1890: Alternative Divergence [AH][OOC-DEAD]

[Kisinger]

Full Nation Name : République française
Majority/Official Culture : French
Territorial Core : France proper
Territorial Claim : All of its African holdings
Capital City : Paris
Population : 41,100,000

Government Type : Unitary parliamentary republic
Government Ideology/Policies : Militant Republicanism
Government Focus : The current coalition government under the leadership of the Parti socialiste has taken to heavily focusing on the coninuted economic growth that France has experienced since the late 19th century, in conjunction using the exponential economic growth to continually expand the already large military that the Republic fields as well as actively fanning the flames of Republican ideals abroad.
Head of State : President
Head of Government : Premier
Government Description : The Government of France is a unitary parliamentary republic, the only one existing in Europe. It is led by a ceremonial President who serves as the leading diplomat of the nation and the

Majority/State Religion : The Church of France
Religious Description : Following the unification of France in the 900s there existed a deep religious divide that had existed between the Archbishop of Paris and the Pope in Rome overtime grew exponentially as the Pope tried to exert more and more power over France and by the end of the 16th century declared the Church of France, translating the Bible to French and maintaining the same internal structure of France with the King of France at its head. Following the dissolution of the monarchy the new head of the Church of France is the Archbishop of Paris.

Economic Ideologies : Mixed Economy
Major Production : Industrial Goods, Coal, Iron
Economic Description : The economy of France is heavily industrialized and centered on exporting industrial goods to the rest of the world while importing a variety of raw materials that are not found in France. While much of the economy is privatized, major industries such as arms production are purely state run.

Development: Modern
Development Description : France has rapidly developed since the onset of the Industrial Revolution with the spread of railroads across France. The Worker’s Act of 1898 also saw an increase in development with more and more able to afford decent housing across France allowing for the increased development of people’s housing.

Army Description : The Army of France is an extremely large force with a standing force of 410,00 men and a reserve force of 4.1 million. The Army of France exists at a large size due to the nature of the states surrounding France. The Army has adopted a policy of quick lightning attacks to knockout its opponents quickly as it is surrounded on all sides by enemies. It has prioritized itself on extensive planning and preparation for war and equipping it’s soldiers with the best equipment possible.
Army Weakness : Lack of Defensive Preparation, forces stretched out across much of the border
Naval Description : The Navy of France is significantly underfunded compared to the Army though significantly large the majority of the navy has been focused on commerce raiding and having a fleet in being to deter any attempted naval blockade. Consisting of
Naval Weakness : Lack of funding and a focus on raider ships then true standup battleships
Further Military Description : [[OPTIONAL]]

National Goals : Maintain the current borders of France, Spread the Republican Revolution Abroad, and Find an Ally in Europe
National Issues : Unstable Geopolitical Situation and Internal Unrest
National Figures of Interest : [[OPTIONAL]] [[Are there any Mother Teresas or Moses that we need to know about?]]
National Ambition/Aspirations : [[OPTIONAL]] [[Not really a set objective, but rather the big picture that your nation is drawing towards]]

History :
RP Sample:You know me bby

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

[Sao Nova Europa]

Edited my history so it will be compatible with Parthian history.

Now the Seljuks in this TL were divided into two branches; one went to Persia (as explained in Parthian history) while the other went to India (as explained in my history) and founded an empire in Delhi.

[Arvenia]

Full Nation Name : République française
Majority/Official Culture : French
Territorial Core : France proper
Territorial Claim : All of its African holdings
Capital City : Paris
Population : 41,100,000

Government Type : Unitary parliamentary republic
Government Ideology/Policies : Militant Republicanism
Government Focus : The current coalition government under the leadership of the Parti socialiste has taken to heavily focusing on the coninuted economic growth that France has experienced since the late 19th century, in conjunction using the exponential economic growth to continually expand the already large military that the Republic fields as well as actively fanning the flames of Republican ideals abroad.
Head of State : President
Head of Government : Premier
Government Description : The Government of France is a unitary parliamentary republic, the only one existing in Europe. It is led by a ceremonial President who serves as the leading diplomat of the nation and the

Majority/State Religion : The Church of France
Religious Description : Following the unification of France in the 900s there existed a deep religious divide that had existed between the Archbishop of Paris and the Pope in Rome overtime grew exponentially as the Pope tried to exert more and more power over France and by the end of the 16th century declared the Church of France, translating the Bible to French and maintaining the same internal structure of France with the King of France at its head. Following the dissolution of the monarchy the new head of the Church of France is the Archbishop of Paris.

Economic Ideologies : Mixed Economy
Major Production : Industrial Goods, Coal, Iron
Economic Description : The economy of France is heavily industrialized and centered on exporting industrial goods to the rest of the world while importing a variety of raw materials that are not found in France. While much of the economy is privatized, major industries such as arms production are purely state run.

Development: Modern
Development Description : France has rapidly developed since the onset of the Industrial Revolution with the spread of railroads across France. The Worker’s Act of 1898 also saw an increase in development with more and more able to afford decent housing across France allowing for the increased development of people’s housing.

Army Description : The Army of France is an extremely large force with a standing force of 410,00 men and a reserve force of 4.1 million. The Army of France exists at a large size due to the nature of the states surrounding France. The Army has adopted a policy of quick lightning attacks to knockout its opponents quickly as it is surrounded on all sides by enemies. It has prioritized itself on extensive planning and preparation for war and equipping it’s soldiers with the best equipment possible.
Army Weakness : Lack of Defensive Preparation, forces stretched out across much of the border
Naval Description : The Navy of France is significantly underfunded compared to the Army though significantly large the majority of the navy has been focused on commerce raiding and having a fleet in being to deter any attempted naval blockade. Consisting of
Naval Weakness : Lack of funding and a focus on raider ships then true standup battleships
Further Military Description : [[OPTIONAL]]

National Goals : Maintain the current borders of France, Spread the Republican Revolution Abroad, and Find an Ally in Europe
National Issues : Unstable Geopolitical Situation and Internal Unrest
National Figures of Interest : [[OPTIONAL]] [[Are there any Mother Teresas or Moses that we need to know about?]]
National Ambition/Aspirations : [[OPTIONAL]] [[Not really a set objective, but rather the big picture that your nation is drawing towards]]

History :
RP Sample:You know me bby

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

Is the Church of France a Protestant organization?

[Speyland]

This looks interesting. I'll think about joining.

[Tracian Empire]

This looks interesting. I'll think about joining.

Well, if you find anything that's open and interests you, you'll be more than welcome to join!

[Novacom]

As I've said, I am perfectly willing to work with you and have you in the region. My only request is that your territories are on the south. I believe it is a fair compromise.

Alright, sure, but we need to work out the history so it makes sense, how a band of rebels managed to break free from the much larger Mughal empire. The reason I wanted the Deccan area is because, historically, the drylands and hills of the Deccan provided the Marathas with the perfect landscape for guerrilla warfare, but the South is much easier to fight in and hence put down a rebellion fast

We need an app out of you or at least some progress within 48 hours, as it's unreasonable to make another player wait without word.

[Alt Div Admin]

Map and list updated
~Thrace

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: Ruthenian Empire
Territory: All of the historical Russian empire, including Wallachia and Moldavia.
#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

The reservation is accepted, but I wanted to note that it's under the territories on the map - you are missing several territories that historically belonged to the Russian Empire in this time period.

[Tracian Empire]

Full Nation Name : Parthian Empire, or simply known as Parthia or rarely Persia

Overall, the app is very nice! There are a few points that I'd like to address:

• The modernization of the nation is not necessarily an issue, but Persia itself as a region found it notoriously difficult to industrialize and to expand its infrastructure, due to its very mountainous terrain. From my perspective that could lead to a situation where Mesopotamia and the coastal areas are very well developed, and the more mountainous Persia is less developed. If you don't like this concept, then you should try to think of something that would explain how Persia would be the most developed region in your empire.
• This second part isn't an issue, but it's related to my history as the Eastern Roman Empire. In my app, I've maintained all the traditional Roman-Persian Wars, from the invasion of Crassus to the last war that in real life happened between the Sassanids and the Byzantines. What are your thoughts about that, do you want us to keep them? I would need some of them at least, since Persian pressure in the East was a very important factor in the Roman Empire's decline and eventual collapse, and the final war between Heraclius and Khosrow Parviz is instrumental to the Roman weakness that allowed the Muslims to take over all of the Levant. Of course, we can discuss the exact details and the wars don't have to happen in the same way.

[Arvenia]

Full Nation Name : Parthian Empire, or simply known as Parthia or rarely Persia

Overall, the app is very nice! There are a few points that I'd like to address:

• The modernization of the nation is not necessarily an issue, but Persia itself as a region found it notoriously difficult to industrialize and to expand its infrastructure, due to its very mountainous terrain. From my perspective that could lead to a situation where Mesopotamia and the coastal areas are very well developed, and the more mountainous Persia is less developed. If you don't like this concept, then you should try to think of something that would explain how Persia would be the most developed region in your empire.
• This second part isn't an issue, but it's related to my history as the Eastern Roman Empire. In my app, I've maintained all the traditional Roman-Persian Wars, from the invasion of Crassus to the last war that in real life happened between the Sassanids and the Byzantines. What are your thoughts about that, do you want us to keep them? I would need some of them at least, since Persian pressure in the East was a very important factor in the Roman Empire's decline and eventual collapse, and the final war between Heraclius and Khosrow Parviz is instrumental to the Roman weakness that allowed the Muslims to take over all of the Levant. Of course, we can discuss the exact details and the wars don't have to happen in the same way.

Jaziria would need to know too.

[Tracian Empire]

Overall, the app is very nice! There are a few points that I'd like to address:

• The modernization of the nation is not necessarily an issue, but Persia itself as a region found it notoriously difficult to industrialize and to expand its infrastructure, due to its very mountainous terrain. From my perspective that could lead to a situation where Mesopotamia and the coastal areas are very well developed, and the more mountainous Persia is less developed. If you don't like this concept, then you should try to think of something that would explain how Persia would be the most developed region in your empire.
• This second part isn't an issue, but it's related to my history as the Eastern Roman Empire. In my app, I've maintained all the traditional Roman-Persian Wars, from the invasion of Crassus to the last war that in real life happened between the Sassanids and the Byzantines. What are your thoughts about that, do you want us to keep them? I would need some of them at least, since Persian pressure in the East was a very important factor in the Roman Empire's decline and eventual collapse, and the final war between Heraclius and Khosrow Parviz is instrumental to the Roman weakness that allowed the Muslims to take over all of the Levant. Of course, we can discuss the exact details and the wars don't have to happen in the same way.

Jaziria would need to know too.

The part of my history that is related to fighting the Caliphate is in my WIP app. If you have any preference about the Ayyubids and the Mamluks do let me know!

[Krugmar]

Full Nation Name : Great Jin | Aisin gurun ᠮᠠᠨᠵᡠ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ | Dà Jīn 大金 | Manchuria
Majority/Official Culture : Manchu
Territorial Core : In gold
Territorial Claim : In pale gold
Capital City : Mukden (Shenyang)
Population : 15,784,000

Government Type : Constitutional monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : The current government is a coalition between the Liberal Party, and the Constitutional Association. They can largely be summed up as pro-Reform, pro-State Capitalism, pro-Korean, and anti-Japanese.
Government Focus : The current government is largely focused upon industrialising the country, increasing education and literacy, and continuing political reforms.
Head of State : the Elheban Emperor | the Badaranggadoro Khan | the Tianmi Emperor (Tiánmì Huángdì 恬謐皇帝) | Personal name: Asin Gioro Ilušun
Head of Government : Prime Minister Cuyen Irgen
Government Description : The governance of the Jin state has changed dramatically over the past few decades. From its establishment, the Jin followed the traditional Chinese governance, though like the Japanese a millennia before they quietly suppressed the idea of a changing Mandate of Heaven. After the Girin Incident in 1872, the government was gradually reformed to become more western. Germany was taken as a model, where the Emperor's power and authority would be enshrined, but certain powers could be ceded to a legislature of the elites.

