Tales of Two Horizons OOC 1.4 OPEN

[Democratic East-Asia]

The death of EPIC Chinese nationalism makes me cringe.

中国第一

[Tales of Two Horizons OP]

The death of EPIC Chinese nationalism makes me cringe.

中国第一

: P

For everyone elses benefit, I have put up the great power descriptors above the roster, I will also be putting up the core population of the Chinese Great Powers in that area, if anyone needs population for a Chinese nation, let me know

-Columbia

[Tracian Empire]

The death of EPIC Chinese nationalism makes me cringe.

中国第一

: P

For everyone elses benefit, I have put up the great power descriptors above the roster, I will also be putting up the core population of the Chinese Great Powers in that area, if anyone needs population for a Chinese nation, let me know

-Columbia

If you could correct the Prussian propaganda in the Prussian section and say that Prussia competes with the Austrian Empire and not with the Kingdom of Austria that would be great

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

: P

For everyone elses benefit, I have put up the great power descriptors above the roster, I will also be putting up the core population of the Chinese Great Powers in that area, if anyone needs population for a Chinese nation, let me know

-Columbia

If you could correct the Prussian propaganda in the Prussian section and say that Prussia competes with the Austrian Empire and not with the Kingdom of Austria that would be great

There is no propaganda, only truth : P

Generic Info
Nation Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Symbols: The Coat of Arms, The Flag, The Red Ensign, God Save the King
Location: 1
Population:

25.000.000 British Isles
4.300.000 British North America
40.000.000 EIC India
1.000.000 British Caribbean
200.000 British South Africa
Some hundred thousands other holdings

Capital City: London
Civilization Status: Great Power

Government Info
Government Type: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
Brief Explanation of Government: The government of the United Kingdom functions much the same as in our world, one exception being that British North America does have representatives in parliament, mostly to keep Ohio and the Great Lakes in line.
Ideology: Classical Liberalism, Conservatism, Free Trade, Protectionism, Imperialism, Colonialism, Constitutional Monarchism
Leader/s:King William IV
Relations The United Kingdom maintains amiable relations with the Federal Republic of America, in addition to the recently created state of Belgium. Beyond that, the UK has tried to maintain lukewarm relations with both the Marathas and the Mughals, in an attempt to keep the two playing against each other while the EIC bides its time in India. The UK also maintains relations with the various concert powers of Europe, with the status quo being the desired end there. The relations of Britain with many Eastern countries are tentatively cautious. Britain recognizes that an Eastern alliance or alliances would help her feel more secure in her Indian holdings, however, said alliance would come with the added complication of what to do in the event of a general war in the East.

Population Info
Brief Description of your people: Anglo-Saxon lovers of tea.
Religion: Mostly Anglican protestant in the home country, Ireland is decently Catholic, while other religions are seen scattered throughout the various holdings of Britannia. Notably there is a large Islamic population concentrated in Bengal.
Main/Accepted Culture(s): English, Scottish, American (Ohio, decidedly more Anglo each year)
Other Cultures: Irish, Welsh, Various Indian and Sinic cultures.

Military Info
Army: The army, while good for now, is hampered by the leadership of the Duke of Wellington. The general opinion of Wellington is summed up as “If it is good enough to beat Napoleon it is good enough for us.” This has made reforms to organization, equipment, and practices difficult if not impossible to implement in a timely manner. Also, owing to the long periods of enlistment, Britain does not maintain a substantial pool of reserves, save for her North American forces.

Rating: 7/10

British Royal Army:
105.000 Active Personal

Army of North America:
15.000 Active Personal
50.000 Reserves/ Militia

South African Garrison:
9.000 Active Personal

Caribbean and South American Garrisons:
3.000 Active Personal

Navy: The British Royal Navy is the pride of the nation, and is the best navy in the world. Vast numbers of Ships of the Line secure the coast of the nation, while frigates maintain Britain's various colonies and outposts. Timber from North America, coal and iron from the home isles, and cloth from India all fuel this massive force. While spread out, the Royal Navy generally packs more than enough firepower in its various theaters to discourage and repel enemy navies.

