You frown deeply. “Something will have to change,” you begin. “And dramatically. The Shogun won’t be able to hold on to absolute power much longer with the country open to the outside world and its ideals. Whether he concedes to a constitutional monarchy or not…” You trail off. “I don’t see the nation being able to progress without changes to the governmental structure.”

Keisuke nods solemnly. “Perhaps so. It will be difficult to convince the traditionalists within the Bakufu, though.”

“If it’s for the good of the nation,” Sato chimes in. “They will either be convinced by words or steel, the means are of little consequence.”

“The last thing we need is a fight amongst the remaining loyalists in our country.” Keisuke shakes his head, dismissing the idea outright. “We will need to retain the loyalty of our allies.”

“What good is their loyalty if they want to drive the Bakufu into an early grave?” You note a tinge of anger in Sato’s voice, but he quickly reins himself in, bowing his head. “My apologies, sir.”

“You needn’t apologize,” Keisuke states earnestly. “I admire your dedication to Japan’s future.” He then turns to you. “But it is true that we should plan for opposition to any reforms, should reform be a path that the Shogun chooses to take.” He pauses, bracing himself against another cold gust. “Good heavens, this cold…”

Zorn speaks up, having kept silent as he walked beside you. “Gentlemen, let’s take leave of this topic and get inside. There’s a beer hall just up the way here.” He guides you all toward a warmly-lit building. As the heavy door clunks open, you are greeted by the din of activity, a surprise at this late hour. People sit at long tables, enjoying beer in large steins made from glazed clay. The smell of baked goods hangs in the air, making your mouth water. Zorn guides your group over to an empty table, sitting you down as he gets the attention of a lady carrying several steins. As he speaks to her in German, you sit back and admire the interior of the establishment. It is comfortably adorned, with high ceilings and large oil lanterns casting plenty of light into the space. As the woman nods and walks away, Zorn turns to you. “There’s no better place to come in from the cold than a beer hall like this.” He grins, looking over at your Japanese compatriots. “Say, gentlemen, have any of you ever had beer before?” Nakajima and Sato shake their heads, and Keisuke merely replies with a puzzled raise of the eyebrow. “Well, you’re all in for a treat then. I’ve ordered us all some lagers and pretzels.”

“Pretzel?” Sato raises an eyebrow, struggling a bit with the pronunciation.

Zorn nods. “Salted bread, perfect to pair with our drinks.”

Keisuke leans back a bit, starting to relax and warm up. “A lovely establishment. Perhaps a bit rowdier than I’m used to, though.”

You chuckle. “You should see the pubs in New York, then.”

Keisuke turns to you again, leaning in to whisper. “I am concerned about Major Sato, General. He seems to be taking his passion for building up the Japanese nation… Zealously.” Your peer frowns, rubbing the end of his nose to warm it from the cold. “I am as passionate as anyone else in serving the Bakufu, but I believe he may start having ideas beyond his responsibilities.”

>”The Major is unquestionably loyal, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
>”To be fair, our previous discussion was full of ideas beyond our responsibilities too.”
>”Perhaps you’re right. I’ll have a talk with him.”
>”He’s a young soldier. He’ll grow out of his zeal eventually.”
>Write-in.

Also I'm really sorry for the over a month absence. I've had to deal with moving and starting a new job all while handling more stuff with the book. At least the new job is fully remote, so I'll have more time to run, hopefully.

>>5377194
>”To be fair, our previous discussion was full of ideas beyond our responsibilities too.”

>”The Major is unquestionably loyal, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

>>5377194
>”The Major is unquestionably loyal, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
>”To be fair, our previous discussion was full of ideas beyond our responsibilities too.”
Happy to see this back, tomboy Samurai FTW
I'd really love to convert some Samurai type units into Dragoons also, maybe finding a ninja clan to act as scouts

Are y'all still shopping for guns?

