Zao

Zao, officially the Republic of Zao (Zao Gònghéguó) is a country in East Artopa. It is the world's most populous country, with over 200 million inhabitants. It borders Seogwang to the East, RIVNE to the South-West, Avusan to the North, and the Rhoddic Ocean to the south. The country is not completely unified: while the Republic recently took over most of the nation, some isolated areas remain under low government control. Travel to these areas is not recommended.

The national capital is Xhonghi and the largest city is Jiuli, although Xhonghi is very close. Other major urban centers include Chingi, Siruloi, Cartuhi, and Minaï.

Zao is currently governed by a Republic, with free elections. The current Leader is Chao Tié, former Duke of the Tié House. Until 1901, the system of cohabitation between the Major Houses and the Republic was destroyed by Chao Tié. He managed, in just a few years, to enforce Republican control on almost the entirety of the nation and to bring to irrelevance the Major Houses. Before then, the Republic only had full control over The Core and The North. The rest of the nation was either held by warlords (including the fierce Yeman Ren Clan) or Major Houses, which were vassals to the Republic (House Tié, House Fujinhú, House Zhengya, House Turanwan, House Luse Haian, House Sanjia).

Since the Revolution, the legislative branch is made up of the National Assembly, elected by the richest citizens of Zao (Zaians must pay a "Voting Tax" which not all can afford). The executive branch is made up of the Leader and his Ministers. The current leader is Chao Tié, elected in 1898.

Geography
The nation of Zao is composed mostly of plains and hills. The nation that is now Zao has its origins on the banks of the Lixuo River, which brings water from the North and beyond the border to the sea into the Lixuo Delta. Near the town of Sanhé, the river splits into two, one side going towards Jiuli and another towards Xhonghi, where it splits again, and again multiple times.

As Zao currently does not have a good rail system, the river is vital for transport of goods and people around The Core and The North. The areas surrounding the Lixuo River are the traditional parts of Zao, as Zaian civilization started on the banks of the river.

To the North-West lies an arid area known as the Desiao Desert (not to be confused with the Desiao people, who inhabit the desert). This desert remains mostly unexplored, despite being close to the Lixuo River. It is populated by the Desiao, a semi-nomad people who's way of life is almost unknown due to the difficulty of exploring the land. Only two expeditions led by Chang Lou-Cek have explored the Desiao Desert since the Revolution.

To the North-East of the Desiao Desert lies the Duchy of Chuam-Tso; a de-facto independent country populated by Zaians, who hundreds of years ago came with Emperor xxxxxx who conquered the Desiao Desert between xxxx and xxxx. This duchy has almost no contact with the rest of Zao, due to the distance and dessert between them, and while it is de jure a part of the Republic, it is de facto ruled by the Duke of Chuam Tso as an independent country.

Northern Zao is a very hilly area, both in the East and in the West. It is there that the Lixuo River and the xxx River get their sources.

The rest of the country is home to fertile plains where agriculture is a predominant economic activity, especially in The Center.

The country of Zao is divided into cultural and geographical regions: The North (Beí), The Core (Hé), The West (Xifang), The Center (Zhongyang), The South (Nán), The East (Dong), The Islands (Dao), The Lakeland (Láikèlán), and The Desert (Desiao).

Early History
Not much is known about this time period in Zao. It is believed, but not confirmed, that the Wu-Tong dynasty was the first Zaian dynasty. It is said to have originated around 2000 BT. This dynasty's existence has never been proven, but most in Zao believe it, even if foreigners treat it as a myth. If it existed, the Wu-Tong was the first of the many dynasties who ruled Zao until the Revolution.

The first historically recognized dynasty was the Wa-Dang. Not much is known about this dynasty, other than it ruled the Lixuo River valley between the 18th and 14th century BT.

In the 14th century BT, the Wa-Dang were conquered by the Sha, who ruled until the 9th century BT. They are the first to have invented Zaian characters for writing, the ancestors of those used today. The Sha ruled over the Lixuo River valley, and had their capital in Ki-Lipin.

By the middle of the 9th century BT, the Sha kings no longer held any real power of their lands. Major Houses, warlords, and clans all had large armies and the Sha could not enforce authority on their lands. The death of charismatic Sha King Jin Sha led to the nation exploding into the First Civil War, a period during which many dynasties and warlords fought, allied, and schemed to increase their power.

Imperial Zao
The end of the Great Civil War, which lasted around two centuries, saw the Zan dynasty gain power, in the middle of the 7th century BT. The Zan dynasty, unlike the other factions in the civil war, had abundant access to iron ore and could make better weapons than their enemies. King Zheng Zan declared himself Emperor of the Zan dynasty in 668 BT. He enforced Sha writing, standardized currency and language, and expanded east to the Fujin Lakes and east, along the coast all the way to Yiulo. His reign lasted 20 years and was beneficial to Zao, but his dynasty ended with his son, a 3-year old; after a short Civil War, the Tah dynasty took power.

They ruled from 640 BT to 210 BT, and were one of the so-called "Golden Dynasties". Under Tah rule, Zao became the richest country in the Ancient World. The Emperors of Tah expanded the Empire considerably, conquering east to modern-day Siruloi, and west to modern day Potapur (Carrisia). They expanded the navy and made Zao a strong maritime country, with evidence of sea trade being found in the Ari Peninsula. They also changed the capital from Minunkaï to Xhonghi. There are rumors of Tah expeditions going to Ngombia and Escana, but we do not know if these actually happened.