Rating: 10

Channel Fleet and the Ordinary:
56 Ships of the Line
43 Frigates
11 Sloops and Brigs
6 Steam Vessels

Mediterranean Fleet:
7 Ships of the Line
7 Frigates
8 Sloops and Brigs
6 Steam Vessels

Lisbon Station:
6 Ships of the Line
2 Frigates
5 Sloops and Brigs
3 Steam Vessels

North America and West Indies:
2 Ships of the Line
6 Frigates
14 Sloops and Brigs
4 Steam Vessels

South America and Mid Atlantic:
7 Frigates
6 Sloops and Brigs

Cape of Good Hope and Africa:
1 Ship of the Line
1 Frigate
16 Sloops and Brigs

Madras Station:
9 Ships of the Line
16 Frigates
10 Sloops and Brigs
6 Steam Vessels

Trooping Duties:
1 Ship of the Line
4 Frigates

28.000 Marines on various deployments
116.000 Sailors on active and port duty

Other Info
Economic Strength: 19

• Trade: Being an island nation, the United Kingdom has always been heavily inclined towards the sea, and by extension trade. Having spent the last two centuries solidifying its trade hegemony on the Atlantic, Britain stands as the dominant trade power in the West. While not as welcomed in the East as the Dutch, Britain also has significant trade inroads in China, with British and Chinese manufactured goods being commonly exchanged. Britain is heavily involved in trade on the Indian subcontinent, importing vast quantities of cotton from both the Marathas and the Mughals to fuel her textile industries, as well as other goods.
  
• Industrialization: Vast quantities of iron and coal fueled a frenzy of industrialization in the the Home Isles following the beginning of the industrial revolution. Arguably the first state to have industrialized, Britain has made manufacturing a core part of her identity. Railroads and canals cross Britain like a spiderweb, while factory spires are a common sight in major cities. If not for Guang, Britain may well be called the Workshop of the World, rather than just acknowledged as the prime manufacturing power of the West. Britain also supplies large quantities of manufactured goods to the New World, though many of the former United States are beginning to build up their own domestic industries as well. As for the colonies, British North America maintains a more than decent industrial base, largely centered on the Detroit-Columbus corridor, with rail construction being a priority to facilitate easier transport of these goods to the other North American nations.
  
• Agriculture: While not so much a food exporter, agriculture is an important part of the United Kingdom's domestic economics. The agricultural revolution of the last century has allowed the population of Britain to explode, further fueling her industrial buildup. The Corn Laws of 1815 have allowed the United Kingdom to protect this domestic food buildup, ensuring the continued growth of England's working population. British North America also has a strong agricultural tradition, though cattle and grain produced by the colony is not quite profitable enough for regular transport to the motherland. Other less practical, more lucrative goods are produced in Britain's other colonies, especially Bengal, with dyes, tea, and opium being the most prevalent export goods.

Development: 16

Britain is one of the first nations in the world to have reaped the fruits of the industrial revolution, and this has shaped the nation. Railroads and canals cross Britain like a spiderweb, while factory spires are a common sight in major cities. If not for Guang, Britain may well be called the Workshop of the World, rather than just acknowledged as the prime manufacturing power of the West. One detriment to development however comes in the form of Ireland, a supposed integral part of the nation, which is treated more like a backwater colony than part of the UK. This has not gone unnoticed by some nations or the Irish.


Public Order: 15

The British people are not a revolutionary people, or so it is said. The United Kingdom is generally stable in her core territories, save for the lingering Irish problem. Abroad, British North America is kept in line through a combination of local representation and parliamentary concessions. India is another story. While small enough to allow some degree of homogeneous organization, Bengal nevertheless has a population of 40 million people who are not part of Britain's core population and its characteristics. The Secret Council of the East India Company is actively working on this potential problem, though direct solutions are not on the board as of yet.

Goals: Maintain the status quo in Europe
Maintain the status quo in North America
Expand influence and holdings in India
Keep a smile on the face while dealing with the Eastern nations, all while sparing an eye, two when available, to keep watch on them.
Reform the army to maintain an actual reserve force.
History: The modern history of the United Kingdom can be traced to the 1707 Acts of Union, where Great Britain as an entity was first created. England had long maintained a colonial and naval presence preceding the United Kingdom, and this was taken up in earnest by her successor. British colonies and the wars for them defined a century, with the American Revolution in our timeline putting an end to these machinations in large for North America. This is not the case here.

Following the American declaration of war, the United Kingdom prosecuted the War of 1812 with her former colonies vigorously, the outcome being New England seceding from the U.S and the rest of the States forced into a humiliating peace treaty. General chaos ensued in the years following, with Andrew Jackson's occupation of Washington triggering a wholesale collapse of the weak confederal union. Britain, rather than intervening to support any side, instead shored up New England and British North America's defenses to deter any would be attacker.

Britain has since maintained friendly relations with New England, with both nations pursuing mutual detente and amicability, while recent diplomatic initiatives in the American Commonwealth have seen Britain garner friendlier sympathies there. Britain reached a settlement with Fusang in 1822 over the latter's outposts on the Hudson bay. It was agreed that the present borders would be maintained, with Britain ceding control of what would have become Manitoba in return for Fusang agreeing to send no settlers over the Mississippi river.

