Tales of Two Horizons OOC-Open

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

1835 AH RP
Links: OOC II | IC | Map | Number Map
Lesser Links: Factbook | Maps Thread | Theme

OP Board:
- OP – The Industrial States of Columbia
- Vice-OP - Senkaku
- Co-OP's - Liecthenbourg|The Kingdom of Glitter | Sveltlana

OP Directives:

Work on finalizing apps everyone, and begin considering what you might want to do in the IC

RP Description:

This world has changed. Where once one horizon was seen as the boundaries of the known world, now there have been two. In the west, England challenged the behemoth of Spain and emerged victorious, bloodying the Iberian mainland into civil conflict and claiming Brasil as her own. The Portuguese left their war torn home to seek better fortunes in the colonies, capitalizing on England's reduced influence in North America to expand into the southern portions of continent. The French too have maintained influence in the New World. Though they have lost Nova Gallia to revolution, French Louisiana remains a font of potential riches. To the north the Kalmar union survived and evolved, once a tool of Denmark now of Sweden, after Gustavus Adolphus claimed the throne. In the east, though Constantinople still fell, the fires of Byzantium remained, and alliance of Balkan states, Venetians and the Morean League drove back the invaders to the walls of Constantinople, before succumbing to petty rivalry and disbanding. The Mamluks have risen to fill the void left by the Ottoman caliphate of our time, biding their time to expand once more. In the far east, the Song have survived the inexorable tides of the former Mongol invaders, and have risen stronger than ever, basking in the fires of production and claiming far distant shores as their own. To the South, the Majapahit conquered and united Nusantara, expanding their lucrative trade and exotic goods far from their home islands. Japan watches warily across the seas, determined to resist the tides of the Song and other great powers by building an empire of their own in the Pacific.

The world has changed, and much change shall yet be seen. Will you build your nation from the ancient mists of time into the fires of industry in the East? In the West, shall you unify petty countries into an all conquering empire? Or shall you brave the New World, to seize riches and glory in wild and vast lands. The choice great leader, is yours...

Roster:

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List of Nations:
1. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland-Liecthenbourg
2. Kingdom of France-Yaana Noore
3. Holy Iberian Empire-Reserved Hip
4. Kingdom of Aragon-Kryskov
5. Kingdom of Piedmont-Corsica -Open Unless Dutch expresses interest in reclaiming
6. Kingdom of Belgium-Open Unless west expresses interest in reclaiming it
7. United Provinces of the Netherlands-Krugmar
8. Kingdom of Scandinavia-App IP Cyr
9. Republic of Switzerland-Alleniana
10. Kingdom of Hannover- Open
11. Free and Hanseatic City of Bremen-Can be united at player discretion
12. Grand Duchy of Oldenburg
13. Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg-Can be united at player discretion
14. Duchy of Lippe-Detmold
15. Duchy of Brunswick
16. Principality of Anhalt
17. Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg
18. Free and Hanseatic City of Lubeck-Can be united at player discretion
19. Duchy of Holstein
20. Duchy of Weimar
21. Duchy of Saxe-Meinengan
22. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
23. Langrave of Hesse-Kassel
24. Free City of Geissen
25. Duchy of Nassau
26. Duchy of Darmstadt
27. Frankfurt am Main
28. Austro-Bavarian Empire-Currently playing as for nefarious purposes >;)
29. Kingdom of Prussia-The Jonathanian States
30. Grand Duchy of Krakow
31. Grand Hungarian Empire- Kisinger
32. Most Serene Republic of Venice-App IP Duchy
33. Kingdom of Milan
34. Kingdom of Tuscany-Rudaslavia
35. Papal States
36. Free Republic of Lucca
37. Kingdom of the Two Sicilies-Conwy-shire
38. Empire of Greater Serbia
39. Grand Duchy of Epirus- Jaslandia
40. Kingdom of Bulgaria
41. Kingdom of Hellas-open unless Calt expresses interest in reclaiming
42. Sultanate of Rum-Reserved Khed
43. Empire of all Russias-App IP-Hann
44. Mamluk Caliphate-Elepis
45. Persian Empire-Open
46. Khiva
47. Kingdom of the Later Western Liao
48. Bukhara
49. Khanate of Samarqand
50. Kingdom of Afghanistan
51. Most Subime State of Kalat
52. Sikh Empire
53. Dominions of the Oirat Horde
54. Tibetan Empire
55. Empire of the Great Song-Senkaku
56. Kingdom of Nepal
57. Sikkim
58. Bhutan
59. Kingdom of Pagan
60. Kingdom of Siam
61. Dai Viet
62. Kingdom of the Later Jin
63. Kingdom of Joseon
64. Oda Empire-The Holy Dominion of Inesea
65. The Ever Triumphant Empire of Nusantara- Probably not so triumphant anymore, being partitioned
66. Kingdom of Ethiopia
67. Kingdom of Morocco
68. Empire of the Mali
69. Transvaal
70. Orange Free State-Reserved Vault
71. Paiyoute Confederacy
72. Shoshone Dominions
73. Second Mexican Empire- Sveltlana
74. Hesperian Union-Terminus Alpha
75. Columbian Federation- The Kingdom of Glitter
76. Republic of Nova Gallia-Fascist Republic of Bermuda
77. United States of Central America
78. Gran Colombia
79. Republic of Venezuela
80. Empire of Brasil-the main idea is that it is an Anglic lead multi-ethnic empire with a Hohenzollern on the throne (I had an app IP)
81. Andean Confederation
82. Kingdom of Paraguay
83. Kingdom of Casimira-Auchterland
84. Republic of Chile-Open Unless Baja expresses interest in reclaiming
85. United Emirates of Aden-Open

