Timeline 1800s (Easternized World)

1800s: The "Modern" World
The 1800s were a time of immense change all over the world - making the 1700s pale by comparison. Nearly everything, including technology, architecture, national boundaries, power relations, and social mores, were part of the process. While technology helped people to live better, it also fueled overpopulation and produced new instruments of war. Architectural skill would dramatically fall...and then rebound, over these one hundred years. Colonial powers would get into a heated battle for continued imperial dominance, and then lose their empires as sovereignty was attained by many new states. In the latter part of the century, Europe's economic rise was palpable. Changes in cultures and liberalization in certain segments of populations produced infighting between members of the same ethnic groups and nations, while helping minorities attain power they never thought they'd wield. Whereas coal was the fuel of choice in the 1700s, in the 1800s this became petroleum. Whether the people knew it or not, it was this compact form of highly-transportable energy which was instrumental in kicking off this bold new world.

Technological Innovations
In the year 1800, most people of the world simply walked, and rode horse- (or human-) drawn carriages at times. Bicycles had reached mass-marketing potential in the late 1700s, and were gaining ground in the early 1800s. Long-haul trains, likewise, had been already invented, but it was only in the 1800s that they became major modes of mass transportation. By the end of the century, a city wouldn't be complete without a slew of commuter lines criss-crossing it. The takeoff and evolution of automobiles, airplanes, spacecraft, and computers, in particular, would give people a new sense of themselves and humanity, and the incredible speed of innovation kept people expecting that tomorrow would always be more comfortable, convenient, and advanced than today, just as today was more advanced than yesterday.

The Early Years
The early 1800s at first looked a lot like a continuation of the 1700s. China, Japan, and Srivijaya were the undisputed colonial powers of the world. Spain was trying to become a major power in the Meditteranean, and was successful so far. Although Meixikou had gained independence in Yodderick, at least they were ethnic Chinese, and there was no immediate cause for concern that the other races would pull the same stunt. The idea of colonialism was unshaken. In fact, Meixikou continued to be a major trading partner with China. China merely had to get more land to make up for what it had lost.

Social Turmoil in Sri Vijaya
Across the modern world, there came to be not only expanding pockets of liberalization, but also increased cultural awareness among minority ethnic groups. In the early 1810s, student demonstrations in major western Srivijayan cities such as Palembang (பலெம்பங்), Jambi (ஜம்பி), Temasek (டெமஸெக; OTL Singapore), and Sunda Kelapa (ஸுன்ட கெலப; OTL Jakarta), demanded that the people be allowed to choose people to represent them in a council that could supplement the Maharaja's power. Although the empire was extremely wealthy, this wealth was distributed quite unevenly. The cities were developing, and were becoming quite magnificent to behold, and besides this, more people were wealthy than ever before, but this new wealth brought with it a desire for even more. People weren't content with merely earning enough money to survive, but wanted change in the stuffy government. At first, it was the sons and daughters of the richest Srivijayans that felt the need to help the less fortunate, the environment, and minorities. Later, the less educated people would join in.

When the demonstrations were just by college students, there was an air of nonviolence over the proceedings. However, this would not last for long, as these protests would turn into riots in some of the less-wealthy and ethnically divergent eastern provinces. This thirst for democracy let to a thirst for sovereignty among some minority groups, and indeed, some of these movements didn't have democracy in mind at all. Two major pockets of violence turned into what are known as the "Ugi Rebellion" and the "Dayak Insurgency".

The Ugi Rebellion
This conflict, (from 1819-1820) was sparked when a major increase in piracy failed to be prevented by Ugi (Bugis) warlords of southern Sulabesi (Sulawesi). There was a deadline for the warlords (ostensibly dukes) to significantly decrease the levels of piracy, or they would be stripped from power. With this, the South Sulabesi dukes usurped the democracy movmements, and declared independence from Srivijaya. Although this was called the "Ugi Rebellion", the Makassarese chiefs also took part. As South Sulabesi contained more than 50% of the population of the island, this was a major deal. In response, Srivijayan battleships blockaded the ports of Makassar and Pare Pare. After 11 days of a stalemate, one battleship anchored at Makassar port, and soldiers began alighting. While an uneasy feeling prevailed over the gathering, chatting soon broke out among some of the locals, and an atmosphere of friendship was regained for the moment. Suddenly, cannon fire erupted from farther inland, and one shell pierced the standing battleship and created a large explosion. The volley continued while those on the battleship frantically tried to raise anchor and sight their 300mm guns on the offenders. One counter volley was gotten off when the fire on board reached a magazine, and after a bright flash, the entire ship was blown to pieces.

The crew on land was taken aback. There were no orders given from the top, and thus, there was panic. Soon, the Ugi got to shore and fired on the Srivijayan Navy men, who were outnumbered yet fought back. In the end, every naval man on shore was slaughtered. During this time, the other battleships were ordered to wait, but from their vantage, they could see the battle unfolding onshore. Although it was too late, one captain defied orders and brought the ship to striking distance. Over the next 2 hours, it pounded land targets non-stop and managed to inflict major casualties on the Ugi army, while also killing civilians who were unfortunate enough to be nearby. This captain was later stripped of his post (and made a liutenant), but came back to Srivijaya a hero, nonetheless. Years later, after his retirement, his rank would officially be restored to captain.