Britain's affairs in India have generally been more cautious, with London actively impressing upon her company in Bengal the need for caution in territorial acquisition. The United Kingdom has on many occasions attempted diplomatic dialogue rather than outright conquest of the Indian nations. Most notably was the course of action following the Third Anglo-Mysorean War, which saw Britain insist on awarding more territory to Travancore, rather than claiming it for the East India Company.

The East India Company has nevertheless expanded substantially in Bengal, with Britain by extension becoming the pre-eminent power on the subcontinent, though this position is tenuous, owing mostly to Eastern concerns over Company, and by extension British, aggressive expansion in the region. This has prevented further gathering of territories, with some of the Eastern Great Powers, especially Guang, attempting to undermine present and future Company endeavors in the region.

Britain also played her historical role in the Napoleonic wars, and has emerged from them as one of the Great Concert Powers of Europe. While splendid isolation has its perks, Britain may soon find that a world without friends is a lonely and dangerous world.
429 - Do not remove. This is for tracking purposes.

[Kargintina the Third]

: P

For everyone elses benefit, I have put up the great power descriptors above the roster, I will also be putting up the core population of the Chinese Great Powers in that area, if anyone needs population for a Chinese nation, let me know

-Columbia

If you could correct the Prussian propaganda in the Prussian section and say that Prussia competes with the Austrian Empire and not with the Kingdom of Austria that would be great

The only Empire is the one of Saint Petersburg

[Tracian Empire]

If you could correct the Prussian propaganda in the Prussian section and say that Prussia competes with the Austrian Empire and not with the Kingdom of Austria that would be great

There is no propaganda, only truth : P

Do not insult Austria by comparing it to Prussia, it would be an Archduchy if not an Empire

[Union Princes]

My history section is done. My app is now finished

[Rodez]

Generic Info
Nation Name: Empire of the Great Qian
Symbols: rawr
Location: 72
Population: 48,000,000
Capital City: Beijing
Civilization Status: GP, baby

Government Info
Government Type: Absolute Monarchy
Brief Explanation of Government: In part a run-of-the-mill Confucian-style Chinese monarchy, but with some European characteristics diffused through Russia. Notably, that the Beijing Church has ingratiated itself into the political life of the country, so that the Patriarch (usually) has the ear of the Emperor.
Ideology: Conservative Orthodoxy, neoconfucianism, absolutism
Leader/s: Emperor Leontius, given name Biru Jiànshēn
Relations Qian's strongest ally and biggest trading partner is certainly Tsarist Russia, the 'big brother' from which Qian adopted the Orthodox Church. On-again, off-again relations with the Mughals, with whom Qian has both traded peacefully and skirmished over the Pamirs. Guarded neutrality towards Joseon after the status quo ante bellum conclusion to their 1817-1821 war. Historically, Qian has remained aloof of the affairs of the Chinese states, but has taken a more active role in the past half century, and may yet intervene in Zhou's civil war in order to establish its sphere of influence in the north. Commercial relationships ongoing with the Dutch and British.

Population Info
Brief Description of your people:
Religion: Qian has been a Christian state since the adoption of Eastern Orthodoxy by the Emperor Biru Taiji in 1652. At present, a little under half the population follows the Beijing Church, although the Qian continue to proselytize the faith, though less brutally than they did before. Most of the common people who follow Orthodoxy have incorporated some elements of traditional Chinese folk religion (such as ancestor reverance) into the new faith, a phenomenon which the emperors have indulged in the name of conversion. About a third of Qian subjects follow Tibetan Buddhism, especially in Outer Mongolia. Most of the remainder profess Sunni Islam, a faith with a far more turbulent and violent relationship to the Qian state. Persecution of Muslims has continued on and off for some time, with the Chang'an Massacre of 1743 capping one of the most egregious and brutal internal campaigns against them. The current emperor, Leontius, has scaled back the violence, but Islam is still not widely tolerated in the Empire.
hodox Main/Accepted Culture(s): Manchu, Han, Mongol
Other Cultures: Hui, Uyghur, Tibetan

Military Info
Army: The Army of Qian is among China's largest and most powerful, with 450,000 active troops. Though it has taken well over a century, and several defeats, for the banner-style traditional army to be reformed into a western-style war machine, it seems the empire has finally arrived in this regard. Qian troops are drilled relentlessly in modern tactics until they are capable of switching maneuvers on a dime. And though the Army's armaments are perhaps not the most cutting-edge to be found on Earth, they are certainly on par with much of Europe, thanks to the efforts of the Qian emperors to develop an organic arms industry, with Russian help. While issues of aristocratic patronage might still sometimes hamper the promotion of the most deserving officers, new practices in recruitment have clamped down on the problem to some degree. One relic of the past that the Army has found more useful to retain than discard is the use of Mongol cavalry, who now rain fire down on the enemy with carabines rather than bows before closing with the blade, shrieking all the while.