Accepted
Reserved
App IP

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Rules and Regulations:
There are a fair few rules and guidelines for the RP, listed here. These following six are basic and should be easily understood and followed, and after that will follow more specific info that is more liable to change.
1. Obey NationStates forum rules
2. Obey the OP and those appointed as per their role
3. Make sure you are not metagaming, godmodding, numberspamming, or generally RPing in bad form
4. Have a couple of paragraphs a post and good grammar & spelling
5. Exercise common sense generously
6. Be active every couple of days at least

Beyond the basic rules, there are a few regulations, which is basically a special way of saying special rules for regulating the RP. So rules+1. Each regulation is R.X.~~~ where X is the regulation number and the squiggles are the subject matter.


1.Colonies and Colonization- TBA
2.Casus Belli: A justification for war with another nation. A list shall follow.
3.Technological Progress- TBA
4.Power Status-TBA

Applications and Reservations:

Reservations that are not performed using the proper form will not be considered valid.
Reservation last for exactly 16 hours from the time they were posted, rather than the time they were confirmed, and an extension of a further 16 hours may be requested. A reservation also is invalid once you have posted a full app for the area in question.
Once a reservation has been confirmed by a (Co-)OP no apps shall be accepted in conflict with the app. Other apps may be made though, and accepted should the reservation expire.

Code: Select all

[box][align=center][size=160]Reservation[/size][/align]
[b]Name of the State:[/b]
[b]Area to be reserved:[/b] (Number on the Roster)
[b]Code:[/b] 635[/box]
(Remove everything within the (round) brackets - INCLUDING THIS...)


Code: Select all

[box][u][b]Application[/b][/u]

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Symbols:[/b]
[b]Claims:[/b]
[b]Power:[/b]

[b]Government Structure:[/b]
[b]Ideology/Policy:[/b]
[b]Leaders:[/b]
[b]Capital City:[/b]

[b]Population:[/b]
[b]Primary Ethnic Group:[/b]
[b]Minority Ethnic Groups:[/b]
[b]Description of Ethnicity:[/b]
[b]Language:[/b]
[b]Religion:[/b]

[b]Foreign Relations:[/b]
[b]Military Information:[/b]
[b]Army Size:[/b]
[b]Navy Size:[/b]

[b]Economic Policy:[/b]
[b]Economic Situation:[/b]
[b]Infrastructure:[/b]
[b]Imports & Exports:[/b]
[b]Currency:[/b]

[b]History:[/b]
[b]Miscellaneous:[/b]
[b]RP Example:[/b]
[b]429[/b][/box]

Application

Name: Longer and shorter names of the nation if applicable, both in English and native language (and transliteration perhaps) if possible, and demonym
Symbols: National, popular and other relevant symbols such as flags, anthems, animals, coats of arms, colours, and whatever else you feel pertinent
Claims: The number of your nation on the map, and if you wish, also what land it claims de jure but does not actually maintain control over (Separate map)
Power: What degree of power the nation is; the possibilities are Great Power, Secondary Power, Tertiary Power and Uncivilized (Minor Power), or perhaps slightly more detailed if you wish

Government Structure: How the government works and is created in some level of detail, such as, perhaps mentioning how voting works if it exists
Ideology/Policy: What the government does and acts on; essentially, this is how the government governs
Leaders: Leaders is fairly simple, in that it requires a few of the titles and names of those pertinent to national governance
Capital City: The name of the capital city, or cities if there is more than one and a description of the city if it differs from what is present IRL

Population: Give both the population of your homeland, and the population of any colonies, territories, etc. separately, using evidence such as populstat.info
Primary Ethnic Group: The name of the main cultural, linguistic or otherwise group of your country, or perhaps more than one if there is
Minority Ethnic Groups: All those who do not belong to the main group to be described and mentioned here
Description of Ethnicity: An overall description of the populace, taking into account all factors and information not included elsewhere
Language: The nation's language or languages, whether by legislation, popular usage or else
Religion: The demographics relating to religion, attitudes, the position of the state on it, and everything else religious and relating to the state

Foreign Relations: How the government acts with regards to its neighbours and peers, and how they react
Military Information: How the military as a whole is organised with regards to branches, training, equipment, funding and so on
Army Size: The detailed numbers for the army, with division into where they are stationed, type, branch, active vs reserve, etc.
Navy Size: A count of ships by their type, with a list of names if possible, in addition to a numerical summary of those who man the vessels

Economic Policy: How the government and those in charge of economic policy in general regard the economy, in detail; mercantilism, protectionism, free trade?
Economic Situation: How well the nation is doing economically, with regards to trade deficits, growth, depression, bubbles, sustainability, etc.
Infrastructure: Everything related to infrastructural elements like transport, industry, architecture, etc.
Imports & Exports: The main exports and imports of the country, both internationally and between internal regions
Currency: The name of the currency and some info, such as if and how it is pegged to something, how it is divided, how it is used and so on

History: A history of the nation, from any relevant PODs to the present (As in the year 1835).
Miscellaneous: Anything else that might be relevant for accepting or RPing, either ICly or OOCly
RP Example: Examples of your ability to RP well, which will be more carefully inspected the higher up the power scale you are
429 A number which allows people, especially those who accept apps, to search the thread and find applications easily

[Altito Asmoro]

Reservation

Name of the State: The Ever Triumphant Empire of Nusantara
Area to be reserved: 65
Code: 635

[The Kingdom of Glitter]

I'll be posting an app for Columbia as soon as this debate is over

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

Reservation

Name of the State: The Ever Triumphant Empire of Nusantara
Area to be reserved: 65
Code: 635

Noted

[The imperial canadian dutchy]

What can be changed, Like can England be Catholic, or what or anything not changngf the borders?