With this provocation, there was no choice but to strike at South Sulabesi, and strike hard. One helpful turn of events was that some of the warlords now declared loyalty to Srivijaya, as they knew that after this bloody episode, resistance was futile against the full brunt of the Srivijayan military. Sure enough, the battleships were joined by larger fleets, including huge personnel carriers. The order was given, and the invasion commenced. The battleships battered the coasts of Makassar and Pare Pare with their 300mm guns. By this time, many of the civilians had fled, and the Ugi Independence Army was waiting on the outskirts of the cities. Instead of facing the army head-on, most waited for the soldiers to come to them, to small villages in the outskirts where the intruders could be cut down one by one. However, a show of force (even a failure of one) was still deemed necessary, if only to lull the Srivijayans into a false sense of security once these regulars had been obliterated. And obliterated, they were. The Ugi Army recruits primarily relied on "revolver rifles", while the Srivijayan force had machine guns at their disposal. Still, the Ugi Army felt that it would be easier to win on one's home-turf. They could blend in with the locals until the need to fight arrived, and the only way the invading force could be sure that the rebels were killed would be to kill everyone - a task they knew the government wasn't up to. Even with this digging in, the Ugis lost roughly eight soldiers for every Srivijayan soldier lost. The rebel warlords began to threaten civilians if they didn't join the rebels in their cause. Many did, but many didn't. This would lead to more civilian deaths. After all of the cities, and most major towns were taken, in a last-ditch effort, the warlords holed up in a heavily fortified base. Without the aid of the far-off battleships' guns, this would be a hard nut to crack. The siege could go on for months, as it was deemed too dangerous to pull off a frontal assault and just burst into the compound, with its many soldiers waiting there. Instead, it was decided to use an underutilized technology that had already proven itself in air travel - the blimp. Although airplanes had been invented already, they could not hold many bombs, and there were no attachments at this point for bombs, so people would have to manually throw them down. A blimp could hold a lot of weight, and two such blimps (arriving two weeks after the siege started) began a fire-bombing campaign inside the compound, and also gave valuable information as to how many people were actually inside the compound. The warlords had no anti-aircraft guns of any sort, so they had the soldiers shoot up the air. This proved insufficient to stop the blimps. In the end, the compound caught on fire, and the soldiers surrendered. The rebel warlords were tried and executed, and the rebellion was over.

The Ugi Rebellion was noted for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it contained the first battle to be filmed using movie cameras. The reels (and current digital copies) can still be watched to this day, and they serve as important documentation in the history of warfare. Also, it prodded the Srivijayan government to create an air force and utilize the recently-invented airplane in wartime roles. Also, the Ugi Rebellion helped to spark off the Dayak Insurgency, which broke out while the conflict in Sulabesi was still raging.

The Dayak Insurgency
The Dayak Insurgency (1820-1826) was an independence movement by groups of Borneans in the interior of the island. While Srivijayan ports, especially on the Malay Peninsula, Vijaya Island (AKA Sarna Dipa, OTL Sumatra), and Java were wealthy and had a modern lifestyle, the interiors of the islands, even the main ones, remained sparsely populated with hunter-gatherers. Although generally of the same race (except for the darker "Semang"), these hunter-gatherers, in practice, didn't have the same rights as those modern-living Malays. More and more, wild places such as Borneo would be forcibly "modernized", with forests burned down, rubber plantations grown, and a foreign, settled populace moving in. This became unbearable to many of the Dayak (especially the "Penan"), and when they learned that the Ugis had rebelled, they decided that it was time to do something. Soon, foreign (non Dayak) rubber tappers were routinely beheaded. This continued until the Srivijayan government declared a state of emergency and sent troops to patrol the rubber plantations and small farms in the most hard-hit parts of Borneo. Even though the surveilance was tight, not everyone could be protected, and the Dayak insurgents continued the bloody campaign - this time writing notices on the dead bodies declaring independence and demanding all non-Dayaks leave the island of Borneo. This was too much for the government, and it sent troops into the jungle to look for any rebels. This was difficult, because, unlike the Ugis, they were not arranged into armies of fighting men. Instead, there were just families of people who might or might not have had something to do with the violence. It would take until one Dayak got caught and was interrogated to find out more about who was involved. When the information was learned, the order was given to arrest the whole group that he'd come from and interrogate each member. When this was resisted by the tribe that was found, fighting broke out. Official Srivijayan records state that the first to fire was a Dayak with a blowgun. After that, the Srivijayan soldiers opened fire, killing all the men they could find, and leaving three Dayak women heavily wounded and left for dead by the troops. This provocation turned even more Dayaks against the government. Soon after that, a government weapons depot was raided - with hundreds of guns and explosives missing. Sporadic fighting between government troops and bands of Dayak continued for a few years, without any major conclusion. Investment in Borneo dried up, and more and more, Orang Asli (aboriginal people) across Srivijaya demanded their rights. Environmentalist groups also used this chance to demand a series of natural preservation areas. This led to government reforms and a designation of aboriginal and Dayak areas, as well as natural preservation areas, for the first time. For Borneo, the figure was set at 50% of the island aboriginal, 25% natural, and 25% urban/agricultural. (At the time, less than 10% was urban/agricultural, so this still allowed for growth.) Thus ended the Dayak Insurgency.

The outcome of the Dayak Insurgency was an increased responsibility of the government towards minorities and the environment, as well as an increased sense of power among seemingly weak groups. So far, Chinese in Meixikou had defeated other Chinese, and Srivijayans (or at least ethnic Malays) had forced Srivijaya into a compromise. It was not clear if another race (such as Africans or Europeans) could stand up to the might of a major Asian power, but there would come to be an increased willingness to try.

Arabian Oil Struggle
In 1823, some Srivijayan geologists found oil on the coasts of the Persian Gulf. Furthermore, they realized that the geologic features indicated that there would be more oil all around that region, but probably not on the Red Sea side of the Arabian peninsula. Now, at this time, the borders between the Byzantine Empire and Srivijayan Arabia were not formally delineated. Without mentioning the find, Srivijaya called a conference to negotiate the borders of their lands. The oil find was considered a state secret, and the Byzantines didn't have any idea of what lay below the surface. And, in fact, oil was only starting to become useful in many applications (most of which the Byzantine Empire didn't have yet. But the Srivijayans knew that the future lay with oil, and that it would try its hardest to negotiate to get as much of the Persian Gulf lands as possible.  In the end, the Srivijayans got the whole coast south of the Byzantine Kuwait Province of Mesopotamia, while the the Byzantines were promised land as far south the Red Sea coast as Jizan.  The Byzantines thought that this was a good deal, but a few years later, when it was leaked that the Persian Gulf was awash in oil, the Byzantine Empire felt tricked, and its citizens felt that their government had been too naive and should have done more detective work before agreeing to the treaty.

However, Srivijaya's main problem turned out to be the locals. The Arabs of the land realized that the Srivijans - the invaders for hundreds of years, but continuing to tighten their stranglhold on Arabia - could not be allowed to have the oil. Religious fervor also played a part. Since the Islamic persecution nearly 800 years back, Arabia had continued to be land of persecution. While the major imperialist powers had gone on to better places - not caring about some desert nomads living in a dusty land - various cults and religions had grown up. In the end, the more liberal and accommodating faiths either fizzled out naturally, were killed off, or were chased away. By 1800, the major religion among Arabs on the Arabian Peninsula had come to be Alhaqism - a conservative monotheistic religion. Their name originates from "Al Haq" ("The Truth"), and it was founded around 1050 by a poor wanderer (later becoming a minor prince/warlord) who claimed to be a descendant of Mohammad, and to receive visions from God. God accused Muslims of the day of heresy, which had led them on the path to righteous persecution - that is, persecution which God promotes. Alhaqism, kept in check by the surrounding empires, was never able to establish a foothold outside of Arabia, but would prove to be a major obstacle to Malay domination of the Persian Gulf.

