Economic Path of Constitutional Protection Government(Hu shih & Cai E)

Political Path of Hu shih

China!

Political Path of Cai E

Preparation for the Grand Presidential Election

Despite extensive efforts, Sichuan remains unsettled, yet the Grand Presidential election will proceed as scheduled. Cai E of the Progressive Party, Hu Shih of the Young China Party, and Wang Jingwei of the Kuomintang have stepped forward as candidates for the presidency. Only the one who sways the hearts of the populace shall earn the right to occupy the presidency. Yet, with the electorate conservatively estimated in the hundreds of millions, can this largest vote in history be carried out safely?

"Your merits in protecting the constitution shall endure forever. It has already been recognized by all the people." - Hu Shih

"What we strive to achieve is not merely victory, but the welfare of the five hundred million citizens of the Republic of China." - Cai E

"The earnest Jingwei bird cast stones into the sea with its beak, yet sorrow fills the vast waves stretching ten thousand leagues. Flying alone without weariness, even the gulls drifting along the tide felt ashamed." - Wang Jingwei

The first and second tree with new icon (re-upload)

The presidential election, the Sichuan famine, and the Zhang Lei incident... A series of overwhelming events is forging a massive crisis.

The presidential election, the Sichuan famine, and the Zhang Lei incident... A series of overwhelming events is forging a massive crisis.

Some might glance at the map of the Grand Monarchy of Manchuria-Mongolia and think it is just another version of Manchukuo, the historical Japanese puppet state. However, the reality within Weltreich is entirely different. Industrialization has not even begun, Japanese influence is confined strictly to the economy, and the emperor is Pujie rather than Puyi. This unique nation, unprecedented in the history of Hearts of Iron IV modding, was founded in 1916, marking the first year of the Datong era.

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1. History

Following the death of Yuan Shikai, the Second Northeast Turmoil sparked the Manchu-Mongolian independence movement across Manchuria. With active support from Japan, the Grand Monarchy of Manchuria-Mongolia was born.

This raises an intriguing question: Why has a unified, powerful Republic of China with no warlord era failed to subjugate these unindustrialized Manchurian regions by 1936?

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Paradoxically, it is because the Grand Monarchy of Manchuria-Mongolia was too weak to even pose a threat. The Republic of China in the Weltreich universe is powerful enough to force the Japanese cabinet to capitulate by immediately conducting naval maneuvers off the coast of Ryukyu and raising tariff barriers against Japan when Chinese citizens suffered in the Kanto Massacre. To such a powerful nation, an unindustrialized region like Manchuria was something they could crush at any moment.

Still, there appears to be no reason to leave it abandoned for twenty years. This is explained by a second factor: domestic political chaos within China. Two presidents resigned, one was assassinated, and one died suddenly. Throughout the interwar period, not a single president managed to fully complete their term. During this time, plans to pacify the Northeast were drawn up multiple times—especially during President Sun Yat-sen's term—but they consistently fell through due to political crises or the sudden death of the executive. The immediate political crisis at home always took priority over a remote Manchurian border that posed no threat.

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Now, let us move on to the next point of curiosity. Why did Pujie become the emperor instead of Puyi, who had already ruled the Great Qing Empire as emperor?

In the Weltreich universe, where the Zhang Xun restoration was never attempted, Puyi and Pujie were living quietly in the Forbidden City. After the founding of the Grand Monarchy of Manchuria-Mongolia, the elder statesmen planned to kidnap Puyi from the Forbidden City to enthrall him as emperor. However, due to the striking resemblance between the brothers, the kidnappers mistakenly abducted Pujie. Consequently, the elder statesmen crowned Pujie as a rival emperor to oppose Puyi of the small Qing court in the Forbidden City.