The Tianmi Constitution of 1885 sets out a number of things:

• The Emperor is sacred and inviolable, the font of sovereignty, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and his commands and decrees carry legal force.
• A legislature, the National Assembly, composed of two houses: the House of Deputies, and House of Peers. The former is made up of 300 members elected by a relatively small franchise, while the latter consists of the nobility and those appointed by the Emperor, currently sitting at 511 members, of which 203 currently actively participate in the house's affairs.
• The Prime Minister is selected by the Emperor, and must be confirmed by the Senate to ensure they can command the confidence of the Assembly. They then select the cabinet, although the ministers for the treasury, army, and navy must be confirmed by the House of Deputies. The Emperor can dismiss any member of cabinet, and the Prime Minister.
• The Assembly can be dissolved at any time by the Emperor. The Prime Minister is obligated to request it to be dissolved before its fifth year.

Majority/State Religion : Manchu shamanism
Religious Description : The Golden State has long been a place of religious tolerance. Before coming out of isolation most of the population adhered to Shamanism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, with many syncretising the three. Now a variety of faiths are practiced, though the native Manchu largely still adhere to a state sanctioned and endorsed folk shamanism.

Economic Ideologies : Capitalism
Major Production : Soy, cotton, coal, cement, iron, steel, various minerals
Economic Description : While the Jin economy is still largely agricultural, each year the manufacturing and resource extraction sectors grow significantly. It is rich in resources, although Manchu officials have been wary to structure the economy around purely exporting resources elsewhere, and have invested heavily in the manufacturing sector.

Development: Industrialised
Development Description : The country has been undergoing rapid industrialisation since the 1870s, in a bid to emulate the West and Korea. This has largely happened under the twin auspices of Korea, whose companies have eagerly aided industrialisation in return for access to Manchuria's resources, and Manchurian officials and entrepreneurs who have toured the West and Korea. However while I would term it as Industrialised, it likely fits better between semi-Industrialised and Industralised, as it is still an ongoing process and is largely complete only in the capital region (Liaoning) and various urban centres.

Army Description : The Imperial Army of the Great Jin was founded in 1875, after the Eight Banners system had been dissolved in 1872. Unlike the former it is largely meritocratic, does not divide its units ethnically, and is once again a mixed professional and reservist force.

By 1890, the Imperial Army consists of 12 divisions, the Imperial Guard Division, and numerous other units. These contain the following:

• 150,000 active duty and 1st Reserve personnel
• 20,000 Second line Reserve:
• 90,000 National Army
• 1,500,000 men available for service and mobilization.

Army Weakness : The army burns through funding, is becoming overly political and revanchist, and has had no true test of its modern ability.
Naval Description : The Imperial Navy of the Great Jin, derogatorily called the 'Secondary Service' by the Army, was created in 1875. Before that the Jin had relied upon a mixture of a small personal navy of warships and conscripting merchant ships in times of conflict. The Imperial Navy is divided between two theatres, the Yellow Sea division, and the East Sea division. It is currently comprised of 34 warships.
Naval Weakness : Largely comprised of ships purchased from the West and Korea, less prestigious meaning a lower rate and skill of officers, and a rivalry with the army has prevented co-ordination

National Goals : Revere the Emperor, Restore the Borders, Expel all Barbarians
National Issues : 1. Growing politicisation of the armed forces.
2. Industrialisation, the problems of labour movements, and unpopularity of foreign companies and workers.
3. Revanchism for territories lost, and territories dreamt of.
4. Calls for further suffrage, the growth of democratic, republican, and socialist movements.

History :

- A Great destiny thwarted; a Grim future averted -

The actions of Yuan Chonghuan were heroic, defeating the Manchus at every turn despite the internal crumbling of the Ming dynasty. His death at the hands of the Chongzhen Emperor spelled opportunity for the Great Jin, though it was not immediately taken. Hong Taiji focused upon conquering the Amur region, and raiding Korea, while preparing his forces for an all out invasion of China. Unfortunately for his successor Fulin, and his regent Dorgon, Wu Sangui was killed in battle with Li Zicheng, allowing the new Emperor of the Great Shun to absorb his forces and properly defend Beijing and the northern passes from the Manchu.

- Looking Within -

While they would attempt to invade China for several decades, eventually interest was lost after the death of Dorgon and the coming of age of the Shunzhi Emperor. This young autocrat looked to Korea and Japan for inspiration, and decreed that the Great Jin would be a Manchu state, modeled upon but distinct from the Middle Kingdom. His long reign saw the creation of a great Forbidden City within Mukden, the consolidation of the Great Jin's borders, and an increase in Buddhist thought and texts.

His successors largely kept to Shunzhi's policies, tending towards isolation where possible, though diplomatic links with China, Korea, and Japan were deepened and developed.

- Fearing Without -

Isolation was not to last, however. The 19th century brought with it many changes and challenges. Russia had always encroached upon its northern borders, and many skirmishes had been fought and invasions thwarted in the past, but now it was truly a threat. Korea, once a dependable ally, was now a vast empire hungry for resources. The decrepit Shun fell to a violent evangelical movement, the Taiping, who for a time claimed the lands of the Great Jin as part of their inheritance. Western powers began to poke and breach established trade routes in the east, and even the sleeping tiger of Japan showed signs of stirring.

- A Season of Change -

The Great Jin endured through it all, but not without cost. The court had become decadent, landlords mismanaged vast tracts of land, the Eight Banners system was a shadow of its former self, and the Emperors had largely become ignorant of all that happened outside the confines of the Forbidden City. The Tianmi Emperor, however, was a young monarch who had come to the throne in 1870. He allied himself with the reformist movement within the court, and with his allies began to make plans to emulate Korea and the West.

Such plans did not go unnoticed, and in 1872 the Girin Incident occurred. Nobles and elements of the Eight Banners hostile to the Emperor's plans kidnapped him as he and the court customarily moved to Girin City for the winter. For a month he was held, while forces loyal to him raised the New Army and defeated his kidnappers. This rival government was dissolved, and the Eight Banners were dissolved in favour of the New Army. Now the Emperor and his reformists had little opposition, and began drastic reforms of the state. Many officials would tour Korea, and various western states such as America, France, Britain, Spain, and Germany.

- An Uncertain Future -

It is the 20th year of the Tianmi Era, and the country is in the full throes of radical change. Where once it had been a feudal backwater, subject to a corrupt court, now it is mostly a modern state, with a functioning parliament. It has not been without cost, and the future holds no certainties for the Manchu.

RP Sample: [[Either a link to a past post, or an example written right here.]]

#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

[SangMar]

Hey OP. If the Korea player doesn’t return to claim their nation in this roleplay, could I reserve that area?

I’ve just noticed that they’re the CO-OP. So no worries, I’ll need to think about an interesting nation I could do in the meantime.

I got it. OP/CO-OPs, how much of Brazil/South America is free?

[Draos]

Hey OP. If the Korea player doesn’t return to claim their nation in this roleplay, could I reserve that area?

I’ve just noticed that they’re the CO-OP. So no worries, I’ll need to think about an interesting nation I could do in the meantime.

I got it. OP/CO-OPs, how much of Brazil/South America is free?

There is a good chunk of Northern and Central Brazil that is free

[SangMar]

Full Nation Name : The Union of Equatorial Provinces/Undeb y Taleithiau Cyhydeddol
Majority/Official Culture : Welsh.
Territorial Core : North and Central Brazil - though if the rest of Brazil becomes available before my app is accepted, I’ll include that too.
Territorial Claim : N/A
Capital City : Saint David (Manaus)
Population : 2,750,000 (I couldn’t find any figures for the Brazilian regions in my app during this time period, so I... made them up.)

Government Type : Modified direct democracy within a left-leaning authoritarian framework.

Government Ideology/Policies:

-Social Democracy (at least, economically, that is) - mandated within the UEP’s Constitution is a strong focus on social justice: as such, the UEP can claim to be one of the earliest adopters of subsidised health insurance, pensions and a large contingent of other worker-friendly policies. Perhaps for this reason, the UEP is one of the more attractive nations for potential immigrants heading towards South America. However, it should be said that the UEP does recognise that to fund these policies, the country must create significant wealth. Accordingly, the state not only has a free market economy, it encourages investment in it too. However, the wealthier classes aren’t allowed to run amok - as they must comply with a heavily enforced contract on workers’ rights in order to both operate within the state, and to be granted the lower tax rates - which are for the companies judged to be “worker-friendly”. Therefore, the nation’s could be more accurately described as a mixture between free market and state interventionist.

-Sex Egalitarianism - it takes two to conceive a child, and this is the guiding ideal behind one UEP policy that is decisively uncommon throughout the world of 1890: equality between the sexes. As it stands, women have the right to vote, seek a divorce, give evidence against a man in court, open a bank account, have an abortion and a plethora of other legislation that aids them help push Provincial society further towards future perfection. However, equality goes both ways, and unlike the vast majority of nations within the world of 1890, women must also serve in the military alongside the men. Unlike the men though, women are universally placed into non-combat positions - such as chefs, nurses, surgeons, drivers and the like.



Government Focus : Raising living standards, encouraging immigration to the nation.
Head of State : Prime Minister - Jack Jones
Head of Government : Prime Minister - Jack Jones
Government Description :

-One Party State - the UEP is, contrary to the name, a heavily centralised state. Local regions have little autonomy to do their own thing - with every policy made by them needing to be overseen by the main government in Saint David. The main government is compose during of the Progress Towards the Future! Party which are the current - and only political party allowed to operate within the nation.

-Direct Democracy - this is the chief manner in which the populace can have their voices heard. However, unlike the Swiss model, there are a few differences between it and that which the UEP uses. Firstly, to create a petition and then vote in a referendum on it, the petitioner must have completed a decade of schooling - or have gained a ‘Educational Standards’ licence if they were unable to do the former, they must also have a registered address within the city that they’re intending to vote in, and finally, they must have done one of two things - completed their military service or pass their ‘Citizen’s Reliability’ exam - which is intended for any person who is unable to complete their period of conscription.

Another key difference between the Swiss Model and the UEP equivalent is that the national government has ‘reserved powers’ regarding the military, the economy, equality and the government. Petitions may not be created regarding these areas of Provincial society, instead, the government in St David makes all decisions regarding them - and only they can do so. In addition, the national government has a duty to ‘maintain the environmental beauty of the nation’ and as such, has the power to veto any referendum regarding the environment that they feel violates this principle.



Majority/State Religion : State atheism - government. Methodism - population.
Religious Description : Religious affiliation is discouraged by the central government, instead, they choose to strongly promote science and logic within the nation’s schools over what they perceive to be “false beliefs”. It is their view that religion has no place in their society - and that it should consigned to the history books. However, despite all that, the state makes little effort - outside of the education system - to root out religious beliefs; churches are allowed to stay open, and religious holidays, such as Christmas and Easter are routinely celebrated. However, their efforts elsewhere are started to alter society - with many younger Provincials admitting that they’re either lapsed religious believers or have no religious beliefs at all. In fact, many of the former only pay lip service to religious holidays instead.

As for the older population however, many of them are strong Methodists, a religious belief that their ancestors brought over from Wales itself.

Economic Ideologies : State interventionist and social democratic.
Major Production : Cotton, rubber, cattle, grain, timber, agricultural machinery, brazilwood and dye.

