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Quanguo is a country in the Polentic. It is caracterised by its modernity and by its strong democracy.
History
Origins - (+-0-500)
The native peoples of the riverlands of the Qian river in the south, the Lanhe river in the central plains, and the Quanshu bay area each emerge into civilisations as trade between settlements in said regions begins to greatly increase. Trade agreements between cities along the river areas turn into alliances and confederations.
In the northern bay area, the Powerful position of the city of Quanshu and its ruling dynasty enables it to politically integrate much of the coastal area. Thus begins the 3 States period.
3 States Period - (500-1100)
The Qian and Lanhe Confederations enter a long-lasting trade conflict throughout much of the 7th century. Several trade wars have been fought, often involving great naval battles in front of the Haiguan Coastline. Meanwhile in the northwestern regions of Xibei and Xiquan, many monasteries are constructed by the monks of the Taoist faith.
This faith Slowly spreads as Philosophers in Major cities in the lowlands adopt many of its Moral principles in everyday teachings. Shrines and other religious temples begin to dominate the landscape, often funded by rich traders from the cities in return for a blessing of safety on the seas and lifelong supply deals for religious organisations.
The northern Quanshu state has meanwhile been taken over by the Beizhou Dynasty, which Launches several expeditions towards the Gao region further north, creating permanent settlements and increasing influence in the region. Active trade contact between the Confederacies of the South of the country increase linguistical unity and religious harmony between the North and the South of the country.
Century of Storms - (1100-1200)
A Disasterous Earthquake in 1109 in Shenzu greatly impacts the Trading abilities of the Qian Confederation. As a direct result, Much of the river's entry to the open sea is blocked off for 2 decades, leading to an economic collapse of much of the cities along the river and a demographical halt compared the prosperous centuries before.
Changing climate also impacts the Lanhe Confederacy, which during its attempts to cement its position as the only dominant trading power on the seas faces several nautical disasters during unprecedented tropical storms. The weakened power of the southern confederacies enables Beizhou dynasty in the north to cement its dominant position over the entire region and continue its Expansion with the conquest of much of meiguo (formerly controlled by mostly Lanhe city-states in 1143.
Political instability however plagues the dynasty, as multiple assasinations and a power struggle between the Council of Euneuchs and The ruling family brings the lands of the north on the brink of civil war.
Invasions and First Unification - (1200-1350)
The Political fracturation of the north is eventually halted by tribal invasions from the west. Taiming peoples, moved by the colder climate in the north and several floods make several incursions into Beizhou territory and attempt to take key Strongholds along the Northeastern coast. As the Euneuch-Royal Family conflict caused the armies to be split depending on loyality, coordination against the Taiming attacks is handled poorly, and much of the Beizhou army is eventually defeated in the Battle of Meishou (1245).
As the Taiming invasion continues towards the capital Quanshu, an euneuch coup takes place in the city, causing the dead of much of the Royal family and its supporters. The army units loyal to the Family eventually overturn the Euneuch faction and the country is put under military rule.
Army leader Yu Liyang takes control and organises remaining soldiers into a strategically strong defensible formation. The Taiming army is defeated in the Battle of Lishuan (1247) in an attempt to encircle the capital city. and under Yu Liyang's Command is eventually integrated into the Beizhou army under the promises of peaceful settlement. Yu Liyang is eventually succeeded by Luoyang Mei (1273), who Proclaims the Meiying Dynasty.
Southern concern over Northern trade dominance causes a renewed trade war, eventually culminating in the National unification war (1303-1309) at the end of which the Meiying dynsasty becomes the first political entity to rule all of the Quanzu lands. In the aftermath of this unification, the name of Quanguo 全國 (Complete/whole Nation) is slowly universally adopted as national identity.
Tianshang Period "Era of the Heavenly Spring" - (1350-1600)
Under the newfound unification by the Meiying dynasty, the economy slowly begins a rebirth, as great infrastructural projects to connect the Northern and southern cities through trade roadways and several canals (Qianbi /Qian - Minyuan great canal (completed 1398), Minyuan - Laibiang /Lanhe great canal (completed 1427, extended towards inland Yibeixi city 1442) and Quanshu - Beijin - Geishia grand canal (completed 1465) are initiated.