In 1829, war broke out as Arab nomads attacked Srivijayan oil field workers, killing them all. This success emboldened the Alhaqi mujahideen, who gathered greater forces from this triumph. Their next target was the oil corridor town of Kota Kati (Kati Town; OTL Qatif). The Alhaqis were able to get inside the town's outer gates with minimal difficulty and started running amok, killing civilians (mostly made up of male oil industry workers). However, the previous attack had alerted the populace, and the center of the town was held. The next morning, the valliant 106th infantry brigade "The Bantus" arrived. They hailed from east Africa, but were sent the previous year to Arabia. With their overwhelming firepower, they pushed the mujahideen out of the town, where they had to regroup. For this, "the Bantus" received the highest military award, becoming the first African brigade to receive it. From that point on, no invaders were able to cross into Kota Kati. Next to arrive were the airplanes. They were new models and had attached machine guns. These would be the first fighter aircraft ever used in battle, and they would prove themselves beyond expectations (thus creating a boom in air forces worldwide). From above, it was easy to make out the Arabian armies on the flat desert. There was nowhere to hide. The airplanes could scout the area, reconnoitering the whereabouts of the enemy to troops on the ground. Also, the machine guns were able to slice through the gathered foes, so that they had to split back up. This was the end of operations against a coherent army. From this point on, it was a matter of finding individuals who were part of the jihad. This was difficult, as they blended in with locals who were not part of it. Further night attacks were carried out against drilling operations in subsequent months. Eventually, Srivijaya assigned large groups armed guards to patrol important oil infrastructure, and colonial towns on the Arabian peninsula. Furthermore, all settlements had walls erected around them. In 1831, after several more devastating attacks by militants, there was a further order that there could be no Arab settlements within 20 kilometers of any Srivijayan settlement. This uprooted many Arab families (though the majority in the area were still nomads, and could move easily).

Military Innovations
As previously mentioned, the Srivijayans were the first to use fighter aircraft in battle. Because of the tremendous effectiveness of airplanes in the Arab campaigns, they gained wide popularity and new and improved models were consistently built. Firepower was increased, and some were even capable of dropping bombs. In fact, a new family of military aircraft called "bombers" would become an important part of the air force. Range was increased, too, which let some fighter planes fly up to 1,000km on one tank of fuel by 1833, and up to 2,000km by 1837. Srivijaya tried to secure airfields to connect its vast empire. One example was when it gained a lease on land in Sri Lanka so that it could build an air-force base, in exchange for yearly development aid.

In the sea, a new beast took form, known as the Juggernaut. It started with the SVS Juggernaut, which entered service in 1835. It so revolutionized battleships that even ships commissioned just a few years earlier were given the monicker "pre-Juggernauts". The SVS Juggernaut was the first battleship to have a main battery consisting of all "big guns" (the original Juggernaut having nine 300mm guns), and all were along center line of the ship. It was also the first to use oil for fuel (instead of coal), and made use of steam turbines for power. On top of this, it greatly increased the use of separated underwater compartments, and introduced an "anti-torpedo bulge" which absorbed most of the shock of incoming torpedoes, leaving the inner hull intact. For ten years after the Juggernaut's introduction, Srivijaya became the master of the seas. It was only when China, Japan, and Spain began producing the same types of ships did they gain back their ability to wage war on the sea.

In 1841, China (which was a more inland nation) used a gun turret and secured it on an armored vehicle. This did not have treads, and thus was not a tank (which the Chinese would later invent), but let firepower become more mobile over land.

Spanish Ascendancy
The Spanish emerged as a great power in the early 19th century. Firstly, it was decided that in order to protect itself from the eastern powers (Spain having fought with Srivijaya twice before, and many neighborning countries under the yoke of Easterners), Spain would have to become like them. This included, more than anything else, modernizing. Spain quickly established a number of universities which hired many Oriental scientists to head departments and teach the students how to construct the newest types of machinery. Of course, these universities also taught nationalism and did not have many, or any, liberal arts programs. Also, after a personal union with the royal family of Portugal in 1813, the nations merged and the single nation that replaced them grew even stronger. Within an amazingly short span of time, Spain became a "modern" country. By 1845, it was considered a major military power, fourth only to Srivijaya, Japan, and China. Modern though it might be, it was now dominated by a dictator who gained power over the monarchy in 1831.

Democracy on the Indian Subcontinent
Democracy was an increasingly important goal for many people of the world. Even at this point, those with independence still usually lacked democracy. It was in India - a quickly-growing economy - that full democracy was first seen. The military government finally backed down when a group of Indians led by a Jain sage practically shut down the country by not working. Numerous proposals were put forward, including elevating the sage to a government minister (which he refused) and even threatening his life and throwing him in prison. But the crowd grew by the day. Killing innocent people was even against most of the military ministers' morals, and a pathway was established for the eventual democratization of India, which fully took place by 1836. This was the first democracy in the world to give men, women, and all groups (including all castes) equal rights, including the right to vote.

Around the same time, there were various movements in Vijayanagar, which was closely linked culturally and economically (if not linguistically) to its northern neighbor. The same sort of reforms were carried out there, too, which became similarly democratic by 1839.

