Victory at Last
May 16, 2023

The war ends. Shina, having suffered numerous setbacks and reeling from the loss of thousands of soldiers and sailors, along with heavy equipment, tanks, IFVs, APCs, artillery, not to mention her surface fleet, has thrown in the towel. Xi Jinping's gamble has failed, horribly.

Rumor has it that the Taiwan War was Xi's personal crusade, attempt at Shina imperialism to reclaim the lost islands. Now it seems that hope is gone forever.

Peace formally is signed in Manila, Philippines. The terms are expected, formal withdrawal of Shina's forces from Taiwan and Nippon waters. Respect and adherence to their respective air and naval space. The list goes on. It essentially is a white peace, without significant territorial changes or even indemnities. Except, of course, Taiwan's position--while it keeps its name of the Republic of China, it de facto is independent even more-so than pre-war.

In the final days of the war, a lone Shina carrier was caught in the open water as it transported ports. The Type-002 Aircraft Carrier Shandong quickly was destroyed; this was the final embarrassment to the Shina navy, and the last cheer for Nippon before peace was established.

With the Manila Peace Treaty in place, Taiwan is free to look at its future as an independent nation. Nippon is free finally to begin working on formally ridding itself of Article 9, the pacifist amendment to its constitution. It has been weakened, but it still lingers. But for now, jubilance has spread from Tokio to Taipei to Canberra.