Economic Description : A mixed system, the UEP government sees little issue in subtly guiding the markets in a favourable direction. Or should they need to provide aid to their populace, they shall do so. However, for the most part, the state is content with watching the economy without much care for it - however, they do make a habit of breaking up monopolies from time to time - in the interests of the workers, naturally. What the state does enjoy however, is handing out aid to the populace - in the form of yearly social reforms - as these are a way of shoring up support for the state, and a way of making the populace more productive. This is chiefly thanks to a Marxist Provincial philosopher named Thomas Davies - who stated, in his 1872 work Liberty, “Who shall be more productive? The weakened populace of a hundred million, who know that their lives, no matter how much effort they put into them, shall not improve? Or the vibrant and healthy populace of a million, whose government keeps them prosperous and healthy? It’s clearly the million - as when a government cares about its people, the people care for the government in turn. And what do most governments like? Money.”

Development: Modern*
Development Description :



Army Description :

The Provincial Army - undoubtedly one of South America’s smallest, is evidently a creation born out of the unique circumstances of the country it defends. This particular service specialises in jungle warfare and guerrilla tactics - preferring to travel light, inflict casualties on an invading enemy and then disappear off into the Amazon - where their training and high level of discipline allows them to survive where other infantry potentially couldn’t. A Provincial infantryman - whether a conscript or a regular can thankfully rely upon modern armaments too - as each carries a rifle, typically a local-derived Lee Enfield variant. Interestingly enough however, while the territory they protect does present numerous challenges, it also has its advantages: for instance, while a wounded soldier in a foreign military may have to bear a painful time being carried from the scene of battle, with no pain relief until he reaches the hospital, this is not the case for Provincial personnel. Instead, a combination of a fledgling medical industry and unfiltered access to a plentiful supply of locally-sourced medicinal plants grants Provincial field medics the ability to alleviate pain from combat wounds while transporting injured troops - as opposed to doing so while they’re at a hospital.

Provincial troops are also able to call upon blowguns - as used by the Amerindians for centuries. When filled with poisonous darts, they provide another way to discretely assist in the removing of an enemy from within their borders.


45,000 (Active - regular personnel) 850,000 (Reservists - conscripts/militia),



Army Weakness :

-The Provincial Army is much smaller than the armies of Europe or much of the Americas - therefore, they may struggle to adequately defend themselves against a larger foe. Furthermore, they’re spread thin over a vast territory - and in keeping with their guerrilla-style tactics lack any weaponry heavier than an 8-pounder artillery piece.

Naval Description : The Provincial Navy consists of several squadrons of small, coastal patrolling boats - being far more suited to small skirmishes closer to the shore than a prolonged clash on the high seas. The Provincial Navy does also operate a river patrol sub-branch, which aims to keep the Amazon River safe from crime - while also occasionally acting as a ferry service for some of the state’s more isolated communities.

Naval Weakness : A lack of substantial ships means that the entirety of the Provincial Navy would be hopelessly outgunned - even against a single destroyer or a light cruiser. In a conflict, they would be quickly destroyed - allowing an opposing nation to easily wrest control of the seas around the UEP from it.

Further Military Description :

-The Military Police (Heddlu Milwrol) - These are the UEP’s national police force - and like modern Brazil, the main crime-fighting branch of this state are not only police officers, but soldiers too. Numbering around 14,000 strong, they have a uniformed presence in every settlement, from the largest city to the smallest hamlet. MPs wear high-collared Brazilin-dyed dress shirts and long black suit pants. They’re typically equipped with a locally-derived Webley revolver, a brazilwood truncheon, handcuffs, a whistle for attracting attention and a vest made from boiled-leather, which functions as an early form of protection against edged weaponry. Meanwhile, an MP assigned to guarding government ministers carries the same equipment, with the exception of a boiled-leather vest, which is instead replaced with one made from silk - which is believed to provide protection from gunshots rather than knife wounds - the latter being viewed as less of a concern for officers protecting ministers than the possibility of an assassin armed with a firearm. In wartime, MPs can be armed with heavier armaments like bolt action rifles and primitive grenades.

-The Criminal Prevention Squad (Y Sgwad Atal Troseddol) - A precursor to the modern SWAT team, these officers typically patrol in plainclothes and wear either long overcoats or loose shirts to hide their silk bullet-resistant vests. Only deployed to violent incidents in urban areas, the CPS has a strength of 375 officers nationally - with all of its officers being armed with truncheons, bolt action rifles - which they typically store in a designated safehouse within each city they’re deployed to, and an extremely early form of tear gas - which is dispersed in the form of gas-filled glass balls. The officers also are equipped with primitive-steel helmets.

-The Criminal Investigation Department (Adran Ymchwilio Troseddol) - If the Military Police show up to put an end to fights, murders, robberies and thefts, then the Criminal Investigation Department show up to investigate those incidents in turn. The chief evidence gathering body throughout the nation, it handles both military and civilian cases. Approximately 5,500 detectives strong, the CID makes use of early fingerprinting technology and crime scene photography in order to aid it in catching suspects. A detective working for the CID must wear a distinctive uniform - which is believed to aid in making them more comfortable, a key requisite for a successful investigation! They can be found wearing khaki shorts, a campaign hat with white trim, and a loose khaki button shirt. During the winter months, they’ll often switch to long pants and an overcoat. Detectives carry truncheons and handcuffs - but may also wear a boiled leather vest depending on the perceived danger of their current investigations.





National Goals :
National Issues :
National Figures of Interest :
National Ambition/Aspirations :

History :
RP Sample:

#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

[Of Leben]

Ruthenian Empire

Імперія русинів, жамойтів, турків та монголів

Імперія русинів

Majority/Official Culture: Rusyn/Ruthenian
Territorial Cor : Belarus, Ukraine, Baltics, Russia, Siberia, Turkmenistan, Caucuses, Wallachia, and Moldovia
Territorial Claim: Poland, Finland, Vladivostok, Transylvania.
Capital City: Kyiv (Kiev)
Population: 100,453,244

Government Type: Reactionary monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies: Promotion of faith, family, order.
Government Focus: Development of the eastern frontier, stabilization of the western frontiers, acquisition of better sea access.
Head of State: Mykhailo II Pavlovych Rurikid
Head of Government : Mykhailo II Pavlovych Rurikid
Government Description:



Majority/State Religion: Eastern Catholicism (full communion with Rome)
Religious Description: Autonomous churches which recognize the authority of the Pope and accept his authority on matters of the faith when acting as the leader of the entire church (Speaking Ex-Cathedra).

Economic Ideologies: Capitalistic economy with mercantilist and syndicalist characteristics.
Major Production: Foodstuffs, steel & iron, coal, textiles, and petroleum.
Economic Description:

Development: [[Modern, Semi-Industrialized, or Primitive]]
Development Description : [[Explain further why your nation is in one of the above categories]]

Army Description : [[Describe your nation's army in as much detail as you can]]
Army Weakness :
Naval Description : [[Describe your nation's navy in as much detail as you can]]
Naval Weakness :
Further Military Description : [[OPTIONAL]]

National Goals : [[What are the main objectives of your nation?]]
National Issues : [[What needs to be fixed in order for your nation to achieve its true potential?]]
National Figures of Interest : [[OPTIONAL]] [[Are there any Mother Teresas or Moses that we need to know about?]]
National Ambition/Aspirations : [[OPTIONAL]] [[Not really set objectives, but rather the big picture that your nation is drawing towards]]

History : [[Can be in paragraph or bulletpoint timeline.]]
RP Sample: [[Either a link to a past post, or an example written right here.]]

#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

[The Traansval]

Full Nation Name : The Union of Equatorial Provinces/Undeb y Taleithiau Cyhydeddol
Majority/Official Culture : Welsh.
Territorial Core : North and Central Brazil - though if the rest of Brazil becomes available before my app is accepted, I’ll include that too.

Now, this is a major gamer moment. If you want you can talk to me, the British player, about your history if your planning to have this be a breakoff colony, judging by how its *Welsh* Brazil lol

[Tracian Empire]

Hey OP. If the Korea player doesn’t return to claim their nation in this roleplay, could I reserve that area?

I’ve just noticed that they’re the CO-OP. So no worries, I’ll need to think about an interesting nation I could do in the meantime.

I got it. OP/CO-OPs, how much of Brazil/South America is free?

Yes, I am afraid that Oscal is still around, he will be posting an app shortly.

Welsh Brazil is a pretty intriguing concept though, reservation accepted!

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Did any juicy spots open up yet due to inactivity?

[Speyland]

Full Nation Name : Kingdom of Nepal
Majority/Official Culture : Nepali (or Nepalese)
Territorial Core : Nepal, Tibet
Territorial Claim : North India, Xinjiang, Bengal
Capital City : Kathmandu
Population : 7,799,000

Government Type : Absolute monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : Imperialism, totalitarianism, Hindu nationalism
Government Focus : The government aims to secure its national borders with the use of the military. Also, they aim to improve the condition of agriculture and to curb the ongoing growth of unemployment and poverty. Finally, the government is against political opposition and any person who opposes the monarchy will be executed or tortured if possible.
Head of State : Queen Indra Yadunath Chaudhary
Head of Government : Same as above.
Government Description : Nothing unique is known about the government despite the fact that it is just an absolute monarchy governed by a single monarch and that it is hereditary. That's pretty much it.

Majority/State Religion : Hinduism

Economic Ideologies : Capitalism
Major Production : Timber, iron ore, hydropower, copper
Economic Description : The country is filled with useful natural resources that are valuable to them which is especially vital to the economy.

Development: Semi-Industrialized
Development Description : The country is undergoing a process of modernization but they're still partially primitive in terms of technology and having access to modern weapons. In other words, the military is (partially) armed with traditional weapons rather than modern ones.

Army Description : The army is armed with guns (though not much) but they are sometimes armed with traditional weapons as a result of the country undergoing a modernization process. There are elephants that are being used for warfare but this is becoming less common from this point forward (however, that doesn't stop them from not using them).
Army Weakness : The army (or Gurkhas to be exact) is prone to modern weaponry (as a result of the modernization process) and unexpected (or complex) tactics depending on the situation that they are in. Otherwise, they are poorly armed.
Naval Description : There is no navy because Nepal is a landlocked country and they do not have access to water.
Naval Weakness : N/A

National Goals : To form an empire to be in line with the European nations and to embrace Hinduism onto the souls of Islam (of course, the Mughal Empire).
National Issues : The citizenry has to deal with the growing concern of a female monarch (which is the first time that the country had) taking power following an overthrow of the Shah dynasty several years prior.

History :

1768: King Prithvi Narayan Shah conquers Kathmandu and lays foundations for a unified kingdom.

1788-1792: Sino-Nepali War began; Nepali expansion was halted by defeat at the hands of the Chinese in Tibet.

1814-1816: Mughal-Nepali War began; culminates in a treaty that establishes Nepal's current boundaries.

1846: Nepal falls under the sway of hereditary chief ministers known as the Ranas, who dominate the monarchy and cut off the country from the outside world.

1851-1853: Nepali-Tibetan War began; Nepal had successfully occupied Tibet as a result of the Great Shun struggling with the Taiping Rebellion.

1855: King Surendra Bikram Shah was poisoned after he ate dinner with his family; without an heir in mind, Crown Prince Trailokya (Surendra's eldest son) became his father's successor to take over the throne after he was appointed by the Ranas themselves. However, this leaves other members of the Shah dynasty to feel enraged by this decision and it would leave a scar on the government for years to come.