>>5377194
>>”The Major is unquestionably loyal, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
>>”To be fair, our previous discussion was full of ideas beyond our responsibilities too.”
He just sees the chance for genuine good to come of things and for once has the ability to voice his thoughts with at least some weight. It's no surprise he's feeling a bit more driven than may be considered in good taste.

>>5377199
Right on brother.

>>5377400
Gat collecting is a never ending pursuit.

>>5377194

>”The Major is unquestionably loyal, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

>>5377199
When is the book coming my boy, I want to buy a copy and shit. Also, Congrats on the new job?

File: Hermann Zorn.jpg (54 KB, 604x402)

54 KB JPG

“To be fair,” you reply with a smirk. “Our previous line of discussion was quite a ways beyond our own responsibilities.”

Keisuke nods silently. Your beers reach the table, foaming over the tops of the steins. Zorn is busy talking with Sato and Nakajima, explaining that beer is completely different from sake. Finally, Keisuke replies to you. “I just worry, General. The last thing we need is more uncertainty about the future.”

You take a sip of your lager, sighing as the froth clings to your lip. “I don’t have any reason to question his loyalty,” you finally rebut. “I have absolute faith in my men, Sato included.”

“Then I will trust your judgment,” Keisuke relents. Taking a sip of beer, he raises an eyebrow as the new taste greets him. Admittedly, German lager is a first for you as well, and it’s a very different taste from the ales you’ve had back in America.

“Herr Stockton,” Zorn gets your attention.

“Yes, Herr Zorn?” You turn to the German.

“If we are to meet with Old Man Krupp, we should take leave of Berlin tomorrow, I think.” He frowns slightly. “The Krupp family’s foundry is in Essen, to the west.”

“A bit off from our current route,” you note. “What do you think they want to discuss?”

Zorn’s frown deepens. “They will likely seek to set up mining and steel operations in Japan. The investment would help Japan to modernize, but…”

You nod solemnly. “But you think they’ll try to get the better end of the deal.”

“And likely a deal that would put Japan at a disadvantage long-term.” He grimaces. “Alfred Krupp is a shrewd negotiator, from what I’ve heard. If we decide to meet with him, we’ll need to be careful.”

>”I’ll arrange for us to leave in the morning.” (prepare to visit Krupp)
>”We have enough Krupp guns for now. We can take one apart if we need to learn how to build our own.” (cancel the meeting with Krupp)
>Write-in.

>>5377999
Currently slated for a January release, friend.

>>5378115
>”I’ll arrange for us to leave in the morning.” (prepare to visit Krupp)

Lets not stub a man of power, even more over our guns.

2 posts in one day? Fucking hype

>>5378117
Fucking better be, I look forward too it.

>>5378115
>”I’ll arrange for us to leave in the morning.” (prepare to visit Krupp)
There's nothing like a fine German firearm, I wonder if we could visit a Range to test some of them out

>>5378115
>”I’ll arrange for us to leave in the morning.” (prepare to visit Krupp)

>>5378117
Just make sure to shill it in thread when it drops.

>>5378115
>>”I’ll arrange for us to leave in the morning.” (prepare to visit Krupp)
Hopefully the offer he makes is one we can refuse.

>>5378117
Awesome Zap
Congrats

Can there be more sword or gunfights? Germany's a bunch of different states right now, so that might allow for some uppity Germans not from around here who say we're not from around here and don't take kindly to your kindly, freund gennosse kumpelin.

>>”I’ll arrange for us to leave in the morning.” (prepare to visit Krupp)

>>5378115

Wait Zaps got a book coming? When and where can I buy this :)

>>5386484
what?

“Very well,” you reply, taking a sip of lager. “I’ll arrange for us to leave in the morning.”

The conversation continues, and soon the pretzels arrive. They’re a unique bread, twisted into small loops. You eat, drink, and talk for quite some time. Soon, though, your party leaves the beer hall, heading back out into the night. You visit a few small shops, surprisingly still open at this hour, and then return to Schloss Tegel.

