Announcement

**Pitboss Rome** · April 2, 2009, 06:50

Romans start to publish satirical mazagines

Using the new freedoms granted by Emperor Marcus, the publishing industry thoughout the Roman empire flourished. Nothing was banned, nothing was censored. Even Judaism could now be criticised. The stimulous to thinking and trade was immediate.

In Rome, a new publication, Privatus Oculus, started to publish political satire - the cover of the first edition being a picture (interestingly drawn by a Japanese exile in Oath City) of the new tyrant of the West, Menalaus of Sparta:

**Pitboss Rome** · April 2, 2009, 07:05

Menalaus,

Thank you for your clarification of certain world events. I am glad to hear that New Sparta is open for any to settle.

I have tweaked my appeal to you to take in into account your words. I repeat it here for you have still not responded to its content:

The fact is that you declared war on Japan, you seize a Japanese city, and under threat of annihilation you forced them to capitulate. Don't pretend that you are some great friend of Japan.

You say:

Originally posted by Pitboss Rome

and now you suddenly want me to give a city to Japan. A city on Spartan soil.

Its not a city on Spartan soil. Its a Japanese city. It has spearmen defending it and your riflemen massacred them. I'm not suggesting you give a city to Japan only that if you want anyone to believe you are a friend of Japan you will return to Japan the city you seized from them, and release them from your vassalage so they might be free!

Many wars have been fought in this world but never in all history has a powerful nation threatened utter annialation, never has a powerful nation ever demanded capitulation. You have New Sparta to expand into, you have just gained land from the Koreans. Why do you need to crush the Japanese under your boot?

Menalaus, you make many good points about peace and the need to work together for it. But while you still appear to be the most tyrannical leader known in history, holding a whole nation under your dominion under threat of annialation, seizing the cities of those you call friends, it is difficult to take diplomacy with you seriously.

Agree to free Japan from your vassalage, and to give Alcetas back to Japan, and I and the rest of the world will see that you are a true heir to the great kings of Sparta. Do not and we will all know the truth that you are a tyrant expanding your land and power, feeding your unnatural lusts, at the expense of the small nations around you.

**Pitboss Greece** · April 2, 2009, 07:14

Marcus,

Perhaps you should read the letters I write to you more carefully.
The issue of Alcetas has already been handled there. I'm not going to repeat myself.

Your request to 'free Japan' from vassalage is ridiculous. First because Japan doesn't want to be freed. Secondly because Japan can end Vassalage whenever they want ([ooc: after 10 turns]).
So, what's your point? You are with your left hand support Russia to conquer Japan and with your other hand you try to 'free' Japan from Sparta while Japan itself doesn't want to be freed.

Let's ask Japan if they want to be free.
If they do want to be, I'll set them free. If they don't want to be free, you'll end your power games.

Menelaus II

**Pitboss Greece** · April 2, 2009, 07:15

[ooc: lol @ Menelafish

]

**Pitboss Greece** · April 2, 2009, 08:28

The Pharsalos Tribune posted a cartoon in response to the Roman Cartoon about Menelaus II.

**Pitboss Japan** · April 2, 2009, 08:58

Life in Japan nowadays

-Independent report from Global News Agency-

Serious changes have happened in Japan in the last few months. The Emperor has gone, Japan now the Vassal of the Spartan Empire and the war with the Russians continues with the possibility of the war escalating over several other countries.

As we have already reported, few years ago the Japanese Emperor and his highly centralized government started to lose controll over its territory. The Russians saw this as a good opportunity to launch an attack and take, in their words: liberate those once Piercian cities from Japan, who gained ownership over those cities in a highly questionable and suspicious manner.
The Emperor and the rulling family last known location was in Tokyo. Most likely They fled before the Russian Army get there and took the city, but their whereabouts at this moment is unknown. Some thinks they couldnt leave the city and they are dead or being kept as prisoners, others think that they have left the country.
After this event the Japanese controll over the country collapsed. Sparta seized this opportunity, mobilized its army and prepared to launch an assault on Japan's homeland unless they capitulate to them. Their first target was the Japanese "bridge" city, Alcetas. After their riflemen massacred the hopelessly outmached speamen defenders and took the city Sparta got very negative response from the rest of the world, so they changed their strategy and tone: The spartans started to act as a long time friends of Japan who came to aid them in their desperate time. They helped Japan to form an interim government- its members are young men, most of them were educated in spartan universities, thus many questions where their true loyality belongs to. The prime minister of the new cabinet, Yukawa Hideki , accepted the capitulation to Sparta and signed the peace treaty. Sparta in return wowed to defend all Japanese city and promised the retake of Tokyo. This step suprised many powers in the world because this led to a Spartan-Russian war which could involve Rome as the protector of the Pax Romana.