Of the regular army, the most elite troops of the empire are the Kheshig regiments, elite shock troops that have evolved from the old Imperial Guard. Although some Kheshig still guard the Emperor's person and family at all times, the corps has expanded to 50,000 men. These soldiers are taken from only the most exceptional candidates of the regular regiments, then drilled still further until they are deemed ready. The timely deployment of the Kheshig has turned the tide of many a battle and siege for the Qian emperors.

If necessary, the efficient Qian bureaucracy could theoretically squeeze out another nearly half-million peasant militia, but militia units are always poorly armed and have far inferior morale and leadership as compared to the regular army, so this would only be an action of the very last resort, if the empire faced an existential invasion.

In sum, the Army has evolved into a powerful, modern force. Its weapons are not the most advanced in the world, but its size, discipline and training regimes make Great Qian the supreme power in North China. 7.5/10.

Navy: 45,000 men, including 8,000 Marines. Qian is a land, not a naval power, so it has few maritime ambitions beyond the ability to prevent a foreign power from blockading the coast. The Navy has developed modern ship design from the Dutch and is even more the province of meritocracy than the Army, however it is held back by the relative unimportance of maritime culture in the empire, which has contributed to the small size of the officer corps. Additionally, budgetary priority is always given to the Army, which has always been the real hammer of the Emperor. 5/10.

Naval Yards at Tianjin: 14 ships of the line, 10 frigates
Naval Yards at Zhaocheng (OTL Vladivostok): 6 ships of the line, 7 frigates, 1 steam vessel

Other Info
Economic Strength: 12 - In the field of industrialization, Great Qian is a little behind most of the Chinese powers but is rapidly catching up, helped along to some degree by Russian expertise. The Empire may not have quite as much or as modern infrastructure as some of the southern states in the aggregate, but massive deposits of coal and iron, as well as a large labor force, ensure that Qian has a strong manufacturing capability, one that gets stronger with every passing year. In a handful of years, the court mandarins project, the empire will be able to churn out arms and munitions at an incredible rate. On the commercial front, overland trade with Russia and maritime trade with the Dutch, British and Japanese has contributed to the recent growth of a mercantile, somewhat educated bourgeoisie class. Still, there remains much room for growth and improvement. Most of Qian is still overwhelmingly rural, and the nomadic populations of some outlying provinces do not participate in the modern economy to the extant that they could.

Development: 12 - There are two Qians: one is a modern, industrialized state with well-developed infrastructure. The other Qian is representative of a remote, rural backwater that has yet to depart the middle ages in some regions. Generally, the Empire's development depends on its proximity to the coast and to the rest of China; the southern borderlands, Beijing, and much of Manchuria are linked by a web of well-kept imperial highways. Qian's port facilities are among the most advanced in East Asia, though not the largest. Urbanization proceeded slowly for much of the 18th century, but has erupted in the past twenty or so years. In remote provinces, however, such as Dzungaria, Outer Mongolia and the regions north of the Amur, many folk still keep to the nomadic lifestyle. A casual traveler might have no inkling that he was in a large, autocratic state.

Public Order: 15 - No dynasty is ever devoid of bad rulers - however, the Qian have been lucky to only have a handful. Historically, the dynasty has prided itself on good governance and the ability to balance the Empire's diverse ethnic groups without too much violence or undue brutality. On the question of religious toleration, the Christian emperors have been very indulgent of the Buddhist population and of traditional Chinese folk religion, even giving the former full toleration in the 1804 Hohhot Declaration. State attitudes towards the Muslim population have varied from ruler to ruler, but have turned sour in the last twenty years. Qian's Confucian-style bureaucracy is as ingrained as any other Chinese state, however the Emperors have imported a particularly useful Russian innovation: the secret police. The Xizuo are the Emperor's personal intelligence and police force, having become very adept at infiltrating dissenting groups and either exposing them or misdirecting their efforts.
Goals: See the Zhou Civil War conclude in favor of Qian interests, establish influence/dominance in northern China, vassalize or conquer Tibet, contain Joseon, industrialize further, promote expansion of Chinese Orthodoxy

History:

The tale of Great Qian begins with the Manchu clan called the Biru, who had prospered as generals in the service of the Ming since the mid 15th-century. When the Ming collapse began, the Biru fled to their power base along the Amur and founded a modest kingdom.

The Biru reemerged in the early 17th century, when they took advantage of the chaos caused by the Wars of the Coalition to sweep across Northern China. After subjugating the Khalka, Biru Nikan took his Manchu-Mongol army and invaded southern Manchuria and Inner Mongolia, taking Chifeng and Hohhot and making the latter his temporary capital. The North was divided into many small feudal states, some of which were already overextended by the titanic struggle against Shu. Over the next several years, Nikan conducted campaigns in all directions, conquering Outer Mongolia in 1624 and seizing Gansu two years later. In 1630, his victorious army entered Beijing after a lengthy siege, conferring on the clan instantaneously the legitimacy and authority of a Chinese dynasty.

Nikan adopted the dynastic name 'Qian,' giving name to his growing empire. He would spend much of the rest of his reign in the field, expanding his realm's borders to the east and west. In his later life, Nikan encountered and then befriended Russian Orthodox missionaries from Moscow, allowing into his burgeoning court a great deal of Christian and Western influences. He ultimately rejected the faith, though, finding it too meek for his purposes.

His nephew and successor, Biru Taiji, saw the value in being linked culturally with Europe through the Christian faith. Visits to Moscow and Kiev in 1650 confirmed this for him. In 1652, Taiji was baptized in the Yellow River, professing that the Orthodox faith would now be the Empire's. He never took a Christian name, but would become one of the faith's fiercest proponents.

Orthodoxy met with dogged resistance at first. It began to take root more organically when much of the Manchu nobility revolted in 1663. Taiji defeated the rebels and put each of the clan's unruly men to the sword, allowing for thousands of aristocratic Manchu children to be baptized and brought up in the faith. Once the first local Chinese Archdiocese was established in Beijing, the faith began to spread more easily, having acquired the legitimacy of the state religion.

The House of Biru Christianized itself, but only sinicized to the extent that was necessary to rule the empire. The Emperors retained their Manchu given names and took a saint's name upon ascending to the throne. As Tsarist Russia grew more powerful in the West, so to did Qian grow in the East, the two powers exchanging and adopting each other's customs and technologies as suited their needs. Russian missionaries were essential for the training of a native Chinese clergy, and for peacefully converting as much of the populace as possible. Peter the Great's military advisers helped to bring the Qian roughly in line with European standards of the day - the banner armies were disbanded, western-style regiments formed, and a strict meritocracy imposed on the officer corps, on pain of death. There were learning curves along the way: Qian attempted to invade Shu in the 1730s and was soundly trounced; but the army took those lessons and applied them admirably, forcing the introduction of modern field artillery. An abortive naval invasion of Japan in 1761 prompted the Navy to abandon the junk and adopt modern frigate designs from the Dutch. Border wars and skirmishes with Joseon, Tibet and even the Mughals provided a low-stakes proving ground where Qian's burgeoning army could test out the newest tactics and technologies, discarding what failed and keeping whatever brought victory. Without really fighting a major, existential war for the past sixty years, Qian nonetheless entered the realm of a great power

All the while, the Empire's expansion continued apace against Turkic peoples to the west and nomads to the north. Wherever recently conquered peoples became troublesome, the state brought in Han settlers to balance out regional demographics until Qian authority became accepted, even appreciated in some places. The clergy would soon follow the army and the settlers, forming an effective pattern of conquest->pacification->conversion, until even Kashgar, at the western frontier, sported an Orthodox cathedral, completed in 1810.

Save for the 1817-1821 war against Joseon, Great Qian under Emperor Leontius has practiced diplomacy, not war. But with the Zhou Civil War threatening to spill over into the rest of central China, the incentive to intervene and establish a permanent sphere of influence may be too great to resist.

429 - Do not remove. This is for tracking purposes.

App is approaching the finish line. I'll wait on population stats to fill out the military section, though.

[Kargintina the Third]

Generic Info
Nation Name: Empire of the Great Qian
Symbols: rawr
Location: 72
Population: (population of everyone considered a citizen)
Capital City: Beijing
Civilization Status: GP, baby

Government Info
Government Type: Absolute Monarchy
Brief Explanation of Government: In part a run-of-the-mill Confucian-style Chinese monarchy, but with some European characteristics diffused through Russia. Notably, that the Beijing Church has ingratiated itself into the political life of the country, so that the Patriarch (usually) has the ear of the Emperor.
Ideology: Conservative Orthodoxy, neoconfucianism, absolutism
Leader/s: Emperor Leontius, given name Biru Jiànshēn
Relations Qian's strongest ally and biggest trading partner is certainly Tsarist Russia, the 'big brother' from which Qian adopted the Orthodox Church. On-again, off-again relations with the Mughals, with whom Qian has both traded peacefully and skirmished over the Pamirs. Guarded neutrality towards Joseon after the status quo ante bellum conclusion to their 1817-1821 war. Historically, Qian has remained aloof of the affairs of the Chinese states, but has taken a more active role in the past half century, and may yet intervene in Zhou's civil war in order to establish its sphere of influence in the north. Commercial relationships ongoing with the Dutch and British.

Population Info
Brief Description of your people: (Optional fluff text)
Religion: Qian has been a Christian state since the adoption of Eastern Orthodoxy by the Emperor Biru Taiji in 1652. At present, a little under half the population follows the Beijing Church, although the Qian continue to proselytize the faith, though less brutally than they did before. Most of the common people who follow Orthodoxy have incorporated some elements of traditional Chinese folk religion (such as ancestor reverance) into the new faith, a phenomenon which the emperors have indulged in the name of conversion. About a third of Qian subjects follow Tibetan Buddhism, especially in Outer Mongolia. Most of the remainder profess Sunni Islam, a faith with a far more turbulent and violent relationship to the Qian state. Persecution of Muslims has continued on and off for some time, with the Chang'an Massacre of 1743 capping one of the most egregious and brutal internal campaigns against them. The current emperor, Leontius, has scaled back the violence, but Islam is still not widely tolerated in the Empire.
hodox Main/Accepted Culture(s): Manchu, Han, Mongol
Other Cultures: Hui, Uyghur, Tibetan

Military Info
Army: (branches, number of troops, quality of army, etc, 1-10 slider for quality, at least a 1 paragraph description)
Navy: (branches, number of troops, quality of navy, number of ship, types of ships, etc, 1-10 slider for quality, at least a 1 paragraph supporting description)

Other Info
Economic Strength: 12 - In the field of industrialization, Great Qian is a little behind most of the Chinese powers but is rapidly catching up, helped along to some degree by Russian expertise. The Empire may not have quite as much or as modern infrastructure as some of the southern states in the aggregate, but massive deposits of coal and iron, as well as a large labor force, ensure that Qian has a strong manufacturing capability, one that gets stronger with every passing year. In a handful of years, the court mandarins project, the empire will be able to churn out arms and munitions at an incredible rate. On the commercial front, overland trade with Russia and maritime trade with the Dutch, British and Japanese has contributed to the recent growth of a mercantile, somewhat educated bourgeoisie class. Still, there remains much room for growth and improvement. Most of Qian is still overwhelmingly rural, and the nomadic populations of some outlying provinces do not participate in the modern economy to the extant that they could.

Development: 12 - There are two Qians: one is a modern, industrialized state with well-developed infrastructure. The other Qian is representative of a remote, rural backwater that has yet to depart the middle ages in some regions. Generally, the Empire's development depends on its proximity to the coast and to the rest of China; the southern borderlands, Beijing, and much of Manchuria are linked by a web of well-kept imperial highways. Qian's port facilities are among the most advanced in East Asia, though not the largest. Urbanization proceeded slowly for much of the 18th century, but has erupted in the past twenty or so years. In remote provinces, however, such as Dzungaria, Outer Mongolia and the regions north of the Amur, many folk still keep to the nomadic lifestyle. A casual traveler might have no inkling that he was in a large, autocratic state.

Public Order: 14 - No dynasty is ever devoid of bad rulers - however, the Qian have been lucky to only have a handful. Historically, the dynasty has prided itself on good governance and the ability to balance the Empire's diverse ethnic groups without too much violence or undue brutality. On the question of religious toleration, the Christian emperors have been very indulgent of the Buddhist population and of traditional Chinese folk religion, even giving the former full toleration in the 1804 Hohhot Declaration. State attitudes towards the Muslim population have varied from ruler to ruler, but have turned sour in the last twenty years. Qian's Confucian-style bureaucracy is as ingrained as any other Chinese state, however the Emperors have imported a particularly useful Russian innovation: the secret police. The Xizuo are the Emperor's personal intelligence and police force, having become very adept at infiltrating dissenting groups and either exposing them or misdirecting their efforts.
Goals: See the Zhou Civil War conclude in favor of Qian interests, establish influence/dominance in central China, vassalize or conquer Tibet, contain Joseon, industrialize further, promote expansion of Chinese Orthodoxy

History:

The tale of Great Qian begins with the Manchu clan called the Biru, who had prospered as generals in the service of the Ming since the mid 15th-century. When the Ming collapse began, the Biru fled to their power base along the Amur and founded a modest kingdom.

The Biru reemerged in the early 17th century, when they took advantage of the chaos caused by the Wars of the Coalition to sweep across Northern China. After subjugating the Khalka, Biru Nikan took his Manchu-Mongol army and invaded southern Manchuria and Inner Mongolia, taking Chifeng and Hohhot and making the latter his temporary capital. The North was divided into many small feudal states, some of which were already overextended by the titanic struggle against Shu. Over the next several years, Nikan conducted campaigns in all directions, conquering Outer Mongolia in 1624 and seizing Gansu two years later. In 1630, his victorious army entered Beijing after a lengthy siege, conferring on the clan instantaneously the legitimacy and authority of a Chinese dynasty.

