Chapter Summaries

Louis used his Habsburg connections to arrange a fair partnership with the Shanxi Merchants for supplying the Russian Army, while he remained worried about moving enough provisions to the front. After learning that transport airships might help, he decided to propose selling retired ones to Russia.

• Louis relied on his imperial status to reassure the Shanxi Merchants that Russian payments and official protection could be secured.
• Chairman Wang outlined a buyout option and a joint trading firm whose shares would match each partner’s investment, and the merchants welcomed the terms.
• Louis struggled with the scale of supplying hundreds of thousands of Russian troops and doubted the Far Eastern Empire’s roads could support the required deliveries.
• Interpreter Li suggested buying nearby livestock for food and using transport airships to move supplies, prompting Louis to send a telegram proposing an airship deal.
• Louis recognized that airships would be costly and vulnerable once Japan responded, but he still saw a chance to sell Russia retired vessels from the Holy Roman Empire.

The Russian government considered buying retired Holy Roman Empire transport airships to ease its supply crisis, while the British government struggled to revive industry and counter the Holy Roman Empire’s growing strength. The chapter ended with British officials debating whether to provoke a naval war before their position deteriorated further.

• The Tsarist Government considered smuggling and retired Holy Roman Empire transport airships to make up for the Siberian Railway’s limited capacity.
• Franz doubted optimistic estimates of the railway’s annual cargo capacity, judging that poor weather and weak organization would prevent Russia from supplying its army adequately.
• Prime Minister Campbell’s plan to consolidate British industry met resistance from the public, capitalists, and conglomerates, prompting the Ministry of Industry to prepare a backup plan.
• Azevedo argued that Britain should give up on industrial integration, while Asquith noted that concentrated steel and coal resources and imported materials offered some short-term relief.
• Marcus Katzel urged Britain to strike first and cripple the Holy Roman Empire Navy, but Swinding warned that the enemy fleet was protected in the Mediterranean.
• Marcus insisted Britain should find a way to lure the Holy Roman Empire Navy out, despite the wider military risks facing Britain.

The British Government considered striking the Holy Roman Empire before its new warships became combat-ready, but first needed Parliament to approve wartime preparations. Meanwhile, Russian airships eased supply problems in the Far East, worsening Japan’s position, and Japan’s leaders argued over how to respond as smuggling caravans proved too powerful to suppress.

• Campbell concluded that Britain might need to strike first and submitted a proposal to Parliament on June 1, 1904, to establish a strategic materials security system.
• Russian transport airships reached the Far East and eased the Russian Army’s logistics, allowing it to hold isolated positions and launch effective counterattacks against Japan.
• Emperor Meiji rebuked Japan’s military leaders over their setbacks and demanded a plan for defeating Russia as its logistical problems eased.
• Yamagata Aritomo proposed using the Imperial Navy to pressure the Far Eastern Empire to stop supplying Russia, but Inoue Kaoru and Hirobumi Ito warned that this could push it into an alliance with Russia.
• Yamagata Aritomo explained that heavily armed smuggling caravans, backed by local strongmen and warned of Japanese operations in advance, had resisted attempts by the Imperial Japanese Army to suppress them.

As Britain and the Holy Roman Empire edged toward war, Franz weighed the diplomatic and military stakes and prepared to use negotiations to buy time for warship construction. The Netherlands led efforts to mediate, while Franz instructed the Foreign Ministry to present the Empire as peace-seeking and place responsibility for any war on Britain.

• The chapter described how the growing Anglo-Austrian rivalry forced European countries, especially the Netherlands, the Nordic Federation, and Portugal, to consider which side to support.
• Franz explained that the Holy Roman Empire would need to lure the British Navy into a decisive battle and planned to rely on numerical superiority to win.
• Foreign Minister Leo reported that countries opposed a war and that the Dutch had contacted Belgium, Spain, and the Nordic Federation to organize diplomatic mediation.
• Franz ordered the Foreign Ministry to allow mediation and offer peace if Britain maintained the status quo, while using any promises of restraint to buy time for warship construction.
• Leo agreed to begin official contact and ensure Britain would be blamed for starting the war.