[Relikai]

Reservation

Name of the State: United Provinces of the Netherlands
Area to be reserved: 7
Code: 635

[The Kingdom of Glitter]

What can be changed, Like can England be Catholic, or what or anything not changngf the borders?

England isn't catholic because Columbia isn't catholic

[The imperial canadian dutchy]

What can be changed, Like can England be Catholic, or what or anything not changngf the borders?

England isn't catholic because Columbia isn't catholic

I cri for Thomas More

[The Kingdom of Glitter]

England isn't catholic because Columbia isn't catholic

I cri for Thomas More

I sure don't

[Sveltlana]

MEXICANOS AL GRITO DE GUERRA

[The imperial canadian dutchy]

I cri for Thomas More

I sure don't

Why? He was a pretty cool guy, a Humanist and all, interesting to read about.

[The imperial canadian dutchy]

Reservation

Name of the State:Kingdom of Piedmont (Ain't no way in hell Corsica is being made a kingdom)
Area to be reserved: (Number on the Roster)5
Code: 635

[The Salvatagard Republic]

Reserve 1st Mexican Empire

[Altito Asmoro]

Application

Name: The Ever Triumphant Empire of Nusantara
Symbols:
Flag
Coat of Arms
Claims:
Official Territories : Indonesia, part of Philippines, part of Madagascar and part of Australia.
Claimed Territories : the entire Madagascar and Papua.
Power: Regional (?)

Government Structure: Constitutional Monarchy
Ideology/Policy: Agrarianism, Hindu nationalism, Conservatism
Leaders: Emperor Sri Kritavijaya III
Capital City: Trowulan

Population: 35, 670, 000
Primary Ethnic Group: Javanese
Minority Ethnic Groups: Sumatrans, Sulawesi ethnic groups, Kalimantan ethnic groups, Aboriginals, Mindanao ethnic groups and Betsimisaraka
Description of Ethnicity: Javanese is the largest ethnic group in Nusantara which dated back to the foundation period of Majapahit where they found the empire.
Language: Javanese
Religion: Hindu and Islam are the largest religions in Nusantara. Hindu is fiercely enforced as the main religion and it is enforced by the support of priests, businessmen, and nobles alike to preserve the religion that has been Majapahit's for 600+ years. Hindu religion itself has been mixed with Buddhism and local religions and yet it is still referred as Hindu. Islam, meanwhile, attracts attentions of the citizens alike due to the fact that it's easier to embrace Islam and there is no caste system regarding Islam, something that few nobles and citizens like.

Foreign Relations: It has a not very good relation with Song as both are regional power in the respective regions. Nusantara maintains good relations with Japan, Korea, Jin, Liao, and the Southeast Asian kingdoms. It has a bad relationship with Netherlands over the ownership of Australia.
Military Information: Nusantara, with its ever-growing nation has a strong military with maritime culture, thus the navy has the most funding, training, technology, and manpower. With most funding directed to the navy, the army has been more or less neglected that although the army is still powerful it has less funds and training and armed with less modern weapons. It is reasonably well-equipped.
Army Size: 225,000 soldiers serve the Nusantara Army. Moderately equipped with imported weapons from Europe, it maintained a strong active and reserve army despite less funding directed to the army. Somewhat trained and disciplined.
Navy Size: Given the fact that Nusantara relies heavily on its maritime trading, navy is being funded the most. 100 ships of varying size, mixed between frigates and old military vessels but mostly comprised of old and outdated military ships and few from British and American-designed frigates. Disciplined and highly trained, Nusantara's Navy is the jewel of the empire.

Economic Policy: Mercantilism with heavy investment on maritime trading.
Economic Situation: Nusantara relies heavily on its maritime trading and thus investing heavily to maintain their status and the economy. The Nusantara empire has a monopoly on certain resources such as spices and coffee and exporting many of their agricultural products to the world. At the same time they investing and developing other ways of economy.
Infrastructure: Nusantara empire invests heavily on its port infrastructure to accommodate the maritime trading and to protect their interests and thus have a very significant interest at maritime infrastructure but more or less neglecting the infrastructure at land, with better infrastructure at urban cities and the worse ones at rural areas. The urban cities have been influenced with Western culture and thus have some Western-designed buildings here and there while the rural ones still maintaining Indian-designed buildings and traditional architecture.
Imports & Exports: Rice, Spices, Salt, Fishes, Luxury products from Nusantara, most agricultural products are the exports.
Imports including manufactured goods, arms, luxury goods from Western.
Currency: Kepeng.

History: After the death of Hayam Wuruk on 1389, various conflicts started for the succession up until 1406, where Wikramawardhana won the conflicts of the succession and began to stabilize and centralize the Majapahit while at the same time encouraging Hindu religion to the populace. Even as Zheng He, Muslim Chinese admiral who arrived at Majapahit and helped the spread of Islam unintentionally against his religion, he still upholding the religion of Hindu.

On mid to late 15th century, Majapahit suffered revolutions from Islamic communities who eventually found Islamic kingdoms, one of them was Demak. Suffering from wars and declining rapidly, Majapahit finally found the solution as they allied themselves with Vijayanagara Empire, and they began to send in reinforcements to support one of the last bastion of Hindu in Southeast Asia. Finally on 1623, Demak was crushed altogether and the other Islamic kingdoms began to fell as Majapahit regained its strength. With the fall of Vijayanagara on mid 16th century Majapahit became one of the strongest Hindu empires in Asia, but knowing that without reform on political, social, and military they will fell again decided to did a massive reform, introducing tolerance to Islam and other religions, modernizing the military based on Chinese and Indian military.

17th century marked the arrival of European nations. Portugese and Spanish failed to did any significant wound to Majapahit, which has successfully launched crusades to recaptured their former territories. By the time the Dutch arrived they had been renamed as the Ever Triumphant Empire of Nusantara but shocked to found that European militaries are much more modern and stronger than them and thus they began to looked for modernizing their military based on European military although recent reforms made the nobles angry and thus have been hampered.

18th and 19th century marked wars between Dutch and Nusantara, and Nusantara found himself within two large rocks, the always hard-working Netherlands and the mighty power of Song who eyes for more.
Miscellaneous: Need help with this.
RP Example: UK in New Imperialism, Tibet in Midnight of Moscow.
429

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

Reservation

Name of the State: United Provinces of the Netherlands
Area to be reserved: 7
Code: 635

Noted

Reservation

Name of the State:Kingdom of Piedmont (Ain't no way in hell Corsica is being made a kingdom)
Area to be reserved: (Number on the Roster)5
Code: 635

Noted

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

Reserve 1st Mexican Empire

Unfortunately that is already reserved, sorry, plenty of open space though

Denied

[Empire of Gibraltar]

Reservation

Name of the State:
Kingdom of Prussia
Area to be reserved:
29
Code: 635

[Sveltlana]

Expect my app by tomorrow. I need to do some work on other things rn.

[Kisinger]

Reservation

Name of the State: The Empire of Hungary
Area to be reserved: 31
Code: 635

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

Reservation

Name of the State:
Kingdom of Prussia
Area to be reserved:
29
Code: 635

Noted

Reservation

Name of the State: The Empire of Hungary
Area to be reserved: 31
Code: 635

Noted

Expect my app by tomorrow. I need to do some work on other things rn.

No problem good ser

[Baja California y Sonora]

Reservation

Name of the State: Republic of Chile
Area to be reserved: 84
Code: 635

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

Reservation

Name of the State: Republic of Chile
Area to be reserved: 84
Code: 635

Noted

[The imperial canadian dutchy]

Reservation

Name of the State:Union of Britannia
Area to be reserved: 1
Code: 635

Bugger it I'm trying something new

[Senkaku]

Work in progress.

Application

Name: Empire of the Great Song (Da Song Diguo)/Song Dynasty (Song Chao)/China (Zhongguo)
Symbols:
Claims: 55
Power: I r8 8/8

Government Structure: The Song government is a meritocratic bureaucracy organized under the emperor, who is an absolute monarch. In practice, the bureaucracy handles most of the empire's administration, while the Emperor and the Imperial Cabinet chart out grander policy.
Ideology/Policy: The Song court has a fairly clear path laid before them. They must maintain the Mandate of Heaven by caring for the people, and expand the glory of the Emperor into the wide world- but, whenever possible, do this by using barbarians to fight barbarians, rather than spending precious Chinese lives.
Leaders: The Datong Emperor, Empress Yin, Chancellor Chen Zian, Crown Prince Zhao Gang
Capital City: Dongjing (RL Kaifeng)

Population: 470,217,385
Primary Ethnic Group: Han Chinese
Minority Ethnic Groups: Miao, Hakka, Uyghur, Jurchen, Mongol, Tatar, Dzungar, Tibetan, Vietnamese, Isaan, Tangut, Somali, Swahili, Sinhalese, Tamil, Hawaiian
Description of Ethnicity: The Han are the vast majority of the empire's population. Han from the north tend to be larger and paler, while Han from the south are shorter and darker. The rest of the empire's subject peoples are as varied as the wide world in which they live.
Language: The standard language of the empire is Mandarin Chinese.
Religion: Confucian-influenced Heaven-worship is the state religion.

Foreign Relations: The Song Empire has full diplomatic relations with all of its tributaries, as well as Japan, Nusantara, the Mamluks, Persia, the Central Asian khanates, and Ethiopia. It has yet to establish full diplomatic relations (the exchange of permanent embassies and the like) with any European nations.
Military Information: The Song military is vast and reasonably well-equipped, but is chronically bound by a command structure hobbled due to concerns about political security in the part of the imperial court.
Army Size: 3,445,450 men serve in the Imperial Army
Navy Size:
57 baochuan
462 fuchuan
204 troop transports
193 horse ships
184 paddle wheel ships
65 water tankers
70 supply ships
130 paddle-wheel louchuan (ocean-capable)
66 other paddle-wheel ships
And a whole lot of riverine or lake craft or little tiny patrol junks and war barges and stuff.

