Cassidy
Arcane
Infantryman said:
Unfortunately I already came with another solution.
chzr said:
Turtling does not a good LP make. And waiting till 1890s would be too boring, and make the actual LP too short. Therefore, I have been plagued between two choices. Playing it conventionally, which would be as amusing as a HoI2 LP of Albania or Luxembourg, or...
Cheating a little to get only one state after a string of extremely epic victories as to have a chance of going anywhere before the near endgame because otherwise the fucking countries will fuck Krakow in the ass with white peaces before it can accomplish anything.
Forgive me bros, but I found no other way of making this LP interesting.
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Kraków, walcz!
Krakow was the last hope of a sovereign and free Poland, a small but democratic(to an extent) nation, it stood as a shining beacon amidst many tyrannies, and liberty brings benefits.
An alliance with Austria is made, to secure the sovereignty of such a small and vulnerable country like Krakow, and to perhaps one day serve as a potential tool to reclaim the lands the Russians seized from her, for their outdated army would certainly fall, once the right times come to attack.
Thanks to the victory of the Reactionary Party, the government of Krakow decides to promote its industrialization with the construction of a Cement Factory. The Liberals won while the factory was being constructed, but because all funds were already allocated, they let it go, privatizing it once it was finished. And thus, right in 1838 Krakow already was entering in the industrial age.
A strong movement to destroy the old oligarchies rise among Liberals, and thus dissent increases as several militias rise within Krakow, along the age of liberalism. This is a significant threat to the sovereignty of Krakow, for pissing off three Great powers all around Krakow is anything but stupid.
Like everything however, it ends, specially as motions come for the creation of the right to freedom of press. Surviving through these turbulent times earn Krakow some prestige.
What the government began the free market finished. Capitalists thus expanded the number of factories in Krakow to three, by building fabric and glass industries, and by 1845 Krakow was a shining developed corner amidst a mostly backwards region.
Years have passed, and something changed for the worse: Russia grabbed Krakow as part of its sphere of influence, ruining forever the plan of having the support of Austria to do the opposite. The Russian Army was large, but famous for its incompetence and ineptness. Austria would have been a much, much stronger ally, but unfortunately for a tiny insignifcant country like Krakow, there was no choice in regards to diplomacy. Their hands were tied to the interests of the three infinitely more powerful countries along the border. A failure of the free market led the fabric industry to bankrupcy as well, but even now the existing craftsmen and clerks were insufficient for the factories to work at maximum efficiency, although growing in numbers every day. Strangely, many of the craftsmen in Krakow were Jews.
Meanwhile, a new "Adam Smith" arises in Krakow, writing a comprehensive book about minarchism and preaching the same kind of thing people like Ron Paul and Ayn Rand would stand for many decades in the future. His book is published all across the world, giving a small ounce of fame to the small country. However, not only of prestige was Krakow made.
The new class of workers, thanks to Jewish speculation inflating the prices of houses, was condemned to much worse conditions of life than the peasants, living in very shitty slums and shantytowns. A parliamentary analysis of the issue is called, in shows of trust in the democratic institutions, while increasing the number of liberals further.
At the end of the 1860s, hippies begin to baaw about how the military is unjust spending and should be curtailed. The president simply states that only through superior firepower shall peace prevail in the world. And the massive DISCUSS!!! that emerged between those in favor of a strong military and those against was so legendary in the arguments and drama it provoked that it would make of Krakow prestigious. How can something prestigious exist if nobody asks people to DISCUSS!!! ?
1872. Everything was being prepared for the long awaited time. The time of the beginning of the long, arduous and dangerous path towards the emancipation of Poland and Lithuania. Trained only through the most expensive and best methods, three guard brigades, one cuirassier and one artillery were being set for the coming battle against Austria. Ideally, it should be the opposite, but until Krakow emancipates from Russian subjugation by achieving the seemingly impossible goal of becoming a great power herself, Austria seemed to be the only viable goal.
Along the way, an extremely sadistic manager is expelled through government intervention, under the idea that no human beings deserves being treated like an animal and that what he was doing was an infringement against the freedom and dignity of the workers. Krakow didn't turn a blind eye to people just because they were poor. Freedom should be a right for everyone.
The final invention. Six brigades ready, organized into the Armia Krajowa, made by a division of three guard and one infantry brigade with additional cavalry and artillery brigades to it. It was a small number of forces to stand against the full might of the Austrian army. It was a pity they would not be crushing Russia on Austrian side instead, but they had no choice in regards to who they wanted as allies because the fucking Russians always pull their strings to snatch Krakow into the sphere of influence. The Austrian part of West Galicia shall be taken.
