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This has been in the works since 2013, and was going to be my entry in MotF 62 if it hadn't been inundated with other Rome-China cold wars. Anyway, I liked the idea of Soviet-esque Romans facing off against...Chinese-esque Chinese. Many thanks to the contributors in the Oneshot Scenarios thread for giving me a few ideas.
Rome and China, the two great civilizations of man. The two eternal empires, that for countless centuries have been at war with one another. Yes, swords and muskets have made way for rifles and machine guns, the open fields have made way for trenches, trebuchets have made way for massive guns, and horses have made way for tanks and aircraft, but the war continues.While there have been lulls in the fighting, the Eternal War has always resumed in one way or another, and it will not end until one empire is under the total subjugation of the other.
The western world is dominated by the Roman Empire. Founded by the first emperor, Augustus, over two thousand years ago, the Roman Empire has steadily expanded to cover all of Europe, most of the Near East, and all of North Africa. Three hundred years after the founding of the Empire, the worship of the old gods was swept aside by the cult of Sol Invictus, patron deity of the soldiers that made the backbone of the Empire. Favored by the emperors, Sol Invictus became associated with the Emperor of Rome, and in a few centuries it was believed that the Emperor of Rome was the representative of Sol Invictus on Earth. The emperors did little to discourage this development, and many promoted it, as it did offer a limited form of job security against ambitious generals. Of course, the power of the emperors themselves have waxed and waned. Some weak emperors were children, sheltered puppets for generals or the Senate. Other emperors are unchallenged autocrats, such as the recent crop of emperors. They have taken to calling themselves "First Citizen," a once-minor title, in order to emphasize their "proletarian consciousness." Of course, the only thing the slaves, workers and peasants of Rome are useful for are slaving away in the factories of Germania and Britannia and the fields of Chersonesus, or dying in the trenches of the Eternal War.
There are a few empires within Rome's sphere that are independent of it, but their degree of independence varies. Persia, once Rome's greatest enemy and occasional ally to China, has been brought under heel. Knowing that it would be an unwise expenditure of legions to keep Persia within the Empire, Rome was satisfied with Persia's status as a client kingdom, with powerless kings and princes that ultimately answer to the Emperor. Persian troops are also useful auxiliaries and support troops on the battlefield. In western Africa, the Tekrour kingdom forged an empire with Roman assistance, as the Romans wanted allies in the ports of West Africa during the time they were attempting to colonize southern Africa. A regional power, the Romans never bothered to subjugate Tekrour, who proved to be valuable allies anyway.
The eastern world is dominated by the Chinese Empire, as they assert the entire world should be. Easily the largest single culture in Asia, the Chinese Empire is so ancient that its origins are lost in the mists of time. There have been many periods of disunity for China in the distant past, but they have never lasted and China has always reunited. The Chinese slowly expanded, integrating the cultures around them and making them part of the Chinese system, and inevitably they became minorities in their own homelands. Chinese religion, always syncretic, evolved into a monotheistic imperial cult, where the Emperor of China was the Emperor of Earth on behalf of the Emperor of Heaven. Confucian and Buddhist ideas of filial piety and self-denial were twisted into slavish devotion to a supreme autocrat with a divine mandate, one that is never seen away from the Forbidden City. The mystical nature of the Chinese emperor even casts doubts as to his existence, as it is his ministers that govern the vast Chinese empire from day to day. Furthermore, no emperor's voice has been heard in over a century.
The Indian subcontinent was subjugated by China a few times throughout history, but since contact with Rome the Chinese have not devoted troops to holding it. A friendly Indian regime, calling itself Tianzhu, was created, and ruled by a branch of the Chinese royal family. Tianzhu is culturally distinct from China, but it seeks to emulate its Chinese master in every way. Further, in eastern Africa, the Axumites have sided with their long-time Chinese trade partners, partly out of economic sense, and partly out of a need to secure their borders against the Romans.
In other portions of the world, particularly the Vesperias, some nations stay out of the Eternal War. One is the Khanate of the Plains, a fusion of native tribes and the horse-riding Asian nomads that invaded through the Bering Strait when they fled the Chinese. The Khanate is one of the least densely-populated areas in the world, and many of the tribes living under the Great Khan are nomadic herdsmen that move with the seasons. They would be crushed under the steel of a Roman or Chinese army, but it would be of no use to either side to do so. In Central Vesperia, the bloodthirsty Doranzu rule over a terrified populace. A fusion of Japanese and Central Vesperian cultures, the Doranzu believe that their emperor was descended from the Sun, and in exchange for both this gift and the gift of life on Earth, the Sun demands a blood sacrifice. This blood is taken from prisoners, sometimes taken from mock wars against tribes that have dishonored themselves by refusing to pay proper respects to the Doranzu, or from the regular prison population. In South Vesperia is the Republic of New Tembuk, founded by the Tekrour. The New Tembukese rebelled from Tekrour when Tekrour abolished slavery, which was essential to New Tembuk's economy. New Tembuk continues the practice of slavery, and even sells slaves to Rome.
And so the Eternal War continues. Countless millions have died in the war, and with the advent of industrial warfare the carnage is growing exponentially. With both Rome and China geared for fighting, and their martial cultures unwilling to accept surrender, there can be no peace. After all, the world is only fit for one emperor. The war has been a factor of life for so long that it is impossible to imagine a world without it. But a few bright minds in Rome and China believe they may have unlocked the secret to final victory: creating a piece of the Sun on Earth.