Prime Minister Campbell faced a public leak about Britain's planned war with the Holy Roman Empire and convened an emergency cabinet meeting to manage the political fallout. With European allies unlikely and a surprise attack no longer possible, the government planned to strike the Holy Roman Empire's overseas fleets as soon as war began.

• Campbell told reporters that Britain had no plans to start a war but would not fear one, then realized the leaked news had made a surprise attack impossible.
• At an emergency cabinet meeting, Foreign Secretary Adam argued that the leak could help Britain build support by portraying the Holy Roman Empire as a threat, though he feared the enemy would now be prepared.
• Chancellor of the Exchequer Asquith warned that Britain could not count on Russia, Spain, or other European countries to oppose the Holy Roman Empire alongside it.
• Campbell asked for the Admiralty's strategy, and Naval Secretary Swinding proposed striking the Austrian South Seas Fleet and Central American Fleet at the start of the war.
• Swinding argued that eliminating those fast overseas squadrons would protect British trade routes from attacks on merchant ships.

As Britain and the Holy Roman Empire moved toward war, Nicholas II worried that the conflict would cut off Russian supplies to the Far Eastern front. He ordered urgent stockpiling through the Far Eastern Empire and considered a request to increase aircraft purchases, while remaining trapped between dependence on Austria and fear of its growing power.

• European anti-war protests and market shifts failed to stop Britain and the Holy Roman Empire from preparing for war.
• Nicholas II feared that British naval action would disrupt the sea routes carrying supplies to Russian forces fighting Japan.
• Nicholas II ordered the Foreign Ministry to expedite existing orders and increase purchases from Holy Roman Empire military factories so a year's worth of strategic materials could reach the Far East.
• Mikhailovich warned that concentrating supplies in the Far Eastern Empire risked provoking trouble, but Nicholas II ordered the supplies sent there and entrusted to the Austrians.
• Nicholas II acknowledged Russia's dependence on the Holy Roman Empire despite hoping it would lose its struggle for hegemony.
• Yevgeny reported increased enemy air patrols and asked for expanded aircraft procurement to secure air superiority in the Far East.

Nicholas II’s government agreed to buy 400 second-hand fighters from the Holy Roman Empire to protect Russia’s airship transports and seize air superiority. With Europe pressuring Russia to lead a neutral bloc as Britain and the Holy Roman Empire moved toward war, Nicholas left the response to the Foreign Ministry and urged it to secure benefits while Russia still could.

• Yevgeny presented a plan to purchase 400 second-hand fighters, citing the urgent need for air superiority and the trained Russian aircrews in the Holy Roman Empire.
• Nicholas II approved the fighter purchase despite his concern that Russia had become too dependent on the Holy Roman Empire.
• Mikhailovich reported that eleven countries had asked Russia to lead efforts to maintain neutrality, but the Foreign Ministry had not responded.
• Nicholas II told the Foreign Ministry to handle the diplomatic situation as it saw fit and to seek greater benefits for the Empire.

As the Tsarist Government sided with the Holy Roman Empire, Britain’s efforts to build a neutral bloc faltered, and Prime Minister Campbell prepared for the possibility of war. Franz ordered disguised aircraft carriers, battleships, and submarines prepared for action, while London reviewed its alliances before receiving urgent news from Africa.