Economic Policy: The Song view trade favorably and encourage manufacturing. However, they rigidly protect intellectual property, particularly items that would be of interest to foreign nations. The Song court also strongly encourages agriculture because of China's burgeoning population.
Economic Situation: The Chinese treasury is practically overflowing with Californian gold and silver from around the world brought in by trade, which thrives in the empire's huge port cities. The Chinese export just about everything in huge amounts- silk, tea, porcelain, steel, sandalwood, ivory, gold, silver, wool, sugar- which more than offsets their significant imports, which mainly consist of foodstuffs like rice. The Song Empire is large enough that often it fuels its own economy, with internal imports from Africa or California flowing to drive demand and the economic engine of the mainland.
Infrastructure: The empire is riddled with extensive networks of canals and roads to facilitate travel and movement of goods. Song engineers have spent centuries adapting to swelling populations and swelling production, and their canals especially provide critical lubricant to the Chinese economy.
Imports & Exports: Almost any good imaginable, China imports and exports, or shuffles around internally.
Currency: Tael

History:


The POD is 1125, when Jurchen Jin riders launched their assault on the Song dynasty, beginning the Jin-Song Wars. Despite nearly threatening Kaifeng, the Song soon gathered their armies and repulsed the Jurchen invaders at the Battle of Fengqiu, just north of the imperial capital. Song armies were led by Yue Fei, who had been promoted due to meritorious service in an 1123 campaign against the Tanguts which brought them fully into the thrall of the Dragon Throne.
From the Battle of Fengqiu, Yue Fei fought back north, over the course of two years, reclaiming the Sixteen Prefectures from the Jin. Song's Tangut allies launched their own attacks on the Jin, but for their troubles were defeated and forced to once again switch sides in 1127. The Jin seized back the Sixteen Prefectures in 1128, and the two empires would war on and off for another thirty years. The Song were never again able to reclaim all sixteen of the Sixteen Prefectures for centuries, even after the Jin, but they heavily fortified the border area in the north against barbarian incursions, and the Song greatly strengthened their army (though fear of military rebellion would forever hobble their command structure). During the Jin-Song Wars, however, the Song court sponsored technological developments that allowed them to begin large-scale production of steel through the Bessemer process, and to manufacture this steel on a large scale into weapons for the army such as crossbows and armor.
In the late 1100s and early 1200s, Temujin unified the Mongol Confederation, which were traditionally subservient to the Jin (as Jurchen Manchurians). Despite Jin attempts to thwart him, Genghis Khan unified the steppe, and swiftly attacked the Tangut Xia, overrunning them and then moving on to the Jin. The Mongol-Jin Wars ended swiftly with a Mongol victory.
The First Mongol-Song War lasted from 1234 (shortly after the fall of Jin) to 1236. The Mongols besieged Kaifeng in 1236 after defeating several Song armies, and the Song were forced to concede to a humiliating peace treaty. Large swathes of northern land were lost to the Mongol Empire, the Song were forced to keep their court in vulnerable Kaifeng, and in addition to a vast tribute the Song also had to send troops to aid the khan and give Mongol merchants reduced tariffs.
The Second Mongol-Song War began in 1253 and ended in 1258, after the Mongols invaded the Song tributary of Dali. The Song objected, but despite vigorous fighting, they eventually had to concede, losing Chengdu in the process. However, fortifications were constructed extensively during and after this around Kaifeng and the northern Song provinces.
Following the second war, the Song had to deal with the Red Bird Uprising, in Guangdong and Fujian, which lasted for ten years. The rebellion, coupled with their losses against the Mongols and the famine that the rebellion caused, shook the dynasty to its foundations and led to rumors it had lost the Mandate of Heaven. The Song ended the Red Bird Uprising in 1268.
Three years later, seeing a weakened China, the Mongols invaded. Kaifeng and the Grand Canal held out as the Mongols swept around them to the south and west, eventually being stopped at the fortified city of Xiangyang on the Han River. Kublai Khan declared himself the first emperor of the Yuan dynasty, and by the end of 1271 the Song had lost control of a huge swathe of the country. The Song court fled Kaifeng for Hangzhou and mobilized the dynasty's armies.
The Third Mongol-Song War lasted from 1271-1279, and the Song actually made some significant gains against the initial Mongol advance, taking back most of the land they had lost. Song gunpowder and steel proved highly effective against Mongol forces, but the incompetence of the hobbled Song command structure led to a number of crushing defeats. The war led to another famine, as well, leading the the Brown Turban Rebellion starting in 1277. In 1278, Brown Turbans besieged and then took Hangzhou. A single imperial prince and a few other members of the imperial family and harem managed to escape the sack of the city by the rebels. The new Zhizeng Emperor was nineteen and had not been one of the candidates for the throne, and he was unsure if the Brown Turbans would claim the Mandate of Heaven or if the few princes they'd taken alive would put forth rival claims (or if any Song generals would rise against the throne). This instability led the emperor to call all Song armies back from their various offensives, even the one besieging Chengdu, and open negotiations. The Brown Turbans, meanwhile, were pushed back out of Hangzhou by a large Song fleet and army, but continued to ravage the countryside.

The end seemed to be near for the embattled Song, with rebellions breaking out and the Mongols advancing seemingly relentlessly, and the Brown Turbans continuing to ravage the nation. 1278, with the sack of Hangzhou, was the nadir of the dynasty's fortunes. However, two decisive victories by Song forces at Xiangyang and at the Battle of the Weihe River, north of Kaifeng, against the attacking Mongols saw costly defeats inflicted on the barbarians. Peace was agreed upon again, giving the Mongols even larger areas of northern and western China, and allowing the Song to focus their remaining strength against the rebellions ravaging the southern provinces.