China and Japan's Near Collision
For hundreds of years now, there had been an uneasy truce between the major Eastern colonial powers. Also, for hundreds of years now, China and Japan had split the New World. However, this split was not completely equal. China owned a large portion of the tropics, but it was the temperate areas which had the best soil and were most liveable. Because of this, a steady stream of crops flowed from Japan's possessions over to Japan proper every year, while China had to be content with minor logging operations and "ol' faithful" - the mine at Potosi, near the southern border of their empire. Meixikou was out of its control, and in fact, most of the areas surrounding Potosi were still quite wild, and were only officially under Chinese jurisdiction - being de facto independent. China was not making enough money off of its empire, until, in 1834, with the completed Trans-Yodderick Canal. This canal linked the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and allowed Chinese ships to sail across the world much faster than any other country's. This made China the go-between for trade, as China didn't allow non-Chinese ships through the canal. This instantly sucked money from Japan, as its merchant fleets were no longer utilized by other nations for trade, and the Japanese themselves found it easier to ship most things via Chinese ships. Furthermore, China's naval fleet could now get to places in the blink of an eye. Air travel was still in its infancy, and some things would always still be just too heavy, or cost prohibitive, to ship by air. For a decade, the Japanese government tried to use diplomacy to come to an agreement for co-use of the canal, but China wanted too much in return - specifically, all of Japanese northeastern continental Asia (that is, the Hokudai (北大; Kamchatka) and Chukchi peninsulas, and many kilometers inland and north of them). Tensions rose, but eventually, a conference was called to soothe over the situation, solve border disputes, and establish a way to share the canal that would still benefit China. It was to take place in Srivijaya, which also wanted the canal opened up, and was considering highly taxing Chinese traffic through the strait of Malaya (OTL Strait of Malacca). So, the "Manila Conference" took place in 1845, which let the Japanese and Srivijayans through the Trans-Yodderick Canal - for a price. Also, foreign military ships were barred from entering the canal, and the maximum number and size of major warships per country was agreed upon. This settled things for a short while, but the good relations didn't last. One year later, a Chinese cargo vessel ran into a Japanese submarine near the canal zone, and in the area where no military ships were allowed. This again soured relations between the Chinese and Japanese, but diplomacy continued to try to fix the problems.

Chaos in Srivijaya
In July 1851, riots began again throughout Srivijaya. College students and religious leaders were some of the first groups to call for increased democracy. They accused Srivijaya of stagnating while India and Vijayanagar had successfully become democracies and were becoming more wealthy at the same time. Things came to a head on July 18th, when a group of protesting students in Yogyakarta were fired upon with rubber bullets and tear gas. When the smoke cleared, two students were dead. This incident, along with the government's refusal to apologize, sent off a shockwave that engulfed Yogyakarta, as well as other major cities such as Sunda Kelapa (OTL Jakarta), Palembang, Jambi, Temasek (OTL Singapore), Penang Town (OTL Georgetown), and Surabaya. In most of these places, people stopped working (as had been done in India), however, things turned violent in Sunda Kelapa and Surabaya, in particular, and some leaders even went so far as demanding independence. This also wafted east towards Sulabesi and the Ugis, as well as farther to Luzon, with the booming city of Manila. The government, again scared of a possible revolution, called back soldiers from around their empire, emboldening the foreign enemies of Srivijaya. One such enemy was Spain. By December, there had already been two unsuccessful coups, but the third one was the charm, and the former government leaders set up a government in exile in Penang. While they had gained power in the capital of Palembang, the members of this coup were a faction of the military which did not agree to any democratic reforms - instead becoming harsher dictators. Other military factions - some espousing democracy, and some not - got ready to fight for power. Overseas troops got mixed orders and were not sure what to do. Chaos ensued, as the old government claimed the Malay Peninsula, while the new government had control of Vijaya Island and western Java, and not much else, as a rival faction claimed Surabaya in eastern Java, and Bali. The Ugis quickly declared independence, as well, while the Luzonians waited for things to settle down. Returning military troops from the empire now were mostly split between the government on Penang, and the usurpers in the capital.

Secrets of Spain
Civil War in Srivijaya and the bickering between China and Japan left a void of power in Europe. Spain seeked to fill that void. In the background, while the Asians limited their firepower so as to avert a war, Spain was not subject to the treaty, but it had already become a major economic and military power. While the Asians were wary of Spain, they did not suspect that in just a few decades, it could have come this far. Indeed, the dictatorial military regime was funneling taxes away from helping the poor in society, and was instead helping major industries, particularly the weapons industry. One secret that few inside the government and fewer outside the government knew, was that Spain was the closest to building a nuclear weapon. Spain sold much in bonds to get loans precisely to keep the project going, although it never showed up on the balance sheets. The secret bomb would be a way to "liberate" Europe from the yoke of Asian imperialist aggression. Although the experimentation wasn't done yet, war seemed more and more like a viable option, because, even with the economic growth, the populace was more and more turning against him. With reports from his scientists that the Bomb was less than 2 years away, and with more than half of all the firepower in Europe, Alfonso Lopez - son of the first dictator - prepared for war.

Before war broke out, however, Spain signed a pact with China. Alfonso was a shrewd person, and knew that he needed an ally before the Bomb was ready. Seeing as how China was having problems with Japan, Spain offered up an alliance which the Chinese thought to mean that they would support China if it came to a war with Japan. This was not the case, though, as Spain was waiting for the right moment to strike at the others, and just wanted to make sure that China would not invade. China did not want war in Europe, but it still realized that if there were war in Western Europe, it would be quite far away from China's possessions and dependencies (like Germany).

War Breaks Out
On August 9th, 1852, a bomb ripped through a central market in Madrid. Blamed on Aragonese terrorists, it was a not-too-clever ploy to justify an invasion into neighboring countries, including protectorates and colonies of the ailing Srivijaya. Unclever though it was, it inspired a nationalistic fervor in Spain that fortified the dictator's government - which was previously in danger of collapsing. Of course, dissidents did not get a chance to voice their opinions. On August 14th, in "retaliation", Spain invaded Aragon and started the "War of Empires".

1852: Spanish Expansion
The war for Aragon was short. After three weeks, the Spanish forces had gotten Aragon to surrender. Aragon was outmatched in every way, and had historically depended on Srivijaya for military aid, which did not come this time. At this point, Tolosa sent frantic messages to Srivijaya's main governments (which were still battling each other), declaring that they would be Spain's next target, and that they could only hold them off for a short while before help from abroad arrived. The Srivijayan governments promised to send soldiers, but none arrived. Instead, Srivijaya, as well as most other nations, sent a letter of reprobation, demanding that Spain not attack Tolosa, and that it retreat from Aragon. But there was only bluster, and no muster, as no troops arrived from any countries. China was one of the countries that condemned the attack on Aragon, yet its condemnation was weak, as it still thought that Spain could aid it in any possible fight with Japan. Indeed, China's warships were not sent to the region. They were all protecting China from Japan, along with a contingent around the Trans-Yodderick Canal and Seagate Island (OTL Martinique).

