The more things change, the more things stay the same. Such a notion seems constant in the mind of the Reich Marshal when she looks at the intelligence reports in her hands. Time has passed yet the world doesn't look any brighter than before. Wars are still shimmering in the oven, stymied only by the fading period of Months of Demons. The fight between superpowers is poised to resume when the last outbreak of Demons and Zombies is taken care of. No one wants an insecure backline when fighting a major battle, after all, save for Belka and the resilient Spanish Inquisition.
Nobody is sure how to handle Belka's enigmatic prowess though, with some of the Reich's opponents still claiming Belka is just all bark and no bite. They seem to have forgotten the events that Belka has participated in before reaching its current elevated status on the world stage, but it's beside the point. The world, still healing from the Cataclysm, is now one big set of dominos. When the time comes for the war between Belka, Ustio, and Erusea to resume, the Marshal does not doubt that it will kick off a series of events.
First will be the beginning of the Belkan-Rusviet war with Polania. The consequence of this will drag the entire Eastern Europe into the burning house screaming for Rusviet will seek to expand greedily. Then, while the whole of Europe is in flames one way or another, the Asian continent won't just sit still. The Japanese will be spurned into action, no doubt when the Western world is busy in a bar fight, to finally up their antagonistic attitude against their neighbors. Seeing that Imperial Japan is a combination of nationalism and fanatism due to how the Shinto Pantheon runs its business, its ambition is not small. Old feuds and new debts must be settled, a portion of the world must be carved to soothe the greed of the Imperial family while the Shinto Pantheon needs to see its divine symbols fly on all four corners of the globe. Try as she might, Amaterasu can't keep a tight grasp on her faction, seemingly united yet divided in visions. Already, the Reich Marshal has instilled seeds of trouble in the territories of Japan, fishing in muddied water. An example will be a seed of resistance against the so-called Honorary Japanese system implemented by Amaterasu's suggestion. It is so easily exploitable by the Reich Marshal that she can't help but pity her aunt.
Even Vill-V won't be able to see this coming with how she seems to be focusing on another one of her secret projects. This is something the Belkan Reich will need to learn more about, however.
...
Now that a not-dismissable amount of time has passed, things are shifting everywhere.
The Principality of Darscen, otherwise known as Belgium in an alternate timeline, has received another batch of reinforcements from the Kingdom of Erusea. Weakened as it may with many of its territories subsumed by Ustio and now Belka, the nation boasts its formidable fortresses holding key areas in the European lowlands. However, due to their beef with Ustio, Darscen only allows Erusea to station its Expeditionary Force on its soil as part of the Maginot Defense Line. The rest of the line is staffed by whatever Ustio has left and whatever the Eruseans could spare. Having accrued its number over the years, Ustio and Erusea boast an impressive Combined Army force, lending credence to the saying:
'Quantity has a quality of its own.'
Though many of the Ustian troops are lacking in some crucial departments, the Ustian Loyalist and Erusean top brasses are confident in the defense line. Their plans have been for Belka to expend its strength on Loyalist-held Maginot, thus leaving the Reich vulnerable to a counterattack by the better-equipped and better-trained Erusean Expeditionary Force in Darscen.
They never learn...
Polania is now under full damage control, with nothing much to say other than the fact that its Revolutionary Command Council is cracking down on any sign of dissentt. Citizens who possess or are caught tuning into Belkan propaganda broadcasts are treated as traitors to the state. Already, Polania is now in a total information blackout with its own propaganda machine trying its very best to counter whatever the Belkans and Rusviets keep throwing at the Polanian citizens. On a side note, Polania hasn't made any serious moves against its internal corruption despite outwardly promising to do so to its citizens and other nations.
This nation is a lost cause already.
Rusviet, as Belka's ally by circumstance, is now gearing up for another wave of internal purge. It seems that whatever they have learned from their official delegation to Berlin has spooked them. As of now, there are cases of politicians, officers, and engineers seeking political asylums or just straight up legging out of Europe altogether. Despite the pressure from the NVKD however, the Rusviet military still managed to exert a visible pressure on its Polanian neighbor. Nonetheless, Rusviet's internal commotion will take some time to die down with a far-reaching impact in the future.
