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Welcome once more to The Sword and the Sakura News!

Woohoo, it looks like I might yet fulfill my promise of daily articles. Atleast for a little while 😛

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Domestic News

Jeju
Yesterday I speculated as to whether the damage being thrown around in this battle was due to enemy action or Plato's missions. I have yet to find a satisfying answer, but considering how many major empires are losing resistance wars right now, it might have been a combination of the two. Regardless, it was an unexpectedly crazy battle and we have some Thank You's to give out.

~Thank you Drakantas!
He spent over seven hours in irc directing damage, gathering support, and giving out supplies (As well as fending off a stream of attempted scams).

~Thank you to our friends and allies, especially Chile and Spain!
Their citizens helped us secure the battlefield multiple times and dropped some impressive damage.


Politics
The political parties are concentrating on potential Country President candidates and the list has been fluctuating. They have to make sure to find candidates that can inspire confidence in the nation, be active, and have a strong cabinet team to back them up. Due to the fluid nature of the parties' support right now, any list I put up probably wouldn't be correct for long. So keep an eye on your party feed and don't feel shy about asking questions as to who your party supports.

Author's Opinion: I personally support Zodiarque for this month's Presidential Election and I know many of the people in our government do as well. He has been one of the most consistently active officials we have and has done more than anyone else to keep the forums and congress running smoothly. Here is his article declaring his candidacy and I shall note his Cabinet once the final list is confirmed.

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International News

War and politics continue to influence each other as the fallout of various alliance operations are being felt.


North America
Many citizens of both Mexico and the United States are celebrating. It was expected by military strategists the world over that invading TWO alliance powers would largely crush CoT defenses on the continent, but things are not quite going so smoothly. Attacks by Colombia into Mexico and Serbia into the U.S. are succeeding in direct battles, but resistance wars have cut off their rear lines and lowered their gains. If they are unable to keep conquered territories in the future, then any success in these wars will have little impact in the grand scheme of things. The biggest set back however, was the failed Romanian Airstrike mentioned in the last article. The political fallout is ongoing and will likely have longterm effects on Romania's place in TWO. Another spotlight segment on the botched invasion and its fallout shall follow further down the article.


South America
Argentina is whole once more. This means a heightened sense of danger for Chile, as now its former colonies get ready to invade. If it comes down to it, Chile may be forced to use its remaining holdings in Australia as a safe heaven against the resurgent Argentinians.

Up until the beginning of the alliance war, Brazil had been trying to be perceived as neutral. However, friction with TWO nations and friendships with CoT countries (Particularly in South America) are pushing it closer and closer to official involvement with CoT. Their MPPs say they are a CoT country, but it is currently unclear whether they will sign on or remain a satellite nation.


Asia/South Pacific
The uneasy quiet remains in this region, broken only by the occasional Resistance War. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is not likely to declare war on anyone in the near future. Their MPP damage is crucial for the largely European TWO alliance during their night hours. As such, TWO HQ is likely to want them focused on fighting for allied powers rather than handling its own wars.

China continues to adhere to its neutral policy. Their MPP stack still largely excludes CoT or TWO nations and they recently rejected an MPP proposed by the American President. Whether they already have their eye on one of the alliances or plan to follow a third path is up for speculation.


Europe
The effects of Plato's missions are being felt most strongly in this region. BH hunters and others seeking to complete their missions have added their damage to Resistance wars across the Hungarian and Serbian empires. Focusing on the defense of their supply lines, the two powers have been forced to allow Resistance wars in less vital regions to fall by the wayside. It might be a while before either nation is able to regain the lost territories as they remain preoccupied with invasions of Russia and the United States.

Austria has recently joined TWO. With its inclusion into the alliance, Hungary has been allowing Resistance Wars to return occupied regions to the nation. The TWO alliance now has almost full control of the European continent.

The Asgard alliance, consisting of Canada, Norway, Finland, and Sweden, appears to be siding with the larger CoT alliance in the war. They have begun signing MPPs with Russia and directing their fighters to its defense.


Spotlight On: Romania and its failed Invasion
The biggest TWO strategic defeat thus far is sending shockwaves through the alliance. Romanians feel betrayed by their TWO allies, with anger and resentment clear to see in many articles and discussions. In particular, the lack of assistance from Polish and Hungarian forces along with the Spanish fighting against them has caused the country to reevaluate its own position with the alliance. The entry of Romania into TWO had been based on the idea that old grudges could be put aside for the sake of creating a militarily dominant super alliance. Unfortunately for the Romanians, it seems that individual nations and citizens in TWO are not as forgiving as their Headquarters. TWO HQ has been sent scrambling to contain the political damage and rash of negative opinion on all sides. If they are unable to soothe the Romanians, they could lose the nation. The loss of Romania would likely not just end there though. TWO efforts in courting Greece and other former EDEN nations could be completely derailed if they are given the impression that they would not be welcome, regardless of any promises that TWO HQ gives them.

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War Reports

Key:
Lightning Bolts - Attacked regions
Arrows- Directions of travel for invading armies
Circled Region names: Resistance wars

It seems that the drawings went over pretty well and they certainly do liven up the article, so I'll continue using them 🙂


North America


Continuing their attempts to surround the American capital in Florida, Serbian force took Georgia and are now attacking Alabama. However, you will note that their entry point at North Carolina has been lost to an RW, and another one is raging in Georgia. If the Serbians are unable to put down the revolts, their strategy will be unusable, as it relies on holding all the regions around Florida.



In Mexico, Colombian forces are moving into the interior of the country. Just like their Serbian allies to the north however, they have lost their entry point to a resistance war. They are likely to turn around and try to recapture the region, both to reconnect their forces and to deny Mexico the Rubber resource there.


South America



After halting Colombia's advance at their border, Peruvian forces have regained the initiative and are attacking once more. This will divide Colombia's attention and force them to make some tough choices about whether they should concentrate on their gains in Mexico or defend their homeland.

Asia/South Pacific

There are no major battles or alliance activities going on at the moment. All alliance resources are focused on the battles in the Americas and Europe.



Europe



During the earlier Lithuanian assault against Russian holdings in Scandinavia, Germany declared war to try and help their CoT ally. Unfortunately Russia has been pushed out of the region and Germany now faces the continued British invasion as well as Lithuanian forces fresh from their Victory against the last Russian enclave in the area. The probability of Germany coming under full TWO occupation is very high at the moment.



As predicted, the Russian capital was forced into the isolated region of Central Black Earth after Russia's defeat in Scandinavia. Defying the odds however, Russia managed to halt Hungary's advance northward and is now pushing back south against their enemy. Latvia met with more success than its TWO ally, but with the Hungarians forced onto the defensive, Latvian forces are waiting before continuing into the Russian interior.


That's it for today's edition of The Sword and the Sakura News. Be sure to vote and subscribe for future articles on the happenings of the eWorld. Also, Don't forget to comment and leave your opinions or any corrections you feel should be made.

~William of Edenbury