25/03/1910
Presidential Residence
Zhengzhou, Provincial Capital of the Republic
Henan Province, China

'Before you stands a once loyal soldier of the glorious Republic of China.' The crowd muttered restlessly and with the occasional indignant shout. An officer paced back and forward as he spoke into a megaphone, the patriotic fervour in his eyes blazing for all to see. 'He served with honour against the hated Imperial tyrants, leading his men to victory in many battlefields. And yet! And yet when the Republic was at its weakest, he betrayed us all! General Feng Guozhang sought to usurp our great nation and turn our people against themselves.' A pair of uniformed soldiers dragged the prisoner forward, throwing him at the officer's feet. Feng's clothes were torn, his face bloody; the once mighty warlord had paid dearly for his treachery and the Republic intended to milk their one and only victory for all it was worth. An ornate sword was brought forward, offered up to the officer. 'With this blade do I send a message to all those who would see our mighty nation in ruins; all rebels will know his fate and fear our righteous retribution! Long live the Republic!'

'I think our young Captain is enjoying himself...' From atop his viewing platform, President Yuan Shikai smiled mirthlessly as the blade fell to raucous applause. 'A clean cut. Shame, I had hoped to watch the old bastard suffer...' His companion's wooden smile turned somewhat queasy at the sight of all that blood and he turned away from the podium with visible disgust. 'Mr Feng's demise is a step forward President Yuan, but my benefactors will not be appeased by the head of just one warlord. Your nation is still too fractured to be of... assistance.' Yuan scowled and took a sip of his choujiu, giving the foreigner a sidelong glare. 'Patience, Ambassador. The provinces will be recovered in time, provided that your support continues.' The other man rose from his chair and gave a short bow, although Yuan couldn't help but feel he was being subtly mocked. 'Of course, Mr President. I am sure that our friendship shall be a long and prosperous one, provided the forms are obeyed.' The President watched as he left, coattails swishing in the midday breeze. He recognised the veiled threats, the suggestion that perhaps his allies might find a new faction to patronise should the Republic fail to live up to their expectations. He couldn't allow that to happen.

---

30/03/1910
Xinbuzhen Dockyard
Haikou, Hainan Island
Hainan Peninsula, China

The docks were a hive of activity today, as hundreds of workers ran to and fro. The entire Hainan fleet lay at anchor, all thirteen warships. To many they were boxy, ugly, metal monsters, all function and no form. But to the right eye they were masterpieces of maritime engineering, the product of centuries of European naval warfare... And one day, we shall surpass them with our own ingenuity. The Yantai was especially beautiful, her lateral lines and smooth edges a feast for the eyes. She would only be in port for another week, a rare chance for her former Captain to tour the old girl. For Jiang Jiao-long, Admiral of the Southern Fleet and Governor of the Autonomous Province of the Hainan Peninsula, these were the only times he could truly relax, away from the mundane day to day running of a small state. And yet even here the bureaucrats hounded him... 'My Lord, I have the tax figures for this quarter for your review.' 'Governer-Admiral, I would like to review our education budget for this year; there are some discrepancies between the stated number and the funds we have received.' Admiral, Sir, My Lord... Sometimes it all seemed too much. A lesser man might have cracked under the pressure, but Jiang was used to administration; commanding a fleet in a second world nation could be every bit as complicated as running a city. He signed deeply, aware that he would get no rest until these issues were put to rest... He took his time to address each problem, giving his full attention to each in turn. It was several hours before he was finally finished with matters of state.

By the time he escaped the bureaucrats, the sun was already low in the sky and activity on the harbour had thinned out. With today's work finished and tomorrow waiting just a few hours ahead, Jiang took some time for himself. Atop the Yantai's highest observation nest was his own secret spot, hidden away from the realities of life. From up here he could sit and smoke while thinking about the world, the state of his nation and how little he or anyone else could do to save it. China was a broken old man with a head of rotten teeth and limbs who sought to strangle his own throat... It didn't help that Jiang himself was one of those limbs. Then again, he wasn't as bad as some of the others... His eyes turned north-east, toward Guangdong and the fief of the self-styled Lord Hui Jinfu, a treacherous snake if there ever was one. Neither he nor Jiang had made any moves against one another and for his part the Admiral was happy to maintain the status quo. Perhaps it was time to start a dialogue with Hui... In the morning, he decided. The bastard can wait 'til the morning...

02/04/1910
Helan Mountains, Xingqing district
Ningxia, China

With the rise of the Warlords and the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Opium trade had returned from the brink of destruction, flourishing once more throughout China. The newly formed Republic had tried to counter and ban the Opium trade like its predecessor, but its rule only extended as far as its territory, rendering the ban ineffective in all but their own province, with little to no exception. However, with Ningxia enforcing the ban days after it had been formally reinstated, more so out of personal distaste rather then unity with The Republic, smuggling became an issue on a day to day basis for both provinces.

It was a satisfying sight, a group of nine men being led down the mountain path, right to prison. Amongst the onlookers was a veteran in the regiment, engaged in dialogue with his commander. ''Looks like they found another group, this is the third time i've seen the product stuffed into berries. They're getting clever, but not clever enough.'' With only one river running into the province, and most of the travelable paths going over flat terrain, there wasn't anything besides the mountain chain, that the smugglers could use to have a chance at getting their foul product into Ningxia. Yet this only simplified the task of the provincial government, especially now army regiments were involved. The commander in charge of today's drug bust was, Captain Lee Chan. ''Indeed, they are. But it doesn't matter if they have the best disguise on this earth, if we catch them in the mountains, they're going to get searched regardless.'' A less known government policy was to ban the use of paths through the mountain, for local trade caravans and civilians alike, this resulted in all the Opium carvans, cleverly disguised as they might be, standing out like a rose amongst thorns. ''Load the product off the carts and place them into our crates, the ones not carrying army insignias, then escort the caravan to Yinchuan. The crew there is preparing another shipment two days from now.''

The soldier obliged, ordering the rest of the soldiers to start loading the cargo. Amongst the soldiers a sole peasant, hand selected from the group being led down the path, the tenth man. ''Stage an accident near the town, arrange a public spectacle. Allow our friend here to get caught with a crate of Opium, then execute him in the town square.'' The peasant, visibly shaken by the events unfolding, opted to step forward. ''You can't do this! Your law has a prison sentence as the capital punishment, i'll tell the people what you're doing, and once General Hsi-shan finds out, you'll be executed!'' The soldiers around him erupted in laughter, the captain offering him a pleasant smile while taking an execution hood from one of the soldiers, proving that this was a common event to take place whenever people needed to be reminded about the active ban against Opium, to keep its price high, so that those who cannot resist fall for the trap layed out for them. ''Who do you think gave me the order? General Yan Shikhai Hsi-shan himself. You are the necessary evil, one that the public can point its fingers too and blame, the evil that people can rally against, the evil we use to keep order and to ensure we enjoy populair support. But mostly, you are the necessary evil that distributes drugs so that the major governments can deny involvement.'' With that the captain pulled the hood over the man's face, binding the man's hands together shortly after. ''The ones who know don't care, and the ones who care don't know. Something has to keep the money flowing into our province, you're just a victim of circumstance.'' The peasant had little choice other then to play his part, he was going to die either way. And if he had to choose, a painless death was better then agony.