The political system is organised under Taoist principles and Heriditary governorship. Prefectural governance system is introduced in which several cities form a council to rule the surrounding lands efficiently and in great cooperation. These councils function as advisory boards to the Noblility and the Prefectural governer, who spends half of his time in the Prefectural capital concerned with administrative affairs and the other half at the court of the Emperor in the new capital of Lishang.
During this period, the northern expansion is completed with the Integration of Shiming (1518), Many of the Monasterial lands in the Mountainous Northwest became protectorates, paying taxes partially to the Imperial coffins and to the Prefectural Administration in Xibei and Xiquan.
Many famous dishes of the Quanguo Cuisine Originate form this period, as culinary pioneers traveled around the country to gather ingredients from the tropical south, agricultural centre, and Maritime Eastern regions. Increased eternal trade meant that many ingredients and products from various regions were widely available throughout the entire country, increasing cultural and economic unification and early national identity.
Dongtian period - (1600-1700)
Economical prosperity was eventually halted by several major earthquakes in 1597 and 1601. Damage to infrastructure was often not repaired for years due to overly focus on urban city infrastructure by the prefectural councils and neglect of the countryside and border areas between prefectures in general. Corruption caused by the hereditary nature of governal rule of the prefectures caused multiple issues and increased crime.
These societal issues created the emerging of the Neo-Taoist movement, which advocated for modernisation and greater equality between cities and countryside in rights and investment. However, many of the Neo-Taoists supported violence against the ruling class as primary means to achieve this goal. Reactionary upper class and many of the Traders opposed this revolutionary thought.
A Storming of the capital by Revolutionaries caused the imperial family to flee to the prefectural palace of the Haiguan governor in Shoudu, who organised a Military effort to banish the revolutionaries from the capital in Lishang. Eventually succesful, he turned on the emperor, as he and many of his reactionary supporters deemed the emperor unfit for rule as he had betrayed the country by fleeing from the capital.
To keep the country united, a politically neutral family member of the royal family was installed as the new emperor, but he became a puppet of the Haiguan ruler, whom officially transitioned the country into the Hailing Dynasty by 1676, after his son became the heir presumptive of the childless puppet emperor.
The following years resulted in more instability as several Neo-taoist rebellions continued to plague the country, eventually leading to the "Decree of Divine Proclamation", Closing off the country to foreign influences and modernisation efforts to prevent the spread of further Neo-Taoist ideals and entering a period of Isolation
Tianban period "Era of the Heavenly Autumn" - (1700-1900)
The new Hailing administration eventually managed to quell the rebellions and Neo-Taoist movement by giving in to some of the demands, Prefectural border regions and several remote rural areas were assigned as "Crownland" Directly governed from the seat of the governor of Haiguan in Shoudu, who increasingly consolidated economic and political power in his own city rather than the Imperial capital in Lishang.
These crownlands were often transformed into hunting grounds of the upper class and several countryside mansions, temples and palaces were constructed, often leading to the poor farmers of the regions to be expelled or forced into low-wage labour for the nobility.
Despite isolation from the outside world, several philosophers and students managed to get a special permit to study in foreign countries, leading to innovative methods for agriculture on the countryside and productmaking in the cities, throughout the 1800s, this sparked forms of proto-industrialisation, eventually leading to higher levels of urbanisation and the formation of regional industrial societies, causing a sociatal devide between the traditional crownland areas and the modernising urban industrial heartlands.
Inaction by the ruling government to provide social support and proper organisation, based on the ideal of internal peace from the now centuries old "Decree of Divine Proclamation" caused the opposite effect in this era of revolutionary modernisation however, and many unregulated worker's unions and civil rights organisations were created to advocate for better social mobility and other rights.
As these movements gather support even among the higher class, the Zhuquan emperor eventually abolished the "Decree of Divine Proclamation" in 1882, and modernised the court structure greatly, by allowing the prefectural governors to be permanently present in their own Regions instead of the Imperial capital.