Meanwhile in the country, people are in fear and insecurity. Japanese militia with the help of spartan troops try to maintain order. Slavery is not a long forgotten custom in Japan as it is in other countries and now we can observe a new wave of slavery which cause much unhappyness and many dies of forced labor. In the continent close to the Russian front the local governments enlist everyone who capable to hold arms, even the young and the old.
Especially in the major cities there are daily protests against the Spartan rule which events often leads to violence. Some of the protesters are royalist others want a new democratic Japan, but they are united in their demand of independency. Many Japanese have emigrated to different countries these days.

-end of report-

**Pitboss Rome** · April 2, 2009, 13:08

The Peace of Pierced Hill - A Proposal

Great Kings Menalaus and Rostislav,
Prime Minister Yukawa Hideki,

These are heady days in which we live. Events have moved so rapidly that old alliances and friendship have been stretched. Many of us feel unjustly attacked or wronged. The Spartans because of my intermperate words, because I have taken their declaration of war against Russia as an attack on the Pax Romana and because I have questioned their friendship with Japan since they have just seized its territory. The Japanese because on both sides their cities are being seized and in the chaos of trying to form an interim government they are plunged to the edge of world war from which they fear they will not emerge. The Romans because at the point when I was just about to force the Russians to stop (read the press - we had just stopped Rostislav in Oath City and were forcing peace on pain of cutting his rail access and ejection from the Pax Romana) the Spartans without warning seemed to abandon our long friiendship and declared war on our ally.

We cannot change what has happened in the past. We must try to move forward.

I propose a simple solution to the current situation.

1. Peace is signed between all four nations.
2. Ex Piercian territory currenlty held by Japan is Japanese, ex piercian territory currently held by Russia is Russian.
3. All old Japanese territory is returned to Japan.
4. Rome and Sparta both pledge to uphold Japanese territorial integrity (on the boundaries defined in 2 and 3 above) for the next 100 years. (A time limit since who knows what the distance future will bring).

On this basis Japan can decide for itself, freely, whether to continue its vassalage to Sparta when the current period is elapsed. (I accept your point there Menalaus that it can't be changed now). My pledge to uphold Japan's territorial integrity would extend as far as allowing it to become part of the Pax Romana if it wishes, but this is not necessary - it can stay outside I will still pledge to uphold its territorial integrity.

This way neither major power Rome nor Sparta benefit from the collapse of Piercia and the Russian-Japanese war. Why should we? It is distasteful and dishonourable for the powerful to benefit from the weak.

At the same time, Piercia is split between Russia and Japan roughly in half. Yes we could all aruge about which half of the cities are the best etc. but such arguments will bring war to us all. Of the ancient Piercian cities half currently belong to Japan, half to Russia. So let us accept the status quo. We do not have the luxury of long discussions on finer details while more cities burn and more soliders die. We four nations should be friends. There are shadows all around us.

I Marcus will sign this agreement and abide by its terms. I urge Rostislav, Yukawa and Menalaus to do the same.

Let me be clear - I have not discussed this precise proposal with either Japan or Russia. Previous communications with each suggest that neither will find this proposal acceptable because they both want more. Friends, both of you, I urge you to cut your losses, accept this peace, and build a prosperous future together. I undertake to write privately to all three of you urging acceptance of this plan, but want nothing to be hidden so propose it here first.

Marcus of Rome.

**Pitboss Japan** · April 2, 2009, 16:00

Let's ask Japan if they want to be free.

Free nations of the world!

You ask us do we want to be free? What a question!, of course we want freedom above anything else!
But what kind of freedom is that if we leave our cities under Russian opression? Those so called liberators are nothing more but aggressors who don't even try to hide their warcrimes: killing our citizens, executing their prisoners, threatening the whole japanese nation with the same fate.
I'm really sad to see that Rome is considering to come to aid the invaders.
We, who took the responsibility of Japan's future made our decision with heavy heart. We choosed to keep the japanese people together even if this meant sacrificing our souvereignity for the time being. Sparta ensured our independency in home affairs and the safety of our people. The incident at Alcetas is a sore spot indeed, reparation should be made in the relationship of the two nations, but we already see good sign of this.

Marcus of Rome!
We appreciate your effort for trying to establish peace. We wish you came sooner, before our cites have fallen, before we, in our desperate hour give in to he Spartan demand. But what is done is done: we have capitulated and we don't take this lightly, we are far more honorable than that.
We will be Sparta's vassal untill Sparta uphold his promise, and now the decision about granting us freedom and peace is in the hand of King Menalaus.