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Rome and China, the two great civilizations of man. The two eternal empires, that for countless centuries have been at war with one another. Yes, swords and muskets have made way for rifles and machine guns, the open fields have made way for trenches, trebuchets have made way for massive guns, and horses have made way for tanks and aircraft, but the war continues.While there have been lulls in the fighting, the Eternal War has always resumed in one way or another, and it will not end until one empire is under the total subjugation of the other.
The western world is dominated by the Roman Empire. Founded by the first emperor, Augustus, over two thousand years ago, the Roman Empire has steadily expanded to cover all of Europe, most of the Near East, and all of North Africa. Three hundred years after the founding of the Empire, the worship of the old gods was swept aside by the cult of Sol Invictus, patron deity of the soldiers that made the backbone of the Empire. Favored by the emperors, Sol Invictus became associated with the Emperor of Rome, and in a few centuries it was believed that the Emperor of Rome was the representative of Sol Invictus on Earth. The emperors did little to discourage this development, and many promoted it, as it did offer a limited form of job security against ambitious generals. Of course, the power of the emperors themselves have waxed and waned. Some weak emperors were children, sheltered puppets for generals or the Senate. Other emperors are unchallenged autocrats, such as the recent crop of emperors. They have taken to calling themselves "First Citizen," a once-minor title, in order to emphasize their "proletarian consciousness." Of course, the only thing the slaves, workers and peasants of Rome are useful for are slaving away in the factories of Germania and Britannia and the fields of Chersonesus, or dying in the trenches of the Eternal War.
There are a few empires within Rome's sphere that are independent of it, but their degree of independence varies. Persia, once Rome's greatest enemy and occasional ally to China, has been brought under heel. Knowing that it would be an unwise expenditure of legions to keep Persia within the Empire, Rome was satisfied with Persia's status as a client kingdom, with powerless kings and princes that ultimately answer to the Emperor. Persian troops are also useful auxiliaries and support troops on the battlefield. In western Africa, the Tekrour kingdom forged an empire with Roman assistance, as the Romans wanted allies in the ports of West Africa during the time they were attempting to colonize southern Africa. A regional power, the Romans never bothered to subjugate Tekrour, who proved to be valuable allies anyway.
The eastern world is dominated by the Chinese Empire, as they assert the entire world should be. Easily the largest single culture in Asia, the Chinese Empire is so ancient that its origins are lost in the mists of time. There have been many periods of disunity for China in the distant past, but they have never lasted and China has always reunited. The Chinese slowly expanded, integrating the cultures around them and making them part of the Chinese system, and inevitably they became minorities in their own homelands. Chinese religion, always syncretic, evolved into a monotheistic imperial cult, where the Emperor of China was the Emperor of Earth on behalf of the Emperor of Heaven. Confucian and Buddhist ideas of filial piety and self-denial were twisted into slavish devotion to a supreme autocrat with a divine mandate, one that is never seen away from the Forbidden City. The mystical nature of the Chinese emperor even casts doubts as to his existence, as it is his ministers that govern the vast Chinese empire from day to day. Furthermore, no emperor's voice has been heard in over a century.
The Indian subcontinent was subjugated by China a few times throughout history, but since contact with Rome the Chinese have not devoted troops to holding it. A friendly Indian regime, calling itself Tianzhu, was created, and ruled by a branch of the Chinese royal family. Tianzhu is culturally distinct from China, but it seeks to emulate its Chinese master in every way. Further, in eastern Africa, the Axumites have sided with their long-time Chinese trade partners, partly out of economic sense, and partly out of a need to secure their borders against the Romans.
In other portions of the world, particularly the Vesperias, some nations stay out of the Eternal War. One is the Khanate of the Plains, a fusion of native tribes and the horse-riding Asian nomads that invaded through the Bering Strait when they fled the Chinese. The Khanate is one of the least densely-populated areas in the world, and many of the tribes living under the Great Khan are nomadic herdsmen that move with the seasons. They would be crushed under the steel of a Roman or Chinese army, but it would be of no use to either side to do so. In Central Vesperia, the bloodthirsty Doranzu rule over a terrified populace. A fusion of Japanese and Central Vesperian cultures, the Doranzu believe that their emperor was descended from the Sun, and in exchange for both this gift and the gift of life on Earth, the Sun demands a blood sacrifice. This blood is taken from prisoners, sometimes taken from mock wars against tribes that have dishonored themselves by refusing to pay proper respects to the Doranzu, or from the regular prison population. In South Vesperia is the Republic of New Tembuk, founded by the Tekrour. The New Tembukese rebelled from Tekrour when Tekrour abolished slavery, which was essential to New Tembuk's economy. New Tembuk continues the practice of slavery, and even sells slaves to Rome.
And so the Eternal War continues. Countless millions have died in the war, and with the advent of industrial warfare the carnage is growing exponentially. With both Rome and China geared for fighting, and their martial cultures unwilling to accept surrender, there can be no peace. After all, the world is only fit for one emperor. The war has been a factor of life for so long that it is impossible to imagine a world without it. But a few bright minds in Rome and China believe they may have unlocked the secret to final victory: creating a piece of the Sun on Earth.
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I dont know why but i love the thought/image of the mixed mongol/native culture of the khanate of the plains.