Quanling revolution and aftermath - (1900-1930)
After the Zhuquan emperors passing(1899), his daughter the Xiaoli emperess persued many of his progressive and modern ideals, however, the strongly reactionary Haiguan governor was still the de facto ruler of the country, and opposed any concessions to the civil organisations.
in 1905 the Ziyoutan (國民自由黨/Guómín zìyóu dǎng, Party of National Freedom) was founded, aligning greatly with the emperess' ideals of modernist political structure, and being the connecting factor between the progressive upper class and the people, strongly sided against the Haiguan rulers.
The Haiguan rulership ignored the new developments at first but in 1908 organised a police raid on a Ziyoutan meeting close to Shoudu. This event antagonised the progressive faction of the Haiguan government, which promted radicals to assasinate the Haiguan ruler.
In shoudu and many Industrialised cities in the south and centre of the country, Upper-class Ziyoutan members overthrew the Prefectural nobility loyal to the Haiguan administration, end the Emperess and Ziyoutan party leadership assembled in the Governors Palace in Shoudu to Proclaim the end of the Hailing Dynasty and the Birth of the Empire of Quanguo, organised as a constitutional monarchy with the Ziyoutan organising the first national parliament.
The Quanling revolution was a fact. However, the Ziyoutan did not represent the will of everyone. The former governors and prefectural nobility declared martial law in their regions and mobilised regional armies to defend themselves from the revolution. The socialist wing of the Ziyoutan had advocated for complete abolishment of the archaic nobility rule and was not satisfied with the newborn political system, which led to a split in the Ziyoutan in may 1910, during which the extreme left of the party formed a new party: the Socialist worker's union of Quanguo.
Thus, in the aftermath of the Quanling revolution the country was more fractured than ever. The Ziyoutan government managed to consolidate power in most of the economic centre of the country, from Leiban in the south to Minshuan in the north. The Communists and prefectural governors had however politically split off and were organising raids against the central government.
Due to the Haiguan leadership disbanding the army and evacuating most of the equipment before it's fall, the new Central government was lacking the military strenght to bring the split-off prefectures back under control, and was more concerned with the Communist rebellion mainly taking place in Leinan prefecture. The regional governors however were not unified in their reactionary struggle, and fought mainly among themselves instead of against the central government.
After months of skirmishes, and a de-facto military stalemate due to the inability of either side to make large-scale offensives, a long-term truce was signed between various regional governments and the Ziyoutan central government. Occasional fights between the communists and the Central government continued.
Against the revolution's principles, an authoritarian regime was established by the former Nobility to create a long-lasting peace. The emperess, opposing this betrayal to the cause of the revolution, abdicated and was exiled to Tanbai island. In the following years, the central government was greatly strenghtened by enhancing the economic structure of the country which had been left greatly unorganised by the Haiguan rulership.
This increased the industrial capacity and enabled the central government to produce the weapons needed to reunify the nation, however, continous communist terrorist attacks and worker strikes greatly slowed down the progess. This uneasy nationwide peace continued into the 1930s.
Great war of (Second) National Unification - (1930-1942)
Altough the central government managed to greatly enhance the countries' economical and industrial potential, the promise of democracy and civil rights was left unattended, causing many disillusioned lower and middle class revolutionaries to turn to the Communists instead.
Political instability increased again throughout the 1930s as indescisiveness about Industrial nationalisation or further privatisation by the remainder of the Ziyoutan caused yet another split of the party to loom ever nearer. on the 7th of September 1937 the State of Quanguo was proclaimed as the monarchy and empire had become long defunct.
However, the new President was assasinated at the same day by a communist partisan. A complete political meltdown followed after both factions of the Ziyoutan were unable to find a new compromise candidate, and the Communist issue was left completely unattended.
A Communist uprising followed during spring 1938, fueled by the incompetitiveness of the Ziyoutan rule, and marched onto Shoudu. The army was swiftly organised into a defensive position by loyalist officers after having put down the uprising in industrial neighbourhoods of Shoudu.
As the civil war re-erupted in the centre of the country, the daughter of the former emperess, Lihua Xiao landed in Roguo with a part of the former progressive faction leadership (27 July 1938). The warlord government there sided with her against the reactionaries which had governed the province ever since the revolution, and progressive and pro-democratic forces began to organise in Roguo and the further southeast of the country.
Xiao proceeded to visit the Monasterial Prefectures of Xibei and Xiquan, where she gathered the local government's support against the Authoritarian and communist factions in the central lands. Religious support by the Taoist monks gave her nationwide legitimacy.