Please don't think that we don't desire peace: our heart was full of sorrow and it was against many of our citizen's will when we made our peace offer: leaving 3 of our cities under Russians rule and asking only for 3: Osaka, Owari, and Tokyo. The answer from the Russians? They wanted more cities even those that are still under our controll, and in case a spartan intervention they threatened us with pillaging the land, ransacking the towns killing millions of innocents... What kind of monsters they are? We cant allow them to win! We already made huge sacrifices, our sons, young and old, everyone who can hold an arm ready to fight for our country!

But the madness should be stopped somewhere! We will be here to negotiate, but at this point we cant accept these terms. Tokyo and that other two city are too important for us to lose.

Marcus of Rome: we know you have the power to make peace, even your word should be enough. We just ask you to join the victim and not the aggressor and a long lasting peace will be achieved!

Yukawa Hideki, prime minister of Japan

**Pitboss Rome** · April 2, 2009, 16:15

Yukawa Hideki,

I thank you for your kind words; the Japanese people are blessed to have you as their leader.

I don't understand your reply though. You say that the Russians want more cities even those that are under your control. This may be true of the Russians,but this is not what I am urging on both of you. I am urging that all war ceases NOW. That alll the Piercian cities which you hold, you continue to hold. That the Piercian cities that the Russians hold the Rusisans hold. You are not being asked to give up anything (indeed you gain Alcetas back) and you gain security.

The fact is that Pierced Hill (which you renamed Tokyo) is under Russian control. I am urging that we all accept the status quo. Otherwise we are looking at a Spartan invasion of a Russian held city, which will plunge us all into world war.

I recognise that you want to hold every bit of Piercian territory that you can. But please, the truth is that Piercian territory is currently split 50/50 between you and Russia. Accept reality and get peace. Or pursue your desires and we all have war. Please in the heat of your passion do remember these are Piercian cities, in Piercian land, with Piercian citizens. The Japanese lordship of this land is a phenomenon of the last few years. THey have been Piercian for millenia. Only the Spartans have invaded Japanese land.

I'm sorry I hope you can reconsider, otherwise my trains carrying machine guns and infantry will depart for Pierced Hill to defend the Pax Romana against a likely Spartan attempt to seize a city, and once war starts between Sparta and Rome it will not end easily.

Marcus of Rome.

**Pitboss Japan** · April 2, 2009, 16:43

Marcus of Rome!

Just because there are Russian troops occupying our cities that doesnt make them Russian. What kind of status quo are you talking about? it should be referred to the status before the war. The citizen of Tokyo are in riot against the Russian oppresion and we except that despite the strong garrison they have there it will lasts for years.. or -hopefully- untill the liberating party arrives.
I emphasize again: you are going to send help to the invaders, against the true owner of that city. We have no intention hurting a single Russian, nor their property. We are just defending ourselves and our people. Your mutual defense pact doesn't force you to intervene, but if you do: do it in the name of peace and justice. By helping us you could easily force the peace and so we could avoid any further causalities.

Yukawa Hideki, prime minister of Japan

**Pitboss Rome** · April 2, 2009, 17:06

Yukawa Hideki,

I'm sorry but these are Piercian cities. The citizens of Tokyo were still rioting about the Japanese military seizure of their citing in which the Piercian garrison was massacred (my diplomats were there and saw it) when the Russians entered the city. The status quo is Piercian ownership. The true owners of the city are Piercians, themselves members of the Pax Romana. Both you and the Russians wish to have all of Piercia but neither of you are the ancestral owners. And I am sorry the Pax Romana simply does force me to intervene if hte Spartans try to seize Piercian Hill from the Russians. I have the terms of it here in front of me, you apparently don't.

If we want peace without casualties we do it on the basis of where we are - both you and the Russians seem to think that you can have more just because you think you deserve it. Sadly life is frustrating.

Marcus

**Pitboss Greece** · April 3, 2009, 05:01

**Pitboss Maya** · April 3, 2009, 06:23

OOC:Very cool graphic, but wouldn't it be more appropriate to have done one about something that is currently happening?

**Pitboss Greece** · April 3, 2009, 06:36

[ooc @maya: this is related to current affairs. Rome is now accusing Sparta from something they have done in the past in a much worse form.]

The cartoon below appeared this morning in the newspaper: "Daily Athens"

Announcement

Beyond the Pit [Pitboss Diplomacy Game] [Story Thread] . PART 9 (April 2009)

Beyond the Pit [Pitboss Diplomacy Game] [Story Thread] . PART 9 (April 2009)

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment