Jingtai Emperor should move more soldier-farmers into occupied territory to have them farm and occupy territory if the navy is not up to scratch. This could potentially shorten the supply line, help suppress guerrillas and allow Li Rusong’s main forces to engage the coalition army instead of garrison occupied territories.They need not fight like the Japanese did, considering China’s superior resources and land border with Korea. They have ample of advantages compared to the Japanese.
That’s a good idea and a really good way to secure the frontier. But’s that a long-term fix and the Chinese are focused firstly on Liaodong.
For the name of the Pacific, you could have it named after the gold and silver galleons that cross it or reference to its vast apparent emptiness.
For maximum irony maybe a major typhoon rips through the area, maybe during the Spanish Armada's attack, and it gets named for the massive and powerful storms that cross it. The Tempest, Typhon, or Zeus Ocean certainly has a ring to it, or maybe even the Kamikaze Ocean.
The seapowers that cross first and most often have the best chance to put a name on the charts. Which power is that and we can speculate from there.
The Andrean ocean or the Niketan ocean. It has a temper... like king David's dad (yes that Andreas) had and the first Europeans to reach it TTL were probably the conquest of Mexico and Peru.
On a personal level, I like the ‘Polynesian Ocean’ as a tribute to the ancient seafarers; they deserve it. But the Polynesians weren’t the best publicists so I’m not sure how that would work out ITTL. Alternatively, I like the idea of a name that references its huge size, like the World Ocean or the Ultimate Ocean.
Nice to see Kalomeros get some action, I hope he rises through the ranks again. He will really see the world in his life, books about him should be a fun read.
Sounds like abother good opportunity for Kalomeros to make a name for himself, let’s say the Romans and Spanish are roughly even after the Armada arrives, it’s the reinforcements from the Korean front that turns the tide!
He’s certainly having a far-flung career. And he is rising up.
"Considering the Roman-Spanish battles off Java..."
"The Romans go so far as to threaten to withdraw their naval forces. Their fourth-raters are wasted here but are needed in Java."
Looks like the Armada made it with enough ships/crew intact to cause some damage after all.
Great update!
There’s a friction between writing a history as opposed to writing a story. In history certain threads may appear that seem significant in the moment, but then dead end without going anywhere. But that’s sloppy storytelling. I did the ‘seems a big deal, then gets yanked away suddenly because history rolls that way’ with Andreas III, which is still recent (in TL chronology, less so update schedule) so I wasn’t planning on doing it again soon.
Looks like we may be getting Chinese (North) Korea and a Japanese dominated (South) Korea. No doubt this Will be the first of many conflicts between the Chinese and Japanese empires.
I’m far from sure exactly how the dynamics will play out, but East Asia with the Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese, as well as the Russians which will be there in force within the next century, will certainly be interesting.
Great update as expected B444
I love the hints at what is happening elsewhere.
I won't deny that I'm a little surprised that the Romans aren't able to provide some expertise in terms of logistical support (although I suppose they may be more naval-focused in this theatre). Here's hoping that the more aggressive naval action will allow the armies to focus on a northern campaign supplied by the sea, it'd be a great result if Korea ends up a major naval threat at the end of this war. Particularly if a certain Admiral can fortify Lushan. It might make up for a loss of territory, but being able to strangle Chinese logistics from there would be a silver lining to the war that is happening right now.
The number of Romans compared to the number of Japanese and Koreans is ludicrously tiny. There’s literally a thousand Koreans for every one Roman involved in the conflict. The Romans seem more prominent, but a lot of that is due to the focus and interest of the writer (me) and the readers. (An important factor to consider when analyzing any historical text.)
Furthermore the Romans here are all navy people, so they wouldn’t be much help in organizing a wagon train anyway.
Oh I don't think anyone was questioning THAT. Merely the widsom of the act or what will happen if Demetrios decides to react in the Mediterranean instead. Or for that matter what will be left of Spanish trade when Greek privateers go after it like locusts with the White Palace's blessings.
The issue with reacting in the Mediterranean is that it is a massive escalation. The Spanish are sending an unprecedented force for a colonial dispute, but they send ships east every year. Attacking Spain in the Mediterranean turns this from ‘unusually big colonial dispute’ to ‘all out war’. And since Rhomania would legally be the aggressor, Arles and the Bernese League are treaty-bound to join on Spain’s side, and Spain+Arles have a slightly higher number of battle-line ships than Rhomania does. Rhomania could still win, but it wouldn’t be pretty or easy, and the real beneficiaries of such a war would be Henri II and Ibrahim.
When that happens, we'll all be ready if you decide to dip your toes into Science Fiction and start the much-awaited for Rhomaion in Space TL.
The Pacific was first discovered and given an entirely different name by the Spanish. But, the Portuguese name stuck after they completed the first circumnavigation of the globe. I imagine it will be the same ITTL because of the prestige associated with the achievement. As of 1593, no one had circumnavigated the world yet. Will TTL's Magellan be Roman instead? (Maybe Kalomeros if he gets homesick?)
What's the Roman delegations' actions be if the Korean army manages to secure the peninsula? Since they can't raid the Chinese coast, will they leave for Java?
Unfortunately my pre-existing sci-fi universe would be hard to adapt to Space Romans, considering humans aren’t even in it.
Roman delegation’s actions are mainly tied in to what the Japanese do, as supporting the Japanese is why they’re there in the first place. (Don’t want to go into more specifics because it comes up in the next update.)
The next update of
Not the End: The Empire under the Laskarid Dynasty has been posted on Patreon for Megas Kyr patrons. Theodoros II and Michael Palaiologos show down for the pivotal battle of Kios, the climax of the Nobles’ Revolt. If you want a much more developed rewrite of the early low-quality stages of the TL, please check it out. For comparison,
Not the End is already longer than the original TL section that covered the 1221-1400 period.
Thank you again for your support.