1861: A uprising have occurred among the elites, peasants, and soldiers in Kathmandu (and beyond) to take over the royal palace and overthrow the Ranas. Due to a large number of rebels there was, the government was successfully overthrown. A decision was made as to whether or not the Shah dynasty should have more power (as they were in the past). Unfortunately, they chose with the latter which eventually lead to a royal massacre (against the Shah dynasty) planned by the rebels themselves. Luckily, King Trailokya have managed to survive and was exiled to China. Afterward, the Chaudhary dynasty was established and Balraj Arjun Chaudhary (a relative of Damodar Pande, Nepal's first prime minister) became the next King of Nepal.

1863-1882: King Balraj Arjun Chaudhary has enacted a plan to modernize Nepal and to get in contact with the outside world again. However, its people were against the plan as they prefer to go with their traditional way of life (or rather, they are against westernization altogether). The modernization process persists throughout King Balraj's reign as the influence comes from China from the north with whom they are also dealing with the slow modernization process. Apparently, the modernization wasn't effective enough, however. In 1882, King Balraj passed away from an unspecified illness and was succeeded by his daughter (who was born in 1859, exactly two years before the uprising), Indra Yadunath Chaudhary, as the next and first Queen of Nepal.

1882-Present: Queen Indra has chosen to carry on her father's legacy to modernize Nepal. Since then, the people (especially males) were uncertain about a female monarch taking hold of the throne as it is rare for them to do so. She also focused on changing foreign policy to eradicate Nepal's position as an isolated nation. Unlike princesses and queens at the time, Queen Indra is against marriage and having children, making it unusual. To this day, Queen Indra is still ruling Nepal without an heir in mind and the modernization process is still underway.

RP Sample: https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=490228&p=37671236#p37671236

#AltDiv (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

[Tracian Empire]

Did any juicy spots open up yet due to inactivity?

Not yet I am afraid - we will be doing a first round of cleansing tonight, and then a second one in a few days, I'll let people know here and on the Discord about the territories that will become free.

[SangMar]

Full Nation Name : The Union of Equatorial Provinces/Undeb y Taleithiau Cyhydeddol
Majority/Official Culture : Welsh.
Territorial Core : North and Central Brazil - though if the rest of Brazil becomes available before my app is accepted, I’ll include that too.

Now, this is a major gamer moment. If you want you can talk to me, the British player, about your history if your planning to have this be a breakoff colony, judging by how its *Welsh* Brazil lol

Sure. I’ll discuss it with you when we both have the time.

[Oscalantine]

Full Nation Name : Most Serene Imperial States of Korea (대한제국)
Majority/Official Culture : Korean, but due to ideology of ethic supremacy, Koreans segregate many classes of citizens based on their ethnic background, allowing cultures in Indochina and Malay Archipelago to uniquely develop without being assimilated into Korean ways.
Territorial Core : Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, Dokdo (Liancourt Rocks), Ulleung Island, Philippines, Indochinese Peninsula, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and islands surrounding it, Borneo and islands surrounding it, Maluku Islands (Spice Islands), Sri Lanka, Socotra, Myanmar.
Territorial Claim : Indochina and Malay Archipelago, with vested interest in the Indian Ocean in order to facilitate trade unhinged.
Capital City : Hanyang (Seoul, Korea)
Population : Roughly 60 million total, with 20 million in the mainland and 40 million in the colonies

Government Type : Absolute Monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : Economic, political, and cultural imperialist.
Government Focus : The government’s focus is always to assure supremacy in the region, with their desire always been that of legitimacy. This desire came from historical oppression by the dominating Chinese and Mongol Empires, but even with the fragmenting continental power leaving Korea and Japan as dominating force in the region, Korea never stopped their desire for authority in the region. In current political climate, Korean policy has thus been to ensure that "Asians rule Asia," with vested interest to make certain that European imperial ambitions in Asia are kept at a balance. This has left Korea in a rather peculiar situation of needing to fight on two fronts: political chaos in the mainland as well as European Imperial expansion. Perhaps as a direct reason for this, Korea is necessarily an economic expansionist rather than mercantilist, preferring to not make more enemies through tough economic tariffs than what is already there, and trying to ease tension between itself and its neighbors through lenient tariff policies. Contrary to their peaceful diplomatic focus, however, the Imperial Throne of Korea often times quick to act in order to ensure status quo of its supremacy. Korean military has been known to lash out at anyone who desires to disturb Korea’s prosperity and fortune. This has led to heavy militarization of the nation, and has left Korea rather militant and trigger-twitch fame when it comes to anyone who encroaches too close to its domain.
Head of State : Emperor Lee Yue (이유황제)
Head of Government : The Emperor shares his power with the Viceroy of Chuk-Jae-Do (축제도 총독), former in the mainland while latter in the colonies.
Government Description : [Please refer to "Governance" section in Facebook]
Majority/State Religion : Donghak (동학), Cheondoism (천도교)
Religious Description :

Meaning “Religion of the Heavenly Way,” Cheondoism and its predecessor Donghak started in IRL several decades after the 1850 period. In this timeline, however, the religious tone of the movement started much earlier, as Korea met with the Europeans earlier.

The main cause of the movement is relatively the same: pressured by the “Western learning” (called 서학 in Korean), the Koreans felt pressured to keep what was uniquely eastern… or simply be more Korean. Without neo-Confucian culture influencing Korea in this timeline, the radical ideology to preserve Confucianism sprang from the mainland Korea, calling itself Donghak (동학), which literally means “Eastern Learning.” Founded in the 1790’s, this radical teaching saw revival of the Confucian ideology and anti-Christian theology.

While Donghak movement gained steam, there was a new heretical religion that was gaining steam in the colonies from the early 1820’s. While in IRL Cheondoism was revival of destroyed Donghak movement, in this timeline Cheondoism is created not based on Korea Shamanism, but rather from mixing the Donghak Confucian ideology with Catholic religious ideologies which the colonists were affected by. With the Viceroy of Chuk-Jae-Do officially approving the ideology into colony's official religious option alongside Donghak, the mainland Korea has since been warming up to the idea. Cheondoism in this timeline mixes the monotheist idea of the Western region while maintaining concepts of Eastern virtues.

As Korea started to interact more and more with Western culture around 1850's, however, Cheondoism has started to focus more on being recognized as a sect of Christianity, especially that of Orthodox Christianity. Once seen as a political move to appease the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, majority of the priesthood now adheres to the rituals of Orthodoxy, as Korean interactions with Roman Empire has opened opportunities for religious scholars to directly study faith in Constantinople. Thus, Cheondosim has started to be recognized as an Eastern heresy of Orthodoxy rather than Catholic one, which is contrary to its conception. While the dogma of Cheondosim is far from pure Christianity and focuses on open dialogue and debates of faith, it cannot be argued that the religious leaders of Cheondoism considers it almost a requirement to study under either Orthodox virtues before being introduced into the priesthood.

Economic Ideologies : Capitalism mixed with Corporatocracy
Major Production : Since the initial stages of industrialization, Korea’s focal point of production was in silk and porcelain, the two most lucrative sources of capital for Far East nations. Since then, they have mastered these two products in the mainland to a fine point. The silk production is thus very much similar to that of textile manufactory in IRL Britain, where factories are set up across the urban landscapes to produce the finest silk products for export to Europe. The southern parts of Korea with their fine clay and even finer craftsmen have since perfected the trade of porcelain, creating masterpieces which can rival the beauty of gems. As Korea was able to better repel Japanese invasion during the Imjin War in the past, the Korean craftsmen were never kidnapped to Japanese Empire, and great many decided to stay in their ancestral lands during and after Second Guild Wars. As a result, the southernmost regions of Korea are not only known for its bountiful rice production, but also its porcelain craftsmanship, shipping the goods across to ever-hungry European market.

While Korean mainland continued the production of those two luxury resources and continued large scale urbanization off of trade wealth, the heartlands of Chuk-Jae-Do has experienced majority of the industrialization and has since surpassed the mainland in terms of manufactories. As the merchant and craftsmen class founded their haven from the nobles in the earlier days of the Island of Chuk-Jae, the Viceroyalty has since expanded their business empire through much of the colonies. With infrastructure stretched across the Malay Peninsula, the region has become the central focal point of Korean industrial might, with the mainland coming in second. Malay Peninsula is positioned in an ideal location to gather resources from across the country, as rich coal deposits in Dai Viet, copper deposits from Tondo Agri District, and iron deposits from the Malay Peninsula proper along with many other minerals imported from across the world. Sources of rubber and timber is mostly relegated to Sumatra, alongside large plantation of coffees which fuel the everyday workers of Malay Peninsula.

In terms of cash-crops, Korean Indochina is a massive producer of tea and pepper, with farms stretched far across these lands to produce these crops for export not only to Europe, but also to hungry customers in the mainland. Majority of rice production also occurs in this region, allowing Koreans to cheaply acquire their main source of food. This has allowed rest of Korean colonies to stray away from agriculture-based economy to more industrial one, and thus Siam Agri-district is always strictly controlled to produce enough rice to sustain half of the country’s rice demands. One of the biggest breakthrough of Korean scholars and merchants in the Chuk-Jae-Do was cultivation of Nutmeg, which came as a response of European colonization of the so-called "Spice Islands" towards the mid 1800s. Although the cultivation was plagued with failure in the initial stages of adaptation, over thirty-years of continued cultivation process has recently started to bear fruit in the most literal sense. Alongside becoming the controller of the Spice Islands proper, Korea has become one of the leading producer and exporter of Europe's most demanding spice.
Economic Description :

Regardless of wealth of resources that Korea has, by no means can it sustain the juggernaut of Korean economy. As a result, resources from across the world is bought and brought into Korea to fuel the industrial and consumer demand of Korean economy. From the Mi Continent (North America), the Koreans obtain significant source of iron, copper, and other metals for use of mainland foundries, as deposits from Manchuria cannot sustain the needs of Korea’s military-industry complex, as two of the largest military shipyards are positioned in mainland Korea: one in Buasn and other in Incheon. Commercial demand for the goods are also nothing to scoff at either. Koreans as a culture has preference for “original” goods that are created from the source of that item. Thus, growing and affluent Korean middle and upper class are always in high demand for things such as Arabian Coffee, Roman Glass, Persian Carpets, Italian Wine, Aztec Chocolates, and others. As a result, Korean merchants are always looking to improve the trade network with the rest of the world by connecting more and more trades to feel the hungry appetite of Korean consumer demand.

This demand has led to Koreans to have some of the largest trade network in the known world. Owing to Treaty of Constantinople and Tripartite Treaty of Cheonhae, Korea has a lengthy trade route that stretches from Suez Canal through the island of Chuk-Jae into the free city of Cheonhae. As goods from all across the world are moved to and from Korea and her colonies, Korea has become an economic power that relies on free trade between as many nations as possible. While still carefully controlling the secrets of nutmeg, cloves, and porcelains, Korea nevertheless are open to free-trade and capitalist economy, having embraced it as early as 1700s ahead of many European and Oriental nations in order to fuel the demands of ever-growing Korean consumers.

Korean corporations developed very different from their Western counterparts in that Korean firms are family businesses. Of course, the scale of this “family business” is beyond even that of western corporations. Called Chaebol, these corporations are headed by each Merchant Families who founded the Chuk-Jae-Do. The evolution of Chaebol, however, was from Merchant Guild who were isolated from any government control, creating a unique politico-business entity that came to function almost like a line of nobles in mainland. Most Chaebols have series of businesses that help synergize with each other in mostly a vertical integration, although conglomerate-like branches are also common depending the characteristic of each merchant families. While many have trade and commerce in mind, Chaebols are heavily integrated part of Korean economy, and it can be almost accurately criticized that they are the said economy of Korea.

