[center][h1]Imperial Republic of Fuso

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[h2]Feb 4th, 1916[/h2]

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[h3][sub][i]Imperial Republican Fusan Army Ashigaru marching through the Imperial capital, Meiji[/i][/sub][/h3][/center]

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The outbreak of war was, strangely enough, a symbol of hope and celebration within the lands of the Fuso people. Long they desired some way to propel themselves on to the world stage that the Centranian nations had so long enjoyed. In the eyes of the Fusan people, they say themselves as the heralding representatives of not only Fuso, but the entirety of Faresia. Spurred on my years of nationalism and patriotism as well as a myriad number of reforms about industrializing and nationalizing previously western factories and companies.

Young men rushed to recruitment stations or weapon manufactories, young women waved their brothers and lovers goodbye or joined the "Entertainment and Support Corps", the elderly cheered the young soldiers on as those in between promised great meals for when the soldiers returned. Flags fluttered in the wind as new recruits marched in rough lines towards training camps and veteran soldier proudly marched through the streets of every Fusan town, their rifles and uniforms spotless as if they were fresh off the factory line (some of which were). The pounding of feet was only followed by the roars of engines. Across the nation, the Fusan industry awoke; trucks of metal and ore rushed to forges, cloth made its way to uniform factories, food ran from the fields to canneries. Jobs opened as men left for war, women rushing in to fill them.

There was little debate within the Imperial Senate of the question of war; a near unanimous voice spoke to the divine Emperor who in turn signed the papers, if not hesitatingly. Unlike many, the Emperor had his doubts about such a costly war, fearing for the worse as he looked to the Age of the Country at War that had happened hundreds of years ago. Sure that war was old and long gone, but there was lessons to be learned. How lords had torn the nation apart with their wars and how hundreds of thousands would die for meager victory. Emperor Shiatatsu Sho was different in this way, possibly owning to his rather [i]unique[/i] upbringing. Instead of being a direct heir, the original heir to the throne, Sho's distant relative, Shitatsu Tano, had saw something in the child related to him in some strange mess of a lineage. Tano had put Sho on to the otherwise un-royal boy on the throne and went off to become a senator under Sho. While it was clear that the Emperor had his doubts about entering such a war at first, it did not take long for senators to convince him to appear in state propaganda and give speeches in full military dress.

Hidden under all the zeal and nationalism however, was a problem that few had saw fit to mention. Despite having industrialized and modernized to some degree, Fuso was still backwards in comparison to the west. Many of the rifles they were using had been based on older models of western guns, often privately bought from factory owners with only a rudimentary understanding of ballistics. Swords and bows were still considered viable in some aspect of the army despite not being used in Centran for generations. Quite a few regiments still had traditional battle robes instead of modern uniforms, looking more akin to historical actors than true and tested soldiers. Most of the more modern weapons weren't even being domestically made and instead had been bought some years before, most notable of which were the Soroyan West Marker I heavy artillery gun and the Kalpian Ailshint L42 biplane.

The short comings did not stop at the water's edge however. Prior to the war, the Emperor had ordered a full update of the fleet, leaving the Imperial Republican Naval Command to work out the finer details. As such, the IRNC saw fit to scrap all of the aging ironclads and iron-plated steamships of the 1800's in order to make new ships. However, like many parts of the Fusan military, suffered from backwardness and unexplainable amounts of pure derp. Given that they were constructing new ships and that some of the IRNC still hadn't grasped the aspects of modern navies, it goes without saying that not only were the new Fusan ships long to construct, but had flaws which western ships had already overcame a generation ago. If size was nothing to go on, the IRNC hadn't even finished its ships when war broke out, forcing a hasty reshuffling of crews and command which had put the new Maru-Class armored cruiser, the [i]Kaiyo Maru[/i], as the pride and head of the imperial navy instead of the proposed Nihon-Class dreadnought, the [i]Fuso Shogun[/i]. To say that the small Imperial navy was unfit for a war against already well established navies of the west is an understatement of great proportions.

Despite all of their shortcomings, hidden or visible, Fuso had marched into a war with its chest out and chin up, expecting a quick and easy victory like many others. Instead of their glorious, victorious war however, they had entered a slog fest, a hell of bullets and hellfire and that was already leaving out the brutal occupation of their lands.

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Fusan women taking up factory jobs to support the war.

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Propaganda poster boasting of the might of the new Imperial Navy.
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