DAY NINETEEN
Things have progressed more or less according to plan. A few highlights:
I now share a border with British Indochina Burma. If I don't attack that, it will attack me, so I may as well take the opportunity to dive into there.
Fig. 50 Enlightened opportunism.
In the northwest I've taken three cities and have more than enough forces to clear out any armies he still might have lurking around there.
Fig. 51 I'd expected this not to be as difficult as the east, but this is ridiculous.
I'm in something of a limbo state concerning the Communists. Neither of us have taken any cities; I've pushed a path through their provinces and they've stolen a few of mine.
Fig. 52 I was fully expecting this one to be difficult.
The overall map now looks like this:
Fig. 53 You were feeling ripped off by the lack of bordergore shots in earlier posts? Ladies and gentlemen, I present... this. This monstrosity of a map. Converted to nation colours for your convenience, just to make it easier to see just how horrendous this theatre is at the moment.
Once I've pacified the Communists, I'm going to turn on Mongolia. I'm getting fed up with putting it off, and the Commies constitute the only power in that area that's posing any real threat. And even that not for long.
Also, I've been continually churning out battleships in Seishin, only for them to finish while I'm asleep and get killed by the stack further north. I think I may finally have finished it off, as I still have a battleship there for the first time this game (albeit on crit-low hitpoints).
Fig. 54 It did well.
Damnit, now I'm getting all sentimental over a battleship of all things.
The newspapers have been amusing; my first few ships were named after Manchurian leaders before I gave up and started giving them names like 'Phenolphlalene' and 'The Game' (which you just lost). I had an SS Frenellelge in there somewhere; I'm not entirely sure where that name came from, and may just have been trying to baffle newspaper readers. Now they're likely to last more than a few hours I think I'll revert to normal names.
I can't remember the name of this one, but I expect I'll find out when it dies in the Japanese theatre I'm sending it to. It's job is to make sure my paratroopers will make it over safely without cruiser interference.
...ah. This one is the SS Frenellelge. It's not dead yet; I checked the newspaper for the news it had killed the Japanese stack.
Australia was very reasonable about my complete assimilation of China:
Fig. 55 If they've been watching my progress in the game, probably because they realise I'll be declaring war on them next if they don't watch it.
There's still one left, but I doubt I'll be allowed to trade it off on the same day, so I'll wait a few hours for daychange and send him another offer.
5,000 may have been exhorbitant for just one rural province, but I wanted to be sure he'd take it.
In other news, Lanzhou has fallen.
Fig. 56 The storming of the Red Capital
Now he doesn't have the means to stop me from overrunning everything he has left, and steamrollering his existing units.
Fig. 57 Bombing the crap out of it first may have had something to do with that.
This provided a much-needed morale boost that will stop me from having revolts on my hands come daychange. Excellent. I love it when capital offensives are timed that way.
On a completely different note,
Why the hell do I have one of these?
Fig. 58 I don't remember capturing one of these, and I sure as hell haven't researched them.
Xinjiang is winning the fight against Mongolia, who apparently isn't man enough to deal with an AI. Now would, now I think about it, be the perfect time to invade. Not Xinjiang. Mongolia.
...let's see, I have two choices:
1) let the war run its course and attack the winner just when they're at their weakest, or
2) invade Mongolia right now while they also have Xinjiang on their plate and aren't in a position to defend themselves.
Sensible as Option 1 is, it's fairly obvious I'll be going for Option 2. Not today though; if Xinjiang's still winning tomorrow I'll plant armies in Mongolia's cities and declare war. If not, I'll wait for them both to exhaust each other and then sail in and pick up the pieces.
Day change! I'm now in second place, on 340 vicpoints, ahead of the UK and behind Germany (who's winning by a considerable margin). Holy hell.
The south Honshu theatre is getting more bewildering by the minute. It has nothing to do with what's going on, as I haven't the faintest idea what's going on. The reason is that I can't bloody see what's going on what with all the unit thumbnails in the way.
[attach=18173][/attach]
Fig. 59 I might have made things even harder for myself by sending over the SS Frenellelge.
As of about an hour later I finally hold all of Honshu, and the only land unit left there is a nearly-depleted tank, so I'm sending a militia unit to Kyushu. I'm all but certain my numerous subs have cleared out that channel; it's probably safe. Regrettably a confusing sea/land battle is taking place around Shikoku, so trying to take that isn't going to end well.
In light of developments today, unless both have a hidden reserve of units, I highly doubt either Nationalist or Communist China will last out the next 24 hours. The last of the Nationalists' strength is guarding Golmud and about to be bombarded with artillery; the Communists are down to two provinces and two units, all being borne down on by hordes of militia. They're going to have to come up with something good.
And finally, the SS Frenellelge has died. 
She was killed bravely fighting the Japanese 29th Cruiser Flotilla.
General discussion question: what's the stupidest name you've ever given one of your units?
Thanks to Carking for pointing out that 'British Indochina' was never a thing. I've studied that particular region's history, so I really ought to have known better.
. Only Vietnam Laos and Cambodia were known like that…