The greatest difference between Korean Chaebol and European Corporations would be the amount of direct political power that Chaebols have. Chaebols collectively operate with impunity within the colonies of Korea, and elect the Viceroy who will represent them in the Imperial politics. The Viceroy, in turn, provides general regulations for Chaebols to follow, which is observed strictly. Furthermore, the Viceroy grants large swaths of lands to the governance of these Chaebol Groups which in turn use the lands for their benefit as well as to improve the economy of Korea. While it was very common that each merchant families basically exploited their political advantages, the Recession of Arrogance during the 1870s leaving the country in panic have changed the opinion of Korean Chaebols: they now see that they are responsible for the economy of Korea and thus willing to collectively agree on goodwill policies that support the wellbeing of all Korean economy.

This new “merchant’s responsibility” is the key tenant of “Chaebolism,” which forces social responsibilities to firms and bring a refreshing viewpoint of coporatocracy where the corporations take responsibility for the economy of a nation by becoming the "economic hand" of that nation. This is completely different from the laissez faire tenants of free-capitalism of this timeline and Kensyian policies that will come about during the mid 1900's in that corporations themselves actively become the "invisible hand" to control the economy to their socially-responsible vision. The interesting tenant of Chaebolism, however, is that the ideology believes that nation’s nobles are a plague upon the mankind. Core belief of Chaebolism states that without a proper group responsibility that can only be brought by the corporations, the independent capital holders such as nobles can become too corrupt and thus their capital becoming a potential liability that can cause recessions and depressions. This reflects not only historical grudge of Korean merchant class against the nobility, but also the historical dissonance that Korean nobles had during the recession, seeking only to hoard their wealth unlike the merchant families who invested so heavily into recovering the destroyed economy of Korea.

Development: Modern
Development Description :The Joseon Dynasty from which the Most Serene Imperial States hails from had its roots deeply engraved in improving defense against the ever-looming invasion from the North. And as Munjong’s reign solidified the Lee Dynasty’s rule into a stable hereditary kingship, the influx of technology that hailed from the Song Dynasty carved a technological lineage of Korea that did not wane through stagnation. For unlike in perhaps the another timeline where Joseon befriended the Mongols and stagnate over the eons under the comfortable rule of its tributary overlord, the Koreans remained always at an arm’s length against its possible overlord. And although Munjong did not initiate it, the years of stability and military legacy that he conducted provided the literal firepower necessary to allow the Koreans ways to go against the Chinese stagnation when it was allowed. For it was this defiance and this outward direction that drove Korean technological innovation. At first, the defensive strongholds of Korea augmented by the ever-new weapons innovations that allowed Korea to exist as something more than a fringe tributary. And as Korean merchants moved beyond Ming to trade and prosper, as the Chinese Treasury Fleet stopped, the Korean merchant fleets roamed the seas for trade with distant kingdoms of Southeast.

And this innovation fueled by defense and commerce that still exists as groundworks for a solid foundation of blood and gold. Korean technological innovation is necessarily focused on developing new and innovative weapons to ensure as much fear as one can against the enemy, while its ship and ideas of commerce developed into its own maturity unique compared to the Western capitalism. However, these innovation has left its mark. For majority of the most urban cities of Korea are focused around the ports such as Busan and Chuk-Jae-Do (IRL Singapore), whereas inland population density is rather sparse save for large-scale plantations in the colonies and imperial lands of the mainland. For it was more natural for Koreans who traded abroad using fleets of merchants to gather greatest of their wealth centered around ports, and people naturally flocked to these population centers in search of wealth. And in the initial stages of colonization, it was only natural for small, densely packed ports to be more easily defended compared to wide spread of people, and merchants initially flowed through these pockets of safety. And, of course, in time, people naturally flocked to where the merchants and their coins were.

And as these port-side centers grew, so did the merchant culture which ruled these lands. For while the nobles stayed at their villages reading and debating, the merchants flowed into these urban spaces and started to cultivate a society unique from Western capitalism. This culture, which eventually came to be known as Chaebolism, came about as merchants slowly learned the responsibility of “the have’s” and the irresponsibility of the nobles who lacked such “noblesse obliges.” The merchant’s culture that became Korea’s identity came in waves. The first was during the First and Second Guild Wars, where merchant guilds were formed and treaties were agreed upon to ensure safe business environment where competition would not destroy each other’s property. And as the Second Guild Wars started and ended, the merchants learned to rely upon one another at the times of troubles and to create an unified ground against the nobles and, in time, all adversaries. It was during and after the Imjin Wars when the merchants found suffrage and started to influence the governance of the Joseon Dynasty. And through its continued interaction, eventually contributed to the founding ideas of the Imperial States: to rule gently but negotiate strictly.

And as the 1800s waxed and waned, the Koreans were among the first within the capitalist countries of the world that suffered from a country-wide depression. This has largely served to ultimately modernize the Koreans to who they are today: a final evolution towards responsible, self-governing, society-creating merchants of Chuk-Jae-Do. As history has written, the change came at a gunpoint as the Viceroy of Chuk-Jae-Do, fearing complete destruction of Korean economy, forced the colonies into a temporary command economy where every spending was dictated. However, as the merchants realized the value of flow of money, the merchants came to enjoy how the flow created even greater wealth and recognition which were never possible before. For although they were less rich, what they obtained in return were far more satisfying: a sense of accomplishment as becoming the great economy of the Imperial States. This power, once obtained, was and still is too addictive to wean. And as the Korean merchants are known to be generous overseers, they are still an overseer of a populous which only works as they dictate. For while the economy of Korea is still capitalistic to be certain, only the most talented can pierce the heavens and join as among the very few, very elite independent businesses of Korea free from the existing Chaebols. And among them, even less can stay as one of the merchant kings who rule over the economies of this great nation whose rules beyond the mainland is that of anarchy gently leashed by the Oriental capitalism that are the Chaebols.

Army Description : Korean army focuses heavily on indirect fire, consisting superior artilleries and rocketry which can decimate enemy lines. Chuk-Jae-Do hosts not a military academy, but military engineering academy known as Hwayak-Saguanhakkyo (화약사관학교), or simply the Military Academy of Gunpowder, where Engineer-Scholars are raised from honorary families to discuss the latest innovations of gunpowder technologies. As Chuk-Jae-Do is freed from nobility class belittling engineers, scholars, and merchants, these Engineer-Scholars are respected and highly regarded, and in return they preserve, maintain, and innovate Korea's already potent gunpowder tradition to its utmost heights.

Such a legacy of rocketry and artillery makes Korea a unique military power in terms of being among the very, very few nations to utilize rocketry so early into the history. Weapons systems such as Hwacha, Shingijeon, and Chongtonggi are all weapons systems which was developed in the Joseon Dynasty and have since been perfected. (This assumption of such weapons being perfected lies in critical flaw of each weapon, which was that it was too cost-intensive gunpowder-wise for Koreans to develop further. As in this AH scenario Korea is a colonial power with plenty of access to raw materials, the research would have continued in course making rocketry primary weapons of choice for Koreans.) Rocketry thus are far more accurate and granting far greater range. While not as long as its artillery cousins, rocket systems in Korea reached a range of roughly that of 7500 to 8000 meters, with accuracy roughly that of standard artilleries of this time. With the explosive firepower that rockets usually are accompanied with as well as ability for Korean rocketries’ mechanics being able to ripple-fire into enemy lines, the absolute barrage of rockets flying into the air will lit any opposition on complete fire before the Korean military comes into blows with infantry combat. This initial “alpha strike” grants Koreans a massive advantage in a conventional warfare, allowing Koreans to shred enemies before enemies ever get the chance to mount a serious retaliation.

Army Weakness : Due to many reasons in weapons development, Korean small arms are never up to the pace of most modern guns in other developed worlds. As Korean military mostly worked on damp jungles with little rooms to maneuver around, Koreans found themselves relying much more on bows and arrows, which could easily pack as much punch as guns with Korean innovations in such areas as Aegisal. However, even Korean innovations cannot keep archery afloat, and towards the 1880s, Koreans have slowly started to integrate guns into the service. While Koreans do have key technologies in the areas of magazines, rifling, and cartridges, Korean innovation in small arms are very lacking, resulting in guns that are unreliable at long ranges compared to European and even Japanese counterparts.

Furthermore, Korean infantry isn’t exactly the most trained aspect of military. Due to its focus on technology, Korean military is, while not completely bumbling fools of previous era, still not as highly disciplined. This allows exploitable hole in Korean military, creating an interesting case where Korean infantry might break ranks during sustained assault while engineering crews will be disciplined enough to hold their ground despite their escort infantry fleeing the battlefield. This discord has forced military commanders of Korea to position Korean heavy weapons not behind, but often times in front of the infantry line, creating a situation where heavy weapons could become targets to enemy fire so long as they are willing to risk their heavy cannons to position.

Naval Description : Korea was the first nation in the world to boast ironclad, an overtechnology that granted superiority in the seas. Korean engineer-scholars have not slacked since then, creating the first “predreadnaughts” in the seas for multiple purposes. Korean navy equally utilizes the advantage that army artillery and rockets have, in that it is more accurate and has longer effective range than most ships in the world. Most guns in the navy reach effective range of 17,000 meters and maximum range of 22,000 meters, with rockets reaching effective range of 15,000 meters. This provides significant range advantage for Korean ships, which can shower enemies with cannon fire well before enemy ships can retaliate and puncture enemies with anti-ship rockets once the opposing navy gets close to range. Korea was among the first nations to have a dedicated anti-ship weapons system that did not focus on reducing the crew on deck, but on destroying the actual hulls of warships. This doctrine has been further enhanced with the onset of steel plating becoming common use, creating weapons systems with a dedicated capability to destroy other ships from far enough range.

Beyond the simple use of technology, Korean admiralty is something to be marveled at. Korean admirals were once only comprised of nobles in the mainland military academies. However, ever since the Viceroy Dong-Nyuc's precedence of hiring capable pirates and privateers into naval officers, the window of opportunity for Korean admirals have been widened to cover men and women from all walks of life. As admiralty is among the very, very few professions where prestige can be won regardless of one's past or class in Korea, many brilliant minds tirelessly strive to take admission exams to become an admiral, resulting in the brightest military minds within the Empire to flock to being an admiral.

Naval Weakness : Due to conflicts of interest between nobles of mainland and merchants of Chuk-Jae-Do, for the most part naval hierarchy is focused predominantly in the mainland. Considering that most of naval actions for Korean campaigns are staged in the South and Southeast Asia, this creates a logistical nightmare for Korean admirals, which need to wait on days before mobilizing. Although innovations in telecommunication is slowly closing this gap, the fact that mainland is the only place that can mobilize the fleet creates a lag between distress being called by the colonies and mainland responding to the threat. Usually this spells out few days to even weeks depending on bureaucratic process, making Korean colonies vulnerable in the onset of invasion.

Further Military Description :

The military doctrine of Korea is that of firepower. Known for its use of gunpowder since the early 15th century, the Korean military has always made up for its lack of manpower and disciplined troops by decimating its foes before enemies had any chance to get close. This has led to not only superior defensive architecture in the case where armies are lost and need to fall back, but also to better artillery and weapons platforms designed specifically to strike the enemies down from range. Owing this this strategy, the Koreans boast some of the best large guns in service, as its howitzers out-range much of the European guns by a clear margin. Furthermore the Koreans are possibly the only nation in the world to properly integrate rocketry so early in the history, owning several practical applications of rocket types that can decimate enemies in the barrage of firepower.

It should be noted that military division of the mainland and colonies differ, while navy is under the control of the mainland due to the agreement settled after the Imjin War. Colonial armies bolster their number with less disciplined mercenaries who fights for coins. These have been often times more than enough to stop the natives from uprising, and it has created several mercenary guilds directly in Chuk-Jae-Do proper which oversees the training and merchandising of guns for hire. Meanwhile, mainland still utilizes traditional army, which is maintained in actuality as a disciplinary force for internal conflict than actual war.

While soldiers may be less funded, the engineering core of Korea in both mainland and colonies are lavishly funded and manned with many gifted individuals. Engineering core often times have discipline and training necessary to hold arms and fire even as explosives are going off at all sides, and they are trained to stand their ground. As engineering core also mans many ship-based batteries, naval morale and discipline is maintained even as ground forces are something of a running joke to Korea's neighbors. In the colonies, few merchant families have created an institute in which military engineering is studied in a professional level, and it is considered as honorary feat to hold the title of "engineer" in the colonies. These Engineer-Scholars in turn serve both mainland and colonies to educate common soldiers in the art of arming and maintaining the gunpowder weapons platforms which form the backbone of Korean military.

[Further military documentations has been moved here]

National Goals : To protect its trade interest and increase the wealth and legitimacy of Korea.
National Issues : Even when Korea has become a recognizable great power in the world, its struggle and division between the nobles of mainland and merchants of Chuk-Jae-Do has only deepened. This has been further divided after the 1870 recession, where Korean merchants blame nobles for not assisting in the reconstruction of the nation. The resulting divide between classes has transformed Korea into a nation with an internal cold war between two dominant classes. While the peace is maintained by relationship between the Most Serene Imperial Majesty and the Grand Viceroy of Chuk-Jae-Do, should the leaders of each side break ways Korea may see a scale of internal unrest unseen in any nations of the world.
National Figures of Interest :

• 축제도 총독 권나제 (Viceroy of Chuk-Jae-Do Kwon Na-Jae) : The Viceroy of Chuk-Jae-Do is the son of previous Viceroy Kwon Dong-Nyuc and Pirate Queen Laura Angenent. Born on 1857 in the City of World’s Desires (Constantinople), the Viceroy has more than fitted into his father’s shoes after taking the office in 1881 after his father resigned from office to take responsibility for Korea’s recession. Since then, the Viceroy has overseen an era of rapid technological advances and evolution of Merchant Guilds into true Chaebol Groups.

National Ambition/Aspirations : To successfully claim recognition from the global community as the superpower in the region.

[Oscalantine]

History :

The history of the Most Serene Imperial States of Korea must first be explained with its pre-predecessor, the Kingdom of Goryeo. The history of Goryeo follows that of IRL, where Mongol Empire managed to wear down the small kingdom into submission and forced it to be a vassal under the overlordship of the now-known Golden Khanate. However, unlike the Goryeo today, the kingdom was unable to muster more resilience, and the kingdom falls during the 1238, where they fulfill the agreement of vassalage and send the royal hostages to the Mongol Empire instead of violating the agreement like in our timeline. During the fifty-two years that Korea was under Golden Khanate’s vassalage, many innovations that was once blocked by the Song Dynasty pours into Korea. As Korea was more ideal staging post to produce weapons for Siberian front, technicians arrive to establish a proper front against both the Japanese invasion as well as Siberia. This further infuses superior Song Dynasty technology improved by the Mongol’s global idea bank with Korean knowledge, creating a scientific revolution in the Peninsula. During this time of progress, Goryeo managed to even out technological improvement alongside the Mongols. However, much of this advancement was not implemented in the civilian sector, but in the military development and buildup, as both the Goryeo government and its overlord wished to improve military capability in the region.

The time to strike back came during the 1290’s, when the empire was suffering from massive civil war after the several prior failures of Mongol invasion to Roman Empire, Japan, and other parts of the world. Without having the ability to maintain troops through spoils of war, the Khanate broke down in series of infighting. While the attention is divided elsewhere, Koreans declare independence from Khanate, separating from the Mongols altogether. Whether it is due to internal conflict or losing ambition to continue eastward expansion, the Mongols did not return since Goryeo’s independence.

Korean Peninsula was able to continue its due course in history towards the end of the Goryeo period to the early Joseon period. During this time, Korea was in its own rapid industrial revolution. The major driving force was, of course, the fear of Mongolian retaliation, which never came as Yuan Dynasty passed onto Han Ming Dynasty. As the Mongols cleared the rebellion and civil war and continued to consolidate its power, the Goryeo never stopped industrializing and modernizing its military, however, always fearing and readying themselves to fight off the heinous Mongols Invader and distrustful Chinese once-allies. The atrocities of Mongolian raids never left the Korean populous, and against the greatest foe the political realm was able to unite in a common stand. This, however, had an issue of uneven industrialization, which created skewed progress where technology only applied to military improvement rather than being used to raise the standard of living.

In this hardened military conscientious and rising demand for more resources to fuel their industrial engine, it was inevitable that Goryeo needed to expand its troops. The most readily-available target seemed to be Manchurian region, which managed to escape the Mongol vassalage like Goryeo. Goryeo was ready to take the land theirs, with the best general that the Goreyo Dynasty has ever seen and soldiers ready and modernized to take on the primitives. This time, however, the fear of newly created Ming Dynasty divided opinions from within the Court. Many in the court saw the invasion as a waste of resources which could be instead invested to furthering economic buildup and better defense against the attrition that they have suffered decades past. Others believe that expansion was the only answer to rising demand for resources. Decades of peace was fracturing the small kingdom once so resolved to defend their people.

The last king of Goryeo, despite the wishes of many, including the general leading the assault, decided to proceed with the invasion regardless. However, as if destiny was against Goryeo, the general receives news that Japanese raiders were attacking Korea when the kingdom is at the brink of war. In an effort to save the people, the general turns around, only to receive report that the news were only rumors, and that the general is declared a traitor for disobeying the king’s direct orders. In an attempt to save his family and friends, the general decides to march to the capital with his armies, seize the kingdom and starting his own dynasty. The Joseon Dynasty has begun.

Joseon Dynasty, after initial years of instability and issues with heirs, finally settled down when Sejong the Great was seated on the throne. Under his guidance, the Joseon period achieves the second wave of industrial and scientific revolution, where progress in the civilian sector was taken as a priority. The subsequent agriculture revolution also raised the standard of living for Koreans everywhere, creating a ripe situation for Korea to consider expansion once more. Hangul Alphabet is also invented at this time, spreading fast through the industrializing Koreans as a new, easy way to read and write. The literacy level in the kingdom explodes, and the populous becomes much more conscious about their standard of living.

The legacy is continued with Munjong, whose innovations in military are to be noted even in our timeline. While Munjong did not reign more than two years IRL, modernized medicine keeps the sickly king living, and this contributes to solidifying the royal legitimacy as well as progress that was made during the Sejong era. Crucial innovations are made in military and ship designing, and Munjong era saw first attempts at Korean ambition for expansion. The prime driver for this was the cutoff from Ming Dynasty, whose frequent intrusion to northern provinces of Korea compromised the Korean involvement in the Silk Roads. Comparatively, the Treasury Fleet bound for Southeast were far easier to spot and avoid, leading to Koreans to expand their influence outwards to the seas. While no colonies are set, the exploratory ships were send to map the coastlines in order to gather potential areas where Han influence did not lie. And unlike Ming, the pragmatic and far more desperate Korean merchants were easier target of trade by the crumbling kingdom of Majapahit. While lagging behind Ming, Korea manages to discover the Spice Islands by the death of Munjong at 1472.

During Danjong’s era, the first official attempts at exploring the Philippines begin. The main driver for this came as a desperation from the fall of Majapahit by the external powers, as Koreans were once again left without a mean to gather resources. Despite the enthusiasm, the colonists sent were never able to establish foothold in the area due to native aggression and tropical climate. Learning from their failures, the merchants instead established a more friendly relationships with the native kingdom of Tondo, leading to creation of sanctioned Korean trade ports which the Korean trade ships could port luxuries back to the mainland. And as luck would have it, the slow but assured abandoning of Treasure Fleet of Ming Dynasty from 1470s and onward led to importance of Korean merchants who allowed spices from the Southeast to flow to Ming and through the Silk Road. This made Korean merchants among the wealthiest and the more influential merchants in the region, allowing merchant class to amass wealth that surpasses even the nobles who owned plantations and factories.

By the early 1500’s, the colonization attempts are abandoned in favor of establishment of trade ports as a more successful way of creating influence in the region. This, however, had the unfortunate side effect of decentralized trade companies led by private wealthy Merchant Families vying for control against one another as well as few Europeans ships in the area. This era is known as “Guild Wars” or 조합전쟁 in Korean. The era is marked with disturbing amount of naval conflict among Koreans in the route between the mainland Peninsula and the Spice Islands. Korean Pirates run rampant in the seas, creating needless violence that hurts both the Korean economy and military potential. This had a rather fortunate side effect of making the seas hostile for European explorers, which were often times destroyed just as with any other merchant ships of Korea. With the initial exploration leading to fruitless and hostile seas, the colonization of Southeast Asia by the Europeans, especially the Dutch, was delayed and completely extinguished before it could bear fruit.

While the Joseon Crown never actively prohibited Guild influence during the beginning of 1500’s in fear of the Chinese offensive, as the Ming increasingly looked inwards and stopped concerning themselves with the affairs of Koreans the nobles grew ever more jealous of the merchant’s amassing of wealth. At this time caste system of sort existed in Korea, where merchants were separate class beneath the nobles alongside other “commoners” like farmers and craftsmen. Soon, the government started to crack down on the merchant guilds under the guise of “aiding the enemy through internal conflicts.” This brought Guild Wars into abrupt halt during the 1530’s.

As the Guild War came to a grinding halt, the Korean Merchants found a need to once again establish a land-based foothold in order to further extract wealth for themselves. The drive to this was similar to mercantilism in the West, were Merchant Families sought to aggressively expand through their private soldiers into native population to ensure that they alone could gather wealth form that region. First victim of this was the Kingdom of Malacca, which was dependent on Korea for protection against the Europeans. These Europeans came late to the Southeast in earnest for trade, as the chaos created by the Merchant Families during the Guild Wars created the hostile situation for the explorers. This eventually led to a unified from by the Merchant Families to fight off invasions from the increasingly hostile Europeans who sought to oust Korean influence from the region. At first, the Kingdom of Malacca welcomed the Koreans and supported their cause in creation of a unified front against the alien invaders, as Europeans at the time were offering only a fraction of what Malaccans could earn from Koreans. As the unified Korean-Malaccan campaign led to a final, crippling loss during the European invasion of Goa, the European presence in the Southeast was halted for a time due to logistics of continuing this costly war.

As the victory was sounded, the Merchant Families started to worry about their survival. If these white-colored Europeans desired these areas, Koreans may not be so lucky next time. They needed an active army and ports that could defend their trade interest, which could not be provided by the “technologically backward” Malacca. This led to Korean merchants banding together to take over the kingdom, arrived unannounced to Malacca and put the capital to a siege. Though the kingdom valiantly fought, Korea’s gunpowder-based weapons were foreign and shocking concept to fight against, and the Kingdom ceased to exist by the 1532. Although the full subjugation came years after, the Koreans colonized the Malay Peninsula for their needs, situating themselves in the ruins of the Lion City which would serve as a center of their powerbase, eventually creating the Great City of Chuk-Jae (IRL Singapore; 축제 indicating "Festival").

Although not mentioned previously, the hate between merchants and the nobles were reciprocal: merchants often times lamented about their social standings at equal with the poorer farmers and desired nobility status. Scientists and Philosophers, who were also considered of lower class due to their distinction as “craftsmen,” were also in the similar grounds, often times having their work stolen by the nobles who desires fame and fortune of the innovations. This led to exodus of these two classes to the Chuk-Jae. As the Chuk-Jae's population and technological innovation increased, it served as a central point of colonization attempt by the merchant class, which quickly sought to stabilize the once-kingdom of Malacca and resumed production of wealth in the region. It was at this time that the invasion of kingdoms in Borneo and Sumatra occurred, and full colonization attempts of the archipelago begin in earnest. The main part of success against the natives was Korean Reflex bows, which worked extremely well in jungle climate as a long-range weapon that surpassed the native gruella tactics with surprise attacks of their own. This paved a crucial role in dominating the native population and creation of permanent settlements in the area.

