I own nothing from Hearts of Iron nor the Kaiserriech Mod.
Private Bedros Sahakian
Journal Entry 1
May 12, 1932, Thursday
Been out at sea for the past several days since our company left San Diego onboard on a freighter and we're making progress. To keep us busy Gunny has been drilling us with calisthenics and weapons cleaning every day. Some of the guys like Robert Tibbs keep getting sea sick. I'm not surprised, he grew up in some town called Darby in Montana. Though I admit he's a crack shot and got the best hand at poker in our whole squad. I quit trying to beat him for now because I don't want to lose any more of my pay.
It's been years since I traveled this far by ship but I'm handling it okay. Back then I was only eight when my older sister, Nayat and I left Alexandra for the States to live with Uncle Samvel's family. Looking out to the waves and hearing the seagulls overhead it's hard not to remember that odyssey.
As for our destination, well that would be the port of Shanghai. Where East meets West. Our company will be joining the fourth regiment to help guard the American sector in the international legation there. The old hands keep telling us to be ready for trouble because Shanghai is a tough town. Of course we also hear that it's a paradise for the right price.
Well that's what the rumors claim at least. That said we're not going to be tourists but guards more or less. The fact of the matter is we're not going into a stable country.
Sure the Qing are officially restored to their throne. Yet that left them indebted to the Kaiser and the real power belongs to the rival warlords. They practically carved up most of China into their personal fiefdoms with lip service to the Emperor back in Peking. Then there is also the Fengtian government led by that marshal up in Manchuria that is pals with the Japanese Empire.
Although I hear the Kuomintang revolutionaries, while defeated, still exist underground. Some even believe they're licking their wounds and planning their rematch. Well I guess if I was in their boots I wouldn't be giving up the fight either.
Regardless of the circumstances I'm just glad to be able to see more of the world and not be a burden to my family. They got enough on their plate as it is then dealing with an extra mouth to feed. Even if my sister has a hard time accepting my reasons.
Maybe I should've let her know how much I appreciated all she did but our tempers got the best of us. It felt like she was still trying to treat me like a child and I took it personally. Looking back we were too stubborn to apologize and I regret that now.
Sometime later in basic training I started writing to her first with an apology then about military life. So far no response. Before shipping out though I was briefly visited by my uncle Samvel who told me that Nayat actually reads my letters. I always make sure that the messages are in Armenian like she taught me. Hope she writes back at some point.