u/BestIffy

R5: One of the most unlikely contendors out of the Chinese thunderdome was that of Shen Hongying, a bandit and folk hero backed by the Zhili of the north. He took the reins of Lu Yuguang's south chinese fiefdom during the SSJW and consolidated rule over not only it but also all of Manchuria and Korea after the fighting had ended. Once it was complete, Shen's army unveiled properly mechanised divisions which proved crucial in crushing their once-overlords in the Zhili of the North. China became united to a degree, but Shen's ailing health became an issue. Two groups, Zhu Jiahua and the Jingxing Society and the tenuous alliance of Li Yaohan and Shen Rongguang rose to the occasion after Marshal Shen's death, with the latter coming to power. His consolidation absorbed the remnants of German companies, industry, and assistance from abroad combined with all the grace and fervour of the 'last of the romans' of old generals. Democracy set aside for the time being.. perhaps there is still hope for this China held together by military force and pragmatism...

R5: Dominating the world, economically, diplomatically, and militarily, is the 'crowned republic' the Social Democratic German Empire. From its auspices as a world power slowly being snuffed out by revolutions across the world, Germany deployed itself across nation by nation, rescuing falling powers and even saving big players such as Spain, the USA, and the Ottoman Empire. With this newfound might, Germany sent its armies across the world, defeating its enemies in the 2nd Weltkrieg, destroying the Japanese and Indian menaces, and promising an era of rebuilding towards a moderate, social democratic cause. This was ingrained by the election of Theodor Haubach and his deputy, Fritz Naphtali, and the guarantor of several decades of Social Democratic rule to come. Many decry the SPD for its foundations of what may become a lasting party-state, but seeing how the left and right tried to tear Germany, and the world apart, it is no wonder as to why the only sane, and just government survived.

R5: Hail to the Master of the East Continent! Tang Jiyao's Federalist Government rose above the rest, banishing regionalist warlords in Liangguang and Sichuan and the no-good red menace in the former league before teaming up with the Zhili to oust Japan. Out of nowhere, Tang's forces stormed the mainland and by land, sea, and air.. the Zhili were surrounded. With his successes, China was united.. but the rowdy CDL gathered around personalities like Wen Yiduo were proving to be a stab in the back for the Liangist ideal. As such, elections were.. favouring Tang Jiyao's faction greatly, and his opponents were sent into the ground. Federalist Democracy on a national level may have ended but.. perhaps this is testament to fulfilling Liang Qichao's wish greater than any other statesman could possibly have...

R5: Borah came out of the catastrophic mess of America left behind by Al Smith after the democrats fell and supported the Republicans' bid for power. Borah came in swinging and established a fair deal with the Longists and Deep South, leaving only the WCA left to combat. Within a year, they too had fallen and after agreements were made with Canada, the first phase of American Reconstruction was complete. Borah's passing came as no surprise, but as Roosevelt took power, America's juggernaut was complete and rolled over the Internationale. Long's bid for power, promised by Borah, had fallen through by his untimely death... and then the assassination of Long caused the whole Longist system to fall apart. New democratic representative, Herbert Hoover, did little to circumvent the Democrat's second greatest loss in the last decade. The army under MacArthur fought through Spain, France, Britain, and India. Once that was through, he rolled through Japan and China and also helped put down socialist insurrections in the Americas. Though by 1944, Roosevelt loses his bid for power to Scott Lucas, America has endured radicalism from the left and right and.. the world is safe from the dangers of extremism.

R5: A difficult run that has been alluding me for years, ever since achievements were added to KR patches ago, unifying China as Feng Yuxiang. A difficult run was set aside for Feng Yuxiang as he stood up against the zhili menace but.. their alliance with most of china made things difficult. With Fengtian, Shanxi assisted in Qing's destruction but as the League absorbed zhili remnants, the two former enemies united to fight Japan. On Japan's defeat, the two former allies and enemies engaged in a conflict known as the Chinese Civil War, costing millions of lives. Fortunately, at the end, the League Marshal and Sellout, Qi Xieyuan fell, and in rose Feng Yuxiang.