Seeing how easy it was to completely overcome Aragon, dictator Alfonso Lopez ordered a brazen invasion of Tolosa on October 26th. With a small fleet of airplanes 20 years old, no Juggernaut battleships, and a small standing army...and with the Asian powers either forsaking them or not being able to help them, the Tolosan assembly voted to not put up a fight, and to go into exile while the Spanish easily took over. Although the quick surrender undoubtedly saved the lives of the many troops that would have died in vain - protecting what could not be protected - this moment would be remembered after the war as a particularly defeatist moment, and the resident Muslims, in particular, would come to criticize this response.

1853: The Byzantine Invasions
Spain's quick victory in Tolosa was shocking to the whole world. Aragon and Tolosa had been Srivijayan protectorates, and not truly Srivijayan territory, so it remained to be seen whether Spain could - or would even dare to - overcome a major Asian power on the European continent. The conquering of these countries outraged most of the Asian world. Srivijayan governments sent messages to Spain that declared that any more attacks against other countries would mean war with Srivijaya. China and Japan condemned the assaults - while at the same time, Alfonso Lopez told Japan that he wouldn't attack Japan's territories if they would stay out of the fight. He hoped to now have both China and Japan out of the fight for the time being (until the Bomb was in working condition) so that it would only have to deal with the severely weakened Srivijaya - still in the midst of civil war.

On January 22nd, Operation "Mediterráneo Liberación" commenced. Spain brought its power to bear, including ground, sea, and air power in a full scale invasion of Srivijayan (SV) Italy, Tuscany, Genoa, Lombardy, Venice, SV Gibraltar, SV Ceuta, and SV Tangier. The early morning, brought a coordinated attack of multiple SV naval ports. A rain of bombs fell simultaneously on ports as distant as Tangier and Fiumicio (the port of Rome). In Fiumicio, the naval base and air base were neighbors, which made them easier targets. At the time of the attack, most of the airplanes there were grounded, and some of the warships were docked (although Srivijaya now made it mandatory to always keep some out at sea in case of an attack such as this). Spanish planes flew over the harbors, and when their bombs ran out, they machine gunned what they could. Anti-air batteries opened up, tossing fire into the air. This couldn't stop the divebombers from hitting the SVS Napoli, the second largest aircraft carrier in the Meditteranean. It exploded into a rage of smoke, bellowing black in to the sky. Still, the burst of guns from it still erupted skyward, and this wouldn't end until it started rocking over to its port side. Men filled the waters of the harbor, swimming towards shore, or lying motionlessly in the crimson water. At this point, a few of the aces had made it into the sky. Giovanni Carulli was one of these, and he was able to score 12 enemy kills in the day. His quick maneuvering and spiffy moves kept him safe from the enemies, while helping him to line up his prey with his six 13mm machine guns. This was an exception to the rule, however. The day was a near-complete tragedy for Srivijaya. By the end of it, Genoa had surrendered, and the SV cities of Gibraltar and Tangier would be captured. The Srivijayan military had to either guide their airplanes and ships to Ceuta, Italy, and West Africa, or destroy them so that the enemy couldn't gain them for use. By the end of February, SV Ceuta, SV Italy, Lombardy, and Venice were also under Spanish control. The Srivijayans had been completely pushed out of Europe in a matter of two months, and Spain was the new superpower on the continent.

The world public was taken aback by the recent happenings. Supposedly a world power, Srivijaya was falling apart, both from internal and external strife. The world began to wonder if the great Asian empires were still so great...or if maybe they had never been so great. After all, in recent centuries, they gained their land little by little, mostly against enemies with insignificant military capacity and a very low population density - like steppe peoples, Africans, and the natives of Yodderick. Moreover, when these empires chose to attack a country, they could commit all of their resources to it, because there were no internal stresses. If they had to fight on more than one front, or if their country were fractured in any way, it seemed that they might be defeated after all. They might not be all-powerful, like they had claimed. After centuries of a powerful reputation, might countries only believe in their power based on the past and not the present. Srivijaya just lost Europe in less than two months!

Srivijaya immediately appealed to the Byzantine Empire, asking for use of its military bases so that it could attack back at Spanish possessions from nearby. However, the Byzantine Empire declined. Not originally wanting to have anything to do with the war, it instead closed its airspace to all military aircraft. Ostensibly claiming neutrality, this put Srivijaya at a great disadvantage, and so the Byzantine's rules were regularly flouted. Vijayan air fleets continued to scream overhead - even over Constantinople - on their way to Spanish Europe. At this time, Spain started appealing to Byzantia. Spanish ambassadors used the idea of a "Liberated Europe". Europe had been under control by outsiders for too long, and now it was time to claim it back for Europeans. Also, there was some underlying idea of the old Roman Empire, with its Eastern and Western parts. The Byzantine Empire was still the unconquered Eastern Empire, while Spain suggested that it had reunited the Western Roman Empire. According to them, a new classical era of cooperation between the Two Romes - between the Latins and the Greeks - would dawn as soon as the Asians were run out of the continent. Since the most-accepted Pope of the most-accepted Catholic Church was Spanish (remember, after the Srivijayan conquering of Italy, there was a papal crisis), Spain also put forward the hope of reunion of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The Spanish government was, for the most part, in charge of the Catholic Church, and most patriotic Catholics would agree to any changes the Spanish government initiated - including the end of the Great Schism, even if the Pope (who was by now only as powerful as the Spanish let him be) was downgraded. These ideas were incredibly appealing to the Byzantine Empire, but the government was still initially reticent to join the Spanish cause and expose itself to all-out war.

In May, the Vijayan military destroyed an oil pipeline feeding Spainish Europe, as well as two oil tankers on their way to Spain. Over 100 Byzantines were killed in these attacks. The Srivijayans claimed that any aid to the enemy would be taken as a declaration of war. The Byzantines tried to protest that they were actually trading with the Asian powers more than with Spain. They said that they would continue trade with any and all countries, unperturbed. Trade was especially important now, as the world had entered a major recession. Two months later, in July, another Byzantine oil tanker was torpedoed by a Vijayan submarine, and talks broke down. On July 18th, the Byzantine Empire entered the war, opening fire on any Srivijayan aircraft, and starting a march into SV Arabia.

