[b][center]UNITED DEMOCRATIC CHANGXA[/center][/b] January 10, 1910 Cheers were erupting outside. A woman had accused her neighbor of supporting the royalty during the war. An investigation was undertaken, a trial held, and the sentencing held in public. The verdict was out - the man was guilty of siding with the royalty during the war. Not only that, he had been an aristocrat and inherited vast sums of wealth. The sentence was obvious - death. In tears, the man was hauled by armed soldiers into a carriage amid the cheering, laughter, and of a crowd of hundreds - the fate of this noble had been sealed. No doubt such spectacles would continue for some time; the war was over but their nation would not recover for many more years. These thoughts idly passed through her head as she glanced out of the window. She was in the government area of the capital, Han'ji. She had been called on by her superior and was on her way to his office. She felt pride in her job, working for the party and the people. Her uniform was a black jacket and trousers with a black visor cap and a red party badge to complete the look. The jacket she wore buttoned up to a smart-looking collar. She passed by multiple similarly dressed men and women in the hallway and greeted them all. Everyone had their hands full, but nobody complained. After all, the burden of building their nation was shared by everyone - it couldn't be called anything but fair. She stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall. She knocked on it twice and then stood back. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a man in his late forties. He had a commanding air about him, but he wasn't intimidating or imposing. He was like a kind father and smiled as he welcomed her, [i]"Come in, Comrade Feng."[/i] She greeted him and followed him inside, [i]"Good morning, Chairman."[/i] They took their seats at either end of a simplistic desk. The room was neatly organized but there were few decorations to be seen. The only light in the room came from the window, although a candle sat at his desk unlit. [i]"Chairman Lan, what can I do for you today?"[/i] She was eager to help out the Chairman whom she looked up to more than her actual parents. The Chairman leaned back, [i]"I've heard reports - there seems to be turmoil among the Monarchies."[/i] She nodded, reading off of a notebook, [i]"The prince of Rotteburg has been shot and killed in the Tsuljin Khanate." [/i] The Great Helmsman sighed and paused, taking a sip of water. [i]"And the consequences?" [/i] She looked back at her notebook, reading off of it, [i]"Yes, well, our scouts report that there is talk of war with Uruk, our imperialist neighbor." [/i] The chairman sighed once more, gazing out the window that overlooked the capital of their nation. Over the rooftops, the red flags of the revolution waved triumphantly still. [i]"We are still building our nation, we cannot afford war. We must conceal our strength and bide our time. With this said, we would be fools to ignore our imperialist neighbor. What progress has been made on our border with Uruk?" [/i] Feng, his ever reliable assistant, nodded and spoke by memory alone, [i]"Our border guard along Uruk numbers 32,000, made up of 3 divisions. Fixed artillery batteries of ten guns between 120mm and 155mm are assigned to each regiment, mortars of 60mm size are assigned at company level, and our machine-guns number 600. We have built watchtowers at 1km intervals. Our railroads connect much of our military garrisons to the border. I estimate that in the first days of hostilities, we could mobilize up to 5 more divisions, and 10 more within a week. The rest of our borders are similarly defended, but to our west the railroads are still under construction."[/i] She paused, looking at the chairman for confirmation. He nodded, [i]"And our rail-guns?" [/i] She flipped through her notes once more, [i]"A howitzer of 270mm is undergoing trials, a howitzer of 380mm is being developed. Our engineers say the latter will be ready within two years." [/i] [i]"Have the 270mm ready by the end of the month. I want 10 produced and ready by the end of the year. And what of our air-craft?"[/i] She nodded, taking notes. She looked up from her book, adjusting her cap, [i]"Our engineers say that the air-craft will be ready soon. The engine is powerful enough to push the vehicle to 126kph for 3 hours. When pilots are equipped with grenades, they can hit 10 square meter ground targets with 25% accuracy at 100m altitude. We have built 5 craft thus far." [/i] The chairman nodded, pleased, [i]"Good. Well then, we must tell the soldiers to prepare themselves. Send word out, we must build more bunkers, higher watchtowers, and sturdier railroads." [/i] She took notes, and then put her book down. The two looked out the window at the sprawling capital that had been built by the workers, for the workers. She took a sip of water, a feeling of apprehension coming over her at what was to come. This nation was proof to her that the workers and peasants needed no kings, emperors, or bosses. She wanted to protect this socialist nation, she wanted to protect the people who looked to the party for leadership, she wanted to see a world without masters. For this, she would dedicate her life. As she finally stood to take her leave, she said, [i]"Chairman, we will follow your heroic leadership forever."[/i] He smiled, [i]"You have devoted the best years of your life to building the party, nobody is more of a hero than you are." [/i] She smiled, saluting her Chairman, [i]"Thank you, Chairman!"[/i]