World War I (Long live the Qing)

The Central Powers urged the Northern Chinese government to join them, as the Northern Chinese Army was in many regards superior to the Russian forces. A swift two-fronts war would eliminante the threat of Russia early one. Southern China, which emhnjtrality. Meanwhile, the Northern Chinese Navy made preparations to conquer Alaska, a remote Russian province (which was never sold to the US) and the Pacific Coast of Canada. There were also plans to attack Japan, as the Empire was an ally of Great Britain.

Indeed, the Russian Army, which was in a poor constitution, was an easy prey for the modern Qing Army. Russia was forced to capitulate in 1915, and the country fell into anarchy. Weapons were sent to Germany, Turkey and Austro-Hungary, while Chinese troops used the Trans-Siberian Railway to enter Europe. It was clear that France and Italy would lose this War, and Grand Marshal Yuan Shikai stated that "we are finally able to get some pieces of the African cake", referring to Italy's colonial possessions. Italy had to sign its total surrender in November 1916, while the French government had to flee to the UK. The Peace treaty of Berlin was a catastrophe: Italy had to cede Venice to Austria-Hungary, while the puppet government of France was threated harshly by Germany as well. But the surprising Anglo-Japanese counter-attack stunned the Qing staff. Troops fom the Commonwealth and Japan quickly advanced into Korea, Shandong and Manchuria. Desperate, the Qing had to withdraw their troops from Europe, as they were facing defeat and above all, insurgency. Though by 1916 the Central Powers had won the war in Europe, Britain was determined not to surrender, and things got even worse as relations with the US cooled. In a secret telegraph, the Empire of Great Qing offered the cssion of territories to the Later Ming in order to turn the tide of the war. Indeed, the secret Treaty of Suzhou allowed it for the Ming to claim all of British India and even naval hegemony in the Pacific. Southern China entered the war, and started by conquering the Japanese East Indies, while the Ming navy launched in invasion towards Japan.

Japan had to capitulate in February 1917, and Australia was overrun by a Sino-Chinese amphibious assault- yet nowbody knew that another imperial power would enter the Great War on the side of the Entente: The United States of America. Sunzi always said that Prolonged Warfare is to be avoided; his words weren't truer than in this case.