Bit M'ang

Capt. Bit M′ang (Shinasthana: 柲慌, bit-m′ang; Jan. 2, 1885 – Mar. 3, 1936) was a Themiclesian military officer and political columnist. He was noted for his unabashed republican views that was expressed through public denigration of ceremonies involving royalty and the newspaper column he writes on The Globe, "The Future Republic". While his final military rank was colonel, he was always published as Captain Bit and so known to the public. He died in eastern Themiclesia on campaign, during the Pan-Septentrion War.

Military career

Following graduation as Master of Letters from the Army Academy, Bit was unable to secure a forthcoming active military office as he had hoped with the Capital Defence Force. For a few months he retreated to his country home and was vouched for by his uncle as Under-Secretary of State for Shipbuilding to accept a captaincy in the Themiclesian Marines, beginning in November 1912. It was during this time that he was contracted as a political columnist by The Globe.

Bit was presented with his Outstanding Service Medal on Jan. 1, 1915. The medal was automatically issued to every officer in the Marines in their third year under commission and, in fact, was then the only medal available at all. The Navy Secretary had specifically arranged for the Emperor Goi to attend the award ceremony and dinner, but during the ceremony Bit refused to with a myriad years on the throne for the Emperor. He entered a brief argument with his superior, stating that his commission did not require this. The event was reported widely in the newspaper, with a number of authors criticizing his lack of respect for the monarchy; he responded on his column that he did not believe Themiclesia's laws required any of its citizens to embrace it. He "won" this argument after his opponents conceded they could not find a law that did.

During the following years, Bit participated in several forums held for Marines officers to discuss foreign developments in naval armaments and coastal defences. Bit added his voice in procuring a new kind of grenade for the Marines. However, his activities were not notable according to colleagues and contemporaries.

In 1927, Bit wrote for 40 consecutive weeks on his weekly column, "The Future Republic", why Themiclesia should not fight Dzhungestan. While he was a card-carrying member of the Liberal Party, which advocated for an aggressive response to Dzhungestan's provocative raids on Tsjêngh-′an, he believed warfare strengthened monarchy and disparaged republicanism. Stirring up controversy, the Captain-general reminded him that the Marine Corps had no official role or view on this matter; Bit replied, "But Bit does." When prompted that he should consider not naming himself "Captain" Bit, he closed his column on Nov. 12 with "Major" Bit instead. When the War Ministry became annoyed with his criticism, a "Captain Grap", who was allegedly on campaign in Dzhungestan, started an opposing column, also on The Globe, explaining why they should be fighting. Bit through his connections in the Consolidated Army discovered that there was in fact no "Captain Grap", who was an invention by the War Ministry to discredit him. Forced to respond, the War Ministry fired the civil servant responsible for running the fake column, but Bit was also compelled to present him with a $60,000 cheque so that he would not sue out of spite.

In 1929, Bit brought the Marine Corps to the Supreme Court for trespass. Before pleading began, both parties settled out of court for an undisclosed amount; as such, there is no surviving documentation on the defendant's side on the substance of the dispute. Bit did not describe this lawsuit on any public writing, but according to the Marines' gossip, this is because a building collapsed on his very prized car, imported from Kerenevoi. The same year, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel.

The course of the Prairie War took a dramatic turn in early 1933, with Menghe sending forces to aid the Dzhungestani in consequence of the massacre of fascist and nationalist sympathizers in the Nationalist Revolt of 1932. In "The Future Republic", Bit said that invasion had triggered a surge in uncontrolled nationalism, which "culminated in an unsightly, base flourish of naked greed and desire to dominate, which required an equally unsavoury amount of casualty to quell." He also asserted that monarchy was an accessory to the problem of nationalism, in that it "naturalizes domestic inequality and seeks to naturalize that between nations." Uncharacteristically, Bit chose not to sign his name as "Captain Bit" this time, but "Bit the Concerned Citizen". It is unknown if the Marines had pressured him to do so, or if he wished to distance himself from his public office.

In 1935, the 2nd Regiment of Marines in which Bit served was reconstituted as the 38th Regiment of Foot, joining the East Expedition Force. In the ensuing chaos, Bit criticized the War Ministry for poor preparations.

On Mar. 3, 1936, Bit was hit by a shrapnel from an exploding Menghean cannonball. The shrapnel punctured his left lung, and he quickly died of this wound. In a customary letter by the War Secretary to his family, he wrote that though "Colonel Bit has expressed views which are not always in agreement with those of the Government or War Ministry, the Court and Civil Service are nevertheless are touched by his selfless sacrifice in this distressful war that none of us, Colonel Bit included, could have foresaw in such horrible detail." His remains were restored to his family, who interred him in Krat County. While his acerbic column has been controversial, a number of editors and keen readers visited his family and hoped to pay respect at his tumulus.

See also

• Themiclesia