The Srivijayans were shocked that things had broken down this fast. Now, their recently discovered oil fields like the behemoth "Ghawar", as well as the oil infrastructure, were at risk. Ghawar was the largest field discovered in the world, and Srivijaya relied on it to fuel the war effort - although more local oil was sufficient to run the country under most situations. An attempt was made to mend relations with the Greeks, but it was not to be. Now, the Greeks were at the door of Ras Tanura.

Battle of Ras Tanura

The Battle of Ras Tanura would turn into a huge fight, spanning land, air, and water. This engagement would also be the largest engagement between battleships up until this point in history, and would be one of the largest in history. All together, the Byzantines had 16 Juggernaut battleships (including 4 "Sophia class" vessels with a 55,000 tonne displacement and 9x400mm guns), while the Srivijayans had 12 (including 6 "Harapan class" vessels with a 50,000 tonne displacement and 9x400mm guns). They also had 10 battlecruisers each, and scores of smaller vessels. Aircraft carriers didn't play much of a role, since air force bases of both powers were within striking distance of each other - the Srivijayan base being at Ras Tanura, and the Byzantine base located in Kuwait city.

The battle began with Byzantine warships moving into SV Arabian waters. The first hit was when the BZ submarine "Eustatius" fired two torpedoes at the SV battleship Jawa, sinking it. Around the same time, an air power assault by the Byzantines took place, trying to bomb the Srivijayan airfields before the planes could get into the air. However, the Srivijayans had prepared for this, and were able to get many of the planes in the air before the runway was destroyed. The Srivijayans had built smaller airports that could be used for further refueling and landing, and as they were farther behind the front, it would be harder for the Byzantines to reach them. Clouds of black smoke appeared in the air, as the anti-aircraft batteries, on land, and at sea, opened up on the attackers. BZ Dive bombers fell upon the SV battleships, as the BZ battleships sped towards the SV line. Blasts from lines of 400mm canons struck through both lines, as tracers gleamed overhead, up towards the heavens, as dawn came. Throughout the day, there was massive carnage, much of which was caught on film. The battle encompassed air-to-air dogfighting, surface to surface tank, battleship, and infantry attacks, submarine underwater warfare, with of course these parts coming together with devastating ferocity. Heroes were made in the battle. At the end of the day, 4 Byzantine and 5 Juggernaut Srivijayan battleships had been sunk. Srivijaya was reeling, but not yet ready to give up.

A second day dawned. One main SV objective was to prevent the BZ ships from assuming a "shore bombardment" role. They needed to keep the BZ ships busy, or hopefully sink them, so that the fortifications and troops on land would be safe from the big guns - which were also the most accurate guns so far in history. They also wanted to take out the BZ landing craft, which shuttled troops to the coast near Ras Tanura, opening up other fronts. Another bloody day fell upon the Persian Gulf coast.

Although it seemed that the Greeks were unstoppable, they themselves knew that they would either have to win the battle (and war) quickly or ultimately lose. The Greeks had some major disadvantages. Firstly, the force sent to the Persian Gulf battle represented more than 1/3rd of their naval force, whereas they were fighting against less than 1/9th of the complete Srivijayan naval force. This made Srivijaya's forces around three times the size, although it was scattered around the globe. Also, Srivijaya was merely protecting a colony, whereas the Byzantine Empire was fighting much closer to home.

One of the greatest naval battles took place on the third day of battle, when a previous undetected BZ battleship battle group led by the "Pera" appeared in the northwestern Indian Ocean, heading for the Persian Gulf, in order to surprise the SV navy and inflict heavy damages. It was found by a SV battleship battle group led by the "Bengkulu". Before the Pera was able to reach the Persian Gulf, it was intercepted by the Bengkulu. The fight was long and hard. The constant booming of the 400mm cannons on both sides deafened the crews of the capital ships. In the end, the Pera was the one to burn. Still with its sights on the Bengkulu, the fires reached the magazines and the great battleship burst in half, with plumes of fire screaming in all directions and churned, and a shockwave of white water growing outward, culminating with a rain of metal shards tearing the ocean surface, on their way to the ocean bottom. It was a grand sight, instantly killing 2,000 souls. The Bengkulu group, heavily damaged, could not give chase to the fleeing destroyers and light cruisers, which headed back to Stinboli/Constantinople for repairs, or to meet up with other ships. The potential disaster was averted. However, the Bengkulu - suffering substantial hull damage - had to head back to the Penang Drydock. It would, however, continue its illustrious career after repairs.

Eventually, after six days of fighting, the Srivijayans still had to pull back, and the Greeks took Ras Tanura. It was a major defeat, and one of a string of stinging losses, but the "Pera - Bengkulu" battle gave the Srivijayans something to be proud of, and some hope in these desperate times.

On the Home Front - Reunification

A major problem during the early battles of the war was that there was not one Srivijaya, but two...and a Bugis state. On July 29th, this came to an end, as a truce was made between the powers, and a decision of at least temporary reunification was reached. All of the powers agreed to cooperate and become one government again, and then after the war, to have a referendum to decide how or if the nation would be split. Also, democracy (with universal suffrage) was agreed upon as the next step of government after the war. Each group would be a political party, and others could form. This satisfied the people of the country, and they rejoiced that the civil war was over, and now all available might could be directed towards the fight in Europe. Of course, there were some that outspokenly criticized attempts to exercise dominion over Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, as after all, the subjects in those regions were not about to get voting rights, and would in essence continue to be second-class citizens under the Nusantarans (Austronesians). However, these critics were swept aside and public opinion rightly wanted vengeance against Spain and the Byzantine Empire.

Battle of Ghawar

The Battle of Ghawar was a continuation of the battle of Ras Tanura. However, this one was land- and air-based, as it wasn't on the coast. After two weeks of heavy resistance, the Srivijayans retreated, as the back-up promised hadn't arrived and there was no way to hold them off for longer. An order was given to set the oil fields on fire, and this was done, sending huge plumes of smoke sullying the air and turning the battlefield into a postcard picture of Hell. After Ghawar, the whole Arabian peninsula soon fell.

China and Japan in 1853

China and Japan in 1853 had a "wait and see" attitude. They wanted to see what would happen to Srivijaya, and whether the Spanish and Byzantines would be content with what they'd won. The reunification of Srivijaya was proof to its cohorts that it was still a nation to be reckoned with. With the end of the civil war, China and Japan were more likely to help the struggling superpower. However, this help wouldn't come yet. The other Asian powers still hesitated to stick their noses where they didn't belong and provoke some sort of backlash that was better avoided. As long as none of their territory was attacked, they would stay out of the war. That was their thinking of the time.