Furthermore, it is during the Tah dynasty that the Silk Route was created; a land base trade route going from Zao to West Artopa. This "road" existed until the 6th century, when Zaian civilization entered a dark age due to a large volcanic eruption that affected the entire world.

When the Tah dynasty ended, the Zhong succeeded them, and they themselves were succeeded by the Bijul. Both these dynasties only lasted while their founder was in power, and had little impact on Zao. They were followed by the Tang-Kai dynasty bla bla bla

Rebellion and Republic
In 1855, the Bijin Emperor Kai Hulin-Bijin was approached by a joint committee of diplomats from Aurissos, Sikssayu, and Carrisia. The three West Artopan nations wanted to buy Zaian silk at predatory rates. They also wanted to freely establish treaty ports in Zao. Emperor Kai refused, thinking it was an offer, but it was an ultimatum. On December 6th, 1855, a joint army of superiorly armed West Artopans attacked Zao, taking the Simunwan archipelago in 10 days, before heading to Jiuli; after a 4-day siege, the city surrendered due to lack of supplies (the government had not prepared any supply lines, and a bad harvest meant that the city's reserves were also empty). The siege of Jiuli from December 17th to 21st is still regarded as one of the worst defeats in Zaian history, with the best equipped and largest Zaian unit defeated by a numerically inferior opponent.

It only took 20 days for the West Artopans to make it to Xhonghi, where the Emperor killed himself. His 20-year old son, Jin Hulin, took power. He immediately surrendered, and the West Artopans imposed the Silk Treaty on Zao, on January 24th, 1856, 11 days after the war ended. Zao was to cede 16 treaty ports all along its coast; it would give control of the Simunwan Islands to the West Artopans; it would sell its silk to the West Artopans at unfair prices; and it would allow coalition troops on its territory for 20 years. This war would be remembered as the Zaian War of Humiliation.

The leaders of the Great Houses were not happy, and neither was the population. The former were forced to cede some of their most important ports, while the latter were forced to work for minuscule wages to deal with the West Artopans' demands.

The peasants revolted in the The Center a first time in 1858, and again in 1861. In 1862, 1862, and 1870, there were rebellions in the Core. The South and The West were affected as well in 1865 and 1872. All those rebellions were crushed by Carrisian and Aurissossite troops.

However, when the foreign troops left in 1876, the Great Houses allied and plotted to overthrow the Empire, who had supported and helped the foreign invaders since having lost the war, as they were seen. However, the Houses didn't want to take risks; they armed peasants and convinced them to revolt (it didn't take much convincing, as the Bijin dinasty was hated at this point) The Revolution started on March 18th, 1877, near Ki-Lipin. With help from the locals, the rebels quickly took the city. Being near Xhonghi, Ki-Lipin's fall scared the Emperor. He decided to flee to Jiuli, but the Rebellion quickly gained control of much of the Core, so he knew he would not be safe in Jiuli. He convinced Aurissos to give the main island of Simunwan to him, and they agreed, as it was not very useful. It was clear that the Emperor would not win the war, and that it was only a matter of time until the Revolution succeeded. He sent his son, 10-year old Soa Hulin, to Simupei and made plans to flee there as well. Sadly for him, the Rebellion gained Jiuli before he had time to flee, and after a short skirmish with his guards, the citizens found him in his room.

From then, it is unknown if he was decapitated, shot, tortured, drowned, or defenestrated. We do know that May 4th, 1877, was his last day on Mytas.

Ironically, Xhonghi, which the Emperor had deemed unsafe at the beginning of the Rebellion, was the last Core city to fall. The Imperials who had not managed to go to Simunwan put up a valiant fight, defeating enemies from in and outside the walls. The then-Duke Chao Tié himself came down from Tiéba with his troops and took the capital, ending the rebellion with a Revolutionary victory. To this day, he has a special place in the hearts of the people of Xhonghi, and Zao as a whole. This helped him get elected to the role of Leader in 1898.

At this point, it only took a month for the Rebellion to control the rest of the country, helped by the Great Houses. The westerners chose to abandon their treaty ports as rebellion was brewing in those ports and there were more pressing matters to attend to back home.

On June 21st 1877, the Rebellion and its Great House allies controlled most of the country. The Republic of Zao was proclaimed on that day, which is now the National Day of Zao.

However, problems were brewing. The rebels, most of whom were uneducated, had a hard time writing laws, forming a government, and reaching compromises. Two main figures quickly emerged: Saoli Ji, who believed in an elective democracy, and Yeman Ren, who thought it best for a single man, at the head of the armies, to rule. Yeman Ren quickly gained the loyalties and hearts of the people in The Center, where he was born, and Saoli Ji those of The Core. The latter was elected leader of Zao by the Culdisan (council of Major House leaders).

Angry, Yeman Ren formed the Yeman Ren Clan in February of 1879. He declared war on the Republic, starting the Anti-Clan War. For a while it worked; he severely weakened the Houses around him, even destroying the now defunct House Giujan in 1889. Focused on him, the Republic failed to stop many warlords and clans emerging around the Core, and Saoli Ji's death in 1882 left Ji Zipin in charge. He shifted his focus away from the Anti-Clan War, which allowed the Yeman Ren Clan to grow more and more, while other warlords cut apart Zao. The unified Zaian Republic thus only lasted around 20 months, and it would not exist again for more than 20 years. The Yeman Ren Clan would not be defeated until 1899-90 during the Tié campaigns for unification.