• Spain weighed leading the neutrality movement but doubted it could become a genuine European power bloc because many participants were insincere or aligned with the Holy Roman Empire.
• Franz ordered six vacant slips used to build super battleships, arranged for disguised aircraft carriers to deliver supplies to the colonies, and authorized submarine formations to depart.
• Friedrich questioned the value of the unconventional naval preparations, and Franz said they might help strike British trade routes if the Holy Roman Empire lost a decisive battle.
• After learning that the Tsarist Government had sided with the Holy Roman Empire, Campbell warned his cabinet that the neutrality movement would collapse and asked which countries would support Britain in a war.
• Adam reported that Britain had secret agreements with eight countries and had contacted Spain, Russia, the Netherlands, and the Nordic Federation, but had failed to win them over.
• A telephone call interrupted Campbell’s cabinet meeting with news that something had happened in Africa.

A cattle dispute between Viscount Aguirre and a British farmer escalated into fighting between the British Army and a coalition of Holy Roman Empire nobles in South Africa. Franz ordered strategic mobilization and wartime preparations as the Vienna Government shifted blame to Britain and prepared for a wider war.

• Viscount Aguirre raided Jorge's farm after negotiations over his dead cow failed, then fought British troops who identified him during his retreat.
• British forces attacked Aguirre's territory, and neighboring nobles sent troops to defeat them before forming a coalition army of more than ten thousand men and marching toward the Cape of Good Hope.
• Prime Minister Chandler blamed Britain for escalating the conflict, while the noble coalition claimed it was defending its territory against an invasion.
• Army Minister Feslav and Air Force Minister Conrad urged a forceful response, while Navy Minister Castagni said the navy would raid British trade routes until its new warships were ready.
• Franz ordered first-level strategic mobilization for the navy and air force, second-level tactical mobilization for the army, diplomatic and propaganda measures against Britain, evacuations, tighter strategic exports, wartime economic preparations, and colonial readiness.

As war between the Holy Roman Empire and Britain approached, panic spread through the Netherlands and its government faced an ultimatum from Vienna. Queen Wilhelmina and her ministers concluded that the country had to abandon neutrality and choose a side before the Nordic Federation did.

• War in South Africa and the threat of a North Sea blockade triggered a market crash and panic buying in Amsterdam, prompting the Netherlands Government to limit purchases of daily necessities.
• Portugal joined the Holy Roman Empire's camp after Spain did, increasing pressure on the Netherlands and leaving it among the last continental European countries yet to declare its position.
• Queen Wilhelmina received a telegram reporting that the Vienna Government had suspended commercial relations and issued the Netherlands a final ultimatum.
• Prime Minister Christie said the Netherlands had little time to choose, while Interior Minister Anwen-Henricks argued that neutrality had failed and the Holy Roman Empire could invade the country.
• Foreign Minister Van Toff urged the Netherlands to declare its position before the Nordic Federation and proposed strengthening coastal defenses against a possible British landing.

The Nordic Federation faced pressure to join the Vienna Government’s side, while Britain learned that nearly every country in continental Europe had joined an Anti-British Alliance. The British Cabinet debated blame and strategy, and Campbell revealed that the King had rejected flaws in its battle plan, especially its lack of a strike against the Holy Roman Empire’s core.

• The Nordic Federation weighed the Vienna Government’s ultimatum, with Denmark’s vulnerability and the threat from the Holy Roman Empire pushing it toward a choice.
• Britain learned that European countries had abandoned neutrality and joined the Anti-British Alliance after conflict broke out in South Africa.
• Adam accused the European countries of deceiving Britain and called for retaliation, while Campbell warned him to prepare for parliament’s questioning.
• Asquith urged the Cabinet to focus on winning the war and steadying its allies or striking first.
• Campbell said he had submitted a battle-plan outline to the King, who was dissatisfied because it lacked a plan to strike the Holy Roman Empire’s core.

The European countries abandoned their unreliable Neutral Alliance and joined the Anti-British Alliance, while Britain’s pro-war faction lost momentum amid parliamentary infighting. Franz, impatient that Britain still had not declared war, ordered an anti-British conference in Vienna to push the crisis forward.