As Xiao's Faction (Army of Democratic Liberation/民主解放軍 Mínzhǔ jiěfàngjūn(MJJ)) increased Nationwide support, The Communist forces had gained significant military success in Most of the Industrial cities and also captured Huangli in the further northeast, making the central government's position in Shoudu weaker by the day.
The capital city was risking complete encirclement as defences along the Lanhe river were falling to overwhelming communist stormings. Xiao's faction had meanwhile consolidated power over most of the remaining warlord regions and proceeded to swiftly capture the Isolated Ziyoutan stronghold Jingsha in the south.
On the 12th of June 1940, Xiao arrived by boat in besieged Shoudu to negotiate with the remainder of the Ziyoutan leadership. Having lost most of national support and legitimacy and on the brink of collapse, the Ziyoutan agreed to cooperate with Xiao. The MJJ proceeded to open the offensive against the communist units from the south, and rapidly advanced through Leiban and Ando, Capturing Minyuan by the end of 1940 and soon Lifting the siege of Shoudu.
Communist organisation fell rapidly as many partisans defected to the progressive and moderate MJJ, seeing it as a 3rd option better than the political extremes of both the communists and the Ziyoutan. Communist leadership eventually capitulated as most of the remaining strongholds and cities were captured by the MJJ Throughout 1941, but several Communist cells remained in rural areas for the rest of the 1940s.
With the entire country now politically united again. Xiao Proclaimed the Federal Republic of Quanguo on the symbolical 27th of July 1942, with herself as interim president. This date would be celebrated every year again as day of (Second) National unification and the victory of democracy. What followed was the years of Reconstruction.
Era of the Lotus (蓮花時代 Liánhuā shídài) - (1942-Present)
In the aftermath of the Proclamation of the Federal Republic, an Interim parliament was assembled made up of civil representatives of the MJJ, former Ziyoutan leadership and Several Socialist figureheads of the former Communist leadership, as well as regional officials from the former independent prefectures.
This was mostly done to find consensus and to prevent any further political facturing. A Temporary Martial law was drafted to enable the new government forces to act quickly in matters of reconstruction and controversial trials against political extremists and "enemies of the nation".
The new Parliament reorganised the prefectural administration into regional councils based on those of the Tianshang period, but democratically elected in local elections instead of hereditarily appointed. The MJJ reorganised itself into the Democratic people's party (全國民主黨/Quánguó mínzhǔ dǎng) or Minzhudang, and won the first National Elections in November 1950.
With the political structure of the country now sufficiently reformed and agreed upon in the new constitution, the economy was finally able to fully recover. The Minzhudang enacted various social policies and engaged in extensive welfare programs to relieve the victims of war-torn areas.
The trading and agriculture sector were largely privatised and any archaic isolationist policies were fully abolished, enabeling both sectors to flourish and living standards to rise rapidly. Increased taxes and more efficient export tariffs enabled the government to then invest in the manufactoring sector and foster innovation, Leading to an economic miracle, which truly gained steam in the late 1960's, with an average annual GDP growth of 9,5% in the period between 1967 and 1994, the "Golden decades".
Between 1942 and 1965, the country had managed to transform itself from a war-torn economical backwater to an emerging economic power, and from 1965 to 1990 it reached its full potential with the highest standard of living in the continent and an excellent social safety system.
National High-speed Rail lines were constructed and a National airline established, increasing economic efficiency as well as tourism from southern neighbours and overseas, mainly attracted by many of the historical palaces, temples and monasteries which had survived the horrors of the civilwar.
The economic Fairytale came to an abrupt stop during the Global economic crisis of 1994, during which resource shortages became apparent and the housing market took a hard hit. Pragmatic investments in sustainability during the following decade have decreased reliability on fossil fuels greatly at the cost of a minor economic turndown from a decrease in car manufacturing capicity.
The 2010s have however returned economic growth with new investments in digitalisation and further modernisation of the national transport network, decreasing reliability on car transport and enhancing communicational and administrative efficiency. Quanguo today stands as a beacon of Democracy and Welfare, with Traditionalism and Modernity living in harmony with eachother, the national postwar identity symbolised by the Blooming Lotus, also present in the National flag.