The National Revolution was completed but due to pressure from the right, and due to the KMT's failings in securing support due to the fall of the Internationale, moderate and progressive forces prevailed. Backed by the likes of Hu Shih and Zhang Junmai, the Independent Republicans and FCDP laid a great influence into the new state. Japan fell and Taiwan was reclaimed, despite much of greater China remaining out of the grasp of Feng, truly.. a new era of prosperity can be declared..

R5: While Sun Fo has his own path to power in Liangguang, there still exists a place for him as a path within Song Qingling's overall path arch. China beat Japan with stacks of irregular divisions under the expert planning of evolved insurgency tactics, but the imperialists in Russia sought to protect their gains in Tibet and Mongolia. Mobilising the entire army under Li Zongren, an elite corps under Deng Yanda equipped divisions with mechanised and tanks and wiped through the north, and now all of China is united. Distinct from the broad support of the Third Internationale, China's Socialism with Liberal flair under Sun Yat-Sen's initial direction is not only a complex liberation but one true and pure as opposed to that of western decadence.

R5: A grueling game as Maximalist-SR Socialist Russia but undergoing the failstate caused by gaining 50 suspicion. Due to this, our political power gain was kneecapped, industry was kneecapped, and we lack a post war tree. Despite this, by channeling the spirit of the workers' and peasants' army, and creating a strong base of 32w irregulars and guards and tanks divisions, this shoddy state managed to barely cross the finish line. Kamkov and Karelin now sit atop their new socialist bloc with a desire to.. focus on peace and rebuilding, though our comrades across the aisle seem to be doing less than spectacular against the exiles.

R5: Properly corrected in the last major patch, Canada now gets the option to, upon leaving the entente alliance and reinforcing Canadian nationalism, elect the Social Credit Party led by Prime Minister John Horne Blackmore. I'm sure Canada is on the road to an excellent future...

R5: Like much of south china, Hunan's content is much better than it was years before, even if it still lacks post unification content. Cheng Qian triumphed in elections in Hunan and took to war against Yunnan and Liangguang, succeeding against both with the sheer wit of Hunanese high command, and with fresh stockpiles deployed a massive force to face off against Japan. Alongside the Zhili, the KMT won out and soon the two powers came head to head. It was a scary sight at first, just above 120 divs vs the Zhili 200, but with superior strategy and tactical wit, the Second Northern Expedition was won. Cheng Qian solidified the country and moved to reclaim the periphery, including a 3rd Sino Japanese War which ended in the Japanese Empire's total dissolution. Though some lands remain out of reach.. it's safe to say that the KMT revolution is here to stay for decades to come...

R5: Finished up a Federalist Run as Liangguang, and this is specifically the path where the DSP is elected in both elections. A fun run but I'll still rate the Federalists below the Regionalists and KMT due to the... unfortunate debuff of having to hold 'elections' for half of its paths.

R5: A wild ride for Titov's Russia, having escaped the Savinkov dictatorship and.. centered stage in Russia, the RDP won the elections despite the Anti-Communist Ban not having been repealed. Titov stood atop an unorthodox alliance, allying with Maklakov's Kadets to secure the middle class and intellectual vote, as the RDP shores up the urban sector.. it originally left the rural populace to the opposition. Yet, as the socialists showed their hands, the workers rallied towards Titov's RDP and soon enough the rurals were wooed by attracting Spiridinova's PLSR to the mix via Gergard Zeller's efforts.

The 2nd Weltkrieg came and went in months and Russia went on to rebuild itself, autonomies were spread across the federation as interestingly the devoted liberal-social democrat Titov decided to accept the demands from Shylapnikov and the VSRP, adding them to the coalition. The government now stretches wide, from the far left to the moderate center right.. a coalition that will hopefully stand the test of time. In its wake, Russia moved to secure India, the Middle East, and Japan. securing agreements with China and even signing the Tilsit Pact with the Internationale to secure world peace. Russia stands not only as a hegemon, but a ray of hope upon the world.. against corrupt autocrats, socialist revolutionaries, and conservative titans alike...

