Turning Point - Sekigahara: Toyotomi's Global Expansion and its Consequences

Phase 24 - Great War (1)

On June 28, 1914, an event known as the Sarajevo Incident occurred, leading Europe into an unprecedented turmoil.

Regardless of the specific incident that triggered the war, the escalation into a major conflict was largely influenced by the military systems of that time. Without delving into details, the great powers of Europe, fearing the rapid mobilization of their hypothetical adversaries, became suspicious of each other. What was supposed to be a localized Balkan conflict turned into a large-scale war just one month after the incident.

Of course, there were various factors leading up to this point. Britain's loss of supremacy in Europe due to its naval competition with Germany is said to be one factor. The multi-ethnic nature of Austria and the Balkan region was undoubtedly another cause. Additionally, royal diplomacy, which had been functioning a few years ago, failed to prevent the situation where multiple countries directly confronted each other, as was the case in the Japanese War. Various other factors, such as the rapid formation of direct confrontations between countries like Britain, Germany, Russia, and France, also played a role.

Hitting Japan, which was a different player in this game, marked a significant stage in the division of the world, and the expansion of imperialism had reached its limits. European nations might have been psychologically complacent after successfully striking a long-standing thorn in their side, Japan.

However, at this point, the details of how it happened no longer mattered.

. . .

When news of Russia's general mobilization of its citizens on July 28 started circulating, the rigid mobilization systems of each country, which had to respond, collectively began to move, greatly contributing to the unfolding tragedy.

In just one week after Austria's declaration of war against Serbia on July 28, Britain, Germany, France, and Russia entered into full-scale war one after another. Among them, Germany's actions were swift, as on August 3, just one week after the war began, they invaded Belgium, which was a neutral country at the time. With this move, Belgium was forcibly drawn into the war.

However, at this point, everyone predicted that the war would end in no more than three months. Therefore, countries other than the belligerents made tentative inquiries with each other's power blocs and declared neutrality.

These predictions began to seem somewhat odd when, by the end of August, the Russian army, which had rapidly invaded Germany, suffered a devastating blow through individual defeats and encirclement annihilation battles, yet the nation itself had not suffered a significant impact. However, what truly became apparent was the situation after the German advance towards Paris failed. In later assessments, it was revealed that the German army hadn't seriously considered advancing on Paris before the war, but at the time, the unexpectedly swift German advance gave a "premonition" of Germany's unilateral victory.

However, when the German advance was halted by the counterattacks of the French and British armies in early September, the war suddenly began to take on the appearance of a protracted conflict. On the Western Front, each side began digging deep trenches to protect themselves from intense shelling, and they found themselves locked in a protracted standoff along the extensive front lines.

At this point, it became clear that the war was spreading worldwide, and everyone had lost the means to end it quickly.

. . .

Around mid-September, both the Alliance and the Entente began seeking the participation of countries outside of Europe or strongly insisting on their neutrality. The countries targeted included Japan and the Qing Dynasty in East Asia, as well as the Yamato Republic, the United States, and the Confederacy in North America.