulysses S. Grant to try to stop the Mexican withdrawal with calvary, while the General continued to push southwards, with the help of reinforcements shipped in by the Navy, bringing his army to 58,000.

But despite the best efforts of Captain Lee and Lieutenant Grant, Sana Anna reached the Rio Grande on July 28, and was about to link up with General Arista. But the US managed a brilliant counterstrike. Marines landed south of Matamoros, which scared the combined Mexican army that they were to be surrounded, so withdrew to Monterrey, and General Taylor was able to cross the Rio Grande to link up with the Marines, who then marched together to confront the massive Mexican Army.

Californian Independence and the Coup of 1846
On June 17, when news of the declaration of war by the US on Mexico reached California, a small group of American settlers seized control of the garrison in Sonoma, and declared themselves independent of Mexico(most of the settlers didn't want to join the US, instead proclaiming their own nation, the Pacific Republic). A small force lead by US Army Captain John C. Frémont, agreed to help the revolutionaries win their independence. After marching on Yerba Buena (OTL San Fransisco), they them turned southwards. They captured Monterey on June 28, Santa Barbara on July 18, and Los Angeles on July 29. However, a small Mexican force engaged them soon after, but the Settlers were victorious in the Battle of San Gabriel.

With that, realizing that all of California was lost, and that the American's had invaded Mexico itself, Emperor Agustín ordered Sana Anna to lay down his arms and agree to an armistice. But General Anna refused, instead marching with a small force into Mexico City, and staging a Coup d'etat, declaring himself President of the new Mexican Republic. the Emperor fled Mexico City, and managed to escape to the American's, who now realized they were facing a "...madman and dictator with delusions of grandeur and victory," wrote Captain Robert E. Lee.

It was decided that they were going to overthrow Anna, and restore Agustín to the throne of the Mexican Empire. It would be a win-win-win, General Taylor thought, with America getting Texas, California becoming independent, and Emperor Agustín to regain his throne.

After simply brushing aside the Mexican Army at Monterrey, the quickly marched to Mexico City, where Sana Anna was ruling a "republic" that was slowly being destroyed and being thrown into the jaws of anarchy. Mexican army units, realizing the futility of the conflict, deserted en mass, which only left 1,500 die hards to defend from an American Army of 65,000, as well as a Loyalist Imperial Army under Agustín, numbering 25,000. Anna, realizing he could not defend the capital, tried to flee, but was captured, and forced to agree to an armistice, and signed the Treaty of Washington in September, 1846, which guaranteed the independence of California (the Pacific Republic), the annexation of Texas by the United States, and the restoration of the Mexican Empire. Sana Anna was then sent into exile in the Caribbean Confederation, and killed himself in 1849.

Aftermath of the War
Although the American armies soundly defeated Mexico to win Texas, and helped free the Pacific Republic, the war was seen as a war of aggression, basically "...the New World's Prussia..." as Samuel Clemens later wrote. And with it came the expansion of slavery into Texas, Florida and the southern fraction of the Louisiana Remainder, which the majority of people in the Northern, more industrialized states opposed, but the southern states promoted, wanting to expand it westwards.

The defeat of the Mexican armies in battle, without the enormous casualties expected (overall, of the 124,000 strong US Army, only 2% died in battle and 5% were wounded, but 15% died of disease) convinced the majority of the Manifests that the army created with French help after the humiliation of the First America's War was now strong enough to be able to stand up to the one enemy of America; the United Kingdom.

In Europe, when news of the invasion of Mexico was first announced, Emperor Napoleon II was shocked, especially because he had not been forewarned. The UK was even more disturbed by the news, and this almost assured that their holdings in North America would be next, against an army that have proved themselves (although against a minor nation with a weaker army, which no body seemed to realize). Almost immediately, Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel decided to send four regiments to Canada to hold positions to secure the Northern Colonies, while new overtures to the Natives in the Region was meet with open arms, and the Indian Confederacy was formed, composed of representatives from almost every tribe in the western region, centered in the colony of Fort Garry, now home to a majority white population.

Asian Expansion and Modernization (1838-1841)
The Japanese, having been one of the first Asian people to meet an European embassy in centuries, finally began a minor program of modernization in 1838. Although it was considered a first step to being able to rival the European's, the Shogunate tried their best to slow, delay or even halt the modernization attempts, as it was (rightly) believed, that the plan would erode their power, and, possibly, destroy it. The accession of Emperor Kōmei in 1846 made the Shogunate, realizing that Kōmei was going to aggressively pursue the modernization of Japan, and, if need be, destroy the shoguns, they tried to mount a coup to secretly do away with the emperor. However, the Chrysanthemum Plot was doomed, by the simple fact that the ordinary soldiers, trained since childhood to obey the emperor, refused to execute the Shogun's order's to arrest Kōmei, and instead arrested the plotters, who were simply executed, and, in the ultimate humility, had their bodies dumped in Tokyo Bay. The Modernization of Japan was now unopposed, and soon, with help from such people as Krupp, soon Japan was about to embark on an imperialistic crusade.

The Ambassador's War (1841)
Even though the Chinese Empire had received reports of the Prussian Expansion War and the Mexican-American War, they still refused to believe that the western powers were superior to them. However, when the Chinese refused to conduct anymore trade with the Europeans (mostly due to depleting resources of silver and the Great Panic of 1839), The French and British decided that it was time to prove the Chinese wrong.

They were given an excuse on November 7, 1840, when the British Consul in Shanghai was robbed, and knocked unconscious. The British demanded that China apologize, but the envoy was rebuffed, and was told to "...mind your own business." When the French Ambassador tried to intervene on November 15, he was promptly arrested by the Palace guard for trespassing. It was the final straw. The two European enemies decided to work together, and teach China a lesson. War was declared on December 3, 1840.

In March of 1841, a French fleet under the commanded of Admiral Louis Phillipe anchored outside of Fuzhou, while another arrived at Taipei on the island of Formosa, while a British Fleet, commanded by Rear-Admiral Harold Frenway appeared near the cities of Hong Kong and Zhanjing. The display of arms did not move the Emperor, who remained defiant. So, early on the morning of April 4, Royal Marines and French Imperial Troupes de marine landed ashore the cities, while the fleets nearby began a punishing naval bombardment. One shot from the HMS Valiant crashed into a small cafe in Hong Kong, knocking over the lit stove, and soon began to spread through the docks, and into the center of the island, forcing both locals and the Royal Marines to flee the spreading flames. Elsewhere, the defenders were quickly over run, and, by sundown, the Union Jack fluttered over Zhanjing, while the Tricolore was raised over Taipei and Fuzhou.

In Nanjing, the Emperor was stunned, but the Chinese Army was sent to deal with these new threats. The Battle of Guangzhou was perhaps the greatest turning point in the modernization of Asia, for a massive, 130,000 strong Chinese army was held back by only 32,000 British soldiers, under the command of Lord FitzRoy Somerset. It was perhaps one of the greatest glories of the British Army, and the ultimate humiliation of the Chinese Empire. But no surrender was forthcoming, until a joint Anglo-French amphibious landing east of Beijing, and the subsequent battle, which resulted in a triumphal march of the Europeans through the Forbidden City, forced the Chinese to surrender.

On June 6, 1841, an armistice was agreed to, and the Treaty of Hanoi was signed on August 15, 1841, whereas Formosa became part of the the French Empire, and the UK received Hong Kong and Zhanjing. China, finally realizing that the Europeans, although still "barbarians", were technologically advanced "barbarians," opened up their markets to European goods, and accepted the services of several military officers to train the Chinese armies in modern tactics and weapons, although progress was slow due to the Chinese feeling of superiority, only slightly diminished since their defeat in the Ambassadors War.

The Years of Tension (1841-1846)
Despite the best efforts to try to smooth over ancient rivalries, the nations of Europe still greatly distrusted each other. France and Britain were prime examples of this. Although the two worked together during the Ambassador's War, almost immediately after, the two began to retrench and snipe at each other over some little grievance or another. The two continued to try to find new allies and cement older ones. France and her imperial associates joined together in the Marseilles Pact in 1843. The United States joined the alliance in 1846 with the increasing resurgence of British Imperialism in Canada, hoping a French Alliance will give them the strength to stand up against a threat of the British.

Britain and Prussia-Sweden, realizing the threat that the Marseilles Pact posed, re-created the North Sea Pact that had existed before the Prussian Expansion War, and had quitely been done away with, into the United Coalition in 1846, with the original members being Britain, Prussia-Sweden and the Ottoman Empire, having finally, successfully completed the majority of the modernization of the Empire that was laid out over twenty years before. Later, Spain would enter the alliance, and began to strengthen her borders with France.

France, in the mean time, initiated the Third Imperial Plan in 1847. While similar to the previous versions, the new plan had an increased focus on the expansion of mines, factories, armories, fortresses and barracks. This was later nicknamed the "Le Plan du général" (The General's Plan) due to the increased military spending and expansion.

African Colonialism
Although France had a huge lead by 1845, Great Britain, Spain and Portugal were trying their best to build on overseas empire to rival the French. Great Britain, from bases in Kenya, moved north-west into the Horn of Africa and established the Colony of the Horn in 1848, while the Colony of Yemen was founded the next year. Portugal expanded its colony in Mozambique, and Spain established a colony north of Mauritania, which they called Desierto Occidental, Spanish for "Western Desert." Another Spanish colony, called Tierra del Bantu was established between Nigeria and the Congo River Entrance, of outposts formerly belonging to Portugal. The British established a colony between Mauritania and the Volta River Colony, which was called Sierra Leone, and was originally intended as a place where former slaves of the British Empire (they were freed in 1819, after intense pressure of Abolitionist's in England).

Domination of India and the "Prince's Migration"
Although the major powers had a few enclaves of the Indian subcontinent since the 1700's, in 1838, Great Britain made the enormous step of trying to unite the entire continent under the Union Jack. when France realized this, they also attempted to do the same. In both cases, local alliances, trade deals and, sometimes, out right military force and annexation were used to dominate India. France was mostly dominant around Mumbai and Calcutta, as well as mostly Islamic Karachi. Great Britain was more successful, controlling virtually the rest of the sub-continent by the Treaty of Delhi, with the vast majority of the Indian princes who signed the document vassals and servants of London in all but name. Many of them were encouraged by the Colonial Office to immigrate to British colonies in Africa. This would not only collapse the leadership of any nationalist movements (which were starting to emerge in Europe at this time, and Britain, rightfully, believed it would spread to India), but also help settle the major colonies in Africa. Soon, the population of colonies such as Kenya and South Africa doubled with the rapid influx of Indian princes speaking English and in European dress.

Russia, China and the Ottoman Empire looked at the Indian Conquest nervously, realizing that if either of the Western Powers got a sufficient foothold over India, that could result in a springboard into the Middle East or Asia. As Britain was the victor in the "conflict", the other powers in the area considered the British the greater threat, and began to arm themselves, which France, quietly bitter over failure of conquering India, exploited to their full potential, sending envoys and selling arms to these nations.

South American Crisis (1849)
The situation in South America, while not as dangerous as in Europe, was no less tense. The three major powers, Brazil,  Argentina and the Central American Republic were trying to do their best to out maneuver the others and dominate the continent. The three worked to expand their armies with newer weapons, conscription and European military officers. Spies were rumored to running in the major cities of South America, trying to find secrets that would give their nation an edge over the others.

But, it was in the Capital of Peru, Lima, were the tensions came to a head. The shooting of an Argentine businessman (who, it was later revealed, was on the payroll of the Central American Republic and Argentina at the same time) on March 6, 1846, sparked an uproar in both Medellin and Buenos Aries. Brazil was quick to announce it wasn't them, but the investigation by Peru found that the Empire was behind the attack. Argentina broke off relations with Brazil on April 6, with the RCA doing so the next day. But when a bomb went off in the Rio de Janeiro Naval Facility on May 6, Brazil responded with a military mobilization two days later, with Argentina calling her reserves on May 12 and the Central American Republic sent her navy to sea on May 16. War was right around the corner.