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What if for fun's sake

The timing of the Kaizer's death was PERFECT for Reinhard's overall plans, despite the fact that Reinhard would certainly have preferred to kill the Kaiser himself.

But what if he'd died before the Alliance Invasion? What if he'd died right on the heels of Yang taking Iserlohn? FPA Forever

Actually I think if the Reinhard had launched a coup, it would have provoked more opposition than what actually happened, even though it might result in the satisfaction of personal revenge. Remember that popular opinion only swung decisively towards Reinhard only after Westerland. A coup before the old order had been discredited might have looked like an illegitimate grab for power, and more of the neutrals might have then sided with the existing status quo of the nobles.

As for if the Kaiser had died earlier, I think it could have gone several ways. If the Imperial civil war had started, and then the Alliance invaded, then things would have looked bad for the Empire with its forces divided. Muckenberger didn't start respecting Reinhard until after Amritsar, so he perhaps might have sided with the nobles. Alternatively, Muckenberger might have been able to hold things together just long enough to lead a unified Imperial opposition. Iracundus 05:46, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

The danger for Reinhard would have been split priorities. The Kaiser's death was perfectly timed because it allowed Reinhard to deal with his problems in a row, not simultaneously. Had the Kaiser died when Yang took Iserlohn, then Reinhard would have had to choose between defending the Empire from the Alliance on the frontier, or fighting the nobles back home. If he left for the frontier, it would remove him from domestic affairs and the ability to intervene quickly as he did in "reality." The nobles could have plotted in his absence, while if he remained home and the nobles went out to do the fighting, they either would have gotten clobbered and weakened the Empire as a whole, or emerged victorious and bolstered their reputation at the expense of Reinhard's. While a number of the Alliance admirals were not the brightest stars in the sky, they were at least professional military men who likely could've defeated the Imperial nobles in a stand-up fight. The one092001 22:39, 28 March 2012 (UTC)

The Alliance fleets performed so poorly only as a result of their supply line being cut. The key issue is whether "scorched earth" would still be done if the nobles were doing the job. If yes, (or if they are taking over after Reinhard has already cut the supply line), then they might still prevail or give a good accounting of themselves in straightforward battle. If they did not do so, then it is likely the Alliance fleets would have clobbered the Imperial fleets if they were led by the nobility, save perhaps for Muckenberger and Merkatz's forces. I know it isn't canon but as a rough rule of thumb, the stats of most of the Alliance fleet commanders in the LOGH VI computer game were mediocre to average while the nobles were downright incompetent. Iracundus 05:52, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

Might have made a more interesting story. I've always thought Lohengramm didn't struggle nearly enough, given his goals. Comparatively, Yang always seemed to have this or that problem. FPA Forever