As the merchant families became more and more centralized in Chuk-Jae, the families started to coordinate more closely together to invade the lesser kingdoms to dominate trade in the region. By the 1550s, the Islands of Sumatra and Borneo were controlled by the Koreans with the invasion of the kingdom of Tondo and subjugation of the Siam begin. As the colonies grew larger, the unofficial governing body formed, headed by the prominent merchant families that sent delegations to the Island of Chuk-Jae to settle disputes and coordinate resources for further expansion. This "island" thus became a symbol of the merchant families' authority, becoming the governing body known still as "Chuk-Jae-Do," or "the Island of Chuk-Jae"

As the Korean colonies grew without proper permission by the government, the Crown naturally attempted to control these faraway claims, which led to Battle of South China Sea, where colonial privateers decimates unsuspecting royal transports in extremely one-sided surprise offensive. This caused the Second Guild Wars to erupt, where the merchant guilds actively declared allegiance to Chuk-Jae-Do and moved their assets from the Korean mainland. This significantly weakened Joseon both militarily and economically, as the battle was mostly waged in the ports in mainland, where merchants were seizing control of the ports to ship their goods back to the colonies while the loyalists were preventing their escape. By 1580’s, Joseon was devastated of both manpower and trade, and were forced to acknowledge the independence of Chuk-Jae-Do in 1585.

The weakened Korea was an easy target for the Japanese invasion in the 1592. The initial start to the invasion was Korea’s refusal to acknowledge Japanese advancement through Korean territory to China, which Korea considered was a “brother country” at the time after renewed trade between Ming and Korea. Called the Imjin Wars by the Koreans, the war was one-sided, as Japanese soldiers were highly trained and disciplined by the inter-Daimyo wars prior to their recent unification by a single Shogun. As Joseon was devastated of both men and economy, it was forced to give ground and continue to move its capital north. Meanwhile, Chuk-Jae was at its heyday, being able to trade directly with Ming and India, the trade revenue nearly tripled, which allowed funding of technological advancement to continue their advantage in the region, including famous Turtle Ships which were to be used to prove supremacy against Europeans seeking wealth in the region.

Despite honoring the Chinese as big-brother state, Koreans received no help from the Chinese. This was in part similar to Korean history in IRL, where Chinese Emperors felt distant about the conflicts in Korean Peninsula and came to intervene with only the humblest call by the Koreans. Seeing Korea as a possible threat to China in this timeline, however, the Chinese Emperor refused the plea, dooming Korea into Japanese subjugation. However, in 1595, a massive fleet headed by several Turtle Ships were sighted in the Japanese-controlled port in the coast of Yeosu. The merchant guilds of Chuk-Jae-Do, now a unified republic government, successfully gathered support to aid their once-home through a counter invasion from the southern Korean coasts. Japanese navy was completely caught unaware by the massive firepower of the Turtle Ships and battle-hardened privateer fleet of the Chuk-Jae-Do, and were forced to retreat without gathering their ground forces in the Korean Peninsula. Trapped and cut from supplies, the combined Korean forces vanquished the Japanese invaders in a massive pincer move to the capital. The Battle of Hansung in 1596 signaled the end of the Imjin War, where the two nations signed peace treaty and exchanged prisoners. Although the war was in Joseon’s favor, the negotiations were done in relatively equal grounds as Joseon did not know whether the aid from Chuk-Jae-Do was here for their own conquest.

In a surprising turn of events, however, the leader of the Chuk-Jae-Do came to the mainland following the peace negotiations in peace. In the following meetings that followed, a settlement was met in 1599 just before the turn of the century. According to the agreement, the merchants of Chuk-Jae-Do headed by this "viceroy" will be hailed as equals by the Joseon government, where only the reigning monarch will be held at a higher regard. Furthermore, independence of the colonies will be guaranteed as long as the merchants pledged their allegiance to the king. The Viceroy of Chuk-Jae-Do will oversee the governance of the colonies, while a collective navy will ensure that disagreements must be settled through talks and without armed conflicts. After the settlement, a full peace was called by the Japanese Empire in favor of trade and friendly relations. It was the Viceroy who advised the Emperor at 1600 to accept the terms of peace and trade, paving the road to Viceroy’s influence and power within Korean politics.

As the century turned, Joseon worked towards further colonization and aggressive expansion. The colonial effort was fully supported by the Joseon government at this point, where the government openly sponsored further campaigns into Indochina and Islands of Philippines. Due to abundance of resources from these colonial victories creating prosperous mainland, whose population were often encouraged to take land and status for themselves in the colonies instead of overcrowding the nation’s few precious lands, the population exploded in the 1600’s which coincides with the colonial zeal, as Korea continued to aggressively conquer territories for their expansion ambitions.

As the 15th century continued, Ming’s international hold on its tributaries continued to falter. And with the peasant rebellions in the 1630s, Ming was no longer able to concern itself with the external policies. It is during those times that Joseon fully recognized the Kingdoms of Dia Viet and Ava as well as Merchant Republic of Kotte as its dependencies and extended protection towards these previously allied nations. This move was in tandem with the return of the European presence in the region, as Southeast was again torn between various local kingdoms and factions bowing to either the Joseon or the Europeans. Despite this tension, Joseon was at greater advantage in the region due to its closer proximity, and could exert more hold over the region. It is at this unfortunate time that Korea loses its influence to Java Island, where Koreans sought to consolidate more solid footprints in protecting trade interests in Spice Islands and Sulawesi.

As lines were drawn and various political powers sought to topple another, the Indonesian Archipelago become a hotbed of privateering activities. As sailors of both European and Korean descents create their independent buccaneering groups targeting valuable spice trades at the behest of rival nations, piracy ran rampant in the region. However, over time, a more fortified and established Korean ports of Chuk-Jae-Do became less appealing as targets to pirates, who saw increasing difficulty raiding Korean ships due to central control of the Viceroy. As profits from privateering against the Koreans dwindled, the merchant families increasingly invested more into hiring European pirates to raid against their masters, who were often time too far away to mount a proper protest without risking a full-frontal assault against Joseon. Thus, Koreans maintained a dominant position in the spice trade in the region, and the colonies of Joseon was able to continue its prosperous development into the 16th century.

It is at this height of Korean colonial zeal that the exploration to the “Mi Continent” (Korean nomenclature for North and South America) took place. Crossing the Bering Sea and down south, the Koreans settled across coastlines of IRL Western United States. Further exploration down south made Koreans contact the Aztec Ascendency, whose people were recovering from a deadly plague that has ravaged the lands prior. As the discovery was heard and the explorers returned with exotic fruits and craftsmanship, Joseon government opened formal communication with these otherworldly natives. Colonies were settled to the north of this nation in order to better facilitate trade at the time, as the Aztecs were only taking tentative steps through the seas. Thus, in exchange for exotic and highly sought-after cash crops in the lands, Koreans often times traded naval crafts and mechanical and iron tools which would later aid in the development and expansion of the empire to its current shape today.

As the Europeans slowly returned to Southeast Asia with more improved and advanced vessels, Joseon government was increased concerned about the loosely help power of the Korean colonies. Southeast Asia was especially vulnerable, with merchant authorities of Chuk-Jae-Do expressing greater fear of dependencies of Chuk-Jae-Do siding with Europeans to overthrow Korean yoke. Both the Joseon government and the merchants were in agreement: a more solidified imperial government was necessary to protect what was rightfully earned by the Koreans. The result was the reformation of existing Kingdom of Joseon to the Most Serene Imperial States of Korea in 1758.

The imperial “states” were created from largely granting independence to the existing loyal dependencies of Joseon Dynasty and the Chuk-Jae-Do. To these dependencies, recognition of their government and granted local autonomy to govern their lands as they see fit was seen as a boon. Seeing the perils of neighboring regions being taken by Europeans, the freedom given by the Koreans were seen as a benevolent alternative, resulting in these Imperial States further identifying as part of the Imperial States. It was during this time that economic consolidation and treaties were reforged and distribution of official political power to the Chuk-Jae-Do was legalized. Furthermore, this period oversaw the creation of “supranational” divisions of government that operated only at the pleasure of the Emperor of the Most Serene Imperial States. All this was possible due to alliance of first Emperor with the Viceroy, which held enough politico-economic strength to override the disagreeing nobles to completely solidify the power of the imperial government at the hands of the Emperor. It was during this period that, newly autonomous merchant authorities of Chuk-Jae-Do, started to have consistent feud with the nobles of mainland that makes up majority of the mainland government.

Despite the rapid social reformation, the Korean states were stable due to prosperity in the colonies, which saw complete monopoly in the maritime commerce of the region. The control of European spice trade made trade wealth circulate in the colonies’ Merchant Guilds, which transformed the merchant society further and further into status of colonial nobility. These Merchant Guilds actively hired mercenaries and pirates in the region in order to keep each other in constant check and to threaten European trades who didn’t pay premium to Korean rule. This unfortunately had negative side effect of Pirate Revolt in the Chuk-Jae-Do in future events. However, it was clear at the time that the wealth of Korea came from its colonies, which made Korean authorities uneasy that Merchant Guilds would once again declare independence from mainland and create its own, merchant nation.

Another significant point of note is the West-Mi Sale (서미대륙 매각사건) and the establishment of the Independent City of Cheonhae. After discovery of Mi Continent and treaties with the Aztecs, the Korean colonization of the Mi Continent was wrought with failure after failures. Primary issue with the colonies were general lack of precipitation for maintaining rice paddies (paddy fields for growing rice, traditional Korean method of cultivating rice). As food needed to be transported continuously from the mainland, the colonial pull failed to bear fruit as Koreans found Southeast Asia more attractive destination for migration. As a result, Mi Continent became an expensive colonial region, with only select few cities dotting the coastlines of Western Mi Continent for trade purposes with Aztecs. Thus, when the United States government approached the Koreans seeking to purchase the Western coastline, it was among the first decisions that the Imperial States made as a legitimate political entity of Koreans.

The Tripartite Treaty of Cheonhae (삼자천해조약) was the treaty which recognized the Western coastlines of Mi Continent as rightfully of the United States’ sovereign realm. In exchange, in addition to small sum of gold to serve as a payment for the lands, the city of Cheonhae was to be established that was to be maintained as an autonomous city-state with free-trade rights for the parties of Aztec, Korea, and United States. As Korean merchants defaulted to Cheonhae for trade in this region, the city became wealthy and prosperous city with free trade between three parties.

As the Imperial States system stabilized and the authority of the Emperor became unquestionable in Korea, the agenda of the Imperial Throne became clear: to be accepted as a regional superpower recognized by all. Scholars argue that it was from this era that the fundamental ideological shift occurred in Korean people’s minds. Being a “Korean,” in the past, only held symbolic value. You were born of Korean blood and there was nothing beyond that. However, as dependencies became accepted into the arm of the greater Korean government as members of autonomous “Imperial States.” This led to Korean people as a whole to accept being a “Korean” as a cultural value: a sense of belonging in the Imperial States system. This led to Korean government to fundamentally change as well: to move from indifferent expansionist to a legitimate imperial power of Asia.

It is thus by this point that Korea mounted more towards internal cooperation and external recognition more than expansionism. This interchange saw first waves of more solidified cooperation and alliances between Korea and other nations. Among the first of Korea’s long-lasting foreign relations was with the Romans, which was more of a happy accident during the eradication of the final vestige of Korean expansionism. Koreans have long since traded with Romans, using the routes through the Rea Sea long since established by the Kotte merchants into the Arabian Peninsula. However, this was not necessarily between two sovereigns as much as liberal stance on trade that the two nations shared. However, the situation changed into a full political involvement due to the onset of the Third Guild War.