The politics of the Grand Monarchy of Manchuria-Mongolia were fundamentally dominated by the Council of Elders. Pujie was an emperor who had never been taught imperial statecraft and did not know how to rule. Therefore, although the emperor held absolute authority on paper, the Council of Elders practically ran the country. The Council is largely split into the Constitutional Faction and the Imperial Faction, and as of 1936, it is effectively run by the Constitutional Faction. While they might be mistaken for supporters of British-style constitutionalism, they actually advocate for Prussian-style constitutionalism. To those who revere traditional Chinese order and politics, British-style constitutionalism feels destructive and inherently subversive.

Amidst this firm rule of the Council of Elders, the Manchurian Faction, including Kanji Ishiwara, gradually infiltrated the country, primarily as military advisors. These men were unauthorized deserters acting on their own accord. They champion Pan-Asianism and Ishiwara's Final World War theory; they are merely Japanese by birth and have absolutely no connection to the political establishment in Tokyo. Therefore, their presence does not equate to official Japanese state influence.

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Their sudden rise to prominence began in December 1935. When the Northeast Army, which President Sun Yat-sen had formed to pacify Manchuria, faced disbandment after Sun's sudden death, Zhang Xueliang launched an unauthorized military expedition into Liaodong. The Manchuria-Mongolia military, which was incompetent to the point of near-collapse, suffered defeats even against Zhang Xueliang's bandit-like army. It was only under the supreme command of Kanji Ishiwara that they barely managed to hold the line in front of the capital, Mukden.

This success contributed significantly to expanding the influence of the Concordia Society, centered around Ishiwara, within the country. However, as mentioned before, it remained strictly confined to Ishiwara and his faction, meaning there was no alignment with Japan or any exercise of influence by Tokyo through them.

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2. Current Situation

The Grand Monarchy of Manchuria-Mongolia is an anachronistic state that has survived purely by luck. The nobility retains medieval-level privileges, the military is incompetent, and industrialization has not even broken ground.

However, both political pillars of the nation—the Council of Elders (Constitutional Faction) and the Concordia Society—have begun moving toward modernization and continental unification to achieve their respective goals. A showdown with the Republic of China is inevitable, and Japan is no friend either. The consensus within the political circles of the Grand Monarchy is that reform is absolutely vital to emerge victorious in all these struggles.

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3. National Paths

The political paths for the Grand Monarchy of Manchuria-Mongolia are split into two:

* Council of Elders: Led by Prime Minister Zheng Xiaoxu, this path aims for the complete restoration of the Great Qing Empire.

* Concordia Society: Led by Kanji Ishiwara, this path aims for the realization of Pan-Asianism and the Final World War.

Whichever path is taken, the nation will ultimately end up antagonizing both China and Japan.

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A unified democratic China in the World War II era without a warlord era—this is likely one of the rarest depictions of China you will ever see in the modding community. Currently, our WR team has completed about 70% of this China, and we expect it to be released within this year at the very latest.

With development making solid progress, we have decided to write a developer diary for China as part of our promotional efforts.

Originally, there were no specific plans for a China rework. A unique form of China like this was never even discussed. However, around the beginning of the France rework (as I recall), two additional modders joined the team, and China began taking a completely different path.

1. The Absence of the Warlord Era When Japan entered World War I on the grounds of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, Germany sent the Zimmermann Telegram to China, urging them to enter the war on the German side to protect Germany's eastern colonies and check Japanese expansion. As Chinese politicians openly discussed the contents of this telegram on the assembly floor, the attention of the global powers became hyper-focused on China.

Consequently, Yuan Shikai, the Provisional Great President at the time, suffered from intense overwork and stress. As his illness severely worsened in 1916, he rejected Yuan Keding's proposal to ascend the throne and resigned from the presidency. He passed away in June of the same year, bringing an end to the era of Yuan Shikai.

Without the Hongxian monarchy or the National Protection War, China progressed stably, and the fragmentation into regional warlords never occurred.

2. The Spring of Democracy

Following Yuan Shikai's death, Li Yuanhong, who served as the Acting Great President, responded to pro-democracy protests by drafting a formal constitution to replace the ambiguous Provisional Constitution. Once the 100-day Constituent Assembly completed its term, a nationwide general election and a subsequent presidential election were held, marking the birth of the Spring of Chinese Democracy.