Nikan adopted the dynastic name 'Qian,' giving name to his growing empire. He would spend much of the rest of his reign in the field, expanding his realm's borders to the east and west. In his later life, Nikan encountered and then befriended Russian Orthodox missionaries from Moscow, allowing into his burgeoning court a great deal of Christian and Western influences. He ultimately rejected the faith, though, finding it too meek for his purposes.

His nephew and successor, Biru Taiji, saw the value in being linked culturally with Europe through the Christian faith. Visits to Moscow and Kiev in 1650 confirmed this for him. In 1652, Taiji was baptized in the Yellow River, professing that the Orthodox faith would now be the Empire's. He never took a Christian name, but would become one of the faith's fiercest proponents.

Orthodoxy met with dogged resistance at first. It began to take root more organically when much of the Manchu nobility revolted in 1663. Taiji defeated the rebels and put each of the clan's unruly men to the sword, allowing for thousands of aristocratic Manchu children to be baptized and brought up in the faith. Once the first local Chinese Archdiocese was established in Beijing, the faith began to spread more easily, having acquired the legitimacy of the state religion.

The House of Biru Christianized itself, but only sinicized to the extent that was necessary to rule the empire. The Emperors retained their Manchu given names and took a saint's name upon ascending to the throne. As Tsarist Russia grew more powerful in the West, so to did Qian grow in the East, the two powers exchanging and adopting each other's customs and technologies as suited their needs. Russian missionaries were essential for the training of a native Chinese clergy, and for peacefully converting as much of the populace as possible. Peter the Great's military advisers helped to bring the Qian roughly in line with European standards of the day - the banner armies were disbanded, western-style regiments formed, and a strict meritocracy imposed on the officer corps, on pain of death. There were learning curves along the way: Qian attempted to invade Shu in the 1730s and was soundly trounced; but the army took those lessons and applied them admirably, forcing the introduction of modern field artillery. An abortive naval invasion of Japan in 1761 prompted the Navy to abandon the junk and adopt modern frigate designs from the Dutch. Border wars and skirmishes with Joseon, Tibet and even the Mughals provided a low-stakes proving ground where Qian's burgeoning army could test out the newest tactics and technologies, discarding what failed and keeping whatever brought victory. Without really fighting a major, existential war for the past sixty years, Qian nonetheless entered the realm of a great power

All the while, the Empire's expansion continued apace against Turkic peoples to the west and nomads to the north. Wherever recently conquered peoples became troublesome, the state brought in Han settlers to balance out regional demographics until Qian authority became accepted, even appreciated in some places. The clergy would soon follow the army and the settlers, forming an effective pattern of conquest->pacification->conversion, until even Kashgar, at the western frontier, sported an Orthodox cathedral, completed in 1810.

Save for the 1817-1821 war against Joseon, Great Qian under Emperor Leontius has practiced diplomacy, not war. But with the Zhou Civil War threatening to spill over into the rest of central China, the incentive to intervene and establish a permanent sphere of influence may be too great to resist.

429 - Do not remove. This is for tracking purposes.

App is approaching the finish line. I'll wait on population stats to fill out the military section, though.

ooohhh good friend

[The Industrial States of Columbia]

snip

Few things I want to address before I can accept. Namely the nature of what Britain is doing in India, and then your economy strength. Economic strength should be lower, reflecting the policy of de industrializing. The standard of living in Bengal has also gone down as the British standard has gone up is something else to address. Some people raise concern over this and how the company has managed things, named Pitt got an act down in the late 1800s to get a shadow council to act more on behalf of London's interests.

Overall very nice though, and unless any of the rest of the IEC raise any concerns over the EIC, once you get these changes set you will be accepted.

[Union Princes]

Alright, I lowered the stats for economy.

[The Pearl River]

Shu's flag lowkey reminding me of the earth empire from LOK

[Fossia]

-snip-

Finished

[Tracian Empire]

I made two small edits to my app - the Regency Council was in fact known as the Secret State Conference (Geheime Staatskonferenz) and Archduke Franz Karl was also a member.

[Tales of Two Horizons OP]

-snip-

Finished

Accepted, barring any objections from fellow IEC members

[Tales of Two Horizons OP]

snip

also accepted

[Rodez]

Qian finished. Orthodoxy levels approaching 1,000,000%.

[Latvijas Otra Republika]

Generic Info
Nation Name: Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, Großherzogtum Oldenburg
Symbols:

Location: 17
Population: 67,200
Capital City: Oldenburg City
Civilisation Status: Civilised

Government Info
Government Type: Grand Duchy
Brief Explanation of Government: Headed by the royal authority of the Grand Duke of the House of Oldenburg, executive decisions declared by Grand Duke's consent.
Ideology: Conservative Monarchist
Leader/s: Grand Duke Augustus of Oldenburg
Relations Member of the German Confederation, generally positive relations with neighbouring Hanseatic cities and German regional powers.