R5: The Princely Federation came out of the Indian Civil war swinging, an all-irregular army with the spirit of Maharaja Shivaji and expert use of terrain and mass mobilisation, the country rallied behind Osman's rule and eventually formed the Indian Empire. Yet, as things settled, Osman's reliance on Qasim Razvi and the Razakars proved to be their undoing, they attempted to harness the Razakars as a puppet to ensure Muslim Supremacy as a means to intimidate opponents but.. Razvi ushered in a Palace Coup and took control of the government. From here, the Empire moved to radically reclaim Indian lands, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Xinjiang, Afghanistan all fell.

Then, India stood side by side with China to invade Japan, invading the home isles to dethrone the Showa Emperor. Now, standing as one of the sole major powers in all of Asia, has to contend with Russian expansionism and Chinese revanchism.. after all, their seizure of Tibet, Xinjiang, and Taiwan won't go unnoticed...

R5: Yunnan's sole leftist path is a culmination of the designs of Zhang Bojun and Zhu De, a perfect fusion of the civilian visionary alongside the Premier-Marshal, creates a China backed by strong democratic socialist ideals and a military to protect it. It all began after Yunnan seized Liangguang and submitted to the Central Government. Its army built up and prepared to fight Japan until it came swinging and knocked China down to its core. From there, Yunnan held out and the West in the Entente and Moscow Accord swung deep and turned the tides of war.

As the dust settled, many assumed it would be Wang Jingwei to take stand and unite China, but Zhang Bojun in response to the Fujian Rebellion, overturned the Chairman and declared himself the new leader of a united China. From here, the frontier was suppressed though deals with Russia kept Mongolia as a small border state. Controversy arose as Zhang Bojun signed a deal to exchange the Aksai Chin and Tawang states to India in return for the creation of a Sino-Indian Bloc. As the world shifts into a massive 3rd Weltkrieg, China and India stand side by side as the beacon of democratic socialist hope to nurture the war-torn world...

R5: Probably the greatest path of the KMT options in Liangguang next to Hu Hanmin, brings the true secondary protagonist of the South China update: Liangguang. Taking power after the calamitous fall of Hu Hanmin, and usurping power from the jaws of the NGD and WHC, Li Zongren's New Guangxi Clique strived to restore China through reconstructing Guangxi and reviving China. Under the auspices of Bai Chongxi developing the 'Guangxi Style' of fighting throughout china and delineating provinces to form districts for militia recruitment, the army represented a mix of regulars, special forces, and the militia backbone of the Russian Army.

Li's Republic encompasses some from the center and right but his Stratocratic-Democratic rule is neither and either or depending on who you ask, what is certain is his rule has created a dominant hegemony within China. China has reincorporated the frontier, outer manchuria, sakhalin, taiwan, and even ryukyu, and its influence extends towards the former Russian Empire becoming subordinate to China. Li Zongren now stands as the top dog among other great powers rebuilding from the Second Weltkrieg, will his 'Chinese Wehrstaat' stand the test of time...?

R5: A run simply done to see the new Mohammed Mosaddegh portrait excellently made. Iran needs little introductions, its content is not the newest and it lost claims and cores in the past patches but it can still be fun. The Middle East's new hegemon defeated the ottomans and then sent the egyptians packing to reclaim the trucial states and iraq, and then the mighty powerbloc aligned with Germany. The 2wk was brutal and Iran suffered many losses, but due to tactical brilliance by Marshal Reza Khan, Iran won out and gained foothold over a massive vassal in central asia.

The post war years were rough and though Iran managed to extend influence into Anatolia and Afghanistan, 1946 begins with yet a new government. Originally Hasan Taqizadeh rose out of the Constitutional Revolution dominant but the Liberals challenged them, these Liberals rode out the 2nd Weltkrieg leading to a calmer pick in the Reform Party under Qavam, yet as the state was stabilised he brought more war under Iran's wing. As 1946 rolls through, Mosaddegh adopts the wing-spread Iranian Republic, it might now be vast and diverse but surely this republic will last...

