Xindao Program
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The Qishou Emperor Imperial Household | Imperial Stewardship Teachings of the Empire
Ministries & Secretariats: Ministry of Truth | Ministry of Purity | Ministry of Stability Chao Suweiai formerly known as National Diet
Political Factions: Guanchang | Kantai-ha (Navy) | Gunbatsu (Army) | Shanghu (Traders) Defunct: Other institutions Tianchao Chuandui | Imperial Armed Forces | Young Wandering Society | Tegong |
"The utter ignorance of the Greater Good and Heavenly Will, and the foolish idea that a large-scale war would never happen, brought us into this situation: corruption among overseers, industrialists and even the lowest worker have led us fall behind on schedule. Not only did we not produce the necessary amount of ships, they also lack the quality to battle our opponents. Not the Battle of Carala Bay - where our zhu fought honourable - has destroyed the Navy's reputation (to the contrary!) and power, but it was the lack of decency among those responsible for the Xindao Program who brought these failures upon us."
—Liang Dumyan, First Admiral who replaced First Admiral Tzui Ming after the disappointing war results of the Navy during the War of Lost Brothers, 1657 AN
The Xindao Program (New Path Program) was a naval rearming program of the Imperial Jingdaoese Navy between 1647 AN and 1652 AN. The prestigious project, meant to strengthen and expand the Navy immensely, fell short on both funds and materials. Corruption among its overseers led to unforeseen shortcomings in the production of new, more modern war ships (like the Sheng-class cruiser). The outbreak of the War of Lost Brothers further disrupted its production as all naval docks were required for maintenance purposes. This meant the end of the program, as the Navy was unable to successfully enter open sea (leading to disastrous results like the Battle of Carama Bay).
The lack of clear results, the huge waste of money and the lack in quality (and combat results) eventually forced the First Admiral Tzui Ming to step down from office, after which he was put in charge of a small coastal patrol boat, and was replaced by First Admiral Liang Dumyan in 1655 AN. The failure of the modernisation weakened Jingdao's capabilities to wage war oversea, which - combined with financial troubles - led to the decision of the Grand Secretariat and the Chidao Emperor to reduce the number of oversea territories (focusing on mainland Apollonia instead). The Kantai-ha was also weakened tremendously and lost most of its influence.