After the peace treaty, Song armies scored a crushing victory over the rebels at the Battle of Cuihu Lake following a second rebel attempt on Hangzhou, which failed spectacularly and led to the breakup of the Brown Turban movement. The destruction and fragmentation of the rebels and an intensive anti-corruption campaign by the Song court helped put the dynasty back into the people's good graces. The Zhizeng Emperor was also aided by several excellent harvests, seemingly proving the favor of Heaven, and his own popularity. South China would see turmoil and upheaval continue into the 1290s, but by 1292 the Song heartland was, for the most part, calm. The Chinese paid tribute to the Mongols, and sent some troops and ships to aid their failed invasions of Japan in 1281 and 1284. During this interlude of peace, China faced another issue. Even despite the ravages of three devastating wars and two rebellions that had wracked the empire, the Chinese population was growing, and quickly. The Song had already introduced early-ripening rice, and while there was not yet a major crisis, Zhizeng chose to focus his energy as the south became more calm on expanding maritime trade. In 1291, a Chinese fleet sailed to Champa, securing a rice tribute that would flow almost uninterrupted to the present day and that is now critical to protecting China from famine. Zhizeng also was the first emperor to sponsor a colonial expedition to Taiwan, in 1292.
In 1294, around fourteen years since the final end of the Brown Turban Rebellion, Kublai Khan died in his capital city of Dadu. There was immediately conflict between his eldest son, Jingim, and a younger brother, Nomukhan. Jingim managed to secure the support of most of the Mongol nobility, but Nomukhan fled south, to the extensive Mongolian holdings in northern China. The Song court, sensing opportunity, pounced. Song armies began mobilizing throughout the autumn and winter of 1294, but Nomukhan was assassinated in January and a short, sharp winter expedition by his older brother soon saw his supporters crushed.

The Song, not to be deterred, initiated the Fourth Mongol-Song War in the spring of 1295. Song armies attacked Chengdu, Chang'an, and all across the North China Plain above Kaifeng. It was above Kaifeng that the fighting was toughest- the mobile, cavalry-focused Mongols inflicted several costly defeats on Song armies. However, superior Song weaponry and numbers would prove critical in this campaign. Their sheer numbers allowed for Chinese forces to simultaneously occupy most of the available Mongol troops, and they had difficulty forcing their many Chinese citizens to join the fight against their fellow Han. Chang'an, largely empty, broken ruins of the Tang Dynasty, was taken the easiest. Chengdu, after a bloody slog from Chongqing and a siege that consumed a huge quantity of gunpowder bombs and shells, also fell.
North of Kaifeng, however, the Chinese struggled whenever they left their fortifications. The Northern Campaign was the most difficult theater of combat for the Song and would remain so for the centuries to come. In 1297, the Song opened negotiations with Jingim Khan, having made little headway in the north. The Mongols, this time, had to make concessions, but they were all in the west and Kaifeng (which once again hosted the imperial court) remained open to attack along the floodplains of the Yellow River.
In 1299, Jingim started the fifth war, attempting to seize Kaifeng and the emperor and force the Song to return the territories they had recaptured. Song fortifications held them off through the winter, and in the spring of 1300, the Song launched a massive counterattack with four main armies totaling nearly a million men. They thrust as far as Taiyuan, but overextended supply lines led to a catastrophic defeat for the western prong outside the city at the Siege of Taiyuan. The Mongols, however, were pressured by Han rebellions and the other Song forces, and quickly again agreed to make peace in late 1300.
In 1301, Jingim Khan was assassinated in Dadu by his own son, who ascended as Temur Khan with the support of many Mongol nobles who thought his father had failed against the Song. Temur's brother Gammala and many others, however, disapproved, initiating the Second Toluid Civil War. The Song made overtures to Gammala, and in the spring of 1302 a Song army marched north to support him against Temur. Temur held Dadu, but lost most of the North China Plain to Gammala and his Song allies. The Song immediately betrayed Gammala, but found his forces even alone difficult to deal with. They attempted to make an alliance with Temur, this time against Gammala, but Temur rejected their overtures. Temur attacked the Song at Chengdu with forces from his holdings in Dali, and the Mongol tributary state of Pagan sent men and war elephants as well. The Siege of Chengdu caused Chinese troops to pull back in the north and consolidate their gains. That winter, Gammala was killed by a bomb planted by a Chinese assassin.
By the spring of 1303, Burmese, Nanzhao, and Mongol forces were besieging a pocket around Chengdu, and Song forces in the north were gathering to threaten Dadu itself. Gammala's fractious group of nobles largely collapsed, and the Song steadily began taking cities back, piece by piece, from the Mongol forces. Chengdu continued to hold out as a relief force gathered, and in the summer a Chinese attack completely shattered the besieging forces. The Chinese were limited in their ability to pursue the Nanzhao and the Burmese, however, because of a shortage of explosive bombs and shells. Most of the large factories in southern China were sending almost all of their munitions north.
The war continued into 1304, when the Chinese attempted an amphibious assault on Dadu by sending a fleet into the Yellow Sea. They did alarm the Mongols, but the army was forced back into the sea by a counterattack. However, concerns over political security of Chinese generals led to a halt of the advance, and the Chinese reached a peace treaty that winter.

