Excerpt from ‘Imperial History’: Chapter 4
By: Hata no Mikado, Imperial Historian
In the first thirty years of the nation’s existence, westernization had swept through all but the rural provinces like a typhoon. Grand railroads connected border towns and the big city, brick and mortar lined and raised what was once flat skylines, flat caps and dress shirts made their way into the wardrobe. Western mannerisms had even made their way into the ranks of the elite. If you were to attend a social gathering in the past, they would’ve been set in a traditional mansion; most likely in a city or the Imperial capital. Social gatherings now, however, are commonly held in grand mansions out in the rural countryside. On a matter of fashion for the upper class, tailcoats had become the acceptable form of attire for when attending ceremonies or when dining among peers. Though, many still wore the traditional combination of a kimono and haori. Women of the upper class, like many of their loved ones, retained their classic silk kimonos for every occasion.
Elsewhere, Fuso was slowly getting tangled up in a game of border tensions and inhospitable neighbors. Across the Western Border resided the Yang Dynasty and her vassals. For years the “Great Dragon of the West” had always been the dominant of the two nations that shared their small region of the eastern seaboard. But as the power of the once considered inferior Fuso grew, the Yang Court’s stance in the political stage was at risk.
Relations between the two nations only worsened after a series of border disputes in the 1870s. The fact that a growing, modernized military threat had suddenly popped up to the east of the Dynasty’s sacred lands didn’t help to remedy the situation either. Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, the Yang-Fumidate Line would see a sharp increase in military activity from both the Yang Dynasty and the Empire of Fuso. The border has become a powder keg, ready to blow with a single push.
Imperial Capital Shinsu, Spring of 1897
Eastern Government District
Trouble was brewing. Prime Minister Shimura Nobihiru could feel it in the air wherever he walked. Whether he was in his office, at the National Diet, or at home with his family; it surrounded him. There was a constant pressure on the man to approve of the further mobilization of Imperial troops to the Western Border. The pressure only grew after an incident that saw the death of four Fuso nationals to the hands of a group of Dynastic troops. Not only that but public dissent was also starting to grow. The papers were starting to howl about the incompetency and lack of action from Prime Minister Shimura Nobihiru; who wasn’t much of an incompetent leader at all. In his term as Prime Minister, he had furthered the well being of the nation’s economy and passed progressive reforms to bring Fuso up to modern standards. He was the one who cared for the country, he ensured it grew strong and had equally hard roots. How dare they call him incompetent and dismiss his achievements? However, as he saw his chances of being re-elected for another term and his pride as a nobleman slipping away, he knew he had to make a decision.
After countless hours of pacing back and forth in his office, Prime Minister Nobihiru would make his decision. Sitting down at his desk, the senior government official would grab a fountain pen and a sheet of parchment before getting to work.
A day later, a combined force of the 27th and 60th Infantry Regiments from the Imperial Army and the 8th Guards Regiment would receive the order to march to the border.