Keisuke informs the other members of the mission of your travel plans, and you all retire for the night shortly afterward. The morning comes, and with it, unseasonably warm weather. As you all pile into the carriages and head for the train station, you note that the icicles hanging from the eaves of the manor have begun to melt in the morning sun.

“I’ve taken the liberty of reading into this Mr. Krupp,” Sato begins as the carriage leaves the manor. “He’s certainly a strange one.”

“Strange how?” You raise an eyebrow.

“His system of leadership is based in some sort of morality,” he explains. “He seems to see himself as a kind of patriarch to his workmen.” He leans back, smirking. “Like a daimyo of steel, so to speak.”

“You think he’ll be difficult to work with?”

Sato shakes his head. “The man has dealings with militaries from all over Europe. At the end of the day, his morals don’t override his profits, from what I can tell.”

Zorn, who sits in the carriage with you, nods. “He actually refused a noble title from the King last year. Seemed to think it would cause tension within his business dealings.” The German leans forward. “He’s got an ambitious streak, though. Doesn’t think highly of reformers or liberal government. Perhaps he sees Japan as a preferable society to what Europe is becoming.”

You look over at Beretta, who has been silent since you motioned for him to join you in the carriage. He’s clearly thinking about something. You decide to pick his brain a bit. “So, are you interested in seeing Krupp’s operation?”

The young Italian rubs his chin. “I took a look at the field guns you bought from Spandau,” he finally says. “They seem far more robust than the Armstrong guns from the British. If we can set up a foundry and machine shop back in Japan, I think we can more readily manufacture them as well.” He pauses, thinking. “Though I worry about having too much diversity in our arsenal…”

>”Agreed. We should work on standardizing our arms.”
>”Right now, we need to take what we can get, even if it means a variety of different weapons.”
>”No other army in Japan is standardized, I doubt it will be a serious concern in the short-term.”
>Write-in.

>>5395825
>”Agreed. We should work on standardizing our arms.”

A standardization is what can make or break an army.

>>5395825
>>”No other army in Japan is standardized, I doubt it will be a serious concern in the short-term.”

But as a long term project, we can use and evaluate their use and see which we wish to standardise as.

We should ultimately not lose sight of the goal of victory. Once that is settled we can look into standardisation.

>>5395825
>”Right now, we need to take what we can get, even if it means a variety of different weapons.”
Standardization is a peacetime endeavor.

>>5395825
>”Agreed. We should work on standardizing our arms.”
Uniformity is deeply important

>>5395825
>>5396130
+1

>>5395825
>”Agreed. We should work on standardizing our arms.”
helps logistics and Amateurs talk strategy; professionals talk logistics

>>5395825
>”Agreed. We should work on standardizing our arms.”
but
>”Right now, we need to take what we can get, even if it means a variety of different weapons.”


Unless we plan on purchasing more Armstrong guns, we're not going to be getting more. Meanwhile if we can start producing even a few Spandau guns then that long-term will lead to the Armstrong's being the odd ones out. I'd argue developing a strong, and more importantly a growing, artillery branch will prove critical and for that being able to actually produce guns is surely necessary unless we wish to expend great fortunes for every battery we deploy.

To say nothing of the Armstrong guns being British who we may soon have extremely bad relations with or the fact that we'd be relying on imports to sustain and expand our artillery whenever we've no great certainty the seas shall remain ours.


Relatedly, might be a good idea to look into producing rockets. The Union Navy deployed the "Hale Rocket Launcher" which launched spin-stabilised 60 pound rockets to 2000 feet. The British also used them, but in 24-pounder varieties intended to be carried in bags by mules. They'd avoid the issue of having a limited industry to produce good quality metal goods / cannon while still providing us with long-range firepower. Only issue, in the case of the Hale rockets, would be their production method requiring a hydraulic press.

>>5395825
>>”Right now, we need to take what we can get, even if it means a variety of different weapons.”

ATM having artillery is more important than standardizing it. And Krupp guns at the time are some of the best on Earth.