Population Info
Brief Description of your people: Low-German culturally, mixed Saxon and Frisian descendants
Religion: Evangelical Lutheran Church of Oldenburg, South-Western counties are Catholic due to the historic influence of the bishopric of Münster
Main/Accepted Culture(s): North German, South German
Other Cultures: Ashkenazi

Military Info
Army: One land army branch, presided over by the Grand Duke in times of peace. With the ever increasing presence of Prussia in the German confederation and it's extending sphere of influence, military matters are ever increasingly neglected by the nobility that rule Oldenburg. Due to the previous Napoleonic wars and occupation under France, Oldenburg's military staff and officers are well versed in European land warfare due to experiences in the conflict. A small, yet professional, force of 3,700 are in service to protect the small German Duchy. 7/10.
Navy: Being a coastal trading German Duchy, Oldenburg's admirals have had lifelong experience out at sea. Navigation, experiencing adverse circumstances in terms of weather, for some have been the day to day life in the North Sea and the Baltic. The Duchy itself owns two wooden frigates and five transports. Despite the potential, Oldenburg hasn't fully exploited it's coastal status and has relied on the comfort of easy European trade. The navy also hasn't served a practical use in their domestic safe waters. 6/10.

Other Info
Economic Strength: 13/20. Oldenburg is economically reliant on the happenings of the German Confederation and it's market needs, as a German duchy it has developed metallurgy to continental European standards. It's urban centres employ a specialised workforce, with many professions such as Artisans in employment, up to the average European standard. It's a minor economic power, eclipsed by other German Confederation members such as Hanover and Prussia. Agricultural and fishing communities make up the main bulk of the primary, producing, sector with industrialisation not being fully realised.
Development: 17/20. Being a member of the German Confederation, in relative security, Oldenburg can spare to develop some rural carriageways. The city of Oldenburg itself has paved streets and a prominent port, urban infrastructure is well developed. Scandinavian kings have commonly held Oldenburg's territories, developing maritime facilities that could be comparable to the those of the Nordic region.
Public Order: 18/20. Pan-Germanism hasn't fully developed, liberal ideals have not been in mass circulation. The power of the Grand-Duke remains unquestioned as has been the centuries long standard held in the territory inhabited by Oldenburg. There aren't radically unfavourable conditions for any demographic or class of class of people as of yet.
Goals: Establish several international maritime trade routes, establish colonies and several coastal communities, conduct trade with the Far-East, expansion of dynasty, attain wealth and well being, reduce bureaucracy related to the German Confederation.
History: Oldenburg apparently started as a county headed by Elimar I, a claimed descendant of Widukind who opposed Charlemagne in his Saxon Campaigns, in 1091. In it's early medieval history, the Counts of Oldenburg consolidated power through continuous conflicts and wars with it's neighbours. By warring against the Frisian lords in the West and the neighbouring City of Bremen, Oldenburg acquired most if it's territory seen in 1836. In 1444, the city became and enclave of the Danish into Europe. In 1777 the county was promoted to a Duchy due to continuous and long winded dynastic dealings between several monarchs of leading European powers.

In 1806 Oldenburg was occupied by the French and the Dutch, the duke and the regent having to lead troops. In 1807, after a Duke Peter was revoked in favour of Duke William, Oldenburg joined the Confederation of the Rhine. In 1810 Napoleon revoked Duke William's land after refusing to cede territory, forcing his hand to join the allies. After a period of financial hardship and war against prevailing Napoleonic France, the decision would eventually pay off in the favour of the Duke.

After the Congress of Vienna had been settled, Duke William was granted of the principality of Birkenfeld which essentially meant that Oldenburg was granted the status of Grand-Duchy de-jure. Currently the House of Oldenburg rules over the Grand Duchy, the nobility being firmly rooted in medieval European history and tied to several past kings and prestigious royal families.
429 - Do not remove. This is for tracking purposes.

[Latvijas Otra Republika]

fuck oldenburg fr

[Democratic East-Asia]

Guys does Ulm still exist as an independent city?

[Fossia]

Guys does Ulm still exist as an independent city?

No

[Lan Khao Xang Hom Krung Tai]

Guys does Ulm still exist as an independent city?

No

rip Ulm

[Democratic East-Asia]

No

rip Ulm

Noooooooo Ulm

[Fossia]

rip Ulm

Noooooooo Ulm

ur tears bring me happiness austrian scum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ulm

[Tracian Empire]

Noooooooo Ulm

ur tears bring me happiness austrian scum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ulm

I always found Leipzig to be a much more beautiful city