Tieguo

Etimology

The word "Tieguo" is first attested in journal and notebooks by Kazemuran explorers in 979-980. It is derived from the Tieguonese form "Tieng", meaning "wet lands", a term which developed under the Meung Dynasty in reference to its royal realm. It was then applied to the area around the Chen and Yuan rivers and to the province around Diang (present-day Daixingai) before being used as an occasional synoym for the state under the Chiang Dynasty.

The official name of the modern state is the "United Republic of Tieguo". Before the end of the Tieguonese civil war (1497-1519), the proposed name of the country was the Democratic Republic of Tieguo, to be differentiated from the "Republic of Tieguo" established by Ping Shui Wang in 1504 in the province of Xianmeng. It was during the third congress of the Nationalist Party of Tieguo in 1515 that the name "United Republic of Tieguo" was proposed for first time before finally being officially adopted by the "People's Council of Tieguo" in late 1519.

History

Modern history

The Empire of Tieguo was able to stop Oslanburg to reach Tieguo territory during the Tieguo-Oslanburg War (1518-1520), but it was forced to lose the Tiejungo archipelago. The Tieguonse monarchy, however, entered in a period of decadence in late 14th century. The centralized autocracy was strengthened to crack down anti-government sentiment with the policy of valuing agriculture and restraining commerce, and ideological control as represented by the literary inquisition, causing social and technogical stagnation. Political crisis, famines, social unrest, and revolts became more usual by early 15th century. The Second Akitsu-Tieguonese War (1437-1444) resulted in Tieguo's loss of influence in the Bay of Tieguo and Akitsan Sea, as well as the cession of many islands to Akitsu.

In the second half of the 15th century, the great Tieguonese diaspora began. Losses due to emigration were added to by conflicts and catastrophes such as the Eastern Tieguonese Famine of 1460-1463, in which between 2 and 8 million people died, and minor conflicts with Oslanburg, Ishnalla and Akitsu further weakened the monarchy. Finally, the Hua Revolution of 1495-1497 brought down the Zhou Dinasty, staring the Tieguonese civil war.

Tieguonese Civil War (1497-1519)

On 28 Alvan 1497, the Provisional Government was established, and Bo Yu Wen -a conservative nobleman- was proclaimed Prime Minister. There were talks to introduce a constitutional government, but Bo Yu Wen was forced to resign after a coup d'etat in late 1497, and general Da Cheng-Yu proclaimed himself Emperor of Tieguo. Da Cheng-Yu was not unable to unify the different factions of his own Yawei Army, and the armed forces broke up. The Tieguonese Civil War (1497-1519) had started.

Tieguo was politically fragmented. Da Chen-Yu and his Daixinghai-based government was internationally recognized as the legitimate government of Tieguo but virtually powerless; regional warlords controlled most of its territory. Nationalist and ethnic revolts challenged Daixinghai power and either demanded self-government or declared independence. In 1503, Ping Shui Wang and his Yawei Army seized Xianmeng. Five months later, on 4 Marth 1504, Ping Shui Wang proclaimed the Republic of Tieguo. Two years later, following a coup d'etat by young officers, Yang Cheng Liu -the founder and leader of the Nationalist Party of Tieguo- took power in Doungzhou. Meanwhile, a coalition of socialists and populists took power in Qing'an and Qoulong, in northern Tieguo, and a communist guerrilla expanded through the eastern provinces.

Under the leadership of the Huan Da Bai, appointed Minister of War by Yang Cheng Liu, the Doungzhou Provisional Government launched an offensive in 1508 known as "March Toward The Valley", which took control of much of northeastern and central Tieguo. In 1509, the Provisional Government entered in Daixinghai, after defeating the monarchist forces a month before, and the last emperor, Da Chen-Yu was forced to exile in Akitsu. The civil war would not end until a decade later, but the Provincial Government was able to reunify the country under its own control with a series of deft military and political manoeuvrings. In 1511, the United Army -as the armed forces founded by Huan Da Bai were known- defeated the Yawei Army and took control of most of southern Tieguo.

The civil war ended in Nueva 1519, when the United Army reached the Golden Gulf. The 22-year war had cost the country 10 million lives and the economy of Tieguo shrank drastically. On 14 Dein 1519, the United Republic of Tieguo was proclaimed.

The establishment of the United Republic of Tieguo (1519-1527)

The Provisional Government was led by Prime Minister Yang Cheng Liu and the Nationalist Party, but included a few minor liberal and constitutionalist forces. While all agree in the need to modernize the country and introducing ambitious political reforms,they disagree on important issues such as economic policy, role of religion in the state, territorial model, and foreign policy. Nevertheless, elections for a Constituent Assembly were called, which were won by a landslide by Yang Chen Liu's Nationalist Party. A new government was formed, but political tensions increased after many members of the Constituent Assembly denounced widespread electoral fraud. Yang Chen Lieu answered launching a large political purge, in which about 100,000 people would being executed in nationwide military trials. Most of the executed were monarchist, former officers from rival armies during the civil war, and communists, but also Yang Cheng Liu's political allies.

Yang Cheng Liu believed in the need of an united and strong state, and therefore he suspended the Constituent Assembly, restricting freedom of assembly, banned rival newspapers, arrested thousands of dissidents, and all political parties -except the Nationalist Party- were banned. A constitutional council -formed mostly by members of the Nationalist Party- was formed, which drafted a new constitution. The Constitution of 1519 proclaimed the United Republic Party, an one-party unitary republic in which the Nationalist Party was in charge of leading the nation. On 11 Vintyr 1519, Yang Cheng Liu was elected the first president of the United Republic of Tieguo.

The constituion established a dictatorship, but Yang Cheng Liu also introduced many political and administrative reforms, including a popular agrarian reform which improved slightly the economic situation of the peasantry, then the largest social class. However, Yang Cheng Liu was killed in a terrorist attack on Alvan 1525, being replaced by Huan Da Bai as President. While Huan Da Bai continued most of Yang Cheng Liu's policies, his health started to decline, and he died on 24 Dein 1527 affected by an advanced cancer.