• The European governments discovered that Russia, Spain, and the Netherlands would not lead a Neutral Alliance, and the countries began choosing sides instead.
• The Russian Empire chose the Holy Roman Empire first, prompting other countries to follow and join the Anti-British Alliance.
• Franz asked Friedrich whether Britain had declared war, and Friedrich reported that Parliament was still arguing and that a brawl had injured three members.
• Franz noted that fighting was already expanding on the African battlefield despite being labeled a civilian conflict.
• Franz ordered the governments of every European country to be invited to Vienna next month for an anti-British conference.

Admiral Michel considered how Britain could counter the Holy Roman Empire’s growing naval strength as war approached. At the Suez Canal, spies caused two oil tankers to crash into a lock, sinking one and bringing canal traffic to a halt.

• Britain’s position in the South Seas weakened as the Netherlands and other powers aligned with the Holy Roman Empire, and London ordered Admiral Michel to seek a chance to surprise the South Seas Fleet.
• Michel studied a map and considered ways to break the naval deadlock, including blocking the Suez Canal.
• Owen waited as canal staff searched his ship’s cargo and ballast stones during heightened security inspections.
• After someone shouted that spies were escaping, two oil tankers sped toward the canal entrance while the canal garrison tried to stop them.
• One tanker was intercepted, but the other rammed a lock and sank, spilling crude oil and forcing canal traffic to stop.

As tensions over the Suez Canal attack spread, Franz explained how the investigation could help build support for war against Britain, while Prince William and the South Seas Fleet considered how to counter the British Far East Fleet. The South Seas command settled on preparing a surprise attack for after the Air Force’s larger bombing plan, leaving the fleet’s ambitions on hold.

• The Vienna Government vowed to pursue those behind the Suez Canal attack as fighting between the two sides spread across several regions.
• Franz told Friedrich that the Suez investigation would help unite European opinion against Britain and that monarchs should distance themselves from covert actions.
• Prince William and Admiral Arest discussed the South Seas Fleet’s failure to lure the British into an ambush and the risks of relying on untested carrier tactics.
• Arest proposed using carrier forces for a surprise attack on Cam Ranh Bay after the Air Force carried out the Cattle Hunt Plan.
• William praised the proposal, and the South Seas command agreed to prepare the attack for the moment the Air Force had acted.

Britain struggled to coordinate its uneasy allies and find a way to strike the Holy Roman Empire as war approached. Franz approved an edited version of the investigation report and scheduled the declaration of war for December 27th, after Christmas.

• Campbell asked Swinding whether the Royal Navy had found an opportunity to attack, and Swinding explained that the enemy fleets were too dispersed or protected in port for a decisive strike.
• Asquith urged a decisive naval battle, while Adam reported that Britain still had to resolve disputes over joint command and the division of postwar spoils.
• Franz reviewed the investigation report, ordered its detailed evidence trimmed and made more ambiguous, and directed officials to publish it with demands and an ultimatum after Christmas.
• Chandler asked whether the Pope should choose an auspicious date for war, and Franz set the declaration of war for December 27th.

Franz’s advance announcement of the war declaration asserted imperial control over religion, while European expatriates fled Britain and Russia struggled with military logistics and strategy. After Christmas, the canal investigation blamed Britain, and the Vienna Government issued an ultimatum demanding the culprits and compensation, leaving war on the verge of breaking out.

• Franz used the planned war declaration date to signal that the Church had to follow the Emperor’s authority.
• Rudolf and his son Andeli joined the crowds of expatriates leaving London because they feared discrimination and wartime famine.
• The Siberian Railway opened, but a train accident exposed compatibility problems and intensified Russian concerns about supplying its forces.
• Nicholas II faced prolonged disputes over whether Russia should advance east against Japan or coordinate with the Holy Roman Empire to move south toward India.
• The canal attack investigation publicly blamed the British Government, and the Vienna Government demanded that Britain hand over the culprits and pay 28 million Divine Shields within twenty-four hours.
• The Continental Alliance nations also demanded compensation, while Britain refused to surrender anyone or pay.