This would be a fight to the death.
Legions swarm against Krakow. After realizing their predicament, the general orders for everyone to retreat towards Russian territory. Fighting to death would be no victory... thus the situation worsened, if Krakow is occupied it could be the end of all, and there were nearly a hundred thousand enemies attempting to seize the Free City.
Fortunately, Russian reinforcements were coming to Krakow, and thus the Armia Krajowa marched together with them to the most important battle of this war. Securing Krakow was fundamental, no matter the cost.
The battle of Krakow became one of the largest Battles ever fought in history. Armia Krajow fought bravely along the disorganized and poorly led Russian soldiers, who were dying by the droves within the city. There was much bloodshed and even local Polish pan-nationalist militias attempted to fight against the invaders in face of the massive assault to retake the city. It would become the Krakow's Waterloo, the decisive battle for its sovereignty.
The Battle of Krakow would prove to be one of the bloodiest and longest battles ever fought in history. Both attackers and defenders heavily entrenched themselves, and it has been going for four months, four months of fight street-by-street, four months of artillery shells being exchanged, causing dozens of thousands of deaths, and seemed far from over yet as both Russians and Austrians poured their men to the meatgrinder with more and more reinforcements. It was a small example to the kind of battle that would be the rule rather than the exception should a war happen during the beginning of the next century. Armia Krajowa's determination never ended over during these four months of bloodshed.
After nearly seven months of battle, the city of Krakow was at last free, at the cost of more than a hundred thousand lives. Both side suffered massive casualties, and the Free City of Krakow's New Years Eve was remembered with the sounds of artillery shells raining from the skies, with the screams of the dying, the gunfire. It would take a long time to repair the massive damage caused by seven months of battle, but ultimately, this battle was a massive humiliation to the Austrians. Failing to seize and annex an insignificant, minnow nation, they ordered their Bavarian henchmen to immediately charge again against Krakow, while the Russians left the city to pursue the Austrian forces elsewhere, and right now, the war-weary, understrength Armia Krajowa would have to stand alone for Krakow.
The last Russian soldiers moving elsewhere were still on the city when the first attempt came, but soon they were gone. These defeats were humiliating to Austria, and desperatedly Armia Krajowa prepare to what they believed to be their final moment.
Barely recovered from battle after battle, they emerged victorious against the incredibly stubborn Bavarian general, despite outnumbered.
Suffering massive casualties, and with growing discontent and movements preaching open rebellion against the Austrians in Hungary and Czechoslovakia among all other subjugated peoples, the Austrians were in a tough internal situation worsened by the inevitably coming news of how the Free City of Krakow emerged victorious after multiple battles, even outnumbered and exhausted of organization, and it stood as an example for all oppressed people. In the regions of former Poland occupied by Austria, armed uprisings erupted, and the Great Power, like a Goliath humbled by a David, saw itself collapsing from inside to a point they realized that giving up West Galicia would not be a bad idea, while their ally, Sweden, with a minnow army, was being slowly curbstomped by the Russians. And thus, against all odds, Austria accepted to cede their piece of West Galicia to Krakow.
Finally, Krakow rises to something with enough population and potential to be able to wage a war on their own, next time an opportunity arises. Poles across the world rejoice such astounding accomplishment, and many emigrate from the occupied Polish lands to Krakow. This victory was however only a small step in the long road ahead, and even then, restoring Poland remained a very difficult and challenging perspective, and this newly gained territory was still not enough for Krakow to have a chance of ascending to the status of a Great Power.
Russia also gained with the war, seizing a large part of Norway from Sweden, and thus, in a way, a future enemy of Krakow also became stronger. The world has changed much since 1836. Prussia successfully created the North German Federation, unifying all German states but Bavaria. Mexico was one of the Great Powers, controlled most of what otherwise would become the US West Coast and midwest, and also was the second largest economy in Amerikwa, and belonged to a powerful alliance between her, United States of Amerikwa and the still existing United States of Central Amerikwa, that funnily leaped from Banana Republics to Third greatest economy and industrialized country in the continent. The Kwanzanians Alliance was a powerful faction, but too far away to be able to properly support Krakow as of now.
Russia funnily settled cities like Klamath Falls and Portland. Therefore the Chosen One might be Russian in this timeline.
The challenges ahead would be even greater. Austrian West Galicia was only the beginning of a long road to emancipation.
290k infantry on your side? I assume a vast majority of those are Russian grunts?