As reformation of the Imperial Throne led the Koreans to seek more cooperative stance with neighboring nations, Korean privateering families began to lose their grounds. With the Chuk-Jae-Do’s stance moving more and more away from mercantilism and towards trade, the Viceoryalty provided less and less protection for the privateers against the yoke of Imperial Throne who sought to put an end to “Asians harming other Asians.” This friction eventually boiled over to a full-scale conflict in 1846 as pirates of Malay Peninsula openly revolting against Korean Merchant Guilds. This is called the Third Guild War (제3조합전쟁) and it was predominantly a war between pirates around Korea’s trade routes and Korean trade guilds. The new Viceroy of Chuk-Jae-Do, Kwon Dong-Nyuc oversaw this conflict as first major issue in office, where he cleverly allied with the so-called “Queen of the Spice Islands” to conquer all opposing pirates back to the Viceroyalty’s sides. This paved a way for private navy of the colonies which were not before seen in Korean history, and was seen as open objection to the Korean nobles.

At this time, pirates in the Southeast Asia fled all the way to Red Sea, where the Viceroy’s fleet finally disposed of them in the Battle of Red Sea. The war was successful in part due to Roman support, who always saw pirates in the region as a threat to Roman interest in the region and thus sent a detachment to aid Viceroy’s efforts. The resulting peace negotiations thus included Roman Empire, where the Viceroy himself was present in the Treaty of Alexándreias which historians actually see as the beginning of alliance between Roman Empire and Imperial States of Korea.

Coming out of the years of conflict allowed Koreans to realize one thing: no war in two fronts. Thus the years between 1852 to 1862 oversees the diplomatic efforts of Koreans. First and the most prominent of which is the Treaty of Treaty of Constantinople (콘스탄티노플 조약). This treaty, seen as a way to solidify trade relations and satisfy military alliance in one fell-swoop, was overseen by the Viceroy Dong-nyuc to create a lasting peace and friendship between the two empires. The mutual friendship oversaw many changes in both states. For one, Cheondoism, long-seen as a distant Catholic heresy, was fully recognized as an Eastern heresy of the Orthodox faith with the baptism of the Viceroy of Chuk-Jae-Do and the marriage of he and the Laura Visser (previously the Queen of the Spice Islands) in the Queen of Cities. Another development was the development of Suez Canal. Although built by Roman sweat and blood, Korean merchants largely sponsored and bankrolled the project, expecting great wealth to come from the resulting success. Indeed, the opening of Suez Canal in 1859 ushered in the height of Korean commerce, with Koreans finally granted entrance to the vast markets of Europe.

Another major alliance that happened during this time is Korea’s expansion of the Tripartite Treaty of Cheonhae to a more solid alliance. The expansion of the Tripartite Treaty oversaw mutual desire to protect the trade profits that were occurring in Cheonhae, and recognized the United States of the America as a proper owner of the City of Cheonhae, now part of American free trade port for Americans, Aztecs, and Koreans and not a city-state with interlapping jurisdictions. The political envoys from three sides met in a historical moment in 1855 to christen this new mutual defensive pact to protect the profits of Cheonhae, forging a diplomatic connection that has survived to the present day.

As the Imperial States continued to stabilize the overseas trade in the region, the Imperial Throne was addressing the situations in Asia as well. For some time since the late 1700s, Korea was in extended diplomatic tensions with the Greater China with the creation of Shun Dynasty. Isolationist and arrogant, the Shun did not recognize the Imperial States upon its creation, cutting diplomatic ties with the Imperial Throne. This was in turn responded by the Korean government recognizing the sovereignty of the Manchu State, which allowed the Korean merchants to create railways and mines across the Manchuria. This event would later on prompted the industrialization of the Manchu cities surrounding its capital city of Mukden, allowing Manchuria to stand as an independent friendly nation in the Orient.

Therefore, when the Taiping Rebellion began in earnest after 1850 with the beginning of Jintian Uprising, the Imperial Throne was eager to support the counter-Shun movements. In the beginning of the uprising, Korean merchants began to funnel weapons and supplies towards the rebellion from both land routes through Dia Viet and coastal ports in the region. Furthermore, Koreans to a lesser degree ensuring that Shun’s Junks stayed within the port unable to repel other clandestine support from outside powers to support the anti-Shun rebellion. In 1853 with the capture of Nanjing and the formation of New Jerusalem, Korea was among the first to recognize the new government as a legitimate holder of Mandate of Heavy of all China, and sent envoy to New Jerusalem to create friendly relations with the Heavenly Kingdom. Once the diplomacy was reached, the Imperial Throne more officially supported the Taiping’s advances, aiding in reconstruction efforts in coastal regions and providing arms and supplies to the nation to aid in their “righteous conquest.”

Following the peace talks and victories over several European powers over the conflicts, Korea was recognized as regional power with legitimacy that was firmly established in the region. The prosperity that followed saw Korean merchants’ and nobles’ greed grow, as they continued to exploit lands and people to grow in wealth. First business collective and corporations were formed by Merchant Guilds were recognized by the Viceroy and divide between rich and poor widened in drastic levels. Labors were forced to work 15 hour shifts and given next to nothing in return, and slavery and debauchery was rampant in the areas, where kidnapping children to bolster factory manpower was a frequent sighting as debtors seizing girls from families to put them through brutal prostitution.

Eventually, the lower class completely collapsed, unable to bear the weight of upper classes’ greed. This was something that came completely unexpected by Korean bureaucracy, as Koreans never knew this kind of collapse before. Laborers simply ran out of their spending power, struggling to buy pouches of rice to feed their family to spend on other goods. The resulting domino effect made factories shut down as demand for all but the most crucial of necessities became nonexistent. This brought Korea economy into 10 year recession known today as Recession of Arrogance (오만의불황). Many Merchant Families fell from their wealth and support for the Viceroy plummeted.

Most historians widely consider the beginning of Recession of Arrogance to take place in 1868, with the unexpected implosion of Baek Family, who was widely known industry lead among the Merchant Guilds responsible for production of furniture that even went as far as tribute to the Emperor himself. As the Baek Family’s corporate empire fell, Park family soon followed due to Park Family’s financial investments being closely related to Baek’s ventures. With Park Family’s banks calling on all loans, several smaller merchant families started to file bankruptcy one by one until by 1870 nearly half of the Merchant Guilds were threatened with financial crisis.

Fortunately, this recession wasn’t without solution. Emperor immediately called for all Merchant Guilds, leaders of new social movement of labor unions, and nobles of mainland to forge a solution. The gold was still present in very few elites in Korea, and trade revenue and its respective industries were still making profits. The economy was not completely lost to Koreans. However, the nobles and merchants present in the meetings were ill considerate of the situation at hand: they were still wealthy and were not affected by the recession. The negotiations drone on for several years with no one wishing to lose any profit.

Finally in 1874, Viceroy of Chuk-Jae-Do acted. Mobilizing Viceroy’s own military, he led a bloodbath through Chuk-Jae-Do slaughtering private guards of Merchant Guilds’ most influential leaders and dragging them into the Viceroy’s manor. The Merchant Guilds were forced at a gunpoint to formulate a self-humbling resolution of responsibility, which were to be binding agreement punishable by death. The Viceroy took this document along with leaders of Merchant Guilds to prostrate before the Emperor to beg for forgiveness. This event, now known as Enlightenment of Capital (자본의계몽), served to chastise the merchants into negotiation with the working class to find a socially responsible way to gather wealth.

While the merchants were initially forced into this act, the merchant classes soon began to realize that the flow of capital was vital for continued wealth of a nation. This was in part assisted by various theories of capitalism which was circulating in the Chuk-Jae-Do, which was sponsored and punished by the Viceroy. Following 7 years saw dictatorship of Viceroy in the colonies, which forced Korean merchants into a period of “experiments” to see if these theories of corporate social responsibility would indeed lead to economic recovery. This is later recognized by scholars as the onset of Chaebolism, an exclusive Korean virtue of hereditary capitalism that imposes social responsibility and noblesse oblige to the merchants and wealthy.

It is important to understand that nobles did not take part in this new reform, which, despite the Empeor’s pleas, fell on deaf ears. However, the recovery of colony’s economy eventually trickled down to Korea mainland, which have slowly adapted into changes in social patterns such as human and worker rights.

The scholars widely regard the end of Recession of Arrogance as the same year that the Viceroy declared its end, which was in 1881. Following this announcement, the Viceroy gave up his “emergency” power, and was prompted tried and fired from his office due to abusing his powers. However, it was clear that the Viceroy’s efforts have led Korea out of its greatest economic recession and possible destruction, which was highly praised in the subsequent trials on the fate of ex-Viceroy. Ex-Viceroy Dong-Nyuc was lauded as hero of the merchants and were given retirement celebration to live out rest of his life peacefully in the Jeju Island, and his son was unanimously selected as next Viceroy to rule Chuk-Jae-Do, first time in Korean history where not only did on merchant family rule the colonies for 5 times in a row, but also the first time that the Viceroy position as inherited from father to son.

The new Viceroy Kwon Na-Jae continued his father’s efforts into his office, sponsoring scholars’ efforts in creating new theory of economics. This brought along Chaebolism, which came to rule the corporate values of Chuk-Jae-Do as a dominant ideology of the land. First Chaebol of Kwon Family filed a request for the Viceroy to accept the family clans into business in 1882, signaling the beginning of Second Korean Renaissance, where the reconstruction efforts of Korea from the recession saw new heights in technology and philosophy in all aspects of society.

The golden age of Korea is claimed to be ongoing progress, with revolutionary new technologies being born from ancient technologies in Joseon Dynasty being reviewed, creating new waves of military technologies. Korean firms’ focus on circulating capital and social responsibility continues to pour capital in the colonies and even in mainland to promote second wave of industrialization and urbanization in leading Korea into a second age of prosperity.

It is well-known for Koreans that its colonies did suffer in radical political climates during Recession of Arrogance, which included losing valuable colonies lands long been recognized as Korea’s core lands. Furthermore Korean merchants have given ways for European powers access to spice market which the Koreans have monopolized, with several losses in key naval conflicts that threatened to dismantle the nation. With the economy stabilized, Korea is once again seeking to find dominance in the region and beyond, finding new sources of capital and bringing Korea into another age of wealth and prosperity that will be hailed as fist Golden Age of Korea.

RP Sample: AltDivs

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

[Theyra]

Full Nation Name : Parthian Empire, or simply known as Parthia or rarely Persia

Overall, the app is very nice! There are a few points that I'd like to address:

• The modernization of the nation is not necessarily an issue, but Persia itself as a region found it notoriously difficult to industrialize and to expand its infrastructure, due to its very mountainous terrain. From my perspective that could lead to a situation where Mesopotamia and the coastal areas are very well developed, and the more mountainous Persia is less developed. If you don't like this concept, then you should try to think of something that would explain how Persia would be the most developed region in your empire.
• This second part isn't an issue, but it's related to my history as the Eastern Roman Empire. In my app, I've maintained all the traditional Roman-Persian Wars, from the invasion of Crassus to the last war that in real life happened between the Sassanids and the Byzantines. What are your thoughts about that, do you want us to keep them? I would need some of them at least, since Persian pressure in the East was a very important factor in the Roman Empire's decline and eventual collapse, and the final war between Heraclius and Khosrow Parviz is instrumental to the Roman weakness that allowed the Muslims to take over all of the Levant. Of course, we can discuss the exact details and the wars don't have to happen in the same way.

I would be okay with maintaining the wars and as for the modernization. I think I will go with what you said and I will make the edits later.