Britain declared war on the Holy Roman Empire on December 26, forcing Franz to prepare his own public address and prompting newspapers to revise their reports. At the South Seas Fleet headquarters, Admiral Arest and his officers planned to secure the Strait of Malacca and disrupt British supply routes rather than risk an immediate attack on the heavily defended Cam Ranh Bay.

• Edward VII issued a nationwide mobilization order and declared war on the Holy Roman Empire on December 26, while Franz continued drafting an address to the British people.
• Steve informed Lauren-Cromwell and the South Seas Daily staff that Britain had declared war ahead of schedule, and Lauren ordered the newspaper layout revised.
• Admiral Arest reviewed the Royal Navy Far East Fleet’s air defenses at Cam Ranh Bay and warned that an attack could cost the Empire scarce carrier aircraft.
• Chief of Staff Ebert Gubostela urged the fleet to focus on disrupting British supplies and blocking the Strait of Malacca rather than seeking an immediate decisive battle.
• Rear Admiral Davidson backed the plan to seize Singapore and begin a campaign against British shipping, hoping to force the British Far East Fleet to fight on the Empire’s terms.

As war began, King Carlos sought stronger air defenses for France and protection from British retaliation, but the Vienna Government rejected his requests and talks with Britain looked bleak. Meanwhile, Malvin Antonio Chavez redirected the Holy Roman Air Force’s first major bombing effort toward Liverpool and Aberdeen because London’s smog made operations too dangerous and inaccurate.

• Carlos asked Foreign Minister Pietro whether the Vienna Government had agreed to increase France’s air-defense firepower, and Pietro reported another rejection.
• Carlos heard that the Vienna Government would rely on Allied protection and that communications with Britain offered little hope of keeping French soil safe.
• On December 29, 1904, Malvin Antonio Chavez reviewed weather reports showing clear conditions near Calais but heavy fog over London.
• Malvin Antonio Chavez announced that the Holy Roman Air Force would target Liverpool and Aberdeen first, limiting the London attack to symbolic bombing because of poor visibility.

The Holy Roman Air Force launched a surprise air raid on Liverpool and London, catching British defenses unprepared and causing destruction across both cities. As British fighters finally arrived over London, Colonel James's Third Air Regiment was nearly wiped out, and the chapter ended with more friendly aircraft approaching the battle.

• Dockworkers Tom and John discussed how war with the European countries could raise prices and reduce work at Liverpool's docks.
• The Holy Roman Air Force bombed Liverpool, and Major General Winston ordered the Royal Navy to leave the harbor.
• The air raid also struck London, where Prime Minister Campbell demanded that the British Air Force intercept the attackers.
• Air Minister Attilio explained that London's fog had forced British aircraft to operate from nearby cities, delaying their response.
• Colonel James led the Third Air Regiment into an enemy ambush over London, where his fighters were overwhelmed and nearly destroyed.
• As more British aircraft appeared on the horizon, Colonel James expected them to suffer the same fate.

The Holy Roman Air Force’s attack devastated London and Liverpool while Britain struggled to coordinate its defenses. In Liverpool, Major General Winston took charge of the aftermath and counted severe military and civilian losses, while dockworker Tom left his badly injured friend John behind and went home.

• British aircraft arrived at London in separate waves, and the ongoing air battle inflicted heavy losses as Holy Roman fighters engaged them.
• Prime Minister Campbell learned Liverpool had also been raided and ordered its garrison to organize local defenses while he moved to establish a joint command system.
• Major General Winston became Liverpool’s acting commander, took responsibility for restoring order, and received a preliminary report listing heavy casualties, damaged warships, and destroyed shipyards.
• Major General Winston ordered the losses reported to London and asked whether Britain had an air-defense early-warning system.
• At the ruined docks, Tom found his workmate John trapped beneath cargo, hesitated, and hurried home without trying to rescue him.