Side Selection

January 18, 1898

Washington, D.C. – The White House

The tension in the room was thick as President Matthew Hesh stood before his Cabinet, members of Congress, and senior military advisors. A large map of East Asia was pinned on the wall, covered in red markers that tracked Russia's land movements through Manchuria and naval projections in the Sea of Japan.

Everyone waited for him to speak. Some stood. Some sat stiffly in leather chairs. All of them were on edge.

"This is not just Japan's war anymore," Matthew finally said, breaking the silence. "It's a war for control of the Pacific."

He looked around the room. "If Russia wins, they won't stop with Japan. Korea will be next. China follows after that. The entire region becomes a Russian sphere of influence—and we're locked out of the fastest-growing markets in the world."