La Reconquista Definitiva Commences - The Muslim Ghettos

Back in Spain, in September, a new law was instituted, which expulsed all Muslims from Europe. This was the begining of "La Reconquista Final" or "La Reconquista Definitiva" (The Final Reconquest). By November, a series of cities acting as concentration camps were established. These cities included Kairouan, and Rabat - by far, the largest two. Marrakech was eyed as a concentration camp city, but was rejected, as it was by now mostly Christian Berber, while Kairouan and Rabat were still majority Muslim. Christians in these cities were evacuated out, as Muslims filed in. Muslims all throughout the Spanish holdings were given a year's notice to move (the deadline being November 1854), or face death or incarceration. These concentration camp cities were officially labeled "Muslim Autonomous Zones", but were anything but. Spanish troops surrounded the camps and allowed no one to leave. Still, the Muslims were treated well, for the time being, and when the international press heard of this, they were invited (on a guided tour) to see some of the better sections of the towns. Most left without major misgivings, besides the general unfair requirement to move whole minority populations.

1854: The Mini-Pushback
By the dawn of 1854, the Byzantines had secured all of the Arabian Peninsula, and had even crossed over into the Horn of Africa and were in control of parts of Somalia. The Srivijayans had been pushed back to more more southern reaches. The Serengeti was still under Srivijayan control. However, through the year, as new carriers and battleships were put to sea, and as Srivijaya mended from its civil war, its power began to grow. Also, the recruiting and training efforts in Africa were paying off. Many Africans volunteered to defend what they had come to see as their homeland, while there was also forced recruitment through a new draft. These forces - again, composed mostly of Africans - were able to hold the frontline.

In February, there was a major landing of troops in Somalia, and they fought bravely to push the frontline back to the Red Sea. These soldiers came from many places, with 57% being Africans, 31% Nusantarans (Austronesians), 6% displaced Arabians, 4% displaced Europeans, 1% Gurun Selatanese (Australians), and 1% others. The navy offshore commenced heavy bombardment at the same time coastal towns were taken. Finally, there was a reprieve for the ailing superpower.

As the year dragged on, the Srivijayans made more gains and by July, they had retaken all of Africa. The Greeks were now on the defensive, and tried as hard as they could to flex their military might. They also appealed to the Spanish to open another front by pushing down into Sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, the border between Spain and Srivijaya was cut through the desert, and nobody so far had managed to get across to attack the other side. Of course, the easiest routes were all mined at this point, and reconnaissance planes on both sides were sent to look for any troop movements of the enemy. The battle was hardly lost for the Byzantines, however, as they had heavily fortified Arabia by mid-1854, and new classes of warships and models of planes were being cranked out of factories at the fastest pace since the war began.

For a while, it seemed that the war war nearing an end. The fighting started to taper off during the year, and both sides became more defensive. The aggressors were heavily fortifying their gains, and the defenders were creating new fortifications along the changed borders. The Chinese and Japanese, not in the war yet, decided to spend more on defense, just in case the war started to escalate again and poured over into their empires as well. In 1855, that's exactly what happened.

Genocide
Uncontested since it took Srivijayan possessions, Spain saw peace throughout most of 1854. In secret, it had plans for something big - the first nuclear weapon. The dictator, Alfonso Lopez wasn't happy with what he'd gained. On top of that, most in the government believed that as Srivijaya strengthened again, it would attack Spain with a vengeance. The Byzantine Empire bought the Spanish time, but they were sure that without a super-weapon, there was a good chance of defeat down the road. To make Spain the preeminent power in the world, huge sums of money were dedicated to the pursuit of "la bomba". In February, the waiting was over, and the scientists had in their hands the first prototype. It was a fission device, packing the equivalent of 12 kilotons of TNT. It was named "Trinidad" in order to pay homage to Christianity and its final conquest over Islam, which had once invaded the homeland. The second prototype, "Maria", came one month later. Now, it was time to see what they could do.

The Muslim ghettoes of Kairouan (the holiest city to Muslims) and Rabat were now teeming with people. The rules forcing them to leave continental Europe and settle in these towns had gotten them this far. Of course, nearly half of the Muslims of Europe had been secretly scuttled away to live with families in the conquered European countries. In fact, in most of these countries, like Aragon and Tolosa, there was no record of what religion people belonged to, and by this time, the Muslims were so integrated into their societies, that it was hard to tell who was or wasn't a Muslim, aside from seeing who attended the mosques. (Most lists of worshippers of a Mosque were destroyed.) Even so, over the past year, the North African Muslim towns had swelled to unprecedented levels, with now more than a million people each. Guards usually took positions around the perimeters of the cities, but on Easter Sunday, they were gone. An order had come from the top to withdraw back out into the desert, though nobody on the ground in Africa knew why. Their orders were to shoot at anyone who tried to leave the cities.

Then, near simultaneously, bombers released "Trinidad" and "Maria" over the two cities, and in the blink of an eye, hundreds of thousands of people were dead, with hundreds of thousands more on their way. The survivors who were still able to run tried to flee into the desert, but most were shot down. One of the Spanish troop leaders outside Kairouan, after seeing the grotesque spectacle that had befallen the populace, disobeyed orders and ordered his troops to stand by and let people escape. However, by the end of the day, it was apparent that the majority had been killed. These tests were not publicized, but over the next few weeks, the Asian powers started hearing reports of this terrible genocide. The Byzantines, too, received a number of Muslim refugees. Spain's secret was gradually becoming common knowledge, and no doubt, the other powers would know what had produced these bombs and would be working on their own soon, if they weren't in the middle of it already.

Attack on Guilian
Thankfully, Spain's newest fleet of aircraft carriers and escorts was headed to the Caribbean with another nuclear warhead. It would attack Seaton (OTL Fort-de-France, Martinique), the capital and largest city of the Guilian Islands (瓌恋群岛; OTL Lesser Antilles), China's second-most important base in the Taino (OTL Caribbean) Sea, and the point in which China's power projection ability in to the Atlantic could be cut off. At the moment, the static Chinese ships were sitting ducks.