The Zhizeng Emperor, now 45 years old, would rule for another forty-two years of on-and-off warfare crisscrossing the North China Plain, slowly creeping northwards. The Song organized for total war against the Mongols and against their tributaries in the south, conquering Nanzhao/Dali in 1328 and forcing Pagan to become a Chinese tributary in 1337.
In 1346, after three consecutive years of relative peace, the Zhizeng Emperor died unexpectedly. Some say he was poisoned, which could be possible, as he did not have any known health troubles. He was succeeded by his fourth son, who became the Shichang Emperor. He established a new treaty with the Mongols, ending the border skirmishes and constant spring campaigns, and turned his attention inwards. Warfare combined with population growth, and the establishment of large urban centers around manufacturing areas, had given China many domestic problems besides Mongolian aggression. Efforts were made to improve city planning and hygiene, to protect factory workers, and to bring in more rice from Champa, Nanzhao, Pagan, and all along the Mekong. Shichang also sponsored a second major expedition of colonists to Taiwan and the first to Luzon.
Ten years into the Shichang Emperor's reign, in 1356, the Mongol khan was killed in a complex series of events surrounding an uprising by the Jurchen Nara clan, which was secretly backed by the Chinese and by Korean rebels against Mongol rule. Upon discovering the Chinese plot, the new khan launched a crackdown in Korea and assembled his armies for an invasion of China, the Fifteenth Mongol-Song War. The summer of 1356 saw Mongol armies strike a deep, narrow corridor to the gates of Kaifeng- but when they arrived, they were soon in trouble. The Chinese severed their supply lines and launched a counterattack, destroying the Mongol army and capturing the khan himself, who had been leading it. As autumn set in, Chinese troops swept north, and by November they were before the gates of Dadu itself, in the Sixteen Prefectures, further north than the dynasty had been in two hundred years. The new khan found no help from his western cousins and Mongol leadership fractured, exacerbated by rebellions in Korea and further Jurchen uprisings.
As 1356 gave way to 1357, the Chinese launched their New Year's Offensive, besieging Dadu itself and marching west along the curve of the Yellow River as well. The Mongol capital fell early that spring after a series of battles and a brutal siege, followed by street-to-street fighting. The Shichang Emperor ordered the city razed to the ground and its inhabitants put to the sword. The Northern Yuan period began as the Mongols mostly disintegrated before the Chinese onslaught, and the Shichang Emperor once again turned back to domestic and maritime affairs, expanding the network of fortifications across northern China to defend the new borders. Trade was rapidly growing between China and the outside world, pouring silver into the Song treasury and grain into the empire's granaries. The Shichang Emperor would sponsor further expeditions to Luzon and Taiwan, as well as the islands of the South China Sea and the southern Ryukyus, and consolidated Chinese control over the Vietnamese who ruled the rich rice-producing lands of the Mekong Delta.

Over the following century, the Song would expand their power to the north and west through direct conflict (which was not always successful), building alliances (not invariably reliable), and playing various factions off of one another. In 1415, however, a new emperor ascended the throne, the Hongxi Emperor. Up until this point, the Song state had been focusing much of its power to the north and west, against land-based enemies. The Song navy had expanded, to be sure, to protect increasingly important trade that came to and from China by sea, but piracy was a growing issue and, more importantly, it seems the Hongxi Emperor simply wanted to learn more about the lands over the sea. He gave more attention to the navy, funding exploratory voyages to Indonesia, India, Arabia, and East Africa. He also sent several fleets east, where, in 1434, they discovered Hawaii. During the Hongxi Emperor's reign, some of China's hard-won allies and possessions to the west did fall away, but already-booming Song trade was hugely invigorated as Chinese fleets conquered Hawaii, places in the Spice Islands, enclaves in India and Arabia, and began taking over a stretch of the East African coast, as well as spreading the tributary system across the Indian Ocean. Towards the end of Hongxi's reign explorers even ranged up to Alaska and then down as far as Baja California.
Later emperors could not afford to ignore the great system that Hongxi had implemented during his long reign. While they shifted more focus back to land campaigns against the barbarians, they also continued expeditions abroad, conquering areas of East Africa, Ceylon, various small islands, and sending a few expeditions to distant California. The gold that was discovered in California in the 1500s would hugely enrich the Song empire. This gold allowed for the Yongxing Emperor, who reigned from 1517 (ten years after the discovery of the gold) to 1564, to launch several campaigns in the north and west, and sponsor the Oirats against the Borjigin. The Yongxing Emperor's Ten Great Campaigns saw the extension of Chinese powder to such far-flung places as Kashgar and Samarqand.

In the 1600s and 1700s, the Song noticed the increasing European presence in India. Their efforts to sponsor certain Indian princes against the British have been unsuccessful, and China has faced a setback in its influence in the subcontinent as the East India Company has taken over. Iberia has also seized southern Malaya, and European powers generally have made themselves more noticeable in the Far East. The Song, however, have sustained and grown China's prosperity thanks to the constant flow of gold from California and rice from Southeast Asia. China now extends its power all the way to the Aral and far north into Manchuria and Mongolia, controlling the steppes (though largely through viceroys, allies, and intermediaries- and revolts are common) and controlling the seas with its fleet. Trade booms in cities like Hangzhou, Quanzhou, and Guangzhou, but China's next steps remain uncertain. The empire is incredibly populous, with increasingly less land for its teeming millions to work.

The Current Situation:

With good control over much of Central Asia, China no longer needs to fear barbarian invasions- and yet, the old fear still lingers, leading Kaifeng to anxiously keep close watch over the empire's steppe vassals. The country is now steadily developing, as cities in the north, near major coal and iron mines, become centers of manufacturing. China's extensive and growing canal system lets goods be shipped more quickly to the great ports of the southern coast, where more inland southern cities also ship textiles and tea. Porcelain is also another important export, and the largest center of porcelain production is the city of Jingdezhen.
The steelmaking process known to the West as the Bessemer process remains a closely guarded state secret, and the state monopoly on steel was only lifted in 1791, after enduring since the end of the 12th century. Even with its lifting most steel is still produced by state-controlled companies and all steelmaking companies are closely watched by Song secret police. The silk industry has never been monopolized, but the secret police also watch over them to ensure that Chinese methods of silk production are not leaked to the outside world. Secret police also supervise the country's porcelain works, and the government has a monopoly on porcelain distribution.
Steel has been one of the biggest forces in keeping the Song dynasty alive and well. With their creation of a method of making large amounts of steel cheaply, the Song army was soon equipped with steel weapons and steel armor. It also let Song military engineers build improved siege engines, reinforce fortifications better, and later on build better guns, cannons, and rockets.
China is, to put it bluntly, overpopulated, and the population continues to grow. Every available inch is being farmed, and colonies basically built for the purpose of sending more food to the heartland in Manchuria, Taiwan, Luzon, and even now in California are even becoming crowded. The Chinese also rely on rice shipments from the rich lands of the Mekong, and closely guard this artery. However, gold from California, and silver from the wide world in exchange for Chinese goods, mean that the expense of feeding its population does not overly stress the dynasty.