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Moving to the Far East, the Chinese have been making waves, albeit in a more positive way. Having proper funding and oversight, their effort of laying down a nationwide railway system has borne fruit. By linking up with the transcontinental line, the transportation business in China is booming, bringing along with it all sorts of benefits. Profits from the 24/7 locomotive venture are then reinvested into the civilian sector, like what the Belkan advisors recommended, and into the military to shore up the Chinese defenses bordering the Japanese influence zone.
Further down South is the Duchy of Indochina, now marred with subtle separatist movements. Southern Indochina, being the breadbasket and the biggest exporter of the region, is firmly held in the grasp of Duke Joseph Fesch. The Duke is set to build a powerbase for his only daughter Angela, citing his ailing health as the reason. The man keeps up the faux sickness act whenever he needs to, and over the years has been grooming Angela into a fine, albeit young leader with the help of his wife Audrey.
Because Joseph has brought many if not all of his loyal subordinates and all of the Duchy's naval vessels down South, there are power vacuums in Central and Northern Indochina. Being left basically to their devices, Manon and Bastien Fesch start running amok to build their influence. Yet it has come to their attention immediately that they don't have much to get by, much less grow their factions. While the aid supplies are plenty at first glance, they aren't abundant enough to count on when divided by three. As such, the two sons of Fesch start striking off on their own. Bastien Fesch seeks aid from his Japanese friends in exchange for some benefits. Manon Fesch petitions the Rusviet Union for aid as a communist-aligned party.
The Japanese are eager to grab a bite of Indochina so they splurge a bit, building a presence in the North. The Rusviet Union though, is surprisingly willing to invest a fair bit into Central Indochina also. Despite the troubles brewing on their home turf, these foreign superpowers do favor a staunch influence in the resource-rich Indochina. It will make into a fine overseas colony as long as they can oust the other party. Interestingly, Central and Northern Indochina appear to completely ignore Southern Indochina, seeing it as a neutral and weak party despite its sizeable military. Southern Indochina will seemingly be left for last for either Central or North to consume after one of the two is taken out. Manon and Bastien Fesch, and by extension, their masters, are still oblivious to the Duke's manipulation even now.
Things are also developing nicely in the American continent. The United States of America is on a path to recovery, poised to reclaim its industrial powerhouse status once more. Under President Roosevelt's leadership, groundbreaking changes are introduced to bring the USA on a shaky road of recovery and modernization. The wound of Yellowstone burns hot for them to this day, but young men and women, led by Senator Iverson, are walking on an energetic path to rebuild themselves stronger and better. It wouldn't surprise Roosevelt if Iverson became the next POTUS had the Belkan Reich not cooperated with the current President out of necessity. In exchange for the Reich's massive aid and funding, President Roosevelt must walk down the same path as the Chinese Long Dynasty, and that is to arm the country against the increasingly expansionist Japan. Much like in China's case, the Reich declassified some of its technology in secret to modernize America's industry and military. The benefits of this are immense, and Roosevelt could have sworn that he saw money in his eyes when looking at a mirror. That said, cooperation on this level is now a closely guarded secret, perhaps the best-guarded secret in the history of the United States of America. This secret is enforced by the OSS of the USA and ONI of the Belkan Reich, ensuring that Japanese spies won't be able to sniff it out.
South America though, it's a mixbag, to be honest. Already, the region is plunged into a quagmire of border conflicts, coups, and even a small war. It's a chaotic part of the world and intelligence about it must be updated day by day. It says a lot when Africa is faring much better thanks to its colonial governments getting a grip at last, with the Spanish colonial government handling things the best. Truly, one can only laugh at how messy the world has become after four short years.
Oh right, it has been four years since the Marshal came into power already. By this point, our beloved Reich Marshal is of the wonderful age of 19. Her adopted sisters are now either 14 or 15 years of age, growing up into fine ladies themselves. Many things have been done and will soon be accomplished by the Marshal and her family, with new achievements being shared daily by her big, wacky, and cute family.
Now that four years have gone by, the time of war is but a few months away. By the time the Months of Demons have ceased, the Marshal's birthday won't be that far off.
Truly, Time sure flies while you're working on something you like. The next phase of Plan V2 is nigh.