R5: Having not played Japan since well before 1.6, and knowingly not doing so having played Japan a ton and its lack of new content making replays not so enjoyable, playing Japan in the latest patch has been a joy but Japan still feels like the easy conqueror of the far east. The collapse of the Seiyukai in dominance and agreement to a National Unity Government behind it, Minseito, and Kokumin Domei led to, unsurprisingly, the entrenchment of KD in post-unity politics. With finally a stable government in hand of Japan, its navy, airforce, and army were expanded to great lengths and Fengtian was aided in exchange for an alliance - remaining quite loyal to Japan.

Japan invaded south the next few years, GEA and its rich resources fueled the next invasion of Indonesia, and then rescuing India and inviting them as a 'partner' after challenging its massive economy to subvert it beneath Japan's own. Even Hawaii was wrestled out of the 3rd Internationale's grasp. Japan looks on to a world dominated by several blocs: the remnants of the Entente in Africa, the Third Internationale struggling to hold onto their posts in several continents, and Savinkov's growing weariness under the Solidarist's Holy League... in all due respects, Japan's hold seems to be the greatest but can it last...

R5: Cemented as peak content in China lays one path off the wayside, and with the expansion of south china in 1.6, even more flavour for Hu Zongnan and his CRS. What started as one of the foremost powers in China following the Zhili collapse, the Nanjing Government managed to oust Japan and even invading it after a brutal 3 year long conflict. Yet what arose out of the KMT Civil War was Sun Fo conceding to Hu Zongnan. Many expected him to embrace the revolution and dedicate the CRS to a so-called National Regeneration of China, but none expected him to be so reasonable. Generals were pardoned and even the Young Marshal of the Northeast was made a Marshal of the new China. Aligned with many across the spectrum, Hu Zongnan especially recognizes the subservience of the WPC by Chen Cheng and BSS by Teng Jie, and many have been given prominent positions in the new liberation army. From here, China looks onto a world bound by eternal division and rigid imperial debauchery, but as China did once, it will prosper again with xenophobic isolation backed by its own military might...

R5: Harkening back to the days the Northeastern Flag Replacement was simply in Kaiserreich, now with the new update, simply claim the Young Marshal for yourself!

R5: Despite the last Ottoman update having been for the Kemalists in the OHF path, the OHF-aligned AH Fevzi Cakmak path also received the same tree and mechanics and as it's one of the lesser played paths for the Ottoman empire, which also received several more focuses for maintaining the dictatorship, I decided to play it. Compared to Kemal, there is less reforms and more militarising of the state so stability remained paramount. With a large expansion of the army, Fevzi managed to trounce the Cairo Pact and its allies within a year.

The next 3 years were a brutal exchange between extracting factories and resources from Egypt and Sudan, managing centralisation of the empire, and fortifying the three main fronts in the north: Caucasus, Iranian, and Balkan. Germany fell within years of the 2nd Weltkrieg starting and right as the Ottomans were finishing up reforms and building a massive wall to the north, the Russian Union declared war. Despite it all, the Empire and its allies will defend the Middle East from foreign incursions.. perhaps even weakening the Russian Bear to the point that opportunistic factions from across the world might be able to also challenge its might..

R5: A simple game as Sweden, through the lens of a successful Per Albin Hansson cabinet. Gosta Bagge collapsed in 1936 and welcomed in what might have been revolution as Hansson collaborated with Kilbom's SSV and things were heating up. Yet Hansson reassured the country, that radicals from the SSV were expelled and they would pursue a reformist stance. This cabinet reformed the country and military, establishing Folkhemmet but controversially maintaining Statare for the expansion of military industry.

The brutal 2WK lasted about 2 years and in it, Sweden was able to defeat socialist Norway and Hansson won the 1940 elections on a unity cabinet ticket. This cabinet which still endures into 1944 combines the marginalised center and right in Folkpartiet and Hogern, bound with tape and prayers to the natural allies of SAP, the SSV and Bondeforbundet. The end of the war brought back the return of Sweden-Norway, though in a new United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway form. From here, the SAP dominance continues, how could the right reform itself to survive in this new reality...