Major Cities:

Kaifeng- the imperial capital, and a major industrial city and a hub for trade on the Grand Canal. Also has significant military infrastructure.
Quanzhou- the largest trading port in the entire nation, Quanzhou is the last stop on the way to Taipei and the first stop on the way back. It is also close enough to the South China Sea that European traders can stop there, though they mostly go to Guangzhou. Quanzhou is also a center for banking and shipbuilding.
Hangzhou- second-largest trading port, a port of choice for people coming from anywhere who want to get things into the Yangtze Delta or up the Grand Canal, and for people coming down the Grand Canal wanting to export. Serves as a secondary capital and many emperors choose to winter there.
Guangzhou- third-largest trading port, a major center for trade with Europe and the Indian Ocean (and China's colonies there) and also a fairly significant industrial city, with major shipyards.
Nanjing- site of many of the Imperial Fleet's huge shipyards, a major industrial center and center for trade along the Yangtze, and a major port in its own right.
Suzhou- near Nanjing and Hangzhou, important because of its location at the southern terminus of the Grand Canal and thus a center for trade within China, sending things up to Kaifeng and the north or south towards Hangzhou for export.
Beiping- the city built atop the scorched ruins of Dadu, a huge industrial center for the north and an important military center.
Xi'an- the ancient capital of the Tang has been revived as an important city near the western edge of the imperial core, for military purposes, its strategic location on many overland trade routes, and its proximity to coal and iron deposits, which have turned it into an industrial city.
Taipei- nicknamed the "Gateway to Penglai", Taipei is the port to leave to and return from Fusang and the Penglai Islands. Huge riches pass through Taipei every day on their way to the great ports of Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Quanzhou.

To the north and west, Chinese tributaries include:

The Oirat Horde, in Mongolia, ruling over a loose confederation of Mongol tribes which are watched over by Chinese viceroys and military detachments.
The Kingdom of Later Jin, a remnant Jurchen state in Outer Manchuria, largely governed by the Chinese viceroy.
The Kingdom of Later Western Liao, a mixed Khitan-Mongol state also known as Qara Khitai. The Khitan khan is given more independence but still answers to some degree to the viceroy.
The Khanate of Samarqand, a small, largely mountainous Uzbek state where the Song viceroy has much less power.

China permits and even encourages civil war and internecine wars between its northern tributaries to keep them weakened and demands heavy tribute as well. The Chinese garrison large numbers of troops in bases in these tributaries and on their heavily fortified borders with them as well. The Later Jin, however, have some extra protection from the Song around their holdings on the Amur River, which produce valuable foodstuffs that the empire requires.

To the south, Chinese tributaries include:

Dai Viet, the Vietnamese state, is Southeast Asia's weakest power, but has a strong military focused on defense. The Vietnamese have built up an alliance with Majapahit as well and often serve as intermediaries between them and the Song in unsettled times.
The Kingdom of Siam is the most powerful Southeast Asian state, with a powerful land army, but has rivalries with both Dai Viet and Pagan.
The Kingdom of Pagan is the second-most powerful Southeast Asian state, with trading ties throughout the Indian Ocean and strong armies and navies.

The Chinese permit limited warfare between their southern tributaries, but intervene to put a stop to anything that could disrupt the critical flow of rice from Southeast Asia to the teeming cities of China.

Joseon Korea has a special favored position as China's oldest, most powerful, and closest ally/tributary.

Majapahit, to the south, is only a nominal tributary state and has had several wars with the Song in the past, but with the rise of the West they have increasingly relied on Chinese military strength to help back up their own forces against interested parties such as the British, French, and Dutch. Despite their occasional fighting and sometimes distrust, Song and Majapahit are close trading partners.

In the far west, the Chinese completely govern a stretch of the East African coast, and receive tribute from many of the tribes further inland such as the Masai. They also rule Ceylon.

To the east, the Chinese rule the Penglai Islands (Hawaii) and Jinshan (California) on the Fusang coast, and receive tribute from the Paiyute (Paiute) tribes on the other side of the Baidongshan (Sierra Nevada). However, the peoples of the Fusang interior have long resisted imperial rule, and poorly planned and commanded expeditions, even with Paiute assistance, have gone very poorly in the past- but that was before rumors of silver in the high mountains to the west began to be whispered in Fusang bars...
Miscellaneous:
RP Example: Bitch please
429

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

Reservation

Name of the State:Union of Britannia
Area to be reserved: 1
Code: 635

Bugger it I'm trying something new

I would prefer that ye aim elsewhere, I am fine with you trying something new, but this is a huge project to bite of as a "trying something new", and I would rather that someone who has played similar powers before plays Britannia (Hence why I won't even play it)

Unfortunately,

Denied