Card 1 of 5 - 'Preliminaries'. A cartoon interpretation of the Russo-Japanese war, acted out by the principal ruling individuals from the International Community. The War was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperialist ambitions of the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over Manchuria and Korea. The major theatres of operations were Southern Manchuria, specifically the area around the Liaodong Peninsula and Mukden, and the seas around Korea, Japan, and the Yellow Sea. Japan inflicted a series of stunning defeats on the Russian Navy, principally at Tsushima in May 1905. In this first card, Tsar Nicolas II and the Japanese Emperor Meiji trade insults and spit at each other whilst the International community stands quite far back from proceedings.