Spanish bombers took off from aircraft carriers and dropped their devastating payload over the anchored warships stationed on the bay abutting the City of Seaton. The Chinese hadn't been expecting anything. Spain had not declared war on them, and the Chinese, like the other nations, were still ignorant regarding "Trinidad" and "Maria". They were taken by surprise. However, after the first wave (which sank two carriers and multiple destroyers), the second and third waves were far less successful, as the glowing embers of tracer bullets lit up the sky and penetrated into the dense clouds of warplanes. After all was said and done, however, The Chinese had lost the two aforementioned carriers and multiple destroyers, as well as two cruisers and a two battleships. The defense of Chinese Yodderick had been cut to shreds, and now the whole Taino Sea unprotected. Immediately after the attacks commenced, the Chinese radioed the Japanese a warning, and asked for Japan to declare war on Spain. Japan was put on alert, but the higher-ups wanted more evidence that the Spanish were trying to encroach on their colonies before ultimately deciding what to do.

The Spanish had brought one nuclear warhead with them into the Taino area but had not deemed it necessary to use it. The only other nuclear warhead they had was back in Spain, to be used as an emergency defense tool if something went wrong. It was difficult, expensive, and time-consuming to produce nuclear warheads, so they couldn't be used willy-nilly. They had to be conserved.

The attack on Seaton was not an outlier. It was the start of an invasion, and the invasion commenced shortly after the bombing. More waves of planes, now half the numbers they started with, pounded installations and took on what was left of the Chinese Navy of Guilian. Some of the Spanish battleships and destroyers defended the carriers from Chinese planes, while the rest were set after the struggling Chinese fleet. Landing boats hit the shore of Seaton Island and troops disembarked. There would be a ground war, too. Seaton was to be taken.

The battle was fierce. However, without backup forthcoming, there was little hope for a Chinese victory. The Chinese vessels in other ports (such as in South Yodderick and the northern Taino Sea) were set out to sea, but only to patrol nearby waters, for fear of an attack elsewhere. Only a small fleet was sent to help Seaton Island. Within three days of fighting the towns of Marine Parade, Somerset, and Alexandra were taken.

Shan Dun Tuo (珊顿托), the governor of Seaton, as well as the colonial administrator of Chinese Guilian, Yeo Teck Swee (杨德瑞), called on the Chinese Colonial Authority to either give them enough troops to fight, or to order a surrender. There was no way to win, and to fight further would just end in unnecessary bloodshed. However, China's leaders knew that a surrender would not play well back at home, and that there was something glorious about fighting to the last man. Thus, they ordered the army to stand their ground.

The Spanish soon had full air superiority over the island and had taken over a major airfield. Then, little by little over the next few days, Seaton fell. The rest of Guilian followed soon after, as Seaton was the main fort. The army retreated. Shan Dun Tuo and Yeo Teck Swee were taken as captives, along with many others. The Spanish had taken Guilian. Now, the Chinese were virtually defenseless on the American mainland. To keep Chinese reinforcements from arriving, a large bomber was equipped with an atomic bomb and took off from Toa Payoh (大巴窑) airfield.

The detonation of the atomic bomb had the Trans-Yodderick Canal as ground zero. The first atomic bomb in the new world had gone off, and this would hault all passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans for the most part. The only way through now was around the chilly cape of South Yodderick. Thankfully, thought the Chinese, they still had control of that. It was nowhere near safe, however.

Japan, throughout all this, remained neutral. Some Japanese officials secretly met with the Srivijayan and Chinese governments and promised that if they could come up with an atomic bomb themselves, then the Japanese would join the alliance. However, it would not put its empire and itself at risk by poking a stick at the venomous snake that was Spain.

Over the next few months, Spain beefed up its defenses in Seaton, and around the out-of-use Trans-Yodderick Canal. In Seaton, a campaign of fear began. It started up slowly. At first, the Spanish paraded the Chinese officials in front of the Europeans. The Chinese were made to sweep the streets and polish the shoes of the Spanish. It was quite a reversal. Although the Chinese administration was fair enough, most Europeans had never seen Chinese doing hard work - indeed working for Europeans. At first, a small percentage of Europeans thought that liberation had come, and Europe would now become a dominant power. Most, however, were saddened by the reversal and thought of the spectacle as extremely degrading to the generally nice Chinese who ruled over them. They had also heard of the atomic bombings in North Africa, though they hadn't learned the full extent of the genocide committed. Most had also heard that an atomic bomb was used against the Chinese, though newspapers had ceased to be published anymore until the propaganda machine could start up. To those doubters of Spanish cruelty, the coming months were eye-openers. To the Spanish, there was no favoritism towards the Europeans of their new domain. In fact, many of the Europeans had relatives who lived in the conquered European lands and had been helping the fight against Spain by means of money contributions. Also, the majority of the residents of Seaton were Cathars while the Spanish were generally Catholics. The Cathar population of Europe and the world was much larger than the Muslim population, so a complete holocaust wasn't an option, but they were fiercely persecuted and prominent members of Cathar society were beaten until they claimed to be converted or they were killed. Seaton descended into horror as heads on pikes of "the enemies of Europe" started appearing all over. Those few who at first thought they had been liberated by Spain soon found out that they were instead in Hell.

Further Extensions of the Spanish Empire
Spain seemed unstoppable in late 1855. In November, days after it atomically bombed the Trans-Yodderick canal, Spain announced its intentions to take control of France and put forward a deal with Japan to lease the Netherlands for the duration of the war. Spain also signaled its intentions to invade Ireland and promised to give it to Japan at the end of the war. It supposedly just needed these lands as strategic bases from which to defend itself against aggression. Nevertheless, it was no secret that once dominant in the world, Spain would be able to do whatever it wanted, and Japan was under no illusions that it would ever (re)gain these territories. Still, after its show of force in Central Yodderick, the Japanese were in no position to resist. For their apparent friendship, the Japanese government was accepted as an associate partner in the Spanish Coalition (that is, Spain and its colonies). Behind closed doors, though, the Japanese continued to meet with Spain's enemies. It secretly yearned to destroy Spain for making it lose face in the world, and among its previous subjects. (Some of Japan's Dutch subjects fled to England and Japanese Yodderick, but were unable to gain passage to Japan proper.)

Over in Central and Southern Yodderick, the Chinese were having no luck. The government of China was preparing to defend the mainland, and it wasn't sending any reinforcements over to the New World. These actions, plus the fact that large armies were possible targets for atomic weapons, as well as the sparsity of settlement in many regions, let the Spanish take Chinese areas with relative ease. By 1866, Spain was thought to be firmly in charge.