3. The Current Situation

Since the democratization of China, the presidency has passed from Song Jiaoren to Acting President Liang Qichao, President Sun Yat-sen, Acting President Xu Shichang, President Cao Kun, and Acting President Yan Huiqing. While incomparably stable compared to our timeline, an inherently volatile political climate has maintained a precarious balance in China. (There is extensive lore regarding this, but since this post is not specifically about the lore, I will omit the details here.)

Today, Chinese politics is dominated by three major political parties: Hu Shih's Chinese Youth Party (Liberalism), Cai E's Progressive Party (Social Democracy), and Wang Jingwei's Nationalist Party (Three Principles of the People).

On top of this, the Nationalist Party (KMT) is riddled with numerous factions, largely split into the left-wing faction led by Wang Jingwei and Chiang Kai-shek, and the right-wing faction led by Hu Hanmin and Li Zongren. (In reality, the party should be viewed as fractured into more than a dozen distinct factions.)

The Nationalist Party has incorporated the completion of the National Revolution into its party platform, arguing that a true National Revolution has not yet been achieved in China. This remains one of the primary catalysts for their severe friction with other political parties.

4. Regarding the Paths

The following information will also be added to the in-game country description tab. China's political paths are broadly divided into the legitimate Constitutional Protection Government and the Nationalist Government.

- Constitutional Protection Government

* Hu Shih / Cai E / Wu Peifu (Hidden)

- Nationalist Government (Initially splits into Left and Right factions)

*KMT Left Wing: Wang Jingwei / Chiang Kai-shek

*KMT Right Wing: Hu Hanmin / Li Zongren

A single sun has risen under heaven. The Empire of Japan has collapsed, and the Central Plains have once again come under the complete rule of a state founded by the Manchu people. Someone is seeking to restore the glory of the Great Qing Empire, while another is preparing for the final world war. This new China will face a completely different destiny depending on who becomes its leader.

New Bookmark of Weltreich (Also compatibility patch has been completed!)

20th Century One Belt One Road by China

mod link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3273686663

discord link: https://discord.gg/aade5yn3ME

Manchuria-Mongolia have once again reclaimed the Mandate of Heaven. The lands north of the Yangtze have fallen back into Manchu hands, and Peking has been restored as our capital. However, the region south of the Yangtze remains an unrecovered territory, now occupied by a Japanese puppet government. It is said that there cannot be two suns under one heaven. Another monumental struggle awaits us to determine who shall be the true master of Asia.

mod link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3273686663

discord link: https://discord.gg/aade5yn3ME

Legacy of the Great Qing

Everything has a beginning and an end. When the Qing Dynasty collapsed due to the Xinhai riots of 1911, everyone thought that the end had come for this Empire. Yet, only five years since the collapse of the Empire. In 1916, in Manchuria, the Great Qing was reborn, bolstered by the Manchu-Mongol Independence Movement. This 'Grand Monarchy of Manchuria-Mongolia,' founded by Manchus, Mongols, and Continental Ronin, emerged, claiming itself as the successor state of the Great Qing.

However, an unrecognized state, diplomatic isolation, economic dependence on Japan, pre-modern bureaucracy and administrative systems. Far from conquering the continent again, the Manchu-Mongol state is in a situation where it is difficult even to protect its own life.

The last month of 1935. The Northeast Army, led by Zhang Xueliang, marched out without authorization and without the approval of the Republic of China, devastating Liaodong. We succeeded in stopping them, and it seems they will collapse before long, but still. They remain in Liaodong.

The new year of 1936 is rising. Will Manchuria-Mongolia be able to conquer the continent once again?

mod link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3273686663

discord link: https://discord.gg/aade5yn3ME

Italian Starting Situation Teaser

Italy has raced forward through twelve years of youth. Under the command of the Comandante and the guidance of the committees, it has pressed onward in the name of the Italian nation—and neither they nor Italy’s relentless drive will come to a halt!

mod link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3273686663

discord link: https://discord.gg/aade5yn3ME