Great Arsenal

Battleship Tiequan, flagship of the Harmonious Flotilla Invincible during the early 1900's. The battleship was one of thirty commissioned by the navy during this period.

The Great Arsenal (大炮) is the name colloquialy given to the modernized armed forces of the Qian dynasty during the 18th and 19th centuries. The impetus for the creation of the Great Arsenal was the Truce of Caserges signed in 1728 that ended the Daxian Polynesian Wars, Daxia's failure to achieve its objectives during the conflict led the imperial court to conclude that its forces were increasingly inadequate to face all its competitors. Beginning in the mid 18th century the Qian state poured vast resources into both the development of new weaponry and the theft and copying of foreign designs. Supporters of the Zhangwo ideology such as Marquis Gong were enthusiastic about the creation of the Great Arsenal, an enlarged military would allow Daxia to assert itself more effectively aruond its Audonian periphery and secure its far flung colonies. Qian military naval theorists put forward that in order to face a theoretical coalition of hostile powers in the western Polynesian Sea, Daxia should possess at least an advantage of two to one in surface ships. Consequently the Harmonious Flotilla Invincible and the Fleet of the Southern Waste saw a dramatic increase in the number and tonnage of ships in their ranks. The Great Arsenal saw combat in the Second Great War and other smaller conflicts with mixed results. The long period of building and constant upgrading of the Great Arsenal greatly contributed to the industrialization of Daxia, with many firms such as Diaoyu emerging from the process as industrial and manufacturing giants.

Background

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the territorial expanse and military power of the Qian dynasty appeared to be at its greatest to the outside world. In truth it may have been an elaborate deception as Qian military planners were very deliberate in what wars to fight and against who. Qian military power was being eroded by pressures on the imperial budget and overspending on frivolities became the norm during this period. Emperor Tengu the Sot diverted large parts of the imperial budget to maintain his personal Grog Fleet and build lavish palaces all over the country. Reduced funding for military maintainment and regular expenses led to issues in the army such as delayed wages for soldiers, lack of field rations and poor quality uniforms. In the navy it simply meant a marked decrease in the building of new ships and slower and less frequent repair of the existing fleets. Foreign scholars term this period of the Qian dynasty the 'era of doves', a time where the dynasty was slightly more accommodating to foreign interests. To counteract any apparent weakness, the Qian frequently engaged in very over the top warfare against much weaker opponents such as the Capture of Truk or faced 'westerners' only when it could muster much greater force at the local level such as at the Siege of Dun-Kurrengev.

Land forces

Describe organizational and technological improvements of the army, rudimentary tanks starting in 1900, development of chemical agents to deploy en masse

Navy

Describe expansion and ship upgrades, military theory on force required in audonian periphery vis a vis rivals

Air force

Describe birth of air force, theft of airplane designs